His body moved with such grace as the beat of the music filled the room. Each limb had become boneless, moving like a snake at time and then suddenly, those bones reappearing as he popped and did isolations.

                She had walked into the wrong room but had been there for a good 10 minutes just watching him. She was a new trainee at Woolim Entertainment and was supposed to be in the vocal lessons room. She had heard music from this room and had walked in. She knew who he was, Lee Howon, commonly known as Hoya from the seven-membered idol group Infinite. They were all known for their synchronized dancing, but he was different. He danced with emotion.

                The music stopped and she finally realized that she probably shouldn’t have been there, staring at him. He was looking at her now. Crap, what was she going to do? He started walking towards her, an amused smile on his face. She bowed deeply.

                “Um, hi, sorry!” she exclaimed as she looked up at him.

                “It’s okay, but um…who are you?” he asked, still looking amused.

                “Oh, my name is Kim Hana. I’m a new trainee and I was looking for the vocal training room but ended up here,” she spoke quickly.

                “The training room is down the hall, the last door to your left. From what I’ve been through, he hates tardiness,” Hoya said, dabbing the sweat from his face and neck with a towel.

                “Thank you!” Hana bowed once again and looked at her watch, “crap!” she muttered and ran out of the room.

                She finally reached the vocal room and ran in. she saw who she assumed as her trainer and he seemed annoyed. She bowed and apologized for being so late, explaining how she had no idea where the room was. She intentionally left out the part where she was mesmerized by Hoya in the dance room for about 10 minutes before asking how to get there. The trainer didn’t have to know all the details. He excused her, letting her know that if it happened again, he wouldn’t let her off as easily.

                Her whole day was full of training – from her voice to dancing. By the end, Hana was exhausted and ready to sleep, wanting nothing but her comfortable PJs and bed. It was 11pm and walking through the building alone was making Hana a little paranoid. She wasn’t one to be scared easily but being in a place she didn’t know very well, at night, put a bit of nervousness in her. She pulled her jacket closer to herself, keeping all of her senses on alert. A girl can never be too careful, especially from what she had heard happening to other female trainees. Good thing her father was a Taekwondo teacher. He made sure she knew every self-defense and attack move before he allowed her to move to Seoul to pursue her dream of an entertainer, no matter how against it he was. As his only daughter, he worried more for her. Her older brothers (all three of them) did the same.

                With them in mind, she began to wonder how they were doing. Her mother had passed away while giving birth to her so she had been the only woman in the house. With that, she took on the responsibility for cooking for them. Of course, they all helped with cleaning, but she worried if they were eating right and keeping the house clean enough to live in.

                She made it to the door and opening it, bumping into someone as she walked out. They both fell and she was about to tell the person to watch where he was going when she noticed who he was: Hoya.

                Great, first she’s caught staring at him, and now she’s bumped into him. She quickly got up, as did he. They both quickly apologized and she was about to walk away before he could see who she was when he stopped her.

                “Hey, you’re the girl from this morning. The new trainee, Hana, right?” he had a smile on his face.

                “Oh, yes. You remembered…” she muttered the last part, hoping he didn’t hear.

                “I didn’t introduce myself properly last time. Lee Howon, you can call me Hoya,” he extended his hand, the smile still on his face. She had only seen him on TV and it did no justice to his smile. It was so warm and welcoming. She shook his hand, smiling back.

                “Nice to meet you,” she said.

                “Heading home?” he put his hands in his pockets, trying hard to keep himself warm without showing it.

                “Yes, it’s been a long first day. Didn’t realize it was this intense,” she laughed lightly, then quickly took a look around the place. “Is it okay for you to be talking to me? I mean, aren’t there fangirls around?” getting attacked by men was one thing, but getting attacked by girls who thought an idol was their “oppa” and only for them was a completely scary thing. She did not have the energy to deal with that kind of drama.

                “You’re probably right. But for now they’ll just see this as a nice welcoming. I’m sure your profile is being looked up right now. Sorry,” he had a guilty look on his face.

                “Guess it would happen sooner or later. But I’ll be seeing you around? I need to get home. My dad is waiting for a call from me.”

                “Do you want a ride home? It’s not safe this late at night,” he seemed like he genuinely cared.

                “They’re already looking me up, I don’t want death threats,” she laughed and bowed, saying goodbye and walking away.

                Hoya watched as she walked away, again, amused with her. She was definitely different from the girls he’d met.

 

---

 

                “Dad, I’m fine. I’m home and about to go to sleep. I’ve had a long day,” Hana had her phone on speaker as she sat on her bed, waiting for her father to stop interrogating her.

              “You sure you don’t just want to come back home? You can get a good job here, why go through so much trouble?” her dad had a hint of hope in voice, wanting her to agree and get back home as soon as possible.

                “Daddy, I’m not going to give up. I was finally accepted into an entertainment company! I can’t give up now. You’ve always told me that when I put my mind to something and can see the end, it’s a shame to give up just because it’s a little bit tough,” this would get him to lighten up a bit.

                “I hate that you listen to me when I give that kind of advice,” he muttered.

                Hana was finally able to get through to her father and hang up. It was past 12 and she had to be in the training room by 6. Goodbye decent amounts of sleep.

 

---

 

                Hana reached her first training session for the day: dancing. She loved to dance, and she was pretty good at it too according to her friends. She felt confident standing there in front of her trainer until he said that two members of Infinite were going to help him demonstrate a few dances for her. They had apparently suggested helping.

                Hoya and Dongwoo walked into the room, both in loose clothing with baseball hats on. Hoya gave her a discreet smile accompanied by a quick wink and she almost felt her stomach do a summersault. Almost.

                “Hello,” she said, giving a bow, and they returned the hello. For some reason, Hoya being there with them made her feel nervous. He was attractive, yes; an amazing dancer, yes; but she didn’t like him. She had only met him the day before!

                They were about to begin when the trainer got a call saying that there was an emergency meeting with all trainers. The rest of her day was going to be relaxed unless stated otherwise. Hoya and Dongwoo were free to teach her whatever they thought she should know, but otherwise, they were free to go. Dongwoo said something about beating a high score in a game and left with a huge smile on his face. That left Hoya and Hana alone in the dance room.

                It was awkward.

                “So, what do you want to know about dancing?” Hoya asked, looking around the room, rubbing his hands together.

                “I wouldn’t know, really. What do you have to teach me?” she countered. It wasn’t a competition, but with three older brothers, her first instinct was to counter every comment and question.

                “How about we just get to know each other today? You seem like a really cool person,” he said, gesturing to the chairs.

                “Why not,” Hana shrugged and they headed over to the chairs, sitting down.

                It was silent for a few minutes and Hana couldn’t handle it anymore.

                “Is this as awkward for you as it is for me? I don’t know what we’re doing right now,” she turned to look at his face.

                He looked at her a burst out laughing. Hana didn’t know whether to be offended that he was laughing at her or to laugh along. She chose the first option, keeping her face serious.

                “I’m sorry, I felt the same way, but I really want to get to know you. I just didn’t realize it would be so awkward to do so,” he stopped laughing, but had a smile on his face. She started laughing a bit at that.

                “Glad to know we agreed on that,” she said. The mood was lightening up and she was starting to feel more comfortable.

                “Well, let’s start with something simple. Hobbies?” Hoya asked.

                “Well, I’ve been doing this since I was a kid because of my dad, but I’ve loved it. Taekwondo,” she answered, “yours?”

                “Taekwondo? I’m a 3^rd degree black belt!” Hoya’s smile widened. They had finally found something in common.

                They spent the next few hours talking about everything: school, family, friends, and dreams. It was only when their stomachs began to growl that they realized how late in the day it was. She knew their relationship was going forward very fast, but she didn’t mind. He was nice and sweet. After not having any boyfriends because of her father and brothers, she wouldn’t mind dating Hoya. Except that there would be a few girls ready to kill her if they found out. Wait, when did the sudden thought of a boyfriend come up? She shook her head to clear the thoughts just as Hoya began talking.

                “Want to grab a bite to eat? It’s almost 12 in the afternoon,” he looked at his watch, surprised by the time as well.

                “Sure,” she replied with a smile. She couldn’t believe how close she felt with him even though it had barely been 2 days that they had known each other. How were they going to “grab a bite” together when he was already an idol and she was just a random trainee girl?

                “Is something wrong?” he asked, examining her face.

                “Well, yeah. I’m not leaving this building with you; you don’t need your image ruined because of me. Idol, regular girl,” she pointed to him, and then to herself, “I think I’ll just go home. Eat something there,” she concluded.

                He had a sort of disappointed look on his face but agreed to it nonetheless. He would go home as well and eat with the members. Maybe come back later to the studio and practice dancing. It was a way for him to leave the world behind and just be himself. They said their goodbyes and walked away.

Hana got home and looked around the place. It was empty compared to the home she had back in Gwangju. Their house was always full: either with just her family or friends as well. But this place was empty. She was the only one living there, trying to fulfill her dream. She almost wanted to go back home and be with everyone again, but she knew that she had to endure it and make it big someday. That way, her leaving home wouldn’t be such a waste.

“Yah! Hoya, where have you been?! We just got the managers to buy us chicken!” she heard from outside of her apartment.

Hoya? Did this mean that Infinite lived in the same apartment complex as her? That couldn’t be right. She picked one of the cheaper places that most idols…wait, it made sense now. Of course they wouldn’t want a luxurious place. Everyone would know it. Should she go out and talk to them or just stay in and pretend she didn’t hear a thing? It’s not like she was doing anything all that important. She could spare a few minutes to introduce herself to her neighbors and entertainment family, right?

She opened her door and saw most of Infinite outside of their door, talking to Hoya. Why they weren’t going inside to talk was beyond her, but also a great opportunity for her as well. Of course, the moment they saw her, they didn’t know what to do. Seeing a random girl looking at them obviously meant that she must be a fangirl. The panic in their eyes was almost priceless until Hoya stepped forward. Then it became hilarious.

“Hana? You live here too?” he asked, walking towards her with a smile on his face.

“Surprise?” she said, smiling back. She felt relieved that he recognized her and confronted her. How else was she supposed to introduce herself to them?

“Guys, hey, this is Kim Hana. She’s a new trainee in our company!” he motioned to her with his hand, introducing her. She saw the panic in their eyes die down and she bowed, saying hello and apologizing for scaring them.

“What, no, you didn’t scare us. I’m Sunggyu, leader of Infinite,” Sunggyu walked to her and extended a hand.

“I kind of know who you guys are…” she said, smiling shyly and shaking his hand.

“Well, that’s that. How about you join us for lunch? We’re having chicken!” Hoya exclaimed and before she could say otherwise, he held her by her hand led her to their door.

Once inside, and introduced properly to everyone, it almost seemed as if she knew the boys forever. Being around men her whole life, she knew how to connect with them. Granted, she did tend to like activities that men mainly liked because of her brothers and sometimes made her an outcast from girls, but that’s what gave them all enough to talk about. Infinite had no schedule for the rest of the day and her training was put off until tomorrow so they spent all afternoon in the dorm talking, laughing, playing video games, and watching TV together. It was only when Hana’s father called that she realized how late it was.

“Um, please, please, please don’t talk. Any of you, please?” she begged and took out her phone, “Daddy! Hi!” she answered, almost too happy of a tone. By habit, she had him on speaker.

“You’re sounding a little too happy to hear from me, aren’t you?” his voice had suspicion and she knew her brothers were listening as well.

“Of course I’m always happy to hear from you! Today was so boring and I had nothing to do at all. I wanted to call you first but I didn’t want to bother you guys. But jeez, Dad, you call so late. I was about to get to bed. So, um, I’ll talk to you tomorrow?” she realized too late that she was rambling. That meant that there was something she was hiding.

“Hana. Out with it,” he sounded so stern that the boys looked as if they would start apologizing. She quickly put her index finger to her lips and then sighed into the phone.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Daddy. Honest, I was home all day. It’s not like I have friends here that I can hang out with,” she faked a yawn, making sure he heard that she was “tired.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re safe, then. Get to bed, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you, sweetie.”

“I love you too, Daddy. G’nite!”

She hung up as quickly as she could, letting out a breath of relief.

“That was a close one,” she smiled at them but then looked at her watch, “and it’s way past ten. I should get home and sleep if I want to survive the training tomorrow. They’ll probably make it twice as hard since I got today off,” she got up and bowed again, thanking them for allowing her to stay and hang out with them.

“I’ll walk you to your door,” Hoya offered. Something in his eyes made her second guess saying no. It was an instinct she had to always decline help; she could do fine by herself, she didn’t really need assistance.

“Um, sure,” she said and he got up as well, walking to the door and opening it.

The rest of the boys got up to go sleep as well and Hoya and Hana walked out, heading for her door. The walk there was short but it seemed so much longer, especially since it was quiet. They got there and she unlocked her door, opening it a bit.

“Thanks for inviting me. It was really nice being with you guys,” she said, looking into his eyes. The way he was looking back almost startled her, making her blush a bit.

“Yeah, it was nice being with you, too,” he said, his hand lifting up to touch her cheek.

She was frozen, almost. She didn’t know what to do as she saw him leaning in closer to her. She just stood there, continuing to look at him.

“Forgive me…if this is going too quickly…” he whispered and she suddenly felt his lips on hers. Her eyes automatically closed as she kissed him back, her one hand still on the doorknob and the other gripping on to his shirt. His hand was in her hair and he pulled her closer by her waist with the other, their bodies now touching. She let go of the door, letting it close, completely consumed by his kiss. She pulled back, breathing heavily, and looked into his eyes, a surprised look on her face.

“What was that?” she asked, laughing lightly. She was still in his arms and he smiled.

“A kiss,” he stated, and loosened his hold on her, still smiling.

“Well, I wouldn’t have figured that out,” she laughed and shook her head, almost thinking that it was all in her mind.

“I guess I should let you get inside. Long day tomorrow,” he let go of her.

“Yeah, I should be asleep by now,” she opened her door once again and looked back at him.

“Good night,” he leaned in and gave her a quick peck on her forehead before beginning to walk away.

“Good night,” she replied and got inside, quickly running to her bed and jumping on it. The smile on her face went from ear to ear and she sat there, holding her pillow and thinking of Hoya. She gave a quick squeal and fell back onto her bed, spreading her arms out and staring at the ceiling.

“I guess being here alone was a great idea after all,” she grinned and let herself think of Hoya as she slowly fell asleep.