AN: Super sorry for the long wait. Here's the chapter that you've all been waiting for! Well, at least, it's the chapter that sets the tone for this fic. :P And sorry if the characters are a bit OOC or over-the-top. I hope you're happy with it and please review!

THE day of the performance finally arrived. SHINee and KARA met up at the venue and expressed how both excited and nervous they were for that night.

 They went straight into their dress rehearsal. After rehearsing for their performance of Sherlock, the boys naturally got ready first with their smart casual suits and waited for the girls on stage, while greeting some other artistes that they came across.

 Soon the KARA girls filed in, wearing stylish cream-colored dresses. SHiNee cheered as they saw them, but Taemin's voice disappeared in his throat once he laid eyes on Jiyoung.

 Her dress was strapless, and the upper bodice was glittered with diamonds that helped define her body shape. The layered off-white skirt fluttered softly and covered just enough to reveal her long legs and strappy gold heels adorning her feet.

 As she made her way to her spot, Jiyoung laughed off Jonghyun's compliment on her outfit, saying that Gyuri's was so much better and ier, to which he blushed.

 When Jiyoung finally saw her partner and greeted him, he was rendered completely speechless. "Oh, Taemin-oppa, you look great! Taemin-oppa? Are you okay?"

 Shaking himself out of his reverie, he croaked and cracked a nervous smile, "Yes, yes. I'm fine."

 Visibly reddening, Jiyoung gestured to his hair, which was perfectly styled (think his hair for the W Live photoshoot). "I love your hairstyle. It suits you better than when your fringe all falls forward. You look more matured this way."

 Taemin smiled and chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." He paused to look her in the eye. "You... look gorgeous, by the way."

 Jiyoung didn't answer right away, but a shy smile slowly formed on her pink face as she fiddled with the end of her skirt. "Thank you," she said softly.

 Their rehearsal went well, even though they had to rush things a bit. Taemin had noticed that Jiyoung didn't say much after that. He wondered if it was because of his compliment earlier and cursed himself inwardly.

 KARA left quickly to rehearse for their Pandora performance next.

 The two groups didn't see each other again until they had to get ready for their joint performance. When their turn was almost up, they stood behind the stage while waiting for the cue.

 Taemin looked sideways at Jiyoung, whose hair was spun into a classy do while some locks were curled at the end and left flowing on her shoulders. Her fringe was styled classily so that it falls softly on one side of her face and partially covered an eye.

 Taemin felt his heart stop beating as he glanced at her. He had never seen her this beautiful and secretly made a silly wish to be able to keep seeing her face for the rest of his life.

 He also noticed that she appeared to be hyperventilating. Smiling, he took her hand.

 "You okay?" he asked gently.

 She turned to him, grimacing. "Oh, this is normal. I always get this nervous whenever we do Gayo Daejuns."

 He squeezed her hand, let it go and put both of his hands on her bare shoulders. She noticed that they were warm and somehow calming.

 "Just relax, Jiyoung," Taemin said. "We've practiced enough and we have our brilliant method, remember?"

 She smiled and nodded, thankful for his encouragement. She was surprised, however, when Taemin pulled her into a hug. Over his shoulder, she could see the rest of KARA and SHINee members looking at them questioningly.