“You’re my dream girl, and I can’t stop. More and more, more, and more, I’m falling for you, baby.”

- Dream Girl, Beast

            Chanhee wasn’t used to being in the large dance studio without the intent of dancing. Staring at his feet outstretched before him, it occurred to him that the only times he rested his back against this wall was when he was resting after an intense practice. Rather than wearing mesh shorts and reeking of sweat, he wore a nice pair of fitted, distressed jeans and smelled of refreshing cologne. He gave his hair a flip and glanced to his side, where another pair of legs was extended beside his. They were crossed, and didn’t extend quite as far as Chanhee’s did—they belonged to his best friend Byunghun, after all. Byunghun had his short fingernail clenched between his perfectly straight teeth, idly biting his nail as he waited with Chanhee. They weren’t alone; Minsoo, Changhyun, and Daniel had joined their casual slumping against the wall of the nearly silent dance studio.

            “Do you think she’s good?” Chanhee spoke up suddenly, turning his head towards his blonde friend.

            Byunghun shrugged, pulling his hand away from his mouth. “Jonghyun’s been training her for a long time, hasn’t he? And he’s a good dancer, so I’m sure she’s a good dancer too.”

            “I doubt they practice the whole time,” Minsoo chuckled, lifting the brim of his black New York Yankee’s cap. “They probably make out half the time.”

            “Oh, Changjo, you’re such a good dancer,” Chanhee mockingly gushed in a high-pitched voice. He placed his hands on Byunghun’s cheeks and pretended to frantically pull him in for a kiss. His resistance, combined with the pitch of Chanhee’s voice, made Daniel and Minsoo laugh. Changhyun, lingering on the end, gave a halfhearted chuckle.

            The group of boys had been too distracted with their laughter to notice that their youngest counterpart was standing in the middle of the studio in front of them, smiling proudly and patiently. Behind him stood Min Neul, wearing black leggings that reached halfway down her halves and an oversized orange t-shirt with a widened neck. She pulled her hair out of its loose ponytail, letting it fall down her back in slight, playful waves. She was stretching her leg muscles while Jonghyun cleared his throat, capturing all attention.

            “Hi, everyone!” Jonghyun waved at his five closest friends. “So, for the past couple months I’ve been teaching Min Neul how to sing and dance. I’m proud to say that she’s come a really long way and is really talented. And soon she’s going to audition to join T.O.P Media!”

            The boys hollered and applauded for her excellent choice in talent agencies wile Jonghyun beamed proudly. With a chuckle, he continued his introduction. “So, before she auditions, we thought it would be a good idea for her to get some performing experience. So she’s going to perform for you guys today! So, uh, without further ado, I present to you, the very beautiful and talented Park Min Neul!”

            The boys began to applaud again, but Chanhee’s loud voice interrupted unsurprisingly. “Wait, wait, what’s her sage name?”

            “Stage name? She doesn’t have one yet!” Jonghyun exclaimed.

            “Well, she can’t perform unless she has a stage name,” insisted Chanhee.

            Jonghyun rolled his eyes. “Okay, uh…how about…how about…”

            “How about ‘Miinah?’” suggested Changhyun, speaking up softly with a shrug. “Miinah, Min Neul…kinda sounds right, doesn’t it?”

            “’Miinah.’ Beautiful girl,” Jonghyun tasted the name, repeating its meaning for emphasis. A smile blossomed on his face in agreement. “Sounds perfect for her!” He threw a glance behind him at Min Neul, who nodded and shrugged in acceptance of the temporary stage name. Jonghyun clapped. “Alright, without further ado, the very beautiful and talented world-renown idol, Miinah!”

            Finally, al five boys gave enthusiastic applause as she sat back, anticipating a great but amateur performance from the young girl. Little did they know, she was anything but amateur.

            With the mindset that she had been given a new identity, Min Neul pushed all nerves out of her system. Any doubts of fears that could have clouded her memory or stiffened her joints had vanished with the sudden appearance of a new identity. Suddenly, she wasn’t Min Neul, a seventeen-year-old girl, young and in love and just trying to find a balance between her own happiness and the will of her parents. The personal matters of Min Neul didn’t affect Miinah at all; Miinah was strong, fierce, and a brilliant performer. She could own the stage with just a simple but loaded glance to the audience, which had multiplied in her mind from five to five thousand. When the event’s MC had kindly stepped aside, all attention was drawn to the single girl standing on stage in a lavish stage costume. But despite her impressive appearance, she had the talent to back it up. And the moment the first beat of the music hit Miinah’s ears, she let her body take complete control.

            All of the boys recognized the song right away; it was a song they had practically learned to tune out as they walked the halls of the T.O.P Media building. But though they had heard it being rehearsed, they never actually had seen it. Perhaps their expectations hadn’t been too high, or hadn’t been set at all, because at the start of Miinah’s performance, the five boys watching already looked awestruck.

            Miinah popped her hip with power. She hopped across the studio floor with precision. She whipped her hair with perfection. The previous image of this choreography being performed by a group rather than a solo performer had been completely wiped to oblivion as the boys watched Miinah move. In the years they had trained, they had grasped a concept of what skillful dancing looked like. Though the moves in the beginning looked simple, they only looked right if they were executed with the right power and attitude; Miinah had both of those, and more. Her charisma exploded in all directions with ever flip of her hair and swing of her arms. When the chorus hit, the boys watched in silent awe as she twisted her ankles and cocked her hips at all the right times. Though she was focused keenly on the choreography, she engaged her audience and changed her facial expressions to perfectly match the different tones of vocals.

            The first chorus carried straight into a playful bridge of “na-na-na’s” that showed off potentially the sharpest parts of the choreography. She tilted her hip to the right, bent her strong, separated legs, and extended her arms in front of her. They moved in a circular motion and transitioned smoothly close to her body in a series of back-and-forth movements, pivoting to twist her body in the opposite direction. Next came the comical choreography as if she was applying makeup, during which she smirked and eyed her five-member audience with eyes full of expression. As she finished out the choreography for the bridge, the boys were hollering with enthusiasm at her skill. When she gave a high kick to the audience, weak-hearted Chanhee playfully pretended to faint.

            The energy and passion Minah expressed every move of choreography with was simply enthralling to watch. Changhyun in particular found it nearly impossible to tear his eyes away from the girl dancing before him. This type of dance, with its boundless energy, expression and attitude, was practically made for a girl like Min Neul. As Changhyun sat back and watched her, he was blown away that she was already a trainee, or even an idol. She commanded attention, and not just because of her strong dancing; she actually looked incredible while she did it.

            Miinah wasn’t sure anyone was breathing or blinking when she neared the end of her rendition of “Nu ABO.” The song ended sharply, and her moves ended even sharper. The ending of the song brought an abrupt silence, leaving the boys to stare at her for a few moments before they came back to reality. All five boys began to applaud wildly, cheering and whistling in amazement at her performance. As Miinah’s body softened back into a regular stance, she softened back into Min Neul. With shining eyes and hands covering her gaping smile, she bowed before her enthusiastic audience.

            “Min Neul, that was amazing!” Daniel exclaimed, his catlike eyes wide with wonder.

            “You should audition with that dance!” Byunghun encouraged, his smiling eyes the shape of rainbows.

            “You’re really an incredible dancer,” Changhyun blurted after winning a battle with speechlessness.

            “Thank you so much, guys,” Min Neul gushed, bowing humbly before her audience. Her smile wasn’t the only one to thrive with their compliments; Jonghyun grinned as he proudly stepped forward, applauding as well. He gave Min Neul a congratulatory hug on a performance well done.

            “So that’s definitely the dance you’re auditioning with, right?” Jonghyun clarified.

            “Definitely!” Min Neul repeated. “I think it’s my best dance.”

            “Jonghyun taught you well,” Minsoo complimented, running his fingers through the short ponytail sticking out behind his head. “That was really good.”

            “That was more than good, that was amazing.” Changhyun was soft-spoken, but he looked up at the pretty, talented girl with much admiration.

            “Thank you, Changhyun,” Min Neul giggled, flattered that the praise she received from Jonghyun all the time was truthfully being given to her by others.

            “Perform another song,” Chanhee requested, glancing up while he childishly gripped the soles of his shoes with his hands.

            “Can you sing? You should sing something,” Byunghun added curiously.

            “I can sing something,” Min Neul nodded, considering the boys’ join request as she glanced at Jonghyun. “Should I do ‘Ugly’? I might want to audition with that one.”

            “Yeah, that’s a strong one for you,” mentor Jonghyun nodded in approval. Min Neul gave the boys thumbs up as Jonghyun retired to the piano on the other side of the room. After giving Min Neul a pitch to stat out with, she nodded and stood up straight, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes to become Miinah once again.

            When the familiar strum of the guitar filled her ears, the energy from “Nu ABO” had been wiped from Miinah’s presence. She softened right up, conveying the image of an insecure, pleading girl as she sang the opening lyrics. The boys were surprised by how soft and sweet her voice was, given her loud, blunt personality. It was a remarkable transformation into a gentle girl expressing her insecurities through music, the only way she knew how to. Changhyun’s eyes widened as her lovely voice swirled in the air, perfectly on pitch every time. Because of the minimal choreography to the song, Miinah was able to move and express the emotions of the song however she pleased. The way her eyes interacted with the audience drew the boys in.

            Though the song showed off how melodic her voice was, the notes approaching the chorus were handled with power and perfect support and control. Without even taking a breath, she slipped seamlessly into the chorus, belting the pleading lyrics in clear English. Byunghun smiled and clapped a little upon hearing her English, which was potentially even clearer than his. With smiling eyes, he watched her move perfectly to the few moves of choreography, which included covering her face with her palm and extended her hand back out to the audience. Her voice had equal power and melody, a desirable quality for a supporting singer who could still carry her own. Most of the boys focused on the control of her voice. Byunghun focused on the English. Changhyun, however, focused on the emotion. He could actually feel a sullen weight tugging at his heart, pulling it more with every second that passed. She had such powerful expressions and injected so much raw, real emotion into the lyrics that Changhyun felt somewhat pained. He wasn’t used to seeing her so vulnerable, even if she was just acting for a performance. She was awfully convincing, hinting at another desirable skill of idols that she already possessed: acting. Throughout the entire performance, Changhyun watched her with sad eyes, speechless at how real her emotions were and how breathtaking beautiful she both looked and sounded.

            When Miinah slipped into Dara’s heartfelt bridge towards the end, she had practically moved the boys to tears. Even Jonghyun watched in amazement the way she acted with no props, microphone, dancers or other band members. She crossed the dance floor a few times, making use of the space she had been given and owning ever centimeter of it. Her soft, pleading voice tugged at their heartstrings when she mounted the higher notes, which were unanimously rendered gorgeous. But just as the sadness and heavy emotion of the bridge ended, Miinah took a deep breath and closed her eyes to mentally imagine the explosive, strong ending to the performance she saw in her mind. When her eyes snapped open, she saw the boys’ bright smiles of amazement and felt confident enough to finish with perfect strength. By the time she had sang the very last word, the boys were already on their feet, ready to applaud her.

            Though a standing ovation of five might not seem like much, to Min Neul it was the perfect ending. Tears were practically stinging her eyes as their clapping replaced the music she had so acutely listened to. Just as she had straightened up from her bow, Chanhee had leap forward to give her a congratulator hug, which turned into a massive group-hug of giggling friends.

            “That was amazing,” Byunghun gushed.

            “Beautiful,” Changhyun whispered, unsure if he meant her voice or her looks.

            “You have great control,” Chanhee relayed loudly.

            “YOUR VOICE IS PRETTY!” Daniel squawked above the noisy complimenting.

            Min Neul giggled, trying to push the boys away. “Okay, okay, thank you all so much! I owe it all to Jonghyun, though. He’s a great teacher.” She gave Teen Top’s youngest member a squeeze around the ribcage.

            “You’re welcome, baby. You’re a great student,” he giggled before kissing the top of her head.

            “So, when are you auditioning?” Byunghun asked.

            “Soon. Really soon,” Min Neul answered with a smile.

            “You’re definitely ready,” Chanhee nodded confidently.

            “Have you told your sister your auditioning yet?” Minsoo spoke up, clearly having Min Neul’s sister Hyerin on his mind.

            Min Neul nodded. “I called her last night. She was so excited for me. I haven’t told my parents yet, though,” she admitted nervously.

            “If you get accepted, will they let you become a trainee?” Daniel asked, hope glimmering in his eyes.

            “They have to,” Min Neul stated boldly. “I’m accepting no matter what. Being an idol is my dream, and I already feel like I’m so close to it!”

           Changhyun smiled dazzlingly. “Well, I know you’ll get accepted. You’re perfect, Min Neul.”

            Min Neul couldn’t hide the scarlet hue blossoming on the apples of her cheeks. Changhyun’s sincere compliments gave her the most zealous confidence. “Thanks so much, Changhyun.”

            Suddenly, out of nowhere came a pulsating beeping noise. Min Neul gasped, sprinting to the black iPhone that was tucked loosely into a pocket of her duffle bag. An alarm was going off, reminding her that she had to make it to Hyowon’s to work on studying and that bothersome project. “I’m sorry but…I’ve got to go,” she stammered, quickly collecting her belongings.

            Jonghyun looked genuinely concerned. “What? Where do you have to go?”

            “I have to, um, work on a project with someone. It’s for school,” she slurred, slinging her back over her shoulder.

            “Jonghyun will walk you there,” Changhyun blurted, not even catching Jonghyun’s jaw drop at his sudden request.

            Min Neul’s face began to burn. “No, no, it’s okay, I, uh, I gotta go now! Bye guys! Thank you so much! See you soon!” She dashed for the studio door and disappeared down the hallway without even so much as a kiss for Jonghyun.

            Daniel whistled. “What was that about?”

            “I don’t know,” Jonghyun said, folding his arms across his chest, slightly hurt. “She keeps leaving all of a sudden. Like she’s always in a hurry to go somewhere else. She didn’t even say goodbye to me.”

            “Sounds suspicious,” Chanhee sang in an overly dramatic tone, slumping against Jonghyun’s shoulder and raising an eyebrow.

            Jonghyun shimmied away from him. There wasn’t anything suspicious going on, was there? Min Neul just had somewhere to be, right? Changhyun watched in silence as his friend’s gaze dropped to the floor in disappointment and confusion. He kept his voice silenced, but inside his head he found himself screaming for drama.

- - -

            Min Neul’s eyes apprehensively watched the clock positioned high against the wall. In the hour she had been at Hyowon’s house, a smile had never left his face. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore his constant off-key humming while he worked as well. The hands on the clock ticked. Hyowon hummed. The dinging of a timer was going off. As Min Neul’s concentration thinned, so did her sanity.

            “What do you think of doing a poster?” Hyowon asked suddenly, that stupid smile still wide on his face.

            “Huh?” Min Neul asked almost irritably.

            “When we present the project,” Hyowon clarified in simple terms. “Want to make a poster?”

            “Oh,” Min Neul replied, crossing her legs as she though. “I think a lot of people will do a poster. Let’s do something different.”

            “Okay! You’re more creative than I am. What do you think we should do?” Hyowon questioned, enthusiastic to hear Min Neul’s suggestion, which would be brilliant to him no matter what it was.

            “Let’s turn this into a skit. A performance. You can portray Darwin and explain his life and his voyage into the Galapagos Islands, and I can be one of the finches he finds on the island and I can explain his finch experiment, and we can both explain how he came up with Darwinism.”

            A wider smile had been spreading across Hyowon’s face the entire time he talked. The combination of her refreshing, creative ideas coursing through his mind, plus her smooth and somewhat voice explaining it was nearly reducing him to a puddle. And on top of that, she had dressed so casually, so relaxed in those leggings and slouchy shirt, as if she wasn’t too concerned about a gussied-up appearance and let her natural beauty shine. Hyowon’s heart skipped a beat glancing at the way her dark hair cascaded in soft waves down her back. Her genius was unfolding, and Hyowon found that the iest quality in a girl.

            “How did you do that?” he asked in a soft voice, completely amazed.

            Min Neul shrugged. “I just thought about what would be interesting to watch. It could be fun to present, too.”

            Hyowon smiled almost tiredly as he leaned forward. “I think that sounds like a brilliant idea,” he admitted calmly and honestly.

            Min Neul grinned proudly, sensing that Hyowon was being truly being genuine. “Really? You want to do it?”

            “Yeah I want to do it!” Hyowon chuckled, flipping to a blank page in his notebook so the two could brainstorm their already amazing project a little further. “So, do we need costumes?”

            At that very moment, a slender woman came into through into the dining room, and with her, the sweet smell of chocolate. She had short, raven colored curls that were slightly graying at the roots atop her round face and she smiled with a warm, pearly grin. She stopped right before the table Hyowon and Min Neul were seated at, and placed a large plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies between the two. “I thought you two could use a little sweet snack,” she announced generous.

            “Thanks, Mom,” Hyowon grinned brightly, obviously a trait from his mother’s side. “Ah, Min Neul, this is my mother.”

            “Hyowonnie, you didn’t tell me this girl you’re working with was this pretty!” Mrs. Kwon gushed kindly. “Pleased to meet you, Min Neul!”

            “Thank you so much, it’s a pleasure to meet you too,” Min Neul replied sweetly, respectfully standing up to greet his mother with a little bow. Despite being somewhat difficult to those her own age, Min Neul considered herself mature for her age. Her charisma could charm even the toughest critic; perhaps that was how she got Jonghyun to act so sweetly to her even as he sternly taught her. Min Neul believed first impressions were extremely important, and she always strived to make the most positive impact she could. And to someone who was already as obviously sweet as Mrs. Kwon was, Min Neul could tell she already had her wrapped around her finger

            Mrs. Kwon was pleasantly surprised at Min Neul’s gracious manners, and gave Hyowon a side smile. “My dear, you’re so sweet! You’re one of Hyowonnie’s classmates?”

            “I am,” Min Neul giggled slightly at the use of his nickname again. “He’s a brilliant student.”

            “Why thank you, Min Neul! He makes our family proud,” Mrs. Kwon grinned, placing a hand on her son’s shoulder.

            Hyowon’s cheeks began to redden. “Okay, okay, Mom, thank you for the cookies.”

            “Alright, alright. Sheesh! If you two need anything, I’ll be around,” Mrs. Kwon said in a singsong voice before turning to leave.

            Min Neul giggled. “Your mom is so sweet.”

            Hyowon shrugged, nodded. “She likes when I bring home friends. Especially girls.” Suddenly, his expression faltered. “N-n-not that I bring home girls a lot, though!”

            Throwing her head back, Min Neul began to chuckle playfully. “It’s cool, Hyowon.”

            Hyowon swallowed hard and glanced down at his notebook. He began making little swirls in the corner with his pen. “She wants to see me get a girlfriend so badly,” he admitted.

            Min Neul tilted her head. “That’s really sweet.”

            Hyowon shrugged. “I guess. I haven’t found her yet,” he remarked wishfully as he smiled. “But I think I’m getting closer.”

            The way Hyowon was gazing at Min Neul, with his eyelids dreamily closed halfway and a peaceful smile on his face, wasn’t making Min Neul as uncomfortable a sit usually did. As the sweet taste of warm chocolate filled , it occurred to Min Neul that she was actually flattered. Maybe Hyowon didn’t intend to be so annoying and pushy all the time; maybe he was just trying to grant his mother’s wishes. For a split second, Min Neul almost felt a little downhearted that she couldn’t give Hyowon more of a chance to get closer to her.

            Suddenly, Min Neul cleared . “Uh, maybe we should keep working.”

            “Right,” Hyowon nodded, dropping his gaze to the work before him a pink blush spread across his cheeks. “Back to work.”

            Somewhere between bites of cookies, moments of forgetfulness, spurts of genius, and turning pages, Min Neul found herself at peace. She was smiling more than she usually did around Hyowon, and giving off much more of the energy she usually did. Hyowon fed from her energy, letting his guard drop and cracking jokes that Min Neul astonishingly laughed at. Back and forth, they tossed around ideas about their project and settle on a brilliant plan for their project that would surely earn them a perfect score. They began their research, flipping their textbooks open and jotting down useful information. All the while, they talked and laughed together like the two close friends they were becoming.

           Nearly an hour later, the plate of cookies was nearly empty, and the glasses of milk they snuck into the kitchen to pour were too. The work on the project had been finished, and Hyowon had jokingly told Min Neul she couldn’t avoid being tutored that night. With a playful eye roll, Min Neul gave in and opened her history textbook with a giggle.

           Hyowon leaned forward. “So, what do you remember from class today about European monarchs?”

           Min Neul’s eyes rolled upward, as if a glance at the silver-rimmed light overhead would somehow jog her memory. “Louis the…Fourteenth built that palace in Paris, right?”

           “Good,” Hyowon nodded with a smile. “Do you remember why?”

           Slowly, a gasp emanated from Min Neul’s lips. “Because he wanted to show low rich and lavish France became, right?”

           “Right!” Hyowon exclaimed, pleased at how much Min Neul remembered from the lecture that day. “Do you remember who lived in the Palace of Versailles and why?”

           The knowledge was about to roll off the tip of Min Neul’s tongue with unstoppable force. It just kept coming to her, as if she had studied the information all her life. “The nobles, so the king could keep an eye on them!”

           Hyowon held up a hand to initiate a well-deserved high-five. “You’re a genius, Min Neul!”

           The girl giggled as she slapped Hyowon’s palm with hers. “Thanks. I paid really close attention in class today.”

           Hyowon was smirking. “Let’s see just how well you listened today.”

           He gave Min Neul a brief quiz on the content of the history lecture in class today, which Min Neul passed with near perfection. After Hyowon clarified a few blurry spots in her understanding, the pair called the history portion of the studious night to a close. They began going over algebra, which had always been a relatively strong subject for Min Neul. Again, Hyowon was surprised with just how much knowledge the girl truly possessed. He hadn’t even been tutoring her for long, and she was already improving. Later, Min Neul reported with a proud grin that she found the chemistry pop quiz rather easy, and was one of the first to finish. Perhaps the drive to get better grades was back for her, as long as the motivating force to get Hyowon out of her hair was there. Still, Min Neul found herself enjoying the time they spent together much more than she had anticipated. Perhaps Hyowon wasn’t as bad as she had thought. Perhaps.

           Normally, time flew the fastest for Min Neul when she was dancing, but before she knew it she glanced at the clock and realized it was nearly seven at night. With a gasp of surprise, she announced she should probably get going. Hyowon’s face had dropped at her announcement, but in all honesty, he was growing tired of schoolwork himself. He wished he could convince the girl to somehow stay a little later and push the books aside, but when Min Neul began to pack up to leave, he knew he had to act fast.

           “Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?” he blurted suddenly, almost forcefully.

           Min Neul bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Hyowon, but, uh, my parents really want me home right now.” She reached into her backpack and pulled out a dark, striped hoodie.

           Hyowon couldn’t help but notice the hoodie was sized too big for her, and slightly masculine looking. As Min Neul slipped her thin arms through its wide sleeves, Hyowon prayed it wasn’t a boy’s hoodie. But as far as he was concerned, Min Neul had never said anything about a boy in her life. He slowly rose to his feet, blinded by everything around him but Min Neul’s nearing departure as she headed out of the room and towards the front door.

           “Well, uh, we should do this again sometime,” Hyowon slurred quickly, trying not to make it obvious that he was lingering on to prolong her stay. He discreetly placed his hand on the front door and leaned, hoping he was giving off a cool impression to hopefully catch her eye.

           As Min Neul slipped her feet in her tennis shoes, she eyed Hyowon’s hand on the door, knowing fully well that it was strategic. Hyowon surprised her; he certainly didn’t come off as the smooth, witty type, but more of the sweet, fumbling type. She offered a weak smile. “Sure, Hyowon, uh, we can do this again.”

            Hyowon’s face lit up with the promise of another opportunity. “Really?”

            “Sure,” Min Neul affirmed with a slight shrug. “Honestly, this was more fun than I thought it would be.”

            There was a glimmer in Hyowon’s eyes as he leaned closer to her. “Why’s that?”

            He was pressing for more, and Min Neul decided to give him just a little. “Let’s just say you’re not so bad after all,” she admitted, her voice soft and sincere.

            Hyowon smiled graciously. “You’re a sweet girl, Min Neul,” he said gently, again leaning closer to her. “I’m really looking forward to seeing you again.”

            Slowly, Min Neul noticed that the distance between her and Hyowon was closing in with every passing second. Hyowon had ducked his head slightly and locked his eyes on Min Neul’s soft-looking, slightly parted lips. As his eyelids shut, his heartbeat quickened. If he were lucky, his gaze wouldn’t be the only thing on her lips that night.

            Min Neul stiffened up at the realization that her lips were Hyowon’s intended target. Spikes of panic shot up deep within her, clenching all of her muscles in both disbelief and dread. Biting her lip, she turned her head away from him and sidestepped away, thankful that her dance training had given her swift movements. She didn’t dare breathe when Hyowon dejectedly noticed she had diverted his seemingly smooth move and straightened back up. The very moment his hand dropped from the door, Min Neul’s hand found the doorknob and yanked on it for dear life.

             “I’ve got to go,” she mumbled, unable to look him in the eyes. Not because she was embarrassed, but because his gaze had fallen to the ground and was unable to be picked back up in humiliated rejection.

             It pained her to be the cause of someone’s heartbreak, no matter how unwanted he was to her. She didn’t believe anyone so innocent and so promising was deserving of unreciprocated love. However, she had only been given one heart to give away, and it was guarded and cherished by owner of the very heart who had trusted her with his. Her hands were tied. Her heart was locked. Hyowon had no way of knowing it, but she happily and perfectly belonged to someone else, and there wasn’t a single thing he could do to change that heartbreaking reality.

            “I’ll see you later,” Min Neul mumbled before turning the other cheek.

            Hyowon had not even the time to speak up, for she avoided his words with her disappearance just as she had avoided his kiss.