Chance Number Two

Point One

I met her on the first Saturday of January of this year. It was during the yearly – and traditional – auditions for our exclusive dance company. She came up the stage with a shy smile upon her lips and a slight uneasiness to her movements. She murmured a soft hello, rousing even my colleague’s curiosity.

“Miss Kim Bokyung,” Jongwoon began, “is that your name?”

She looked up at the question, bobbing her head with a silent yes, “but, please, call me Stephanie.”

Jongwoon nodded, noting her simple request. I could sense him glancing at me, waiting for me to say something – my input – but I was already captivated.

Right then.

Right there.

Fortunately, he had the decency to just follow through with the process. He asked her to dance.

And dance she did.

Well, honestly, she didn’t just dance. Her every movement awed me. She glided on stage, as if she was floating, and she floated, as if she had an angel’s wings.

She was so graceful that I knew, even Jongwoon was amazed. There never was talent like hers in the company before. Well, except for one. And no one else was able to match that person, no matter how hard they tried. Then, there came this amateur girl, who couldn’t even look us in the eyes, and made the best dancer we had jump from his seat and applaud her.

“Bravo! Now that’s what I call dancing,” Jongwoon exclaimed.

And she blushed, sending little butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

Jongwoon pulled me towards the foot of the steps – excited as hell to meet the young lady who was finally able to put that twinkle in his eyes just by dancing. He finally had a protégé worthy of his own talent – not that there weren’t talented dancers in the company, or that he’d ever look down on anyone. But, who could blame him for wanting to work with someone who could keep up with him?

And as I looked at the girl in front of us, I knew she was worthy, not only because of her moves, but also of her heart and attitude.

Kim Bokyung. Stephanie Kim.

How could you take my breath away without even trying?

That same night, Jongwoon asked me to join him and his wife for dinner. He said that Yeeun was trying out a new dish and that he didn’t want to be guinea pig and die alone. He had asked me a number of times before so, by now, I knew that his wife was a really talented cook. Jongwoon just loved teasing her and making her blush.

I think he falls in love with her over again whenever she does.

I wouldn’t pass up on anything Yeeun made. I wouldn’t even care if it was to kill me afterwards.

“So, Steph – can I call you that?” Yeeun asked in between bites. She was answered with a soft yes, ma’am. Her eyes widened at the formality. “Gosh! How old are you?”

“I’m 22,” Stephanie replied.

“And I'm 25. See? You don’t have to be so formal. Just call me unnie. From the looks of it, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” Yeeun winked at the younger woman, pushing the bowl of kimchi towards her. “Anyway, where did you learn to dance?”

Stephanie looked up. I noticed her tense, she looked afraid, nervous, and confused. She turned towards Jongwoon, then back to Yeeun, before swallowing what seemed to be a really big lump in .

“M—my appa taught me, unnie,” she finally uttered, in a voice somewhat smaller – softer – than her that we've heard before.

“Your father is a dancer, too?” It was Jongwoon’s turn to ask.

Stephanie nodded. “He was… when he was younger. We used to dance together all the time.”

“How about your mother?”

“She… she isn’t much of a dancer, but my appa taught her stuff…”

“Sounds familiar,” Jongwoon cut in. He stared at his wife, teasing, and then exploded in a fit of contagious laughter.

And I had to admit. It was one of the most memorable dinners at the Kims.

ok. i know that the jongwoonxyeeun pairing is a huge, huge fiction. lmao. and that jongwoon is a monster dancer too. >.< can you guys just bare with little ol' me and let me fantasize? xD