“I love you.”

3 words, 8 letters, one heart. Words that came deeply from within, that is sacred to the people you utter to, that could either make or destroy you.

—

Staring blankly into space, her mind wandered as her finger mindlessly twiddled with her ring finger. Even after a year, she was unable to get used to the emptiness that finger felt. The once cooling metal that wrapped around it was gone, taking with it the security and bond that she had always felt with her husband. Her once-filled heart was replaced with emptiness, just like her finger.

She smiled bitterly. If time could go back, she would have not signed the papers and she would not be hurting and missing him like that. Despite him giving her a cold shoulder, at least she was still Mrs Kim, she was still his wife, she still lived together with him, and most importantly, she could still see him, hear him and feel him. If only time could rewind.

Closing her eyes, she welcomed the short rest that her strained eyes badly needed when the door to her office creaked open slowly. She could hear the light pattering of footsteps moving closer to her and eventually stopped right beside her. She could sense a smaller being on tip toed, trying to check on her. Soft fingers poked her arm tentatively as she continued to close her eyes, trying to not twitch her lips.

“I think Miss Kim is sleeping.”

She could hear a loud whisper before a soft slap was heard and a soft and sweet voice whispered.

“I think Miss Kim is trying not to laugh. Look at her pressing her lips tightly just like the wicked old witch in Cinderella.”

“But Cinderella doesn’t have a wicked old witch.”

“Then in Beauty and the Beast.”

“But Beauty and the Beast doesn’t have a witch either.”

“Then in Snow White, or Goldilocks, or whatever. She just looks like all the wicked old wrinkled witches.”

“Miss Kim is going to scold you for calling her a wicked old witch.”

“Tiffany is right, Jessica.” Taeyeon opened her eyes, turning towards the two children right beside her. “How dare you call me a wicked old witch.” She shot a glare towards the latter, who simply shrugged in response. “For that, you shall be in charge of clearing all the toys before you go home today.”

“See. That’s why I say she’s a wicked old witch.” Jessica turned towards her friend, an arrogant look on her face as if proving her point.

“Jessica Jung!” She nearly lost her composure but regained it immediately, knowing that the girl wanted to simply get on her nerves. “What are you two doing here? Shouldn’t you girls be sleeping?”

Almost immediately, Tiffany hung her head while Jessica shrugged.

“Nobody is sleeping anyways. Everyone is excited for the dance class later.”

“And so?”

“So the other teachers are looking for you? Because we are too noisy and it’s affecting their classes?”

“What? Why didn’t you say so earlier!”

---

It had taken her a lot of yelling and cooing before the class finally quietened down. By then, the kids from the other classrooms were awakening by the noise, which added to the chaos. Apologising to the other teachers in the school, Taeyeon sighed before turning back to her kids, glaring at them. However, with her young youthful looks, it had only made them giggle instead.

“Now kids. We wouldn’t want to the Mrs Lee to cancel the dance class right?”

The children nodded swiftly, anticipation and excitement in their eyes. Taeyeon smiled. The kids in her care loved music and dancing, but all they were taught were random dance movement that the volunteers came up with. It was the first time that a professional dancer had volunteered his time to teach the children and definitely, the kids were elated.

“It’s only 15 minutes left till dance class. Can all of you wait here patiently and quietly for the dance teacher to come?”

“Yes, Miss Kim.” The kids chorused happily.

—

It did not take long before the director walked in with a new face that looked strangely familiar to her.

“Kids. This will be your dance teacher, Kim Hyoyeon. Shall we all greet him together?”

The moment the name was heard, it struck a familiar chord in Taeyeon’s heart. She stared at the dance teacher, her heart pounding furiously. The man before her sported a new look, with neatly trimmed black hair and dressed in casual tracking pants and jacket that was once all so familiar to her. However, just like before, the only features that stood out was his shining eyes that seemed to evoke all kinds of emotions through her.

“Miss Kim. Miss Kim.” Taeyeon jolted out from her daydream, catching sight of a hand waving in front of her.  “Looks like the sleeping princess has finally awaken. May I have this dance?”

Hyoyeon gave a big bow as he bent his knee and offered his hand to the embarrassed teacher. Glancing back and forth from the cheeky face of the dance teacher to the clueless face of the kids, Taeyeon flushed red with embarrassment as she hesitantly placed her hand in Hyoyeon’s. Swiftly yet gently, the gentleman guided the petite teacher towards the front of the class before turning to the children.

“This is how you will dance, cha cha.” Grabbing her hands, Hyoyeon placed one on his shoulder and another stretched in front of them when Taeyeon panicked and pulled away from his hold.

“I can’t dance.”

“Just follow me.” The voice was soft and assuring and Taeyeon felt a sudden assurance crept into her system. Trusting her heart, she let herself go, her body following each step.

“And you spin.” Taeyeon felt her body twirl and just when she thought she was going to land on the ground, an arm wrapped around her waist and her body tilted backwards. “And catch.”

Hyoyeon smiled while the kids clapped, some awed at the performance, some seemingly disgusted.

“Hyoyeon hung, why do we have to dance with the girls? We want to learn the cool dance like popping and locking.”

All the boys nodded their heads eagerly while the girls did not seem too interested.

“Because you can only look cool like that. You know how I got my wife?”

Taeyeon looked up, confused and startled at his tale but Hyoyeon seemed oblivious to her glances as he continued his story.

“By dancing. I met her at a restaurant where she was working part time and the restaurant had a huge empty space for dancing. So every friday night, I would go down to the restaurant, hoping that she was working-“ Hyoyeon paused, casting a fleeting glance at Taeyeon before returning his attention to the kids while Taeyeon gave a soft smile at the memories.

Flashback

“Taeyeon, table number 15.”

The young lady of 21 brisk-walked towards the table, trying to dig her notepad and pen from her pocket.

“May I help you?”

The moment the soft melodious voice entered his ears, he felt mesmerised at how sweet the voice was, and the moment he looked up, it was as though a cupid shot him. For him, it was love at first sight, but for her, he was just any other customer who walked through the door on Friday night. Knowing that the restaurant would turn into a ‘club’ on Fridays, he always made an effort to have dinner there no matter how busy he was, hoping that one day he would be able to impress the lady.

“May I know what time the DJ is coming tonight?” He stuttered, his heart pounding hard as he stared at her face. He watched as the lady frowned in confusion, looking at the stage for a moment before turning back to him.

“The DJ will not be coming tonight. Because it’s valentine day so the restaurant has hired a band to play instead.” The waitress giggled softly. “You should have brought your girlfriend over. The band that plays today is the hottest band around town. They sing lovely too.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.” Hyoyeon did not know why, but he felt as though he needed to clarify his status with the lady, who simply nodded smiling. Just as Taeyeon was about to turn away from the table, fingers grasped around her wrist before it suddenly let go.

“Sorry… I…” Taeyeon giggled, seeing the man before her rubbing the back of his neck while smiling embarrassedly. “I wanted to ask you to be my dance partner, since everyone else has one.” He glanced around, his face flushed crimson. “It will be awkward if I sit here alone without a date on valentines.”

“But I am working right now.” Taeyeon started, immediately catching sight of the disappointed look on the young man’s face. “But I guess I am free after work then.”

Immediately, Hyoyeon’s face lightened up as hope glimmered in his eyes. Taeyeon chuckled at the sight. Pocketing her notebook, she leaned closer towards Hyoyeon. “I will see you at 8pm then.”

Without waiting for any reply, she turned around giggling and smiling as she returned to her duties.

—

8pm sharp. Hyoyeon glanced at his watch, fidgeting in his seat as he waited impatiently for the waitress to handover her duties and bid goodbye to her colleagues. It took another few minutes before she finally emerged from the back room, dressed casually in a plain tee and jeans. Beautiful, Hyoyeon had thought at first, only to trash the thought as she walked closer. Stunning. In fact, she was the prettiest, the most beautiful, stunning lady in the restaurant as compared to the dolled up dresses and thick makeup the other ladies had. He preferred her style. She was his style.

Despite the awkward and embarrassing beginning, the duo had eased into a comfortable conversation where Hyoyeon had stopped sweating and stuttering every time he tried to talk. Taeyeon, on the other hand, could only giggle at the sight. It had been a while since someone had come up to her, behaving like a high school student with his crush. It felt great to know that she was being crushed on. In fact, she had taken notice of him ever since he became a regular on Friday nights. Many times she was curious about his date since he was always alone, but now, she could guess the reason why.

As the night went on, Hyoyeon started becoming his usual goofy and humorous self, entertaining Taeyeon with his never ending stories and jokes when the band started playing a slow ballad. With the soothing melody, numerous couples had slowly stood up, walking towards the dance floor with their dates. Taeyeon looked on somewhat enviously, half hoping that the young man would invite her for a dance. However, Hyoyeon seemed somewhat oblivious as he continued chatting. After a brief consideration, Taeyeon finally interrupted.

“Hyoyeon sshi, do you want to go to the dance floor?”

With a question, Taeyeon caught sight of the frown on the man’s face. Her heart dropped as she wondered if she was being too straightforward. Hyoyeon did not answer right away, taking some time to contemplate before he looked straight at her.

“Honestly, I can’t.”

Taeyeon tilted her head in genuine confusion.

“But I thought you mentioned you dance.”

“I do, but they are mostly solos, like popping and locking. I can’t really dance with a partner. It feels awkward somehow.”

Taeyeon pouted in disappointment despite the relief she felt when Hyoyeon confessed. At least it was not that he did not want to dance with her.

“But I can try, I guess.” Taeyeon looked up with a smile. “But I’m sorry if I stepped on your foot though.”

“It’s okay. I can’t dance either.”

Flashback ends

“So did you step on her feet?”

“Yes I did. All night long. But to be fair, she stepped on mine too and it even hurts the next day. But since then, I promised I would learn social dance so that I wouldn’t step on her feet anymore.”

Hyoyeon laughed good-naturedly as he shot a wink towards Taeyeon.

“So boys, you wouldn’t want to step on your future wives or girlfriends’ feet right? And girls, you wouldn’t want to step on your future husbands’ feet right?” Everybody shook their heads. “So shall we learn how to dance now?”

Immediately, every kid stood up, finding a partner as they started their lesson, playfully yet determined.

—

“So Mr Kim.” Hyoyeon stared straight into her eyes, smiling. “All volunteers need to fill in this form here.”

“Right.” Hyoyeon nodded as he picked up a pen to fill in. While he was filling up the form, Taeyeon took the time to observe him closely. Apart from the newly dyed hair, Hyoyeon had grown sturdier, his muscles showing underneath the jacket. He had also become slimmer and his jaw angled.

“I hope you are not checking me out, Miss Kim.”

Hyoyeon said without looking up. At the words, Taeyeon felt hotness shot up her body, as a tint of red spread on her cheeks. While she was glad that Hyoyeon was talking to her as before, she was also disappointed at the use of her title. Miss Kim. A title for an unwedded lady, but she was married. And divorce. she thought bitterly.

“Done.”

Hyoyeon exclaimed, shaking Taeyeon out from her daze.

“Sorry, if I surprised you. I just dislike filling up forms.”

I know.

“So what makes you work here, Miss Kim?”

Miss Kim. Taeyeon smiled bitterly at the thought once more. Since the day he met her at the restaurant, never once had he called her Miss Kim, only Taeyeon sshi. The title sounded foreign to her ears as though it was some stranger talking to her. Stranger. Indeed, they were stranger. They had after all, gone separate ways a year ago without keeping in touch.

Clearing , Taeyeon gave a polite smile as she processed the question while scanning through the form.

“Because I love kids.”

“But why here? Why not at some kindergarten?”

The smile dropped as she was reminded of her past.

“Because the kids here need more love than others.”

Hyoyeon nodded his ears, seeming to accept her reluctance to answer the question.

“Then why do you volunteer here?”

“Because I love kids too.”

“You are a professional dancer and you open a dance school. Don’t you teach kids there? Why spend your time here.”

“Because the kids here need more love than the others.”

—

It had been weeks since Hyoyeon started volunteering and with each lesson, the kids improved tremendously. The kids idolised him and were willing to listen to each of his instructions, making the other teachers envious of his easy-going attitude and laid back nature. However, while Hyoyeon’s relation with the kids improved each day, his relation with the petite teacher seemed to be at a standstill. The only interaction the duo had with each other was when Hyoyeon made it his habit and insisted on inviting Taeyeon to be his assistant in a dance routine, which she knew nothing about. Therefore, while all the students seemed to have fun watching Taeyeon demonstrate the moves awkwardly, the teacher would be flaming red with embarrassment. This week was no different.

“So boys, you spin the girls one round and lend on your knees, still keeping your hold on the girl’s hand.” Hyoyeon started demonstrating, with her as his assistant as usual. “To show that you are a gentleman, bring her hand close to your lips as if you were going to kiss it before looking up and asking her, ‘would you like to go out with me sometime’?”

The moment the question popped from the dance teacher’s mouth, Taeyeon could feel her heartbeat speeding up. Even though she knew it was meant to be a joke, but she could not help but feel warmed up. It was also times like this where Taeyeon had a gut feeling that Hyoyeon was taking the chance to flirt with her. The only restrain was they were once married and were now divorced. Surely, Hyoyeon would not want her back, when he could find or had found ladies who were a hundred times, a thousand times prettier and better than her. Despite knowing that it was a delusion on her part, Taeyeon wanted the dream to carry on.

—

“You know, the offer actually stands true.”

“Huh?”

“The offer of going out with me. It stand.”

Taeyeon raised her eyebrows at Hyoyeon, who was staring away, unable to meet the eyes of the lady.

“You know, we have been awkward. You may seem to be participating, but I know that you would rather run away and hide from me.” Hyoyeon paused, a pained look in his eyes, which disappeared with a blink of an eye. “Whatever happened before, let’s forget it and start over. Clean slate.”

For a moment, Taeyeon felt her heart drop. Clean state. Does it mean Hyoyeon had moved on? Were the memories they had in the past going to be erased? Is he never going go back to her again? Taeyeon had wanted to cry, but a hopeful look in the man’s eyes, she could not deny his request. Forcing out a smile, she held out her hand.

“Clean slate.”

Perhaps that was the closure they needed. Clean slate, to start everything anew, to get to know each other agin, to make new happy memories to replace the old painful ones. Clean slate. Perhaps she might still stand a chance.

-TBC-