Project: Cupid!

Chapter 8: The Next Step

Jae Won had promised them all earlier that the filming for that day would cover materials required for two episodes. So, once his watch told him that it was already four PM, he told his staffs to wrap up the shooting and moved to the next location. With one quick glance, the PD could see the fatigue all over his staffs and main stars’ faces (after all, they had started filming since morning. Plus, the sun was blazing extremely hot that day), but he knew they were all professionals who were aware of their jobs’ consequences.

The van strolled down the busy street of Seoul. It was a good thing that the place they were heading to was located not too far from Caribbean Bay Water Park. Within 30 minutes, the vans were parked in front of a modern and minimalist-styled building. The teams hopped off the van one by one and they entered the building with Jae Won leading ahead.

“This is a bad idea,” commented Eunhyuk to his best friend.

Donghae could not disagree. It could have been a good idea if the challenge was for Eunhyuk and Sunny alone. But since Jae Won had given an ultimatum that the four of them must perform the challenges, the thrilling idea turned into a dreadful one. Donghae sighed as he re-read the challenge card that Yoona and him had written on earlier that morning (thanks to the mischievous PD).

Go take a Tango dancing class and perform it with your partner.

“Is this even a sport?” From behind him, Sunny asked to Yoona.

The younger girl responded, “Well, Jae Won convinced us that it is. According to him, ballroom dance and Latin dance are considered as sport, and that includes Tango.”

“Aish…why did you two suggest this?” complained Sunny. Dancing had never been a problem for her and Yoona (and obviously, a piece of cake for those two best dancers in Super Junior). But it was the essence of Tango dance itself, which comprised sensuous movements and intimate interaction between the dancers that made them all nervous.

Lee Eun Ju, the owner and main instructor in the tango course “Tango O Nada” greeted the team with a bright smile on her wise-looking face. The PD and screen writer discussed several things first with Eun Ju, while the staffs effectively prepared the camera, lighting, and sound equipments. The four main stars were left to the stylist so that they could change their casual attires with special dresses and suits for tango.

As tango itself was a complicated dance, Eun Ju appointed two of her assistants to train the girls and guys separately before the real filming began. The instructor realized that with only one day (or an hour, at that) to teach tango, there was nothing much that could be taught other than the basic. It was a good thing though, that all the idols (especially the boys) were used to dancing and that made the practice went smoother. Far from perfect still, but it was much better than what she had expected.

After an hour and a half, the basics had been taught. It was time to pair the dancers together.

Eunhyuk lost the draw. And therefore it was his turn with Sunny first. Jae Won decided it would be better to film the pair one by one. It was not exactly effective, but that way, his attention would not be divided. Ah, he was mixing business with pleasure lately (yes, to him, it was hilarious to see these young adults overcome their awkwardness and form chemistry between them).

Yoona silently sneaked behind the staffs and watched them did their work as her hand unconsciously tugged her red, sequined dress lower. It was not as revealing as Sunny’s dress (which fell below the knees but had a daring slit on the side), but the almost sheer fabric still made her uncomfortable. People thought that after wearing hot pants for Genie, Oh!, and Mr.Taxi, SNSD would be used with revealing clothes. The truth was, if they could, they would still so much prefer modest clothing.

The music started and her eyes focused on her opponent team. Eunhyuk easily awed people with his natural talent in dancing, while Sunny was admittedly having more difficulties with the complicated legs sway (after all, SME did not tell them to study tango during their training time years ago). But Eunhyuk was very patient and Yoona smiled to herself upon noticing the way he slowed down his steps and try to match his movement with Sunny’s. Yoona seriously thought that they would make a very cute couple, even without the show. Perhaps after the show ended, she could volunteer doing her own matchmaking job if Sunny wanted.

“The guy leads, the girl follows. Ah, Miss, you have to sway your leg higher… Ah, no. Not like that –“

Eun Ju, the instructor, gave several comments here and there. Yoona tried to pay attention to what she said too and immediately put her advices into practice. Her feet started rehearsing the steps she had learned. It was quite lucky of her to get the second turn, because she could learn from Sunny and Eunhyuk first. Blame it to her competitive side, but she just did not want to disappoint herself in this.

“Need a partner?”

Yoona looked up and saw that Donghae also already made his way to sneak beside her. She flashed him a smile. “I haven’t even mastered my part.”

“Me neither,” he admitted. “I talked to one of Eun Ju-sshi’s assistants and she said we could use the room over there for early practice. Not very fair for Sunny-sshi and Hyukjae, but it’s never illegal.”

She contemplated for a moment before giving him her answer. “Yes. I think that’s a good idea.”

Donghae nodded and he signaled her to follow him upstairs to a different practice room. The room was unlocked and they invited themselves in. It was definitely smaller than the room they had been earlier, but more than adequate for their practice session. A CD player was placed on one of the table. Donghae pressed the play button and skipped several songs before he found the most fitting one.

“Will this do?” he asked. The upbeat Latin music filled the soundproof room.

Yoona nodded. “Anything is fine,” she answered as she extended her hand. Donghae chuckled at the reversal of role but accepted her invitation anyway.

They got into their first position. They stood face-to face. His left hand and her right hand were joined in a secure clasp and raised on the level of their eyes, while her left hand was placed on the back of his shoulder. Like the perfect gentleman he always had been, Donghae asked for her permission first before he encircled his hand around her waist and pulled her body closer.

Eun Ju had explained earlier that most of Argentine Tango required the lead and the follow to be in a close embrace –that was, to connect chest-to-chest. Although sometimes he could not deny how his hormone kicked in and told him to just apply the method, a bigger portion of his conscience would always retract him from doing anything improper to a girl. Donghae maintained a safe distance between him and Yoona, before he began the guidance counting.

“One, two…” he muttered as his legs took steps forward and she matched it well by taking steps backward. “Three, four…”

Her head looked down to their feet as he repeated the counting. She tried her best to follow his steps. At first it was easy, but as the steps and movements got more complicated, she began to lose her own tempo. Donghae deliberately slowed down.

“Sorry. I’m slowing you down…” Yoona muttered.

“Don’t mind it. We’re learning together here,” he assured her.

The music fastened and it affected her unconsciously. She nearly used her high-heel shoe to step on Donghae’s shoe. In a split of second, she pulled her feet away but it only made her lose balance and she fell down. On a whim, Donghae tried to prevent her body from falling. However, her other feet accidentally knocked on his shin and made him stumble.

His hand instinctively s behind her head to prevent her skull from hitting the floor hard, but since all happened so quick, he could not protect her other body parts as she fell…and he fell on top of her.

Yoona’s breath hitched as she felt how Donghae’s body crushed onto her; how his dark brown hair brushed over her cheek, and how his nose was pressed onto her shoulder. Donghae quickly realized the position and he pulled himself off her. She felt the familiar heat surged up inside her body and she could imagine how pink started to tint her cheeks. Whole-heartedly, she tried to suppress down the girlish symptoms.

“I’m so sorry, Yoona-sshi. Are you alright?”

Fortunately, Donghae’s sincere concern strengthened her resolution. Her rapidly beating heart eventually calmed down and the thoughts that ran in her mind were averted from teenage fantasy to an honest puzzlement.  Sometimes she wondered how this guy could always think of others first before he thought of his own well being. She watched him check on her condition to ensure that there were no bruises present on her fair skin, before he exhaled a relieved sigh. 

She shook her head in disbelief. “Oppa, are you alright yourself?”

He stood up and felt that nothing was wrong with his muscles and bones. “Huh? Oh yeah, I’m alright. You can stand?”

“Yes,” she nodded and stood up herself before he could even offer her his hand. Embarrassedly, Donghae pocketed his hand back. This was caught by Yoona’s keen observation and the girl gave a small laugh. She was glad how his antics brought back her usual calm and confident self. “Thank you, Oppa. You don’t have to look that dejected, though.”

He gave an impossibly innocent smirk. “Of course I am disappointed. With you, I always lose my chance to be the cool guy.”

Yoona laughed. “Cool guy? Oppa, what are you talking about?”

Donghae shrugged. “I wish I can have at least one time to play the hero who saves this damsel in distress. But this damsel is either not in distress or that she always makes the perfect heroine of herself.” He faked an upset sigh. “Yoona-sshi. You are way cooler than I am.”

She shook her head as a small smile was featured on her pretty face. “Oppa, you’re ridiculous…”

He still kept up his sulky pout which made her grin even more.

“Don’t worry, Oppa. You’re cool enough.”

“Cool enough?” he asked as one eyebrow was raised up in disbelief.

Yoona beamed. “You taught me how to swim today. And you did protect me when I fell down, ignoring your own safety at that. So yeah, you’re cool enough.”

Donghae crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What should I do to make you label me as a very cool Oppa?”

Without her realization, Yoona mimicked his action by crossing her arms in front of her chest too. “Why is it very important for you to be considered as a cool Oppa, anyway?”

“Ah, Yoona-sshi. Don’t evade the question. I notice that you often do this, but you’re not getting away this time.”

She laughed full heartedly. “Fret not, Donghae Oppa. I assure you, you’re one of the coolest Oppa I’ve ever known. Well, after Siwon Oppa…and Jae Jung Oppa… and…perhaps Joon-hee Oppa and –“

“Alright, you can stop there,” he jokingly interrupted. “I’ve understood enough.”

The tango music that was still played in the background reminded them that they still had a dance to learn. Grinning sheepishly, Donghae requested for her hand once more. He told her that this time they would definitely go slower and she nodded in agreement. They agreed that the fast-tempo music disrupted their movement tempo at that stage, so it was momentarily turned off.

They resumed their earlier position.

“One, two –“

“Three, four –“

As the practice went on, their bodies started to get used to the basic tango movements and their interaction became more natural. Assured that Yoona already got the basic covered, Donghae tried to assist her to the next level and added more advanced leg moves.

But soon Yoona realized that in the time being, she could not keep up with Donghae. This made her frustrated with her lack of ability. Mostly, she felt bad for Donghae though. The guy had been extremely patient to her and she hated to be a burden. She sighed in disappointment.

“You’re pretty contradictive, Yoona-sshi. Don’t you want to win in this show? If so, then you don’t have to force yourself to give the best tango performance. Audience could vote for us if we do well and make us the losing team,” he pointed out.

She had to agree. There were two opposite competitions she was facing at the moment and her competitive self encountered two option of winning: (1) nail the tango and become the losing team for performing fan service, or (2) accept that she was a lousy tango dancer and give more spotlights to the Eunsun team to win the vote.

Yoona realized though, that she was not really in the place to imagine such situation. Her tango was far from good and it wasn’t as if she had the option to perform a good tango or not (it would be the later). But then again, what could she do in ten minutes? The PD would call for them soon and she would make a fool out of herself in front of the camera if –

“Simplicity is always the best,” commented a woman’s voice. Both Yoona and Donghae turned to look at the now opened door. One of Eun Ju’s assistant was leaning on the door frame. The SME artists bowed in unison and greeted the female assistant. She introduced herself as Hee Soong. “But spice things up, and you’ll make a simple performance exciting.”

Hee Soong turned the music on again and she walked towards the young pair. The instructor told them to get to their first position and they obliged. She had seen their basic dance movements and thought that they were not that bad. But it was their decency and politeness that caused the lack of thrill to the show. Hee Soong told Yoona to push her body slightly backward and motioned Donghae to lean in closer to his partner. His thighs were pressed onto her thighs. The guy could feel himself taking a nervous gulp. This was getting too intimate for his (and definitely Yoona’s) comfort.

“Trust me,” assured Hee Soong. “Just do the basic tango movements. You don’t even need to add the advanced leg moves variation. Just listen to my words and do it. And lastly, embrace the chemistry.”

There was an unexplainable authority in the way Hee Soong spoke that made the two idols oblige. The instructor did the counting for them.

“Mr. Lee, slide your hand lower to Miss Im’s thigh.”

“Huh?” he asked back in bewilderment. His steps got distracted momentarily. “But –“

“Oh, it’s Tango. What do you expect?” challenged Hee Soong.

Yoona gulped but she gave a faint nod. She tried her best to maintain her composure when Donghae’s hand uncertainly crept down and rested on her clothed left thigh.

“Just relax, you two. You don’t buy me. Mr. Lee, don’t touch her as if she had contagious disease. Touch her like what you would do to a lover.”

“What?” He grew more panicked.

“Come on, you only got less than ten minutes. Miss Im, trail your fingers seductively down Mr. Lee’s back.”

Yoona took a deep breath and told herself to imagine this as if she was on camera and that Hee Soong was the director. She was a good actress. She always was. And she clearly took direction well. Besides, this was only Donghae Oppa. Not to disregard him or anything, but she should just consider him as an older brother and that was it.

…

Oh, who was she kidding?

The problem was, because she had always considered him as her older brother, she did not know what to do if she had to treat him like a lover.

You’re an actress, Im Yoona, she told herself. This is a piece of cake. This has to be a piece of cake.

With a resolute mind, her hand then started to slide down on Donghae’s back. She could feel the guy tensed in discomfort (and truth be told, she was not totally comfortable either), but she continued her ministration nonetheless.

“That’s better, Miss Im. Mr. Lee, feel the way Miss Im’s hand on you. That’s how you should make her feel.”

Donghae cracked a nervous smile. Yoona was making him uncomfortable and giddy at the same time. How would he make her feel that way too?

“Trust your instinct, Mr. Lee.”

The hand on her thigh pressed harder. Donghae closed his eyes, momentarily reminded himself to apologize to Yoona afterwards, but he tried to let loose of his discomfort and be more daring. His finger s upwards to the crook of her waist, applying pressure and creating warmth on the trail. He was a guy. A boy. With hormones. It was actually not that difficult to just succumb on his instinct, but he always feared that he would go too far.

And the bad thing was…there was something about Yoona that made it somehow very easy to just let go of his control. The girl was breathtakingly beautiful and with that red dress on her, she could look like a seductive vixen. The way her hands were caressing his back only amplified her natural charm on him.

“Look at each others’ eyes, you two,” Hee Soong spoke. But her voice eventually sounded as if it faded away. At the sight of her pretty face and her mesmerizing eyes, Donghae felt like he was trapped. And the worst thing was that he did not mind being trapped in her.

He could practically feel her mint-scented breath, so close to his face. He did not even realize since when her face had become that close and since when that her parted, red lips looked so…

…alluring.

He blamed it to his instinct. He blamed himself for following Hee Soong’s advices. Mostly, though, he blamed it on Yoona to be such an impossibly tempting woman.

Donghae leaned in, his lips were millimeters apart from hers, and it was so close, he just needed to close the distance and –

“Oppa…”

Her sweet voice alarmed him. Donghae blinked and realized the situation he was in. The music had stopped; Hee Soong was not even giving any kind of instructions anymore, and Yoona… Yoona stared back at him with big, puzzled eyes. He immediately pulled himself away and turned his eyes to anything other than her.

Crap.

What had he gotten himself into?

To Be Continued

A/N : Tango O' Nada is a real place and Lee Eun Ju is a real Tango instructor. I'm only borrowing their names. And I created this chapter before I found out that Khuntoria couple in WGM also had a dancing challenge, so yeah, I apologize if it's not too creative. It's unintentional. Thank you for reading until this far!