“Where's Hyunseung?” Hyuna pouted as her partner was nowhere in sight.

 

“We just got a call from him and it looks like Hyunseung sprained his ankle on the way here,” a staff member stated.

 

Hyuna widened her eyes at the sudden predicament.

 

“What am I supposed to do now? Do you think it's possible for me to perform this dance routine by myself?” she wondered aloud.

 

A thin figure stepped in front of her. The frail shadow belonged to SHINee's main dancer, Lee Taemin.

 

“Maybe I can help,” the young boy commented.

 

“How?”

 

“Well, I've seen you practice with Hyunseung before and I think I memorized the whole dance.”

 

Hyuna looked at him from top to bottom. She didn't know much about him other than he was a year her junior. She had no other choice at this point.

 

She let out a reluctant sigh.

 

“If you're up for it, let me see what you've got.”

 

Sure enough, Taemin kept up with her the whole time. It was a bland run through of the routine but Hyuna felt some type of feeling with every movement she made with him.

 

The previously distressed female had a renewed hope with her abrupt replacement for Hyunseung.

 

Hyuna turned to the nearest stylist.

 

“Can you get him fitted for an outfit, please?” she asked sweetly.

 

Taemin looked dumbfounded for a moment.

 

“Y-you really want me to perform with you?”

 

“Of course. If you know the entire dance I don't see why not.”

 

She took a hold of his hands suddenly.

 

“I think we can honestly make this work,” Hyuna exclaimed boldly.

 

“I'm glad you think that way,” Taemin smiled back timidly.

 

“You can come with me,” a coordinator remarked, gesturing towards Taemin.

 

As he turned around to follow the stylist, Hyuna spanked him and Taemin's eyes blinked rapidly as he realized what he really got himself into.

 

After a few more runs in stage outfits, both of them sat in the waiting room. Only a two more acts before it was their turn.

 

Hyuna twiddled with her thumbs before letting out an exasperated sigh.

 

“Are you alright?” her partner asked worriedly.

 

“I'm fine,” she mumbled.

 

“Are you nervous?”

 

“I get like this before every stage. I'm always tense before performing,” Hyuna confessed.

 

“Really? You don't seem like the type,” Taemin remarked.

 

“Fake it til you make it, right? It's been my motto forever.”

 

“I'm like that too. I don't feel alive unless I'm onstage,” he muttered.

 

“I wish I had that type of passion,” she giggled.

 

The staff then came in and told the duo that they were to report to the stage.

 

Taemin took a hold of Hyuna's hand and squeezed it.

 

“If we mess up, just blame it on me, okay?” he grinned.

 

Hyuna nodded eagerly. An unknown emotion boiled up inside of her as Taemin's warm hand grasped hers.

 

Finally, the music began.

 

The first few seconds were like their rehearsals, but then Taemin just came alive.

 

He grabbed her arm and twirled her. Their eyes connected like thread to fabric. Taemin flashed a smirk as she became putty in his hands. A spark ran through both dancers as Taemin's hands lingered on her waist longer than before.

 

Not only was their dancing in sync, but every breath they took was one and the same.

 

Halfway through the routine, Hyuna gathered an overwhelming amount of courage to play Taemin at his own game.

 

She swayed her hips closer to him, almost inviting Taemin to take her at that moment.

 

It was a close battle between the two, a tug here and a pull there. Both challenging each other as they weaved through the other partner's movements.

 

By the end of the performance, both of them were completely out of breath.

 

Taemin and Hyuna smiled towards the audience as they exited the stage.

 

“I never knew someone who could keep up with me like that,” he remarked breathlessly.

 

“You're the one who started it.”

 

Hyuna pushed him away playfully.

 

“How about another round of dancing later tonight?” Taemin whispered, taking a hold of her hand.

 

“I'm up for it but I don't know if you can keep up,” she winked.

 

A group for four came up to the pair out of the blue.

 

“Hey Taemin! Why didn't you tell us you'd be performing with Hyuna?” Jonghyun exclaimed.

 

The young man blushed slightly and shifted uncomfortably.

 

“Well, I-”

 

Key pushed Taemin away from Hyuna and put his arm around her.

 

“Don't mind him, he's a dork. I promise you whatever he did that seemed cool was all a lie,” Kibum interrupted.

 

“Can you guys not act like-”

 

“Taemin and I have to go to our dressing room now,” Hyuna replied quickly, dragging her partner by the arm.

 

The second the couple were out of earshot, the four turned towards each other.

 

“That lucky bastard,” Jinki complained.

 

“How come he gets all the hot chicks?” Jonghyun whined.

 

“Oh please it's not like she'd go for someone your height.”

 

“Can't we just be happy for Taemin?”

 

Back at the dressing room, both Hyuna and Taemin were dressed back into their casual clothing.

 

“Hey, I have a present for you. It's for being my dance partner,” Hyuna announced.

 

“You didn't have to get me anything-”

 

“Close your eyes.”

 

Taemin shut his eyes as instructed. He felt a light peck on the cheek and something slip into his pocket.

 

His eyes fluttered open.

 

“Don't forget about our next rehearsal, okay?” Hyuna laughed as she walked out of the room.

 

He grabbed the piece of paper out of his jacket and saw neatly scribbled numbers in a red lipstick.

 

Definitely one of the only rehearsals Taemin ever looked forward too.