It was such a relief to hear his voice. 

She hadn't expected this rush to flood her upon hearing his voice for the first time, but it had. She was swept away by the emotions going through her; surprise, giddiness, and relentless relief. She herself wasn't sure why she felt so strongly. 

Jung Taekwoon, or Leo as he goes by, was not someone who lent his voice easily. It took a lot to get him to respond when he didn't find it necessary to. She remembers when they were first introduced to each other at the script reading for Full House Musical, he had only nodded in response to her bright greeting. 

Not one to be snubbed easily, she continued to greet him each and every time they met. And each and every time, he would only nod politely, silent as ever. 

She would chatter endlessly about this and that, for the few short moments they had before practice, and he would remain silent until he had to move on. 

It had gotten to the point where she had grown accustomed to the silence off stage. But that didn't stop her from falling a little every time they sang together on stage. She wasn't sure what it was, whether it was him she was falling for exactly, or his voice. Or maybe she was attracted to the chemistry they seemed to share when they were both on stage.

In any case, she couldn't deny the energy that flowed through her when they were singing in harmony. 

It all somehow changed when they were off stage. He would retreat back into his silence, while she happily bantered with the rest of their cast mates. 

That was until the end of their fourth, or was it fifth?, stage. She wasn't sure anymore.

As usual, everyone had gathered backstage to celebrate another successful run. She expertly maneuvered her way around congratulating colleagues, away from the center where she was and out towards a quieter corner where she knew he would be, gulping down a water bottle, waiting for the short celebration to end so he could go to the waiting rooms to get changed and leave. 

She smiled in satisfaction when she spotted him, looking uncomfortable but nodding along to whatever one of the directors was saying. She waited for the director to move along before she walked up to him. 

"You were great out there, as usual!" She greeted, in her usual cheery manner. 

His head turned her way, and after a moment's pause, he nodded. 

Her smile turned into a grin at this. "I think the crowd today was a lot more energetic, it was amazing, wasn't it?! I never knew being in a musical could feel so... electrifying!" 

Another nod. This time, though, she felt his gaze linger on her longer than usual. A slow heat crept up her cheeks as self-awareness took a hold of her. What was she talking about, electrifying? Was that too odd of a word to use to describe how she felt?

"S-Still, I think, you know, we, maybe, connected with the crowd better. The reaction was definitely wilder, or maybe that was just me." She chuckled awkwardly, before sighing in defeat. She resolved to just shut her weird mouth up before she spewed something even more embarrassing. She looked around, wondering if she should start heading back. She'd just have to excitedly wait for the next time they hit the stage together. 

She had enough courage to admit to herself that she looked forward to singing alongside him, more than the other male leads. More than the familiarity and warmth she felt when she took the stage with Yoseob, her fellow label mate. 

She felt a soft poke against her arm. 

"...here." 

She whipped her head up so fast she thought she heard a crack. His voice was so soft and faint, she was sure she merely imagined it. That was until he poked her again, harder this time, with another muttered, "Here." 

She glanced down at her arm and noticed he was handing her a water bottle. He had his own, half finished one, in his other hand. 

She could only stare dumbly at it until he took hold of her hand and placed the bottle in it. "Drink." 

opened and closed several times, attempting to, but falling short of anything to say. Her mind was moving slowly today. It was taking longer than necessary to process the fact that Jung Leo actually muttered something to her offstage. Three times. 

He sighed and shook his head, but she caught the way the corners of his lips lifted slightly. 

She felt her heart race a mile a minute when he looked at her and opened his mouth once more. 

"Please, drink up. You look more tired than usual, don't overwork yourself." 

And then the emotions came flooding in.

Surprise had caught her first. She never expected him to say a word, let alone complete sentences. Then giddiness at having elicited a reaction from him at all, one that was more than a simple nod. 

But more than anything, she felt relief. She had no clue why, she just knew she felt it. Immense relief at having heard his voice, directed towards her. 

Her smile reflected it all, and he watched in fascination the way her face lit up. 

She nodded eagerly, "Yes! Of course! And you as well, Leo, please take care of your health!" 

He nodded too, his head bent down, and this time she very clearly saw the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile. She could only stare in amazement. 

And with that, Apink's resident happy virus and Vixx's infamously chic lead vocal began the most unusual of friendships.