“But it’s not like you like him, right? You just see him as a friend, right? Or do you want Junsu-ssi to be a replacement for him?”

Mirae didn’t answer. Instead, she chewed on her lip as thoughts of him flooded her mind.

“You aren’t, right?” Taeyeon asked insistently.

I’m not. Mirae relented. I just get this vibe that I want to protect him. I’m not going to use him as a replacement for him. You know me better than that.

Taeyeon sighed, nodding her head. “I know. I’m sorry for thinking that way. But I also know how much you liked Kibum. You fell for him after you started to want to take care of him just because he was unfamiliar with Korea. I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

It was only a small crush. I’m over him. He’s happy with Yoona now. Mirae said.

“You can’t deny that he was the first person that you ever liked, unnie. But instead of a happy first crush, all you got was pain,” Taeyeon said.

Are you warning me not to fall for Junsu because it will only hurt me? Mirae asked.

“Don’t tell me you fell for him already,” Taeyeon replied in disbelief.

I didn’t. I won’t. Mirae said.

“I’m not forbidding you from developing feelings for him, unnie. You never know, after all. I just want you to be careful this time around,” Taeyeon sighed.

I’ll be careful. Mirae promised. She turned to give the younger a smile. As she looked at the younger, a thought struck her. So have your parents made a decision?

Taeyeon grinned, nodding her head happily. “They agreed for me to continue here. I’m still adjusting to being able to see, anyway. It’s not like I want to leave so soon, as well.”

That’s good. Mirae smiled.

“Why? You’ll miss me if I go?” Taeyeon teased.

Mirae rolled her eyes, slapping the younger’s hand away from her arm as she frowned. Don’t think so highly of yourself. I’ll just miss having someone shorter than me.

“As if you’re that much taller than me,” Taeyeon scoffed.

I’m still taller, though, even if it’s just a tiny bit. Mirae responded. She checked the time, eyes widening as she saw that it had already been more than half an hour since her class with Heechul. I have to go!

“Eh? Why? You have another class?” Taeyeon asked, confused.

I don’t have another class today, but I told Hyoyeon that I’ll meet up with her today. I’ll see you tomorrow, alright? Mirae said.

“You’re going to help her practice, right?” Taeyeon asked knowingly.

Mirae nodded with a smile. It’s the least I can do to help her.

“Okay,” Taeyeon shrugged. “I’ll just head to the courtyard and look for the other girls. Have fun practicing. See you tomorrow.”

Mirae hugged the younger briefly and they separated at an intersection. Mirae went to the left, running towards the dance studio, while Taeyeon went to the right to head to the courtyard. As she got to the dance hall, she heard some beats slipping out of the door. Most of the rooms were occupied. Some were using it for classes, while others were being used for practices. Mirae headed to the room at the end of the hall, opening it and peeking inside. She saw Hyoyeon dancing energetically but no music was playing. It wasn’t like Hyoyeon would be able to hear the music, anyway. Mirae walked over to the blonde, tapping her shoulder.

“Unnie!” Hyoyeon exclaimed, a smile forming on her face.

Mirae waved at the other, smiling apologetically. I’m sorry I’m late. Were you waiting long?

“No,” Hyoyeon shook her head. “I got here a couple of minutes ago. I figured you were probably busy.”

I didn’t notice the time. Anyway, should we start? Mirae answered.

Hyoyeon nodded. She stood still in her spot, watching as Mirae dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to the sound system. The elder of the two flicked through different playlists, settling on Hyoyeon’s customized one. Then, she grabbed the remote and settled herself in front of the dancer. With a signal from the younger, she pressed play.

The two friends had formed a routine over the year that they spent together in the academy. Hyoyeon had been enrolled into the academy a few weeks before Mirae, but they knew each other from school and were close friends. Despite turning deaf, Hyoyeon retained her passion for dancing. However, her lack of hearing made it hard for her to dance to the music. Feeling sympathetic, Mirae decided to help and they formed a routine over it. Every time that Hyoyeon wanted to dance to a new song, Mirae helped her time her moves to the music, counting the beats for the other and sending her signals with some practiced hand signals that only the two could understand easily.

Mirae smiled as Hyoyeon kept her eyes trained on her hands. She felt happy that she was able to help Hyoyeon even in such a small way. After all, it was a terrible time when Hyoyeon lost her hearing. Mirae felt devastated for the younger, knowing that her hearing was an essential tool for her passion.

With Junsu and Yoochun

Yoochun knocked on Yesung’s classroom.  The elder didn’t have a class for today, but Yoochun figured that he’ll find Yesung there. Much to his surprise, Yesung’s husky voice answered from the inside with a “come in.” Yoochun pushed the door open and strolled inside with Junsu in tow.

“Yesung hyung,” Yoochun called hesitantly.

Yesung was sitting on his desk, a finger lazily tracing a turtle’s shell. His dark eyes were watching all of the turtle’s movements, which was close to nothing. He looked up as he was called and smiled. “Yoochun-ah, what’s the occasion?”

“Nothing, really,” Yoochun shrugged. He pulled Junsu to the front with a smile. “I just wanted to introduce Junsu to his teacher.”

“Oh, he’s my student starting from tomorrow, right?” Yesung asked.

“Yeah,” Yoochun nodded.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Yesung said monotonously.

“Why do you have a turtle as a pet?” Junsu blurted out.

Yesung blinked at the question. He tapped the turtle’s shell and smiled slightly. “I was bored so I got a turtle to keep me company. But when I got it, I was even more bored. It doesn’t do anything!”

Junsu didn’t know what to make of that answer. He could only nod meekly. Yesung wasn’t as inviting as Jaejoong or as friendly as Yunho, so he felt a little awkward with the elder male. He wondered why the others claimed that he had a bizarre personality, though. From what he could see, Yesung was pretty normal. Well, except for the turtle that he kept as a pet and the explanation that came with it. But aside from that, Yesung seemed like a decent person.

“Junsu, can you go outside first? I just need to talk to Yesung hyung in private,” Yoochun requested.

Junsu sent the elder a confused glance but he nodded. He smiled nervously at Yesung and fled the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, Yoochun sat in front of Yesung.

“What’s the matter?” Yesung asked. He easily noticed the aura of unease and worry that Yoochun had.

“Hyung, can you… Do you think you can teach Junsu how to sing?” Yoochun asked. He fidgeted in his seat slightly.

A frown formed on Yesung’s face as he regarded the other with curiosity. “Why can’t you teach him?”

“I’m not sure how I can offer that. I taught him how to play the piano but he hasn’t even touched a piano since the accident. Maybe you can help him while you’re teaching him,” Yoochun said.

“I’ll do my best,” Yesung promised. A teasing smile lifted the frown off his face as he said, “Anything for my 81cm dongsaeng.”

Yoochun flushed. “I can’t believe you really branded me as your dongsaeng so seriously like that.”

Yesung only laughed at Yoochun’s embarrassment. They may have been teased by the others because of their record in the game, but they really grew close after that. 

How long have I been away? I'm so sorry T~T but here it is! I'll be updating the next chapter in a little bit, so wait for it! ^^ Also, did anyone understand the 81cm thing? If you watched EHB, then I think you'll understand that part. XD I hope you enjoyed reading! Comment and subscribe~!