His first dance competition was when he was in the 8th grade. He remembers that he was nervous. Which is unsurprising because it was his first. People who aren’t close with him and only see what he wants them to see can’t guess that he’s actually pretty pessimistic. He thought about what if his dance disappointed the judges, what if he made mistakes and audiences noticed, and what if he forgot what the next move halfway. So many what ifs.

It doesn’t matter even though this is his sixth time to join a dance competition. Jungkook is still pessimistic. He’s still expecting what could go wrong. He could be the worst contestant out of all because he knows he didn’t practice enough. At every practice he made mistakes, he forgot, and even fell. He’s in his worst condition right now.

Ever since the first, his parents would come and watch him for comfort and mental support. Eunji and Jinyoung start to watch him too ever since his third after they got closer. There’s another person who has come to see him and support him since the first too besides his parents. But unlike the first, the second, and so on, that person isn’t here tonight. Even though he’s grateful for his parents and friends for coming tonight, he feels like an important piece is missing. That missing piece is his closest friend, (as she self-claimed one day) his biggest supporter and fan. And she’s not here.

She’s not here not because they stopped talking. Not because she’s on a date now. Not because she’s mad at him and getting back at him. She'll come and see him no matter what. She just isn't here because he didn’t tell her about the competition. He was being unreasonable and unfair to her. Picking a fight rather than telling the truth. It’s been bothering him a lot ever since that day. He tried to brave up. He wanted to apologize and tell her why he’s being a . But he’s afraid. He said to himself he’d talk to her the next day. Tomorrows kept coming but apologizes are never successfully delivered.

A staff says that the first contestant should be in standby because he’s up on the stage in five minutes. The staff also asks Jungkook—the second contestant—to prepare himself so he starts to warm up his body. He keeps glancing at his cellphone, itching to call Junghee. If he calls her, will she pick up? Groaning, he decides to dial her number. To his dismay, he waits until the last ring and she doesn’t pick up. He continues to warm up, not trying to call for the second time.

Jungkook is suspicious he may be missing Jung Junghee more than he realizes that he starts to hallucinating. He could see she’s standing there with their friends and the other audiences. She looks breathless and her face is flushed, fanning herself. When he walks to the stage, he notices her eyes are on him. Is he hallucinating? But she looks so real.

“Ready?” one of the three judges asks after he stands at the center.

The two friends lock eyes. Junghee clench her first to the air, mouthing a fighting. She’s grinning and she hopes that he could read her mind through her eyes which means I’m here. At that moment, Jungkook doesn’t care if she’s real or not as long as his eyes can see her. At last, the missing important piece completes the puzzle. He could feel confidence slowly build up inside him. Sending a private small smile at her direction, he answers, “Ready.”

Junghee doesn’t know whether her friend is upset or not that he doesn’t even win the third place. He’s being stoic and cool but she can’t know what he may be feeling inside. And the two naturally reconciled. They even hugged. So, here they are now, sitting on the stairs of her porch, staring up at the night sky.

“How did you know?”

“Jinyoung told me.”

Silence.

Jungkook’s lips part, about to apologize for his attitude and hurtful words he threw at her last Monday. She beats him to it when she suddenly looks away from the sky to him.

“I shouldn’t leave you last Sunday. You hate it whenever people cancel plans at last minute. I know I said it before but I’m truly sorry.” Her head hangs low. She adds, “I hope you know that I don’t mean to leave you after I find someone I like—I would never.” That one time with Taehyun was a mistake that she’ll never repeat. She’ll remember it until her after life, she promises.

“I know you’re not that kind of person,” he says, scratching the back of his head. He feels awful for hurting Junghee. People say stupid and cruel words when they’re in rage. Jungkook can’t be more ashamed of himself that he had let his emotions got the best of him. “I don’t mean any of the words I said. Please, forget them,” he forms an apologetic smile. She smiles in return, accepting his apology.

“And I’m