"Stop! Stop!" their director yelled over from where he is. Taekwoon knew he really screwed up if he's yelling "Stop!" instead of the usual "Cut!".

"Is it just me or you've gotten worse? Seriously, Taekwoon. Three days ago, only moving your limbs was a problem. Now, it seems like your expressions are even failing you." he added, sighing deeply.

"I'm sorry." was the only response he could offer.

"We're doing this in less than a month now. If you can't do your role, better find another member who can substitute for you rather than us wasting time like this." he added exasperated.

Taekwoon hated the idea of him getting kicked out of his role but he didn't let it show on his face. He may have been expressive when he's doing his character but somehow his expressions never really change when he's just himself. He's perfectly fine with people filing him as a cold or rude guy. Only his drama club circle knows that he's actually listening or being apologetic about the whole situation even if his face doesn't show it.

Well... That was true until three days ago.

"Go to hell!"

 

"Likewise."

 

Really. He isn't the type to pick up a fight on the first meeting, since well... people tend to stir clear away from him when they sensed his disinterest. But this loud girl that complains about everything doesn't seem to be the least bit intimidated by him. Plus, she says anything and everything that pops into her little head. Too noisy.

 

She can't seem to be able to fake anything, even her obvious displeasure about this whole situation. It wasn't like Taekwoon liked it either, but he knows that he needed to take care of his problems before he can go back to the regular practice.

 

She was still intensely glaring at him when Taekwoon said, "Smile."

 

"What?" she asked venomously. Taekwoon could almost imagine waves of energy rolling off her skin with how hostile she is right now.

 

He sighed, exasperated. Either this girl is dumb or just incredibly slow. "Expressions." he said flatly. This is making him tired already.

 

Instead of smiling, she actually scowled at him before the corners of her lips stretched and she just gave Taekwoon the creepiest imitation of someone who is looking like they'll murder everyone in the whole vicinity.

 

He groaned, audibly. Even though he's incredibly good at controlling his expressions, this girl is just grating him in all the wrong ways possible.

 

"I don't know how to help you." he said after.

 

Surprisingly, she didn't complain with Taekwoon's statement. But she did purse her lips and looked at him like he's the most sour grape she had tasted. "Thought as much."  she said.

 

After that, she easily bent and reached her toes without bending her knees. Wow. She isn't a part of the dance club for nothing, Taekwoon thought.

 

"You can at least do this, right?" she said, nonchalant.

 

Taekwoon knew he couldn't but he still tried to bend but the tips of his fingers can only go as far as his knees. "Okay. If you can't even do this then you're a hopeless case. I'd rather practice my routine now than spend it teaching a stud like you."

 

"Practice smiling, Ms. Psycho-smile." Taekwoon said before he took one corner of the practice room to practice his moves.

"Please, try more Taekwoon. I don't want to sub you with another member, too, but please get better at this." their director begged him.

He honestly didn't know how he'll do it but he still nodded. 

The past three days between him and Ms. Psycho-smile was spent grating each other's nerves instead of actually helping each other practice. The moment Taekwoon tried to do some of the easier routine for the play, he had heard a snicker across the room and found her laughing at him. He knew he looked weird moving like that and that was why he was sent to this "special practice" in the first place but seeing her outright mocking him had ruined the feel of the scene entirely. Now, every time he'll do it, he'll be reminded of her pitying laugh and he'll unconsciously scowl.

Well, he kind of did the same to her unknowingly. While she was going through her dance, she had tried to display such half-hearted emotions into her dance but one particular part where he had assumed is where she should be expressing sadness, he only guessed based on the sour look on her face since she used earphones and an mp3 player for her personal practice thus he was unable to really hear the music, made him snort unconsciously. As he tried to cover his face, she had caught the expression on his face and just glared at him.

He guessed, they completely ruined each other's practice successfully. And continued to ruin it for the next two days before they came back to their respective clubs to show their "improvement".

He knew from their three days together in one practice room that both of them had screwed up. Which is why, when he walked back to the spare room where they had been meeting for the past three days, he wasn't exactly surprised to see her there in all her pouting glory.

Taekwoon entered quietly and walked to the center of the room where she sat with her knees under her chin. He wanted to mimic the position but knew better than to fold his awkward limbs in a position that requires a flexibility that he currently does not have. So instead, he sat down cross-legged in front of her.

He waited but it seems like she isn't in the mood to talk this time. She had kept her eyes trained to the floor in the between them and her pout was firmly in place. Sighing internally, he decided that it wouldn't hurt to propose a compromise and for that to happen, they need a decent conversation.

"I got kicked out of practice." he started, also opting to stare at the innocent spot on the floor.

"Me too." she replied back, hugging her legs tighter and making Taekwoon more envious of her obvious ease with folding herself.

He sighed again, defeated. 

"Want to start over?" he offered. "I'm Jung Taekwoon. Second year. Part of the drama club."

Taekwoon waited and hoped to all the gods that she wouldn't be rude back to him just like what he did during their first meeting. This wouldn't work at all if they aren't both set to work together.

When she unfolded herself and mimicked Taekwoon's position, his shoulders sagged in relief as he waited for her turn.

"I'm Cha Hayeon. Also a second year. From the dance club." 

He was already thinking of what to say next, assuming that their conversation would need to be taken in turns, when she added more on her introduction.

"I know I say everything in my mind and I also know I'm not the best type of companion you can wish for. I know I'm a total diva and I also know I have ty vocabulary when talking to people but..." She took in a deep breath before finally looking at Taekwoon's face. "But I really love dancing and I don't want to get replaced over something as stupid as this."

He didn't expect her to open up that easily but then again, she did say that she says everything in her mind. A total opposite of him who just says what is necessary and avoids talking too much.

"I feel the same way. So..." he let his statement hang in the air, waiting for her to finish it to see if they are agreeing about the same thing.

"So we need to make this work. Somehow." she finished.

"Yeah." he said nodding.

"Let's start by you actually calling my name and then I'll stop calling you Mr. Grumpy Pants." she still uses that tone that sounds like she's mocking Taekwoon but he filed it away as something she always does and let it slide. 

Taekwoon was halfway into a nod before he stopped. "You call me Mr. Grumpy Pants?" he said knitting his eyebrows at her.

She immediately covered with her hand but with an obvious amused expression on her face before saying an intentional "Oops."

Taekwoon just shook his head and said, "Whatever." It wasn't like he didn't come up with his own nicknames for her over the past three days but he isn't keen on sharing those as much as she is.

She actually smiled at that, a genuine smile that looks way better than her default scowling stare. "So... Stretching or Smiling first?" she asked, pressing her knees lower to the ground, as if she wasn't displaying her flexibility enough earlier.

"So it's either my limbs die first or you kill me first with your psycho smile. Wonderful choices."

At that, she pressed her lips into a thin line, "Names! Hayeon. Cha Hayeon!"

He internally groaned but controlled himself. Compromise. They need to work this out. "Let's kill my limbs then first, Hayeon."

"With pleasure, Taekwoon."

She smiled that psycho smile again before standing up and getting behind Taekwoon. In which, he coiled in to himself. That smile isn't safe. "What are you going to do to me?"

Hayeon rolled her eyes at him. "I'm going to help you stretch."

"I can do that myself." He was still holding his arms as if that will protect himself from her.

"Well, based on what happened three days ago, you can't. So you'll need the extra push and pull to achieve that. Relax. You won't die, you big baby."

They started with the basics. From the head down to his feet, with her guiding his awkward limbs at where they should be. If it wasn't for her serious expression, he would've thought that she's intentionally trying to dislocate all his joints but she wasn't fooling around this time so Taekwoon swallowed down all of his protests.

In a few minutes, Taekwoon found his legs sprawled on the floor while his upper half was getting pushed down in front of him. He really couldn't fold himself so Hayeon sighed again before going behind him to drape herself over him, adding the extra weight so he can bend a little.

"You're heavy!" he complained. The first complaint he ever said since they started.

The weight suddenly disappeared behind him and when he turned to look she was scowling again. "I. Am. Not. Heavy!"

"I'm the one getting folded in half here." 

She clicked her tongue then, "Half? Wow. Believe me, that isn't the meaning of "half"." Hayeon walked around then until she was back in front of him and sat again facing him. "Want to try going over your routine now?" she asked, back to the seriousness Taekwoon was starting to appreciate. He realized, that under all that sass really is just this girl, Hayeon, who wants nothing but to improve in what she does. So here she is, helping Taekwoon with what she can, so Taekwoon will need to help her just as much when it's his turn to teach.

"Maybe you should see the script so you can help me practice." he reached for his bag and brought out the bundle of papers that he hasn't really touched for a while, having had memorized everything in it beforehand. As he was handling the papers to Hayeon, he found her staring, not at the papers, but at his hands.

"Wow. You have prettier hands than me and you're a guy." As if to emphasize her claim, she lined up her hands next to Taekwoon. He does have long slender fingers, and his hands is bigger than hers, which should be obvious since he's a guy. But he really had never gotten such a straight forward compliment, much less from a girl that had insulted his face from the get-go.

"And you make the football team look inferior with your legs." Scandalized, she looked at her legs then back at Taekwoon.

"I compliment you and this is how you repay me?" she screeched, but the usual venom of her reply wasn't there anymore.

He just waved the papers in front of her, urging her to take them already, and also gives the intention of him brushing off her complaints.

"I hate you!" she said as she finally took the papers with force.

"I know." Taekwoon said back, internally smiling.