“Do you want me to wait for you?” I ask as Minni heads toward her room to get ready for rehearsal today.

“No, go ahead. I still have to take a shower,” she responds without turning around.

“Okay, then I’ll see you soon?”

“Yep!”  I make my way out of the building to walk just down the street to the bus station.

Waiting for the bus always gives me time to think. Sitting alone, trying not to pay attention to the strangers around me as well as avoiding drawing any attention toward myself, I like to sit on the bench with my headphones in. Sometimes I play music, sometimes I don’t but they provide a barrier from the distracting sounds of the outside world. My thoughts begin to drift off when the bus arrives.

After finding an open seat, my bag begins to vibrate. I pull out my phone and see an unrecognizable number-- or have I seen this number before? I have, when I was texting Jungin. If it was important enough to call a second time, then I should at least answer to see what this person wants.

“Hello?” I say, holding the phone to my ear.

“Hey, Cheyenne?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“Uhmmm…” the voice suddenly turns small almost into a whisper, “I was just wondering when you were coming to rehearsal.”

At this point, I figure the person must be a staff member or maybe another dancer who knows me, but I just don’t have their number saved in my phone yet. “I’m actually on my way there now.” listening carefully, I can hear someone laughing in the background, “it should only take me a few more minutes to get there,” I state, pressing the button for the next stop.

“Okay, see you when you get here.” Before they hang up, I hear that laugh one more time. It’s high-pitched yet male and I’ve definitely heard it before, but which dancer was it?

The bus pulls to the side for my stop, and I awkwardly make my way off the bus with my large duffel bag filled with my extra costume necessities. Extra nylons and spandex are essential in case of rips, my shoes, the shorts I wear with every costume, and makeup are just a few examples of what I always keep stored in my dance bag for performances. With the amount of stuff, the bag sometimes gets to be a bit heavy, and its large shape makes it a pain to maneuver around the bus seats. As I step off the bus and walk around the corner, I walk past a man wearing casual clothes and a face mask. I think nothing of it, but when he starts walking behind me at a slight distance, I begin to review what I’ve learned about self defense. Is this guy seriously about to do this in broad daylight? I turn around to check if he’s still lingering behind me, but get startled and stop walking when I see that he’s caught up to me and is actually walking right beside me. Instead of fighting, I just take a second to look at him. What exactly does he want? Then, his eyes turn into crescents, as if they’re smiling.

“Can I help you?” I ask, the caution apparent in my voice.

“Cheyenne~, It’s me” The guy responds.

“Jungin?”

“Jongin? I know some people think we look the same but I don’t think so,” he says, and that’s when I recognize the voice.

“Oh! Taemin? What are you doing out here? Aren’t you guys supposed to be in sound check right now?”

“We are, but you said you’d be here soon… and where’s your friend?”

“Oh, she’ll be here soon.” I say, my shock not yet subsided.