The sizzling sounds and the aroma of cooking pancakes wafted the place. The silver haired occupant of the dorm room was busy stacking the cooked choice of breakfast. Once the breakfast was prepared, Jeongyeon served it to the other yet very familiar girl. The girl was patiently waiting for free breakfast for her early Sunday morning.

"So, Sana's in your room?" the silver haired girl mused as she poured syrup on the two stacked pancakes of the taller girl. "More like, she slept over," the raven haired girl grudgingly answered. Jeongyeon took pity in the girl's answer as her eye bags clearly tell what further happened with the said sleepover, "I see. Finish eating and if you want you can sleep here." Jeongyeon tended the very sleep deprived puppy looking friend. "Is Chaeyoungie still sleeping in her room?" the early visitor asked. "Oh, she left early," the silver haired girl answered.

"Why?" the girl asked again. "She actually heeded Dahyun's advice," Jeongyeon took a bite, "She's with her art partner, Tzuyu." The only sound echoed next was the hum of the Taiwanese girl. "Who's her partner?" Tzuyu's curiosity continued. "Myoui Mina, do you know her?" Jeongyeon tested. The quiet girl softly answered, "No, I don't know her." The last reply of the taller girl indicated the end of their conversation. After all, the silver haired girl's visitor isn't much of a talker. Minutes passed and pancakes were consumed in silence. Jeongyeon cleaned the dining area and let Tzuyu to use her room to rejuvenate her low energy caused by the unfortunate sleepover of her roommate's girlfriend.

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For the past days, Chaeyoung spent most of her class breaks with Mina, determined to rush her improvements in human art. She tagged along when Mina was spending her time in library, under the hawk vision of the librarian, or eating in the campus' cafeteria. During their time, the cub would sketch the penguin's different angles, features, and expressions. Since the penguin refused to accept what the cub called as bribery, Chaeyoung just brought numerous snacks in their meetups. No words spoken, the cub will just place a candy or a small cookie on the penguin's hand and they would munch as they deal with their businesses. Mina learned the art of opening wrapped candies quietly through her time with the short girl.

They only had yesterday, Saturday, as their break from each other because for this day, the cub insisted to see the penguin's dance. Chaeyoung learned that Mina's friends with the janitress of the building and she had the permission to dance as long as she was supervised. The elegant girl also informed that she usually dances for thirty minutes to an hour in Sundays where the building will be surely vacant and free for non-dance major students like herself. Through Mina, Chaeyoung was able to access the dance room. The penguin explained their situation, how the cub asked her to be her art partner, and the janitress allowed the other's access under the same terms with her. The cub thanked the penguin's friend and then handed her a honey buttered chips. Mina chuckled, "Are you also bribing her?" she asked as they walked inside. Chaeyoung laughed, "I'm just thanking her. What is wrong with you?"

The taller girl answered as she walked to the very front of the room, "It can't be help. You used to bribe me." "Used to because I can't afford to bribe you," Chaeyoung said as she picked a spot and sat cross-legged. Mina chuckled and then reached for her chest, "I'm kind of nervous." Chaeyoung was about to play the music from the red-cased phone since the penguin asked for assistance, "Why? I'm not going to judge you," she mused. "I know, it's just been long since I performed in front of an audience," the penguin answered nervously. "I'm just a single person, Mina," the cub smiled, trying to reassure her anxious partner. "It has just been long," she convinced, hiding the truth behind her words. She told a convincing lie because in Cheyoung's status in her life, she pretty much holds a heavier value than a sea of strangers' eyes. She was going to perform in front of Chaeyoung, alone inside the room since the janitress was busy in cleaning the other areas of the building, and that was enough of a reason for her to be nervous.

"It's okay," the cub reassured again, "Take your time, just tell me when you're ready." "You can play the music. I will just let the music to condition me," the penguin replied as she rested her arms on her sides. The music started to play in the quiet room; and after a few minutes, Mina started to dance her own art.

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Mina danced according to what she felt with the music. She stood on her tiptoe and started to move elegantly. As she dance, she could feel the intense stare of the cub. The penguin shrugged it off and tried to focus again with the piece. She projected the music with the glides and movements of her hands. For every twirl she did, Mina noticed something. The cub was only intently watching her; no sketchpad, no pencil, and just her round brown eyes. No wonder she could feel the cub's stare.

The taller girl stopped, "Why'd you stop?" the shorter girl asked, quite interrupted in her thoughtful gaze. "Aren't you going to sketch or something?" the girl mused as she looked down at the seated cub. Chaeyoung covered and softly chuckled, "You will be constantly moving, so I thought instead capturing you with a sketch I'd rather capture you with imprinting it in my brain through my eyes." "I see," Mina replied while looking at the ceiling. The music stopped, Chaeyoung looked up at the girl in her front, "Still nervous?"

"Really nervous," the penguin exhaled, "But please, do replay the music." The cub nodded before she played the music again. Mina breathed in, and let the music engulfed her and her surroundings. She breathed out, resuming her earlier movements.

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It had been so long since Mina danced in front of an audience, in her case in front of someone special. Through her years in ballet, she had mustered to calm her nerves during her great performances; but today, she felt like dancing on a tightrope, balancing the mixture of her bitter memories and her love with ballet.

At first, she thought the cub's attention would be divided  by sketching. Heart pounding, dark days flashed before her eyes. She felt sweat ran through the back of her neck and lower back as she twirled. For every twirl, she saw glimpses how the cub was focusing to her. It scared her how Chaeyoung would perceived her dancing. Will she be the same as the others? she thought, closing her eyes as she dipped her upper body before another twirl. She shivered and her gut wrenched, extremely exhausted half way through her performance. Despite the growing toxicity in her head and exhaustion, she continued to dance with the six minutes music, determined to finish her performance in front of the girl.

Suddenly, the place darkened and she was now performing at a dark theatre with the lights only directed to her being. Bile rose in , the darkness of the theatre and the brightness of the lights battled. The empty spaces and seats emanated coldness clashed with the heat from blaring theatre lights. She tried to swallow the bitter taste in , she spun trying to search a very familiar girl. There, from her glimpse, Chaeyoung was seated in the far middle end of the theatre, wearing a white blank mask with only holes on its eyes. Her eyes visibly and intensely bore through Mina. Once again, a shiver and sweat ran through her body because she knew the masked girl was heatedly watching her movements. Her inner demons won in this mental battle and had altered the usual girl in her current state. Right now, uncertainties and her demons blinded her. She's going to see you as another pretty face in ballet, Mina, echoed as her demons sweetly stated the words in chorus. 

, Mina cursed under her breath as she delved deeper in her thoughts. She continued to dance under the rigorous and unreadable expression of the masked girl, the dark silhouette of the theatre, and the uncomfortable bright lights. Her demons successfully transformed her very thoughtful and warm cub into an unknown stranger seated in the darkness.

A tear in disguised as sweat rolled down on her left cheek as the music neared its horror ending. She spun a few times before she laid on the floor with one leg outstretched as she reached her left hand to the ceiling. The music stopped and her surroundings reverted back to its original form, the taller girl stood with head held low and hair covering her face. She heaved her way to the cub and slumped down beside her, completely avoiding eye contact as she hid her exhausted self.

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When she played the music again, Chaeyoung indulged herself with the art served in front of her. The shorter girl noted how the elegant girl's attire matched her today. The girl was wearing a pink long sleeved top and a white below the knees skirt. The cub watched the penguin's every projected twirl and spin.

Chaeyoung was in awe, completely mesmerized by the penguin's movements. For every movement, waltz, and form, the cub made sure to imprint it to her brain. She watched every breath the girl took and every little detail in her performance, praying not a single detail would go amiss.

The cub wasn't sure if she had blinked ever since the penguin started her performance, She's really amazing. She bit her lower lip as she continued to feel the taller girl. The atmosphere was really gentle and only accompanied by the music. Chaeyoung felt that she was brought somewhere else, not in one of the buildings of the arts department and not encased by a bland four-cornered walls. The feeling was entirely different, she felt like she was sitting on shallow water where Mina continued to dance and perform her piece.

In the cub's eyes, they were alone in the vastness of that shallow sea. Everywhere she looked, it was just the kiss of the sea and the sky on the horizon. They were completely surrounded by the shallow clear blue sea and covered by the bright cloudy sky. She inhaled as she watched the splashes of water as Mina spun, and raised a foot or kicked in the air. She blinked as a droplet of water reached her cheek, Wow. The cub held the phone on her left hand as she placed her right hand on her side to test the clarity of her deceiving eyes. Her breath hitched, she felt it. She felt the warmed water by the sun and the warm breeze in the open air. She shivered as the thought finally sank in her head. She was sitting on water, her legs and right hand were drenched, same goes with Mina's bare feet and the hem of her skirt.

Chaeyoung watched Mina danced with submerged feet. She rested the phone on her lap and rested her freed hand on her sides, enjoying the warm water against her skin. The wind blew roughly on her face which made her to close her eyes. When the cub opened her eyes again, her focus shifted from the dancing girl's form to her face. In the haze of her vision, she wasn't too sure if the girl was sweating or was it from the water underneath her. She smiled trying to reassure the other girl, but it seemed like the girl wasn't affected, as if Mina didn't see her smile. What is going on, Mina? Chaeyoung asked herself as she observed the blank yet stormy expression of the taller girl's eyes.

The music intensified — peaking its — and she held onto her heart. The breeze grew cold, the cloudy sky turned grey, and the shallow water rose. Her breath hitched again and her offered smile fell on her face. The music was muffled because its source was submerged in water like the lower half of her small frame, reaching the middle of her stomach. She watched the penguin looked up as she reached for the ceiling, she guessed that it was the final touches in the girl's performance as the submerged music fell into her deaf ears.

Mina stood from her last position and the cub watched her every movement, starting from her heaving breaths until to her downcasted eyes. Chaeyoung gazed at Mina who started