If you told Moon Byul-yi a couple of months ago, that she would be dancing to the gayest song of the year, with the most beautiful woman that she had ever seen, she would have told you to stop exposing her dreams. But there she was. Staring right into the most beautiful brown orbs in the world, as the music and the loud cheer of the audience had become merely background noise. It would be so easy to lean down and capture those full pink lips or to tangle her hands in those golden locks. It would be so easy to do those, only if they didn't have to continue their performance and if that beautiful woman wouldn't hate her as much as she proclaimed.

    Moon Byul-yi is the oldest child of the Moon family, at the age of 25. She's a known dancer and choreographer in Korea. Her talent has mesmerized many and trapped the hearts of most people. Her charm and natural cool vibes got to every woman's heart, boosting the dancer’s ego. Don't take it the wrong way. She wasn't loved because her boi nature, which to be honest didn't even exist. Byulyi has been struggling with anxiety and lack of self-esteem, which prevented her from getting into relationships, both friendly and intimate ones, and made it harder to fulfill her dream of being a dancer. So she deserves to have a little ego after all that she has been through.

    Coming out just made things better. She was always terrified of the idea of letting people see a part of her, that many could use against her and judge on her, but when her two dance partners and good friends - Ahn Hyejin and Jung Wheein - confirmed their relationship on live stage, her other friend - Kang Seul-gi - ran up to the stage and confessed her feelings to the hamster like woman. Byulyi, who had felt a sort of connection between them and strong affection toward Seulgi, accepted her feelings and the two started going out.

    Many were shocked by the sudden news, but not really surprised. They were shocked due to the fact that Korea still wasn't as accepting as many would like it to be, and were concerned about her future as a dancer. Byulyi's uality wasn't really a secret. Everyone who laid eyes on her could tell, that the only thing that this woman was looking for in a man is if he had a sister. Despite a handful of fans and some older people in the entertainment business, everyone was very supportive of her. She even became Korea's most loved queer person and the half of the most iconic couple.

    Their relationship was, however, short-lived. They were happy together, yes, but something was missing. They talked it through like adults and came to an understatement that they just weren't meant to be. They broke up on good terms and remained good friends. Their relationship wasn't one made to last a lifetime, but to gain experience and create a much stronger bond, a bond of friendship.
    The one and a half year that they had spent together we were the best period of Byulyi's life. She had a person to whom she could run to, someone to relive on. It also made her feel wanted. She was there when Seulgi's parents wanted to disown her for being who she was and dropping out of college to pursue her passion for dancing. She was there was there when Seulgi got rejected by a dance group she worked so hard to be a part of. She was there when Seulgi needed someone. They were each other's support, they had the connection for that. But they lacked the love required for a relationship to stay alive. The secret, stolen kisses during practices, the calm movie nights that they spent together in each other's embrace and the feeling of their , tangled bodies in a morning after all felt good, even amazing, never right nor wrong.

    They say love is supposed to feel right. Right, because it feels like their worlds are finally complete. Even if it feels wrong, it’s because it's right. The denial with which they are trying to dismiss the feelings is the one generating the thought of it being bad. But in the end, it all comes down to it being right, if it's discovered, embraced and understood.

    And that's what Seulgi did after she had met Irene, the leader of the dance group that she had gotten accepted into. As the responsible and kind leader that Irene was, she took the younger and less experienced Seulgi under her wings. It all started with special practices with only the two of them, after their scheduled ones. Irene taught her dance moves that Byulyi couldn't, she looked after her health when Byulyi couldn't and made her feel comfortable and safe when Byulyi wasn't around. She wanted to be Seulgi’s support when Byul couldn't. As time went on, things had changed. Seulgi and Irene spent more time together. Their special practices got longer and were often followed by strictly “friendly” dates to fast food restaurants, parks or to Irene’s place for a movie night, replacing Byul's and Seulgi’s movie nights.

    Byulyi's and Irene’s roles switched, making the older of the two Seulgi's pillar in her everyday life. They all noticed this change, but none of them addressed it for a while. The way Seulgi always talked about her leader gave away her girlfriend's feelings right away. She wasn't mad, but wondered if Seulgi has ever talked about her to her friends about her like that. Byulyi told her herself that there was nothing to be afraid of, but she was scared. Scared of losing Seulgi completely. So she selfishly held on to the silence, for as long as possible.
    Irene was the one to make the first move toward changes.

    On a warm night, at the beginning of October, Irene showed up at their doorstep. Byul was the one who had openned the door and when she saw the determination in Irene’s eyes, she knew it was time for her to let go. They say down around the small round table in their kitchen. For some time none of them said a word, there was no need to to be honest, but Byul felt like she needed to say something. She felt like she had to. She had to say those words, to make it official.

“I’m letting you go.”

    It stung, for a while. It took some time for her to get used to waking up alone and eating alone again. But she had friends who cared for her, including Irene and Seulgi. After the break up they kept their distance from each other, just until they got used to this new thing.

    Their break up made it to the headlines and saddened many of their fans. But all it took to calm them down were a couple of interviews, in which they confirmed that their break was a mutual decision. Most of the fans were understanding, while a part of their fanbase - of course - was less enthusiastic about their favorite couple’s split.

    Hyejin and Wheein, each kept an eye on their dear friend, but Byul always showed a strong side of her to them. She wasn't really keen on receiving pity from them or to bother them with a certain blank feeling inside her, which she had been inside her for years, but only got unbearably strong after Seulgi had moved out from their apartment. Or should we say Byul's apartment? So, as any other person, she tried to busy herself as much as possible, to close out that frustrating empty feeling. Her mother was the first one to notice her daughter's new, strange behavior. Byulyi didn't call home as often, didn't go out according to her friends (Hyejin and Wheein), stayed in the dance studio until dusk and didn't have food in her household (one day when Byul wasn't home, she forgot to lock her door, so Wheein, who wanted to pay a visit to her dear friend, walked inside and investigated some). Since she couldn't really get in touch with her oldest child, she arranged a family meeting, inviting her closest friends along, including Irene and Seulgi as well, to discuss this matter.

    In the end, they agreed that she needed something living in her life, that was only hers and since they couldn’t post ads searching for the perfect match for Byulyi, they got her a puppy. And this is how Daebakie saved Byulyi from gods know what.

    A year had passed since that day and Byulyi had been better than ever. The little fur-ball turned each of her days into new adventures, never letting her have any negative thoughts about herself or about the world. When Daebaki couldn't be with her, Hyejin and Wheein made sure that she was alright. Her family and fans were supporting her with all their might, making her one of the most famous people in Korea and also known abroad. She had everything that she could have asked for.

    But the gods were too kind to her and gave her more, in the form of a chance of becoming internationally famous. She was asked to perform on Vis's world tour as the main dancer. Vis was a world-famous singer and songwriter, known for her open mindset and talent for music. So when Vis personally visited Byul's dance studio to request her, Byul was beyond happy. She said yes immediately, without even hearing the part that she wouldn't be dancing alone, which Vis might not have mentioned on purpose.
    Byul was an amazing dancer, yes, but a soloist. She was okay with dancing with people on the same stage, each of them doing their own parts and not bothering much with each other. Dancing with someone, body to body, hand in hand was a whole other thing. Byul thought that there was something terrifying about pair dances. You have to be aware of your partner all the time, while also doing your part. If one of you had messed it up, you both messed it up. If one of you hand't follow the choreography, then neither did you. She always thought about it as a relationship, where each half have their own parts but are nothing without the other.

    She only realized how right she was about dancing partners when she saw Hyejin and Wheein practicing. They put on a random song from shuffle, but still managed to dance in perfect sync. Byul was blown away by the two and when she asked for how long have they been practicing that one song, Wheein told her that was the first time that they had ever danced to that song. Seeing Byul's dumbfounded expression, Wheein elaborated with a confession of love toward the younger woman in the room.

    “We aren't just dance partners, we are partners in life as well. We know each other better than our own mothers. I could never dance with anyone else like this but her.”

    Byulyi thought this was understandable, considering that the two had known each other since middle school. However, when she was still together with Seulgi, she went to visit her, during her special practice with Irene. They were dancing to a slower, ballad-like song. That was the moment when Byul knew that Seulgi wasn't meant for her. The way that they held each other, or let their bodies fall, at certain parts of the song, trusting that the other would catch them before hitting the ground. It was something that she could have never done with anyone, not even Seulgi.

    As time went on and she got to know more dancers and dance partners, the more insecure and scared she became the idea of dancing together with someone. Soon everyone noticed how she never had a partner and learned to accept it. A few pushier TV show hosts had tried to set her up with someone, but all of them failed miserably. Only her family, Seulgi, and Wheein (and probably Hwasa, since they always told everything to each other) knew about her dread.

    Despite how uneasy she felt just thinking about it, she always dreamed about it. To finally be able to dance with someone. To hold someone. To feel each other’s sweat on their bodies when their skins are touching. To know what it feels like when their eyes meet for a second during a performance and know exactly what to do. To not feel lonely anymore.

    She loved dancing alone, but she was sick of feeling alone while doing so. She was always surrounded by love but felt worthless while dancing in her own little world of the beat. She was terrified of having a partner, but it was also her wildest dream to tell someone those three words.

    “Dance with me.”