The next morning Erin walks Jin to work. She is in desperate need of caffeine and a confidence boost from her best friend.

"Erin, baby, you got this. If you end up participating in their sessions just breathe. Clear your mind and lose yourself in the music like you always do."

Jin wraps his arms around her and playfully shakes her. He clocks in and begins brewing coffee.

Five minutes later...

“Dark with two spoons of sugar. Now hurry!”

Erin kisses Jin as she grabs her coffee. “Thank you. Wish me luck!”

“Good luck,” he shouts after her.

Erin and the guys had exchanged numbers last night. Hoseok had texted the studio's address to her this morning. She entered the information into an app on her phone and sipped at her coffee while waiting for the directions to load. It's a twelve-minute walk. She figures that should be enough time to work through her nerves. She shrugs her bag onto her shoulder and begins walking.

She scrolls through her music playlists and chooses a song that will get her in ‘the groove’. She settles on the playlist containing all of the current artists and popular songs (she figures that is what they will be dancing to anyway).

The twelve minutes passes quickly as she wiggles, skips, and shuffles her way there. Her eyes are closed, she's lost in the music. She doesn't realize that she passes the studio until a buzzing snaps her out of her trance.

Jimin: I think I just saw u gliding past the studio..nice footwurk btw..

She immediately reddens.

Erin: ..sorry...

She backtracks and is met by both Hoseok and Jimin.

They welcome her with open arms, literally. Each guy wraps an arm around her. One around her shoulder and one around her waist and, somehow, all three bodies fit through the single glass-door entrance.

Hoseok doesn’t even try to contain his excitement. He is bouncing toward the other occupants and shouting along to the music that’s blaring through the surround sound system.

Jimin gains Erin's attention by pulling at her sleeve. Since normal conversation won't be possible, he signals for her to follow him. He leads her down a small hallway to the door on the right. They enter a room that resembles a locker room.

“This is a safe place, so you can leave your things in here,” Jimin confidently says with an eye smile.

Erin nods and smiles in return. It's hard for her to get rid of her nerves. She walks along the isle of flat benches until she spots an empty cubby. It's in the back of the room nestled between the wall and another unoccupied cubby. She in a deep breath,

then turns around to walk back to Jimin.

They walk out of the room and head back down the same hallway. Jimin is quick to offer her kind, encouraging words on the way. Soon enough they are joining the other dancers.

Hoseok runs up to them and quickly talks to Jimin before turning his attention to Erin. He explains what he and Jimin will be doing, what the class is currently learning, and that if at any point she feels like joining in she can.

Erin smiles as she gives them a thumbs up. She watches as they run off to gather their dancers into place. She scans the room in search for the best seat. Three of the four walls are made up of ceiling-to-floor length mirrors. Sitting all the way in the back may give everyone an antisocial vibe, that's the last thing she wants to do. She opts for the mirrored wall on the right side of the studio. She sits on the floor with her legs crossed and patiently waits for dance practice to begin.

Jimin and Hoseok are huddled together, phones in hand, and it seems like they are having a serious conversation. Hoseok shakes his head in frustration as he walks to the desk containing music equipment.

The room is suddenly quiet. There is a wave of murmurs and muffled comments.

“Alright, so, one of our dancers is running late--again. Should be here in ten,” Jimin announces.

The dancers proceed to huff and their teeth in disapproval.

Erin spends the next ten minutes zoning out--naturally lost in her head. She’s snapped into reality when she notices a blur fly past the windows to the glass door. The figure stays there for a moment before entering. She scoots back against the mirrored wall and straightens her back.

All heads turn to the door. The studio suddenly becomes frenzied. Various items are being flung toward the unsuspecting person while others are yelling and laughing.

"Yah, yah! Calm down--you animals," Jimin waves his arms and shouts. "Jungkook-ssi, nice of you to finally join us."

Jungkook...

She practically strains her neck trying to peer around the crowd to get a good look at him.

"Ah, I'm sorry hyung--everyone."

His voice--chills run down her spine.

Erin gulps. She gets up and quickly walks to the bathroom. Once inside she hurriedly closes the door. She lets out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding.

What the hell?...

~~

Meanwhile, back in the mirrored studio, Jungkook is still being picked at.

The young male is a perfectionist and excels at everything. Tardiness does not sit well with him. He stays in place smiling and bowing as everyone takes a jab at him. His dance mates and instructors love to fool around even though everyone, including Jungkook, takes dance seriously.

“Jungkookie..”

He turns to Hoseok when he hears his name.

"As your penalty for being late, you will dance this new choreography for us."

Hoseok is smiling, but Jungkook has never trusted his hyung's heart-shaped smile. He stares at him wide-eyed and offers a tiny smirk.

Hoseok chuckles. "Go put your stuff up. Hurry!"

Jungkook bows once more before rushing off to the locker room.

Erin finally gets ahold of herself. She gathers as much strength as she can, opens the door, and continues forward with shaky confidence.

Both Jungkook and Erin are exiting the rooms with their heads down.Given the fact that the hallway is narrow and the rooms are across from each other, Jungkook and Erin collide. They are both pushed back a bit from the force of their collision. Neither of them has looked up yet and apologies are already spilling out of their mouths.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry. I hate that I'm so clumsy. I'm going to end up injuring somebody someday." She finally looks up and he's just staring at her. Gosh, he's beautiful. His large, round eyes, his slightly-too-big nose; soft plush lips (the top being thinner than the bottom), his sharp jawline. She can go on forever. Instead, she shakes her head and looks down again. How long was she staring at him? Why isn't he saying anything? She clears as she fidgets with the hem of her shirt. "Uh, well, yeah--see you out there." Her voice became tiny as she trailed off. She hurries back to her previous spot.

Jungkook is frozen in place. He knows there's no more time to waste, but he just can't move. Her green eyes caught him off guard. It's the first thing he noticed, followed by her freckles and black, wavy hair. He has never seen anyone like her. And he feels extremely lame for not responding. Maybe he can redeem himself after practice. He starts walking down the hallway when he suddenly remembers the penalty.

...

~~

Jimin and Hoseok dramatically clap as the see Jungkook walking toward them.

"There he goes!" Shouts Jimin.

Hoseok jogs the rest of the way to Jungkook. He then runs in circles around him while clapping obnoxiously. His excitement for the penalty is obvious.

They both make it to the front with Jimin.

"Okay guys, Hoseok-hyung has decided to punish Jungkook for his tardiness. He will be dancing our current choreography."

The dancers are ‘oo-ing' and ‘ahhing'.

"Now, we haven't learned all of the choreo yet. It will be interesting to see how Jungkook finishes," Hoseok chimes in.

Jungkook side-eyes him. He knew Hoseok's heart smile is untrustworthy. He does his best to set aside his nerves as Jimin and Hoseok disperse.

Jimin joins the dancers while Hoseok takes charge of the music.

On the other side of the room, Erin is curiously watching the new formation. She's too far to hear what was being said. The song In My Feelings by Drake begins blaring through the surround sound. Erin is familiar with this newest hit. She's nervous and intrigued.

Jungkook begins dancing the first half of the choreography, easily matching every beat.

Erin gulps at the sight. He makes dancing look as easy as walking and very appealing, it's kind of intimidating. How will she be able to participate now?

Jungkook is trying his best to maintain his confidence. The song is about to come to the part that's missing choreography. At the two minute mark of the song, he decides to make a joke of it. He figures joking is much easier than trying to make up a decent routine on the spot. That's why he slides his hands to his knees and starts twerking. He ends his penalty with a drop. Then, a complete drop when he throws himself onto the floor from exhaustion and embarrassment. He laughs and covers his face with his arm. She probably saw all of that.

The room is in a sudden uproar. Everyone ‘whoops' and explodes in laughter. They are clearly satisfied with Jungkook's grand finale. A few of the dancers help him up as everyone else violently slaps him on his back. It's their form of praising.

Erin isn't even laughing. She is in shock and feels undeniably hot. Jungkook's joking moves were a source of entertainment for everyone else, but for her--odd as it may be, it really got to her. She's sure there is something wrong with her for to genuinely like that. She tries to shake the feeling.

After being attacked by his fellow peers, his eyes immediately find her. She looks flustered and there’s a pink tint across her cheeks. He half-smiles before his attention is captured by Hoseok’s voice.

"Wow! Jungkookie, nicely done. Everyone! One more round of applause!"

The sound of clapping echoes through Erin's head. She snaps back to reality and claps along with a delayed rhythm. She releases a heavy breath as she tosses her black waves behind her shoulder.

"Alright everyone, let's give the first half of this choreo a quick run through before learning the second half!" Jimin says excitedly.

Drake’s voice blares through the speakers once again.

Erin plops back down to the floor. She is determined to memorize the choreography.

After forty minutes of intense practicing, everyone is exhausted. Jimin and Hoseok decide that everyone has made decent progress and it's best if everyone rests, or continue as they please, for the remaining hour.

Erin assumes she's in the clear and can leave whenever she deems necessary. If she wants to be honest with herself, she mostly wants to leave because of Jungkook. He makes her so damn nervous. She makes sure Jungkook is occupied before she speed-walks to Jimin and Hoseok. "Thank you guys so much for having me today. I really enjoyed it. I did my best to memorize most of the choreography for the next practice." She smiles and continues nervously. "Well, um, I was going to head out considering you guys are finished." She trails off because there are funny looks on their faces.

"Aw, you want to leave already?" Hoseok asks.

"Yeah, we have to see what you can do--well besides your gliding past the studio earlier," adds Jimin with a smug smile.

Erin immediately reddens. She should've known this was too easy. is dry; she tries to swallow. "You-you want me to dance?" They both nod, and too eager if you ask her. She clears and awkwardly swings her arms. "Okay..."

They begin jumping in place.

"Yes, yes!" Shouts Hoseok.

"Which song?" Jimin asks her.

"Uhm..." She looks over their shoulders into the mirror and notices that everyone is looking at them. No sight of Jungkook though. “Uh, I guess Blue by Zayn. If, uh, if you have it. If not I can help you..." She gets cut off by Jimin.

"I love Zayn. I have everything he has ever created." He leaves to control the music.

Hoseok grabs Erin by the shoulders and playfully shakes her. "You'll be fine, don't worry."

She wishes it was that easy. After scanning the room through the mirror, she settles into a spot a few steps back. Her eyes are closed as she rotates her neck and shoulders. She then stretches her arms and legs while implementing the breathing techniques she uses during anxiety spells. After a minute she opens her eyes--a wave of confidence crashing through her. She gives them a thumbs up. The music flows from the speakers and straight to her--taking over her body.

Jungkook is walking out of the bathroom when he hears an unfamiliar song vibrating throughout the studio. He walks to the crowd that blocks the end of the hallway. "What's going on?" He asks the person standing next to him. Since he's trapped in the back of the crowd, he can't see much.

"New girl's dancing." The woman responds.

"What?" he asks a bit too eager and slightly shocked.

"Yeah, she's dancing. She's not too bad." Adds another dancer.

Jungkook pushes his way through the crowd as politely as he can. He manages to reach the front and immediately stops in his tracks. She looks beautiful. Jungkook never really imagined himself dancing to this type of music, but she makes it look possible.

The music ends and Erin focuses on her breathing before looking up. Growing self-conscious from the silence, she looks to Jimin and Hoseok. They're just looking at her with their mouths slightly agape. She nervously smiles at them and tilts her head to the side.

They start clapping; everyone starts clapping.

She looks past their shoulders and into the mirror again, and that's when she sees him--he's already looking at her. Their eyes briefly lock; she quickly averts her gaze to the floor. She bows to Jimin and Hoseok, then turns around and bows a few times to everyone else. The applause continues. Blushing, she smiles and tries to wave them off.

The crowd disperses; some approach Erin and some approach the instructors. Jungkook is blocked from all angles, so he decides to gather his belongings. It doesn't take long for him to pack up and he chooses to linger for a moment. If he were to be asked what his intentions were he wouldn't even know what to say. He doesn't usually stick around to socialize. He feels ridiculous. Ready to go, he slings his backpack around his shoulder--that's when he sees her.

Erin is walking with her eyes trained to the floor--a habit that formed alongside her anxiety. Her eyebrows are knit together as she pushes strands of hair behind her ear.

Jungkook holds back a smile as he watches her. He wonders what she’s thinking about.

Erin finally looks up and pales as soon as she notices Jungkook looking at her again. Realizing he's blocking her way, she stops in front of him and looks at him with questioning eyes. She wonders if he will speak to her this time. She's too nervous to say anything and breaks their gaze. Her eyes reflexively trail down his body--wow. He looks sturdy. She gulps and forces herself to say something. "Uh, hi, again. I just need to, um.." She trails off as she points to the cubby behind him.

He understands and steps aside, offering space for her to pass.

She smiles as she tries to navigate past him. He didn't give her much room, so she's forced to squeeze through. Both chuckling nervously once she's passed through. Erin gathers her things with shaky hands; she can still feel his presence.

Jungkook realizes it's now or never. He keeps his breathing steady, then clears his throat. "Hey, I saw you dancing earlier." Jungkook mentally slaps himself. That probably sounds creepy. "A-and you're pretty good."

Erin immediately turns a deep shade of red, so he did see her. Great, her nerves are shot. She wipes her clammy hands on the sides of her pants as she keeps her eyes fixed away from him. "...thank you.." She says with a tiny voice.

He allows himself to smile. "What's your name?"

She finally looks at him with the same confidence as before, which was practically non-existent. "Erin... Lee. Lee Erin." She stumbles over her words.

"Erin Lee." He repeats out loud in accented English.

It sounds wonderful coming from him; she's never liked her own name this much. She smiles at him. "Yes, I know it's probably weird. I dropped my last name a few years ago." She isn't too sure why she just admitted that last part.

Jungkook laughs. “Nah, that’s not weird. It’s unique, like you.”

--

Whatever confidence she had falters. Red spreads across the expanse of her freckled cheeks.

Jungkook mentally pats his back. He extends his hand to her as he introduces himself. "Jungkook--Jeon Jungkook." He knows that handshaking isn't the customary form of greeting the opposite in South Korea; bowing is. And it's safe to say that he's looking for an excuse to physically interact with her. He's just hoping that she doesn't reject his efforts.

Erin quickly swipes her hand against her pant leg again before reciprocating his friendly gesture. Her hand his swallowed by his much larger hand.

This makes Jungkook smile for three reasons: her natural awkwardness, her soft small hand disappearing into his, and her emerald-green eyes staring into his own dark orbs.

There is an instant spark when their hands meet. Neither one could deny it nor did they choose to speak on it. The room is suddenly filled with raucous laughter. Their hands quickly separate and they become shy.

Erin opens to say something but is cut off when her phone starts ringing. She sighs as she pulls out her phone; it's Jin. Part of her doesn't want to lose whatever this moment is, but it's Jin. "I'm sorry, Jungkook. I gotta take this." She offers a smile.

He accepts it and smiles in return. His smile is genuine--it's the first time she said his name. "No problem. I'll see you at the next practice."

She waves goodbye as she answers her phone and walks away.

Jungkook will never be late again.