It was exactly how the dance teacher had revealed; the auditorium was jam-packed with people.

It wasn’t mandatory for the university students to attend, yet most find themselves going anyways due to its popularity and the media’s attention.

Not only was it a full-house, people were crowding along the walkways and sitting down onto the stairs as there wasn’t a single available seat left; cameras from different medias and reporters could be seen propped everywhere despite the school having its own broadcast of the entire ceremony.

The school had vowed to improve the ceremony’s quality every year with surprises and more entertaining acts, and so far they’ve kept their words, resulting more and more anticipators each year.

It was a great strategy to make themselves known while also bragging about the multiple talents within the academy.

Luckily for all 3 of Mina’s friends- excluding Jeongyeon since she was part of the performance, the girls all managed to snatch a proper seat for themselves.

Although Chaeyoung merely wanted to arrive for her crush’s stage only, her friend managed to abduct her into the auditorium early enough to secure a good spot.

Momo and Sana knew what to do in order to enjoy the show in comfort since they had attended the opening ceremonies every year.

Chaeyoung, however, never bothered; she still wouldn’t have if it wasn’t because of Mina’s involvement this time.

The two Japanese girls were bickering in their mother-tongue as they awaited for the ceremony to begin, while the small artist ignored them at the side, dreading about the wait.

Backstage within one of the largest waiting rooms, the performing students from Ms. Yoon and Ms. Kim’s class awaited with adrenaline pumping in their bodies- despite that they still had another hour or so to wait before they actually head on stage.

Some were already in preparation by warming up their bodies and going through the dance routines, while others were simply lazing about and trying to kill time. The father and daughter duo leaned towards the latter group as they had found themselves resting on the marble floor.

Jeongyeon sat with both legs extended, her injured knee bandaged up loosely by the school nurse; she insisted with not getting it properly stabilised in order to dance properly, which earned herself a sigh from both the lady and the girl who accompanied her.

Ever since they went to the infirmary, like a well brought up daughter, Mina takes care of the older whenever she had the chance- and Jeongyeon finds herself falling harder and harder for her every single time she does so.

Even now as they waited patiently for their act, Mina stuck herself right next to the performer on the floor, just in case she needed assistance with anything.

After doing nothing for 10 minutes straight, with some students already falling asleep from boredom, Jeongyeon randomly decided to bug the younger girl beside her. “Mina-ya.”

“Yes?” the dancer immediately sat up straight upon hearing her friend’s voice.

“What’s a vampire’s favourite food?”

Mina tilted her head in confusion, a little taken back from the sudden question.

“Um… blood?”

“Nope.”

“Humans?”

“Nope.”

“… Then what is it?”

“Vampires aren’t even real, pabo.”

The ballerina blinked blankly at the girl who now seemed to be holding back her own laughter.

“… Was that supposed to be a joke, Jeongyeon-unnie?”

“Yeah, sorry.”

Mina finally let out a laugh after understanding her friend’s silliness.

“That was pretty bad.” she teased in between her giggles.

“I have the nickname ‘No-Jam Jeong’ for a reason.” the performer grinned back.

They proceeded to sit in silence for a few more minutes before the older opened again.

“Hey Mina, where do sheep get a haircut?”

“Please don’t.”

“The baaa-baaa shop.”

There was a pause after Jeongyeon’s incredibly bad joke, the two simply blinked at each other again.

But of course Mina giggled softly eventually; she knew Jeongyeon was only trying to entertain themselves as they waited on with nothing else to do. “You’re weird, unnie.”

“I’ve been told.” Jeongyeon smiled back as she adjusted herself on the floor, resting her head down onto Mina’s lap.

It was a risky move since she didn’t know whether the girl enjoys skin-ship, but frankly she didn’t seem to mind.

Mina even started to play with Jeongyeon’s short blonde hair, to which the performer greatly enjoyed.

Everything about the graceful female attracted her, and to Jeongyeon the dancer was the perfect girlfriend material.

Only if she had the guts to claim her as one.

“Mina-yaaa.” the performer now mumbled sleepily, thanks to Mina’s calming touch.

“Yes?” the younger answered softly, her fingers still twirling the soft blonde locks. She took a look at the girl on her lap, who had her eyelids drooping shut. “You can’t fall asleep now, unnie. You don’t want to lose your voice before the performance.”

“Then help me stay awake.” Jeongyeon pouted, “I became sleepy because of you.”

Mina raised an eyebrow. “You’re blaming me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Oh really?”

Mina’s smile turned into a smirk as she roughly messed up Jeongyeon’s hair, causing the performer to whine in complaint- even when she secretly enjoyed it.

Before they could start play-fighting, their teachers suddenly ordered them all to change into their outfits.

Jeongyeon came out of the changing room in a red-and-gold showman costume, while Mina had changed into a snow-white modern tutu.

The two both stared at each other in admiration, pleased with their transformation.

“You look… stunning.” Jeongyeon stammered shyly, but soon stopped gawking as she heard the distant laughter of her two friends. She gave them the finger behind her back.

“You too, Jeongyeon-unnie. You look charming.” Mina also complimented, her cheeks still blushing from her friend’s previous compliment.

Their heart-fluttering moment was accidentally shattered when the infamous -block Ms. Yoon had asked for everyone to gather around, wanting to run over everything quickly for the final time.

Almost an hour since the start of the ceremony, Chaeyoung was struggling to stay focused.

She cursed at herself for forgetting to bring her sketchbook along, since she felt incredibly bored from all the speeches and random Q&A sessions for the media. She didn’t come for all that boring stuff.

While she let out a loud yawn, the two girls beside her were tapping on their phone’s screens rapidly; they had brought their argument into the device as they couldn’t talk out loud anymore.

Despite sitting right next other, they were spamming texts to one another.

“Why are you trying to make things so complicated, Raccoon-face?!”

“Why, is it wrong to root for my other friend?”

“You’re preventing Mi-tang from experiencing love sooner by adding her into the mess”

“So you just want me to sit here and watch Chaeng’s heart get broken?!”

“That would happen sooner or later anyways”

“HOW DARE YOU”

 “Mi-tang likes people who can lead her- do you think your baby-looking friend has the ability to do that?”

“Chaeng’s pretty mature and much better than a lot of people ok? Plus Minari seems to really enjoy her company”

“Your words say that she’s younger than us- isn’t she?”

“Why do you even care? Minari never mentioned anything about age when it comes to her ideal partner!”

“She likes someone who’s kind, decisive, well-mannered, and playful. Do you think that shorty has what it takes to become a suitable candidate?”

“You’re talking as if your Romeo has hit all the criteria already”

“How would you know, you Raccoon-looking headass?!”

“How would you know, you Shiba-looking headass?!”

The sudden loud cheers of the audience snapped the two out of their silent-argument, which they realised that the host was starting to introduce the performances of the afternoon.

It was the moment everyone had been anticipating the most, and it was evident that people were getting excited.

Phones were whipped out for recording, while the ones who doze off- like Chaeyoung- were now wide awake.

Turns out, Mina and Jeongyeon’s act was the grand finale, which wasn’t a huge surprise based on the Department of Performing Arts’ fame.

Of course the most anticipated had to end the show.

Son Chaeyoung was probably the only one to grumble upon hearing the news, since that was literally the only thing she was looking forward to.

She remained unfazed as the surrounding audience cheered wildly and enthusiastically for the other astounding talents, even when Momo slapped her by the arm multiple times out of pure excitement from the amazing acts.

It was only when the host had finally began introducing the last performance of the ceremony that Chaeyoung’s eyes lit up.

Ignoring her now stinging arm, the artist quickly brought out her DSLR which she had kept within her backpack, earning herself a weird look from the girl beside her.

“Look at you go, being a professional stalker.” Momo raised a brow teasingly.

Chaeyoung gave her a quick glare. “It’s going to be for a project, okay? Quit judging.”

“Whatever you say, babe.”

The red backdrop finally lifted with the crowd cheering loudly.

Surprisingly, the stage was dark and empty, making the auditorium gradually become silent with the audience holding in their breaths for whatever that was going to come.

Instead of seeing anyone, a dialogue could be heard coming out from the large speakers; it was the script Jeongyeon’s teacher had stitched up in order for the performance to have an ‘acting’ part within, but not for long the auditorium was silent again.

Ms. Yoon was too lazy to come up with something longer and of course none of her students complained.

They wanted the real action.

Suddenly, a single spotlight lit up and pointed directly towards the centre of the stage.

Chaeyoung’s heart thumped within her chest, finally understanding the thrill of live performances; at the exact same time, somewhere backstage, Jeongyeon took a deep breath.

As soon as the music was cued, Jeongyeon could be seen prancing onto the platform with light steps, leading a group of performers behind her.

The showman made her way directly beneath the spotlight as she twirled her cane impressively and slamming it down onto the wooden stage.

She began to showcase her vocals, blowing Chaeyoung away in surprise, while Jeongyeon’s classmates circled her energetically before they all broke into group choreography.

Some people were already on their feet from the intense energy given from the performers.

It was difficult to not be impressed; the girls on stage vividly displayed their talents by expressing their bold movements with bright smiles on their faces, not faltering from the energy-draining movements.

“It’s everything you ever want,” Jeongyeon sang as she gestured towards the audiences, also taking the moment to look out for her sister, “It’s everything you ever need,” she masked away her uneasiness and discomfort by focusing on the dance moves, throwing her top hat to her fellow classmate just as Ms. Yoon choreographed.

All three of Mina’s friends had their mouths dangling agape at this point.

Despite lacking the professional equipments, it really seemed as if there was a circus performance on stage. That was just how impressive the Department of Performing Arts were.

“THIS IS WHERE YOU WANNA BE!” one of Jeongyeon’s friend- who unfortunately landed herself the role of the bearded lady, burst out her line as if she was an opera singer, successfully making the crowd cheer from her strong vocals.

It was also the cue for Jeongyeon to step off the stage momentarily as another acting section had been inserted in between.

As soon as the star was away from the audience’s sight, she crashed straight onto the floor and winced in extreme pain, clutching onto her left knee. Mina instantly rushed to her side, panicking from her state.

“Jeongyeon-unnie!” she cried while Ms. Yoon also squeezed her way to their side.

“What’s wrong? Pulled a muscle?” the woman managed to pull the Barnum actress back up.

The performance was still going, and time was ticking.

“N-No, it’s that she-”

“It’s nothing, Ms. Yoon.” Jeongyeon cut the main ballerina off, giving them a grin as she hastily wiped her sweat away with her sleeve.

“The show must go on.” she gave Mina a wink.

After sneaking in Barnum’s quote, Jeongyeon accurately grasped the timing and returned back onto the stage when she was supposed to, dancing on with her classmates as if nothing ever happened.

Mina could only watch on with worried eyes, yet she also lacked the time to be concerned for her friend.

It was time for the ballerinas to enter the stage soon.

With the performance-art students leaving the stage and switching with the smaller group, the dance student’s entrance successfully made the crowd gasp in awe from the unexpected transition of dance styles.

Chaeyoung was immediately stunned by Mina’s visuals, but the screams around her quickly snapped her out of it and she started taking a bunch of pictures, also cheering loudly for Mina.

Momo, and even Sana who disapproves of the artist as Mina’s romantic partner, couldn’t help but laugh at the artist’s adorable behaviour.

It was the moment Chaeyoung was here for, and she made sure to savour every single second of it.

As the ballet performance came to an end, the showman had to return on stage once again.

She gritted her teeth tightly behind her forced-smile as she slid across the stage for her third entrance, making the crowd go wild from her charisma. She was a successful and popular university star for a reason.

Mina kept stealing worried glances at her friend when the ballerinas formed a circular formation around the showman. Chaeyoung saw.

The dancers pranced elegantly until it was finally time for the father-and-daughter part of the act, indicating that the act was coming to an end.

Everyone else retreated off stage, leaving the duo alone under the spotlight.

Jeongyeon breathed slowly as she extended her hand out to her ‘daughter’, who gave her a comforting smile before taking it.

Chaeyoung lowered her camera, Momo huffed in annoyance, and Sana squealed delightfully as their friends danced together lovingly- in a parent-and-child way, yet honestly it was choreographed more romantically than it’s supposed to be, and Ms. Kim was the one to blame.

After the ceremony had ended, Chaeyoung finally met up with her crush near one of the auditorium exits.

Thankfully the girl had read her text message, or else she would’ve been standing there for the rest of the day.

Mina was still being praised by some passer-by when she made her way to her small artist’s side, enveloping her into a warm hug as soon as she arrived to her side.

Chaeyoung felt as if heart was about to jump straight out of her chest, but she made sure to congratulate her on the performance before passing out from joy.

“That was amazing!” she exclaimed, but just as she had complimented her she couldn’t help but to recall the ending scene of the act; the one that made her stomach churn and blood boil. “You and uh, Jeongyeon were g-great.”

“Thank you, Chaeyoungie.” Mina gave her a tired smile as she released her embrace.

The artist noticed the look in her eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong…?”

Mina blinked back her emotions and rummaged through her bag instead of replying, making Chaeyoung even more concerned with her weird behaviour.

She took hold of her friend’s hands and placed the items within her palm.

“Jeongyeon-unnie wanted me to give this to you.” the dancer addressed while Chaeyoung’s eyes lit up from the unexpected treats.

“Pocky! How did she-” her eyes narrowed as she saw her crush’s tiny grin, “Why?” she chose to ask simply instead.

“She felt bad when she accidentally hurt you during that one art session we all had together.”

“But that wasn’t even her fault! I twisted it myself before she even met me.” Chaeyoung frowned in confusion.

“She’s just that nice, I suppose.”

Those words stung the younger’s heart again.

She began to hear Momo’s words echoing repeatedly, while the images of the two performers flashed within her mind.

Yet, Chaeyoung decided to ignore the jealousy.

Right now she should be celebrating for them. She should be happy for them.

Chaeyoung cleared out to speak, “I should treat you guys to something as a thank you for the awesome performance!”

“E-Eh? You don’t have to, Chaeyoungie.”

“I want to. It’s my first time seeing you both perform on stage. It’s a special occasion!” the artist insisted. “But where did Jeongyeon-unnie go? Did she get captured by her fangirls?”

Mina bit her bottom lip upon hearing the name of her other friend, and once again the observant student managed to catch it in time.

“W-What’s wrong?” Chaeyoungie shuffled nervously, “Did something happen to her?”

Mina looked away, remembering the sight of the performer before she was ordered to leave her side.

“ S-She…”