The metal door slammed shut, the loud bang echoing through the dark hallway only to be swallowed in the shadows moments later. Everything was silent then, like the intruder wasn’t even there in the empty space. Curious rays of sunlight peeked through small gaps in the curtains, bits of light along the corridor that ran down the side of the building, connecting the front and back areas.

You took a deep breath before making your legs move, walking towards the ladies’ dressing room located at the end of the hall. The large doors leading to the theater were wide open so you could see the elegant stage set before rows of plush seats reserved for guests. It looked different in the silent darkness than how you remembered it, shining in bright glory during performances. The music, cheerful claps of the audience interspersed with joyful laughter, all of it rang in your mind so clearly that you had to shake your head to push those memories aside. Now was not the time to get emotional over past performances, not on the first day of your return. You’d been away for a year, and now was the time for a new production with new memories to be made.

You glanced at the wall, pictures and certificates next to trophies greeted you like old friends. You smiled at the sight of them, pausing to check new ones that were added during your break. The success of your teammates made you proud, despite the bitter feelings weighing down on your shoulders.

You could hear voices coming from the dressing room. You grabbed the handle and pushed the door open without hesitation, no thoughts of turning back. The chatter halted abruptly as the other dancers noticed you, some in the middle of changing, some already in practice gear, lazing around on the benches.

“Y/N!” Cheerful voices greeted you once the shock wore off, shouting your name at the same time as though they’d been practicing for this moment. You were soon swarmed by the girls, enthusiastic questions and greetings thrown your way in equal measure.

It was overwhelming. You’d always been an introvert, never feeling at home in a crowd, but you struggled to push past the pessimism, allowing yourself to get swept up in the elation at your return. This was your family, after all.

---

Fitting back into daily routines was easy, like you had never left. Practice was hard, you felt rusty after being away for a year. But eventually muscle memory won out, and you slowly started to feel comfortable with the aches and pains of dancing every day. Extra hours of practice helped. You’d known it wouldn’t be easy to get back to how things had once been, but you’d always prided yourself on your sense of determination. A knee injury was not going to get in the way of your childhood dream.

Your perfectionist tendencies came out in full force, never satisfied with your moves. You were working on a double turn, and every time you did the move you found some fault with it—it was lacking in grace, you were either late to the music or too fast, and on the last attempt it just looked ugly for no real reason at all.

It didn’t matter that your feet ached from the constant burden, you couldn’t go home until you managed to get the hang of it. It shouldn’t have been so hard to catch up to the others, even after being off for a year. Your pessimism won out too often, and it led to dark thoughts. You’d always had a hard time seeing yourself the way others saw you. You never thought you were that good.

As you spun around you caught sight of a figure standing at the door. Your balance wavered immediately, and because you were driven by the elan, you hit the ground hard and loud. You hissed at the sudden pain that came when your arms hit the floor, shielding the rest of your body.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” A worried voice asked. Footsteps rushed towards you and seconds later a man’s figure towered over your petite body. When you didn’t reply he knelt before you to take a better look at you while he repeated his question.

You eyed him warily, his face unfamiliar. He looked genuinely concerned, but you weren’t the sort to trust a stranger so easily. It was late at night, past ten, and he definitely was not a staff member, so why was he here? There were no male dancers who used this practice room. How long had he been watching you?

The fog cleared in your brain when another twinge of pain lanced through your arm. You looked down and saw that he was currently checking your elbow. You frowned at the red skin, knowing from experience that it was sure to bruise. Great. The director would be thrilled about that.

Your eyes travelled up to his head and met a pair of shiny brown eyes that were now studying your face. If he were someone you knew, you’d have blushed in embarrassment, but you were currently preoccupied with the need to get out of the situation as quickly as possible.

You cleared your throat, finally answering the question he must have asked a dozen times by now. “Yes, I’m fine.” You kept it short but firm, not wanting to say more than was necessary. The tender look in his eyes did nothing to alleviate your concern at being alone with a stranger.

“Are you sure?” He looked at the elbow again, then back to your face. “I could take you to the hospital if you want? I don’t think it’s broken, but there’s some swelling so you can never be too sure.”

Hospital? Alone with you?! No!

You weren’t about to give voice to those suspicious thoughts in your head, though. “No, I don’t think that’s necessary. I’ll just put some ice on it and I’ll be fine.” You slowly stood up, testing your legs, alert to any other flares of pain. Experience had taught you to go slow after a fall, because you could never be sure if anything else had been injured. But just as you were about to get up on your own your mystery man was there, taking your hands and pulling you up, only letting go after he was certain you could stand on your own.

There was this odd, tingling feeling that was spreading over your hand where your skin touched, and you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him because of the close proximity. You were flustered with the unfamiliarity. It’s not that you’d never been close to a man before, but this situation was different, and you felt pulled between two different schools of thought.

The one that cautioned wariness won out.

He seemed to realize how uncomfortable you were. “I’m sorry, I haven’t even introduced myself, you must think I’m a creep,” he said with a polite smile. “I’m Song Yunhyeong. It’s nice to meet you.”

You looked down at the hand he offered to you, shaking it so you wouldn’t seem rude. You were distracted by his soft skin, and hastily introduced yourself after realizing that he was waiting for an answer.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? Maybe you have a concussion?”

It was evident in the moment that he must not have much experience with this sort of thing, since your head hadn’t even hit the ground. You assumed he must be feeling some sense of responsibility with you, since he’d been the one to see you fall. But you knew your body, and you didn’t need a hospital.

“Really, I’m fine. It’s late, so I should get going, put some ice on my arm,” you said as you started to collect your belongings. “You should probably go too, before the janitor notices that we’ve stayed later than we’re supposed to.” You doubted the old man would notice anything, since he was notorious for dozing off on the job, but still. You didn’t want anyone to know you’d been here alone with this stranger. But then maybe the janitor did know, maybe it explained how this guy had gotten in.

“Oh, okay. Please be careful on your way home.” Yunhyeong stepped out of your way, an unnecessary move on his part, but you weren’t about to say anything about it.

“You too.” You nodded to him with a polite smile before hurrying out the door and not looking back.

“See you around!” He spoke the words in his normal voice despite your distance from him, but you still heard him in the silent hall.

You furrowed your brows and looked over your shoulder, surprised to see that he wasn’t following you as you’d expected. You still quickly left the building, praying that he wasn’t going to follow you. You were walking by yourself in a rather deserted area.

You pondered his words on your way home, wondering what he’d meant by them. See you around! He wasn’t part of the show, so you weren’t sure why you’d be seeing him again. But the moment you made it home your thoughts turned to a hot bath, and you let the stranger slip out of your mind for the rest of the night.

---

“Okay, girls, listen up!” The director clapped his hands together to get the dancers’ attention. The chatter died down immediately as he stepped onto the stage. “I have some great news! The theatre is going to up their promotions for our show, so they’ve hired a photographer to make a photo series from our practices, and he’ll be shooting the premiere night as well. We’ll also have a reporter doing some interviews with you for an article.” Excited whispers ran among them at the news. “Allow me to introduce our photographer, Song Yunhyeong.” He motioned for a man to join him on the stage.

You didn’t have to look to know who it was, and your eyes widened as you watched him stand next to the director, smiling at the crowd in a friendly manner. You watched his lips move but couldn’t hear what he was saying, the shock was still gripping you. You wanted to disappear behind the others so he wouldn’t see you after your embarrassing meeting the other night. You still didn’t know why he’d been there so late, but at least now you knew he hadn’t just been creeping around.

Luckily he didn’t seem to spot you, which was a good thing, because the last thing you needed was for this man to recognize you with other people around. The practice resumed and the photographer tried to stay out of the way as much as possible, but you felt his presence the entire time. It may have just been paranoia, but you could have sworn that sometimes you met his eyes through the dark lense of the camera that was often pointed at you. You knew the eyes that were looking at you through the camera, and it bothered you that you couldn’t actually see them.

Practice felt like it lasted much longer than usual, even though the clock on the wall said otherwise. It must have been his presence that was affecting you, slowing time down. You were glad when everything went back to normal after practice ended for the day. No one was there to ruin your plans of staying late again, though one of the girls did ask if she should stay with you, but you politely declined, happy to practice on your own.

Before you could get started, though, someone interrupted, knocking on the open door. The photographer.

You fixed confused eyes on him, though you weren’t really that surprised to see him. Still, you hadn’t been expecting him to stay beyond official practice hours. Was he that bored?

“Hey, I’m sorry to interrupt,” he waved at you with a kind but awkward smile, not moving beyond the door. “I was just thinking about that first meeting of ours and how weird it must have looked, for me to barge in so late at night. I wanted to apologize to you if I scared you, that wasn’t my intention. I’d just heard the music and was curious, I didn’t think any of the dancers would have still been there. I’d just stopped by to arrange some things in my temporary office.”

He seemed honest, which made you feel bad for doubting him at first, but it was better to be safe than sorry. There was no way you could have known his real intention before his official introduction. But still, the fact that he’d sought you out just to explain it to you made you feel better. He couldn’t be a bad guy if he felt the need to explain.

“Well, I won’t lie, you did scare me a bit, but only because I didn’t know you and I have a hard time trusting people I don’t know.” You gave him an honest reply, it was the least you could offer. “But thank you, I really appreciate you sharing that with me.” You even smiled at him, which was a huge step for you.

“I didn’t want you to think of me as a creep, not if we’re going to be spending time together at work.” He came closer to you then, after judging that you didn’t seem to be afraid anymore. He didn’t want to upset you.

“No worries, it’s fine now.” You nodded at him, wanting him to be sure of your words. “So are you going to be here with us until the premiere?” You asked, curious about it, because the director hadn’t mentioned those details.

“Ah no, not every day. I’ll be around about ten times for practice, and then the premiere after that. Anything more would probably be annoying for you dancers, a camera following you everywhere.” Yunhyeong chuckled. “Besides, I do have other clients, after all.”

The two of you shared a nice chat for a while, and he inquired about your elbow, which you thought was a sweet gesture, and it did not make your heart flutter (not at all). You asked him about his job and he explained that he was a full-time, professional photographer with a downtown studio and a fancy website. He gave you the name, so the first thing you did when you got home was look it up. You were surprised to see how in demand he was. You’d never heard of him before, but he took gorgeous pictures of everything from nature to family portraits. He captured the beauty of each particular season, and had an eye for unique concepts. He had a large clientele and was often booked for professional portraits.

You spent the rest of your night perusing his website, nearly falling asleep while looking through his gallery.

---

Weeks passed and it became your habit to meet Yunhyeong at the practice room once official practice ended for the day and everyone else left. His initial ten visits to photograph the practices seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, but after he always seemed to find an excuse to show up at the door. You thought his excuses were somewhat lame, but yet there was an inescapable charm about him that had you falling for them every time. Eventually you became so used to his presence that he no longer asked permission to watch your practice sessions, and often he arrived at the same time as you. Several occasions he even arrived earlier, and he was always waiting for you with two cups of green tea. The first time he’d brought you coffee, which you’d accepted despite not liking it because you didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but you’d failed to hide your grimaces as you drank the bitter liquid. He didn’t take offense, though, and made sure to bring you a drink that you preferred.

The time you spent with him was liberating. He was easy to talk to, easy to share secrets with. You spoke about the past, the present, and even the future you dreamed of. The other girls teased you after catching him visiting you on one sunny spring evening when practice ran later than usual. You insisted you were only friends, but you couldn’t lie to yourself. Not when your heart throbbed painfully in your chest as you denied romantic interest, and not when the blush on your cheeks gave you away to your teammates.

You were certain he only saw you as a friend, though, and you didn’t want to ruin that special connection with him that you’d managed to build in such a short time. He’d become an important part of your life, and you weren’t willing to jeopardize your friendship because of your stupid, inappropriate feelings.

He’d come into your life when you’d least expected it, and made you see the world in vibrant colours again. You were happy, finally, thoroughly happy. You laughed at his jokes until your stomach hurt, and smiled so wide that you almost didn’t recognize your reflection in the mirror. You couldn’t remember ever seeing yourself look so happy before.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” He said one day, taking advantage of a short break.

You hummed in assent, waiting for his question.

“Would you be my model for my next photoshoot? I thought it would be cool to do a ballet concept for my website gallery. I can pay you, of course, I don’t expect you to do this for free.” He carefully watched your reaction, hesitant to have asked. He’d been thinking of asking you for a few days now, gathering all his courage, because he knew how closed-off you could be at times. But he thought it would be a great opportunity to show the world the beauty of ballet, and he hoped you’d agree.

His request surprised you, though, and you needed a minute to process what you’d heard to make sure that you’d heard it right. You were worried that maybe your imagination was playing some cruel trick on you.

The long silence made him anxious, and you gave him no answers in your face. “You know what? Forget it, I didn’t mean to make you ups—”

“No!” You interrupted him quickly, speaking before giving yourself time to think about the request. “I’ll gladly do it. You don’t need to pay me, we’re friends, after all.” Saying it out loud felt embarrassing, so you looked down at your hands to avoid eye contact.

Of course you were friends, but neither of you had said as much out loud, so you hoped you weren’t jumping to conclusions without knowing what he really thought about the two of you.

But Yunhyeong wasn’t mad about it. On the contrary he couldn’t have been happier that you’d agreed to work with him when the theater wasn’t involved. “Ahh, thank you! I can’t wait to work on this project with you!” His cheers were enthusiastic, and he even hugged you in the heat of the moment.

 

You could only blink at first, but then you broke into a smile and put your arms around him to reciprocate the hug. It made you happy to see him this excited, and the more you thought about it, the more you realized that you were looking forward to being his model.

---

His studio was the first you’d ever visited. You were impressed by the setup, awed over all the accessories and decorations. There was a majestic yet classy feel to the room, and everywhere you looked you found something new to catch your eye.

Yunhyeong watched you with a fond expression as you explored like an enthusiastic child. He wasn’t about to rush you, though, he’d actually reserved the entire day for your photoshoot. Usually his assistant (a polite man you’d met a few times before named Hanbin) was present to help him with clients and settings, but he’d given him the day off today as a reward for his hard work ethic. (It was absolutely not just a ploy to spend time alone with you. Nope. Not at all.)

“This place is beautiful!” You turned to look at him, beaming, still fascinated by his studio. Yunhyeong couldn’t be happier seeing the huge smile on your face.

“Thank you,” he said, “let me show you to a changing room.” He led you to the room, that was next to a “Staff Only” door. You guessed they must need their own space too, especially when they were spending full days locked up with a never-ending stream of clients.

Yunhyeong consulted his detailed notes while you were changing, setting up the exact set decorations he’d mulled over. He wanted to stick to natural colors, nothing too bright or fancy, just something simple and elegant to allow the beauty and grace of ballet to be the focus.

“Hanbin’s not here?” You inquired after stepping out, dressed in your ballet clothes. It felt a little strange to not have him around. Not bad, just weird.

The sight of you in your dress took Yunhyeong’s breath away. This was the first time he’d seen you in actual performance costume, and not the simple clothing you wore for practice. It was an elegant white dress with a headdress he didn’t recognize for a moment, but it hit him a moment later.

It was your dress for the show. Swan Lake.

“Is everything okay?” You asked, unsure about the expression he was wearing. It made you blush.

“Huh, yeah, everything’s fine.” He cleared his throat and turned back to focus on his camera, afraid that he wouldn’t stop staring at you. It was much easier to see you through the camera, because then his eyes would be hidden. “As for Hanbin, I gave him a day off. I hope you don’t mind that it’s just the two of us.”

“Oh, I don’t mind.” The honesty in your voice filled him with warmth. “So, how do I look? It’s not too much for the concept, is it? I just thought it would be prettier than anything else I had.”

You were a little worried it might have been too much to bring your newest outfit, as Yunhyeong had said he’d wanted to capture the raw beauty of ballet, and even though the dress wasn’t kitschy, it was still fancy.

“No, it’s…” Yunhyeong glanced at you again. “It’s perfect.” He sent you an encouraging smile that calmed your nerves a bit.

You walked to the center and Yunhyeong was busy around his camera tripod, so you let him work in peace until he got everything ready.

“Isn’t it forbidden to show it before the premiere though?” He kept the conversation up, referring to your new dress.

“Forbidden? No. More like not recommended.” You shrugged, barely holding back the grin that threatened to spread across your face.

“I’m not going to get sued for participating in something illegal, am I?” He fixed you with a skeptical look that made you want to laugh.

“Who knows? The CEO does everything by the law and is quite strict when it comes to enforcing contract agreements.” You were nodding through your little speech, totally amused to watch Yunhyeong panic.

“What?!” His eyes widened in disbelief and fear. “I should check my contract, I could be violating it!”

You couldn’t keep your expression straight anymore and broke into a grin. “Relax, Yunhyeong! I’m just messing with you.” You chuckled, feeling a tiny bit sorry, but his reaction had been worth it. “Technically speaking it’s my dress, not the company’s. Us dancers buy our own dresses, the company just arranges the design so they match.”

“That wasn’t funny.” He stated grumpily, but didn’t really seem to be angry. “You’re such a mean girl sometimes, I swear.”

“That is totally not true!”

“Yes it is. You act shy and cautious only to lure your prey in and strike when they least expect it.”

“Excuse me, Song Yunhyeong! I do not do that!” You put your hands on your hips and tried to look as intimidating as possible, but you were more cute than anything else. You held eye contact seriously for a few seconds before the both of you burst into laughter. It was so easy to joke around with him without doubts and the need to shut yourself away. You didn’t know how he’d managed to crack your shell, but you were grateful that he had.

“Okay, are you ready now?” He asked, holding his camera after you were done laughing and goofing around.

“Yes. What would you like me to do?” You stood there stiffly, used to being on a stage in front of an audience, but this felt different. It was only the two of you.

“Just relax and be natural. I’m going to take some pictures to see if everything fits together, and then we’ll try out some different positions. Until then, just pose as you wish.” He gave you a thumbs up and a sweet smile before disappearing behind the camera.

Even though you felt comfortable around him, it took you some time to completely loosen up, and he was there to walk you through the process. He even made jokes that made you laugh, capturing the natural moment. He’d always found your laugh pretty and infectious, but seeing it in a picture made him even more certain.

Time passed quickly with him, and you realized it was already late in the afternoon when you decided to finish up. You didn’t think all the pictures he’d taken would be acceptable for his website, but he promised you that he’d choose only the best ones. He also promised to send you the pictures once he uploaded and edited them. You couldn’t wait to have your own copies.

“So, about the payment…” He brought the topic up again when you were dressed in your normal clothes and ready to leave.

You sighed and rolled your eyes. It was sweet that he was so persistent to pay you, but you hadn’t done this for the money. You’d enjoyed being his model. “I already told you that you don’t have to pay me.”

“I know, but…” He chewed his lip, and the sight of it nearly took your breath away. He was just too attractive for his own good. “I was wondering if you’d like to go to dinner with me. As a date. An actual date.”

Your breath hitched after the words left his mouth, you stared at him in disbelief, heart fluttering and mind shutting down for a moment. You’d never really been popular with guys and you thought it was nearly impossible to have someone as wonderful and good looking as Yunhyeong wanting to date you.

After the realization hit your lips formed the biggest smile ever. 'Yes.”

---

And thus when premiere night came, Yunhyeong showed up as not only the event’s photographer, but as your partner as well.

END