It’s hard for her to see and the feeling of her seeing is the same as other people when the fog is in the air; foggy with limited range. If counted it been three years for her to be in that condition. She used to be the promising ballerina as when she 19, she won one of the most prestigious international competition. That just the start and she win a few more competition and perform on a larger stage before her eyes take a turn when she 21 years old.

It becomes clouded but she still continues to dance until one day it gone worse and she can barely see. It’s decided that she will lose her eyesight when she 25 years old, said the doctor. She 25 this year and she don’t know when she will lose her eyesight. She hopes what the doctor said is hypothetically and not real. However, she needs to get used to it… to the darkness of the world…

“Rin” she heard the sound of her sister called her and she give her a smile. Her ears are sharp since before as she also learning piano at the age of 5 and it went sharper since she can’t see.

“Unnie” she gives her sister a smile but she can’t see the worried face her sister put on.

“I’m sorry. The meeting will take some more time. Unnie comes out for a while to tell you this. Unnie think you should get inside and not stay outside the building”

“How long will it take?”

“Two more hours, I think. The meeting heat up and we straight to creating new choreography for the dance”

She nodded “I see…”

“Sorry. I should send you home right after we go to the hospital” 

“It’s okay. Unnie, this is SM building, right?”

“Huh? Yes. Why?”

Rin smiled and says “Can I… Ermm… Use their training room while I’m waiting for you?”

Her sister stopped functioning for a second before she laughs. “Yes. Of course. I will lead you to empty training room” She approaches her and helped her get inside the building as her sister says “Thanks”

 

The room is lightened and that she knows. However, she can barely make what in that room. Getting closer she notices the mirror that she doesn’t need since she can’t see. She ignores it and put her bag down, takes her shoes off and takes her phone out, to play her favourite songs.

She walks a few steps from the mirror and starts to loosen up her muscle. She hasn’t been dancing for a while unless a few moves she makes in her bedroom or when showering. Since her eyes deteriorate, she stopped her activity but not completely stop dancing. She loves it and will still do it even though she always ended up bumping into the bed or chair.

The song changed and her routine ended. When a new song started, she starts to dance beautifully. It is not a pre-determined routine that she practices but she dances what she expresses. The feeling of longing, the feeling of love, the feeling of losing…

 

Kai walked out of the training room in which the choreographer and a few others are having a meeting. He supposed to stay but when this whole meeting goes to another way, he feels like leaving.

“I should come out with my own choreography” he says as he leaving and toward another training room that might be empty at that time.

He goes a floor down and searches to see an empty one but most of them are occupied by a class or trainee. Some of the room is not cleaned that he feels like leaving. Going another floor down, to the mostly unused training room, he can see a few of them is not lighted. It’s also mean no one is using that room at the moment.

“Good” he smiled and then his sharp ears catch the soft sound of music coming from another room. He looked to see there a two room with its light on. A sense of terrified comes to him since this is the basement and something scary might happen as per his experience.

He heard another song and it is from other room that lightened. “Maybe it’s just a trainee” he says walk to check the first room and see four female trainees dancing to Red Velvet’s Happiness. It’s the song that he heard before.

Walking forward toward another room, his heart beating faster and if doctor checking on him right now, they will sure suspect him having a heart attack. He can hear the sound of one of the songs he actually considering for his dance.

“This…” he approaches the door and looked thru the mirror. He can see the back of someone dancing. His eyes widen, he awestruck and his heart just continue its beating routine.

“How… She can dance so beautifully without effort?” he asked himself looking at her dancing. Her moves, her expression and her subtle habit catch his eyes.

The song is nearing the and he can’t help to anticipate her next move but suddenly, she stopped as she crashes the chair that been placed in that room. He sees her crunch down holding her legs that collide with the chair.

“Ouch. That’s must be hurt” he says before he opens the door and asked her “Are you okay?” What he doesn’t expect is her quickly taken a defensive position and looks scared.

“Err... Are you okay? I see you hit that chair”

“I’m okay. You don’t need to worry” she says and he smiled calmly as she replies to him. But in a second later another emotion comes when she asked: “Who are you?”

His eyes quickly directed to the mirror to see his reflection. Not because he looks suspicious or alike, but he looks normal and with his condition, normal people in the street would notice him from across the road. And she, it just a few meters away and she asks him like she doesn’t know.

“I’m…” he wants to introduce himself before suddenly the door behind him opens up and someone running inside to her side.

“Rin, are you okay? Did this guy do something to you?” her sister asked her in a worried tone.

“No... I’m…” she doesn’t have to finish her sentences as her sister takes her answer negatively and looked at Kai with threatening eyes.

“Kai, what did you do to my dongsaeng” she says in scary tone and scared Kai that he stutter saying “No. I’m not doing anything”

“Liar”

“Unnie” she stopped her sister. “He did nothing. It’s me who stumble upon a chair when I’m dancing. He sees and asks me if I’m okay”

“Really? You’re not lying?” her voice soft when she asks her younger sister making Kai put a remark “Two-face” that earned him a glare.

“Yes, unnie” she smiled and her sister believe it. “Does your meeting ended?”

“Ah. Yes. Just a few minutes ago and I come here straight to see someone who might do something to my dongsaeng”

“Unnie, he did nothing. It’s all me. Not like you’re not used to me bumping into bed or chair when I’m dancing in my room” she says as she laughs awkwardly to mend the atmosphere.

Her sister helped her get up and she follows her lead to her stuff in which she starts to wear her shoes. “I’m sorry. My unnie is a little bit protective of me” she says to him with a small smile.

“No. It’s okay. It’s also fresh to see Byul noona different personality” comment him like getting back to the threat.

“Different personality?” she asked curiously.

“Yes. She usually strict and I never see her worried or getting soft” reveal him that she laughs.

“Okay. Stop making fun of me” she gets in between and looks at both of them who laugh at the same time. “Ah… Whatever” says her that doesn’t care about them.

“RIn, isn’t it?” he asked and she nods.

“Your dance is so beautiful. I wonder where you learn dancing?” he asked and her sister clearly shows discomfort of that question.

She smiles like it nothing much and says “I’m used to be a ballerina”

“Ah. That’s why your dance is so great and most of it of a ballet”

“Yes” both falls silence after she answers him. She finishes wearing her shoes and her sister help her takes her stuff.

“Rin…”

“Hmm…?”

“I wonder if you can do something for me” says him that makes her think for a while before asked “What it is. If I can I will”

“I actually need a partner for a solo dance in EXO next concert. I wonder if you can help me by becoming my partner. I will be using the song that you dance before. You know….” he says and she stops him by saying “My unnie called you Kai before”

Hearing her he hums. “Kai from EXO?” she asked for confirmation.

“Yes. Is there other Kai that you know?” he asked a little arrogant.

“Ah. No. I’m sorry that I didn’t notice you. I actually can barely see” she says with a smile and her sister looked down on the floor. He at that moment is full of question.

“Can’t see?” he asked back for confirmation of what he heard.

“Yes” she nods. “I’m glad that you even consider me to be your partner. But I can’t. Not because I don’t want but I can’t. I can’t see and how can I dance?”

“But you can dance a few minutes ago. And you clearly see where I’m standing. You’re facing me as we talk”

She smiled as she gets used to that question and that reaction. “I can see your figure. But I can’t see you clearly. I even asked who you are since I can’t see your face clearly”

“I…”

“Stop it Kai” her sister get in. She can’t stand listening anymore. “RIn can’t see. She gradually loses her eyesight. Right now she might see your figure but doesn’t know who you are. But in future she might see black everywhere she looks”

“I’m not blind, but I will be blind maybe in 4 month” she says it with a smile. And it wonders him how she can say something hurting like that with a smile on her face. “This is why I can’t accept your offer”

 

He never felt this guilty before for just inviting someone to be his partner. However, out of all dancers, he ever knew, he would love for her to be his partner. She got something that even him can’t express. “Her dance is too beautiful” utter him with his lips.

“Huh? Did you say something?” heard him suddenly that he looked at Sehun that sit next to him in the van. They are on their way back to the dorm.

“No. Nothing” says Kai before he averts his eyes to the window. Watching car from another line passed he make a decision to at least talk to her sister, Byul that are also SM choreographer.

 

Her sister is helping her get into the bed mostly just because she worried about happening this morning. Rin usually doesn’t need anyone help to get around the place she used with. She already remembers the placement of everything in the house.

“Unnie, I’m good. You can go to your room and sleep” she says as she now on her bed comfortably. Her sister sit on the bed near hear and says “Are you really okay?”

“Yes. I am” she nods with a smile.

“Alright. Good night and sleep well” her sister says as she gets up and headed to the door. Before she completely reaches the door her younger sister called her.

“That Kai guy, how his dancing?” hearing that her sister smiled. This is now really her sister rather than she who doesn’t talk too much. And it’s actually rare for her sister to not ask something like that, especially about dancing. 

“Great. He used to learn modern dance before he becomes trainee under SM and debuted under EXO” explain her sister who now back to the bed, sitting close to her.

“Ah. That’s why he interested in my dancing” she nods as she says that.

“Yeah. Remember that I have a meeting today?”

“Yes. What is it about?”

“It’s about EXO concert and there will be some change in song and also choreography in incoming concert”

“Owh. I see… it must be good to be able to perform on stage”

 

 As soon as Byul enter SM building, she was harassed by Kai. He has been waiting for her to come and then follow her to her class and of course disturbing a few female trainees that she need to teach that day.

When everyone is gone she asked him “What do you want, Kai? You had been following me without saying anything from this morning. It even makes me wonder if I’m a mother hen and you’re a chick”

“I have something that I want to say but I don’t know what to say. So before I lost you when I know what to say, it is better that I follow you and when I know I will say it”

“Do you want to talk about your dance and partner for it?” asks her and his jaw hang low; shocked that she understand what he wants to ask. “How did you know?”

“I know you quite a long time. Now say it. I got another class after this” she says; waiting for him.

He takes a deep breath before says “Firstly, I’m sorry about yesterday. I think I’m a little rude” She nods hearing that and reply “It’s okay. She fine about it. She used to and numb at it”

“I… I…” he stutters and she says “I…?”

“I still hope that she can be my partner!” he shouts it loud that become louder because of the room.

“Gosh” respond her in shock. “Talk slowly”

“Sorry. I want…” he wants to say his line again but her stop him. “I already heard it”

“Yes”

“But, what do you think you can handle with her being your dance partner?”

“Huh?”

“How you’re going to teach someone who can barely see all of the dance routines?”

“Erm…”

“The dance of two people will have a lot of skinship, can she even know where to hold or if she performs a turn, can she walk toward you?”

“Will she know where the limit she can move on the stage?”

“I…”

“What if she suddenly falls from the stage?”

“That…”

“Do you even think all of that before you ask me today?”

“I… I don’t” he says while his mind thinks “I’m screw-up”

 

Due to her eyes, she had been staying home since forever. At first, she can manage with prescription glasses and contact lenses. But it worsens quite fast as now that stuff is not a preferable thing for her to use. The doctor told her to get used to the surroundings as soon enough she won’t be able to see. This is why her now sitting on the chair while reading a book using her sense of touch.

She sighs as she misses reading using her eyes. Watching a drama or movie that now she can only hear with her eyes. She marks the page and put down the book. She began to remember the guy from yesterday who asked her to dance with him.

“I wish I can” she says looking at something that she actually can’t see.

She takes her phone and says “EXO” before her phone work and start to play a song. She remembers that group as when they debuted, she can still see. But to specifically remember everyone is impossible.

“Baby don’t cry?” she asked herself as she notices the song that been played. “I don’t know this song is by EXO” She smiled as it is one of her favourite songs.

She put her phone and stands up to stand dancing according to her interpretation of the song. She with care tries to not move too much as to avoid hitting the furniture in her room. The song slowly ended and another song by ESO replacing it.

She stopped, taking her breath as she tries to recognize the song. This time it plays Heart Attack that also her favourite. She walks slowly to the chair and sits on it.

 

“Convince me. If your answer is not convincing, I won’t allow it. And even if it convincing, you also need a green light from my younger sister” says her with a smirk. The younger just wish that he comes prepared before asking her.

She looks at her watch before adding “You only got 5 minutes before my next class”

His mind began to process every possible answer to the question. “Time is ticking” he heard and he starts to say “I can help her in her move”

“How?”

“Well…” he wants to say but it is a little sensitive. He takes a breath and says “I will help her move according to the dance”

“Marionette? Do you think my sister is a doll?”

“No. I’m not…” he wants to give a reason and answer but she cut him out with “Acceptable. Next”

“I will create a dance in which she can dance as free as her can. There won’t be a move in which she will come to me but I will be the one who chases her”

“Hmm… Good concept. I allow that”

“We will limit the stage like a cage…” he says still thinking about this one. But she got the main idea. “Alright. How about a story of a guy who like a girl and he traps her in a room. She wants to run from him while he chases her to makes her his?”

“Yes! That’s what I’m thinking about” there a bright reaction on Kai as he just gets enlighten.

“For now I will allow it. But the ending decision is on my younger sister” she says with a smile.

“Erm… Noona, can you help me…”

“No way. You ask her yourself. Convince her”

“How?” he asked her and she sighs at the guy in front of her who apparently an oblivious idiot.

“Give me your phone” she demand and he gives it. She types a phone number and gives back the phone to the owner. “This is her number. I allow you to contact her for the dance purpose only. From 9 am to 7 pm only”

“Why that?” he asked her confused as he takes his phone. “Listen to me or you won’t even get a chance for her to determine to do it or not”

“Yes!” he stands straight and nodded.

“Good” she says before she leaves the room toward the next place. While walking she says “I’m going easy on you this time because I really hope that she can perform for the last time in front of people”