the first time bora says she wants to be a dancer, she‘s four years old and a girl is dancing on tv. according to her parents, bora watched closely and completely mesmerized until the last second. 

“honey, did you like that song?”, her mom remembers asking, right before her child enthusiastically stood up on her chair to clap for what her parents describe as the three happiest minutes of her life. 

“mom, I wanna be just like her!”, bora had exclaimed very loudly as she tried to mimic the choreography she had just seen.

———

the first time bora signs up for dance classes is one she can actually recall on her own. she‘s in elementary school and has finally convinced her family that she just really, really wants to dance. when bora opens the door to her first class, she quickly understands she came a little unprepared, because this was nothing but a trial run - no one was sure she would stick to it and money was tight and dance shoes were expensive. she looks at the other girls in there, who could afford the fancy clothes and had their hairs styled so perfectly not a single lock was falling out of the bun she didn’t even know she was supposed to have in hers and feels a little less than. 

“that girl is not wearing the pretty dance shoes, look!”, she hears one girl whisper to another.

“I don’t need the expensive shoes to be a good dancer. one day you’ll see”, bora says confidently.

the girls simply giggle and move away. today, bora doesn’t remember either of their names but she is sure they know hers.

———

the first time bora walks into her new company, two weeks after the audition that had granted her the position as a trainee, she thinks her heart is going to explode. there is so much excitement within her that she can only see blurry faces and hear friendly greetings and smile at her very first official dance teacher in her journey to becoming an idol.

at fifteen years old, there’s nothing that can prepare you for what being a trainee truly is. bora still thinks those were the hardest years of her entire life. 

“bora?”, her dance teacher says in a stern voice six months into her lessons.

“yes miss?”

“you‘re not doing this right. your facial expressions are lacking and your movements are delayed. are you sure you really want to be here?”

“more than I’ve ever been sure of anything else in my life. I will become better, miss. that’s a promise.”

and so she did. later on, she found out that it was exactly because her teacher knew that she wanted to be there more than any other student she had ever taught that she had pushed bora to her limits.

———

the first time bora really feels like befriending a trainee her age, they are both just finishing a particularly difficult vocal lesson with about eight other girls. 

“this takes so much out of me”, bora mumbles to herself.

“everyone knows you’re a dancer but you still sound really good when you sing! don’t be too worried”, she hears a reassuring and encouraging voice say. she looks at the girl next to her and sees the biggest smile on her face.

“hi kim bora, I’m kim minji and we’re the same age!”

“oh, hi. how do you know my age? and how do you know I’m a dancer?”, bora asks intrigued.

“everyone knows you’re the top dancer here! I asked other trainees about your age because I really wanted to be your friend. your confidence and determination when you’re dancing have helped me a lot.”

“that’s really sweet of you to say. well, kim minji, you can consider us friends! I don’t think I have many of those around here. you know, we get so lost thinking about when we’re gonna debut and worrying if we’re gonna be sent home that I feel like I have only built superficial relationships. maybe it should be the exact opposite...”, bora is basically thinking out loud now, only to be interrupted by the apparently eternally cheerful kim minji.

“I didn’t take you for such a deep thinker. listen, this will all be a lot easier on you if you open up to the only people in the world who are going through the same thing as you are. yes, at the end of the day we’re all competing against each other but you won’t find anyone who understands your feelings and emotions better than those of us who are training with you. now that you have formally accepted my friendship request, I think I’ll be able to show you what I mean!” 

because she can’t help but smile along, bora asks, “are you always this positive and uplifting?”

“not always. but most of the time. how else am I supposed to get through this hell of a process?”, minji giggles, “anyway, my friend who’s ten times better at this singing thing than I am is waiting for me outside! I should introduce you two some time. she always says she wishes she could dance like the kim bora girl everyone admires, maybe you could help each other out!”

“wait, what friend?”

“lee siyeon. gorgeous, kinda shy, seemingly quiet girl, got into the company at the same time as me, has the voice of an angel and a laugh that could be heard from the other side of the world. do you not know her? she’s always hanging out with me and lee yubin, who by the way is probably the coolest person in here. no offense, main dancer”, minji answers, making bora laugh this time.

“none taken. I know lee yubin but I don’t remember any lee siyeon, no.”

“well, that’s a shame. I really have to go now but here’s my number”, bora only sees the taller girl write something on a paper that she hands her before she’s quickly leaving while shouting from the other side of the room, “text me! oh, and I’m sure that as soon as you hear siyeon sing, you won’t ever be able to forget her name again!”

minji couldn’t have known at the time, but bora always thinks back to those words and shivers.

———

the first time bora truly breaks down during her trainee years is just a few days after her encounter with kim minji. she locks herself in an empty practice room, curls up in a corner and practically sobs her life away. singing hadn’t become easier, her entire body was sore from practicing for the weekly dance assignment, she couldn’t remember any english words from her language class and all of this was overwhelming her to the point where she couldn’t focus on her actual school work, either. not every first time becomes a happy memory, and it pains her to admit it but she feels unsure about the future and where she’s headed. 

bora’s not certain how much time passes or how many tears have wet her shirt when the door that she thought she had locked opens and in walks a girl with her phone right in front of her face and her earbuds so loud the song she’s listening to can be heard by anyone she walks by. 

“oh my god!”, the very tall girl yells excitedly at her phone before even noticing there’s someone else in the room. 

having cried enough, bora gets up to approach the girl and find out what she’s so happily screaming about. “uhm, hey?”

this startles the dark haired girl who nonetheless smiles at bora, “I’m sorry I didn’t think anyone was here. I was just watching the new wonder girls music video and it’s so good! wait, are you okay? have you been crying?”

“don’t worry, I’m fine. just had a little moment of doubting myself and everything I’ve chosen to do with my life so far. but I’m good now... I think. sorry to have scared you before. my name’s bora”, the shorter girl says in a calm tone.

“I’m yoohyeon! and just so you know, you didn’t have to introduce yourself because I knew exactly who you were. we all do. whenever the company debuts the group we’re all fighting to have a spot in, the main dancer spot will be yours. we all question ourselves sometimes but trust me, you don’t need to. seriously though, have you heard the new wonder girls song?”

bora feels so touched by yoohyeon’s words that she thinks she’ll start crying again if she says anything except, “no yoohyeon, I haven’t heard it. c’mon, show me this comeback that has you so excited”, and soon realizes this girl is like a human sized puppy.

———

the first time bora meets lee siyeon, she doesn’t even know it’s her. she had texted minji a couple times since getting her number but their schedules had been too incompatible for a meet up, so it was safe to say the singer friend the cheerful girl had mentioned hadn’t crossed her mind again. 

it was past eleven at night when the dancer arrived at the company. exam season was making it impossible to practice at a reasonable time, but bora enjoyed the peace and quiet of the building whenever she had to be there so late. upon getting to her practice room of choice, however, she realizes it’s not empty. looking through the small window on the door frame, she can see a girl slightly taller than her who is clearly frustrated that she can’t get her choreography right. 

without really thinking about what she’s doing, bora softly knocks and steps into the room, determined to help the struggling girl who is just as surprised that someone that isn’t her is at the company in the middle of the night.

“hey! sorry if I’m interrupting. I normally use this room to practice my dancing, so I was gonna come in but then I saw you were here and-“, bora can’t finish her sentence before the girl cuts her off. 

“I’m really sorry! I hadn’t realized I had been here for so long, let me just get my things and I’ll be out in a second.”

seeing the girl ready to run out of the room, bora reaches out before she can stop herself. “wait no, you don’t have to leave! I was just gonna say I think you were practicing something I’m familiar with and I could help you with it”, she says as she watches the brunette’s facial expression soften.

“really? I’m sure you have your own practicing to do. I don’t want to bother you and I’m afraid I would be wasting your time because I am clearly terrible at this...”

“you’ve just convinced me even more. I know you’re not terrible or you wouldn’t have come this far in your training and we all have days where it just feels like we can’t get it right. sometimes we need a different perspective or even a little push in the right direction. so what do you say, can I be the push you need today?”

even if the line makes both of them cringe a little in between giggles, that’s exactly what happens. bora figures out she has come across a perfectionist when they’re two hours in and she thinks the girl has flawlessly completed her assignment but instead hears her breathlessly say, as she sits down to gather her belongings, “oh well, I just can’t do it the way you can. and honestly, sometimes I’m convinced I’m not supposed to be here.”

“what are you talking about? I was just about to say you nailed that. you’re being too hard on yourself. we’ve been here for two hours and you fixed everything you were doing wrong and added even more soul to what you were already doing right. plus, if you’re this upset over your dancing skills, I’m gonna take a guess and say there is something else you excel at and that this is the hard part for you. if you’re this good at the hard part, I can’t imagine how incredible you are at the rest. be kinder to yourself, okay?”, bora rambles, feeling weirdly upset after hearing this talented girl underestimate her worth.

the second she’s done talking, she feels a pair arms around her, engulfing her in what she thinks is the warmest hug she’s ever received. the taller trainee is very noticeably choked up when she gently utters, “thank you kim bora”. 

no more words are spoken because, before bora is even able to process that this warm girl with very soft hair (she doesn’t think that’s a weird thing to notice) knows her name, she is left alone in the room. in four years of training, bora doesn’t remember having ever had an interaction as strange as this one. she doesn’t dwell on the fact that strange hadn’t ever felt this magical, either.

———

the first time bora realizes lee siyeon is lee siyeon isn’t until months later, because minji had made it a point that she wanted bora to “fully experience both of her friends’ beauty and auras for the first time in real life and not through low quality pictures”. minji was an interesting one. and bora considered buying her a better phone just to tell her the pictures could be higher quality that way. she never followed through with her expensive joke. it’s a sunny afternoon when they are finally sitting at a cozy coffee shop after having become much closer, even if simply by texting on a daily basis knowing their schedules barely left any space for more than three word conversations in the company hallways.

“I can’t believe you’re telling me you hate coffee almost half a year into our friendship. I would have reconsidered my wise words of reassurance back then if I had known”, minji says as she shakes her head, pretending to be extremely disappointed with her friend’s taste. 

“you’re so dramatic, I can’t believe I used to think you were all sunshine and rainbows! now, let me drink my tea in peace and tell me about these debut rumors you’ve been hearing, kim minji!”

minji had briefly told her over the phone that she had heard some of their teachers talking to each other about the company being ready to debut their long awaited girl group. it felt surreal to hear those words after so long and she needed to know more. 

minji quickly interrupts her thoughts and replies, “I will! let’s just wait for siyeon and yubin to get here because I figured since I had to eventually tell all of you, it would be easier to just get everyone together when we all magically have some free time.” 

“wait, I’m finally going to meet the famous lees you never shut up about and you’re only telling me this now that I’m already sitting here in my ugly dance practice outfit?”, bora jokingly scolds her friend.

“now who’s dramatic?! I didn’t tell them you were gonna be here either. I honestly realized we were all free about fifteen minutes before I got here and I’ve been trying to make this happen for so long that I didn’t even care to inform any other involved parties. this is a moment in history for me only!”.

as bora was about to protest and keep their playful argument going, all her words were gone when the two girls they were just talking about arrive at their table. is that-...?

“minji, you could’ve told us to dress nicely if we were meeting a new friend instead of just yelling at us to come here immediately after finishing practice! well hi bora, I’m yubin and I’ve heard a lot about you”, the well known coolest girl in the company extends her hand for bora to shake, “and this girl who seems to have lost her ability to speak is siyeon, as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now”.

“yubin, s-shut up”, siyeon stutters. “hi bora, it’s really nice to... finally meet you”.

bora’s eyes are impossibly soft at the realization that the girl in front of her right now is the same one she spent two hours dancing with months ago. she hadn’t told anyone about the strange night and she definitely didn’t want to admit that as time went by, she found herself thinking of the warm hug she received from her dancing partner that she had yet to see again every time she was seeking some comfort.

“earth to bora? why are you ignoring my friends? I can look past your coffee hatred but you better shake yubin’s hand right now”, minji yells with a confused but amused smile on her face.

“yes, of course! sorry, hi yubin”, she eventually greets, shaking the rapper’s hand. “hello siyeon. it is indeed nice to finally meet you, huh?”. bora can’t help but smile at her, though that falters rather fast when she sees that siyeon is looking down, seemingly a little uncomfortable. 

“okay ladies, sit, sit because we have so much to talk about!”, minji intervenes, not picking up on the tension between her friends.

before they’re both seated siyeon excuses herself, “hold on minji, I’m just gonna go to the restroom before you start your three hour long lecture”. hearing the younger girl’s nervous laugh, bora feels an inexplicable need to talk to her, getting up as well. “I actually need to go too, c’mon.”

as the two step away from their friends, siyeon surprises herself when she’s the first one to talk, “bora, I was very clearly trying to escape from you, not to have you follow me to the bathroom...”. bora lets out a laugh at the girl’s playful tone, “hi again siyeon. yes, I got that part. but why?”

“to make this less embarrassing somehow? I didn’t know you would be here or I wouldn’t have come.”

“ouch, is that how you treat your nice and helpful dancing partner?”

“honestly? I’ve been pretty good at pretending to be extra busy to avoid meeting you whenever minji insisted. back when I accepted your help, I didn’t know minji had made friends with you. she had only mentioned wanting to get to know you, but it wasn’t until later that I found out, when she very casually told me she had forgotten to reply to one of your texts while we were studying. I was mortified to find out that my best friend had become close to you and wanted us to meet after I embarrassed myself in front of you with my clumsy dancing and my stupidly clingy self but now here we are so I’m really sor-“, siyeon stops talking at the feeling of a fingertip against her lips. bora quickly retracts her hand when she sees she has the girl’s attention.

“siyeon, you’re rambling. nothing about practicing with you was embarrassing. in case you forgot what I said that night, you should be kinder to yourself. you’re a great dancer and, if what minji tells me is true, the best singer in the entire universe”, siyeon scoffs in disagreement hearing bora’s words but the older girl keeps going, “and let me tell you a secret... I really like hugs.”

siyeon finds herself unable to contain her smile, “thank you for saying that but I’m still sorry. this is so awkward.”

“is it? ever since that day I’ve been wondering if I would ever see the oh so mysterious girl who likes the same practice room as me again, and for the past few months I’ve been looking forward to meeting the famous lee siyeon minji is always bragging about. I think it’s quite a lovely coincidence that you happen to be both of those people”, bora admits with that same soft look from earlier returning to her eyes.

“I guess that’s fair enough. now let’s go back to our friends and never speak of this again?”

“I’ll agree to the first part of that, lee siyeon.”

when the two return to the table, yubin is laughing at minji, “guess what, minji knows nothing useful and literally only heard them say they thought the group was gonna be chosen soon”.

“so you deprived me of my post practice shower to add nothing to what you said on the phone?”, siyeon immediately complains but minji is even quicker to reply, “it wasn’t nothing! aren’t you happy you finally met the one and only kim bora whose dance skills you’ve always wanted?”

bora looks siyeon in the eye, raising her eyebrows at her as if joining the teasing.

“stop teasing her you meanies, flustered siyeon is an amusing sight but I had to skip my shower too!”, yubin adds.

“you’re all annoying. stop acting like we’re not about to spend the rest of the afternoon sitting on these pretty chairs and laughing our asses off because I, kim minji, finally found a way to get all my ladies together!”

as it turns out, minji was pretty much always right. laughter was heard for the rest of the day and it only faded after the sun had already set. bora couldn’t help but notice that siyeon’s laugh made her feel like the sun hadn’t gone away at all.

———

a/n: this was initially going to be a one shot but several hours and three thousand words later I realized that it would have become too long. please let me know if you’d be interested in a continuation. minx timeline would be next, followed by dreamcatcher timeline right after. if not, I’m happy to leave it as it is as well. thank you so much for reading. :]