As the day of the back-to-school dance drew near, Dahyun was starting to feel the pressure of not having a date. She had hoped that someone would ask her, but so far, no one had.

Mina and Jennie, her two closest friends, had decided to go together as friends, leaving Dahyun to fend for herself. Miyeon had mentioned that she had someone in mind, but she hadn't asked them yet, leaving Dahyun to wonder if she would be going alone.

Dahyun tried to hide her disappointment, but it was getting harder and harder each day. She didn't want to be the only one without a date, but she also didn't want to force someone to go with her.

As she walked through the hallway, she saw couples holding hands, whispering sweet nothings to each other, and it made her feel even more alone. She didn't want to be the only one without someone to dance with, but she also didn't want to beg anyone to be her partner.

"Why am I so pathetic?" she thought to herself. "Why can't I just be happy being alone?"

But the truth was, she didn't want to be alone. She wanted to be with someone who would make her feel special and loved, even if it was just for one night. She didn't want to be a burden to anyone, but she also didn't want to spend the night by herself.

Dahyun let out a deep sigh and whispered to herself, "Come on, Dahyun. You know who you want to ask." She knew deep down that she wanted to ask Sana to be her dance partner, but the thought of being rejected was too much to bear.

As Dahyun was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around to see Miyeon standing behind her, making her jump in surprise.

"Miyeon, you scared me!" Dahyun exclaimed, feeling her heart racing.

"Sorry about that," Miyeon said, giving her a sympathetic smile. "But I couldn't help but notice that you look a bit down. Is everything okay?"

Dahyun hesitated for a moment before finally opening up to her friend. "I don't have anyone to go to the dance with," she admitted. "And everyone else seems to have someone already."

Miyeon's eyes widened in surprise. "What about Sana?" she asked, gesturing towards the girl who was walking down the hall.

Dahyun felt her cheeks turning red at the mention of Sana's name. "I don't know if she would want to go with me," she said, feeling nervous.

Miyeon gave her a reassuring smile. "You won't know unless you ask, Dahyun," she said firmly. "I kinda feel like Sana feels the same way about you... though I can never be very sure."

Dahyun looked at her in disbelief. "You think so?"

Miyeon nodded. "Yeah! And even if she doesn't, at least you'll know where you stand. So go ahead, ask her! You never know what could happen."

Dahyun took a deep breath, feeling a sense of determination wash over her. "You're right, Miyeon," she said, feeling more confident now. "I'm going to do it. Thanks for the advice."

Miyeon smiled. "No problem, Dahyun. Good luck!"

Dahyun shuffled her feet as they stood in line, feeling a bit nervous to ask Mina her question. "Um, Mina? Can I ask you something?" she said in a hushed tone.

"Sure, what's up?" Mina replied, turning to face her friend.

Dahyun took a deep breath. "Well, I was thinking of asking someone to the back-to-school dance, but I'm not sure how to do it without getting rejected. Do you have any advice?" she asked, feeling a little embarrassed.

Mina chuckled. "Ah, so you finally want to ask someone, huh? Well, my advice would be to do something special. Like, maybe write a cute note or make a small gift. It shows that you put effort into it and that you really care," she said with a grin.

Dahyun looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "Can you give me an example of something you've seen work before?"

Mina thought for a moment before replying, "Well, someone once asked me to a dance by writing a song and singing it to me. It was really sweet and creative, and I couldn't say no."

Dahyun's eyes widened. "Wow, that's really impressive! But I don't think I could pull that off. I'm not really musically inclined, and I don't want to scare her off," she said, feeling a little defeated.

Mina tapped her chin, trying to think of another idea, when Dahyun suddenly blurted out, "What if I ask them with a bouquet of broccoli?"

Mina's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Uh, what? Broccoli? Why the heck would you do that?" she asked, trying to stifle a laugh.

Dahyun shrugged. "I don't know, it's just something weird and unexpected. Plus, broccoli is good for you, right?" she said with a smile.

Mina shook her head. "Sorry, Dahyun, but I don't think that's a good idea. It's kind of... ugly, don't you think?" she said with a chuckle.

Dahyun pouted a bit, feeling silly for even suggesting it. "Yeah, you're probably right. Back to the drawing board, I guess," she said, feeling a bit discouraged once again.

Mina patted her friend's back reassuringly. "It's okay, we'll come up with something better. How about writing a poem or a letter expressing how you feel about them? It doesn't have to be fancy or long, just something heartfelt and sincere," she suggested.

Dahyun sat in class, her mind drifting off to thoughts of the back-to-school dance and her letter to Sana. She wanted to write something casual, but meaningful, something that would make Sana smile. But every time she tried to think of the perfect words, her mind went blank.

The professor asked, "Can you give an example of a Renaissance artist who was known for his use of perspective in painting?"

Dahyun was so caught up in her thoughts about what to write in her letter to Sana that she didn't even hear the question properly. When she finally realized that the professor had called on her, she panicked and blurted out, "Bananas?"

The whole class burst out laughing. The professor, still smiling, repeated the question. "Can you give an example of a Renaissance artist who was known for his use of perspective in painting?"

This time, Dahyun was focused and ready to answer. "Oh, yes. That would be Leonardo da Vinci," she replied confidently, relieved that she had gotten it right this time.

The professor nodded in approval and moved on to the next question, and Dahyun breathed a sigh of relief that she had redeemed herself. She made a mental note to never let her mind wander in class again, especially when she was being called on to answer a question.

After the class, as Dahyun was packing up her things, her seatmate turned to her with a grin and said, "You know, whenever I don't know the answer, I always say 'umbrella' in my head. But you actually said something even more random!"

Dahyun chuckled nervously, not quite sure how to respond to her seatmate's teasing. But then an idea popped into her head, and she turned to him with a hopeful expression.

"Hey, do you happen to know how to compose a really heartfelt letter?" she asked.

Her seatmate's face lit up with confidence. "Of course, I do! I'm a master at expressing my feelings through words," he declared.

Dahyun nodded her head, feeling relieved. "Great, that's good to hear. And your name is Taehyung, right?" she asked, double-checking.

Taehyung grinned. "Yep, that's me! Why do you ask?"

Dahyun just smiled mysteriously and said, "Oh, no reason. I just have a feeling you'll come in handy someday."

As they walked out of the classroom together, Dahyun felt a renewed sense of hope. Maybe with Taehyung's help, she could finally write the perfect letter to Sana.

Dahyun and Taehyung were sitting together at a table in the student lounge, going over the draft of the letter Taehyung had composed for Sana. "So, what do you think? Is it good?" Taehyung asked eagerly, sliding the paper over to Dahyun.

Dahyun scanned the letter, trying her best to keep a straight face. It was...odd, to say the least. The words were jumbled and the sentences didn't make much sense.

"Dearest ??,

My heart is a flamingo and you are the sunlight that makes it dance. I long to hold your hand and twirl around the world with you. Together, we can eat rainbows and drink stardust. Please be my date to the dance, my love muffin.

Yours truly, Kim Dahyun"

 But Dahyun didn't want to hurt Taehyung's feelings, so she simply smiled and said, "It's really...unique. I'm sure Sana will love it."

Taehyung beamed. "I knew it! I'm really good at this stuff," he said confidently.

"Yeah! No doubt."

As Taehyung gathered his things to leave, he turned to Dahyun and said, "Sorry, I have to go somewhere now. But I'm glad you like it. You got this, Dahyun! Good luck!" He gave her a thumbs up before heading out of the lounge.

Dahyun watched him go and then let out a sigh. She knew she had no choice but to write the letter on her own. She took out a piece of paper and pen and began to write:

'Hey! I wanted to ask if you would like to go to the back-to-school dance with me. It would be great to spend the evening with you, and I think we would have a lot of fun together. Let me know what you think!'

Dahyun read over the letter and felt satisfied with what she had written. She folded it up and placed it in an envelope, ready to give to Sana the next time she saw her. She felt nervous, but also excited at the thought of going to the dance with Sana.

Sana was standing outside the university, enjoying some street food with her friends Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, and Jihyo. They were all chatting and laughing when suddenly, Nayeon spoke up.

"Hey, Sana, do you have a crush on Dahyun or something?" Nayeon teased, nudging Sana playfully.

Sana's cheeks immediately turned red as she denied it. "What? No, of course not! Why would you even say that?" she stammered.

Jeongyeon joined in on the teasing. "Oh, come on, Sana. We all know you have a thing for her. You can't hide it forever," she teased, winking at Sana.

Momo and Jihyo giggled, nodding in agreement. Sana felt her face grow even redder as she tried to defend herself. "I...I don't have a crush on Dahyun! We're just friends!" she protested.

Their conversation was interrupted by a group of boys who walked over to their table. One of them, Mark, stepped forward and nervously asked Sana, "Hey, would you like to be my partner for the back-to-school dance?"

Sana let out a tired sigh. Mark was the 42nd person to ask her to the dance this week, and she was getting tired of it. "I'm sorry, Mark, but I have to decline. I already have someone in mind," she said politely, hoping to let him down easy.

Mark looked disappointed but tried to hide it with a smile. "No worries, Sana. Maybe next time," he said before walking away with his friends.

As soon as the boys were out of earshot, Nayeon turned to Sana with a sly grin. "So, who is it then? Someone in mind? Don't tell me it's Dahyun," she teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Sana's face turned even redder at the mention of Dahyun's name. "It's not her! Stop teasing me," she protested, trying to hide her blush.

But her friends weren't convinced. They all exchanged knowing glances and continued to about her