The bright lights shone directly at Daphne’s face as she stood in the middle of the stage, clad in high heels and a short skirt that flowed elegantly along her thighs. A flood of thoughts rushed through her mind, but she knew she had to push them out of the way to perfect the performance that she and Dongwoon had spent countless hours conjuring up.

The only emotion that rivaled with her anxiety was guilt as her mind traced back to the phone call from her father. All she could think about was her mother, but the situation left her helpless.

“I’ll call them right after this...” Daphne thought as she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply to ease her nerves. “Everything will be okay...”

The sounds of the audience immediately hushed as the bright lights began to grow dimmer around her. Opening her eyes, Daphne looked to her right to see Dongwoon positioned upright behind the grand piano, his face serious but streaked with a touch of anticipation and excitement.

They made eye contact and Dongwoon sent her a large smile, subtly lifting his thumb up in the air to give Daphne any sort of reassurance. She returned his smile, grateful of his empathy and nodded at him, an indication to show that she was ready.

Daphne closed her eyes once more to mentally prepare herself. The silence was starting to make her panic, but as soon as Dongwoon’s soothing piano melody rang through her ears. She opened her eyes to see the audience mesmerized by their stage, the fans’ eyes glowing with interest. Although she knew that they were most likely anticipating Dongwoon, it was nice to see them so excited about Daphne’s and Dongwoon’s performance, which calmed her.

“I can do this,” Daphne said to herself as she counted off, her body beginning to move in time to the rhythm.

From the back of the stage, the BEAST members were all preparing for their own pairing performance, rehearsing, going through the movements, and dressing up for the part. However, all five members seemed to halt their activities as the television monitor near the ceiling began streaming Daphne’s and Dongwoon’s stage, curious as to how their choreography would turn out.

“Oh, their performance is really good,” Doojoon commented as they crowded around the television. “Jihee noona and I saw a glimpse of it the other day to make sure it was okay.” His eyes opening in awe, he continued, “Damn, Daphne is really good.”

“Yeah, just look at her!” Kikwang exclaimed, pointing at the execution of her twirls, her balance unfaltering. Unexpectedly, Kikwang nudged Yoseob, who was next to him, in the arm softly. “Do you think she’ll let me date that foreign friend of hers?”

Letting out a disgruntled groan, Yoseob ignored Kikwang’s mundane question, his eyes entirely glued onto the screen. Yoseob had always viewed Daphne as a strong-headed woman, who, despite of her tough facade, was very prone to klutzy yet cute antics, but he had no idea that beneath it all was this grace and elegance that was being shown through the screen. The way Daphne pranced around the stage was so alluring, drawing in every ounce of Yoseob’s attention. Everything about her motions were so fluid, seeming as if it was such an easy feat to do.

“Wow...” Yoseob mumbled with his mouth slightly agape as Daphne twirled through her last few movements, the ballet portion of the routine ending. After watching Daphne perfectly execute her dance, Yoseob took on a whole new respect for her, knowing that it was not a light task to perform at such a professional level when one was on the brink of tears.

As his mind wandered back to Daphne’s saddened face earlier in the concert, Yoseob couldn’t help his desire of comforting her, despite the fact that he was supposed to be angry at her. It was true that he wasn’t completely liberated from their previous arguments. In fact, the disappointment that he felt when Daphne had so blatantly remarked that she had never felt any sort of attraction towards him hurt Yoseob more than he had let on, not realizing the sheer impact of her single word. All of his time and efforts were wasted, he had broodingly thought one night, but he knew there was simply nothing more he could do. If a platonic friendship was all he was ever going to get, then so be it. He would much rather be a good friend than a jealous and dreary enemy, which was what he rationalized earlier when he attempted to reassure Daphne.

It was time to let everything go. Yoseob was through with being petty, forever moping about a situation that was probably just meant to happen. He had to accept this unwanted fate, and it was ready to move on.

“What’s Dongwoon doing?” Hyunseung’s voice rang through Yoseob’s ears, breaking his reverie. Yoseob turned his head to look at the monitor with his other members. Hyunseung laughed softly, amused. “Ah, typical. They’re doing a hip-hop routine. Probably because that’s the only thing Dongwoon knows how to fake.”

The rest of the members laughed along briefly as they continued observing the awkward transition from the ballet routine to the hip hop one. Dongwoon slowly stood up from his stool from behind the piano as he ended his piece, the bright grin on his face hard to neglect. However, as he made his way towards the main stage, Daphne’s face became contorted, her nerves taking advantage of the small intermission as it crept onto her expression.

“Silly noona,” Yoseob thought to himself as he lightly chuckled. “Always thinking too much...”

“Yah, give him some credit. Dongwoon looks pretty decent here,” Junhyung defended, a smirk clad on his face as the hip hop number finally started, the new, fast-paced music blaring through the speakers. “Geez, their performance is way better than mine.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Doojoon chimed in. “You and your partner weren’t even ready with your routine by the time Jihee noona and I checked up on you guys.”

“Well...” Junhyung began, but Yoseob quickly tuned their voices out, not in the mood to listen to their distracting bickering.

His eyes were magnetically attracted to Daphne as he observed her every action. Despite the drastic change in the mood and genre of the dance performance, Daphne seemed to blend perfectly, her motions strong and sharp. Although he did manage to see a few mistakes on Daphne’s part, which were clearly etched in her facial expressions, Yoseob marveled at her talent, his already large attraction for her growing immensely.

The ending came all too soon as Yoseob continued to stare at the blank screen as the stage awaited the next couple to perform. After a few minutes, he finally turned his head away, a look of confusion on his face as he realized that most of s had already parted ways, getting ready for their own stage.

“Way to make it obvious,” Doojoon said as he watched Yoseob with gleaming eyes, smiling.

“What are you talking about?”

“You like her,” Doojoon elaborated, looking surprisingly pleased. “You always have. I’ve seen that look in your eyes before.”

Yoseob shifted around nervously, casting Doojoon a skeptical glance. “Since when were you ever supportive of that? I thought you were the one enforcing our ‘no dating’ rule.”

Doojoon shrugged indifferently, a hint of amusement still eligible in his face. “That was mainly for Dongwoon. You know how distracted he gets over the smallest things. Imagine what a girlfriend would do to him.” Pausing in order to let out a dramatic shudder, Doojoon continued, “I knew both of you liked her, but I think Dongwoon’s finally over her. I noticed that when I was monitoring their practice the other day. He doesn’t look at her the same way anymore--not like the way you do.”

“She doesn’t like me,” Yoseob confessed as Doojoon approached him with sympathetic eyes. “I asked her when we went to Lotte World. She’s always viewed me as a friend.”

“That explains the tension when you guys got back from that balloon ride.” Doojoon laughed, placing his broad hand on top of Yoseob’s shoulder. “I know unrequited love and everything, but you can’t let that get in the way of your friendship. I’ve seen how sad you look now that you guys aren’t talking.” He sighed loudly and let out another hearty chuckle. “If she wasn’t a girl, I would’ve beat her up for you.”

A laugh escaped Yoseob’s lips as he looked at the leader incredulously, his lamenting mood alleviating. “You’re pretty vindictive.”

“Hey,” Doojoon began, narrowing his eyes, “no one messes with my members except for me.” Taking his hand off of Yoseob’s shoulder, Doojoon diverted his attention back to the television screen, his eyes widening. “Oh! Junhyung’s performing next with his partner. Let’s watch and laugh at how lame it is.”

“I think I’ll pass,” Yoseob remarked, smiling at Doojoon’s playfulness. “I’m going to get ready for my turn.”

“Ah, whatever, suit yourself. You can always watch Junhyung make a fool of himself everyday anyhow.”

Yoseob curtly nodded and waved goodbye to Doojoon as he roamed around the dressing rooms, trying his luck to look for Daphne. He really wasn’t going to get changed at all. He was the second to last one to perform, which allotted him plenty of time to fool around backstage and he took this chance to finally speak out and make amends with Daphne, feeling that this was the perfect opportunity to do so. As he wandered aimlessly, his senses suddenly perked up, hearing Daphne’s and Dongwoon’s voices nearby in the hallway.

“Ah, we were great, noona!” Dongwoon exclaimed excitedly as they walked back from their stage, a thin layer of sweat coating their bodies as they tried to recover from the adrenaline coursing through their bodies. “You were great! Everything went so smoothly.”

“You were really good, too, Dongwoon.” Daphne smiled, relieved that after a rigorous three months of practicing, her hard work had finally paid off. “I’m really proud of you.”

Overwhelmed with joy, Dongwoon wrapped his arms around Daphne’s waist, picking her up as he tightly hugged her.

“Dongwoon...Dongwoon-ah, I can’t breathe,” Daphne managed to breathe out, feeling as if her lungs were on the verge of collapsing. The hug felt nice; it had a sense of friendliness and it didn’t leave any hint of ual desire. It was purely platonic and Daphne was happy to feel that. With a chuckle, Dongwoon reluctantly placed Daphne on the ground, turning his heel to leave, his arm raised ready to say goodbye.

“Wait,” Daphne called out, grasping Dongwoon’s arm to prevent him from walking any further. Unexpectedly, Daphne pulled Dongwoon in for a proper hug, her arms reaching around the middle of his back. “Thank you for everything. You put up with a lot of my crap and you’re still my friend. For that, I’m grateful.”

Pleasantly surprised, Dongwoon merely smiled, reciprocating Daphne’s embrace and enjoying their moment together. It was the first time that Daphne had ever initiated any type of affection towards him and although he knew that the hug bore no romantic meaning, he was happy that she felt comfortable enough around him to exert such actions.

“Wait here,” Daphne advised as she slipped out of Dongwoon’s arms, heading towards one of the desks around the dressing rooms. Once she found her bag, she grabbed the soft, woolen material in her hands, bringing it towards Dongwoon. “I’ve been meaning to give this back to you for a while, but I kept forgetting.” She took Dongwoon’s wrists and placed it in his hands, smiling. “Your scarf.”

“It’s okay, noona. You can keep it.”

“Ani!” Daphne whined, shoving the scarf back into Dongwoon’s grasp after he attempted to give it back to her. “I feel bad keeping it for such a long time.” She gave him a friendly smile, but it was short-lived as the loud ringing of her phone echoed throughout the room, the phone vibrating loudly against one of the desks. “Sorry,” Daphne quickly said as she rushed towards the desk, grabbing the phone, “but I have to take this. I’ll see you later?”

Dongwoon nodded, giving Daphne one last warm embrace before leaving her. As soon as Dongwoon let go, Daphne dashed towards any of the vacant rooms, bracing herself for the looming phone conversation that had occupied her mind the entire day.

Unaware of her surroundings because of her rush, Daphne’s trek to an empty room was immediately interrupted as her shoulders collided harshly with Yoseob’s, who was nearby the entire time Dongwoon and Daphne had been conversing, attempting to gather enough courage and willpower to approach Daphne.

“Sorry!” Daphne said exasperatedly, turning her head to properly apologize to the figure. Her face immediately tensed as she recognized who it was that she bumped into. Feeling a bit intimidated, her voice grew softer. “I wasn’t looking. Sorry.”

Before Yoseob could question her any further, Daphne left the scene, opening one of the doors along the hallway and closing it gently. She exhaled sharply as the phone continued to vibrate gently in her hands, lifting the phone up reluctantly to her ears.

“Hello?”

“Daphne, what are you doing? Why aren’t you answering my phone calls?”

“Sorry, Dad, but I had to do something really urgent...”

The cold impact of the wall behind her sent unpleasant shivers down her spine as Daphne sat on the floor aimlessly, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling that was exerting on her back. Her eyes wandered around the empty room that she occupied, her entire mind blank as self-loathing filled her entire body.

After receiving a grand lecture from her father, she felt her entire worth dissipating as she searched for any type of comfort within her but was only met with disappointment when she found none. Fortunately, her mother’s surgery went smoothly, but the lack of response from Daphne alerted her father, knowing that Daphne was not the type to let a matter of this magnitude brush off her mind. However, with all of the unnecessary stress and drama that was being loaded onto Daphne’s plate, that was exactly what had happened, and for that, she was ashamed.

But what was she supposed to do? She had prior responsibilities what with the concert, but she couldn’t confess that to her father. Her goal was to keep her parents in the dark about this entire back-up dancer thing and she was going to do exactly that, even if it meant casting a bad impression upon her father.

As she sat there, tears began streaming down her face, ruining her makeup as she realized her situation: she could never win. No matter how much work she put into her studies, no matter how determined she was during practices, no matter how many times she could call home, none of it would be enough. It never was and it never will and that thought hung over her optimism, casting a long shadow that blinded her from her potential.

Her father was mad at her, no doubt about it, and though she apologized countless times, the guilt would not leave her. Before she could stop herself from these polluted thoughts, Daphne began sobbing uncontrollably as the emotions became too overwhelming, suffocating her. She needed to let this out, let everything out that had accumulated these past months. She was more than happy to be able to perform in front of such a large crowd of people, having them acknowledge her talent and her hard work, but this, this feeling of little self-worth overpowered her, draining all of her happiness away and for that, she weeped.

On the other side of the door, Yoseob stood outside, creases of worry embedding his forehead as he acknowledged the bawling that was occurring in the room. He grasped the doorknob tightly only to recoil afterward as he questioned his boldness, deciding whether or not it was the proper time to intervene. The sounds that were protruding out of the room absolutely devastated him. After inhaling deeply, Yoseob braced himself and turned the brass doorknob, cautiously stepping inside the dark room.

His eyes immediately met Daphne, who was still just sitting there almost lifelessly as her cries grew softer, her sniffles still prominent.

“Hey...” Yoseob whispered but still audible enough for Daphne. He inched closer, fearing that if he made any drastic movements, she would shrink away. “Are you...” The words stayed in his throat as he re-analyzed his thoughts. Of course things weren’t okay and she certainly didn’t need any reaffirmation that things weren’t. After a brief pause, Yoseob spoke once more, “What’s wrong?”

Using her sleeve as a tissue, Daphne slowly turned her head to face Yoseob, not caring about their strange and twisted relationship or about the fact that she looked like an entire mess. She was unsure about how to answer, toying with the idea of pouring everything out for Yoseob to pick up the pieces, but she refused, pushing that notion out of her head. Yoseob had always been a faithful friend to her, but she knew that she couldn’t let her selfish thoughts overtake her again. The entire reason why Yoseob felt any kind of animosity towards her was the fact that he had always been there for her, comforting and aiding her in times of need. No, this wasn’t going to happen again, she thought.

“I’m here,” Yoseob said as if he could read her mind, sitting down beside her. “You can tell me everything. I’m here.”

“No,” Daphne breathed, her tired eyes fixated on Yoseob, “I can’t do that.”

“I know we’re not exactly friends right now...” Yoseob began, furrowing his eyebrows as he searched for the right string of words that would hopefully come through to her, “but...you know, screw it. I’m done with being angry. I want to be here for you just like I was before.” Yoseob paused to stare at her, noticing the fear in her eyes subsiding. “I’m your friend and I always will be, no matter what. All I ask of you is to trust me.” He carefully placed his hand on her cheek, caressing it gently. “I will help you through this. Just...trust me.”

Those few words were enough to send Daphne over the edge. Tears poured down once more as she tried to put together coherent words that expressed her gratitude. She bowed her head down, hoping her pitiful demeanor was not turning Yoseob away. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

A/N: Hi, everyone! /waves. I know, this is a bit of a filler/transitional chapter but it had to be done, really! The next chapter will be filled with...let's just say a lot of good news? :) Anyway, my weekend at San Diego was a blast! I got to catch up with my old friends so it was nice. I'm bummed that I have to study again and such now. >< One more month till school ends...sigh. Anyway, I wasn't even thinking of updating this week but my friend bothered me about it so heehee. Thank her! :3. Hope you guys are doing well! Hopefully I'll be able to update again next Friday. My Chemistry midterm is on Thursday so after that I'll be free for a few days! :*