“Ready?”

The brunette in question gave an assured nod at her partner’s question when loud cheers erupted in the dark amphitheater as the ongoing performance was coming to a closure. He smirked slightly at her apparent unabashed confidence—something they shared in common.

Despite being considered a rookie by many seniors in the entertainment business, Kim Hyoyeon sure didn’t exert herself like one. She prided herself in appearing all the skilled professional once those stage lights came on and today was no exception.

Being ushered closer to the entrance of the stage by surrounding staff, she tripped over a cord in the darkness only to be caught by her partner beside her. “You ok?” Yunho whispered into her ear as he placed a hand on her back to help guide her.

She smiled as she nodded, “Thanks.”

Trying to ignore the sensation of his hand on her back and how eerily it reminded her of a certain fishy doing the same just a few days ago, she instead tried concentrating on the moves she was soon to execute.

Flashing lights and an upbeat techno track that began playing in the background caught her attention—that was their cue. Everything became dark except for the spotlight now waiting to receive Yunho a few steps away.

“Time to kick ,” he proclaimed as he pat Hyoyeon on her arm, much to her amusement.

An enormous audience on the other side greeted him with boisterous cheers as he walked out. Immediately tapping into the cocky stage persona he was so well known for, he began moving to the beat dramatically with a few of his technical moves. Moments later, his petite partner’s entrance was announced by even louder applause and cheers.

Wearing a glittery golden tank with a gray vest and dark sweats that matched perfectly with Yunho’s, she flashed an alluring smile toward the audience and confidently made her way over to him.

The dance, for all intents and purposes, was to feature two of the best dancers SM had to offer and the crowd was not disappointed. Both dancers on stage, whose passion and intensity were hard to match, seemed to be a perfect combination; easily playing off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, thus keeping the audience in awe at their synchronization.

Effortlessly following Yunho’s lead, Hyoyeon quickly swept around him and couldn’t help the grin forming on her face as her senses took in as much as she could surrounding her. Fans were cheering, colorful spotlights beaming, hair was flowing, and adrenaline was pumping – it was an experience that never got old.

She was in her element and she couldn’t be happier. It was an opportunity where momentarily forgetting the world’s troubles became acceptable, and all that mattered was the stage and those located on it.

She was on top of the world and she could swear flying was possible, when she felt her feet really actually leaving the floor. Without warning, her equilibrium was lost and the room began to spin. She felt the floor being taken from under her and instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the floor to arrive with a painful offering. Only it never came.

Slowly cracking an eye open, she realized she was hanging onto Yunho while his arm was wrapped around her middle just as the song was coming to an end. Clearly finding the whole situation quite entertaining, he couldn’t help but . “For being a dancer, you’re really clumsy. Nice finish.”

Hyoyeon was immediately flustered at her own overly dramatic theatrics— for a second there, she thought she was going to die or in the very least break an ankle—but as far as the audience knew, this was all part of the performance. Her face reddened, and whether it was from her first epic screw up during a show or unexpectedly having Yunho so close to her, or both, she couldn’t tell.

Letting her go as she regained her footing, he pat her on the back and chuckled slightly, “No worries, happens to the best of us.” He then proceeded to wave and bow to the shrieking fans as he walked away, leaving Hyoyeon to do the same.

Just as she was about to walk off stage, she waved one last time and glanced to her left were she happened to pick out a few familiar faces—several of her Super Junior sunbaes were waving and cheering for her. Her heart skipped a beat as she zeroed in on the only one that wasn’t maniacally applauding.

Hazel eyes met amber for a moment as she stilled. It was Donghae.

She couldn’t read his expression but instantly felt self-conscious as she became aware of his lingering gaze. Quickly shooting him a timid smile and not staying long enough to see a reaction, she ran backstage.

Donghae on the other hand, observed from his spot until she went out of view. Beside him, Sungmin and Eunhyuk were animatedly engaged in conversation about Hyoyeon’s bright future in dancing.

Turning away from the conversation he’d usually be half-tempted in joining, Donghae thought about what had just occurred. Witnessing the entire performance from the sidelines, he’d felt an undeniable spark of jealousy ignite in his chest.

It was a couple dance, he knew, but when he thought about their close proximity for those few seconds at the end..

He couldn’t recall that part being in the routine and just thinking about Hyoyeon’s ease around Yunho only served to irritate him further.

Closing his eyes and dropping his head, he loudly exhaled in annoyance. There was no denying he was attracted to Hyoyeon—he’d come to that conclusion days ago. But his increasing mixture of unsettling emotions was slowly beginning to gnaw at him.

Even though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, the only reason he’d tagged along with the guys was because of her. Unlike the other three who just wanted to watch the show for a bit, he came along hoping to see Hyoyeon. It’d been days since he’d last seen her and he hadn’t been able to muster up the courage to talk to her—not after their last meeting.

He’d even contemplated on whether waiting until the after party when he could actually speak with her was a better option than secretly creeping on her from the dark. His lips formed a tight line as he wryly recognized that would have definitely been the better option.

But watching her dance with Yunho shouldn’t bother him that much. Unless..

“You ok, man?” Siwon snapped him out of his thoughts by bumping his shoulder. He slightly tilted his head, eyeing him for a moment, and Donghae then realized he was being too transparent. He had the sneaking suspicion Siwon had been watching him the entire time.

Shrugging, he lied, “I’m fine. I just remembered I need to go to the bathroom,” and not bothering to excuse himself from the other two, he began heading back toward their waiting room deep in thought.

Trying to grasp the full significance of the discovery he’d made a few moments ago was harder than he’d ever imagined it would be, and after days of stressing over it he came to recognize and finally accept his feelings were more than a simple attraction.

He was genuinely starting to develop feelings for Hyoyeon. Just thinking about how she would react to that made his heart pound hard and fast, but he’d be damned if running from this was his knee-jerk reaction— the one thing he wasn’t, was a coward.

With a new found determination, he resolved to approach her later that night at the gathering.

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Lol at melodramatic Hyo thinking she would die.

And random facts: yes, I like yunhyo :)

I don't ship hyohyuk anymore (Hyukkie oppa is a playah) 

hyohae cuteness will be back next chapter

AND

 I LOVED all your comments! Let's spread the HyoHae love <33