Sound Entertainment, dance studio

Things got awkward quickly.

Hyunseung and Hyuna glanced between their two students as they gathered in the studio room to practice again.

"Did something happen between you two?" Hyuna crossed her arms. "You're not even looking eachother in the eyes."

"I'll look him in the eye," Eunji raised her pupils to meet his in a death glare. He didn't back down though.

The girl focused her gaze on Hyuna and Hyunseung-teacher suddenly, and pretending he wasn't there, asked, "I can't do Troublemaker. I can't do this choreography. I can't do the stage kiss."

She felt Kikwang's gaze on her but didn't glance to look.

"You're the one that signed the contract." Hyuna said slowly, as if Kikwang and Eunji were elementary school kids, "Do you think the CEO, the staff, the media, or I care if you can't? What did I tell you?"

No one will care whether you're friends, lovers, or enemies.  Your job is to give the audience a good show and let them believe what they believe.

"But-"

"I may seem harsh on you, but this is nothing compared to life, Eunji-ah. Take it from me. Back when I was a rookie I almost quit. I felt like no one took my side, and I don't want that to happen to you, so bear with it. Bear with the choreography, bear with the concept, bear with the kiss."

"Your CEO is kind, better than most CEO's," Hyunseung added his two cents, "but he's also a businessman. He has to make money off you; you all rely on eachother here in the entertainment industry. Image is the main money maker of it all. Image is a lie. One mistake, one slip of the truth, and you'll ruin your image."

"The public has a blacklist. A ruined image gets you on that blacklist, and once you're on you rarely step off. The blacklist leads your career to a painful end," Hyuna said seriously. "Long story short, for the love of the Aura members and both your careers, pretend nothing happened between you. It's all a game of who can lie the best in this industry."

Hyunseung's phone chimed all of a sudden, and he signaled his co-teacher, who clicked her tongue at the couple. "Practice on your own, it's break for us. Remember what we said!"

Once the door to the mirror-walled room shut, they both started talking.

"I-"

"Look-"

"...you go," the girl folded her arms. "Not that I want to hear anything from you."

"Okay, I-"

There was a knock on the door, and Eunji shot up to answer it, leaving him hanging mid-sentence. However, he anticipated it and reached the door first.

"Ready to - oh, hi."

As expected, Jung Daehyun was standing there, backpack swung over one shoulder, ready to leave with Eunji somewhere every night when she was supposed to be practicing with him.

"Hi. What do you need?" the dancer leaned a hand on the doorway, blocking Eunji from leaving. He could see a wave of irritance cross her face out of the corner of his eye.

"What do you mean, what does he need? It's time for me to go," the girl attempted to duck under his arm, but he simply stuck his foot out.

"What do you mean, it's time to go?" he imitated her, "You're still supposed to practice with me."

"We're fine, if we needed practice  Hyunseung-teacher would be yelling at us left and right."

"So you'll just sneak out," he narrowed his eyes at the two of them.

Daehyun cleared his throat, "Actually we're just going ho-"

He was silenced with an strategically placed kick from the girl.

"What do you want, Kikwang?" Eunji him.

He glanced from Eunji to Daehyun and then back to Eunji, and then smirked. "Just to finish practice. Daehyun can stay and watch, if he wants."

"No he-" will not see the choreography until we debut, she would've finished had she had the chance.

"Okay," but Daehyun interrupted her, locking eyes with the taller boy, "I can wait."

Completely ignored by the two of them, Eunji snorted. Kikwang's games were getting on her nerves lately. What did he plan to achieve with this? "Fine, get into place then, ppali."

Daehyun retreated to the wall by the doorway. He was aware of Kikwang's view of him. Every time he came to pick Eunji up the boy would give him a disapproving look, only letting her go when she got really mad. Eunji never talked about him or practice though; that's what made him curious about it.

His fingers clenched a little starting from the first beat of the music. For a couple of seniors it was pretty hands-on. He was willing to bet Eunji didn't have a say in it. What if she did?

Kikwang smirked as he checked the other guy's reaction in the mirror. That's right, I'm the one promoting with her for two weeks.

The end of the song neared, and with the final snaps of his finger, he went in for the "stage kiss" again. His lips locked onto hers, which were opened in surprise, and forced his way in.

This time, she wasn't just shocked. This time, she was seriously angry. Really angry. 

Too bad he didn't notice until he reached to wipe something wet off his cheeks, and the practice room door was slammed shut.
 

A street in Seoul, around 12 A.M.

"Jung Eunji, yah," Daehyun caught up to the fuming girl as she boarded the empty midnight bus, wiping her eyes furiously with her hoodie sleeve. Like the strong girl wannabe she was, she refused to admit she was crying and faced the window in the very back seat.

Did Lee Kikwang want to be murdered?

Well, it wasn't everyday that there was a crying teenage girl in front of him. Actually, it was never.

Except for one time.

"Here," like a mother attempting to comfort her child, Daehyun opened a brand new bag of chips and offered it to her.

She reached in and grabbed a handful and shoved it into in an unladylike manner as always, not turning away from the window. He saw her face in the reflection though.

"YAH!" she coughed, unsuccesfully blinking the back tears that were coming out tenfold now. "This is the Deluxe Spicy Kimchi Chips! Are you crazy?!"

Upon closer inspection of the bag he realized she was right and handed her his bottle of water in panic. "Sorry! Aigh, are you okay?"

"I'm-hkk-fine," the tears streaming down her face seemed to say otherwise.

"Eunji," he took his sleeve and wiped at her cheeks. He'd been surprised too; he didn't know there was a stage kiss planned. Eunji definately didn't have a say in it then. Why do I feel relieved? Wait, they must've been practicing it a lot then...why do I...not feel relieved?

Flustered but wanting to help, he instictively wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, leaning her head on his shoulder and placing his cheek against her head. Like his grandpa always did to him when he came home from school in America with bruises and cuts.
 

About one year ago, a park in Gangnam

Not long after she relocated to another empty park - what was it with her and parks? No wonder she was so easy to find - she felt the weight of another person sit on the bench next to her but she didn't feel like lifting her head out of her hands to see.

There was an awkward cough, and then, "Are you...uh, okay?"

The voice was similar to a teenage boy's, but the satoori resembled her dad's.

"I'm fine."

"Do you need any help? With anything?"

"No."

She was hoping the person would leave by the time she finished wiping up her eyes, because she really didn't like people seeing her cry. Dad had said it was weak; crying. He said crying was a sign of vulnerability.

She repeated that to the stranger when he asked why she won't lift her head up.

"What are you saying, it's normal to cry," the calm voice sighed as if annoyed. If she heard right, it muttered, "rich folks."
 

Jiyeon and Kikwang. Kikwang and Jiyeon. She was reminded of them constantly. Even Kikwang's mom approved of the "nice little angel" her son was dating. All the executives knew of course, because either their sons, Kikwang's friends, told them or the parents' gossip came around.

"Let's go somewhere quieter," Jiyeon's suggestion was overheard by none other than Kikwang's best friend. Eunji pretended not to care, but once they left for the balcony of the Lee Estate, she went to grab some punch as an excuse to walk past them.

And that was when she saw it.

Jiyeon leaned forward on her toes, giggling, inching closer to his face.

Even if the heartbroken girl willed her feet to move, there was no way she could stop looking.

Until their lips connected in a sweet kiss that deepened quickly.

And that was when her feet made up her mind for her.
 

"Well, I guess I can't really help you in any other way, but since you were dumb enough to come out here without mittens..." her bare hands were pried open and something warm was placed inside, and then there was the sound of footsteps crunching on half-melted snow.

When the footsteps faded only did Eunji lift her head. The generous stranger had left her a...pair of worn red mittens. And a hand warmer. A cheesecake-scented hand warmer.
 

On a street in Seoul, present time

"He kissed me...the same way...he...ki..s.s...ed...her..." slowly the tears calmed down, but the lump was still in , and it hurt like crazy. The two of them were dropped off in front of the apartment building and the bus rocketed away.

"Shut up about that already, I saw it," he snapped, surprising her with his sudden non-calmness. "Do you like him or something?"

"No," she sniffed, "well-not anymore."

"Did you think that kiss meant something to him?"

She turned her icy glare on him, but it softened when she realized...he was right. Her mind went back to the time when she wrote the final's songwriting assignment. The feelings she had while not talking to Kikwang, wanting to be friends again, confessing how she liked him...those feelings were gone once she put them down on paper. Nonexistant. She was only angry at the kiss because it was her first, and he stole that. That kiss was supposed to be for someone she really liked. 

Someone like...her eyes flicked to her left instinctively. Like...D-

No no no Jung Eunji. Guys will ruin your life, the angel part of her mind reminded her gently. Remember the last time you liked someone? Who was that? Oh yeah, the same one that ended up kissing another girl, right? Boys are no good, Eunji-ah. 

Who said Daehyun was like Kikwang? the devil part poked her with its stick. That guy won't hurt you.

That's what they're all like at first, Eunji, Angel shot back. Stick to the feelings you had after you finished that songwriting assignment. Didn't you swear off love?

Hasn't he proved himself different though? Devil insisted. Doesn't he keep surprising you every time he opens up  to you? Poor boy should get a chance. He changed so much since you got to know him. Doesn't he make you happy?

Yes, Eunji answered herself. Her hand reached inside her backpack's outer pocket, where she'd kept the crumpled up paper since the final. That composition. That love letter. Her feelings. She tossed it onto the street and quickly turned back to the apartment.

Daehyun picked it up and unfolded it, eyes widening. It was the same piece of paper he'd read before, the one that made up his mind to see Eunji to help him with his "emotional singing". All that was about Kikwang?? That one guy could draw out so many feelings from that girl?

He caught up to her just before she pulled open the door to the empty apartment lobby and held her wrist firmly; his expression hardened.

"Listen. It's called a stage kiss for a reason, pabo. No one really minds it because it's a fake," the plan he'd hatched last minute was going smoothly. She snapped out of whatever she was thinking about. "Do you wanna hear something that counts as real?"

Good. He had silenced her with his sudden change. She looked at him curiously out of bleary eyes.

However he wasn't so sure about what he was going to do anymore...he was nervous himself...

Even though he was only trying to prove a point...he couldn't stop his own heartbeat...

Jung Daehyun, what were you taught? Just go for it. Life's too short to be a coward, he heard his grandpa's voice as it was just before he boarded the plane to Korea.

He placed his lips on her cheek and let it linger before pulling away.

"Jung Eunji, I like you."
 

ajdiamebfowsjkds APPLAUSES FOR DAEHYUN HE MANNED UP AND FIGURED HIMSELF OUT do you guys not remember how antisocial he was before though omg raise your hand if you saw this coming

And well i guess you all know the owner of the cheesecake hot pack xD

Who would've thought Daehyun spoke to Eunji outside of school before? I based Daehyun's character early in the story on his concept in Ta-Dah It's B.A.P...you know, the one where he wears a mask all the time and says "no comment" and you don't have to be like DAEHYUN STFU all the time

Sorry well I guess it's no secret he's my bias ;;



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