A/N: Comments make me write faster. Proven physics.

He finished his last pose for the magazine spread and he heard she just returned from M Countdown. Luckily he ‘needed to pick up some documents’ so he headed over to the YG building and entered. He already knew where she was. He made a quick stop by the vending machine and headed to the back stairs. Sure enough, he saw a figure in a flowery dress sitting on the back steps of the building.

“Aghasshi,” he called. She turned to him and he knew something was wrong. Her smile was strained and it didn’t light up her eyes like it usually did. She bobbed her head as he handed her the orange juice and sat next to her. He had to hand it to her make-up team, they were amazing…which made him realize another thing that was wrong. “Why haven’t you changed yet?”

“I had a lot on my mind,” she said, failing to poke a hole for her straw. TOP took it back and opened it for her before handing it back.

“What happened?”

“I didn’t sound good. My intonation was off and I didn’t use my full capacity. I could have sounded better.” He nodded, knowing her self-critique was usually spot on.

“So what aren’t you telling me?”

She smiled at his ability to read her so well. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing if you’re sitting here.”

“Well…it’s the male lead. He’s not from YG and he made me…unsettled.”

TOP frowned. “How so?”

“Nothing terrible, but during the choreography he’d always scoff at how it was ‘too boring’. He tried to deviate several times to make it harder and showy. And today…” She began rambling, almost afraid her friend wouldn’t believe her. “He was being negative. I tried to ignore it, but he keeps making rude remarks about the choreography, my costume, my hair, and my ‘singing style’. He said I was a pathetic ‘rookie’…I asked him to stop because the staff and other performers could hear, but I don’t think he heard me…”

Or maybe he was ignoring you… TOP glanced at her. Her cheeks were pink and she was utterly embarrassed. “That isn’t nothing, that sort of discouragement before going on-stage made you uncomfortable for a performance and that is unprofessional on his part…can you switch dancers?”

She shook her head. “It’s too late. Next week I have to perform with him on Inkigayo…Oppa can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course,” he said, surprised.

She stood and gave him a 90 degree bow. “Will you come watch me in person? Just to critique me, I can learn a lot from you with on-the-spot feedback.”

TOP blinked and his heart may have skipped a beat. “Um…”

“It’s okay if you’re too busy, I understand you have a hectic schedule-”

“I’ll be there,” he said immediately. She smiled at him, for real this time.