Shim Changmin had been most caring to her than he had ever been since they met.

Maybe it was her trembling hands and pale face that had affected him, or it had all been to fulfill his duties as a butler, either way, he had done everything within his ability to calm her. He had made her a cup of hot chocolate, topped with a dollop of whippped cream and a few pieces of mini-marshmallow, just how she liked it; he had tucked away all the newspapers and magazines (Mr. Seo was practially subscribed to every printed material available) so that she would not be reminded of the incident; and he had hid her phone to avoid her curious and nosey friends from reaching her via texts or calls. Joohyun was thankful. Truly she was.

"Do you need anything more, my lady?" The butler asked as he placed a blanket on her lap to keep her warm.

"It's all right for the time being. Thank you for everything you've done. I think I just need another 10 minutes and maybe we can start our lessons to prepare for tomorrow?" She replied with a smile. She might be shocked, but she sure wasn't defeated. Not yet, at least.

"Of course, my lady. I will prepare the materials." With a bow, he left.

For the rest of the day, Joohyun practiced the basic etiquette required of a lady when conversing and dining and learnt some seemingly trivial but important things like the correct posture, walk and dance moves.

She had no problem scoring the first part of the training for she was one to abide by rules and regulations. So anything with a fixed and unchanging mode was fine for her, i.e. memorizing which utensil to use when eating appetizer or dessert, or using which phrases to greet and introduce herself to guests. These were the easy as pie for her and she had impressed the butler by how fast she was able to pick up. Ladies or socialites he had once served always took weeks to master what Joohyun had ahieved in an hour or two. He would have expected the girl to take up the second part of the lesson just as swiftly and efficiently, but his intuition was wrong. 

Joohyun was a smart girl, all right, but she had always been weak at physical activities. Although she managed to score As in physical education at school every time, it had all been due to numerous practices after class which no one but a few close friends knew. She had often willed herself to be the best, not wanting to disappoint anyone. But now that she was faced with the challenge of positioning herself as a lady would, it was catastrophic. 

Both master and servant (now posing as student and teacher) were seated side by side in front of a mirror at the dance practice room. The room had been built  for young Joohyun when she had learnt ballet at the request of her mother who had hoped that the dance would bring the elegance out of her. For her mother, she had tried her hardest to master the complicated steps and turns. But when Mrs. Seo had passed away and Joohyun had been sent to America, she no longer bothered to learn or practice. Now, the room accomodated an ivory grand piano which the girl loved the most out of all the furnture and displays in the mansion.

Changmin proceeded to cross his legs as a lady should as a demonstration for Joohyun to imitate. He had done it with ease and elegance that made the soon-to-be socialite wonder if he was of feline descent.

"Try," he said shortly, motioning her to repeat what he did.

Taking a deep breath, the girl attempted to do the same but she lost her balance. If the chair had no arms, she would most certainly have fallen over. Joohyun bit her lips and made another trial. This time, she succeeded, yet the way she achieved it was by force and not the least graceful.

Seeing that she was failing at her task, he said, "Watch again." Once more, he did it with sophistication that she was sure she'd never achieve.

She made her third attempt but ended up knotting her long legs. Not a patient man, the butler left his chair and kneeled in front of the girl, who was appalled by his actions.

"Like this." And with that, he grabbed her ankles with his gloved hands and helped her cross her legs correctly. Although it could not have been justified as skinship, Joohyun could feel the coolness of his palm seeping onto her skin. She blushed maddeningly and prayed the man had not seem it. It was not the closest she had been with the opposite (she used to hug and hold hands with her childhood friends and father) but it somehow made her nervous.

"Now try it again," he instruted her, rising from the ground to stand beside her and observe.

Maybe it was the shock that pushed her, she succeeded in executing the action and she smiled triumphantly at her achievement.

"You'll need a couple more pratices but that should fool them. Let's move on to walking in heels." Changmin said, placing a pair of 4-inch heels in front of her out of nowhere. "Put them on."

Upon hearing the word "heels", Joohyun's face twitched and the smile that once plastered on her face turned upside-down. "Can't I wear flats or at least attempt something with less height?"

The man made no response as if ignoring her intentionally. She sighed and leaned forward to wear those killer heels. Normally, the butler would have been in charge of putting the shoes on her but this time, he seemed most indifferent. She ignored her suspicions and rose to her feet so suddenly that she wobbled. She would most probably have toppled over had Changmin not hold her waist in time. When she finally gained her balance, he release his grip on her waist so suddenly that Joohyun swore she would fall again. Fortunately, she remained upright with much force. Despite the heels, the tall man still hovered 10cm above her.

"Try walking." He told her with a tone of a commander. She nodded and started taking baby steps. 

For the first few minutes, she was all shaky and wonky like a tree at the mercy of strong wind. Changmin followed her round the room to ensure he could catch her anytime there was a sign of her collapsing. Later, she was able to walk with a steady pace but not without her eyes fixed on the ground. She thought she had done a good job until her instructor pointed out the obvious.

"If you intend to greet your guest with downward eyes and a duck's walk, feel free to proceed onto the next lesson." He said cooly, making the girl look up.

Staring at the mirror, she realized that her feet were turning outwards and there was really no better description for her walk than that of a duck's. Her face went as red as a tomato at the embarassment and she turned round to ask for the man's assistance with pleading eyes. 

"Straighten up your back and try crossing your legs as you walk. Imagine how a model does it but with less vigour and more elegance." Upon hearing his commands, she followed them. Her feet were sore but she knew she only had limited time to complete her lessons and so she pushed herself to go on.

After half an hour of walking and a couple of tumbles, she managed to do what Changmin had instructed her. 

"You have done a fair enough job but the problem still lies on your neck. You want to make sure it is neither too lowly bent nor too highly held. It should be just straight. Try balancing a book as you walk. If you succeed, than your neck should be able to achieve the perfect placement." He said with his typical tone of utter seriousness as he placed a heavy book on top of her head. 

"Can't it be a lighter book?" She pleaded. Once again, the man made no attempt to answer her. Reluctantly, she started to walk.

It took her a while to find the right position for her neck but unknowingly, she was flailing her hands to maintain balance and her eyes were constantly staring up to check whether the book was secure. It was most certainly not the walk the butler was seeking for. 

"Try letting your arms hang naturally beside you. We are trying to turn you into a lady, not a chicken." He commented plainly as he pushed down Joohyun's arms gently, careful not to make her lose balance at the same time. The sudden contact made her blush once more as it did when Changmin had touchd her feet. "And your eyes should look straight ahead and not upwards." 

Once again, the skinship seemed to have worked as a drive for it took her only another minute to master the walk that was required of her. 

"Finally, you're done. But it's only 4, we should have enough time to learn the dance as well, if it's not too tiring, my lady."

She nodded and without a warning, Changmin grabbed Joohyun's left hand to place it on his shoulder and her right, on his waist. As if by reflex, she tried to pull away, face already burning but he gave her no chance as he held her shoulder and waist.

"Now, follow my feet and count 1..2..3 with me." 

Then the butler took his first step, followed by the girl. At first, she was moving rigidly, almost like a robot whose clockwork was not wound properly. She had been too nervous in the arms of the man. That's only because we are too close for my liking, she thought, as if convincing herself more than stating the truth. But as time passed by, the ballet experience she once had seemed to resurface and she suddenly was able to sway and twirl much more naturally. Soon, she got the hang of it and was dancing as fluidly and swiftly as her mentor was.

Then, at six, the doorbell rung and the footman announced Mr. Seo's return. Changmin decided it was enough.

"My lady, I think you are equipped for tomorrow. Take a rest and dinner should be served by then. I will call you when everything's ready." He said as he released her, though she could have sworn he had done it a bit hesitantly as she felt his grip linger on her a bit too long. 

"Okay then. Thank you for everything .Kamsahamnida." And she gave him a slight bow. Saying nothing, he bowed to her and left.

I do think I am ready for tomorrow. I'll show everyone that they're wrong, she swore to herself.

AN:

Hopefully, this chapter is long enough for your liking and that you're happy about the Changseo moments :) I am sorry if I have dragged on and on but I promise you that Minho, Jonghyun and Donghae will make their appearance in the next chapter!! 

Please comment if you're free since they make me a very happy person :) And do upvote if you think this story desrves it!! 

Thanks again for subscribing, commenting and upvoting!!