“So, we’re going to have dance collaboration with the other rookies groups for our first Gayo Daejun?”

Wendy could see all of her members’ head nodded of ‘yes’ with her sudden question in the white van. They were on their way to the SBS studio for a rehearsal of SBS Gayo Daejun which was going to happen in the next two weeks or maybe less in 11 days only. Their manager just informed it last night and everyone seemed to be okay with it except for Wendy.

Dancing was not really Wendy’s thing. It’s not like she hated it, she really liked it but she didn’t really have the natural dance talents like her other members especially Seulgi. She sometimes envied seeing how her body swayed flexibly and passionately whenever they’re having their daily dance practices.

She’s always excited about her first times, and this Gayo Daejun was going to be her very first ever since her debut in last August. She was eager to perform and show her best in ‘Happiness’ but then their manager just told about a dance collaboration with some rookies groups, she wasn’t completely ready about that.

Dancing was not her forte, really. She took the longest time to practice ‘Happiness’ and even the chair , ‘Be Natural’ among the other members. She always tried her very best in mastering the dance moves. Thank God, that she had such an understanding choreographer and members.

They always help her with the difficult moves that seemed not too hard for the others but just her. She’s glad her members always give her encouragement and being patient every time they needed to dance all over again whenever she took the wrong steps.

But now, this dance collaboration was not only going to involve her group, Red Velvet but several of other rookie groups from various companies. She’s afraid that she’s going to humiliate the company’s name. SM Entertainment, a very glorious name that produced top-notch groups such as Shinhwa, Super Junior and Girls’ Generation.

She didn’t want to be seen as a hole of embarrassment for the company. People see SM’s artist as powerful, charismatic and much, classy. She shivered even more when her manager said that they will be a big possibility that YG and JYP going to take parts in this collaboration.

Both companies were known as their biggest rivals in the K-POP music industry. They also produce among the best artists such as Big Bang and 2NE1 from YG and Wonder Girls and 2PM from JYP. She seems to get headache thinking about the whole situation.

She sighed under her breath while looking behind the glass of the van. The snowy view seemed failed to amuse her like always. The thoughts of herself doing stupid mistakes in front of everyone keeps replaying inside her already cramped mind. She closed her eyes and mentally prayed that everything was going to be just fine.

∞

“Wendy, why are you….less talkative today?”

Seulgi’s abrupt question gained everyone’s attentions and eyes on Wendy when they just arrived at the destination. Seulgi aware that Wendy was quiet through the whole ride to the studio and that made Seulgi felt a bit strange about her best friend, Wendy.

“Are you sick, perhaps?”

Irene asked of worried while touching her forehead with the back of her palm. Seulgi and Joy stared of concerned at her while towering over her. Their manager also seems to aware Wendy’s strange self for today. Usually, she would be the most havoc and bubbly person whenever they were on their way to any destination.

But today, her members seemed to realize her sudden quietness. She hated it when her loved ones being worried of herself. She didn’t want to burden them with any of her problem. She tried to plaster a faint smile at them before she could explain to them.

“Ani, I am just fine. Don’t worry. You know I am just nervous with the whole thing. That’s all.”

Her voice sounded so confident to them and their worriedness to her then flies away, except for Seulgi. Everyone walked inside the SBS building, feeling satisfied with her explanation leaving Seulgi and her outside. Seulgi gave her an unreadable glare at Wendy while Wendy gulped of uncomfortable.

“You owe me a real explanation, Wan.”

Seulgi stormed away from her, leaving Wendy flustered with her jaws dropped automatically when she heard Seulgi’s words. She knew that she couldn’t hide any single thing from Kang Seulgi. Her eyes trailed to see Seulgi went away from her side and walked inside the building.

She followed behind without saying anything with mixed feelings about the whole lie that she hid from everyone. She tried to act normal with her usual pretty expression. They went inside the elevator to go to the studio practice room. Their manager didn’t join in because he needs to settle some matter at the basement studio.

“You guys head to the practice room, first. Don’t forget to bow and smile, okay? Just relax.”

Their manager said to them before the elevator was sealed closed leaving just the four of them inside it. They nodded of obey even though they knew that their manager can’t see it. All of them seem to calm and chill about the whole rehearsal, again except for Wendy.

She was unable to control her breath and heartbeats. They went on and on madly. Thank God, that her members couldn’t trace any oddness on her. The elevator is slowly making its way to the 9th floor of the building. The higher the elevator went, the madder her heartbeats went.

“Ding!”

The elevator deliberately opened for them. They went out and Wendy somehow doesn’t want to go out of the elevator but for the sake of her beloved member, she naturally walked out from the elevator following them from behind. Irene led their way to a particular room that they used to use before this.

“Practice room 9-13, right?”

Irene voiced up when they stopped in front of a sliding door. The number ‘9-13’ was attached on a silver plate with black numbers engraved on the door. Seulgi and Joy agreed with Irene’s words based on the proof of the numbers on the door.

“Let’s get inside, girls.”

Irene boldly slide the door open and revealed a quite number of people inside it. They gradually bowed and greet the people; they were the boyfriend material group from JYP, GOT7 and the lovely girl group, Lovelyz. Their first formal meeting was somehow much warmer than awkward with their shy bows and genuine smiles.

For Wendy, it seemsed going to be just okay because everyone was so nice and they welcomed them with such friendly greetings despite their first formal face-to-face gathering. The GOT7 boys were so friendly and funny especially the swaggy Hong Kong boy, Jackson and the cute Thai boy, Bambam.

Not to mention that, Red Velvet and Lovelyz seem to grow a better bond between girls so fast include with the boys. They were certainly getting known of each other while pushing away the awkwardness among them. They were actually waiting for another boy group and none of them knew who exactly they are.

“Annyeonghaseyo, everyone. We are Winner! We are so sorry for our late arrival.”

A sudden polite voice rang inside the room, making everyone stood up and greets them with awkward 90-degree bow and smiles at each other with some formal greetings. Wendy gulped of terror when she heard the name ‘Winner’ echoed inside her mind.

Oh my goodness, aren’t they from YG as in freaking the same label as Big Bang and 2NE1?

Her mind was screaming internally of horror and her smile faded every single terribleness of her cramped mind. She greeted them with a natural polite bow and smile. All of her members seem to be completely fine with whole collab thingy and she still isn’t going to take it for real inside her mind. It’s Winner, duh.

So, Winner will be joining too? Enough with this crap.

They gathered inside the spacious room while taking their place, sitting on the clean wooden floor. They chose to mix with the other groups, except for the thing that the girls and boys made a huge gap between each other. Of course, it’s the first time and the awkwardness still lingered around each other especially Wendy Son.

The brief session started with the help of two professional choreographers that guide them for this dance collaboration. But not for Wendy, she seemed to keep losing her focus with the choreographers’ instructions. All she knew that they’re going to dance Moves Like Jagger and the second thing was –

“Wendy of Red Velvet, is it okay for you to be the center of the performance?”

She snapped out of her subconscious state and she realized every single pair of eyes was already staring at her. The stare was somehow making Wendy shift of uncomfortable in her seat and she tried to speak. Seulgi eyed her meaningfully. Wendy stood with her two feet and she was nervous, freakily.

“Of course, why not, right?”

She sounded like so awkward and tensed. The choreographer smiled and gestured her sit back and she tried to focus in the whole session and thank God, she’s not the only one who was going to be the center. She recognized some of the Lovelyz girls, maybe Jiyeon as in Kei, Soojung and Soojung, yeah their names were alike and so are their looks. So goes with the boys like Youngjae and she didn’t really recognize them.

The one that made her breath of relief was Seulgi was going to join her as well and they squealed like mad fangirls when the choreographer announced Seulgi’s name. The others will be singing too except for the thing that Wendy and Seulgi are going to perform at the middle of performance and that didn’t sound so good to Wendy.

She’s used of being the face of her group’s performance, but this one was not just any performance because it’s going to be watch by thousands or maybe millions of people in the world. It’s not just any performance again when they are going to collaborate with other hot rookies group and of course, people are going to compare them.

It’s a freaking dance collaboration of Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger and the famous Christina Aguilera was featured in that song too. So, for her or maybe the rest think the same thing as her, it’s a big show. But her members kept telling her to stay calm and cool, finally she did it.

“Okay, now as you know, it’s going to be partner dancing. So, each of you will be pair accordingly to our arrangement or you want to settle it by yourself?”

“We’ll choose our partners.”

The chorographer nodded of understand and everyone scattered inside the room, searching for their partners and there’s Wendy seems to be dumbfounded with the sudden action. It happened just like in a science class where we need to sit in pair and for exact, different genders. So much for high school days.

She could see Seulgi already high fived with the Hong Kong hip hop boy from GOT7, Jackson Wang cheerfully while Irene was awkwardly talking to the rapper of Winner, Mino. It’s even surprising that their maknae, Joy were already exchanging some jokes with the maknae of GOT7, Yugyeom.

“Hey, it seems that you’re not taken yet. So, can we…..together?”

A sudden soothing voice surprised her entire body nerves and the lanky boy was already standing a few inches from her. She stared at his droopy but captivating eyes. It’s not that his gazes were blank, but they were full of secrets. She could smell his scent, a bad boy’s style and she unknowingly nodded at his words.

“Cool.”

His short reply with a slight smirk decorated his pretty lips and Wendy caught herself staring at his lips. She somehow wanted to punch her face because she didn’t just think this boy was fatally attractive. They stood side by side with just silence lingered around them. The guys suddenly cleared his throat and Wendy’s eyes averted on him.

“I’m Taehyun, Nam Taehyun. Let’s do our very best.”

He's casually trying to introduce himself to her and Wendy smiled brightly at him. It’s cute that he tried to make the first move for a better situation between them. Even though, it’s freaking awkward but at least, he was trying to be friendly behind his stern good-looking face.

It wasn’t that bad like Wendy thought before or maybe, not bad at all. She was the one being negative from the first place. At least, this Taehyun guy seemed to be nice and she’ll be okay. Maybe, she should learn about her dance partner, Nam Taehyun.

“Yeah, I’m Wendy Son. Just call me Wendy. Let’s do it together.”

∞

“Hey, Wendy. Wait up.”

Wendy spun on her heels and she was greeted with a smiling face of Nam Taehyun who was pacing at her. They were just going to have an hour break after a half day exhausting dance practice. The girls and boys were separated for a few days because that will be much easier for them to practice in a not-so crowded room.

“What, Namtae? Aren’t you going to be with your hyungs like usual?”

And it’s been three days since Wendy got to know Taehyun personally and it seems that they went good with each other. Taehyun wasn’t cold or bad like Wendy thought. He’s completely childish despite to his prince-alike self, Wendy enjoyed his presence. Sometimes, she learnt about him as a strange guy or much as unique to her.

“Maybe, not. They’re going to eat something heavy; you know I don’t really like eating heavy things for lunch. How about you? Where the other members?”

“Same as your hyungs. I can’t dance well with my stomach full.”

“Same goes to me.”

They high fived each other whenever they have these same chemistry thingy. It’s like a habit between them. Without much word, they walked side by side while singing some English songs that they both know. They decided to go to a coffee shop that was a few steps from the SBS Building.

They even exchanged some stories about themselves and she's glad that he's an outgoing person. She always have this idea that the YG guys will always be these serious and bad boy types but well, Nam Taehyun’s personality proved her wrong. He talked more than her and that surprised her.

When they arrived, the coffee shop was not crowded and just a few people came. Yeah of course, it’s 2pm and cold since people are still busy with their own works. She ordered a caramel frappe with whipped cream for herself and green tea latte for him. She learnt that this guy was a green tea lover when the first time they went out for a coffee.

She also bought some cookies and muffins for a take away so that they can eat at the building. The cashier even had the guts to tease them by calling them a match couple and both of them could stifle their giggles. They even got discount. They bid goodbye and thank you to the cashier and went out of the coffee shop before bursting into a big laughter.

“You heard that? It’s so funny, just because every time two celebrities of different genders went out buying coffees don’t always mean that they’re an item. I still don’t get it.”

“Yeah, me too. Or maybe we looked like one.”

Wendy hit him on the arms, hearing him snickered. Both of them laugh again. They happily walked side by side while chatting about their dorms and it surprised her so much when he told her that they don’t have a TV in their dorm. They almost reached the building main door.

“Oh my God, how do you live without a TV, dude?”

“Well, thank God that I can live without it. Well, except that the hyungs like to watch dramas online and I ended up being the only one who doesn’t watch them but sometimes, I joined them because I’m bored.”

She nodded while sipping her frappe hearing his words. They went inside the elevator and greeted everyone inside it. They simply ignored the surprised stares of the staffs. They’re not doing anything wrong, at all. They knew that they were just two colleagues working on a project but that didn’t mean that they cannot have coffees together.

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