1.2 | The Night and Its Stars ⌜ yeosang ⌟

EIGHT | PAS DE DEUX

The spell-curse-was broken when he looked away, his focus returning to the dance instructor. The electric buzzing in her ears dulled but the tension stuck, burrowing under her skin until her hands shook. Min choked back a variety of curses as she did a death march to her favorite corner of the room and set down her ballet bag. Try as she might to deny it, she was scared. Especially of what his presence inevitably meant.

He was on her heels soon enough, his shadow intertwining with her own as he settled into the same corner at the back of the room. Before he could say anything, a few of the other dancers surrounded him.

Min braved a brief glance at them, a duo of ballerinas praising his talent endlessly. It was easy to forget how loved he was, how easily he slipped in and out of his golden boy skin. Min was little but a smudge of gray next to them. She, thankfully, was ignored.

A girl stepped in the place between them, her cheeks inflamed. "Congratulations on your Celebration of the Arts win last semester!"

Juyeon's infamous fake smile made an appearance. "Oh thank you, but it was nothing."

"No! It was amazing. The theme of betrayal was something no one expected."

"Right and you executed it perfectly," said the other, calmer girl. Her mousy hair was a pale blonde and a curious twinkle fluttered with her eyelashes. "You had to have experienced it yourself. I've never seen anything like it."

"Oh." His smile tightened, shoulders stiffening. "Did I give that impression?"

Other than Minni, no one picked up on the subtle change in his demeanor. The encounter was eerily reminiscent of the night they met.

Min tore her eyes away as the girls left and tried to forget she had seen anything at all.

Like a petulant child, she tried her hardest to ignore his demanding presence, but she could not help but to notice he was dressed to dance. Her heart sank as she remembered. Dufort had mentioned a joint lesson with the men's ballet class a week ago.

Pas de deux.

It felt like she was prepping for a fight as she removed her jewelry and pulled her curls back into a tight bun. Min pretended not to notice the way his eyes fixated on her charm bracelet as she removed it.

He shifted on his feet with a shrug. "Ignore me all you want, Min. I'm not going anywhere."

"Why are you here?" She couldn't stop the irritation from leaking into her voice.

"To dance. Why else?" He cocked an eyebrow, his eyes trailing from her shoes to her head. As if her anger was unwarranted, as if she had gone mad. He had that effect.

"You know what I meant." She spun to face him finally, patience fully wilted. "What do you want? Why are you next to me?"

Dufort clapped her hands where she stood before the mirrors. It was enough to make Min flinch. The chatter died almost instantly, replaced by stark silence.

"Everyone pick a partner," she said. "Today, we will be reviewing some of the common pas de deux moves. You should have experience with these by now." Her gaze honed as it passed over Minni. "If you are out of practice, it will be evident. We will go through each and I will observe for feedback."

Min loosed a heavy sigh as Juyeon angled his body toward hers. The smile carried to his eyes for once. "To dance. Why else?"

Her common sense fled in a single moment, an unfamiliar feeling wrapping its hands around her throat. She knew better than to antagonize him of all people, but the temptation was sweet on her tongue.