In a Split Second || BTS

Chapter 25

He kisses the tip of my nose. "I'm glad you are happy."

All of a sudden, the door bursts open and six chattering young men hustle into the room, talking and laughing loudly amongst themselves. They appear well put together, but their clothing is casual enough that they can practice comfortably.

"Aren't you two supposed to be working on the choreography for Hoseok-hyung's song?" Namjoon asks, his eyebrow raised.

"Doesn't it look like we are?" Hoseok asks, gesturing towards the speaker on the opposite end of the room and the papers strewn out across the middle of the floor, illustrating the song lyrics and written description of the choreography.

"Kissing does not equate to working."

I nudge Hoseok's shoulder. "What did I tell you?"

"I apologize if my love for my girlfriend distracts me from my work," he offers as a mock apology, kissing my forehead when I laugh and withdrawing his arm from my waist. "What are you all doing here?"

"We came to film the dance practice for Baepsae," Jimin explains quietly, tucking his hands into his pockets. His attire is the most fashionable of all the members – his outfit consists of black jeans, a white shirt with a matching cap, and a blue denim jacket – even though the occasion does not warrant extremely nice clothes.

I gasp and push the loose strands of hair back towards my ponytail nervously. "I completely forgot about that! Let me clean up." I drop to the floor and immediately begin piling the papers in a haphazard order. Jimin crouches beside me and helps in my endeavors, handing me a neat pile that seems to be in near-perfect order. His fingers brush against mine in the exchange, and my heart patters. I quickly rise to my feet and dart to safety in the corner of the room, dropping the papers beside the speaker and standing awkwardly as the filming crew enters through the door. I can feel Jimin's gaze following me through every motion, but I ignore it and focus on Hoseok's happy smile.

It always amazes me how the boys can retain so much of their character and interact so naturally even while on camera. The summer vacation of 2015 proved that I do not carry such an ability – conversing with someone while being filmed feels completely false and staged. I can't help leaning against the mirror with a glimmer of awe in my eyes as the boys discuss who will stand in for Hoseok's breakdance towards the end of the song. Once Yoongi is picked and collapses to the floor with the weight of his misery, the dance practice begins.

I fell in love with this choreography for its uniqueness and the ability to see Hoseok in every move, considering he choreographed it. I always find it difficult, however, to embrace the hip thrusts throughout the song.

"Get a part-time job, it don't pay / At the school, there are the teachers / Superiors, abusing their authority." The song plays from the speakers loudly, and the last line is accented with a violent hip thrust that makes my entire face flame up. In an attempt to hide my embarrassment, I shield my face with my hand, although it is proven useless when Hoseok takes notice of me and doubles over laughing.

"Cherisse-ah," he laughs, stumbling towards me while the others chuckle at my innocent behavior. He wraps me into a hug and holds my head against his chest. My discomfiture is prominent in my flushed face, but I feel less self-conscious in his arms. "I love you." The words are spoken lowly, but the kiss that follows is self-explanatory, and the boys hoot and whistle. Hoseok notices my face start to heat up again, so he whirls around and addresses the situation, asking, "Haven't you ever seen a kiss before?" He ignores their defiant retorts and touches his forehead to mine lightly before restarting the dance practice.

As soon as the boys make it through the entire length of the song without laughing at my response to the choreography, Hoseok whisks me out of the building and into the streets of Seoul. Although neither of us is dressed to be seen, the masks over our faces conceal our identities well enough. His hand clasps mine, protecting me from the bustling crowd and ensuring I stay by his side. The warm summer breeze caresses me in its grasp, and I glance up towards the sun, grateful to spend this beautiful day outside and with Hoseok.