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"sure! i should have plenty of time to learn too, since it's in april," alice added. 

she didn't let it show, but inside she was really happy. dancing with mark would mean that they would be able to spend more time together and she would get to see mark dance more. 

"it's only going to be me choreographing it," taeyong announced. "so everyone else is free to leave. oh and lunch at two, at the ramen place across."

the others said their goodbyes to alice and soon she was left with mark and taeyong. 

the track that they picked out was an upbeat hip hop one and they didn't hesitate to begin their session. and as they practiced, the vibrant melody of their footsteps painted the studio in hues of dedication and passion, creating an ambiance of unity and shared aspirations.

alice wasn't able to pick up the moves that easily, but much to her surprise, remembering them was no problem. however, amidst the dance, a moment of frustration struck, leaving alice disheartened. She struggled to grasp a particular move, her discontent palpable.

"i just can't do this move!" alice whined for the tenth time. 

"just try," mark pushed. 

he demonstrated it for her again and again, going slower each time, but she couldn't get the hang of it, and taeyong was starting to notice.

"okay, let's end it for today," he suggested. "your mentality isn't right, and you're not going to get anything done. we'll pick it up another day when you're energized and in the right mindset." 

"i'm starving too," mark said. "we can always continue this next time."

alice nodded sadly and sulked out of the studio. 

as they left the studio, taeyong's parting words, echoed in mark's ears: "hey bring her to lunch. it might cheer her up. and the fact that she's doing something that you love? she's a keeper."

"we aren't dating," mark chuckled softly.

"yet!" taeyong teased, hinting at the colorful possibilities blooming in the canvas of their friendship. 

-

"wait aren't you going to leave?" alice inquired, a playful smile touching her lips.

"you're coming with the crew to lunch. hurry back!" mark repled with a grin, stepping out of the car. 

alice laughed, gesturing toward his side of the door. "get out. i'm not letting you wait in your car." with a light tug, she pulled him out and led the way up the stairs.

during their stroll to her door, mark found himself marveling at the warmth of her hand in his, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes.

"make yourself at home," she invited warmly as mark settled on the couch.

excited about joining mark and his friends for lunch, alice hurriedly took a refreshing shower and rushed downstairs.

mark saw her running around and stood up, concerned. "whoa whoa, what's the rush?"

"i'm starving," she declared, a hint of laughter in her voice.

he didn't complain, knowing his own appetite matched hers. after running a few red lights, they arrived at the ramen place. while they were the last to arrive, the crew welcomed alice warmly, and she found herself having a more enjoyable time than expected.

however, the mood shifted when it was time to settle the bill. alice glanced around, realizing her wallet was in her other bag.

"mark!" she hissed quietly. "my wallet, it's in my other bag!"

"relax, I was going to pay for it even if you did bring money," mark assured her, retrieving some cash from his pocket.

as Mark pulled out his card, a couple of girls strolled past them.

"oh my god, do you see that?" one of the whispered not-so-quietly to her friend. "does she think she's 'one of the boys' or something?"

"right?" her friend replied snarkily. "i wonder how many of them she's fucked. even letting them pay for her."

everyone at the table fell silent as alice got up and ran to the bathroom.

suddenly, mark stood up and faced the girls. "the fuck did you say?" his usual smile left no traces on his face as he glared daggers at the two.

he was about to go off on them when he felt haechan's hand on his shoulder. "mark, don't overreact. skanks aren't worth it. go check on alice."

mark left in the direction of the bathroom and haechan was left to the girls.

"did you just call us skanks? we're not."

"did you just call alice a slut?" he fired back. "she's not. she doesn't fucking go around shitting on people that she doesn't know out of sheer jealousy."

his words were enough to chase the girls out of the restaurant, and haechan was feeling very satisfied with his work.

"to hell with 'kill 'em with kindness'," he announced to particularly no one. "give them a taste of their own medicine."

meanwhile, johnny nudged jaehyun. "if alice and mark don't date, i'm gonna go crazy."

mark patiently waited for alice outside of the bathroom. once she came out, he engulfed her in a hug. "just because some strangers call you a slut, doesn't mean you are one. they don't know you. none of your friends think that of you so it shouldn't matter."

alice nodded, gratefully hugging mark back, appreciating his support. "it was just unexpected, but thank you."

they returned to the table, where johnny greeted them with a mischievous smirk. "did you guys kiss?" he teased.

alice and mark both blushed, caught off guard by the comment. fortunately, Yuta intervened to ease the teasing. "oh, come on, stop teasing them," he deflected, providing a welcome distraction.