DAHLIA - Xu Minghao

Chapter 3 - Changes for the Better

"Hey, I'm not afraid, I can be myself
And I hope you can be yourself as well, 'cause I can make you feel alright."

***

"Meilin."

Wonwoo snapped his head up to look at her. "What?" Did I hear it wrong? Did I imagine it? Or not? Did she really just speak?

Meilin chuckled nervously. "Meilin. That's my name. Wang Meilin." She avoided his eyes, choosing to look at the floor instead, as she fiddled with her hands in her lap. But Wonwoo grinned, tapping her shoulder. Meilin looked at him, biting her lower lip. Wonwoo held out his hand, smiling kindly. Meilin shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Wang Meilin. I'm Jeon Wonwoo." Meilin broke into a smile, blushing ever so slightly when he squeezed her hand.

Then, someone screamed, and Meilin immediately dropped her expression and scooted away from Wonwoo. She looked up to find everyone looking at the two of them. The girl panicked, got up, and ran to the studio. She slammed the door shut. Wonwoo slipped inside with her bag just a moment later, locking the door behind him.

"Sorry about them. I won't say anything, I promise." He smiled sheepishly, handing over her bag and sitting down on the table.

Meilin shook her head, taking her notebook from her bag before tossing it onto the floor. "It's fine, I could've predicted that would happen. I just didn't think about it for a moment. You have nothing to apologize for." Now that she spoke more, Wonwoo noticed her slight accent, and he found it extremely endearing.

Meilin sat down cross-legged on the floor, her notebook on the ground in front of her. Wonwoo sat down in front of her, letting his eyes rest on her face, She was so focused on her papers, her eyes flying over the letters, lips pressed mouthing the words vaguely, and a single strand of hair rested on her cheek, the rest messily pushed behind her ear.

"Meilin?" The girl looked up. "Can you tell me about yourself?" Wonwoo asked, panicking as soon as the words left his mouth. "Only if you want to, of course. I understand if you're uncomfortable, you don't have to tell me anything-"

Meilin cut him off, chuckling softly. "I'm sixteen, I was born and raised in Beijing. I have a twin sister, Yenling..." she trailed off. "and I'm not very good at talking about myself, so if you want more, then you're going to have to ask more specific questions." Meilin had no idea when she had decided to be Wonwoo's friend, but she found herself not caring any longer. Wonwoo was nice, and one of the only ones who had put in the effort to connect with her.

The boy thought for a moment, before coming up with a question. "Then how about... how did you end up here?"

Meilin smiled. "Well, I started dancing when I was very young. But when I was nine, there were some complications, and I had to quit my dance classes. I kept dancing at home, though, for several years, until I was given the opportunity to join this prestige dance academy. I danced there for two years, before I got scouted. I got scouted after I won a state competition." She smiled at the memory, recalling what her victory back then had felt like. "That was six months ago, and I moved here a month later. I was with Jihyun, my best friend, until they transferred me here."

Wonwoo's jaw had dropped sometime during her little rant, and Meilin chuckled at the sight. "You've been here for only five months?" He asked, blinking twice. "You're already nearly fluent, how is that possible?"

This made Meilin laugh. "Well, I've always been a fast learner, unlike Yen." She hid behind her hair, praying Wonwoo wouldn't see how flustered she was.