DAHLIA - Xu Minghao

Chapter 10 - Unfamiliar Feelings

"We, we don't have to worry 'bout nothing,
'Cause we got the fire, and we're burning one hell of a something."

***

     "Water break!" The dance instructor yelled, turning off the music. "After that I'll reveal the groups for the next assignment!"

     Meilin dropped to the floor next to Jihoon and Mingyu, and it didn't take long until they were joined by Wonwoo, Seokmin and Jihyun. The group was looked at strangely by other trainees. By then, everyone knew that Meilin had joined Seventeen, but Jihyun hanging out with the boys was new. She had always been known for expressing her dislike of boys very... openly. The girl had protested quite a lot when the company decided to mix boys' and girls' dance classes, because there weren't enough trainees anymore to keep up the gender divided groups.

     Jihyun laid her head in Meilin's lap and sighed, pushing away Seokmin in order to do so. The boy whined loudly, hugging Meilin from behind instead. But the teacher already called them back, and Meilin sighed. She was exhausted.

     "Gather around, gather around." The students did, standing in a small circle around the instructor. There weren't a lot of trainees, so the group was small. "I'll announce the groups now." He started out with a duo that Meilin didn't know very well, before he reached Meilin and her friends. He paired Wonwoo with a girl Meilin didn't recognize. "Jihyun and Jihoon." Jihyun gulped, glancing sideways at the boy. Even though she hung out with Meilin's friends every now and then, she wasn't sure about working with them without having Meilin present yet. "Meilin and Mingyu." Meilin turned to Mingyu with a grin. He was a great partner to have for important assignments. Luckily, he was on the same level as Meilin. Because whereas Soonyoung or Chan would easily outshine her in an assignment as this one, she thought that she and Mingyu could highlight each other's best aspects more, so they would both score high.

     Mingyu seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a wide grin.

     The instructor showed the choreography video, and Meilin was surprised to see a partner dance, involving a lot of joint choreography and precise teamwork. It wouldn't be easy to perfect that, for sure, but Meilin felt confident. Mingyu was strong and, thanks to the diet she had followed not too long ago, she was light as a feather. And Mingyu never stopped until he was fully satisfied, which Meilin really admired. As soon as everyone scattered, when the video ended, the girl was lifted into the air, and Mingyu cheered as he spun her around.

     "You're so light! This is going to be so easy, Lin-ah! We'll definitely rank high." Meilin chuckled softly as he put her down again, shaking her head.

     "Don't say that, you'll jinx it. Now we'll most definitely rank last." She scolded with a smile, grabbing an iPad and playing the video. "Let's learn the moves first, and then we can work on the lifts later. Okay?" Mingyu nodded, so they did just that. For the whole remainder of class, they worked hard. They didn't pause during the bathroom break so they could get started on the teamwork parts. That night, in the Green Room, they completed the choreography, and got started on the lifts. They even managed to add detail and expression towards the end of the night.

     The next day, same thing. Same routine. That night, there were only four people in the second room of the basement; Meilin, Mingyu, Jihoon, and surprisingly, Minghao. He was silently copying the moves on the side, asking Jihoon for help every now and then. He danced it well, in Meilin's opinion, and it got her wondering why he wasn't in her advanced class. He easily could be. He was on the right level, if not even higher. He might as well join Soonyoung's class.