My dance teacher is cute | Haobin

5 - Another distraction

POV: Zhang Hao | WEDNESDAY MORNING

"Hao, wake up! We can't be late to vocal classes!" Jui's voice was sharp, almost panicked, as he shook me. I barely registered the sound, my body heavy with exhaustion. "I'm skipping," I muttered, my voice muffled by the pillow. The weight of sleep still had a grip on me.

"There's no such thing as skipping, we're trainees!" Jui's frustration was clear enough, but I couldn't care less.

"Then you go," I mumbled, turning my back to him. I heard him sigh, the sound filled with exasperation and something else—concern, maybe?

"Fine. But don't regret it."

His footsteps faded, but my mind stayed. You know those mornings when it feels impossible to move—physically, mentally, or both? That was today.
No energy, no willpower.

Just a heavy, crushing weight.

I drifted back to sleep, but it didn't last.
My body jerked awake, trembling. My hands shook uncontrollably, and I groaned in frustration.

I needed a cigarette. Now.

Forcing myself out of bed, I frantically searched the nightstand. Nothing. My heart raced as the panic set in. Where the hell was it? I tore through my bag, my hands shaking even more violently. The edges of my vision blurred, and my thoughts spiraled, spinning faster with every second I couldn't find them. Shit. Come on.

Finally, my fingers closed around the cigarette pack buried in my bag.

With a deep breath, I stumbled out of the room and headed to the elevator. In the elevator, my breathing hitched, my whole body on edge as I struggled to focus on the only thing that mattered—getting that first drag. When the elevator stopped on the second floor, my heart sank. Hanbin stepped in.

I stiffened, trying to hide my hands. His eyes narrowed in confusion. "Don't you have classes?"

His voice cut through the haze, but I couldn't focus. My mind was a mess, my thoughts scattered, hands shaking so hard I could barely keep the cigarette pack steady. It felt like my body was betraying me. I needed a cigarette now, before he noticed how bad I was losing it.

Hanbin took a step closer. "Are you alr—"The moment the elevator doors opened again, I practically bolted out, clutching the cigarette pack like a lifeline. I reached for a cigarette—only to realize I forgot my lighter.

My chest tightened, my breath quickening as panic clawed at me.

Not now. Shit, not in front of him.

I couldn't let Hanbin see me like this, see just how bad it was. The world was spinning, my vision narrowing when suddenly, a firm hand landed on my shoulder.

"What's wrong, Hao?"

Hanbin's voice broke through the noise, but it felt distant. "L-Lighter," I managed to stammer.

Hanbin immediately let go and got me a lighter. I didn't look at him, didn't dare to. I rushed outside, my hands barely able to hold the cigarette steady as I lit it. I took a deep, desperate drag, inhaling the nicotine like it was air. Slowly, agonizingly, the tremors began to ease, my mind clearing just enough to steady myself.

I closed my eyes, forcing my breath to slow. My body relaxed, the frantic shaking subsiding as the nicotine did its work. For a moment, everything felt normal again.

When I finally opened my eyes, Hanbin was still there, watching me silently. I turned away, exhaling a long stream of smoke, praying he hadn't noticed just how close I'd come to lose my shit.