between the spolight - purinz ✧

unspoken.

yunjin's pov —

the photoshoot for you & me was over, but i couldn't shake the feeling of chaewon's breath on my skin, the warmth of her hand lingering where it had rested against my waist. we were supposed to look like we were in love—or at least, like we wanted to be. close enough to kiss, close enough for the world to believe it. and i hated how easy it was. how easy it felt to lean into her, to forget that there was supposed to be a distance between us, a line i'd drawn so firmly in my mind.

when the photographer had told us to get closer, to look at each other like we were on the edge of something intimate, i felt my pulse quicken. the lights were hot, the camera clicking away, but none of that compared to the heat of chaewon's presence. she moved in, like we'd rehearsed a thousand times before, her hand grazing mine before sliding up to my shoulder. her fingers were light but steady, the kind of touch that could ground you—or completely unravel you.

i tilted my head just like they'd asked me to, pretending that none of this was affecting me. pretending that my heart wasn't racing with every millimeter she moved closer. her face was inches from mine, our lips almost brushing. the photographer told us to hold that position, and for a second, it didn't feel like acting at all.

i could feel chaewon's breath ghost over my skin, could almost hear the beat of my own heart in my ears. i couldn't look away from her eyes—dark, deep, and unreadable. my mind screamed at me to snap out of it, to keep the walls up. but there was this undeniable pull between us, something i'd been trying to ignore for so long. something i didn't want to admit.

that pull was why i had been so cold to her, why i kept my distance. it wasn't because i didn't like her. it was the opposite. the fear of how drawn i was to her had twisted itself into resentment, into tension i couldn't quite explain. i had tried to convince myself it was competition, that i was just afraid of losing my place. but deep down, i knew it wasn't about that. it was about her. about what she made me feel.

and now, here i was, standing so close i could feel the heat of her skin, the curve of her lips just a breath away from mine, and it terrified me. because for a second, it felt like we were going to kiss. for a second, i wanted to.

i swallowed hard when the photographer finally called for a break. i stepped back too quickly, almost tripping over the set light behind me.
chaewon gave me this small, curious look, like she was trying to figure out what was going on in my head. i could tell she felt something too, that same electricity hanging in the air between us. but unlike me, she wasn't trying to run from it.

she had this way of pulling me in, of making me forget the reasons i'd built these walls in the first place. and it scared me, how much i wanted to let them crumble.

as i sat down in front of the mirror, dabbing at the makeup that had smeared under the hot lights, i stared at my reflection. my face looked calm, indifferent even. but inside, i was a mess. every time i was near her, it was like a storm brewing under the surface, one i couldn't control.

i thought about the way she had hugged me the other day in practice. the way she'd held me, even when i wasn't sure i wanted her to. i had never let anyone get that close. but chaewon... she was different. she made it hard to keep my distance.

and that's why i had been so cold. why i had pushed her away. because being close to her—too close—was dangerous. not for her, but for me. i wasn't sure i could handle it. i wasn't sure i wanted to.

the photoshoot had forced us together in ways i wasn't prepared for, brought us even closer than the dance rehearsals had. it made me realize that what i'd been trying to avoid was exactly what was drawing me to her. and that attraction—it wasn't just physical, though it was impossible to deny how stunning she was. it was something more, something i didn't want to name.

i closed my eyes, trying to shake off the image of her lips so close to mine, of that moment where i almost forgot it was all just for show. almost forgot that we were supposed to be just colleagues.

when i opened my eyes again, she was standing behind me, her reflection in the mirror catching my gaze. she didn't say anything, just smiled—a small, tired smile—and it was like she could see straight through me.

before i could react, the photographer called us back over to review the shots.

standing side by side, the monitor flicked through the images. my breath caught in my throat. each shot was electric—our faces so close, the intimacy unmistakable. the way her fingers rested on my waist, the tilt of her head toward mine, the tension of the moment frozen in time. it was exactly what the concept needed, exactly what the company had wanted. but it was too real. too much.

in one shot, we looked like we were just a second away from kissing, our eyes locked, her lips slightly parted. i felt the heat rise in my chest again, my fingers twitching at the memory of how close we had been.

"you two look incredible," the photographer said, nodding approvingly. "this is going to sell like crazy."

chaewon glanced at me from the corner of her eye, and i could feel her watching me as the photos continued to flash on the screen. her expression was calm, but i wondered if she felt it too—this strange tension, this pull that had been building between us. maybe it wasn't just me. maybe she was feeling it too, this thing i couldn't explain.

but when the photographer finally clicked off the screen, the moment faded. the lights dimmed, the crew started packing up, and the noise of the studio filled the space where, just a moment ago, it had been just us.

i gave a quick nod to the photographer and mumbled something about needing to check my phone. i had to get out of there. away from the pictures. away from chaewon.

but as i walked toward the exit, i couldn't help but glance back. she was still standing there, watching me leave. and that same, unreadable expression was on her face.

i pushed the door open, stepping into the cooler air of the hallway, and let out a breath i hadn't realized i'd been holding.