toxic | nct dream

42. beginning of the apocalypse

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Xia made her way down to the end of the hall, small stack of papers tucked in between her crossed arms and chest, that rose and fell with every deep breath she took.

She had prepared herself for this. Seeing him again, and how to politely distance herself in a way that was firm and clear while also abiding to the cultural norms of the office.

In truth, she may have thought about that hypothetical too much, delving into every possible outcome, including the beginning of the apocalypse.

But the likelihood of interacting with him was too high. She needed to be prepared.

Taking one long deep breath, she knocked on the studio door hoping that this would all be over soon, without any incident.

The music inside wasn't that loud but she could imagine that the occupants of the room hadn't heard her.

Instead of just standing outside like some crazy stalker, she slowly pushed the door open to reveal the stuffy studio.

They really need to open a window, she thought.

However, upon further inspection she noticed that the room didn't have any windows. Just three walls of mirrors and the closest wall (with the door) that had a long couch and the panel to adjust the audio.

Jisung stood at the far end of the room, too engrossed with watching the young dancers with a hawk-like focus to notice the woman's presence.

He took in their every movement, checking for mistakes or missteps.

Once the song ended and the dancers collapsed onto the floor in satisfied exhaustion, the man saw her.

His eyes lit up at only the sight of her, pleasantly surprised.

"Xia!" He shouted, without thought.

An awkward air swept through the room as his sudden exclamation registered in the brains of all those inside the room.

Stunned, Xia quickly tried to recover in order to save face. Rumors were the last thing she needed.

"Mr. Park," she replied, emphasizing the 'mister'.

Jisung shook his head and slowly approached her. "Right. Ms. Liang, is there something I can help you with?"

The girl found it cute how he attempted to play it cool but the bright red that dusted his cheeks gave him away like the worst poker player in the world.

His hands pushed the sleeves of his sweatshirt up his arms, then wiped down on his pants as if he had no clue what to do with them. An uncertain look in his eyes.

"Jisung-hyung has a girlfriend," one of the young dancers joked to his friends, followed by a bunch of snickering from the small group.

Xia let out a sigh, already this wasn't working out the best, but at least the world was still intact.

For now.

"I have a report I need to give you. Is it a bad time?" She asked.

"No. Not at all," the man immediately responded. Hands up for emphasis. "We were just finishing up anyways. Give me a moment and I'll be right with you."

All she could do was stand off to the side and observe the way he interacted with the dancers as he ushered them out. Giving them last pieces of advice and encouragement, and making sure each one left with confidence in their abilities and the determination to improve upon them.

He's a good instructor, she thought for a brief second. It was a similar thought to the one that came to her mind that night she first met him and he had taught her that 'dirty' dance.

She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks as she began to remember that moment in detail.

Finally, all the other dancers left, leaving the not-couple alone for the first time since that night.

Jisung closed the door behind him and walked over to the girl.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your—"

Before Xia could finish her sentence, he wrapped his arms around her small frame and pressed her up against his chest in a tight hug.

"Love, you came back."

—

cont.

And we're back!