⁺◦ 𝔥𝔬𝔱 | 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 .

↳ 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝟖 .

chan was on the verge of a confession when ms. kim asked him to leave the studio. well, she didn't really ask him to leave. instead of verbally telling him to leave, she jerked a crooked finger at him and then drew a line towards the door.

naturally, ms.kim is a woman of many words. whenever there's something that she's unhappy with, she won't think twice to let you know. so, you fall silent and still when you realize that her quietness is nothing more than a disguise to hide the full depth of her anger.

she hugs her clipboard, then the corners of her mouth tilt upwards until she's smiling like the joker. she takes a long look at you and minghao.

"do you two know why i paired you with each other?"

you wait until you watch the door shut behind chan to answer ms. kim's question. "because someone had to replace chan."

"because (y/n) can't compete without a dance partner." minghao answers at the same time that you do, but ms. kim doesn't correct either of you.

nodding her head and clicking her tongue, ms. kim surveys the both of you with careful eyes. her eyes pierce through and minghao until you feel uncomfortable. "did you two do the homework assignment that i gave you?"

usually, you do the best that you can to avoid looking minghao right in the eye, but you and he share a knowing glance when she mentions the homework assignment. there's no limit to her creativity when it comes to punishing students who don't do as they're told, and you can't help but fixate on the fact that she can see that you're lying through your teeth. "yes, we did the assignment."

minghao scoffs at your statement, which puts a dent in your credibility.

"tell me five things that you two know about each other." you gasp at her demand because it's impossible for you to not fail. "if you completed the assignment that i gave to you, then this should be a breeze. however, your silence is telling me all that i need to know, (y/n)."

ms. kim does what she always does whenever her thoughts are moving a mile a minute: she writes on the piece of paper that's being held by her clipboard.

"ms. kim, with all due respect, i thought that chan would already be back by now. so, i didn't think it was necessary to complete the assignment with minghao. that's why i didn't do it. i know what you think of me, but i wasn't trying to be disrespectful, i just-" you start, trying to get her to stop writing.

"(y/n)," it seems minghao doesn't want to watch you beg ms.kim to let this assignment go once and for all, but you don't care what minghao wants.

right now, all you can think of are all of the terribly creative punishments that ms. kim's dreaming up.

"i will do whatever you ask of me, ms. kim. if you want me to mop the floors, i'll do it. if you want me to clean the mirrors until they're spotless, then i'll gladly do it. i'll even try and do the lift that you and minghao want me to do, even though i don't trust him whatsoever. i'll do anything that you want, as long as i don't have to complete the assignment with minghao."

"see," the pen that ms. kim is holding is pointed towards where you're standing. "that is the very reason why you and minghao must complete this assignment. you not trusting your dance partner is a huge problem, (y/n). i understand that you and minghao aren't particularly fond of one another, but i'm not asking you two to be friends or lovers. you two can hate each for all i care, but when you step into this studio or on a stage with one another, i need you two to work together. to do that, you have to trust one another."

"ms. kim, i do trust him. i'm just afraid of the lift."

nearly every dancer in the company mentioned just how frightening ms. kim can be when she's frustrated, but you thought everyone was exaggerating. now, seeing the look on her face and watching the way that her grip on her pencil is so strong that it might snap in two at any second, you realize that your peers weren't overstating the truth.

"in all of the years that you've been a student here, you've never said that. so, why are you afraid now, (y/n)?"

you bite the inside of your cheek before trying to feed ms. kim another lie."i'm not sure,"

"if he were chan, then-"

some emotion that you've been bottling up for days takes ahold of you. before you can stop yourself from making things worse, you tell ms. kim what's really on your mind."he isn't chan, ms. kim! you might be able to pretend that he is because you're not the one who's dancing with him, but i can't do that." you pause, while taking a shallow breath. "chan is my best friend, and he's been my dance partner ever since i started dancing. i trust him with my life, ms. kim, and i don't think i'll ever feel that way about anyone else."

"okay, then my job here is done." with evident resignation, ms. kim tucks her pencil behind her ear.

she looks between you and minghao with utter disappointment written all over her face. she leaves the studio at once, but that's not what scares you. the thing that sends a cold chill down your spine is the sound of her locking the door with you and minghao stuck inside the studio.