Dance Partners || N.NK ||

Part 50/S2

"Do you... want to see them?" Ni-ki asked, his voice careful, his hand still holding yours.

You hesitated, staring at the door as if you could see them through it.
Did you want to?
No.

After all, they only cared about what benefited them, never you.

"You know what? Why should I? I am not wasting my time on them anymore" you spoke, a sense of clarity washing over you.
You didn't wanna see or talk to them.

Ni-ki studied your face, his thumb brushing over your knuckles—a silent reassurance.

You turned to the nurse.
"Tell them to leave, please."

She nodded without hesitation.
"Of course." With that, she stepped out, closing the door behind her.

Silence settled over the room again, but this time, it wasn't heavy.
It wasn't suffocating.
It felt... freeing.

You let out a small breath, sinking into the pillows.
A strange warmth spread through you—not happiness, exactly, but relief.
You felt at ease not having to face your parents.
You felt safe in Ni-ki's presence, he was the only person you could trust yourself with.

Before you knew it, days passed, you got your phone back and finally got discharged, gradually easing back into your daily life.
Everything felt familiar yet distant, like a puzzle slowly piecing itself together.

But there was still one thing—one crucial thing—you had yet to remember.

It lingered at the edge of your mind, just out of reach.
No matter how hard you tried to grasp it, the memory refused to surface.

"Ni-ki..? Is there something you know that I don't know of?" you bluntly asked while eating your ice cream, walking down the sidewalk with your hand still intertwined with his.
"What do you mean?" Ni-ki questioned, glancing at you with confusion.

"There is a memory at the back for my mind that just refuses to resurface" you explained.

Ni-ki stayed silent for a moment, his grip on your hand tightening just slightly.

You watched as he hesitated, his expression unreadable.

"Yn..." he finally spoke, voice softer this time.
"Maybe... it's best if you don't force it."

"Why?" you frowned, stopping in your tracks.
He turned to face you fully, sighing.
"Because sometimes, things come back when they're ready to. Pushing too hard might just make it worse."

"But you know what it is, don't you?" you assumed, not laying your eyes off of him.

Ni-ki sighed, running a hand through his hair before looking at you again.
His lips parted as if he was about to say something, but then he stopped himself.

"Ni-ki," you pressed, stepping closer.
"If you know something, please just tell me."

He exhaled deeply.
"It's not that simple, Yn..." he spoke.
"Why not? I've remembered everything else—my past, my friendships, even my arranged marriage—but this one thing is still missing. And you're telling me you know what it is?" you questioned, knowing he knew the answers to your problems.

Ni-ki looked away, jaw clenched.
You could see the hesitation in his eyes.

And before he could say anything, someone ran past you in a hurry making your ice cream drop on the ground.
"Oh—sorry!" he apologised quickly, barely sparing you a glance before fading into the distance.

You blinked, staring at the fallen ice cream.
"Are you okay?" Ni-ki immediately turned to you, concern flickering across his face.
"Mhm" you nodded, but before you could respond, a gasp came from nearby.

"Wait...is that her?"

Your head snapped up almost immediately after hearing the voices from a distant.
A group of teenage girls stood a few feet away, whispering to each other, their eyes wide as they stared at you.

"Yn?" your stomach flipped as one of them hesitantly called you out, pulling her phone out, while the others excitedly ran up to you.

Your stomach flipped.
Why did they know your name?
Why did they look at you like you were someone important?

Before you could process all of it, one of them quickly snapped a photo.

"Could I have your autograph Yn-san?" the shortest among them nervously spoke handing you a pen and a blank paper.

Instantly, your mind flashed back to the day where you signed a stranger's phone case.

Without a word, you took the pen from her hand and signed the paper, your signature matching the one you had written a month ago.

And before you knew it, you started attracting the attention from the public.
Which could backfire any moment.
Ni-ki noticed it immediately, his expression darkening.
He took a step forward, instinctively shielding you.

"Let's go," he whispered, grabbing your hand.

Your heart pounded as he led you away, but you couldn't ignore the way people started to turn, the murmurs growing louder.

Something was wrong.

Or maybe... something was finally clicking into place.

~ To be continued
Two chapters for today cuz it's the first of the month 🫢