Dance Partners || N.NK ||

Part 52/S2

"Dad..." your lips parted.
You hadn't used that word in over a decade—ever since that night.
And now? That one simple word felt foreign...heavy.

Your father took a cautious step closer, as if not wanting to startle you.
"I didn't expect you to be here," he said, voice calm but laced with emotion.

You didn't reply, didn't move, nothing.
You only blinked rapidly, unsure of what to feel.
Anger? Relief? Confusion?

"you....left" you managed to say aloud.
"You left and never came back..."

His shoulders tensed, the guilt in his eyes unmistakable.
"I did," he admitted softly.
"I made mistakes I'll never stop regretting." your father spoke.
"But I want to make things right, Yn. If you'll let me." he added.

You glanced at Ni-ki, who looked at your father with quiet caution.

"I..." you swallowed, unsure what you were agreeing to.
"...Can we talk somewhere quieter?"

Your father nodded and gestured to a private lounge in the back of the restaurant.
The three of you followed silently, stepping into the dimly lit room away from the public gaze.

Once seated, your father looked at you carefully.
"I know I missed out on a lot..." your father spoke again, your hand clasped against Ni-ki's.
"And I'm not asking you to forgive me overnight. But... I've kept my eye on your life from afar." he said, his eyes showing the guilt he had felt over the past decade.

Your brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?"

He exhaled.
"I know you achieved your dream of becoming an idol. I know you worked hard, fought through pressure, through pain, and still rose above it. You're stronger than I ever was."

You blinked, confused.
"What dream..?" you questioned, not being able to understand the dream that your dad was talking about.
"What do you mean, what dream?" your father placed a question for you instead of replying to yours.

He didn't know you had lost your memories, not yet.

"I-I don't understand" you stuttered, saying the truth.
You glanced at Ni-Ki, as if he held answers to your confusion.

Following your gaze, your father turned his attention to Ni-ki.
"Would you mind if I spoke with you for a moment, Ni-ki-san?" your father politely asked, his tone calm but firm—requesting.

Ni-ki glanced at you for a split second, as if silently asking if it was okay.
You gave a small nod.

"Of course, Sir" Ni-ki replied, his voice respectful.

They walked out of the room, leaving you by yourself.

The conversation you had with your father, kept flashing back in your mind.
What did he mean by a dream of becoming an idol?
What else was left for you to uncover?

Suddenly, your eyes drifted to the spot where Ni-ki had been sitting just moments ago.
His phone was left behind, unlocked on his seat.

Curiously, your eyes scanned the flood of silent notifications lighting up his screen.
One after another, they appeared—like whispers of a world you'd forgotten.

Drawn by instinct more than memory, you picked the phone up.
At first, everything felt unfamiliar, distant—until your thumb hesitated over an app with a familiar name: Instagram.

You clicked on it.
The app opened to a world that seemed both strange and oddly familiar.

The screen lit up with photos, videos, and tags—your face... everywhere.
Performance clips.
Interview snapshots.
Fan edits.
Comments flooded with hearts and usernames screaming your name and others.

You scrolled slowly, your breath catching in your throat.

There you were, standing on massive stages beneath the blinding lights, dressed in stunning outfits with a black microphone in hand.

You blinked rapidly, heart pounding as a rush of blurry memories pushed against your mind like waves crashing on a fragile shore.

You quickly scrolled down, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling crawling up your spine.
And then—
A photo caught your eye.

It was you and Ni-ki, walking side by side, entering a big building, that somewhat looked familiar.
Your hand was tightly wrapped in his, the moment captured just as you both exited the what seemed like a SUV.

You could tell it wasn't staged.
There was something effortless—something real—about the way Ni-ki held your hand, as if letting go was never an option.

Your eyes darted to the background of the photo, noticing the company name sign.
Your heart skipped a beat.

Why did this feel so personal?
So real?
So... yours?

~ To be continued
Hope you liked this part...I apologise for being inactive once again! I recently got injured and became sick at the same time so my ability to write were limited for weeks.