𝔻𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕪 𝔸𝕌
Life is strict and organized for Han Yunji. She's an example, an idol, someone of high value in her line of study. The only disruption? Park Jisung. But of course, that wasn't much of a bother, as she continued on with...
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Days slipped by like minutes. By the time Yunji resurfaced from the blur of relentless rehearsals and hours of talking herself into courage, she found herself backstage at the Teen Dance Competition.
If nothing else, this whole experience had taught her one thing: she was far more prone to stress than she'd ever believed.
Before the incident—as she'd named it—Yunji had been unstoppable. Brashly self-assured, never trembling, never nervous. Yet here she was, standing in the dim glow behind the stage, past the dressing room and the briefings, hands shaking as she stretched her limbs.
Maybe it was the presence of judges—renowned celebrities and dancers she'd admired from afar. Or the thought of performing for a live audience. Most likely, though, it was this: Yunji was a ballerina, not a stunt performer, and tonight she wasn't playing to her strengths. That terrified her.
A shaky breath slipped past her lips as she rolled her wrists and ankles. Her teachers had insisted she was ready—that she had the choreography down to perfection, that she'd somehow unlearned years of rigid ballet training etched into her muscles and molded herself to something new.
She'd believed them. At least, until this very moment.
So lost in her own spiraling thoughts, she didn't notice the figure stop in front of her, arms crossed and lips tugged into a smirk.
"Overthinking again?"
Her head snapped up, arms falling limply to her sides.
"No. I never overthink," she scoffed, harsher than she intended, defensive.
Jisung only chuckled, unfazed. "I've never met such an overthinking-looking person who isn't overthinking."
"Your words don't make sense. Are you sure you're not nervous?" she shot back, brow arched.
"Me? All this time, and you still don't know me at all," he sighed theatrically, then let the act drop. His smirk softened into something almost tender. "Seriously, no need to be nervous. You'll crush them."
"I'm not nervous," Yunji asserted sharply, narrowing her eyes.
He raised his arms in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. You're the definition of confidence. The queen of nonchalance."
"Ugh, you're so annoying." She rolled her eyes, but his words did loosen something in her chest.
He was getting too good at that—at cutting through her tension, grounding her when she threatened to unravel. Damn him.
"Oh? Do I hear someone is nervous over here?"
Both turned to see another pair of dancers sauntering closer, smug grins plastered on their faces.
'Yesung Arts,' Yunji recognized instantly, recalling their names from the briefing sheets.
"Aren't you the ballet girl?" Jiyeon, the girl, asked with a curl of her lip. "Everyone's talking about you."
