Love Maze | BTS 8TH Member

항상 (Hangsang)

The sky wore the night like a dark leather jacket; the twinkling stars were few and flickering in the polluted capital, like white paint had been flicked onto the leather. The frozen lakes had begun to melt away as March whispered around the corner.

The Bighit building stood quivering in the cold. Inside, a few trainees hurried around, packing up their belongings quickly before any instructor could hold them back from a few peaceful hours of sleep.

Arin walked into a practice room, thinking it was empty. A young boy was dancing inside, his moves fluid. She stood at the door, staring shamelessly at the talented trainee. He seemed to dance way better than her.

When the music ended, he breathed heavily on the floor. Arin began clapping, the sound echoing in the practice room.

The boy quickly got up. Looking at the idol in front of him, his dark, foxy eyes widened. He gathered his things, bowing repeatedly.

"I'm so sorry, sunbaenim! You can use the studio; I was going to head back to my dorm anyway!" he rambled.

Arin stepped inside. "You dance so well, hoobae! It reminded me of Hobi."

His eyes widened more at her compliment. "Ah—no, no—I'm just a trainee."

"You're really talented," Arin pressed. "What's your name?"

The boy hesitated. "Umm..."

"Yeonjun."

The female idol's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah~ so you're the Legendary Trainee! I've heard a lot about you. You're the one ranking first in all the classes, hm?"

Yeonjun rubbed his elbow shyly. "Thank you, sunbaenim."

Arin walked up to him and patted his shoulder. "Call me noona."

"No, no—how can I call you that, sunbaenim?"

"Just call me noona. It's chill." She smiled. "Alright then, you're heading to your dorm now?"

He nodded.

"I'll see you later then. Don't hesitate to ask me if you need any help or advice on anything," Arin offered.

Yeonjun smiled at her before exiting the room. Arin gazed at the closed door for a while before turning to stretch.

She and the boys had returned to Korea from China earlier that day. The jet lag tried to lull her to sleep, but she pushed it to the back of her mind, setting up the music. Quickly placing her phone against the mirrored walls, she began recording herself.

The beat began softly as angsty lyrics filled the room. She began dancing, practicing the choreo with as much vigour as she could expend.

Her moves were smooth as she danced to 'I Need U'. She had mastered the intense footwork, but the body rolls were still a pain in the ass.

Okay—maybe not that annoying. She was able to do the body rolls, just not with as much fluidity as the others.

When the music ended, she hurried to her phone and ended the recording. Sitting cross-legged on the linoleum, she watched the video of herself, assessing her dance. A frown painted her face, deepening as the video neared its end.

The screen turned black, leaving Arin to stare at her sweaty reflection.

Her dance was too clunky, too mechanical. The feelings required to express the emotional angst in the song weren't visible in her moves. She looked like a robot trying to learn how to dance, thinking it could become a human.

Everything felt wrong. Everything she did was wrong.

"If you scowl any more, you're gonna get wrinkles before the comeback," a voice resounded behind her.