stardust [choi soobin]

[02] scintilla.

scintilla

(n.) a tiny, bright flash or spark; a small thing; a barely visible trace.

⌂

KIM TAENA

Breathe in, in through your nose and out through your mouth – in through your nose and out thro –

"Taena, focus." Jimin warns her, watching her eyes as her eyelids flutter open. It's a particularly cloudy day, and Taena feels as if the weather has taken over her soul. Her legs refuse to listen to their commands, and she can feel Jimin's frustration rolling in waves off him.

She's disappointing him; she's disappointing them all.

She nods, wiping away any thought of her previous attempts. In this moment, it's a new page – a new step and Jimin is watching her, giving up his time when he could be teaching a class and making money, just for her – just for her brother too.

Taena tries not to giggle as she thinks about how Jimin always struggles with his words in front of Jin, yet her brother is completely oblivious to his feelings. Taena isn't sure if Jin has ever had a girlfriend or boyfriend; he's never had the time and it wasn't something they discussed at all.

Jimin places the flat on his palms on her body; one on her torso, making her suck her breath in because his hand is cold. The other is flat against her mid-back and her posture straightens immediately. "You're not focusing," is all he tells her.

"I'm sorry," she apologises, "I will try once more."

"Not once more," Jimin warns slowly, "three more times and then you go home and sleep."

She knows she can't. She'll have the step down on the second try if she really tries, and then she'll go in to Coffee Please, just to cover Hoseok's shift. She promised him, and it was not as if she had gone in for the last three days.

She begins again, her arms stretching over her head as Jimin observes her movement. When he stares too hard, she takes it as her cue to be more fluid with her movements. She'll get it right, she knows she will.

After two more tries as Jimin had instructed, Taena leans against the wall as she tries to catch her breathe. Jimin hands her a water bottle and she accepts it with a grateful smile. "You know I don't mean to be so harsh on you, it's just that I know how important this is to you." Taena knows, and she knows how much this means to everyone.

The Fine Arts was a special institution that only the best of the best got into. Even Jimin had applied for contemporary dancing there, but he did not make it to the audition stage. Taena still remembers the day; he had cried in Jin's arms for at least four hours and Jin had let him.

When the letter arrived and stated that Taena had made it through, no one had been happier than Jimin. He had promised her entire family that she would make it through, even if it was the last thing he did. He scares Taena, but she supposes that it's okay. He always means well.