Chapter Text
"1... 2... 3... 4... and... I missed it again urghhh."
Yoo Mia groaned, frustrated by the fact that she failed to do the same move over and over again. Her class had decided to perform a dance cover for their school festival and it just happened that they chose a song from her favorite reality show - Star Produce. As a result, she was so excited that she immediately volunteered herself, even signing up for the center position. Since no one wanted to get the role, Yoo Mia immediately got the position.
At that time, the girl thought she could do anything as long as she put enough effort in. Her brother always praised her for being a fast learner, so learning a dance or two wouldn't be that much of a challenge for her. But she was wrong, deadly wrong.
Since the choreography wasn't really difficult in the first place, Yoo Mia got nearly all of her parts covered in less than a week. However, when it came to the chorus, she would always fail no matter how hard she tried. After all, that particular part was the reason why her other classmates refused to become the center.
Since practicing after school simply wasn't enough, the girl decided to spend her weekends practicing the moves until she got a hang of it. Yoo Joonghyuk still had his streaming to do, so she didn't want to disturb him by blaring music inside their house all day long. As a result, she tried to convince him to let her go to the park alone, which she only succeeded after listening to his 2-hour lecture about not following strangers and agreeing to return home on time. Sometimes, her oppa made Yoo Mia wonder whether she was in middle school or kindergarten.
And that's how the girl was here, alone in the park, dancing all by herself under the spring breeze. She wasn't aware of how much time had passed ever since she arrived at the park, but all she knew was that she still failed to perform the chorus.
"Left hand... Right leg… Urgh how did he do this..."
Yoo Mia replayed the dance practice video, paying utmost attention to the center's moves, which were already slow due to her setting the speed to 0.5x. It was easy when she watched the video, yet when she tried to do it by herself, her moves would be all messed up.
[Okay, I got this. Let's redo one more time.] She thought to herself, praying that she wouldn't fail this time too.
"1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. and..."
She failed. Utterly so. Everything had been going smoothly until she reached the chorus. At this point, Yoo Mia had half a mind to just give up.
It was then that she noticed another person dancing nearby. Judging from the moves, the man seemed to be practicing the same song as her, but his moves were nowhere as clumsy as hers. Even the chorus part that got the girl scratching her head was nothing to him, as he managed to get it through with ease
Before she knew it, Yoo Mia had long stopped looking at the dance video playing on her phone but at the stranger instead. And when he finished the song without a single bead of sweat on his forehead, she couldn't help but exclaim:
"So cool!"
The man turned his head at the sound of her exclamation, half of his face was covered by a black face mask, which in combination with a hat of the same color made others unable to discern his features. For some reason, Yoo Mia was reminded of her oppa whenever he went out. What was it called? Disguise, wasn't it? She didn't understand why he did that every time he got out of the house.
"Ah! I'm sorry for staring at you. It's just that your dancing was really cool so I..."
Yoo Mia quickly bowed to the other man, realizing that she had been staring at him without permission. It also didn't help that his dance was so captivating she couldn't think of anything else.
"Oh- it's nothing! I'm even glad that you enjoy my terrible dancing."
His voice was surprisingly clear, reminding her of the windchimes they would hang on the balcony whenever summer came. And for some reason, it sounded familiar too.
"No! Your dancing is way better than mine. Like as good as Kim Dokja himself!"
Kim Dokja was the center of the song Yoo Mia currently practicing. Deemed one of the best trainees of Star Produce, many people expected him to get first place and became the leader despite the show being only halfway through. Considering the number of fans he possessed and how talented he was, it was reasonable. The man wasn't her pick but she still had to say that he had the charm. Not that she would admit it in front of her oppa's face though.
Yoo Mia knew the stranger in front of her perfectly performed Kim Dokja's part because she herself had been observing the same man intensively for the past few weeks. At this point, she might even see him in her dreams. Don't get her wrong, she was in no way like her oppa.
"Ahaha... Is that so..."
The stranger spluttered, turning awkward all of a sudden. He must be shy, wasn't he?
"Uhm, so... are you free right now, ahjussi?"
Seeing how well the man in front of her danced, an idea popped up inside Yoo Mia's head. She could hear Yoo Joonghyuk scolding her for approaching a stranger in her mind, but she paid him no mind. After all, she was very very very desperate.
"I am. But..."
The man truthfully answered much to her delight. Without even letting him finish his sentence, she continued:
"Our class is going to perform that song for the school festival and I'm practicing for Kim Dokja's part. I got all of the other parts done but when it came to the chorus, I still don't get it no matter how much I try. You dance really well, so I thought maybe you could help me practice... Please, ahjussi..."
Yoo Mia even used her puppy eyes, which she knew full well was effective against adults.
"I only have 2 hours so let's make this quick. Little girl, you are lucky I'm a good person. Next time, don't approach strangers easily, ok?"
The man sighed before giving her the answer. He used the same voice as when her oppa scolded her, tired but with a hint of affection.
"Thank you so much, ahjussi!"
"Uhm, I'm not that old so can you call me hy-"
"Ahjussi, I'm Mia, what's your name?"
It was only now that Yoo Mia realized she hadn't introduced herself. Her oppa had repeatedly reminded her not to give out her full name to strangers, hence she only told the other her given name.
"You can call me uhm... Joonghyuk I guess."
The girl nearly said out loud that her oppa had the same name, but she managed to hold it back after remembering how rude it was.
"Then, Joonghyuk-ahjussi, I'm in your care."
Yoo Mia bowed to him once again, which earned her a small chuckle from the ahjussi in front of her. She didn't fail to notice that his eyes sparkled as he laughed, reminding her of the constellation-filled night sky they had in her hometown. From the back of her head, she couldn't help but wonder where she had seen those eyes before.
-
[Uriel123]: MURIM, HAVE YOU VOTED?
Yoo Joonghyuk was mindlessly scrolling through SNS when Uriel's message popped up. She was the first person he conversed with after joining the fandom and they had been good friends ever since. Normally, he would be too cautious to make friends with anyone but at that time, he desperately needed someone to talk about Star Produce with, hence his friendship with Uriel. It was fortunate that the woman had always been respectful and never overstepped his boundaries.
As the show had already been halfway through, the fans were entering a fierce voting battle so that their pick could debut. Being a devoted fan like he was, Yoo Joonghyuk of course did his best to make sure that his pick managed to secure a spot on the final lineup. At this point, he was ashamed to admit how much he had been spending ever since the start of the show.
[ilovedumplings]: Yes, I did.
[Uriel123]: good, I thought you forgot considering how busy you said you are :)
How could he forget to vote for his pick? After all, the man was Kim Dokja, someone who was as bright as the star. Ever since Yoo Joonghyuk first laid eyes on him, he knew that his heart had already belonged to the idol. His sister may have told him that he had a crush on Kim Dokja, but he always stubbornly refused to agree with her.
[ilovedumplings]: Anyway, have you watched the new dance practice video?
[Uriel123]: OFC I DID. our Dokja was so so so cute in it~
[ilovedumplings]: I agree. I find the chorus particularly endearing.
His heart melted whenever the song reached that part because it was then that Kim Dokja shined. If Yoo Joonghyuk was half as expressive as his sister was, he probably would scream his lungs out like she did.
[Uriel123]: IKR? Like the way he made the question mark and smiled at the camera????????
[Uriel123]: if someone didn't find that cute then imma give them a free visit to the optometrist ( ◡̀_◡́)ᕤ
[ilovedumplings]: I agree 🙂
[Uriel123]: Murim…
[Uriel123]: pls don't ever use that emoji again. it gave me a heart attack. i couldn't guess what u r thinking (╥﹏╥)
[ilovedumplings]: Why? I'm smiling 🙂
[Uriel123]: just... forget it (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)
Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't understand what was wrong with him using that emoji. His sister also told him the same thing, saying something about him sounding like an actual ahjussi every time he used that. Mind you, he was only reaching 30 years old this year, ok?
After that, he continued to chat with Uriel, and by the time he looked up from his phone, it was already getting dark outside. The house was still uncharacteristically quiet, meaning that Yoo Mia hadn't gotten home. This girl, hadn't she promised him that she would return before outside got dark?
Yoo Joonghyuk tried to call her again and again, but she didn't pick up even once. By the time he'd made the 10th failed call, the man was starting to get worried. Countless scenarios played out in his head, most of which consisted of something happening to his sister.
He remembered the girl telling him that she would go to the park nearby to practice dancing for the school festival so maybe he should check that place first. If he couldn't find her there, he would report to the police and ask for their help. From the back of his head, Yoo Joonghyuk wished that this incident didn't involve any of his sasaeng fans.
By the time Yoo Joonghyuk reached the park, it had already turned dark. He took a good look around the place and finally found his sister on the other side of the park.
"Mia!"
Yoo Joonghyuk shouted as he quickly approached where the girl was standing. It didn't take long for him to reach the spot, so he was in front of his sister in no time.
"Oppa? What are you doing here?"
Yoo Mia turned to look at him with a confused expression. For some reason, another pair of eyes were also staring at him, whose owners stood suspiciously near his sister. Said person was covering his face with a mask and a cap, so Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't make out his features. Judging from the body build and clothes style, the other must have been a young man in his 20s.
"I come to find you."
He replied to her in his usual voice, but Yoo Mia understood better than anyone that he was angry. After all, he wasn't the type to raise his voice to her whenever he got mad.
"I'm sorry, oppa... I have a lot of fun dancing so..."
The girl looked down, not daring to meet him in the eyes. Seeing his sister like that, Yoo Joonghyuk had half a mind to not scold her anymore. But being the bigger brother, he had the responsibility to tell her what was right and what was wrong.
"Next time, if you are late, remember to call me."
His voice was stern, leaving no room for Yoo Mia to retaliate. Before the girl could say anything further, he turned to the man standing next to her, a glare ready to be sent on the way:
"What business do you have with my sister?"
"Your sister asked me to teach her how to dance."
The stranger huffed, probably offended by the fact that he was considered to be suspicious. Well, he couldn't blame Yoo Joonghyuk because had he looked at his own getup?
"Mia?"
"H-he's right, oppa! I saw him dancing earlier and he danced really well so I asked him..."
The girl grabbed his sleeve, probably afraid that he would do something to the man next to him. He was protective of her, but it wouldn't be to the point of beating up every suspicious person that approached her. From the back of his head, Yoo Joonghyuk reminded himself to give his sister another lecture on not approaching strangers casually when they reached home later on.
"Then, thank you for taking care of my sister."
The hostility in his voice hadn't gone away, but at least he had stopped glaring at the other. He then quickly turned to his sister and signaled her to head back with him.
"Mia, we're-"
"Oppa, can I stay here and practice for one last time?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No is no."
"Please please please?"
The girl even gave him her puppy eyes, which she knew how weak he was to it. And surrender he did.
"Fine. But only for 5 more minutes, ok?"
Yoo Joonghyuk sighed, not forgetting to give another warning to the other man:
"Do anything funny and you're dead."
The stranger didn't say anything but chose to roll his eyes instead. It was only then that Yoo Joonghyuk realized how bright those eyes were, maybe even brighter than the constellations in the night sky. Weird, where had he seen those eyes before?
"Ok, Mia. I think you're doing good so we could dance with the music on now. What do you think?"
Ignoring Yoo Joonghyuk, the man turned to talk to Yoo Mia. His face was half-covered but Yoo Joonghyuk could see gentleness filling his eyes whenever he addressed his sister. But that alone still wasn't enough for him to steer clear of his distrust.
"Whatever you said, ahjussi!"
"I told you to stop calling me ahjussi... Anyway, are you ready?"
"More than ever!"
The other chuckled at his sister's enthusiastic response. Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't help but compare his laugh to the clear sound of windchimes on a breezy summer day. It was warm yet nostalgic at the same time.
After some moments, cheery music started to fill the quiet park and it took him less than seconds to recognize what song it was. Recently, he had been listening to it so much that he even got the lyrics memorized.
[Every day, in a movie
in a book or in a drama, I feel love
Um- I learn about love]
Yoo Joonghyuk was quite impressed to see how his sister had quickly gotten into the dancing mode. Seconds ago, she was sulking but now she was smiling to the lyrics.
But what made him more awe-struck was the other man's movements, something so dazzling that he couldn't help but keep an eye on it. It didn't help that his eyes were crinkling up like a crescent moon, an indication that he was smiling behind that mask of his. He looked like he was enjoying himself while still making sure that Yoo Mia could follow his pace.
[My heart keeps beating as if it’s my own story
Makes my heart pound and swell with hope
Um- I want to know so bad]
The song quickened and so did his heartbeat. For some reason, Yoo Joonghyuk was bewitched by the other's aura to the extent of not being able to tear his eyes off. He only felt like this whenever he watched Kim Dokja perform, yet why was he having the same sensation watching a random man on the street dancing?
He wasn't sitting on the comfortable sofa they had at home, he was only sitting on a dirty bench that probably hadn't been cleaned ever since ages. The screen was nowhere to be seen as he saw with his own eyes. Everything was different but the thrumming of his heart remained the same.
[I wanna know How it could be as sweet as candy I wanna know How it’s like flying in the sky
I wanna know know know know]
His sister was dancing smoothly in the previous parts, but when the chorus came, Yoo Joonghyuk could see her clearly struggling. He was worried that she might not be able to make it, yet the girl quickly caught up once she set her eyes on the stranger beside her. Side by side, they danced together, an aura of happiness exuding from their movements.
[What is love? What love feels like
I wanna know How it keeps you smiling all day
I wanna know How the whole world turns beautiful]
In that dimly lit park, Yoo Joonghyuk felt like he found a constellation. His mind was telling him how could a suspicious person be shining, but his heart was telling him otherwise. The sparkle in his eyes, the way he became one with the music, the eye contact they accidentally made. Everything felt surreal yet genuine at the same time. Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't help but wonder what kind of expression was the other making under his mask.
[I wanna know know know know
What is love? Will love come to me someday?]
The stranger captured the choreography perfectly. Good was an understatement for his ability. Everything about him exuded the aura of a twinkling star. The more he watched him, the more he was curious about the man. Who was he? Where did he come from? Why did he make him feel like this? So many questions were on the tip of his tongue.
Before Yoo Joonghyuk could register anything, the song had already ended. His sister looked happy as she seemed to manage to finish the whole song without making a mistake. High-spiritedly, she turned to ask him for opinions:
"Oppa! Oppa! How was I?"
"You danced very well."
He didn't know much about dancing, but he could tell that she had been putting a lot of effort into practicing. As a result, he tried to compliment her while ruffling her on the head.
"Hehe of course. I work hard for it. Oh and ahjussi is really good at dancing right?"
Yoo Mia turned to the other man's direction, who was drinking some water from his bottle. His back was facing him and his sister, so he still didn't get a chance to take a glimpse of his face.
"Yes... He is... good."
Yoo Joonghyuk carefully chose his words, not wanting to expose the fact that he had been so captivated by the other's performance that he was left at a loss for words. If his sister caught wind of it, she would tease him nonstop like the day she first showed him his pick performing on the stage.
"Only good?"
The stranger turned to look at Yoo Joonghyuk, his eyes squinting out of disapproval. It seemed like he took a lot of pride in his dancing.
"Yes, barely passable."
Well if passable means being as good as Kim Dokja then this man certainly was passable in his eyes.
"Fine. Passable then."
He huffed, his twinkling eyes looked down once again. Yoo Joonghyuk didn't have a hard time reading the other's mood since he had such expressive irises. His face might be obstructed by the accessories, but that didn't stop him from knowing that the man in front of him wanted to get acknowledgment for his dancing.
"Actually I think you-"
"Riiiiiing."
Before he could get to finish his sentence, the stranger's phone rang nonstop, forcing him to take it on the spot. The call went on for a while and ended it a troubled look on his face.
"I apologize but something happened so I must go now."
And with that, he quickly gathered his things and headed out of the park, not forgetting to bid his sister goodbye:
"Bye bye, Mia. Good luck with your school festival!"
"Bye bye ahjussi! Thank you for the lesson!"
His sister shouted with much enthusiasm, something that she would only do whenever she was comfortable with someone. Did a stranger really manage to get close to her in such a short amount of time?
"Then, I bid you farewell."
"Likewise. Thank you for taking care of my sister."
The other gave him a formal greeting, so he replied with the same courtesy. After all, he wasn't rude enough to continue to be an asshole to someone who helped his sister. Also, the loud thrumming inside his heart was too distracting for him to keep his usual guard.
Before he knew it, the stranger was gone in a blink of an eye. There were so many things that Yoo Joonghyuk wanted to ask, but he really did have no chance. It also didn't help that something was wrong with his mind, making him unable to think of anything coherent. In one way or another, Yoo Joonghyuk felt like he was returned to the day he first watched Kim Dokja perform live.