The waiting room door flew open. Haneul straightened her training jacket, trying to act cool. Taeo fiddled with his hair in the mirror, looking even more nervous than usual.
“Ready for this?” Taeo asked, faking confidence.
“Don’t think you care. You just don’t want me to mess up,” Haneul grumbled.
Taeo grinned. “You were always this jumpy—probably even in our past life.”
Haneul glared. “Stop it with the past life stuff!”
Their manager barged in. “You two! Give us real couple vibes today. Cameras are everywhere, so look alive!”
Haneul pasted on a smile; Taeo shot her a playful wink. It was rehearsal time.
Music blasted, and they took their places center stage. They reached for each other’s hands, but after maybe two seconds, their fingers fumbled and missed. “Acting like a couple is impossible,” Haneul mumbled under her breath.
Taeo leaned in. “Is it normal for fake couples to get this nervous? Why’s my heart racing?”
“Can you actually hear it?” Haneul blushed, eyes wide.
As soon as the song ended, Sujin dashed over. “Why do you two look so awkward holding hands? It’s totally obvious!”
Both blurted, “We’re NOT awkward!”
Sujin smirked. “Prove it. Take a cute couple selfie. Right now!”
They froze. Taeo tried to sling an arm over Haneul’s shoulder but hesitated. Haneul, not knowing where to put her hands, stiffened. A long, awkward silence.
“Hurry up!” Sujin urged.
Finally, they snapped a forced-close selfie. Just then, Taeo’s hand brushed Haneul’s hair, and both suddenly flashed to a memory from their past lives.
Startled, Haneul pulled away. “What’s wrong with you?!”
Taeo, red-faced, stammered, “I don’t know… Every time we’re on stage, weird memories—”
Right then, their manager shouted, “Next stage, you two are holding hands! Like real lovers!”
Both faces went cherry red. They stared at each other in awkward silence, the next performance looming in their minds. What on earth would happen now?