Ha-neul wakes up to her alarm blaring.
‘Ugh… morning meeting today.’ She checks her phone and sighs.
A reminder blinks on her messenger app. Ha-neul rehearses her expression in the mirror, trying to look relaxed.
“It’s fine, just a normal chat. Right?”
But her heart isn’t buying it.
In front of the practice room, Tae-oh is already waiting.
“Morning. You got called for the meeting too?”
They exchange a look, both surprised, both awkward. The hallway is way too quiet.
Tae-oh clears his throat.
“About yesterday… I kept thinking about what we talked about.”
Ha-neul drops her gaze.
“Yeah. I mean… do you think it was real? Or were we just tired and imagining things?”
A short silence. Then the manager bursts out, clipboard in hand.
“Good, both here! Special mission today: ask each other one honest question. No lying—I’ll know right away.”
Both stare, wide-eyed.
“Seriously? Is this some weird acting test now?”
The manager just grins.
“Call it team-building. I need you to be natural on stage. Who’s first?”
Tae-oh raises his hand.
“Alright, I’ll go. Ha-neul, when you held my hand on stage—were you really nervous, or just acting?”
Ha-neul goes pink, flustered by the question. After a pause, she admits:
“Honestly… maybe a little real? I have no clue why.”
There’s an awkward, blushing silence.
Ha-neul’s turn.
“Then, Tae-oh… why do you always act like you’re avoiding me? Is it because you don’t like me?”
Tae-oh waves his hands, panicking.
“No! It’s not that—just… I get confused. I keep thinking about you.”
The manager nods, looking far too pleased.
“Great job, mission complete. I like this energy. Rest up—we start joint practice soon.”
They step into the hallway, voices dropping to whispers.
“Did we just… actually say what we feel?”
“Yeah… I think it’s impossible to lie now.”
They laugh, nerves still buzzing, when Su-jin and Ji-min appear at the end of the hall.
“Whoa, what’s with this vibe? Lovebirds at sunrise or something?”
Ha-neul and Tae-oh freeze, rapidly glancing at each other.
As their fingers brush, that mysterious past-life flutter rushes in again.
Startled, Ha-neul tries to pull her hand away, but her eyes meet Tae-oh’s for a split second.
Suddenly, Woo-seok’s voice rings out from the practice room.
“Everyone in! Choreo’s changed—get your butts inside!”
With their hearts racing, Ha-neul and Tae-oh head into the room, together.