Ha-neul and Tae-oh found themselves alone in the practice room again. Unlike before, a quiet tension hung between them.
“Let’s try not to mess up this time,” Tae-oh broke the silence, his voice just a little too firm.
Ha-neul grabbed Tae-oh’s hand, nodding with a small smile. Instantly, that weird déjà vu feeling zipped through her—just like every time they touched. She noticed Tae-oh’s eyes flicker, trying to play it cool but totally failing.
“You felt something again, didn’t you?” Ha-neul asked, wary but a bit amused.
Tae-oh quickly let go of her hand, looking flustered.
“Nope, just hot in here. Should I turn the AC up?”
Ha-neul rolled her eyes. “Sure, and somehow it got colder the second you let go. Magic, huh?”
Awkward silence. Tae-oh, stubborn as ever, grabbed her hand again—a little tighter this time.
Suddenly, Sujin and Jimin peeked into the room, voices way too loud.
“Wow, look at this~ Sparks flying! Jealousy is real!” Sujin teased.
Jimin grinned. “Tae-oh, aren’t you worried? Ha-neul’s been hanging out with Woo-seok a lot lately!”
Tae-oh’s face went stiff. Ha-neul yanked her hand away, suddenly nervous.
“It’s not like that! It was just for practice,” she blurted.
Sujin smirked. “Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that! You two look too cute for just practice.”
Jimin elbowed Tae-oh. “Bro, your jealous face is way too obvious. Chill.”
Tae-oh’s ears turned bright red. “Jealous? Me? No way!”
Ha-neul burst out laughing. “The more you deny it, the funnier it gets.”
Suddenly, all their phones pinged at once. Manager’s message: ‘Couple dance round two, standby for new partners.’
Sujin’s eyes sparkled. “Ooooh, switching partners again? This is gonna be good.”
Ha-neul and Tae-oh locked eyes. Would they finally figure out their feelings—or just end up tangled in more misunderstanding and jealousy?