Haneul stared at the cheesy skit script like it was a secret code. Taeyo was mumbling his lines in the corner, frowning like he’d just bitten into a lemon.
“Don’t mess this up again, got it?” Haneul warned, voice barely above a whisper.
Taeyo shot her a look. “You’re the one with the giggle problem. Last time, I nearly died trying not to laugh at your ‘acting.’”
Soojin readied her phone. “This time, I want to see you two get through one scene without cracking up. I dare you!”
Both sighed in perfect sync. Haneul whispered, “We need to win, if only to shut Soojin up.”
Rehearsal started. Haneul delivered her silly line with an awkward flourish, and Taeyo responded in a mock-serious tone. But as soon as their eyes met, that oddly familiar déjà vu feeling—leftover from another lifetime—buzzed between them.
Haneul thought she was hearing voices from the past. “Here we go again,” she muttered under her breath.
Taeyo averted his gaze, desperately sticking to the script. “Princess, why do you keep running away from me?” His voice was so theatrical, Haneul nearly lost it.
“When did I ever run away!?” she snapped back, a bit too realistically.
Soojin called, “Cut! Wow, are you two actually dating? The chemistry is off the charts!”
Taeyo’s cheeks flared. “Soojin, could you not—” He glanced at Haneul and nearly burst out laughing.
Both turned away, faces red, barely holding it together. The rehearsal? Total disaster.
Jimin peeked in. “Are you flubbing on purpose? Because this comedy duo thing is giving me a heart attack. In a good way.”
Haneul riffled her script and side-eyed Taeyo. “What if we mess up onstage, just like in our past lives?”
Taeyo pretended not to hear, but beneath it all, both were buzzing with nerves and anticipation.
Their manager shouted from the hall, “Haneul, Taeyo! Prep’s done—get to the waiting room, now!”
They both jumped up. At the door, Haneul glanced over. “Do you think we can get it right this time?”
Taeyo smirked. “As long as you don’t steal my lines again.”
Haneul grinned, embarrassed.
They shared a look outside the waiting room—no words needed, just a tangle of feelings and butterflies.
Then the door burst open; Soojin and Jimin popped out.
“Don’t even think about chickening out! This time, keep a straight face!” Soojin warned.
They both nodded, but inside, each wondered, can we really pull this off?
Backstage, the air tingled with nerves, excitement—and the sense that their comic disaster was just getting started.