"What was that about?" Jungkook asked after the masked student finally released me from the clutches of his predatory stare.

"I'm not sure," I answered honestly, unease building up in my chest.

"I've never seen him do that before."

"Do what?" I frowned and turned to Jungkook.

"Stare at someone like that. Usually, he tries to avoid eye contact," he said, rather perturbed.

Suspicious that he was speaking so knowingly about Hoseok, I questioned him, "Are you two friends?"

Jungkook snickered. "He's not the friendly type. He keeps to himself, and everyone is too intimidated by his oh-so-friendly demeanor to approach him anyways."

"But you know him, right? You worked together on that dance," I pressed, only faintly aware that I was being so curious—probably too much for my own good.

Jungkook watched me carefully, eyes scanning over my face before he answered, "I don't know him. We just make a good team when it comes to performances, so we collaborate often." Something in his tone told me not to press further, but I ignored it to ask one final thing.

"Does he always wear that mask?"

"Always," came his swift reply.

"But why would—"

"Alright, we still have an hour left of the period, so why don't we start by practicing some techniques at the barre," the professor's authoritative voice rang out. "If you notice your partner struggling, help them. You two are responsible for each other now."

Jungkook glanced at me once, his expression less friendly than before. His mouth fell into a neutral line and I nearly reeled at the stark shift in his energy. In an instant, he went from a welcoming partner to a controlled and focused dancer. I wondered if perhaps it finally sunk in that he had a newbie as a partner, and there was a chance I would stunt his success with my perceived lesser skills.

Whether that was an accurate guess to his change in mood or not, I knew now was the time to prove myself as a capable performer. We may have just been going over basic moves, but a lot could be revealed about a dancer by their technique at the barre. Strength, fluidity, form, control—the barre provided the perfect opportunity to assess one's ability to create beautiful, powerful shapes with their body.

After we'd changed into our ballet shoes, moved our chairs to the side and cleared the space on the back wall, we all lined up at the barre, placing our hands on the wood as we waited for the professor to instruct us on what to do.

She went to the stereo and pressed a few buttons, then slow-paced classical music flowed from the mounted speakers down to our ears.

We were directed to start with stretches, and once we were warmed up, she instructed us to do basic moves that showed off our stability, positioning, posture, and flexibility. I must've done them a thousand times over the years. It should have been as easy as breathing, but I found myself overthinking, fretting every movement. Then, magnifying my nerves by tenfold, the corner of my vision caught sight of the choreography student, Hoseok.

I couldn't help but compare him to a hawk. He was hovering past each student slowly, his unforgiving eyes assessing every minuscule detail. He took his time as he searched for any mistake, circling his prey until the opportune moment presented itself. Then it did—a mere slip of my foot—and he dove in for the kill.

"Your turnout is sloppy." His words were the talons that dug deep into my skin, his voice mercilessly sharp despite the mask he wore. "You're inconsistent and your shoulders are rolling forward." The rumble from his tone traveled from his body to mine, and I realized how close he was, looming down at me scrutinizingly.

I caught his eyes for a brief second, just long enough to notice the amusement he failed to keep at bay. He knew he was embarrassing me, and he was enjoying every moment of it.

I wanted to glare at him, argue with him, but he was right. What he pointed out was true, though that didn't make me any less upset. His aura, his heavy stare was the main cause of my error, and him pointing them out in front of everyone only made my anger grow. I was nothing less than humiliated, having been admonished over such easy techniques on the first day of class.

"I realize today is your first day and you may be nervous, but Hoseok is right. Fix it and let's move on," said the professor icily.

With the dull burn of embarrassment and anger invading my chest, I adjusted my form, turning my feet out further and elongating my spine, drawing my shoulders back as tightly as I could. My chin tilted up, head rising high despite the urge to curl in on myself. With a clenched jaw, control became my sole focus.

This is what it's going to be like now, Jangmi. You just have to suck it up and get used to it. I wouldn't have been quite as bitter about the scolding if it had been done by the professor, but the fact that a fellow student—an upperclassman or not—had done it, stung so much more.

The Hawk finally released me from his gaze, freeing me of the captivity I was held under as he shifted his sights to new prey.

The rest of the class period inched by slowly, and I was careful to prevent my eyes from ever meeting his again. I could sense that he was watching me, and part of me wanted nothing more than to march right up to him and give him a piece of my mind. But I'd experienced enough embarrassment for my first day, so I kept myself collected.

Eventually, the two hours were up. Everyone swiftly changed into their regular shoes and filed out of the classroom, the tense atmosphere dissipating. As I made my way out the door, someone's firm hand grasped my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.

My stomach plummeted.

I turned to meet my captor, expecting to find a mask-covered face, but relief came like rushing water as Jungkook's eyes met mine.

"A few friends and I are hanging out tonight. I'll meet you at Gisaeng Hall at eight. Be there," he said firmly. Then he left before I could even open my mouth. I stared at the back of his head as he walked off.

"What was that about?" Jimin asked after coming up beside me.

My head shook. "I'm not sure. He invited me—well, more like ordered me to come to some hangout tonight."

"Ah, I was just going to tell you about that. I'll be there, you should come with."

"A party? On the first day of school? Me?" I gave him an incredulous look and he laughed.

"It's not what you're thinking. It's just me, Jungkook, and a few other friends of ours. We have this secret spot we'll take you to. Don't worry, we're not going to do anything crazy," he assured, but my eyes still narrowed.

"Will there be any other girls there?"

He shrugged. "If any of the guys bring one. It's usually just us though."

"Usually?"

"We do this a lot. It's sort of a tradition."

"I see," I said as we began walking together. "I'll think about it. So you're friends with Jungkook?"

"Yeah, we had a few classes together last year. He introduced me to a lot of his friends. He can be a little... strange sometimes, but he's a nice guy."

I thought back to how Jungkook had immediately touched my hair, breaking down boundaries that a stranger normally would stay away from. Perhaps that's what Jimin meant by 'strange'.

As we went together toward my next class, which Jimin insisted on walking me to, I remembered the note from last night.

"Hey, I have to tell you something."

He quirked a brow. "What's up?"

"I found a letter in my room last night," I said vaguely, unsure of how to explain it to him.

"A letter? What kind of letter?"

"Like a hand-written message with my name on it, " I answered, noticing how unfazed he seemed.

"I don't see the problem. Was it a letter from admissions or something?"

"No, no. I think it was from a student. They were talking like they knew me. They said they've been waiting for a long time and they can't wait to see me. It creeped me out."

Jimin scowled, finally concerned. Protectiveness swirled in his eyes, his expression growing serious. "Did they sign their name?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Why didn't you call me or text me? You were probably all freaked out, I could have helped calm you down."

"I don't know. I could barely think straight, let alone form coherent sentences. Besides, I kind of figured that you knocked out as soon as you got back to your dorm."

Jimin clicked his tongue. "Next time, call me. I want you to rely on me, Jangmi. Let me be there for you when you need me, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed, sending him a thankful smile. We continued walking, then Jimin asked something that nearly sent my clumsy ass to the floor.

"Do you think it was Jin?"

He caught me before I could trip, chuckling at my dramatic reaction.

"I kind of... forgot that he goes here," I said under my breath, squeezing my eyes shut.

"How could you have forgotten? He was your boyfriend!" Jimin exclaimed, thwacking the back of my head with his palm.

"Ouch!" I smacked his chest in retaliation. "Maybe my brain blocked it out due to wishful thinking."

He rolled his eyes. "I told you I see him around a lot."

"Yeah, but—wait, a lot? You said you see him every once in a while. How much is a lot?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at the guilt that swarmed his features.

"He may or may not be part of that group with Jungkook," he mumbled, lips forming a pout of mock innocence.

I scoffed. "I can't believe you! You've been buddying up to my ex since last year and you never even told me!"

Jimin raised his hands in surrender, but he was clearly holding back laughter. "Hey, I'm not all buddy-buddy with him. He just happens to be in the same friend group, that's all. Besides, it's not like I have a reason to hate him, right?"

"No, I guess not." I quieted at his comment. Jimin didn't know all there was to the story between Jin and me, so I couldn't blame him for not going out of his way to avoid him.

"Come on, he's a nice guy. It's been a year, I'm sure you two can be civil with each other."

"Yeah, I'm sure we can," I replied, feigning a smile to reassure him.

"Jangmi?" he spoke as we finally reached the building that held my next class. His fingers found my chin as they always did, tilting my head up to meet his comforting, warm eyes—only they were colder than normal, holding uncharacteristic soberness in them.

"If you get another letter, tell me." His voice grew lower and my heart leaped, the fear I'd tried to brush aside coming down on me all at once.

"I will," I promised.

"Good." He paused, ruminating on what he wanted to say next. Finally, he did, barely letting the words reach my ears before he walked away.

"Be sure to lock your door."

• • •

A/N: Another one down! Even though it was a tiny interaction, what are your thoughts on Hoseok so far? Next chapter will be more exciting as we'll get to see more characters! Thank you all for the support so far ♡

-Hoseokiiss