"Jangmi, may I speak with you?"

"Sure," I replied, out of breath due to both my dive away from the sketchbook and the commanding undertone in Hoseok's voice.

I got up and walked over to the two of them, meeting Jungkook's curious gaze before surrendering to the masked man's golden eyes. Hoseok turned around and exited the room.

"Don't look so nervous," Jungkook smiled as he reached up and pat my head. I scowled at his actions.

"Don't pat me," I muttered, taking his wrist and bringing his arm down before moving out to the hall and closing the door behind me.

Hoseok stood a few feet away, leaning his back against the wall across from me. I matched his stance, resting against the door. His shoulders and chest swelled from the deep breath he took, then his gaze zeroed in on mine.

"What are you doing?"

I felt my brows pull together. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you alone in a boy's dorm room this late at night?" he asked in a controlled voice. The faint vexation that iced over his pupils did not go unnoticed, however.

I didn't stand a chance at hiding my emotions. His words were entirely unexpected and a rush of confusion and disbelief went over my features before I could even think of stopping them.

"First of all, it's not really any of your business," I replied brusquely. "Second, Jimin was with me too, he just went somewhere for a few minutes."

He snickered, crossing his arms. "Right, because being alone with two guys is so much better than one."

My eyes narrowed. "Why do you even care? We barely know each other."

My senses grew more alert, breaths more rapid as he suddenly pushed off from the wall, taking steps forward until he was close enough for me to pick up on his woodsy scent.

"You're right, it's none of my business. I suppose I'm just at a loss for why you seem to be far more comfortable around others than you are with me."

The beating of my heart slowed as I heard the way his voice lowered, almost somberly. The frost in his eyes seemed to melt, granting me a glimpse beyond that frozen exterior. In that millisecond I was not staring at the cold, intimidating masked choreographer but a lonely soul who ached for something - someone.

"Do you really not know why I'm nervous around you?" I asked gently, "You wear this off-putting mask, you never praise any students in class but you always manage to find everything they do wrong, you're incredibly gifted at what you do yet you only seem to let one person perform your dances, and you don't exactly go out of your way to talk to anyone. You're really intimidating."

He took half a step nearer, his larger frame filling my vision. "I went out of my way to talk to you, Jangmi," he softly said.

My head was spinning from how out of character this was of him. The manner in which he spoke seemed so surprisingly genuine and I felt myself slipping into the belief that he may have actually cared about me somehow. There was no way of knowing if my fall would land me in a lair of deception or a stronghold of sincerity.

Despite the way he intimidated me so, the way he put me on edge, I couldn't help but yearn to believe him and trust him. I was fighting against letting my guard down since the moment I first read those handwritten letters, but something about the man standing in front of me made me want to drop all my walls and help him do the same.

I didn't understand it. He made me so nervous and he was far too mysterious to blindly trust, yet that was all I wished to do.

"Why?" I whispered, looking up at him. I observed the reddish brown waves that fell over his eyes, the dark eyebrows that hid beneath the curtain of his hair, the black lashes that framed his honey-colored irises. In a daze, I added, "Why me?"

He seemed to dip into his own trance, his gaze sweeping over my face with what could only be described as appreciation. His hand slowly lifted, hesitantly reaching for my face, and I noted that he was not wearing gloves. My lips parted as a faint breath fell from my mouth, just as the back of his hand tenderly began brushing over my cheek.

It was a split second. One moment I was feeling the warmth of his touch, then suddenly that warmth spiked into something hot, like red embers sparking at the contact of our skin. He retracted his hand quickly as if he'd been burned, then he cursed under his breath.

"I'm sorry, that was wrong of me."

Still recovering from the odd sensation our contact created, I looked at him in confusion. "What was wrong?"

"Touching you without permission," he answered, still maintaining his close proximity with me.

It was his nearness, the depth and grace in his voice, and his unanticipated words that momentarily stole my breath away. I could feel a rosy blush creep onto my cheeks and I had to break free of his gaze for a moment.

"You're off," I mumbled, meeting his eyes again once my blush had cooled down. "I'm comfortable with Jimin because I grew up with him, but I'm not exactly comfortable with anyone else right now," I spoke candidly.

His brows furrowed as he carefully took in my expression. I failed to decipher what he was thinking.

"Be careful. Jungkook is trustworthy enough, but maybe just... try to avoid being out late at night," he said quietly before finally stepping back.

I was at a loss of what to think or how to react to this other side of him, but he didn't give me the time to figure it out.

"See you at our next lesson." Hoseok's eyes scanned my face once more before he walked away.

I stared at his back until he was out of sight, wondering more things than I could count.

"What did he say?" Jungkook asked as soon as I reentered his room.

I shook my head, moving to sit on the edge of his bed. "He just wanted to talk to me about our next lesson," I lied, though I was unsure why I chose to do so.

The interactions Hoseok and I shared felt, for some inexplicable reason, private. Like whatever happened between us was only for us to know. I had no comprehension of it, but it felt wrong to share what we'd talked about with anyone else.

"Did he mention anything about me?" Jungkook pressed, his dark eyes searching mine.

"He wondered why I was here with you," I said dismissively. "But why did he come here in the first place? What did he need to talk to you about?"

Jungkook hummed as he moved to sit next to me, seemingly caught up in his thoughts. He failed to notice that his shoulder was flush with mine. "Nothing, really. Just some dance stuff."

He was lying. I could feel how tense his shoulders were and how careful his voice was. I couldn't be upset as I had also fibbed, but it brought an unsettling feeling upon me. Why did Hoseok seek out Jungkook so late at night? What would they have been talking about if it wasn't dance?

There were too many mysteries whirling around me, dousing me in taunting whispers.

Jungkook and I were only alone for a minute longer before Jimin burst through the door, immediately leaning his back against it after it was shut. "God, that was awful."

I chuckled and Jungkook barked out a laugh. It was only then that Jimin took in the fact that I was sitting next to his roommate, on his bed. His eyes narrowed slightly but he chose not to comment.

"Hey by the way, since it's Friday tomorrow, the guys were wanting to meet at the theatre again. Will you two be able to make it?" Jungkook asked, looking between the two of us.

I glanced at Jimin to find him already awaiting my gaze. He raised a brow questioningly, and I gave him a discreet nod. I knew he was concerned about me being around Jin, but what better time would there be to confront him than when we'd be surrounded by several other people and he has no place to run?

"We'll be there," I answered.

"Sweet," Jungkook replied, stretching his legs out and leaning back on the mattress with his elbows propping him up.

"It's pretty late now, we should get going," Jimin announced.

"What are you two even doing that requires you to spend the night in her room? You're not hooking up, are you?"

"What?"

"Of course not!"

A grin stretched over Jungkook's lips at our response. "Okay, okay. I guess it's none of my business anyway, right?" he paused, his face growing more serious, "But you know it's already past curfew, right? They have security patrolling the grounds until like five in the morning."

"Damn, I forgot about that," Jimin muttered.

"Why don't you guys just stay here for the night?"

"I didn't bring anything to sleep in and I won't have my backpack with me when I need to go to class," I said.

Jungkook shrugged, "I'm sure Jimin has something you can wear. And you would lose just as much sleep going back to your dorm now as you would if you have to go there in the morning."

His points didn't leave much room for argument, so we agreed to stay. Jimin scavenged his dresser for clothes I could change into, finally tossing me a loose grey tee. After digging through his clothes some more, he turned back to me with empty hands.

"I really need to do laundry," he said sheepishly.

I scoffed. "It's fine, I can sleep in my jeans."

Jimin looked guilty. "But that's not comfortable."

Jungkook abruptly stood from his spot beside me and moved to his dresser, quickly pulling out a pair of black sweatpants. He came over and handed them to me with a lazy smile, and the hint of anticipation on his face made butterfly wings flitter within me.

"Alright, I'm going over to the kitchen to change. Prying eyes are not allowed," I said sternly, going over to the small kitchen area that hid me a bit from view.

After changing into the too-long sweatpants - rolling the waistband up so they fit better - and the slightly loose tee, I walked back out. Jimin smiled at me, but when I caught sight of Jungkook, I found his eyes running over my body, then he met my gaze and looked away with a faint pink dusting his cheeks.

I did my best to not react the same way.

Looking tentatively over at Jimin's bed, I noted the way different items were scattered all over it. "How do you expect me to sleep there?"

Jimin scoffed. "It's not that bad."

"Yes, it is," Jungkook interfered, bringing a laugh out of me. His eyes found mine again and he smirked, his previous shyness long gone, replaced by a far more expected playfulness. "You know, my bed is basically spotless. You could always join me instead of your whirlwind of a friend over there."

I cleared my throat, thrown off by how confidently he'd just invited me into his bed.

"Keep dreaming, pal. I can easily take care of this, just give me a minute," Jimin stated.

It took longer than a minute, but he managed to clear everything off of his bed and threw it all into a pile on the floor. I rolled my eyes before hopping onto the mattress and pulling the covers over me. The lights went off and I felt Jimin slide in beside me.

Rest did not come easily. The vision of the cloaked figure still hung over me, making sleep seem like a trap rather than an escape. It was only the light snoring of my best friend and the presence of the two males that eventually helped me to drift off.

Surprisingly, and much to my relief, I was free of any unwelcome visitors that night. I woke up to the sound of my alarm and instantly smiled, enjoying the brief sense of victory for having a peaceful dream.

Quietly dressing back into my own clothing, I placed the shirt and sweatpants on the edge of Jimin's bed. I exited the room after whispering a 'see you guys later' to the snoring pair.

The day passed slowly, the only remotely interesting part being when Taehyung and I met in our Dance Composition class. He remained his usual uninterested self, simply humoring my attempt at small talk with short, single-word replies. I had the most difficult time reading him. I questioned if there truly wasn't much to him or if he was a book with a blank cover that hid striking contents within.

I was reminded that he was my competition when the professor mentioned the project and Taehyung's eyes brightened, gleaming like a panther's would in the dead of night.

I need to start working on my dance. I need to win.

~

Twilight fell upon the campus before I knew it, setting a violet tint along the horizon and casting the same hue over the sidewalk which my feet walked on. By the time I made it to the familiar Gothic building, all color had drained from the sky and the temperature seemed to drop the nearer I came to the entrance.

I walked in through the heavy, ornate doors, passed beneath the crystal chandelier, scaled the grand staircase, and sauntered down the hall until I reached the small door we'd gone through before. My plan was to wait until the others showed up since I was early, but when I arrived at the door, I found it cracked open.

Carefully, I pulled it farther open so that I could enter, ducking as I walked through the dark, constrictive space. As I reached the end of the tunnel, a hauntingly sweet melody kissed my ears. I paused, feeling my heartbeat rise as I predicted who was there. I stepped onto the platform as quietly as I could, moving slowly to the edge.

There, just barely visible in the dim light that streamed onto the stage was a shadowed form - his form - dancing to the music. All air froze in my lungs as I watched him dance.

He moved like water, his spine curving smoothly, limbs reaching with boundless grace. He surged with the strength of tides and flowed with the majesty of depths. His specific movements didn't even register in my mind as I simply admired the shape of him and the passion that radiated from him even with his back turned to me. I was breathless, I was wonderstruck, but most of all, I was afraid.

Afraid of how powerfully he seemed to cast a spell over me. Afraid of how incredibly beautiful I found him to be. Afraid of how undeniably drawn to him I felt.

I was abruptly torn from my trance as I remembered that the others were coming. As much as I didn't want him to learn that I was spying, the need to warn him was stronger. He had a reason for not dancing in front of anyone, and I found myself wanting to protect that, even when I didn't understand it.

"Hoseok!"

My whisper-shout made him freeze in his spot, then he whirled around and peered up at me silently like he was too surprised to find words.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you," I said gently, hands gripping the railing as nerves gnawed away at my stomach. "I would have left but my friends are going to be here any minute. I wanted to tell you so you can leave before they get here."

He didn't speak and it took him a while to finally move. When he did, he quickly picked up his phone and turned the music off, pulled his shoes back onto his bare feet, then he was swiftly climbing the ladder up to the platform. He straightened out tall and stared into my eyes with intensity, still not saying a word. With a step closer, he towered over me, letting the tension build. Finally, in one swift movement, he brushed past me and left.

Two words, simple yet enough to send tingles over my skin from the way they lingered in the air, were uttered before he closed the door.

"Thank you." 

• • •

A/N: HOSEOK. Even though this chapter wasn't long, I hope the awaited Hobi content makes up for it! What do you guys think about his talk with Jangmi at the beginning of the chapter? Was he jealous? Why do you think Hoseok has gone out of his way to interact with her? We caught a glimpse of a milder side of him, didn't we? And what was up with that reaction from their touch? :)

I can't tell you how excited I am for their story to pick up. It may be a slow burn, but it's a fiery one, too. Can't wait to get to some very special scenes I have planned!

Next chapter we'll get to meet with all the other members again! Who are you most looking forward to seeing Jangmi interact with in the next update?

Thank you for your continuing support and encouragement! Your comments mean the world to me and seeing your excitement over this story still going makes me so happy. You all are amazing <3

With love,

-Hoseokiss (Kat)

June 17, 2020