After a week filled with training sessions with the group of seven boys, she hoped that everything would improve. However, she was mistaken. Jackson was the same every day. He stood in the corner of the room, not listening to a word Sky said and doing whatever he pleased. Jaebeom apologized to her after the training, and Sky told him he didn't need to apologize, that it was okay. Then she listened to jokes from BamBam and Yugyeom and ended the day with the company of Younghyun and half an hour leaning against the entrance door, gazing into space.

Today was no exception. Music played in the room, and Sky closely watched every move the seven boys made. She saw significant improvement since the first day, except for Youngjae, who was still lagging behind.

"You need to put your left foot in front of the right, jump and land with your feet apart," Sky stood next to Youngjae and showed him how the move should look. He watched her attentively and listened to every word she said. He wanted to learn it as quickly as possible so as not to be a burden to others. He thought he was just holding everyone else back from learning the rest.

"I just don't get this step," the brunet complained, folding his arms. His hair stuck to his forehead due to the sweat his body was producing after hours of exhausting training. He tried to catch his breath, but despite that, he didn't give up and wanted to finish it.

"We all believe in you here, you'll definitely get it," Sky tried to encourage him. She had to smile when the others joined in - except for Jackson, who still stood in the corner, only interested in himself.

"I won't make it," Youngjae repeated.

"It's not complicated, just feel the rhythm. Don't think about anything, just do it," Sky advised him. It always helped her when she relaxed and let the music guide her. She often did it when she couldn't learn the steps for a long time, and she was surprised at how well it worked. She always got the step right afterward.

And it really helped. Youngjae closed his eyes for a moment, Jinyoung turned on the music, and he did it. He performed all the steps he needed perfectly, without a mistake.

Sky would never forget the happy expression on his face. Those sparks in his eyes, the wide-open mouth, and the hug in which he lifted her into the air and spun her around. It was moments like these that made her want to be a choreographer. She loved the moments when she saw the excitement when someone learned the steps they struggled with.

"If we don't intend to learn something properly, then I'm leaving," Jackson interrupted their happy moment. Everyone looked at him. He already had his bag slung over his shoulder and was holding his water bottle in his hand. Without any further words, he simply left.

"Don't worry about it, I'll talk to him," Jaebeom patted Sky on the back to reassure her that everything was okay. Sky was naturally sad. She wanted to get along with Jackson. She wanted to get along with everyone, especially if she was going to work with them for who knows how long, but that stubborn Chinese man refused.

"You don't have to," the brunette waved her hand, "you've already talked to him more than enough. Just let him be. Either he'll come on his own, or he won't, it's up to him."

"But," Mark couldn't finish because Sky shot him a look.

"And now no more talking, we continue. We still have three hours of hard work ahead of us, and I promise you won't leave with dry shirts," with these words, Sky turned on the music and tried not to think about the brunette who had just left the room, even though he should have been with the others. She was afraid that the boys wouldn't look united, that they wouldn't be like a team because they wouldn't be used to Jackson. They trained with him until now, but this choreography was really tough, and if they wanted to show JYP the best, they had to be the best.

"Coffee?" Younghyun entered the studio with a guitar on his back. Sky smiled when she saw him in the mirror. From the first day she started here, he had been her support. They became friends immediately, and Sky wouldn't trade him for anything in the world - they had known each other for only a week, but she already knew that Younghyun was a better friend than her friends in Beijing.

"Very gladly, if you have time and don't have to train," Sky accepted his offer, "and I'll have tea because I don't drink coffee. It's bad for your health, and as a dancer, I want to stay healthy for a long time so I can do what I love for a long time."

"Roger that, Captain," Younghyun saluted and then laughed when he received a fist to the shoulder.

In the hallway, they ran into Jackson. He had just left the dance studio, which was designed for a smaller number of people. He probably trained alone because, as we already know, he vehemently refused to train with Sky.

They just exchanged glances, walked past each other, and neither said anything to the other. Sky had nothing to say to him. If anyone, it should be him who initiates the conversation, but first, he should apologize for his behavior, and then Sky would consider whether she wanted to continue talking to him.

"Did he do something again?" Younghyun asked as he held the door for Sky to step out onto the street.

"He left during training because at that moment, I was mainly focusing on helping Youngjae. The steps weren't working for him, so I wanted to assist him because I have to as a trainer. He said that if he wasn't going to learn anything, he would leave, and he actually left," she explained, "Jaebeom offered to talk to him, but I think he's had so many conversations with him already that it won't help."

"Jackson is quite stubborn," Younghyun nodded, "either you have to wait for him to come on his own, or you have to take charge with an iron fist. You have to show him who's the boss. Feel free to go to Park Jinyoung about it; he'll talk to him, and you'll see how he'll come running back to you with his tail between his legs."

"I don't want to tell Park Jinyoung about it," this time it was Sky who held the door for Younghyun. There were a few people in the cafe, but because it was in a more secluded street, it couldn't be said to be overcrowded. They got their turn immediately, placed their orders, didn't wait even ten minutes, and were already sitting in chairs, sipping their drinks - Younghyun with an iced americano and Sky with peach iced tea.

"I'm afraid that if I tell him, he'll think I'm weak and not capable of training them. I want to prove to him that even someone like Jackson can learn something from me, and as I told Jaebeom, I'll turn Jackson into the best dancer in the group," Sky took a sip of her drink.

"I hope you're right," Younghyun smiled at her, "for now, I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope he won't say anything nasty to you."

"I don't think he's like that," Sky shook her head, "yes, he leaves during training, doesn't want to listen to me, and constantly ignores me, but despite that, I don't think he would ever say anything rude to me."

"Hopefully, you're right."

At that moment, Sky's phone started ringing. The screen displayed Choi Youngjae's name.

"Yes?"

"Hi, am I interrupting?" Youngjae asked.

"You're not. What do you need?"

"I'm still at the company, trying to learn the choreography."

"It's not going well, is it?"

"Could you come and help me? Please."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Thank you so much. I owe you one."

"Work calls," Younghyun smiled as Sky ended the call. He didn't look angry, which surprised Sky. Perhaps he expected something like this to happen at any time. After all, the guys are about to debut, so they'll need all the help they can get from their dance trainer.

"I'm really sorry," the dancer apologized.

"Don't apologize for anything, please. It's your job. Just go help him," Younghyun urged her, "I like Youngjae, so make sure that boy debuts successfully."

"Roger that, Captain, I'll do it," Sky saluted, hugged him, and hurriedly left.

Younghyun just smiled and shook his head at how adorable the younger one looked in the midst of all this.