"Come on guys, hurry up!", I urged my group to hurry. "Chop, chop, the bus is coming! We can't miss it!" Ty and Zayn ran alongside me, Yuna following close behind, and the twins stumbling after us through the crowd. With Christmas right around the corner, the hustle and bustle on the streets and in the stores was enormous. Apparently 95% of all people bought their Christmas gifts at the last minute. Fortunately, my friends and I managed to catch the bus in time despite the crowds.

I quickly typed a message to Hoseok that we were on our way. His reply came promptly and included a photo of him smiling and giving the camera a thumbs up. Grinning, I looked at it before Zayn leaned over to me to know why I was doing that. He let out a teasing whistle. "Our fresh love." Playfully, I nudged him in the upper arm. "Oh shut up." He laughed and nudged me. "No, it looks good on you. I don't think I've ever seen you so radiant when your mind was on someone else. It's nice to see you happy." At that, I immediately grinned even wider and leaned against him. "Well, when you put it that way...thank you."

"6-time passive participants, please," Ty ordered from the young lady at the entrance to the Dancebattle Classics event. We received our neon orange wristbands and pushed our way through the crowd. Again, I peeked at my cell phone. Hoseok had texted that he and the rest of the Bangtan Boys, were expecting my group and me near the stage. My thoughts flowed back to the day two months ago: the day we had lined up for the Battle ( this realization now shone brighter than any other memory ) and it was the day J-Hope's and my paths had crossed for the first time. In my mind, I shook my head at myself. I had learned so much from Hoseok in the meantime and I was very grateful to him for that. Besides, I had gotten to know him better and had even fallen in love with him in the end. You're my hope, I'm your hope, I'm J-Hope was the slogan that made him skin and bones to me. I was infinitely grateful for the day I met him.

Arriving near the dance floor, I began to look around restlessly for him. When suddenly a hand placed itself on my shoulder from behind and a second hand on my waist, the tension fell from me and a broad smile made its way onto my lips before I turned around. There he stood. In front of me. In the glow of variously colored spotlights and smiling warmly down at me. "Hi.", I greeted and he pulled me in for a kiss. "Are you ready for your outfit?" I nodded and let his hand lead me through the crowd to the crew locker rooms.

Hoseok had put together an outfit for our joint choreo. It consisted of a tight, strapless black top that glittered green in the light. In addition, I wore a wide baggy jeans and white Nikes. "You're kidding?!", I exclaimed excitedly, turning admiringly in front of the mirror. ""You like it?" he asked delicately, and I turned to face him. "Do I like it?! pah...", I made a wiping motion with my hand. "...so what...hmm..let me just think a moment...I LOVE IT!", I then exclaimed enthusiastically and a mischievous smile appeared on his face. He rose from his stool and strode casually toward me. "Good, very good. I love it too." He came to a stop in front of me and suddenly I felt nervous. I glanced down at our hands as he grabbed them and chewed on my bottom lip uncertainly for a brief moment. "...I love you.", I then spoke with my eyes lowered, suddenly feeling naked again. When he didn't answer, I lifted my gaze and met his warm eyes and typical Hoseok sunshine smile. "Salanghae." he replied, and I looked at him in confusion. He laughed softly, sending a shiver through my body. "That means I love you, in Korean." He winked as he saw the realization of his words flash across my face. Slowly, we leaned toward each other. The kiss was breathy and gave me goosebumps. When Hoseok noticed, he peeled out of his XL sweatshirt jacket and placed it around my shoulders in a caring manner. "Thank you.", I murmured and inconspicuously smelled the collar of the jacket. He took a step back. My hand, however, he continued to hold. "Ready?" he asked, looking at me. I nodded. With him at my side, I would be ready for anything.

"There you are," Namjoon called out in relief as we approached our two groups. Ed made a sound of approval as he took in my outfit. "Wow, Kyla! Looks really good on you" "Yeah!" agreed Elli. "That outfit was made for you. You look stunning." Embarrassed, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I have Hoseok to thank for that..." I watched as Yuna sought Hoseok's gaze, then gave him a thumbs-up in an exaggerated gesture, blinking one eye. This made me laugh. "Yuna..." I playfully nudged her in the side. "Hey, you're allowed a few compliments, aren't you?" she replied with a laugh, giving me a hug. Suddenly the DJ's voice sounded.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight is the night we've all been looking forward to! Fiiinaaaal!!!" The crowd cheered enthusiastically in chorus and hands were raised in the air. "May I ask our finalists to take the stage...?" he then asked the contestants. "First of all, the fearless, the shadows - a big round of applause for the Monsters!!!" The competitors, against whom we had lost in the quarterfinals, confidently entered the stage. The group consisted of two girls and four guys. On the right half of the stage, they got into position. "And now, dear audience: they have come all the way from South Korea for you. They are dynamic, they will take your breath away! Ladies and gentlemen? Here are the Bangtaaaaan Boys!" The cheers drowned out those of the Monsters as Bangtn Boys lined up on stage left. I pushed my way to the front row. Hoseok stood in a middle position. He exuded a calmness and confidence that was truly inspiring and impressive. He looked up and into the audience again for a moment. I cheered and cheered as I probably had never done for any group but my own. When his gaze found me, he winked again with a sly smile. Then his features smoothed out, he lowered his gaze, and I could see him take another deep breath. Then the Monsters' beat kicked in and the Bangtan Boys stared ahead at their competition.

In fact, the Monsters messed up two moves and one of them went off the beat unhappily. Now I was more than fervently hoping that the Bangtan Boys would take home the victory. Respectfully, I clapped after the Monsters' performance and then all the attention in the room turned to the Bangtan Boys. The spotlights jerked to the center and for a brief moment you could have heard a pin drop. Then the beat of one of their own songs kicked in and with it the boys began to move in perfect synchronization. Here everything went smoothly. Every move was spot on and perfectly executed. When it was J-Hope's turn for the solo part, he jumped powerfully over Suga to the top of the choreography and in the faces of the opponents you could only see envious pallor and compressed lips. Yes, that's my friend! I thought proudly while watching Hoseok and enjoying the show. The song ended and the Bangtan Boys took their last pose. The Monsters lost all facial expressions while the audience erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.

The boys were beaming and I was peripherally aware of Elli shaking my arm. "Oh my god, Kyla! They're awesome! They've got the win in the bag for sure with this!" But so what, I thought silently, grinning broadly from ear to ear. Suddenly, all Bangtan members except Hoseok retreated from the dance floor. Hobi sought my gaze and then reached out to me when he found me in the crowd. "It seems someone else here is missing a dance..." this DJ, who was starting to annoy me, commented from his console. I ignored him. I just focused on Hoseok, who was patiently waiting for me with a sunshine smile on his lips. When I reached him, I grabbed his warm hand and let him spin me in and out once. Then we took our starting positions.

"We're now going to progress to some steps which are a bit more difficult. Ready, set, and begin" The beat started. "Big hit exclusive..." and then everything was automatic. Synchronously, Hoseok and I moved through the motions. I was not aware of anything except him and the music. The world around us sank into bright colors and nothing else. The melody and the rhythm carried us towards each other and apart again as if on waves. We turned and came close again. Every now and then I noticed his pleasant smell as we crisscrossed against each other in the choreo. It just felt insane to experience this moment together with Hobi. Together.

The music ended and Hoseok and I stopped abruptly after the last figure: faces inches apart so that one could feel the other's breath tickling his cheek, one hand around the other's waist and the other hand pressed against the other's. A laugh of relief escaped me and Hoseok did the same. Then his eyes hypnotized mine. And while the unstoppable cheering around us reached its peak, the small gap between us closed and the kiss that followed was the sealing of my perfect happiness: Hoseok.