*Disclaimers: All claims and situations are entirely fictional.
Also, I don't like using romanization but I'm aware not everyone can read Korean so I'll only put the romanized word (in italics) a few times, then it will just be implied from then on unless stated otherwise.

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"Okay, that's enough for today. You can all go home now before the rain gets worse," I said as I ended practice for the day.

"Yes! Now I can start my movie marathon," Sunoo cheered as he and the other members of Enhypen began gathering their stuff to leave.

I smiled in amusement as I also organized my things, already planning to spend my upcoming 4 day weekend entirely at home.

Working as a HYBE choreographer for over a year definitely had its perks. Besides being able to interact with people whose music I really enjoyed, I also had the luxury of more paid vacation days than the average entertainment company. Of course, I loved my job so much that I usually had to be forced to take time off, but thanks to the upcoming days of heavy rain, I was looking forward to my 2 days off starting the next day. Knowing this, I intentionally planned a very light practice for the guys. It certainly helped that they were all quick studies and the only things left to do before comeback promotions began was to polish up their formations.

While waiting for the members to leave, I decided to sit down and go over my plans for our next session after the break so that I could laze around happily over the weekend. Raising my head with a smile, I nodded at the members as a ripple of "goodbye, noona", "enjoy your break, noona", and "see you next week, Essie noona" echoed through the studio as they exited one by one, waving to me as they left.

As peace resumed in the studio after the door closed, I set about finishing my lesson plans and tidying up the room before turning the lights off and closing the door.

As I walked through the main doors of the company, I saw that the rain hadn't stopped, and I had another hour before my bus was set to arrive. Deciding against sitting in the rain, I walked back inside and headed back to the practice room. It had been a while since I was able to dance freely in the studio because I was always planning choreo that fit the group's concepts and individual personalities rather than my own.

Hooking my phone up to the speakers, I put on a playlist of my current favorite songs and let the first song fill the room, smiling as the beat pulsed through my body. Letting the music overtake me, I began to move. Ignoring technique, body lines, and the mirror, I just danced my heart out until I was out of breath. By the time I came up for air, I realized it had been over an hour and I had missed my bus. Annoyed at myself, I set an alarm for the next bus so that I wouldn't be late for it and settled on the floor to wait, pulling out my phone to pass the time.

After a few minutes, I heard the practice room door rattling for a bit before it opened to reveal Lee Heeseung, oldest member of Enhypen. Surprised, I stood up.

"Oh hi Heeseung. What brings you back here?" I asked him.

Equally surprised, Heeseung awkwardly laughed and said "I thought I'd get in a bit more practice before the break and I wanted to be alone to do it."

"Oh, then in that case, I'm done with the room so you can have it," I said while picking up my things to go.

"No, it's okay, you don't have to go," Heeseung said quickly. He paused before continuing, his voice softening to a tone I had never heard before. "Actually, I'd like it if you stay."

Taken aback, I turned to look at him and immediately felt my stomach flip when I took in his expression. His eyes seemed almost...tender as he met my eyes head on with a tentative smile. My breath suddenly caught as my cheeks burned.

I usually didn't look too hard at any of the members because I was there to do a job and saw most of them as little brothers than anything else. But there had been times in the past year where I'd caught Heeseung stealing furtive glances at me, and I couldn't deny how my heart rate quickened every time I noticed. Of course, I knew Heeseung was handsome. And although I'd never acknowledged it, I couldn't deny the tiny spark of attraction I felt toward him. Against my better judgement, I set my things back down and smiled back as I tried not to look as breathless as I felt when he beamed at me.

"So what would you want me to do?" I asked him, choosing to ignore how his eyebrows raised imperceptibly.

"Umm...I've been having a bit of trouble with some parts of the choreo, could you help me understand it a bit better?" he asked, setting his phone down and walking to the center of the room. Nodding, I focused as the music began to play. I watched him as he danced, mesmerized at his fluidity and flair as he made my choreography his own. When he got to the part he was unsure about, he looked toward me as he slowed down. Stopping the music on his phone, I joined him in front of the mirror. As I first slowly walked him through the part, his movements weren't quite up to standard, so I walked behind him and adjusted his stance here and there as I usually did, telling him to take note of his body lines as he moved. This time though, I was more aware of him because we were alone, unlike other times where I was doing so while the other members practiced all around.

When we reached the killing part of the song, it was meant to be a 2-member face to face formation in the middle of a 5-member circle, so I stepped in as the other member facing away from the "crowd" as he faced forward. He went through the choreo, putting his hand on my shoulder as he was supposed to move his head in the opposite direction of mine and look at the audience as he sang. Instead of looking at the mirror though, he brought his face closer to mine as he slowly turned, then gazed directly into my eyes and held eye contact. My breath quickening as I realised how close we were and that this wasn't part of the choreography, I froze for a moment as I felt his hand on my shoulder slowly creep up to the base of my neck, his eyes never leaving mine. Suddenly realizing he'd be able to feel how fast my heart was beating if he moved up any further, I blinked and gently removed my own hand from his shoulder, the moment passing as I put some space between us. He looked away, but not before I noticed the tips of his ears had gotten slightly pink.

"D-did you understand that?" I asked, not meeting his eyes again as I walked back to the table against the wall.

"Uh yeah, I think so," he answered breathily, slightly clearing his throat after. "I'm going to head to the hallway vending machine, do you need anything?" he asked as he walked to the door. I shook my head no, and he walked to the door, turning the handle. It didn't budge. He tried again, and peered outside. After a beat, he turned back to me, confusion etched on his face.

"I think the door is stuck, and all the lights in the hallway except the emergency light are off," he said as I walked to where he was. After seeing for myself that he was correct, I looked at him in concern. When he suggested we call out for help once realizing that the cell service was down due to the storm, we yelled and banged on the door for a while, to no avail.

Unsure what else to do, we decided to just wait it out and hope that someone would come by soon. Tired from a full day of dancing, I turned and sat on the floor in the corner of the room right next to the door in despair. After another minute or so of Heeseung anxiously peering out the window on the door, he joined me on the floor with a sheepish smile.

"We might as well find some way to pass the time," Heeseung said as he sat next to me, slightly facing me.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked, aware once more of how close we were sitting and how alone we were.

"We could talk?"

"About what?"

"Anything, I guess," he said with a tentative smile. "If you don't mind, I'd like to know how you've been since you came to Korea."

I contemplated for a bit whether I should give him my usual answer or tell the truth before speaking carefully.

"To be honest, I just spend my time between the company and my apartment. It's already not easy being a foreigner in Korea, and being a person of color doesn't help," I said haltingly, picking at my fingers. "I don't like how people look at me and the things I've overheard some of them say when I go out, so I usually only go out when I have to."

"If you don't mind me asking, how do people look at you?" He asked curiously.

"I...maybe it's just me, but I feel like they're looking at me either as an unwelcome foreigner or like I'm a specimen in a lab or a zoo. And I've heard a few people talk behind my back when they think I'm not listening. The words...aren't nice. Sometimes they're derogatory or racist. I've heard some neighbors even say that I'm an eyesore to the neighborhood because I don't fit their beauty standards," I said, looking down at the floor as I finished.

Those memories were not pleasant, so it had been a while since I let myself think about it, much less tell anyone. After a second, I realised Heeseung hadn't said anything since I finished talking, so I looked up, about to change the subject. The expression on his face made my words catch in my throat, unable to be voiced. I expected maybe pity or sympathy at best, but he was looking at me earnestly. I frowned slightly, unable to understand what his expression meant.

"Um...why are you looking at me like that?" I decided to ask.

He hesitated. After several seconds of stopping and starting his sentence while I patiently waited, he seemed to mentally decide something before looking at me seriously.

"I can't understand how you would be any kind of eyesore. I actually...I think you're... beautiful," he said shyly.

I blinked, stunned into silence as he continued, seemingly gathering his courage as he spoke.

"I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable, but I've always thought you were beautiful, from the moment you walked in the first day and introduced yourself. And as we've worked together, I also quickly found out that you're not just beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well. I've heard about you filing complaints to management when you believed we weren't being treated right, and I've seen how you care for certain members when they're having a bad day or are unable to quickly pick up what you're showing that day. I've also always admired how you dance and love what you do. I know you probably don't feel the same about me but...I like you, Essie noona. I like you a lot," Heeseung blurted out as I sat open-mouthed at what clearly seemed to be a confession.

"You...like me? Like...as more than a friend or colleague?" I said, trying to gather my scattered thoughts at this revelation.

"I do. I know I'm younger than you and my job doesn't make liking anyone easy, but I...I just hoped to tell you someday. I wasn't expecting to say it like this though," he said sheepishly.

I gaped foolishly as he regarded me, his gaze now clearly full of admiration with a hint of unease. In a split second, I replayed the past year in my mind, and thought about all those little glances and actions Heeseung showed towards me. Suddenly it made sense. But now I had a dilemma, judging from the growing look of apprehension on his face as time stretched without a single word from me. After weighing my words carefully, I spoke.

"Um...I know what I should probably say, but I also don't want to lie to you," I began. Seeing his face fall a bit as he looked down, I pressed on, clutching the hairband on my wrist nervously. "Being three years older than you makes this even more complicated for me, because it's not a normal situation. But...the short answer is...I like you too. I think I have for several months now at least, though I didn't want to admit it," I said.

Looking up sharply, Heeseung scooted closer, joy evident in his face.

"You do? Really truly?" He asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

I laughed softly at his adorable expression as I nodded. His eyes sparkled as he tentatively reached for my hand. When I didn't move away, he then asked me if he could hug me. As soon as I nodded again, before I could get any words out, he'd wrapped me up in his arms, holding me so gently, as if I'd change my mind at any moment. Lost in the feeling of his arms around me, I gave into my feelings and hugged him back, savoring the moment. I felt so warm and safe in his arms, and though I worried at first that he could hear how fast my heart was beating, I realised with a start that his heart was beating as fast as mine. Strangely comforted by that, I giggled softly as I felt him tighten his embrace when I buried my face in his shoulder.

After what felt both like eternity and also like a split second, he gently pulled away, settling for holding one of my hands with both of his and giving me that devastating smile that always gave me butterflies. Unable to resist, I smiled back for a moment, my smile faltering once I realised what I had gotten myself into. His smile also weakening, he asked me what was wrong.

"This...I don't know what to do now," I said sadly. "We can't be together even if we wanted to. That's why I never said anything. My age makes me feel like I'm taking advantage of you, and you being an artist makes it near impossible for you to properly date anyone anytime soon, much less a foreigner who is also the group's choreographer. I can just imagine the PR nightmare and the fans' outrage. It would hurt you, the group and even the company. I can't do that to you," I said as I stared at our joined hands, wishing for a moment that we were anything other than who we were at this moment: a choreographer and a singer in the Korean music industry.

Heeseung was silent for a while, also looking down at our clasped hands in thought. He absentmindedly stroked the back of my hand as he sighed softly, seemingly agreeing with what I'd said. After an indefinite stretch of time as we sat in silence, his hand tightened against mine and he seemed to have come to a decision.

"I don't care about your age or whether you are a foreigner or not. But I do understand the industry we're in, so I understand why you're worried. I wish I was older and more established so I could try to protect you, but I don't think I can right now," he said bitterly.

My heart hurting for him, I squeezed his hand, wishing I could protect him myself. Smiling sadly, he patted the back of my hand before continuing.

"Maybe I'm being selfish and unfair to you, but I can't help but hope that no matter what happens tomorrow or after, I can still enjoy tonight with you, knowing that we both have feelings for each other. What do you say?" he asked shyly as he peeked hopefully at me.

As much as I hated the situation we were in and how difficult any next steps would be whether we decided to date or not, the warmth of his hand and the hope in his eyes swayed me. We shouldn't, we probably couldn't...but for tonight, I could pretend. For tonight, we could both pretend that we were carefree. For tonight...we could just be Heeseung and Essie, two people who liked each other. And tomorrow...tomorrow would be another day, one that we didn't have to worry about until later. All I had to do was say yes.

"Yes," I said breathlessly, meeting his eyes warmly as I smiled softly at him.

He grinned widely, letting go of my hand immediately and enveloping me in another hug, this one tighter than the last. Smiling even more as I heard him laugh happily in my ear, I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands tightened around my waist, holding me so close to him that I didn't know where I ended and he began. When he finally loosened his grip, he pulled away slightly, still keeping his hands on my waist. Our faces so close our noses were nearly touching, he gazed tenderly at me before his eyes flicked over to my mouth, then back to my eyes. My face heated up as I realized what he wanted to do, and even more so what I wanted as well.

"Can...can I kiss you?" He whispered tentatively.

I didn't know I could like him any more than I did before, but his question endeared him to me even more, so much that I couldn't help grinning like a fool as I nodded.

"Yes, I'd like that very much," I said, giggling at how his face lit up.

He slowly leaned in as he held my face in his hand, his eyes tender. As soon as our lips met in the softest of kisses, our eyes both closed in satisfaction. He angled his face and deepened the kiss, his hand moving to my hair. For that moment, all my worries melted away as all of my senses and thoughts were consumed with Heeseung, and only Heeseung. Anything else could wait. As his mouth moved against mine, I could feel the pain, sadness, and fleetingness of the moment. But I could also sense his desperation, his determination, and his overwhelming fondness for me. My heart swelled as I answered his kiss with an equally fervent one of my own as I sent my own affection back to him, tangling my fingers in his hair in an attempt to bring him impossibly closer.

Once we came up for air, he took me in through half-lidded eyes, out of breath as he let out a quiet laugh full of wonder and joy.

"I never want this moment to end," he said softly. "I don't even want to fall asleep and miss a single second with you ."

Laughing as I briefly kissed him again, I said between kisses, "Then let's enjoy the moment for as long as we can."

Mischievously, he abruptly pulled me toward himself as he laid down on the floor. Surprised, I didn't have time to get ready, so I ended up on his chest. He turned us over so he was slightly above me and kissed me again. Laughing, I pulled him toward me as we continued, our hearts beating fast for each other.

After a long while, we ended up cuddling, using our bags as pillows and sharing the throw blanket I had in my bag for when I got cold on the bus. My head on his chest as his arms were under my head and around my waist, I listened to his gentle breaths while we basked in each other's arms, occasionally chatting about any and everything to keep ourselves awake.

Unable to keep our eyes open all night, we eventually fell asleep tangled in each other. Next thing I knew, I was waking up to the annoyingly familiar sound of my phone's alarm. With practiced ease, I fumbled for my phone and quickly pressed the volume button once to turn it off, my eyes never once opening. But once I did, I became aware of a suspicious warmth at my back and an arm slung over my waist. Momentarily panicked, my eyes flew open and I sat up abruptly, taking in my surroundings. I then remembered the events of the previous night and smiled when I turned around to see Heeseung's sleeping form laying next to me.

Trying to keep as quiet as possible, I reached for my phone to turn off the rest of my alarms, thankful that I was usually able to wake up with a low volume alarm. However, as I moved around, I felt Heeseung stir. His eyes opened blearily as he rubbed sleep from them, and I saw him flinch once he saw me looking down at him in amusement. He looked around in adorably sleepy confusion before seeming to understand where he was.

He turned back to me with a little pout as he pulled me back down and wrapped me in his arms, childishly slinging a leg over mine like I was a giant teddy bear. Laughing at his antics, I brushed his fluffy tousled hair out of his eyes and hugged him as he burrowed his head onto my chest, rubbing his face against my shirt contentedly.

"What time is it?" he asked sleepily.

"Just after 6am," I said quietly, ducking my head in time to catch him sigh in disappointment.

"Looks like we fell asleep," he mumbled as he hugged me tighter, moving up to place a soft kiss on my forehead.

I felt my face get hot in embarrassment and I quickly burrowed my face into his chest to hide from his eyes. I could hear the rumble of a laugh in his chest and pressed even closer, noticing in satisfaction how his heart beat faster because of me.

"It's a good thing your alarm woke you up early, so we can still have some more time together," Heeseung said after several minutes. "I think security usually passes by here around 8am so we have a little less than 2 hours".

I sighed and nodded, extricating myself from his embrace to get up and sit up against the wall. He followed me up, finger combing his hair into a more presentable state. As he did so, I glanced at my hair in the mirror and sighed tiredly, knowing I needed much more than a finger combing to fix this mess. Deciding it was future me's problem, I swept my hair up into a frizzy bun and tied it, pulling out a few strands to frame my face before sitting back against the wall.

I peeked at Heeseung after he stopped rustling beside me and asked if he wanted something to eat.

"Something to eat?" He asked in confusion.

"Yeah. Not like a full meal but I have some snacks," I said as I pulled out my bag and opened it to show him a pouch full of semisweet chocolate kisses, much to his amusement. We passed the time snacking and chatting as the time drew nearer. I assumed the sun was beginning to rise although I couldn't tell due to not having any outdoor windows in the practice room. Briefly, I imagined what it would be like to watch the sunrise or sunset with Heeseung someday. Telling him as much, he took me in his arms, pulling me close.

"Call it a gut feeling, but something tells me we'll be able to do that," he said with a tender smile I was beginning to adore because I knew it was all for me.

I snuggled into his chest and we sat together until we heard a door open and close at the end of the hallway. Checking the time, we saw it was a little past 8am, meaning the building security must have been the sound we heard. Exchanging meaningful glances, we went back up to the small window in the door and banged on it until we heard footsteps accelerating toward us. As soon as we saw the uniform, Heeseung quickly caught my hand and held on for a moment, flashing me his signature grin. Matching with one of my own, I squeezed his hand before letting go as the guard fumbled with the door.

After a few attempts, the man finally rattled the door and opened it wide, marvelling at how it stuck so fiercely.

"Are you two okay? You were stuck here all night?" he asked in extreme concern, worry tight across his features.

"Yes, we are both fine. The door got stuck but we're glad you came to help," I said, stepping forward to thank the guard and bowing slightly to show my appreciation. Heeseung followed with another bow as the guard made a motion to stop us, shaking his hands to indicate he didn't need such thanks.

"I'm just glad you kids are okay," he said as we walked out of the room and closed the door. He pulled out a small notepad and wrote down the room number and a reminder. "I'll personally get someone to fix the door as soon as possible. For now, you'll have to find another practice room to use."

"Thank you so much, sir. Who should I contact to know when the repair will be done?" I asked.

He wrote down his contact information and told me to give him my name and employee number so that he could find me and let me know. Doing so, Heeseung and I thanked him once again, bowing once more as he walked down the other end of the hallway.

After he left, I sighed in relief at finally being out of a room I couldn't leave as I pleased. I told Heeseung I needed to freshen up, and walked to the ladies' restroom. Nodding, he said he'd do the same and entered the other restroom. Of course, I couldn't exactly tell my crush that my bladder was screaming at me, so I had to disguise it. I did freshen up as well, thankful for the travel sized toothbrush and toothpaste set I always carried with me. After washing and drying my face, I looked at my tired face, joking to myself that Heeseung must really like me if he didn't run away from my morning face and breath. Patting my face for courage, I walked out to see Heeseung waiting for me in the hallway. I smiled briefly, and told him I wanted to stop by my office to drop off something I didn't want to take home before leaving the company. Nodding, he followed after me like a cute lost puppy. He kept his hands to himself the entire way, which made me think about how we spent the entire night anything but separate. Flushing at the memory, I smiled to myself as I reached the door to my office one floor above the practice room.

I unlocked the door, turned on the light, and entered, leaving the door open in case Heeseung wanted to enter as well. As he stepped in, he closed the door, immediately grabbing my hips and pinning me to the wall. Stunned, I dropped my bag and keys with a gasp. Before I had a chance to react, he claimed my mouth in a searing, desperate kiss that left me breathless. I automatically reciprocated, my hands going up to wrap around his neck as he pressed against me, pushing me further against the wall. Pleasantly surprised, I deepened the kiss, biting his bottom lip. Hearing him gasp, I smiled through the kiss in satisfaction. I focused all my attention on him: his hands at my sides, his hair running through my fingers, his soft lips moving against mine, and the warmth of his body in contrast with the cool wall at my back. Eventually we broke apart, breathing hard as we stared at each other. I took in all I could, trying to ingrain this memory of Heeseung's current appearance into my mind. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get a chance like this again, so I made sure to trace every feature of his with my eyes, starting from his fluffy hair mussed by my fingers tangling in it, all the way down to his chest that was rising and falling fast...all because of me. I knew I would cherish this memory of my effect on him. By the time I came to, I realised he was doing the same, studying me like a priceless treasure as he drank in my expression.

After a moment of heavy silence, he pulled me into his arms again, holding me tightly as if I'd disappear if he didn't. I could feel his helplessness, yet I also detected determination in his expression just before he pulled me into his chest. We stayed locked in a tight embrace for several minutes as he drew comforting circles on my back. I felt a keen sense of loss, and I held on even tighter as I fought the urge to tear up. I didn't want to finally find out the person I liked also felt the same, then have him ripped away as soon as I found out. It wasn't fair. In any other situation, we could be together. Annoyed, I resolved that no matter what, I won't go down that easily. And if anyone wanted to come after Heeseung, they'd have to go through me first. I buried my head in his chest as I thought, closing my eyes and savoring the moment, a moment that I desperately hoped would not be our last.

Cutting through the silence of the room, my phone pinged with a notification sound that I set only for the Enhypen group chat I was in. Pulling away unhappily, I turned to reach for my phone, allowing Heeseung to hug me from behind as he peered over my shoulder. Opening the group chat, I was faced with dozens of worried messages from the other members asking me if I knew where Heeseung was because he left the dorm as soon as they got back and hadn't returned all night. I glanced over my shoulder at Heeseung, who let out a light snort while reading them. I handed my phone to him and he took it, typing out a non-committal reply before sending it, his other hand still hugging me from behind. Tossing my phone back on the couch, he sighed as he brought his other arm back around me, holding me close. Leaning my head back against the crook of his neck, I closed my eyes and brought my own arms up to hold onto his in front of me.

"We should get going," he said reluctantly after a minute had passed. Nodding in agreement, I sighed for the nth time before turning around in his arms to face him. We stared longingly at each other, the bittersweetness apparent in both of our expressions. Before letting go, I went on my tiptoes to place a chaste kiss first on his cheek, then again on his forehead. He smiled weakly at me. Turning away to gather our own things to head out, I collected myself and schooled my features into polite placidity before opening the door. After exiting and locking my office, we slowly walked downstairs to the main entrance, dread punctuating every step. We walked through those doors, stopping once we got outside.

There weren't many people out since the sky was still heavily overcast and drizzly. Pulling up our umbrellas, we glanced at each other one more time. Exchanging smiles full of both sadness yet determination, we nodded at each other before finally turning and walking in opposite directions. But as we walked away from each other, our hearts were now in sync with each other, determined to push through no matter what the future threw at us.

Hearing the pitter patter of the rain against my umbrella, I put one hand inside my pocket. Feeling something inside, I pulled it out to see what it was.

It was a chocolate kiss. I unwrapped it and put it in my mouth, savoring the sweet flavor that had a tiny hint of bitterness. 

I smiled ambiguously as the taste became part of a new favorite memory.

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A/N: Whew. That was probably the hardest thing I've written in a long time. I don't usually write heavy romance like this, but it was a fun experience and I loved writing every word.