No one knew how the time flew.
Every single choreography of Choi Haneul was impressive. Na Hyun Joon loved it.
But he could not replicate some of the steps right away. It took him a few minutes to master it and dance as good as Choi Haneul or close to the Haneul. When he practised, Haneul was with him and repeated the steps with him patiently. Sometimes he modified those to make it easier for Hyun Joon of his own volition.
In recent years, all k-pop songs have been full of dance with eye-pleasing aesthetical set-ups. Or was it just the cinematographical with the idol doing something? A dance that depicts well with a song was a style that was rarely done by the artists recently. But Haneul did it effortlessly.
Soon they reached the last 37 seconds of the song…
Haneul swayed his entire body as if he had no energy to stand and would fall like a disregarded puppy. The eyes looked sad and confused. The sway became slight, and he twirled twice slowly as he moonwalked backwards. All the confusion was gone, and he accepted the defeat.
He twirled twice slowly, and it was perfectly melancholy, along with the music. With whatever energy was left, he swayed his body slowly. All the next few steps were with open arms, showing vulnerability. Right before the music ended, Haneul dropped to the ground. Kneeling on the floor, hung his head in defeat.
When he looked up, there were tears in his eyes that stubbornly refused to fall. He embraced the defeat and accepted that he could never get the love he wanted. The music ends.
There was a pin-drop silence in the last 2 minutes and 37 seconds.
The entire song might have been about Na Hyun Joon's first love. But the entire choreography was owned by Choi Haneul.
Choi Haneul told the story.
A story of a young man falling in love for the first time.
The hesitation to be in love.
Then it became hesitation to be around his love.
Then it became excitation just by being in love.
The hesitation in confessing his love.
Slowly he accepted that he could never have that love.
Finally, giving up the love without doing anything about it.
No one knew why he gave up, but they felt the pain of the love he gave up.
'Those eyes… they shine like stars! Like the brightest and the most captivating star. But tears in those eyes burn me. He is pretty, and his tears hurt me. Why? Why do I feel like this?' Lee Yong had to force himself to look away and stop thinking about Haneul.
Lee Yong's heart was burning with a bitter sensation as he saw the tears in Haneul's eyes.
He did not like Haneul's tears and the story told through the dance. It left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. But he knew the choreography was good, but his heart was so unsettled with it.
Lee Yong could not forget Haneul's expression when it turned from being confused to contemplating the surging love and desire. But when he fell on the ground and kneeled, it was the helpless submission to his heart even when he knew he would never attain his desire.
The entire sequence burned Lee Yong, and he did not even know what to do to make it go away.
Hyun Joon felt vulnerable, as if someone had entered his mind, read all his secrets and displayed it to the world. Even though it was his intention when he wrote the song, he always believed his love would be confessed through the music and lyrics. Never once he thought it would be shown in the dance as well.
Na Hyun Joon offered his hand for Haneul as support to stand, and Haneul accepted it with a smile.
Everyone noticed Haneul blinking the tears away, and he quickly hid everything with a smile. It almost convinced many that the new choreographer was just in character.
The cheers and howls that erupted in the practice room echoed throughout the building.
Choi Haneul smirked as he looked at the celestial members. With satisfaction, he looked at everyone in the room, waiting for the cheers to calm down. It lasted for seven whole minutes, and the one who cheered louder for him was his soon-to-be partner in crime - Na Hyun Joon.
Na Hyun Joon did not dance the last part of the choreography and accepted his defeat in the bet. He knew he could replicate the steps if he practised couple more times. But he chose not to do it for two reasons - the new choreographer deserved to win, and he was not ready to admit his defeat in love yet.
When the cheers mellowed, Choi Haneul introduced himself to everyone in the room. "I am Choi Haneul. A new choreographer, temporarily hired by your president, Lim Tae-Ri. I will be working with only one group - celestials as of now. I don't know about the future. Take care of me."
He bowed to everyone as a greeting. When he straightened himself, there was a flirty, confident smile on his face. Everyone remembered his beautiful dance over the tears.
"Choi Haneul…" Lee Yong said the name softly, and he could not help but smile secretly at how the name rolled in his tongue sweetly. If only the choreographer stopped behaving like a casanova and smiled at everyone flirtatiously, he could accept this man without any issues in his team.
"Damn! Does he teach? Where do I sign up?" Someone asked no one in particular.
Someone else responded cheekily. "If you ever find out, let me know."
Lee Yong would have asked the same for himself. After all, he still needs to learn to dance without stepping on his foot, tripping himself down the stage, and remembering all the steps effortlessly. But his mind was occupied with someone, and he could not think straight anymore.
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The chapter is dedicated to C_H_R_chr. Thank you for the review and support! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
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