"Did she really just..?"

"Yup"

The speakers blasted the last of the bass as Arena finished the choreography and was left standing in the middle.

She could feel sweat dripping down the side of her face underneath the beanie. Arena didn't dare to take the hat off, in case her two french braids looked like a straight up hot mess sticking out all over the place and looking everything but attractive and badass.

Wait...did she even want to look attractive? WHy? She didn't care.

At least that's what she kept telling herself over and oooooooooooveeeeeeeer.

Wonho had also appeared back to sit with others and was straight up beaming.

He had gotten to dance his solo part as Arena and the others had jammed in the backround, getting ready for the dance break. The guys had clapped with cheers as Wonho had appeared out of nowhere and only then noticed that he actually hadn't been sitting with them since the very beginning.

Kihyun hadn't expected Arena to dance his part.

Okay, well yeah he kinda had been..

I mean it had been obvious yes, as it is the center part and Arena was the choreographer and so on, but actually seeing Arena dance the chorus...his chorus... it had made crazy shivers run up down his spine like small annoying mice as he had watched her dance with astonishment.

How was he supposed to do better than a dancer? Someone who had created the dance and knew it better than anyone? HOW WERE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER THAN THAT. Kihyun was speechless as he just kept staring ahead. Clearly he wasn't the only one baffled as none of the others moved for 5 seconds after they had finished.

Finally after he had had time to compose himself again, Kihyun was the first one to stand up. He started clapping as the other members of Monsta X followed his lead and got to their feet.

Arena smiled, almost tearing up and gave a deep exaggerated bow with her dancers. Coming back up from the bow there were tears streaked down her cheeks.

"Aww.. don't cry..." the dancers gathered into a tight group hug with Arena stuck in the middle while the actual group stood and watched with big smiles on their face and clapped until their palms were red and sore.

To get this reaction. From them. Meant everything to Arena. She had worked so hard. So. Freaking. Bloody. Hard on this. Not sleeping not eating not hanging out with her friend and always working, making up new dance and movement combinations, going to meetings with the management and practicing her butt off by herself every day.

She dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her black hoodie and chuckled as the group around her came apart and she was left standing alone. Arena put her hands together and looked at her 13 subjects, her still drying tears already starting to fade into the soft young skin of her cheeks.

She took a deep breath and tried to smile as it quickly fell away seeing the happy faces surrounding her and looking to her for their next moves.

"Ahhh okay.." she took another deep breath in and out and continued, beaming bright like a star in the night sky. "Shall we start putting your choreographies together then? You guys," she pointed at every Monsta X group member in the room, "still have a dance break to learn."

***

"Oh my god, I am dead. That was worse than our usual training," exaggerated Jooheon as he was walking out of the studio with Shownu, the others almost right behind them, all of them tired and destroyed. Sweat was dripping from their foreheads as they were frantically trying to wipe it away with their small towels.

"Are you going to stay here?" asked Hyungwon as he turned back from the door, Kihyun just a step behind him. He glared at his group member as he noticed who the question had been aimed at. Arena.

Kihyun squinted his eyes and turned his head to look at her. She was standing a few feet away from them, adjusting her beanie and leaning onto her right leg. Arena managed to look good even after hours of training and yelling. Her throat did hurt a little bit, but not enough to make her worry about anything too serious.

Hyungwon was staring at her and Kihyun used this chance to nudge his friend forward and out of the studio. He looked Hyungwon straight in the eye as he told him calmly, but coldly, that it was none of his business what Arena was going to do.

Hyungwon cocked his eyebrow, "Oh, and it is...." as Kihyun slammed the door in his face. Hyungwon rolled his eyes, turning and jogging to catch up with the others.

"What's the deal with Kihyun and Arena?" he asked as he had caught up to Wonho and I.M. The two looked at each other before explaining to their friend that Arena was the one Kihyun had brought to their hotel in Colorado.

"That girl was Arena?" Hyungwon shook his head in disbelief as it finally hit him that he had 0 chance with Arena, if Kihyun was involved.

I.M scoffed, "Why do you think she is here?"

"Kihyun got her to be our choreographer?"

Wonho shook his head no, "Not exactly, he had no idea she would become that, I mean did you see his face when we first saw her in that studio?"

Hyungwon nodded.

"He made small clues to the management to recruit Arena to the dance team but that idea was shot down so the got her as the choreographer, but yes, I guess you could say that Kihyun played a part with getting her to Korea," finished Wonho as he remembered who had also come to Korea with Arena.

Hyungwon stayed silent the entire way back to their dorm, not daring to make a move on Arena ever again. He knew Kihyun. And knew very well what he was like when it came to protecting something he wanted so only he could have it

"Shouldn't you be going with them?" questioned Arena as the door slammed shut and Kihyun turned around smiling at her like a little kid smiling at their favorite candy. He shrugged and leaned against the door, watching Arena gather her things from around the studio.

Same situation as last time but, this time, Kihyun wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Hungry?" he grinned.

Arena chuckled as she flipped her backpack onto her shoulder and started turning off the huge studio lights.

"I have heard this somewhere before and I believe that my answer will still remain the same." She stopped in front of him and reached out.

Kihyun thought she was going to take his arm as he froze and stared at her as Arena had appeared before him too fast. He was beating himself up in his mind as he was the one who was supposed to make her feel like this not the other way around. He gulped and readied himself for the impact of their skin but,

turned out Arena had only been reaching for the door handle.

[lol syke gotcha]

Kihyun moved swiftly aside, releasing his breath as she stepped out of the door, holding it open for him to follow. He smiled as he stepped out from the unlit studio and closed the door behind them.

"Are you sure you don't want to go get anything to eat?"

Arena nodded her head as she turned it upwards to look at the guy walking awfully close next to her. She took one step to the side, away from him, noticing how her palms were slowly starting to get sweaty inside her pockets. She squeezed her hands into rough fists, the tips of her fingernails almost piercing the soft skin of her palms.

"Well in that case, how are you going to get back?" Kihyun raised his eyebrow in curiosity as he studied the young woman by his side. They were again nearing the elevators, flashes of the other day going through his mind and how awkward he had acted.

"With my driver maybe?" Arena pressed the elevator button for down, definately a sarcastic tone in her voice.

"He called in sick today, has been admitted to the hospital with a high fever. Heard the others talking before."

Arena's hand rose up to her mouth as her eyes widened and she turned her body towards him, "Oh no, what happened to him?"

Kihyun shrugged as the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside, Arena quickly following.

"I guess I should probably call a cab then."

"It's quite expensive you know and sometimes, but not very often, the cab drivers scam foreigners, especially young female ones." He kept his facial expression neutral as he looked at her from his height, which was 5 inches more than her own, making Arena's eyes reach the exact same level as his jaw.

Arena took a deep breath and looked at him, her eyes sliding over from his lips to his eyes, "What the hell do you suppose I do then?" Her voice was getting lightly annoyed as to why nobody had bothered to tell her that Jaehyun was lying in a hospital bed miles away.

"Let's go eat and then I'll help you figure it out," he smirked halfway as he saw Arena already somewhat thinking about the idea.

In the end she still shook her head, "No."

It would have been clear to anyone around that it was a fight lost for him when Arena walked out of the elevator, leaving him standing inside and staring at her figure, but Kihyun wasn't even planning to give up, considering that Arena actually had no idea how to even get back to the hotel, let alone walk there by herself.

"Arena Calder! You stop right there, right now!" The I don't even know what animal was now out and about.

Kihyun strode out of the elevator, fuming, straight to Arena who had stopped mid-step to look back from the sudden change in his regurally husky voice.

"You are coming with me either you like it or not," growled Kihyun.

***

"I'm sorry."

Arena put down her chopsticks at the sudden sound of his voice as she looked at Kihyun's reflection from the little convenience store window. They were seated behind some stools, eating their cup ramen after Kihyun had basically dragged Arena out of the entertainment building and out to the city, his grip on her wrist not daring to waver even once in case he lost her into the night.

She nodded her head and picked back up her chopsticks, "It's cool."

Kihyun turned in his seat so that he was facing her, his facial expression pained and regretful. "That's just the thing.. It's not, I just.." he sighed as he gathered his thoughts. Arena put down her chopsticks again and turned herself towards Kihyun as well so that their knees were touching.

"I know Seoul, I've been here for years and I know how dangerous it can get." He adjusted his ballcap as he hid his idol identity from others. "How could I have let you walk around this city alone? What kind of a man would I be?"

Arena smiled and leaned her elbow onto the counter before the window. "A man who believes in me?"

Kihyun bit his lip as he lowered his eyes, looking at their touching knees, both clothed in dark sweatpants.

Arena gently tugged Kihyun's left bomber sleeve, making him raise his eyes again.

"I'm only teasing, thank you for looking out for me even when I tell you not to."

The corners of his mouth quirked up a little. It wasn't like he was obsessed with her or anything. He cared about her, he really did. And at that moment it had felt like the right thing not to let her go alone into the night. Of course every city can be dangerous at night. But as Arena was a foreigner and actually had no idea about her surroundings here then that made it 5 times worse.

"But I'm not saying you should act like some macho dude all the time. It can get annoying." Arena turned back in her seat as she continued eating her noodles, which were now starting to get cold and soggy.

"You were surprised at my outburst, weren't you." He turned around as well, his own noodle cup already empty.

She nodded again, "Not exactly the image you paint for yourself for the fans aka me aka basically every other girl in this country."

He chuckled, "What I'm like on screen is actually a lot different than what I'm like in real life, you know? It might say "reality tv show" but a lot of it always isn't real." Kihyun leaned his head on his hand as he watched Arena eat the last of her noodle and put down the orange cardboard cup.

"It's going to absolutely demolish my pride to admit what kind of a Monsta X fangirl I am. I mean," she grinned awkwardly, "I have been here, since your No Mercy times, been with every comeback and every album so far always supporting and cheering you guys on. Of course I've watched your shows and series...after all No Mercy itself was a survival show."

She stopped for a minute to look out of the window, catching his reflection studying her own. "So I guess I always thought that I knew everything about you, what you're like, how you act in certain situations, your personality and that kind of things."

"So you think I'm a lie now that you are seeing the real me?"

Arena quickly shook her head, her eyes wide. "What? No, of course not. You're just a lot more different then I imagined. Who would have thought that you'd have the nerve to invite a fan into your hotel room. That would be something us fans would expect from Wonho or I don't know, the smoother members." Arena used air quotes for that last one.

Kihyun laughed loudly, quickly covering his mouth when he realized he had gathered attention with his voice. He cringed and took Arena's small hand in his own, jumping up from the stool. "Let's get out of here before someone discovers us and starts spreading rumors."

Arena stayed silent as the walked out of the store, their hats covering most of their faces that were looking at the ground and keeping low.

They strolled the back alleys of Seoul toward Arena's hotel. I know how it doesn't make much sense that they would take alleys to get to a hotel in downtown, but just letting you know that hotels have kitchen back doors that open into dark back alleys.

He didn't let go of her hand, doing the actual opposite and holding onto it tighter as the walked. Arena didn't mind but she didn't also know how it made her feel. How would you feel if your UB held your hand?

She was starting to feel that the guy she had fallen in love with from her laptop screen, wasn't the very same guy she was walking with right now.

And getting to know him [well as much as you can get when you are teaching him a choreography] these past weeks had started to prove that feeling. A little at first, as she didn't want to admit it to herself, more as the time went on. The suspicion had already been there since she had met him at the hotel though.

Maybe she had been in love with the thought of Kihyun, not actually the person himself.

"Arena?" He had stopped moving and was now standing in front of her, their hands still holding one another as the cold winter wind blew past them.

"Huh? What is it?" She had again been so lost in thought that she had momentarily lost all knowing of her surroundings.

Kihyun smiled from under his dark blue ball cap, revealing rows of perfect white teeth the exact same color as the snow underneath their shoes. "Were you even listening to me?"

Arena bit her lip trying to look anywhere else but his face. But her gaze kept slipping back to those deep brown eyes, not that much different in color as her own.

"I'm sorry, no I wasn't. I was thinking about our conversation earlier."

"Funny, because that's the exact same thing I was talking to you about."

They started walking again, Arena stealing her hand out of his and snuggling it back into the warm pocket of her black oversized coat.

"Are you cold?" asked Kihyun at the same time when Arena asked him, "What were you telling me?"

The stopped in their tracks to look at each other with surprise as they burst out laughing in the middle of the snowy road with not a single soul in sight for miles around.

How many people do you usually actually see casually strolling the streets and alleyways at 2 in the morning?

Only those two idiots walking there right now.

They didn't continue walking again this time.

Snow started falling as they looked at each other, waiting for one another to talk first.

"I'm not cold, my hand was getting sweaty, sorry," she chuckled at her own awkwardness. "Now you."

Kihyun cleared his throat and stuffed his hand into the pockets of his black bomber jacket. No idea how that man wasn't cold in the start of winter wearing just a bomber jacket and a hoodie. And you guessed it. All in black.

"Clearly what I was saying before was so boring that you spaced out, so let me ask you this. Do you still have it?"

Arena was confused, "Have what?"

Kihyun stepped forward in suspicion. Had she really forgotten about it? He pulled the little piece of paper out of her pocket that he had secretly put there last week. Kihyun had even told Arena to check her pocket, but it's clear that she had ignored and forgotten that very statement.

He held the paper up in front of her eyes, "This. I meant this."

Arena snatched it out from his hand and opened it up to read it. On the paper itself were a series of random numbers.

She looked at the paper, then at his face, then back at the paper and sighed deeply. "Seriously?"

He grinned once she got it. "I didn't have another album where to write it this time so i wrote it on a paper, clever huh. It's new by the way."

"Yeah I can see that it's new, I would remember the old one."

Kihyun started slowly moving again, the falling snow becoming heavier by the minute. "Type it in, just in case."

Arena looked at him from under her eyelashes. "Just in case?"

He nodded. "I have yours memorized, unless of course you have changed it."

"You memorized my phone number?"

He smiled again, his eyes twinkling as they passed a streetlight.

"Just in case."