As Dongha walked through the maze-like underground arcade, someone suddenly yanked his arm and dragged him into a corner.
"Who—?"
He frowned, then saw who it was. It was Cheol-oh, looking terrified.
His already pale face had drained of all color, leaving the faint freckles on his skin even more pronounced.
"Bro? Cheol-oh?"
"Dongha… help me."
"…With what?"
Dongha, nearly 190cm tall, looked down at the much smaller Cheol-oh, barely over 170. Anyone watching would've thought Dongha was cornering him—but in truth, Cheol-oh was using Dongha's body as a shield.
"Someone keeps following me."
"Following you?"
"I swear I'm going to have a nervous breakdown…"
His frightened eyes welled with tears. His ears twitched left and right, as if he had suddenly awakened some animal-like instinct.
"What happened?"
"Dongha, today was my turn to close up the studio. But I can't. Please do it for me."
He shoved a ring of keys into Dongha's hand.
"And I couldn't even clean up the salsa shoes. Can you handle that too? Please?"
"…Can you explain what's going on first?"
Before he could finish complaining, a voice echoed from far down the hallway.
"Cheol-oh seonsaeng-nim? Cheol-oh?"
Cheol-oh's eyes widened in sheer panic.
"Dongha, don't tell her you saw me. Please."
Without waiting for Dongha's agreement, Cheol-oh nodded urgently—as if he were answering in Dongha's place—then bolted toward the exit.
"It's freezing out there…"
Dongha muttered as he watched the man run outside wearing nothing but a thin white T-shirt.
With a sigh, Dongha ran a frustrated hand through his hair, the keys rattling in his grip.
That was when something rushed toward him.
"Dongha!"
It was Seryun, beautifully styled, her shoulder-length curls bouncing like coiled springs.
She wore a fitted knit dress and stretchy black tights—an outfit Yoojin definitely would've complimented.
"Hey, Dongha."
And suddenly, everything made sense.
She'd bought salsa shoes yesterday—so that's when she must've developed a crush on Cheol-oh.
Trying not to look too involved, Dongha casually glanced down and saw her feet: plump toes peeking from leopard-print salsa heels, freshly painted red toenails wiggling with excitement.
"Did you see a cute guy? Average height, pale skin? Really cute?"
"…A cute guy?"
"He was wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt!"
Her eyes sparkled with hope. After a moment of hesitation, Dongha answered dryly:
"I saw him."
"Really?!"
Dongha could feel Cheol-oh's presence outside—shivering, terrified, probably pressed against the wall in the cold.
"He went out the stairs."
A loud gasp, then—tat-tat-tat! The sound of someone sprinting away.
Seryun beamed at him. He had never seen her look so happy.
"Thanks, Dongha!"
Then she dashed out—just like Cheol-oh—wearing nothing on her feet but leopard salsa heels.
Watching her run so effortlessly, he blinked.
"…Guess you actually can run in salsa shoes."
He stepped inside the studio, imagining the two of them running around Gangnam like a live-action game of tag.
Poor Cheol-oh.
Dongha sent him a silent condolence.
Cheol-oh… I knew this would happen to someone, but I didn't think it'd be you.Also, she's the daughter of the biggest law-firm owner in Korea. If you lie, that's perjury.
Still, he was relieved.
He hadn't liked Yoojin hanging around Seryun at the salsa bar anyway.This solved that problem far quicker than expected.
But Cheol-oh… He actually liked that guy. Rarely did someone have both loyalty and innocence these days.
Dongha shook the keys once and headed to the studio.
*
At exactly 10 p.m., it was as if the studio had been vacuumed clean.
People vanished, the music evaporated, and the warm air left by dancing bodies quickly cooled.
Dongha leaned against the full-length mirror, one knee bent, arms resting loosely over it.
Will she come?
His eyes stayed glued to the door.
He considered calling her—but if she answered, he knew he'd only beg her to come.So he didn't.
He reached into his pocket to check something—
"Dongha?"
He froze.
Yoojin was standing at the door.
He shot up to his feet and crossed the studio in a few long strides, grabbing her slender wrist and pulling her inside before anyone in the hallway could see.
The door clicked shut behind them.
He guided her to sit with him beside the lockers—the same spot where she had once forgotten her salsa shoes.
Her cheeks and nose were flushed red from the cold.
She must've walked here after thinking about it for a long time.
That bothered him.
But he didn't show it.
He looked down at her face closely.
Even with her porcelain features, something was off.
She was avoiding his gaze with a strange heaviness.
"…Yoojin."
A sigh escaped him.
"How have you been living the last two days?"
She still wouldn't look at him.
"Hey… look at me. Please?"
At his gentle coaxing, she slowly lifted her face.
Her clear eyes reflected him back—fragile, tired.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
She grimaced slightly.
"It's nothing."
"It's not nothing. You look the exact opposite of nothing."
Her lips trembled before she finally began speaking.
"It's just… I handled the accident, but everything else I'm responsible for—I tried so hard, Dongha."
He waited silently.
"I always thought… if I put in effort, I could do anything. But there are things no amount of effort can fix, right? And those things are my job."
Dongha nodded carefully.
"I kept trying, but nothing worked. And then I wanted to just go home, but…"
Her clear eyes glistened. Tears gathered—soft, shimmering. It hurt to watch.
"I worked all weekend, but none of it matters. It's invisible work. No one sees it. Thinking like that made everything feel pointless."
Her voice shook.
"And if I went home… then night would fall, and morning would come, and I'd have to go to work again. And I just couldn't handle that. Not tonight."
The tears she had been holding back finally slipped down her cheek.
"So I walked. And walked. And before I knew it… I was here. I wanted to come yesterday too. And today. Even though I couldn't do my work, I still wanted to come to the salsa bar.It felt pathetic."
Tears streamed freely now. Yoojin wiped them away hurriedly, embarrassed.
Dongha's chest tightened.
Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her—slowly, but firmly—pulling her into the warm, solid space of his chest.
Her forehead touched his shoulder.
His scent surrounded her.
And then—The tears came heavier, uncontrollable.
It wasn't because of work. It was something deeper, cracked open inside her.
Yoojin never broke down in front of anyone. Not even her mother. Showing weakness meant her world collapsing—
Yet here she was, crying in his arms.
Why him?
Maybe because he saw her fall apart at work.Maybe because he saw her mistakes, her embarrassment, her fear.
Or maybe… because her heart was already leaning toward him.
Dongha stroked her back gently. He had never comforted anyone before, but he did it with surprising patience—holding her, rubbing her back, sometimes brushing up her spine softly.
Eventually, Yoojin steadied her breathing and leaned weakly against him.
Realizing she'd been in his arms too long, she pulled away, flustered. Dongha released her slowly and looked at her face.
Her reddened cheeks revealed her embarrassment. She didn't know where to look.
After a moment of silence, Dongha dug into his pocket.
He pulled something out—and held it toward her.