Light A Flame || Hoshi

Chapter 2

Jang-mi's obsession with dance began long before she found herself busking on the streets of Hongdae.

She had heard the story of her parents' meeting countless times, each one with a different interpretation of how that fateful square-off on the dance floor ended: her mother claiming she won the battle, her father chuckling in disbelief and retorting that he had claimed the prize.

At age 6, she began taking classes at the behest of her parents, her passion for dance slowly turning into one for K-Pop. It wasn't a stark transition, with the rise of EXO and BTS hauling with them hordes of her screaming classmates.

Jang-mi didn't get it. She never claimed to, stating she found it all superficial and a waste of her time. That was all until one memorable drive in 2015.

"Alright! For this next one, we have a new hot debut coming up. They've caused quite the stir, claiming you'll be 'slipping into the diamond life' soon.. this is Seventeen's Akkinda!"

Jang-mi sighed, expecting some EXO-esque statement about an angsty crush. What she got was the opposite.

"Huh, this isn't that bad," she shrugged, watching her father glance at her in the rear-view mirror as the music blared.

"Hm? I heard they're holding a showcase soon near where we live. If you're interested, we could go," her dad suggested.

She raised her shoulders slightly, contemplating the offer.

"J?"

"Huh?" she mumbled, being pulled back into the present from her reminiscing.

"You sure you don't wanna come tonight? I heard Doyoung will be there," Ahri asked, slightly winking at Jang-mi. She returned a playful eyeroll to Ahri.

"Wish I could.. people are really looking forward to my performance today. Look," she sighed, pushing her phone towards her best friend.

@jisoox1283: unnie, you were amazing today! i wish i could dance like you when i'm older :))

@heeee.jin: I hope you're gonna perform again tomorrow.. wah it's like watching an idol dancing

"Wow, you have a whole fanbase of your own now, huh?" Ahri chuckled, returning the phone. It suddenly buzzed.

@horangi156 started following you

"Tiger? Really?" Ahri furrowed her brows. "Wait. Isn't this that one guy from the group you like that's obsessed with tigers?"

"Hoshi?" asked Jang-mi, "don't be stupid. He has better things to do than go watch people busking,"

Ahri shrugged. "You never know. Either way, I gotta go. See you tomorrow," she waved, grabbing her duffel bag and walking out of the studio.

Definitely not Hoshi. This has gotta be some random fan.

Jang-mi shrugged it off, scrambling off of the floor and packing up her bag. Her performances always started at 7, this time being no different.

She had gotten into a routine with her performances, noticing the calm and tranquility they brought to her amidst the chaos of the noisy street.

"Hi everyone! I'm glad to see you all here tonight! Now who's ready for some Stray Kids?" she announced, an uproar of cheers rising up from the crowd.

Back Door. Hype Boy. Blue Hour. A perfectly polished repertoire of songs, practiced until long after midnight. Finally, she reached one of her favorites to dance to- and the one the audience loved most- Sherlock by SHINee.

As she was about to blast the music, a curious pair of eyes caught her attention. They were slightly slanted, giving them an almost feline look, and an energetic twinkle danced inside of them. She couldn't make out the face of the person: his features were hidden behind a black surgical mask.

Do I know this guy? Whatever.

"Alright everyone! Now, for this one, if you know the chorus, get up and dance! Even if you don't know the chorus.. come join in anyway!" she recited her usual dialogue, expecting a crowd of about a dozen to show up behind her.

The chorus was going smoothly, but she couldn't help but sneak glances at the mysterious man with the face mask. He looked almost apprehensive, as if a heated internal debate was carrying itself out inside his head.

Suddenly, his body jerked up and he ran towards Jang-mi, taking a spot beside her to finish the chorus. She couldn't help but stare at him; he was precise and powerful in his movements, clearly passionate about the song. He was a professional dancer, alright.

Their eyes met, hers surprised and his full of passion. Jang-mi's brain whirred intently. Where had she seen him before? He looked extremely familiar..

A light bulb went off in her head, causing her eyes to grow wide like saucers.

Hoshi?

Don't be an idiot. He's probably at HYBE preparing for his comeback.

The chorus waned, forcing her to continue her performance whilst obscuring her shock from the audience. Sherlock was finished, 2 more songs to go and she would finally go home and rest.

The last few songs passed by uneventfully, with her trademark sign-off and rapturous applause capping off the night.

**

"J! You won't believe what happened!" Ahri gasped on the other side of the call.

"Did Doyoung decide to take you out and started dating you or something?" Jang-mi replied jokingly.

"Haha, very funny. The whole of DoJaeJung came. You won't believe how many shots they've funneled," she replied in awe, loud music bursting through the phone's speaker.

"I'm sure you'll tell me all about it when you've sobered up," Jang-mi concluded, hearing Ahri mumble a goodbye and turning off her phone.

She changed into her pajamas, walking into the kitchen and brewing herself some hot tea. The day had been satisfying, but the minor detail of an idol possibly coming to watch her busk ran through at the back of her head.

Right on cue, her phone buzzed with a new notification.

@horangi615: hi J! I watched your busking performance today. I'm a big fan of your dancing!

@dancingj: hello! Thank you, that's really sweet of you. I'm glad you enjoyed my performance! People like you are why I do this in the first place :)

Smiling to herself, she put down her phone and sipped the piping hot tea. She was used to receiving compliments from fans of her dancing, but this one felt different, somehow.

She decided to check out his profile. It was new, as said by the handy Instagram note. He had 2 followers, 6 following. Those consisted of Seventeen, herself and.. Lee Soo Hyuk?

She shrugged once more, curious but tired. The day had managed to wind her out extensively, causing her to abandon the issue for a while and head to sleep.

(a/n) hello hello! i decided to alternate POVs in this story. every even chapter will be jang-mi's and every odd one will be hoshi in case it's not clear from context. i hope this format works out! thank you for reading :)