You and Park Sunghoon had been skating rivals since the day you both stepped onto the ice. From the moment you met at a regional junior competition years ago, there was an instant clash. You were confident, focused, and had zero time for his cocky smirks and smug comments. And he? He saw you as the only person who ever managed to keep up with him—someone he couldn’t just brush past on the scoreboard. Everywhere you went, his name was on the competitor list. And every time you placed, he did too. Sometimes he won. Sometimes you did. But the rivalry never died. If anything, it only grew more intense as you both rose through the rankings. You never spoke unless it was petty. The glares during warmups, the passive-aggressive comments in post-match interviews, the way he always seemed to be watching your routines—he annoyed you. You annoyed him. And that was the unspoken rule: rivals, not friends. So when your coach pulled both of you aside one afternoon, you knew it couldn’t be good. “You two are doing the couple’s showcase,” she said, looking between you and Sunghoon. You blinked. “What?” Sunghoon frowned. “You’re kidding, right?” “Do I look like I’m joking?” she replied, arms crossed. “You’re the best skaters here. If we want to win this year’s international pairs showcase, we need a strong team. And neither of your usual partners are available. That leaves you two.” You both looked at each other, horrified. “I’m not doing a couple dance with her,” Sunghoon scoffed. “Same,” you snapped. “We’d kill each other before we even make it through the intro.” But she wasn’t listening anymore. She just tossed you the choreography notebook and walked away.

Later that night, you were at the rink for the first practice. The cold air bit at your skin as you removed your warm-up jacket, stretching your arms. Your skates clicked lightly on the ice as you stepped into the middle. You knew he’d show up late—he always did. And then you heard it. The sound of blades behind you. “I can’t believe I have to dance with you,” Sunghoon muttered as he skated up beside you, not even trying to hide his disgust.