90: Chapter 90 The more you act like this, the more I want to conquer you.

In the rehearsal hall of a large performance venue in Seoul, music echoed through the empty space.

Lee Hyori was wearing a black training outfit, her hair tied in a high ponytail, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

She had just finished a dance practice and was wiping her sweat with a towel when she looked up and saw Song Tianhao walking in from the doorway.

"You're quite punctual." Lee Hyori draped the towel over her shoulder, took a bottle of water from a box nearby, walked over, and handed it to Song Tianhao. "I thought you would be late, or simply not come at all."

Song Tianhao took the water bottle, unscrewed it, but didn't drink. Instead, he handed it back. "Senior, you drink first. You look like you need to rehydrate more."

Lee Hyori raised an eyebrow, stared at him for two seconds, took the water bottle, tilted her head back, and took a big gulp. A little water trickled down the corner of her mouth. She wiped it away casually and handed the bottle back. "You can drink it now."

Song Tianhao then took it and naturally took a sip from the bottle opening.

This action made Lee Hyori's eyes narrow slightly.

"I thought you would bring those two little girls with you." Lee Hyori walked to the mirror and started stretching. "Park Hyomin, Kim Taeyeon, right? Didn't they pester you to come along today?"

"They are preparing for a new song." Song Tianhao said, placing the water bottle on a nearby shelf. "T-ara is making a comeback next month, and Girls Generation is also preparing a new album. Time is very tight."

"So obedient? That doesn't sound like the people you bring up." Lee Hyori said while stretching, her voice filled with amusement. "I thought you would spoil them rotten."

Song Tianhao laughed. "Senior seems to have a misunderstanding about me. I have always been strict with my artists."

"Is that so?" Lee Hyori turned around to look at him. "But the way they look at you doesn't look like they are looking at a strict president."

Song Tianhao didn't reply, just walked to the mirror and started warming up as well.

The rehearsal hall was large, with mirrors on three sides, reflecting countless versions of them. The air had the smell of dust, mixed with the faint scent of perfume on Lee Hyori—not the sweet, cloying kind of women's fragrance, but something with woody notes, very crisp and cold.

"What are we rehearsing today?" Song Tianhao asked.

"A duet ballad called 'Close'." Lee Hyori said, walking to the audio console and pressing the play button.

The prelude began, a gentle piano sound with a bit of R&B rhythm.

"I wrote it last month. I originally wanted to ask Kim Jong-kook to sing it with me, but he's filming a movie recently and doesn't have time." Lee Hyori walked back and stood opposite Song Tianhao. "Since you're here, it'll be you."

Song Tianhao listened to the music and nodded. "The melody is good. What about the dance?"

"There is one." Lee Hyori snapped her fingers and called out to the side. "Teacher Kim, come here for a moment."

A middle-aged woman in loose sportswear and a headscarf walked over from the corner, holding a tablet computer. She was Lee Hyori's exclusive choreographer, very famous in the industry.

"This is Song Tianhao, today's guest." Lee Hyori introduced. "President Song, this is Teacher Kim, my choreographer."

"Hello, Teacher Kim." Song Tianhao nodded in greeting.

Teacher Kim looked Song Tianhao up and down. Her expression was neither enthusiastic nor cold, just professional. "Does President Song have a foundation in dance?"

"I've learned a little." Song Tianhao said.

"How much is 'a little'?" Teacher Kim asked, her tone very direct. "The dance for this song is not simple; it has intimate movements. If you don't have a foundation, you might drag Hyori down."

The other party's words were very blunt.

Several backup dancers and staff members nearby looked over, and some were whispering.

Lee Hyori didn't speak, just crossed her arms and looked at Song Tianhao, her eyes filled with playfulness, as if waiting to see how he would answer.

Song Tianhao smiled. "Teacher Kim can teach me first. If I can't learn it, it won't be too late to change people."

Teacher Kim stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Fine. Let's watch the full version first."

She connected the tablet to the large screen of the sound system and clicked play.

On the screen was the demonstration video of Lee Hyori and the backup dancers. The music was the "Close" song from before, but with a richer arrangement. The dance moves were indeed not simple.

No, not just not simple, they were very intimate.

There were hand-holding movements, close-proximity movements, a movement of wrapping arms around from behind, and even a lift where Lee Hyori leaned backward and the male dancer caught her from behind.

The most fatal part was that the tone of the entire dance was ambiguous. The distance between the two almost never exceeded half a meter, eye contact was frequent, and physical contact was dense.

After the video finished, the rehearsal hall was silent for a few seconds.

Teacher Kim looked at Song Tianhao. "How is it? Can you dance it?"

Before Song Tianhao could speak, a man wearing glasses spoke up first. He was Lee Hyori's manager, surnamed Park, and everyone called him Manager Park.

"Hyori, won't this dance be too..." Manager Park hesitated. "President Song is a company representative after all, not a professional dancer. In case of any accidents..."

"I'll be responsible for any accidents." Lee Hyori interrupted him, her tone light but unquestionable. "And President Song said he has learned dance."

She looked at Song Tianhao, her lips curling into a smile. "Right, President Song?"

Song Tianhao looked at her, then at the screen, and nodded. "I can dance it. But one movement needs adjustment."

"Which one?" Teacher Kim asked.

"This lift." Song Tianhao walked to the screen and pointed at the move where Lee Hyori leaned backward and the male dancer caught her from behind. "Senior has an old injury on her knee. If this movement isn't controlled well, it's easy to hurt the knee."

"It can be changed to me catching her face-to-face from the front, or just delete it and replace it with another movement."

Once these words were spoken, the scene went quiet again.

Teacher Kim was stunned and looked at Lee Hyori.

Lee Hyori was also stunned, looking at Song Tianhao with a subtle expression. "How did you know I have an old knee injury?"

"Yesterday while recording the variety show, when you bent over, your left hand subconsciously pressed on your right knee." Song Tianhao said. "And when you were warming up, the range of motion of your right leg was smaller than your left. I guessed it was an old injury, and specifically the right knee."

Lee Hyori stared at him for several seconds, then laughed—a bright, genuine laugh from the heart.

"You observe very carefully." She said, then turned to Teacher Kim. "Teacher Kim, let's change it as President Song said. That lift really puts a lot of pressure on the knee; I hurt for three days after dancing it last time."

Teacher Kim nodded. "Okay. Let's learn the other parts first."

The rehearsal officially began.

Teacher Kim taught the basic steps first, then the hand movements, and finally the partner coordination.

To everyone's surprise, Song Tianhao learned very quickly.

He learned the basic steps in two tries. He remembered the hand movements in three. As for the partner coordination part, the first time he and Lee Hyori tried it, they barely made any mistakes.

"Here, the hand should be placed on the waist, but don't apply force, just lightly touch it." Teacher Kim demonstrated. "Then Hyori turns, President Song follows, and the distance between the two must be kept... well, the noses cannot be more than ten centimeters apart."

Song Tianhao followed the instructions, his hand lightly resting on Lee Hyori's waist. Lee Hyori turned, and the two were face-to-face, very close.

Close enough to see the curve of her eyelashes, smell the faint scent of mint candy in her breath, and feel the heat radiating from her body.

"Very good, keep this distance." Teacher Kim took two steps back and pulled up the music from the tablet. "Come, let's go through it starting from the chorus."

The music started.

Song Tianhao moved with the rhythm, his hand always lightly resting on Lee Hyori's waist without truly touching, but that distance was more ambiguous than real contact.

Lee Hyori looked up at him, her eyes filled with laughter, provocation, and something indescribable.

The distance between the two was kept at about ten centimeters, their noses almost touching, their breaths intertwined.

Then, during a turn, Lee Hyori suddenly leaned in a step closer.

The distance instantly shrank to five centimeters.

Song Tianhao's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, but his footwork didn't falter, and his hand movements didn't stop.

Lee Hyori laughed and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Nervous?"

"A little." Song Tianhao said honestly.

"Why are you nervous?" Lee Hyori asked again, her voice filled with amusement.

"Senior is too close." Song Tianhao said, looking at her with a calm gaze.

"The dance teacher said the nose tips cannot be more than ten centimeters apart." Lee Hyori said, leaning in a little more—now the distance was at most three centimeters. "I am within the standard now."

Song Tianhao didn't speak again, just continued to dance, his movements still standard, his expression still calm.

But Lee Hyori noticed that the tips of his ears were a little red.

She laughed even more happily.

The music continued, and the dance continued.

The adjusted movement came up; the original lift was changed to Lee Hyori leaning backward and Song Tianhao catching her from the front.

During the rehearsal, Teacher Kim said this move could be faked without actually falling. But when they officially started dancing, Lee Hyori leaned straight back without any warning.

She really fell, without any reservation.

The surrounding staff all gasped.

Song Tianhao's reaction was faster than everyone else's. He stepped forward almost instinctively, his right hand steadily supporting Lee Hyori's back, and his left hand holding her shoulder, catching her entire body in his arms.

The movement was clean and sharp, without the slightest hesitation.

Lee Hyori lay in his arms, looking up at him, her eyes as bright as stars.

"Nice catch," she said, her voice filled with a smile.

Song Tianhao looked down at her for two seconds, then helped her up with steady, gentlemanly movements.

"If you're going to actually fall next time, senior, you can tell me in advance," he said, his tone calm. "So I can be prepared."

"If you're prepared, can it still be called an actual fall?" Lee Hyori stood straight, adjusted her hair, and then looked at Teacher Kim. "Teacher Kim, how was it?"

Teacher Kim recovered from his surprise and clapped vigorously: "Very good! Excellent! This catching move has more tension than the original lift! President Song's reaction was quick, and his movements were steady. We can definitely keep it!"

Chief Park also breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The surrounding backup dancers and staff also applauded.

The rehearsal continued.

After dancing through it two more times, Teacher Kim said they could take a ten-minute break.

Song Tianhao walked to the wall, picked up his water bottle, took a sip, and then took out his phone. There were a few unread messages, which he opened.

The one at the very top was from Park So-yeon, and it was a photo.

The photo was clearly a screenshot from the surveillance footage; the scene was this very rehearsal hall, shot from the upper right corner, clearly showing him and Lee Hyori dancing just now. The two were very close; his hand was on her waist, and she was looking up at him.

Below the photo was a line of text: "President, do you need us to visit the set? Hyomin says she bought drinks, Taeyeon says she made lunch boxes, and Qri says she can help with backup dancing."

Song Tianhao looked at this message and suddenly laughed.

He replied: "You can come, but bring drinks for fifteen people. The staff here are working hard, don't come empty-handed."

Less than three seconds after the message was sent, Park So-yeon replied: "Understood, Oppa. But drinks for fifteen might not be enough; let's make it twenty. The extra ones are for Senior Lee Hyori and her team. Also, Hyomin and Taeyeon said they want to come, too, saying they want to learn stage presence from the senior."

Song Tianhao looked at this message, felt a bit of a headache, and pressed his temples.

Just then, his phone vibrated again. It was a message from Lee Hyori, just two words: "What are you looking at?"

Song Tianhao looked up and saw Lee Hyori sitting on the floor opposite him, also holding her phone, looking right at him.

"Company business," Song Tianhao said.

"Liar," Lee Hyori said, but she didn't press him. She just stood up, walked over, sat down next to him, and leaned against the wall, too. "That catch earlier, have you practiced it before?"

"No," Song Tianhao said.

"Your reaction was pretty fast, then," Lee Hyori said, turning her head to look at him. "Have you practiced martial arts?"

"I learned a bit of grappling from my grandfather when I was young," Song Tianhao said. "It was mainly to train reaction speed."

Lee Hyori laughed: "Grappling? Then why didn't you use a grappling move to catch me just now?"

"I was afraid of hurting you, senior," Song Tianhao said, also turning his head to look at her. "Besides, you're not an enemy, so there's no need to use grappling."

The two looked at each other.

The lights in the rehearsal hall were bright, and the mirrors reflected countless images of them sitting together, their shoulders almost touching.

Lee Hyori looked away first, picked up her own water bottle, took a sip, and then said: "My younger brother is at your company. His name is Lee Chan-hyuk. You know him, right?"

"I know him," Song Tianhao said. "He's a backup dancer for T-ara. He dances well; he'll become a full-time employee next month."

Lee Hyori's hand paused: "Full-time next month? He's only been there a month."

"If his skills are sufficient, he should be promoted," Song Tianhao said. "The company doesn't look at seniority; it looks at ability."

Lee Hyori was silent for a few seconds, then said: "He didn't tell you he was my brother, did he?"

"No," Song Tianhao said. "I only found out yesterday."

"That's just his personality—stubborn. He doesn't want to rely on me," Lee Hyori said, her voice dropping a little. "When we were young, our parents were busy, so I raised him. I debuted early and didn't have time to look after him, so he grew up on his own. Later, I wanted him to come to my company, but he wouldn't, saying he wanted to rely on himself. Then he went to your place."

Song Tianhao didn't speak, just listened.

"So," Lee Hyori turned her head and looked at him, "thank you. Not for taking care of him, but for... not giving him special treatment because of me, and not looking down on him because of me."

She said this very earnestly, and her gaze was very serious too.

Song Tianhao looked at her for a few seconds, then nodded: "He is very talented and deserves to be treated seriously."

Lee Hyori smiled. This time, the smile was faint, but very genuine.

"Alright, we've rested enough, let's continue." She stood up and patted her pants. "We need to get the whole dance smoothed out today."

Song Tianhao stood up as well.

The subsequent rehearsal went much more smoothly. Song Tianhao's learning speed was astonishing; he could basically remember the moves Teacher Kim taught in one go, and dance them correctly in two.

By the third full run-through, he was already able to keep up with Lee Hyori's rhythm, and in some details, he was even more precise than the backup dancers.

Chief Park's expression had changed noticeably from initial skepticism to later surprise, and now to admiration.

"President Song, have you really never professionally trained in dance?" Chief Park couldn't help but ask during a break.

"I learned a bit of street dance when I was young; it was just a hobby," Song Tianhao said, wiping his sweat.

"With your physical coordination and memory, it's a pity you aren't an artist," Chief Park sighed.

Lee Hyori was drinking water nearby. Hearing this, she smiled: "Isn't he an artist now? A Baeksang Best Actor winner, have you forgotten?"

Chief Park was stunned, then slapped his head: "Right, right, right, look at my memory. President Song is an actor, and actors need physical coordination even more."

Song Tianhao smiled and didn't speak.

The rehearsal lasted until five in the afternoon. Teacher Kim said it was enough for today and that they just needed to consolidate it tomorrow.

The staff began to pack up, and the backup dancers left one by one.

Lee Hyori went to the changing room and came out wearing simple jeans and a white T-shirt, her hair let down, looking much softer than she did on stage.

"Thank you for your hard work," she said to Song Tianhao, handing him a new bottle of water. "Are you coming to the after-party when the concert is over?"

Song Tianhao took the water, twisted it open, and took a sip: "It depends on my schedule. If I'm free, I'll go."

"If you're free?" Lee Hyori raised an eyebrow. "Song Tianhao, do you know how many people want to attend my after-party?"

"I know," Song Tianhao nodded. "But my artists come first. If they have plans that day, I need to be there."

Lee Hyori stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly laughed, her shoulders shaking.

"Song Tianhao," she said after she finished laughing, "do you know that the more you act like this, the more I want to conquer you."

Song Tianhao also laughed. He looked at Lee Hyori, his gaze very calm, even carrying a hint of gentleness.

"Senior," he said, his voice not loud, but every word very clear, "do you know that the more you act like this, the more I feel you are masking your nervousness."

Lee Hyori's smile froze on her face.

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at Song Tianhao, as if she were meeting him for the first time.

Song Tianhao was still looking at her, his gaze calm, gentle, yet insightful of everything.

The two looked at each other for about five seconds.

Then Lee Hyori looked away first, her cheeks slightly flushed, but her tone was fierce: "...What nonsense are you talking about? What am I nervous about?"

"Nervous about the concert, nervous about your brother, nervous about..." Song Tianhao paused, didn't finish, and just smiled. "In any case, senior, there's no need to mask it. Being nervous is normal; it would be strange if you weren't."

Lee Hyori didn't speak, just lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously squeezing the water bottle.

Song Tianhao checked the time and said: "It's getting late, I'll be going. Same time tomorrow?"

"...Mm," Lee Hyori replied in a muffled voice.

Song Tianhao nodded at her and turned to walk out.

When he reached the door, Lee Hyori suddenly spoke up: "Hey."

Song Tianhao turned back.

"Be good to my brother," Lee Hyori said, her voice not loud but very clear. "His name is Lee Chan-hyuk, and he's a backup dancer for T-ara. He'll be full-time next month, as you know."

"I know," Song Tianhao said.

"And," Lee Hyori paused, her voice lower, "thank you... for today."

Song Tianhao smiled, didn't say anything, and pushed the door open to leave.

The door closed.

Lee Hyori was the only one left in the rehearsal hall. She stood where she was, looking at herself in the mirror; her cheeks were still flushed, her eyes bright, but her expression was somewhat complex.

She looked for a long time, then cursed under her breath: "Damn it, he saw right through me."

Outside the door, Song Tianhao had just walked out of the rehearsal hall when his phone vibrated.

It was a call from Park So-yeon.

"President, we've arrived downstairs. We bought drinks for twenty; the extra ones are for Senior Lee Hyori and her team. Also," Park So-yeon's voice was filled with a smile, "Hyomin and Taeyeon came too, saying they wanted to learn stage presence from the senior. Additionally, Qri heard you were dancing a close, hot dance with Senior Lee Hyori, and said she wanted to come see, too. The three of them are all downstairs now. What do you think..."

Song Tianhao pressed his temples and suddenly felt that next week's concert might be even harder to endure than he had imagined.