Chapter 104
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Dance Class Shuffle
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The day after the comprehensive evaluation notice went up, during dance class time.
For some reason, I’d heard we were having class in the classroom today instead of the choreography practice room.
The bell rang, and the kids sat quietly in their seats, waiting. Then the front door slid open.
“Look at you all. So quiet and waiting for dance class. You only get rowdy during homeroom, huh?”
It wasn’t the dance teacher, Jung Hye-seon, who walked in, but our homeroom teacher, Huh Ji-woong.
The kids all wore the same bewildered expression.
Ji-woong didn’t pay it any mind and jerked his chin.
“Everyone, open the windows.”
He switched off the AC and told them to open the windows.
The kids by the windows hesitated for a second before sliding them open.
A hot gust of wind rushed in, and the class let out a collective groan.
“You kids, get some fresh air. Look how nice the weather is.”
The kids turned to peer out the window, where the sunlight blazed mercilessly.
Still, the air had cooled off a bit lately, so the breeze felt somewhat refreshing.
Ji-woong was the only one standing by the window, sniffing the outside air.
“Teacher, the AC air feels fresher, though.”
“Breathe in the natural wind.”
“There’s hardly any wind, though.”
Ji-woong shot a sharp glare at Woo-sik, who was grumbling with a sulky face.
Then his eyes landed on Do-hyun, sitting by the window—the only student who’d actually followed instructions, with his head stuck out, soaking in the breeze just like him.
A pleased smile crept onto his face, right on cue.
“Ah, it’s hot.”
I heard Woo-sik whining from beside me, but
Ah. Nice.
Basking in the real natural breeze like this, my worries just melted away.
The older you got, the worse prolonged AC was for you—headaches, bad for the body, all that.
The moderate distant noise and the perfectly temperate air were just right.
“Let’s have class with the windows open.”
I was the only one who shot my hand up at Ji-woong’s suggestion.
What? Why was everyone reacting like that?
I spotted Song Ha-na and Moon Woo-hyuk among them, both giving me the side-eye.
“Turn on the AC...”
Before Ji-woong could even finish, a bunch of hands flew up.
Ji-woong let out a sigh and closed the windows.
I sighed too as I shut the one by me and felt the cool AC blast.
Woo-sik had dashed forward and flipped the AC on before Ji-woong’s words were even done.
“Romance is wasted on you all.”
Ji-woong muttered under his breath, still sounding regretful to the end.
I mirrored his disappointed look and whispered softly.
“The breeze was nice...”
Woo-sik gave me a weird stare.
“Why.”
“Uncle mode on you is kinda unfamiliar sometimes.”
You’ll get it when you’re older.
Kids these days don’t know.
That was when Song Ha-na raised her hand with a question.
“Teacher. Isn’t this dance class time right now?”
“I know.”
She’d held back a lot to even ask that much.
Right then, like the tiger shows up when you mention it, the front door slid open again.
The dance teacher, Jung Hye-seon, strode in.
The kids just blinked as she marched right up to Ji-woong’s side.
“No greetings?”
She stood next to him and said it.
Only then did the class chorus their greeting.
“You didn’t greet when homeroom walked in either.”
Ji-woong gave them a once-over, clearly displeased, then scribbled something on the blackboard.
[ Singing & Dance Subject Evaluation ]
“We’re combining singing and dance into one evaluation this semester.”
The class buzzed.
Some kids looked baffled, while others—like Woo-sik—were thrilled, figuring it meant just two tests instead of separate ones.
Come to think of it, I’d forgotten they sometimes merged evaluations like this for subject tests.
It had happened back in first year, second semester too.
“It’ll be done in teams. Boys and girls separate, and since we’ve got odd numbers, one team each will have three members. Team size won’t affect your scores, so no worries.”
Jung Hye-seon pulled out the trusty old draw box as she spoke.
By now, the kids were so used to it they barely reacted, just eyeing the box.
“Hold up.”
Ji-woong stepped in front of her and hooked up his laptop to the screen.
“The draw box gets old, right? So the teacher prepared something special. An electronic draw program.”
Ji-woong looked smug, like he’d whipped up something groundbreaking.
It didn’t look all that different, though. Why bother...
“Master class, everything—we always used the draw box. Time to level up.”
Was he still hung up on Moon Kang-hyun?
Nah, he wasn’t petty enough to take that “classic” jab from the master class to heart.
Eh, probably not.
“Anyway, let’s spin it.”
It did have some effect, at least.
The kids looked relieved to skip the hassle of passing it around, settling in to watch the screen intently.
Ji-woong tapped a button, and the screen whirled around frantically.
Soon enough,
Ding-!
With a flashy sound effect, the teams popped up.
[ Team 1: Kim Sun-a, Bae Seo-hyun, Song Ha-na, Lee Cheong-ha ]
[ Team 2: . . . ]
.
.
[ Team 5: Moon Woo-hyuk, Min Woo-sik, Lee Do-hyun, Han Jin-su ]
.
Teams sorted in a flash.
Way more convenient.
The classroom erupted as kids checked their groups on the screen.
Reactions varied wildly, turning the room noisy in seconds.
“Oh, finally!”
Woo-sik was right in the thick of it.
He’d been waiting for this—he sprang up, climbed onto his chair, and yelled.
“Finally getting on the Do-hyun bus!”
He was thrilled to be on my team for the first time ever.
And right away, I felt one particular stare.
Why’s he staring like that, all intense?
It was Moon Woo-hyuk, now my teammate.
Same sharp eyes as always, fixed right on me.
Do we have some kinda connection? Feels like we end up together way too often.
It was getting awkward, so I dodged his gaze a bit.
Woo-sik spotted it and nailed it immediately.
He nodded along sagely, like he got it completely.
“Makes sense. Moon Woo-hyuk is scary.”
“It’s not that.”
Just holding back as the adult here.
Woo-sik smirked at me.
“Yeah, sure.”
Getting this treatment from Woo-sik of all people.
Hurt my pride a little.
He didn’t stop there, patting my shoulder like he was consoling me.
“Quiet down and gather with your teams for now.”
At Ji-woong’s words, the kids shuffled into their groups.
Master class, comprehensive eval, now singing & dance eval.
Nonstop announcements since the semester started—we were all fried.
This was Cheongyeom Arts High life, though.
From what I remembered, first year was the most chaotic.
Second year onward, these back-to-back practical evals dropped off sharply.
Plus, we still had ongoing assessments, so it felt nonstop.
“Once you’re grouped, pick a rep and send one up.”
With everyone settled, Ji-woong spoke up.
He scanned the room.
“Who’s going?”
“I don’t care.”
“Same here...”
Woo-sik and Han Jin-su, my teammates, didn’t seem keen on repping.
Standing there all proud with his chest puffed out was Moon Woo-hyuk.
“You wanna go?”
“Who else?”
This guy.
Weirdly competitive.
Made him easy to handle, in a way.
Everything transparent.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
He was volunteering for the chore, so I smiled and let him.
Moon Woo-hyuk strutted forward to the draw box.
If you’re going electronic, stick to it...
The box was back, and I couldn’t help but frown.
Ji-woong could be one brick short sometimes.
Though that’s probably why he felt more endearing right now.
“We’re basically Lottery High at this point.”
Woo-sik eyed the kids lining up at the box and sighed in exasperation.
Most practical system, in a way.
How often in the real world do you get to pick exactly what you want?
Definitely way less than the slips in that box.
At least here, the teachers curated the pieces with students in mind.
Reality wouldn’t be so kind.
Old memories hit, sour mood settling in. I shook my head.
“Draw in order.”
Moon Woo-hyuk grabbed first, bold as brass, and headed back.
If you toned down that personality, he’d be easy to live with.
Push him a little, and he’d handle all the annoying stuff solo.
He unfolded the paper and showed the team.
“Even Today, Why This Night.”
A number from the musical *Sublime Breath*: “Even Today, Why This Night.”
Famous musical about a workaholic doctor protagonist.
The song sung by the doctor Tae and his buddy Luksho at a bar.
Such a well-known show, no need to explain to the team—they all knew it.
Thing was, it was a duet with ensemble parts.
Assigning this to a four-person team? Basically telling us to compete outright.
“What’re you thinking?”
Moon Woo-hyuk clocked my pondering and jumped in.
“Got a role you want? Speak up. If they overlap, we duke it out fair and square with skills.”
Straight to casting battles.
Not wrong, but coming from him, it sounded all competitive.
That’s when Han Jin-su raised his hand timidly.
“I’ll take whatever’s left. I came last anyway...”
He grinned dopily.
Moon Woo-hyuk’s face twisted instantly.
“What? Last place?”
Han Jin-su was one of those low-key kids in the musical theater department.
Honestly, I hadn’t even realized he was dead last until he said it himself.
Moon Woo-hyuk, did you have to shout “last place” that loud?
“Man, that’s too much. Way too much.”
Woo-sik patted Han Jin-su’s back, soothing him.
“If you’re thinking ‘last place, so even a slightly better stage is fine’—that’s a lame mindset.”
Moon Woo-hyuk ignored Woo-sik and stared Han Jin-su down, dead serious.
“Better say it now. Just take the role that stays offstage most.”
Sounded harsh, but I fully backed him on this one.
You could talk “bus” all day, but showing zero drive was rude to your teammates.
“Yeah. Let’s all work hard together.”
No need to crush him from the jump, though.
I kept it as gentle as possible for Han Jin-su’s sake.
“I get you’re last, but don’t settle for it.”
I’d just started smoothing things over when Moon Woo-hyuk piped up again, and I sighed.
Did he have to hit that try-hard line?
Fine.
Time to step up properly.
Only way was full adult humor to kill the vibe completely.
“Why? Gonna teach Han Jin-su a thing or two?”
I felt all the kids’ faces twist in shock for a split second.
...At least, I’d successfully changed the subject.