Dance Lessons
Drama filming had been going smoothly when I heard something that hit me like a bolt from the blue.
"What? What did you just... just say?"
"Yeah. You heard me. So... hang in there."
Kang Ho-yeon gave a little clenched-fist cheer, a huge smile plastered across her face.
"Unnie... you're enjoying this, aren't you. The part where I'm suffering."
"What are you talking about? I always think and act with Ji-woo's best interests in mind."
In that case!
"Then wipe that smile off your face before you say it!"
"Ah... my bad."
Kang Ho-yeon swept a hand down her face and erased the smile.
Haa...
I let out a sigh and dropped into the chair. The reason I was even agonizing over this was that I had to throw myself into the training that marked the start of becoming a VTuber idol — and I had to survive a schedule of three straight days without sleep.
"Is that even possible? Three days of dance lessons with no sleep?"
"It'll be hard. Of all the idols I've seen, not a single one made it through three sleepless days of dance lessons in one piece. Especially..."
Kang Ho-yeon didn't finish the sentence. I didn't need to hear the rest to know what was coming.
"So stamina's going to be essential."
"Not just stamina. Mental fortitude too. Still, when it comes to mental strength, you're the best of the bunch, Ji-woo... so, you know. Fighting."
Another little cheer, and my shoulders sagged all over again.
"I really have to do this?"
"Of course. What you wanted wasn't just to be a VTuber — it was to be a VTuber idol, right?"
Well... she had a point.
Why had I ever said I wanted to be a VTuber idol? If I could go back a few months, I'd punch past-me in the face and tell her to just be a regular VTuber.
I snuck a glance at the Status Window, hunting for some way to travel back in time. No such luck.
"But... unnie, you already know this. I'm a complete disaster at anything physical."
"Don't talk about yourself like that."
"But..."
It was true, though. During drama filming there had been an action scene. I'd never blown a take in my life — and on that one sequence alone I racked up over thirty NGs. Oh Seok-ho had even suggested using a stunt double. That pretty much said it all.
"Ah! Right. Did you find a composer? If you haven't, I know someone who—"
"Don't try to change the subject. Dance lessons start today, so steel yourself. The members are already gathered in the practice room. You should get going too, Ji-woo."
"...Yes."
In the end I forced my heavy legs to move and headed for the practice room inside the company.
Damn it... why is this body such a wreck?!
Damn it... why is this body such a wreck?!
"Ji-woo! You need to lift your arms higher than that!"
"Huff... huff... C-Coach... I'm... dying..."
"Someone with a chest that unnecessarily huge doesn't get to die! Move!"
Following the dance coach's movements, the members and I thrashed ourselves through the choreography. The others struggled at first, but they started picking it up soon enough. Lee Yuwol and Jina had already been through trainee life, so it made sense they could dance well. Even that didn't seem to satisfy the dance coach, though.
I never thought even Tsuki would be that good.
This was a clear betrayal!
I stared at Tsuki like a general who'd just been stabbed in the back.
"Hehe! Jiwoo-chan! Come on, move, like this!"
Tsuki, whose dazzling moves put anyone watching in a good mood — and me, whose desperate flailing made people scrunch up their faces.
"Haa... this isn't working. Ji-woo, step back. Let's start by building your stamina."
"C-Coooach~"
"Tsk! Nobody dies carrying around that much fat. So cut the whining!"
The dance coach's expression was unyielding. Was she still holding a grudge over me saying her chest was big? Figures. A small chest and a small mind to match. The second I said that out loud, I'd be dead that very day.
"Our Ji-woo's eyes still look plenty lively. Good. We'll do this for stamina training."
"This is... a jump rope?"
There were plenty of other drills. Why jump rope, of all things? I hadn't touched one since elementary school — and by elementary school, I meant my previous life. I hadn't held or even seen a jump rope in over twenty years.
"Jump rope is the most effective way to build basic stamina. So first, let's burn off that fat."
"N-No! Jiwoo-chan's chest is a national treasureee—mmph!!"
"Tsuki, shut up! That's going to come back on all of us! Ji-woo taking the hit here is the right call!"
At Lee Yuwol's intervention, Tsuki finally lowered her hands.
I knew my own chest better than anyone. This wasn't the kind of chest that would vanish from a little jump rope.
"How long do I have to do this?"
"How long? Hmm... until you can do a hundred jumps without stopping."
"A hundred..."
Did such a merciless number even exist?
I stared at the jump rope in my hands for a long moment, then moved to a corner of the practice room.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The rope spun fast, slapping the floor as I jumped to clear it without catching. Every time I jumped, my chest bounced hard. Uncomfortable... and it hurt. Coming in light clothes because it was "just dance lessons" had been a mistake. The flimsy underwear couldn't hold my wildly bouncing chest, and eventually—
Snap.
"...!!"
It broke.
"C-Cooooaach~"
"Haa... Ji-woo. From now on, wear two."
"But I dooon't waaant toooo~"
"Tsk! Don't drag out the end of your words! You brought a spare, right? Go change into that."
"Yes..."
Holding my chest with my hands in place of the broken bra, I left the practice room and headed for the locker room. It wasn't that far from the practice space, but the entire floor was practice rooms with only a single locker room, so the walk was still pretty long.
I peeled off the broken underwear and changed into the spare. Having taken everything off once, I didn't want to put the sweat-soaked clothes back on.
"I'll just grab a fresh set."
I put on new clothes and was heading back when the door to Practice Room 2 opened. A woman came out, wiping sweat with a towel.
"Oh? Ji-woo. What are you doing here?"
The woman who greeted me like she knew me was Bae Ji-hyun, an idol three months into her debut.
"Ah... I had something to take care of in the practice room."
Even inside the company, the fact that we were VTuber idols was classified. I couldn't tell the truth, so I fudged it.
"What about you, unnie? Why are you here? I didn't hear anyone was using this practice room today."
We couldn't let anyone see us practicing, so we'd deliberately booked a day when no other teams were scheduled. Security had felt tighter lately, and Kang Ho-yeon had already warned us never to breathe a word about being VTuber idols.
"Ah... honestly, I felt like I wasn't practicing enough, so I was just about to head out anyway."
"Ahaha..."
It was a little awkward. I used to think we'd gotten close from those brutal morning workouts together, but at some point even looking at each other and exchanging a few words had become hard.
"W-Well, I should get going."
"Y-Yeah! Go on. And... I watched your drama. You're a really good actress."
"Thanks..."
I left the awkwardness behind and parted ways with Bae Ji-hyun.
I wanted to be close with her. I just couldn't. The moment her teammates caught her being friendly with me, I knew she'd have a hard time.
I just... I just have to work even harder and get so famous they can't even be jealous.
When I got back to Practice Room 1, the members were already collapsed on the floor, soaked in sweat and on the verge of passing out. I needed to follow their example and build my stamina even harder.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
I spun the jump rope with fighting spirit, pulling out the will to never give up.
"I... I give up... Coach... I'm dying..."
And so, ten minutes later, I was sprawled on the practice room floor, half-dead.
The will to never give up? That only works if you've got the stamina to back it up.
Right now, I'm just garbage~
Day two.
Today, too, I was spinning the jump rope. Yesterday I'd spent the entire day on jump rope and nothing else. Still, there was progress. At first I couldn't even clear ten. Now I was at twenty! My stamina had literally doubled.
"Amazing! Jiwoo-chan, you're so amazing!"
"That's right. At this rate, we'll take over the world with stamina!"
"Oh~!"
"Full of energy today too."
"Wonder how long that'll last."
While Tsuki and I were cheerfully shouting our cheers together, Lee Yuwol and Jina walked into the practice room. Both were wearing black training outfits similar to yesterday's that showed off their leg lines, though their tops were a little different. Lee Yuwol had on a short zip-up hoodie that exposed her navel; Jina wore an oversized jacket.
They really weren't just any former trainees. The arrival of people pretty from every angle filled my eyes with happiness all over again.
This. This was the good part about being a woman. Namely: you could look as much as you wanted. Even as a woman, staring a hole through someone you weren't close with was rude — but if you were already close, you could stare right at them like this and—
"Ji-woo, hasn't your staring gotten a little too obvious lately?"
—it would end with nothing more than a scolding. If I'd been a man, it would've been screaming and a police report.
"Can't help it. You unnies just look too pretty."
"I think that's my line. The prettiest person in the group doesn't get to say that. Right, Jina?"
"She's got a point. Look next to you. Tsuki's drooling over Ji-woo."
"Hehe... Jiwoo-chan's chest..."
I looked over and saw Tsuki fidgeting her fingers, drool dripping from her mouth. Even if she'd been pent up lately, this was a bit much.
"Tsuki, calm down first."
"Jiwoo-chan."
"...Huh?"
I always get nervous when Tsuki calls my name with that serious face.
"It's equivalent exchange! I'll let you touch my chest! So let me touch yours too, Jiwoo-chan!"
She'd been bingeing that alchemy anime lately, and now she was coming out with this nonsense. Tsuki lunged.
"W-Wait! Stoooooop!!"