Dance is Music Too (3)
I pulled a black bucket hat low over my eyebrows and slipped on a large mask that covered half my face. It hit me just how small my face really was. Right in the heart of Gangnam, in front of the Luminus Entertainment Building. I passed through the lobby and rode the elevator up.
Ding.
As soon as I stepped out onto the practice floor, Naeun, who had been pacing anxiously in the corner, spotted me and her eyes lit up.
"Unnie! Over here, over here!"
She came scampering over and grabbed my arm. I glanced around and lowered my voice.
"Shh. What if someone hears you?"
"Hehe, don't worry. No one's around this hallway right now. Come on, quick!"
She led me to a soundproof door at the end of the corridor. As soon as we stepped inside, a wide-open space greeted me, complete with top-of-the-line speakers and floor-to-ceiling mirrors covering the walls.
"Whoa... nice setup. We're using this place?"
"Yep! The CEO specially cleared out the whole room for you to practice in. Isn't it amazing?"
Naeun beamed like it was her own achievement as she set down her bag.
"...Did you tell Kim Taesung I was coming?"
Her shoulders twitched visibly. She avoided my gaze, fidgeting with her fingers, then mumbled with a sheepish expression.
"Well... unnie, I swear I wasn't gonna say anything. I was gonna keep it super secret, like a covert op..."
"But?"
"The CEO called me in this morning and said since I'm training under you, I shouldn't miss a thing and learn everything I can... that it's way better than our company's curriculum, so... I figured I had to tell him..."
She trailed off in a tiny voice. I let out a disbelieving scoff.
"That guy said all that?"
Kim Taesung. That black-hearted businessman? Suddenly playing generous with the space—I couldn't buy it.
"Unnie, you mad...?"
Naeun peeked at me, tugging lightly at my sleeve.
"...Nah. What'd you do wrong? He's the one with the complicated head."
I started scanning every corner of the practice room. The ceiling moldings, between the speakers, even behind the air purifier.
"Unnie, whatcha looking for?"
"No CCTV here, right?"
At my sharp question, she waved her hands frantically.
"Nope! This is for artists to work or rest privately, so no cameras as a privacy rule."
"Still suspicious."
I glared at the fire detector in the ceiling corner. Having been stabbed in the back hard in my previous life, I knew excessive kindness always came with a price.
"Unnie, aren't you being too paranoid? The CEO seemed sincere this time..."
"Naeun. In this industry, 'sincerity' only counts until the contract's stamped."
I took off my mask and stood in front of the mirror.
"So, what's next? Stretch to warm up?"
As I hesitated, Naeun grinned like she'd been waiting and stepped right up to me. The earlier tension was gone; her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Ehey, sunbae-nim. No, hoobae-nim! In here, I'm the four-year trainee veteran, so let me play sunbae for a bit!"
She planted her hands on her hips and declared it proudly. Normally I'd flick her forehead again, but she wasn't wrong. When it came to dance, I was basically a baby taking its first steps.
"Uh, sure. Whatever."
Thrilled by my response, she pulled two fans from her bag in the corner.
Invitation called for a fan performance, after all.
"Honestly, Invitation's choreography is barely even dance! It's more about flowing lines than intense moves—like a battle of vibes?"
She snapped the fans open and pressed close to me.
"Ahem, our hoobae-nim's so flexible, you'll nail waves no problem!"
She reached for my waist to correct my posture. Just as her fingers brushed my side—
Thwack!
"Ow!"
I instinctively flicked her forehead.
"Don't touch my body like that."
"Why not?! Sunbae-nim, we're both girls! Dance lessons mean some contact—why so shy?"
She rubbed her forehead, protesting indignantly. I averted my eyes, putting on a stern face.
"...Feels weird."
It was true. Memories of my past life as a man still lingered in my brain, so even same-sex touch tracing my curves felt off. That ticklish, stiff-neck sensation.
Her eyes narrowed, then widened as she stepped back.
"Gasp—! Sunbae-nim... wait, you into that?"
"No, you idiot!"
I yelled, and she giggled, closing in again.
"Okay, okay. No touching then—watch closely. It won't happen overnight, but I believe in our hoobae-nim's talent."
She turned to the mirror.
"Think of drawing power from your toes up. Snap your hips forward..."
She started moving slowly. From softly bending knees, her hips bounced elastically, the flow rippling up her spine to her shoulders and neck like water.
"See? Easy, right?"
She snapped her hips one last time and winked. I swallowed hard.
...And I have to do that?
With music blasting, lights flashing, cameras zooming in? Imagining myself waving made my face burn.
But Naeun in the mirror shone brighter than ever.
"Your turn, hoobae-nim!"
She clapped, shoving me forward. Stiff as a board, I slowly tensed my hips.
*****
Naeun watched Jiyeong's reflection intently. At first, when Jiyeong's hips creaked awkwardly, Naeun inwardly cheered.
Whoa, her proportions are cheating—she looks like a picture just standing there.
Model-like height, flawless figure. In four years of trainee life, she'd seen plenty of beauties, but Jiyeong's unique seductive aura was unmatched.
"Ooh, um... unnie, for a first try, that's really good? Your flexibility makes the lines so pretty."
She clapped sincerely. But the awe didn't last.
One hour, two hours. As time passed, a faint crease formed between her brows.
...Weird.
The moves were precise. Jiyeong's body was insanely flexible, as confirmed during stretches, and she followed the beats well. But then it broke. The waist line that should flow smoothly kept braking.
Worst was Jiyeong's expression.
Unnie looks like she's meditating, not dancing...
Her face embodied "I have no thoughts because I have no thoughts." Her ears reddened on hip snaps—she was hyper-aware.
At first, Naeun thought it was just shyness from unfamiliarity, but Jiyeong stayed stuck, even stiffening more with awareness.
"Hey, unnie. Hold up."
She killed the music and approached.
"Unnie, the moves are perfect. But... how to say. Invitation pulls people into your space. Right now, your eyes say 'come closer and I'll kill you.'"
Jiyeong's gaze wavered.
"It's... not matching my feelings. Keeps feeling embarrassing."
Naeun propped her chin, staring. Jiyeong didn't realize how pretty she was, how alluring her gestures.
"Unnie, this won't cut it. Two weeks to the showdown—we'll go nowhere like this."
Her voice turned serious.
"Need drastic measures. Come here."
She grabbed Jiyeong's wrist, dragging her to the center's full-length mirror. Their reflections: flustered Jiyeong, sparkling Naeun.
"Unnie, look straight at yourself. No dodging."
"You're embarrassed dancing as Han Jiyeong, right? Like 'does someone like me get to do this?'"
Jiyeong bit her lip.
"Know what first-year trainees learn? How to fall for your mirror self. If you don't fall for you, the audience won't."
Naeun dimmed the fluorescents to soft, reddish indirect lights. Shadows stretched, thickening the air.
"Vibe set? Try again. No big moves—just put 'wanna come to me?' in your fingertips, your gaze."
She restarted the music. Low bass throbbed. Jiyeong closed then opened her eyes. Her silhouette under red light felt strangely seductive.
Yeah, this isn't me. Just a stage role.
She recalled possessing fictional characters while composing. Slowly, hips circled. Less force, but tension seeped through the gaps. Eyes met her reflection's. Cooling gaze warmed.
"Ooh..."
Naeun watched, mouth agape. Jiyeong flowed with the melody. Tilting her head, tossing hair back—Naeun swallowed.
Is this unnie's true self?
But it stopped before the highlight, shyness freezing her again.
"...Haa, guess that's my limit."
Jiyeong slumped, breathing ragged.
"No way! Unnie, that was insane! That gaze—I almost confessed for real!"
Naeun gushed, but Jiyeong buried her face in her knees, shaking her head.
"Feels so weird... Like I'm going crazy."
"That's immersion, not crazy! Unnie, you're a genius— one light change and boom?"
She stuck to Jiyeong's side, excited.
"Unnie, change and try it."
"W-what?"
That day, Jiyeong wore revealing clothes for the first time in her life.