Beyond flexible—if I exaggerate a bit, I was shocked to see his body bend smoothly without making a single sound while stretching, as if there were no bones in his body.
A body born for dance.
Cha Hohyeon’s body was fairly flexible too, but it couldn’t compare to Ka Jerim’s current body. If my previous body was suitable for powerful dances due to its strength, muscle, and bulk, Ka Jerim’s body was optimized for soft and beautiful dances.
I took a simple deep breath and played the song.
♩♬♪~
I moved my body along with the familiar intro.
At first, I stumbled a bit, perhaps because the sight of myself reflected in the mirror was unfamiliar.
Screech—squeak—
But once I got used to it, the movements flowed quite naturally one after another, bringing a bright smile to my face.
The friction of the sneakers against the floor, and the powerful movements flowing smoothly as I danced—it felt just like being on stage, so familiar and welcome that it made me forget even the gloomy situation.
* * *
“Why is everyone crowded together like that?”
Director Gye of O-All Entertainment approached, sipping the coffee he was holding, after seeing the trainees crowded in the hallway.
“Hello.”
“Hello!!”
“Yeah, yeah. Is there something interesting here?”
Moreover, seeing even trainees from other classes crowded together, Director Gye looked around with a puzzled face, then tilted his head when he saw they were looking at Class B’s practice room.
He had just seen the Class B kids go out to eat together as a group. Only Ka Jerim from Class B who came late would be there, so there shouldn’t be anything to see.
“Did Ka Jerim cause trouble again?”
“No…… that’s not it.”
“Your expression says otherwise.”
Ka Jerim of Class B.
He had good dancing skills but repeatedly failed to make it into the debut confirmation class, because he always had a withdrawn appearance and unpredictable tendencies. Ka Jerim wasn’t cut out to be a celebrity, to the point where Director Gye planned to cut him first as soon as his trainee contract period ended.
Idols must always be confident and shouldn’t be intimidated anywhere, but Ka Jerim always walked around with his head down and couldn’t even make proper eye contact with people. Even his gaze handling while dancing was so unstable that even dances he clearly performed well ended up looking poorly done. There was even an incident last time when things got really chaotic because he tried to self-harm in the practice room.
“This bastard, just.”
I’ve repeatedly told him I’ll cut him as a trainee if he causes trouble one more time, but he can’t even hold back and is about to cause trouble again?
Director Gye frowned and yelled while pushing through the crowded trainees.
“Hey, you guys should stop the kid if he’s acting crazy like this. Are you just spectators? What are you all doing here instead of practicing—!”
But Director Gye was speechless when he actually saw Ka Jerim. He wondered if what he was seeing now was Ka Jerim, or—
“What, who is that?”
He thought it might be someone else wearing Ka Jerim’s mask.
Director Gye looked at Ka Jerim in the practice room with a confused face. That guy inside who was naturally performing a difficult dance as if it were his own—
“That’s really Ka Jerim?”
Because he couldn’t believe it was Ka Jerim.
Episode 2
Black top, black pants, black shoes. His outfit was all black, so his pale face stood out particularly.
♩♬♪~
Ka Jerim’s pale face gradually started to flush in the cheeks as he danced. The appropriately reddened cheeks made Ka Jerim look more lively.
Ka Jerim, who always walked around depressed with a turtle neck or with his head down looking dejected, had gone somewhere, and now he was shining like an idol standing on stage. Ka Jerim’s presence was even enough to fill the spacious practice room.
Screech—
Before the first movement was even finished, it quickly transitioned to the second movement. Ka Jerim’s sneakers meshed with the floor without rest.
The dance lines created by his small body were extremely beautiful, but the force contained within was also considerable, so you couldn’t take your eyes off him. When he lowered his head and then sharply lifted it back up, Ka Jerim’s black, thick hair floated in the air all at once.
His neat forehead, hidden by his shaggy bangs, was revealed. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and below that, Ka Jerim’s long, narrow eyes were half-open, staring at himself in the mirror.
But the hazy eyes instantly shone coldly and quickly moved to the next movement.
Bang! —Squeak.
The trainees who saw him instantly stabilize the next pose were amazed. Every choreography was so sharp there was nothing to criticize. Moreover, it was simply amazing that despite containing such strong force, the choreography could actually look smooth and soft.
Ka Jerim lifted one leg slightly, grabbed his waist with one hand, then grabbed the back of his neck with the other hand and lowered his head.
Then Ka Jerim’s pale, straight neck was slightly revealed. Below it, red marks from the rope could be seen, but those watching Ka Jerim were so absorbed in his dance that no one could pay attention to the red marks. Because all the trainees present knew how difficult it was to lift one leg and smoothly transition to the next movement, and how hard it was to express.
Most of all, because of Ka Jerim expressing that high-difficulty movement so easily as if it were nothing, everyone momentarily thought, ‘Was that so easy?’
And when the trainees saw the hand that grabbed the back of his neck cover his eyes and thrust his pelvis out once more, they unknowingly gulped. Originally, they didn’t think the choreography was very provocative, perhaps because Fort’s members were so tall and lanky. But when the delicate Ka Jerim did it, it was somewhat strange.
Like that, Ka Jerim turned around as if sliding as if he lost his balance, then removed the hand covering his eyes and slowly swept down his body again. Then when the song surged up, Ka Jerim quickly bent his back backward and wrapped his hands behind his ears as if choking his neck.
He stared straight ahead as if the mirror in front was a camera, and his gaze handling was clearly perfect. Then he knelt down to the last interlude of the song and fell backward.
Thud—
“Ha— hoo.”
The practice room where the song stopped was filled with Ka Jerim’s breathing.
This movement is originally choreography where the five Fort members put their heads together and close their eyes as if meeting death. So even though dancing it alone should feel somewhat empty, Ka Jerim’s choreography filled the practice room as if it were originally choreography for one person.
Then Ka Jerim stared blankly at the practice room ceiling, and hearing the next song play, he chuckled.
“Ah, I can’t dance anymore.”
My back feels like it’s going to break.
Although Ka Jerim’s softly muttering voice couldn’t be heard outside the practice room, the trainees watching from a distance just stared blankly at Ka Jerim’s face.
Because the gap between Ka Jerim laughing like a child while looking at the ceiling now and Ka Jerim who had just danced amazingly felt too large.
And it seemed Director Gye felt the same way. Director Gye, who had been staring blankly at Ka Jerim just like the trainees, belatedly came to his senses and pushed aside the trainees next to him, saying,
“……Hey, hey, hey, move!”
* * *
“I feel like I’m going to die from exhaustion.”
Was it my imagination that I saw the River of Death as I approached the last movement?
Ka Jerim’s body was flexible and his dance lines were so beautiful that I kept dancing, absorbed in it. The originally forceful Fort dance looking like ballet was a different kind of charm.
But separately from that, as the end approached, my limit was coming.
“I’m dizzy.”
I was too dizzy.
Ka Jerim’s stamina wasn’t very good, it seemed.
I stretched out my uncomfortably bent knees straight on the floor and swept back my soaked bangs from the stupid act of dancing while wearing a turtleneck. I intended to dance lightly, but while dancing, I ended up getting serious and moving excitedly. Still, dancing felt like confirming that I was alive somehow, so a smile naturally came to my face.
I’m alive.
Whether as Cha Hohyeon or as Ka Jerim. Either way, I was alive.
I thought I had no great attachment to life, but it seemed that wasn’t entirely true. So I danced intensely and couldn’t even breathe properly, but I just laughed like a fool, happy about the fact that I was alive.
Bang—
At that moment, the sound of the practice room door opening roughly rang out, and I quickly sat up from my lying position and looked at the other person. It was the man who had passed by in the hallway earlier and babbled at me to practice.
“You, you—”
He threw down the chart he was holding and strode toward me, as if he wanted to say something to me. At that threatening behavior, I reflexively backed away hesitantly even while sitting, but the other person was too fast.
“You bastard!”
By the way, it was a voice I’d heard a lot from somewhere. Just as I was wondering where I’d heard it, the man suddenly smiled brightly.
“I knew you’d come to your senses someday!”
“Yes?”
“You were practicing, not playing around, right?”
“……Yes?”
No way. Hesitating in what felt like a déjà vu situation, I realized who he was. From his voice, he seemed to be <Dog-like Director-nim> who called me earlier.
“When did your dancing skills get this good? And this unintimidated appearance, very good!”
What. I ended up being hugged by the director without warning. Director Gye kept praising me. With my head turned while in his embrace, I soon widened my eyes when I saw the trainees filling that transparent wall.
There wasn’t a single person earlier, so why are there so many people now? Did I make some mistake?
The trainees outside were even pointing at me and whispering to each other, saying something or other. They seem to be talking about me……
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s end-of-month evaluation. With your current skills, you’ll do fine. You’ve held on well for almost 4 years now, yeah.”
“Yes?”
I stupidly asked again, but Director Gye smiled, saying he was glad I finally came to my senses.
