“Hwang Eunbi! Hwang Eunbi!”

Beyond the gates where the Top Rankers reside, Sinb’s fans were all set in their chanting. They were hardcore creatures who earnestly cheer Sinb whenever she has a battle. 

It wasn’t a new feeling as she had it when she was in Gfriend, but the amount of support she got from this world, as a dancer, is astounding. 

“Hey, why don’t you make your fans shut up? They’re too noisy”, a male Top Ranker told Sinb. 

She gave him a cold shoulder and just went on smiling because of the loud cheers. 

“Madame Hwang Eunbi”, the guards appeared out of nowhere. “You have a battle”, hearing so made her fluster but she followed them nonetheless. 

“I hope you lose, Madame Plastic Nose”, a female Top Ranker sneered at her, to which Sinb just laughed. She was so used to that woman’s comments about her nose, but she didn’t care instead she smartly replied, “Beauty will always be something subjective and relative, but it’s of a greater basis to look on a rotting soul, just like yours, unnie”, she emphasized that unnie as a sign of ‘respect’.

As she left the receiving area of the Top Rankers, she could hear the rest of their group laugh at her response, teasing the lady who commented on her nose. 

“Her soul stinks, but whatever”, she whispered to herself. 

As Sinb and the guards rode on the carriage going to the arena, she saw her fans who were loudly cheering her name. She bowed to them, and thanked them. 

“I have a fight today! Watch me, okay?”, she reminded them, and they replied an enthusiastic yes. 

Little by little, Sinb’s perspective was changing, but she always put into consideration her fans. Their voices boosted Sinb’s ego and that’s what she wanted. 

When they reached the arena, the dark lady approached her. “You know who you’re fighting against today?” That question made Sinb curious as it’s the first time her creator asked her that. 

“I don’t know but he or she must be someone special”, Sinb grinned. 

“I actually set the two of you up… to end things in peace”, the dark lady patted Sinb’s shoulder as she left the place. It stirred up an unsettling feeling inside Sinb, but she continued to walk towards the arena nevertheless. 

Upon entering the dome, she was welcomed with loud cheers and banners showing their affection and idolization towards Sinb. That fueled up her will to win this challenge. 

“That’s right! This is what I am saying!”, she was laughing as the cheers became wilder and louder. She hyped the crowd more, not minding the reaction of the Monarchs or her future enemy. 

“Sinb…”, the voice made Sinb stop what she was doing, and turned to look for the source of the voice. It was her enemy’s voice, it was Momo’s. 

Seeing her made her remember what happened few days ago, and that made her mood pretty sour. 

“You’re my enemy? What was the dark lady thinking, making me fight with a crap like you?”, she provoked Momo, but she was still conservative and displaying respect.

“I don’t want us to fight. Sinb-ya, we can show them that all of us can live in harmony… that we don’t have to beat each other”, Momo sincerely expressed her heart to the young lady but she wouldn’t budge.

“That’s what I thought of too, but I realized how naive I was. There’s no such thing as harmony, Momo-unnie. We are all destined to battle in here or the other world”, Sinb talked endlessly, trying to justify her side. 

“Even if it means you’d hurt someone for that win?”, Momo asked with her eyes stuck on Sinb’s. 

Her question resonated within Sinb. Naturally she would just answer yes, but something from Momo’s eyes communicated and sparked something in her. Empathy? Confusion? 

She tried to dismiss her question, and focused in the battle instead, sending her her last message before the game began.

“We have no time to chat any further, let’s begin”, Sinb sternly declared. 

At that instance, the battle between them commenced. Momo was still hesitant, but she realized that this may be the eye-opener for Sinb, and so she didn’t hold back. 

They both exchanged series of body movements — from ballet to hiphop to ballroom to folk dance. They danced their hearts out, beat by beat, side by side, with smiles on their faces. 

Sinb felt different this time, as if dancing with Momo brought her to clarity. Her mind wasn’t vandalized with thoughts like she should win. Well, she did at first, but now she’s seeing that harmony Momo mentioned. Perspective — her view on dance has come back. It was never meant to destroy or hurt other people, but to socialize and establish peace. 

“Unnie, I am sorry, I realized my mistake…”, Sinb panted as she twirled and prepared for a jump. “...let’s dance and show them what they have to see”, she continued. Momo nodded at the younger’s statement, and both of their emotions flowed into one great vessel. They were so in sync that it seemed like there was one beautiful being gracefully dancing in the middle of the crowd’s stares and expectations. They were moving freely, flying without any limits — they conquered the fate that the Monarchs and the audience push them into. 

“Let’s finish this”

“Yes, unnie”

Together they hit their final blow, raising up their hands in the skies, ending their battle. Smiles were painted on their lips, and they embraced each other. 

At first the audience went silent, unable to react from what the two dancers just did. However, their evil characters still killed that hope within Sinb and Momo, for the crowd jeered at them, or at Momo. Rotten fruits and vegetables were thrown at her. They looked down on her as if she was some pest that could be pinched to death. 

“STOP POISONING OUR HWANG EUNBI!”, a loud voice emanated from the left wing of the arena. 

“That’s right!”

“Hirai Momo is a loser! LOSER!”

Soon the whole arena was vibrating at how strong their voices became. And Momo felt devastated, but Sinb saw this as an opportunity to talk to the crowd. 

“STOP! MISS MOMO HIRAI IS A GREAT DANCER!”, the youngest yelled with courage as her bullets. 

“Dance battle… we’re supposed to be dancing for passion and love, not hatred or vanity”, she continued with eyes fixed on every audience inisde the arena. “Please listen to us!” This time Sinb bowed before the crowd, and pleaded them to give their cooperation.

In response to what the young girl said, the audience took time to think. Maybe she is right, maybe there is something beyond these battles. There was a complete silence inside the arena, until the Monarchs ordered the guards. 

“What do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to rebel against this constitution?”, one Monarch marched her way down towards Sinb and Momo. Soon the other Monarchs followed her, as well as about a hundred of guards. 

The two dancers couldn’t understand the situation they are in, but they could feel far inside their systems. To ease the tension, Sinb slowly intertwined her fingers to Momo’s. 

The Monarchs and the guards parted, as if they formed a path for a certain someone. Later, the dark lady who was always helping Sinb walked through that path. 

“You…”, Sinb spoke, “... are you the Head Monarch?”

“That was rather unexpected. Common sense would have told you… I set you up, remember? Only those in power could do that, Hwang Eunbi”

The arena became filled with whispers from the crowd. They were chattering about what they are currently seeing. 

At that very moment, the dark lady snapped her finger and Momo fell. She bent in pain, while craving for air… for somebody to help her, but it was too late. The instance Sinb held her in her arms, Momo took her last breath, and she died.

“You have to be thankful that you didn’t have your head cut”, the Head Monarch added. 

Contrary to what Sinb wanted, the audience went by the flow. They laughed at the corpse in front of them. They pointed fingers towards Momo, who wasn’t even given the chance to be judged properly. As much as Sinb would like to ask further forgiveness and weep at Momo’s demise, her fury was too much to be concealed. She ran towards the Head Monarch, the dark woman who took her in, and without second thoughts, she punched her straight in the face. 

The other Monarchs froze at what Sinb did. Their beloved master received a punch from this Top Ranker, the group of dancers they thought they had in their palms. The guards were about to grapple her, but the Head Monarch gestured no. 

Lying flat on the ground, with her black mask detached from her face, the Head Monarch cupped her swollen cheek. Her nose was bleeding as well. 

Getting no assistance from the other Monarchs, their head struggled to stand up. When she did, she looked directly at Sinb, their eyes meeting for the first time. 

Sinb, who was still panting from anger, with her clenched fists resting on her sides, became surprised at the sight before her. 

“Ha… that’s the first punch I got in my whole life”, the woman smirked at Sinb. “Thanks”, she added. 

Sinb, on the other hand, couldn’t move, wide open, dumfounded. The Head Monarch noticed Sinb’s pupils shaking at her sight, and so she fixed some loose hair strands and cleared . 

“You asked me earlier… Who am I?”

Sinb had a hunch now, but she wanted to confirm it through her words. The woman closed the distance between them, and she began playing with the tips of the young girl’s hair strands.

“I am you, Hwang Eunbi”, she smiled at her, as Sinb’s tears began to fall. There was no reason for the woman to lie, and she has no reason to lie to herself as well. Her words were imprinted onto Sinb’s head, and it was horrible. 

“I am you…”

“Yes”, the older Sinb smiled, “You are me”.