chapter seven
““Follow your heart, listen to your inner voice, stop caring about what others think.” 

- Roy T. Bennett

Seungwoo races to the stairwell and runs up to the fourth floor. He takes the steps three at a time and when he is almost to the top his cell phone buzzes causing him to slow to a halt. He glances over the railing confirming that he is the only one in the stairwell and takes his phone out.

UPDATE: Francisco Lachowski, and Sora Choi to sign a contract with Wilhelmina Models, Barbie Ferreira and Robyn Lawley to follow?

He clenches his jaw and clicks on the notification, it opens up a link to an entertainment weekly article.

It was confirmed this afternoon that Francisco Lachowski, and Sora Choi’s contract with Ahn Models is coming to an end this month, and it was revealed that the two models aren't going to renew their contract but instead are signing on with Wilhelmina Models, a full service modeling and talent agency headquartered in New York City, United States. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and London. Founded in 1967 by Wilhelmina Cooper, it currently provides full-service representation and management to models, entertainers, artists, musicians, and athletes[1]. Barbie Ferreira and Robyn Lawley’s contracts also end this year and people are speculating whether they will follow in their co-workers footsteps. If so, what will this mean for the small modeling agency that has taken so many hits since the disappearance of main model Sam Ong?

Seungwoo drops to a sitting position in the middle of the stairwell, looking dejected at his phone. His trembling fist tightens around the device until his knuckles turn white. Why did things have to get worse?

His aunts face appears behind his closed eyes and her voice rings in his ears, “Have fun today and try not to worry too much about the things that can't be helped.”

Nausea rolls in his stomach. His mother was a strong woman and she could survive anything and come out on top but it didn't seem fair to her. He loved his mother and everything that she was going through now was because of him. If only he’d just listened to her and found another way…

Then you'd be just as miserable as her, the small voice in his head whispered. This is more than you trying to be a rebel Seungwoo. This is the only way you’ll get her to come back home and face what she’s been avoiding for years.

Grabbing onto the railing Seungwoo pulls himself up and begins his ascend. He hated how things kept going downhill. Why did Anna Wintour have to leave such bad remarks? Why did Francisco and the other models have to abandon the company at a time like this? After everything that his mother had done for them…

As he climbs the steps all the way to the top his aunts words ring in his mind, trying to force his thoughts away from the article.

“Have fun today and try not to worry too much about the things that can't be helped.”

As his sneaker reaches the last step he notices he’s made it all the way to the top. There wasn't anywhere else to go except through the single metal door sitting in front of him. With a sigh he pushes open the door and as it flies open he is met with sunshine and a brisk wind. He steps unto the pebbled rooftop cautiously, glancing back to make sure there wasn't a tirade of teachers coming to pull him back into the building. He had never attended school in America but he knew that students were forbidden to walk out unto the roof. He couldn't contemplate why this school made the roof so accessible. Still, he continued forward. This solitary space was just what he needed to clear his mind.

The door closes quietly behind him and he shoves his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants, kicking a few pebbles with the side of his shoe. He closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath.

Crunch!

Seungwoo turns his head at the sound of gravel crunching under someone's foot.

Swish, ping, ping!

The sound became clearer as the wind shifted, carrying the noise with it. It sounded more like someone was moving the gravel around with their foot. Like one would do at the beach with sand. Pebbles clattered and pinged against one another as they flew from the force. Curious, Seungwoo glanced around, he couldn't spot anything from his viewpoint and so he walks along the perimeter, the gravel crunching under his feet.

Crunch!

He walks past the a huge metal box he figured was the cooling system and turns right, stopping dead in his tracks to the sight of someone dappled in the afternoon light. Seungwoo stands for a long time beside the wall, staring at the scene before him before he realizes what he is seeing.

Mina, with her eyes closed and earbuds in her ears... dancing...

Kicking her right leg forward with pointed toes, Mina pivoted in a whirl of sharp movements and accurate grace. Every twist, every turn, every dip and every bend of her waist was full of poetry. The entirety of her being moved with purposeful clarity, her limbs acting upon absolute submission. With each poised stride she took, it became cripplingly obvious just how talented she was. She advanced with her right leg, retreated into herself, pirouetted forward, her arms swaying above her head, her hips sweeping to the side, skirt fluttering around in the wind. The mask hid her features, yet her dance seeming to show glimpses of dark, frail memories and hope long ago abandoned.

He’d never seen anything like it. In his career he's witnessed a lot of things, been a part of a lot of different types of art but none had been so full of deep silence and absolute clarity like her dance. It was hauntingly beautiful even without the music he could feel her pain. He was stunned. He felt like someone who hadn't seen the sun in years was finally getting to witness the dawn of a new day.

Suddenly he’d found someone who was looking at the same horizon as he, with the same pain in her eyes. Seungwoo could hear the crash of waves from far away and every moment he looked at her it became clearer why fate had brought them together. When he walked into the roof just then, it’s like the sun came out.

And suddenly Seungwoo could see that Mina was the dawn he’d been missing for years. She was different than all the other kids, she didn't demand anything from him and she awakened something in him he hadn’t felt in years--his heart. From the moment he’d saved her from being run over by a car he had sensed her loneliness. When he had looked into her eyes that day he had seen a soul that was hurting just like his own, alone, with no way of calling out for help. If anyone could understand what he was going through it would be her, she too was a soundless voice in the greater scheme of her life.

Mina came to the roof to escape her classmates. Their words burrowed into her chest and her heartbeats quickened. She felt heavy and she knew her face must have been a bright shade of red. She had needed something to take her mind out of what just happened and she ended up on the roof.

Mina didn't dance much anymore. She was always either too busy with school work or housework and most of the times she couldn't get herself to try on her ballet slippers. Dancing was too emotionally painful but at the moment she needed an escape from the real world. The roof was the only other place besides her room where she could dance freely.

She loved to dance. Dancing had been something her mother was really good at and something she pushed Mina to do good in too. Whenever she let go and moved to the music she could pretend that her mother was in the room, watching, smiling and getting ready to teach her a whole new set of moves. Of course when she opened her eyes she was alone but those few minutes with the music pounding in her ears were heavenly.

As the song fades her arms fall slowly to her side and she stands there breathing heavily, heart thumping in her chest. Opening her eyes she walks over to her backpack where she reaches for her water bottle and takes her earbuds off.

The sound of clapping thundered in her ears and her heart sank. Turning around quickly she is faced with none other than the boy who continually sought her out--Seungwoo. Her eyes widen but she doesn't have time to be embarrassed because she needs to get out of there. Mina grabs her bag and rushes for the exit, walking past Seungwoo. As she brushes past him he reaches out, gripping her wrist gently, her feet shuffle to a halt.

“Don't go.”

Time slows down as the words seep into her ears but for some reason she can't make out their meaning. Mina looks back at him, meeting his crestfallen gaze and is surprised to see the discouraged look in his eyes. She always figured someone like him didn’t have much to be glum about. He always seemed to have it all...

“Please,” he repeats, “Don't go.”

There it was, he said it again. Please don't go. She didn't know what it was about those three simple words but they had an affect on her. Maybe it was the way he said it, his tone of voice pleading and somber. Or maybe it was the fact that no one had ever said them to her, all of the time it was ‘leave’, ‘get out’, ‘die, freak!’.

Five minutes later they sat side by side, backs against the high roof ledge. They sat silently, neither saying a word. Seungwoo played with the cuff of his jacket wondering what he should say. It was the first time he’d gotten her to stay and he didn't want to scare her away again.

The corner of his lip rises in a small smile, “You were incredible.”

“Hmm?”

“The dancing… You're really good, it… took me by surprise. I didn't picture you as a dancer, mostly because of how clumsy you are but…. You're very talented, actually.”

“Oh, I’m not that good…” She said quietly, bringing her knees up against her chest. She looked straight ahead, avoiding his gaze.

“Sure you are, what you were doing it was- amazing!”

“I can't be that good, I don't dance much anymore…”

Seungwoo looks at her and decides to pry, if he saw she was getting too uncomfortable he would stop, “Is it because of the other kids? Are you scared to dance in front of anyone because of what they might say?”

She doesn't answer but in the way she hugs her knees closer to her chest he sees he's probably on the mark.

“Why do they say those things about you?” he asks.

Mina glanced over at him, for the first time meeting his gentle brown eyes. There was nothing in them but honest curiosity. Maybe if the words came from her he would understand the way the other kids did and would finally leave her alone. Maybe once he heard it from her he would realize that she truly was a monster and then he'd stay away.

“Five years ago my mother and I were in an accident. I survived and she didn't.” She said curtly, turning again to look straight ahead.

“That doesn't mean it was your fault.” He said, coming to her defence almost immediately.

“My being in the car that day and surviving doesn't make it my fault but the fact that I caused it does.”

“What happened?” Seungwoo asks, he notices the turmoil inside her as she decides what to say but he stops her, “Its okay, you don't have to tell me. But no matter what happened to you that day that doesn't give anyone else the right to behave that way towards you.”

She shakes her head, “They're only reacting instinctively. They know my story, they know I'm a monster, they're just trying to defend themselves.”

“Defend themselves from what? You?” He chuckled, “You don't look like you'd be able to hurt a fly.”

She doesn't say anything. He wouldn't be saying that if he’d been there that day in the crash.

“Anyway if that's the way you see things than I guess I deserve the same treatment as you.”

“Why do you say that?” She frowned, looking at him warily.

“The last thing I ever said to my dad was, ‘I wish you were dead’. We had an argument and he left. The next thing I know, we’re getting a knock on the door at three in the morning, it’s the police saying my father was in an accident and that he was in critical condition.”

“Did he survive?”

“No.”

“I’m sorry for what happened to you.”

“So am I.”

“But our situations are different.”

“Maybe so,” He conceded, he could tell he wasn't going to change her mind on this so he continued, “I still don't see why you should let them treat you this way.”

“It’s simple, I deserve it.” She said it so matter of fact Seungwoo was surprised to see that even she was on their side in this. No matter what she’d done they had no right to treat her like anything less than a human. That’s exactly what they did and she was vouching for them. Why?

“I don't believe that.”

“Then what do you believe?”

“I believe that everyone deserves a second chance.”

“...even a murderer?” she asks, testing him.

“Especially a murderer. Everyone, no matter who they are or what they've done, should be given a chance to redeem themselves.”

“I guess…”

“Anyways, why don't you dance anymore? You're really good--better than most of the people my moms company manages.”

“I stopped dancing when my mother died. It was something she wanted for me, it was her dream…”

“You didn't enjoy it?” He asks though he already knew the answer. He saw the peace on her face when she danced around the roof, eyes closed with no worries as to the world around her.

“I loved it. It was something we did together ever since I could remember.”

“So…” he pried.

“So when my mother died I found it difficult to continue. It was her ambition, something she wanted to see me master but without her here I lost motivation.”

“That's a shame. I’m sure your mother's looking down at you and she's a bit disappointed to find that her talented daughter gave up such an amazing talent. You should let others see your gift."

The bell rings and she looks at her watch, “We should get back to class.”

She collects her bag and stands.

“Thank you!” Seungwoo blurts, stopping her.

She turns around, confusion dancing in her eyes, “What for?”

He gazed into her eyes, “For keeping me company.”

Was it his imagination or did the tip of her ears turn bright red? Mina nodded once and rushed out the door leaving him standing alone. He takes a deep breath and it dawns on him that this is the first real conversation they had. And there seemed to be more to this mysterious girl than he'd initially thought. He grins to himself.

After the teacher dismisses class Seungwoo walks up to Sana who was already busy watching some dance choreography video on her cell phone, waiting for the rest of her group to come to her. Seungwoo tapped the corner of her desk until she looked up.

“Hey, can we talk?” He asked when she took off her earbuds.

She glanced around the room to see if it was some kind of mistake but Seungwoo was really standing before her. Sana wondered what he had to say, he’d been avoiding her and her friends ever since they attempted to get him to join their team for the scholastic competition. She nodded slowly and stood up, grabbing her bag and motioning for him to follow her.

They ended up in the props classroom on the first floor. The room looked