"Stop, right this instant. " her personal trainer, Ms. Kim, denounced, fixing the young lady's dancing position. "Your arms are much too stiff. Just loosen them, and think clearly. Remember, dancing must not look forced, and it must certainly not look too paced. It has to be smooth, relaxing. Like a swan. Now, start the piece again. From the beginning."

The student sighed sighed, nodding her head obediently, even though she dreaded her teacher on the inside. The piece was almost fifteen minutes long, much longer than any normal piece she ever danced to before. But what could she do? What can she do? She had to follow Mrs. Kim's advice and words, no matter what. That was the only way for her to reach to the top.

Yoon Sanghee: a prima ballerina, hoping to get a chance to star in a Broadway musical. The only problem was the distance, of course. Her dream was almost impossible, taking into account the financial struggles she faced with day to day. She was your average young tenant, barely reaching the age of twenty-one, and relying on herself only to manage both living and dancing expenses. There was no such thing as schooling and getting a proper degree and education to her. There was only work. Sleep. And dance.

"Again."

And again, she nodded, following her coach's instructions diligently.

"Again. Do it right this time."
 

And again, Sanghee moved back to her original position, starting right from the top. Sweating and aggravated, she abided by her teacher's instructions. Although the next time she would be asked to start over, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to tolerate it. She was dancing on allegro, right as she was told. She was almost positive to have done every single pirouette and every single side leap proficiently. Elegantly. So what exactly was wrong with her dancing?

"Cut the music!" Ms. Kim ordered her assistant, rubbing her temples in frustration. "What is wrong with you today Sanghee? You better come back next Tuesday, prepared. I want you focused and on top of your game, alright? Your lesson today ends here."


 

-------------------------


 

"Really? Well that calls for a -alert." Kyung Ae practically spat, taking orders from the line of customers in front of them. "Why can't you just fire her? You hired her to coach you on dancing, not to treat you as a punching bag. Just fire her already!"

"You know I can't do that. Ms. Kim is one of the best instructors in the whole entire industry! I'm lucky she even agreed to take in someone like me, despite the low pay I give her." Sanghee sighed and responded, all the while taking orders from her line of customers.

Kyung Ae was Sanghee's friend. Her only friend. Sanghee was never one to interact with others, and usually the type you'd think to sit alone in the park and read a book. Not a crowd-follower, and never a crowd-joiner. Ever. She met Kyung Ae three months after starting to work at a near cafe a few blocks from her apartment, wanting to pay off all her expenses.

Kyung Ae moved in to the city from a rural area in Busan. Her reasons for moving were unknown, and she most likely had no plans in telling anybody anytime soon. She was like Sanghee. Quiet, although she never spoke about her past. Mysterious she was, but beautiful. Extremely beautiful. She was your average beauty with long brown locks and fair-faced skin. Her eyes, the color of chestnuts, gave off a warm foreign appearance, although she was nothing like that in reality. The two just seemed to connect right off the bat. Kyung Ae and Sanghee.

"Well if you put it that way, then yeah. I guess you should just keep her then." Kyung Ae suddenly slammed her hands on the countertop. "But I swear. If you just so happen to crack one day, I'm gonna show up at that studio of hers and give her a lesson on how to properly teach."

Sanghee smiled in content, just amazed at how she managed to have snatch up a friend like Kyung Ae. She always knew how to keep Sanghee smiling, how to stray her mind away from the piles of stress she'd been receiving everywhere. 

She laughed, "Ok, you do that Kyung Ae. You do that."

"Are you making fun of me? I'm trying to help you here!"

"I don't know. Am I?"

"I don't know. Are you?"

And soon enough, the two found themselves laughing nonstop, much to the confusion of their customers. Their laughs filled the room, brightening the atmosphere, as well as everyone in the building. Happiness.

-------------------------

 

He stayed hidden by the shadow of an abandoned alley way. Watching. Waiting. Silence. All it took was silence and the ability to seemingly disappear. He would continue to be unnoticed. Untouched. He would wait for the perfect target to walk by, unaware of the man hidden beside the stone wall.

And so she passed by him, unaware of his existence, just as planned. The young man in the black trench coat stood, stunned by her appearance. It was different. She was nowhere near your average beauty. She had long legs, but that was it. Her skin was somewhat fair, but it wasn't quite there. Her hair was a natural black color, shoulder-tip length, the ends on the verge of becoming split-ends.

Unknowingly, he followed her a few feet behind. He found her alluring, even though her appearance wasn't the most attractive out of all the other woman he had spotted before. And soon enough, he found himself to be quickening his steps. He knew that she was it. He had a good feeling about this one.

And so he readied the camera in his hand, all the while moving closer to take a good shot of her figure. He hunched down on both knees, making contact with the ground. Soon after taking a snap, he quickly stood up and brushed the dust off of his knee-caps. He smiled in triumph, finding himself yet another model. Another target. He then shifted around, running back to the direction where he came from. Little did he know of her turning around, seconds after hearing the faint sound of a snap.

And the minute she did turn around, she swore she saw the silhouette of a young man in a black coat, running towards the edges of darkness.

Engulfed.