---

 

Seoul was, needless to say, a huge city.

With a population of nearly ten million, it was a mystery on how people were able to even walk along the streets without suffocating from the lack of personal space. The time was 7:48 A.M. on a Tuesday morning. Mondays were generally the most detested day of the week (study shows), but for Im Jinah (by god) Tuesdays were the worst. She hated Tuesdays, and Tuesdays seemed to hate her right back.

The girl wanted to curse the high heavens as she cried out in frustration and stomped her feet repeatedly onto the sidewalk. Of all days, today was a Tuesday, and the girl knew of the unfortunate events to come. As a matter of fact, one unfortunate event had already greeted her oh so unkindly. Not only was Jinah incredibly late for class, but her new jazz shoes that she had bought just yesterday (with her paycheck from her part time job) were now laying in a puddle mixed of last night’s forecast, coffee (an Americano to be exact, but like that mattered!) and… an unpleasant gift from a long-gone dog.  

Shuddering, Jinah forced herself to turn away from the sight of it. She wanted to weep, and she almost did if it wasn’t for that damn inconsiderate person who had just crossed paths with her, he being the freaking reason why her sixty dollar pair of shoes were now ruined. The guy even had the audacity to shout at Jinah from afar to watch where she was going. In her defense, it was he who had bumped into her, not the other way around.

“Jerk!” she shouted at him from behind before kneeling down to pick her shoes up and hurrying off to the opposite direction. “Bada is going to kill me,” she groaned, imagining the ungodly things that could be running through the mind of her probably beyond pissed friend.

And Jinah was right.

When the girl had finally arrived to school (albeit it being the end of first period), her friend was near to the point of decapitating her for being late again for class. Not only did she had to make up some bull lie to save Jinah’s from getting detention, but in return she was the one who now had to stay after school for a measly hour for talking back to the teacher who apparently thought Bada was giving him ‘attitude’.

Jinah wasn’t sure if this was the twenty-fourth apology or the forty-second, but by the time lunch rolled around, she had lost count as well as the will to apologize. Whatever the number was, Bada was still giving her the cold shoulder.

Jinah sighed as she sat herself across her irritated friend who was dully playing with her chopsticks. “Look, I already said I was sorry, alright? What more can I do for you than to buy you food? I feel really bad, and you know how I am with guilt.”

Gaeul, the youngest of the three yet somehow the most mature, disapprovingly shook her head at the two who always seemed to be in a dilemma every other week. “Just accept her apology already, Bada. God forbid you turn down an opportunity to get free food,” she casually spoke, taking in a spoonful of rice. She was used to the sight of her two friends in a quarrel, and her being the only other person in their circle of friends (well, there were only three of them so it was more of a triangle than anything) forced her into playing the role of the peacemaker.

Jinah glanced at the bitter girl who looked like she was contemplating on giving in. “Oh come on!” She sang in hopes to being forgiven while batting her eyelashes. “I’ll treat you to some delicious, mouth-watering Korean beef.” 

After a moment of consideration, Bada turned to look at her not-so-punctual friend right in the eye for the first time that day. “Change some to a truck load and consider yourself forgiven.”

Jinah's lips automatically curved upwards as she sent her a thumbs-up and nodded. “You got yourself a deal." She then massaged her temples and sighed.  "Look, I’m sorry I was late. I had a really rough morning. I was practicing all night last night. When I got home, I couldn't sleep, and then I woke up late, and worse of all, this morning when I went to go get a cup of coffee at Starbucks to wake me up a little, some bastard rudely bumped into me as I walked out. I freaking spilled my coffee all over the concrete and dropped my new dance shoes into a puddle of-- you don't even want to know,” she whimpered in exaggerated sorrow.

“The shoes you texted me about? The ones you bought just yesterday?” asked Gaeul who blinked at the series of events.

Jinah sadly nodded with a pout on her lips. “I worked so hard just to get those shoes. I didn’t even get to wear 'em out,” she sniffled before letting out an exasperated sigh. “If I ever see that guy again, I will end his existence.” She then snapped while tightly curling both of her fists into balls of fury, her attitude turning a dangerous 180.

“And we’ll help you hide the body,” Bada chimed before glancing at Gaeul for confirmation. “Right?”

The latter only gave a nonchalant nod although the two others knew in a heartbeat that, out of all people, Song Gaeul would be the first to come through without a second of hesitation.

“Aw, I feel so loved… and a little concerned.” Jinah cheekily confessed, still feeling grateful for having such wonderful and loyal friends by her side. They were the only positive things that greeted her on such days like today. “So are you guys ready for practice tonight?” she then asked, changing subjects.

Bada groaned in annoyance. “Can we please talk about something else other than practice? I don’t want to be reminded that that wench has complete control over today’s session.”

“Oh, come on. Yejin isn’t that bad.” Jinah said in defense.

Bada immediately gave her a look that most likely meant that what she had just heard was complete and utter bull, because to her, it was. “Jinah, darling, Mark isn’t that bad. Sehun isn’t that bad. Heck, even Jimin isn’t that bad, and the kid is downright annoying, but Yejin? Yejin is the devil herself,” she proclaimed, stabbing her chopsticks into her side dish full of pickled daikon. “Besides, I don’t know how you can tolerate her when she’s always insulting your techniques in dancing.”

Jinah took a bite of her packed omelet rice and innocently blinked. “I take it as constructive criticism.”

“Let’s not disregard the fact that you’re being biased, Bada.” Gaeul interrupted, waving her spoon around. “You just don’t like Yejin because of that whole ordeal with her dating your crush Baek Byunhyun,” she revealed with a raised eyebrow.

At the mention of her obvious prejudice, Bada crossed her arms with a sour face. “It’s Byun Baekhyun, and that witch only dated him because she knew I liked him. If that doesn’t scream to you as evil, then I don’t know what does.”

Jinah chuckled at her pouty-face friend, her eyes turning into small crescents. “It’s his loss, Bada. You’re too good for him anyways. Besides, I think I might know of someone else who has his eyes on our precious ocean.”

The latter’s lips automatically curved downwards. “It better not be who I think it is. You know I don’t feel that way about him.”

It was now Jinah’s turn to pout. “Why not? Mark has a huge crush on you, and you don’t even acknowledge the poor love-struck boy.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she cut off unyieldingly. Bada shoved a spoonful of rice into and brought her finger to her lips before shaking her head, indicating that she would no longer speak.

“Alright, alright” Jinah said, giving in. “I’ll stop. Just finish your lunch, so we can head to the library. I have an English test next period to study for.”

And as expected, with zero luck, Jinah failed her English test later that day.

 

 

A few miles down south of Whimoon High was the rival school known as Anyang High where five certain boys attended. The group of troublemakers had decided to skip class for the day, finding leisure in hanging out on the rooftop. Portable speakers loudly blasted a latest hit as they all danced to the beat carefree… all except for one.

“What’s with the long face, dude?” A boy asked with a cheeky grin. Tilting his head, he gestured towards the others. “Why aren’t you dancing with us?”

 The latter only waved him off. “I’m not in the mood, Bobby. Some stupid girl spilled coffee on me this morning.”

Bobby let the information sink in as he bobbed his head to the music. “Maybe she saw your face,” he then said with a shrug. Cackling, the boy ducked for cover as his friend sent a flying shoe right at him. He darted behind Yunhyung who was busy dancing and momentarily poked his head out when he thought it was safe. “Lighten up, Junhoe. You’re killing my vibe here.”

The boy named Junhoe rolled his eyes and sighed. Standing up, he stretched his neck side to side. “Fine, let’s dance.” A confident smirk reached his lips as he stepped into the circle. Why should he let a simple girl ruin his day?

 

 

“And this is why I would die in America.” Jinah retorted, holding her exam paper up which had way too many red marks to her liking.

“You should have studied more,” Gaeul lightly scolded.

Bada grabbed onto the straps of her backpack and heaved a sigh. “Eh, I don’t blame you for getting that grade, Jinah. English is a difficult language. That is why I’m living in this city forever. Pfft, who needs Los Angeles when you have Seoul right here?”

Jinah smiled at the sights around her in admiration. Seoul was indeed a beautiful city.

School had fortunately ended for the trio and they were now heading to the bus stop where they would eventually go their separate ways. Bada had relatives coming over in an hour or two and had to clean the house while Gaeul had a needy boyfriend to attend to. (Oh Sehun was surprisingly the clingy type).

Jinah, in the meanwhile, had a ballet class to teach right afterschool somewhere in downtown Seoul. It was quite the distance, but the pay was good, so who was she to complain? All she had to do was teach the basics of ballet to a bunch of kids, and Jinah loved it.

When the bus reached Bada’s stop, she left with a loud groan. The last words that came out of ran along the lines of ‘kill me now please’ and ‘I hate my life’. If it was up to her, she would be serving her detention but her mother would have her head if she didn’t come home.

Several bystanders gave her funny looks for being so loud. Jinah only shook her head, suppressing a chuckle while Gaeul clucked her tongue. “That girl sure is something else,” she commented as they watched Bada reluctantly stalk off.

“I question every day what Mark sees in her.” Jinah said in a joking manner. “So where are you and Sehun going on your little date?” she then turned to her remaining friend and asked.

Gaeul curled a strand of her hair behind her right ear and smiled secretively. “I’m not sure. He said it was a surprise.”

Automatically, Jinah squealed while poking her friend’s shoulder and made an ‘ooh’ sound. “How cute! Argh, you’re so lucky to have such a great guy who treats you right. I hope you and Sehun last forever and make hundreds of cute babies!” she exclaimed excitingly.

The two shared a laugh before Jinah dramatically sighed. “And when the wedding happens, I’ll be there, forever alone.”

Gaeul elbowed her lightly. “You know for damn sure that if you wanted a boyfriend right now, you could very well have one, Jinah. Jongin has been in front of that line for a long while now, you know.”

Jinah only smiled. “Eh, I already told you Jongin doesn’t think of me like that. I mean, hopefully, he doesn’t. Even though I joke about it from time to time, having a boyfriend isn’t really a priority of mine. It’s—“

Gaeul knowingly nodded. “Dance, I know. You’ve told me a million times, but I don’t know, Jinah. One of these days some guy is going sweep you off your feet without you knowing it and you’re going to be head over heels in love.”

A longing smile appeared on Jinah’s face and she didn’t even bother to deny it. “Maybe.”

Eventually Gaeul got off at her designated stop not too far from her favorite café but not before warning Jinah to be careful on her way to practice. There had been several reports of a suspicious man stalking female students. Fortunately, none had been taken. The news never really mattered to Jinah, but for the sake of reassuring Gaeul of her safety, she promised to text her when her class was done.

When Jinah reached Navi, the ballet studio she worked for, she entered the building and kindly greeted the lady in the front.

Immediately she went to go change into her leotard in preparation for class. Her school uniform was taken off and Jinah tilted her head and examined herself in the mirror, eyeing the numerous bruises that marked her body like tattoos. Although her friends always complained to her about the severity of her bruises, she thought the marks held great significance. Her bruises were a reminder of her hard work and the fact that she wasn’t going to let anything or anyone break her. Even if no one else understood her way of thinking, Jinah was proud of them.

She quickly slipped into her leotard and tightly pulled back her lengthy brown hair into a neat bun. She then patted her cheeks twice before smiling at herself.

"Let's do this." 

The eager young kids and their mothers arrived in the studio momentarily and Jinah greeted everyone with bows. She loved their enthusiasm about dance; it reminded her of her early days in her first ballet class.

“Jinah unnie!” A high-pitched voice squeaked from behind her.

Turning around, the latter bent down to the young, energetic girl’s level and grinned. “Hello Hanbyul. Are you excited for class today?”

The four year old nodded happily. “Yes. Mommy bought me my first tutu today! It’s pink!”

Jinah gasped and lightly pinched her cheek. “That’s amazing, Hanbyul. Go get ready for class, okay? We’re going to start soon.”

The little girl nodded before darting back to her mother in the back of studio where everyone else was getting settled.

Most of the mothers stayed the entire hour while others left to run a few errands. Hanbyul’s mother was a part of the latter and left when class started. Jinah reviewed what the children had learned from the previous class. In a couple of days, their first ballet recital was scheduled to happen and she was in charge of preparing the kids for it. She smiled warmly at the determined faces and even the confused ones.

Teachers weren’t supposed to have favorites in the class, but Jinah technically wasn’t an official teacher (by law anyways). So it didn’t necessarily apply to her. Kim Hanbyul was, without a doubt, her favorite pupil. The four year old girl always got back up whenever she fell down and smiled brightly to her classmates, always giving them encouraging words. For a little girl her age, she was a bright and intelligent kid and Jinah admired that.

An hour passed rather much too quickly to the kids’ dismay and even to Jinah’s dismay. She was enjoying today’s class much more than usual and she wasn’t sure why. After all, today was a Tuesday.

 When class ended, most of the students left with their mothers, and the remaining students were to wait for their mothers to return.

As their instructor, it was Jinah’s job to wait and make sure all her students were picked up. She glanced at the clock on the wall and bit her lips. Usually, everyone was gone by now. It was a quarter ‘til five, and dance practice was going to begin soon.

However, she couldn’t leave just yet.

There was one remaining student.

Kim Hanbyul scratched her head, puzzled as to why her mother was late. “Mommy is never this late.”

Jinah gave her a reassuring pat. “She must be busy, Hanbyul. I’ll call her to see where she is, okay?” The girl nodded in approval. Jinah silently thanked the studio’s policy for having all parents give their numbers to the instructors.

When Mrs. Kim picked up the phone call, she apologized immediately. Apparently, Hanbyul’s older brother was supposed to pick her up after class. From the sound of her strained voice, Jinah could tell that Mrs. Kim didn’t know what to do and that it worried her terribly. She was spontaneously called into her workplace for a shift and was caught up. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get a hold of her son. All Mrs. Kim could do was apologize to Jinah who felt a bit sympathetic for the hard-working mother.

“It’s fine, Mrs. Kim. You don’t have to worry. If it’s okay with you, I can watch over Hanbyul for now until someone picks her up. I can take her to my dance practice.”

Her voice immediately brightened over the other end of the line. “Oh, can you? Are you sure, Jinah? I wouldn’t want Hanbyul to disturb you at practice.”

“Oh no, it’ll be totally fine. I’ll text you the address and you can pick her up there at eight.” After getting permission, Jinah bid Hanbyul’s mother a farewell but not before she was called heaven-sent angel for being so helpful.

As she put her phone away, Jinah felt a tug on her skirt.

Hanbyul blinked at her with innocent eyes. “What did she say?”

Jinah stuck her hand out, and as the girl instinctively took the latter’s hand, she sent her a wink. “You and I are going to go somewhere.”

Jinah only hoped Yejin wouldn’t throw a fit. She knew how much the girl hated kids.

 

 

And a huge fit she did throw.

According to Bada, these fits were called fits and Jinah didn’t deny the name. She believed it suited Yejin’s complaints perfectly.

Jinah had to ask Hanbyul to wait for her inside as Yejin rudely complained of the child’s presence.

“We’re not a daycare center,” she snapped with her arms crossed.

Jinah felt a vein about to pop. “I never said that, Yejin. I just have to take care of her for a couple of hours. It was either I bring her here or I wasn’t going to come today to practice at all.”

Yejin arrogantly lifted her chin up high. “Maybe you shouldn’t have. Would’ve made my life easier.”

With that said, she snorted and walked away.

Jinah sighed. She wondered how she could tolerate such a person.

When she returned inside, she saw Hanbyul playing with Jimin who was chasing the four year old around in a continuous circle. Her laughter echoed inside the studio as she squealed in delight. As Jinah got closer, Jimin glanced up to see her give him a judging look. “Since when did you have a kid?” he asked.

Jinah sarcastically laughed. “You’re hilarious. She's one of my ballet students. I’m just babysitting her for today.”

“You’re also an idiot.” A deep voice commented from behind her. “If Jinah had a kid, I, of all people, would know.”

She didn’t even care to turn around, knowing who the voice belonged to. “And what makes you say that, Jongin?”

Jongin appeared in front of her with an apple in hand. “Because I’d be the father,” he reasoned before taking a large bite into his fruit. He winked at her while Jimin pretended to throw up.

Jinah raised a brow. “Sure. Come here, Hanbyul.” Hanbyul scurried to the latter and clutched onto her leg. Jinah then crouched down and pointed to the two boys. “You see those two?” The little girl nodded as she peered at them. “You need to stay away from them, okay, Hanbyul? They’re bad news.”

Hanbyul fervently nodded. The two boys scoffed before beginning their daily stretches.

As the rest of the dancers poured on in, they greeted Jinah casually and pinched Hanbyul’s cheek. A majority of them didn’t mind her presence. It seemed like the only person who did mind was Yejin, but Jinah wasn’t going to let that bother her. Besides, babysitting Hanbyul was only going to be a one-time thing.

“You’ll be right here while I practice, okay?” Jinah said.

Being the obedient girl that she was, Hanbyul nodded. “I can watch you, right?”

“Of course.” Jinah patted her head. “And if you’re hungry, you can ask this oppa for some snacks.”

Hanbyul stared at the foreign face. She soon gestured Jinah to lean forward and then whispered into her ear. “Can I trust this oppa? Is this oppa bad news too?”

Giggling at how cute she was, Jinah shook her head and glanced at Mark. “No, this oppa is a nice oppa.”

Mark blinked before he smiled. “Do you like banana milk?” he asked her. Hanbyul beamed, instantly taking a liking to the foreigner. Feeling a sense of relief, Jinah returned to the mirrors where practice was about to begin.

Yejin looked around. “Where are the other two?”

Jinah looked around as well to see that both Gaeul and Bada had not arrived yet. Immediately, she responded in defense of her friends. “They’re…uh… probably going to be running a little late.”

Yejin snorted and rolled her eyes. “Oh really? Why? Is Gaeul too busy lip-locking with Sehun? Is Bada just too lazy to even come to practice? I don’t need bull excuses, Jinah.”

Dahee, Yejin’s best friend (for some reason that was unknown to everyone) and Sehun’s younger sister, cringed. “Please don’t say that when I’m around. That’s like if I tell Aemi that you’re too busy making out with her brother that you don’t do your homework.”

Aemi shuddered immediately, knowing very well what her older brother and her friend did behind her back. “Don’t bring me into this.”

Jinah tried really hard to roll her eyes at the three. She had to be mature for the sake of being the bigger person. Usually, she never allowed Yejin to get to her. Jinah had to remind herself that today was undoubtedly Tuesday.

When Gaeul and Bada did arrive a good six to seven minutes later, they received snarky remarks from none other than Yejin. “Be on time or don’t show up at all,” she said.

“Shove it up your ,” Bada snapped, in no mood to deal with her.

Jinah looked to see if Hanbyul was around. She didn’t want the girl to be exposed to such vulgar words just yet. Thankfully, Mark had taken her to the nearest convenience store for some snacks.

Gaeul pushed her way through Yejin and tossed her duffel bag to the ground. “We’re here now, so stop yapping and let’s begin.” Her words were cold, and no one else said a thing after.

Practice had finally begun. For the first part of practice, Bada was sending Yejin glares from all around. She even sent Jinah annoyed faces as she mocked the girl and her instructions.

Jinah had to hold back her laughter. She wondered what was up with her friend. She was used to the occasional insults and the daily complaints, but something else was up. Gaeul whispered to Jinah the reason why Bada was extra grouchy towards Yejin this evening.

Right before the two came inside, Bada had bumped into Baekhyun who had dropped Aemi off to class. His hair was disheveled and his lips were stained with lip-gloss. Jinah shook her head disapprovingly. Her friend really had to get over that boy.

As it was time to get serious, Jinah cleared her mind off of trivial things and paid attention to the movements Yejin were teaching. Yejin was more of a contemporary dancer, and aside from ballet, it was Jinah’s favorite dance genre. To express emotions through movements that the body could deliver was one of the main reasons as to why Jinah danced.

When Hanbyul returned hand in hand with Mark, Jinah waved to her as she waved back with a big smile. Jinah mouthed a thank you to Mark who flicked his hand several times, letting her know that it wasn’t a big deal.

Practice seemed to drag on as Yejin continuously taught the same eight counts. She liked to perfect things which Jinah wasn’t too fond of. There wasn’t technically anything wrong with it, but perfection seemed unreal to her. She preferred the rawness of emotions to dominate a performance, and if it meant that unison was eliminated, then so be it. She wasn’t a fan of synchronization anyways. Several hours agonizingly passed as Jinah gripped onto the hem of her shirt as well as the last of her patience.

Yejin was scolding the dancers for their poor performances yet again. Heaving a heavy sigh, Jinah glanced to see Hanbyul peacefully sleeping. At least someone is having a good time, she thought with a small smile.

The clock was nearing eight, and fortunately, it was time to wrap up practice. Jinah wasn’t sure if anyone could take a second longer of Yejin shouting at the top of her lungs. “We’re done,” the said girl momentarily declared, staggering to the changing room with Dahee and Aemi by her side.

Bada muttered curses under her breath as Gaeul handed her a water bottle. “Ease up,” she said. “You have such a short temper.”

Taking a sip of water, Bada rolled her eyes. “I know, I know. You don’t have to remind me. Are you heading out soon?”

Gaeul nodded, wiping the sweat off of her face. “Yeah, Sehun’s taking me home. You guys want a ride?”

“And be the third wheel? Err, no thanks.”

Chuckling, Gaeul nodded in acknowledgement. “Fair enough. Jinah?” 

The said girl shook her head and gestured to the softly snoring four year old in the back of the room. “Can’t. I have to wait for Hanbyul’s mother to pick her up. You guys go ahead.”

Immediately Bada let out an annoyed groan. “That means I have to take the bus home alone.”

The two others slyly exchanged mischievous looks.

“Hold that thought,” Jinah said, lifting up her index finger. “Hey Mark!” she then hollered.

From across the room, the said boy turned his head with his brows raised. “Yeah?”

“Can you take Bada home?”

Mark gave her a quick side-glance and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Uh… sure, if that’s okay with you,” he directed to her.

Jinah and Gaeul urged Bada with wide eyes, and after a second or two, she sighed in defeat, accepting the fact that there was no way out of this. “I guess,” she grumbled, grabbing her things.

Jinah glanced to see Mark’s entire face lit up, and she thought it was the cutest thing ever.

He attempted to keep his cool, but he eventually broke into a wide smile, discreetly high-fiving Jimin.

In the meantime, Bada was throwing her friends a death glare, but to no avail, they were not intimidated. Jinah and Gaeul believed that their friend was going to thank them sooner or later.

Not too long after, Mark walked over with his bag in hand. “You ready?”

Bada gave her friends one last look before numbly nodding. “Let’s go.”

As the two disappeared, Jinah couldn’t help but feel just a tiny bit guilty. “Do you think we’re… maybe… being too persistent with the whole Mark thing? We can’t just force him onto her, you know?”

Gaeul shrugged, unsure herself. “Maybe, but it’s too late now.”

From afar, Sehun gestured her to come over.

“Well I got to get going, Jinah. Don’t forget to text me when you get home safely. You forgot to text me earlier,” she scolded, firmly shaking her finger.

“Sorry, it must have slipped my mind, but don’t worry. I’ll be fine. See you tomorrow, Gaeul.”

The said girl waved goodbye before darting into her boyfriend’s arms and leaving the dance studio.

Soon the others left as well, leaving Jinah alone in the studio.

Jongin had refused to leave, but after much convincing, Jinah had somehow got him to go home. Now it was just her and a peacefully sleeping Hanbyul in the studio. At that moment, her phone vibrated, and on her screen flashed a new message from an unknown number.

‘Will be right there’

Jinah assumed it was from Hanbyul’s brother.

“Guess that means I have to wait for a bit,” she mumbled to herself. Chugging a nice amount of water, she then pulled out her messy bun and released her hair from the elastic band. The girl sighed loudly and stood up, running her fingers into several strands of her naturally chestnut brown hair.

Now would be a good time to polish up some dance moves that required her to be alone. Jinah didn’t exactly remember how or why she decided to pick up pole dancing, but she knew that she loved it. At first, when she thought of pole dancing, strippers immediately came to mind. But then she came to learn that pole dancing could be much more than what was on the surface. It could and was just as graceful and just as elegant as ballet.

In fact, it was probably classier and obviously ier.

Pole dancing made Jinah feel sensual, and it really helped boost up her confidence which was a positive thing for a teenager like herself to have. She glanced to check if Hanbyul was still deep in her slumber before taking off her shoes and bringing out a single portable pole.

She a slow song and walked towards the center of the floor, allowing herself to get a feel of the music. Her hands reached out for the pole, gripping onto it tightly before she lifted up her right foot off the ground and then her left and slowly swung around. She then brought both of her legs up, wrapping them around the pole and shifted up higher, tossing her head back. Her eyes never left the mirror as she concentrated on the overall feel of the dance.

What Jinah wasn’t aware of was that a pair of eyes had been watching her dance.

At that moment, Hanbyul began to stir in her sleep, causing Jinah to immediately become flustered. The last thing she wanted was for her pupil to go up to her mother and ask to become a pole dancer. She would have to say goodbye to her job.

Jinah quickly got off and pushed the pole to the side before turning off the music.

The four year old momentarily sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Unnie?”

“Are you finally awake, sleepyhead?” the latter asked, approaching the girl.

She tiredly smiled. “Is practice done?”

“Yes, it is. Your brother should be here soon.” Jinah said, checking her phone. Apparently she had received another text message.

'I’m outside'

“Actually, he’s already here. Let’s go, sweetie.” She said, helping the girl stand on her two feet before gathering her things. Turning off the studio lights, Jinah then held Hanbyul’s hand and the two walked out. When they stepped outside, the cool breeze greeted them in the dark night.

“Oppa!” Hanbyul chirped happily as she let go of Jinah’s hand and ran towards the said boy in front of them.

He had a black snapback on with the word Dope boldly imprinted on it and was wearing a blue collar shirt that Jinah thought suited him nicely. “Hey, princess,” he greeted Hanbyul, ruffling her hair. “Sorry I was late. How was dance practice?”

“Awesome, Jinah unnie was teaching us how to pirate!” she exclaimed, clinging onto her brother’s arm.

He glanced at her quizzically which caused Jinah to chortle in laughter as she shook her hands in front of her. “It’s not pirate, Hanbyul. It’s pirouette.”

Hanbyul clapped. “Ah, that’s right! Pirouette! Jinah unnie taught us how to pirouette.” At that moment, she brought her palm to her face, producing a loud smack. “Ah, I didn’t even introduce you yet. Jinah unnie, this is my oppa, Kim Hanbin. Oppa, this is my ballet teacher.”

Jinah politely bowed even though she was sure they were about the same age. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, the words loosely coming out of her lips. Hanbin said the same with a slight smirk that did not go unnoticed by the girl.

“Well, I have to get going now,” she said with a small smile. “See you in class next time, Hanbyul.”

The little girl waved, and as Jinah turned to walk away, Hanbin spoke. “Nice pole dancing by the way, ballerina.”

As the words processed inside her head, Jinah froze entirely. Never had she wanted so much to go crawl in a hole. No one knew of her pole dancing hobby except for her aunt, Sorah, which would explain why there were portable poles in the studio in the first place (Aunt Sorah owned the studio). Even Bada and Gaeul were unaware of this, but now this… this… Kim Hanbin knew and she had a strong gut feeling that that wasn't particularly a good thing.

Yep, Jinah for sure hated Tuesdays. 

 

---

 

First chapter is up! Tell me what you think~ I know I totally poured a crapload of characters onto your plate (not to mention the OCs too) but please endure it for now. I promise you things will eventually clear up. I hope that pole dancing seen wasn't awkward. This was technically how I imagined it to be. Ahhh, first chapters are always.... fun. Well, I don't have much to say. See you in the next chapter whenever that will be.... feel free to check out my other stories! Much love!

--kayotic