Yifan followed the black Town Car with his motorcycle. He can find out where the audition was without lifting a finger but where’s the fun in that? The car finally stopped in front of a ten-storey building in Apgujeong. The bodyguard opened the car door and Joonmyeon stepped out. “I’ll be practicing ‘til late. Don’t disturb me.” She entered the pass code for the door and got in. He looked at the brass sign. Victoria Song Ballet School? He can’t make SDC from that at all. He rounded up the building for another way in. He was about to alight when he saw her exit the back door and hail a taxi. “Aiyo! So stressful!” He muttered and tailed the taxi.

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“3451!” Joonmyeon took a deep breath when her number was called. She walked to the middle of the stage and saw the four-person panel and few more people scattered in random seats. She bowed to the panel. “Good afternoon. This year we have an anonymous audition so we won’t ask for your name.” The lady smiled and it did wonders to her somewhat hard features. “This is a two-part audition. First, we will be testing your vocabulary and then we’ll see what you have prepared for us. Professor Kim will play for you.” Her eyes widened when she recognized the popular classical pianist Kim Ryeowook on the piano bench. She bowed again and went to position.

“Coupé.” She exchanged from one leg to another by her toes, exchanging weight from one leg to another through the fifth position then extended her leg into a fondu.

“Deboulé.” She blurred into a fast sequence of half turns by stepping onto one leg and completing the turn by stepping onto the other and stepped high on her toes with her legs held very close together.

She held her breath, watching the panel write her score. “Fouetté.” Start with a plié and extend the other leg to whip around to the side, retract the working foot to the supporting knee, and spin once. Transition to demi pointe and rotate in place. She recited in her head.

Pas de chat. Arabesque. Arabesque penché. Pas de cheval. Revoltade. She executed them all without much hitch.

“Tours en l’air!” Wait, what? Tours en l’air was usually for males but it’s not as if the girls didn’t study it. The lady who spoke to her earlier must have noticed her hesitance. “No, make it triple tours en l’air!” She heard some giggling from the audience.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She jumped as high as she could and hoped and prayed for triple full rotation and landed in an Arabesque.

Without letting her catch her breath, Ryeowook started playing a verse from Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. It was from the episode of Danse sacrale, the closing act. She chose that particular piece because for her, it was the most beautiful part of the story. It was the last part where The Chosen One danced to death in the presence of the village elders. She liked dancing to sad songs. It evoked emotion rather than awe. Most contemporary ballet included fusion of different styles which made it more exciting. Thus, keeping the audience engaged—engaged but not moved.

Everything was a blur until she heard applause from the audience, one particular person louder than everyone else since they weren’t just clapping but hooting and shouting her name.  She bowed to the panel but they were not looking at her but to that person in the audience. Her eyes widened in horror when she recognized who it was. Wu Yifan?

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With his height, he won’t be able to get in without being noticed. Who knew following that girl was this hectic? He blew a raspberry and walked to the guardhouse. He walked to an empty seat at the back of the auditorium just in time for Joonmyeon’s turn. She walked towards the middle of the stage. Her tights were almost the color of her own skin and the simple black skirt she donned on top of it was not helping at all. He groaned in despair. He was a growing boy with a libido of a bull and this ballet business was not doing him any good.

He heard them speak and he can’t understand a damn thing. He was close to walking out of the theater and calling it quits when he saw Joonmyeon spun on her toes like a dream and suddenly, the stage was turned into a giant expensive music box and nothing else mattered.

He was nudged out of his thoughts when he heard unfamiliar music from the piano placed on one side of the stage.

He won’t be caught dead watching a ballet performance. He was more of a heavy-metal-rock-kinda-guy. The music was foreign to his ears but now he understood what they say about music being the universal language. Every sway and spin of her body was attuned to depressing music, tugging his heartstrings, immobilizing him in place. When the music ended, he rose to his feet, and shouted, “Way to go, Joonmyeonie!” He was clapping and hooting like crazy, totally forgetting that he should not be making any noise and that he only bribed the guard-on-duty to let him in.

He only stopped when he saw her gaping at him like he had grown two heads; the panel was glaring at him like he desecrated their ancestors’ grave or something. He bit his lip and reoccupied his seat. “The results will be posted on our website the day after tomorrow. Thank you.” He hurried out of the theater to catch up with Joonmyeon, lugging the huge bouquet of orange roses he bought on his way.

With his long legs, he didn’t even know why he was having a hard time catching up. He was almost too late as she was about to jump into a taxi when he caught up with her. “Wait!” He held her elbow to stop her. The driver let out an annoyed snort and drove away.

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“Hey!” She called but to no avail. She had to get back to the studio before her bodyguards realized she wasn’t even there in the first place. “What the hell are you doing?” She glared at the culprit and noticed that he was carrying a bouquet of flowers.

“These are for you.” He smiled his megawatt smile and her knees almost turned into jelly. She was frozen in place. It was not the first time she received flowers. In fact, her locker smelt of flowers because the boys kept putting flowers and gifts in there. But it was the first time that someone gave her flowers when she really needed a pick-me-up.

She wasn’t able to see anything from SDC people’s faces. She did her best but the results were very subjective. She shouldn’t have let her mother know about the audition. It will really disappoint her if she won’t make it. Her stomach felt like it had twisted into a permanent knot. “What are you doing here?” She asked instead.

“To cheer for you.” He beamed.

“How did you know?” She only told her mother. “And did you know that your misdemeanor might cost me my spot?” She hissed.

“Sorry! I just can’t help it. You were so great back there!” She tried to read his eyes and found nothing but sincerity in there. “Here, take this.” He handed her the flowers and guided her to where his motorcycle was parked. “I’ll take you but you have to join me for coffee first.” She was about to say no but there was no cab in sight and it was getting dark.