The next morning, you woke up feeling as refreshed as ever. Your alarm clock went off at 6:15 as usual, and you proceeded with your morning routine before driving off to work. It wasn't until you were at one of the stoplights that you remembered about your new student. There he stood, with the same backpack and sweater he wore yesterday, waiting for the traffic signal to change so that he could cross the road. You observed him for a while, wondering where he could possibly be going so early in the morning. The light changed and you averted your eyes, pushing him out of your mind.

You arrived to the studio early and took a look around. Setting down your bag, you sighed. In the midst of everything that happened this past week, you hadn't had time to clean the floors. You reluctantly grabbed the broom in the corner of the room, and started to sweep. Fifteen minutes had passed before you were finished; you took out a rag and went to the restroom to soak it in water. Pushing the cloth from one end of the room to the other, you began washing the floors. The door to the studio opened suddenly, causing you to lose your concentration. You slipped and hit your knee.
"Oh... Howon," you greeted, quickly standing up. "Good morning."
"Good morning," he returned your greeting with a bow.
"My, you're early," you said, taking a look at the clock, "by an hour, it seems."
"Yes," he answered, "I didn't want to be late." He looked at the floor and took off his backpack. "May I help?" He stared at you in confusion as you began to chuckle, amused by his rationale. You've never seen a student arrive to class an hour early just because they were afraid of being late. At the most, they'd arrive ten minutes early. Howon asked what was wrong, but you merely shook your head.
"I'm washing the floors," you answered, "but if you'd like, you can take over. I'll start on the mirrors." He happily obliged, and you went to get the window cleaner.
The two of you worked in silence, focusing solely on the task at hand. Through the reflection, you glimpsed at Howon. He washed the floors with great speed, never tiring for a second. Once finished, you and Howon took a moment to admire the room, satisfied over its shine and sparkle.
"Thanks for the help, Howon," you said, taking the rag from him. He smiled, and stretched his arms.
"No problem."

The door to the studio opened yet again, and four other students entered, chatting away. Oblivious to the clean environment that you and Howon had just created, they walked in carelessly, tracking dirt from their shoes.
"Yah! Wipe your shoes," you shouted at them, "We just washed the floors!"
"Oh, sorry seonsaeng-nim!" replied the third student to walk in. They each stepped back outside, wiped their shoes off by the door, and re-entered.
"So, who's this?" asked the tallest and first student to enter as he stared at Howon.
"Everyone, this is Lee Howon," you promptly introduced, as Howon bowed, "He just moved here from Busan and will be attending our dance studio starting today."
The other students bowed back, and once the introductions were over, everyone took their places to begin stretching. Howon joined them, and you made your way to the front of the room, by the mirror.

You guided your students through their stretches, pin-pointing each area where there could be muscle tension. After the stretches and warm-ups, it was finally time to start class.
"Okay, let's go over our routine," you said to the class, "since I'm sure you all have taken the time to practice, I'd like to see you do it on your own, without my direction."
Everyone took their positions, and you called on your new student. "Howon, you can stand by me and watch." He nodded and walked over to you, anticipating the new dance routine. You the CD player that was on a table in the corner of the room, and examined your students as they danced through the routine. There were a few mistakes here and there. One student stuck out his elbow too far compared to the others, the other didn't stick his elbow out far enough. But overall, it was decent. The song ended, and you gave them a short applause, complimenting each of their skills and pointing out their strong areas. You turned to Howon.
"Would you like to give it a try?" you asked, and he nodded. You started the music again, and watched as Howon tried to pick up with the other students. To your surprise, he caught on quite quickly, and moved in sync with the others, never missing a beat. Once the music ended, the other students patted his back and complimented his skill. They all were thoroughly impressed, and so were you.
"Great job, Howon. You learn quickly, and that's something to be proud of," you said, patting his back as well.
"Thank you," he said with a small bow.

Satisfied with all of your students' progresses, you continued the routine for the next two hours, teaching them the new steps, one beat at a time. By the end of the class, most of your students were ready to call it a day, moving sluggishly. This was unacceptable.
"You guys shouldn't be getting tired just yet, it's still the morning. If you want to become dancers, you need to have higher stamina," you stressed, "Starting today, I want all of you to ride a bike or go for a jog, for at least one hour a day. By the end of the month, I should be able to notice the improvement, got it?"
"Yes, seonsang-nim," they answered in unison.
"Alright. I'll see you next week. Make sure to practice the new steps on your own," you called after them as they headed out the door.

"Oh, Howon, could you stay behind for a few minutes?" you asked him as he began to leave.
"Yes, what is it?" he asked, letting the door shut on its own. He looked at you curiously.
"As I've mentioned earlier, you're a fast learner, Howon. Your ability to register and memorize the steps are impressive. With skill like that, I'm surprised you didn't mention it sooner. You're no stranger to dance routines, are you?"
As hesitant as you were to admit it, Howon's talent was far beyond what you've seen from your other students. They've been working on their routine for over a week now, yet he was levels ahead of them. You felt like you could help him better improve his skill if he wasn't being held back by your group.
"So, I was wondering, would you be interested in private lessons?" you offered, hoping he'd accept. He had the potential, that you were sure of. The only thing left to figure out was if he also had the will - the will to harness his skill and make the most of it.
You were reassured soon after you had asked yourself the question.
"Of course," he answered instantly, "When can I begin?"
"How about now?" you asked, as a smile crept onto your face. You teased, "You're not tired yet, are you?"
"No, not at all," he laughed, as he set down his bag again.

The two of you made your way toward the center of the room; an eager teacher with an even more eager student, ready to start the lesson.