Ballroom Fever - Ryeji

Beneath the Disco Ball

"What a day," Ryujin said to herself while standing in front of their dance room. She was holding the handle of the door that is placed vertically on the side of the glass door. It was a weekend, but the teachers present allowed her and other students to enter.

The look of the shiny wooden floor that Ryujin looked at through the transparent glass door made her more eager to dance. She wished that her friends were with her, but they were all busy preparing for Chaeryeong's party at her house. Even though she promised Chaeryeong that she will attend her party, the other half of her was telling her to not attend it when she was informed this morning that their seniors will be attending that made her even more unconfident.

Ryujin gently opened the door as she inhaled and exhaled. The cold air lingered inside her nose and she loved the way the cool breeze gently touched her cheek. She entered the dance room with a big smile on her face. Ryujin walked to the middle of the room and inserted her hands in her pockets and took out her white airpods and phone. She took off her shoes and threw them to the side because she feels more comfortable in white socks.

She wore her airpods and turned on her phone and started scrolling through her personal libary of songs. There were different genre of music present in her folder. K-pop, Hip hop, and orchestral classics. Since Ryujin was in a good mood as her jaded soul is slowly rising and she was feeling inspired because of Chaeryeong, she decided to dance pirouette with an orchestral song playing in the background. After a few seconds of scrolling, Ryujin finally decided which song she is going to dance to.

Aquarium by Camille Saint-Saëns, a haunting yet magical piece. Without hesitation, Ryujin pressed the play button. As her ears were starting to get fed with the sound of the music, she sauntered by the giant wall of mirror on the front and placed her phone on the floor. After that, she dashed to the middle as she was ready to dance.

She gazed at her reflection on the mirror while taking deep breaths. She was the performer and her audience is herself. The song playing brought her to another world. A place that is filled with bright colors but is also drowning in the dark.

She was ready to perform a pirouette. Ryujin placed her feet in fourth position. Her left leg is on the front while the right leg is on the back. She was confident that she didn't need to wear ballet slippers to do a flawless spin. Ryujin placed her right arm curved in front of her. Her palm was facing her body with the elbow gently curved to the side. Next, she held her other arm out to the side, palm forward and slightly below the shoulder.

Ryujin was ready to execute the turn. She inhaled and exhaled sharply and without hesitation, she bended her knees and pushed off the back leg and spun. As she spun, Ryujin closed her eyes and brought both of her hands closer to each other as if she was hugging something. Her back was straight and it helped her a lot with the balance.

Ryujin slowly opened her eyes to look at what she looks on the mirror. She simply wanted to know what the world looks like while spinning. However, when she opened her eyes, she saw a mysterious girl standing besides her while smiling.

"Ah!" Ryujin got scared. Her supporting foot suddenly tripped on something non-existent cutting off her magical spin. Ryujin was on the verge of falling flat to the floor, back facing the ground. Everything felt like in slow motion and she spent a few miliseconds praying to the heavens that she won't suffer any severe injuries. She closed her eyes once again and hoped that someone or even a guardian angel will appear and save her.

Fortunately, an arm appeared out of nowhere on where her back was and caught her. She sensed that the person who caught her is standing next to her, so Ryujin quickly opened her eyes and her eyes widened at who she saw.