Tessa redid her high bun and carefully adjusted her headband. Nothing was more irritating to her than ticklish baby hair while dancing.
She stared at her reflection from across the mirror in front of her. While it seemed like this tiny space could only fit about three people, surprisingly she had seen some groups of four people, sometimes five, dance here.
The 5’8” Filipina with long silver hair and green eyes was in the practice room for a few hours, practicing her routine. She had been meaning to learn the choreography of this dance for some time now and she felt like today was the day.
She checked her watch. It was apparently 8pm. She decided to start from the top one more time before heading home.
She walked over to her phone in the corner, which she had mounted on a tripod. Making sure that the device was on record, she moved back to the center of the room.
She pressed play on her Samsung Galaxy watch, which she used to control the music player and closed her eyes to get a better feel of the music. It was connected to her Samsung Galaxy Z Fold phone, which in turn was also connected to a Shooky BT21 Bluetooth speaker. All devices were gifts to her by her stepbrothers. She had initially protested the unnecessary expense, but gifts were gifts and Tessa felt like she should at least honor the two by accepting them.
Less than four minutes later and still with her eyes closed, Tessa held the ending pose to the song HIT by the Kpop group SEVENTEEN. It was a fast-paced song with equally fast-paced movements.
The idol group was one of the artists under her stepfather’s company. They were, without a doubt, the most synchronized dancers and most well-rounded performers she had ever seen in the industry. She had seen the thirteen of them dancing this song in perfect unison and it made learning the choreography even more appealing to her.
Out of the blue, she heard claps coming from the doorway. Opening her eyes, she saw her oldest stepbrother Hwan standing there with a friend who seemed vaguely familiar. A black cap prevented Tessa from seeing his full face. The friend was slightly shorter than her 6’2” stepbrother.
Tessa ran over to JaeHwan and he caught her in an embrace. “Looking really good, sis.”
“Hi, Kuya!” She greeted him, using the Cebuano word for older brother. Hwan had gotten used to it by now. In fact, he himself knew how to speak Bisaya. Their family had vacationed in Cebu oodles of times that it was almost like visiting an ancestral home by now: it was mandatory. “How long have you been standing there? I didn’t know you would be here. Is Kuya Hyun with you?”
“Long enough to see most of the routine. It was tight! And no, not now, but Soonyoung and I are on our way to meet up with JaeHyun. Just came in to check up on you.”
“I thought so, too.” Hwan’s friend spoke up. His smile was equal parts warm, genuine and friendly. “The routine. Not the checking up on you.”
Tessa bowed to the two of them. “Kamsahamnida.” (Thank you)
Hwan cleared his throat. “Soonyoung, this is my younger sister Tessa. Tessa, Soonyoung.”
Tessa bowed to him again. “Mannaseo bangapseumnida.” (Nice to meet you.)
He caught her mid-bow. “No need to be formal. It’s just us. It’s not like we haven’t been around each other for years now.”
Tessa smiled shyly at him but Hwan lifted an eyebrow and looked at Soonyoung with daggers in his eyes. “I know there’s an explanation in there somewhere.”
Soonyoung rubbed his nape. “Your sister has been visiting the company for as long as you have, Hwan. I’ve seen her around since I was a trainee.”
Hwan’s gaze never dropped from Soonyoung but it softened a little. Just a little.
