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— 第2章 —
it's too early for emiko, 5 am.
she mentors the younger dancers along with tanaka, the dance instructor. since she isn't going to college, she is training to be a choreographer. it's easier than doing math and it's something she enjoys.
she wakes up at five, leaves at 6, and lastly arrives at 6:30, leaving her thirty minutes to stretch and go over everything to herself.
"5, 6, 7, 8..." long way 2 go by cassie begins playing on the speakers.
this early in the morning and music is already being blasted through the speakers.
"pause." she says as the music stop.
emiko was sitting in from of the mirror facing the six dancers standing in front of her. she looks at her laptop restarting the song before re-instructing.
"it's step slide, not step hop. re-do it and no marking. this is a new unit you guys are doing so please give your all."
the music starts up again, step slide with fists in the air almost perfectly in sync. her vision coming to life.
tanaka and k come in together quietly to not disturb the class, "you'll be mentoring with her and then i'll get you with the training program to be an instructor! if you do end up going back to seoul you can pause the program until you return if that is that you decide to return. if you don't come back to continue within two years the program will start over for you and you'd have to start from the beginning again."
"does she choreograph these?" he asks.
"for the most part yes! from time to time she asks for help from me or from the dancers. she likes making up most of them on the spot, she's surprisingly really good at it! even i can't do that."
"okay, stop." emiko says rubbing under her eye, thinking about her words.
it's so early, why am i stressed!?
"take a water break, ten minutes so be back by...8:05." dismissing the dancers she rises from the floor, seeing k and tanaka out the corner of her eye. "ah, hello." she bows to them.
"how's the dance going?"
"it's getting there." emiko awkwardly chuckled at ms. tanaka's question.
"k will be mentoring along with you! i hope you don't mind."
emiko doesn't say anything. she isn't too fazed by it but k is...kind of an asshole. he truly has no manners towards her whatsoever. why is that though? they've never met before so why should he?
k wasn't too fazed either. there was no reason after all to pass on the opportunity to mentor on his first week back.
"alright! i'll leave you two to it! teach him the choreography, he picks it up fairly quickly so it should be no problem! you two are a team now, get a long well." she smiles and walks off.
"i'll teach you the dance real quick, the song is long wa—" she's cut off.
"i know the song and i saw the dance, i know it." he says coldly with no expression on his face.
"oh, uh, 'kay then...they come back in in three minutes so..and feel free to pitch in any ideas, i guess."
"your choreography sucks. it lacks technique and—"
"it's a hip-hop routine, it has no skill and no technique. it's just something fun."
"will it be fun when they lose?" hands in his pockets, he looks down at her giving her a look that says be for real.
"it's all on how they feel. there's always room for improvement."
——
"he's such a fucking dick! i've been nothing but nice to him the entire time! all he does is step over all my work, told me i lack skill. it's a damn hip-hop routine, you don't fucking need skill you just need to feel the vibe of the song!" emiko rants to anzu back at the coffee shop.
"damn, sounds like a lot...i'm telling you, that's how people from seoul are, stuck up. oh, and! and! he was a trainee too! so he's gonna be even more of a dick. that's how they are over there."
"he's literally from here, from japan. just because he spent a few years as a kpop trainee it doesn't mean he should be so damn rude. he has zero manners." emiko finishes off taking a sip of her drink.
the bell rings signaling that someone has arrived. it's the last ten minutes, so one more order won't hurt.
"stay there, i'll take it." anzu says, rising from her seat and going behind the counter where the pair were sitting.
emiko looks back to see none other than koga yudai, her new greatest enemy.
"hi welcome in!" anzu greets.
emiko looks away to avoid being seen by him, it's giving her a headache. looking down letting her hair cover face, he won't notice her, right?
let's hope!
he sits over at one the tables behind and emiko lifts her head up calling anzu.
"anzu, that's him!" she whispers.
"who? that dude?" she tries to keep quiet too.
emiko nods her head yes.
"should i put salt in his coffee?" she snickers, flipping the machine cold brew off and adding foam to the plastic cup. she puts a lid on it and goes to the other side of the counter, advising him that his drink is ready.
"have a good rest of your night." anzu says.
k just bows his head and walks out.
"he really does have no manners..but hey! don't let it get to you! when are you guys mentoring together again?"
"on friday. it's every other day that i have a class of my own. it's truly the dream being a choreographer. i love it."
"im glad you're enjoying it, emi." she comes back around to sit next to emiko and pats her head.
