Bada x Howl: Standing Next to You

II. First Meet (Bada POV)

Whenever she created, she'd lose a sense of time and space. Her vision would tunnel, as did her focus.

The first part of her choreographing process didn't actually involve much movement. Rather, it was all about listening, feeling, and understanding the music. She'd put a song on repeat, hooking it 10 or 20 times. She'd study the lyrics carefully, imagining what the songwriter wanted to express and how the singer would convey it on stage. Dozens of stories would flash across her mind like scenes from a movie. Eventually it would settle to a few central scenes that grasped the feeling of the music. Young dancers and choreographers were always shocked when she explained this was the hardest part of the process.

"But isn't making the moves the hardest part? You have to think of so many things," her students insisted.

"The moves come from your training and skill, all the hours and sweat you put in. But everything stems from what you're trying to convey - the feeling, the story - and it has to best showcase the song. It's not something you can fake. Without it, your moves are just moves."

Once she was clear on what she needed to convey, her talent and experience took over. She'd try different sequences, focusing on one block of the song at a time, monitoring which looked best on film. One of her strengths was that she had a plethora of ideas, and she was fast to experiment. She could often choreograph the first draft of an entire contracted piece in ~2 hours. For her classes, she was faster given the expectations were more lax as class routines weren't expected to go viral.

"Hmm. Not bad," she mutters to herself, rewinding the recording.

Suddenly, a familiar voice: "Bada-yah, you're working hard."

"Ohh, Young J—sae! I didn't know you were in today." She notices behind him, the guy from earlier. He had taken his Fedora off, revealing caramel brown hair which reflected brightly under the studio light.

"I came to see him," Young-J nods to his companion. "Did you see his workshop? A packed house!" The guy laughs, shaking his hands humbly. He turns to Bada, his gaze unexpectedly clear. "I hear you're an instructor here."

She nods. Young-J's eyes beam. "Not just an instructor. She's becoming one of the hottest choreographers in the industry right now."

She blushes. "Not really. I just worked with a few artists and had some good results. So I'm continuing to work hard."

"Hyeok Jae. But everyone calls me Howl," the guy says, his hand extended. She takes it, noticing he holds the handshake a beat longer than usual. "Bada."

"What year are you?" he asks.

"1995."

"Oh, noona," he laughs. "1999," he gestures to himself. She feels heat rise in her cheeks at being addressed with such familiarity. Neither say anything further, and both shift their gaze towards the studio walls.

"What are you working on?" Young-J interrupts.

"I'm working on something for Aespa's comeback."

"Can we see?" Howl ask. His directness take her by surprise. It must've registered on her face as he quickly backtracks, "I didn't mean to pressure you, sorry."

"No, no. I'm happy to show you. It'd be good to get feedback."

She walks over to the speakers as Young-J and Howl sit down in the front of the room. She walks to the center, tugging down her cap. While she was sometimes shy when meeting new people, dancing was her element no matter where or when.

As the music starts, her mind quiets, leaving her body to take over. Though she had just finished choreographing, the moves flow effortlessly. The music directs her body as a conductor directs an orchestra, each hit and texture having its distinct moment but coming together as one. She performs confidently with a natural swag and expressive facials. It isn't until she finishes that the sound of loud clapping brings her back to reality.

"Whooaaa, that was fire," Young-J utters excitedly.

Howl nods in agreement. "Really good. Your choreography is so eye-catching." She beams and does a small bow. Young-J gives her small suggestions for the second verse but mostly heaps praise. He was her first instructor and one of the proudest of how far she'd come. Since the first time she stepped in his class, he knew she had something unique.

"Okay, let's let her get back to work. It's late." Young-J squeezes Bada on the shoulder. "Keep working hard, huh?"

Howl follows closely behind. "Nice meeting you. I really hope to see you again."

Bada stays for another hour before turning down the lights and locking up the studio. It is an unusually frigid autumn eve, but as she walks down the streets of Hapjeong to the subway, she doesn't even feel the chill.

**************

The next month, they see each other a few times though mostly in passing. Howl had begun instructing at Jerk Academy, and his Tuesday class preceded hers. This day, rather than exit with his students as usual, he stays behind.

Throughout her class, she does her best to keep focus on all her students, though she can't help but notice him. In fact, no one can. Even among a room of experienced dancers, he stands out. In some ways his style is similar to hers but in other ways, he moves completely differently.

She was known for her strong isolations and sharp angles - there was an undeniable strength to her movement. You dance like a guy, she heard ever since she was a teen. It took her a while to embrace her masculine way of moving, but she came to appreciate that no one else danced like her. Funny enough, this made her especially popular among girls who would often stay behind, ogling at her every word and blushing profusely. Whether they were gay, bi, pan or straight, they seemed both to want her and want to be her. She found it flattering but also found it hard to be fully comfortable with this type of attention.

Howl, on the other hand, moved in a way that perfectly blended masculine and feminine, sometimes in the same move. He danced like water, a constant flow between and through his moves, an invisible equilibrium that adjusted in real time. So clean but so groovy! He makes it seem effortless, people frequently observed.

She can't help but smile when she watches him from the corner of her eye. She's drawn to him.

Unsurprisingly, he was a hot topic among the girls at the academy. Oppa, they'd call out when they saw him in the hallway. They'd line up after class to talk, sometimes delaying the start of her class. I'm really sorry, Howl would apologize. It's okay, don't worry about it, she'd reassure him, though she found it irksome.

"Amazing job tonight, everyone! Please work on the drills that we did at the start of class. Thank you, and see you next week!" Bada shouts.

"Thank you, Seonsaengnim!" "Yes see you soon!" "Great class!"

Many of her regulars come up to her, asking for feedback. Two newcomers approach her to pay respect; they were visiting from Singapore and made an effort to come to her class in particular. As the last of the students walk out, she notices Howl still there. She walks over, pushing her hair behind her ears.

His face breaks out into a wide grin as she approaches. "Amazing class."

"Thank you for coming. You were great; I think my choreo might have even looked better on you," she laughs.

He shakes his head. "You've such a unique style. I've never seen any girl dance like you."

"Yeah, people always say they're surprised by how masculine it is. Which is good, since I was never good at the girly sexy styles anyways."

"But your style is sexy." A small smile forms across Howl's face.

She feels her cheeks flush. For someone who seemed soft-spoken, he could be uncannily direct. "Thank you," she laughs. "I don't get that often. I mean, I do but not from guys."

"Well, I think so."

She is self-conscious of how red her face is. "Are you always this direct?"

"I'm actually quite introverted." He pauses. "But with certain people, I can feel comfortable quickly." They both quiet at his subtle admission. She doesn't know how long they look at each other, whether seconds or minutes. But it feels like a whole conversation takes place in that look.