Parallel Lives | BBANGSAZ

T H I R T Y O N E

H A N N I
—

"The ballet industry wears black in honor of Hanni Pham: the youngest and greatest ballerina that could've been."

"Hanni Pham, an eighteen-year-old ballerina, suffers a major injury. She can't dance again."

"Hanni Pham: the world's greatest disappointment. An injury that costs her entire future."

"Daughter of Karina Pham suffers a major injury, ending her ballet career. Will she follow her mother, Minjeong Pham's footsteps? What's next for her?"

"Mina Myoui's protégée: her greatest disappointment. A month before the Swan Lake performance, Hanni Pham ends her future in ballet with an injury."

"Mina Myoui speaks on her most important student: What will happen to Hanni Pham? What is next for Vancouver Academy?"

Someone snatches my phone out of my hands, and a loud gasp escapes my mouth at the sudden movement. "What did I tell you about reading those nasty articles?" my sister frowns, placing my phone down on the nightstand. "You shouldn't care about what people say, Hanni."

"I know, I know," my voice is too small, raspy from how much I've slept in two days. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to yourself. Here, I brought you coffee and Giselle's cupcakes." She places a bag from J&J on my bed and a cup of coffee from Starbucks on my nightstand. "I also have a list of movies we could watch."

"I'm tired, Rei," I bring the coffee to my lips, taking small sips as the doctors told me. "I don't feel my body anymore."

"Well, duh. You've been in bed for two days straight," she chuckles and sits on my bed, tucking her legs beneath her. "Okay, no movies. But we should talk."

"I'm tired of talking, too," I pout. "Mom has been asking all sorts of questions, and I answered them, but—ugh, I just want this to be over."

"It is over, Hanni," Rei's voice softens. "It's all over, I promise." She stares at me with so much guilt that it kills me inside.

"That's not what all the articles say."

My sister sighs. "That's because Mama hasn't done anything yet. Once she speaks—Mina Myoui will be all gone."

I lower my head to my lap as I play with the cup in my hands. "Is it wrong if I feel bad for her?"

Rei chuckles and tosses a piece of cupcake into her mouth. "No, because you're the kindest person on earth. It's just who you are. You don't want anything bad to happen to people, even if they deserve it," she tells me softly. "But it's okay. That's why you have me. I don't feel bad for her. She made your life hell for three years, Hanni. She made you unhealthy, unhappy, and she made you doubt yourself. She's the worst person on earth, and she deserves whatever Ma is about to do."

Do I agree with her? A small part of me does. Mina did make my life a living hell for three years. She made me almost get diagnosed with an eating disorder, she overtrained me, and she used me because of my name. I've met horrible people in my life, but Mina Myoui is a straight-up sick woman. And yet, another part of me feels bad about what my mom will do.

I told them everything, every single detail since I started at the Academy. I showed them every message, told them word for word what she used to tell me—I have those words memorized in my head. I told them how she used me because I was practically a bank account to her. I told them about the extra hours she kept me there, dancing without a break. I told them every detail. Mom cried, and Mama listened to every word with a straight face, but I heard her crying in bed with my mom.