{Michaeng} For Just a Minute

Chapter 2: The Black Swan

The audition room was more like a large gymnasium with a stage than anything else. And there was tons of girls. Some were off in the corner, practicing dance routines or singing songs, whilst others were conversing amonst themselves, forming friendships and rivalries alike.

I hadn't really prepared a dance or a song to sing, but I clutched a sheet of lyrics I had written myself; a rap. Rapping had been my passion for a long time, after observing successful rappers, such as Jimin from AOA, or CL from 2NE1. I wanted to be like them. They were my role-models.

Advancing forward, I managed to sign-in and guarantee I was on the list of participants. Thank goodness - I was.

With only time to practice and observe, I seated myself at the far edge of the gymnasium. I practiced my rap a couple times working on emphasizing flow, correcting breathing, and perfecting speed. Past that, I continously repeated line after line, honing my skills.

Now, I could watch the other performances.

There was another rapper who auditioned. She had a cute girly face, a cheerful smile, and more energy than six cans of Monster. Her rapping was pretty decent, too, but a bit on the airier side. However, she managed to make the whole room laugh when she demonstrated some kind of weird dance, which involved head-banging and flapping her arms like some sort of winged demon. Strange girl.

There was a large handful of dancers, one of whom I noted was a Japanese artist, given her heavy accent, and unique features, namely blonde hair. When she danced her solo, I couldn't help but feel in awe of the power and crispness of her movements - something of which I hadn't really paid attention to in the other girls. She seemed very popular to, as the minute she stepped off the stage, a group of excited females crowded around.

I could feel my stomach beginning to boil under the pressure of performing well. There were hundreds of performers all contesting to gain a privileged spot on JYP's training roster, and if I made a single mistake in what I did, I could just wave that chance goodbye. I had to give it my all. My turn came, and I succesfully presented my rap without a hitch, and recieving a fairly good response from the audience. Awesome.

I was beginning to bore from the repetitive nature of watching girls dance to either electronic pop or some slow sultry music that makes you think of candlelights and bedrooms (in that kind of way), so when another auditionee was led to the stage, I barely invested my interest.

This time was different, however. The girl was awkard, quiet, and shuffled slowly in a way that reminded me impressively of an antarctic creature; the penguin. Her hair was a dark color, but the edges were dyed a wine-red, which beautifully contrasted her obsidian outfit and pale skin. Barely anything was spoken between her and the judge, except for her name, age, and basic information. Unfortunately, I was too far away to hear properly what her voice, let alone what she said.

To my surprise, she pulled a black piece of fabric from behind her, and tied it over her eyes. Is she going to do some sort of magic trick? I wondered. Other people around me whispered to each other, asking essentially the same thing. What was she doing?

The music cued, and I immediately understood.

She was dancing ballet.

My eyes became riveted to her every move. The way she dipped and twirled, and her arms floated gracefully though the air captivated my attention. Each movement was a combination of skill, grace, and phenomenal emotional portrayal of the song choice, a heart-breaking ballad. I watched in amazement as she leapt cleanly though the air, like the flight of a soaring bird. She spun in place for several seconds, reminding me of the childhood tops I used to play with. When she ended the rotatation, she didn't even topple from the dizzying move, but continued to move with ease and magestic charisma. I felt disappointed when she finished with a elegant bow. "More!" I wanted to shout, but my nerves prevented me from doing so.

I continued to stare as she carefully left the stage, but she didn't remove the black scarf which still wound around her face, and seemingly obscured her vision. There were scatters of polite applause spread throughout the room, but nothing like the cheering of the first, blonde dancer. I felt bad for her, but I just wanted to speak to her for a moment.

I left my seat and approached her, reminding myself to speak corteously and in a friendly manner. As I neared the dancer, I could feel my confidence rapidly diminishing. She was drop-dead gorgous; a real beauty with a well-formed face, pale, plump lips, and several cute beauty spots. Subconciously, I fingered my own little mole, right beneath my lower lip.

"Hello," I began cautiously as I sat next to the girl. She slowly turned her head in my direction.

"Are you speaking to me?" When I heard her enunciate, I knew immediately she was another Japanese audtionee. Her voice caught me by surprise because of the low, yet warm and soft color she exemplified.

"Yes," I responded, wishing I could think of something more intelligent to greet her with. "I just came by to tell you how much I enjoyed your performance. It was spectacular."

"Ah, thank you." A smile formed on her lips, and I caught sight of adorable gummy grin that made my heart feel jello-ish. "I didn't think many people liked it by the response I was given. I feel better now knowing that at least one person appreciated it."

"You're welcome! I've never seen ballet in person, and it was sensational! I really wish I could dance half as well as that," I said eagerly, encouraging her to speak more.

She laughed softly, and inquired, "What is your name?"

"I'm Son Chaeyoung. It's a pleasure to be of your aquaintance," I blurted out, remembering my mother's guidance of manners. "And you?"

"Myoui Mina. It's nice to meet you, and I hope you'll treat me nicely."

My ears are still buzzing from when she laughed. It was more of a chuckle really, but it left those fuzzy little shivers going up and down my back. I glanced at her face, noting she couldn't see me staring from behind the black cloth. I needed to ask. "So, um...how come you haven't taken off that scarf yet?"

She shrugged indifferently, and said in a cooler voice, "Does it matter?"

I winced. I didn't want to offend her for her choice of style, but I assumed it would be a safety hazard due to the large amount of human beings crowding the place. "N-no, not really. Sorry for asking. That was a dumb question; it's your decision."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry as well. That was a rude choice of words for me to use. Please forgive me."

After a period of uncomfortable silence, I spoke up. "Mina-ssi, what do you wish to accomplish by auditioning."

There was hardly a pause before she replied. "I want to be accepted as who I am. I want to sing and dance, and make other people happy. I want to share my love for performing with others. So far, I've been too shy to do those things; today was the first time I've been able to properly act on stage."

Again, the quietude descended upon us together once more. I sat there, enjoying the presence of the girl, but at the same time, I felt intimidated by her covered eyes and straight posture.

Auditions were almost finished by then, so I stood up to retrieve my things and leave. I bent over and bid my farewell to my new friend. "Goodbye, Mina-ssi. It was very nice talking with you. I hope you are accepted." As I turned to leave, she grabbed my wrist.

"Wait." My heart started the flub nervously.

"What is it? Do you need something?"

"Yes. Could you help me find my cane?"

"Excuse me?" Her words didn't register. "What cane?"

"My cane," she repeated. "I need my walking cane."

I was started at her request, as I hadn't expected she needed a cane in order to transportate herself, but I did her bidding. Soon I found it.

Damn.

Damn it.

Damn.

I wished the ground would swallow me up just like how it had swallowed those disbelieving people in the Bible.

It was a long white cane.

Mina was blind.