Why the academy was so quiet on this particular tuesday was a question mina couldn't answer. it was a normal, mundane tuesday, and yet, a blanket or silence covers all of her fellow dancers.
the snap of takada aiki's fingers snappedmina back into reality. both sides of her perfectly pink lips turned upwards, and her touch ghosted over mina's arm, raising goosebumps.
"are you okay?" the prima ballerina asked, her neck turned towards mina and her body still lowered in a graceful plie.
mina nodded silently. takada's lips made that perfect smile again, and she turned her head.
see, mina wasn't rude, no that wasn't her intention at all.
mina was just incredibly wary of takada.
takada aiki, imported and made in japan. just like mina.
takada aiki, the faultless prima ballerina, the model girl. not so much like mina.
mina was convinced that takada could not be that perfect, good-looking, and nice. it just wasn't realistic.
so mina watched takada through spotless transparent glass, waiting to see when takada would slip up and spontaneously spout a spiteful phrase or something of that sort.
sadistic? maybe. mina myoui would call it being a realist.
that was why mina was not so eager to receive takada's hints at friendship. she was also sure that takada only wanted to befriend her to talk in japanese about the mainland or something bizarre like that.
"miss myoui?"
the source of the voice was the demon herself. lucifer incarnated.
headmistress nam.
the darned old woman always had her hair back in a slick bun. mina had heard the younger students giggle about how oily the headmistress's hair must be to look shiny as it did.
her heels snapped against the floor, making a sharp, cringe-worthy sound every time the headmistress stepped forwards.
she stopped in front of mina's face.
mina held her face stoic, in what she hoped was a poker face.
"fifteen minutes of your practice left, and you're already zoning out?"
the ballerina had no choice but the answer in a silent nod.
headmistress nam yanked mina by the arm close to her. her minty breath hit mina when she leaned into her ear. "if you weren't so good at dancing, i would've sent you back home with your mother when you first came to see me."
she released mina, and mina's peripheral vision picked up on the small marks on her arm, courtesy of the maroon, perfectly filed nails of the headmistress.
finally, mina finished practice, the fifteen minutes all of a sudden feeling like fifteen years.
mina picked up her stuff, which consisted of a small duffel bag, and headed out the door. the bell quietly rang goodbye.
the cold gangnam air hit mina in the face like a slap.
it was cold, and the only thing covering mina was a measly long sleeve shirt. mina's teeth chattered, and she rubbed her hands together in hope of some warmth.
she started to make her way to the bus station, and she turned in that direction when the bell of the ballet academy door rang loudly.
"mina!" yelled jihyo park.
the brunette woman bounded down the stone steps. she proudly held out a handkerchief to mina. the japanese girl scrutinized the handkerchief.
"this isn't mine." mina deadpanned.
jihyo's eyes twinkled. "i know." she chirped bashfully.
"i needed an excuse to take a break from work, what with the concert coming up and stuff. i'm sure miss nam doesn't believe my story, well, essentially, it isn't my story if i made it up, is it?" she rambled.
mina's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "wait, why did you need to get out of work to see me?"
"because i wanted to invite you to come to coffee with me and chaewon." jihyo explained, as if that made perfect sense to mina.
"i'm confused."
"well we've talked when you stay late to practice, and i stay late to work, but we've never talked, talked, you get me? this morning, i was thinking. and i figured, why not add mina to the guest list of chaewon and i when we go for coffee?"
mina racked her brain's list of names, searching for a chaewon.
her mind came up blank.
"chaewon?" mina stuttered, shivering vigorously.
"yeah!" jihyo noticed mina's blank look. "moon chaewon, the physiotherapist? of the academy?"
mina's voice shrunk. "i've never needed therapy."
"never mind that, you can meet her on friday. you're off friday, right?"
mina nodded.
"that's perfect. would you want to go?" jihyo asked, her mouth turned up in hope.
mina shook her head.
jihyo's face blanked.
"i'm sorry. i don't know, i just need to check my schedule, i guess. but i'll get back to you if i change my mind?" mina stumbled.
social anxiety, back at it again, mina bitterly thought.
but the korean's face lit up again, as if mina held the remote to jihyo's lightbulb.
"totally, i get it. but could i like get your number? maybe?" jihyo asked shyly, picking at her thumb's cuticle.
mina nodded. jihyo fumbled in her purse for a minute before producing a small iphone with a line character case in mina's hands.
her thin finger's shook as she inputed her number in jihyo's contacts, saving her name as "myoui, mina". she handed the phone back to the owner with shivering arms.
jihyo's face became clouded with concern as she tucked the phone back into her overflowing purse. "oh my god, you're freezing!" she declared. mina stayed silent.
jihyo dropped her purse to the ground and began to wrestle off her thick parka, handing it to mina happily.
mina tried to hand it back, but jihyo refused, pulling at the sleeve of her thick sweater.
"you're colder than i am." jihyo waved mina off. "now miss nam knows my story was b.s. i better get back. bye mina!"
mina nodded in farewell, slipping on the parka, feeling warmth spread throughout her body. she turned in the direction of the subway and walked away.
jihyo turned back in the direction of the academy. as she slowly walked up the steps, she opened up the contacts app in her phone and opened mina's contact information.
she deleted the "myoui mina".
jihyo inputed the words "minarii ballerina" and saved the contact.
