More than two weeks had passed since I started my trainee life.
When I went up to the third floor to sign the attendance sheet after arriving at the company, Team Leader Jeong Sohyeon was there.
“Team Leader! I'm here!”
“Yes, Dohee. Mark your attendance quickly. Since Ua is already here, go down to the choreography room and take the dance lesson together.”
“Yes!”
After signing the attendance sheet, I went down to the dance studio on basement level one, where I found Ua unni dancing alone in front of the mirror.
“Unni, I'm here.”
“Dohee~ I missed you!”
Ua unni ran to me and hugged me the moment she saw me.
The way she acts is no different from a pet dog.
And it was understandable—apparently, Ua unni had been living as a trainee all alone for half a year before I joined.
Normally, for a major entertainment agency the size of ours, it’s standard to have at least five, and as many as fifteen trainees.
But our company only has me and Ua unni. The reason is that there are still four years left until our company debuts the next boy group or girl group.
So it’s said that the existing trainees were all introduced to other companies or sent away, and the company is currently in the process of scouting new, younger trainees.
They say we’ll be holding proper open trainee auditions starting next year, so the number will gradually grow, I guess.
“We saw each other yesterday too. Let go now.”
I said, pushing her away.
“But I still missed you. Hee hee.”
“More importantly, did you finish your foreign language homework?”
“...”
“Sigh... You’re going to get scolded by the teacher again?”
“Hnng...”
My unni, who was weak at studying, couldn’t finish her homework every time and got scolded.
“Show me your homework. I'll help you.”
“Yeah!”
While I was helping her with the homework as quickly as possible, the choreography teacher came in.
“Kids, what are you doing instead of dancing right now?”
I quickly got up and greeted her.
“Hello, Teacher!”
“Yes. Ua, get up too.”
“Hehe... Sorry.”
After finishing our stretches under the teacher's guidance, we began the lesson in earnest.
“Now, you remember the choreography for the song we learned yesterday, right?”
“Yes.”
“All right, let's see you dance.”
The teacher played the song.
I danced in a way that was distinctly different from my first day.
But just as I was about to get complacent, the teacher kept shouting.
“Dohee, your shoulders keep moving together. Keep your isolation!”
“Dohee, you're off-beat.”
“I told you to do it naturally, naturally!”
“Push your chest! Close! One-two, one-two!”
The dance lesson filled with harsh criticism eventually ended, and it was evening.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Yes. Dohee, you're keeping up pretty well now. At this rate, you'll improve quickly. Work hard.”
“Yes!”
“Ua, work hard so you don't get left behind.”
“Yes, Teacher~”
“Ah, and Dohee.”
As I was going upstairs to have dinner with Ua unni, the teacher suddenly called out to me.
“Yes?”
“The team leader is looking for you, so go up to the third floor.”
“Yes.”
When I went up to the third floor, the team leader was checking my journal.
“Team Leader, I'm here!”
“Yeah. Dohee, are you learning things well?”
“Yes! I'm working hard!”
“Yes. You said you can't come in tomorrow because of the piano competition, right?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“But the competition is tomorrow. Don't you need to practice? You should win the grand prize while you're at it.”
“But I have to take dance and vocal lessons...”
“Forget it. Stop taking lessons for today, write your journal, and go home. Win the grand prize tomorrow.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
“You'll get scolded if you don't win the grand prize.”
“Yes, Team Leader!”
...A day passed, and the day of the competition—the last one I would share with my piano teacher—arrived.
Today marked the end of six years of lessons.
Even if the teacher hadn't gotten married, this was an inevitable ending, given that I was living as an idol trainee.
Even on the last day, just like always, the teacher cheered me on as I went up on stage.
“Dohee, just do it like you always do.”
“Yes.”
I gave a shorter answer than usual and went up on stage.
Standing on stage and looking at the audience seats, I saw more people sitting there than before.
The majority of them were probably reporters who had come to interview me as I had gained fame.
Today's competition piece was Chopin's Étude Op. 10 No. 3, “Farewell Song.”
I had chosen it myself to adorn my final moment with the teacher.
I sat before the piano just like always.
And just like always, I perfectly finished the short one-minute performance.
As I came off the stage with sparse applause, the teacher hugged me, just as she had done for six years.
Only after being hugged did it feel real.
This was truly the end now.
“Dohee, you played so well today too.”
“Yes.”
I stayed in the teacher's embrace without a word for a minute.
“Teacher.”
“Yes, Dohee.”
“You remember what your husband said last time.”
“What was that?”
“That when I become a celebrity, I should sing the congratulatory song.”
“Yes, he did.”
“So, would it be all right if I played the piano as the congratulatory song at your wedding next month?”
It might be an unreasonable request, but I wanted to personally celebrate the first person I was bidding farewell to in this life.
“Really? I'd love that.”
Fortunately, the teacher smiled with a face that showed she was truly happy.
The teacher hugged me again and patted my back.
“Oh my, our Dohee has such a pretty heart too. These past six years have been so joyful for Teacher, thanks to you.”
“Yes, Teacher. For me too...”
And on this day too, just as I had done until now, I won the grand prize and continued my record.
Everything was as usual; only the fact that it was the last time was different.
.
.
.
On the day of the wedding.
Mom was putting on a fashion show with me after a long time.
“Dohee, try this on.”
“I'll just wear what I have on. Okay?”
“No. You have to play the congratulatory song for Teacher, so you should wear something as pretty as possible.”
“Come on, I look pretty no matter what I wear.”
“Tsk, stop talking back and try this on.”
“Ugh, why is it pink?”
“You'll end up wearing something even worse than this when you become an idol. Come on, hurry up.”
“Ugh.”
Maybe I shouldn't have said I'd become an idol for no reason.
These days, Mom latches onto “when you become an idol” at everything I do.
It's because I fell for the director's sincere words. Sigh.
In the end, forced into a pink tweed dress, I went to the teacher's wedding.
When I entered the bride's waiting room, the teacher—wearing a white wedding dress—welcomed me gladly.
“Dohee~ You're here? Doa came too?”
“Oh my, Teacher, you're so pretty~”
“Thank you, Mother. Haha.”
Today, unlike usual, I didn't run up and hug the teacher.
Because I couldn't let the wedding dress get wrinkled on her wedding day.
I simply approached slowly and offered my congratulations.
“Teacher, congratulations on your wedding. You're so beautiful.”
“Thank you, Dohee. You look very pretty today too.”
“I have to play the congratulatory song at your wedding, so I should dress prettier than usual.”
“Haha, that's right. Dohee, since you're dressed so beautifully for the first time in a while, let's take a picture together, just the two of us.”
“Okay.”
“Photographer! Could you take a picture for us?”
The teacher asked the photographer, who was taking pictures while waiting in the bridal room, for a photo.
“Yes, certainly.”
I stood beside the teacher to take the picture.
Then the teacher tapped her own knee and said,
“Dohee, let's take the picture with you sitting on Teacher's knee like we used to.”
“But then your wedding dress will get wrinkled. You can't do that.”
“It's fine. If it wrinkles, I'll just iron it out again. Photos last a lifetime, don't they? Hurry over here.”
When the teacher tapped her knee again, I carefully sat on her lap.
Even while sitting on her lap, I couldn't lean my head against her chest like I usually did, afraid the wedding dress would wrinkle.
The teacher gently pressed my head to lean it against her chest.
The dress will wrinkle...
Once we were ready, the photographer called out.
“Here we go. One, two, three!”
The flash went off, and the picture was taken.
In the photo I checked later, the teacher and I were captured smiling brightly.
After taking the picture, the teacher was busy greeting guests, so we quickly left the bride's waiting room and sat in the bride's acquaintance seats.
While eating the course meal and chatting casually with Mom and Doa, the lights dimmed and the wedding began.
The groom entered, and then the bride entered.
Throughout the wedding, I followed the teacher with my eyes.
And before long, even the officiant's speech ended.
The emcee spoke.
“Next, we have a congratulatory performance to celebrate this blessed wedding.”
It was my turn to perform.
“From what I've heard about the performer beforehand, she is an incredible person.”
“A genius pianist who has won the grand prize twelve times in a row at Korea's most prestigious competition, and a future idol trainee who will represent Korea! And above all, the bride's most beloved student, Miss Lee Dohee. Please welcome her with a big round of applause.”
I walked up to the piano amidst the applause, received the microphone passed by a staff member, and spoke.
“Hello. I am Lee Dohee, a student of the most beautiful bride today, Teacher Ju Yeonji.”
“The piece I will play today is a piano arrangement by Liszt of a song by Schumann, a representative composer of Romantic music.”
“The title of this piece is Dedication. As the title suggests, it is a song Schumann dedicated to his beloved wife, promising to devote his entire life to her on the day before their wedding.”
“I hope the beloved teacher couple will have a beautiful married life as beautiful as this piece.”
Why was I more nervous than at the piano competition?
I sat at the piano and began to play.
Today's performance felt more emotional than ever before.
After finishing the performance, I said a word of thanks and returned to my seat amidst applause.
When I returned to my seat, Mom spoke to me with a playful expression.
“Our daughter was so cool~?”
“Yeah, I know.”
My heart was troubled, and I wanted to sort it out alone, but Mom kept talking to me.
“How come you didn't cry this time? Your expression looked like you were about to.”
“I don't know. I cried in my heart.”
“Hahaha, you cried in your heart? Has my daughter caught middle school syndrome?”
“Ugh, what are you even saying. Stop annoying me.”
“Look at you getting angry at your mom. You are going through puberty!”
“Argh, I said stop it!”