Ua unnie, unlike usual, grabbed my shoulders with an angry face and shouted.
“Lee Dohui! Isn’t this too much?”
“What did I do? We talked about this last time when we all choreographed it together.”
“You were the choreography center last time too. Then shouldn’t you yield this time?”
I let out a sigh of disbelief and said to Ua unnie.
“Do we take turns being center? The person who’s good at it does it. You and I both danced, and the girls said I was better, so I was decided as center.”
“Then give me the center for the second song.”
“Are you crazy? Seoyun unnie is center for the second song. And you’re center for the third and fourth songs.”
“Even then, those two songs together aren’t even three minutes!”
“Haa... Hey. Before you get greedy over being center, get the choreography right. Don’t you know you stand out because you never match the choreography?”
“What? Did you just say hey? What about you? You got the choreography wrong too and were standing in a weird place.”
“That was because you stayed in the center too long and I panicked!”
“Why do you always blame me? Even if you could stand in the wrong spot because of me, you got the moves wrong, the moves!”
“If you do this over the center every time we perform, how are we supposed to make a performance? If there are days when you have a lot of parts, there are days when you don’t. Then are you saying you should always stand in the center and the other girls should be backup? Why are you so selfish?”
“Hey! You talk like you’re such a good person. You think nobody knows you deliberately take center for the most popular songs? We call it a center vote, but isn’t it basically a popularity vote?”
“What? Hey.”
Just as I was about to continue, the teacher shouted.
“Stop. That’s it~”
We put down our scripts and looked at the teacher.
“As expected of trainees, look how your eyes change the moment the center gets brought up. You two weren’t being serious, were you?”
Unnie hugged Teacher Hyeyoung and said in a tearful voice.
“Teacher Hyeyoung, Dohui was so scary. Hiiing.”
“Phew, that relieved some stress.”
“Haha, you both did well. This time, let’s try a different script.”
“Yes.” “Yes~”
The teacher handed us a script.
When I looked at the script, this was written on it.
---
S# 13
Aera: It’s annoying when I act pretty, right? But this is really hard for me too, you know? I’m not acting pretty, I was just born pretty. Puh...
Dongman: I can hit a woman.
Aera: (shoulders bouncing) When odder people, like, like, say dat I’m pwetending to be pwetty, even Aera has a hard time. Hmph! (sharp head tosses)
Dongman: (walking quickly) Ah, this is stressing me out.
---
Mm...
I raised my head and looked at the teacher with an expression that said I didn’t want to do it.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
Haa...
“No... There isn’t. I’ll play Dongman.”
“You two are going to switch and try each role once anyway. For now, let’s have Dohui do Aera first.”
Ah.
Hoo...
I closed my eyes and meditated for a moment.
Right, it’s just acting anyway.
I can do something like this.
I looked at Ua unnie and began acting.
“It’s annoying when I act pretty, right? But this is really hard for me too, you know?”
Then, after sweeping my hair back, I spoke in the most shameless tone I could manage.
“I’m not acting pretty, I was just born pretty.”
Now it was the part where Ua unnie had to say her line.
Ua unnie opened her mouth.
“I can hit a wom— puhahahkahahakah.”
Ah.
The teacher, who had been watching from the side, said,
“Ua! Don’t laugh and pfft... try it one more time, kuh... puhahaha.”
Ah.
Only after laughing for a full minute did the teacher calm down.
The teacher said to me, who was standing there alone with a dead-serious face while the corners of her mouth twitched.
“Pfft... I’m sorry, Dohui. You were so cute that I laughed.”
“Heuhahah.”
“Yes.”
“Heuhahakak.”
“Ua, you stop laughing now too. Continue with the line.”
“Hahahheuh, yes.”
Ua unnie took a deep breath, calmed herself, and read the script.
“I can hit a woman?”
Phew...
It’s acting.
Acting.
I read the script while bouncing my shoulders.
“When odder people, like, like, say dat I’m pwetending to be pwetty, even Aera has a hard time. Hmph!”
Maybe because they had laughed so much earlier, no one laughed this time.
I raised my head and looked at Ua unnie, who had to say the next line.
When our eyes met, unnie closed her eyes.
“Kup. Sssup... Hoo...”
After unnie inhaled and exhaled deeply, she opened her eyes again and looked at me.
“Ah, this is stressing me out—kyakkyahahahah, ah, kyakheuhah.”
“Ua, I told you not to laugh! You’re making Teacher laugh too—kyakhahaha.”
Ah.
“Ah, my stomach hurts. Akhahaha.”
I’m never doing this again.
.
.
.
After the acting lesson ended, Teacher Hyeyoung, the outside instructor, said,
“You both worked hard in class today. I’ll see you next week, okay?”
““Yes, thank you for your hard work~””
“Okay~”
The teacher opened the practice room door and was about to leave when she turned her head and said to me,
“And Dohui, once you debut, you can use aegyo as your personal talent. Kheuhakah.”
Then the teacher quickly left.
Inside the practice room, only I was left with a dead-serious face, and Ua unnie, who had burst out laughing again after hearing the teacher’s words and had collapsed on the floor, clutching her stomach as she laughed.
“Ah, my stomach hurts. Kyakheuhah, save me, I want to stop laughing, euhah.”
“Just die.”
.
.
.
A few days later, Saturday.
The team leader called me in, so I came to work early at nine in the morning and went to see him.
When I arrived at the team leader’s desk, Manager Soyeong was standing beside him.
I gave Manager Soyeong a brief bow and greeted the team leader.
“Hello, Team Leader. You told me to come in early today, so I came early!”
“Good, well done. How is it? You’re not tired right now, are you?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Dohui, are your acting lessons going well these days?”
“Yes, I’m working hard.”
“Actress Hyeyoung was praising you, actually.”
She just laughed the whole time and left...?
“Haha... I think she said that because I’m working hard for now.”
“She must have praised you because you did well. Anyway, the reason I called you in early today is—do you know X-One is releasing a new song as a unit this time?”
Since I had seen X-One sunbaenims using the practice room every time, of course everyone in the company knew.
“Ah, yes. I know.”
“So, for the music video shoot for this new song, they need a female lead. There’s been talk of using you for that female lead.”
Huh?
“Out of nowhere?”
“It’s not out of nowhere. This has been talked about since last year. But last year, you were too young, so they used other actresses.”
Even now, I’d only gotten taller; I felt like my face still looked young...
“You’ve grown as much as you needed to now. More than anything, the concept for this female lead is a teenage student, so it should suit you well.”
“Ah... Yes.”
“So today, we’ve decided to have a simple meeting with the music video director. Is that okay?”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
“Then we’re scheduled to meet the music video director in two hours, so take Soyeong’s car and go to the meeting place in advance.”
“Yes.”
I left the company building and got into the passenger seat of Manager Soyeong unnie’s car, which was already parked outside.
“Dohui, do you want to sit in the back?”
“The back seat? I can sit in the passenger seat.”
“No. Sit comfortably in the back.”
“Yes.”
I moved to the back seat.
“Dohui, put on your seat belt.”
Even though I’m in the back...?
Well, there’s no harm in being careful.
On the way to the meeting place.
I started talking so Manager unnie wouldn’t be bored while driving.
“Is this your car, unnie?”
“Yeah.”
“Where are we going now?”
“Nonhyeon Station.”
“I’m looking forward to the music video shoot. What kind of person is the director?”
“Someone who shoots music videos.”
Since earlier, it felt like Manager Soyeong unnie’s words were coming out without passing through her brain.
Wondering why, I looked toward the driver’s seat and saw Soyeong unnie gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands, staring straight ahead as she drove.
Ah.
If I talk to her any more, it looks like we’ll get into an accident.
The place we arrived at after Soyeong unnie’s novice driving was a café in Nonhyeon-dong.
As we entered the café, Soyeong unnie said,
“Dohui, let’s drink something while we wait. What do you want?”
“I’ll have an iced chocolate~”
“Let’s have cake too. What do you want?”
“Mm... Chocolate cake?”
“Okay, unnie will pick it up, so go sit down first.”
“No, it’ll come out soon, so I’ll wait with you.”
Manager Soyeong smiled warmly and said,
“Sure, sure.”
A little later, after receiving our drinks and cake and sitting down, Manager unnie and I checked the time.
“Mm, there’s still an hour before she gets here?”
“It’s nice to relax in a café for the first time in a while.”
“Haha, I like how positive you are.”
“Manager, try the cake too. It’s good.”
“Okay~”
Since there was still plenty of time before the director arrived, we started chatting about everyday things.
“How have you been lately, Dohui?”
“What do you mean?”
“Both school and trainee life.”
“Trainee life is hard, but it’s fun.”
“And school isn’t?”
“Yes.”
“Haha, that’s when it’s fun. Take selfies at school more often and send them to me. When else will you take selfies at school?”
Ah.
Right.
“Since we’re on the topic of selfies, don’t I take them well enough now? I think I can stop taking selfie lessons.”
“Tsk, that’s for me, the selfie trainer, to decide.”
“Hmm... No matter how I look at it, I think I take better ones than you now, Manager...”
“Uh-huh.”
“I think I need to see your selfies once, Manager.”
“No. I’m not showing you.”
“Hmm...”
.
.
.
As we talked, it was soon time for the director to arrive.
We took our empty drink cups and cake plate to the counter and tidied up the table.
Then we ordered an Americano, which was the director’s preference, and placed it at the table.
At 11:30, the time of the appointment.
Manager Soyeong’s phone rang.
“Ah, yes, Director. Yes, we’ll come out front.”
We got up and went to the director standing at the café entrance.
Unexpectedly, the director was a woman who looked to be in her thirties.
“Hello, Director.”
“Hello~ I’m Lee Dohui.”
“Nice to meet you. Let’s sit down first.”
After everyone had sat down, the director drank her Americano and said to me,
“I only came to do a quick face check, so you don’t need to feel burdened.”
“Yes.”
“You’re currently a Top East trainee, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Your image really is exactly what the agency recommended. Do you know what concept this music video has?”
“Yes. I heard it’s a teenage student.”
“To be exact, it’s a first love from school days. Could you smile brightly for me?”
“Yes.”
I looked at the director and smiled brightly.
“You’re pretty. I don’t think I need to see anything else. Go back to the company, listen to the song, and prepare for the shoot.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
“Then I’ll see you in two weeks.”
The director really did just check my face briefly, then left the café.
I asked Manager Soyeong unnie,
“But is it usually this simple?”
“It’s because this isn’t an audition. The company already decided on you.”
“Ah, I see. Then we’re going back to the company now, right?”
“Yeah, but there’s a good pasta place near here. Since we’re already out, should we have lunch before we go?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Okay. Let’s do that, then.”