"Your expression hasn't been great."
Who's it because of?
As Seowoo furrowed her forehead, Sihyun stifled a hollow laugh when she let out her words. It was absurd, seeing her act like this, the very person who made me uncomfortable.
What's really going on?
Without even answering why she's acting this way, just telling me to think about it alone irritated me, considering how casually she's treating me now compared to when she pried into my affairs before.
I didn't expect him to treat me specially, but at least I hoped there would be some fluctuation, as much as he bothered me. Because I felt confused because of him.
But instead, he acted as if that day was a joke, dismissing it casually.
As Sihyun pulled back whenever thoughts of Seowoo surfaced and left him feeling inexplicably uneasy, he lifted his head. Facing him, who had come closer, he met the gaze of those platinum-colored pupils. Those familiar eyes of his curved slyly.
"If it's uncomfortable, should I change it?"
Want to run away?
The words spat out loud enough for everyone to hear and the whispered words to me were different. His tone was considerate, yet it felt provoking. Sihyun raised his head to meet his red lips. His pale hand twitched as if asking for a note.
It would be more convenient if I changed.
All I had to do was dance with Haru, and I could avoid the discomfort.
But...
"Want to run away?"
Yoo Seowoo's words echoed in his ears. His temples throbbed. It felt unpleasant.
"Enough."
It was nothing more than a joke to him, and seeing him alone being agitated was ridiculous. Sihyun, who didn't want to deal with the hassle of changing partners and being caught up later, turned away as he plucked the note from his hand. A faint laughter echoed behind him. It was more unfortunate than the laughter that seemed to come from Hamin.
As he took his seat, Haewoon organized the partnered children on the blackboard.
1. Jihye - Daun
2. Haru - Hamin
3. Seowoo - Sihyun
4. Haewoon - Geonu
The couple dance was an excellent Inso event, but Hamin and Daun weren't in the same group. Sihyun, who questioned this fact, bit his lip. Come to think of it, it wasn't my business to worry about others.
Glancing around, he avoided Haewoon, but Hamin, who wasn't particularly pleased, caught his attention. It was comforting to know he wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable in this situation. He caught his breath and listened to Haewoon's words.
"We have eight days left until the math trip, and we also need to learn the choreography within that time."
"Come to think of it, when are we going to practice?"
"We finished our finals, and there won't be any end-of-month evaluations in June. The teachers will let us off during class hours."
Seeing it this way, it looked like an ordinary school again. Sihyun, who recalled how children in the previous high school used to push their desks aside and practice dancing when the math trip season approached, suddenly furrowed his brow.
Before the fusion and even after, he had never danced even once in his life.
Never having danced, he had no way of knowing if he danced well or not. If he danced well, there would be no problem, but if he didn't, it would be a headache. His fingertips twitched. It was an obligation to choose a song even if he didn't want to.
Sighing more frequently, Sihyun banged his head on the desk. He prayed that the dance would be easy this time.
"Does anyone know any dances?"
"Or should we just do something like a pop song?"
"We have to create choreography ourselves, so it shouldn't take too long, right?"
"What about it?"
"Ah! Shall we dance a couple dance from the internet?"
Haewoon, who suggested it, took out his phone and started searching, and the remaining children held a meeting among themselves. Since they didn't know many dances, Sihyun, who had been silent all along, opened his mouth when Haewoon finished his search and mentioned the name of a song.
"How about 'TruX Maker'?"
"..."
Even if he was ignorant about dances, Sihyun opened his mouth slightly. Why was a song from the world I lived in reflected as it is in this Inso? He didn't want such a realistic reflection.
As he hesitated, the kids, bored with the lack of options due to his reluctance, quickly agreed. Jihye and Daun said okay, Geonu and Haru said it didn't matter, and Seowoo was fine. The only ones showing reluctance were me and Hamin, who felt awkward with our partners.
Sihyun bit his lip again.
Truly, he didn't want to do that dance.
"Isn't it too early to decide already? How about looking for something else a little more?"
"Well, do we have any other options? Everyone seems to think something exciting is better anyway."
"..."
Was there any other song available?
With no suitable alternative and only showing reluctance, he lacked persuasiveness. When Sihyun asked if he could handle such a dance that required a lot of contact, surprisingly positive responses came back.
Ultimately, the principle of majority rule applied once again. Reluctantly pulling out his phone, Sihyun searched for a dance. Compared to the dance he remembered, the one he found was much more embarrassing and daring. Sihyun's hand holding the phone trembled.
He felt that camping might be better for the first time while watching that dance.
With eight people, it was vague whether anyone could be left out.
As he sighed again, pressing his forehead, Haewoon suddenly concluded the meeting.
"Then, should we decide which parts to take with our partners and practice in earnest from the second period? We need to familiarize ourselves with individual parts until today and tomorrow, then practice with partners from the third day and match it together as a group with four days left."
"I'm fine with that."
"Good job, Haewoon."
In a meeting that flowed smoothly like water, Sihyun felt his mind drift away. As the meeting concluded, he gazed at the blackboard. The few words by Haewoon made it hard for Sihyun to deny the situation.
This isn't right.
He'd been through all sorts after the fusion, but this was truly off. Recalling the wavy dance from the video, Sihyun shivered at the thought of performing it himself. It felt like all the blood drained from his body.
"...Let's put one condition."
"Hmm?"
As Sihyun unexpectedly spoke up, the others turned to him. Under their collective gaze, Sihyun turned to Haewoon.
"Instead of dancing, let's modify some parts of the dance. It's an old dance, and some parts are burdensome to perform."
"Well, that does make sense. It might be more fun, right?"
"Just a few changes since we won't mess with it too much. We should respect everyone's opinions, right, Hyuk?"
Quickly catching the lifeline Sihyun threw, Hamin supported him. Once he suggested considering not dancing at all if the modifications didn't work, the request was accepted. They had to pick parts soon; his head was starting to throb.
"What part do you want?"
As Sowoo, who came closer, spoke, Sihyun glanced at his phone screen. It seemed amusing for him, a guy shorter than Seowoo, to dance the male part, yet he disliked the female part. Frankly, he disliked both parts, especially the parts with bold physical contact.
Pressing his temples, Sihyun looked at Seowoo, wondering how he got into this situation. Seowoo's calm smile made him seem unperturbed, like a picture.
"What do you want?"
"Anything's fine for me."
"..."
It was embarrassing to choose verbally. After some mental back and forth, Sihyun finally spoke about the two parts.
"I'll take the female part and suggest modifying the physical contact parts."
"Okay, then."
After speaking, he felt self-conscious. Looking around, Jihye and Daun seemed to handle their choices themselves. Geonu might be doing the female part since Haewoon seemed like the female part. But he wasn't sure about Hamin and Haru. Even if Hamin would rather die than take the female part, would Haru take it?
He tried imagining the two of them dancing, but it was impossible. He halted his thoughts about the pairing; it wasn't the time to worry about Haru.
"Let me know when it's all edited."
Sowoo casually said and lightly tapped the desk before returning to her seat. Watching her back, Sihyun, feeling a throbbing headache, massaged his temples.
Why a couple's dance of all things?
Why Seowoo?
Even with a second chance, it went terribly wrong.
Sighing and contemplating his past life's sins, Sihyun replayed the video. He decided to make the edits by fifth period; they had to be substantial.
***
After dedicating fourth period to watching the video and practicing the dance, the edits were completed. He proposed ten changes, four got rejected, and six were accepted. Unfortunately, the highlight parts were among the rejected ones.
Maybe it couldn't be helped; it was a highlight after all.
Sihyun, who wanted to fix the dance as much as his fingers clung to his lips, expressed his disappointment but then shook his head. Still, six out of ten changes being accepted was considerable.
That's how he wanted to see it.
After concluding his conversation with Haewoon, Sihyun sat on the floor due to the table being pushed back. He found solace in the fact that he wasn't clumsy in dancing.
Feeling comforted by the realization he gained from dancing, Sihyun gazed out the window and blinked. As he moved a bit, the sweat trickled down his chin.
"Let's practice with our partners from the day after tomorrow!"
Maybe this was his forte; Haewoon's voice sounded more cheerful than usual, and the kids who were sitting rose.
The day after tomorrow.
That phrase felt like a death sentence, echoing relentlessly in his mind.
In two days, he'd have to dance this darn dance with Seowoo.
How did it end up like this?
As Sihyun mumbled the words out of habit, he captured the clear sky in his eyes.
The sky was blue, the sunlight pleasant.
He felt like dropping out.
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