LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 81
Chuseok is over now.
So, what’s left?
“Ugh, do we really have to go?”
[Yes, of course you have to. We’ve gone through great lengths to secure a famous person.]
I let out a deep sigh at my manager’s response.
Well, now there’s just the Dance Lesson left.
I felt it during the filming with my cousin last time, but I truly am awful when it comes to physical activities…
“Wait, you’re saying this person is famous?”
[Yes, they often appear on TV, and we’ve generated a bit of buzz this time, so they seem to be interested.]
Oh… being famous probably means they are skilled too, right?
I’m a little excited.
“What’s their name?”
[I heard it’s Lee Ye-ryeong. Do you know her?]
“Well, how would I know?”
Maybe my cousin knows, but I certainly don’t.
I keep saying it, but I’ve never even recognized Moon Chang-sik.
As I found out later, not recognizing him was something to be proud of.
[I figured as much. Anyway, I really hope you can make it on time.]
“Okay, got it.”
For now, the dance lessons are set to once a week.
Well, it’s a bit of a distance, but once a week is manageable.
Looking at the group chat, the other members seem a little excited, but I’m not so sure.
Instead, aren’t they picking up on the nerves? Everyone else seems to be doing well, and if I can’t keep up… ugh… I don’t know.
Since I have to go tomorrow, should I study a bit in advance?
Is there not a basic dance video online with how accessible the internet is nowadays?
If I learn a bit beforehand, maybe I could even earn some praise at the beginning… Ugh, never mind.
Thunk-
I tossed my phone onto the bed and flopped down with it.
Even if I learn a little, it’ll all get exposed anyway.
I’ll just go and give it my all.
How bad could it be? I just need to perform enough for the year-end live show.
Besides, they said this person is somewhat famous; they’ll surely teach me well.
I dunno.
Just thinking about it like I’ll be dead for about five hours might be easier.
So, like usual, I decided to leave tomorrow’s troubles for tomorrow and closed my eyes to rest.
*
The next day.
I left the house to head to the dance lesson place I’d been informed about.
“Woof!”
Maybe because it’s a weekday, Bok-sil, who usually hangs out in the living room, raced over to me but quickly dodged every which way.
“Woof?”
“Bok-sil, can’t you see my pants?”
Normally, I’d just half-heartedly respond and leave, but today I’m in black sweats, and that won’t do.
I can’t go out covered in pet fur, right?
If it were a different color, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but that white fluffball on my black pants would definitely stand out.
As I dodged Bok-sil, she looked a little down, so I hurried out the main gate.
Sorry, Bok-sil, I’ll take you for a walk later.
Once outside, I spotted a striking woman at the end of the alley.
Among the men walking by, she clearly stood out; she was a head taller.
…Every time I see her, I can’t help but think she should’ve been an athlete with that physique.
Not that it’s my place to say, but it’d be a waste to just sit at home on the computer.
“Is Soo-hyun here?”
As I approached, Maho, who noticed me first, waved.
We waved to each other before heading to the subway station together.
I had originally planned to go separately, but since our houses are so close, we decided to go together.
“It’s convenient to just take the Line 1 straight.”
“They say it’s not for others, but we’re lucky.”
Still, it’s nice that we don’t have to transfer at the subway station to get there in one go.
Transferring is such a hassle.
Since it was around a time when few people were around, Maho and I sat comfortably as we rode.
But wow, the attention is unreal.
Every time someone got on or off, they glanced our way.
I’m getting somewhat used to it, but it’s still hard not to feel nervous.
To be honest, if I were that guy, I’d probably be captivated at least once too, so I don’t blame them.
As I continued to receive those passive stares, I got off the subway and saw a group of girls gathering up ahead.
They looked like a typical group of girls, but one person stood out among them.
It was Loa.
How can someone look so hip in workout gear?
I guess it really is true that a face completes a look.
“Oh? You’re here!”
“Here, here!”
As I squinted from a distance, they spotted us and waved enthusiastically.
“Sis, the members are gathering over there!”
“Oh… you’re right? Let’s hurry!”
Maho, who had been searching in the wrong direction, finally spotted the members after I pointed it out and waved back.
Is this the second time everyone’s gathering since Miro 24/7?
Since we’ll have dance lessons together frequently from now on, we’ll be seeing each other often.
“Wow, Soo-hyun gets prettier every time I see her.”
As I got closer to the members, Mile started her compliments.
“Did you get prettier since last time?”
“Of course, your face is literally glowing!”
This person… even with all that praise, it’s not like I’m getting anything in return.
I have to respond to compliments with compliments too.
“That’s weird. I can’t see anywhere you could get prettier from.”
As Mile tilted her head, looking truly confused, I could sense her expression change as if she wished she hadn’t seen something.
“Wow… can I hit you just once?”
“Hey, hold up! Don’t lift that fist!”
For a moment, Mile almost raised a fist, but Anna, the oldest team member, quickly intervened.
Who even started the compliments first?
Anyway, after a brief moment of chaos, we exited the subway and headed to the building the company had guided us to.
“Is this it?”
“Yep. They said this is the basement of the building, so we should be good?”
The building the company guided us to looked pretty big and clean.
I guess since it’s just a rental and not a purchase, they made sure to give us the best.
It’s a plus for The Six that they don’t skimp on these kinds of things.
“Is this right?”
“Wow, I’m feeling nervous!”
“Me too.”
Everyone seemed fine, but once we entered the building, little signs of tension began to show.
Outside of Anna and Loa, is anyone keeping their cool?
For the record, I’m the most nervous here.
As we descended to the basement, we found the Dance Lesson Room.
There are two rooms, A and B; did we say A?
“We need to go left.”
Following Anna’s directions as she had been looking up the path on her phone, we turned left to find Room A.
“Alright, I’ll go in.”
As we opened the firmly closed semi-transparent glass door, the interior space came into view.
As soon as we entered, there was a shoerack, and the entire wall was made of mirrors.
You could tell right away that this was a place for dance practice, and a woman was busy moving energetically at one end of the wall. She turned her attention to us as the door swung open.
“Oh?! Nice to meet you all!”
From her response, it seems she is the instructor the company had secured.
She really must be famous; it was evident in her well-maintained appearance.
Her dancing body is of course impressive, and her skin was flawless without a single blemish.
“I’ve been waiting for you!”
The instructor approached us with a bright smile, looking eager.
“I was so excited….”
Starting from Anna, who was in front, she made eye contact with each of us and eventually locked eyes with me.
“Uh…”
The atmosphere shifted into something a little awkward.
“Are you all from the Celestial Realm Project?”
With that question, a moment of silence filled the room.
And then after that…
“Pffft.”
“Haha!”
The members instantly burst out laughing.
What’s so funny about this?
From Anna’s loud laughter to Loa’s snickers, they all seemed wildly amused.
Now the instructor seems even more confused.
“Oh, we are the Celestial Realm Project. I’m Miro.”
As I took the lead in explaining, the instructor’s expression shifted from awkwardness to surprise.
“Wow… I thought real idols were here!”
“That’s something we hear a lot.”
“I really… can see why.”
Well… it’s a bit embarrassing when they say it so seriously.
“Haha, looking forward to working with you today.”
“Oh, that’s what I should be saying. Please, come on in.”
Honestly, I was a bit worried about whether she’d have a strong personality, but those concerns were meaningless; the instructor was sweet and cheerful.
“Now, shall we take off our outerwear and do some stretching first? We have plenty of time, but the schedule is tight, so let’s learn it quickly!”
After a brief stretching session, the lesson commenced, and since it was the first day, it was extraordinarily simple.
“Okay— left foot, right foot, follow me like this.”
The instructor demonstrated a simple movement slowly, and we just had to copy it.
…This is doable…
Since it’s the basics, following along isn’t difficult.
However, one by one, the movements I had to remember started piling up.
“Now, when going left, the right foot goes over here… and the body always faces this way.”
At first, it was easy.
All I had to do was follow along, right? Remembering it was manageable too.
Even though I’ve got a fair amount of confidence when it comes to using my brain.
However… as time passed, the movements increased, and my stamina waned.
“Now left…”
“Ugh…”
“Now right…”
“Gah…”
With every successive motion, sweat poured down like rain, and my vision began to blur.
Is dancing really this tough? Those dancers deserve serious respect.
Everyone else seems to be handling this high-intensity workout like it’s nothing.
“Um… Miro?”
Honestly, it’s impressive.
For a regular person like me, even the basic practice is this difficult…
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, yes?”
When did they call me? I just realized that everyone around was staring at me.
Huh… do they look that tired too?
Other than the fact that they’re a bit winded, it seems no one else is as completely exhausted as I am.
…Why? Was I really this weak?
“Um… could you come over here for a second?”
Seeing me struggling, the instructor called me to one side of the lesson room.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Then she disappeared with a quick “wait here” message.
What’s going on… is there some special method?
Unless there’s some stamina potion that only dancers can consume, there’s no way my energy will come back that fast…
Unless I should sit down for a bit and sip on an electrolytic drink, I just rested for a while.
Phew, resting helps a bit.
Honestly, I just want to lie down. My heart is racing and I’m still short of breath, so I feel like I need to rest more…
However, the instructor, who had stepped out for a moment, returned right away.
“I’m sorry for the wait.”
“No, you were quick to come back.”
“I just went to grab something… here, take this.”
I received what the instructor brought back from the car.
“Oh, it’s a jump rope?”
The instructor had brought back a jump rope.
What’s this for?
“Well… since your stamina isn’t great, we should focus on building it up and then learning the movements.”
“Oh, haha.”
Oh, well that’s nice… isn’t it?
“…Understood.”
So, I spent the first lesson excluded, jump roping in a corner.
…But hey, this is at least manageable.