by Leigh Ban
“Hmm, I see. What’s on your mind? Do you have some unfinished midterm assignments?”
“Not exactly.” I quickly added, “Actually, I guess it’s something like that.”
He explained, “Well, the way I try to clear my mind is by pretending I’ve been teleported to another place once the music starts playing. I get away from my usual thoughts by imagining a situation where I’m just free to dance. Maybe we’re dancing on a pier at dusk or in a mysterious cobblestone alley somewhere. I’m not sure whether you’ll find this helpful. Ignore what I told you if it sounds like nonsense.”
I attempted to follow his advice by envisioning a tranquil pier. Once I let go of the distractions that were eating away at me, I was able to focus on the cha-cha-cha beat. Taehyun beamed proudly when I eventually got the hang of doing the spot turns with him. We ended up practicing in the rehearsal room until six o’clock.
“I think we did well, Stella,” Taehyun said as he reached out for a high-five.
After I put my hand against his, we interlaced our fingers. I knew my hand was damp, but I didn’t care. For a moment, I kept my eyes fixed on the bead of sweat above his plush upper lip and inhaled the faint scent of his cologne. Then we heard a knock on the door.
“That must be the people who reserved this room after us.”
Chapter Ten
Although the performance for Latin Dance was a laid-back occasion with only the members of our class, I couldn’t stop myself from becoming anxious once I entered New College Hall. Unlike the Old College Hall, where Latin Dance was usually held, there was a wide stage with various types of lights attached, as well as rows of red chairs across two floors. Our class did not utilize any of the state-of-the-art special effects equipment and the seats remained empty other than the first two rows, but I felt like a crowd of people were going to burst in through the doors any minute.
As I got ready to go out, I finally decided to wear the floral sundress. I was glad I chose to do so when I saw the other girls arrive in flowy dresses and wrap skirts. Miso, who now had a cast on her ankle, was even more dressed up than the rest of us in a short tulle dress. The guys were all in button-up shirts and trousers. One dance pair coordinated their outfits; the girl was in a cherry-red fit-and-flare dress while her partner’s shirt was a similar shade of red. They had been affectionate toward each other since the first day and seemed to have enrolled in the class as a couple.
Taehyun straightened the collar of his white shirt. “We should do that for our performance at the end of the semester.”
“Do what?” I asked, although I knew what he meant.
“Prepare matching clothes. Looks pretty neat.”
“Would you wear a floral shirt for me?”
“Of course,” Taehyun said and we both chuckled.
Professor Hwang arrived ten minutes late. She entered the auditorium as if she were returning from vacation, carrying a straw bag and wearing a white sequined T-shirt with leopard-print palazzo pants. Once she set up the audio and sat down in the middle of the front row, she motioned for everyone to come and stand around her.
“Nice to see everyone in a new setting. I’m glad to see you all dressed presentably. No pressure though: this is just the midterm. However, I’ll be arranging a proper performance with the other dance classes at the end of the semester, so think of today as a practice round,” Professor Hwang said, then took out a piece of paper. “Now here is the order we’ll follow.”
There were eight pairs of dancers in total. The first people to perform made their way to the stage. Since Taehyun and I were the second to last pair to go on stage, we went to sit in the second row.
As Professor Hwang handed Miso a pen and a clipboard, she said, “I want you to take notes on the performances today. Can you write a reflection paper and hand it in next week?”
Miso replied with a smirk. “Okay. Should I give everyone a grade?”
Professor Hwang raised her eyebrows. “That’s not really necessary, but I won’t stop you if you do.”
“I will then,” Miso said, looking at Taehyun and me before she sat down.
Each performance leading up to our turn made me increasingly antsy. I tried to maintain composure, but when the people dancing just before us went up on stage, I became jittery and tapped my fingers against my leg.
“Hey, Stella, you’re going to be fine,” Taehyun whispered.
When I glanced at him, he gave my hand a light squeeze.
Professor Hwang called out, “Stella and Taehyun, you two are next.”
Although I was tense when I held Taehyun’s hand as the cha-cha-cha came on, I instantly pictured us on a sandy beach and my three minutes on stage went by smoothly. Practicing the spot turns together had paid off as we moved in harmony, seamlessly transitioning from step to step. My body started out stiff, but by the end, I was swaying my hips to the rhythm.
As soon as we finished, Miso shouted out, “Wow, what an A+ performance, Taehyun.”
“Yes, well done, Taehyun and Stella,” Professor Hwang said, smiling.
While Taehyun and I made our way down the stage, Miso mouthed at me, “C for you.”
Since I was no longer nervous, I sneered and mouthed back, “Thank you so much.”
Miso appeared to be taken aback. She stared at me and crossed her arms.
Once the last pair finished, Professor Hwang said, “Fantastic. Now, shall we have some fun?”
Professor Hwang got up to turn on a Latin dance music playlist. She gestured at everyone to join her on stage. At first, the other students and I did the cha-cha-cha dance routine again with our partners. Then Professor Hwang showed us a preview of the salsa dance routine we would be learning for the second part of the semester. We proceeded to dance along to the music by mimicking the basic steps. A few of the students switched partners for a song or two. Although a girl came up to Taehyun, he shook his head.
When the girl turned away, Taehyun told me, “I want to keep dancing with you.”
Half an hour later, Professor Hwang dismissed our class. The other students talked loudly among themselves while they left the auditorium. As Taehyun and I went outside, two girls came up to us. They were Bona and Dayoung. Although I’d never conversed with them, I often overheard them gossip and gush over Taehyun after the end of class.
“Hey, Taehyun! Where are you two headed?” Dayoung asked.
Before Taehyun could answer, Bona said, “Do you want to join us to go to Lazy Beer? We’re heading there with other people from Latin Dance. Let’s have an unofficial celebration for the end of midterms!”
“Not everyone from Latin Dance, mind you. We don’t want the entire class there. It’ll just be five or six of us,” Dayoung simpered.
While Dayoung and Bona peered over at Taehyun with anticipation, he turned to look at me.
Dayoung sighed. “Bella? Stella? Was that your name? You can come too. I mean, if you have nowhere else to go.”
“I do have somewhere else to go. Thanks for inviting me though.”
As I declined, I was trying to conceal my annoyance. After all, even if they’d asked politely, I would have been too nervous about the likelihood of Hongsik turning up to accept their offer.
Taehyun replied, “Sorry, I can’t come either.”
As Bona walked away with Dayoung, she bleated, “I guess we’re not good enough for an heir to the S&F Group.”
Taehyun rolled his eyes and asked, “Stella, where are you headed?”
Dayoung cackled. “Exactly. Do you think she’s trying to be Cinderella? Is that why she came on exchange?”
“No, but you guys must be the wicked stepsisters,” Taehyun yelled out at Dayoung and Bona.
They turned to Taehyun with their mouths dropped open. I held his shoulder and shook my head.
I whispered, “They’re babbling crap. They’re not worth your time.”
“Watch what you’re saying,” Taehyun called out, then looked into my eyes. “Sorry, I’ll stop now. Anyway, are
you honestly busy? Or do you want to have dinner with me?”
“I’d love to.”
After we had sushi for dinner, Taehyun took me to a cocktail bar called Tree. Even though Tree was near campus in Sinchon, I was surprised at how upscale the place was. The bottles were stored in a bookshelf wall that connected the high ceiling and the dark wooden floor. I felt like I’d entered a room in an enchanted palace. There was a large whiskey selection, and the cocktails were three to four times the price of the drinks at the dive bars I’d gone to with Dana and Yumi.
“I think I’m going to have an Old Fashioned. What are you going to order?” Taehyun asked, putting down his menu.
“I want a Long Island Iced Tea,” I said.
Although I was comfortable around Taehyun at dinner, my heart started speeding up once we arrived at Tree and I gazed into his dark eyes under the warm lights. My plan was to loosen up by going for a strong drink. Taehyun called over the waiter and ordered our cocktails.
Once I was tipsy, I turned to Taehyun. “You have to continue Latin dance after this semester ends. The women of the world want to dance with you. You could move to Cuba for a year like I came on exchange to Seoul.”
He laughed. “Stella, I don’t think I love dancing enough to dedicate an entire year of my life to it. On the other hand, my parents are already unhappy with the idea of me going to grad school to study comparative literature. They want me to join the family business straight away, like my older brother.”
I swirled my straw and asked, “Do you think they’ll stop you from going?”
“Frankly, no. I negotiated with my parents. I told them I respected their wishes by majoring in business administration for undergrad, so now I want a chance to study something I’m passionate about.”
“Must be nice to have such a perfect life,” I said out loud without meaning to.
Taehyun sighed. “Stella, I’m aware of how some people at West Seoul University like to speculate about my family. Those girls were bringing stuff up after Latin Dance today, so I’m assuming you’ve come across a bit of the gossip. Have you heard anything about my older sister?”
“You have an older sister?”
As I took a swig of my Long Island Iced Tea, I was reminded of the article on his brother’s engagement. However, if I recalled correctly, there hadn’t been any mention of his sister. I’d gotten the impression that he grew up as the youngest of two children.
Taehyun lowered his voice. “This is all very hush-hush, but I have an older sister who suffers from severe traumatic brain injury.”
I froze when I heard what he said.
He continued. “There are plenty of crazy rumors, though my family tries to keep the details private. I’d appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone what I’m about to share with you, by the way.”
I nodded solemnly.
“My older sister tried to end her life when she was in college. Nobody knew she was going to attempt suicide. People assumed she had the perfect life. She now lives in a special facility my family set up for her. A place outside of Seoul, away from the public eye.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, stroking his wrist.
“Thanks,” Taehyun replied. “I don’t want to make our night depressing, so I’ll spare you the details. Should we order more cocktails?”
“Yeah, sure. Do you want to help me choose what to drink? I haven’t been to cocktail bars much. I’m not even legally allowed to drink in America.”
Once Taehyun and I finished our third cocktail, he offered to walk me back to International House. A minute after we began to make our way there, a bus with Phil’s face on it drove by. I remembered making out with him after the first time I’d seen the advertisement.
I turned to Taehyun and said, “I don’t want to go back to my dorm yet. Could we please go have another round of drinks somewhere?”
Taehyun stared at me pensively.
“Please?”
He asked, “You’re not too drunk?”
“No, I’m fine. I want to drink with you a little longer,” I said and watched as his eyes softened.
Taehyun and I entered the nearest soju bar we came across. The atmosphere was completely different from Tree. The seats were far too close together and the place was so rowdy we had to yell at each other to make ourselves heard.
“Should we order beer?” Taehyun asked.
“No, let’s drink soju,” I said as I pressed the bell on the table.
He handed me the menu. “Don’t drink too fast, okay? What should we eat with our drinks?”
There was an extensive food menu. Half of the food was deep-fried while the rest was stews and soups. We ordered potato fries and mozzarella sticks, which took forever to be served. By the time our food was at the table, we’d already knocked back several shots of soju.
“Taehyun, the advice you gave me on Sunday was so helpful today. Even though the midterm was a small performance with only our class, I was super nervous when we got on stage. Picturing a dreamy place really helped me.”
He poured more soju into his shot glass and asked, “What was the place you were thinking of?”
“A beach, an ocean, similar to your example of the pier.”
“Speaking of beaches and piers, have you had the chance to travel anywhere else in South Korea?”
“Actually, no. I haven’t had the chance to travel outside Seoul. My grandparents live on the other side of the city, so occasionally, I do take the longest subway rides ever,” I joked.
“Where do they live?”
“In Cheongdam.”
Taehyun chuckled. “Hey, I commute every day from Cheongdam. It’s not so bad.”
As I glanced at his face, I noticed how sweet and almost childlike his laugh was. The shift that occurred in his typically serious, brooding eyes was endearing. Despite being completely drunk, I felt my heart race again.
I threw back another shot and said, “You do? Those morning classes must suck. Oh, you’ve got to bear in mind, my hometown didn’t even have a subway system since it was so small. Also, I lived right next to my university and always walked to places unless I was driving out of town.”
“Dounesville, right?”
“Yeah, Dounesville.” I smiled. I hadn’t expected him to remember. “By the way, are you heading to Cheongdam when we leave?”
“And once I’ve walked you back to your dorm.”
Although I had hoped to talk to Taehyun for hours, I was unable to suppress the wave of nausea coming over me. Mixing cocktails and soju had been a bad idea. I excused myself to go to the bathroom. Standing inside a narrow stall, I stuck a finger down my throat to make myself throw up. Soon after, I was bent over the toilet bowl, puking profusely. My head was spinning. I was ready to collapse in bed, but I didn’t want Taehyun to go home.
When my stomach was empty, I walked to the sink to wash my hands and gargle using a miniature bottle of mouthwash. Under the dingy lights, I looked in the mirror to apply some tinted lip balm and realized I was a mess. I proceeded to take out a few other products stashed in my purse and attempted to make myself look less disheveled. While I was drunkenly smearing makeup on my face, two girls came in and started chatting next to me.
One of the girls adjusted the hem of her spaghetti-strap minidress and said, “Babe, I think he’s going to get it tonight.”
“What do you mean?” her friend mumbled, staring into the mirror as she applied lipstick.
The girl in the minidress replied, “I mean I did complain about him being a jerk lately. I haven’t forgiven him. Whatever. I was feeling frisky, so I slipped my mesh thong into his pocket before we came over here to meet you guys. He’s been ogling me for the last two hours. I think he’s dying to leave.”
Her friend gasped. “You did not! Show me then.”
“No way! We’re not even alone in here.”
“Oh my gosh, so all you need to do is pull up your dress?”
“Shut up. Let’s go.”
The girls
giggled as they left.
When I was alone in the bathroom again, I didn’t know what came over me. I wasn’t aroused; I was merely lonely. Without a second thought, I took off my lace thong and stuffed it down my bra. As I walked back to our table, I wondered how I should seduce Taehyun and nearly stumbled on a bump on the hardwood floor.
Once I sat down, he said, “Stella, are you alright? I think we should head back now. You almost tripped over your own foot.”
“The ground was lumpy. Come on, let’s order another bottle.”
Taehyun shook his head and urged me to drink a glass of water instead. A couple of minutes after we left the soju bar, I fell over an empty Coke can littered on the street and scraped my left knee on the asphalt. Although I wasn’t in a lot of pain, I cried in shock as blood trickled down my shin. Taehyun ran to the nearest convenience store and came out with a pack of bandages. While he applied a bandage, I wiped my tears with my wrists and assured him I was fine. However, Taehyun insisted on carrying me on his back.
“I’m heavier than you think,” I blurted out.
“Come on, Stella, you’re going to hurt yourself again. We don’t want to go to the emergency room on a Friday night.”
“Okay.” I sighed as he stood up with me on his back. “I’m going to get down and walk if you start struggling. I want you to tell me if you find me too heavy.”
“Relax, you’re even lighter than I expected.”
As I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, I breathed in the scent of his shampoo. Since he was much taller than me and I never had the chance to get a whiff of his hair, I found the situation unexpectedly intimate and had the sudden urge to kiss the nape of his neck. I remembered taking off my thong, so I put one hand down my dress to fish it out from my bra.
“Taehyun?”
“Yeah, Stella?”
“Don’t take me home tonight,” I purred as I dangled my thong in front of his face.
He stopped walking and turned his head to look at me.
“What are you doing? When did you take this off?” Taehyun asked.
