Ghost of the Past
In an instant, the atmosphere tensed as everyone stood in a row, bowing. "Good morning to you too, Lee-seonsaengnim!"
With a brief hum, Teacher Lee dragged a chair over and sat down in front of the wall-mounted mirror. She opened a clip folder and clicked her pen, her sharp gaze scanning the four students one by one. "Yang Soonhee, Min Inhye, Kong Narae and… Kang Jinha?"
Kang Jinha's heart skipped a beat despite himself. "Yes, seonsaengnim?"
"I heard you fainted yesterday. How are you doing now? Can you dance today?"
The fainting episode did not actually happen in the previous lifetime. Kang Jinha reckoned that it must be the world's little alteration to facilitate his 'smooth entry'. Nonetheless, Kang Jinha's reply came in a heartbeat, his gaze firm and resolute. "I can."
He did not attempt to explain himself or even ask for more time to prepare. There was simply no need to.
After more than ten years, did he still remember this performance's dance sequence? If someone were to ask him this question, the answer would be a resounding— yes.
Yes, he did. He remembered everything down to his marrow as though each movement had been burned into his flesh and soul.
Although he had left this glittering and colorful world behind, he had never stopped dancing. It was his only way to cope with the crushing, suffocating loneliness that gnawed away at him. After his face was ruined by the monster's venom and he began to shut himself in the house more and more, dancing became the only way he could express himself – his solace and salvation. Only during such moments of tranquility did he allow himself to embrace all of his scars, fears, and uncertainties.
There were no spotlights, no audiences, no stage, and no applause— only him and the haunting music coming from his phone.
Yet he felt more alive than ever.
Even during his time in prison, he had never neglected basic training. It had become a habit ingrained deep into his soul, as natural as breathing. Now, Kang Jinha had years of experience more than his peers. He had carried the ghost of the past with him to the present, and together, they would step into the dazzling light once more.
Teacher Lee held his gaze for a moment before nodding in acquiescence. "Alright," she looked down at the folder and scribbled something on it. "You have five minutes to prepare yourselves."
In an instant, the four of them sprang into position. The girls tightened the strings of their pointed shoes and checked their hair in the mirror, while Kang Jinha did a little stretching on the spot. He had already changed into his usual training outfit before coming here – a slim-fitting black tank top paired with leggings, his hair tied into a half updo that would not hinder his vision – hence he was ready to go at any moment.
As the clock ticked away, he couldn't help clenching and unclenching his fists. There were no throbbing aches brought by old injuries, no stiffness from overexertion, no soreness on his joints. This body was still as healthy, flexible, and vigorous as ever. Not yet marred by the scars of gruesome battles.
How nice, he found himself thinking. Being youthful is really nice.
Five minutes passed in a blink of an eye. Teacher Lee gave a signal, and the soft music flowed out of the loudspeaker.
With a soft exhale, everything around Kang Jinha faded away into nothing.
.
.
As the melody petered out into silence, all that remained was heavy breathing and overlapping heartbeats. All eyes snapped to the figure in front, whose position and expression had hardly changed from the start.
For a moment, nobody moved or spoke. The whole atmosphere stagnated as if someone had pressed the pause button.
Kong Narae dared not even breathe too loudly lest she provoked the instructor's ire. She was aware that she had committed some missteps in the middle, and yet she could do nothing but grit her teeth and bulldoze through it. So be it! Let the rain of tirade fall!
How were the others doing, anyway?
Unable to resist, she discreetly glanced aside and caught sight of Yang Soonhee's face which was so pale that she resembled a ghost, whereas Min Inhye's mouth was moving without a sound with her eyes squeezed shut, looking as though she was chanting a prayer or maybe a sutra to calm her mind.
…It seemed like the two of them did not fare any better than her. The thought brought her a huge sense of relief. Like Kang Jinha had said earlier, it was terrifying to be singled out, but it would be another matter altogether if they all messed up!
Alas, before she could heave a sigh of relief, she heard Teacher Lee's voice breaking the suffocating silence,
"Student Kang Jinha."
Kong Narae's heart skipped two beats, her eyes widening in shock. H–How could Jinha be the first to be called out? She had not sensed anything amiss when they danced together earlier, but had Kang Jinha actually been affected by the fainting episode yesterday? Did he knock his head so hard that he really forgot the dance sequence?! Not only her, but the two girls also held their breaths sharply, looking more nervous than when they were the one being cued.
Kang Jinha did not share their sentiments, though. He raised his damp eyelids a little absentmindedly, still yet to recover from the exhilarating and liberating sensation brought forth by this dance. Every cell in his body was clamoring in excitement, and it took all of his willpower to present a somewhat composed appearance.
"...Yes?" his voice was breathless, slightly husky.
Then, they saw Teacher Lee ask with an extremely serious look, "Do you have a twin brother?"
…What?
Such was the question running through everyone's mind at the moment, their expressions full of bewilderment and confusion.
Clearing her throat, Teacher Lee closed her folder with a snap and rose to her feet, "Do you still remember the flaw I pointed out in your dance last time?" Kang Jinha's mind drew a complete blank at the sudden question, but the other person did not seem to need his response either as she continued, her breathing slightly rapid, "I told you that your movements were very graceful and exquisite, but it lacked certain depth. You failed to comprehend the emotions behind each melody and integrate it into your dance, so to any discerning eyes, you seemed more like a beautiful robot without a soul. It couldn't be helped, however. This kind of thing could only improve with age, experience and emotional maturity. But just now, you are…"
With the lack of words to say, she could only clap, a rare smile gracing her cold countenance.
"Bravo. That was truly breathtaking, especially the final part. You almost looked like a different person, so let me take the liberty of asking. Has something happened or… do you have a twin brother?"
Kang Jinha stared at her in a daze, still processing the high praises he had just received. Just then—
"Pfft."
Teacher Lee's razor-sharp gaze snapped to Yang Soonhee, who desperately tried and failed to suppress her grin. Sensing the instructor's glare, she let out a loud cough and raised her hand to answer, "Reporting, seonsaengnim! As far as I know, Jinha-ssi does not have a twin brother. Over!"
The rigid atmosphere instantly dissolved into giggles at Yang Soonhee's silly and lighthearted remark.
Kong Narae's thoughtful eyes drifted over to Kang Jinha's side profile, musing, "Something big? Does a heartbreak count?" she wondered under her breath. Her voice was not that loud per se, but Yang Soonhee still caught it nonetheless due to their close proximity.
"A heartbreak?!" she cried out in shock. "Jinha-ssi, you've just had your heart broken?! Heol, no wonder Teacher Lee said that your dance has improved!"
Min Inhye mumbled almost inaudibly, "Is it really that powerful? Should I try to date and get dumped as well?"
Kang Jinha was startled out of his reverie, but before he could utter anything in defense to stop his teammates' extraordinary imagination, Teacher Lee's voice cut through the noisy discussion like a hot knife, "Silence! Don't get me started on you two, Student Yang Soonhee and Kong Narae! Have you sprained your ankles?! If not, why were you two dancing like clumsy ducklings…"
The fierce scolding officially began, and the four students stood as meekly as quails.
However, compared to the instructor's usual Spartan style, this time she could be considered kind and gentle. She merely pointed out their mistakes, offered some new insights on their choreography, and told them to practice diligently before taking her leave.
As soon as the door closed behind her, the four students couldn't help but exchange glances with each other, still had yet to recover from the sense of surrealism and incredulity.
The inspection was over… just like that?
They had thought that this would last for hours and they would be criticized until they were drained both mentally and physically, but in the end they managed to get a pass? From Lee-seonsaengnim? That Lee-seonsaengnim??
As the belated realization sank into their mind, Yang Soonhee immediately let out a high-pitched, banshee-like shriek, "JINHA-SSI!"
Kang Jinha flinched in surprise at the loud sound, and he failed to react on time as the most outgoing girl in their group collapsed dramatically in front of him in a posture of worshipping, "You're the best! The absolute best! It's thanks to you that we survived through this storm! Jinha-ssi— no, Jinha-nim, please teach me your ways!"
Kang Jinha's mouth twitched. "It's not all because of me…"
He was telling the truth. In the first place, both Kong Narae and Yang Soonhee were always placed on the top of the class, while Min Inhye, despite her quiet and antisocial personality, had a deep background in various styles of dance from a young age due to the influence of her family. The four of them, each with distinct styles and personalities, came together to create a performance that highlighted their own strengths yet also complemented each other's weaknesses.
This was the absolute advantage of a group performance.
Kang Jinha was not surprised that they would perform well. He had a hundred percent trust in his teammates.
"Ahhh, I don't care!" Yang Soonhee slapped the ground in protest and flailed around without the slightest care about decorum. "You have to tell me your secret! How did you improve so fast? Is it really because of a heartbreak?!" Not only her, even Kong Narae and Min Inhye were staring at him with eyes full of curiosity and desire to gossip.
Kang Jinha, who thought that they've forgotten this topic, nearly choked on his breath. "..."
Turning away, he changed the topic, "Let's continue. This time, we will focus on the parts Lee-seonsaengnim has mentioned."
"Jinha-ssi, you can't do this to us! Jinha-ssi!!!"
The day passed by meaningfully, and somehow Kang Jinha managed to deflect the questions about heartbreak and whatnot until the end of the day. As they parted in front of the building, Kang Jinha took out the phone he had not checked for the whole day and was surprised to find a few messages from his cousin, Kwon Minhyuk.
[What time will you finish your class?] This was sent just an hour after they dropped him off.
[Tell me and I will pick you up.] This was sent during lunch break, but once again, Kang Jinha missed it because he had not thought of checking his phone. He was too used to having no one to contact that he almost forgot the existence of his phone.
Scrolling down, there were two more messages, the former was 3 PM, around two hours ago, while the latter was less than half an hour ago.
[I have a sudden meeting, so I will send someone to pick you up.]
[Take your time, the driver will be waiting.]
Kang Jinha skipped a beat as soon as he digested the last message.
Raising his head, he picked up his pace and walked out of the school gate, his eyes scanning around the area. He did not have to exert much effort, however, because the luxury sedan parked on the side of the road was just too eye-catching. As he drew near, the door to the driver's seat swung open and the family chauffeur – the same person who had dropped him off this morning – stepped out with a smile.
Kang Jinha hurried to approach, feeling extremely awkward and apologetic as he fiddled with the strap of his sling bag, "I'm very sorry,
"Oh no, please don't apologize, Kang Jinha-ssi. You can just call me
The other person's display of courtesy made Kang Jinha feel even more uncomfortable. He could not help but touch the right side of his face where the horrifying scar was supposed to be.
Was it because of this?
Even before he was thrown into prison, it had been long, so long since he had received friendliness and goodwill from strangers. When he picked up a wallet from the street and tried to return it to the owner, the other person screamed and accused him of stealing without giving him a chance to explain. Even when he walked into a convenience store to purchase something, the cashier would give him a look of disgust and fear, while the customers would cautiously keep some distance from him.
He was like a plague, avoided and scorned whenever he went.
He was just twenty years old at that time, and yet, he had already developed a subconscious fear of society. This led him to shut himself in the house, and the frequency in which he went out became less and less.
Afterwards, his timidity was eventually grinded into nothing during the five whole years in prison. There was no place for the weak in that forsaken cage.
Kang Jinha had to fight tooth and nail every single day just to keep himself safe, and he became less and less bothered by the scar on his face. He even felt a tad grateful for being labeled as an 'ugly toad' because it deterred most of the inmates from approaching him. He made full use of his horrendous features to induce disgust in those who harbored malicious intentions toward him.
He thought he had long gone past the period of caring. Who could have guessed that… he could deal with hostility and any negative reactions just fine, but goodwill and kindness still caused him a whole lot of mental discomfort.
Come to think of it, the only people who had never treated him any differently was his aunt's family and also… Chu Myungki.
It took him a whole lifetime to understand that the former accepted him regardless of every single foolish thing he had done, simply because they were family. As for the latter… heh, how much of it was genuine feeling and how many calculations were mixed within?
The family chauffeur opened the back passenger door for him. "After you, Kang Jinha-ssi."
Suppressing the crawling sensation beneath his skin, Kang Jinha bowed and climbed in awkwardly as though he had forgotten how to use his hands and feet. "Thank you…"
As the car drove away, neither of the two people realized the gaze that had been following them since Kang Jinha stepped out of the gate.
"Damn, Maybach? Isn't that car model hella expensive?"
Chu Myungki couldn't resist cursing under his breath, his eyes reflecting shock and disbelief.
He had deliberately made another trip here at this hour because he knew very well it was the usual time for Kang Jinha to come out. And then using this 'chance encounter' as an excuse, he would smoothly invite Kang Jinha to hang out as compensation for missing out on his birthday yesterday. Yes, he had once again condescended himself to take the initiative for the other person. He was certain of his success because Kang Jinha had never refused him before. What had happened this morning must have just been a blunder on his part!
He had no idea why, but Kang Jinha's lukewarm reaction this morning truly did not sit well with him, thus he was taking this chance to 'appease' the young man's anger.
Alas, never in a million years did he expect to bump into this shocking scene.
Kang Jinha, getting into a luxury car with the elite driver clearly being so polite and courteous to him? Wasn't he living alone with his grandmother? Chu Myungki thought that the blue-eyed young man had hailed from a middle to low class family after getting to know him for quite some time, but now…
"Is he actually rich… or…?" he muttered under his breath, his brows furrowing in doubt.