Chapter 38: The Breathtaking Woman

༺ The Breathtaking Woman ༻

[Arabesque Ballet Academy]

It was a ballet academy in the neighborhood of Suwon.

They mainly taught children’s ballet, but also offered courses for adult ballet occasionally. The primary target audience was working women who wanted to correct their posture and young mothers who tried to maintain their body shape after raising their children to a certain age.

Ding—

The director of the academy was a woman who had majored in ballet and even became a member of a medium-sized ballet troupe but retired in her early 30s and returned to her hometown to open a small ballet academy.

“Welcome… Huh?”

She was taken aback by the visit of a young man, who seemed out of place.

“What can I help you with?”

He was too young to be called a father, and his fresh style indicated that he was probably a college student. He slightly bowed his head and then made an even more unexpected request.

“Hello. I was wondering if I could learn ballet here.”

“Huh? Um… Well… learning ballet… for a man… it’s good, I mean, it’s fine, but…”

The director stumbled over her words, clearly flustered.

The young man then explained with a smile.

“I don’t intend to learn it intensively. I’m an aspiring actor, and I’m preparing for a role as a ballet dancer. While I’ll use a stand-in for the technical moves, I need to have a basic understanding of how ballet works.”

“I see…”

Only then did color return to the director’s face.

A man entered her academy, which she was running alone, and asked for ballet lessons. He looked so unassuming that she couldn’t help but wonder, amidst her rising anxiety, if he was some kind of pervert.

But an actor…

Swoosh—

The director’s eyes sharply scanned the man.

He had an athletic build. It would generally be considered a good physique, but…

“To what extent do you want to learn? Even if it’s just an imitation, the muscles of a ballet dancer are different from ordinary muscles. I wonder how much you’ll be able to express…”

“That’s the core of it. I don’t need to master it right away, but I want to develop muscles that ‘look’ like those of a ballet dancer in the long run.”

Interest gradually grew on the director’s face.

Having been stuck with tasks more suited to a kindergarten teacher rather than a ballet instructor, she now glimpsed a promising ‘job’ with a professional outlook.

“Come in.”

Leading the way, the director entered a practice room filled with ballet bars and wall-to-wall mirrors.

Before stepping onto the gleaming floor, the man, Yoomyeong, removed his shoes and stood barefoot.

“Would you take off your clothes?”

The director blurted out before realizing her mistake.

An old habit from her professional days had slipped out. As she was about to explain, the man began to undress as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

His jacket, knit sweater, and t-shirt were removed emotionlessly.

By the time the director turned her head again, he was only wearing the athletic tights he had on under his pants.

It seemed he had come prepared.

“You’re well-prepared. Would you stand straight in front of the mirror?”

The director circled him, closely examining Yoomyeong’s body.

“Have you been working out?”

“Yes. Not intensively, but I never missed daily jogging and basic weight training. Whenever I practiced acting, I also worked on stamina and balance training.”

Hmm…

“While it’s not a fully sculpted body, most would say it’s well-maintained and pleasant to look at. However, muscles for ballet are a bit different.”

The director took off the cardigan she was wearing, revealing the leotard top she was wearing. She straightened her back and elongated her neck. Then, with one hand, she took the ‘en bas’ position (a basic ballet move where the arms are rounded and held low as if encircling a large pot).

The muscles around her back and shoulders contracted firmly. Her arms looked exceptionally long, almost like magic.

“The foundation of ballet is about lengthening the muscles. You have to stretch the muscles from the joints as much as your body allows. Initially, one has to get used to completely relaxing to stretch the muscles. Strengthening and hardening them is the next step.”

Yoomyeong tried to mimic the en bas position after the director. It wasn’t easy.

“Young children tend to be relatively easy to correct. Adult women are somewhat better. It varies from person to person, but women’s joints are generally more flexible than men’s. However, re-sculpting an adult man’s body is no simple task. Still, do you want to pursue it? Since you mentioned having a stand-in, wouldn’t it be easier to just take the easy route?”

Yoomyeong answered her question without hesitation.

“Yes, I want to. I might not get the casting role, but understanding muscles would help in other roles, too. But, will private lessons be… expensive?”

For the first time, he asked a question befitting his age. The director laughed in response.

“No, not at all. It seems like it would be fun for me, too. I’m eager to see how you’ll tackle this unexpected challenge. I’ll just charge you the fee for our adult class. Let’s take a picture together later. If you succeed in the future, I’ll hang it up. Hehe.”

With Yoomyeong’s deep bow, their lessons began that day.

After a little over an hour, the director couldn’t contain her admiration for Yoomyeong’s unexpected core strength and sense of balance. Yoomyeong then brought up another request he had been thinking about.

“I have one more thing I’d like to ask for your help.”

*

Tuesday, December 23rd.

The heavy snowfall had finally stopped in the morning.

Yoomyeong walked down the frozen streets of Chungmuro, warming his frozen hands.

His destination was a small-to-medium film company named ‘Blue Film’.

The intention of the film company was understandable.

It probably wouldn’t be very pleasing. Even though the script was said to be good, it wasn’t the kind of movie that would dominate theaters and rake in money. Ultimately, it’s just more work.

However, since the company was small, they would need to be mindful of their investors and would have taken on this charitable film production. At the very least, there shouldn’t be any issues with the production budget.

Beep— Beep—

Due to the aftermath of the snow, the roads were extremely congested.

Almost at his destination and waiting to cross at the crosswalk, he noticed people’s attention being drawn to one direction. Curious, Yoomyeong turned his gaze the same way.

It was a woman.

A tall, slender woman who looked close to 170cm tall was wearing a dangerously short leather miniskirt and a loose sweater with a low-cut back on this cold day.

Her long, wavy hair reached her lower back. In the snowy white world, only her deep red lipstick stood out vividly.

To say it simply, she was a breathtaking woman.

The gazes of all men within a 50-meter radius were fixed on her.

She walked while holding a coffee in one hand, occasionally glancing up at the ash-gray sky. The fleeting, empty look in her eyes left most of the men swallowing hard.

‘Hmm…?’

Yoomyeong’s gaze was about to shift away from her when it lingered on her again.

Wasn’t there something peculiar about her walk…?

It was slightly pigeon-toed, but her legs were straight.

She brushed her hair to one side, letting it fall over one shoulder.

At that moment, the muscles around her neck revealed itself. The low curve seemed to drop seamlessly from her long neck to her shoulder.

And as she walked past Yoomyeong, the movement of the muscles on her back was clearly visible from the neckline of her loose top. The muscles on her back were well-defined and split precisely.

‘She must be a ballerina.’

From those few clues, Yoomyeong was able to deduce her profession. This was the result of diligently attending ballet classes for a week. He felt as if he had become Sherlock Holmes.

‘Dancers appear different in public. Well, tastes do vary after all.’

That was Yoomyeong’s final thought on the matter, and he quickly moved on as the green light came on.

He was completely unaware that he would see her again at the competition site about an hour later.

Yoomyeong met Do-han in a coffee shop on the first floor of the building next to the film company.

It was for a final check an hour before their scheduled meeting.

“What’s the name of the other actor?”

“Kwon Sunghan. Although he majored in ballet, he chose not to go professional and instead entered the entertainment industry. So far, he’s only had minor roles or semi-leading roles. In the only film where he had a significant role, he played a dancer.”

The name didn’t ring a bell.

Considering that Yoomyeong had sought out any film that had some degree of success or artistic merit, it seemed like the other actor hadn’t achieved significant success in his acting career.

“But what exactly are you doing for the ‘free acting’?”

“You’ll see.”

Ki Do-han had been asking this question for the past few days, but Yoomyeong avoided answering.

The scripted lines for the phantom scene were something the director and Yoomyeong had practiced together, as they would jointly develop it. But when it came to the freestyle acting, Yoomyeong was insistent that it should be left solely to the actor.

It was also Yoomyeong’s way of showing Director Ki Do-han the ‘final version’.

“Shall we head up?”

The two left the coffee shop and entered the building next door.

‘Blue Film’ was located on the third floor.

“Director Ki, you’ve arrived?”

A young employee who looked like an assistant addressed him familiarly.

“Yes. Where is the location?”

“It’s Meeting Room 2. The writer is already there, along with someone from the investor’s side.”

“Oh, already?”

Ki Do-han seemed a bit surprised and quickened his pace, with Yoomyeong following closely behind.

[Meeting Room 2]

Upon knocking at the door, a deep male voice responded, “Come in.”

The director opened the door first, and Yoomyeong followed him. It was only when the director stepped aside that his view became clear.

‘Huh?’

The woman he had encountered earlier on the street was lying face down on the meeting room table.

*

“Seryeon, get up.”

“Uncle, just a moment. I’m still recovering from last night’s drinks. We can’t start until everyone’s here, anyway.”

Without lifting her face from the table, she turned her eyes towards the newcomers. She acknowledged them with a casual blink, her long eyelashes fluttering.

Director Ki Do-han’s expression hardened.

“Ms. Yoon Seryeon. It’s currently the agreed-upon 2 o’clock, and we’re gathered here for work.”

He had tried to be patient considering that she was affiliated with the investor, but this was beyond his tolerance.

She slowly sat up, leaning against the backrest of her chair.

“Oh, Director. I’m sorry. Hehe.”

She quickly stuck out her tongue and bit it while giving a slight nod, making a gesture she knew would appease the other party. Director Ki’s irritation had slightly subsided with her light apology, but he wasn’t the only one who felt discomfort.

After all, she wasn’t just a writer to be briefly consulted with but the leading actress they’d be working with throughout the production of the movie.

This wasn’t how they should have started.

After a brief pause, Yoomyeong spoke.

“In ballet, do you treat auditions so carelessly?”

“Excuse me?”

Upon Yoomyeong’s cold remark, Seryeon’s face grew tense.

The once unfocused look in her eyes sharpened, and her expression hardened.

“Whether you’re an actor or a ballerina, auditioning for a role is a crucial and important opportunity. How would you feel if you were auditioning for Giselle and the judges acted like this, Ms. Yoon Seryeon?”

Startled, Ki Do-han grabbed the end of Yoomyeong’s sleeve.

The man addressed as ‘uncle’ opened his mouth, wearing an expression of ‘How dare you?’

However, Yoomyeong had no regrets.

He could tolerate arrogance or selfishness, but he couldn’t work with someone who looked down on acting. If this was how things were going to proceed, it would have been better not to start at all.

“…You’re right. I was rude.”

Surprisingly, a sincere apology came easily.

Then she sat upright, detaching her back from the chair. As she assumed an upright posture, she seemed even taller.

It was the distinct ‘elongated spine’ posture characteristic of a ballerina.

When the ‘uncle’ looked displeased but didn’t speak anymore, Ki Do-han sighed in relief and the door suddenly burst open, two men rushing in.

“We apologize for being late. Hahaha.”

The younger of the two laughed boisterously, seemingly oblivious to the previously tense atmosphere.

*

‘That man must be Kwon Sunghan.’

His physique was definitely impressive.

The long and firm muscle structure that Director Arabesque had emphasized for days was evident.

Yoomyeong turned his gaze forward again. The directors moved aside, and the actors took their seats in the two chairs arranged in the center.

“Hello. I’m Moon Kuk-hwan, the head of the Public Relations team at Sungho Enterprises.”

“Hello. I’m Yoon Seryeon, the writer of this script.”

“I… I was a fan. It’s an honor!”

Kwon Sunghan took the lead, a hint of flush on his face as he addressed someone he admired.

“Do you know me?”

“Of course! In our age group who’s into ballet, who wouldn’t know Yoon Seryeon from Jinhua Arts High School? I cheered for you, hoping you’d become the prima ballerina of the Aurora Ballet Company… It’s unfortunate.”

“Should we stop with the unrelated talk?”

Seryeon’s face darkened.

Because of this, Yoomyeong realized that Kwon Sunghan wasn’t the best at reading the room.

“Then, let’s start with the assigned acting.”

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