Letters On Our Skin || BangChan

17

"Are you in already?"
"No," I say, "I'm in front of the door."
"Quit stalling, Livvy," Dad says and I can hear him smacking his lips, "You've been working for this all your life, you can't go back now. The only way to go is forward."
I smile. I've told my father about my new job three nights ago, when JYP sent over the contract for me to sign. He was so happy. Ecstatic, almost. He took me out for dinner the next night.
Now it's Monday, and I'm standing in front of the practice room at the address I was sent.
It's been ages since I've been to a real dance studio, but the smell is still the same.
Sweat, rubber, and deodorant.
I'm already dressed in my practice clothes, a dark grey pair of bike shorts, ankle socks in adidas trainers, and a wide blue shirt.
"I'm not stalling, Dad," I answer him finally, "I'm just... nervous."
"You've been chosen for this job for a reason. Always keep that in mind, Livvy."

I finally open the door.
The practice room is huge. It has to be, since the group of backup dancers I've been assigned to is fifty people strong.
Most of them are already warming up in the back and in front of the mirror. I watch them for a moment, unsure of which circle to join or if I'd be welcome to at all. The dancers, both female and male, are talking amongst themselves, chattering and laughing while stretching their muscles.
I decide to put my bag with the others at the back and sit to warm up my muscles by myself. I don't want to come off as a try hard on the first day.
A few minutes pass, I switch positions every few seconds, the room is quickly filling, and a girl comes rushing in.
"Ay, Binna," a guy calls from the other side of the room, "I thought you weren't going to show up today!"
The girl laughs and waves the comment off.
"In your dreams, sweetheart," she calls back and drops down next to me starting to stretch her legs.

I stare at her.
A beautiful girl, with long, shining black hair and golden skin. She's tall and wears a vibrantly colored set of work out clothes.
I only realize I'm staring at her, when she turns to face me.
"You new?" She asks and grins.
I blink and nod. "Yes, I start today."
She nods, as well, and rolls her shoulders.
"I'm Binna," she introduces herself, "Nice to meet you."
"Olivia," I answer, "Good to meet you, too."
Her eyes light up and her full lips form a circle.
"Oh," she says, "I know who you are! We've been told you'd come and join us! It's so great to finally put a face to the name."
"What do you mean?"
"They told us a new girl would join us, a friend of Bang Chan's. A foreigner."
I blush. Right. A foreigner.
"Don't worry, Olivia," she says and nudges my shoulder with her hand, "I'm sure you'll do great today! Do you know the choreographies?"
I nod again. I've been up all weekend, trying to learn all fifteen choreographies that they sent to me. I barely slept or ate.

"Then you don't have to worry. Just stay in the back with me for the first few days until you get the hang of everything." Binna smiles at me and the room seems to light up.
I change positions again to stretch my arm muscles. Binna watches me attentively. I know she wants to ask about Chan and Stray Kids and how, of all the people, I am the one getting this job. But she doesn't. She simply watches me and copies my movements.
After a moment or two, the door opens again, and Binna looks up.
She groans and rolls her eyes.
"I wish she'd quit already," she murmurs towards me.
I follow her eyes.
A girl around my height in skintight black leggings and a white sports bra has entered the room. She places her bag by the mirror in the front of the room and starts to stretch right in front of it while scanning the room.
Like Binna, she is beautiful. But in a cold, icy, dark way, totally contrasting Binna's bright and vibrant being.
In the mirror, her eyes land on me, and she halt's in her motion.

Abruptly, she turns around and struts toward us.
Binna groans again, and I get up off the floor.
The girl comes to a halt in front of me and crosses her arms in front of her chest.
"You're new," she states.
Binna rolls her eyes. "Drop it, Hana."
The girl in front of me shoots a glare at Binna before returning her gaze to me.
"I know who you are." She says and eyes me up and down. "But don't think your little friendship with Bang Chan makes you anything special. You'll be kicked just as fast if you can't keep up with us. Which, I assume, will happen sooner rather than later."
I am too stunned to answer, which she obviously takes as a hint to continue.
"I've been group leader for two years now, and I will keep an extra close eye on you. I don't play favorites and I don't condone special treatment. You certainly don't deserve either."
Then she turns and returns to her spot in the front.

"Don't worry about her," Binna says, "Hana pretends like group leader is such a big deal, but it really only means she gets to lead the warm up while Chi isn't here."
Chi. The choreographer, I remember that name from the countless emails and dance videos I watched over the weekend.
"Is she always this friendly?"
Binna snorts a laugh.
"Always," she says then, "She's just bitter because she's been trying to become friends with the idols since the day she got here. She's a pretty jealous person."
A hue of pink rushes to Binna's cheeks but I don't have the chance to comment on it. Chi enters the room and claps her hands, getting us to stand up and move to our spots.

Binna takes my hand and pulls me to a position in the back beside herself.
Hana stands in the first row, chin held high.
"Will she costs me this job?"
Binna chuckles.
"Not likely," she says, "The worst damage she can do to you is hide your bag in the men's restroom. She pretends to be the boss, but she's not more important than any of us. We're all just backup dancers."