Inside the studio, the mood was one of intense concentration. This rehearsal was different; than the one Hyun-Hee had attended the other gay it included the dancers, adding a new layer to her performance. She was not sure why she had practiced the routines many times before but today something was different. The seven women communicated exclusively in Korean, ensuring a seamless flow of instructions and feedback.
Hyun-Hee had no idea why she thought it was strange not to hear any English even though she spoke it she had grown up speaking Korean just like the rest of her family. No wait that wasn’t true she had never spoken Korean until the other afternoon after speaking to Val. That was who he had been speaking to wasn’t, she was not so sure now.
Hyun-Hee, had found herself increasingly comfortable in this environment. She listened intently, absorbing every detail as she moved gracefully through the choreography. With each step, she felt herself slipping deeper into her new role and identity, her confidence growing with every passing moment.
“이제 휴식 시간이에요, 얘들아.” (It's break time now, girls.) The choreographer said after a few hours.
This gave Hyun-Hee the time she needed to gather her thoughts. I am not supposed to be a member of the group she thought. She was a reporter, not a singer. Deep down in her heart, she knew this to be true. So how had she ended up in this position? Somehow it felt so natural for her to be there with the other girls. After all, she had known Eonni for years now. No wait that wasn’t right she had only met Mi-Ok a few days ago. Somehow she believed both things to be true, how could that be?
She knew the group was preparing for their first overseas concert in the USA, and the energy in the room was palpable. Every member including her knew the importance of this performance and dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to perfecting their moves and harmonies. The camaraderie between the women was evident after their break Hyun-Hee and the others continued practicing their routines not only for the overseas show but for the concert they had that night.
Unbeknownst to Hyun-Hee, Val was carefully strategizing how she would utilize the extra time she had been granted to her advantage. She knew that each moment was precious, and she was determined to make the most of this opportunity to further her career and support Hyun-Hee in her transition from her old life as a Western journalist, the life that Val now had, to that of the Korean pop star. She had spent the last few hours working out the perfect phrase that would help the woman who was now Hyun-Hee accept her new place in the world. Somehow despite the skills that Val had given to Hyun-Hee, there were still some of Hyun-Hee’s old skills that she did not have and needed. Now that she would be going to the States with her she could continue to exchange these skills as slowly as she had been and hopefully Hyun-Hee would not notice the exchange.
The rehearsal continued in the studio, the women completely engrossed in their preparations. This included Hyun-Hee she had been so busy with practicing the dance moves that she had little time to dwell on her earlier thoughts. She could still sense them at the back of her head but she was too busy to do anything about them. She knew like the rest of Peace Blossom that their hard work and dedication were about to pay off. As they would soon take the stage and captivate audiences across the world not just in their homeland.
"오늘은 여기까지, 얘들아. 오늘 밤 비행기에서 만나자." ("That's it for today, girls. I'll see you on the plane tonight.") The choreographer said just after 1 pm.
“오늘 밤에 만나요, 이모” (See you tonight, Aunt) All seven girls said in unison as they bowed to the older woman.
“점심 먹으러 가기 전에 사진 좀 찍어 주시겠어요? (Would you take your picture before we go for lunch? ) Mi-Ok asked the older woman before she left the room.
"물론이죠. 그렇게 할게요." (Of course I'll do it) She replied.
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the dressing room area. The women were dressed in a consistent yet varied style. This was G-Bears’ idea he thought that if they all dressed in similar outfits it would stop any disagreements between them. Most of them wore black short-sleeved t-shirts with a similar graphic print. The shirts were oversized and loose-fitting to allow for ease of movement while dancing. The girls chose their shorts. Most of which were black. One of the dancers had chosen to wear a white pleated mini-skirt that day, and another sported a black mini-skirt. They hoped that G-Bear would not see the picture as they thought he might be angry at them for wearing something different.
Hyun-Hee stood out from everyone else and the dancers thought that she would draw G-Bears attention from them. She was wearing fishnet stockings with white sneakers. Without any prompting several of them made peace signs with their hands, displaying the playful and friendly mood that had permeated the rehearsal.
Hyun-Hee wanted to talk to Val so she would know what was happening and why she had been rehearsing with a group that she was not a member of. She was a reporter, not a singer, she was sure of that. Well, sometimes but she had to concentrate on that fact. If she didn’t she would forget it and think that she was another member of Peace Blossom If she couldn’t talk to Val there was always Gi. Wait who was Gi? Hyun-Hee thought. Every time she tried to put a face to this name the only one she came up with was Val’s. Why Val was an Oegug-in and Gi was a Korean name?
Maybe Val knew this Gi and that might be why her face up. One of them would know the answer to her questions. Maybe? She thought as she left to get her lunch.
Eonni - Older sister
Oegug-in –Foreigner
