CHAPTER TWELVE |An Aquarius with an emerging maturity | JUNG
HOSOEK

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It was late afternoon, the sun splashed off its mildly warm rays all over the expanse of our driveway. I wore a cute lavender furry shirt on top of a stylish black pencil skirt. A pair of yellow pear-shaped boots. The sky was as clear as my mind, unlike my stomach that reignited a flame of uncertainty and fear on meeting with the second candidate.

Jung Hoseok.

I hopped into the car, greeting Uncle Mojo, who sat with his eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed as though he was lost in some deeper thoughts. Or if that was one of his acts to avoid me and my trenchant questions, I had already won this round. I shut my lips tight to compliment his silence and mouthed the driver to push the accelerator, realizing how much time I had taken in primping my hair in front of a mirror, it would be better to stay silent.

After considerable minutes passed away and my extrovert spirit was fighting to break through, I poked him. "So, what information have you gathered about this man? Is he somewhat like his contemporary, Jimin?" I snorted, flicking my hair back at the memory.

In placing his beefy finger against his lips, he accidentally hit it hard, and I winced at his stubbornness. "Fine. I won't ask anything about him. I assume you must have carried on adequate research. Because I have many other useful ways of wasting time." I crossed my arms and released a breath.

After a while, our car halted at a buttery-colored building that resembled a huge piece of a rectangular box. We noted there were five to six luxurious cars parked right before the entry gate. Suddenly, my eyes averted on a cute little board affixed above the door, written on which was "Sunshine Dance Academy" in red embossed letters, along with a painting of flowers, cars, and fruits bordering the entire thing.

"Uncle Mojo? Are you sure we are in the right place?" I asked, dazed.

"Yes. It states the same address." He showed his phone to me. I peered over to the device and without even rechecking the address, nodded and we ventured inside.

"This looks like some kindergarten." I mused as curiosity clawed its way from my head to toe. I'd never been so clueless about anything in my life. Even about my life as a whole.

We saw ahead of a woman behind a desk. She rose in her seat and said sweetly, "Hello. How may I help you?" I juxtaposed her age with Uncle Mojo's, and their age difference was, surprisingly, not big.

He glanced at me and back at her, his voice soared in the space. "We want to meet Jung Hoseok. Does he own this place?"

I eyed the red benches lying across the passage. An artificial potted plant, of the size of an average human's height, stood on one side. The walls were bright yellow, producing a layer of haze over my eyes.

"Yes, sir. He is the owner of this place. Unfortunately, I'll have to make you wait since he's─"

I cut through lady off, poking my head in the doorway while I managed my weight on one foot. "Perhaps, is he in that room?"

She continued politely, "Oh, no love. That's the children's room. He's taking dance classes for the adults on the first floor."

"We can go there right?" I asked, throwing Uncle Mojo a cryptic gaze, who nodded and we both waited for her reply.

"As you wish. I'm sure he won't mind."
She came forward and showed me the directions. Does he teach dance to the adults? Was that board meant to deceive people? Is he a hidden player? All my doubts were hurling like a hurricane as I headed to the staircase, my legs stopped at Uncle Mojo's voice from behind.

"Hanuel-ah, I'm coming from the lift."

I gave him a thumbs-up sign, understanding the pain in his joints must be the barrier, and mentally making a note to reach before he did. I heaved for more air and was welcomed by a stark different setting and makeover of the building. This looked more serious and competitive. With posters of some famous dance personalities all over the world.

I jogged over to the first room and watched through the vertical glass windows that made every dancer's face clear. I gaped until a lady whisked open the door and asked, "Excuse me? Do you need any help?"

She eyed my fancy attire, as I took in her urban street-style clothes. "Ah, I'm looking for J-ung Ho-soek."

"Oh, Jhope. He's in the other room. By the way, are you here to enroll yourself for the classes?" I hardly opened my mouth, when she rebuked, "We don't do kpop here? I teach  hardcore hip-hop for the girls."

I cracked my neck and knuckles to present her with a teaser of my multiple personalities. "It's true as your lowlight extensions, that I don't have any spare clothes. So I'm gonna dance in these. Just don't lose count on the number of woos-and-aahs I'll garner from your students' mouths?"

I winked at her in challenge and moseyed inside.

She played some music and leaned against the wall, with all her students squatting at the floor at her downward gaze. Meanwhile, I assembled the earworm beats of the music in my senses and began to sway lightly. My feet jumped up heavily and I leaped in the air with the rapid staccato. Just as I spun my head, my hair only an inch away from sweeping the floor, the boys cheered loudly. Seduction was a mainstay in my every dance move.

I didn't care about anything, I just had to prove her wrong that all girls who dress up in feminine apparel shouldn't be mistaken for a coy character. They can be much tougher in front of these preconceived notions.

"Wow!"

"Dabaek (that's awesome)!"

"Sexy!"

The number of comments that once started pouring in never ceased. I'd have accumulated more such comments only if she hadn't turned off the music system abruptly. I was taken by surprise, as it turned out to be a slender boy, wearing an oversized yellow graphic tee and gray shorts, a towel latched on his shoulder. I gawked at him before my eyes met Uncle Mojo's clinical stare, acknowledging my performance.

"Hey, you dance so well." He clapped furiously and came closer to me.

A/n

Hanuel is a winner. Nobody can put her down, I tell you. By the way, how was the "Sunshine Dance Academy" hoarding surprise?
Who wants to have jhope as a dance teacher?