Tales of an Almost Idol (Shownu Fanfiction)

Chapter One: New Beginnings

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8," the dance instructor called over the sound of the music, repeating the counts again and again.

I repeated the numbers in my head, trying my best to keep up.

Thanks to my years of experience, I picked up on choreography fairly quickly. This wasn't a particularly difficult class either. But I didn't have the stamina that I used to.

"Okay! Good job today everyone!" The instructor turned off the music. I stopped, bending over to try and catch my breath. "When we meet again, we'll work on the details. Bomi, you need to focus on being more sharp. And Chunhee," I looked up at her, still breathless, at the sound of my name, "You need to work on that energy."

I nodded dejectedly.

"Maybe go for runs?" She suggested, "That's who I got my stamina up for dancing."

'Good idea.'

Getting back into performance shape wasn't going to be easy. But it had to be done. Especially if I was going to keep up with these younger dancers.

At only 25 years old, I felt like an elderly woman.

I joined the rest of the dancers to stretch after the dance class. This was another thing I've fallen behind on, flexibility. The other dancers were able to do split stretches and other impressive things. However, I was struggling with the pigeon stretch.

'Today is my new beginning.' I told myself, pushing myself to stretch further despite the discomfort. 'I'll be back in performing shape in no time.'

"It's Chunhee, right?" One of the younger-looking girls asked. She had cat-like eyes and a cute smile.

I nodded.

"I'm Yeji," she smiled. "How old are you?"

I chuckled, skirting around the question. "I'm definitely your Unnie. I'm probably the oldest person here..."

"Oh," she looked confused. "What brings you to this class?"

That was an understandable question. Most people above the age of 20 have aged out of the system, especially in the trainee world. 

I would have been just as confused if I saw someone my age dancing alongside me when I was a trainee in high school. At 16, I really thought I would have been an idol by now...

"Just, brushing up on technique." I reply, returning my attention to stretching.

My hiatus was a sore subject for me. For the years that I spent away from the dance floor, I missed it immensely. There was really nothing else I wanted to do, I just wanted to dance.

Fate had other plans for me though.

Once I was done stretching I packed everything into my duffle bag without saying another word to the other dancers.  I silently slung it over my shoulder and left the studio wordlessly.

Something about my interaction with Yeji soured my mood. It wasn't her fault, of course. I just already felt discouraged.

Gangnam was bustling, like always. Making my way home on foot was a must. Mom was too busy spending any extra cash we had on charity cases, so a car was not an option. A tax was out of the question. But I didn't mind the exercise, but it was hard navigating the packed streets.

'I'm going to need to plan a jogging route.' 

I was busy most of the time, my hands full with other responsibilities. So I'd have to wake up early, maybe 6 a.m., to go on a jog before sunrise. In the meantime, I needed to fuel up after the long practice.