A tall woman with short, auburn curls and tall cheekbones stepped forward from the mirrors, clapping her hands.
“Bonjour, everyone,” she said in a very convincing French accent. “I am Jeanette. I will be your instructor for today.”
Doha tried to drag Zeno to the front, but Zeno glared at him once, and the former held out an okay sign with a sheepish smile.
With that, they settled at the back. Yuan, who was originally in front, slowly moonwalked to the back until he was right next to Zeno.
“Did you come here because of me?”
Zeno didn’t bother answering because he already had too much on his plate.
He hadn’t signed up for a dance class this high of a scale!
As Jeanette continued with her introduction, Zeno’s eyes swept across the other students.
Billy was there, and he gave Zeno a tight smile that didn’t seem as enthusiastic as it did when they were in front of the cameras during Lucy’s Game. Next to him must have been another member of his idol group.
He also caught a glimpse of Selina and her bodyguard near the front, and she was looking at Zeno with bright eyes, winking at him when they made eye contact. Zeno quickly looked away.
At the very front and center was a woman he didn’t recognize. However, she had an air that said she was untouchable, so Zeno didn’t think too much about it.
The rest of the room was filled with influencers, actual dancers, and actors he had seen in passing in shows or in sets.
However, the worst part of this was most were still staring in their direction.
He leaned toward Doha and deadpanned, “They’re staring because of you. Do you have to wear the speedo over leggings here?”
Doha, unbothered as ever, crossed his arms and chuckled. “Wrong. My outfit is fine,” he smiled. “They’re staring because of you. Even among these people, you’re undoubtedly the most good-looking.”
“Well, maybe aside from Misha,” he muttered, so Zeno was unable to hear it.
Jeanette clapped again, capturing everyone’s attention. “I know all of you are very curious about our two new faces. I squeezed them in despite being a full house because I couldn’t pass up on the chance.”
She turned to the two of them. “Why don’t you introduce yourselves to the class?”
Doha stepped forward first, completely unbothered. “My name is Doha. Do—like Do Re Mi! And Ha—as in Ha Ha Ha!” he exclaimed without shame.
A few people snorted softly, but most stared blankly. Yuan, however, burst out laughing, loud and exaggerated.
Zeno sighed and shook his head, standing from his spot. “Hi, everyone. I’m Zeno.”
He quickly sat once again, and in that moment, the others felt like they were looking at a fictional man who came straight out of a manhwa.
Yuan raised both fists in the air dramatically. “LET’S GO, ZENO!”
Jeanette beamed. “Aah, Zeno! I am a big fan. Very big.” She composed herself quickly, clearing her throat and returning to her polished posture. “But now, we must focus.”
Jeanette turned to the group with a sharp clap. “Today’s session is intermediate hip-hop, focusing on musicality, bounce control, and texture. Let’s work hard, d’accord?”
Zeno froze.
Intermediate?
He whipped his head toward Doha with murder in his eyes.
Doha just gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re good at everything. You can do it!”
Zeno glared at him so hard it could have set the mirrors ablaze.
“Stand up! Stand up! It’s time to introduce our song,” Jeanette exclaimed, and everyone followed.
“Today, we’ll be learning choreography to a newer release—Velvet by DAWN.”
Zeno closed his eyes in frustration. It was a very popular song, and he heard it on the radio mulitple times already. He knew that it was a smooth, sensual piece that had an R&B flavor.
The beat started, and a sultry male voice crooned over the track
“Under velvet skies, I trace your silhouette—
Touch so slow, like we just met…”
The song was literally about passionate lovemaking.
And right on cue, Jeanette demonstrated the first count—shoulders popping to the beat, a body wave that traveled from the chest down to the hips, ending with a loose groove step and a cheeky wrist flick.
Zeno was stiff by count three.
Doha leaned over and whispered, “This industry’s cutthroat, so artists are starting to collect talents like Pokemon cards. Everyone wants to be good at everything!”
He wasn’t wrong. As they ran through the moves again, Zeno glanced around.
Billy and his group member didn’t struggle at all due to their idol experience. Yuan, too, still appeared to be in his prime.
The actual dancers were even better, and while there was a contrast with those who aren’t in the performance industry, they didn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
Zeno tried to mark through the choreo. His shoulders twitched where they should have popped, and the body wave made him want to punch a wall.
He didn’t like doing it halfway, and all he could do was wait for a notification of a completed mission so he could silently leave the class.
But before he could mentally spiral further, Jeanette clapped again. “Let’s do an interim check! One by one, please. This is not for judgment. Just observation.”
The room buzzed. Everyone straightened up. And, of course—
“I’m going first!” Doha exclaimed excitedly, earning oohs from the others.
Jeanette clapped. “I like the enthusiasm! Alright, please go ahead.”
Doha rolled his shoulders and walked to the center with the confidence of a man wearing a speedo over leggings and not regretting a single life choice.
The music played, and Doha began to groove.
“I paint a rhythm down your spine…
Touch my tongue, taste the divine.”
With exaggerated passion, Doha winked and did a body roll that would make half the class blush. His hips didn’t lie. Neither did his ass.
“Magnifique!” Jeanette gasped, genuinely impressed. “Excellent interpretation!”
Zeno looked at the floor. Yeah, Doha was enjoying this too much—a lot more than he was.
The woman at the front and center, whom Zeno still didn’t know, was up next. She was a very clean dancer. Her transitions were graceful, and she hit every beat with elegance.
The rest of the group took their turns. Some good, some okay, and some obviously having a lot of experience.
Zeno wanted to go next.
But Jeanette kept skipping over him.
Until at last, only he was left.
He stood, shoulders squared, and lip caught between his teeth.
“Woooh! Go Zeno!” Yuan hollered, loud as ever, complete with two obnoxious claps above his head.
Some of the others chuckled. A few exchanged glances combined with murmurs of speculation.
Zeno had done this before.
When he first started, most never thought he’d top the drama awards, beat out veterans for his roles, or be the fastest one to enter the Rookie Class.
Every time, he proved them wrong.
He walked to the center.
And when the music started, the bass thudding like a heartbeat—
Zeno whispered to himself, “Ah, fuck it.”