âGood morning!â
Maru lightly waved at the first years who greeted him with a loud voice.
âDid something good happen? You guys are full of energy in the morning.â
âDowook-seonbae said that heâll buy us something good after practice,â said Bangjoo while licking his lips.
Maru sat next to Dowook, who was doing stretches.
âAre you okay with that? You treated us last time too.â
âI quit smoking, and I donât have anything else to spend money on. Above allâŚ.â
Dowook, who rotated his waist without saying anything, whispered in Maruâs ear that his sister kept giving him pocket money.
âWhat an endearing elder sister. Doesnât Soojin-noona need another little brother?â
âIâll think about it if heâs my younger brother as well. Iâll half-kill you first though.â
âThat sounds horrible. Rather than that, is her business doing well?â
When he first met Soojin, Soojin said that she was doing various things. Making stuffed dolls that he thought she did as a hobby, was one of them, and he recently heard the news that she opened a stuffed doll shop. Apparently, she sold her items, created her items there, and even taught others there as well.
âThere are a lot of customers. Apparently, there are rumors about the store on the internet.â
âThatâs good.â
âItâs not good at all. At this rate, I might end up having to stick eyes on dolls.â
âThe employment rate is low these days. You should treat your sister nicely.â
Dowook called him a lunatic, but his face was smiling.
âDo you think practice is going well?â
âThis is easier than our summer one. Though the number of lines has increased.â
âYouâre smart though, a few more lines shouldnât matter that much. Keep doing your stretches.â
After patting Dowook on the shoulder, Maru approached Jiyoon, who was sitting against the wall, and Aram who was pushing on Jiyoonâs legs with all of her power.
âAram, wait!â
âI told you, you need to do this much to do a split.â
âBut even so!â
Jiyoon was having a hard time even though it was the morning. She was only able to escape Aramâs grasp after tearing up.
âDo you want to do it as well, seonbae?â
âIâm probably better than you though.â
âWell, I guess youâre flexible after all. But how can a boy be so flexible?â
âYou shouldâve learned under senior Miso last year.â
âThat instructor did look a little scary.â
The two girls switched positions and Aram sat against the wall. Jiyoon, who was getting ready to push Aramâs legs, quietly stood up and whispered into Aramâs ears.
âAlright, you can go to the toilet. Have a nice poop!â
âItâs not that.â
Jiyoon was about to shout at Aram but made an awkward smile when she saw Maru.
âGo ahead. Iâll take care of Aram in the meanwhile.â
After nodding, Jiyoon quietly left the class.
âYou should really stop teasing Jiyoon. She might end up bursting into tears.â
âBefore, I wasnât able to tease her properly since she looked like she was really going to cry. Though, Iâm teasing her all I want these days since she receives it well.â
Maru grabbed Aramâs hand before slowly pulling it towards him. Aramâs torso softly came down before hitting the ground. Her legs stretched to either side didn't even move.
âLooks like youâre still going to the dojo.â
âOf course. Iâm going to go even when I go to college.â
âWhy didnât you try your hand at being a pro? I think you would do well.â
âI thought about that for a brief moment in primary school, but I donât think Iâll be able to cope with a group lifestyle with my personality. Iâm the type of girl who would charge at full throttle when I see something unjust.â
âI know what thatâs like.â
Aram slowly sat up.
âHowâs practice? You said you were having a hard time memorizing a line.â
âI figured it out after practicing with Jiyoon a couple of times. It still doesnât stick to my mouth, but I donât make a mistake at least.â
âThatâs good.â
Maru let go of Aramâs hand. After rotating her waist left and right, Aram groaned before standing up. Maru then called out to Bangjoo, who was reading the script.
âYes, seonbae-nim.â
âWhat are you doing? Sit down.â
âMe too?â
âSince weâre at it, why not?â
Bangjoo stiffly walked up to him and sat against the wall.
âI thought you were practicing.â
âI couldnât do it no matter what I did.â
âBut Aram managed to, though. You can do it since you do sports just like her.â
âFlexibility is important in Judo as well, but thereâs no need to do leg sp⌠seonbae-nim!â
âYouâre aspiring to become an action actor. You should be able to utilize your body properly for that.â
Maru slowly pulled on Bangjooâs arm. Since there was a risk of injury, there was no need to push it. Bangjoo also didnât seem to want to make a big fuss as he stiffened up before focusing on his breathing. After lowering his torso to a point where he almost touched the floor, Bangjoo said.
âSeonbae-nim, can you press down my back a little?â
âAre you really okay with that though?â
âSince Iâm doing it, I might as well.â
âDonât push yourself.â
He might injure Bangjoo if he pushed with rebound, so he pressed slowly according to his breathing. Although Bangjoo couldnât do a perfect split like Aram, he was definitely better than his peers.
âWhat happened to asking your sister to teach you acting?â
Bangjoo, who was groaning, replied with difficulty.
âI wasnât going to at first, but after I heard you, I thought it would be a loss to miss a good teacher so I told her about it. She said sheâll look after me when she has time. Sheâs busy with a drama these days.â
âDo your best to learn from her. Her acting skills are the real deal after all. Howâs practice? Are you not stuck on anything?â
âI keep messing up my movement lines. Iâm confident in using my body, but I canât memorize things well.â
âWell, moving around consciously definitely is quite difficult.â
Maru tapped on Bangjooâs back. After sitting up, Bangjoo smiled brightly saying that he felt refreshed. While Bangjoo was talking with Aram, Jiyoon returned to the classroom. Maru grinned and pointed at the wall.
âM-me?â
âThereâs no one other than you though.â
â...Please go easy on me.â
âDonât worry. You wonât die.â
While looking at Jiyoonâs posture, Maru asked a question.
âIs pronunciation practice coming along well?â
âYes. Iâm practicing with a pencil in my mouth like Daemyung-seonbae told me. I think Iâve improved my pronunciation when I speak fast.â
âKeep it up. Youâll become even better.â
âYes.â
âBut isnât it better to call Daemyung, oppa instead?â
â....â
âFine, you can decline to comment.â
Jiyoon leaned forward as much as possible with her stiff body. She struggled to lower her body, but the only thing that straightened out was her fingers, not her waist.
âEveryoneâs here?â
Daemyung, who entered the classroom with a large insulated bottle, said that to everyone. Maru told Jiyoon that she did well before standing up.
âWhatâs that?â
âBarley tea. It was pretty cold in the morning, so I made some. Everyone, have a drink.â
Daemyung poured some hot barley tea into some paper cups. Maru felt his body, which had frozen up slightly due to the cold air, warming up thanks to the tea.
âDaemyung, see me for a sec.â
Maru pointed at the window with the cup in hand. Daemyung handed the insulated bottle to Jiyoon before coming to the window.
âEveryone seems to be doing well with practice.â
âBecause the prize is big after all. You shouldâve seen what their faces were like when they heard that the grand prize was 10 million won.â
Daemyung chuckled.
âI guess thatâs the motivation down. Oh, you should look out for Bangjoo during practice. It seems like heâs still confused with his movement lines. Also, Jiyoon seemed to have gotten some confidence because of the practice you made her do.â
âThatâs good. I thought she was getting depressed because of her pronunciation even though sheâs doing well.â
âAram and Dowook are doing well by themselves. Dowook seems to be a little nervous because of the number of lines, but practice is the only thing that can solve that.â
âI should have him practice more so that he can become used to it before we go on stage.â
Daemyung nodded and thanked him before going back to everyone else. Maru quietly looked at everyone talking to each other with Daemyung as the center. Everyoneâs gears were fitting well with each other with Daemyung as the central pivot.
âMaru-seonbae! Weâre going to the meat buffet in front of Suwon station after we finish practice a little early. Youâre coming with us, right? Apparently, they just opened!â Aram shouted with excitement.
Maru made a circle with his fingers and nodded.
* * *
âItâs so cold. On days like these, I should really stay in bed.â
âSeonbae, you should really move around.â
âItâs too cold to move around.â
Heewon tried to pull a blanket over him, but his junior took away the blanket.
âYouâre so mean.â
âStand up and do some stretches. Youâre the club president. Youâre supposed to be leading everyone. Why are you acting like that?â
âI told you I didnât want to be the club presidentâŚ.â
At that moment, the door to the clubroom opened and a bunch of people came in.
âChansoo, do you wanna be the club president?â
âThere you go again. You do it.â
âInho, how about you? You suit this position more than me.â
âForget it. Also, you can give it up now. Thereâs no one other than you.â
âBut why me?â
Heewon made a sad face as he reached out for the blanket.
âThere! We rested enough so letâs start practice.â
Inho encouraged everyone and had them stand up. Seeing that, Heewon thought that Inho was really the right man for the president position.
âYou should stand up as well. Weâre going to the practice room.â
âCanât we do it here? The practice room is so cold because it doesnât have a heater.â
âOnce you move around with all your might, youâll start sweating and no longer feel cold.â
âI donât want to do that though.â
âEveryone, letâs carry our president.â
Hearing those words, the juniors approached him with suspicious smiles. Heewon thought that their faces looked even more malicious than the devilâs. He struggled until the end, but he couldnât win against more than ten people. In the end, he was dragged to the next building.
âThis place is way too cold.â
Heewon put his hands in his armpits. This separate building, which was used as an indoor gym as well as a lecture hall, was cold enough that his breath turned white. If he stayed here for a long time, he would catch a cold, and if he caught a cold, his brother would nag him worriedly.
âWe should reallyâŚ.â
âWell then, letâs start running,â said Park Inho while clapping.
The juniors started running laps inside the hall in two lines. Heewon wanted to stay out, but his arms were being held, so he had no choice but to run.
After running five more laps, he felt his body heating up.
âLetâs do some stretches before starting the read-through.â
Heewon yawned and secretly walked into a corner, but his juniors didnât know any mercy and dragged him to the center of the stage.
âLetâs follow what Heewonâs doing,â said Inho.
Seeing everyoneâs eyes focus on him, Heewon had no choice but to start stretching. After some light stretching, he looked at Inho again. Inho made a satisfied smile as he spoke,
âWe were defeated by Myunghwa High in the summer, but letâs take the grand prize this time. We got the best actor award, so thereâs no problem with that.â
After saying that, everyone shouted âfightingâ.
Thinking that they were really synchronized, Heewon was about to shout âfightingâ a beat later but awkwardly had to put his hand down.
âI heard that the grand prize is 10 million won for the winter competition. What happens if we win it?â
âWe split it according to our headcount.â
âThat means at least 700 thousand won for each of us.â
â700 thousand huh. Iâm upgrading my PC.â
âIâm getting new clothes.â
The juniors seemed to be filled with expectations.
Heewon said in a small voice after looking around at the club members.
âIf I knew this was going to happen, I wouldnât have done my best during the summer competition.â
âWhat are you talking about, seonbae. You got 100 thousand won because you got the best actor award.â
âItâs only 100 thousand. My brother took most of it as well. I only got to use 20 thousand.â
He felt a little depressed when he wondered where the 80 thousand went and wondered if he should tell his brother to raise his pocket money a little.
âYou should be thankful that your brother is Haewon, seonbae. Otherwise, you wouldâve been in big trouble.â
âRight. You should be thankful that Haewon has a meticulous personality. If he was like seonbae⌠urgh itâs horrible just imagining it.â
The juniors of the acting club, who were the same age as Haewon, spoke with a smile. Heewon mumbled before sighing. He couldnât retort since what they were saying was entirely correct.
âLetâs start the read-through. Oh, before that, I have something to tell you all.â
Inho coughed before speaking.
âIf we manage to finish practice early today and not make any mistakes, weâre going to eat out.â
Eat out? Heewon widened his eyes. His stomach grumbled when he heard those words.
âWhere are we going?â
âA meat buffet.â
âIâll do my best today,â said Heewon as he clenched his fist.
âAre we going to go to the place we went to last time? That place wasnât that good.â
âWeâre going to Suwon.â
âSuwon? Thatâs a bit far.â
âItâs right below Seongnam, itâs not that far. Actually, my father opened a store there. He told me to bring everyone over once, so thatâs why weâre going.â
âThen itâs free of charge?â
âDo you want me to have you guys pay?â
âNo!â
Heewon was all smiles. A free meat buffet! At that moment, a face popped up in his head.
âAh, uhm, Inho.â
âYeah?â
âIâm sorry about this, but can I call one more person?â
âYou mean Haewon?â
âYeah. Heâs by himself at home. Can I call him?â
âI was going to call him even if you didnât. He helped us practice over the summer, so of course weâre going to call him.â
âYes! I knew I could count on you.â
âBut letâs do our best during practice today, okay?â
âDonât worry. Iâll never make a mistake,â said Heewon as he raised his chin.
He couldnât remember the last time he went to a meat buffet. He could practically hear the meat sizzling already. His brother should like it as well.
âWell then, letâs start practice,â Inho said as he straightened out his shoulders.
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