“He really said he’d give you private lessons? Mr. Han himself?”
“…I’m not sure yet. He only told me to stay after class, then left.”
“If he told you to stay in the rehearsal room, then that’s what he meant. That’s incredible. I’ve never once heard of him giving anyone lessons.”
The morning sun rose, no different from any other day. I had just left the dormitory and was walking toward the rehearsal building, which took a little over twenty minutes, when I ran into Lori on the path cutting through the park.
As we walked side by side toward the same destination, I told her what had happened in the rehearsal room corridor yesterday. Unexpectedly, Lori’s eyes widened in surprise. Since that reaction was just as unexpected, I wondered if there was some story behind it and asked her.
“Why?”
“I heard he quit a long time ago and hasn’t done anything since. So of course, giving lessons would be out of the question.”
“Why did he quit dancing?”
“I heard he was badly injured.”
“Really? He walks just fine….”
“He could manage everyday life, but his ankle must have been in terrible shape when he danced. He probably pushed himself too hard. When you’re young, you have to use your muscles properly.”
Lori’s voice trailed off, as if she were recalling something else, and she fell silent for a moment at the story even I hadn’t considered.
I had heard that he had suddenly quit after making a name for himself, so I’d always assumed there had to be a reason. But I hadn’t expected it to be an injury, and I found myself feeling strangely unsettled.
We both fell silent, and for a while we walked quietly. I began to think that Lori knew far more about that man’s story than most people did. It was strange that she had suddenly clammed up in the middle of a perfectly ordinary conversation, so I glanced back at her and casually broached the subject.
“How do you know so much about him?”
“We had the same ballet teacher.”
“Oh, really? Then you and Peter….”
“Yeah. But by the time we started learning, Mr. Han had already quit.”
“Did you ever see him dance?”
“A few times, before he was injured. He danced like he was completely insane. Even now, I know I could never dance like that.”
Lori shook her head and clicked her tongue as if remembering those days. She said that even at a young age, he had displayed astonishing talent and had performed several solos at the grand theater.
And then I heard something even more surprising: Eugene Han’s family had supported him through secondary school and even paid for private ballet lessons.
Lori’s family was middle class and far from well-off, but thanks to that support, she had been able to receive the same dance training as children like Peter, who came from high-society families.
And unlike what I had heard from Helen, Eugene hadn’t cut off Lori’s sponsorship even after her father died. He had continued providing her with unstinting support all the way to her joining this dance company.
Lori said she knew more about that man than most people, but she hadn’t brought it up because she didn’t want to spread unpleasant stories about him without cause.
“I’d never met him or spoken to him directly before I came here, but I don’t think he’s like the rumors say. I do think it’s true that he didn’t get along with his parents, though.”
“I see….”
“The fact is, he gave people like us a chance.”
I could feel the conviction in Lori’s voice as she finished speaking. Until now, training professional dancers had been the exclusive privilege of the upper classes, including the aristocracy.
From the way she spoke, I could tell that Lori held a considerable amount of respect for Eugene Han.
“I told you yesterday.”
“Told me what?”
“There’s no way he can’t see what I see.”
“Mr. Han must think the same way I do. That’s why we ended up here together.”
“Yeah, thanks….”
Even if it wasn’t happening right away. I could see Lori looking down at me as she spoke with absolute certainty. She was clearly talking about how deeply disappointed I had been during ballet yesterday.
For all I knew, Lori was the one person protecting my self-esteem here. And when even the top dancer said something like that to me, how could anyone avoid getting the wrong idea?
After feeling as if the dazzling sunlight, bright for the first time in ages, were pouring down on me twice as strongly, even my steps seemed lighter.
“Oh, right. Are you still going to Café Müller these days?”
“Yeah, only on weekends. Come by if you have time.”
“Then how about we make a bet over some beer?”
“What, all of a sudden?”
“Whoever loses buys a round with their first paycheck.”
“With what?”
“Whoever gets to the rehearsal room first!”
A sudden mischievous impulse seized me, and I took off running with the rehearsal room just ahead. I was confident in my running; I’d been good at it since I was little. I was going to get her to buy me a ton of beer.
With a single goal floating in my mind, I raced toward the rehearsal room on the second floor. I arrived right in front of the door and put some force into a turn so I could tease Lori, but at that exact moment, I collided hard with someone passing by.
“Ow!” I lost my balance and fell, but the person caught me firmly around the back and hauled me upright. When I turned around…
I didn’t want to believe it, but it was Eugene Han again. For a moment, I felt dizzy and squeezed my eyes shut before opening them again. Once my dazed mind cleared, I straightened up and stood before him.
I saw that Lori had also stopped some distance away, looking deeply troubled. He was standing right in front of me, silently looking down, so I lowered my knees slightly and offered him a respectful bow.
“Mr. Han.”
“I believe I told you yesterday that you’re a member of this company, not a foolish student.”
“I’m sorry.”
Even then, the way he used the word “student” sounded different from yesterday. But at that moment, I had nothing to say even if I had ten mouths, so I stood there silently. He soon swept past me without another word.
“Are you okay?” Lori asked as she finally approached, but I was nowhere near okay. I felt like I wanted to go find a hole and die. Thinking about what was waiting for me that afternoon, I couldn’t see even an inch ahead, and cold sweat broke out all over me.