Loving A Triple Threat

Gi was drenched in sweat, it was judgment day in dance class. Four teachers were judging solo performances in the following criteria.

Walk, strangely walking was an important part of group dancing. A fast model-like walk which was both seductive and rhythmic.

Technical; which included execution of twists, turns, dips and bends to name a few.

Rhythm; the ability to adhere to choreographed timing to perfection.

Style; how the above was executed with a personal flair, this was a subjective area. It was important to show a small amount of personal style without being flamboyant as it could disrupt the entire aesthetic. It was also important to dance with energy, which was not an issue during auditions or tests, but after weeks of shows, it could be.

And lastly, a solo free dance was a criterion where the artist would perform a short dance of their own creation.

It was a fight for Gi. A fight to reclaim her status. A fight to reclaim her scholarship. She listened closely to Ms Ling and put her heart first and brain second. She let her spirit flow. Gi prayed that her spirit would return and once again enhance her dancing.

Twist, step, turn, jump high, land, turn. They were all technical maneuvers, but it was not just a matter of completing the technical with precision. She wanted to make everyone watching cry.

Thump. She landed gracefully on the wooden floor, and the sound reverberated throughout the studio. The smell of chalk wafted across the room as it flew from her feet and hands.

When the finale of her free dance came, she jumped as high as she could across the room landing on her left foot with her right stretched behind. Gi bowed her head down to her knee, touching it displaying the limit of her flexibility which she had worked so hard on the last few weeks.

The music stopped.

She stood motionless holding the extreme pose. Her rear calf hurt, but she ignored it. She was waiting for a sound, a clap, something, but after a few seconds, nothing came. Gi began to panic, wondering if she had failed so badly no one made a sound.

Then out of nowhere a single clap. It sounded like a man's clap. And the flood gates opened, there was clapping across the whole studio. Even her rivals clapped.

Gi looked up and saw a man standing in the doorway. It was the policeman, Officer Ruek, and he was clapping. Which for some reason she found strange. He was such a stoic man, surely this was not appropriate behaviour for him while on duty.

"Miss Reyn, you will receive your results tomorrow, but I wanted to congratulate you on an excellent performance," Ms Moon stated dryly.

Gi was tempted to put her finger in her ear and clean it out. She was astonished by what she just heard and thought she must be dreaming. Ms Moon was being complimentary after riding her hard with nasty words for twelve weeks.

She had never had Ms Moon before, and by all accounts, she was a hard teacher. She was new at the YG Academy, so no one knew her that well. She could not linger hogging centre stage any longer and made her way to her bag. Bowing and thanking the judges.

Bending over, she grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from her face and arms. She heard a small grunt from behind her. She turned and saw Officer Ruek turning to face away from her, but not before she noticed his face was red.

Her black tights were fine, they didn't show signs of sweat. She quickly grabbed a roll on and applied it under her arms before donning a Branksome shirt over her skin tight singlet.

"Do you need me for something?" She asked the Officer who was loitering with his back to her.

"Yes," he replied simply. "Can you accompany me to a private area for an update?"

"Why private?" Gi asked.

"Because you may not want anyone knowing my questions or your answers," he replied.

"Okay," she said innocently. It never crossed her mind that he was investigating and that she should be wary.

She had answered all of the Inspector's questions with the Principal present. And when she did, she gave misinformation in regards to the school that Hyuk and Seok attended. Which was easily believable because Sena went to a public school with a reputation for being dangerous. No one would think he was friends with the prestigious Daeil High School boys.

She looked at his back and pondered why she found him handsome. He was certainly well built, muscular shoulders without being too large and not only clean cut, but well groomed. Perhaps the uniform increased his appeal, yes, she thought, that was it.

"Ready," she announced, carrying her bag.

"Your Principal said we could use a meeting room in the administration building. Is that too formal? Would you prefer to get a drink?" He asked.

"Mmhm," Gi replied, "I'd kill for a Powerade."

"Alright, it's settled," Ruek said and began walking at his usual brisk pace. "I'll leave the car here, it's not far to the cafés."

She happily walked behind him admiring his form. It was unusual that she was in the presence of a twenty-something year old man. Especially one this handsome and it was something which she surprisingly enjoyed.

He slowed to walk beside her, ruining her view. "I really enjoyed your dance. You certainly take it seriously," he said conversationally.

The remark perplexed her a little, why wouldn't they take it seriously. It was a career where only the best would succeed. If you were a lawyer, you made money. If you were an engineer, it was the same. But if you wanted to be an idol, the list of wannabes was very long and the real idols, the ones who made it, were in small in number.

"Yes," she replied curtly.

He immediately noticed her tone and stopped. Officer Ruek was s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e. Not in its normal terms, but he was aware of her tone and what that meant immediately.

"I'm sorry," He said looking her in the eyes. She was lost in his steely gaze for a moment, and he dispelled it by adding, "Of course you take it seriously. That was stupid of me to think otherwise."

She could have swooned into his arms if he just held them out. Gi mentally slapped herself, she had to get a grip, she was far too old to be crushing like this. She wasn't fifteen anymore. And with Ruek's s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e observations he probably noticed everything.

Body language was something taught in drama and acting, but it wasn't something she had mastered, but she had the basics down. You could lie with body language much better than you could with words. And that was what acting was about.

Gi remedied her posture. She was once again an ice princess who was no longer crushing on a Police Officer, outwardly, inwardly was another matter.

They sat for drinks at a not too distant café. He had a green tea while Gi sipped on a Powerade.

"The Inspector sent me," he said surprising Gi. He cut right to the chase without a preamble conversation.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I shouldn't be saying this. Your phone isn't recording is it?" He asked.

She would have been outraged if she wasn't so surprised by the question. She placed on the phone on the table and held the button down so he could see it power down.

"Sorry," he apologised, "It's just what I'm about to say is highly unethical, and I don't want to be entirely stupid."

He looked into her eyes again, his dark grey eyes were accentuated by his perfect whites that surrounded them. "The inspector knows you were lying, he's not stupid. But luckily for you, he couldn't prove anything. And although it's a small thing legally, I'm sure it would land you in all sorts of trouble with the school. He sent me to be friendly, charming and get you to incriminate yourself."

He sighed and was silent. He looked down at the table as if he was in pain.

"Just saying these things is against my oath and I feel terrible," He continued. He looked back up into her eyes, "You are so beautiful and innocent that my first instinct is to protect you. So I am betraying one oath for another. I made an oath when I watched you dance, that I would protect you."

She had been silent the entire time and was still lost for words. Nothing he said had occurred to her in the least.

He looked down again as if he was ashamed. "I know. I sound stupid. I'm twenty-three and acting like a sixteen-year-old boy. But Gi, I swear you do not know how enthralling you are. You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. And if it was just beauty, I would not be moved. Beauty doesn't make you more important than any other citizen. But you are pure as well. I have special training, and I am talented at reading people, and I know that you better than you realise."

"I," she stammered, "Have no words." She was stunned. "What do you want me to do?"

He looked at her again, "I will take care of everything. You don't need to do anything." He took out a card and slid it across the table.

His strong hand did not quiver until she touched it as she reached for the card.

"That's my card," he said, "If you ever need help. I don't care what for. Call me, I will come."

He stood.

"Wait," she said, and he paused.

She stood and moved closer while he was frozen in place from her simple request.

He was tall, so she stood on tiptoes and brushed her lips across his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear.

His control had been impeccable, but after her gentle touch, Ruek threw caution to the wind.

How many chances in his life would he get to kiss a woman like this? It was wrong, and for all his life he had strived to do what was right. He threw it away as he grabbed her, placing on strong hand in the small of her back and the other touched the side of her face gently. He pulled her in close and kissed her for a moment. Two. Three. He then released her, he hadn't even scanned to see if anyone was watching.

It was reckless which only added to the rush he felt.

After he released her, he noticed her eyes were closed, and lips were open. She exhaled slowly. She was lost in the moment.

"We better not," he said softly.

She found his words confusing; they just did, how could he say they better not. This man was a tall, handsome contradiction.

He turned and fled, he no longer trusted his resolve.

Gi looked down at his card and smiled. When he said, he had an update this was the last thing she expected to happen.