sun and star | petalz

06. you never know

The table read began smoothly.

Kazuha's lines didn't begin for a while, since the part they were mainly trying out was the beginning of the movie, which depicted Sakura's character's (whose name was Tanaka Yumi) childhood in her hometown in Japan.

The movie was in Korean, and Kazuha was pleasantly surprised at how good Sakura's Korean was. Even Chaewon seemed impressed, and although Kazuha didn't understand much of the script, she was learning and already had a decent grasp of the language.

But the most impressive part was by far Sakura's acting.

Even though the girl was just reading, she was totally into the character. Even her posture had changed, and one could tell that she had become Tanaka Yumi, instead of just reading out a few lines.

The director, who was overseeing the read, then suggested they do a quick once-over of Soobin and Sakura's big meet-cute scene: which basically everyone at the table had been waiting for.

Soobin smiled in response. He was attractive, sure, with a lean, muscular frame and a strong jawline. Curtain bangs hung over his dark shadowed eyes, and he wore a white T-shirt and black sweatpants.

There were a few female actresses at the table who were noticeably staring at him, but it seemed he only had eyes for the girl next to him, who was Sakura.

And the girl next to Sakura was Kazuha, who'd been trying to control her beating-out-of-control heart since the read began.

She was still wearing Sakura's vest, even though the water had long dried. Sakura hadn't asked for it back yet, and that alone made Kazuha like her even more. From their brief interaction, she could tell the girl was sweet and considerate, which meshed perfectly with Kazuha's bright but insecure personality. However, at the moment, Sakura was in her zone, and Kazuha didn't want to disturb her at all.

Except, well, it was her line.

Kazuha's line.

Kazuha's character, the prima ballerina of Soobin's company, was Sakura's secret trainer in the story. Although Sakura's character Yumi aspired to be the prima ballerina, Kazuha's character Mei was at the moment, but Mei had found love and wanted to leave the company. Therefore, she was training Sakura in secret to take her place because Mei's lover wasn't famous like she was, and she understood that greatness didn't come with fame.

Kazuha found that sweet.

What was even sweeter was that Sakura was turning to Kazuha now, giving her a look that Kazuha could perfectly imagine on Tanaka Yumi. Her eyes were slightly widened, her lips pursed, an inquisitive, intense look burning in her chocolate irises- the look of a young dancer wishing to learn from the best.

"Annyeonghaseyo," Sakura said, lowering her eyes to the paper, her voice strong and clear, with hints of determination. "Je ireum-eun Tanaka Yumi imnida."

"And what is it you want of me, Tanaka Yumi?" Kazuha questioned as Mei, trying to deliver her Korean lines as best as possible, but unable to prevent the accent that emerged over Sakura's character's Japanese name.

A brief, unreadable expression flickered across the other girl's face, but she quickly regained character and spoke, her voice a little more uncertain (literally perfect for Yumi; how the hell did she do it, Kazuha wondered) and shaky. "I'd- I'd like to join your company."

Kazuha opened her mouth, trying to decide how best to say her lines, until it hit her: She was a ballerina. The best ballerina in her company. Just like her character. She had to channel that; channel the energy and determination she used onstage, the elegance in her dance. Mei had to show Yumi that she would not bend easily. Just like Kazuha was determined to treat this role with the same care she did ballet.

Kazuha let a small silence grow, just as it would in real life, after such a request had been made. Then she spoke. "And why is that?"

She could practically feel the eyebrows raise around the table, Sakura's included. But the girl didn't let it faze her and replied, gaining confidence, "I feel I'm qualified enough."

"Are you sure?" Kazuha clipped her words.

The atmosphere was so thick around them that one would need a plus-size chef's knife to cut through it.

"Okay, okay," the director said, and Sakura's shell melted away as Soobin turned to talk to her, but she only had eyes for Kazuha.

Impressed eyes, which made Kazuha's heart do a backflip.

"You're very good," Sakura commented in Korean, the beginnings of a smile blooming on her face. "Do you act?"

"No, I just dance," Kazuha admitted, and Sakura laughed. "I was trying to stay in the moment."

"At a table read? Impressive for a amateur actor such as yourself," Sakura answered. "Any personal experiences to draw on?"

A pause, and Sakura blinked. "Sorry, that was a little forward. My apologies."

"It's okay," Kazuha reassured with a smile. Whenever Kazuha smiled, she'd been told that she could light up a room. Chaewon told her that she looked like a Moomin (Swedish/Finnish cartoon characters with adorably pudgy faces) when she smiled, or just in general, and Kazuha guessed she could sort of agree with that. After all, she was an extrovert. "Don't worry about it! I do have personal experiences in fact. I'm a dancer, so being direct like that is an important part of confidence and determination."

Sakura blushed at Kazuha's bright smile, then replied, "I like that. That's a good ideal to live by." And then: "What part of Japan are you from?"

"J- uhh," Kazuha mumbled, her smile turning sheepish. "How'd you know?"

"Several reasons," Sakura laughed. "Remember in the hall?"

Oh right. I said "sumimasen." Hm, she has a good memory.

"Oh, yeah. But I could've said it just because you were Japanese," Kazuha challenged.

"Yes, but would a Korean person speaking Japanese have a perfect Hata and Kansei dialect mix?"

Kazuha blushed.

"You got me there."

Sakura grinned in victory, then got serious again. "What part of Japan are you from?"

"I was born in Kochi, but moved to Osaka when I was two," Kazuha answered. "How about you?"

"Kagoshima," Sakura replied. "I mostly work in Tokyo, though."

Kazuha opened her mouth to answer, but Soobin politely interrupted, asking Sakura something in soft Korean that Kazuha didn't pick up on. Sakura gave Kazuha an apologetic smile, said, "Excuse me," and turned to Soobin.

Kazuha got why they were popular; "Sookkura's" dynamics were cute, she guessed. The way Sakura smilingly paid attention to Soobin, and the way Soobin paused to let her speak and seemed truly invested in whatever she said. Lookswise, they were a gorgeous couple.

But that didn't really stop the blooming feeling in the pit of Kazuha's stomach; the exact same one that rose unbidden whenever another ballerina from another company took a top spot in a competition she'd competed in.

Nakamura Kazuha was a ballerina, so she saw everything through rose colored glasses. But right now, her vision was green.

Green with jealousy.