Perry unconsciously rubbed her damp cheeks and pulled her lips tight.

“I’m fine, it’s just right there. What brings you here?”

“I came to see a play. 「Maroe」.”

“Ah, the one at Leopora? How was it?”

“It was good. Fresh direction and had some twists, but there’s no elevation up to the third row from the front.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. ……Humble, you—”

Just then, a large cup was handed through the window. Her reddened, frozen hands wrapped around the hot cocoa. Instead of asking about the interrupted sentence, Perry threw out an unexpected question.

“Jin, do you know how to play the piano?”

“I can read treble clef…… I can read sheet music.”

“Perfect. Can you help me for a bit?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been practicing ballet lately. But today neither the teacher nor the accompanist is here, and I can’t tell if I’m keeping the right tempo.”

“Where’s the teacher? Why are you alone?”

“She’s a busy person. Still, I’m grateful she lets me use the studio.”

As she continued her explanation naturally, they had already reached the building. The woman, gripping the cup tightly for fear of dropping it, blinked. Her cheeks, earlobes, neck, and even fingernails were red.

“Can I ask for your help?”

A cold wind blew, and the man, fiddling with his loosely fastened coat collar, nodded. Perry’s cheekbones rose high as she considered the extreme possibilities, and the man briefly bit his rolled lips.

Perry walked two steps ahead and quickly tucked the messy strands of hair behind her ear. Only after fixing her hair, which she hadn’t been conscious of throughout practice, did she take a deep breath.

“Here it is.”

But the man’s interest was elsewhere.

“The heater seems to be broken.”

“I didn’t turn it on. Are you very cold? Sorry.”

“I’m fine……”

“I felt a bit uncomfortable running the heat when I was alone. Would you like some of this?”

A faint lip mark was smeared around the rim of the cup. The man’s lips awkwardly turned up.

“No, really, I’m fine.”

The visitor, as if trying to change the atmosphere, waved his palms and approached the piano. The black grand piano was quite luxurious for an old ballet studio. His firm fingertips opened the lid and touched the well-maintained white keys.

Dung, a heavy C.

“The sheet music is here.”

“Ah. Should I play it as is?”

“Yes. In proper tempo.”

The woman, who had been lightly warming up at the barre attached to the mirror, suddenly turned her head. The man, like someone who hadn’t seen anything, buried his head in the sheet music and moved his fingers. Despite claiming to only know treble clef, he used both hands quite skillfully.

Instead of pointing out this discrepancy, Perry moved her arms and legs smoothly. Her black eyes followed her fingertips, and her dried nape stiffened. With her hair tied up, her round ears were particularly prominent.

The music, divided into four beats, became a bit faster. When her feet, which had been moving flexibly, hesitated, the man honestly admitted his mistake.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Can you start from the beginning again?”

Taking her hands off the barre, Perry walked to the center of the studio. After staring at the mirror for a moment, she slowly straightened her back. Her face showed less confidence than before.

A dancer without support naturally stumbled more often. Every time Perry lost her balance, the man’s hips fidgeted. The playing stopped. The man’s lips dried.

But the performance soon resumed. The woman, who had hit her knee on the floor, got up bravely again, took her position as if nothing had happened, straightened her back, and elegantly lifted her chin.

When she completed a piece without falling for the first time, her black eyes sparkled round.

“How was it? Was it okay?”

“Well……”

“I know it’s still lacking, but I’m curious how it looks to a non-professional.”

Rosy cheeks and collarbone. Perry wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and approached the man. Her translucent purple skirt swayed gently.

“Hmm?”

Perry sat on the edge of the bench. The hands resting on the keys curled up. The man caught his breath as if he had just been running.

“Humble, you’re an actor.”

“That’s right?”

“Acting is the most important thing, so do you need to practice like a professional dancer like this?”

Blue eyes glanced at the worn tights. And the palms that had reflexively supported her when she fell, now reddened.

“It’s very cold here, and you might get hurt. I mean, from an efficiency standpoint, wouldn’t it be better to focus elsewhere……”

His dry lips curled inward for a moment. The man, crossing his hands together, added as if making an excuse.

“You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“You always say that.”

It was an answer unrelated to the question.

Dung, a heavy C. The woman pressed the key the man had touched with her closely trimmed nails. Unlike the man who had stubbornly stared only at the sheet music, Perry’s gaze was fixed precisely on him.

A twitching profile. A slight tremor, lowered eyelashes. Perry continued speaking as if she hadn’t noticed the man’s agitation.

“I make you uncomfortable, don’t I?”

Cold air seeped in despite the locked windows and blackout curtains. Perry, stroking her neck that was cooling down after being soaked with sweat, murmured.

“But it seems like you don’t hate me……”

I’m confused, her weightless words echoed gently. The temporary accompanist, who had come at the woman’s request, neatly placed both hands on his knees like a guilty person.

“Jin, don’t you have anything to say?”

The woman, who had been waiting for an answer, spoke first.

“Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”

A conversation from some time ago repeated itself. Like a white night when rain poured continuously.

The man’s mouth wouldn’t easily open. Perry rambled on about something completely unrelated to the context.

“An actor is ultimately someone who makes people believe that something fake is real.”

No, it was the answer to the question the man had asked first. Do, do, do. Her short nails, so short that the flesh underneath was visible, pressed the same key repeatedly. Do, do, re, sol. The random melody continued for a while.

“From an efficiency standpoint…… there’s nothing as inefficient as art.”

Sol, la, la, si, do. From left to right, as the notes got higher, Perry’s shoulders gradually tilted. She pressed down on the keys, unconcerned with her skewed posture.

“It’s not like bread that you can eat, nor is it like clothes that are essential for life. In fact, you can live without it.”

Her shoulder, now completely leaning to the right, touched the man’s forearm. Her untidy light brown curly hair flowed down. The man held his breath. Perry pressed the next key.

“But I can’t live without it.”

Do, a very light note.

“And other people, the people who watch my performances…… I hope they feel the same.”

At least while they’re watching me. The two pairs of eyes locked precisely. A distance close enough to see trembling eyelashes and traces of bitten lips. A distance where it was easy to read a person who had been just an outline before.

Perry, without avoiding his eyes, concluded her answer.

“That’s why I give my best. I need to show a complete performance so that the audience will remember me.”

“Do you mean you can’t live without me?”

“That would be ideal, but realistically difficult.”

“You already—”

His tall forehead wrinkled. The man hastily moved his lips and changed the subject.

“I have a question.”

“For me?”

“It’s not a serious question. Do I…… um, seem like a young master?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“You didn’t know? Seriously?”

His blue eyes widened in shock, making him look like a child. The man, struggling to control his expression, urgently asked again.

“In what way?”

“It’s obvious just by looking at you. Who wears gloves all the time in this day and age? Do you wear them even in summer?”

“I do, but……”

“You always wear a complete suit with a vest. And your bangs are always swept back.”

“This is— well, simply for credibility……”

“When you go to bars with colleagues, don’t you always use separate plates and cutlery? Never eating with your hands, never talking while eating.”

“That’s just basic manners.”

“The fact that you follow these rules anytime, anywhere is what makes it so. But why?”

His lips, which had been making clumsy excuses, stiffened. After moving only his lips, the man let out a sigh and gave a vague answer.

“I heard such comments recently.”

“From whom? A friend?”

“Not a friend. Someone I’ve only seen a few times when I was young.”

Only after similar questions and answers were exchanged five or six times did Perry figure out the circumstances of the man’s question. Of course, at the same time, this topic was destined to end.

“That’s all. It just came to mind…… it’s nothing important. Shall we continue practicing?”

“If it’s not important, why does it matter?”