Dominate Showbiz: Media Tycoon Discovered My Talent-Chapter 37: Can’t You All See That?
Kaija threw an invisible knockout punch at Antony. He didn’t spare her a single look, just stepped in front of the mirror and started showing them a short choreography sequence.
It looked simple enough, which meant Antony had clearly put effort into simplifying everything. She barely had to move or make any wild twists and turns like the previous songs they’d practiced.
All she had to do was staying in one place, taking a few steps back and forth, combined with some arm swings and hand movements. Totally kindergarten level kind of stuff.
She felt all pumped up and confident again. Well, that was until the music hit.
The four girls, being professional dancers, nailed it instantly. And Kaija? Let’s just say... it was better left undescribed.
From the mirror, Antony brought a hand to his face as he watched her, his brow furrowed tightly like he was trying to figure out what to do with her hopeless case. One repetition after another, Kaija kept going, trying to ignore Antony’s frustrated expression.
Right in the middle of the song, Dani raised a hand and stopped dancing. Antony paused the track. The other girls also stopped, exchanging wary glances.
"Why stop all of a sudden?" Antony scowled. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"Instructor, I know you said this girl is hopeless," Dani muttered, her face blank. "But this is simply unacceptable. This is the most basic of the basics. I feel like I’m doing tai chi in the park right now. How is this ever going to make it to a music show? Who’s going to air this?"
Kaija felt beyond awkward having those words thrown straight at her. "I’m very sorry," she mumbled.
Antony said nothing, like Dani had just said exactly what he was thinking. "Come on, Dani," Fiona stepped forward, her tone calm and gentle. "Kaija just started. We weren’t any good when we first began either. It’s only our first day together. Don’t be so harsh."
"I agree," Ginny added. "Let’s go through the moves again without music, slower this time."
"No," Dani cut in. "That won’t help. She’s got a beat problem. Can’t you all see that?"
"Beat problem?" Antony repeated, his expression lighting up like a bulb.
"Geez, haven’t you watched her closely, Instructor?" Dani sighed, rolling her eyes. "She can memorize the moves, but she can’t feel the beat. She just repeats the sequence without matching the rhythm at all."
Antony went quiet, thinking. Then he waved the dancers off. "All four of you, go have some water. Take a break. Kaija, do it again alone. I’ll observe one more time."
The girls grabbed their bottles and filed out. She was alone in front of the mirror now. The music started again, and she repeated the sequence.
His silent scrutiny from the corner — with his arms folded, his expression unreadable — made her feel not just nervous but flustered. Then the music stopped.
"Alright, I see your problem now," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Cool. We’ll do it without music from now on, just beats and steps, like ABCs."
She just stared at him, dumbfounded. She had no idea what that meant.
"Just follow exactly what I say, dummy," he said dryly.
When the girls came back, Antony showed them a new sequence — only footsteps this time. Even the track was different: no melody, just beats. He focused on teaching Kaija how to count them: when to start, when to step, when to retreat.
Of course, Kaija couldn’t get it right at first. But as the session went on, things started to click. By the time it ended, her steps actually matched the beat. She knew she still had a long way to go, but she’d take that as a small victory.
When the girls filed out of the room for lunch, Kaija raced after Dani and tapped her on the shoulder.
Dani didn’t bother turning around, just shot Kaija an icy glance over her shoulder with those topaz eyes and muttered, "What?"
"I wanted to thank you for spotting my problem," Kaija said honestly. "Can I get you lunch? To thank you?"
"No, thank you," Dani said curtly and walked away.
Kaija called after her, "How about just a drink then? Boba tea?"
Dani’s steps halted. "Hmm," she hummed, turning back to Kaija. Her cheeks turned faintly rosy, and her voice softened. "Yeah... I could use a drink."
Kaija’s face brightened instantly. "Then let’s go! I’ve been waiting to have my first boba tea all day!" She quickly grabbed Dani’s arm and dragged her to the café. Boba tea had saved the day again!
Despite her striking look, Dani’s taste in boba tea was the most basic Kaija had ever seen — just a regular milk tea with traditional pearls, completely opposite of hers. The toppings in her cup were more visible than the tea itself.
As soon as they settled at a table, Kaija leaned forward. "Dani, I’m curious. How did you spot my problem so easily?"
Dani took a slow sip, her sharp face melting into pure bliss, then she said simply, "I have eyes."
"Oh God," Kaija gasped dramatically. "You’ve been giving me your full attention the whole time?"
"Not like that, idiot!" Dani snapped. "It’s just idiots like you always ruin everything! So I have to pay more attention!"
"Awwww, you make me feel so flattered," Kaija teased.
"Shut up or I’ll quit from this whole thing!" Dani scowled, then added more casually, "Besides, something must’ve been wrong with Antony."
"What do you mean?"
Dani shrugged. "He always catches stuff like that. Nothing slips past his eagle eyes. That guy’s the most nitpicky, hard-to-please person I’ve ever worked with. Even if I miss just one beat, he notices and makes me redo it. I have no idea what the hell was wrong with him not seeing such an obvious problem with you."
"Huh". Kaija frowned. "Was that really so?"
Suddenly, Dani made her feel like Antony hadn’t even been watching her properly during any of their sessions. She had trained with Antony plenty of times by now, not just a few.
Did he dislike her that much that he couldn’t even look at her properly while they practiced? Or could it be that was he going through something?
Then a familiar mellow voice came from behind her, cutting through her thoughts. "Sister! I ran into you again."
