Damn!
The girl cursed inwardly over and over as she quickened her pace until she was practically running. 4:32 p.m., her watch read. She was thirty minutes late if the event she was heading to had started on schedule.
Cheresse darted into one of the public restrooms near the location. She slammed one of the stall doors shut and locked it angrily. It didn't take long for the girl to change out of her uniform and into an all-black set of athletic clothes. Then she grabbed the mask and hat she always kept in her schoolbag.
Once she had covered her face securely, the girl began approaching the location. Her hurried steps gradually slowed, her hands clasped together as a sudden chill crept up from her fingernails.
Her hearing picked up songs playing at random, making her adrenaline spike. Carefully, she placed her backpack among the pile of other people's bags. Once again, she made sure it was securely locked before following everyone into the arena.
Before she stepped down into the arena, the song began to change. Cheresse recognized the bridge of this one. The girl immediately ran into the center, positioning herself to join in on the dance.
“LOOK! THE BLAND MASK IS HERE!”
The girl smiled faintly behind her mask. The cheering grew wilder, but it didn't shake her movements. Cheresse became even more driven and excited to dance. The Bland Mask danced to “La Vie en Rose” as if the song belonged to her.
Not long after, the music abruptly cut out and began changing to the chorus of another song. Cheresse went still for a few seconds to catch the beat of the song playing. She knew this was “Killing Me” by iKON! The girl quickly bent forward while stomping her right foot, exactly like the song's choreography.
The audience's cheers grew even louder.
The person they'd nicknamed The Bland Mask was truly amazing. The cheering became thunderous whenever the song changed, and the girl behind the mask could immediately adjust her movements.
This was the second bridge of “Adios” by EVERGLOW. Of course she wasn't unfamiliar with it, since she'd been loving that song lately. Energetically, Cheresse began crossing her arms downward, then spinning them upward in a motion that looked like she was calling someone over.
Anyone watching those moves would have been captivated, including the event organizers. They were so impressed that they let the song play all the way to the end.
The song stopped, signaling that the Random Dance Challenge in Public had ended.
Cheresse fixed her hat, which had nearly fallen off, then ran as fast as she could, snatched up her bag, and vanished from the arena. Several people who wanted to take pictures with her briefly chased after the girl. But it was useless. She disappeared too quickly behind the crowd.
That was The Bland Mask—the other side of Cheresse Damia that had never been revealed.
I'm Proud to Be Me
“How long are you planning to stand over there, Lix?”
The reprimand made the young man check the time displayed on his phone. 4:15 p.m. He'd already been standing in front of the parking gate for over an hour. There were still several new students' motorcycles waiting there, unclaimed by their owners.
“Five more minutes,” the young man replied to the girl now standing right beside him.
Felix's answer made Wulan Raina Noela plant her hands on her hips. Her eyes rolled slightly, a sign of just how fed up she was with Felix's seemingly pointless behavior.
“You could wait until sunset and the owner still wouldn't show up! You should just go home and patrol the new students' classrooms tomorrow to ask whose motorcycle it is.”
“Just go home without me if you can't stand waiting, Lan,” Felix replied casually, ignoring his best friend's suggestion.
Wulan began grumbling. Without asking permission, she immediately picked up her tote bag and hurled it at Felix without mercy.
“Did you forget you promised to take me out for bakmi?!” The girl puffed out both cheeks. She was still trying to be patient, but her face had turned bright red, making it clear that her anger with Felix was about to boil over.
“You're just way too naggy! My ears are tired of listening to you.” This time, Felix snapped back at the slightly impatient girl.
The young man looked at the time displayed on his phone's lock screen again.
“Fine. Wait here. I'm going inside to get my bag.”
Wulan could only let out a long sigh. Secretly, the corner of her eye continued following Felix's footsteps until he disappeared. The girl began wondering what time he would get home if she decided to leave him behind.
Before long, the young man occupying her thoughts appeared in the distance. Without saying much, Felix went to where his motorcycle was parked, started it, and drove straight over to the girl.
“Get on!” he ordered, his eyes widening.
“I am getting on!”
The motorcycle sped off through the city streets, then Felix decided to turn into one of the narrow alleys. These alleys spread out like a spiderweb. Taking them would get them to their destination faster than using the main road, which was packed with vehicles belonging to office workers who had just gotten off work.
Fifteen minutes later, Felix and Wulan were almost at the bakmi stall they were headed for. They only had to get through the crowd in the middle of the town square and—
“Stop, Felix, stop!”
The girl suddenly shook his shoulder to make him stop the motorcycle. It nearly tipped over to the right, but luckily Felix quickly brought it under control.
“What the hell, Lan!” Felix snapped as he skillfully squeezed the motorcycle's brakes. The young man lifted his helmet visor and shot Wulan a fiery look.
Wulan ignored the look. The girl climbed off the motorcycle and immediately ran toward the crowd in the town square. “Hang on, I want to see The Bland Mask over there first!”
“Huh? The Blender?”
Seeing Wulan's excitement, he could only give in and began pulling the motorcycle over. After making sure it would be safe if he left it for a moment, the young man followed her, carrying the helmet he'd been wearing.
The music, which hadn't been very audible before, now began stabbing at his ears. The young man recognized the song playing. It had gone viral a few years ago. In the middle of the crowd, several people were dancing to it. But the young man's eyes were captivated by only one person.
“Lan, is that the Blender?” Felix shouted a little to make his voice heard over the unbelievably powerful speaker.
“THE BLAND MASK, FELIX! NOT BLENDER!” Wulan yelled, rolling her eyes for what had to be the hundredth time.
Felix chose not to respond. His eyes returned to the figure wearing all-black athletic clothes. The figure drew even more attention because she was also wearing a matching mask and bucket hat.
The young man was captivated by the girl's dancing. Although he didn't know the original choreography for the songs playing, he could tell that the girl's movements were incredibly accurate.
From the audience's perspective, every one of the girl's movements looked easy and light, like a feather gently blown by the wind. But Felix was one thousand percent sure those moves were incredibly difficult to imitate. Even tiny details that lasted only half a beat were performed with pinpoint accuracy.
The music stopped while the young man was lost in the moment, replaced by the roar of applause from the people around the crowd. Felix came to his senses and quickly searched for the Blender. But the girl was nowhere to be found.
“Lix?” Felix startled.
“Who are you looking for?” Wulan asked, scanning the crowd again.
Felix shook his head. “Let's go home.”
To Be Continued