At her sharp words, a shocked silence fell before Greg and the cowboy started to laugh hysterically out loud.
“Hahahaha!”
They were laughing so hard that they started to cry. The cowboy turned to Greg, “She’s funny. Introduce us.”
“Silje Kim. She is a friend of mine. She is also a model.”
“Hmm, a friend. How nice. It’s always so nice to have a friend especially in a lonely town like this.”
With that, the cowboy started to sing again.
[ In New York…!
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
There’s nothing you can’t do!
Now you’re in New York!!]
It was the “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys and Jay Z.
Greg seemed used to his friend’s constant singing. He introduced them.
“Silje, say hello to this guy. I’m embarrassed to call him a friend, but I suppose he is. His name is Mathew and I used to work with him. When I lived in Georgia, I ran a small bar and Mathew and I used to perform cocktail shows. We used to call ourselves M&G. Get it? Mathew and Greg! We were pretty popular back then. Oh, and as you probably guessed, he is not gay. He is crazy about women.”
Mathew continued to sing while Greg shrugged his shoulders.
“Just ignore him. He sings constantly like a jukebox. He never gets tired, and I guess it’s not a bad thing. We get to hear free music, but sometimes, it gets really annoying. He is not bad, but he isn’t great either and listening to him all day everyday can be torture. It’s like getting a root canal.”
Greg spoke seriously and Silje laughed. Greg continued, “Let’s continue our conversation.”
While Mathew kept singing loudly, Silje and Greg talked. Greg gave her a piece of advice, “Oh, and be careful. Make sure you don’t bump into Mathew by mistake. He is like a broken record player and if you touch him the wrong way, he just starts singing.”
Silje laughed again and Greg winked.
“By the way, if I were you, I would get walking lessons. Yes, walking. You said Yuki told you that you’re stiff and rigid, right?”
“I’m not THAT stiff!” Silje protested, but Greg ignored her and continued, “If I were you, I would find someone who can teach me how to walk. They say Asian models have great walks, right? So why is it that you, a Korean model, have such a stiff walk?”
Greg raised his voice for emphasis.
“Go find another Korean model and learn to walk properly. Now, get out and find your walking teacher right now! Right now, you boring stiff girl!”
***
“You want to learn how to walk?”
It was not easy, but Silje was able to find someone. She visited the Korean model named Jung Yun, who was working under the name Yun.
Yun was 180 cm, very thin, and she had sharp eyes. She looked amazing in her black leggings and matching high heels. She was known to have the best walk even among the Korean models.
However, she was an actively working model, and Yun seemed unhappy that Silje came to see her unannounced.
“I just don’t understand… Where did you get my name? And why did you think you could just come here and demand this? We aren’t even in the same agency.”
Jung Yun started to ask questions to figure out where Silje got the information. She seemed wary of this whole situation.
“So you asked around to see who had the best walk among Korean models? And then you found out my agency and where I practiced, and so you just came to see me?”
Silje nodded without a word.
Jung Yun spoke fluent English, but to a stranger, her accent sounded harsh and sharp.
She continued, “To be honest, I feel uncomfortable about this whole thing. To come here like this and demand to learn how to walk… And I have never taught anyone before. I would be more willing if it was someone from my own agency, but… You said you’re Korean too, right? You’re already working as a model? Don’t you know asking to learn from an active model is not that easy?”
She was frowning and she emphasized her next words.
“Besides, isn’t walking the basic step for any model out there?”
Yun was telling Silje that she shouldn’t consider herself a model if she didn’t even know how to walk.
Silje replied quietly, “I came here because I wanted to learn. If you find me rude, I apologize.”
“If you want to walk better, you should find a way on your own. Don’t you think so?”
“If you don’t want to, then that’s okay. I apologize again if I upset you. I didn’t mean to do that. I was just very desperate and that is why I came here to Koreatown. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Silje sounded genuine, but Jung Yun continued to frown unhappily.
Silje wondered, ‘Was this a mistake?’
She could understand. Silje bowed respectfully and was about to leave when Jung Yun called out to her.
“Hey!”
Silje stopped and turned around to find Jung Yun still looking unhappy.
“You came all the way here, yet you are just going to leave like that?”
When Silje didn’t say anything, Jung Yun shook her head in annoyance and walked towards her.
“You said you came to Koreatown by cab, right? That must’ve cost a lot. I am very cheap, and I don’t like it when other people waste money. I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t help it.”
Jung Yun looked straight into Silje’s eyes and announced, “If you want to learn how to walk, I will teach you. But it won’t be free. I am also very busy, so I can only do lessons once a week. Come to this practice room when I am free.”
“So you’ll teach me how to walk properly?”
When Silje stared intensely, Jung Yun nodded slowly.
“Only when I am free and have nothing scheduled. I’m very busy.”
From then on, Silje visited Jung Yun once a week. Jung Yun was already the top model in Korea and one of the highest ranks on models.com, which was rare for an Asian model.
Yun wasn’t lying when she said she would never teach other models. She also was very upset that a complete stranger and a brand-new model came to her and asked to be taught.
But perhaps she could see Silje’s desperation. For some reason, Yun decided to help Silje.
Of course, the first time Jung Yun saw Silje walk, she laughed.