The guy seemed older than her, maybe in his thirties. Gleaming golden eyes. Chestnut hair that somehow reminded her of Charles Kosonen.
She wasn't sure whether Charles had been so involved in her life lately that she was starting to hallucinate or what, but even the lines of this guy's face, and that cold, unreadable expression of his somewhat resembled Charles's, only that he seemed younger.
The chatter died instantly when he entered. The teenagers scrambled to their feet, lining up in two rows in front of the mirror. "Good morning, Antony," they said in unison, a trace of fear in their voices.
The guy called Antony didn't respond. He only walked straight to the speaker, pulled out his phone, and seconds later, music exploded through the room so loud Kaija nearly had a heart attack. When the verse hit, the teenagers started dancing in perfect sync, the choreography looking hard enough to put Kaija in bed for a week.
And Kaija? She just sat there in the corner like a total idiot who'd wandered into the wrong room, totally didn't know what to do. Was she supposed to join them or what? Nah ah, she'd rather chill than embarrassing herself.
Antony leaned against the mirror the whole time, his face unreadable, his golden eyes quiet but sharp, like a tiger watching its prey as he observed them. When the music stopped, his gaze shifted to where Kaija was, that intimidating gold in his eyes flashing dangerously like he was about to devour her on the spot.
"You're too old for this class," he said flatly. "Get out."
Without wasting a second, Kaija shot up to her feet and walked straight out of the door without looking back. She even made sure she'd closed the door carefully behind her without making a sound.
She had no idea why Antony's face twitched slightly as she passed him. Wasn't he the one who told her to leave? What he'd said was exactly what she wanted to hear at that moment.
So, Kaija spent the rest of the morning at the café nearby, chewing the boba in her tea with pure pleasure. She had plenty of witnesses from that class who could confirm the instructor himself had told her to leave. There was nothing for her to worry about.
Around noon, just as she was about to head out for lunch, some guy with green hair and light brown eyes came sprinting toward her table like he'd seen a ghost.
He was wearing a colorful flowery shirt and even more colorful pants. AS soon as he approached, he slammed both hands onto her table and shouted, "My God, Kaija Sepala! Where have you been all morning?!"
Kaija blinked up at him, the straw still in her mouth. "Eh… I'm sorry, but who are you?"
"I'm your manager, Miss!" he yelled again. "Esko!"
"Alright, alright, easy." She covered her ears. "Lower the volume, please. I've heard of you before. You're looking for me?"
"Of course I am!" he said, still far too loud. "Why didn't you attend the Beginner Dance class? I've been searching for you all morning!"
"You went to the dance studio? If so, didn't that golden-eyed instructor tell you he'd kicked me out?"
"Kick you out?" Esko groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Ah, typical Antony. He does that to every trainee. Just his little power play."
"No, no, no," Kaija said with a bright smile. "I'm very sure he made it clear I'm too old for that class. Can I just skip the whole dancing thing altogether?"
Esko slammed the table again. "You can't, Ms. Sepala! Who listens to a singer who can't dance these days?"
Kaija frowned. Weren't singers supposed to just… sing? "Alright," she said, rolling her eyes. "Just call me Kaija. I'll go back to that class tomorrow. It's too late now anyway. I'm heading out for lunch. You coming? We can talk on the way."
Esko gave her a suspicious look, clearly not buying her cheerful tone. A long while and a sharp exhale later, he relented. "Alright, Kaija. We have a lot to discuss."
After lunch, as if to make sure she wouldn't skip the vocal class in the afternoon, Esko escorted her all the way to the classroom's door. "Listen to me, Kaija," he said, raising a finger at her. "Do not leave this class. At all costs. Okay?"
She shot him a skeptical look. The way he'd said that made the upcoming vocal class feel like something not exactly digestible like she'd imagined.
"Alrighty, my almighty manager." She winked at him. "Thanks for accompanying me all the way, see you soon."
Esko left, but not before giving her one last I'm watching you kind of look.
Inside, the classroom turned out to be a massive theatre hall, and it was packed. She spotted Liisi's pastel-pink hair right away. Liisi was sitting in the front row with the four members of her group Lipstick.
Plenty of other familiar faces were there too. Many big-name artists, plus some of the trainees she'd met in the morning. She almost thought she'd stumbled into a star-studded concert rather than a vocal training class.
"Why are you still standing here?" an abyss-deep voice asked from behind her, the timbre unmistakable.
Kaija turned and met a pair of familiar turquoise eyes. The moment those eyes recognized her, they narrowed with pure irritation.
"You again?" Karl growled.
"What are you doing here?" she raised an eyebrow. What she really meant was, "You are already ultra famous, mister. Why would you even need vocal training?" Then another thought suddenly hit her mind. Wait a minute, don't tell me this ash-blond head is...
"I'm in charge of this stupid class," Karl said, smirking at her contorting face.
She turned around immediately. "I'll take my seat, then."
"Stop right there."
Kaija froze mid-step.
"So you're already signed yesterday?" he went on, his tone sneering. "What's your name again?"
She shot him a sharp look over her shoulder. "It's Kaija Sepala."
"My, my. Kaija Sepala. Your skills must be something else," he scoffed. "In bed, I mean."
"Are you going to start this class, or are we just going to stand here chatting all day?"
"Guess I can't keep those brats waiting," he said with a shrug.
When Kaija turned around, every pair of eyes was on them.