On the way out the palace in Seoul, I stumbled into the backstage of an event. This is where I found the dancer. It looked like a youth cultural troupe performing for an elderly audience. The dancer was waiting for her turn - a group on the stage performing ahead of her. I could tell that she was nervous, but she still smiled and bowed to greet me. I was smitten - such a pretty hanbok and the shy smile. I blurted out “good luck” in English. The dancer nodded in acknowledgement.

The group finished the performance. The dancer stepped in for her solo performance. I wish I could stay but I had to be somewhere else, so I walked away. Some moments later as I stepped out of the palace gate, I heard a loud applause from the stage. Looks like our dancer won over the audience.