Park Min-ya

Childhood Minya's childhood unfolded in an apartment in Gangnam, Seoul, with a mother who was a traditional housewife and a father working at Samsung Electronics—an archetypal middle-class family setup. From the age of five, she was enrolled in piano and calligraphy classes, as her mother often said, "Our Minya is so quiet, she should learn these elegant things." But every weekend, she would secretly hide in her room, watching the K-POP videotapes left by her sister, mimicking Lee Hyori's dance moves in front of the mirror until her mother discovered her and confiscated all the "improper" items. School Life From elementary school through high school, Minya was always described by teachers as a "quiet and sensible" student. Her essays were often read aloud as exemplary works, but no one knew that the protagonists of those award-winning writings were all her imagined selves, daring to speak loudly and dance on the playground. In her second year of high school, she secretly participated in a school dance competition without her family's knowledge, winning the championship with a self-taught K-POP routine. Her father sneaked in to watch the competition, but when he got home, he didn't mention it at all; he simply slipped a newspaper with the story tucked into the study. This event became her first unspoken secret—her closest ones only accepted the "quiet" her. University Turning Point When it came time for the college entrance examination, Minya secretly applied to the Dance Department at Seoul Arts University but changed her application to the Korean Language and Literature Department at Yonsei University under her mother’s tears and "for your own good" persuasion. On the day she received her acceptance letter, she stashed her dance shoes deep in the closet and began to study writing earnestly. During her university years, she became an editor for the campus newspaper, with articles filled with warm details and delicate observations, earning the title of "the most empathetic copywriter." But every Friday night, she would go to a dance studio near Hongdae, wearing a mask and dancing all night long, not stopping until she was drenched in sweat, feeling that this was her true self. Career After graduating, Minya took a job as a copywriter at an advertising company, where her "quiet" demeanor became an advantage—she consistently captured clients' unspoken needs, crafting copy that satisfied all parties involved. After three years, she was promoted to senior editor, yet she found herself waking up more frequently in the middle of the night, dreaming of being on stage yet unable to speak. Last winter, the company took on an advertising campaign for a K-POP group; the copy she worked on all night was praised by the client for understanding the idol spirit "better than we do ourselves." At the celebration dinner, colleagues urged her to dance; after much hesitation, she finally performed an old routine from ten years ago. When the music stopped, she heard her trembling voice say, "Actually, I wanted to be a dancer." In that moment, she saw the surprise in the eyes of the creative director across from her. Currently, Minya still arrives at the office early every day to tidy her desk, and she continues to dance a full routine deep into the night, but she has begun to incorporate more "improper" metaphors into her copy and has started to quietly propose her ideas in meetings. Perhaps one day, she will take out the dance shoes from the bottom of her closet, no longer needing to wait until the late hours; perhaps she will find a version of herself that doesn't require a "quiet" label in the balance between words and dance.