High Key Stressed {Choi Yeonjun Series}

Chapter 1

Soobin entered the galley kitchen and rummaged around through some cereal boxes and various bags of fruit.

"So, there's no bread, I take it?" he groused. He opened the refrigerator. "No almond milk either? I can't live without almond milk."

"Well, write it on a list and I'm sure it will magically appear by tomorrow," Yeonjun assured him. As the oldest member of the group, he often found himself taking care of these little mundane tasks.

Beomgyu entered next, taking a sideways glance at Yeonjun. "What's with the outfit?" he asked as he scanned Yeonjun's baby blue satin ruffled shirt.

"You don't like it?" Yeonjun questioned. "I thought it was perfect for meeting our new vocal coach," he added.

Beomgyu frowned. "I don't know. I'm getting more of a junior prom vibe," he said, barely concealing his amusement.

"I'd just like to remind you that I'm older, and I've been a fashionista longer than you have," Yeonjun remarked dryly. "Plus, I've been a model for New York's Fashion Week. So, I think I know what I'm doing," he argued.

Just then Taehyun arrived, carrying Huening Kai like an overgrown baby. Huening Kai squirmed erratically.

"Let me down!" he demanded.

"What's all this about?" Yeonjun asked, only glancing up briefly from his cereal.

"Kai thought I couldn't carry his skinny ass, and I just had to prove I could," Taehyun replied, letting Huening Kai stand on his own two feet again. "Just look at these guns," he demanded as he flashed his biceps at anyone who would look up from their breakfast long enough to see them.

Yeonjun cleared his throat, deciding not to comment on Taehyun's impressive strength. Instead, he chose to attempt to rein in their frenetic energy.

"Listen guys. We have a new vocal coach coming in today. She's been flown over from the U.S., and I really need you guys to not act like a bunch of crackheads, okay?" Yeonjun requested.

"She?" asked Huening Kai. "It's about time we get a female coach. I wonder if she's hot," he pondered aloud.

"Aren't you too young to be thinking about girls?" Yeonjun teased.

Huening Kai made no response, but merely sighed dramatically at his hyung. The guys finished their breakfast and were soon filing out the door, headed toward the studio.

When they arrived at the studio, they opened the practice room door to find a young Latina with black hair that stretched to her waist. She wore skin-tight jeggings and a white blouse with bright purple and blue flowers embroidered on it. Her hair was tied back, showing her long tan neck and giant silver hoop earrings.

"Holy shit," whispered Taehyun as he elbowed Beomgyu. "This is going to be interesting," he predicted.

Soobin smiled widely, displaying his impressive dimples while Huening Kai giggled nervously. Yeonjun broke the awkwardness by stepping forward and bowing to the young woman.

"I'm Yeonjun. I'm the eldest," he said as he extended his hand to shake hers. She wore a ring on each finger of her right hand. All were sterling silver, but the one on her ring finger had a diamond and rather resembled an engagement ring. Yeonjun silently wondered if she was engaged even though the ring was not on her left hand.

"I'm Luz," she said, shaking his hand with unexpected force.

"Loose?" he questioned.

"No, not like a loose woman. It's L-U-Z, Luz. It's Spanish for light," she clarified.

"Oh," Yeonjun nodded, embarrassed to have suggested she was loose within seconds of meeting her.

The other guys each gave their names and bowed to Luz. The final one was Huening Kia.

"Hello, I'm Huening Kai. I'm the maknae," he said as he remained bowed down a few seconds longer than his counterparts.

"I know you!" Luz exclaimed. You're the one my mom thinks is two people. She thinks your name is 'Huen and Kai'," she laughed.

Kai joined in with a chuckle of his own. "Well, I guess if you say it fast enough, it sounds like that," he agreed.

"So, that means I expect twice as much from you since you're already two people," Luz joked with easy familiarity. She smiled at him as she passed out copies of a new song TXT was going to debut on their next album.

"Bleeding Out," Taehyun read the title aloud. "That sounds intense," he commented.

"Yeah," Luz conceded. "That's kind of why I'm here. You guys started as a pretty light Bubblegum Pop group with really bright, pingy vocals. I'm here to help dirty you up a little," she explained.

"I like the sound of that," Huening Kai commented, winking at Luz.

Yeonjun gave him a quick slap to the arm along with a warning look. Luz merely smiled ruefully, rolling her eyes as if to say, "Boys will be boys."

"My singing voice is pretty gravely," Luz explained. "I call it my 'whiskey and cigarettes' voice. It's kind of a Janis Joplin thing I have going on."

Yeonjun had trouble believing that her singing voice was as rough and raw as she described it because her speaking voice was really rather soft and feminine, albeit a bit lower than the register of most girls he knew.

"So, by the time I'm done with you, you should be singing this song as if you had a throat full of broken glass," she joked.

"Well, that sounds pleasant," Soobin remarked sarcastically. "I'm not sure why they suddenly want us to be edgier. I enjoyed our innocent image."

"But we're growing up, guys," Yeonjun argued. "We have to evolve our image as we get older. We can't wear cat and dog ears forever," he added.

"Exactly," Luz affirmed. "Look, it's not about making you something that you're not. It's about bringing out a different side of you. We're all a mix of contradictions. So, you can be wholesome and edgy. You can be cute and sexy," she explained.

"I think you're sexy," Huening Kai blurted out. The comment was greeted with another covert attack from Yeonjun.

"Slow your roll, dude," he cautioned.

"It looks like I'll have my hands full with you," Luz joked.

"I certainly hope so," quipped Huening Kai. Yeonjun had heard enough. He grabbed Kai by the arm and pulled him outside the room.

"What is up with you, man?" Yeonjun demanded.

"Nothing," Huening Kai responded defensively. "I'm just being friendly."

"No, you're being flirty," Yeonjun corrected. "And I've had enough of it. You need to rein it in, man," he scolded his junior.

"Whatever," Kai responded. "She doesn't seem to mind," he pointed out.

"It doesn't matter if she minds or not. It's unprofessional and I'm not having it," Yeonjun put his foot down.

"Well, who died and left you in charge?" spouted Huening Kai, knowing he was crossing a line with his hyung.

"Just get back in there and focus on your job," Yeonjun replied effectively shutting down the discussion.