Where we are [JeongChan FF] ✔

07

Jeongin

We go to the practice room straight after breakfast but its not until a full hour later that we find ourselves only preparing for practice. Our food needed to settle and we learnt our lesson after the last incident.

We're seated in a semi-circle as a strong silence looms over us. Not even leader seems to want to speak which is bad. We need to. We have to speak and discuss. Dates loomed nearer and uttered rumors of a comeback approaches us at every corner.

We're screwed if we don't speak.

My eyes shift over everyone. From Minho and Jisung who lean against each other, taking turns to support one another, all the way to Chan who had his hands clasped together. It didn't hide the shaking as well as I think he was hoping it did. He's leaning into Woojin who rests his head on top of Seungmin's. Beside him, Hyunjin leans his head on his shoulder. Changbin sits to my left and Felix to my right. Both are silent just as everyone is, but it's a silence I don't like. It's unsettling as unspoken words travel through the air. As worries and concerns linger but aren't properly communicated.

I clear my throat and suddenly, all eyes are on me.

Not having anything to say, I sift through my thoughts. Forcing a smile, I decide to go with, "W- We should probably start practice." I'm hesitant. Unsure of whether what I said should have been said at all.

Those doubts soon dissipate as everyone seems to snap out of their daze and they return to reality. Like the words had knocked them into their senses. I wonder if this whole time, that was all they needed to hear. Yet even with the words in the air, its not until a few minutes later that we move.

It's only when Chan stands that the rest of us start to as well.

When I'm up and dusting myself off, I lift my gaze only to end up meeting Chan's. I freeze for a moment, not sure if I'm imagining it or not. Though surely I'm not seeing as it lasts for a very long moment before leader hyung actually averts his gaze. He claps his hands together but it seems not even that is enough to pull me from my own daze.

He was staring at me openly. I don't know how to feel about that.

"Right. Positions, everyone," he calls as he makes his way to the front. Today he would do this and Minho hyung would swap places and then when we take a break, it would be because we'd be waiting for our dance instructor. The one who would say whether he thought we were ready or not.

I could only hope and believe with all my heart that we are.

***

We're all in our positions when Mr Lau walks in. His expression is stern as ever and gives nothing away, not even his stance when he stops in front of us. Directly in front of the head of our formation, he stares each and every one of us down.

"Begin," is all he says and then the song is playing though I don't even know how that is possible. The moment it starts, I lose myself in the dance. I'm following every single step, doing what I've learnt and remembering the tips that were given to me and taking breaths when I got the chance.

At the end of it, the dance room is already filled with heavy breathing and stuttered intakes from myself and a few others.

We wait for him to say something which doesn't exactly take long. He's already leaning against the wall with a look that says it all; we didn't do as well as he had hoped.

He confirms our assumptions.

"Is that all you can give me?" He asks and his tone has me shuddering. "Its been two days and that's all you can give me? You've done this dance before which means you've had more than two days and that's all you can give me?"

There's this involuntary flinch from my side and I have to blink a few times before I can actually look up at him. He looks angrier than when he walked in.

His voice booms as he says again, "That was not a rhetorical question."

Still, nobody utters a word. I lift my eyes for a moment only to find that everyone else has gone to looking at the floor or each other. Everyone awaited someone to speak up which, on our part, was unusual for any of us. I clench my hands into fists to keep them from shaking as I let my gaze drop to the ground. 

It's exceptional, the way we can feel the disappointment radiating off Mr Lau in strong waves. Each wave hits harder than the next until he releases a loud sigh. "I want this perfected by tomorrow," he says sternly. "Tomorrow. If you can't do that, then I just don't know."

Those are the last words he speaks; the last time he bothers to acknowledge us for the day before he exits the room. The door slams shut and once again, we're left alone in our silence. Nobody looks up despite it being a good few minutes since instructor-nim has left. Nobody makes a move at all and I feel my heart clench. There's this tingling in my chest; something tells me that I should do something, say something before its too late. And for the first time, I really do.

"Hyungs, come on. Let's try again, okay?" I ask, putting as much cheerfulness as I can muster into my tone before I offer a wide, bracey smile. They're looking at me again but still nobody says a thing. It worries me for a moment because why on earth aren't they doing anything or saying anything when action has been made. Except, they do.

Jisung all but grins at me and soon, the rest are following. "Yeah!" he exclaims. "We've got this!"

There's a chorused agreement and we find our positions in no time. It's when I'm standing to the side and lifting my head that I catch Chan staring at me. My lips part if only slightly, ready to question it but at the last moment, I decide against it. Instead, I offer a smile.

When he returns it with one of his own, I'm relieved. There's a warm feeling in my chest that I choose to blame on practice.

As he looks away and I look ahead, he counts down and then we start.

**

A/N

So I was writing on my phone and switched to my laptop and ended up losing the whole of the last bit when I went back into Wattpad on my phone because apparently shit didn't save and I'm just really annoyed.

So it's overdue and I was going to update and tell y'all about the first week of college cause this one lecturer is hella boring but hilarious. Then I delayed it and was gonna tell you about the first two weeks but now I'm just in this horrible head space and I kinda don't wanna exist for a bit so I'm really sorry and I'll try working on the next chapter but here you go.

Hope you enjoy.

xxx