The Dream Chapter (TXT X Reader)

Relief

Chapter 57

It seemed like time was moving faster. It hadn't even felt like a week, yet the competition was already there and you were getting ready again. This time, you felt yourself becoming more and more anxious as you dressed up, feeling a foreboding sense of trepidation. You were glad when you could get all dressed up and nothing happened. No call from an injured Yeonjun. No hospital trip. Nothing. Just a text that they were out front, ready to pick you up so you could all make your way to the competition together.

This time, you were smart. Instead of opting for a pair of heels again, you grabbed a pair of simple flats that matched the baby pink dress you'd put on. You couldn't help but feel anxious. You constantly felt like something was going to go wrong, but instead, you got out to the car, no injured Yeonjun standing at your door, saying he needed help. You couldn't help but notice Beomgyu in the back seat. It wasn't a major detail. Just something minor.

"You're wearing a tie, Beomgyu," you commented, glancing back at him.

"I am!" He cheered happily, pointing at the tie that he had tied all by himself. He was glad you noticed. No one else had, and you couldn't blame them. It appeared as if Beomgyu wore a tie every day. The clip on ties were very convincing. The others couldn't see why he was making such a big deal out of it, but you knew why and that's all that mattered.

Immediately, music was put on. The six of you sang along happily, enjoying the trip there. You all screeched out the lyrics to songs just having fun before you all became paralyzed because of anxiety. You and Yeonjun felt it the worst. You'd never been interviewed yet. It was because of the incident that occurred last time.

Stepping out the car, you couldn't help but notice how nippy the air was. You hadn't expected it to get so cold so soon, but it was halfway through December. Time really flew by. You made your way into the venue with your creator badges, giving the producers the USB with the trailer to review and then you were told when you would be interviewed. Since your group got first last time, you would be interviewed last. Your group got to sit out at the front of the audience again, watching the other groups get interviewed right in front of you. Their trailers were so short, a minute at most. It made you feel like an overachiever. Someone who wrote a 1300 word essay instead of a 300 word essay. That didn't matter to you though. It caught people's attention.

  Listening to the interviews, they were all half technical questions, half personal questions, as if letting the audience get to know the contestants better and possibly develop an overall bias based on the people rather than the content. It bugged you but you knew that was how this was going to work. Bias is particularly how people worked. It's like how your parents were going to vote for you no matter what. Biased opinions happened, and you'd have to live with it.

  Being interviewed last took a toll on your focus. You couldn't relax the entire time. Every trailer you watched tensed, and every interview you watched, you couldn't help but twiddle your thumbs or bounce your legs. You just needed something to do. Anything to occupy your attention. The others were doing the same. You'd think with experience, all the anxiety and nervousness would wear off but it never did. You were always nervous.

  When the staff called you from your seats to prepare, you all stood up rigidly, exiting the audience as quickly as you could, trying not to catch the hundreds of pairs of eyes that sat behind you.

  "Don't be too nervous. It's easy," Kai whispered, putting his hands on your stomach, pulling you closer.

"I know. I just can't help it," you whispered back, letting him calmingly rub your stomach.

"You'll do amazing. All the stuff you need to say is right up here," he smiled, poking your temple.

You appreciated his little attempts at humouring you. It was nice that instead of forcing yourself to calm everyone down, you got to be calmed down this time. You looked to the others and saw them bugging each other, Beomgyu squeezing Taehyun in a very unrequited unauthorized back hug, Taehyun struggling to get out. Yeonjun was squishing Soobin's cheeks, pressing them firmly down and then pinching them. Soobin didn't seem to enjoy it, but he just let it happen.