At lunch time the trainees were all in the cafeteria, as usual. What they didn't expect was a staff member to stick some paper to the wall with some instructions written on it.
One boy walked to it to read the content. His eyes widened.
"Oh, that's what we have to do for next week! We only have... Three days!
We must record some videos and the fans have to vote as well. They will air those ones together with clips of the practices, etc, etc, as usual."
"Then, what do we have to do?" someone asked. After it, the crowd of boys rushed to read the sheet.
"You're paired again but this time the performance it's all up to you.
You have to make a performance by yourselves with your couple mate. You can choose what type of performance: dance, sing or rap. No full performances needed, just one skill to underline.
You have three days to prepare for it. Then, you will be recording in studio and your videos will be posted on our social medias.
After that, you will be assigned a song and a group and you'll have to prepare a full performance in the following three days before the broadcast.
Good luck.
Below you'll find the pairs."
Of course, the panic exploded. Three days were such a short time to prepare something, even if it was just one song or choreography or stuff. Then, three days more to prepare a full performance? That was crazy.
Wooyoung managed to lift his neck above some people and reach the list of pairs.
Hell no.
Are you kidding me?
He was with San, again.
He walked out the crowd to sit back to his place, together with Seonghwa. He had an unreadable look in his eyes.
Was he happy? Worried? Relieved to stay again with San?
He could finally do what he had daydreamt for so long: making a choreo with San. Involve the other in a creative process. A rush of adrenaline made his ribs to almost hurt for how hard his heart was hammering.
Then, he thought again about the whole situation he was stuck in: Seonghwa and his words, the missing of Yeonjun, San by himself. Seonghwa and San. He definitely wasn't ready to spend time with him again. He was scared.
Seonghwa caught his mood.
"Are you okay?" Somehow, he got that working again with Sun may worry him at the moment.
"I am... I just hope to do something good with-"
"Hey guys!" wild San appeared and sat in front of them. He was about to reach Wooyoung anyway, since it was lunchtime. All of the trainees had came back to their places to start do again what they had just interrupted.
San wasn't sure if trying to talk to Wooyoung or not, so he looked at Seonghwa to find some hints about it. The other only shrugged. Suddenly, it was Wooyoung who first spoke.
"Looks like we have to work together again." He said to San with such a normal tone? Is he back to normal? I swear, this guy is really hard to understand.
"So, see you at 3 in the usual studio, so we can discuss about the project, mh?" Wooyoung rapidly finished his food and walked away, waving at the others at the table.
"Are we sure he is not bipolar?" Hongjoong said but was shut up by a little slap by Seonghwa next to him.
___ • ___
Wooyoung groaned at the mirror while he was preparing to practice with San. He still felt too many emotions to stay calm, which ended to make him very silent and grumpy with everyone around. Basically, that's what he used to do every time: something slapped his mind and the overcrowd of thinking and emotions didn't let his rational self to speak out loud. That's what made him so lonely, in those moments. He knew it wasn't the right way to behaviour but still couldn't hold it back. At least, not every time. But, since he had to stay a lot with San again, he didn't want his overthinking to ruin everything. Not again.
It was his chance to finally build with him some feelings similar to those born during the expressive workshop. It couldn't be wasted. Plus, he didn't have any feelings but friendly ones for San, so he didn't care at all about his relationship with Seonghwa. It had just been the shock of the moment. Yes, that's it.
"Stop being a bullshit, ok, Wooyoung? Please, just this time." He talked to himself at the mirror, shaking his head.
Actually, he was planning to apologize to San for the previous day. The fact of facing him did nothing but worsen his state of mind. And heart. It hadn't stopped hammering since the lunch time.
He reached the dance studio some minutes before the meeting time, so he started to warm up and stretch to calm down. As connecting his phone to the speakers, he chose some slow music from his soft playlist. He opened his legs and started to turn his neck all around, eyes closed as inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly. Of course, he brought his sketchbook with him. Not that he already had ideas. Or, he did, but he want to do everything together with San, from the song's choice to every single step. Then a sudden thought stopped the previous flow.
What if he doesn't want to dance? If he wants to sing?
Or maybe he wants to do a cover and not an original choreo.
Wooyoung was starting to drown again in his overthinking when San appeared on the door. He didn't say anything but entered and started to prepare, too.
Wooyoung felt his heartbeat to increase again. Where should I start?
It took five more minutes for San to warm up, so he waited. Then, when he walked to his phone to stop the music, he began scratching his neck.
"San... Look..." San looked at him with a questioning expression. Honestly, he had no idea what Wooyoung was about to say. But the fact that he was speaking was already something good, in his mind.
"I wanted to apologize. I know it's hard to deal with me. I didn't want to disappoint you." The obvious blush on Wooyoung's face, despite his tries to hide it by looking at the floor, made San giggle. Cute.
"Wooyoung, you don't need to-"
"No, I have to. Literally, I know that I may seem like bipolar sometimes. I'm not, if you're wondering. But I have... Issues with staying with people. I saw that everyone of you had a close friend in there, you with..." he blushed even more. "Seonghwa, then he and Hongjoong... I miss Yeonjun, that's it. I didn't want to hurt you, I'm sorry.
I'm still happy for our winning, though." He managed to say but his words were a rush. He started to fear that San could even hear his heartbeat.
He was so cute San literally wanted not but hug him so tightly. Honestly, he knew the other was right to apologize, but couldn't be mad at him. He knew how hard it was to make your will to stay alone to deal with the social contact you were forced to have. Plus, he could understand his missing of Yeonjun. It must have been a hard time for him.
He brushed Wooyoung's arm to give him comfort.
"Woo... it's okay. I... I'll learn how to deal with you. Just don't push me away, okay? I need time too, to understand your behaviour." San's smile was so sincere that Wooyoung wanted to cry. Those little dimples were driving him crazy. He nodded and lifted his gaze, but found himself to blush way more. San caught it but didn't say anything.
I didn't think he was a blushing type.
"So, let's talk about our performance." San didn't manage to say his sentence properly because Wooyoung talked above him.
"I'm happy to collab with you again." Wooyoung immediately coughed to cover his statement and bit his lips. "Yes, let's talk about it."
San's smile wasn't planning on leaving his face.
"Do you have any ideas yet?" he said. Wooyoung shook his head.
"I wanted to plan everything together.
First... I was thinking about making a choreo with you. But if you prefer doing a cover or even sing it's f-fine for me." God, why am I stuttering?
"I wanted to make a choreo, too. But... You know I'm not a proper dancer. I've been only training for eight months. I'll need your help."
"I think that we, together, will be able to make something." Wooyoung finally gifted San with a smile. He was still light pink from the previous speech, but the worst part had gone. Now they could focus on their work leaving the dramatical part in a dark angle. I hope forever.
Wooyoung took his phone and started to browse his playlist of songs saved only for choreographing purposes. There were so many different ones: from American pop, to k-pop, to just rnb sounds and some korean hip hop. Depending on his mood, he liked to dance to different things. Moreover, he used this to practice different sides of his dancing, from smoothness to fluidity of movements.
"I don't know if you may prefer some energetic vibe, or something like a ballad... Or something like contaminated?"
"What do you suggest?" San was basically leaving everything up to Wooyoung, which made the latter to bite his bottom lip. He was overwhelmed to have San's trust but... Didn't want to ignore his ideas.
"I'd l-like to make something with isolations. With some rnb songs like this, or even like lofi k-hip hop you know? Listen."
He played some songs. San closed his eyes and listened with full concentration. Then, a light turned up in his mind.
"I think I have a song."
.
.
today i'm just telling you that THIS upcoming part is my favorite of the story SO
BE READY FOR THE NEXT CHAPTERS
and thanks for the bunch of readings i'm getting, i hope you all are enjoying this story at this point ;;