[ Park Moondae's POV ]
We learned the choreography of the song we chose.
We learned it all.
Since we were only given ten days to figure out the arrangement, choreography, and stage concept, the leader decided that learning the original choreography would be best. That way, when the song is rearranged, revising the choreo would be easier.
Seungmin, who effortlessly memorized the original choreography after running it four times, taught us until we had the dance ingrained into our minds.
We didn't enter our dorm until it was long past midnight.
I got out of the shower and draped a towel around my neck.
"The next person can feel free to wash up," I announced.
Sejin was already under his covers with his eyes closed, even though his hair was still wet.
I sighed.
"Ahyun."
A mumbled, "...Yeah?" escaped his lips. He was already laying on his bed and was breathing soundly.
"You gotta wash up," I said.
But he was really out of it. He couldn't utter anything back.
"Hyungnim..."
A sudden, raspy voice came from behind me.
With dead eyes, Raebin asked, "Would it be alright if I used the shower first...?"
"...Sure."
Practice was definitely taking a toll on everyone. Surprisingly, I felt decent. Of course, it was thanks to the status window. During the second team evaluation's great performance, I got the roulette again because 500,000 people remembered my existence, and it gave me a useful skill.
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[ Bacchus 500 (B) ]
A clear mind and a healthy body!
- All fatigue accumulation rates -50%
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No matter how good the skill was, I was still tired. I wanted to lay down quickly. Yawning, I trudged toward my own bed.
This time, I was sleeping above Seungmin.
Seungmin was sitting on the lower bunk with his glasses on, looking out the window. His hair was damp from his shower. It was something I hadn't seen since the very first individual evaluation period.
I was gonna bid him goodnight and climb the ladder, but suddenly there were some knocks on the door.
"...?"
It didn't seem like the production staff...
The knocks occurred again, this time louder.
Annoyed, I opened the door and began to ask who it was, but I stopped.
It was Cha Eugene. There were tears dribbling down his face.
The undoubtable first rank who cannot and should not collapse...
"Why's he here, crying?"
It was disconcerting.
Fixed cameras were installed in the halls and dorm rooms. He was definitely seen coming here and crying. The production team would love it.
"There's a veteran leader on your team, so why did you crawl all the way here?"
I opened the door wider as he wiped away his snot and tears.
"...Are you here to see Raebin?"
"...and Seungmin and hyung," Eugene sniffled.
Baffled, I let the red-haired kid inside and explained that Raebin was in the shower. Seungmin was watching as Eugene shuffled into the room and sat at the table with tears still running down his cheeks. He got up from his bed and began sifting through his bag.
I did the same and took out some chocolate bars. I pointed one in Eugene's direction.
"Want this?" I asked. I didn't bother to lower my voice because I knew the others wouldn't wake up.
Eugene mumbled a "Thank you" with horrible pronunciation before stuffing one in his mouth.
Seungmin finally rose from his crouched position and held something up in his hand. It was one of his fancy self-made tea packs.
"Eugene, do you want some warm tea?" he asked softly. "No caffeine and it'll taste good with the chocolate."
Eugene nodded his head slowly as he nibbled away on the chocolate bars.
"Hyung, do you want a cup?"
I shook my head, and Seungmin left the room to get some hot water. I was left alone with the problem.
In the silence, only the sound of chewing chocolate echoed in the room. Needlessly intervening in other teams' drama was the worst thing I could do, so I didn't want to ask what was wrong. And, I had no idea what kind of situation this could turn into, but keeping my mouth shut would also be a problem.
Seungmin might not say anything, understanding this notion, and leaving the conversation to Raebin, who was still showering, would be futile.
I crossed my arms and leaned against the table.
"Are you having a hard time?"
Eugene stopped shoving his face with chocolate bars.
"Yeahnngg," he wept more. "Everyone's fighting...i-it's scary when they talk. Hnng..."
I was going crazy. In my mind, I tried to picture myself disappearing into the air.
I couldn't imagine how chaotic the team must be if it's to the point where even Eugene loses his bright complexion, but I didn't want to hear about it.
Seungmin entered the room again with two cups in his hands. My mind flashed back to when I almost burned myself because of how hot they were, but Seungmin gave me a small smirk.
"It's not too hot," he mumbled as he sat one cup down in front of Eugene. After pushing the tissue box closer to the younger boy, he sat down in the seat next to him and began drinking his own tea.
At least there wasn't just the sound of chocolate bars anymore in the heavy silence.
I wanted to send Cha Eugene back the moment he calmed down. No matter what I said, if I made a single mistake, the internet would bombard posts like, "Am I the only one who thinks Park Moondae was wrong?" or "Maybe he gave bad advice so Eugene would fail."
Luckily, Seungmin stepped into the mess voluntarily.
He peered at Eugene through his glasses before slowly opening his mouth.
"Eugene, you'll be okay. Cheer up."
He said this in English.
I widened my eyes, surprised. It was perfect pronunciation, and his voice was so velvety and soothing that it would've been impossible for the internet to attack him for being cringy.
For some reason, Eugene began to cry more sorrowfully. The chocobars stopped entering his mouth as he wiped away his globular tears.
"Yeahnng," he sobbed in English, using the tissues from the tissue box, "y-you're right. You're right."
I guess he missed home.
Seungmin looked out the window again, as if saving Eugene's dignity by not watching him cry. But his hand crept up into the air and rested on the red-haired boy's head.
The older one ruffled Cha Eugene's hair gently, dropped his hand down, and sipped his tea like he didn't do anything. He was back to having that strangely empty look in his eyes that happens when he runs out of social battery.
I knew I would be the one to have the last say.
I glanced at the empty chocolate bar wrappers on the table.
"...Do you want more chocobars?"
When I saw him nod, I just dumped what I had left onto the table.
"Eat as much as you want. Feel free to take some too."
It was fortunate that I had another large bag left. I gave a considerable amount just in case people would criticize me for looking like I didn't want to waste any on him.
Again, we were in silence. I stared at the wall and waited for everything to be over.
Soon after Eugene finished his tea, he got up and bowed his head, holding some chocolate bars in both hands.
"Thank you," he muttered.
He seemed to have calmed down a bit and was thinking about going back. I couldn't thank him enough for not venting to me about the details.
Seungmin also rose from his chair as we all moved to the door.
"Are you okay to leave without seeing Raebin?" I asked.
"Yes...I'll be fine."
His eyes were poofy, but he did look surprisingly better. I could only assume it was a sugar high, and I wondered if he would start crying again once it crashed. But the priority was sending the bomb away.
I nodded and watched as he strolled down the hall before closing the door.
Seungmin was knocking on the bathroom door, checking up on Raebin. Throughout the entire time Eugene was here, the sound of water was heard. Kim Raebin wasn't coming out.
"Did he pass out?" the black-haired boy muttered.
I shrugged my shoulders and knocked on the bathroom again.
"Raebin?"
There was the sound of something clattering.
"...I-I'm sorry," a voice from inside groaned. "I fell asleep...."
Well, as long as we knew he was alive. I hauled myself onto my bed and closed my eyes, exhausted and relieved.
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my poor baby ㅠㅠ