glryeohyun-blog

[glryeohyun-blog]

Narrowing her eyes at him, she regarded Ryung carefully. She couldn't tell what he was planning but he seemed unsure about the vocal lessons earlier. What made him want to do it now? She wanted to find out but she didn't know how to.

Nodding slowly, Yeohyun walked to grab her bag. "Let's go then. If you're eager to teach that means you'll be more patient with my mistakes. I'm all for it," Yeohyun smiled, hoisting the bag up on her shoulder.

He hadn't even been in the room for long. Was he really already bored with dancing? How long does he practice singing for? Would she be bored with practicing her rapping earlier than Ryung practicing singing? She was thinking too much.

At times you need time away from a certain mode of art. Maybe he was done with dance for the meanwhile so she quietly followed him to the studio while letting her thoughts continue to run through her mind aimlessly.

@glryeohyun:

Stopping after the song ended, Yeohyun sat down on her spot, heaving for breath. “So, you didn’t come for just warming up did you?” she enquired speaking over the music, meeting his eyes in the mirror again.

Ryung raised a brow and chuckled. “It’s my way of kicking us both out,” he muttered, taking another bite of the fruit as he gazed at Yeohyun. “I think we can get your singing lessons on right now,” and he shot her a quick smile. “Up for the challenge or…?” he teased, tilting his head to the slightest in a manner of question. 

Yeohyun would most likely hesitantly give in to his suggestion and then the both of them could go down to the studio. The place Ryung spent the second most amount of time. He was almost always there, playing around with things, practicing. seeing how his voice sounded, comparing. There was always something to do in there, and with Nyx’s interest in singing and her asking of Ryu’s help, it made sense to go down there right now while they could. 

Who knew how much time Ryung would have after his comeback anyways. Hex was always busy and his schedule would never let up. 

Bending down he retrieved his bag, alongside Yeohyuns and then returned to leaning against the wall, a small smirk on his face. He was always bored and looking for something interesting, and it seemed that with Yeohyuns polite request he had found what he needed on a sweaty afternoon. 

[glryeohyun-blog]

Yeohyun's eyes sharpened as soon as Joonki started moving. Watching him she had to hold herself back from grimacing. Mentally, she started noting all she saw. She knew going easy wasn't going to help either of them.

When the music stopped, she was sure she had a frown etched on her face. "I might sound harsh right off the bat and I'm sorry in advance but did you even stretch?" She almost scoffed at him. "Your mistakes were really noticeable and I'm sure you saw it too. It's nothing practice won't help with but loosening up your muscles really matters, sunbaenim and I know you know that already," she frowned as she looked up at him with squinted eyes.

Hearing the music play again, she walked over to stand next to Joonki and started to dance to try and show him what she meant. "Try to relax yourself a bit more? I don't know if it's possible but maybe concentrating on other things might help?" She said as she tried to dance her way through the song with what little knowledge she had of the choreography after watching the videos and Joonki, halting once in a while when she realised she didn't know the steps. "Really," she started as she stopped and turned to look at him, "I think the first thing is relaxation."

Smooth

glryeohyun:

Pursing her lips briefly, she decided to speak up. “What do I do? Do you want me to correct you or just point out where the it looks off?” she asked hoping her voice was loud enough for him to hear.

That was a yes right?

Right. 

“Whatever you want.” He rolls his shoulders, pressing play. The introduction to the song started, and Joonki dropped his phone, walking over to his usual position. There was a surge of anticipation- both the positive and negative kind at once, and he could almost feel his muscles burning from the movement already. 

‘Stay’ was a song about heartbreak- so the choreo had softer movements, with a more contemporary feel. 

Joonki’s body screamed as he spun, his already exhausted body worn out from practice. While it had been months since his accident, his rushed rehabilitation left his movements stiff at certain parts where everything should have been smooth, his body lacking the fluidity it had in the past. 

He could already see the minute mistakes- his foot needed to be arched higher, his leg bent more- 

It was just…lacking.

[glryeohyun-blog]

Yeohyun had been eyeing the dance floor ever since they entered, bowing when she saw some people she knew. It was filled to the brim with people from the upper class or were celebrities like herself.

Seeing Iolani eye the drink on the tray passing by, she chuckled. "Let's sit at the bar, alright? It'll be easier to get shit-faced there while at the same time avoiding attention. What do you say?" She spoke loudly to be heard over the thumping music.

But if she was going to be honest, she couldn't wait to drink some of the liquid courage before stepping out on the dance floor.

A Spicy Night Out

“You have to just get it all down in one go.” Chaegyeong smiled sympathetically at Yeohyun. She felt kind of bad, watching them grimace at the taste while she just watched, so Chae cracked open a can and demonstrated herself, the sickly sweet liquid disappearing quickly.

She ran her tongue along the underside of her mouth as the aftertaste hit her, scrunching her nose. “It never gets better… but yes, don’t stray too far. We should stick together as a group.”

10 minutes was shorter than expected, and on the car ride there Chae tried to remember what she heard about the club.

—

“Chaegyeong-ah, a few of us are going to White Nights, want to come?”

‘Ah,,, no it’s okay! I’ve got vocal lessons tomorrow, can’t risk it.”

“You sure? Well if you ever want to go… my cousin knows the owner, so just say Taewoo invited you okay? ”

“Really? …I’m not sure-“

“It’s fine, I’ll give him a heads up. Let loose once in a while! The club’s nicer than the others in the area, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

—

Chae never did go out, but she was surprised that it was actually coming in handy. As the eldest (and the tamest) she wasn’t that used to clubs, but she was been dragged out everywhere by her wilder friends… so she knew a few things. As Heeyoung dropped the responsibility onto her she took it in stride, stepping out the car door with a small smile, stage persona already slipping on.

She was the leader right? Time to act it.

If she looked at the line, at all the other people patiently waiting their turn, Chaegyeong knew the guilt would hit her - so instead she stared straight at the bouncers at the front, stride purposeful, back straight. Her entire career was soft sweet smiles and confidence, elegant dresses and a head held high, so she looked up at the taller men under her lashes, money already hidden in the palm of her hand. 

“Chaegyeong- we’re with Taewoo.” For a moment, she felt a flash of terrifying uncertainty as they scanned the list, but the bouncers eventually nodded and opened the doors for them, and Chae smiled, ignoring the sickly mix of hangover cure and guilt in her mouth. 

Success.

[glryeohyun-blog]

It was funny seeing someone bow to her. She wasn’t used to it and it definitely made her feel slightly uncomfortable. The politeness he addressed her with made her smile. Being addressed by her real name felt foreign too but in a good way. She was surprised he even knew her real name. She wasn’t that popular after all.

“Right,” she nodded. “If I’m not mistaken,” she began slightly more openly than she would have been if not for the recent acquaintances she had acquired, “we’re both here for some fresh air so please don’t be so tense. I’m going to leave soon enough so don’t worry either.” With that, she turned and walked further on the roof, looking down at the roads and the little cars that dotted them.

Retreat

✏; @glrwoobin

Their meeting lasted for longer than she would have liked. She knew it was important to go over everything since they were on the brink of a huge comeback with the whole group. But honestly? They could never be too careful so it was pointless to lecture them like that all the time.

She sighed heavily as she left the room. Smiling a farewell to her other members, she turned down another hallway, wanting some fresh air and time alone before going back to practice and her other routine things. She was sure Chaegyeong was going to lecture the girls some more before letting them get back to practice. Deciding that could wait till she got back to their dorms, she climbed up a vaguely familiar staircase.

Pushing the heavy door open, she stepped out onto the roof. Immediately walking all the way to the edge she smiled, inhaling the fresh air at height deeply. On feeling eyes on her, she turned slightly to find another Nebula idol out with her. Was he there from before she arrived? She vaguely identified him as Valentine, a member of Escape. His real name was… “Woobin, right?”

[glryeohyun-blog]

Yeohyun straightened after stretching her limbs out a bit. "Choppy? I think it looks fine. I think the approach could be a bit smoother though. The measure right before the move you mentioned, it could be slightly smoother. Then you'll have the rest straightened out for you," Yeohyun commented, thinking back to what she saw when they danced.

Her experience with dance had taught her a lot as had her experience with choreographing. And with that knowledge she wanted to guide her teammates, making her watch more attentively than she did with herself.

Partners in Dance

Yeohyun

“Feel free to stop and ask to repeat something, or point out a mistake,” she reminded her teammate before resuming with counting.

Breathe in, breathe out. It was the only thought she had as she followed the memorized parts of the choreography, counting aloud to make sure she was hitting her marks at the end of each measure. Iolani couldn’t be absolutely sure how loud she was counting, but she knew she was still on beat and judging by her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror, she was in sync with Yeohyun unnie.

Learning choreography was always the fun part of the comeback prep. Sure, she stressed over the little details and yes, she even lost sleep, but she loved this. It reminded her of all the practicing she did way back when she was little. All the ballet classes spent trying to perfect Figure 1 or tightening up her pirouettes. It was way too much fun for such a small girl. After it lost some of it’s luster, she didn’t rediscover her passion until she became a trainee and had to go through dance classes again.

When they reached the end of the first section of choreography, Iolani straightened up. “That move just before the chorus, is that syncopated? I feel like I’m too choppy on that part.”

[glryeohyun-blog]

Yeohyun was surprised. She wasn’t surprised by the fact that she was being asked to check over his dancing because she knew exactly why he was doing it. His accident had made national news after all. But it had been a while right? And why was he choosing her out of all the other dancers he could have chosen?

She walked in regardless and stood by the mirror, facing him. If she was asked to do this she would do it. It’s not like he really have her a choice either. With how popular Atlas was, it wasn’t possible to miss news of their activities so she knew what he was talking about. Nodding along, she watched him fiddle with his phone.

Pursing her lips briefly, she decided to speak up. “What do I do? Do you want me to correct you or just point out where the it looks off?” she asked hoping her voice was loud enough for him to hear.

Smooth

“Good. I want you to check over my dancing.” It was rankling, asking a hoobae to help monitor him when he used to easily breeze through the choreo, but Joonki was on his last nerve. 

He waved her in, walking over to his phone set up to the stereo. “You probably know already, but ATLAS is set to record a couple live stages soon.” In Nebula, all the artists tended to keep track of each other and interact (Joonki being an exception) so Yeohyun might have seen the music video with clips of their dances. 

It didn’t really matter- not with what he wanted her to see. 

He just needed confirmation. Another eye, someone he didn’t really know. 

“You don’t need to know the choreo for the dance- I know the routine. I want you to check…” He huffs, scrolling through to find their title track again. “…well. if you watch, you’ll know.” 

He looked up, finger hovered over their song ‘Stay’. 

“Okay?”

[glryeohyun-blog]

Raising an eyebrow at him, she let out a breathy laugh. "Is that your roundabout way of kicking me out?" she teased with slightly squinted eyes. "But you're not bad company either," she chuckled before going back to dancing to the song playing. It was all Hex but she was positive she knew the choreography. She picked up choreographies by other groups in her company just for fun. So of course she was enjoying herself.

She grinned when she saw him snacking on an apple. "Done already?" she asked, with the grin still pulling at her lips. She couldn't blame him for getting tired though, some of their choreographies were really demanding. If not for the years of dancing in her bag, she would be worse off than Ryung.

Stopping after the song ended, Yeohyun sat down on her spot, heaving for breath. "So, you didn't come for just warming up did you?" she enquired speaking over the music, meeting his eyes in the mirror again.

@glryeohyun:

“My comeback is here and yours is coming up, so maybe you can teach me how to sing after?” Yeohyun asked as they transitioned into the next song. It was nice, being able to dance without pressure. She usually made fewer mistakes in a relaxed environment but she still couldn’t relax completely. She might know Ryung but being the closed person she is, she would take a while longer to warm up but she could see it wasn’t going to take long with his personality and for that she was glad.

Ryung was quite surprised by the question. Sure he was one of Hex’s main vocalists, but he never thought of himself as a teacher. Looking at Yeohyun, he found that he couldn’t deny the offer. He never could say no to anyone, and deeper inside Ryung knew the real reason why. “Of course,” he responded, “I’m not the best teacher, but since we’ll be spending so much time together in the drama, we might as well hang out and get close. I can use that time to show you what I’ve gathered over the years,” and he gave her a small smile. 

After a while Ryung stopped. His shirt was stuck to his chest, and breathing heavily he sauntered over to his bag, grabbing his water bottle. His dark, dirty blonde, brown hair had strands sticking to his forehead, and he felt good with how this went. “You’re not such a bad company,” he teased Nyx, eyes narrowing in slight mischief as he chuckled. “but seriously, it was fun to hang out.” 

Taking out an apple from his bag his bit into it, bobbing his head to the music and occasionally doing a few of the moves as Nyx continued to dance. He decided to stick to watching instead, and focused on Yeohyun who moved fluidly with determination and power. Every step of hers was accurate, and Ryu stared in attentiveness at the way her feet moved, the position of her hips, how her body swayed with the beat. He noticed how there was little to no mistakes, and he couldn’t help, but feel impressed. If this was her not trying to do well he wondered how she was when she did put more effort in. 

When she caught him staring he only sent back a gentle smile and leaned against the back of the wall, right ankle crossing over his left as he crossed his arm and enjoyed his snack. His eyes inevitably sliding over to her every so often. 

[glryeohyun-blog]

"I'll talk to my manager about it and see how it goes from there I guess... I'm working on interacting with my members now. Maybe I'll suggest it for our next comeback," she smiled at Soomin. Thinking back to her times as a choreographer, she realised that regardless of whether she would get her name out there or not, she would enjoy teaching her teammates and making her own dance. It would personalise everything more.

"I'm sure I'll find a family in my group," she smiled at her senior. And she was sure. Her times with them assured her of that though she didn't know them very well yet.

(A shame considering it had been three years since she had debuted but it was no secret she was aloof by nature.)

At the reminder of the time, she looked at her phone. "I do have individual practice after this, but yes I didn't realise we spent so long talking... I'm sorry if I kept you for long," she said meekly, looking at Soomin through her lashes.

glryeohyun:

✂

Once she heard about Soomin’s audition sorry, she smiled sadly. “I wouldn’t know how that would feel… I’ve never really been that close to anyone,” she scratched her neck awkwardly and looks back down. It’s strange to not have friends when you’re 22 right? But there she was. Friends were all she had but they had never been close enough for Yeohyun to consider them as a factor for her decisions. “But you’re enjoying it right? You don’t regret your decision… Or I hope you don’t because honestly you’re so amazing,” Yeohyun frowned slightly at the thought of a Jewel Box without Soomin. Nope, not possible.

one of soomin’s brows quirked in interest as she nodded. “maybe you could think about choreographing for your group again  — just suggest it to the company and see what they say,” she advised. “it’s a good way to get your name out there, and fans love that sort of thing, you know — members writing their own lyrics, choreographing their own dances.”

her smile softened at yeohyun’s words, once again recognising elements of herself in the younger girl. “i find it hard to make close friends,” she admitted, “even in school, i wasn’t very social, so those that i do have are very dear to me.” taking a sip of her drink, she paused for a moment to gather her words. “it’s never too late to make friends, honestly, especially with your members. with them, it’s the easiest since you’re always in such close proximity. talk to them a little more, be honest about yourself and they’ll do the same. you’ll be alright.”

regret? it wasn’t something many people had asked her before, but she didn’t even have to think about her answer. “no, i definitely don’t regret what i’m doing now,” she said seriously, lips pursing in thought. “it’s different, of course, but rewarding in its own way.” glancing at the clock, she was a little startled by how long they had spent eating and talking. “ah, i probably shouldn’t keep you for too long. you probably still have practice after this, don’t you?”

[glryeohyun-blog]

I owe a few replies and I promise I'll get to them today so if in 24 hours y'all don't receive a reply, feel free to yell at me!

[glryeohyun-blog]

Yeohyun raised an eyebrow at Ryung when she caught his eye but cracked a smile when she saw his carefree demeanor. "After everything, I'm still a dancer Ryung," she reminded him, rolling her eyes playfully at him. But she found her muscles relaxing slightly nonetheless.

Grinning at his next question, she shook her head lightly. "Sorry, it was a one time show," she replied standing in place as the song switched. She was never meant to show her singing to anyone. He had found out by chance and she was far too embarrassed to even think about singing with audience to think of doing it again.

"My comeback is here and yours is coming up, so maybe you can teach me how to sing after?" Yeohyun asked as they transitioned into the next song. It was nice, being able to dance without pressure. She usually made fewer mistakes in a relaxed environment but she still couldn't relax completely. She might know Ryung but being the closed person she is, she would take a while longer to warm up but she could see it wasn't going to take long with his personality and for that she was glad.

@glryeohyun:

Just as she mulled the thought over, Ryung had put his hand out. She couldn’t say no to dancing even if she tried. It was one of Hex’s older songs. She kept up with choreographies of the other groups so it wasn’t tough for her to recognise the song or dance, making up her mind almost spontaneously as she grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. Stepping up beside him, she felt slightly awkward, dancing to a song from another group with one of their members. She felt hyper conscious of her own steps, determined to make no mistakes since she opted to dance to this song with him. “Correct me if I make any mistakes,” Yeohyun told Ryung, catching his eye in the mirror with a slight upward curve of her lips.

Ryung laughed at how serious she was taking it. “Relax Nyx,” he said as he shot her a glance through the mirror, bending down to do one of the dance moves before her was shifting across the floor again. “This isn’t a test, learn to loosen up and have some fun,” he added, not caring at the places he made a mistake. If he was alone it’d be a completely different story, but Ryung was very strict in the front he upheld. 

“Also, if you’re a bathroom singer can I know the next time you’re having a performance? I’d like to buy a ticket and attend,” Ryung openly teased, chuckling at her slightly surprised face. He was always pulling someones leg once he felt comfortable enough and that made Yeohyun no different. Dancing was one of the greatest thing to bring people together, and as they continued to burn through one song after the next he was beginning to feel more comfortable in her presence. 

Ryung could understand to a degree what she was going through, singing was fun, but it was extremely stressful, and even though Ryu was quite lucky in that field, there were still times where he was stuck in a studio for hours on end to perfect one fucking line. It infuriated him sometimes and in the dark hours, it reminded him of how this wasn’t even his dream to begin with. Thoughts like that were mildly terrifying, exhaustion brought the worst out of people, and it was no different for Ryu who felt swamped with his comeback and upcoming drama. 

[glryeohyun-blog]

Yeohyun looked up. Of course he's not going to kill her but it was normal for her as a junior to give him respect, right? No matter how rude he had been? That's how she worked but she complied nonetheless and kept eye contact.

Free for an hour? Sure she was. But what was it that made him call out for her out of the blue? She hadn't expected to be recognised as a dancer but she supposed that's what he needed help with if he's asking her to stay for a while.

Nodding, she thought about her words again. "I'm free. I'm done with my schedules for the day," she said. "But... Why do you ask, sunbaenim?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to look up at him properly.

Smooth

“…Huh.” Startled by the polite and (overly)formal response (he had been rude), Joonki remained silent for a moment. 

It was kind of awkward, honestly. Joonki was better with people more like him- rougher, bold and blunt to the point of insolence. 

“Well if you would look me in the eye, that’d be great.” His voice wry, he attempted to blow away the bangs plastered to his forehead. “I’m not going to kill you…” 

… what was her name again??? 

Yeo.. Yeoreun? Yeohyeon? 

Okay, Joonki knew he should be more aware of the other artists in the company, but honestly- there were so many, and he wasn’t good with memorization in the first place. He knew she was in Cinnamon, but there were nine girls in that group. 

Nine.

He only vaguely knew her from some drama. Whatever, he didn’t really need to know her name.

“Are you free right now? For… give or take, an hour?”

[glryeohyun-blog]

Choreograph? Sure she had but it was all in the past. Now all she did for herself was hidden. Maybe she could post it somewhere and remind people that though she's been in dramas more than in comebacks, she's still a dancer for Cinnamon.

"I do choreograph but I've only ever done it for myself... Ever since I joined the company, I mean. It takes my stress away I suppose. When I was in the academy, I choreographed for our group dances as well," she smiled, nostalgic about those days. "I'm lucky I could continue dancing, I'm aware I'm one of the few lucky ones who gets to showcase their passion," she told Soomin sincerely.

Once she heard about Soomin's audition sorry, she smiled sadly. "I wouldn't know how that would feel... I've never really been that close to anyone," she scratched her neck awkwardly and looks back down. It's strange to not have friends when you're 22 right? But there she was. Friends were all she had but they had never been close enough for Yeohyun to consider them as a factor for her decisions. "But you're enjoying it right? You don't regret your decision... Or I hope you don't because honestly you're so amazing," Yeohyun frowned slightly at the thought of a Jewel Box without Soomin. Nope, not possible.

glryeohyun:

✂

“Idol? Honestly, it wasn’t in my plans.” Yeohyun glanced at Soomin before continuing. “I have danced from a really young age and it’s all I ever wanted to do. So I found myself in a dance academy in high school away from parents. I picked up rapping then, in high school. I was street casted not long after that while at a dance battle,” she nodded as she trailed off. “I got much better at rapping since then actually and I’m nowhere as good as I’d like to be,” Yeohyun laughed. “But being able to perform and show my passion to the world was exciting to me and as long as I can dance, I have no qualms,” she shrugged, locking eyes with her senior. “I guess it was the desire to showcase my dance that brought me here,” she said confidently. “How about you? Everyone has a story about their audition right?” Yeohyun smiled before turning to her food briefly.

soomin often wondered what it would be like to have such passion for something, be it singing or dancing or even writing lyrics. perhaps, if she hadn’t joined the entertainment industry, she might have found her own passion eventually, but here she was, doing her best to sing and dance even though everyone knew full well her talents lay elsewhere. “ah, i’ve always wanted to dance well,” she said enviously, her tone light and teasing. “it’s good that you’re enjoying what you’re doing. it’ll keep you going when times are hard. do you choreograph as well?”

her brows raised when yeohyun directed her own question back at her, one corner of her mouth tugging upwards just a little. “me? i was cast off the streets as well, but not for dancing.” some might have been embarrassed to be known solely for their face, but not soomin — it was what she had going for her, and she had learnt to appreciate it. “i auditioned with my best friend, but she didn’t make it in. i almost didn’t join nebula because of that, you know.” her expression was wistful this time; it startled her to realise how long ago it all was — thirteen years. idly, she wondered what that best friend was doing now.

“that’s it, really. my audition story isn’t very exciting,” she said with a laugh and a shrug. “i never thought i’d become an idol, but obviously, i ended up signing that contract and starting training.” she wrinkled her nose slightly at the memories of her trainee days; she was certainly glad to have debuted.

[glryeohyun-blog]

Retreat

✏; @glrwoobin

Their meeting lasted for longer than she would have liked. She knew it was important to go over everything since they were on the brink of a huge comeback with the whole group. But honestly? They could never be too careful so it was pointless to lecture them like that all the time.

She sighed heavily as she left the room. Smiling a farewell to her other members, she turned down another hallway, wanting some fresh air and time alone before going back to practice and her other routine things. She was sure Chaegyeong was going to lecture the girls some more before letting them get back to practice. Deciding that could wait till she got back to their dorms, she climbed up a vaguely familiar staircase.

Pushing the heavy door open, she stepped out onto the roof. Immediately walking all the way to the edge she smiled, inhaling the fresh air at height deeply. On feeling eyes on her, she turned slightly to find another Nebula idol out with her. Was he there from before she arrived? She vaguely identified him as Valentine, a member of Escape. His real name was... "Woobin, right?"

[glryeohyun-blog]

Happiness

✏; @glrhyojin

Stretching out on the floor, Yeohyun commenced her cooling down exercises. For once she kept a track of time and started wrapping up her practice. It would be embarrassing if she was caught by someone again. She was lucky last time it was someone she already knew.

After all she wasn't acquainted to everyone in the company. She only knew her team, and a few she had met on acting sets. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she concentrated on cooling herself down. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were damp with sweat but she wouldn't have it any other way. How could she call it practise if she didn't look slightly strained?

After her exercises had finished, she went to the dark corner of the room where she had left her bag and rummaged through it for her drink. She heard the door open behind her as she pulled the bottle out. Pulling an extra bottle out, she turned to face the door. She recognised Hex's maknae.

Another Hex member? Interesting. Though Yeohyun wasn't good at interacting, she felt slightly more comfortable with younger idols. So she stepped out of the dark corner. Realising how quiet she was, she called out. "Hey, you're the maknae right? For Hex?" she said as she took tentative steps towards him before holding out the extra bottle. "This will help you last longer during practice since that's clearly what you're here for," she smiled at him.

[glryeohyun-blog]

It was strange for Yeohyun, dancing with someone again after so long. But it was a welcome nostalgic memory. She grinned back at her younger member and nodded, counting down 4 beats with the tap of her feet and quiet counting under her breath, she started the dance.

Her voice barely audible, she kept counting. 1, 2, 3 and 4. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Repeating the same counts over and over she exaggerated her movements enough to guide Iolani. Arms stretched out, eyes squinted slightly with determination, she went through the moves.

"Feel free to stop and ask to repeat something, or point out a mistake," she reminded her teammate before resuming with counting.

Partners in Dance

Yeohyun

“Should we try taking it from the top with counting? Then we can pause when you think you don’t have a step down perfectly,” Yeohyun turned to look at Iolani, pushing away the little fly away hairs that got in her face while they were dancing.

The slowed down choreography was much appreciated. Iolani’s eyes followed every movement, her arms mimicking Yeohyun’s placement as she tried to commit it to memory. This must’ve been about the time Iolani’s stomach began to growl and she lost her concentration earlier. It could be the only reason the choreography wasn’t clear in her head like the earlier section.

But the advice Yeohyun offered advice that immediately registered with the redhead. Her rigidity must’ve showed and for a moment she felt bad that Yeohyun unnie noticed but she was happy she was offering her advice on fixing it. After all, they did agree to be honest and offer input where they could right?

Taking the advice, she nodded her head at the question about counting. “Yes, let’s take it from the top then,” Iolani said with a firm nod and smile. Resetting in her starting position, she quickly undid her ponytail only to redo it, tightening the the hair tie enough to keep it secure. “Ready?”

[glryeohyun-blog]

After finishing her routine practice, Yeohyun decided to get some lyric writing done. Early nights were not for her. But when she heard another voice call out to her, she knew her night wasn't going to go as planned. Voice vaguely familiar, she turned to look at the mirror on which she saw the reflection of the owner of that voice.

Joonki. An Atlas member. The member who faced a car crash recently. Trouble.

Nodding to his question, she meekly peeked in. "Yes sunbaenim, I am a dancer. Could I be of assistance?" She said as she raised herself from a 90° bow. Deciding to be formal, she kept her stance straight, head down and voice quite.

Smooth

@glryeohyun

After his stolen breakfast, it was time to squeeze in some practice before the comeback stage recordings. 

Phone connected to the speakers of the practice room, the newest ATLAS song was blasted at the loudest volume as Joonki went through the moves, memories of the all night training session pounding in his head, never seeming to escape him. 

Something was off about his dancing.

The instructor had glanced at him last night, a pitying look in his eye, but remained silent. 

As if nothing could be done to help him.

Something had changed since the crash, and Joonki wanted to throw his phone at the mirror, he wanted to break the reflection of his exhausted, sweat plastered, broken body. 

He knew the choreo. He matched up with the others easily. But he knew there  was still work to be done, and he couldn’t just do it alone- 

so when he spotted a vaguely familiar figure at the door of his practice room, he stopped the music calling out to her. 

“Yah, you. You’re a dancer right?”  

[glryeohyun-blog]

Yeohyun chuckled. "I understand. I realised this recently, or rather a couple of years ago but yeah, support from fans is lovely and motivate us. I understand it completely," she nodded with a smile. For her it was very important, the response from her fans and so she worked even harder for them. Of course she understood. She craved to perform on a state in front of people and now after debut, she wants to show a better state every time, outdoing herself every single time.

"Idol? Honestly, it wasn't in my plans." Yeohyun glanced at Soomin before continuing. "I have danced from a really young age and it's all I ever wanted to do. So I found myself in a dance academy in high school away from parents. I picked up rapping then, in high school. I was street casted not long after that while at a dance battle," she nodded as she trailed off. "I got much better at rapping since then actually and I'm nowhere as good as I'd like to be," Yeohyun laughed. "But being able to perform and show my passion to the world was exciting to me and as long as I can dance, I have no qualms," she shrugged, locking eyes with her senior. "I guess it was the desire to showcase my dance that brought me here," she said confidently. "How about you? Everyone has a story about their audition right?" Yeohyun smiled before turning to her food briefly.

glryeohyun:

✂

“But if you’re sure, I’d love to watch you perform and cheer you on. It’s nothing less than a dream come true,” Yeohyun answered eventually, going back to spewing out her love for Jewel Box. “I’ve watched and followed Jewel Box for a long time but I never got the chance to watch a concert because your tickets have always been so high in demand,” she giggled sheepishly. It was embarrassing of course, to tell your idol about your own love for them.

“ah — well, i’m glad you’ll be able to watch us in concert soon.” soomin coughed awkwardly, looking down at her food for a moment before she admitted with a laugh, “that was kind of weird for me to say, wasn’t it? but we really do appreciate all the support.” she’d never really gotten used to her juniors admitting that they were jewel box fans — the eight years since debut had passed by so quickly, sometimes she had to remind herself that she wasn’t just another three-month-old rookie, fighting to stand out from the crowd. she no longer had quite the same energy as before, for one thing.

(it was also kind of the fact that it reminded her that she was getting older. after all, so many of these juniors had only started training in nebula after her debut. if that didn’t make her feel old, then nothing else did.)

thinking of her trainee days inevitable reminded soomin of her audition, and how everything had just…spiraled from there. she looked curiously at yeohyun for a minute, at this shy but vibrant girl before her, and wondered what had sent her down this thorny path. she wouldn’t have thought that someone with yeohyun’s personality would have spontaneously decided to embrace the limelight, but here they both were. “what made you want to become an idol?” she asked, probably a little abruptly, but with enough genuine curiosity to soften the edges of her words.