inhobe

[inhobe]

the downside of dating someone who was publicly known to be a trainee was how aware they had to be of how they would be perceived in public. their late night rendezvous would have to keep up if they wanted to go on dates outside of his apartment.

inho hoped they would be left alone and to their own devices to enjoy their limited time together.

he chuckled quietly hearing her complaints. "isn't that the purpose of this whole thing?" inho asked, amused with the pout on chaerin's lips. even if he had to resist the urge to kiss her now. he'd run into other people he knew while there, specifically jaeyoung, who squirted him without inho even noticing he was there first. there definitely were lots of people there solely to be fools.

now that she had been publicly revealed as a trainee, there was a lot chaerin had to be on the lookout for. she doubts that next gen was such a phenomenon that people will be turning heads to stare at her, but she does realize that there was always the chance that someone will recognize her.

that's why she was hesitant on attending waterbomb with inho, but there were a few other familiar trainee faces around that they could always use as an excuse if they needed to.

squeezing some of the water that her hair has soaked up, she nodded before slowly making her way around the crowd. "i didn't think it would be this hectic. i feel like some people are here solely to squirt other people with their water guns," she commented with a slight pout. chaerin mostly decided to come because she wanted to experience the festival at least once, but she's not sure if she'll ever attend again. except maybe once she debuted, of course.

[inhobe]

inho and @bechaerin take a break for some food

it was safe to say, he was only here because of chaerin.

waterbomb wasn't something inho was familiar with, until it got brought to his attention. he liked water parks, music was cool. maybe this wasn't the music he would really seek out but, it was time with chaerin, he'd take it.

"want to get some frozen yoghurt?" inho asked after his eyes landed on the stand, fueled by the need for some food and to cool off more. so far, he hadn't gotten too wet.

there was a part of him that was nervous about being in public, since next gen's ending really wasn't that long ago. in reality, it wasn't likely someone would go out of their way to make fun of him, if any one recognized him at all. still, the scenario played in the back of his mind.

[inhobe]

it had been glaringly obvious since the two of them first met that inho lived a very different live than chaerin did. they seemed to be completed opposites even. there had been plenty of time over the years he'd had to give himself a reality check that chaerin probably didn't date guys like him.

he didn't understand a family who kept track of their children because inho never had that supervision. he did what he wanted when he wanted ad he always had. if it wasn't for inhye, inho wasn't sure his mom would have known he had shipped off to do his military services. "sometimes little sisters are beneficial, huh?" he joked, knowing chaerin loved her little sister.

inho nodded in agreement with the spot that chaerin suggested for them ad moved towards it, settling himself down as well with their snacks. it sucked not having a blanket to sit on but this would work. "your date ideas haven't been terrible so far," he teased her.

it's almost weird how long she's known inho and how much he's engraved himself into her life. she doubts she would've done half the things she's done so far if it wasn't with inho. that's why it was that much obvious when he wasn't part of her life for a while.

"i've had to have chaewon cover for me so many times. thank god i majored in something that did require me having to work all hours," she said with a chuckle. she's pretty sure she still owes her sister a few more favors with how much she's had her back.

once they reached the park, she pointed over to an area that looked pretty empty. there were a few other pairs like themselves who were out here to enjoy a very late night picnic, and for a moment, chaerin wondered what their stories might be.

"i think this spot looks fine. don't you think so?" she says. however, before waiting for an answer, she began settling down. it's not like he was going to disagree with her anyway.

[inhobe]

inho reacts to the next gen results

inho didn't know what to do when all the winners were announced, followed by those being offered contracts, and he wasn't one of them. he'd missed it by two spots. and now he was one of four left standing on stage with nothing to show for everything they'd done.

it was hard to decipher what emotions were swirling around in his head. the moment inho was allowed off stage, he went, choosing not to pay attention to anything else as he exited. he wouldn't be able to think in front of everyone and everything going on.

what did he do wrong?

angry. it was the first emotion inho could work through in his head as he got the mic off of him, passing it off to the crew. why was he angry? inho went into this not having a real interest in being an idol, and now he didn't have to be. even then, he still go his face out there on television, people were aware of his talent. he got lots of benefits. did he actually kind of want to do this now?

surely not.

confusion was the next one he processed, which wasn't shocking or difficult to work through. it was fueled by the anger, however, making it worse.

inho didn't have much to say to anyone as he changed into the clothes he arrived in. his clothes, comfortable, ordinary, like the life he was returning to tomorrow. he'd go home tonight and call the sweet old woman who had been so patient with him through this. she'd give him his old schedule back, let him work as necessary to make ends meet while going to school and taking care of inhye. he'd go back to singing at bars on the weekend for some extra money.

inhye. he wondered how she'd be reacting. that curiosity didn't last long when he met up with his two friends outside where they coordinated, inhye standing between them with puffy red eyes and a pout. he could set aside his anger to deal with hers.

everything softened at the sight as inho approached and gently scooped the little girl into his arms. like him, she didn't have much to say. "let's go home, yeah?" he offered quietly, and she nodded.

neither inho or inhye or his friends brought up the results or the show at all as they walked towards the bus stop together. this was his life before next gen and this was his life now. everything would be the same as it was months ago.

he wondered how chaerin was reacting. he should have said something to her before he left. inho made a note to text her later. that was something fun he could look forward to. not everything would be so mundane again. still, inho couldn't shake the rage bubbling underneath the surface. he didn't know who to even direct it at. the judges? himself? it was hard to say.

every fiber of his being wanted to lash out at something, but he didn't, and he wouldn't. in a few days, everything would be normal again. no one would think about his failed adventure and wouldn't ask him about it.

everything would be fine enough soon.

[inhobe]

inho was still trying to find balance in his head for everything that had happened, versus what they were trying to do now. before their first date, he'd went back and forth on whether he was going the right thing or not. it was a lot to essentially wait and case someone for eight years of your life, only for them to drag you long, then come running back when you end things.

since then, he'd felt much more secure in the decision. it was nice to go on a proper date and know both of them were viewing it as a date. the anger he'd felt was mostly gone, long gone really, but it was nice to see her work for it.

next gen had helped a lot making him comfortable with her. "yah, making me put in all this work for you," inho teased chaerin. he couldn't not. inho followed her out of the store, as the pair began their walk to the river, needing a pick a nice spot for their picnic.

"so much. i've kept you out past curfew so many times," the teasing continued, inho having their bags in hand, not letting chaerin carry them. "you're so badass babe."

while she hated to admit it, they were still in a rather awkward place with their relationship. chaerin wasn't sure what she was allowed to do. could she hold his hand? could she link her arm in his? because she was the one who had asked for forgiveness, she still felt careful around inho.

despite all that, it was still like a breath of fresh air getting to meet him outside the walls of the axis building. she had been focused on next gen and helping out the other participants and with inho never having been in her group, they didn't actually get to spend much time together.

however, next gen also had its benefits. it allowed them to see one another more often, and chaerin likes to think that's helped bridge them together a little quicker. "you'll need to cover my face and everything," she reminds him once more with a chuckle.

"hmm, probably so, but i've done a lot of rebelling on my part after meeting you," she mentions, trying to ignore the way her cheeks begin to heat up. clearing her throat, she finishes checking out the items and have gestured for him to follow her out of the convenience store.

[inhobe]

it'd been a long time since inho went out on a proper date. it was honestly hard to recall. he was a busy guy with work, school, and his sister. the idea of potentially having a steady partner he had to also put a chunk of his energy and focus into was exhausting to think about. also....not feasible. it felt wrong to try and bring a new person into his chaos.

chaerin wasn't new though, she knew all about his chaos and limited schedule. even if next gen didn't work out, he wasn't any less busy. inho was still working through his feelings too. it was all a bit complicated.

inho followed chaerin up to the register as they collected their treats for their impromptu date. he couldn't help but snort out a bit of laughter. "i will consider carrying you home so you don't end up in your first scandal," he offered teasingly. he'd carry her home immediately, he knew he would.

"i think we have two different definitions of rebelling." it wasn't a secret inho was far less straight-laced in comparison to the woman he walked next to. it was still funny to hear and tease her a bit about.

truthfully, chaerin wasn't all too interested in the food they'd be having. while she rummaged through the snack section, she picked up a few chocolate snacks and gummies, which may also melt with the current summer weather, but they still sounded like a better choice than the ice cream.

"not particularly, but i'm sure this will be just fine," she comments before showing him the snacks she has picked out. letting out a hum, she gestured for inho to follow her to the counter so they could pay for their food.

"if i fall asleep, promise to carry me home, so i don't end up on the front page of the newspaper or something," she joked with a chuckle before shaking her head a bit. with next gen happening, she's had to spend extra hours on keeping up with her training, which meant hours of sleep lost. however, she wasn't going to give up on the chance to make it up to inho, either.

she does her best to stifle a yawn before thanking the part-time worker behind the counter and picking up all their stuff. "i can't remember the last time i've been out this late. it almost feels like we're rebelling," she says.

[inhobe]

inho does his last backstage interview for next gen

inho felt on top of the world after their performance. he did his absolute best and he couldn't have done any better honestly. he felt good as they made their way backstage for the last interviews. patiently, inho waited his turn amongst the team until the now very familiar staff was directing him to he same spot as always, with the same camera pointed at his face.

how do you feel your last performance went?

"i think we did amazing," inho didn't hesitate to answer. they did, and they deserved the praise. "i don't think i could feel about about how the team performed as a whole and how i performed myself." he hesitated briefly before continuing. "our team had some bumps in the road along the way but i'm happy we could overcome those to put on an amazing last performance."

did you have anyone in the crowd supporting you?

inho couldn't help the small smile that tugged on his lips. "yeah there's a few," he nodded. "i asked two of my friends to come here to watch, but mostly so they could bring my little sister along," inho described the situation. "she is my number one fan always, and i needed to know i made her proud, so she was cheering me on the hardest."

do you think you made her proud?

"i hope so," inho chuckled some, nodding. it was the only thing he wanted in life. "she looked proud when we ended, but i'll get the final verdict later."

any last words for the viewers?

"thank you for watching the show," inho smiled at the camera. "i appreciate you, and thank you for supporting me along the way! i look forward to hopefully seeing you all in the future!"

[inhobe]

inho performs "bang!" and on next gen for the final time outfit inspiration 1 | line distribution

after weeks of learning new songs, interacting with new people, and being forced out of his comfort zone, next gen was about to come to an end. all that was left was for all of them to perform their original songs. inho felt proud of himself for getting this far in the competition, especially when he hadn't planned on doing any of this. when the audition happened, he fully expected not to get through, then he did. next he expected to be eliminated immediately, but here he was on the live stage.

the final song they'd been given was definitely up his alley. it seemed like "adrenaline" was definitely a challenge the judges wanted to see him face, and he failed in their eyes. now he had to redeem himself.

practice with the team was interesting, to say the least. there was so much tension and conflict between multiple members. inho felt okay where he stood with the others, he got along with all of them. it was best to stay out of the drama. he'd happily listen to members vent, but he wasn't going to join in on everything. it helped keep him focused on the performance.

inho stayed focused during practice. ren had chosen him for the high note, and he wasn't going to mess it up. he worked with the coaches on it, ensuring he found a balance of not overdoing anything, but also ensuring the note was impressive, as it should be.

sadly he couldn't only sing all of practice. so he focused on dancing too. inho still had room to improve, always, but his dancing had come a long way. it was important to practice as a team but also with individuals, and on his own. so he did. he took the feedback and did his best with it. and he felt good about how the performance aspect of the choreography and facial expressions had turned out.

he was even more determined to do everything he could to perform well knowing inhye, his little sister would be in the crowd. he couldn't disappoint her.

that was one of the thoughts rolling through his head as the "bang!" team was stepping on stage. it was time to kill it. inho let himself glance at the audience and it warmed his head to see his little sister standing with two of his friends who agreed to bring her for him, a homemade sign in her hands made to support him. god he loved that little girl so much, he'd do anything to see her happy.

as the music began, he locked in, and was focused back on the performance.

even if their team didn't fully get along, they performed well together. they moved well together on stage. the choreography wasn't anything too wild, but inho still couldn't help but feel great as he moved through the song, singing during his team.

everything was going perfectly for his parts so well, executing lines and dance moves appropriately. little by little everything was leading up to the high note at the end of the song.

he'd talked with ren about stepping out of choreo earlier, but inho decided against stepping out any earlier than was put in the song for him. it took a lot of practice but he got his breath control under support. he could do this.

when it was his time to hit the note, inho felt like everything was falling into place as the note left his mouth and flowed through the speaker. he did it. no random voice cracks, he had plenty of air to support. as the note ended, he seamlessly joined the dance again until the song was done.

as he stood, once more he glanced towards where inhye was, holding in his smile as she jumped and clapped and cheered.

even if he didn't win, he'd met his goal of making her proud.

[inhobe]

since joining next gen, inho was even tighter on money than normal. he'd been playing over ways he could make being a trainee work with school. he'd have to start applying to a lot more scholarships to help with things than he already was. he was in no position to be putting money in this new jar.

"i do that too sometimes," inho nodded in understanding. he was hard on himself at all times. "it's something we both need to work on." it seemed like inho kept most of his negativity inside nowadays, especially on next gen. it felt easier not to give the judges anymore reason to yell at him for something. inho just nods and hums quietly as the money is placed in the jar in advance.

inho joined siwoo in stretching, getting ready to actually practice. "yeh, we need to work hard."

"not really. i mean, i'd rather not," siwoo says, the money already in the jar as he begins to stretch. after weeks in next gen, he feels as though he's sort of gotten accustomed to this – how to stretch, and his body feeling a lot lighter than it had before he'd started on this show. his muscles probably fucking hate him though.

"i have a tendency to be a little self deprecating though," he thinks back to when nayoung had called him out on his negative attitude – and she hadn't been wrong about it. siwoo had easily gotten annoyed and angry at himself when he seemed as though he couldn't quite get something right. "and i didn't feel like wasting time going back and forth putting in the money. so just in case," he nods his head and stands up.

he thinks he's got most of the choreography down now, he just has to work on the details. details, details, details. his facial expression, his legs, and the movement of his arms. "i do hope i get it right this time, though. we need to make sure we win," he smiles, turning to look at inho.

[inhobe]

praise was a good start. inho felt generally good about the song as a whole. being picked for the high note also added a boost to his confidence. now it was just practicing until it was as perfect as it could possibly get. he got along with both of their coaches perfectly fine, unlike some of the rest of their team, but ren was the more experienced senior so it made more sense to practice with him for now.

as ren shared his notes, inho nodded along, taking a moment to think them through in his head, how stepping out of the choreo sooner might look and if it was worth it. there were a part of him that worried about messing with anything so much when they were handed everything they were expected to follow. he'd think about it. "don't strain, possibly step out sooner or work on breath control, got it," he repeated, giving ren a chance to correct him if he felt necessary.

inho looked at the other curiously as he paused. what else was there. shine but not too much had been something to keep in mind throughout the competition. balance and all that. "yeah i will keep that in mind," inho nodded. he didn't think he was going to far out of left field but maybe his audience was hearing something different. "have you heard me do that in practice?"

"it's good," ren allows genuinely, even if his expression is relatively neutral and his tone level. it's no secret that he prefers inho's company over most of the other bang! team members, and not without reason, but the last thing he needs is another accusation of favoritism or bias or sabotage hanging over his head like the glinting blade of a guillotine.

it is almost comical, though, how he had know inho and jaeyoung for the exact same amount of time, in the exact same setting, and yet, had come out of their time together with such contrasting relationships.

"make sure you're not straining on the high note. i know you're out of breath toward the end, but you don't want to hurt yourself," he pauses to reviews his notes, alongside the lyrics sheet and sheet music laid out on the floor in front of him, "if you need to, you can probably step out of the choreo a few moves sooner. our seniors do it all the time."

"ah, also," he adds after glimpsing one of his hastily scribbled notes that sits nearer to the top of the page, "when you're singing with the other members, watch your tone. you can..." his speech slows to something a bit more hesitant as he searches for the right words in korean, "you can stylize your featured moments all you want, but standing out in group moments, vocally, can be something singers like you and me get called out for. it's something i'm still working on too, to be honest."

[inhobe]

while inho was paying attention and vaguely listening to the rest of the circle, his mind was wondering. the topic was what he was going to snack on when he got home but nayoung's stern question was enough to bring him fully back to reality. inho had biased observations of the group, he got along with all of them fairly well. the issues nayoung was calling siwoo and jaeyoung out on were valid, but their interactions with him were very different. his interactions with their coaches in comparison also were vastly different.

inho felt like he was caught in the crossfire almost as the two boys to each of his sides were at the end of nayoung's ire. why couldn't he have been randomly placed elsewhere. siwoo at least seemed to be making a better decision not to fuck around with nayoung after the exercise continued, even if he doubted the apologizes were genuine on siwoo's side. he wondered if jay would speak up at his turn.

the transition of asking who was next when it was clearly inho was a very clear way of awkwardly moving away from himself though.

he'd had a few people now to think about his challenge and a compliment. "one of my biggest challenges on next gen was dancing and learning choreography. i've never been a dancer either in my life, so it was a difficult step at the beginning, on top of being able to sing at the same time. i think i've improved a lot but i still will continue to work on that." it was honest but vague, he really didn't want to get into his real challenges.

inho turned then to look at siwoo, the person to his right. what was something nice he could say to the other that wasn't regarding his physical appearance? "siwoo, while your honesty sometimes gets you in trouble, i like how honest and upfront your are about what's on your mind."

what the fuck?

what the fuck did i do? siwoo furrows his brows, obviously confused. what the fuck did he do to warrant a rant from nayoung of all people? he's said his piece and it was good enough that he didn't fucking throttle luciel for being annoying. and was it his fault if jay was laughing?

he glances over to jay, and then back to his own hands. it was pretty funny though, and he's sure he knows exactly why jay was laughing. still, he's ticked off. annoyed even, that nayoung's bringing this up out of seemingly nowhere, when siwoo's tried his hardest not to stand up and throw profanities at every human he could see. what the fuck? was this it? did she perhaps need an outlet to showcase her superiority? he sighs, it isn't worth it.

because despite his now genuine annoyance with being pulled into this shitty team bonding exercise, he knows she has a point. that he'll have to work things out with luciel one way or another. fuck. he decides to ignore her. it's all just noise to him at this point, instead he turns his attention to luciel who's... apologizing.

it isn't genuine though, and the fact that it isn't is actually amusing to siwoo. "nothing to forgive you for. i wasn't even mad, i thought it was funny," siwoo says. a lie, clearly, but there's a sort of act that luciel is putting up – that while almost pathetic, is actually a little hilarious to siwoo. he wonders if the camera catches it? wonders if they'll fall for it. luciel looks like a pretty good actor. he has the face for it too. still, he reaches out for luciel's hand and shakes it.

but he has to compliment luciel now though. and quite honestly, he has nothing to say that might sound even remotely nice. he thinks for a moment, and decides to just fuck it and be honest. he'll list all the reasons why he can't stand luciel instead.

"you're someone who's very likeable," yeah, that's it. that's the genuine truth. siwoo can't stand luciel because he's so fucking likeable. "you're kind without even trying, and that's something that i've always struggled with. i think it's nice... being able to see that in you." urgh. and an apology. how fucking fake. "and i'm sorry if it seemed like i had... any animosity towards you. i just wanted to get to know you better." no. no. but if luciel can fake it for the cameras, then siwoo will too. he smiles and tries to look apologetic before quickly moving on to the next part of this stupid team bonding exercise.

"a challenge i face..." he begins, "i think most of you know that before this i've never danced in my life. i still struggle with it, i think. the feeling i get before going up on stage is still new to me, so i'm never too sure how to cope with it. if it translates badly into how i interact with some of you, i apologize for that too." urgh. "who's next?"

[inhobe]

a lot of sceanarios for how this competition could go for himself had crossed inho's mind since the audition round. part of him wondered if the show would force him to try out rapping more than "do better" had, but luckily, they all seemed to agree that singing was his forte. he was happy about that, and that others seemed to agree that's where his talents lied. since being on next gen, he'd learned a lot from the coaches, both trainees and those who coached full time, how to control his voice and utilize it better. even if this show took him nowhere somehow, he could take these skills back to bar singing and improve his sets.

it isn't hard to see where jihyun is having his issue once he demonstrates the line to him. "a little bit," inho nodded, considering ways to help the other in his head. "you start good, but when you sing the last word, trying to hold that at the same note isn't working. what about trying..." inho sang the same part to jihyun, adding a shift in the note to move up and back down to allow for something smoother. he thought it was called a run but really he wasn't sure. "can i hear you try it?"

finding the balance was hard too, initially. despite having a background for singing, luciel had never sang seriously enough to enter a competition. he’s never thought of becoming a singer. to think that now he’s considered as a good vocalist was… a weird feeling. he wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about it. no matter how much praise he gets, it still feels unreal. but in a more positive light, that is a good thing, being overconfident doesn’t always comes with no trouble. he’ll always be thankful towards chaerin for helping him discover how to make his singing unique.

luciel traces over the vocal sheets, it’s the part where he was singing back to back with inho. “this part… ( it’s my time ~ ).” in no time, he demonstrates his struggle to inho. it starts off well, then he stretches the syllables at the end. even though it sounded nice at first, it didn’t exactly ended on a nice note. it felt like he was fighting with it. “something like that. it felt off… don’t you think?”

[inhobe]

it was very fair to say that in comparison to "adrenaline", this original song was much more up his alley. whoever assigned individuals to a song had done well with this one. he was still singing, as he hoped, and enjoyed everything about what he was working on. it felt like a good set up this time around. still, inho took time to learn the dance, not being the best dancer by any means, but he felt better about that process as well.

"i like it a lot. what about you?" inho shared with her when seira asked his opinion. especially in comparison to the other two song options he'd heard briefly walking around. "yeah i feel good about the overall choreography, but just continuing to work on those details, like you said, and feeling good singing during it all."

inhobe

vocally, inho had been blessed to only really be pushed outside his comfort zone for "do better", as he was forced to rap some during the performance in front of the judges. he wasn't made to be a rapper, even maybe he appeared more like one than a singer. luckily, he'd once again be singing for "bang!", as well as being trusted with the song's high note. a feeling of pride swelled up in his chest as ren had made the decision after both he and jihyun auditioned for it with the coach. the singing didn't worry him, never did, but dancing was something he always had to put some effort into. inho would like to think he'd improved greatly in terms of learning choreography and his stamina, but he wasn't a natural born dancer by any means. he'd been working on combining the lyrics and dance moves when seira approached him with the request to practice together. "yeah, sure, it would help to see myself next to someone," he agreed easily.

seira was quite excited for this performance, a chance to rap, a chance to do a concept she was confident in. seira had been lucky enough to escape elimination, but last place continued to haunt her. she’d worked so hard, and she would continue to work hard, she wanted to prove she deserved to be on the show, she wanted to become a trainee again. learning her parts for the song was easy, she mainly had rap parts, the skill she was most confident in. she practiced her rap at home, so when in the trainee room she had more time for practicing dance.

“what do you think of the song?” she asks the other, curious about her members’ reactions to the song they’ve been given. she gives a nod “seeing yourself next to someone doing the same dance, it’s easier to spot if you make a mistake”. “the dance doesn’t seem too hard i would say, i’ve already learned majority of it, i’m just focusing a lot on details now”.

[inhobe]

inho really did feel too old for all of this at his ripe age of 23.

there was a whole team building exercise (which went very questionably overall), and now a no swear jar that also doubled as a no filter jar. he liked to think he'd been doing well in those areas thus far. the swearing was a normal part of his life, but he also tried to filter it some around his young sister. the filter was also difficult, but it was made obvious to inho early on that his casual nature wasn't going to cut it, thus, led him towards trying to find balance in front of a camera and in front of strangers.

he watched as siwoo approached the jar sat in the middle of the floor, seeing the bill be slipped in. when siwoo turned back around, inho gave him a slightly confused look. "no?" inho answered as though his answer was another question itself. "i don't have extra money to waste. i'm just not gonna do anything to require money be put in at all." it felt like common sense to him.

"are you planning to do something wild that requires you to put the money in the jar now that you have?" something about how self-fulfilling prophecies he'd heard at school. if it was expected, it was more likely to happen. inho felt like siwoo was doing that now.

jar starter for @inhobe

a jar.

in the middle of the practice room sits a fucking jar. usually siwoo would question this, probably pick up the jar and place it outside because the sight of it makes his eyes look sore. but there's a reason it's there, placed in the practice room.

and the reason is well ... siwoo can't help but think that he may be part of the reason for it. the no filter jar. siwoo's gotten a lot better at not swearing in front of the cameras, still he's having trouble filtering out his thoughts.

( 'i sound like a dying goat.' 'who came up with the name next gen?' )

but he can't help it. he sighs as he walks towards the jar and pulls out his wallet. maybe he'll place 10,000 won in advance. the rule is to put money after you've said something out of place, but siwoo thinks it's a waste to walk back and forth in the middle of practice.

he turns to inho. "i'm putting this in here, because i don't want to waste my time walking back and forth when i could spend it focusing on practice," he explains – a little for inho, and a little for the cameras. "better safe than sorry," he laughs. "are you going to put any in advance?"

[inhobe]

inho couldn't help but snort out some laughter at the mention of him having a "bad boy image" already. he wasn't sure if that was how the world or judges were viewing him, but it wouldn't have been the first time he'd been placed in that category. "oh definitely," he jokingly agreed to the statement.

"both are accurate some days," inho continued to tease after giving jaeyoung a look that asked if he was serious with the question. "if i had to guess, you are definitely putting more money in this jar than i will be." it was a bit of a friendly challenge. maybe it would calm their team down a bit.

once more, inho was letting out an amused bit of laughter. "20...ish?" he asked, showing his curiosity and amusement for the statement. that certainly was a weird way for the other to describe his age. yet here they were. "you sure about that adult statement?"

jay laughs, not at all minding how inho swatted his arm—he kind of deserved that, considering his comment earlier. he feels there's truth to it though. "i'm just saying! it fits your bad boy vibes. am i wrong?" no matter what inho says, jay doesn't believe that he is.

still, he wonders just how seriously he should take this whole situation. it feels like they're back in middle school, keeping track of their words and making sure they don't say anything inappropriate in front of the teachers. in this case, would the teachers be the mentors or the judges? or both?

inho's the one teasing next, which doesn't surprise him. jay reacts by letting out a scandalous sounding gasp. "what are you trying to say? that i'm childish? a.... brat?" all said in jest, he doesn't take any offense to that. but jay is competitive, and inho's teasing could be worked into motivation.

"okay, i'm determined to keep this jar empty today!" he turns to inho, arms raised in a 'fighting!' gesture. "i'm also an adult, after all. 20...ish years of age!" forgive him for not wanting to count, nor remember his own age off the top of his head.

[inhobe]

out of all the critiques inho had gotten through the competition, he hadn't heard the judges say anything negative about his voice, which was reassuring throughout their time on the show. it was the one thing he consistently had so far. as he had gotten the chance for high notes and a good amount of lines in the other team songs, it only boosted his confidence.

as jihyun complimented him, inho offered a bit of smile, "thanks jihyun, you sing really good too," he returned the compliment. the duo they had for this song was nice, in his opinion, as they shared some of the more challenging parts. "you're too kind," inho wasn't great at receiving compliments, even if it boosted his ego every time, and jihyun had hit him with multiple back-to-back.

"what are you struggling with?" he asked without hesitation, "maybe i can help." it was always a solo competition but if their team was weak in any area, that put them all at risk in his eyes. it felt best to help. "it's been weird, for me, trying to find that balance, but i think i'm doing well with it. practice definitely makes perfect, and i think we've both added our own slight bit of flair."

both luciel and @inhobe had the most lines in the team, so it’s natural that the two came together to practice eventually. inho is a good singer and holds his notes well, and due to the line distribution, it’s decided that the high note goes to him. they held a mini competition for the high note at first, which was kinda fun even though he didn’t get it in the end. luciel thought it was fair and wasn’t deterred by it, he could comfortably do his adlibs meanwhile and still stand out that way.

“you sing well, inho,” luciel throws in a compliment after they had a round of practice together one time. “i’m glad i got the opportunity to sing with you in this team, i thought you sang well in the performance for adrenaline.” he’s also noting down the way inho sings and how he incorporates his style into the song. chemistry is important after all. whenever he takes over or vice versa, it has to appear seamless. the rest of the team seems to be in a bit of the mess (even he himself had something with siwoo too…) otherwise, so he’s thankful that this time it isn’t all too bad with inho.

“it’s a little harder to sing this time,” he glances back at the sheet in his hand. he’s found out that he’s more comfortable in lower pitch, but there’s certain parts of the song where he has to go higher. “we have to follow what we’re given, but also make the song ours… even though it’s our finale performance, it’s never easy. but practice makes perfect, right?” he ends it with a chuckle to lighten things up.

[inhobe]

@renxbe gives inho some feedback

as much as inho wanted for the show to be over and to take a long, much needed, nap, he knew now wasn't the time to slack off. he had to keep pushing to be his best. especially since the judges got so upset with him the previous week. the issue with looking disinterested was easy to fix, he liked the original song he'd been made a part of. now it was to make sure that showed on stage, but also to make sure all aspects of the performance were great too.

part of all of that was utilizing the resources around him, starting with the two assigned coaches. ren was an interesting guy. inho found that he was one of the few ren seemed to like in the otherwise chaotic "bang!" team. they worked well together the previous week as well, getting to sit and chat over the guitar. it had been nice and relaxing amongst all the strenuous practicing. this time around, inho didn't get to bring his guitar along, but that didn't mean ren couldn't' give valuable feedback regarding his singing, seeing as that was one of his areas of expertise. ren had been the one to audition him and jihyun for the high note and decided on himself.

inho had done two run throughs so far for the other male, one just singing and one while he was doing the dancing with it as well. it was safe to say his stamina had improved and he felt good even after dancing along with the song. of course, the audience of one could be feeling very different. "so," inho asked, standing in front of ren, "what do you think?"