#de:code:deceval

[rkhongjoong]

▫︎ ▪︎  ━   colour fix .

“ what colour are you supposed to be dyeing your hair?” hongjoong finally asks, slumping over and resting his head on lino’s shoulder.  “ i don’t think any of us have bright colours .. which is weird, but i mean, i guess they know what aesthetic they’re going for by now.” his own hair is a limp shade of peachy red, faded and much longer now than it was when he first got it dyed.  he hasn’t been paying much attention to his appearance, which isn’t surprising considering the inner turmoil he’s been putting himself through.  honestly, he’s wondered if the others noticed by now.  if they haven’t, they’re probably blind.

“ do you think they’ll let me go back to my mullet as long as it’s the colour they want it to be?” he mumbles, staring at the stylists at work.  likely, they’ll be called up next.  “ i miss it.”

▫︎ ▪︎  ━     <     @rklino     >

[rkshion]

█▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒     DE:CODE : december 2019 evaluation ███▒▒▒▒▒▒     RE: a visit to the hair salon █████▒▒▒▒            2019.12.09 entry : 1

his roots had turned dark for a while now. the recording of dream knight felt so long ago after everything that they went through. however, the release was only announced on the previous month, and shivers went up his back whenever he remembered it. to think people would actually watch him on the screen. and later on, he’d get to debut. things are a bit too real now if they weren’t before.

he plays with his hair on the way. his fingers pull down the longer hair in front of his eyes, staring at the pink that has faded off. it wasn’t that bright, to begin with, so he’s nearly blonde now. this means the color he’d leave the salon with is one in a grand sea of possibilities. would they re-do the pink? people could recognize him from dream knight that way. or may they’d just keep the blonde since they're halfway there. it’s still early in the morning, and jihoon chooses to rest his head instead of thinking too much. he’d find out soon enough.

“what will it be?” he’s sitting at the salon now. this is much more comfortable than the shaky car. “if i can ask!” the hairdresser chuckles beside him, putting on his gloves. “you’ll see. it won’t take too long.”

no bleaching. he knows how long bleaching takes, so this must mean he’s free of it. jihoon reaches a hand to the top of his head where the roots are showing. so it must be something dark, right? he’s a bit let down, but he wouldn’t say it if someone asks. people say he has a bright personally so, by simple thinking, a bright color should suit him well. he tries to just stay still and wait for it be done, but when they leave him alone to take care of someone else, he tries to get distracted by looking at his phone.

it’s the choreography recordings of their pre-debut songs. if they’ll be recording these soon, he should continuously work hard to prove his role as a main dancer.

getting his hair washed is the thing he needed, but didn’t know it. having the warm water hit him so softly while someone runs their fingers through his hair is the most relaxing experience of the last few months. most others were stressful in some good or bad way. “thank you,” he says to his hairdresser once everything’s done. it’s not as dark as he had expected it. the curliness adds the final touch that makes him identify himself. he'll debut like this. he’ll debut. “thank you so much!”

[rkseonho]

wobbly knees

@rklino

the music is cut and seonho wants to crumble into the a pile of goo onto the floor. hands gripping his knees as he breathes, feeling sweat roll down his forehead and back of his neck. it’s been like this the whole week, pushing and pushing and feeling the strain on his body as he spends every bit of free time trying to work on his dance skills. the feedback from the coaches--though not really harsh--had stung and left their mark and seonho could not stop thinking about it no matter how he tried. thinking about how his two and a half years here in royal seems to have been for a waste as he couldn’t even keep up on simple dances. maybe thats what the coach had been implying. 

frustrated tears form in his eyes as the teen struggles to calm his racing heart and stuttering breathes. he’s warn out, and burning out and it’s only been a week. he needs to get better, he tells him self, needs to move and work harder and harder so that they can’t look down on him again.

so they can’t look down on the group. 

his head raises just enough to catch another figure in the mirror and a soft tremble forms on his lower lip. it takes everything in seonho to hold back his tears as he turns to minho, the older male near him and someone who he knows is good with dance. “hyung...” he gets out in a soft tone, tears glistening in his eyes. “can.. can you help me practice? you’re a really good dancer--and and---i don’t want to let everyone down.” he admits in a small voice. 

[rkmg]

like a gorilla.

〈♦〉DECEMBER 30TH, 2019 → de:code evaluations.                       ↳ performing lines in front of the coaches. 

the end of the month seemed to pretty much sneak up on mingyu. he’d been so busy with all that was going on that the time passed so quickly. there wasn’t much time to consider breaks or anything like that. they were always on the move, working towards some type of goal. it was getting closed to his 2nd year anniversary with won, yet that wasn’t even something that he had loads of time to focus on. he hoped that he would have more time the next day, when they were actually there, but for now he had to only think about performing these lines in front of the coaches.

he worked hard memorizing them and had a few that he hoped he’d get over the others, but at the end of the day, it was out of his hands. if one of the other boys were more suited for the parts mingyu coveted, so be it. truth be told, he looked forward to what songs they would do in the future. their debut song was catchy and fun, but it wasn’t the best thing that he’d ever heard. he knew that they had potential and hoped that it would catch on and help them gain popularity, but he was more so banking on their future releases. of course, this isn’t something that he would ever vocalize.

once it was time for him to perform the lines in front of the coaches, he made sure that he drank plenty of water so that he wouldn’t go hoarse or mess anything up. he knew all of them like the back of his hand at this point, so he didn’t have any fear when it came to memorization. truth be told, he didn’t want to sound bitter, but there wasn’t all that much for him to memorize anyway. the fact that he barely had any as it was, and these lines were going to be split up made him a little worried, but he didn’t want to dwell on it. he was given what he was given and that’s already more than he could have ever dreamed of getting. he was thankful that he had even made it to this point where he would soon be debuting, with won, too.

everything went by smoothly and rather quickly and he was thankful for it. honestly, mingyu was ready for this part to be over with since he was looking forward to the next step. after he performed his lines, all he could do was wait and see which he was given and be notified of what they’d do next. he definitely looked forward to it.

[rkbyunbaek]

·   ·   ·   ·   ·   ·   ·   ·   ·      DE:CODE DECEMBER 2019 EVALUATION,       ✧ ┊   3rd task 、    mv recording ( I’M FINE , WHAT TIME IS IT NOW? )

it’s not his first time on a set. baekhyun’s been on quite a lot before during his years at royal but they all were different ones. different but, somehow, still so alike -- filming for the samsung commercials, the set for royal survival where he co-hosted with kangjoon. dream knights and their first photoshoot for the group yesterday as well. he guesses he can count all those public performances he’s had as a simple trainee as well. for the backstage experience, at least. 

it’s the same kind of rush, isn’t it?

all the staff running around, coordinators, stylists and makeup nunas. in this case even more staff actually, directors and producers who try to make this run as smoothly as possible. no errors, time-efficient and to get the best possible outcome. and despite this -- as mentioned -- not being his first time on a set, baekhyun’s still overwhelmed. terribly overwhelmed. it’s not easy to concentrate on anything properly -- too many colours everywhere. too many people, clothes, makeup changes. and baekhyun’s having a hard time following instructions.

it’s a lot to take in and baekhyun thought he’d handle it better due to his previous experience with filming and everything. especially after dream knight where he felt lost on set half of the time. he always managed to make his way through it but this time he’s struggling.

it was better during their first hours of filming when seolhyun was still there. when he didn’t get a second to speak to her in between shots but still had her close somehow while they were playing that game in front of camera. it put him at ease. he admired the aesthetic of the set, found a liking in those denim jacket and how his own sat a little too loose on his shoulders. 

now, baekhyun’s sitting away from the turmoil with his head in his hands, massaging his temples.

maybe it’s because they’ve been at it for hours. because they started getting ready at, like, five in the morning, got up even earlier for that. maybe his brain can’t process the instructions anymore but that’s bad. he’s the leader, he should get it. should help the others if they have trouble handling any of this, should be able to explain to them whatever they don’t understand or struggle with. no one should see his distress. ( but maybe that’s actually the problem: the pressure. the pressure his title puts on him and the pressure baekhyun puts on himself. already cracking underneath it before the worst has truly begun. ) 

his name is being called and baekhyun’s head snaps upwards, spotting their manager waving him over with a sympathetic smile on his face. 

he takes the bottle in his lap, unscrewing the cap and taking a few sips from it before he puts it on the ground and gets up, taking a deep breath and pushing the corners of his lips upwards in an attempt to look more motivated. there’s still a couple of more hours to go, after all.

[rklino]

point shoot click,

@rkwon

there's a lot to take in-- it feels like they're moving faster than ever with the debut process. from one thing, to another-- and then another and minho feels like he's never able to catch up quite yet. the music video recording scenes aren't hard for him, but he's still not one hundred percent used to being in front of the camera. but he does try when it's his turn--  hoping that the end result doesn't turn out bad. minho's just not used to seeing himself like this. debut- ready, apparently. it's still a thought he hasn't fully grasped, and at this rate-- likely never will.

"i knew there was a lot of work into it," minho starts up quietly during a break, shifting next to his spot by won as he hums in thought. "but filmin' for an mv..the process is kinda...awkward, at times. like i feel weird watchin' people bein' recorded." it's just a pointless thought, a simple little thing that popped in his head that he entertained for the past few minutes. "or maybe m'still not-- lettin' it settle that debut is literally right 'round the corner, it seems." he shoots a small smile to won, feeling a bit more confident at the idea of debut than he did before.

[rkkangjoon]

.the fire glinting in my eyes

the chaos was still reigning in his mind, it spun around his thoughts endlessly, knocking him down, whenever he took a rest from training. he was stubborn about everything, had hated being scolded in front of the others. yes, he was bad, but it was not like there was nothing else he could do. it frustrated him to know that they were pushed to become complete beings, well-balanced instead of standing out in one skill. he wanted to keep his individuality, his face, though it didn't seemed to be royal's plan.

huffing, he turned around in a jump, carefully doing every step, trying hard to not mess up with the choreography without forgetting about the details that had been drilled into him by the coach. he was giving his all, focusing all of his energy this month into dancing, despite being so reluctant about becoming a dancing idol. kang joon felt like split into two halves: one side hated the idea of being pressured into a shape and the possiblity to be forced out if they deemed him not good enough, and on the other side, he strived to do better, to be not scolded ever again, to not repeat the negative experience he had gained, when first royal. it had maddened him to hear the coach mocking the years of training he had spent in royal, and as someone with a temper, he wanted to prove her otherwise. nothing would be able to stop him from this point on. debut was what he had dreamed off all along.

he repeated the jump, felt how he didn't landed right and collided into the mirror in the practice room. kang joon slumped down, frustrated about the mistakes he kept making. he clenched his teeth and got back up, staring at his reflection. amber-coloured orbs mustered him, he could see the fire flaring up. this wasn't the end. he took his position once again, following the dance routine from the beginning, the sweat already dripping from his chin. this wasn't the end. he kept on trying, repeating that one step over and over again, until he reached a point, where he was satiesfied with himself, just to move on to the next move that he was having problems with.

kang joon wasn't a born dancer, all he could do was to do it over and over again, looping over the choreography til dawn because then, even someone as bad as kang joon would be able to dance.

[rovalent]

With their lines supposedly mastered, came the time to show what they managed to learn last month. After going through the choreography of both of their songs, the boys continue with their practice until the following day.

With them in the room are both Jo Soonyang, their vocal coach, and Yoo Jaekyung, their dance coach. They exchange a few words with each other before turning their attention to the nine idols-to-be in front of them. “Well, good morning,” Jaekyung is the one to start. “You had to learn two choreographies last month, which you showed to me yesterday. I think it’s easy to say that it’s expected of Royal to have a better grasp on their vocals, but that’s no excuse to let your dance abilities fall short. You’re standing here to become idols—dancing idols.”

The woman stops talking for a moment to shake her head. “For how long have you been training here? Kangjoon?” She looks down at the sheets of paper she’s holding. “It’s been three years now? And that’s what you had to show me? What did you do during your dance lessons as a trainee? You’re a charming guy, so we tried giving you some center spots, but if you don’t get your act together it wouldn’t be the first time I had to rearrange a choreography before its release. And what’s worse is you’re not the only one I need to talk about.”

Jaekyung points at a name on the paper before reading it out. “Yoo Seonho. It’s been two years and a half, right? And you’re only better than Kangjoon. As a main vocalist, you’ll get a lot of lines, and if you can’t keep up with the dance how do you think that’ll turn out? During practice this month I’ll keep pushing you two, and if any of you complain you’ll be staying late. And Jung Jaehyun…” She looks at the last person she’s going to comment on. “If you’d like to join them it wouldn’t hurt you.”

The woman looks away and takes a step back. This is taken as code for Soonyang to speak. “Since you learned your pre-debut songs these last few months, we’ll move on to the next step of our preparation stage. You can come now.” She motions to one of the men standing by the wall and he starts moving forward. He’s very tall and chubby with a friendly expression. “This here is Kim Sohoon. From today on, he’ll be working as your manager. You’ll start having a bit more activities this month so he’ll have to keep an eye on all of you. Please, don’t abuse his patience.” Even with her request, the smile on the man’s face tells you he has a lot of patience to spare, unlike the coaches.

“Why don’t you hand them the lyrics?” With an excited “Yes!” Sohoon hands the file he had been holding to Baekhyun, who then needs to distribute them to the rest of the boys. “While you’re getting ready and set, we’ll also start work on the ‘go’ code. The thing you have in your hands is the lyrics of your debut song. It’ll work the same way as it did last time. If you learned anything from your time with us,” Soonyang takes a look at Park Jihoon, “then you should achieve a good result.”

This month, the boys of DE:CODE will have more than one mission to worry about. The first thing in line are the lines they received for their debut song, which is titled ‘Gorilla’. It’s rather different from their two other songs, especially ‘I’m Fine’, but the coaches tell they should leave a big impact from their debut, and this is the song to do it.

During this month, the members will be assigned multiple lines to learn and practice. None of these will officially be theirs and, by next month, the coaches will officially assign them. Their temporary lines for ‘Gorilla’ can be seen below:

Byun Baekhyun: 0:36 - 0:46 (Hui); 0:55 - 0:57 (Hui); 1:22 - 1:33 (Jinho); 1:42 - 1:43 (Jinho); 2:17 - 2:28 (Hui); 2:21 - 2:22 (Jinho); 2:28 - 2:29 (Adlibs: Jinho); 2:37 - 2:38 (Hui); 2:43 - 2:46 (Hui); 2:47 - 2:57 (Adlibs: Jinho);

Lee Seunghwan: 0:16 - 0:21 (Wooseok); 0:22 - 0:25 (Hongseok); 0:31 - 0:35 (YeoOne); 1:04 - 1:12 (Kino); 2:09 - 2:18 (YeoOne);

Jung Jaehyun: 0:16 - 0:21 (Wooseok); 0:22 - 0:25 (Hongseok); 0:31 - 0:35 (YeoOne); 1:04 - 1:12 (Kino); 2:09 - 2:18 (YeoOne);

Yoo Seonho: 0:36 - 0:46 (Hui); 0:55 - 0:57 (Hui); 1:22 - 1:33 (Jinho); 1:42 - 1:43 (Jinho);  2:17 - 2:28 (Hui); 2:21 - 2:22 (Jinho); 2:28 - 2:29 (Adlibs: Jinho); 2:37 - 2:38 (Hui); 2:43 - 2:46 (Hui); 2:47 - 2:57 (Adlibs: Jinho);

Kim Hongjoong: 0:16 - 0:21 (Wooseok); 0:22 - 0:25 (Hongseok); 0:27 - 0:28 (Shinwon); 0:29 - 0:30 (YanAn); 1:13 - 1:14 (Wooseok); 1:15 - 1:22 (Yuto); 1:51 - 1:59 (Wooseok); 2:00 - 2:08 (E’Dawn);

Park Jihoon: 0:16 - 0:21 (Wooseok); 0:22 - 0:25 (Hongseok); 0:27 - 0:28 (Shinwon); 0:29 - 0:30 (YanAn); 0:31 - 0:35 (YeoOne); 1:04 - 1:12 (Kino); 1:13 - 1:14 (Wooseok);

Jeon Wonwoo: 0:16 - 0:21 (Wooseok); 0:22 - 0:25 (Hongseok); 0:31 - 0:35 (YeoOne); 1:04 - 1:12 (Kino); 2:09 - 2:18 (YeoOne);

Kim Mingyu: 0:16 - 0:21 (Wooseok); 0:27 - 0:28 (Shinwon); 0:29 - 0:30 (YanAn); 1:13 - 1:14 (Wooseok); 1:15 - 1:22 (Yuto); 1:51 - 1:59 (Wooseok); 2:00 - 2:08 (E’Dawn);

Lee Minho: 0:16 - 0:21 (Wooseok); 0:22 - 0:25 (Hongseok); 0:27 - 0:28 (Shinwon); 0:29 - 0:30 (YanAn); 1:13 - 1:14 (Wooseok); 1:15 - 1:22 (Yuto); 1:51 - 1:59 (Wooseok); 2:00 - 2:08 (E’Dawn);

On the morning of December 30th (because everyone has better plans on the 31st), the members will sing all their assigned lines in front of their coach and her results will be shared on the following month.

As promised, however, the nine boys will have more schedules added to that. On December 9th, they will be split into two groups of five and four by age to go to a hair salon (the same some of them went to for Dream Knight) and get their hairstyles ready for their pre-debut releases. They’ll be split by age, and the five youngest will go first early in the morning, and then the oldest later on. 

Kangjoon — Black ( reference )

Baekhyun — Blonde ( reference )

Hongjoong — Light brown ( reference )

Minho — Ash brown ( reference )

Jaehyun — Brown ( reference )

Jihoon — Bright brown ( reference )

Mingyu — Ash blue ( reference )

Wonwoo — Black ( reference )

Seonho — Black ( reference )

With this, the boys should be ready to head off to their first-ever photoshoot on December 18th. This will consist of two different sets, one inspired by these images ( 1, 2 ) and another by these ( 1, 2 ). The day after, December 19th, their music video recordings will start with ‘I’m Fine’ going first. They’ll record the video for ‘What Time is It Now?’ on December 20th.

DAY ONE — DECEMBER 19TH

5AM: Get hair and makeup done

6AM: Go to filming location

7AM: Change into outfits

7:30AM: Recording first beauty shots ( 0:30; 1:00; 1:19 )

8AM: Thank LUXE’s Ella for coming & Shooting of game scenes ( 0:00; 0:06; 0:09; 0:13; 0:24; 0:28; 0:38 )

10:30AM: Thank LUXE’s Ella for coming; Change outfits

11AM: Recording of second scene ( 0:03; 0:11; 0:18; 0:21; 0:46; 1:16 )

12:30PM: Lunch break

1PM: Filming of first dance scenes ( 1:09; 1:15; 1:20 )

2PM: *Change outfits & recording of solo scenes ( 0:04; 0:20; 0:23; 0:27 [Jihoon] / 0:19; 2:42 [Seonho] / 0:30; 0:31; 0:36 [Hongjoong] / 0:52; 0:58; 1:49; 1:55; 2:25 [Wonwoo] / 0:59; 1:03; 1:31; 1:40; 1:45 [Mingyu&Baekhyun] / 1:08; 1:11; 1:17; 2:04; 2:16 [Jaehyun] / 1:22; 1:26 [Minho] / 1:52; 2:07; 2:10; 2:30 [Kangjoon] )

6:30PM: Change outfits

7PM: Recording of white scenes ( 0:08; 0:15; 0:26; 1:29 )

8PM: Recording of white dance scenes ( 0:02; 0:07; 0:34 )

9:30PM: Change outfits 

10PM: Recording of dark dance scenes ( 2:11; 2:15; 2:18 )

11PM: Thank staff for hard work

11:30PM: Head back to dorm; eat, shower, rest

*Scenes may not correspond to their assigned lines as referenced on the video, but IC they’d match. The scene with Mingyu & Baekhyun will be split between a soda scene with Baekhyun and a books scene with Mingyu.

DAY TWO — DECEMBER 20TH

8AM: Get hair and makeup done

9AM: Go to filming location

10AM: Change into outfits

10:30AM: **Recording all the shots ( 0:00 )

1PM: Thank staff for hard work

1:30PM: Head back to dorm; eat, shower, rest

**The video uploaded by DE:CODE will be of the full song, unlike the reference video. There will be parts with a different choreo from the original for this special video, which the boys will learn throughout the month.

Write one four-post thread or one 300+ words solo about your muse practicing for their debut song or dyeing their hair for +3 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE AS YOU WISH and +2 DEBUT POINTS.

Write one four-post thread or one 300+ words solo about the day of their final month performance or their mv recordings for +3 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE AS YOU WISH, +1WK RELEVANT ACHIEVEMENT and +2 DEBUT POINTS.

The tag for this evaluation will be #de:code:deceval and posts should be up by midnight EST at the end of December 31st. DE:CODE members are told not to share the information given to anyone outside of Royal or else they’ll risk losing their place on the debut team.

DE:CODE DECEMBER EVALUATION (for the January 1 verification form)

PROOF OF ACTIVITY: [ x ]

+3 ___ POINTS

+2 DEBUT POINTS

NEW DEBUT POINTS TOTAL:

PROOF OF ACTIVITY: [ x ]

+3 ___ POINTS

+1WK RELEVANT ACHIEVEMENT (NUMBER OF TIMES TAKEN + CURRENT LEVEL)

+2 DEBUT POINTS

[rkwon]

⯁ DE:CODE DECEMBER EVALUATION: LIKE A GORILLA !

DECEMBER 24TH 2019 PRACTISING ‘GORILLA’

honestly, the last thing he wants to be doing on christmas eve is training — even if it is their debut song. 

he debates showing up for their vocal practice in reindeer antlers, but after waking up still half asleep, he’d decided against it for the sake of not accidentally upsetting anyone else in the same way having to force himself here over christmas is upsetting him. 

it’s a long day, as every day on their schedule is, and at the end of it all, he finds himself tucked into a practice room regardless of the festive movies awaiting him at home and the mistletoe he’d hidden under his bed in an effort to persuade mingyu to kiss him when no one is looking. and had they been under any other circumstances, he would definitely be back at the dorms indulging in all of that, in the holiday spirit, but with the tasks they’d been given this month, he just didn’t have the time. 

on top of music videos, trips to the salon, photoshoots, new adaptations to already learnt choreographies, he has to adapt himself to an entirely new style, almost what feels like someone else’s voice, for some of his potential lines in their debut song. pushing him out of his comfort zone is exactly what he expected, but like this? it’s overwhelming. there’s only so much he can worry about at once, only so much he can struggle with and yet, royal had somehow managed to cram all of it into one month — his favourite time of the year, too, loaded with irrelevant activities and completely ignored in favour of all the stress he’s supposed to forget for a few days around the 25th. there’s always next year, he supposes. 

today, he sits with his legs outstretched on the floor, his lyrics sheet between his knees and his phone as a paperweight. he hits play on the demo on said device, looping it back to the beginning to practice his earlier lines. running through them alone, his words echo around the room. they feel as empty as they sound as he hangs his head in frustration. less than a week to go and though he’s much better than when they started, he still feels like he’s got his head in a pillory, ready and waiting for the ridicule and embarrassment from their coaches to start the new year and fresh decade. kicking the back of his heels against the ground, he repeats his first line over and over and over until he grows tired of it, then the second until he bores of that, too, and repeat. eventually, he lies back against the dirty floor and sighs. 

maybe his luck is finally running out. 

[jaehyunrk]

gorilla

@rkkangjoon

debut.

they have their debut song. when jaehyun had thought of debut, there were many concepts that passed his mind. he watched as some friends debuted, and looked closely at the concepts of both per_se and convex. like anyone else, he wondered just what sort of concept they’d have him do if he were to debut. and now here it was. gorilla. 

the song sounded fun, upbeat and while he thinks it’s a concept that’ll actually suit him pretty well –– at least a lot more better than a bright, cute concept would have. 

“like a gorilla, like a gorilla,” he hums under his breath in the practice room. “hyung,” he says, turning to kangjoon. “what do you think of the song?” he asks, “it’s pretty catchy, right?” he smiles, happy.

[rkhongjoong]

                        ━━━━━━━━━━━━        DE:CODE, HAIR SALON TRIP .        ━━━

truthfully, he’s glad that he’s let his hair grow out as long as he has.  

in reality, hongjoong hasn’t had much of a choice, considering the fact that he’s been so busy.  going to the salon wasn’t really something that he could fit in with all the practice and the desperate attempts at trying to find his place in the world right now.  if he had any free time, he would rather share it with his family anyway, so his hair often was a thing that was out of sight and out of mind.

the red in his hair faded to something of a pinky blonde hue, the length of his hair was much longer than it was when he first cut it and now they’re fast approaching debut.  they want something different out of him, but hongjoong wants something that makes himself feel normal.

if royal wants him to look different with a hair colour, then that’s fine.  they never said what kind of hairstyle he has to have, just the kind of colour.

maybe it all started when he cut his hair enough and dyed his hair bright red that hongjoong started to feel strange.  maybe if he has some sense of normalcy back in his life, something that he can cling onto that feels a little more normal to him, then things will go back to the way that they once were.  he’s not so sure if that’s what will happen when it comes down to it, he’s not sure if he has that much faith that a hairstyle will help him fall back into a time where he felt like he knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going.

but it’s the truth that his mullet feels more comfortable for him than anything else ever did.  and maybe it’s right that de:code’s hongjoong debuts as himself, unapologetic.

royal can have the colour they want.  but hongjoong wants normalcy, and donning a fresh look, he thinks that maybe he’ll be back on track to the road he wants to be on.

[rkseonho]

just for a moment

@rkwon

it’s late, and everyone is back in dorm (despite seonho’s many attempts to stay behind and practice more ) dinner had been had and seonho was being sent off to bed. well, he was told he should sleep, but seonho was still too awake, and too energetic, he should go practice--is what he kept trying to say but it was very obvious the teen was beyond tired by the way he was whining. now he had found himself laying on won’s bed face down and making fake crying sounds in some odd attempt to get someone to agree with him that it’s not bed time. 

“please hyung---” he starts whining again, head turning to look at the older male actual tears glistening in his eyes that gives another clue to the fact he’s exhausted and should be asleep. “just another hour? i-i- you heard the coach---i need to get better with dancing! i’m not even tired!” he continued trying to persuade, a small wobble in his voice even as a small yawn breaks past his lips. 

“i only want--one more hour.” he carries on through the yawn, stifling it by turning his head to bury it into the mattress of his hyungs bed.. 

[rkmg]

〈♦〉DECEMBER 9TH, 2019 → de:code evaluations.                    ↳ going to the salon to get hair dyed blue.

it struck mingyu as a little odd. he was being made to get his hair dyed blue, of all colors. he didn’t hate it. as a matter of fact, he had a feeling he would be pleasantly surprised by the outcome. still, so far out of the members he’s asked, he was the only one getting a color that wasn’t a “natural” hair color. the other boys were getting brown or black, yet here he was getting his hair dyed blue.

it shouldn’t have been all that surprising since he knew that kpop groups often had outrageous and experimental colors, but... still. what made them choose for him to be the sole member with a color that would stand out? he guessed it could have been worse, though. he could have had something like bright orange or neon green... at least it was only blue, and ash blue at that. it was going to be somewhat subtle.

by the time he arrived at the salon, he liked to believe that be was braced for it. it wasn’t the first time he was dyeing his hair, after all. even so, this was the first time it was going to be rather colorful. he guessed that he should be getting used to it. this was going to be normal for him and the rest of the boys. they may get to keep natural hair colors now, but there would come a time for all of them when they would be in the exact position that he was currently.

once he was in the chair, he allowed himself to relax and enjoy the attention he was being given. he missed having his hair played with frequently, so he would take this as a win. he still found himself wondering why no one else was getting the same drastic change, but it wasn’t something that he needed to dwell on. after it was all said and done and his hair was finished being cut and dyed, he realized this was probably a good thing. he had no idea what he was going to look like with blue hair, but he ended up thinking that it looked really good.

maybe this was the kind of advantage and look that he needed. after not being in dream knight with a lot of the other boys, he was going to need something to help him stand out and catch the attention of potential fans. hopefully this hair would help do the trick.

[rkbyunbaek]

·   ·   ·   ·   ·   ·   ·   ·   ·      DE:CODE DECEMBER 2019 EVALUATION,       ✧ ┊  change 、    from brown to → blonde

the chair he’s sitting in is familiar. not too much yet because he’s only been in it one time before but he knows during the next years he might become more acquainted with it. considering they keep coming to this particular hair salon, but it’s his second time there so… maybe? what baekhyun does know is that he definitely will get used to being in those chairs in general -- getting his hair cut and dyed on a regular basis. for makeup and styling before every performance, every schedule. ( he’s experienced it before after all. a couple of times, for a few events, as some sort of sneak peak. )

it’s part of the whole thing, isn’t it? of the whole experience, some would say.

and it’s something baekhyun doesn’t really mind -- used to dye his hair so much during his teenage years that he probably saw hair salons more often than his own room at home -- because it gives him a moment to calm down. a moment of peace where he doesn’t have to speak, doesn’t even have to think at all if he doesn’t want to. he’s not baekhyun, not de:code’s leader. 

he’s just.. sitting.

watching the hairdresser mix up dye for him and wondering what kind of colour he’s going to get. if she will give the faded brown strands on his head a simple touch up and nothing more. besides mingyu the first batch of members seemed to stay in a rather safe, natural lane for their hair colours. nothing bright, nothing eye-catching and despite the hues of blue on mingyu’s head, the shade was still rather subdued. he doesn’t expect the rest of them to get something different, thinks they’ll all get those earthy tones. and it’s simple thoughts, wondering about hair colours. no thinking about debut, about choreographies and lines and performances. no dealing with the low he’s been stuck in ever since they were told the news.

just sitting. unwinding in a way he can’t in a dorm with shared rooms, with eight other boys. and baekhyun will cherish that moment. these few hours. knows that he will even more once they’re through debut and this might be the only calm moment they’ll get during their full and hectic idol schedules. ( he knows how it is for seolhyun. ) 

“you’ll just have to wait and see,” the hairdresser tells him when he asks again which colour he’s going to get, “it will be a surprise,” and when he looks at the bright strands of hair only two hours later, it’s indeed one. surprising. baekhyun stares at his reflection that somehow doesn’t feel like himself, fingers coming up to reach for the blonde strands, twisting them between his fingertips, head tilted to the side.

something is different. feels as if he’s never had that kind of colour before when that’s not the truth. baekhyun’s had them blonde before. maybe, it’s because it’s another step closer to debut. another step forward and that’s the thought that brings baekhyun back into reality.

that simple moment of not thinking over.

[rkseonho]

found similar

@rkkangjoon

a soft sigh leaves seonho as the maknae flops onto the floor of the dance room. practice had ended for the day, but the words of their coach continue to circle his head making it near impossible for him to leave the room. not until he thinks he’s reached the level or perfection that the coaches are expecting of him. he can’t end this month with another poor review like that. with everyone looking down on him because of his lacking skills. he can’t drag the group down either. 

his lips purse as he stretches his legs out in front of himself before reaching out for his toes. eyes finding the figure of his oldest hyung in the group who as also in the same predicament as him. the two of them were called out during the meeting for their lack of dancing skills and honestly, seonho feels better knowing he isn’t the only one. that he isn’t alone here on this island of no dance. maybe the two of them should help each other out? training with someone would be a good idea, he thinks. plus, baekhyun hyung can’t get too upset with him if he is working with someone else--right? 

“hey... kangaroo hyung.” he calls out, sitting up more from his seated position. moving his eyes off the mirror reflection of the older and onto the others actual figure. “do...do you think ...” he trailed off, dropping his gaze as he isn’t too sure how to phrase what he wants to ask. brows creasing in worry as he thinks of his position in the group and the feedback they had gotten. 

[rkwon]

⯁ DE:CODE DECEMBER EVALUATION: LIKE A GORILLA !

DECEMBER 30TH 2019 FINAL PERFORMANCE

their debut song catches him entirely off guard. he’d heard their warnings, that it would be a lot different to their predebut songs in order to make a strong impact on release, but he didn’t expect this. one thing that does get him excited, though, is the potential choreography. but, they have to learn the lyrics first, and of course, perform their potential parts at the end of the month — even if everything feels like it’s moving at a million miles an hour, at least it’s consistent. 

listening to ‘gorilla’ for the first time is a strange experience. fortunately, the lyrics don’t go the angle he fearfully expected them to ( and he supposes that’s because seonho is still, thankfully, very young ) and the beat and backing track themselves are ridiculously catchy, but what worries him is what will be on his paper once it’s handed to him. he already knows the higher notes will go to baekhyun and seonho and the raps to mingyu and minho, but there’s a limbo in the middle where the rest of them fall and he isn’t quite sure what it means. where the song fits his desire to dance, it doesn’t feel like it quite fits his singing style. it’s only his first listen, so it’s likely he’d missed them, but there’s no lines he feels would suit him. everything isn’t quite vocal enough for him to sing, but also not rap enough for him to avoid. he knows he’s not going to love every song and certainly won’t get to feel confident with everything they release, but as he looks back down at his lyric sheet and notes the lines he’s been told to practice, he can’t help but wonder how he’s going to adapt to make this work. 

he practises his lines diligently, asks mingyu for help with the earlier parts that don’t quite feel natural for his voice despite its deep tone giving him a slight advantage. it feels much more daunting this time around than in previous. even with two songs in october and november, the amount they have to balance this month on top of not really know where he fits into their debut song, he feels this throat closing up sometimes when they run through the song together as a group. he dips his head each time, apologises, promises himself he’ll make up for it when they get the choreography by learning it quickly, helping everyone else, but right now, it isn’t much comfort. he spends most of his time running his hands through his hair in frustration and worry, but by the time their final performance rolls around, he’s managed to make a conscious effort of keeping them by his sides. 

learning the words for his lines isn’t a problem, but he still glances over the sheet before they begin just in case. highlighted, doodled on, annotated— they’re hard to miss on the paper, even with his nervous, darting eyes. 

the coach’s eyes fall on him for his turn and with a shaky breath, he breathes in just before he sings the first line. one of his potential parts is the opener and he tries to deliver it with confidence ( even if he doesn’t feel it that strongly ), following it quickly with the second. a few seconds break and he sings his third potential line, another he didn’t feel at all calm about, before taking another break, a few seconds longer than the last. 

his next line jumps forward to a minute in. though it follows the exact same structure as his previous lines, it’s a little longer and he has to maintain a strange balance in delivery for the eight seconds it spans. this style of almost speak or rap singing, even after all the help and guidance he’d received, still feels strange on his tongue, so when he comes to his final potential line, at just over two minutes in, the way his shoulders relax is likely visible as the comfort with actually singing seeps in. it’s a pretty line, one he really hopes he gets ( but knows better than to do so too much, lest he be disappointed ) and one he executes without hesitation or error. it suits him well, at least compared to how he felt about the other lines, but now that they’re done, that the song is done, he can feel the nervousness creeping back in. 

all that’s left to do now is wait. but that’s the worst part, especially after how uncertain he’d felt about his other parts. time will tell, however, but if the way royal had spoken to some of the other members these past couple of months was anything to go by, he’d likely have to brace a storm incoming.