Chapter Text
Taking a deep breath, Yuchan stepped through the large glass doors of King Entertainment, heart nearly pounding out of his chest.
Just two weeks ago he had stepped through these very same doors, considerably more nervous than he was right now. He had been awed by the infrastructure – walls made entirely of floor-to-ceiling glass windows, white marble flooring and countertops, a giant glowing slideshow behind reception of different celebrity portraits, each one seemingly glaring down at him. Ignoring the growing feeling of dread in his stomach, he had joined the other hopefuls in a line that seemed to go on forever.
King Entertainment had posted an announcement on their main website about a month ago:
“Looking to hire: One (1) backup dancer for NOVA Summer Tour, male, 18-25 years old”
What had followed was a list of audition information, and Yuchan’s excited squealing.
Two weeks after the audition here he was, walking through the familiar lobby a second time. It wasn’t any less impressive than the first – the floors were still marble, the slideshow still glaring. However, this time Yuchan’s heart was pounding for a completely different reason. He was going to meet NOVA! NOVA, the biggest boygroup in all of Korea (and in Yuchan’s humble opinion, the best). The five members were at their peak – enjoying worldwide recognition, endless commercial promotion, award after award after award. Yuchan had been a fan since day one, mesmerized by their choreography and the way their bodies moved to the music, and it was like a dream come true to be able to dance with them on their tour. He still wasn’t sure how he had been selected from the audition. Sure, he loved to dance and danced whenever he could in his spare time, but he was still just a college student, and he was sure there were way more qualified people auditioning that day. Maybe they liked my boyish charm, he thought, grinning to himself.
He stopped in front of room 104. This is it. This is the room the receptionist had told him to go to. Taking a deep breath and quickly patting down his unruly blonde hair, he opened the door.
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“This is bullshit!”
Sehyoon threw his towel on the ground, running a hand through his hair.
“Now, Sehyoon, please understand—“
“Understand what?” He laughed bitterly. “That you were leading us on this whole time? That all of us here were working our asses off every day, not eating enough, not sleeping enough, and you never had intentions for us to debut?”
“Sehyoon…” Another trainee stepped forward hesitantly, but Sehyoon raised a hand to cut him off.
“Why would you even keep training us,” Sehyoon asked, breathing heavily, “when you knew you were going bankrupt? Why not just cut us from the beginning and save us years of trouble?”
Manager Lee sighed. “We thought we’d be able to work things out,” he said. Sehyoon laughed again, eyes cold. “We thought with the latest comeback, and by making a few contracts…” he shook his head. “Listen, I know you’re disappointed,” a few trainees grumbled under their breaths. “And I’m very sorry, but ABE Ent. is officially announcing bankruptcy. You are all very talented individuals, and I’m sure you’ll find your futures elsewhere.” There was an apologetic hint to his tone, and Sehyoon decided not to push it any further.
The trainees filed out of the practice room one by one, with Manager Lee bowing to each one as they left. Sehyoon loitered behind. He didn’t want to leave. He had spent two years slaving away in this small, cramped practice room, working tirelessly and to no end. He had thought it would all be worth it once he debuted. This was just a small obstacle to reaching his dream, which was to dance and share his love of dancing with the world. Too bad that dream will never be realized.
“Sehyoon.”
Sehyoon glanced up at Manager Lee’s voice. He was still in the room, probably waiting for everyone to leave so he can turn off the lights and lock the door one last time. “Yes?”
“I have something to tell you,” Manager Lee said, walking up to him. “You know you’re our best dancer, right? You have a lot of potential, and if we had debuted another boygroup, you would have been at the top of our list.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” Sehyoon muttered.
“I’m telling you this because this is not the end.” Sehyoon looked up at this, and Manager Lee placed a hand on Sehyoon’s shoulder. “When we started losing money, we signed a deal with King Entertainment.”
Sehyoon said nothing, but his eyes widened just a bit. King Entertainment?
“We were extremely lucky. When they heard about our bankruptcy, they offered to take one of our trainees, and I immediately recommended you.”
“Are you serious?” Sehyoon stared at Manager Lee. “King Entertainment? The company NOVA’s under?”
Manager Lee nodded. “There’s a catch, though.” Sehyoon sighed. Of course there is. “They’ll only take you in as a backup dancer.”
“Why would I want to be a backup dancer?” Sehyoon frowned.
“Do you know why I recommended you, Sehyoon?”
“Because I’m the best dancer?”
“Don’t sound so smug,” Manager Lee laughed. “Why are you doing this, Sehyoon? Why are you training? Isn’t it so you can do what you love, dance?” Sehyoon nodded, silent. “Do you know why the other trainees were here?” Sehyoon paused, then shook his head. “To be famous. That’s why they trained. They wanted to sing, to dance, and to be famous. But you’re not like that. You don’t really care about the fame, you just want to do what you love. And so that’s why I recommended you,” Manager Lee smiled and patted Sehyoon’s shoulder. “Because I know you’ll say yes.”
“I guess,” Sehyoon frowned. “But that’s a bit unfair, isn’t it? I’ve already gone through all the training to be an idol. If I debut, don’t I at least deserve to debut as an idol?”
“Hm. I’ll tell you what. They’ll be putting you on the dance team for NOVA’s Asia tour. I’m sure if they see the effort that you put into your work, they won’t hesitate to take you in as an idol trainee for their next boygroup. You just have to prove to them you’re good enough.”
“I’m too old.”
“You’re twenty-two.”
“Too old.”
Manager Lee shook his head. “Just trust me. Go to King Entertainment, tell them your name, and do your best.” He held up a fist. “I’m rooting for you.”
“And if I say no?” Sehyoon challenged, crossing his arms, but he already knew what his answer was, and so did Manager Lee, who patted him on the head and pushed him out the door.
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“One, two, three, four – no, Hun, it’s left foot first. Left foot – like this, Hun. One, two, three, fo – no, left foot –”
“Argh!” Donghun plopped down on the ground in a fit of frustration, and Junhee followed suit, amused. “I’m never gonna get this.”
“Don’t say that, Hun,” Junhee said, patting his back. “Remember when you said you couldn’t do the dubstep remix last month? You figured it out eventually.”
“The dubstep remix was a minute long. This is an entire concert,” Donghun groaned, looking dejected. “Why’d they choose me, anyway? They know I can’t dance.”
“Now now, I don’t want to hear those words coming from King Ent’s top trainee,” said Junhee teasingly.
Donghun scoffed. “Everyone knows you’re the top trainee around here, Junhee. You already have modelling offers and CF deals and you haven’t even debuted yet.”
“Don’t forget the flocks of adoring fans outside the building every day.” Junhee’s eyes twinkled. Donghun smacked him on the head.
“I don’t think they’re here for you, you idiot,” he grinned. Junhee grinned too and stood up, offering a hand to Donghun, who took it.
“C’mon, Hun, up! Let’s try the routine again, I’m sure this time you’ll get it.”
Donghun and Junhee practicing together in the company’s small practice room wasn’t an uncommon sight. Known as quite the inseparable pair, the two trainees did almost everything together. It was the same routine every day – wake up at six (the two shared a room in a downtown apartment), get washed, eat (they alternated cooking because the only thing Junhee made was ramen), make the thirty-minute commute to the King Ent. building, and practice until either they can’t stand anymore or the cleaning lady kicks them out.
It had been like this for the past two years, ever since Junhee joined the label. Having a cousin in one of the most popular boygroups of all time was an incredible connection and basically guaranteed Junhee a spot as a trainee when he auditioned. Not that the boy didn’t deserve it – he was widely regarded as the most promising trainee King Entertainment had to offer, and within two years he had built up an impressive fanbase and an even more impressive reputation.
Donghun, on the other hand, was Junhee’s senior by four years. He had joined King Entertainment when he was seventeen years old, back then still in high school and having to juggle training on top of his schoolwork. Six years later here he was, still with no debut in sight, and it was hard to stay positive and hopeful. But when you’ve dedicated six years of your life to something like training, how could you back out now? And so Donghun stayed, and Junhee kept him company as they did the same thing over and over, day by day, year by year.
The door to the practice room creaked open and a blonde head poked in. “Hello?”
“Left foot, Hun! Lef –” Junhee and Donghun both paused and turned to the sound of someone’s voice.
The door opened all the way, revealing a pale, small boy with a head of bleach blonde hair. “Ah, hello, my name is –”
“Kim Byeongkwan,” Junhee beamed, startling the newcomer. “I’ve seen you around, it’s an honour.”
Byeongkwan grinned as well, face lighting up and walking toward the other two. “You kidding? The honour is mine if I get to meet the great Park Junhee, trainee of the century.” Junhee shook his head and waved his arm around, clearly happy about the compliment.
“Wait, you’re Kim Byeongkwan?” Donghun asked in surprise.
Byeongkwan nodded. “The one and only.”
Donghun smiled. “Dude, we’ve heard so much about you. Didn’t you choreograph NOVA’s latest comeback? And MISStory’s debut?”
MISStory was NOVA’s little sister group, debuted just last year. Their debut had received mixed responses from fans – some adored the girls, while others were either unsure about their concept or jealous that they got to be so close to the NOVA members. Either way, the debut was widely talked about and MISStory ended up number one on the music charts four weeks straight.
Byeongkwan rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Just those two though, I’m still pretty new here.” He gestured vaguely around the room.
“Well, I’m Lee Donghun, a trainee here. It’s nice to meet you.”
Byeongkwan bowed. “I’m here because Manager Kim asked me to get you two. We’re having a meeting. I take it you guys are gonna be backup dancers for Tour Galaxie too?”
“Is that what it’s called?” Junhee asked as he began gathering up his and Donghun’s things, Donghun unplugging the sound system. “Wait, are you choreographing for the tour?”
“Only some of it.” Byeongkwan helped Junhee with a gym bag he was struggling to hold. “I’ll actually be dancing with you guys!”
Junhee nearly dropped the bag. “Really? You’re dancing with us? Did you hear that, Hun?" He called. "Kim Byeongkwan is dancing with us!” Donghun nodded in amusement and took the bag from both of them, slinging it over his shoulders.
“Let’s go,” he said. “Byeongkwan, you lead the way.”
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Yuchan fiddled with his nametag. It had been what felt like hours since that boy, Kim Byeongkwan, had left to get the other dancers, leaving him in a stuffy, silent meeting room with the manager and two other staff members.
He cleared his throat. “So, erm,” he said, trying to make conversation. All heads turned to look at him. This was not a good idea. “Erm, how many songs will we learn for the concert?”
“We will go over all the details once the meeting begins,” Manager Kim replied shortly, eyes back to his clipboard.
“Okay,” Yuchan whispered, shuffling more in his seat.
After what seemed like an eternity later, the door opened and three boys walked in. Manager Kim looked up and finally cracked a smile upon seeing them.
“Junhee, welcome. Donghun. I see you two have met Byeongkwan. Have you met Yuchan?”
Bows were taken and greetings were exchanged before everyone sat back down at the meeting table. Manager Kim glanced at his watch.
“We’re running five minutes late,” he tsked, and Donghun sank back in his seat a little. Manager Kim turned to the other two staff members. “Has anyone heard from Sehyoon?” No one said anything, and he tsked again. “Well, I guess we’ll start without him.”
He immediately slammed his clipboard down on the table with a loud “bang!” At least three different people jumped in their seats.
“Welcome,” Manager Kim boomed, clapping his hands together. Yuchan blinked. Was this the same broody man that sat there just a few minutes ago? “I think you all know why we’re here today. Congratulations on being the select few to be chosen to be backup dancers for NOVA’s summer tour, Tour Galaxie!” Here he paused as if he was expecting applause, and Yuchan hesitantly clapped once before one of the other staff members shot him a look. He quickly sat on his hands.
“Tour Galaxie is an Asia tour, mostly centered around Korea, China, and Japan, with the addition of other countries such as Singapore and Philippines,” Manager Kim continued. “It will take place over the course of four months, in thirty different cities. That means thirty shows, which means around two full concerts per week. You boys had better be prepared to work hard.”
“Yes, sir!” Junhee called out, causing Donghun to give him a nudge with his elbow. Manager Kim and the other two staff members smiled at him. Yuchan was starting to sense some favouritism here.
“Today is February 2nd. The first show of the tour is May 4th. That means that you have just over three months to learn, practice, and perfect the set list. Of course, you will not be dancing the entire concert,” here, Manager Kim paused to rifle through some papers on his clipboard. He unclipped four pages and handed one to each dancer. “This is a set list for the concert. As you can see, you’ll be dancing for around half the performances, and for some we may not need all of you, while for others we’ll add a few more dancers. Most of the time, though, it should just be you four, plus the dancer that decided to go MIA today.”
As if on cue, the door to the meeting room flung open. Said dancer was standing in the doorway, breathing heavily and looking slightly frazzled. He pushed his hair back from his eyes and bowed, not particularly looking at anyone in the room.
“Kim Sehyoon. Nice of you to finally join us.” Manager Kim placed his clipboard down on the desk and folded his hands together, and Kim Sehyoon bowed again.
“I’m sorry I’m late. It won’t happen again.”
Yuchan gave the newcomer a quick glance-over. He was wearing black shoes, black jeans, and a black hoodie with red lettering. His hair was jet black, and now that he had caught his breath again his face was impossibly inexpressive.
Sehyoon grabbed an empty chair and took a seat, and Manager Kim sighed before quickly giving an overview of everything he had already talked about.
“Now, this is where we left off before we were interrupted,” he shot a glance at Sehyoon, who had the decency to look a little apologetic. “Since the first concert date is fast approaching, we’d like it if you dedicate as much time as possible to practicing. Therefore, we’ve set aside another dorm room in the trainee building, so that the three of you,” he gestured to Yuchan, Byeongkwan, and Sehyoon, “may find it convenient to commute to the practice room every day, especially since some of you live outside of Seoul.” Manager Kim nodded at one of the staff members, a tall, slim woman with her hair tied in a tight ponytail. “This is your main choreographer and dance coach, Lim Nara. She, along with Byeongkwan, choreographed all the dances you will be learning, and she is the one who will oversee your training.”
“I look forward to working with you,” Lim Nara bowed. “Of course, if you ever have questions during training don’t hesitate to ask me. Or you could ask your teammate Byeongkwan, since he’s quite familiar with a number of the dances already.” At this, Byeongkwan flashed a quick grin at the other four boys, and Yuchan grinned back, impressed.
After going through a few more details, Manager Kim announced the end of the meeting with another slam of his clipboard. “Here are the keys to the new room,” he said, handing Yuchan, Byeongkwan, and Sehyoon each a key. “Junhee and Donghun can lead you to the apartment. The two rooms should be neighbouring each other – 201 and 202. I expect all five of you in practice room three tomorrow morning at eight AM sharp, no exceptions.” He shot another glance at Sehyoon, who didn’t seem perturbed this time. “I wish you luck, and congratulations once again at this opportunity.”
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“I guess you’ll have to find a time to properly move in,” Donghun said as they made their way to the subway station. "I'm sure you'll have lots of things you'll need from home."
Byeongkwan shrugged. “It’s fine. That can wait ‘till the weekend. What’s the place like anyway?”
“Oh, it’s great! You’ll love it!” Junhee practically bounced, and Yuchan found himself grinning at the other boy’s energy. “It is pretty small, and there’s not much stuff, and you probably won’t get to spend much time there anyway, but it’s just great living with a good friend, isn’t it, Hunnie?” Donghun rolled his eyes but nodded, smiling.
They rode down the escalator into the subway station and stood by the tracks, watching the subway drive in. “Say, Sehyoon, why were you so late today?” Byeongkwan asked curiously as it came to a stop. Sehyoon didn’t show any sign of having heard him, and instead walked in and took a seat the moment the doors slid open. The other four glanced at each other before shrugging and following him in.
On the ride home, Byeongkwan hummed a NOVA song under his breath, hands twitching along to the rhythm. Junhee and Donghun were in their own little world, muttering and laughing to one another. Sehyoon was sitting in the seat at the very end of the row, face stone and looking away from everyone else.
This is gonna be an interesting few months, Yuchan thought to himself as the doors slid open and shut behind him.