Chapter Text
Taeyong was trying not to psych himself out from walking through the door of his university’s dance studio. His university’s dance team, Neo, only held public auditions once every two years. This was his only change. If a person wanted to audition outside of the only open audition cycle, they’d have to be privately invited by the members themselves. Someone getting a private invite meant they were good. Years of experience, titles, and a reputation in the dance community were only the bare minimum experience required. Taeyong had none of that.
Neo was a prestigious dance team. They had many accolades and championships under their belt. In return, they were one of the school’s sources of pride and revenue since their competitions brought donations and sponsors.
Truthfully, Taeyong had no idea why he was trying out. Sure, he liked to dance. But he wasn’t a born dancer. He only started dancing a few years ago. He couldn’t afford fancy classes so everything he knew was from his favorite idol groups' dance practice videos. It wasn’t until he tried out for his high school’s dance team did he get formal training.
His high school team competed regularly, but they were definitely not at the national level that Taeyong knew a lot of students trying out for Neo were going to be at.
“Excuse me, is this where the dance tryouts are?”
Taeyong turned to see another eager looking student with messy hair and a bright smile.
“Yes.” Taeyong nodded, stepping aside when he realized he was blocking the door. “Right through there.”
“Are you trying out?” The kind stranger asked.
“I’m still thinking about it.” Taeyong replied honestly. He had his dance bag over his shoulder, his giant jug of water, and a cool effortless outfit he had spent an uncool and laborious amount of time picking out.
Neo had a certain vibe and he wanted to try to emulate it. Fashionable, cool, and dark. But Taeyong was now pondering if he was coming off too strong with his baggy jeans.
The stranger offered him a kind smile, “You better try out. Neo only has auditions once every century! I’m Donghyuck, by the way.”
“Taeyong.”
“Okay Taeyong, let’s go and find a seat together and support each other. And if we both get in, it’d be a cute story to tell everyone at graduation. And if only one of us gets in, we’ll pretend to be happy for each other but secretly hate each other.” Donghyuck said teasingly. He had such an infectious warmth about him.
Taeyong had to laugh, “Okay, that sounds like a plan.”
“Want to walk in together?” Donghyuck asked as he moved forward to open the door that Taeyong had yet to push open.
“Sure.” Taeyong agreed. It wasn’t as scary walking in if he wasn’t alone. He followed Donghyuck into the building, his previous hesitations leaving him.
There were stairs and a long hallway to walk before they would make it to the studio that hosted the auditions.
“How long have you been dancing?” Taeyong asked to fill the quiet of the long and narrow hall.
“Probably since I was five? I did jazz, ballet, and contemporary growing up.” Donghyuck replied. “What about you?”
“Wow.” Taeyong said in awe, then was ashamed to admit, “I’ve only been dancing for a few years. I was part of my high school’s dance team.”
Donghyuck nodded, “that’s cool! I did competitive dance solo so I’ve never really danced in a team before. But I hear Neo is really the team you want to be in if you want to dance professionally. I hear some of their members get called to be backup dancers for famous popstars and idols!”
There was a person at the door of Neo’s studio. He had a handsome face with bangs that framed around his large eyes. “If you’re trying out, you better hurry up. We’re about to lock the doors.”
Donghyuck and Taeyong turned to each other then hurried into the studio. The room was large. One end had tinted floor to ceiling windows that overlooked one of the campus’s courtyards. The opposite end had spotless mirrors. The other walls were empty but had couches and a mobile screen. On the couches were the Neo members, they never wore the same exact thing. Not even the same color. But they always looked coordinated.
“Oh no, they’re all good looking.” Donghyuck whispered into Taeyong’s ear as they took a seat on the freshly polished floor. Just two hopefuls among the sea of other enthusiastic dancers sitting crossed legged in front of a tall and handsome man with a clipboard.
“We’ll start in a minute,” The guy called out as he flipped through a page on his clipboard. “Yuta, lock the doors.”
“You got it, Cap.” The man who held the door for them earlier said.
“That’s Johnny Suh.” Donghyuck told Taeyong in a hushed voice. “He’s Neo’s captain. He used to be in the same competitions I was in in high school. He’s really skilled despite being as tall as a telephone pole.”
Taeyong tried not to laugh at that since the room was growing quiet.
“Hello everyone, thank you so much for joining us today.” Johnny smiled warmly at everyone. “We’re so honored to have you here and we can’t wait to spend the afternoon with you all. Dance is a creative outlet. A form of expression. It’s art in motion. We hope you share the same principles and passion as the members of Neo.”
Everyone nodded eagerly, eating up Johnny’s charisma and professionalism.
“I’m Johnny Suh. I was just named the team’s captain last year. I hope to hold up the legacy of this team while I hold the leadership position.” Johnny moved his hands behind his back with the clipboard. “But a leader is only as good as his team. We have a few members that you’ll get to know throughout the afternoon. One person I really want to introduce is Yuta. Yuta get over here.”
Yuta pushed himself away from the door, folding his arms over his chest as he made his way through the crowd of sitting people. He had piercings and a tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve of his shirt. He stood in front of everyone and gave one eyebrow raise in acknowledgement. “What’s up.”
Johnny elbowed him then turned to the crowd. “Yuta is my co-captain. Any major team decisions will be decided by both of us.”
Yuta gave a nod.
“We will start by showing you a simple routine that we want you all to follow. Remember, we welcome and celebrate diversity in dance styles. You’ve seen it in all of Neo’s performances. We’ll all be doing the same routine but we want to see you show your true art and style. Right, Yuta?”
Yuta pursed his lips then gave a nod, “sure. But realistically, it’s a ten step dance routine that even the most basic dancers should be able to get.”
Johnny forced a smile as he placed an arm around Yuta’s shoulder. “Okay–but we still want to see your individuality. So do your thing. Let the music speak. After we go over the dance steps, we’ll split you into two groups. Our Neo members will be assigned to assess the dancing. Unfortunately we can’t take everyone so our members will be letting you know if you can move to the next round.”
The crowd shared worried looks amongst themselves.
“If you get a tap on the shoulder, you’re out.” Yuta piped up as Johnny tightened his hold around him.
“You can always try out next time.” Johnny encouraged everyone. “Rejection is redirection.”
Yuta had to snort at that as he looked at his friend. “We’re only taking three people. So show us what you got.”
“And–” Johnny looked like he was about to say more encouraging leader things but Yuta shrugged him off and said, “Okay, Jaehyun and Jungwoo, come show everyone the routine.”
Two people on the couch stood up and made their way to the front of the crowd. One of them waved at everyone as he passed by. The other was a little more quiet as he gave a polite nod but nothing else.
The music started and the two began moving their legs and body to a beat that sounded unfamiliar to Taeyong. He marveled at the two Neo dancers. He understood what Johnny meant by saying they all had their own style. The two were doing the same moves and it looked synchronized. But the moves still managed to look personal.
The music stopped soon after it started. The dance lasted only half a minute or so.
“We’ll do it one more time,” one of the dancers offered as he caught his breath. The dance was quick but the moves were quicker.
“Jungwoo, you’re a saint.” Yuta said with an approving nod, “I was going to say just one and done.”
Johnny elbowed him again.
“The music, Doyoung.” Jungwoo called over his shoulder at one of the Neo members on the couch. “Jae, you ready?”
Jaehyun nodded, giving a bread-like smile then shyly looked at his shoes to avoid the stare of the fifty people sitting before him.
Taeyong had to fight the small smile on his face. Jaehyun was cute.
“He’s good.” Donghyuck whispered beside him in awe as he stared hard to memorize the steps. His eyes shifted between Jaehyun and Jungwoo.
When they finished the second time, Johnny had everyone stand up and some other Neo members were helping organize everyone into groups. Taeyong and Donghyuck were unfortunately separated.
“Good luck,” Donghyuck told him before the split up.
“You’ll do great.” Taeyong was sure. He had only known Donghyuck for an hour but he was already certain he was going to get one of the three spots.
“Okay, if I was the one who split you up, come over here.” One of the Neo dancers called out. “I’m Doyoung. You’ll be evaluated by Jaehyun, Yushi, Xiaojun, and I.”
Taeyong got into position. He didn’t have much time to think before the music started blasting from the speakers above. Everyone around him began moving. The sound of a hundred sneakers hitting the floor at the same time filled the space. Taeyong tried not to think too hard. His body was usually good at memorizing steps. He had years of practicing idol group choreography to thank for that.
Taeyong moved to the rhythm, growing more confident each time he did a step. The people around him were slowly being tapped on the shoulder as the four Neo members moved around the group.
Taeyong was thanking his lucky stars each time the music restarted and he could do the routine again.
Eventually, the twenty people he was surrounded with turned into ten and the music stopped.
“Add a few more steps.” Johnny told his members before starting the music again.
“Jaehyun, we’ll do the new routine.” Doyoung called over to Jaehyun who was standing off to the side.
Jaehyun walked over, hands in pockets and beanie over his head. He looked quite comfortable in his dance outfit, baggy pants and a long sleeve shirt.
Taeyong had to blink away, pretending to stare at something behind the Neo members’ heads to not make it obvious.
Doyoung and Jaehyun fell into step, the same ten steps from earlier coming out seamlessly. But instead of the last move being the end, there were five new steps to follow after. These steps were a little more powerful, using their torso and hip to accentuate the moves. Taeyong quickly realized it wasn’t just fluidity that needed to be mastered to make the dance work. Finesse and style had to play a large part.
“Your turn!” Doyoung shouted over the music.
The group immediately began shuffling to mimic what they had had just seen. Taeyong fell into step, trying to visualize Doyoung and Jaehyun in front of him as he moved. He thought the choreography was expressive and fun. Definitely not beginner friendly.
A few shoulders were tapped from what Taeyong could see in his peripheral vision, but he kept dancing.
Eventually Jaehyun was ordered to move back to the front of the group where he did the routine again. Taeyong locked eyes with him as they mirrored each other’s steps.
The music stopped abruptly, making everyone freeze where they stood.
“Alright,” Johnny clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention. “That was great. If you are still standing then you’ll be advancing to our next round of auditions. Please stay where you’re at and a member will get your contact information. The next round of auditions is this Friday. Each of you will show us your style with your own choreographed piece. No longer than five minutes.”
Taeyong’s eyes widened in disbelief. He advanced?
He looked around the room to see there were at least fifteen people in total standing. He was also pleasantly surprised to see Donghyuck standing with Jungwoo who was writing down his information on a clipboard.
Taeyong turned, making eye contact with Jaehyun who now had a clipboard and a pen in his hands. Jaehyun looked like he was about to walk over to get his contact information but was intercepted by Doyoung.
“Your name please?” Doyoung asked, a little out of breath from dancing.
“Lee Taeyong.” Taeyong replied.
“You’re pretty good.” Doyoung complimented him.
“You think so?” Taeyong couldn’t help but beam. He had never imagined himself trying out for a group like Neo. So getting a compliment from an actual member was more than he could ask for. If he didn’t make it to the next round, he’d be satisfied dancing alone in his room to his mirror knowing that a Neo member had complimented his skill.
Doyoung nodded, “your footwork is crazy. You’d match a lot of the choreos we’ve done before. Hey, can you fill out your email and number information?”
Taeyong happily obliged, ready to faint once he returned the pen.
Once everyone got their information sorted, Johnny had asked for everyone’s attention before ending for the day.
“Good work, everyone. I’m impressed with what I’ve seen. The talent this year is through the roof.” The captain beamed proudly. “Don’t you think, Yuta?”
The most Yuta could give was a nonchalant shrug and a half-smile. “You all certainly didn’t suck. Good job.”
Johnny ignored him, “please have your choreographed dance ready for the next round. Please remember our guidelines for the performance and give us a chance to really see you as a dancer. Have a good rest of your day. As for my Neo members, get into positions and we’re starting practice in ten.”
With that, the crowd dispersed to collect their things to leave the team alone. Taeyong went to grab his bag, accidentally knocking over his water bottle and making it roll across the floor. He was about to chase after it when a hand grabbed it before he could.
Taeyong looked up in surprise to see Jaehyun. There was a thin sheen of sweat on his face but other than that, Taeyong would not have been able to tell he spent the last two hours dancing.
Jaehyun extended his hand to give him back his water bottle.
“Thank you,” Taeyong could hear his voice growing nervous. Cute people made Taeyong nervous.
Jaehyun said nothing, only offered him a miniscule movement of his head once he passed the bottle. Taeyong watched him walk off to join the other members who welcomed him into their conversation easily. It puzzled Taeyong since Jaehyun seemed far more quiet than everyone else.
“Taeyong, oh my fucking goodness!” Donghyuck whisper-shrieked as he pulled him away and out of the studio. “I can’t believe this. We both passed the first round!”
“I can’t believe I passed.” Taeyong had to admit.
“No way, I was sneaking glances at your group. You’re good!” Donghyuck nodded, “you have crazy body control.”
Taeyong blushed at the compliment. “Thank you. I’m sure you’re really good too.”
Unfortunately, Taeyong didn’t have the opportunity to sneak glances at Donghyuck’s group since he was too busy sneaking eyes at a certain Neo member.
“I think I have an idea for my choreography,” Donghyuck mused, shaking a fist in determination. “I might do one of my old competition choreos but maybe change it a little bit. Neo’s style is very hip-hop and street. I might need to pick a good song for it.”
“Don’t change yourself too much. Remember what Johnny said?”
“That’s true.” Donghyuck said, “they might be able to see right through my contemporary dancing ass.”
Taeyong had to chuckle. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. They already saw your skill.”
Donghyuck stopped walking then and pulled out his phone, “you know, we should exchange numbers and be friends.”
Taeyong blinked. Donghyuck was very straight-forward. But he didn’t mind.
Taeyong had spent the next two days practicing every free moment he had. Taeyong was always good at making choreography. It was his favorite part of dance. He liked creating little stories, bringing the songs to life. He was proud whenever his old dance team allowed him to come up with the choreographies for their competitions.
When Friday came, Taeyong was ready. The previous nerves he felt before the first tryout had completely disappeared. It was attributed to a variety of things. Advancing to the next round of tryouts, an actual Neo member complimenting his dance skill, getting to meet someone like Donghuck–who he has been messaging non-stop for the past two days–, and being surrounded by other passionate dancers.
Taeyong hadn’t realized how long it had been since he danced. Other than the little head bopping and shimming he did whenever he got ready for his day, he hadn’t really danced. Not to the level that he was doing at the tryouts.
So to say that Taeyong was excited to do his own choreography for his next audition was an understatement.
Taeyong waited by the dance studio building for Donghyuck. They both spent the past two days practicing on their own. Neither of them thought it would be fair to see each other’s choreography before the auditions.
A boisterous laugh caught Taeyong’s attention. He turned to see some Neo members walking past him. He wasn’t able to match a name to a face yet. During one of Taeyong and Donghyuck’s conversations, Donghyuck had suggested that Taeyong look up each of the Neo members. Taeyong thought it was weird. But Donghyuck had pointed out that Neo was a very public group with public information. They had their own linked page on the university’s official website, a dance account that posted their competition highlights, and a social media page that had over ten thousand followers. They were a big deal.
Taeyong just laughed it off, but obviously did try to do some research on his own before bed later that night. He tried to tell himself he was researching their dances and style. He only saw a handful of their performances through whatever viral video would enter his social media feed.
Taeyong couldn’t help that since he was able to name a few people from the audition, the performances and photos on their social media posts were interesting. Taeyong also couldn’t help that he was able to find Johnny, the team’s captain’s personal account. Since Johnny had left comments all over Neo’s official posts. And in return, Taeyong couldn’t help that he was able to see Johnny’s very public profile and see the Neo members he’d tag on his photos. Taeyong also couldn’t help that maybe he stumbled across the cute guy with dimples named Jaehyun’s profile from Johnny’s posts.
But really what Taeyong couldn’t help was that he couldn’t see much because Jaehyun kept his profile private and only a hundred followers compared to Johnny’s thousands.
“Taeyong, right?” Doyoung made eye contact with him and waved.
Taeyong wasn’t sure who everyone else was but he recognized Jungwoo and Jaehyun easily.
“Um, yes. H-hello!” Taeyong was caught off guard at the recognition.
“We can’t wait to see what you come up with for your audition.” Doyoung said as the group went ahead into the building.
“Thanks.” Taeyong managed to get out. He was too nervous to make eye contact with the other members but they all politely smiled as they passed by.
Donghyuck had arrived shortly after. The two made their way into the studio with the other lucky thirteen. Johnny had met everyone out in the hallway, instructing everyone to have a seat on the foldable chairs that were all brought out.
Each person was given a number and they’d wait their turn to go into the studio. The whole Neo team was seated and the auditionee was expected to perform their no-longer-than-five-minute performance in front of everyone. Each member would then give a score for each participant.
“That’s kind of nerve wracking,” Taeyong had to tell Donghyuck once the first person was called in. He was expecting to dance in front of the Neo members, maybe five at most. But all of them?
“It’s intense,” Donghyuck had to agree. “But they probably want the best of the best. Man, I hope we both get in. I promise I won’t end up hating you if you make it and I don’t.”
Taeyong had to let out a laugh in disbelief, “I’m sure you have more of a chance. You’re a professional dancer.”
“But I don’t know if I match their style,” Donghyuck had to admit, looking nervous for once.
Taeyong shook his head just as the door opened and the first participant walked out. They looked out of breath but more or less in one piece.
“Number Two.”
Donghyuck’s eyes shot up when he realized he was next so soon.
“You got this.” Taeyong held up a low fist to cheer him on.
Donghyuck scrambled out of his seat and followed after the Neo member who was waiting by the door.
Taeyong took a deep breath as he waited for his turn. He was number four.
“Three!”
Taeyong turned to see Donghyuck leaving the door that was being held open for him. He looked relieved.
“How was it?” Taeyong sat up once his friend took his seat.
“I-I’m not sure, really.” Donghyuck let out a confused chuckle. “I’ve been performing solo in front of judges for years and I’m usually good at reading their expressions. But I wasn’t too sure.”
“I’m sure you did great.” Taeyong encouraged him. If Donghyuck couldn’t get into Neo then there would be an even slimmer chance for him.
“Four!”
Donghyuck gasped, smacking him excitedly. “You’re up. Go kill it!”
Taeyong gave a faint nod as he felt his heart beat wildly into his chest. He followed after the Neo member into the dance studio. It wasn’t as professional as Taeyong had thought. He was expecting a banquet table for the members and giant red buzzers with big x’s on them. Instead, the members were haphazardly scattered in front of large windows. Some of them sat on the sofas at the side while some of them sat cross legged on the floor.
“Number Four, you’re up.”
The song Taeyong was asked to send via email suddenly started playing through the speakers above him.
He didn't have time to overthink. His muscle memory was always strong, easily putting him into position when he heard the first beat. He tried not to make eye contact with anyone as he moved his head to the beat. Instead, he focused on his facial expressions, not wanting to appear stiff.
The music was coming to an end as his movements slowed to his final step.
The Neo members in front of him politely clapped as they began inputting notes into their phones.
“Thank you, Taeyong.” Johnny stood up to give him a clap.
“Thank you,” Taeyong straightened up and bowed his gratitude.
“Jaehyun, go see him out and call number five up.”
Taeyong took a step back in surprise as Jaehyun moved from his seat on the couch. He didn’t make direct eye contact with Taeyong until he passed him, signaling with a head tilt to follow. Taeyong obliged.
The walk to the door wasn’t too long but Taeyong felt like it was much longer. He wanted to fill the space with conversation but Jaehyun seemed content with just walking ahead in silence.
It wasn’t until the door that Jaehyun spoke up, “you have good technique.”
“Huh.” Taeyong said dumbfoundedly.
Jaehyun stuffed his hands in his pocket and pursed his lips for a moment, his dimples showing slightly.
“Your technique is good.” Jaehyun clarified because there really was no other way to restate the compliment he just gave. Taeyong was just an idiot.
“Right, um, thank you.” Taeyong offered him a kind smile that he hoped came off nonchalant. “I’m Taeyong, by the way.”
“Number four.” Jaehyun nodded as he looked at the number bib across Taeyong’s shirt.
He then pushed the door open for Taeyong and called out to the hallway, “Number Five!”
It took a week of back and forth between Taeyong and Donghyuck. Messages asking if the other had heard anything about the audition results. The answer was always no. Johnny had mentioned that it would take a week minimum to review the results from the team.
Eventually, Taeyong and Donghyuck decided not to back and forth through messages and instead meet up in person. At least they could be anxious and miserable in person.
“Do you think we’ll hear back if we don’t get in?” Donghyuck asked over gimbap and sojus.
“I hope so.” Taeyong replied as he stuffed his mouth. “At least then we’ll be able to move on with our lives if we don’t get in.”
“True.” Donghyuck said then sighed, “I really hope we get in. Imagine how cool it would be to perform for university festivals and compete against other schools! Plus they get to wear cool jackets with the team logo.”
Taeyong had to agree.
The two spent the next hour eating and chatting. They were trying not to dwell too hard on the Neo auditions but they both knew it was at the back of both their minds. They had managed to not mention it again until they parted ways for the night with a simple promise to update the other if they heard anything.
Taeyong returned back to his apartment closer to eleven in the evening. He quickly moved through his night routine, ready to call it a night and check off another day of despair waiting to hear back from his audition.
It wasn’t until he was tucked in bed that he got a notification on his phone. It was an email from Neo’s official university email. Taeyong quickly shuffled to tap his screen, his heart thumping quickly in his chest.
Congratulations. Welcome to the team.
Taeyong’s hands shook as he read the words. He could faint. But he powered through to scroll through the rest of the email. It had it all. A brief history of the Neo dance team. Their highlights and titles. A compliment to Taeyong’s skill and ability for making it in. The team guidelines and policies.
Taeyong could hardly believe it.
After the initial shock, he navigated through his phone to find Donghyuck’s number. It took one ring before Donghyuck answered. “Taeyong!”
“Donghyuck!” They both spoke with the same urgency.
“Do we have to fake being happy for each other?” Donghyuck asked, excitement seeping through his words.
“I hope not.” Taeyong replied, “Did you–”
“Yes. Did you?”
“Yes!”
“Are you serious?”
“We both made it!”
“We both made it.” Donghyuck confirmed, sounding relieved and positively happy.
Taeyong couldn’t fight the smile on his face even if he tried, no longer feeling tired. He made it!