Choi Yeo Hyun

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That was a yes right?

Right. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—

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

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

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

“Really? …I’m not sure-“

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

—

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

She was the leader right? Time to act it.

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

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

The lanky rapper was even more surprised when the man opened the doors and let them through. Despite the line that wrapped along the building’s exterior and the exclusivity of the club, they were let in. Because of a Taewoo.

“I’ll have to thank your boyfriend for the premiere service,” Iolani teased Chaegyeong, her eyes glancing around the sleek interior. Exclusive and trendy indeed.

She wasn’t used to clubs. If she was being honest, bars were more her scene, or the dingy clubs that served as the perfect battleground for underground rappers. She felt at home in those dark, unknown corners of Seoul. But that didn’t mean Iolani wasn’t going to make herself at home with the trendy spot for the night.

“Do we sit in a booth, grab one of those pretend tables you stand at or do we just…lurk at the bar?” she asked, wanting to know if anyone had a preference. Iolani didn’t really care where they ended up as long as she got a few celebratory shots into her system and could hit the dance floor unimpeded at some point tonight.

Before she could continue her question, a tray with a sparkler passed by. Adjusting to the dim lighting, she noticed the sparkler was sticking out of the cork of a magnum bottle of champagne. While Iolani was definitely not expecting their turn up to be anything close to that, she was still surprised. 

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

✏; @glrwoobin

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

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

Rumors swirled and he was expected to just ignore it and not address a single false claim made against him, no matter how negatively it affected his image and by proxy, the group. He wasn’t confident the negative effects settled in for the group, but the rumors escalated in nature and scale with each passing month. And now to know someone was threatening that there was undeniable proof of his dating? While the person hadn’t done anything with this information, it was only a matter of time before they would. Right?

When he heard the door open, Valentine hid, afraid one of his members would find him up here and try to speak to him–the last thing he really wanted. But when he saw the familiar female frame, he stepped out and stared, wondering if she would stick around if the roof was occupied. When she turned around, noticed him and called him by his real name and not his stage name, he stopped, stunned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

✂

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… what was her name again??? 

Yeo.. Yeoreun? Yeohyeon? 

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

Nine.

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

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

✂

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@glryeohyun

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

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

Something was off about his dancing.

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

As if nothing could be done to help him.

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

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

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

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

✂

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

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

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