be humble.
{filming for dancing9′s first episode}
when sejun had heard about dancing9 and the possibility of joining, honestly he couldn’t stop badgering his company about it. while he’s grown used to variety shows and has even stopped feeling as anxious as he used to back in the day, there’s still small part of him that worries about his image, about the way the fans will react to him being himself in front of so many cameras. vlives are easy. it’s easy to control the kind of content he’s providing, allows for more of a fan interaction that he adores. but an opportunity like dancing9? not something he could pass up at all.
he barely was able to restrain himself until talks between the company and the production team started before he was throwing himself into extra practices. while he loves singing, is comfortable with the way his voice sounds and enjoys standing on stage and performing for fans. dancing is something he’s in love with, is confident and proud of his skills in. and it’s been a while since he was able to focus on just the song, the beat and the way it makes his body move without worrying about words to go along with it.
while he knew what to expect, he still wasn’t expecting the barrage of cameras he encounters when stepping into the practice room. he clears his throat awkwardly and sets his stuff down on the couch in the corner. sejun starts to stretch, biting on his bottom lip while trying to avoid looking directly into the cameras. the crew is friendly, quickly introducing themselves and smiling at him. it helps sejun to feel less nervous as time ticks by, allows for his shoulders to finally begin to relax as they finish setting up a few pieces of sound equipment. and suddenly, they’re starting.
the music starts, a controlled voice dropping short and strong lyrics over a beat that hits him straight into the chest. a shiver runs down his chest and he hops in place a few times, in time with the music in chance to warm up and build up his confidence. it isn’t long before he’s following along to the tempo of the song, the beat addictive in the way he allows his limbs to move freely, a marionette free of his strings. it isn’t long before everything around him fades away, leaving the air to feel like just another afternoon in the practice room, sejun alone with the music. and by now his movements are second nature, it’s easy to fall in line, to fall in love with the music.
he bites into his bottom lip, barely concealing a cocky smile before it’s splitting at the seams and he can longer control the feeling of pride that wells up through his body as he goes through moves he would have considered difficult a matter of years ago. the time and dedication he’s put into his body evident in the control he has over his limbs, the way he can be carefree as he quickly twists his feet, kicking out in a style resembling the way he’d seen a few dancers lose themselves to house music a few weeks ago online. time seems to fly back and he doesn’t really come back into the moment until the room is no longer swelling with the sound of music and all he can hear is his heavy breathing, his chest heaving. looking around him, he fights the urge to cover his face and instead smiles widely at the cameras and crew, eyes all focused on him.
they run through a few other songs sejun favors before their time together is quickly over. the producer is quick to ensure him that they got all they needed, smiles widely at him saying he’s excited about the show, tells sejun he has a lot of stiff competition and the fans are already blowing up over articles revealing contestants.
the thought of competition fires him sejun up. it helps him stay energetic and focused for the next few weeks as he stumbles through interview questions and the little bit of anxiety of performing in front of the captains.
