#cheol;sphere

they’ll only be performing it alongside the title for the first week, but seungcheol vows to enjoy each and every one of them. it won’t be often that he gets a chance like this, so why waste it? he’s never been this enthusiastic to get up at the crack of dawn. this comeback era is his favourite so far, from its songs to its schedules and it’s put a spring in his step— in his smile that seems to stretch to his eyes and flash his gums far more now than it ever has in the past. 

when they perform ‘pretty u’, he’s the picture of vibrant youth, a blooming flower. he’s got a bright grin, a sunny disposition that is relentlessly honest and true. he’d said back in february that this would be his favourite comeback yet and he hadn’t been wrong. he’s always been so concerned about shining, about standing out enough for people to feel he’s worthy of his position in convex without taking any of the spotlight away from his members, but this comeback, it doesn’t cross his mind nearly as often — rarely in comparison. he’s so blissfully happy despite the same exhaustion, despite the same busy routines. he glows without having to remind himself because he’s so overjoyed that it bursts from him like sunshine. he’s gentle as ever but bouncing on his heels; he’s comfortable and confident and it’s beautiful. 

“cheol, your new song is so good! you looked so handsome performing tonight. I sent the clip to all my friends—” his father’s laughter cuts his mother off mid-sentence, their faces beaming through his phone screen the night after their first stages. “the ballad song you did, too... I wish you could have had more lines, but it’s not fair on the other members if you always outshine them, right?” if it were any other time, he’d insist only a mother would say something so embarrassing ( and so untrue; he never outshines, only fits in because that’s all he ever wants, to deserve to stand together with so much raw talent ) but today, he just laughs. 

“you looked so happy up there, cheol. we’re so proud of you; always. congrats on the comeback!” 

“thanks, dad.” he grins, eyeing the way his mother scowls. 

she tuts, “where’s my thanks! he barely said anything!” 

“can you forward me that clip you took?” 

with just the line distribution and the demo in his hands, he’s already loving the vibes of their newest track. the staff had mentioned a spring comeback and honestly, seungcheol felt like the song was perfect for the season, even early summer if there were any unexpected circumstances to factor in. it felt like their debut song, like their anniversary song, but better, more vibrant, more refined. not to mention he wholeheartedly loved his parts, the rap in the rough middle of the song and the rap team’s combined outro. he even attempts woohyun’s three-part high note after the bridge a few times for fun and imagines there’ll be plenty of people at home that won’t be able to resist doing the same ( and will likely do it better than him, too, though now he’s determined to master it despite probably never actually needing to ). 

later, when they add the choreography, for the first time in a while, it doesn’t seem to matter how difficult it is for him at first. there’s so many layers to it, so many props and quirks and silly little things that make it so uniquely convex and so fun that he forgets to berate himself, forgets that he can’t actually dance that well. how can he dwell on such negativity when he’s hiding behind a couch? when he’s bouncing around, stomping his foot, playing on the sofa with the other rap unit members, how can he think about anything other than how cute all of this is? everything about ‘pretty u’ is feel good and it rubs off on him. 

as always, he learns his own lines first and then moves on to everyone else’s. over time, listening to the track on repeat, it’d come naturally anyway but he likes to make a point of it just in case he ever needs to know any other lines. sometimes hosts ask members to sing bits of their new titles; he’d hate to be that idol that can’t even remember the chorus to his own song. he’ll embarrass himself in some way, he’s sure, but he won’t let it be this. 

what gets him most excited once everything starts to come together, though, is the potential. an upbeat song like this can surely only have a similarly toned concept. bright yet soft colours, perhaps, and a cute love story for the music video? he expects styling to be more subtle than their bold looks in ‘boom boom’. maybe he’ll go back to a natural colour, his hair down more so than up. lots of denim? he’s far from knowledgeable in anything related to fashion or visual concepts but his imagination runs wild regardless. maybe sphere will surprise him, but he’s sure whatever it is, he’ll love it regardless. 

he thinks it’s the best song to introduce their new members, too, not because it particularly highlights them any more than anyone else ( part of him wonders if that’d be worse, to have so much attention drawn to you immediately rather than seamlessly settling in, like you were always destined to be there ), but because it’s so fun. he doesn’t find it as hard to approach the others to practice together, or feel so nervous in group practices messing up in front of them. he feels light, like the world is ready for convex to come back strong despite everything that had unfolded over their first year or so together — like convex can still shine brighter and brighter with every comeback. 

he’s tired by the time the show starts, but, as cliche as it feels, he finds a new spark in the cheers of fans in the audience. there may be no one here for them, but he can still hear passionate people out there and that’s enough for him to feel a new lease of life to put on the best performance he can. there’s a lot of buzz surrounding them lately with all the line-up changes over the past year and their anniversary passing yesterday, so his priority right now is to take advantage of that attention and show the world why they should give convex the time of day — why they should keep watching and supporting them despite the uncertainty of the group. 

‘adore u’s funky beat booms through the venue and seungcheol is reminded how easy it is to lose himself in the music when he performs. even though their struggles lately are plain to see in the slight emptiness of the stage, ‘adore u’ is still a song of celebration and love and he intends to keep it that way. he doesn’t want to go the rest of their careers, their lives associating it with loss and pain. it’s just so hard. 

otherwise, it’s just like any other music show performance. he puts his all into it because that’s what everyone, himself included, deserves, and he enjoys every second for the same reason. each move is executed with a precision that is good enough for seungcheol, for where he’s at with the choreography changes and the skill in general. 

( and he doesn’t drop woohyun, which is really the most important part of the entire performance. safety comes first above all, and it’s easily his favourite aspect of this ‘comeback’, too. if he can perfect that, it should be a job well done, even if he knows that he’d kick himself if he made a mistake anywhere. there isn’t room for mistakes, especially right now. )