#de:code:noveval

he’s been lacking lately, and he knows it.  not in skill or vigor, because hongjoong is absolutely sure that the coaches would have reprimanded him for slacking if that was the case for it, but in spirit.  there’s a part of him that was left back home in an apartment with a screaming baby who reached for him the minute that she saw him, six cats, a full house  -  what’s left is this hongjoong, a machine, built to dance and sing and rap without complaint.  meant to wear the smiles that they expect him to, or show off the expression that they want him to.

the day of this evaluation is no different.  he cracks a joke, laughs as always.  dances hard, and wants to impress  -  perhaps the hongjoong that finds himself with decode now is just the one that will stop at nothing to reach his dreams.  the part that was left back at home, the life of him  -  he wonders if anyone will ever really know that he’s not really quite himself.  hongjoong doesn’t feel connected to many of the members, there is no good relationship or bad relationship.  there just isn’t one at all.

minho though, is different.  when decode was announced, he thinks that he connected a little bit more than they were before  -  especially because they were always on awkward footing, always falling just short.  that’s what a friendship is, he thinks.  maybe minho will understand that this hongjoong is just that: a machine.  a triple threat machine.

his body drops down next to the other after practice just before their performance in front of the coach for a final evaluation, and he rolls to his side to look at minho with fluttering lashes  -  hongjoong is good at faking it.  that much he knows.  “ good morning, starshine.  the earth says hello.” stretching out on the floor, he groans a little as his muscles tense.  “ you think you’re ready for the evaluation?”

@jaehyunrk dont... stop ... me.... cause i’m having a good time 

october rolls into november and they receive their next assignment for the month regarding their debut. it still seems unrealistic to seonho who never really believe he would make it this far, yet on the same hand he’s beginning to understand that it is real. especially now that they are being made to focus on the dance portion of their new songs--the songs he has come to really love because it’s their songs. the group he is going to debut in. 

but dancing... 

“im not here!” seonho gets out quickly and in a loud whisper as he darts into the room holding his jaehyun hyung, instantly spotting the older males bed and climbing into it and under the covers. it’s early still, the group having yet made their way to the company to begin a new day or training but seonho was already fully of energy. the teen had been avoiding going though once he had been reminded what they’re to focus more on this month. he’s not a dancer. sure, in the two ish years of being in royal he has managed to get the basics of rhythm down. but he is still just a teen with two left feet who has no business dancing. 

de:code:noveval with @rkhoon !!

this is their forte, their comfort zone. he doesn’t bring it up, and honestly, he doesn’t really like thinking about it at all but after the way the coaches spoke to jihoon in their meeting, won thinks getting to dance so much this month possibly brings him a little more joy than usual. it would him, at least, if he were in jihoon’s position. it didn’t feel like the coach had much respect for him, but perhaps the shock of it blew it out of proportion in his head. he thinks maybe it’d have been a conversation better had in private. regardless, he pushes it to the back of his head. they’re dancing this month, their vocal lines are the least of won’s worries. 

@rkwon

baekhyun’s been sitting around for a while, back against the wall and feet dangling idly off the table where he’s sitting right next to the sound system that’s boosting the demo of one of their pre-debut songs, what time is it now. it’s a bit too loud, a strain on his ears, but he feels too lazy to move to another spot. is sitting here rather comfortably despite that — a reason why he’s watching wonwoo’s second run through the choreography for the song rather than joining in himself and using this moment for some proper practice.

which he should definitely get.

@rkbyunbaek

as the months pass by, their debut inches closer. they’ve been given their lines and are made to focus on choreography. dancing. jaehyun’s no stranger to the fact that dancing isn’t quite his forté, yet somehow the company had decided to give him the role of dancer. it makes the pressure all the more bigger.

he slinks onto the ground after spending hours practicing the moves and looks at their leader, baekhyun. “hyung,” he whines, already feeling the aching in his body. they have to be meticulous with training though, every little bit sure that the company would scrutinise them for any mistake made.

@rkkangjoon

minho has never hesitated to help anyone with dancing if they asked. if there's anything he's confident about, it's dance-- and if he can help his other members with improving, he'll gladly do it without hesitation. but he always feels awkward to offer up the help-- too afraid he's stepping on toes, toeing boundaries he doesn't know about. he doesn't want to bother anyone just because minho takes dancing a bit more seriously than anything else-- but the comment from coach soonyang about not helping others has him rethinking it.

so during free practice where they're spending time going through the choreography of their pre-debut songs, minho takes extra focus to observe the members when he can, see which parts they're struggling (if they are at all), and makes note of it. during a brief break, he catches sight of kangjoon going through the choreography of i'm fine once more-- and minho notes the movements. while not bad, he can see there's a tiny bit of struggle during a transitional point.

@rkbyunbaek

the hardest thing that comes with learning an entirely new song like they are for their song is that seonho has no one to sing like. there’s no artist to mimic the way they sing or the emotion they put into it and for seonho that has been the hardest part. sure, he writes lyrics here and there but the teen has never really put forth the full effort to try and sing a fully original song. and he worries he won’t be able to sing the way they are expecting him to. 

and so he finds himself turning to the leader and the hyung he is closest with for help. the teen calling baekhyun out to a vocal studio in hopes some more practice could help. especially now that they have set lines--or so he thinks--for their potential debut song. he knows his part but he just isn’t sure how to sing it.

de:code:noveval with @rkmg !!

being in the dance studio after hours isn’t unfamiliar to won at all. he’s accustomed to the harsh lighting above his head, how it’ll irritate his sensitive eyes when he goes outside later to head home in the dark of night. he knows the ache of every muscle being pushed to its limits well, knows the fatigue of practising when you should be preparing for bed or winding down for the night. above all else, though, he knows mingyu — his loving boyfriend who isn’t as confident as he should be in his dancing, who sits opposite him with their legs folded at their knees and intertwined with each other’s as they face each other. mingyu’s taking a swig from their shared water bottle, catching his breath as won does the same. won might be a dancer, but mingyu is an athlete — his stamina is undoubtedly better but won doesn’t have to push himself quite as far, especially if he’s teaching more so than learning.