#rkcheonso

          if only he could see it.

          bitterness rises like bile in the back of her throat and hyeri violently shakes her head to clear her thoughts. “you’re done with that, lee hyeri,” the dancer whispers and she stares straight into the glass. the young woman that looks back at her has lined-eyes full of steely determination and that is who she is now-- a product of sleepless rehearsal nights and ambition to rock this. a future idol in the making.

          “aye, let’s do it.”

          she meets the others backstage and touches hands with all. the girls in her group look great, in her immodest opinion, but that’s no surprise when kt boasts some of the best visuals in the country. pair beautiful faces with black leather and rhinestones and jaws will drop-- as evidenced by a stagehand who does just that. hyeri blows him a kiss and the red-faced youth gasps, flushing and hurrying away as quickly as he’d come. easy.

          “ready?” the stage manager asks and hyeri hears one of her group mates convey the ‘okay’ that brings the inevitable closer. the tall girl exhales slowly, eyes drifting closed as she slowly counts to one hundred to calm her natural jitters. no matter how many times hyeri did this, the anticipation always shook her within in the last seconds; trc being the company to impress (as well as her own) certainly didn’t help. but she’s not alone, for once, and there’s support in taeyeon’s eyes when hyeri meets the older girl’s stare. the dancer’s expression softens and so does her heart-- taeyeon had worked hard, probably the hardest of any of them to learn the high-energy choreography, and that was inspiration enough for hyeri to shelve her nervous feelings at once. as the one to begin the performance, there was no way she’d let anyone see less than her best for a single second.

          there’s no music when they walk out, only the cat-calling and cheers from the girls of their company in the audience who watch. hyeri even fancies she can distinguish tiffany’s voice loudest of all (but it might just be wishful thinking on her part!) she readies herself in the starting position and looks out into the sea of faces staring back at her. expecting things from her. well, she’d show them.

          the electronic beat blares loud from the speakers and hyeri immediately launches into the opening verse. the mic taped to her cheek picks up every word that she chants, a steady rhythm of “i am the best” over and over as the dancer strides forward confidently. they are the best, some of the most talented trainees the big company had to offer. taeyeon’s singing voice could move mountains. she and yeri could dance, drawing interested eyes like moths to a searing flame. soyeon could rap, injecting toughness and that edge of cool to seal the deal of this concept. and mimi-- new though she was, she’d filled in the gaps they’d needed perfectly. a true package of potential for the future. hyeri had no doubts that katie lee would be proud of them.

“My name is Adachi Yuto, Toshi for short.” He greeted them confidently, his stoic expression breaking into a gentle, warm smile. After the incident last December, the ex-con found himself diving into music head first. Unlike other times when he devoted his time to science, for a while he wanted to forget he was smart since his intelligence and memory has gotten his loved ones hurt. Killed even. Alas he’s attempt proves to be futile, for having an eidetic memory and high IQ aren’t something one can simply brush off. 

Yet there were massive improvements in his chosen music and arts. Instead of attending physical therapy, Toshi danced rigorously, creating one choreography after another. Improving each move by adding influences from martial arts and occasional acrobatics too. His singing progressed significantly as well. Along with his rapping, most of the songs he’s been focused on are self-composed. So with the help of mentors from Warner’s Studio, his vocal skills have been sharpened up. Much like everyone performing that day, he could only hope it was enough to prove he’s worth investing in Korea’s top entertainment industry. 

He took a deep breath. Then the music started. 

Love has either got you over heels or overdosed It's got you off your feet or on your toes It's got you out your seat or in your place It's got you diggin' it or your grave Love has got you mad about or just about mad Got you in a crush or it's got you in a crash What used to make your heart sing a hit, sing a smash Will make you wanna hit, wanna smash Everything that you had into pieces But love becomes clear when in pieces What you couldn't see and hear during peace is Why a heart becomes ears in two pieces Yeah

The verse started off with a rap, after all, if he was going to begin somewhere, it’ll be the place where he last left off. He wanted to remind them that rapping is a skill he’s mastered. Be it’s with a fast, hard-thumping beat. Or a gentle rhythmic flow like his current tune. He knew that there was various type of rapping skills and methods. Toshi wanted to show them that he was versatile. That even during an audition, he wasn’t afraid to take on such a risk. 

Gravity makes wonders But it doesn't seem to weigh Float like clouds on water We're waves across an open plain 'Cause you and me live like birds on a power line Hands slipping and our fingers fried God bless those Northern lights And our own devices, babe Entropy multiplies Clocks ticking and I'm mortified' Cause in the back of my mind In the back of my hemisphere

There was a smooth transition from his rapping to his singing. Perfectly timed, his voice harmonised with song effortlessly like a bird grazing through a breezy sky. Although his voice was deep, there was something natural in the way it hits the high notes. One would assume he was a singer more than anything else. His voice was calming and breathlessly refreshing, almost hypnotic. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he used to sing his twin to sleep when they were younger and afraid. Knowing the other was near had always been a comfort for them both, sometimes even until now. 

Baby, I want you to cave me in So, baby, I won't have to admit it Baby, I want you to cave me in So maybe I won't ask to forget it

Early that day without needing to ask him, they attached the mic to him, rather than giving him a hand-held one. It allowed him to have a bit of advantage, just like those who were lucky enough to have a similar mic during their performance, when it came to the dance portion. Especially when there were bits in his choreography that still had him singing. His sharp movements do not hinder his singing. His voice still crystal clear while he dances to the beat. 

In the end, Toshi stood breathless for the first time since his performance started. Pleased with his whole performance, he giddily smiled at the judges and the audience. He felt a strange sense of inner peace and thankfulness closing in on him as he bowed farewell to everyone. The last time he auditioned with such a crowd, a few weeks later he was in a hospital. With a friend dead, another in a coma and lastly a traitor amongst his family revealed. Toshi didn’t think he’d ever recover from that. 

The nervousness was still there as they were given final notes before their turn for the shoot. It was awkward at first, he was awkward - reasons why they needed a few more takes - but Sehun summoned all his charismatic side for this, surprisingly growing more comfortable the more he stayed in front of the camera. The music playing helped a lot to calm his nerves, but not as much at the support from Seoyeon and Woohyun out in front, beaming as they filmed them both.

Sehun stood there handsomely (he hopes) just as Seolhyun approached him. “It would be an honour,” Sehun bows a little to show he’s honoured to accept such an invitation and he finds himself smiling as he gently took her hand, leading her to center stage. A hand was both firm and gentle in its hold around her waist, his other cradling her hand as they faced each other - the perfect gentleman. He doesn’t miss the way her eyes practically screams for him to keep his back straight and he almost laughs out loud - thankfully only ending up with a grin on his lips.

They move more naturally than they had during practice. They kept it simple, boxing themselves in as Sehun goes over every single pointers they’ve done in his head - keep your back straight and your hands in place, firm but gentle, keep her from tripping and catch her if she does. They wing the rest of their routine there, waltzing around the floor. He had been adamant on making a big twirl somewhere along the way just so they could show off Seolhyun’s pretty dress. They had given that part an extra time to make sure she twirls in a perfect circle without Sehun messing up - and he only hopes it’ll make the CF cut.