“Can we practice together?”
“You don’t need permission to practice.”
Although he spoke boldly, he couldn’t take a single step when he saw himself standing side by side with Ga-ram in the mirror. Feeling only the dampness of his palms due to nervousness, Sol continuously clenched and unclenched his hands. Ga-ram, who had been moving smoothly as if following a sequence, glanced at the motionless Sol. He should have just stayed seated.
When practicing with Eun-gyeom, it wasn’t like this. Maybe it was because of the gaze from Tae-oh, Deuk-yong, and Ji-ho visible through the mirror. Sol wiped his damp palms on his clothes.
Even though he hadn’t done anything properly, his breath quickened, and his eyes darted around. The image of himself, pale and fidgeting in the mirror, felt as unstable to him as it probably looked. However, unlike his mind, which recognized the situation, his body was not easily controlled. Rolling his eyes in all directions, he made eye contact with Tae-oh, who was looking at the workbook that Deuk-yong had brought with him.
Suddenly, Tae-oh stood up and approached Sol. As it was only an hour since the morning incidents in the practice room, Sol felt even more tense with Tae-oh approaching. He silently promised himself not to cry, no matter what harsh words he might hear.
“Your hat?”
Surprisingly, Tae-oh’s unexpected words were completely unrelated to what Sol had anticipated.
“Yes?”
“My hat that I put on you this morning.”
“In your bag...”
Sol pointed towards Tae-oh’s bag with his finger. In response, Tae-oh brought the hat he had left there and handed it to him again. Sol, not understanding the significance of Tae-oh handing him the hat, discreetly observed his reaction.
“Wear the hat.”
“The hat?”
As Sol stared blankly at the hat he handed him, Tae-oh hesitated for a moment, as if about to put it on him like he did in the morning. He wondered if he was behaving too casually. Given Tae-oh’s personality, where input and output needed to be perfectly aligned, Sol, who always seemed halfway hesitant, was too slow, even for his own standards.
Even Ga-ram, who rarely expressed himself and had a laid-back demeanor, had some trouble with Tae-oh initially due to issues like this. Now the other was quite diligent, but his morning wake-up problem still hadn’t improved easily.
Because of habits formed from taking care of Ga-ram like that, Tae-oh behaved the same this morning, but he felt he was approaching Sol too casually. By the time he realized it, the action had already taken place. It was the result of constantly looking after those who needed a lot of attention.
In the morning, he arbitrarily plopped a hat on the other’s head, and while it was somewhat amusing how nonchalant he was about it, he couldn’t help but think he should be careful from now on. ‘Be cautious,’ Tae-oh thought to himself, repeating it silently, and once again handed the hat to Sol. Only then did Tae-oh provide an explanation.
“It helps to narrow your vision when you’re anxious.”
“Um... yes. How did you know?”
“I could tell because your gaze seems too unstable.”
“Oh... thank you.”
“Wear the hat low and keep your gaze as low as possible. It will help.”
Even with Sol’s embarrassed expression, Tae-oh explained without hesitation. It wasn’t just because Tae-oh was good at observing people and paying attention, but Sol was too obvious about it. Unless one was as dull as Kim Deuk-yong, everyone could quickly figure it out.
“What’s up, was that it? Tae-oh hyung?”
“You’re the one to talk. Kim Deuk-yong.”
As if a tiger would come if it roared, Deuk-yong threw aside the workbook he had in his hand and stood up. The book he held in his hand fell onto Ji-ho’s lap next to him.
“I always thought it was cool how you guys wear hats. Was it actually because you’re scared?”
Seeming shocked, he made a serious expression, so when everyone wondered what a big deal it was, it turned out to be nothing. Except for Deuk-yong, the expressions of the other four were just like that. Ga-ram looked at Deuk-yong as if he were pathetic, shaking his head.
“...So there’s that method, too.”
“You guys always wear hats like this. I used to think, ‘Wow, my hyungs are good at styling.’”
“It’s good to look cool, Deuk-yong. Singing and dancing in front of people is originally difficult. It’s natural to be scared.”
“But he said he used to do ballet or something. Then, didn’t he dance ballet or something in front of people?”
Tae-oh let out a laugh mixed with a sigh as he looked at Deuk-yong and continued with his explanation. However, before his words could come to an end, Deuk-yong’s loud voice once again interrupted the conversation.
“Deuk-yong, shall we go do your homework together, just the two of us?”
Ji-ho, who had been smiling, picked up the workbook the other had dropped and stood up from his seat.
“Our Deuk-yong still has five pages left to finish in his workbook.”
“We can do it here, Ji-ho hyung.”
“No, let’s do it by ourselves. I’ll help you out.”
“Do we need to go that far?”
“Come on. Our youngest is struggling with his grades. Can’t the big brother help out a bit?”
“You don’t have to, Ji-ho hyung.”
“No, really. Deuk-yong, I want to do it now.”
Ji-ho spoke with a wide smile, his words gentle, but as he persisted, Deuk-yong became thoughtful, tilting his head in contemplation.
“Oh! Ouch! It hurts. Ah, my ear!”
Faced with Deuk-yong’s continued resistance, Ji-ho eventually grabbed Deuk-yong’s ear and dragged him into a small vocal training room. The screams of the reluctant Deuk-yong continued until the door closed.
Even at eighteen, it seemed like he couldn’t simply enjoy the vacation and had other responsibilities. While not knowing the details of this side of life, Deuk-yong must have always been focused on dance at an academy, lacking interest in studies. Judging people by their appearance was not a good practice, but truth be told, Deuk-yong didn’t seem to have much interest in studying. Of course, it was a highly subjective evaluation.
As the eldest dragged away the clueless and noisy youngest, only the three peers of the same age were left in the room. Briefly grateful for the disappearance of the noisy Deuk-yong, a stifling silence settled in. None of them dared to speak up, just staring at themselves in the mirror. At that moment, Tae-oh was the first to break the silence.
“Do you have a rough understanding of the choreography? Try to match it, even roughly.”
At Tae-oh’s words, Ga-ram also looked at Sol.
‘Can I do it?’ With doubts in his mind, Sol couldn’t easily give an answer. Yesterday was truly a life-and-death situation, and he was almost not in his right mind. Meeting Eun-gyeom in the morning was just a special case. Even so, it was a bit less burdensome without the two pairs of eyes that had been watching him from behind.
Sol nodded slightly. After he nodded, Ga-ram played the familiar song that had become deeply ingrained in Sol’s ears within just a few hours.
Like the light footsteps rushing out, there’s a nimble guitar riff and beneath it, a heavy low bass laying down. As the familiar intro flowed from the speakers, Sol, following Tae-oh’s advice, firmly pulled down the hat with both hands.
The brim of the bucket hat pressed down enough to half-cover the face, revealing Sol’s reflection in the mirror. As the edges of his vision darkened, a strange sense of stability crept in, just as Tae-oh had mentioned.
Sol moved very slowly, almost imperceptibly. It might have seemed a bit nonchalant, but for now, it was the best approach. Wrist flicking in a casual manner, he appeared to move effortlessly, yet the choreography’s sequence and overall movements aligned.
Ga-ram and Tae-oh beside him paid no attention to Sol. They were too busy checking their reflection in the mirror, as if their own work was the most important thing. Sol, tilting his head slightly and obscuring his view even more, quickly realized this was their way of showing consideration. They intentionally avoided looking at Sol.
Unlike the two people who accurately expressed each movement, Sol, who was moving nervously in the midst, couldn’t help but draw attention.
Sol remained almost stationary, as if firmly anchored to the ground. Even when the two people took brisk steps, Sol only moved slightly within his own space, hardly taking a step. Whether it was due to the hat or the deliberate lack of attention from the other two, Sol’s movements gradually took shape.
The once awkward arms stretched smoothly, and the isolations became more natural. Sol, without looking at his reflection in the mirror, recalled the choreography he had memorized and adjusted his movements to match Ga-ram and Tae-oh.
‘This should do. This should be fine.’ With a sigh of relief, Sol’s body stiffened noticeably as the vocal room opened, and Ji-ho appeared. Then his mind went blank. Stumbling in that spot, he struggled to recall the next part. Before he could gather himself, Tae-oh’s command, signaling the beat and the next move, hit his ears.
“One, two, turn! Repeat from the left.”
Reacting to Tae-oh’s command, Sol moved reflexively. As the distraction passed, his focus returned, much like a wave, settling back into its original place.
“I should join too.”
“Oh, it’s still lunchtime. Hyung.”
“Fix your shoulders and gaze here. Right foot, right foot.”
At that sound, when Ji-ho joined the lineup, suddenly Deuk-yong also popped up, wedging himself in. Before Sol could be embarrassed and stumble again, Tae-oh’s command resumed. As he counted and executed each move, the now somewhat familiar actions reflexively emerged. Unbeknownst to himself, Sol, who had ended up standing in the center of the lineup, was synchronizing with the members.
He finished dancing to the song, just like that. It felt as futile as his own worries. The pain which he had been enduring was now bearable. He’s not completely free from the pain, but still, with a bit of concentration, he could manage to endure it to the point of just slightly furrowing his brows. Of course, compared to the other four, his movements were disappointingly loose. But just being with the four of them gave a sense of hope.
[Trait ‘Unlucky Genius Dancer’ has been activated.]
[D-Block - Hot Trick Dance Proficiency 25%]
[Current Fatigue Level 35/100]
As Tae-oh had said, the hat had quite an effect. When Ga-ram turned off the music and took a deep breath, Sol casually took off the hat. The dim vision brightened, and a notification window appeared in front of him. Both dance proficiency and fatigue had increased a bit. And the trait ‘Unlucky Genius Dancer’ was still active.
In truth, as long as this ridiculous trait existed, each movement was not easy for Sol. Sol’s head, now twice as sweaty due to tension, was dripping with moisture, as if he had just taken a shower.
As he took off the hat and swept his sweat-drenched hair with his hand, Deuk-yong exclaimed, ‘Oh!’ in a loud voice.
