it is with a heavy heart that i come to you all today -- after a lot of thinking and with the new year, i will be dropping hyojin.
it’s been a really awesome couple of months having him here, and there are a lot of muses i’m glad he got to plot with! a shout out in particular to the 6tunes kids, fellow onf muses, seunghun, and his lovely cousins jibeom and doyoung, we love you!! by far, he was definitely one of my favorites to pen and develop over time, but to make it short and sweet, i simply don’t have time to keep up with three muses anymore! i’ve reached an important landmark in my life and in school where i have to actively cut important time from real life to do krp things, which won’t be feasible in the long term if he was ever to become a trainee and can turn out to be harmful if i try to juggle it all at once :(
ic wise, he will go on a hiatus from 6tunes in order to focus on his studies in his last year at uni! he will still occasionally post covers and such on his youtube channel and feature 6tunes members, but he’s kind of left the idea of being an idol behind. he’ll definitely be supporting his trainee friends from the sidelines, of course! and he won’t ever stop singing, even if it’s unprofessionally :>
i’m sorry to have to do this, and rest assured -- i will still remain in rookies with changbin and changmin. perhaps one day i’ll bring hyojin back once i get past this rough patch in life and can then maintain more than two muses, but for now, it is time to say goodbye to him.
MBC GAYO DAEJEJUN ✖ KIM HYOJIN
song choice: TURTLE SHIP ✖ SCARY
december 31st, 2019 — SHOWTIME
lots of breathing, hyojin.
in and out.
in and out.
in and --
the lights slowly fade in as the cheers rise for chungha, and she finishes her stage. taking the cue as the instrumental comes on, hyojin gets into his spot near yugyeom, head down. remembering the counts engraved into his memory, hyojin tries his best to steel his nerves as he hears the sound of the crowd screaming in recognition of the song.
now isn’t the time to lose focus.
the past few months certainly had a different feel from the more laidback, low-stakes environment hyojin had experienced just two summers ago; with the breakthrough in mgas leading to his exposure to a far more intense, stressful but rewarding level of dance instruction, hyojin finds his body slowly growing more accepting of the constant strain he put it through whenever he entered the studio even afterwards.
at the very least, it’s certainly a new experience for him. he’s not alone anymore, what with yeji’s encouragement and taeyang’s past instruction helping him improve in great leaps, and it makes the transition a little less nerve-wracking. even if he knows he’s far less experienced than everyone else around him, it won’t stop him from putting his all into it. he’s sure that the other hundreds of people who tried out would kill for an opportunity like this, so he mustn’t let it go to waste. not if he can help it.
it’s with this thought that he dances with renewed zest, controlling his breath as he goes through the tiring moves with as much power as he can muster. there are no notable mistakes by the time he makes it to the ground, following the others in sync and hearing their claps resound satisfyingly in the air. his arms burn, but it’s a good burn, and it keeps the sly smile on his face as he maintains the proper stage expressions throughout.
by the time the next song comes on, he’s already deep into the music, and his body goes through the motions smoothly, muscle memory leading the way.
at the final pose, hyojin stands tall, hands in the pocket of his stage costume and sweat gleaming on his forehead. he’s breathing heavily as his eyes search for the camera, making eye contact with it briefly before the lights go back off and they’re directed to leave the stage after a few seconds. as surreal as the experience was, especially as they walked backstage, a wave of inexplicable gladness washed through hyojin, grounding him.
he’s certainly not a dancer -- not as much as chungha, yugyeom, and jinhwan were -- but he could afford himself the indulgence of thinking, maybe for a second, that he had done well on the stage, and fully carried his own weight.
MBC GAYO DAEJEJUN ✖ KIM HYOJIN
song choice: TURTLE SHIP ✖ SCARY
december 21st, 2019 — REACTIONS + INTRODUCTION
ft. @rkjibeom, @rkseunghun ( LOOK GAB I DID IT )
he’s 99% sure it’s some kind of joke when he gets the email.
although he had practiced hard and sent in the submission with serious intent, the last thing he expected was to actually get a response from the broadcasting company itself.
he was so sure that the notifications on his channel would mark the end of this minor dance excursion for him, but as it turns out, some kind of miscalculation had happened and now he’s going to be dancing on national tv once again.
oh god, what if he’s not the man they think he is?
what if they actually meant to send the email to another kim hyojin all along? or, worse, what if they thought he himself was some kind of dance god? what if there’s going to be some impromptu freestyling segment for the non-centers at the end of the performance and he’s going to be the only one on the stage standing wide-eyed, like a fool?
he’s scared he’s underprepared, both mentally and physically, for this.
( actually, there are a myriad of irrational fears lingering in the back of his head as he makes his way to the studio, the only comfort warming him being the large winter coat wrapped around his body. the prospect of an unannounced freestyling segment still exists, though, and he’s sure it’s at least slightly more probable than a meteor hitting this dance studio within the next few days. )
realistically speaking, the actuality is a lot less stressing than he had expected it to be. the dance studio, although deathly quiet and thick with awkwardness and curious expectation on the first day, turned out to be a whole lot closer to home the moment hyojin spots a few familiar faces.
jibeom?
his cousin’s appearance comes as more of a surprise than anything -- he had known about the other’s talent for singing and performing, but his appearance was certainly not something hyojin had thought to predict, or even consider. then again, he’s sure it was equally shocking to the other for him to be there as well. they’re both birds of a feather, after all.
he still greets his cousin warmly nevertheless, offering the other a kind pat on the back and words of encouragement, not quite sure what to make of the situation but unexplicably glad to not be alone.
hyojin is even more fortunate to be greeted with seunghun once the other arrives, the both of them immediately launching into a familiar routine, albeit with less shy smiles and more silly ones. he’s sure they look absolutely ridiculous to the other performers, but whatever apprehension he had at first had been immediately erased by an overwhelming excitement as he hugs the younger male, ruffling his now blonde hair.
as he pulls away, he chuckles at the new difference between their hair colors, now a startling blonde against faded red instead of a light brown and vibrant scarlet.
“shall we rename ourselves? honey pork? spicy honey? what about... ketchup and mustard?” laughing softly, hyojin tucks his hands into his pockets, hoping that at the very least he would also help the younger to loosen up.
it looks like these days won’t be so lonely, after all.
[ h2yo has uploaded a new video! ☆ ( 0:07 - 0:21 ; 0:52 - 1:35 ; 3:33 - 4:06 ) ]
TOP COMMENTS
[ +3.4k, -251 ]
hyojin-ssi... are you perhaps in your dancing phase now??ㅋㅋㅋ
[ +1.2k, -10 ]
omg if you’re doing a dance cover... does that mean there’s a vocal one coming up soon?? plssss do oneㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[ +362, -17 ]
oh woah the improvement!! i still remember when you were struggling back on tv... and now you’re here... oppa, fighting!
it’s still a foreign feeling when he stands in the studio, tugging at the sleeves of his black t-shirt subconsciously. no matter how much he practices, he can’t shake the feeling that he doesn’t really belong here.
( you’re a singer, not a dancer. wasn’t it already enough reading the netizen comments? some people are only good at one thing, and shouldn’t overrstep their boundaries. )
“ai ya ya, tonight i’m the dancing king~”
humming to himself to loosen the strange knot in his stomach, hyojin bops his head side to side to no melody in particular as he adjusts the camera, trying to push the thoughts down. he supposes that fate has had certain things in store for him when he went onto naver a couple of days ago, spotting the bright flier advertising a dance competition.
( in retrospect, the fact that he didn’t dance was made apparent to even his own body. the memories still make his muscles hurt. )
he’s not sure what compelled him to fill out the form, the action not even registering until his eyes meet with the submission confirmation.
( you can always go back on it, something says quietly. you can just not post. you can just wait a few days for it to pass, and it’ll be like nothing ever happened. )
“hello, i’m kim hyo -- hello, i’m a contestant -- hi, i’m kim hyojin, and i’ll be participat --”
sighing and frowning, hyojin shakes his head. maybe no intro.
( he’ll do better this time. with the weight of taeyang’s elimination now nothing but a small speck of regret that lingers at the back of his head during late, dark, nights, he’s a little more confident in himself. besides, at least he can’t say now that he didn’t try to get better. )
///
the moment the red light of the camera flickers on, hyojin backs up, tucking his shirt into his trackpants a final time, bouncing on the heels of his feet lightly as he makes sure to press play on his phone connected to the speakers. he has a good feeling about this runthrough.
when the music starts, he’s already standing in place at the center of the studio floor, waiting for his cue in the music to pose, rolling his arm down to point at the ground beside him and crossing his leg over, before sliding to rest his knees on the ground.
on the first ‘hey,’ he jumps up, flicking his wrist one way and then the other in time with the other shouts. his muscles feel like they’re burning ever so slightly, but it’s a good burn, not one that slows him down. it’s like an exercise session gone well, the kind that strengthens the body instead of tiring it out.
letting the beat continue to carry him away as he starts to move the rest of his limbs carefully, the movement ingrained into his muscles from many late night practices alone, a slight grin makes its way onto his face, the only expression visible underneath the visor of his cap.
fortunately, the dance had just enough pauses and poses to allow him to regain his breath without being too obvious, and by the time the final dance break came on, the bright shine to his eyes is no longer hidden as he lifts up a hand to tear off the snapback, revealing his tousled hair and bright smile at the pause before the instrumental break.
mouthing along with the “hey”s, he makes sure to keep at least every step here precise. even if the moves weren’t the most polished, at least the energy was there.
///
he barely has enough time to bow before the song ends, marking the finish of his 90 seconds. flopping on the ground right after, the camera still very much rolling but his brain coaxing him to just lay and breathe, he’ll worry over it later while editing the video, hyojin lets out a final shout before shutting his eyes.
we out here dripping in finesse / it don’t make no sense
there’s a flicker of a smile towards no one in particular that makes its way across his lips as he pushes the gymnasium doors open, releasing a rush of music accompanied by air lukewarm with summer in mid-swing.
albeit an unfamiliar feeling, there isn’t an ounce of unease broiling as he makes his way across the grand enclosure, the floor smooth and waxed enough to hear the subtle sounds of his dress shoes brushing against it as he slips into the crowd, the murmuring bodies that sway side to side in the dim lighting to the muffled bass, some attached in pairs and others alone, nursing drinks or exchanging furtive glances across the room at some blissfully unaware soul.
typically, his mind would be filled to the brim with other things – especially for the past few months, with college apps and interviews and lectures from teachers about how it’s your last year, make the most of it and don’t screw it up all swarming around in one, confusing mess.
( maybe it’s the realization that he would no longer have to spend his days cooped up in class, studying tirelessly without looking up for even a second that makes the giddy feeling of contentment well up inside of him. wow, he almost misses here already, even though he still has a month until graduation. )
seungjoon, matching hyojin with his own black tuxedo and bowtie, had seemingly disappeared elsewhere, perhaps to find a certain figure by the punch table, the conjecture causing the corner of the senior’s mouth to quirk up in amusement at the fact that he was probably right. well, no matter – he was happy enough, and so were most of the others in his grade, afflicted by a similarly fortunate situation. he continues to swim his way through, exchanging nods of heads with some and firing back quick compliments at others, before he stops short.
a few feet forward, gravitating towards the wall but still awkwardly hovering somewhere in between the side of the room and the middle, stands a lovely girl in a red dress, her back facing him but her side profile and the soft edges of her features vividly striking.
( feels like the world is slowing down around him. )
anyone else wouldn’t have seen it in that moment, but months of passing by each other in the hall and friendly but strangely shy conversations make the distressed gleam in her gaze and desperate attempts to cover it up by taking a careful sip of punch while stealing glances at another suited figure not too far away all too obvious to his perceptive eyes, and it allows him to quickly connect the dots.
( ooh, don’t we look good together? there’s a reason why they watch all night long )
taking a few steps forward, slow but steady, he can feel the soft smile spreading across his lips, eyes wrinkling at the corners and shining with a strangely gentle quality to them as her figure grew closer and closer.
( yeah, know we’ll turn heads forever / so tonight i’m gonna show you off )
he’s not sure what’s playing in the background, but it’s some kind of american song with a catchy beat and notably brighter swing to it, because everyone is starting to move around faster and sway along with it. although it makes his heart twist to see the dark cloud hanging over the girl’s head double within the first few seconds of the melody, now starting to rain as she continues to stand alone as the only non-pair left on the floor, he manages to rest a careful hand on her shoulder, leaning down ever to her ear, not too close for comfort but not too far away, either.
“jiwon-ah.”
when she turns around to face him with a start, the fullness of her features now highlighted by the glowing, star-shaped lights that hang from the ceiling and dark eyes widening like the night sky around them, hyojin lets out a soft laugh.
he’s not sure what overtakes him at the moment, a strange revelation or even the hints of a flutter in his chest. without knowing, he grasps onto her hand lightly, giving her ample time and ability to pull away if desired, as if asking for silent permission. when she doesn’t recoil, his thumb presses softly into her palm, his gaze warm on hers.
and as they stand there, the boy in black and the girl in red amongst a swarm of other colors swatched by the white stars above, he asks,
it’s a bad day to hand out flyers. it’s been pouring down for at least a half an hour now, and daniel is stuck under the awning outside an ice cream shop of all places (no, he was not getting some, he was just trying to hand some flyers out, dang it) but daniel is nothing if not persevering. there seems to be a break in the rain for a moment, so daniel also makes a break for out, darting over to the bus stop, taking a seat. he doesn’t have to actually take the bus; he drove, and his car isn’t so far from here, but he does have quite a way to run to get there.
someone sits down beside him, and daniel looks up only briefly to assess the situation, expecting to casually look away and refuse to speak to a stranger unless they started small talk themselves. he does a double take, however. hyojin? hyojin is probably daniel’s favorite friend he made from the mgas (don’t tell the others; he met a lot of cool people) so it’s always a joy to see him. he doesn’t see him enough, and unfortunately, as a trainee, that isn’t going to change.
he beams, then proudly hands him one of his flyers. “this might interest you,” he says smoothly. “and if not, just take it from me. it’ll help me out,” and he laughs. “did a company pick you up yet? if not, you should come to sphere. it would be fun.”
the disorderly air around hyojin today makes for a strange aura around him, with his round-rimmed glasses carefully pushed up by fingers encapsulated in long, knitted sleeves and a tuft or two of his hair sticking up. the thought that he’s more or less independent at this point -- already in his last year of university, settling into a routine of gradual transition into the real world, one foot still in school and the other in adulthood -- makes his sleepy-eyed, soft look all the more out of place for someone usually put together.
bad sleeping habits and busy nights have been his primary concern nowadays -- no matter how much more rest he pumped into his system, it never quite seemed to push him out of the bottomless well of tiredness. perhaps it’s this concern that leads him to absentmindedly take a free seat on the bus after getting on, ready to head back home and fall straight into bed. he almost doesn’t realize it when he glances at the male next to him, taking a similar double take before a gentle smile graces his features.
“of course.” he answers, taking the paper from the other with a curl of his eyes. it takes a quick second for him to realize the implications of the sheet, before his eyes widen a little. “ah, congratulations!”
hyojin’s never exactly been overly enthusiastic about things, but he always makes an effort to be sincere despite his mild nature. he’s glad to see that daniel’s been picked up by a company -- it was a real shame to see him be passed over in the final episode, especially when he had made it so far into the mgas -- and although he’s sure there’s a long path ahead, he knows daniel definitely has what it takes.
“not yet, no. things have been... a little hectic lately.” laughing softly, hyojin thinks to his friends in 6tunes who have been scouted, before shaking his head to himself. “i’ll definitely keep it in mind, though. i’ll make sure to watch out for you -- let me know whenever there are any important showcases, okay?”
biting his bottom lip and glancing through the window behind them, hyojin tilts his head slightly. “how have you been, by the way? it’s been a while.”
i can’t even see half of the world -- does that mean my life is just half of a whole? / i hold it and run
// tw; mafia au, alcohol, mentioned violence, one (1) gun
"sorry i’m late.”
despite the way the words cling to the dingy air of the bar like honey, the immistakably soft voice of the male creeping smoothly in, there’s a glint of insincerity in his eye that chills to the bone.
it’s more out of courtesy at this point; the only other patron sitting at the bar barely even spares him a glance as he makes his way over to the bartender, offering a smile of a similar quality. it’s enough of an indicator for the server to give him a curt nod before immediately kicking into work, preparing the next drink.
thin hands, pale and veined, slip into his pockets, not before releasing his faded red locks from his hood. there’s a sort of satisfaction that burns at the feeling of the silver man’s eyes on him, furtive and looking away as quickly as they had settled. as usual, hyojin sits two seats away from woong, but instead of the porcelain quality to his features glowing under the dim lighting, there’s a darkness that lines the bottom of his eyes and an exhaustion wearing away at the corner of his lips.
by the time he has the drink slid over to him by the man behind the counter, the amber liquid encapsulating the ice and creating fragments of light against the wooden finish of the bar’s surface, not a single word has been exchanged between the two of them. a strange silence devoid of its usual tension fills the space instead.
( blurry images of shining metal flicker by, followed by flashes of white before a sneer of ‘that’s cheating, woongie; don’t you know the rules?’ cut through the atmosphere. the bruises are still on his arms, underneath the sleeves of his leather jacket. but he’s not interested in making the score even. not tonight. )
an unspoken threshold is crossed when hyojin lifts up the glass to take a delicate sip, the stretch of his arm exposing the outline of a gun, harmless and inanimate. it’s a sign of a truce -- or perhaps vulnerability -- something which he knows woong has seen, but perhaps not agreed to quite yet.
setting down the cup softly, hyojin takes in a small breath.
“do you think there’s a point?”
there’s an unfamiliar undertone to it, an inquiry that lacks the typical lilt and pretentiousness that he always seemed to carry with him as often as he did his gun. hyojin doesn’t know if he’s earning some sympathy or signing his death wish by doing this, but he doesn’t care at this point. he repeats it again, this time a little quieter.
“do you think there’s a point to all of this? to us drinking here? to us going out after, probably to end the life of some poor soul who never would have made it anyways, just to get by another day?”
you know that, one day, it’s not going to be ‘some poor soul,’ he wants to say, you know that, one day, it’s going to be either you or me. and then, this won’t be some kind of game anymore.
but he knows. he knows that woong knows.
and when he gets no response, hyojin just keeps on drinking.
Send me a ♫ and I’ll put my music on shuffle and write you a drabble about our characters based on the first song that plays! Remember RP karma and send, send, send if you wish to receive!
yein is lying back on the carpet, guitar in her arms despite her horizontal position, and her legs are propped up on her sofa. it’s a rare that she and hyojin are alone, even rarer that they should somehow end up in her messy little apartment after rehearsals. she and sophie or she and yuzu are who you’d be more likely to find lazing around on her floor. in fact, yein realizes, this is probably the first time he’s ever been here. yein doesn’t actually bring people to her apartment often - she’s aware of the fact that it kind of ruins whatever kind of illusion of a truly upper class lifestyle she still perpetrates. it isn’t that she can’t afford anywhere better … it’s mostly that she prefers to spend her money on outward expressions of status and wealth, rather than on something only she’ll realistically be seeing very often. this particular habit can be clearly seen in her home, the evidence consisting of parcels and shopping bags alike strewn throughout the entirety of the living space. it’s even worse in her bedroom.
she strums her guitar gently, lips pursed as she tries to come up with conversation. “are you pleased? with the debut, i mean.” though she thinks it should be obvious. “i never saw myself in a band. i don’t even listen to rock music generally, but i think i suit our concept anyways … sorry, you know, if i ever seem like i don’t care that much.” yein wrinkles her nose, hating talking about anything too real. “like … i don’t but … um, i guess your company isn’t totally insufferable.”
there was something about being here, in a place foreign but strangely comforting, messy but clearly lived in, that tugs at the corners of his mouth a little bit. for all the glitz and glamor the girl appears to project, the perfect illusion of her invincible status now seems far in the distance. instead, he sits on the floor next to her with his legs crossed, back leaning against the seat of the sofa and phone in hand.
it should feel strange without the presence of the others; hyojin’s calmer, more soothing aura dulls in comparison to yena’s enthusiasm and sophie’s easygoing nature, but he likes to think that he has his own charm. it surprises him, however, when yein asks him about debut, although it only flickers briefly in his eyes as his head turns to look at her. he waits patiently for her to finish her thought before a soft smile appears on his lips.
“i'm happy. i think it came out well,” he starts off a little quietly, but his words are sincere and firm ( or at least, in the firmest manner someone like hyojin could pull off ). “i think a lot of us didn’t think we’d join a band -- actually, no, i’m sure yuzu did,” he says with a chuckle, "but it ended up fitting, you know? i’m sure most people would think i wouldn’t fit a rock concept, either -- they’d probably say something about me being too ‘soft.’”
he pauses for a second, hanging over his response to yein’s compliment (?). although it sounds more like a backhanded comment, he’s flattered nevertheless, especially considering how the girl seemed to avoid talking about these kinds of things.
“it’s okay, by the way. different people have different ways of showing how they care -- or don’t care,” there’s a hint of mischief in his voice as he speaks, before he softens again, “but thank you. i’m glad i’ve earned at least some of your approval.”
he turns back to look at his phone, moving it out of his lap and onto the floor next to him, before adding, “what did you think about debut?”
The path down to the bakery feels so familiar by now that Lily almost walks there on autopilot. Her brain is filled with formulas and calculations as she mentally prepares herself for the mast test she has coming up. Midterms are around the corner as well and the female really could use something sweet right now to boost her sugar level and get that extra bit of energy.
As she opens the door to step in a familiar face greets her and the student council president bows her head in return to the greeting with a smile on her head. “Good Day, Oppa. How are you today? Is work going well?” Stepping up towards the counter she let her eyes scan the display and bit her lips as she found it hard to choose between the various treats.
To his question she mere hums in affirmation before his offer makes her head snap back straight to look at him in wonder. “Really?! Is that really alright? I wouldn’t want to get you into trouble…”
“it’s going well,” he looks up from the register, having flitted over briefly to put in some loose change that had miraculously ended up in his apron pocket, offering a soft smile, “how are you? is school going okay?”
he has to resist the urge to ruffle her hair affectionately -- although she seemed to be nearing the end of high school, he can’t help but see her as the little sister he never had. call it wishful thinking spawned by the sometimes lonely memories of an only child, but there’s something so genuine about the way that she puts effort into things she’s passionate about that reminds him of himself. it’s hard not to look out for her, especially from the eyes of someone with a bleeding heart and a penchant for doling out unsolicited advice that can become surprisingly helpful at times.
“it’s okay!” he chuckles at her surprised expression, albeit a bit touched by the concern, “i usually grab one during lunch breaks from time to time. you’re all set -- no one will come after you, i promise.”
with that, he smooths some of the lone wrinkles that had cropped up on his uniform before moving over to the display case, resting his elbows on top of the smooth surface. “so, what’s the order today, min?”
sunday, sept. 22nd – ttukseom han river park for #rkgreenribbon
the more he nears the end, the more it feels like his lungs are going to finally break free and fly away.
as far as he knew, sophie was going for the 10k, and yuzu and changyoon were doing it together, leaving him to do this alone, and, presumably, embarrass himself alone.
call it a cop out, but he had chosen the 5km run when signing up through the website. although he’s tempted to try the 10k, he’s fairly sure that 5km was already quite a bit for someone like him, and considering that he had to perform later with the rest of 6tunes, he needed to make sure he wasn’t out of breath when the time came.
besides, he’s not awful at sports, per say; like any other male his age, hyojin had been relatively active in school, playing sports often with his friends. even now, he was pretty far from being out of shape, especially with his resumed gym activity and increased efforts in dancing.
but stamina? that was another story. he had been going at a relatively safe pace when the sound to start had gone off, his racer bib clinging to his chest and his shirt fluttering in the wind as he nears the front of the run in the first few minutes. at the ten minute mark is when he starts slowing down, and then after a few more, his breathing is picking up at an unnatural rate. no big deal, he thinks, i just have to slow down. and that’s what he does -- he lags behind a bit, now hovering in the middle of the crowd instead of at the front -- before he feels the familiar burn in his legs forming.
he’s recovered from the mgas stint, meaning that the aching in his bones had finally, finally resided, but the way it’s coming up makes him push a strangled noise back down his throat.
fortunately, before it became unbearable, he reaches the end, accepting a medal from one of the staff waiting at the finishing line. it’s a bit laughable, but he manages it nonetheless, his brows knitted as he pauses to catch his breath, leaning on a nearby street lamp.
well, at least he can say he finished today’s morning run.
TRACKLIST:
playing with fire by blackpink / line dist.
blood by day6 / line dist.
sometimes, even when you rehearse for months on end, the reality of what you’re doing doesn’t sink in until you’re on the stage, looking out into the sea of eyes that looks back at you.
( 6tunes. kim hyojin of 6tunes. jinhyo of 6tunes. it’s still unfamiliar, still a foreign roof over his head that gives him the urge to continue proving himself, to show that he deserved a spot here as much as everyone else did. before, he was just himself, and now, he was part of a family. a family he deserved to be in. )
all of these thoughts, all of these worries, all of these feelings are swarming and crashing like waves, bubbling at the mouth of the shore as they recede before snapping out once more. and for the first time in what was a little more than a month, hyojin finds himself under the scrutiny of the public eye once again.
it’s a typical band setup -- all of them arranged in a semi-circle, with hyojin in the front and changyoon flanking him on the right. it’s comforting, having them all there with him; there are butterflies flitting around in his stomach, but he knows that the other members got him if anything went wrong. it’s when the staff member offstage makes a gesture at him that he finally grabs the microphone in front of him, moving his lips close enough to start their introduction.
“hello everyone, i’m jinhyo of 6tunes.” with a sweet curl of his eyes, he watches as the audience cheers, albeit not as loudly as they had been when the idols before them had been performing. no big deal -- 6tunes was relatively new, anyways, so such a positive reaction was already a good sign. “today is our first stage, so i hope you listen closely and enjoy.”
with that, the band starts, arrow starting on his keyboard for the first few rifts, grabbing the attention, before yuzu starts with her drums, the rest of the instrumentals following. strumming chords on his guitar -- the electric one he had borrowed from wonpil -- hyojin bobs his head to the beat as he begins to sing the first few lines.
bold = hyojin’s lines
우리 엄만 매일 내게 말했어
언제나 남자 조심하라고
사랑은 마치 불장난 같아서
다치니까 eh
the execution was something he was familiar with; like hwasa’s twit, this style of music was one he had recently added to his repetoire of stage expressions -- with a slight quirk of his brow, he sings with a bit of attitude, winking at the end of his part when sophie picks up afterwards.
멈출 수 없는 이 떨림은
on and on and on
내 전부를 너란 세상에
다 던지고 싶어
continuing, letting his smooth voice carry the beat along, there’s a slight growl to his voice as he sings “on and on and on,” adding more flavor to the execution. moving away from the mic to keep his strumming as yuzu then sings, hyojin fully embraces the confident, almost sexy mood of the song, taking on a half smirk that greatly contrasted his sweet, honey-like appearance when he had introduced the group.
우리 사랑은 불장난
my love is on fire
now burn baby burn
불장난
my love is on fire
so don’t play with me boy
불장난
pausing for a moment to sing the killing part of the chorus, the first line, hyojin’s eyes curl in a smile as the audience’s cheers pick up for the beat drop, letting the other members take over.
at the end of the chorus, they transition into the rap break with a few harmonizations, before going into the second chorus. as they near the end by reaching the bridge, hyojin and yuzu the only ones left singing.
걷잡을 수가 없는 걸
너무나 빨리 퍼져 가는 이 불길
이런 날 멈추지 마
이 사랑이 오늘 [jh/yz] 밤을 태워버리게 woo
continuing yuzu’s part skillfully, hyojin’s voice smoothly goes into a high note, yuzu harmonizing with him, allowing a pause in the instrumental to let it sink in. as the crowd claps once the note ends, they go into the final chorus, tying up the song.
once their first song ended, they quickly moved into their second song -- a day6 b-side that was a favorite of hyojin’s, known as blood. this time, yuzu starts with the drums, before the guitars and bass kick in.
once again, hyojin starts the song, this time with a different mood. although both of the songs they performed were similar in that they talked about the passionate push and pull of attraction and love, blood was a little more reserved in its fierceness, a little more suave. as the lyrics imply, they’re more about enjoying the love and hate feeling that a couple’s fights entail. with this in mind, he keeps his tone even and his gaze a little darker, more sultry, as he sings.
너랑 같이 있을 땐
말 한 마디마다
조심해봐도
혹시라도 한 마디
걸리면 바로
올라가 니 목소리
pausing his playing in guitar to place both hands on the microphone, his eyes narrow ever so slightly as he looks into the crowd, tilting his head slightly as he sings the lyrics a little teasingly. the softness with which he sings the notes would provide a larger contrast in the chorus, where the higher notes come in.
as sophie picks up after him, he resumes playing, picking up the notes as she builds up the hype for the chorus.
oh you gotta see blood girl
you gotta see blood girl
피를 봐야만 만족하는 너
oh you gotta see blood girl
you gotta see blood girl
다 죽어가면서도 i like this
starting off the chorus with almost effortless-sounding high notes, hyojin applies just the right amount of power to make it sound clean but not straining, making for a more alluring feel. as if addressing the audience, his gaze is fierce but teasing.
with that, they cycle into the second verse, then the chorus, then the rap break, and then the final chorus.
baby you got to see blood
you got to see blood
got to see blood
finishing the song and their performance with his last few lines, hyojin sings the high note smoothly and drags it out sweetly, the sly look on his face never faltering until the end.
as they bow, the audience cheers, this time a lot louder, and hyojin slips back into his normal self, smiling sheepishly and bowing once again shyly.
reaching for the microphone, he says a final goodbye. “thank you for listening, everyone -- we hope to see you again soon!”
turning back to his band members, he calls out a bright “good work, everyone,” making sure that all of them get offstage safely before he follows, turning to the crowd again and waving with a bright smile.
“ahin,” wooseok gasps, very nearly dropping to his knees to hug her tightly. “thank god you’re okay. do you know how worried we were?” he brushes the sweat-matted hair away from her face, does a quick once-over to make sure she isn’t sporting any wounds, and then lets out the sigh of relief that’s been threatening to burst in his throat. “where were you? are you hurt? did—”
he realizes, perhaps a little belatedly, that ahin is holding onto wooseok’s hand for dear life, but also onto the hand of the stranger he’d forgotten about in his momentary repose.
it’s with a critical gaze that wooseok looks up at the stranger: definitely a stranger, unfamiliar, and he looks harmless enough—handsome, almost sheepish—but wooseok’s never been one to trust too easily.
“ahin,” he says again, decidedly ignoring the other man’s presence, “who is this?”
his little sister beams, practically glows, her smile sticky with traces of melted ice cream dried by the unforgiving sun. “i don’t know!” she announces, and wooseok feels his headache multiply tenfold, “but i’m going to marry him!”
wooseok’s grip tightens ever-so-slightly and he narrows his eyes at his sister’s new love. “what?”
the supposed ‘wooseok-oppa’ turns out to actually know ahin, and despite the protectiveness welling up inside him that catches hyojin by surprise, his shoulders slouch in relief when the stranger appears to be concerned.
it’s a weird situation -- for one thing, ahin is still clutching onto his hand tightly with no intentions of letting go, while she seems to be equally adamant in her grasp of her older brother’s. he’s not really sure what to do in this situation other than to shake his head at the little girl fondly, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face as he realizes that the other didn’t know who he was.
hostility was understandable -- if he had a little sister, he would feel the same way in this kind of situation -- but the straight up ignorance of his existence raises questions. at an honest lost for words, hyojin decides to carefully study the man as he continues talking to the child. a pretty curve to his eyes, delicate features -- almost fox-like and determinedly beautiful, an idol? blinking rapidly to shake off the thought, hyojin grows even more flustered. no wonder ahin calls him ‘handsomest oppa,’ but even so... he seems a lot colder than he sounds.
but i’m going to marry him!
“what?” saying it at the same time as the other man, their voices colliding with each other. there are a lot of things running through his mind right now: first, that it seemed that ahin never got to know his name; second, the fact that she seemed to be absolutely smitten with him without him knowing; third, the fact that wooseok was now looking at him with a death glare.
gulping nervously, hyojin tries to get rid of the baffled expression on his face to become more collected, his eyes more or less saying i can explain, i swear, except his lips just keep on parting and closing with nothing coming out. for a moment, a silence hangs, before he lets out a soft noise.
“ahinnie...” saying her name carefully, a little chastisingly, he starts, “you shouldn’t marry until you’re older and find someone you really like, okay? also...” he trails off, looking at her brother, unable to read his expression, continuing a bit quieter, “your oppa is here now, right? i’ll leave you be. make sure to stay close to him next time, okay?”
with that, he turns around and tries to pull away, only to realize she’s not budging. blinking rapidly, he turns his head back around to face the two, the outer corners of his doe eyes slanted in a slowly growing exasperation. well, this is awkward.
seungyeon had a bad habit of letting her emotions get the best of her, especially after high school. of course she had her ups and downs as a high school student, but life back then seemed much easier and so far away. it was almost as if a switch had been flicked when she graduated and suddenly life wasn’t so easy anymore. money wasn’t an issue, she had her parents and a pretty flexible job to take care of that. but something was missing; she just wasn’t happy and that bothered her to no end.
medical school was something she wanted for years, a path she would brag about to her friends before she had even set foot on it. seungyeon was smart enough to get in and had enough motivation to keep her going, but she hated every second of it. and now that is was summer break and everything just seemed to be coming at her full speed, everything seemed to be so overwhelming.
she found herself calling up hyojin before she could think, a habit formed from many late night conversations and comfort on his end. he ended up being that someone she could go to whenever for whatever, and she was forever grateful for the fact.
“why aren’t you answering my texts?” she pouted from the other side of the line, burying herself further beneath her blankets as she held the phone tightly against her ear. “just the usual, feeling like crap, needing my favorite person to talk to.”
“texts? ah...” a slight frown tugging on his face, brows furrowing in a brief confusion at the mention of messages, hyojin quickly connects the dots between the multiple notifications that had been bombarding his phone, letting out a soft oh with a shake of his head. ah, so that’s who it was.
“i thought it was a group chat spamming -- sorry, seung.”
glancing towards the book splayed out in front of him, as well as the stack of textbooks piled neatly on the side of his desk, hyojin instead directs his gaze upwards, stretching slightly and leaning back in his seat, tilting his head to the ceiling. in truth, he was preparing for a test the next day, but he could always make time -- especially when it came to seung. despite the emotions welling up gradually in his stomach the more the call goes on, a familiar, painful sensation that he’s almost numbed entirely to at this point, his voice remains calm and even as usual -- maybe even more so.
no matter how he felt or what happened, he’d always listen to seungyeon. smiling gently at the mention of her “favorite person” being him, he chuckles into the line quietly before humming.
“well, your ‘favorite person’ is here now, though. what’s been on your mind? are classes giving you a hard time again?”
he’d grown up being more of a basketball person than any other sport [besides boxing but hey that’s not a team sport at all, right unless you count the coach] but it didn’t stop him from playing video games for other ones. his younger brother, chris, could never stand how minho was the one who didn’t play footy— that’s right, both his older brother and baby brother did— but he could kick his ass in footy games off the field. maybe he should’ve considered it before but minho usually credits his success in video games and the like in the fact that he doesn’t play because the rules are different. the game is different even if, at it’s core, it’s very similar.
dabin and the rest of the guys are still playing injustice and he lost joohyun who knows where at this point. when he found himself alone, he figured he might as well try the last game he’d yet to play and one he started to play more when he moved to seoul. pickup games were more common with a basketball in his life but a soccer ball would make an appearance at least once or twice a year.
he’s considering playing another game while he waits on his phone when the guy in front of him turns around and actually says his name. now that doesn’t happen as often as people might think. on top of that, he’s naturally amused whenever he hears his name followed by the more formal term. then again, hearing his korean name had just started to feel like the norm after a few years of living here. after a few seconds, he realizes hey i know this person.
“spicy pork!” pausing and clearing his throat, he realizes how rude that might sound. “oh shit—” [cursing might also be rude, good going man] “i mean, sorry! didn’t mean to call ya that but,” he tilts his head, brow raising as a hint of a smile grows on his lips. “that’s you, right? with seunghun and then with daniel and that mashup the week after?”
the name of a meat dish is not what hyojin expected to come as a response, but he realizes soon enough that he’s the one truly confused when the implication sinks in. funny enough, as much as he loved the name that him and seunghun shared -- actually, it was more like their official duo title at this point -- he really didn’t expect minho to say that.
laughing at the other’s swear, the corners of hyojin’s eyes crinkle at the situation, both honored that the other seemed to remember him and equally as amused by how startled minho seemed to be at his own phrasing.
“it’s okay, no worries -- yes, that’s me! spicy pork with seunghun and f2 with daniel~” laughing once again as the names reach the air, hyojin realizes how silly they must sound in this context. “i’m sorry you had to bear with all of those cheesy introductions -- i think seeing the clips online are starting to make me regret them.”
humming to fill up the space as they inch a little more forward in line, the sounds of the game growing louder as they neared the booth, some shouts of joy and laughter ringing in the air, hyojin pauses a moment, before adding a little shyly, “i really liked the performances you did. especially the one with the video game concept, right? that was really cool.”
another pause, before it hits him.
“oh! i’m hyojin, by the way. kim hyojin.” with that, he finally thinks to offer his hand in greeting, flustered by his own lack of manners.
saturday, aug. 24th – coex mall, gangnam district for #rkgamex
as embarrassing as it was to admit it, gaming was a bit of a foreign concept to hyojin. he’s seen yuzu play some enough times to understand how some games work and also played a handful himself, but he was far from skilled or good at them.
and yet, here he was.
he went mostly to visit the gaming booth yuzu was at, but with how crowded it was, he only managed to drop by to say a quick hello before ending up wandering around the complex, having turned in the bag of clothes he had planned on donating.
it’s surprisingly foreign to him, the way that so many people flowed by him out of sheer excitement rather than exhaustion or motivation to just get through the day. briefly, for a moment, he wonders if he’s ever been one of these people -- moving to seoul was like a switch for him, replacing all those faded memories of playing outside with friends and fooling around in class with more dull, machine-like days of routine and importance.
( maybe he was, but he can’t quite seem to remember now. perhaps his heart did, but his head did not. )
shaking off the oncoming wave of nostalgia, mixed in with a slight bittersweetness, hyojin feels a slight smile coming upon him. he was here to cheer on some of his friends, anyways, so he might as well make the most of his time.
with this in mind, he makes his way towards the fifa booth. maybe he might turn out to be amazing at video games -- who knew?
( as he would soon find out, he was not an attractor of beginner’s luck. )
