Tossing and turning with discomfort yet again. . .
Belphegor groaned under her breath. Not even her softest pillow could comfort her as she struggled to make herself comfortable.
The burning over her back scars kept her awake. She could feel the pain creep up her spine and around her neck. Occasional pain here and there was usual for her, which she usually slept off. However, tonight, the chronic pain of her missing wings was the worse it's been in centuries.
There was no use avoiding it now. This had to be dealt with now or she would never know a moment of peace tonight. A pained wince slipped from her lips as she carefully sat up. Sitting as straight as she could, she magically locked the door to her room so she wouldn't be interrupted.
All four of her hands were shaking as she crossed her legs over her pillow. The flames for each of her meditative candles flickered as she took a deep breath. Slowly, the hidden eye sigils around her room started to glow one by one, a bright pink glow soon surrounding her with eyes all staring at her.
Once she had the healing eyes activated, she shifted her wool so her back was exposed. So few knew about her wings and even fewer knew she was scared forever. It had been so long since she was outcasted from Heaven, but her body still recalls the burning she had suffered since then. She placed her hands out in front of her, casting a healing circle around herself.
The wounds never truly healed; only numbed just long enough to give her piece of mind.
She forced herself to focus, all of her own eyes open wide, as a smaller spell circle formed around her back. Four deep cuts formed on her back. They were clean cuts to show were exactly she once had wings.
Gritting her teeth, she used her energy to heal the angelic wounds that haunted her. She numbed her back and slowly made her way up her neck. She hated using her own energy to heal herself but it was a necessary evil that was required of her at least once or twice a century.
With the pain slowly subsiding, she breathed a breath of relief. The sigils around her faded as she rolled to the side onto her stomach. This was why she rarely laid on her back. The wounds of her lost wings always made it impossible for her to get comfortable.
A deep sigh left her lips, her eyes slowly closing. She hated how much healing herself drained he energy. If it were any other demon, it would take less than a minute. But to heal herself? Her body could barely keep up with it. At least now she could get some rest. Healing herself always took so much out of her.
Giving a long yawn, she slowly drifted off back to sleep. She would dream of the good times in Heaven. The days when she was blissfully unaware that the power in Heaven was beyond corrupt while being surrounded by the love of the little ones; Cherubs and human angels alike.
The days when her role in a realm meant something important.
bang! feels like it’s bursting
bang! fireworks shot up
fun! our own universe
we just wanna have some fun
COVER : FUN! by FROMIS_9
🍪🥛
after months and months of his tiktok followers begging him to make a youtube channel with longer covers, or vlogs of his busy life, he’d finally given in, at least a little bit. he doesn’t intend to upload often, or worry too much about it, but one vlog with a full length cover in there won’t hurt, right? he films on his phone since he hasn’t got a fancy camera, and his dad bought him a good phone with lots of storage that would last him a long time after his old one had fallen apart (literally, it practically disintegrated in his hands one day).
it begins with him just filming his morning routine really quickly - talking to his phone while brushing his teeth as if he were telling his friend his plans for the day. it’s a sunday, the day he usually manages to stop by the dance studio at uni that’s open access to anyone when it’s not being used for classes. however, he does still have work, which he tells his vlog as he washes his face and brushes his hair. he dresses in his starbucks uniform and readies his bag with his comfier clothes for dancing in, since he doesn’t plan on wasting time coming home to get changed after his shift.
he obviously doesn’t film while he works, though he films himself right after his shift, looking just slightly dishevelled - it’s always the busiest shift, the morning one, where half asleep businessmen and students come in needing their morning caffeine fix. “i just finished work and it’s now...” he pauses to check the time on his phone screen. “9:20am! so, i’m going to stop by the park on my way to the studio so i can sit down and eat my breakfast.” then he simply films his walk to the park, filming the sky and some birds eating some crumbs off the ground.
once he’s eaten his slightly crushed toasted sandwich from starbucks and finished his coffee he heads off again in the direction of the university building. he’s already picked out the song and has learnt most of it, though he still has to tidy it up and learn the last few difficult bits. but, considering he has the whole day to work on it he’s pretty sure he can film a nice cover, both for the vlog and a shorter one for tiktok by the end of the day.
it’s a long process, going through the choreo over and over and filming himself to watch it back and pinpoint mistakes he’s made, but after a quick lunch from the nearby convenience store, and a snack later in the day, eric’s pretty sure he’s got the cover perfected. it doesn’t take him long to film himself doing the cover for his vlog, since he’s not all that fussed about nice framing or his face being super visible like he is with his tiktoks. so, when it comes to filming the chorus part for his tiktok he has to figure a better place to put up his phone.
eventually, after some piling up of random objects precariously against the mirror he manages to get his phone at a good height to film his tiktok. it takes a few tries but eventually it looks good and he declares himself done for the day. wandering home he decides to treat himself to a second coffee, something he never does, but, he’d had a long day, and he craves something milky and sweet with just a little bit of a caffeine kick. so, he heads into a starbucks (since he gets a good employee discount) and gets himself a mocha with extra foam. then, heads on home.
as the days comes to an end he uploads his vlog to youtube, his cover to tiktok, and waits to see how both are received. as he lays there in bed, watching game playthroughs on his laptop, he thinks about how he could get used to filming the things he does in a day and letting people watch his everyday life, it had been kind of fun. maybe he’d do it again sometime...
It’s Wednesday morning on the 2nd when you are excused from your vocal practice and taken to a separate room. Once inside, you’re told to wait in silence for a moment before four people you haven’t met before walk in. The one on the front starts speaking.
“Good morning and sorry to interfere with your training. My name is Bang Boyeon, one of the senior dance instructors here in SPHERE. I’m also heavily involved with CONVEX and HEARTZ, the latest groups under our company.” She motions towards one of the men beside her - the only one wearing a suit - and he quickly starts meddling with his suitcase. “I’ve come to offer a unique opportunity for you to take part in the HEARTZ project. You, of course, won’t be debuting. Instead, you’ll appear in one of the music videos. You’ll still be invested in your regular trainee activities, but will also have to properly dedicate your time to learning your role.”
The man in a suit places a stack of paper on top of the table and pushes it in your direction. “This here is one of our lawyers, and if you’d like to take part in this great opportunity, you’ll have to sign a contract agreeing not to share a word about the debut plans for HEARTZ or your involvement in it. If you do so, not only will your place in SPHERE be on the line, but we will have the right to sue you. No pressure.” Boyeon chuckles.
“These other two gentlemen here are also in on everything that is happening. I won’t be available to you at all times, of course.” The two men nod your way. “Feel free to think about it throughout the day if you don’t want to accept this at the exact moment. It’d be foolish to pass on this, though. You’ll have until the end of your regular schedule to decide on this. Just let one of your coaches know and our lawyer will find you.”
has he ever been singled out like this before? naturally, daniel’s anxious mind starts whirring, cycling through every possible disastrous outcome. he can’t think of any other possibilities at first. every possible scene ends in contract termination, or some horrifying scandal that tarnishes his reputation for the rest of his life and leaves him unemployable and scorned by all of seoul. what could it be? what has he done? maybe it’s about his relationship with sungwoon. maybe, despite all of his hesitance, and the small number of people he told, and all indications pointing to nothing but friendship between them--
he realizes, only as they leave him, shaking and alone, in the room, that they could want him to join another company. after all, moonbok transferred to nova. what if they want the same for daniel? would he leave sphere to join nova entertainment? (would he leave mina, when she finally joined him here? he’s afraid the answer would be yes.)
hopefully it’s not that. but what if they want him to debut in convex? would that be good or a disastrous outcome? he doesn’t feel ready to debut, but joining the ranks of convex would be an honor. maybe, if baek jiyoung thought he was ready, he would have to believe it of himself too.
the first thing he receives is a good morning and an apology, and their expressions don’t look harsh. he must not be in trouble then. he smiles softly, close-lipped, and cups his hands in his lap to disguise the way they still shake even with this reassurance. the anticipation is still unbearable, and he feels a little nauseous. dance instructor? is he sure this isn’t to harp on his poor dancing? maybe it’s to praise him for improving?
he tries to quiet his thoughts and just listen. he inhales deeply, then exhales, trying to calm down. opportunity? this is unexpected, especially attached to the words that follow. heartz project? so he won’t be debuting, and he won’t be leaving. it’s a relief, and finally, the tightness in his chest loosens and he can breathe a little easier. in fact, even though some anxiety always lingers, much of it warps into excitement, and his smile, while still soft, grows.
his eyes widen as the man goes over the terms of the contract, and the dangers of betraying it, and he nods quickly, several times, the nonverbal equivalent of swearing up and down that he won’t say a word. he doesn’t want to get sued! even without that threat, he doesn’t want to ruin any of the surprise of the heartz girls debuting. he’s always been good at keeping his mouth shut, so this shouldn’t be too difficult.
he keeps nodding until boyeon stops speaking, because he agrees with everything he says, and he wants the man to know he understands. “i just need a minute, please,” he requests gently. even though his instinct is to sign the contract right away, he knows better, and makes sure to read all of the terms first, just so he knows what he’s agreeing to. it feels strange, not having anyone to seek approval from for this-- to be able to make a decision without consulting with anyone else.
the more he reads, the more thankful he becomes. he’ll get to go to busan. he’ll be rollerskating. he can’t help but think it’s a blessing directly from god, made just for him. thank you, he prays quickly. you’ve given me so much happiness lately. thank you.
ultimately, the choice is an easy one to make, so he signs his name, and grins. when he stands up to return to his schedule, he’s sure to bow to everyone in the room individually. “thank you for this opportunity. i’ll make sure i do well!”
In case your muse decided on accepting this opportunity, Daniel will get to appear on HEARTZ member Yena’s debut music video ‘Everyday I Love You’.
He’ll be asked for any experience rollerskating. If he isn’t confident in it, he’ll get to practice on September 4th. He’ll get to practice in one of the practice rooms at Sphere. On September 14th, he’ll meet with the members of HEARTZ in Busan. The music video recording will happen on September 16th. He’ll return to Seoul on September 17th.
OOC-wise, you have until September 9th to send a message to the SPHERE blog confirming your muse’s interest in this opportunity. Once done, you may write a 300+ words solo or a four post thread with a member of HEARTZ about the MV recording to earn +3 CHARISMA POINTS, +1 WK ACTING ACHIEVEMENT and +2 DEBUT POINTS. Please tag all related posts with #rkeilyrec and have them up by midnight EST at the end of Wednesday, September 30th.
EILY MUSIC VIDEO RECORDING (for the October 7 verification form)
don't wanna cry is something that feels very convex, but also very different compared to a lot of other things they've released thus far. it's grown to be a song that woohyun enjoys very much, even if the dance is one that he felt he struggled with the most this comeback. it feels worth it, then he sees the overwhelming response in the days passing-- and after the first win, and then the second-- it feels good. it feels right.
he almost cries every time. it feels like the first time they won, and woohyun can't help the immense and overwhelming joy he feels with each day that passes. he's in such good spirits at the end of the day, exhausted by the pressure of busy schedules and high expectations, but living on the adrenaline high that comes with a successful promotion period.
convex have been through a lot. woohyun's seen it from the start, when he transferred over to sphere for the boy group project. he doesn't know what he expected then-- just a debut, just a chance to sing his heart out on the stage. he was just happy to perform, and now it's just the same, but a little different.
he wants to sing, and he wants to be with convex. they're a group, and a team, and woohyun doesn't think he wants to stop this at any time. this is what he wants to do, and the team he wants to do it with.
when a third win comes, and then a fourth-- with the happiness come the pressure. and woohyun knows that next time, the expectations will be higher; the need to continue the success after this promotion is going to be apparent, and he knows it'll be tough. but he's excited, and he's looking forward to the future. with convex, woohyun thinks they can do anything.
with each promotion they appear on, woohyun gives his all. he wants to make this promotion cycle one to remember; he makes notes to continue practicing, to be at his peak performance for both convex, sphere, consta, and more importantly, himself.
whether this guy, junse, knows who ten is or not he’s come to the right guy. create a viral tiktok dance on the spot? easy, ten thinks. he’s got a tiktok, but he doesn’t post on it, he’s been meaning to, but his youtube comes first, and the community of teenagers on tiktok sort of scares him. but, if he’s doing it for someone else, then why the hell not, right?
but, ten knows he’s a pro at freestyling, so the request only makes him grin and stretch his arms out a little. “you ready?” he asks the guy with the camera, stretching his neck from left to right. he laughs, wondering what song the guy will have him freestyling to. hopefully it’s hip hop or pop, and not something contemporary since he’s more confident that he can create a catch, easy to follow but visually pleasing freestyle dance for hip hop.
the music starts and he vaguely recognises it. he smiles, knowing, pretty confidently, where the beats fall and the drop and shift. he starts to move to the music just a little, before he twists his hips, tapping his heels against the ground as his legs cross over his body. his hands raised up, palms facing the camera, he then snaps them in a criss cross over his chest and as one hand lifts up and out he closes a fist and snaps his head the opposite way, dropping into a half squat with his legs spread wide. his hands drop to the top of his thighs, gripping his sweats as he lens for side to side and lifts his feet to tap his heels on the ground each time he leans away from one foot. then he pops back into a standing position, and then with a hit to the side of his head on a beat he staggers out of frame with a cheeky grin.
“there. that good?” he asks the dude, junse, smiling at him. he was pretty pleased with what he’d done, and is sort of looking forward to see how it would do on this guys tiktok. “what’s ur tiktok username, so i can see it when you post?” he asks, then opens the app to go and find his account and follow him. he doesn’t really know what to expect from it, but he hopes people like it, since he doesn’t think he’s done too badly with the freestyle.
“i hope it gets you lots of followers, bro. can i see it?” he says with a light laugh, tucking his hands into his pants pocket and peering round at the camera screen. he watches the video back and hums with a single nod. “i hope you... tiktokers like it.”
It was more than just a little surprising that sphere actually gave her access to the group’s vlive channel right after debuting. Hopefully she wouldn’t say anything wrong, but she did take notes on things that she wasn’t allowed to talk about. Very general ones, so in case the notes reflected on something, no one would be able to make any sense of them. Probably unnecessary, but she’d always been a careful person.
As Luda set up the stream and waited for everything to load, it suddenly felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. Her hands were shaking a little, as she pulled a strand of hair back, out of her face and she took a deep breath. She’d never done this before, so she had no idea how it would turn out. Of course she’d tried to prepare herself as best as possible, watching other idol’s streams and such, but the practical experience was still missing. Maybe she should’ve asked Minhee to do this together.
She took deep breaths until it seemed to have loaded, her face immediately lit up, the corners of her mouth pulling into a big grin and her eyes scanning the screen to see if everything was as it should be or whether there was any kind of notification that the sound or any such thing wasn’t working properly. Luda bowed and waved at the viewers that already joined the stream, but those that watched from the very beginning would have caught her confused expression before she’d realised that the stream had already started.
She’d posted the link to her social media on the previous day, but had still worried if anyone would show up at all. Her smile only widened as the viewer’s numbers went up and her eyes went big once the counter hit 2.000. Maybe not a big number overall, but definitely to her.
“Hello! I’m Heartz’ girl of the month of July, Lee Luda!” she introduced herself, bowing politely again. “Should I introduce myself a little bit more, first?” she asked a little awkwardly once she was sitting up straight again and put attention to her posture being properly straight. “I’m currently 23 years old and grew up in Seoul as an only child, but my mum makes the best cakes in the world!” she chuckled, “Ah! And if you have any questions, please ask! I will do my best to answer as much as possible~” she was still smiling at the camera and looked at the comments section, until her eyes briefly switched to the camera again, “Of course I can’t answer anything about future debuts or plans, though!” she noted, her face looking more serious just for a moment.
Not sure if she should say anything more as she looked at the comments section, she started to hum “I’ll Be There”, so there wouldn’t be complete silence as she was reading.
“Oh,‘white, milk, or dark chocolate?’ someone wants to know, hmm,” she pondered, her index finger covered her lips and her eyes looked up to the side, in thought. Probably, she was taking this more serious than she needed to, but better this, than the opposite. She didn’t want anyone to think that she wasn’t taking them serious enough. “This is a really tough question, I love chocolate, but I think white has to be my favourite! Now, I know that white chocolate isn’t technically chocolate, but it’s delicious, especially with whole hazelnuts in it!” Luda chuckled. “I love other chocolate as well though, and- Ah! Do you guys know Tiramisu? My mum sometimes made it when I was a child, so she changed some ingredients up. She uses chocolate and cocoa powder! If you haven’t yet tried it, you definitely should! It’s also really easy to make!” she mentioned briefly about the coffee and alcohol free version she grew up with.
“Hmm~“ she hummed scrolling further and stopped at a random one, closing her eyes until she stopped at a random comment and read it aloud, “ Sangkeumyuzu says ‘Eonni, I love you~’ “ she chuckled, holding one hand in front of her face, a little embarrassed, “Aaah, thank you! Eonni loves you too~“ she said, blushing, her thin layer of makeup unable to hide it. Not sure how to properly react, she shyly went on to the next comment.
“What else do we have~~ Ah, KingKiwi97 asked: “Who are your role-models? Please sing us a song from your favourite artist!’ that’s easy!” she was grinning again, happy to have gotten a question that asked her to sing. There were two artists she had in mind and the first artist’s song she’d heard and sung so often, it came quite naturally to her. She took a sip of water, turned to the side of the frame, before she started.
Sky that pours light
(I) stand under it
Fly as if I’m dreaming
My life is a beauty
She sang a few lines, with her eyes closed, before she stopped and looked into the camera again. She wasn’t sure how much she should sing, not wanting to bore anyone, but wanting to follow through with the request as well. “Chi Chi’s Nara has such a beautiful voice, right? I’ve been a fan of hers for a really long time. And as for my favourite group…”
I shouldn’t have let you go like that
What was so great about my pride that I couldn’t hold onto you?
I can’t believe that I won’t ever see you again
When you were all I knew
This night is still following you
No matter how hard I try, I miss you so much
This night is passing
I hate myself for not being able to sleep without you
No matter how much I wait, you’re not here
And I can’t sleep
When will I get over you and fall asleep comfortably?
I just can’t help it, I’m just waiting for morning to come
“Sorry, I know it’s a bit sad,” she smiled after doing her best to sing, again, sounding calm but befittingly sad. They both were songs she’s sung over and over again, so she was pretty confident in having done well. “But Melody Day is one of my favourite groups as well, they all sing sooo well, right? Their osts are always great… but really, there are so many great artists, I could list them all day!” she chuckled. “Let me know if I should sing you something more, okay?”
“Notice me? I’ve officially noticed you!“ she laughed, though she wasn’t sure if that was really such a great thing. “Oh, but Sangkeumyuzu aren’t you the same person as earlier? Then I’ve already noticed you!“ she said.
“My favourite sport?” she hummed, thinking for a moment as she tilted her head to the side, her index finger toughing the bottom of her chin. “I’m not sure if this counts, but I like doing Yoga, it’s relaxing, but it can also be quite difficult! I like jogging too and if I can manage to go, I love swimming! I heard it’s very healthy to swim, yet not as exhausting on the body, for example on the ankles and joints in general!” she started losing her trail of thoughts a little and just went rambling on for a moment, until she caught herself soon after. “Is there any type of sport you can recommend to me?” she added.
The next question made Luda chuckle, it just sounded too adorable. “Hm… mini_bunny asked '5 minhees or a 5 year old minhee?’ That’s a tough question… Minhee-unnie is a great person you know? If you haven’t yet you should watch her music videos!! It’s a very fun song and video, and she did just perfectly! And she always works so hard!” she wasn’t only smiling brightly as before, but the admiration for her friend was quite evident in her expression and choice of words. However, that didn’t make the question any easier. “Minhee is great, but 5 Minhees would be 5 times as great right? Then again, there can only be one real Minhee…” she said with furrowed brows, taking the question much more serious than it was probably intended to be. “But Minhee as a five year old must be sooo adorable, I’d like to see that! She always takes great care of me, of anyone around her honestly, so I’d like to be the older one for once and give back all the kindness!” Luda nodded to affirm her statement.
“Let’s see what the next one says... Oh?” she said, grinning widely, recognising the handle. “It’s from user Sangkeumyuzu again! Thank you for dedication!” she said, bowing politely, not really having expected anyone to keep commenting like this. And she wasn’t going to lie, it made her happy, which her smile showed quite obviously. “ ‘I’m your biggest faaaaan’ “ Again, she wasn’t sure how to react and again, she hid behind her hands, chuckling and blushing. “Thank you very much, this makes me very happy to hear!” She finally said, sincerely looking at the camera as she did so.
There were many more comments than she’d expected. Surely not as many as someone popular would have, but that was fine, she was just happy that some people cared at all. It was crazy to think about how she was actually officially debuted now, but she couldn’t concentrate on that, shouldn’t let herself be distracted so easily.
“Hmm, there’s a few of you asking what my favourite animal is, but can you guess?” she returned the question and chuckled reading the comments section. “Dogs, cats… and sheep? That’s an interesting answer, I do like sheep, they’re so fluffy, round and soft! But they’re not quite my favourites… Bumblebees? They’re also cute and so round! I never would have guessed you’d answer so creatively, I fear my answer will be really boring compared to that~” Luda paused for a moment, for some added 'suspense’ if one could call it that. “Those saying cats were right! Though dogs are a close second. I love how determined cats are! They know what they want and they work hard to get there! For example with those toys that hide treats inside of them. And when a cat shows affection once in a blue moon… that feels super special, right?”
Scanning the messages again, her lips were quickly pulled into a cute pout, “Ah, I told you my answer wouldn’t be as interesting, don’t be too disappointed, okay~~?” she asked of the viewers that indeed seemed to have expected a more interesting answer. “But I was very lucky, because I got to film with cats! There were so so many cats in the music video! Have you seen it yet? I hope that if you haven’t, you will~~ The staff and I put a lot of effort in, to make it the best it can be! But I promise to learn more and do better in the future as well!” her eyes were clear as she looked at the camera. She was still nervous, but not shaking anymore and Luda was almost surprised at how much fun she had while streaming. It was a great feeling, really.
“What’s your favourite item?” again, she didn’t need to think for very long. Her instinct was to jump up and get the little device, but instead she decided to stay and search the item on the internet. “This little thing right here, does anyone know what it is?” Luda asked, holding her phone in front of the camera, not considering that she could’ve gotten a message from someone, saying something that wasn’t meant for the public eye. Luckily nothing happened. Her eyes widened a little, her mouth forming the appropriate “o” to go with it and she chuckled, glad that the little mini-heart attack she just got was easy to distract herself from. “Of course you guys are smart! You’re right, it’s a galaxy projector! A dear friend gave it to me as a birthday gift! It’s very nice to just turn the lights off and look at the projected galaxy on the ceiling! Very calming and a little… mysterious? I like it very much.”
The stream had been going on for a while and she started to suppress the yawns that crawled up on her. “It’s getting late, so I’ll choose one last question!” she announced, smiling softly. Her eyes moved over the words written by complete strangers, something she’d never thought she’d get to do. Especially not this soon.
“Can you sing me a lullaby?” she repeated aloud. “That sounds like a good way to end the stream, right? Hm… Ah!” she looked directly at the camera again, after looking to the side to think, her index finger pointing up as her mind spontaneously formed a plan. “I’ll sing you two lullabies, okay? The first one is a little bit more upbeat and called 'Night Moon’ by SBGB the second one is a little more sad but also calmer, making it easier to fall asleep to, it’s called 'How are you, my dear’ by Saevom~”
She played both song’s instrumentals over her phone, one after the other, and sang softly. Sometimes she looked off to the bottom/side, but more often than that Luda looked at the camera, a soft smile on her lips here and there, but she was concentrating on singing well first and foremost. Her voice was clear and she realised what a perfect fit “Around You” really was for her… maybe she should’ve sung that instead? But she didn’t want to look like she was shamelessly promoting her own song either.
The second song ended and she quietly looked at the camera for a moment, still smiling softly. “What do you think?” She asked, whispering, “Next time I will sing 'Around You’ for you, so be sure to watch again, okay?” she decided on the spot, wanting to point out that she hadn’t forgotten her own song at all. “Good night, everyone, and I hope you can sleep a little easier tonight. Don’t go to sleep too late, alright?” she continued whispering, having heard about asmr recently. After waving at the camera and making finger hearts with both hands, accompanied by a cute face, she ended the stream. Luda was weirdly happy but also felt somehow empty. It was hard to grasp and describe.
But after this she decided she wanted to be to fans what lullabies were to her. A comfort, giving the feeling of calmness and making it easier for people to sleep, so they could get a good night’s rest to start afresh on a new morning. She wanted to be the voice people heard before they sunk into a deep, comfortable sleep, dreaming about whatever it was they most wanted to dream about.
In a way, it was good practice. This was a different type of singing - one he wasn’t accustomed to. Most songs he worked on focused on the ability to reach and hold notes. This song, especially at the beginning, felt more rhythmic in nature and needed him to sound relaxed while remaining on the beat. He would have to do something similar for the song Boss for Project Origin so Yonghwa was grateful for the extra mentorship.
He was pretty sure Seo Haneul didn’t like him. Or at least, not as much as he did with Sammy. Yonghwa was happy his friend got the part for June and was looking forward to working with him. He wasn’t exactly jealous that Sammy was likely more adored by their idol mentor. After all, what’s not like about Sammy? The kid was sweet, gentle and very caring. Introverted sometimes, but that was much like Haneul himself. Yonghwa heard rumors about how Seo Haneul used to be the energetic sort, but something must have chilled him out over the years.
See, they all change and in this industry, very few for the better. At least that was what Yonghwa believed.
Anyway, Yonghwa was too thick-skinned by now to let a hint of subtle dislike from his mentor trip him up.
“Let me try again,” he said, frowning at his own voice as his inner perfectionist gnawed. He was opening and closing the song, so the pressure was real. Also, the anxiety level was higher than usual because sitting opposite him was an experienced singer and an idol who became a trainee at an early age. Yonghwa couldn’t distract him with a pretty face the way he could to common fangirls.
나 가끔 이런 생각해 yeah
빛이 보이지 않는 이 긴 터널 끝이
“I don’t sound relaxed enough, do I?” See, whenever Yonghwa got nervous, his voice would naturally raise slightly in pitch. It was subtle and without careful ears listening, he could easily get away with it. In fact, with some songs, like the solo he won from season one of Future Dreams, it could even work out for the better. This song, however, needed a more controlled, charismatic voice. “Sorry, it’ll come. I just need a second.” He fought back down the urge to try again immediately, giving himself time to calm down. Yonghwa even made himself take a sip of water as he gave it another 30 seconds.
He practiced the same line after and let out a breath of relief when it sounded better. Judging by Haneul’s nod, he thought so too.
