》Go With The Flow
For: @taewooid Word Count: 586 Plot: Flashback to XLNC’s first week of promotions. King is overwhelmed by the responsibilities and expectations of the idol lifestyle and is struggling to keep up. He turns to his senior, Taewoo of Nitro, for guidance.
King wasn’t entirely sure what he had expected what his life would be like once he had officially debuted as an idol. He had assumed that he would get to perform, follow schedules and that would be it. He didn’t realize the severity of maintaining an image not only on stage but also during fan meets. The persona in which the company had painted for him was not too far gone from his actual personality, save for being more tactful with memorized responses to certain fan or media questions. Even still, the entire experience left the 23 year old feeling as though his entire world had been ripped out from under him and he was barely struggling to keep his face above water.
He assumed most idols would turn to their fellow members and managers for support, but King did not have that luxury right now. Nearly a week before their official debut date, King had threatened to leave the company. Koala T. Music had promised him that he would be able to make and perform rock music, but had suddenly decided to push the group to perform pop-rock music instead. Yeongshik had deliberated for weeks about what he would do, but in the end it had all costed him the trust of his band mates and the company. His fellow guitarist, Jinhwan had given Yeongshik a very thorough talk that had not only put Yeongshik back into his place as an idol but also put the entire situation into perspective. He had not only jeopardized his own career, but the career of everyone in XLNC. The wound from that conversation was still very fresh and the rest of the group would hardly acknowledge him, never mind trying to speak with him.
The musician’s feet dragged against the tiled floors of Koala M. T’s halls, moving his body at the pace of an undead creature struggling to keep himself upright. His eyes struggled to keep open under the brim of the black ball cap he had pulled low on his head. Yeongshik’s destination was unknown, but the sound of a familiar pop song had drawn him further down the hall and towards the dance studios. This part of the company building carried an awkward weight of unfamiliarity and the very distinct pangs of imposition. XLNC never needed to come down here and King especially had no business here. The last time he had been in a dance studio was during his last days in 99 Entertainment before he had quit-- or was kicked out-- whichever version of the story one preferred-- and yet, here he was.
The guitarist found himself standing outside of the door of one of the smaller dancing studios. He peered into the window, though not too close to the door to avoid appearing too deliberate in his snooping. He recognized the pop song but honestly could not put his finger on the title. The artist, however, became very clear as the idol inside of the room was none other than Nitro’s dancer, Lee Taewoo. Yeongshik didn’t know much about dancing but watching the older idol’s movements had put him into a trance. How in the world did he move with such fluidity? King was lucky to have mastered the step-ball-change move without stepping on his own feet.
When the music finally came to an end, Yeongshik knocked on the glass and gave a timid wave while pointing to the door handle, silently asking if it was okay for him to come inside.