this is so drastically out of won’s comfort zone that he almost forgets how to walk. one foot in front of the other, he really shouldn’t be having so much trouble, but as they’d headed out of the car and towards the blue carpet, won expected himself to tumble face-first into the ground at any moment. they’ve barely debuted and here they are, cameras flashing so much that he has to look down at his clumsy feet every so often to give his sensitive eyes a break. he says it for everything and he will continue to until the end of time, but won is so grateful mingyu is here, his boyfriend’s presence bringing him a level of peace and confidence he desperately needs to get through this unscathed. it’s easier to feel like he can tackle the world with his boyfriend close enough to touch.
he makes sure to get a seat next to mingyu when they get into the venue. they’re waiting for the show to start, gracefully early and it gives him time to carefully lean towards mingyu’s ear and mumble quietly, “isn’t this kind of surreal?” he can’t be the only one that thinks the last week or so has been unbelievably crazy. he continues in a hushed tone. “I didn’t think I’d ever be at a fashion show. they obviously haven’t seen my predebut pictures.” he jokes with a soft grin. sighing contently, he relaxes a little more in his seat. “I wonder if either of us will ever do something like this. I think you’d be a great model, but it’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it? having everyone’s eyes on you but not being able to react... I don’t think I can even walk in a straight line.”
he stands backstage, and everything, every little thing about this, feels too unreal. they’re moments away from standing on stage –– the stage that’ll truly make this official, his debut. he’d spent years in royal, and it would’ve been a lie if he said that parts of him had at some points, felt as though this was all a futile dream. that the very concept of a debut would be beyond him, that this was all for naught.
yet he hears the cheers, the sounds of people that had been waiting for their debut, that supported them. and those cheers are real, this is no longer a dream that he’d simply been clinging onto for years.
they’re given the cue and go up on stage. the crowd isn’t in the hundred thousands, it isn’t a stadium full of fans, it’s hardly a dome, but there are people there, smiling at him. he’s no longer a stranger to the public, and he’s by no means famous, but people know him.
from the crowd, he spots his father, and he’s unsure as to how to react.
“hello! we are de:code!” they greet, bowing to the fans. fans. another word that feels so foreign to him. but he smiles as they cheer in reply. one by one they begin to introduce themselves, and at his turn, jaehyun waves.
“i’m de:code’s prince and first love, sinjae,” he says, as he continues to wave. his eyes scan the crowd, and he wishes at that moment he could remember each and everyone’s faces. “i’ll engrave this into the memory of my heart,” his smile grows as he speaks.
he’s performing, and this time, people know him, he’s no longer a ‘private trainee’, no longer a ‘trainee to be revealed’. he’s de:code’s sinjae.
... BACKSTAGE
sure, he’d given his parents the backstage tickets, but he’d never thought that his father would come, and out of his own accord. that he’d even watch the performance. he searches for his parents backstage and when he sees them, he’s unsure of what to say.
throughout most of his time in royal, his father had done little to keep in contact with him, to even learn about what his own son was doing. not that jaehyun could blame him, his father was a man that had different principles, ones that didn’t meet eye to eye with jaehyun’s vision of becoming an idol. his mother on the other hand, had tried to support him, albeit not being quite as pro-active as one might have liked. not that he could blame her either. he blamed neither of them. when he’d given them the passes, he hadn’t been sure if they’d come, thought that perhaps he wouldn’t have anyone to greet.
the three of them stand awkwardly around each other, it had been a while since all three of them had been together in one place. jaehyun’s debut showcase was most definitely not what he’d thought a reunion would be at.
“my colleague’s daughter,” his father begins to speak, and that catches jaehyun off-guard, “apparently is a huge fan of the nonsensical show you did. he asked me for your autograph to gift to her.”
it’s odd. it feels like the first time his father had acknowledged this, his career, his music, performance. any aspect of it. jaehyun blinks, but he’s not disappointed, if anything he begins to smile. it’s a step closer. “sure,” he replies, “i’ll be sure to give you a signed album.”
“i’ll need a few.”
but before jaehyun can ask why, his mother then grabs onto his arm and gives it a squeeze. “we’re proud of you,” she says, and jaehyun’s eyes shift to his father. the older man doesn’t deny this, but he doesn’t respond either. “you did very well.”
“thank you.”
it’s formal, just like his family has always been. but they’ve made the effort to come, and that must’ve meant something.
later that night, he receives a message from his mother.
✉ : mum
⌲ good job :)
⌲ [ img_attached ]
⌲ we’re both very proud of you. your father put that up
attached is a photo of his signed album, placed on the counter in the living room on full display. jaehyun smiles.
for the first time in a while, seonho is the first person awake in the dorm and even he finds that to be a little odd when his eyes snap open. the energy of what today is flowing through him and having him out of bed before his alarm even goes off. normally, seonho is someone who has to be drug out of bed by one of the older members. typically bribed with food and snacks or just physically carried out and deposited in the kitchen.
but this morning? no way.
this morning is the morning of their first day on the music shows! and seonho was more than ready to get going and excited to get started. even though it’s early and he knows manager hyung is going to be here rather soon to get them going and to the station and normally it’s seonho who’s bemoaning the lack of sleep. he finds himself padding to the kitchen first to start coffee for the hyungs who are going to need it then he’s nyooming down the hall to the oldest hyungs room.
tiptoeing inside, the teen finds his leaders bed with practiced ease. “hyung.” he whispers, sitting on the side of baekhyun’s bed and lightly shaking the older. it’s hard to keep himself contained when he wants to just run and shout in excitement--but he also isn’t cruel to wake any of his hyungs like that. “baekhyunnie hyungggg.” though he could have started waking everyone up, he wanted to leave it to their fearless leader.
after watching the episode with per_se & spica, minho's got a bit more of an understanding on the s-pop show they've been chosen for. while asmr centric stuff isn't something he's dived into it-- he can see the appeal, and the show itself is funny to watch. it gives him a much better idea on how to approach the schedule as the day begins to approach, and it's giving him more and more of an interest into delving into asmr. wonders if there's something similiar to this out there in the world that he could work with.
adjusting the grip on his phone, he tugs the blanket further around his body, letting his chin rest on the table in the common area. he stares mindlessly at the episode, a headphone tucked in his ear until he sees movement out of the corner of his eye. averting his gaze, he straightens up a bit with a hum.
"won-ah," he calls out, his accent think and his drawl slow. "d'ya like asmr?" he asks idly, turning his head to peer at the other.
he remembers the last time he saw his parents. the concern in his mother’s eyes and the way his father held him while he cried because he didn’t really know what to do or if he was doing any of the right things. he watched his mother’s heart break when his father told her that he didn’t want to follow the road to his dream, that he didn’t feel right doing it when it took him away from his family.
sitting here now, at the debut showcase, hongjoong wonders if they’re proud.
hongjoong was worried when he sent them the tickets. worried that he’d get a phone call asking if he’s sure this is the right thing, if this is what he wants to do rather than feeling forced to do it now that he’s come so far. truthfully, hongjoong isn’t sure he fully knows the answer to that yet but he thinks he’s a little closer to finding peace with his decision. they don’t call, of course. they just say they’ll come. they just say they wouldn’t miss it for the world.
he wonders what they’ll think of de:code’s nox when they see him. because as much as hongjoong puts himself into the role he has to play, his parents have still never seen him perform as nox. mysterious nox, with his wild expressions and all his threatening talent.
the performances come and go, and by the time that the interviews come, hongjoong is prepared. there are some things he wants to say when it comes his time to speak, and he holds onto the microphone with both hands.
although he can’t see out into the crowd, he knows his parents are out there, somewhere. “ i just wanted to say hello to my parents, who are out in the crowd and watching me. um .. i know i had a hard time while we were getting ready to debut and that you were worried about me. but i want to say i’m fine now, and thank you for supporting me. from the beginning until now, you always said do what was right for me. so i’m standing here today as de:code’s nox because of you. thank you.”
he puts down the mic and bows low, and when he stands - he blows a kiss out to the crowd. to his mother, who was worried until her heart broke and to his father who held him when he needed it.
from this day on, hongjoong is de:code’s nox - mysterious, yes. but everyone will know him as the boy who loves his family most.
When March 15 comes, it’ll be the official date of their debut.
Their debut showcase will start at 7pm, an hour after their album release on March 5th. The members will walk to the stage one by one when the MC in charge for the night, Kang Jaekyung, calls their name. They’ll do their first official greeting as a group and give their individual introductions. The first performances will be of ‘Wake Up’ followed by ‘Gorilla’. Once the performances are done, the MC will ask them questions about their first album as well as some that may help the public get to know each of them better. They’ll sing to ‘Stay With Me’ while sitting on their chairs before they stand up for their final performance of ‘Look At Me And Smile’.
From this day on, the nine boys will be known as DE:CODE, the newest boy group of ROYAL.
The following is the music show promotion schedule for DE:CODE’s ‘Gorilla’ activities:
03/17, 03/24, 03/31, 04/07: MTV The Show
03/18, 03/25, 04/01, 04/08: MBC Show Champion
03/19, 03/26, 04/02, 04/09: Mnet M!Countdown
03/20, 03/27, 04/03, 04/10: KBS Music Bank
03/20: Arirang Simply K-Pop
03/21, 03/28, 04/04, 04/11: MBC Music Core
03/22, 03/29, 04/05, 04/12: SBS Inkigayo
During the first week of promotions, DE:CODE will use ‘Wake Up’ as their intro and performing its short version alongside the title track. For any day that you do not have to perform or have any other schedules, you may have a break at the dorms unless said otherwise.
Music show promotions will last for a total of four weeks this time. Programs will begin pre-recording early in the morning and groups are expected to stay at the broadcasting station until the live broadcast takes place later in the day. Although music shows in real life follow varied recording schedules, for IC writing purposes, the schedule for every music show will follow this consistent pattern:
06:20AM: at broadcasting station: basic first rehearsal on stage; no makeup, casual clothes.
06:45AM: head to salon: get makeup and hair done.
07:45AM: return to broadcasting station: eat breakfast, nap in dressing room/space.
09:00AM: dress rehearsal on stage; stage outfits, makeup on.
09:20AM: return to dressing room/space: rest, eat, nap.
11:00AM: final camera rehearsal on stage; stage outfits, makeup on.
11:15AM: greet senior artist groups at their respective dressing room/spaces, accompanied by a manager. you may not sleep during this time, up until the live broadcast.
07:00PM: live broadcast; when not performing, must stay in dressing room/space until the ending stage of the show.
08:00PM: line up in waiting room area to formally greet producers, director, and senior staff.
09:00PM: meeting time with fans who attended the recordings.
10:00PM: return to dressing rooms to clean up, change back into casual clothes.
11:00PM: arrive back at dorms.
On applicable Fridays, members leave the KBS building for recording Arirang Simply K-Pop which airs 1PM ~ 2PM.
On March 17th, all the members of DE:CODE will go together to Super K-pop Radio at 4PM where they’ll answer to questions as well as sing their own songs. On March 23rd, they’ll go to MBC Idol Radio starting at 9PM. The boys will all go together on March 25th to a recording of After School Club at 1PM as based on this episode.
Their dance practice video for ‘Gorilla’ will be uploaded on March 22nd to Royal’s YouTube channel.
Seoul’s Fashion Week will start on March 16th, going until March 21st. All of the members were invited to watch the show on March 21st for the designer BEYOND THE CLOSET. On they way to the event, they’ll all stop for photos on the ramp leading up to the blue carpet, and on the carpet itself.
The Season of Spring will start this month and, to commemorate it, Music Bank canceled its usual airing on March 27th in favor of a special concert—and DE:CODE is invited! The group will perform one song: ‘Gorilla’. They’ll wear the clothes as based on this image.
B.Mil — Jinho
Milo — Shinwon
Sinjae — Yeo One
Nox — E.Dawn
Magnus — Yuto
Reno — Wooseok
Vici — Yanan
Shion — Hui
A.C — Hongseok
Apart from their group stages, DE:CODE will also take part in a special stage along with other idols. They’ll do a performance of the song ‘This Love’ from the sunbae Shinhwa. They’ll record the song beforehand on March 19th. A line distribution for the stage can be found here!
B.Mil will also take part in a special stage along with other idols. He’ll do a performance of the song ‘Trouble Maker’ along with Ella from Luxe. They’ll initially learn the choreography apart, but, since they’re from the same company, will be able to meet up on certain dates to practice together with the presence of their dance coaches. They’ll record the song beforehand on March 20th.
On March 23rd, the group will go to a recording of After Mom Is Asleep for the S-POP Channel. You may use this video as a reference.
Congratulations! Starting with month, DE:CODE will begin the IDOL SCHEDULES and are eligible to participate in the IDOL SHOP and all that’s included. More information can be seen below and on this guide, as well as the new requirements and points reward methods.
You will gain +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE AS YOU WISH, +3 DEBUT POINTS and +2 ACHIEVEMENTS for completing the written requirements explained on the idol tier page. As this is a song promotion month, one of your chosen achievements must be relevant to the above schedule and all required content should be written about activities listed on the above schedule for the month of March. There is a capped maximum of five solos, sets of starters and/or partnered threads you may write to collect this month’s points.
To clarify, the only form that needs to be submitted at the end of the month is a verification form for your debut points and achievements. Any SP points earned can be collected as soon as you finish the requirement for them. At the end of the month, as you did with your previous evaluation forms, you will submit the following form to the Points Verification Blog:
IDOL’S NAME - ROYAL ENT - MARCH SCHEDULE (for the April 1 verification form)
PROOF OF ACTIVITY: [ x ]
POINTS: +00 SP [ distribute these however you like ]
TOTAL POINTS EARNED: +00 SP +00 DBT
+1 WK ACHIEVEMENT #1 [ NUMBER OF TIMES TAKEN + CURRENT LEVEL ]
+1 WK ACHIEVEMENT #2 [ NUMBER OF TIMES TAKEN + CURRENT LEVEL ]
IF DO MAX REQS. : +1 WK ACHIEVEMENT #3 [ NUMBER OF TIMES TAKEN + CURRENT LEVEL ]
DEBUT POINTS SPENT ON THE IDOL SHOP THIS MONTH:
NEW DEBUT POINTS TOTAL:
**** Their music show performances give 24 EXP. Their radio shows appearances give 2 EXP, and their variety show appearance gives 1 EXP. For their group appearances on the fashion week, the group will receive 1 EXP. Their appearance in the S-POP channel gives 1 EXP. Their performance on the Spring Concert gives 1 EXP. The group special stage gives 1 EXP and B.Mil’s special stage gives 1 EXP, making it a total of 32 EXP. For more information regarding GROUP EXP, refer to the idol tier page.
he was hyped about the debut, about the very first music show promotion two weeks into the month, about all exciting things that would await them in the near future and he didn't quite know where to put all of his energy. it was still early in the morning, around 6, and they had just finished their first rehearsal on stage. kang joon could have been sleepy considering the time they had to get up, but he was wide awake. when they were on the way to the salon, he grinned at his members, not able to contain his excitement. one after another was prepared for the showcase, hair and make-up set. kang joon mustered himself in the mirror, he was looking damn fine, and a smirk appeared on his lips, when he saw hongjoong behind him in the reflection. the other just got out of the salon, so he decided to sweep him up and share some of his energy with him.
with grabby hands he moved over to the other man, and dragged him along with him. "hey joong, i got to give you something~" he hummed, as they walked towards the bathroom. "but we need to get out of the sight of the others, or they will get envious. this is just exclusively for you, so pssh, you gotta keep it a secret, alright?"
closing the door behind him, he turned back to the shorter male, devious grin on his lips. on days like this, when he was feeling especially energetic, kang joon tended to do impulsive stuff like this without a second thought. it was just his thing, he was into skinship after all. "here you go. congrats to the debut, nox." the oldest de:code member purred, before leaning in and giving the other a smooch to the cheek.
when they're announced they're invited to seoul fashion week, minho is kinda floored. there's a lot of happening so quickly-- and he knows that it's a tactic to get them out there, to get them in the public eye and recognizable. the more exposure, the more attention. that's obvious enough, but it's still a lot all at once to minho, who definitely thought the life of an idol was a lot of hardships before nice opportunities like this. but he isn't complaining.
he's looking through pictures of previous groups when they had been invited earlier in the week, biting his lip in thought as he studies them, down to poses and facial expression. minho still has a lot of work to go he feels, but he at least thinks he's manageable enough to get through some photos, even if the event if a bit high scale.
"hey, mingyu-yah." he calls out during their free time at music bank the day before their scheduled appearance. "do you like fashion?" he calls out curiously, lifting his head to address the other.
