#hd:debut2k25

[hdseungho]

𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 —

written for 𝐫𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 ( @hdriyan ) ♡

The villa smelled like new money and chlorine.

Seungho barely had time to peel his hoodie off before a camera operator swung around the corner like they were chasing an Oscar. He gave a slight nod, polite, camera-friendly, and stepped into their living room like he belonged there. He didn't. Not really. Not yet. But faking it? That, he could do.

Los Angeles air had this weird kind of weightlessness to it. The kind that made you forget how heavy the next few weeks were about to be. Trainee showcase. Challenges. Everything on steroids. He dropped his bag by the couch and clocked the other arrivals in quick glances. Everyone looked either jetlagged or desperate not to show it. He could respect that.

A glass door slid open with a clack behind him; cue Riyan, looking like someone peeled him off the cover of a fashion mag and dropped him in California sun. Seungho had only seen clips, profiles, a little too-perfect highlight reel. Seeing him now, in real-time, in real space, was… disarming. The dude had swag. "Yo." Seungho gave a nod, easygoing, careful not to stare too long. "They told us we're supposed to go shopping soon. Room stuff. Personality or whatever. You down to come with?"

[hdmiru]

* ∙ ✰ ◞ ⤫ ( 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒍 ) miru is starting to feel more and more like an actual idol / 341 words.

it's almost wild just how quickly miru's life has changed.

a couple of months ago, she was just a trainee, and now she has songs under her name and people screaming for her whenever she stands on stage. it still feels surreal, to say the least, but she's trying her best to enjoy every moment as much as she can.

even practicing seems fun. of course, her members can be a menace at times as they really don't seem to listen, but what did she expect? they were a bunch of grown adults being thrown into a group together. miru knows it'd be weirder if they were all angels (naimei and nayoung, especially), but she still can't help but pray that they'd be a little easier to handle.

oddly enough, despite never being big on fashion, miru has come to enjoy the fashion shooots that come with this career. if anyone were to look into her closet, they'd know that she was the furthest member when it came to fashion as she usually wore whatever was comfortable. however, she's begun to see herself in a new light with these shoots and how a little styling can go a long way. maybe she really should've listened to chaeyeon earlier on.

but her favorite has to be the fanmeeting. preparing for it was tough as it involved getting used to the venue and really juggling all the skills an idol needed. nevertheless, there was something so beautiful about being in a place that was filled with people who supported her. plus, nothing went wrong despite the constant fear minah put her through. this was the love that she'd been dying to receive and seeing it now in front of her, miru couldn't help but feel a little breathless.

however, she pulls through, and that's enough proof to miru that she's finally gotten this idol thing under her belt. rather than a trainee who had just slipped into this stardom life, she was beginning to look like an idol, and she couldn't be happier.

[hdchaeyeon]

💌 hi hi! our dizzy little dreamer is officially debuting in girlnextdoor!!! 🎀💄 she's ready to twirl, trip, and accidentally conquer the stage ✨ looking for plots w/ the girlies !!! give me all the debut jitters, dorm chaos, bathroom mirror pep talks, rivalries w/ glossy smiles, late-night snack runs in bunny slippers, practice room meltdowns, etcetera. and also the boys, since they're cooking up a sexy collab stage 👀🍒 like this post or reply w/ your favorite song for a starter~

[hdmiru]

𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒓, @hdnayoung

while miru tried her best to get along with the other trainees as she never knew who she could debut with, it wasn't always possible. nayoung fell into that category of people she could tolerate but couldn't see herself really befriending. unfortunately, it looks like miru doesn't have much of a choice anymore with both of them being chosen for this upcoming debut.

nevertheless, miru was going to make it work out, especially with her being appointed the leader. the last thing she needed was word of the potential members not getting along slipping into the ears of a higher up.

upon arriving in los angeles, the girls had been thrown into an intense cycle of training. it's something that was expected, and miru was actually quite enjoying what seemed like a debut bootcamp. of course, it also came with a lot of work, but that's exactly what she had been preparing herself for.

they had been handed the songs, and miru had to say that she really enjoyed their title track. it was fresh and something that everybody could enjoy. she had been working on the lines with nayoung as they both sat in the vocal room, going over the song together. "did you want to try singing the chorus together? we're going to have to match up our styles and everything eventually, so it'd be nice to hear what we sound like right now."

[hdchaeyeon]

twirl et tumble —

written for takada miru (@hdmiru) ♡

"wait, wait— no, seriously, wait," chaeyeon says, the words spilling out before she can stop them. she freezes mid-rep, arms trembling in open rebellion, then sinks to her knees anyway, full surrender. the studio stretches around her in wood floors and glass walls a place built to remember. the mirrors catch everything she'd rather edit out. she isn't meant to be here like this. she's meant to be lit correctly, moving to counts she knows by heart. she lifts her head toward miru, instinctively straightening, her muscle memory still believes in authority. leader. the heart.

but she's just noticed something deeply unfair about the universe. "i just had a thought," chaeyeon says, breathless, the horror of it all. "our choreo? it's harder than our debut. like… significantly harder. isn't that backwards? shouldn't the focus be on our visuals?" her fingers press into the mat, grounding herself. "we were supposed to suffer then. now we're successful. shouldn't the reward be less… whatever this is." she gestures vaguely at her shaking, wobbly arms, at the mirrors, at her whole sweating, questioning not going into the fashion industry. her dads were totally right.

[hdmiru]

* ∙ ✰ ◞ ⤫ ( 𝒑𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕 ) miru's specifically told to work out her emotional expressions / 404 words.

she's not completely shocked that despite not submitting an audition for this next round of girl next door promotions, she was called right back in. though she'd never admit it out loud, miru was simply overwhelmed. yes, the debut turned out amazing, and she likes to think she pulled off the whole leader thing really well, but it was a surge of new emotions and activities that she couldn't handle right away.

and she really didn't want to show that to the world.

nevertheless, here she was. right back to the same routine that she had been a part of while preparing for her own debut. however, this time around, it seems hydra had other plans for her. on top of everything else she's already had to do, they specifically tell her that she's to work on improving her emotional expressions.

what a shocker.

while miru likes to think she had put on a convincing performance—she doesn't doubt it for a second when it comes to her skills—even she can tell that sometimes, she looked like she didn't completely embrace the whole song. now that's something she had to learn from all her other members. minah always looked like she was having the time of her life while naimei owned every concept they've ever performed. and chaeyeon? miru's pretty sure she could get someone to buy her a house upon seeing her on stage. that's how eye-catching she was.

though she could skillfully pull off the songs and dances given to her along with the natural charisma she was born with, her face just didn't do as good of a job convincing the audio.

it's why she sat down, staring straight into a mirror to monitor her expressions. the songs this time around weren't as bubbly or sweet, and they definitely fit her taste more, but it would require a different kind of acting on stage. a kind of acting she's never done before.

every time she monitored the videos she took of herself, miru couldn't help but let out a sigh. how in the world was she supposed to convey the song through her expressions? how did everybody else do it?

she was frustrated, but she wouldn't be labeled a quitter. the clock rang 1 o'clock, but she wouldn't be going home until she could convince herself about what this song was trying to carry, even if took all night.

[hdbohyun]

* . ⊹  ° • » ( 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏 ) the news of bohyun getting to debut hits her like an earthquake / 367 words.

when bohyun hears her name among the list of other trainees who will join this next girl next door lineup, she swears the world is tricking her. sure, she's been around for a few years now, but she didn't think this moment will come now. not so soon.

is she scared? not really. just surprised, but it's a good kind of surprise. or so she thinks.

she has to physically pinch herself to realize that this is reality and before she knows it, she's being thrown into a routine that seems all too different yet similar to her life as a trainee.

the exercise is probably the hardest part—her constant complains to jaeyi explain it all—and bohyun can't remember the last time she's felt so physically fit. nothing compared to some of the other more veteran trainees, but she can slowly see the muscles in her arms, and she thinks that she may be forming abs. they're barely there, but she insists that people touch them, so she can be sure she isn't hallucinating.

with the way she tackles on the practice and the songs they've been given, some may accuse her of not being ecstatic, but she's simply not sure how to express it all. truthfully, she's just glad to be debuting with a bunch of people she already feels comfortable with because what's not to love about debuting with your best friends? the whole idea of getting to be a doll with chaeyeon is just a dream come true.

nevertheless, bohyun's also always been someone who pushed away all the busy thoughts that formed in her mind. she tried her best to ignore them, but she could hear them pounding into her ears along with the demo songs they've been given to practice.

a bunch of what if's and scenarios that could possibly happen. however, she does her best to push them out once more because that's not what's important at hand. the last thing she wants is to embarrass herself so she pushes and pushes herself until she feels confident that she can perform everything in her sleep.

that should be enough to prove herself as someone useful to the lineup. right?

[hdmiru]

𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒓, @hdjaeyi

this was odd.

just a couple of months ago, there was awkwardness in the air as jaeyi and she had to juggle the change in their relationship. having gone from two buddies who trained together to miru, unfortunately, getting her taste of debut before jaeyi, it had been difficult for her to get the right words out in front of the other.

however, they were now set to stand on stage together. a dream come true, really, but it also meant another shift in the dynamic of their relationship. miru was ecstatic that jaeyi got to join girl next door and get her own taste of being a debuted idol. and while it was never mentioned outright, miru still considered herself the leader of the girls, and she wanted to make sure that those returning showed the same high quality on stage while the ones joining them could fit right in without looking like, well, rookies.

"the songs are nice, don't you think so?" now they could call it their song, rather than something only miru got to sing in. honestly, miru must preferred this concept over her own debut, and she was almost jealous that this would be jaeyi's first concept. "sounds chic. plus, the choreography is sharper, too. did you memorize it yet?"