Beneath the Beat
chapter 1 , chapter 2 (soon)
pairings: black dancer reader x idol hoseok, also reader x dancer yeonjun
summary: you are a dancer at this underground hiphop club doing dance battles for money. trying to make ends meet, you hear that a kpop idol who used to dance at the club is hosting a battle for $1,000??
word count: 1.1k (lowercase intended)
NOT PROOF READ BTW
“AND THE WINNER IS…. ____!!” the host yells your name causing the crowd to roar. you feel a sudden surge of excitement as you look around seeing lots of familiar faces. people you have grown up with your whole life, cheering for one of your biggest wins yet. you walk up and shake hands with your opponent, Choi Yeonjun. he has been in IGIDA for years, climbing his way to the top becoming one of the best dancers in the club. so to beat him is a very big achievement.
“woah good job, I haven’t been challenged liked that in years” he says shaking your hand wiping the sweat off his forehead with the other. “thank you so much, it was really such an honor” you say gratefully. after speaking with him you go and claim your prize money. the prize pot was bigger than usual, a whopping $250, it’s usually around 50 to 100 dollars so to have it this big is wild.
you head to the locker room with your money. as you are stuffing it in your bag someone covers your eyes from behind. “guess who it is!” the familiar voice says playfully. “hyunjin..get your hands off my face now” you say, rolling your eyes behind his hands. turning you around, he says, “let’s go get dinner!” “not tonight, i have bills to pay” you say, slinging your bag over your shoulder. “but you always say that, you never have any funnn” he groans trailing behind you. the two of you make your way to the outside of the building, the cold wind quickly attacks your face, following close behind is hyunjin still trying to convince you to buy dinner. “HERE” you yell finally caving into him handing the boy $30. “your not coming with?” he asks taking the crisp bills. “i told you i can’t, i have things to do tonight” you say slipping your hat onto your head. “aw alright, we’ll make sure to text me when you make it home!” he says “yeah yeah” you wave him off.
once he is around the corner, you start walking home. it is one of the coldest nights in seoul. the chilling air causes your breath to turn white. the lights from the many billboards illuminate your path. you have your headphones in tuning out all the surrounding noise of the cars zooming past. "ah shit" you whince, looking down you see your foot ankle deep into a puddle. "and i just got these shoes too," you mumble to yourself trying to wipe off some of the dirty water, failing miserably.
you make your way up to your slum apartment building, using the stairs for an extra workout, totally not because the stupid elevator is broken. the hall greets you with the familiar smell of stale cigarettes and mildew. "finally" you huff, dropping your bag next to the door. your apartment isnt in the best condition, but it has all the necessities to live. "its so cold in here omg" you say going to check the thermostat. you always complain and complain to your landlord about the heat being broken, but like always he just brushes you off and says "i'll get to it". you qucikly texted hyunjin that you made it home, after you change into your pajamas. "yes, my bed oh how i've missed you so much" you say plopping onto the bed. just as your drifting off to sleep loud banging comes from upstairs. "ugh not this again" you say tiredly getting up and grabbing the broom. "SHUT THE HELL UP!" you yell to them, beating the broom on the ceiling. after a few seconds of that, they shut up. it works every time.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK"
"im coming" you say rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, getting out the bed and making your way to the door. "yes?" you say opening the door. "wheres my rent money ___?" your landlord questions. "i dont have it all, i only have half" you say " i just need a few more days to get the rest". you quickly rush to get the money out of your jacket pocket. "you said that last week ___, i need my money now" he says raising his voice. “i know, i know” you say stuffing the money in his hand. “i’ll get it to you by tomorrow, i swear " you say pushing the door closed. a big huff of air escapes your mouth as you hear him walk away from the door. looking down at your watch, you see its almost 10 am. “damnit im going to be late!” you quickly take a shower and put on your work uniform.
“ORDER NUMBER 46!” you yell into the line of people waiting for their drinks. "Hello! im ___ what may i get you today?" you say looking down at the cash regitser screen. "Oh, ___?" the man says. as you look up the face of yeonjun greets you wamrly. "oh my gosh, hi!" you say suprised. "i didnt know you worked here" he says looking at the menu. "yeah, i've been working here a while now". "ok, can i get a matcha latte?" he asks finally deciding on what he wants. "yeah, ill call your number when its ready" you say putting his order in. "ORDER NUMBER 52!" you yell yeonjun's number. "did you hear about whos coming to IGIDA tonight?" he asks picking up his drink. "who?" you ask. "his nickname is jhope, he used to be a member but then he joined a k-pop group." "i dont think ive ever heard of him" you say shruging him off. "oh and i also heard hes doing battles, i think the pot is around $1,000! its so crazy" he says going to walk away. 'WAIT! a 1,000?" you say stopping him in his tracks "thats enough for rent this month" you say in your head. "what time is it going to happen?" you ask. "10, if you want you can come a little earlier we can practice together" he offers. "oh sure, i get off around six oclock so how about then?" you ask. "alright, its a date!" he says playfuly walking away with his drink.
when six o'clock rolls around, you head over to IGIDA. its not far from the cafe you work at, about a 15 minute walk. walking into the building is like walking into a second home, it’s always been a place where you can forget about all the negativity that had built from that day. the place is filled with many dancers, practicing their routines and freestyles. you head to the locker room and change into some baggy black sweats paired with a baggy graphic tee tucked into the right side of your bra. walking into the main room out of the corner of your eye you spot yeonjun doing his stretches. "there he is” you say to yourself walking towards him.
writers note: i hope yall like this idk when the next part coming
IGIDA: 이기다 or IGIDA is the name of the dance club. it is the korean verb for "to win" or "to beat".