"I need everyone who signed up for the 23rd to gather round!" Hakyeon yelled, waving the clipboard over his head. They needed to get going. Everyone in the Royal building at the entrance.
"Thanks for actually showing up guys, it means a lot. The other volunteers said that they lost a bunch of people, so the fact we have had the table manned and every single person here is really awesome. So we want to keep that momentum going and get as many of the boxes out to the curb to load up as quickly as we can."
He patted the back of the guy next to him. A fairly young trainee he'd never met before the event, but has signed up for the most hours. Everyone else turned to get an assembly line gong, but the kid hung back.
"Are you going to join in Kisook?" Hakyeon asked when he hung back. Hakyeon himself had to go call the driver and figure out when he was arriving. They'd be bringing in the trainees and the packages to the center, then to assign a few to each driver. He hadn't felt this useful in ages.
"I am, but I did want to ask you something, Sunbaenim." the kid reached out and touched his sleeve. Hakyeon nodded, looking up from his clipboard to his face
"What's on your mind?"
'I just wanted to know- do you think I have what it takes?" Hakyeon's eyebrows furrowed. Why was he asking him? Keeping in mind his coaches words to not question it.
"To debut? Sure, I guess. I'm not debuted yet, but they take all types. You seem dedicated, which is important in anything."
The younger man seemed pleased by this, and Hakyeon noticed throughout the day he'd catch Kisook looking his way. It kept him on guard. People were actually listening to him.
getting the call for a private audition had taken hyuk by surprise. this is what he had been training for, what he was returning to studio for. he supposed he just really hadn't expected things to actually start falling into place. with the way things had been going in his life, he was expecting this opportunity to come to fruit much later. although he had been training for a moment like this for months, he had gotten sidetracked. that time he had spent away from the studio was going to cripple his chances. as he stood in his room, watching his reflection, he tried to imagine himself performing there, in front of the nova judges, getting their critiques, wondering what was going on behind vacant expressions.
how did he get here? he stared up at the sign. nova entertainment. how long had he been dreaming of this? he lifted a hand to touch the wall of the building, the cement cool and grainy against his fingertips. so it was a real place. he supposed it must be if this was where yoona, yezi, and hera spent all of their time these days. he pressed his palm against it. "alright, let's do this." he told himself in a whisper. he adjusted the strap on his bag and headed into the building, knowing that this was the place that was holding his future.
as he waited, he ran over his moves in his head. were they eye-catching enough? did they display his abilities and talents? he had been training in dance for so long- surely they would see the heart and passion that was behind each and every step he took. his palms were sweaty, so he wiped them on his jeans. he had light make up on. yezi really did know what she was doing. the strong lines of his jaw were highlighted, his eyes seemed to pop- in short, he looked good. the chair beneath him creaked as he waited. he was next, he knew that. his music was ready, the moves were solid, and he was going to go in there and show them what he was made of.
at least, that's what he kept telling himself. he couldn't remember being this nervous for anything.
when his name was called, he got to his feet, the chair groaning again from the loss of his weight. he picked up his bag with his music and headed straight into the room in which the auditions were taking place. he stepped through, inclining his head towards the people already in the room. he could feel his heart beating in his throat and he wondered if they could heart it or see it. this was his life, in their hands. what were they going to do with it?
"hello" he began, standing in the middle of the room, tall and straight, a confident smile on his face. "my name is han sanghyuk. eighteen years old. and i will be dancing for you today."
he wondered how many people had already danced in their auditions. nova was sort of known for turning out wonderful dancers and their programs for cultivating the talent were renowned. to think of himself joining their ranks had him short of breath. "the song is turn up the music by chris brown." he crouched down, pulling his portable speakers and ipod out of his bag and setting them up on the floor and out of the way. he was about as ready as he could be. he straightened up, met the eye of one of the judges, and then the music began.
he slid across the floor, his hands threaded behind his head. he pumped his arms a few times before they snapped back to his sides, propelling him forward. his body rolled while his arms criss crossed in front of him, and he jumped backwards. his movements were sharp, direct, and on point. He spun, his body tight and put together and when he finished, he was already across the floor. He did little jumps, his feet rocking, carrying him into a mini spin. He stopped, then dropped to the floor, only to be back on his feet again without so much as touching the ground with his hands. he winked and then moved on to his next set.
his body made waves, and he kicked his legs, dipping down again so he was crouching. his feet moved faster than his eyes could keep up, but he made it through as if he had done this in his sleep. after the hours of practice with min, who knew this choreography by heart, there was no way he was going to falter. the most important thing is that he came out of this feeling like he had done right, by him own, and by min's standards. as long as he did that, then he was definitely taking steps in the right direction.
he spun again, a sheen of sweat coating his brow, but he didn't dare wipe it. his hand splayed against the ground, holding up his weight as he lifted himself into the air and then back onto his feet. he shuffled across the floor again, twirling on the floor, his arms spinning out and then back towards him to carry him throughout the rotations. when he stopped, it was as if he were turned to stone. he stood there, holding his pose as the final notes of the song filtered through the speakers, and after a few seconds of silence, he stood up straight again and bowed towards the judges. he felt good. he had done what he had came to do. he performed to the best of his ability and he would go home with no regrets.
of course, he wanted this more than anything, but he was trying this new thing where he was supporting himself and not putting down everything he did.
"thank you for the opportunity to audition for you." he grinned and inclined his head to each one in turn. "remember the name han sanghyuk!" he gave a two-fingered salute, gathered his things, and left the room.
