TRIPLE CROWN ENTERTAINMENT, or TRC for short, was founded by the former composer and rap artist, TIGER JK. originally created on nothing, Tiger JK's ambition to have his trainees carry on his legacy became an avant garde sensation in the States, Japan and Korea. Currently, TRC Entertainment remains the hardest company to enter.
The training period for TRC Ent. is brutal and only a few trainees ever get to see the limelight of the stage. Only the most talented artists can survive TRC's rigorous training and see the shining end to their efforts.
CURRENT MALE TRAINEES: @rkpcy, @rkxtae, @rkseungjoon, @changminxrk, @rkxsicheng, @rkxjongsuk, @rkhyunjoon, @rkwoong, @rkyoungjae, @rkdongmin, @yutark
Sicheng very often spends the second half of his lunch hour on the phone with Xuxi, picking as private a corner as he can find to blabber to him in whichever mix of English or Mandarin felt most natural that particular day, generally giving him the benefit of not being easily understood by most of the people in TRC either way.
Today, Sicheng and him first discuss Xuxi’s puppy and her growing tendency towards incontinence, and then Sicheng nags him a bit to clean out his fridge; Xuxi’s apartment is the worst sort of bachelor pad, little furniture, and not much in the way of decor, but it’s the agéd condiments in the rear of the fridge that bother Sicheng the most.
He’s only vaguely aware of the glances that the other boy in the diner keeps sending his way, brushing them off until a couple of minutes after he’s hung up on Xuxi, when the mysterious boy approaches, asking rather timidly if Sicheng spoke Mandarin.
It takes Sicheng a second to place the kid, always forgetting that as an entertainment company, TRC did tend to take on new trainees every once in a while, but he offers him a meek smile once he does.
“Uh...yeah,” he says with a bit of a chuckle, trying not to come off as stiff, however bad he was at it, “I’m...Chinese. You’re...the Triple Threat kid, right? Um...congratulations!”
it’s around this time last year when renjun first met sicheng. being the first chinese person who he came in contact with in korea, he had attached himself onto the older male. he’s promised himself not to let himself be too dependent on him, but renjun found too much of a comfort in sicheng presence in his life. someone who, however vaguely, reminded him of home.
it’s not like he can admit he’s homesick, but he definitely feels it from time to time, sometimes too strongly to function properly on a daily basis. he's used to pressure and expectations from his family, but that's the thing—his family has always been there. he misses messing around with his siblings, the taste of his mother's cooking, his father patting him on the head telling him well done. in the end, korea is a foreign country and however much he tries to fit in with everyone, it's not home.
"but how have you been?" he ends up changing the topic from how cold it's been lately, eager to catch up with his friend. "i haven't seen you in awhile. it's been lonely," a sheepish laugh leaves him and he runs a gloved hand through his hair. he doesn't usually admit weakness like this, but he's sure sicheng will understand. "trainee life treating you well?"
* ☆ ·˚ — mga4 episode 6 !!
kim taehyung as APOLLO
hurt locker by 9muses OLYMPUS ( outfit )
w/ @junhoerk, @rkchungha, @rksomi, @rkwon, @rkxsicheng
taehyung somehow made it past the trainwreck that was last week, taking the first day with his new team to settle down, and collect himself. it wasn’t long before he was back to his bubbly self, however.
he really likes his new team, despite only knowing one of them from a previous team. even won, who doesn’t say too much, but taehyung probably speaks enough for the both of them. he’d voted won for leader as well, thinking he could potentially be a good leader, but in the end, it goes to sicheng, which is also fine with taehyung.
there’s also chungha, whom taehyung gets along with immediately. they brainstorm ideas for the team, coming up with their team name and individual names together. he’d also jumped into her relay on accident, embarrassing himself and laughing with chungha before scurrying away. he’s embarrassed enough to forget to do his own relay, but he’s okay with that.
outside of that, the week goes pretty smoothly. working with an extra person is a bit harder, as they have to adjust to different choreography and worry about another person in the performance, especially with line distribution as well, but it goes well. taehyung gets a decent portion, as the main rapper on the team, and the dance isn’t incredibly hard.
friday comes, and they’re all ready, adorned with new stage names and fancy clothes. taehyung in particular has an interesting fashion sense, walking on stage with his team and taking the center position. he’s wearing a long, leopard print fur coat, tinted glasses and a beret, grinning wildly. it’s incredibly hot, especially considering they’re going for a summer concept, but he’ll be taking it off soon enough. he introduces the team before they get into individual introductions, with a bit of added flare.
“we are,” he rolls his shoulders, shrugging the coat off of himself in a dramatic flourish to reveal his outfit underneath, “olympus!” he calls loudly, smiling so hard his cheeks hurt, in an attempt to keep down his giggles. the coat gets tossed to won, before he introduces himself, “and i’m apollo!”
then, they’re getting into position, ready to start their performance. he’s in the back most of the time, with junhoe, letting the better dancers shine in the front. it’s only fair, of course. he’s improving in dancing, but he’s still lacking compared to his teammates. even still, the choreography isn’t super hard, so he keeps up pretty well, smiling and scrunching his face up into cute expressions towards the audience when he’s in view ( although, he is taller than the girls, so he’s not completely hidden away ). this performance gives him a chance to show off his cuteness, so he keeps his tongue in check. instead, he continues to smile and show v signs at any chance he gets.
he’s standing behind chungha, watching as her heel breaks, a worried look breaking his smile as she just kicks it off and continues to dance in one heel. taehyung takes care of it, managing to kick the heel further behind them all in the middle of a move. the next thing he notices is her barefoot now, and a quick look over his shoulder shows her other heel at the back of the stage as well. then it’s his turn, and he step towards the center, the others dancing around him.
너 정말 이게 대체 몇 번째인지
넌 날 갖고 저울질하는 건지
나한테 왜 이래 (자꾸만 너)
제발 너 그만 좀 해 (baby no more)
내가 있다 없으니 아쉬운 거니
아쉬운 대로 날 찔러보는 거니
왔다 갔다 하는 네 맘은 뭐니
난 더 줄 게 없어 baby what u need
he raises his voice a bit to fit the tone of the original singer, turning his body slightly to drag his hands up his side, making small circles with his hips. taehyung had been practicing the move most of the week, trying to make it look more fluid. his hand falls towards chungha, the both of them grin as he get to touch her rear. it’s more so to help support her, as she’d lost both of her heels after one broke. at the end of his part, he offers another v sign pose, before the others step in front of him, sending him to the back once more.
once the song ends and they break formation, he’s standing front of chungha trying to hide her from view when she runs to pick up her heels, waving to the crowd and blowing kisses before walking off the stage with her, asking if she was okay.
✦ — MGA4 EPISODE 7: SKILLS SHOWDOWN
#4048: HA SUNGWOON
TEAM FOREVER YOUNG: @irenerk, @haknyeonrk, @rkxsicheng, @rkdoyexn, @yccjungrk, @rkjhyun
performance: stay - zedd / center distribution
somehow, despite everything, sungwoon waits for the results with hope in his chest. he doesn’t expect their team to win (though it would be nice), but he wants some acknowledgement for his personal growth, some indication that he’s been improving, that his hard work isn’t going to waste, that he deserves to still be here in the competition. sungwoon wants better than a fourth place finish once again, barely skating through to the next stage by the skin of his teeth. he wants to feel pride for once—in himself, in his team, in their performance—and walk away from this stage with his head held high.
but the announcement of the two teams in contention for last place crush any of the hopes he might have been nursing. they’re not dead last, which is some consolation, but sungwoon can barely breathe as the ceos give them feedback and move onto eliminations. the dancing was lacking, the dancing was a problem. surely that means sungwoon is the one who fucked up? everyone else on his team are fair dancers; he’s the only one who can’t—he should be the one going home, shouldn’t he? he’s holding his breath and trying to calm his racing nerves when the ceos state that there will be no eliminations this week.
sungwoon almost swears on national tv in shock, relief, and anger, but his emotions are short lived as the next challenge is announced. he’s cautiously optimistic; a skill challenge means he should be alright if he can sing, but since mnet is not that generous, they’ll be choosing their songs based on their ranking. the singing groups have ten spots in total, and sungwoon prays that at least one is free by the time he has to choose. please, just let me have this. just let me sing. just once.
maybe it’s fate playing a cruel joke on him, or maybe—and this is more likely—he’s just run out of whatever luck has brought him this far in the competition. when sungwoon looks at the list, he finds both singing groups completely full. the two (0)s mock him, burn into his brain like they’re spelling his doom. sungwoon’s breathing becomes shallow as he looks at the available songs, panic setting in. dancing or rap—neither are his skills. he can’t showcase anything in either of these groups except his own ineptitude.
he swallows and finally picks stay. the song isn’t his kind of thing, but that hardly matters. it seems like the kind of song jei would do well with, and sungwoon hopes he’ll see her on the team. the only time he felt somewhat confident in his dancing abilities was with team dynamiq, and that was in large part because of jei and her support. with her, he thinks he can perhaps survive this. the staff members tell him to keep his pick a secret until the episode airs. sungwoon complies and heads home after that, hoping he didn’t make a poor decision, hoping that this week won’t be as bad as he thinks it will.
all he can do now is wait.
he’s no longer excited to visit the nova building, each step filled with trepidation as he makes his way to the practice room. sungwoon’s heart sinks further as he meets the rest of his teammates: rose, doyeon, yoojung, sicheng, and haknyeon. aside from rose, he hasn’t worked with any of them before, but he knows they’re all skilled dancers. for the most part, they seem to be okay with being here, probably because they’re looking forward to showcase their dancing skills. even if this wasn’t the song they perhaps wanted, he believes they’ll do fine. this is their area of expertise.
sungwoon, on the other hand, feels like a fish out of water. it’s one thing to know you’re going to be forced to do something you have no confidence in. it’s another to realize you are the only person in a group of six others who—can’t do it. the weak link, the one who could potentially screw up the entire performance. he takes in the looks of surprise and shock thrown his way with a stoic expression, refusing to betray his own distaste for this nightmare situation. truthfully, his regrets run deeper than just for himself; he’s sorry towards the rest of the team too. sungwoon doubts they want someone like him to be bringing the whole performance down, especially not so close to the end of the show.
when introductions roll around, all he can offer is his name, contestant number, and an apologetic smile. no promises of “i’ll work hard” or “i’ll do my best” or, god forbid, “i won’t let you down.” words are just words. he doesn’t want to make promises he can’t keep. sungwoon doesn’t know how much hard work or his best will matter in the end, anyway, and he seems to have gotten in the habit of letting people down.
it’s decided that rose and sicheng are going to work on the choreography for this round. sungwoon can’t offer any input or suggestions, so he mostly stays out of their way while they’re figuring things out. as a group, they pre-record the vocals for their stage pretty early on as well, and here sungwoon finally feels like he’s in his element. here, he finally feels free; his spirits sour as he pours every ounce of frustration, desperation, and longing he can into his voice. this recording won’t count for anything in the end, just a background piece to their actual choreography, but to sungwoon, it means everything.
at least in some small way, his voice will be heard.
practices kick off in earnest not long after. the choreography is unlike anything sungwoon’s had to do before; it’s elegant and graceful and smooth, so many things he’s just not sure he can overcome. despite his best efforts not to let his mood sink, with every mistake, every wrong move, every moment off beat, he finds himself growing increasingly angry at himself. he’s gone over the choreography so many times in his head, with rose and the others, by himself, and he just can’t seem to nail it down.
he feels like everyone is looking at him with pity and disgust in their eyes. why do we have to be with him? sungwoon wouldn’t blame them if they resented him for being here. he resents himself for not doing enough to avoid this, for not being better. it gets too much; the feeling bubbling up his chest threatens to choke him. the practice room feels too cramped, too small, too hot for sungwoon to handle and he slips out the minute practice is over, seeking fresh air. seeking some kind of escape from his own failures.
(he doesn’t find whatever he’s searching for).
sungwoon returns to practice. avoiding the issue isn’t going to solve anything, things are the same as before.it’s still hard to shake off the sense of hopeless sungwoon feels; it settles into his bones and makes his movements unnecessarily heavy and clumsy when he tries to keep up with the rest of his team. this isn’t choreography he can overcome with the force of his vocals or his charisma, it’s just—it’s just, and that’s the main problem. he’s trying to fit a square peg in a round hole and it’s not working. he doesn’t even know why the fuck he’s trying so hard.
no matter how much he wants to just give up and stop, he can’t. jonghyun is there to support him during the week, sticking next to sungwoon from day one whenever he takes extended breaks to try and clear his head. jonghyun is determined not to let sungwoon avoid the practice and the reality of their performance. he appreciates the kick in the ass and jonghyun’s support, though he can’t help but think that the boy would be better off just focusing on himself. they’re not really functioning as a team this week—no leaders, no reason to be helpful, no reason to care—but everyone else still seems determined to get through this together, sharing friendship and smiles in between the tense moments in practice.
and sungwoon wishes he could join in. he wishes he could just get out of his own head and enjoy this instead of drowning in stress. he wishes that he could accept his team’s—his friends’—help when it’s offered. he wishes he could believe people when they say he’s doing well, or that he’s improving, or that he can do this, but it all rings false in his ears.
even haknyeon’s gift of a tangerine and some encouraging words barely cheer him up, though he does crack a smile and say, “thanks for the orange,” before he leaves (and accidentally squirts some fucking citrus juice in his eye when he tries to eat it). everyone is too nice, too caring, and that’s the main reason sungwoon doesn’t walk out. he doesn’t want to let them down—isn’t it bad enough that they have to work around him? he’s not going to half-ass this and make them suffer more (though maybe they’d benefit more from his absence; who knows?)
when he’s feeling his lowest, his grandfather talks some sense into him. his words give sungwoon… not a renewed sense of purpose or even confidence, but it helps him put things into perspective. all he can do is see this week through and… well, when he’s done here, he can rest. but first: he has to get to the end.
sungwoon shows up to practice early the next day and focuses on nailing the moves down the best he can. when he falls, he gets right back up with gritted teeth. sungwoon doesn’t have lofty goals this time around; he just wants… he just wants to complete this. he doesn’t want anyone to watch him this week and say he deserves to go home because didn’t do all that he could. sungwoon isn’t a quitter, a coward, or someone who doesn’t give his all for everything he does. the fact is, at the end of the day, no one is going to care what he did and didn’t want. no one is going to give a shit about whether it was difficult for him or what he had to overcome this week.
all they’ll care about is what they see on stage.
so he’ll give them something to look at.
the staff pulls them aside for interviews and once they all return, rose suggests they talk about their feelings. sungwoon isn’t the only one who’s been… for the lack of a better word, down all week. other people are struggling too, and the whole mood of the group is somber for the most part. yoojung, notably, is a little quieter than the rest, and then there’s doyeon who struggled and fell during practice the other day. maybe it would be good for them to air out their concerns and grievances—objectively, of course.
truthfully, sungwoon doesn’t want to participate himself; he has a hard enough time trying to open up to people he knows, let alone complete strangers. he intends to just sit and listen to everyone’s concerns, sure they’re going to be far, far different from his own.
and sure enough, jonghyun starts with uplifting words for him, and sungwoon even manages a smile back at the younger man, but he thinks that jonghyun just doesn’t get it. doyeon is next with haknyeon following later, and while sungwoon genuinely feels for them, there’s a hollow space in his chest that says, they don’t get it either. rose and sicheng have different worries, and this sungwoon can relate to—the weight of responsibility is hard to carry, especially for a performance like this. he can only offer platitudes though, assurances that their choreography is good. it’s not the dance. the dance is great.
sungwoon doesn’t intend to speak, but he feels like it would dumb of him not to say anything. and looking at the relief on everyone’s faces after saying their pieces, he feels like he ought to contribute. maybe just take this moment to be honest for once. “i guess i’ll go next,” he says awkwardly, raising a hand. “uh, as many of you probably guessed, this group wasn’t my first choice. i only picked this song because all the positions for the singing group were taken and, uh, i guess the title just resonated with me. stay.” chuckling, he runs a hand through his hair and sighs.
“i’ve… struggled all week because i feel like this will be my final performance.” putting what he’s come to terms with into words is surprisingly difficult. the act of saying it out loud makes it more real somehow, and sungwoon feels himself choking up. “i’m not a dancer and i don’t think i ever will be. this past week, i’ve spent way too much time feeling sorry for myself and not enough time trying to adapt to the situation. i’ve probably been a bummer to be around, huh?” sungwoon is self aware enough to realize that he hasn’t been his usual mood-maker self.
“but i… i mean, every time i try to convince myself that i can do this or i’ll be okay, i realize that i’m light years behind where i should be to even take the stage. i’m scared that me being up there will backfire, not just on me on the rest of you guys too.” swallowing, he looks down and sighs. “so i’ve been trying, but the past few weeks have taught me that it’s not enough to just try. but i’m still foolishly running full speed ahead, and i don’t know what that makes me: stupid, or optimistic? i don’t have to have expectations because i don’t want to be disappointed, but i don’t want to… give up either.” this is as much as he wants to say. there’s more—so much more—but sungwoon feels shitty enough just admitting this much.
shaking his head, he tries to end on a more positive note. “i truly appreciate all the help and support you guys have given me this week,” he says, looking at each and every one of them. “and if there’s one good thing that came out of all this, it was the opportunity to work with you guys.”
“so: thank you.” standing up, sungwoon bows at the waist and holds the pose for a few seconds before sitting back down. “i hope all of you go through this week, and i will support you till the end of the competition.”
yoojung rounds off their honesty circle, and her words hit sungwoon like a ton of bricks. the things he’s been holding inside—she articulates them perfectly. it’s almost a relief to hear that someone else has the same worries and insecurities as him, even though he wishes she didn’t have to feel that way. still, he does feel a little lighter with things out in the open. everyone on their team had too much bottled up. with some release, he hopes they find peace.
the rest of the week is less heavy, less morose, though the practices are as intense as ever. sungwoon even brings in stolen pastries from work one day, and though they only last like one bite per person, they have haknyeon’s tangerines and rose’s cookies to round things off (sungwoon does claim a dramatic “death by tangerines” when haknyeon offers him another one, and his laugh after that is the first genuine one of the week. and—he’s missed this. laughing, having fun, not worrying about impending doom).
the final night, he doesn’t have much to say, except, “i hope we stay.” sungwoon hopes his teammates stay. he believes—no, he knows—that they have the skills to.
himself? he’s less sure he’ll make it through. he’s definitely not sure if he deserves (wants) to.
performance day comes too soon.
he’s jittery and it’s not just because of the caffeine. the nausea isn’t entirely his americano’s fault either. sungwoon was never going to be calm going into this, but this is a little extreme even for him. his hands shake as he waits backstage with the rest of his team. they look like a solid, cohesive unit, dressed in black and white for this performance to keep things classy. they also have a choker around their neck, what sungwoon playfully called a ‘leash’ backstage; it’s part of the choreography and he tries not to fiddle with it while they wait. “hey haknyeon, i could really use a tangerine now,” sungwoon jokes, nudging the younger boy to diffuse some of the tension.
it’s… painful to watch the other performances, especially the singing groups. some of these contestants would’ve done fine in dancing groups too, and maybe that is what hurts the most. he’s shocked to see that jinsoul isn’t in either of the vocal groups and prays that her week was a lot easier than his own. she’s someone who really deserved the chance to showcase her talent.
before long, it’s their turn to take the stage as team forever young. sungwoon shouts out the greeting with the rest of them, his expression full of confidence he doesn’t actually possess. it’s bravado, plain and simple, mixed in with a little bit of bullshit, but people tell you to fake it till you make it for a reason. once the introductions are over, he wipes his clammy palms on his pants and gets into formation with the rest of the team.
the choreography is beautiful. rose and sicheng should be commended for it. sungwoon may know nothing about dance, but he can recognize a good stage when he sees it. their outfits give the illusion of more grace, of lighter movements, and of smoother transitions. on people like rose, doyeon, yoojung, jonghyun, haknyeon, and sicheng, the effect is breathtaking. sungwoon is… clumsier, his movements lacking the easy flow of the others. he’s a lot more stiff despite his best efforts, and his inexperience and discomfort with the style of dance shows.
still, sungwoon powers through, putting more emphasis on his expressions and working with the camera. when it’s his turn to take centre, he lipsyncs along with the song, channeling a sort of sensual arrogance as he dances, tossing a smirk at the camera before moving into position with rose. he’s sweating, his heart beating fast, but sungwoon doesn’t stop, doesn’t let himself relax for a second as he dances.
living on my sofa, drinking rum and cola
underneath the rising sun
then comes one of their killing points, the part that involves their chokers. a playful smile dances on sungwoon’s lips as he follows through, giving the illusion that he’s truly enjoying himself up there. and maybe if the circumstances were different, if the stakes weren’t so goddamn high, he would have. but all he can think about is the pressure. not only the pressure he put on himself, but the pressure he feels to not let his team down, to not let rose and sicheng’s choreography down.
the floorwork is the hardest part of the performance, in sungwoon’s opinion. he’s nowhere near the front, so his struggles are, for the most part, hidden from the audience. still, he’s a beat too late getting back inTo formation with the rest and it shows. he keeps his expression smooth and unperturbed by his mistake, but sungwoon knows it won’t be one easily forgiven. for a second there, they were out of sync as a group because he was slow. sungwoon wants to scream, but there’s no time for that. just as quickly, he’s in the center again while the others are on their knees.
all you have to do is stay
breathing hard, he fights to maintain his position and his expression as the song fades off. sweat drips down his back as he follows the rest of the team off the stage, unable to process what just happened. he fucked up. he fucked up. badly enough for it to be noticed, badly enough for it to matter. the only consolation sungwoon has is that they won’t be judged as a group, so the rest won’t be dragged down by his mistake. it’s… not much to hold onto, but sungwoon clings to it anyway. all you have to do is stay, he thinks, looking at all of them. please stay.
“i—” he swallows and licks his lips. sungwoon wants to say this one thing. “i’m proud of everyone, and believe me when i say you guys all deserve to be here. i hope the ceos can see that too. all you have to do is stay, right?” he finishes with a grin and slings an arm around jonghyun’s shoulders, acting a lot more nonchalant than he feels inside. but this is the only way sungwoon can cope right now, to focus on others before himself. “team forever young, forever.”
↠ * mnet global auditions season 4 ,
♥«´¨`•°.. » episode five ! mashups »
¸.•* KOKOBOPxSHANGRILA by EXO x VIXX ! ( LINE DISTRIBUTION ) `*•.
first place feels amazing.
after the previous week, being not only among the top teams, but being first place feels like validation that working hard will yield great results. but first place also feels like a burden. even though she’s got a new team now, with a new concept, with different roles to play, there’s still that pressure to do well, and become even better than before.
but as soon as she meets her new teammates, there’s a certain dark aura that surrounds her them, of having lost people, of guilt and anxiety about continuing on. and while no one from her team went home that week, she’d grown quite attached to her all of them and was sad that they all had to part ways into different groups, she’s all too familiar with the feeling, having been through the same thing last week after the results of the first group round, so she understands how everyone feels.
it’s hard to move forward when there’s something holding you back, and she wishes there was more she could do for them other than offering advice and comfort when they all huddle up and have a talk about everything.
“this too shall pass,” she says at one point, and as cliche as it sounds, it’s a truth she stands by.
despite a rocky start, things began to run smoothly thereafter, and it has a lot to do with jinsoul’s organizational skills as leader. in all honesty, seola had been worried about the girl at first, seeing the apprehension and hesitation she’d shown after being chosen to lead the group, but in the end, she had nothing to worry about, and tried her best to be a pillar of support for the other girl whenever she needed it, especially during a certain mid-week slump when it seemed she was about to be overwhelmed by everything.
seola, who had become used to camping out in the practice rooms overnight rather than going home, is surprised to find the younger girl still there, surrounded by sheets of notes and lists, deep in thought. she approaches her, addresses her softly, and asks her about her troubles and worries. it’s a quiet, tender moment, with seola offering her best advice and her greatest words of encouragement, seeing all the potential that jinsoul has and all the greatness she’s already shown.
“try not to stress about it too much,” she offers, her legs drawn close to her chest as they sit on the floor of the practice room, their reflections staring back at them in the floor to wall ceilings. “everyone feels the pressure when they’re put into a role like this, but that’s a good thing. that nervous feeling is going to fuel you and then you’ll get to show the world that you’re strong enough.”
in the end, she feels much closer to jinsoul than when they’d started out, a soft spot of fondness growing in her heart for the other girl.
but she’s not the only one.
just like last week, choreography seems to be a sore spot for some of her teammates, and she once again finds herself helping one of her fellow teammates out with it. guanlin is young and energetic, and quite vocal about his distaste for dance, so much so that she can’t help but laugh every time he brings it up. still, she’s a firm believer that no one in this world is a bad dancer, just those who haven’t put in the time to practice.
and she tells guanlin as much as she helps him go over the choreography over and over again, focusing less on making everything perfect and focusing more on making sure he’s aware of his spacing and timing. musicality is especially important for a performance like this where the choreography isn’t particularly demanding; rather, it relies on staying in the pocket, and getting into the feeling of the piece rather than focusing on its individual steps.
“people can see when you’re thinking about what step to do next,” she says, her body going through the motions of the choreography, demonstrating it to him. “try and forget about the steps for a few moments, and focus more on how you feel. or maybe...take on an alter ego?”
she stops dancing for a few seconds, and turns to him with a small laugh. “beyonce had sasha fierce, right? maybe you can be... hm... sasha slay?” she once again bursts out into laughter, shaking her head and bringing her attention back to the choreography.
still, as silly as the name had sounded to her ears, she hopes that some of the advice she’s given him helps him during the actual performance.
just as in previous weeks, the day of the performance comes much too fast, and although she feels as prepared as she’ll ever be, she’s still a bundle of nerves. she can’t sit still at all while watching the other groups perform---her hands are either fidgeting in her lap or toying with her clothes and hair, she’s constantly shifting in her seat, and her leg shakes nervously. time seems to go by extremely slowly even though everything is moving quite quickly and efficiently, and by the time her group is called up toward the stage, she feels like she’s going to explode.
and she does, slightly. “hello! we’re team go go bop!” she exclaims rather loudly as they introduce themselves as a unit, bowing with the rest of her team, cheeks flushed a light pink color once she realizes how loud she’d been. she purses her lips to keep herself from laughing as they find their beginning poses on stage.
the song itself is quite sensual-sounding, so she settles down quickly, falling into the rhythm and feel of the song as soon as it starts. jinsoul starts the song out, and she follows up, her voice clear and charismatic, matching the feel of the song.
어지러운 맘속에 내가 들어가
i’m entering into your dizzy heart
익숙한 듯 부드럽게 네게 번져 가
as if I’m familiar, i’ll softly spread inside
the choreography, too, is a mashup of both performances, staying true to the theme of the episode, as well as a touch of traditional style dancing added in by sicheng. admittedly, seola isn’t too familiar with the latter, but she’d spent several late nights in the practice room going over it again and again, mimicking the lines and movements until she’s satisfied that no one can tell (or, at the very least, would not say she didn’t try her hardest).
낮과 밤이 전부 너야 빈틈 없이
my day and night are all you, without any space left
her next line comes and goes quickly, but it’s done seamlessly from one part into the next. it’s strong and confident, a reflection of how she feels about her own skill level after having been trained for so long. if only those lessons didn’t now come with a dark spot across them.
난 취해 좀 더 취해
i’m drunk, a little more drunk
이 꿈속에 빠져들고 싶어
i wanna fall into this dream
넌 다가와서
you came to me
내게만 스며들어
only to me
as compared to her first line, her lines during the second chorus are a little more energetic, though still quite soulful. it’s at a higher pitch, though she’s comfortable at both, and the choreography during this section requires more energy. she sucks in a deep breath before singing, keeping her core strong in order not to sound breathy during her lines while still strongly doing the choreography. at the end, a slight breath is heard through the mic, though she hopes it to be minor enough that it goes unnoticed.
기분 좋은 밤 넌 원하고 있어
on this nice night, i want you
알아 it’s ok 이제 시작해
i know, it’s ok, let’s start now
everything slows down during the bridge, and she delivers her line with the laid back vibe of ko ko bop, all the while keeping her movements in time with the backing track of shangri la. her expressions are easy, a slight smile on her lips as she looks into the camera, her hands performing impromptu choreography, framing her face as she sings.
다시 눈을 뜨면
when i open my eyes again
내게만 스며들어
you only come into me
her final line is delivered with precision and gusto, wanting it to be memorable as one of the final two lines of the song. she soon finds herself in her final position, chest heaving in and out as she tries to catch her breath, making sure none of it is heard on the microphone this time. after a few seconds, they all shuffle off stage, and she’s stuck in a waiting game all over again.
⋆｡°✩ mga season four. ep vii. skill challenge. ‹ #4010 ›
⇢ performance: stay –– zedd // distribution
FOREVER YOUNG ( #4004 #4007 #4029 #4036 #4048 #4052 )
somehow last week his team had ranked second. a team that haknyeon led. when the results are announced his eyes begin to form with tears and haknyeon looks up, attempting to hold them back but to no avail. there’s an overwhelming happiness that surges through him even if that week there’d been no eliminations. the fact that they’d ranked second meant a lot to him.
though the competition was far from over and with every new week came a new challenge. this week though, this week was unlike the rest. a skill challenge. a challenge where they were given the ability to pick what sort of skill they’d like to showcase and their groupmates relatively unknown until the end of the selection.
coming in second meant that haknyeon’s team was the second team to pick their song. his name is called out and haknyeon has to make a decision. singing... no. haknyeon couldn’t sing, hadn’t even considered singing an option. his eyes dart from the selection of songs in the dance and rap category.
“oh my god,” he says aloud, looking at the numbers. he could pick any. coming in second came with it’s perks and this gave haknyeon the ability to choose which song he wanted to perform; which skill he wanted to present.
he puts both hands on his head in distress and lets out a squeak as he paces back and forth from dance to rap. clasping his hands tight, he closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath. dance! he thinks and he marches up to pick ‘stay’ by zedd –– in actuality it’s the only song he’s partly familiar with and he’s hoping that there wouldn’t be too much competition when it came to this song; it probably wouldn’t be a very popular song.
though he’s proven wrong as a bunch of talented dancers pick stay. haknyeon’s mouth widens visibly and so do his eyes. they’re all talented –– some of the best dancers the show has in haknyeon’s opinion and to think that he’d be competing against them somewhat for this challenge. great. “they’re so good,” he mumbles under his breath in shock.
he enters the nova practice room with a new mindset. the week before had somehow opened his eyes and whilst it hadn’t eradicated any sort of fear he held, he felt stronger and that was a good enough start for him. he looks around the room and he notices familiar faces and ones that he didn’t quite know. “i’m glad we’re still here,” haknyeon greets his ex-teammates rose and doyeon –– the both of them previously on his team during his first performance.
when he spots sungwoon though, he tilts his head in confusion. sungwoon? as far as he knew the older boy had an amazing voice though he’d never quite thought that sungwoon would pick... dance. he remains silent with his thoughts though, and instead focuses his attention else where.
despite being in a dance crew before and his experience haknyeon knows when to let someone else take the lead. he’s seen the way rose works, had even been on a team with her and he knows that in order to give the audience a good performance, it would be best if she choreographed. so he agrees with the idea of rose choreographing the song, welcoming it with a smile.
it doesn’t take a genius to know that rose is working hard, haknyeon sees it and he acknowledges it. when they’re on a break he attempts to show her his sincere gratitude in his own boyish way. “thanks for choreographing this noona,” he smiles, “it probably isn’t easy but you’re doing your best. thank you and don’t strain yourself.”
just like the week before, haknyeon arrives to the practice room with more tangerines. his mother can’t seem to stop sending him tangerines and he figures that the best way to enjoy tangerines is to share them. “fresh jeju tangerines!” he announces as he takes a tangerine out of the box. “take as many as you want!”
dancing has always come easy to haknyeon –– growing up he’d always been fond of finding different ways to twist his body. it had grown from simple curiosity to something he wanted to pursue, going as far as to entering an arts school under the dance faculty because of his love for the art form. though, while dancing came easy to him, he could tell it didn’t come easy to others.
during the span of time they’d been practicing it’s hard for him not to notice sungwoon –– sungwoon who’s an amazing singer but hadn’t lucked out enough to pick a song to sing. haknyeon couldn’t imagine how tough it must’ve been for sungwoon and his heart began to ache. sure, it was a competition, but he’d felt as though they had to work as a team to present an amazing stage.
he picks up a tangerine (always a great conversation starter in his head) and sits by sungwoon’s side. “hyung,” he says, offering the older boy a tangerine, “here.” he hasn’t spoken to sungwoon as much during the time they’ve practiced but for some reason, feels the need to this time. “i can see that you’re working very very hard hyung,” he begins, trying to piece his words, “and i’m sure that your hard work will never fail you. you’re a good dancer and i know you can do it! fighting hyung!”
this week he gives his all to his dancing, focuses on trying to give the perfect stage. he stays till the late night, working on the moves, listening to the music –– he wants to give the audience, everyone, a stage that they won’t forget. his team is strong and despite being worried by the competition, it gives him a sense of security.
they all work hard and it’s evident, the mgas has gotten to everyone. when doyeon falls and doesn’t get up, haknyeon immediately rushes to her side, his eyes widening. and he’s not sure why but he gets angry as she tries to assure everyone that she’s alright when she’s not (maybe it’s because he sees a little bit of his stubbornness in her). “what’s the point of dancing so hard if you push your body to the point that it can’t move?!” he snaps, the first time he’s risen his voice throughout the whole entirety of the show. of course he’s worried for doyeon, he’d suffered from nosebleeds for two straight weeks. rest, he’d learnt the hard way, was important. and haknyeon hated seeing anyone else hurt.
the team is strong and despite having great dancers, there’s still this unavoidable heavy air that hangs that no one can actually place their finger on. on wednesday, when all the interviews are done, through rose’s suggestion they decide to cut practice short for a little heart-to-heart. truth be told, haknyeon thinks it’s a good idea. it would be good to hear out what everyone else had to say, it would be good for the environment of the team.
jonghyun’s the first to open up, his words positive and while haknyeon tries to resonate with him, he can only nod his head. he doesn’t get it, haknyeon thinks. and while he doesn’t say a thing he wonders momentarily if the expression on his face does. and then doyeon speaks and a smile makes it’s way across haknyeon’s face at her apology. he’s sorry for snapping too but he gets it, understands where she’s coming from. after a moment, haknyeon finally speaks up.
“i’ll go next,” he begins. he looks down at his feet before he finds enough courage to look at the team. “all of us... we’re all working hard. in this team, i think all of us are great dancers and great people. i know we’re a strong team, i think we have some of the best dancers here. it scares me because i don’t know where i stand,” he sighs softly. “for this team, for all of us. i want to do well and i want to be an important asset. when i first entered this show, i think as you all know, i was only referred to as my older sister’s little brother because she’s someone famous. but through this show i wanted to show more than that, that i’m someone with my own dreams and that i’m my own person...” he’s speaking out from his heart, doesn’t know why this environment feels so right, like he’s able to simply pour out his heart without worry of judgement. it must be because they’re all here with more or less the same goal in mind. “i think we’re all here to prove something be it to other people or to ourselves. i want to be someone on the team that helps you with that... i hope... i hope that i am,” haknyeon smiles, “everyone on this team is seriously talented. it’s scary but it makes me want to work harder. i don’t know where i’m going with this...” he finally says bashfully, “i’m just thankful that we’re working together. i think at the very least, we’ll be able to give the audience a memorable stage.”
one by one the other members begin to speak and whatever heavy air that hung itself around them slowly disappears. there’s a bond between them that makes itself evident. throughout the next few days of practice, haknyeon continues bringing tangerines to the practice room to share and sungwoon brings in fancy french pastries.
the night before the competition, just before he’s going to head home, haknyeon stops in front of the camera. he bows, “team forever young! fighting!” he says with a smile across his face.
performance day comes, just like it always does. still, the nervous feeling haknyeon gets remains constant. he takes in a deep breath when they’re called onto stage and again, the audience –– the cheers, haknyeon could never grow tired of that.
“hello! we are team forever young!” haknyeon beams, bowing before he makes pokes at his cheek as though to show his youthfulness. he takes a good look at the audience and the performance begins.
he gets in formation, takes in a deep breath and focuses. dancing. haknyeon would always love dancing, it made him feel as though he could rule the world. as the song begins, he has a hand over his eyes as choreographed, listening closely. movement comes easily to him. “we can stay forever young,” his expression changes to that of the lyrics of the song, he raises a brow at the camera, smirk on his face.
haknyeon gets on the floor, stretches his legs as choreographed and he feels as though he’s in his zone, ready to show everyone what he’s got.
all you have to do is wait a minute, just take your time.
at this point he pulls at the string around his collar, moves his body in rhythm, each step he made, calculated.
all you have to do is wait a second
your hands on mine
the clock is ticking
so stay
at this haknyeon finally comes up front. he stands in the middle of the stage, the center for this part. his movements are sharp and precise and when he spots the camera, he smirks. he loves it, loves being able to perform like this. haknyeon goes into formation and the next parts of the choreography include some popping which haknyeon was more than familiar with, especially due to the fact that he was a b-boy.
his eyes are fiery as he dances and at the beat, he drops to the floor and turns. while the choreography was supposed to show something strong, there was something sensual to it as well and haknyeon tries his best to capture every feeling that he can. and in crescendo they all get on their knees as the song comes to an end.
just like how they began, the ending pose is a hand over their eyes. haknyeon breathes heavily, happy.
after the performance they head backstage and haknyeon’s heart is pumping hard against his chest. a smile forms on his lips, satisfied. that was good and he’d done what he could he hoped those who watched could feel his sincerity.
