event: convex showcase
location: yes24 muv hall
date: june 30th // evening show
the afternoon show went well, ten thinks; the audience were responsive, and seemed to enjoy their performances. he might even risk a guess at saying they may have gained at least a couple fans from the showcase, but the evening one was more important to ten - the one his parents and friends were coming to. everyone was busy during the afternoon showcase, so the evening was packed full of family and friends, those who were trainees having come from a long day of training. so, stepping out onto the stage for the first song, alongside the other boys, ten’s heart hammered.
this was the first time his mum and stepdad would see what he’d managed to make of himself since becoming a trainee only a year ago. johnny had seen him perform before, but it had been a while since then, and he was nervous to show off how much he’d improved, despite knowing he had in fact gotten better. he simply had to do his best and show all he was capable of, not only for his family and friends, but for the audience members who didn’t know them - this was their chance to be known, to gain fans and to be somebody.
the music starts, and ten’s heart, though hammering, fills with a prickling, electrical excitement, his eyes scanning the crowd as he begins the dance, weaving amongst the other members, each of them moving like well oiled cogs in a machine, their movements perfectly in sync, formations spotless. their voices, clear and loud, filling the hall. ten realises, in that moment, that he’s going to look back on this day as the first day of his career - now they’re publicly a group, though not officially debuted their faces are out there, their voices, their debut song, they might as well be debuted at this point.
people are going to talk about them, it’s inevitable, and despite them not being officially debuted, it’s officially the end of being a nobody - he’s a public trainee for now, soon to be debuted, and it’s still not sticking, still not seeming real, despite it being right there, at his fingertips. the audience interacting, some shouting their names and screaming in support.
ten spots his family, at one point, and beams so bright his cheeks hurt, his movements only filled with renewed energy as he locks eyes with his mum. then, seconds later, he spots johnny, and it takes all his energy to pull his eyes away, to focus on the performance, because he knows johnny is infinitely more distracting than his family, and he can celebrate with him after the performance.
as the song comes to a finish ten finally lets himself scour the audience for other friends faces, waving to the audience as a whole, before he hurries off to make room for the next group to perform, his breathing laboured, but his smile unwavering.
