It's late, but we just finished season 2 of TLOVM. Reminded me of an old fic I wrote and @blindvogel beta'd, which were writing semi-live at the time when The Sunken Tomb originally aired.
Posting the link bc it was a fun (sad) piece and if you haven't read it in a while, have a go.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
( * mentioned, some very briefly: @rkheejin @rkxsungwoon @rkpjy @rkjeonghxn @jacksxnrk @rkyq @rkminhyun @hyojinrk @ericxrk @rkmason @rkeunji @rkkhg )
daniel has a bad feeling about these results. he wants to trust his and heejin's performance at the very least-- to believe that at the very least her superior vocal prowess carried him through, but as he's always said in this competition: nothing is guaranteed. no, he hopes they're in the top of the performances this time. he wants to taste it, at least once, and with heejin's voice and a performance he's proud of...why couldn't they be?
no, more than him, he's worried for empty enigma, and even with heejin beside him, without their hands to hold in the tension of impending results he feels...entirely alone-- empty, maybe, even though he knows they're still here. they're still in this together, and they're lucky for that, but they feel so far apart now. he didn't even get to see much of the others this week, everyone too preoccupied with their own performances to mingle together like usual. he's afraid the distance will only grow, and not with more performances, but with an elimination. daniel hopes he's wrong. he wants empty enigma to go to the end-- for a company to see their potential as a team and sign them together. that's the dream, but even for as idealistic as daniel is, he knows better than to expect it. at some point they just might push their luck past its limit.
he holds his breath as the top three are called, hoping (regrettably not praying; he should've) to hear the name of someone in empty enigma-- for one of them to finally be acknowledged for their efforts, but there's nothing. instead, he's surprised to hear that everyone called as part of the top three are performances he was silently critical of, and this comes with the sinking reminder that he really doesn't know anything at all. he is still an outlier in this industry, still so clueless and unadjusted, so misguided and...delusional. maybe he let one performance he was proud of get to his head, and suddenly, all of his confidence is gone.
he looks over at heejin, and he wants to say something comforting, but he can't find his voice, so he looks away again, staring at some point between his feet and the stage. he just doesn't want to send heejin home, and he doesn't want to see sungwoon go home either. he can make peace with everything else. he thinks he can. the first duo eliminated is no real blow to him, nor no real surprise to him either. he's sad to see jinyoung go, but jeonghan on the other hand...comes as a relief. he won't have to see him and his eyes boring into him any longer. he can accept the second as well, even though he wanted success for jackson, both of them returning from the first season of the mgas. (part of his feelings with moonbok resurface. who is he, to earn a position while they don't? he feels less of it thanks to heejin-- knows she deserves to stay, even if he doesn't.)
the third elimination is the kicker. his heart sinks, even though he felt this coming on. aside from the gutting that minhyun's elimination is, he's also confused. minhyun and yuqi's performance was probably daniel's favorite, and yet...? his earlier crisis is amplified; he's forced to reassess everything he thought he knew in this competition, and forced to confront the reality that empty enigma will not be getting signed together, and boy, daniel has always hated confrontation.
yet katie lee sparks that hope back up in him, only for daniel to snuff it out as soon as it appears, only so he isn't disappointed a second time. it's not for lack of faith in minhyun's ability to return to them, but for the need to prepare for the worst, and accept the current result. there are many people in this competition better than daniel, and some of them even better than his friends, if daniel is objective, and if today has proven anything, it's that his eye for talent is practically nonexistent. the judges' agenda vastly differs from his own, and he'd do well to only expect as much going forward.
he still stands when it's all over, and bows to heejin. aside from the difficult elimination results, it'll be difficult to part from her as well-- strange to fill his time practicing with someone else after the routines they've established. "i'm sure you'll do well next round. i already know you'll be top three. i'll be cheering for you."
then, he finds himself at minhyun's side, easily. he pulls him into a hug once everyone else is finished fussing over him, and stays there for a moment. "you did well," he mutters. "thank you for coming with me." he doesn't think he could've done this without all of empty enigma behind him-- all of them with him, and he knows he wouldn't want to even if he could. it took him a while to get used to minhyun on stage, and it took watching him here to realize he belongs there. he hopes minhyun realizes that now, too. if this is the end, daniel will miss seeing him there week by week, but he hopes there's more for them-- that this is a see you back on stage again soon.
he pulls away from the hug, hands still gripping minhyun's arms, and he grins at him. "do your best."
hyojin finds him soon after, and when the dust from the rest of it clears, he's really happy to be paired with him. hyojin is someone he already knows, albeit not very well; he has the unique experience of knowing how he is on stage too-- a rarity for daniel, aside from his bandmates and anyone he shared a stage with on the mgas. he isn't one to perform with others often, always one to keep to himself, though there have been a few times with close friends. even then, it's not really...out in public, like their spontaneous street performance of fear was. he still doesn't know what possessed him to offer to rap back then, other than to get more practice, but now, he thinks it might've just been fate, or at risk of sounding like a biblethumper, divine intervention. the holy spirit, or something. either way, he's positively sure crossing paths with hyojin again here is meant to be, and he intends to make the most of it.
he takes hyojin's extended hand and shakes it, firmly at first, and then a few times after, just to properly convey his excitement, grin wide. "we do! i had a feeling we would," and his smile becomes more mischievous. "let's do well!"
working with hyojin has none of the intimidation working with heejin did, and none of the safety net, either. with it is a desperation to do better. it's not that hyojin isn't talented, it's just that the judges haven't acknowledged either of them yet, and it leads daniel to believe they're fighting for mere survival more than a spot in the top three. it doesn't sit well with him, resigning to that much, but he doesn't want to set his expectations too high, especially with minhyun's elimination and his confidence in his knowledge here taking a hit.
with hyojin, he feels less fear in giving out suggestions, though he thinks both of them are similar, and it leaves some awkward moments that daniel finds something close to comical. he's sure they'll get used to each other in time; he likes hyojin, and he's excited to work with him.
but none of daniel's suggestions quite feel right. they either focus too much on himself or on hyojin, and there are too many options, like he's dug himself into a hole by refusing to pick between singing and rap. he's immensely indecisive, but he tries to paint it as a strength to hyojin even though it's likely very clear he's metaphorically pulling his hair out. hyojin still kindly offers his input, gently, and daniel grows to appreciate his insight and company even more. if there's one thing that's certain, it's their strength in instruments, and daniel finds comfort in this shared boon. it seems only fitting to make use of it. they play chords together, as if that'll bring some idea to mind, but even if it doesn't, daniel finds it reassuring-- good bonding, building of much needed team synergy going forward.
but really, when he's honest, there is something he's wanted to do from the start, he just hasn't mentioned it because he doesn't know how to get it done in actuality during this timeframe. still, it's where his heart and thoughts always end up, so he expresses it, knowing hyojin will gently turn it down if he thinks it's too difficult or unrealistic. "what about a mashup?" he says, and hyojin likes it, and daniel's expression brightens. "really?" and hyojin agrees, and daniel doesn't know what he did to earn two partners saying yes to his ideas in a row. he only hopes they'll pay off like they did last year.
this mutual agreement doesn't mean it's easy, because now is the matter of which songs to use, and daniel asks hyojin if he can speak english. daniel hasn't sung in english yet this season aside from his very first audition, and it seems like a side of himself he needs to show. hyojin, however, does not know english, and seems set on a kpop song, so...a dilemma, but one daniel solves without too much trouble. they're doing a mashup, right? so why not both?
they hit the ground running after that, and choose to split themselves, daniel searching for popular english songs that he'd like to include, and hyojin doing the same for kpop. when they come back together again, they settle on a key to transpose them all into, and throw out the ones that won't fit. they'll alternate between kpop and english, they decide, like it's a battle to see which one will turn out superior in the end, but they'll swap sides at the very end, evidence that all music should be enjoyed, regardless of language.
that's the concept, anyway. daniel doesn't know if it will translate well to the stage, but he hopes so, and as he and hyojin work on the instrumental to layer the chosen songs over, and settle the order, he's excited to bring it there.
the week's episode airs, and all of daniel's excitement and confidence wavers once again. youngjae's comment breaks him down-- makes him think about his own incompetence and his motives and everything he put off thinking about. of course it would come up. it makes sense, but somehow he hoped he could slip by without ever having to deal with it. a repeat. is this performance a repeat too? they plan to use their instruments, so maybe so. the mashup is different, though, and he hopes it's interesting enough to make anyone sharing youngjae's sentiments second-guess them.
so he does the only thing he can: pushes onward, and decides if he's going to go out for being repetitive, or a one trick pony, or there for the wrong reasons, it'll be doing what he wants to do. he's honest with hyojin about his troubles regardless, in case hyojin has his own doubts, though he's sure to skate around the details about why empty enigma are there. it's just that repeating becomes a theme-- repeating performances, repeating all of the negative comments in his head, repeating practice over and over. hyojin wants to do this just as much as daniel does, though however, so daniel vows to do his best. he's spent his entire life making his choices based on what others want for him, and their opinions, and this time...he doesn't want to care. this time, he'll show his true self, and give it everything he has, as he's done this entire season.
among it all, hyojin wants them to come up with a team name, and historically, daniel has been bad with this. both his first collaboration this season and last season didn't have a team name at all. still, he throws out some lackluster suggestions, hoping to god that hyojin will take this responsibility from him, and eventually, he does. "i don't know what boys over flowers is," he admits with a laugh, though maybe he heard his little sister talking about it. still, when he suggests f2, he likes it. "f2 is a chord!" and he grins. "it has two different meanings. i like that." they come up with an intro then, and daniel humorously cringes at hyojin's suggestion for it, but lets him have it. it's not so bad. "what if we play the f2 chord during it?" daniel adds, determined for both meanings to come across, and hyojin agrees. daniel perks up. not so bad at all.
he finds himself back in a familiar recording booth, and as before, he's willing to teach hyojin anything he wants to know about recording that he doesn't know already. by now, conversation flows easily, and he feels as confident in their budding friendship as he does their performance (which admittedly, still has it's lacking moments; that applies to both.) daniel records a little a little background bass, and gets the drum machine set for its appropriate parts, and hyojin records the driving snap beat for the earl parts. they decide to record a version of the full instrumental too, just in case. daniel makes sure hyojin's settings are the best they can be on all of the equipment when it's time for him to play the keyboard, and then records the acoustic guitar himself. all that's left is the finishing touches-- turning up the levels that are too quiet, and turning down the ones that dominate the track, and any final tiny instrument parts, and then all that's left to do is practice-- and then kill it, of course.
it's a familiar routine by now, and as such, the decreasing number of chairs doesn't shake daniel as much as it did before. it's still noticeable, however, and still a reminder that he's survived above so many others; he's both honored and confused. he knows he hasn't earned his place yet, but he hopes after today, he'll be one step closer.
he's equal parts terrified and in awe that minho is so close to him, and he stares longer than he should. he's sure to bow to him, multiple times, as he feels is appropriate, before they sit down. daniel is delighted to find sungwoon not so far away from him either, and in a verging on foolish act of bravery only sungwoon could inspire, leans forward and waves to him when he catches his gaze, even with eunji in between them, still unsure of where they stand. he always wishes sungwoon was closer, but if waving at him before performances begin must become a tradition, so be it. hyunggu takes a seat next to him too, and he's an extremely familiar face by now, so much so that daniel finds it easy to give him a smile and chat with him while everyone is getting settled when he isn't doing so with hyojin. even when performances begin, he does the same, splitting his attention between hyojin and hyunggu, this time happily caught between two (friends?) willing to converse to fill the transitions between performances. daniel is sure to only comment on anything if he has something positive to say, mindful of both his manners and likelihood to get evil edited given any out of place remark.
and boy, does he have a lot to say about minho, quelled into silence by the sheer power of all of his performances, as always. for a moment after they finish, his smile disappears, jaw clenched, expression equal parts subtle worry and underlying determination, but soon he smiles again, even if it's not entirely wholehearted. "tough act to follow," he admits to hyojin with a laugh, sounding free of nerves even though he's far from it. "we can do it," he decides, just as much for his own resolve as his partner's, and he pats hyojin on the back before they gather their instruments and take to the stage.
they set up at a slant, angled to face each other just enough to not alienate the audience or judges, a microphone stand each in front of them though they considered a single one to really drive home the sing-off aspect. instead, they opted for guaranteed sound quality, and so here they are, ready, standing in front of the judges. he says "f2!" along with hyojin, and plays the chord on his guitar with a big grin and slightly dramatic flair. "you're excited to see what we'll do next, right? i'm #5017, kang daniel!" and hyojin finishes off with his cheesy, albeit appropriate introduction. all that's left is to return to their spots, and he gives hyojin a single nod of assurance before they begin.
it starts off with about four measures of a guitar intro, courtesy of daniel, and he's in his element-- playing guitar as an accompaniment to a powerful voice, hyojin starting them off with boy with luv. daniel's contribution comes next, along with the introduction of their first simple beat.
thought i'd end up with sean
but he wasn't a match
wrote some songs about ricky
now i listen and laugh
he could've changed the names in thank you next, maybe pulling a taylor swift and calling out his exes and the mess of his past relationships that he was still thankful for. in the end, he'd have to change all the lyrics to get the names to fit, so he decided to go with the original. part of his reasoning is that line about ricky, considering...he kissed a guy named ricky at the beginning of this year, and the aftermath has been...complicated, or at least it is in his head. he doesn't consider him and ricky anything close to exes, but it was...something, regardless, and he owes ricky the respect of not writing it off as much as he's inclined to. he doubts ricky will appreciate this reference, if he hears it, but daniel couldn't help but appreciate a good irony (coincidence) and couldn't resist including it. besides, thank you next is an iconic enough song to end up on this list without any reasoning, and he has written a song about ricky. maybe eventually they'll be able to listen and laugh. he sings the familiar "ohs" of boy in luv to finish out his verse.
they switch back to hyojin, singing a brief snippet of kill this love, previous beat replaced by that driving snap, and the ball is back in daniel's court all too quickly, with the return of the previous beat, and those intertwining ohs once again.
oh oh oh oh
the club isn't the best place to find a lover
so the bar is where i go
me and my friends at the table doing shots
drinking fast and then we talk slow
daniel didn't choose these songs based on lyrical content for the most part, just the ones he liked, and ones he thought were popular, since hyojin was worried about them suffering for choosing more unknown songs. however, he still feels he can relate in this, an ode to empty enigma (though squall at least has certainly found lovers in clubs) and the countless times they've gone out to get drinks, or followed up shows with them, all fond memories.
after the slow the beat becomes the same, and drops out in what is one of daniel's proudest moments of the production. he leans into it, and lit eads the into dalla dalla, and a harder drum beat, still layered over the snapping. now, he lends his voice to harmonize with hyojin's for the first time, the first evidence of their kpop and english pop worlds colliding, as they're meant to.
the beat builds up and drops down, beat more pressing, heavier bassline, and daniel steps up to deliver his most challenging vocal part, which might be his favorite of the performance, though he loves everything left until the end:
versace on the floor
ooh take it off for me, for me, for me, for me now, girl
versace on the floor
it's risky in so many ways-- more provocative than daniel typical tries, testing his range more than daniel typically attempts, but if he wants to improve he can't play it safe. he needs to push his boundaries, and prove he's capable of more than anyone has seen from him week after week, and this is new. even with all the practice he put in for this part alone, he isn't perfect; his voice never is, but it's good enough-- no cracks, no glaring mistakes. (maybe this choice wasn't just based on liking the song, but a lyrical one too-- brief glimpse of bravado, cameo making an appearance, trusty as always, and he does his best to sell it. he's had practice in that too.)
the beat drops again, layered over hyojin's keyboard, getting the chance to really shine, and they go into a song daniel liked even before this competition: rooftop. he nearly rapped his first audition to this song, and admittedly didn't know much of the other songs hyojin chose before he gave him a much needed kpop crash course. he harmonizes again happily, and it shows on his face.
there's a twist this time, however, and instead of flipping back to an english song, it's daniel carrying them into fancy with the help of hyojin's harmony on that first fancy.
fancy you, who cares if who likes first
it's a short line, simple because they wanted an ode to tooice's recent release, which daniel now knows was very popular. he likes singing it, but more importantly, he likes what it leads up to: chandelier, hyojin's killing part. his vocals are spectacular, never the same, totally unique (but legitimately. no lies nor memes detected.)
they end off with another harmony, voices blending together in their final note, and when they're finished, in that beat of silence before the clapping comes, daniel looks at hyojin and grins.
they rush off stage, and daniel feels pride, even if nerves still linger too. he couldn't have come up with a better performance than this round, so he has no regrets, and knows he did his absolute best; he just doesn't know of that will be enough to keep them afloat in the competition. hyojin's words shake him out of his thoughts, however, and he returns them with a smile and a, "you too!" that he wholeheartedly means. he takes his partner's pinky and links it with his own. let's meet again. "we will," and he means that just as much.
I’ve been streaming TT for a few months now, it’s pretty late where I live, I have classes tomorrow and I’m almost passing out from sleep, but I had to stay awake until we got to 400M.
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