"Hanuel? What are you doing out here?"
Hanuel froze, his heart leaping into his throat. He turned to find Daehyun standing a few steps away, hands shoved into his pockets, his sharp eyes narrowing in curiosity.
For a split second, Hanuel panicked. He couldn't exactly say, *Oh, I've been sneaking off for secret late-night lessons with a street vendor hyung who teaches me dance while serving ramen.* That would only raise more questions than answers.
He forced a calm smile. "I was… meeting a friend."
It wasn't a complete lie. Minsoo was his friend. Just—one he didn't want the others to know about yet.
Daehyun studied him for a moment longer, as if weighing the truth in his words, then shrugged. "At this hour? You're strange, Hanuel."
Hanuel chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, well… sometimes you need fresh air."
"Don't stay out too late. We have practice tomorrow." Daehyun turned and walked off, leaving Hanuel standing there with his chest tight in both relief and guilt.
He sighed a sigh of relief. *Meeting a friend.* Really, was that all he could say?
Five days had passed since the meeting.
Now, the dance studio was already alive with music and chatter.
The members of Dorm D-401 — Eunjae, Jiho, Chan-ho, Hyun, Seojun, Daehyun, and Hanuel — were stretching in front of the mirror, warming up.
The speaker blasted the instrumental of "Fresh"—the song they were using for the competition. It was upbeat, youthful, and required clean synchronization.
And this time… Hanuel wasn't behind.
"Wow! Hyung, you've improved!" Eunjae yelled, practically jumping as he threw his arm around him. "You're not slowing the team down anymore!"
Hanuel wiped his sweat with a towel, smiling breathlessly. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Definitely," Jiho laughed. "What, did you get some tips somewhere to help or something?"
"Something like that."
"Well, whatever it is—if it helps you, I'm fine with it."
Hyun cracked a smirk. "If Hyung can keep up, we can finally raise the difficulty. We've been holding back."
Eunjae immediately clapped his hands. "Let's add that diagonal formation after the pre-chorus! It'll look so cool!"
Chan-ho cut in firmly, "Wait—Hanuel should decide first. No point making it harder if he's not okay."
All eyes turned to him. He could feel the pressure, but Hanuel knew his limits—and this was not his limit.
"I can handle it," he said firmly.
"I knew hyung wouldn't let us down!" Eunjae beamed. He already looked like he was bursting with ideas, Hyun nodding eagerly beside him.
But then—
Jiho raised a hand.
"I know Hanuel says he's fine… but I'm worried about the time frame."
"What?" Hyun asked, suddenly anxious. The others leaned closer, feeling the pressure.
"I'm worried we won't be able to perfect the new choreography before D-day. Which—may I remind you—is two weeks away."
Eunjae's smile faded instantly. "Sorry… I didn't think that far," he mumbled.
"It's okay, Eunjae. You didn't know," Chan-ho comforted him. "But what do we do now? We made the dance easy for Hanuel's sake, but changing everything midway could backfire."
"I agree," Seojun said bluntly. "The current routine is too simple. It doesn't have the punch our song deserves."
Daehyun sighed, flicking sweat from his bangs. "For once, I agree with Seojun. We can't win like this. But we also can't redo the entire choreography from scratch."
A heavy silence settled over the group.
Not because they lacked ideas—but because they knew Hanuel couldn't keep up with them. The air was filled with depressed souls.
Hanuel lowered his gaze.
This was because of him.
Just when the mood fell into hopelessness… Eunjae snapped his fingers.
"Wait! What if we only increase the difficulty during the chorus? Like—go all out there! Then Hyung can focus on perfecting that part specifically!"
Everyone blinked. They were processing…
Then Chan-ho nodded slowly. "That… could actually work."
Jiho grinned. "I see no problem with it."
Seojun smirked and pulled Eunjae into a headlock, ruffling his hair. "Come here, you little genius. That's why you're our main dancer."
Eunjae giggled proudly as they wrestled playfully, the mood lifting instantly.
Hanuel couldn't help the warmth blooming in his chest.
Practice resumed with renewed energy.
Eunjae demonstrated the updated chorus choreography—the sharp footwork, quick spins, clean angles. And there was a breathtaking moment where Hanuel would be front and center, executing a ripple effect that transitioned into a half-turn jump.
It looked… hard. But exciting and fun.
Hanuel repeated the new steps again and again—almost to the point of collapsing.
"Hanuel!" Chan-ho tossed him a bottle of water. "You need a break. And now," he said firmly.
"But I can still—"
"No buts. Break."
Hanuel reluctantly sat beside Hyun, who nudged him with a teasing grin. "Slow down, hyung. If you get injured, who will be our center?"
"Center is a bit much, I'm not the center…" Hanuel muttered, drinking.
"He's right," Daehyun added, wiping his jawline with a towel. "We decided to make you the center."
"When did you have this meeting?" Hanuel asked, looking anxious.
"Last night, when you were practicing with the ahjussi at the noodle cart," Eunjae chipped in, munching on potato chips from who knows where.
"Wait!! You guys know about that? When? How?"
"I can explain about that one," Chan-ho raised his hand. "One night I went out for water and saw you sneaking out. Worried, I followed and found you practicing late at night."
"Damn, and I thought I hid it well."
"Guess you didn't hide it well enough."
"But center, guys. That's an important position. Are you sure you want to leave that position in my hands?"
"Yes." They all said in unison.
With no other choice, Hanuel accepted the position with a smile, but his legs trembled and sweat was dripping down his back.
Jiho noticed his anxiety and crouched beside him, whispering in his ear. "Listen… you don't have to carry this alone."
Hanuel blinked. "Huh?"
"We're a team," Jiho said. "Not a bunch of guys waiting for one person to fail."
Something about his words made Hanuel happy.
"Thanks," he managed, voice small but sincere.
Hyun stretched his arms overhead. "Alright, break's over in five! After that, formation practice!"
"Great," Daehyun groaned dramatically. "My favorite. Getting kicked in the ankle by Eunjae because he always dances too big."
"Not my fault the universe blessed me with long arms and legs!" Eunjae protested.
"You're literally shorter than everyone here!" Seojun shot back.
Eunjae gasped loudly. "Height discrimination!"
"Focus!" Chan-ho clapped once, loud enough to startle them.
They laughed.
Hours passed, and slowly the night swallowed the city outside the windows.
"One last run!" Chan-ho called.
They danced again—and this time—
Hanuel didn't fall behind.
His muscles remembered every count. Every transition. Every breath aligned with the music.
When they hit the final pose, chest heaving, silence followed.
Not the awkward silence from earlier—but a we did great silence, complete with pants.
Then—
Eunjae burst into applause. "That was AWESOME!"
"Nice work, Hanuel," Seojun admitted with a smirk. "Didn't think you could execute that ripple so clean."
"Thanks," Hanuel panted, cheeks flushed.
Daehyun grabbed his bottle. "Looks like you're finally stepping into the group, not chasing after it."
Jiho nodded. "Keep this up, and we'll destroy that stage."
Destroy it… Hanuel wanted that more than anything.
After practice, they grabbed convenience-store snacks and sat on the studio floor.
Cup ramen. Triangle kimbaps. Chocolate milk. The feast of exhausted trainees.
"Tomorrow we focus on synchronization," Chan-ho said through a mouthful of noodles. "And stamina."
"Stamina?" Hyun groaned. "I barely have any left."
"You act like you had any stamina to begin with," Daehyun snorted.
Eunjae raised his fist dramatically. "For the glory of Section C on competition day!"
"Are we even in Section C?" Hyun whispered.
"Yes?" Eunjae whispered back.
"No, we're in Section D," Jiho corrected, in a deadpan voice.
"Oh." Eunjae blinked. Then he jumped up again. "THEN FOR THE GLORY OF SECTION D!"
Laughter echoed around the room.
Later, as they all packed up, Chan-ho approached him.
"Hanuel."
He turned.
"You did great today," the leader said simply.
Hanuel felt warmth spread through him at the praise.
Chan-ho continued, quieter, "But don't push yourself to the point you collapse. We need you standing on that stage."
Hanuel nodded. "I won't. Promise."
Chan-ho patted his shoulder and walked off.
Hanuel looked at himself in the mirrored wall.
Sweaty hair. Bloodshot, tired eyes. But in those eyes was a newfound motivation he had forgotten he had.
As they left the building, the night air was crisp and cold. The city lights glimmered like stars fallen to the earth.
Hanuel inhaled deeply.
Tomorrow, he would meet Minsoo again.
Tomorrow, he would practice his vocals again.
He had a lot to do, but he felt that he was getting closer to accomplishing his goals.