HIBISCUS | Bang Chan of Stray Kids

Track 9

"I can rest but not yet. I need to rest but I'm still far."

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Track 9

          The bumps of the car ride distracted Hwayoung's zen as she desperately tried to get as much sleep as she could before arriving at JYP for another long night. She sat awkwardly using her arm to cushion her head against the car door as it occasionally bumped against the window, which further induced her oncoming migraine. Unfortunately, her moment of restlessness continued as she felt the car take the familiar turn to the well-known entertainment.

          With a deep sigh, she made her way to the recording room. Hwayoung took out and unwrapped a piece of mint flavored gum to eliminate the lingering scent and taste of coffee. Even though the last cup she had was more than a half hour ago, her body and mind still felt sluggish despite the high caffeine intake. Stopping at the coffee machine in the hallway, Hwayoung decided against getting herself another cup as she predicted that it probably would have done nothing for her afterwards. She substituted the coffee for hot water instead before adding generous amounts of honey to use as a cleanser for her sore throat from excessive singing.

          "Long day?" Chan appeared before her with raised eyebrows. He dressed comfortably in all black, sporting a matching baseball cap.

          Hwayoung shook her head half-heartedly, "Long life."

          Chan waited for her to finish making her drink before walking alongside her to the recording room. Even though he knew that Hwayoung was comfortable making her way around the building, Chan still stuck by her side until he was sure that she made it to her destination just in case she managed to lose her way somehow. Chan breathed out an airy laugh, opening the door for Hwayoung to enter first, "I don't get much sleep either. I spend most nights working or simply unable to fall asleep. Most of the time, I don't even notice that I've fallen asleep until I wake up. I think it gets better the more it happens though."

          Hwayoung took off her bag and set down her drink on the edge of the table, "Your fans must be worried."

          Chan looked up thoughtfully, contemplating his next words, "They always are, but that only makes me worried about them worrying about me. But I like to think that if we have the honor of receiving Stay's concern, then we must give them our best to keep supporting Stray Kids. We wouldn't be who we are without them."

          Hwayoung carried her concoction into the recording room, taking small sips after lighty blowing the surface. After warming up her vocals, Hwayoung placed the headphones over her ears ready to start recording. She watched as Chan tinkered with the mechanics of the sound board before looking at her through the glass pane, "Are you ready?"

          Hwayoung nodded with a thumbs up. Continuously, they both worked with Hwayoung singing and Chan arranging. During their work, Hwayoung could not help but admire Chan's passion while working. From beginning to end, Chan never appeared bored and always worked his hardest even when it became exhausting. Slowly, Hwayoung started to see a different side of Chan that she came to look up to even more. She wanted to be as good as him one day and be recognized for her amazing works by others. Hwayoung needed to prove her worth.

           Chan clasped his hands together, getting Hwayoung's attention away from the lyric sheets and onto him, "Okay! Almost done, just the highnote left."

            Hwayoung cheered lightly as Chan began to set up for the next part. Secretly, Hwayoung's nerves were getting to her regarding the part where she would have to hit the highnote of the song. She was relatively confident in her singing; however, Hwayoung seemed to become discouraged whenever there were parts that she thought were too advanced for her. It was not that Hwayoung felt defeated, but rather afraid to let down Chan's expectations of her.