HIBISCUS | Bang Chan of Stray Kids

Track 14

"I'm a strong person. But do you know what makes me cry? It's when I give my best and still feel useless."

__________

Track 14

          "Two, three-"

           "Step out! Hello, we are Stray Kids!"

           JYP stood directly parallel to Stray Kids, giving them a proud stare as they finished their introduction. The dance room door reopened, revealing Hwayoung and Stray Kids's managers who moved to stand by JYP and the drama producers. The numbness in Hwayoung's body and mind heightened as everyone suddenly turned to her. Hwayoung's body shivered from the chills that ran up her spine from the eyes suddenly focusing on her. Normally, Hwayoung remained indifferent in front of large crowds given that she was a former idol; however, when the crowd consisted of JYP and multiple high executive drama producers, Hwayoung felt like the victim of stage fright all over again. Hwayoung bowed, tucking her loose hairs behind her ears, "Hello, my name is Kang Hwayoung. I look forward to working with you all."

           "As do we," JYP gestured his hands outwards in a kind manner, "Please, don't let us be a bother while we set up. We'll let you know when we're ready for you."

             Stray Kids comfortably agreed before breaking from their line. Hwayoung immediately whirled around, turning her back towards the evaluators and faced the mirror. Hwayoung lacked trust in maintaining her composure as her internal mental breakdown was on the brink of disaster. Even if they were to cast a glance at Hwayoung's expression through the mirror, Hwayoung believed that was less intimidating than facing them directly.

             She momentarily closed her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing before a tug on the sleeve of her sweater caught her attention. When she opened her eyes, Hwayoung was genuinely surprised to see Changbin. Without giving her an opportunity to speak, Changbin nudged her shoulder gently with encouragement before leaving her to stay with Felix, "Get rid of that dumb look on your face. You'll do great. You've got us, remember? We are a team now."

            Despite the diction used, Changbin's words oddly eased some of Hwayoung's worries. She genuinely believed that if she had Stray Kids on her team, then she could also have the confidence to overcome her fears. Taking their last sips of water, Stray Kids and Hwayoung gathered in the center of the practice room as JYP clapped his hands once to gain everyone's attention, "Alright, we'll start with a full runthrough of the song, then we can break it down into specifics afterwards."

           Stray Kids and Hwayoung got into their set positions with Hwayoung's hand placed on one of Felix's shoulders. Hwayoung knew the worst part of performing was always the beginning before the adrenaline would kick in; however, Hwayoung's experience seldom aided her as she trembled upon Felix's firm shoulders. Despite her desperate efforts to control her trembles, Felix managed to feel the shifts from the fabric of his cotton shirt. Fortunately, hidden behind Seungmin and Jisung's figure with his crouched position, Felix sneakily covered Hwayoung's shaky hands with his tiny one before giving it a quick, reassuring squeeze. His little gesture gave Hwayoung just the right amount of confidence to cease her trembling.

          As if her personality changed with the first note of the track, Hwayoung zeroed in her focus on each body movement. Every trace of doubt morphed into charisma as she did her best to win her audience over with her stage presence. If the evaluators were going to criticize anything about her, Hwayoung was keen to make sure that her charm was not one of them.