Helado ; 니키

two

➢ 3:32 PM KST

➢ HYBE Practice Building (Seoul, South Korea)

The music blares through the practice room, Ni-ki's heart racing as he swiftly moves through the choreography for the umpteenth time that day. A sheen of sweat is present across his face, cheeks red and hair stuck to his forehead. The music finishes, Ni-ki holding his final pose for a few moments as he struggles to catch his breath. He stares at his reflection in the mirror, baggy clothes hanging off of his body and observing the positioning of his limbs, groaning when he realizes that once again, his hand placement was slightly off. Frustrated, the boy drops his pose and runs his hands through his hair, shaking his head as if that could shake off his annoyance with himself for having messed up the choreography again.

To most, his run through would have been perfect. But for Ni-ki, the young dance prodigy, it wasn't even close to where it should be- his high expectations for himself often made him feel as such. Everything about the run through had just seemed wrong. His movements weren't as sharp as they should be, his facials lacking, and his hits were just slightly off beat- all details only he would notice. He had people counting on him, and the idea of falling short to their expectations was never an option.

Distracted by his own grievances, the young boy doesn't notice when the door behind him creaks open, a head of soft brown hair peeking in through the crack.

"Ni-ki? Are you still in here?" Jungwon asks, not having seen the boy since he had gone into the separate practice room hours earlier.

"Yeah," Ni-ki starts, sighing to himself. "I'm still in here." He responds, fatigue and irritation relevant in his voice.

Small bits of concern creep into Jungwon as he sees the boy's red, sweat laden face in the mirror. His clearly frustrated demeanor was enough to alert him, leader instincts kicking in as small anxieties on behalf of the boy's state well deep within him.

"Well, I'm gonna go eat dinner now... if you wanted to join me." The leader offers, hoping a meal would take Ni-ki away from his frustrations long enough so that the younger could calm down.

Ni-ki immediately shakes his head, refusing to meet his hyung's eyes in the mirror. "No, I'm okay. I need to get this choreo down first."

Jungwon sighs in response. "I knew you were going to say that. Please, come take a break for a little bit. You've been in here for hours, Ni-ki." The leader pleads.

Ni-ki makes a wild noise, throwing his hands up in the air. "Exactly. I've been in here for hours and I still haven't gotten it down, so I'll stay until I do." He concludes, already walking over to the speaker on the other end of the room to resume the music once more.

Jungwon sighs, giving in. He knows Ni-ki, and he knows that when Ni-ki gets into his head, the only person that can pull him out of it is himself. Jungwon plays with the door handle for a moment before addressing the maknae one last time.

"Alright, Rik. Just please make sure to eat after. I'll be in the other room if you need me." He shuts the door upon finishing his statement, silently praying as he walks down the hallway that the younger wouldn't end up overworking himself too hard.

Ni-ki shakes his head in frustration after Jungwon's departure, overwhelming emotions furthering his inner conflict. He feels bad for having blown off his hyung, but then again, he felt even worse for not having gotten the choreography down already. Him and Jungwon were set to be recording their duo performance for Studio Choom in less than a week, and Ni-ki was beyond dissatisfied with his current knowledge and skill with the highly technical dance.

The young boy groans, head pounding with concerns and exhaustion, the music he had previously unpaused now starting in the background and furthering his headache. The brooding music seems to taunt the boy, continually playing as Ni-ki stares at himself in the mirror, unmoving.

In a moment of formidable exasperation, Ni-ki quickly pauses the music and grabs his small bag off the table, dropping his phone into it. He walks over to the door, swinging it open with a bit too much force and slamming it behind him once he's fully outside of the practice room.

A confused Jungwon hears the commotion, quickly walking over to the practice room only to find Ni-ki sitting outside of it, shaking off his slippers and putting on his sneakers.

"Ni-ki? What happened? Where are you going?" The older questions, watching the younger boy tie his shoes in a silent fury.

"I just need to get some fresh air. I'll be back in a few minutes." He responds bluntly, clearly not in the mood to talk.

Jungwon, dumbstruck, watches the boy, unable to find the right words. "B-but what about taking a staff member? I can go get manager-hyung, he can find someone to drive-" He starts, already beginning to walk out of the room and in the general direction of the staff area.

"I don't want to go with a staff member." Ni-ki cuts off the older, voice breaking. "I just want a few minutes alone to clear my head. Please, don't get manager-hyung. I promise I'll be careful." The younger nearly begs, hoping his leader would be able to see his desperation.

Jungwon frowns, biting his lip in thought. He looks at his dongseong, seeing the clearly upset expression in his eyes and in the moment, his dedication towards his responsibilities cracks.

He sighs, running his fingers through his hair before dropping them. "Alright, fine. But only for a few minutes. And share your location with me." Jungwon finally responds, eyebrows raised to indicate that his one requirement was not to be challenged.

Ni-ki lets out his breathe, thankful for the brown-haired boy's sympathy. "Yes, yes of course. I will. Thank you, hyung." He responds gratefully, nodding his head as he quickly opens his phone and turns on the "Share Location" option in his messages with the older.

Jungwon nods in response, satisfied seeing the notification on his phone indicating that the younger had done as asked. "No tricks." Jungwon warns, giving the younger boy a slightly teasing look as he leaves him to his own endeavors.

Ni-ki thanks the back of the boy walking away as he quickly finishes lacing up his sneaker, standing up and rummaging in his bag. He pulls out a black mask and a hat, promptly putting both articles on before looking at his reflection in the mirror, satisfied to see most of his features covered.

The boy quietly exits into the lobby through the back door, attempting to look as inconspicuous as possible. If anyone were to stop him and realize who he was, he would immediately be forced to leave with a staff member out of safety precautions.

Normally, Ni-ki wouldn't mind having to go out with a staff member- they were almost always friendly and understanding when he wanted space. His current state, though, found him in such an overwhelming need for alone time that it was nearly suffocating- the thought of having someone trailing behind him with every step, in that moment, simply seemed unbearable.

Finally making it to the exit, Ni-ki excitedly leaves alone through the swinging front doors- a first. Once he's on the street, he glances around, pondering where his small adventure could take him. He didn't want to be gone for too long, but then again, going into any stores in the immediate vicinity of the HYBE building could raise suspicions. Without a plan in mind, Ni-ki decides to turn left on the sidewalk, out of view of the building mere moments later.