On The Surface | WooSan

17 - Competition

Wooyoung nearly tripped after getting out of the car. The mixture of adrenaline, nervousness, and excitement caused his hands to tremble and his heart to race. Today was the day of the competition.

It had felt like ages until it turned the end of February but now that the day was here, he could barely grasp it. San and Yunho exited the car shortly after to follow Wooyoung. The latter was wearing a cool yet comfortable outfit that would not trouble him while dancing in any way. Wooyoung had informed both San and Yunho what people who accompanied dancers usually wore and was not disappointed when he saw the outfits they decided to turn up with.

Once they entered the biggest dance area the academy had to offer, their ways parted. Yunho and San quickly showed signs of support for Wooyoung before he rushed to the side where the competitors had already started gathering. Some were caught up in conversations, some sitting on the floor scrolling through their phones and some were stretching. While doing some warm-up stretches, he saw Jongho rushing towards him from his side view, immediately joining in.

"Can you believe we'll see Taemin in a couple minutes?"

"Don't remind me. I'm so nervous I might actually throw up."

Jongho scrunched up his nose at that and laughed. Once they were at eye height again, they hugged each other quickly, saying wishes of good luck and exchanging words of encouragement. Jongho knew how important this was to Wooyoung, so even if it turned out that he didn't get a chance, he hoped more than anything that at least Wooyoung would get the opportunity to actually work with Taemin after this. After small conversations here and there, the students immediately halted in their spots when suddenly music started playing. Their eyes turned everywhere, no one in sight except for the contestants and the people who accompanied them there.

Wooyoung was able to tell that it was Taemin's voice in the song but couldn't name it for the life of him. He listened carefully, already feeling his heart pound in his throat. Suddenly, shortly before the song reached its first chorus, Taemin appeared with a few dancers and performed a foreign choreography along with his song. The energy in his movements and his passion immediately burned up the room and Wooyoung felt the adrenaline rush through his veins. His idol was right in front of him, doing what he loved the most. He watched with pure admiration and excitement and started hyping him like the others, vibing to the beat with a few subtle movements, and enjoyed the moment while it lasted.

The song came to a stop and Taemin introduced himself with a bright smile and bowed, still panting a little when he faced the contestants again. "Hi guys, it's so nice to meet you all. I'm Taemin!"

Everyone cheered and the mood was unmatched. Not a single dancer in that room wasn't hyped or unhappy to be there. Taemin continued speaking after waving to the contestants and the people who came to support their loved ones.

"First of all, you all can quickly forget every dance move you prepared for today. Every joker you may have had in store won't help you anymore. I'm not here to watch you perform just something. I'm sure you all are good dancers, but I'm looking for dancers that can match my vibe. The choreography I dance and that is put together to fit my song. So, what we are going to do today is learn the choreography to my newest song 'Advice' that you got to listen to even before its release, I hope you like it!"

Taemin had a bright smile on his face and a friendly demeanor, yet he was intimidating in some way. If confidence were a person, Taemin would be the perfect expression for it. Wooyoung had so much to process at that moment. Every move he perfected for this competition wouldn't be of use anymore. He didn't want to have doubts in himself. He knew he was a good dancer, but so were the others. Wooyoung truly didn't know if this would be so easy anymore — not that he thought it'd be easy to begin with. But when his eyes cast over to where San and Yunho stood, he felt more at ease again. Both were showing Wooyoung encouraging signs with their hands and smiles.