𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐀𝐓 [𝟏] 𝐃𝐞𝐣𝐚 𝐯𝐮 || 𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒

POV Minho

- "We're in deep trouble!"

I raise my eyebrows at Chan, who just stormed in, slamming the door.

- "Hello to you too. Did you sleep well?"

He gives me a dark look and throws his keys on the living room table.

- "The girls' album just dropped, and they already have a scandal! The agencies want us to perform the dance to 'Hot Chocolate' tomorrow!"

I open my mouth and look up from my phone, surprised.

- "We're screwed. We don't even know the dance completely," I say, running a hand through my hair. "What kind of scandal? They haven't had that many."

- "About the line distribution in their title track, apparently," he mutters, sitting next to me with his phone in hand.

I watch him typing, then he stands up and grabs his keys again.

- "I just spoke with Shizuka. We're going to practice."

- "Now?"

He nods, and I sigh.

▪︎▫︎▫︎▫︎▫︎

- "No, you're not in sync," I say, stepping between Dayu and Hyunjin. "You need to place your hand after he turns his head, not before."

I demonstrate the move, and the Chinese girl rolls her eyes, but I make no comment, not wanting to further stress our leader. She gets back in place.

- "Chan, we should take a break," Shizuka suggests.

Changbin nods in agreement at our leader's doubtful expression, and he finally gives in. I head over to Dayu, who has gone to sit down, and take a seat next to her.

- "Want some help with the moves you're struggling with?"

She shakes her head and gives me a dark look before saying :

- "I'll manage, thanks."

I shrug and go back to sit near Shizuka, Changbin, and Chan.

- "Don't worry, we'll get it," I hear Shizuka say after Chan mentioned for the umpteenth time that we're in trouble.

- "Besides, we know almost all of the dance," Changbin adds.

- "And Shizuka and I finally nailed our high note."

Changbin laughs and taps the Japanese girl's arm.

- "You got Shizuka's wonderful advice, I presume?"

Shizuka hits him back, and I admit, "She's a pretty good teacher, actually."

She looks at me and thanks me, then teases, "And Lee Know is a much better student than you, Changbin."

We all laugh together, and Chan even manages a smile.

- "I can hit much higher notes than you, I'm sure," Changbin retorts, playfully hitting her again.

- "Probably, if it's in your dream where you're in a girl group."

He stifles a laugh, and Chan stands up, clapping his hands.

- "Alright, let's get back to it. This time, we give it our all. No distractions, no excuses. We have a dance to learn and an hour to do it."

His words fill us with a new wave of determination, and everyone gets into position.

▪︎▫︎▫︎▫︎▫︎

- "There we go!" Yeou exclaims, high-fiving Seungmin after the last notes play.

Chan takes a deep breath, relieved, and I head over to Shizuka, who is drinking.

- "The ending is amazing. You really make the high note... captivating?" I hesitate.

She giggles and looks me in the eye.

- "Thanks, Lee Know, but you help too."

I shrug, and she pats my shoulder before joining the girls leaving the room.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see Dayu.

- "Sorry about earlier... I wasn't feeling well. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

- "It's alright, I understand. With the scandal and all, it must be exhausting."

She gives me a shy smile and murmurs, "Does your offer for help still stand? I don't want Bang Chan to be mad at me again."

I laugh and nod.

- "Of course. Shall we start now?"

- "Let's do it!"

▪︎▫︎▫︎▫︎▫︎

I put the dorm keys on the table and see Han and Felix talking at the bar.

- "What's up?"

- "We were discussing an article about Sunmic's scandal."

I pour myself a glass of water and ask, "About the line distribution? Chan mentioned it this morning."

- "Yeah," Felix confirms. "Shizuka, Malee, and Ha-yoon are in hot water. They're accused of favoritism among the members."

He slides his phone over, showing me a photo of the line distribution.

- "Oh wow, Mi-cha only has four lines..."

- "As the main vocalist, a lot of people are upset about it," Han explains, pointing to the top of the image. "Jiu and Dayu have the most, even though they're not the main vocalists. Many fans think Cha should have more."

The girls' stage names don't faze me. In both our groups, we call our friends by their real names. In my case, it's Mi-cha.

- "Dayu is a main rapper," I point out.

- "Yes, but apparently those aren't rap lines she has."

I shrug and take another sip.

- "I doubt they're playing favorites."

They nod in agreement, and I feel Han's gaze on me.

- "Where were you?"

- "With Dayu. She needed help with the dance."

He nods slowly, and I head to my room. My phone vibrates, and I see a message from an unknown number:

Thanks again for earlier! - Daiyu.

I raise my eyebrows as I reply, wondering how she got my number.

Mi-cha probably gave it to her. She's the only one in the girls' group who has it, after all.