the back up dancer | shin ryujin x female reader

chapter 3

Y/Ns POV:

As soon as I got home, I collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. Today had been draining , though spending time with the girls was a lot of fun, and I got the chance to get to know them better, which I’m grateful for, the rest of the day was just tiring.

My phone buzzed, and I got up to grab it from the table, wondering who was calling. It was my sister.

"Hey, unnie, what's up?" I answered.

"Hey, Y/N. How was today?" she asked, her tone light.

"It was really tiring. Honestly, I don't know how you guys do this every day," I replied, letting out a small sigh.

I could hear her giggle on the other end. "Yah, Y/N-ah, it’s only been two days, and you’re already this tired?"

"Well, I’m not *that* tired, but still," I said, trying to downplay it.

"Did you meet anyone new?" she asked.

"Yeah, I met a girl named Hanni. We get along pretty well," I told her.

"That’s nice. Did you see Yeji? It’s been so long since you two hung out," she noted.

"Yeah, I was really happy to see her," I admitted.

"And how about the rest of the ITZY girls?"

"Yeah, we all hung out yesterday to get to know each other better."

I yawned, feeling the fatigue starting to catch up with me.

"Go get some sleep now, Y/N," my sister said, her voice full of sisterly concern.

"Goodnight," I murmured.

"Goodnight," she replied before hanging up.

I got up and got ready for bed, my mind already drifting towards the next day.

---
The Next Day

Somehow, I managed to sleep through my alarm, but I still made it to practice on time. Hanni greeted me with a warm hug as I sat next to her for the warm-ups.

"Want to get some drinks after practice?" she asked with a smile.

"I don’t know, I might stay and practice for a while after," I said, feeling a bit guilty about the extra time I knew I needed.

"I swear, the warm-ups and choreography get harder every day," she complained, and I giggled. She wasn’t wrong.

After we finished for the day, I started looking for a free practice room to polish my moves. I walked into one that seemed quiet, only to find some of the ITZY girls inside.

"Oh, I’m sorry. I thought the room was empty," I stammered, feeling a bit embarrassed.

I could feel their eyes on me before Yeji spoke up. "Y/N, it’s just us!"

"Oh, hey girls! How are you all?" I asked, relieved to see familiar faces.

"We’re good! How about you?" Yeji replied, standing up to give me a hug. The others followed suit.

"I’m good," I replied, feeling a bit more at ease.

"How’s practice going?" Chaeryoung asked.

"It’s definitely a bit tough. I’m starting to think about changing my career path at this point," I joked, earning a few laughs.

"Do you want to be an idol or a backup dancer?" Yuna asked curiously.

"I’m not sure. I always wanted to be an idol because of my sister, but I enjoy dancing more than singing, so…" I trailed off, shrugging.

"So, what brings you here?" Chaeryoung asked, tilting her head.

"I just wanted to practice some moves for a bit," I admitted.

"Are you having trouble with the choreography?" Lia asked.

"Not really, but I still need to clean up my moves. Have you guys finished learning it?"

"Almost," Lia replied with a nod.

"Oh, Y/N, we’re going to grab some drinks soon. Want to come?" Ryujin offered, her sweet smile making my heart flutter. She had this charm about her that I couldn’t quite explain.

"I’d love to, but I really should start practicing," I said, glancing toward the door.

"Are you really kicking us out of our own practice room?" Ryujin teased, and I playfully slapped her arm.

"We should get going then. Make sure to call me when you finish, Y/N. We might as well hang out if we’re still around," Yeji said with a smile.

"I will, Yeji."

"Bye, Y/N. Don’t overdo it, though," Ryujin said, giving me a friendly pat on the back as they started to leave.

"Bye," I replied, waving as they walked out.

I closed the door behind them and let out a deep breath. I was really glad to be working with them—otherwise, this whole experience would be pretty overwhelming.

---

After I finished practicing, I was utterly exhausted. I texted Yeji to let her know  that i was coming over  but not for long tho .
  Girls and i chatted and then decided to play a few fun games to break the ice. Ryujin and I ended up on the same team for one of the games, and we quickly found that we made a good team.

"You’re really good at this!" Ryujin laughed, clearly enjoying our teamwork.