Somin | Ateez 9th member.

First Meet: Seonghwa

Somin & Seonghwa first meeting.

Word count: 584.

The stale, slightly metallic scent of the KQ Entertainment practice room was Somin's constant companion these days. Sweat, cleaning solution, and the lingering phantom of cheap instant ramen clung to everything. She'd been there since dawn, hammering away at a tricky eight-count, her muscles screaming in protest. As she stumbled out, a water bottle clutched in her hand, she nearly collided with someone emerging from the vocal booths.

"Oh! Sorry!" Somin blurted, instinctively bowing her head.

The person she'd almost run into was taller than her, with broad shoulders and an air of quiet intensity. He had striking features – sharp eyes that seemed to take everything in, and a neat, almost artistic, hairstyle that was probably the result of hours of practice. He was holding a sheet of music, his brows furrowed in concentration, and he smelled faintly of mint and a pleasant, indefinable cologne.

He straightened, a small, polite smile gracing his lips. "No, my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going." His voice was smooth, a little deeper than she expected, and carried a surprising warmth.

Somin looked up properly then, a flicker of recognition in her mind. She'd seen him around, of course. KQ wasn't massive, and the trainees were a small, tightly-knit group, even if they hadn't all formally introduced themselves. He was one of the vocal trainees, always in the booths, his voice drifting through the thin walls.

"You're... Park Seonghwa, right?" she ventured, a little hesitantly. "I'm Somin. Lee Somin."

His smile widened slightly, and he nodded. "That's me. And yes, I've seen you. You're always in the dance studio." A faint blush crept onto Somin's cheeks. Was she that predictable?

"Yeah, well, someone has to keep the floorboards warm," she joked, trying to lighten the awkwardness. "You've got a really great voice, by the way. I can hear you sometimes." She regretted the last part as soon as it left her mouth. It sounded a bit like she was eavesdropping.

Seonghwa chuckled, a low, pleasant sound. "Thanks. You're a really good dancer. I can hear your... 'thuds' sometimes," he mimicked her, earning a surprised giggle from Somin.

"Thuds?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"You know," he waved a hand vaguely, "the intensity. The power." He paused, then extended a hand, a more formal gesture than their earlier near-collision. "Nice to properly meet you, Somin."

Somin took his hand. His grip was firm, surprisingly gentle. "You too, Seonghwa-ssi."

They stood there for a moment, the sounds of distant music and muffled footsteps filling the silence. It wasn't awkward, though. It was a comfortable quiet, a shared understanding of the grueling, exhilarating path they were both on.

"Long day?" Seonghwa asked, his gaze softening as he noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes.

Somin sighed, running a hand through her slightly damp hair. "Tell me about it. Just finished trying to nail this one move that's been haunting my dreams."

"I know the feeling," he commiserated. "My voice cracked on a high note five times in a row an hour ago. Felt like the end of the world."

They both laughed, a shared release of the day's frustrations. In that moment, surrounded by the familiar, slightly grimy comfort of the KQ building, a small connection sparked between the intense dancer and the warm-voiced vocalist. It wasn't a dramatic, life-changing encounter, but it was a beginning. A quiet acknowledgement of two trainees, pushing towards the same dream, finally meeting in the hallowed halls of their shared ambition.