fluid: haobin

35

pride.

that's what consumes hanbin's heart as he's brought on to the stage with the rest of the team. the moment still hasn't sunk in, not even when the confetti goes off, and the spotlight is on them as they all hold the large trophy. it especially hasn't sunken in when he turns to see zhang hao on the side, taking photos with a large grin.

"hyung, you have to go up to the mic!" gunwook's voice breaks the coach's daydream. he motions to the emcee holding out the mic, waiting for him to take it.

"i...wow," hanbin can barely get his thoughts in order, let alone give a speech to the crowd. "first of all, can we give another round of applause for these amazing dancers?!"

the audience all follow, with the thunderous claps almost hurting the students' ears but they don't mind it because of the pride they're feeling.

"i'm sung hanbin, and i am the interim coach for these boys. i'm standing before you all, not as a coach accepting an award on behalf of the team, but as someone who hopes that his students' talent was showcased to the fullest potential through today's competition. they are truly the most talented group i've worked with, and i am so overjoyed to know their hard work was rewarded with this result. on the other hand, there are some specific individuals i think deserve their recognition the most. first of all, seok matthew, the official coach and one of the co-founders of the studio. he's the one who choreographed and arranged much of this routine, and also introduced me to this family. seokmae, thank you so much for bringing me to this position and allowing me to grow as an individual along with this group."

the male stands up, bowing to everyone who claps and trying his best to hopefully show how grateful he is with the moment.

"next, the rest of fluid's staff who worked behind the scenes to make this trip and competition run smoothly. they're the ones who put in time to plan logistics, guide financial decisions, and worked tirelessly to make sure that today could go the best as it did. they may not be in the room with us, but they shouldn't be left to the side. finally, i want to invite another person up here to share the spotlight with us."

hanbin goes to the side, where zhang hao is still recording with his phone and isn't realizing how the korean is approaching him, hands out. he goes into shock as he allows himself to be guided up the stage and to the microphone stands.

"zhang hao, the amazing manager and other co-founder of our studio. this is the person who devotes all his time to making sure his students take all the opportunities available and is the pillar that's supporting us from the ground up. hao, the students and i all know how much you do for everyone here, so we prepared a special gift for you."

yujin steps out with the bouquet of flowers while gunwook, ricky, and gyuvin come out holding a small velvet box and a large bag that's decorated with ribbons.

"while you may not have been on the stage with us, you deserve as much recognition and applause than anyone here, even more. because of this, we want to give you your own award and first place medal," gyuvin opens the box and takes out a large medallion on a thick strip of ribbon. hao smiles at the student as he feels the weight come around his neck.

"thank you, for everything. from helping matthew create the routine to being our unofficial parent back at the studio, you're the one guiding us through this journey," yujin hands him the flowers.

the chinese looks at the youngest with soft eyes and brings him into a tight hug. turning back to the audience, he bows to the crowd as they all stand up, cheering even louder than they already have.

"group hug!" hanbin yells, and they all gather around their manager, not caring if he was struggling with get air or that there were at least 3 pairs of feet stomping on his shoes.