Lonely Dancer » Jikook

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Part One, Chapter 1
— The Hate —

"All right, let's do the last sequence again and remember. Chin up high!"

The dancers get back into first position, their ambitious eyes trained on their choreographer as they wait for further instructions. Although they've practiced for almost four hours on end now, everyone is still as focused as they were this morning. After all, they aren't professionals for nothing.

The room is incredibly stuffy by this time, so it's quite hard take a satisfying breath. All that can be heard is the dancers' hard panting, trying desperately to get some oxygen into their lungs. Each and every one of them is exhausted and their joints are hurting. Never would they admit it, though.

Pain is a part of being a professional dancer just as much as hunger is.

"Also, be more graceful!," Hoseok speaks up while correcting some of his student's posture with a strict expression. "I can't believe I even have to say this to you at this point."

He's getting impatient. There's a very important contest in two months, so this performance has to be nothing but perfect by then. His reputation is on the line here. If Hoseok doesn't manage to bring out the best of his students, people might think he's not capable of running America's biggest dance academy anymore. He has to be stern with his dancers. It's for them, too.

Without his guidance, they probably wouldn't be as good as they are today.

Hoseok pushes them up to the point where utter frustration leads to the ambition to get better and better and even better than that.

Jimin knows that as well. His moves have improved tremendously since he started dancing at the academy and he owes that to none other than Hoseok. Because of the upcoming dance contest, practices have become harder than ever, but Jimin doesn't complain. He's really glad to have someone like Hoseok in his life, someone who makes him want to go to the limits of his capacity, who is not only an amazing choreographer but a devoted mentor.

Together, they strive for perfection.

Something that will destroy Jimin soon, but he doesn't know that yet.

"Five, six, seven, eight! Pique turn, derrière and two split leaps, tour jeté and- Stop!"

All the dancers come to an halt in an instant. Somebody must've messed up. They look around curiously, hoping they won't be scolded themselves, but the very student knows it's him who made a mistake.

Shit.

Hoseok walks over to Jimin, coming so close it's almost threatening for a second there. "Jimin, is everything okay with you today?," he asks gently, red strands of hair brushing the younger's pink ones due to the proximity. "You seem a little off."

"I'm sorry," Jimin apologized coyly. "I guess I wasn't prepared."

"He's been off for days," Jungkook suddenly butts in. He looks at the two with a look of arrogance on his face, both hands on his hips as he waits for them to finish. Jungkook's already had the choreography down to a fine art, so he brooks no delay. It's like this every time. As he's one of the top students of the academy, he learns very fast and dislikes unnecessary long rehearsals. That's why he gets annoyed with the other students easily. They can be agonizingly slow learners sometimes.