omi°nct's c̶l̶o̶w̶n̶ princess pt.II

fear-less, fox 🦊 | h.rj

  Naomi waves to the camera for their 'behind the scenes' recording and thanks the producer before heading out.

  She notices Chenle going after her and she stops him. "Wait a minute. I thought Renjun was going after, no? To continue his part from earlier."

  "He told me to go first. He wanted to practice it again a few times before going in," he explains and gets in the recording room.

  Naomi furrows. Usually, Renjun would be one of the members that are eager to go first to finish first.

  "Hyuck-ah, did you see where Renjun went?" She asks Haechan who's sitting on the black couch, going through his parts again and again.

  He points to the door while singing his lines and she heads out of the studio.

  The floor is quiet, only them there and she looks around for the lead vocal of the unit. Just as she passes by the emergency exit, a mellow gentle voice can be faintly heard echoing through the white door.

  She halts and quietly pushes it open, spotting Renjun at the lower stairs- practicing his parts repeatedly but sighing frustratedly after.

  At some points, he doesn't even finish a line.

  "Thisㅡ" he cuts himself off with a groan and presses his palms on his burning eyes.

  The cause of his stress is clear to Omi and she takes a step back, quietly closing the door before twisting the doorknob and pushing it open- but louder this time.

  Just as she expects, Renjun instantly goes silent when she shows herself.

  "What'chu doing?" She asks in a laid-back manner and he shrugs with a small smile.

  "Practicing."

  "You sound great," Naomi compliments and sits beside him at the low steps.

  Renjun doesn't say anything other than a brief "thanks" and Omi's brows bend in worry.

  He doesn't believe her.

  "Tell me what's wrong," she says without beating around the bush any longer and the look of surprise mixed with confusion on his face makes her tilt her head with a small smile.
"Please?"

  Her heavy care from her gentle sweetness is felt by him and the weight on his shoulder feels comparatively lighter than before. It's comforting to have someone looking out for you.

  "The notes...some of them are really high. I can only do them a couple of times before my voice runs out but even then, I still couldn't get them right," Renjun explains and sighs. "That's why I told Chenle to go first. My voice is still weak."

  "It's not weak, it's just tired," Omi corrects and smiles at him. "You've sang countless of songs with varying note ranges and specific techniques. How can you call your voice weak? It's anything but that. Most would find singing while dancing a challenge, especially when having to keep your voice stable."

  Her attempt to comfort him manages to soothe his previous storm but still, his clouds are still grey. 
"But you know, even the strongest isn't immune to exhaustion. You need a break, not just your voice, but you as a whole."

  Renjun smiles and leans his head onto her shoulder, feeling the fatigue come in now that he's less worried and anxious.
"You're right. We're gonna record again tomorrow, anyways. I'll finish my part then."

  "Yeah, and I bet you'll do great at it," Naomi assures and he chuckles feebly.

  "Then, I better make sure you win the bet."

  The girl scoffs and nods, rubbing her cheek against his crown when he suddenly offers his open hand to her.

  She grins and places her hand on top before he intertwines their fingers and rests their joined hands on his knee.