Maknae Princess || Stray Kids

57. SKZ-PLAYER

Skz-Player

It was a week before Stray Kids's official world tour. BTS had already gone on theirs and while Nabi missed them she also didn't notice they were missing. It made sense to her at least. It was just that she was so busy lately. She hadn't even spoken to Jisoo in two weeks now and she was sure her best friend was wondering if she was still alive or not. The same with the members of ITZY, they saw a glimpse of each other in passing when both Stray Kids and ITZY went to the company for practice. Other than that, neither had much time for each other right now.

"One more time, is that okay?" Nabi asked the cameraman politely.

"This is your twelfth take. You're a real perfectionist, aren't you?"

"Sorry," Nabi laughed shyly.

"Doesn't matter," the cameraman shook his head. "As many times as you want, we can do it. As long as you're happy with the end result."

"Thank you, Jared," Nabi smiled gratefully.

Jared was a recurring cameraman for JYPE and for Stray Kids in general. He was calm and patient. He didn't rush anyone and took into account that as hard as his job was, was as hard as an idol's job was. They had to be perfect for their fans; singing, dancing, and rapping while also being a relatable person with a good sense of humor. Out of all the cameramen, including music video directors, Nabi probably liked Jared the most.

"Tell me when you're ready," he said and repositioned the camera again.

Nabi went to the center of the room. It was her first solo video for Stay to see. 3RACHA had recorded theirs already and so had DanceRACHA. And even though Nabi was a part of VocalRACHA it was decided that she'd do an SKZ-player all by herself since she was the only girl member in the group. She wanted to refuse at first but Chan insisted, Changbin encouraged it, and Han hyped her up to do it. 

"I'm ready!" Nabi called out.

"1, 2, 3... Start!"

Music filled the empty room, a song that Chan and Seungmin had helped Nabi with but was completely her own creation. She was anxious whether or not her brother and the BTS members would like it, especially what Suga would think about it. Once Nabi was satisfied with her performance the video would get a dark blue filter and some black and white effects to it. She was singing and dancing. Minho had suggested a few things for the choreography but other than that he refused to get too much involved. This was SKZ's maknae princess's time to shine and show off her various talents.

Nabi spun around slowly as she tucked her arms inward, popping her body to the music's beat before ending the dance with a strong motion and a surprisingly high note. She took a few seconds to collect her breathing. She pushed her hair out of her face and sighed tiredly as she went over to monitor what she'd done.

"And?" Jared asked expectantly, wondering if this was the one or just another useless take.

Nabi nodded to herself as she was the finishing part. She then squealed out of nowhere and brightly smiled at the cameraman.

"We did it! I like this one!"

"You do?"

Thank god...

"Okay, great," Jared said and subtly rubbed his ears. He wasn't prepared for her excitement to almost deafen him. "Then we're done."

"Thank you, oppa," Nabi bowed her head at him in appreciation.

"You're welcome, kid."

A knock sounded at the practice room door and when Nabi turned to look who it was she was confused but happy. She didn't think any of her members had any free time today. They were all so busy and if they weren't busy they were tired and trying to get as much rest as possible before the tour started.

"Nabi-yah, are you still filming? I had to come and pick something up. I can wait until you're done so we can go back to the dorm together."

Nabi shook her head, smiling. "No, I'm done, Lix."

"Really? How did it go?" Felix asked, entering the room and accidentally turning the main room light on. The sunshine of the group brought literally brightness with him. It made Nabi giggle at Felix's surprised look while all Jared did was squint at the sudden lighting change. "Sorry, hyung-nim," Felix apologized to their cameraman.

"It's fine, I was leaving anyway. You two better get back safe, alright?"

"We will," Nabi and Felix ended up saying together.

They shared a look before chuckling at their synchronization. Lately, it seemed like it was getting worse. Not just Nabi and Felix but every Stray Kids member. They were getting more and more harmonized with one another. When one of them did something at least one other member did the same thing unknowingly. Like nine bodies with the same mind.

Jared excused himself and left. Nabi went to gather her stuff from the corner of the room before she and Felix left too. She pulled her sweater over her head before fixing the turtleneck on it and untucking her hair. Felix took her school backpack to carry it for her as he slung his free arm over her shoulders.

"It went well," Nabi said answering Felix's earlier question. "It took thirteen takes though, I feel bad for Jared. It's just that I wasn't happy with any of them until the last one."

Felix smiled fondly at their youngest. He patted her head as they walked out of the practice room and down the long hallway.

"I'm sure he didn't mind. We all know our butterfly's an insane perfectionist. You should've been a part of DanceRACHA," he joked and Nabi shook her head frantically.

"No way, I like being a part of VocalRACHA."

To be honest, Nabi had the potential to be Stray Kids' all-rounder and fit in everywhere. 3RACHA, DanceRACHA, and VocalRACHA. But Nabi would leave that for her bestie Han Jisung. She was happy where she was and as much as she loved dance she just loved singing that much more.

Nabi was excited though, she wanted to surprise Stay with her SKZ-player mv. On her last V-Live, she managed to convince them that she wouldn't be doing one. She wanted to see their fans' reactions and opinions.

Stray Kids' Jeon Nabi's SKZ-Player would be out in the first week of their tour.