DURING DANCE CLASS the professor immediately announces that they are getting split up into dance groups for a four month long project.
Unfortunately, they aren't allowed to pick groups either. So the professor closes his eyes and randomly points at them and hopes for the best.
Dokja's phone pings with a message from Hanbin.
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hanbin: let's hope we're in the same group😋
An involuntary smile graces her face and she looks around for him, catching his eyes somewhere across the room where he stands with some of his friends. He winks at her.
dokja: LETS HOPE!!
In the end, they sadly did notget put in the same group. Hanbin just smiles and mouthes, better luck next time.
Dokja's group consists of her, Soyeon, Eric, Sunwoo, Eunseok, Natty, Ningning and Hao. It's not the worst, especially considering Bo gets put with Seola and her friend out of all people, but someone is clearly not very happy about it.
After they group together in a separate dance hall, they gather around and Hao rolls his eyes at the sight of Dokja. "Can you even dance?"
Dokja bites her tongue and ignores him. Honestly, she gets that he's mad she ruined his favorite shirt, but why is he being so hostile about it? It's a genuine mistake.
And seriously, over a shirt?
"Behave," Soyeon warns, and Hao shuts up after that.
The project is about creating choreographies for a couple of songs and at the end of each month, they would perform them in front of the class. They'd be evaluated on their performance and after the end of the project the two students with the highest scores would perform on some festival.
From what Dokja knows they do this every term, alternating between dance and music. She hoped it would have been music, but just her luck . . .
"Let's pick a leader," Soyeon says as they all sit down in a circle on the floor. Nobody moves, so Soyeon slings an arm around her friend's shoulder and asks, "Dokja, wanna try?"
For a second she considers, really considers, it, since she never got the chance to be a group leader she thought it would be a good chance to try it out. All her work before had been independent.
But then Hao scoffs at her and all her resolve drains out of her in one go.
"Nah, it's fine. Let's vote instead."
So they do just that. Most people point to Ningning, to which she just shily smiles. "Okay, tell me your socials later and I'll make a group chat. Also, any song ideas?"
"Doesn't matter to me," Sunwoo says in a not-so-humble brag. "I can do anything."
"Sure you can," Eric replies with an eye roll.
"Oh, wait, I have an idea," Soyeon perks up. "Four choreographies, right? We should pick a center for each song, so that everyone gets the chance to lead."
Ningning nods. "Who wants to be a center?"
Everyone, except for Dokja, raises their hands. Dancing isn't her strongest suit—she never got the chance to study it unlike her friends that went to performing high schools—but she's good at learning them. All those lonely days spent being homeschooled gave her a lot of free time to dance and sing and play instruments. So while she isn't the best dancer in the group, she isn't terrible by any means. She just doesn't think she fits being center.
Hao looks at her and rolls his eyes again. Ugh. She is going to stab him if he does that one more time.
"We should hold auditions," Eric suggests and nudges her. "You join too."
"Nah, I'm good. I'll just watch you guys."
"Oh come on." Soyeon sighs. "Everyone should have the chance to try."
"Yeah, whatever, let's hold freestyles," Hao says and stands up. "I'll go first."
They shuffle random songs on Ningning's playlist and Popular by The Weeknd & Madonna comes up for Hao.
Dokja doesn't want to admit out of her own dignity but he is good. Really good. Crazy good. Attractive. Everything, really. He does so good that everyone is left speechless for a second.
They all go after him one by one and in the end when it's her turn, she already has four centers in mind. but she has to dance too, and when Perfume by NCT Dojaejung comes up she goes on autopilot.
Well, Dokja thinks when the song ends, they start clapping and she sits back down. Maybe the idol life isn't for me.
Soyeon says she is terrible at dancing, but she is so good that when they sit around to vote for the first center, everybody picks her. Then they pick Hao and Sunwoo, and when it comes to the last one it's . . . an even divide between Dokja and Natty. Surprisingly.
"Um, Natty should do it," Dokja says. "She's my favorite dancer."
"What? No, you should do it. You were amazing," Natty argues.
"If she doesn't want to don't force her, damn. She obviously doesn't want to ruin our grades."
Soyeon sighs in annoyance, glaring at Hao, while Ningning and Eunseok exchange nervous glances. The group quietens down really quickly, the silence heavy and tension rising.
Sunwoo is the first to break it. "You're doing too much, man."
"Am I? Sorry, didn't think telling the truth would be too much for poor little Dokja."
"Dude," Dokja finally says, being done with his shit. There is no way he is doing all of this over a stupid shirt. "What the fuck is your problem?"
"My problem?" he scoffs. "What? You want me to coddle you like all your friends do?"
Poor little Okja. Poor little sick Okja. Awe, she needs her mommy here, doesn't she? Aren't you tired of being coddled by everyone, Okja?
Her voice is so clear and sharp in Dokja's mind that the familiar dread seeps into her bones. Not again, she thinks. She doesn't want to go through this, not when it took her years to better herself.
Dokja thought university would be different, but here she is, being belittled for absolutely no reason, and she hates it. But unlike younger her, she isn't going to sit here and listen to this asshole.
"Fuck you, truly and seriously." She stands up with a nasty glare sent his way. "You need to do some deep soul searching instead of taking it out on me."
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ngl hao's an asshole rn im sorry 😭 but dw we are getting character development
