99% || ENHYPEN

xiv. laughs and flowers

With a comeback on the way, it was normal for the members of ENHYPEN to spend most of their time in the practice room. They each wanted to give their all so that their fans could enjoy their album fully and without feeling disappointed.

Although tiredness was etched on each of their faces, none of them said a thing as the choreographer left the room, her day over. It was not uncommon for choreographers to leave before the members did, sometimes it was because the members chose to stay longer in order to perfect their movements, sometimes—like this one—the members were forced to linger there for a certain period of time.

Each day, they must spend a certain amount of hours in the practice rooms and if that time was not reached, they had to stay until it was over. So even if they wanted to go home and sleep, they knew that if they did, it would only result in them being scolded.

Seeing as they had danced for already a long time, they silently agreed to take a break before starting again—no one would know anyways.

Aeri gulped her water down and laid down on the cold floor, enjoying the cooling feeling. Next to her, Jungwon sat as he drank his own water silently.

"How are you feeling?" he asked the older girl.

It had already been almost a week since she was allowed to change her cast into a splint—meaning that her arm was healing well—but even so, her members kept worrying about her. They now knew that they couldn't stop her from rehearsing though, no matter the state of her arm.

"I'm excited for the day to be over," she answered truthfully, earning a chuckle of agreement from the boy.

She sat up from the floor, resting her back on the wall and watched Sunoo go over a move with Riki and Heeseung. She couldn't help but linger on Heeseung.

Though the two were an official couple since a few weeks, none of the members had been made aware of it yet. They wanted to be sure of everything before telling them, knowing that their relationship could possibly endanger their careers.

Aeri suspected Sunoo of knowing but he never said anything to hint at it though. She didn't say anything either. She wouldn't risk it. But she knew that he noticed the glances they shared, the small intimate touches too.

"I think I might need a crane to lift me off this floor," Jungwon joked, causing Aeri to let out a loud laugh. He smiled in response.

Out of all of the members, Aeri was probably the one who laughed the most at his jokes—even when they were bad. She just had a gift in finding everything funny. No matter how bad the jokes and of the members said, she'd always be the one laughing, even when no one else was.

They fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound the soft hum of the air conditioning and the distant echo of music from another studio. Aeri glanced over at Jungwon, a playful glint in her eye.

"Do you remember the dance-offs we did in I-LAND?" she asked.

"Mhm," he hummer in remembrance. "You went against Sunghoon hyung and Jake hyung."

"Wanna do one right now?" she suggested, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "You against me."

Jungwon raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "You're on. But be warned, I've got some killer moves up my sleeve."

Both of them stood at opposite ends of the dance studio, their eyes locked in a playful challenge as they prepared for their impromptu dance-off. The tension in the air crackled with excitement, the anticipation of their friendly competition sending a surge of adrenaline coursing through their veins.