Crossed ~ShowKi~

Chapter 4

      3rd person POV
A few days after receiving their rankings, the twelve trainees began working in pre-chosen pairs. The judges have paired Kihyun and Shownu together, thus they must work both together and against each other to become victorious.

   Kihyun's POV

  Once again Shownu and I were in the practice room. The closer we got to the performance day, the worse I got. The more mistakes I made, the more Shownu would make us practice. 

    "Come on, Kihyun! This isn't challenging choreography, why are you making so many mistakes? We have to go on stage in two days, and here you are tripping over your feet!" Shownu exclaimed after I fell. 

I brushed myself off once I stood up.

 "I'm sorry, Shownu! I'm not a very good dancer and I know this, don't make me feel any worse about it." I muttered as I tried again. 

"Kihyun, this is a very basic dance! I just don't understand how you're making so, so many mistakes! I understand you're young, but to be ready to become an idol, shouldn't you be better at dancing?" Shownu questioned as I tried to catch my breath. 

He handed me a water and a towel then demanded we try once again, "Kihyun, you have to get this dance down. If you don't then you could face elimination! Dance better, Kihyun! Again!" 

"I'm dancing as well as I can, Shownu! We've been dancing for six hours already, can't we take a break?" I exclaimed and flopped onto the floor.

   He walked beside me then gently poked my side with his foot. "Get up Kihyun, this can't be your best! If it is, then why are you here?" He asked. 

"I'm here because this is my dream, Shownu! I may not be the best dancer, but this is what I love to do. I've already wasted five of my teenage years, I can't give up now!" I reasoned.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, Kihyun, but if this is as best as you can dance you may as well just give up now." Shownu shrugged as though his carelessly stated words wouldn't leave emotional marks.

I know I'm not the best dancer, the best singer, or the best rapper but I'm only seventeen! I still have time to become better! 

I sighed out and let a tear slip. I let it roll down my cheek then drank more water. I wasn't going to let him tell me I should quit. Instead of listening to him speak more, I put my earbuds in and danced continuously. I was going to prove it to him- and most importantly myself- I could debut.

Shownu's pov

"You may as well just give up now." I shrugged.

    I took a sip of my water and calmly watched as Kihyun danced. He was making a lot of mistakes, none of which seemed fixable. But as I watched him try again and again, he was improving. 

As he danced, he slipped and fell. I muffled a laugh then I noticed he had begun crying. I watched as the boy before me punched the ground then rose to his knees. Once he had a light grip on his emotions, he looked at me with a fire blazing in his eyes. But unbeknownst to me at the time, behind that blazing fire was a pain that would later corrupt him.

From his kneeling position with tears in his eyes, he growled, "You may be a better dancer, but that does not make you better than me!" He then put his earbuds in his ears once more and danced passionately.

If he continued to improve as quickly as he was, he would become a better dancer than me.

 Regardless of him being my soulmate, he would not become a better dancer than I am. I put my own earbuds in and danced my heart out.

-day of mission-

Although he continued to make mistakes, he was greatly improving. Those mistakes became less frequent and less obvious. Today, Kihyun and I had to perform together, yet against each other.

   His dancing was almost as good as mine. Keyword: almost. I entered this contest as the best dancer, no one will take that title from me.   

After completing the dance together once more, I sipped my water and calmed my breathing. 

   "Kihyun, if you continue to dance this well, you might actually make it in this competition. But being able to do this simple dance isn't something to rejoice over; imagine how much harder the group dances would be. You'd have to dance harder choreography and sing! That might prove to be difficult." I sneered.

    Seeing Kihyun's face fall sent pangs of guilt into my chest. Brushing them off, I grabbed my bag and left the practice room. Kihyun quickly followed and we walked back to the dorm together. 

    A few hours later, us twelve trainees made our way to the stage. We all practiced hard but after this, one person would be cut. 

    As Kihyun and I walked to the stage, I felt more confident. Kihyun, however, seemed more anxious as we stepped on. 

   The judges motioned for us to begin our team performance then the music started. With a grin, I began dancing and singing calmly.

  I have this in the bag! Kihyun can't beat me, and he slipped a little just now!    

   I mentally laughed at his mistake and continued to smirk as I performed. As Kihyun sang, he hit a lot of high notes I never would be able to. 

   Those notes could be enough for him to beat me! 

   I danced as perfectly as humanly possible. However, once the song was over, we stood side by side and lowered our mics. 

    The judges began saying how sloppy our performance seemed. How rushed it felt, how it didn't seem like we practiced together. Once they got through scolding us, they began praising what we each did best. 

    "Please go stand on your platforms," Hyolyn told us once they finished talking. I stood tall and proud on my side, a small smile gracing my face. Kihyun seemed terrified on his platform. 

   Kihyun and I made eye contact as they began speaking once again, "I'm sorry, Shownu." I heard as I began to lower. Seriously?!

Edited: August 29, 2020