Camp Heartbroken | TXT Novella

Chapter 31 - Soobin

The lights are blinding.

For an hour straight, all Soobin is able to focus on is the main spotlight, illuminating the stage of Neal S. Blaisdell Center in shades of brilliant white. The stage stretches for much longer than the dance studio, and the floor is black and slippery against his sneakers. All around, the seats are empty. But a visual pops into his head of thousands of fans being disappointed by their first performance.

His teammates are beside him. But it's hard not to feel slightly alone. Even with Taylor's team shuffling around the floor, being any sort of comfortable is impossible, especially when experiencing a rehearsal of this size for the first time.

"What's wrong?" Huening Kai says, after they pause during their second run-through of CROWN. Mike Kuang has called a five minute break.

Soobin tries to school in his emotions, but his voice ends up breaking anyways. He supposes he can't hide from the people who've seen him at his lowest. "I think it's all just too much. We're performing five songs in one week's time. We're gonna have to do three dance routines, and one song has pretty complex harmonies. I guess I'm beginning to doubt myself."

Kai looks thoughtful while he swipes at his sweat with a rag. "It's natural to feel that way. I mean, my legs feel like jelly and I'm not getting any of the moves right. Didn't you hear my voice crack just now?"

It's hard not to chuckle when having a conversation with Huening Kai. "I heard," Soobin says, with a smile peeking through. "The pressure must be getting to all of us."

Just as the others are getting into formation again, Kai comes forward to pat Soobin on the head. It's a strange gesture coming from someone younger than him, but even so there's true comfort within it. "You're our leader," says Kai. "We need you, but at the same time we're here for you. So don't feel so alone anymore!"

It's like Kai's read his thoughts. Soobin, for the rest of the hour, attempts to remember the dance routines but stumbles through multiple transitions. During Blue Orangeade, he accidentally hits Yeonjun across the head. It would be funny if Mike Kuang, DJ Gee, and around a dozen others weren't scrutinizing their every move. Beomgyu does his best to cheer everyone up during their breaks, but the effort feels much like attempting to light a match underwater.

If Taylor were here, maybe the story would be different.

Our Summer goes fine for the most part. But during Cat & Dog, Taehyun steps on Soobin's back, and Beomgyu topples down the entire human doghouse. Nap of a star's harmonies sound off-pitch and scratchy. Like a bad omen, the entire sound system goes down in an array of shrieks and crackles.

Why are so many things going wrong? is Soobin's only thought.

But he doesn't voice it. He forces himself to wear a brave smile and to be present for his team. As they run through the set for a final time, Soobin channels his energy and joins Beomgyu in the cheers. They manage through CROWN, somehow keep their balance in Blue Orangeade, and perform Our Summer without a hitch.

But Soobin would've never expected the volcano eruption that occurs during Cat & Dog.

From the beginning, Mike is on edge while watching them.

"Keep your hands tighter."

"Watch your positions, you almost bumped heads again."

"Stop performing with low energy! Show that you love the song. This is supposed to be a fun, hype track."

Like with all of Mike's criticism, they're silent through his critiques and clear signs of disapproval. The agreement between TOMORROW X TOGETHER is never to challenge their choreographer, because simply too much trouble would come from it. But after a third repeat of Cat & Dog, tensions are running high. The bright spotlights are like licks of flame on Soobin's skin.

Yeonjun is the first to crack. "We're doing our best here!" he yells out, after a groan. "Give us a little room to breathe. You're pointing out the little things like we're purposely doing you wrong."

Mike Kuang's silence isn't a good sign at all. He breaks it while all eyes are on him, like he knows exactly how to cut the tensity. "Would you rather go on without me?"

"No one said that," Yeonjun says, but his voice is too quiet.

"I've trained you all for almost two months now," says Mike, with a quiet scowl. "The truth is, I want this camp to be over already. Taylor is paying me well, but maybe not enough to deal with spoiled brats like you."

Soobin's anger flares, burning the insides of his skull. "With all respect," he starts, steadying his tongue. "Yeonjun is right in that we're doing our best. This is our first time even stepping on a stage this big. We're all overwhelmed."

Mike could storm out of the arena, leaving them alone. But he stays and decides to get revenge by pushing them even harder. On their fourth and final run-through of the set, Soobin absorbs so many shouts that his eardrums became numb.

On the way home, Soobin attempts to conjure up a pep talk for the team. But no matter how hard he thinks, he can't find anything to say.

A/N: Cheer up Soobin! Thank you for reading, and it would mean the world to me if you took the time to vote and comment! Love you and keep fighting. ♡ justin