Passion Meets Fear | JiMina

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The atmosphere of the rehearsal room was unbearable. Even students who had made names for themselves in the department still hadn't gotten used to Mr. Nam, the infamous "dictator" of Seoul Major Arts University's performance and theatre departments. He had been a teacher in the school since the nineties, and over the course of time, his ego inflated so much. As a performance and a stage director, he found himself a spot where he was comfortable at, where his pride sat on cakes and icing—and that was to be a total asshole. But even with his intolerable manners and his explicitly screwed up reputation, no one could still throw him off his throne.

Junior students immediately headed out of the room when they were excused for a break. Jimin snorted at their exhausted faces, finding himself in the same situation years ago when he first started there. A familiar lad went close to him, his expression filled with both annoyance and weariness. He had his hands on his waist while walking so lazily forward.

"Yeonjun, how are you doing?" Jimin asked the boy. It wasn't even a question, both of them already knew the answer to that. Yeonjun, being a sixteen-year-old junior in the department, had no choice but to keep on going under any circumstances, even if nothing seemed to be alright. Especially under the rule of that scumbag. Nonetheless, the boy was actually good at dancing. Being a beginner didn't affect him at all, his passion was seething as always. 

"Hyung, I don't even have the appetite to take my snacks," Yeonjun answered, earning a laugh from his seniors. Jimin handed him a cold water bottle, and he drank from it, curing his temper. "You should have seen how he straight-up insulted my classmate. It was so harsh I can't forget about it."

As Jimin only gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, Taehyung barged in the conversation. "This is garbage, to be honest. Mr. Nam is the most arrogant and lunatic person my brain could even ever imagine." Hearing this, the boy's lips pulled upwards into a smile. Oh, he'd love to hear such insult towards Mr. Nam, even better if they came from one of the top dancers in the whole university. "You have to keep training in the department though, if you want to improve yourself more."

"Wrong," Jimin interrupted. "Hoseok hyung left and pursued being a veterinarian, remember? But, he's still really good at dancing. You can leave this club and you can still be as good as us, if not even better."

Taehyung fell silent for a fleeting moment. "Well. . . okay, but this guy's a trainee," he said, pointing at Yeonjun. "Improvement is a key to debuting as an idol. I wasn't ever a trainee, but I can tell it needs pure hard work. Just grind, you can do it."

"You have a point," Jimin agreed. Swinging his arm around the boy's shoulders, he continued, "It can be frustrating sometimes, but you'll get through it."

"Thank you so much, hyungs. I'll keep that in mind," Yeonjun said. They could hear his genuineness and respect. "No kidding at all, you guys are better mentors than Mr. Nam. I respect, but it really shows."

Before they could even speak, Mr. Nam's loud and irritating voice resonated all throughout the whole rehearsal room, announcing that it was time for group three of senior batch's turn to practice. "Speaking of the devil," Taehyung stated, causing the other two to break into fits of laughter. "Alright, we have to go now."

"Good luck, hyungs. I have to go now, too," Yeonjun informed, before dashing out of the room.

°°°°

Jimin's footsteps echoed through the hallway towards the university's basketball gym. He was particularly familiar with the place, but he felt odd being there along with other students because he simply didn't go there as often as before, or as often as these people did. The fact that he caught the attention of many just by walking somehow made him quite uneasy, although he also felt a strong boost of confidence. He tried to ignore their strangely intense stares, but couldn't stop himself from smiling at those whoever greeted him first.