Obsession 『WayV Ten』

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"Please welcome our next performer," a loud wave of cheer erupts from the audience. Some jump with their banners of favorites, some shout their chant, while some just clap with excitement.

As y/n observes the fans from backstage, she starts to fidget on her spot, her heart racing faster with every passing second. In a matter of a few more minutes, all eyes will be on her.

She's too nervous to even step ahead, her hands shaking in fear. She closes her eyes and takes long breaths to calm herself down, but it isn’t helping in any way.

Just then, there's warmth on her back. Someone wraps their arms around her shoulders, leaning in to whisper, "Nervous?" Ten asks while keeping her in his embrace.

Y/n doesn’t have to guess who it is; the voice and those touches are all too familiar to her. "I’ve waited my whole life for this day. Is it okay to feel this way? What if I end up making a mistake?" she clenches onto her dress tightly, as though it can ease her nerves.

Ten heaves a sigh, turning her around to face him. Y/n doesn’t wish to look up from the ground, afraid of what Ten might say about her pathetic state. He's been doing this for years, making him far more experienced than her. Her thoughts are running wild about how weak she must be looking right now.

"Look at me," he simply says, patiently waiting for her to heed him. Y/n looks into his eyes and forgets how to breathe. She realizes how wrong she is. Ten has a soft look on him, far from what she expected. He caresses her cheek in a soothing way while flashing his brightest smile. "You’ll do great out there. Just do it how we practiced. Ignore what other people say. You worked hard for this day, and you can do it. I trust you."

Those few words are all she needed to hear. Ten believes in her, he always did. She can't come up with a single moment when he didn't. He was always there for her on this journey. They’ve crossed countless boundaries to achieve their dreams together.

Finally, it’s the day.

The judges call for the next performer. Y/n hurries to the stairs. But somewhere in her heart, she wants to look back one last time. And she's glad she does. Looking back, she sees all her friends cheering for her, holding up their own homemade banners and encouraging her to go ahead.
Suddenly, nothing in this world can stop her from getting what she wants.

Once up on the stage, a bright spotlight falls over her. She's focused on by thousands of spectators along with cameras in every angle. The judges are staring right through her soul, probably looking for faults to cut her off. A few among the crowd begin to gossip and whisper around.

It's expected, but she won't give them the chance. Not again.

The calm music starts to play in the background. She lets out a long breath, clearing all her worries and moving to the rhythm.

While she dances, the blurry memories of past years flood back in front of her. The pain, the separation, all the times she wanted to back down and hide away. But above all of those, she remembers the hard work she put into standing where she is, knowing it was only possible because of the support she received from her friends.

Especially Ten, who has never left her side. Even when she struggled and wanted to give up on her dreams, Ten stood there for her, giving her hope and happiness to go on.

She's so lost in those memories, all the emotions she felt over the years of achieving her dream come flooding in. Her dance steps are clean and admirable, each movement describing one of those feelings.

The judges nod and share opinions with each other. Some in the audience are so lost in her beauty that they even forget to cheer, a silence of appreciation falling on the stadium.

When the music stops, she finishes her performance with a traditional bow, receiving a loud applause from the audience.

She looks up at the judges nervously, only to find that they're satisfied enough to not point out her mistakes. They give her the deserved compliments and instruct her to go backstage.

As soon as she enters the waiting room, loud cheers from her friends fill the place.

Onda comes running over and wraps her in a tight hug. "You are amazing!!!" she almost screams in her ears. Once they part, Hendery and Sicheng come around to say the same thing over and over again. "Thanks" is all she can reply with.

She doesn't take their encouragement for granted; the support from her dear friends means a lot more to her than the judges' opinions. But no words can describe the gratitude she feels towards them.

That's when she comes to a conclusion. Even if she somehow loses this competition, she'll have no regrets.

When the crowd of the clingy ones becomes lighter, she finds Ten and Xiaojun standing in the corner, observing it all while having the most proud looks.

“Good job,” Xiaojun says while patting her head. He looks at Ten to share a mysterious look, then walks away, giving the couple some space.

It's the most nerve-wracking moment of this whole performance thing. She stands there, waiting for Ten to say something, anything. "Did I do well?" she stutters.

Next thing she knows, she's between the warmth of his arms again. "I’m proud of you," he says so gently and kisses her on the forehead. She hugs him back just as tightly, and they stand there for a while. "What if I don't win?" Ten chuckles at her words, as though the very thought seems silly to him. "That's not possible. You did great out there."

On the second call, all the performers are gathered on the stage. The judges prepare the mood to announce the final winner. They all nervously stare at the audience, while the judges discuss and hand the winner’s name to the MC.

After almost thirty minutes of the MC delaying the announcement, he finally says aloud, "This year’s 'Best Dancer' winner is…"