✧。can we go back to yesterday

┌── ◦✧◦ ──┐

└── ◦✧◦ ──┘

◦✧◦

??? [ #00 / LIGHTS ] ;; everything was fine and dandy

??? [ #00 / LIGHTS ] ;; until it wasn't.

??? [ #00 / LIGHTS ] ;; go tomorrow?

??? [ #00 / LIGHTS ] ;; more like go back to yesterday.

what turned the energy upside down...?

◦✧◦

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; what does this say?

qingyu points at a line on the sheet

JEON RYUHWAN [ #07 / NEON ] ;; 지금 이 순간 넌 나만 바라봐

(don't worry it's just a lyric-)

JEON RYUHWAN [ #07 / NEON ] ;; qingyu, I don't mind helping, but let me write down the romanized version for you instead

qingyu hesitates

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; but...that takes away more of your time...

JEON RYUHWAN [ #07 / NEON ] ;; it's fine *chuckles* also, I think you asking for each line takes more time

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; ...okay

ryuhwan takes the paper and begins to rewrite the lyrics

NAKAMURA TAKUMI [ #14 / NEON ] ;; HEY QINGYU

takumi's volume startled the other 4 trainees in the room

JACKIE CHOI [ #05 / NEON ] ;; inside voice~!

jackie commented before going back to practicing the song

NAKAMURA TAKUMI [ #14 / NEON ] ;; *begins to talk unnecessarily low* do you want me to write the translation, so you actually know what you're singing?

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; i know most of what it means...

NAKAMURA TAKUMI [ #14 / NEON ] ;; *blinks and tilts head* you do?

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; *nods* i just can't read it

NAKAMURA TAKUMI [ #14 / NEON ] ;; what was the line that ryuhwan said to you then?

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; 无可奉告 (no comment)

on the other side of the room haru looks into one of the floor cameras

LEE HARU [ #16 / NEON ] ;; takumi is gonna be evil edited

LEE HARU [ #16 / NEON ] ;; as a pressure cooker

NAKAMURA TAKUMI [ #14 / NEON ] ;; A PRESSURE COOKER?!?!

◦✧◦

in another training room a very
familiar duo is working on the song

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; there's no power in your voice

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; I think you're breathing at the wrong time

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; try taking a breath and then sing these two lines before taking another breath

roman nods before attempting the suggestion

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; hm... better, but not good

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; where did all your diaphragm strength go

hyeon randomly touches roman's
stomach, who doesn't even flinch

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; your abs melted since the last time I saw you

hyeon ponders something for a second

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; okay *claps* get in a plank while you sing

roman simply follows his instructions but
doesn't do too well when he attempts it

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; wait! you're not doing the right breaths!

hyeon suddenly plops into the same position

he demonstrates

ROMAN HWANG [ #03 / NEON ] ;; hyeon...those are the wrong lyrics

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; ha ha oops. hand me the lyric sheet please...

◦✧◦

after a few hours left to their own devices,
it was time for their dance class

someone walked down the hallway,
but it wasn't fangjun...?

now, what is santa claus doing
in the practice hallway?

TOTALLY SANTA CLAUS ;; ho ho ho

mr. claus opened the door to the main
practice room and saw five trainees
off in their own areas

TOTALLY SANTA CLAUS ;; are you guys on the naughty list?

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; uh... *blinks*

JACKIE CHOI [ #05 / NEON ] ;; probably

NAKAMURA TAKUMI [ #14 / NEON ] ;; it's july???

TOTALLY SANTA CLAUS ;; where are the others?

JEON RYUHWAN [ #07 / NEON ] ;; across the hall and next door sunbaenim

santa leaves to collect the others

NAKAMURA TAKUMI [ #14 / NEON ] ;; *concerned* hyung? did you just call santa sunbaenim?

LEE HARU [ #16 / NEON ] ;; *laughs* 'santa' is fangjun sunbaenim

NAKAMURA TAKUMI [ #14 / NEON ] ;; does that mean no gifts...?

minutes later fangjun returns beardless
with the other 3 trainees

[ for insight on mikael, he was
alone in a room practicing the song ]

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; are you guys ready for your dance lesson?

the room nods

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; to use our time as best as possible, we will be jumping straight into learning the dance after I quickly demonstrate the testing choreo

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; feel free to watch the final performance choreo and test choreo on the tablets later

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; now let me remove some of these extra clothes

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; *mutters* mainly because I simply embarrassed myself

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; also, to provide a successful learning environment, we have another dance instructor to help everyone learn at the same time

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; producer-nim made me mention this

[ a/n ok so imagine the dance lesson with
Fangjun and the lights' vocal lesson with
taewoo (the vocal lesson for sure is rather
strict and long tbh cause most of lights
can't sing aka don't sing well lol.

um but for the life of me i have no motivation
to write this section and i sigh whenever i
try to come back and write the part cause i want to post it but like i literally have such
a strong mental block.

sorry for the short rant (? idk) ]

solo training time highlights
[ a/n - there was supposed to be more than
the 2 but my brain juices aren't juicing ]

JEON RYUHWAN [ #07 / NEON ] ;; let's try it from the top

ryuhwan restarts the song

JEON RYUHWAN [ #07 / NEON ] ;; 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and 8

ryuhwan counts for the group
while doing the moves himself

the entire group does a run through of the
dance before qingyu comments on something

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; apart from bigger issues, I think we're missing some key details?

qingyu moves to demonstrate a specific
part with and without the details

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; i think it's supposed to be like this instead

MIKAEL KWON [ #15 / NEON ] ;; like what?

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; like this

qingyu moves mikael's hand to feel the arm
detail that he changed while he demonstrated

MIKAEL KWON [ #15 / NEON ] ;; is it for this part?

mikael demonstrates the part
but without the added detail

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; yeah, but hm... your stance is too wide

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; stand how you would for this part

mikael listens

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; your legs should be closer together

qingyu taps mikael's legs until
they're close enough

XIA QINGYU [ #11 / NEON ] ;; okay let's all try with the detail

LEE HYEON [ #12 / NEON ] ;; wait- can you show us the detail again?

◦✧◦

KWON MYUNGJOON [ #04 / LIGHTS ] ;; you're trying out for the dance break part?

KWON MYUNGJOON [ #04 / LIGHTS ] ;; are you even capable of being sexy???

JEONG HYUNJIN [ #14 / LIGHTS ] ;; *gasps* ME?! not capable of being sexy?!

JEONG HYUNJIN [ #14 / LIGHTS ] ;; i'm the sexiest one in here! see

YOON JINU [ #01 / LIGHTS ] ;; i mean...have you seen rain hyung? *raises brow*

YOON JINU [ #01 / LIGHTS ] ;; and he's literally just sitting over there

KORAIN SEONG [ #10 / LIGHTS ] ;; what are you guys even talking about over here?

DANIEL CHOI [ #09 / LIGHTS ] ;; hyunjin's being obnoxious and jinu's expressing his undying love for you

YOON JINU [ #01 / LIGHTS ] ;; whAt

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; but i thought he was in love with what's his name... "tom"?

YOON JINU [ #01 / LIGHTS ] ;; eH- i mean he's hot and all but why'd i be in love with my manager???

KWAN BYULYI [ #02 / LIGHTS ] ;; well... there are those one comics...

KORAIN SEONG [ #10 / LIGHTS ] ;; anyway, jinu you're hot too. not my type, but attractive yes.

YOON JINU [ #01 / LIGHTS ] ;; wow i don't actually like you but that rejection hurt-

JEONG HYUNJIN [ #14 / LIGHTS ] ;; enough with whatever this is! WHY DON'T YOU THINK I'M SEXY!?!?!

DANIEL CHOI [ #09 / LIGHTS ] ;; because you're a literal dumbass

JEONG HYUNJIN [ #14 / LIGHTS ] ;; DUMBASSES CAN BE SEXY TOO! YOUR ARGUMENT LACKS SUBSTANCE!!

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; hyunjin just calm down and go back to practicing...

◦✧◦

except for a few normal training mishaps,
theme song practice went off without
much of an issue.

you could even say tomorrow looked bright

but then why does the group look
like they fell into the darkest pit...?

[ TRAINEE INTERVIEW ]

STAFF ;; why was the atmosphere so gloomy?

MIKAEL KWON [ #15 / NEON ] ;; well we only had three days...

MIKAEL KWON [ #15 / NEON ] ;; i don't think anyone felt ready?

MIKAEL KWON [ #15 / NEON ] ;; also there had been some mishaps with takumi

what happened to takumi ?

YOON JINU [ #01 / LIGHTS ] ;; most of us felt bad for byulyi...

YOON JINU [ #01 / LIGHTS ] ;; and minhyuk had gone totally dark during the past few days

what happened to them ?

let's have daniel sum up everyone's emotions

DANIEL CHOI [ #09 / LIGHTS ] ;; everything was fine and dandy

DANIEL CHOI [ #09 / LIGHTS ] ;; until it wasn't.

DANIEL CHOI [ #09 / LIGHTS ] ;; go tomorrow?

DANIEL CHOI [ #09 / LIGHTS ] ;; more like go back to yesterday.

◦✧◦

During LIGHTS' vocal check many trainees had received backlash for their vocals.

JUNG TAEWOO [ VOCAL MENTOR ] ;; minhyuk, i was hoping you would properly take my advise, but your singing hasn't improved at all.

JUNG TAEWOO [ VOCAL MENTOR ] ;; your voice is still cracking and you still aren't properly switching from your chest to head voice like we practiced last time. Not only that but you're still forgetting lyrics. I'm starting to think that you singing is a little hopeless.

JUNG TAEWOO [ VOCAL MENTOR ] ;; and daniel, I don't even want to hear you sing anymore. Have you even been practicing the song?

JUNG TAEWOO [ VOCAL MENTOR ] ;; I don't care if the part you're after is one with the least amount of lines, if you continue with that mindset, you're gonna end up nothing more than a back up dancer.

JUNG TAEWOO [ VOCAL MENTOR ] ;; jinu, you're on my list for vocals that need to improve, but out of the 3 of you I'd say you've improved the most in the case.

JUNG TAEWOO [ VOCAL MENTOR ] ;; you're singing is still bad, don't get me wrong, but your breathing has gotten better and you've been a lot less pitchy.

JUNG TAEWOO [ VOCAL MENTOR ] ;; except for myungjoon, naruu, and byulyi, the rest of you are mediocre at best. Most of you can't properly reach the notes nor are you stable while just standing, so I'd hate to see how unstable you are while dancing too.

◦✧◦

after the vocal check, taewoo spent a few extra hours working with the trainees, but after he left, it was up to the trainees to continue working hard.

yet, most were unsure what to do while alone, so one trainee stepped up to the plate.

KWAN BYULYI [ #02 / LIGHTS ] ;; ok so I know we're technically competing right now, but we're generally on the same team

KWAN BYULYI [ #02 / LIGHTS ] ;; we want to improve so in the end we can debut right?

the group nods

KWAN BYULYI [ #02 / LIGHTS ] ;; personally i want all of us to move to NEON or at least do our best for this mission that we are proud of ourselves

KWAN BYULYI [ #02 / LIGHTS ] ;; yet to do that most of us have to work on singing itself

KWAN BYULYI [ #02 / LIGHTS ] ;; i know taewoo is harsh, but he's right, if you can't sing you're more likely to just become a backup dancer.

KWAN BYULYI [ #02 / LIGHTS ] ;; naruu, myungjoon, and i are all willing to help you practice so please just ask.

and that's what they did, for the next day they helped the group practice singing.

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; you shouldn't try straining your voice because that's actually just gonna hurt you more right now

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; try singing the song in your most comfortable range and then we can work from there

KWON MYUNGJOON [ #04 / LIGHTS ] ;; your running out breath too fast and it'll be worse while dancing

KWON MYUNGJOON [ #04 / LIGHTS ] ;; let's practice timing your breathing

despite the other two helping too, byulyi ended
up helping the most as he bounced between
trainee demonstrating for them as to
help them improve.

yet, this caused byulyi some
problems of his own

KWAN BYULYI [ #02 / LIGHTS ] ;; ...

HWANG HYUNJIN [ #13 / LIGHTS ] ;; WHAT!? You lost your voice?!

yes, that's right, byulyi lost his voice 24 hours before their re evaluation test.

sadly, he wasn't the only one who faced last minute injuries.

in the NEON practice room, the trainees were running through the song together once again when one trainee ended up on the ground.

NAKAMURA TAKUMI [ #14 / NEON ] ;; ow...

takumi had made a misstep that ended
with his foot taking a weird turn.

he now held his ankle as the rest of
the group crowded around him.

JACKIE CHOI [ #05 / NEON ] ;; guys step back so i can help him up.

Jackie helped takumi get up before taking him, with the help of roman to go get him checked out.

in the end, takumi's ankle was sprained and as it was right before the re evaluation, he was unable to dance during the test.

other than physical injuries, there were also mental issues.

minhyuk was practicing hard both on dancing and singing but he had been getting frustrated by only the small improvement as he got criticized time and time again by the mentors.

he had gotten to the point that his was simply going through the motions.

there was no extra side talk or variety of expressions on his face. only one neutral line on his face.

he stayed the longest in the practice room and on the 3rd night someone finally decided to stick around.

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; minhyuk... you should come back and sleep...

BAE MINHYUK [ #08 / LIGHTS ] ;; i'm not tired... i'm just taking a break

minhyuk currently sat against the wall covered in sweat. slowly coming in and out as he tried not to fall asleep.

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; but you're falling asleep..?

naruu slid down next to him

BAE MINHYUK [ #08 / LIGHTS ] ;; am not

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; sure...

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; but what's wrong? you have been staying in here a little too long

BAE MINHYUK [ #08 / LIGHTS ] ;; i have to be ready.

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; for the evaluation? it's not the last chance though..

BAE MINHYUK [ #08 / LIGHTS ] ;; it's the last chance for me. if i don't do well here, it's not likely i'll ever improve

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; hey. that's not true, this is only the beginning.

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; this process is a marathon not a sprint

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; if you put all your energy here, you won't have any left for the next mission or even to complete this mission.

BAE MINHYUK [ #08 / LIGHTS ] ;; it's not like i'll do well anyway. does it matter if i have energy?

SONG NARUU [ #06 / LIGHTS ] ;; of course it does. cause if the energy, the soul, isn't there then there's really no chance of improvement anyways.

after Naruu's last sentence, the room went silent as the screen began to darken too.

◦✧◦

about a week after the theme song tests were done, the four mentors sat down to grade them. along with group part of the test, of which we'll get into later.

without spoiling too much, what are some of the things the mentors had to say about the trainees?

video #??

JUNG TAEWOO [ vocal mentor ] ;; oh, he tested with a small part...

YU HEEYUN [ rap mentor ] ;; are you disappointed? he didn't perform too bad overall, he's actually rather stable.

JUNG TAEWOO [ vocal mentor ] ;; he is yes, but he still needs more confidence in his voice. with this route, he's taking his own screen time away

HAEIN [ MC ] ; taewoo, you know you're the one that's supposed to be helping him gain more confidence in his vocals right?

JUNG TAEWOO [ vocal mentor ] ;; I didn't have time, so when I worked with him we focused on technique and breathing. although I expected him to tryout with the lines we practiced...

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; I think he just said screw you indirectly

video #??

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; based on how much he improved and how much work he put into it, I think we can move him into NEON

HAEIN [ MC ] ; hm... are we trying to grade them on potential? cause I thought we already passed that mindset

HAEIN [ MC ] ; if we start grading them on what we see in the background then we're going to end up with a bunch of unfinished trainees in NEON

JUNG TAEWOO [ vocal mentor ] ;; he is still rather mediocre at best right now

video #??

YU HEEYUN [ rap mentor ] ;; this is a perfect example of confidence doing wonders

JUNG TAEWOO [ vocal mentor ] ;; agreed. I almost don't even care about how off pitch his vocals are

YU HEEYUN [ rap mentor ] ;; okay then let's stamp it blue-

JUNG TAEWOO [ vocal mentor ] ;; hold up-! I said ALMOST

video #??

HAEIN [ MC ] ; surprisingly, he's one of our most well rounded ones

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; surprise? you're surprised?

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; i distinctly remember telling you this

HAEIN [ MC ] ; if i'm being honest, i don't always listen to you

JUNG TAEWOO [ vocal mentor ] ;; can someone pass me the blue ink pad?

video #??

YU HEEYUN [ rap mentor ] ;; you're telling me he only had 3 days

YU HEEYUN [ rap mentor ] ;; now come on ! where's the NEON stamp ?

video #??

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; he can't dance alone, how can we trust him to dance with a group

LI FANGJUN [ dance mentor ] ;; i'll hold off until the dance practice, but he completely gave up dancing here and I don't think that's acceptable

◦✧◦

[ a/n ]

ok so my complete motivation for writing
sink so low it was like it was the titanic.

like i had about half of this written (and had
it plot out) for months literally since the
last time i updating, i just couldn't bring
myself to write it no matter how many
times i came back to try.

i decided i want to update it but i had to get
my brain out of the part that was blocking me.
therefore, this chapter is generally unorganized
or formatted questionably and parts I've
actually written lean on the emptier side.

I would've rewritten the whole thing instead
but I literally don't think I'd had recovered
my brain if i did that. so we have this instead.

i do plan on writing more of this (trust me
or not idk my updating can be worrisome-)
but there may be format/structure changes
and i may or may not just cut out the group
section of this mission-

anyway, i swear i'm sorry for the
long long long break this has had!

◦✧◦