As long as these two—Seonwoo Jin and Jinyeong—were sorted out, part distribution wouldn’t be a problem. This time, Jion boldly assigned Seonwoo Jin a part that required some vocal ability. It was a verse that came after Eungi’s part and connected to Jion’s, and compared to last time, the amount had increased quite a bit.
Other than that, there wasn’t much that changed from before. Jinyeong was in charge of costumes, props, and all other aspects of the overall visual presentation. Eungi handled choreography, Ryu Geon took care of all the rap parts, and together with Jinyeong, he was responsible for communicating with the company. Perhaps it was the most important role.
Now what mattered most was…
“Okay, Woojin-ah, Eungi-ya. Close your mouths and go mmmmm…”
“Mmmmmm…”
“Mmmmmm…”
The fundamentals. Jion grabbed the two who were particularly weak in the basics and threw them into hellish training. They had overwhelmingly good builds, yet how could such large frames produce such little sound? Since there wasn’t enough time for individual customized lessons, Jion grabbed both of them and started practice.
“Good. Woojin’s doing well. Eungi’s good too. Don’t release the tension in your lower abdomen… Imagine the sound circulating once through your ribcage before releasing it.”
Jion, who passed on practices that should be done as naturally as breathing—from basic humming exercises to mouth opening and breath control—drilled the same things all morning. Fortunately, both of them were the type that needed endless carrots, so practicing them together wasn’t difficult. However, what was a bit concerning was…
“Eungi-ya. Here, put your palm right here…”
When Jion placed his palm right above Eungi’s solar plexus, Seonwoo Jin flinched. Realizing what Seonwoo Jin was concerned about from the abruptly cut-off breathing sound, Jion quickly pressed Eungi’s hand onto the spot where his own hand had been.
“You know where it is, right? Think about vibrating this palm inside your ribcage and make a sound.”
Then Jion gently placed his hand on Seonwoo Jin’s chest and laid Seonwoo Jin’s hand on top of his, overlapping them.
“Come on, make a sound. Can you feel the vibration?”
“Ahhhhh.”
“That last ‘ah,’ don’t let your throat close up. Naturally, while releasing your breath.”
“Ahhhh—”
“Good. But think about producing the sound a bit lower…”
It was both a small reward for the difficult practice and consolation for being rejected. Of course, this touch wasn’t only pleasant for Seonwoo Jin. Jion focused on the sound of Seonwoo Jin’s heartbeat transmitted through his palm. The pounding rhythm. Confirming that it was beating quite irregularly and rapidly, Jion’s mood improved.
“…Woojin must’ve practiced this a lot before. You’re doing well.”
“Yeah…”
Even though it was okay to remove their hands now, the two subtly kept their hands overlapped and stayed still. Meanwhile, it was even funnier that they avoided eye contact because it was embarrassing to face each other. Eungi, who was concentrating on practice alone without seeing that sight, resolved to himself.
I should make the choreography as easy as possible this time.
* * *
The comeback after three months was busy, but it wasn’t difficult work. They were resting without any real schedules, and since it was a digital single, the timeline was much more relaxed than producing physical CDs. On top of that, Eungi—whose part had significantly increased this time—choreographed the dance somewhat simply to secure his stable breathing, so Jion’s practice load was greatly reduced as well.
“Still, you should rest a bit more…”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
Jion, who had removed his ankle brace a bit early, lightly hopped in place to show off his recovery. Ryu Geon and Seonwoo Jin looked at him anxiously and recommended he rest a bit more, but Jion had also been getting uncomfortable with the ankle and calf bound by the brace.
“I finally feel alive…”
Jion stood in front of the mirror, took a full-body photo with his bandage-free leg, and immediately wrote a post on the fan cafe.
[Ta-da!]
This is Jion, who finally became a free man today!
…
Jion sat down on the practice room floor and began writing his full recovery report to the fans. To block any unnecessary controversy, it was simple content that didn’t mention anything about the IAC, how long the recovery period took, or what his condition was like.
Though the content seemed somewhat lacking in sincerity, the full-body mirror shot attached as a bonus, the selfie taken while trying to look as pretty as possible, and the close-up shot of his ankle taken to show he’d fully recovered were sufficient special benefits.
Comment 1
Jion-ahㅠㅠㅠ Finallyㅠㅠㅠ
Comment 2
You worked hard recovering! Is that photo in the practice room? Are you already allowed to practiceㅜㅜ Oppa, don’t overdo it and rest well.
Comment 3
They say once you injure a place it becomes weak and keeps getting hurt, so don’t overdo it and let’s promise to stay healthy and see each other for a long, long time
While Jion was enjoying watching the comments increase with each refresh, the photos he’d attached were rapidly spreading thanks to hyena-like fans.
pumbler @pppuuummm
Sorry but posting ankle photos like this means you want the speed-stans to get arrested right
Saebomchun @BomChunnew
About the incident where oppa’s ankle bone was my erogenous zone
Gimanui Seong Jion @fraud_0113
Seong Jion-ssi, what are you gonna do if you upload a wrist photo and insist it’s an ankle;
If Jion had known that the casually taken ankle photo was being shared more actively than the selfie he’d carefully taken emphasizing his pretty eyelashes, he would have been greatly disappointed. However, Jion only read fan cafe comments for about 5 minutes before entering choreography practice and couldn’t check his phone for a while, so he couldn’t immediately realize which parts of himself, which images of himself, stimulated women.
“Should we stop here for today?”
Three hours wasn’t enough time for Jion to learn the entire choreography of one song, but it was enough time to spread his ankle photos in all directions. It was also enough time for anyone even slightly interested in BNCZ to know that he’d removed his half-cast and recovered.
“Ah, I’m tired.”
Jion, who picked up his phone to check if there were more comments, was shocked by the missed call notification on the screen. It was a call from Yoon Hyeok. Flustered, Jion hid the screen and looked around in case someone saw. Fortunately, Ryu Geon and Eungi were having a conversation about choreography details, and Jinyeong was absorbed in fixing his disheveled hair in front of the mirror. After finally checking on Seonwoo Jin, who was drinking a sports drink, Jion checked the message Yoon Hyeok had left.
Kim Yoon Hyeok
[You must be busy]
[Congrats on your ankle healing]
How did this guy find out?
Jion didn’t think his information would have spread that quickly and thought his intelligence network was impressive. But if he asked how he knew, the conversation would get long. Not wanting to talk with Yoon Hyeok at length, Jion wrote an appropriate reply.
Me
[It’s a bit early but I took it off because it was frustrating]
[Thank you for your concern]
And one emoticon that looked affectionate. Thinking this would be enough to show sincerity, just as he was about to exit the chat, Yoon Hyeok instantly read Jion’s message and sent a reply.
Kim Yoon Hyeok
[Is it okay to take it off early?]
[Isn’t it not fully healed yet?]
He’d tried to wrap up the conversation roughly, but Yoon Hyeok was persistent. Jion, familiar with Korea’s many deep-rooted evils and bad customs, couldn’t bring himself to leave a senior’s greeting on read as a junior’s duty, and typed a reply.
Me
[That’s true but our comeback is decided]
[I have to practice choreography too]
So he was busy, meaning stop contacting him now and figure it out. It was polite words wrapped and wrapped again, but whether it was too wrapped or whether Yoon Hyeok didn’t care about reading a junior’s hints, the messages continued.
Kim Yoon Hyeok
[Oh really? That’s fast]
[Hasn’t it not been long since you debuted?]
[I should buy you a meal before you get busy]
[When works for you?]
Hit with Yoon Hyeok’s counterattack, Jion hurriedly looked up to gauge Seonwoo Jin’s reaction. What’s the big deal about this. Fortunately, Seonwoo Jin was having a conversation with Ryu Geon about something. What do those two have to talk about? Jion perked up his ears for a moment trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, but he couldn’t hear well because of Eungi running around the floor explaining blocking to Jinyeong.
What are they talking about with those expressions…
Jion pretended not to look and turned around completely to face the mirror, stealing glances at Ryu Geon and Seonwoo Jin reflected in it. For someone who usually didn’t talk much, Seonwoo Jin was having a conversation with Ryu Geon with a subtle smile and even patted his shoulder.
Come to think of it, even when Geon hyung came back too early, he didn’t get annoyed once… Rather, he suggested going out to hang out together. Were those two that close? No way… If anything, he’d be closer with Jinyeong…
Since it was very rare for Seonwoo Jin to show such an intimate attitude toward anyone other than Jion, Jion unconsciously became absorbed in that direction and even forgot he was in the middle of a conversation with Yoon Hyeok.
Kim Yoon Hyeok
[I’m free Friday evening this week]
[Is drinking a bit much?]
[Light drinking with the meal is okay, right?]
[Don’t feel pressured because I’m a senior, let’s meet comfortably]
And Yoon Hyeok, annoyed at the impudent junior who dared not immediately reply even after seeing a senior’s meal invitation, finally couldn’t stand the frustration and called.
“Uh, huh? Huh? Hello?”
Jion, who had been spacing out observing Seonwoo Jin’s movements, expressions, and atmosphere, was startled by the suddenly vibrating phone and reflexively answered the call, and Yoon Hyeok threw out a question cut straight to the point.
— Do you like sashimi?
“Sashimi? Ah, yes, yes.”
— Got it. Then this Sunday evening, I’ll make a reservation at a sashimi restaurant.
“What?”
— Don’t worry. I’ll reserve a private room. See you then.
