Third String
Title: Third String
Word Count: 2.2k (drabble)
Five six seven eight, twirl.
Five twirl seven eight.
One two, twirl-
The lanky man who was dancing infront of the mirror, tripped on his feet and landed on the floor with a thud. Placing his head between his knees, he tried to catch his breath. Sweat dripped down his face, his light brown fringe sticking to his forehead. Droplets fell into his eyes, causing them to tear. He stood up again, determined to make another attempt to master the part of the dance.
Maybe if I put my left feet further apart, the chances of me tripping would be lower.
He repeated the part, this time putting in his hypothesis.
One two, twirl-yes! Four five bend-
Instead of tripping like the previous, he heard an anomalous cracking sound from his left knee and halted. A sore and tender feeling started to spread from his knee to his thighs and he immediately sat down. He placed his fingers on the knee and gently massaged it.
“Hyung, are you slacking again?” A towering man entered the room. Kai had his earphones plugged into his ears, a white towel hanging around his neck while carrying a bag in hand. Flinging his shoe bag to the other side of the room, he sat down beside the panting Chanyeol.
“I think I injured my knee while dancing,” He shook his head in annoyance, his fingers massaging the injured part to soothe the pain.
“Well you better be careful, you know our manager will be pissed off if we injure ourselves, and our fans will be worried. We do not want them to worry right, Channie-hyung?” It sound sarcastic, but Chanyeol knows that the younger didn’t mean to sound like that. He probably just said that out of concern, or so he thought.
Taking off the towel from his neck, he dropped it on the floor and stood up. Kai proceeded to unplug his earphones and plugged his phone to the speaker instead. He started playing his song- the exact same song that Chanyeol was practicing just now.
Closing his eyes, Kai starts dancing. He put his heart and soul into the dance and moved his body to the beat of the song his soft black hair flipped and jumped with every turn and swirl. Every step hit the beat to the exact point and was smooth and fluid. His actions had a sense of urgency and yearning as if he had been aching to dance since this morning.
That was Kai. He loves to dance and dancing is his soul.
When the song ended, he opened his eyes again with his mouth slightly parted. Panting for breath, he took the towel from the floor and started to wipe the sweat off his body.
“How was it hyung?” He laughed, brushing his black bangs off his eyes.
Chanyeol held his thumbs up and smiled, giving the answer that Kai always takes pleasure in seeing. It was almost like a robotic action that every time Kai danced; everyone praised him without fail.
It's not like Kai didn't deserve it, anyway.
“Hyung!” They both heard a loud slam and turned their heads to look at the skinny figure sprinting towards Kai, with a handful of colorfully wrapped presents and flowers.
“You’re practicing without me again!” Sehun pouted and laid the fans' gifts on the floor. He pushed his annoying hazel nut colored fringe away from his eyes that he'd always complain to the members about.
“We need to practice together okay. I can’t lag behind.” Sehun whined, putting on his sport shoes.
That was Sehun. He was constantly insecure about his dancing skills and tried to feed from Kai. Because of his lisp, the amount of lines he had in the song was very few so the only way to shine for him was dancing. In variety-wise he was fine, he was the maknae and being the youngest, he had a head start.
Chanyeol sighed and stood up, knowing that his time was up in the room. It wasn't like Kai or Sehun would be too pleased to practice with him; he'll only slow them down.
He stood up, trying to ignore the sore pain that was still there that was slowly starting to subside and be manageable- just like the interruption from Kai and Sehun. He’s giving in to them; after all they are the two younger members in Exo.
He packed his things and wore his navy blue hoodie then mumbled a short goodbye to them, for it wasn't like anyone cared about his presence--and he left.
.
.
.
It was raining and Chanyeol hated the rain. He loathed it very much and what was worse was that he didn’t have an umbrella with him. Pulling his hoodie up, Chanyeol stared at the vast amount of raindrops falling, contemplating if he should run--and risk falling-- or just walk and get drenched.
There were tons of reasons why he hated the rain and one of it was that the annoying fact that the rain constantly forces him to make decisions.
It’s raining- Should he stay indoors or go to the supermarket and get groceries like he had planned?
It rained a while ago- Should he go play football with his friends and get his new white shoes muddy?
It might rain today- Should he bring his umbrella along and add on to the heavy load he had now or just risk it?
Chanyeol despises making decisions. He's afraid that if he had made the wrong one he'd be living in regret for his whole life. He’s too pessimistic for his own good.
Another evident reason why he hated the rain was because the rain brings down the mood really quickly. A fine sunny day, perfect for a football match that he had planned with his friend to play was ruined by the annoyingly sticky, wet rain that poured right in front of him.
A wonderful day in school after receiving his excellent results for the mathematics test-- which he had worked hard for. He clutched on the test paper and made his way home happily, skipping a little as he walked on the unsheltered but faster route home. He couldn’t wait to tell his parents about it, they would be so proud.
Then the irritant little midget raindrops just had to fall. What made it worse was that it didn’t just drizzle, but poured like freaking cats and dogs. Cursing under his breath, he had tried to find a sheltered spot. He ran to the nearest one--which wasn’t near at all--and he was drenched. Much to dismay, the test paper was soaked as well. He felt his heart drop to his knees when he saw the smudgy red marks- it looked like a bop of red ink. Way to ruin the mood mother nature.
Maybe he’s biased but what confirmed his hatred to the rain was none other than the day he lost his center position to Kai.
“Chanyeol-ssi, we are pleased to announce that you will be appearing in the first teaser and will be the main member to be promoted in the many teasers awaiting to be released for Exo.”
He had jumped for joy, he knew that the teaser meant a lot, and that his face and his dancing skills would be showcase a lot as well. His popularity in Exo would be a head start. He will be the shinning star in Exo and the thought of it made his heart quiver in his chest out of pure excitement.
Then the fateful day came when he had to make his way to the studio to film his first teaser. It was raining but he was determined not to let the weather bring his mood down. After all, it was indoors and it wasn't like he could see or hear the annoying sound of the raindrops.
Opening his umbrella, his eyes swept around the vast of unsheltered space in front of him. This is it he thought. He just has to cross the space and the first step to stardom was done.
Adrenaline rushed through him and he made a dash to the studio.
Blame his adrenaline that made him feel that way or blame the rain.
He slipped on the slippery floor and suffered from a twisted ankle and scraped knees. But that didn’t hurt so much compared the fact that he had just lost his golden chance.
“Chanyeol-ssi you should be more careful. It’s all right don’t fret and concentrate on your recovery. I’d got Kai to cover it for you. He will be replacing you.”
His heart sank so low and tears threatened to spill out of his eyes.
Because of that, he’s always at the back now. Without the head start in the teasers; his popularity wasn’t very admirable. And because of the rising popularity that Kai received, he was given more lines in the song and danced in front all the time.
Chanyeol didn’t mind at all, but he minded when the lines that were given to Kai were being taken away from him. And he minded when Kai danced in front and blocked him most of the time. His chance to shine was so dim and he wondered that if he left Exo- would it make any difference?
Chanyeol hated the rain and was peeved by it to the core. Although he tried not to let the wet mess rub onto him but failed every time. And every time it rains, it only reminded Chanyeol about the opportunity that he had lost.
And now he stands in Exo, being the rapper and vocalist. Feeling like the worst in there and he isn’t happy at all. Not that he can’t sing or rap, but the lines given to him was too few for his liking. And it was not as if he got lisp like Sehun. At least Sehun gets the limelight for being a great dancer.
He felt disgustingly mediocre.
“Yo main rapper-happy virus Chanyeol wassup!” A happy and vibrant voice that stood in contrast to the situation and weather was heard. He turned around and saw Baekhyun standing there, holding on to a light blue umbrella with a bright smile that lit up the whole area on his face.
He quickly made his way towards Chanyeol and hit him lightly, chuckling. “Yah- staring at the rain? You like the rain? I love it!”
“You like the rain? Why?” Chanyeol stared at the dark haired, short man beside him in disbelief and made proceeded to make a distressed face.
Baekhyun simply flashed him a smile and pondered for a while.
“Well there are many reason why I love the rain. The smell of the rain, the sound of the raindrops, it’s so soothing like a lullaby.” He opened his umbrella.
“And whenever there’s a rain, there’s a chance that a rainbow will appear. People are always thinking about how great the sun was and that there are many things you can do when the sun’s out. But they tend to forget the goodness of the rain. The rain compliments the sun and without it people will not appreciate the sun. Moreover without the rain we cannot survive. It’s equally as important as the sun. People are constantly whining about how the rain ruin their plans outdoors but that doesn’t mean that they have nothing to do indoors right? The rain ruined the plans of a teenage boy wanting to go out with his friends qnd forces him to stay at home. But it had allowed him to bond with his parents that he rarely talks to. It’s all about seeing the positive side.”
Baekhyun clung onto Chanyeol hands and pulled him closer.
“Let’s go Yeollie!” Baekhyun yelled and used the umbrella to shelter him to the nearest metro station.
“Thanks Baekhyun,” Chanyeol gave him a smile when they reached the metro station and Baekhyun waved it off.
“That’s what teammates are for. We’re all together and we will always help each other! You look so down whilst staring at the rain man, cheer up. I’ll always be there for you, Exo will always be there for you. After all we compliment each other just like how the rain compliments the sun. We can never succeed without each other.” He smiled and gave Chanyeol a comforting pat before leaving.
Baekhyun’s right. No matter how small his role is in Exo, a role is still a role and everyone is equally important. He contributes to Exo popularity as well, being a happy virus that he is now. And the fans love him because of his upbeat and vibrant personality. Kai might be in charge of dancing with Sehun, D.O and Baekhyun might be in charge of singing and Suho’s in charge of being a reliable guardian of Exo but his place in Exo- the happy virus can never be replaced.
He’s still young and there are still many opportunities to strive. He can’t just let a small accident falter his morale- at least not when he could have prevented it. He’s going to give it his best shot to prove himself wrong, and that even being almost like a third string- he can still make an impact in the group.
That day he went home with a whole new determination and mindset. He didn’t loathe the rain as much anymore. Chanyeol had learned to forgive himself, just like how he had forgiven the rain.
(a/n) I'm new to LiveJournal, like really new. I don't know how this work, but I'm posting this drabble as a test. SOMEHOW I WILL FIGURE THIS OUT AND I WILL KNOW HOW TO USE THIS.
In the mean time, you can visit my AFF account, in the name of Ataraxy, where I have some stories posted there. I will shift some of them here, WHEN I FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE THIS.
Thanks for reading, AND IF YOU ARE KIND, CAN U TEACH ME HOW TO USE LIVEJOURNAL?