Power in Every Step
Suhyeon stood alone in the middle of the practice room, feeling utterly exposed. The six members of Pink Berry and the five from BBG—eleven in total—were lined up against one wall, watching him with curious eyes.
Whew. Standing here by myself is embarrassing as hell. Are they messing with me?
Suhyeon replayed the recent events in his mind. The six girls from Pink Berry had burst in wearing short shorts that flaunted their stunning legs, sparking a lively round of greetings. Then Seongbin had sidled up to him quietly.
"Suhyeon. Or should I say Suhyeon hyung."
Huh? What did this kid eat wrong? Calling me hyung out of nowhere?
"Hey, come on. Gyeongbin and I are a year younger than you. We decided to start calling you hyung from today."
"Doesn't matter to me, but it's kinda random."
"You know how it was before... Felt weird calling you hyung back then. But now it's fine."
"Got it. Do whatever. Not a big deal anyway. So, what's up?"
"Hyung, could you dance that part again? The one you just did? I wanna check something."
"You wanna see my dance again?"
"Yeah, I wanna watch you dance it one more time."
"Why? Did I mess up a move?"
"No, it's not that. I just wanna see it again."
"By myself? In front of all these people? Embarrassing?"
"What kinda nonsense is that? If idols get embarrassed dancing in front of people, how are we supposed to survive?"
In the end, Suhyeon gave in to Seongbin's persistence and performed a solo dance. Moments later, the music for Rollercoaster Boy started playing, and his performance began.
As Suhyeon's dance progressed, the curious and expectant gazes from Pink Berry and BBG gradually shifted to ones of awe.
Nearing the end, Seongbin and Gyeongbin—the BBG members renowned for their dancing—locked eyes and nodded.
When Suhyeon's solo finally wrapped, applause and exclamations erupted.
"Oppa, you're so cool!"
"Danced like a pro. Oppa is the best."
"Suhyeon hyung, insane! Your moves are killer."
"Suhyeon's dancing has gotten even better than before."
"Sunbae-nim, you're amazing!"
Flushing slightly from the attention, Suhyeon approached Seongbin after finishing.
Good grief. More nerve-wracking than facing Wudang's Taiji Sword in the martial arts tournament finals.
"Seongbin, you see what you wanted? Is there something wrong with my dance?"
"It's not a problem, hyung. Your dancing's gotten way cooler than before. Feels like you dance better than me now. How do I even describe this vibe?"
At that moment, one of the Pink Berry members—a shy girl wearing loose socks named Erika—spoke up in a tiny, hesitant voice.
"Your dance has real precision. And it feels more powerful than before."
Seongbin clapped, agreeing. "Precision! That's it. Your moves have way more sharpness now. Overflowing with power... I dunno, it almost feels like a general or warrior doing a sword dance. Anyway, it's cooler than our original choreo."
"Really? I just danced it the way I've always done."
"Hyung, how'd you suddenly get this precise, powerful style? If all our members could dance like that, I could choreograph something epic for the next comeback. Can you teach us?"
Suhyeon paused to analyze the reason behind it.
Has to be that. Nothing else makes sense. Sigh. Telling them won't help anyway.
"Seongbin, do the highlight from Rollercoaster real quick. No music. I wanna check something."
Seongbin obliged, performing the sit-up-and-down move a cappella. Suhyeon watched intently and nodded.
Thought so.
"Hmm. Even if I explain, you probably couldn't replicate it. But listen up. Your dancing corresponds to the bright form in Zhan Zhuang Gong practice. Mine's closer to the dark form."
"Zhan what? Bright form? Dark form? What're you talking about?"
"Zhan Zhuang Gong is basically the horse stance—Ma Bu. The bright form is when you bend your knees for jumping, like hopping around. But my knee bend is for weight shifting. In martial arts, it's for stamping the ground powerfully, transferring load from top to bottom instantly for quick center changes. That's where the power comes from..."
Suhyeon trailed off, shaking his head. "Eh, no point. You wouldn't get it even if I explained more. To dance like me, you'd need..." He calculated mentally. "At best, six months of blood, sweat, and tears—if you're talented."
Instead of deterring them, his firm words lit up the members' faces, including Seongbin's.
"Six months? Plenty of time!"
"Right? Next comeback's longer away anyway."
"Six months for those moves? Worth it."
"We dancers should pick it up faster, yeah?"
"Three months tops, I'd say."
Suhyeon stared in disbelief as they chatted.
"You idiots! You only hear 'six months' and ignore the 'blood, sweat, and tears'? You've never even shat blood once and you've lost your minds."
"That tough? We've been training dance since kids—we can handle it."
Suhyeon snorted. How many quit martial arts because they couldn't endure it? Tsk. They'll cry when they see the coffin.
Realizing more talk was pointless, he wrapped up. "Fine, fine. Next time, I'll teach you super nicely. Anyway, let's move on. Time to see Pink Berry's dance."
Pink Berry's interim leader, Jiyeong, raised her hand. "Yes, sunbae-nim! Girls, come forward."
They formed a pyramid in the center. Jiyeong, at the front center, explained.
"We're a pilot group, so no original songs yet. For tomorrow's event, we're doing the trending Pick Me Up, and 2NE1 sunbae-nims' I Am the Best and Fire. Please watch nicely. Music, please!"
Pick Me Up's MR started, and the bubbly six girls launched into their cute choreography. BBG joined in with excited backup vocals.
"~Sweet shining light toward you, just for you~"
"Hey! Baby, show you my paradise!"
"Pick me, pick me, pick me up!"
"Pick me, pick me, pick me up!"
Watching BBG's sing-along, Suhyeon shook his head. Boys will be boys. But yeah, they're adorable. Solid vocals and dance. Pink Berry could blow up if they play it right.
He settled in to watch properly—then spotted something off.
Hmm. Can't let that slide.
Suhyeon shot to his feet. "Cut the music! Stop dancing—now!"
The track halted, and Pink Berry froze. Marvin shot Suhyeon a loud glare. "Dude, what the hell? I was enjoying it. You're embarrassing them."
"Shut it! Hey, Erika? That you? Come here."
Erika, the one called out, approached hesitantly, face tense.
"Sit."
"Why, sunbae-nim? Did I mess up?"
"Haa. Such a dummy. Just sit, I said."
She sat reluctantly in front of him; Suhyeon plopped down too. Onlookers chimed in.
"Sunbae-nim, don't scold Erika."
"Suhyeon, chill. Use words."
"Hyung, you crazy? What's this about?"
"Erika... Sunbae-nim, please don't get mad."
"Quiet, all of you! Erika, your ankle's completely wrecked, isn't it?"
"Huh? No, it's fine."
"Bull. You're pushing through for tomorrow's event, right?"
"No, really, no problem."
The murmurs died instantly.
"Then take off those socks."
She hesitated; he added, "I know my rep as a thug, but I don't harass junior girls. Just do it."
She slipped off the loose socks, revealing a bruised, swollen ankle by the peach bone. Gasps rippled around as Suhyeon clicked his tongue and reached out.
"Tsk. Dancing like this? What are your members and manager doing? Didn't even notice. Let me check how bad."
He gently touched the swollen ankle. Then the door flew open. A burly man with a short crop and tough face bellowed.
"Pink Berry! You guys here?"
All eyes turned. He spotted Suhyeon touching Erika's ankle.
"Hey! You! What the hell are you touching?!"
As the man yelled, Suhyeon felt Erika's body shudder violently through his hand on her ankle.
Ho. What's this? Feels real nasty. This slimy vibe...
The man's face twisted in rage as he charged. Suhyeon stood slowly, expression hardening. As the man lunged close, Suhyeon slid his left foot forward like skating on ice—in the dark form of Zhan Zhuang—and stomped down with a powerful Zhen Jiao.
BAM!