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As I become the boy with no shame.
Malik soon joined Javi, tracing the outlines of Tae Hyun’s body in the air from behind, while Daniel and Jenny joined the circle, playfully reaching toward Tae Hyun before quickly pulling their hands out of reach. And a strange sensation settled on Tae Hyun–as if his weight and mass had disappeared. Only the slow orbits of the dancers and Malik and Javi’s near embrace kept him rooted in place. Tae Hyun closed his eyes as he started singing the chorus. The room’s energy was electrifying, and he fell into the song’s choreography without even thinking.
I’m the boy with no shame, a phoenix aflame,
Rising from the ashes, my body reclaimed.
Alex whooped. “Hell yeah! That’s it!”
The dancers unhurriedly moved into their positions, following Tae Hyun’s lead.
I dance to my own beat, no longer restrained,
Revealing my true self in passions unchained.
As he sang, Tae Hyun finally understood what Alex had done. He’d been so wrapped up in perfecting the choreo that he’d completely lost the song’s essence. It was an old habit drilled into him from his years as a trainee that she was helping him unlearn. Because those old songs weren’t his. Even when he’d contributed to the arrangements or lyrics during his laterXTCyears, the songs had come from KBR’s in-house writers or were purchased as part of their catalog. But Tae Hyun wroteBoy With No Shame. And it was more than just his song. It was him.
Tae Hyun’s movements felt natural and relaxed as he sang, inspired by his lyrics and buoyed by his choreography’s energy. He held his final pose at the end of the song, the dancers arranged around him in a rising spiral as he reached for the sky. His breath rang heavy, and sweat poured from his brow. But he knew he’d finally gotten it right. Alex found what he’d been missing, making all the difference.
“Well?”
Tae Hyun lifted his head, looked at Alex’s expectant expression, and nodded. “Yes.”
“Fuck yeah.” Alex smiled. “Okay, let’s run it again with the music.”
They ran through theBoy With No Shamechoreo a dozen more times before the end of the day. It wasn’t perfect yet, but it was far closer than they’d been before Alex’s little exercise. And they were close enough to perfect that Tae Hyun knew it was only a matter of time before they got there.
Seong Min had come in sometime during the final run-through and leaned against the wall near the door. He usually waited outside the studio during practice but knew they’d be done soon. He explained that he preferred waiting outside because it got too hot inside the studio. But Tae Hyun suspected it was really because he was so popular with the dancers, most of whom had already confessed to having a crush on him. Tae Hyun understood the appeal. Both the Song brothers were attractive. But Seong Min had the generous build and striking looks typical of Korean action movie stars. And he and his brother had also long ago done away with their simple black suit and tie uniforms, varying their looks to blend in better when required. For Seong Min, that meant more jeans, sweatshirts, and baseball caps. But even a bulky sweatshirt did little to hide his muscular frame.
While the dancers toweled off or changed, Tae Hyun retrieved his phone from his bag. He woke the screen to discover messages from Jason and Yun Seo. He read Jason’s first.
Nobody told me being a producer meant going to so many fucking meetings
Tae Hyun quietly chuckled. While he’d been practicing, Jason met with Naomi and Seong Woo to discuss arrangements for Tae Hyun’s upcoming tour, among other things. He felt guilty even as he was glad Jason had taken that on. And for all Jason’s complaints, he’d never shied away from taking care of anything Tae Hyun needed.
I promise to make it up to you later, Tae Hyun replied before checking his sister’s message.
Yoo Mi wants to know if you’ve done your fitting yet
Tae Hyun chuckled again, grateful he’d talked Yun Seo into becoming his Korea-based assistant. Not that it took much convincing. He’d offered her more than she would’ve made in whatever entry-level position she would’ve gotten after she graduated, thanks to KBR exercising his contract buyout. He’d almost refused it, given that it would mean forgoing any future royalties from his work withXTC. But Seong Woo suggested he take it after having his financial analysts run the numbers. It hadn’t made Tae Hyun wealthy by any means. But it did make him temporarily comfortable. And he appreciated having Yun Seo be a buffer between him and an increasingly neurotic Yoo Mi as her wedding fast approached.
Yes, last week, Tae Hyun replied.I must’ve forgotten to send you the confirmation. Sorry
“Here, have a drink.”
Tae Hyun looked up from his phone to see Alex holding a water bottle. He smiled and took it. “Thanks.”
Alex nodded. “For sure. So, tell me more about that song. I feel like I’m seeing it in a new light after your little performance.”
Tae Hyun quietly chuckled. “I think the lyrics speak for themselves.”
“Maybe, yeah. But the music is so much different than your old stuff.”
Tae Hyun knew Alex was a casual K-pop fan and was familiar withXTC’s old sound. “I never wrote any of those songs.”
Alex frowned. “Really?”
“Yes.” Tae Hyun snorted before unscrewing the water bottle’s cap and taking a drink. “Someone else did. Just like someone else made all our other decisions. What to wear. What our choreography would be. What we’d post on social media about it.”
