Shim Jang’s POV

By the next morning, maknae Gongchan’s “y” body revealed at Dream Team 3 was posted all over the internet, as well as overflowing praise for JiHyun’s Immortal Song 2 performance, and win. JiHyun had won against Beast’s Yoseob (his sunbae), SISTAR’s Hyorin, 2am’s Changmin, Secret’s Ji Eun, and SHINee’s Jonghyun.

In his interview, JiHyun had explained, “If I hadn’t trained for Universe, I would never have been able to sing like that. I’ve always been the “flower boy” with sweet vocals and a generic guitar line. But thanks to Universe and to all of my kind sunbaes, I am able to take on difficult rock ballads and put my thoughts and emotions into them. The members are working hard at Dream Team 3 right now, and we are all working very hard to produce four albums in a short amount of time. Please support Universe, and we will show you the best of us! Thank you!”

“How is it”, I asked JiHyun, as I shut off the television, “that you always manage to advertise Universe one way or another?”

He smiled at me and said, “Because it’s the truth. Universe has changed who I am.”

“How?” , I asked curiously, “I don’t feel like you’re any different from when we started.”

JiHyun opened his mouth, then hesitated, and said, “When you’re old enough to drink, we can talk about this as we down some shots.”

“Wha-?”, I started to say.

“Hey!”, Jaesun yelled at JiHyun, “what are you teaching her over there?”

“Hey, Kyu”, JiHyun called to Kyuhyun, “Have you gone drinking before?”

“Hyung… I’m nineteen. Of course not…”, Kyuhyun said, looking confused.

JiHyun nodded and said, “I see Universe is made of very dedicated and honest children.”

“Does that make you happy?”, I asked him.

He nodded, smiling.

His pose reminded me of a father…

“Have you thought of life after music?” , I asked aloud, to everyone.

There was a pause, and then Jaesun said, “No, I can’t imagine doing anything but music. I don’t want to do anything but music.”

I nodded and said, “Me either.”

Kyuhyun nodded, and JiHyun agreed.

“Isn’t that why we’re all here?”, Kyuhyun asked, smiling.

I laughed and offered JiHyun a hand and pulled him up.

Jaesun pulled up Kyuhyun and we all walked to the JYP dance studio to practice.

At 3pm, we were all set to go on stage for the Star Dance Battle’s.

Twenty different idol groups were present, and we had been matched to each other. Three technical judges would vote on the winner.

These were the matches:

Beauty Queen Competition. IU vs. KARA

Beast Boys Competition. Beast vs. MBLAQ

Charismatic Girls Competition. After School vs. 4min

Old School Dance Competition. Super Junior vs. SS501

Comedian Dance Competition. Shin Bong Sun vs. 2am

Sunbaes vs. Hoobaes Dance Competition. SNSD vs. Epik Love! [Part 1 [the First 1:00], Part 2, Part 3 w/ Jaesun, & Part 4] [For some reason, I always see the red-headed girl as Shim Jang.]

Brothers Dance Competition. Seungri vs. Taeyang

Hot Acrobatics Competition. 2PM vs. Chrome [Acrobatics Dance w/ Help from many Extras!]  [1^st Guy To Do Flare is Kyuhyun, 2^nd Who Jumps is Gongchan, 3^rd with the Beanie is Sky, Guy with Red Hat at 1:18 is Jaesun, Guy at 1:43 is JiHyun]

Flowers Boys Competition. ZE:A vs. Infinite

Famous for Choreography Dance Competition. TVXQ vs. SHINee

I was very nervous about going against SNSD sunbaenims. I mean, we were only rookies, why weren’t we up against a newer group?

But this is a chance to prove myself…No, no, I can’t be greedy…

“Okay, we’re up next”, Chan Hee said, “Listen, guys… we’ve all been so busy lately getting ready for everything… but this is just. Just enjoy this stage. Just be yourselves. These dances are the easiest things compared to what we’ve prepped ourselves for. So just dance like we usually do. And the results will be what they will be.”

I didn’t fully accept that what will be will be, because I knew I could perform well enough to change the results, but Chan Hee’s words helped to calm me down… helped me to gather my focus.

And I felt myself slip into that zone, that area devoid of thoughts, and I just let my body flow, move, as I performed Bi Rain’s Rainism solo.

I could clearly detect, amongst the screams, not only the cheers of Chrome, but also of Taeyang oppa…

I pushed myself as far as I could, putting so much energy into all of my moves.  

God, this is living.

And then it was over, just like that.

We were ushered off the stage, and the end felt so abrupt, that I nearly tripped flat onto my face.

Luckily, someone caught me.

“Clumsy off-stage, huh?”, that person whispered to me. Then, he let go of me and passed me to get to the stage.

!!!

That was Taeyang oppa! I didn’t even greet him properly.

“Shim Jang, come on”, Soo Ri said, and gently pulled me backstage.

As we went through the backstage rooms to get back to the audience seats, we ran into the rest of Big Bang, who had come to support the Seungri and Taeyang.

GDragon embraced Chan Hee, and Daesung and T.O.P. warmly greeted Epik Love! as well, T.O.P. patted my head and told me I was amazing before we left.

We also passed by 2am, and all of a sudden, Soo Ri turned red and put her head down. She speed walked and was out the door before the rest of us. But the remaining four of us bowed before we exited.

Chrome was just amazing; the roars from the audience completely raised the roof of the house.

I was absolutely sure they had won, despite 2pm also showing a fantastic display of acrobatics and nice bodies.

2pm had a score of 94, and Chrome scored 100.

I wasn’t sure about us, though, but we also scored a 100, and SNSD scored a 93.

All of us kept ourselves from cheering, showing restraint and modesty, but we left first out of all the idol groups so we could celebrate in our own vans and dorms!

What we didn’t know, though, was that all the other idols had stayed behind.

And that they were discussing us.

No One’s POV

“Is it just me or did anyone else feel like damn, Universe is good?”, Taecyeon of 2pm asked. He was sitting on the couch with Donghae of Super Junior and Seungri of Big Bang.

“Okay, Chrome ripped us apart… and I mean, we performed decent. Not our best, maybe, but still, that was some sick choreography we put together, and we were destroyed by them”, Wooyoung replied. Wooyoung was sitting on the couch opposite to Taecyeon, with Hyoyeon of SNSD and Yunho of DBSK.

Hyoyeon simply shook her head and said, “If I had known Epik Love was that good… I would have practiced harder.”

“How many months has it been since they debuted? Six, seven..?”, Donghae asked.

“Something like that”, Taecyeon replied.

“We’re going to be slaughtered by them if their albums are half as cool as they performed it tonight”, Donghae said.

“When did they say they were releasing their new Korean album? In a few weeks?”, Hyoyeon asked. 

“Yeah, three weeks. I actually asked Kyuhyun about that”, Taeyeon of SNSD said. She and Yuri of SNSD walked up to stand next to the couches. 

“Well damn. That’s the same week as my solo album”, Seungri sighed.

“You know what, though”, Yuri said thoughtfully, “I feel like they all have soul…Like… they’re not just performing for their fans… they’re performing for themselves.”

Wooyoung shrugged and said, “I can’t explain to you exactly why, but they really are stars. They shine on stage…”

“Are we talking about Universe?” ,Doojoon of B2ST asked, also joining them. Pretty soon, another three couches were pulled up. Taeyeon, Yuri, and Yoona of SNSD sat in one. Doojoon, Yoseob, and Junhyung of B2ST sat in another. And Eyoung of AfterSchool, Junho of 2pm, and Jinwoon of 2am sat in the last one.

“Who’s the most impressive out of Universe?”, Yoona asked casually.

“Soo Ri. She’s flawless with her vocals and she’s gorgeous when she dances”, Jinwoon replied automatically, and then he blushed a few seconds later.

“I wish I had her stylist”, Yuri complained, “Her hair is always so perfect.”

“Soo Ri’s always flawless. You know who caught my eye today though? Shim Jang. I mean, she’s so young. But she owned that stage today”, Junhyung said. He paused and added, “She’s grown up a lot. She’s different than when she was first put in Universe…”

“They’re all different”, Doojoon said fondly, “Oh my god, do you remember Eun Suk?”

“What about Eun Suk?”, Yunho asked, “Look, this stays here, but she’s completely my bias in Universe. The girl is fierce, and she’s a legitimate triple threat. There’s nothing she can’t perform.”

Doojoon opened his mouth to talk about Eun Suk, but-

“Shut up, we can’t talk about that here”, Yoseob said, punching Doojoon in the arm.

Yunho raised an eyebrow.

“You guys are lucky”, Eyoung interrupted, “to know them so well. I wish I knew Gongchan…”

“Taeyeon, aren’t you close with them?”, Hyoyeon asked, “Can you introduce us? Personally, I want to meet Kyuhyun… That boy is the definition of good-looking.”

Taeyeon laughed and said, “Hands off. Don’t you know? Krystal and Kyuhyun are dating.”

“What?”, Hyoyeon said, “Damn. Krystal’s a lucky girl.”

“Someone talking about my sister?”, Jessica asked, shoving Taeyeon over so she could sit between her and Yoona.

“Oh my god, if I could have your younger sister’s voice… What was her name? Soori? Laiqa? My goodness. Girl’s an absolute angel. And her figure? She may be young now, but you watch, boys…”, Yuri said, shaking her head.

Junho shifted slightly in his seat.

“You know what?”, Taeyeon said, not noticing Junho’s uncomfortable expression, “I just love the whole Jung family. Your little brother Jaesun is a figure of art as well, the way that young boys works his falsetto voice and sways those hips. Just indecent.”

Wooyoung laughed and said, “I think I’m going to kidnap him and teach him the real ssanti dance, soon. Jo Kwon can help me. The three of us will dance some Beyonce.”

Everyone laughed and Wooyoung had to promise that it would become reality.

“How are they even going to mature?”, Seungri asked, “They’re already so brilliant.”

“I heard they compose and choreograph all their own songs…”, Eyoung announced.

Donghae shrugged, “That wouldn’t surprise me. Kyuhyun used to help compose and choreograph a ton of Super Junior songs.”

“You know what?”, Yunho commented, “They’re obviously different, with their own style, but they remind me a lot of the old DBSK. When we were five…”

No one said anything, not wanting to speak rashly, but finally Junho said, “No, the old DBSK is untouchable, hyung.”

“Although”, Jinwoon said quietly, “the way Sky dances somehow reminds me of … Jaejoong. So smooth, so effortless.”

Yunho smiled and nodded, “I thought that too, today.  And Kyuhyun reminds me a little of Junsu. It’s good to see a rookie group like that. I’m glad they have heart.”

“It’s because they have good leaders, Chan Hee, and JiHyun”, Taecyeon replied, “You need good leaders to have a bit of heart.”

“All right, 2pm, 2am, we need to go!”, the managers called, and they cleared out.

 SNSD, DBSK, and AfterSchool left soon after as well, followed by Big Bang and Super Junior.

“Hey, Junhyung.”, Yoseob asked, as they started to gather their things as well.

“What?”, Junhyung asked.

“JiHyun beat me at Immortal Song 2 yesterday…”  

“I saw that…”, Doojoon commented.

Yoseob sighed and said, “If it had been anyone else, I would have been upset. But it was him… so I was genuinely happy for him… but I think… I think we all need to practice more. Before Universe overtakes us.”

“I’m a little afraid for them, though”, Kikwang said, as they headed outside.

 “Why?”, Junhyung asked.

“I don’t know… The sudden fame… Their hectic schedules… What if a scandal happens? What if the three Presidents disagree and try to split the group? They’re so young. They’re mature as artists, but not yet as just… people”, Kikwang wondered aloud.

“We would help them”, Doojoon answered firmly, “No matter how famous and good they get, they’re still our babies.”

Yoseob smiled as he climbed into the van after Hyunseung and Dongwoon, “Yeah, that’s right. They’re still our babies… And Epik High’s. Speaking of, I wonder how Epik High is doing?”

“Let’s call them”, Hyunseung said, and pulled out his phone.

“Yeah, let’s”, Dongwoon said, as Doojoon climbed in, and slid shut the van door.