“Wait, back up a moment. You’re telling me this guy can’t sing, or dance, or rap?”

Namjoon shakes his head, “he can’t do jack ,”

“Then what’s the point of having him around?”

“I would have thought that was pretty obvious,”

Donghyuk sits slackjawed across the mixing desk, sporting an expression that makes it clear he has no idea. Namjoon places a hand firmly on the crown of his head and diverts his gaze to the recording booth.

“Look at him.”

Beyond the glass Seokjin is fiddling with the corners of his lyrics sheet, mumbling something too quiet for the mic to pick up. He’s stalling, Namjoon doesn’t know much about him but he knows that embarrassment is Seokjin’s default emotion and Donghyuk isn’t very good at being supportive of the less talented trainees. Small wonder no one feels like doing another take.

Donghyuk looks back to Namjoon, nonplussed, “what am I supposed to be seeing here?”

“He’s pretty, idiot. They hired him for his face.”

“Yeah well a face alone won’t make it to debut”

“It might, if it does it won’t be the first time.”

Donghyuk makes a face, “you don’t think he will though,”

“He’s tone deaf and he has no sense of rhythm, Bang PD isn’t stupid enough to actually debut him. If Seokjin had half a brain in his head he’d have gone to SM when they asked him,”

“Nah I don’t think even SM would be interested in this idiot,” Donghyuk chuckles

“Well you never know, they let that Kris guy onstage,”

Donghyuk’s laughter is infectious enough to have Namjoon cackling back at him. In the back of his mind he’s aware that he’s being an arsehole, but right now he’s had enough of Seokjin’s bum notes and incorrect timing not to care.

The door of the recording booth slams open. Seokjin marches over to the other side of the room to grab his bag, he doesn’t even look at the twwo boys slouched over the computers,

“Hey!” Donghyuk frowns at him, “where are you going? You still need to record the second verse,”

Seokjin fixes him with an ice cold stare, “Why don’t you get Namjoon to do it if he’s so very talented?” 

They look between each other like they have no idea what he’s on about. Seokjin’s eyes narrow.

“I can hear you in there you know? The mics work both ways,”

Namjoon and Donghyuk glance at one another, eyes wide and mortified. Idiots. Both of them. How could they be stupid enough to forget that only in the main studio do they have full control of the speakers.

Namjoon starts up an apology before Donghyuk gets a chance to stick his foot further into his mouth, “hyeong I’m really-“

“Oh give it a rest Namjoon there’s no point in apologising now,” Seokjin tugs the studio door open and makes to leave, but changes his mind at the last moment and rounds on the pair of them again,

“And for your information,” he points a crooked finger accusingly in Namjoon’s direction, “pretty faces sell more records in this business than musical talent. I’m a more valuable asset than you.”

Anger flashes across Donghyuk’s face, “Bang PD wouldn’t even be trying to put this group together without Namjoon, he’s the reason you’re getting to debut at all.”

“I’m getting to debut because I’m pretty, Namjoon’s getting to debut because Bang PD wants him to. If Bang PD changes his mind then there’s no more group for Namjoon to debut with, but I’ll still be pretty,” Seokjin turns back through the door, “there’s always gonna be someone who wants me to debut.”

The door clicks shut and for a moment Namjoon and Donghyuk sit in stunned silence.

Donghyuk is of course the one to break it,

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he mutters, pulling up Seokjin’s audio files on the computer. Everything sounds just a shade too sharp and the vocal quality is horrible.

Namjoon wrinkles his nose, “I’d say he knows exactly what he’s talking about, but he still can’t sing.”

And for now, that’s going to have to be consolation enough.