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To say the following day at the company was different would be the absolute understatement of the century.

To say the following day at the company was different would be the absolute understatement of the century. Manager Jaehwa had texted Sion before they crashed for the night to let the boys know they needed to be back at YG bright and early to go over a few more details for their debut and start official practice. After a chaotic morning rush through their new dorm, with one tiny incident… okay, so it was relatively small-ish... kinda... for the most part.

Junyeob just had to explain to a lost Wei where the hell they were because apparently, he was too high to remember about their new dorm situation when he rolled off of his bunk and nearly stepped on Seulki’s crotch resulting in a rather loud undignified scream that could’ve rivaled that of a pre-teen in a horror movie, of Seulki screaming in pain, Wei frantically trying to assure he was actually okay. At the same time, Jinseok cackled from his own bed, and Sion nearly smacked his head on the ceiling from being startled awake so abruptly. 

After Noel and Junyeob rushed in the room valiantly (read: simultaneously screaming with Noel waving around a broom in the air like a sword), with the maknae practically dragging on Haneul’s heels, plushy gripped in his free hand like a shield (to save his eomma-hyung of course~! Not because he was scared, not at all…) flanking the back things only really got worse before they got better. Junyeob ended up crouching and covering his head with his arms in fear, while the slightly taller clung to the broom, swinging it so ing insanely fast and wildly that Jinseok was almost beheaded.

Long story short, it was already a pretty crazy morning, and it was literally by a miracle that the eight of them somehow managed to make it to YG on time and in one piece. Sion was convinced it was an actual miracle. And if that wasn’t enough to have the eight of them haggard, well, the sudden strange treatment was… new and just as exhaustive.

Sion had expected their first day as rookies to be overwhelming, but this... too many analytical stares followed by plastic smiles he'd never been the recipient of before and the exaggerated bubbly greetings of people who previously paid him no mind.

All if it churned low in his gut with growing nausea from the discomfort of it all.

It was just now 7:04 am, and somehow every human being that was a part of YG was unusually present. And if that wasn't startling enough, they, the blackout boys, were the center of the whole shebang - the honored guests of the ball, and everyone was waiting to take them apart. Sion absolutely hated it. Hated the weird inflated, elaborate waves and aggrandized sidelong fluttering coy gazes of female trainees and staff tangling the growing knots in his belly.

What felt like hundreds of eyes followed their descent from the entrance doors, through tag checks, and across the food court and lobby floor. Thankfully no one had approached them yet - or Sion would probably die from social overload. The poor vocalist could only take so much interaction a day, and his limit was already blown WIDE just over the last hour.

This treatment wasn't normal at all, and really, it was taking every little strang of his will to keep himself standing upright instead of passing out in front of the crowd. Sion cleared his throat, quickly shifting his gaze away from the prying staff to look straight ahead. Down the expansive main hallway that really was more like a museum that hall considering the three stories worth of open space flanked by floor after floor of concession and mini-businesses inside of YG’s own inner-city layout.

YG was like its own fully efficient town, something the CEO felt great pride in, boasting their numerous amenities to his business partners and media alike. To even be a lowly trainee here meant a heavy load of responsibility to uphold YG’s ideals. Now, they were under even heavier scrutiny. They were no longer trainees… they were rookies now, rookies under YG entertainment, following their legendary sunbaes footsteps. And the first step was taking the coveted elevators at the very end of the hall.

The elevators were nearly untouchable - reserved only for debuted artists. Trainees weren’t even allowed to go near the silver encased, metal etched sliding doors. Sion could distinctively remember their grandiose design even in his sleep. Which he had actually, numerous times, just as many times as he had longingly stared from the distance of the food court and wished he was entering such exclusive territory.

“It feels kinda weird going this way rather than towards the stairs, huh, Sionie?” Noeul’s amused tone cut through Sion’s musings, and he jumped to attention, giving way to the lucid sharpness of reality. Serving to slightly relax the building tension mounting in the vocalist's shoulders. Sion tilted his head towards the taller, sending him a small, sincere, soft smile that wrinkled his nose, slanting his sharp fox-like eyes cutely.

Sion could already feel the mounting tension in his shoulders deflate under the lull of his friend's jovial mood and matching grin, though much broader and present, across his angular features, nearly goofy looking in width but the expression coursed warmed fondness across Sion’s chest. Noeul's favorable moods were always contagious, even if Sion usually wasn't privy to such aura shifts.

He found himself, more often than not, being swayed along in Noeul's tide, and it could be worse, he thinks, it can always be worse than Noeul's drifting waters.

“You’re very right… it’s unreal. I feel like we’re going to get scolded by the staff any second now.” Sion tells him, voice crackling with a glimmer of amusement at the dumb little secret, but his bets pay off when he's rewarded by the unmistakable hyena-like cackles Noeul doesn't even bother hiding.

Noeul laughed unabashed before lifting a hand to smack the slightly older boy goodnaturedly on the shoulder. The force behind the pat is what really surprises the vocalist because the poor boy is abruptly stumbling over himself from the sheer pressure, stomach swooping dangerously, and for a moment, he doesn't think he'll be able to stop the inevitable. But low and behold, fate seemed to finally be on his side, for the raven-haired male manages to teeter just so slightly back on steady feet.

Oblivious to Sion's situation, Noeul's carefree giggles echo around the room; bouncing off the incredibly high walls and out of his peripheral, Sion catches the peeping staff from behind the check-in desk whispering more frantically. He's quick to pull his own stare away, internally trying to trick himself into pretending he didn't notice, to dismantle the dark line of thoughts before they can even come.

Even if the company all around them is spreading a fair share of gossip, Sion was determined to avoid sinking into a sullen mood. He refused to dampen their official first day as rookie idols and have Noeul's sweet angular smile wiped from his face because some strangers wanted to judge them. But said actions will only worsen and grow stronger from here on out, the darker recesses of his mind so helpfully supplies.

“Hey! If I’m gonna get scolded anyway, I'd rather it be with my friend than anyone else.” The taller male chuckled, and Sion smiled a little bigger to himself, letting his thoughts crumple and dissipate, for the time being, replacing the heady fog with a lighter cloudy daze of content agreement.

The two might be very different, boasting opposite personalities, but over the last few years of vocal lessons and composing tracks together, Noeul had become one of his best friends. The tall, gangly goofball deserved this just as much as anyone, Sion thought. Actually, he was relieved that Noeul was here with him because if he were down another friend from debuting, he would inevitably feel insanely lonely right now.

“Let's try to avoid getting in trouble before we make it to debut, okay?” Sion says, but they both know it's a listless wish, and Noeul snorts with a shake of his head, causing his short messy dark locks to brush against his tall forehead. Lifting a hand, he carded his fingers back through the locks until they stuck up at the front and showed off the more prominent parts of his undercut.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that, Sionie~ you’re now stuck with me, wei, seulki, and Siha in one group. I think trouble is inevitable.”

This time, Sion doesn't fight the small bubble of laughter that escapes from his small, thin lips because Noeul is right regardless. BLACKOUT was destined for trouble one way or another. You couldn’t actually avoid it with those four around, not to mention Jinseok and Haneul by default.

Junyeob seemed to be the only other restrained one for the most part, and really that wasn’t saying a lot because he’d once seen the rapper cry over a picture of a lone squirrel because it ‘looked lonely without his other squirrel friends!! the world can be so cruel-’

But he'd settled for the cards he was dealt because, well, then again, things could always be worse. And really, who the hell would want to find out just what was worse than this lineup?

The group quickly reached the elevators, and Junyeob clicked the small silver button with a chorus of 'oohs,' and 'ahhs' from the maknae and fake maknae, Noeul at the little fancy dinging sound that followed as the cart arrived, doors whooshing open. The ride and short walk down the hallways were filled with Siha’s usual energetic chatter.

Sion and Noeul trailed behind the kids, letting them lead the way to YG's office and giving them the perfect observation of the maknae's antics. The kid could talk circles around anyone and could even hold a conversation with himself for hours. Sion knew this for a fact, had seen it with his own eyes, and heard the obnoxious voice with his poor ears. Siha’s talkative blabbermouth was well known around the trainees, which caused many of their peers to sprint away or hide at the sight of the maknae obliviously skipping down to the basement floor for dance practice.

Sion would’ve thought, or at least hoped, it would be way too early for Siha to be fully awake and buzzing with excitement, but he was very mistaken. The tall youngest target? Jinseok, his ‘bestie.’ and by the looks of it, Jinseok neither had no clue what the slow-witted male was saying nor did he want to understand.

Although, this wasn’t an unusual sight, really. Even before now, Siha was always glued to the brooding boy's side. Jinseok had once even interrupted Sion’s composing to ask if the older could ‘yah know...just look over my lyrics or something for a few minutes…’ while continuously glancing at the closed doors too intently to be normal. And it didn’t all click together until a yell from the hallway of “Where did my bestieeeee goooo!?” did sion realize jinseok was trying to hide from him. Of course, that day, he took mercy on the younger, after taking one glance at jinseok’s pleading wide eyes and let him stay in the studio for a bit longer.

But it seemed jinseok was destined to be stuck with siha forever. And who was Sion to step in fate's way?

“I wonder what haohao is doing without me? I’m so sad without my little baby around!!” Siha whined with a pout while he tightened his grip on Jinseok’s bicep to a grip that looked near painful. The other looked ready to explode if his annoyed expression and slight tick of the vein in his forehead were anything to go by, and Sion pretended like he didn’t see Haneul smirking at the younger’s expense.

“Who the hell is haohao?” Jinseok exclaimed, trying frantically to pull his arm free from Siha’s vice, but the much taller maknae held steadfast, practically dragging the other with him through the building. Sion's heart went out to the poor kid for his horrible luck at being the object of Siha's affection when he so clearly wanted anything BUT that.

“You know haohao! We have dance practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays with him! He’s younger than me and such a little cutie! I’m really disappointed he’s not in BLACKOUT with us. Hao has improved so much!”

At the mention of the much younger Chinese trainee, an abrupt weight dropped down through the aura, severing through the comfortable atmosphere. Sion blinked a few times as the shift in the air burst into a disdainful rain.

Siha, naive to the sudden mood drop, continued blabbering about his friend to Jinseok, and Sion awkwardly cleared his throat, gaze falling on to the boys walking in front of himself and Noeul. Haneul being the shortest of the group, it was easy to spot his shift, the vocalist's posture immediately seized up like a livewire, forcefully scrunching into himself as he snaps his stare away from Siha, though not fast enough that Sion didn't notice the hard look crossing Haneul's features.

Sion knew that look, recognized the cataloged reaction of Haneul's ticks reserved from the times when he was so antagonized that he had to physically shut himself down in order to avoid lashing out or blowing up. During those times of Haneul's strain, it was usually Yong who bundled the smaller male up and tugged him away.

Though the lanky dancer wasn't here...and Sion didn't feel comfortable interfering where he didn't belong.

From slightly behind Haneul, Seulki openly frowned, the angsty swirls of his expressive eyes giving away his sensitivity for the topic. Bless Siha for seeing the bright side, the leader frowned, but it was way too soon to discuss such a thing with each other, especially when not everyone was as close to the rest of the members as they were with other trainees.

Leaving their friends and other trainees behind to emerge as the sole victors was a hard reality to swallow, even for Sion, who had been at YG the longest. He had seen so many people come and go - and many others willing to stomp on their friends to get to the top, dropping years of friendships for even a tiny glimpse of fame that brushed like a flitting breeze. It had happened time and time again, and Sion had been told to harden himself to the inevitable because as trainees, you came here for one reason only - to debut.

You didn't enter one of the big three entertainment agencies to make friends or frolic around holding hands.

Sion still felt a crushing weight of guilt in his chest, but he tried to ignore it for the most part or face succumbing to more pain than necessary. That was the bitter truth, whether you wanted to paint a false rosy hue over it or not - this was the reality of the situation. They were debuting as just the eight of them, and that was that. And some took it better than others.

Jinseok didn't seem bothered by the fact because he knew what he was here for. The younger rapper was careful to clip any and every connection, breaking off the threads that could possibly tie him down - whereas Seulki, the beloved dancer, welcomed those threads - moreso going as far to wrap himself up until he was trapped in a web of connections and heartbreak.

Bitting his lip pensively, Sion watched the main dancer brush against Haneul's side, shoulders slumping along with the defeated tilt of his head. Sion waited for the inevitable of Haneul snarking off or pushing the older away, but when neither reaction came, Sion nearly blanched when instead the younger did the unthinkable - curling his petite hand around the dancer's forearm in comfort, just leaving it there.

The smaller male was still tense. His strained muscles give himself away, but somehow he wasn't lashing out, and Sion found it odd. The only people that Sion ever knew Haneul to not flip out on were Rose, Charlie, Minnie, and Sion himself. No one else seemed to notice the exchange, so Sion just blinked in his stupor before shaking the image out of his head - writing it off as the two sharing in the loss of their mutual best friend, Yong.

He had enough of social interaction for one day, so he would leave them be. Anyways, that's what he normally did best, leave people to their devices to focus on his own little world.

Tuning the angsty scene out, Siha's booming excitement easily colored the cloud, and the fondness in Sion's chest grew just a bit brighter from the adorable naivety. It was merely natural to give in to Siha's blossoming, brain-numbing energy. Either that or drift further into a sulk. Although, the pull didn't also relate to Jinseok. The rapper seemed actually wholly immune to everything, Siha. Jinseok stared at the other like he’d lost his mind, which frankly, no one was sure he had one in the first place, but that wasn’t the point!

Jinseok squinted, mouth falling open in surprise before narrowing his gaze to slits, though a resigned understanding snuck up his features, regardless if he wanted to show the realization or not. “are you talking about that Chinese kid, Mao or something?”

“YES!! Mao Jiahao! I told you that you remembered him.” Siha squealed and smacked Jinseok repeatedly in his excitement. His smile is elated, all big teeth and his doe eyes sweet crescents that could melt even the coldest heart...except for Jinseok, of course.

If anything, Siha's cute factor only made the other boy more irritable. Huh, Sion mused to himself, he really didn't believe that could be possible.

“He’s barely younger than you. Why are you acting like he’s a child or something?” Jinseok scoffed, eyebrows furrowing with his distaste, staring at the younger like he was the dumbest person on earth. Which, to be fair- he wasn't, but Jinseok was truly willing to bet his entire life's savings of ten thousand won that he was.

“Because it counts!! He’s still younger. Therefore, he’s my baby! Which means I'm not the maknae of the maknaes!” Siha stated like it was an obvious fact, though it really wasn't. However, no one pointed that out. Well, except for the king of bubble bursting himself, Jinseok.

“Regardless of your birth year, you’re forever the child out of everyone with your pea-brain. I bet even a third-grader could beat you in yearly exams.” the black-clad teen murmured darkly, though he failed to hide the smirk playing at the corners of his lips, smug and victorious. Jinseok shoved his hands into the pockets of the oversized black cotton hoodie drapping his thin frame, waiting for the sweet sound of Siha's offense.

And waited and waited some more until a booming laugh caused the brooding rapper to nearly jump out of his skin.

Jinseok whipped his head around to Siha, just in time to see the maknae's bright, toothy smile, giggles falling like a fountain from his pink lips, large eyes squinting with amusement. “Oh, Jinseokkie!!" Siha giggled wildly, clapping like an overenthusiastic seal, through struggling breathes of laughter, "You’re so funny! I wouldn’t take a third-grader yearly exam, silly! We’re in the same year, so obviously, we’d take the same test.”

The moment of silence that followed was tense as hell, well, except for Siha's cute giggles prattling around the hallway. Jinseok's tense shoulders only tightened at every burst of laughter before he released a loud, strained exhale. Sounding like he was holding back from giving in to his emotions and ripping up one of the numerous potted trees lining the walkway to YG's office to beat Siha with. But damnit, Sion was proud the kid was making progress at holding back his violent tendencies. 

“Please don’t associate me with you. I don’t want anyone thinking we’re on a similar level.” “Awww, that’s so nice of you to