Kai’s POV

            I glanced again at my watch for the nth time. Was it even working? It feels like we’ve been practicing here in the studio for hours. I’m tired. And how I wanted to take a rest now. I can see the others complaining, but I never wanted to complain. So I instead did what one of our choreographers told us to do. Switch positions, one step to the right, another to the left, and so so so. The steps were easy, not really complicated... but tiring. Especially when you do it again and again and again.

            And as for my case, being the main dancer of one of Korea’s well-known groups, it really is a big pressure. It feels like I’m carrying a big burden in my back. But, I got this far... after all the hard-work. There’s no room for complaining.

            *sigh I pulled myself to a corner in the studio and rested my head in the wall. I’m tired. My sweat is dripping all over me, but I let it that way. I just sat there, adjusting myself to a better position.

            “Hey, Kai. Water break.” Chen said as he handed me a bottle of water.

            “Thanks.” I said, then chugged the bottle of water and sprinkled some on myself.

            “Then, after that... we’ll be performing the steps. From the top.” He said with a sarcastic chuckle.

            “Great. Just great.” I replied sarcastically. I closed my eyes and stretched out my legs on the floor, allowing every bit of my muscle to relax. I tensed as I felt some of my muscles aching. Chen did the same. And I can see from his expression that his body is also complaining. “But we have no choice, but to just do it.”

            “Yeah, yeah.” His voice fading into a sigh. He turned his head to me then went back to its former position. “I just wanted to rest, while we still have time. I wish time could go by slowly as I take a nap.” He said again with a chuckle, then closed his eyes as he get ready for a short doze.

            That will never happen, I thought. Contrary to what I’ve been silently complaining before, time goes by so fast that sometimes we don’t notice. Time really is relative. A second can last forever, and forever can go by in a second. I remember myself struggling to show the world my talents, now I get to show everyone what I’ve got. I’ve been through a lot to get to where I am now. It took a lot of time. But it seems like all of it just happened yesterday. A lot has changed. But there’s just a part of me that’s missing. And I wonder what that was. Or maybe, with this busy schedule I have, I’ll never get the chance to know what that missing piece is.

            I opened my eyes. I turned my head from left to right, observing what the members were doing. They’re all tired, just like me. But, we have to work. MAMA is just a month away, there’s still a lot to practice and a lot to prepare. Yes, MAMA , Melon Asian Music Awards. Our first MAMA as a group. Our goal is to get an award, nothing will happen if we just idle and complain. This is something so special for us, so we really have to work hard. We really have gone so far for a rookie but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need to work hard. I made a mental note to remember that.

            So, I drank the remaining water in my bottle and stood up. Chen was startled. I just eyed him, telling him to do the same. His eyes whisper what.

            “Let’s get everything done. So that, we can go back to our dorm and get the sleep we all deserve.” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. But, they just responded with their sighs.

            “Nah. Just a moment, Kai. We’re still on break.” Chen remarked, his legs still sprawled on the floor.

            “I don’t think I can stand up. My body is just too tired.” Baekhyun remarked. I held out my hand but he just replied to me with a sigh. So, then I forced him to stand up. “And I’m hungry.” He said as he finally got himself to stand up.

            I heard murmurs of agreement. Then, I just realized that we hadn’t eaten anything in the last four hours and we hadn’t even had a proper meal. I, too was hungry.

            “Urrgh, I’m still tired.” Chanyeol said.

            “We’re all tired here, guys. So, c’mon. Let’s just finish this off.” I said. Sometimes, it could be pretty hard to convince these guys. So, I looked over Suho for help.

            “Kai is right. If you wanted to rest, let’s get everything done. C’mon now everyone.” Suho said calmly. With that, everyone stood up from their places. Good thing, they’ve fallen for Suho’s magic.   

            “Mister Hee, we’ll start now.” I said.

            “Okay, then. Remember your solos, your positions. The steps. Everything must be synchronized, must be clean and must be perfect. Understood? Now, on your places!” He said with a clap.

            We all replied with a nod and went to our first position. I made a few stretches first. Then upon hearing the first beat of our song ‘Growl’, the part of me who loves to dance has come back to life. I danced with the beat and have correctly performed the steps well. The song was followed by ‘Wolf’, a variety of steps were added for our performance in MAMA, but thankfully, even though we still committed some mistakes, I think we have done well.

            Satisfied with our performance, our choreographer finally allowed us to go back to our dorm and take a break.

            “Remember the steps, okay? But, I think there’ll be more changes. We still have to check the stage. There’s a lot to prepare! You can go now.” He finally said. YESSSSS! But, we still have to go back there the next day which . We all really needed a day off. Maybe just before MAMA. But, I don’t think they will let us.  “And, before I forget, we will be celebrating Donna’s birthday tomorrow, here in the studio. She’s obviously out with the other choreographers to prepare the party. You are all expected to come, and besides... you wanted a break right? There’ll be no practice tomorrow.” He said with a grin.

            We were elated by the happy news. Break, just exactly what I needed. And I get to eat too. Haha. I’m just so happy to finally get a break from it all. I can see from the other members that they’re also happy, especially Baekhyun, who just can’t keep his mouth shut because of happiness. I wonder how he can still have all the energy even after practice.

            “And, reminder.” The room fell silent. “Enjoy it. You won’t be getting these kinds of breaks after tomorrow.” Mister Hee said teasingly and we all laughed. Yes. Enjoy. I’ll definitely enjoy this.

            So, we then proceeded back to our dorms. I’m too tired to walk. But I just can’t get wait to take a rest now. And it’s much better than to just stay there in the studio.

            I was the first one to reach the door. I immediately went to my room to get a towel and proceeded to the bathroom. I needed to shower. I’m wet with my sweat. The cold water would be of great help to remove all the tiredness. I was about to open the bathroom door when Luhan called from behind me.

            “Kai! Can I take first wash? I have to go to the hospital, a friend just called, I have to go and make a visit. If that’s okay with you. I’ll just make it quick.”

            “Yeah, sure hyung. I’m really not in a hurry.” I let him take a bath first. Some of the members would like to take a bath, too. I ate a light meal while waiting. Then after a few minutes, Luhan emerged from the door.

               “Thanks, Kai. I’ll go now.” He said as he quickly made his way out of the dorm.

               “Where is he going?” Chanyeol asked. I can see the curiosity from the others so I explained to them why he’s in a rush before going in.

               After that, I proceeded back to my room. It’s still afternoon but D.O. was now asleep. He didn’t even bothered to shower, just changed his clothes then slept. He must be really tired.

            I blow-dried my hair first before going to bed. I looked back on what had happened earlier. Nothing interesting. But, tomorrow. Donna-noona’s birthday, a day to celebrate. A day for a break. It was really a day to look forward to.