Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 232: DANCE CHECK (I)

THE two groups assigned to [Over the Edge] were gathered in the same practice room, waiting. Today was the day Dyna, their dance mentor, would come check on the choreography they’d spent the week creating. No one knew exactly when she would walk in. She could be in another room right now, watching another pair of groups. The not knowing, the waiting, had everyone on edge. Making the room thick with tension.

Haneul was stretching on his group’s side of the practice room, trying to wake his body up. He’d gotten to bed late last night. After his own group finished practicing, he’d stayed behind to work on the choreography some more. Haru and Taeyang had shown up later, after their own practice ended. Haru had given him a lot of pointers, helpful ones too. Taeyang mostly just watched. He stood off to the side, eyes following Haneul’s movements, and whenever Haneul caught him looking, he’d glance away quickly, his face flushed. They actually barely talked.

It wasn’t until Haneul was lying in bed later that he understood Taeyang’s actions. Taeyang must have been reacting to the sensual parts of the routine he was dancing. That explained why he kept looking away whenever their gazes met, and why his face flushed so easily. The realization made sleep impossible, and Haneul found himself rolling around in bed like a lovesick teenager.

As a result, he’d woken up later than he normally did. There hadn’t been time for his usual morning exercise.

"Haneul-ah, don’t push yourself too hard," Jeon Hyunsik said, suddenly appearing beside him. "If you’re just nervous, we could talk instead."

No thanks, Haneul thought. But he offered the other a small, polite smile instead. "It’s fine. I’m just warming up so I’m ready to move smoothly when Mentor Dyna gets here."

After talking to Taeyang the other day, Haneul didn’t feel as worried about Jeon Hyunsik anymore. Just like Taeyang had said, if the other ever crossed a line, he could defend himself. It didn’t make Jeon Hyunsik’s constant hovering any less annoying, but the fear of what he might do was now gone. He wasn’t sure if it was because Taeyang’s words gave him confidence, or because knowing there was someone who would back him up no matter what made him feel safer. Either way, he wasn’t so worried anymore.

"Haneul has a point," Eunwoo cut in smoothly. "Maybe we should all warm up."

Suho got to his feet. "Yeah, good idea. Let’s do that."

Haneul glanced at Eunwoo and Suho, and his smile turned more genuine. With the three of them stretching together, Jeon Hyunsik had no option but to follow along too.

They kept at it for about fifteen minutes. Once they were done, Eunwoo told everyone to take a break. There’s no point in burning through all their energy before Dyna even showed up. Then another fifteen minutes passed. The door to the practice room finally opened, and Dyna walked in.

As soon as Dyna walked in, all eight contestants straightened up. They stood a little taller, waiting for what she would say next.

"Good morning," she said. Everyone greeted her back. "Let’s not waste time. You all know why I’m here. I want to see how much of the choreography you’ve put together this week. I hope you’ve been working hard. We’ll start with the first group."

The first group stood up and moved to the center of the practice room. They found their spots in front of the mirror. A few of them took quick, quiet breaths. One wiped his palms on his pants when he thought no one was looking. They all looked at each other, nodded once, and got into position. The music started and the four of them moved.

Lights flash, heart beats out of line

Pour it up, we’re runnin’ out of time

Breathless now, don’t ask what’s next

We’re already over the edge

The four stepped forward together with matching timing. They rolled their shoulders in one sharp motion and then snapped into place. One moved to the center while the others spread out behind him, all of them keeping their steps quick and clean. They dipped low to match the beat, then rose at the same time, their hands cutting through the air in steady, controlled sweeps. As the intro built, they picked up the pace. Tight turns, fast footwork, then a sudden stop right on the beat.

The first group started off strong. Their opening was clean, their timing on point. But as the song moved into the verse, things started to fall apart. One of them turned the wrong way during a transition and ended up out of position. That threw off the person next to him, who hesitated and missed his next cue. From there, it spread. Another fumbled a footwork sequence. The next forgot to drop low on a beat and stayed upright while the others dipped down.

Before the chorus hit, they were scattered, out of sync, visibly frustrated. But they managed to pull it together for the chorus section. Their movements lined up again, and they finished strong. Still, it was clear they hadn’t fully learned their own choreography yet.

Dyna watched them finish with an unreadable expression. "Your formation work was sloppy. The timing issues started early and snowballed. You each need to know not just your own parts, but where everyone else is supposed to be." She paused, looking at each of them. "That said, your recovery during the chorus showed me you have awareness as a group. You found each other again and finished together. That’s difficult to do when things fall apart. Build on that."

"Thank you, Mentor!" the four of them said at the same time.

The first group bowed quickly and moved to the side of the room, finding spots along the wall. Once they were settled, Dyna looked at the second group. "You four, go ahead."

Eunwoo glanced at each of his teammates and gave them a small, encouraging nod. Then the four of them walked to the center and took their positions. The music for their part of the song started. And they danced.