#de:code:may20

[rkseonho]

a new sound

@rkmg

May rolled in with the announcement of their first comeback song and seonho was more than excited for this. he was ready to once again be back on the promotion roll despite how exhausting the time had been. It was a good tired, a good ache in his bones at the end of the day. he loves the time spent with his hyungs on music shows and getting to meet with his friends who had long debuted before him. 

the excitement of the announcement of the day left him much to eager to sleep as they all made their way back to the dorm that night. bubbly and excited are terms often attached to seonho's name and it was almost tenfold right now as he bounced around the room shared with his two roommates. “hyung hyung hyung what kind of concept do you think this is going to be?” he asked, spinning in a quick circle to mingyu. “cool concept? bad boy again? I think we all looked so cool for our debut!! it’d be fun to do that again!!” he was bouncing like the energizer bunny, wanting to go back to the studio and work more on the new song.

[rkwon]

a little taste.

@rklino 

his cheeks haven’t been this red in a while. he’s never usually this shy to ask anything or to bring up topics of conversation, even those that aren’t the most flattering or positive. ( after all, him not having told the rest of the group about his childhood isn’t because he’s ashamed or embarrassed, but because he just doesn’t think it matters all that much anymore. ) but today, he’s eyeing minho from across the room, probably looking awfully suspicious with the way he rubs his thumbs against one another and shifts his weight from side to side. 

truthfully, he’s heard minho went for a print-ad photoshoot yesterday ( and brought back snacks, won has never been so grateful, but that’s still not why he’s here ). over the past month or so, he’s found himself wondering what it’d be like if he tried modelling, too. it started with his conversation with mingyu at fashion week, but it didn’t really start manifesting as a real possibility until this past month. he’s taken workshops, worked on feeling more natural in front of a lens, but just from their album photoshoot, he knows it’s hard to replicate that feeling in classes. finally, he huffs out a sigh and approaches the other dancer. 

“hey... so I, uh... you did that photoshoot for butter ring, right? the snacks you brought back? what... what was that like? I... I’m wondering if I should try it. modelling, that is. I just wonder if... I’d be good at it, but I’ve never really done anything like it before. what was it like doing the shoot, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

[rkhongjoong]

                       ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━        OST RECORDING SESSION  .        ━━━

it’s not his first time in a recording studio, but it is the first time he’s recording for his own solo ost.  that makes it different.  that makes it special.

practicing the song amidst comeback news and everything else happening over the course of the month has been a trial, but at the very least hongjoong has always been good at focusing on the things he cares about.  school? he’s not been so great at.  but focusing his attention on songs and music, performing and making people laugh are things that he cares about.  they’re things that hongjoong is inherently good at.

finding himself in the recording booth close to the end of the month feels like a whirlwind.  the month has passed him by with everything that he’s learned, all the news and the practice almost makes him wonder if he’s ready to give the song recording his best shot when he’s there.  but things will always be like this  -  maybe he’s slowly coming to terms with it, the sudden tornado that blows up out of nowhere and upturns him.

that’s what he’s been preparing all these years for, isn’t it? upheaval?

his noise cancelling headphones sit soundly on his ears as he stands in front of the mic, watching the open window and waiting for the sign that the recording will begin.  hearing the little voice in his head telling him that they will soon begin makes him smile and put his hands up to the ear pieces on the headphones, nodding his head with a little thumbs up.

given that this song is titled the same as the drama it’ll be used for, it’s bound to be the webdrama’s theme song.  that makes it important.  he’s not surprised when they ask him to record again, and another time over  -  just to get it right.  to get the right impact.  after all, it’ll be the song that everyone remembers  -  he knows enough about dramas to know that the main theme can stick with fans for a long time.

he wants to make it perfect.

and by the time the recording is done, maybe not perfectly the first time but perfectly by the end with the effort he puts in, hongjoong wonders what it’ll sound like  -  how his song will be worked into the drama when it’s released.

[rklino]

may 14th , 2020 butter ring promotional photoshoot.

when minho's notified of the photoshoot opportunity, he's a bit floored, to say the least.

it's nothing really that cool. just an ad for a cookie-- but it's something given to him, a modeling gig at that. he's never thought of himself of much of a model, much rather would be moving or dancing rather than sitting still for a picture. it's never been something to consider, especially with the other members of de:code. minho thinks the rest of them would fit modeling well.

he's nervous when he arrives. his smile and movements feels robotic, and he follows along to what the staff and his manager lead him through. he's a little stilted, way awkward he's sure. he's stared dumbly at the staff several times before scrambling to follow. some end of chuckling, but minho's far too embarrassed to act sheepish. he's red ears and stiff limbs.

he's thankful it's only  a simple ad. a couple of glamour shots and posing with the product. minho's tried the cookie before, several times at his grams. but he still feels kinda cheesy-- smiling small towards the camera. he directs his body the way they ask-- lift his head and force his smile wider.

he feels stupid.

when it wraps up, he feels relieved. a part of him feels a bit guilty, that his smiles are much easier to give, his form feeling way more relaxed now that he doesn't have to worry about the camera, about posing with a cookie product trapped in his hands. at least he gets to take a box of the product home, that's a good thing to come out of it. he makes a note to give one to each of the members, and then maybe take some down to his grams house. for old times sake.

and as they're leaving the location set, minho can only hope that the pictures come out alright, and he doesn't appear as stiff and weird as it felt taking them.

[rkkangjoon]

ROYALs WHITE LOTUS & DE:CODEs VICI Drama "Entertainer" Audition Scene Pinocchio (0:00-1:26)

excitement rose in him, when their manager notified him of a new opportunity that had come across his path. he couldn't quite believe it, when he heard about the chance to audition for a upcoming drama, just two months after debuting. playing a role in his company's webdrama prior to de:code's actual debut had been a lot of fun, and actig was definitely something kang joon wanted to do in the future, but he had never expected to be even considered to audition for the real deal so soon into his career. he had been overwhelmed about how well things were going for him lately, and it had make his anxiety spike, as he couldn't be too sure, when things would start to fall apart like they had always done, all of his life. in the end he had decided to just go with the flow and enjoy every moment, be grateful for every chance that came his way.

kang joon had been told to prepare a prefered scene no longer than two minutes, so after training he had sat himself down and browsed through several youtube videos on the look for any scenes to act out. maybe he should have go for a funny one, but he felt like this particular scene more at the moment.

the manager hyung asked him if everything was ready for him to go, after he memorized the lines, and with a smile he replied that he would just need someone to read out the lines of the other characters in the scene. as kind as the manager hyung was, he had offered himself and kang joon instructed the other what to do, after handing him a piece of paper on which he had noted down the lines.

he took a deep breath, shoke his limbs to relax, before amber coloured eyes mustered the manager. kang joon was getting into his role:

>> sucking in the air with a sharp sound, he presses the other against the wall, shaking eyes focusing them. "how did you know that story earlier?" he askes, facial features trembling, clearly agitated by the other person he had pinned against the wall. "the promise my father made about taking us to the fireworks and my mother not being able to buy anything at the market. how did you know all of that? only my family would know about that!" with every word he says, his tone gets angrier and louder. his amber coloured eyes are like fire, flickering wild as he couldn't understand how in the hell they would know about his secrets. the manager who read out the lines for the other roles and acted as mannequin, is pressed even stronger against the wall. kang joon's lips twisted into a thin line. "tell me. who did you hear it from!" he yells, not minding the heads of the other members poking around, when they heard the turmoil in one of the corners of the practice rooms. a camera was set up and recording them.

the manager than switches the roles and pushes him lightly, to which kang joon falls to the ground as if he was tackled by an attacker. he gets up again and grabs the manager by the collar, raising his voice once again: "move!" then he proceeds to push him into another wall, staring at him angrily, breathing cut short. he is called brother, and it irritates him even more. "i told you to not call me that." kang joon musters his manager in disbelief, when his character was supposed to shed a tear and reveal his identity to him. "what?" he is taken aback for a moment, lips shaking as he is looking for words. that guy was supposed to be his younger brother? hearing the name of his sibling shakens something in him, and he remains silent for a moment, but the anger returns within seconds and the hands around the collar grab him even tighter, hitting him against the wall once again. "shut up! ha myung is dead. he is dead because of reporters like you!" yelling, he could feel how his eyes tear up from the overflowing rage. how dare the other tried to play him? "shut up! don't lie to me!" how dare he would play with someone's pain?

kang joon froze for a few seconds, still holding tight onto the other man, as he stared at him angrily. his expression immediately softened up, when his manager told him that they were done and that he could now take a little break. results would be given on a later date.

[rkwon]

catch fire.

@rkbyunbaek 

won didn’t expect at all to already be working on a comeback song. after the radio silence in april, he’d assumed perhaps they hadn’t taken off like royal hoped or that they would be focusing on luxe’s newest viral hit as long as possible. he didn’t waste a moment of april’s free time, though, visiting home when he could and spending time with his and mingyu’s family, and he’s grateful for it now. he hadn’t known they’d be thrown back into the deep end immediately, but he would’ve kicked himself if he hadn’t taken advantage of such limited, completely free time — at least, as much so as possible for an idol. ( it almost felt like being a trainee again, but hearing their song on the radio sometimes reminded him that yes, debut did happen and yes, that is your voice, you’re in that group. it still hasn’t really sunk in in the quieter moments. ) 

he’s not sure if it’s strictly true but he feels like he has more parts this time, but perhaps they’re just parts he’s more excited about than before, or the initial debut nerves being gone this time around is allowing him to enjoy them more. either way, he feels more calmly determined in his drive to perfect them early and far more comfortable in seeking help from their leader and main vocalist, laying out the lyric sheet on the floor between his legs. he should probably stand up for this but if he can’t even do it sitting down, then he dreads to imagine how he’ll sound whilst dancing. 

“do you think I was a bit flat? I feel like something doesn’t sound right.” he repeats his first line again, and then once more. “am I just imagining things or am I not on the right pitch?” 

[rkhongjoong]

                 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━        COMEBACK NEWS & SONG REVEAL  .        ━━━

part two of the surprises this month: comeback news.

if he’s honest, he wasn’t expecting a comeback for awhile.  with luxe barely starting their promotions and seven o’clock just about finishing theirs, he figured it’d be at least another month or more before royal turned attention back to de:code.  royal has been surprising him a lot this month.  does it make up for the last month of boredom? the long days with nothing to do and nothing really to practice? maybe not, but at least there’s a lot more to do now.

when they’re gathered and he’s given the lines for the song can you feel it, he can feel his spirits lift a little.  their debut song was interesting to say the least, and he’d be lying if he said he absolutely hated it.  but this song strikes him as a lot less odd while still focusing on a sound that he finds pleasing.

hongjoong is ready to become nox once more.

again, his lines are there to grab attention  -  something that hongjoong thinks he’s particularly good at, and to have the last line of the song itself is a gift.  to say that he’s pleased with the distribution is an understatement, and he spins in his chair a little while he looks over them once, twice, three times more.

the highlighted verses haven’t changed, and his lips curve up a little at the corners.  (  he wonders what expression his mother will have when she listens to this song for the first time.  )  he’ll have to make sure to send them a copy of this future album, too.

[rkkangjoon]

. i can feel it | skj solo

ROYALs WHITE LOTUS & DE:CODEs VICI First Comeback Preparation - Can You Feel It (가미 오지)

even when he was hella excited about receiving the chance to audition for an upcoming drama so soon into his idol career, as soon as he heard about their first comeback, he could feel the shiver of excitement in his guts. their debut was just two months ago, but it already felt like some time had passed without them promoting a song and the surprise performance for the speak up! event some of his members were involved in as instructors weren't the same as the first promotion. it tickled in his fingers, he wanted to see more of this world out there, he wanted to stand on stage once again.

it was not enough, he wanted more. the world needed more de:code. kang joon wanted to leave a trace in people's heart and mind. and in his opinion music was the way into their heart.

their debut song had a strong and wild concept and the same energy was still conveyed in the newest song, though he had to admit that he slightly liked this one more. it was simply more his style, but actually he was pretty content with their songs so far. kang joon trusted royal entertainment and their choices and decisions, if they believed that this was the way to make their boygroup popular, then it should be. the royal garden wouldn't let them down.

strange how well he was cooping with things, when most of the time in his life, things felt like breaking down and shattering into thousand of pieces. life was treating him well, his career was thriving, he had the fullest support of his grandmother and his closest friends, was involved in different projects and for once he felt happy. so he looked forward to listening to the new song and receiving his lines. the future was bright.

[rkhongjoong]

       ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━        SPEAK UP APPEARANCE & POINT DANCE  .        ━━━

they’re still a new group and yet, looking around at the amount of people gathered to see them perform and to learn their dance  -  it almost feels like they have a million fans all over the world.  (  it could just be the size of the room playing tricks on him, but hongjoong still feels overwhelmingly grateful anyway.  )

their appearance was announced not long after finding out that his idea pitches were turned down for the speak up event.  though there was some disappointment, at the very least he’d be able to get involved with the event somehow, and with his group no less.  being able to dance and teach eager fans works well enough for him, even if things didn’t really turn out the way that he wanted them to originally.

in the end, hongjoong decides that as de:code’s nox  -  this outcome is just as good.  maybe it’s even better.

performing gorilla again is fun.  he knows they’ll probably end up performing it for years to come, especially in a few years time when fans who have been with them from the beginning want a taste of nostalgia and to see how they’ve grown as a group.  but for now, the song is still relatively new, still fresh in people’s minds and hearing the crowd chanting along to the lyrics  -  to the fanchant itself  -  still sends a shock of a thrill through him as he dances for them in time with the other members.

and as part of the dance line, as de:code’s one and only triple threat, he too takes it on himself to take helping teach the point dance first hand.  after all, that’s what the dance line is for, isn’t it? what’s more fun though, is what comes after  -  going around the room and helping with the choreography, pointing out the good and the bad and the improvements people could make with the sparkle of dark mischief in his eyes that only nox is known for.

so while the event started off as something disappointing, it ends as something inspiring.  at least, it does for him.

[rkhongjoong]

                        ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━        OST REVEAL OPPORTUNITY  .        ━━━

though april was fairly boring with a lack of things to do, may comes with it a new opportunity that surprises even hongjoong.

it’s rather early in the month when he’s pulled to the side, and he can’t help the quizzical raise of his brow when he blinks at the papers that are being slid towards him.  when he’s told though, that he’s being offered an ost for a webdrama  (  this early in his career?  )  he can’t stop blinking out of surprise.  “ wait .. they want me? to do an ost? me??”  the surprise in his voice probably makes his manager laugh when he gestures to the lyric and music sheets for hongjoong to pick up.  it seems like there’s a demo for him to take a listen to as well  -  it’s not the first time he’s seen this, but it is the first time he’s seen it solo.

but an ost? wouldn’t one of the vocalists be a little better for an ost?  true, he’s a triple threat and it’s true that he can sing a bit, but drama osts are well known for .. their amazing vocals, usually.

“ just take a look at it.  i think you’ll find that it suits you.” 

hongjoong purses his lips and flips through the sheets, pressing play on the demo to realize that it’s rap.  even the voice on the demo has a tone that sounds similar to his  -  maybe that’s why they thought of him first.  “ huh.  i guess i should have known osts range a little more than just the power ballads.  my mom works with them, after all ..”  he trails off, sucking in a breath through his teeth.

“ i’m allowed to take this, right? to practice?” 

this month might be a little interesting after all.

[rkwon]

I’m getting a feeling.

may 11th, 2020: first listen of ‘can you feel it?’ and line distribution.

he didn’t realise how sad it’d be watching a couple of the members already, only a week or so into the month, leave for solo activities. he isn’t the type to get lonely ( and could never with mingyu around, anyway, and that’s just how he likes it ) but sitting at the dorm, heading to practices to do the same things they had for the past month felt never-ending— like they were stuck in a loop of the same day. the monotony isn’t what bothers him, it’s knowing that he could have a taste of something a little different but can’t. he’s happy for the others, he isn’t petty enough to be explicitly jealous, but perhaps envious of their break from the same old is a better way to describe the ache in his chest. that’s why the announcement of their comeback track catches him so off guard, or at least that’s what he tells himself. 

on first listen, he thinks the track a lot gentler on the ears than their debut. ‘gorilla’ had made a statement and he would likely always love it for its significance in their careers, but the funkier yet calmer beat of ‘can you feel it?’ is much more to his tastes. where he feels comforted by the line distribution, though, he fears for the choreography. often softer songs will have less interesting dances, to help singers focus on their vocals or to match better with the song’s overall vibe. it isn’t always the case and he wouldn’t be that surprised if royal decided to go against his initial impression, but he knows to brace himself for it just in case. it’s not a bad thing to have an easier dance, especially on their members less experienced in the skill, but his true love whilst performing has always been as such. he adores singing, but dancing got him through everything. that being said, if every comeback was a fierce, high-impact, intense choreography track, it’d start to get boring, too — particularly for fans. he hopes one day they can promote a ballad, something with no dancing but a lot of heart and soul, but for now, he sits with his long legs stretched out in front of him, his lyric sheets between him on the floor, notations as always littered down the margins. 

he enjoys his lines more this time around, feels like he has more to bring, suits them better. hence he ends up practising even when he isn’t really thinking about it — making food, in the shower, in the car back to the dorm. he’d worry he’s getting annoying if he realised how bad it’d gotten, but he likes to think someone will tell him when he crosses the line, anyway. with a soft hum, he turns over the page, glances through the other members’ lines as he hums the beat until his next. he repeats everything over and over until his back begins to ache, and only then does he stretch up, letting out a yawn and gathering his papers together. with any luck, another member will be around for him to bother until they head back to the dorm. he clicks the door shut gently behind him, another yawn breaking the silence in the looming hallways.