a succubi's problems - jjk x bts

chapter twenty-one

Jeongguk doesn't want to do this.

For the first time in a long time, he didn't want to be in practice. It wasn't because he was sick of learning the same part to a dance over and over until he got it perfect, nor was it the frustration that came with learning a new routine. This time, there was no logical reasoning behind Jeongguk not wanting to be crammed into the hot dance studio other than the fact he just didn't want to be crammed in this hot fucking dance studio.

He wanted to be at home. He wanted to be sleeping.

Maybe that was the reason, he was exhausted. Not falling over yourself exhausted, but tired enough it was taking a lot of energy to just concentrate properly, tired enough that the choreographer (he was in today) was picking up on it and pushing Jeongguk harder because of it. Whether sungdeuk thought Jeongguk dragging his feet was because of laziness or something else, Jeongguk didn't know. But either way Jeongguk was getting increasingly irritated with the way the man would keep zeroing in on every mistake Jeongguk would make— make Jeongguk stop and re-dance the part he had messed up in again while the others stood panting, just watching until sungdeok was satisfied and let Jeongguk dance with the others again.

It was for his own sake, he knew, which was what stopped the irritation bubbling in Jeongguks gut from spilling over and turning into anything more sinister. But still, everyone had their off days. What you don't do when someone's having an off day is constantly pick on them and make them want to rip out their own fucking hair over having to stay in your presence. It was weird though, sungdeuk was normally kind, understanding, with an easy going temperament that made Jeongguk enjoy the dances even if they weren't his style. So Jeongguk must really be dancing badly for the choreographer to be so nit-picky and pushy on him today.

"Jeongguk, pay attention," sungdeuk snaps, clapping his hands loudly so that Jeongguk jumps a little and looks towards him. "What's gotten into you today? It's like your heads in another place, concentrate, would you?"

Jeongguk nods, a frown pulling his lips down miserably. "Sorry, hyung,"

He didn't want the others to be forced to stay longer than they should just because he couldn't get his shit together today. But he was so tired, if he could only have a nap. Just twenty minutes, max.

"Don't keep apologising for something you aren't fixing, go again."

Jeongguk bites the inside of his cheek to keep the frustrated tears at bay, avoiding his friends eyes as he gets back into position, forcing the others to fall back into theirs too. How pathetic, he was just a little tired. He'd worked with worse before and come out better than this, he was just being dramatic as per usual.

Jeongguk dances the next run through with as much vigour as he can, putting the very last ounce of strength and energy he can into it and then when he's run out, calling upon more, until by the end of the dance he's panting over his knees, beads of sweat dripping down his face and into the floor below. He'd sharpened his movements but they'd still come out sloppy, he'd quickened his feet but they were still a quarter beat behind everyone else's, and now, for a dizzying moment as Jeongguk looks down at the floor — Jeongguk sees double, his two feet turning to four before he blinks and they join back together again. Jeongguk pulls the air through his nose and pants it out his mouth, trying to slow his heart down even though it's beating too fast for just one dance, like an amateur.

Suddenly there's a hand on his shoulder.

"Kid, what's up with you? That had like half the amount of energy you normally put into it, are you sick?"

"He hasn't been sleeping that well," Jimin pipes up, trying to spare Jeongguk having to answer, and Jeongguks grateful for that because he's sure if he tried he would just let out a series of gasps and pants instead.