And so rehearsal began.
"5… 6… 7… 8!" Yone clapped sharply as the countdown echoed through the studio, immediately leading everyone into the choreography.
"Boom! Ka-ka! Da da da da! Ha! Bra bra! Boom! Ha! Spin! Da da da! And seven—eight!"
By the door, Steffi and Mythical stood silently with furrowed brows, watching the group move in perfect synchronicity.
Seeing them all dance together was already impressive. Their timing was razor sharp, their movements clean and powerful.
But that wasn't what caught their attention.
Something else did.
"Yone-hyung, was it 'ba ba! Da da da da da?' or 'ba, ba! Da da da da da?'" August asked earnestly while still moving through the choreography.
"It's the second one," Yone answered instantly. "Ba, ba! Da da da da da! See? There's a slight pause in the beginning with the 'ba, ba!'"
"Ah! Thank you, hyung!" August said gratefully.
"No problem, kiddo," Yone replied fondly.
Back by the door, Steffi leaned slightly toward Mythical.
"Is it just me, or are they speaking a different language?" she whispered. "It sounds like complete gibberish, but they understand each other perfectly."
Mythical nodded sagely.
"Girl, that's advanced choreo talk," she said. "And don't even try to understand it. It just comes naturally to dancers."
"But I dance though…" Steffi muttered defensively.
"Where?" Mythical asked slowly. "In the bathroom?"
Silence.
Steffi froze.
Because answering would expose her.
But not answering… also exposed her.
Even more.
"…Exactly," Mythical concluded with a knowing nod.
"Why are you putting me on blast?!" Steffi whisper-shouted. "That is so rude!"
"I didn't even say anything!" Mythical whisper-shouted back. "You exposed yourself!"
That was when Yone finally noticed them.
"Oh hey! You guys are here," Yone greeted with a smile.
He lifted the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face.
Unfortunately—or fortunately depending on who you asked—this action revealed his sculpted upper torso.
The studio froze.
"Ahhh! ZADDY, CHILL!" Kitty screamed, eyes sparkling like he'd just witnessed the eighth wonder of the world.
"I wanna see where that happy trail leads…" Aqua muttered, staring shamelessly. "That V-line is practically pointing to where the family jewels are buried."
Even Steffi and Mythical weren't immune.
You see, Yone had something the others didn't.
Maturity.
Being the eldest gave him a presence that felt naturally grounded and confident. Everything about him radiated quiet authority. Even his body reflected that same maturity.
He wasn't a twink.
He was a zaddy.
A title the Kweens had proudly bestowed upon him.
"I could wash laundry on those washboard abs…" Steffi breathed, completely mesmerized.
"I could grate cheese on them for my pasta…" Mythical added, equally hypnotized.
"His pecs look so grab-able…" Steffi whispered.
"And even his nippl—"
"THAT'S ENOUGH, HOES."
Pink clapped both hands over Steffi and Mythical's open mouths before that sentence could finish its journey into felony territory.
"Keep them pussies dry," Pink said firmly. "There are children around."
Steffi and Mythical blinked.
The Kweens nodded solemnly in agreement.
Meanwhile, Yone stood there, completely unaware that his abs had just caused a full-blown hormonal crisis in the studio.
****
"Alright, everyone settle down for a sec. Steffi and Mythical are here," Yone said.
"Oh! Steffi and Mythical noona!" August greeted brightly.
"Steffi-san, have you watched the final season of Attack on Titan?" Corsair asked.
"Ugh! I hate it so much!" Steffi groaned. "That anime is the reason people go into depression!"
"You're trippin' if you're hating on AOT!" Corsair shot back.
"Yo, Myth! How's the rank climb?" Leo asked.
"I've been hard stuck!" Mythical lamented. "I can't play much because I've been busy lately. And when I finally get free time, I get teamed up with absolute shit!"
She threw her hands in the air.
"Like, what do you mean Nami mid?! Just because they watched some Vtuber do it doesn't mean they can! And get this—my support went Jhin support because Keria did it recently! League hates my guts right now."
"Too bad…" Leo said, trying—and failing—to hide his laughter. "Rest in piss, I guess."
"What was that?" Mythical snapped. "Oh, you're one to talk, mister 12-game losing streak!"
Leo froze.
"My luck might be bad," she continued mercilessly, "but I heard your pulls sucked ass recently. Hard pity every time—and you lost all your 50/50s."
And that effectively shut Leo up.
"Okay, okay. That's enough catching up for now," Yone said firmly. "Let's get to business, shall we?"
"Ooohhhh," Kitty purred. "I like it when you're bossy like that, zaddy."
"Bitch, shut the fuck up!" Javi snapped. "Learn to read the room!"
"But like… how am I supposed to read the room?" Kitty said with complete seriousness. "There are no words in the air. Like, bitch, make it make sense."
Aqua sighed.
"Sometimes you have big brain moments. And sometimes your brain definitely went on vacation."
While the Kweens bickered in the corner, Bobby and Lili walked up to Steffi and Mythical.
"Hey guys! Have you met Lili?" Bobby said, introducing her.
Steffi and Mythical's brows shot up the moment they heard the name.
They had already heard about the infamous woman who captured Bobby's heart—but they didn't expect her to be this drop-dead gorgeous.
"Bonjour! I'm Lili. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said sweetly, extending her hand.
"Hi, I'm Steffi from A&R," Steffi replied, shaking her hand.
"Mythical, from production," she added, shaking Lili's hand next. "And let me just say—you're so pretty!"
"That!" Steffi pointed in agreement.
Lili giggled softly.
"Merci."
Both Steffi and Mythical were momentarily stunned by how smooth and soft her hand felt.
They suddenly became very curious about what lotion she was using.
****
"So, what are you guys planning for the performance?" Steffi asked Yone.
"I heard the budget is basically a blank check right now," Mythical added excitedly.
"Yeah, pretty much," Yone nodded, opening his notebook. "For the song, we'll be going with Masterpiece."
"Fire choice," Steffi said, impressed.
"We agreed to keep the original version of the song since we didn't want to tamper with Sir Foca's work," Yone explained.
"As we all should," Steffi nodded in approval.
"So we're just planning a short instrumental interlude to help tell the story," Yone continued. "And for the concept, we're going with a grand banquet theme."
"Interesting…" Mythical leaned forward, curiosity lighting up her face. "What scale are we talking about?"
"We're aiming for the original LEAVEN performance, but more grand and elaborate," Yone said.
"How elaborate?"
Leo answered before Yone could.
"Think if the 2024 Honor of Kings Pro KPL League Finals opening, the 2023 League of Legends Worlds opening, and Cirque du Soleil had a baby."
Mythical's eyes slowly widened.
"Oh wow… you guys are really taking advantage of that unlimited budget."
A grin spread across her face—one that looked slightly unhinged.
"And I have to say… I'm very pleased about it."
She clasped her hands together like a mad scientist.
"Finally, I can go all out without worrying about consequences biting my ass. And no more of that boring, watered-down production crap."
"We'll also be doing some pole and silk aerial stuff," Yone added. "So if you could include that and maybe find something we can practice with, that'd be great."
He flipped another page.
"Oh, and a violin for Ryu. We also want sparklers, pyro and hydro tech, banquet props, and costumes…"
He paused, thinking.
"Hmmm… what else?"
"Oh!" Kitty raised his hand. "One matcha boba, hot Cheetos, and maybe some Adderall. No, scratch that—no Adderall."
"Girl, put your hand down and behave," Pink said, pushing Kitty's hand back down.
The room erupted in chuckles.
"That should be all for now," Yone finished.
"We'll get back to you tomorrow with some drafts so you can tell us what you think," Steffi said.
"I'm so excited," Mythical added, practically vibrating. "My creative juices are already pumping."
Kitty recoiled.
"What? Ew! Keep your pumped juices to yourself!"
Javi sighed.
"I guess you used up all your brain cells for the day. Don't they have subscription plans for those?"
And with that, the ball had officially started rolling.
Or, in Kitty's words—
the testicles had begun rolling.
And they weren't stopping until E:Den had been completely bulldozed by them.