《Dancing My Way Back into Your Heart》


 Episode 01: Goodbye Korea, Hello China

    Jin Young was alone in his apartment, being busy by himself as he kept going in and out of the different rooms. He was in the midst of packing his luggage when he received a phone call from Mark Tuan, his former Got7 group member.


    ¡°Jin Young ah, I heard that you are going to China?¡± His voice was gentle, speaking in Korean with a slight American accent that could only be picked up by a native speaker. Otherwise, to others, Mark¡¯s pronunciation of the language was perfect.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Jin Young answered. He was standing in the kitchen when he first answered the call. For a moment, he forgot what he was there for in the first place.


    ¡°Ah! Right, ziplock bags.¡± He recalled suddenly. In order to multi-task, he sandwiched his phone between his ears and his shoulder in order to free his hands to open the drawer to get what he wanted. After which he scurried back into his bedroom where a big black luggage was lying opened.


    ¡°Are you sure you will be okay there alone? You don¡¯t even speak the language.¡± Mark sounded worried.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will be fine. Besides, I won¡¯t be alone, Jackson will be there.¡± Jin Young assured him, his phone still pressed between his ear and a raised shoulder. He slotted a few pieces of clothing into the ziplock bags and used his knee to press out the air pockets to completely flatten the packet.


    Unsure of how long he would be going there, Jin Young had to make sure that he packed sufficiently. It was already midday, he was barely even halfway done and he flies tonight.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°But you and Jackson have already¡­¡± Mark cut himself off, probably realising it wasn¡¯t a great idea to say what he had intended to say. So he switched to a different topic, ¡°What about JJ Project?¡±


    ¡°Well, JJ Project can become JB Project then.¡± Jin Young chuckled as he stood upright. He lowered his shoulder and switched to holding the phone in his hand. Then he glanced around his room, thinking of what to put into his luggage next.


    Three years ago, the contract binding all seven Got7 members to JYP Entertainment was up. Jackson had decided to focus on his own brand, Team Wang, so he chose not to renew his contract. Mark said he wanted to return to the states and figure out something else to do, maybe become a youtuber. Bam Bam has decided to start his own fashion line and at the same time, pursue video editing more seriously. Everyone always felt that his talent in that area was not fully utilised with him being in an idol group.


    As for Jin Young, he wanted to do more acting than singing. The rest did not really have much of an opinion. It did not feel right to extend Got7 as a three member group, hence the group was disbanded. Fans were devastated at the news when it was announced but they quickly recovered and supported the members on their individual journey.


    JJ Project, a duo made up of Jin Young and Jae Beom, was kept intact. This way, Jin Young would still be able to sing and dance, at the same time, have much more time than before to commit to acting opportunities. Over time, with hardwork, Jin Young¡¯s all-rounded abilities were recognised by everyone, not just contained to South Korea, but all over the world.


    However, soon he realised, the person who should have been around to watch him grow, watch him succeed and be happy together with him, was no longer around. No matter how much praises he received from others, there was only one person he wanted to hear encouraging words from but he could not. Every night, Jin Young goes to bed alone, feeling empty deep inside. And it was all his own fault, he had no one to blame it on.


    ¡°Take care okay? You know you can call me whenever.¡± Mark told him. They exchanged a few more words then both sides ended the call at the same time.


    Just then, Jin Young¡¯s stomach growled. He sighed at the thought of more packing to be done but then decided to grab some lunch first before he continues.

 Episode 02: On My Way to You

    As Jin Young settled down in his designated seat on the plane, he was feeling both nervous and excited at the same time. In two hours, he would be in the same country as Jackson. He could feel his lips turn dry at the thought of seeing Jackson again.


    What should he say when they meet?


    Jin Young was glad that he had gotten a window seat, so he could stare outside at the night sky, gazing into nothingness but his whole head was filled with only one man, and thoughts of what to say to that man. When the lights on the aircraft dimmed, he removed his face mask so that he could breathe better.


    He did not turn on the reading lights, so that people would not recognise him easily. And also, he prefers to be in the dark. He was more comfortable this way.


    It was well past midnight but Jin Young was not sleepy at all. The people all around him in business class were more or less fast asleep or in the midst of dozing off. He appreciated the silence, an opportunity for him to relax and recharge before the big day.


    Finally, the airplane landed safely and Jin Young wanted to spring out of his seat so badly. He almost forgot to put his face mask back on as he grabbed the duffel bag in the overhead compartment. Luckily, everyone was too occupied to pay enough attention to him so he did not get recognised.


    ¡°Thank you for choosing to fly with China Eastern Airlines, we hoped that you had a pleasant flight.¡± Three air stewardesses lined themselves along the exit and repeated the same greeting over and over again with each passing guest. Jin Young pulled his cap lower as he approached carefully and nodded slightly in return when they greeted him as he exited.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    It has been a long while since he travelled without a manager and he felt free. Although he had to admit that he felt slightly afraid since he could not speak the language, it was exhilarating to be able to wander around without restraint. Jin Young followed procedures accordingly at the customs and then picked up his luggage from the conveyor belt without facing any issue so far.


    His first obstacle would be to hail a cab to get to the hotel. There was arranged lodging for contestants but only for those who made it past the auditions. Before that, everyone would have to see to their own accommodation. Jin Young had booked a room at a hotel that was within walking distance from the competition venue. All he has to do now is to convey the hotel name to the cab driver.


    ¡°Jhian guo bei jhing fan dien.¡± Jin Young tried to enunciate every word properly and slowly.


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The cab driver answered, he even made an ok sign to let Jin Young know that he understood.


    Jin Young was unable to relax yet, as he feared that the cab driver might have misunderstood the hotel name. There was no third party to confirm the accuracy of his pronunciation. It was only after the vehicle pulled up in front of a grand entrance with bright lights across the signage and exuded from indoors through the glass entrance, after making a quick comparison with the photograph he pulled from the internet, only then he let out a sigh of relief.


    He paid the cab driver in cash and even added a bit extra as tips. The cab driver smiled widely, and he repeated ¡°xie xie¡± a couple of times. Jin Young knew enough to understand that that meant ¡°thank you¡± in Chinese. He nodded slightly at the man and got off the cab. The cab driver quickly ran around to the boot to get Jin Young¡¯s luggage and it was Jin Young¡¯s turn to utter ¡°xie xie¡± now.


    After making one final check that he did not leave anything behind, he hung the duffel bag over his shoulder and dragged the big black luggage into the hotel.


    ¡°Wait for me Jackson, I¡¯m coming.¡± He thought.

 Episode 03: I Give My All

    The registration starts at nine in the morning, Jin Young was up and ready by eight. He was feeling all jittery, then he tried to recall when was the last time he felt butterflies in his stomach. Perhaps it was back in Toronto when Jackson had his arm around the back of the seat on the subway, or when they walked down the streets openly, hand in hand.


    Jin Young could not help but smile when all those happy memories resurfaced. Despite having less than three hours of sleep, he was more awake than ever. It could also be due to the caffeine in the coffee that he had just drank two cups of. He grabbed everything that he needed and headed for the competition venue.


    Jin Young thought he was early but several people before him reached much earlier. Instructions given were clear and the registration process was quick, and before he knew it, he was being led to the warm up area. Several people in passing, including the staff, laid their eyes on him much longer than one would look at a stranger. There were even sparkles in some of their eyes. Jin Young was sure that they recognised him but decided to keep their composure. But after he turned his back on them, he was sure that he heard some high pitched squeals.


    He found a corner with enough space but at the same time, private enough for him to conduct his warm up. There were a couple of brave souls who approached him for his signature which Jin Young did give, as long as they have something for him to sign on and a marker or a pen.


    The venue hall was huge and the place filled up with contestants much quicker than Jin Young expected. Everyone was moving, jumping around, trying to keep their bodies warm. Jin Young too, never stood still, even when he was standing up, he would be bouncing slightly. He stretched his neck to sweep the entire area but saw no signs of Jackson. Would he even be coming through here?


    Just then, a stout middle aged man came through the doors, with a couple of people trailing behind him. He started to garner everyone''s attention with the microphone, and after some shushing, silence filled the air. Jin Young figured that man would probably be the director or the producer, as he briefed everyone present on what would be happening and what was to be expected of them. A lady was translating every word he said into English, and good thing Jin Young is quite fluent in this language.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    The entire audition would be filmed but of course, the production team would select carefully the clips to edit and broadcast. Contestants need to be prepared to stick around for twenty four hours or more. Jin Young was already prepared to be here for weeks, months, and even years, so a day was nothing to him.


    After the first segment was filmed with all four captains, the doors opened, and contestants flooded the set. The auditions officially began.


    The contestants were divided into four sections, depending on the location of their hometown. Since Jin Young is a foreigner, he was randomly assigned to one section, just like all the other foreigners who were present.


    ¡°South huh¡­¡± He mumbled under his breath.


    As he scurried in with everyone else, there were loud cheers and continuous clappings coming from the front of the crowd. Jin Young realised that the four captains were there, including Jackson. Then, he saw the face of the man he longed to see. He was desperate for attention and it took every ounce of strength in him to hold himself back from squeezing through the massive crowd and present himself right in front of Jackson.


    For now, he has to take Jackson off his mind and focus on the audition. Just for now, until he passes. For them, Jin Young has to. He must.


    When it was decided that Lay would be judging the contestants in the South Section, Jin Young was part delighted but part awkward. Delighted because it was someone he knows, and awkward precisely because it was someone he knows, not to mention that they are friends, might put Lay in a tight spot. But he knows Lay would be fair and just in his judging, so Jin Young just needed to make sure he lives up to Lay¡¯s expectations.


    Jin Young felt confident as he came prepared. He was not planning to hold back at all. Afterall, for his relationship and a future with Jackson, he did not come here just to pass the auditions. He came here to win, both the competition and Jackson¡¯s heart.

 Episode 04: You Are My Inspiration

    EXO¡¯s Lay Zhang Yixing would be judging the South Section, the North Section would be judged by an actor by the name of Wallace Chung, whom Jin Young was not very familiar with. Then East would be under a young lad by the name of Wang Yibo, who Jin Young seemed to have vaguely heard of his name before, and West would be judged by Jackson.


    After the announcement, everyone split up accordingly to head to their section¡¯s designated area. Jin Young was impressed with all the details of the set up, as it seemed that the four corners of the set were designed according to each captain¡¯s perceived personality.


    Of course, prior to this, there was actually a preliminary audition that was not recorded. Invited contestants like Jin Young, would be able to skip that stage. He roughly heard from others that it took the staff almost two weeks to narrow down thousands of applicants to the current hundreds of contestants. And in this recorded audition, the group will be further reduced to the top hundred.


    Lay kicked off the audition by calling name after name on the list. Contestants could showcase their own choreography or freestyle on the spot. Hours into the audition, people who have yet to have their turn started to lose their energy from all that waiting, so Lay decided to hype things up by calling contestants out for dance battles. He figured this would be another effective method in judging the contestants¡¯ skills, and excite the crowd at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.


    As the audition continued to drag on, not just people in the South Section, but all the captains, contestants in every section, even the production staff were beginning to wear out. Finally, Jin Young¡¯s name was called, so stepped up from amongst the crowd to stand in front of Lay. The crowd roared given that a famous celebrity was right in front of their eyes. High pitched squeals and excited gasps could be heard.


    ¡°Whenever you are ready.¡± Lay told Jin Young in Korean. Jin Young gave Lay a slight smile and took two steps back, then he lowered his head and closed his eyes. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, before he displayed a thumbs up sign with his hand to the staff as a signal to them that he was ready.


    ¡°Cue!¡± And the intro to Jackson¡¯s 100 Ways began to play.


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    The crowd got even more excited upon hearing Jin Young¡¯s song choice. People from other sections started to get curious on what was happening in the South Section. Even other captains themselves began to wonder. Jackson, on the other hand, could easily recognise his own song, anytime, anywhere. The edges of his lips curled upwards then he halted the progress on his side in order to sneak over to Lay¡¯s side to take a peek on the contestant who was auditioning using his song.


    Jin Young looked up slowly, hitting the first beat, as he followed the pace of the music. Then he spread his hands wide and curled them inwards, at the same time, his legs were doing a different set of complicated movements on their own. As the song continued to play, everyone realised that it was a remix version, Jin Young had added more bass to the original and sped up certain parts.


    Jackson crept up behind Lay, all excited to check out the dancer¡¯s choreography to his song. But his face fell the moment he saw that familiar countenance. He froze on the spot, a thousand thoughts went through his head.


    ¡°What is he doing here?¡± Was one of them.


    At one point, their eyes locked for a second. Jackson could feel anger boiling up inside of him whereas a jolt of electricity went through Jin Young¡¯s body, intensifying his movements. Jin Young smirked but restored his calm the very next second.


    ¡°Focus Jin Young ah.¡± He reminded himself.


    Jin Young¡¯s movements were fluid, the transition from one step to another was smooth. His actions were grateful enough to flow with the melody but still had sharpness to hit the beats.


    ¡°Watch me, Jackson.¡± Jin Young tried to send him the message via his eyes to Jackson when their eyes met again. Jackson was dumbfounded, he still did not move an inch. As much as he hated this person, at the same time, he was drawn to him, like a moth to a flame.


    Nearing the end of the song, the pace slowed down and it transited to Ed Sheeran¡¯s I See Fire. Two counts of eight of melody played and then there was no more music, only Ed Sheeren¡¯s voice could be heard singing ¡°keep careful watch of my brothers¡¯ souls¡±. The choreography ended and there were two seconds of silence before everyone broke out of the dance¡¯s charm, as they cheered and clapped for the performer.


    Jin Young was panting, beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his face. There were excited murmurings from the onlookers, all of them saying how they got goosebumps from watching the piece. Jin Young¡¯s heart sank a little as he watched Jackson walk away. He was already expecting this, but it still hurts.


    ¡°I will let you walk away from me for now, Jackson, but you should know that you are the inspiration for my choreography and in my life.¡± Jin Young said in his heart.

 Episode 05: Battling For Your Attention

    ¡°Give him! Give him!¡± The crowd was chanting in unison in Chinese. Jin Young did not understand the words but he figured that they were asking Lay to hand him a towel, which would mean that he made it into the top hundred.


    However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, Lay ¡®s face was stoic. His eyebrows were knitted into a frown, the ends almost touching. Jin Young felt confident in passing at first, but slowly began to feel nervous. He bit his lower lip, trying to read Lay¡¯s expression but failed. His shoulder slanted more and more downwards with each passing second.


    ¡°I thought you could have done better.¡± Lay shook his head, then he repeated his exact words again in Chinese so that everyone else could understand.


    ¡°Huhhh!¡± Everybody started to talk amongst themselves, there were also people who thought they should just give up without dancing at all, thinking if someone of Jin Young calibre could not pass, then how could they stand a chance?


    ¡°Just kidding, bro!¡± Lay broke into a wide grin and he went forward to hang a towel around Jin Young¡¯s neck. Jin Young heaved a sigh of relief and playfully punched Lay¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I have not seen you dance like that after Got7 disbanded!¡± Lay exclaimed with his eyes opened wide and eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Your Korean seems to have deteriorated.¡± Jin Young teased in retaliation for the scare earlier. They gave each other a friendly hug and Jin Young quickly moved to one side so that the audition can continue.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    As each captain holds a limited number of towels, they cannot decide too hastily on who they should give each towel to. In order to shed a ray of hope for contestants, the host of the show announced that in five minutes, there would be a one on one battle. The captains can choose two contestants whom they have allowed to pass, to battle a contestant from another section and the winner would be awarded with a towel for their captain. So the maximum a section can win would be two towels. And that meant two more people from their section could pass the auditions.


    Upon hearing this announcement, everyone¡¯s ears perked up and Jin Young saw the fire in Lay¡¯s eyes. His own eyes lit up for a different set of reasons, another chance to grab Jackson¡¯s attention. If their section is up against Jackson¡¯s section, and should they win, Jackson and the contestants in his section would probably be disappointed. But Jin Young knows Jackson well enough that he absolutely hates it if people do anything half-heartedly.


    Jackson is a perfectionist. Not only does he strive for perfection in one thing, but as long as he tries his hand at something, he would aim for perfection. So without saying, not only does he aim for full marks in terms of his career, he tries to go beyond. This is applicable to other parts of his life, like relationships, both platonic and romantic. Hence, Jackson was very pissed three years ago when Jin Young brought up the topic of breaking up. Back then, Jackson believed that as long as both sides are willing to put in effort, distance is not an issue. Now, he still thinks the same. He thought he had successfully suppressed all the anguish but now that he saw Jin Young again, it was like the dams were lifted and everything came flooding back.


    It did not take much to convince Lay and the other contestants of the South Section to choose Jin Young as one of the two representatives. The other representative that Lay had selected was from the popping genre. Jin Young intended to make full use of this spotlight to grab Jackson¡¯s attention, for he would not be able to look away from an opponent.


    Jin Young inhaled and exhaled deeply as he warmed up by the side, feeling nervous and slightly pressured. His own intentions aside, he would wish to win the towels for the contestants in his section. Not to mention, his reputation was at stake.


    All four captains stepped out to draw which section they will be facing, and turns out, the south would be up against the north.