prove it ? stray kids

nyla asher

[english]

"I finally finished the track!" I run to Suwei's desk, laptop in hand.

Riley pulls out her earphones and follows me, "What track?"

Placing my laptop on Suwei's desk, I turn to face my two best friends, "Remember that song I wanted to make after Mark showed us his group's 'Turn Up' music video?"

"Oh, right! Let's hear it!" Suwei smiles, Riley eagerly nodding in agreement.

I click the play button and stare at the two intently, trying to capture their reactions. The music fades and the two girls look at me without saying a word.

"Was it that bad?" I asked anxiously.

Suwei playfully pushes me, "No, you idiot! The exact opposite. I can already picture some choreography that would go perfectly with this."

"And I like the vibe; it's different from your other tracks. I have some lyrics that we can maybe try with it?" Riley adds, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

I laugh and nod, "I'm glad you guys like it. I can't wait to see your choreo and lyrics."

»

After giving high fives to both Riley and Suwei, I lay down on the couch in the practice room.

"We finally got it down," Suwei pants, her energy gone from dancing for hours on end.

Riley calms her breathing, "I might feel like dying right now, but it was totally worth it."

We hear the door of our practice room—which was actually Riley's basement—open, and we see a familiar, tall figure jog down the stairs.

"Hey, children," Mark smiles, sitting on a part of the couch that I was not occupying.

"Ew, it's you," Suwei fakes a look of disgust, and Mark throws a pillow at her in retaliation.

Energy suddenly flows back into Riley, "Mark! Nyla made a song, and I wrote lyrics, and Suwei made a dance, and we were practicing, and we finally got it perfect just before you came!"

He puts his hand over his heart, "I'm hurt that none of you showed it to me earlier."

"Hey, bro, just be happy we're even showing it to you now," I say, finally getting up into a sitting position.

Suwei connects her phone that has a video of our practice onto the flatscreen in the basement, "It's a good thing we take these practice videos because I think I used up my energy for the next month."

Ideally, we would want to make sure Mark really enjoyed our performance video, but all that is on our minds right now is water and sleep.

The video ends, and Mark claps, "That was amazing! Did you make it because of 'Turn Up'?"

"Yeah," I reply, "Your group's song was really cool; I had to try something in that style."

"I'm really impressed," He pats our shoulders, "I really wish you would release some of the music you make. I mean, you guys produce, sing, dance, and sometimes rap. You might as well make a group yourselves."

Suwei takes a sip of water while thinking about it, "It's too risky here. We have to focus on our studies so we can guarantee a career. Being a one-hit wonder isn't going to get us anywhere."

Riley and I agree with Suwei. We live in California where the media is huge. How would we manage to stand out in a crowd like this?

Mark leans back on the couch, "Who said it had to be here?"

We all look at him with confused faces.

He continues, "I'm from California too, but I'm doing great as a member of GOT7. Sure, it's K-Pop, and it's different, but I still get to show the world my musical side. You kids are talented, and I really think you could get somewhere as artists. The K-Pop world allows you to train and develop yourself into an artist, so I think it's worth at least trying it."

The three of us exchange unsure glances.

"Look, I have to go back to South Korea soon to work with the other GOT7 members, so why don't you three come with me? You can audition at JYP Entertainment and see where it goes. The worst that happens is that they say no and you return to your studies. There's really nothing to lose," he concludes, almost pleading us to say yes.

I speak up, "I mean, why not? Mark has a point, the worst outcome isn't that bad. Plus, if we have any worries, he can always help us since he's an idol at JYPE himself."

"I guess I'm in too," Riley says, feeling more motivated to do this.

We await Suwei's response, and she finally speaks up, "Alright, Mark Tuan. You've convinced me."

"Yes! I'll go talk to your parents and book your flights. I can't wait!" He squeals while running out of the room.

"And he calls us children," Suwei mutters, a small smile showing through her dimples.

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got7 • turn up