In the past, the entire group only moved to a different dorm when all members had been finalized for debut. 

Song Noah was expecting the same thing, but to his surprise, the company immediately had him transferred together with Yullei and Cipher in a different dorm that very same night.

The dorm they had transferred to wasn’t really far from where he is. It was still at the same residential complex that the company uses for housing their trainees, though the room was located on a floor above his previous room. 

If Song Noah were to make his guess, it was only a temporary place for them to be in. The staff specifically said that it was for them to ‘foster a better relationship’ since they're now candidates for debuting in the same group. 

Seeing as it was something that didn't happen in the past, the reason for it is likely related to what occurred during the evaluation day. 

His encounter with Ha Yullei in the vocal practice room had already triggered many changes. 

No, it was his emotional and mental state that were mostly causing the changes. If only he was able to remain calm and perform it the same way that he did in the past, Yullei wouldn't have felt that he's incapable of executing the song. 

And even if he hadn't encountered Yullei in the practice room, he would have reacted the same way if the first time he saw him again was during the evaluations. 

It could have ended worse. 

Noah had an idea on why the three of them were selected first. The company likely wanted to assess or establish the group’s sound, and by selecting trainees that excelled in singing and rapping, they're able to test if their vocals suited the concept they're going for. 

Was it a good thing that it all led to this? 

Since they're now being roomed together, Song Noah thought that he could use this as an opportunity to slowly get used to Yullei. 

Their first evening of them being roommates was rather simple. 

Having just moved, their focus was mostly on fixing and placing their clothing in the cabinets in the new room they're in. There wasn't really much time so they were rushing to get everything properly arranged, and even Cipher, who looked like he wanted to browse through their clothes, tried his best not to get distracted. 

The three of them only managed to tidy themselves and to do their basic night routines before a staff came to drop by and ensure that the dormitory’s rules were being enforced. At 11:00 PM, the lights should be turned off. Loud noises or music aren't allowed by this hour, and all trainees should already be inside. 

Due to this reason, some trainees practice silently inside their dorms by just counting in their heads without any music, with the entire room only being illuminated by a bedside lamp. 

Noah had done it a few times in the past, though it wasn't really something he always did due to fear of disturbing the other trainees. 

Before midnight, trainees are mostly working on their practice journal, or using it as personal free time for whatever hobby they may have. 

Then there were also the likes of Ha Yullei, who are mostly trying to abide and get as much sleep as he can get. 

That night, Ha Yullei probably slept first. Noah didn't know because he also laid down when the lights turned off, and he couldn't bring himself to glance and check if he was already asleep. 

The last memory he had of Yullei being alive was him closing his eyes. Just the thought of it brought back memories and feelings he'd rather not recall. 

It was a long night for him alone. 

Cipher tried to whisper and talk with him silently from the bed across, but it didn't really take long for him to eventually fall asleep. 

Noah wasn't sure how long he was awake, but the thoughts in his head made it difficult to sleep. 

In the end, he only managed to get three hours of sleep, needing to wake-up at 5:30 AM to begin his day. 

When he got up, Ha Yullei was already sitting in his bed. ‎Meanwhile, Cipher was writing something in his trainee journal, appearing to have also just woken up. 

The three eventually ended up eating breakfast together and going to the gym afterwards. 

There's still a bit of awkwardness during their meal and their workout session, but it brought nostalgic feelings when Noah used to do almost everything with the group. 

Though, heading together for their lessons isn't something the three of them did since they weren't roomed this early in the past. 

As soon as they entered the training room where their first class for the day would be held, trainees looked at them a bit differently. They still gave a polite greeting as they normally would, but there's a noticeable difference in their gaze. 

Yullei and Noah aren't really the most sociable, but for Cipher, who was friends with most of the trainees, there was a noticeable wall with the way they interacted with him. 

“Louie, you really are debuting… wow! I hope you won't forget about us! Let's meet each other from time to time after debut. ” a trainee named ‘Jaewon’ said. From what Noah remembered, he is one of the trainees who would also debut in a survival show in the future, the same group as Theo, who was Noah's former roommate. 

“Of course, as long as you'll support us.” Louie gave him a cheerful smile. 

“It's not yet finalized.” Another trainee spoke, it was ‘Wade’, one of the trainees confronted by Cipher yesterday about Gaon's fall, “Louie hyung is also supposed to debut under ‘NOXX PRISM’, but he still got removed. It can happen again.”

“Wade that's–”

Noah only heard about it since DAY-TA Entertainment had just debuted NOXX PRISM when he joined the agency, but in the past, Cipher was supposed to debut in that group. 

According to what he was told, Cipher got removed since he didn't fit the heavy and tough image that the company decided to go for the group's direction. 

“Oh well, it's true… But they have to be a fool to let go of me twice.”, The cheerful and friendly smile that Cipher had didn't bulge, but his gaze became cold, “You should keep working hard. Who knows? You might get considered one day.”

“...”

Song Noah remained silent, but when he looked around to assess the other trainees’ expression, he noticed a small smile that briefly formed on Ha Yullei’s lips. 

Or rather than that, it looked like he was trying not to laugh. Having known Yullei for years, there was no mistaking it. 

He's enjoying this.   

When Yullei noticed Noah watching his expression, it returned to the same indifferent expression he always had. However, his attention became fixed on Noah's instead. It wasn't a glare, or anything that could be easily interpreted. 

He was just staring, even after Song Noah had already looked away. 

It was strange.

Meanwhile, Cipher continued interacting with the other trainees as if nothing had happened. There was still tension in the entire room from the exchange between Cipher and Wade, and every single second that they waited for their instructor to arrive felt too long. 

Each time the door opened, they were expecting to see their instructor, but it was only trainees slowly making their way for the class that would begin less than ten minutes from now. 

Eventually, the door opened again. However, the trainee that arrived was none other than Min Gaon. 

“Gaon, are you alright?” 

Cipher and most of Gaon's friends had rushed towards him, their eyes full of worry and concern. Noah himself also approached him. 

“Ah… yes, the doctor told me that it was only a contusion and a muscle strain. None of my bones are broken thankfully, but I'm prohibited from dancing for a week.” Min Gaon explained, “The staff wanted me to rest until it recovered but… I asked them if I could at least attend the classes, and they agreed!”

Gaon looked like he was trying to remain positive despite the situation, but Noah could tell that he was worried about falling behind in progress. 

Song Noah felt guilty. 

“I almost forgot– congratulations Louie hyung, Yullei hyung, and Noah hyung!!!” Gaon turned to them one by one as he congratulated them, having a genuine smile on his face, “I'll support you three when you debut!”

You're going to debut with us too. 

But from the way he spoke, it sounded like he didn't see himself debuting. 

==========

The groupings for the next monthly evaluation were assigned in the middle of the day. Since the three of them are the current candidates for debut, they were automatically grouped together for the next evaluation. It was something that Noah expected, since the same thing happened in the past. 

As for Min Gaon, he was placed in the same group where Theo and Jiho are. Meanwhile, Shin Daiki ended-up being grouped with Wade and Jaewon. 

It was another change that Noah didn't expect.

In the past, Daiki and Gaon were grouped together. Did they place Gaon in a different group because he was injured? 

That was the only likely reason he had in mind. 

The song that was assigned to Daiki's group, ‘Mechanic’ had a difficult choreography. In terms of technicality, it was a dance that would require fast and powerful movements in the upper part of your body. 

In contrast to that, ‘Walk with me’,  the song assigned to the group where Gaon had now been placed, focused more on footwork. 

Min Gaon can pull off both. 

However, since he wasn't allowed to practice dancing for a week, it can become a challenge. 

Still, the group performance isn't the only thing they'll judge, there's also an individual vocal and dance performance that he'll need to prepare for. Gaon is the type to do his best in the situation given to him, so for now, all Noah could do was to trust him and his hard work. 

Song Noah needs to do his best too. 

It would be the first time after four years that he gets to perform together with Yullei and Cipher. 

The song assigned to them was the same as before; NOXX PRISM's B side song in their debut album, ‘Triple shot’. Compared to the songs in Gaon and Daiki's group, it was a song that is more-on vocally demanding. While the choreography isn't as intense, it still required smoothness in execution. 

After their lessons had ended, the three immediately went straight to practice. Since the song was just assigned to them, they first focused on the memorization of the choreography and the lyrics. 

Being a song that Noah had already performed in the past, he was already familiar with most of the choreography and the lyrics. 

“Your arms are angled too high. Repeat.” Ha Yullei instructed him. 

… That doesn't mean that he could perform it with 100% accuracy yet. 

“Yullei, we're still memorizing the song. We can work on correcting the details later, don't you think?” Cipher suggested. 

It was a discussion that they often had in the past. 

“It's better to correct any mistakes as early as possible. He'll only get used to it.”

“It's okay, I'll fix it this time.” Song Noah told them. 

Whenever someone makes a mistake, Yullei would point out the exact mistake and have them repeat it from the very beginning. He would point out in exact accuracy and precision which parts need to be corrected, and Noah would make improvements from there. 

Having worked with Yullei in the past, he was already familiar with how he operated.

“Don't step too wide. Repeat.”

“Move your head after the beat drops, not before. From the top.”

“...Repeat. Your waist should be steady.”

“Are you trying to dance like a corpse? Repeat.”

They had been repeating the song without reaching the end. They were almost done with the choreography, but seeing how out of breath Noah looked after practicing for three and a half hours straight, Cipher finally decided to intervene.

“Hey! Yullei. Why don't we take a break and continue tomorrow? It’s already 7:46 PM, maybe we can have dinner for now?”

There wasn't a fixed time for trainees to have dinner, but it was usually 6:00-7:00 PM, or at times, around 8:00 PM. There were those who ate at 9:00, but they were only a few. 

Ha Yullei looked at the clock for a while, and then, to Noah who looked out of breath. With a sigh, he eventually agreed. 

“Fine.” 

To Noah's surprise, Ha Yullei took a water bottle from his bag, then he proceeded to throw it at him. 

It almost landed on his face, but he was able to thankfully catch it, "Work on your stamina more.”

Ha Yullei stared at him as if waiting for him to drink it. After hesitating for a while, Song Noah drank from the water bottle, until it was empty, “Thank you Yullei.”

The bottle that Yullei gave him was only half full, but he was still thankful for the kind gesture.