Summary:  ATEEZ makes their debut on M Countdown.

Italics - English dialogue

^^ Mentions of OT9 Stray Kids ^^

<<<<<<<<< ATEEZ >>>>>>>>>

It was October 25, 2018.

Today was the day that ATEEZ would make their debut onstage in front of a large crowd.

The 9-member group had officially debuted the day before, when their music videos for Pirate King and Treasure were released. However, this was their first official performance as a brand new K-Pop group, so they were all very nervous and excited to perform live for the first time.

Ari was currently backstage, talking with her twin brother, Felix, and the rest of Stray Kids. She wanted to see them before she had to go onstage and perform with the rest of her members.

Today was the day. Today, ATEEZ would start their careers as artists; they'd be a new group in the K-Pop industry.

Let's just say that Ari was a bit overwhelmed with that thought in mind. But she calmed down a bit when she was told that Stray Kids would be having their comeback stage today, too. That meant that Ari could spend some time with Felix before she had to perform.

"I'm so nervous, Lix. This is my debut for Christ's sake; this is the most important performance of my career! I don't want to screw it up — we've all worked so hard to get to today." Ari lamented.

"You don't have to be nervous, Ri. This is your time to show the world what you can do. You and your teammates are going to kill this performance, and the world is going to see that ATEEZ is a force of nature to be reckoned with." Felix told his twin. "Just know that me and the boys are going to cheer you guys on... and remember that we're proud of you."

Ari listened to his words with a smile on her face. "Didn't I say that to you when you debuted?"

Felix chuckled. "Yeah, and I figured you could use that same advice today. Now come here; I need a twin hug."

Ari giggled and hugged her brother, smiling more as she felt comfort and assurance. "I love you, Felix."

"I love you, too, Ari," Felix told her.

Ari squeaked, but she started laughing when she felt more arms around her. The other members of Stray Kids had joined in on the hug, wanting to collectively hug Ari before her performance.

After a few moments of hugging, the boys let go of the twins. Ari let go of Felix when she saw Hongjoong waving her over with his hand.

"I gotta go — we're going on in a few minutes. I'll see you after the performance?"

Lee Know smiled. "We'll be right here when you guys finish performing. Hwaiting, Ari!"

"Hwaiting!" Chanted the other 8 boys of Stray Kids.

"Hwaiting! And happy birthday, Lee Know!" Ari said and sent them a smile.

She began jogging to her leader, who handed her a wireless microphone headset for her to put on. Once she put it on, the pair gathered with the rest of the members in a huddle circle.

Hongjoong looked at each member, a smile on his face. "I'm proud of you guys, and I'm very lucky to debut with such talented people. Now, let's go out there and give the world a performance they'll never forget!"

The group cheered before putting their right feet into the middle of the circle. "9 makes 1 team! Hwaiting!"

Finishing their chant, the group walked onto the darkened stage. They got into their starting position, their mics turned on, and patiently waited for the music to start.

The lights on the stage became bright when they shone on ATEEZ, and the members began to dance when their song started. They were performing Pirate King.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

When the song ended and the lights dimmed, ATEEZ made their way backstage. The sound technicians had turned their mics off, so the fans wouldn't be able to hear the idols now that they were offstage.

Ari felt a rush of adrenaline running through her body, laughing as she and the boys made noises of joy and happiness. They did it; they performed live for the very first time!

Wooyoung smiled widely as he and Yeosang hugged Ari at the same time. "We did it! We achieved our goals that we made as trainees!"

Ari beamed with a nod of her head. "We did it, Wooyoungie," she said and turned her attention to her other best friend. "We debuted, Yeosangie! I'm so proud of everyone!"

Yeosang chuckled, a light blush spreading across his cheeks at Ari's enthusiasm. "And the best part is that we all got to debut together. We did exactly what we always wanted to do, and we did it together."

Hugging two of her closest friends, Ari felt nothing but happiness. Everyone had finally achieved their dreams of becoming idols!

After a few more minutes, the trio broke the hug and conversed with their members. Ari was talking with Mingi when Felix came running up to her, holding something in his hands.

"Yah! Felix, you scared me. Are you okay? You look out of breath," she said when she saw her twin breathing heavily.

Felix smiled. "I'm fine, Ri Ri. I just wanted to give you this," he said and held up the koala plushie that was in his hands. "This is from me to you; it's a gift to say congratulations on debuting and becoming an idol. You did so good out there, Ari, and I'm so proud of you."

Ari gratefully took the plushie and threw her arms around Felix in a hug. "Thank you so much. I love you, Felix."

"I love you, too, Ari. I love you so much," Felix said and smiled as he hugged his twin.

All in all, today was one of the best days of Ari's life. She finally debuted with her friends.

Today was just the beginning of ATEEZ's career... and they couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for them.

<<<<<<<<< ATEEZ >>>>>>>>>

Published:  9/17/2021

1018 words