|eleven|

|SunMi's POV|

"We'll have you sit in age order." A slender woman instructs as she motions toward the farthest chair.

"NaHee, Aera, SunMi, JiSu, JuHee." ChanHyuck mumbles as he reminds us of our order.

"Pinch her, not me." JiSu chuckles as she leans in toward me.

"I'm not pinching anyone." I mumble as I sit in my assigned seat. I glance toward NaHee for comfort, but she's too distracted by the recording equipment to even notice.

"It'll be okay." JuHee smiles as she reaches in front of JiSu to grab my hand.

"Thanks, JuHee." I return her kind smile and reassure her I'll be alright.

"The goal for today is to get your name out there and for you guys to have fun. So don't worry too much, okay?" ChanHyuck informs us as he sits down in the corner of the room.

"Hey guys. I'm IlHoon." An all too familiar face smiles as he steps into the room.

"Hello, we're Candi." We all get to our feet in a rush before bowing our heads.

"Relax, sit down." IlHoon chuckles as he motions for us to sit in our seats.

"Everything is ready. You guys are on in five." The lady who brought us in explains to IlHoon before slipping out of the room.

"This will be really simple. I've got a few questions, but it's not a big deal if we get through them or not. This is for fans to get to know you guys, so if one question leads to a ton of stories, that's perfect. You'll sing a few songs, too. You get to pick which ones you want." IlHoon explains the plan as he gets his headphones situated on his head.

We nod in understanding before putting our own headphones on. I glance over at JuHee and take a shaky breath as she smiles brightly at me. Is it sad that I'm seeking comfort from the baby? I should be the one comforting her, but it's the other way around. It isn't far to her. I'm the unnie, I should be looking out for her.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. Welcome back! Today we have a new group with us. Candi, could you please introduce yourselves?" IlHoon motions toward NaHee.

"Hello, I'm the mom of the group, YeSeul." NaHee chirps cheerfully as I tense up next to Aera and JiSu.

"I'm a sweet treat with a Cherry on top! I'm Cherry!" Aera exclaims as she grins widely.

"I'm Sun." I mumble into the microphone as I glance at JiSu hoping she'll move it along quickly.

"Hello, I'm the social media queen, Jia!" JiSu waves to the cameras in the corner of the room.

"I'm the baby of the group, MinHee!" JuHee blows a kiss to the camera.

"You guys are debuting under Unknown Entertainment, correct?" IlHoon directs the question to NaHee.

"Yes, even through the changing leadership, we all felt an amazing bond with the staff. They gave us a lot of tools we needed to grow. So, we couldn't leave the company that helped shape us. Our new CEO is more like an older brother to us. He puts our feelings and emotions before fame and money. He wants us to shine, but on our own terms." NaHee explains confidently as we all glance toward ChanHyuck.

"That's amazing. I hope that you guys will be able to help make Unknown Entertainment shine again." IlHoon smiles as he glances at each one of us.

"We'll make sure Unknown makes it to the top three again." Aera chirps cheerfully as she squirms in her seat.

"I'm sure you will. You all seem like you have amazing memories together already. How long have you been together?" IlHoon questions as he flips through his notes.

"Sun joined us last. We've been a team of five for about ten months now. It feels like a lot more though. It's almost like we grew up together." JuHee speaks up as she leans forward to look at all of us.

"It's hard to remember a time we weren't together. I think all of our most memorable moments were together. There's so many little things—Cherry's jokes, Sun's midnight gaming, JuHee's homework, JiSu's obsession with social media—everything just feels so familiar. It's nearly impossible for any of us to surprise the others." NaHee explains calmly as she places her hands on the table in front of her.

"There's usually at least a little conflict here and there in groups. Have you guys had any small arguments or anything yet? Or are you still in the honeymoon phase?" IlHoon chuckles as we all turn toward Aera.

"Cherry is super hyper and all over the place, but on her own terms. There are times when she likes it to be silent, usually when she's overwhelmed. She doesn't cause much of a scene though. She usually just complains and goes to the studio." JiSu grins sheepishly at Aera as she explains.

"Speaking of the studio, do you all have your own studios or so you have to share? I know some of the bigger companies give certain people their own studio. With you being the only group, do you get any special treatment?" IlHoon asks as he sets his pen down and looks up at us.

"We can use whatever rooms we want, but we have to make sure we clean up after ourselves. Most of us just use the same studio. We all helped decorate two of the recording rooms, so we just take turns. Most of the time Cherry and YeSeul are in there, but sometimes Jia will slip in and work on some stuff. Sun prefers to practice writing and stuff on her own. She usually just sits in an empty practice room. I'm not that good at any of it yet, so I usually go with YeSeul to practice." JuHee answers before anyone else can.

"We haven't heard much from Sun. How about we shift the conversation in her direction? So, Sun, you're big into video games. What's your favorite game to play?" IlHoon asks as he leans in as if he was truly interested in my response.

"I—I really like Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet. It's only a single player though. My favorite multiplayer is probably Overwatch or 7 Days to Die." I mumble as my chest tightens and my heart races. I dig my nails into my knees and close my eyes as I try to calm myself.

"Do you play with any other idols? I know HongBin from VIXX is big into Overwatch, have you played with him? HeeChul from Super Junior plays a lot of games, too." IlHoon inquires as I force myself to open my eyes.

"I've played games with a lot of the Ateez boys. I played with HongBin once or twice. I played with MinHyuk from Monsta X and YoungJae from GOT7 before, too. I'm sure there were others, but I've played so many games with so many people that it's hard to remember them all." I begin naming off some of the people I can remember playing with. When you're up all night gaming, you tend to forget who's on the other side of the screen.

"I'll have to set up a game for you and some of my members. They can be pretty entertaining when they're gaming." IlHoon chuckles as he meets my gaze.

"Sun would win. She always wins." NaHee chirps as she leans forward to see me around Aera.