A Visit to the Practice Room
"Kyaa! Yujin!"
The serious look on Areum's face melted the instant she saw Yujin come in with the filming crew. She broke into a radiant smile and ran straight for her, while the other Loverich members stared, mouths hanging open.
"Oh my gosh, what are you doing here?"
Areum dropped down in front of Yujin and leaned in close.
Flustered, Yujin took a step back and offered an awkward smile.
"Ah! I scared you, didn't I? Mommy's sorry."
"Mommy? Whoa—Areum unnie is the mom?"
"So this is Yujin. She's seriously too cute."
A staff member tried to get a word in, but Yujin had already been swept into the middle of the Loverich members. The staff were simply shoved aside by that overwhelming energy.
Surrounded by so many hands, Yujin barely had a moment to catch her breath. She loved this kind of attention, of course, and burst into a bright giggle as she settled between Areum's legs, soaking up every bit of affection. Every time the Loverich members caught that smile, they clutched their chests and nearly collapsed.
"Why are you being Areum unnie's daughter? Can't you be mine?"
"But seriously, that face is insane."
The five of them showed no intention of letting Yujin go, so the staff could only stand well back and watch the scene in a daze.
"Ahem! Um, Areum?"
They still had a shoot to finish, though, so the assistant director edged closer and spoke carefully.
"Yes?"
"You'll need to look after Yujin for the whole day. Meals, snacks—everything. Please take full responsibility."
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of her."
Areum clasped Yujin's small hand tightly and nodded as if making a vow. The gesture looked almost solemn.
The filming crew settled into a corner of the practice room and began recording them.
"All right, all right. Time for us to practice."
At the same moment their leader, Minju, snapped back to herself, clapped her hands, and called the members to attention.
"Aww, unnie, can't we play just a little longer?"
Sehwa, the member the same age as Areum, clung to Minju. Yujin had been passed from one pair of arms to the next, and Sehwa's turn had finally come.
"Haah... Fine. But we start in exactly five minutes, okay?"
The members fussed over Yujin like a little niece, asking her age and what she liked while squishing her soft cheeks. Overwhelmed by the flood of affection, she broke into a shy, bashful smile—and she was so cute that they screamed over one another and pulled her into hugs.
In truth, with the pressure and exhaustion of comeback preparations piling up, Yujin's mere presence was an enormous comfort.
"Five minutes are up! On your feet. Areum, I think we can just sit Yujin over there."
"Okay. Yujin, want to sit over there and watch Mommy dance?"
Yujin nodded, her big eyes sparkling. She settled quietly in one corner of the practice room, and the moment the music started, her gaze locked onto the members as they began to move.
So pretty...
Spellbound, she watched them, her small hands fidgeting. Even without the glare of stage lights, the members sweating through their practice clothes looked like angels to her. Every precise movement they made in time with the bright beat felt like magic.
Time passed, and lunch arrived.
"Let's eat, then keep going."
At the leader's call, the members collapsed to the floor, breathing hard. They pulled out the lunch boxes that had been prepared in advance. Yujin had been peeking to see what would come out, and her face darkened a little more with every container.
Cucumber, boiled eggs, sweet potato, and chicken-breast salad. That was all.
"Unnie, there's nothing for Yujin to eat."
At the maknae's words, Areum turned to Yujin with an apologetic look.
"Mommy didn't know you were coming, so I didn't prepare anything. I'll take you to the cafeteria and get you some food."
"Let's all go."
Preparing for their comeback, the Loverich members had grown used to eating in the practice room, far from the delicious smells of the cafeteria. For once, they decided to go together.
Yujin took Areum's hand and Seoyun's and skipped lightly down the hallway toward the cafeteria. A moment later they reached the entrance, and the smell of good food began to drift out. Yujin sniffed the air and poked her head inside.
It was lunchtime, and the cafeteria was already packed.
While Areum filled Yujin's tray for her, the members found an empty table and settled her in. When Areum set the tray down in front of her, Yujin broke into a bright, childlike smile and picked up her spoon.
The members ate their diet meals and watched her. Yujin stuffed her mouth full and chewed happily, unable to hide how pleased she was, and soft smiles spread across their faces.
"Just watching her eat makes me full."
"Yeah, right. I totally heard your stomach growl just now."
Areum's teasing jab drew a light ripple of laughter across the table.
Yujin didn't even notice the sauce at the corner of her mouth. She kept nodding as she devoted herself to her meal, and Areum picked up a napkin and gently wiped it away.
"Areum unnie looks more grown-up than usual."
Chaerin, the team's other maknae, said it to Areum.
Areum scratched the tip of her nose, embarrassed, and glanced away.
"She's cuter than you guys and actually listens, so of course I take good care of her."
"I listen. Chaerin's the one who doesn't listen to the unnies."
"Hey, when did I ever do that!"
When Chaerin raised her voice, sounding wronged, Yujin burst into giggles.
"See? Even Yujin can tell at a glance that you look like someone who doesn't listen."
At Areum's playful scolding, Chaerin pouted.
"Oh, come on. You guys are too much!"
The filming crew didn't miss a single beat of the members' banter. Through the camera lens, their warm, easy atmosphere was captured just as it was.
After the meal, the members went back to practice, then dropped onto the practice-room floor for a short break.
"Can't we teach our Yujin just a little of the new song's choreography?"
"Oh! I love that."
At Chaerin's suggestion, the members clapped and cheered as if they'd been waiting for it. They stood Yujin in the center and showed her the chorus choreography.
She hesitated, shy, but soon she was watching their demonstration with serious eyes. When it ended, Areum started the song again, and Yujin began to move carefully, following her.
"Kyaa! She's too cute."
"Wait, she's actually pretty good?"
The members' eyes went round, startled by how quickly she picked it up.
"Even for a kid, her lines are kind of there."
Before long, one of them was watching Yujin with a serious expression. Her face flushed at the praise, but she tried not to miss a single move.
Clap, clap, clap, clap—
When the chorus choreography ended, the members cheered and applauded. Only then did Yujin seem to relax. She offered a shy smile and caught her breath.
"Yujin, you really have talent!"
"This is perfect. Let's get it on camera!"
Areum scooped Yujin up and stood in front of the filming crew.
"Could you film this just once?"
At Areum's request, the camera director aimed the lens at Yujin. This time Areum stood beside her, and they started moving to the rhythm together.
"Yujin, want to film it once with Mommy?"
Yujin nodded and moved to the song again. Her face, of course, was red enough to burst. But her movements were smoother and more confident than before, and when the short choreography ended and she ducked her head in embarrassment, cheers erupted around the room.
The staff nearby applauded without holding back, smiling at how cute she was. Objectively, it lacked polish and had its awkward spots, but for a second try she hadn't missed a single move. More than anything, she was incredibly cute.
Yujin shyly burrowed into Areum's arms and hid her face. Areum patted her back as if she couldn't love her more, and smiled brightly.
Following the schedule, the members moved on to vocal training.
As Yujin left the practice room, pride showed plainly in the set of her back. Her steps were strangely strong and confident. She looked around the recording studio's unfamiliar scenery with open wonder; the gleaming equipment and the microphone beyond the soundproof glass stirred her curiosity.
The members went into the booth one by one and sang their parts just as they'd practiced, and Yujin watched them, curiosity written all over her face.
This time, too, they nudged her into the recording booth. Wearing a shy smile, she stood in front of the microphone and carefully put on the headset. It was too big, and it slid down. Areum stood beside her and explained, in simple terms, how recording worked.
A moment later the instrumental began, and Yujin tensed, ready to take the first line. Her pronunciation was the soft, mushy kind unique to a little kid, and her pitch wavered, but her voice was pleasant to hear. Beyond the glass, the members cheered her on with their gestures, and that clumsy, childish voice was recorded just as it was.
Before they knew it, night had fallen. Areum said goodbye to Yujin and sent her off in the van.
Yujin felt as if she had played happily all day long, and she waved at the members with a bright, clear smile.