Chapter 11 - Teaser
The members of Le Sserafim were buzzing with excitement as they gathered in their dormitory living room, eagerly scrolling through Twitter on their phones. Each member had recently released their individual introduction videos, and the anticipation to see the fan response was palpable.
A/N: I mixed the teasers / introductions / content
"Guys, look! My video is trending!" Yunjin exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she showed off her trending hashtag on Twitter. After Yunjin said she wanted to change the idol industry in her video, “#HuhYunjinWillChangeTheIdolIndustry” was trending worldwide.
Chaewon and Eunchae cheered, clapping their hands in delight, "That's amazing!"
However, amid the excitement, a sense of insecurity lingered. The members knew all too well the potential for hate comments and criticism that often came with being in the spotlight.
"I'm too nervous to read the comments," Sakura admitted, biting her lip anxiously as she prepared to watch her video.
Chaewon reached over, squeezing Sakura's hand reassuringly. She gave her a look that said “Remember the old days?”. They both smiled at each other, grateful to be alongside one another again.
As the members settled down to watch the videos together, the room was filled with a mix of laughter, excitement, and occasional embarrassment.
When Kazuha's video began playing, showcasing her quirky and endearing personality, she couldn't help but hide under a blanket, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Eunchae, Chaewon, and Yunjin joined in the laughter, their giggles echoing throughout the room as they watched Kazuha's reaction.
"Kazuha-unnie, you're a natural on camera!" Eunchae teased, poking her head out from under the blanket. Kazuha immediately hid again.
“Why are you embarrassed, unnie?” Eunchae asked the smile disappearing from her face.
“My Korean is so bad… and I look stupid dancing ballet,” Kazuha said from underneath the blanket.
Y/N chuckled softly, finding Kazuha's reaction utterly adorable. She wrapped her arms around Kazuha's side, giving her a comforting side-hug, "You're so cute, Kazuha. Don't hide!" she said as she gently lifted the blanked from her head. Kazuha stared at her with puppy eyes. Wow.
“Kazuha your Korean isn’t bad, have you heard me when I came to Korea? I was so bad I couldn’t even talk to my members about the things I liked,” Sakura tried to reason with her.
“-and besides, what do you mean ‘your ballet looks stupid’? Y/N asked, genuinely upset about Kazuha’s words about herself.
“I- I don’t know… it’s just that’s all I do in the video. I dance and there’s nothing else. What if this is all I am about?” Kazuha asked timidly.
Chaewon smiled warmly, "It's okay, Kazuha. Your charm shines through, and everyone loves it!"
“Can we move on now?” Kazuha asked quietly, hurt evident in her voice.
“Okay,” the girls answered in unison.
……
“What does this word mean?” Kazuha asked Sakura as the older member was helping her with her Korean tasks. After the teasers were released, Kazuha couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about her language skills. What did she expect? She was self-aware after all. It would take loads of time and practice to feel comfortable in this new language. If anyone could understand it must be Sakura, right? She had to put in more effort into studying from now on.
Sakura furrowed her brows, trying to recall the meaning of the word Kazuha had pointed out. "Oh, uhm… well, I don’t know…," she admitted with a frown. "Let’s ask a Korean member… Hello?? Can someone come in here for a minute?" she shouted into the hallway.
“Eh? What’s the matter?” Y/N asked, rising from the living room couch where she had been seated. With her hair pulled back into a ponytail and dressed in a snug beige crop top paired with grey shorts, she made her way over to Kazuha’s room.
“Zuha needs some help. And honestly, so do I,” Sakura informed her fellow member, a slight hint of confusion on her face.
Kazuha smiled appreciatively at her nickname, and Y/N kneeled down beside them, motioning for Kazuha to show her the word she was curious about.
Kazuha hesitated for a moment before pointing to the unfamiliar term. “묽히다,” she said slowly, trying to pronounce it correctly.
Y/N's eyes widened in surprise, a smile tugging at her lips. She glanced at Sakura, who seemed equally puzzled, then back at Kazuha. "Ah, 묽히다," Y/N began, trying to hold back her amusement. "It means 'to dilute' or 'to thin out' in Korean, especially when referring to ingredients or sauces."
A/N: Ya’ll don’t come for me XD I asked AI for an example because I had no idea which random word to choose and how to spell it. Bear with me pls. …
Sakura's eyes widened in realization, and she burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand. "I can't believe I didn't know that! I'm the chef at the dorm, and I didn't recognize a cooking term!"
Kazuha giggled, feeling relieved that even Sakura, who had lived in Korea for several years, didn't know the word either. "Thank you, unnie,” said the ballerina as she smiled at Y/N.
Y/N chuckled, patting Kazuha's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. Korean cuisine has a lot of terms. You'll get the hang of it!"
Sakura nodded in agreement, still laughing at her own oversight. "Definitely! And I'll make sure-“
“Kkura-unnie?!” Yunjin’s voice interrupted her.
“Yes?”
“I did something stupid… Can you come over here?” echoed her voice from upstairs.
“Sure, I’ll be right up,” Sakura said confused. “I’ll see you. Zuha, can we finish this later?”
“Sure! I’ll just-“
“Do you want my help? I've got time right now, only if you want to, though,” Y/N suddenly offered, her voice warm and reassuring.
Kazuha's eyes lit up, her face brightening with a grateful smile. "Yes! I’d like that! Thanks, unnie,” she beamed. With that Sakura jokingly saluted and quickly made her way upstairs to look for Yunjin.
Y/N settled comfortably beside Kazuha, her posture open and inviting. "Alright, let's see what you've got so far," she said encouragingly, motioning for Kazuha to show her the Korean tasks she was working on.
"Alright, let's tackle this grammar point," Y/N said, pointing at Kazuha's workbook with a playful grin. "Can you give this sentence a try?"
Kazuha hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and attempted the sentence. She stumbled over a few words, but Y/N's encouraging smile never wavered. "Not bad! Just a small tweak here," Y/N gently corrected, demonstrating the correct pronunciation.
Each time Kazuha made a mistake, Y/N would offer a helpful hint or playful mnemonic to make it easier to remember. "Think of it like this," Y/N would say, making Kazuha giggle with her creative examples.
Kazuha found herself laughing often, the light-hearted atmosphere making the learning process enjoyable. "I never thought learning Korean could be this fun," she admitted, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Y/N chuckled, "Learning should always be fun! And remember, everyone makes mistakes. That's how we learn and grow." Kazuha suddenly remembered how she felt a few hours ago, watching her lack of skills on the internet.
Sensing her insecurities, Y/N quickly added, “You know, when I was learning English, I watched a lot of television. It helped me get a feel for the language and slowly formed an understanding of grammar inside my mind," her eyes reflecting a sense of nostalgia.
Kazuha nodded, intrigued by Y/N's journey. "I've heard people say watching K-dramas can help with learning Korean. Do you think I should watch more dramas?"
Y/N chuckled, "Oh, absolutely! It's a cliché advice, but it works. Plus, it's a fun way to immerse yourself in the language and culture."
Kazuha laughed, "Oh then I guess I’ll watch Chaewon unnie’s drama with her.” Y/N smiled. Chaewon’s dramas. Urgh.
Throughout their study session, Kazuha's efforts were evident. Despite the occasional stumble, her determination and enthusiasm never waned. With each correction and explanation from Y/N, Kazuha showed small but steady progress.
"I never told you this, but I really admire your English skills, unnie," Kazuha confessed, her eyes filled with admiration.
Y/N playfully winked at her, "Thanks, I’m so glad I found my way with it. And you know what? Once you've perfected Korean, I wouldn't be surprised if you also mastered English.“
…
Over the next few hours, Y/N patiently guided Kazuha through her Korean assignments, offering gentle corrections to her grammar, helping her with pronunciation, and answering any questions she had. Each time Kazuha made a mistake, Y/N would correct her with a smile, encouraging her to try again.
Kazuha found herself laughing often, enjoying the light-hearted atmosphere Y/N created. She felt comfortable around her, appreciating that Y/N didn’t make her feel stupid for her mistakes. Instead, Y/N was supportive and humble, which made Kazuha even more grateful for her help.
As the afternoon sun began to set, Kazuha glanced at the clock, surprised by how quickly time had flown by. "Wow, it's already been three hours? Thank you so much for your help, unnie. I've learned a lot today," she said, her voice filled with genuine appreciation.
Y/N smiled warmly, placing a reassuring hand on Kazuha's shoulder. "I'm glad I could help, Kazuha. Learning a new language can be challenging, but remember, it's everyone's individual process. If you ever want my help again, I'd be happy to assist you."
Kazuha felt a wave of relief wash over her, touched by Y/N's kind words. "Thank you, I really don’t wanna be a burden, but you've really helped me out here. I might ask for your help again," she said shyly, her eyes shining with gratitude.
“Of course! You know where to find me,” with that Y/N touched Kazuha’s arm and stood up.
Once she stepped into the livingroom she heard …scratching?
“Hello?” she asked into the space. Nothing. She just heard the same noise again. She walked into the kitchen to find Yunjin, on the floor, scrubbing a giant pot with what she assumed to be the biggest cooking fail in human nature.
“Unnie, what are you doing?” Y/N asked irritated.
“What does it look like?” she paused scrubbing, “I borrowed Kkura-unnies favorite pot and I burned it,” Yunjin said as if it were obvious. The two stared at each other.
“…”
“Yeah.”
“Right.”
Y/N sighed, trying to process the scene before her. "Okay, I have to ask... How did you manage to burn Kkura unnie's favorite pot? What crazy idea led to this culinary catastrophe?" Yunjin cracked a smile at Y/N’s phrasing and looked up sheepishly, her cheeks tinted with embarrassment.
"Well, I thought I'd try to make a special barbecue stew I saw on TikTok. But, um, let's just say I got a bit distracted, and the next thing I knew, the pot was burned, and so was the sauce."
Y/N couldn't help but chuckle at Yunjin's confession. "Oh, unnie, you never cease to amaze me. Was Kkura unnie mad?"
Yunjin shook her head, a relieved smile spreading across her face. "Surprisingly, no. She just told me she's not buying a new pot, so I better clean it myself." Yunjin knew she didn’t wanna punish her, she just really liked that pot.
Y/N laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "I love her. Well, you better get scrubbing then. And don't worry, I'll help you out." Y/N reached into a cabinet and pulled out another sponge. “Scoot over,” she said and quickly started scrubbing the inside of the huge pot.
As Y/N and Yunjin continued to clean the pot, the rest of the members began to gather in the kitchen, drawn by the unusual commotion. Chaewon and Eunchae couldn't contain their laughter, exchanging amused glances as they watched Yunjin's cleaning efforts.
Kazuha, still a bit confused by the situation, joined in the laughter when she saw the comedic scene unfolding before her. "What happened here?" she asked, trying to catch up.
Eunchae grinned, "Yunjin unnie tried her hand at cooking and, well, let's just say it didn't go as planned."
Just then, Sakura walked into the kitchen, holding several bags of takeout. "Alright, everyone, dinner's ready!"
Yunjin looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. "Is this...?"
Sakura smiled, placing the bags on the counter. "I got your favorite. Consider it a reward for cleaning the pot."
Yunjin stared at Sakura in disbelief. "You're not messing with me, right?"
Sakura chuckled, "Nope, I'm serious. I appreciate you taking responsibility and cleaning up." Yunjin jumped up and wrapped her arms around Sakuram spinning her in the air. Once she set her down Sakura smiled at her before being pulled into another tight embrace, “You’re the best!”
“Can we eat now?” Eunchae asked impatiently. Her smile sweet as sugar.
“Ya!” Chaewon scolded her, but the maknae’s gummy smile didn’t disappear. Oh, she will get away with anything.
As Sakura took the food out of the bags, the girls spread around the table. Y/N grinned, wrapping an arm around Yunjin's shoulders. "See? All's well that ends well. And now, thanks to your lovely cooking adventure, we get to eat some delicious takeout!"