Chapter 14 - First Variety Show
The set of the popular variety show was buzzing with excitement, with bright lights illuminating the white box-stage and a cheerful host eagerly waiting to welcome Le Sserafim. The members took their seats, their hearts pounding with anticipation and excitement.
"They are one of the hottest new girlgroups right now, AND they are the first girlgroup created under Hybe Labels!” The host excitedly clapped.
“Welcome, Le Sserafim!” the host exclaimed with a broad smile, “Are you ready to have some fun?”
The members exchanged excited glances, nodding eagerly in response.
“Hello, we are Le Sserafim!” all the girls bowed.
Leader Chaewon spoke up, “We're so happy to be here, just a few days after our debut. Thanks for having us!” The host smiled at each of them.
“Alright, let's get started! We’ll ask each of you a question to show us your personality. Let’s see who’s the funniest!” the host continued, “First question, Y/N, why did you choose to become an idol?”
Y/N's eyes twinkled with mischief as she pondered the question. The first thing that came to her mind was Lego. She thought of the countless hours she spent as a child building Lego sets, dreaming of having that Harry Potter collection. Sure, Iz*one inspired her, but right then, this was her first thought.
“Well,” Y/N began with a sly grin, “I saw Twice Mina sunbaenim build all these amazing Lego sets, and I thought, I want to be rich enough to get myself all the Lego sets I want.”
The studio erupted into laughter, the host, and staff audience alike charmed by Y/N's witty response. Secretly, Y/N couldn't help but think about her genuine love for Lego sets and how she had always dreamed of collecting them all.
Next, the host turned to Kazuha, “Kazuha, what's your favorite variety show and why?”
Kazuha smiled, “I love 'Running Man' because it's so entertaining! Plus, I get to see all the idols show off their athletic skills.”
“And what's your hidden talent?” the host asked curiously.
Kazuha's eyes sparkled as she stood up, ready to demonstrate her hidden talent. Years of ballet training had given her grace and poise, and she was eager to showcase her skills.
“Actually,” Kazuha said with a shy smile, “My hidden talent is ballet.”
Without hesitation, Kazuha gracefully demonstrated her ballet skills, twirling and leaping across the stage. The studio was in awe, applauding and cheering for her impressive performance. Kazuha felt a surge of pride, happy to have shared a piece of herself with the world.
Yunjin was next, “Yunjin, can you speak a bit in English for us?”
“Of course,” Yunjin replied in fluent English, “Hi, I’m Jennifer, I’m from Albany, NY. And I want to be an artist who can inspire others and bring positive change to the idol industry. I believe music has the power to connect people from all walks of life. That's why I'm here.”
The host was impressed by Yunjin's eloquent words, nodding in agreement with her heartfelt sentiments. “Very well said. Thank you, Yunjin.”
Next, the host turned to Chaewon and Sakura, “Sakura, Chaewon, you've been on this show before with your old group, Iz*one. Why did you choose to debut again? What do you wanna show to your fans?”
Chaewon laughed nervously, “Well, I’m not sure what to say...”
Sakura grinned, “I wanna show them that I'm now an elite idol because I'm under Hybe!”
The studio echoed with laughter, the host, and staff finding Sakura's answer hilarious.
Chaewon then chimed in, “Actualy, I thought about retiring, but then I saw the rent prices in Seoul and thought, 'I should work again'. Fighting!” she lifted her fist. The host almost fell from his chair. “Ah yes, the rent. Good motivation… good, good.” Chaewon just nodded repeatedly and jokingly gritted her teeth. LMAO.
“Eunchae, can you share a secret with us?” the host asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.
Eunchae's cheeks turned a shade of pink as she recalled her embarrassing secret. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to share.
“Well,” Eunchae began, her voice soft and shy, “I brought Capri Sun for all the members to our first meeting. But I was too nervous to pass them out, so I drank them all alone later in my dorm.”
The studio echoed with laughter and exclamations of surprise. “Oh! No!” The members of Le Sserafim looked at Eunchae with a mixture of shock and endearment.
“You did what?!” Yunjin exclaimed, rushing over to Eunchae and enveloping her in a warm hug. “That's so cute!”
The other members nodded in agreement, their hearts warmed by Eunchae's sweet and nervous confession. “We love you so much, little one,” Yunjin said as she kissed the top of her head. Eunchae just smiled shyly, gesturing to move on from the question.
After Eunchae's confession about her secret Capri Sun stash, the host decided to lighten the mood with a fun game.
“Alright, let's shake things up a bit with a game!” the host announced with enthusiasm. “I call this game ‘Most Likely To!' I'll give you a scenario, and you have to guess which member it best describes. Ready?”
The members of Le Sserafim exchanged excited glances, nodding eagerly.
“First scenario,” the host began, “Who is most likely to forget the lyrics during a performance?”
Without hesitation, the members pointed to Y/N. Y/N laughed, feigning offense, “Hey! I've never forgotten the lyrics... okay, maybe once or twice.” The studio erupted in laughter, the playful atmosphere contagious.
“Next,” the host continued, “Who is the most likely to binge-watch an entire series in one day?” The members unanimously pointed to Chaewon. Chaewon chuckled, “I can't help it; I get too invested in my dramas.” The five members just rolled their eyes.
“Who is the most likely to pull a prank on the members?” Yunjin was the popular choice, and she proudly accepted her title with a mischievous grin.
“Who is the most likely to fall asleep during a movie?” Eunchae was the chosen one this time, causing the members to laugh and tease her gently. Eunchae pouted, “It's not my fault! Movies just make me sleepy.”
The next scenario had everyone laughing even before the choices were made, “Who is the most likely to laugh at the wrong moment?”
Eunchae was the unanimous choice again, her infectious giggles proving the members' point. “I can't help it!” Eunchae defended herself, still chuckling. “Everything is just so funny.” SHe showed her adorable gummy smile. “But the problem is, she has the most contagious laugh! When she laughs, we all laugh. Yeah, it’s Eunchae.” Yunjin exclaimed with a fake side-eye towards her youngest sister. Quickly resolving the stare and winking at her.
“Who is the most likely to cry during a sad movie?” Y/N was pointed at by almost everyone, causing her to blush a little. “I can't help it; I'm just sensitive!” Y/N admitted with a shy smile.
The next scenario brought a mischievous glint to everyone's eyes, “Who is the most likely to eat someone's last slice of pizza without telling anyone?”
Sakura was the chosen one, and she nodded guiltily, “I mean, who can resist pizza, right? If it’s there, it’s there. Let me have a bite.” She said as if admitting eating someone's pizza was the most normal thing to say. So much to her being so selfless. Not about pizza.
“Who is the most likely to become a K-drama star?” Yunjin was chosen, and she graciously accepted the imaginary award with a dramatic bow. “But like, wait. Kkura unnie already acted before,” Yunjin said while turning to point at her older member.
“Ah, yeah,” Sakura replied, face blank. A moment of silence.
“Ah! Alright next question!” Yunjin laughed, causing the other four members to also erupt in laughter.
“What? What?” Sakura asked shrugging.
“Who spends the most time at the gym?” All fingers pointed to Kazuha. The ballerina hid her face and jokingly flexed her biceps. Chaewon couldn’t resist hugging her side, jokingly saying, “She’s my type.”
The last scenario was a bit cheeky, “Who is the most likely to forget someone's birthday?” The host hid his laughter behind his cue card.
Eunchae immediately pointed to herself, causing another round of laughter.
“I have a lot on my mind, okay? But I always make up for it!” Eunchae defended herself, her smile never wavering.
As the game came to an end, Yunjin walked over to Eunchae, enveloping her in a warm hug once more.
“We love you so much, little one,” Yunjin said affectionately, kissing the top of Eunchae's head. “Never forget that, okay?” Eunchae nodded and cuddled into her older sister.