Chapter 21 - Game Caterers
The morning sun filtered through the thin curtains of the Le Sserafim dorm, illuminating the cozy living room in a golden hue. The air buzzed with excitement and mild chaos—it was finally the day of the highly anticipated Game Caterers special featuring Hybe artists.
Y/N stretched on the couch, still trying to shake off her grogginess. The tantalizing aroma of breakfast wafted from the dining table—pancakes, soup, and a variety of side dishes they’d ordered from a nearby café. Eunchae’s bright laughter rang out as Kazuha struggled to brush through her tangled hair.
“Ow! Zuha, go easy! I still need my scalp for today,” Eunchae protested, flinching slightly.
Kazuha huffed, wielding the brush like a weapon. “Well, maybe if you didn’t treat your hair like it’s a jungle gym, we wouldn’t be here.”
Across the room, Chaewon sat cross-legged on the floor, tying her sneakers. She sighed dramatically. “I swear, if today’s games turn out to be all sports-related, it’s just going to be tragic. I’ll trip over my own feet, I can feel it already.”
“More like a comedy show,” Sakura quipped from the kitchen counter, where she was meticulously applying sunscreen. “Speaking of comedy, we all know which team is going to flop the hardest today.”
Yunjin looked up from her phone, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “Let me guess—Seventeen?”
“Obviously!” Sakura said, smirking. “There are all ambitious. They’ll spend half the time arguing over who gets to play what.”
Eunchae scoffed, while Seventeen was her favorite group, she was very strict.
Chaewon emerged from the kitchen carrying two bowls of steaming soup. She handed one to Y/N and took a seat beside her. “That’s rich coming from us,” she teased, “considering we can’t even decide who gets shotgun for the van without a debate.”
Y/N accepted the soup with a grateful smile. “Thanks, unnie. And hey, at least we’ll probably place in the middle. Not too bad, not too good—just coasting.”
Yunjin snorted, setting her phone down. “Speak for yourself. I’m betting on us winning—solidarity, girl power, and all that.”
Eunchae, now sporting a somewhat fixed hair courtesy of Kazuha, raised her hand dramatically. “Fromis_9 is going to win. They’ve got seniority and experience!”
Kazuha sat down with a plate of pancakes “Experience doesn’t mean they’re good at games. Mark my words, TXT is going to dominate. Those guys are ridiculously competitive.”
“True,” Chaewon said, nodding. “But you’re all underestimating Seventeen. Chaos can be a strategy. Trust me.”
Sakura leaned against the counter, narrowing her eyes. “Alright, let’s settle this. We make a bet: worst team and best team predictions. Winner gets to make the losers clean the dorm for a week.”
“Deal!” came a unified shout.
Y/N raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. “So, who’s everyone betting on?”
Sakura smirked. “Worst team? Seventeen. Best team? Fromis_9, obviously.”
Kazuha scoffed. “TXT’s taking the win. And worst? Honestly, it might be us.”
“Speak for yourself, Zuha!” Yunjin shot back. “Le Sserafim is winning this, hands down. Worst team? Enhypen, no question. They don't have our ambition.” This comment made Y/N spit out her drink laughing.
“Hey, don’t sleep on Enhypen,” Eunchae protested, crossing her arms. “But okay, worst team… maybe TxT?”
The room erupted in laughter at that.
“No,” Chaewon chimed in. “TXT’s gonna crush it. They’re competitive.”
“Y’all are underestimating the power of chaos,” Y/N said with a knowing smile. “Seventeen might surprise us.”
“Hey, but isn’t being the worst team kinda subjective? We don’t even know the system,” Kazuha offered.
“She’s right. OK. Only the best team predictions count!” Sakura decided, she was suddenly so motivated for the day.
By the time their manager arrived to pick them up, the dorm was a whirlwind of chatter and last-minute preparations. Chaewon double-checked the group’s snacks, Kazuha grabbed her phone charger, and Eunchae pestered everyone to take a group selfie before they left.
As they piled into the van, the playful banter continued.
“Remember the bet,” Yunjin reminded everyone. “I’m holding you all accountable when we take the win.”
“And when Fromis_9 proves everyone wrong,” Eunchae added her hand raised in a sassy way.
Y/N leaned her head against the window, smiling as the van rolled toward the set. The excitement in the air was contagious, and she couldn’t wait to see what the day had in store for them.
The shoot finally began Game Caterers with HYBE Labels, featuring Le Sserafim, Seventeen, TXT, Enhypen, and Fromis_9, all ready to compete. The energy was high, and the laughter even higher, as idols filled the set, eyeing each other with mock rivalry. Le Sserafim’s team of six—Sakura, Chaewon, Yunjin, Kazuha, Y/N, and Eunchae—stood together, excited and a little nervous. Eunchae could hardly keep her cool, buzzing at the thought of spending the day with her favorite group, Seventeen. She leaned into Y/N, her eyes sparkling.
“Can you believe this? Seventeen sunbaenim is here. Today!” she whispered with a grin.
Y/N grinned back, nudging her shoulder. “You’ve been hyped about this for weeks. Now’s your chance to impress!”
One by one, each group was called to introduce themselves. When Le Sserafim’s turn came, Kazuha took the lead, lifting her leg up in a perfect ballet pose beside her head. The whole room gasped, and some of the idols clapped in surprise.
“Whoa, Kazuha! That’s incredible!” Seungkwan from Seventeen shouted, clapping with wide eyes.
Next to her, Y/N cheered loudly, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Let’s go, Kazuha! Show them who’s boss!”
Kazuha grinned, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Though she was thrilled to show off her skills, she couldn’t help but worry a little. She wanted to be seen as more than just the ex-ballerina Hybe marketed her as. She shook off her nerves, feeling encouraged by her members’ cheers and bright smiles.
As the day kicked off, the first game announced was “Red Light, Green Light”—with a twist. Each member had to make it across the field and back without getting eliminated, and they had to bring back food items for their team in the process. The food items ranged from soft drinks and coffee to a juicy stack of watermelons positioned temptingly on the sidelines. Everyone was already laughing and sizing up the fruits, ready to strategize.
The Le Sserafim members were psyched. Chaewon eyed the watermelons, a rare find among the other items, and whispered to the girls, “Let’s aim for those melons first—they’re gonna go fast!”
As the game began, Seungkwan yelled out, “Red light!” Everyone froze mid-step. Yunjin, balancing a watermelon in her arms, teetered slightly but managed to stay still, her eyes wide with concentration.
“Green light!”
With a burst of energy, the girls sprinted forward, dodging around each other and scooping up snacks wherever they could. Chaewon grabbed a cup of coffee, while Eunchae—her eyes wide with excitement—snatched a can of soda.
The other Seventeen members teamed up with Hayoung to carry the ENTIRE table with coffee on them. Watching the scene, Sakura bursted out laughing, “Look at them! Genius!”, as she clapped her hands.
On the way back, Kazuha spotted two more watermelons sitting temptingly in the middle of the field, and she gestured to Y/N. “Let’s bring those back too!”
“Good idea!” Y/N nodded, hefting the heavy watermelon with a slight wobble but managing to stay balanced.
As the next green period came, Y/N ran towards the watermelon only to collide with Yunjin, who had the same watermelon in mind.
“Ouch!”
“Are you okay?” Yunjin asked laughing, sitting on the floor, luckily it was a red phase.
“Yeah, you?” she received a nod from Yunjin. They looked at each other and bursted out laughing, trying their best not to move. “You get this one, I’ll grab some soda.” They high fived each other and parted ways.
The game went on, and they brought their loot back to the team zone: 2 watermelons, 4 bottles of soda and 2 cans of coke. Just as they were setting down the food, Sakura called out, “Let’s give away some watermelon! Some of the other teams didn’t get any!”
The girls all agreed with enthusiasm, and after carefully cutting, jogged over to Seventeen and Fromis_9, presenting each with slices of their watermelon. “Here, a little treat from Le Sserafim!”
The other groups were taken aback by the gesture, clapping and cheering at the unexpected kindness. “Thank you!” Jiheon from Fromis_9 said, giving Eunchae a high-five. The Le Sserafim girls exchanged pleased glances, proud of their generosity.
“So sweet of you!” Gyuri said, bowing to accept the fruit.
Back at their own station, Y/N, had a small dot of watermelon seed on her cheek. Yunjin laughed as she reached over, carefully wiping the seed off. “You’ve got…watermelon all over you, Y/N.”
Y/N laughed a little embarrassed, “I knew these watermelons would be trouble!”
Yunjin snickered and gave her a playful nudge. “Hey, they’re just as sweet as you” she said winking. Y/N cracked a laugh and Yunjin joined in. Jiheon and Saerom from Fromis_9, watching them, giggled from their side.
“Look at those two, so cute!” Saerom commented with a fond smile, nudging Jiheon.
The round ended with everyone snacking on their treats, and the game master announced the winners and encouraged everyone to fuel up for the next round of games.
This time, the object of the game was to race to your task paper, bring the right person back, and then successfully fulfill a challenge.
“I don’t even understand the game” Y/N said confused. Kazuha nodded, just as confused.
“Let me explain. One of us runs to the cards, reads it. Then they need to bring a person back who fits the description on the card,” earning nods from her members. “Then this person has to fulfill a game and if they succeed, the person who chose them gets a point.”
“Ah! I see. …I hope no one chooses me” Y/N said grinning. “I’d hate to disappoint.”
“We’ll all be fine, don’t worry!” Sakura encouraged her members.
The first game, Kazuha was asked to compete for another cast member, the card read “most flexible”.
“Why did you choose Kazuha?” the MC asked.
“I remembered her moves from the introduction, I thought she’d be a good fit,” he said shyly, causing Kazuha to blush.
“Okay, Kazuha, your task is a limbo contest!”
Kazuha stared, “Limbo?”
Everyone, including her members laughed. “YOU GOT THIS!” Yunjin shouted across the field.
Kazuha smiled turned around and raised her fist “Let’s go!”, turning an even darker shade of red.
One by one, the participants tried to bend low enough to pass under the bar, but it was quickly lowered to a level that only the most flexible could manage. Each time Kazuha’s turn came, she gracefully glided under the bar, her form flawless. The whole crowd burst into applause, and her fellow Le Sserafim members cheered extra loudly.
“Zuha! Keep going!” Y/N shouted, clapping enthusiastically. Kazuha’s confidence surged, and she couldn’t help but beam at her members’ support.
“Look at her go!” Yunjin whispered to Chaewon, nudging her.
Chaewon laughed, watching Kazuha conquer the limbo with ease. “Our ace right here!”
The Le Sserafim members high-fived her as she came back to join them. “That was amazing, Zuha!” Sakura said, pulling her into a quick side hug.
Kazuha let out a happy sigh, her worries melting away in the joy of the moment. “Thanks, guys. I feel like I can finally show my skills, you know?”
The next round required Yunjin to pick a representative for jump rope. Yunjin quickly looked around the team. “Okay, jump rope?”
Sakura shook her head, stepping back. “Definitely not me!”
Chaewon raised her hand. “Alright, I’ll do it.” But just as she stood in front of the MC, the other cast members suggested Yunjin switch Chaewon with Seungkwan whose jump rope skills were supposedly unbeatable.
As he confidently inspected the rope, Chaewon stepped back, nudging Yunjin with a smirk. “Looks like you chose the right person after all,” she teased.
Yunjin cracked up. “Hey, we switched!”
When Seungkwan finally started his task, he tripped on his second jump, prompting everyone to burst out laughing. The Le Sserafim members clapped and cheered for him anyway.
“Don’t worry, Seungkwan! You did great!” Eunchae called, smiling brightly as she clapped. Seungkwan scratched his head sheepishly, grinning as he laughed off his embarrassment.
Chaewon’s next challenge was a tongue-twister for Fromis_9, filling in after the switch. She took a deep breath and tried her best but fumbled over the words immediately. The group erupted into giggles, and Gyuri from Fromis_9 hugged Chaewon.
“It’s okay, Chaewon! Tongue-twisters are impossible!” Gyuri reassured, patting her back.
Chaewon grinned, shrugging. “I can’t believe I failed that fast!”
After the second game, the game organizer announced it was time to win a lunch ticket. This game involved queuing for a series of quick challenges. Chaewon was first up for Le Sserafim, winning her food with a game of “Cham Cham Cham.” She returned to the group with a proud grin.
“Yes! Lunch is secured!” Chaewon cheered, holding up her meal ticket like a prize.
Next, Sakura had to answer a math question: “What’s 6x7?”
“Forty-two!” Sakura called confidently, earning her food ticket. She high-fived Chaewon as she joined her back in line.
Before it was Eunchae’s turn, a curious Seungkwan couldn’t help himself. “Hey, Eunchae, how old were you when Seventeen’s Pretty U came out?”
Eunchae giggled. “I think I was… ten?”
Seungkwan’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he covered his mouth, laughing. “Ten? Oh... I'm sorry.”
Everyone laughed, and Eunchae beamed, thrilled to have interacted with her sunbae.
Kazuha’s turn came next, and her challenge was to name a popular bike company in Seoul. She looked completely lost, her eyes darting around for clues. Hell, this girl had been in Korea for a few months, how was she supposed to know? Yunjin leaned in close, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear.
Kazuha repeated the word, stumbling over the pronunciation, which made the whole set burst into laughter.
“Kazuha, say it again,” the game master chuckled.
After repeating about five times, Kazuha gave it her best, laughing through her last attempt, and finally passed, earning her meal ticket. Yunjin patted her on the back. “You did good, Zuha,” she said, playfully tapping her. Kazua smiled cutely at her as she went to get her food.
The challenges continued, and Y/N hit a wall with math. When asked to solve 58-39, Y/N’s face immediately fell. “You know, when I look at numbers my head refuses to process them,” earning an understanding laugh from the rest, jokingly dragging herself to the back of the line.
Yunjin wasn’t any better, either. She failed her word relay and marched to the end of the line, laughing.
Finally after waiting for her turn, Y/N made it back to the front and won by correctly naming the capital of Thailand. She flashed her meal ticket proudly, striking a victory pose. “Finally, I can eat!”
After her, Yunjin finally answered correctly, ironically with a math question, earning her one of the last food trays.
Eunchae, however, ended up with only kimbap after several failed attempts, pouting as she sat with the rest of her members at the table.
As the afternoon wore on, they gathered for the next game to win a dessert: “Reverse Rock Paper Scissors,” which involved calling out the opposite result of each match.
The first round was manageable and lost last second, but the second round—where they had to announce a “tie” if that happened—put everyone’s minds even more to the test. Chaewon mixed up her answer, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
“I think I said half ‘won’ and half ‘lost’ there,” she chuckled, shaking her head.
Another round passed, but Yunjin was the first to slip up, laughing helplessly. “Why am I so bad at this game?!”
After a few more tries, Chaewon was once again the last to go, but she cracked under the pressure, causing the group to lose their chance at dessert.
“Nooo, Chaewon!” Sakura groaned dramatically, while the others burst out laughing, clutching their sides.
“Oh well,” Y/N sighed, shaking her head with a grin. “But to be fair, this was the most intense Rock Paper Scissors game ever.”
For the last game, Random Play Dance, Seungkwan was the judge, eliminating the people who lacked.
The first song to play was PSY’s “That That.” Sakura was totally in her element, dancing with abandon and surprising her members.
“Wow, unnie, what’s gotten into you?” Yunjin asked, giggling.
The music switched to Le Sserafim’s debut song, and the girls ran to the center, falling into formation with precision. Yeonjun from TXT joined them, nailing the choreography so well that Chaewon laughed.
“He’s practically the seventh member!” she called out, impressed.
With each round, the songs switched, making things more challenging and intense. Kazuha was eliminated during the Mama cover, and soon after, Sakura and Chaewon had to step out when Seventeen’s “Very Nice” played and they couldn’t keep up. They exchanged looks of mutual defeat as they joined the sidelines, cheering the remaining players on. Then, after SHINee’s “Sherlock,” the game MC jokingly asked Chaewon who from Le Sserafim she’d choose to eliminate. Without hesitation, Chaewon replied with a grin, “None of them! They’re all staying in!” Her deadpan response made everyone crack up, and even Seventeen’s Seungkwan jokingly applauded her loyalty.
Meanwhile, Yunjin, Eunchae, and Y/N were still hanging in there, showing hearts to their team on the side, and Yunjin shouted out, “FIGHTING, UNNIE!” with a playful grin.
Then “Dun Dun Dance” by Oh My Girl came on, and Y/N’s face dropped; she had no idea how the choreo went. Standing there stiffly, she laughed sheepishly, bowing out as she walked to the eliminated side. Her fellow Le Sserafim members laughed, calling out to her as she returned, and Sakura pulled her down in a tight hug.
“You still did great!” to which Y/N smiled shyly.
The next song was H.O.T.’s “Candy,” and though none of the remaining idols were old enough to have seen the song live, almost everyone miraculously knew the dance. However since some of them seemed a bit weak, Yunjin and The8 from Seventeen were called forward to show off their moves again. After The8 left the ground defeated, Yunjin continued with her interpretation of the choreography, but Seungkwan mischievously broke into singing Le Sserafim’s “Fearless” instead. Yunjin, laughing, played along, “Exactly!” and danced the “Fearless” choreography, making the crowd go wild with laughter and cheers. It was becoming clear that the game organizers were eager to push the newly debuted Le Sserafim that day, giving Yunjin a bit of extra encouragement to let her stay in the game.
When Girls Generation “Into the New World” came on, Yunjin struggled with the moves a little, but they, again, let her stay in. Lmao, Yunjin thought. Y/N and Chaewon cheered loudly, waving heart hands and calling, “Let’s go, Yunjin!” She smiled proudly, encouraged by her teammates’ support.
The following song, “ASAP” by StayC, had everyone dancing again. When it started, though, Yunjin, ready to wrap it up, walked off willingly, waving goodbye with a grin, leaving Soobin from TXT and Soyeon from Fromis_9 in the ring with their maknae Eunchae.
Seungkwan was ready to make a grand finale out of this and asked newly graduated MCountdown MC Sunghoon to interview the three finalists. As Sunghoon stepped in to introduce the last contestants, he couldn’t help a nervous laugh, it was obvious he didn’t like it. After handing the mic to Soobin and Soyeon, he turned to Eunchae, introducing her as “Le Sserafim’s…”. He paused, glancing at her nametag to confirm her name, which made everyone laugh. An embarrassed Sunghoon apologized with a shy. “I’m so sorry! I panicked!” he said with a laugh, scratching his head.
Eunchae giggled and responded confidently, “It’s alright! I’ll win for my members!” She glanced at her team, and they all sent her hearts, encouraging her.
After a few more intense rounds, the last song, “Ice Cream Cake” by Red Velvet, came on, and Soyeon from Fromis_9 stunned everyone with her perfect execution of the hook. Her dance sealed her victory, and the rest of the idols erupted into applause.
“WE HAVE A WINNER! FROMIS_9 SOYEON!” MC Seungkwan announced cheering.
Immediately, Soyeon was jumped by her members, proud and happy she managed to represent their group in an impressive dance competition.
As Eunchae had made it to the end, Le Sserafim couldn’t contain their pride as they rushed over to hug her tightly, practically beaming. Yunjin, excited, even scooped her up, twirling her around as they all laughed. “HONG EUNCHAE! HONG EUNCHAE!” she exclaimed.
“Hey! I was so lonely because you all were eliminated early!” Eunchae fake pouted, cuddling into Sakura’s side.
“Aww, but you did so well!” she replied rubbing her back.
Chaewon was about to say something but the cast was interrupted in their celebration to let them know they were about to film the ending ceremony.
During the pretty short – and random - awards ceremony for the dance challenge, Yeonjun received an honorary award for the RPD because he devoured every choreography, Eunchae was officially named second place, tying with Soobin, and the Le Sserafim members couldn’t have been more thrilled. Soyeon was rightfully crowned the champion of the RPD and celebrated accordingly.
After an exhilarating day of challenges, the final announcement came, signaling the end of the Game Caterer event. The Le Sserafim girls had given it their all—laughing, competing, and celebrating with the other HYBE groups. They were thrilled but absolutely spent, each of them wearing matching tired grins as they waved goodbye to the other idols and made their way to their waiting van.
Inside the van, the girls settled into their usual seats, immediately feeling the warmth and coziness after the long day. Yunjin, completely exhausted, had her head on Sakura’s shoulder. Sakura chuckled softly as she reached over to pat Yunjin’s cheek, brushing her hair to the side as she rested.
“Told you Fromis_9 was gonna win,” Eunchae proudly declared with a yawn. The rest of the girls groaned, accepting their fate for losing the bet. Even though Sakura also won, she decided to let their maknae have the victory for herself. She liked cleaning anyway.
"Sweet dreams, Yunjin-ah," Sakura whispered with a gentle smile. Despite being mostly asleep, Yunjin’s lips curved up ever so slightly, as if feeling the comfort of Sakura’s touch even in her sleep.
In the back, Chaewon and Eunchae tapped away on their phones, reliving the day through the videos they’d recorded. Chaewon glanced up and caught Eunchae's eyes, sharing a tired yet satisfied smile.
“I think we did pretty well today, don’t you?” Chaewon murmured, nudging Eunchae’s shoulder.
Eunchae nodded eagerly, her face lighting up. "We did! I even got through some rounds of the Random Play Dance, which I wasn’t sure about. Everyone was so supportive—I’m already excited for the next time!"
Up toward the front, Y/N and Kazuha were seated next to each other, the earlier adrenaline still buzzing between them as they recounted the highlights of the day.
"I can’t believe you went for that watermelon in the first round, Zuha!" Y/N laughed, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "It’s like you went into full action mode. And the way you held that ballet pose in front of everyone when you introduced yourself? I mean, I knew you were a ballerina, but seeing you do it here… you blew everyone away!"
Kazuha blushed slightly, ducking her head. "Thank you! I wasn’t sure how people would take it. I mean, sometimes I worry people only see me as 'the ballerina,' but today I really felt like a part of Le Sserafim, you know?"
Y/N’s heart fluttered at the words, and she reached out for Kazuha’s wrist, a silent reassurance. “You’re not just ‘the ballerina’ to us, Zuha. You’re our Kazuha. Today, you showed everyone this whole new side—confident, playful, and completely you. It was amazing to watch."
Kazuha’s smile stretched ear to ear, eyes bright with happiness. “Today was just… so much fun! I felt like I could really just be myself, and it’s all thanks to you girls,” she said, reaching for Y/N’s right hand and interlocking their fingers.
In that quiet moment, Y/N felt her heart skip a beat, a warmth spreading across her chest as she looked at Kazuha’s joyful expression.
When Kazuha’s fingers wrapped around Y/N’s hand, something soft but intense bloomed within her. It wasn’t just the warmth of Kazuha’s hand that she felt, but something more—a spark, a gentle fluttering, as if a thousand butterflies had suddenly taken flight inside her. She glanced over, catching Kazuha’s flushed cheeks and that beautiful, genuine smile that seemed to light up her entire face, and suddenly, Y/N’s world narrowed to just this moment, to just this feeling. Something shifted ever since their moment at Han River.
Kazuha wasn’t simply her fellow member anymore, not just the graceful idol she shared the stage with every day. She was layered, multifaceted—vulnerable and strong, playful and serious, and radiantly vibrant. Y/N marveled at the facets of Kazuha she’d seen today: the daring girl who’d grabbed the watermelon like it was a trophy, the confident artist who held a stunning ballet pose with ease, and the gentle girl now looking at her with an expression of pure joy. Kazuha was like a brilliant sunrise, each ray revealing a new depth to her that Y/N hadn’t noticed before.
There was something magnetic in her presence, something so purely Kazuha that it tugged Y/N closer, filling her with a sweet anticipation.
Still holding hands, the sound of a now asleep Kazuha’s soft breathing filled in the air, Y/N felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. She was captivated by Kazuha’s energy, by the radiant, carefree way she seemed to be truly herself. In the quiet of the van, she realized just how much she admired—and, perhaps, even more than admired—Kazuha.
She fell for her. Oh no.