Aside from Joohyun, Kang Seulgi was one of the first people you met when you first joined the agency. You can recall thinking how pretty and thin she was. Later you found that she was much like a teddy bear, both in looks and softness. You heard her speak before you heard her sing and you thought her voice sounded like jingle bells, merry and bright, and her laugh made you want to laugh too. When you did finally get to hear her sing, you knew that she was someone you hoped to debut with one day because you wanted to make music with her and full of bells, both beautiful through and through.

Your two years of training were hard but you had the bear-like girl by your side at times and that made everything a little more bearable (pun intended), having someone as genuine as her for a friend. And after all, Seulgi had seven years under her belt. If she could go that long, you could too. At least you hoped.

But then, out of nowhere, Seulgi would pop up and give you her special eye smile (the one that was truly bright, not the one that the company taught her, and not the one that she put on for others to mask her exhaustion) as she passes you a bottle of water and leans her sweat-filled head on you and you find that you don’t mind in the slightest when you know that, at one point in time, such thing would’ve grossed you out.

Correction. Kang Seulgi made things much more bearable.

You don’t deny that those two years of your life were full of sweat and tears, some not your own but you experienced them all just the same. One memory, however, will always stick in your mind.

Late 2013. Around August. About a year before you would debut, but you didn’t even know it at the time. Seulgi, dear lovable Seulgi, ended up on search engines‒Naver, Daum, Nate, etc. ‒and for what reason exactly?

Kyuhyun sunbaenim.

All because he mentioned her on broadcast. You didn’t see it for yourself, because as a trainee you simply didn’t have time for the luxury of sitting down and watching television, but you overheard it from others. Out of curiosity and worry (for the bear-like girl), you snuck onto one of the computers in the media room. A few clicks here and there an‒ ah-ha!

You found it. There. All over the search results were the words “SM Trainee Seulgi” paired with “Super Junior’s Kyuhyun.” There were even images of the bear herself.

But upon reading the articles, all very similar in information and exaggeration (no thanks to the hosts, whose words reporters play up), you didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or simply frown.

The article was simple enough. It talked about how Seulgi (dubbed the 2^nd Taeyeon) (Taeyeon unnie sunbaenim I love you) was a trainee who had caught Kyuhyun’s sunbaenim’s eye. Of course, this was all from the reporters’ brains. The senior idol really only said that Seulgi was “okay,” which one could beg to differ because Kang Seulgi is anything but “okay.”

She was extraordinary. If there was a word greater than extraordinary, it should be the name Kang Seulgi.

If only she knew it herself.

And then, in that moment, you felt a presence behind you. It was familiar, the aura normally kind and comforting but right then it felt…distant. And you didn’t like it one bit.

You turned around and met the sight of the bear herself, but said bear carried none of the charisma that she usually had, nor did she even bother to fake a smile. That’s how you knew something was wrong.

You wanted to ask her about the talk-show, but you knew that if she wanted, she would’ve came to you first and brought it up herself. You knew your place. You knew where the line was and you didn’t dare to cross it.

However, you did allow yourself to speak but she beat you to it.

“I know…about the broadcast. Manager unnie told me…”

You said nothing. She continued.

“And I know most of it is for media play…I know that I shouldn’t pay attention to it...I know that I shouldn’t be reading the comments that people are writing…”

Dark brown orbs became wet with the sign of tears and you so badly wanted to prevent them from escaping‒escaping down pale cheeks and to the floor with a silent plop. But you stay silent.

Seulgi continued.

“I mean some were good but…the others…it’s just‒p-people can be so cruel, you know?”

Her voice cracked. You flinched.

“They say we should k-know what we got ourselves into the minute we signed that contract but…we-we’re still human. We’re still human, aren’t we?”

Seulgi’s feet began to pace but you stayed still.

“Just because we’re here, in this industry…it doesn’t mean we’re any less like them. We’re still human. And words hurt….

They hurt so much, Seungwan…”

Next thing you knew, the charismatic Kang Seulgi was reduced to a sobbing pile of limbs on the cold, unforgiving floor.

“Still human…still human…I’m still…human.”

You had two options. Number One: Joke about the girl’s existential crisis and say, “Silly, of course you’re not human! You’re a bear!” and pray that it would make her laugh or Number Two‒

“Did you know that no two individuals are exactly alike?”

Seulgi looked up at you confused, her sobbing reduced to sniffles at the randomness of your fact. But you got her attention and you moved from there.

“It’s true. Everybody in this world, every 6-plus billion of us, is different and unique.”

You sunk down to your knees to be closer to her.

“We all have qualities that make up who we are. And although we’ll have some that are similar to others around us, there will always be something that sets us apart.”

She looked at you in doubt but before she could say anything, you continued.

“We grow up in different environments with different backgrounds, different statuses. We grow and we learn in different ways. Then we become adults and we set off to make our mark on the world. But at some point, a few people will lose their way. Maybe they get back on track, maybe they don’t. But that doesn’t make them any less human.

So no, being here, in this industry, working hard towards your dream doesn’t make you less human.

And you, Kang Seulgi, are more human than anyone I know. You make mistakes, but you learn from them. You fall, but you get back up. You stumble, but you keep going. And even during all of that, you’re always there for others. You teach them. You move them. You push them forward.”

The bear next to you looked down at the floor in attempt to hide stray tears.

“Sseul, do you know how I know all of that?”

The girl only shook her head, eyes trained on the floor. You took her hand in yours, entwined them, and looked down fondly.

“I know because you were there for me. You were then, and you still are now.”

Seulgi looked up at you, finally, and opened to reply, but you cut her off.

“If I have to be by your side every day to remind you that you’re still human, that you’re still you, the clumsy, charismatic Kang Seulgi, then so be it. I will.

I promise.

Kang Seulgi, you’re stuck with me.”

‒

The next day, you snuck a can of Pringles through the building (because you hoped it would bring some happiness to a certain bear, and what the trainers didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them) and when you saw the charismatic bear with sweat beads on her forehead, body sprawled out on the practice room floor, right arm over her eyes to shield her from the relentless lights overhead, you nudged her foot gently to alert her of your presence. When she moved her arm to see who it was, you handed the red can to her with a smile that (you hoped) meant more than words could convey.

I’m sorry you’re going through this. But just know you’re not alone.

You have me. Always by your side.

I love you.

Seulgi didn’t say anything. She simply pulled you down to the floor and into a warm embrace that only a teddy bear like her could emit and when you broke apart, she gave you a smile.

Her eye smile.

And that time, you knew for sure it was real.