SeungWan fiddled with the camera and the selfie stick, wondering why the damn phone was not clicking into place like the staff had shown her earlier. Behind her, the other girls were giggling and generally making a lot of noise, Seulgi being the primary victim by the sound of her intense shrieking and the combined laughter of SooYoung and Yerim. Concerned with the wellbeing of her member, she turned her head towards them, only to be greeted with JooHyun’s smile, the oldest member taking the stick and the phone from her gently before snapping the device into place.

“Here.”

Dumbfounded, SeungWan stared at the older girl before turning her attention back down to the device, eyes widening.

“How did you do that? You’re technologically-”

And promptly shut when JooHyun shot her a glare, warning her not to continue her sentence. Nodding to herself and answering her own question as to how the technologically deprived leader could fix the selfie stick (how could she forget that the beauty of Daegu probably played around with this device while taking pictures?), she proceeded to log into the application, leaning slightly into JooHyun as the brunette took place next to her on the mat.

Another shriek had her turning around, eyes narrowing at the sight of SooYoung and Yerim sitting on Seulgi, the poor dark haired girl laughing without stopping as Yerim tickled her mercilessly.

“Unnie?”

JooHyun hummed and prodded at SeungWan’s leg, her fingers tapping out a path aimlessly. SeungWan forced the shiver back down and called for the older girl again.

“Unnie.”

“Mm, SeungWan?”

“Should we...?”

JooHyun looked up when SeungWan gestured behind her, the leader’s eyes scanning the mock fight happening in front of her before sighing, her head tilting to one side in exasperation.

“Let’s leave them be. We’ll jump in when they start killing each other.”

Her facial expression spoke volumes to SeungWan, which was saying a lot because half the time JooHyun was so closed off that SeungWan could barely read behind the coy smiles the other girl preferred.

(Her expression told SeungWan that she was not trained to be the leader of a circus troupe. The slight upturn of JooHyun’s lips let SeungWan know that the leader would not have it any other way.)

SeungWan let out a breath of a laugh and spotted one of the staff heading their way, the screams behind her abruptly stopping. Out of the corner of her eye, she found that the three of them were suddenly sitting gracefully, none of the chaos that ensued earlier. Sighing, she lifted her head to listen to the staff about the recording, her fingers shaking slightly out of nervousness.

A hand flitted past the small of her back and SeungWan looked over instinctively but saw that JooHyun was also listening to the older man intently, her face one of calm and serenity.

Her hand rested firmly on SeungWan’s back and the younger girl could feel the tension running out from her body, as though JooHyun was transferring some of her tranquility over to her. She knocked her head against JooHyun’s lightly, the older girl chuckling before shifting closer, her eyes shuttering close and a coy smile painting her lips.

(SeungWan had watched this transition enough to know that JooHyun had gone somewhere and Irene had taken over.

It was not any less frightening how easily JooHyun could do that.)

SeungWan waited for the rest to crowd around her before turning on the application, greeting the world with a wide smile, leaning into the touch that kept her anchored.

If she was slightly biased later towards Irene during the introduction, well, no one has to know.

*

(There were minute differences between JooHyun and Irene.

JooHyun was a child in the body of a twenty-four year old but she wasn’t as unobservant as Irene. JooHyun saw all and knew all but chose to stand by the sidelines and silently offer support, only ever jumping in if she thought you were going overboard. She will not tell you she told you so when she’s proven right and she gives her hugs as readily as she does her words, silent and strong and somehow so comforting for someone with such a small frame.

Irene was small and fluffy like a kitten, with ready smiles for the fans and an act of leader on stage, charismatic and y. JooHyun bled through on days that were long and tiring, eyes sharp and words short but Irene was fun and childish but never really a child. She held herself gracefully, the perfect image of the group and she gave out fanservice as readily as she admits she liked the member’s butts.

SeungWan and Wendy were interchangeable, both humble and kind, wearing her heart on her sleeves for the world to see. She baked when she could and gave them out like candy, wanting the people around her to have her love in a physical form because she can’t as readily give out hugs like she can for her members. As a result, Wendy got hurt more and SeungWan retreated back into her mind but somehow, she never managed to separate the two like Irene does and sometimes, she envies the older member for it.

But try as she might to separate herself like how JooHyun, Wendy could not deny.

Be it SeungWan or Wendy, she loves JooHyun unconditionally, be it whether the older brunette was her stage persona or the soft girl with softer smiles for SeungWan behind closed doors.)

*

Basically, the day was spent running around like a headless chicken (Joy would have her head for comparing against her one and only love), while staring at Irene whilst the older girl completed her sit ups without much complaint and a lot of self praise and taking the brunette around on a bicycle ride because the twenty-four year old was an actual child who did not learn how to ride a bicycle.

But more than anything, Wendy spent the day by Irene’s side, JooHyun showing a lot more today than any other day. Her fingers lingered on Wendy’s back more often than not and Wendy had to physically stop herself and think about what she was going to say whenever JooHyun batted her eyes at her, her