At MBC, there was a lot of hustle and bustle going around, and excitement rolled off of the eight girls in huge waves, infecting everyone on set. It was their first variety show, well, ever, for all of them, and to say they were excited was the absolute understatement of the century. The girls were twittering about, all smiles and excitement for their preview pictures and first look to be completed. 

"This is really exciting!" Naeun chirped, fixing her hair over her shoulder and joining the group, being the last to finish her makeup. Sangmi nodded back, her mood high. Venus was even vibrating good vibrating, finding the cameras nervewracking but all the more exciting. The director came over after a few minutes, telling them that their preview piece would be held soon as well as their two songs they'd be recording for the cut scenes into new segments. 

"Thank you, we'll work hard today!" They chorused, bowing to the director, the assistants, and all of the staff before recording, finishing the bits rather quickly and continuing on with their show recording. Now came in Leetuk and Tak Jaehoon, the hosts of this show. They were all greeted warmly.

"Hello, we're 4xU, please take care of us today!" Sangmi, of course, led their greeting, and the two clapped and smiled at the girl group. "It's a pleasure, really! We're honored that we're your first variety show, we hope it'll be as fun for you as it'll be for us!" Leetuk returned, shaking hands with Sangmi and JJ. 

"We hope that you like our idea for your introductions, we thought it'd be cute." The director mentioned, and Tina smiled. "We think it's quite fitting, given our original concept."

"Good! Shall we begin the bulk recording, then?" The director motioned for a PA to standby, as well as the camera people when the girls agreed, ready to embark on this first as a whole. "3, 2, 1," And with that, everything began. At first, Leetuk and Jaehoon began their banter about the last group they had on the show, before Leetuk finally getting to the next point.

"We have princesses today, Jaehoon. They've been in the industry for a long time, and recently comeback with a whole new look, but we wanted them to visit their roots when they came here." Leetuk motioned over towards the stage where 4xU was waiting patiently, and there was a cut to Naeun and Sophie waiting together, fidgeting ever so slightly. Jaehoon nodded, "Ah yes, very important, the roots of your beginnings as an idol." Leetuk nodded in agreement, "It really is, remembering where you came from as an idol is humbling and refreshing." Jaehoon looked over at Leetuk, "Does that mean Super Junior will do that soon?" The first notes of 'Twins (Knock out)' began playing and Leetuk immediately shot from his seat, x-ing his arms and walking towards the camera crew, "No, stop that, we don't need to go that far back!" And when they cut back to the girls, many of them were dying while Sophie and Clara looked very, very confused. 

"Anyways, let us warmly welcome our royalty for the day, 4xU!" Jaehoon diverted as Leetuk settled back down, letting the camera focus on the girl group, who had shouted their greeting once more in a funny pose. More laughter ensued as the cameras cut and the eight quickly went to change into a normal attire, chattering excitedly about how well the filming was going, having some makeup touched up and they all filed into their seats, waving at the personal cameras as they settled around the table.

Leetuk sighed, "Ah, welcome, welcome, we're very happy to have you all here, 4xU!" Jaehoon laughed, "That was so cute, going back to the fairytale concept with all of you now. But there was something even funnier, though," He gestured over to where Sophie and Clara sat, "These two looked so confused when Super Junior's song was playing earlier!"

"That was Super Junior???" Clara looked just as confused as Sophie when that was brought up, both looking at each other and then at Leetuk. "Yes, that was one of their debut songs from 2005, did you not know?" Jaehoon asked. Sophie shook her head, "I was in New Zealand at that point, I think."

Clara's brow furrowed, "I... I was six?" And another screech was heard from Leetuk, who had once again stood up, making Clara jump. "She's a baby!!! I'm too old, what is happening???" Leetuk was dramatic, making the girls all laugh and giving the personal cameras a very good first look at how the show was going to go. Once Leetuk had once again settled down into his seat, he sighed, "It must be nice to be so young, please, don't grow up fast, Clara." She nodded, still confused but going along with it anyways.

"Ah, before we forget, please say hello to your personal fancams in the desk in front of you, our viewers will be very excited to see how you react up close!" The girls peeped at the lens, some making faces, some greeting them cutely or respectfully, and Venus...

"W-what are you doing with your face, Venus?" Jaehoon gasped over at the girl, who was contorting her face into a rather strange expression. She looked up, face still unmoving. "I... I'm greeting my fans. Trust me, it's normal." She stated, going back to her camera for a few seconds before returning to her normal, netural face. Jaehoon shook his head, laughing.

Leetuk began the conversation this time, "Ah, so 4xU, you're gaining a lot of social media attention, your old fans are very eager and loyal now that you're back, that must feel really good." 

"It's really heartwarming, honestly," Naeun nodded, "We really appreciate our fans being so patient and so dedicated to us. We're very thankful." Leetuk nodded, "I understand, it's so encouraging when times are tough to know that long-time fans are there for you." The group nodded in agreement as he spoke. "Since you've been gone for a while, the idol life has definitely changed, so how's it treating you to those who've returned, and how's it so far to those who are new?" 

"It's a little strange, coming back after all this time," Tina spoke up this time, "And I know that we talked a lot before debut about how to deal with our personal lives being more in the public eye than before. We needed to be prepared for us to be under scrunity a lot more, as well as rumors about our decisions being broadcasted to many people." 

Sophie spoke up, "I know that for us," She gestured to the three new members, "It was worrying. We didn't want the fans to become upset or dislike us, and we honestly expected to receive the worst from some fans. I feel like that we were more prepared for the recent idol life, since all of us are close with idols who are current and debuted in later years." Leetuk nodded, the empathy spreading through out the room. "We're sorry that you had these worries, but still, it seems that fans are very thankful you're back and are receiving all of you very well." 

"And it's not just the public and fans receiving you well, you all seem to be making quite a few new friends in the business that are more than willing to talk about their impressions of you and your music." Jaehoon cued, "Which brings us to our first segment, 'Closer than You Think'. A few of you had made a very impressive first impression on some very big names in the industry, and they'd like to speak to you." The girls perked up, they had all been talking about who would be who's video, after so many years and with the many friends they'd met on music shows, they were surely going to be surprising.

"Ah, hello 4xU!" JJ's head snapped up, looking at the screen with slightly open. "I'm GOT7's JB, and my video is for JJ." Leetuk and Jaehoon made some 'oohs' and 'ahs', while Tina asked, "Where'd he have time to do this, aren't they promoting too?" 

"I met JJ-noona very recently, actually," JB hummed in thought, "But I really felt close to her, just as our Bambam felt close to Chase. We both are very clean," and that earned some laughs from the group members, while JJ made pointing motions at some of the members as if to call them out, "I also understood how it was like to not be the oldest but still hold a leader position in the group, and we clicked very well. She's a very nice girl, and I hope to become better friends with her. I hope everyone supports 4xU well, they're very talented! See you, JJ-noona, and good luck in group and sub-group promotions!"

JJ scoffed at the end, "I told him to just call me JJ or Soojin, I'm only a year older, honestly." Leetuk perked up, "Ah, so you are close then?"

She shook her head, "No no, not close I would say, but I think we have potential to be close. He and I have very alike minds." The girls nodded, and Jaehoon pointed out something that JB had said at the end.

"Sub-groups are really popular nowadays, and 4xU seems to already be investing in these, you dropped a teaser of four of you at your debut showcase. How's that feel? And are there more?"

Chase raised her hand to gain attention before speaking, "Ah, well, over the course of the years, while we were technically disbanded, that didn't stop a lot of us from composing and writing music. So we have a lot of good, approved songs written and ready to be properly produced. They vary for a lot of types of genres, and the ones that the company happened to pick out first was the one for IDYLL." 

"Ah, so it's just what the company thinks will be best promoted at the time then?" Leetuk asked, "Very smart, as expected of Woolim. Do you think solo debuts are in the works, and who'd it be if there would be one?" Hands immediately pointed all around the room, but three got at least two votes. 

"Ah, so JJ, Sophie, and Chase are recommended for solo debuts?" Jaehoon pointed the three out. "Why those three?"

"JJ is very talented and honestly deserves a solo, she'd do very well, I predict." Sang Mi praised her fellow leader, and JJ blushed. "I'd definitely wait until the company approached me about it, though."

"I picked Sophie because honestly, I want to write for her." Chase volunteered, and Tina nodded, "Sophie has a very unique voice and can match a lot of genres that Chase writes for." 

"And Chase...?" 

"Chase writes music constantly, she'd be perfect for a self-produced sort of album." Tina praised her friend. Chase smiled, "I'd write for anyone who wanted a song, honestly. I like composing and writing music." 

"Have you written anything for 4xU?" She shook her head at the question, "No, not yet. For the concept we're currently promoting, my songs won't fit. I'll try and become more flexible, but my genres usually dabble in the R&B and hip hop side of music. I'm still learning."

"I-i think Venus should have a solo." Clara spoke up, bringing up Venus as well. "She's also very talented and works very hard. I think she'd do very well, maybe with a Chinese or English song even." She mentioned, and everyone smiled at the youngest's praises. Venus sunk down closer to her camera, attempting to hide her blush. 

"Ah, Woolim, you have talented girls, I hope you definitely use them well!" Jaehoon called out to the camera, before moving on, "We still have more videos, let's get into it."

"Yoo hoo, hello~" A cheerful voice perked everyone up, and Clara broke out into a bright grin, "Yeri!!" She called happily, watching the video in pure delight. "I'm Yeri from Red Velet, and this is for Clara!" The red haired female smiled before continuing, "Clara and I met in training, and we were really close. I find it unfortunate that we weren't debuting in the same group, but I think, for our styles, that we debuted at the right time with the right people. Clara is very sweet and is like a mom, despite being so young, and I think that's a very valuable thing to have in this industry." She nodded to herself, trying to think of more to say, "Ah, I could go on about Clara, honestly, she and I are very close. I hope to see her on stage again soon! Bye bye~" She cutely waved, and Clara pouted and waved bye back at the screen.

"Clara is in a very good mood now that she's seen Yeri, it seems," Leetuk joked, and Clara just smiled sheepishly, her entire being feeling more at ease and just.. happy. 

"So you two are obviously very close," Jaehoon motioned for Clara to speak. The young girl nodded, "We trained together for a while, and leaned a lot on each other when times were rough. SM isn't exactly easy, and when I was transferred to Woollim... It was hard. I didn't know what to do without my friend. I'm glad she still supports me, because... I support her." She seemed very touched at the video, despite its shortness.

"So you have many idol fans, it seems. Anyone have the most?" Leetuk asked, and again hands flew, but landed on two in particular. 

"Naeun and... Clara? Not to sound surprised, but she's still fairly new... I didn't mean to be rude." The older idol explained, and Clara just waved it off, not bothered. She knew. 

Naeun smiled, "I think it's because of my image, 'Nation's Girl Next Door' is very much a title that most people are drawn too. And because of all of my experience before debut, and during our break, I meet a lot of people and they happen to become fans. I'd rather call them friends, though." 

"Recently Clara became a hot topic because of a selfie with Jonghyun, who is your senior," Jaehoon mentioned, "How is that feeling, Clara? Knowing that you have elder singers already calling themselves your fan?"

Clara blushed at this, "I-it's very flattering, honestly. I wasn't... expecting him to do that, nor others to admit that they liked someone like me... I'm very honored and I hope to prove I'm worthy of this attention." She nodded. 

The next video shocked a lot of people, including the person it was addressed to, "I'm Zhang Yixing aka Lay of EXO, and I'm friends with Chase." 

JJ looked over in shock, "R-really? How do you know him that well?" Chase just looked in awe, back and forth from the screen to everyone else, even her personal camera, making confused and fascinated expressions in them as well, before focusing back on the video. "Chase has been very active in the collaboration world right now, and I find her style fascinating. We recently ran into her group on a music show and we talked a bit, and I find myself really wanting to collaborate with her. She has very unique ideas and I think it'd be a lot of fun. I hope you don't mind me saying that we're friends, though, I would like to be. Uhhhh," The girls laughed at the cute antic of the boy group member, "I must go practice now, but I hope to see and hear from her soon."

"I didn't know we were friends!" Chase's loud exclamation disrupted the whole room into laughter. Leetuk spoke up, "Ah, but Lay is very friendly and nice, he geuninely likes people. It's no surprise he reached out. Speaking of collaborations, are there any groups or people you'd like to collaborate with?"

"Obviously," Chase laughed at the thought, "I'd collaborate with someone like Suga of BTS, my dream is to collaborate with my idol, Yoon Mirae. It'd be an honor to do so." Some of the girls nodded, Chase's answer being obvious. "Ah, I see. Anything we can look forward to in the near future?" Jaehoon asked.

"Ah ah ah! That'd ruin the surprise~ But based on the video and my answers, I'll let you wonder and think~" Chase teased, playful as always, but Tina and Sophie giggled, knowing exactly what she meant.

"I'd like to collaborate with an American producer or writer, like Skrillex, Pharell Williams, Zedd." JJ offered, "I think that'd make the songs stand out."

Naeun hummed, "I agree, it'd be interesting to try a unique genre that no one's used to listening to. Maybe we'd start a trend!" The girls murmured in agreement about the idea. Leetuk nodded, "We have two more videos for all of you, so let's continue. Next please!"

"Are you listening, girls?" The familiar voice made all of the girls laugh. Suchin appeared on the screen, "Ah, I bet you guys are off doing your show right now. Hm, well, I'm 4xU's manager, Zhang Suchin, hello!" She greeted the camera, repeating herself in Chinese as well before continuing, "It's very wonderful to have my girls back, all eight of them! And I hoep they learn and keep working hard as they go along so they can be successful, ah... Oh, yes. I have a special guest for you all to encourage you all to work hard, because I know how you can be!"

"Ah, ah, hello 4xU--" The video's sound was drowned out due to the shrieks of "No WAY!!" or "OH MY GOD" from the group, causing Leetuk and Jaehoon to jump from their seats and cover their ears. "I'm Song Joonki, and I'd like to congratulate you on debuting, first and foremost!"

"How did Suchin-jie get him to do a video?" Sang Mi gasped, and Tina's jaw dropped a little. "It's very flattering to hear that you all are fans of me, and after hearing and seeing your debut stages, I can say that I will be a fan of yours too. I hope you all listen to your manager well, and work hard to succeed. I look forward to watching you and hopefully we can meet someday soon. Work hard, 4xU, see you!"

Leetuk and Jaehoon had settled back into their chairs as the room fell into silence with the occasional squeal from one of the girls, "A-ah, so you all like Song Joonki then? Incredible." Jaehoon hestiantly brought up, and there was a chorus of 'yes's from the eight.

Naeun covered her cheeks with her hands, "We fell for him when watching some of his old dramas and really became fans of him in Descendants of the Sun. We alway slook for new things that he's been in now when we're all hanging out together. It's the one thing we'll always agree on."

"We're very surprised that Suchin-jie managed to secure him for a video, how is that possible, he's so busy, isn't he?" Sang Mi blinked. Leetuk smiled, "Ah, well, he said he's a fan, so of course if you were approached with the opportunity to speak directly to the group you liked, wouldn't you?"

"You all should make a response video, vote on your representative to do so." Jaehoon gave the floor to the girls, who discussed it rather seriously before giving the opportunity to Tina. "Alright, ready, 1, 2, 3!" She was cued.

Tina waved, "Hello, Song Joonki-oppa, and thank you for agreeing to make a video with Suchin-jie." She giggled a bit, hoping that the hosts wouldn't notice it. "We've very surprised and happy to hear that you are a fan of us as well, and we hope to see you succeed more in your acting career now that you've returned from service. Thank you for supporting us, we will support you too!" She finished off, smiling brightly and earning a small bti of applause for her clean take.

"Alright last one, okay girls?" Jaehoon announced, and the girl's attention turned to the screen.

"Hello everyone," And the energy was out of the room at the person on the screen. Gigi??? Chase mouthed over to Tina, who just looked shell-shocked at the sudden turn of events. "This video is for Naeun. First, congratulations on debuting, you've worked really, really hard for it, as have the rest of you," Sang Mi scoffed at the voice, "Naeun and I have been friends since before our debuts, and we trained together for the longest time. Although it didn't work out the first time," Tina coughed in surprise, "I'm very thankful that we both found our right paths. I hope for nothing but success and happy times ahead for her and for her new group. Well, that's all, Bye Naeun~" And the video clicked off. The once happy, silly group was silent, some shocked, some angry, and others afraid of the sudden turn of energy.

"A-ah, well, thank you... But... I don't think that showing that video was appropiate." Naeun finally spoke up. "So if you'd please, edit this out and let's continue the recording." Leetuk nodded, motioning to the PA to write something down and they offered the group a chance to break, change into their performance attire, and continue with their show.

"Now before we move onto our next section, hashtag#, let's have a group performance by the lovely 4xU~"

The energy felt a little higher once the girls got performing, of course they had chosen a classic song that could put most everyone in a good mood (and have you singing the song the entire day).

"Wow, that was really, very good." Jaehoon praised the group as they settled back in their seats, and the girls thanked him in their own way as Leetuk introduced the next segment.

"Hashtag# is usually done exclusively by the members, but we went to social media and asked fans to vote on a hashtag for each person as well, so let's take a look at the first person." The screen lit up to reveal Sang Mi's picture, with four hashtags surrounding the image.
"There's #drumming_fingers, #whats_your_(blank), #just_enjoy_(blank), and #food_ahjumma. Well then, which one should we discuss first?" Jahoon chuckled, looking over at the leader. She squinted at the screen.

"Drumming fingers is a habit of mine, I tend to fiddle on the table's surface with my fingers in a rythmic motion when concentrating," Sang Mi mentioned, with the personal camera catching the habit as well. "I think... Was it Tina who did this? She and I were roommates for a long time, so I think that drove her crazy."

Tina shook her head when her name was mentioned, "It wasn't me, actually. I won't deny it, though." She joked, causing a few laughs on set. "It was me." JJ finally admitted, raising her hand. "Ah, your current roommate then." Tina pointed out, "It's a problem!" The two pretended to reach out to each other, as if they were feeling each other's pain.

"What's the blank in the second one, though?" Sophie pointed out, bringing attention to the other hashtags. "Ahhh, this is easy for the ones who have been around the longest." Chase claimed, and the original five nodded in agreement.

"It's what's your sign, isn't it?" Venus spoke up, and once revealed to be right, she made a victory pose for her camera. "She's always talking about astrological signs on the fan cafe and to us. Whenever we say there's a problem, 'Oh, what's your sign, let me see which area you're going to have trouble in this week'."

"I find astrology fascinating, yes." Sang Mi admitted, and Jaehoon laughed. "You must be, since that was the fan hashtag." 'OOh's were heard and praises of how attuned and attentive their fans were went around the table as they moved along to their next hashtag. "Just enjoy--" "The film! It's totally the film!" Chase made no hestiation to point out, and everyone agreed, laughing when it was revealed to be right.

"Why is that? Who wrote that?" In response, Tina raised her hand. "I did. Everytime we watch a film, she likes to nitpick little things in the directoral style or the cinematography, it can be too much sometimes." She explained, and Sang Mi nodded. "I won't deny that I do, but it's because I have a degree in Film, it sort of slips out. I'll try to keep it to myself more though."

"What about the last one?" Leetuk pointed at the last one, causing laughter when read again. "Food Ahjumma???" JJ hid her laugh behind her hand. Sophie proudly raised her hand at this one. "It was me!! She always buys the food in the dorms, so we're never hungry." Naeun nodded, "It's true. Sang Mi-unnie likes to feed us and spoil us with treats when she can."

"I just like to have a full fridge at all times." Sang Mi commented, and after a few more comments, the next person's hastag# profile was put on the screen, revealed to be Naeun.

"#why_are_you_laughing, #my_(blank)_my_(blank), #nasal_strips, and #(blank)_naeunie." Leetuk laughed, "Well, then. Which one first?"

"The third one, who said this? Who thinks I need nasal strips?" Naeun mock-angrily demanded, looking around pointedly at the members. Clara timidly raised her hand. "A-ah, just when you sleep unnie! You... You snore and talk a lot... It can be disruptive to others around you..." Thier youngest pointed out, and many members of the group agreed, laughing or attempting to hide their laughs poorly. Naeun pouted, "Just go to sleep before me, then! I don't need them~" She whined, before moving onto the next one that caught her eye.

"Why are you laughing is definitely about horror movies." Chase called, and Sang Mi raised her hand to reveal that it was her that had written it. "We don't like horror movies at the dorm that much, but she loves them. Only she doesn't get scared!"

Naeun shrugged when the focus was put back on her, "I've never found such things scary, only amusing." Leetuk sighed in admiration, "Nerves of steel, you don't need a man to protect you, huh?" The dancer shook her head, laughing.

"My blank, my blank, any clue who that was?" Jaehoon as the group as a whole. "Ah, I don't know that one, honestly." JJ admitted after thinking about it. The whole thing was revealed and immediately fingers were pointed at the group's producer.

"My studio, my rules!" Chase claimed ownership immediately, "I always tell everyone that if they want to learn how to use my equipment or use it if they already know how, then they can tell me and I'll hook them up with a key. Naeun's always expressed interest, and nowadays she comes over to learn my equipment or to help me with tracks, but sometimes she takes over and acts like it's hers! It's not! It's mine!" Chase complained, all in a good natured way from the way that everyone else was laughing.

"Alright, alright unnie. I'll be more respectful from now on." Naeun smiled as she promised, before moving on the last one. "Ah, this one could be anything, really." She pointed out, leaning forward as she thought. "This one is the fan hashtag, right?" Tina asked, and Leetuk nodded. "Ah, I can't think of anything." Naeun gave up, pouting as they revealed the answer.

"#paparazzi_naeunie -- Ah, that makes sense!" Venus read it aloud, snapping her fingers. Jaehoon motioned for her to explain, "Ah, well," Venus gathered her thoughts, "Naeun always has her phone with her, and is always taking unappealing pictures with it for blackmail."

"Does she really???" Leetuk gasped, "Can we see some?" Immediately some of the girls jumped from their seats, with a resounding 'NO!' as his answer. "Ah, must protect the face, of course. Also, I never have my phone on me for any kinds of filming." Naeun admitted, shrugging. "Perhaps some other time, yeah?" Jaehoon joked, "And the next hashtag profile, then?"

Tina's face appeared, along with her four hashtags which were also read aloud, "#(blank)_dontscream, #beautiful_(blank), #granny_goods, #strings_section."

"G-granny goods? Am I that old?" Tina touched her face, as if wrinkles would appear that instant because of her age. Sophie immediately jumped in, "No no, don't misunderstand, I wrote that out of good will!"

"What does that mean, Sophie?" Leetuk gave her the chance to explain, which the vocalist gladly took, "Tina LOVES to bake, and generally leaves a lot of really good baked goods, and I think they're as good as any grandmother could make." Other members agreed, and Tina laughed. "Oh, I see! I do love to bake."

"Ah, wow, you'll make a very good mom and wife then, I think." Jaehoon mentioned, and she blushed at the thought of domestic life. "We'll have to see." She responded, quickly moving onto the next hashtag, "I know who wrote the last one. Clara!" She pointed, and the youngest nodded, admitting to her hashtag.

"Tina-unnie plays the viola, and I play the violin. I've always wanted to play with her, because I miss playing with someone else." Clara revealed, and Tina smiled. "You're probably much better than I am, I haven't practiced in a while. One day, though, we will play together, I promise!"

"I'm more curious about the first one," Leetuk brought up, "Because the ending is very strange. 'Don't scream', who wrote that?" Venus waved, taking ownership.

With the hashtag revealed as '#123_dontscream', Venus went to explain herself, "When she's nervous or scared, she repeats 1,2,3 over and over to calm herself. If we ever do something with a haunted house, I'd like to see her paired with Naeun, who's not scared of anything to see how that would work out." The group laughed at the imaginary scenario. Tina said, "Well, I think it'd be best, that way I wouldn't cause more panic, I'd at least be amusing rather than adding to the fear!"

"The last one, now, is by the fans, what do you think it is?" Sang Mi looked at the screen, pointing towards the yet-to-be filled in hashtag. "Face, body? I'm not sure." Tina pursed her lips, expecting the fans to comment on her visual status. "Well, let's see then." #beautiful_150 was filled in on the board, and Tina let out a small gasp of shock.

"150? What's that for, if you don't mind explaining?" Jaehoon asked. Tina composed herself, "I... I didn't think they'd actually remember. That's my IQ." Both of the MCs let out an impressed whistle. "Really? An IQ of 150?" The girls nodded eagerly, after all, they were always impressed by Tina's intelligence and mental abilities.

"An IQ of 150 is MENSA elligble, have you given thought to taking the exam?" Jaehoon inquired, and Tina smiled. "I have, but at the moment, I'm very busy with my career. Eventually, I would like to take the challenge, but for now I will be totally invested in my group."

Leetuk nodded, "It's good to focus on your career first. Get established, reaffirm your niche and what kind of group you girls will be. I'm sure many of you will have a lot of opportunities for unique trials in the future!" With that, they moved on to the last hashtag# of the segment.

"Oh!" Their youngest was surprised when her own face was put up on the board, along with her four mystery hashtags#. "#(blank)soul_(blank)face, #circle_arms, #our(2 blanks), and #check_the_lighting!, which ones do you think you know?" Leetuk let Clara look and consider the tags on the board.

"I know the last one for sure! JJ-unnie!" She pointed the elder out, who smiled brightly and nodded, confirming her tag. "See, Clara and I both like photography, so we like to go out and take pictures together for our collections." JJ explained, "Sometimes I'll give her tips on angles or lighting so the image will come out clearer." Clara nodded, "Unnie's very helpful, I can tell that my photography is getting better with her guiding me."

"Mhm, but I'm curious about the soul and face one." Venus brought up, "Because none of mine were picked, but I think I know this one." When prompted to pick out who and answer what, she immediately pointed at their member from Down Under. Sophie laughed, "Yeah, it was me."

"So what does #oldsoul_babyface mean? Besides the obvious?" Jaehoon prompted. "Well," She began, "Clara is our precious little maknae, and looks very young." She gestured to Clara, who blinked, and framed her face on impluse, gaining a few giggles, "But she's very old on the inside, in like, a good way? Let me try and say this right." Sophie thought for a couple of seconds, "She's similar to Venus, I think, which is why they're peaceful roommates."

"Ah, okay," Venus intervened, "So she and I are old souls. Wiser and more mature than our age, I think is what Sophie was getting at?" Sophie nodded, waving her hand to further encourage her, "And it just means that we should loosen up and get out more. Our unnies frequently tell the maknae line to go out more, since we usually stay in."

"You're so young and limber, get out there! Stay out late while your joints don't hurt and you don't start getting sleepy after midnight!" Sang Mi teased, to which Leetuk responded, "Wait till you become 30, you get tired at nine pm on the dot and you're in pain all the time. Live while you're young!"

Jaehoon looked scandalized, "What about me? Am I in a grave then?" Making fun of his much older age than the two currently complaining, causing the set to burst into laughter at the joke.

While the laughter died down at the elder's antics, the attention was brought to the next hashtag, "#circle_arms... Now I know what that means, but who wrote it?" Clara asked, looking around. When the leader raised her hand, everyone nodded. "It makes sense, Sang Mi is very attuned to Clara's actions."

"Yes, I see Clara like my little sister, and since she's so young, I tend to keep an eye on her to make sure she's okay." Sang Mi admitted, "When she's bored, she tends to circle her arms around her body, and it's really cute." Clara hid her face in her hands, blushing furiously. "I'm nooot." She whine softly to her camera, only furthering her adorable actions.

"Last hashtag# by the fans!" The attention was brought once more to the screen, "#our(2blanks). Any idea?" Clara shook her head. "No, I don't have a clue..."

"#ouralmostangel" appeared on the board, earning 'aww's form the group. "That's cute because of your brother, and they took to your little title so quickly!" Tina grinned. "Mhm," Clara's face was a bright pink, "My brother Jeonghan is, uhm... he was born October 4th, so his fans call him 'angel' and since I was born October 5th, I get called Almost Angel."

"But it could also mean that you're secretly mischevious under that shy persona~" Sophie teased, and Clara's face turned a shade darker once more. After things had calmed down, Leetuk and Jaehoon signaled the cameras off to quickly go over the next section with the girls.

"So these are all of them that are going to be asked? No surprises?" Suchin had come over to look over it, discussing certain topics with members that might feel uncomfortable with the question thrown at them. "Alright. everyone ready? Home stretch, you're doing wonderfully. End it strong, okay girls? I'll buy dinner tonight for your hard work." At that, the girls cheered and hurried to their places. Their manager laughed, shaking her head as she went back to her spot by the director, and they signalled for the recording to begin once more.

"We learned a lot about some of the members through their hashtags, but there's questions that the fans and everyone has been dying to ask, about rumors, hubbub, and general curiosity." Jaehoon began, and Leetuk hummed in agreement, "So we're asking for The Whole Truth in this segment. Girls, are you ready? Because there's a catch." He pulled out the dreaded lie detector machine and the girls groaned.

"Ah yes, as you well know, this game is popular amongst idols when being asked rumor orintented or personal questions. So we've brought this out. If you tell the truth, you won't get buzzed, but if you do..." The machine beeped and made a loud buzzing noise that scared Clara and Tina almost out of their chairs. The hosts laughed, "Ah, nervous are we? Let's begin! First, and the member most asked about: Venus!" The original maknae held her hand out confidently, unafraid of the buzzer.

"The first question is about yourself, so it should be easy, right?" Leetuk asked, before continuing, "You've been very shy, but fans have found you being more open and making your derp faces off camera. Today, you opened up a lot more, but fans are asking about your differing personalities on and off camera."

"Ah," Venus glanced over at Suchin, making sure to chose her words carefully, "I've just been... nervous, I guess is the best word. After being away so long, and really, this is the first variety show we've had ever, it was nerve wracking to be myself on camera. I didn't want fans to hate me, but now, I'm more comfortable. I think that soon, I'll be happy and making my strange faces all the time." She nodded, and when the timer went off, the buzz never happened. Leetuk clapped, "A truthful girl we have! Speaking of fan hate, which is quite common among idol groups and certain members, you recently came under fire by a fans of one of my hoobae groups."

Venus nodded, "Yeah, I remember being told about that. I'm not on social media much, so I really haven't heard a lot of what it was about."

"EXO-Ls are angry about your blatant announcement of your admiration for Oh Sehun when you were interviewing him for a music show a while back." Jaehoon read off the card, his brow furrowed, "What is your response?"

Venus's mouth pulled into a frown, "But... I'm just like them? I'm a fan, and getting the chance to meet him in person was a happy moment for me."

"It wasn't even her to announced it, we did." JJ spoke up, irritation laced in her voice. "She admitted to it when we brought it up, but she wasn't blatant about anything nor was she anything else -- Ah, sorry." She apologized, realizing she had interrupted Venus.

The younger shrugged casually, "But, anyways, EXO-Ls, I am a fellow fan like you, but I'm not looking to date him by any means. I'm too young to date and it's too early in my career to even consider the idea of romance. I will not stop supporting Sehun either, as a fan I will do so. Just a fan." She repeated, and once again the buzzer didn't go off after the timer dinged. Admirable 'ooh's and 'aah's sounded throughout the studio, impressed by Venus' apparent truth telling skills.

"And now Chase is also being confronted with rumors, isn't that right?" They pointed out to the half Thai member. She shrugged and held her hand out. "I don't want to get buzzed, so of course I'll tell the truth!" She boldly declared, strapping her hand in and waiting her questions. Leetuk nodded and read off the card, "Recently, Chase has been seen with a lot of men. Is she flirtatious or just friendly, because we couldn't tell when she was with Bambam. iGOT7s are not hateful, but we are protective of our boys and we want to make sure she'll be good to them if she begins dating one of them."

Chase choked on her spit, coughing as the time began. "He's -- he's WAY too young, oh my god!" She screeched, the machine clattering a bit as she panicked. "You're also the same way with Jungkook and Jimin, not to mention Yoongi and apparently Yixing." Tina brought up, and everyone knew this was a small drop of payback for the many close calls Chase had managed to run Tina and N into. "I-i --" Chase floundered for a response, hearing the timer getting faster and signalling the end, "They're all my sons!!! I'm not interested in any of them!!!"

BZZZZZZZZZT.

"OW!" Chase yelled, pulling her strapped hand away from the buzzer and nursing her shocked hand, feeling slightly bitter about being shocked. Jaehoon gasped, "So you are interested in one of them? Oh no!" Chase groaned, "No! I'm not interested, I swear! I just... I like hanging around men. I'm closer to my brother and Yoongi, who's like my brother, and it's comforting, I guess." She attempted to explain. While most of the gilrs knew this to be true, they still had their fun teasing the main tormentor of the group for a bit about her habits. After the buzzer was put away (after much fussing of Chase, who wanted EVERYONE to be buzzed 'to see how YOU like it', but in the end,being vetoed seven to one) Leetuk mentioned the last segement of the show.

"Now this section is mostly general questions that we're sure you've been asked, but fans have been asking. We opened up another fan email so we could recieve questions from them to ask you directly. These could range from on and off screen interactions, career goals, concept ideas, and the like. Are you ready?" The girls nodded and voiced their consent and eagerness.

"Now, you are a bigger girl group, so of course it's wise to ask: Is it crowded in the dorm and who rooms with who?" Jaehoon asked the first question. JJ answered, "I think, even though there's eight of us, the only problem is showering and getting ready in the morning if we do our own makeup and the like. But I like our roommate arrangement." It was then revealed that SangMi and JJ were roommates, Naeun and Clara, Chase and Sophie, and Tina and Venus were the other pairs. "Is that why you brought up the nasal strips then, Clara?" The youngest hid her face in her sleeves when her hashtag for her roommate was brought up, but it earned quite a few laughs and for Naeun to do the 'I see you, I'm watching you' look and gesture before smiling to reassure there was no ill will.

Leetuk asked the next question, "Do you guys have trouble with different opinions and equal screen time? And who do you think gets the shortest and longest times?" 

"I think that it is a little hard to get equal screen time," Sophie spoke up, "Especially with the new members and since there's eight of us. Chase gets a lot of screen time because she talks a lot and is naturally energetic, it makes her easy to be drawn to by the eyes and for her to hold your attention."

"And the shortest?"

"Everyone else." She joked, causing laughter once more. "Honestly, it just depends on the show. Sometimes we all get a decent amount, and others a few get more attention than others. We're not really the jealous types when it comes to screen time though. We'll all have our turn eventually, I think."

"Your current concept is fresh, innocent, and about rebirth. It's a wonderful concept to match you all, but would you consider doing another type of concept after this one?" Jaehoon read. Leetuk sighed, "Ah, this is a very common question for all idol groups. Everyone's looking to change it up or to do a 180 for popularity or to keep up with the trends."

JJ once again spoke up, "I think that... we should develop our sound naturally. Our concept works for us for now and we're very grateful that it does. Over time, of course, we will try new things and new concepts, but we've all wanted to do it very naturally and together as a group or within our own subunits to find our unique sound that we can call ours."

"Ah, is that really all the time we have?" Leetuk looked at the director who was holding up the warning hand, "I guess we have to say goodbye for now. It was wonderful having you girls with on the show, I feel refreshed and ready to take on the world. Can we have one more performance before you go?"

"Of course!" The girls nodded, and the director cut the recording to give time for the girls to change and get ready. "While it's sad to see them go, and we had a lor of dun today, didn't we," Leetuk got an agreement form Jaehoon, "We're excited to get played out by the refreshing summer song of 4xU, For You! Thanks all for joining us, and hope that you follow 4xU and come join us next week!"

Of course, the girls had to perform their current promotion track, fresh, fun and easy to go through before saying their thank yous for the cast and crew and packing up to leave.


Once packed up in the vans, all was loud and buzzing with excitement, until Suchin called the attention of her own van. "I'll need to see SangMi and Naeun once we get back, alright?" The excitement dulled a little in that car because of the announcement, but still the girls chattered about their likes of the show, their dislikes (the main highlight being the unmentionable one's surprise clip) and how they were looking forward to other kinds of variety shows in their future.

"Alright," Suchin pulled the two aside as everyone else went into the dorm, "Talk. SangMi, you are visibly upset and Naeun, you look like you're about to cry. Don't bottle this up again, I can't afford another powwow session, Woolim doesn't pay me enough for that." The comment got the two to loosen up, and SangMi sighed. Being the oldest, she needed to set an example and listen to Suchin.

"It made me upset that she'd do that to us. She knew it would throw us off her game, and even if her intentions were good for Naeun, I can't help but think that it was just to spite most of us. I know that Naeun, you're friends with her and I get that, you've got a lot of history with her but come on, didn't that get under your skin a little?" SangMi ranted, looking at the dancer expectantly.

"Of course it did." Naeun was quiet, but sure of her words, "She shouldn't have done that. I've told her that even if she wanted to hang out with me, we'd have to do it elsewhere. I know what she did was wrong, and I'm angry to. I asked for the clip to be cut and I'll talk to her about doing anything like that again. It was unprofessional to allow that to happen. I hope you can forgive me."

"You shouldn't apologize for her actions." SangMi said, and Naeun smiled a little, but shrugged to show she was still going to. Suchin sighed in relief. "You both handled that very maturely, both on set and here. Now come on, I have to cry over a soon to be empty wallet and if we let the youngest ones pick again I know I'll be broke." She opened the door for the two of them, letting them inside their dorm.
 

HEADLINES ON THE FANCAFE AND ARTICLES:

FRESH FACED 4XU GRACE STARSHOW360'S SET! : It's here! 4xU is finally here on their first variety show, and it's a doozy! The hour long special featured the energetic girl group dishing out laughs, secrets, and even a few surprises to the hosts, but it's clear that these girls are definitely going to do well in variety the more they go to shows (which fans are really hoping they do)!! Check out their performances and segments below!

 MBC ISSUES AN APOLOGY TO THE GROUP OF 4XU FOR RECENT RECORDING OF STARSHOW360 : With the recent release of 4xU's first variety show, there seems to be trouble from the broadcasting station. MBC released an official apology to the fans and to the girl group for allegedly 'being rude and inconsiderate for the feelings of the group as a whole'. While the episode itself is nothing but cute, happy girls; fans speculate that at some point something unpleasant from the past was brought up and made leader SANG MI upset, who was seen being less energetic about halfway through the episode, despite her best attempts. 4xU's entertainment company has yet to release a statement on the issue.

4XU OFFICIAL FANCAFE COMMENTS ON STARSHOW360 UPDATE:

"Wow, they were so cute hehehe. Even as adults the girls are still just as funny as I thought they'd be!!! Fighting, 4xU!" (+345, -108)

"VENUS, Oh my god, it's so nice to see you being as derpy as ever -- the faces that the personal cam caught were perfect~" (+867, -114)

"Poor SangMi just wasn't feeling it -- I hope everything's okay!! But the new members were the highlight for me, they matched up with the others so well and it felt complete to me, no one was overshadowed or underappreciated. Keep it up, 4xU, hope to see good things~" (+589, -238)

"Poor Chase being harrassed about the fact that she likes to hang out with boys TT^TT I believe you Chase!!! I hope the girls get on a lot more vareity shows, and we see more of Venus and the new members, they were great! JJ seems like a level headed leader and can help SangMi through hard times. Much love!" (+217, -97)
 

Author's Note
The first very, very eventful variety show of 4xU is here! I had so much fun writing this, especially with Leetuk and Jaehoon hehehe! Also, if you've written to me about changing your love interest and have completed the task of changing the love interest section, I've decided I'm going to write a bit of interactions between the new ones (if you couldn't decide, bc I can't either I just love deserving relationships and all of you happen to write the best love stories omg) and feel it out, if that's okay? Then if you guys have a preference, PM me! :D ANYWAYS, how'd you like it? P.S. - The tidbit on solo songs or other subunits -- yeah, if you'd think your character would do a solo, subunit seperate from the ones already formed, etc. give me the song that they'd use as their title track and perform on shows!