One of the things you didn't anticipate as an idol was how gruesome comeback preparations were. You spent 90% of your time in practice rooms, learning new choreographies nonstop and the rest in the studio recording the songs that would be included in the album, with a small fraction of time spent shooting whatever you needed to. Because you weren't like Seulgi or Irene that are seemingly born dancers, you had to spend extra hours to perfect whatever choreo was thrown on you. Even though you had picked up new choreo much faster compared to your earlier years, you were still a little more conscious of your dancing and being the perfectionist that you were, you wanted to make sure you've done your best to learn and execute the movements. 

That's why, as a way to improve your dance skills, you've been taking whatever dance classes were available at the company in your free time. Even though the classes were meant for trainees, you had asked for permission to attend them and you didn't mind learning with the trainees because they have the grit that most debuted idols no longer possess, since they still had to work to be debuted. 

This was how you met the future members of aespa: Jimin, Minjeong, Ningning, and eventually Aeri. You remembered when you first encounter the ones that had trained the longest, Ning, Jimin, and Minjeong. Red Velvet was on a much-needed break from schedules after a recent comeback and after two days of rest, you decided to go to the company to see if there was a dance class available. 

After contacting your favourite teacher to see if he was teaching and if you could join, he was and said yes immediately, you asked your manager to drive you there. After telling the leader where you were going, you set off to the company in your signature comfortable clothes whenever you were training, some fluffy sweatpants and your favourite light shirt, a sweatshirt over it. 

When you arrived at the practice room, you peeked through the glass on the door and saw he was already in there with a few trainees, some of them being girls.  Heaving a sigh you knocked before opening the door, greeting your dance instructor with your signature warm smile. You could see from the corner of your eyes that the trainees were all surprised seeing you there, hands covering their mouths. You could even hear some suppressed squeals which caused you to chuckle lowly. 

"Eli!" he greeted you with his arms wide open, gesturing for a hug. He knew you were a hugger and having the privilege to become your mentor, he got to have your warm hugs as well. 

"Oppa," you greeted him back as you hugged one of the mentors you could trust in the industry, your height towering slightly over him. 

"How have you been? Busy I take it?" he asked as he pulled back from the embrace, leaving a hand on your shoulder as you saw the proud look on his face. He had been following the progress of Red Velvet and he couldn't be more proud to see one of the most genuine, sweet, hard-working girls he had ever trained bloomed as you did after your debut. You were truly born to be a performer. 

"Tired but good, we just finished our comeback and finally had time to rest for a little why, so I decided to take dance classes again," you explained before you turned to , "don't worry Oppa, I remembered what you said," you smirked cheekily as he sighed in playful exasperation, causing you to laugh out loud. 

The trainees were still as they watched the interaction of their dance instructor and one of the people they looked up to, watching in awe as they saw how approachable you seemed. The minute you walked in, they didn't feel the usual intimidation whenever they came across most of their seniors. They felt almost compelled to approach you and that scared them, to be honest. 

"Are you ever going to stop bringing that up?" he asked with a defeated smile as you giggled. 

"No," you grinned and he shook his head in defeat, chuckles coming out of him. It was good to have you back in his class. 

"Well, you can put your stuff wherever you want and I can introduce you to the others." 

After you put your bag at the spot you seemed to favour every time you were in the room, you took off your sweatshirt before walking towards where your mentor was, tying your hair up in the process. You were thankful you didn't have to dye your hair some crazy colour for this comeback because you were sure your sweat would come off coloured too. 

"Okay everyone, let's start the class," he spoke to the room, "as you probably notice we have a newcomer. She's here to just join a class because she wants to improve her dance, just like you do." 

He turned towards you. "You want to introduce yourself even though they know who you are?"

You laughed in response, a blush threatening to colour your cheeks. To this day, you still found it weird that people knew you even if you didn't introduce yourself. 

You turned towards the younger audience in front of you and bowed a ninety-degree bow. "Hello, my name is Eli and I'm here to learn. Please take care of me." 

They all bowed back as they tried to digest the reality happening in front of them. A debuted idol joining trainee classes were almost unheard of, let alone for the famous ones. Yes, idols sometimes come by to check on the trainees and give them encouragement but joining their classes too? Yeah, that didn't usually happen. 

After marvelling at the starstruck expressions a little longer, you gave them your signature warm smile before looking back at your mentor to signal that you were ready to go. 

"Right," he clapped his hands once to bring the others' attention back to him, "we'll be learning a hip hop piece today. I want you to ..." 

When the class finished, all of you were exhausted. The choreography you learnt was a bit on the harder side, so you made sure to repeat your moves multiple times to get them as perfect as possible, while still adding your own flair to them. Plus, you knew the trainees were subconsciously watching your moves as they learnt the dance, so you wanted to show how hard you work even after you had debuted if your presence there wasn't proof enough. 

"Alright, thank you for your effort and I'll see you next week at the same time." 

You all bowed. "Thank you for your hard work, seonsaeng-nim." 

After he bid you goodbye, you walked towards your bag which was coincidentally close to where the girls' bags were. You felt them watching as you drank and sat, relaxing after such an intense workout. 

You might bring Irene or Seulgi with you next time. It surely would be more fun with them around. 

As you sat there, you could feel the want a group of around three girls had in approaching you and as you were aware of how unsure they would be in approaching a senior, you were the one who took the initiative to turn towards them and smiled, bowing your head a little in greeting. 

They seemed surprised at the gesture, mouth hanging open, before what seemed to be the oldest greeting you back respectfully as the others followed. 

"Hello, sunbaenim. We just want to say that we're big fans." 

They all shyly nodded in agreement as your smile widened, eyes turning into slight crescents. 

"Thank you so much. You've all worked so hard as well, keep up the good work."

It was true. As you learnt the dance with them, you could see from the mirrors how hard they worked in trying to master the dance, even if it wasn't familiar to them. They all had. 

"Ah, thank you, thank you," they all muttered shyly, bowing their heads again and again in a sign of thanks. You couldn't help but giggle at their cuteness.

"What are your names?" you asked once they have said their gratitude for the compliment of their work. 

They all looked at one another before the older introduced herself first. 

"I'm Jimin, sunbaenim," 

"I'm Minjeong," 

"I'm Ning, sunbaenim." 

Your eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, you're part of SM Rookies as well, aren't you?" You knew you've seen her somewhere. 

"Yes, sunbaenim!" Ningning answered in her cute, high-pitched voice and your eyes slightly widened in surprise. She sounded so cute though you remembered having seen a few videos of her belting out high notes. She's just like the other main vocalists at the company; small but packed with vocals.

You gave them another smile, happy to meet the trainees. You can't say you've missed being a trainee but you had fond memories of the time.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm sure we'll be good friends in the future." 

Their eyes widened before they turn to look at each other, disbelief in their expression. They couldn't help but wish it would truly come true. 

As time passed by, your friendship grew with the girls but you couldn't help but grow even closer to the oldest, Jimin. There's something about her that reminded you a lot of your guardian and that pulled you to her. One day you were going inside an empty practice room to have some alone dance time when you found a crying figure all huddled up in the corner. You had booked the room in advance, just in case, so you were wondering whether you had entered the wrong room. After standing at the door for a little bit to ponder whether it was a good idea to come in or not, you noticed that it was a familiar figure you had gotten closer to in the past few months. So, you made your mind up and entered the room, closing the door softly as to not startle the crying girl. 

"Jimin-ah?" you called out softly, putting your bag on the ground before walking towards the girl. Jimin's sobs ceased immediately before she furiously wiped away her tears, scrambling to get herself together before turning to face you. 

"S-sunbaenim?" she whispered, getting up hastily to greet you politely with her eyes still puffed and red from crying. 

"It's okay," you sighed as you waved the gesture off as gently as you could, wanting her to know that it was okay to focus on her first. "Come, sit," you sat next to the spot where she was, patting the ground next to you with a gentle smile on your face.

She hesitatingly followed your gesture, sitting next to you while still trying to wipe away the stray tears that had made their way out of her eyes. 

"Is it okay if I'm here, Jimin-ah?" 

She looked up with surprise on her face. No one had her asked that before. 

"Yes, it's okay, Sunbaenim. I'm sorry if I won't be a good company though." 

You smiled, amused at her warning. "Can I ask why you're crying?"

She looked down again, seemingly hesitant to share whatever was troubling her. You didn't push though; you only wanted to help her, if she didn't want to share then it was up to her.

After a little while, she released a heavy sigh before looking up at you again. "I just... feel a little hopeless, I guess," she sighed again and you sympathised with her, "the future is a little scary and all my friends are starting to move on with their lives. They're getting into universities and all that, and I'm still here training.

"I guess I just don't know what will happen and that scares me," she teared up again and your eyes showed your understanding.

You spread your arms as an invite for a hug, startling her a little in the process. Her mannerisms were so similar to your guaridan's it made you smile inwardly. "Hug?" you figured the girl could use some warmth from someone who had been through the same thing. 

At that moment Jimin couldn't believe what was happening. Eli, a famous idol from one of her favourite girl groups, was asking her if she wanted a hug? She was comforting her? What even was reality?

The younger girl knew that your offer was as genuine as it get, though, because you saw she needed it. She had noticed that you've always been genuine with your actions and she couldn't be more grateful to have someone like you in her life. 

She fell into your warm embrace and the tears just fell as she sobbed against you. You hugged her even tighter, saying over and over again that 'it's okay" and that to just "let everything out". 

You held her as she cried, waiting for the sobs to eventually go away and it all turned into sniffles. When that happened, you squeezed her one more time before pulling back a little from the embrace, wanting to see her face. 

"Are you feeling any better?" 

Jimin chuckled whilst nodding. She pulled back from the hug completely so it would be a little more comfortable to face you. Besides, she didn't want to seem so clingy to her senior, she didn't want to impose on your personal space. 

"Much, thank you, Eli-sunbaenim," you could hear the lighter tone of her voice and you sighed in relief, grateful that she was feeling better. 

You smiled at the girl, putting her even more at ease. "Of course, Jimin-ah. Do you want to hear what I think?" 

Jimin readily nodded, her eyes wide in curiosity and attention. You giggled at the look. 

"I've been where you were before and I know for a fact that Seugi-unnie had been there too, when we were trainees. I think every trainee had felt that way at some point," you stopped a little to let her follow what you were saying before continuing. 

"And that's okay. Maybe it's time for you to reconsider why you're here. I did," you let her think to herself with what you had said and watched as she caught the meaning behind your words. 

"Then what did you do, Sunbaenim?" 

You hummed, looking around the room as a way to give you time to gather your thoughts. "At first I didn't say anything to anyone but Joohyun-unnie and Seulgi-unnie eventually caught on, so Seulgi-unnie confronted me to why I was so off for the past few days," you chuckled at the memory while Jimin marveled at how casual the names dropped from your lips. Sometimes she still couldn't believe her luck at making a mentor/friend out of you. 

"Then I cried, like you did, and thought of why I was there in the first place and whether I wanted to continue training even though I didn't know how the future could be like," you shrugged nonchalantly but even Jimin knew it was anything but, "it was nice knowing that my unnies would still support me with whatever I decide on, though," you turned back to her with a childish grin and she could see why it was so easy for people, for her, to feel pulled towards you. 

"So, I want you to know that whether you choose to stay or leave and do somehting else with your life, me and all your true friends will support you no matter what. Got it?" 

"Got it," Jimin nodded with a new-found determination in her eyes. 

You gave her an encouraging smile and patted her head softly. "Sleep on it and take a few days to really think it through. You don't have to ask for others' opinions if you think that's going to persuade you to one direction. Your decision should only come from here," you pointed to where her heart was. 

You both fell into a comfortable silence, you sitting beside her leaning against the wall while she looked deep in thought. After a few minutes you turned to her with a mischveous glint written in your eyes. 

"Now, when will you call me Unnie, huh?" 

Jimin spluttered her answer while you laughed out loud, amused at her reaction. You knew why it was so hard for her, for any of the trainees really, to address you more comfortably, so you didn't push it. That didn't mean you couldn't have your fun with it though. 

"S-sunbaenim! You know I can't!"

"Why not?" 

Jimin looked like she was about to have a heart attack. "You know why!" 

That moment ended in giggles and light hearts, and you could only hope she chose to stay.

Red Velvet had been in very high demand for the past few years so your availability to train at the company only come very few in between, you having to regretfully deny your mentor's invitations to the point where he just sent you when his classes were available so you could drop by whenever possible. You managed to get in a few sessions but had no time to mingle with the others, always exhausted by the end of class due to your busy schedule. So, the one time you had some free time, you immediately made your way to your favourite class, hoping to see the girls and talk to them for more than five minutes. 

You arrived half an hour early and the minute you came in, gasps could be heard before a shout of "Unnie!" came, along with a very tight hug by one growing beautiful young woman. 

You laughed as you hugged her back. "Jimin-ah!" 

"We've missed you, Unnie," she mumbled into your shoulder after a while and you smiled knowingly, hugging her just a little tighter. 

"I've missed you too. I'm sorry I haven't been able to take classes as often." 

Jimin pulled back after savouring the warmth she had longed for one last time. She gave you an enthusiastic smile, causing your smile to widen. 

"It's okay, Unnie! We understand." 

She stepped back to give way to Minjeong and Ning so they could hug you too, all the while turning towards a newcomer and gesturing her to step closer. She giggled at the astonished look on the girl's face. 

"It's great to see you back, Unnie! You've been super busy, huh?" Minjeong was a very witty and mischevous girl once you've gotten to know her. 

You smirked. "You would know. I know you follow our schedules well."

"Unnie~" she whined at the truth, red covering her cheeks. She knew you'd always find a way to get around her playful teasings. 

Ning laughed at the older girl, prompting her to get hit on the shoulder as retaliation.

"Eli-unnie," you turned towards Jimin and realised there was a new girl joining them. You gave the girl your signature warm smile and you could see her freaking out on the inside. It was always humbling to meet a trainee that was also a fan. 

"This is Aeri, she joined the company a few months ago," Jimin introduced the girl and the girl immediately bowed in greeting, prompting you to reply with one of your own. 

"Hello, Aeri. I'm Eli from Red Velvet, it's nice to meet you." 

She looked startruck for a little before she managed to compose herself. "I'm a big fan, Sunbaenim." 

Your smile widened at the confession. "Thank you so much, that means a lot." 

"Unnie, have you heard?" It was Ning this time, looking like she couldn't hold in her excitement. You knew even before coming here that something was going on. You could feel it and now it was to be proven true.

"Not yet, what is it?" 

The four girls looked at each other before turning back to you, their excitement almost through the roof. "We're debuting in a year!" 

Your eyes widened as you gasped in surprise, which turned into excitement for the four young girls. "Oh my God, that's great! Congratulations, all of you!" 

They all ran to you this time, bringing you into a group hug. "You're one step closer to having your dreams come true, huh?" 

You could feel their nods and agreements. 

One-by-one they pulled back from the hug so they could talk to you again. 

"We actually want to thank you, Unnie," Minjeong started and you looked at her in confusion, though you stayed silent knowing she weren't fnished.

Jimin smiled. "I know you joined our dance classes for yourself but you being here actually kept us going when the days get hard. Seeing you, an idol known by many people, still taking classes amidst your busy schedule because you always want to improve yourself shows us that hard work, patience and diligence should always be carried out, even if you're already successful." 

Her words sent a pang to your heart, making you feel like you could cry. 

"And we also want to thank you for being so nice to us, so welcoming, and being a mentor figure to us. You've helped us a lot and we want you to know that you mean a lot to us, Eli-unnie." 

Ning's words made you coo, touched by their kind words. 

"I've never met you before but the girls always tell me stories about you and I also felt inspired because of you, so thank you, Sunbaenim," Aeri piped in shyly. 

You gave them a thankful smile and they could see the pride and love you had for them in your gaze. 

"Even though I feel like I haven't done anything, I'm glad I could help you in anyway I can. I know it isn't easy, and it won't get any easier even after your debut, but just know that you're all very strong and you have my support, always." 

You could see the tears making their way into their eyes and they all bowed in respect, also in an attempt to hide their tears. They knew they didn't have to but they didn't want to cry even more. 

"We promise to make you proud, Unnie," Jimin tearily said after straightening up from her bow, but you could clearly hear the determination in her voice. 

You shook your head warmly, looking at them in the eyes one-by-one. "Make yourselves proud and I'm sure you'll make me, all of us, proud too." 

They understood your message so they nodded, promising themselves to always strive for the best. Just like their role model. 

You couldn't wait to see the bright future they would have. You were sure they'd make it big.