You had quite the number of acquaintances you had made throughout the years of being an idol but you only made close friends from very few of them. Yes, you might be close to juniors with the likes of ITZY but it was more like a mentorship kind of relationship, where you'll always be there if they need suggestions or someone older who knows what they're going through. The people in the industry you trusted one hundred percent were your members, your seniors like Taeyeon and Tiffany, your best friends from Blackpink, the two maknae of Mamamoo, and Jessi. Now, Jessi was someone people probably didn't expect you'd knew and even be close with but it was a friendship like no other.

As most people already know, Jessi debuted when she was young but she changed her image and re-debuted much later with a new image, her true self. What people also found out was she's actually close with Tiffany and that's how you knew her; Tiffany introduced you to the rapper after their episode of Sister's Slamdunk, where their friendship was undisclosed, much to your amusement and awe. You had looked up to her for her trueness in the industry and her image on stage, a true badass image that you'd aspire to have. After a few years of knowing each other, you got the chance to show that friendship when she invited you to appear as a guest at her show, Shorterview with Jessi. You immediately said yes and told Tiffany about it, her loving the fact that she could finally see your interaction on-screen. 

When you arrived at the set with your manager (Irene had her own schedule so she sadly had to miss this one) you were greeted by Jessi who was discussing something with the PD. You bowed to the people you passed and the murmurs of greeting distracted her from her work, causing her to look up to find you already walking towards where she was. Everybody could see how her face lit up in genuine happiness the minute she saw you.

"Eli!" 

You grinned and walked faster, walking right into her open arms. Her being shorter than you didn't hold her back from trying to embrace your whole body. "Jessi-unnie, how have you been?" 

She whined, making you giggle and the staff to laugh. They didn't know where her aegyo was coming from but they were thoroughly enjoying it. "I've missed you! You're so busy, oh my God." 

"Hey, you're busy too!" You playfully protested, not wanting to be "blamed" for your inability to meet up. "Who had been ignoring my texts, huh?" 

Jessi pulled back from the hug with a pout before softly giving your arm a punch. "Why you gotta lay out my dirty laundry like that, huh?" 

"You deserve it." You smirked then stuck your tongue out at her in playfully, causing everyone who was watching the unexpected interaction to laugh. They knew you both knew each other, that's why they had invited you over, but they didn't know how close the two of you actually were.

This was definitely going to be one of the most interesting episodes yet.

You gave her a wink before your expression turned professional, turning to the PD to give him a polite bow. He bowed back, impressed at your professionalism. 

"Hello, PD-nim, I'm Red Velvet's Eli. Nice to meet you." 

You gave him a warm smile and he smiled back, genuinely happy to finally meet you in person. "I know who you are, Eli-ssi. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, I'm a big fan." 

"Really?" Your eyes widened in surprise before grinning in excitement. Before you could say anything though, Jessi beat you to it. "Yah, why are you talking to her like that? You're never that nice to me!" 

You laughed loudly in response to the playful protest, knowing how Jessi was just joking but the PD looked flustered as he laughed and the staff were not helping his case at all. 

"Can you blame me? I've been a fan of her long before I met you!" You loved the atmosphere Jessi and the PD had created amongst the staff, it's surely comfortable and welcoming. 

"Yah!" Jessi slapped his shoulder and he moved away as an attempt to get away from her so he wouldn't be hit even more.

You giggled as you wrapped an arm around your unnie's shoulder in an attempt to reign her in. "There, there, Unnie. I'm here for you, aren't I?" 

She mockingly glared at PD-nim one more time before turning towards you, a playful glare still in her eyes causing you to stifle your chuckle. You gave her an innocent smile and she sighed.

"I could never win with you." 

You grinned, giving her a charming wink. "That's because I'm your favourite." 

Jessi couldn't even deny it as she only let out an exaggerated sigh before patting your bum, urging you to move closer towards the PD knowing they had to start shooting soon. 

"Eli-ssi, we want the process to be as natural as possible so we're only giving you a summary of the sections that we're going to have..." 

It was definitely the most fun interview you've had in the years of being an idol. The sections were fast-paced but fun and comfortable, definitely portraying Jessi's personality. In this interview, you were more open and brash as well, as you usually were with Jessi, so it was fun for the fans to see more of your unfiltered side as you usually had to hold back during the typical interviews, only answering with hums, nods, or quiet tones. 

"Everyone, right now I have a very famous person with me, from a very well-known girl group, Eli from Red Velvet!" 

You giggled before greeting the 'audience'. "Hello, it's Eli. Nice to meet you!" 

Jessi turned towards you with cue cards in her hands. "I'm sure everyone knows who you are but please introduce yourself properly, I want to hear your group introduction." 

You turned towards the camera, a charming smile on your face. "Happiness! Hello, this is Red Velvet's Eli!" You finished your group's greeting with a cute grin on your face, making the staff coo and Jessi to involuntarily let out a sisterly smile. "And I've known Jessi-unnie since 2016 when Tiffany-unnie introduced me to you." 

"That's right!" She looked at you and you just knew she was reminiscing the first time she saw you. "You were so cute back then! What happened?" 

Everyone laughed and you slapped her arm jokingly. "Yah! I'm still cute, thank you very much." 

Jessi rolled her eyes playfully. "And who told you that? Your parents?" The jab was clear in her voice though you could see the mischievous glint in her eyes.  

"My members and the general public, honestly," you poked your tongue out at her before laughing at her exaggerated pout. This woman is too much sometimes. 

She shook her head in exasperation, making the staff laughed. "Oh my God, help me." 

You only gave the camera a wink. 

"Okay, this is the You Got Talent interview. You got talent girl?" 

You scoffed, looking at her with an offended look on your face. "Of course, how do you think I've gotten this far?" 

Honestly, the fans didn't know you could be this savage and they were loving the other side they could clearly see from you. "Then show me." 

"Give me a word and I'll make a short song from it. Well, maybe just a line for now." 

Jessi looked surprised. "You can do that?" 

"I wasn't too creative during my trainee period and I wanted to change that, so I challenged myself to make up a song from any word that seems interesting," you chuckled lowly. "I would think it's helped so far." 

Jessi gave an impressed hum and nods as if approving of your methods. "Not everyone can do that. Okay, let me give you a word." She proceeded to look around the set that was actually a dance studio, as they would ask you to perform later. She's so proud of you that she wanted to showcase what someone that she's considered her little sister can do. 

"Mirror." 

You looked around the room to look for inspiration, a concentrated look on your face. After a few seconds, you opened your mouth to begin singing something and the camera zoomed in on you to capture your expression well. 

"Mirrors can lie, mirrors can tell the truth but the one that knows us best are ourselves." You finished with a charming smile, giving the camera a wink.

The staff and Jessi clapped, surprise in their faces. "Wow, that was good. If you could write a whole song out of it, that would be cool." 

"You'll never know," you smirked. 

"This is a comfortable interview." You both had moved to the ground this time with you hugging her from behind, chin on her shoulder. Well, they did say you can sit however you want as long as you're comfortable and you're very comfortable in this position. 

The staff was actually quite shocked when you immediately snuggled into Jessi and Jessi just putting her hands on yours that were on the front of her waist, as they had never seen her being this physically close to someone else before. They just figured it was just a "you" thing; that you made her feel comfortable enough to be able to do this. 

"Make sure the camera can see you, baby girl." She then felt your nods on the side of her head so she proceeded with the questions. 

"Answer truthfully, okay?" 

"Yes, Unnie." 

"What do you do when you have a day off?" 

You thought for a bit before answering. "Read books." 

She turned to look at you so you scooted back a little, making sure she was comfortable and not hurting her neck. You raised an eyebrow in response to her clearly showing that she didn't believe you.

"Seriously? Name one book you're currently reading" 

You answered immediately. "Peril at the End House by Agatha Christie," you made sure to answer it in a tone that dared her to question your hobby. All this time the staff was just snickering behind the camera, finding the interaction as pure entertainment. They wondered if you're both like this every time you guys interact. 

Jessi sighed and you smirked in victory, making sure you were looking at the camera. "Fine, next. Mountains or beaches?" 

You groaned at this question, dropping your head on the back of hers because you found the question too hard. You loved the beach but the mountains just give you peace and you can wear warmer clothes all the time, making you feel comfortable. Plus, you knew your members (especially the leader) would be clinging to you seeking warmth so the mountains made it extra special for you. 

"Answer quicker, Eli-ah!" 

You groaned one more time before lifting your head up, giving her a glare. "Fine, the mountains!" 

"Why was that so hard to answer?"

"Because I love both, Unnie! How dare you!" You proceeded to push her shoulders a few times making her protest. 

"Yah! Don't blame me, blame PD-nim!" 

You did just that, giving the PD a playful glare that caused him to bow in apology, making the staff laugh. Seeing him looked so apologetic you erased the facade and gave him a warm smile instead, gesturing him to stop. 

"It's okay, PD-nim, I forgive you." 

After everything settled down, she asked the next question. "Are you introverted or extroverted?" 

The answer was quick. "Introverted."

The staff gave noises of disbelief, making you chuckle. "You didn't expect that, huh?" 

They all shook their heads which made you laugh out loud. 

"Casual or glam?" 

You scoffed. "Casual, duh. Do you really not know me?" 

Jessi turned to face you with a glare. "Shush or I won't invite you back." 

The staff laughed while you glared back. "You only invite guests once anyway, I'm not tricked." 

Jessi stuck out her tongue and you did the same, showing your childish sides. 

"Last question. Me or Tiffany?" 

You look at her incredulously, a 'what the hell?' expression on your face. "What kind of question is this? You're not even on the same level, I can't choose!" 

With that Jessi leaned away from your hug, turning back towards you so she could look at you properly. "What do you mean we're not on the same level? We're equal!" 

"You're not to me!" Jessi raised an eyebrow and you sighed, knowing you had to explain so there would not be any misunderstanding. "Tiffany-unnie is a mentor, a confidant, and you're an Unnie that I can come to for fun and when I want to let go. You're both different, there's no point in comparing." 

Your explanation received coos from the staff and Jessi let out an "Aww," before wrapping her arms around your shoulder and hugging you tightly. You wrapped your arms around her waist, leaning on your back so you were hugging her while lying down. Both yours and Jessi's fans surely would be having a field day when they see the clip. 

"I told you she won't choose," Jessi piped up at the producer after she let go of the embrace, pulling you back up to a sitting position. 

Before PD-nim could even answer, you beat him to it. "So this was your question? I don't think I can forgive you for this one, PD-nim." 

The staff laughed while his wails could be heard from behind the camera. "Eli-ssi, I'm sorry!" 

"Okay, before we have the last session, we want to ask you for a favour." You were now back on the chairs, seated next to each other. You nodded, looking at her with rapt attention. 

"I know that you've had a long journey to become the dancer that you are today. Can you show some dancing that you've maybe choreographed? Something that's more personal compared to your group's dances?" 

That got you thinking. You have created some choreography for your dance practices sometimes but you're not confident enough to show the world that. Besides, those were where you were playing around to see what kind of choreo would be great for the songs you were doing that day. While thinking you were looking around the room, looking at nothing in particular. After a while, you looked at her again. 

"I have a choreo that Seulgi-unnie and I have choreographed for one of our own practices?" She looked at PD-nim and seeing him nod, she looked at you and nodded to let you know it's okay. "It's personal to me because this is the first dance that I helped choreographed and I'm forever thankful for Seulgi-unnie for allowing me to do it and always supporting me in improving my dance." 

Jessi's eyes softened and she gave you a warm smile, proud of how far you've come but never forgetting where you came from and who have helped you get where you are today. "Okay, do you have the song with you?" 

You stood up and pulled your phone out from the back of your pocket, nodding all the while. "Can I have a cable to connect my phone to a speaker?" 

After everything was set up you positioned yourself in front of the mirror, the cameraman in front of you. This looked just like one of your dance practices but the difference is that you were alone and with a different crew around you. 

The song you chose was Red Velvet's own song Body Talk. This song really got your attention the first time you heard the demo and the finished version by your group, and this song has remained as one of your favourite songs by your group. 

You nodded and the reff began, you dancing fluidly to the beat. The main part of the dance began as the chorus played and everyone was entranced by the dance. The dance was very expressive and the movements were precise, showing the emotions of the song. After the chorus ended you stopped and bowed, before grinning at the camera whilst everyone clapped and hollered. You let out a sheepish laugh and Jessi made her way towards you, hugging you afterwards. 

"Eli, that was great!" 

You looked at her gratefully. "Thank you so much." 

"I'm so proud of you, Eli-ah. I know it took a lot for you to get where you are today and I think your hard work has paid off. Good job." She was looking at you with such pride in her eyes that you teared up, wrapping your arms around her shoulder to bring her into your warm embrace. She snuggled into your shoulder and you put your head on top of hers, eyes closed in relief. 

You're glad people began to see the effort you've put into your skills and you're also glad you've realised that you've done a lot too. 

"Do you know what ASMR is?" 

You looked at her with mischief in your eyes and she knew you were going to make fun of her. "I'm not you, Unnie. Of course, I know." 

That received a slap on your arm and a loud "YAH!" from her, though the staff were laughing loudly behind the camera. 

You grinned cheekily at her and she pouted. "Whatever. This section would be an ASMR and you have to answer the questions I have for you. Got it?" 

You nodded, sitting up straighter subconsciously. "I got it." 

Jessi then gestured the mic to come closer to her as she read the first question. "How did you feel being here?" 

The mic turned towards you and you leaned closer, making sure you were whispering. "I had a lot of fun because I was with Jessi-unnie. I'm also glad that we can show our friendship in public now," that last sentence was followed by a snicker and Jessi slapped your arm again, making you chuckle. 

Before Jessi could ask for the mic, you leaned again to say something. "If you see bruises on my arm in the next few days, blame Jessi-unnie." 

The staff laughed and Jessi glowered, about to slap you again before thinking better of it. You leaned away from the mic to laugh loudly in response. 

"What projects do you want to do in the future?" 

"More dancing and singing with my group, or solo, and maybe some acting as well."

Jessi nodded in approval. "Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?" 

You looked at the camera with love in your eyes. "Luvies, thank you for always supporting me and the group, and I hope we get to see each other soon. Please always be safe and healthy, I love you!" 

"Cute," Jessi piped in, making you chuckle lowly. "Last question. Should we get food together after this?" 

Your eyes lit up in excitement as you nodded furiously, making everyone laugh. "Yes, please! It's been a while."

"Well, that's Jessi Showterview with Eli from Red Velvet!" You ended the interview with a hug, bowing to everyone as a thank you for inviting you there and working hard for the show. 

Later on, when the episode went up you made sure to mention Tiffany on your post, thanking her for introducing you to Jessi and how much you've missed her. When she comes to Korea, you promised to treat your mentor for lunch. 

You're forever grateful for the people you have in your life. You wouldn't want to imagine where you'd be right now if it wasn't for their support.