"Was it hard to shoot for a movie compared to a drama, Unnie?" You asked out of the blue, causing Irene's gaze to turn towards you. You were lying down on the sofa, head on her lap whilst Irene was running her hand through your hair softly, just talking in-between the comfortable silences. 

Irene was done with her filming and you had no schedule so the both of you were just catching up on life, talking absentmindedly about anything and everything that came to mind. 

You loved days like this. 

She hummed in thought, fingers stopped moving whilst she was thinking before it began its motions again as she turned her gaze away. You just continued to look at her, admiring your guardian's soft features. 

"It's fun because you get to act more and explore your characters more compared to a drama, but it's harder for me because I guess I feel a lot more pressure compared to when I was filming for my first drama," she looked at you again, giving you a soft, loving smile this time as she pinched one of your cheeks softly. 

You just smiled warmly at her, staying mum because you knew she had more to say. 

"I'm still a rookie actor now, but people expect more with my acting in a film compared to a drama, so I do feel the pressure." She continued to explain, her smile turning into a slight frown. "Plus, my popularity is different compared to when I was filming a drama, so there's definitely some added pressure from there because there's a chance more people would see my acting this time." 

The conversation turned into a silent one, just the two of you looking at each other and having a conversation with your gaze. In the end, you gave her a comforting smile, causing her to blush and smile shyly. 

"I know you did your best and the response to the trailer has been positive by far. You did great, Unnie." 

She gave you a thankful look, pinching your other cheek this time. "Thank you, El. That means a lot to me." 

You wrapped your hand around hers that was pinching your cheek, giving it a soft squeeze to which she did the same. 

"Do you remember that one time where you had to come to the set in the middle of the night?" She suddenly asked as if just remembering the incident. 

You furrowed your eyebrows before the memory dawned on you, a memory you hoped would never happen again in the future. 

"Yeah, I'm glad I'm a light sleeper, Unnie." You chuckled in ease, not wanting Irene to apologise again. She had apologised enough for the incident and you had told her time and time again there was nothing to apologise for. She still felt guilty though, even if it's only a little bit. 

She chuckled as well, patting your cheek. "Yeah, me too." 

You remembered that night very vividly although, at the same time, it felt like a dream. You fell asleep quite early that night after getting off from a video call with your guardian who had a night shooting. The leader had not seen you in a few weeks so your video or phone calls were more frequent now, especially with her shooting her film. She needed her dose of Eli even more. 

You were woken up by your phone blaring with Irene's manager's name on it at just around midnight. Being the light sleeper that you were, you woke up just after the first ring to find out what was going on and seeing the name on your phone, you immediately answered. 

"What's going on, Unnie?" 

There was no way she was calling at a time like this if there was no urgency. 

"Sorry to call you so late, Eli-ah, but can you come here to the set right now?" At that you woke up completely, getting up from your bed to put on your coat. You didn't stop to listen why, you just knew something was wrong with Irene. "I already called Hossik and he's on his way to the dorm now." 

You proceeded to put on your coat and glasses, tying your hair up. What's left was to tell Yeri where you were going and to put on your shoes, and you'll be ready to go. 

"Of course, Unnie. Please let him know I'm on my way down. Is Hyun-unnie okay?" 

The manager sighed from the other side and you could clearly hear her concern and confusion. "She's close to panicking and I can't calm her down anymore. You're my only hope."

Your heart dropped before pounding even faster in your chest. You were sure all of you had panic attacks at least once since your debut but the leader always kept her cool for her members, so this was the first time you experienced it. You were sure it's the same case for the manager. 

"Okay, Unnie, do you think it's a good idea to call her while I'm on my way?" 

It was silent before she agreed to your idea. "I think that's a good idea. Call her phone, maybe seeing your name there will help her." 

"See you soon, Unnie." 

You hung up and went to the maknae's room, knowing she was still awake. 

You knocked on the door once. "Yerim-ah, it's Unnie can I come in?" 

"Come in!" Came Yeri's muffled answer and you wasted no time in opening the door. She was back staying at the dorms, going home usually during the weekends. With Irene not being able to stay with you during her filming, your little sister said she didn't want you to be alone. 

Yeri was lying on the bed on her front, scrolling through her phone. She turned around when she heard you came in with excitement in her eyes, though that disappeared when she saw your slightly dishevelled appearance. 

"I'm going to Joohyun-unnie's set and I don't know when I'll be back. Don't wait up, okay?" 

Yeri frowned, now concerned something had happened to her mother figure. "Is Joohyun-unnie okay?" 

You gave her a comforting smile, walking closer to her figure to place a kiss on her head. "I'm sure she will be. Don't stay up too late, will you?" 

You succeeded in distracting her because she rolled her eyes playfully though a smile made its way to her lips. "Yes, yes, just go, Unnie. Be safe!" 

"I will. Love you, Yerimmie."

She smiled, giving you her gummy smile. "I love you too, Unnie." 

You walked out of the room and closed the door softly, before quickly typing in Irene's number on your phone. Yes, you had memorised hers and the members' numbers by heart. 

You put on your shoes, phone in-between your ear and shoulder, before walking out of the door with your keys in your pockets. The leader answered after the third ring. 

"Eli?" Irene's shaky voice shook you even more. You knew she was scared and that scared you. 

So, you put your most calming and comforting voice possible. "Hello, my sunshine. How are you feeling, Hyun-unnie?" 

You could hear Irene's breath slowing down slightly, causing you to let out a small, relieved sigh.

Irene didn't answer and you knew she stayed silent because didn't want to worry you. 

"I'll be right there soon, Unnie. Do you want to talk to me while I'm on my way there?" 

When you got there, you saw Manager-unnie was already waiting in the parking area and when the car was parked, you immediately got out of the car to greet her. 

"Hi, Unnie," you gave her a warm smile, causing her to sigh in relief and gave you a relieved smile. 

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Eli-ah. The only one who can help her is you." 

You nodded, following behind her to go to the trailer the leader was staying in. "Of course, Unnie. I guess this time it's a good thing I'm a light sleeper, huh?" 

"Yeah," she chuckled, shaking her head in slight amusement. You're the one who got the least amount of sleep in-between schedules because you couldn't sleep just about anywhere and the managers had always been worried about you. This time though, it was a gift that you're such a light sleeper. 

When you reached the trailer, Manager-unnie quickly opened the door and Irene, who was sitting on the make-shift bed at the corner of the room, jumped in a little in her seat before immediately looking up towards the direction of the door, finding her soulmate there. A look of relief passed through her before she stood up and scrambled towards you, tears already making their way into her eyes. 

"Eli-ah," she ran into your arms and you wrapped your arms around her, giving her all the love and warmth you could through your embrace. 

"I'm right here, Hyun-unnie. I'm right here," you ran your hand up and down her back, trying to comfort her. She started sobbing the second she was in your arms. 

You heard the door softly close, indicating that it was only the two of you in the room. You hugged her closer, chin on top of her head. You placed a kiss on her head before pulling back a little, just so you could look at her, causing her to whine. 

"Shh, I'm right here." No matter how much you hated it you still pulled back a little, cupping her face in your hands and softly bringing her face up a little so you would be face to face. 

"Take deep breaths, Unnie, in and out." You lead her so she could breathe a little better and therefore calm down a little. Once her breathing slowed down, you wiped the tears on her rosy cheeks. Honestly, how could somebody look this perfect when they were just sobbing a few seconds ago? The universe wasn't fair sometimes. 

You smiled at her, giving her another kiss on her forehead before looking at her in the eyes again. "Wanna cuddle?" 

She nodded immediately, an adorable pout on her lips. You chuckled before leading the two of you towards her bed, lying down first so she'd be able to melt into you just like she usually does. 

With her head on your chest and your arm around her shoulders, you started to talk. "Did something bad happen, Unnie?" 

Irene sighed, really not wanting to think about it again but she knew she had to talk about it. You waited patiently just running your hand on her back in a calming motion just in case she felt worked up again. 

"I was shooting some scenes near the docks today and after we finished I realised some people were filming me," she quietened for a little and you waited, knowing she needed to continue. "I figured they were fans and I didn't think more of it until my break this afternoon. After that, I just thought more about it then got overwhelmed after I realised people expected a lot from this."

You hugged her tighter into you and she leaned up, this time face tucked into your neck. You kissed the side of her head and wrapped your other arm around her. 

"I just... don't want to disappoint Luvies, Eli-ah. I don't." You could feel wetness on your neck and knew she was crying again. You never really thought she'd be so affected by people's expectations of her, as she always worked her hardest on every project she's done, but maybe this time was different. That's how strongly she felt towards the fans; she really valued their opinions. 

'It's okay, Hyun-unnie, it's okay," you wrapped her in your arms even more, trying to give her the comfort you could. She continued to cry and you just held her, whispering sweet-nothings to calm her down. 

After she calmed down, you gave her one more squeeze before slightly pulling back so you could look at her in the eyes. There was that adorable pout again which caused you to coo, pinching her puffed-out cheek. 

"Beautiful," you blurted out and she blushed, slapping your chest in retaliation. "Unnie, do you want to know what I think?" 

She firmly nodded. "Always." 

You smiled. "I think you're doing great. You've always worked hard and do your best for every project you're doing, and you're doing the same thing with this one. True, people do have a lot of expectations, but that's because they're excited and know you always deliver," she was listening to you so intently, eyes wide in concentration. 

"People always have expectations, Unnie, no matter what we do or who we are. Even if we weren't idols, other people that are in our lives always have certain expectations of us. It's a matter of what we do and how we go about it that's going to make a difference," you the hair that was near her cheek, causing her to lean into your touch even more. You smiled at the gesture. "Are you going to make that a burden, or are you going to treat it as a driving force and motivation? You choose." 

You have said all you wanted to say so you watched her digest your words, just gazing into each other like you always do whenever you were having a silent conversation. 

"I think you're right," she responded after a while. "So far I hadn't thought about it much and had treated it as a driving force. Maybe this time I just realised how big this project actually is and just... freaked out," she shrugged. 

You poked her cheek. "That's good then. I mean, of course you're going to do something bigger, right? Why would you stay doing something small? You wouldn't be able to learn more or improve otherwise." 

"Our fans will love you and support you with everything you do, Unnie, they will not be disappointed because they know you always try your best. Remember that." 

She looked at you with admiration for a little before pinching your cheek, squishing your cheeks in her hands. "When did you get so wise, huh? When did my little Eli get so mature?" 

"Unnie, I've always been mature!" You whined, a pout on your lips. Seriously, why do you always get so childish and cute in front of your guardian and your members? 

"Aigoo, my cute Eli," she squished your cheeks one more time before leaning up, taking off her hands and replacing the touch with her lips. 

"Thank you for coming here and calming me down, El. I don't where I'd be without you, honestly. Sorry for waking you up and having you come all the way here in the middle of the night but I'm going to be selfish and ask you to please always stay by my side." 

You smiled softly at her, her cheek with the back of your hand. "I'd come to you whenever you need or want me to, Unnie. There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm always going to stay by your side. Always, remember?" 

She gave you the smile she reserved only for you, a breathtaking smile. "Always." 

You fell into a comfortable silence before she broke it. "Will you come to the movie premiere with me?" 

"Are you sure you want me to be your date?" You asked teasingly, causing her to let out a cute, disapproving noise while giving you a slap on your chest once again. 

"Yah, what are you saying?!" 

You laughed out loud, wrapping your arms around her in a warm embrace. "I'm joking. Of course, I'll come with you." 

"Thank you," she answered in a small voice, slightly muffled by your chest. 

"I love you El," she whispered and you smiled, kissing her head again. 

"I love you too, my sunshine."

You had vowed to protect your members and you're always going to be there for them, especially the leader who always seems to try facing her troubles on her own. You were always going to be there for her. 

Always.