After being with other people for so long, doing something alone must've been a great disparity. You remembered a clip of Irene at the airport, having just gone back from her solo schedule, about to walk towards the car but looked around for her members before realising that she was in fact alone, not even you were with her. The first time Wendy knew she was going to debut as a soloist, she immediately told the group with a list of concerns. She had five other shoes to fill, how could she do that all by herself? All of you had been a part of a group for a few years and had always been cautious about whatever you say or do because it could not only affect one member, it could affect the other members as well. 

Joy was facing the same problem. When she was first told she was going to record a solo album, albeit a remake one, she was ecstatic. As much as she loved her members and being a part of Red Velvet, there were limitations when it came to the projects she could take or how she had to match her voice with the rest when it came to decisions. This time, however, she would get more freedom in the style she wanted to pursue and she didn't have to make sure all six people were happy with a decision. Before she pursued the idea, she made sure the other members were okay with it. 

"Of course we are, Unnie, this is a great opportunity!" Yeri immediately piped in after Joy announced the news during one family dinner. Joy knew Irene had probably known since she was the leader and would get to know what her members were up to, but she wanted to make sure her other members knew from her, not from any news outlet or from the company. 

Irene smiled lovingly at the third youngest, patting her head softly. "It's what you've always wanted to do, right, Sooyoung-ah?" 

Joy smiled sheepishly and nodded, causing all of you to laugh at her reaction. "Then we support you 100%, Unnie. If you need any kind of help, you know we'll come running," you gave her that warm smile of yours, making her melt and wrap an arm around your neck in a side hug. 

"Thank you, dongsaeng-ah," she whispered gratefully.

You opened your mouth to reply but was interrupted by the maknae. "Well, maybe not running. I'll walk," which caused you to shake in laughter as the resident y-dynamite yelled a loud "YAH!" while glaring at the giggling maknae, eyes full of mischief. 

"Settle down, children," Wendy interjected before the bickering could get any further, causing you, Irene, and Seulgi to snicker at her motherly tone. 

With a few chuckles you all settled down, Joy now leaning into you with her head against yours. "As Eli and Yeri had said, Sooyoung-ah, this is a great opportunity for you to grow and we'll always support you in any way we can. Okay?" Seulgi had that infamous eye smile on and you knew no one could resist her looking like that. 

"I know you always support me with any of my projects but hearing it is validating," Joy smiled sincerely, "thank you from the bottom of my heart and I promise to make you proud." 

You all cooed, some getting up from their seats to come to where you and Joy were and formed a group hug. "You already do, Sooyoungie, just make sure you make yourself happy and proud, got it?" Wendy's wise words were slightly muffled but the message was clear. 

"Got it. I love you all." 

"We love you too." 

During the first few sessions of her recording, Joy found herself expressing her emotions and thoughts more freely and she revelled in that. Afterwards, however, she realised just how hard people around her were working for her so she found herself wanting to please them and make them proud, causing a lot of burdens she had put herself during the entirety of the album recording process. On top of that, she wanted to put a lot of happiness into the songs because she wanted the fans and other people who listen to the songs to feel a lot of joy, so she poured all of her happiness in there, finding herself exhausted every time a recording session ended. If this was the cost of making other people happy, how about her? How was she supposed to receive and be given happiness? 

You began to see the signs early in the stage of her album-making process, finding her less and less happy every time she came home from a day full of recording and album talk. At first, you wondered why that was; Wendy was a different case as she had numerous concerns but she was at least happy with what she had produced that day. Joy, on the other hand, was very happy at first and seemed exhausted and frustrated further on. Finally, not being able to see your older sister suffering like that, you tried to talk to her as softly as you could, not wanting to trigger anything. 

You decided to order some of Joy's favourite comfort food as an attempt to cheer her up. You knew she was adamant on being on a stricter diet, though you didn't think she needed it, but you thought she deserved some time to let go lest she wanted to burn out. 

"I'm home," the second tallest member announced, her voice laced with exhaustion once again. She was expecting to come to an empty kitchen and living room, as it was quite late, but she was pleasantly surprised by your smiling figure greeting her. 

"Hi, Sooyoung-unnie! I've missed you!" It was true, you truly did. Even though you saw each other almost every day, it felt like you haven't talked to her in ages. 

Joy was definitely touched, feeling loved just like she wanted. Maybe she didn't have to find that happiness she was looking for, she already had it in front of her. 

"Eli hi, I've missed you so much," she mumbled into your neck as she hugged you close, drinking in your warmth. She had been so busy that she felt like she hadn't properly talked to you in weeks even though she saw you almost every morning. 

You just hummed in reply, revelling in the touch. Irene was currently at her hometown visiting her parents for a few days, so you had been a little touch-deprived. 

"Have you eaten dinner, Unnie? I've ordered your favourite comfort foods if you want them," you offered softly, not wanting to break the comfortable atmosphere. 

Joy gasped in surprise and pulled back from the embrace, her face showing how shocked she was. "Did you? Omo, how did you know?" 

You giggled then winked, causing your older sister to blush. "Of course I do. Come on, let's eat while they're still warm." 

She clung to you as you both made your way towards the kitchen, having dinner filled with laughter and light talks. As the food diminished, a comfortable silence fell upon you both. You stared at Joy's tired but currently serene face, a genuine smile etched to her lips. 

"So, can I ask what brought this on?" 

You raised an eyebrow in question, very much looking like your guardian. "Can't I just treat my hardworking sister every once in a while?" 

Joy giggled in return, pink hues decorating her chubby cheeks adorably. "You can, I was just wondering how you knew I needed it," she muttered cutely and you chuckled lowly, making her blush even more. 

Seriously, your low voice, in general, should be illegal. It's charming beyond belief. 

"I saw how you became more and more exhausted as the days go by, Unnie," you turned serious, making sure she knew you put all your attention on her, "and I can't help but wonder if it was because of the album," you leaned back in your seat. 

"I figured you needed the comfort and I want you to know that you can come to us with your worries, Unnie." 

Joy looked down sheepishly but you could see the true emotions beneath her act. She was concerned, stressed, frustrated, and nervous all in one and you knew all too well how that would likely end up. 

"Have you talked about your worries to Seungwan-unnie at least?" 

You knew the girl relied on Wendy the most when it came to concerns or issues she's facing in her career, as Wendy was the only one truly able to calm the girl down. The rest of you meant a lot to her and she does go to you or Irene with concerns from time to time, but they just have a deeper bond and very personal concerns require Wendy's help. 

Joy looked up and shook her head with a shy giggle, making you shake your head in exasperation jokingly. You wanted Joy to see that what you were doing wasn't meant to pressure her even more. 

"Yah, this unnie," you scolded jokingly and your older sister whined, getting up from her seat to wrap her arms around your neck in a back hug and leaning almost all her weight on you. If this is her way of lessening her burden, literally, then you'd suffer through it.

"I'm sorryyyyyy~" 

You held her hands in your warm ones, your thumb on her skin soothingly. "It's not good to bottle your concerns alone, Unnie. We don't want that to affect your joy in making your album, right?" 

"No," she cutely muttered and you involuntarily smiled, chuckling to yourself. Seriously, who's the older one here? 

You tugged on her hand a little as a gesture for her to come in front of you instead. She understood, unwrapping herself from you only to sit on your lap and wrapping her hands around your shoulders for support. You made sure she was comfortable before catching her gaze again. 

"Do you want to tell me what's gotten you so worked up the past few days or should I get Wan-unnie?" 

You wanted to be there for her, you truly did, but if she was more comfortable in confiding in your other older sister then so be it. 

"I don't know how to start," she pouted and you smiled, pinching one of her chubby cheeks. 

"How about when you started feeling differently about the whole process, Unnie?" 

She sighed before looking at you again, fingers playing with the fabric of your shirt. "The first few sessions were fine, but then I started realising how everyone was working really hard on this album, so I thought to myself I wouldn't want to let them down, right? I have to work even harder," she looked down as she talked, one of her hands detaching itself from your shoulder to play with the string of your hoodie, "but when I started working even harder and putting all my happiness into the song, because I want everyone to feel happiness when they listen to it, I started feeling exhausted and feeling like... how about MY happiness? Who's going to give me happiness if I'm giving everyone my own?" 

She went quiet for a while but you didn't interfere, knowing she wasn't finished. You hated the look of frustration and defeat displayed on her face. 

"I thought working on an album by myself would be easier, you know? I don't have to make sure the six of us agree on something, I have more freedom in what I want and how I want them to be, but I find myself missing all of you all the time and I don't know how to deal with that," she ended up crying by the end of her sentence and you brought her into your arms, wrapping her in your warmth. 

"Oh, Unnie," you cooed while she cried into your neck, all the emotions finally being let out in the form of her tears. She had been bottling this for too long and it was about time she let it out in the comfort of another. 

"I'm right here, Unnie, you can let all of it out, I'm right here," you kept muttering to assure her that you got her and that she was not alone. You kissed the top of her head before putting yours on her, wrapping her even tighter in your embrace. 

You just held her for the duration of her crying, and when her sobs turned into sniffles you pulled back a little to wipe the remnants of tears from her face.

"There's my pretty Unnie," you gave her a warm smile and she couldn't help but giggle tearily at what you said. You always knew how to make her feel better.

She heaved a relieved sigh and then smiled, sniffing a few times so she could speak a little clearer. "Thank you for letting me cry, Eli-ah, I needed that." 

"You can cry to me anytime, Unnie, though I would prefer it if you don't cry in general because I don't like seeing you cry that much," you pouted and she cooed, pinching your cheek in return. You truly knew how to lift her up, why didn't she come to you sooner again? 

"Alright, dongsaeng-ah, I'll try not to cry too much," she smiled her signature wide smile that turned her eyes into crescents and you beamed, hugging her with your head near her neck this time. 

She hugged you back before she felt you pulling away again. "Do you want to know what I think, Unnie?" 

Joy immediately nodded. "Of course." 

"I think the staff works hard because they see you working so hard, so they respect you. They respect the amount of work and soul you put into your album so they do the same in return, because they respect you," you looked into her eyes to make sure that she knew you meant every word you said, "if you don't, they probably would just do the bare minimum. We've seen that happen, remember? We know how that looks like," you reminded her and she nodded after a while. 

"So, as long as you put your best into the album, I think you should be proud of yourself and your team. Appreciate yourself and make sure your team knows you appreciate them, I'm sure they'll like that and think you're worth all the hard work. Because you mean it," you smiled at her, "and as for your happiness, you can just think about the joy of fans and everyone who listens to your album, how mothers and their daughters or sons will listen to the album together just like you imagine, and how much fun you've had working on the album, collaborating with Joohyun-unnie's favourite singer and singing all of the songs you enjoy. I think that happiness would come to you," you couldn't help but joke about it and Joy laughed, slapping your shoulder with a "yah!", causing you to laugh. 

"You're lucky Unnie isn't here," she giggled and you winked, a mischievous glint in your eyes. 

"Don't let this whole album-making process be a burden to you, Unnie. Just enjoy it, then everyone can feel it when they listen and look at your album, thinking about how much fun you've had recording and doing what you love. I know I would." 

You had finished your piece and just waited for her to digest everything while looking at her still tired but lighter expression. 

You knew she had listened and believed what you said, even if it was just some portion of it. 

"You're right, I let the sense of responsibility run over me so much that I forget to just have fun and let my joy flow naturally into the songs. From now on, I'll try to show my joy more naturally through what I feel when I record the songs. Why did I never think of imagining other people's joy when they get to listen to this album?" 

You laughed. "It's okay, Unnie, you know now." 

"Thank you for your help, dongsaeng-ah," she said after a while, "I'm glad you're the one who approached me first. God knows where I'd be if you hadn't," her joke was meant to let you know that it's okay to be the one who took the initiative. She knew how your overthinking affect how you perceived yourself based on the reactions of others or what you thought they'd react or think. 

You thanked her with a warm smile, giving her cheek a little kiss before patting her back as a sign you'd want to get up. As much as you loved cuddling with her, these seats weren't the most comfortable. 

"If you want me to accompany you in the studio while you work, just let me know, Unnie. I'll make sure my schedule is free," you offered off-handedly while cleaning up the trash from your dinner. 

Joy lit up. "I do, actually." 

Her response made you turn to her so quickly, eyes wide in surprise. "Really?"

Joy laughed at the look on your face. "Of course, unless you want to take your offer back?" 

Even before her sentence had finished, you were already shaking your head. "No no no, I would love to accompany you!" 

The night ended in laughter and relief, and true to your words, you made sure Joy didn't feel lonely for the remainder of the album recording. She knew she could always count on you and vowed to always be there for you as well. No matter what.