200411

red velvet debuts from a small, hopeful company.

the four of them come together with the same dreams every idol shares of fame and success, of one day loving and being loved by the rest of the world, of their names being known, of being able to perform.

but the idol industry is a competitive market filled with talented, shining individuals, and there are groups and names far, far larger than their own.  

in the first few weeks after debut, their managers have to beg to find slots for red velvet to perform in. they’re squeezed into schedules at the end of more experienced groups, called in for the sparse, few times a broadcast needs a substitute group when another couldn’t make it. they spend the large majority of their time backstage visiting the waiting rooms of other seniors, presenting their new album to them in hopes of gaining their support.

the world of idols is harsh and relentless, bone-deep exhausting in ways only a very select few would understand. but their seniors are those very select few. 

joohyun knows there’s reason to keep on dreaming when the sunbaes that greet them accept their album with tired yet warm, understanding smiles.

as a person who chose such an unforgivingly demanding career, joohyun feels like she should say she’s never once thought of quitting. but that isn’t true; there have been many, many times where she has lost hope. 

in the end, it’s always been the little things that have kept her going. 

like when she meets her first fansite. 

—

while their managers struggle to find more schedules for them to promote in, red velvet returns to street busking. 

previously, they only did this before debut, to practice going in front of crowds and to at least get their names out there earlier. there’s a completely different feeling in performing in mundane, open spaces for passerby to gawk at though, in comparison to more formal, controlled settings such as real stages. 

joohyun is, to say the least, absolutely terrified but trying not to show it. she presses the tremors of her hands into the hem of her skirt, listens to seulgi introduce them as her gaze moves around the small crowd gathered near them. she can see phones up and hear their rapid shutter clicks, and she tries her best to give what she thinks is her practiced, idol-like smile, but it still feels small and shaky on her amateur lips.

a particular flash catches her attention then, and joohyun blinks, eyes automatically drawn toward the source. 

a figure stands slightly apart from the rest of the crowd, face concealed beneath a blue cap with a white W etched on. and this is what startles joohyun the most: they are the only person here that isn’t from her management team with an actual, professional camera.

and it’s pointing right at her.

a warm hand lands on the small of her back, and joohyun quickly tears her gaze away to face the rest of the crowd. “hello, i’m red velvet’s leader and main rapper, irene,” she says into her microphone, the same introduction she’s rehearsed time after time, but somehow never enough. her face naturally flushes under the collective eyes turned toward her, and joohyun hastily bends forward in a bow. “thank you for coming to watch us perform. we hope you’ll enjoy.”

there’s scattered applause as joohyun moves into position, scanning briefly over the rest of her members to check that she’s in the right place. one by one she locks eyes with seulgi, then sooyoung, and then yerim, gathering confidence and assurance in the determined gazes of her members. 

from the side, their manager gives them a thumbs up before the first few beats of “happiness” begin to blare out from the speakers. joohyun loosens her stance, looks toward the crowd, and her performance smile slips on like a second skin.

just like that, they’re off.

—

three songs, a cover, and a brief closing to wrap up and thank everyone once again for watching later, joohyun is sweating beneath her makeup and taking measured sips of water from a bottle yerim pushes into her hands. they’re all exhausted, of course, but it’s with a feeling of exhilaration and completion, like they’re one step closer to something that’s just over the horizon.

she blames it on the satisfaction of a job well done for why she lets sooyoung tug her into her arms with little resistance, feeling their tallest member lean her weight against her back with a happy sigh of re