She’s missing home again, Irene can see the feeling there, hiding just below the surface of Seulgi’s chestnut roasted orbs when the four of them walk backstage into their dressing room after a wonderfully pleasant performance of their debut single, “Happiness.” It’s always in the quiet moments, Irene notices, when you finally feel the pang of homesickness. The bright stage lights and the fans can only do so much to take the edge of the pain away, but as soon as you step off that platform, suddenly home is all you can think about. 

   Irene knows this because of the constant thoughts that have bombarded her, from both herself and from her fellow members. “Do you think my parents are proud of the way I performed today?” “Do they miss me?” “How do you think my siblings are handling my newfound celebrity status?” “Are their classmates going to treat them differently now that they know who I am?” The worry would run on ceaselessly like an endless ocean tide in the roaring sea. And the only thing stopping the stream from overflowing were two simple, but very important things. 

   The first being their fans, who made all of their hard work and sacrifices pay off and become worth it in the end. They came out in the pouring rain to support them till the very end of their filming with handmade banners and cheerful screams that caused all of the girls to break out into breathless smiles during the rigorous dance moves of their choreography. So this is what it feels like to finally debut. And the second thing was the fact that they would always have each other, and as long as they were together, they could find ways to cheer each other up. As long as they weren’t alone, as long as they were never completely by themselves - the homesickness couldn’t swallow them up completely. 

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