The other three members of the group collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. Their t-shirts and long hair were stuck to them with sweat, and they were struggling to control their breathing.

You’re not much different from them, but you still manage to stay on your feet. You glance at the girls in the mirror as you comb your damp hair back with your fingers.

“We need to do the second chorus again. Yeji, you need to be able to bend your back enough for your part. Mina, you need to stand up straighter and smile during the intro. And Chaeyi-”

Mina lies down on the wooden floor, whining.

“For the love of God, let us catch our breath! We’ve been practicing for three hours.”

You sigh with an eye roll and respond while remembering the moves with slight repetition.

"I know. But the Music Awards are only a week away and we'll be performing. We need to practice more."

Yeji asks softly as Mina silently rolls her eyes.

"Can we at least take a 20-minute break?"

You sigh and drop your shoulders. No matter how hard you work as a leader, it’s not enough for you, but you can see how tired they are.

“Okay, let’s take a 15-minute break.”

While the girls continue to lie on the floor happily, you leave the practice room to get a drink of water.

You come to the common area you share with the other group members, everyone must be working in their own rooms, so it’s pretty quiet.

You approach the kitchen counter, open the cabinet, and take out a bottle of water. When you close the door and turn around, you see Chan right behind to you, and you let out a low scream and jump in your place.

He smirks at you before leaning back against the counter and tilting his head to the side.

“Of course I knew you were afraid of me, but I thought it was just a metaphorical thing.”