Suddenly

The practice room was filled with the familiar scent of sweat, wooden floors, and the faint floral perfume that several members still wore even after hours of dancing. Mirrors covered two entire walls, reflecting the exhausted but energized bodies of I.O.I as they prepared for their 10th anniversary comeback.

It was a little past 8 PM. Most of the choreography for “Suddenly” had already been blocked, but the director had just left after approving the final concept for the music video teaser.

Somi was sitting on the floor, stretching her long legs, a towel draped around her neck. Doyeon stood nearby, drinking water while leaning against the mirrored wall, still catching her breath.

Somi suddenly let out a mischievous laugh.

“So… you really want me to kiss you tomorrow?” she asked, tilting her head with a bright, teasing grin.

Doyeon nearly choked on her water. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stared at Somi with wide eyes.

“Yah, Jeon Somi! Don’t say it like that!” Doyeon exclaimed, her cheeks turning slightly pink. “It was for the concept! ‘Suddenly’! It has to be shocking!”

From the corner of the room, Yoojung, who had been lying dramatically on the floor pretending to be dead, sat up immediately.

“Wait… what? Kiss?!” Yoojung’s eyes sparkled with pure chaos. “You two are actually going to kiss in the teaser? For real?”

Chaeyeon, who was fixing her ponytail, whipped her head around so fast she almost hit herself. “Hold on. Since when? I thought it was just a slap or something cute!”

Somi laughed loudly, leaning back on her hands. “It was supposed to be a slap, but Doyeon-unnie suddenly said, ‘Let’s just kiss instead.’ Right in front of the director!”

Doyeon covered her face with both hands, groaning. “I regret everything. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just wanted it to be more impactful…”

Sejeong walked over from the speaker system, wiping sweat from her forehead, clearly trying not to laugh. “Do-yeon-ah… you suggested it? Our cool, elegant Doyeon suggested kissing Somi on camera?”

“I thought it would be funny!” Doyeon defended herself, voice rising in embarrassment. “And the director loved it! He said it matches the ‘Suddenly’ concept perfectly.”

Yoojung crawled closer like an excited puppy. “So… is it going to be a real kiss? Like, lips on lips? Tongue? How deep are we going?”

“Yoojung!” Doyeon shouted, throwing her towel at her. “No tongue! It’s just a quick kiss! Like… one second!”

Somi, still sitting on the floor, grinned mischievously and wiggled her eyebrows. “Should I practice it now? Come here, unnie~”

She puckered her lips exaggeratedly and made kissing noises while reaching out dramatically toward Doyeon.

Doyeon backed away, laughing despite herself. “Yah! Jeon Somi, stay away from me!”

Chaeyeon clapped her hands in delight. “This is the best rehearsal ever. Someone record this.”

Na-young, who had been quietly observing from the back, finally spoke up with a smirk. “If you two are going to kiss, you should at least practice the angle. The camera is going to be from the side. You need to make it look natural.”

“Natural?!” Doyeon cried out. “How is kissing Somi supposed to look natural? She’s literally my chaotic little sister!”

Somi gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. “Little sister? After you asked me to kiss you? I feel so used, unnie.”

The entire room erupted in laughter. Even the usually composed Sejeong was bent over, holding her stomach.

Yoojung suddenly stood up and clapped. “Okay, okay. Let’s do a rehearsal right now. For science. Somi, corner Doyeon against the wall like in the storyboard.”

Doyeon tried to escape toward the door, but Somi was faster. She jumped up and gently pushed Doyeon against the mirrored wall, placing one hand beside her head in a classic kabedon pose.

Somi leaned in slowly, her face inches away from Doyeon’s. Both of them stared at each other seriously for two seconds… before they both burst out laughing at the same time.

“I can’t do it!” Somi wheezed, collapsing against Doyeon’s shoulder. “Your face is too funny!”

Doyeon was laughing so hard her eyes were watering. “Your breath smells like the tuna gimbap we ate earlier!”

From the floor, Yoojung was rolling around. “This is gold. The fans are going to lose their minds.”

Sejeong wiped tears from her eyes. “You two are actually going to do this on camera? I’m so proud but also terrified.”

Chae-yeon joined in the teasing. “Make sure you moisturize your lips well, Somi. Doyeon-unnie has high standards.”

Doyeon pointed at everyone accusingly. “All of you are enjoying this way too much!”

Somi, still giggling, wrapped her arms around Doyeon from behind in a back hug. “It’s okay, unnie. I’ll be gentle. Just close your eyes and think of the views we’re going to get.”

Doyeon elbowed her lightly. “If you make it weird, I’m really slapping you for real during the actual filming.”

The members continued joking and teasing for the next twenty minutes, turning what should have been a serious choreography cleanup session into a full-blown comedy show. They ran the formation a few more times, but every time Somi and Doyeon got close to their part, someone would yell “Kiss scene!” and the practice would collapse into laughter again.

At one point, Somi turned to the group with a bright, genuine smile.

“Honestly… I’m really happy we’re doing this together again. Even if it means I have to kiss Doyeon-unnie on camera.”

Doyeon looked at her softly for a moment before sighing dramatically. “Fine. But if we have to do multiple takes tomorrow, I’m blaming all of you for making me nervous today.”

Yoojung raised her hand. “I volunteer to be the kiss consultant.”

“Rejected,” both Somi and Doyeon said at the same time, then looked at each other and laughed again.

As the practice finally wound down late into the night, the members sat together on the floor, sweaty and tired but glowing with happiness. The atmosphere was warm, nostalgic, and full of love.

Doyeon leaned her head on Somi’s shoulder and muttered quietly, just loud enough for the group to hear:

“…Just don’t use tongue tomorrow.”

The room exploded into laughter once more.

After the chaotic laughter finally died down, the members slowly got back on their feet. The practice room lights felt a little warmer now, the atmosphere shifting from pure comedy to a mix of playfulness and determination.

Sejeong clapped her hands loudly. “Alright, alright! We’ve had our fun. Let’s run the full choreography from the top. We only have a few more days until filming. Let’s do this properly for our 10th anniversary.”

Everyone nodded, the mood becoming more focused. They got into formation as the music for “Suddenly” started playing again through the speakers.

The first run went relatively smoothly until the pre-chorus. Sohye, who was placed in the center for one of the formations, suddenly turned left instead of right, crashing into Chaeyeon.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry!” Sohye yelped, eyes wide as she tried to correct herself, nearly tripping over her own feet.