|ChanHyuck's POV|
"Where's the openers?" A guy questions, his arms full of sound equipment.
"The openers?" SunMi turns toward me and places her hands on her hips.
"I couldn't not invite them." I mumble before quickly hurrying to get them.
I almost run face first into NamJoon as he and the others make their way out of the dressing room. He chuckles as I let out a frustrated sigh. There's so much going on I can't keep my focus.
"They ready for us?" SeokJin asks as he slips around NamJoon to wrap his arms around my shoulders.
"Yes, they are." I nod as we all make our way toward the stage.
"Well, hello there strangers." JiSu chuckles as she sets eyes on us.
"We just need to get you guys set up so we can test equipment and everything." The guy explains as he begins equipping them with their headsets.
"I have a few things to do before the show. Will you girls be alright without me for a bit?" I question as I watch the girls mess around with each other.
"Of course. I got them. I am the mom of the group. I can scold them enough for the both of us." NaHee nods her head energetically as she watches JiSu and JuHee chase after each other.
"Perfect. If you do need me, just text, I won't be far. I'm just going to run around here and check that everything is in order for tonight." I explain before making my way off the stage. I quickly make my way up to the sound booth to join the boys.
"When we come out, we want the focus to stay on the girls. We don't want spotlights or anything." JongHo finishes explaining the plan to the light and sound people.
"How's it going? Did they get everything put together?" I mumble quietly as I stand behind SeongHwa.
"Yeah, it's good. So far it looks like it will all go over smoothly." SeongHwa confirms as he glances over his shoulder at me.
"Perfect. Now that that's all set, I have another surprise to go check on." I smile before making my way back down the stairs.
I check to make sure the girls are still on stage and distracted before slipping into the room where the rest of the Ateez boys are waiting. My eyes light up as I take in the many guests I worked endlessly for hours to get here.
"Thank you so much for doing this for the girls." A boy with dark chocolate hair speaks up as he holds his hand out for mine.
"The girls deserve it. They are amazing and so talented. They've been working so hard they need this." I reassure him as I shake his hand. I take in the various faces of people I've only heard about and never seen.
I feel bad for SunMi, I wasn't able to do everything I wanted for her. I did what I could, but somethings fell through. It's SunMi though, she'll be more than happy with everything I've managed to put together.
"Does she know?" I ask as I approach the boy and his wife.
"Not yet. She's been busy with school and debut that I haven't had the chance to tell her." The boy smiles as he stares down at the small bundle of joy in his wife's arms.
"She's going to be thrilled. I remember her going on and on about how excited she was when she found out you both were expecting. Then as we got closer to debut, she stopped talking about it. I think she just got overwhelmed and was too focused on debut to celebrate." I frown as I realize just how hard I've had to work the girls.
"Oh, trust me, she kept celebrating. I've got thousands of texts to prove it." He chuckles as he shakes his head.
"I'm glad." I smile before moving on to the next guest.
"Thank you for inviting us. We've been watching our little girl try and achieve her dreams since she was about nine. She was so devastated when she had to give up her first opportunity. She thought she wasn't supposed to debut after what happened with the previous owner, but when you took the girls into your hands, her view on everything changed. She knew that you would make sure she would get to stand on stage—you did it. She believe in you from day one. We owe you a lot. You made our precious baby's dreams come true." A smiling woman explains as she takes my hand in hers. She holds onto my hand tightly as her husband squeezes my shoulder.
"She deserves to stand on that stage." I insist as I return their appreciation. I should be thanking them. These are the people who helped shape the girls into who they are today. They are the ones that gave me the perfect group of girls that are going to make my dreams come true.
"We've watched our little angel fall in love with art ever since she was a baby. She was always singing and banging on everything as if it were a drum. You gave her a safe place to express herself. She was able to grow and experience new things because of you. Thank you for helping our daughter reach her dream." A well built man pats my back from behind.
"Of course. The girls are helping me achieve my dreams as well. It's only fair that we work together." I quickly spin around to answer him.
My eyes shift toward a lone woman sitting casually beside YunHo and HongJoong. I smile to myself as I approach her. I kneel down beside her.
"Thanks for coming today. Aera will really appreciate it." I place my hand on her knee as she glances up at me.
"She'll be devastated to see me like this though. She's used to me being upbeat and happy. I didn't tell her I was sick. I didn't want to interfere with her practice. Her dreams are more important." Aera's mom explains softly as she stares down at her feet.
"Aera will understand. You're still the same mom she's used to. You helped her realize this is where she belongs." I reassure her before getting to my feet.
There should be two more people, but I couldn't make it happen. I have no one for SunMi. The other girls all have family to celebrate with, but SunMi has no one. Of course, her parents love her, but the moment she signed the contract, they up and left the country. They weren't being held back by her anymore. She was the company's responsibility the moment she signed the papers. Now they travel the world buying and selling property.
I can't say they didn't do anything though. They're housing the girls at a reduced rent and even paid for costume rentals. They just aren't into making physical appearances. The sad thing is, SunMi knows that. I think she's accepted the fact she won't see them much if at all. I was really hoping I could do this one thing for her, but I couldn't.