Work Text:
It was a typical day for Enhypen. They were in their office building, a whirlwind of activity. Stylists were rushing around, makeup artists were meticulously applying finishing touches, and the air was thick with the anticipation of their upcoming live performance.
Amidst the controlled chaos, the members were engaged in their favorite pastime: teasing Sunoo.
Sunoo, the group's resident sunshine, was adored by all. His infectious laughter, playful personality, and unwavering optimism made him the heart of the group.
However, his endearing qualities also made him an irresistible target for their playful jabs. Sunoo, bless his soul, was incredibly reactive to their teasing, making their playful banter even more entertaining.
Lately, a new trend had emerged in their teasing repertoire, inspired by their recent variety show appearance. The members had taken to comparing Sunoo to a cheese ball.
__
Jake, fresh off the makeup chair and buzzing with newfound freedom, bounded across the room towards Sunoo, who was engrossed in a game on his phone, oblivious to the impending chaos.
"Oooh our cheese ball is so round and squishy~" Jake declared, pinching Sunoo's cheeks with a mischievous glint in his eyes, earning a chorus of laughter from the other members.
Sunoo, exasperated, had rolled his eyes, "I am not a cheese ball, Jake Hyung! I'm a human being."
But the teasing continued, escalating with each playful jibe. Sunoo, in retaliation, playfully punched Jake's arm a few times, a series of soft "pyong pyong" sounds echoing through the room as Jake feigned offense, grinning widely.
__
With the staff finally out of earshot, the Enhypen members settled around the lunch table, the rhythmic clatter of chopsticks against plates the only sound in the otherwise quiet waiting room.
Sunghoon, ever the stoic one, couldn't resist teasing Sunoo.
"You know," he drawled, his voice laced with amusement, "you really do resemble a cheese ball. Same shade of yellow, same round shape..."
Niki, ever the mischievous one, chimed in, "And you bounce when you walk! Just like a cheese ball!"
"Sunoo, his cheeks bulging with an actual cheeseball, sputtered indignantly, 'Hey! I am not a cheese ball!'
He glared at his tormentors, but his glare was more comical than intimidating, like a cartoon character trying to look menacing while chewing."
Suddenly, a strange tingling sensation began to emanate from Sunoo, followed by a faint wisp of smoke curling from his clothes. The other members exchanged uneasy glances, their laughter abruptly cut short.
The air crackled with a strange energy as the smoke thickened, swirling around Sunoo. Then, with a dramatic POP!, a puff of smoke erupted, engulfing him completely.
When the smoke finally cleared, the members gasped. Where Sunoo had been sitting, was a single, cute and perfectly round cheese ball.
"Sunoo?!"
The cheese ball, or rather, Sunoo, wobbled, as if trying to comprehend its newfound existence.
"G-guys?" a muffled voice squeaked from within. "I think I... I transformed?"
Chaos ensued. The members, forgetting their earlier teasing, scrambled to cradle the now cheese ball version Sunoo. Jay, ever the calm one, tried to remain composed, but his jaw was slack.
"Don't worry, Sunoo hyung, we'll figure this out!" Niki reassured, patting the cheese ball gently.
The cheese ball, or rather, Sunoo, let out a series of panicked squeaks. "I-I can't feel my legs! And I think I'm rolling!"
Jungwon, in his panic, accidentally dropped the cheese ball. It bounced a few times before landing with a soft thud amongst a pile of other cheese balls.
"Jungwon!" the members cried in unison. "Oh my god!" Heeseung exclaimed, eyes wide.
Jake, ever the gentle one, reached out to poke the cheese ball Sunoo, "Sunoo-ya? Are you okay?"
"This is all your fault!" Sunoo-cheese ball accused, rolling around.
Sunghoon, frozen in fear, shrieked, "We didn't mean it! We didn't mean it!". Niki, initially amused, was now panicking. "What do we do? What if he never turns back?"
Jungwon, ever the leader, tried to remain calm. "Okay, everyone, stay calm. Let's try..."
But before he could finish his sentence, the door suddenly burst open and their manager, stormed in, his face a mask of concern.
"What in the world is going on? I heard shouting!"
He raised an eyebrow at the sight of six grown men huddled around a pile of cheese balls, one of which was emitting cute squeaks?
"Did someone break something? Is someone hurt?"
The members exchanged nervous glances. They couldn't exactly tell their manager that their Sunoo had spontaneously transformed into a rogue cheese ball.
"N-no, no one broke... something" stammered Jake, "everything's f-fine".
In a desperate attempt to cover their tracks, the members stammered out excuses. "We... we were... uh... doing a... cheese ball taste test?" Heeseung mumbled, his eyes darting around the room.
"Right, a taste test," Jay echoed nervously, his voice tight. "For a new variety show concept," Niki added, his voice cracking.
The manager looks at them weirdly, however, was more intrigued by the sight of the scattered cheese balls. He reached out a hand towards the pile.
"These look delicious! Mind if I try one?"
The members exchanged panicked glances. Sunghoon, ever the smooth operator, tried to deter him with a nervous laugh.
"Uh... maybe later, hyung?"
"Yeah, maybe after we... uh... analyze the data," Jungwon added, his voice strained.
But the manager was already reaching for a cheese ball. "Just one won't hurt, right?"
Suddenly, all six members lunged forward in a chaotic scramble. A flurry of limbs, panicked cries, and the clatter of overturned furniture filled the room.
"No! Don't eat that one!'" "That's... that's special!" "It's... it's for the experiment!"
The manager, bewildered by the sudden onslaught, recoiled. He stared at the struggling mass of limbs, cheese balls scattering across the floor, and finally burst out laughing.
"What in the world is going on here?"
The manager looked at them skeptically, his gaze sweeping across their faces. None of the members met his eyes, their heads bowed as they fiddled with anything within reach. Though slightly perplexed by the cheese ball incident, he shrugged it off.
"Alright, alright. Where is Sunoo? You have 10 minutes to get to the stage! Get ready!"
With that, he exited the room, leaving the Enhypen members to grapple with the impending disaster and their rapidly dwindling time.
__
A wave of nervous energy washed over them. Heeseung, the oldest, finally met Jungwon's eyes, his expression a mixture of panic and disbelief.
"What do we do?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"We need to do something, and fast!" Niki exclaimed, pacing around the room.
"Maybe we can just roll him back to normal!" Jake suggested, attempting to gently roll the cheese ball Sunoo. (Did not work)
Jay then tried to microwave the cheese ball, convinced it would "reheat" Sunoo back to normal but Heeseung stopped him, his hand firmly on Jay's shoulder.
"No, Jay, we can't just microwave Sunoo!" Heeseung exclaimed.
Jungwon then tried to "re-inflate" Sunoo by gently blowing air on him. (It just made him wobble)
"We're doomed!" Sunghoon cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "We're going to miss our performance! And Sunoo is going to be stuck as a cheese ball forever!"
"Okay, everyone, stay calm" Jungwon, in his leader mode, announced" We need to find the source of the transformation. What happened before the smoke?"
"We were teasing him about being like a cheese ball," Sunghoon admitted sheepishly.
"Could... could it be related?" Niki questioned, his voice trembling.
"I think so," Jay agreed, "Maybe the teasing was so strong, it actually... transformed him!"
"But how do we reverse it?" Sunoo squeaked from within the cheese ball, his voice muffled. "I'm starting to feel a bit crumbly!"
Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up above Heeseung's head. "I know! We need to counteract the teasing with... with compliments!"
The members exchanged skeptical glances. "Compliments?" Sunghoon questioned, unconvinced.
"Think about it," Heeseung explained, "We teased him, and he turned into a cheese ball. So, if we compliment him, maybe it'll reverse the effect!"
"But what kind of compliments?" Niki asked.
"We need to compliment him on everything that's NOT cheese ball-like!" Jay declared.
And so, the compliment barrage began.
"Sunoo, you're so tall and full of muscles, unlike a round cheese ball!" Jake exclaimed.
"You're incredibly graceful, not at all wobbly like a cheese ball!" Jay added.
"You're so quick-witted, unlike a... well, a cheese ball," Heeseung admitted, struggling to find a suitable comparison.
"You're the most handsome member of Enhypen, definitely not cheese ball-like!" Sunghoon declared confidently.
Jungwon, ever the logical one, chimed in, "You're the most intelligent member of Enhypen, far superior to any ordinary cheese ball."
Niki, the youngest, simply stated, "You're the cutest!"
As the compliments flowed, the cheese ball began to tremble. It started to shrink, slowly at first, then it turned huge faster. The members watched in awe as the cheese ball morphed, its shape becoming less spherical and more... human.
Finally, with a final pop, the cheese ball burst open, revealing Sunoo, looking slightly dazed but otherwise unharmed. He blinked a few times, disoriented, then looked around at the wide-eyed faces of his members.
"Guys?" Sunoo asked, his voice a bit hoarse, "What just happened?"
The members, exhausted but relieved, simply stared at him in disbelief. Heeseung, overcome with relief, rushed forward and enveloped Sunoo in a tight hug. "You're okay! You're okay!"
Jungwon, still in his leader mode, joined the hug, "Let's not overly tease Sunoo again." Everyone nodded.
Just then, their manager came back, his brow furrowed. He was perplexed by the sight of the members huddled in a group hug, especially considering the urgency of the situation.
"Everything alright in here? You're on next!"
The members, finally realizing the urgency of the situation, scrambled to their feet, trying to appear calm and collected.
"Yeah, hyung, we're ready!" Jay exclaimed, giving Sunoo a quick pat on the back.
Sunoo, still a bit dizzy, managed a weak smile. "Let's go, guys!"
And so, Enhypen rushed onto the stage, a little late but thankfully, all human. The cheese ball incident with Sunoo became a hilarious inside joke among the members.
A shared secret that only they would ever truly understand.
(Epilogue)
A few days later, the incident with the cheese ball seemed like a distant memory. However, Niki, ever the mischievous one, decided to test the waters.
It was their rest day. Sunoo was lounging comfortably on the couch, scrolling through his phone, when Niki suddenly sat beside him, wrapping his arms around Sunoo, pulling him into a tight hug.
"Whoa, Niki!" Sunoo exclaimed, startled. "What was that for?"
"You know, Sunoo hyung" he began, a mischievous glint in his eye, "You're actually pretty soft. Like, reaaally soft."
Sunoo, still a bit wary of the cheese ball incident, raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean, you're like... a body pillow," Niki continued, grinning. "Super cuddly."
Before Sunoo could even react, Jungwon suddenly rushed and smacked Niki on the back of the head.
"I know what you're planning!" Jungwon declared, puffing out his chest dramatically.
"And I'm not letting you turn Sunoo hyung into your personal human cushion!" Jungwon glared, though it mostly looked like a kitty trying to be intimidating.
"But Hyung~" Niki whined clutching his head dramatically.
"NO!"