IVE's An Yujin has a few tricks up her sleeve when it comes to making friends.
In a guest appearance on TEO's Salon Drip 2, the idol revealed that she'd "wanted to get close" aespa's leader, Karina, for a minute.
Her intrigue to become friends was intensified by her awe at the other's leadership position.
"Since our teams are so different, I'm curious about how she handles things. I think she's amazing," she said.
Her tactic to bridge the gap in their relationship, she explained shyly, was to dress up to gain confidence.
"Our first meeting was for a challenge. Her company specifically said they wanted to film it with me, so I made an effort," she said.
"I went to the hair shop and dressed nicely. I came prepared with two things: One was to ask, 'Can I call you unnie (older sister)?' and the other was to ask for her number," she admitted.
Unfortunately, she failed to execute the steps as planned.
"I couldn't do either. I was so nervous," she said. "I wanted to talk well, dance well, and look good on camera."
Instead, the two were able to become friends after she received a proposal for a collaboration from a broadcasting station. Yujin reached out to Karina, planning to propose the opportunity to her after acquiring her number through a mutual friend. She even got Karina's phone number through a mutual acquaintance but was met with hesitation, on concerns that she might be burdening the idol.
Luckily for her, Karina reached out first.
"I heard from someone that Karina was also talking about me, so I thought, 'I should reach out.' But then Karina contacted me first," she said.
After getting in touch, the two ended up dining together.
"These days, I often ask Karina, 'Is it okay if I post this photo on social media?'" she said, smiling.
