You Can Call Me Monster

His heart is frenzied. He wonders what her eyes look like, what she smells like, what she tastes like. His nails dig into his palm. The pounding doesn't stop in his chest.

She looks over her shoulder. The street is cast in pools of light and shadow. The shadows worry her. The unseen are unsettling. It's silent. There is the sound of shallow breathing and she snaps her head to look behind. Nothing. She exhales an unknowingly held breath, and proceeds to bump into another body.

His heart grows louder in his ear. Palms clench and unclench. She smells like wine, but she doesn't look drunk, quite the contrary. Her eyes winden at the contact, she shirks back and he can finally see the colour of her eyes. Brown, but barely there, having succumbed to the enlarged irises. His own have for very different reasons.

Kyungsoo. She hasn't known her co-worker for long, but even in their fleeting contact, there has been more dissent than cordiality. Do not show fear. Be in control. She can't trust him in a dark alleyway. She steps back, straightens her coat and tries her best to look like she doesn't want to bolt in the opposite direction. She mutters an apology, and starts to walk past him.

“Hey.” The voice is low, full and her eyes flicker to him as she moves. Has his voice always been like…. this? “Are you lost?”

“I'm quite fine,” she lies. Truth be told, the only reason she is alone is because someone had tipped a glass of champagne on her dress after one too many a shot of vodka and she had walked out. Into an unknown neighbourhood. With no practical knowledge of direction.

The lips part into a reassuring smile. She is too mesmerised to notice the look in the eyes. “That way leads to a blind alley and a warehouse… unless you happen to live there?” She narows her eyes. “It isn't safe.” His teeth drag across the lower lip, his eyes wander over hers. She mistakes it for nervousness. It is, but of another kind. “I'm going to the main street, you could follow behind me, if you like of course.” He bows his head in a goodbye and starts walking ahead.

She chews on her lips for a while, as he starts to get further away, she follows him, sticking to the other side of the street and the golden glow of the lights on the pavement. Strangely enough the main street is straight up ahead, she can see the deserted intersection and the blinking traffic lights not too far from her narrow alleyway.

His eyes drift over the soulless streets and then her figure in his peripheral vision. Only a little more. He breathes deeply. “Hey, be careful of the bike!”

She spins around. The street is dead behind her. Her lips form a question that never reaches fruition. She feels a chest pressed against her back, her arms pinned by a stronger one and there is a chemical fragrance emanating from the handkerchief pressed to her nose.

He withstands the kicks, the jostling, the defeated attempts at screaming until the body in his arms falls limp against his chest. He lets her head fall back against his shoulder and rests his own on it, swaying gently to an unheard rhythm. He breathes in, senses buzzing from her scent and smiles. His eyes close for a moment. She fits into his hold exactly as he had always known she would. His wait is over.

She wakes up to something soft against her cheeks and blocked vision. Black eyes gaze into hers and the nose almost brushing against hers. His lips smile serenely down at her, and her brain tells her to smile back. Then the notices the eyes— intense, ravenous, darkened over. The illusion shatters. She jerks back, shoving him away with her limbs.
“You fucking monster,” she hisses. “What did you do to me?!” He grabs an arm to stop himself from falling out of the bed and tilts his head a little.
“I haven't done anything,” he states, eyes still piercing through hers. “You fainted.”
“You choloformed me, freak!”

He pins her arms and looks down at her. Eyes wide, lips curled and cheeks flushed. Her toes curl and her chest rises and falls. He can't breathe.

“Let me go,” she snarls. It's almost like he can't hear her. He lowers his head and presses his lips under her ear, against her neck. She clenches her fists, and managed to free her right hand from his grasp.

He feels a sharp pain in his waist and an oozing warmth. A paper knife is lodged in his side and her hard is curled around it. The pain increases, he lets out a low growl.

She takes the moment to push him away and scramble off the bed, only to be dragged back. Why is he still smiling?

He presses her into the mattress, gritting his teeth. The smile is shaking now. The knife is in his hand. The snarl on her face freezes and melts into horror, inches away from his.

“Kyungsoo… please….”

The lips move against hers, teeth slowly dragging against them relentlessly. When they release her, she breathes again.

“Kyungsoo…. I…”

She has a brief moment to register something cold against her chest. The silence is smothered by a cry, and then shaky breaths. Her hands clutch at the sheets. Her legs kick in wild abandon. She feels the pain again, and then once more. The breaths give way to choked sobs.

“Stop…. it hurts….”

The sheets darken. His breathing becomes ragged, his arms tremble. His vision is a grainy film, fading in and out of focus.

“It hurts….”

She looks up at him with helpless eyes, slowly losing feeling in her limbs, and the will to offer resistance. Sweat glistens on her forehead and he reaches a hand out to wipe it away, trailing the finger down to her cheeks. Her eyes are watering, lips parted and trembling. 

“Shhh… you'll be okay.”

The sobs slowly peter out into pained moans. He twists the knife one last time before dragging it out of her flesh. There is a swan song of a shriek, her eyes turn blank and the body stops shaking under him.

He presses a kiss to her cheek. His arms give way and he falls to his side. He drags himself up to rest at the crook of her neck. The scent of wine is diluted by an unpleasant iron smell. He breathes it in anyway in ragged gulps. His fingers trace over her immobile arms. There are unspoken promises traced into the patterns. Promises of a forever that have been fulfilled. He breathes in again and then closes his eyes.

(A/N: So I'm back, after nearly a year, thanks to yesterday's release of EXO's Monster. I hope to turn this into a longer fic at some point. Leave a comment and feed an author guys ~)

Dear Dumbass

Dear Dumbass,
Have I ever told you how annoying you can be— singing You Are My Sunshine every morning into my ears, off key, only because you want breakfast.

Kyungsoo closes his eyes and wraps the blanket tighter around his head, expecting the onslaught as soon as he hears the bathroom door close.
"Oh Kyungsoo ~"
Five more minutes, lord, five more minutes of peace, he thinks.
"Wakey-wakey! Make eggs for Baekkie~"
"Go away Baekhyun," he groans. There's obviously zero compliance to his request as Baekhyun flops down on his bed and clears his throat.
"I'm never leaving, because," he beings. "YOU ARE MY SQUISHEEEEE, MY ONLY SQUISHY. YOU MAKE ME BREAKFAST— mmmfff!!!" Kyungsoo bolts up and puts the atrocious vocalist in a chokehold.
"Have Cheerios dammit!" He hisses.
"We're out," Baekhyun wheezes while slapping the arm around his neck. Kyungsoo removes his arm and pushes Baekhyun off his bed. He whimpers on the floor like a kicked puppy.
"Why the hell did I agree to getting an apartment with you?!" Mutters Kyungsoo, running his hand through his hair. Baekhyun rests his chin at the edge off the bed, and pouts up his roommate.
"Because I'm cute and irresistible?" He receives a blanket over his head and Kyungsoo drags himself to the kitchen.
"Dumbass."

Also because you yap too much. Is there an off button? Is it a manufacturing defect?

"Dude these sandwiches are killer!"
"I wish I was a killer," Kyungsoo mutters, looking out the window into the lawn. Baekhyun hums and then stops suddenly.
"Hey! Jongin! Sehun! Over here!"
Kyungsoo stops himself from rolling his eyes as Baekhyun waves over their juniors like an over excited poodle. Jongin makes a motion to sit opposite Kyungsoo but is halted by Baekhyun who drags him to the spot next to his bemused friend before seating himself beside Sehun.
"Haven't I made your day Jongin?" He grins. "Sitting next to Kyungsoo sunbae during lunch." The sunbae in question smacks the top of his head across the table. Jongin flushes a deep red over his tan skin.
"Don't pay attention to him. He doesn't have a filter between his brain and his mouth so he'll say just about anything." He smiles at the junior who turns even redder. "So I hear you're dancing at the fund raiser this weekend?"
"Yeah! It's a contemporary thing and I don't know if it's good or whatever but I mean it'd be great it if you could come to watch." Jongin draws a sharp breath after letting it out without breathing in between. Baekhyun breaks into laughter.
"Ohmygod, he's so cute! Date him Kyungsoo!" This earns him another smack cross his head. Jongin starts blubbering protests.
"Filter your damn thoughts dumbass and don't eat like a kid." Kyungsoo misses the sudden narrowing of Jongin's eyes and the widening ones of Baekhyun as he swipes his thumb over the corner of the latter's lips.

You're so random— sometimes I wonder what goes on inside your head; at other times I don't want to find out.

"Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo-Kyungsoo-Kyung—"
"What?" Kyungsoo hisses back, without removing his eyes from the blackboard. While he's quite alright with English, he's not so alright with Shakespearian English and he doesn't want to fail this semester because of the Bard.
"Kkaebsong ~"
"Wha—" Kyungsoo turns to meet a grinning Baekhyun with his tongue sticking out to which he receives a kick under the bench.
"Why do you wound me, sir, when I am but a gentle soul?"
"What utter rubbish," Kyungsoo whispers. "What do you want Baek?"
"You."
Kyungsoo starts, and whips  his eyes away from the blackboard a little quicker than he would admit to.
"Say what—"
"Mr. Do would you care to read from Lysander's dialogue?"
It's only after class that he gets to turn to Baekhyun with raised eyebrows. Somehow Baekhyun seems to know what he's getting at and leans back in his chair with a lazy smile.
"I kinda need you to make me breakfast forever and ever." He leans over and pinches the other's cheeks. "I'll call you squishy and your shall be mine!" Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and wrestles Baekhyun away from him.
"Go join cooking class dumbass."

At times I wonder why I put up with your drunken ramblings.

"Kyungsoo~ Oh Kyungsoo ~"
Sober, Byun Baekhyun is the very definition of handful. He's loud, sassy, almost obnoxious sometimes. Drunk, Byun Baekhyun makes Do Kyungsoo want to stab someone. Mostly himself. So that he doesn't have to drag his drunk roommate home.
"Why can't you ever let me drink in peace idiot," he complains to Baekhyun, whose right arm is slung over Kyungsoo's shoulder and the left is attempting a failed version of jazz hands while humming a strange version of You Are My Sunshine. "No, you have to come along and you have to get drunk and then I have to drag your dead weight home. Stop eating so much junk, you're getting fat." He glowers, readjusting the other's arm across his shoulders.
"Kyungsoo," whines Baekhyun. "Kyungsoo, do you think I'm pretty?" Or it sounds something like that because Baekhyun is sloshed beyond words.
"No you're not, you moron. Why do you even drink?!" Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo with watery eyes.
"I'm not? No one thinks I'm pretty? You mean I'm going to die alone?" Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.
"No, I'm doomed to live with your ugly mug."
"Nooooo! You're going to run away to Jongin, because he's prettier!"
"Good lord Baekhyun. Fine," says Kyungsoo through gritted teeth as they reach their apartment. "You're the fairest of them all. Happy?" He stares in despair at the flight of steps leading up to their flat. Baekhyun goes back to humming, aptly pacified. "Dammit you lightweight, don't make me carry you up the stairs!"
But he does end up half dragging Baekhyun upstairs and then half carrying him indoors, mentally groaning at the thought of having carried Baekhyun over the threshold like newlyweds. So he throws him into bed with a little more force than required before softening, draping a blanket over his friend and climbing into his own bed.
"Kyungsoo?"
"Yes Baek?" He sighs.
"Did you know you're muscular now?"
"Yes Baek."
"Don't be. I won't be able to call you my squishy."
"Alright Baek."
Kyungsoo hears Baekhyun's breathing slow down and then closes his eyes.
"Kyungsoo."
The voice comes softer, almost asleep.
"Yes Baek?"
"I love you."
In spite of himself, Kyungsoo cracks a sleepy smile into the darkness.
"You're drunk Baek. Go to sleep."
"Okay...  Jongin can sleep with you... But come back in the morning… breakfast."
Kyungsoo throws a pillow at his bed.
"Dumbass."

Or your two am ones.

"What are you doing here? It's past two." Kyungsoo shuts the balcony door behind him and looks at Baekhyun crouched in the corner with his chin on his knees, stating at the skies.
"I can't sleep."
"I can see that," he says drily but sits down, touching shoulders with the the other.
"Do you know how many stars there are?"
"Loads, I guess," shrugs Kyungsoo. He hears sighs, which Kyungsoo thinks is very unusual for the hyper-charged, overgrown child.
"I feel so insignificant."
"Because there are too many stars to count?"
"No," Baekhyun sighs again and Kyungsoo begins to worry. "I'm twenty one and I haven't even begun to achieve anything or make a difference. I had grand plans, you know."
"Did they involve become a pop star because dude," Kyungsoo purses his lips. Baekhyun doesn't respond to the jibe. Kyungsoo nudges him with his shoulder.
"Hey, you're not seriously upset, are you?" He doesn't get a response. "You're destined for good things Byun Baekhyun. Not great because you need to install that filter in your mouth first." He quirks his lips to a still unresponsive Baekhyun. Kyungsoo drapes an arm over his shoulder and pats the side of his face.
"What if I never amount to anything?" Baekhyun asks, resting his head between Kyungsoo's neck and shoulder. He stares at the starless city sky, a little teary eyed for reasons unknown.
"Then I'll cook breakfast for you until you do."
"You won't ditch me?"
"Never. I can't promise not to kill you, but I'm not ditching you."
"I love you squishy."
"Don't be hormonal, dumbass."

Probably because you put up with mine.

"Fun fact, owls are nocturnal creatures. I'm glad to see that you've finally accepted your heritage."
Kyungsoo looks up from the kitchen island, utterly unamused at Baekhyun who emerges from the bedroom, while rubbing his eyes.
"What do you want Baekhyun?"
"Relax, I'm here to make tea, and to talk if you want to."
For a while, there's some sort of silence as Baekhyun clinks cups and saucepans with spoons and it slows down to the monotony of the sound of boiling water.
"I don't know if I'm making the right choice."
"Hmm?"
"Dropping English after university for Culinary school…. What if I never make it? What if I'm never good enough?"
"You're joking right? You? Not good enough? Do you even eat your own food?! People would have to have dead taste buds to dislike it! Seriously!" Kyungsoo can't help but crack a smile at Baekhyun waving his arms around in exasperation. Still, his worries weigh heavily on his mind and the smile drops.
"It's a tough world out there and there's always someone better."
"Okay." Baekhyun sets a mug of tea down before Kyungsoo. "One, no one is better than my squishy. Two, even if you're not the best, you'll still be amazing. I don't see why you can't see that."
"Sometimes I forget you're the older one," Kyungsoo says before taking a sip.  Baekhyun preens.
"Yes, so you should listen to me." He received a snort in response.
"Oh please you're only a few months older and we're in the same class."
"That's only because your smart ass decided to skip a year of middle school."
"That's only because your dumb ass didn't."
Baekhyun breaks into a smile at Kyungsoo's cocky smirk.
"Besides, if you can't make it big, I'll hire you as my chef." The younger of the two rolls his eyes, but this time his smile stays on.
"Please learn to cook. Or find someone else. That Park Chanyeol guy from Economics keeps making googly eyes at you."
"Nah, he makes them at you. Everyone makes googly eyes at you."
"So everyone's in love with me," scoffs Kyungsoo, resting his chin on his palm and smirking at the other.
"Duh, but I was first okay. You're mine. At the very least you can only cook for me. Don't cook for Jongin!" Baekhyun makes a heart in his direction to which Kyungsoo drops his head into his hands.
"Go sleep dumbass."

But seriously, how does one person manage to drive me over the edge single handedly?

"Just shut up and give your ideas when they're worth something okay? The rest of us are trying to work."
There is an oppressive silence that drops over the class as Baekhyun backs away from the table where everyone was gathered for a group presentation. Kyungsoo silently fumes, instantly regretting his onslaught but too angry and pressured to apologize.
"Fine."
Kyungsoo tries to focus. But in the absence of his best friend he only hastily hands out the workload to the others before rushing out into the corridor where he finds Baekhyun sitting on a windowsill, chewing on his lower lip.
"Baekhyun…?"
"What?" It's only when he hears the unnatural sharpness in Baekhyun's voice that Kyungsoo knows he's messed up bad.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"For being an ass to you. I was mad but I shouldn't have. Your ideas matter…"
Baekhyun raises an eyebrow.
"Oh so they suddenly matter now?" Kyungsoo flinches, unable to meet eyes anymore as he feels a helpless need to throw his arms around the other and hug him until he was forgiven.
"I'm sorry," he says instead, in the smallest of voices that startles Baekhyun.
"It's okay. I know I was being an ass. You were an ass to me but I was asking for it." Kyungsoo looks up with a small grin.
"We're cool?"
"Yeah…. We're cool."
Baekhyun is surprised when Kyungsoo closes the gap between them in less than two steps, tightly wrapping his frame in a bone-crushing hug but he smiles brightly at the opposite wall and returns the hug.

Don't even get me started on the constant claims of "I'm never letting you go."

"Here, don't keep it for too long. It'll spoil." Baekhyun nods at the box in his hands. "There's loads so don't be miserly and share with Joonmyun and Yixing hyung."
"Fine!" Pouts Baekhyun. "I'll share! Meanie…" He grumbles. Kyungsoo ruffles his hair with a laugh.
"Have fun camping. Give me a call when you reach." Baekhyun gives him a thumbs up.
"Don't I get a kiss?"
"What?"
"You packed me lunch. Now don't I get a kiss before I leave?" All he gets it a light rap on his head.
"Just go dummy, and don't leave the food out in the sun."
"So eager to see me go," sniffles Baekhyun as he wears his shoes. "But don't worry! You're not getting rid of me that easily! I'm never letting you leave! I'll irritate you forever and you'll cook for me forever. Mwahahaha!" Kyungsoo pokes his cheeks.
"I'm not leaving, but you need to if you want to get to the others before they leave."
Baekhyun runs downstairs and then Kyungsoo watches as he pauses beneath their window.
"Miss me loads!!" He calls out, before blowing kisses and running off towards the waiting cab. Kyungsoo nods, laughing silently at the receding figure across the street.

You liar.

Three days later, it strikes Kyungsoo as odd when he opens the door to find a shaken Joonmyun and Yixing, instead of a wildly ecstatic Baekhyun bursting to the rim with camping tales.
"Kyungsoo-yah…"
Kyungsoo stares, wide-eyed from one to the other.
"Baekhyunnie…?" He offers timidly, but his chest contracts at the sight of their shifting gazes.
"Baekhyun…." Yixing begins with a quiver in his voice. "We lost him last morning after he went off on a walk.… we did find him… but he's been hurt bad. They think he fell off the cliff and he's lost a lot of blood. He's at the hospital now… if you want to come?"
"Oh." Kyungsoo isn't sure if it's the appropriate word for the situation but it's the only word he's capable of uttering.

You bloody liar.

Baekhyun, if not for his blue lips, would have looked like he was asleep. Kyungsoo thinks as much when his feet lead him beside the other, sidestepping the tubes and wiring that led to a dead monitor. Only it wasn't the monitor that was lifeless. Kyungsoo gingerly brushes his index finger against Baekhyun's cheek.
"When is he waking up?" He asks with a voice cracked from disuse. Yixing and Joonmyun look at each other.
"He's… he's not… Kyungsoo he lost too much blood and developed an infection. They couldn't help him…" Joonmyun gently places a hand on his shoulder.
"No, don't worry," Kyungsoo continues blankly. "Baekhyun is a heavy sleeper, but he always wakes up to wake me up for breakfast. Right, Baek? Baekhyun? Baekhyunnie?"

How dare you?

"I'm sorry sir, we're going to have to remove the body—"
"He's not a body. He's going to wake up."
"Kyungsoo…"
Outside he hears violent sobs outside. It's probably Baekhyun's parents, he realizes somewhere in the back of his mind as his fingers close around Baekhyun's cold ones.
"You'd better be up soon," he whispers. "You've got so much to tell me, haven't you?" It's strange to see Baekhyun so still. He tucks a stray strand of hair behind the other's ear and pats his cheeks. Kyungsoo somewhat knows that he should be crying too but all he feels is a dull ache in his chest as they wheel the bed away and Baekhyun's fingers slips through his own. He knows he's about to pass out from the swaying and breathlessness he's experiencing but all he can do is stare at Baekhyun being taken away before his vision turns black.

Do you know how long it's taken for me to realize that you're really and truly gone?

Kyungsoo stares at the ceiling. He hasn't been able to turn the lights out completely since Baekhyun— how long has it been? Three days? Four? He hasn't slept properly is just as long a while. He removes his phone from his night stand and opens up his chat box with Baekhyun.

Wednesday 01:23 am
Byun Baek! When are you coming home?
Thursday 12:03 am
Byun Baek! I made too much food aren't you going to eat it?
Thursday 12:34 am
I couldn't sleep last night.
Friday 04:20 am
There's a cat in the balcony. Thought you should know.
Friday 3:30 pm
Class is so boring. No one disturbs me anymore.
Friday 3:36 pm
Aren't you going to disturb me anymore?
Friday 6:45 pm
Aren't you coming for dinner? I made your favorite spaghetti.
Friday 11:08 pm
Baekhyun-ah….?

He sighs, keying in a new message.

Today 02:18 am
When are you coming back? I miss you.

The room sounds quiet at night when I hold my breath and can't hear yours. It's empty when no one wakes me up with that god-awful rendition of You Are My Sunshine. Everything around me feels so large and vacant.

Kyungsoo makes his way through the supermarket because he does remember to eat. With or without Baekhyun, the college finals will take place and with Kyungsoo in it. So he has to survive somehow. The Kyungsoo that walks down the aisles off food is a blank, zombified Kyungsoo whose mind and spirit have been beaten into numbness. His hand automatically reaches out towards the sweetened energy bars that he's so used to chiding Baekhyun for and freezes for a second before placing it in his basket.

How long before I stop expecting your stupid grin at the start of each day? How long before I stop seeing that same grin in my dreams and waking up in tears? How long before I laugh without feeling guilty? How long before people stop looking at me like I might break any second? How long before every damn thing stops reminding me of you? How long before my world stops revolving around the memories I have of you?

Kyungsoo places a rose on Baekhyun's side table and sits down on the strange bed. He unbuttons collar and stares at the ceiling. It had been a nice funeral. Baekhyun would have loved that everyone made an effort to be happy at his funeral. He would have also hated that Kyungsoo only sat there and stared at the coffin.

Your side of the room is still a mess. I haven't been able to clean it. Your pillow still smells of that disgusting strawberry shampoo. I know because I've clung onto it ever since you left.

Kyungsoo opens the drawer in Baekhyun's dresser, not expecting to find much but still looking for something that is the other's. It's unimpressive at best— scraps of paper, newspaper, pencils and pencil shavings, erasers, pens without lids— basically junk. But separated from that junk is a white polaroid, pristinely preserved towards one slide. Kyungsoo realizes it was probably taken during a party in their first year; with Kyungsoo looking done with life and Baekhyun too full of it. Their cheeks are pressed together, and Baekhyun's dazzling smile makes up for whatever Kyungsoo's small smirk lacks.

Can't you come back for a bit?

On the other side are the words "My Squishy Soo!!" and a giant pink heart that is so obnoxious— and so, so Baekhyun— that Kyungsoo can't help the harsh laugh that escapes him, only to be turned into a pained wail. He curls up on the bed, holding the picture, and Baekhyun's pillow, to his chest as the pent up sorrow of several days finally weighs down upon him. All he can do is desperately call Baekhyun's name over and over and over until he doesn't have the voice to do so anymore.

Can't you come back for a bit so I can tell you that I'm in love with you?

Do Kyungsoo.

SEASONS in the Sun: Chapter 4

The impromptu fashion show that commences before dinner is Tao's idea. Naturally he drags Sehun along with him as he models the latest fashion— hooded pajamas and checkered shorts, showing off their toned limbs as they strut down the runway (which is really the living room floor) while the other members cheer them on from the couches. As they reach the end of the walk, Tao high fives his friend before walking back and finishing with a pose.
"Such models," Cindy nods, admittedly a little impressed by the show but walks into the kitchen, to escape the foreseeable madness.

In the kitchen, Hana seems to have found her soulmate in Minseok who dices all his vegetables in exactly same dimensions. Typical perfection freaks, observes Cindy.
"Whatchu' doin'?" She asks Hana , swaying from side to side near the kitchen island. Hana waves her hands towards the scarily perfect vegetables. Chanyeol and Haru noisily stir a pot of noodles behind her. Cindy purses her lips.
"This is the point where she calls me dumb," Hana informs Minseok who looks amused.
"And here we thought Sehunnie was the only one capable of that." Cindy frowns and stalks off to the porch outside the kitchen, a little beyond which Kyungsoo roasts meat on the open barbecue, aided by Ara, the self proclaimed pork queen as they chant "bulggogi, bulggogi, bulggogi," as the meat fries. Occasionally one of them pauses to fan themselves, complaining about the heat but then their craving for pork takes over and they resume their chant.
"Sounds like a satanic ritual." 
Cindy flinches. Sehun looks at the barbecue, licking his lips.
"Oooooo cool… though they look too cute to be involved with devil worship."
"Always beware of the cute ones," Sehun laughs.
"Hmm... Isn't it too hot for them…?" Cindy wonders aloud. "Should we get them some ice…?"
"What are they supposed to do with ice…?"
"Eat it? Lower their body temperatures? Apply it to their faces?" Her eyes light up. "Or! We could just get rid of the fire!"
"Get rid of the-?! The fire is the whole point of the barbecue…."
"Oh… yeah…"
"It's done!" Ara yells, interrupting them, while shaking hands with Kyungsoo, both looking like the winners of some marathon. Sehun ditches the porch to follow the trays in to the dining room and Cindy drags her feet to the table.

With the crew having taken off to the nearby town, and the managers being busy, dinner is a riotous affair. Ara stares in wonder as Sehun expertly smacks Tao's chopsticks with his own off the meat before stuffing it into his own mouth. Jongdae helpfully piles her plate with some pork yelling at the maknaes to allow those who cooked to eat first.
"These vegetables are no joke," he announces. "Did Gordon Ramsey posses you people?"
"Please, Gordon Ramsey wishes he was as good," scoffs Minseok, winking at Hana , who winks back with a thumbs up.
"Praise the perfect noodles!" Chanyeol demands, nodding at Haru and they look around for applause which doesn't come because Baekhyun calls out the next moment.
"Hey ChenChen!" He looks up from his mobile as Suho looks at him reproachfully for using the said device at the table. "There are dating rumors about you."
"With whom?" Haru enquires, leaning over Chanyeol to get a better view of Baekhyun. Ara isn't quite sure if Chanyeol's face is horrified or happy.
"It says, 'EXO's Kim Jongdae rumored to be be dating Zhang…" he pauses for effect, and Jongdae chokes on his mouthful. Ara thumps him on the back and passes him a glass of water.
"Zhang…?!" He ekes out.
"Liyin. You didn't tell us you were dating Liyin noona!" Baekhyun laughs. Jongdae chugs down the remainder of the glass.
"What the—?! Don't just say surnames and stop you idiot!"
"I just said Zhang! We just know Zhang Yixing and Zhang Liyin  and you certainly can't be dating Yixing hyung. Do you know anymore Zhangs, huh?" Baekhyun teases, which Jongdae laughs off though Ara notes his laugh comes nervous and ragged.
"Did someone say my name…?" Yixing looks up from his phone having missed the entire exchange.
"Did no one get my 'no phones at the table' memo?" Groans an ignored Suho. Yixing notices Cindy's plate, opposite him, almost full.
"Isn't the food okay?" He asks, concern etched over his face. Cindy turns pink.
"No no! It's fine! I mean it's great, but I'm not hungry… yeah…"
"You should eat well." And to the utter amazement of the rest of SEASONS, Cindy actually finishes a meal.

This of course becomes the topic of discussion when the girls hit deck, or Ara does, exhausted from the barbecue, and the other girls huddle around over Cindy's bed.
"The food was good! You people should be grateful!" Cindy defends herself firmly. Haru shakes her head.
"Uh-uh-uh. You mean your view was good, honey." Cindy utters more futile protests.
"Tao had a good view too," mutters a sleepy Ara. "He kept staring at you, Hana."
"Maybe he was staring at Jongdae!"
"And what are the chances of that," Cindy says, poking Hana's sides.
"Don't you start," Haru remembers. "I saw you and Kyungsoo from the kitchen." Ara shrugs while firmly keeping her back turned to her friends.
"Oooo you two love-birds will have such pretty babies!" Cindy squeals, only to be smacked in the face with Hana's pillow.
"I'm going to get some water," Hana says, walking to the door. Only Ara registers it as the others take too much pleasure in teasing her.

The landing is semi-dark. Hana walks into the kitchen and pours herself a glass of water before propping herself up against the kitchen island, grinning at the memory of Minseok's chopping skills that rivaled only hers. Finally someone understood her compulsion for order.
Scratch scratch.
Hana whips around at the sudden sound in the otherwise still silence. When she turns back there is a figure blocking her vision. Hana utters a squeak.
"You scared me!" Baekhyun apologizes very noncommittally. "What are you doing here…?"
"Can't sleep… so I came to get some water…"
Scratch scratch.
"Did you hear that?" Hana says. Baekhyun frowns. The scratching grows louder. It seems to originate from the cupboard under the sink. Hana jumps off the counter and is stopped by Baekhyun's hand on her shoulder.
"What are you doing?!" He hisses.
"Trying to find that scratching sound…"
"What if it's not real…?"
"Meaning…?"
"What if it's otherworldly….?" Baekhyun whispers. Hana rolls her eyes.
"Seriously? I'm going to look." Very gingerly, she pulls the door open, only to have something large and hairy jump at her. She screams, as does Baekhyun , from behind her. The cat, because it's only a stray cat after all, jumps out of the open kitchen window. Hana , having stepped back, slips on a stray noodle, and goes down grazing her elbow on the island. Baekhyun tries to save her, but ends up falling thanks to his already shaking legs, his chest acting as a cushion for her head. The combined shrieks result in a frazzled Suho rushing into the kitchen only to stare at the two people on the floor— one looking ready to faint and the other clutching at her elbow.
______________________________________________________________

@arctictern: are we seriously going to have to wait a whole twenty four more hours before they return from Jeolla-do?! I can't take anymore of my news feed full of @purplerain's otp-fanart!

@purplerain: it's my tribute to their love! Okay!! Ignorant people -.-"

@littleprincess: I miss Cindy Unnie!!

@arctictern: I miss her too!! Let's mourn her absence together!

@littleprincess: Unnie!!! (T^T)

@arctictern: Unnie!!! (T^T)

@purplerain: RuNa!!!!!!!!!!!!! (T^T)

@arctictern: -_-

@littleprincess: -_-

@arctictern: I was kidding, Cindy Unnie is mine (^o~)

@littleprincess: NAUGHTYYYYYY!!!!!! COME BACK HERE YOU!!! IMMA REVEAL YOUR DEEP DARK SECRETS!!! And then Cindy Unnie shall be free to be with me (^w^)

@purplerain: -.- does no one here care about my OTP withdrawal....?

SEASONS in the Sun: Chapter 3

Once Baekhyun and Jongdae have been peeled off each other by the combined efforts of Sehun and Chanyeol, and Cindy's microphone has been reattached, shooting resumes with the members of both groups seated in a circle on the living room floor.
"So I'll be the MC for today," Chanyeol announces enthusiastically, clapping for himself. When no one really joins him save for a few awkward claps , Kyungsoo calls out,
"This MC is boring, can we have a change?" To which Ara, unable to control herself starts laughing into her sleeves. Chanyeol puffs his cheeks and flashes a bright grin again around the circle.
"Okay, let's get started! Who wants to go first??" He looks around at the blank faces with an energetic smile that never leaves his lips until Jongdae teases,
"Yo MC! You haven't even told us what we're doing here." Chanyeol's ears turn visibly pink.
"I was getting to that!" He protests. "Since this is our first day, let's play a game to break the ice," he wiggles his brows though no one is quite sure to what effect. "Starting with one person, we'll each pick a chit from this bowl, perform the task on it and then throw this pillow to the person we want to select to perform the next one." He looks around. "Shall we start? Who wants to go first?" There is a clamor for the MC to lead the way, which Chanyeol finds hand to say no to and ends up drawing a chit from the glass bowl.

'Dance to a randomly played track.'

"Wooh! EXO's best dancer!" Yells Kai and Sehun cracks up. Ara meets Haru's raised eyebrow and shrugs, though the sarcasm of the statement becomes visible when Chanyeol begins to dance to a dubstep track played by the PDs— a dance which disturbingly resembles the lovechild of the macarena and shuffle. As the others descend into varying stages of laughter, and Chanyeol himself looks much too excited for anyone's good, Ara has to lean back, to avoid Chanyeol's flailing limbs as they pass by her. In doing so, she finds herself touching shoulders with Kyungsoo briefly. Of course before she has time to make any sense of it, Chanyeol's mic comes flying out of his pocket and hits Haru's knee, following which a few of the EXO boys pelt him with pillows and Chanyeol himself furiously apologizes to a grimacing Haru.
"Shouldn't someone secure these mics better?" Muses Cindy.
"Too right," agrees Sehun as he throws another pillow in Chanyeol's general direction.
The cameras roll after Chanyeol has been banned from dancing and Haru's knees have been inspected. There is the beginnings of a small bruise but she doesn't have the heart to point it out after the sorry look on his face and the fact that the EXO members take almost sadistic pleasure in beating him up.
"As a concession, I'll let you go next!" Haru raises her brows at him.
"A better concession might be to pick anyone but me..?" And this is how Hana, seated beside Haru, grudgingly draws a chit.

'Sing.'

It's a fitting chit for the lead vocal and Hana picks her own teaser song to sing. Being a singer of the first order, Hana has her audience captivated as soon as the first words leave her mouth, even if it is only for thirty seconds. She finds the leader of EXO, Suho, smiling at her, swaying to her a Capella voice and looking the most encouragingly at her until she breaks off at the end, quite embarrassed by the focused attention and furious clapping. She ducks her head in a bow and raises it to meet flowers in front of her nose. Even though she knows he's only doing it for the camera, Hana feels a warmth rising to her cheeks at the action.
"So greasy mama," Tao says as he hurls his own throw pillow at Suho. Hana  disagrees mentally and takes the flowers, along with the hoots from the others.
Of course Hana chooses Haru who resigns to her fate and draws a chit.

'Describe your ideal type.'

"So… Umm… he has to be tall, because I'm tall… six feet maybe…?"
"There are three people in here that fit," Jongdae notes. Ara watches Chanyeol sit up out of the corner of her eyes.
"He should have really nice eyes."
"I have the best eyes in here," Tao declares only to be shot down by Chanyeol's pillow.
"And he should be a good dancer."
"Well we can safely disqualify one candidate," Baekhyun nods towards a deflated Chanyeol, and Tao and Sehun exchange high-fives.
"Okay we're moving on," Chanyeol says.
"Why?" Someone asks.
"Because I'm the MC." He flashes another grin, fooling no one as Haru throws her pillow towards Ara to whose utter horror, comes up the chit,

'Show us a talent other than the one you're known for.'

She stares at it while ruing whichever mortal that wrote upon the card.
"Ara's actually very good at aegyeo," Cindy reveals to the EXO boys. "She's our secret weapon if we want to get anything from our manager."
However good she may be at aegyo, Ara's glares at her friends fail miserably. She sighs.
"I'm not going to do aegyo thank you very much. But I can mimic Hermione Granger from Harry Potter..."
There are a few sighs and then Chanyeol extends his hands to ask her to proceed.
"I need someone to be Harry, please." Cries of "Do-rry Potter" ring out from the EXO members as Ara realizes she's dug her own grave. Kyungsoo awkwardly rises with her and looks expectantly. Ara clears her throat, widens her eyes, mentally slapping herself and takes in a deep breath.
"Now I'd better get back to bed" She cringes at her own high pitched voice and put on accent, but carries on. Kyungsoo's lower lip twitches and she hears a giggle that is definitely Baekhyun. "Before either of you get us killed. Or worse—" She pauses for effect before saying "expelled." with a finality in her voice which has Kyungsoo collapsing to his knees, shaking with uncontrolled laughter. Ara pretends to bow at her laughing audience before returning her seat beside Kyungsoo, unable to look him in the eye. She decides to change things upon a little, randomly throwing the pillow to Baekhyun, who blinks a little in surprise before picking up a task from the bowl.

'Aegyo.'

The confidence is evident in Baekhyun's short smirk. Ara can almost hear Kyungsoo rolling his eyes. But before anyone has an opportunity to react, he turns to Hana and holds a "v"-sign up to his eyes and says " aaing~" with exaggerated winking and cuteness. Sehun pretends to throw up and Cindy raises an eyebrow at him. Haru looks at Hana to laugh with her but notices the other caught up in her own uncontrollable giggles into her sleeve. Chanyeol demands a better aegyo demonstration or that Baekhyun get Kyungsoo to do it with him but, fortunately for the horrified vocalist, the director declares that he has enough footage and they can break for dinner.
_________________________________________________________________

EXO's OH SEHUN CAUGHT IN A LOVE TRIANGLE BETWEEN BANDMATE TAO AND SEASONS' CINDY?

@littleprincess: NOOOOO ! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! OOOOOH THAT OH SEHUH! LET ME FIND HIM! IMMA GIVE HIM A PIECE OF MY MIND! NAUGHTYYYY.... My poor Unnie caught in a scandal with such a stupid guy. (>^<)

@arctictern: for once you actually make sense.... (-_-*)

@purplerain: look at that picture though, Cindy Unnie looks annoyed, not smitten. Sheesh people, I see Oh Sehun going out with Tao, not Unnie,— anytime soon that is. Also, does anyone know where I can find shots of my OTP from today's filming? (^o^;;

@littleprincess: what do you mean by "for once" -_____-#

@arctictern: exactly what's written *mehrong*

@littleprincess: COME BACK HERE YOU! IMMA GIVE YOU A PIECE OF MY MIND FIRST! THEN THAT OH SEHUN! And then Cindy Unnie shall be free of evil beings like you *_*

@purplerain: my otp....? Guys...? Hello....? People.... -.-* why do I even bother here.

SEASONS in the Sun: Chapter 2

@arctictern uploaded album "candid shots of SEASONS members".

@arctictern: what's up with Ara Unnie? She looks scary o.o was she watching an R-rated video?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

@littleprincess: HEEEYYY!! Naughtyyyyy! Ara Unnie won't do that!! She's an innocent cinnamon roll too precious for this world! (*^*)

@purplerain: did anyone see Haru Unnie sleeping on Hana unnie's knees? (T____T) cuteness overload! OTP love *.*

•
•SEASONS SLATED TO APPEAR ON VARIETY SHOW WITH BOY GROUP EXO!

@littleprincess: what if those guys corrupt our unnies!??!!!

@arctictern: what makes you think anyone but Cindy Unnie is innocent?

@littleprincess: troo dat..... ._.

@purplerain: no but what if they get paired up?! What happens to my RuNa?!?!! T^T nooooooo my heart won't survive the damage! I must save my OTP!!! T____T
Though.... this is a good opportunity for them to get some more audience... ._. More OTP moments on camera *_* yaaas

@littleprincess: but no! Cindy Unnie is mine!

@arctictern: I called dibs last time! *mehrong*

@littleprincess: COME BACK HERE! I HAVE YOUR SCHOOL PHOTOS! IMMA LEAK THEM! I AM!!
________________________________________________________________

The filming location is in suburban Jeolla-do, with the skies looking like the beginnings of a drizzle. The air is clogged with humidity that makes Cindy crinkle her nose in distaste as she leaves the air conditioning of the car and walks up the brick road, uphill to the filming location.
"This is so dumb," she says to no one in particular.
"I agree," says a heavy voice beside her. She stops in her tracks. Clad in a white tee, and bleached jeans, Oh Sehun looks as nonchalant as he appears on television. She has to remind herself to be polite and bows to him before introducing herself. Sehun grins. 
"Don't bother with the formalities," he says. "At least one person realizes how ridiculous it is to climb mountains in this heat." Cindy huffs.
"After I took all that effort to be a good hoobae!" Sehun laughs a little but is interrupted by Tao running up the path and slinging his long arm over the former's shoulder, giving Cindy a careful study before turning back to Sehun, leaving the girl to trudge up the path by herself, having fallen far behind her team mates.
A blast of chilled air hits Cindy as she enters the large, fully furnished guest house. Most of EXO and all of SEASONS are already there. The camera crew are setting up stationary cameras in the rooms. Cindy hangs around awkwardly, looking for someone to talk to but finding Ara and Hana occupied at the kitchen island, in serious discussion with EXO's Park Chanyeol, Kim Minseok and Do Kyungsoo. Over food, no doubt, she thinks grimacing.
"Damn for some Starbucks," she groans.
"Damn for some bubble tea," Sehun enters the living room, and smirks. Cindy nods. Perhaps someone would be understanding over the whole journey.
"Have you seen the rooms Cindy?!!" Haru says as she comes downstairs. "They're so huge! And the walls are pink," she says with a knowing wink. "Ara is going to kill someone later. But come see!" She starts to drag the shorter girl away, only to dis-balance her and make her trip over the rug. Cindy feels someone steady her from behind and turns around to look into the concerned eyes of Zhang Yixing.
"Are you okay?" He asks, and perhaps for the first time since she's learned how to talk, someone manages to shut Cindy up for a good ten seconds as she stares blankly before nodding very slowly. Yixing smiles and walks off. Cindy looks quite ready to fall again. Haru nudges her lost friend before breaking into giggles badly disguised as coughs.
"Introduce yourselves to the camera," a deep voice says behind them. Haru gasps in surprise before she turns around and realizes that the speaker is really tall, with a bright grin that flashes from behind the camera at the girls. Chanyeol has taken upon himself to be the 'behind the scenes camera' jockey and interview the members of SEASONS while they wait for the real ones to be set up. Haru falters a little at the smile and Chanyeol lowers the camera a little before holding out his hand.
"Park Chanyeol," he says. "You must be Kim Haru?" Haru shakes his hand, mystified at his knowledge, but unable to release herself from the smile.
"I love your rapping!" Cindy says enthusiastically, breaking the spell. Chanyeol drops her hand and turns over to the dancer, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I'm not that good…"
"Are you kidding me?!" Cindy exclaims, now having completely woken up from her Yixing-induced reverie. "When God sent you from above he must have been like, yo this kid is going to have a killer rap voice!" She snaps her fingers towards the ceiling as if to make her point. Chanyeol laughs, a little flattered and a little embarrassed, looking over at Haru who smiles automatically.

Ara's first foray into the house had landed her in the kitchen where she stared in awe of the cutlery, but especially the polished new knives. She'd buy herself a set, she thought, picking up one of the meat cleavers to admire the inlay on the wooden handle when she heard someone upset a few bowls behind her. Ara pivoted, knife in hand, to face Do Kyungsoo standing, fortunately, a few steps away. Kyungsoo took a horrified step backwards, eyes turning wide and they stared at each other equally shocked until Kyungsoo burst into laughter and Ara let out a quiet laugh herself before replacing the knife in its holder.
"Sorry."
"Don't be, I usually admire knives too."
Now Ara finds herself seated to Kyungsoo's right, within the smelling range of his cologne as the PDs tell the gathered group that they'll be playing a round of passing the pillow to "break the ice". Ara knows the ice has mostly been broken but realizes they still have to get a good show on. But before anything begins, Cindy, in her attempt to flop down beside Ara, ends up flinging her microphone halfway across the room where it hits Baekhyun in the eye, who thinks it's Jongdae's fault and begins smacking the unaware singer with a cushion.
"This is the beginning of the end," mutters Kyungsoo beside her. Ara nods, grimacing as Jongdae is pummeled into the floor and Cindy squeals her offense. It'll be a wonder if they ever do finish shooting.
________________________________________________________________

SEASONS in the Sun: Chapter 1

NEW GIRL GROUP SLATED TO DEBUT IN JULY.

Within hours of this press release, Netizens have already dug up photographs of the members, and one by one fan sites are set up, with people declaring themselves Fan Site Masters. Armed with the latest DSLRs, and war cries of "unnie saranghae", they take grave oaths to defend their idols to the death.

NEW TEASERS OF GIRL GROUP "SEASONS" NOW ON YOUTUBE!

And the comments flood in.

@arctictern: The four seasons! Such a unique concept really. I call dibs on Cindy Unnie! (^O^) she's so cute!  I want a tea-party with her!

@littleprincess: YOU TAKE THAT BACK!! My Cindy Unnie! Cindy Unnie is the queen of unicorns and rainbows and all things that sparkle!! Didn't you see her five seconds of the teaser?! So much pink!!! (*Q*)

@arctictern: didn't you want to be Ara unnie's fan? -____-* "I want the rapper!" That's what you said!! Cindy Unnie is mine!!

@littleprincess: I WANT BOTH!!!! Gimmeeeeee TT^TT

@arctictern: NEVER!!! (>.<*)

@littleprincess: THIS IS WAAAAR!!!! (>O<*)

@arctictern: BRING IT ON!!! (>O<)¶

@littleprincess: what is that little black thing??

@arctictern: a paddle to beat you up with -.-* what is @purplerain typing for so long

@littleprincess: WHAAA-???? Naughtyyyy -_____-* yeah what is she typing?

@purplerain: GUYS!! Did you see Haru Unnie and Hana Unnie?! They're so great!! The vocals!! That two second stare into each other's eyes at the 00:45 seconds mark! The feeeeeeelllllssss!! *_* urgh! I will go down with this ship!! The oldest and the youngest!! Yesssss!! *___* I ship it! My otp! RUNa FTW!!!! (*^*)v

@arctictern: (-.-);;

@littleprincess: (^^;;)

@arctictern: Cindy Unnie is mine *blows raspberry*

@littleprincess: COME BACK HERE YOU!!!!!!!
____________________________________________________________________

"Introduce yourselves, " reads the placard in the PD's hand and the girls know it's going to show up on screen later. So they do a quick group greeting and then it's individual interviews shot against a black screen, while the three others stand by.
"Hello I'm Cindy! I'm the main vocal and I represent spring!!!!" The PDs make a note to add sparkle sounds with her hand flourishes, something that, unbeknownst to them, is going to become all the rage with the fans. "I like pink, and unicorns and rainbows and everything with sparkle in it! I hope you guys love our group! But love me most, okay? Because I'm awesome!" There is another sparkle sound as the scene glows pink and the three girls behind the monitor bite into their lips to contain themselves. "Spring is awesome! Not too hot, not too cool,the best season for dating! I love spring! You should all love spring too!" At this point the director makes "cut" motions with his hand, but Cindy shows no signs of stopping. Haru collapses to her knees, laughing. Hana and Ara give each other exasperated look. Haru gives Cindy multiple thumbs ups. "Honestly, if you can't love spring, what's the point even? I mean—"
"CUT!!" Yells the frustrated director.
"Fine!" Says Cindy sadly, dragging out the 'i'.
"Hello, I'm Lee Hana, I represent summer because I give warm hugs!" She throws her arms wide as if to engulf everyone on the other side of the camera. The other girls giggle a little. "I'm the lead vocal of the group and I play the guitar too."
"Tell us why the group is called SEASONS," reads the PD's chalkboard now.
"Umm… well I think it's because you can find a song in our coming album for every season an every mood!" She smiles widely at the camera. "Please expect a lot from us!"
"So cheesy," whispers Haru to Ara, who hides a smile.
"Hello I'm Kim Haru, and I'm Autumn, mostly because I love the fall, everything is so beautiful." She grins at the camera. "I'm the sub-vocal and maknae of the group."
"What is your favorite thing about fall?" The PD holds up.
"The trees, and being able to be around nature. The colors are the brightest, my favorite fruits come up during that season, it's like spring, but warmer. Somehow autumn reminds me of my childhood." Her eyes take on a glistening faraway look. Ara has to walk up to the camera and pat her on the shoulder after which Haru resigns to the sidelines.
"Hello, I'm Cho Ara and I'm the rapper. I also dance on occasion. I represent winter in the group, as you can tell from my blue highlights." She holds up her bangs a little, before flipping her head to restore the shape, a hairflip that would be made into countless gifs and memes in the future. "I think I'm winter because I like the cold. My hands are always cold. Or maybe it's because my heart is made of ice," she shrugs.
"Leave comments for the fans."
"I hope you guys like our music and support us. Also it's summer so drink loads of water and stay cool indoors. Thank you." She leaves a perfect 90° bow which the camera doesn't catch. The other girls roll their eyes at her formal words.
____________________________________________________________________

"Dammit I had more to say! What a dumb PD!!" Cindy whines once shooting has wrapped and the girls are in the privacy of their van. Haru has already managed to curl up with her head on Hana's knees, but not without a few camera flashes going off outside. The fans haven't reached an uncontrollable level but there are still quite a few, owing to the novelty of the group.
"Let it go," says Ara from the front seat, plugging her ears and unlocking her phone. Cindy doesn't really let go.
"Just because you're Winter doesn't mean you're Elsa! Huh!" Ara hums noncommittally at her phone, not really paying attention to the frowning girl in the backseat. The fans in front catch the wolfish grin on her face, which becomes the topic of discussions in under five seconds. Fortunately no one but their manager, who gets into the driver seat beside her, sees the video. He coughs in extreme disapproval. Ara shoots him the same smile forcing him to grit his teeth and let it go.
Though Cindy still doesn't let things go the following morning.

Last Dance

Part I

Haneul stares at the bottle in her hand. "Bottle of love", coughs Sehun beside her but she chooses to rib him and continue staring. Five minutes ago, she had been complaining of the paucity of water bottles in the canteen, the last one having been bought a while ago before her, when all of a sudden, Kim Jongdae had given her half a tap on her shoulders and handed her his sealed bottled, with a smile that was all cheekbones and crescent eyes, leaving a dumbfounded Haneul and a snickering Sehun. Yes, she stares at the bottle for a full five minute before cracking the seal and drinking from it, hands shaking a bit from her fast heartbeat. Sehun holds his tissue in front of her face. "Wipe the excess blush off before someone thinks it's real— oh wait, it is!" And he laughs at his own joke, ignoring Haneul's death glares.
The next lunch, Haneul is sure to stand in line a little early buying an extra bottle of water with the nervousness of performing one's first surgery and looking around.
"I can't watch this," mutters Sehun. "Call me if you make an idiot of yourself, I'll be there to laugh at you. Ciao." She hears him without actually listening, and spots Jongdae finally, sitting at his table with his friends, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and a girl she doesn't know. Jongdae and Baekhyun eat, each occasionally cracking up with laughter at what the other says. Kyungsoo sits calmly riffling through a notebook as does the girl opposite him, though their half is less full of food and more filled with files a and sheets of paper.
"—should have seen his face! You owe me an ice cream for winning," Jongdae says to Baekhyun as Haneul clears her throat carefully behind Jongdae. Baekhyun is the first to look at her, raising his eyebrows at her before Jongdae takes notice and turns around. "Yes?" He asks and for one horrible moment Haneul wonders if he's forgotten her.
"Y-your bottle, sunbae. Thank you." Jongdae blinks, and then throws her another blinding grin.
"Thanks, you didn't have to though," he accepts the bottle, raising her heartbeat when his fingers graze hers. The girl beside Jongdae raises her head, with a sigh and a pout and Jongdae wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Don't make that face here, some people will have a heart attack." Baekhyun cracks up while Kyungsoo shakes his head, muttering under his breath. Haneul suddenly feels a weight settle in the pit of her stomach as she watches Jongdae poke her cheeks causing the girl to break out into a bigger pout.
"I should get going, you guys look busy..." she finds herself saying. The girl looks up surprised, almost as if she only just realizes Haneul's presence.
"Kinda," she says, detaching herself from Jongdae. "We're going over bills for Saturday's fundraiser for the drama club." Haneul nods, not really sympathetic. "Hey, you should come if you're free." She smiles brightly at Haneul who returns it with a non-committal hum. 
"You should," Jongdae adds. "We'll all be there." Haneul almost chokes on air as her brain runs loud sirens and "indirect date alert!!!" chimes through her head.
"Bring your friends," Kyungsoo says, looking at her for the first time, his eyes as intense as they're rumored to be. The girl clicks her tongue and laughs.
"Stop trying to make money!"
"It's a fundraiser for a reason," he smiles at her lazily. Baekhyun rolls his eyes for some reason that eludes Haneul.
"So?" Jongdae asks again. Haneul nods automatically, earning another cheekbones-enhanced smile. If only the lab rats were given this kind of positive reinforcement, she thinks, they'd work so much better. "Great! See you Saturday evening."
As Haneul walks away, she hears the girl and Baekhyun laughing, and Jongdae's loud "yah!!", turning around to notice Jongdae put her in a half-hug and half-headlock and cover her mouth.

"He has a girlfriend," wails Haneul that night as she talks on conference with Sehun and Jongin, who hasn't been to college with his fever.
"Really," sniffles Jongin, "I think he's single."
"He wouldn't have asked you if he had one," says Sehun while crunching what sounds like crisps.
"He was being civil, something you need to learn," mutters Haneul.
"I'm sorry what was that? Dude you should have seen her today, shaking like a leaf while trying to give him a freaking bottle. God forbid he kisses her."
"We'll keep medics on a standby," laughs Jongin, over Haneul's loud protests.
"He isn't kissing me!! He's probably cuddling with his girlfriend!"
"Okay," starts Jongin with what begins as a sigh and ends up as a sneeze. "Sorry, anyway, who is this girl?"
"I don't know her name..." admits Haneul. "I think she's on the drama club board...? Short bob.... pouts a stupid lot..."
"Cho Ara," drawls Sehun. "If she looks like she should still be in middle school, then it's Cho Ara." Jongin laughs amidst his sneezes and wheezing coughs.
"There's no way she'd date Kim Jongdae," he says.
"But but but!! He was cuddling!!!"
"You're exaggerating," states Sehun and she can see he accusing eyes in her mind.
"No!!! Okay a little... but they looked close!"
"Does that mean Sehun and I should be dating?"
"No! I mean if you guys want it that way then..."
"EWWW! Gross!"
"That was a poor example on my part... sorry dude. You're already taken by that TA... what's his name.... Luhan?"
Sehun chokes on a chip and for ten seconds Haneul hears dying wheezes before hearing Sehun's loud swears.
"Shut up," he says finally.
"Best comeback of the century," says Jongin dryly. Haneul sighs.
"Can we get back to my crisis?"
"Just go," says Jongin.
"Sehun come with me...?"
"Can't. Got plans," Sehun goes back to his crisp eating.
"Plans?"
"Plans," and he refuses to say another word, in spite of Jongin's threats to disown him and turn over his "S♥L" doodles to Luhan.
"Forget it, I'm not going then...." Haneul sighs for the umpteenth time that night, rolling over on her back, and staring at the ceiling, seeing a smile and kind eyes in her mind while her best friends continue to bicker.

Even though she's all alone, Haneul finds herself at the gates of her college, rubbing her arms for warmth, while debating on entering them. Maybe coming alone was a bad idea, she starts to think as she sees other couples and friends walking in together.
"Haneul...?" She spins around, knowing fully well who the owner of the voice is. "I knew it was you," Jongdae grins and then pulls off his jacket and wraps it over her shoulders. Haneul blushes a deep maroon as he steps into her space, and all she can see are his arms over her shoulders and smell the faint cologne. He steps back just as soon and she sends her thank you to the ground.
"Going in?" He asks. She nods. She has his jacket after all. Though it would be a lie if she tells anyone that's the only reason.
Jongdae leads her through the half open gates, placing a hand between her shoulders for a moment to direct her.
"Girlfriend, girlfriend, a goddamn annoying girlfriend...." Haneul chants in her mind, demanding her mental processes not shut down because of the touch.
"Ara!!" She hears Jongdae yell, and a short distance away the bob haired girl waves at him, running over. Haneul uses all the curses she's picked up from Sehun in her mind.
"Haneul-ssi, right? I'm glad you came!" She flashes Haneul a big smile which Haneul barely returns, stewing away in anger silently. "Your friends?"
"Had plans."
"Oh. Shame... Don't run into Kyungsoo, he'll demand you drag them back here," she laughs, then pauses, eyeing Jongdae and the jacket on Haneul's shoulders.
'That's right, be jealous,' Haneul mentally high fives herself. But Ara doesn't say a word about it.
"Well I'd take you around but I'm busy, so will you take her? You know where everything is." She looks at Jongdae who nods, while Haneul's stomach does flips. "Okay! See you then."
'Yes! Take me sunbae!!!' She thinks, just about ready to perform somersaults of happiness. Jongdae walks ahead with Haneul for a bit, before pausing and telling Haneul to wait a moment. He runs back to Ara, and says something that Haneul doesn't catch but she sees the happy grin on Ara's face and the tongue sticking out as Jongdae runs back to her. There is a little green monster boiling inside Haneul as she watches the exchange, but it's gone the second Jongdae runs over to her, smiling, and asks if she's ready to go.
Haneul has always guessed that Jongdae was the skinship types having seen him with his friends — and HER— but she doesn't foresee the naturalness with which it comes to him. It hasn't been over twenty minutes with Jongdae and he's put his hand on her shoulder or arm at least fifteen times— not that she's been counting, but yes fifteen times and each of those times her ears turn red hot, and her chest thumps so hard she might pass out until she can't take it anymore.
"Hey! They've finally opened the scary house again! Finally," claps an excited Jongdae as he grabs Haneul's hand and drags her over to the entrance lines. "I have to see who they nabbed for it!"
"Sunbae!" Haneul exclaims as she feels herself jerked forward. Jongdae halts abruptly, and Haneul stops short of crashing into his back. "Don't — don't you want to go there with your girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?" Jongdae looks genuinely surprised.
"Cho... Ara....?"
Jongdae's eyes grow dangerously wide as he jumps to cover Haneul's mouth with his hand, looking wildly over his shoulders.
"Girlfriend —!??! Don't say things like that in public!!"
In spite of the proximity, Haneul has to mentally roll her eyes as a voice in her head, that sounds strangely like Sehun, says,
'Are you going to deny it then? It's only just about obvious from the moon.'
"Don't. Say. Things like that!!!" Jongdae steps away and Haneul breathes again. "Kyungsoo would have me guillotined, minced and then fed to the pigeons!"
"Wait what?" Haneul frowns. "Ara is dating Kyungsoo sunbae?"
"Dating....?" Jongdae taps his chin. "Not dating but they're.... something... definitely something, though I doubt they know what that is themselves. In any case, don't say sacrilegious things like that where Kyungsoo can hear!" Haneul just stands there blinking at him, processing the information. "Uhh... Haneul...?"
"So you're not dating her?" Jongdae shakes his head with a laugh.
"No way. Do you want me to?"
"No!" Haneul exclaims a beat too fast and Jongdae raises an eyebrow. "I— I mean you should do what you want," she stares at the floor again.
"Well I really want to go to that haunted house, more like room, so shall we?"

Haneul happily skips behind Jongdae to the entrance of the second floor classrooms. The boys at the door let him, the vice-president, pass without waiting. It's only once the door shuts behind her and she's left in near-darkness that she remembers— she hates scary houses. Sh hates the darkness and the random people who dash out and grab you.
"Let's go!" Says Jongdae next to her, a little too gleefully, causing her to jump. She takes cautious steps behind him, shooting glances over her shoulders every minute.
The entire classroom is divided into islands of fallen furniture, draped with white cloth, bathed in a dim green glow that comes from the covered lights in distant corners, while there is a constant soft white noise in the background accompanied by a loud, steady, periodical dripping sound. Drip. Haneul thinks some of the furniture is shifting. Drip. The noise is definitely unnerving. Drip.
"This is neat, right?" Jongdae whispers beside her, and she manages to transform a squeak into a cough, and swift nod. "The concept designs were Ara and Kyungsoo's master plan for the raiser. They pulled it off." That girl, Haneul could not be feeling any less kindly towards her. Jongdae's whisper gives her goosebumps now, and not the good kind. She almost forgets that they're supposed to be looking for hidden chocolate amongst the furniture. Jongdae on the other hand seems to be enjoying himself to boot. Haneul looks over at the door, wondering if it would be wise to escape that way.
Suddenly, her vision is blocked by a hand dangling something before her eyes. Haneul screams loudly, wildly beating the arm with her own until she hears Jongdae's calm voice and feels his arms around her shoulders.
"Haneul, Haneul-ah, I'm sorry, it's me. It's me. It's okay." Haneul stops mid shriek, frozen from Jongdae's backhug and gentle side to side rocking. "Are you okay?" She nods in jerks. Jongdae exhales audibly. "I'm sorry," he says again, and then slowly steps back. Haneul lets out a breath, afraid to turn to him. Jongdae walks before her instead, face etched with worry and concern. "I didn't realize you were that scared.... I'm sorry.... I found chocolate," he says with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. Even in the dim light, Jongdae's smile seems just as warm and comforting. Haneul shakes her head.
"It's okay sunbae, I was surprised..."
"No it's not, I'm being selfish. Never mind, I'll come back with Baekhyun and watch him scream and destroy everything," he laughs. "Come on, let's get out." He steers Haneul with a hand between her shoulders, like he has done a countless number of times (Haneul has counted though), allowing her to walk a little ahead. This time though, he doesn't remove the hand. Even though her heart rate is dangerously high, Haneul feels a little better knowing he is right behind her.
The "haunted rooms" are built over two of the language classrooms which are connected to one another. The dripping sound really unnerves Haneul as she reaches the connecting door. Just as she is about to open the door, someone lunges at her from beneath the draped furniture. Haneul utters a pronounced shriek, saved from falling backwards only by Jongdae's arm around her shoulders, as the lumbering giant looms over her with a deep, "where is my bride."
"Yeol?" Jongdae asks. "What the hell are you supposed to be?"
"Jongdae?" The giant blinks. "I thought it might be you. Frankenstein's monster," he grins drawing himself to his full height.
"Cool, this is Haneul. Haneul, this is my friend Chanyeol." Haneul manages a weak smile and Chanyeol shakes her hand vigorously, flashing his teeth at her behind his grey-painted lips. Had it not been for Jongdae she probably would have hit Chanyeol with the nearest object. "We're trying to leave as soon as possible..." Jongdae says discreetly. Chanyeol frowns in confusion and ventures,
"Should I tell the guys....?" Jongdae nods. Chanyeol opens the door and bellows, making Haneul flinch at his deep baritone.
"GUYS STAND DOWN, JUST JONGDAE PASSING THROUGH, OKAY? HEAR ME?"
For a few seconds there's just the dripping sound and then a few voices muttering variations of 'yes' and 'okay' float in. Haneul peers into the other room, unable to see anything in the pitch darkness,just hearing the swishing of curtains.
"See you around Haneul," waves Chanyeol disappearing beneath the furniture again. Haneul gulps, receiving a gentle push forward from Jongdae. The second room is much too dark for her to brave through. Jongdae fishes out his phone and turns on its flashlight. In a very casual motion, he slips his hands into Haneul's and pulls her along into the darkness.
Haneul doesn't have time to be afraid anymore. She can't get over the feeling of Jongdae's hands in hers and the constant chatter of his voice as he tells her how Baekhyun destroyed the haunted house that they had been to once before and how Ara and Kyungsoo had kept this one a secret from him so he would be scared again. The light that hits her eyes when they open the door is a little too bright but so is Jongdae's smile.
"Here," he says handing her the chocolate he'd found earlier. "For suffering through that." Haneul blushes, ducking her head and muttering thanks. "Oh! I heard they managed to get a cotton candy guy! My treat." Haneul can't possibly say no.
While Haneul turns her lips pink with cotton candy, Jongdae tells her to wait while he talks to a few of his friends— he seems to be friends with everyone. She walks along the rows of food stalls and spots a sign that says "MISTER ZHANG— great fortunes at affordable prices!" and the post graduate student Zhang Yixing smiling serenely at everyone who passes by next to it.
"Yixing sunbae?" Haneul can't believe her eyes, as she sees the otherwise prim and propere Yixing, sitting cross legged on a stool with a scarf fashioned into a turban over his head. "What are you doing....?" Yixing points to the sign and then to the cardboard money box, with a crystal ball drawn on it. Haneul decides to humor him, dropping the amount into the box and crossing her arms before her skeptically.
"You're in love," he says, peering closely at her face. "And you're wondering if he likes you too." Haneul chokes on air, staring wide eyed at him.
"How'd you—?!"
"I'll tell you what he feels, but for a small amount," the smile he shoots at her is so innocent that Haneul finds herself paying again and looking expectantly at him. "Yes.... he does, he's probably liked you for a long time, whoever he is..."
"And how do you know that?"
"I have the gift," beams Yixing. Haneul resists the urge to hit herself on the head. She thanks him and decides to look for Jongdae again. "And oh," Yixing calls out after her. "I've heard that the last dance is a good place to tell him what you feel," he send her one more dimpled smile.
"Last dance...?" Wonders Haneul. "What last dance....?" But some other girls crowd before Yixing squealing at him while he just points to the money box. Mystified by it all Haneul turns to look for Jongdae but realizes that he isn't talking by the benches anymore, in fact she can't see him at all.
Haneul looks around carefully trying to spot the familiar mop messy brown hair but fails to. She wonders if he's found someone else he'd rather spend time with or if he he's got a date, after all he was only supposed to be showing her around...
"There you are!" Jongdae stops to catch a breath, holding out two slips of paper. "I had to go get these from Ara."
"What...?"
"They organized a bonfire dance in the soccer field. Tickets.... that is only if you want to come..." Haneul gasps silently at the message Yixing had given her an takes the small slips from Jongdae.
"I'd be happy to," she says, smiling shyly at her feet. Jongdae grins at her, seamlessly fitting his hands into her and pulling her along the cark park.
The students at the entrance take their tickets and let them through and Haneul watches in fascination as the groundskeepers make preparation for the bonfire, dousing the logs with oil and slowly starting the fire. The fore crackles ablaze and the  waiting students cheer. Jongdae smiles at her softly.
"Thanks for spending time with me," he says, staring at the burning logs, as the music starts and people slowly drag each other off to dance. Haneul shakes her head rapidly.
"It was nothing sunbae, in fact I'm grateful that you showed me around."
"Haneul-ah... you're cute, you know that?" Haneul snaps her head towards him, unable to speak.
"Wh-what??!" Jongdae laughs, and momentarily dormant butterflies rise again in her stomach. She reckons the warmth around her collar is not from the fire.
"Yes you are, and I've been waiting ages to say that," he admits. Haneul blinks. "Wanna dance?" He asks, not really giving her time to answer, as he pulls her along and places an arm around her waist, holding her hand in the other. Haneul has difficulty in thinking as Jongdae smiles down at her, making her stomach flip several times over. As they gently sway to the music, Haneul opens her mouth to reply to his earlier comment,
"I..." And as Yixing's words replay in her head, she blurts out, "I like you sunbae!" For a moment Jongdae freezes in his spot, staring down at her, mouth formed into an 'o'.
"You...?" He gulps. "Umm... It's not too late, let's go get something to eat?" Jongdae rubs the back of his neck, his ears turning red. Haneul resorts to nodding to the ground and Jongdae's fingers slip in through hers and he leads her through the crowd of people in the field. Haneul spots Kyungsoo and Ara sitting in the bleechers, laughing about something, wondering if this was what Kyungsoo was like with people he knew, less of the assassin types and more of the huggable type? Ara catches her eye and gives her a quick wave. For the first time, Haneul beams at her.
Jongdae doesn't leave her hand till they get to the café, down the road from college— not that she could complain. Dinner, apart from being a club sandwich and hot chocolate, is full of shy looks and blushes when their hands accidentally touch. Haneul can barely get the food past her throat while she and Jongdae talk about their own friends, blushing when they meet eyes. She nods happily when he offers to drop her home.
Haneul doesn't want to let go of his hands when she arrives at her front door. Neither does Jongdae seem to want to as he stalls, asking her about her classes on Monday and if he could meet her during lunch. When the conversation finally dies out to awkward feet shuffling and quick glances, Jongin clears his throat.
"So umm... I guess I'll see you around on Monday?" Haneul nods. "Okay then.... night..." He unclasps his hand around hers and steps away, only to step back in and press his lips on her cheeks. A breath hitches in Haneul's throat as she feels the soft peck and she turns a deep red under the porch light.
"I like you a lot too," Jongdae flashes her a cheeky grin before running down the driveway and waving to her once more.
It takes a while of standing and staring into space for Haneul to resume normal mental functions. As she whips out her phone, and speed dials Sehun, she wonders, does Zhan Yixing really have the gift?
•

Part II

The fundraiser is Kyungsoo's idea, propelled mostly by Ara's constant complaints of the lack of money for the new production of The Phantom of the Opera which their director Yixing refuses to begin with unless the funds are there. So on a Sunday afternoon she is interrupted in her favorite bookstore by none other than President Do, who looms over her table, arms crossed and face serious.
"Let's have a fundraiser," he says without any prolog.  Ara has to shut her book and think carefully before she knows what he's talking about. "Next week," he says with a note of finality. Ara raises an eybrow up at him.
"Next week.... Next week? We don't even have plans!" She sighs. Kyungsoo shrugs.
"What are you wasting time for then? Let's go." Ara groans in protest, lifting her things from the table and paying for her book, before catching up to Kyungsoo on the streets.
"You ruined my Sunday reading, you know?" She pouts. Kyungsoo drapes an arm over her shoulders.
"You asked for it."
Ara's house is empty when they arrive, her mother having gone out to her sister's. Kyungsoo steps into the kitchen and puts a kettle to boil as Ara races upstairs to put her book into place.
"So? What are we doing?" Ara asks, propping herself up on a counter as Kyungsoo rummages around for cups.
"The usual? Food, games and the lot..."
"Well there needs to be more, something special," Ara hands him the teabags with Earl Gray, something she saves only for the two of them.
"That's your job," Kyungsoo produces the cups and grins at her. Ara drops the tea bags in and smacks him lightly on the shoulders.
"Fine... how about a haunted house...? More like haunted rooms? We could use the language rooms, they're a little isolated." Kyungsoo purses his lips.
"Okay, we could work on that one."
Once they're settled down on the floor with their tea and notebooks, it takes little before both Kyungsoo and Ara get bored of setting budgets and estimating turnouts and decide to tune into Anime.
"Let's have a bonfire dance," Ara says, putting her head on the couch beside Kyungsoo's shoulders.
"Hmm?"
"You know, like a bonfire in the soccer field and then people dancing around it."
"People would pay for something as stupid as that?" Ara pouts again at Kyungsoo.
"Please. We'd get Baekhyun to DJ and it'd be so romantic!" Kyungsoo looks over at her wide eyes and bottom lip jutting out, and sighs.
"Fine. If it doesn't work, it's on you, okay?"
"Yay," Ara says, followed by a yawn. "It'll be nice, we should play Cannon D and Für Elise and..." Her words become drawled and her eyes close slowly.
Kyungsoo suddenly registers the silence as he turns to find his Treasurer breathing softly with her head on the couch. He tucks a loose strand of her hair behind her ears and puts away the dishes.
Ara wakes up on her bed, tucked into her quilt and walks downstairs rubbing her eyes. She finds her mother making dinner in her kitchen where she is greeted by a smile and a, "sleep well?" Ara nods, eyes trailing over to the couch. With a jolt she remembers. Hadn't she fallen asleep over there watching TV...?
"Umma did you..." She begins and then realizes how stupid she sounds. Her mother would never carry her upstairs, she'd just wake her and send her to bed. That would mean... her stomach feels strange as she gulps unconsciously.
"Did I what?" Her mother asks.
"Did you umm... wash the cups we had tea in?"
"Me? No, Kyungsoo did that I think, bless him." Her mother turns back to stirring her gravy. "Whoever gets him as a son-in-law would be very happy."
"Yeah, yeah umma," she snaps, waving her hands and ducking her head. She stares at the stairs on leaving the kitchen. What on earth had possessed him to...? She doesn't know but her ears feel hot thinking about it.

Most of Monday and Tuesday is spent in planning locations and budgets with Jongdae, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo in the auditorium. There isn't time for much else. Even when they're home, the four are on conference drawing up list after list. On Wednesday, Ara doesn't see Kyungsoo when she walks into class. When he doesn't appear by lunchtime she becomes pronouncedly low, barely listening to Baekhyun who says something about the Dean during lunch. By the last period Ara has taken to looking up the door every time someone walks in. By the time she's home, she's ready to snap at anyone who talks to her.
"Did you have a fight with Kyungsoo?" Her mother asks over lunch.
"No! Why would you think that?! It's not like my entire existence is dependent upon his! Who cares if he's there or not! Not me," she leaves her finished plate in the sink and stomps off to her room, to the utter bewilderment of her mother.
Having met Kyungsoo in seventh grade and having bonded over spaghetti in home economics class, Ara has seen several days where Kyungsoo doesn't show up or she doesn't. It mystifies her that she should feel so irritated by his absence and by dinner time she convinces that she has been a little on the hormonal side all day and that she would just see Kyungsoo the next morning.
That front of course crumbles when Kyungsoo calls her as she's preparing to sleep and she jumps over to her bed to grab her charging cell.
"Hello?"
"Hey," Kyungsoo's voice, husky with tiredness, rings in her ear. A lot of thoughts shoot through Ara's mind, the primary being, 'I missed you,' but she foregoes sounding stupid and instead says,
"Where'd you vanish to all day?"
"At the Dean's, got him to approve everything and then we went to get people for cotton candy and popcorn. Didn't Baekhyun tell you?" Ara stares at her curtains. Was that what Baekhyun had been talking about?
"Oh, I wasn't paying attention."
"Yeah, Jongdae was with me, in case you were wondering." Jongdae had been gone too? She really hadn't noticed...
"Well, I was busy drawing plans for the haunted house..." Ara twists the bedsheets with her fingers into knots.
"Liar." She starts, almost able to hear a smirk in his voice. "You've got that weird voice on. What've you been up to?"
"What weird voice? I've been up to nothing!" Ara shrugs at her wall.
"The voice you have when you lie and I'll bet you just shrugged when you denied it." Ara sits up, staring wide eyed at the receiver, then glaring at it. "And now you're glaring at the cell."
"Kyungsoo!" Kyungsoo's sleep heavy laugh fills her ears. Both of them settle into silence as Ara chews on her lips, not really wanting to end the call.
"Let's go eat at Emilio's on Sunday, after all this is over. I'd ask Jongdae and Baek but they don't like Italian." Ara nods at the ceiling.
"Yeah, we haven't hung out in ages... we could go out with them after college on Monday?" She asks because she feels a little guilty.
"Hmm," and then she hears Kyungsoo yawn. Even though she hates to, she says,
"Go sleep Kyung..." Another stifled yawn later, she hears the rustle of sheets.
"Yeah, I should... see you tomorrow, then?"
"Yup, goodnight Kyungsoo."
"Good night Drama Queen."
"Kyung!" Ara hears his soft laugh as the line disconnects. She sits in bed with the phone still in her hand, slowly smiling at it. The smile lasts as she draws her covers around her and settles into bed. Her phone pings.

@do_Kyung: be early tomorrow. I know you haven't made plans, so we'll do that. Don't stay up reading!

The smile doesn't erase itself as she types back a "yes boss" and snuggles into her duvet. In fact, it almost hurts her cheeks now.

Next morning Ara spots Kyungsoo waiting on stage for her. He jumps down as he sees her and Ara takes the opportunity to give him a quick hug before breaking apart, heart beating erratically. There's no need for it to, she hugs Kyungsoo all the time, but defying all logic, it does.
"Are you even listening to me?" Kyungsoo waves his hands in front of her face. Ara jerks out of her though, ignoring her racing heart and puts on ,what she hopes is, an impassive face.
"Yes, your president-ness, should we start?"
There's a lot of drawing, and labeling and cursing involved as Ara and Kyungsoo plan out the two horror rooms, the would-be star attraction of the raiser.
"So finally, Chanyeol will be in this room, as Frankenstein's monster, jumping out at anyone who wants to leave. We'll put one of the mannequins from the props department as a dismembered body under one of the sheets. Minseok oppa will chase people down this line, in the second room. Kris ge and Tao will jump out at people before they exit. Also, Amber and Victoria jie will throw rubber snakes at people from here. Got it?" Kyungsoo peers over her shoulders and Ara gulps, feeling his hair brush against her cheeks. "A- and we'll play white noise and a constant dripping sound."
"What about lights? Filtered green for the first and pitch black for the second?" Ara nods, focusing solely on the sketch before her. "Great then, we'll build it after college tomorrow." Kyungsoo draws back and Ara turns to face his heart smile, the funny feeling in her stomach awakening again. She returns it with one of her own. They don't stop smiling at each other until the doors slam open and Baekhyun marches in with a,
"Yo peeps!" Jongdae follows shortly shaking his head at his best friend. Ara waves at both from the stage. In the little while that is left before class, the four trade notes and plans and Ara assigns Baekhyun, club Secretary, the job of informing everyone of their duties. Jongdae barely pays attention to anything for reasons that don't become clear until lunch.
At lunch, Ara is the last to join the table of three, finding Kyungsoo pouring over notes, while Baekhyun ruthlessly decimates Jongdae.
"Ara, grab a seat," he says. "Tell him he's hopelessly in love!" Jongdae's ears turn a furious red as he protests amidst a mouthful of food. "He's been staring at Kim Haneul ever since she walked in."
"I have not!!" He protests, stuffing his mouth with salad.
"He has," Kyungsoo says, without lifting his eyes from his notes. Ara stifles a giggle.
"She's cute," she says to Jongdae.
"You should have seen him yesterday! Shaking like a massage chair while handing her a bottle. So embarrassing!"
Once Haneul moves out of his line of sight, Jongdae glares at his friends.
"Can we please change topics? By the way Byun Baek, I won the bet."
"What bet?" Ara hears Baekhyun say as she returns to her bills and counterfoil arranging. She zones out of the conversation as the numbers add up and she begins worrying about the turnouts from each stall. Worse still, if the two main attractions didn't work out, they'd be at a huge loss considering that they were the most expensive ones. Ara sighs and looks up with a pout. Jongdae wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Don't make that face here, some people will have a heart attack." Baekhyun cracks up while Kyungsoo shakes his head, muttering under his breath. Ara looks at him and sighs mentally again. Jongdae takes the opportunity to poke her cheeks meaningfully.
"I should get going, you guys look busy..."
Ara looks up surprised. She hasn't realized when Kim Haneul has joined them at the table, standing nervously behind Jongdae, who looks surprisingly calm.
"Kinda," she says, detaching herself from Jongdae. "We're going over bills for Saturday's fundraiser for the drama club." Haneul nods. Then, on an impulse Ara says, "hey, you should come if you're free." She smiles brightly at Haneul, hoping she'd agree for Jongdae's sake.
"You should," Jongdae adds. Ara grins mentally at his excitement. "We'll all be there." He almost reminds her of a puppy now.
"Bring your friends," Kyungsoo says, looking up for the first time. Ara clicks her tongue and laughs at him for being so Kyungsoo amidst the blossoming love.
"Stop trying to make money!" She kicks him under the table.
"It's a fundraiser for a reason," he smiles at her lazily, nudging her foot back. Baekhyun rolls his eyes at them.
"So?" Jongdae asks again. When Haneul nods, Ara can see the honest smile that Jongdae flashes at her. It seems so much brighter.  "Great! See you Saturday evening."
As Haneul walks away, Ara whispers,
"Jongdae and Haneul sitting on a tree~ K—" Jongdae doesn't give her chance to say any more as he pulls her into a half-hug, half-headlock and cover her mouth with a,
"Yah!!" While Baekhyun laughs. "So juvenile," he says, letting her go. Kyungsoo clears his stuff off the table, and as he passes by Jongdae, he finishes the song.
".....I-S-S-I-N-G," with a devilish grin and Ara hears him hum the rest of the song as he walks away leaving a fuming and pink Jongdae.

On Friday, the day before the fundraiser, Ara spends most of the morning tallying her expenditure list with the other three lists, while listen to Jongdae freak out over his not-really-a-date-but-I-wish-it-was date with Haneul.
"What if I say something stupid?! What I say something funny but she doesn't get it and thinks I'm dumb?! What if I look funny?! What if—"
So when Kyungsoo walks into the auditorium after his classes, Ara waves at him energetically from the stage, yelling,
"My savior!! Get me away from this moping troll!" Kyungsoo laughs a little, walking on stage and sitting down next to Jongdae. "He's having a panic attack," Ara jerks her head towards Jongdae. "Tell him he's not stupid and that she'll like him anyway." Kyungsoo raises his brows at Jongdae.
"Seriously?" Jongdae lowers his head like a kicked pup.
"She might hate it..." He whines in a small voice. Kyungsoo thumps his back hard a few times.
"Idiot, if she doesn't like you she'll be the stupid one." Jongdae grumbles a bit more and Kyungsoo smacks him sharply on the back of his head. "Get to work," he says gruffly, and then smiles at Jongdae, "I think she already likes you, so stop worrying." Ara nods in confirmation.
"Really?" Two simultaneous nods. "Thanks... I'll go help Baek, see you guys around." Jongdae dusts his jeans and Ara sees the small smile playing on his lips as he walks away, reminded of her own smile a few nights back.
"How do you know...?" She whispers in wonder to herself.
"What?" Kyungsoo looks at her, getting up himself. She shakes her head, taking his proffered hand and pulls herself up.
"Nothing," she smiles, hooking her arm through his as they walk off the stage.
The first language class room doesn't need much decoration, so Ara and Kyungsoo deal with it alone, leaving the other one, with the maze to Chanyeol, Minseok, Kris and Tao. It takes about half an hour to create little piles of furniture, stuffing a dismembered mannequin under one of them with an arm sticking out, and then draping them with white sheets taken from the infirmary. Chanyeol's hideout takes a while longer, considering the fact that they need to make it comfortable for him.
"How should we do the light?" Ara asks as they finally add a drape over Chanyeol's spot. Kyungsoo purses his lips and looks up at the lights.
"I've got green nightlights.... If we used them, maybe about three, we'd get just enough light?" Kyungsoo plugs in one of the lights to the switchboard, and then climbs up on a chair to replace one of the CFLs. Ara does the same to one near the door, except she doesn't realize that her chair is a little rickety until she's done and ready to climb down.
"Ara, you done?" Kyungsoo calls, jumping nimbly off his own chair. Ara lifts a foot and the chair moves so violently that she freezes.
"Uhh... Kyung?"
"What? What?" Within moments Kyungsoo comes running from the other end of the classroom, eyes wide and worried.
"This chair is a bit wonky..." Ara grins guiltily. Kyungsoo lets out an exasperated sigh and hits her lightly on the knee.
"You idiot! I though you got hurt or electrocuted... Wonky! I have half a mind to leave you up there," he says, making a move to walk away. Ara screws her eyes shut as she tries to remain unmoving on the chair.
"Kyu~ng! Please!!" Kyungsoo looks up at her with fake-bored eyes. Ara musters the best helpless-puppy look that she can, using all her acting experience to make her eyes watery and big. Kyungsoo breaks into a smirk and rolls his eyes.
"Alright cool it drama queen." He stands in front of her chair, placing his hands on her waist. That weird feeling rises in her stomach again. Was this the metaphorical butterflies? She places her hands on his shoulders gingerly banishing all thoughts of butterflies from her mind. "Ready? One, two..." The chair wobbles violently as Ara steps off it, but she's already safe in Kyungsoo's hold, as he gently lets her down on the floor. Ara swallows a little and smiles nervously at him. Kyungsoo frowns down at her, not yet letting her loose.
"Who asked you to climb a broken chair?"
"I didn't notice..." She mumbles, embarrassed for more reasons than one. Kyungsoo shakes his head.
"I forbid you from climbing chair ever again."
"Yes your president-ness, now can we go take a look at the others?" Ara let's out a tiny breath as Kyungsoo relinquishes his hold and walks towards the door. Her chest thuds as she watches his back and she chooses to ignore it, following after him.
The next room seems almost finished with large sheets partitioning the room into a maze of sorts with enough place for the club members to hide and jump out at people. Kyungsoo grins deviously as Tao shows him how they'd grab ankles as people pass by.
"We should bring Baekhyun here as the last person. He might leave destruction in his screaming wake, but it'll be worth it," and Ara can't help but exchange a laughing high-five with him.
As the last bits of sunlight fade out, Kyungsoo reminds Ara that they still have to see if their ambient light works. It does. Bathing everything white with a depressingly green glow, the night lights work beautifully in giving just enough light so one could see vague shapes without seeing everything.
"This will be mildly disturbing with the background music, don't you think....?"
"Either that or we'll have ripped people off, but in any case we'll make money." Kyungsoo's heart-shaped grin looks slightly creepy in the green glow. Then again it's also probably his dark eyes which seem to be glowing faint green. It probably wouldn't be wrong to say she forgets herself and blatantly stares at his side-profile.
"Guys," comes a deep whisper behind them. Ara squeaks and latches onto Kyungsoo's arm while Kyungsoo utters a low yelp and latches onto hers. Park Chanyeol gives them a guilty smile.
"What the hell Yeol?!" Ara hisses at the giant, whose flashing teeth look ghastly in the dim light. Kyungsoo glares at him, still keeping an arm on Ara's shoulder. Chanyeol rubs the back of his head.
"Sorry... Just wanted to tell you guys that we're ready to head out." Ara just about strangles him, but she doesn't really mind the excuse to be this close to Kyungsoo.
While walking home, Kyungsoo notices Ara chewing her bottom lip and slings an arm over her shoulders.
"It'll work out," he says, giving her the best smile he can. Somehow it makes her believe that it really will.

On Fund Raiser D-day, Ara stuffs her mouth with toast and then races over to Kyungsoo's house with her things. Dumping her bag in the living room, she runs upstairs when she hears Kyungsoo is still in bed.
"Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo!" She pounces upon the empty space in his bed, shaking him by the shoulders, leaning over him. Kyungsoo starts awake and stares at up her grinning face, wide eyed for a few seconds.
"Wha—?!" He mumbles, blinking up at her.
"Wake up! It's fundraiser day!!" Kyungsoo's wide-eyed blinking soon turns into a sleepy glare.
"That's what you're waking me up for?" He mutters, voice gravelly with sleep. Ara cocks her head to a side.
"What else would I be...?" Kyungsoo turns over, grumbling and buries his head into his pillow.
"Go away, come pester me some other time." With all her strength Ara manages to flip Kyungsoo back into facing her.
"No! Wake up! We've got funds to raise!"
After minutes of bickering, blanket pulling and shaking, Kyungsoo sits up in bed, rubbing his eyes and glaring at Ara.
"You know I hate you for this."
"I can live with that. Well I can't— but I'll live with it for now," she grins. "Hurry up now!" Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow.
"You're sitting here."
"Yeah... so...?"
"Would you like me to take my shirt of about now?" Grins Kyungsoo, raising his hand to his collar. Ara smacks him squarely in the chest with a pillow.
"Perv!"
Kyungsoo laughs, pushing her shoulders gently. Glares at the stairs once she's out but is assaulted mid way by Kyungsoo's wide eyes and half-parted lips which had stared up at her. Her breath stops for a moment at that thought. No, today is fundraiser day, no weird thoughts, she thinks, shaking her head furiously while walking downstairs.
In twenty minutes, Kyungsoo is downstairs in all black as usual, just like her. Ara finds herself heaped with praise by Kyungsoo's mother, whom she hasn't seen in a while, as she makes Kyungsoo toast.
"Look at this child, you're growing up so well," Mrs Do says, from the kitchen as Ara places the toast before Kyungsoo.
"Thanks, did you have breakfast?" He asks. Ara nods and smiles at him, before replying,
"Don't worry eomonim, umma thinks Kyungsoo would make a great son-in-law. She can't stop gushing over him." She shakes her head at Mrs Do, who emerges from the kitchen.
"Well, in your defense," Mrs Do places an omelette in front of her older son. "You'd make an excellent daughter-in-law too." Suddenly the room is full of choking sounds as Kyungsoo splutters over his coffee, with tears in his eyes. His older brother thumps his back while snickering. When the coughing subsides, Kyungsoo wipes his lips and grabs his toast.
"I'll take this to go umma, it's dangerous to sit in this house any more," he says, pecking her cheeks, "see you hyung."
Ara waves silently as she grabs her things and follows Kyungsoo out the door.
"Still nervous?" Kyungsoo asks between mouthfuls of his toast. She nods, taking a bite out of the toast he holds out.
"A bit," she slips her hand through his elbow. "But it'll be fine."

Ara doesn't see Kyungsoo much after getting to college, having to rush to different places, until she feels like she needs to be everywhere at once. At three in the afternoon, she finally catches a breath, helping her senior, Yixing, set up his stall. She can't help the giggles as she ties the scarf around his head and dangles beads and such from it.
"This has got to be the most terrible yet brilliant of ideas that you've ever come up with!" Yixing nods seriously at her.
"It is."
Ara breaks out into another fit of giggles as the beads jangle when he bobs his head up and down.
"Girls will line up just to hear you speak!" Then she remembers what she'd originally come to find him for. She fishes out a small piece of paper from her pocket and hands it to Yixing before returning to fixing his scarf-turban.
"What's this?"
"Well... you remember Kim Haneul, from engineering?" Yixing nods with a loud jangle.
"The one Jongdae is swooning over? What about her?"
"Think you'd recognize her if you saw her?" More loud jangling. "That's the fortune you're to tell her if she comes."
"You're in love," he reads, "and you're wondering if he likes you too. I'll tell you what he feels, but for a small amount— what is this?!" Yixing breaks out into laughter. "Did Kyungsoo add that last line?" Ara nods, rolling her eyes at the memory.
"Yeah, almost blackmailed me into it," she finishes ties the scarf tightly and adds a pin for safety. "Okay I'm done. Promise to do that for me?" More jangling as Yixing nods.
"Sure, no big deal." Ara gives him a quick hug, and picks up the sign, ready to fasten it to the stall. "Oh, though I have a fortune for you." Ara raises her eyes at him.
"You're trying to pull that off on me?" 
"Play along, you'll be my first customer."
"I'm not paying you," she says crossing her arms in front of her chest. Yixing shrugs.
"Okay, since you're my meimei, I'll do it for free." Ara narrows her eyes in question. Yixing clears his throat and lowers his voice. "There is a man... there is a man who will come calling and you won't be able to say no. That man, he will be The One."
"The One? Seriously?" Ara stares at him. "That was so cheesy gege!!"
"ARA!" Ara doesn't have to look to see who's calling out to her, but she turns to see Kyungsoo at the steps of the west building, beckoning to her. She turns back to Yixing with large eyes, while he gives her a meaningful grin.
"This means nothing gege!" She says, thrusting the sign into his arms and racing over to the building while shaking her head. Kyungsoo raises his eyebrows at her flustered face.
"It's nothing, I just think we should NOT have let gege put up that stall. He'll mess with people's minds all evening." Kyungsoo grins.
"As long as he gets them to empty their wallets."

Kyungsoo leaves her, at the classroom doing Chanyeol's makeup, in twenty minutes, when Baekhyun drags him off to check on the preparations for the bonfire dance. Ara pauses for a while, brush poised, staring at Kyungsoo's back, when Chanyeol sneezes, snapping her back.
"Sorry," he says sheepishly. "Didn't mean to break your stare-a-thon but the brush was tickling my nose." Ara glares at him and stabs him harder on the cheek with the power brush each time.
At five people begin trickling in slowly, until Ara sees a bigger turnout than the one she's expected. She sees Jongdae with Haneul for a bit, smirking mentally at how smooth Jongdae had become when she sees his jacket over her shoulders. She even manages to casually tell Jongdae to take her around. She can't help mirror his grin when he runs back to her, whispering, "best wing-woman ever!" before walking off (with a hand on Haneul's back, that smooth player!).
The haunted house seems to be a big hit as she hears shrieks and screams from within while sitting in the small classroom next door, where all the sound system equipment is monitored by Krystal. She even notes a few couples stumbling out, clutching onto each other and feels rather proud for aiding in the cause of love.
A little before eight she wanders along the stalls, buying herself some cotton candy and sitting down on the steps of the college building, wondering if she should find out what Kyungsoo was up to.
"Ara!" Jongdae comes racing up the stairs panting for all his life's worth. Ara stares at him a little taken aback.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I forgot to take the dance passes!" Ara remembers the tiny slips of paper sitting in her wallet. She hands them to Jongdae, and pats him on the back. "I want to ask her out..." He sighs, "what if I'm being to fast?"
"I think you'll know when the time is right... Do what the moment calls for, okay? Don't over-think it." Jongdae pulls her into a hug before running off.
For a few minutes Ara sits silently finishing her cotton candy when she hears someone call out from behind her.
"Lulu ge!!" She jumps up, beaming at the petite man who was an ex-member of the drama club— now a TA in Economics. "You came?!" Luhan smiles, ruffling her hair.
"I heard you guys pulled this stint off, I had to come. Also had to introduce my boyfriend to you." Ara looks carefully at the tall man emerging from the building. He seems incredibly familiar.
"Oh Sehun?! You're dating Oh Sehun?!" When Sehun looks mildly offended at her outburst, she glares at him. "Haneul-ssi said you had plans? Lulu ge was your 'plan', I presume?"  At least he has the humility to look guilty— for a second only.
"We were going to get coffee," Luhan steps in, "it was my idea to come see you." Ara doesn't stop glaring at Sehun.
"She's going to the Last Dance so I'd go the other way," she huffs. Sehun nods.
"Thanks," he mutters.
"You'd better tell her!" Ara yells after him. Sehun raises his hand to his head in a mock salute as he wraps an arm around Luhan's shoulders. "Bye gege!!"
Ara breaks put into a tiny grin wondering how bright Luhan ge had managed to date impassive Oh Sehun. Most people make their way towards the dance and Ara wonders if she should head back to the Haunted Rooms and tell everyone to head out, for the lack of anything else. Her phone buzzes.

@do_Kyung: dance with me?

The soccer field is packed when Ara walks in. The Last Dance is a bigger hit than any of them had hoped for. Ara spots a familiar figure in the audience stands and climbs up.
"I thought we were dancing," she grins at him. Kyungsoo holds out a stick of cotton candy.
"I lied?" Ara shakes her head and sits down, a little disappointed but the cotton candy makes up for it a little.
The bonfire slowly comes to life and Baekhyun starts playing track after track of waltz music. Sitting with shoulders pressed against Kyungsoo's, Ara can't help but grin at the couples dancing before her and the gentle humming beside her.
"Looks like this is a big hit," Ara whispers softly. Kyungsoo nods, tearing off some of the pink candy.
"Yeah I think we made the most money here." Ara laughs, shaking her head.
"I was talking about the love, Shylock!"
"I have my money, speak not against my money."
"Oh my—" Ara can't help the giggles that break through. "Did you just paraphrase Shylock?!" Kyungsoo grins impishly at her. Ara bumps her shoulders against his, shaking her head, and catches Jongdae and Haneul headed towards the exit, holding hands. She waves at them, receiving shy smiles from both.
"The sight of lovers feedeth those in love," Ara mutters.
"Love is merely a madness and, I tell you, deserves as 
as well a dark house and a whip, as madmen do and the 
reason why they are not so punished and cured, is, that 
the lunacy is so ordinary, that the whippers are in love too." Kyungsoo's voice is low in her ears and his eyes have a strange look in them, intense and caring all at once so that Ara gulps.
"Are we going to have a Shakespeare spouting contest now?" She asks, laughing nervously. Kyungsoo offers a lazy smile and takes a sip from his coke before passing it back to Ara.
A little after nine people begin to leave in ones and twos as Baekhyun announces the end of the dance and thanks everyone on behalf of the club. Ara finds herself mesmerized by the dying fire in the empty field, watching the glowing firewood unblinkingly, contemplating if they should be leaving to find the groundskeeper and get him to douse the flames.
"Dance with me?"
Ara jerks her head up, finding Kyungsoo standing and extending a hand.
"Now? With no music?" She asks impassively, pursing her lips. Kyungsoo gives her a small smile.
"Humor me." Ara gives in, slipping her fingers through his as he leads her down the stairs to the field.
What is probably supposed to be a silent slow dance, ends up as a hug, as Kyungsoo wraps his arms around Ara's waist and she puts hers around his neck, placing her head on his shoulders, while they move to the soft crackle of the dying fire and Kyungsoo softly humming an old song she can't quite remember. The metaphorical butterflies rise swiftly in the pit of her stomach.
"I can't believe Jongdae asked her out," Ara says softly after a while.
"You asked her out first, to be fair."
"What?"
"Yeah, 'hey, you should come if you're free!' and you sounded very excited too." Even though she can't see his face, Ara knows he's smirking. She smacks his back.
"Very funny."
"Hmm... shame, I was waiting for you to ask me out that excitedly."
"Hey, you should come, if you're free!" Ara says into his shoulder. "Happy?"
"Where to?"
"Home... tonight...?"
"That's mighty forward of you," Kyungsoo laughs and Ara pulls back, wide-eyed and hits him on the chest.
"For dinner! Geez! Get your mind— aargh!" She looks sideways, flustered and hot in the ears. They stop moving, standing still in the soft glow of the fire. Ara's hands slip down Kyungsoo's arms and he intertwines their fingers.
"I got curious and visited Yixing hyung's stall..." Says Kyungsoo guiltily, biting his bottom lip. Ara narrows her eyes.
"And...?"
"And he told me it'd be good if I asked someone special to dance."
"Did you?" Ara can't believe the calm in her own voice.
"Yeah..." Kyungsoo gulps visibly. "But I chickened out and then this happened."
"This is nice..." Ara murmurs as Kyungsoo looks down at her.
"Hey umm... If you uhh... if... hit me if..." Ara sees the painful confusion in his eyes as he lowers her head towards hers, understanding every bit of the heavy "if"s and  realizing how horribly wrong it could all go. "Hit me later but let me do this...." Kyungsoo's voice is now down to a cracked whisper. As she remembers her own advice to Jongdae that evening Ara tilts her head up.
The gentle crackle of the dying embers and the warm glow it casts on Kyungsoo's hesitant face is all that she sees before she closes her eyes.
"I think you'll know when the time is right... Do what the moment calls for, okay? Don't over-think it."
Kyungsoo's lips feel soft, pressed lightly against hers; his hands warm in hers. The butterflies are unharnessed now, making her curl her toes and tighten her fingers around his. Kyungsoo smiles against her lips and she doesn't want it to end when he pulls back.
Ara opens her eyes to a nervous smile and warm eyes.
"I should have done that ages ago..." Kyungsoo gulps again. It's comforting to Ara that he's just as nervous as she is.
"Yes," she chews her lower lip as Kyungsoo places his forehead against hers. "You should have....."
"Is it a little too early to say I love you...?" Kyungsoo runs little circles with his thumb on Ara's hand.
"No..."
"Then I love you."
"I love you too."
Maybe it's the firelight but their smiles seem a little brighter.

As they walk home, swinging their clasped between them, Ara remembers something from the morning.
"Why were so mad at me waking you up this morning?"
"Hmm?"
You know.... you looked like you were expecting me to say something else..."
"Well..." Kyungsoo licks his lips and rubs the back of his neck. "When a man is woken up by a pretty woman early in the morning, he doesn't expect to be carted off to a fund raiser..." Ara furrows her brows at him.
"So.... what? You were expecting me to Sleeping Beauty you?"
"Not really... but that doesn't sound too bad," he grins. Ara rolls her eyes.
"I'll wake you up tomorrow morning and fulfill all your Disney Princess dreams, okay?" Kyungsoo laughs as they reach Ara's porch.
"Hey, I—"
His words are cut short by Ara's mother opening the door with a big smile.
"I thought I saw you kids coming down the street! Was it a hit?" Then as her eyes trail over her frozen daughter, a rather nervous Kyungsoo and their failed attempt at discreetly letting go of each other's hands, her grin turns positively impish. "Well something was a hit alright," she says, as she makes a move to close the door. "I'll leave you kids to your goodbyes. Remember that the whole street can see you, though." With that Mrs. Cho shuts the door.
"Umma!!" Ara yells, flushing a bright shade of red. Kyungsoo laughs and pulls her to face him.
"See you tomorrow?"
Ara nods and Kyungsoo leans in and presses his lips against hers again. This kiss is deeper and lasts longer. Kyungsoo holds her close, wrapping his arms around her waist and Ara raises herself on her toes, weaving her fingers through his hair. Kyungsoo's lips are a little cold from the night air, but tastes sweet from all the cotton candy they've devoured all evening.
"I could get used to that," he grins, as he breaks away. Ara can't help but return it with a giddy smile.
She keeps that smile on as she enters her house, ignoring the curious looks her mother gives her. She almost skips to her room, giddy, dizzy and light headed from everything that night, falling into her bed with no intention of doing anything but dreaming about her firelight kiss with him. Her phone buzzes. She contemplates letting it be but then decides to check it in case it's important.

@do_Kyung: don't you dare skip dinner. See you tomorrow. 하트. 하트.

Ara grins and sends him a quick reply before racing downstairs, and then remembers Yixing's "predictions" about The One from the afternoon. She sighs. He was much too gifted in the art of messing with people's heads.
•

Part III

Kyungsoo barely notices Ara on the first day of middle school. With all the new faces and the teachers expecting them all to be suddenly "grown up", Kyungsoo doesn't see the girl in the glasses, with a short bob, hidden behind her book, sitting alone at the back of the class. One week later, he does start to notice her but she's so quiet and wrapped up in her own world that Kyungsoo doesn't know how to break into it. Not that he wants to of course, but she makes him curious nonetheless.

"Alright class, we're going to learn how to make spaghetti today," the Home Ec. teacher announces one day in late autumn. Kyungsoo bolts up excited. Spaghetti is just about his favorite dish and now he can learn how to make it. "Does anyone know how to make it?"
"I know how to make it, teacher."
It's the first time he hears that voice, small and unsure, and turns around to see the girl now raising her hand hesitantly, while looking like she's made the worst mistake of her life. The teacher looks a little impressed, and although he doesn't show it, so does Kyungsoo.
"What's your name child?"
"Cho... Ara..."
Kyungsoo notices her hands trembling on the table. The teacher runs them through basic ingredients and precautions to take, but Kyungsoo keeps looking back to Ara, who diligently writes everything down.
At the end of ninety minutes of class, there's a mixed variety of dishes— some burnt and inedible, while some look alright for their first times. Kyungsoo stares proudly at his own plate but then turns to the excited whispers emerging from the back to the classroom.
Ara's dish looks experienced, he thinks, as he overhears whispers of mingled amazement and jealousy.
"That looks pretty cool," he says, making no attempt to hide his awe. She blinks at him.
"Re-really?"
"Yeah.... mind if I try it...?" Ara passes him a fork and chews on her bottom lip as the others stare at Kyungsoo, awaiting his response.
"It's.... really really good," he says, breaking out into a grin. "Where'd you learn it?!"
"My mum works late so I make it for myself now and then..." Kyungsoo places the fork back on the counter and extends a hand.
"Do Kyungsoo." She looks at the hand, pausing a beat before placing hers in it.
"Cho Ara."
"You have to teach me how to do that!"
By the time three years of middle school end, Kyungsoo and Ara become inseparable. It is also by then that Kyungsoo's spaghetti far surpasses Ara's in taste but he maintains that the best spaghetti he remembers having is in his first year of Middle School, the day he meets Ara.

In High School Kyungsoo realizes his best friend has changed. She's still the same she was through the last three years with him, but the girl lost in her own world rarely emerges in public anymore. He doesn't mind that that girl only shows herself when she's alone with him. He likes being a part of her inaccessible world.
She sits with groups of classmates when not with him, flitting from people to people, suddenly a social butterfly so very unlike the girl he'd first known. She isn't always with him any more, but he can't miss the bright eyes and full smile as she waves from across the class to him. He feels a little upset at not having to feel like protecting her anymore, but he's happy she's grown, in fact he's proud.
In the second year of high school, Kyungsoo asks out his classmate, Lee Eunae.
"Since when?" Ara asks him as they wait for the bus.
"Last week..."
"You didn't tell me you were planning to ask her out..." The hurt is evident, heavily colouring her voice.
"I haven't seen you much, you've been busy with club stuff..." Ara looks away, apologetic and guilty. "No, wait," Kyungsoo shakes his head. "I should have told you... I'm sorry." He doesn't tell her why he hadn't told her, he doesn't know why himself.
"That's okay," she says, smiling, "maybe we could go eat on Sunday. I heard a new Italian place opened up." Kyungsoo takes a seat next to hers and shakes his head.
"Sorry... I told Eunae I'd take her out..."
"That's cool... maybe later..." Kyungsoo doesn't understand the hollow feeling he gets as Ara turns away and rests her head against the window, but he doesn't like it for a moment.
His relationship lasts five months, until they both decide to break it off and Kyungsoo realizes that it's been too clinical, almost as if they'd been playing parts in a play. Ara doesn't date anyone yet, confiding in Kyungsoo that she has discovered her love for the stage and doesn't want to be held down by commitments just yet. For now acting out Shakespearian romances would be enough for her.
Towards the end of their final year it's Choi Minhee who asks him out, rather shyly, after school and Kyungsoo thinks she's cute but he doesn't know what he should tell her.
"I think you should say yes," Ara tells him, as she picks out formals for a conference. "Does this look okay?"
"Black, again?" Ara scoffs at him.
"You're one to talk mister!" Then she softens and tells him, "if you say yes to her, say it because you want to, okay? She's nice." Kyungsoo nods, thinking about the fact that he doesn't really know Minhee really well except that she plays tennis really well and she's... nice. He doesn't notice when Ara emerges from the changing room in a navy dress, tugging nervously at the hem while looking at herself in the mirror. When he does, he can't help the forming grin as he is reminded of the shy girl who said she could make spaghetti one Autumn afternoon.
"You look lovely," he says, tilting his head, keeping the grin. Ara chews on her bottom lip, a nervous tick Kyungsoo finds adorable.
"You think...?" And to Kyungsoo's subsequent nod, she says, "thanks," with a shy smile and Kyungsoo would be lying if he says his heart doesn't beat faster right then.
He says yes to Minhee next morning.
In the month that follows Kyungsoo doesn't see much of Ara, until she comes running into class one day, stopping at his table looking incredibly disheveled and almost in tears.
"Kyung! You have to be my Romeo!" Almost simultaneously, Kyungsoo and Minhee, who is next to him, tense up for altogether different reasons.
"What?"
"Please. Kim Kibum broke his leg, and we don't have an understudy!" Kyungsoo contemplates the scenario. "I know you know your Shakespeare so please! I'm begging here! You have to come in and play Romeo!"
"I don't know the first thing about acting!"
"I didn't know until last year either!! Kyung please..." Kyungsoo can't say no, he's never been able to say no to her and to Minhee's evident annoyance, he gets up and follows Ara out the door.
As it turns out, Kyu loves being on stage as much as Ara and he finally realizes why she spends so much time in rehearsals.
"I love doing this but Romeo and Juliet were a couple of idiotic teens. Who the hell falls in love like that," grumbles Ara, handing Kyungsoo a can of coke after rehearsals one afternoon. Kyungsoo breaks the seal and waits for the angry hiss to die down before taking a swing.
"Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?" He says, licking his lips.
"Is that you or Shakespeare speaking?" Kyungsoo gives her a lazy half smile.
"As You Like It, Act III, Scene v." He takes another long drink. "Me? I think... It's something that grows over time under the surface, until you take the time to look closer and you realize that the person you see everyday— maybe even take for granted— that person is the one you love." Kyungsoo exhales deeply as he finishes, staring at the ground between his feet.
"Cheers to you finding her," Ara says, raising her can. For a while they sit on the stage, silently drinking and lost in their own thoughts, shoulders lightly brushing each other and Kyungsoo knows Ara is about to say something from the way she tilts her head when Minhee walks in through the door, excited smile freezing slowly when she sees the two of them.
"Oh, I'll see you later then Kyungsoo." The chill in the air is pronounced. It's Ara who jumps down from the stage calling after Minhee who doesn't respond, walking away as fast as she can. Kyungsoo sits frozen as Ara turns to look at him with a bewildered look.
"Go after her!" She waves wildly. Kyungsoo doesn't.
They break up a few days later.
Ara avoids Kyungsoo in the days that follow, and he can see the look in her eyes that tells him she's beating herself up over his breakup. At the end of the week, Kyungsoo has had enough, as he corners her in her seat after class, sitting down beside her and preventing her exit until everyone has left, while Ara tries to occupy herself with a Sociology textbook and acts very busy.
When the last student exits, Kyungsoo snatches the book out of Ara's hand.
"It wasn't your fault!" He snaps, a little louder and with more acid than he'd intended to. Ara flinches, but stares back at him impassively.
"Excuse you," she snaps back, grabbing the book and wrenching it out of his hands. Kyungsoo almost slams his fist down upon the table. This wasn't proceeding the way he'd intended it to.
"Ara, please," he says gently. "Ara I'm sorry..."
"You're sorry?!" She slams the book down upon her table. "You don't get to be the big man here Do Kyungsoo! Not to the piece of crap who ruined everything for you!" The brimming eyes and cracking voice make Kyungsoo clench his fists, restraining himself from pulling her into a hug.
"What the hell are you talking about," he says through gritted teeth.
"You looked happy Kyung... I didn't mean to... I don't even know why..."
"I'm not blaming you!"
"I'm blaming me!!"
"It wasn't you! I swear!" Kyungsoo lies, she doesn't need to know, not just yet.

'Are you in love with her?'
'What?'
'You don't even deny it and you sure look it."
'What on earth—'
'Forget it, I'm sick of playing second fiddle to Cho Ara.'

No, she doesn't need to know... but she already seems to know that as she shakes her head at him.
"Liar," she mutters. "I can see it on your face." Kyungsoo sighs, staring out of the window.
"I've known you for the last six years of my life, and I can't imagine six days without you. There was never a choice to make," he admits. Ara's eyes widen greatly. "You're important to me Ara.."
Ara doesn't seem entirely convinced as Kyungsoo finally pulls her into a hug, letting her bury her head into his shoulders.
"I'm a horrible person..." She mumbles. Kyungsoo pats her back.
"I think I might be worse," and refuses to answer Ara's curious,
"Hmm?"

When the curtains descend on their final performance, Kyungsoo rises from the floor where he meets Ara's ecstatic smile, still dressed in Juliet's bloodied dress. She doesn't wait, wrapping her arms around him while he's still seated.
"Best Romeo ever!" She yells over the roar of the backstage crowd, congratulating and exalting all at once. They finally stand, still grinning brightly at each other, Ara's wig looking wild and unkempt, just like the glee in her eyes and Kyungsoo seizes her up in another bone-crushing embrace, unsure of his own feelings but sure that has happy now. Ara seems surprised for a while until she molds herself into his hold, both of them swaying from side to side, unable to stop the smiles on their faces. Kyungsoo wonders if he couldn't perhaps remain like this forever. Then he decides Shakespeare has messed up his mind into a pile of mush.
"Hey umm.. Ara..?" Ara breaks off gently, smiling politely at the shy boy, who had transformed himself into Tybalt for the stage, rubbing the back of his neck
"Hey, Junho! Great job." He lets out a nervous smile at her words.
"Thanks. You guys too! So umm... Ara, I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me to prom...? Unless you're already going with someone!"
Kyungsoo suddenly feels a punch to the gut, stepping back automatically to avoid hearing Ara's answer, but then he's always known that she can never say no.

Kyungsoo declines every request that comes to him for prom, restraining himself from snapping at anyone and everyone who asks him out.
"You're not going?" Ara asks running her lips between her teeth and peering out at him from under her bangs. Kyungsoo shakes his head, refusing to look up to meet her eyes. He forces her to keep her date, and reminds her that she has to attend, being a part of the prom committee.
So it's Kyungsoo's own fault when on Prom day, he's home alone at six, bouncing a rubber ball off his bedroom walls, blasting R&B at the loudest possible volume and trying not to think of anything that might be going on in school. His phone rings a loud symphony and he knows it's Ara.
"Kyungsoo..." The way she says his name, hesitant on the first syllable, that tells him something is wrong.
"Should I be there?" He asks, running his hand through his tousled hair.
"If you're not busy..."
"Stay there."
It takes Kyungsoo five minutes to drag out a pressed black shirt and slip it on his black jeans and hopes it looks passably formal before grabbing his jacket and dashing out of his house.
He spots her standing close to the entrance, chewing her lip and looking around, occasionally smiling at her classmates with a smile that didn't touch her eyes. She looks beautiful, he thinks, dressed in her black dress, in crepe and a fluffed skirt of tulle, and black heels. They look like couple, he realizes. She looks beautiful but so lonely, with her shoulders dropping in dejection and her eyes flitting all over without really looking.
"Ara," he says, lightly placing a hand on his shoulders. She swivels around, beaming in relief and Kyungsoo draws her into a quick hug. He hears a soft sniffle into his shoulders and knows that if they were alone, she'd have been crying. It lasts only a few seconds and when she pulls back, she has her polite social smile on again. Kyungsoo looks around and raises his eyebrow.
"Where's Junho?" Ara drops her gaze to the floor.
"He got asked out by the girl he's liked for ages and he hoped I'd understand..." She looks up with a smile. "It's not a big deal, I get it..." Kyungsoo clenches his jaw.
"Where is he and how can I hurt him?" Ara let's out a small laugh.
"I didn't call you for that." Kyungsoo looks over her dejected, yet socially smiling face.
"Do you have anything else to do here?" She shakes her head. "Good," he slips his hand into hers and pulls her towards the door, ignoring the stares thrown their way.
"What— where are we going?" Ara hisses.
"Gelato, then movie, then dinner." Kyungsoo replies without looking back.
"I don't have the money for all of that!"
"It's a date then," Kyungsoo grins, heartbeat quickening as they finally walk out of the school grounds and Ara falls into step with him. She looks at him incredulously.
"Very funny Kyung," she huffs. "You don't have to..."
Kyungsoo doesn't reply, but he disagrees. He may not have to, but he wants to.
School ends without much else, but then Kyungsoo makes it into the college of his choice first. He opens the letter before Ara and it's only when she enlists the places she's applied to that he realizes that they may not be in the same college after all. He doesn't seem as happy as he should be with the acceptance letter.
In fact he keeps moping, till a week later, making his hyung call him out on his fears, which he vehemently denies.
"Do Kyungsoo!!" He hears one afternoon, when he's home with his brother, both watching some show or the other. The doorbell rings furiously and Seungsoo answers it only to have Ara tear past him unceremoniously and launch herself on to a startled Kyungsoo, tackling him with a hug into the couch.
"Wha—???"
"I made it in!!" Her eyes look glassy for some reason Kyungsoo can't fathom. "We're going to college together!!" Kyungsoo doesn't need to be told twice, as he hugs her back with equal ferocity, almost toppling off the couch. Seungsoo coughs discreetly.
"So does this mean celebrations are in order." Kyungsoo breaks apart at the sound of his brother's voice very reluctantly. "Dinner's on me kids," he says, ruffling Kyungsoo's hair and walking out of the room. Kyungsoo turns back to Ara, who's already flipping through the television channels and realizes her legs are still entangled with his. He leans back on his end of the couch and keeps his eyes trained on the screen, feeling happier than he has in days. Ara is going to college with him.

After the first month of college, Ara catches him one lunch and lays out her plans.
"We need to revive the drama club," she says and he can already see the gears of her brain working much too fast and much too forward. But he goes along with her, pinning up posters and flyers at her request, until they have a handful of people to work with, among whom they single out Zhang Yixing, the third year psychology student, Lu Han the final year economics major, Kim Jongdae and Byun Baekhyun from Journalism as the best. It takes a lot of debating and heated arguments but finally Lady Windermere's Fan emerges the victor as the play of choice.
"I thought I had a crush on Jongdae," Ara muses on a lazy afternoon, lying on her stomach on Kyungsoo's bed, writing an essay, while Kyungsoo sits at his desk and jerks up his head sharply.
"Huh?"
"He's really cute, nice and all but he's not my style," she rolls over to her back and stares at the ceiling. "Nah... I have a crush on Yixing ge," she says firmly.
"Oh really?" He asks, glaring at the writing on his book, trying to keep the ire out of his voice. Ara carries on blissfully unaware.
"Yeah, he's nice and almost like one of those Princes in stories?" She laughs.
The next morning Yixing doesn't understand the sudden tartness with which Kyungsoo treats him.
"So you'll be playing Lord Darlington."
"Great."
"We'll start rehearsals after classes."
"Fine."
"Is there anything you want to clarify."
"No."
So for the next few days Yixing goes to bed wondering if he'll be murdered in his sleep or not. Ara remains blissfully unaware but fortunately for Yixing her crush dies out in a few weeks, and Kyungsoo feels rather idiotic for his behavior, working overtime to cover up for it.
"He's an idiot," he hears Yixing tell Luhan after practice. "You're an idiot," the pair notice him and Kyungsoo finds himself cornered by both seniors grinning at him. "You're so obvious, it's a wonder she doesn't see it yet," Yixing shakes his head. "You don't even need a psychology degree to see that." Kyungsoo mutters incoherent denial under his breath and walks off.
The words come back to haunt him in their third year when Kyungsoo decides to give into Ara's demand for more funds and hold a fund raiser, dragging Ara out of her Sunday reading. Kyungsoo looks at the sleeping face beside him and he finally understands that he's gone long beyond just liking her. He can't imagine a life where he doesn't see her everyday and hear his name in her voice and wonders if it makes him worse than the Shakespearean love stories he loves to criticize. He tucks a strand of hair behind her ears and takes their used cups to the kitchen. He comes to a stop before her, licking his lips nervously, contemplating on her reaction to his future actions— both immediate and long time.
He decides to take a risk anyway, slipping a hand under her neck and the other under her knees, drawing her sleeping forms close to him before standing up. For a moment she shifts, and in that moment Kyungsoo freezes, staring at her with wide eyes wondering if she might hit him. But she only adjusts herself into his arms, sighing softly in her sleep. Kyungsoo breathes again and then softly smiles. She looks so innocent and unlike her vivacious self like this.
As he places her on her bed and pulls the cover over her, Ara snuggles into his arms refusing to relinquish the warmth. Kyungsoo wonders if he couldn't maybe curl up beside her, close his eyes to her face and open them to hers too... He gently pries her off and tucks her in. Then on an impulse, he presses a soft kiss on her cheek, walking out with an insuppressible grin on his face. He spends the rest of his night wondering what she'd look like being kissed if she was awake and not blissfully unaware but something in Kyungsoo doesn't want to know the answer just yet.

"Hyung."
Kyungsoo pushes his way past a crowd of giggling girls and finds Yixing cross-legged on his stool, perched precariously with a look of absolute enlightenment.
"Aah Kyungsoo," he says with a wise tilt of his head, which creates a loud jangle. "Do you want to have your fortune told?" Kyungsoo purses his lips for a second.
"Yeah why not," he muses, "but I'm not paying you."
"Very well, since you are our illustrious president... hmmm.... ask someone special to dance and maybe fortune will smile upon you." Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Don't feign ignorance, Do Kyungsoo," Yixing says with a loud clatter of beads and trinkets. "Ask her."
There are a million and one ways in which everything might go wrong, but as he walks back home, grinning from his kiss, Kyungsoo is happy with the one way everything does go right. And oh, Zhang Yixing's ability to predict things is rather disturbing.