“What’s the name of the guy?”

“Seunghyun.”

“Seunghyun. Seunghyun. There’s none.”

“Just keep scrolling.”

“Aish. Maybe he’s a nobody like you.”

“That’s impossible. He looks like someone who has never seen or touched by dirt.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Wait. Why are we stalking about this guy again?”

“I’m just curious.”

Eunhyuk gave him that suspicious look. “You mean, jealous.”

Donghae rolled his eyes and hit his bestfriend’s head with a pillow. “No. It’s just that Yoona’s reaction was kinda weird a while ago.” The two were hanging out inside Eunhyuk’s bedroom.

Eunhyuk was getting tired of searching of somebody’s face on Google images. His bestfriend told him they were gonna watch a marathon of Saw series but here they were, stalking a guy. “Are you sure the guy’s name is Seunghyun?” He asked exasperatedly.

“Yes. I heard her.”

“Tch.” Eunhyuk clicked on the next page and waited. “Didn’t she introduce you to him?”

Donghae looked at his bestfriend then back to the screen. “N-no.”

“Wae?”

“Well, I felt awkward standing there so I approached her and said I’ll be going.” Remembering the scene, he felt really awkward.

Eunhyuk nodded but not without sighing loudly for he still couldn’t find the guy. “There’s a lot of Seunghyun here but still the guy you- Wait!” His face brightened up.

“What?”

Eunhyuk didn’t answer and instead, deleted the name, Seunghyun, on the search engine and replaced it with Im Yoona. He kept on clicking and scrolling, watching Im Yoona’s goddess like features when the two of them squinted their eyes on the screen. There were lots of pictures of her. With her father, Senator Im and mom. With a black Labrador dog. High school pictures. Her travel places. Attending a ribbon cutting. Cover in a teenage magazine. But then one picture caught their attention the most.

An image of a little boy with a bike with the little Yoona at the back.

The bestfriends looked at each other before he clicked the page.

Im Yoona and Choi TOP’s Rare Childhood Photo

“TOP?” The two chorused and looked at each other again.

“Who is TOP?” Eunhyuk asked but Donghae shrugged his shoulders off for he had no idea too. This time he deleted Yoona’s name and replaced it with Choi TOP. The two were silenced for a minute as they stared at the image results. “Is this the guy?”

“Yes.” It’s him. He thought.

“I thought you said, Seunghyun?”

Donghae moved away from him and sat on the center of the bed. “Well, she said Seunghyun.”

Eunhyuk began clicking again and reading some information about the guy when he made a loud ‘Aaaahhh.’ He turned back to his bestfriend and saw an enlarged picture of the guy.

“It’s true. The name is Seunghyun. Choi Seunghyun. TOP is like his screen name, only that he’s not into showbiz industry.” Donghae leaned closer as he listened to his bestfriend narrate everything. “You’re right too. He is filthy rich. His family is into furniture, high-priced furniture. They export their products to Italy, London, New York, Saudi Arabia and a lot rich countries. Plus, they got the finest restaurants in France and Los Angeles. His grandfather was the late President Choi. You might think that he’s into these businesses of theirs but no.” He pointed his finger to the image. “At the age of 18, he left South Korea and enrolled to some top Arts school in Venice. Hailed as the National Artist at the age of 21. For the past four years, TOP has launched well-acclaimed art exhibits touring around the world. He’s a sculptor. He’s in demand. Everybody wants a piece of his work. Choi TOP is the new Auguste Rodin!”

“Who?”

“The man who made The Thinker, The Kiss, The Gates of Hell, The Age of Bronze- please, tell me you recognize even one of those.” Eunhyuk squinted his eyes grimly.

Donghae pursed his lips forward tightly and shook his head.

“Even The Thinker?!” Eunhyuk shouted in disbelief.

“I’m not into Arts.” Donghae defended as he grabbed a pillow and embraced it.

“You’re unbelievable!”

“Well, I’m very familiar to Mona Lisa if you must know.” Donghae retorted confidently as he adjusted his eyeglasses.

“Really?” Eunhyuk gave him a skeptical look. “Who painted Mona Lisa?”

“Michaelangelo.”

He looked at him dryly. “You’re a disgrace to humanity, Lee Donghae.” There’s no way he’s a scholar in YG University. Eunhyuk thought and continued, “So, that’s TOP. The guy has no permanent address. He jumps from one country to another. Heard he was in India last summer and he just returned to the country after four years, if you just said you saw him in flesh a while ago.” Donghae nodded in silence. “The Choi’s and Im’s are very close so that explains why those two knew each other ever since they were kids. If you’re wondering if TOP is Yoona’s boyfriend . . .”

Donghae’s ears perked up quickly.

“No. They’re not in a romantic relationship.”

“Really?” He sounded pleased.

“Yeah.” Eunhyuk returned his gaze on the laptop. “He said on an interview that he has no time for it.”

“He’s single?”

Eunhyuk scrolled down even more. “Yeah. It says here that he almost runaway with somebody to Venice when he was 18 but,” Paused. “The end.”

“The end?”

“Yeah.” He closed the laptop, wondering if the marathon of Saw was still on. “The article ended there. No who, when, and what happened next. The end.” He grabbed the bowl of popcorn they put on the floor and watched his bestfriend still nodding to himself. “So, about the Yule Night.” He grinned widely.

“Urgh.” Donghae groaned and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “You just have to remind me that.”

“Wae? Don’t tell me you’re not going. You’ll be missing a lot, Hae. If I could, I’d volunteer to be your partner but,” He felt chills creeping up his spine. “I’m not that desperate and mental to be your other half on the ball. Just imagine how would the babes look at me when they see me with you.” Eunhyuk shook his head furiously while looking up as if his thoughts were being played on his own little cloud of imagination.

Donghae just frowned at him and returned his gaze up. “I will attend. Our adviser said it’s required.” He told him sounding so downcast. He’s really not the party boy type. Plus, he’s burdened more on this getting a girl as a partner thing.

“So, you’re asking who?”

Donghae took a pillow and buried it to his face. “I don’t know.” He mumbled under it. “I think it’s better to go solo.”

“What?!” Eunhyuk exclaimed incredulously at the thought. “That’s boring. You’re penniless already then you’re a pitiful wallflower too?”

“Gee, thanks Eunhyuk.” His bestfriend is really good on crushing his ego.

“Why don’t you ask your crush again?” Eunhyuk was really jealous how Donghae got close to the elites.

“I don’t know, Hyuk.” He admitted.

One week had already passed and yet Donghae was still dateless. There’s only three days left before the ball and every student was going crazy about it. Professor Gummy was absent that Monday so Siwon, Heechul and Yoochun grabbed to opportunity to pester Donghae again. They turned their chairs to circle him who was currently reading a book on Internal Medicine.

“Tell me you got a partner already.” Heechul told him that expectant look.

Donghae didn’t want to show his friends how lame he was to this but, “No.” Couldn’t lie in the end. “I don’t have.”

Siwon and Yoochun facepalmed themselves while Yoochun just stared at him like it was some joke not worth giving a laugh. “Why?” He asked.

Donghae closed the book and just stared at the cover. Just last Thursday, Siwon informed him that Yoona was taken already. It was all over the campus, she’d be going with TOP. Every year, the organizers of the event get a speaker to talk about whatever topic that could connect Christmas to the school. It doesn’t matter if you’re a good speaker or not. The criteria are for that speaker to draw the media to YG’s Yule Night and for investors to see the good side of the university. Choosing Choi TOP would be the best choice ever.

What could a Lee Donghae do for Yoona to change her mind and choose him, right?

TOP is the National Artist for Arts while he . . .

If it weren’t for that anime Ninja Turtles then, he wouldn’t know some famous names in Arts.

“Donghae!”

He flinched when Heechul screamed right to his ear.

“What?”

“I’m asking you why.” Heechul hates repeating himself.

Donghae frowned at him. “I don’t have close girl friends unlike you three.” He shook his head like it was so obvious why his friend was even asking.

“Except Yoona?” Yoochun asked.

“Hae!” Siwon messed his hair in frustration. “Come on! She’s not the only girl in this school! I’m sure you have other human beings that you’re interacting with other than me, Yoochun, Heechul and Yoona?”

Donghae was about to say something but then shut his mouth, and pitifully shook his head slowly.

“Seriously?” The three of them chorused.

Now that he thinks about it, yeah. He’s a loner and pathetic. It made him feel depressed for a moment there. It’s not like he’s anti-social. Back on his high school days in Mokpo, he could be hailed as the Mr. Congeniality. Well, next to Eunhyuk. That guy has to know everyone which puzzled him. Studying in YG . . . Saying a courteous ‘hi’ to somebody was just too difficult for him to do. Before he could approach somebody, that person would already throw daggers at him. Be it a man or a woman.

“Liar!” Siwon shouted and brightened up with that derpy face and pointed a finger to his face. “There’s another one!”

The remaining three crossed their brows. “Nugu?”

He smirked knowingly first before answering in a low but very clear voice. “Sandara ssi.”

.           .           .           .           .           .

“What made you think that I’d want to ask her?” Donghae asked ominously while Yoochun and Heechul had their eyes squinting to the chaebol too.

“W-well,” Siwon began. “You said that you two didn’t engage to some brawl when doing the project in Med. Economics. That’s a good sign. You made her do a project, right? Plus, you said it was nice talking to her.” Heechul and Yoochun nodded in agreement. Yeah. It must be a good sign.

“Really?” Donghae asked, still sounding in mistrust. “And what made you think that she’d say yes to me?”

Siwon immediately pointed a finger and opened his mouth to reply. . . Yang Sandara agreeing to be the partner of their friend, Donghae? He closed it again tightly, avoiding the questioning look from the man. Yeah. He doesn’t know too.

“Just try, Hae.” Heechul told him after a few minutes of awkward silence. “What would hurt?”

The door flung open, making those in the front sat quickly. It was no professor but Dara regularly sauntering her way to her seat. Yoochun and Siwon moved closer to Donghae’s side, not wanting to block or more, irritate the Yang heiress with them turned to her front view. Dara just sat there, without giving a glance to anyone and just scrolling her Instagram feed.

The four namjas glanced at her carefully. She was busy on her cellphone and seemed to be not minding those around her. His friends kept on giving him that ask-her-now look but Donghae just sat there returning it with a no-hell-way stare. The battle continued for a few minutes when the students were silenced again when somebody entered the room.

“Omo!”

“It’s him.”

“God! Do I look okay?”

“What is the VP doing here?”

“And with a bouquet of carnation!”

It was like a Hollywood celebrity just appeared in their classroom. Student Council’s Vice President just came in unannounced.

Taeyang.

He looked so clean and gorgeous with that uniform on. He might be oozing with that badboy charm because of that Mohawk hairdo but his eye smile describes otherwise. Donghae was as baffled as his friends but understanding submerged when he walked to the back and stopped just before Dara. The class quickly fell into silence, knowing what would happen next.

The VP Taeyang offered her the flowers and without further ado . . .

“Dara ssi. Will you be my partner to the Yule Night?”

A half-suppressed shriek from s