Ahri was more or less content. Eunji was thrilled. Luhan was about to have a fricking seizure from happiness.

Sehun, well Sehun hated where he was.

Sehun slumped further into his chair and scanned the table with his emotionless eyes. The After School Club had gathered at a local family restaurant, and he would have been thrilled except there was some extra baggage.

“Luhan, you are like, so funny!” Girl A squealed as she clung onto Luhan’s arm, snagging the chance to feel his well-defined arms. Luhan chuckled, tipped the girl’s chin with his hand and whispered sweet nothings to her.

‘Urgh, kill me,’ Sehun thought.

“Luhan, I had no idea you played soccer! You must be very athletic,” Girl B sighed and swooned over Luhan.

‘Kill me,’ Sehun repeated the phrase to himself. Apparently, Luhan’s idea of a member-event was to gather the club at a family restaurant for a co-gender mixer. It suited the upper year’s personality but it felt so shallow to be sitting in the middle of a crowd of girls, who obviously wanted to hook up with anything that was male. It felt like he was being swarmed by a stampede of Luhan’s, except they were girls.

Suho had been trying to get Luhan’s attention for the longest time, but the playboy paid no attention to him. Finally, after Suho paid one of the girls attending the mixer to pass along a message to Luhan, he finally turned his head towards the leader. “Luhan, this is a very… uh… unique idea for an event. But it’s not exactly… uh… member-friendly, wouldn’t you agree?” Suho shouted over the squealing of girls so his message could be heard.

“Chill, Suho, it’s my event isn’t it? Just let go and enjoy yourself, grandpa,” Luhan winked at Suho. “Besides, if the members didn’t want to come, they didn’t have to.”

“I came for the brownie points because I want to win this competition!” Minseok yelled and rubbed his temples. “But if I had known it’d be this kind of event I’d have stayed home. I feel so dirty.”

“Oh calm down you two,” Luhan shook his head and laughed. “Just imagine everyone here as one of your friends, alright?”

“Yeah, friends that wanna get in my pants!” Jongdae screeched as the girl sitting beside him slid her hand down just a bit too low.

“Friends with benefits?” Luhan wiggled his eyebrows and turned his attention back to the ladies.

Meanwhile, on the girls’ end of the table, Ahri and Eunji sat with a handful of guys from the local high schools. Ahri squirmed around in her seat, obviously nervous about the constant attention she was receiving, but Eunji seemed to relish in it.

“I was beginning to think that one of you were dating one of the guys in that club,” Boy A chuckled and winked at Eunji, who internally screamed at the action.

“Oh no, they’re all my friends,” Eunji replied, waving the comment away.

“I’m surprised that none of them have made a move on you two yet, since you’re so cute and everything,” Boy A said flirtatiously.

“So, what do you like to do?” Eunji asked with a smile as she rested her chin on her hands.

“Well, I like waterfalls, classical music and long walks on the beach,” Boy A replied.

‘Oh my gosh, he is literally Luhan 2.0,’ Ahri thought while forcing a smile. Something about the entire scene seemed artificial to her, and she couldn’t help but wish to be sitting on the other end of the table where her second year classmates where sitting. Ahri sighed and glanced over towards the other end of the table, where she saw a group of girls flirting with Baekhyun.

Unconsciously, she stood up. She wasn’t even aware that she had stood up until Eunji asked her where she was going. Ahri quickly lied and told her friend that she was going to the washroom to freshen up. She walked towards the direction of the washroom, which was conveniently located near the area where Baekhyun was sitting. She gritted her teeth as she was seething with jealousy.

The green monster that everyone has within them started to creep to the surface, and before Ahri knew it she was standing right behind Baekhyun. When the group of girls noticed her presence, they looked up with judgemental stares, then they continued talking to Baekhyun as if they had never seen her.

‘Did they just… ignore me?! Oh ok, you wanna play that way huh?’ Ahri screamed to herself.

She tapped Baekhyun’s shoulder, who turned around nervously but immediately calmed down once he saw her face. “Have room for one more?” Ahri asked sweetly. Baekhyun nodded eagerly and scooted over to create room next to him. Usually, Ahri would have been too nervous to sit beside him, but today she couldn’t care less. She plopped herself right next to him so that their thighs were touching.

“Um, not to be rude or anything, but aren’t you two from the same school?” Girl C asked.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Ahri replied coolly.

“And you’re in the same club too?” Girl C asked. When Ahri hummed a yes in response, the girl continued, “Then like, why are you sitting here? Don’t you wanna get to know the guys over there? There’s lots of time for you to get to know these guys during school, don’t you think?”

“Well what if I wanted to get to know my classmates a bit better now?” Ahri asked with an air of confidence. Girl C and Girl D seemed displeased by her answer, but when Chanyeol chuckled and told them that he was okay with letting Ahri join their conversation, the girls calmed down.

Girl D cleared and resumed with their conversation. She returned to her usual sweet self and batted her eyelashes at Chanyeol, then asked him, “I’m curious to know what type of girl you like, Chanyeol-ah.”

Chanyeol gulped and fidgeted with his fingers. He had never had to answer that type of question before. He scratched his neck nervously and suddenly felt so without a calculator at his side. Was he supposed to answer the question like he would on a test? What were the options? Was this even multiple choice? What was the speed of light again? Because that’s how quickly he wanted to bolt out of the restaurant.

When he didn’t respond, Girl D pouted and told him to take his time with his response. She then turned her attention to Baekhyun, who jumped in his seat.

‘Ok, Byun Baekhyun whatever you do, do not stare at her freakishly boxy eyebrows, or her eyeliner that extends to her boxy eyebrows. Do not comment on it, do not comment on it, do not comm-‘

“So, uhh is that your daily makeup look or something?” Baekhyun asked Girl D, who clearly looked offended by his question.

‘OH $#IT!!!’ Baekhyun thought to himself.

Girl D huffed in response and didn’t bother answering his question. She took her drink and sipped it in fury, sending eye signals to her best friend, Girl C. Ahri sat comfortably in her seat, drinking a glass of lemon water in satisfaction. Perhaps she didn’t even need to intervene.

It was going to be a long night, and she was looking forward to witnessing every second of it.

.::.           .::.           .::.

When Eunji realized that Ahri hadn’t returned for more than twenty minutes, she did a quick scan of the restaurant and found her sitting with Baekhyun and Chanyeol. She grinned to herself, and prayed for all the best for her friend. When Boy A asked Eunji what she was smiling about, she replied with, “Oh nothing, I was just thinking that this place has some really good fries. What’s your favourite food?”

Boy A went on to list all of his favourite foods. Eventually, Boy B interrupted the conversation to inject his own list of favourite foods. The two boys started fighting over their responses, which started out as verbal and eventually escalated to throwing food at one another.

“No fair! Just because Ahri-ssi left you think you can make a move on Eunji-ssi? I was talking to her first, you know!” Boy A exclaimed as he threw a French fry at Boy B, who caught it with his teeth and started chewing on the fried potato.

“All is fair in love and war,” Boy B snarled at Boy A.

Eunji sighed and took a sip of her cola as she let the two boys fight. She had never been fought over by two guys before, but she hadn’t expected it to end like this. She had watched countless K-dramas and romance anime where the female protagonist is faced with two love interests, and the guys eventually fight over her love. She had always watched with excitement on the other side of the screen, fantasizing about the day when it would happen to her. She was supposed to be excited, thrilled, perhaps even exhilarated.

She hadn’t expected to feel empty.

.::.           .::.           .::.

“Baby you have the prettiest eyes,” Luhan said as he put his arm around Girl A and leaned into her face, causing the girl to squeal in delight. “I could stare into them all day long.”

The mood was perfect. Nothing could disrupt Luhan’s current “mo-jo”, not even the sound of dishes breaking, the screams of children, or the grumpy old men who asked what in the world was taking their coffee so damn long. It was perfect; like a scene written out of a fairy tale, but the image was quickly shattered by the sound of Girl A’s cellphone.

Girl A squirmed out of Luhan’s arm and reached into her purse to grab her cellphone. She answered it immediately, “Hey you, what’s up?” She bit her lip playfully and twirled her hair.

“Wha-“ Luhan gasped.

“I know, I know, but I told you I’m busy tonight. Can’t we go tomorrow? Oh of course I’m thinking about you!” she spoke into the phone in a flirtatious voice. After a few moments, Girl A hung up and returned to Luhan. “Sorry hun, I just had to take that phone call.”

“Who was that?” Luhan asked.

“Hm? Oh no one special, just a guy I’m kind of seeing,” she shrugged her shoulders.

“So, like your boyfriend?”

“Oh, heavens no!” she laughed and waved her hands in protest. “We’ve only been on a couple of dates. He’s a fun guy, so I like spending time with him but I’m not ready for that level of commitment yet.”

Luhan felt hurt, as if someone had taken a knife and stabbed his man-pride with it. He looked at her with an open jaw. Sure, he wasn’t in any position to complain about seeing multiple people but that was only because he hadn’t met the right “one” yet. He was scared of commitment, because it was unknown to him but was looking forward to settling down one day with the right “one”.

He envied his parents, who had known each other since elementary school, started dating in middle school, and got married while they were both finishing university. When he was in elementary school, he told himself that he would meet his future bride before he went to middle school, just like his parents. He eagerly spoke to every girl in his class, and became friends with all of them.

But that’s all they ever were.

He had never once felt the “spark” authors wrote about. When Luhan entered middle school, he was certain he’d start dating his future bride. He went on a couple of dates with the girls in his class, but he never felt the connection. Now he was a senior in high school, and he had yet to meet the “one” that gave him the butterflies in his stomach, the fireworks when they kissed, and the jolt of electricity whenever their fingers touched.

Perhaps that’s why he became the flirtatious playboy he is today. He didn’t flirt with girls because he wanted to play with their hearts; he did it to increase his encounters with them.

Because surely, the “one” for him had to be somewhere in that huge pool of people, right?

“Luhan?” Girl A’s voice snapped the third year back into reality. “Are you okay?”

“Um, I-I’m leaving,” Luhan said in a quiet voice and grabbed his backpack. He stood up, much to the discontent of all the girls that were surrounding him.

“But why?” Girl B whined.

“We were just getting the party started!” Girl E exclaimed.

“I didn’t even get my chance to talk to you yet!” Girl F cried.

“What’s the matter, boo?” Girl A asked with a pout and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Luhan tugged his arm away, but when he realized how harsh he made the action seem, his expression softened and he said to her, “I’m just not feeling all that well. I think I had too many fries. I’ll text you later?”

“Oh, ok yeah sure,” Girl A said disappointedly.

Luhan left some cash on the table to pay for the food they ordered, and made his way to the exit. He turned around when he reached the front entrance, and as he suspected, the girls he had been talking to had already moved on. Girl A moved herself next to Minseok, who looked disgusted as he tried swatting her away. Girl B, Girl E and Girl F were cooing over Sehun, ruffling through his hair and sending him winks.

He scoffed at the sight. While he was a well-known player, he always devoted his attention to the girl he was with. He made her feel special, because in doing so he thought it would make him feel special. ‘Oh how quick they are to move on. I don’t want to associate myself with those kind of girls,’ he thought to himself. ‘The girl I’m looking for wouldn’t be in this type of crowd.’

When Suho noticed Luhan’s absence, the leader frantically searched the restaurant. When he saw Luhan at the front entrance, Suho immediately jumped up, thanked the ladies for their time, dropped a couple hundred dollar bills on the table, and ran for the door like a madman.

When the other members noticed Suho running away, they all stood up and followed suit.

“Wait but where are you going, Fanfan? You still haven’t told me your real name!”

“Party’s over, sweet cheeks. When Luhan leaves, the event’s over,” Kris replied coolly. When the girl asked for Kris’s number, he laughed and sang, “My name is no, my number is no, you better let it go,” along to Meghan Trainor’s song, “NO”.

Luhan was surprised to find that his friends had followed him out of the restaurant. As they stood outside the restaurant, rubbing their hands together from the cold winter air, Luhan asked, “You didn’t have to leave you know?”

“Yeah, but why did you?” asked Minseok. “It’s not really because of the French fries, right?”

Luhan shrugged his shoulders and let out a sigh. “You know, I’ve been thinking recently that I don’t want to include those type of girls into my circle.”

“Oh you’re one to talk, hyung,” Jongdae scoffed. “You’re the male version of all the girls that came today!”

“Oh shush,” Luhan snapped. “Maybe I have been acting similar to them, but I would never move onto another girl just because one left!”

Chanyeol snorted in response, causing Luhan to roll his eyes. “Ok fine, maybe I have been acting like them. I’ll admit to that.”

“Wow, why the sudden self-reflection? It only took you 18 years,” Minseok asked sarcastically. He had known Luhan since they were children, and not once had he reflected on his scandalous ways. When Luhan tried punching Minseok, the older member swiftly dodged his attack.

“Oh, I’ve known for a long time, Minseok,” Luhan said with a grin. “Does that mean I’m going to change my ways? Heck no.”

“Guys this is all very moving, but I’m cold,” Tao suddenly spoke out. Minseok and Luhan stared at the first year and burst into laughter.

“True, it is very cold. How about we make a stop at Starbucks for hot chocolate? My treat,” Minseok suggested excitedly. Everyone bobbed their heads in agreement, and they started walking in the direction of the closest Starbucks. The fourteen club members split into smaller groups, each focusing on a different topic of conversation.

Baekhyun ran after Ahri, and slowed his pace when he was walking next to her. Eunji immediately retreated from the scene and fell back into a different group. “Ahri,” Baekhyun panted, a little out of breath because he had run after her. “Thanks for earlier.”

“What do you mean?” Ahri questioned him, aware of what he was implying.

“For saving me from those girls earlier! Oh my god I basically froze in my seat whenever one of them spoke to me. I mean, did you see that girl with the eyebrows?! How could anyone focus on a conversation with her when all they see are those freakishly boxy eyebrows?!” he exclaimed and covered his eyebrows with his index fingers to imitate Girl D’s eyebrows.

Ahri giggled and covered with a hand. When Baekhyun saw her laughing, he stopped his act momentarily before he went back to it, this time using his index and middle fingers to imitate Girl D’s eyebrows. “They were like this!” he exaggerated, then stopped his act when he bursted into laughter as well.

“No problem,” Ahri said through a laugh.

“No but seriously, thanks so much. I don’t know what I’d do if you hadn’t shown up,” Baekhyun smiled at her.

Ahri felt her cheeks flush, and she thanked the heavens that it was dark outside otherwise she was sure Baekhyun would be able to see the visible blush on her face. She tried convincing herself that his gratitude was a hundred percent platonic, but she couldn’t trick her heart. His words had a great impact on her; more than he would ever know.

Minseok and Luhan positioned themselves at the rear end of the group. They stayed in silence for majority of the walk when Minseok suddenly asked, “So what’s your real reason for leaving?”

“What do you mean? I told you I wasn’t feeling well,” Luhan replied innocently, feigning a cough in hopes of persuading Minseok into believing him.

“Nice try, buddy,” Minseok said and slapped Luhan’s back. “That place was like paradise for you, so why’d you leave so early?”

“Aha!” Luhan exclaimed. “That’s the key word there: ‘was’ like paradise. It truly felt that way when we first started the mixer, but then I started thinking…”

“Oh? Thinking about what?” Minseok asked curiously while raising a brow.

“Oh, I don’t know, call me silly but sometimes I think that it wouldn’t be half bad to settle with one girl you know?”

“Luhan, that’s not called being silly. And don’t try to fool me with the whole ‘I was a player but now I’ll get serious act’. I’ve known about how you wanted to find true love like your parents did in school since we were kids,” Minseok said as he placed a hand on Luhan’s shoulder.

“What if I don’t?” Luhan asked, his voice suddenly dropping.

“Luhan, we’re young! It’s not like you’ve met all the girls in the world, you know,” Minseok said with a smirk. “It just means you haven’t met the right one yet.”

“So if I date all the girls in the world, I’ll find the one for me?”

“In theory, yes,” Minseok replied. Then, in a stern voice he added, “But that wasn’t an idea nor an invitation, you hear me Luhan?”

“Calm down! In order for me to meet all the girls in the world, I’d have to be able to speak a bunch of different languages, wouldn’t you agree? I only know Mandarin and Korean so far, and those languages span only a fraction of the languages spoken around the world. I’d have to know English at least before I attempt to date girls from other countries,” Luhan explained.

“True,” Minseok nodded his head.

The conversation ended, and the pair walked in silence. Minseok was reading something on his phone, while Luhan was playing a game on his. Then, out of nowhere, Luhan asked, “So, do you think Kris could teach me English?”

A/N: I know I've been making Eunji seem kinda emo in the past couple of chapters but don't worry, it's all part of my master plan. Look forward to the next couple of chapters because some pretty exciting stuff is gonna be happening! Love ya'll <3 Don't forget to comment, subscribe and upvote so Baekhyun won't have nightmares about Girl D's eyebrows.

\\ xoxo