“Mama? Papa?”

There was no response from the other side of the door. The young boy knocked again, calling for his mother and father, but he received silence yet again. He stood on his tip toes and reached up for the doorknob, turning it slowly and opening the door.

Darkness.

The young boy clutched the stuffed teddy bear in his other hand as he walked into the empty bedroom of his parents. He climbed onto the bed and slipped under the sheets, hoping to wash his senses in the scent of his parents, but the sheets had been washed recently. The boy took a whiff of the strong flower scent, which smelled artificial to him.

---           ---           ---

“I don’t wanna talk to him, you do it!”

“No, why must I do it? You know I get nervous when I talk to people, and you want me to talk to him? One wrong word and my family may lose everything!”

“But if we succeed, we’ll earn their favour.”

“It’s too much of a risk. People are never around him, haven’t you realized? There’s an obvious reason for it. He’s too unapproachable.”

“You’re right. Let’s just stay here.”

---           ---           ---

“Money is important. The world runs on money,” a young man with sleek black hair and sharp eyes said as he wrote the words on a white board.

The young boy, who now wasn’t so young anymore, twirled a pen in one hand and didn’t bother writing the words down. When the instructor looked at him with a cold stare, the young boy stopped twirling the pen but didn’t meet his eyes.

“Did you get all of that?” the instructor asked. The young boy nodded his head slowly, but his act was unpersuasive. The instructor sighed and set the white board marker down. He took a few steps closer to his only student in the room, and asked, “Do you have any questions?”

The young boy looked up, and asked, “What can’t money buy?”

“Money can buy anything,” the instructor replied stoically.

“Even happiness?”

“Even happiness,” the instructor repeated the young boy’s words but with significantly less expression and interest.

“Can money buy people’s trust?”

“Money can buy you as many connections as you want.”

.::.           .::.           .::.

An alarm clock sounded, causing its owner to groan and slam a hand over it to stop its ringing. Junmyeon rose from his bed, stretched his arms out and rubbed away the sleep in his eyes. The Sun had yet to rise, and when he inspected his clock he read the time “5:00 A.M.” in big, white letters.

Junmyeon got out of his bed and walked over to his bathroom. He yawned once before he splashed his face with cold water. He instantly felt rejuvenated, and proceeded to brush his teeth. Once he was done, he walked back into his spacious bedroom and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie.

Despite the fact that society had hopped aboard the “technological advancement” train, there were some things that Junmyeon liked doing the old-fashioned way. He walked over to a large bulletin board that hung above his study desk, and focused his eyes on the calendar that he had received from Jongdae as a birthday present. Each month featured a different comic book and provided a unique fact about the series. Junmyeon took a second to admire the series of red “X’s” that trailed up to a day that was circled in red marker.

‘December 24th, Christmas Eve,’ Junmyeon thought to himself. ‘Gotta start early to make sure all preparations will be ready in time.’

December 24th was a day filled with festivities. It was a time for families to come together, for couples to spend the day with each other, and for lots and lots of food. The Kim Group’s motto was, “Whatever you need, we will exceed” and for this reason, they were determined to present the largest ball of the year, every year, to the public. It was a party that no doubt reconnected the largest amount of families (and business partners), provided the most romantic experience for couples, and had the greatest amount of food ever contained in one venue.

Christmas Eve was an exciting time for Junmyeon, but not just because of the annual ball. On Christmas Eve, he received the present he had been wishing for the entire year; his parents’ return to the main mansion.

Junmyeon’s parents, Mr. Kim and Mrs. Kim, were the CEO’s of the Kim Group, which the couple had founded during their university years. The small start-up that was initially a school project blew up in proportion. After several years of development, the company had grown into one of the largest corporate businesses in South Korea. For this reason, Mr. and Mrs. Kim were rarely at home.

Junmyeon had practically been raised by the maids in the mansion. He didn’t have a single photo of himself as an infant with his parents, and they had never shown up for one of his school events. He had been home-schooled for his elementary school years, but right before he entered middle school he begged his parents for permission to enroll into a middle school. Junmyeon’s definition of “begging his parents” included a five-page proposal about his intent (enrolling into middle school), followed up by an action plan (how he plans on passing the middle school entrance exam), and finally ended with a twenty-page report on what he would be able to gain from the experience. After waiting a month for his application to process, his parents finally sent him the okay to enroll himself into POPK middle school.

Junmyeon knew that his parents didn’t come back to the mansion for him; they came back because of the annual ball. The holiday party was the largest networking event of the year, which in itself gave enough reason for the couple to return. The other reason for their annual return was the need to uphold their image (what kind of host doesn’t even show up to their own event?). Junmyeon had gotten over that fact a long time ago, because every year he simply looked forward to seeing his parents again.

When he realized that he had been lost in thought about his parents again (this happened to him quite often during the holiday season), Junmyeon quickly grabbed his clipboard that was on his desk and ran out the door. Time was of the essence, and he couldn’t afford to lose any more.

.::.           .::.           .::.

It was early in the morning when Ahri rang on Eunji’s doorbell, holding a duffel bag in her hands. Eunji’s unnamed mother opened the door and smiled widely at her. “Come in! Eunji’s in her room,” she chirped. Ahri stepped inside the warm house and immediately smelled the scent of cinnamon and chocolate coming from the kitchen.

Eunji ran down the stairs, her hair in a frizzy mess and still dressed in pyjamas, and greeted Ahri with a smile that matched her mother’s. “You excited for tonight?” Eunji asked with a squeal.

“Of course! I didn’t know what to bring so I brought all of my stuff!” Ahri exclaimed while she lifted her duffel bag a few inches into the air to show her friend. “How formal are you going to dress?”

“Oh, just come up and I’ll show you!” Eunji said as she jumped up and down in excitement. Ahri slipped out of her boots and ran after Eunji.

“Honey, what about breakfast? I baked some cake,” Eunji’s mother yelled from the kitchen.

“Just put it aside, we’ll eat it later mom! We’re busy right now!” Eunji shouted from the second floor.

Eunji’s mother sighed as she continued stirring a bowl of cupcake mix. “Girls will be girls,” she giggled to herself.

Ahri followed Eunji up the stairs and down a long corridor. Eunji stopped at a door at the end of the hallway and opened the door, revealing a room with more posters than wallpaper. Most of the posters were of Chanyeol from EYO (Eunji’s ultimate bias), but other idols’ faces were present as well. Ahri noticed the large pile of clothes on her bed and the mess of shoes on the floor.

“Whoa,” Ahri said in awe as she studied the state of the room.

“Sorry for the mess. I went through my entire closet last night and I still haven’t decided what to wear for Suho’s ball!” Eunji sighed. She shoved some clothes to one side of the bed, making room for her and Ahri to sit down. The second year set her duffel bag down on the ground and sat next to Eunji.

“I feel like I didn’t pack enough now,” Ahri said, giggling in the process. “But if you made this mess last night, where did you sleep?”

“I made room,” Eunji said with a shrug.

“Wow, this is a lot of stuff though. Someone’s being a try-hard,” Ahri said in a sing-song voice as she poked her friend’s arm.

“Yeah well, we’re going to the biggest party of the year! We have to dress for the part,” Eunji said defensively.

“Hey, I didn’t say that we shouldn’t try hard!” Ahri exclaimed. “After all…”

“… there will be rich guys there,” Eunji finished Ahri’s sentence.

“What? You’re trying to find a sugar daddy?!” Ahri yelled. Eunji’s eyes widened and she immediately denied it.

“Some of the rich families there are bound to have sons no doubt – handsome sons I’ll bet,” Eunji explained herself. “I am not into the concept of sugar daddies. What? You weren’t thinking of the rich, cute son thing?”

“No…,” Ahri mumbled. When Eunji asked her what she had been thinking of, Ahri’s cheeks reddened and she covered her face with her hands. “They’ll be there you know! All of them! And that means he’ll be there!”

“Who? Baekhyun?”

“Yes, who else?” Ahri groaned in frustration as she laid down on Eunji’s bed. “I bet he looks great in a suit.”

“Damn, guess we’re not really on the same wavelength after all,” Eunji muttered to herself. Ahri rose and slapped Eunji’s arm.

“I’m having a real dilemma here!” she exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, after spending countless hours watching makeup gurus on YouTube, I have mastered the art of the smokey eye. Plus, we have all day to get ready! It’s only 9:00 a.m. right now and the party doesn’t start until 7:00 p.m.! We’ll get dolled up, I’ll find myself a nice sugar daddy’s son and girl, you’ll look so good that Baekhyun will be following you like a puppy!” Eunji said with confidence.

.::.           .::.           .::.

Minseok knew it was a bad idea for the guys to get ready together. ‘But nooooo, they wouldn’t listen to me,’ he thought to himself as he slapped his forehead.

“Kris-hyung do you have an extra suit I can borrow?” Chanyeol asked as he tried fitting into a pair of trousers that were two sizes too small for him.

“Oh great Chanyeol, you tell me now! Why couldn’t you have told me when I was still at my house?” Kris groaned.

“Because I was sure these would fit me! That’s what it said online!” Chanyeol wheezed as he tried to pull the zipper up on the pants.

“Well I only brought one suit, and I am not going home,” Kris sighed. “Just wear black jeans or something. You do own black jeans, right?”

“Huh?” Chanyeol furrowed his eyebrows and squinted his eyes. Then, after taking a few moments to process Kris’s question, he replied (in a not so convincing voice), “Oh yeah! Of course! But I just uhh, didn’t bring them with me.”

“Guys?” Jongdae interrupted the conversation between the two giants and squeezed himself between the two. “Do these pants make my look big?”

“What would you like to hear?” Kris asked while rubbing his temples.

“I want your honest opinion!” Jongdae exclaimed.

“Well if I say yes, you’ll say I was offending you! And if I say no, then you’ll say that I hurt your self-esteem and confidence!” Kris yelled at Jongdae, who didn’t deny his reasoning. Jongdae shrugged his shoulders, then left the two giants to find Yixing, who he was sure would be able to give him an honest opinion.

“Yixing! Do these pants make my look big?” Jongdae asked.

“I think your looks nice,” Yixing replied nonchalantly. Jongdae smiled triumphantly, then shouted towards Kris’s direction, telling the other that that was “the correct answer”.

“Guys, can you calm down or something? My parents say we’re being too loud,” Baekhyun said as he entered his bedroom (where everyone minus Suho had chosen to gather at), carrying a platter full of drinks.

“Baekhyun! Help me zip up my pants!” Chanyeol hollered at his best friend. Baekhyun rolled his eyes, set the drinks down and approached Chanyeol with a very disinterested face.

“I told you to get the larger size,” Baekhyun said in a scolding tone. He waved his finger in front of Chanyeol, all the while telling him that he had been right the entire time.

“Why didn’t you just go into a store to buy the suit?” Luhan asked Chanyeol.

Chanyeol in his stomach, hoping that that would allow him to fit into the pants. “Well, online shopping is the way of the future, and I didn’t want to be left behind!”

“Well that’s dumb,” Kyungsoo scoffed.

“Do I wear my Gucci watch or my Burberry watch?” Tao asked himself as he held the two watches up in the air. After much contemplation, he set the Burberry watch down and slipped the Gucci one on. He nodded his head in approval, and said, “Gucci all day every day. Once a Gucci boy, always a Gucci boy.”

“Basic,” Kai whispered under his breath. The comment did not go undetected by Tao, who shot Kai a glare.

“At least I can afford one,” Tao commented.

Sehun, who didn’t feel like speaking today, searched through his phone for an audio clip of horns going off, followed by the voice of a man screaming, “Shots fired!”

“But you know I would look better in it,” Kai smirked.

Minseok had arrived to Baekhyun’s house already in his suit. The third year wondered why everyone wanted to gather at noon because he had expected everyone else to show up in their attire as well. Minseok was under the impression that they were to the spend the day together playing games and having some quality “guy time” before the party.

He wasn’t expecting to sit in a chair watching Chanyeol struggle to put on his pants for half an hour. The third year heaved a sigh and searched his pocket for his phone. If he was going to spend the next five hours sitting around like a duck in Baekhyun’s room, he would much rather spend it playing Candy Crush than watching Chanyeol’s sorry attempt at making something that obviously couldn’t work, work.

He wondered how things were on Suho and the girls’ ends.

.::.           .::.           .::.

“HOLY $#IT, HOW DID FIVE HOURS FLY BY THAT QUICKLY?!” Eunji screamed when she glanced at her clock. She was currently in the middle of curling her hair, while Ahri was in the middle of doing her makeup.

“How much longer am I supposed to blend this out for?” Ahri asked as she was buffing her eyeshadow.

“Until the black and the gold blend seamlessly into each other!” Eunji exclaimed, trying her best to not burn herself with her curling iron.

“Like this?” Ahri asked, turning her head around to face Eunji. Eunji screamed when she saw Ahri’s face, then screamed again because her hand made contact with her curling iron. “What?” Ahri asked.

“I think you used too much black eyeshadow,” Eunji said, ignoring the pain in her right hand as she went back to curling her hair.

“Well that can’t be right,” Ahri wondered aloud. “I didn’t even use black eyeshadow. I used dark brown because I wanted to go for the more natural approach.”

“I don’t think that makes a difference,” Eunji exclaimed. She truly couldn’t believe five hours had passed already. She tried to recall the events that happened after Ahri had stepped into her room. Ahri had been talking about Baekhyun (not unusual), while she was scheming to find her perfect rich boyfriend at the party. Then, it somehow escalated into them fangirling about EYO and watching some live performances. Then, a new episode of a drama they were both watching came out, so they just had to watch it. Then, they got hungry so they went and had a “small” snack. Then, they went back upstairs and spent an hour deciding what to wear.

When she looked back on it, they had started their makeup and hair half an hour ago.

“Do I start over?” Ahri asked frantically. She searched the vanity for a cotton pad and makeup remover, and in the process knocked some makeup products on the ground.

“Don’t! We don’t have time!” Eunji said.

“How much time?”

“Like, fifteen minutes?”

“$#it, I already removed the eyeshadow,” Ahri cursed. “You know what? Screw the smokey eye, I’m just gonna add some shimmery eyeshadow to my lids, put mascara on and call it a day with the eyes.”

“There! Hair done,” Eunji exclaimed and set the curling iron down. She walked over to the vanity and stood next to Ahri to grab a comb. She lightly combed her hair so that the curls would look softer, when she encountered a knot in her hair. She tugged the comb harder, causing some of the comb’s teeth to break. “You have got to be kidding me. This cannot be happening right now.”

“Story of my life,” said Ahri, who was currently applying mascara. “So, do you still think we’ll look hot?”

“Honey we were already hot.”

“I don’t think Baekhyun’s going to be following me around like a puppy. I’m pretty sure he’ll be trying to avoid me.”

“Yeah I don’t think I’ll be attracting any rich sons tonight.”

A/N: We got to 1k views! Thank you to everyone who's supported my story thus far and I hope you'll continue to look forward to more of the After Shool Club's schenanigans in the future :) This is part 1 of 3 of this mini arc (Suho's Annual Xmas Ball). Look forward to the next chapter!

\\ xoxo