Just an important note:

If there are any further changes or additions, I’ll post them in the A/Ns in the future. Continue reading :3

-Chapter 05-

JuYeon was half thinking of going away and hide in a corner out of embarrassment and half thinking of shouting out loud and say “Yah! What are all looking at?” if she was not herself just so they would stop staring at her. Really, it was so comical, like a scene from a Cinderella story and no, JuYeon was not about to let herself be one. ‘Disney Damsel in Distress moment?’  She shook her head slightly. The staring itself was already uncomfortable, so what would she do if she had to sit with the popular kids of the school? JuYeon held herself back from cursing the universe. She didn’t know who else would sit at the table with her, and she almost thanked the heavens that she was there alone. For a while. Until they came back, apparently having wander around with the other people.

JongDae and EunHwa had to sit at the table in front of hers, and JuYeon suddenly felt lonely.

When the MC started to talk, JuYeon felt out of place since even around her table, people were like strangers, even though she had talk to most of them once or twice out of - unfortunately - unlucky circumstances for her part even though they were never mean to her before. These people, however were stealing glances at her, contemplating weather or not they should start a conversation. These people were actually part of the popular guys and also part of JongDae’s friends.

Sitting around the same table as hers, there was Byun BaekHyun, the charming, eye-smiling puppy with a voice to die for. A theatre performer (as JuYeon remembered seeing the tickets of his performance when EunHwa had invited her to, but declined to go, only sending the guy flowers a compensation to avoid any run-in with his prince-like friend) as son of Starlight Co. president, his family owning the Nature Republic cosmetic brand that was making it’s name Asia wide. One of the friendliest person she’s ever met and currently sitting two seats away from her with his fiancée – Kim TaeYeon* - who was smiling timidly at her as they met eyes. Him? The guy was itching to greet her since out of all of their circle, he was almost the closest one to a friend.

And then there was Park ChanYeol, the only younger brother to Park YuRa – KBS’ anchorwoman – currently working at a record label his father owned; PCY Entertainment in which his father named after him. A very multitalented guy even from the school years, JuYeon then was reminded of the memory that he used to play his guitar for her that one day when he found her crying to herself quietly at the school’s hidden garden after being insulted by a senior. Then, she found out he was also a prodigy in piano, bass, electric guitar, drums and keyboard as he was part of the school band. Though he extremely at dancing, he’s a walking happy pill with adorable Yoda ears and a sweetheart (but she would never admit that to anyone out loud). He was sitting beside her, adjacent to BaekHyun.

The seat adjacent to her was one she dreaded knowing of who would occupy it. She counted the popular guys’ presence. On JongDae’s table there four seats occupied. One by Do KyungSoo, the rookie actor of the year - one of JongDae’s clique as JuYeon saw his face in the dramas her best friend forced her to watch. In contrary to his squishy looking cheeks and abnormal-but-adorable huge owl eyes, KyungSoo has two-sides-of-a-coin personality.

The first one being the calm and level-headed out of his idiotic and chaotic friends, the other being a devil in disguise as JuYeon had once witnessed back then when ChanYeol cowered in front of him and JongDae having the time of his life watching when KyungSoo stared – actually glared – ChanYeol down in the eyes after he finished KyungSoo’s food he made and brought himself. She shuddered at the memory, still remembering KyungSoo’s sadistic smirk ordering ChanYeol around the whole week. KyungSoo was, after all, nicknamed SatanSoo. Aside from acting, KyungSoo also inherited his parents’ culinary skills as the Do’s own a few restaurant chains in Seoul and the Kim Brothers’ resort in Jeju have partnered up with KyungSoo’s family as they provide the catering services in the resort.

Next to KyungSoo was Kim SeoJin, the petite, ever-loving BFF, girlfriend, fiancée and now wife of his, who was lively, carefree, and sarcastic personality; a unique match for his double sided personality, and she’s really the only person that can unnerve him in ways no one can. JuYeon noticed that KyungSoo kept his hand on her belly, smiling to himself. From EunHwa who (never failed to update) had told her about the guys, she knew that the husband and wife was going to receive a pair of twins in less than eight months – their first and second child. And while KyungSoo works as an actor-slash-chef, his wife was into the financial department, working as the Head of Finance at the Kim Brothers’ Star Cruise hotel here.

The one on JongDae’s side was actually his other cousin, another one of the Kim Brothers; Kim MinSeok. Unlike Kim JongDeok (JongDae’s elder brother) and JoonMyun, he wasn’t interested in the hotel business, instead taking the family name as an initiative for the Kim Brothers to open up cafés which was starting to become a trend among high school teenagers, university young adults, couples and working businessmen and women alike earlier last year. On his lap, playing with his phone was actually his eldest child, Kim MinJoon, an intelligent little three year old boy that inherited most of his features from his mother except for the black monolid pair of black eyes which JuYeon knew came from the father. EunHwa had mentioned that MinJoon’s name was derived from the character played by Kim SooHyun held in his drama; Do MinJoon. MinSeok’s wife named after the actor during her pregnancy and insisted on it when he refused.

Currently, his wife was mingling with JuYeon’s best friend. Han MinJi worked as a music instructor at ChanYeol’s record label. EunHwa told her that MinJi was the daughter to Han KyuWon of Han Architecture and Rebecca Hall, one of the top ballerinas and now ballet instructor worldwide. That made Han MinJi a beautiful mix of Korean-French with her caramel-brown hair, milky white complex skin tone, pointed nose, honey-coloured irises and full pink lips. The married couple didn’t get to bring their second child, who was still a baby girl – Kim MinSeul.

Looking at the people around her, even though JuYeon felt grateful that they had never once mistreated her during schoolyears unlike the others, and even tried to befriend her, JuYeon still felt a sense of inferiority in her, like she had her walls built up, only high enough to let a number of people inside her heart. Not knowing how to actually act in front of them, she just sat there calmly – unlike the anxious blood coursing through her veins – and nipped at her wine glass.

Eventually, ChanYeol made a small talk with her (even though it was so awkward because she almost choked on her wine after hearing his deep bass voice) on light topics like families and work – the normal gist. Then BaekHyun decided it was okay to squeeze in his two cents with an awkward “Oh, yeah! I uh, heard that you graduated with your masters in linguistics early with lots of colours – what am I saying – I mean with flying colours-” he turned to whisper to his girlfriend “-is that true?” and turns to JuYeon again as TaeYeon shook her head at his hopelessness . “Uh.. Congratulations?” He was a nervous wreck and she pitied him so much that she let out a snort before giggling to herself as the atmosphere immediately took on a lighter shift.

“Yes, BaekHyun. Thanks, even though it’s a bit late,” She almost laughed at BaekHyun’s sigh of relief and TaeYeon, his three years older girlfriend rolled her eyes at her boyfriend’s silliness. “Hi, I’m Kim TaeYeon. So, I heard you used to be this dork’s friend at school?” TaeYeon glanced mockingly at BaekHyun as the latter pouted unconsciously, and JuYeon froze a bit. ‘BaekHyun thought I was his friend?’

She looked between BaekHyun and ChanYeol, whose expressions were that of someone hoping. ‘I guess, they really did try to befriend me.’ And so she nodded. “Yeah. They’re idiots.” She said with a shrug which earned her a “Yah!” from BaekHyun and a “That’s not very nice, JuYeon!” from ChanYeol.

“But they’re sweet idiots.” She smiled at the two meaningfully as the two reciprocated. TaeYeon elicited a warm smile of her own in satisfaction and JuYeon knew why BaekHyun’s head over heels with the said woman sea deep. She was a gem, one in a million and she’s made for BaekHyun. Since JuYeon knew how to judge a person very well, she could see the humbleness, selflessness and a woman of her own in BaekHyun’s girlfriend; one that matched very well with BaekHyun’s bubbly, bright, friendly and fearless personality.

“Oh, it’s finally getting heated.” ChanYeol pip