“Are you Youngjae's girlfriend?” It is a simple question, yet it makes you jerk forward in your seat with surprise, as you stare at the girl in front of you with wide eyes.

Youngjae. Girlfriend? You’re dumbfounded, flustered. Somehow, those words don't make any sense in your mind, not at all. You tilt your head to the side, your lips suddenly feeling dry, as your words come out in a stutter, “Y- Youngjae's girlfriend?”

She nods enthusiastically making her long dark, sleek shiny hair whip up and down. She has a fringe and behind that inquiring eyes that peer at you, eyes that seem to observe every expression that you make as if gauging your reaction. She seems friendly though, curious, yes, but friendly. The thought makes you feel a little bit less nervous.

“Yup, Youngjae. The guy with blond hair. The superhot one.” You can't help but blush at her words, as she leans in closer with a conspiratorial grin, then she whispers, “We saw you at the store with him. Are you dating?” Her pitch goes up at the end.

When your slow brain finally picks up the meaning of her words, when you finally register what she's asking, you quickly shake your head with a sheepish expression. You aren't Youngjae's girlfriend, not even close. Unconsciously, Yugyeom's word flash in your mind, his cold eyes. What would he say if he knew of this? He would certainly feel that all of his assumptions are right, wouldn't he? Nervousness suddenly washes over you, enveloping you, threatening to drown you. You feel sick.

“I'm not”, you quickly force out, emphasizing the 'not'. “I'm not dating him. He- He's just friends with my sister.” You gulp and stare at the girl in front of you. “Seeing him there... It was... a coincidence.”

A coincidence? For a second you're still, was it really? You recall the smile that appeared on your lips when you saw the honey colored hair, was that a coincidence, too?

You stare down at your hands that are fiddling with a pencil and try to push those thoughts aside. You can deal with them later or never.

“You're not?” You hear the girl repeating your words. She looks at you with obvious disbelief. “I totally thought you were...” She trails off and stares at you, more intently this time, but you continue to look down at your hands silently.

“Well, then...” Somehow, she gets the message and leaves you alone after that.

You sink into your seat when she's gone, cowering, ducking your head and then burying it in your hands. Was that how your life was going to be now? Being interrogated by random girls about your chance encounters with the university students who'd somehow gotten themselves... involved in your life?

You sigh into your hands. Helpless, perplexed, but not hopeless.

**

When you stumble into the library, you see Mark again, sitting at the same place. Without asking, you put down your backpack and perch down into the seat opposite from him.

Your mind is still busy, thinking about your encounter with the girl. You're an introvert. A homebody, and shy. That were the words that you would use to describe yourself. What had happened in the last weeks that your life had changed so much?

You stare at Mark, who hasn't even acknowledged you yet. He's breathing in slowly and gently. His brown hair is flat, laying against his forehead, almost covering his eyes. His eyelids are pale, like the rest of his face and his lashes flutter as he stares at a text in front of him, suffused by the pale sunlight. You want to ask him something, but at the same time, you don't want to disturb him. He looks too peaceful.

Silently, you get out your own study materials and open a book. Maybe, the topic that you want to bring up can wait. Maybe.

You highlight your text and take notes. You even put in some extra effort by using different colored pens and underlining every important word, but as you're writing, it feels... like you're just putting something off. Like you're trying to distract yourself or buy yourself some more time. Then, exactly forty minutes later, you bring it up. The topic, the words that have been burning in your mouth. Red, hot coal. Acid. Poison. That's what it feels like. You spit it out.

“Are you coming to the party?”

It's not exactly what you wanted to say, you then realize, but it's a start. A start that's miserable and lousy, but a start nonetheless.

Mark looks up and, as always, averts your eyes. Evades your gaze. Let’s your words reverberate on the air, the silence linger until it becomes almost suffocating….almost.

His eyes are brown and deep and you can't find an answer in them, yet you still stare. Look at the small corner and then the gentle curve, at the way his long an dark lashes move as he blinks calmly.

“Yes.”

It's just a single word. A simple answer. Yet it suffices, makes your trepidation melt away, makes your miserable day just a little bit better. It makes your heart stumble in your chest with... excitement? Anticipation? You don't know what it is, but you break out into a smile. A smile that is so silly that it stretches from one side of your face to another, stretching your mouth so far apart, revealing your teeth, revealing you gums. You're happy, for the first time that day, you feel happy.

Mark blushes at the sight of your big smile, your big, silly smile and he mumbles something, something audible yet unintelligible, and buries his head in his text again. You don't mind. You don't mind at all.

When you run home that afternoon, you see your sister getting into the house.

“Wait!” you shout, just as she is about to close it. Her eyes find you and she waits, beckoning for you to go faster.

“Did you just come back from the library?” she asks, frowning. “It's already dark.”

You smile, still giddy because of Mark's words. You jog up the steps and stop right in front of your sister.

“Suyeon”, you say, panting. “You're going to the party, too, right?”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course I'm going.”

You break out into an obvious grin. “I want to introduce you to someone there.” You smile. “He doesn't have a girlfriend and he's handsome.”

Closing the door behind you, you stare up at her with expectant eyes, waiting for an answer.

It's silent for a few seconds.

“Handsome?” your sister repeats, narrowing her eyes and clicking her tongue. She sounds slightly suspicious, not totally trusting your judgement, but you nudge her shoulder and wink playfully.

“Totally handsome”, you promise.

**

You're almost asleep, wrapped into a cocoon of thick blankets, when your phone lights up next to you. It's a bad habit, really, keeping your phone beside your bed. Your mom once jokingly warned you about the dangers of radiation, but you still keep it on your nightstand.

Tiredness presses down your eyelids and they flicker, as you grab your device. When you see the identity of the caller, you open your eyes hastily.

“Ba- Bambam?” With nervous hands, you press your phone against your ear. You're wide awake all of a sudden.

“Hi”, Bambam greets you, sounding apologetic at hearing your tired voice. “Sorry for waking you up. But I did something a bit stupid...” He trails off and you hold your breath for a second. Something stupid? Did he get into trouble? Did he get cause an accident? Your mind gets swarmed with all kinds of horrible images. Then you hear Bambam laughing nervously on the other side of the line. Then, something rustling.

“I'm standing on your lawn right now. I know, it's silly, but I haven't seen you all day and I couldn't wait until the day of the party. Can you come out?” Everything comes out in one jumbled sentence, one nervous and awkward mess and you feel your heart thumping in your chest as you hear his words.

“You- You're on our lawn right now?” you repeat with disbelief as you throw off the blanket, standing up and reaching for a cardigan to throw on. You open the door to your balcony, the cold air hits you instantly, making you shiver. Everything is dark.

Bambam lets out a breath that you can hear. As you turn your head, you can also see it.

His silhouette is imbued by the moonlight, but you can make out the contours. Tall. Phone pressed against his ear. Stuttering on the other side of the line. His chest heaving up and own regularly.

“You don't have to, if you don't want to...”

You stare down at his figure, feeling a sudden shiver running down your spine. “You- You're crazy”, you mumble, stifling a laugh. “You're absolutely crazy.”

At the sound of your voice, he looks up. His blond hair looks like it's shining in the darkness and you finally let out that augh. It sounds so loud in the dark silence.

“You're crazy”, you say again.

Stepping closer to the balcony, Bambam still has his phone close to his ear. Then he opens his mouth and you can hear his voice so clearly.

“I'm crazy about you.”

You break out into a laugh so hard, that you try to stifle it again, pressing your hand against your mouth, trying not to wake up your parents or your sister, but you can't stop, it's just too cheesy.

You see Bambam raking a hand through his hair with embarrassment. You can almost imagine his awkward but bright smile. His pink lips curling up.

“Do you want to go on an adventure?” He suddenly asks, hesitating for a second. Then, as if to assure you, he adds, “It's nothing bad, I promise.”

“Wait a second”, you utter. “I'll come down.”

You quickly put on normal clothes, unsure what he wants to do at this late hour and then sneak down the stairs onto the porch where Bambam is already waiting. Now, that you see him up close he looks even more breath-taking. Dazzling. Bright. An angel in the darkness. Your angel.

Your heart thumps in your chest at that silly thought. He's not yours.

When you're just an arm’s length away, Bambam pulls you into a sweet hug. Your bodies fit together, melt into each other so nicely. He's warm, so warm as his hand presses against the back of your head softly and he smells so good. You can feel his breath against where your shoulder and neck meet and it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The hug is short, too short, but at the same time, it lasts just long enough. You sit down after that, perching onto the porch of your house.

“What are you doing here?” you finally whisper, turning to him. His hand finds yours, fingers against fingers. Warmth…Comfort….Affection.

“I want to take you somewhere.” He smiles. And now, you're not just imagining it, you're not just recalling a faint memory. Up close, you can really see his smile and it's better than everything you could ever imagine.

“Have you ever been to the planetarium?”

You end up going there, a wide and open space that only provides dim lighting, it's completely empty. You squish into a seat, sinking into the leather next to Bambam. Then it turns completely dark in the theatre. You're silent for a moment, only hearing your own breath and then the ceiling gets illuminated.

Hundreds, no thousands of twinkling stars stare back at you. They glitter and sparkle so beautifully, that you let out a gasp.

It's probably a projection, you think, but the more you stare at it, the more real it seems. Like you could reach out for the stars if you just stretched out your hand for a tiny bit. Just a few centimeters and you fingers could touch them-

“Do you like it?” As if the atmosphere demands it, Bambam has turned to whispering. “It's been my favorite place ever since I moved to Korea.” His hands finds yours again, caressing the soft skin, making you shiver. Once again, Bambam is revealing something about himself, you notice, showing you a part of himself and you want to return the favor. Give him something back, tell him some of your secrets.

Your heart thumps in our chest.

You open your mouth and let out a shaky breath. “I love it”, you then whisper.

You start talking after that. Pointing out stars that are particularly beautiful, as you continue holding hands and then, after a lot of time has passed, when you stifle a yawn, Bambam looks at his watch.

“I'll take you home. You're tired.” Ever so perceptive, you muse as he gives you a smile. You wouldn't have minded spending more time with him, in fact, you would have liked, too, but you have to admit that you're tired.

“Ok.”

As he gives you a ride home, you give him an update on your life. Schoolwork. Your busy parents. The development with your sister. You apologize for driving to the party with her instead of him. Bambam seems disappointed for a second, but you quickly explain that you want to introduce her to someone at the party.

“I met him at the library and we studied together”, you mumble. You lean against your seat tiredly and stare at Bambam. “He seems so responsible.” Letting out a yawn, you blink a few times and then continue. “I honestly can't wait to introduce him to my sister.”

You see Bambam nodding. Then he turns to you slightly and only for a second. “And what is the name of this responsible guy?” he asks, his pink lips forming a pout.

For a second, you stare at him. Could it be that he's... jealous? You want to laugh at that thought. It seems impossible. He couldn't possibly be...you stare down at your legs.

“Mark Tuan”, you then answer, fiddling with your hands bashfully.

“Mark Tuan? Wow, that's pretty surprising.” Bambam turns left and then his eyes find yours again. “I actually know him. We're friends.” He smiles at you, so bright and dazzling. It is a small world, after all.

“What are you studying?” he then asks and you frown at the thought of those subjects.

“Math...and chemistry”, you answer slowly and with distaste. “They're the two subjects I have to work for the most.”

“Chemistry?” Bambam repeats. His eyes crinkle with amusement. “I can teach you chemistry, too, since the both of us... have chemistry, you know?”

You burst out laughing. Did he really just say that?

**

“I promise, I'll look for him right away and then I'll introduce you, ok?”

You throw a last glance at your sister and Seulgi, the latter gives you a big smile. She was giddy the entire time while driving, excited at the prospect of Suyeon meeting a new guy.

Then, you turn away and start skimming through the crowd, searching for Mark. It's hot and stuffy, but in a way, you've become a bit more used to it, you notice, scurrying your way through the crowd. It's only when you go a few steps further, that someone grabs your arm.

You turn to see Jinyoung staring at you. His shiny black hair is pushed back, exposing his forehead and dark eyebrows as well as his dark eyes. You don't stop to marvel though, because he opens his mouth, interjecting your train of thought.

“Well, what a pleasant coincidence seeing Bambam's beautiful girlfriend here”, he speaks deliberately. You can't help but frown at his words, feeling uncomfortable not just because of the way he still holds onto you.

You force out a shy 'hello' and look at the floor instead. The hairs on the back of your neck are standing up.

“Don't be shy”, Jinyoung commands. He tips your jaw with his pointer finger and tilts it upwards. Without wanting it, you obey and stare right into his eyes. They seem like obsidian, a deep black, you can barely tell the difference between iris and pupil, you notice, gulping nervously.

His face is only an arm’s length away from yours, with a dark controlled, sinister expression. What is he up to?

“I need your help, so to speak. A small favor.”

It's not a request, though, it's an order.

Your heart stops in your chest. You feel the signs of trepidation, as your hands start feeling cold, from the anxiousness that is starting to building up.

“I- I can-” Your words come out in a stutter. Jinyoung's grip on you tightens just a tiny bit. He interjects before you can say anything else, a smirk on his face.

“You can help? Well, it's a pleasure then.”

He looks behind you for a second, before he pulls you close. His expensive cologne penetrates your nose and you shut your eyes close before his lips meet yours.

A/N: If any of you ever have any problems and no one to talk to, I'm here for you!