"Ah, Miss Kim Areum-ssi," The portly businessman in front of me greeted enthusiastically. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, Mr Seo-ssi. And you?" I smiled politely. "How is your son?"

"He's doing very well, thank you. Managing the business very well, that boy," he laughed good-naturedly.

It was Sehun's official birthday today and the party his parents were holding was in full swing. The blonde hadn't arrived yet himself - as the star of the event, he was obviously going to have a grand entrance. The party was massive, possibly one of the biggest events of the year. The Oh group's only heir was turning 18 - no one would miss it. Even Jin and his family were invited, to my pleasant surprise.

"That's good to hear. You must be relieved - your business is in good hands," I replied, trained for these sorts of situations. Be polite and kind and other business owners will be more inclined to partner with you.

Didn't stop the fact that it was boring as hell.

"I am! My son is one of the finest young men," Mr Seo boasted proudly. "Speaking of which, you're turning 18 soon, aren't you? You're only one year younger than my son, old enough to get engaged soon. I'm sure you and my son would get along very well"

I blinked at the sudden turn of conversation before realising the implications of his statement. Part of me wanted to cringe while part of me wanted to laugh.

'How do I tell this guy that I'm already engaged without actually  telling him I'm engaged?'

I smiled pleasantly at the middle-aged man, pretending that I wasn't sweating nervously inside. "I'm sure we would, sir."

"I shou-"

"Excuse me sir, but may I please borrow Miss Kim?" A familiar voice interrupted him.. My eyes snapped up in relief as Jin appeared next to me, sending me a small wink, telling me he knew exactly what he was saving me from.

I allowed a small smile to play on my lips - what would I do without my best friend?

"And who are you, boy?" Mr Seo asked gruffly, looking surprised and annoyed at Jin's sudden interruption.

Unfazed by his rude tone, my best friend merely smiled charmingly. "My name is Kim Seok Jin, sir. If you may remember, my father performed heart surgery on your wife two years ago."

Mr Seo blinked, blanching as he realised he may or may not have insulted Korea's brightest medical prodigy and the son of one of the most famous surgeons in the world.

"O-Oh, you're  Kim Jungsik's son, aren't you?" Mr Seo tried to laugh it off, but he could clearly see the unimpressed look in Jin's eye. "W-well, I should probably go find my son. Have a good evening, you two."

With a hurried bow, he scampered off. Jin and I caught eyes for a moment before breaking into laughter.

"Did you see his face?" Jin snickered evilly.

"He looked terrified!" I agreed, giggling. He threw an arm around my shoulders casually, taking a sip of a champagne glass he took from a passing waiter.

"So, how have you been, my dear dongsaeng?" he asked, grinning down at me. "I haven't heard from you in ages."

"Not my fault high school is so damn stressful," I replied. "Should you be drinking? Don't you have class tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but I can't really find it within myself to care," he replied with another lazy wink. I rolled my eyes.

"Medical prodigy right here, everyone," I said sarcastically. He laughed.

"Oh how I've missed your sass," he said airily. (A/N: Anyone else who read that as , I'll see you guys down in hell XD)

I laughingly protested as he tugged on my curled ponytail. "You look very nice, by the way."

I smiled. "You don't look too bad yourself," I replied. "I like your suit."

He grinned. "I know, it really suits me doesn't it?"

He was already expecting me to slap him on the head and only half-heartedly tried to dodge, his amusement attracting weird glances from people around us.

"Make a pun again and I will stick that champagne flute up your ," I told him, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes.

"Language, my dear," he chastised, trying his best not to break out into giggles again. I rolled my eyes again, despite the small smile tugging at my lips.

"Sometimes I wonder how we're friends," I said.

"Because you love me, obviously," he waved his hand nonchalantly. "And because my puns are the best."

I snorted, not bothering to reply. Suddenly, cheers and applaud began rising from the crowd, followed by the sound of a car door shutting and the clicks of numerous cameras. Interest aroused, I shared a glance with Jin before craning my neck to try and see through the crowds of people. My eyes widened.

'Woaah…'

"It seems as if our star of the night has arrived," Jin commented. I could only nod silently in reply, not trusting my vocal chords.

'Damn, he looks good…'

Oh Sehun, clad in a sleek and expensive black suit, stood calmly as the press rushed to take pictures of him. He gave them a charming smile as bodyguards held them back.

"I can see you blushing," Jin leaned over to whisper in my ear, snapping me out of my daze and causing me to jump and whirl around in shock, red creeping up my cheeks.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" I muttered defensively. "I'm not blushing."

"Right, and my father isn't a surgeon," he rolled his eyes sarcastically, obviously enjoying my embarrassment. "You could have at least tried to make it a little more convincing. I've known you since we were little, my dear Areum. You can't fool me."

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about," I told him shortly, crossing my arms.

"C'mon, just admit it. You find him attractive," he grinned teasingly. "You like him~"

"Will you be quiet?!" I exclaimed, looking around nervously. Thankfully, no one was paying us attention, although there was one guy who seemed to be staring at us. He was too far away to hear anything though. 

"You do though, don't you? You didn't deny it," he said excitedly. "Oh my gosh, my baby Areum is all grown up!"

"Shut up, Jin," I huffed, looking away with incredibly red cheeks. "It's not like it's anything special. It's just a crush."

"And yet, if I am not mistaken, I remember you clearly saying that you hated the guy," Jin raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

I shrugged helplessly. "I don't know... it just happened! I don't even know how!"

"Have you kissed yet?"

My darkening cheeks and silence were all Jin needed for an answer. 

"OH MY GO-"

"Shut the up, I swear to god!" I clamped my hand over his mouth irritatedly, incredibly embarrassed. He looked at me with amused, twinkling eyes. He removed my hand gently.

"I'm just teasing, Areum," his said, voice turning serious. "I'm happy for you, you know? I was worried you'd continue to hate him and end up having an unhappy marriage and never end up getting to know what real love feels like. I'm just glad this happened because you deserve to find someone you love- or at least like."

My eyes softened. "I know. Thank you."

He smiled sweetly and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a warm, comforting hug. I closed my eyes as I reciprocated the gesture, wrapping my arms around his waist, feeling like a little girl again. 

"I love you no matter what, you know that? So if Sehun ever treats you badly, you have me to back you up," he said softly. I laughed quietly. 

"I know. I'm glad to have you as my friend, Jin," I replied sincerely. "I love you too, always."

He slowly let go, stepping away with a grin on his face. "Your prince charming is here. Don't want it to make it look like you're cheating on him, do you?"

"What?" I whirled around to see a familiar blonde striding our way, an amused glint in his eye. My heart automatically began speeding up at the sight of him. He looked unfairly handsome - his elegant black suit contrasted nicely with his pale skin while the navy silk dress shirt paired well with his blonde hair, which was styled back effortlessly. He movements were graceful and full of confidence and I was pretty sure a lot of the ladies present were swooning at the sight of him. 

Forcing myself to act nonchalant, I nodded my head in greeting. "Sehun. Nice party."

His lips quirked up into his billion-dollar smirk. "Having fun?"

"Lots," I replied, looking away awkwardly. Without anything else to say, I ended up blurting out, "The food was good."

He blinked and I wanted to hit myself. 'Food? Seriously? Areum, you stupid idiot.'

Suddenly, he began cracking up, pressing a hand to his mouth to stifle his snickers. "I'm glad you're enjoying it," he laughed, looking far more relaxed now. I opened my mouth to retort, but words failed me. Instead, I pursed my lips together