I walked up the pretty stone pathway that led me towards the entrance of a rather modern looking restaurant and lounge that had the word ‘Tempo’ on a sign just above it. Standing by the large glass doors, I listened to the blaring house music that managed to make its way through the walls as I patiently waited for my date.

Tiffany had invited me to her extravagant 19th birthday party, and since she planned it at a nicer place, she requested that we try our best to 'dress up' for the occasion. Butterflies began to flutter around in my stomach as I thought about meeting Tiffany’s new college friends. The prospect of meeting strangers was always a little daunting. Thankfully, I wasn’t going to be alone tonight.

Right on cue, I watched as my date gracefully walked in my direction from the same stone path that I had been on only moments ago. She was wearing a stunning little evening dress that covered up most of her body. It still accentuated her womanly figure and was a complete change from her typical geeky style. She tied up her beautiful light brown hair in a cute little bun which made her look straight out of a fairy tale. It looked like she really took Tiffany's request to heart.

“You look amazing today,” I said, giving her a flirtatious whistle.

She laughed at my little reaction. “You look great too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so beautiful unnie,” replied Seohyun with sincerity.

Hearing her compliment caused me to feel a little more confident. Actually, who am I kidding? I felt way more confident.

I was wearing a light purple dress that showed off my bare shoulders and slender neck. People always told me that I had a model like body, but showing off so much skin still took some time to get used too.

While playfully checking me out, Seohyun tried to mimic my whistle but blew out only drops of spit and air unable to make the flirtatious noise. We both laughed at her little failure. Seohyun was not so flawless after all.

It had been a good two weeks since I last had a chance to really talk to Seohyun in person. Phone calls happened once in a while, but most of our conversations occurred via text messages or IMs. The girl was always so busy running around to club meetings, volunteering, or studying for tests, that it was normal for us to lose communication for a few days. Hopefully we would be able to catch up tonight, but I doubted it.

Offering my arm, like any good date would, I watched as she cutely locked her arm in mine.. “Should we head inside?” I asked, trying to hide my excitement at our little intimate moment.

Seohyun nodded cutely with her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. Even in her ladylike dress, she still had that loveable innocent charm that made her so irresistible.

Once inside, we were greeted by a pretty hostess that led us straight to the back towards the party room where Tiffany was having her little gathering. Opening the heavy metallic door, we stepped into an elongated and narrow room arm-in-arm. The club-like lighting, fancy leather seating and the mini-bar to the side made it seem like a proper private lounge for hanging out. Thankfully, the music was a little quieter in this room than in the restaurant, which would be great for socializing. It was always hard to talk if you had to scream.

“Yoona! Seohyun!” shouted an eye-smiling Tiffany as she ran towards us, noticing our arrival. I was surprised at how fast she could move with her three-inch heels on, but she was a pretty tough girl.

Opening my arms to welcome the raven-haired girl, I hugged her and cheered, “Happy Birthday Fany!”

“I’m so glad you both came,” she replied, releasing me from a bear hug only to jump into Seohyun’s arms a second later.

“We’re glad we came too,” answered Seohyun, who eyed the crowd of people that were seated at a long table just behind the birthday girl. A few of them had been examining the two of us with curious eyes, probably wondering who the heck we were.

As a good host, Tiffany took the time to introduce each of us to her college friends and vice-versa. Luckily, there were some familiar faces as we saw Sunny & Hyoyeon who were also from our high school near the head of the table where Tiffany sat. After some ice breakers, the birthday girl found us a spot between two of her new college friends, Donghae and Kyuhyun. Taking our seats between the well-dressed guys we introduced ourselves and got to know each other in a more relaxed atmosphere.

“Oh so you’re from Tiffany’s high school?” asked Donghae as he offered a pair of menus to the two of us. I nodded my head, to which he answered, “Wow, never would’ve guessed. Isn’t that right Kyu?”

I watched as the other boy awkwardly commented, “Yeah. They look pretty old right?”

Did he just insult our age? I shook it off, and in the corner of my eye saw Donghae face palm at his friend’s choice of words.

Kyuhyun noticed our reactions and tried to save the conversation. “I mean, you guys look like college girls. Not high schoolers.”

“Right,” replied Seohyun. The air was getting thicker by the minute.

For a while we sat there awkwardly, until my best friend brought up a topic that interested her greatly. “So what’s college life like?”

The two boys got into a little discussion, sharing their thoughts, which prompted our table buddies just across from us to join in.

“Oh, it’s totally different from high school. It’s really refreshing,” said Victoria who sat in front of Seohyun. She was beautiful with big eyes, a wide smile, a cute nose and flowing dark brown hair. “You really have to be independent and hardworking or else you’ll just get left behind.”

I realized that Seohyun was taking this opportunity to actually learn more about her future and get some ideas of what it would be like in a year’s time. She was always such a keener. The discussion continued.

“Textbooks are expensive, tuition even worse, but with that said it’s definitely worth it if you can afford it,” added Donghae. “The party life is great, and you'll make a lot of new friends, like my buddy Kyuhyun over here.”

The two guys had a little bromantic moment, as they gave each other a weird little gaze and chuckled.

Seohyun seemed to be taking mental notes of all of this, as she wrinkled her brow for a brief second, showing visible concentration from the normally stoic girl. “What’s the toughest part?” she asked.

Kyuhyun joked, “Not getting distracted.”

All the college students agreed.

We continued to chat until the handsome and bright-eyed guy beside Victoria said something that gave my goose bumps. “I bet you and Yoona will have a great time in college. Are you guys going to be going to the same one?” asked Changmin, completely unaware of our situation. Hearing his words, I turned to Seohyun to see her reaction. Her body language suggested that she was too apprehensive to say anything.

There were only three colleges that I applied to, and I knew that Seohyun had applied to only one of them as a back-up to several back-up plans, so it was near the bottom of her acceptance list. With that said, maybe the girl had thoughts about going to the same school somewhere deep in her heart. However, just as that beautiful idea popped into my head, she destroyed it with a harsh reply that brought me back to reality. “We’ll most likely be going to different schools.” Her voice sounded sad, but at the same time, suggested that it was set in stone, that our fate was sealed.

Immediately I hunched in my little seat drained of most of my vigor. The girl, who had given me great confidence earlier, just took it all away from me with a single line.

“Oh. I’m sure you guys will still stay friends,” said Donghae. “It’s always really hard to keep in touch.” Thinking on it for a moment, he continued, “Kyu, for example, moved away from his hometown to come to school in Seoul.”

I watched as the other boy nodded with a smile. “It’s tough, but I still keep in touch with my friends when I have time.”

“Are you guys still close?” Seohyun asked inquisitively.

“It’s hard. Naturally you start getting distant, but that’s life right? People move on.”

Everyone around us seemed to agree with his little comment, which angered me. Tiffany was still really close with all her high school friends. Couldn’t Seohyun and I be the same?

Finally, Seohyun spoke as if she could hear the depressing thoughts that were forming in my head. “I’ll always be friends with Yoona. I don’t think any distance will change that.” She shot a cute and innocent smile my way, which was comforting, although “always be friends” didn’t really set well with my hidden agenda.

I heard Victoria give a sweet “awww” while the guys just sat there ignoring the little lovey dovey moment.

The evening went on as we continued to chat, sharing funny stories and talking about life in general. I would occasionally spot Tiffany floating around the room, being her usual friendly self. Initially, there were around fifth teen people in the elongated room, but that number doubled as time passed. A lot of people were fashionably late.

We stayed within our little circle as we continued to chat about a bunch of topics. In terms of food, I ordered a chicken katsu bento while Seohyun got the wood-baked salmon with wild rice and a side of garden salad. As usual, we divided our food when it arrived, so that we could both try a bit of everything as we ate.

Donghae, Victoria and Changmin were all great conversationalists that made us feel really welcome, despite being a bit out of place. On the other hand, Kyuhyun was awkward at times and reminded me of a younger Seohyun in an odd way. However I couldn’t help but notice his obvious fascination with the girl by my side. Was he competition?

Breaking my concentration, Donghae started on another topic. “So Yoona, Seohyun shared her big ivy-league dreams with us. What school are you planning to go to?”

It irked me that this was probably the most common question that’d I would hear for the next few months. I gave my normal answer. “Any school that accepts me.”

The group laughed like I had just delivered a hilarious joke. Thinking on it, I did apply to Tiffany’s college and knew that I had a good chance of getting accepted if I focused on my studies. “Maybe I’ll see you guys in a year,” I responded, catching their attention. Changmin and Victoria welcomed the idea with nods.

Donghae, who heard this, cleared his throat to catch our group’s attention. I watched as he took an exaggerated swig from his glass of water and delivered a cheesy response, “I sure hope so.” He gave a quick wink at the end, which made Changmin and Victoria laugh hysterically at his little lame advance. I couldn’t help but also join in, realizing that the guy had a pretty good sense of humour. Seohyun was her normal robotic self, just grinning as we giggled.

It was then that I noticed Kyuhyun scoot closer to Seohyun, ignoring Donghae’s joke completely. “So are you single right now Seohyun?” he asked with an interested tone.

This has confirmed my suspicions. He was competition.

Seohyun gave her usual reply. “Yeah, I’m not really thinking about dating right now. I want achieve my personal goals before I jump into any of that stuff.”

Oddly, hearing her answer made me more troubled than happy. It was another reason why I struggled to confess my feelings for her. I knew she didn’t care for romance.

Kyuhyun must have been drinking something from the minibar in the last hour because he started getting a lot more courageous. “How about dating in college?”

“I’ll probably be too busy for that,” answered the maknae of the group.

He wasn’t satisfied with her answer. “How about right now? Don’t you think you should have fun while you still can?”

“Studying is fun,” answered Seohyun with a grin.

Our group erupted with laughter while the nerdy girl gave us a bewildered look.
“This is the difference between a future ivy leaguer and the rest of us,” joked Donghae. We all agreed, except for Seohyun who was still out of the loop. I put my arm around her shoulder to let her know that I was on her side and laughing at her was all in good fun. She smiled, and I watched as she leaned in towards me, resting her delicately on my bare shoulder. I could feel my pulse rise as I inhaled the smell of her luscious locks which had an intoxicating floral scent that hypnotized me.

What looked sisterly to onlookers, really felt quite flirtatious to me. Of course, I was being delusional and getting lost in my own fantasy, but I was determined to make this a reality. I her hair until Tiffany suddenly popped up to chat, taking a spot in between Kyuhyun and Seohyun. “So how are you guys enjoying the party?” she asked.

I took a sip of water with Seohyun still on my shoulder. “It’s fun, we’re having a blast,” I said. “You’ve made some cool friends unnie.” The group nodded their head, agreeing that they were indeed pretty cool. She replied with a smile.

With disappointment, I watched as Seohyun sat up and leaned over on Tiffany’s shoulder, showing her affection for the girl. I sensed a slight bit of jealousy form in my gut. I could tell that I would be a pretty possessive girlfriend.

As our talk started heating up, the lights in the small room flicked off, catching everyone by surprise. People looked around in the shadows until a familiar tune started playing through the speakers that were all around the room. It was then that the metallic door opened, revealing Sunny and Hyoyeon who stepped inside carrying a massive birthday cake that was covered with nineteen pink candles. Everyone quickly crowded around Tiffany and started to sing along with the music. I clapped and tried my best to keep in tune with everyone around me. Of course, Tiffany had the biggest smile across her face and I could see her eyes water with tears of joy. Putting her hands over her face, she was embarrassed by the love that she was getting from everyone around her.

Putting the cake carefully on the table in front of her, Sunny and Hyoyeon gave big smiles and shouted, “Happy Birthday Tiffany!” Everyone started getting their cameras out for the big moment. “Make a Birthday wish!” we cheered.

Tiffany cutely scrunched up her face to concentrate on something that she really wanted. When she had her wish, she blew out all the candles effortlessly. We applauded her triumph as everyone started taking a ton of pictures from all sorts of angles.

After what seemed like a good ten minute Tiffany photo-shoot, I watched as she started distributing the rich slices of cake which I welcomed with excitement. Seohyun requested a smaller slice as the girl was obsessed with portion control. As we ate, we continued to chat and cheer for the birthday girl who was now finished with all the formalities.

“Are you guys coming over to my place after?” asked Tiffany as she carefully took a small bite out of her decadent piece of cake.

“No unnie, I have to head home early today,” replied Seohyun who gave a sad frown.

Tiffany beamed at her, letting her know that it was okay.

“Who else is going?” I asked.

Looking around the room, she answered, “Victoria, Hyoyeon, Sunny, and Jessica”

Hearing the last name caused some confusion in my head. “Who’s Jessica?” I didn’t remember anyone from the party that had that name.

Tiffany gave a cheeky smirk. “I’ll introduce you to her a little later.”

After a few more conversations, Seohyun got a call from her mother who was on her way to pick her up. “I’m sorry unnie, I should go out and wait for my mom. She’s going to be here pretty soon.”

Looking at my phone I noticed that time had flown by. It was almost midnight.

Tiffany gave the girl another hug as she stood up to leave, leaving a nice chunk of money to help cover the bill. She reached into her purse to reveal a neatly wrapped gift for the birthday girl, which seemed to take the shape and density of a thick book. ‘Typical Seohyun,’ I thought. She waved goodbye to her new acquaintances at the table and gave me a quick hug before leaving.

“Here, why don’t I wait with you?” I asked, realizing that it was a golden opportunity to chat with her alone.

Seohyun nodded, as I got up to follow her out of the room. We headed towards the entrance where we waited earlier, this time on the other side of the glass doors. Both of our eyes focused on the parking lot.

“How’d you like the party?” I asked, trying to start a quick conversation before she had to go.

Checking her phone for any messages, she replied, “It was fun, I wish I could stay longer.”

“We haven’t really had a chance to talk for a while,” I said, as I ran my fingers through my hair nervously. “Anything exciting happen?”

Seohyun kept her gaze away from mine, as she eyed the parking lot for her mother’s car. “Nothing worth mentioning, but Yonghwa did invite me to go out for a movie this weekend.”

Yonghwa?! Worry and jealousy were brewing inside my head as I heard her answer. “And you’re going?”

“Yeah, it’s just a movie.”

“But wait, you’re going alone with him?”

It was then that I heard a honk from a black BMW that had just arrived.

“Oh my mom’s here. Bye Yoona!” she said with sweetness all over her farewell. I watched as she gave me a quick hug, but I was a little too distraught to react appropriately. The thought of Seohyun going on a date alone with Yonghwa was the last thing I wanted to hear.

“But wait!” I shouted, desperate for an answer.

Seohyun stopped right outside the door, hearing my little outburst. She turned to face me with a surprise face. “What is it?”

Quieting down, I tried to keep my cool. I asked her the same question that she had left unanswered only moments ago. “Are you guys going alone?”

Seohyun shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

This was not the response that I wanted to hear. I had to make sure that I was in there way. “Can I come too?”

Thankfully, Seohyun was too innocent to see that Yonghwa was obviously asking her out on a date. “That’d be fun,” she replied with a smile. “I’ll ask.” Seohyun waved goodbye for the final time, heading down the stone path to her car. I noticed her mother waving at me from the window. Waving back, I watched as they drove off into the distance, leaving me rather lost in my own thoughts.

So Yonghwa was making his move? There was no way that I could just sit back and let this happen. This was war.