PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. I know I've been MIA with the updates recently and I apologize T^T I actually typed up most of this chapter but then I lost it during the server transfer. I was planning on waiting until it was returned but I decided I've made you guys wait long enough. So, here it is! Tell me if you're satisfied or upset with who she ended up with, yeah? (:

And btw, this ending is NOT ending anytime soon! Leave some comments on what you want to see in the upcoming chapters!

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Haeyoung’s POV

I stepped out of my car and thanked Seungwon. I let him take the rest of the weekend off and told him I’d ask the driver to take me home. I bid him goodbye and faced the front doors.

The masquerade winter dance was being held in a hotel ballroom. Once I got to the ballroom, my jaw dropped in amazement. Apparently the planning committee decided to put a modern twist to the masquerade theme. It was basically a regular winter school dance with a DJ, dance floor, tables, and a buffet table. The only difference was that everyone wore masks. The lights were dimmed and the only sources of light were the string lights hung around the room and the colorful light shining from the DJ’s equipment. The sight was absolutely breathtaking. Not bad, not bad at all.

I walked around the room and tried to look for Sehun. The masks and the dimly lit room didn’t help too much either. I suddenly saw a blonde haired guy staring at me. It took me a while to realize the familiar figure. I quickly ducked out of the room to avoid him and stumbled into the hallway. I placed a hand over my racing heart and took deep breaths to calm down. I suddenly realized just how nervous I was.

I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder and gasped, expecting to face Luhan.

However, to my surprise, it was Sehun who found me.

“Whoah, are you okay?” he asked me worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I panted. “You scared me, Sehun! I thought you were Luhan or Kai.”

Sehun was dressed in a tux with a silver handkerchief tucked in his coat pocket. His hair was gelled up and swept out of his face for a change. He looked nice.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice how much of a nervous wreck you were!” he teased. “Are you sure you want to do this tonight?”

I nodded my head in response.

“Okay, well Kai’s in the balcony on the left side of the hotel and Luhan is at the little garden in the back,” Sehun informed me. I nodded my head again, weaker than before.

“Good luck,” he nodded. He looked stiff and it dawned on me that he was scared to touch me and send me into a nervous breakdown. I smiled at how uncomfortable he looked and quickly hugged him.

“Thanks, Sehun. I owe you.” To be honest, I probably needed that hug more than Sehun did. He quickly loosened up and patted my head. He flashed me a small smile before I headed to my destination.

“Wait, Haeyoung!” he called. I turned back.

“Don’t forget to put on your mask!” he reminded me. I almost completely forgot to put it on! I placed it on my face and continued to walk.

I quickly wove through the crowd of people. My heart quickened with every step I took. My hands began to perspire under the gloves. Gross, I know. I tightened my grip around the piece of jewelry as I trudged along. I eventually found my way to my destination. I opened the doors and was met with a rush of fresh air. I looked around and found who I was looking for. Fortunately, he was the only one there.

He turned around to look at me. His black hair was styled similarly to Sehun’s. As expected, he looked really good in a tux. A smile crept on his face as he recognized who I was. Clearly, I was the source of happiness he suddenly acquired.

My heart broke. And not in a good way.

I knew this was a bad idea.

Kai’s POV

She was frozen in her spot with her fists clenched. She seemed pretty nervous if you asked me. I walked up to her and took her mask off. I didn’t do it to make sure it was her. I did it to reassure myself that this was actually happening.

“Haeyoung-”

“I’m sorry Kai,” she interrupted me. I tried to look into her eyes, but she kept avoiding my gaze. What was going on?

“Why are you apologizing? You’ve made me so happy just by coming here,” I placed my hands on her cheeks and her face with my thumbs. I started to grow more worried as time went on. We stood like that for a few seconds until she broke the silence.

“I’m not here for the reason you think I am,” she mumbled. My hands stopped moving.

“What do you mean?”

“I came here to give this to you.” She held her hand out and grabbed mine. She gently opened my hand and dropped the object onto it. It was my bracelet with my name on it. The one my sister gave me.

“How did you get this?” I asked while playing with it in my hands.

“It must’ve came off when we tripped.”

Tripped? Oh, right. The night we kissed. The night where I had no regret despite the consequences. The night I vowed to myself that I would win her heart.

However, it suddenly dawned on me that she didn’t choose me. She chose Luhan. I lost.

I simply nodded and tucked the bracelet into my pocket, unable to form words.

“I shouldn’t have done this, huh?” she chuckled.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have,” I replied with an edge in my voice. Haeyoung sighed and nodded. She looked to the ground and fiddled awkwardly with her hands.

I couldn’t help but be angry. Sure, I was nice to her when she asked for more time. I fulfilled her wish and gave her space when she needed it. But now, I couldn’t be nice. I gave my everything to her, and she still chose Luhan.

Then again, I was just being a sore loser. And a selfish one at that. This must’ve been a difficult decision for Haeyoung and my attitude isn’t exactly helping her. I took a deep breath and ran my hands through my hair. It’s time to grow up, Kai. Even though I lost, I didn’t automatically hate her. I still had feelings for her, but her happiness is more important than anything right now.

“You shouldn’t keep Luhan waiting. He’s probably a nervous wreck right now,” I lightly joked.

Haeyoung nodded and quickly pulled me into an embrace. I securely fastened my arms around her, realizing that this would probably be the last time I’d be able to do this. I slightly pulled away from her and gently kissed her forehead. She looked me in the eyes.

“I’m sorry, Kai. I can’t help what I feel. Besides, you deserve someone who appreciates and returns your feelings,” Haeyoung said as she pulled away. She put her mask back on. Then, she bowed her head before turning around and running off to find Luhan.

I was hoping you’d appreciate what I did for you. Regardless, I hope you’re happy. And I hope he doesn’t hurt you.

I turned around and silently admired the scenery. Why you may ask? Well, most guys that are rejected end up staring at a pretty scene because God knows why. I figured this would probably help soothe the pain from the rejection I just experienced but I gotta tell you that this did nothing at all except make me look like I was the lead role of a drama.

“She didn’t choose you?”

I turned around and found Sehun with his hands in his pockets and a confused expression splattered on his face.

“Nah. She just wanted to return something,” I half-heartedly chuckled while I showed my bracelet.

Sehun came up to me and reassuringly patted me on the shoulder. I placed the bracelet back in my pocket.

“Sorry man. I know you really liked her. But don’t worry, she’s in good hands, now.”

“Yeah, I know she is. I just kind of wished I’d be the one.” Sehun shot me a worried look. “Oh well. It is what it is, right?” I replied.

Sehun nodded and grabbed my wrist.

“Come on. Let’s go dance with some girls to take your mind off of her! It is the winter dance after all!” He dragged me inside and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I won’t lose my feelings for you anytime soon, but don’t worry about me. I’ll get over it because I know you’ll be happier with him.

Luhan’s POV

Oh gosh, what’s taking her so long? Wait, what do I mean why is she taking so long? She might not even be coming at all. She probably chose Kai. I mean, it’s been half an hour since Sehun told me to wait here. I’m just wasting my time waiting.

I sighed as I stood up from the bench. I turned to leave but then my eyes landed on a panting girl in a light blue gown. She was wearing her mask so I couldn’t exactly recognize who it was. Regardless, she looked absolutely stunning.

“Um, are you okay?” I slowly approached her. She held up a finger and slight crouched over with her hands on her knees while she tried to catch her breath. After a few seconds of deeply breathing, she straightened herself up and smiled.

This was starting to get a little weird…

“Luhan oppa.”

Her voice rang out and I quickly recognized her. I didn’t even try to hide the smile that suddenly appeared on my face. I ran towards her and encased her into my arms. She lifted her arms and placed them around my back.

“I’m sorry I took so long and I’m sorry for kissing Kai. It was wrong for me to do that considering how you felt about me. I honestly liked you at that time but I also had feelings for Kai so I didn't know what to do. I wanted to do this tonight to make it up for you. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect and unforgettable and-”

“Shhh,” I interrupted her. “It’s fine, Haeyoung. You came. That’s all that matters to me right now.” I felt her nod her head and she remained quiet. Now it was my turn to spill out my emotions.

“You have no idea how happy I am that you came. I was so nervous. After all, you did share a kiss with Kai. You have no idea how many scenarios were playing in my head just a few minutes ago. But I’m glad you chose me.”

I pulled away from the hug to look at her. I placed my hands on her cheeks and looked at her in the eyes.

“Haeyoung, I promise I won’t hurt you. I promise that as long as we're together, I will make you the happiest girl on this Earth. And most importantly, I promise you won’t regret choosing me.”

She smiled in response as she lifted her hands and placed them over mines.

“I already know I won’t regret choosing you, Luhan.”

The corners of my mouth rose as our foreheads came into contact with each other. We stood there and looked into each other’s eyes for a while, savoring the moment. My eyes unconsciously started to trail down to her lips. At that moment, my body moved on it’s own as I closed the distance between us and captured her lips.

Now, this may be embarassing, since I'm a senior in high school and all, but this was my first kiss. Sure, I could've had my first kiss with any of the girls that fawned over me in school, but I wanted it to be special. I've always imagined my first kiss to be planned. I would take the girl I liked out on a date. I'd do wherever her heart desired and walk her home, knowing she was satisfied. Then, I'd complete the perfect date with my first kiss with her on her front porch. Next, I would say a cheesy line and leave her breathless while I left to go home. That's what I imagined my first to be like. Granted, this wasn't anything near what I pictured it to be. But it was much better.

Her lips were warm and soft. They fit perfectly with mine as we kissed. At this distance, I could even smell the perfume she wore. My hands slid down to her waist as her hands wrapped around my neck, deepening the kiss. We eventually pulled away, both of us breathless and still wrapped into each other's arms.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She was moving her arms behind her head so I couldn't see what was going on. Haeyoung took a step back and I reluctantly unwrapped my arms. I missed the warmth of her body already.

She was wearing a pair of familiar rings on her fingers. She took the larger one off and slipped it onto my finger.

"There. Now it's back where it belongs," she stated triumphantly.

We both cheekily smiled at her comment as I played with the ring. It felt good to be wearing it again.

I suddenly came up with an idea and took the ring off of her finger.

"Yah! What are you doing?" she argued.

"Even though I already know the answer, I wanted to do this properly," I responded. She shot me a questionable look.

I held her hand in mine while holding the ring in front of her face with my other hand. I took a deep breath before I began my awfully cheesy speech.

"Jin Haeyoung. You caught my attention ever since you came walking into the front office like a lost little puppy on your first day of school. There was something about you that attracted me and distinguished you from other girls. At first, I was worried that I'd never get to see you again after escorting you to your class. However, after I found out you were in the same homeroom with my best friends, I decided to introduce you to them as a last resort to make sure I'd be able to meet you again. I was so excited when you walked into my cooking class that I could barely mask my expression. Also, I apologize for abandoning you on our first assignment when someone pulled me away. After that day, I started to gain interest in you. I noticed the little unimportant things you'd do such as the way you'd pout your lips whenever you were confused or how red your face would become whenever you were embarassed. You have no idea how jealous I was when I discovered that my dongsaengs had their eyes on you too. I decided to step my game up and spend some time alone with you. After that first date, I suddenly wanted to know everything about you. I wanted to learn everything about your past, make your present enjoyable, and even create a future with you. So, in order to fulfill my wish, will you, Jin Haeyoung, be my girlfriend?"

"Of course I will, Luhan!" she cheekily smiled and I slipped on her ring. I quickly pecked her on the lips before hugging her yet again.

"I appreciate your speech and all, but you didn't have to make it sound like you were proposing to me!" she exclaimed as her eyes started to water. I chuckled as I pulled away.

"I know. But I wanted this night to be perfect too, so I decided to do something," I responded while wiping the tears away.

"You made it perfect just by being here," Haeyoung lightly pushed my shoulder.

"Hey, I should be the one saying that!" I jokingly stated.

"Yeah, well, too bad! Mehrong~" Haeyoung stuck out her tongue before she ran away. I chased after her around the small park. Thanks to her heels and her long gown, it wasn't long before I caught her and started tickling her.

"Hey lovebirds!" I heard someone yell.

We both froze and saw Sehun waving at us with Kai by his side.

"The final slow dance is coming up and you guys better not miss it! We're going home after this!" Sehun yelled. Haeyoung untangled herself from my arms.

"Let's go!" she grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside.

Haeyoung's POV

When we got inside, the slow song already started and couples were already slow dancing. I dragged Luhan towards the center of the dance floor before we fell into position for the dance. I gradually placed my head on his chest and inhaled the scent of his cologne. Luhan gently rested his chin on my head and we continued to sway left and right. Eventually, he lowered his mouth towards my ear.

"Thank you for making this night perfect, jagiya," he whispered loud enough for me to hear.

I smiled at his comment before looking up into his eyes. I leaned in and gave him a meaningful kiss before I whispered a response.

"Thank you for waiting for me, yeobo."

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Tbh, this chapter didn't turn out quite as I expected it to... The ending wasn't what I expected either.. I had a bunch of ideas but sadly, I couldn't exactly blend them all into one perfect scene, so I apologize if this didn't live up to your expectations! :(

Comment Responses!

@Serrae1: Sorry for making you wait so long!!!!

@SHANeeLovesSHINee: Did her decision satisfy you? (:

@JustDerpin: You know, I was actually considering making Haeyoung choose Sehun since you suggested that. He was there for her and everything, but then the rest of the story needed Luhan to be the one :( That would've been interesting though!