My phone rang on the way back to the girls’ dorm.

“Hello?” I answered.

“You came but didn’t bother saying hello?”

“I just did,” I said. “Who’s this, anyway?”

“Yah, can’t you even tell the voice of your beloved best friend?”

“What—”

“Turn around.”

I did.

And there was Kyuhyun, smirking at me with a phone pressed to his ear.

A large grin spread across my face.

“Did you change your number? Again?” I asked as I walked up to him.

He shrugged. “So didn’t it ever occur to you that you should’ve told me you were coming? You love surprises, don’t you?”

I grinned cheekily. “Sorry. It was last minute.”

“It’s always last minute with you. Didn’t you even bother to come and see me?”

“What are you doing here, anyway? Henry said you guys were going to be leaving for Taiwan.”

“Not when I heard you’re here.”

I smiled at that.

“It’s good to see you again,” he said. “Really.”

“How are the boys?” I asked. “And Yesung? I kinda miss that guy.”

He grinned. “Once I get back we’ll have dinner, all of us, okay?”

I nodded excitedly.

“Where’re you heading, anyway?” he asked.

“I just got back from Kris’ place and I’m heading back to Jessica’s dorm now.”

He lifted a brow. “Kris’?”

“Kris. EXO Kris?”

“Right, I know. Of course.”

There was a sudden awkward silence.

“Well, I have to get back,” I said.

“Right. Of course.” His eyes still didn’t leave me.

But then he pulled on a smile, and everything was all right.

I was back at the dorm, and all the girls were already home. Lucky me, I was punctual. Yuri opened the door for me this time. She had half her head in curls, the other half straight. I tried not to say anything about it and walked inside as swiftly as I could.

The dorm was hectic. The girls were everywhere, and beauty supplies were scattered all over.

“Oh, you’re back,” Sooyoung beamed. She was carrying two dresses at the same time, and she asked for my advice without wavering. “Pink or purple?”

I couldn’t answer when Tiffany yelled, “PINK!”

I turned back to Sooyoung with a nervous grin. “Pink,” I decided, and she nodded and hurried to change.

I should have already gotten used to it after living with all nine of them for the months. They were always getting ready, always going somewhere, I didn’t bother asking anymore.

Instead, Sunny appeared and said, “We’re heading to a movie premiere.”

And Yoona popped in and said, “Come with us!”

I shrugged. “Loved to. Can’t.”

“You got somewhere else to go?” asked Tiffany, through a pile of clothes she was carrying. She dumped it onto the couch to lay them all out.

All eyes were on me.

“Where’re you going?” Sunny asked.

“You’re going somewhere?” Sooyoung chimed in.

“You just got here!” said Yoona. “You can’t possibly have somewhere else to be. You don’t, right? DO YOU?”

It took me a while to realize that Yoona’s nose was already bumping mine.

“Yoona,” Seohyun sighed. “Give the girl some space.”

Yoona pouted, but stepped back. Just an inch.

“Where’re you going?” she asked. “DO YOU HAVE A DATE?”

“Do I look like I’m going on a date?” I asked Yoona as I panned down at my attire. I was only wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a jacket while lugging my heavy backpack over my shoulder. I looked like I was going on a scavenger hunt instead.

“No,” said Yoona. “But we can make you.” Her evil grin made me step a few feet away.

“Now, now, Yoona,” said Taeyeon, appearing with curlers in her hair, “let the girl breathe. Don’t turn her into a Barbie doll. Please.”

“I didn’t say I was.”

“But you were thinking it.”

Yoona rolled her eyes, then rolled them back at me, the grin coming back.

“Are you going on a date?” she asked. “You are going on a date, right? You’re going on a date with Kris, aren’t you? Am I right? Right.” Her eyes were practically sparkling, and she was cupping my face with her hands. 

I pulled her hands away from my cheeks and rolled my eyes. “Seriously, almost everybody keeps assuming I’m dating him. Why do people keep assuming I’m dating him?”

“Probably because Kris said so. Every day. For the rest of the five months you were gone.” Yoona stepped back, eyes fluttering, grin widening.

I clenched my eyes shut. “I’m gonna behead that guy.”

“So where are you going?” Seohyun asked. She was busy trying to put on a pair of strappy heels.

I paused, then answered. “The stadium.”

She looked up.

I pursed my lips, then finished my sentence. “For the guys’ showcase.”

Yoona was beaming. “AWWW—”

“Don’t.” I shook my head and put a finger to her lips.

“So you are going because of him.” Seohyun was smirking, and so was Tiffany.

“For Sehun,” I said. “Both of them. Everybody.”

“Well, it’s in two hours,” said Tiffany.

“And…” Yoona looked at me, her grin back on her face. “Just in time for a trial makeover.”

I looked at Yoona, then to Seohyun, then to Tiffany, and realized that all of them were looking at me with a certain gleam in their eye.

Three hours later, I was hopping in heels and with glitter on my legs.

Tiffany was looking at me up and down.

“We should’ve settled with the glitter with the pink undertone,” she said, hand on her chin.

“No, the silver’