Kim Hyerin was not a big fan of participating in activities that exclusively required social interaction. It was a complete waste of time to her, plus the fact that she wasn't very good at it, so imagine her own surprise when she immediately took up Tao’s offer to go out that night.

She had a fairly good reason behind it. Baekhyun was going to perform. It may not seem like such a big deal, but this was Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun, the grumpy one. Byun Baekhyun, the moody painter.  Byun Baekhyun, the one who’d bite your head off if you disturb him in his sleep. Byun Baekhyun, the guy who you would never imagine standing on a stage. How could she possibly pass up the chance to see the boy perform live when she knew he would rather die than to let anyone see or hear him sing? She wouldn’t miss it for the world.

She found herself excitedly following the four boys inside the local pub Tao himself said he frequented in. The place wasn’t that bad - the interior was smoky and dim, reeking of cigarettes and pot. The crowd was a mix of punk kids and college hipsters, mohawks and horn-rimmed glasses and all. It wasn’t too bad, Hyerin thought.

They settled on one of the longer tables that provided the best view of the small stage.

“I’m gonna call the others, see if they could come,” Tao said before he turned to leave.

Hyerin nodded, turning her attention towards the empty stage where band instruments were already set up. She couldn’t find herself taking in the image of Baekhyun standing on that same stage, singing his heart out. It just didn’t work out well in her mind.

Deeply immersed in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice a new presence plop down on the seat beside her until an elbow nudged her on the side.

“Excited?” Kai asked, raising an amused brow.

Hyerin snorted. “This is Baekhyun we’re talking about, of course I’m excited. I've already thought of at least five jokes to bombard him with.”

Kai chuckled. “He’d flip out once he finds out you’re here. That guy is always so nervous before performing. He's insanely good, though."

“So you’ve heard him sing before?”

“Oh yeah. After we all got recruited by M-LX, we’ve spent some time hanging out courtesy of Suho and the older ones who think it’s best to get to know each other better," he said nonchalantly.

Hyerin’s face fell. She didn’t know they were already hanging out with each other back then. But that was probably because she wasn't meant to know about it in the first place.

Which meant she was intentionally counted out. 

A strange sinking feeling in her chest startled her, but she pointed out to herself it was only her feeling bad that she wasn't included in their little get-togethers, but what did she expect, really? She didn't make it a point to be pleasant to them from the moment they were all introduced to each other. Hell, she lied and tricked them. Even after joining M-LX she acted like a , which probably literally scared them away.

Noticing her dejected expression, Kai immediately tried to take it back. “. Sorry. I know we should have told you about that-”

“No. Really, I don’t blame you guys," she chuckled. "I was an . I’m sure even I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with myself.” She shook her head in disappointment. “I would have probably done the same thing, really.”

Kai ran a hand through his black tresses, looking guilty. “No, Hyerin.” He left his fingers in his hair, the other reaching out to capture Hyerin’s hand. “Rather than not wanting to have anything to do with you, we were more concerned about how you would feel about us.  You had your guard up all the time. We knew you weren’t going to open up to us just like that. We wanted to gain your trust slowly but surely,” he explained, eyes fixed on the girl. “And I really hope we finally got that trust.”

Hyerin looked down on their hands and felt herself smile. “You already have,” she muttered, looking up at his face that mirrored the same fond expression he had. “Since a long, long time ago.”

Kai gave her one of his boyish grins and squeezed her hand. He found himself thinking how he was perfectly comfortable like this, like he could do just this forever, when suddenly, a wild Kyungsoo appeared.

He was happily holding hands with Hyerin when the bastard came from nowhere and looped an arm around her frame, pulling her out of her chair.

“Hyerinnie!” the boxer exclaimed in a singsong voice as he nuzzled her neck. “I missed you!”

Kai rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in defeat. 

The girl sighed in exasperation. “It’s nice to see you again, too.”

Soon after, the rest of the boys came flooding inside the place, greeting Hyerin with friendly waves and hugs before seating themselves at the table.

"Do Kyungsoo! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Chanyeol practically yelled, pulling the boy away from Hyerin.

“Shut up, dumbyeol, she’s mine! You’ve been hogging her for the longest time since we’ve known her, its unfair! Now scram!” Kyungsoo bit back.

“You disrespectful little ! I won’t let you harass Hyerin, now get your hands off her!” Chanyeol exclaimed.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “No. Just go cuddle up to Kris or something. I don’t care,” he said, tightening his grip on Hyerin’s arm. Chanyeol could only watch in resentment as he walked away, sitting beside Lay and Sehun. 

Now that Chanyeol was out of his hair, Kyungsoo turned to Hyerin happily and led her to the table.

“How was Hyerinnie’s day?” Kyungsoo asked in a pitch higher than how he normally talked.

Hyerin could do nothing but go along with it. “Oh, pretty productive, actually. I couldn’t say I was satisfied with today’s events, though.”

“What?” Kyungsoo’s eyes darkened slightly. “Why? Did someone make you upset?” he questioned, ready to stand up and get into a fight.

Hyerin’s eyes widened at his sudden change of mood. “What? No! No, definitely not.” It wouldn’t make sense if she told him about Blue when the boy wasn’t even in a state of normalcy. “It’s just not one of my best days, you know?” She shrugged while Kyungsoo nodded silently.

While they waited for Baekhyun’s band to perform, they ordered food and talked amongst each other about what they have been up to. Hyerin shared a little bit about what happened earlier that day, while the other four who accompanied her filled in the details. Lay was working at the café the whole day and Sehun was over at his mother’s to help out with moving stuff. Xiumin and Chanyeol were together for fantasy football with other friends while Kris was off studying. Suho busied himself with preparations for the formal ball like usual.

The food arrived shortly after and they started digging in. While this was going on, Kyungsoo fed a distressed Hyerin the whole time, babying her as if she was incapable of feeding herself.

“D.O. will you stop?” Hyerin asked irritably, dodging the french fry he was forcing into .

“But you need to eat, Hyerinnie! Now come on, open your mouth,” he ordered. Hyerin sighed before obliging and eating the french fry.

“It’s not like I’m five, you know,” she grumbled.

“Stop whining!” he exclaimed, pushing the double cheeseburger to . “Eat! Or else Kyungsooie will get mad!”

“I can do this on my own, D.O.! Can you stop that? I’m not eating that until you let me feed myself.” She crossed her arms and turned away. "Also, don't refer to yourself in third person. It's making me uncomfortable."

Instead of his usual snarky comebacks, Kyungsoo laughed adorably. “Hyerinnie is so stubborn. It’s starting to get really, really cute!” he giggled, jumping in his seat excitedly. “But like what Kyungsooie said earlier, Hyerinnie needs to eat! Hyerinnie should stop being so whiny and just eat! Okay? Okay! Now here comes the airplane! Aaah!”

Xiumin looked like he was ready to pull out his hair. “I can’t stand this .”

“Seriously, someone should video record him. His reaction to watching this when he’s finally sane would be priceless,” Sehun chuckled.

Kyungsoo started to sway the double cheeseburger in the air as he made airplane noises. Hyerin watched on as he did this, first finding it embarrassing but then later finding it ridiculously cute and funny. Although it was quite weird to see him like this, Hyerin admitted that it was amusing to have this kind of Kyungsoo around.

The ‘airplane’ was approaching her and as embarrassed as she already was, she still opened and took a big bite much to Kyungsoo’s excitement. threatened to spit out the chunk she bit off, as the sight of Kyungsoo swaying left and right while clapping his hands enthusiastically was too hilarious.

was dribbled with a ridiculous amount of ketchup, and Kyungsoo thought it was an excellent idea to whip out his phone and take a picture of Hyerin in such a state.

“Say cheese!”

“D.O.,” she called in a warning tone. “Put that thing away or else.”

“Or else what?” he prodded, snickering.

“Or else I’ll cut your balls off, that’s what. Stop taking pictures!”

Kyungsoo giggled before jumping out of his seat and running towards the bathroom. “Hyerinnie has to catch me first!”

“Argh! Seriously!” she exclaimed. “Get back here!”

“I don’t think he will,” Suho said helplessly, looking back to where Kyungsoo ran off.

“What a freaking brat! We should teach that guy a lesson, really!” Chanyeol mumbled with his mouth full.

Hyerin sighed. “I’ll just go get him.”

She ran to where Kyungsoo disappeared to. As she walked further in, she learned that it led to the rooftop. A heavy door that was slightly ajar was located in between the men and women’s bathrooms, leading to a flight of stairs. Seeing no harm in checking there, she climbed up.

Turns out that her hunch was right. Kyungsoo stood behind the rails and watched the city lights before him, phone clutched in his hands.

“Kyungsoo, give me the phone!” she demanded, jogging towards him.

Kyungsoo turned around, a big smile etched on his face. “You found me!”

Hyerin rolled her eyes. “It's not as hard as you think, idiot. Now give it to me!” she exclaimed, reaching out to retrieve the phone and delete the pictures herself.

“No way, Hyerinnie! You look too cute in these!” He pouted as he scrolled through the pictures. “It would be a waste to delete them!”

Hyerin coughed uncomfortably before angrily reaching for the phone. “A waste to delete them my ! Quit with the bull before I seriously get mad at you!”

Kyungsoo looked up at her and snickered, placing a hand over his mouth. “Omo, Hyerinnie…”

“What is it now!?” she snapped.

He pointed to her face. “Didn’t you bother to wipe your face first? Hyerinnie, you’re so funny!” he chuckled.

"Huh?" Was she that worked up about the pictures to forget about something so simple as to clean her face?

A gentle grip on her wrist stopped her hand from wiping . What now? She looked up at Kyungsoo heatedly, having enough of his mischievousness, only to see his body barely a few inches away from hers. There was a soft amused expression set on his handsome face and for once, Kyungsoo looked the calmest he’d ever been since being drugged.

Hyerin gulped as the boy’s towering figure lowered down to meet her level. “Let me get that for you,” he muttered, eyes fixed on while she, on the other hand, stared at him in bewilderment.

Her heartbeat quickened as she felt him fill the space between them, lifting her chin up in the process. She met his gaze briefly before Kyungsoo leaned in and grazed his lips against the side of , barely missing her own lips, and the ketchup away with his tongue.

Hyerin was rigid as a statue even when Kyungsoo pulled away. Her eyes were wide from the shock of what he just did. Did he just…did he just my face?

The tinkling sound of Kyungsoo’s chuckle snapped her out of it. The boy was back to his childish ways again, eyes turning into a pair of crescents.

“There! All done! Now Hyerinnie’s all cleaned up!” he cooed as if what he did was perfectly normal human behavior.

Hyerin did not get the chance to retort when the door to the rooftop opened.

Kris took a few steps inside before informing the two that Baekhyun was about to perform. “They’re setting up the instruments right now so we should go-” Kris paused, suddenly noticing how close Hyerin and Kyungsoo were standing. The younger boy even had his hand on her arm.

“What are you two doing?” Kris questioned, tone a little accusing.

“N-Nothing!” Hyerin stuttered. The effect of what just happened started to take its toll on her. Her face was redder than a tomato. “Let’s just go. C’mon, you dumb idiot,” she said, pulling Kyungsoo with her downstairs.

---

Hyerin watched Baekhyun perform with hanging open. His hands were wrapped around the mic stand as he belted out an unfamiliar, probably self-composed song.

She had no idea who this guy was.

All troubled thoughts about what happened earlier with Kyungsoo were thrown out the window once Baekhyun started to perform. Hyerin couldn’t believe that the guy she argued with, playful or not, was the same guy that was standing on that very stage.

Baekhyun completely did not look like himself; he was clad in a white shirt topped off with a black leather jacket, sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He wore black combat boots along with skinny jeans that complimented his long, toned thighs. The look was completed with a generous amount of eyeliner and messy tousled hair, his eyeglasses gone.

It was as if he was a completely different guy. Sure, he was an amazing painter - a feat she never expected from him - but never had she seen a side of him that was just so different. She could tell by the way he clutched the microphone, the way he banged his head to the music, the way he belted out the high notes that he was born to be on stage. She had never seen him as charismatic as he was now, never seen him actually enjoying something. This was his passion, she was sure of it. This was his escape, his diversion, his way of letting loose.

It wasn’t the way he seductively grazed his tongue on his lower lip or how he ran his fingers through his messy hair— again, something she did not expect Baekhyun to do at all—that she admired him; it was after watching him sing his heart out that she realized this is who Baekhyun was. Not the sulky boy they all perceived him to be.

After five songs, Baekhyun’s band waved goodbye and left the stage much to the audience’s disappointment. That included Hyerin and the others.

“Damn! Hipster dude did it again!” Chanyeol exclaimed, shaking his head in amazement.

“He’s so good. I don’t even know why he’s keeping this as a secret,” Chen mumbled, sipping his smoothie. “It's like he has two different personas.”

“We’ve been asking him why but he just shrugs it off. I guess he just doesn’t like the attention,” Luhan offered before chatting with Sehun who took the seat beside him.

“Look who’s here!”

Xiumin came round the table with Baekhyun trailing behind him, still clad in his getup. The only difference was that he had his embarrassed-slash-irritated-slash-closed off face back on, so in contrast from when he was performing earlier.

“There’s our little rock star!” Kai exclaimed before all the boys cheered and whistled, yelling embarrassing compliments while Chanyeol trapped the boy into a headlock.

“Park Chanyeol, let go of me!” Baekhyun demanded as he pried the basketball player off him.

“I’m so proud of you! You totally killed it out there!” Chanyeol said excitedly.

“Yeah, and that’s not the only thing I’m going to ‘kill’ if you don’t stop this instant!” Baekhyun threatened.

“Let go of him Chanyeol, he’s probably embarrassed being up there for so long that he can’t take any more attention,” Lay teased although he had a blank expression on his face, making it even funnier.

“Yeah, Baekhyun, you were amazing. You were really feeling it up there, man.” Even Kris had his fair share of mischievousness.

“It’s true,” Suho agreed while Kyungsoo nodded vigorously.

Baekhyun couldn’t take it anymore and blew up at the guys, making the boys erupt into laughter. They exchanged high-fives and ruffled the boy’s hair, messing with him even more.

Hyerin watched all this go down from her spot at the edge of the table. How long has it been? Four months? Five? It didn’t seem like it as she watched them horse around. They acted as if they knew each other since the beginning.

In the midst of the hyperactivity, Hyerin and Baekhyun met gazes. She was gobbling up some sliders and he was talking to the boys when it happened.

Not knowing how to react from their sudden eye contact, she gave him a small wave, the corner of tugged upward. On the other hand, Baekhyun rubbed the back of his head bashfully, looking contemplative for a second before making his way towards her.

“Wow, seriously? Mr. Rockstar is approaching me right now? Really? Is this a dream?” She figured a little teasing wouldn’t hurt.

Baekhyun sent her a glare before occupying the seat beside her. “Don’t even start.”

She chuckled. “On a serious note, though, you were really awesome up there. To be honest, I didn’t really wanna go with them here, but now I’m glad I came. I got to watch you perform.”

Baekhyun glanced at the stage before sighing and sitting back against the chair. “I’m not that great. I mean, I guess I could sing a little, so why not make good use of it? I do need the money,” he reasoned, taking a water bottle from the table and drinking from it.

“Oh, but you are,” Hyerin retorted. “If only you were in my shoes, you would know how I felt watching you. You’re really amazing, Baekhyun. You should be aware of that fact.”

Baekhyun was halted from drinking and instead, stared at the girl with wide eyes. Hyerin rarely expressed any kind of liking to anything, so this was new.

Putting down the bottle, he reached up to lift his glasses from the bridge of his nose, only to remember he wasn’t wearing them. Instead, he scratched his temple timidly. “Well…thanks, I guess?”

“Just don’t let it get to your head."

“How can I not when people like you keep rubbing it in?” he countered.

She shrugged, leaning back against her chair. “Then I won’t compliment you anymore.” 

Baekhyun tilted his head back and laughed. “No, but really, thank you. I never really paid much attention to compliments until you guys came along.” He shrugged. “Usually it just comes in one ear and then out of the other since I’m always so tired and all. But ever since I met the guys, they’ve been constantly supporting me and watching my performances.”

He looked at her, a big smile on his face. It was quite charming. “After this, I really hope you’ll be around to watch me perform again.”

Hyerin eyed him skeptically. “What's gotten into you? Why are you suddenly so nice to me?” she asked, earning a light shove from a flustered Baekhyun. 

She laughed before elbowing the boy playfully. “I would like that,” she quietly said. “I would really, really like that.”

The night went on with the thirteen of them just talking and fooling around. They would laugh, and then they would be serious, and then they would go back to laughing. It was strange how they were so comfortable with each other now. Funny how things could change just like that.

Luhan plopped down beside her, engaging their own private conversation. “Feeling better?” he asked, folding his arms on top of the table and hunching forward.

Hyerin almost forgot about their trip to Asylum 413N earlier that day. “You know, I would rather die than to admit it but…yeah. I’m feeling better,” she said, sighing contently.

“Well, that’s really good to hear,” he said, chuckling. “Wouldn’t want you to go back to being a little brat.”

“Thank you,” she said seriously, taking him aback. “For taking me here. I’m really grateful to have you guys as company.” She smiled fondly as she watched the others throw food at Sehun.

Luhan smiled, pulling her towards him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “That’s our job. We’re family now, remember? We take care of each other from now on.”

Hyerin wondered when she’d get the chance to experience a friendship like theirs. What she didn’t know was that she was already a part of it.

She didn’t know, until now.