"This is not part of my schedule for today," Hyerin groaned, taking an earring and putting it on her left ear.

"Hyerin, here are your shoes."

Hyerin turned around and walked towards Hwayoung, her father's stylist. "Thanks. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you weren't here." She shook her head before putting on the other earring.

Hwayoung had been her father's personal stylist ever since he got big as an entrepreneur, so once Hyerin started living with Myungjae, Hwayoung had been the one to fix her up during formal gatherings. In this case, she was going to attend her winter formal at the last minute.

Although Hyerin knew how to fix herself up pretty decently, it gave her a big relief when Hwayoung knocked on their door, saying that she was sent to fix her up. She silently thanked her dad who she was sure was the one who sent her in.

Speaking of her father, she hasn't seen him around lately, and the only time she got to actually see him was when he gave them new equipment for their mission. Even then, he left as soon as he arrived.

"Hwayoung," she mumbled.

The shorthaired stylist looked up from putting on Hyerin's shoes. "Yes, honey?"

"Have you seen dad lately? Like, did he ask you to come over to prep him up for an event or something like that?" she asked.

Hwayoung shook her head. "Nope," She went back to putting on the girl's shoes, "I was asked to stop by here next week, though. I guess he's pretty busy with work stuff. You know how your dad is."

Yeah, I know how my dad is. I know that he'll probably just let his secretary suffer from all the work and focus more on M-LX. She sighed at the thought of Myungjae forgetting his own daughter.

Beep! Beep!

Hyerin was startled by the car horns coming from outside. "Oh ," she mumbled, looking up at her wall clock. It was exactly seven o'clock.

After putting on her shoes, she swept the curtains to the side and looked out her window. A black BMW was parked in front of the gate with the hazard blinkers on. Whoever was picking her up was already here.

"I need to go now," Hyerin said, quickly taking her purse and putting all the necessary things inside it.

"Oh, your date's here?" Hwayoung asked.

"Oh, um," She scratched her head before gawkily answering her question, "Uh, yeah. Something like that."

"Okay then, but let's get you to the mirror real quick and see if there's anything wrong with your outfit," Hwayoung said, pulling the girl in front of her mirror.

Hyerin was dressed in a short ivory strapless sweetheart dress, the bodice completely covered in rhinestone and the skirt layered in just the right length. Her pumps were also the same ivory color. Her long black hair was swept to the side in big loose curls, make-up accentuating her best features. The look was completed with simple yet elegant silver jewelry.

"You look wonderful, Hyerin." Hwayoung beamed at her, scrunching up her curls before pushing her towards the door. "Now go hurry and leave! I'll lock up the house."

"Thanks, Hwayoung!" Hyerin waved at her. "You really did an amazing job," she said lastly before shutting the door behind her.

Hyerin climbed down the stairs and grabbed her coat before heading towards the door. With one last breath, she stepped outside.

She walked over to the gate and unlocked it. She glanced briefly at the parked BMW in front, wondering who possibly picked her up.

As if on cue, the driver's door opened, and black loafers stepped down on the concrete. Her eyes trailed up from his shoes to his face, surprised at who it was.

"Hey," she greeted, making her way towards him.

Kris nodded at her before giving her a quick once-over. His blasé eyes started from her head down to her shoes, and for a moment there he looked blank, like he didn't know what to say or do.

"Good evening," he said.

"Good evening," Hyerin greeted back, consciously pulling down her skirt.

Clearing his throat, he nodded back at the car. "Should we go now?"

She nodded quickly. "Uh, yeah! Yeah, we should."

Hyerin made her way to the passenger side of the car as Kris opened the door for her. Before stepping inside, she briefly examined Kris' overall appearance that night. He was wearing a black Armani suit and a matching black tie. Because of the weather, he was wearing a long black cotton coat to fight off the cold. His hair was styled up and was swept to the side, giving her a clear view of his face.

He was looking good himself.
 

Once they were inside the car, Kris immediately started driving.

Hyerin tried to make herself comfortable but failed to do so as the very awkward silence that hung between them began to unnerve her.

She puffed her cheeks before asking, "So who's BMW is this?"

"Mine," Kris answered immediately. "It's the car I use going to school. This was my car before I got the one Agent M provided for us."

"Oh." She nodded, thinking that his parents must be well off if they could afford a BMW for their eighteen-year-old son. "It wouldn't be that smart to drive your other car around school."

"Of course," Kris scoffed. "I wouldn't be able to take all the questions the students in Yeongnam would bombard me with if I arrived in a Lamborghini." He shook his head at the thought.

Hyerin nodded in agreement before leaning back on her seat. Just like that, the conversation between them died.

"So-"

"Did you-"

The two stopped what they were about to say and looked at each other.

"You go first," Kris said.

"No, you can go first."

"No, it's okay, just go."

"No, really, I want you to-"

Kris glared at her before setting his attention back on the road. Hyerin sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she mumbled, hugging her coat. "I was just going to ask you what you're going to do after you graduate."

He was silent for a while before turning the radio on and lowering the volume. It was on an alternative rock station. "Attend college. You know, get into a good university and work my off."

"Have you already thought about what you're going to major in?" she asked.

He shrugged again. "Probably political science for my undergrad. Then law school," he mumbled, turning to her when they stopped at a stoplight. He raised a brow. "Why'd you ask?"

Hyerin merely shook her head as she thought about what the other seniors would be doing. Xiumin, Suho, Lay, and Luhan were also graduating next year, but they never really shared what they wanted to do after that.

Since they were talking about law school, she remembered Kai once again. Now that she thought about it, she really couldn't picture Kai doing what Kris was doing. Going to college, trying to get good grades or especially going to a prestigious university definitely did not suit him.

"I heard Kai's dad wants him to go to law school someday too," Hyerin commented, crossing her legs.

"So you've heard."

"Mhm. His life and pretty much everyone's lives are still a blur to me, though," she chuckled.

"Well Kai's family is very rich since his father is a politician and all, so you can say that being the youngest of all four siblings, expectations for him are as high as the eldest. The problem is that Kai got into dancing and sports and doesn't give a crap about politics. So being pressured to go to college and all that stuff is pretty much the most annoying thing to him."

"Is that why he moved out of his parents' house and decided to live with Suho?"

Kris nodded as he turned a corner. "That's one reason."

"Then he's pretty lucky that his parents let him live with someone they don't know."

"His parents do know Suho," Kris corrected. "In fact they know him and his family very well. Everyone in Suho's family is practically involved in politics, resulting to Kai and Suho's parents' close relationship. They've known each other since they were kids. In contrast to Kai, though, Joonmyun is very much interested in politics."

Hyerin's eyes widened. "Seriously?" she asked, brows furrowing. "Then how come Suho's living on his own, then?"

Kris sighed. "It would take us all day if I tell you. And besides," He glanced at her through his peripheral vision, "It's not my story to tell."

Hyerin pouted in disappointment, but decided to let it go. It was none of her business, anyway.

"So are you excited for the ball?" Hyerin asked instead.

"Sure," he deadpanned.

She chuckled at his nonchalant answer before switching her attention to the scenery outside the windows. It was snowing, and she was troubled with the thought of braving the ungodly weather later on in the dress she was wearing.

"Hyerin?"

She turned to look at him. "Yes?"

"You look beautiful tonight," he muttered, eyes trained on the road ahead.

She smiled before turning back to the window. "Thanks."

---

It was already 7:30 PM when they arrived at the academy, but even then, they were stuck in a traffic of cars that waited to be attended in front of the ballroom's entrance. It was not a long wait since the line moved fast, and before they knew it, Kris' BMW was already rolling to the front of the building.

Kris stepped out first and, being the kind gentleman he was, helped Hyerin out of the car. She did not hesitate to take the outstretched hand before her when she stepped down on the concrete.

"Thanks."

Kris nodded, handing the valet his car keys as he placed Hyerin's arm around his. The attendant bowed and took it, immediately entering the driver's side of his BMW and driving away to the parking lot so as to not make the car behind him wait any longer.

The both of them climbed up the short flight of marble stairs, taking in the stares of onlookers and gossip-hungry students. They didn't mind them, though; they were too disinterested to care.

When they reached the entrance, two uniformed men opened the doors for them.

The ballroom was beautiful; aside from the hand-made banners hanging from the ceiling and the excess tables and chairs on the sides, it was truly a sight to see. It was spacious enough to accommodate the students invited to the ball, yet still had a fair amount of room to walk around in. Everything from the walls to the tables was gold, red, and blue, Yeongnam Academy's official school colors.

Kris and Hyerin made their way around the area, searching for their friends in the sea of people.

As they were walking around, Hyerin felt very conscious of herself. Maybe it was because she never attended school with fancy jewelry or curled hair. Maybe it was because the stares of the people around them kind of suffocated her. Maybe it was because she just wasn't comfortable receiving this kind of attention, or maybe even because she was currently arm in arm with an attractive senior everyone admired. Whatever it was, she couldn't hide her discomfort. Nothing bugged her more than people seeing her insecurities.

"What's the matter with you?" Kris asked, sensing her agitation.

"Nothing," she blurted, probably too quickly.

Kris continued to walk with his chin high, scanning the room. "You seem uncomfortable."

"I don't attend school events."

"I knew that a long time ago. What's really bothering you?"

"I don't know. The thought of being hated by most of the female population of this school all because I'm with you right now?" Hyerin dryly chuckled. "Is that a good enough answer?"

The swimmer let out a big sigh. "Good enough, I guess," he mumbled, advancing towards the dining area of the ballroom. There, they spotted the others standing next to a giant pillar, apple ciders in their hands.

Kris and Hyerin started to make their way towards them. The boys noticed them approaching.

The moment they laid their eyes on the only girl of the EXO unit, the boys made whooping shouts and gave admiring smiles at her.

She was embarrassed, but at the same time, she felt relieved with the positive response. Kris chuckled beside Hyerin as if she was some prize he put dibs on.

"es," he muttered under his breath, eyes glinting with amusement.

Sehun was the first to approach her. "Hyerin, you look so–" he let out a soft chuckle, taking her hands and studying her appearance from head to toe, "You look so pretty."

Hyerin laughed heartily and glanced down at her dress. "Do I?" she asked quietly, more to herself than the others.

"Yes, Hyerin. You are absolutely lovely," Suho said sweetly, placing a hand on her bare shoulder.

"Thanks," Hyerin mumbled, scratching the back of her head. She looked up at the others and was also quite taken aback by their overflowing charisma. "You guys are looking pretty good yourselves."

"Of course," Tao spoke up, brows slightly quirking up. "If we have such a pretty companion we need to be pretty ourselves, right?"

Hyerin laughed.

"Anyway, since everyone's here already, we could all do whatever we want now." Xiumin shrugged, drinking from his glass.

"Why? You guys haven't gone around?" Kris asked, tucking his hands inside his pockets.

"Of course not! We would've missed seeing Hyerin all prepped up like this if we did." The chubby-faced stuck out his tongue, giving the girl beside him a slight nudge. "Don't think that you'll be keeping her all to yourself for the rest of the night, Krissy."

"Never said I did." The swimmer shrugged, taking a drink from the waiter passing by before walking away from the group.

"So did you guys bring any dates?" Hyerin asked, taking the glass Lay offered her.

"Nope," Baekhyun said, sipping his drink.

She frowned. "Why not?"

"It's just not really the smartest thing to do," Kai spoke up.

"Why?"

"Because we're popular," Luhan answered casually. "You said it yourself, we have people who watch us all the time. The last thing we want is some fan war going on in the middle of the dance, right? So might as well not bring any dates."

"And then for some reason you don't think about 'fan wars' at all when you hang around me in public?" Hyerin folded her arms along with a raised brow.

"Why? Has anyone been calling you out for it?" Chen asked.

Yes. "No. Not really." She shook her head nonchalantly, turning around to face the other side of the ballroom swarming with people.

---

"Hey, bud." Kris sat next to the basketball team's captain who was silently watching the students slow dance in the middle of the room. "What's up?" he asked him.

An hour had passed since they were all gathered in one corner of the room, and now they separated into their respective cliques. It had been a while since they spent time with their other friends, so this was the perfect opportunity to catch up.

Seeing that Chanyeol was a very social boy, Kris found it strange to see him alone in an empty table, elbows resting on his knees and just staring blankly ahead of him. It was so unlike Chanyeol.

"Hey," Kris nudged the younger boy's shoulder, "I asked you a question."

Chanyeol looked down at the marble floor before sharing eye contact with Kris. "Yeah?"

"You seem pretty down lately. What's up with you?"

"I think you know."

Kris rolled his eyes. "Would I ask if I knew?"

"No, really," Chanyeol pressed, fumbling with the inside of his inner suit pocket. The other watched as he pulled out a red rose. "You know. All of the other guys do."

Kris' mouth opened to say something, but decided against it. Instead, his eyes were trained on the single flower held in between Chanyeol's fingers.

"Oh," he whispered, blinking rapidly as he looked to the other side. "Are you going to be alright?"

Chanyeol bit his lower lip, his adam's apple bobbing up then down as he turned to Kris. "Yeah," He nodded, standing up and walking towards the dance floor.

He made his way through students in pairs dancing slowly to the romantic music. It was not that hard to find who he was looking for because one, his height gave him a better view and two, because she really was the only thing that he saw in the midst of everyone.

Chanyeol found himself stuck in the middle of the dance floor. He played with the stem of the flower, watching as Hyerin and Chen swayed to the music. They looked like they were talking about something relatively important – they didn't even notice him standing dumbly a few feet away until the first song ended.

The sight of Chanyeol made Chen look around the room uncomfortably. "Uh, hey."

Chanyeol gave him a meek smile. "May I?"

"Of course!" Chen said, letting go of Hyerin. "She's all yours." He gave him one last sympathetic glance before walking away.

Chanyeol turned to Hyerin, handing the rose to her with a soft smile. She looked surprised for a moment, but took it, anyway.

"It's really pretty," she murmured, caressing the smooth petals. "Thanks."

Her hands automatically shot up to his shoulders. "So how are you enjoying the night?" she asked, beaming up at him excitedly.

He inwardly chuckled at her unusual cheerful demeanor. "It's good. I'm having a great time."

"I know, right? Suho really organized this well!" Hyerin nodded, not realizing that her feet were swaying on its own accord.

"He did."

"Yeah, and I didn't know the ballroom was this-"

"Listen, Hyerin," Chanyeol cut off, making the girl abruptly look up at him.

"Yeah?" she asked, sensing that something was up.

"You know how I–" Chanyeol didn't know how to start. "You know how I...nevermind."

Hyerin's brows knitted together as she watched his expression falter. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, her hands lowering down to his arms. "What is it? Is something the matter?"

"Yes," he blurted. "I mean, yes, there is something the matter but...it's just that I don't know how to say it, and I don't know how you'll react to it so..." he trailed off, looking away.

"You can tell me anything, Yeol. You know that for a fact."

"Well then," he sighed. "Will it bother you if I say that I like you?"

Hyerin stopped swaying. His hold on her waist tightened.

"I like you. I really like you, and actually, maybe even more than that. I've liked you ever since the first time we met, ever since you offered me those non-existent basketball tickets that I really wanted and it really upset me how they were actually fake but then I realized I didn't want those tickets – it was you," he started. By now they were just standing in the middle of the dance floor. "I want you, and I want us, and I've been spending my days lately thinking about what could become of us when I realized that..."

"That what?" she asked quietly.

"That it's all wishful thinking and nothing more than that." He looked directly into her eyes, and she couldn't dare break away. "I liked you for so long. It came to me so fast, and I wish it would go away just as fast but that's impossible. I like you so much that, for some reason, it's starting to hurt."

Hyerin closed her eyes briefly before asking. "Where are you exactly going with this?"

"I'm not saying this as a confession. Rather, I'm saying this to let it out of my chest...and because I'm letting go of you, too," he said, whispering the last part. "Hyerin, I'm...I'm not that stupid to know that you don't see me the way I see you. I'm not stupid to not notice how you only look at me as a friend, and only as a friend. It took reality a long time to hit me that we're not going to happen, that we're never going to happen. There's never going to be something between us," he let out a shaky breath, "There's never going to be 'us.'"

Chanyeol's eyes were glazed with oncoming tears, and Hyerin wanted to slap herself for not knowing what to do. "Chanyeol, listen-"

"No," he interrupted. "You don't have to say anything. I just want you to listen." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's time to stop these feelings before it becomes something bigger that I can't control it anymore. I'm just saving myself from a big heartbreak. I'm just doing myself a favor."

"I'm so sorry," Her voice was cracked, eyes watering. No, she can't cry in front of him right now. She would just make it harder for him than it already was.

"It's not your fault. It's me. I just can't help myself from liking someone like you." He lifted her chin up to meet with her troubled eyes. "I know it may seem that I'm always oblivious to things. I'm sorry if this surprised you. It's just that when I saw you looking so beautiful tonight I know it would just be bad for me to keep this all in. So I'm saying this now."

Hyerin really didn't know what to do. When it came to stuff like this happening, she really didn't know what to say. She hated how every time this happens, she finds herself lost. And now seeing Chanyeol looking like the saddest person in the world, she felt bad. She felt bad because she can't return his feelings, that he's probably right, and that she can't do anything to help.

"I'm sorry for ruining your night," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry for ruining yours."

"After this, I want us to return back to normal again. I know it may seem impossible, but do it for me," he said, searching her eyes for an answer. "Please."

She nodded meekly. "Okay."

Chanyeol gave her the saddest smile that night, one that broke her heart into a million pieces. He enveloped her into a hug and Hyerin made sure to hold him tight.

---

"You know, you're the second most beautiful girl I've ever seen," Kai said out of nowhere as he and Hyerin swayed slowly to the music.

Hyerin scoffed lightly. "Who's the first?"

"Still you. When you're smiling."

Hyerin rolled her eyes. "That was lame."

Kai tilted his head backwards, laughing out loud. "C'mon, Rin, lighten up! What's with the long face?"

She sighed dejectedly, looking down on their synchronized feet. "It's just that..." she paused, pressing her lips together into a straight line. "Chanyeol...is he going to be okay?"

Kai's smile faltered as he gazed back at Hyerin's eyes. They looked so worried and sad, which made him worried and sad.

"He's going to be fine. Chanyeol's a strong guy. He'll know his way back up," he quietly reassured, although Hyerin's face remained sullen. He frowned, brushing away her fringe. "Hey, it's going to be alright."

"I can only hope it will be."

"You just gotta look at the positive side of things." He shrugged, a boyish smile creeping up on his face as he was suddenly struck with an idea. "Hey, maybe this will cheer you up."

Hyerin's head snapped up. "What?"

"This." Kai let go of his hold on Hyerin and turned to the DJ. The latter looked up as the baseball player snapped his fingers. The DJ nodded, tweaked something in the sound system, and then gave him thumbs up after.

The slow romantic music abruptly stopped and switched to an R&B song.

Kai inched away from the girl who was looking around confused. The students then instinctively backed away from the center.

"What the hell is happening?" Hyerin gave him a puzzled look. "Are you up to something?"

Kai gave her a heart-stopping smile. "Just watch," he said before disappearing off somewhere.

Hyerin was about to chase after him when suddenly, the ballroom turned pitch black. Everyone gasped, but then recovered shortly when a spotlight and was hovered over a single table near the dance floor where Sehun sat.

He was sitting languidly on a chair, right ankle resting on his left knee and hands in his pockets. On cue to the music, he stood up, doing a twirl along with it. He snapped his fingers as he made his way to the center, executing smooth dance moves that fit perfectly with the feel of the music. Everything was fine, until he set his eyes on Hyerin like a predator spotting his prey. Slowly, he made his way towards her.

Hyerin gulped. "Uh-oh." She had a very, very bad feeling about this.

Sehun closed the distance between them by pressing her against him, one hand on her waist, another on her lower back. She gasped at the sudden contact, but he ignored this and pulled her to the dance floor.

She didn't know how she did it or how her body reacted so quickly to it, but Sehun was twirling and spinning her around yet she managed to keep up with it. She wasn't dancing, no way in hell, but Sehun's lead managed to control her movements one way or another.

"Sehun, can we stop this!?" she asked while Sehun did a quick solo. "We're the only ones on the dance floor! It's embarrassing!"

The boy ignored her and proceeded to take her hand and spin her around three times in a row. She groaned, feeling extremely embarrassed – and dizzy at that – when a hand on her wrist took her away from Sehun.

Before she even realized it, she was crushed against Luhan. He smirked down at her before doing the same thing as Sehun; performing his dance while dragging her along like some puppet.

"I swear Luhan, this is not okay!" she exclaimed as the boy teasingly twirled a strand of her hair, faces barely inches apart. He proceeded to dance suggestively around her before pushing her to the center stage.

The spotlight left her and was now focused on Lay at the corner of the room, sitting on a wooden chair while doing difficult unique moves with his hands and feet. He stood up on the chair, placing one foot on top of the backrest. The chair slowly fell down with Lay still on top of it, hands inside his pockets as if he wasn't going to fall at any minute.

He landed on the ground perfectly, earning applause from the people who were watching. He slid down on the ground towards Hyerin, and went back to his feet without using any hands, relying solely on the strength of his waist.

"Oh, brother," she murmured as she was yet again in the spotlight.

He spun her around harshly until her back was tightly against him. Slowly, his right hand trailed down the middle of her chest and stopped at her waist while doing body rolls. Her face flushed into a deep shade of red, scandalized by the suggestive move Lay just did.

"Zhang Yixing-" But yet again, she was cut off by the boy pushing her away and disappearing.

"I am so done with you all!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms, cheeks still tinted bright pink.

The spotlight then focused on a lone table where Kai stood, going all Michael Jackson and oozing with exemplary charisma. He did a pirouette before jumping off the table and waltzing his way toward the crowd, earning cheers of excitement.

He made his way towards Mr. Kim, a bald chubby English teacher and took his black fedora, placing it on his own head.

Hyerin watched on as he went all out. He danced like there was no tomorrow, like he owned the stage. Kind of like how Baekhyun looked singing his heart out. Kai was overflowing with sensuality and excellent stage presence, interpreting the iness and seduction of the song through his movements.

Surprisingly, Kai wasn't as touchy as the other three. Instead, he danced around her with only slight touches on her bare shoulders and waist, almost as if he was being careful. He made his way around her, and she could feel his breath on her neck. She felt him inhaling deeply, and by instinct she did too, when a white rose appeared beside her face.

"For the lovely lady," he whispered.

She took it, turning around to face the boy. He was grinning boyishly at her, eyebrows slightly curved up and for a moment, she thought he was kind of shy about their little performance. He didn't look like the flirty Kai; this time, he looked like the cute, shy Jongin.

"You are so dead for pulling this kind of stunt, Jongin." She pushed him away, although a big grin was set on her face.

"Glad you liked it," he chuckled.
 

Everyone who watched clapped and whistled like there was no tomorrow. Kai did a little bow, as well as the other three who resurfaced out of nowhere. Hyerin stepped back, still embarrassed. They were absolutely oblivious of Hyeseul and her friends glaring daggers at Hyerin.

"She's ing dead meat," the leader of the pack hissed, nails digging hard on her palm.