▲▼▲ GIRLS GENERATION - NOT ALONE

The snow at last, barricaded the streets of Seoul just a week before Christmas. Families were always in and out of stores for Christmas shopping. Especially Sehun. All week he had been looking for the perfect gift for Minyoung, but he still hasn't found the perfect one. Kai sighed as he followed Sehun. "How long is this going to keep up, dude? Just buy something, and give it to her. You have us too you know. You can't just buy a gift for Minyoung."
All of Sehun's friends looked at him. "Psh, I never get anything from you guys, so why should I? Plus, Minyoung has never gotten a single thing for Christmas. She always spent Christmas in her room study," Sehun said.

"I'm starting to think our Sehun is in..." Baekhyun drew a heart in the air. "Love~" he sang.
Sehun pressed his lips into a straight line, his ears turned red. "Shut up," he murmured. "If you guys don't want to come, then you can leave. Suho hyung can come with me." Sehun turned and walked away from his friends.
"I was just stating a fact," Baekhyun said.
"That's not a fact. The true fact is, Sehun still has a crush on Sumin, and guess what, Sumin likes him too," Chanyeol said.
"He does not. If he did, he wouldn't be around Minyoung."
"He's only around her because he feels sorry for her."

"Hunyoung!"
"Semin!"
"Hunyoung!" "Semin!" The two continued to argue.

Sehun sighed as he looked down at the ground. "Those two are such idiots," he said.
Suho patted Sehun's back. "They always have been."
"Doesn't help, hyung," Sehun said.
"Look, just relax a little, and maybe, we'll be able to find the perfect gift, aite?"

▲▼▲▼▲

At last, Christmas Eve arrived, students were out of school for two weeks, families were out in the streets of Myeongdong enjoying the time of their lives. Which meant, the Music Festival. Minyoung exhaled as she tuned her violin. Jaesun glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, and his lips pressed into a thin line. Sehun walked up to Minyoung, and had his hand on her shoulder. Minyoung looked up, seeing an encouraging smile on his face. The Music Festival was held inside one of large buildings of Myeongdong. There was a small stage set up for the festival. A crowd gathered around it. The music teacher got up and made a greeting to the audience, as the students quietly tuned their instrument. She finally stopped talking and turned to Minyoung, telling her to stand up. "You have a solo, so, up, up!"

Minyoung looked at Sehun who looked at her with a smile. He used a motion, telling her to stand up as well. Minyoung just looked at him. Sehun stood up from where he was sitting and grabbed her hand, pulling her up to her feet. He dragged her near his piano. "Everything will be okay. If you get scared, just look at me? 'Kay?"
"Psh, I don't get scared," Minyoung said.
Sehun let out a chuckle. "Okay. If you say so."

The teacher held up her baton and looked at Minyoung to cue the beginning. Minyoung let out a heavy sigh and got her violin up on her shoulder, her bow on her A string, starting on an up bow. Minyoung inhaled, and let out a deep exhale, cueing the beginning. She started with a half note D sharp in second  position, with a marvelous vibrato, making the note ring loudly and beautifully, and continued with her next two notes, making the whole orchestra come in as Minyoung continued her short solo in the beginning. Her solo at last stopped around the 10^th measure of the song. She waited for the orchestra until the orchestra gotten to the middle of the song. Another part of her solo came and she started to play again as the orchestra behind her, plucked their strings. It wasn't as much as a solo. It seemed more like a duet. Only because Sehun's harmony solo came in mid-part of Minyoung's solo. She didn't know why, but when Sehun started to play along with her, she felt relaxed, and maybe, too relaxed.

▲▼▲▼▲

Minyoung sighed as she stuffed her hands into her pockets, and looked down. "Cheer up, Minyoung. It was just a slight mistake. It wasn't much of a deal," Sehun said.
"Yes it was."
"It was not, Minyoung."
"Yes it was." Minyoung glanced at Sehun. "To my parent's eyes, it was. Everything I do is like a mistake to them. Even if I do one slight mistake, I'm wrong. They want perfect. They just want ... Jaesun."
Sehun sighed as he looked at Minyoung. His feelings to care were coming back.

Minyoung continued to play as Sehun continued his piano solo. The two's solo created a strong duet. Minyoung's eyes were closed as she was playing. She didn't know what was going on in the world around her. She just knew that she and Sehun were both playing together, and their playing was as if the music had blocked out the real world from theirs. When she finally opened her eyes to see the audience, she found a family of three, two with disgusted faces on them, one with a proud face. Minyoung wasn't happy to see them, considering it was just her parents that were giving her the disgusted faces, Minyoung continued to play anyway. But, the relaxing feeling she had had disappeared. Her eyes were just focused on her parents. She was focusing on trying to get their attention. She was focused on beating Jaesun at one thing.

Her solo was starting to come to an end, but Sehun's solo would continue as the orchestra would start playing again. Just a couple measures before her solo ended, she had two whole notes. Right when her solo was about to end, her string had snapped in two, ruining her solo. Her eyes widen, and everyone's eyes were on her. Sehun glanced at her, he tried not to continue the piece, but he repeated the two measures until there was a signal for a stop. The teacher didn't want to stop, she lifted her arms, getting into the next measure and continued the song. Minyoung stepped back as they continued to play. Sehun glanced at her back to the song, back at her again. He knew who was in the audience, and he wasn't happy as well.

The song was about to end with Minyoung's solo, but since her string was broken, no one could play it. Murmurs were made, classmates were worrying who was going to finish the song without Minyoung. But since Jaesun was in the second seat, he was going to get the solo. There was a pause for the soloist to enter, and Jaesun started the solo with a weak vibrato and continued on until the end of the song. Sehun didn't like what was happening at all. Minyoung's moment, was ruined.

"But hey, it's only half an hour before Christmas Day. Don't be sad," Sehun said.
"I never celebrated Christmas," Minyoung said.
Sehun sighed. *I know.* "But I'm here. You can enjoy it with me!" he said, grinning.
Minyoung slightly frowned. "No." Sehun's lips turned from a grin to a pout. "I need to study..." Minyoung said, and made her way towards the subway station with Sehun following her.

The two both stopped and waited for the subway to come. Sehun glanced at Minyoung. Her jacket was thin, didn't seem like it was fit for winter, and her hands were in her pocket. Sehun couldn't help, but take one of her hands and held onto it, and stuff their hands into his jacket pocket. "Your hands are ice-cold. Are you some kind of vampire that I never knew about?" Sehun asked, chuckling. He took off his white scarf and wrapped it around Minyoung's neck. "Stay warm, or you will be sick and unable to study," he said, smiling, messing up Minyoung's hair.

The corners of her lips twitched as if they were forming a smile, but that all soon went away when she heard cheering just a few yards away from them. "My Jaesun played the violin so beautifully!" Minyoung's mother said.
"And the solo ... Marvelous!" her father also said.
"Hyunchan, do you have a comment for Jaesun?" her mother asked.
Hyunchan frowned and looked at the ground. "I liked Minyoung noona's solo." The happy family atmosphere disappeared. Her parents frowned at the youngest sibling. "And I want noona back!"
"Hush, Hyunchan!" her mother said and pulled him onto the subway as her father and brother followed behind.
Minyoung sighed and glanced ahead as she followed Sehun onto the subway. Sehun looked at her. "Don't worry. You were playing amazingly to me," he said smiling.

Moments later, the subway stopped at their destination. "You can go visit your grandmother. It's Christmas..." she said when she saw that it was already past midnight.
Sehun followed Minyoung up to her apartment. "I'll go later. It's Christmas, I'm going to celebrate it with you first," he said, grinning.

Finally able to update! orz I've been so caught up in school that I haven't gotten any good ideas for iChat with EXO.com and this story. ; ; FINAL EXAMS ARE JUST A MONTH AWAY. omg. OAO