"I've been waiting here for just one kiss from someone else's lips."

- Letters and Love Notes, Go Radio

            Conversation swirled and the party continued later into the night. Byunghun hovered around the conversations Jasmine was engaged in, only putting in his two cents when he felt the confidence to. He watched in silent jealousy as she chatted with Daniel instead; fast friends they had become. Dejectedly, Byunghun shrunk away from the group and dumped his lukewarm beer into the sink with the sound of Jasmine’s laugher still ringing in his ears. He thought for sure he was having the worst night, until he remembered all of Jonghyun’s bitter remarks secretly directed at Min Neul. He supposed being slandered by a loved one was a little worse than being ignored.

            With a sigh of sympathy, Byunghun slumped through the hallway and passed Chanhee, who seemed to be nonchalantly headed towards the bedrooms. Where he was going, Byunghun wasn’t sure. But he could have sworn he saw Minyeon head down that way a moment ago. The bitter realization that Chanhee was about to score a point against him in their little bet was unsettling, and Byunghun slumped to the living room with a grunt, aware that he would remain without a kiss for the rest of the night.

            Chanhee ran a hand through his already perfect hair and continued to saunter down the hallway. He could have sworn that y redhead Minyeon had headed down here just a moment ago. He trotted until he found a closed door, and boldly knocked against it twice. Hearing no decline of his entry, he opened the door and was greeted by bright red hair and a curvy body resting on black bedding.

            Minyeon was sitting with her legs over the side of the bed, a bottle perched in her hand. She wore an oversized black t-shirt dress, cinched at her thin waist by a braided belt. What she was doing all alone, Chanhee wasn’t sure. But he glanced around the room and shut the door behind him. “Hey,” he slurred stepping through the room.

            Surprised, she spoke, “Hey, Chanhee.”
The pair weren't the closest of friends yet, and Minyeon felt slightly awkward and out of place as Chanhee's wandering eyes scanned her up and down. She witnessed his crooked smile, confused as to why he was in her presence. She placed her bottle of beer on the nightstand beside her bed, her vision beginning to blur. She had come to the bedroom for a moment of peace among the chaos, to gather her tipsy self before getting too caught up in the party. While she didn’t detest Chanhee’s visit, she was confused by it.

            The boy plopped himself down on the end of the bed, placing his wine cooler on the floor beside his feet. His smirk widened. “How are you doing?”

            
“Good,” Minyeon replied as her sight wavered. “A little tipsy.”

            “That's good,” he scooted closer to her, pleased to hear both tidbits of information. He could feel her eyes all over him; it only boosted his ego to its highest extent.

            “Not to be rude, but did you want something?” Minyeon asked flatly. She forgot about her initial shock and glared at Chanhee. His smirk was doing no favors for his sly demeanor. She may have been into girls, but she could still sense what a boy like Chanhee was up to.

            Chanhee shrugged, “Just wanted to chat. I don't know you that well. I thought we'd get to know each other.”


            Minyeon wasn't buying Chanhee's excuses. “Sure you did.”


            Chanhee sat still, silenced by Minyeon's sudden attitude. He contemplated walking out of Minyeon and Boyun's room. Instead, he scooted closer to Minyeon and gazed at her with a softer appearance. “I did, Minyeon,” he said sincerely. He placed a hand on Minyeon's knee.

            Minyeon dropped her gaze to her knee then back up at Chanhee. She stared at him for some seconds before admitting lowly, “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”

           Chanhee cocked his head. “Are you enjoying the party? You seem like a party kind of girl. I’m sure you know how to have a real good time.”

            “I guess,” Minyeon responded, watchful of his gaze. His touch had shocked her, and she contemplated slapping his hand away. Whatever he was after, it would be denied to him. And as Minyeon gazed more intently at his slender, almost effeminate visage, she almost felt sorry she would be disappointing him. “How drunk are you?” she asked bluntly, quickly.

            Chanhee laughed. “Not drunk enough. You?”

            “Enough,” Minyeon answered, forcing herself to look away from his sparkling eye and long lashes.

            “Enough for what?” Chanhee pressed, leaning closer to her and hoping she would catch on.

            Minyeon was both sharper and bolder than he expected. “What are you doing?” she asked, leaning away.

            “Noticing how y your lips are,” Chanhee smoothly noted, his eyes fixated on the pouted shape of Minyeon’s reddish lips.

            The girl gave a laugh and pushed against his chest. “Whatever you’re trying to do, I would stop right there. You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

            “What do you mean, babe?” He slipped in the nickname so smoothly Minyeon almost hadn’t caught it.

            He was still leaning closer to her, and his hand was sliding higher on her leg. At once, Minyeon blushed and dragged his hand off, despite how gentle his touch was. “You’re not exactly my type.”

Chanhee gave an unconvinced chuckle, and Minyeon could smell the sweet wine in his breath. “I can be anything you want me to be.”

            Normally Minyeon didn’t admit this type of thing unless it was absolutely necessary, but this particular boy was clearly more stubborn than the others. She gave his body a once-over. “Unless you’ve got s hidden in that shirt, I doubt you can be my type.”

           Chanhee had to refrain from raising his eyebrows and dropping his jaw at Minyeon's sudden confession. He swallowed hard, finding a new goal somewhere within her hushed and loaded words. He made it his mission to make Minyeon believe Chanhee was absolutely irresistible by the end of the night.
           Chanhee sat closer to here “You’re into girls?” he asked, his voice just as low. 


            Minyeon smirked. “Have your dreams been crushed?”

            Chanhee waited a few seconds before opening his mouth again. He slowly parted his lips, breathing in once before asking the girl an important question. “So you’ve never been with a boy, have you?”

           “No,” Minyeon admitted. She had never acted on the slight bit of curiosity she had in boys, and hadn’t planned on doing so. Maybe it was all the alcohol in her body, but she found herself cursing his long lashes, sparking smile, effeminate face, and slender body. A boy had never caught her attention like this before, but then again she had never been so close to Lee Chanhee.
           “Have you ever kissed a boy, Minyeon?”


            She shook her head slowly. His question had tapped into Minyeon's curiosity, and she somehow found the slight urge to lean forward and let her lips linger over Chanhee's.

            “That’s funny,” Chanhee said. “I've never kissed a lesbian before.”


            Minyeon swallowed hard. “And?”


            Chanhee seductively raised an eyebrow. “There's a first time for everything, isn't there?”

            Minyeon found herself stiffening as Chanhee leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes were wide open while Chanhee's were closed. Slowly, she got over the sickening feeling in her stomach and closed her eyes slowly. She found herself locking her fingers behind Chanhee's neck as he pushed her shoulders down. He slowly crawled on top of her, his legs spread beside each of hers. He began rapidly kissing her over and over again, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders.

            Somehow, Minyeon found the sensation of kissing Chanhee strangely pleasant. It was both foreign and exhilarating feeling strong hands grip her and broad shoulders beneath her hands. She didn't know if kissing another boy felt like this or if it was just Chanhee's effect on her. It could have also been the bottle of beer she downed moments before Chanhee stepped into her and Boyun's room. Either way, Minyeon was shocked her curiosity had brought her to this point. While boys didn’t repulse her, she had always known she preferred girls. And there was no better person to explore her preferences with than a guy like Chanhee, who was smooth and charming and unquestionably gorgeous.

            Lesbian or not, Chanhee wasn’t out to force kisses on any girl. He kissed gently and touched only above her shoulders until she warmed up to him. In time, she was actually the one with restless hands. Chanhee wanted to break the kiss and tell her she could touch him wherever she pleased, but he couldn’t take his lips away. So when Minyeon relaxed a bit and let her hands wander to Chanhee’s chest, he figured he had already given her permission with his lips and without words. Her curiosity was evident in her touch, and Chanhee wasn’t going to discourage her. She may have meant to explore, but she was turning him on.

            Minyeon rose to a comfortable level with Chanhee. He was looking for a good time, not a concrete relationship. When the night was over, Chanhee would go back to being just another friend and coworker. Minyeon would have her questions answered and curiosity fulfilled. Maybe they could both benefit from this spontaneous, daring endeavor and walk away from it with sealed lips and pleasurable memories.

            Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was her fearless nature. Minyeon wanted more.

            Hands were all over. Minyeon curiously slid her palms down Chanhee’s sides, running her fingers against his soft shirt. Chanhee used one hand to steady himself and the other to feel down Minyeon’s body. His sly fingers slipped beneath the bottom of her dress and fearlessly crawled upwards. She froze, and Chanhee whispered a question. Too far? Minyeon swallowed hard and shook her head. She’d let a girl feel her up by now, and she’d be damned if she denied the same right to Chanhee.

            Once, Teen Top had been asked in an interview what their favorite animals were. And after generic replies like “dogs” and “penguins,” Chanhee had expressed his unique answer after much thought. Girls. There were no living beings Chanhee treasured more than females. After all, his mother meant the world to him, and he would be respectful and loving toward her even after death. But his favorite kinds of girls were the kind he could flirt with, touch, kiss, and love. Everything was attractive about them, from their long hair to their soft skin and especially their bodies. A girl with a great body was Chanhee’s weakness. And Chanhee couldn’t help but notice that lying beneath him was a girl with a gorgeous body. Her legs were long, hips were wide, stomach was flat, and s were ample. And by the end of the encounter, Chanhee had touched it all.

            But Chanhee’s hands weren’t the only to explore. Whereas girls were familiar to Chanhee’s touch, boys were unfamiliar to Minyeon’s. While she wasn’t exactly ignorant, she was curious. For the first time there was a boy close enough for her to touch, and Minyeon was too liberal to pass up the opportunity. She found his flat chest strong and his hips in line with his waist. He wasn’t terribly muscular, but his stomach felt firm. He was soft but not fragile. He was sturdy but not hefty. And when she held her breath and quizzically touched the bump in his tight jeans, she realized he was hard but pushy.

             Nearly forty-five hazy minutes later, Minyeon pushed the bedroom door open with her flat palm. Before stepping into the hallway she carefully adjusted her wrinkled top. Chanhee combed through his dyed hair. Innocuously, they shared slight smiles and braved the hallway.

            Their escape didn’t go unnoticed. Jasmine sidestepped from the kitchen to the hall and linked arms with Minyeon. Minyeon’s stomach dropped as Jasmine halted the pair to a stop and let the handsome boy pass by without a word.

            Jasmine’s wide eyes said it all. “What just happened?”

            “Nothing,” Minyeon blurted, smoothing her hair.

            “You were in there with a boy?” Jasmine probed. “Did you…”

            Minyeon was blushing. “Don’t get any ideas. We just made out.”

            Jasmine’s jaw dropped. “Did you like it? Was it good?”

            “Yeah,” Minyeon nodded. “It was different.”

            “Do you think they’re all good kissers?” Jasmine asked curiously, gazing at the petite blonde laughing with Chanhee in the living room.

            “Maybe,” Minyeon shrugged. Her mind was still buzzing with the disbelief that she had just gotten frisky with a cute boy, let alone Lee Chanhee. She shook her head. “Come on, I need a drink.”

            While the two girls wandered into the kitchen, the rest of the party congregated in the living room. The laughter was dying down. The conversation was dwindling. So when someone suggested a scandalous game to spin some life back into the night, all signs pointed to yes.

            Spin the Bottle was an easy game. Give an empty bottle a spin and kiss whoever it pointed to. The group arranged themselves into a circle as best they could, each participant wondering who they would wind up kissing.

            “Are you still playing, hyung?” Chanhee asked Minsoo curiously.

            “I don’t know,” Minsoo responded hesitantly, thinking of his absent girlfriend Hyerin.

            “I wouldn’t if I were you,” Jonghyun responded, burning a hole through Min Neul’s heart as he glared at her. “I wouldn’t cheat on someone I loved.”

            “Time to play, right everyone?” Changhyun cried almost too quickly. He reached forward and gave the bottle a good spin. Everyone’s attention seemed captivated by the spinning pinwheel in the center of the coed circle. Min Neul was relieved he broke the tension by changing the subject. Probably no one had given much thought to Jonghyun’s statement, but Min Neul could read right into it. She knew it was an accusatory jab, a vicious reminder of the very bullet that killed them. Jonghyun thought Min Neul was the one who pulled the trigger, but Min Neul knew he had been the killer behind the gun. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes at the reminder of that deadly night, but Min Neul refused to let them fall. She couldn’t let them fall.

            Changhyun’s tongue subconsciously ran across his bottom lip just as the bottle came to a suspenseful halt. His childishly stuck-out ears filled with squeals of excitement as his eyes trailed from the tip of the green bottle to the girl it pointed to. Shy, melodious singer Boyun made fists with her hands and brought them to the apples of her cheeks, letting her jaw drop and eyes smile in delighted surprise. Soomin, seated beside her, patted the younger girl on the back in congratulations. Changhyun looked upon Fate’s selection with praise. Boyun sure was a cute girl with a few strands of hair tied up in his favorite “apple” hairstyle. Plus the dimples on either sides of her nervous but sweet smile reminded him a lot of another girl’s; the only other coveted candidate for his first kiss.

            B with excitement, Changhyun scrambled to his knees to lean into the center of the circle. He gave Boyun a shy but bright smile as he looked straight into her dark eyes. In one sweet moment, he paused his heartbeat, squeezed his eyes shut, and pressed his lips into Boyun’s. He didn’t want to count the seconds it lasted in his head; he cleared his mind and focused instead on the sweet satisfaction of finally kissing a girl.

            When the kiss ended, applause roared around them. Red-faced Boyun sat back down on her folded legs and giggled. Changhyun was stuck in a daydream. He lowered himself back down on the hardwood floor with a dumb, satisfied smile on his face. Shyly, he looked in Min Neul’s direction and caught her dimpled smile. He was too busy looking at her to notice Byunghun had patted his shoulder, excited to have witnessed his friend’s first kiss. Boyun shyly gave the bottle a spin, hoping it would land on a girl so she could just refuse and continue to silently celebrate her first kiss—and with a cute boy, too.

            Jonghyun’s eyes were fixed on the spinning bottle. He could practically taste the sensation of a kiss. From anyone. It had been too long since his last touch of romance. While he terribly loathed the he had last felt romance with, he had to admit that without her help he wouldn’t be the kisser he was today. Jonghyun smiled in pleasure to himself. Not only did the eighteen-year-old pride himself on his chiseled body, he also knew was a damn good kisser.

            Much to his lip’s dismay, the tip of the bottle stopped nowhere near him. It pointed instead to the boy three seats down from him. Daniel. The pouted-lipped boy’s jaw dropped in excitement. Though Daniel would rather experience his first kiss alone with someone he actually felt feelings for, he wasn’t about to refuse a kiss from Boyun. It was just a game, after all. A playful game.

            Daniel ran his fingers through his long, straight hair. He brushed it from his eyes to get a better look at Boyun, who was preparing herself for her second kiss of the night. He could tell her eyes were shyly fixed on his shapely lips. He was bewildered the first time he heard fans call his biggest insecurity “y,” but he slowly began to see the charm in them. He couldn’t wait to finally put them to use.

            Boyun smiled shyly as Daniel slowly leaned towards her. He tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal kissing a girl. However, he couldn’t hide the smile blossoming between his thick lips as he leaned closer to Boyun. The last thing he saw was her eyes slowly dropping before a curtain closed on his own vision, taking away his sense of sight but amplifying his sense of touch. Boyun felt a pleasant calmness come over her as she kissed Daniel. His lips were even softer than Changhyun’s had been, and nearly twice as thick. After her eyelids lifted, she gave Daniel a shy but satisfied smile.

            “That was a long kiss,” Haeyoung noted almost hesitantly.

            “Daniel has puffy lips. They were probably nice to kiss,” Chanhee giggled with a smirk. His teasing sparked much laughter, and Boyun hid her red face.

            “Look, I think his lips swelled even more!” Changhyun cried loudly, pointing a finger right at Daniel’s mouth. More laughter filled the air; even Min Neul broke down and let out a laugh. Embarrassed, Daniel covered his lips with his hands.

            “He has to spin the bottle and kiss someone else. Imagine how big his lips will get!” Chanhee exclaimed.

            “Ah, shut up,” red-faced Daniel commanded. He wasn’t particularly angry; he knew the members meant well. He reached for the bottle and gave it a good spin, silently hoping it would land on one of the guys in fear of his lips actually swelling from another kiss.

            Chatter rose as the bottle spun, but Daniel hushed it as if it could affect the outcome of his spin. Haeyoung looked tense, staring at the bottle with narrow eyes. Min Neul watched her with curiosity; Haeyoung was more engaged for this spin than she had been for Changhyun’s. She was even biting her lip in suspense. It made Min Neul smile to herself, growing more and more aware of Haeyoung’s apparent crush on Teen Top’s Emotional Voice. Suddenly, she watched her friend’s face soften with disappointment and her eyes dart towards her. Confused, Min Neul’s eyes flew down towards the center of the circle. The bottle was pointed at her.

            Min Neul’s first reaction was to glance up at Jonghyun’s face and catch his reaction. However, she couldn’t help but notice Daniel staring wide-eyed at her. It was far more different for Min Neul to kiss a member of Teen Top than it was for any of the other Circa members; Min Neul actually had history with these six boys. She had been to their dorm countless times unannounced, once catching Chanhee in a towel after taking a shower and Minsoo napping with drool dripping down his chin. When she began dating Jonghyun, she didn’t just form a relationship with him, she formed them with every member of Teen Top. She consulted Changhyun on what to get Jonghyun for his birthdays and Christmas. Byunghun helped her put together a mix of songs for their anniversary.  As Min Neul stared at Daniel, she wished she didn’t have such a complex history with the boys of Teen Top.

            Min Neul wasn’t the only one feeling slightly awkward at the turn of events. Daniel could remember times when he’d walk out to the living room to find Teen Top’s youngest member passionately kissing his girlfriend on the couch. He knew of all the times Jonghyun asked to have Min Neul spend the night and the times he’d beg to hurry back from schedules so he could see her. Jonghyun’s love for her had never been a secret. It was strange for him to think that instead of Jonghyun kissing her, he soon would be. It almost made him want to stop leaning forward and ask Jonghyun for permission first—if she was still with Jonghyun, of course. Daniel knew of the horrendous breakup the fiery couple had had. He still found it hard to hear Jonghyun refer to Min Neul with such horrible names and bitter attitude. He didn’t want to make his opinion public, but Daniel didn’t believe any of the bull Jonghyun said about Min Neul.

            Rather than twisting his face with disgust like he wanted to, Jonghyun played along with the rest of the group and appeared as excited about the kiss as he could possibly fake. His eyes weren’t watching with anticipation, but interest. It was like he was silently judging their kiss, judging Min Neul. Daring her to kiss Daniel. To show him that she was fearless. To show him that she moved on. To show him that she still had that fire within her. It infuriated Min Neul. Min Neul burned with not passion, but fury.

            The fearless maknae of Circa smirked wickedly at Jonghyun, uncaring if there was a silent rule that forbade them from acknowledging each other. If Jonghyun was going to watch so intently, she might as well put on a show for his entertainment. Her eyes locked onto Daniel’s plump lips. In a matter of seconds, they would be hers. She leaned towards Daniel and swiftly reached out for him. One hand landed on his shoulder, the other found the back of his head. She expertly slipped her fingers between Daniel’s long, straight locks of shining brown hair. Excitement coursed through her veins the moment her lips collided with Daniel’s. It wasn’t hard for her to express the pleasure kissing Daniel gave her, because it truly was pleasurable. His thick lips were soft and pillowy, practically designed for kissing. Min Neul took control of the kiss like a ringmaster, pulling Daniel’s thin but toned body against hers as they kneeled in the center of the circle. The shocked cheers and hollers from the onlookers only gave Min Neul more confidence. She ignored the five-second minimum and continued to kiss Daniel as long as she pleased.

            Just when she was about to pull away, Byunghun’s “Damn!” and Jasmine’s whistle told her not to stop just yet. Without warning, Min Neul s her tongue between Daniel’s pillowy lips. He was sure surprised, but didn’t pull away. Min Neul only let her tongue slither around for a few seconds before releasing her grasp on his head. She pushed off of his shoulders and sat back down, wiping on the back of her hand. She was satisfied. Jonghyun was shocked.

            Haeyoung grabbed Min Neul’s wrist and pulled her down. “What was that?” she asked, her hiss rich with excitement and jealousy.

            Min Neul gave a nonchalant shrug. “This game was getting boring.”

            “If I were one of you boys, I would get awfully excited for Min Neul’s next turn,” Soomin humorously announced.

            Chanhee and Byunghun shared wide-eyed glances before peering in Jonghyun’s direction. They caught him narrow his dark eyes and raised an eyebrow before running his fingers nervously though his raven-colored hair. He seemed to be avoiding Min Neul’s gaze, which was challenging him to face her. He never did, and Min Neul took that as a sign of victory. She gazed back at Daniel, who looked winded.

            “That was…really good,” Daniel trailed off, pleasantly stunned.

            “Spin the bottle and kiss another boy already!” Soomin commanded, pointing to the bottle.

            Min Neul felt strong with confidence. She fearlessly leaned forward and spun the bottle, daring it to land on Jonghyun. She wouldn’t have been able to handle it before, but she had made just enough commotion to make a statement. She wasn’t going to sit back helplessly and pray to avoid kissing the boy she couldn’t help but still love. She wanted to grab that boy by the neck and smash her lips into his, kissing him better and harder than she ever had before then wipe the kiss away with a smirk. She wanted to rudely yank right away from him, leaving him feebly craving more. She wanted to take away from him exactly what he took away from her. Love.

            With fire in her eyes, Min Neul watched the bottle’s spin begin to slow. Who would it land on? Anyone except for her sister’s boyfriend would suffice. She didn’t even look up at Jonghyun, who was practically gnawing through his bottom lip with narrow eyes. Slowly, the bottle came to a halt, and every boy dropped his shoulders in disappointment. The bottle had landed on Haeyoung.

            “Aw,” Changhyun muttered, dropping his gaze. The boys around him laughed, assuming his reaction had been a joke. Little did they know, Changhyun’s heart had stopped every time the bottle spun past him.

            Min Neul let out a wheezy laugh, slightly disappointed that she wouldn’t get the chance to smooch another boy. Haeyoung laughed and slung an arm around Min Neul at her side. “Are you going to make out with me too?” she giggled.

            “No,” Min Neul giggled back. Instead of crashing her lips against Haeyoung’s like she had done to Daniel, Min Neul simply gave her a friendly peck on the cheek. Haeyoung laughed the entire time, especially when she saw Chanhee’s eyebrows rise.

            “No kiss?” Chanhee sounded almost disappointed.

            “Were you expecting more?” Min Neul asked, seductively raising an eyebrow.

            “Maybe,” Chanhee quickly muttered.

            Haeyoung smirked. “You're not so lucky tonight,” she remarked with a raised eyebrow, giving the bottle a good spin.

            Chanhee's eyes keenly watched the bottle, hoping his heavy gaze would bring the bottle to a victorious halt before him. Unfortunately, his smirk faltered into a flat, thin of disappointing indifference. The decisive tip of the bottle was not pointed at him, but beside him. At Jonghyun.

            Min Neul stiffened up. Her wide eyes darted between the bottle, Haeyoung, and Jonghyun. Her gaze was returned by none, not even Haeyoung. She tried her hardest to remain calm on the outside, because a tornado was brewing on the inside. She sat perfectly still, afraid that a single turn of her head or simple, understated grimace would give everything away. Her envy, anger and desire tugged on the ribbons of the mask concealing her true expression, but her pride kept it strongly before her face. 
Haeyoung pinned her eyes on Jonghyun, whose eyes seemed to have been downcast the entire game. It was like he was deaf to the noise around him, the ooo's and ahhh's of how thrilling it was to watch two friends lock lips. As he slowly up parted his lips, he didn't strive to compete with the steamy kiss Daniel and Min Neul shared; he strived to top it. There was something about the hard gaze the girl next to Haeyoung burned into him that hardened his muscles and clenched his jaw, giving him a tough grip to grab her wrist and pull against him with

            The strength in his grip should have been Haeyoung's warning that Jonghyun wasn't a soft kisser, not even in a mere game of Spin the Bottle. A chorus of astonishment and excitement had kept her senses occupied as he swiftly grabbed her, but in a hot second Jonghyun's lips had hungrily crashed onto Haeyoung's. If Jonghyun hadn't Ben firmly holding the back of her neck, she probably would have collapsed backwards in shock. The only indicator of her absence would have been the loneliness his lips suddenly felt; his eyes had been snapped shut, blocking his vision from seeing anything other than satisfyingly sweet revenge in his future.

            Beneath Haeyoung's raised eyebrows, her eyes popped open at the embarrassing sound of whistling coming from the rowdily engaged audience. For a moment she wanted to pull away in embarrassment, but Jonghyun’s tight grip was restricting her free will. Rather than try to flee from the heat, Haeyoung gave in and embraced it. She let Jonghyun shove his eager tongue practically down . She would rather give in to the heat of the moment than give in to Jonghyun's intimidation. And if it was one thing Haeyoung was, it was a performer. She made a show of intermingling her tongue with Jonghyun's, just to prove herself equally as fearless.

            The entire time Jonghyun held the girl against his body, he reveled in the sweetness of the moment. He had forgotten the wonderful feeling of holding another body so close to him and kissing with all the passion in his veins. Haeyoung's kiss tasted even sweeter, as it was flavored with revenge. And for every second that built Jonghyun up with vengeful arrogance tore Min Neul down in heartbreaking agony. Though her expression remained indifferent, her lack of hollering in excitement spoke volumes that anyone could have predicted. It was a conflicting sight, watching Jonghyun savagely kiss Haeyoung while Min Neul watched, motionless. It was as if everyone's minds were buzzing with sympathy for Min Neul, anticipation of what she would do, and shock from Jonghyun. They were enveloped in a time bomb, just waiting for the trigger to set it off. But when Jonghyun pushed Haeyoung away from him with a fulfilled smirk, it was clear that perhaps there would be no explosive drama after all.

            “Damn,” Minsoo remarked, looking around. “It's only supposed to be a kiss...”


            “They had some competition,” Soomin chuckled, eyeing Daniel, who was still blushing as he blinked in disbelief at the sight he just saw.

            “Maybe there should be a maximum time to kiss instead if a minimum,” Byunghun joked, which made Minyeon wheeze with laughter. 


            “Imagine a kiss between Jonghyun and Min Neul,” Jasmine chuckled, expecting to hear a rowdy agreement and pressuring persuasion to push the two obviously passionate kissers together.

            Jasmine couldn't have known the power her innocent words held. The very moment the suggestion hit Min Neul's ears, her expression hardened, dropping her heart like a rock into an endless pond. Some of the girls began to laugh in agreement, but on the boys side their hesitant laughter was stifled. Changhyun watched with worried eyes ask Jonghyun completely dismissed the suggestion, rudely scoffing and defiantly crossing his arms, practically daring someone to push him towards the girl across the circle, who happened to look positively lifeless.

            All eyes shifted from Jonghyun and his subtle defiance to Min Neul and her evident paralysis. “Uh,” she uttered, feeling crowded by their gazes. As she looked around, she saw anticipation directed right towards her, but it was no more painful than the glare Jonghyun was shooting her. With a single narrowing of eyes and malicious smirk, Jonghyun dared Min Neul to give into the persuasion. His look was positively lethal, and Min Neul wasn't sure how much longer she could withstand its pierce before she succumbed to the torture. 
“Uh...I'll be right back,” she slurred, abruptly scrambling to her feet to escape their suffocating looks.

            As she turned out of the living room and headed to her bedroom, she could feel her lungs fighting to breathe and her legs threatening to give out from beneath her. She fumbled with the doorknob before slipping inside, slamming the door closed with painfully shut eyes, leaving everyone to question her sudden disappearance. Her dejection lowered her to the floor, leaving her to cradle her face in her shaking hands and drown in her silent tears. Changhyun was the first to turn away from the direction the girl had run off to. His wary heart ached to bring her back as he glared at Jonghyun, the smug winner of tonight's portion of the ongoing battle, with repugnance.

            With a brief sigh, he snatched the green bottle from the middle of the circle and forced a smile. “I think that's enough Spin the Bottle for tonight, don't you?”