As she grew older, eighteen became an important number in her life. It took her exactly eighteen times to learn to tie her shoelaces, eighteen children in her class in elementary school, eighteen ice cream flavors she ate at the local dessert bar, and soon it became eighteen ways to sneak back into her house after a late-night adventure with her friends.

She could count eighteen cousins she was remotely close to, eighteen pairs of wool socks she wore under boots in the winter, and even her eighteen favorite books she was able to read over and over again.

But most importantly, she had been living on this earth for eighteen years. Her eighteenth birthday was not too far away, and she could barely wait. It was bound to be the best year of her life, she decided, since eighteen was the motif that defined her quirks. It defined her.

5:18 AM. She opened her eyes slowly as she pulled her blankets tighter to her body.  At first, she wanted to go back to sleep and continue her dream, but she subconsciously noted that today was important… Ah, yes. The first day of her senior year at Whimoon High School.

She suddenly realized this was her first last day of high school. She jumped out of bed, hurrying to the shower. She frowned groggily at the tepid water rushing out the shower head, but she couldn’t afford to wait for scalding hot water and be late to school. It was Senior Sunrise, after all. She had been waiting for this day since the first day of freshman year.

She scanned the clothes in her closet, looking for something nice to wear. Being the tomboy she was, she gave up after seeing that her mother had laid out a few revealing, girly outfits on her bed. She hastily put on faded jeans and an oversized Seoul National University sweatshirt.

6:18 AM. She gulped down a glass of banana milk and filled a plastic bag with cereal she would snack on later to make up for the absence of breakfast. Grabbing her backpack and keys, she rushed out the door, unlocking her car. Her phone vibrated with a new text message.

Sooyoung! Hurry up already! We’ve been saving you a spot, and the girls are getting irritated since they didn’t have time to put on their makeup. Haha.

Sooyoung chuckled to herself. Yunho made her mornings sometimes. Tell the princesses to stop whining, I’ll be there whenever I feel like it. She sent the reply, getting excited to see her friends.

Fortunately, she lived a few minutes away from school. But Sooyoung somehow found a way to be late every single day. Just as she was turning into the parking lot, her phone buzzed again.

You already know I saved you the spot next to your lover boy. ;)

Sooyoung rolled her eyes, then smiled at her screen. Yunho was already one step ahead of her. She parked in her space next to his car. His black Porsche sparkled and Sooyoung could see her reflection on the hood of it. She remembered how his car always had to be in perfect condition, he treated it like his baby. The Shim parents would’ve grounded their only son if he dented his sweet sixteen gift in any way whatsoever.

She made her way to the field, taking everything in. The entire senior class was sprawled on the football field. Lawn chairs were set up, blankets spread out, and breakfast was being served on tables near the concessionaire. Sooyoung couldn’t even find her group.

“Choi Sooyoung!” A voice called out from the middle of the pack of students. Her eyes focused upon a pale, slender girl. Her eyes were like crescents, forming a trademark “eye-smile.”

“Oh god. Tiffany!” Sooyoung squealed, running into Tiffany’s arms to hug her.

“I’ve missed you so much! How was your summer?” Tiffany led her to the fort made out of blankets and chairs, and Sooyoung couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of it. Typical Yunho and Junsu, they would make something so childish.

“Nothing special, especially when compared to the fact that you went to the states! How was California?” Sooyoung took her packed cereal out of her backpack, munching on chocolate Chex.

“It was so amazing! The beaches were gorgeous, the parties were awesome, and not to the mention the boys there…” Tiffany sighed.

“What boys?” Yunho came out of the “fort,” apparently eavesdropping on their entire conversation. He raised an eyebrow at Tiffany, interested in what she had to say.

“Nothing, oppa.” Tiffany laughed nervously. Sooyoung cleared . Yunho stopped staring at Tiffany and smirked at Sooyoung.

“No, Sooyoung. I did not miss you due to the fact that I worked with you every damn day. Jeez, can I get a break from you?” Yunho ruffled her hair affectionately, then resumed to talk to Tiffany.

“Where are the love birds?” Sooyoung asked Yunho. The sun was rising soon. It had been eighteen minutes since she had been sitting, and she still hadn’t seen him.

Yunho gestured to the couple sitting a few feet away from him, and she wanted to throw up. But she was used to it. Junsu and Taeyeons’ lips were intertwined and bodies pressed against each other.

Junsu and Taeyeon have been dating since freshman year, and they never seemed to get enough of each other. Nevertheless, Taeyeon still made time for Tiffany and Sooyoung.

“I think it’s best to leave them alone for now…” Yunho shrugged, leaving Sooyoung a fifth wheel in the middle of the four.

Sooyoung sighed. She just wanted to see him already. Was that too much to ask? But she reminded herself to not get her hopes up, she was always hurt in the end anyways.

“Sorry guys, some girls ambushed my car and it took me forever to make them go away.” A tall boy, taller than Sooyoung, appeared behind her with a mocha in hand.

Sooyoung gulped and closed her eyes. 1, 2, 3…

“Look what the cat dragged in! Our very own Shim Changmin.” Yunho slapped him on the back, earning a glare from Changmin.

“I already have a headache, watch it.” 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…

Changmin laughed as he gave Tiffany, Junsu, and Taeyeon a hug. His soft peals of laughter sounded absolutely perfect to Sooyoung.

9, 10, 11…

“So how was vacationing in Europe? Too barbaric for you?” Junsu mocked the youngest boy.

“Yeah, Changmin, you are such a girl with your cleanliness habits sometimes.” Taeyeon chimed in.  12, 13, 14, 15…

Changmin punched Junsu lightly on the shoulder. “No, as a matter of fact, I loved my European summer. Seriously, it is too early for this teasing. I can see what my senior year will consist of. It never changes, I swear to God.”

16, 17, 18.

Sooyoung opened her eyes and turned around to face the object of her affections. The reason she even bothered to act like a girl. What her dreams consisted of. What she wanted more than anything. Changmin looked at her for a mere second. “Oh. Hi Sooyoung.” He walked past her swiftly, as if three months apart meant nothing to him.

Yunho and Tiffany looked at her with sympathy, both knowing exactly how she felt about Changmin. She sat back down dejectedly.

Sooyoung glanced at Changmin. He was dressed in a collared shirt with a thin navy cardigan over it. He was wearing form-fitting khakis with dress shoes. Sooyoung suddenly felt inadequate and rather… ugly next to him. She mentally slapped herself for not putting in more effort this morning in her appearance. Maybe, just maybe, that would’ve made him notice her.

But of course, this was what happened every time she hoped for something that would never happen.

If there was one thing that was Choi Sooyoung’s weakness, it was Shim Changmin. It only took her eighteen seconds every time. Eighteen seconds for her to fall back in love with him.

And in those eighteen seconds, the feeling was infinite.

A/N: I'm back with another Changsoo fic that I hope will actually get finished. I even put my other two fics on hold to post this! And if any of you caught on, the last sentence in the foreword and this chapter is derived from the quotes of one of my favorite books, tell me if you know what it is. It's pretty obvious. ;)

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