Hi Y'all!! another update! Proof read completed!! :P Hope you enjoy!

No one's POV
Despite the fact that it is Tiffany's birthday, the girl insisted that she looked through each detail of the party so that there will be no glitch and everything will be perfect, just how she likes it. As expected of her, she will not give up either extravagance or the colour pink, so in the end, instead of being satisfied with a traditional and conventional black and white party, she went all out and decided on an Ombre party, one which the main colour was of course --- PINK!

So, every guests including the girls are to wear clothes that are the family of pink, ranging from deep browns to pastels, or else, access will be denied. Keeping to the theme, Tiffany and her gang are now slipping into their different dresses, coordinated ahead of time to ensure that the birthday girl is happy with the outcome. According to the color gradient, Sooyoung wears white while Tiffany's dress is blush, Yuri's tan, Sunny's sunset gold and Hyoyeon's , followed by Seohyun's lilac number and Yoona's shocking magenta one. 

The girls' dresses (Taeyeon and Jessica appears later in the chapter)

"Fany unnie!! Why'd you pick this dress for me? It's horrid!!" Yoona exclaims as soon as she takes out her dress from the garment bag. Yet, all she gets was a snicker from the said girl.

"Well, if there's anyone who can handle such a bright color, it'd surely be you, my friend. Your pretty face and perfect figure will surely balance it out!" Tiffany sticks her tongue out at the poor lady who knew there was no escape from that dress. It was an unsaid fact that the girls in their group were most envious of Yoona but either way, they treated her as their sister whom they loved and adored.

"You're the one turning 19 today... I guess I'll just have to listen." Yoona sighs in defeat and puts on the mini dress with a frown. Seeing how her unnie is upset, Joohyun goes over to her. "Unnie, I would happily exchange with you!! After all, you've got Taecyeon oppa to please while I got no one."

The older girl's immediately lights up into a smile. "Maknae, it's the thought that counts! But I'm just trying to tease Tiffany and she knows it. I don't mind wearing this at all." She says pointing at her dress. "But you, Seobaby, should remember that you do have someone to look good for." Giving the younger one a mischievous wink, she runs over to Yuri for assistance on the zipper. No longer as clueless after the long, and she does mean long, girl talk, Joohyun knew instantly what her friend was hinting about and blushed. She recalls the hallway incident where she nearly touches her butler out of sudden worry and concern. Luckily, she held back just in time, or else, that cocky Shim Changmin would surely go about misunderstanding her intentions, even if he were right about them.

"Earth to Hynnie!!" Sunny yells at the maknae, who trembles slightly at the sudden shock, drawing a chuckle from her unnie. "Stop spacing out! You've got to put on your dress now before we go down in 15 minutes time." Giving the young one a pat on the head, Sunny leaves to touch up her makeup. Obeying the orders, Seohyun takes off her jeans and blouse (once again paired by her butler, whom she believes is secretly a fashionista) and slips into the lavender-colored dress that Tiffany had hand-picked for her. The design of the item was not particularly fancy but the synching and rosette details on the skirt was pretty. Not to mention, though a bit short for her liking, the cut was modest enough that it didn't reveal too much otherwise. All in all, she was very happy with her unnie's choice. 

"After all, I don't need Changmin-ssi to dress me into a lady." Joohyun mumbles under her breath. 

"What of Changmin?" Tiffany emerges out of nowhere and teases. 

"Nothing... I was just thinking that maybe unnie could teach me how to dress up?" The brunette successfully diverts the redhead's attention, for at the sheer mentioning of her passion --- fashion, Tiffany jumps up and down and begins babbling animatedly. 

"Of course I'd love to!! Maybe we can spend a weekday's afternoon together and go shopping. Then, I'll be able to give you a makeover and fill you in on the tips & tricks!" But before the girl could elaborate further on her brilliant plans for Joohyun, Sooyoung's loud voice catches their attention. 

"Girls! I think it's time to party!!" The rest of the girls shout out whoops of hurrays and leaves the room, one by one. 

In one line with Tiffany positioning at the centre, the 7 girls walk towards the magnificent marble spiral staircase which leads down to the dining room, where all guests have gathered, dressed in different shades of pinks, reds, purple and browns. What a beautiful sight it was that the birthday girl squeals and claps her hands in glee. 

"I can't believe everything came out so perfectly!!"

"Are you seriously complimenting yourself, Fany-aah?" Sooyoung nudges at her friend with a teasing grin, which the girl conveniently ignores. 

Yuri takes over the job as MC and begins announcing to the crowd. "As all of you know, today is our dear friend, Fany's sweet 19. So before we kick off the party, let's all toast to her and sing her a birthday song, shall we?" As if on cue, a servant holding up a platter with 7 flutes of champagne emerges and each girl takes a glass for themselves whilst the guests pick up theirs from the bar tables which are situated at every corner of the room. "To Tiffany!" Yuri exclaims. 

"To Tiffany!" The rest of the room repeats. 

"Seng il chook ha hamni da~~" The "Black Pearl" starts off the song and everyone follows after, clapping to the beat it. Tiffany smiles widely at the people attending and grins even wider when Hyoyeon pulls a tiara out of nowhere and places it on her head. 

"Oh!! Thank you so very much! My gals!!" And the group all gather into a hug as the song continues. When it is over and everyone claps animatedly, Yuri announces the start of the party and Siwon (I could not think of any other appropriate man to fit her :P), Tiffany's boyfriend, runs up the stairs to fetch her. The other boyfriends follow and one by one, each girl departs, leaving Seohyun behind. She walks down the steep steps slowly, not completely at ease with those 4-inch strappy heels she has on. As she reaches the ground floor, she is greeted by her oppa. 

"Hey, my little Hyunnie! You look exceptionally pretty today!" Donghae compliments his favorite dongsaeng.

"No I don't , dear oppa. But I do like the dress very much." She answers with a modest blush. The older boy smiles sweetly at her and offers her his arm. She happily takes it, allowing her beloved "Fishie" to lead her about. Wanting time alone with her to test her about Minho, he takes her outside to the pool, where there is no one but them and the noise of the party, muffled up by the glass windows. 

"So how are you these days? Can you handle school?" The oppa asks with concern, he hasn't see his little sister for 2 weeks. "I heard there was quite the commotion on the first few days of school?"

Joohyun nods. "Yes, but I'm much less interesting than the students have expected so now I'm free from gossips and the paparazzi. Still, I've Minho, Jonghyun and my butler to thank. Especially, Mr. Shim, if not for him, I would surely have been trampled on by those crazy reporters." This revelation surprises the young man slightly, mentally noting that the disliked butler actually did something good.

"Well, you can always rely on Minho, though. You are his best friend, you know?"

"Of course I do! Both he and Jonghyun are my besties!"

"But do you possibly see him in a different light?"

"What do you mean, Oppa? Do you know something?"

"Well, I don't know. I just find it queer that you have those two boys as your close friends and coincidentally, one of them has never dated in his life." Donghae tries acting innocent and suggests theories, pretending he had brilliantly deduced all of this.

"The unnies did mention that Minho treats me more than just friends..." Seohyun whispers but her oppa catches the words.

"What do you think of it? Will you accept him?"

"I don't know... I think very highly of him but I'm not sure if I feel the same way about him as he does about me... I don't think I'll do anything until he makes himself very clear... I've no intention to ruin our friendship." The girl confesses with difficulty, she really does not want to disappoint anyone.

At that, Donghae lets out a breath he did not know he was holding and pats his sister on the head. "No one is forcing you to choose anyone, my dear Hyunnie. But just know that oppa will always be there for you to protect you. Minho is a good kid, maybe he's just not for you. After all, you're still too young."

Joohyun gives the young man a mehrong. "I may not be an adult in your eyes but I most certainly have the ability to make good decisions. But gomawo anyways, oppa!" And she gives him a hug. "We should get going, or else Fany unnie will wonder where I've gone!" Before he can register, the younger one has pulled him up from the bench and dragged him indoors.

Seohyun's POV

The moment Fany unnie spots me, she gives me her brightest eye smile and waves to summon me to her. I give her a quick nod before looking at Hae oppa apologetically. He nods with an understanding grin and I leave him for unnie. 

"So here you are, Hyunnie! I've got someone I'd like you to meet but beware, she's quite the mean girl so just act as unaffected by her words as you can." I didn't have time to respond for she has already pushed me through the crowd and in front of a cool-looking girl, with blonde locks and a burgundy dress. She is gorgeous but the way she presents herself, so uninterested and cold, sends chills all over my body. 

"Meet Ms. Jessica Jung, daughter of our mayor. It is my absolute honor that she should attend my birthday party." Fany unnie says with a smile, though there's something about her tone that tells me she was being sarcastic.

"So rude of me!" Unnie dramatically hits herself on her head. "This is Ms. Seo Joohyun, or better known as Seohyun. She's the daughter of SFTI. Girls, let's give each other a small handshake, shall we?"

I take out my hand as instructed but the other girl looks at it hesitantly, as if contemplating I'm worth the gesture. Before I know, unnie has grabbed Ms Jung's hand and forced it to hold mine. We shake awkwardly. Still, I try my best to be friendly.

"Anneyonghaseyo, Ms. Jung. Seohyun imnida." However, all I get is a slight and stiff nod, but I'm determined to have this girl speak up. "So who's the gentleman beside you?"

It was a miracle how I failed to notice the man in red suit a second ago. He was at least a head and a half taller than Ms. Jung and he had blonde hair and a cold, arrogant expression just like the lady. Five seconds past but neither the woman nor the man before me bother to give me a respond. 

"Well, Sica-ssi, don't be mean to Hyunnie here. You're after all our mayor's daughter, aren't you? Shouldn't you be a bit... a bit more... friendly?" Fany unnie an eyebrow at the girl, who's lips are trembling with anger. 

"Don't Sica-ssi me, Hwang Miyoung! I'm not close to you and want nothing, absolutely nothing to do with you. I would never have come had my appa not insisted." She snaps at unnie and turns to look at me. "And you, Seo-damn-annoying, or busybody, or whoever you are, if you must know, this is my butler, Kris Wu. If that's all, I'll leave this lame party." She turns around and heads for the door, her butler tagging along, leaving me quite shocked from the sudden outburst. 

Fany unnie does not seem the least bit affected and begins to talk loudly, intending for Ms. Jung to hear. 

"Well, Hyunnie, isn't is a wonderful coincidence that both of you have a butler? But I wonder if Sica ssi's Kris or your Shim Changmin is better?!" The name of Changmin-ssi clearly has an impact on the mayor's daughter for she stops dead in her tracks. It was what seemed like a long time had passed before she walks on. 

When she was gone, I turn to look at Fany unnie. "Is she the one you all were saying had a crush on my butler?"

"Yeah! And I bet she is absolutely pissed!" She giggles. This is when Siwon oppa shows up and wraps his arms around Fany unnie's shoulders. Not wanting to spoil their moment, I leave them, in search of Hae oppa who is nowhere to be found. 

As I wander round the room crowded with prominent ladies and gentlemen whom I barely know, I bump into someone, knocking over his glass of red wine which spills all over his expensive suit. 

No one's POV

"Mianhae!" Joohyun's gasps at the stained shirt and looks up to find its owner to be a handsome dark-skinned boy of her age. Apparently, everyone is too occupied to notice the accident.

"Well, well, well, if this isn't Tiffany's new friend and heiress to STFI, Miss Seohyun." He says, not showing the least bit of annoyance at being poured wine. 

"So you know who I am? I'm sorry, but I don't think we've been introduced." She asks, quite surprised that an unsuccessful socialite like her would be known. 

"It's my fault for not making myself known," he holds his hand against his chest and bows dramatically, "I'm Kim Jongin, but I much prefer people to call me Kai. If you must know, I'm also the son of the Kim Telecom Company, of course, it's nothing fancy compared to Mr. Seo's business I'm sure." 

"So, Kai-ssi..."

"There's no need for formalities. It's just Kai."

"Okay... so Kai-s...no, Kai, I'm really sorry for damaging your clothes, since you know of my background, I can assure you I can return one to you. But in the meantime, allow me to wash the shirt for you or else the stain might be permanent."

"In all honesty, I've enough shirts to suffice the loss of one... But if the pretty lady insists, I wouldn't mind. So you want me to take it off this instant?" He replies flirtatiously but Joohyun is too inexperienced to notice, though finding the idea slightly horrifying.

"That...that's unnecessary. Let's find the bathroom and I'll have it cleaned within minutes." She answers with pink cheeks.

"Then let's go then!" Kai leads the girl to the nearest bathroom, an arm hovering against her waist to guide her. Once in a while, his arm would touch her when they bumped into other guests, so Joohyun did not seem to mind those slight physical contacts. After all, shouldn't Tiffany's friends all bel nice?

They arrive at the lady's room (Joohyun had insisted since she was too shy to go to the men's room) and the girl turns her head as Kai takes off his shirt, giving him the privacy he does not need. When she turns back once more to take the shirt, she finds the boy shirtless, his upper body tanned and toned. Surprised at what just happened, she focuses back on her work and turns on the faucet to clean the patch of red on the clothing. It is undeniable that Kai is charming and possesses a confidence that is almost toxicating, so what can innocent Joohyun do in face of such a charming boy? Thus, as she tries concentrating on her washing task, she finds her skin searing with heat at the close proximity Kai and her are in. The half- boy leans closer and closer towards her, pretending to be interested in how she cleans the garment. Noticing that a strand of hair was in her way, Kai, to Joohyun's surprise, takes it and tucks it behind her ear, all the while intentionally her cheeks,  the back of her ear and her neck. This causes her to shudder like never before and the sensation is so refreshing that she leans into his hand a little bit before straightening up her back, realizing what she had done. 

"Mianhae! Jinja mianhae!" she repeats, hoping that Kai will not be upset by her thoughtless act.

"Well, my dear Seohyun, what is there to be sorry for?" He whispers seductively, lifting her chin up to face him and staring longingly at her lips. For a moment, the girl's mind goes blank and she too has her eyes intently on that defined cupid's bow of his. Before the boy could lean in, a huge bang causes him to fall over with a loud grunt of pain. 

Changmin's POV

As Seohyun's butler, it's of course my job to keep an eye for her at all times. But today, my task has been more challenging than I've thought (not that I can't handle it) for there were quite a lot of people at the event and it's important that I keep a low profile whilst following Seohyun around without her noticing me. Luckily, Mr. Lee's son, Donghae-ssi, had taken Seohyun out and alone so I needn't waste as much energy to track her down. I overheard their conversation on Minho and her (whih I swore was not on purpose) and felt my heart lighten at the girl saying she did not return the boy's feelings. Why is that so? There was no time for me to contemplate the reasons because they had moved back into the house. The two parted ways as Seohyun went to find Ms Hwang who introduced her to Ms Jung, the lady I served prior to Seohyun. 

The memory of Ms Jung was enough to make me shudder from fear. She was quite fond of me, to the point that she would wear slinky nightwear to try seduce me. If I had liked girls who were y, I might have fallenl for her, but I'm pretty sure I like girls who are pure and innocent (though I've never had a serious relationship before). In the end, the Jungs were so terrified that their daughter would ruin her own reputation, if she she pursued me further, that they asked for me to leave. I left most willingly because I was of no help to Ms. Jung's achieving true ladyship. My departure made me available for Seohyun thus Mr. Seo had me arranged to take care of his daughter. So here I am. 

All the while, I have my eyes on Seohyun and see her leaving Ms Hwang and her boyfriend to look for someone, presumably Donghae-ssi. Clumsy as she always is, she accidentally knocks into Jongin-ssi, the notorious playboy. Once again, her good upbringing prompts her to offer cleaning the shirt for him. As they leave, I see him leaning closer to her than called for and hand on her waist, a gesture too intimate for a newly introduced stranger. I feel my teeth grit and hands tighten into a fist. I do not  know why I should become so agitated... My task is only to make sure Seohyun is safe and sound so I surely don't have the right to interfere with any of the friends she decides to make.

I observe outside the washroom (why did she have to choose the girl's one? Now I don't have the least reason to enter it), making sure that everything is fine inside. There was no weird noises from in there so I did not bother to take a look. I squirm in my seat every few seconds and can't help myself from checking my watch from time to time. It has been a whole 10 minutes they've been in there. Whatever stain there was, it would surely have been washed out properly, right? I decide to have a look and I'm glad I did because all I see is Seohyun's back facing me and that damned Kim Jongin closing the space between them. Not knowing what came over me, I rush forward and swing a fist at him. The next thing I know, he is on the floor, holding his chin with eyes watering from the pain.

"What the hell?" He yells. Luckily, the music outside was so deafening that no one could hear the commotion in here.

Seohyun turns to see who had done the act and is shocked to see it was me, at least her expression says as much. "Changmin ssi?" 

"You know that bastard?" That son of a asks, voice raising. "If you have a boyfriend, tell me, I wouldn't have bothered to hit on you."

I snicker at his response. "I doubt you would have given up that idea even if she did have a boyfriend."

"Kai, he's not my boyfriend, he's only my butler." Seohyun answers, sounding a bit exhausted. "I'm really sorry this happened, I've no idea why he did that. Mr. Shim, please kindly apologize to Kai, please." 

I open my mouth to object but that bastard has started talking mockingly, a smirk on his face. "Butler, eh? What is your business to tamper with your lady's doings? You're but a dog and nothing more. Or do you like her more than you should?" I motion to give him another beating but a hand holds my raised arm.

"Sorry to bother you, Kai-ssi. I think Butler Shim is not thinking clearly. I apologize to you on his behalf. Hyunnie, let's go!" A familiar voice speaks and I notice it's Donghae-ssi. I struggle to free me from his grip but his hand is firm. 

"If you care about Hyunnie as much as I do, you'll walk off this instant." He whispers harshly and I give up my efforts, allowing him to lead me out. 

"I want that dog to apologize to me personally with that dirt-like mouth of his!" The demands and my rage rises back up. 

"Kai-ssi, please don't push it. Uncle Kim and I are good friends, you don't possibly want your appa to know everything about you, am I correct?" Donghae-ssi retorts him before I can and it surely shuts him up effeciently. "If there's nothing more, we'll leave you. Have a good night, Kai-ssi!" And the three of us leave the washroom, glad that there was no other to witness the fight. 

"Hyunnie, how about you run along. I think there's something I'd like to discuss with Butler Shim here." Seohyun leaves obediently with a nod, not without glancing at me, disappointment wrsitten all over her face. 

"Changmin-ssi, I think you've some explaining to do." My rescuer says as he pushes me into a chair and sits opposite to me. 

Donghae's POV

"So, what do you have to say to defend yourself?" I ask the man before me, curious why he should give Kim Jongin a punch he so deserved.

"Well, it's my job to protect Miss Seohyun." He answers plainly but I can tell it's only partly the truth.

"But in all honesty, I doubt whether Hyunnie did kiss that bastard or not is none of your busniess. I may not have a butler myself, but I do know a thing or two about the role you lot hold. So there must be more than that. It's not like Kim Jongin was endangering Hyunnie anyways." I press the issue further, wanting very much to force the real reason out of him.

He remains quiet, adamant not to talk any further.

"If you refuse to answer, it's ok. In a way, thank you for giving that kid the punch, I would have done the same if I were there. However, I'll have a better reason than you to explain my doings. I'm Hyunnie's oppa after all but you're just her butler." I say, giving the man a pat on the shoulders. "It doesn't take a genius to notice your ulterior motives. Still I'm glad we're on the same page --- to keep Hyunnie safe. This way, I'll be positive that she's in good hands when I'm not around." I stand up to leave. "So it's goodbye for now. But Changmin-ssi, please take good care of Hyunnie for me."

He looks up at me with a rare surprised look and nods. "Don't worry, I'll not tell what I know." I promise finally and walks away from him.

Changmin's POV

The fact that one other person guesses that I think more of Seohyun than I should, unnerves me. If more than one should have such an assumption, it's no longer a coincidence. Do I really like her without even knowing myself? Both Donghae-ssi and noona seem to think that way though. Speak of the devil! Here noona comes.

"Annyeong Changminnie! Fancy meeting you here!" Taeyeon noona, who is dressed in creamy white, smiles brightly upon seeing me. "What's with the confused and concentrated face? It's about Hyunnie, isn't it?" 

I want very much to say "How did you guess" but keep silent, refusing to fall into her trap once more. "What brings you here?" I try to divert her attention elsewhere and seem to succeed.

"I'm here to run an errand for Mr. Seo per usual, to bring this gift to Ms Hwang for her birthday. You can't believe how I was refused entrance for wearing a yellow suit just now! Forunately, I have a change of clothes in the back of my car and managed to get in in the end." She pretends to wipe a sweat of relief. 

"I see you're not in the mood for anything," she continues after I maintain silent, "I'll leave you for now but promise to tell me more of the juicy details between you and Hyunnie, ok?" She winks at me mischievously and I roll my eyes. "Take good care of my little dongsaeng!"

I wave at her and wonder why everyone is asking me to look after Seohyun. Aren't I doing a good enough job?

Author's note:

As always, show me some love by giving me some comments! Thank you so much for the upvotes and my 50 subscribers!! A million kamsahamnidas for you all!!!

Keke, if you haven't noticed, Sooyooung's bf is Ryeowook and Siwon is Tiffany's while Yoona has Taecyeon. Shall we have a guess as to who Sunny, Hyoyeon and Yuri are dating? :P