We’re not even a couple, but I can feel my heart racing at the closeness we have. …I kind of like it.

I snuggled into the soft object, holding it close. Then a soft laugh was heard.

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking as I adjusted them to the blinding light, groaning as I turned around.

“Well, good morning to you too.”

I looked to see Taemin grinning at me, his arms around my waist.

…Wait what?

…His arm around my waist.

Did I really let him to do that to me last night? Or was I just too tired to even care?

I tsk’ed and looked away from him, grabbing my glasses and putting it on.

“Ouch, that hurts my feeling, Mi-ja~” I can tell he’s pouting as I got up from the bed, stretching my back to get out whatever muscles that had been stuck in an uncomfortable position.

Then I felt arms around me and I sighed, shivering a bit when Taemin’s fingers tickled my bare skin underneath my shirt. His chin rested on my shoulder as he held me close. I shuddered slightly when I could hear him chuckle in my ear, his breath tickling my skin.

“Like I’ve said before, vanilla is my favourite.”

Aish, this boy…

I shrugged him off my shoulder and pulled down my—or, his, since I’m wearing his clothes—shirt down and glared at Taemin.

“Sometimes, I don’t get you.”

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled, “Hey, I’m not all innocent, you know. Plus, I get to see your sleeping face. Did you know you look cute without your glasses?”

Crap… I sighed and walked out of the bedroom, heading my way downstairs with Taemin trailing behind me. “Yeah, yeah, whatever…” I mumbled monotonously but truth be told, I feel like running away and hiding in a closet with my blushing red face. I cannot believe that he had already seen it… Damn it, and Minho and Min were the only two who have seen me without them; I do not need another added to the group.

When we reached downstairs, we were greeted by three sleepy members at the dining table while Key—judging from the smell—was cooking up something for breakfast.

“Good morning.” I said, and they all groaned at me. I chuckled, leaning against the wall while Taemin went and took his seat. “Got a rough night?” They shook their heads.

I giggled and corrected myself, “Okay, wrong word to put it – rough morning?” They nodded and I couldn’t help but laugh. This had Key written all over them.

Jonghyun lifted his head and pouted, “It’s not funny, Mi-Mi… Key practically forced us to wake up so damn early just to wait for him to finish his breakfast.”

“That and he poured water on us.” Minho told me afterwards.

Now that he mentioned it, all three of them were soaking wet.

“How come we weren’t woken up by him?” Taemin asked and I nodded, confused as well. We’re dry and never got woken up by Key.

Onew grinned and lifted his head up from the table, looking at me. “He saw you sleeping together. You know Key is weak when it comes to cute things – and obviously, you two were cute enough that he decided to let you off.”

“For now…!” Key’s voice chimed out from the kitchen.

I giggled nervously, my cheeks pink with embarrassment. However, Taemin, Minho and Jonghyun were having a stare battle, lightning clashing between them as they glared in jealousy – Taemin was the one smirking here. And this went unnoticed.

Then it came to me: Min-Ae. “Oh, Key-umma~ How’s Min-Ae?” I asked as I went into the kitchen.

“Huh?” Key turned and I stifled my laughter. P-P-Pink apron…! Omo, is that puppies and bunnies? Oh, how cute! Plus, everything was funnier when Key’s holding a spatula, his hand on his hip as it jutted out in such a diva-ish way.

I swallowed back my laugh and smiled, “I said, is Min-Ae okay?” Okay, so I changed my question a bit, what does it matter?

“Apa, my head hurts!”

Key stared at me with a smile as I looked up the stairs weirdly. “Does that answer your question?”

…I have no words to say to that.

I went into the dining room and I can see the rest of the members were looking up at the stairs, froze as they heard limping footsteps.

“Aish, what the happened to my ankle…? It hurts so bad…” Min-Ae mumbled, rubbing her head as she limped downstairs. Then she saw me and glared, “What the are you looking at, nerd? Go mind your own business – and stop smiling, it’s making an ugly appearance to your face.”

In the corner of my eyes, Minho was holding down Jonghyun as his eyes burned with anger, mad at Min-Ae insulting me.

The latter blinked and looked around, “Wait a second. This isn’t our house.”

Key peeked into the dining room to see her reaction. Min-Ae then got her focus back and stared at SHINee.

“…Nerd, why the is SHINee doing here in our living room? No, this isn’t our living room either—hey…” Her eyes widened when realization hits her dead in the face. Then she screamed. And man, can she scream. “…No way! I…I can’t be! I can’t be in SHINee’s house!”

I sighed, “Unfortunately, you are.”

Min-Ae gasped in disbelief, looking at me, then at SHINee before back at me as she pointed at me accusingly. “You…! What happened to me!? I don’t remember walking to SHINee’s house! Did you drug me!?”

Key’s snickering was heard from the back and I tried to resist the urge to look back and glare at him and I stayed quiet, all of us watching her freak out. Then she looked at her own attire and screamed, “Yah— I wasn’t wearing these clothes! PINK!? What –WHO THE HECK CHANGED ME!?”

Everybody let out a groan, Taemin’s and Jonghyun’s heads on the table; Onew shaking his head in disbelief with a dreary sigh; Key simply went back into the kitchen saying, “Déjà vu all over again…” Minho only face palmed, his arms on the dining table as the group remembered that same déjà vu moment when I was the one who was yelling about who changed my clothes that day, making false assumptions.

I hung my head back, closing my eyes tightly as if wanting to discard the memory as I let out a groan, “Oh no, we are not doing this again.”

And so, we all arrived at the university, fully dressed. I wore my usual ‘nerdy wallflower’ (that’s how others call it) attire in which I found from Key’s shopping bags (man, they are everywhere when I went into his room—has he not got time to unpack? Then again, he’s an idol) while Min-Ae wore the ‘most fashionable clothes’ she could find from the stack of clothes Key bought for me. But she doesn’t need to know that really.

Actually, I’m surprised that she’s still walking – how is she not showing any pain? I looked at her bandaged ankle and sighed. I really hope she doesn’t sprain it too much; she does have dance practice to do.

The students around us gaped as we walked down the hallway together. I don’t blame them – not only they saw me, but also Min-Ae getting into the university together with SHINee.

Well, ain’t that surprising…

I tried so hard to not let my smirk show when Su-Min saw us, her eyes wide and was practically glaring at me. But she came up to us nevertheless. “Oh, hey guys~” I can see Min-Ae grimacing at her sickly sweet voice in the corner of my eye. I don’t blame her. “I wasn’t expecting you all to show up altogether~ aren’t you excited for the performance?”

Min-Ae scoffed, “If it means getting our up every day to practice in 5 weeks’ time, yes.”

SHINee and I snickered at her words. Min-Ae smirked deviously at Su-Min, who ignored the remark and her glaring eyes.

“I’m so glad you joined the showdown! I can’t wait to see your performance!” Something seems off here – she’s acting as if she’s my friend, in which she’s not, to be honest with you.

“…Why are you talking to me like that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Su-Min grinned (and I had to resist punching her face; I’m sure SHINee was pretty much holding down Key as well) at me and said, “We are friends, aren’t we?”

Min-Ae and I shared glances. Since when has we been friends? I heard Key scoff at this along with Minho’s and Jonghyun’s grunts and Taemin’s slightly audible growl. I can’t help but agree with them – there’s no way we could have been…friends.

“SHINee, I need to talk to you after lunch about plans for the performance and the decorations, so I really hope you’d be there!” Su-Min squealed with a grin, her eyes bright and happy.

SHINee nodded and watched as she skipped away before Minho turned to me and Min-Ae and straightforwardly said, “I don’t like her.”

We both rolled our eyes, Min-Ae saying, “I’m glad we share the same thought.”

“This is the first time I ever disliked a girl, like, who just bring a group of people and beat a person up then magically becomes friends with them? That girl has some nerve.” Jonghyun tsk’ed and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

Taemin sighed, “What’s worse is that we have to go to her after lunch.” They all shuddered in disgust, squirming as if they had just eaten something gross and slimy. I smiled to reassure them. “You’ll survive, I swear. As long she’s not seducing you.” I muttered the last part and turned away. “Oh, well, I’m off. I’ll see you later. …Bye Min-Ae.”  I awkwardly said to her and she just looked away as we parted ways. I need to find out what I’m planning to do for the performance – and quick.

Min-Ae’s POV

Something smells fishy here.

I just know it when that came over to us with that ridiculous smile on her face.

Her eyes were fixated on Mi-ja the entire time when she spoke. As if she’s plotting the world domination on her only.

She’s up to no good, I tell you. Yes, I actually do care for Mi-ja, but with the majority of people hating on her, what other choice do I have? Don’t start on that with ‘peer-pressure’ crap on me, I…sometimes can be nice, but I do it in a roundabout way.

…I really do admire her.

But no, jeongmal, Hwang Su-Min is planning to do something to Mi-ja and her performance.

I’ll make sure she doesn’t cause too much trouble – even if it means breaking down my façade and telling SHINee about it (even though they will dislike me because, who wouldn’t? I’m Mi-ja’s ‘evil’ step-sister.)

But that’s not the only one that smells fishy.

There’s possibly no way I could have ‘so drunk that I found myself in SHINee’s house,’ so they say.

Ai-goo, my ankle, I don’t know how I’m walking – it hurts so much yet I’m trying so hard not to let it show. I’m rather glad that it’ll be gone within a week or 2, but I’m pissed to know that I wouldn’t be doing the dance practice.

Argh, I need to stop going out of topic—Mi-ja and SHINee are hiding the real truth from me, the truth of how I came here and such. All I remember was me drinking my life away and that’s it.

I need to force that out of them. And not only that…but…Mi-ja looks strangely similar to Sora. My eyes are not fooling me, I know it, and it couldn’t have been a coincidence. …Or maybe it was…?

I sighed, shaking my head as I pushed myself away from the topic. I slightly limped on my way to my assigned destination – the lunchroom where all my friends are waiting for me.

Everything was just ridiculously fishy.