Kyungsoo was tentative as he walked up to Minji’s front door, but with Yunji and Hyojin by his side, he felt on top of the world. It was startling to him how fast things could change.

Minji’s house was only five minutes away from campus and it was a gorgeous white mansion. It reminded Kyungsoo of the mansion from Mean Girls but when Minji opened the door, her smile completely shattered the notion of anything threatening.

“Welcome!” Minji greeted, opening the door so that everyone could come in.

Kyungsoo gave Minji a hug and she even kissed him on the cheek. The two girls giggled at it but Kyungsoo and Minji just rolled their eyes.

“Your house is beautiful, Minji.” Kyungsoo shared, looking at the high ceilings and luxurious décor.

“My parents like it. If I had money like them I’d live in a small flat and spend my money on travelling the world. I want to set foot on every continent in my lifetime.” Minji explained, as they walked into the kitchen area.

There were already hoards upon hoards of people there; they were all from their grade and class. Kyungsoo hesitated for a moment but Minji gave him a supportive push with in the lower back.

“Just be yourself.” She advised quietly before passing him a flute of champagne.

Kyungsoo looked alarm and Minji just shrugged, “You can put it down if you don’t want it. No harm down. No one will judge you for being smart.”

Yunji and Hyojin ventured off into the party, which left Minji and Kyungsoo to fend for themselves. Or rather, Kyungsoo to fend for himself.

“This is my first… out of school… get together.” Kyungsoo muttered, before bringing the champagne to his lips and sipping it down.

“Clearly.” Minji exclaimed. She grabbed hold of the glass to ensure that he didn’t drink the whole thing in one go. “And Kyungsoo, it’s just call a party, hon.”

Kyungsoo laughed bashfully. He and Minji began to people watch. It felt comfortable. He wasn’t judging people any more, simply evaluating.

People began to cheer near the front door. Kyungsoo and Minji turned toward it. The team had arrived.

Sehun, still distracted by the note in the locker, roamed into the party with Kai’s arm around his shoulder. His whole team was celebrating outrageously but he just couldn’t seem to get into it.

Luhan was watching Sehun like a hawk. He couldn’t understand why the rookie was being so reserved. There was  a party going on his honor! Why couldn’t he just be happy?

Minji quickly grabbed Sehun by the crook of his arm and whisked him away to a spare bedroom. Luhan noticed it and raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

Sehun didn’t even realize he was being lead into a room until Minji sat him down on the bed.

“I have something for you.” Minji gushed, kneeling down on her knees.

Sehun was suddenly pulled in to the present by the action and he shuffled backward, eyes wide with horror.

Was Luhan’s girlfriend making a very, very blatant ual advance toward him? What the hell was going on today?

Minji laughed and shook her head, reaching under the bed to retrieve something. She handed a box over to Sehun and smiled with satisfaction.

“Look what arrived on my front step right before the party.” She explained and Sehun was instantly relieved.

“Wait. Is this from…?” Sehun asked and then suddenly realized that Minji wouldn’t know a thing about what he was about to suggest.

“From ‘someone who cares’. Yes. Well, that’s what the label says anyway. It has to be a secret admirer!” She said, her eyes wide with romantic wonder.

The box was heavy in Sehun’s hands and he was unsure if he even wanted to open it. He was so tired of the game and the questions that the gifting caused.

“Open it!” Minji prompted, clapping her hands together excitedly.

Sehun reluctantly tore back the wrapper paper to reveal a box holding a very expensive brand of champagne. All the package said was:

Sehun,

Party hard tonight. You deserve it.

Sincerely, Someone who cares

“Wow… That’s really................nice.” Minji muttered, looking at the present.

“I don’t want it. You can have it.” Sehun murmured, putting the package down on the bed.

Sehun was tired of all the mystery. If the person really cared so much, why did they have to remain anonymous? It was all rather frustrating for Sehun.

Minji could see that Sehun was having a tough time so she sat down next to him and quietly put the gift back into his hands.

“I think that.. whoever’s doing this for you, is just scared and unsure right. Unsure of how you will react, this is the only way they feel like they can reach out to you without… hurting themselves.” Minji explained, putting a supportive hand atop of Sehun’s.

“I just wish they could be honest with me. I get it, high school is scary, but it makes me feel like I can do nothing in return to show my gratitude, y’know?” Sehun stated, feeling rather defeated.

“All they want from you tonight, is for you to have a good time. They even said that in the message! So, let’s stop the worrying, I’m going to crack open this bottle and we’re going to get a little buck wild, okay, Oh?” Minji encouraged.

Sehun was taken aback by her intensity but he thoroughly appreciated it at the same time. He was actually getting pretty pumped up. He could heard the throngs of people cheering and celebrating outside and he realized just how ridiculous wallowing in a bedroom was. Especially when someone had just supplied him with alcohol, asking nothing in return.

Luhan knocked on the door, wondering where Sehun and Minji had escaped to.

“Come in!” Minji hollered and Luhan promptly cracked it open.

“Sehun! You’re missing this and it’s all for you! Let’s go!” Luhan called to Sehun.

Sehun belonged and people wanted him to belong. It was such a change that Sehun almost felt it was surreal. But, even if it was, Sehun was going to live in the moment and take advantage of the little time he had to be on top of the world.

Luhan eyed the champagne and glared at Minji. She simply winked back at him and then shrugged innocently. Luhan rolled his eyes at his intervening ex-girlfriend as Sehun walked out the door, past him.

“Ready for this?” Luhan asked enthusiastically.

Sehun held up the bottle of gifted champagne and declared, “Let’s party hard!”

Luhan laughed and led him into the kitchen where tried to find something to pry open the bottle.

In the corner, Kyungsoo was leaning against a wall, watching the hustle and bustle of his peers. He loved to watch them interact with one another. It was slightly depressing to him that he had missed so much because he had had such a pretense about the students at Busan Prep.

Nobody wants to hurt you, Kyungsoo reminded himself, they never did.

Kai quietly approached Kyungsoo from around the corner and clapped his hands down onto the small guy’s shoulders. He shrieked and even tossed his flute of champagne onto the ground.

When Kai turned him around, Kyungsoo looked absolutely terrified. His lip was quivering and his face was so pale that he could have just seen a ghost.

“I hate you.” Kyungsoo snapped, the color quickly returning to his cheeks. He was suddenly furious because of Kai’s attack.

“No, you don’t.” Kai countered, softly.

Kyungsoo’s breath hitched at the honesty of Kai’s comment. Usually, Kyungsoo would assume that Kai was just being full of himself but the tone was so genuine that it made Kyungsoo blush.

“Okay, only sometimes.” Kyungsoo responded.

“I see you’ve gotten into the drinks.” Kai teased, gesturing at the discarded glass.

“Are you judging me?” Kyungsoo wondered, pretending to be aghast.

“No, no, I mean, no. I’m sorry.” Kai apologized, his eyebrows furrowing with regret.

Kyungsoo burst out laughing and quickly pulled Kai into a tight hug.

“You worry too much about me, Kai. I’m not always so sensitive.” Kyungsoo murmured.

Kai’s heart skipped a beat at their proximity. When Kyungsoo pulled away, the boy was shocked to see a look that he had never seen before on Kai’s face. Was it adoration? Whatever it was, Kyungsoo was sending it right back.

“Look at those two love birds.” Sehun mused as Luhan searched Minji’s kitchen drawers for an opener.

Luhan glanced over at Kyungsoo and Kai and was startled to see them outwardly flirting with each other. Luhan wondered if that was what it looked like when Sehun and he had conversations. Luhan liked the idea of people reading too much into their conversations, maybe if other people saw the evidence too, he could feel more assure about what Sehun was feeling.

“They’d be cute together.” Luhan muttered, turning back to his search.

Sehun was shocked by Luhan’s comment. He had only been kidding but if he looked more closely, Kyungsoo was looking at Kai pretty intensely.

“Oh my god! This explains so, so much.” Sehun gushed excitedly. “The guitar, the lingering looks, the flirting!!”

“The guitar…?” Luhan wondered, finally finding the opener.

Sehun passed Luhan the bottle of champagne and answered, “Yeah. Kyungsoo’s broke and Kai made him a guitar in woodworking. If I think back on it, that’s a pretty damn romantic gesture!”

“Gifts usually are.” Luhan mumbled.

He was happy for Kai and Kyungsoo but he was also deeply envious. He wished that Sehun felt the same way he did. He wished that Sehun noticed the lingering glances that Luhan gave him. He wished Sehun deemed their interaction as flirting.

What was so different?

Sehun was so caught up in celebrating for his little friend that he hadn’t heard what Luhan had just said. “Sorry. Did you say something?”

“No.” Luhan responded solemnly. “Why don’t we go outside to open this? I don’t think Minji would appreciate a mess.”

Sehun nodded, following Luhan outside into the dark of the back yard. It was cold outside, so no one else was around. The solitude excited Luhan but made Sehun very nervous.

Luhan opened the bottle and the cork shot off, spewing bubbles everywhere. Sehun quickly collected two flutes of the alcohol and passed one over to Luhan.

“What are we going to toast to?” Sehun asked.

A part of him wanted Luhan to say ‘us’, but that was so ridiculous that Sehun just shoved the idea from his mind.

Luhan was with Minji, that’s just the way it was. On top of that, Luhan is the definition of straight. Even if he was single, he wouldn’t be looking at Sehun…

But then, Sehun realized that Luhan was out here with him, instead of inside with Minji. The thought made his heart jump with excitement.

“I don’t know…  the final frontier?” Luhan stammered, his mind overflowing with things he’d like to toast.

Sehun, Sehun winning, their friendship, a possible future, a kiss…. The list went on and on.

“You did not suggest a Star Trek reference as a toast.” Sehun teased, breaking Luhan out of his mess of thoughts.

The tension of the moment was shattered as they both burst out laughing. Inspired by the moment, Luhan wrapped his arm around Sehun’s and exclaimed, “To here and right now!”

Sehun grinned madly as Luhan poured the champagne into his mouth. He did the same thing for Luhan. It was quite the messy exchange.

Minji watched fondly from the window, peering through the blinds. She was delighted to see Luhan looking so happy. Her heart nearly exploded from the cuteness of the exchange and from the happiness that her best friend was getter closer to Sehun.

Outside, the two teammates were still in the midst of their giggle fit. Sehun noted that Luhan had never looked quite so beautiful (and Luhan thought just the same about Sehun).

It wasn’t exactly what either of them had wished for, but it didn’t matter, it was as close to perfect as they needed.

A/N Heyyyyy guys! :)

Scratch my last author's note, 108 SUBSCRIBERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW......DID THE................HOW.......THE STORY............................WHAT.............THE..................HOW?!?!?!?! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!! *spontaneously combusts*

I know the legal drinking age for South Korea is 19 (20 in Korean age reckoning) but for the sake of this story it is legal for them to drink at 18. :)
 

*Rant begin* Just another quick thing, yes I love you putting your thoughts and ideas about this story in your comments, the secret admirer being the biggest, but please out of courtesy for others, don't write who you think it is. I know I sound really stuffy and nagging but I really hope that some of you will be surprised by who it is. I love you guys but please don't ruin the surprise for other or new readers! *Rant over*