A/N: I'm back.

`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*

Black Pearl, one of the 3 VIP-exclusive nightclubs owned by an anonymous millionaire, and the one that Sehun frequented most (or at least as often as his schedule would allow him), was surprisingly quite packed when he walked in, despite the freezing temperature outside.

Not that the high-end establishment ever had any shortage of patrons regardless of the season, but Sehun expected less people than what he was seeing now.

New York’s elite apparently didn’t give a whether or not the weather was favorable when it came to partying. winter. negative degrees Celsius. blizzards.

The 19-year-old model immediately made a beeline towards the grand spiral staircase which led to the more private and secluded second floor bar to avoid running into anyone he might know because he didn’t come here to socialize.

It was stupidly ironic, considering he was in a club–and a very famous one at that–but Sehun didn’t care about the logic behind his actions because there was none.

All he wanted was to get drunk enough to forget about his troubles for a while, and that's what he was going to do.

Sehun nodded to himself, resolved.

Unfortunately, doing so required him to lie to his friends and ditch their beloved CEO’s birthday party.

The determined set of his lips then quickly morphed into a pout.

Unlike what he had told Luhan and Chanyeol earlier in the evening when he had excused himself, Sehun didn’t actually have a flight to catch to Paris for a photoshoot with French Vogue.

Well, he sort of did, but it wouldn’t be until the day after tomorrow.

He’d feel guiltier if he was feeling more like himself at the moment, but he wasn’t, so he’d save it for when they finally found out.

If they ever would, that was. Sehun sure as hell wasn’t planning on telling them jack squat.

Upon reaching the empty bar (literally only the bartender was there, thank God), Sehun untied the bow belt of his favorite tweed and cotton peplum trench coat from Burberry Prorsum, ing it all the way but deciding to keep it on at the last minute anyway, before gracefully perching onto one of the many stools arranged along the length of the long black marble counter.

“Hey, gorgeous,” greeted the smiling bartender–a tall and ruggedly handsome Australian bloke named Liam–as soon as he recognized who Sehun was.

Sehun only gave the older man a half-hearted smile in return. Under any other circumstance, he would’ve made pointless small talk and perhaps even complimented the guy (he was looking particularly y tonight), but as he was right now, Sehun couldn’t even summon the effort to think of anything to say.

If Liam thought that the pretty model was behaving in an odd manner, he simply shrugged and didn’t comment on it; instead asking, still in an overly pleasant tone, “So what can I get for you?”

“A White Russian, please,” Sehun said without having to look at the rather extensive selection of cocktail mixes and alcoholic beverages that the club had to offer. He figured he’d start with something relatively mild, because he had no doubt that later on he’d be ordering shot after shot of Liquid (not in any way related to the drug of the same name) or something equally potent.

Sehun then turned away from Liam as the bartender set about doing his job, relaxing into his seat and crossing a slender, leggings-clad leg on top of the other, head unconsciously bobbing along to the slightly muffled music coming from downstairs.

Preoccupied with nothing, Sehun’s mind automatically wandered of its own volition, back to the reason why he was here in the first place.

Ever since news came out that Sehun was single again, people, including some who he wasn’t even remotely close to or acquainted with (like the janitor and the security personnel), would randomly pop up from out of nowhere and ask how he was doing.

Sehun would only smile and tell them he was fine. It was definitely better and easier than admitting that, ‘Well, I’m lonely and miserable and to be honest I feel like climbing up to the top of the Empire State Building right now and jumping off of it because I’m so done with life but I can’t because if I did Luhan would resurrect me just so he could kill me himself for my stupidity and I highly doubt I’d be going to heaven because I was such a self-centered bratty diva- on earth and my parents would forever mourn about losing their only son and thus not getting any adorable grandchildren and Jaejoong would fire me and make sure no other modeling agency would ever accept me and then I’d be jobless with no means to support my lifestyle and ography and ion are out of the question because NO and what about my clothes and my shoe collection? Who would look after them when I’m gone? Do you see my problem here?’

In short, he was NOT OK. No matter how he tried to ignore it and pretend he was fine, the break up had left a huge hole in his psyche that would take quite some time to patch up and re-stitch.

Sehun might not have loved Étienne* like Luhan was head over five-inch heels for Taecyeon, but he still cared; enough to cry himself to sleep for an entire week, sabotage his diet with an excessive amount of sweets, and feel considerably depressed about their untimely end.

Although it had been more than a month since the Frenchman broke it off with him, there were still times, like tonight, when Sehun couldn’t help but feel like he was somewhat inadequate. He knew he wasn’t, for Luhan had made sure to drill into him that Étienne was ‘a ing dumb, imbecilic, stinking who didn’t deserve you at all’ and ‘you’re enough, Sehun, don’t you dare think otherwise’, but whenever he recalled the reason why his now ex-boyfriend dumped him, Sehun was inclined to believe otherwise.

Maybe, if he did try harder, became sweeter, more indulgent and subservient, then they’d still be together and Étienne wouldn’t have grown tired of him so easily.

Sehun thought it was stupid now, but on more than one occasion in the past, when everything was perfect and Etienne promised him the world (as all other guys do in the beginning), he had caught himself imagining walking down the aisle with Etienne waiting at the altar. How naïve he was.

“Here you go, love,” Liam’s rough voice suddenly penetrated Sehun’s dark, miserable cloud of thoughts, thus preventing them from taking a turn for the worse and turning into a full-blown hurricane.

His timing was impeccable, Sehun had to admit. If Liam took five seconds longer in preparing his drink, Sehun was fairly certain he’d be crying by now.

The young model quickly brought his gaze back the bartender, whose electric cobalt blues were watching him intently, before shifting to where said drink was now sitting prettily on the counter.

“Thanks,” he mumbled as he daintily picked up the cocktail, avoiding Liam’s rather piercing gaze. Sehun chose to ignore what they were trying to convey.

He then took a small, experimental sip from it to gauge whether or not the sweetness of the cream compromised the bitterness of the vodka. That was a mistake that bartenders often unknowingly commit, and one Sehun deemed unforgivable.

To his satisfaction, though, it tasted just the way he liked it, so he gave a nod of approval to Liam.

The Aussie smiled before excusing himself to cater to the newcomers–two girls who sat themselves about four stools away from Sehun’s.

Sehun was certain that it was him they were whispering about. How could he not be when they were blatantly pointing at his outfit, (most probably) gushing about how well he carried himself in it?

‘Well, duh, I’m a model. I’d manage to look good in a potato sack,’ Sehun’s mind drawled sarcastically.

Thankfully, they didn’t linger, or worse, attempt to strike up a conversation, and instead quickly left to return to wherever it was they came from after getting their drinks.

Sehun was halfway through his own when the music was cut off without warning and changed into something else–something familiar and mainstream, but definitely not a genre usually played at a club like the one he was in.

It was a slow RnB jam that Sehun often heard getting a lot of airplay recently, whose lyrics talked about reaching the breaking point of a relationship that just wasn’t working anymore, and that both parties have given up on.

Sehun rather liked the melody, but the lyrics, although something that he couldn’t exactly relate to his present situation, were still depressing, so he resolved to ignore it.

He would’ve succeeded, as he happened to be particularly skilled at tuning out unwanted noise (like Chanyeol’s obnoxious chatter and Luhan’s whining), if not for the loud cheering that soon erupted amongst the crowd of snooty, high-class party animals.

Mildly intrigued, Sehun cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at Liam, who chuckled, suggesting, “Why don’t you go and check it out?”

Sehun was very much tempted to snap at the stupidly charming peasant and say that he actually wanted Liam to be the one to do that for him because he didn’t feel like leaving his rather comfortable throne, but that would be unreasonable and downright y so he held himself back.

With a roll of his eyes, the flaxen haired model swiveled his chair slightly to the left, towards the direction of the balcony.

Sehun wouldn’t deny that it would (probably, hopefully) provide a good momentary distraction and take his mind off of the violent whirlpool it was currently drowning in. And judging by the people’s reaction, whoever it was commanding the dance floor was definitely putting on quite a show.

Alright, then. There was nothing to lose so he might as well.

Drink in one hand and Chanel purse on the other, Sehun stood up to indulge his curiosity and see for himself what the commotion was all about.

He missed the smirk on Liam’s face.

Stopping about a foot away from the balustrade, Sehun crossed his arms before looking down to the dance floor below, and nearly dropped his glass.

In the middle of the parted crowd was a man dressed in an all black ensemble, tall and dark, captivating his audience with moves that’d make Michael Jackson proud and dance along in his grave.

Sehun himself had some background in dancing, and in fact used to be a part of his high school dance club, so he knew real talent when he saw one.

And this mystery man had it in spades, effortlessly owning the dance floor with both eyes firmly shut to perhaps avoid any kind of distraction and concentrate on his art. Even so, not once did he miss a step, stumble, or slip.

Sehun was mesmerized, eyes completely glued to the man and every pop of his shoulder, swing of his hips, and flip of his hair.

Forget about impressive; he was absolutely breathtaking, and if Luhan was here, the older model would’ve said something along the lines of ‘You know how dancers are supposed to be really good in the sack? Imagine getting ed by that.’

Ok, so that was inappropriate, but he was thinking the way Luhan would. That wasn’t Sehun at all.

Yeah. Stupid Luhan and his stupid, dirty mind.

Shaking his head to get rid of his mental voice that did sound suspiciously like Luhan, Sehun returned his focus to the ongoing show.

Sehun didn’t have a clear view of the dancer's face, and whatever he managed to catch a glimpse of was being quickly obscured by the bright flashing of the ever-shifting, multi-colored strobe lights, but studying the man’s frame–lean and strong with perfect proportions–Sehun could tell that he was probably trained in ballet.

He danced like liquid gold–smooth, flowing, dazzling; graceful yet powerful at the same time. Each movement was controlled and precise, cleanly executed and in perfect timing to every beat. 

Witnessing such raw talent in the art of rhythmic movement was always such a great pleasure, awe-inspiring and near-ic.

Wait, what? Near-ic? Really? He should probably stop hanging around Luhan so much.

Sehun made a mental note to politely decline the next time the older model asked to go shopping or invited him for a sleepover.

The song was approaching its end, and Sehun was surprised to find that he was disappointed.

‘Can’t take it back, it’s too late, we’ve reached the , …’

However, something unexpected happened.

At the exact moment that the final beat went to a full stop, the man, for whatever reason, looked up to the balcony and met Sehun’s eyes, as if he knew exactly where to look, as if he knew Sehun’s been standing there and watching him this whole time.

In the brief moment that they held each other’s gazes, Sehun realized three things: 1.) The man was insanely attractive, with cinnamon brown eyes, olive skin, and full lips; 2.) The temperature seemed to have risen a few hundred degrees; and 3.) The man might not be a complete stranger as he initially thought.

And if the smirk that was slowly forming on the not-stranger’s luscious lips was anything to go by, then…

Sehun’s eyes widened in recognition, and he was frozen in place for three whole seconds before he regained his senses and stiffly about-faced, brisk-walking back to the bar with his heartbeat racing at the speed of light, thumping against his ribcage like those African drums Chanyeol often fooled around with in his apartment.

“Whoa, what happened? Seen a ghost or something?” Liam asked; more amused than worried.

Sehun shot him a vicious glare. “Shut up.”

He finished his drink in two more gulps, slamming the glass onto the counter afterwards before fishing out a random bill from his purse, which happened to be $100.

“Hey, not that I’m complaining but isn’t this a bit too much?” Liam asked, now even more amused. Models from Visual Shock, due to their CEO being acquaintances with the owner of Black Pearl (and because they sort of help promote the club in a way by attracting more patrons), all get free drinks, and grumpy Sehun never gave tips, unlike sweet Luhan and darling Chanyeol did.

“It’s fine. I need to get out of here. You don’t happen to have a secret passage in there that leads outside now, do you?”

“I’d be sure to have one built just for you if you stay.”

Sehun stiffened, partly because he didn’t think the man would get here so fast (did he teleport or something?), but mostly because even after all this time, hearing that voice still made him weak in the knees.

Especially if it was right next to his ears and he could feel the definitely-not-a-stranger’s breath ghosting across his skin, making memories of a night he had buried along with the feelings it gave birth to resurface to the forefront of his mind.

“I’ve finally found you again… Sehun.”

A strong arm circled his waist and slowly guided him to turn around, and Sehun didn’t even think of protesting or pulling away, like his mind was nearly begging him to do because it knows that he couldn’t handle this right now.

But Sehun listened to his heart.

So he looked up and into those eyes that beheld him as they would an invaluable gem; one that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

“You’re still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

And they were oh so sincere and honest and true that it was all Sehun could do not to willingly fall into their depths again.

Almost two years ago, on the eve of his 18^th birthday, Oh Sehun fell in love for the first time, and gave himself to the same man now standing in front of him, looking at him like he was the most precious thing in the world like he did that night.

“Jongin…”

`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*`*:;,．★ ～☆・:.,;*

A/N: SO. This isn't probably what you guys were expecting after so long (I wouldn't even bother to count) since it has nothing to do with Krisyeol, but I originally meant to have this as a part of the 3rd chapter but when I re-read it, it sort of didn't fit so I decided to turn it into a Sehun-centric interlude instead and post it as a separate chapter, which explains why he wasn't at Jaejoong's party (he went 'home' early) and thus didn't make an appearance in the last two chapters. And Kaihun happened. Yes. Before the actual Krisyeol did. *break dance* *dodges grenades* 

Anyways, it seems like baby Sehun has some secrets of his own. Y'all weren't expecting this twist, were you? For all those who missed it, Luhan's thoughts revealed in the first chapter that Sehun lost his ity to his first boyfriend, the then nameless y French Calvin Klein underwear model (who now has a name, which is Etienne LOL), but he actually didn't. He lost it to Kai. Which Luhan doesn't know about. *cue Beethoven's Symphony No. 5*

I'm working on the 3rd chapter, and it's going to be massive because I want to make it up to you guys somehow. As you all may, or may not, know, busy authoress is busy. I have a life outside of the fandom, and during the past couple of months that I've been MIA, real life monopolized me. Unnie has a job, and since it's almost the end of the year, we've been busier than usual, and I've been lacking a lot of sleep lately because of it. And then there was Thanksgiving, which caused me to miss my Babyeol's birthday. I apologize. (シ_ _)シ

I guess that's it for now. Comments are not necessarily required but it would be nice to hear from you guys. :) I'm thanking you guys in advance for being so patient, and I promise to make the next chapter as awesome as I can (or at least I'll try). 

See you guys next chapter. Take care until then, keep warm, and don't get sick (cuz I've been sick a couple of times OTL). WINTER'S COMING! NOOOOOOOO!