Shadow - f(x)

Festival

“So,” Luhan started, pulling his car keys out of the keyhole as both Aerin and Sehun unbuckled themselves from their seats. “What made you come this time?” Luhan followed suit and alighted the car as well, locking the doors in the process. “I kept on asking you to come before and yet you never came.”

Dusting off her white half sleeved jumpsuit, Aerin turned to Luhan and shrugged. “Well, Seongim-unni invited me. It’s not like I can just reject her that easily like you,” She then smiled playfully before following behind Sehun who was calling them from afar. “And besides, I’ve never been to festivals like this. I think it’ll be interesting.”

Seeing the bright expression on Aerin’s face, Luhan shook his head and chuckled, following behind her and his brother. Entering the school grounds, Luhan felt himself falling into a state of nostalgia as he saw the mixture of green and yellow leaves of the trees standing proudly around, decorated with paper lanterns; the slightly rusted basketball and volleyball courts that were pushed to the sides to make space for various stalls and kiosks; the old and faded exterior of the buildings that were covered with colourful banners; the stone stage in the middle of the field where the music was coming from and a fat stubby man was emceeing the main program; and the center field, where the huge bonfire was lighted. People were scattered everywhere, coming from regular students, faculty members, and down to alumnus like Luhan; the whole place was really crowded and noisy.

 Albeit, the liveliness and vigour coming from the people present in the place were the ones that made the whole event even more exciting, and Luhan can’t help but feel proud of presenting such scene in front of Aerin and Sehun. It was an event that he had long wanted to show them, and being able to now, brought his enjoyment and eagerness to an entirely new level.

“Wow,” Sehun remarked, stopping on his tracks to observe and see the whole surroundings. “This is better than what I’ve expected.”

Seeing the whole event unfolding right in front of their eyes, just like Sehun, Aerin found herself staring like a little kid in the middle of a sea of merriment. Lively music was being played in the background with dance performances being presented alongside it, as well as students dancing around the huge bonfire. The sounds of excited people winning from game booths and such could also be heard, making way for more loud cheers and roars. Not to mention the scent of the delicious street and finger foods which were being sold by some stores, the atmosphere really brought thrill and anticipation inside Aerin and Sehun.

Although, as much as the two of them wanted to quickly walk around, they had to fight that urge for a moderate grumbling was heard behind them, coming from the oldest person of their group. “Looks like someone’s hungry.” Sehun snickered.

“Well, I wasn’t able to eat lunch since I had to pass something to one of my professors.” Luhan defended, shrugging his shoulders before catching sight of the stall operated by the owner of the local Korean eatery where they usually eat at. “Hey, they have a booth here! What do you say we eat first?”

Looking at each other with meaningful looks, Aerin and Sehun then turned to Luhan and smiled. “Your treat?”

Before he can even protest, Luhan’s stomach grumbled again—a sound which he had come to dislike. Having no other choice, Luhan placed his arms on both the younger ones’ shoulders and led them to the booth selling Ddeokbokki with a dissatisfied expression. “I seriously hate being the oldest.”

As soon as the servings of Ddeokbokki were handed to them by the store owner, whom they have already befriended, both Aerin and Sehun bowed and thanked Luhan. Bowing wasn’t really necessary, Aerin believed, but being the random kid that he is, Sehun pushed her head downwards, causing for her to bow together with him. The action made Aerin grit her teeth as she gave Sehun a dirty look, but seeing as it didn’t bother the male even one bit, she just heaved a heavy sigh and snorted. It amused both Luhan and Sehun in different ways, but their laughter was quickly halted as soon as they saw familiar faces coming in on them.

“Oh? Aerin, Sehun—“ Kai called, approaching them with a wide smile. He then halted on his tracks as soon as Luhan’s face came up to him. “Luhan-hyung, you’re here too?!”

The sudden announcement caught the attention of the others, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and Suho, causing them to tackle the oldest male into a group hug. Aerin, having seen enough of their antics, quickly stepped aside and watched as the group torment Luhan with a snicker. Seeing this, Sehun chuckled and shook his head. “You really like seeing hyung getting tortured, huh?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Aerin then gave her empty cup to Sehun as she swallowed her last bite. “Pretty much.” Rolling his eyes, Sehun then breathed heavily and grabbed their empty cups, making way for the trash bins located not far from them.

“Hyung, we missed you!” Baekhyun and Chanyeol chirped, wagging both of Luhan’s arms excitedly as the oldest just chuckled. Seeing the scene, Aerin, Kai, Kyungsoo, and Suho, broke out into laughter—ones of which were heard loudly despite the noise surrounding them. Out of their group, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were always the most hyper ones, getting thrilled over the smallest of things, and seeing as their favourite hyung has made an appearance after long while, that enthusiasm doubled. It was tiring for Luhan’s part, but honestly, he kind of missed them as well, so he did nothing but just rode their whims.

“Does this happen every time you guys attend the campfire festival?” Aerin asked, eyeing Baekhyun and Chanyeol from afar.

“Always.” Kai shook his head with a smile as Aerin just nodded in understanding. His attention was diverted to the stage then, where a lively and upbeat song began to play, followed by a cheerful performance from the students. “But hey, since you’re here, why don’t we join the fun?” Kai asked Aerin, pointing to the brightly lit stage.

Seeing the stage and the field where lots of people were dancing, Aerin’s eyes narrowed as she creased her eyebrows. “You know I don’t dance—“ Albeit, her words were shortly forgotten for she soon found herself being dragged by Kai into the field not far from the huge bonfire.

Dancing was never a forte for Aerin for she admits that she has two left feet. She would like to learn how to dance, but it’s as if fate just doesn’t agree with her that every time she ends up in a dance floor, her body stiffens and all she could do is just sway a bit. It was thwarting for Aerin, seeing as not only the students from the summer classes were the ones who were dancing around them; even the regular students from the school were around, and everyone could clearly dance. It heightened even more however, since Kai was a natural born dancer, and Baekhyun and Chanyeol were quick to notice her awkward dancing after having Luhan tormented.

“That dance of yours is seriously just the best!” Baekhyun mocked, holding onto Chanyeol for support as the two of them continued to guffaw at Aerin. Even Kai couldn’t suppress his laughter for the girl’s just really too much for him to take. They’ve seen her dance like that before but no matter what, the humour just never gets old.

Honestly, it annoyed Aerin, the fact that she was the only one who can’t dance among her friends and the fact that they always seem to make fun of her; however, those were overshadowed by the sight of her friends’ happy smiles, and she soon found herself laughing as well—one of which was becoming more and more frequent for her. These three are just so foolish.

“Sorry about them, hyung,” Suho said, turning to Luhan with a sheepish smile. “You know how those three can be so annoying.”

“It would be better though, if I was the only one t