It was almost as if no time had passed when Haejin woke up from her deep slumber. She heard her phone go off with its usual alarm at 5:30 a.m. and when she hastily reached over to turn it off, she felt fatigue grip her body and give a tight squeeze. A soft groan escaped her lips and she forced open her eyes, viewing a world of blurred lines and misshapen figures, along with the darkness that enveloped her. Yawning, with the gears in her head already turning, telling her to "get moving," she yawned and stretched, only to find out that she couldn't.

There was a pair of arms wrapped around her.

Haejin frowned, letting out a small grunt of confusion as she turned around in those arms, before coming face to face with Kai, who was still asleep. Her eyes widened and she blinked twice in surprise, before feeling a smile tug at her lips. 

Kai was fast asleep, his breathing slow and even-- soothing, in a way. His heavy lids were closed, his eyes unseen. His hair was a tousled mess, bruised by the pillow his head lay upon. Haejin smiled at the sleeping boy; he was flawless, asleep and awake.

His arms around her were warm, reassuring, comforting. Haejin missed them when he was away, and yet she was surprised when she had them when he was back with her. A yearning within her compelled her to stay in them, go back to sleep and cuddle up next to him where he could keep her away from her hectic lifestyle... But she had a job to do, and with a sigh, Haejin began to carefully pluck Kai's arms off of her. Though Kai was a heavy sleeper, and Haejin could very easily throw his arms violently from her and he would still not wake up, there was something about the fragility of such a deep sleeper that kept her from doing so. Not that she wanted to, anyway. Haejin then slid out of bed, careful to not let the warmth from underneath the covers they shared out, and careful not to let the cold draft in. She looked around; Eunhwa wasn't in her bed. Haejin frowned; Eunhwa slept in the room they shared regardless to whether Kai was there or not. Her bed was neatly made, the covers straight and neat.

Maybe she went somewhere... Or with someone, Haejin thought, feeling a smirk cross her lips. After all, Sehun was back as well, and Haejin knew that Eunhwa had a thing for the bratty maknae.

Almost as if he sensed her disappearance, Kai frowned in his sleep, and brought his arms up to his chest. He let out a small moan. As Haejin stood over him, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor boy, and again she was compelled to jump right back into bed with him. However, she simply let out a soft sigh, and smiled sympathetically.

"I'll be back later. You need your sleep." She carefully leaned over him, planting a gentle kiss on his cheek. Kai's expression softened. 

Haejin leaned back, smiled one last time at Kai, and carefully slinked out of the room to get ready for the day.

Kai felt his eyelids begin to flutter, as he emerged into the waking world. He turned in a half-slumber, expecting to feel another body comfortably pressed against his own, only to feel the chill of unslept-on linens. Instantly he retracted, shivering slightly at the considerably chilly touch. His eyes opened slowly, as they took in the light that illuminated the room.

Suddenly, he sat up quickly, his eyes stretched wide.

"I slept in?" Kai looked about him in a half-daze, panic beginning to fuel the adrenaline that accelerated through his veins. However, as his vision began to clear, he realized that he wasn't in his room. As he looked around him, he recognized his surroundings and he began to relax.

"Haejin?" Upon noting that he was in his girlfriend's room, he began to look for her, after realizing that she was missing.

"Haejin!" He heard no reply. He began to look frantically around, feeling a pang of fear make his heart skip a beat. His girlfriend was gone, to his knowledge, and it terrified him that he didn't know where she was. "Jagiya!"

Then it hit him, as his brain began to wake up as well:

He had the day off. In fact, he had three days off. It was also Thursday, meaning Haejin had a schedule.

Kai breathed a sigh of relief and he laughed aloud, albeit shakily. He fell silent, was stll for a moment, before he peeled the covers off of him and slid out of bed. He stretched, hearing his arm crack, and he let out a breath of laughter. His arms dropped to his sides limply, and he turned his head to look out the window, partly hidden by dark curtains. Sunlight was slithering through, and it indirectly shone on him, warming his skin. He squinted, staring for a moment, before smiling.

"It's a nice day... Maybe I'll go visit my family today." He thought about it for a moment, before nodding and beginning to move. He went to the drawer in Haejin and Eunhwa's room, and pulled out the bottom drawer.

This drawer was entirely his. It had shirts, neatly folded, and pants which were carefully put away. There were boxers, socks, a hoodie, jackets, tank-tops-- Anything Kim Jongin wore the night he spent with Haejin. It was washed by Haejin and put in the drawer, in case Kai couldn't make it back to his dorm, or simply didn't want to. Kai was grateful for this; she kept his clothes protected and would even wash them for him. Kai was thankful for that. In the drawer, carefully packed away was a bottle of bodywash and his signature cologne as well, in case he needed to shower there as well. He usually showered at his own dorm, but it was kept there in case something happened. Haejin was always one for thinking ahead and planning ahead.

He smiled at her efforts, before picking out a T-shirt and comfortable jeans. Haejin's favorite: she loved it when he wore a T-shirt. "It looks so good, and feels nice when I hug you when you're in one of them," she told him. He made sure to make a note of that. He also grabbed a pair of socks and boxers, as well as his bodywash. He re-organized the clothes carefully, restoring them to how they were before he searched for his outfit, before closing the drawer and straightening up. He walked over to the door, opening it and peeking out. There was no one around, the lights in the dorm off. Kai nodded once again, before trekking to the bathroom.

He re-emerged twenty minutes later, dressed and running a towel through his damp hair. His scalp still tingled from when they bleached his hair blond, and he massaged it gently with the towel, wincing slightly.

"I wonder what umma will think of it," he wondered aloud. "Appa will freak out, for sure."

He wandered around the dorm, thinking aloud, until he heard a creaking sound and he jumped. He then stiffened, looking toward his right, toward the source of the noise. He then frowned, as he saw Yejin sitting in a recliner Indian-style, rocking back and forth in the chair. The creaking came from the chair, as it creaked each time she swayed backwards. She was silent, tapping out a text message to someone, her hair shielding her eyes. Curious, Kai approached her, looking over her shoulder quietly to find out who she was texting.

TO: Chanyeol-oppa

I miss you. /

Kai's jaw dropped. He stared at her, then at her phone, only to watch her delete the message.

TO: Chanyeol-oppa

What are you doing on your day off?

Kai's expression softened as he realized what she was doing. He felt a rock of pity hit his stomach as he looked at her still-rocking form.

Yejin and Chanyeol had a history in the past. They had been romantically involved a few years ago, and then broke up when Chanyeol was announced to debut. It was one-sided; Yejin wanted to try and make it work with Chanyeol, but Chanyeol decided against it to protect the girl. Kai closed his eyes slowly, remembering something. He knew that Haejin adn Yejin had a lot of tension between one another, most of it from Yejin's end; Yejin was envious of Haejin for being able to make it work with Kai, and angry at her that she would put her image on the line. She was jealous that she was able to have a happy relationship and she wasn't, when she'd give anything for Chanyeol; Kai knew it, Haejin knew it, and everyone knew it, but no one said anything, respecting Chanyeol's choice. Kai's lip twitched. It was probably for the better, as he knew how fans could get when their idol has a love life.

Kai then shook his head, feeling another thought cross his mind. Call him a hypocrite, but he wanted to keep the thought away: he was putting Haejin in danger every time they were together. He clenched his fist, shaking his head again and blinking harshly. He wouldn't stand a thought like that. He turned his attention to Yejin, who didn't seem to notice his presence, or was ignoring him. He decided to go with the former.

"You're not with the others?" he asked. Yejin jumped, and Kai put a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady. Yejin looked up at him, smiling gratefully, but her eyes told a different story. they were filled with a longing, but that longing was quickly fading.

"Ah, no," she stammered. She adjusted herself so she was comfortably facing him. "I was, but I twisted my ankle and came home because it hurt so bad." Seeing Kai's look of sympathy, she waved her hand. "I'm fine now, but I was told to relax by Miss Dominatrix."

Kai raised a brow. "Miss Dominatrix?"

Yejin's face went blank. "Your girlfriend," she deadpanned. "She's teaching in place of our dancing coach, who didn't show up today."

Kai's eyes went wide, and he gripped her shoulder. "I am so sorry," he emphasized. "I should probably go save the others, right?"

Yejin nodded vigorously. "She's making us dance AND sing today."

"Dear lord," Kai straightened out. "I was going to go over there to fetch her, but looks like I'll have to run there and drag her out, huh?"

"Go. Go now. Save them while you still can!" As Yejin said this, Kai turned from her and sprinted out of the room, as well as the dorm. Yejin smiled softly, hearing him stomp down the stairs, before turning back in her spot and staring at her phone. She sighed, feeling the quiet take over once again.

“Okay, get ready, girls.”

There was the sound of feet shuffling, and the occasional squeak as a shoe came in contact with the waxed wooden floor and skidded across it. The shuffling grew loud, before it softened, then ceased to exist entirely. The only sound was the sound of several breaths, slightly worked up and ghosting past the air. Kai knew the sounds all-too well, as he opened the door to the practice room. Quietly closing the door behind him, he hid behind a wall that separated the actual practice room from the door and the railing—this room was designed for ballet dancers. Ballerinas would also put their shoes against the wall, and would change into ballet slippers here.

Kai kept himself pressed to the wall, peeking around the corner. He saw five girls, with four facing the walls. One was in the back, facing the mirrors. Kai squinted his eyes and saw that it was Haejin. She was posed with onehand on her hip, and another at her side. One foot was in front of the other just a bit. He examined the others: Sora and Minji were facing him, while Jina and Hyori’s backs were to him. There was a three foot distance between the girls standing next to each other, and a six foot distance across from them. They were not directly back-to-back; Haejin came first, then Jina, Sora, Minji and Hyori, Kai could see. Everyone besides Haejin was partially kneeling down—one knee was bent, and they were leaning forward on it. It was an interesting formation, with interesting postures.

Sora suddenly raised her hand subtly and waved to him. Kai’s eyes widened; Sora spotted him. He grinned and waved back, but shook his head when Sora began to point behind her, toward Haejin whose head was down.

“Ignore me; I wanna watch you guys do your thing,” he mouthed, motioning with his hands as well. Sora’s mouth formed an “o,” and she nodded giving a thumbs up. Minji looked over at Sora, then at Kai. She nodded in understanding, giving a friendly wave. He nodded back, smiling.

Haejin looked up, at the girls’ reflections in the mirror. “We’ll see how we do this as a group of five, alright? Just do as you normally would—Jina-yah, could you move a little bit to the left? You’re a bit too far out.” As Haejin watched Jina scoot toward the left, watching herself in the mirror, Haejin gave a thumbs-up. “That’s perfect. Thank you.” She pulled out a small remote control from her pocket, and pointed it toward the corner of the room. Kai’s eyes followed the direction, before he nodded in understanding; there was a music player sitting on one of the chairs.

“Music, cue.”

(Song: Hurricane by Panic! At the Disco.) (A/N: If you'd like to listen to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgW4w3OY1kM)

A soft vibration filled the room, as well as some faint music. It continued for a few moments, before it escalated into a beat. On the first beat, the four girls’ heads snapped toward the mirrors. On the second, Haejin’s head shot up, and on the third, her hands shot out and did a beckoning motion, causing the other girls to stand up straight immediately. Then Haejin cat-walked forward, each step coordinating with a beat, and with each beat, she passed a girl, who she would knock down with a gesture of her hand; the girl would then get into a full kneeling position quickly, flawlessly. Kai’s jaw dropped.

This is what Yejin meant by “Dominatrix”; she’s controlling everyone in the routine… Wow. His eyes scanned the group in awe.

Once Haejin had “knocked” all the girls down, she stepped back twice. The four girls began to stand, flowing forward with a curve of the back. Haejin’s arms crossed one another in a single fluid motion, before raising at her sides once again, her palms up.  The girls’ arms raised over their heads. The beat changed from one thump to two claps, and in those two claps Haejin beckoned twice, one for each clap, and the girls actually did clap.

“Are you worth your weight in gold, ‘cause you’re behind my eyelids when I’m all alone.” Kai’s eyes widened, and he looked toward Haejin. Not only was Haejin commanding the dance group, but she was singing the lyrics. Her voice was contolled, and held some power in it, as she had to dominate Panic! At the Disco’s singer. As she sang, she swayed her hips to the beat, fluidly moving her arms to create grace and extra movement. The others were dancing at her whim, copying her, watching her every move and following her example. All eyes were on the mirror in front of them, save for Kai’s, as he was watching Haejin.

It wasn’t just because she was his girlfriend, but it was because she drew the most attention. Haejin was the centerpiece of the group when she danced because she was flawless, and full of a certain type of charisma that left people breathless. Her moves were just so clean, so mastered and… Perfect. She stood out amongst these girls, and as much as Kai wanted to look at the others, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her, even if she was the ringleader of the song. It didn’t matter if she was in front, or a back-up dancer; Haejin turned heads and kept them turned.

“But you didn’t come, and speak to me, or put my heart at ease…” At this verse, the girls approached Haejin, pretended to corner her and surround her. Haejin had stepped back dramatically, clutching her heart to match the verse. Then she put her hands over her eyes.

“And I believe that half the time…” For each word that fell from her lips, a hand covered hers, until there six hands covering Haejin’s eyes. Each girl had one hand over her face, and another was outstretched and poised.

“I am a wolf among the sheep, gnawing at the wool over my eyes.” Here, Haejin began to sway her hips and her shoulders seductively, causing each of the hands to move. Kai smirked; it looked like a tree swaying in a heavy wind. He recognized the postures and the positions because he had gone through it with s when they promoted “Wolf.” He watched as Haejin’s hands subtly turned beneath the others, before she the others’ hands away, agressively walking forward and leaving the girls behind—they had swiveled away from her and curled back,as if they were shocked by something.

Kai felt his heart swell with pride as he watched them. He began to realize how much they looked up to him and EXO. This group’s moves were similar to theirs; Kai began to feel reminiscent as he remembered how he had looked up to his sunbaes when he was in training as well, reciprocating their moves and mastering them for later use.  He had trained Haejin, and had also assisted the others. They learned from him. Haejin learned from him.

But I didn’t make you the way you are… You persevered on your own and branched out… That’s why if you don’t get chosen to be in a group soon, I’ll be going on strike. You deserve this. His eyes continued to watch them, as the song reached its , and then its end, where they had worked their way back to their starting position. Haejin raised her hands to her sides slowly, as the girls raised with them, synchronizing with their leader with an eerie perfection.

“You’ll dance to anything, you’ll dance to anything.” As the last note left Haejin’s lips, her hands dropped harshly, albeit not hitting her sides. They froze with robotic precision, as the girls dropped to their hands and knees, their heads down. The song ended, and the only sound that was left in the room was the stagnant heavy breathing. They remained as still as possible, but their shoulders moved up and down with each carefully quiet gasp for air they took.

Then there was the sound of clapping. Their hands snapped up in surprise as Kai came out from behind the wall, clapping furiously.

“Daebak!!!” Kai smiled at them. “That was incredible, guys!”

“Holy crap, when did you even get here?” Jina had jumped and whipped around to face Kai. She disbelievingly pointed at him, staggering back out of fatigue. Hyori had also turned around and blushed in surprise. Haejin’s head shot up, looking around at surprise. Sora and Minji bowed.

“Domo arigatou—Ah, kamsahamnida,” she stammered, wincing at herself for slipping into Japanese. Minji patted her on the back and laughed, before looking at Kai.

“Thank you, Jongin-ah.”

Kai shook his head. “No need to thank me, you guys were awesome!” He pointed at Sora and Minji, then at Hyori and Jina. “I mean, you guys were so in sync it was scary. So fluid and yet so crisp at the same time.” He put his hands to his head in disbelief. “Seriously, I’m… I’m stunned.”

The girls bowed, covering their smiles with their hands once they stood up again. “Thank you very much.”

Jina pointed at Haejin, who was blushing. “Thank our teacher. This was her dance.”

Haejin began to shake her head and wave her hands in embarassment. “Jina, no—“

“You.. This was…” Kai pointed at Haejin, his eyes wide with surprise. “…Your creation?”

Haejin looked down for a moment, shrugging slightly. “I’m trying to work out the kinks—Ah!” She felt her feet leave the ground and a pair of arms wrap around her waist as Kai spun her around. She let out a tiny yelp before laughing and clinging to him. He put her down, before getting down to her level and looking into her eyes.

Haejin began to blush. Kai was smiling so brightly and so widely, and his eyes pierced into her as they sparkled with a pride that threatened to burst. Haejin involuntarily smiled, and covered with her hand, starting to feel shy. Kai, in a single, fluid movement, came closer to her and covered her hand with his own. He began to weave his fingers within hers, and he held her hand, bringing it down as he stood up straight. Haejin looked up at him, smiling and biting her lip slightly.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered. Haejin began to laugh, shaking her head. Kai shook their hands.

“You are!” he exclaimed. “Your moves were flawless, and you were singing—holy crap! Your voice didn’t break once, and I just…” Kai shook his head, looking at her and trying to find words. “I can’t,” he laughed, letting go of her hand and hugging her.

“He’s fangirling!” Jina laughed, and Sora began to giggle.

“Kai is Haejin’s biggest fangirl,” Hyori commented.

“I’m shameless,” Kai admitted, continuing to hug her. “I can’t with my feelings. I confess!”

The girls laughed, and Haejin giggledinto his chest, before carefully pushing him away. “Stop; you’re embarassing me!”

“I’ll be embarassing you even more when you guys debut; I’ll be the fanboy in the front row, trying to get past security and crazy fanboys and reaching for you,” he laughed.

“Kai’s gonna be the kind of fan that’s going to have a ‘Kill Me, Kris’ sign, but it’ll say ‘Kill Me, Haejin,’ instead,” Minji predicted. The group laughed.

“Except it’ll be really big, like it’ll take, like, five people to hold it and it’ll stretch…” Kai took a step back and pointed from one end of the dance room, to the other and repeated the motion. “From that wall to this wall… Oh, and it’ll be neon pink, so you’ll definitely see it.” Kai nodded reassuringly.

By this time, Sora and Hyori were on the floor from laughing so ahrd. Minji was shaking her head and giggling. Jina was clapping and bowing over and over, howling in laughter. Haejiin was squealing, her hands covering her face.

“Kim Jongin,” she whined, her voice breaking with laughter. Kai was smiling goofily ashe put a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m just stating the truth, jagi…” His sentence was cut off by his own laughter, as it racked his body and caused the both of them to sway.

“You’re so embarassing.” Haejin put a hand around his waist. “Aish.”

Once the laughter died down, Minji spoke up. “Wait, why are you even here? Don’t you have a day off?”

Kai pointed at her, remembering why he was indeed there. “I have three days off,” he corrected. “Thank you for reminding me; Haejin,” he turned to her. “I was thinking of visiting my family today, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with—“

“Yes.” Haejin smiled up at him. “Of course.”

Kai stared at her, caught off-guard by such a quick response. “You could… Maybe think about it a second?”

Jina snorted in laughter. Haejin giggled, before dramatically putting a finger to her cheek and pretending to think.

“Hmmm…” She looked around the room, before turning to Kai. “Yes. Good enough, now?”

Kai laughed and nodded. Haejin smiled. “Good! Just give me a minute to freshen up and change, and another, much bigger minute to thank these wonderful ladies.” She pointed at the other four girls, who smiled at her.

“Yes, my lady.” Kai bowed threatrically, before stepping back. Haejin rolled her eyes and smiled, before turning to the girls.

“You guys are amazing,” she started. Jina opened to protest.

“Zip it,” Haejin commanded. “I just wanted to thank you guys for putting up with me today; I know I was a little hard on you, Hyori-unnie, but you proved me wrong in the last dance. Sora-chan, you’re improving so much, I’m so proud of you. Jina-yah… Thank you for putting up with my constant position rearrangements. You pulled through like a freight train and made it work, and it looked so flawless. And Minji-unnie, thank you for providing back-up vocals to ‘Hurricane,’ and dancing so perfectly. All of you guys were fantastic, and I couldn’t be more proud of you. You stuck it out with me, even though there was no dance coach today… And we still don’t know where she is. Anyways, thank you guys! You’re wonderful, and....” Haejin opened her arms. “Group hug?!”

The girls bounded forward, before crowding around Haejin and hugging her, as well as each other.

“Hwaiting!” They pulled away, and Haejin laughed. “Alright girls, go home, or do whatever you need to do; practice is over!”

She turned to Kai.

“I’m gonna go change, okay?” She looked at him, and he nodded.

“I’ll be out in the hall.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips, before turning and walking out of the practice room.

Haejin watched him leave, and she smiled, before running behind the curtains and to the locker room.

When she emerged, she was dressed in a short-sleeve fleece blouse and jean shorts. The blouse overlapped the shorts slightly, giving Haejin a cute and smaller appearance. She had applied some eyeliner and mascara, as well as foundation for a flawless complexion. Her hair, which had been tied up in a tight bun previously, was now cascading over her shoulders in loose curls. A pair of sunglasses was placed on top of her head to keep her bangs out of her eyes.

She closed the door behind her, and was in the hallway that most of the practice rooms were in. She could faintly hear behind the doors the cocktail of beats that emitted from all of the rooms. She smiled, shaking her head at the distorted beat.

“Psst… Haejin!” At the sound of her name, Haejin turned around. Kai was pressed against the wall down the hall a ways, motioning her to come toward him. He was biting his lip mischievously, and Haejin tilted her head in confusion. She walked over to him, the confusion showing in her eyes.

“Look,” Kai whispered, before pointing into the open practice room he was right next to. He then peeked into the room.

“We’re spying on someone?” Haejin whispered. Kai nodded vigorously, and Haejin understood, carefully looking around the doorway. She then gasped quietly.

In the room was Eunhwa and Sehun, and they were slow-dancing. The sound of soft piano seeped from the speakers that were attached on the walls. It was low and deep, perfect for ballads and romance, and, indeed, slow dancing.

“Put your hand on my shoulder, like this.” Sehun’s voice was soft as he took her right and and placed it on his shoulder. “Then…” He reached down and took her hand in his, lifting it slightly over his head and interlacing the fingers. Sehun then placed his free hand on her waist, slightly wrapping it around her as he pulled her closer. Eunhwa let out a soft gasp as she was brought forward.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Sehun reassured. He was looking at her, as Eunhwa slowly looked into his eyes. Haejin could see an apparent blush on her cheeks, and even a blush on Sehun’s face as well.

“Are you nervous?” he asked. Eunhwa stiffly shook her head, and the blush deepened. Sehun smiled at her, laughing softly.

“Just let your body do what it wants. It doesn’t want to be tense. Just go with your body,” he whispered. Eunhwa breathed, before feeling her body begin to sway. Sehun’s body moved with hers, and they began to slow-dance.

“Told you it was natural,” he said quietly. Eunhwa giggled softly.

Haejin looked at Kai, before the both of them turned away from the door and ran a few steps away from it. They clasped each other’s hands and began to jump up and down.

“They’re so freaking adorable!” Kai’s voice was hushed, and he was clenching his teeth in excitement.

“I ship it so hard,” Haejin whispered, breathless.

“OTP,” Kai concluded. Haejin squealed, and they continued to jump up and down for a few moments, before suddenly stopping.

“They’ll hear us,” Haejin whispered, looking carefully toward the practice room. Kai nodded. “Let’s go.” They bounded down the hall until they were sure they were out of earshot.

“That was amazing,” they said in unison, before laughing a moment.

“I’m surprised he had the guts to finally dance with her,” Kai noted. “He’s been talking about doing that for a while, now.”

“Eunhwa likes him so much.” Haejin’s hands were covering as she looked up at Kai with excitement.

“Sehun’s the exact same way,” he replied excitedly. “He needs to ‘fess up.”

“Indeed so,” Haejin nodded, before dropping her hands. “So whose car, yours or mine?”

“Mine,” Kai replied. “You got everything you need?” Seeing Haejin nod, he smiled. “Let’s go.” He began to walk forward, but was suddenly pulled back.

“Wait, wait,” Haejin stopped him. She then looked up at him, a serious expression in her eyes. “Shouldn’t we be disguised?”

Kai blinked, before he understood what she meant. They would be leaving the building, and would be seen by people, more specifically, fans. Usually, when they went somewhere, the two of them would walk seperately, or would wear hats and sickness-masks to cover their faces. For the duration of their friendship, they had done this to protect one another and prevent rumors, which was unacceptable by their company.

Kai thought about it for a moment. “My car is just in the parking lot… I’ll go grab a hat.”

“I have one.” Haejin reached into her bag, and pulled one out. Kai thanked her, before slipping it on. He glanced at her, and frowned. He was looking at her worried expression.

“Haejin, we’ll be fine. We’ve dodged the bullet so many times before,” he whispered, taking her hands in his and squeezing them gently. Haejin looked down.

“I know… I’m just…”

“I know. Fans are scary. But we’ll be fine.”

“Jongin… What if we get caught?” The question sent a shiver down Kai’s spine, not just at the frightening aspect of getting seen, but the fragility in Haejin’s voice was bonechilling. It scared her to death. Kai tilted her chin, before leaning in and planting a gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled away, before smiling reassuringly. “Come on.”

They left through the back door, after checking to see if the coast was clear of fans. Suddenly, Kai in a breath.

“I forgot, “ he winced. “The car’s parked down the road because of the construction going on down the street.” He pointed toward the area, and Haejin could clearly see a cement truck, as well as some construction workers in front of a half-finished building. However, she shot a warning look at Kai. He saw it, and shook his head.

“We’ll be fine,” he repeated.

“Jongin, it’s a gut feeling,” she warned him. He ignored it.

“I’ll leave first, then you follow a few steps behind, okay?” He heard Haejin sigh in response, which he took as an “okay.” He began to walk down the street, and soon heard Haejin’s footsteps behind him.

Kai’s eyes suddenly widened. There was a crowd of people up ahead, waiting to cross the street. There were at least forty to fifty people there, bunched up and scattered on the street corner. There was no avoiding them; Kai would have to weave through them in order to pass. He tsked, before turning around to see Haejin.

Haejin eyed the crowd before nodding hesitantly. They continued to walk toward and eventually into the crowd of people, Kai first, and Haejin following behind.

Suddenly, the crowd began to move, as the sign changed from “stop” to “walk.” Kai gasped as he began to get pushed about, but he stood his ground and turned around. He couldn’t see Haejin.

“Haejin-ah!” Kai’s eyes scanned the bustling crowd, until he heard a yell and a hand shoot out. Kai recognized it by the bracelet that Haejin always wore. In situations like this, he always knew to look for that bracelet. Quickly and carefully, so as not to hurt others, he reached for her hand, grabbed it and began to walk her through the crowd. He held her hand tightly, as they made their way out of the crowd and continued on down the street. Once Kai was certain Haejin was safe, he disconnected their hands, and continued to walk down the street. Haejin followed him, and they acted as if nothing had happened.

But something did happen. It was a sound, a sound neither of them picked up amongst the sound of the construction, the footsteps, and many voices. It was the sound of a button being pressed, as a device was focused on their connected figures...

The camera only needed a second to focus on their faces, before taking a picture that would prove to be a perfect snapshot.

3, 2, 1.

Click.

~*~Author's Note~*~

Hi, guys!

DUN DUN DUN. Don't you love me for my cliffhangers?

What will happen next, hm?

Hehe, hopefully you'll find out soon!

I've included some side relationships as well, so now there's three plots! I think it'll bring a deeper connection between EXO members and these girls. What do you think?

Also, FIFTY SUBSCRIBERS HOLY CRAP. You guys are wonderful, old and new. I know some of you came form FYSI, and I'm so grateful you decided to stay by me and support me and Kai and Haejin. We thank you!! ^o^ And to the newbies, I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and I love you!

One more thing: I know this might sound selfish, but I would personally love to see more comments on the story from here on out. I really want to know what you guys are thinking, and your feedback keeps me alive and helps me know what you guys like, don't like, etc. So PLEASE, even if it's a simple one or encouragement or ANYTHING, I love feedback and cherish it more than you think.

See you soon~ <3