It was finally the first day of the fall showcase and everyone in school was busy running last minute errands and rehearsing one final time before the first scheduled show was to start. Today will be performances from the theatre department which included their annual play and the band performance from the music department. Tomorrow would be the dance showcase and the final day would be the musical play and choir performances.E-Young and Sera would be performing today in the band concert and so you promised them both that you would be there to support them. Your parents couldn't make it for the show so you went alone. You arrived 15 mins before the doors opened because you hated to be late but that also meant you were idly standing in front of the auditorium with nothing to do and no one to talk to. That was until you spotted Seolhyun talking with her father and her friends and family at the waiting area. You tried your best to avoid them and to blend in with another group of people but, there was no one else around you. 

"Aerin~" Seolhyun called out in a creepily friendly voice. 

"Why are you here alone? Are you here to see Sera perform?" she asked with a cute expression that made you uncomfortable 

"Uhh yeah, I thought I'd come to show my support and cheer her on for her performance" you replied 

"I hear she's getting a solo during the band performance, it seems like a big deal" she said. You saw her force a smile and pretend to look happy

"That's right, she is getting a solo. How about you Seolhyun? I hear you are going to be in the school play, which character do you play again?" you asked, secretly mocking her. 

"I play the female main character just so you know" she responded as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, clearly irritated by your feigned ignorance. 

You both parted ways as she went backstage to get ready shooting you a dirty look before she left. It made you laugh at how easy it was to get on her nerves and you secretly hoped she wouldn't perform well. The doors opened and you found a spot near the front. *the perks of coming early* you thought to yourself.

The show ended and you were making your way out of the auditorium to find E-Young and Sera to congratulate them on their performances. There were so many people standing around the waiting area, snapping photographs with their families and socializing with the talent scouts and university representatives.  You tried calling Sera to see where she was so you two could meet up. You dialed her number and waited for her to pick up while you walked towards the windows, where less people were located. You finally spotted her and tried to make your way towards her, pushing your way through the crowd. She was with someone but you were still too far to see who it was. You walked closer and stopped in your tracks. It was Mark. 

He had a bouquet of flowers in his hands and you saw them two talking quite intimately. You hung up the phone call and started to walk backwards, away from them. *When did they know each other?* you thought to yourself. You felt a tinge of sadness to see them two alone together, acting so friendly and it bothered you. As you were about to exit the building, you heard E-Young call your name. You turned around and saw her half-way on the other side of the building give a big smile and waved at you. You smiled back and yelled a congratulations and left without another word. 

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The fall showcase came to an end and you had to admit, you did a pretty good job for your first time. You didn't make any major mistakes and although you were absolutely terrified to perform in front of such a large crowd, it felt great to finally accomplish this daunting task which alleviated the stress from months of practicing. Seolhyun had invited everyone who participated in the fall showcase for an after-party to celebrate their achievements. Although you were definitely not a party person and preferred to spend time at home or at the library, JB and the rest of them persuaded you to go. You felt a little more confident stepping outside of your comfort zone now and after much persuasion, you decided to go. The party would be held at one of Seolhyun's large private penthouse condos downtown. You and E-Young decided to meet and get ready at her house and then head over to the party as a whole group. You went home to grab some things and to look for an outfit. You never went partying before so you didn't know what to wear. You called Narae to ask for some advice since she was curious about all sorts of things and was bound to have some expertise in this area.

"Hello? Narae it's me! I need your help"

"Oooh hey! WOW you decide to call me now when you need something huh? I'm not your dog Aerin, we're supposed to be best friends you know?" she said in a jokingly angry manner.  

"Sorry sorry! I was uber busy these past few weeks with the fall showcase and midterms. Anyways, I got invited to an after-party that Seolhyun is hosting and well, I didn't really want to go but some friends said I should come....and now well I'm going and I don't know what to wear" you rambled 

"IS THIS REALLY THE SAME AERIN THAT I HAVE KNOWN FOR YEARS?" she practically yelled into your ear. 

"I guess my best friend is all grown up now eh?" "Well obviously you know this isn't going to be one of those innocent middle-school parties where you go over to someone's house, watch movies, and eat junk food right?" 

"I suppose not..." you replied, taken aback by her revelation. It didn't hit you that this was going to be a high school party which meant that there would probably be alcohol,  boys and stuff

"Aerin, please hunny don't tell me you were planning on wearing jeans and a shirt" she said in a sassy tone 

"What would you do without me? Seriously..you are too innocent for your own good. Listen to me, find a tight mini-skirt and a crop top with some cute boots and put on a full-face of makeup if you don't want to look out of place" 

"But that seems a little excessive don't you think? I mean we're just going to be at her condo.." you replied, unsure about Narae's advice 

"Trust me on these things Aerin, I'm familiar with this kinda stuff" she said 

You rummaged through your closet trying to find some clothes that matched Narae's description but obviously, you had very limited choices. You pulled out this shorter navy blue body- con dress you had bought on impulse during the summer because of a sale. It was the only "improper" piece of clothing you had besides a few other skirts that could work but you couldn't be bothered to find a matching top to wear. Since it was chilly now that summer was over, you found a loose-fitting beige cardigan to wear on top of your dress. You found some short brown booties that weren't too high because you were already tall and you found it extremely awkward to be towering over everyone else. With your outfit set, you decided to move on to hair and makeup.

Since your outfit was simple but a little more y, you accepted that Narae was right, you had to upgrade your makeup look too. You wore some light foundation to cover up your blemishes and sweeped a shimmery champagne eyeshadow to your lids. You smudged a little eyeliner on to give you a more dramatic effect and curled your lashes and put on a few coats of mascara. You moved on to your hair and took it out of a loose bun from the way you wore it to school. Since it already had some waves in it from your previous hairstyle, you decided to define some of your curls by adding some more waves with a curling iron. You were finally done and grabbed a few things from your back pack and placed it into a small cross-body bag. You checked yourself out for one last time and thought that you were missing something. You rummaged through your makeup again and decided to finish off your look with a coral lipgloss. You looked hot and you weren't used to seeing yourself so glammed up. You texted your parents telling them where you would be ahead of time and told them you would be home later than usual. Since it was a Friday, your parents allowed it and you started to make your way to E-Young's house. 

When you arrived, you rang the doorbell to house which was 20 minutes away by bus and sent her a text letting her know you arrived. She opened the door and her eyes grew wide with excitement. 

"Aerin! You look so different..I mean..you look amazing WOW" she exclaimed 

"Thanks" you replied shyly

You fidgeted at the hem of your skirt and looked at your shoes. 

"Aerin, trust me, you look great. I didn't know I had such a bombshell friend" she winked 

You two went upstairs to her room and helped her pick out an outfit. You two agreed on an edgier look with red disco shorts and a black lacey top under a cropped leather jacket. She was much smaller than you and so you suggested that she should wear some black pumps to finish her look. While she was doing her makeup, the doorbell rang. It was the boys and so you went downstairs to open the door for them. 

"Hey guys!" you greeted 

"WOW and who are you pretty lady~" teased Jr. 

"Aerin, I could hardly recognize you! I've only ever seen you in our uniforms" said JB, eyeing you up and down in disbelief. 

You saw Mark standing towards the back and smile at you as you made eye contact. They all headed towards the living room and sat down on the sofas and the T.V. You secretly hoped that Mark would take notice of your enhanced image but he said nothing to your disappointment. 

It was 8:30 and you all decided that it was time to leave the house and to make your way to Seolhyun's condo which took about 20 minutes by subway. The party started at 9 but since it was a Friday night, you knew that there were going to be quite a lot of people at this time. When you finally arrived, you saw a magnificent skyrise condo that looked absolutely luxurious. You looked up in awe and reminded yourself that this was just one of several units that Seolhyun's family owned. Mark saw you staring and decided to tease you a bit. 

"It's not that nice right?" he said jokingly 

"Yeah right! I can't believe that this is just one of the many estates her family owns" you replied with a soft laugh 

"You look different, in a good way" he said 

You blushed and felt slightly satisfied that all your hard work didn't go unnoticed by the person you wanted to impress the most. You all crossed the street and entered the lobby of the condo and checked in to the guest list with the concierge. You were about to go up the elevator with your guest passes until the concierge stopped you. 

"Excuse me miss, I don't see your name on the guest list" 

"Are you sure? I'm sure I should be on it since the hostess of the party invited me personally" "Can you check again?" 

"Okay miss, what was your name again?" he asked 

"Kwon Aerin" you replied 

"Nope I don't see a Kwon Aerin on the list. There are a lot of Kwons but no Aerin" he replied 

You went to look behind his computer screen and tried scrolling down the list yourself. You didn't see your name but to your surprise, you found Sera's name. It was then that you had figured it out. This was just a repeat of history, a game of isolation. She invited you to enhance her image of being a nice person and genuine in front of your peers but she had no intention of actually letting you in to the party. She wanted to embarass you in front of everyone. You stood there with a blank expression, unsure of what to do or what to say. The group looked at the concierge with suspicion and shook their heads, unable to figure out why this was the case. 

Mark spoke up and eyed the concierge in a half-threatening way. "What do you mean she's not on the guest list" "Do you know what kind of party this is sir? It's a school get-together which means I'm sure that guest list must be overlooked and out-dated" he said in a serious tone 

"Listen, I'm just doing my job. If you're not on the list, I can't let you pass and enter the premises" the concierge said 

"I don't think you understand what I'm saying here, with over 100 kids attending this party, are you certain that this list has each and every one of their names. We were all there when she invited us" Mark replied, pointing to all of us. 

A line was starting to form behind us and the lobby suddenly felt much smaller. You could see the concierge at a loss for words but trying to keep his stance on the matter. You told the others to go up first with their guest passes and that you would stay behind to solve the problem. They all nodded and made their way to the elevator except for Mark who insisted on staying with you. 

"I can try phoning the hostess and asking her directly if you may be allowed to enter" the concierge suggested. He called Seolhyun and she made her way down the lobby to see what the fuss was about. You saw her walk towards you in a revealing outfit. She was wearing a short black miniskirt paired with a sleeve-less white crop top with black strappy heels. 

"Heeey Mark~" she called out in a charming manner, placing her hands on his shoulder 

You could clearly tell she was flirting with him and rolled your eyes with disgust at how obvious it was. 

"What seems to be the matter?" she asked the concierge. 

"Miss, I can't find the name of this girl on the guest list but she insisted that she was invited to the event" he said 

"Oh..so it's that. Let her in, she's a friend a mine. There must be a mistake somewhere and you shouldn't call me over such trivial matters" she replied in a stern manner while keeping her signature sweet smile on her face. 

She looked over at you and scanned you from head to toe. Her face turned sour but she returned to her "normal" bubbly self in a matter of moments. 

"Sorry about all this, there must have been an error in the guest list. I mean how would I not invite my dear friend Aerin to this party?" "You look so pretty~" she said in her whiny voice. All three of you went in the elevator together and the whole time, Seolhyun was talking with Mark. The penthouse suite was on the 45th floor which meant the whole 3 minutes that you were in the elevator, you saw Seolhyun use every single one of her charms and pick up lines to attract Mark. He didn't pay attention to her and gave her straightforward responses to her questions. 

When you finally arrived, you saw a bunch of students all dressed in a similar fashion to Seolhyun, dancing and chatting in small groups. The music was blasting and there were flashing disco lights everywhere. It definitely looked like a scene from a movie with an open bar and snack stations with all sorts of foods. You immediately felt awkward being there as you did not know anyone and regretted not asking Narae to come along with you. Seolhyun dragged Mark away to the dance floor and when you turned around, they were both gone. 

You were left alone, standing in front of the elevator staring at the party. You decided to sit down on one of the couches, unsure of where to go or what to do. You saw couples on the couches flirting and making out and you instantly felt more like a noob than before. You felt someone sit down beside you and tap on your shoulder. 

"Hey, how's it going?" the stranger asked 

"f.ffine" you responded nervously 

"I haven't seen you before, what's your name?" he asked, placing his arm around you 

"I..uhm, my name is Aerin" you responded, trying to squirm away 

"My name's Jin. Hey you're pretty cute youu knoww~" he slurred, clearly intoxicated by the way he smelled. 

He suddenly got up from the sofa and dragged you onto the dance floor. Everyone has dancing to the loud music and several seniors were grinding on each other. You tried to look away due to embarassment but you suddenly found yourself in the same situation. Jin was standing behind you and had is hands around your waist. You squirmed around and tried to get his hands off of you. 

"I..I don't like people touching me" you yelled against the loud music 

He pretended like he didn't hear what you said or maybe he didn't understand what you were saying seeing as he was so drunk. You tried to give him the clue by physically removing his hands of your waist and giving him a fierce look. He gave out a small chuckle and put his hands up like he was surrendering and nodded his head as if he understood. You breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn away to the snack station, away from the dance floor when you felt him grab your wrist, drawing you back towards him. 

"Don't be like that, sorry I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!" he responded. 

"Comon, let's dance together, I won't touch you this time I promise, unless you want me to~" he winked 

You let out a small laugh and decided that maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. You began to feel more comfortable and slowly moved your body to the music. The next song that came on was one of your favourites, it was T-ara's "Lovey Dovey" and everyone began to shuffle dance. You started to feel the rhythm and joined in on the fun. While you were dancing and finally enjoying yourself, Seolhyun spotted you on the dance floor with Jin and she let out a smirk. She took out her phone and snapped photos of you two together. She was planning something. 

Mark and the others were all seperated at the party, with so many people, it would be difficult to meet up as a whole again. You were getting tired from dancing and went towards the open bar to grab something to drink. There was a wide selection from juice, to pop, and alcohol and since it was dark, you grabbed a bottle of what looked to be lemonade. You chugged half of it and thought it tasted a little different, it was slightly carbonated and had a tinge of bitterness in the after-taste. You looked at the bottle again and saw that it was a cooler which meant that it had alcohol in it.

*Uh oh* you thought to yourself. You threw away the rest of the bottle and sat down on one of the lounge chairs, hoping that the minimal alcohol content would not affect you but since you practically drank half the bottle, you were sure that it would. It was dark inside the suite but you could recognize a girl from a distance to be Sera. She was wearing a short, flowy red dress with her hair tied up in a high pony tail. You didn't know she would be attending the party and you felt relieved that you would have someone to go home with you if you did happen to be a little tipsy. As you looked closer, you saw that she was with Mark. They were standing close to each other and you could tell that she was flirting with him in a shy and subtle way. You didn't know if it was the alcohol or if you actually were disappointed but you felt downcast all of a sudden. You then saw the two of them walking to the elevator hand-in-hand with Mark's arm around her that it finally sunk in. 

They were a couple. 

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SIDENOTE: Long chapter for you guys since I don't update super often! Jackson will be making his appearance after the next chapter so stay tuned for that! 

P.S. This is the Jin from BTS.   Thanks for reading xoxo