“You’ve been in an uncharacteristically good mood these past few days,” Hyo Shin remarked to Piper as the pair made their way towards the broadcasting room.

“It’s not uncharacteristic,” Piper argued. “I’ve been in good moods before, thank you very much.”

Hyo Shin chuckled, opening the door for her as they entered. An envelope was resting on the table – Bo Na and Chan Young already seated looking at their own – and Hyo Shin opened it to reveal an invitation to Tan’s birthday party.

“I got one of those, too.” Piper remarked. “So did Parker, although I’ve been informed that Myung Soo is supposed to be my – which is weird, because it’s Young Do’s hotel. But, then again, I don’t think he was invited…”

This caught Hyo Shin’s attention, “Young Do? Could it be…are you…”

“Not a word,” she cut him off, a playfully stern look on her face.

He smiled, looking thoroughly pleased at the new information – and, more importantly, the new teasing ammunition he’d acquired.

“Whoa…are you really –” Bo Na began, also cut off by Piper.

“That goes for the pair of you as well.” She remarked, earning more snickers from Hyo Shin.

The door burst open behind them, and Ye Sol ran up breathing heavily. “Lee Bo Na, I just heard from all the kids, today is – “

“Tan’s birthday party?” Bo Na finished for her

“What? You knew?” Ye Sol asked incredulously.

“I got a call from Jeguk Group’s secretary.” She stated, displaying her phone.

“Not to mention these things floating around,” Piper remarked, flicking the invitation Hyo Shin was holding, earning a scoff from Ye Sol.

“Sunbae, will you go?” Chan Young wondered.

“What could a senior be doing after the college exams?” Hyo Shin mused. “I need to go to cause a ruckus in someone else’s party.”

“Ah, seriously!” Bo Na muttered. “No ruckus. You know I’m sensitive when it comes to that. Are you going to do things like kissing with Yoo Rachel again at that party?”

“Please don’t,” Piper interjected. “I’m thankful that I was spared the misfortune of seeing it the first time. No repeats.”

“Sunbae-nim, by chance, are you seeing her?” Ye Sol gaped.

“Ah, I object, seriously.” Bo Na voiced. “I can’t let my person taken away by Yoo Rachel like this.”

“Seems like you had a very hurtful experience.” Chan Young teased.

Bo Na stammered. “Is Cha Eun Sang going to the party? I guess I have to give her a call.”

“Don’t even dare go to Kim Tan’s party.” He instructed her. “I will break both of your legs.”

“Is he really Yoon Chan Young?” Hyo Shin wondered, a grin on his face.

“Yes! Very cool, right?” Bo Na smiled widely, wrapping herself around Chan Young’s arm.

Hyo Shin and Piper dissolved into giggles while Ye Sol looked on in disgust.

///

The McPherson twins stood at the pool table beside Hyo Shin, with Bo Na and Chan Young standing nearby. Myung Soo, Piper’s assigned date for Tan’s birthday party, was occupying himself by becoming his own muse, his camera lifted to an angle that would rival the most stereotypical MySpace pictures.

“Dehet. Dehet. Dehet.” Myung Soo repeated in between shots, the peace sign up in every one of the pictures he took.”

“What are you doing?” Hyo Shin inquired.

“Taking selca’s.” Myung Soo informed him, shoving the camera forward so that Hyo Shin had to lean backwards. “Dehet...”

Myung Soo trailed off, both the peace sign and the camera lowered as the smile slipped from his face.

“Holy crap.” He whispered, mortification sweeping across his features. “I just said ‘dehet’ to Tan’s dad. I just met his eyes.”

“Awkward,” the twins muttered as Hyo Shin made a face expressing a similar sentiment.

“Oh my god! Oppa?” Bo Na exclaimed from the other side of them.

She rushed over to well-dressed man, who smiled when he saw her. “Bo Na!”

“Oh my god! Oppa!” Myung Soo repeated, each of the teenagers feeling a similar sort of shock. He grabbed a flute of champagne as a waitress passed by, holding it out to Hyo Shin. “It’s this, right? The one you like.”

“Yes.” Hyo Shin took it, placing it squarely on the tray of the next passing waitress. “Love-and-hate relationship.”

The looked over to Bo Na and the man, chatting warmly with each other.

“I came yesterday.” The man explained, touching her forehead – a move that surprised everyone. “Your complexion much prettier.”

“Come here, Oppa.” Bo Na instructed, linking her arm with the man’s and guiding him over to Chan Young. “Oppa, greet him. He is – “

“Lee Bo Na.” Chan Young chided her. “Because I was afraid you’d do this... I’ll have to break your legs.”

Bo Na chuckled lightly. “Take them; they’re yours anyways.”

“How can you say that while linking your arms with another man?” He interrogated. “Let go, now.”

“If you shout at my little sister like that, there’ll be a bit of a problem.” The man informed Chan Young.

“Who’s your little sist – ” Chan Young began, but trailed off as he realized what was happening.

“Oh, this is my real brother, the one who goes to school in New York.” Bo Na explained. “You’re in trouble now.”

Piper and Parker had to turn around, their hands over their mouths to stifle the giggles that were threatening to burst through.

Chan Young corrected his behavior, becoming mild-mannered. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

It was now Myung Soo and Hyo Shin’s turn to attempt to stop their laughter from coming out, disrupting the beautifully embarrassing scene unfold before them.

“So you’re Chan Young, huh?” Bo Na’s brother smiled. “Nice to meet you, Yoon Chan Young. Now that we’ve met, the talk about breaking my sister’s legs... shall we talk about it again?”

Bo Na chuckled and led her snickering friends away, leaving her embarrassed boyfriend in the care of her older brother.

When Tan finally arrived to his own party, everyone was shocked to see him accompanied by Cha Eun Sang, dressed for the occasion in a pretty red dress. While everyone gaped – Myung Soo taking a few paparazzi-esque pictures of his own – Piper and Parker looked on in satisfactory appreciation.

Eun Sang looked briefly over at them, and they flashed encouraging smiles at her. Eun Sang and Tan would probably get hell for it later, since Tan’s father could do nothing with all the press present that night. However, the twins hoped they could at least enjoy that night.

///

The knock on Young Do’s door confused him. He wasn’t expecting any visitors, and he doubted Myung Soo would miss the opportunity to flirt with the guests at Tan’s party – nor should he stop keeping an eye out for Piper like Young Do had instructed.

Young Do surprised himself when he had made the request of Myung Soo. He had only accepted Piper’s feelings; they weren’t dating, and it would probably take him a long time to recover from the bruises Eun Sang left on his heart.

However, he did appreciate Piper. She was attractive – Young Do never denied that – and even from the beginning she treated him as an equal, no matter the topic of their conversation. If there was anyone that could help him overcome his heartbreak, he was sure that person could be her.

He strode over to the door, and as if he had invoked the devil merely by thinking, he was surprised to see her standing there clad in a deep emerald green dress that complimented her auburn hair nicely.

“Hey,” Piper greeted impishly.

Young Do couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped his lips, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Look at this shameless girl,” he teased, a playful smirk splayed across his lips. “Coming to my room all alone, expecting me not to do anything.”

Piper nodded as if she were seriously considering his words. “You’re right; I should go,” she remarked, turning to head back to the elevator.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Young Do reached out and stopped her, pulling her into his room.

“Now who’s being shameless?” She teased.

“Hey, I should be angry with you,” he mockingly lectured her. “I go through all of that trouble to convince Myung Soo to look after you, and yet you sneak away and probably send that poor kid into a frenzy because he’ll think he’s failed me.”

“Myung Soo’s been occupied taking selcas all night,” Piper corrected. “If anything, my brother will be more concerned with where I am than Myung Soo will. Besides,” she held out her hands in front of her. “Young Do,” she indicated her left hand, “or Myung Soo,” she indicated her right. She made a show of debating before settling on her left hand.

Young Do a breath through his teeth in a mock gesture of contemplation. “I can’t say I argue with that.”

“I didn’t think you would,” she grinned. “Now, last time I was here we only ate, but you’ve got an awesome entertainment system. Want to watch a movie?”

“And give up a night out in that pretty dress?” He smirked, quirking and eyebrow.

“Yes,” she nodded without hesitation.

Young Do’s smirk turned into a smile, and he gestured for Piper to pick out whatever movie she wanted.

///

“I’ve decided I’m going to find my mom,” Young Do confessed as he and Piper made their way to Myung Soo’s studio after school the next day.

Piper had been playing with the idea of making another CD – this time with more relaxed, ambient music to help her friends study – and she was curious to see if some of the pictures Myung Soo took of her at Tan’s party would work.

“When did you decide that?” She wondered.

“Not until today, though I’ve thought about it for a few days.” He told her.

“Do you think you can?”

He gave a small shrug. “If I’m going to, I’ll have to make my dad tell me, and the only way to do that is to beat him.”

“At a game, right?” She questioned worriedly.

“At Judo,” he clarified with a small smirk as they entered the studio.

A collection of the party photos were laid out on the table, the majority of them centered on Tan and Eun Sang. Young Do picked one up, his attention no doubt drawn to Eun Sang. While it stung a little, Piper knew there was no way around it; those feelings would be there until the healing process was over.

Myung Soo walked out of the bathroom, noticing where the two were standing. Young Do tossed the picture back on the table, sitting in a chair nearby as Piper plopped down in one across from him.

Myung Soo gasped, rushing over to the table and sitting on top of the pictures. “When did you come? Did you eat?” He asked in forced cheeriness.

“I already saw them.” Young Do smirked softly at his friend.

“You saw them already.” Myung Soo repeated sourly. “See, what did I tell you?! First crushes never work out! Before you got shut down, it would have been better if you listened to me.”

“I didn’t get shut down.” Young Do argued.

Myung Soo made an exaggerated frown. “That’s funny.”

“How is it funny?”

“I prepared this for you, the one who lost his first love.” He pulled out a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign forbidding Tan, Eun Sang, and dogs from coming into the studio. “Tada! I’ll put this on the door.”

“Myung Soo, what is that?” Piper questioned disbelievingly.

“Remove the dog.” Young Do instructed. “What did the dog do?”

“Right?” Myung Soo agreed, placing the paper on the table to rectify the situation before displaying his work once more. “Of course we should remove the dog, right? She was your first love after all.”

Myung Soo had drawn in another line to the word do, changing the word from ‘dog’ to ‘that person’, effectively taking Eun Sang off the forbidden list.

Young Do slapped Myung Soo’s leg. “I’ll kill you.”

Myung Soo gave a cheeky smile to Young Do, his friend’s spirit’s effectively lifted.

“Hey,” Young Do went on, resuming his playful scolding of his friend. “You didn’t spend all that time at the party taking pictures of yourself and Eun Sang, did you? I told you to look after Piper; where’s the proof? Where are the pictures of her, huh?”

“And they better be good, because I need another CD cover,” Piper interjected.

Myung Soo huffed as he pouted, his friends ganging up on him now.

///

Piper ate lunch with Hyo Shin in the broadcasting room, a permanent smile plastered across your face.

“You know, it’s kind of unnerving seeing you this happy all the time,” Hyo Shin remarked. “Choi Young Do must be treating you really well.”

“We’re not even dating,” Piper amended. She noticed Hyo Shin’s grin falter a little. “Hyo Shin-ah, are you okay? Did something happen? Are your parents upset that you keep spending every other night in our guest room? Do you need to permanently move back into my house?”

“I’ve enlisted in the military,” he confessed.

Piper’s jaw dropped, “What? Before you’ve even graduated? Why? What have your parents said?”

He gave a heavy sigh. “My parents don’t even know. I’m going to leave a letter for them before I leave; I doubt they’ll find it before I’m gone. It’s the only thing I can think of. I’ll be an adult once I’m out; I won’t have to follow their orders and be weighed down by their expectations once that day comes.”

Piper sniffed, finding herself tearing up at the prospect of having to say goodbye to another friend. Hyo Shin noticed this, and reached across the table to lift her chin to face him, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as well.

“Piper-ah, my best friend,” he gave a watery grin. “You’re going to write to me, right? You’re not going to leave your best friend all alone, are you?”

Piper gave a small laugh, sniffing. “Don’t worry, I’ll write.” She assured him. “And if you don’t come out of this and become a famous director and use my music for the soundtracks, I’m going to kill you Hyo Shin-ah.”

Hyo Shin laughed as well, pulling away and wiping the stray tears off his cheeks. “I promise. You better get going; final rankings have come out, and if you haven’t moved up then you can forget about the soundtrack deal.”

Piper chuckled and stood up, clearing away the tears. “Okay.”

She made her way to the main floor, only to find access to the ranking list blocked by Kim Tan and his jacket. No matter how much the other students shoved and shouted at him to move, he remained planted in front of the sheet.

Piper looked across to Eun Sang, an incredulous look on her face. Eun Sang rolled her eyes at her boyfriend’s antics, and turned her attention back to the group.

“Kim Tan!” She shouted, getting his attention.

He paused of a moment, before ripping the list off the board and running away with it, the students yelling in protest.

“Did you get last place again?” Eun Sang shouted after him. “Stop right there! Hey, you said that you would always be right behind me!”

That got Tan to stop, and he turned to face Eun Sang. “You go first then.”

“Does that even make sense?” Piper wondered, walking up to stand beside Eun Sang.

“Oh, a man of his word, huh?” Eun Sang teased as the pair strode up to Tan.

Quick as a flash, Eun Sang grabbed the wadded ranking sheet from Tan and sprinted off, Piper hot on her heels.

“That’s cheating!” Tan called after them.

He found them on the grounds, and grabbed the pair by their jackets as if they were criminals. After numerous swats on his torso from Piper – which he had no doubt would bruise – he let go and allowed them to walk normally.

“Where did you hide it?” He interrogated. “Give it to me while I ask nicely.”

“Don’t come near me.” Eun Sang warned as she and Piper walked on. “My mom told me not to even hold hands with you.”

“Your mom is not around.”

“Go away.” She huffed. “Why did you rip up the grade report?”

“I’m not ready to face my grades yet,” Tan whined.

“My musical career depends on that list, weirdo,” Piper pouted. “You couldn’t have at least let me sneak a peek?”

“Everyone will end up knowing anyways, what’s the point of hiding it?” Eun Sang wondered.

“I said I have trauma. Hurry and hand it over.” Tan stopped them, holding out his hand expectantly.

“Are you sure that you’re 100th place? Want something to drink?” She teased.

She sauntered over to the drink machine and pulled out her wallet. Tan noticed the folded up test results tucked away there. Eun Sang received a text, and she slipped her wallet under her arm to answer it.

“Hold on a sec.” She muttered, but Tan pulled her wallet out, stuffing it in his jacket. “Hey! What are you doing? Give me my wallet.”

She pulled at his jacket as Piper looked on, rolling her eyes.

“Look at her.” Tan said, grabbing Eun Sang’s arm. “She’s trying to beat me with strength again.”

“Just step on his foot,” Piper instructed. “Or Vulcan nerve pinch him.”

The pair looked at Piper, blank looks on their faces. “What?”

“Vulcan nerve…Star Trek?” She wondered. “No one? Oh my god.”

“Exactly how bad was your score?” Eun Sang wondered, resuming the conversation. “Give me that.”

“I think it’s best that we don’t see if out of mutual trust.” Tan decided. “We have to date for a long time, you know?”

“You’re amazing, Kim Tan.” Eun Sang muttered dryly.

“I’m not dating either of you, so can I see it?” Piper questioned.

“No, because you’ll just give it back to her.” Tan remarked, seeing through the ruse as he looked back at Eun Sang. “You have a message. Check it. They’re probably waiting.”

Eun Sang pulled her arm out of Tan’s grip, turning her attention to her cellphone. She looked at the message and grinned wildly. “Chan Young posted all of the grades. Just you wait.”

“Ah, Yoon Chan Young!” Tan grumbled, attempting to take the phone from her.

“Let’s look at it together.” Eun Sang ordered, pulling the phone down so the three could look at the results.

There was one comment from Bo Na, and numerous comments from other students laughing at Myung Soo.

“What is this? Why is everyone laughing?” Eun sang wondered, scrolling to the results. “Myung Soo took your king spot! Then you’re…”

“Don’t scroll down.” Tan shook his head wildly. “Don’t scroll down.”

“Kim Tan! You’re 50th place.” She exclaimed.

“What?! Me?!” He shouted in disbelief.

“What happened?” Eun Sang wondered.

“Did you finally study?” Piper teased.

“There is finally a middle ground in my life.” Tan beamed proudly. “To be honest, it’s because I haven’t really tried.”

“26!” Piper celebrated. “Yeah, moved up three spaces!”

“Choi Young Do is 27th place.” Eun Sang marveled.

“It’s probably 97th place.” Tan brushed it off.

“It’s 27th place!” Eun Sang repeated, switching to a new tone to boyfriend. “Choi Young Do is so cool. This time he must have solved the problems, not just guessed.”

“Hey. Are the final exams the only tests?” Tan grumbled, the teasing proving effective. “You don’t know how I’ll place next time, but you say 27th is cool? If I went from 100th to 50th, what place do you think I’ll get next time?”

“It’s going to be hard with Chan Young.” Eun Sang stated. “Thinking about it, Chan Young is really cool too.”

“If he’s so cool why don’t you date him?” Tan fired back, shoving her before walking off.

He turned to walk away and the girls giggled to each other at his ruffled feathers. They moved to follow him, but he turned back quickly.

“What place are you?” He asked Eun Sang rapidly. Her face shifted to terror and she took off. “Won’t you stop there? What place are you? If I catch you, you’re dead!”

Piper watched them go, laughing at her ridiculous friends.