“Hey, Jongin-ah, are you sure your family is a family of doctors? Aren’t you guys one of those rich- socialites?”

Kai laughs at Haerin’s question, glancing at the curtain separating her from him.  They were in a beauty salon, the one that Kai claimed to be a regular at.  For someone like Haerin who had only been in beauty salons exactly twice in her life, this one sure doesn’t look like what she knew beauty salons do.  The mirrors, furniture, walls, lamps; they were all lined with gold and precious stones.  The floors were made out of marble and the place screamed ‘you ’ to every beauty salon out there.

“Doctors are socialites in their own societies, Haerin,” He answers, standing from his chair to thank the hairdresser before tipping her generously.  She walks away, beaming as she pockets the money.  “Now come out and let me see how you look like,”

“Ugh,” Haerin says through the curtain.  “Are you sure you don’t have any other dresses?”

“What’s wrong with it?” Kai asks.  “Are you dressed?”

“Nothing’s wrong and yeah I am, it’s just-“

With a quick pull, Kai opens the curtains and Haerin shrieks in surprise.  “Are you mad?!” She tries to cover herself up with her bare arms.  

“You said you were dressed,” Kai shrugs nonchalantly and lets his eyes travel down Haerin’s body, clad in the dress he picked out (http://www.stylingbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Black-and-White-Cocktail-Dresses-junior-plus-size-prom-dresses.jpg).  He assess her appearance and grins in satisfaction.  As expected, the salon did them well.  The way her smoky eyes are done, the way part of her hair is braided onto the side of her head, the rest falling over one shoulder in natural waves, the way she’s wearing those heels, she was styled perfectly for the party.

“Stop staring,” She hisses and then looks at Kai through his reflection in her mirror.  She wasn’t lying when she said that the boys in suits would be a sight to see because if Kyungsoo looked gorgeous in that suit back then, then Kai looked drop-dead gorgeous right now.  His dark hair was pushed back and away from his face, the top two buttons of his black shirt carelessly undone and the blazer hugged his lean frame in such a way that Haerin could possibly stare at all day and not get tired of.

“You stop staring, too,” He chuckles and takes her hand.  “Now, we gotta go,”

As they get into the car (a freaking white, sleek Mercedes-Benz driven by Kai’s freaking family chauffeur), Haerin clears .  “So tell me again, how and why I’m here?”

“My father rang me up right after school ended today and told me he was holding this party where he would invite his work colleagues and some close family members.  Being his son, it should only be right if I came along, he said, and thus, here we are,” Kai explains shortly.

Haerin tilts her head in question.  “Where do I come in?”

Kai sighs.  He was so fidgety and nervous; he couldn’t even hide it anymore.  “I just need you to be there, by my side, that’s all, okay?” He glances at her and in that second, Haerin could see how desperate he was.

“Okay,” Haerin quietly answers and looks down at her dress for the millionth time that day.  “Is it a black and white party or something?” She notices how Kai is wearing an all-black suit with only a hint of white in the rim of the collar to his blazer.

“Oh, no, it’s just my dad,” He dismissively answers.  “He has this thing with colours ranging from black to white.  Hates bright ones.  Why? You don’t like your dress?”

“I do!” Haerin shakes her head, wondering how Kai could possibly ask her that question.  “I do! I do, I really do, I was just wondering,”

“You look great, don’t worry,” He gives her a thumb up and returns to biting his lips while he looks out the window, fingers drumming the seat and his knees.

Haerin winces when she realizes that no matter how hard she tries to lighten up the atmosphere, when it comes to his dad, Kai can’t help but get the jitters.

“Haerin,” He starts as the car begin to slow down in front of the 5-star hotel building.

“Yeah?”

“We’re late,”

“Uh, when’s the party?”

“Seven,”

“What’s the time?”

“Seven past eight,”

“We’re eight minutes late, Jongin,” Haerin firmly states.  “Don’t worry so much,”

“My dad hates tardiness,” He tensely thanks the chauffeur (who looks at him with sympathy) that had just opened the car door for him and Haerin slips her hand into the crook of his arm as he walks towards the doors of the hotel where the party is held.  “How do I look? Do I look okay? He hates it if I look untidy,” He asks as the two make their way towards the main ballroom.

“You look fine.  Dashing, really,”

“You do too, you look fine, you look great,” Kai checks her out briefly and wipes his sweaty palms onto his pants, glancing around.

“I didn’t even ask,” Haerin mutters quietly and sighs when she looks at him.  “Relax, Jongin, calm down,” She squeezes his arm reassuringly.  “Deep breaths,” She nods when he follows her suggestion.  “And face it like a man,”

“I am a man,” He snaps and then quickly retaliates.  “Just not man enough for my dad,”

“Okay,” Haerin cringes at his negativity.  “Okay, kiddo, let’s get inside,”

“Nooo, I don’t want to, I really don’t want to,” He whines quietly but nevertheless steps through the doors.

It was 10 minutes into the party and the place was packed.  Classical music played in the background and Haerin finds herself holding her breath amidst the throng of sophisticated people, chattering about the hall with crystal glasses of champagne in their hands, diamond necklaces draped down their necks, rings of precious stones lining their fingers, and conversations that involved medical terms, political views, and even some bragging, here and there.

She looks at Kai when he tugs her closer to him and notices that they were headed towards one man in the middle of it all.  “We have to meet my dad,” He says then frowns to correct himself.  “No, I have to meet my dad.  Stay here and be here when I come back,”

Haerin stands by the table of refreshments and dips her head in slight bows at the stares people throw her.  Ignoring how they leer at her with a sense of unfamiliarity, she trains her eyes on Kai’s back and spots the one who seemed to be his father.

Kai really meant it when he said that if he wore glasses, he looked like his dad.

Because Haerin could probably mistake his dad for his twin.

He was young and had the same jawline and full lips as Kai did.  Kai got his height from his dad, obviously, judging from the way his dad towers over most of the colleagues surrounding him.  The difference was in their eyes; if Kai had big, rounded eyes, his father had a slight tilt to them that made him look sly and cold at the same time.  And their smiles were like the sky and the ground; when Kai has a warm smile, the smile his father donned showed no feelings whatsoever.

“Dad,” Kai calls out and the man addressed halts his conversation to meet his son’s eyes.

His dad curtly nods at him in acknowledgement.

“Here he is,” Someone else in the circle greets.  And then the rest does the same.

“How have you been, dear?”

“How’s school?”

“When are you taking your entrance exams?”

“Seoul University is a tough one.  Surely you’ll do a good job?”

“Uncles,” Kai bows politely. “Aunts,” He bows again.  “Everything is going well, I assure you, you shouldn’t worry,”

Haerin watches how his attitude completely changes the moment he stepped into the circle.  He brought an air of class with him; an air of intelligence and refinement.  His smiles were no longer generous; they were tight-lipped and thin.  All the moment he exchanged small talk with the people around him, his father wore a stony expression at all times, assuming that it was Kai’s job to please his relatives.  The questions they ask were ones meant to bring him down, but Kai didn’t falter and came back at them with an answer that topped their question’s complexity.  Haerin marvelled at Kai.  If it were here standing there, she would have completely crumbled under the pressure.  She notices him bidding his goodbyes and then grabs a drink for her and him as he walks towards her.  

“Holy ,” He curses, downing his drink in one gulp.  “Holy ,”

Haerin chuckles at his instantaneous personality shift and takes his empty glass, setting it on the table for him.  “Feel better?”

He shakes his head.  “There were some questions I didn’t know jack about.  I almost stuttered.  My dad would have killed me on the spot,”

“But they looked impressed,” Haerin cranes her neck to get another look at the bunch.

“I got out of most of them, thankfully,” He puffs out his cheeks as he lets out a breath.   

“Those were your relatives?”

“Yeah,” He nods.  “Uncles and aunts.  They own a hospital or is head surgeon or directs medical companies or something.  Impressive stuff they’re allowed to be proud of,”

“Did they really ask you about meds?” 

“Not really.  They talk about their patients and expect me to diagnose or pass judgement.  Not that they’re actually going to do it.  They’re just testing me,”

“Holy ,”

“Exactly,” He laughs.  “Sometimes I forget that I’m in high school,”

Kai finds himself glancing at Haerin for no reason before he quickly slips his hand into hers, interlacing their fingers together.  “Thanks for, uhh, being here,” He shyly scratches the back of his head, keeping his eyes anywhere but on Haerin’s face.  He really was indebted to her.  Somehow, with her in the room, he had someone to come back to.  Someone that knew him for who he is.  He’s no longer in the middle of strangers who just know him as Kai, the son of the man they should be nice to.

Haerin smiles and squeezes his hand.  “I didn’t do anything, though,”

“Being here is enough,” He says back, pecking her cheek.  He laughs lightly at her shocked expression.  “Now, let’s at least try to show people that we’re enjoying this party, shall we?”

seriously tho guys

i can't decide whether you're happy or angry about seeing Haerin paired up with Jongin

I CAN'T oKAY

and trust me

i love my characters

so i don't forget about them

kyungsoo is still my bias

and kyungsoo is still in the story

and kyungsoo will have his part

and kyungsoo is v good in acting

and kang woo is JAE YEOL'S FREAKING PROJECTION OF HIS CHILDHOOD ISN'T HE

I JUST GOT TO THE END OF EP 4 OF IT'S OK THAT'S LOVE AND I WAS LIKE "HOLY SHHHHHH I KNEW IT NO WAY FFFF WHERE'S EP 5"