“You would make a beautiful bride!”

Ji Ae pursed her berry tinted lips from remarking about the gushing flow of compliments the stylist unnies rained upon her. They were adjusting the strands of her curled hair again and asserting that the pleats of the white A-line dress she wore were in a perfect condition. Out of the three dresses she had reluctantly put on so far, this one was her favorite. The detail was in the folds of the dress, and she absolutely adored the attached pearl neckline at the top. It was one less step in accessorizing, which meant an ‘A+’ in her book.

Her partner, on the other hand, wore a crisp white dress shirt with buttons and cuffs outlined in ebony tucked into pressed raven trousers with a black chiffon bow tie attached at the neck. His hair was mostly left untouched, his natural hairstyle giving him an innocent charm.

Psh. Innocent, my .

Sungyeol was waiting for her in a large patch of ivory rose petals, fiddling with its smooth and fragrant texture in his hands. He couldn’t stop himself from glancing in his peripheral vision, captivated by Ji Ae’s angelic appearance. The last time he saw her in a white gown was when they filmed and directed their own “She’s Back” music video at the beach. Let’s just say that the situation didn’t exactly warrant romantic feelings at that time. It was the here and now that mattered.

“For this concept, we are trying to send a message that guys can be cute and sensitive too, not just manly and dominant. I want the both of you to sit in the center of the pile we have arranged here and basically have a rose petal fight. Throw it in the air, blow it at each other, or something. I don’t care as long as you guys are having fun and looking adorable!” The photographer eagerly exclaimed from his megaphone.

Ji Ae ungracefully plopped herself down next to Sungyeol, causing several petals to flutter in her wake as she adjusted herself and her dress into a decent position.

“I’ll try to throw it lightly at you, Ji Ae-ah.” Sungyeol shyly said.

Whoa. Since when did he become modest?

Ji Ae stretched out her arms and cracked her knuckles, tilting her head from side to side. She did not intend to do this “lightly” at all. This. Was. War.

~ 26 Minutes Later ~

Sungyeol coughed out a ball of salivated flower petals and thumped his chest for some fragrant-free oxygen. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes as he smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, unable to rid his taste buds of the gross texture. Note to never open my mouth in a surprise rose petal attack ever again, he thought.

He promised Ji Ae that he would go easy on her and attempted to be the perfect gentleman that Dongwoo always seemed to easily portray at any moment’s notice. He didn’t expect for her to launch a full assault on him as she shot handfuls of petals at his face. Sungyeol was nearly half buried beneath the white fluff until the photographer prompted him to retaliate, which wasn’t exactly the right word for this concept. A real war of the roses commenced when Sungyeol finally allowed himself to attack. The back and forth tossing never seemed to end...well, until Ji Ae hurled a rose petal version of a snowball at his face near the end.

Here he was, choking and crying. Death by roses weren’t romantic at all.

“Oppa! Are you alright?!”

Ji Ae scooched her hand under his chin, lifting his face out in the open and away from the curve of his shoulder. No longer giggling, she plucked the remaining ivory petal clinging to the edge of his mouth and smoothed her thumb over his wet lips. She glanced up and noticed him observing her, his breath hitching once their eyes met.

Sungyeol’s body was no longer shuddering from the lack of clean air, but he might just suffocate again if Ji Ae came any closer to his aching and uncontrollable lips. Definitely bad combinations with this beauty up close and super personal.

“Stop! Lee Sungjong will continue from there!”

“What the-”

The broadcasted shouting match between the maknae and the photographer ensued as they wrestled for the megaphone, halting Ji Ae from leaning forward another degree. When she dared to make eye contact with Sungyeol again, she immediately reddened and scrambled back five feet, probably earning herself the worst grass stain on her . The stylists would definitely have an uproar once they saw her green bottom.

“You c-called me ‘oppa’...”

Sungyeol brought a fingertip to his molten lips as he recalled the ridges of Ji Ae’s thumb running across it moments before.

Nervous laughter emanated from the other side. “Well..duh. You are my op-oppa! Silly choding!” Ji Ae ran off into the arms of the stylists, actually eager to be taken into their dressing room/makeshift tent/purgatory for another hasty stripping this time.

Uh, what did I just do?

Ji Ae r