“Are you ready, Mimi?” Taeyeon asked me poking her head cutely through my door.

“Almost, I only have to comb my hair.” I answered while brushing my long brown hair being careful not to pull too hard upon encountering with potential knots.

A close friend of my sister – Tiffany, of the same age as my sister for the moment – was going to celebrate her birthday this weekend, so my sister had asked for my help to choose a perfect gift for her best friend, which explained why I was getting ready to go to the mall on a weekday, a Wednesday furthermore. Usually my routine consisted of studying diligently after school and then kill my free time reading suspense novels or just watching chapters of my favorite anime, a habit that I thought I had completely abandoned but after finding out that Kai also possessed an amusing and unexpected love for Japanese animation, my obsession for them suddenly came back since I finally had someone to discuss my favorite animes. After all Taeyeon didn’t share that hobby of mine, neither Sehun – and it was not like I could count on him currently considering our situation – so having discovered this new part of my new friend was really amazing and refreshing.

My sister entered my room quickly after hearing my response and immediately positioned herself behind me. I was sitting in front of my Vanity, so I could see the smiley reflection of my older sister, who took from my hands the brush gently to fix my untamable hair herself, such as when I was little.

“You know? I haven’t seen Sehun lately and I know there's something you don’t want to tell me for some reason. Say, what is really going on between you two? "She asked in a soft, understanding voice, without diverting her attention from what she was doing.

And just like that my sister dropped the bomb before I could prepare myself for the great confrontation, making my heart throb frantically while my hands began to sweat slightly due to anxiety than that caused me. The truth is that I had been avoiding this sensitive issue, not wanting to relive the situations and conversations that brought me to this. It was really uncomfortable for me to talk about this; the pain of loss was still dormant and I was too coward to receive courageously the scolding that my sister was going to give me – surely – for having pushed my best friend out of my life for that simple reason. I knew that if Taeyeon found out about everything she was going to give me a long speech about my bad decisions and my extreme insecurity to deal with the world. It would not be the first time though, for years my sister had been trying to help me increase my very low self-esteem, but unfortunately everything had been in vain.

“Did you two fight?” She tried again upon hearing my silence, moving her delicate and skillful hands professionally in order to braid beautifully my hair.

I was looking at my hands, which were in my lap. I was nervous and anxious, not knowing what to say, or if I really wanted to fully open up to my sister about this. I was afraid of her reaction really, not wanting to worry her. Plus I never lied to her, much less when she confronted me directly about something; I mean if I finally decided to tell her about this I would have to tell her the entire truth without omitting absolutely anything. In other words I would have to tell her about Sohee’s threats and I knew that my sister would explode in anger. In fact she would be capable to face said girl directly to defend me like a wildcat and definitely I didn’t want to expose her to that, especially when it wasn’t worth making a big deal because of a paranoid and obsessive girl as it was Sohee.

When I looked up I held my breath, since I realized that Taeyeon was already staring at me through the mirror’s reflection, attentive to my face to see right through me, it was easy for her to do that anyway. She had already finished braiding my hair and now she had her hands on my shoulders to give me her full attention, which only served to pressure me more and get the truth out in one way or another. My sister tended to be somewhat insistent when something interested her, and right there I knew I wouldn’t wriggle out of this that easily.

“You know you can trust me, sis. I know you need to talk about this with someone. And don’t think I haven’t noticed the change of attitude you've been having lately, Mimi.” She said massaging my shoulders gently. “You've been quieter and you isolate yourself in your room whenever you get the chance. You don’t even talk to Baekhyun anymore.”

I had to restrain myself really hard to not roll my eyes, since all those behaviors weren’t an expression of sadness that caused me the separation with my best friend – or at least not exclusively – but rather all that was explained by her boyfriend's shameless actions. The person responsible for my change of attitude was not Sehun, it was Baekhyun. I had been trying to avoid him at all costs, especially since I had that talk with Chanyeol, and I couldn’t believe that my sister were so blind as to not see that. Anyway, I didn’t want to even think about that man right now, so I forced myself to get him out my head at least for now and concentrate on what my sister wanted to extract from me; an answer to her question of course.

“Do you really want to know what’s going on between us?” I sheepishly asked in a soft voice, uncomfortable with her piercing gaze.

She smiled at me timidly, then leaned towards me to hug my shoulders tenderly and looked me in the mirror with such a motherly and understanding look that I couldn’t help but feel really loved.

“I just want you to be okay, Seulmi. I want you to be happy and I can see that now you're not. I want you to tell me to help you overcome this situation. Besides, I miss that brat; it’s weird not seeing him running around all over the place as usual. Don’t you miss him?” She asked with a knowing smile.

“Unnie…” I whispered. And it was at that moment in which I decided to tell her everything I had kept inside my chest. “Do you promise not to overreact when I tell you? Because I'm pretty sure you're going to get upset by it.”

She stared at me for a few seconds, hesitating, maybe wondering what it was what possibly could get her so upset, but finally she nodded and fell silent to give me space to explain everything properly. I quickly summarized all the circumstances meticulously, without neglecting the important points and certainly telling her all about the threats of the girlfriend of my best friend. At the beginning of my story I could see how her expression twisted with indignation and anger, and as the story progressed her expression began to relax gradually, focusing on what I wanted her to focus; in my own thoughts and insecurities, that was the most important for me. I needed advice and understanding, Sohee’s irrationality, as well as her actions, came later, in the last place. And everything indicated that Taeyeon had understood the message, or that was what it said her reaction and behavior.

“Sehun have to figure it out by himself, or at least that’s what I want. Once I tried to warn him of the personality of his girlfriend, but he didn’t believe me, up to today he still thinks that I start all the existing conflicts. Therefore it must be him the one who opens his eyes for himself. Sohee is totally out of control.” I finished saying with my gaze fixed on a stalemate as I played with my fingers absently, feeling how my sister nodded in understanding since her chin was resting on my right shoulder.

My sister had tightened her grip around me and kissed me on the cheek. “Now I understand how you feel, and I understand your point of view, of course. But why it doesn’t surprise me, huh? After all, you're like a little bunny. You wouldn’t hurt anyone.” The female said nuzzling my right cheek with her small nose cutely, which instantly made me smile.

“So, what do you think I should do, unnie? Should I explain everything to him? Or should I keep my distance? Because I know that Sehun is suffering also, I see it in his eyes.”

My sister studied my face carefully and then, almost resignedly, let out a deep sigh. And, almost pitifully, she replied, “I’m sorry, my bunny, but I cannot tell you what to do this time. Just do what you think is right. But Mimi, I don’t want you to keep letting other people order you around like no one's business. You deserve respect and don’t let other people disrespect you in any way, okay? Next time put them in their place. Okay, my bunny? And don’t worry, Sehun adores you and he will soon realize what is happening. You two cannot be separated.”

I smiled slightly upon hearing the last words. “Okay. Everything will be fine, right?”

She smiled back at me with that smile that could light up any room instantly. “Of course it will. Now, are you ready to go?”

I nodded enthusiastically with a huge smile, suddenly feeling much better. Besides today I didn’t intend to stay locked in my room as usual in order to feel sorry for myself and the people around me, nope, today I wanted to have fun and put aside all the problems I had made mine naively. And if I was lucky I could clear my mind of everything else that wasn’t my sister and the future birthday girl.

Nevertheless, I had forgotten a small detail that will most likely end up ruining my afternoon, and I only realized it when we go down to the living room, the place in which my sister's boyfriend was waiting for us, seated elegantly on the couch. And that was when I remembered that my sister had asked him if he could join us to the mall since she didn’t feel like driving us there, also Baekhyun played a fundamental role – according to Taeyeon – at the time of shopping, because it was him who was in charge of carrying everything we bought. There was a time where that made me laugh, there was a time in which me and my sister bought more stuff just to watch him struggle with the bags and that brought us laughter and enjoyment, even the same Baekhyun used to laugh at himself. But now – obviously – it wasn’t the same anymore and I wasn’t excited about having to spend perhaps hours with him. Although, after all that had happened I learned perfectly how to ignore to a certain extent everything that was related to Baekhyun, so I expected at least to be able to survive this without arousing suspicion from my sister, who still thought I had been distancing myself from her boyfriend for my unstable emotional state that involved the separation between Sehun and me, and in a sense was preferable for her to think that for the time being anyway.

When the guy saw us he smiled cutely immediately and then approached his girlfriend to give her a short kiss on the lips. Then he looked at me to greet me. He hadn’t even opened his mouth when I was already heading for the door to leave the house, making it clear that I didn’t want to associate in any way with him. I could feel two pairs of eyes on my back, but I didn’t turn around to confirm this. I just walked out of the house and went to my sister's car, leaning on the closed door with folded arms as I waited for my companions. After a few seconds of waiting Baekhyun and Taeyeon approached the car, and while the latter looked for the keys in her purse to give them to her boyfriend, the boy looked at me intently, scrutinizing my face as he always did, as if he were looking for an explanation to all my behavior, but I just ignored him. And so it was throughout the ride, I just stared out the window absently while the two talked animatedly on the front. And yet I could still feel his eyes on my face, I knew he was watching me from time to time through the rearview mirror, but I refused to make eye contact with him. I couldn’t help but feel disgust for his person.

When I got out of the car inmediately I felt how someone grabbed me by the elbow abruptly. For a moment I thought it was my sister, but when that someone turned me around with the same aggressieness making me tumble into a firm chest, I knew that it wasn't Taeyeon. I looked up with surprise evident in my eyes and there he was. Baekhyun was looking down at me with fire in his gaze.

I tried to remain calm. I tried to appear indifferent, but I was so nervous and scared. I had been ignoring him these last days successfully and I had also prevented a possible confrontation between us, and just when I thought I had gotten used to this mask of indifference he had to intervene. I knew he wanted explanations, that told me his intense eyes.

"This is the second time, Seulmi." He started to say with gritted teeth. "This is the second time you avoid me, so what the hell is going on right now?" He demanded.

He knew what was wrong, why he kept on acting like a saint when he wasn't one?

"Y-You know why." I said with quivering lips. "You know, Baekhyun, so please let me go...now."

"Baby..." He softened his eyes, looking at me gently. "Don't do this again. Just don't."

"Stop!" I said suddenly angry. "Leave me alone from now on. Don't even talk to me...please." I said with a weak voice.

"Baby..." He whispered. "I..."

"No, stop. I don't want to hear you anymore." I freed myself from his grip and walked away. I didn't know where my boldness had came from, but I was satisfied with it.

“Do you think she will like this? I say yes, it’s pink and fluffy and you know Tiffany.” My sister commented taking a keychain in the shape of pompom in her hands. Sure enough it was just as my sister had described it, and it was definitely Tiffany’s style.

We were in a pretty cute shop; it was filled with clothing, jewelry, utensils and cute accessories, which weren’t only innovative but also practical. We had entered hoping to find something for the birthday girl, with Baekhyun following us like an obedient puppy, who after standing at our side for thirty minutes could no longer endure the tiredness and went in search of a chair, leaving us alone, thank God. I wasn’t sure if I could continue to endure his intense eyes fixed on my face all the time any longer.

Anyways, I was also a little tired too though. Taeyeon was somewhat out of control, wanting to buy things that we definitely didn’t need, almost forgetting about the real purpose behind these purchases. And although I should have expected something like this, knowing in advance about her obsession with shopping I couldn’t help but be amazed by the amount of items she was planning to buy. So, I guessed we were going to be here for a long time here if she kept on getting enthusiastic by every single item. I was a little anxious about it, I didn’t have much free time to waste it on a cute store like my sister, since tomorrow I had an assay to submit, which I still needed to finish. It hadn’t been a wise decision having joined her after all, especially now that I saw that she didn’t really need my help because she was doing very well on her own. But I was having fun at least, so it wasn’t that bad.

“Don’t you think it’s too stingy to buy her only this as a gift, unnie? It’s only a keychain after all.” I commented.

My sister looked at me and rolled her eyes. “Who said I was only going to buy her this? I want to give her several things, you know. I want to spoil her this time.”

“Oh, in that case I think is fine. Tiffany likes things like this.” I answered absentmindedly. “Is she going to celebrate her birthday this year too? I mean, is she going to throw one of those parties this time?” I asked curiously. That girl liked to exaggerate big time, so her birthday parties always ended up being wild and extremely popular. No wonder she enjoyed a wonderful social life; she had a lot of friends and everyone wanted a piece of her.

“Yeah, and you, my little bunny, are invited, so try to bring a date with you.”

“Unnie, you know I don’t like going to parties. I can’t dance and I don’t like the noise.” I grimaced in disgust, just by imagine it made me want to hide in my room.

“That's why you have to bring a date, for you to be comfortable and relaxed. And do you know who would be perfect for you?” She asked enthusiastically. She didn’t even give me time to answer when she herself answered her own question, “Kai! I'm sure he will be happy to go with you! He likes you a lot. Believe me, you two will have a great time, you know that Tiffany makes the best parties. Besides she really wants you there, Mimi.”

“I'll think about it, unnie.” I answered shyly with an awkward smile, hoping she could accept the ambiguity of my answer without questioning me or pestering me. And once again my sister proved how much she knew me when she nodded sympathetically with a smile smile.

Afterwards we stayed silent while we examined the place thoroughly in search of items that might catch our attention. And as we walked I could feel someone's gaze in our direction. For a moment I thought it was just Baekhyun making sure not to lose sight of us or something of the sort, but when I looked up I realized it wasn’t him but a young man – perhaps of the same age as Baekhyun – watching us carefully. My first reaction was to look down embarrassedly, feeling how my cheeks immediately flushed by the penetrating gaze of that – attractive indeed – stranger. Nonetheless, curiosity brought out the best of me and I just had to look up again to try to figure out what it was what he wanted. Quickly, following meticulously the direction of his gaze, I realized that he was not looking at us but was only aware of the movements of my older sister, who ignored the fact that she was being observed by a good looking guy. And just like that everything started to make sense, because certainly it wasn’t the first time – and would not be the last – that guys ogled Taeyeon. She was so beautiful and delicate that she simply attracted everyone's attention with her mere presence. She had the world at her feet, especially if we talk about the male population. She could have the luxury of choosing the best of the best, but she had chosen naively the only guy who didn’t cherished her as she deserved.

“I think someone is staring at you, sister.” I muttered upon getting a little closer to her to be more discreet.

She looked confused and surprised, not knowing what I was talking about so suddenly. But still, she turned her head in the direction I was pointing at discreetly. The stranger smirked sensually and winked at my sister when they made eye contact. She immediately turned and looked at me with flushed cheeks, looking all adorable and cute, and I couldn’t help but smile at her cuteness knowing how nervous she got when someone flirted with her shamelessly.

“What is he doing? Oh my gosh.” She complained embarrassed, avoiding looking at the guy again.

I giggled, amused by her reaction. “He is super handsome, unnie. And you have no ring on your finger, so go for it.” I said boldly, desperate to expand her mindset and make her at least reconsider her relationship with her boyfriend. I wanted her to understand that there were a lot of other guys in the planet and that Baekhyun was not the best of the lot, quite the opposite in fact.

“What?! Are you crazy?! I have a boyfriend whom I love, thank you very much.” She refused with indignation and shock evident in her eyes, as if she couldn’t believe I had suggested something like that. And she was right to be surprised, I had my values very clear and I believed that a relationship was something that should be respected in every way. Yet I didn’t support this relationship anymore for obvious reasons.

“You know? I was thinking and you don’t have to limit your freedom. You’re still young and you've only had two boyfriends in your whole life. I think you should explore the world, experimenting with other men and I don’t know, maybe your soul mate is out there waiting for you. That you are in a relationship doesn’t mean you cannot have some fun with other people.” I said casually, as though it were not a big deal at all, as it didn’t matter the fact that I was urging her to do the same thing that Baekhyun did behind her back. But at this point I was desperate without knowing what to do, so it was totally worth a try, what else could we lose anyway? Exactly, there was nothing more to lose besides the dignity of my sister, and everything said that she had lost it at the time that she had accepted Baekhyun as part of her life.

“Are you really telling me to cheat on my boyfriend for the thrill of the moment, Kim Seulmi? But what’s wrong with you? This is not you, my Mimi would never say something like this.” She sounded puzzled but firm.

I avoided her gaze, suddenly ashamed by my previous words. “It's just that ... well, Baekhyun oppa is great and whatnot,” My throat almost caught fire by saying a blasphemy such as that, “but I don’t know, there may be better guys, who knows? Besides it’s not like you are going to spend your entire life with him, right?”

“There's where you're wrong, Mimi. I don’t need to experiment, because I'm sure what I want and I want to be with Baekhyun for a long time. Actually I hope to marry him in the future, because he is the man with whom I see myself for the rest of my life. I love him with all my soul and I don’t want to lose him anytime soon.” She confessed seriously, looking at me with resolve and determination.

After that the atmosphere became somewhat tense and uncomfortable for some reason and she kept looking at me as if she were scolding me by the sole power of her eyes, making me feel pretty awkward.

“Unnie, don’t look at me like that.” I complained with a tentative pout, trying to dispel the tension in the air at any cost. I didn’t like when she was mad at me, especially when I didn’t know what was what I had done wrong, but in this case I could guess what had bothered her and I refused to apologize for that. Baekhyun didn’t deserve Taeyeon, so she should just find another man.

She sighed and her eyes softened, then smiled at me slightly. “It's okay. But I don’t want you to ever say things like that, is that clear? Baekhyun could hear and who knows how that big baby would react.”

“Okay.” I nodded obediently even though I wanted to shout at her to open her eyes once and for all and that big baby wasn’t innocent at all and that he deserved the worst of the world. Well, maybe the guy didn’t deserve the worst in the world, and I still felt bad for him because of his past, but Baekhyun needed to understand that not every person was his puppet.

I could feel the fatigue taking over my body for every step I took, and it was kind of expected, since yesterday I stayed awake most of the night to finish the history essay that I had to submit today and now I was completely exhausted, there was almost no energy in my body. Because of that I couldn’t pay attention in any of my classes, which had me really frustrated because I could not keep neglecting my grades. Lately I had been too distracted by this whole Baekhyun thingy, resulting in a decrease in my grades, it wasn’t that serious, but it was still disturbing for a student like me. I could not let my sister's boyfriend continue affecting me this way, it was time to leave everything aside and concentrate on my own business. I was tired of having an inner battle about what my sister should or should not do with her man. Obviously I only wanted the best for her and clearly she would never find her happiness with Baekhyun, but finally I realized it was not my business. He could do whatever he wanted for all I cared, and I was not willing to get stressed because of him. Moreover Taeyeon was already old enough to solve her own problems, so she should be able to handle a situation like this. She was my sister and I loved her more than words could express, but this was exhausting me in ways that seemed ridiculous and I just wanted to survive high school, so I had no time to worry about other people's problems. It was time to focus on what really mattered for the moment; raise my grades and make up with my best friend.

After having that little chat with my sister I realized that I could not keep up this charade. Sehun was my best friend and we knew each other since we were mere infants. I knew him long before he began his relationship with his current girlfriend, so the latter could not come out of nowhere and simply ruin everything between us. Sohee had no right to do something like that, and yes, maybe I wasn’t in the best position to tell her to back off – because I still believed the only one who could really end this was Sehun – but at least I could give a little more fight to prove that I would not be intimidated by a girl like her, much less when my best friend was in the middle of all this mess.

Today was the day. Today was the day in which finally I was going to face my fears and one of my worst nightmares; Sohee. However, I had not seen them all day…

“Wow, you look terrible.” Someone suddenly commented with a familiar voice. I didn’t like this.

I was with my back against my locker with my eyes on the ground. All I could see were the shoes of the person who had spoken to me. I glanced up very slowly, wanting to delay the confrontation because of fear, and when we finally made eye contact I could see how a beautiful but dangerous smile formed in that beautiful face.

“Alex.” I murmured softly, watching her with submissive eyes without knowing how to react, trying to look unaffected when we both knew I had no intention of going against her, much less now that I felt physically exhausted.

This girl had been bugging me since that last time she had warned me to stay away from Kai. I had never seen her before, but from that moment I started to see her literally everywhere, it was like she was watching me to make sure I remain aloof effectively. In fact I was already becoming almost paranoid. Besides, I never thought she could have so much influence inside the school; apparently the girl was more popular than I had imagined and she was using that influence to make people distance themselves from me. Well, it’s not that my peers made a row to just talk to me before; in fact there was always a kind of tension in the air when I had to interact with people – specifically with girls – , but everything had become even worse. Now they didn’t even look at me, they were ignoring me completely and that – according to me – it was much worse, after all indifference meant that I wasn’t even important enough to be acknowledged. The boys no longer approached me either; they avoided me like an unwanted pest as well. At first I felt somewhat relieved because I could finally have some peace without awkward confessions or looks full of desire directed at me. Yet, I felt more alone than ever for some reason, I always had protected myself by creating a bubble around me, I never left my comfort zone, but deep inside me all I wanted was to be accepted for who I was and not by my appearance. And now that seemed further away than ever, Alex had been responsible for keeping me even more isolated, and turned everyone against me, almost as if I did not deserve to breathe the same air as them. Now I really felt like an outsider. The only person who kept associating with me without paying attention to what Alex said was Kai, who had been protecting me diligently since all this started. If before he had been somewhat protective of me, now he seemed like a lioness protecting its babies and sometimes I felt somewhat embarrassed by that. It was pathetic to have to rely so heavily on someone, especially for someone like me; someone who eventually had to learn to deal with adversity by herself.

“Seulmi, but what's wrong? You look uglier than usual.” She said mockingly, crossing her arms across her chest like no one's business. “Look at those dark circles, God. And your complexion looks so dry and dull. Tell me, dear Seulmi, are you going through a bad time?” She asked with an exaggerated sweet smile.

“Please leave me alone.” I tried to be firm and strong, but it sounded more like a plea than anything else.

“Aww, don’t be like that. I'm just here to keep you company. I can notice that's what you want.” She tilted her head innocently.

“I'm waiting for someone already, so no thanks.” I answered monotonously, a little tired to hold this blunt talk. It was obvious what she was doing, but I was not at my best to entertain her a little more.

“You know? I think I told you to stay away from a certain person, but I see you are not listening to me.” She pouted. It was supposed to be cute, but that only made me want to vomit. “You keep on hiding in my Kai’s shadow. Don’t you think that he too would like a break from you? In any case he would never be really interested in you. This is all a game to him, believe me, I've been watching him for years, Seulmi. Don’t forget that he is a boy and you are no exception.”

I frowned instantly; I could not help but be affected whenever she spoke of Kai in that so haughty way. He was my friend and I trusted him, but she always tried to make me doubt about his intentions, which is understandable considering that she wanted me away from him. However, there was something genuine in what she was saying, I knew she had been following – more like stalking him, but oh well – Kai for a long time, he had told me stories about it actually and without hesitation she knew him long before I came along. So I could not help but wonder occasionally if Kai was really sincere with his compliments – although I always convinced myself it was just a game. Not that I really cared anyways – and Alex did nothing but feed that seed of doubt that there was within me. But one thing was clear to me, Kai really cared about me, that showed all his actions and this girl could not convince me otherwise. Maybe Kai was actually playing every time he flirted with me – just as Alex had hinted – but I wanted to think that our friendship was real and based on more than just any physical attraction that he could feel for me.

“Kai is my friend and I don’t seek a relationship with him. He’s just my friend and as a friend I know he cares about me. You know nothing, Alex. Kai is not interested in me in that way and he can confirm this to you.”

She huffed rudely. “You still don’t understand anything, huh. Kai doesn’t seek friendship in girls, why do you think he only has male friends? He doesn’t want friendship, dear Seulmi, he just wants to you.”

I blushed instantly upon hearing what she had said, because I could not imagine doing that at this age. Even at my eighteen years of existence I considered myself too young to have , I was not prepared physically or mentally for that and just by thinking about doing it made me want to hide in my closet. It was not something so bizarre anyway, I was sure that I was not the only in this school and I had no intention of losing it anytime soon, much less give it up for Kai ... Oh no, never.

“D-Don’t say that.” I whispered sheepishly, still with red cheeks as I looked anything but her face.

She let out a mocking laugh. “Right. I forgot that I'm talking to Miss perfection, Miss "I have not done anything remotely ual because I'm a good girl." Your parents must be proud to have such a good little girl as a daughter, right?” She said with a fake smile.

The death of my parents was not a trauma for me, unlike Taeyeon. I felt lonely sometimes and obviously I missed them dearly, but nothing I could not handle. However, it was still a sensible thing for me, especially if a girl like Alex was the one who brought it up.

I just stood in silence, not knowing how to answer now that my parents had been mentioned. I thought she would start attacking me immediately, but surprisingly she also remained silent, though she was busy studying me from head to toe with malicious and judgmental eyes. And I also studied her face, but instead of intimidating her, I just wanted to figure her out. She was a really beautiful girl, with an enviable body and as if that weren’t enough she had an extraordinary charisma. Her presence was powerful and strong, it was impossible not to stare at her when she walked through the corridors. Alex could have any guy, but once again human beings proved to be dissatisfied and greedy creatures, because she wanted the only guy who clearly wasn’t interested in her, and that obsession was inciting her to do things like these. Part of me felt sorry for her, because if this was all she could do to get the attention of the boy she liked, then she had no chance with him. This was desperation at its very best. Poor girl…

“What does Kai see in you anyway?” She spited suddenly, in a voice full of resentment as she watched me with narrowed eyes.

I opened my mouth to refute – even though I didn’t know what to say – but before I could make a fool of myself I saw out of the corner of my eye a familiar figure quickly approaching us. I turned my head at the moment I recognized it was Kai, who smiled reassuringly when we made eye contact, perhaps understanding that I needed support.

Alex didn’t realize right away that her favorite boy was approaching us, she only noticed his presence when Kai was positioned beside me as he wrapped my shoulders with his left arm, looking at the other girl with a supercilious smile. I just shrunk in his embrace, wanting to make myself smaller to go unnoticed. I wanted the attention away from me once and for all.

“Alex, please tell me you're not harassing Seulmi again.” He said in a somewhat friendly tone of voice, but I knew that voice very well and knew he was trying to stay calm and handle this with the maturity that Alex didn’t seem to possess.

“Not at all, Kai. Don’t worry, I will not touch this girl, but don’t expect me to stay with crossed arms doing nothing. Sooner or later I will make you see reason. I'm much better than her; I can give you much more than her.” She was using a confident and assertive voice, but her expression said the opposite though.

“I don’t think so, Alex. Now if you'll excuse me I have plans with my princess.” He pulled me closer to his body and made me walk beside him, leaving Alex behind without a second thought.

“I swear, you always get on the right time. Thanks for that.” I said sheepishly as we walked toward the cafeteria.

He tightened his grip on my shoulders. “It's nothing, my princess. I'll always be there when you need me.” He said casually, but with passion at the same time, which made me believe him instantly.

“But seriously, I don’t know when that girl is going to stop all this madness.” He sighed frustrated.

“I don’t think it’s going to stop anytime soon, that is as long as you’re beside me.” I said quietly.

“And I intend to be by your side for a long time, so ... we expect a nightmare ahead.” He joked with a lopsided grin, looking at me askance with tenderness.

I smiled back lightly. “Correction, it awaits me a nightmare ahead. She doesn’t want to harm you; she just wants you all to herself.” I clarified.

He snorted. “Not harming? Really?” He said mockingly. “Beautiful, I'm a free spirit; I cannot be chained to one girl. Except if that girl is you, then I'm all yours, princess.” He winked at me.

I giggled as I felt how I blushed. “Silly.” I said shaking off his arm of my shoulder to put some distance between us.

“Hey, come here! I was hugging you!” He whined with a pout, trying to wrap me in his arms again by force.

“No, let me go!” I exclaimed laughing while I tried to escape from the tight embrace of the boy, who had wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, pressing my back to his chest without leaving a millimeter apart between our bodies. And almost immediately he began to tickle my tummy, making me burst into laughter. I had always been very ticklish and my abdominal area was my weak point in that regard, so my laughter resounded through the halls unashamedly as I tried to wriggle out of his grip. “Stop, please ... I cannot anymore.” I panted tiredly, exhausted by the struggle.

He giggled. “Ok, but stay here in my arms.”

I stopped laughing immediately upon hearing those words, surprised by the sincerity and tenderness with which he had spoken, albeit the warmth that enveloped me afterwards was certainly very welcome. I did not feel extremely nervous, because lately I had learned to accept this new feeling that surfaced in me every time I was in Kai’s presence. I did not feel uncomfortable, because now his sole company was something I really looked forward to. And to be honest I felt appreciated and at home when he hugged me. When I was with him I could not help but compare him with Baekhyun, well, it was not exactly their personalities what I compared but rather the feeling they gave me. Kai gave me security, comfort and a sense of belonging for some reason; instead Baekhyun gave me uncertainty, distrust, resentment, pain and extreme confusion. Here, in the arms of this guy, I felt that nothing could harm me, not even the twisted personality of my sister's boyfriend.

“But I have to tell you something, and I cannot do it in this position.” I refuted weakly, trying to sound reluctant just because. Although I really had something to say.

And just like that felt I how the guy quickly turned me around in the same embrace, for us to be face to face. My hands found their place over his firm chest and my head adjusted to his height, lifting my chin slightly to look up at him. The position in which we were was quite intimate to say the least, and this time I was indeed nervous, because his eyes were looking into mine with a suffocating intensity and I felt totally exposed…although that did not mean it was a bad thing, not with Kai at least.

“Don’t you think that this position is a little intimate for us?” I asked in a whisper when I felt his arms pulling me impossibly closer to his body.

“Mmm ... I don’t think so. You seem to like this position a lot though.” He grinned at me slyly.

I could not avert my gaze away from his, even knowing that I was blushing very hard by his previous words. Kai knew about my shyness problem anyway, so it made no sense to hide my face at this point. So I just smiled shyly without losing eye contact.

“Why do you have to be so adorable all the time, Seulmi?” He cooed, now adopting a tender and sensitive attitude. “How do you want to keep that line of friendship between us if you keep seducing me this way?”

I chuckled, amused by his dramatism. “Seducing you? But I'm not doing anything! I don’t even have appeal, God!” I joked casually, as if my heart weren’t beating frantically because of what he had said.

He simply shook his head with a condescending smile. “You definitely don’t see yourself clearly.” He remarked softly.

I cocked my head in confusion, not knowing what he meant – because he always said the same about me –, but before I could ask him about it he beat me to it.

“Well, what did you want to tell me, beautiful?” He changed the subject quickly.

“Oh, right!” I exclaimed in realization. “In fact, I have to tell you two things.” I announced raising my right hand to show him two fingers, obviously counting the two issues I wanted to discuss with him.

“Okay, go ahead.” He said chuckling, amused by my gesture.

“Well, the thing is that a friend of my sister is going to celebrate her birthday this Saturday and she invited me to her party. As you can imagine that is not the kind of environment that I like, I'm sure I don’t fit in there, but my sister told me I could invite you if it made me feel better. So, do you want to go with me?” I asked expectantly, looking up at him with innocent eyes, wanting him to feel compassion for my situation. But honestly, I knew he was going to say yes considering that parties and clubs were almost natural environments for him, so a simple party wouldn’t be a problem for him.

“Sure, I have nothing planned for this weekend anyway, although I would have canceled all my plans for you.” He said winking at me flirtatiously. “But it's weird that you want to go to a party though, why now so suddenly?” He added quickly.

With my hands back on his chest, I started drawing patterns across its surface. “Not that I'm excited to go, but I haven’t seen Tiffany in a while, and she really wants me to go this time. I just give in. She is the birthday girl after all.” I answered a shrug.

The boy nodded in understanding.

“All right. And the other thing is that I decided to make up with my best friend.” I said enthusiastically this time. I was very determined to make things right between us. But I had not seen him all day, letting me know that he hadn’t attended today.

Kai seemed surprised to hear that, as if he hadn’t expected a reconciliation between Sehun and me at all. Then his expression tensed, he clenched his jaw and looked at me with unhappy, almost possessive eyes. I just looked back at him intently, curious about his reaction, waiting for him to say something to help me understand what was going on inside his head. I was confused, supposedly he should be happy about this news, after all he knew how much it affected me be without Sehun, but his expression and his posture told me the opposite.

“What’s wrong, Kai?” I finally asked, pushing him away by his chest slightly to create some distance for me to see his face clearly. However, he tightened his grip on me, not wanting to let me go.

“It’s just that…” He sighed heavily. “I don’t want you to distance yourself from me once he appears again in your life.” He responded with frustration

I grinned at him gently. “Do you really think I will start ignoring you when that happens? You are my friend now, and if Sehun cannot accept that, then that's not my problem. You are important to me, Kai, just like Sehun. So I will not give up neither of you.” I said truthfully. I was willing to make this work, because my life wouldn’t be complete without any of the two. Kai had managed to come into my life so quickly, settling comfortably without me noticing. And now, finally, I could accept him as a cherished friend. I didn’t care what people said about him, because I believed in his friendship, in his actions and even in his seemingly empty words.

He smiled back at me, and I could see how his body relaxed, relieved after hearing my promises. As always his smile captivated me completely, Kai looked really different when he smiled sincerely; it gave me the impression that I didn’t know all his secrets yet, all his facets. Besides, the fact that everyone around me incited me insistently to stay away from him made him more mysterious to me. At this point I knew about his playful, funny, innocent side and I also had knowledge about his flirty side, but only time will give me the privilege of seeing everything that Kai was as a person. And that was fine by me, he was my friend and I was ready to accept all of him. For the time being Kai was a mystery, one that certainly gave me good vibes…unlike Baekhyun, that was clear.

I tilted my head, still with my eyes fixed on his handsome face. “Everyone tells me to stay away from you, you know. Everyone says you're just playing with me.” I voiced my thoughts distractedly, bringing up my most confusing doubts and insecurities.

“I know, but what are you going to do about it? Are you going to believe in them and stay away from me for your own good or are you going to take a chance and step out of your comfort zone?” He asked me with seriousness written all over his face.

I couldn’t deny that I had been quite naive and gullible for most of my life, even now. I was not ready to face all my faults, but there was a starting point for everything in life and I felt that this was a kind of starting point for the path of maturity, according to me. Was I going to get intimidate again by the jealousy of a lost teenager obsessed by the illusion of an unrequited love? Was I going to give in as always while I pitied myself in an endless cycle? Or for once in my life I was going to do what I wanted to do?

It was scary to leave my comfort zone, even in these circumstances of lesser importance, especially when the guy in front of me showed no sign of what was right, but I wanted to think it was worth it ... I wanted to think that Kai was worth it. So, with restless eyes, trembling hands and a shaky voice I said, “I think I want you by my side for a long time.”

It was not time to blush, or shying away, but it was impossible not to when all this felt like a romantic confession when in fact it was not at all, we both knew it.

“Good. Because I was not going to let you go that easily.” He bent down getting closer to me and bumped his nose with mine without losing eye contact.

Immediately, surprised and somewhat puzzled by that movement, I pulled back freeing myself completely from his embrace. If before I was flushed now I was on fire, I could even feel my racing pulse. I stood still looking at him with eyes wide open, and I supposed that my expression was pretty funny because Kai started laughing cheerfully as he pointed at me with his index finger.

“Oh, princess! I was just teasing you a little. You don’t have to look at me as if I had stolen your first kiss.” He teased me causally.

Now embarrassed to the core, I mumbled awkwardly, “W-Whatever. I'm hungry, so ... yeah, cafeteria.”

I turned around and started walking towards said place without looking at him or acknowledge his presence, nor did I give in to his apologies or pleas. Kai did not give up though since he followed me like a lost puppy, apologizing constantly thinking that I was truly mad at him, completely oblivious to the genuine smile I had on my face.

Once I got home I threw my bag on the ground carelessly and went immediately to the living room, where I knew my sister was because I could hear the sound of the television. She was surprisingly alone, Baekhyun was not in sight, so I took advantage of the situation and without make known my presence, I quickly leaned back on the couch and I lay my head in my sister’s lap shamelessly. She flinched right away at my sudden presence, also letting out a gasp in the process, but quickly her body relaxed as she realized it was just me.

“My God, Mimi! You scared me. I did not even realize you were home.” Her fingers found their way to my dark hair, moving them through my locks softly.

I just giggled, rubbing my face in my sister's bare legs, enjoying her touch.

Taeyeon snickered. “You're such a baby.” She said affectionately, while massaging my scalp. “How was your day at school, little sister?”

Without wanting a smile formed on my face upon remembering today’s events, because without doubt Kai had made of my day a more cheerful and pleasant one, he did not let the indifference of my peers get to me as it would have happened if I had been all alone. However, my smile disappeared from my face when I remembered that I still had an unfinished business, because at the end of the day I couldn’t talk with Sehun. I really didn’t expect his absent, not the day on which I had decided to finally face this situation.

“I couldn’t do what I had intended for today. So I’m mad and frustrated.” I answered flatly.

“And what was it?” She asked patiently, ready to hear my problems, as always.

I let out a sigh, preparing myself to speak, “Well, today I wanted to make things right with Sehun. After the conversation we had I felt determined and I wanted to talk to him, but today I couldn’t do it, he didn’t go to class.” I answered with a pout that went unnoticed by her because of the position I was in. “I didn’t want to delay this, but I'll have to try again tomorrow.”

“Don’t stress about it. Everything will be solved very soon and you two will return to normal. Although I must say I'm proud of you, Mimi. To be honest I didn’t expect you to take action so fast. I’m proud of you, little bunny. You didn’t give up and that’s admirable.”

“I'm proud of me too.” I said with a small smile. “By the way, where is Baekhyun? It’s strange to see them separated, you two are glued to the hips.” I inquired curiously. They were always together, every day almost. Sometimes I wondered if that was healthy for a relationship, I mean people needed space from time to time in order to function properly. And here were these two, seeing each other every day. Although I guessed that Baekhyun had enough free time to hookup with different girls every night. I would not be surprised if he had a double life. Well, practically he already had a double life anyway.

“Oh, he just went to buy that Mexican food he loves so much. So I hope you're hungry, knowing him he will surely bring more than we really can eat.” She giggled softly.

“I'm exhausted and starving, so count on that, unnie.” I answered lazily. Maybe I didn’t want to see the guy, not even in a picture, but this time I was going to hold back my resentment and set it aside. I was hungry and that Mexican food was absolutely delicious and expensive, it was one of my favorite, so I was not going to let this opportunity pass, with or without Baekhyun. Food was always first.

She laughed. “Perfect.”

After that we stayed in a comfortable silence, with the sound of television as background. My sister was my hair and her lap was really comfortable, and that added to my accumulated exhaustion of the day it was the perfect formula to make ne relax. My eyes began to close gradually until finally I ended up closing them, giving up. Nevertheless, before I could immerse myself in the wonders offered by the dream world, someone rang the doorbell suddenly, causing me to get up off the couch abruptly because of the shock of that loud and annoying sound. Disoriented I started to look everywhere, until finally my eyes fell on my sister, who was still sitting on the couch looking at me amused.

“Can you go open the door? Luna is not here.”

I rubbed my eyes with my fists gently to try to appear more awake, and as I did that, the doorbell rang again. With a grunt I went to the front door quickly because I did not want to keep on hearing that annoying sound. To be honest I thought that it was going to be just Baekhyun, claiming that he had forgotten the keys, but when I opened the door I noticed that I was wrong, because it was none other than my best friend standing on the doorway with his head down.

“S-Sehun?” I asked dumbfounded. I really didn’t expect him to be here at all.

He lifted his head, finally showing me his face and I was really surprised when I saw it. His eyes were red and swollen, and his expression was the embodiment of betrayal and pain.

“Seulmi…” He whispered hoarsely and defeated, looking at me with imploring eyes.

Something in me broke upon seeing him like this. I could not bear to see him so hurt and confused, but I did not know what to say or how to react, it was all so sudden. Only minutes ago I had been thinking about him and the steps to make amends with him and now here he was, surprising me with his presence, letting me know upon seeing his face that I was not as prepared to face him as I had thought. Yet, I was not going to run away from this now, not now that I was witnessing the state in which my best friend was. And I wondered, what had happened to him? Why he was in this state?

But before I could voice my thoughts Sehun approached me real quick and before I could even process what was happening, he cradled my face in his gentle hands and pressed his soft lips against mine ever so gently.

My eyes widened in shock. My best friend was kissing me.

What have I done? :O

Heheheh, hi my people!!! I don't know about you guys, but I liked this chapter, I'm satisfied with it, since there is a lot of Taeyeon and I love her so much!! >.< She's my favorite solo artist and I'm so in love with her <3

Anyways, do you remember Alex? I really hope so, because she's kind of an important character...you'll see in the future ;)

Please look forward to the next chapter! No spoilers, but...

No, sorry, I can't say anything yet :P I'm excited for it myself tho ^O^

Thanks for the support and your love everyone!! *-*

More Baekhyun in next chapter, I promise ;)