After the bar, the number of club members dropped by about a quarter, while those remaining spent quite a bit of time arguing in the street about where they should go next.  Eventually it was decided that it was getting too late to do much besides clubbing (which the majority didn’t feel like doing) or norebang (which was split just about down the middle).  

In the end, the mass of students eventually made their way to a nearby convenience store for more drinks and snacks.  They wove through several other groups of students who were also making their way to their 2nd, 3rd, 4th rounds of the night.

When they finally reached a suitable store that wasn’t already packed to the brim, a handful of members offered to go inside and buy while the rest gathered at the plastic tables set up outside.

Caden - by now a few drinking games deep - was feeling extra loose and happy by this point in the night.

“Could you bring me a bottle of soju?” she called sweetly to the gaggle of boys as they headed inside. “Joeun Day please~ red flavor?  Red!  Oh, and dried squid!  Spicy please!  Thank you~”

The boys nodded, smiling in understanding before hurrying inside.  The sound of someone gagging behind her caught Caden’s attention.  She turned quickly, thinking she may need to avoid the chance of someone getting sick on her, but was instead met with a simply disgusted Jung Su and a smiling Daeho.

“You’re doing it again,” Jung Su pointedly, still appearing quite grossed out. “Stop with the aegyo!  It doesn’t work at all.”

“Maybe not on you,” Daeho piped up before Caden could compose a reply, “but it seems like it works somewhere.”

He nodded through the store’s front window at three club members who appeared to be tussling slightly over who would get to pay for a bottle of soju and a pack of dried squid.

“What’s this?” Jung Su scoffed while Daeho and Caden giggled.

Moments later, having apparently reached a compromise, the three boys approached as a unit, each with something in their hands.  Caden caught Jung Su’s eye briefly, giving him a sly grin before turning with an appreciative grin toward the members.

“Caden ssi, here you go,” the closest said happily as they each handed over a bottle of flavored soju, dried squid, and disposable soju cups respectively.

“Ah, thank you so much,” she said, cranking up the cuteness factor as far as it would reasonably go. “Since you paid this time, I should treat you next, right?”

“Don’t worry about it!” one of the other boys insisted, grinning rather widely.

“Yes! Let us know if you need anything else, Caden ssi,” the third added.

“Thank you!” she called again, waving as they returned to the rest of the group.  As soon as they were out of earshot, she set her bounty carefully on the nearby table before turning back to Jung Su with a victorious look.

He looked her over with the expression of someone who was trying to figure out what they’d eaten that disagreed with them.

“Ugh, all that fake sweetness,” he pronounced finally, wincing as if in physical discomfort.

“Fake?” Caden repeated, offended.  Frazzled, she screwed up her face, bursting out in English,

“I am sweet, dammit!”

Daeho cracked up at this, while Jung Su (who, although didn’t technically speak the language, clearly got the gist) appeared unimpressed.

“Don’t ever try that with me, please,” he requested flatly.

“I like it,” Daeho pronounced, grinning widely. “Use it on me often - you’ll probably get your way.”

Both Caden and Jung Su immediately shot him identical looks of disbelief.

“You're totally lying, why?” she accused, tone made more insistent by the solid buzz she had going.  She pointed an incriminating finger in his face.

“You ha~ted it when I pretended to be an aegyo girlfriend the first day we met!” she said, dragging the word out for emphasis.

“That’s because that was fake aeygo,” he informed her, booping the end of his nose against her outstretched finger. “Fake aeygo is super cringe inducing.  But sincere aegyo is cute.  I like that.”

When Caden didn’t appear entirely convinced, Daeho wrapped a jovial arm around her shoulder, pausing for a moment before sweeping her into his his chest, effectively enveloping her in a bear hug.

“Noona is so cute~” he crooned, squeezing her tightly as he rocked heavily from one foot to the other.

“You’re being too rough…” Caden managed, sounding somewhat strangled.  Daeho stopped rocking and softened his hold slightly.

“That’s better,” she announced, taking a deep breath before wrapping her arms around her friend’s midsection and rubbing her face back and forth on his shirtfront.

“Friendship snuggles!” she cried in English.

“You’re both drunk,” Jung Su observed in a bored tone.

“You are!” Caden shot back, her words slightly muffled by Daeho’s chest.  

Like lightening, Daeho struck out with his other arm, grasping his friend and pulling him into a loving - if awkward - group hug.

Initially this mostly involved Jung Su stumbling forward, crashing slightly into the side of them, then standing there with his arms limply at his sides.

Caden released her hold on Daeho briefly in order to lift Jung Su’s hands and place one around each other their waists before returning to her embrace.

“Don’t forget me!” Soonbok cried, appearing from nowhere, leaping off of one of the nearby chairs practically on top of them.

As all three laughed and yelled at her, more and more club members cheerfully ran to join them until there was a giant throng of drunk, giggling kids squeezing and pinching at one another in the middle of the sidewalk.

Once the epic group hug finally dispersed, everyone broke back up into their smaller groups spread over various tables.

Jung Su immediately chased after a sly Soonbok, who continued to bounce from group to group.  Daeho directed Caden to sit in a couple of chair at the nearest table where several other members already sat.  She quickly broke into her soju and snacks, spreading them around as much as she could.  Everyone chatted and joked amongst themselves for another few hours before people began notably winding down.

 

Caden was leaning back comfortably in her lawn chair, listening with interest to the silly conversation going on between a few of the girls at her table.  She perked up a few times at the mention of Big Bang and had to work to bite her tongue at mentions of possible activities and arguments that erupted over whose bias was superior.

Aside from Caden, who had remained parked firmly in the same seat since they’d arrived, there had been quite a bit of musical chairs between the rest of the club members.

Daeho had wandered off at some point - Caden was certain that he was somewhere nearby, and could likely be found easily if she only bothered to turn her head to look around (but behind her was soooo far...).

Anyway, she was fine by herself.  She chatted casually with whoever came around, or just relaxed comfortably in the night air.

One of the boys who had bought her snacks came by at one point with a cup of water, for which she thanked him with a sweet smile and a touch of his arm before sending him off, flustered, but happy.

She had just begun tuning back into her table mates’ conversation again when Jung Su plopped down in the empty chair beside her, appearing somewhat exhausted.

“Having fun?” she asked brightly, earning herself a dirty look.

“Just keeping tabs on Soonbok is tiring,” he huffed, leaning back in his chair and stretching his legs out in front of him.

“Better you chasing her around than both of you running around and forcing the rest of us to chase you,” Daeho declared, reappearing suddenly.  He clapped his friend on the shoulder before claiming the chair beside him.

Jung Su directed his dirty look toward him now, which set both Caden and Daeho giggling.

“You guys are worn out already??” asked an outrageously cheerful Soonbok, who suddenly materialized beside them.

“How dare you be the one to ask us something like that,” Jung Su muttered resentfully, but she was already ignoring him.

Soonbok promptly plopped gently onto Caden’s lap, throwing her legs over one arm of the chair and her own arms around the older girl’s neck.

“Well hello there,” Caden pronounced in teasing English, smiling happily as she wrapped her arms around Soonbok’s waist comfortably.  They both ignore the boys who groaned loudly in unison.

“Oh god, she’s found a new ‘unnie’ to obsess over,” Daeho complained.

“Mikyung will be happy,” Jung Su murmured.  The girls continued to ignore them entirely.  Soonbok was happily playing with Caden’s hair.

“Are you having fun, Unnie?” she asked sweetly, tucking a lock of hair behind the older girl’s ear. “I’m so glad you came.”

“Yes,” Caden told her with a laugh, giving her waist a little squeeze. “It’s very fun!  And I was so excited to finally meet you.”

“Me too!” Soonbok gushed. “You’re just as good as Daeho hyped you up to be!”

“I’m glad,” Caden chuckled.  The younger girl studied her face carefully, tracing her cheek and chin with the back of her finger softly,

“You’re so pretty, Unnie… Let’s become close from now on…”

“Of course,” Caden agreed, amused. “You’re fun and cute, what more do I need?”

Soonbok grinned at this, looking back and forth between each of Caden’s eyes for a moment - her smile becoming the slightest bit more sly.

“Unnie, I have to tell you a secret,” she announced in a mock whisper.

“Go ahead,” Caden responded in the same exaggerated hushed tone.  

She began turning her head toward Soonbok so that she might reveal whatever was on her mind.  Soonbok leaned in obligingly, but - at the last second - abruptly changed course, tilting her head to opposite direction and planting her lips squarely onto Caden’s.  The hand that she was holding under Caden’s chin slid around the back of her neck to gently pull her closer.

The whole thing lasted less than three seconds before Soonbok was unceremoniously ripped off her lap from behind.

Caden blinked a few times in surprise before registering Jung Su standing before her, holding a struggling Soonbok off the ground by her underarms.

Behind them, Daeho had almost fallen out of his chair in hysterics.

“Why, why whyyyyy?” Soonbok complained loudly, struggling against her captor roughly. “Look at her!  She’s so cute, how could I resist??”

“How many times do I have to tell you?  You have to ask permission before kissing someone!” Jung Su lectured, avoiding her thrashes as well as he could, still somehow managing to hold tight. “What are you, some kind of ert?”

“It was in the heat of the moment!” Soonbok insisted, still wriggling. “The opportunity presented itself!  Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn’t have done the same thing if given the chance to kiss Caden unnie?”

When Jung Su didn’t immediately respond, Soonbok made a wild attempt at freedom; she swung herself around violently, nearly succeeding in her escape, but her boyfriend was either inhumanly strong, or just extremely familiar with her antics (or both) because he somehow managed to hold on.

“Okay, let’s just assume for a moment that Caden was - theoretically - someone who everyone desires to kiss,” Jung Su managed, appearing quite flustered for more reasons than one as he readjusted his grip on his struggling girlfriend and earning a snort of laughter from both Caden and Daeho. “I would still ask first because it’s rude to surprise someone by kissing them, AND I’m not so full of myself to just assume everyone wants to kiss me back.”

Soonbok shot him a dirty look over her shoulder before proceeding to kick wildly, still determined to escape.

“Stop that this instant,” Jung Su order firmly. “You’re going to end up kicking your girlfriend by accident.”

Soonbok instantly ceased, shooting a worried glance at Caden before slumping down in defeat.

“Are you ready to behave yourself?” Jung Su inquired condescendingly.  Soonbok nodded, pouting heavily.

“Are you going to apologize to Caden?” he continued.

“Yes,” she replied, almost too quietly to hear.  With that, he finally released his hold, setting her back on her own feet.

“Unnie,” Soonbok began, with an expression so earnest that Caden had to force back her laughter. “I’m sorry that I startled you, and I’m sorry that I didn’t ask permission first…”  Her face changed to a look of determination. “And I’m especially sorry that I’m not sorry for doing it!  I’ll cherish our first kiss forever, and if given the chance, I’d do it again!”

Jung Su made to grab for her, frowning in disapproval, but Soonbok was already gone.  She raced back to another group of friends at one of the far tables, much to the amusement of most of the club members - they had managed to draw quite an audience for that little show.

“Unnie, why don’t you ever try to kiss me when you’re drunk?” one of the younger girls inquired, sounding legitimately hurt as Soonbok approached.

“Jiyeon-ah,” Soonbok replied, shaking her head sadly. “You’re much too young for me to be kissing.  I only fall for older girls.”

This set Caden over the edge - legitimately tipping her head back with full bodied laughter.  Daeho was still barely managing to keep himself upright as Jung Su plopped back down in his chair, grumbling to himself as he watched his girlfriend return to her happy, drunken frolicing.

“You’re really okay though, right?” he asked seriously once Caden managed to calm down somewhat. “Tell me if you’re actually bothered - I can make sure Soonbok is properly punished for her crime.”

“Don’t even worry about it,” Caden assured him, still grinning as she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. “I think I can handle a little peck on the lips from one of my friends - it was the two of your reactions that made it so hilarious and over the top.”

“It was the best, seriously the best!” Daeho choked out, bent over the side of his chair, also wiping tears from his eyes.

“Well, as long as you’re sure…” Jung Su said doubtfully, completely ignoring his friend’s comment.

“I’m sure,” Caden replied cheerfully, offering him a sunny smile.

“Hey- don’t go thinking you’re somehow special because Soonbok kissed you,” Daeho announced, finally calming down enough to speak properly.  He grinned widely at Caden, continuing, “You’re far from the first person she’s drunkenly harassed in this group.”  He looked thoughtful for a moment, “Or in this trio, even.”

Caden laughed at this while Jung Su shot his friend a sour look.

“I thought you told me that we weren’t supposed to bring up the past,” he sniped quietly, turning almost fully toward Daeho so that Caden almost didn’t catch it.

“No, I said you weren’t allowed to bring up the past,” Daeho clarified with a mild grin, looking past his friend at a pleasantly clueless Caden. “I can talk about it if I want to… when the time is right.”

“Am I supposed to ask what you’re talking about?” Caden inquired agreeably after a few moments of silence.  She was returning to her comfortably mellow buzz after the excitement of Soonbok had passed.

“Nope,” Daeho said matter-of-factly, grin widening now. “You’re find out soon enough, I promise.”

“Whatever you say,” Caden replied, shrugging compliantly.  She snuggled down in her chair, situating herself into an extra comfortable position.  Daeho laughed, smacking his friend’s arm playfully.

“Can you imagine Soonbok saying something so agreeable when she was drunk?” he asked jokingly.  Jung Su screwed up his face in mock annoyance.

“I can’t imagine her saying something like that ever- drunk or sober…”

“Good point,” Daeho admitted before turning and beaming over at Caden. “You have to admit - I found us a good one: fun and nice and an agreeable drunk?  I didn’t think that all three came in one package.”

Caden batter her eyelashes at him humorously, before pulling one leg to her chest and resting her head on her knee comfortably with a contented sigh.

“That’s because I’m the best,” she said plainly, looking straight at Jung Su (as he was now in her direct line of vision from her new resting position), eyes bright with amusement.

He developed a rather queer look as he observed her for a moment, before it eventually softening into one of reluctant amusement.

“Don’t forget to add ‘modest’ and ‘unassuming’ to her list of perfect qualities,” he muttered, pretending to find the whole conversation quite bothersome.

“I never claimed she was perfect,” Daeho countered sunnily. “I think it’s better that way.”

“Yeah - perfect is boring,” Caden contributed in the same mellow, almost sleepy tone, still not bothering to turn her head from how it rested - facing straight toward Jung Su, who was seated to her left.

He shook his head light-heartedly, reaching out to prod her teasingly on the forehead - nearly managing to knock her head off of her knee several times.  At this, Caden simply scrunched up her face, fussing at his softly with little noises of complaint.

Neither of the two immediately noticed Daeho beaming over at them contentedly.

“Wow… I’m still eternally surprised by how well Noona’s got Hyung behaving,” he announced, shaking his head in disbelief, still grinning widely. “Honestly, the way you’ve taken to her has totally surpassed my expectations.  I was prepared to put in way more effort to force you two to get along.”

Hearing this, Jung Su froze with his index pressed squarely in the middle of Caden’s forehead.

“W-what’s this?” he demanded with a scoff, sounding somewhat flustered. “Why does everyone keep talking as if my behavior is so different?  I’m behaving as usual!  As if she’s so special…  She’s just weird.  She’s more like a cartoon character than a person, really.  That’s why she’s easy to deal with!”

Daeho rolled his eyes at this unnecessary (but not entirely surprising) overreaction.

“What about you, Noona?” he prompted, sounding amused. “That’s what Jung Su thinks of you.  What’s your opinion on him?”

Caden, who had quietly been attempting to remove Jung Su’s finger from her forehead using only her facial muscles, seemed to realize that this method was getting her nowhere.  Giving up, she begrudgingly raised one hand, wrapping it around his finger gently and holding it away from her face.

“He’s okay,” she pronounced passively, finally willing herself to move slightly - tilting her head just enough to fix one eye on Daeho. “You guys are both fun and cute, but you’re not so moody.”

This set Daeho laughing once more, while Jung Su’s sour look returned as he shook her enclosed fist from his finger rather more aggressively than he otherwise might have done.

Caden shot him a muted glare before finally sitting up straight and stretching widely - by far the most movement she’d done over the course of that entire conversation.

“What time is it?” she murmured, rubbing her eyes and patting her face briskly.  She didn’t bother waiting for a response, announcing,

“I’m going to need a water or soda or something if I’m going to make it through the rest of this night…  Something nonalcoholic.”

She took several deep breaths, willing herself the motivation to stand before managing to clamber out the her chair.

“Anyone else want anything?” she inquired, pausing before heading inside the store.

“Anything but cider,” Jung Su muttered, not looking at her as he shook his head, still resentful.

“One cider for Jung Su,” Caden replied sunnily, only laughing at the death glare she received for her efforts. “Anything for Daeho?”

“Ah, I’ll come with you,” he volunteered, still chuckling slightly.  He too got up from his seat, clapping Jung Su affectionately on the shoulder as he passed.  He followed a moseying Caden into the convenience store and over to the drink section.

She steered clear of any further alcohol, heading straight over to grab herself a diet soda (or Cola Lite) and a bottle of water.  She glanced over her shoulder at Daeho.

“Get whatever you want,” she said, gesturing to the goods in front of her, “my treat.”

Daeho’s smile widened.  He instantly made his way over, hugging her tightly from the side.

“Omo, what’s this?” Caden asked with some amusement, patting his encircled arms affectionately.

“I just can’t help it,” he said plainly in English. “I’m really happy we’re friends.”

“Jeez, I hope you do this with all your friends,” she teased, his hair dramatically.

“Of course I do,” he cried, pretending to be offended.

He thought about it for a moment, before adding with a grin,

“Maybe not as often with them, but it does happen!”

Caden snorted with an eye roll.

“I’m tempted to get him cider for real,” she joked, nodding toward the drinks in front of them.  Daeho laughed, reaching past her to retrieve a lemon flavored sparkling water.

“Here - give him this,” he grinned, offering it to her by the bottom. “He said anything but cider, right?  But the thing he doesn’t like is the lemon-lime with carbonation.  SO, if you give him sparkling water, you’ll technically have done as he asked, so he can’t complain.”

Caden clapped her hands together in delight.

“How perfectly diabolical,” she crooned in English with a wide grin, accepting the drink happily.  She was briefly reminded of a certain Evil Mastermind student of hers. “You must have had a lot of practice to become such an expert in annoying him.”

“Many, many years of practice,” Daeho agreed with a self satisfied smirk.  Caden laughed.

“Alright, pick your drink and let’s pay,” she told him, glancing outside at the rest of the members.

“And what do you think those three from earlier would want?” she inquired, turning back to her friend.  Daeho glanced outside briefly, smiling down at her.

“Honestly, take your pick- they’d be happy with anything that you gave them.  Cola or cider is always safe, but even if you picked something weird, they’d never complain no matter what.”

Caden obliged, grabbing three extra drinks, waiting for Daeho to finally make his decision before wandering up to the register.  Back outside, she made a beeline to the table where the younger boys were sitting.

“Here - some refreshments to keep you going,” she offered brightly as she set the drinks down on the table before them.  All three began simultaneously protesting and thanking her.

“You didn’t have to,” the closest assured her, raising slightly to bow in appreciation. “Now we’ll have to treat you again next time.”

“Only if you want to~” Caden replied sweetly, giving them a true eye smile. “I guess that’s a good reason to spend more time together, right?”

They all gazed up at her looking somewhat dazed, wearing sappy smiles of their own.

“Alright, we’ll be heading back over,” Daeho pronounced, sounding highly amused as he threw his arm casually over her shoulder, steering her gently back to the table when Jung Su still remained, waiting.

“See you later,” Caden called pleasantly, bowing much deeper than necessary before allowing herself to be lead away by Daeho.

“Do you have magic powers or something?” he teased. “I’ve never seen people with actual stars in their eyes before.”

“Oh, they’re babies, what do they know?” she joked dismissively. “Too easily impressed - all I had to do what be cute and speak their language.”

“Babies, huh?  Jeez, what does that make you?  A grandma?” he demanded with a laugh.  Caden only grinned, shrugging herself free from his arm to make her way over to Jung Su, who was currently watching Soonbok across the way with a small smile.

“Here you go,” Caden offered casually, holding out the drink, which he took somewhat distractedly. “Not cider, as ordered.”

“Great,” he muttered, making to open the bottle, glancing down at it briefly.  He paused as Caden reclaimed her seat beside him.  Upon realizing just what had been handed to him, Jung Su glanced sharply up at Daeho, who was moving past him to make his way back to his own seat.

The younger boy looked over at his friend casually, noticing the pointed look he was receiving as he eased back into the lawn chair.

“Everything okay, Hyung?” he asked, feigning ignorance with remarkable ease. “Do you not like her choice?”

Caden - having a slightly harder time keeping it together - was forced to hide her grin behind a large swig of water.  Jung Su turned his attention to her, still appearing somewhat suspicious, but when neither of them cracked, he gave up.

“Naw, it’s fine,” he said, clearly forcing himself not to grumble.

“Ah, that’s refreshing,” Caden murmured after a second large gulp. “I’m feeling much more awake now!”

Jung Su’s face flashed with annoyance, which quickly faded to one of resigned acceptance.  He removed the cap from his drink somewhat roughly, taking a big swig of his own.

Caden and Daeho locked eyes, doing everything in their power to keep their expressions neutral, eyes flashing with vindication and amusement.

 

They all remained outside the convenience store for a good few hours total, before some of the group decided they were going to hit a norebang, while those who remained eventually decided they were heading home.

They walked as a unit back toward the nearest major intersection, near the subway stop that Caden had exited on when she arrived.

Soonbok was busy harassing Mikyung with affection, while Jung Su hovered nearby - prepared to intervene if necessary.

Caden and Daeho walked slightly ahead of them.  They were joined by Sungmin and a younger girl who supported a (surprisingly) still conscious Club President.

“How are you guys holding up?” Caden asked in a friendly tone as the trio limped on their way.

“We’re fine- it’s just him who’s having trouble,” the girl pointed out cheerily, readjusting the President’s arm over her shoulder.

“He was just starting to recover until you and Soonbok nearly gave him a heart attack,” Sungmin teased.  The Club President groaned slightly, which was ignored completely.

“Honestly, I was pretty surprised too,” the girl informed them with a laugh. “Although I probably shouldn’t be by now… It’s because Jung Su ssi didn’t drink much tonight.  When they’re both drunk they’re so attached at the hip that Soonbok doesn’t get the chance to kiss anyone else.”

“Is that so?” Caden replied humorously, glancing back at the subject in question- but he was too busy trying to separate his girlfriend from a complaining Mikyung to hear them.

“Soonbok is a free spirit!” the Club President announced loudly, startling them all with the suddenness.

“Oh for god’s sake,” Sungmin muttered good-naturedly.

“President, you shouldn’t even start if you know what’s good for you,” Daeho advised, chuckling.

“You know Soonbok doesn’t put up with your weird obsession lately,” the girl chimed in.

“Even shocking behaviors work well coming from Soonbok!” the President cried - still far too loud - completely disregarding their warnings.  All the club members rolled their eyes, resigned, while Caden let out a bemused giggle.

“You can’t hold her back from the things she decides to do,” he continued, oblivious to the impending danger. “You can’t control her - just let her be free.”

Right on cue, Soonbok’s attention snapped onto the poor, drunken boy who couldn’t stop pushing his luck.

“Club President,” she cried sharply, feature becoming dark.  Beside her, both Mikyung and Jung Su scrambled to prevent the oncoming storm. “Are you talking about me again? I told you that I refuse to put up with your creepy behavior!”

“Soonbok-ah,” he replied meekly.  For a moment they had some hope that he might finally take the hint to shut his mouth and prevent his inevitable suffering…

That lasted all of two seconds.

“How can I stop talking about you?” he continued foolishly. “You have so many good qualities that nobody will acknowledge!  You have the face of IU and the spirit of Lee Soon Shin!  You’re the complete package, but people keep trying to suppress your greatness-”

“That’s it,” Soonbok announced, lunging forward with every intention of taking him out- which she would have likely succeeded in doing, if Jung Su hadn’t managed to catch her around the waist at the last moment.

Sensing danger, Sungmin and the other member quickly veered the still babbling President safely out of range of her vicious kicks and punches.

“Let me hit him!” she cried, flailing wildly. You know I’ve warned him again and again!  Being drunk is no excuse!  Let me go!”

Caden and Daeho sped up slightly, watching with a mixture of amusement and pity.

“We warned him,” Daeho pointed out with a grin.  They glanced back to see Mikyung using the sudden chaos to skillfully evade Soonbok’s possession, hurriedly catching up with the two of them.

“Didn’t want to join in the fun?” he asked Mikyung brightly.  She only rolled her eyes.

“I prefer to avoid as many situations where Joong Ki sunbaenim is involved as possible,” she muttered, shaking her head in annoyance. “But at least I’m free from Soonbok.”

“For now,” Daeho pointed out, grinning cheekily.  Mikyung shook her head at him, trying to hide a smile.

“Is he in danger?” Caden inquired cheerfully, still watching the two club members clunkily maneuvering their burden away from a still aggressively windmilling Soonbok.

The Club President - still not helping in any way - was now wailing apologies to her frantically as Jung Su somehow still managed to restrain her.

“Probably, yeah,” her friends replied in unison.  Caden couldn’t help but laugh at their lack of sympathy.

“This actually kind of reminds me of the story my students told me happened after Round 3 of the work outing last weekend after I went home: the maknae also got muuuuch too drunk, and started saying some things he shouldn’t have-”

“Wait- your students were drinking?  On a work outing?” Mikyung interrupted, looking over at her somewhat quizzically. “I thought you taught rich kids at a fancy hagwon?”  She glanced back at Daeho for confirmation, but he had fallen back slightly- totally wrapped up in laughing at the chaos going on behind them.

“Oh, that,” Caden said awkwardly as Mikyung turned her attention back once more.  She laughed a bit too loudly, trying to cover up the fact that she had accidentally revealed too much. “Is that what you guys thought?  I should have been more clear when I said I work for a private company.  It’s not a hagwon- it’s actually a… business.  And they do quite a lot of… business… internationally, so they want the company members to learn English!  So my students are actually adults!” Caden smiled a bit too widely, make sure to word her explanation as carefully as she could to avoid lying, but also not reveal the truth.

Mikyung shrugged, smiling back casually.

“Ah, I see… Daeho must have gotten his information mixed up,” she offered. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Caden laughed authentically this time.

“It was probably my fault for being unclear,” she replied happily.

“Ah! AH!” the Club President cried as Soonbok managed to get ahold of a chunk of his hair. “Soonbok-ah, please! Forgive me!”

“I’d better lend a hand,” Daeho called mildly, grinning back at the two girls before running over to aid the now frantically yelling group.

Mikyung and Caden also came to a stop, watching with detached interest as their friends devolved into further hysteria.

“Hopefully they get that wrapped up quickly,” Mikyung murmured in an even tone before glancing around. “It’s about time to split up anyway.”

“Do you need to leave?” Caden asked politely. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind…”

“Naw, I’ll wait until this all dies down,” she replied with some amusement.  She turned, gazing over at Caden somewhat inquisitively.

“You know, I am legitimately sad that I missed joining Daeho on that first tour meeting,” Mikyung told her earnestly.

“I hope you don’t feel that I would be bothered that you couldn’t make it,” Caden assured her hurriedly. “I can already tell how busy you are, and we managed to entertain ourselves anyway.”  She smiled warmly before adding, “but I am very glad we could finally meet!  Daeho talks about you all the time.”

Mikyung paused, giving her a measure look before glancing back at the circus that was their group of friends.

“We’re just about back to the main street,” she called out loudly in an attempt to capture their attention. “Isn’t it time we all went our separate ways?”

“Yeah!  Give me just a minute,” Daeho called over his shoulder.  He had managed to separate the Club President’s head from Soonbok’s angry claws, and now he and Jung Su were trying to get her situated in the most secure position for him to comfortably restrain the still struggling drunkard for the remainder of the walk home.  Sungmin and his partner took this opportunity to quickly drag the President to safety.  Mikyung turned back to Caden with a small smile.

“Well I guess that’s it for tonight,” she said pleasantly.

“I suppose so,” Caden responded brightly. “It was nice meeting you. It’s a bit of a shame we couldn’t talk more.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll have more opportunities in the future,” Mikyung responded agreeably. “Honestly, I’m making an effort to try to spend more time out with everyone, and with the way that the whole group is so captivated by you, I expect that I’ll be seeing a lot more of you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Caden insisted quickly, somewhat embarrassed by this description of popularity.  Mikyung gave her another measured look.

“Oh?” she inquired. “Honestly, I’ve never seen so many members taken with someone so quickly. Even Jung Su, really…”  She cut herself off, giving her head a small shake as if to refocus herself before smiling calmly. “You must be pretty… interesting to spark their interest the way you have.  I look forward to getting to know you better over time.”

“Oh no, really,” Caden sputtered, definitely embarrassed now. “I’m not that great, honestly.  They’re just impressed in the beginning because I’m new and a little older and different - I mean, a foreigner who speaks to them in Korean and English… Trust me, the glamor will probably fade soon and they’ll be sick of me.”

“Is that so?” Mikyung mused, looking her over rather seriously now before allowing a small smile. “We’ll see.”

Caden opened to reply- not entirely sure what she planned to add, exactly - but she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Daeho, Jung Su, and a still somewhat struggling (though clearly losing steam) Soonbok- who had been tossed somewhat haphazardly over her boyfriend’s shoulder.  

The other two were smart enough to keep the President well out of Soonbok’s reach.

“I guess this is it,” Sungmin called cheerfully from across the way. “I live pretty close by, so I’ll probably just dump him on the floor of my place for tonight.”  He nodded, indicating his charge.

“I’ll help you get him there,” the other girl piped up. “I don’t live far from you.”

“Unnie!” Soonbok cried drunkenly, twisting to look at Mikyung. “You live near us!  We’ll walk with you…”

The older girl rolled her eyes.

“Only if you promise not to attack anyone along the way,” she insisted, trying her best to hide a smile.

“Promise!” Soonbok exclaimed, causing Jung Su to shake his head slightly in disbelief.

“Let’s get going then,” he urged, turning to walk in the opposite direction that Sungmin and the President were headed.

“Caden unnie!  See you next time!  I’ll miss you!” Soonbok called out loudly as the three of them began to leave.

“Bye everyone!  I’ll miss you too!  See you soon,” Caden called out cheerfully.

Mikyung turned to wave at her and Daeho, while Jung Su only shook his head, raising his free hand in a half-hearted wave, not bothering to look back.

Soonbok, on the other hand, waved wildly, bouncing up and down with each step her boyfriend took.

Sungmin and the others called out their goodbyes as well, until Caden and Daeho were the last remaining.

“So what’s your plan?” Daeho asked cheerily. “The subway is closed and you live far away.”

“That’s right!” Caden exclaimed, glancing toward the nearby subway exit somewhat resentfully. “I forgot how early they close on the weekend…”

Daeho snorted, glancing at his watch.

“At this point, we’re closer to the time they open again than the time they closed,” he teased.  She groaned, checking the time on her phone,

“Well… I could wait two more hours for them to start running again… or try to find a reasonable taxi-”

“Good luck with that,” Daeho piped up sarcastically.  Caden gave him a look.

“Or I could just find a jjimjilbang to rest in until morning,” she concluded thoughtfully.

“I thought you were super sensitive to sleeping around people who snore,” he pointed out  helpfully.  Caden made a face.

“That’s… annoyingly true,” she allowed somewhat distastefully.

“Why don’t you just hang out at my place until the subways start up?” he suggested casually. “It’s small, but it’ll do.”

She looked him over, suspicious blatant on her face.

“What are you trying to pull, huh?” she demanded snottily, trying her best to look down her nose at him - an extremely difficult task, consider how much taller than her he was. “Why don’t we just go to the DVD-bang, hmm?  That’s open 24 hours. ‘It’s the perfect way to kill time’ - you might have well have said that!  You don’t think I’m hip to the college kid lingo, huh?  I know your games!”

Daeho burst out laughing, shaking his head viciously at her overreaction.

“Noona, come on - give me some credit,” he chuckled good-naturedly before adding in English. “Are we not friends?”

“We are…” Caden allowed carefully, eyes still narrowed as if waiting for his trickery to manifest itself.  He rolled his eyes at her.

“Well, it’s up to you,” he announced casually, stretching widely. “You could try to catch some sleep at a jjimjilbang, or you could sit on a bench and wait for the subway to start up - either way, I’m willing to keep you company…” he paused - grinning as she made a face, weighing her options - before adding, “or you could just stop being so ridiculous and come hang out at my place where we can be comfortable.”

Caden shot him a nasty look, to which he only grinned.  Very belatedly he added, “With all due respect, Noona.”

It was Caden’s turn to roll her eyes now, pretending to be highly offended.  He nudged her playfully with his shoulder, nodding up the street.

“Come on- the walk isn’t bad,” he told her with a grin. “Just a handful of blocks.”

“Alright, you win,” she relented with a smile of her own. “Let’s go.”

 

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A/N

Hello~~ ^^

I hope you enjoyed this latest update!  Honestly, I really like all my characters so much... Is that bragging?  Or parental love? Kekeke

There will be one more (probably long) OC chapter - a lot of backstory, a lot of character building ^^ - and then back to the boys!  I hope you're not sad!  My OCs deserve love too~ hehehe

Sorry it took so long to update, btw.  And even after I had it finished on Friday, I kept forgetting to post until today. >_< What a lame-o ^^

Comment, subscribe, enjoy!  I hope you're having a nice week <3