"Team Teemo! Team Teemo! Team Teemo!" Serena chanted softly to herself as readied herself to play the League of Legends' Yordle character.

"Yay! Let's go, Teemo!"

The smile on her face dropped when she couldn't play with the champion character like before.

"The ?" She mumbled while trying to use his blind, but it didn't work like before.

"The boys weren't lying with how much Teemo has changed since I've last played him."

Serena was on her break, off in a corner and away from others, playing on her laptop with earphones on. However, she kept herself in view of the cafe just in case she couldn't hear the others ask for her and Serena could keep an eye on the counters, the door, and other patrons within Simplistic.

"Teemo, you're cute and all, but I can't play with you right now or L-O-L either."

Serena exited the game while trying to think of what over online games she could play and remembered Overwatch. She hardly play these games as she usually played them with her brothers, cousins, and male friends despite the time zone. However, she's been addicted to otome games and has been playing those as of late.

"Ooh yes. Nice. Okay, Wrecking Ball, here I come."

Serena opened the game so she could play with her other favorite animal character which was a hamster hero also known as Hammond. While going through the whole setup, Serena realized she wouldn't have enough time to actually play a game. So, Serena exited the browser to work on some free-writing instead as she still needed to write that plot inspired by her younger cousin and sister's current situation. She casually glanced up and connected eyes with Heeseung, sitting across from her at the same table. He shot her a smile while she removed her earphones and closed her laptop.

"Um, what are you doing here?"

"Just getting something to drink and eat, Chaejin. I can't do that?"

"No."

Her quick answer made him chuckle as Serena recollected herself.

"I mean, of course you can get something, Heeseung, but like what are you doing here at the same table as me."

"Oh? Friends can't hang out with friends?" Heeseung said in a nonchalant way, but the smile still evident on his face.

"We're not friends." Serena deadpanned, but the smile on Heeseung's face dropped.

"Oh."

Serena did not like the sound of that and tried to rectify the situation.

"It was a joke. I'm kidding. Of course, we're friends."

Still, the smile that graced Heeseung's face didn't match his eyes and Serena realized she shouldn't joke with him like how she would the others.

"So, um, how's the whole dance practicing going for the showcase?"

She hoped that Heeseung didn't feel too down about what she had said earlier and that she was geniunely trying to interact now. Heeseung's eyes slightly brightened as so did the smile.

"It's going well. Minor setbacks here and there, but everyone's having fun."

"Good, good."

"Will you be there to watch us?"

The way he said it made her aware that he was hoping she would be there.

"Um, yeah. It's on the seventeenth, right? During finals' week, yeah?"

"Mmhmm. Starts at seven and ends around nine."

"Noted. Anyway, did you come alone? What did you order?" 

Heeseung pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

"I came with Jay and I ordered some fried chicken. Those have been my favorite thing to get here."

"Oh, nice."

Serena nodded with a small smile while glancing around Heeseung to see if her cousin was now interacting with Jay. She locked eyes with Kierra for barely a second, but caught the way her eyes screamed for help as she inputted Jay's order.

"Will there be anything else?" Kierra asked Jay as she inputted the last said item.

"You could be a little more friendly though." Jay counter as Kierra made a face.

"I'm nice enough."

Jay slightly scoffed, but shook his head.

"No, that's it."

"Are you sure?"

Kierra tried again.

"We actually have some pistachio and Ferrero Rocher ice cream flavors that we started to include for the summer."

"Can I order both?"

"Oh, yeah."

Kierra inputted two more items.

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Okay."

Kierra told him his total and Jay paid, but continued to linger around after receiving his number tent. However, Kierra decided to entertain the male as there were no other customers while Chanran, Hyeyeon, Junyoung, Seohoo, and Danbi made the orders.

"So, what are you and Heeseung doing here? I thought y'all had dance practice?"

"Free day today so Heeseung and I decided to eat out as everyone else had other plans."

"And it had to be here?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Thank you for your business."

Kierra flashed him a smile although she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the so-called date.

"By the way, my mom wants a copy of the photobook you made for me for my birthday."

"Huh? Your mom? Really."

Kierra did not expect Jay to share it with his mother of all people.

"Yes. Do you think you could make another one?"

"I mean, I could, but it'll take a while."

"No worries. Take your time on that."

"Okay."

Jay was about to continue the conversation, but Kierra was called by Seohoo.

"Yiyeon, could I get your help, please?"

"Yeah, I'll be there." She called over her shoulder before looking over at Jay.

"Anyway, I gotta work. Catch you later, Jay."

"The same to you, too, Yiyeon."

Jay watched as Kierra assisted Seohoo with frying the chicken as Seohoo went to prepare more chicken. He turned around to see Heeseung talking with Serena, before she got up from the table with her belongings and left him there. Jay joined Heeseung a second later after he and Serena greeted one another while passing by each other. Heeseung shot Jay a look.

"Any luck?"

"No. You?"

"Not really."

"I guess we can try another time."

"Yeah, pretty much."

The two settled in as Danbi brought over their meal while Serena and Kierra moved off to the back to talk as Serena got to check her phone while Kierra didn't.

"What's up?"

"Chaeyoung wants to go dress shopping tomorrow for our performance for her birthday."

"Ah, . I thought we weren't gonna do the shopping bit."

"Sujin and Woojoo are looking forward to dressing us up."

"Of course they are. Oh, well, might as well entertain them."

"True. As long as it doesn't take too long."

"It will as it's Chaeyoung's birthday and there's seven of us going."

Serena groaned with Kierra joining her. Soon, their minds became occupied with work.

"Ugh. How many more dresses is left for us to try on again?" Serena whined while coming out of the changing room in another dress.

Kierra came out shortly in the same dress, but a different shade.

"For reals. I'm pretty sure I've tried on like fifty dresses."

"It's only like a little over ten or something." Melanie corrected her as Kierra huffed.

"Same difference. Besides, they all look the same except for a few designs here and there."

"I mean, Chaeyoung's having fun and I'm sure we'll find the one we can all agree on." Linna remarked with a laugh.

The younger two were admiring themselves before the older two exited the room. Woojoo, Chaeyoung, and Sujin joined them later in their own shades of dresses.

"What do you think?"

Their attention were drawn towards the trio's in their own gorgeous dress. There were approval and praises around as they all took photos and discuss the ones they liked and disliked.

"I think the last three looked the best on you, Chaejin." Woojoo complimented Serena before looking over at Kierra.

"And I think the fifth one back fits you the most, Yiyeon."

Both Serena and Kierra laughed, clueless.

"I don't even remember how they looked like."

"Besides, these are still a bit pricey for our liking."

"No worries. I got you." Sujin said as she went back inside her changing room and brought out her phone.

"I took pictures of it all."

"Wow, but still, you don't have to do that Sujin."

"I want to."

"I'll split the cost with her." Woojoo chimed in as Chaeyoung did, too.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. My treat for agreeing to perform for my birthday."

"Okay, fine."

The group of seven giggled as they crowded around Sujin while watching her scroll through her phone.

"There's so many." Serena commented as Kierra nodded.

"Yeah, so I don't know which to decide, but y'all can choose what we'll wear."

"Are you sure?" Chaeyoung asked, glancing from one to the other.

"You don't mind which one I or the others pick for you?"

Kierra and Serena shook their heads.

"We don't mind."

"Okay, cool, because there were these dresses that everyone also chose." Chaeyoung said, giddily before running over to the racks to scout out the said dresses.

"Stop fussing with your dress, Yiyeon." Woojoo mildly scolded her friend.

"It looks like there's something wrong."

"There is." Kierra huffed.

Woojoo also noticed Serena doing the same thing as Kierra.

"You, too, Chaejin."

The group of six arrived in the lobby of the hotel for Chaeyoung's birthday celebration, wearing the same dress in style and in print. However, both Kierra and Serena couldn't help, but to feel slightly uncomfortable in theirs as it was a little more revealing than what they were used to and have worn before. It didn't help as these were one of the few dresses that were in their 'least likely to pick' pile and Chaeyoung ended up choosing from that pile. However, they shouldn't be complaining as they gave their permission for whatever choice of dress the others could choose for them.

"I'm trying, but I'm still not used to dresses or dressing up fancy for that matter eit