I remember you with my eyes, trace you with my mind, I'm always with you. (EXO - Girl x Friend)

Sunyoung didn’t enjoy the ball as she should be.

The ball was lacking something and it made Sunyoung lonely even in a crowd, especially since she came only because of a friend’s invitation, and that friend had left for dance floor already. Too shy to find a dance partner like her friend did, Sunyoung went out and chose to admire the starry night sky instead; she really couldn’t stand the lovey-dovey look every couples shared in the ballroom. Her elbow rested on the railing that separated the terrace and the garden in front of The Jungs’ spacious residence, and it didn’t take long for the copper-haired young lady to plunge herself into deep thoughts of being alone.

Unbeknownst to Sunyoung, a man suddenly stood behind her, his hands gripped the railing so that Sunyoung was trapped between his arms. The warmth of his body surprised her, so she turned around and upon realizing who he was, her heart thumped even more crazily.

"It's cold here, Sunyoung-ah. Let’s go inside."

Sunyoung gasped when she found her face and his were only a few centimeters apart. She immediately pushed him aside so that she had enough room to breathe in as much air as she could.

"Just go back home," Heat spread from Sunyoung’s face to her ears; she wished the pinkish tinge wasn’t too obvious, "and get dressed according to the ball’s dress code, Dae."

The man beside Sunyoung—Kim Jongdae—laughed as he shifted, seemed relaxed, a stark contrast with to the suddenly nervous Sunyoung. He stood in front of her, leaning on the railing.

"Well, Jongin borrowed the only outfit in my cupboard I considered matching with the dress code. Besides, I wasn’t actually invited to the ball.  I just drove Jongin here right after finishing some extra works."

In fact, Sunyoung didn’t mind too much about the ‘wrong costumes’. Wearing a deep blue shirt and black trousers which screamed ‘fresh from the office!’ aloud, Jongdae was still very breath-taking. Jongin, Jongdae’s brother, would certainly be the center of attention inside, but if Jongdae joined the festivities a little more, he surely would catch similar amount of attention. The charm of Kim brothers was no joke...

...and Sunyoung didn’t know if she could handle her astonishment over Jongdae alone.

The glasses Jongdae wore didn’t hide the sparkle of his black orbs. Perfection formed by high cheekbones and strong jaw lined his face, and it could be intimidating if his lips rarely curved into that brightly unique ‘kitten’ smile. Plus, how Jongdae dressed that night gave the impression of a broader torso... and Sunyoung desperately waved the thought to throw herself at him. Who was Sunyoung to him, anyway? She wasn’t worthy of such a wonderful gift. Imagining Jongdae hugging her tiny body with much love made her trembled slightly—no, no, that kind of heaven was so out of reach. Sunyoung was nothing but Jongdae’s close friend working two cubicles away from him. The end, and Sunyoung crushed her own hopes before they even sprouted.

"If you weren’t invited, then why didn’t you go home right away?"

"I thought so at first, but then there was this girl being ignored in a ball and I wanted to help."

"Damn, you make me sound miserable.”

Once again Jongdae chuckled and Sunyoung briefly closed her eyes, absorbing the fleeting moments when the cheerfulness in Jongdae’s voice got to her. His voice had various sides: there were times when it sounded so gentle, or bitter while withstanding pain, but luckily, his voice that night contained genuine happiness, like a little boy’s laughter: the difference was that his laugh had a more masculine base along with the walls of self-control that prevented him from laughing excessively and inappropriately.

Melodious.

"The music’s changing," Jongdae glanced toward the dance floor before turning back to Sunyoung, "Are you sure you don’t want to dance? I’ve practiced the steps and I think I’m not too bad."

Sunyoung would love to dance and have fun...

...but wait.

How could Sunyoung dance with Jongdae if it meant allowing Jongdae ‘invading’ her private area? Ballroom dancing would keep them in such a tensing proximity! Before the ball that night, Jongdae and Sunyoung had never been that close; Jongdae’s first ‘attack’ was a few minutes ago, when he trapped Sunyoung between his hands and Sunyoung nearly melted from it.

"Okay."

Gosh. Sunyoung’s reflex surely betrayed her inner upheaval.

Stupid, Park Sunyoung! Why do you accept his invitation?!, She swore, but it was too late to avoid Jongdae. He already took her hand and lowered his body politely.

"So, can I have this dance?"

The tingling feeling caused by Jongdae’s amusing manner combined strangely with the fluttering sensation of some random butterflies flapping wings inside Sunyoung. Indeed, Jongdae looked silly doing that, although on the other hand, this attitude was really flattering for 'a girl who didn’t get a single glance in the ballroom'.

The beat of anticipation overwhelmed Sunyoung as Jongdae traced down her slim waist. His hand seemingly found the right place and cautiously, he brought Sunyoung closer. Sunyoung held Jongdae’s shoulder before tentatively going up, putting her arms around his neck. The scent of cologne and soap there was so new, clearly proved that his reason to come wasn’t just Jongin, but Sunyoung didn’t dare to seek another. She let Jongdae lead her steps, silently praying that this dance lasted longer than it should.

"Before me, who did you dance with?" asked Jongdae. Sunyoung shook her head slowly, replying him with a ‘no’.

"You’re right, I'm an ignored girl."

True that she said it as a joke, but Sunyoung secretly admitted she wasn’t confident in this kind of social gathering: it was hard for her to adapt in such a formal situation, let alone pick a dance partner from a group of complete strangers.

Knowing this, Jongdae lifted a palm, gently caressing her cheek, adoring her delicate beauty.

"I’m sorry for what I said before, but you are not ignored, Sunyoung-ah. You're lovely and I do see—care about you.”

Sunyoung was dumbfounded.

"W-what?" Hurriedly, Sunyoung hid her burning face, "D-don’t say things like that, it’s weird hearing that from you."

"Why? Because I'm your close friend who likes to joke?" Jongdae immersed himself into the fragrant thickness of Sunyoung’s hair, "Even when I mean my words?"

The tingling sensation was back, this time was so acute that Sunyoung had to take a deep breath, struggling to look okay. As a result, she inhaled a fair amount of perfumed air, Jongdae’s cologne becoming more and more tempting. Only Sunyoung could have that special access to Jongdae, as if Jongdae prepared himself just for her. Oh God. Sunyoung got tongue-tied, the sentence arranged inside her head was messily expressed.

"I... Well... Uh... T-thank you..."

"Don’t thank me. I'm just being honest, for after knowing you this long, I don’t find any side of you that is not lovely."

Jongdae’s thumb wiped the bottom of Sunyoung’s lips while the other fingers moved her chin upward, her eyes met his. Jongdae tilted his head slightly, the distance between them gradually decreased, the air became intensely hot, his arm circled her waist more firmly... and the girl finally understood where all these led her to.

Both closed their eyes together.

The next thing they felt were soft, full, warm lips sharing love through a sweet touch. Slow but sure, they began to open themselves to taste each other. Cool peppermint blending with the flavour of strawberry from Sunyoung’s lipstick proved Sunyoung’s hypothesis to be true: Jongdae was here because he wanted to see (and, perhaps, kiss) her, not to accompany his little brother and then went home, let alone just to save Sunyoung from gloom...

Jongdae loves me...

...and Sunyoung read his real intention very well.

When the kiss ended, Sunyoung and Jongdae locked their gaze at one another while trying to steady theirselves. A peaceful sigh of relief and happiness that was followed by a hearty laugh then escaped from Jongdae’s lips. For the first time, Sunyoung found the familiar reddish tinge on Jongdae, similar to hers.

"I don’t think kissing with my best friend will feel this great."

"Why should you kiss your best friend if you look good enough to find a lover? Moreover, of your so many girl friends, why... why me?"

Jongdae cupped Sunyoung’s face and asked back.

"Do you think a man in love can really choose who to love?"

No, of course not. The rhetorical question was enough to melt Sunyoung like chocolate over a hot pan. She embraced him to calm the waves of excitement inside as well as propping her body that was weakened from the kiss... and Jongdae reacted in time. He tightened his hug, letting her listen to his heartbeat, then her head that leant comfortably to the crook of his neck. No words exchanged afterwards; five senses, six if their newborn feelings were included, were more capable of conveying messages than words.The music was no longer played inside the ballroom, but Sunyoung and Jongdae were still too reluctant to let go.

As the party ended, a new bond blossomed beautifully under the stars.

i don't know what color Luna's hair was in this 4 walls performance where she wore red-black outfit... i love it so much! burgundy? copper? and then i decided on copper...

i think i'll translate my other CheNa stories... but only if there are readers who wants to read it ^^ thank you for reading anyways! upvote and comment if you like!