Kai eventually had gotten up from his seat, reluctantly enclosing the group hug. Even though he still had his heavy feelings, joining with his friends to congratulate the girl. But, he got to do it, anyways. He had to take a long inhale and exhale to bury those inside grumble. He couldn’t show how much he actually was aggravated by the previous occurrence. Keeping it only to himself, Kai needed to be composed for the sake of almost everyone in the room.

Suzy then told the guys of how excited and nervous she’d be for the final audition, required to be done soon after New Year. She looked-for a routine to be performed, and the three had— of course— simultaneously, suggesting Kai to assist her. Making things even more complex, slipping inside the tanned one’s head. Hitherto, Chanyeol offered to help with the music selection along with Baekhyun’s sweet melody hearing. As for Sehun, he might just need to record or take notes on the sideways.

Their occasion after finishing the lunch was drawing a name to be taken from the jar filled with pieces made by Baekhyun and Chanyeol earlier.

“We decide with rock, paper and scissors?” The giant asked for his buddies’ settlement, as he put the jam jar in the center of cleared dining table.

“It’s a matter of the youngest and eldest, right?” Suzy grabbed the guy on her side to face the placemaster. “Sehun-ah, let’s go and don’t lose from Baek for us,”

Sehun hissed in advance of he poked the girl on her forehead. “Yah, you’re younger than I am. You were born in October and I was in April.”

“Really? Ah, right… But, you’re far more a baby than I’ll ever be.”

“Sehunnie will forever be our baby.” Baekhyun added.

Kai carried on his same age friends. “Whatever, I’ll be going in the third no matter Baek or you win.”

He pointed at Suzy, before was crossing arms and fretting the way he ever used to. He was in the 3^rd rank, age-wisely between the gang. In the middle of all of them. The petite eldest challenged the only girl at that time.

“Ready, Sooj? I’m always good in stuff like this,”

He stated while rolling up his baby blue sweater sleeve, fronting the girl who was tying up her bun.

Suzy giggled, “Be ready to give me the best present you can ever imagine, if you got my name.”

It started with both resulting papers. Even if Baekhyun said the famous line, ‘Man will always do rock’ but he did the opposite. You know, Baekhyun was never that manly and he was the type who will do everything to reach victory. Chanyeol and Sehun were cheering for their liners, as it if some kind of world tournament final, with Kai— low-key— was following them, didn’t really sure taking side to his housemate or the only girl.

And then, the second attempt took place.

“Assa!”

Baekhyun screamed as he put on paper and Suzy was presenting the rock. Chanyeol was high-five-ing with the best buddy, whereas Sehun was putting his both palms to Suzy’s shoulder.

“That’s okay Suzy-yah… We still have chances,”

Kai merely shook his head, watching over the immature two eldest and realizing of his friends were acting as if it was the life or die match. He was the sanest one of the bunch, at the jiff, apparently.

Luck was then setting to Suzy’s side for two times in a row, as Baekhyun kept sticking with the paper when she showed a scissor for the third round, and then a paper to Baekhyun’s rock for the fourth.

“Look, who’s talking, right now?” Sehun provoked the eldest, saying it very close to his face until a big hand pulled him away.

“Sehunnie, don’t break my player’s focus, please…” complained Chanyeol.

Baekhyun and Suzy locked their eyes to each other, beginning the fifth— and maybe the last— round. They counted one, two and three before finally revealing their moves. Chanyeol and Sehun were encouraging yet hugging one another, as Kai was just leaning to the counter with his steady crossing arms, speaking the upshot.

“It’s the day for the younger ones,” he eyed to the glum housemate. “Too bad, Baek…”

It was 3 : 1 as the final score. Baekhyun had revealed, yet again, a paper which defeated by Suzy’s scissor. Kai joined Suzy and Sehun celebrating the 94-liners winning as mocking the two eldest, whom— for your information— necessitated to chug down a shot of leftover kimchi juice, which they also put it at stake when beginning the match.

“Alright,” Baekhyun spoke after swallowing more than three of mint candies, since he couldn’t stand sourness as well as Chanyeol. “Sooj, come on up… We need to go fast ‘cause Sehunnnie needs to be back to his fancy workplace.”

Suzy got up as her name being called by the eldest. She took no time just to pick one of the papers from the jar and simply hummed when opening it to know whom she had chosen. Sehun was next, twirling his wrist in between the remaining four, and could not avoid his usual bluntness when reading the name.

“Why should this person?”

Baekhyun shushed him, so that he didn’t accidentally uttered the person’s call out loud. Kai was the third, as he always would be in term of their age rank. He merely was raising an eyebrow while examining, before gesturing Chanyeol to proceed the turn.

The giant sighed when noticing who did he needs to buy a Christmas present. “For me, this is the most difficult one.”

Baekhyun took the last piece and open it to reveal to himself, followed by. “Okay.”

Thirty minutes after wrapping up the event, Baekhyun had lastly locked his apartment catching on his three best friends waiting downstairs. He didn’t have that much thing to do for the afternoon that was why he asked if he was allowed to walk Suzy and Kai to the studio, along with Chanyeol. Supposed that he wanted to take look of how’s the dance practice will be going. Sehun was already splitting from the bunch for the reason he needed to be back quickly to the office.

For anyone could ever expect, the walk was contained of the amounts of Baekhyun and Suzy going inside and out from store to store, said they might need to start browsing for the gifts from now. Leaving Chanyeol and Kai being indisposed of why should they’ve been busy finding somewhat, when Christmas in still more than two weeks away from that time.

The two then took time to buy coffee-on-the-go to accompany lighting the cigarettes while waiting for ‘the girls’ went early shopping. Kai glimpsed to the wall clock, finding he was still had fifty minutes before beginning the practice session.

“Yeol,” Kai called out the older once they were exiting the coffee shop to hang around alfresco. “Can I talk something to you?”

“Sure.” Chanyeol’s big eyes then pore over the gravity filled within the younger’s. “What’s wrong, Kai?”

He asked whilst assisted him igniting the cig with the lighter.

“Um, I don’t know if I have the right to say this…”

The giant had once more scrutinizing the tanner, as he didn’t force him to say it out directly. Since he might see what was the matter that he wanted to discourse, concerning.

“Can you make her be happier more than what she had been with me?”

For some reason, Kai attempted to hide his drawback, as much as he could when stating the last sentence. In out of the blue, he felt the busy street was quiet, for the cause that it was his sentiment speaking louder than his other senses. Hitherto, he dazed when Chanyeol was enfolding his one arm to the younger’s wide shoulder. Kai glanced to his side where Chanyeol was truthfully beaming at him.

“First of all, man… I’m sorry.” He was at the moment, shifted his gaze to the see-through store glass where Suzy was selecting gifts with Baekhyun, in advance of was talking to Kai again.

“And don’t you have to worry, okay?”

Kai nodded, before he stared to the same sight as Chanyeol’s whereas the persons inside realized they were looking at them, then throwing a smile and waved back.

“And Yeol,” he gazed again to the older who as raising an eyebrow. “I may need your help for my Christmas gift.”

“Really? Do you want me for an opinion or—“

“No, I need to make something and I think I need your help, and maybe someone else as well.”

Chanyeol hummed before was nodding excitingly of what he didn’t even know could it’d be made of. At least, the tense between Kai and his was soon to be back to normal state as it should’ve always been.

The next occasion was watching the dance training of Suzy— and Kai— for the idle Baekhyun and Chanyeol. As the main instructor, Lay— being an angel as he would always, pretty much opposite the other— permitted the duo to watch it, as long as they didn’t halt any of endurance of the session. It only took fifteen minutes for Baekhyun to stand the sight of Kai was being cruel to all his students, from the minute it was beginning with no exception.

“Oh God! How could even Sooj stands to get through it every once in two days?”

The petite guy complained, as the giant pal was picking up the shopping bags left by him, recklessly in the room.

“Byun Baekhyun! At least, don’t just leave your things so frantically,”

Chanyeol sped up to meet his buddy near to the entrance. In advance of they were eventually leaving to spend the afternoon more in an informal way.

Days went by and finally was the time for Suzy had the ‘judgement day’ to decide whether she passed the Intensive Dancing Course Program or she required to re-take it for certification. Lay and Kai would be the individual judges till the end of the lesson and it surely was causing all the students concerned.

The class started with both of the instructors— Lay was effortlessly appeared superb with simple pair of white sweatpants and t-shirt, as Kai was slaying the all-black-trainers look— quickly explained of how they would score their performance. Each of the student must demonstrated a perfect reenactment of either one of four of the three-minute-routine, which they already well-coached by Lay and Kai. As soon as somebody been called according the numbers they got previously from the drawing, they’d state which routine they wanted to perform and he/she must have presented it with all that they could in one chance. Needless to say, they had to get an average score of seven from both juries.

“God, why my hands keep being sweaty…”

Suzy gazed to her side, where her classmate Wendy has kept being nervous as the first contestant was up for the performance. Wendy came from Canada to pursue being an all-around singer, that was why she needed to master the dancing as well. They both took place in the furthermost area from the main spot, just in case their chats would disturb the others for concentrating.

“Relax,” Suzy took her palms to be wiped by her hand towel. “You can do it since you’ve been a good student since our first week.”

“Bae Suzy,” Wendy put her both palms to clasp Suzy’s cheeks. “Of course you can say it, and you can be relax, ‘cause you’re skill is sky-rocketing after being disciplined by our ‘lovely’ dancing Kai.”

She emphasized the part, for the reason that none of them had been chastised as much as Suzy was. Even for their last courses Kai has made it ten times harder for her, compared to anyone else, thus far with her tenacity then she could get through it.

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, isn’t it?”

Suzy responded, pinching Wendy’s cheek as retort also to make her a bit comfortable.

“Hey! Can we show some respect to someone who’s performing in front?”

They both toned down the conversation once Kai’s scream has howled over the room to ask for some stillness. Even though they thought of having whispers as much as they possibly would, but of course, he never did lower the guard to his—actual—favorite student. Lay had merely shaking his head as restraining the chuckle from next to Kai. And then, the assessment been well continued.

Most of the scores resulted from Lay was in range of 8 – 9, unless someone was performing so dreadful that he needed to give a 6. In contrary of Kai, who gave the highest score of 7.5 for some of the best performers, already been discovered since the first day. As well as he did not hesitate to showed 5 or 4, for those who ought to have more practice.

Wendy was back to her seat next to Suzy, after obtaining a good score of 9 from Lay and 7 from Kai. Had making Suzy got more nervous as she would be next, after the guy named Eric went succeeding the colleague.

“Bae Suzy, fighting!”

She barely could reply Wendy’s encouraging shout with a smile, as she was now be in front of both Lay and Kai.

“So, contestant number 10, Ms. Bae Suzy…” Lay commented at his student appearance. “Which routine will be your choice to present to us?”

Suzy responded, “Number 3, please… The one with Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

She smirked as eyeing the other instructor who slightly shook his head before clicking the chosen song from the laptop.

As a matter of fact, it was a quite tricky song for a person who just had learnt of how to do the jazz dance. However, the entire class felt like she has understood the moves for a year. It was either the song choice that was so right, or Suzy’s confidence has gained and gave her lots of strength to covered the whole lot struggle she’s been through for the past weeks. Her dance steps were also on point from the start until the end, supported by her precise facial expression, since she overcame the acting skill.

Her classmates gave a lot of clapping when it ended in almost four minutes— since it was as well, the longest song choice they had for the evaluation.

With a pleased grin, Lay had no doubt to raise the 9 from the mini scoreboards on his grip. The others were feeling anxious as they were waiting for Kai to choose the last score to decide the final average point. He needed to, at least, give her a 5 so that she could pass this evaluation. As soon as he raised the sheet he had on hold, everybody was in awe because never did they thought Kai gave a direct 7 to his ‘favorite’ student. Especially, when he added something before dismissing Suzy to be back to the seating spot.

“It could be a half or one more point if you haven’t had the nerves to show off from the start.”

In which, Suzy could be the one who had the highest score of the day.

Surprisingly, the class ended more quickly than it used to since the appraisal of fifteen students took less time than practicing for three hours straight. Everyone was saying a cheerful goodbye to each other after class, including to Lay and Kai, no matter how hard they’ve been for the past weeks. Thanking them as they promised that the institution would deliver the certificate to each of their addresses as another year would be taken place.

Suzy watched Wendy left the studio with her boyfriend, at the entrance, when a hand tapped her shoulder which made she turned around at last.

“Here,” Kai handed a closed sheet to the girl, already he departed also without expecting her to walk together.

Before Suzy could hold him to wait for her, she just made a flat face when noticing it was a 10 from the scoreboards they had from earlier class evaluation. She looked to Kai’s back, starting to be far away from where she was standing and then, she decided to go after him.

“Hey, what does it means?”

Kai shrugged as steady was keeping his hands warm inside his coat pocket, whereas the girl was handing the sheet back to him, stopping to cross the road.

“Does it mean that you are willing to give me a perfect score before??” Suzy beamed after they both have crossed the crowded street, asking Kai with sincerity that in reverse caused him flicked her forehead.

“Ow!” She protested of what he conducted.

Kai stared at her, indifferently, by way of he carried on. “That’s your score for being in my life.”

“Y-your life?” Suzy questioned in a bit strangled voice. “Yah, I think you’ll get at least 9 in mine—“

Suzy stopped mumbling as Kai had suddenly pulled her into a such fitting hug, whispering to her ears too close, until she could feel his breath.

“Thanks for keeping on and stay by my side through these days,”

A/N: So, who already watched For Life MV?

I think both Kai and Chanyeol will haunt me for my rest of days in 2016.

THEY ARE SO GORGEOUS <3<3