I have never written a high school AU before so I want to try one and boom, here it is. Inspired by a book titled Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen. This takes me  2.5 months to finish ><

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Joohyun had woken up late.

Seulgi could tell even from where she stood -- on the lower ground full of overexcited and boisterous students -- because Joohyun stepped onto the hall’s podium with her hair in slightly messy ponytail instead of the incredibly neat one she usually pulled.

The front strands of her hair that were too short to be gathered back by her purple hair tie fell shyly at both sides of her cheeks, and she smoothed one lock behind her ear before leaning forward to smile into the microphone.

“Hi, everyone.” She greeted shyly, but the entire hall boomed into life.

Students screamed on top of their lungs while pumping their fists on the air.

Seulgi watched her bashfully chuckle, cheeks reddening at the amount of attention she was still unused to receive even after bagging the student council president title for six months. A grin of her own mirrored her overwhelmed best friend’s.

“What the heck is everyone high on?” Seungwan yelled into her ear, because it was really the only way Seulgi could hear her.

The students were that loud.

“Victory! They are high on victory!” She shouted back, swaying on the balls of her feet.

The energy from hundreds of students was highly contagious.

“This is what happens when you never won anything for the last decade but suddenly took home the gold trophy!” Sooyoung hollered beside them, screeching her own fair share of celebration. “Long live Seonam High!”

“Long live Seonam High!!!” The students around them echoed her shriek, and Seungwan jabbed an elbow to her ribs with laughter. “You are insane! You are going to make this crowd crazier than they already are!”

Sooyoung stuck her tongue out and threw a fist high on the air, hooking her free arm around Seulgi’s neck as she swayed her to the tune of their school’s anthem everyone had started singing out.

Seulgi sang along with the rest of the crowd, feeling exhilaration bubble in her veins.

All the while her eyes never left the smiling figure on the podium, until the said figure looked down to the sea of students and met her gaze.

Seulgi waggled her eyebrows playfully and grinned as big as she could, until Joohyun couldn’t help but split into a huge, fat one herself and shook her head.

At that moment, she might be the student council president everyone else lauded for on stage, but to Seulgi she was just her usual, cheeky friend who couldn’t wait to jump off that stage and hop around in celebration with her.

The knowledge always washed her with odd sense of warmth and pride somehow.

“It’s been a long journey, everyone.” Joohyun began softly once the crowd calmed down. “Two and half years ago, when I was asked about which high school I wanted to attend, people would always flash me a horrified look when I said Seonam High.”

The students broke into laughter in unison and passed each other knowing looks.

“They said that the school was awful, that it had no achievements and ranked bottom in everything.” Joohyun’s eyes lit up slightly just the way they did when she felt emotional about something, and the corners of her lips tugged up into nostalgic smile. “And they were right, for we always placed last in every national exam and we couldn’t make it past first round in any competition before. We were the underdogs.”

The students laughed again good-naturedly and shoved each other as the teachers regarded them with fond headshake.

“But it’s all behind now, friends.” Joohyun addressed them again affectionately, proudly, and her eyes shimmered. “We are now in top 25 of all high schools, and just yesterday our very own, very beloved, basketball team managed to bring home the gold trophy from the national championship!”

The crowd roared again, raining the hall with cheers so vigorous it shook the entire ground.

Sooyoung, Seulgi, and the other seniors around them started stomping on the floor rhythmically and led the sophomores and freshmen to do the same. Seungwan shook her head at them but joined them nevertheless.

“It’s all thanks to you, president!” The basketball captain, Minho, shrieked beside them and suddenly everyone followed in.

“Yeah, it’s all thanks to you president! You made it possible!”

“We owe you big time!”

“Long live Bae Joohyun!”

Joohyun laughed softly at their silly responses. “No, it’s not because of me. It’s because of everyone’s hard work. I would like to take this chance to truly thank everyone for all of your efforts. Thanks, for never giving up on us even when we were seen with only one eye. Thanks for always trying your best to support the student council body no matter what programs we had. And last but not least, thanks, for trusting me,” she blinked one too many times, and Seulgi knew even though her face remained stable that Joohyun was on the edge of tears, “even when I was nothing but a quiet, awkward girl. Thank you for believing me, and for giving me chance. I love all of you.”

The hall boomed with cheers again. Seulgi could hear every row of students, be it seniors, sophomores, or freshmen, shouting their hearts out sincerely, “We love you too, President Bae!”

And it washed her with indescribable warmth as if her own name was being chanted -- more than her own being chanted -- because Seulgi knew perfectly well just how hard Joohyun worked for everything.

From pleading the principle to renovate the broken facilities like the old basketball court, to gathering funds by holding countless bazaars and forming after-school study groups for students whose grades were insufficient.

Sacrificing her own rest time in between to make sure everything ran smoothly.

And Seulgi thought, as the crowd continued to chant Joohyun’s name, as everyone continued to shout just how much they loved and adored her, that yes, she was so deserving of all the love and more.

“We love you too, Bae Joohyun!” She shouted with the rest.

I love you the most, she added in her heart.

 

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“Can we just go to bed?” Joohyun yawned while rubbing her eyes sleepily, hugging Seulgi’s yellow sofa cushion close to her chest.

Seulgi would have found her curled-up, fetal position adorable if she wasn’t currently dealing with a very important mission on hand. Choosing between Zootopia or KungFu Panda to watch required certain level of concentration.

“You mean you want to skip our Friday night movie marathon?”

Joohyun propped her face up with one hand and stared at her best friend with tiny frown between her eyebrows, “You have watched those for six - seven - times, Seul. I think we can skip it for tonight just fine.”

“But they are cute and funny. I need my cute and funny dose before I go to my weekend slumber.”

“They are not cute -- okay, they are cute, but they are not funny anymore after you watched them seven times.”

Seulgi hurled her an offended look as if calling her cartoon characters unfunny meant calling her unfunny. “You just have a bad sense of humor.”

“And you are becoming obsessed.” The corners of Joohyun’s lips tugged up. “Come on. I’m tired already. I will just get you the plushie tomorrow when we go downtown.”

“Deal.” Seulgi dropped the DVDs immediately and pointed a finger at her. “You can’t take that back in the morning when you wake up. And oh, I want all of them. Judy, Nick, and even Po.”

“You are unbelievable.” Joohyun laughed and tossed the sofa cushion at her, rising up to sit. “Now can we please go to your room? I can’t wait to drown in one of your giant t-shirt already and disappear under the blanket.”

“Your wish is my command as long as the plushies stay in deal.” Seulgi extended her arms forward and grinned, Joohyun taking them with mild laughter as she propelled herself up.

They walked together hand in hand to turn all the lights in Seulgi’s first floor off, before padding upstairs to reach her bedroom.

Once inside, Seulgi let Joohyun borrow another one of her favorite t-shirt, set the ceiling fan on slow because that was how Joohyun liked it, and tuned in their usual late night radio station to let some indie songs carry them to sleep.

Joohyun rolled over to her side once she slipped under the blanket, and nestled her head on Seulgi’s shoulder as she muttered sleepy good night.

And Seulgi felt so grateful. So grateful to just have another Friday night sleepover with Joohyun. So grateful to just curl up against her the entire night. And so grateful to drift off to slumber with the smell of Joohyun’s hair as the last thing on her mind.

She prayed to God that her days would always be like this, large and b with youth but always ending with her favorite person on the world.

 

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Sooyoungie: Yo, are y’all ready? I’m taking the target to the area.

Seungwan94: Stop calling her target, you’re making this sound like some deadly espionage mission.

HandsomeMinho: Are the cake and candles ready? I’m risking my life to escape this class so y’all better hurry!

KangSeul: Shut up and roll over here. Everything is ready and all the other boys are already here. God, you are such a chicken.

Sooyoungie: I’m faking cramps in front of the whole class to have her assist me outside and you can’t even fake going to toilet? Boo! Anyway, reaching soon.

 

The door to the band room sprawled open, and Minho tumbled inside with bated breath. “Is she here? Is she here? Oh! Not yet! Let’s get ready!”

Seulgi rolled her eyes and elbowed him. “Everything is ready, Captain. We just need to stay quiet and hidden until she shows up.”

“Here are the lovely hats and horns!” Seungwan passed the birthday props around excitedly and one of the boys, Key, stared at the objects rather dubiously. “Are these really necessary? I mean, she’s turning eighteen, not eight.”

Seungwan batted him away with one serious look, just in time for Taemin to squeak at them frantically, “She’s here! She’s here! Time to hide!”

They all ducked behind the musical instruments and shut up, until all they heard was incoming footsteps and creaking door noise.

“Why are we here?” Joohyun’s confused voice emanated. “I thought we were going to the infirmary because you had cramps.”

Seulgi gave everyone signal with her fingers, and on the count of three, they all popped up in unison like jacks in the boxes. “Surpriseeee!!!”

Joohyun flinched a step back and clutched at her chest, eyes widening impossibly as horns blew all around her.

Seulgi cackled with everyone because of course Joohyun would be easily startled like usual.

“Happy birthday, Hyun!” She cheered loudly, and everyone followed suit to circle the birthday girl as they showered her with the confetti Seungwan had magically produced.

Joohyun looked taken aback for a moment until realization set in, and suddenly her eyes threatened to water.

“You guys, really.” She did the panicked blinking again to hide her tears, but failed adorably when tiny, soft sniffles escaped her. “Whose idea is this?”

Seungwan bumped her shoulder to Seulgi, who wore the biggest lopsided grin ever as she held Joohyun’s birthday cake proudly. “There’s only one of us fearless enough to break out from school ground at this hour and make a run for a cake.”

Joohyun shot her a reprimanding look, but the tiny smile cracking her lips betrayed her. She shook her head fondly.

“Hurry up and make your wish, the candles are going to melt!” Sooyoung ushered her giddily and Minho started singing a bad version of Happy Birthday for everyone to follow after.

Joohyun wiped at her eyes and smiled wholeheartedly, clasping her hands in front of her chest to make her birthday wish. “Thanks everyone, really.”

She blew the candles and sent them off in one go, slicing the cake after as the rest of them cheered for her to share the treats.

Time seemed secondary at that moment as they lounged on the floor, eating, chatting and laughing.

“So, tell me guys, have y’all decided on a college yet?” Minho asked through a mouthful of cake, earning himself a distasteful look from Sooyoung.

“I’m thinking of SNU.” Seungwan replied humbly. “But that’s if my grades suffice.”

“You know they will suffice.” Sooyoung piped in through her own piece of cake. “As much as I hate to admit it, you’re quite a genius.”

“Gee, thanks sweetie. You’re not bad yourself for tailing right behind me.”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes.

“How about you, Joohyun? Are you going to Yonsei like your parents?” Key asked.

Joohyun slowed chewing at his question and looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure I’m made to study in such a demanding place, but my mom had always insisted so, so...I guess I have no choice.”

Minho gave her a solidarity nod and a pat on the back. “How about you, Seul? Are you still waiting for that Art School in UK?”

Seulgi’s cake froze midway to , and she put the pastry down slowly. Her voice crawled out weaker than she intended to. “Yeah, I’m still waiting to hear about my application.”

“I don’t get why you want to go so far.” Minho supplied. “All of us are here in Seoul and,” he drawled, “you can’t even speak English.”

“Shut up.” Seulgi threw him a ball of tissue playfully, but even she felt her smile wane. “It’s still undecided.”

“You better decide on us then.”

“Don’t pressure her, Minho.” Joohyun answered slowly before she could, and Seulgi really wanted to see her expression but somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to. Something heavy pulled her gaze to the ground. “It’s still five months before we graduate anyway. Can we please talk about something else?” Joohyun asked.

They nodded easily and the conversation shifted to lighter topics.

Seulgi wished she had missed the way Joohyun had grown slightly quiet -- her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes -- but she noticed.

The uncomfortable stir in her stomach continued to climb and climb, until the door suddenly flew open.

Kim Minhee, their fellow senior, stood in the doorway with a surprised look. A rather unpleasant frown crossed her face as she took in the scene.

“Don’t you all have class?” She asked sternly, staring at them as if she had just caught serious offenders.

The seven of them sat back taller and immediately put their cakes down.

Sooyoung cleared awkwardly. “We’re on early break.”

Minhee looked at her as if she had just told her the dumbest joke. “You don’t have to lie when it’s so obvious, Sooyoung. It only makes you look stupid.”

Seulgi resisted the urge to make strangled noises. “Don’t you have class then? Why are you here too?”

Minhee glanced at her as if considering whether or not she was worth her debate. “I have, but I am here because Mrs.Lee asked me to fetch her forgotten music sheets.”

She walked over to get the thing and sneered, “But y’all have yourself a lovely time, and oh, Joohyun,” she paused, voice turning cynical as she eyed the visibly tense student council president, “I think you should remind your friends not to skip classes instead of joining them.”

Joohyun bit her bottom lip and looked down, fidgeting with her plaid skirt as Minhee continued to jeer, “Probably should set better example as a student council president, no?”

“Let it go, Minhee.” Seulgi finally growled. “We’re just taking ten minutes break to celebrate her birthday. Stop making it look like some serious, evil crime.”

Joohyun shot a hand to her and squeezed her firmly to stop her from arguing. “I’m sorry.” She said hurriedly to Minhee. “I will be mindful next time.”

Minhee seemed pleased with her meek response and proceeded to leave the room.

Sooyoung hurled profanities once she was out of sight. “What a pretentious prick. I hope she slips on a banana peel and hits her stuck up .”

Joohyun shook her head with faint smile but Seulgi knew that she felt bad. “She’s just going by rules. It’s not her fault.”

“You are too good.” She sighed exasperatedly. “That’s why she’s always looking for trouble with you. Her and her bitter, jealous gang.”

“Truly.” Seungwan agreed. “It’s been seven months since that student council president election and she’s still acting like a butthurt toddler.” She stood up and straightened her skirt. “I think we better hurry back to classes before she reports us to the teachers.”

They nodded and rose up to clean their trashes, exiting the room one by one.

When Seulgi was about to step out, Joohyun s an arm around her middle and hugged her from behind. “Thanks.” She said quietly into her ear, and Seulgi felt the effect of that contact as goosebumps all over her skin. “Thanks for standing up for me.”

She swallowed thickly and nodded, because that was all she could manage to do.

“You are welcome.” She said weakly, way too weakly for her likings. If it was up to her thundering heart, she would have turned around and returned the hug ten thousands fold stronger.

Stay where you are, she begged her heart instead.

Joohyun has too much to lose.

We have too much to lose.

She stayed where she was until Joohyun slipped from her space and walked away.

 

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It was a warm Saturday night when Seulgi barrelled into her bedroom looking like she was ready to kick a baby penguin.

“I can’t find my dress.” She huffed in frustration, throwing her hands on the air for emphasis. “It’s not in the laundry basket and it’s not in my mom’s wardrobe either. It’s just gone. Poof. Into the thin air.”

Joohyun, who was already dolled up in her full make-up and beautiful purple dress, looked up from her neat little suitcase to regard her frustrated best friend.

“You mean the yellow one that you always wear?”

“Yep. That will be the one.”

“Hold up.” Joohyun whirled around and rummaged through the world’s biggest mess, that was Kang Seulgi’s wardrobe.

“I’ve looked there three times, Hyun.”

“Well, then you certainly need a fourth. By me.”

“It’s not there.”

“It's totally here, I can tell.”

“What are you, a psychic or something? Can you tell me my future now?”

“Shut up.” Joohyun laughed and pulled out the desperately sought-after dress from the wardrobe, tossing it to Seulgi’s face. “You’re just a bad organizer and a forgetful person.”

“....and you clearly have been in my house too often.” Seulgi stared at the yellow dress in her hand with disbelief. “What kind of magic is this? Spill.”

“A magic called bearing with my insufferable best friend.” Joohyun shook her head in amusement and her eyes danced with wonder. “Now walk your silly long limbs over here because we need to do your make-up.”

“Hold on.” Seulgi grinned and vanished into the bathroom to change, before dashing back quickly to sit in front of Joohyun and have her make-up done.

Joohyun leaned in and uncapped her tube of mascara, applying it to Seulgi’s eyelashes with utmost care.

“You have a very pretty pair of eyes.”

“Yeah?” Seulgi didn’t plan to sound smug, but apparently it was all her brain could conjure when Joohyun’s face was this close to hers.

Her eyes dropped without her permission to the soft, pink lips in front of her and life, in that instant, became too hard.

What Joohyun said next about the shape -- or the color -- of her eyes barely registered in her mind as she fought hard to keep herself calm.

A terribly difficult task to do especially when Joohyun bent closer to wipe a stray mark of eyeliner off her eyelid, her lower lip in with concentration.

“It’s done.” She said finally, capping her tube of eyeliner much to Seulgi’s relief.

One more second of that and she wasn’t sure what she would have done.

Probably not very friend-like.

Seulgi stood, tapping her hot cheeks repeatedly in an attempt to cool them down and earned herself a mildly amused look from Joohyun.

“Ready for another typical high-school girls’ Saturday night?”

“Yep.” She huffed, breathing in and out. “Let’s go.”

 

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It was as Joohyun said, the typical high-school girls’ Saturday night. Except that it wasn't all girls because the boys decided to join too.

They hopped from one cafe to another, moving only when the waitress started giving them a look for staying too long or for being too noisy.

When their stomachs were full, Sooyoung suggested them to end the night with karaoke, which Seungwan agreed to immediately.

The boys mostly sounded like dying seals but they jumped in nevertheless, never missing the chance to scream wildly and feeling like world class rock-stars.

By the end of the seventh song, Seulgi’s eardrums started to feel butchered.

“It’s too loud in here.” Joohyun said to her half-yelling, her lips brushing against the shell of Seulgi’s ear. Seulgi’s body buzzed warmly even if it was unintentional.

“Yeah? Wanna go out?”

They made poor excuses of needing to go to toilet and sneaked there just to give their ears a break from their friends’ awful screaming.

“How are you feeling, Seulgi? Are you having fun?” Joohyun asked slowly, and though she smiled, Seulgi felt like she asked that question because she was feeling the opposite.

“I am.” She answered truthfully, because just being around Joohyun made her happy. They could be plucking grass for all she cared and she would still have fun if Joohyun were to do it with her. “Are you?”

Joohyun scrunched her nose and looked down on the sink with half guilty smile. “I think I am a little bored.”

“And you realize that getting bored is not a crime, right?”

Joohyun looked up to her again and blew a strand of her fringe. “We are with our friends. Getting bored means I don’t enjoy their company. Which is kind of mean.”

Seulgi let out a little laugh to let Joohyun know that she was being silly.

“You can be bored, Hyun. There’s no cosmic rules saying that if you’re friends with people, you have to like everything they like. It doesn’t mean that you don’t enjoy their company, you simply don’t enjoy what they are currently doing.”

Joohyun’s face lit up slightly as if Seulgi had just solved her life’s biggest problem. “You know, you’re a bad organizer and all but you’re kind of awesome at giving advices.”

“I know.” Seulgi puffed her chest and made a show of tapping it proudly. “But mostly, you’re just a worrywart and overthink about too many things. I’m practical.”

Joohyun hummed in agreement, and her smile came back on full bloom.

“So...where do you want to go now? We can excuse ourselves if you want.”

Joohyun looked skyward, all dreamy and cute as she thought. “To your home. I want to cook ramyun and steal another one of your dad’s shikhye.”

“You did that all the time when you sleep over. Aren’t you bored of that?”

Joohyun paid her back a fat grin. “Of you and shikhye and ramyun? Nope. Not in this lifetime.”

Seulgi shook her head and extended her hand so Joohyun could coil hers around it and walked back with her to the karaoke room.

They made excuse that Seulgi’s mom wanted her back as soon as possible, and the group let them go with rather disappointed hugs.

“See you at school on Monday!”

Seulgi’s gaze lingered for a while on Minho when he hugged Joohyun a little tighter, his voice and expression a little more disappointed than everybody else.

Her smile faded a little.

 

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“Can we still do this when we are in college?”

Seulgi’s toothbrush halted in , losing its function just like her brain.

Joohyun rounded the bathroom and picked up dirty clothes from floor as if she needed something to do while speaking about this topic.

When it was clear that none of them would speak, Seulgi turned the water tap on and spat into the sink. “Of course.” She said carefully.

Joohyun stopped moving back and forth like an iron and finally looked at her through the mirror. “You don’t have to lie just to make me feel good, you know.”

“I don’t.” Seulgi said slowly.

They had avoided this topic since forever but even she knew that their little tip-toe game had to come to an end.

The remaining of the semester was ticking by fast.

“It’s still uncertain whether or not I will go to UK. For all I know, my application might be rejected.”

“But you want it not to be rejected.” Joohyun gave her a look that said she wanted no lie, and Seulgi sighed heavily.

She turned around and met crystal clear eyes eager to know the truth.

“I want to go there, yes. It’s always been my dream to learn more about people and art in new places. I want to see the world from different angles.” She bit her lip, face troubled. “But I doubt I will be happy there without my best friend.”

Without you.

Their gaze locked quietly, and Joohyun gave her a soft smile.

She didn’t look the happiest but she didn’t look devastated either. “You know, if it was up to me, of course I would want you to be around. I can’t imagine going on a day without you. It will be so weird.” She ran a hand down Seulgi’s arm, as if contemplating how it would feel not to be able to stay close to her again. “But, I also want you to go after your dream. Chase what you really want and fight hard for them until you get that big life you so deserve.”

Her hand stopped at Seulgi’s wrist, and she squeezed it gently as she looked up to meet her eyes. “So you just have to promise me that you won’t forget me when you meet your new, gorgeous, taller blonde friends and spare me a videocall or two per week.”

Seulgi laughed softly, and the weight that had been resting on her back for weeks finally lifted. “I will never. I happen to like my pocket-sized, Korean friend better. Less dangerous to prank.”

“Really, now?” Joohyun threw her a light punch, and they both broke into laugh as their gazes continued to hold each other in beautiful, seizing moment. Somehow, the invisible pull between them became too strong and the balance tipped over. Joohyun went up on her toes and pulled her into a hug.

Seulgi’s heart skipped a beat when she was met with a wall of soft heat, the smell of lavender and fresh cotton invading her sense.

When Joohyun pulled away, she tilted her face slightly, and Seulgi knew what she was going to do even before it happened.

Joohyun kissed her on the cheek just the briefest, but the sensation was potent enough to shatter her whole ground.

The girl slipped away after that just like a dreamy, autumn breeze.

When Seulgi lay on bed that night, she couldn’t find it in her to shut her eyes, and even when she did, sleep wouldn’t come to her.

Her chest had unstoppable thrumming, and the want she felt inside was so frighteningly strong, she feared that she wouldn’t be able to hold it anymore.

God, please. She begged.

Save her from her own heart.

Joohyun was her best friend.

 

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“My parents are going to our beach house in Jeju island this weekend,” Minho held his breath as if he was announcing world’s hottest headline, “and guess what? Y’all are invited to come along!”

Seungwan’s salad froze before , and Sooyoung’s ice cream dropped to her uniform’s skirt. Somewhere near them Key choked on his coke and Taemin stopped midway from stealing Seulgi’s fries.

They all looked at Minho like he had just told them utter bull.

“You’re kidding me.” Seungwan was the first one to find her voice. “Like, for free? As in total charity?”

“Yep. My dad just got promotion so all the food and tickets will be on my family.”

The six of them stared at each other in complete silence, but once the information settled in their shocked little brains, they boomed into World War III.

Seungwan and Sooyoung were yelling about which floral dresses they wanted to bring for pretty beach selfies, while Taemin and Key were fast on internet about what games and sport they could play in the island.

Seulgi joined the boys because she claimed that she was above “basic” instagram teenage girls. Joohyun watched in amusement as Seungwan hurled a piece of lettuce from her salad at the taller girl.

“I’m going to sneak in booze!” Minho pumped his fist excitedly and realized a second later that he was sitting with their very own Miss Perfect.

“What?” Joohyun cut quickly, frowning. “No. We’re still 18. It’s illegal for us to drink.”

He grinned sheepishly. “Only if we get caught.”

At Joohyun’s sharp glare, he shifted into softer plea. “Aww, c’mon. Don’t pull a Kim Minhee on us. Don’t be a buzzkiller! It’s only one time. We’re going to be busy with college entrance exam after this and we won’t have much time to hang out anyway.”

Key and Taemin nodded solemnly while the girls passed each other a quiet look.

“I think it will be okay if it’s just a few, very few, drinks.” Sooyoung said carefully, her eyes hopeful on Joohyun.

Seungwan pretended to be immersed in her salad again just to avoid conflict, which prompted Joohyun to swivel her gaze to Seulgi.

“What?” Seulgi asked, totally nonchalant in her most laid back style. “You know I’m always down for more...adventures and risks.”

Joohyun’s eyes narrowed into thin slits, but unfortunately, Seulgi had grown some sort of immunity to her glare over the past three years.

“Fine.” Joohyun huffed finally, losing out on the votes. Sooyoung and the boys cheered loudly in the name of democracy.

“But just very, very few drinks.” She stressed on the word ‘few’ with extremely solid glare. “Nothing too crazy.”

And with that, they were off to their three days and two nights fun and troubles.

 

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Minho’s beach house was a very beautiful, three-stories building standing tall and proud at the peaceful coast of Jeju island. It sported huge windows overlooking the seashore, and each of the bedroom had its own small balcony.

The first floor consisted of the master bedroom where Minho’s parents would sleep, the kitchen slash dining room, and the pool area.

Minho, Key, and Taemin sprawled on the first bedroom they saw on second floor, claiming that they were not going to climb all the way up to third floor everyday.

“Such gentlemen.” Seungwan whined as she dragged her heavy suitcase upstairs.

“Who’s going to take the third floor bedroom?” Sooyoung eyed Joohyun and Seulgi in a subtle way that screamed, I’m not hiking up all the way there either!

“Let’s do rock-paper-scissor then.” Seungwan suggested, for justice and all.

“Seulgi will be the one doing it.”

Seulgi looked at Joohyun as if she had just sputtered utter nonsense. “Are you kidding? I big time at this game.”

“O ye of tiny little baby faith of yourself.” Sooyoung taunted her and readied her fist. “Come on, or you get to sleep on third floor by default.”

Seulgi groaned and looked at Joohyun for help, but the shorter girl only shrugged with playful smile.

As the game ended, they couldn’t decided which was tinier; Seulgi’s faith or Seulgi’s luck, because guess what, she was KO-ed straight away.

Seulgi grumbled and dragged her luggage upstairs, with Joohyun following in tow with strangely happy giggles