A Warm Winter Night

It is seriously so difficult to understand what goes on in a boy's mind.

I mean, I know how every single boy keeps his emotions well hidden from everyone, but Yixing's current behaviour had started to annoy me. After that 'adventure' in his house, I had tried anything and everything I could to stay in contact with him, but all to no avail. All of my calls went straight to his voicemail, and my messages left unanswered. The few times I ran into him in the library, he barely spared me a glance, scurrying away every time I tried to talk to him. By now, I was pretty sure that something was wrong with the way he was behaving, but how was I supposed to find out what it was, if he did not even allow me to speak with him?

I couldn't let that particular issue bother me currently, though. Our final examination would be held in less than a month, and the only leeway I was going to get from studying would be the night of the festival Kyungsoo's college had organised. I knew for a fact that it was the same for Kim Hyerin, and more often than not, I found myself ending up studying with her at the public library. From her usual demeanor, I could guess that she was excited for her cousin's wedding -- which was right after our exams -- but she tried her level best to not bring that topic up, lest it distract us from the progress we had made in our studies.

I had to admit, Hyerin turned out to be a much better study partner than I had imagined her to be. The girl was smart and quick-witted, being able to come up with the correct answers for case studies that would have stumped the class topper. She struck me as someone with immensely developed analytical abilities, and despite her bubbly and cheerful persona, I somehow ended up mentally alluding her to Sherlock Holmes.

Our law school always had a way with its exams, managing to baffle even the most intelligent students by setting some of the most difficult papers I had ever had the misfortune of having to solve. Which is why the finals proved to be even more important for us, and the days we spent holed up in our respective studying areas passed much quicker than we could comprehend. I was glad for the fact that the manager of the store I worked at had given me time off till the examinations were off my back. Although how he readily agreed to, I would never know. I had almost given up on him having a change of heart, but I guess I was just lucky.

It was the day of the Winter Festival -- thanks to Hyerin, I could finally remember the name -- organised by the Seoul College of Fine Arts, and I was standing in front of the mirror, two dresses in my hands and a pout that had permanently imprinted itself on my face. Even after having pestered my mother, asking her opinion regarding what I should wear, here I was, staring at my reflection in the mirror. It was nothing out of the ordinary, though, since every time I asked Mom anything about my clothes, she would always leave the decision up to me, saying that she couldn't be bothered by my attire. Gone were the days of blissfully being able to wear my school uniform, and even if we were bored of the uniform at that time, it was a lot better than having to plant yourself in front of your wardrobe, unable to choose a decent outfit.

In my right hand, I held a dark blue, full sleeved sweater dress that ran down to just below my knees, while on the hanger held in my left hand, hung a no-nonsense, simple knee length dress in geometric black and white patterns. The shorter dress seemed a bit more formal, considering that I had to 'dress up' for the event -- in Kyungsoo's very words, that is -- but my mind kept going back to the sweater dress. The evening had turned out to be a bit cooler than I had expected, and I had already started to imagine myself shivering in the cold, my teeth chattering noisily. Decision made, I thought as I turned towards my wardrobe, hanging the monochromatic dress back up. It took me hardly fifteen minutes to get dressed, along with putting on minimal makeup -- I never bothered too much with it -- and I climbed down the stairs, a clutch bag in hand and an overcoat slung over an arm, just in case it turned chilly. Not really, though, the overcoat was just to please my mother, who came up to me, fussing about not having wrapped up warmer. I never understood why mothers thought their kids would freeze to death even with the warmest of clothes on them.

Mom had agreed to drop me to the event, however, so that I didn't have to worry about transportation, and I dumped my belongings in the back seat before sitting in the front. I sat in silence as she drove, staring out the window at the passing cars, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon as sunset approached. The sky had turned a beautiful blazing red, with a few wisps of clouds thrown in, that just made the entire scene picturesque and eye-catching.

After reaching the venue of the event and having ensured my mother to stay safe -- and dozens of "Yes, Mom, don't worry"s later -- I made my way inside, scurrying about to find a place in the jam-packed auditorium. Luckily, my eyes caught sight of Hyerin waving me over like crazy, and chuckling to myself at the girl's hyperactivity, I hurried to join her, plopping down on the seat she had saved for me. The excitement of finally being able to see her boyfriend perform live was evident on her face as she practically beamed at every single person and sight she could set her eyes on, and it took me all my willpower to stay calm for the sake of some kind of balance between the two of us. Even after having watched my best friend's performances previously, I couldn't help but be thrilled myself, and I was eager to hear him belt out song upon song in his melodious and soothing voice.

The first half of the evening was but a blur, and the two of us soon came to realise that Kyungsoo's performance wasn't scheduled until later in the event. We came to a conclusion that the organisers had become well aware of the fact that his act was one of the most anticipated ones, which was why it had been pushed right until the end.

At long last, Kyungsoo walked out on the stage, him being the second-to-last to put on his performance. Whatever anxiety and stage fear he had had during his first two years had vanished completely, and he now stood tall -- as tall as he could look -- and confident as he gave the audience a warm but endearing smile. I knew for a fact that the smile was meant for a certain someone; being seated right next to her, I noticed his gaze lingering on Hyerin for a few good seconds before he began.

Whatever qualms I had had about his recital -- not that I really had any, but there's always this little devil deep within your skull that thinks evil thoughts -- disappeared the second he started singing. All around me, I could see girls practically swooning at his voice, and had it not been for the stage, I was sure they would have basically just thrown themselves at his feet. Well, that is, if Hyerin would have allowed that. I could see her falling in love with him all over again as I shot sidelong glances her way every few seconds. She was the literal representation of the hearts-for-eyes emoticon at the moment.

I certainly hadn't expected to get the shock of my life that night, as the last performance was announced.

"Everybody, please put your hands together for the final performer of tonight's Winter Festival, Zhang Yixing!"

I admit that, when I had first got to know Yixing, I had kind of doubted him being a dance major. As per my internal monologue, I would have expected him to be interested either in the modeling profession, or maybe acting, going by his charming looks. I had to quash every single prejudice I had had about him, however, as I saw him dance that night. And boy, did he dance. Everyone seated in the audience watched him with rapt attention, me included, as he flew across every corner of the stage magically. In between, he did that thing where they suddenly change dance forms, switching from hip hop to contemporary in the blink of an eye, literally flowing with every step he took. The night ended with a thunderous applause, and as Hyerin and I made our way backstage, we could hear whispers and murmurs, debating whether Kyungsoo was better or Yixing.

How people could compare dancing and singing, however, I couldn't understand. It was a good thing the college had decided not to rank the performances that year, because at that moment, my mind was seriously torn between the two men.

I was a tad upset at Yixing, though, for not having told me anything about him performing in the Winter Festival. However, I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind as we reached backstage, where we could see everyone congratulating each other, girls hugging the lives out of one another, while boys just settled for a good pat on the back.

Kyungsoo was easy to spot in the crowd of performers in his plain white outfit, practically glowing like an angel as he headed towards us. The next second, he was engulfed into a tight hug by his girlfriend, and as I stood to the side, giggling slightly to myself, I saw a familiar head of dark hair poking out from the others'. Putting on my best no-nonsense glare, I stalked over to where Yixing was standing, and I knew by the sheepish expression on his face that I had managed to capture his full attention.

With one of my fists balled up, my hand flew in the direction of his arm, throwing him a light punch as I clicked my tongue in mock anger and disappointment.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked as I crossed my arms in front of my chest, staring up at him as he rubbed the nape of his neck with a hand.

"Uh... I just kind of... forgot?" He answered in a small voice, which just made me roll my eyes.

"Yixing, how can you just forget-"

I stopped speaking abruptly as I took in the slight shock on his face, and he lifted a hand, pointing towards something -- or someone -- behind me.

"Um, Daeun? Why is your boyfriend hugging her that way?"

My boyfriend? Since when did I have a boyfriend, that Yixing knew about, but not me? I turned my head to look over my shoulder at the said (non-existent) boyfriend he was talking about, only to let my gaze fall on Kyungsoo and Hyerin. Confused, I looked back at Yixing, arching an eyebrow as he continued hesitantly.

"Doesn't it look, I don't know... too suggestive?"

I averted my gaze to a side in thought, my eyebrows scrunched up together, only to raise back again, almost meeting my hairline as I gawked at Yixing.

"Are you talking about Kyungsoo?" I asked tentatively, eyes widening and mouth hanging open at an awkward angle as he nodded. The next moment, I dissolved into fits of laughter, doubling over as I held my stomach, while Yixing looked on in utter embarrassment. Well, that's what he gets for laughing at me all those times.

Once I had finally calmed down, I wiped a tear that had rolled down my cheek in laughter, and straightened up, still chuckling slightly as I looked at Yixing.

"He is not my boyfriend, Yixing. If anything, he is her boyfriend. That's Kim Hyerin, my friend from law school," I explained, jerking a thumb in the direction of the couple, thoroughly enjoying the clueless, lost look on the guy's face as he stared at me, totally stunned.

"But... that day at your house, you were crying and he hugged you, that seemed a bit intimate?"

I lifted one of my shoulders in a shrug, smiling faintly. "He is my best friend. We're quite close, ever since the two of us were babies."

Imagine my surprise when Yixing visibly relaxed, the tension leaving every bone and muscle of his as he gave me one of his genuine, warm smiles- one that I hadn't seen in a long time. With his signature dimple appearing on his cheek, his smile then proceeded to widen into a bright grin, that seemed to light up his face. "So, how was my dance?"

I could only laugh in reply, shaking my head as I reached over and patted his shoulder. "Not including Kyungsoo's recital, I would say... the best."

Sighing in mock defeat, he raked a hand through his hair, before smirking at me, his eyes twinkling in humour. "I guess my goal now is to one-up your best friend, huh?" I could feel my face begin to heat up at his blatant flirting, and I absently cleared my throat, fighting to hold his gaze.

"Even then," he continued, "thank you for watching it, as well as the compliment."

My whole body tensed up as he opened his arms, wrapping them around me in a small, but warm hug that lasted for a mere two seconds before he let go, throwing me a grateful grin as he walked away to talk to some guy that had caught his attention. Turning around, I saw both of my friends grinning widely at me, indicating that they had seen the exchange between Yixing and me.

As Kyungsoo wiggled his eyebrows at me teasingly, I could only look to the ground, shaking my head lightly even as the blush on my cheeks grew redder by the second.

Author's Note:

Wow, okay, I apologise again for the extreme delay. Like I said in the note to my other story (so totally not advertising it shamelessly), life hit me hard, which resulted in loss of motivation and a writer's block bigger than usual.

People, please. I need comments. I really need to know if this story appeals to you guys, and I can't stress the importance of it enough. While I can't really force anyone to, though, comments are much appreciated, more than subscribers, even.

Have a great day/night, whatever your timezone is! I love you all~