9:35 PM, Monday Night

You were grading test papers after your regular evening class with The Matoki, and imputting the tests scores for your children onto the main database for your Korean teachers to place their comments on. It was just a regular, late evening after work that you normally took just to catch up on your admin work-it was fun in the classroom, but that paperwork would build up on you if you neglected it too long.

You already told your men that you would be staying late, so you could work in peace, and they said their goodnights-or so you thought-

Yeogi buteora, modu moyeora, we gon party like lilililalala....

You were on a roll as you were in your own system, your on world-

-jamming to some K-POP in your ears and grading your Math tests in your room-

-you jumped a full foot out the chair when someone tapped you on your shoulder-

-and Daehyun laughed as you spun around and pushed him, "Hey-don't do that again!!!"

Youngjae and Daehyun both laughed, and after a moment you realized that they both were there for a purpose: Youngjae was standing with his hands behind his back and Daehyun was looking at you with the smile that you were sure won him the hearts of many girls back in his high school days......

You sat back down in your chair and folded your arms slowly,suspiciously, "Alright, guys, what's up?"

Youngjae smiled, and it did not bode well for your soul as he said charmingly, "Noona-sunsengnim..........why don't you go out?"

You spat out your gum as you said, "What?! I'll have you know, I do go out-I hang out with my friends, go out and I do have hobbies," you rolled your eyes at Youngjae,"Or you haven't been watching me lately?"

Youngjae smugly leaned against your desk, "I mean go out, as in on a date-your love life!!!" You raised your eyebrows as he continued, "I have seen you come and go, but never with a boyfriend or girlfriend with you, you come home alone at night-"

You stood up quickly,your voice climbing an octave with emotion, "Youngjae, there are some things I can take from you-hacking into all of my things, the occasional stalking, but this, this-"

Daehyun could see your agitation and quickly he raised his hands in a peacekeeping gesture, "Noona, we only want to make sure you are happy, and not lonely."

He put a hand on your shoulder and gently pushed down, causing you to sit back down, and suddenly you felt that trepidation grow as you said in your normal voice,"..............I'll ask this once:what are you two planning?"

Youngjae revealed his hands with a flourish,"Ta-dah~a solution!!!!"

In his hands he held a deep yellow envelope,which was already opened and slightly rumpled,"........."

Taking it slowly, as though diffusing a bomb, you gingerly opened it and took out a fancy piece of stationary paper with sliver,burgundy, and gold lining the sides. It was bilingual, and it read like this:

Dearest  Yongguk Bang,

You have been invited to the 54th annual Korean National Philanthropic Gala Event, nominated this year in the category for MOST GENEROUS MALE PHILANTHROPIST for your outstanding contributions to various charities and children's homes.

We applaud your efforts and commend you for being a wonderful representation of our nation!!!Enclosed are two tickets:one for yourself and a guest of your liking.

This is a formal event, and will start promptly at 9pm on _________ at the Presidental Museum in Gangnam District. Save the Date-we hope to see you there!!!!

 Whoa........I would've never realized that Yongguk had a massive heart-that's so kind of him to do that for our more unfortunate people........So cool.....

Indeed, as the days went by you were discovering more and more about those men and their secret talents. You almost laughed a loud as you remembered your first impression, how you were terrified on the very first night, but look at far you all had come, together.

You looked up from the letter to see both Youngjae and Daehyun smiling so hard that their eyes were mere lines and their faces looked to implode at any given moment, and suddenly you figured it out, ".........Oh no...."

Daehyun nodded, still grinning, "Oh yeah. You two are going."

You shook your head slowly, as Daehyun kept nodding as well, "....No. Ah-ah.Nuh-uh.Nope."

Youngjae sighed as you shook the letter at them both, "This is crumpled for a reason-I don't think that Yongguk wants to go at all-we share the same thoughts and we're not even in the same room!!!"

Even as you thought about even being in a massive room with OTHER so-called 'International Business Men'......you shuddered,6 are good enough for me, thanks.

Youngjae came around and behind you, and you sighed as he began to massage your shoulders, easing out some of the tension and knots you had been feeling all week. You didn't want to give in, but your shoulders automatically went down after a while and you leaned into his touch,Mmmm......damn you, Yoo Youngjae, and your talented fingers.....

Daehyun leaned into your face earnestly, "Noona-you two aren't married,but this is something you can do together~even as really good friends!!!"

You raised your eyebrow as Youngjae ventured a little lower down your back, "How did Yongguk and I go from 'teacher-student' to 'close friends'?"

Daehyun actually pulled out a small detective's notepad and began to read as though he was a news anchor/prosecutor,"Two weeks ago, did you two not run into each other at the musical museum and decide to watch a horror movie together?"

You nodded as Youngjae made a *confirmation* noise in his throat. *mmhmm*

"A month ago, did you not accept his invitation to an underground rap battle and went out with him at night?"

"..........Yes, it was fun." *mmhmm*

"Did you two not go shopping one day when he asked your help for Zelo's birthday present?"

"Sure." *mmhmm*

Daehyun smiled as he said teasingly, "Also, two nights ago, didn't hyung bring you spicy cheese ricecakes he personally made after you said you hadn't tried it before?"

"......Yes........"

Youngjae clapped in triumph as Daehyun bowed, and you sighed in defeat as you said grudgingly, "Alright, I guess we are friends.....somewhat." 

Youngjae moved from behind you, "Great!!!I'll tell him to clear his schedule for Friday!!!"

You almost yelled,"Wait-Yongguk already told you that he wasn't going!!!How are you going to go this time?!"

Daehyun tapped his fingertips together, looking like a villain as he said, "Because now, we have a beautiful incentive to go......YOU."

You sank down in your chair as Youngjae and Daehyun practically skipped out the door, and you could hear their "MUAHAHAHAHAHA" as they left the school...

sigh............what did I get myself into?

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........Tuesday was a weird day in the evening class. 

Yongguk couldn't look at you directly in the eyes, Daehyun kept laughing at your blushing faces, Youngjae kept sneaking pictures-

Jongup and Zelo were whispering and giggling like school girls-

-and Himchan, who you thought of all people would at least be on your side through all of this, was the complete opposite-

-he came into class with a book catalog of colors; dragging you to stand next to Yongguk, he began holding up the rainbow fan and holding it up between your faces.

"...........Himchan, what the hell are you doing?"

Normally you would not curse, especially in class, but nobody was listening to you tonight as Youngjae had stood up and announced a field day....

Himchan grinned a creepy smile as he got through the pinks and got to the rose reds, "I am trying to find a color for both of you."

Yongguk sighed as you looked at Himchan questioningly," A color?"

Jongup surprisingly said easily, "We need a color for your dress and Yongguk's dress shirt for Friday."

"WHAT!!!" You tried to run away, but Jongup already heard what you were thinking and was now leaning against the door of your classroom, blocking the exit, twirling his blade in peace and tapping his foot to some music Zelo was playing in the background.

You looked at Yongguk, your eyes screaming for help as Himchan muttered something about gold being too weird and Yongguk rumbled quietly to you, "I'll distract Himchan ,you'll jump out the window.I know his tickle spots."

Suddenly realizing that you weren't alone in the awkwardness, you muttered back, "Nah~there isn't anything to land on down there. I'll take my chances with Freddy Krueger at the door-I don't need fingers to sprint."

Both of you actually looked at each other,paused at your looks of misery, and snickered quietly, unable to stop your chortling- and Youngjae noticed immediately, "See? they are already flirting like a couple!!!"

Daehyun sang out, "Congratulations~" as Zelo jokingly said, "So when was the honeymoon?"

Yongguk made to take a threatening step towards DH and ZL cackling, but Himchan held up a color in triumph,"A-ha~I'm a genius!!!"

In his hands he slowly held up a rich shade of magenta, and Jongup nodded his approval as Himchan turned to you," I pick you up after your morning class, yes?" You couldn't even bother correcting his grammar as he continued busily, "We know people-we took your measurements from your home. Now, we fit your dress that day."

Jongup moved from the door, and you went and sat down at your desk in defeat. Yongguk sat down at his space as well, and finally-FINALLY- everyone opened their workbooks to get through their assigned pages,although everyone sans Yongguk were grinning like Father Christmas himself was in the room..........................

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Wednesday and Thursday came and went in blur-it was funny that the day you normally looked forward to, now arrived with dread in your stomach.

Friday afternoon,on the dot-Himchan was pulled up in front of your school, and like a woman walking to her own execution, you got into his Porsche and he pulled off with childish glee, laughing at the look of terror on your face when he swerved in traffic and broke some laws to get to the dress store.

Walking inside, you felt a little better as amongst the fabric carts, racks of unfinished projects, and people bustling about on phones and taking orders from people in expensive looking outfits, there sat Yongguk, looking bored/murderous and missing something, and it clicked for you-

"Yongguk, where is your lighter?" Yongguk closed his eyes as Himchan huffed, "I have it and hid it from him-he threatened to burn the store down." 

Yongguk glared at Himchan, as though his face would suddenly combust with the force of his glare alone, and  you couldn't help but to let out a slightly nervous laugh as two ladies came by to measure his arms,looking terrified at his aura,"Whelp, let's make the most of it."

The process was a little tricky-the girls fussed and cooed over your head,bust, and whilst Himchan argued with the boss of the establishment, a flaming gay man, over the difference between pleather,satin, and genuine silk-

-a few pins stabbed Yongguk in the back by accident, causing him to actually growl and scare off a poor intern, who locked herself in the bathroom and refused to come out even after he genuinely apologized-

-but 2 hours later, both of you were showered and in the appropriate wear for the night, and Himchan pretended to wipe a tear from his eyes as he swiped his black card at the front desk, ".....*sniff* It's beautiful..."

You were in an empress cut style dress, with slight train and shawl to emphasis your height well-and Yongguk looked like a true King with his purple,gold, and black combo tux on. In his pocket was a napkin and rose the exact shade of your dress. You were wearing gray heels, and he hand on nice black snake shoes. You guys looked at each other quickly and sighed...

It was going to be a looooooong night.........

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

6:45 PM

Daehyun was watching through the window of your classroom, and he grinned when he saw Himchan zigzagging through the school parking lot, with you and Yongguk in the back clutching onto the door handles for your lives, "Yo~they're here!!! Get ready!!!"

You barely got out the car when the paparazzi-Youngjae and Zelo -ran out the school and stood on the front stairs, taking multiple pictures as you and Yongguk hurried by, trying to get inside.

Jongup opened his mouth, more than likely to say something snarky, but Yongguk glared at him as we ran by, and Blue-Hair wisely shut up as we got into the classroom first.

Himchan walked in carrying what looked to be a sniper rifle case, which he set down on your desk-

-opening it turned out to be a massive palette collection of lipsticks, glosses, eyeshadows, foundations, brushes,blushes,mascara- there had to be at least 300 shades to choose from.

You looked at Himchan,"......Where did you-"

The handsome man shrugged, "One of my sister's old packs-she lent to me."

You stutttered as you looked at the Sephora,MAC, and other expensive name brands in the set,"....This is OLD....?!This must be worth at least $550!!"

Himchan shrugged, unconcerned as he said, "This is last year spring's collection.Old.Outdated."

Your jaw dropped as you ran a finger over the sleek case-you didn't really deal with makeup, but this was every girl's dream collection.

Jongup slid up next to you, and you shivered as he leaned close to your face and studied it carefully.

Yongguk suddenly said, "...............Don't put the wrong shade on us, Jongup-ah."

You looked at him in surprise, and Zelo laughed, "Actually, this hyung is quite talented at putting on makeup."

"WHAT?!" Jongup shrugged as he began to arm himself with different contouring brushes and liners, "Just one of my skills-I'm good with my hands."

He came over to you and said, "Close your eyes." Feeling as though you were at the top of a rollercoaster, about to go over with no seatbelt on, you closed your eyes and tried your best to remain still as he began to apply foundation carefully to your face......

"Ahhhh, this gray would be perfect!!!"

"No-you gotta have matching blue!!!!"

"Blue is YOUR favorite color,Junhong-ah~it doesn't go with his shirt!!!"

Yongguk sighed, and you could hear Jongup's shoes as he moved back and forth between the both of you while Himchan helped him out with passing out colors he asked for.

"Aish hyung-now I have to do this again!!You twitched!!"

"Then do it quickly please."

"Noona, blue or black eyeliner?"

The sudden question in English made you quickly say black, and you felt Jongup's slender finger gently pull on your eye as he drew your bottom lids swiftly and efficiently-you were impressed, and actually a small,tiny,miniscule part of you looked forward to the final product....

After a while, there was a drumroll noise as Jongup said grandly, "Have a look now."

Opening your eyes and adjusting to the light for so long, you accepted a mirror someone passed to you-

-and you gasped as you didn't recognize yourself for a good minute.

Jongup had truly done you justice: your eyebrows where shaped and your eyes had on maroon, pink, and a dash of silver wintery sparkles on the outer lids to give you the effect of some mystical princess as your mascara winged out perfectly. On your lips, Jongup had the good sense of using colored lipgloss instead of lipstick-you were wearing a nice mauve that was just the right amount of pink and purple to compliment your warmer complexion. He had taken the time to pin up some of your front braids into a simple twist-off to the side, much like Frozen's Elsa, which he placed over one shoulder.

To top it all off, Himchan had sterling silver jewelry which he draped on your wrists and fingers, placing moon circles into your ears and a necklace which you were sure was more valuable than your car.

Yongguk took your breath away as well-the eldest man in the room was now wearing slight coal eyeliner, with a nice sort of gold rinse to his face that was ethereal and natural at the same time.

Everyone applauded as Jongup bowed, and this time Himchan really did water up as he said, "It's like watching my kids go to prom....*sniff**sniff*...."

You turned to Jongup, took a deep breath of courage, and reached out, squeezing his arm as he packed up the brushes meticulously, and he looked at you in surprise, ".....Hey. I really, really like this makeup. You are really talented. Thank you very much," you smiled at him, but-

-to your amazement, for the first time since you met him, Jongup blushed and looked to the floor, "........It was nothing. You're already pretty-I didn't have to do a lot."

This was said so quietly that you were almost sure you imagined it-

-but Youngjae snatched you away from Jongup, "Come on~couple pictures!!"

Standing outside underneath the school's name, you and Yongguk pose(with as much enthusiasm as someone getting a root canal without anesthesia) for Youngjae's pictures as Zelo cheered and Daehyun threw weeds in the air, re-enacting a wedding scene as Himchan laughed in the background.

8:30 PM

"...........Alright son, I want her back in her bed, fully dressed and ALONE at 1 am," Daehyun jokingly said as you gave him your car keys and got into Yongguk's Ferrari, with said driver holding on to your train carefully.

You reached out the window and flicked him on the nose,"........When you least expect it, Daehyun-noona will have her revenge.REVENGE."

The Busan man only laughed as Youngjae said teasingly," What will you do, noona-throw your heels at him? Threaten him with an English exam?Bake cookies?"

As the two collapsed against each other in a fit of laughter, Yongguk murmured, "....Should I hit them with my car?A 2-for-1 shot?"

You murmured back," Nah-think of the damage to your front bumper. Youngjae's chin is pretty sharp looking, and Daehyun's forehead alone would set the damage price in the thousands."

You two snickered again, and of course Zelo was there,grinning like an idiot, "They're doing it again!!!" 

 Himchan tapped the top of Yongguk's car, "Have fun tonight.Don't get too crazy."

You growled, but couldn't stop your smile from spreading as Daehyun leaned against Jongup and waved his jacket like a grandmother waving her hankerchief as you two sped off into the night...

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................

.....Honestly, you didn't mind doing this with Yongguk. Out of all the men in your class, he was actually the most shy-he would participate and do activites, of course, but if it came down to observing or participating, he would happily sit in the background and watch the others chatter away during role-plays and script readings you printed off from educational websites.

Running into him one-on-one on the street was always a pleasant surprise-as he seemed to genuinely take an interest in your thoughts on social issues and you two were able to have a normal, safe conversation without it ever feeling weird or forced.

There was even one time(that Daehyun didn't have in his notepad, the shock!!) that you watched him onstage performing with a local jazz band. Afterwards, you got to talking and ended up staying with him and his band, who all were shy but intelligent, and you guys stayed out together well past 2 in the morning.......

Afterwards, Yongguk followed you home to make sure you got home safely. When you got home, he handed you  a pair of tiger-striped gloves, ".........It's getting colder, please wear these."

You were shocked and touched-a few weeks before this, when you guys were shopping for Zelo's birthday gift, you found out that both of you had the same favorite animal-which was the tiger, you hugged him before jumping back,causing him to blush and making you laugh.

He had a deeper mind that most people gave him credit for, and although he watched everything with a keen eye you knew that he believed in what he could do with a stronger conviction than most people.

Yongguk sighed as he got on the highway, windows down in the ususually warm night, letting a nice breeze into the car as he looked for the upcoming exit, and finally you turned to him,"..........It's gonna be alright-we go in, socialize for a little while, fake laugh, eat appetizers, clap at speech, then go home," you smiled, "In and out-like a drive-thru."

Yongguk looked at you and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, and you were curious, "......Why didn't you want to go tonight?"

Yongguk glanced at you again before speaking slowly,"..........I don't need awards for what I do. Shouldn't we all just give back when we can? Isn't that......... human nature? We should help when we have the chance to." 

You were stunned for multiple reasons:

1. That was the longest sentence you had EVER heard Yongguk speak.

2. That was deep as .

You nodded, and he sighed as he continued, "These people tonight.........they are dirty. I am dirty. We all want to be the light, but light makes shadows, too."

You squeezed his arm as he got off the highway, and in no time at all you were at the Museum-you didn't even need to know how to read Hangul to find the place-there was a red carpet outside and the paparazzi had already started blinding people as a valet teleported to Yongguk's window and took ownership of the car.

Yongguk came over to your side and opened the door for you-

-noticing your expression of shock, he quickly and quietly said, "Deep breath. Stomach in. Smile easily. Look straight ahead. Don't let go of my arm."

You nodded, and Yongguk crinkled his eyes at you in a friendly way as he helped you out into the sea of swarming lights and led you in like a blinded sheep into the double doors of the massive building, where he turned in your tickets and soon you two were standing amongst other ritzy people, chatting about, holding champagne flutes and looked at some exhibits on the walls.

You didn't have to be a genius to figure out that this was definitely an aristocratic gathering:mayors of minor precincts held lofty conversations about opening banks and such in their towns, women with feather boas discussed where they bought diamond collars for their chihuahuas-

-Yongguk looked so alone, so miserable, that you felt compelled to get him to smile-

-sweeping off two flutes from a passing waitress' tray, you handed him one and went and stood next to a watercolor portrait of two warriors from the Han Dynasty staring each other down, weapons drawn.

You stood on one side and spoke in your best imitation voice of Daehyun,"Youngjae-ah, you ate my cheesecake-I'll never forgive you!!!"

You quickly dashed to the other side, dropping your voice some as Yongguk chuckled, "That's what you get for messing with my tablet,Daehyun-ah~my sweet vengeance!!!Note the irony!!!!"

Yongguk snorted into his drink and covered his mouth as you went over to a portrait of a sinister looking old woman knitting sweaters, "Hehhehheh, I'm Moon Jongup and I will conquer the world!!Mwahahahaha!!!" you cackled, and Yongguk tried his best to muffle his laughter with little luck, as you went to the last picture of two women in cocktail dresses, singing in a sleazy bar, "I am Himchan-I am Zelo-we are from 2NE1-Naega jaeil, ja la ga-I am the best!!!"

Yongguk finally laughed aloud, a sweet, deep sound, and you laughed with him as he put an arm around you, "Thank you, I needed that."

You smiled back, and opened your mouth, when from behind you you heard a very high-pitched voice,"Well, well, well-what do we have here?"

Turning around, you were greeted with a skinny woman in a dazzling dress so done up in sequins and jewels that you actually had to squint for a second as the voice laughed,"Ha-a-a, I see you are captivated by my dress. Exquisite, isn't it?"

As your eyes adjusted, Yongguk groaned as he said quietly to you, "Allow me to introduce my ex-girlfriend, and proprietor of the Fashion Magazine 'Us Weekly'-Shim Kang Yin."

Kang Yin laughed as she fanned herself with a peacock fan, flanked by two bodyguards, and you bowed politely while resisting the sudden urge to spit on her dress, as she snottily said, "Yongguk-ah, I'm surprised to see you here-and with a foreigner, too!!What a scandal!!!"

In accented English, she held out her hand and shook yours limply,looking you over, "I like your dress-although, I must say- it was meant for girls with, how to say......slender figures."

You raise your eyebrow at her in shock as she abruptly turned and began speaking with Yongguk, completely tuning you out, "You never returned my calls-we can still be business partners."

Yongguk growled, "I told you, I don't want anything to do with your family's magazine. I have my own things to handle. If you'll excuse me, my beautiful date and I have affairs to attend to."

One of her bodyguards, a refrigerator on legs, stepped forwards menacingly, but Kang Yin held up a hand, stopping him. Smiling sweetly, she handed you a business card, "That's alright, no man can resist me for too long. Here, darling-if you decide to do something about that.... appalling.... style of yours, give me a call."

With a dramatic turn, she walked away, her bodyguards trailing her like two massive pitbulls, and you looked at Yongguk,"........Scratch what I said about your car. Run that over." "I'm tempted to-very,very tempted to."

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

A bell rang, and Yongguk explained that it was time to find your seats in the actual ballroom.

More doors opened, and when you finally stepped inside, you marvelled at the beauty of the decorations within.

It was a room fit for royalty: beige and ivory tablecloths decorated each round table that sat 12 each; massive floral arrangments of wisteria,daffodils, and imported lilies were the centerpiece of each table, along with complimentary gift bags stuffed to the brim with giftcard goodies,skincare products and plum wine from Japan.

Waiters came out and laid rotating trays down, heaped with roasted fish, rice, salads, and finger foods as well as cocktails and soups of different varieties and sizes.

There was a raised stage, with a live band playing soft, easy music in the background as some important looking lady prepared to make her opening speech-

-Yongguk smiled, and gently took you by the elbow to a seat towards the side and back, "For a quick getaway, right?"

You nodded quickly, "All of these people's colognes are gonna give me a seizure soon.Maybe I can sue and make it big?"

He laughed, but unfortunately for the both of you, Kang Yin showed up and immediately plopped down on the seat next to you, "Funny running into you guys again~this," she gestured to some poor sap sitting in between her bodyguards, looking like he was kidnapped," is my fiance, Guran. The fiance you could've been, Yongguk," she said, fluttering her eyelashes at him, and before you snapped, the lights fell and the lady began her speech, "Hello~my name is Commissioner Yoo Taemin-thank you all for coming, and welcome to the 54th Annual Korean Philanthropic Event!!!!"

Your Korean skills had to work tonight-swallowing your insult and abruptly turning your back on Kang Yin, you forced yourself to focus on all the speakers and tried to get the gist of what each one was saying......

Finally, another man went on stage as the commissioner took her leave for the 4th time to applause, and began to speak, "And here are the nominees for the MOST GENEROUS MALE PHILANTHROPIST," there was a drum as the man read from the prompter in the back, and you woke up quickly, surprised that you actually managed to doze off in such a noisy room:

1.Lee Gwang Soo!!!!

2. Kim Joon Ki!!!!!

3.Yo In Sub!!!!!

4.Dan Sungmin!!!!!

5. Bang Yong Guk!!!!!

6. Yun Joon Hung!!!!!!

7. Wei Sang Man!!!!

Each nominee stood up and bowed 3 times as their names were called out to the cheering audience, and the man smiled until it died out, "And the award goes to..............MR. BANG YONGGUK!!!"

You stood up and cheered as the room erupted in whistles and cheers, and Yongguk looked surprised as you pushed his back, "Go on, go on!!!"

The man got to his feet and slowly manuevered through the audience until he got to the stage, where he shook his hands with the presenter and accepted the award while the female announcer did a quick voiceover for the television crew, "Mr Bang has made various donations to places such as the Seoul's Heart Research Facility, St. Jude's Children's hospital, the Ronald McDonald House Of Love, and submitted money for underpriviledged students in Sudan to go to school on scholarships in subjects of their choice."

You clapped like a seal as Yongguk bowed deeply before stepping up to the podium, clearing his throat as a respectable silence fell over the crowd as he took a moment and then began to speak, his deep voice casting as spell over the audience:

"Ah~thank you to the committee for selecting me for such an award. It is truly a pleasure to accept this on behalf of myself and my team-it was not just me, but a whole community behind me. We are all familiar with the idiom 'it takes a village to raise a child', but this can also be appplied to the earth we live on. We should lean on each other during the hard times, gather our strengths,embrace our weaknesses, and give back at any moment we can. I was lost myself, and had many doubts, but with the help of some people very dear to me, both new and old-I pulled through. Let's do it, together-let's save the world!!!"

Yongguk bowed again before taking his leave to tumultuous applause, and as he came back to the table you quickly wiped your tears away as the other presenters entered the stage,"That was beautiful-granted, I only understood some of it, but well done, Yongguk," Feeling slightly apologetic to your makeup-you reached out and gave him a quick hug before backing off and sipping your drink, and Kang Yin fake-vomited as she sampled her soup.

As the night went on, Yongguk leaned against your shoulder as you examined his award-it was a genuine gold figurine of a man holding a baby while a girl sat on his foot, looking up at him with joy, and you tossed it lightly,"Wow......this is legit."

Yongguk gently took it from you as he said, "Yes.......I will put it in my house with the others."

You gasped, "Others?!How many of these things have you won?"

Yongguk blushed and modestly said, "I think I have 12 now-that's too many, right?"

You clapped again, "That's so cool~you are one of the greatest people I've ever met, Bang Yongguk."

Yongguk chuckled, "The same could be said for you,___________~ah, I mean, noona-sunsengnim."

You laughed, and pushed him on his shoulder, "Oh, it's alright-according to your friends, we are already married, remember?"

You clinked your glass with his as he said,smiling, "To those miserable children," and you both took a sip-

-but Kang Yin cut in snidely, speaking loudly in Korean, "Ugh-must he do that in front of me?!Doesn't he have any shame!!!He has a thing for imported goods I see-but from the look of things, this one is already waaaaaaaay past the expiration date,"she laughed, and her bodyguards laughed with her-

-but you were tired, pissed off, and a demon possessed your arm-

-causing you to fling your drink in a spectacular arc over onto her fan, face, and dress as her fiancee gasped. Standing up and taking Yongguk by the arm, you turned to Kang Yin and spoke to her in a cold tone,"I believe you're mistaken-THIS imported good is still salty."

Doing a dramatic turn that Himchan would've been proud of, leaving her sputtering in a fruity,alcoholic smelling mess, you left the room, chin high, hands fulled with giftbags and your purse and your train majestically flowing behind you, Yongguk on your tail as you went to the valet and got his keys, "Let's get the outta here-I'm over it."

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Yongguk drove for a little while, deep in thought as you shrugged off your shawl and smiled at him tiredly, "Congratulations-you survived the night." He smiled, "Correction-we survived the night."

You two high-fived, and suddenly you said,"It's only midnight-I have an hour before Daehyun-appa's curfew," Yongguk laughed as he said, "I know the perfect place..."

After a little bit of driving, he pulled over and parked, coming around and opening your side for you. Looking out into the night sky, as birds flew by, you realized that you guys were at a section of the Han river.

Yongguk popped open his trunk and handed you a fluffy hoodie before pulling out one for himself, and as you both bundled up and sat down in the grass, looking out at the black water rippling in the night, Yongguk quietly said, "Thank you. For tonight."

You chuckled to yourself as you said, "Don't thank me yet-with our exit I might have just gotten you banned for life or something. They might invalidate all 12 of your awards because of me."

The man sitting next to you threw back his head and laughed into the sky, the wind moving his hair as he said, "And I........wouldn't mind that at all, honestly." 

You laughed with him, then sobered up as you thought of that Kang Yin, and shuddered,"......"

Yongguk heard what you were thinking, and looked at you with soulful eyes as he said, "I was young, and stupid, and thought that money equalled love-but I was wrong, I ended it with her as soon as I came to my senses."

You nodded as he cast his eyes back towards the river, sighing, and as you slid out of your heels you were suddenly inspired-

-Yongguk was startled of his thoughts as you hit him on the shoulder and took off running, barefoot, in the field you were in, "Tag~~you're it!!!"

Yongguk took 15 seconds before he got it-

-you were already a good couple of yards from him-

-but soon you could hear his laughter ring out in the night as he began to chase you around the field-

-you forgot about your dress' train, and as you stumbled to grab it from behind you-

-Yongguk grabbed your arm, "I've got you~"

You and Yongguk played like that for a good half-hour, laughing and giggling like children, dashing,zigzagging this way and that until you both collapsed in the grass, breathless and covered in grass and flower petals.

You sighed, "Oh -Himchan's gonna kill me, I've got to clean and return his dress and jewels-"

But Yongguk shook his head, smiling, "He paid for it-it is all yours."

You sat up quickly, shocked,"....This is waaaay too expensive for me to keep-"

Yongguk shook his head again, and said firmly," It.Is.Yours.A gift, if you will-an early Christmas gift.It was customized for you-no other girl in the world will wear it-no other girl will look as beautiful in it as you do now."

You blushed as Yongguk raised his hands-in his hands he made a crown of the lilies from your table, and he placed it on your head, with twin kisses on your cheeks, "The lovely queen has arrived,with her knight to protect her."

After a while, Yongguk drove you to one of his spots, where you two ordered drinks and talked about life like true friends all night, not caring as the bartender saw your ruffled formal clothes, with grass in your hair and dirt on your cheeks, not giving a as you two got up and danced, looking like escaped hostages while people clapped nearby- but also not knowing of the danger you two would find yourselves in, in the very near future.....