AN: Hello friends! I havem't been on here because of hectic college stuff. But I always planne don coming back to this fic! I love this fic so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter! As always tell me what you think about this and if you ever have any idea what will happen, comment down below :) I hope everyone is happy safe and is living healthily! If yall dont know, I'm usually active on my twt account @jigyuofficial :) More jigyu stuff over there hehehehe

I appreciate all of you! Especially if you take the time to comment and upvote this fic :) thank you!

The moment Mingyu opened his holo-mail, his father looked monstrously pale. On the other hand, besides his curiosity, Mingyu was glad to have an invite. It was sudden and he didn't expect it at all, but he was excited. He knew Jihoon will attend the event, it was the perfect time to meet him outside of school. He held on to the card, looking at the glowing letters, but was abruptly stopped by his father.

The General took the invitation and read it in a wary manner. Mingyu could see the skepticism his father had on the invite but he quickly took the card back and gave a nonchalant smile, "Don't worry. Maybe Jihoon invited me."

The General, although worried, he gave a small smile. He placed his hand on to Mingyu's shoulder and said, "Just..... Just be careful... especially with the President."

Mingyu wasn't sure what his father was talking about but knowing his own dad, he knew he should take note of it. Mingyu gave a reassuring smile to ease his father's worries.

It's been a while since Jihoon and Mingyu had that moment by the tree. Mingyu thought it would be a nice change of pace from everything that's been going on.The more time passes, the more Mingyu thinks of Jihoon.The mere thought of him made Mingyu smile, the mere mention of his name made his stomach churn and Jihoon's smile that made him giddy on the inside.

Being excited is an understatement for him. The thought of Jihoon in a suit made him giggle. He placed his best smile on, looked in the mirror and straightened out his own suit. With his hair swept to the side and a few strands hanging out, he checked his breath and heaved a heavy sigh. Mingyu heard a knock on his door and quickly looked to find his father.

"Are you ready?" The General asked.

"Yeah... kinda." Mingyu hesitated.

"It's just a gathering, you'll be fine." The look on his Father's face was unsure and nervous.

"I could say the same to you." Mingyu joked as he followed his father out of the house.

As they enter the large Presidential house, they were greeted with butlers and golden fixtures. A crystal chandelier on top of their heads and good looking people dressed expensively. Being with his Father, of course, they were given a few special treatments here and there. Powerful people approached them, as well as people from the military. Mingyu had to pretend and look as perfect as he possibly can. 

Besides the boring story the General was telling, his eyes wandered around. He looked to the other side of the spacious ballroom hall and to the side of the grand stair case, he was hoping he'd see a certain blond but instead he was met with piercing eyes that  seemed to hate him. Mingyu felt his body froze, surprised at the fact that Wonwoo was approaching him.

He didn't know much about the President's son but he was definitely someone he shouldn't trust. Wonwoo wore a black tuxedo, with defined eye make up, he walked up to the General and introduced himself.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sir." Wonwoo held out a hand and a formal smile for Mingyu's father to shake. "I am your son's classmate."

Mingyu, lost in the situation, he hoped his father would deny Wonwoo of a hand shake but of course, he knew he couldn't do that.

"May I show Mingyu around?" Wonwoo was so polite, Mingyu wasn't surprised, Wonwoo was also molded to be a perfect son. He was clearly deep in thought when he suddenly noticed that Wonwoo barely used any honorifics. He widened his eyes to meet Wonwoo's coniving ones as they tear away from the grown ups.

Wonwoo lead Mingyu to the hall, where  people danced and a live band and singer were placed just by the side. Again, the tall man looked around still hoping to see Jihoon but was only met with a champagne class on his cheek. Mingyu winced at the cold contact but immediately took it. Only the priviledged could drink, growing up as a son of someone important, it was not a surprise for him that the underage crowd in the party were drinking as well.

"What do you want?" Mingyu asked as they stood by the big staircase. 

Wonwoo scoffed and took a sip from his glass. "You know, he hates parties."

Mingyu stopped looking around to look at the man beside him.

"It won't hurt if I look for him." Mingyu said. There was always a weird tension between him and Wonwoo, especially when Jihoon  is the cause of it. He didn't know why but Mingyu feels uncomfortable whenever Wonwoo and Jihoon are close to each other.

"You don't have to look at me so harshly. After all, I invited you here." Wonwoo said.

"You? I thought..." 

"You thought it was Jihoon who invited you?" Wonwoo looked quite amused by the tall man's bafflement. "I just brought you here to tell you to stay away from us."

"Are you on your pills?" Mingyu asked a safe question.

"Are you on your pills?" Wonwoo quirked his thick brow and chuckled. "I am the son of the president, you know very well that I have... perks."

Mingyu couldn't think of a response. It's true, he knows that JIhoon and Wonwoo usually skip their medications, but he didn't know for how long. The heavy air around them became suffocating, he couldn't even look at Wonwoo's eyes which he hated. SUddenly he felt a tug on his sleeve, tearing him away from the tension. He looked down to see a familiar face.

"Yah... What are you doing here?" Jihoon asked. His hair was clean and swept, he wore a red suit accented with gold. He looked dashing in mingyu's eyes and the tall man knows a lot of people would agree with him once they saw Jihoon in real life. 

"Were you being mean to Mingyu?" Jihoon asked Wonwoo.

"Not at all." Wonwoo shrugged, "I was just showing him around, telling him how we do things as priviledged sons of powerful people." He finished his glass of champagne and immediately left. He was good at that, Jihoon thought. He always knew Wonwoo would never just make small talk, he would always find something to use people.

"Are you okay? Did he say something to you?" Jihoon looked extremely worried. 

Mingyu thought his worried face looked attractive. The scrunch on Jihoon's forehead, the eyes that looked up at him and the lips that parted as Jihoon waited for his answer, he looked so... "Beautiful.."

"What?" Jihoon looked surprised, he didn;t want to assume anything but he could feel the redness in his ears burning up.

"N-Nothing." Mingyu nervously laughed, he looked around looking jittery and as if some God was on his side, he heard the band play a familiar tune. Mingyu grabbed Jihoon's hand and lead him to the dance floor.

"W-What are you doing?!" Jihoon asked.

"Let's dance." Mingyu nonchalantly replied. Although there were no gender rules in the globe, it was still embarrassing for Jihoon to be dancing since he barely immerses himself in such activities. Jihoon could feel warm hand on his hip and the other cushioning his own hand. The voice of the singer resonated in the big gathering place, like a dream. (best to listen to this while reading) 

And just like that, Jihoon felt like he and Mingyu were transported into somewhere else, somewhere safe to be themselves, somewhere where he could smile and laugh freely and somewhere that he could express himself sincerely. He always hated looking up to look at Mingyu, he was so tall and it hurt his neck wheneer they talked but somehow on that night, it was okay. 

Jihoon looked at Mingyu so fondly, although he didn't know himself, the crowd could see the twinkle in his eyes. While Mingyu lead the dance, he kept Jihoon close and safe, bringing him from side to side, never leaving Jihoon's eyes. Everything felt so warm inside the cold room, Jihoon felt like he was stepping on clouds, something he thought was weird but appropriate to compare. Mingyu's nerves instantly vanished and a wave of comfort overwhelmed inside of him. It's as if it was a long time coming. 

Everything felt right for the both of them. 

As the song ended, they finally snapped out of their moment. They were just another pair who danced in the ballroom and they were relieved nobody took notice. They shared a gleeful laugh before Jihoon lead him to the gardens which was lit with yellow lights that looked like fireflies. It was a contrasting place to be especially when they were only lit by small lights and the glow from the windows of the mansion.

"Was that your first time dancing?" Mingyu asked.

"No. I had to dance with a tremendous amount of politician's daughters." Jihoon light-heartedly chuckled. "But it was the first time I actually enjoyed myself."

Mingyu found Jihoon's smile to be comforting. "Did you dance with..."

"Wonwoo?" Jihoon raised his brows, "Yes."

"Oh." Mingyu sounded disappointed. He looked to the ground where his shoes were hugged by the grass. He sulked a little, he hoped he would have made a bit of a happy and genuine memory with Jihoon but somehow he felt saddened by the fact that Wonwoo already beat him to it.

"But.." JIhoon reached out to subtlely hold Mingyu's hand, he tried his best to make eye contact and said, "I think this is the best dance I had so far."

The stars that they always see were shining bright, they don't know if they were real but it felt as if they were somehat free from the enclosed city they were in. It looked like it was a glimpse of freedom. The two looked up and took in every bit of the night. The two of them, all alone in the garden, the flowers that bloomed glowed under the moonlight and the green bushes lightened up by small lights.

"I wonder what is life outside?" Jihoon asked.

"Maybe it's some place where we can finally... breathe." Mingyu hummed. Jihoon understood him well, he knew what he was talking about and he knew where he was coming from.

"They say... if you go out of the globe.. you lose your memories." Jihoon's voice slowly faltered. "If we ever get out of here... will we forget about each other?"

Mingyu fixed his eyes on the person beside him and said, "Maybe." He sighed as he said, "But I will do my best to remember you as long as you do your best to remember me."

The blond looked at the person beside him. Mingyu looked like he was having fun, Jihoon could feel his chest tighten and heat up. It was like a comforting heat, like he was near a fireplace in the cold winter. Jihoon couldn't believe how everything went out for the both of them. From strangers to friends, Jihoon's icy walls melted by a single person. He felt his heart flutter as he continued to watch Mingyu beside him, he held on to Mingyu's hand tightly.

Jihoon brought Mingyu's hand to his lips and pressed it gently. Mingyu immediately looked to his side and begin to blush like a ripening tomato. Jihoon, although embarrassed, he gently let go of Mingyu's hand and looked the other way. Mingyu couldn't react as well, it was all too sudden, he was lost. But the tall man could clearly see the redness in Jihoon's ears. Before he could even say anything, Jihoon immediately strode far away from him and back inside.

"Thank you for tonight." Jihoon said in his usual monotonous voice, "I enjoyed your company." He added before he left.

Now, Mingyu was left in the garden. His hand that left Jihoon's felt cold as he didn't know how to make of the situation. He didn't know why he was so flustered by the situation but he could feel his knees weakn just byy the lingering feeling of Jihoon's lips on his skin.