Warning: Cavity inducing fluff ahead. Read at own risk.

Upon arriving at the venue, Chaeyoung's eyes had widened considerably at the sight of the opulent building. Letting out a breath, she felt herself completely out of her depth, feeling overwhelmed at the sight of richly dressed ladies and men walking into the large hall. Such as it was, she didn't notice when Sehun exited the car. She jumped when she realised he'd opened the door for her. He cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow at her stupor. Her face flushed. 

"Sorry," she squeaked, hurriedly exiting the vehicle. Despite the slightly exasperated expression on his face, Chaeyoung managed to detect the slightest bit of amusement. 

"Pay attention, will you?" he scolded lightly, before gesturing with his head towards the large double doors at the front. "Let's go."

A valet drove Sehun's car off to parking as they approached the entrance of the venue. To her surprise, Chaeyoung felt Sehun's warm hand settle at the small of her back, as if it were the most natural thing to do, causing her heart rate to pick up and goosebumps to rise on her arms at the light touch. He guided her towards the smaller door to the side, where there was a smaller line.

When they were next in line, Sehun dug into his pocket and pulled out an immaculate cream invitation card lined with gold. "Oh Sehun, VIP. This is my guest, Park Chaeyoung." Chaeyoung blinked, not suspecting that Sehun would hold such a high status. With a nod, the bouncer unhooked the red barricade and let them in. Guiding her through, Sehun led her to the main reception hall, where many guests were congregated already. 

"Chaeyoung!" A familiar voice called through the din. Chaeyoung glanced over to see Chanyeol waving enigmatically, weaving through the throng of guests, either oblivious or uncaring towards the disapproving stares he was getting. At the sight of his cousin, Sehun immediately retracted his arm, and Chaeyoung tried to ignore the sudden stab of disappointment at the loss of contact. Instead, she smiled at the approaching giant. He was dressed in a wine red suit with black lapels and a black bow tie with his hair styled back, giving him quite a suave look. The look suited him quite well, a sharp contrast to his rather goofy personality. 

Still, she couldn't help noting that though both cousins were dressed formally, both had completely different styles. It made her smile internally at how truly different they were, and how they still managed to get along so well despite that. 

"Hello Chanyeol," she greeted, looking up at him as he towered over with his height - something she'd grown used to over time. The latter grinned happily at her, taking in her appearance with a quick scan. He felt himself getting slightly flustered at how pretty she looked, but he forced himself to play it off cooly. He was dressed in a suit, for god's sake. He might as well stick to the act of looking cool.

"See? I told you you'd be able to put something together. You look lovely," he winked, causing Chaeyoung to giggle. 

To the side, Sehun watched the exchange with an increasingly heavy chest. Sighing, he looked to the side - only to spot his grandfather making his way towards them. Clearing his throat quietly, he caught the attention of the other two, subtly gesturing to the approaching general. Immediately, he felt Chaeyoung tense. 

"Sir," she immediately stood to attention, despite the fact that it seemed oddly out of place in her formal dress and heels. General Oh nodded, acknowledging her presence. 

"Park Chaeyoung. I'm glad you came," he rumbled in his deep, rough voice. "I was surprised when my grandson told me they coincidentally ran into you here."

She smiled politely. "I was surprised too, sir," she replied. Then, another thought occurred to her. "Thank you for inviting me, sir. I appreciate the generous invitation."

General Oh nodded again. "It's a good opportunity for you to make connections and see how things work higher up in the military. My grandsons both seem to think highly of you, which is rare for them, so it wasn't too much trouble to get you an extra invitation," he said, causing Chaeyoung to flush. 

"Thank you, sir," she scratched her neck. He eyed her for another moment, before nodding.

"Well, I must go greet some other guests. Enjoy your evening," and with that, he left. Only then did Chaeyoung finally let out a breath. Chanyeol smiled endearingly down at her, and even Sehun's lips twitched in amusement. 

"Well then, since you got to pick her up, I'm going to steal her away for the first dance," Chanyeol called out, grabbing Chaeyoung's arm and poking his tongue out at Sehun. The latter raised an eyebrow, eye twitching in annoyance. 

"What are you, five?" he scoffed. "It's not like picking her up was some kind of advantage." But even then, he had to hide the small twinge of disappointment. He shook the feeling away irritatedly, ignoring how Chaeyoung watched him curiously as he scowled. "Whatever. You two go enjoy yourselves." With that, he turned heel and stalked off. 

Chaeyoung tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows, sensing that Sehun seemed annoyed by something. But before she could ponder what it was, Chanyeol had grabbed her arm and eagerly led her to the dance floor. It was the when she noticed the live orchestra in the corner of the room and multiple couples twirling around the dance floor. Chanyeol grinned at her as he bowed playfully, extending an arm with a flair. She felt herself smile in return as she took it, allowing him to place an arm around her waist as he winked cheesily down at her. 

"Well then, my lady. Shall we dance?"

**

Surprisingly, Chaeyoung found herself having quite a bit of fun. For one, the food was pretty brilliant (Chaeyoung heard it had been prepared by a team of three-star Michelin chefs from all over the world, meaning it was definitely delicious), and also, Chanyeol was probably the best companion she could have asked for throughout the night. He was goofy, playful, and made her laugh until she was breathless. Slowly, she found herself forgetting that she was at a high-class reception with a bunch of rich politicians and businessmen, and instead, letting loose and relaxing. Chanyeol himself just completely ignored the judgemental looks other people gave him, and Chaeyoung learnt to do the same. 

Something else she'd learnt throughout the course of the night as well, was that Chanyeol was an absolutely ty dancer. Perhaps it was his lanky height, but the tall giant danced like he had two left feet and, much to Chaeyoung's pain and dismay, stepped on her feet numerous times as she tried to teach him a simple box-step. 

"Okay, so you take a step to the left - no, Chanyeol, I said left, Chan- ouch!"

"Ah, , sorry Chaeyoung!" Chanyeol whimpered as he stepped on Chaeyoung's foot again, looking like a horrified, pained puppy. Chaeyoung's eyes watered in pain as her foot throbbed. "I'm so sorry-"

"It's- okay," she forced herself to take a deep breath, ignoring the throbbing ache on her left toe with a wince. "Now, let's try t