A black BMW pulled up in front of the entrance of Eden Academy. A man in black suit rushing out of the driver's seat to open the door revealing Hana and Heejin who slid out elegantly, standing side by side. The two walked through the academy doors, heading for their usual spot. As they reached the place, they noticed their friends had already arrived, all lounging on the couch. Heejin went to join Choerry and Olivia Hye while Hana joined Lip on another. Vivi was once again in her mini kitchen brewing her tea, the smell of the rose tea wafts through the air. 

Vivi had finished pouring the tea into each cup as she brought the tray towards the girls, handing them each a cup. They all thanked her as she smiled contently, taking her seat in the empty single chair. 

"I'm excited for the party tonight. The first one of the season is always the most fun" Choerry said clapping her hands excitedly.

Olivia Hye scoffed, shaking her head at Choerry's excitement. 

"I won't hope for anything because there is only going to be a bunch of drunk minors and people." 

"I'm sure Lip unnie is excited for another reason though" Choerry said with a devious smirk plastered across her face. 

Lip shot Choerry a glare, the purple haired girl shaking it off without a care. 

"Yeah, like Hyejoo over there isn't internally screaming because she gets to see that pineapple girl from the student council" Lip sassed back.

Olivia Hye was certainly not going to take that comment sitting down. 

"Her name is Chaewon, not pineapple girl. Also, I'm not the one fumbling to the ground over Jung Jinsoul. Oh! Wait! YOU DID! RIGHT! IN! FRONT! OF HER!" Olivia Hye mocked.

Lip flared up as she pointed her finger at Olivia Hye. 

"THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO! LET IT GO! I HAVE TRIED SO HARD TO FORGET THAT DAY!" 

The others started laughing, unable to forget the memory of Lip tripping and falling pathetically in front of Jinsoul and the other student council members. Lip glared at each of them as they immediately quiet down, trying to contain the laugh threatening to burst out.

"WHAT ABOUT YOU! YOU FUMBLED IN FRONT OF THAT PINEAPPLE GIRL TOO! YOU TURNED INTO A TOMATO WHEN SHE GREETED YOU!" Lip argued back. 

The two of them stood up in the heat of the moment as the others simply shook their heads. If the world knew that the supposed cool and calm Roses were actually this wild, it would cause a global uproar. 

"Lip, Hyejoo. That's enough. Both of you settle down and stop antagonizing each other. Our ears are starting to hurt and I'm pretty sure people can hear the both of you from the school yard" Hana said with a commanding tone. 

The two stopped immediately, settling down as they returned to their seats. 

"Well, now that everyone is settled, can we talk about wardrobes? What are we going to wear?" Heejin asked. 

"It's a club, Heekkie. You can wear whatever you want and still look good" Hana answered. 

"No, it doesn't work that way. It takes time and effort to match each of my outfits for the night" Heejin retorts back. 

Hana backs down knowing there was no way she was gonna win this battle. Heejin also knew that she had won when Hana simply crossed her arms without a word. By the time the others had gone about discussing about colour schemes, Hana's mind floated elsewhere. Hana gets up from her seat and tapped on Choerry's shoulders twice before walking away. Choerry understood immediately as she got up from her seat and followed Hana, the others are still in a debate on the colours to wear, ignoring the fact that Hana and Choerry were gone. Hana and Choerry walk over to the wooden bridge, looking around to see if they were far enough from the others. 

"Has the invitation been handed to her?" Hana started, watching as the koi fishes swim around the pond. 

"You shouldn't worry when it comes to me. I've already gotten the news that she took it already. My sources will never be wrong" Yerim said confidently, leaning against the rails of the wooden bridge, relaxed.

Hearing Choerry's words, she nodded silently. Now, it was up to that girl to decide whether she would come. 

"You're frowning. Are you worried whether that girl will show? I'm sure she will. Everyone does. Eventually" Choerry said.

Hana nodded her head in agreement. Meanwhile, Lip had noticed that Hana and Choerry were gone until she saw them standing on the wooden bridge. She wondered what they were talking about. She had noticed them talking so secretively before but never asked because she knew they wouldn't tell. Lip knew that Choerry was exceptionally adept in gathering information and sometimes Lip still gets shock at the skills Choerry holds within her hands. It's like she has eyes and ears hidden in every corner. 

She watched as Hana and Choerry returns from the wooden bridge joining the group once more. She lets her curiosity fade knowing that it was better not to know. After all, nothing good comes out from prying into other people's lives. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last bell of the day rang, resounding through the whole school. Yves immediately packed her things and rushed out of class, waving at Haseul before she took off. She got into her car as usual and told her driver to step on it. She arrived home 10 minutes faster than she usually did as she headed up towards her apartment. She saw Jiso in the kitchen as she yelled; 

"Ahjumma! I'm going to a party tonight!"

Jiso didn't have a chance to reply as she watched Yves sped up the stairs. Jiso shook her head, smiling as she hasn't seen Yves this excited in a while. Especially after what happened. Her smile gradually fading when she remembered all the things Yves has been through. 

My poor ahgassi. 

On the other hand, Yves had threw her bag aside the second she reached her room, heading into the bathroom to take a quick shower. She came out of the bathroom and started curling her hair into soft curls. After she was done, she put on some light makeup, enough so she looked natural. She walked into her closet and was having a huge dilemma on what to wear. A dress? A skirt? Jeans? Shorts? Jesus! Her internal dilemma was killing her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The party had began as privileged students piled into the club. It had been booked for the night especially for the event. The students were anxiously waiting for the arrival of the Roses. A couple of minutes later, members of the Roses began to appear one after another eliciting cheers and screams of excitement from the students. They were dressed almost all in black. 

                       (Hana's outfit) 

Vivi was the only exception in a bumblebee striped crop and white skirt. 

They walked past the crowd and up to the second floor which was a private floor just for them. The students gathered in the centre of the floor waiting for the Roses to officially kickstart the event. The waiter offered Lip a glass of Dom Perignon, Lip taking it as the waiter steps back offering each of the Roses a glass each. He then took a step back heading back to his workstation. Lip as the leader of the Roses stood front and centre, raising her glass with her signature smirk plastered across her face. She finished her glass of champagne, followed by each of the Roses eliciting screams and cheers as the event officially started. It was tradition for the leader and members of the Roses to finish their first glass of champagne for the event to officially start. 

As the students went on to party, the Roses retreated to the couch. As the time passed, Hana slowly grew bored. Her eyes lazily scanned the lower level but she didn't see the one she expected to come. The student council members had already arrived and were now seated in the booth in the corner. It was already an hour into the event. Hana was beginning to feel like the girl wasn't going to show, leading Hana to believe that maybe the girl isn't as exciting as she thought. As she had already given up, she spots someone walking into the club. She leaves her seat as she walked towards the rails, leaning against it to get a closer look. The girl she has been expecting was finally here and it seems the girl didn't just catch Hana's attention but the attention of the whole room. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yves was late. An hour late. Her internal dilemma lead to unnecessary worrying and thanks to that, she had completely ignored the clock. She had spent close to 30 minutes contemplating on what to wear, eventually deciding to wear a dark green zip up top, a leather jacket and black shorts with black combat boots for comfort. Only then she realised she was late. She grabbed her phone, wallet and invitation card off her bed, hurrying down the steps. 

"Be careful, young miss! You are going to be fall!" 

Jiso's voice was filled with worry. 

"I'm late, ahjumma! Don't wait up for me! I'll be going!" 

Yves gave a quick wave, rushing into the elevator. She started tapping her foot, growing impatient at how slow the elevator was moving. As soon as the doors opened on the ground floor, she rushed out, ignoring the doorman's greetings as she slid into the car. She told her driver to hurry because she was already late. She arrived at the club, telling her driver that she would call when she was done. She timidly walked towards the doors as she was stopped by the bouncer. She saw a couple of buff security guards around as well.

"Invitation, please" the bouncer said. 

Yves handed him the invitation card as he told the man at the door that she was clear. 

"Please enjoy your night, Miss Yves" the bouncer said, bowing politely. 

Yves gave a slight bow back before heading through the club's doors. The hallway was lit by neon lights as she walked slowly, hearing the bass of the music from afar. She knew she was close when she heard the music intensifying. As she stepped through the hallway into the room, she saw everyone staring at her. She suddenly felt self conscious, wondering if she had worn the wrong clothes. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw familiar faces moving through the crowds. Jinsoul and Haseul. Jinsoul pulled Yves by the arm back the way she came as they made their way to a smaller, more private booth. Yves sees the other council members except for Yeojin. 

They greeted her one by one. 

"Wow! Yves, you look amazing!" Chuu praised excitedly. 

Yves blushed at the compliment, muttering a soft thank you. 

"I know right! A total opposite of day and night. By day, you look so innocent and by night, you look so hot!" Jinsoul complimented, moving her eyebrows up and down in a weird manner. 

Haseul smacked Jinsoul's arm, the blonde girl winced in pain, rubbing her arm. 

"Don't mind this huge blonde flirt. I think you look great" Haseul said with a smile.

Yves smiled. She heard that a lot in the past. She shook the negative thoughts from her mind. She was over that. She noticed everyone was still staring at her. 

"Ah, Haseul. Why is everyone staring at me? Did I do something wrong? Is it because I was late?" Yves asked oblivious. 

Jinsoul snorted while Haseul just shook her head. Chuu and Chaewon simply smiled. 

"Those people are staring at you because like blondie over there, they think you look hot. Don't be flattered though. They are a bunch of teens filled to the brim with alcohol in their systems" Hyunjin spoke bluntly. 

Yves nodded with a 'O' face. 

"Where is Yeojin?" Yves asked. 

"Ah, Haseul forbids Yeojin from coming to any of the Roses events because it's not good for her apparently. Yeojin complains but when it comes to Haseul, nobody can go against her words" Jinsoul says, sipping her drink. 

After a while, Jinsoul and the others disappeared one by one from the booth. Jiwoo and Chaewon are on the dance floor while Yves had no idea where Hyunjin, Jinsoul and Haseul were which meant she was alone. She decides that she needs a drink so she walks over to the bar, ordering herself a apple martini. She didn't notice the students parting like the red sea for the silver haired girl, who so happen to be walking towards her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hana watched the girl being dragged by Jinsoul and Haseul, smirking. Hana walked back to the table, pouring herself a glass of whiskey before walking back to lean against the rails with her glass in hand. She sipped on her whiskey watching as Yves interacted with the other student council members. Hana won't deny it, the girl was drop dead gorgeous. Her eyes followed Yves who had left her seat at the booth to walk to the bar. 

"Someone caught your attention?" 

Hana turned, looking over her shoulder to see Heejin looking at her with a lopsided grin. 

"No." 

She didn't want anyone prying into her sudden interest towards the new girl, not even her cousin. At least until, she could decipher and determine the meaning behind her sudden pull towards the new girl. She knew that the dark haired beauty would ask way too many questions that Hana herself didn't have an answer to. For now, Hana was sure that the girl was nothing but a mere curiosity. Was she though? That was another question in her long list of questions. 

"Oh, please! You can't lie to me. I've seen where you've been looking. Never seen her before. I'm guessing she's new" Heejin said, moving to stand beside Hana. 

"I have no idea what you are talking about" Hana said avoiding her cousin's sharp deductions. 

"Fine. Since you won't talk about it, I won't force you" Heejin says.

Heejin smirks, suddenly coming up with a perfect idea. 

"Hana" Heejin starts as the said girl hums, sipping on her whiskey, "I'm bored. How about a bet? Like the old times" Heejin says. 

Hana was intrigued, turning towards her cousin with an amused look. 

"Finally, something worth my time."

Heejin chuckled in response. 

"Of course. Here's how it goes. You and I, both. We pick a person in the club, anyone. It's the other person's choice. Whoever gets their numbers by the strike of midnight wins. Simple. The winner gets anything they want from the loser. Sound interesting enough?" Heejin questioned, arching her left eyebrow.

"It is. Only I do not flirt with people. Everyone in school knows that" Hana said. 

"Ah, but that's the interesting part, isn't it?" Heejin says with an excited tone. 

Hana smirked, "Call." 

"Pick a person first" Heejin says. 

Hana's eyes scanned the floor, stopping when she found just the right person. She pointed at Hyunjin who had returned to the booth. Hana could see the surprise in her cousin's expression but Heejin quickly hid it. Hana shook her head. 

Whipped!

It was Heejin's turn as she had already long decided her target for Hana. She pointed at Yves who was seated at the bar, sipping her drink. Heejin saw her cousin's usual cool face shifted meaning she was right. The two of them knew each other too well. 

"Well then, it's currently 10.45 pm. We have until midnight. May the best win" Heejin speaks before departing first down the steps. 

Hana sighs. This was it. She calls the waiter over, handing him her glass before she followed in her cousin's trail. The students on the first floor were shocked to see Hana walking, knowing that the Roses rarely mingled around with them. They were excited but Hana simply passed them, paying no heed to them as she headed straight for her target seated by the bar. 

"Is this seat taken?" Hana asked once she was standing behind Yves. 

The girl turned her head to look at Hana over her shoulder. Hana hid her surprise, the girl was even more beautiful up close. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Yves was just aimlessly swirling her martini glass when she heard a deep voice speaking from behind. 

"Is this seat taken?" 

She turned to look over her shoulder, her eyes widening when she saw the silver haired girl. Hana! She momentarily froze as their eyes met. Hana's intense ones against her own. Yves saw Hana's orbs which were brown, almost golden. She immediately looked away when she realised she had been staring at Hana for too long. 

"No." 

Yves hid her nerves behind her voice. 

Hana pulled out the chair, hopping onto it. Yves avoiding any eye contact with Hana. 

"Are you new? I haven't seen your face before" Hana started. 

"Yes" Yves answered shortly. 

Hana nodded, turning away as she requested for a glass of wine. The bartender pouring her a glass immediately, sliding it in front of Hana. 

"You alone?" Hana asked.

Yves stilled when she heard Hana speaking. 

"My friends are gone so I guess" Yves answered honestly. 

She heard Hana chuckle softly sending her into a small gay panic. There was absolutely no doubt that Hana was attractive. She could see why the whole school was obsessed with her. Yves decided to sneak a peek, glancing over to Hana. She could see Hana's side profile, her perfectly sculptured nose, porcelain skin and chiselled jaw. She blushed, snapping her head to look away when she saw Hana staring at her with an arched brow. 

She must think I'm weird. Seriously, Yves Ha! Why the hell would you stare at someone so creepily!

Yves was cursing at herself, hiding away so Hana wouldn't see it. What she didn't see was Hana's lips pulling up to showcase a lopsided grin. 

"You don't have to be embarassed, you know. I'm used to people staring at me." 

Yves heard Hana speak once again. She turned back to look at Hana who was looking at her with an amused face. 

"By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Hana, Kang Hana" Hana says. 

"Yves. Yves Ha" Yves says quietly. 

"Interesting name" Hana says, sipping her glass of wine.

"So, tell me. Have you found anyone interesting in this place yet?" Hana asks out of nowhere. 

You. 

"No. I just got here yesterday so I wouldn't know" Yves says instead, hiding her true thoughts. 

Hana hummed in response. 

"I have someone who interests me but I don't know what draws me towards her. Nobody has ever interest me before you see." 

Yves panicked. Hana liked someone else? Who? Hana turned to look at Yves, her eyes were intense, almost melting Yves. Hana's next words shook Yves to the core. 

"That someone is you." 

Yves and Hana were pulled into their own world, staring at each other without caring about the stares and attention they were getting. 

"Sorry" Yves blurted out before hopping off the stool and ran off. 

Her apology shocked Hana. Hana snickered, leaning her back against at the stool, downing the rest of her wine. She never expected to be rejected and that was what made it all the more interesting. She hopped off the stool and returned to the second floor. She saw that Heejin wasn't there. Neither was Lip and Olivia Hye. Choerry and Vivi were the only ones on the second floor but they were on their phones, probably bored already. Hana looked at her watch and saw that it was already midnight, her cousin skipping up the stairs, smiling giddly like a child. 

Heejin saw Hana already on the second floor, rushing towards her. 

"Well?" Heejin asked. 

"I lost. You can have anything you want" Hana says. 

Heejin is surprised. She has never heard of anyone rejecting her cousin. Her cousin may not flirt and care about a lot of people but she has never seen anyone reject Hana. Everybody was dying to at least be acknowledged by Hana. Hana turned to look at Heejin with a mischevious glint in her eyes. Heejin couldn't believe it. Her cousin was excited. 

"This girl. Whoever she is. She intrigues you, doesn't she? I haven't seen you like this in a long time" Heejin says. 

Hana smirks. 

"Maybe. But I can't wait to find out." 

This is going to be a fun year indeed.