"We need to go shopping!" Sua exclaimed, but Minju instantly shot the idea down. Buying an expensive dress just to wear it once, then leave it in the closet forever would be such a waste of money.

They were sitting in a classroom waiting for the professor to arrive.

"I'll just wear the dress I wore to your birthday party last year. I checked a few days ago. It didn't smell."

Sua planted a hand onto her face. "That's a sundress, Minju. You can't wear that to the award show. You need something fancy!"

She pulled out her phone and searched for celebrity award show looks before showing it to Minju.

"Oh." Minju didn't know how she could afford something like the luxurious minidresses and gowns in the pictures. "But these must be so expensive. I can't buy them."

Her best friend nodded with a frown, resting her chin on her hand, and went into deep thought. 

The classroom door opened, and their middle-aged professor walked in. Sua stood up with a start and looked at Minju with an enlightened face. The class turned their necks to the sound of her chair screeching.

"Sit down, please." Sua awkwardly took her seat and whispered to Minju excitedly. "Let's go to my house tonight. I think I have something that will work."

Minju walked into her workplace, wondering what Sua had in mind. She walked into the kitchen, greeting Sujeong and Mrs Lee on the way. 

She caught sight of the many posters with Baekhyun's face plastered all over the restaurant. Her mind wandered back to the morning with him. Her cheeks warmed at the memory of their proximity from when they were hiding from Chanyeol. 

Right. Minju wondered what Chanyeol was doing at the campus when he'd already graduated a month ago. She guessed it had to do with the paperwork. It took a long time for it to get processed.

It was close to her getting off work, and she was hanging at the counter when Chanyeol sought her out. Minju greeted him in surprise. "Hey. Are you here for food?"

"Hey! No, not really." He replied with a friendly smile. "I was just walking by and thought I'd ask you something."

He continued at Minju's prodding, "The guys and I were planning on taking you guys on a trip to Sokcho the week after the next. You know, just for the memories. It'll be on us. Do you think you can join? I already asked the other kids. They're all in."

"Sokcho? Wow. That sounds nice." Chanyeol looked at her expectantly. "I'll try. I can join if I don't have work." She wanted to go, really. Sokcho was amazing. Great food, great views, the beach. Plus it was for free! Minju did not want to miss this catch.

Chanyeol left after a few minutes of chit-chat as Minju waited for Sua to fetch her in a taxi. Sua's house was an hour away, and it would be a bother going by bus.

She questioned Sua about the Sokcho trip on the way. Minju's enthusiasm dampened as soon as she heard that it would be a two-days and one-night trip.

"It'll be fine, babe. I mean, Chanyeol might try asking you out, but other than that it'll be fun." Minju glared at her friend. Sua laughed. "I bet we'll get at least two new couples out of this."

"But I have work. If the plan is to leave on Saturday morning and return on Sunday, I'll have to miss Saturday's shift."

"You can ask the new kid to exchange shifts. I'm sure he'll like having an extra day without work, too." Why hadn't Minju thought of that? It could work!

They were greeted by Sua's parents upon reaching her home. Her father waved at them from behind the newspaper he was reading, and her mother offered to bring snacks to her room.

"I'm sure it was somewhere here..." Minju looked in curiosity as Sua raided the closet. "Here it is!"

She pulled out a shiny, black piece of cloth no more big than her head. Minju's jaw dropped as she straightened the rumpled cloth to reveal a gorgeous satin minidress. 

It was simple but elegant. Sleeveless with thin, spaghetti straps and a neat, square neckline. Minju's mind was already reeling by how short it looked, but it didn't prepare her for the gasp she let out when she saw the back.

"There's nothing at the back!" She exclaimed in shock. 

Sua rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating. It's just a little low. It starts under the shoulder blades."

"That's like... !" Sua handed her the dress and pushed her into the bathroom. "Take off your bra!"

Minju emerged five minutes later, her hands covering her fully-covered chest. Sua shook her fisted hands in delight, squealing. "You look amazing!"

Putting her hands down, Minju turned to the full-length mirror on the wall and took a look at herself.

The dress wasn't as short as it seemed, ending mid-thigh (probably because her body was tiny). And the neck, fortunately, ended an inch under her collar bones, hiding her cleavage as she wanted. She thought she looked pretty nice.

"Where did you get this?" She asked her friend in awe.

"It's not mine. My cousin gave it to me because it wouldn't fit her after having a baby, but it was too tight for me, so I never wore it."

Minju turned to get a better look at her back in the mirror. There was a knock on the door. Sua's mother walked inside with a plate of fruits. "Have some fruits, girls. I'll get- whoa!

"What are you girls doing?" She said after setting the plate down. "Minju looks so pretty!" 

Minju scrambled to cover herself with her arms. She felt inappropriate. The lady walked to her and pulled her hands away and looked down at her outfit. "It looks so beautiful on you."

"It's for a party," Sua said from the back. "She's going on a date with her boyfriend." Sua's mom widened her eyes and mouthed an oooh~ at her.

"He's going to be blown away then."

The show was just a day away, Minju was panicking. She had begged Sua to let her buy a strapless bra (the girl didn't want her to wear one at all) and got her hair trimmed. All there was left to get were shoes, but Sua just wouldn't let her buy any. 

She found the reason why when the warden handed her a neatly-packed gift-box from Baekhyun. 

Inside were the most expensive-looking heels Minju had ever seen. She stared at the ruby red, open-toed stiletto pumps and wondered how she would be able to walk in them. She plucked out a small note from the box.

'I hope you like them :)

P.S. I asked your friend for your size!'

Minju stared at her reflection in a daze. She couldn't recognise herself. Sua had fixed her usually unkempt, shoulder-length hair into soft waves and done natural makeup. The one thing that stole the attention was the red lipstick that matched with her shoes. 

She was waiting for Baekhyun's manager to pick her up, nerves all high. Baekhyun couldn't come because he was busy with the event. 

Sua ran around, adding the final touches to her masterpiece. 

"He is going to pass out! You look gorgeous!" 

Minju's phone buzzed with a text from Manager Kim, indicating his arrival. She grabbed her coat from her bed and put it on. There was no way she was going out looking so flashy. 

"Wait, wait, wait!" the other girl put her arms around Minju's neck to put on a delicate necklace. "Perfect"

Minju walked out with a hand on her face, trying to hide from her friends. She spotted Baekhyun's sleek car waiting right in front of the entrance and carefully wobbled there in her heels. 

"Wow, Miss. You look very nice today!" The middle-aged man kindly said when she got in. Minju thanked him with a smile, and the car took off with her heart hammering.

Manager Kim took her around the building, from where they could get in without being hurled by paparazzi. Minju nervously walked into the lobby and shrugged off her coat to a waiting bellhop.

The place looked like a palace. Much too fancy for the likes of herself.

"Go to the hall. I'll go fetch Baekhyun." Manager Kim offered and gestured to a hall filled with men and women in suits and gowns.

Minju nodded and walked to the nearest refreshments table. A couple of minutes passed, and she found a very handsome but unfamiliar man approaching her. 

"Hey. I saw you coming in alone. Where's your partner?" The man asked with too much familiarity.

"Uhhhhh..." Minju turned her head, wondering if she was supposed to say something.

"Oh? Do you not know me? I'm Suho. Singer." The guy said and hummed a tune to a song Minju thought she had heard somewhere. 

She awkwardly grimaced. "Sorry. I'm with Baekhyun." She said, guessing she didn't need to hide the fact since everyone would see them together anyway.

"Baekhyun?" Suho's eyes doubled in size as he let out a laugh. "Oh! You're the mystery lady! His girlfriend! Aren't I right?"

Minju opened to reply, instantly regretting what she'd said. But Suho beat her to it.

"There he comes! I'll get going, then." He said, pointing behind her. "Don't want your boyfriend killing me for bothering you."

Minju turned around to see Baekhyun searching for her at a distance. Her heart skipped a beat. She had always found him attractive, but never as much as she did at that moment.

He was in a fitted black suit, looking more formal than ever. His hair was unlike his usual messy bangs, styled to the side of his head, forehead in full view. 

 She held her breath when he looked towards her, but his eyes simply skimmed past her. He must not have recognised her.

"Baekhyun!" Minju called out breathlessly, and his gaze landed on her. He stopped in his tracks, silent. 

She fixed her hair shyly, embarrassed by how he was staring at her.

Cheeks pink, she walked to where he was standing. "Hi. You're here."

"Hi..." Baekhyun trailed off when he looked at her face. Minju looked away. She didn't know how he would react to her wearing makeup for the first time. "You... you look beautiful."

Minju thanked him, thoroughly flattered. Before she could say anything else, a member of the event staff instructed everyone to take their seats. The show was about to start. 

Baekhyun led her to the table that was farthest from the stage. A couple of elderly ladies joined them, whom Baekhyun greeted with humbleness. She guessed they were senior actors. 

Five minutes passed, and a giddy Suho took a seat beside them. Minju eyed the kissy motions he was doing with his fingers while teasingly winking at Baekhyun. She caught his eyes, and he threw in a thumbs up for her.

"Do you know him? He's weird." She whispered to Baekhyun. The man sighed. "Ignore him. He's my friend."

Minju silently nodded, thinking about his weird taste in friends. But hey. She couldn't judge, she was best friends with Sua.

The lights dimmed, and Minju looked in fascination as the stage lit up.

The show had been going on for nearly two hours. Minju's legs burned from sitting for so long but she more concerned about why Baekhyun hadn't won a single award. 

"AND THE AWARD FOR THIS YEAR'S BREAKOUT ACTOR GOES TO..."

Someone else's name rung out, and Minju grabbed Baekhyun's shoulder in surprise. "You should have won this one!" She whispered to him.

He looked at her with a smile and held the hand on him, offering comfort. "It's okay. They deserve it too."

She pouted in disappointment and sunk back into her chair. Her hand had unconsciously moved and was now resting on Baekhyun's forearm. He didn't seem to mind, so Minju didn't attempt at removing it (she didn't want to).

Another half-hour passed, Suho went up to perform a song, and the show finally offered an intermission.

Minju finally stood up and subtly stretched her stiff limbs. Baekhyun patter her shoulder to inform her to get refreshed and have a snack while he went to meet some people.

She walked around the hall, admiring the pretty faces. She recognised a few people but made no attempts to approach them. They felt too out of her league.

She returned to her table after a quick trip to the washroom, making sure that her makeup was alright. Her date was still not around, so Minju decided to grab something to eat.

Biting into a macaron that she had grabbed from the dessert table, she waited for Baekhyun to join her back from wherever he had gone.

"Hey." Minju turned to the voice that called out to her. But it wasn't Baekhyun. It was the person she wished she'd never run into, again.

Kwon Seri.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and dropped open, soundless.

"What are you doing here?" The woman asked with a snicker. "Are you with the catering staff?" Two female minions next to her laughed.

She scanned Minju's outfit with judging eyes. "Don't tell me you're here with Byun Baeekhyun!" She sneered. "I see that his standards have fallen pretty low."

Minju frowned. Kwon Seri's impression on her was getting worse. What was her problem? Wasn't she the one that created this situation?

"I don't know why he's keeping you around." Rolling her eyes, she added. "Did you latch onto him because he's a little famous? I swear, you poor people can do anything for money. He's not even rich."

Something inside Minju snapped. "Why? Weren't you the one who said he was mine? Are you jealous, now that he's doing well?"

Kwon Seri's eyebrow twiched and her friends scoffed. "Jealous? Ha! I just feel bad for you. He's not worth my attention."

"Then keep your attention to yourself, Kwon Seri. You don't want to catch any STDs from hoeing around so much."

Minju's eyes bulged out when Suho walked next to her with a glass of champagne. 

"What did you just say?" The woman exclaimed, fuming.

Suho covered his mouth in mock surprise. "What? I thought everyone knew!" He whispered. "Alright! I won't tell anyone that YOU'RE A HOE."

She stomped her feet childishly, offended to the core. "You-"

"Oh, look! Your new Sugar Daddy is approaching. Bye!" Suho grinned and pulled a flabbergasted Minju away with him.

"What a ." The guy told Minju. "Don't know what that idiot saw in her. Good riddance!"

She was surprised. It seemed like Suho knew about Kwon Seri and his friend. She wondered if he also knew about the relationship between her and Baekhyun being fake unusual.

"What are you guys doing?" Baekhyun asked from behind them. Minju almost jumped.

"Nothing," Suho answered while setting his glass down. He gestured to the corner of the hall with his head. "Looks like the She-devil decided to show up. Must've come with her new boyfriend. He looks like he could be her father. Ew."

Baekhyun took a glance, and his face hardened for a nanosecond before he turned to ask Minju, with soft eyes. "Did she bother you?"

"No. Not really." She shook her head. She was taken aback by how less he seemed to care about the woman who broke his heart. She liked it. Very much.

The show resumed, and Minju impatiently prayed for Baekhyun's name to be called out at least once.

"AND THIS YEAR'S BIGGEST CF STAR IS... BYUN BAEKHYUN!"

Minju gasped, covering . She held his hand and shook it in excitement. Baekhyun looked at her with a blinding smile and squeezed her fingers as he stood up. His friend gave him a short hug and happy pat on the back.

Minju clapped with the audience, near tears, as Baekhyun made his way to the stage. He was shining.

She watched as he accepted his very first award in his career. Her heart swelled with pride. To others, it was just a minor title. But to Baekhyun, it was proof of his hard work.

"Ah. Hello. Haha." Minju smiled with a hand on her heart, as Baekhyun giddily thanked his family and coworkers. "I'd like to dedicate this award to one special person..."

His eyes met hers, all the way from across the hall, and she lost her breath. Her vision tunnelled, and she could only see Baekhyun from between the heads turning to get a look at her.

"She's the one who brought me this far and always supported me through everything. I don't know where I'd be without you. Thank you."

He moved away from the mic the audience cheered. Suho added a teasing holler. 

Minju broke eye contact, extremely flustered and shy. Her eyes landed on a very pissed-looking Kwon Seri a few meters away. Ugh. 

She looked at the people seated at her table, only to be met by Suho wriggling his eyebrows and two old ladies smiling at her knowingly. She wanted to die from the embarrassment.

The rest of the show went on with her avoiding Baekhyun's eyes and him laughing at her red face.

The buffet was amazing. Minju had never seen so much delicious food together at once. 

She contemplated acting ladylike despite her growling stomach, but dismissed the thought when Baekhyun stacked a mountain of food on his plate. It was best to get stuffed together.

It was around ten in the evening, and almost everyone had left. Baekhyun had kindly offered to drop Minju home, and Manager Kim had gone to fetch her coat.

They walked through the empty lobby in silence. Minju's tongue itched to speak against her will. "Thank you."

Baekhyun turned his head to look at her. "For inviting me. And for saying what you said in your speech."

They stopped walking, and she turned to face him. 

"I meant it," Baekhyun said sincerely. "I really wouldn't be here without you."

Minju knew that it was true, quite literally, but her heart still swooned.

"Did you enjoy today?" He asked. Minju tried to nod, but flinched in pain. "Ouch!"

"What's wrong?" A startled Baekhyun jumped. She pulled on the strands of hair over her neck. "It's nothing. My hair- It's tangled with my necklace."

"I'll help." Baekhyun offered after seeing the girl fumble for a few seconds and walked around her.

Minju put her hands down and stood awkwardly. He was standing so close.

She almost let out a yelp when his knuckles grazed her exposed back. She bit her lip, hoping to silence her hammering heart. 

"Wait." Baekhyun pushed her hair over her shoulder. Every slight touch of his fingers made her in a breath. She couldn't even feel the pain of her hair anymore. 

 He stepped a little closer. Minju could feel his breath on her neck and curled her fingers. Don't react. Don't react. 

But her body betrayed her mind, and she let out an involuntary shiver. The hair on her neck stood up. She was glad she wore the bra.

She felt Baekhyun freeze immediately, and her neck burned in mortification. 

Minju opened to explain herself, but all that came out was a shaky breath. 

She was never the type to think of lewd things, but her reaction was making her seem like it.

Manager Kim broke the tension when he appeared with her coat in hand. "Let's go- WHOA. Am I interrupting something?"

Baekhyun hastily removed the hands stupified over her back. He cleared his throat. "N-no. Are we ready to go?"

"Are you sure?" The older man asked, staring at Minju's pink face.

Baekhyun confirmed and handed Minju her coat, all while avoiding her eyes. 

She sluggishly slipped it on, still in a daze. They bid Manager Kim a goodbye and walked to the entrance.

She glanced at Baekhyun as she followed him to the car parked up front. His ears were red.

Minju dropped flat onto her bed as soon as she stepped into her room. Her best friend jumped around, peppering her questions. 

It would take two hours for her to narrate the events of the day with five freak-out sessions.

Minju fretted by herself, coming up with a million ways to save face in front of Baekhyun. 

The car ride that night was as quiet as a grave. She couldn't even get out a proper goodbye. 

The only thing that comforted her was that he wasn't judging her. He looked equally embarrassed, at least, based on how he couldn't speak to her without stuttering.

Her agonising came to an end when she received a text from Baekhyun a day later.

'Let's hope for more to come!'

Baekhyun had sent a photo of his shiny glass trophy sitting in the middle of a showcase.

Minju let out a chuckle in the library and shushed herself after earning a few stares from students. She was relieved because she knew it wasn't going to be awkward anymore. 

She typed a reply with tingling fingers.

'Definitely!'

"Texting him again?" Sua asked her friend.

Minju and Baekhyun had gotten much closer after the day of the show. He had begun sending her photos from his various shooting sets. They soon morphed into texts like 'It's so hot today I'm dying', 'Do you like waffles?' and 'I finished Mother's food :( '

"Just find a date to make out, you two." Sua laughed at Minju's foolish smile and commented. 

On it!

A new month started, and Minju and Sua prepared their bags for the trip to Sokcho. The whole group of friends was b with excitement. They didn't know when they would get a chance like this again. 

The girls had made a list of all the places to visit in advance, while the guys only seemed to care about what they would eat. Chanyeol and his friends had booked a guest house for the night. It was supposedly at the beach with a killer view.

Sua advised Minju to pack wax strips and razors, just in case, and the poor girl made a face. She was not planning to get funny with anyone there when her future hubby was someone else a.k.a Baekhyun.

The day came soon enough, and Minju found herself getting in the back of Chanyeol's SUV. It was sunrise, but everyone seemed in high spirits.

Sua, Ahyoung, Sehun and a bunch of other kids had squeezed inside with her while the rest settled in other three cars behind them.

"Let's go!" Her friends yelled, and they took off. They spent the next three hours of the drive listening to loud music, playing games and fighting for snacks. 

The stops at the petrol stations were as messy as they could get, with them returning because they left Sehun behind in the washroom.

The actual trip hadn't even started, but everyone was having so much fun. 

They checked into the guest house, the twenty-five of them running to get the best rooms. The rooms got divided between girls and boys, and Minju and her friends got refreshed before heading out for food.

The bunch walked through the marketplace, separating into smaller groups when they found a place where they wanted to eat.

Minju took a picture of her food before sending it to Baekhyun.

'Where are you?' The reply from him asked. 

'Sokcho~. Aren't you jealous?' 

'With Sua?' He asked again.

She clicked a photo of Sua, Jongin and Yuna who were sitting across the table.

'Yeah. And with my friends and seniors from uni.'

Her phone buzzed after a few minutes.

'Have fun.'

The whole day passed in bliss, Minju was sure she would never forget the memories. It was the first time she had had so much fun with her peers. 

It was nearly midnight, and the kids were playing with fireworks on at beach outside their residence.

She joined Chanyeol, who was at grilling fish on the barbeque stand. 

"Hey, Minju," he called out to her as she took the soda and beer cans out of the cooler. "I want to tell you something."

Minju looked at him, sure of what he wanted to say. She braced herself, revising the ways to turn him down like she had practised in her head before. "Go ahead."

"I wanted to say that-" He seemed nervous, Minju felt sorry for the incoming rejection. "I like-"

"MINJU! NAMGOONG MINJU!" Ahyoung shouted from a distance, standing at the roadside. 

Minju looked at Chanyeol, unsure about what to do. He looked like he wanted her to ignore it.

Yes. Breaking someone's heart was a big deal. She wanted to do it as nicely as possible.

She turned to the man in front of her, about to ask him to continue. But her friend called out to her again. "NAMGOONG MINJU SOMEONE'S HERE FOR YOU! HE SAYS HE'S YOUR BOYFRIEND!"

What? 

She stared as a figure came into view beside Ahyoung. He was wearing a mask, but Minju knew it was Baekhyun.

She saw the rest of her friends turn to look at her in a mix of surprise and curiosity.

Minju looked at Chanyeol. He looked taken aback, his gaze begging to know if it was true. She turned to Baekhyun, and he waved, eyes crinkling into a smile.

What in the world was happening?!