»Geez, Soo, where are you?!« I yelled into my phone with all my might. However, my voice was completely drowned out by the sound of the bass and the accompanying music, which I felt vibrating in my chest, as well as by the buzz of voices of the people around me. The El Dorado as always very well visited, as I had to realize with a sigh. One hardly had an inch of air to fight your way through the dancing and chatting crowd. 

In addition, I found it difficult to breathe, as there were unpleasant clouds of smoke hanging around the room and one or two of the people I collided with blew their disgusting flag of alcohol at me. At the other end of the line I heard a rustling and a crackling before I hung up annoyed and let my gaze wander through the crowd searching. The different colored flashing lights made the search more difficult for me, though, so that I could only leave my eyes half open without having to fear that I might go blind from the glare. 

Where were my friends? Were they even here yet? There was no sign of Sooyoung or the others outside the entrance, so I suspected they had already started partying without me. However, inside I had much less success in discovering someone, as I could not see further than two rows. There were clearly too many people gathered at once! Great, really great, I thought annoyed and wanted to go back outside, because the desire to party was slowly disappearing. 

How did I even get the stupid idea that after such an unsuccessful afternoon, the evening should go better? I should have just stayed home and crawled into my bed... I had almost reached the exit when suddenly my smartphone, which I was holding tightly with one hand, started to vibrate. I looked at the display and discovered an message from Sooyoung. 

19:06

Sooyoung

Where are you? O.o  

19:06

Baekhyun

The question is rather, where are you? 

I thought we'd meet at the entrance. 

I typed with nimble fingers and pressed 'send' before turning around and letting my gaze wander across the dance floor once more. Not a second later I received another message from my best friend, who told me that she - gracious as she was - would wait for me in front of the toilets. And these were - how could it be otherwise - in the opposite direction, which meant that I had to turn back again. Right through the dancing crowd. Snorting, I rolled my eyes. 

Great, really great, I thought for the second time that evening before I listlessly set out to get to the meeting point. Meanwhile, an elderly guy with grey hair and a three-day beard bumped into me. Urgh - and he was sweaty! Disgusted, I pulled a face, tried to breathe through my mouth so that I didn't have to bear the guy's stench, and squeezed past him more badly than right. »Hey, cutie!« he complained, obviously drunk.

But I ignored him and fought my way to the toilets through. When I finally reached them, my eyes and ears immediately thanked me, because the light was dimmed here and the music was not too booming and loud. Totally exhausted I looked around searching for all sides. At the locked toilet door a group of girls were waiting to be the next in line, whispering and giggling like crazy. All of them were unknown to me - and Sooyoung continued to disappear. 

Slowly but surely I was getting the crisis. First here, then there, and there was still no trace of my friend anywhere! But suddenly someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind, so that I turned around, partly astonished partly frightened. »There you are!« Sooyoung jumped at me. She hardly gave me time to realize it and tied my breath away. »No... air...« I squeezed out, trying to free myself from her embrace. Soo fortunately understood me and let go of me.

»You look hot.«, she complimented me, while she checked me out from top to bottom. »and you of all people are saying that?«, I countered, looking at Sooyoung. Now that she was finally standing in front of me, my anger smoked and gradually the party mood returned. Soo looked really breathtakingly good! She had turned her otherwise straight, long hair into beautiful waves and was wearing a red sequined mini dress. A few strands of her side pony framed her tender face. 

Pft, and then she said that I, of all people, looked hot! With my blue skinny Jeans, a simple white T-Shirt  and the same hairstyle as usual. »Thank you.« she winked at me. »But come on, the others are probably waiting.« With gentle pressure she pushed me towards the dance floor. However, we did not push our way through the raging crowd, as I had done before, but took the path along the dark red painted wall. 

At the end of this wall, a staircase consisting of only three steps led to a separate room. The light there was dim, the air was stuffy. To the left and right of the room there were several seats, but all of them were already occupied. On the black lacquered tables flickered here and there half of the candles that had burned down, their wax dripping down constantly. In the back area I recognized a raised, slightly rounded bar, around which stood a high stool. 

The bartender seemed stressed - which was not surprising considering the many guests - while he prepared one cocktail after the other with practiced grips. Sooyoung suddenly let go of me and accelerated her steps. She waved at someone, I looked over her and could immediately make out the familiar faces of Seulgi, Joohyun and Sungjae. The three had taken a seat on a comfortable beige couch and waved when they spotted us.

»What did you bribe Sungjae with to get him to show up.«, I asked my friend emphatically out loud so that everyone in the group could hear me after we reached the couch. Seulgi and Joohyun smiled, Sungjae gave me a piercing look and Sooyoung punched me in the side. »And where did you leave your darling?« she countered with a wry grin. »This time he was smart enough not to come.« Sungjae interfered and moved up a bit so that Soo could sit next to him.

Meanwhile, I grabbed a chair and placed it across from them before sat on it. I immediately noticed that one chair leg was shorter than the others, because I was bobbing dangerously back and forth. »And how was it today.« Soo asked me after she had made herself comfortable - much to the chagrin of Sungjae, as I noticed, because he was now sitting pressed in between Seulgi and my best friend. »Don't ask.« I replied grumbling, when suddenly the failed afternoon with Sehun crept into my memory.

»That bad.« she said with a grin. My gut told me she didn't really believe me. »Worse!« Sooyoung threw me a short side glance before she turned to the others. »He has "learnt" with the new guy today.«, she told them. »Ah, "learned"«, grinned Seulgi, while in her fawn brown eyes lay a knowing look. »ONLY Learned.«, I justified myself in a huff, because I had not missed this conspiratorial undertone that resonated in their voices and really annoyed me. All synchronously raised their eyebrows sceptically.

»Where is Jisoo anyway?«, it came from Joohyun, because she noticed I was annoyed. I just shrugged my shoulders, since I actually did not know. After I went home today in a very bad mood from the bad cooperation with the Jerk, I switched my mobile phone to mute and threw myself into my bed after a not very relaxing shower. Over and over again I reflected on the conversation between Sehun and me. And each time I buried my head a bit deeper in my pillow. 

I was so ashamed of myself that I had to open up in front of him of all people. That like a child I'd mixed something into his drink. Damn, what devil was riding me? Was I stupid? No wonder everyone in the world - including the idiot - thought I was just a spoiled brat with rich parents and too much free time, after all I was acting accordingly. Oh God, I was so embarrassing! Completely lost in my self-doubt, I didn't notice that the LED light of my smartphone started flashing blue to inform me about a missed call. 

Only when I was on my way to El Dorado did I look at the display. Jisoo had tried to call me twice. But it couldn't have been too important. I thought, otherwise she would have left a message on my mobile mailbox or a text message, wouldn't she? So I didn't even bother to call her back and ask her what she wanted to tell me. However, I didn't know now whether she still came here or whether her ominous visit, which she had spoken of this morning, had delayed her for a longer time. 

But to be honest, I was fine with both - whether she came or not. The main thing was that I didn't have to think about a certain Jerk that night again. Suddenly, the music, which sounded from the dance area into the room towards us, stopped in the middle of the song, so that now the conversations of the people around us, the moving of chairs and the rattling of ice cubes were the only soundscape. 

Sooyoung interrupted herself while talking and listened up. »Look out, people!« I heard a distorted metal voice coming from the speakers. Somehow it seemed vaguely familiar to me - and it was already on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't say how I knew it. »'Make a wish', for all the desperate singles among you, and those looking for a little fun, starts in half an hour!« »Oh my God, is that Ryeowook?« Sooyoung squealed excitedly. Her eyes and mouth were wide open.

»Right.« I agreed with her. Now that she said it. »The game is simple, continued the voice of the radio announcer, If you order a drink between eight and nine o'clock, you will receive a number that is only once per woman and man. At ten o'clock sharp, all participants will gather under the glittering and sparkling sea of stars and can search for their chosen one! Isn't that romantic?« Shrieking, cheering and clapping was the answer.

Why did everyone want to play that stupid number-pulling game all of a sudden and were really keen on it? It's bad enough we had to do it in school. You never get what you want anyway... A deafeningly high tone emanated from the loudspeakers before the music resumed, covering up the remaining noise. »Are you in?«, my best friend wanted to know, visibly excited. I shook my head and suppressed a mocking comment. With my luck, it would be some girl who is talking my ear off and besides, I already had a girlfriend.

»Onl