"BOWLING?!"

Naeun craned her neck to Krystal, "Okay, this place needs a rename."

"I told you Starlight is the best resort," Krystal said proudly and for once, Eunji didn't try grabbing for . The alley was pretty packed that afternoon, crowded by tourists and students, but they found two vacant alleys with ease."So, how are we going to do this?" Kai asked as he picked up a bowling ball, his sporty and competitive instincts ready for action. "Boys vs girls?" 

Krystal scoffed, "ist much," but a confident grin quickly formed on her face. If they thought playing against the girls would be an easy win, they had another thing coming.

"Game on."

~~~

"Yah, we're getting trashed here," Key complained. They had barely started their first round, yet the girls had twice the amount of points as the boys. It was Kai's turn to bowl; he only scored a five."Yah, are you really our school captain?" Taemin joked. Another cheer erupted from the girls' alley. Naeun scored another strike.

That girl never ceases to amaze me.

Taemin carefully aimed his bowling ball before releasing it; seven pins fell.

Better than Kai, at least, he thought.

Their first-round ended and the girls won with a total score of 290 out 360 compared to the boys who barely reached the two hundred mark. Krystal flipped her hair and gazed at the boys, victory written all over her eyes, "Bet you didn't see that coming, did ya?" The Golden Boys had no comment. They had concluded: on the outside, the girls were soft, innocent lambs but inside, they were scary, vicious killer lambs ready to tear you to pieces should anyone underestimate them. They continued to play a few more rounds. The boys got better, but none of their scores were close to the girls. 

Dinner was going to be on them - Yup, they made a bet before the games started. Who came up with it? Kai. Taemin and Key glared at him to which he raised his hands in defense. They went to a steak restaurant that had an amazing view of the town. Naeun's eyes sparkled at the appealing pictures of meat on the menu. She could already feel tenderness and juiciness of it in her tongue.

Despite being the ones to pay for dinner, the boys went all out on their orders. Not only did they order an enormous tomahawk fit for a king, but they also ordered truffle fries, calamari, ratatouille, burrata cheese, a seafood platter, buffalo wings, and grilled assorted vegetables - Naeun convinced them they should have at least one plate of vegetables to make their dinner "balanced."

"Jal meokkesseumnida!!" everyone said before digging into their scrumptious meals. To Naeun's surprise, every plate on their table was clean! No trace of uneaten or half-eaten food."You guys are absolute monster trucks," she said. "So are you guys!" Kai exclaimed which earned him an icy glare from all three girls.

"Are you calling us fat?!" Krystal threatened, gripping her steak knife on one hand.

Key could've sworn he saw Kai gulp. He and Taemin laughed which earned them a glare from Eunji and Naeun respectively.

"What's so funny?" Eunji growled. The boys sat there frozen.

!

The girls suddenly burst into laughter, amused by their reactions to three 'mean' girls.

"That was mean," Key grumbled, and Eunji merely winked at him.

~~~

Darkness soon cascaded the sky as the students returned to the hotel. Carollers stood outside shops, singing holly jolly songs. 

Though Naeun was excited to celebrate the holiday season with her friends, she couldn't help but feel homesick. It would be the first time she celebrated without her mother and sister. She would call them for sure, but everybody knows that seeing someone on screen was different from seeing them in person.

"You alright?" Taemin's familiar voice broke her train of thoughts. She didn't realize she had stopped on her track when she thought of her family. The others were ahead of her, waiting for Taemin and Naeun to catch up. "Homesick," she whispered, and his eyes softened. He was about to say something to her when Eunji's call interrupted him. The two quickly jogged to catch up to the rest. When they reached the hotel, Taemin spotted the bus that led guests up the mountains. He glanced at Naeun who had noticed too. She tensed slightly. He quickly blocked her view of the bus and the students alighting from it and signaled her to continue walking. He knew L was smart enough not to approach the two of them when their whole pack was there to back Taemin up and defend Naeun. 

Krystal had walked ahead to the manager's table and when she came back, she held three things: a box of graham crackers, a large packet of HERSHEY chocolate bar, and a bag full of marshmallows. 

"Anyone up for s'mores?"

The hotel had multiple fireplaces behind the building. They picked a bench that had little ice and snow covering the seats. With skewers at hand, they poked each stick with a marshmallow before hanging them above the fire. Eunji and Kai were in charge of breaking the crackers and chocolates into equal pieces.

As everyone enjoyed their first batch of smores, Taemin laid back a little and spoke, "This is probably the best thing that's ever happened in high school." Murmurs of agreement and nods were followed."If only we had known each other since the beginning," Eunji said, "I bet high school would've been ten times more exciting."

"I bet I'd have the motivation to drag my off to school every day," Kai joked and laughter filled the smoky air around them."Have you guys ever thought of what your next plan is after graduation?" Naeun asked. 

Everyone contemplated before talking about the university they hoped to enroll in and what major they planned to take there. They were mostly different: Krystal confessed she might fly to Canada to further her studies in communication; Eunji wanted to apply for Yonsei University in Nursing; Kai thought of being an English major and pray that he'll get a place at the prestigious, Seoul National University; Taemin hoped to enroll at the same school as Kai but with a major in Mechanical Engineering - said something about being related to his father's business. Only Naeun and Key had the same path - an art major at Korea National University for Arts. She was glad to know she may not be alone if she were to get accepted at her dream school. After their second - some third - batch of smores, they went back to their hotel rooms to relax for the rest of the night.

~~~

Pretty Boy: Whatcha doin?

Kitty: Nothing much, what do you want?

Pretty Boy: Are you always this mean when you text people or is it just me -_-

Kitty: Just you ;)

Pretty Boy: Gosh...I'm touched...

Kitty: Kekeke

Pretty Boy: I'm full as GRAPES..wanna walk :D?

Kitty: Kajja!!

~~~

She spotted his familiar black cloak and waved at him to get his attention. He waved back before jogging his way to her.

"Leggo," he said, putting his arm over her shoulder which startled her.

"What're you doing?"

"Walking with you to the exit, duh".

"Did it have to involve wrapping an arm around me?"

"Yup," he bluntly said. Naeun grumbled but didn't shove him away. Some girls who entered the hotel stared shockingly at the 'couple'.

Here we go again, she sighed, but her thoughts immediately went back to the time at the skating rink.

"Don't listen to them...Just keep your eyes on me". And so, she did and couldn't help but smile at the way he looked at her. She felt light on her toes as her heart fluttered at the way he smiled back at her. Once they exited the hotel and walked to a less crowded pavement, Taemin let go of Naeun. Her heart sank a little, but then saw him offering his arm to her. She gladly locked hers around his and continued their stroll, sharing their thoughts about the events they did together.

"I gotta say, you had me impressed with your cold eloquence at L," Naeun said.

Taemin raised a brow, "Oh? And why's that?"

"Just a side of you that surprised me," she giggled.

He scoffed at her, claiming that he could've done worse if there hadn't been an audience behind their showdown. Naeun simply responded with an "amusement" nod. While it did upset her when Ms. Lou told them to cancel their plan, Naeun held no grudge against her after everything they did with her friends. They were going to ski/snowboard in less than twenty-four hours anyway. Resting on a bench in an empty area, with only the lullabies of Christmas carols as their company. "I envy how you can easily ignore comments and rumors that people make about you," Naeun confessed. It was true; despite being too blunt and carefree at times, she wished she had Taemin's confidence. She was sensitive to how people see her as a person - did they think she was too quiet? Too shy? Too smart? It was the main reason why she didn't dare to get close to people. Eunji and Krystal were different because Naeun could immediately feel a strong connection with them.

Taemin raised his brow, "What rumors have you heard about me, exactly?"

"That you were a heartthrob jackass - stealing the hearts of all the girls from all the guys but rejecting every one of them, leaving them heartbroken and depressed; I've also heard others say that you come from an incredibly rich family which led you to be a snobby, spoiled kid and therefore, only have three friends in your life. There were even some who assumed you had plastic surgery because your real face was horrible to look at." She realized she had said too much when his face turned stern. "My point is," she continued, "You make it look so easy to just go on with life without caring about what others think of you."

"Do you see me like that?" he suddenly asked, "All those rumors you pointed out, did, or do you still believe in them?"

Naeun immediately shook her head, "Of course not! Well, maybe the first and half of the second rumor, but I didn't believe the rest! I don't believe any of them now!" He chuckled at her reaction, "Relax Kitty, I'm not offended or mad at you." He looked up to the starry sky. "My life wasn't always like it is now. I used to have the ugliest hairstyle and the geekiest glasses back in middle school. I was given the nickname 'puffball' because of my chubby cheeks and mushroom hairstyle."

"Jinjja? Wah, Daebak," Naeun teased. 

"Seriously! I thought I'd graduate middle school with a sign that says 'puffball' hanging around my neck. Middle school was a nightmare." Naeun laughed.  Before she met Eunji and Krystal, Naeun was an incredibly timid girl. She barely spoke unless spoken to, and ate alone until she bumped - literally - into her classmate, Eunji. She helped Naeun gain confidence in herself and after she met Krystal, the process quadrupled. Taemin said something similar about Kai and Key. He admitted he wouldn't be the boy sitting beside Naeun now if it weren't for their influences. 

"I owe a lot to them." He then stared at his phone screen. It was close to 23 00. "We should probably head back. Wouldn't wanna miss another shot at skiing/snowboarding." 

Naeun's mood dropped. Their night stroll lasted much shorter compared to yesterday, but she knew Taemin was right. And so, they walked back to the hotel and bid each other goodbye.

~~~

Naeun: Don't be late.

Pretty Boy: Yes mam. Sweet dreams, Kitty. 

Naeun: You too, Pretty Boy...Nightss~

(A/N: Not as much thrill or excitement in this chapter as my previous ones, but I'll try to do better in the next chapter!!)