The crisp wind scratched against Daphne’s skin violently, tainting her cheeks with a hint of pink. She fumbled around her bag as they strolled down the street, searching for her forgotten scarf that laid in the midst of the junk she carelessly tossed in her bag.

“Use mine,” Dongwoon said, taking off his own warm scarf and wrapped it around Daphne’s neck comfortably before she could refuse.

She inhaled deeply, feeling Dongwoon’s scent creep into her nostrils. His scent was heavenly. It was a strange mix of fresh laundry, a hint of cologne, and...was it vanilla? Daphne breathed in once more, letting his scent envelope her entire nose, euphoric. She loved the smell of vanilla, closing her eyes in bliss to fully enjoy the aroma.

“Let’s go in here,” Dongwoon proposed, breaking Daphne’s infatuated reverie. He pulled her into a large tent and seated her on a stool at a random table. He placed himself across from her and smiled. “I don’t like to drink, but these outdoor tents are one of the only places that are open this late in the night.”

Daphne looked at her surroundings and smiled, chuckling softly. “I’ve always wanted to go these tents ever since I watched the people in Korean dramas do it.”

Dongwoon laughed along, feeling more and more attracted to her with every word that she spoke. “Would you like some soju then?”

“Oh, no,” Daphne shook her head. “I wouldn’t want to bear you the responsibility of carrying me to my apartment if I got too drunk.” This was true to some extent, but most of all, she didn’t want  to have a slurred confession in the midst of her drunkenness.

“I wouldn’t mind that,” he said in his head but kept his lips pursed to keep him from voicing his thoughts. Dongwoon immediately steered the topic back to Daphne’s appetite, however, as he found himself conjuring up scenarios with a very drunk Daphne. “What do you want to eat? The outdoor tents usually have good boneless chicken feet.”

“Do they have any soup-like dishes? It’s awfully cold,” Daphne said, clutching her body with her arms for warmth, her teeth chattering from beneath the woolen scarf.

Seeing this, Dongwoon maneuvered his stool so he was beside her, his arms resting upon her crouched shoulders. “Better?”

It took all of Daphne’s energy and free will to not lose herself within Dongwoon’s clutches. She almost felt herself nuzzling his chest but forced her head away, maintaining a stiff position. The beating of her heart echoed through her ear drums, flustering her. “I...er...I-I think I’m okay now.” She let out a nervous laugh and mentally slapped herself. Why did Dongwoon turn her into a lovestruck twelve year old girl?

“I don’t believe you,” Dongwoon teased, pulling her closer to him. He smiled broadly, radiating with joy, making a mental note to thank Junhyung hyung later for his lessons on how to be suave.

In all honesty, Dongwoon didn’t need Junhyung teaching him anything since he wasn’t entirely an amateur in the dating field. With Daphne, however, he felt like he needed to be simply perfect to win her over. He wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass.

After ordering and receiving their food, Dongwoon reluctantly forced his arms away from Daphne’s shoulders in order to eat. Though he pretended to be entirely concentrated on his food, he couldn’t help but sneak a few glances at Daphne as they ate together in silence. He laughed quietly as he saw her eat so ravenously, the spoon moving at lightning speed as it traveled from the bowl to .

“She’s so cute,” Dongwoon thought, smiling at her with immense admiration. She was different than most girls. He felt like she was the best of both worlds: cute yet y, strong-willed yet flexible, sassy yet polite. There was no doubt that he was entirely attracted to her. Turning to her, he laughed, “You’re really hungry.”

“You didn’t notice when my stomach was howling?” Daphne asked with amusement as she rubbed her stomach satisfyingly. The spicy soup warmed her insides and it felt absolutely divine, especially in the cold weather. Food was always her best friend, second to Scarlett.

Dongwoon laughed once more, his smile never leaving. “Ah, you have something on your face.”

He reached for the napkin and began dabbing the stray stain near her the corner of her chin. As he did so, his thumb reached out and gently caressed her lips. Daphne was slightly startked at the sudden touch, but she didn’t pull back. She looked up at Dongwoon and their eyes immediately locked, neither of them speaking a word as Dongwoon’s hand refused to break contact. Slowly, Dongwoon inched his head closer, shortening the distance between their lips.

The thumping of Daphne’s heart was the only sound that she could hear as she threw all of her common sense and rational thoughts away. Dongwoon’s touch sent a stimulating sensation through her body, giving her heart momentum.

She closed her eyes, knowing that she was too dazed to pull her head away from his grasp. Their noses were touching now and it was only in a matter of milliseconds that their lips would meet.

Ring, ring, ring!

“Goddamn it,” Dongwoon exhaled in frustration, his eyebrows furrowing in displeasure. He tore his hand away from Daphne’s face and pulled his phone out. “Hello?”

“Yah, where the hell are you?” the voice rang loudly through Dongwoon’s cell phone.

“I’m eating, hyung,” Dongwoon answered flatly, angry that his moment was interrupted. He turned to look at Daphne with an apologetic look, mouthing the words ‘Sorry, it’s Doojoon hyung’ to her.

Daphne nodded in comprehension, knowing that Dongwoon was obliged to pick up the call. She placed her hands upon her face in astonishment, heat radiating from her blushed cheeks. Was she about to kiss Dongwoon?

“Yes, yes, I understand. Sorry! Okay, I’m coming soon,” Dongwoon replied to Doojoon as he hung up with extreme bitterness, shoving the phone back in his pocket. “Sorry, Daphne noona, but I have to leave now. Doojoon hyung is pretty upset at me since we left without warning.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Daphne frowned. “I didn’t mean for you to get in trouble.”

“No, no, it’s not your fault,” he replied with brightness to try and relieve her guilt. “Are you okay with walking back by yourself? I have to rush since Doojoon hyung is really scary when he’s mad.”

Daphne hesitated slightly as she was still not entirely adjusted to this area yet. Due to the fact that she was so busy, she rarely had time to explore the city, so her directions were still hazy. Nonetheless, she still complied, knowing the severity of the situation. “Yeah, of course.”

“Sorry again, noona,” Dongwoon said, standing up to leave. After throwing a few paper bills on the table, he fixed the scarf on her neck so it covered half of her face. “Keep my scarf safe and stay warm!” With that, he immediately took off, waving goodbye as he ran down the street.

“Bye, Dongwoon...” she muttered to herself, standing up to leave as well, watching his figure disappear into the darkness. Though Dongwoon had left, her heart still raced within her chest, only this time, it was filled with fear.

“Yah, Son Dongwoon, where the hell were you?!” Doojoon bellowed as the maknae finally reached the BEAST van outside the Cube building, stepping into the compartment nonchalantly as if nothing was wrong. Doojoon shot daggers towards Dongwoon with his eyes as he turned around to face him, hoping that he was instilling some fear into the daft child. Once Dongwoon had seated himself comfortably in the van, Jiyong began driving them back to their dorms, remaining silent about the issue, figuring that Doojoon could handle it.

“I told you already, hyung. I got hungry,” Dongwoon said, too elated to care about the animosity in the room as he sat next to Kikwang and Hyunseung in the back of the van.  

“Do you think that’s a good enough reason to leave?” Doojoon retorted, malice in his voice. “You can’t just do whatever the hell you want, Dongwoon. We are a group. Once you disregard your members, the group falls apart.” Doojoon sighed in frustration, his fists clenched tightly, refraining himself from punching Dongwoon.

“Hyung, calm down,” Yoseob, sitting next to Doojoon, tried to reason, placing his hand on Doojoon’s back after putting his phone away hastily into his pocket. Calming down was the last thing that Doojoon wanted to do, but he reluctantly conceded, breathing heavily, his menacing eyes still pinpointed at the maknae.

“I’m sorry!” Dongwoon said with contempt, upset that Doojoon was ruining his joyous mood. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

Doojoon sighed once more, containing his thoughts as Yoseob patted his back soothingly. “Okay.  The other members have conducted a few ideas on what to do for the pairing performances and we’ve all shared our thoughts. What have you and Daphne thought of doing?”

Dongwoon shifted his eyes nervously, fumbling with his thumbs. “Ah, well,” he began but the words couldn’t come out. “I, uh, we...well, she can play the piano and so can I?”

“Goddamn it, Dongwoon!” Doojoon yelled, throwing his hands up in defeat. He pointed at Dongwoon threateningly, his veins almost popping out. If Yoseob had not been holding him back, he would’ve exerted his frustration out on Dongwoon. “I trusted you. I thought you were mature enough not to...not to fool around with Daphne. I warned you before that this was strictly business.”

“We tried to concentrate! We just got really distracted since we were starving, so we went out to eat,” Dongwoon defended, covering his face with his palm. Upon hearing this, Yoseob’s eyes immediately darted towards Dongwoon, his face contorted with irritation. So this was why Daphne had left him?

The van stopped to a halt, and the members quickly filed out of the van and into the living room in silence. The tension was immensely high in the air as most of them sat on the floor. Doojoon decided to pace around the room to relieve his dissatisfaction. Yoseob tailed behind Doojoon, his hand firmly placed on Doojoon’s back, whispering words of comfort and reason.

Dongwoon reasoned that it was no use arguing with Doojoon; he was the leader and he knew what was best. He inhaled sharply and swallowed his pride, his head low to the ground. “I’m sorry, hyung, I really am. I’ll try to get my act together.”

“Okay,” Doojoon said simply as he shrugged Yoseob’s hand off his back, walking to their bedroom door. As he was about to step in, he stopped at the doorway, looking back at Dongwoon. “Don’t do it again, arasso? Or else there’ll be consequences.”

Dongwoon nodded immediately in agreement, afraid that if he were to say anything else, Doojoon would explode. With one last defiant sigh, Doojoon walked in the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Not knowing what else to do, Yoseob decided to take a seat as well next to the members. Silence filled the room as the other members looked at each other, dumbfounded. They shifted awkwardly as they sat on the floor, not knowing what to say.

“I don’t blame you for getting distracted,” Kikwang started, attempting to lighten up the mood with a sly smile. “She’s really pretty.”

“Yeah, better than my partner,” Junhyung piped up, snickering a bit. “Aish, Dongwoon-ah, you are a lucky bastard.”

The members began talking animatedly about Daphne, pestering Dongwoon about Dongwoon’s and Daphne’s impromptu dinner. Delighted to know that s were interested so he could receive their opinions, Dongwoon explained in great detail, emphasizing the scenes where he showed his chivalrous side.

Yoseob stared off into the distance, preferring to ignore Dongwoon’s story. His chest stung with bitterness as he clutched his phone tightly. Was he losing? Was Daphne really falling for Dongwoon? Unable to handle the members’ annoying chatter, Yoseob stood up and walked to the bedroom with a simple wave to the members, indicating that he was going to sleep. Sleep was not going to come easy for Yoseob tonight.

“Lord...” Daphne said quietly, looking around her. She had walked a few blocks away from the outdoor tent, but the short distance that she had traveled was enough to get her lost. “Where am I? I should’ve made Dongwoon walk me home...”

The streetlights were dim, casting a strange, orange glow about the sidewalk, adding on to the eeriness of the dark night. A gush of wind rushed to Daphne’s face, blowing viciously against her eyes, construing her vision. She wrapped Dongwoon’s scarf around her face more securely, but it was futile as the scarf stood no chance against the violent winds.

“Eff this!” Daphne cursed, stopping her tracks on the sidewalk so she wouldn’t confuse herself any further. She tinkered at the idea of calling Scarlett to rescue her, but after much contemplating, Daphne realized that Scarlett would just as clueless as she was when it came to directions, leaving her with no hope.

Groaning in frustration, she went through her other ideas and deemed them worthless. Calling Scarlett was the only solution that Daphne could conjure up, and hopefully Scarlett would be able to use her minimal technological skills to at least look up Daphne’s location on the computer. She pulled out her cell phone from the depths of her pocket and was entirely surprised to see a few new text messages from a number she had not seen before. Curious, she promptly opened the messages.

From: Unknown Number

Hi, noona! It’s Yoseob, keke. Save this number!

Smiling, Daphne did as Yoseob wished and saved his number. She continued on to the next text message, hoping to find a bit of happiness in Yoseob’s messages while in her unfortunate situation.

From: Yoseob

Noona! Are you finished practicing? I am! Let me know when you are done so we can eat dinner together~

“Oh, crap,” Daphne mentally slapped herself, realizing what she had forgotten. Regret immediately enveloped her, hoping that Yoseob was not too mad at her for leaving him. With apprehension, she flipped through the next message.

From: Yoseob

Ahh, noona must be very busy, I see. I’ve been waiting a while! Why must you make me wait. TT

Feeling a bit better that Yoseob had not sent her an angry text message, she went to the next message without much uneasiness.

From: Yoseob

We searched the entire building for you and Dongwoon, but your practice room was empty. Where did you go? Did you forget, Daphne noona?

Though his words left no hint of anger, she could almost taste the disappointment that was hidden between the lines. With hesitance, she clicked through the last text message, which, to her surprise, was fairly recent.

From: Yoseob

Dongwoon has finally arrived, so we are leaving to the dorms now. I hope you’re home safe. We can always have dinner another time. Good night, Daphne, noona. Sweet dreams~

Daphne felt a large, uncomfortable knot in her stomach. All she could feel from the top of her head to the tip of her toes was guilt. She was never one to flake on appointments, but her mind was too wound up around Dongwoon to even remember Yoseob’s proposal that night. However, she knew that she had to push her remorse aside and consider her current circumstance: how was she going to get back home?

After scrolling through her contacts list for the umpteenth time, she realized that there really was no option: she had to call Yoseob. He was the only person that knew the city well enough to guide her out of this terrible predicament. All she wanted was to simply go home and her dignity was not going to get in the way from a warm bed.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this...” Daphne shamefully remarked as she pressed ‘call’ on her cell phone. The phone line rang a few times and Daphne was sure he was not going to pick up but on the last ring, Yoseob’s voice echoed through her ears.

“Hello?”

“Yoseob-ah!” Daphne cheerily greeted, happy that he could be her savior. “Ah...are you busy?” She closed her eyes in anticipation, praying that he would not say no.

Yoseob immediately crept out of his bunk as the rest of the members were now sleeping. He stepped into the living room, the phone stuck to his ear as he tried to figure out why Daphne was calling him. He had to admit: he was slightly angry at her for forgetting, but he wanted to know what she needed first before he could reject.

“Well...not really,” he decided to say after much thought, hearing a sigh of relief from Daphne on the other line.

“I’m really sorry I forgot, Yoseob, but...” Daphne went on, scrunching up her face to search for the right words, “can you help me? I have no idea where I am. It’s dark and freezing. Do you think you can look up directions for me?”

Yoseob’s eyes lit up, concerned. “What? Where are you?!”

“I’m not sure myself. The street names are really unfamiliar and--”

“I’ll be there soon. Just tell me the names of the intersection you’re at and I’ll come get you. Don’t move.” Realizing that her safety was much more important than his petty jealousy, he sprinted to the closet, throwing on the first sweater that he saw.

“You don’t have to come! Just tell me where to go and I’ll--”

“Daphne noona,” he said sternly, lacing his shoes as quickly as possible, “give me the names of the streets now.”

“O-okay,” Daphne said, not knowing how to articulate the gratefulness that she felt. She recited the words on the signs and hoped that it was enough for him to locate where she was. “Thank you so much, Yoseob.”

“Stay where you are, okay? I’m coming.”

With that, Yoseob hung up before she could refuse, leaving a very indebted Daphne. She exhaled in relief, the panic inside her subsiding as she leaned against the wall of a nearby building.

“Yang Yoseob, I’m so lucky I met you...”

Daphne’s eyelids began drooping heavily as fatigue washed over her, taking control of every aspect of her body. As she sat on the cold sidewalk, waiting for Yoseob, she felt her head lolling back and forth, her body shutting down. Just as she unintentionally leaned back and her back was about to meet with the cement, an arm grabbed her securely, stabilizing her.

“Noona, I’m here now. Wake up.”

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, revealing a blurry figure before her. As her vision eventually sharpened, Daphne realized that her head was nuzzling into Yoseob’s chest as he sat beside her. The weariness in her vanished immediately only to be replaced by shock. She jerked her head away from Yoseob’s embrace, blushing.

“Did I fall asleep?” she asked curiously, not knowing why she was in this predicament, although she couldn’t deny that she didn’t enjoy it.

“You were about to knock out right here,” Yoseob chuckled, beads of sweating lining his forehead, indicating that he had ran to get to her. “It’s a good thing I arrived before your head collided with the sidewalk.”

Daphne smiled, sighing at her foolishness. “I’m sorry I’m such a burden to you.” Her head was low with shame as she twiddled her thumbs around on her lap. “You shouldn’t have come...”

“And leave you here by yourself? You’re crazy.”

“I’m sorry, Yoseob,” Daphne apologized, hoping that he would sense the sincereness in her voice. She looked up at his alluring eyes, sensing only geniality from him, but behind it all, she knew that he was extremely tired. “I really am. I’m sorry for forgetting to have dinner, I’m sorry for calling you at a time like this, I’m sorry for--”

“Shh,” he put a single finger on her lips, refraining her from speaking. “It’s fine.” If someone had asked him fifteen minutes before, it was definitely not fine, but he couldn’t stay mad at Daphne--not after seeing her like this. She was so frail, so fragile in his arms as she had slept peacefully. There was a certain glow about her that mesmerized him, wanting more of her presence, her smile, her voice.

Daphne’s eyes widened at his boldness, seeing a smile creep on his face. “Don’t blush, don’t blush,” she repeated in her head, feeling slightly warm in the cheeks. Her stomach lurched with nervousness, his touch sending an electrifying feeling throughout her body.

“Let’s walk you home, yeah?” Yoseob suggested, standing up from the sidewalk as Daphne followed suit. He began to laugh. “Why are you here in the first place?”

“I...I don’t know,” Daphne started to laugh as well, acknowledging the sheer stupidity of the situation. “Dongwoon took me to some outdoor tent that I’ve never been to before. Everything was so unfamiliar to me...and I just walked to wherever felt right.”

“Daphne noona, you sure are smart,” Yoseob joked, resulting in receiving a playful hit in the arm. He took a hold of her wrist, bringing her closer to him as they began walking. “You shouldn’t be out when it’s so cold like this.”

“Well...ah...” Daphne started, but she lost her train of thought as the gears in her head halted to a stop, an unintentional effect by Yoseob. They were extremely close, just as Dongwoon and Daphne had been, but for some reason, Yoseob’s arms felt more secure, more safe. It felt his arms were a welcoming net, always there for her if she ever needed to erase her worries.

It was so obvious that her feelings were far more greater for Yoseob than Dongwoon, wasn’t it? If that was the case, then why did those stark feelings dissolve so easily whenever Dongwoon was around?

“Dongwoon told us that you guys didn’t get much done during practice,” Yoseob said, interrupting Daphne’s thoughts.

She chuckled nervously. “He said that?” Yoseob gave her a curt nod and her forehead creased in anguish, hoping that Yoseob wasn’t given the impression that she was lazy. “We were having a really hard time brainstorming and then we got hungry...” She shook her head, dissatisfied at her answer. “I’ll make sure that won’t happen again though. I hope you guys aren’t mad. I know it’s unfair and--”

“Noona, you seriously worry too much,” Yoseob smiled, patting her shoulder reassuringly. “Doojoon hyung is pretty mad, but more at Dongwoon than anything.”

“Aish, this is all my--”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, his voice austere. “We all know how...Dongwoon can be sometimes. He’s the maknae, so of course he’s going to be the least responsible out of all of us, so don’t think that Doojoon, or rather we, are putting any blame on you.” As he emphasized the word ‘you’, he lightly poked her nose with his slender finger, chuckling. “So, please, stop worrying.”

Daphne stared at Yoseob in awe, the butterflies reappearing and wreaking havoc in her stomach. There it was again: the inevitable and inescapable effect that he had on her. How could he know how to always say the right words to remedy her troubles? How did all of her uneasiness dissipate so easily whenever she gazed into his eyes? How could a simple smile leave her breathless and unable to speak? But most importantly, how could a person who acted and looked so cute can be so mature with such a large understanding of things? This contradiction stumped Daphne from the first time she had noticed this different side of him, and there was never a day where that question left her, always lingering in the corner of her mind.

Quickly snapping out of her reverie, she tore her eyes away from Yoseob and opened to say something. However, she was cut short as she felt a strange sensation on the tip of her nose. It felt...wet. She wiped her nose and glanced at her finger curiously.

“Is it...raining?” Daphne looked up at Yoseob who also began noticing the abrupt precipitation in the air.

“Noona, it’s snowing!” Yoseob laughed gleefully, removing his arm from Daphne’s shoulder and bringing it up to the air, excited. “It’s the first snowfall!”

“Snow?” Daphne’s eyes widened as a smile lingered on her lips, eventually broadening to her ears. “I’ve never seen snow before.” Joy captured her heart, giving her energy as she bounced around happily with Yoseob, attempting to catch the sacred snowflakes in their palms.

“What?” Yoseob halted his jumping abruptly, looking at Daphne incredulously. “How could you have never seen snow before?!”

Daphne laughed, reaching her hand up to brush some of the snow off Yoseob’s hair. “It doesn’t snow in California except in the mountains.” Her happiness could not had been contained as she continued to beam like a child in a candy store. “My parents hate cold weather, so they never took my brother and me to snow trips.” She retracted her hand from his warm head and stuck her tongue out in an attempt to taste the wondrous substance. “It’s so...beautiful.”

“It really is...” Yoseob said quietly to himself, gazing at Daphne with admiration. She continued to skip along the sidewalk, holding her arms out with pleasure as she allowed the snow to blanket her skin. Her giggles echoed in his ear, eliciting a smile on his face. It made him happy to witness her euphoria. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered before making his way towards Daphne, joining in on her festivities, grabbing a hold of her hands to twirl her around.

And together, they danced merrily underneath the moonlight, taking in the sublime atmosphere that nature had granted them.