Dongwoon pulled Daphne into a close embrace as he began to peck her cheeks with his frantic lips. “You have no idea how happy this makes me.”

Daphne forced a smile as she tried her best to match Dongwoon’s enthusiasm, but no matter how much she attempted to convince herself that dating him was exactly what she wanted, she felt rather uneasy. The reason to her hidden turmoil was completely unknown, which only heightened the uncomfortable feeling in her gut.

“C-come on,” Daphne breathed out as Dongwoon continued to plant kisses on her warm cheeks, eliciting the all too familiar pink tinge around them, “we should practice.”

“After this,” Dongwoon said, as he removed his lips from her skin. He smiled broadly, cupping face with his broad hands, her chin admiringly. “You are mine, mine, mine.” He swooped in, closing the small distance between their faces and firmly placed his lips against hers, his lips curling upwards as he did so.

Daphne’s lips automatically reacted as they moved in the same motion as his, but her mind was simply in another place as thoughts overwhelmingly flooded her head, stripping her focus away from her kiss with Dongwoon.

Mine? His? Daphne’s could hear Dongwoon’s words reverberate clearly in her ears, troubling her. Although boys were the entire bane of her existence and at times it seemed like they took over her life, she was independent and strong-willed enough to know that she was not going to be deemed as someone’s property. The mere connotation of his words gave the impression that she was an object, a trophy, and that thought greatly disturbed her.

Becoming slightly agitated, Daphne pulled away from Dongwoon’s smothering kiss and repressed a frown, trying to be as gentle as possible. “I really think we should start practicing now.”

“But, noona!” Dongwoon whined, pouting as he firmly held Daphne by the waist, having no intention of letting go.

Sighing, Daphne ran her free hand through her tangled black locks, deeply fishing for any excuse that would get her out of Dongwoon’s hold. 


“We have to practice,” she reasoned, but Dongwoon remained pouting. Seeing how that logic was not going to persuade him, she attempted a different approach. “You know, Doojoon wouldn’t be too happy about this.”

Dongwoon’s eyes immediately widened, the color in his face promptly draining. “D-Doojoon hyung? Why would you tell him about this?”

“Don’t you think he would find out eventually that we’re not doing our work?” Daphne resisted a smug smile that lingered on her lips. “I mean, we barely have ten seconds of our routine and I’m pretty sure Jihee and Doojoon are going to check up on us pretty soon to see if we’re on schedule.”

“You’re right,” Dongwoon concluded as his grip around Daphne loosened, straightening up as he imagined Doojoon’s penetrating glare, evoking a small shiver from him. “Let’s practice.” He placed his hand around Daphne’s wrist, pulling her along with him towards the grand piano.

After enduring almost two and a half hours of grueling time with Dongwoon, Daphne was more than ready to take off. Surprisingly, the pair had made vast progress, successfully composing a decent sounding piano piece as well as a complementing ballet dance. The only thing left to do was a bit of polishing and the hip hop dance number and they were pretty much set.

The only thing that bothered Daphne was the constant touching that Dongwoon initiated every ten seconds. His hands always found a way to Daphne’s body, whether it was her hand, arm, shoulder--whatever patch of exposed skin was explored and graced by Dongwoon’s fingers, which greatly flustered her. His touch always seemed to send a strange feeling coursing throughout her body, causing Daphne to lose her train of thought numerous times. However, the constant contact began to become more annoying than endearing once she realized her ideas were beginning to dissolve as her attention always retracted back to Dongwoon.

Just as Daphne’s hand grasped the doorknob, Dongwoon’s voice echoed loudly throughout the room.

“Leaving so soon?”

Daphne’s hand reluctantly recoiled from the doorknob as she retreated it back to her side, facing a pouty Dongwoon. “Ah, I’m really tired, Dongwoon.”

“Let me walk you out at least,” Dongwoon said, taking Daphne’s hand and kissing it gently.

The familiar shade of red rushed up to Daphne’s cheeks, her heart starting to accelerate. “I-It’s okay.” She tried to pry her hand away from his grip but his fingers were tightly laced with hers, making it hard for Daphne to maneuver.

“We should have a proper goodbye then,” he suggested, bringing his face lower to Daphne’s, his lips inching closer to hers.

Daphne hastily turned her face away, chuckling nervously. She let out a stream of profanities in her head as she realized what big of a mess she had gotten herself into. It was evident that there was a certain level of attraction between the two, but Daphne couldn’t shake off the feeling that this was so wrong. Saying ‘yes’ was the first thought that raced through her convoluted mind, but she had no idea how much weight a simple word could hold. Balancing all of the chaos in her life was difficult enough, and Daphne could picture how a relationship would tip all of that haphazardly.

She inhaled deeply, knowing that she had to end this ‘relationship’ before it could turn too seriously. “Listen, Dongwoon--”

Ring, ring!

Dongwoon’s eyebrows furrowed curiously as he checked his phone, noticing that it wasn’t lighting up. “I think that’s yours, noona.”

Taking her hand out of Dongwoon’s clutches, Daphne diverted her attention to her phone, seeing that someone had sent her a new text message.

From: Yoseob

Noona! I’m finished with practice now. Are you hungry? Maybe we can go eat dinner~! ^^ Doojoon hyung said it was okay as long as I get back in an hour and a half. Let me know soon!

Daphne grinned brightly that did not go unnoticed by Dongwoon as she began typing up a response. She was rather hungry and this dinner simply gave her another reason to play in the snow again. Her schedule was so hectic that the most she could do was admire the fluffy substance longingly, but she finally saw an opportunity.

To: Yoseob

That sounds great! I’m finished with practice too so I’ll meet you outside the building in about five minutes.

Curious, Dongwoon peeked over Daphne’s shoulder, frowning as he read her text. “You’re going to eat with Yoseob hyung?” He was filled with envy, wondering why Doojoon was giving Yoseob permission to go out and eat when he had been scolded.

“Hm? Oh, uh...” Daphne suspiciously avoided Dongwoon’s gaze, not knowing whether she should tell him or not. “Wait, why are you looking at my texts for? That’s private!”

“But I’m your boyfri--”

“Aish, don’t say that!” Daphne swatted his hands away as he attempted to grab her in for a hug. She picked up her bag aggressively, walking towards the door. “Bye, Dongwoon! I’ll see you tomorrow.” Leaving no time for a reply, Daphne dashed out of the room and into the elevator, hoping that Dongwoon would not follow her. As the elevator doors closed, her tense body relaxed against the cool steel walls, glad to know that Dongwoon was not immature enough to continue his badgering antics.

The elevator doors soon opened and Daphne stepped out into the lobby. Hearing her stomach growl softly, she quickened her strides and approached the front doors with haste, feeling the need satisfy her appetite. Once outside, Daphne was instantly met with an jubilant Yoseob, his infectious smile spreading to his ears as his eyes crinkled with joy.

“Noona!” Yoseob exclaimed as he waved fervently, his hands covered with soft mittens that protected them from the violent winds. “I’m so happy you could make it! And you didn’t ditch me this time. What a relief!”

“Yah...” Daphne playfully hit Yoseob’s arm. A sense of comfort settled in her stomach and she smiled unknowingly as she hooked her arm with Yoseob’s, preparing to venture off to a nearby restaurant. “Where are we going?”

“There’s a--”

“I want to eat kimbap,” a loud voice interrupted Yoseob.

Daphne and Yoseob looked at each other curiously, wondering who it was that planned to intrude on their dinner. Yoseob was the first time to turn around. His peripherals caught sight of the tall figure and he let out a sigh of frustration, his eyebrows furrowing in distress.

“No one asked you, Dongwoon,” Yoseob said bluntly, a hint of bitterness underlying his tone. “Go back in and wait for the hyungs.”

“But I’m hungry though!” Dongwoon smirked knowingly, sensing Yoseob’s anger. He noticed Daphne’s arms around Yoseob’s and promptly tore their arms apart as he squished between them, draping his arms over their shoulders. “You won’t mind, right, Daphne noona?”

Daphne glanced over at Yoseob whose face was contorted into an expression that just screamed fury. She wrinkled her nose as she deliberated her options. Like Yoseob, she was not entirely keen on allowing Dongwoon to tag along. Her stomach rumbled once more and she furrowed her eyebrows in anguish, conjuring up the quickest way to settle the situation.

“I guess,” she shrugged as Yoseob shot her an incredulous frown. “Can we just go eat now? I’m really hungry.”

Dongwoon let out a hearty laugh, his arms still hugging Yoseob’s and Daphne’s shoulders. “Okay, let’s go!” He turned his head and looked down at Yoseob, not bothering to hide his complacent smile. “What place were you considering, hyung?”

Yoseob groaned and continued to walk with the weight of Dongwoon’s arm still on his shoulders. Realizing that Dongwoon was going to stick with them like a pestering leech, he reluctantly answered, “Well, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted...” Yoseob glared at Dongwoon, but it was left unnoticed. “There’s a bar that serves really tasty pork belly down the street.”

“Oh, that place! Sounds good!” Dongwoon said happily as if he couldn’t sense the awkward tension in the air.

Yoseob rolled his eyes and continued to mope quietly to himself, sneaking a few glances towards Daphne’s direction who was being strangely quiet. He noticed that she was continuously rubbing her stomach and muttering unintelligible things under her breath. A laugh escaped Yoseob’s lips as he inferred that her hunger was taking up most of her attention.

The walk to the bar only lasted about three minutes but to Yoseob, it felt like an eternity. He wanted nothing more than to wriggle out of Dongwoon’s arm and snatch Daphne away to leave Dongwoon by himself, but realistically, he knew he could not overpower Dongwoon, so he remained silent.

“It’s right here,” Yoseob pointed out as the trio stopped in front of a rather shabby looking door. The dim lights shone through the window, but as Daphne peered in, she could not make out anything inside of the building. Noticing her apprehension, Yoseob spoke up. “I know the appearance isn’t too welcoming, but it’s definitely a hole in the wall. The food here is delicious!”

Yoseob flashed Daphne a small smile, despite of his sour mood. Daphne nodded and smiled back, the image of warm food flashing in her mind. Dongwoon took note of their little exchange, detecting the look of affection that Yoseob was sending Daphne.

Because of this, Dongwoon pulled both of them inside, breaking Yoseob’s and Daphne’s eye contact and cleared his throat loudly. “Well, let’s go in.”

As they entered into the bar, they were met with a young bartender who promptly spotted Yoseob as he waved kindly in their direction. Yoseob placed himself on a stool in front of the bartender and ushered Daphne to sit in the seat beside him. However, as soon as Daphne sat herself next to him, Dongwoon proceeded to position himself on the other side of Daphne, having her physically in the middle between the two competing members.

“Ah, I see you’ve brought a new friend, Yoseob,” the bartender smiled warmly as he wiped a tall glass clean with a handkerchief. His eyes briefly scanned Daphne through his long bangs that covered part of his eye. His attention was immediately torn away as he noticed the figure next to her. “You’re here too, Dongwoon!”

Yoseob nodded politely, gesturing towards Daphne. “Hyung, this is my friend, Park Daphne. She’s one of the new back-up dancers.”

“Choi Daehyun. Nice to meet you.” the bartender extended his free hand out, shaking Daphne’s hand. “You must be special. I’ve never seen any of the BEAST members bring a girl here before.”

Daphne chuckled nervously, not knowing what to say. Instead, she opted to simply nod and smile, her eyes traveling around the bar. Despite the late hour, there was an impressive amount of people throughout the place, all chatting amongst each other as they stirred their drinks in their hands. The bar was bursting with personality as the walls were decorated with paintings and photos, the dim lighting giving it a warm atmosphere.

“So the usual?” Daehyun asked Yoseob, placing the newly cleaned cup in one of his cabinets.

“Can we get a bottle of soju?” Dongwoon piped up.

Yoseob sent Dongwoon an incredulous look, his eyebrow raising. “What? You don’t even like drinking.”

“I just feel like drinking today,” Dongwoon explained, shrugging his shoulders. “We haven’t drank in so long, hyung!”

Just as Yoseob was about to shake his head, Daehyun interrupted, “If he wants to drink, then let him drink! I’ll get the bottle and some glasses out. The usual for food?”

Seeing that Daehyun was already making his way towards the alcohol, Yoseob gave in, merely nodding and too tired to even argue anymore. After a few minutes, Daehyun brought out a large bottle of soju as well as three shot glasses, handing them to each person.

Daphne shook her head fervently, pushing the shot glass away from her reach. “I don’t think I’ll be drinking.”

“Why not?” Daehyun asked.

“Oh, come on,” Dongwoon urged, sliding the shot glass back so that it was near her arm. “If we’re drinking, then you have to drink too! Right, hyung?” He turned to Yoseob who looked slightly taken aback at the unexpected attention.

“Who said I’m drinking?” Yoseob answered bluntly, scowling.

“That’s no fun,” Daehyun joked, slapping Yoseob on the back lightly. “You’re going to let Dongwoon drink alone?”

“Well, someone has to watch over him,” Yoseob retorted, folding his arms. “I’m not drinking.”

“Okay, how about this. If you drink, then I’ll have the food and soju on the house. Sound fair?” Daehyun bargained, nudging Yoseob playfully.

“Hyung, do it! Free food!” Dongwoon clapped his hands together gleefully, knowing that Yoseob wouldn’t be able to resist the offer.

Yoseob contemplated thoughtfully, wrinkling his nose slightly as he debated with himself. Free food was tempting, especially since he was only expecting to pay for two people rather than three. With a long sigh, Yoseob once more conceded, seeing that he simply could not win tonight. “Okay, fine.”

Dongwoon cheered loudly, his hand reaching for the bottle, but he stopped midway, turning his head towards Daphne. “See, noona, Yoseob hyung is drinking too.”

“I’ll only be giving free food if everyone drinks, Daphne-ssi,” Daehyun winked, smiling.

“Oh, I don’t know...” Daphne mumbled, evoking large frowns from Daehyun and Dongwoon. She looked at Yoseob for help on her indecisiveness but he merely shrugged, an apologetic expression on his face. Yoseob felt bad for not helping, but Daehyun was a master at the art of persuasion, so it would had been futile for Yoseob to even argue for her.

“Fine, fine!” Daphne raised her hands up in defeat, surrendering to their peer pressure. Of course, she only complied because free food was involved. If Daehyun had never brought up that agreement, she would had never said yes.

Daehyun and Dongwoon cheered loudly, their voices booming throughout the bar as Daehyun began to pour an adequate amount of alcohol into each of their shot glasses. He placed the bottle gently and left to go into the kitchen, stating that the food would be arriving shortly.

Dongwoon picked up his glass but promptly frowned, noticing that Daphne and Yoseob had both not touched their glasses. “Come on, let’s drink!”

Daphne and Yoseob looked at each other briefly and both sighed, reluctantly taking their glasses and raising it up to clink with Dongwoon’s. Yoseob downed his drink first, followed by Dongwoon. Daphne, however, still had her glass half raised, apprehensive.

Sensing this, Yoseob leaned in to her side and whispered, “Are you sure you want to do this?” He was not going to allow her to drink if it meant she was going to regret doing it, regardless of  Daehyun’s offer.

Feeling a bit selfish that she was going to let soju ruin their opportunity at free food, Daphne merely shook her head, raising the glass to her lips and gulping it in one swift motion. The alcohol stung as it streamed down , a bitter aftertaste soon following. She was never a fan of the awful taste of alcohol.

“Another!” Dongwoon exclaimed happily, pouring more of the liquid into their glasses.

About one and a half bottles of soju and ten rounds of shots later, Daphne’s eyelids began to droop heavily as her head lolled back and forth, feeling as if the weight of her head increased dramatically. She should had known not to drink so many shots after her previous experiences with alcohol, but every time she refused another offer, Daehyun and Dongwoon would pester her obnoxiously until she would eventually down the alcohol to shut them up.

Daphne felt her self-control beginning to slowly slip away from her grasp, her body entirely slumped on the counter before her. The room was slightly spinning, making it difficult to piece her thoughts together as she giggled repeatedly.

“Alright, guys,” Daehyun announced with a smug smile as he observed Daphne’s behavior, “we’re closing soon.” With that, Daehyun left to the back, taking their glasses and plates of food away.

“Already?” Daphne slurred, lifting her head up from her position. “But we still have half a bottle left!” She grabbed the soju bottle aggressively and attempted to raise it but with her little energy, it wobbled violently in her grasp. Luckily Yoseob was there to take it out of her shaky hold.

“Yah, Dongwoon,” Yoseob, who contained his alcohol extremely well, peered over at Dongwoon’s direction. Despite taking the same amount of drinks as Dongwoon and Daphne, Yoseob felt no effect from the alcohol. Though he was slightly buzzed, his thoughts and actions were coherent unlike the other two.

Dongwoon’s head was lying on one of his arms, which were sprawled over the counter. Like Daphne, he was too drunk to function, finding it hard to make sense of anything that was going on around him. However, he mustered up his remaining strength to lift his head up. “Yes?”

“Let’s go,” Yoseob replied flatly, rolling his eyes at Dongwoon’s state. Yoseob had warned Dongwoon numerous times to take the drinking slowly, but with Daphne here, Dongwoon wanted to show just how much of a ‘man’ he was by taking shot after shot.

Yoseob sat up from his stool and wrapped his arms around Daphne, trying to keep her steady as she moved clumsily from her seat, her balance completely off.

“Hyung!” Dongwoon suddenly exclaimed, getting off of his seat quickly. He slowly walked over to Yoseob, tearing his arms away from Daphne. “Get off. She’s my girlfriend.”

Yoseob’s eyes widened, his face completely taken aback by the sudden statement. “What?”

“Daphne noona and me...” Dongwoon said, grabbing a hold of the nearest stool for support. “We’re dating!” His arms flew up in excitement as he staggered backward from the momentum. Fortunately, he remained balanced as he made his way towards Daphne, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

“It’s true,” Daphne spoke up with an amused smile on her face. “We even kissed.”

“L-let’s go,” Yoseob uttered softly, feeling his heart slowly sinking to his stomach. He had already walked in on Dongwoon and Daphne kissing, but he had no idea their relationship would escalate that fast to dating. He unknowingly clenched his fists out of anger, trying his best to contain his emotions.

Daphne pushed herself off of her seat, but as she did so, her legs gave way. Yoseob thankfully caught her before she could fall, eliciting more giggles from her.

“Ah, let go of her,” Dongwoon demanded, but the moment his hand let go of his chair, he lost his stability and fell to the ground, his landing harshly on the cold floor. “Ow.”

Looking down at Dongwoon, Daphne burst into another fit of laughter, clutching her stomach. She prodded Yoseob in the arm, still laughing. “Did you see that?”

Yoseob, whose arms were still wrapped firmly around Daphne’s waist, sighed, his expression sour. With one arm clutched around Daphne, he took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. “Hyung? I need help. Dongwoon got his dumb drunk and now he can’t even walk.”

“I thought Doojoon hyung only let you go out and eat dinner,” Junhyung muttered as Dongwoon’s arms were heavily placed upon his shoulders, limping to keep both of their bodies firm.

“This babo decided to follow us,” Yoseob bitterly answered, carrying Daphne on his back with her arms wrapped around his neck.

Luckily Junhyung arrived at the bar shortly after Yoseob had called him, knowing that Yoseob’s small body could not withstand the weight of two people at once. Yoseob and Junhyung slowly made their way out of the bar and trudged on the sidewalk, taking small and steady steps.

“Why the hell did you let him drink so much? You know that kid can’t handle his alcohol...” Junhyung sighed, swatting Dongwoon’s lingering hand away from his face. “God, he’s so heavy...”

“He just kept drinking!” Yoseob defended himself, aggravated as he analyzed the situation. “I told them to stop, but you know Daehyun...he likes egging people on and Dongwoon just kept going at it. Idiot.”

“Why did you have to call me to help you?”

“Because,” Yoseob sighed, as they continued down their way, “you’re the only one awake at this hour and I really don’t want Doojoon hyung to know about this. Dongwoon doesn’t need another scolding.”

“Wow, still sticking up for him even after this?” Junhyung questioned, his voice incredulous.

“We need to watch each others’ backs, regardless of everything that’s happened. We are members, after all.” Yoseob shrugged indifferently, his eyes focused on the gray pavement of the road.

Junhyung had a point; Dongwoon put him so much turmoil, especially with his interference with Daphne, and now he was only adding insult to injury by getting drunk and having Yoseob cover him from Doojoon. However, no matter how much angry he was or how hurt he felt, he simply did not have the heart to hold such a grudge and betray someone like that. It wasn’t in his nature.

After walking about seven grueling blocks with the dreadful weight of two drunk bodies, Yoseob and Junhyung finally arrived at Daphne’s apartment, their bodies getting sore.

“I’ll wait here,” Junhyung said, placing Dongwoon softly on the curb as Junhyung sat down, relieved to have Dongwoon off of his shoulders. “Go take her in.”

Yoseob nodded. “I won’t take long.” He proceeded to take Daphne to her apartment, setting her down softly as her feet reached the ground. With a firm grip around her, he asked, “Noona, where did you put your key?”

“Mm,” Daphne mumbled as she nuzzled against Yoseob’s chest. She opened her eyes slowly, her mind still a bit hazy. “Yoseob...”

“Your key, noona?” Yoseob chuckled, sweeping her messy hair out of her face. Even when she was heavily intoxicated she still managed to appear somewhat cute.

Daphne felt around her pockets, her movements sluggish. Once she grasped it, she pushed the key into Yoseob’s hands as she leaned against him dependently, fatigue washing over her.

The door creaked loudly as Yoseob opened it, the sound echoing off the walls of Daphne’s dark living room. Yoseob picked Daphne up the way a groom would pick up his bride and brought her to the couch, laying her down softly.

“Yoseob...” Daphne murmured as he set her down, her arms still clasped tightly around his neck. “You know I’ve always liked you, right?”

Yoseob laughed quietly, patting her head gently. “I know, noona. We’re good friends, aren’t we?”

“No...I’m serious,” Daphne said, her words still slightly slurred. “I like you a lot...” The weight of her eyelids began to grow immensely heavier as they slowly fluttered. “More than Dongwoon... more than a friend...I like you, Yoseob-ah...” She closed her eyes but her arms were still clinging to Yoseob’s neck.

His heart filled with warmth as his stomach lurched with a tinge of happiness, but he was unsure if there was any truth in her words. Before he could fill his head with deluded hopes, he shook his thoughts away, concluding that she was only speaking nonsense. “You’re Dongwoon’s girlfriend now.” he thought to himself, his eyes full of disappointment.

He attempted to pry her hands off of him, but she only held him tighter. “Noona...I have to go.”

“Stay,” Daphne whispered, her eyes still closed shut, “with me? Please?”

“I...” Yoseob began, but the words became lost in his throat as he observed her contorted face, pleading him to accompany her.

He placed himself next to her, adjusting himself so that they could both fit on the couch. As soon as she felt him next to her, Daphne’s face relaxed, her expression peaceful. Yoseob smiled to himself as he took in her beauty, brushing her hair away from her face.

“Good night, noona,” Yoseob whispered softly, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He took out his phone and hastily dialed Junhyung’s number. “Hyung? Go on without me...”