The day of the party had arrived faster than Yoona wanted it to come. Standing in the middle of her spacious living room, she looked around her and at the people scurrying about – putting flowers in vases and arranging the furniture with the utmost care. If she ventured into the kitchen, she knew that she would find the same scene: a group of people preparing food for the festivity to take place in just a few hours, smiling and greeting easily at her while she passed them.

Her house had come to life at the news of her father’s homecoming, and for a moment, Yoona wasn’t too sure if she was feeling happy by this or not. The help clearly was overjoyed by this, as they’d missed their master as much as she, but her worries were more to the fact that she was afraid of what might happen later. Her father’s friends and business associates would be arriving soon, and so would some of hers and…

Changmin’s right. This has disaster written all over it. Yoona thought, taking a deep breath as she closed her bedroom door behind her. Inviting her father’s business associates also meant inviting his board members – which, coincidentally enough, included Donghae as well. And if she’d felt a little worried about having to explain to people why her ‘boyfriend’ didn’t want to talk, Yoona now also had to agonize over facing her ex-boyfriend at the same event. She knew it would have happened sooner or later, but she hoped it would be later than sooner all the same.

“Please… please let this day end well,” she prayed, closing her eyes with worry. Please give me the will to smile and laugh and be happy for my father. Give me the strength to face Donghae while pretending to be someone’s girlfriend. For a moment, Changmin’s face appeared in her mind – wearing that unreadable expression as his lips inched closer to hers. Yoona felt her cheeks burn at the memory and she shook her head, breathing deeply to calm herself.

The memory of that moment still confused her. They didn’t talk about it after they’d left the shop, and when they had to go their separate ways home – Changmin hadn’t done anything to explain himself. Instead, he’d just looked at her the way he’d looked at her in the boutique: focused and admiring… his eyes trained only on her. Yoona bit her lip. She had questions bubbling in her head that night that for some reason she couldn’t ask, and she wondered why. It was clear what their relationship was to the one another – “a business agreement”, to put it callously – and so things shouldn’t have to be so confusing. There shouldn’t have been any problems between them.

But why would he look at me like that? And why didn’t I pull away? Yoona asked herself, sitting on the bed. She bit the inside of her cheek as she rubbed the soft fabric of her comforter. It was quilt – small and new – something she’d gotten as a gift from Changmin’s sisters whilst they were all out shopping one day.

It was one of those random days (before she’s started planning the party) when Yoona had gone to get a coffee for herself and ended up getting dragged out on a play date with the adopted sisters. Yuri and Sooyoung were too energetic and happy to say ‘no’ to, and even she had to admit that spending the day with them had given her a lot to smile about. They’d stopped at quilt store on the way back and the sisters’ piled in with her in tow. They picked out the comforter from the window and then told her that the contrast of dark and bright patches made them think of her brother and her. It seemed to represent them in a way, they told her. Clashing but perfect together or something like that.

She remembered the way Changmin had rolled his eyes at his sisters’ anecdotes and then smiled at her, showing her his board with words that said not to listen to their cheesy thoughts on them. She also remembered the how well her hand fit in his as they walked together, back to her car with his sisters following behind and teasing them. They bickered and laughed and acted so naturally together that day… It was almost as if they were keeping up appearances as a couple even though it wasn’t really necessary.

Yoona pursed her lips and sighed. “This is giving me a headache,” she whispered, standing up to get her clothes ready for later. Laying out the green dress they’d picked out before her, Yoona felt a small twinge in her heart.

Donghae had always liked the color green. And Changmin had told her with his eyes how much he liked this dress on her. Oh dear.

Shaking her head, she let out a loud sigh of frustration and closed her eyes.

“Tonight’s going to be a disaster.”

Changmin stood anxiously on the other side of the street where Yoona’s house stood and let out a sigh. He had known Yoona was well-off, but he hadn’t expected it to be to this extent. A number of cars had already passed him and entered the gates of the Im mansion that it made him a little less comfortable in his skin. He was already uncomfortable in his suit – and now, even more at the sight of the royalty entering his pseudo-girlfriend’s home.

This has disaster written all over it. Changmin thought, bravely taking his steps towards the house. A few feet away, he saw Hyoyeon’s familiar figure standing beside Eunhyuk – grinning at him and waving by the door. He loosened his tie just a bit, taking a deep breath as he walked awkwardly towards them. It’s show time, he told himself. It’s time to play my part.

“Hey, Broody! Looking good!” Hyoyeon greeted, eyeing him from head to foot. She reached over to pat down his anxious shoulders and smirked. “It’s nice to see you out of jeans, I have to say. It’s a nice change.”

“You look almost as good as I do.” Eunhyuk said, giving him a ‘thumbs up’ sign. Then he stepped back and reached behind him (a bag was there, sitting out beside the door), pulling out an iPad and stylus before turning back to hand it to Changmin. “Here. Use this instead of your whiteboard. If you’re going to write your conversations, you might as well do it in style.”

Changmin nodded in gratitude and held up the device to his face for a brief moment. He knew how to use it, but the object felt odd in his hands. He’d been too used to writing on his whiteboard since he was 15 that it was awkward to hold up something from the 21st century. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to embarrass Yoona by showing up at a party with smeared ink stains on his sleeves from his whiteboard conversations. It was better to keep up with the times, at least for tonight.

“Shall we go?” Hyoyeon asked, tilting her head to the side and grinning. With her arm looped around her boyfriend’s, she patted Changmin on the shoulder as they readied themselves and faced the doors of the Im household. “Don’t worry, Broodster. We’ll watch out for ya.”

The doors opened slowly, revealing large marble tiles that tinged a faint sense of familiarity in Changmin’s head. He stepped into the house anxiously, his eyes darting from side to side as he drank in the image of this unfamiliar home. Whatever confusion he might have had over how much exactly Yoona’s quiet wealth was when she offered to help him pay his sister’s hospital bills left him the second he stepped into her home.

She wasn’t kidding when she said she could afford it, he thought, whistling softly to himself and admiring the posh interior of his (pretend) girlfriend’s home.

“Hey! Changmin!”

Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk had already gone ahead of him a few steps while he surveyed his surroundings and were now calling him to follow. Changmin did so cautiously, gulping down the nervousness he felt once he was surrounded by the sophisticated murmurs of important but unfamiliar faces. The couple accompanied him diligently, murmuring information and encouragement while they passed several people. They must have known he was nervous as hell with the way they took him around the room, but he felt grateful nonetheless. It was good to be around people he knew somewhat at least rather than face things alone. He hadn’t even spotted Yoona yet, and so being coached by the HyoHyuk couple (he dubbed them as such in his head, since it was easier to remember) was better than standing like a statue.

“Don’t worry about a thing, bro.” Eunhyuk spoke, patting him on the shoulder and grinning. Changmin cringed to himself, wondering when they’d suddenly become ‘bros’ but listened nonetheless as the lanky man continued, “I don’t know half of the people here either but if they’re invited by the Im family then it just means that they’re good people and that they’re non-threatening.”

Hyoyeon agreed, nodding her head slowly. “Eunhyuk’s right. The people who surround the Im family are probably the nicest folk you’ll ever encounter. You’ve met Mr. Im – he’s so fluffy! Like a bear!”

/Scary as hell too./ Changmin added, feeling strange at the fact that he didn’t get inkblots on his fingertips. He thought about it for a second and added a second line, making the pair laugh and shake their heads at him, /Like a bear./

“You’re unusual, you know that?” Eunhyuk said, chuckling. Crossing his arms across his chest when they stopped by the open bar, he nodded his head approvingly at him. He was beginning to really like the fact that his best friend’s ex-girlfriend was now moving on with an interesting guy like him.

Sorry, Donghae but I’m on Changmin’s team now. He thought, shrugging to himself. Putting an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders, he grinned and lifted a drink to his lips. “It’s no wonder Yoona likes you. You’re cool, like me.”

Hyoyeon’s smile was identical to her boyfriend’s when she pushed Changmin’s shoulder with her free hand. She pointed past him, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “And speaking of Yoona…”

Changmin turned his head, his eyes widening slowly as Yoona entered the room with her hair flowing down her back and in the dress he’d picked just the other day. She hadn’t spotted them yet from her place at the door, and he was fine with that since it gave him time to peruse and save the angelic image she made at that moment.

He’d seen her often in and out of the hospital looking the same as she did when they’d first met – plain and lovely in her own quiet way – but tonight was beyond different. Tonight was… simply magical. Like a dream.

“Hello.” Yoona greeted, smiling with her hair sweeping down her back and shining. She stopped in front of them with her hands placed demurely in front of her, her skin glowing.

Changmin’s lips widened into a smile and vaguely felt himself open his mouth to—to what? He caught himself just in time as his breath came in a rush and closed his mouth. No sound came out and Yoona didn’t notice but it sur