Time flies and it's already the mid-term break. However, there wasn't any difference for you. Suho is busy with his school work so he didn't come back home. Instead, he's staying back in his school dorm with Kris and Xiumin who were also pretty occupied with their work. He did however came home a few times for dinner during the weekends and you've always looked forward to it. Without Suho in the house, it was a total chaos. Kai, who was still trying to move on, kept going to the studio from time to time even though not as much, Sehun couldn't stay away from you for some reason. Always asking you to go out with him be it the mall, getting bubbletea or just for a walk. He was clingy before but he was never this clingy. Chanyeol....well, Chanyeol was pretty much normal. Only, he didn't tease you as much as before. But he's trying to do what Suho does, asking about your whereabouts, helping you with your school work, assisting you and D.O. with the chores. It was a little weird but you didn't think so much about it. D.O. on the other hand has been pretty busy. Since Suho is not in charge anymore, he had more stuff to do. Waking up Kai and Sehun for breakfast, cleaning the house, grocery shopping. Sometimes you'd find him falling asleep during lunch because of all the work and Hae Ra has been pestering you to help. Well, you do help him, it's not like you didn't. But something has been bothering you lately.

Him.

Months have passed now since the plan was initiated. Beakhyun has been by Mi Young's side ever since. He'd disappear during the day to fetch her to school, and come home late at night after sending her home. He's even met her parents. It's the same thing during weekends too. He'd go off without having a single bite of his breakfast, saying that he's having it with Mi Young, and come home late at night, looking all shriveled and lifeless. He's been losing weight too. His clothes seemed to be a bit too big for him now and his eyes didn't have that sparkle they once had whenever he smiles. His smiles doesn't reach his eyes anymore. And since it was the mid-term break, you expected him to be home more often but obviously, it was too good to be true. Maybe he has fallen for her. Maybe, she managed to seduce him. Thoughts like these swarm your mind, making you have sleepless nights over and over again. And to make it worse, Mi Young's birthday was coming and all of you, were invited to her party. 

"What's this?" Kai said as he eyed the card full of pink glitter and smelled as though it was drowned in perfume. He scrunched his nose and read it while eating his breakfast. *Too much pink.* Chanyeol sighed and turned away with disgust. "It's the witch, she's having a party this Saturday." Kai looked up. "Oh really? Then count me out." *That explains all the glitter.* He he threw the paper back on to the table, almost landing it on the pile of freshly baked pancakes D.O. had placed. "Hey, watch where you're throwing that stuff will you? I don't want my pancakes to taste like Victoria's Secret or something." Sehun glared at Kai who just rolled his eyes and continued eating. "Should we go?" D.O asked and looked at everyone. Chanyeol shrugged. "I don't know. But Baek's obviuosly is right?" *I feel bad for Baek but I don't want to go to this party.* You pretended not to be affected by hearing his name and silently chewed your food. You weren't hungry anymore though. Sehun sighed and puffed his cheeks. "Poor hyung. He must be feeling so lonely." D.O. nodded. suddenly the mood was affecting everyone, even Kai, who was trying his best not to show any interest. *Screw this.*

In the end, he slammed his hands on the table and stood up, making everyone jump in their seats. "What the hell man?!" Chanyeol blurted, while holding his chest to calm his heart. Kai clicked his tongue and ran his hand through his hair. "Let's just go to this stupid party." Everyone stared at him. D.O. had his eyes looking like saucers. Kai understood why everyone was staring at him. It was unusual for him to get worked up about someone else's business. Kai was always known to be self-centered. Everything revolves around him. That's why it was a surprise to hear him say such a thing. He let out a long sigh and sat back down. "I know this is hard to believe, but I want all this to end." Again, everyone just stared at him but he just continued. "Look, Baek hyung is..is our friend. And, friends help...each other. D-don't they? So let's all help him." Kai stared at the table, embarrassed of what he said and not wanting to look at anyone. *I feel like curling into a ball on the floor right now. I can't believe I just said that.* He though to himself. 

After hearing what he said, everyone else had smiles appearing on their faces. Even you. You felt so proud of him somehow. You stole a glance at D.O and he nodded knowingly at you. After a few seconds of silence Kai looked up. "Aren't you guys going to say anything? I just said some embarrassing stuff and all you guys are just sitting quietly?" Chanyeol couldn't stand it anymore and started to burst into laughter, causing everyone to follow suit. "Man, I wish I could've recorded that!" Sehun laughed and nodded. "I'm sure Suho hyung wouldn't believe us if we told him what Kai had said." Kai blushed and shot Sehun a death glare. "Yah! It's not funny okay! I-I was being serious!" You wiped a fake tear from your eyes and patted his shoulder. "I didn't know you had this side to you oppa. You should show it more often!" Kai pouted and crossed his arms. "Fine, make fun of me all you want." You smiled. "We're not making fun of you oppa. We're just proud I guess?" Chanyeol chuckled and raised his hands. "Oh I'm making fun of him alright!" And he started laughing again. You shot a look at him and he stopped, before you turned back to Kai. "That's a good idea oppa. I think we should go to the party. For Baekhyun oppa." Kai smiled at you. *I knew you'd understand Ryoko ah. That's what I like about you.* He thought to himself.

You waited for the response from the others and just when you were about to repeat yourself, Chanyeol nodded his head. "Baek's our buddy. We shouldn't just leave him to be alone. Especially not with that witch." Sehun and D.O. nodded. You smiled and clapped your hands. "So it's settled then! We're all going!" You really wanted to help Baekhyun. He's all alone, with Mi Young. You were surprised that he could stand her for months now. Everytime you asked if you should just stop the plan, he'd smile and say it's all for your own good. But you can't take it anymore. Honestly, going to this party, was not only to help Baekhyun. But also, yourself. You need to see him, talk to him, joke around with him, just like before. *We'll find a way around this.* You thought to yourself.

Saturday came around quicker than you expected. D.O., you, Kai and Sehun were all dressed and ready for the party. Chanyeol apparently was taking longer than usual. "Hyung! What's taking you so long?! We're going be late!" Sehun shouted from the stairs. You sighed and decided to go up and check on him. "Oppa, the rest are all- What are you doing?" You stopped at the door, looking at a troubled Chanyeol who was standing in front of the mirror, wrestling with a bow tie. He looked embarrassed and quickly tossed the tiny piece of cloth on to his bed. "I can't tie it..." He said in a soft voice while he sat down on his bed. You giggled and went closer. "It's just that...Baek always does it for me. School tie, bow tie, picking up the laundry...he's always there to help me." Your expression soften at the sight of him. Chanyeol, who was known to be the giant with a happy virus, looks so sad. "You miss him don't you oppa?" You sat next to him. Chanyeol let out a soft chuckle. "He's my best friend Ryoko ah. Of course I do." You smiled and pulled him up to his feet. You then grabbed a small stool and stepped on it so that you could reach his neck. Slowly, you tied the bow tie around his neck, careful not to mess up his dress shirt. After you were done, you dusted off the dust from his shoulders and looked him in the eye with a smile. "Well then, let's go get your friend back."

Suho couldn't join you guys since he still had some work to do and even if he could, he wouldn't make it in time. So instead, he asked D.O. to keep him updated on what was happening. Even though it wasn't the first time you've been to her house, the sight of the mansion still took you by surprise. *How rich is this family?* You thought to yourself. And it was as though the whole school was invited. Cars that looked as though they cost millions were parked outside the house, people were in small groups chit chatting away. Colourful lights and the loud blare of music can be heard even before you passed through the front gate! "I've never seen some of these kids before! Did she invite the whole of China?!" Kai shouted as you guys entered the house. The music was too loud and it was kinda hard to speak so you guys had to shout. Being the one with long arms, Chanyeol initiated a group huddle. With all of your heads together and close, it was much easier to talk and listen. "Okay guys, here's what we're gonna do. Baek is somewhere in this building and we have to find him. We'll split up and if we can't find him after an hour, come back here okay?" He said. Honestly it was the first time you've seen him taking charge so you were quite impressed. 

There were three stories to the house.
Chanyeol was in charge of the kitchen and guest rooms on the first floor,
Kai was in charge of the toilets and the backyard,
Sehun and D.O. were together on the second floor, which seemed bigger than the first and you didn't know why,
So that leaves you with the third floor which consisted of various rooms.

It was kinda hard to move since the whole place was packed and there was no other way up except for the main stairs in the middle. "What kind of mansion only has one staircase?!" You angrily mumbled to yourself. All around you, you could see people, chatting, flirting and drinking, what you assume is alcohol. "And where did she get all this stuff? Won't her parents find out about this?!" As you were walking up the stairs, random strangers whom you've never seen before, and you most certainly know aren't from your school, tried to chat you up and offer you some drinks. You politely declined their offer and quickly retreated. Finally, you've reached the third floor of the house. You wiped your sweat. After that long journey up the stairs, you were tired, angry, and smelled like cheap perfume and beer. You wanted to puke on the spot but you remembered what you came for. "Must find Baekhyun." You reminded yourself. "But before that, let's go find the bathroom." You couldn't stand the smell of beer sticking on your dress. You had to get rid of it before you faint or else they won't only need to find Baekhyun, but they'll need to find you too. *Washroom...washroom...washroom...why are there so many doors in this house and there's no signs for the washroom!* You wandered around the corridors, which actually looked kinda creepy now that it's further away from where the party was at. No more random drunk teenagers, the sound of the music was just faint in the background, and the lights were dim. 

"This must be it." You said as you reached a corner. You turned too quickly and accidentally bumped into someone. Oof! "So sorry about that-" You stopped halfway when you realized who you bumped into. Ma Ri. For a second there you forgot who she was but then you realized after Mi Young and Baekhyun got together, Ma Ri was nowhere to be seen. It's like she didn't hang around Mi Young like how she used to. "M-Ma Ri sunbae. I'm sorry!" You quickly bowed, remembering how she slammed you against the girl's washroom wall. Unknowingly, you also wrapped your arms around yourself and closed your eyes, expecting the same thing to happen. You expected her to scowl at you like she always does but instead she didn't. The words that came out from shocked you even more. "A-are you okay? A-re you hurt anywhere?" You shot your eyes open and stared at her. *Did she just say what I think she did?* "E-excuse me?" You asked. Ma Ri looked different somehow. She wasn't as intimidating as before. And judging by the way she dressed, she looked like she wasn't here to party. She was in a simple loose shirt and faded skinny jeans. She had no make up on and her hair was tied up in a bun. "Ma Ri sunbae, what are you doing here? Where's Mi young unnie?" 

*If Ma Ri sunbae is here, that means Mi Young unnie should be close by right?* Ma Ri just smiled and shook her head. "You see, me and Mi Young haven't been hanging out together for awhile. Not after...you know..." Her voice trailed off. She looked a little embarrassed actually. Trying to change the subject, Ma Ri asked you a question. "Did she invite you here?" You wondered why she asked you a random question but brushed it off and nodded. "Actually, I'm here to...to meet a friend." You let out a nervous laugh. Ma Ri nodded. "You mean, Baekhyun right?" You looked at her and nodded. And then, something unbelievable happened. She smiled. Ma Ri actually smiled at you and it wasn't menacing at all. It was genuine. "Let's go find him together. I'm looking for Mi Young, so wherever he is, she's bound to be there too." You couldn't help but smile as well. *Why is she suddenly being so nice to me? Doesn't she hate me?* You thought. But you quickly shook that thought out from your head. *Ma Ri is bound to know where Mi Young is. Which means my search will end earlier than I expected it to.* You looked at your watch and notice you still had ten minutes left before meeting up with the rest. *There's still time.*

As the two of you walked in silence down the hallway, you couldn't ignore how awkward it was, and decided to start a conversation. "Back then, you said you we're hanging out with Mi Young unnie anymore....why is that?" You knew you were digging your own grave to ask such a question but again, unexpectedly, Ma Ri just chuckled and smiled. "Well, I knew you would be curious about that. Ever since she and that guy got together, I don't know, she doesn't need my company as much." You nodded. You didn't know what to reply. However somehow, you kind of knew why Mi Young might have acted that way towards Ma RI. "If you don't mind me asking another personal question, how did you become close to Mi Young unnie?" Again, Ma Ri just chuckled and smiled. "Now look, I understand you lot don't really see her as...a nice person but, Mi Young...she's really really kind. I've known her all my life Ryoko ah. She's been my friend for as long as I can remember. You just got to be closer to her to see her true self." All the while when she was talking, you could sense that she was about to break down. How the tears were slowly forming in her eyes, but she held them back. And how her voice cracked a few times. How can someone so evil as Mi Young, be described as someone who's nice? Maybe what she says is true. You have no right to judge anyway. It could be because you don't really have a good impression of Mi Young, and maybe because what she did is what caused all that's been happening to you. You decided to stop asking such questions and the both of you just walked on silently.

Just then, before the both of you came to another corner of the corridor, a huge crash was heard. Both you and Ma Ri stared at each other wide eyed before widening your steps towards where the sound came from. At the end of the dark corridor, a door was opened and light from inside the room emitted from it. You could hear footsteps. Not just one, but you could tell there were two people in that room. Slowly, you and Ma Ri approached the room with quiet steps. But then there was the sound of something crashing again and the both of you quickly fasten your steps and opened the door. You expected to see clumsy burglars dressed in black with pantyhose over their faces and beanies to cover their hair, or maybe a group of rats scavenging for food in the room, knocking down all the furniture that was getting in their way. But what you saw was much worse than that. Ma Ri's eyes widened and she turned her head towards you. "R-Ryoko ah..." She said. What you saw was worse, much much worse than a group of rats or a couple of thieves. It was Baekhyun and Mi Young. Together. Lips locked with each other. 

And that's when you heard something else break. 

Your heart.

[A/N] DUNDUNDUN. So school has started, I just got back my results from my exams and, it . LOL. So you guys know what this means right?
         updates would be much slower. I actually wanted to go on hiatus for a while but then an inspiration for this chapter came to me so I had to write it down
         as soon as pissible before I forget. And I think it won't be long before this fic would come to an end T^T 

         Anyway, on a lighter note, those of you who have just subscribed to this fic, thank you! I was actually certain i wouldn't get anymore subs since it's quite 
         long and I don't update much but to know that I have new subs whenever I wake up to check my notifications really makes my day :) I really do thank all 
         of my subscribers, new and old, for keeping up with this fic. Like I said in the foreword, I got the idea of this fic from my sister since she's into Jpop. And
         I didn't really think it would do this well. I appreciate every comment you guys gave me, good and bad and I hope you'll stay with me through to the end
         of this fic :)

미라 <3