For some reason, Sooyoung insisted on taking public transit to Hongdae. She had said that this was a chance for the boys to be normal people for once, and normal people did not generally travel around in suspicious-looking black vans.

 

Thus, the fourteen of you were currently on the bus, attracting more than a few stares, because even dressed down casually, EXO was still a sight for sore eyes. 

 

Kai was arguing with D.O and Baekhyun, who had forced him into a seat. 

 

"Kai, we know you're good, but nobody's that good. How are you going to dance with a bandaged up leg?" Baekhyun said exasperatedly.

 

"There are other things do to at clubs."

 

"Like what."

 

"Getting drunk, getting chicks - Ow!" 

 

You looked aimlessly away from the glowering boy beside you innocently, as if you had not just whacked him over the head. Your eyes fell on an unusually animated Sehun, chittering Luhan's ear off about this bubble tea place he knew. The boy's smile stretched from ear to ear, eyes shining with excitement as he talked. Luhan gazed back at him fondly, content to just listen, treasuring the younger's innocence.

 

When the bus stopped at the subway station, you all filed out onto the platform, looking around. Truth be told, it had been a while since you had taken public transit, and even longer since the last time you visited Hongdae. You looked towards Sooyoung to lead the way, as she had done for the bus station, but you were surprised to see that she looked as lost as you felt.

 

"Uh, maybe someone should go get a map..." Xiumin said slowly.

 

"I'll go!" Tao volunteered chirpily, and proceeded to drag a bemused Kris with him by the elbow to the nearest info booth, which was on the far end of the hall. 

 

You shifted your weight from side to side as you stood waiting, picking at ends of your huge fluffy scarf. Sooyoung had insisted that you 'dress up' for the occasion, and you had given in with not much resistance, mainly because it wasn't anything nearly as drastic as your dress for the Gala. You had paired a thick, soft, oversized beige sweater with a short pleated grey skirt. The dark red woolen scarf served to add some colour, in addition to covering up skin exposed by the sweater's wide collar that almost stretched from shoulder to shoulder. 

 

"Excuse me, Jinhye-ssi?" You turned towards Suho's tentative voice and tilted your head in question at his small frown. He pointed at his own cheek. "You're bleeding."

 

You mimicked his actions and cursed at the wetness you felt, seeping from beneath the small bandage. 

 

"You should go wash that up, Jinnie. Wouldn't want it to get infected or anything," Sooyoung said, after coming over and inspecting your wound. You grumbled under your breath as you headed towards the washroom, following the blue signs overhead.

 

You had forgotten how twisty the subways were, or maybe it was only because of your unfamiliarity, but you swore that it had taken you ages to find a washroom. Setting your purse down on a dry spot on the line of sinks in front of the mirror, You pulled out a spare bandage and some tissue, wetting it under the tap and dabbing away the dried blood gently, wincing as you did so. You were about to apply the new bandage when you remembered what Sooyoung said about infection, and sighed. The alcohol swab was painful, but it killed any festering bacteria. Plus, it contained antibiotics as well.  

 

You stood back and checked your reflection before heading back out, praying that you could find the platform again. You worried for a second that they might have left without you, but Sooyoung would have called you in that event. 

 

After asking two people for directions, you found yourself back where you started, only to find EXO and Sooyoung nowhere in sight. 

 

'What the-?

 

A call of your name caused you to turn around, and you saw Kris striding towards you, without Tao, sporting a furious expression.

 

"Where is everyone?"

 

"I was about to ask you the same question. Weren't you with Tao?"

 

His frown deepened. "I was asking the clerk for a map, and when I turned around, he was gone."

 

Worry bubbled in your gut. "You don't think anything happened to them, do you?"

 

"It would be difficult to kidnap twelve grown people discretely in somewhere like this, if that's what you're asking," he replied, gesturing to the bustling crowd around you. "Don't you have Sooyoung-sunbae's number?"

 

It should have been the obvious thing to do, and you reproached yourself for not thinking of it. Before you could pull out your phone, however, it rang.

 

Gee gee gee gee baby baby baby~

 

The familiar ringtone caused you to let out a sigh of relief, which immediately shifted to anger when you answered. 

 

"Where the hell are you?!"

 

"Whoa Jinnie, chill out, we're all fine."

 

"That doesn't answer my question."

 

"Well, I'm on my way to Myeongdong right now-"

 

"What?!?"

 

"Uh, yeah. Tao and Baekhyun wanted to go shopping. Chanyeol tagged along, and apparently Sehun knows a better bubble tea place here. Also I called Sica and Donghae down too."

 

"Wait, you're talking as if you're not with all of them."

 

"Yeeahhh, about that..."

 

"Choi Sooyoung, where is everyone?"

 

"'Kay, Jinnie, don't freak. Kyuhyun and Siwon are with Kai, Kyungsoo, and Chen. I'm not sure where exactly they were headed. They were still arguing about it when we left. Yunho and Changmin are taking Suho, Lay, and Xiumin to Incheon...I think."

 

"When did you decide to change plans? How did you get Kyuhyun and Siwon and- how did you get them to go with you? I thought their schedules were packed! Weren't we going to Hongdae? And what do you mean, you think!?"

 

You heard a sigh and some muttering and chuckling in the background.

 

"What's so funny?!"

 

"Oh god, Jinhye, bring it down an octave. Think about it a little, you're not that stupid, are you?"

 

You frowned at Jessica's cryptic answer.

 

"What's there to think about, Sooyoung upped and ditched and left me with......." you trailed off, eyes turning to the man who stood beside you, frown still in place as he tried to understand your conversation, and the pieces finally fell into place. "Oh."

 

"Finally got there, have you?"

 

You spluttered nonsense for a few seconds before forcing yourself to breathe and calm down. "Jess? Tell Sooyoung that she's a dead woman."

 

"Stop being such a drama queen. This was Luhan's idea, anyway. And sheesh, you haven't been on a date in ages - "

 

"This isn't a date!" You shrieked, feeling the familiar heat of a blush rising to your cheeks. Unseen by you, Kris raised an eyebrow at your outburst, now having a pretty good idea what was going on. Of course, such a realization did nothing more than make him even more uncomfortable. He watched you berate Jessica for a while longer, and when you finally hung up, he still had no idea how to proceed.

 

Thankfully, he didn't need to.

 

"I swear to God I'm never trusting them again!" you fumed, tugging anxiously at your scarf after stuffing the phone back into your purse.  Your eyes were downcast, cheeks still pink in embarassment, and he found the resulting picture irrestibly cute. 

 

"It's not funny!" He was confused for a second, then realized that he had been smiling. And you had mistaken it for being amused at the situation.

 

"It's not anything to get so worked up over, either."

 

"Do you even know what happened?!"

 

Kris sighed. You seemed more stressed out and nervous about this than he was, and for some reason, that fact lessened his own discomfort as he worked on easing yours.

 

"Something along the lines of them planning all of this out beforehand to leave us alone?" 

 

He was careful to keep an impassive expression, even though his heart was racing at the prospects, the possibilities - that is, if you decided to go along with their plan, and not head straight back home.

 

"How can you be so calm about this?"

 

"I doubt that they're in any danger, since they're with people like Kyuhyun and Siwon. And as for...this situation, you don't have to do this if you don't want to," was what he replied, calmly, smoothly, but he was doing the mental equivalent of crossing his fingers, praying that you wouldn't take the option.

 

"I..."

 

You were wavering. 

 

"If you like her, the fight for her."

 

He had always prided himself on being blunt and straightforward. Back in China, any interpersonal interactions of value were business-related and purposeful. Due to his position in the food chain, he had never had to fight for anything. People deferred to his demands if they knew what was good for them. On top of that, he didn't know how to go about 'asking out' anybody. The women he had been with were never really more than faceless placeholders, one-night stands to fulfil his needs. They had all been more than willing, hoping to gain the favour of the Wu family, or at the very least be spoiled with lavish gifts, despite the fact that his track record never reflected anything of the sort. Thus, this situation was entirely new to him. The small space of calmness he had enjoyed disappeared, replaced by choking nervousness, though he was determined not to show it.

 

"I would prefer if you did, however."

 

"What?"

 

He mentally kicked himself at how that came out like an order. Your expression was confused, and slightly offended. "I meant, I don't really know my way around Seoul, so it would be best if you accompanied me."

 

He watched in horror as the confusion on your face was quickly edged out by distaste at his arrogant words.

 

"You have a map," was your icy reply, turning around to leave. 

 

"Wait!"

 

You stopped and looked back at him, or more specifically, his hand wrapped around your elbow.

 

'How does Kai do this? How does he make it seem so easy?'

 

"I..."

 

How? How did you do this to him? What was it about you that reduced him to a stuttering idiot? For the first time in his life, he found himself fumbling for words, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

 

Your passive face as you waited for him to say whatever he needed to say did nothing to help the situation.

 

His brain was trying desperately to put phrases together - something along the lines of desiring your company, giving him a chance, apologizing for his incoherency because he's never felt this confused before in his life-

 

Unfortunately, his mouth seemed to disconnect itself from his brain, reacting instead to your obvious impatience.

 

"Will you go out with me?"

 

Everything seemed to congeal. A deafening silence fell, muffling the noise around the two of you. There was a strange roaring in his ears, and he felt them burn. You stared at at him, stunned, not quite processing his question, and he suddenly felt so very small, and wished the ground could split open and devour him. Or that something could fall out of the sky and knock him out so his brain would stop screaming at him at how utterly stupid that sounded.

 

He could almost hear Kai laughing at him.

 

'Really hyung? Will you go out with me? What are you, in junior high?'

 

And then Sooyoung, trying and failing to stifle her giggles.

 

'When I said be sincere, I was hoping you'd be a little more eloquent.'

 

Jesus frickin' Christ, he didn't know he'd freeze up like a flustered schoolboy either. Even now, with the words hanging in the air, he couldn't get his vocal chords to work, to explain himself, to elaborate, to somehow make things a little less awkward-

 

Instead, he kept his mouth shut, waiting as if on a ledge of a skyscraper, for your answer.