*5, 4, 3, 2, 1*

                “Welcome to this year’s Halloween Masquerade Dance!” the entire student body gushed through the doors and filled up the gym. The room began buzzing with gossip and the scrutinizing began. Butterflies swarmed in Yeon Ah’s stomach as the crowd grew larger. She never would’ve thought that the whole entire school would be coming to the dance. However, according to the ticket sales, every single student was in attendance. The Principal stepped up to the microphone and the gym instantly grew silent.

                “Good Evening, students of Korea Arts. I’m glad all of you made it out tonight. Before I start off the dance, I’d like to give a special thanks to the Halloween Committee. Especially to Class 4A’s Lee Dong Rim and 3A’s Chae Yeon Ah. Without their leadership skills, this dance wouldn’t have happened. Let’s give them all a round of applause." Cheers burst from the crowd as the 16 of them bowed on stage. “Settle down. Now, you all know that we have some special prizes tonight. I have hired some special photographers who will be taking photos of those who entered the contests and the teachers will act as judges to see who will win the prizes. So, make sure you get your picture taken. Without further ado, DJ, let’s get this party started!” The crowd went wild as the music began to boom through the speakers. Yeon Ah stumbled off the stage, a mixture of excitement and anxiety coursing through her body. She felt her phone vibrate.

                (Where are you? We’re at the entrance! -Kim Twins)

                Yeon Ah pushed through the crowd towards the entrance and immediately found her friends. They were dressed in matching black and white jester outfits.

                “You two look awesome. How long did it take you to make?” Yeon Ah tapped her chin and studied their costumes.

                “OMG, Yeon Ah, is that you?! How the heck did you get such a nice costume? Who the heck did your makeup and hair? And where the heck did you get your mask?!” the twins bombarded her with questions.

                “You still haven’t answered my question yet,” she tried to change the subject.

                “Oh, it took us 10 seconds….to pick it off the rack and buy it. Now, answer us.” Yeon Ah turned away to leave, but they held her back. “Come on, you told us you didn’t have a costume, but you’re here now with probably one of the best costumes out there.”

              “It’s not the best one. I’ve seen some pretty good ones. Hey! What do you think of the dance? Pretty snazzy, huh?” they rolled their eyes at her and pulled her out of the gym.

                “First off, don’t ever say ‘snazzy’ again, makes you sound old. Second, ANSWER US ALREADY.” Yeon Ah sighed.

                “Fine, a friend of a friend of mine surprised me with the costume and did my hair and makeup as well. Happy?”

                “Very. You’re so lucky! It’s like your friend’s friend is some sort of stylist or something. Whoever they are, they’re skilled,” Hyo Rin examined Yeon Ah’s hairdo. She backed away and laughed nervously.

               “He he, that’s a far-fetched idea, don’t you think?” they shrugged their shoulders and pulled her back into the gym. ‘Whew, that was too close.’

--

                “Hyung! Have you seen Noona?” L.Joe yelled to Daniel over the loud music.

                “No, I haven’t seen her all night.”

                “Do you know what her costume is so that I can look for her? She’s not picking up her phone.”

                “She’s in a red and black dress.”

                “Oh, okay, thanks!” L.Joe shoved through the crowd to go look for Yeon Ah. Fangirls followed him everywhere, trying to get a good picture with him. They gushed over how ‘hot’ he looked in his SWAT costume. ‘Where are you, Noona?’ he thought, ignoring the girls that flocked around him.

--

                Young Won stood on a bench against the wall, craning his neck to search for Yeon Ah. ‘I wonder where she is.’ He continued scanning the room and finally found her. She was with her friends at the drinks table. He made his way through the crowd and snuck up behind her. He noticed the twins had left her so he took this chance to hug her.

                “What the, whoever this is, you better not be thinking about having kids in the future,” she threatened and pulled out of the embrace. She whirled around and was shocked to find Young Won standing there in a very familiar costume. ‘Wait a second….’

                “What do you think?” he held out his arms.

                “Uh, I think there’s something vaguely familiar about your costume, but I just can’t put my finger on it,” she tapped her chin in thought.

                “Maybe this will help you,” he pulled her towards a photographer and asked him to take a picture. Young Won slipped an arm around her waist and she went to take it off, but he pinned her hand to her waist. He held grabbed her other hand and smiled towards the camera. Yeon Ah looked up and glared at him.

                “Okay, ready? On the count of three. 1, 2, 3, cheese!” the photographer took their picture and waved them over. Young Won let go of her hand, but led her towards the man by her waist. “You two make a nice couple. I like this pose,” he held out the camera to them. From the angle it was taken, it looked like Yeon Ah was resting her head against him. ‘Kill me now. What the heck is this?!’ She looked closely at the picture and realized why his costume was so familiar. ‘Why hadn’t I seen it earlier?’ It was the exact same colour and style as her own costume, only his was the suit form. He was the vampire counter part of her own costume.

                “You have GOT to be kidding me. Was this all your idea?” she pointed an accusing finger at him. He nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head. She noticed his hair wasn’t blue anymore, but a light brown. “How'd you get my measurements? And what happened to your hair?”

                “Oh, it’s just a wig. What, did you miss the blue?” he . She blushed and turned away.

                “Um, no. Anyway. I’m leaving now.” Young Won held her back.

                “You can’t.”

                “And why not?”

                “Um, because, our costumes are a pair. They can't be separated!”

                “I’m leaving.”

                “Wait, can’t you just stay with me tonight? Please?” Yeon Ah looked at their interlocked hands and back at him.

                “Fine.” He whooped and dragged her out to the dance floor. They spent the whole night together dancing and having fun. Young Won never left her side, or waist. Students began to notice their presence and began gossiping about them.

                “Who are they?”

                “I don’t know, but they look good.”

                “Do you think they’re in the ‘Couple Costume’ contest?”

                “I think so. They’ll win for sure. They look awesome.”

--

                Yeon Ah was able to finally escape from Young Won and quietly slipped out of the gym. She sat down on the front steps outside, breathing in the fresh air. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the serene night sounds. Images of Young Won and her from the last month flashed before her eyes. Unconsciously, she smiled and a blush rose up on her cheeks. ‘What is this feeling?’ she thought. More images of them dancing together earlier made her heart race. She was startled by some rustling sounds beside her.

                “What are you doing here?”

--

                L.Joe circled the gym for the hundredth time, but couldn’t find the girl in the black and red dress. He had mistaken at least 3 girls for his Noona that night already, which increased his frustration. He sipped his drink and scanned the room yet again. A flash of light in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He looked over and was able to catch a glimpse of black and red leaving the gym. ‘Ah, that’s her!’ he threw his cup into the garbage and pushed his way through the students. He followed her outside and watched as she sat down on the steps. ‘She looks beautiful,’ he gasped. Her skin glowed in the moonlight as the wind rustled her dress. Strands of loose hair cascaded down her back. ‘There’s no doubt about it…’ he thought, straightening himself up. He took a step forward, but stopped when he saw a shadow walking towards her and sitting down. ‘Who is that? He doesn’t look like he goes to our school,’ he squinted at the person, but couldn’t get a good look at their face. ‘Is that her boyfriend?’

                “What are you doing here?” he heard her ask. Alarmed, L.Joe ran back to the gym, afraid of getting caught by Yeon Ah. He was also scared of the fact that she might skin him alive if he eavesdropped on her.

--

                “What, I can’t even sit with my sister?” Daniel pouted at her. Yeon Ah laughed and shoved his face away. She leaned back onto her elbows and stared at the stars. It reminded her of the day she star gazed with L.Joe. Smiling she closed her eyes again. “What’s on your mind, Yeonnie?” he asked, leaning back as well.

                “Hmm, nothing much. Just reminiscing.”

                “About what?”

                “This past month. You know, the hours of planning and stuff,” she sarcastically replied. Daniel snorted and looked up at the sky.

                “Anyway, Young Won hyung has been looking all over for you.”

                “Psh, so you didn’t actually come out for me, but for him, huh?” she rolled her eyes and stood up. “If that’s the case, I’ll be leaving now,” she walked down the steps and out to the dark field. Daniel called after her, but she didn’t reply. ‘Aish, that girl. Whatever, if she wants to be stubborn, I’m not stopping her.’ Daniel pulled out his phone and texted Young Won.

                (Hyung, she’s sitting under her tree. You said you needed to bring her something, right? -Daniel)

                (Yes. Thanks man! - Young Won)

--

                Yeon Ah sighed as she leaned back against the tree. The stars peeked through the almost empty branches, twinkling here and there. The wind caressed her cheeks and she shivered from the cold. ‘Why was I happy when he said Young Won was looking for me?’ The sound of crunching leaves interrupted her train of thought and she stared at the darkness around her. Her adjusted eyes couldn’t see anything, but then suddenly, a bright light shone in her face.

                “Ack! Get that light away from me!” she hissed at the mysterious person.

                “Oh, sorry!” said a voice she instantly recognized.

                “What are you doing here, Dong Rim?” she asked.

                “Looking for you. Your brother told me where you were,” he sat down next to her. She looked at his profile and her breath was taken away. ‘What the. I've seen him everyday for the past month. Why am I so surprised?' She observed his chiselled features and began to blush. They sat in silence. Yeon Ah’s heart was racing and she fidgeted in her spot. ‘Don’t tell me…’ she looked at him again and felt her heart beat faster.

                “Um…” Young Won turned to look at her. Yeon Ah didn’t expect him to turn and was caught in the awkward moment of staring at him. He gazed right into her eyes and she just couldn’t look away. “I have something to tell you.”

                “Y-you do?” she froze, still keeping eye contact.

                “Yes. Promise you won’t hurt me after I tell you?” he asked.

                “What is it?”

                “Promise me first.”

                “I…I promise not to hurt you,” she whispered.

                “Okay, here goes nothing. Yeon Ah…I think I like you. No…I know I like you. I don't hug you because of what happened at the mall, but because I've developed feelings for you. Yeon Ah, I've fallen for you...hard.” Yeon Ah’s eyes widened in shock and fear. Nobody had ever confessed to her before. She broke eye contact and quickly stood up. Panic coursed through her body and she did the only thing she could think of. She ran.

WHOOOOOOOOOT!

Whaddya think?

I KNOW YOU LIIIIKED IT! *gets shot*

Anyway, I updated my other story, so I get to post this chapter!

See you in the next Chapter!

-greenninjapanda GNP-