It was really so cliché. Just like what happens now and then in dramas, everything started just because of a dare. A very, very stupid dare when Kyuhyun found time to reflect on it. 

It all started ordinarily enough. He and his friends were as usual, spending a Saturday doing what they enjoyed the most: playing against each other on the computer and drinking booze whenever they weren’t on it. 

Kyuhyun should have realized by then that mischief was going to be the order of the day since they had double the amount of alcohol prepared and only half of his group could make it. He had always referred to it as his group considering that it was named after him, the “Kyu-line” and he was usually the acknowledged leader. Usually because Changmin was as smart and sarcastic as him and will at times, if he felt particularly bored and malicious, recall everyone as to why they let themselves get hoodwinked by Kyuhyun’s so-called leadership capabilities.

This was one of those times.

It was too bad that only four of them were there and the “saner” ones were absent. This was probably the reason why events they otherwise would have avoided if they had been more sober, began to be set in motion.

“How can we vote when there are only four of us here? There’s always going to be a tie,” Minho said a little flippantly as he swirled the contents of the glass he was holding. He was by now a little drunk and he was feeling a little bit hyper and amused by anything than usual.

“There won’t be one since I’ll be abstaining,” Jonghyun said with a smirk as he put down the bottle of beer he was gulping and turned to tune his guitar, “You choose Minho. Have fun.”

Kyuhyun snorted, “I win then.”

Changmin gave him a kick which unfortunately for him, wasn’t really that strong since they were all slouched down on the floor and him already being a little tipsy. “And what makes you so sure that Minho will vote for you?”

“Because Minho’s my and Jonghyun’s yours,” Kyuhyun retorted and kicked back in kind.

“I say we also permit absentee votes and call the others for theirs,” Changmin suggested even as he tried to get his cellphone out of the pocket of his tight jeans. 

By “others”, he meant the absent Ryeowook, Victoria and Gyuri. The two girls weren’t officially Kyu-line members but they were usually invited to hang out with them and to all intents and purposes, recognized as part of the group by anyone who is asked.

Minho was seized by his competitive spirit. “Hey, how about instead of voting who’s the new leader of the group, why don’t we do a contest?”

Kyuhyun had his eyes narrowed, “What do you mean by contest?” He didn’t like the sound of it and he didn’t like that Minho was actually going with Changmin’s questioning of his authority.

“Pfft, definitely not a dumb Math contest,” Changmin mocked him, “Scared are we?”

Kyuhyun just gave him a glare which Changmin returned with a scary glare of his own. The staring contest didn’t last even for a second though because Minho surprised them with the name of the fated game.

“Charm Battle.”

“Huh?” Changmin stared at him and Kyuhyun snorted again. “That’s the girls’ game.”

Minho shrugged, “So? Why don’t we play it? Winner gets to be leader…until school break,” he added thoughtfully, a bit of soberness creeping into his fuzzy and alcohol-bogged mind. Sure, it would be nice to order around his hyungs for a change but there was no question about his loyalty to Kyuhyun. Not to mention, he knew Changmin’s display of discontent was just that, a display. They all liked the group and their leader just fine but Changmin couldn’t help but bait his best friend now and then.

Jonghyun was now eyeing them with interest, his guitar forgotten. Kyuhyun turned to glance at him. “Well? You want in too? I warn you though, this would involve actually talking to people.”

Jonghyun just rolled his eyes at the other’s mockery, “Pick amusing targets. There’s no point to this if you pick ordinary ones.”

Minho grinned as the others all stared at him expectantly. This was promising to be a lot of fun. They all knew about Victoria and Gyuri’s childish and not to mention, very unoriginal game of seduction which they started in their last year in high school. The girls had dubbed it as “Charm Battle” and the rules and objectives were very simple. The other picks a boy for the other to “charm” so to speak and get to be asked for a date. But not just any date, it had to be for an important event, important enough that getting asked to it meant that some level of feelings have been developed. 

The girls were always successful, but winning didn’t rest with getting the “target” guy to ask you on the date but on who accomplishes her mission first and until the end. The end meant not falling for their target and not accepting any succeeding dates from them after the marked event. 

Gyuri had won the very first battle which was for the Homecoming dance and was also crowned as its queen. Victoria however, ended their senior year by winning not just their little contest but also getting named as Prom Queen. College didn’t prove to have a dampening effect on them but actually widened their playing field. There were frat parties, inter-dorm mixers, soirees, college fairs, etc. so much so that the girls now had “themes” when picking targets.

“What’s the girls’ theme now?” Kyuhyun asked as he poured himself another glass of soju.

Minho bit his lip uncertainly, “I don’t know. Are they on one now? There isn’t anything important happening before the holidays.”

“There is,” Changmin corrected gruffly as he straightened himself up, “There’s Oktoberfest and the usual Halloween parties so the Sigma Mu guys are organizing a huge- college-sponsored event for the whole thing. I remember Victoria asking me who I think fitted the term beastly.” He let out a snort, “What the heck does she even mean by that?”

“Her target’s Nickhun from the badminton team and Gyuri’s is Lee Hyukjae,” Jonghyun supplied in a bored voice, “The big event will be sometime near Halloween so the theme’s beastly, get it?”

The others howled with mocking laughter. “Nickhun’s about as beastly as a sour-faced choir boy and Eunhyuk’s a monkey. That’s as beastly as they can get,” Kyuhyun snickered.

“How about we go with the theme unattainable then?” Jonghyun suddenly said and the others stopped laughing.

“What do you mean?” Kyuhyun asked while Changmin started to define the word in a patronizing tone for him, “Shut your trap Min, I know every word in the dictionary.” 

Jonghyun gave them all a sly look. “Just exactly what it means. The target for our own contest needs to be someone considered to be unattainable for the one who gets assigned to that person.”

“Heh! Then I know who I’ll assign as your target,” Changmin smiled knowingly as the others leaned forward expectedly, “Seo…hyun,” Changmin slowly said the name with malicious delight.

Jonghyun’s eyes narrowed at him dangerously, “I’m drunk but not that drunk.”

“What?” Changmin smiled innocently, “You’re always going on about how you’re suspicious of Seohyun’s feelings for your brother so why not finally put it to the test?” He looked back steadily at the other’s glaring eyes as he said, “If you don’t succeed, then your doubts will be put to rest. If you do,” Changmin grinned a little evilly, “then think of it as having saved Yonghwa from heartbreak in the long run. And you get to get back at her by dumping her.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Kyuhyun was now also grinning as badly as Changmin then he suddenly addressed Minho, “You get Jung Krystal.”

Minho frowned at once, “I don’t like her.”

“That’s the point.”

“I thought the point was to get someone unattainable.”

“She is to you,” Kyuhyun retorted. “Her father’s the Chancellor, your father is a faculty at one his colleges. She’s her daddy’s precious little girl. Do you actually have the guts to mess with her?” Kyuhyun challenged him with a sneer.

Of course Kyuhyun knew Minho’s weak point was his competitiveness. Minho knew this too and knew that Kyuhyun was deliberately setting him up for a fall but being what he is, he was definitely not going to back down.

Jonghyun suddenly leaned close to Minho and whispered fiercely. Changmin just raised an eyebrow, half in amusement and half in wonder. He looked at Kyuhyun who just shrugged and lazily leaned back on the wall and drank his soju, smirking all the while. He was starting to enjoy this little game and already envisioned a successful campaign. He wasn’t that vain, well alright he was a little, but he knew that he was pretty popular himself. Getting any girl to accept him…

“We’ve decided on your targets,” Minho suddenly said, looking very pleased with himself. Jonghyun was also smiling like a Cheshire cat. Whatever the two were whispering about, it seemed they found something to confound their sunbaes.

“We decided that your targets should be special,” Jonghyun continued seriously since Minho was now attacked by a fit of uncontrollable giggles. “So we identified two people who definitely embody the word unattainable for you,” Jonghyun said smirking. “Question is, are you willing to go through with it regardless of who they are?”

Changmin let out a snort, “Cut out the dramatics, let’s hear it.”

Minho finally got a hold of himself and was smiling from ear to ear, “Give us your word hyung that you’ll do this whoever your target is.”

Changmin rolled his eyes and leaned forward to look squarely at them in turn, “I’m really getting impatient and you know how I get when I’m pissed off,” he warned in a low growl.

“Alright,” Jonghyun put up a hand to signal the seriousness of the situation, “Who do you consider campus celebrities? The ones who are really, really well-known in school?”

Kyuhyun’s brow was furrowed, obviously it would mean the acknowledged school beauty queen, Kim Uee, and the Student Council President who was… male.

“Changmin-hyung,” Minho began in a suspiciously merry voice, “your target is President Yunho!” 

“He’s a guy.”

Minho and Jonghyun looked at each other then laughed delightedly at Changmin’s shocked and confused tone. “He is but so what?” Minho said between his laughter, “Remember those rumours about him and the council vice-president Jaejoong? I think they’re broken up now so it should be no problem for you.”

Changmin gritted his teeth and spoke to Minho as if he was talking to a very slow child, “He’s a guy. I’m a guy. And I don’t date guys.” 

“So you’re not doing this? Too difficult for you?” 

Kyuhyun was watching their exchange with amusement. Minho and Jonghyun have definitely levelled up on the pissing off scale. He couldn’t have thought of a better way to stump Changmin. His best friend definitely didn’t like losing but there were limits to what he will and won’t do.

“Fine!”

They all gasped and Kyuhyun stared at his friend with jaws wide open. He counted the empty bottles around Changmin, understandably concluding that his friend’s shocking compliance must be directly influenced by the alcohol he consumed.

“If Kyuhyun agrees to his too,” Changmin stabbed a finger at him.

“Course I will,” Kyuhyun sneered, “I’m guessing you’re giving me Uee?”

“Not exactly Uee,” Minho shaked his head amusedly, “but close.” And as Kyuhyun frowned in confusion, he explained with glee, “It won’t be fair to let Changmin-hyung go boy-hunting by himself.” Jonghyun interrupted by laughing loudly, “Shh hyung! Anyway, you’re not going after the campus queen, oh no, you’re going after someone much better. Her constant and unofficial boyfriend, the campus hunk himself, Choi Siwon.”

And with that, Minho and Jonghyun succumbed to fits of laughter, slapping their thighs in unbridled enjoyment. After some moments of stunned silence, Changmin joined them.

Kyuhyun looked at his friends in disgust, waiting for their laughter to subside. Tears were now streaming along Minho’s cheeks while Jonghyun and Changmin were already red in the face and were gasping for air.

Sure, both Yunho and Siwon were considered by the whole school as perfect specimens of manhood but Siwon had family name and wealth to boot and a considerably saintlier-than-thou image. Kyuhyun would have loved to knock Minho and Jonghyun’s heads together. What were they thinking seriously, Choi Siwon of all people?

“So, what do you say?” Changmin asked him with a very wide grin and for good measure, added in a hateful taunting tone, “Leader?”

Kyuhyun again surveyed his friends’ faces with something almost akin to loathing. They were actually raring to go on with the game, throwing all caution and anything resembling common sense and decency to the wind. The original game was supposedly harmless and all for fun; the girls’ objective was to just get asked for a date for an agreed upon event. But now, the situation was reversed and the targets they selected for their own amusement had more serious consequences if the truth was found out.

Jonghyun was ready to betray his own flesh and blood, Minho was willing to put his father’s job in jeopardy and Changmin and him? They were staking their reputation, their standing in school and beyond it. Were they really so far gone to dare do something as silly as this?

Kyuhyun lazily raised his almost empty glass and said with his trademark smirk, “So be it then.”