Chapter 6: “But we loved with a love that was more than love - Edgar Allan Poe”

Sungmin’s convertible was a shiny silver car that had blue headlights and shimmering windows. The car’s insides were as cool as it was outside, with black leather seats and automatic controls.

“Who’s driving?” asked Donghae.

Nobody, not even one, volunteered to do it. Eeteuk’s hands were behind him, eyes playing blind. Eunhyuk fooled around by counting the stars that were glinting in the black sky. Kibum was text messaging someone while Sungmin occupied himself with Kyuhyun’s Nintendo DSi, as Kyuhyun criticized his weak skills.

“Sungmin-hyung, you drive,” begged Donghae. “I can’t drive. I’m too blind at night. I need night vision goggles.”

“See who the liar is now,” Eunhyuk stated, rolling his eyes. “Since when did you lose your eyesight?”

Donghae, happy-go-lucky Donghae, knew Hyukjae took jokes too seriously, but he simply stuck his tongue out in revenge. “Please, Sungmin-hyung. You’re the only one who knows where Building 18 is.”

“All right,” he agreed, giving Kyu back his game and getting into the driver’s seat. “Sunny will be shocked to see me at this hour. Oh wait, I’ve snuck out more late than this, I suppose. What time is it, Eeteuk-hyung?”

The well-distracted Eeteuk turned at him, angelic dimples as bright as the stars. “It’s a quarter till seven. Shall we go then, so I can get back to my photos?”

Everyone got in, Kyuhyun riding in the shotgun seat, others occupying the back seat. Sungmin checked his mirrors, looked from left to right, and then started the engine with a loud roar. As the ignition sounded a bit rough, the whole trip was a lot smoother than it had been at the beginning.

“Sungmin-sshi, take the left turn here,” Eeteuk commanded. “That way, we’ll avoid security in the girls’ dorm sites. They don’t let boys in after six, in cases of stuff that might happen.”

“What stuff do you mean, hyung-nim?” wondered Eunhyuk innocently. Eeteuk gave him a sad look, pitying how slow the monkey’s processing unit was.

“Eunhyuk, don’t you know anything?” remarked Kyuhyun who obviously lost his appetite when they ventured into a dark road with no streetlights and no buildings at sight. The moon and Sungmin’s headlights was the key to vision, but even with them, it was hard to see.

“Hyung-nim, are you sure we’re on the right path?” Sungmin feared the dark, a bit afraid now that something out there might pounce on them abruptly.

Eeteuk nodded assuredly. “Of course. When I was a first year, I pass here a couple of times, and back then, I was without a car. See, mine was a lot worse than this. Don’t worry, it’s practically safe.”

“Why did you pass here, hyung-nim?” Donghae inquired, smelling something fishy.

Eeteuk smirked. “It’s for me to know and for you to find out, Donghae-sshi.”

“Ah, is it because you were seeing someone too that lived at the end of this road?” Kyuhyun calculated the clues instantly. “Was it your girlfriend? Both of you stole nights together in her dorm, right? You wouldn’t tell us because you don’t want to be a bad example since you are the eldest---and thus, we take after what the eldest does so you’re afraid we might copy what you did when you were in our age.”

“Let’s not make assumptions now, Kyu-sshi.” Eeteuk denied, smiling.

“Then let’s not make any excuses, Eeteuk-hyung.”

Swiftly, they all blew up laughing, as if inhaling laughing gas, and hadn’t stopped until they reached what seemed to be where they were planning to go all along. Heavy lights, dim-lighted cafés, and the smell of feminism covered their territory, unlike men who had no interest in such things like smelling wonderful and looking extra-neat. Girls were simply self-materialistic. They damn well knew death would still cause an end to their luxury, so why bother.

Outside the window, they saw creatively crafted buildings, designed solely for the women. Everyone’s windows, they too noticed, were closed and covered by pink curtains; each dormitory had one. Slowly, the boys reached number 18, a bothersome task this was. Kyuhyun’s heart began racing against the seconds of the clock, the random existence of his emotions starting to unfold. Surely, he didn’t know back then he could be falling for a girl he met in merely two seconds.

Sungmin pulled his keys out as they parked a block away from the dorm. Out of all the six boys, Kyuhyun apprehensively owned an agitated face.

“Kyuhyun-sshi, are...you okay?” Sungmin couldn’t help himself finding this moment funny. He remembered his first time stalking Sunny at the park one day. She nearly fainted after successfully catching him on the act, but it ended all too well.

“Yeah,” Kyu answered, unsure.

“Are you scared?” Eunhyuk asked.

“No, why would I? I don’t smell bad right?” he suddenly felt conscious about how he was badly dressed this night. Since he didn’t take his bath after dinner (he should have), Tiffany would not dare go near him if he smelled really awful.

Donghae leaned in, nose sniffing the maknae’s shoulders. He moved away, nodding. “You’re good, kid.”

“I look horrible, I know...” Kyuhyun stated, desperately wishing he hadn’t talked to Donghae about this surprise visit. She wouldn’t be just disappointed herself, but she absolutely would never go out with Kyuhyun again.

“Is it too late to say I want to go home?”

“No one’s chickening out,” Eeteuk grumbled silently. “Now go get them, tigers. Good luck and don’t disappoint your poor hyung-nim of this. I left my video camera at home, so I guess I’ll just sleep inside the car while you guys do your thing. Don’t take too long and forget that I’m still in here. Go on! Fighting!”

The five of them got out of the car, leaving their poor hyung to his musings. They walked sneakily around from tree to tree, as if spying on the girls of Dorm 18. Kibum merely followed his hyungs to wherever they were going, clearing his throat if the boys were acting too stupid in the midst of the night. They took advantage of the evening since of course----no one in this area would be out strolling.

Sungmin smiled. “Ah, Kibum-sshi’s seeing who? Trying to search girls on your own, eh? Well, Sunny’s roommate is pretty too. What was her name again? Wait, I’ll go introduce you to her.”

Kibum pulled his hyung’s arm, gritting his teeth. “Don’t do that, hyung. I’m not interested in them yet. I just want to see how disastrous this is going to be.”

“Now you’ve seen it,” Donghae said. “Kibum, who are you seeing?”

Blushing, Kibum avoided the two’s eyes and continued walking onward to where Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun hid. Lucky for them, the tree was quite thick that they could hide behind it. Donghae stepped up and went straight for the door, not liking to extend their exposure. He could hear the TV playing and a noise coming from the kitchen. The girls’ were eating dinner, along with all the other members of their building. He could hear Tiffany’s laugh. He recognized that before when that insulted his way with fashion.

 He signaled the four other boys to come to the porch, one by one. He then knocked. The conversation inside disappeared, and someone’s footsteps were slowly nearing the door.

She opened it, her eyes growing as wide as saucers in hilarity. Five boys were at their porch, what more was there to ask for? She was a petite girl, a bit chubby she was.

“Are you going aegyo again, Sunny?” Sungmin interjected, grinning.

Sunny cutely relaxed her shoulders and controlled her scream so as not to startle the rest of the girls. “Sungmin-oppa, who are these boys?”

They all bowed down, not sure of what to do immediately, giving her a warm smile.

“Good evening,” they chorused.

“They’re all here for Tiffany,” Sungmin responded, looking now at Kibum. “Well, except for him.”

Finally unable to restrain her squeal, Sunny gloated happily. “Oh my, come in. I’ll go call her.”

-o0o-

Sunny eagerly ran into the kitchen where the other seven girls patiently waited. Her excitement grew; she couldn’t control herself from giggling. Her friend, who was as short as she was, calmed her down with a glass of water.

“Now, Sunny, who was it?” they talked in hush tones, hoping not to be heard by the boys in the next room.

“You guys remember Sungmin-oppa, right?”

“How could we not?” smirked the tall cheeky one. “What did he buy you this time, a home theatre?”

“Well, he’s here with his friends and they’re all looking for Tiffany,” Sunny exclaimed.

Tiffany’s cheeks turned red in an instant and became rather speechless that she couldn’t stop herself from giggling as well. Jessica, who took matters at hand, looked at her and snapped her fingers in front of her dazed best friend.

“Fany, get a hold of yourself,” Sica instructed. “Come on. Let’s see who these men are. Yuri, be a dear and bring in some tea for the rest of us. We’re going in.”

-o0o-

The slend