“Tomorrow, Sunhwa yah, I will do your makeup,” Hyun Jin informed her friend determinedly. “And your hair. All of you.”

Sunhwa sighed and grabbed another handful of popcorn. “Waeee,” she moaned, only protesting faintly. All the girls were slightly drunk (so to speak) off of junk food and hours of watching movies. They were now lying around and doing each other’s nails. Except Sunhwa…she wouldn’t know how to do nails if she tried.

“You’re going to look so pretty,” Sulli exclaimed as she spread pink onto Luna’s index finger. Her hand slipped and the polish smeared. “Oops.”

Luna threw a pretzel at Sulli’s head with her other hand and grinned when it made contact. “Don’t worry, unnie, I’ll fix it later.”

Sunhwa lazily flipped through a magazine, one of the dozens that Hyun Jin seemed to have lying around her room. A full-page spread of SHINee caught her eye. They look good, she thought. The boys were posing well, and Key’s eyes seemed to pierce the page and into her soul.

“Oooh, whatcha looking at?” Hyun Jin noticed and pulled herself so she was level with Sunhwa. “I’m done with your nails,” she said, referring to Sunhwa’s toenails, which were now silvery-white and sparkly to match her dress. “Don’t brush them against anything for the next ten minutes.”

“Arasso, unnie,” Sunhwa murmured, still looking at the magazine.

“Hey,” Hyun Jin said, smiling when she saw the photo. “We know them, don’t we?”

“Mmm.”

Hyun Jin flipped her hair so it was on the other side – dang it, where was a hairband when she needed it? – and said casually, “So, Sunhwa yah, how’s Key these days?”
 

Sunhwa froze immediately and just managed to choke out, “W-what?”

Sulli tossed a piece of Cheeto into the air and caught it in . “Your lover boy?” she reminded.

“He’s not my lover boy,” Sunhwa defended.

“Uh-huh,” Luna said, blowing on her hand so the polish would dry, “and we all believe that.”

Sunhwa seemed to deflate. “He’s not…he’s avoiding me these days. Haven’t you guys noticed?”

The rest of the girls looked at each other. Truthfully, they had noticed somewhat but had thought it was a minor spat or something. Sunhwa and Key had too much attraction to just not talk, anyway.

“Is there a reason why?” Hyun Jin asked carefully.

Sunhwa sighed, resting her chin on her folded hands. She was tired of keeping all of her feelings bottled up, and there really wasn’t a better way to release them than with her girl friends. “I don’t know. I think I saw something that he didn’t want me to see…something really private. I didn’t mean to, but it kind of just happened…” she trailed off and then resumed. “And when I was staying at their dorm, he seemed alright. I mean, we went grocery shopping and everything. But now it seems like he’s doing everything he can to avoid me,” she finished.

It was silent for a moment. Then Luna spoke up, “I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding. Everyone has private things that they don’t want anyone else to see. Besides,” she added with a slight blush, “Onew told me Key is a pretty good person. He’ll get over it.”

“Just give it time,” Hyun Jin advised. “He definitely likes you – everyone can see the chemistry.”

“There are almost literal sparks when you guys interact,” Sulli agreed, wiggling her eyebrows. “Don’t worry about it, Sunhwa yah. Key will come around.”

It’s a miracle how much some reassuring words can do, Sunhwa thought. Though nothing had changed between her and Key, really, she felt a lot better about the situation. “Gomawo, unnies,” Sunhwa said.

Hyun Jin ruffled her hair affectionately. “Don’t mention it. That’s what unnies are for, neh?”

Later, when all of the girls fell asleep in Hyun Jin’s room in various weird positions, Sunhwa had a small smile on her face.

-

“Wake up…wake up…wake up!” Sunhwa thought she heard a voice as she rolled over and sleepily blinked her eyes. A blurry figure swam into focus.

“Jeez, Sunhwa yah, I didn’t think you would be the most difficult in the mornings,” Sulli’s voice laughed.

Her only reply was a weak groan.

Sunhwa felt something shaking her and vaguely wondered why on earth anyone or anything would be this annoying in the morning. “What?” she mumbled.

“Wake up! Hyun Jin already has breakfast downstairs,” Sulli pushed.

The shaking stopped after a moment, and Sunhwa prepared to fall asleep again. There was no darned alarm, no work or practice to go to…why would she bother getting up?

There was a whisper, a giggle, and then a searing light brightened the room. The curtains were thrown open and sunlight poured from the windows. “Rise and shine!” a voice that sounded suspiciously like Luna’s shrieked before footsteps pattered out of the bedroom.

Darn it. She couldn’t sleep now, what with all the stupid light streaming everywhere. “I hate them all,” Sunhwa muttered to no one in particular as she dragged herself up.

-

“I have coffee!” Hyun Jin’s voice proclaimed brightly as she set down a Starbucks take-away carton. Sunhwa shuffled to a seat at the kitchen bar and plopped herself into it. “Give it to me, quick.”

Sulli laughed and sat next to her, Luna on the other side. “Caffeine, yay!”

“For Sunhwa, an iced white chocolate mocha,” Hyun Jin set the respective beverages down as she announced them, like Santa handing out presents to children. “For Luna, a caramel frap, lightly blended. For Sulli, a cappuccino bubble tea with coffee boba.” She produced the last drink. “And for me, an iced vanilla latte.” Hyun Jin sipped her drink cheerfully.

“Wow, Jinnie, you’re the best!” Sulli launched herself at her dongsaeng before quickly grabbing her boba.

“How did you know exactly what we wanted?” Luna asked as she happily sampled the whipped cream on her frap.

Hyun Jin shrugged. “I just kind of remember these things,” she said bashfully. She addressed the butler standing at the edge of the kitchen, “And of course there’s more in the dining room for the rest of you, Minshik-sshi.” The butler smiled in acknowledgement.

With some wonderful white chocolate now coursing through her system, Sunhwa recognized that Hyun Jin was kind enough to buy coffee for what was probably the entire staff at her home. She really is the best, she thought.

“I also made breakfast,” Hyun Jin said, producing omelets. She watched a bit anxiously as each girl sampled her plate. “I didn’t know what you all liked, so I kind of just guessed – ”

“Relax, Jinnie,” Luna smiled. “They’re delicious.”

Hyun Jin’s expression melted into a smile. “Good. Eat well!”

When breakfast was done and all their bellies were full, Hyun Jin said, “We need to start decorating soon.”

Sunhwa, who was still frolicking happily in a post-meal daze, took a while to register the words. “Wha?”

“I said,” Hyun Jin repeated, “we have to start decorating.”

“Yeah, maknae,” Sulli teased, “you know, those things you put up at social gatherings to make your house pretty?”

Sunhwa stuck her tongue out. “Pthbthhh. I know that…but isn’t it a little early for decorations?”

“The sooner we finish decorations, the sooner we can get dressed and I can do hair and makeup,” Hyun Jin answered primly. “The party starts at exactly seven PM.”

“Besides, it’s already eleven,” Luna pointed out. “You slept the latest out of all of us, Sunhwa yah.”

A scowl. “Is it my fault I love sleep?” Sunhwa saw the expressions on their faces and quickly amended, “Never mind – don’t answer that.”

“Good idea,” Sulli said, grinning. She stood up and stretched, pushing away her plate. “That was delicious, Miss Song, but would you mind showing us where the decorations are now?”

“Certainly, Miss Choi,” Hyun Jin replied easily. “This way, please.”

-

“Need any help there, Sunhwa yah?” Luna called.

“Ani, unnie, I got it,” Sunhwa screwed up her face in concentration as she tried to stretch far enough. She had been given the job of hanging various disco balls, balloons, paper streamers, and the like up and around the mansion. If Hyun Jin’s party had a theme, it would have been anything and everything sparkly and colorful.

Luna watched as Sunhwa stretched as far up on the ladder as her short height would allow, her fingertips not quite brushing the ceiling, and decided to intervene before the maknae toppled over. “Here, let me do it.”

Sunhwa pouted but climbed down the ladder. “Tall unnie will hang it up for you,” Luna winked and took the disco ball, hanging it up almost effortlessly.

“Thanks,” Sunhwa grumbled. “Never miss a chance to make fun of my height, do you?”

“Nope,” Luna replied cheerfully. “Don’t worry, unnies still love you.”

Despite herself, Sunhwa broke into a smile…before she whacked Luna with a balloon.

-

“Wait…hold on…what does that do?”

“OWWW. Unnie, that hurts!”

“DON’T PULL SO HARD. I WANT TO KEEP SOME OF MY HAIR, ARASSO?”

Sulli and Luna giggled as the sounds of Sunhwa being tortured made up in Hyun Jin’s grand bathroom drifted towards them as they played a game of go fish (don’t judge – it’s a great game). The complaints became increasingly louder and more desperate as time went on, until they stopped altogether.

Sulli whispered into the silence, “…did they kill each other?”

“Hopefully not,” Luna whispered back, darting a glance to the bathroom door.

Suddenly, said door slammed open, and out emerged Hyun Jin, dragging Sunhwa by the arm. Sunhwa was wearing the (two-hundred-thousand-freaking-won) dress and a pair of silver pumps and teardrop earrings to match. Her hair was half pulled up, revealing her flawlessly makeup-ed face.

“My work here is done,” Hyun Jin declared, bowing to the two waiting girls, who clapped enthusiastically.

“You look wonderful, Sunhwa yah,” Luna said sincerely. She and Sulli had already had their own sessions in the bathroom, and she could safely say that Hyun Jin was as good as their regular hair and makeup unnies. Hyun Jin had meticulously done her hair so that it waved elegantly and given her a flirty cat-eye and black bangles.

Sulli grinned. “Come and join us gorgeous ladies.” Her usually ponytailed hair now hung stick-straight down her back, and her eyes sparkled with glittery eye shadow. Hyun Jin had loaned her a pair of white wedge sneakers – perfect for either dancing or strutting (or maybe both).

Sunhwa went and sat on the bed with Sulli and Luna, picking up some cards from the top of the deck.

“Now that the most difficult one is over with,” Hyun Jin dusted off her hands, “I’ll be going to get myself ready.”

“Uh, Jinnie…not to worry you or anything, but it’s already six forty,” Sulli said as she casually set down a card.

Hyun Jin’s eyes literally bulged out. “SIX FORTY? THERE IS NO TIME!” she shrieked before dashing off to the bathroom. The door slammed shut.

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Luna asked, concerned.

“Yeah,” Sunhwa nodded and nonchalantly selected a card. “I’ve seen her get ready really quickly.”

Luna cast one last worried glance towards the bathroom before triumphantly slapping a card down on the bed. “GO FISH!”

-

Hyun Jin looked fabulous, of course, when she emerged at exactly six fifty-nine PM. Her red dress hugged her curves perfectly and showed off her long legs, and her bangs swept elegantly down her face while the rest of her hair was up in a ponytail. Sunhwa thought that Hyun Jin was really the queen – the night was hers, after all.

Glowing, the hostess of the party descended to the top of the stairs and held out her arms to her friends. “Now, let’s greet the guests, shall we?”

Muh. I know this chapter is a lot of fluff and probably isn't up to par, but I cut it a little short because something is going to happen in the next chapter :) How are you guys? School is school, but this weekend is a long weekend and I've been reading and writing and sleeping and it's been wonderful. Thank you for all of your comments/subscribes! <3

- tigress

P.S. Does anyone know how to see who has upvoted your story? Thanks!