~*~

Thump. Thump. Thump. For Kai and Luhan, this was the day that they felt, there were utmost nervous. Dance challenge, no matter how great or small it was, for Luhan was like a battlefield where survival only belongs to one. For Kai, on the other hand, it was a food for his heart, for his soul.

And this dance challenge, for Luhan, maybe was just weeks of preparation. But for Kai, it was 6 years and counting, waiting to redeem himself again in front of the boy who almost shattered his dream of becoming a dancer.

However, if there was one thing that would make Kai calm down despite the intensity of the competition it was probably the gift he saw in his locker this morning. “Even if you win or lose, which we highly doubt, for us your friends, you’ll always be our greatest winner,” he read as he saw a pair of shoelaces tied on his locker handle. He knew exactly where the laces came from. It was from Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo, who would always give Sehun and Kai white shoelaces before their competitions. Because for the three, they would always say the shoelaces were lucky because the color were as pure as their intentions to win.

“Have you received it?” asked Sehun.

“Yes. It was tied on my locker this morning,” he said.

“Me too. By the way, they say that they will probably be late because they still have to pack the props and clean the classroom before they go.”

“I just hope they would be here on the time of our performance,” said Kai. Sehun nodded at him.

“Let’s go! One final practice,” shouted Sehun.

---

“Yah! Stop staring at the tombs. They wouldn’t move no matter how long you stare at them,” said Chanyeol as he saw Seyoon, instead of cleaning, was absent-mindedly staring at the fake tombs.

“I know. I just couldn’t stop thinking of it. It’s my first time seeing my two friends competing. I just hope they would win,” said Seyoon.

“Of course they would win,” said Kyungsoo.

“Relax. This is not the first time they’re joining a competition although this is the biggest one to date,” said Baekhyun.

“By the way, aren’t you giving Kai the cake?” asked Kyungsoo.

“Cake?” asked Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

“Yes. I went to Seyoon’s house yesterday to help her bake the cake,” said Kyungsoo.

“You what? Why didn’t you tell me you’re going to Seyoon’s house?” said Chanyeol as he grabbed Kyungsoo’s shoulder and shake him like there’s no tomorrow.

“Haha. I’m sorry. I’m in a hurry yesterday. Remember when I gave the cake that you bake and he thought I was the one who bake it? Well, I have to give him one that I really baked for him,” said Seyoon.

“Because Chanyeol’s cake tasted horrible,” said Baekhyun.

“Oi!” exclaimed Chanyeol.

“Don’t worry because I baked cookies for all of you,” Seyoon said as she gave them her home-baked cookies.

“Thank you~!” said Chanyeol happily.

“By the way, you go ahead to the main hall. I have something to do,” said Seyoon.

“Ok. We’ll see you then,” said Baekhyun.

“Don’t worry, I’ll reserve a seat for you,” said Chanyeol.

---

Almost all of the students and visitors of the school festival were already inside the main hall for the dance competition. A lot of people came especially when they found out that the guest judges were talents of SM Entertainment, the sponsor of the dance competition.

But in an isolated building at the back of the school was a student waiting nervously. He was walking back and forth inside the props room, thinking whether he should reveal his identity to the girl or not. He hasn’t formally introduced himself yet. Neither has he shown his face to her. And within just a week of meeting her, he didn’t expect the affection that he felt. He took a deep breath before he wore his head costume. ‘Hopefully, she’ll come. She will definitely come,’ he thought. And just then, the props room door opened.

He turned around and tried to speak.

“Ahh, good thing you’re here. I was hoping that I’ll see you again and I did,” she said as she went towards him smiling.

‘She was hoping to see me?’ he thought. The mascot nodded at her. And then he saw a small box in her right hand. He pointed at it to ask her what it was.

“Huh?” she looked at the box she was holding. “Oh this? It’s for a friend. I promised to give it to my friend,” she said. The mascot nodded at her.

“But I also have something to give you. Well, I know it is a small gift but since you’ve been helping me carry the boxes these past few days, I thought that I should give you this as a ‘thank you’ gift,” said Seyoon as she gave the mascot a pack of the cookies she made. “I am the one who baked that. I hope you’ll like it,” she said smiling at him.

Here it was again, his heart thumping, beating faster and faster. Suddenly, the mascot kept on pointing at his cheek.

“Huh? Is there something in my cheek?” asked Seyoon as she tried to decipher what the mascot was saying. She held her cheek to check if there was something, but there was none. The mascot shook his head and then he moved his head closer to her. Still with the costume on, he gave Seyoon a kiss on her cheek. And since his head costume was too big, his mouth covered the whole of Seyoon’s right cheek.

Seyoon, who was shocked at first, suddenly smiled at him. “Thank you. Is that was the kiss was all about?” The mascot nodded at her. “Well, thank you too,” she said as she bowed and then gave him the most warming smile he has ever seen.

That was it. He could feel his heart was going to burst. He couldn’t help it anymore. ‘I should tell her now.’ Just when he was about to speak…

“Oh…I think I have to go now. I still have to give this to him,” she said.

‘To him?’ Suddenly he felt something pierced his chest. ‘So the cake is for him,’ he thought.

“I know we will see each other again. Even though I will not be able to know who you are, I know you are a kind person. We’ll see each other again, my friend,” she said as she waved him goodbye and run towards the main hall.

“Friend?” he said. He chuckled under his heavy costume. “She called me a friend even if she still doesn’t see my face. Alright, we’re friends then,” he said as a smile formed in his face without him noticing it.

---

Kai kept walking back and forth at the back stage. It wasn’t because he was nervous, just a little, but because he was excited. Dance competitions thrilled him the most. But there’s one thing that’s keep on bothering him, he hadn’t seen Seyoon the whole day. He wasn’t able to come with Seyoon to school because he had to leave earlier to practice in school.

‘I hope she’ll be able to watch it. Maybe she sent me a message on my phone,’ he thought as he ran towards the changing room and looked for his bag. Just then, he saw a box with a folded note on top of it saying, ‘For Kai.’ He read the note.

 

“Win! Win! Win! I’m not pressuring you but I prayed a thousand times yesterday and I hope you’ll win. I know you will win.

The cake in the box, I baked it just for you. Well it is not that it means anything…what I mean is that I don’t want you to lie to me saying that the cake tasted good even if it doesn’t. This time, I made sure that you’ll taste the most delicious cake in the world.

Hwaiting! :-)

-Seyoon”

 

Kai’s grin reached the tip of his ears as he read the note written by Seyoon. Kai took a deep breath. ‘I will win,’ he kept saying inside his mind.

“What’s that?” asked a familiar voice behind him. When he turned around, his happy face turned stern.

“It’s none of your business,” said Kai to Luhan. Although he didn’t want to see the face of his rival, he couldn’t help it. They have only two changing rooms. And this room, he had to share it with them. Lay and Xiumin went inside the changing room and they seemed ready for the competition.

“Ah, it must be from your only fan,” Luhan teased. Kai looked at Luhan’s table and it was full of gifts and flowers from his fans, which grew in number despite the fact that he just arrived in Seoul for just a month.

“Whatever,” replied Kai as he went towards the door, trying to avoid the annoying brat that has been bothering him.

“Kai wait!” said Luhan. Lay and Xiumin looked at the two of them. Sehun, who just passed their CD to the sound coordinator, entered the room. “I know you don’t like me because of what I’ve done to you six years ago. I know I’ve been very selfish and evil back then. But I just want you to know that I am sorry. And I want to have a healthy, clean competition with you today.”

Lay, Xiumin, and Sehun looked at the two of them, waiting for Kai’s answer. Kai looked at Luhan’s face which seemed sincere and serious of what he had said. “Alright,” he said with an expressionless face. Kai still don’t know if he would smile at him or not. But at least, he was happy to hear Luhan’s apology.

“Friends?” Luhan asked.

That was the question that he wasn’t sure if he would answer or not. But he knew he won’t lose anything if he agreed. “Maybe,” he replied.

“Alright! Now, we can compete wholeheartedly,” said Xiumin. Lay and Sehun just smiled at them.

“Ok guys, the competition will start in 15 minutes,” said one of the staffs.

---

“You’re the best!” said Chanyeol as he went to Kai and hugged him tightly, causing Kai’s feet to suspend in the air because of Chanyeol’s height.

“That’s a great performance,” said Kyungsoo to Sehun and Kai.

“How did you manage to perfect that dance within just weeks of practice?” said Baekhyun.

“Don’t complement us too much. Kai’s head would get bigger,” said Sehun.

At the corner of the room, Seyoon was standing there, smiling at them. Kai went to her. “So how was my performance?”

Seyoon looked him. She couldn’t tell him that her heart was about to burst watching their performance. “Jjang!” was the only word that came out from her.

Kai smiled at her. “Thank you for the note. Even though you said you’re not pressuring me, I was extremely pressured,” he said sarcastically joking.

“Eyy…I knew you would do well without the pressure,” she replied.

Little did the two know, someone in the room was watching and observing their closeness.

“So where are we going?” asked Chanyeol as he placed his arms around Kai and Seyoon.

“What do you mean?” Kai asked.

“What else? To conclude our school festival, let’s celebrate together. Besides, we rarely see you and Sehun for a week. How about we ate Seyoon’s cake?” said Chanyeol excitedly.

“What? No! That’s only mine. Besides, you and Sehun were the ones who ate the cake the Seyoon baked for me before. Leave the cake alone,” said Kai.

“Let’s just go to the noraebang,” suggested Kyungsoo.

“Right! And then, let’s have another singing contest!” said Baekhyun.

“We already know who will lose,” said Sehun as he looked at Kai.

“Yah! Why are you looking at me? I’m okay with it. Let’s have a singing contest as long as my partner is Seyoon,” said Kai as he placed his arm on Seyoon and pulled her closer to him.

“Ya! Ya! Ya! That’s unfair. I want Seyoon as my partner too,” pleaded Chanyeol.

“No, she’s mine,” said Kai. The boys looked at him. “I…I mean she’s with me, right Seyoon?” Kai gave Seyoon that smile, a smile that made Seyoon blushed.

“Don’t agree Seyoon…”

And Chanyeol and Kai’s argument continued as they left the changing room.

“Ahh, their group sounds fun. I wish we were as many as them,” said Xiumin, who was in the room all along with Lay and Luhan.

“We should go somewhere else too? Luhan, what do you think?” said Lay as he looked at Luhan.

“Yes! We should celebrate our victory,” said Xiumin.

“I don’t know. I’ll let you decide,” replied Luhan absent-mindedly. Xiumin and Lay looked at their friend who seemed to be thinking as he kept on staring at himself in the mirror. Even though they won, Luhan’s face doesn’t look like celebrating.

~*~

 

“I wonder where he is. I went to their classroom but he was not there anymore,” said Xiumin, who was concerned for his friend Luhan, who was still not there with them in their usual spot in the cafeteria.

“Maybe he just went somewhere else,” said Baekhyun. They didn’t notice that Luhan was running towards them, panting, as he came from the uppermost floor of the main school building.

“There he is,” said Lay. All of them looked at him except for Seyoon, who was busy eating her lunch.

“Where have you been? Why are you panting like that?” asked Xiumin. But his friend didn’t seem to hear him as he went straightly to Seyoon’s side.

“Can I talk to you?” said Luhan, who was still catching his breath.

“What?” asked Seyoon who never left her gaze on her plate.

“Can we talk in private?” asked Luhan. The boys looked at him curiously.

Seyoon lifted her head to face him. “Sorry but I know that we’re not close enough for you to say something to me that they (the boys) didn’t have to know,” she said. “We can speak here.”

“So you want me to say it to you in front of them?” Luhan asked. Seyoon didn’t reply. “Are you sure?”

Seyoon didn’t move but instead, continued eating her food.

“Ok. I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

~*~

“You’re still early. We will give your schedule next Monday,” said the teacher to the transfer student in front of him.

“Sir, can I have a request? Since I will be adjusting in this school, can I have the same schedule as my friend? I think, it is easier for me to adopt if I’m with my friend,” said Luhan to the teacher.

“What’s the name of your friend?”

“Seyoon. Jin Seyoon.”

---

“Have you got your schedule?” asked Luhan to Xiumin and Lay. The two nodded at him.

‘What if Kai noticed that I have the same schedule as Seyoon? What would he think? I think it would be too obvious if I have the same schedule as Seyoon for the whole day. They wouldn’t think it as merely coincidental. Tsk. Alright, I’ll just exchange it to Lay since he is the least suspected one,’ Luhan thought as he went to Lay and asked him to change his schedule with him.

“You want me to take your schedule? Don’t you like it?” asked Lay.

‘I like it but I can't have it,’ he thought. “I didn’t like it. We have the same subjects anyway. So, want to exchange with me?”

“Okay,” said Lay as he got Luhan’s schedule exchanged with him.

---

“Is that Seyoon?” said Xiumin.

“Where?” asked Luhan as he wanted to see that face that he hasn’t seen for a long long time.

“Right. It was her,” said Lay.

The three of them went behind her. Luhan suddenly placed his arm on her shoulder. Seyoon turned around to see who it was.

“You!”

“Hi Kai’s only fan!” Luhan greeted her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Why? Are we not welcome here?” asked Xiumin.

“It’s dark already. Where are you going? Maybe we could accompany you,” said Lay.

“Ahh…to our house…”

“Your house is near here?” asked Xiumin.

“No. I mean, my real house is not here. Kai and I transferred to a house near the school,” replied Seyoon.

“You’re living with Kai?” asked Xiumin.

“Under weird circumstances, yes,” she replied coldheartedly.

‘So you’re living with him now. I guess three years of not seeing you means you’ve changed  a lot,’ Luhan thought as he stared at Seyoon talking to Xiumin and Lay.

---

“What’s that?” asked Luhan as he saw Kai holding a box and reading the note on top of it.

“It’s none of your business,” Kai replied to him.

“Ah, it must be from your only fan,” he teased.

"Whatever," Kai replied.

‘So, the ‘him’ you were talking about was Kai. I knew it. I knew the box was for him. Just seeing your face when you say ‘for my friend,’ I knew it was for someone special. Kai, you’re so lucky,’ Luhan thought as he stared on the box Kai was holding.

---

“Hey, what are you doing here?” said Xiumin as he entered the props room together with Lay. They saw Luhan wearing the mascot costume, with the head placed on the table near him.

“The leaflet giving finished yesterday. Why are you still wearing that?” asked Lay.

“Nothing,” said Luhan.

“What are you holding? Are those cookies? Can I have one? I’m so hungry!” said Xiumin as he tried to grab the cookies that Luhan was holding.

Luhan lifted his hand. “No! These are mine. Go buy your own food!” he said angrily.

“Eyy, I’m just joking. Was that from a fan?” teased Xiumin.

“No…from a friend,” he replied.

~*~

 

“No turning backs. I’m going to say it in front of them,” said Luhan as he sat beside Seyoon. “Seyoon…”

Seyoon looked at him. It was the first time that she heard him say her name.

“Will you go out with me? No, that was too general. What I meant was, will you date me?” said Luhan as he looked Seyoon in the eyes, with sincerest face he could pull off.

“What?” said the wide-eyed Seyoon.