"Seohyun? Are you coming to bed soon?" Hyoyeon asked as she peeked into the living room where Girls' Generation's youngest member was practically drowning in a mountain of books. Seohyun looked up at her and smiled weakly.

"Go to bed, unnie," she said. "You need to get some proper sleep."

"So do you," Hyoyeon protested. "You have pulled three all-nighters just this week. Continue like this, and you won't be able to concentrate on that test."

The maknae sighed. "I understand. I'll be there soon."

Hyoyeon just nodded and entered their bedroom without as much as another word.

Seohyun sank down on the couch, eyeing the lexicons stacked on top of each other beside her. Even though she enjoyed school and learning new things, she also eventually became tired of all the studying. It felt like that's all she'd done this past week, despite the group's busy schedules on certain days.

She rubbed her eyes, yawning softly. Maybe Hyoyeon was right. Sleep was very important, after all. Maybe just a few more pages, she thought and pulled out a book among the literature. She blinked when she saw its title.

"Cinderella?" The name brought back memories of her mother reading this to hear and watching a movie or two about it. Slowly she opened the first page. "Once upon a time, there was a girl named Cinderella..."

"Cinderella? Cinderella!" a high-pitched voice called out.

Seohyun opened her eyes, rubbing them as she yawned. She was quick to notice one thing: This was not the living room. Or the apartment at all. She was sitting on a cold stone floor in some kind of old-fashioned kitchen. Where was she?

"There you go again, lazing around," the same voice complained. "Who do you think you are, a princess? Ha!"

She finally took the time to find the scource of the voice and came face to face with a familiar brunette.

"Jessica-unnie!" Jessica, or whoever it was that looked just like her, frowned at the girl and huffed overdramatically.

"Do your job for once, Cinderella!" Jessica shouted once more before turning on her high heels and walking off.

"Yes, stepmother," Seohyun responded automatically. What was going on?

A couple of loud footsteps entered her hearing all of a sudden. "Cinderella!" two voices called out at the same time.

Seohyun looked over and saw Sooyoung and Yuri in front of her, both of them dressed in beautiful gowns and curly hair. Sooyoung had her hair in a ponytail tied with a silk ribbon while Yuri's hair was only partially pulled back.

"Stepsisters," she acknowledged quickly. She was starting to understand now.

"Did you hear something, dear sister?" Sooyoung asked like a stuck-up brat.

"Ah, yes," Yuri answered. "I believe that was the sound of..."

"OUR LAUNDRY!" they exclaimed at the same time, dumping a basket of clothes over Seohyun's head. They laughed and walked off.

Seohyun pulled the clothes off of her head and looked at the items around her. There was a pile of wood by the wall, close to the fireplace in the corner of the room. Other than that, a simple broom, a few buckets and clothes filled the rest of the rather small area.

Remembering the story correctly, there'd soon come an invitation to the prince's ball. As if reading her mind, a giant squeal was heard throughout the house. Yep...

"Cinderella!" Yuri called as she looked into the room. "We expect those dresses to be absolutely perfect for the ball this evening. The princess is going to be there and I have to look my absolute best!"

P-princess...?

"You, look good?" Sooyoung commented. "Ha! I'm going to be the one to impress her royal highness!"

"No, it's going to be me!"

"No, me!"

"Me!"

"Me!"

"Girls, shut up," Jessica interrupted suddenly. "You are both going to dance, looking your best. Who the princess chooses is her choice, as long as it's one of you. This is for every maiden ready to marry, remember?"

"I want to go too," Seohyun said without thinking.

Jessica looked at her with pure, supposedly, disgust in her eyes. Then she smiled in a way that was neither humble nor friendly. "Fine."

The stepsisters' jaws dropped. "If," Jessica added, "you can sort out these pearls by the time we are to be there. You do that, and you will be able to go."

What pearls? Seohyun wondered. Indirectly answering her question, Jessica ripped off Yuri's pearl necklace and threw it into the ash of the fireplace. "Chop, chop!"

"Mother!" Yuri exclaimed shocked.

"Do not be such a baby," Jessica ordered. "If the prince chooses one of you, you will be able to afford more than simple pearls. Come on, now!"

They exited the room, Yuri pouting, "It was my favorite too."

Seohyun sank down on her knees and started brushing ash off the pearls. "There are so many..." she mumbled, feeling a little hopeless.

"Wow, that is some bad necklace," a voice behind her said. She turned around and saw a winged Taeyeon.

"Unnie!" she exclaimed.

"Not now. Right now I'm your Fairy Godmother," Taeyeon corrected her.

"Are you the one who'll help me find the perfect dress to the ball?" Seohyun asked.

"Of course, this wand ain't for decoration," Taeyeon grinned and poked her wand into Seohyun's hip.

"Unnie," Seohyun hissed, blushing a deep shade of pink. "Why did you poke me there?"

"It was the most decent spot," she replied with wiggling eyebrows.

Seohyun actually shuttered at the sentence. Light started surrounding and she ended up in a beautiful, maroon dress.

"Wow..."

"My work here is done."

"Wait!" Seohyun shouted. "What about transportation?"

"It's closer than you think," Taeyeon said. "Get some work out done!" And with that, the older girl disappeared.

Seohyun sighed. "Then I'd better start walking..."

The ball room was lit up with bright colors, beautiful women in dresses and men in suits, a chandelier the highlight of the ballroom. Seohyun arrived and stared in awe of all the people there.

"Excuse me," a soft voice asked. "May I have this dance?"

Seohyun turned around in shock to see Yoona behind her in a golden dress. "Yoona, are you the princess?!"

"My, you know my identity already." She reached a hand out to her.

Seohyun accepted it and they danced. They danced around in the circles, other couples stopping to stare at them, enchanted by the beauty of their royal highness and her partner.

"Is this for real?" the maknae asked.

The doe-eyed girl smiled and leaned against her ear, whispering: "It is if you want it to be, but right now you have to wake up."

"Wha...?"

"You must wake up, Seohyun..."

"Hyunnie, wake up." Yoona shook the younger girl gently. "Seohyun, it's past midnight already. Aren't you all about sleeping properly?"

Seohyun opened her eyes and looked at Yoona. "I was having the weirdest dream... You were there, and Sooyoung-unnie and Yuri-unnie and..."

A finger to her lips shut her up. "I will hear all about it tomorrow, but right now, we need to get you to bed."

"Too tired..."

"No problem," Yoona said and pulled her entire body into her arms. "I'm not the strongest for nothing. Let's get you to bed, Cinderella."

Seohyun blushed lightly. Usually she'd protest against being carried around like that, but right now she just buried her face into Yoona's neck and breathed in the sweet scent of her shampoo.

"... I love you, Yoong," she said in a very quiet voice, barely hearing it herself.

"I love you too, Seobaby," Yoona replied in a soft, gentle voice.