---3---

“Why does everything always have to be so complicated?” Sooyoung mumbled, tugging uncomfortably at the hem of her dress.

She sighed and stared at her reflection in the mirror.  “It’s my birthday.  I wanted to choose what I want to do,” she continued to rant to herself, tempted to just kick off her heels and just curl up to sleep after a long day of preparations.

Sooyoung turned to her window and looked out into the night.  People were beginning to arrive at the house, their fancy cars and limousines pulling up in the large driveway.

Someone knocked on the door.  “Sooyoung, hurry up!  The guests are already here!” her mother’s shrill voice ordered.

I can see that, Sooyoung thought sarcastically, shutting her curtains.  “I’ll be right out, umma!” she called out before grabbing the mask off her bedside counter.

Why a masquerade? she wondered, placing the simple mask over her face and adjusting the straps.

“Sooyoung!”

“Coming!” Glancing sorrowfully at her room one more time, Sooyoung hurried out the door.

She entered the grand ballroom that her parents reserved just for these social events.  People milled around, mingling and socializing with each other.  It was tough to remember everyone at normal parties, but it was even more difficult now with all the people masked.

I don’t think I can even find umma, Sooyoung thought.  Hey… that might actually be a good thing.

However, her luck seemed to be lacking, even on her birthday.  Her mother appeared beside her.  “Ah, found you!”

Sooyoung groaned internally.  Her mother immediately took her arm and pulled her to the front.  “Alright, Sooyoung.  I’m going to make an announcement, and then I want you to make a quick speech.”

The chattering died down as the two walked towards the microphone.  Her mother cleared and began to speak, “Good evening, everyone.  I hope you’re all having a great time so far.  Now, I’d like to introduce the star of tonight, my dear daughter, Kwon Sooyoung!”

As the guests applauded politely, Sooyoung whispered worriedly, “Umma, I don’t know what to say!”

Without losing her smile, her mother whispered back sharply, “Just say thank you to everyone!”

“For what?”

“For being here, of course!” her mother snapped, her tone impatient now.

Sooyoung stared wide-eyed into the crowd.  Majority of the guests were people she didn’t even know.  She saw some people her age, but none of her close friends.  Her gaze landed a certain pair of eyes.  Those dark irises that stayed embedded in her mind after every time she saw them.  It’s him, she thought.  He’s here again.

Jung Daehyun stood tall and straight, his arms crossed defiantly and his expression in its usual scowl.  His hair was combed back neatly, and he was wearing a black blazer with matching jeans.  His dark appearance only added to the aura of mysteriousness and secretiveness that had intrigued Sooyoung since they first met.

Her mother knocked her out of her trance.  “Sooyoung!” Mrs. Kwon hissed under her breath.

Hwaiting, Sooyoung mentally chanted before taking a breath and composing herself.

“Hello, everyone.  Thank you all for coming to this gathering,” Sooyoung calmly said, smiling brightly.  “It’s a very special day for me, and I’m glad you are all here to share this moment with me.  Thank you and hope you have an enjoyable night!”

“Good, Sooyoung.  Very good,” her mother murmured as she led the teenager off the platform.

Sooyoung sighed in relief.  She always treasured these words of praise, even if they were short-lived.  It wasn’t something she heard often, especially not from her mother.

Meanwhile, Daehyun was trying to negotiate with his father’s security, who constantly stood around him like prison guards.  “Look, guys,” he whispered, glancing around for his father.  “I came here.  That was the deal, right?  You can say you’ve seen me, and I can say that I was here.  If you let me leave now, there are no promises broken, no harm done.”

“Nice try, Jung,” one of the men scoffed.  “But your father specifically ordered us to keep you here until he arrives.  So stay put.”

The nineteen year old answered coolly, “Just close your eyes for a moment.  Then you can say you didn’t see me get away.”

Only silence answered him.

Daehyun’s temper flared at being ignored.  “Come on, you pack of gorillas!  Don’t make me force my way out of here!” he threatened angrily.

He smirked when a few of the men shifted around to glance at him nervously.  Then, the men began to disperse.  Yeah, that’s right.  No one wants Jung Daehyun to start a fight in the middle of a party.

His smug expression faded into a glare when his father stepped towards him, holding out a mask.  “Daehyun, I don’t appreciate you harassing my men like that.”

Daehyun’s glare intensified.  When Mr. Jung placed a hand on his shoulder to guide him somewhere, Daehyun immediately shook it off.  “I can get around by myself,” he hissed, placing the black mask over his face.

Sooyoung had somehow managed to free herself from her mother’s constant watch.  One plus of the masquerade concept, she realized, was that no one really paid attention to her when she walked by.  They didn’t really care enough to recognize her.

She found her way into the library, where she collapsed into a comfortable chair, sighing in relief.  She mumbled incoherently after remembering that she still had to survive the rest of the night.

I’ll just rest for a moment.  Just for a minute, she thought, closing her eyes.

At the same time, Daehyun managed to escape his parents as they socialized with some other adults.

He burst into the first door he could find, hoping it contained a way out.  Instead, he found himself staring at what looked like a colossal labyrinth of bookshelves.

“I don’t think there is anyone in the world willing to read all of these books,” he snickered, eyeing the thick layer of dust on the shelves. “Let alone clean them.”

I wonder if someone has ever gotten lost in here, he mused as he meandered around aimlessly.  I guess I’ll be the first.  He chuckled quietly to himself.

Daehyun suddenly froze when he heard a small sound nearby.  Curious, he walked quickly over to where the sound came from.  He came into a small circular section, a cozy secluded spot just to sit and read.

There, he found a girl sleeping soundly.  Daehyun raised an eyebrow.  “Yah!” he shouted, making her eyes flutter open in surprise.

“Huh?” the girl sat up, blinking sleepily to see who was addressing her.

When her eyes opened, Daehyun recognized who she was immediately, even with her mask still intact on her face.  “You again?!” he uttered in disbelief, pulling off his own mask to get a clearer look.

“You’re the Jungs’ son, right?” Sooyoung asked cautiously.

Daehyun scoffed.  “Apparently, since that’s all everyone sees me as,” he said bitterly.  Then, he focused his attention back on her.  “Why do you always show up where I am?”

Sooyoung’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.  “Me?  You’re the one who keeps appearing wherever I go!”

Daehyun glared.  “Whatever,” he said through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to argue.  “Just stop following me.”

“What’s your problem?” Sooyoung snapped, shooting up from her seat and grabbing onto Daehyun’s blazer sleeve.  “What did I ever do to you?”

The older boy yanked his arm out of her grip forcefully before storming out.  He found his father chatting drunkenly with one of his colleagues.

“I’m leaving,” Daehyun said coldly, but of course, his father was already too far gone to care.

As he found his way into the night air, Daehyun pulled off his blazer, hanging it over his shoulder.  He then shoved his hands into his pocket, pulling out his phone to text one of his hyungs to pick him up.

That girl infuriates me for some reason, he thought, running his hand through his hair in exasperation.  But her eyes… something about her eyes…

He abruptly stopped pacing and hit himself in the head.  “What are you thinking, Jung Daehyun?” he scolded himself out loud.  “She’s just another one of those heiresses.  She’s the same as all the other wealthy people in that house right now.”

Back in the mansion, Sooyoung pursed her lips in confusion.  What a strange guy, she thought.

Brushing it off quickly, she rejoined the party, her trademark smile back on her face.  No one had even realized her disappearance, everyone too absorbed in the festivities.

A/N: Summer means I can update pretty often, or at least... more often than I did with my other stories...  :D  Hope you like the chapter :)

And now a peek at Daehyun's y side~