"Which one do you want?" Suji tugged Sehun hand as she pulled him into the café, followed by a pleasantly smiling Chanyeol and an irate Luhan. It was well furnished; its shelved walls lined with ornate antiques and books and the iron wrought chandelier casting a soft nostalgic glow about the place. The quiet and calm atmosphere was alluring with only the soft chinks of glassware and murmured conversation between its few customers breaking the silence.

As one of Apgujeong-dong's exclusive cafés, it only catered for the very best of society and was one of Suji's favourite haunts with Minhyun.

"This place is too expensive." Luhan muttered quietly, casting nervous glances around him as though suspecting foul play, "We could have just gone to a simple shop and gotten something cheap instead."

"I want one of those." Sehun said flatly, gesturing at a picture of chocolate mousse cake. His hand s around the elder surreptitiously and he lightly bit his earlobe. "Get me that one, Lu." He whispered in his ear, "We can share it."

*I don't have enough money for these desserts Sehun. To be polite, we must pick the cheapest thing here since Suji is the one paying.* He thought to the others, taking the maknae's hand in his and squeezed it lightly as a warning, *Otherwise, it's rude.*

*That's just a cup of black tea!* Sehun's lip twitched back, dangerously flashing his teeth, *With no sugar either! I thought Suji noona was loaded.*

Luhan fell silent at that and he avoided the rainbow haired boy's eyes as though ashamed. His fingers absentmindedly plucked at his red plaid shirt, twisting the fabric around and around his index finger.

Chanyeol looked up at the elder's sudden silence and patted his shoulder awkwardly, giving him a gentle smile as the dewy eyes rose up to meet his. He wasn't too close with this Hyung, having always stuck with the Ks most of the time. He had no qualms with the others but there was something strange about Xiao Lu. He seemed to exist at both ends of the spectrum. At either extremes. At this point, he appeared more as a child than anything else and Chanyeol felt the urge to throw an arm around him and squeeze him close.

Any moment that he didn't degenerate to his darker side was a cause for celebration.

He turned and stared at Suji with a curious smile playing on his lips. She seemed right at home in this high class café, eager to give them a taste of her lifestyle. He had never been to such a place before; having been confined to the interior of their house. He hardly knew anything outside the small world that was Jeolla-do. His one brave stint alone in this new world had been a horrific one; having been separated from the others as they arrived.

Never again would he step foot into a female University unclothed.

The server recognised her immediately, sweeping into a low bow and flashing a cheery smile at her as he slid his glasses back up his nose, "Suji Agasshi! How can we help you today? The usual?"

"No." Suji tilted her head as she gazed at the engraved maple menu board with a critical eye, "I brought a few friends today and one of us has been craving something sweet. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Of course," He gushed, his eyes twinkling as he glanced at the trail of boys behind her.

Chanyeol suspected that he was wondering which wealthy household they came from. Wouldn't he be surprised.

However, his professionalism did not allow his curiosity to be sated; only bowing once more and animatedly gesturing at the oiled and inscribed board before them, "We've recently introduced a very rich variety of chocolates which have been imported from worldwide. I personally recommend this lovely box set from Ecuador which consists of a mixture of the finest dark chocolates, cocoa butter, Pledmont hazelnuts and Antilles rum. However, it's rather on the bitter side, being mainly dark chocolate. If you desire something sweeter, I have this delightful chocolate platter from Venezuela. It's seventy percent pure Valrhona cacao blended into a creamy ganache with truffle oil. Would this suit your palate?"

"Very much." Suji smiled brightly, whipping out her card.

Chanyeol's eyes widened as he saw the price flash on the till screen. He was aware that Suji was from a rich background but this was taking things to a whole new level. Yixing had made a huge profit from his medical venture, healing the humans at prices lower than the exorbitant charges they make at official hospitals and yet, they were still considered the wealthier quarter of society. However, they have never paid more than eighty thousand won for any meal in all their lives, no matter how extravagant.

Two hundred grand for a box of chocolates was taking things a bit too far.

'Beep' The machine spat her card back out; a clear ERROR displayed on its screen. The server glanced up nervously, warily meeting Suji's astounded gaze. For a moment, Chanyeol felt sorry for the poor boy. He seemed like a young human, probably around about Sehun's physical age, and his mind was wrought with the dark shades of worry and fear. His anxiety emanated out of him in waves despite his cheery exterior and its cause was no other than people like Suji. The powerful who made life so difficult for him.

It was like that every day, with every person that Chanyeol met. Their inner emotions contrasted so greatly with their appearances; it was as though deception was an innate aspect of human nature. There was only one person he had met who had expressed herself with the honesty of one who had nothing to hide but even then, there was an inkling of raw fear and insecurity which she did not reveal. It was as though her harsh exterior acted as a guard to protect her inner self. He watched her splutter in shock, eyes wide open and hands wringing as she accepted her defect card from the server.

Without realising it, the ends of Chanyeol's lips curved up into a small grin.

She's an interesting one, this Kim Suji.

"I don't understand!" She frowned at the card held tightly between her fingers, "It's always worked before."

"I'm really sorry Agasshi. It appears that the account has been closed off to this card. If you have another-"

"Tell me this is a mistake Wooyoung sshi." She gritted her teeth, frustration clouding her mind, "I've come all the way here from Jeolla and-"

*.* Luhan thought to his companions, alarm evident in his tone, *She's not meant to tell anyone where she was. If this Woo kid-*

"Don't worry." Chanyeol grabbed her arm, causing her as well as the other customers in the shop, no doubt other wealthy citizens who could afford to burn their money, to stare. "We can pay."

"Are you sure?" Her expression became skeptical, arms crossing themselves in a gesture which indicated her irritation at the situation presented, "It was my decision to come here so you don't have to force yourselves to pay. Could you even afford this?"

"It's fine." He assured her, aware of the worry and embarrassment on her mind. Another insult. Another defence. "It's a first for us to try something so luxurious, you're doing us a favour by introducing us these kinds of treats."

Her eyes softened as she gazed up at him, grateful for his timely intervention lest she lose face in public, "Okay. Feel free to choose something cheaper though. You don't have to buy that chocolate platter."

It's okay. We can-" The words died at Chanyeol's lips as he felt a foot surreptitiously crunch down on the back of his heel with strength no mortal could ever muster and he turned to find an infuriated Luhan behind him with Sehun still hanging around his neck.

*Have you forgotten that only one of us actually has a job?* The blonde gave a pleasant grin which did not match the dark shadow over his eyes. Only those with high levels of hearing could make out the grinding sound of his teeth gritting together with herculean strength. *I'll tell Lay not to get you a new bed. Those funds will go straight to my pocket.* He flashed another glare as he whipped out his wallet and approached the server.

Chanyeol gulped and nodded silently, unable to meet Suji's curious gaze. The other Luhan was back.

They had ended up ordering bubble tea, seeing as Sehun immediately threw a fit at the thought of unsweetened black tea. Even that had been ridiculously overpriced, although Chanyeol had to admit that it tasted much nicer than the tea that Yixing forced down their throats at home.'

It had been one of his secret recipes; picked up during his time in China and had been made from a t