https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg5cp5c58vU

Various Artists: Space Love

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Seniors streamed steadily into the ball room to celebrate the Twilight Ball.

Jolly laughter filled the air, and everyone was dressed in their best.

Girls showed off their most expensive dresses and matching accessories and guys tugged on their neckties or bowties and hoped they would be able to take them off sooner or later.

Yoonjung opened the door and floated out in a light red sweetheart chiffon high low formal gown. Although her gown was simple without embedded jewelry, it showed off her supple curves and glittery shoulders. Some guys stole approving glances at her, and a few girls frowned enviously.

Yoonjung took a deep breath and scanned the scenery. It just felt so wrong to be here without JB.

Long before, they had planned to come to the Twilight Ball together. That was before she had been kidnapped by a bunch of lunatics wanting petty revenge against Exo. And now, JB lay in a hospital room with a broken leg and several bad scratches and third-degree burns. Thanks to him, she had gotten out safely with only minor injuries.

“Will you be all right, sweetheart?” Her father asked.

Yoonjung turned back to him. No, I want to go home. Better yet, I want to go to the hospital and be with JB. He was supposed to be here for the best night of our lives. Now he’ll miss out...and it’s all because of me.

“The other guys will be here, right?” Her father asked.

Yoonjung managed to find her voice and nodded. “Yeah, they’ll be here.” I can’t go though. Mark, Jackson, Bambam, Yugyeom, Youngjae, and Jr. will all be here, and they’re counting on me to attend as well. They’ve been so good to me for the past couple weeks. They always make an effort to make me smile and do everything for me. I can’t let them down.

Her father peered worriedly at her. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?”

Yoonjung plastered on a smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be all right.”

“Okay, I’ll be here at the end of the ball. Have fun. Make a lot of good memories.” Her father waved and drove away.

Yoonjung turned around and faced the ball room again. Taking a deep breath, she clutched onto her silver clutch and headed inside. Classical music played, creating a sophisticated mood all around the ball room that was splendidly decorated with velvet stripes and ice sculptures that showed off the school mascot. Yoonjung searched the room for her friends. She delved further into the room and approached the splendid buffet table with dishes from all over the globe. She picked up a glass of red punch and took a careful sip.

Warm hands grasped her bare shoulders, and she looked back to meet eyes with Jr.

He smiled softly at her. “Hi, Princess.”

The rest of her friends gathered around her.

“Wow, Yoonjung. You look amazing,” Youngjae complimented.

Jackson smiled warmly without a hint of the prankster within him. “Yeah, Candy. You look beautiful.” He took her hand and gently kissed it.

“You look more beautiful than any other girl here,” Yugyeom said.

“Well…if Yugyeom said it, it must be true,” Yoonjung joked. The guys laughed, relieved that she was well enough to throw a joke. Yoonjung smiled at her friends. She was glad they were here although she couldn’t help but feel a piece of her heart was missing. Yoonjung felt a gentle squeeze on her wrist and looked upward.

“You okay?” Mark whispered softly.

Yoonjung smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Mark smiled back in response.

“Look at you, Jungie Jungie.” Bambam drew her away. “You’re so thin. You need to eat. Come on. Let’s raid the table.” He tucked her arm between his arm and side and guided her to the buffet table. He fed her bits of cheese and cherry tomatoes.

“Hey, Yoonjung,” a gentle voice said from behind. They looked back and found D.O.

“Hey, D.O.” Yoonjung smiled. “Hey…” Bambam cautiously said.

D.O. smiled at them both. “It’s nice to see you guys. Yoonjung, you look fabulous, and Bambam, I really like your bowtie. Where’d you get it?”

Bambam was surprised D.O. was making conversation with him. “Uh…at the mall near my place.”

“Oh, which one? I need to get a new bowtie to wear at my grandma’s seventy-fifth birthday. If I wear the same black one, she’ll nag me forever.” D.O. rolled his eyes.

Bambam stifled his laughter. “Um, I’ll let you know through text. Oh, wait. I don’t have your number.”

“I’ll give it to you now,” D.O. offered. “R-Really?” Bambam balked at him.

D.O. nodded as they exchanged numbers. “Maybe you can come with me. I have bad taste for bowties.”

Bambam smiled genuinely. “I’d like that.” He looked at Yoonjung, and his smile deepened. “I’ll be over there with the guys. Take your time catching up.” He waved at D.O. also and walked away.

“Wow, D.O. You’re a real charmer. Bambam doesn’t open up to anyone so easily. You can charm the pants off of anyone,” Yoonjung joked.

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want that to happen. It’s not a pretty sight,” he quipped, making her laugh.

D.O. smiled softly. “It’s nice to see you actually laugh. I was worried about you. That incident…should have never happened to you or your friend. I’m sorry about JB.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Yoonjung whispered sorrowfully.

“How is he doing?” D.O. asked.

“He’s all right. Well…he says he’s all right. But how fine can he be with a broken leg.” She sighed.

“You’re worried about him a lot,” he pointed out. “Yeah, he’s my best friend,” she replied.

“Mmm…I’m willing to bet he’s more than that.” He smiled mysteriously.

Before Yoonjung could ask him what he meant, one of the teachers called everyone’s attention to the front stage. “Thank you for attending the Twilight Ball. In less than a week, all of you will be graduating and going off to pursue different dreams. All of us know each and every one of you have worked hard to come so far. We wish you the best.” A brief, polite applause followed by the speech.

“Now…before we actually do the ballroom dance all of you have been practicing so hard for…” The teacher smiled when he saw several students groaning. “We have a special performance prepared by the most skillful dancers of the school.” He stepped aside, and the lights dimmed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U-fo5ukShA

Exo: Call Me Baby

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“Oh, shoot, this looks good! Come on, Yoonjung!” D.O. grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the front of the stage.

The stage lights brightened up the room, and six figures stood on the stage.

“Oh wow! Look!” D.O. jumped up and down with glee.

Yoonjung was surprised to see Jackson, Yugyeom, Mark, Lay, Luhan, and Kai up on stage. Whoa…when did they prepare this? They performed a dance routine that made everyone go wild. The formal party had suddenly turned into a nightclub. Yoonjung forgot about all past ordeal and watched in awe. All six of them were amazing dancers, and they looked just like an idol group. She whooped when Mark did his signature flips in the air.

She hadn’t seen his dexterous flips in a while, and they made her smile brightly.

Abruptly, four of the guys left and only Mark and Lay remained on stage. They were finally able to do the collaboration stage they had mentioned during Halloween.

“WOO! GO MARK! GO LAY!” D.O. and Yoonjung enthusiastically cheered. The dance ended, and the audience broke into a loud, fanatical applause.

Mark and Lay grinned at the crowd and then faced each other. Their grins deepened as they shook hands.

“I’m glad we danced together.”

“Me, too.”

They jumped off stage and went their separate ways.

Yoonjung and the rest of her friends crowded around Mark.

“You were awesome!” Bambam grinned. “Dude, you killed it.” Jr. grinned proudly.

“Hey! What about us?” Jackson pouted.

Yoonjung laughed and lightly thumped his back. “You did great, too. Yugyeom, you were hot up there.”

“Too bad I don’t date friends,” Yugyeom said with a straight face.

“Look who’s getting cocky now!” Bambam barked with laughter, and everyone else joined in.

This would have been perfect if JB had been here. I’m sure he would have enjoyed going up on that stage. Her smile faltered at the thought of him.

“Hey,” a voice said. They turned around to see Exo heading towards them.

“You guys did well.” Luhan held his hand out. Mark glanced around and then cautiously took it. “You guys did well, too.”

Lay smiled at Mark, and Mark smiled back.

“Is it too late to apologize for being jerks?” Baekhyun sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s never too late for an apology.” Youngjae grinned.

“Then we’re sorry.” Baekhyun smiled. Chanyeol nodded along. “Yeah, we were mean to all of you for no reason. We weren’t better than the Goryo boys.”

Jr. apologized also, “We also want to say that we’re sorry for all this time. We judged you without getting to know you first. Thanks for coming to our rescue.”

“Hey, we made this mess. Of course we should clean it up.” Suho nodded. Kai and Tao exchanged smiles and clapped each other on the shoulder.

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! Group hug!” Bambam stepped forward with arms stretched out.

“Whoa!” Exo backed away immediately. “I don’t think we’re ready for that yet,” Baekhyun joked.

“We’ll see you around.” Sehun waved.

“Don’t forget our shopping date!” D.O. grinned at Bambam.

“No offense but that sounded really wrong,” Baekhyun said as they walked away. “Shut up.” D.O. elbowed him.

Kris glanced back, made meaningful eye-contact with Yoonjung, and backed away with the rest of his friends.

“That was…odd.” Yugyeom raised an eyebrow. “Not bad though.” Jr. laughed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA1MvUqvqkI

Hyorin: Hello (instrumental)

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After an hour of just mingling and eating, the teachers gathered the seniors again to officially begin the annual ballroom dancing.

Yoonjung got into position and took a deep breath. Although she attended an art school, she had two left feet and hoped this was the last time she would ever have to dance…in public at least.

Yoonjung looked back and met eyes with Mark who nodded encouragingly. She gave him a relaxed smile. At least Mark is here. What would I do without him, too? He’s like a silent, mysterious knight.

The music started, and Yoonjung stepped up to her partner. She rotated and came face to face with D.O. He grinned, circled around her, and then rotated her to her next dance partner. She did this a few more times and came to be partnered unexpectedly with Baekhyun, Lay, Yugyeom, Kris, and Luhan.

“You look pretty today,” Luhan complimented. “Thank you.” Yoonjung smiled.

“So…I guess we’re not getting together after all,” Luhan said. Yoonjung lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“No…don’t apologize. Actually, deep down in my heart, I always knew we wouldn’t end up together. I can already see you have eyes for someone else,” Luhan said. Yoonjung gave him a baffled look. Who…?

Luhan glanced towards Mark who had his eyes on her. And he likes her back, too.

The song came to a close and everyone applauded.

Most of the seniors, like her, were glad ballroom dancing was over.

Wearily, Yoonjung sat down. Suddenly, she felt tired, but her mind was buzzing from D.O. and Luhan’s comments. Why did they keep telling her she had feelings for someone else?

Before she could ponder deeply about the possibility, a shadow came over her, and she looked up to see an outstretched hand. Her gaze lifted upward, and she met eyes with Kris. “Will you dance with me?”

Yoonjung flushed. Flustered, she stammered, “I’m really bad at dancing. I’ve never slow-danced with anyone before either.”

Unfazed, he smiled. “It’s all in the leading.”

Yoonjung took a deep breath. “Okay. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She took his hand, and he guided her onto the dance floor. Many girls gasped in shock that Kris would actually dance with someone. The two of them swayed side to side in a slow, graceful motion.

“You look…really beautiful today. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you,” Kris murmured.

Yoonjung turned red in embarrassment. Nobody had said such words to her before, so she wasn’t used to them. “Ah, um, thanks. You look pretty good, too. Nice tuxedo.” I’m so lame.

“So…have you thought about my proposition?” Kris asked.

“Proposition?” Yoonjung gave him a confused look. She met his eye and remembered his confession. “Oh…” There had been so many things happening around her that she had completely forgotten. Her mind turned into garbled mush, and she felt her hands grow clammy. Suddenly, she felt really sick as if she was going to throw up. Do I want to give Kris a chance?

“I’m willing to bet he’s more than that.”

“I can already see you have eyes for someone else.”

Yoonjung squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She had stopped dancing now. No, I don’t. I only want to be with one person…and he’s not here right now.

“Yoonjung? Are you okay?” Kris asked out of concern.

“I’m sorry!” Yoonjung blurted and pushed away from him. “I’m so sorry. I…I can’t be with you. I…I need to go.” She ran out of the ball room, leaving Kris stunned and hurt.

Mark, who had watched Yoonjung flee the scene, ran after her. He grabbed her wrist as she stumbled down the stairs. “Yoonjung!” She spun her head around, and he saw the diamond-like tears falling from her fair face. Surprise crossed his face, and he looked at her with worry. “What happened to you? Why are you crying? Did Kris do something to you?” He glared back at the ball room.

Yoonjung shook her head while shaking. “No, no, he did nothing wrong. I did. I’m wrong. I just realized…I’m so bad…” She wasn’t making any sense. He could feel her trembling and gently lowered her onto the step. “Sit down.”

“I need to go.” Yoonjung quivered. “Not now. I can’t send you in this condition.” Mark frowned.

They sank onto the concrete step and just sat facing each other. He studied her blank face and his frown grew deeper.

Mark gently grasped onto her bare arm and searched her eyes. “Yoonjung, what’s wrong? You’re shaken. What exactly happened? Talk to me. Please.”

Her eyes filled up with tears again, and he tried to calm her down. “Breathe, Yoonjung. You’re going to be all right. Take a deep breath and calmly think about what’s really troubling you.”

Yoonjung took his advice and inhaled deeply. Then she exhaled slowly and gazed into space as she thought about the sudden realization that had hit her a moment ago. Her heart seized with panic once again, and she couldn’t breathe.

“Breathe,” Mark whispered. Yoonjung exhaled and swayed sideways.

Mark caught her arms and shook his head. “This can’t do. You need to go home and rest. I’ll take you. Come on.” He lifted her up and guided her towards the main street where they caught a cab. Yoonjung managed to settle down during the drive, and she felt calmer once she arrived in front of her house. Mark told the cab driver to wait and stepped out with her. “Are you sure you’ll be all right alone?

” Yoonjung glanced at JB’s house and was surprised to see the lights on. Maybe his dad came back early. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. My dad is home, too. Thanks for taking me home. I feel bad because you were forced to leave with me.” Yoonjung grimaced.

“I don’t really like those types of parties anyways. Don’t worry about me