I woke up feeling groggy knowing another semester of school was on it's way. I got ready and head outside standing at the curb when I realised... I wasn't waiting for anyone today. With an odd sensation I just walked to school at my normal school and entered the school gates on time. As I walked down the halls seeing the fresh lively faces of people greeting everyone happily I spotted Minji walk past a group of girls giving them a small wave as they waved back. She made eye contact with me bowing her head slightly as I just turned away and continued to walk.

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I walked out of my 4th period class to see the halls littered with posters and flyers with the words 'Senior New Year Dance' sprawled across them in big bold letters. I always thought the new year was overrated, nothing changed drastically and neither did you feel different. It was just a time for people to renew their fake resolutions and have the excuse of kissing someone at the countdown. I walked to my locker ripping the flyer of my locker door and opening it to place my books away. As I closed the little door I saw Hanbin leaning with his back on the lockers down the corridor and Minji infront of him laughing and talking together.I looked at the scrunched up flyer in my hand and wondered if she'd asked him yet.

Every year the senior's would get this dance as a way of adding a bit of a fun light amongst the darkness of study and stress which was to come and all seniors were invited aswell as their dates, whomever they were. I hadn't thought of asking Hanbin to my date at all but I also didn't think we'd be in such a different place compared to just a couple of months back. I thought even if we didn't go together we could ... hang out there together and without him I didn't really have anyone else to hang out with persay. 

I looked up down the corridor again to see Minji moving in closer to Hanbin and Hanbin jolt up as she spoke. She asked him I thought, he looked flustered and pink even from where I was standing as he tried to play it off cool with his hands in his pockets. 

I just turned away and headed to the cafeteria.

I let the moment play over and over in my head for the rest of the day and felt restless at the thought. I thought to myself, after my vocal rehersal I would go to the shops and find a nice dress and shoes and let myself buy them because I hadn't shopped in really long and I deserved to look nice because well.. why not. Even if I didn't have a date which I mean I hadn't planned on having anyway, I wasn't going to let Hanbin be the only thing keeping me back from enjoying my one and only senior dance.

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As planned after I finished my rehersal I changed out of my sweaty clothes into a pair of jeans, a top and my green coat and headed out of the building. I walked out to see Jinhwan oppa sitting on the buidling steps taking something out of his bag 

"Annyeong oppa" I said with a smile as I bent down next to him. 

"Oh, annyeong" 

"What are you looking for?" I asked curious as he reached into his bag for a second more before pulling out a pair of earphones. 

"Aaaaaaay, oppa don't you know it's dangerous to walk and listen to music at the same time. You become less aware of your surroundings with both ears occupied. That's one less sense to sense possible danger!"

Jinhwan laughed as I talked with my eyes wide and serious before nodding thorougly in response to what I said.

"Mmmm, maybe I should take a bus then?" 

"A bus? from here to the dorms?"

he pointed at the headphones around my neck and tilted his head to the side bit. 

"What about you then, if those aren't just a fashion statement, doesn't it mean you plan on using them on your journey too?"

"I oppa, am not going home, I'm going to the shops to buy my new year's school dance dress" I said smiling brightly 

"ooooh sounds fun. are you going by yourself?"

"umm.. yeah" I said a bit embarassed

Usually girls would go with their friends or sister or mum or date ... but here I was going alone

"Want me to come?" he said standing up and dusting himself off nonchalantly

"huh!?"

"I have really good taste you know Sera and this way you have someone to tell you from a guys view if you look good or not"

"okay" I softly smiled at him and nodded my head 

We headed over to the busstop waiting in the cold. He looked over to me chattering my teeth as he stood seemingly unaffected by the cold

"Yah Sera, you're always wearing layers and have that huge black scarf on yet I never see you looking warm"

"yeah.. I think my blood's just cold"

He pulled out a hot pack from his pocket and handed it to me. I looked at it in the palm of my hand and couldn't help but feel a sting at the thought of everything Hanbin said that night. A moment to long passed as he watched me staring at it in my palm before shoving it in to my pocket completley zoned out

"Sera" he shook as he grabbed me by my arm and pulled me onto the bus that had droven into the curb at some point.

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We walked around the busy plaza with milkshakes in our hands as before heading into the dress shop I planned on going to.  My eyes fell on a long pale pink dress with a deep back and pretty little tie up bows on the tops of the shoulders.

"try it on" he said next to my ear snapping me out of my daydream

I picked it up and passed it to the shop assisstant as she guided me to a changeroom to try it. 

"are you two shopping for an occasion?" the lady asked

"It' for a school dance" Jinhwan warmly replied

"I see I see" she said sweetly as she fetched a pair of shoes for me to try the dress with and slipped them into the change room

I walked out to see Jinhwan stop sipping on his milkshake and freeze his eyes on me. His eyes smiled as he watched me give a little twirl 

"Yah Yoo Sera, I was always under the impression that shopping for girls was much harder than this. The first dress you tried on seems perfect"

I smiled flattered and gave a hair flick and a playful wink as he laughed in return. 

"I think your date likes it" the shop assistant chimmed in

Our eyes met flustered before we laughed 

"I think I really do" Jinhwan said in a suave tone to the lady before turning back to me with a small laugh. 

The two of us finished shopping and Jinhwan bought us chinese food for dinner and we headed back to catch a bus home with hands full off bags and legs tired from all the footwork.

We took our spot on the fairly empty bus in the back corner before Jinhwan took out two lollipops

"Jajaaang, desert" he said passing one over to me

"So are you going with Hanbin?" Jinhwan asked pushing the lollipop into his mouth

"huh?" I said suprised and with annoyance laced in my tone as I pushed my lollipop to the side of my mouth

"guess not then" he said with a half smile 

"why'd you think we would go together ?"

Jinhwan watched me for a moment as my face posed a genuine question. He pulled the candy out of his mouth and sighed with a smile looking out the window and back to me before replying

"you guys are close aren't you? I've seen you around together and you're both in the same year so I just figured I guess" he said looking at me with piercingly serene eyes. I stared back for a moment lost as he captured me in the depth of his thought

"well we aren't and I never really considered that either..." I stumbled over the words before trailing off realising I was saying more than I needed to on the topic

Jinhwan smiled before taking out his earphones and offering one to me.

"Since we're on the bus it'd be okay right" I just smiled and took one of the earphones and placed it in my right ear.

Whilst looking out at the night scenery of Seoul Nell's The Day Before Tommorow played gently in my ear. I felt my put my head against the back rest and let my eyes close listening to the music and tunning out the rest. 

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Jinhwan looked down to see Sera's mouth wide open with a lollipop stick bouncing in the air with each bump in the road.He bent down over her carefully and slowly tried to take out the lollipop dangerously sticking out. He couldn't help but feel her breath tickle his hand and watch her long eyelashes reach down her face sitting in a perfectly curled bounce against her eyelid. He slowly took his hand and pulled it out and then went to get up to go towards the bin at the front of the bus. He felt his arm caught on her head and as the bus shaked with a sharp left turn without realising his hands automatically went to catch her head as it fell and bring it back to place softly on his own shoulder half eaten lollipop still in his hand. She slept with wide open against Jinhwan's shoulder as he let the whisper of a smile play on his face watching her, wishing deep inside the bus ride would go on for just a moment longer than it had to.