The seven members of the band not working entered the club, dressed very stylishly in their little black dresses.  Even Yuri, who was fast becoming the group’s resident “oppa” with her less feminine wardrobe, looked resplendent in her thigh length, high neck dress and her delicate black heels, items she had bought especially for tonight.  It wasn’t that she didn’t have dresses or heels; Sunny had ordered her to keep some of them when she cleared out most of her closet of his memories, or at least the ones that she liked to wear.  When Yuri offered the mountain of unwanted garments to Sunny, she had refused them outright, instead taking them to the local charity shop for those most in need.  Tonight, however, was different.  It was an excuse to party, which required party clothes, it was support for her friends and her housemate at the first semi-official group event she had been to, and it was a chance to show the world she didn’t need a man to complete her.  As the group descended the stairs, she made sure to repeat in her mind just how much she had here.  She had her friends, her “band”, her freedom, and she had a place to call “home”, not because she could lay her head there, but because Sunny made it a home.  Her brightness, her infectious energy, her annoying yet insatiable aegyo attitude and her calming, almost spiritual enlightenment, wrapped up in one small, loveable human being.  There wasn’t a morning that went by recently without Yuri praying to herself that she wouldn’t screw up this gift, nor was there a night where she didn’t give thanks for the pleasures that she had received that day.  In her own way, Sunny had given Yuri the secret to a happy and fulfilling life.  Now, Yuri felt satisfied that she was able to contribute to her happiness.  Step by step, the group approached the bar, causing men to step out of their way to let them pass.  Taeyeon had taken their orders and paid for the first round, each member promising future rounds.

“A toast!” Taeyeon declared, making sure everybody had their Jack Daniels and Coke and that Sunny would get her bottled water.  “To DJ Sunny and to Girls' Generation!”  Echoes from each member went around, still audible over the music their diminutive bandmate was playing for the enjoyment of the patrons.  As the group stepped away from the bar, men filled the void they left and eyes followed them as they departed.  Yuri knew that, at some point during the night, at least one of them would be asked out by at least one guy.  Even if they weren’t interested.

“Sunny’s not doing too bad, huh?” Seohyun shouted, bringing Yuri back to reality.

“Definitely!” Sooyoung echoed.  “Although I don’t know if she’s signed it yet.”

“Huh?” Yuri asked.

“If she’s played ‘Abracadabra’,” Yoona explained, leaning to her friend to make it easier to be heard.

“As in Brown Eyed Girls?”

“It’s like her signature song,” Taeyeon leaned forward.  “She plays it every time, and she has us dancing to it whenever she hears it.  She can’t get enough of it.”

“Neither can you!” Jessica teased.

“Would you complain if you had butts shaking in front of you?” Taeyeon asked, smugly and sarcastically.

“Depends on who the butts belonged to,” Jessica mused.

“What if it was mine?” Taeyeon shuffled closer to her, facetiously flirting with her.

Jessica turned to look at her leader with a deadpan expression.  “No,” was her sole answer.  She didn’t break out into a smile or show any emotion until she turned away.

Taeyeon quickly feigned shocked and hurt at the remark.  “What’s wrong with my ?” she asked.

“It’s not mine!” Sooyoung mocked.

“Oh please,” Jessica spat playfully.  “You don’t even have a .”

Gasps, shouts and laughter went around the group as they drank.  Tiffany handed out the pink glow stick wristbands to the girls, partly for fashion, but mostly for security: knowing that the girls had glowing wristbands meant they could be found easier in the club.  Once Tiffany explained it that way, nobody objected.  In fact, Sooyoung was the one to suggest wearing two pairs, one as a back-up pair if the others ran out.  Yuri pulled a light-up devil horns headband out of her handbag, placed it on her head and switched them on as the group headed out onto the dance floor.  She hadn’t seen Sunny since she left the house just after two that afternoon, just as she was getting into the shower.  Hyoyeon had arranged for her to get set up much earlier and get changed at the club, but she hadn’t seen her outfit.  Knowing Sunny, it would be so casual and stylish, it would be her own style.  The girls descended the stairs from the bar area to the dance floor, scouring the packed room, before finding her in the DJ box.  Her long brown tresses were full, curled and bouncing, with as much energy as she was showing.  Just like the girls, she wore a black dress, but with a very short skirt, thick straps and a white blouse underneath.  She was jumping around on the small platform, punching the air with the dancers, dancing along in her own little bubble, enjoying herself immensely.  As they neared the foot of the stairs, Sunny saw them and waved in their direction before noticing Yuri’s head apparel, sticking her fingers to her head like horns and giving her friend a thumbs up of approval before returning to her music and her captive audience.  The girls remained on the outskirts of the room, watching everyone and scouting a place to dance.

“Oh, screw this!” Jessica shouted, grabbing Taeyeon’s wrist and pulling her into the throbbing crowd.  Immediately, Tiffany took Yoona’s hand, whilst Yoona took Sooyoung’s, leading the three of them onto the floor behind.  Seohyun and Yuri followed behind, neither holding each other’s hands, but clearly matching each other’s groove as they followed the rest of their troupe.  Song after song played, before a heavy drum beat came over the room.  Lights of all colours moved, spinning and landing at different points.  Over the drum came what sounded like an electric organ, and strobe lights stretched from the floor around the long stage.  Marching, two by two along the stage were obviously the clubs’ eight dancers, following their “leader”.  Each dancer, male and female, wore the same outfit: a black trouser suit, white shirt, black tie, and a black fedora.

“Ohmygod!” Sooyoung screamed.  “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff!”

“What?” Taeyeon shouted.

“It’s that routine she’s been working on,” Sooyoung answered.  “‘Dead mouse’!”

“Dead mouse?” Yoona furrowed her brow.

Sooyoung nodded.  “That’s the guy who made it!”

Yuri, on the other hand, was lost, oblivious to the chatter, escaping into her own realm.  She missed the incredibly intricate and energetic routine of her bandmate, skipped Hyoyeon leading her army, and omitted their sharp, precise movements from her bubble.  This was her night to let everything free.  She caught glimpses of their routines in her peripheral vision, although it never really sank in.  She was in another dimension altogether, with only the music as her companion, the illumination of the club her transport and Sunny her Goddess, controlling her every move, her every emotion, her every memory.  She knew she was surrounded by people, but as she opened her eyes, she saw that Sunny was the only one she could see.  Her bright smile visible, even in the middle of the heaving crowd.  More music passed, when something plucked at her heart, the music literally plucking at the air around her.  It was a song she knew well.  One Sunny had occasionally played and quietly sang along to.  The woman’s voice sang the words that Yuri longed to say aloud.

I'm bulletproof

Nothing to lose

Fire away, fire away

Ricochet

You take your aim

Fire away, fire away

You shoot me down but I won't fall

I am titanium

You shoot me down but I won't fall

Yuri stretched out her arms, holding them to the ceiling, reaching to the stars, worshiping the words Sunny was showering her with, bathing in their glory.  She sang, loudly, proudly, with passion, belief and the voice of true freedom.

I am titanium

The pair had been living together for over a month and had become very close as friends, much to Yoona’s delight.  She thought it wonderful that two of her closest friends were becoming such strong companions in their own right, which meant that she could be safe in the knowledge that she could leave each of them in the capable hands of the other without concern.  Their fondness for each other’s company was often the of many jokes in the group, but nobody would have had it any other way.  They knew that Sunny and Yuri benefited each other in ways that couldn’t be explained.  Both were coming into their own, laughing more and smiling more, becoming more comfortable with each other’s company.  Slowly, Sunny’s deadline for her decision crept closer, and the group were still as supportive as ever.  What surprised her more was Tiffany’s contribution.  She had visited one of the Universities in Seoul that specialised in game design, taken a prospectus, spoken to students and even the course tutors to find out how the course would run, before bringing everything back for her dear friend to study.  Sunny knew this was done begrudgingly and with a heavy heart, but it warmed hers no end.  Now, the weather had turned, a storm had been brewing for a few days with light rain falling.  Now, the sky was heavy with dark, ominous clouds, rain was falling brutally, rattling against the windows, and the occasional flash of lighting and the accompanying roll of thunder filled the city.  Thankfully, Sunny and Yuri had decided to spend the day at home, enjoying the warmth and safety of the living room.  Despite the depressing rain, promising nothing but heartache and misery, the pair were in the lightest of spirits, joking, laughing and play fighting over the remote control.  Sunny had turned the radiators on, allowing the room to become very warm; a stark contrast to the cold and wet tempest everyone else would be facing.  They had even decided to light the room with candles, forgoing the electric lights that were in perfect working order and embracing the ambiance and softer lighting of tens of flickering flames, placed around the room in concentrated groups.  Now, Sunny was teasing her roommate, flaunting her possession of the long, plastic device she so desperately needed.

“Sunny~” Yuri moaned, reaching to her friend’s outstretched arm, “give me the remote!”

“Never!” Sunny cackled, satisfied at her companion’s struggles.

“But you know I hate this show!” Yuri complained, laughing.  “And so do you!”

“Yeah,” Sunny conceded, swapping the control to her left hand.  “But not as much as you do!”

The duo wrestled a little more, becoming more physical as the fight went on.  Despite Sunny wearing nothing more than a long white t-shirt and a pair of red boy shorts, she felt eternally comfortable and content with her comrade, even though she was wearing jeans and trainers as well as a t-shirt.  The pair rolled around on the sofa, causing Yuri to slide off, pulling Sunny with her.  As Yuri fell onto her back, Sunny landed on top of her hips a little heavier than she thought.  Yuri lay there, staring at the ceiling, then looking at her housemate sitting astride her.

“Yuri-ah!” Sunny exclaimed, not once removing herself.  “Are you hurt?”

“No,” Yuri laughed, reaching for the prize she longed for.  She settled for Sunny’s wrists, which Sunny had tried to hold above her head, before pulling her closer and pushing her off, causing the pair to roll over and switch positions; Sunny now on her back and Yuri on top.  Unfortunately, Yuri had not given Sunny a long enough opportunity to adjust her position, rendering her hips between her shorter ally’s legs.  Still the pair fought, with Yuri suddenly having the upper hand.  She pinned Sunny’s wrists to the floor as Sunny playfully screamed and laughed.  Yuri looked upon her helpless foe in this battle, her wrists still securely pressed onto the carpeted floor.  Their heavier-than-normal breathing showed the energy they had exerted from the fighting.  Sunny looked up at her assailant, her captor and beamed, catching her breath.

Suddenly, everything they had known changed.  In an instant, this was no longer a game.  It was no longer a war over a plastic piece of electrical control.  Long gone was the pretence of this being in jest.  This was something deeper.  As the pair gazed at each other, their deep, open eyes, illuminated by the candlelight.  The bright twinkles dissipating into the air, being replaced by something more urgent.  Their smiles slowly slipped from their faces, being replaced with anticipation, anxiety, uncertainty.  Yuri was no longer pressing her housemate’s wrists with such force, nor was Sunny resisting.  Both tried to speak, neither able to say what they needed to.  They were caught in a trance, hypnotised by each other, enchanted, bewitched.  As if to break the spell, Yuri shook her head and let go of her hostage.

“I have to go,” she announced, regaining her composure and standing, looking around.

“Yuri,” Sunny started, but she was cut off.

“I have to go, Sunny,” Yuri’s eyes were beginning to tear up as she walked towards the door, taking her coat from the hook, opening the door and walking out before Sunny could get to her feet.

“Yuri~” Sunny shouted after her, but it was too late.  Yuri ran down the stairs, through the door and out into the rain.