She had been watching him as much as he had been watching her, and truth be told, he was breathtakingly handsome and the epitome of perfect itself plus he was a Lee, the highest of the high in the society and perhaps that was enough for her to stay away and stand at the shadows of the corners of the ballroom, stealing only glances of him instead of something else. 

She needed not to throw herself at someone like him, no matter how handsome or charming or beautiful or appealing or perfect he is. She just can't. People like him, people like the Lees meant trouble, not because of their past scandals and issues, but because of their mindset. All they'd want is money, money, money and greed, greed, greed runs in their blood.

Kim Dasom knows, because all her friends had been victims of this Lees' brother, cousins, uncles and other relatives. They are all trouble, all delinquents who hide behind such attractive masks with such attractive (yet deceitful) smiles. 

She takes a sip of wine that she's holding in between her ring and index finger, and guiltily, she watches him dance the night away with random women, all different and new when the quartet on stage starts to play another song. Yet, his eyes are on him and she knows why.

Her family is the fastest rising family in terms of politics and money and fame. Her mother had now been elected senator, her father the greatest lawyer Korea has ever seen, her aunt the new head designer for a fashion company and her cousin the overachieving valedictorian of Seoul National University for this year.

It's all them however, it's all their doing and it's not her's yet she still gets recognition for it all.  

She sighs, takes another sip and winks as her said fashion designer aunt whizzes past her, laughing as she dances in a man's arms, seemingly enjoying herself at the turn of events tonight. She hadn't expected for someone to take interest in her, not tonight and nobody did expect it too. But that's what popularity and money does to you; it does you favors.

Her aunt winks back, and Dasom feels a tap on her shoulder.

She looks back, fully expecting to see her cousin but instead she stares into brown eyes that do not belong to her cousin at all. In fact, her cousin has silver hair - the color of starlight - and a smile that was less dazzling than this. 

And she was a girl, her cousin was.

"It's midnight now," he says without greeting, but the formality is there behind his words. Still, a greeting or an introduction would've been nice.

But then again, he is a Lee, and most of them are stuck-up and snotty and bratty and spoiled and -

"May I have this midnight dance, beautiful lady?" he asks, bowing slightly as he extends his hand towards her, asking for her to accept it as he looks up and smiles in a way she thinks is cunning and sly. Oh, how sly must this Lee be, Dasom has yet to find out.

Though, she doesn't hesitate, because she's curious. "My name's Dasom, and yes you may." she says, accepting his hand and liking how it felt rough against her soft one. A real man's hand against her own. 

Her other hand is on his shoulder, and his own on her waist and she plans on letting it stay there for the rest of the night, or perhaps for the rest of the hour, or maybe even for the rest of the song only because a new one plays, and she's his next victim, technically, but she won't let that happen.

"I'm Taemin," he says, and smiles a polite and professional smile. Dasom tells herself it's not real, because it's the same smile she uses when she's forced to attend things like this banquet. It's all ludicrous, yet dancing with him seemed like an exception.

All they do for the next three minutes is dance. She's not even looking at him, and he's not saying anything, he just smiles at her as they sway and turn and hold hands. 

When the song ends and the couples break apart from each other to clap at the quartet, Dasom takes two steps back and Taemin only one. There is three feet of space in between them and Dasom doesn't want to close it, because she's not sure what to do at this moment. 

"Do you want to go outside?" he says suddenly after minutes of silence when they danced. Now, the applause has died down and immediately, the quartet starts to play another tune that is more mellow than fun. But there is a spark in his eye and a bounce in his step when she agrees and they walk out together to the courtyard side by side. "The moon is most especially lovely today."

Dasom bites the inside of her cheek, because she can't help but smile, much more laugh. He notices this right away, like he's psychic.

"Is there something funny?" he asks, an eyebrow raised and his smile turning into an amused one. "What's the matter?"

She waves her hand in front of her face, still smiling brightly at him. "'Lovely' wasn't a word I was expecting to come out from someone so pessimistic." she says before she can stop herself.

Taemin crosses his arms and faces her with all of his attention. He looks down at her, because he's probably a good three or four inches taller. "Pessimistic? Excuse me, but do we know each other?"

"Sure, we do." Dasom places her hands on her hips, the smooth fabric of her dress rubbing against her skin and it makes her feel a little bit better than cold, because it's nearing autumn and the breeze is colder than ever. "I'm Dasom and you're Taemin."

"Not in that way."

"Oh, I know." she says, laughing by herself. "I'm sure you have stereotypes against my family too. Everyone does in this society, don't they?"

He blinks, once, twice, thrice, before he musters a hearty chuckle and shakes his head at her. "Oh, please, don't tell me -"

"You're a Lee, and most of you are men, and all of you are pessimistic." she says, not giving him a chance to finish his own sentences. "It's how you guys survive in this aristocracy of our's, isn't it? Lee Taemin; we're the same age but you go take special classes abroad while I'm in SNU."

"Well, there's nothing really wrong with Seoul National Uni -"

"You're the second heir to your family's corporation and the youngest stockholder." she continues., a knowing and -eating smile on her dolled-up face. "You live in a penthouse overlooking Amsterdam, but currently residing with your brother in another penthouse overlooking Seoul. You're an intern right now in your company and you're father is at the top of his game in the business, and you're going to be just like him and your brother, right?"

It takes only two seconds for Taemin to recover. He takes a step back, amusement written all over his face. He looks at her and laughs. Dasom shakes her head, because she knows she's right. 

"And you're Kim Dasom, oh I've heard about you too, you know." he says, smirking. "Your family is no worse than mine. You study law, and constantly on the dean's list and this year I heard you're aiming for the valedictorian spot like your cousin. You own a coffee shop in the downtown area, you live with your parents but share a penthouse suite too with your cousins. You drive a Mercedes that was shipped from Europe, and your dress now must cost more than my suit and watch combined together."

He says that all in one breathe, and Dasom can't help but smile in a way that is twisted. "See? No need to be fake and pretend you don't know me." 

"But I don't," he informs, and this confuses her for a moment. "I don't know you, that's why I brought you out here." His hand is on her waist and he leans in so close to her that a thought of her lips on his flashes across her mind. It's brief, but it sends shudders throughout her body. "So that I can know you better."

"But -" she is cut off momentarily when his other hand is on her face, and his thumb caresses her cheek and later, passes her lower lip in one swiping motion. "Why?" she says, breathless by this skinship. She falls into the browness of his eyes. 

"It's not that you're a Kim," he says, smiling by lifting only one of the corners of his mouth. "It's just that you're really beautiful, and I wanted to dance with you -" he pauses, looking into her eyes. "under the stars."

She almost laughs, but instead she settles for a grin. "The rumors didn't say you were so cheesy and cliche." 

He shrugs and begins to move. Dasom has no choice but to follow, both her hands are behind his neck in one move and at first she's rough but then they fit together like puzzle pieces, and they dance to the mellow beat the quartet is playing inside. It's faint, but she can hear it louder than the own beating of her heart. 

"I am a Lee after all," he says, smiling back for real this time. 

"I know, and I hope you'd stop pretending."

"Pretending in what?"

"Like you're interested in those women, or like you don't know me." she says. "Because you do, I know you do, at least bits and parts of me."

"Okay," he agrees. "I won't."

"Good,"

"I'll give you something else that's real, and not pretend." Taemin tells her, and his hand is on her cheek again and he forces her gently to look up at the white-dotted sky. "The stars don't actually twinkle, it's just clouds passing by. And they're not exactly balls of light. They're balls of gas and fire." 

She smiles when she looks back at him. "And I don't actually know you, I just really wanted you to be impressed." 

No more words are said, because their lips connect and the music changes and changes and changes, but they still dance under the balls of fire, happy to have someone who didn't pretend as much as the others. 

a perhaps, failed attempt at an aristocratic society based love affair. 
but I hope it was fluffy and romantic enough, no? Oh, well I always love to hear your thoughts, it brightens my day and gives me strength to write more. So write down a comment, maybe? xxx