Hanyeon fingers the starched, white material of the blouse and stares at her reflection in the mirror opposite her. She can't recognize herself in the caramel wig she'd bought with Isabella, and in the outfit Crimson had left behind for her. The mirror is ornately gilded mahogany, matching the dresser and other fittings in the room. Isabella's guest room has an antique feel to it, what with the wooden theme and intricate carvings that are present throughout the room. The curtains are a rich, deep red and heavy, hanging stiffly and letting little light in. Hanyeon tilts her head as she plays with the hem of her blouse, trying to get her head around what she's meant to do in a few hours.

It's plain madness.

But it'll be fun.

Daintily, she picks up the name tag that reads "Crimson" and sloppily attaches it to her blouse, slightly above where her heart is - following the real Crimson's instructions. Brushing her fingers lightly through the brown mop of hair on her head, she puts on a confident smile and strolls leisurely out of the room, her heels leaving echoes behind her.



A few streets away, another young girl stares at her reflection in the mirror. For once, she looks pretty, rather than tomboyish. Her hair and outfit has been expertly picked by one of the best stylists she's ever known - one of her best friends, San Shi. Her tunic had a large slit up the right side, through which her black leggings are visible, and the deep blue suited her. Sofia, who's also there, had tried to persuade her to wear heels, but she'd flat out refused. She'll never wear those torture devices unless it's a life or death situation. Just like she'll never wear makeup...

Until San Shi forced her. Miyu groans as she's subjected to dark lipstick and mascara.

"Why do I have to do this?"

Sofia grins from her right. "Because you forced me to come here."

Miyu sends her a pleading look. "The party is way more fun than your job ever will be."

"I get to see idols while doing my job. Talk to them, stare at them -"

"Stop!" San Shi and Miyu say simultaneously. "You don't need to make us any more jealous than we already are!" San Shi continues, taking advantage of Miyu's distraction to slather more mascara on her.

San Shi herself looks extremely pretty, with her hair styled up into an elegant bun, where a few strands of her blue hair spiral towards the middle. She's wearing a black two-piece blouse and flared skirt which suit her perfectly. Her feet look cramped in the monster heels she's wearing and Miyu wrinkles her nose, but San Shi looks perfectly comfortable. Sofia, on the other hand, looks chic as ever in a crimson dress that ends mid-thigh.

Miyu's picked out different sets of accessories for them, and for herself it's a pretty hair pin that has a dragon design on it. San Shi gets long dangly silver earrings that brushes her shoulders. Sofia has a red chain necklace. All three of them are seated on Miyu's comfortable bed, San Shi having come by from next door and Sofia from her own apartment a while away. The girls are childhood friends, and consider each other more as sisters than friends.

"Yah!" the youngest protests as San Shi ferociously attacks her with the wand.

One nods to the other and Sofia launches herself at Miyu, grabbing her arms and forcing her down on the bed in a lock that she learnt from one of her many fighting classes. San Shi takes the initiative to do what she wants, with an evil smirk on her face. When Miyu is finally allowed to sit up, she does so with a harsh glare directed at the other two, who laugh and slap palms.

"So," Sofia says, "shall we go now?"

"Fine with me!" San Shi says, and they link arms and stroll out, leaving Miyu to pick up their purses for them and run after.

"You know, eventually I'm going to get you both back for this!" she shouts, laughing all the same.



He surveys the room and smiles with satisfaction. The velvet decorating the chairs and the soft jazz music playing through the speakers cater exactly to his taste. He's impressed as he follows the other four into the room, choosing seats in an isolated corner. They seat themselves and settle back into the chairs, starting to chat about random topics like they normally do. On the other hand, his warm brown eyes flicker around the room as he zones out of the conversation, choosing instead to admire the place. He wonders if everything will go as planned.

Just at that moment, a girl slinks into the room through a screen and she struts over to their table. Her caramel mop of hair is brightened by a streak of red; her name tag reads "Crimson". The corner of his lips twitch up at the name - how fitting. Crimson, working at the Velvet Room. Something about that connection seems poetic to him. He offers her a smile, noticing as he does so that her shirt where her hands had been fiddling is slightly wet. She must be nervous - maybe she's a fangirl? He groans inwardly. This is the last thing the VIP needs.

"Hi, may I take your orders?" she asks crisply, pulling out a notebook and a pen.

The boy opposite, the oldest in the group, speaks up, "Actually, get us the usual, all around, will you?" he asks, winking at her.

Joon smiles. Sometimes it's the most obvious signals that go unnoticed. Like now, Cheondoong just assumes that Seungho is trying to hit on the girl, and he ignores his wink. He doesn't even suspect that it's the cue for the girl to get ready the special stuff that we had planned for Cheondoong's birthday. But then, that guy is normally clueless to everything. The only person worse than him at picking up on gags and pranks is the boy seated next to him, Mir. Both of them are the most gullible people on the planet.

"About that," Crimson says, making my head jerk up with anxiety. If there's a glitch in the plans now, I promise I'll scream. But she looks like she's thinking things through very quickly. All of a sudden, she just nods and says, "It's coming right up."



Phew, that was close! Hanyeon thinks as she bursts through the door to the special room. Once out of sight of the boys, she leans against the wall and catches her breath, willing the adrenaline to stop pumping through her blood. They're all so good-looking that it made her heartbeat speed up to twice it's normal speed.

You've got to calm yourself down, she thinks. Being panicked and distracted isn't going to get you anywhere.

Keeping her head down, she strolls through the hallway to the bar and gets their order ready, before tramping through to the back room and opening the freezer, where the ice cream cake is placed neatly on one of the racks. She lifts it out carefully, making sure to position it on the moveable tray such that the "Happy Birthday Cheondoong!" is clearly visible. Hanyeon wheels the trolley over to the niche just outside the door, and slips in with the drinks balanced on a tray in one hand.

Smiling serenely, like what she imagines the real Crimson would do, she places the drinks neatly in front of each boy, careful not to make any eye-contact. Her heart is beating fast enough as it is, and further contact with the intensely handsome boys wouldn't do a thing to help her skyrocketing nervousness. But she doesn't miss the simple tap on the table of Seungho's fingers, signalling that the cake should be brought in now.

Hanyeon walks outside and fiddles with the lighting, bringing it down such that the room that the boys are in gets dimmer. She hears remarks about it, but then they laugh it off. Deftly, she lights the four candles and arranges them on the cake. Satisfied with her arrangement, she presses the button that activates the cheerful music and wheels the cake into the room, much to the surprise of Cheondoong. The others are up on their feet and cheering, already a little tipsy from the drinks - all their cups are empty already. She places the cake on the table and swiftly makes her way out, as the opening lines of "Happy Birthday" are being sung. Cheondoong looks so touched that he's on the verge of tears.

The door swings shut as she makes another trip to the bar, getting refills for them.



Sofia and San Shi chat amiably in the front of the car while Miyu broods in the back. The night is still young, although the stars and the moon are out in force. They drive over to the Jung sibling's house, where the decorations are all up and everything is ready, awaiting the arrival of the guest-of-honor. Miyu had been there earlier to set up the finishing touches and make sure that everything would flow smoothly upon the arrival of the birthday boy. Then she'd come back to her house so that the three of them could get ready together, and now they're on their way to enjoy the party.

But Miyu still feels awkward for the emotional burden she knows is sitting on Jin's shoulders. Her lips are bitten and chewed practically to shreds from the hours she spent worrying about him. She knows that Eun Kyo is also worried about her brother, but they both have to put up acts in front of him and try to ignore it. It ate away at both girl's resolves, and Eun Kyo nearly broke down and told him the whole plan - but Miyu managed to stop her at the last instant. All this would pay off, Miyu kept telling her. Eun Kyo was skeptical, because although she denied all ties to her brother in public, the love between them ran deep, and she couldn't bear to see her brother like that any more than Miyu as one of his best friends could. They both had to be strong.

Miyu still can't stop worrying though, hoping against hope that everything goes according to plan, and that she doesn't get lashed to pieces because of it.

The car pulls into the street where the house is located. Many party guests are already there, and as the girls park, they see a short girl strolling along, leading a tall guy by the arm. Both are smiling widely, and the boy looks to be agreeing with something the girl said. Sofia and San Shi nod to Miyu and stroll ahead, joining the party and merging in with the crowd that's already formed. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see her two friends find Eun Kyo before they melt into the fray. Miyu runs to catch up with the couple ahead of her.

"Kwonnie!" Miyu says, dashing in front of them and giving them a bright grin.

"Miyu!" Kwon-ah exclaims, throwing her arms around the younger girl and laughing. The boy looks slightly out of place.

Kwon-ah is yet another one of Miyu's friends. Although she's petite, her strong features make her formidable. Her almond-shaped, raven black eyes shine in the moonlight. A long sheet of cascading black curls flow down to the small of her back, let loose for the party. Her dark grey dress clings to her curves. Kwon-ah's one with connections. For the sake of the party, Miyu persuaded her to bring a special someone along.

"Hi there," the boy says to Miyu, bowing and extending a hand, which she takes. "I'm Kim Kibum, otherwise known as Key."

She smiles widely, her eyes dancing. "Thank you so much for coming! You don't know how much this means to me!"

He chuckles and tilts his head. "Let's go join the party, shall we?"

Kwon-ah laughs with him. "Come on then. Miyu-ah, shouldn't you get the birthday boy? I don't see him around."

"Yeah, I should go tackle him and convince him to come out now. But I have something else to do first. Will you go rouse the crowd and tell them to prepare for the arrival of the special guest?"

"Wait, aren't I the special guest?" Key jokes teasingly.

Kwon-ah pushes her friend lightly. "Yah, you know perfectly well that there's someone more important than you here - don't bloat your head up about the performance."

"Guys, I gotta run. Have fun at the party!" the other two call replies after her in response.

Dashing off, Miyu runs into the house, letting herself in through the unlocked front door. Another advantage of flats - you couldn't run in heels like you could in flats. She stops outside a door, and pats herself down, making herself look presentable. Then, she knocks on the door.

"Come in," a doleful voice says from inside.

Miyu opens the door onto a slightly messy room. Things are left everywhere, but conveniently out of the way such that it doesn't look too unruly. She spies a guitar on the bed, next to the sprawled figure of a boy. Books are scattered on the desk - remnants of  homework done earlier that day. She plops herself down next to the boy on the bed and bites her lips, wondering how to start the conversation and lead him to the party.

"Jin? Are you alright?" she finally decides, her voice sounding loud in the silence of the house.

He's dressed nicely enough, and he looks very smart in his black jeans and checked shirt. But his eyes are focused on the ceiling, and the light in them has diminished somewhat. Miyu knows exactly what the problem is, but she dares not voice it.

"I'm fine," Jin says, pulling himself up and forcing a smile onto his face. "So, what's the party like? Has the special guest come yet?"

Thinking of Key, Miyu smiles. "Yeah, he has. Everything's set. Come on down! I haven't joined the crowd yet, I just came straight to get you first."

Jin frowns, but it disappears quickly. "Miyu, are you forgetting something?" he asks quietly.

"Yeah," she says, and his eyes spark with something like hope. "You. Now come on! You're the life of a party!" she forces herself to ignore the way his eyes dim again after she said that. Instead, she pulls on his hand and stands up.

Grumbling something under his breath, Jin allows the girl to drag him out of the room. "What's this guy like, anyway? The special guest?"

"You'll adore him."

"He's the birthday boy, isn't he?" he remarks, his tone flat.

"Don't be like that. The birthday boy is one of my best friends."

"Yeah..."

Miyu bites her lip again, hoping that Jin can't see her discomfort. But it's only for a few more minutes, she tells herself again and again, doubling her speed to get to the doors.

"Okay, let's go?" she asks, turning to him. But his eyes are sad, and so is his frown. "Turn that frown upside down," Miyu says firmly, refusing to let herself feel bad.

Jin rolls his eyes at the lame phrase, but puts on a ghost of a smile anyway. "Let's go, come on," he says, taking the initiative to open the door and walk out into the back yard.



Isabella stalks the length of the room, pausing now and then as her thoughts hit a . Running through her head are possibilities of failure, which are endless. She wonders if it was wise to let others do the work for her - "If you want something done right, do it yourself." Was she foolish to let someone else take over and carry out the plan? Someone whom she barely knew? Could she trust Hanyeon to carry everything out flawlessly?

And what would happen when the real purpose of her plan is revealed? She must not tell anyone, not even Chae Ni, no matter how sweet the girl is and regardless of the fact of how much she has done for Isabella. No matter what happens, nobody should ever know what Isabella's true motives are - other than Isabella herself.

This is for your own good, she thinks to herself as she fingers the face in her locket. She squeezes it one last time and lets go, such that the locket falls inside her blouse and hangs beside her heart. She resumes her pacing in the house.



A long time has passed since she brought in the cake. From her spot behind the door, through the crack she opened, she can see that the guys are mostly drunken and laughing their heads off. Thank goodness they were celebrating enough not to notice how she kept refilling their drinks. She turns and stares briefly at the security camera, feeling more relaxed with the knowledge that it had been deactivated long before she even stepped into the place. No record of her face or her actions would have been kept. Thanks to a smart Isabella and one of her other friends, there was no way Hanyeon will be remembered after the deed is done.

Hanyeon takes a deep breath and knows it's time to carry out the real plan. Closing her eyes tight and opening them, she prepares herself mentally and walks in confidently. The boys cheer to see her with yet another bottle in her hands.

She refills each and every cup, and waits there awkwardly while each of them take a few sloppy sips of their drinks. "Uhm," she starts awkwardly. They all turn to her. "Joon-sshi, can I have your autograph?"

Inwardly cringing at the lameness of her request, Hanyeon keeps the hopeful smile plastered on her face. The man gives her a wide smile and stands up, swaying slightly. His hands stretch out and he holds them suspended in the air, waiting for a pen and paper.

"Why don't you come with me outside? I have a pen and paper there..." she trails off, wondering if her plan is really going to work.

Joon smiles stupidly - drunkenly - and follows her out, waving a cheerful goodbye to the four other boys who plainly ignore him. They're playing a rough game which involves putting icing on each other's faces. Hanyeon would have shaken her head at them and scolded them for being immature, but at the moment she's too worked up with nerves. This has to succeed.

"Sho," Joon starts, a rough slur in his husky voice. "Where are we going? Outshide?"

"Yeah," Hanyeon replies, wondering at how easy this has turned out to be. "It's much cooler outside."

"Ai like da shnow," he says, swaying and putting a rough arm over her shoulder.

She grimaces at being forced to take his weight and struggles not to let her legs buckle under it. His hands brush uncomfortably close to her chest, but she ignores it and drags him outside.

"Sorry to let you know, but it's not snowing yet."

"Aww, dat's thoo bad..."

The odd couple make their way out, Joon staggering around dunkenly, with Hanyeon somehow managing to steer them both in the right direction. Soon enough, they make it out the door and into the waiting car - she can't see who the driver is. But that's useful, since they can't see the person being dragged into their car. Lee Joon has a memorable face as an idol.

Without anyone suspecting them, the car speeds off. Nothing is left behind in the deserted hallway except a small tag with red lettering, reading "Crimson".

Other than that, the plan has been carried out without a hitch.



Miyu reaches out to stop Jin at the last moment, just before he opens the door. "You're sure you're okay?"

Jin nods resolutely with a smile, and then determinedly wrenches the door open and steps into the spotlight. A roar from the people gathered goes up, and pretty soon, a chant of "Happy Birthday to Aleric" starts up. Jin stands there, stock still, shocked at the unexpected attention. Things click in his mind, and he realizes that everyone hasn't been ignoring his birthday - they cleverly planned it in such a way that he's the birthday boy all along, and he's the one all the planning was meant for. Everyone just carefully avoided that fact.

Come to think of it, nobody mentioned the name of the birthday boy to him... it was him all along.

"Miyu?" he asks, turning to the girl next to him, who had a big, hopeful smile on her face. "I'm the birthday boy?"

"Of course you are, silly!" she says, lightly punching his arm. "Do you really think we would have forgotten your birthday?"

Jin casts his eyes down - his silence answer enough. The chorus dies down, and someone hands Miyu a mic. He sees his sister's smile flash at him before his vision clouds with tears of happiness. Miyu sees his hand shaking, and she grabs it, holding it tight to calm him down. She takes the initiative to say a few words and let him get his bearings.

"Jin, you're an awesome friend. So a bunch of us organized this party for your eighteenth birthday, hoping to give you an amazing birthday present by doing this. Hopefully you have awesome memories of this day to go along with, right? Happy Birthday Aleric!" she says, before she's crushed with a bear hug from Jin, who's already got tears running down his face.

Taking the mic but leaving an arm around his friend, he addresses the crowd, "Thank you so much for coming, guys. You're all awesome people and I love you. And to everyone who organized this, and Miyu, since it was your idea, thank you too. I treasure you guys loads. Enjoy the party, people!"

He hands the mic to someone from the crowd who steps out to receive it, then does a double take. "Kim Kibum?! Key?!"

The man in front of him salutes and nods. "I'm here by special request to sing for your party."

"This is your 'special guest', Jin. Told you you'd like him!" Miyu remarks.

He stares at her. "How -?"

"Nevermind how, dude. Come on, I hear you play the guitar!" Key remarks.

Then Jin realizes who's standing next to him, and has to suppress the urge to jump around squealing like a fangirl. Performing with Key would be fulfilling one of his lifelong dreams. "Sure, you're on!"

He turns and runs back into his house, hurriedly snatching his guitar off the bed before making his way out to the elevated platform Key is standing on. From the crowd, Eun Kyo watches him, grinning like crazy. It's fun to see her brother so happy. She decides to take a video - all the better to blackmail him with.

The first notes of the guitar float through the air from the speakers, and Key starts singing the opening lines of the song. Everyone's cheering to see an idol and the birthday boy playing together. They start dancing almost instantly, drawn by the upbeat music.

Miyu smiles with her group of friends. Everything is going according to plan, she thinks, studying Jin's look of pure happiness. And so far, it's a perfect night.