I am back yet again for another chapter for you guys! Enjoy!

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The temperature in Seoul had dropped to five degrees Celsius by December. People had began wrapping themselves up with thicker clothing. Idols’ schedules were packed for year-end events and award shows. SBS Gayo Daejun for year 2016 was scheduled to be on the 31st. In this event, the TV network will be holding a countdown ceremony.

“So, there will be a special stage for us again?” Irene clarified.

“Yes. You will be joining your past collaborators GOT7 and Lovelyz for this. You had gotten quite nice feedbacks from your last collaboration stage, so the producers decided to get your back. First rehearsals will be on Friday. This means, Irene-sshi, you will not be doing Music Bank.” The manager explained.

The girls nodded.

“So, will you be okay?” Wendy asked Seulgi.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Seulgi asked.

“Jackson is there.” Wendy said.

“He and I had bury the past, Wan. I think I’m gonna be okay.” Seulgi said.

“Well, if you don’t feel okay, you have to tell us.” Wendy said.

“Of course!” Seulgi nodded.

“GOT7? Dude, will Seulgi be okay about this?” Mino asked.

“I don’t know, but if she doesn’t, I’ll be there to calm her down.” Seungyoon smiled.

“What would you do if we perform the same song?” Mino asked.

“Well, I guess I’ll back off and let them do the routine, but if he hits on her, I will not be afraid to shoo him away. Besides, he had already hurt her enough. There’s no point for him to get back together with her.” Seungyoon said.

Friday came, Red Velvet, Lovelyz and WINNER gathered together in SBS studio for the rehearsals.

“We are just waiting for GOT7, as they still come from a schedule. So for now, just seat back and relax.” The choreographer said and stepped out of the room.

The girls of Red Velvet were off to talk to Lovelyz, but WINNER cornered them. So, Lovelyz just hang with themselves.

Mino dragged Irene to a corner and the pair just flirted with each other. The maknaes, Joy and Yeri stayed chatting with Seunghoon. Jinwoo ended up joining the ’94 liners Seungyoon, Seulgi, Taehyun and Wendy.

Seungyoon hung his arm on Seulgi’s shoulder and leaned on the wall coolly.

“So, are you gonna be ok?” Taehyun asked Seulgi.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay? Why are you guys all asking me about this anyway? I’m fine.” Seulgi smiled.

“Easy there, Bear. Taehyun was just asking.” Seungyoon smiled.

Soon, the boys of GOT7 walked in. Everyone turned their heads to the door. Seulgi’s eyes immediately locked with the very blonde Jackson upon his entrance. She gave him an encouraging smile and bowed. 

Jackson bowed back and his eyes traveled to the arm on his ex-girlfriend’s shoulder. He gazed at Seungyoon for a moment and then directed his attention to everyone else.

GOT7 settled on a corner and joined the three other groups as they wait for the rehearsals to begin. Again, Jackson’s eyes travelled to Seungyoon. The male idol’s arm coolly hanging on Seulgi’s shoulder and the way she chat so animatedly with the guy just bothered him a bit.

Did I miss anything here? Since when were they a couple?

Somehow, the room was divided into two groups. WINNER and Red Velvet coolly hanging around on one side and GOT7 and Lovelyz awkwardly starting a conversation on the other. There was, as if, a weird tension going on.

Jackson kept his eyes locked on the pair who intrigued him—Seungyoon and Seulgi. He had gotten over his break-up with her already, but somehow, this sight just brought back the “forgotten” feelings.

“All right! Now that everyone is here, let us begin!” The choreographer walked in clapping.

Everyone got up from their feet and brushed some dust off their clothes. Jackson’s eyes remained focus on the same pair. 

Seungyoon placed his arm on Seulgi’s back as she stood upright. Seulgi smiled at the male idol and directed her attention to the choreographer.

“It’s nice to see you again, guys! It’s been nearly two years. Oh and I can see that we have an addition to the group. Good! Junior will have a partner now.” The choreographer cried, earning giggles and laughs from everyone.

“Like before, I had picked a song for this collaboration already. We don’t have time for any more suggestions so let’s begin.” The choreographer added.

Two hours later, the choreographer called for a forty minute break. The girls of Lovelyz exited first, while the rest stayed.

“I’ll grab some water for you.” Seungyoon stood up and stepped out of the room.

“So, we will be paired up again, huh?” Taehyun spoke up.

“Uh. Do you think we stay with the same partners?” Wendy asked.

Seulgi and Taehyun shrugged.

“Hopefully we don’t change partners anymore, you know.” Wendy said.

“Well, it wouldn’t be that bad if we were, right? Besides, this is a new performance.” Seulgi said.

“You really don’t want to be paired up with him, huh?” Taehyun asked.

“It’s not that. It’s just that…I wanna avoid controversies, you know. I don’t want people commenting about my possible team up with Jackson. It’s stressful.” Seulgi explained.

“Well, I think he really wants to be paired up with you, Bear. He’s been looking at you ever since he and his friends walked in.” Wendy said.

Taehyun nodded.

“He’s probably jealous of your closeness with hyung.” Taehyun said.

“Who’s jealous? Here.” A dude spoke up and handed the bottle to Seulgi.

“So?” Seungyoon crooked his eyebrow at Taehyun.

“It’s just that Jackson has been looking at Seulgi ever since he walked in and we think that maybe he’s jealous of you two.” Wendy spoke up.

“Good. He deserves it.” Seungyoon smirked, earning a glare from Seulgi.

When Taehyun and Wendy walked away, Seulgi yanked Seungyoon to a corner and made him seat right beside her.

“What the hell, Yoon?” Seulgi cried.

“What?” Seungyoon asked.

“That was kinda mean.” Seulgi said.

“He kinda deserved it. He did cheat on you.” Seungyoon argued.

“Whatever. Let’s just forget about it, ok?” Seulgi dismissed.

Practice resumed after the break. The choreographer gathered everyone on the center. 

“Ok! We will be pairing up now. I’m pretty sure you remember your partners before, right? Well, you’ll be with them for this too. Well, except for two pairs.” The choreographer begun.

Seungyoon smiled. He had strongly hoped that he would be paired up with Seulgi this time. While his female friend was so nervous.

“Junior, you will be now paired up with Sujeong-sshi and BamBam with Yeri-sshi. Seunghoon, you have Jisoo and Jin now.” The teacher assigned.

Seungyoon and Seulgi sulked. 

During the practice, Jackson and Seulgi worked around together.

“Jackson-sshi, Seulgi-sshi, get your head in the practice. Pull it together, ok?” The teacher ordered.

Seungyoon watched the pair as they danced together and he was pissed. Mino noticed his friend’s uneasiness and shook him out of his trance.

“Dude, get it together.” Mino whispered.

After another two hours, the choreographer called for another break. Seulgi immediately walked away from Jackson, but the latter stopped her.

“What’s up?” Seulgi asked.

“A-are you still mad at me or something?” Jackson asked.

“I’m not.” Seulgi replied.

“Well, why do you seem tensed?” Jackson asked.

“I’m not tensed.” Seulgi argued.

“Is it because of Seungyoon? Are you two dating now?” Jackson cried.

“No, Seungyoon is a great friend and we are not dating. Now, will you let me go?” Seulgi spat.

Jackson released Seulgi’s arm, letting her go. The female idol stepped out of the room, joining her friends. Seungyoon then walked in. WINNER’s leader walked up to Jackson.

“Whatever you’re planning with Seulgi, drop it.” Seungyoon warned and walked away.

“You’re just a friend, why would you care?” Jackson folded his arms together.

“Exactly, she’s my friend and I will do everything to protect her from people like you.” Seungyoon replied.

“People like me? What do you even know?” Jackson cried.

“I know enough for me to tell you to stay away from Seulgi. She’s feeling so much better now after all the hate comments from your fans, so back off.” Seungyoon warned.

“What? Are you her knight in shining armor now?” Jackson chuckled.

“At least I saved her from misery than drown her in it like you did. I warn you to stay away from her so nobody gets hurt.” Seungyoon threatened.

“What will you do if I don’t?” Jackson smirked.

“I’m gonna make sure you will never see daylight again.” Seungyoon growled.

With that, the male idol walked out of the room, leaving Jackson alone.

“He is not gonna bother you anymore.” Seungyoon whispered on Seulgi’s ears.

Seulgi snapped her head at Seungyoon and glared.

“What did you say to him?” Seulgi asked.

“I told him that if he bothers you again, I’ll beat the hell out of him.” Seungyoon smirked.

“Yoon, I know you’re concerned about me, but I can handle this.” Seulgi smiled.

“I am not just gonna sit back and let that get to you again. Bear, I really like you and I wanted to protect you from him.” Seungyoon argued.

“Ok, but let’s not make hasty actions, hmm? I don’t wanna see you hurt too.” Seulgi smiled lovingly.

Seungyoon nodded, smiled and wrapped his arm around Seulgi’s shoulder. Just right in time, Jackson stepped out of the room and spotted the pair walking away with the male’s arm hanging on the female’s shoulder. He balled his fist in anger.

Oh! They are definitely not just friends and I am getting to the bottom of this.

Jackson spotted Mino flirting with the short female idol and walked up to them.

“Annyeonghaseyo!” He gave both a bow.

“What can we do for you, Jackson-sshi?” Irene asked.

“Well, I know that it’s none of my business, but I just had to ask. Are Seulgi and Seungyoon dating?” Jackson asked.

Mino froze. 

“Oh, no. Seulgi and Seungyoon-sshi are just really close friends. They are very comfortable with each other.” Irene responded.

“Really? It’s just weird that Seungyoon can casually just hang his arm around her.” Jackson said.

“It’s normal, man. Say, why are you asking? Are you perhaps, jealous?” Mino asked.

“No, I’m not. Just really curious. Besides, Seulgi and I did date and I still care for her even if we had broken up.” Jackson responded.

“Well, they are just friends.” Mino smiled nervously.

“Ok, then. Case close.” Jackson nodded and bowed.

He then walked away.

So, just friends. That’s a relief.

When Mino spotted Seungyoon, he immediately grabbed the latter’s arm and dragged him to the side.

“Whoa! Easy there, man. So, what’s up?” Seungyoon asked.

“Looks like Jackson is out to sweep Seulgi off again. He approached me and Irene earlier and asked if you two were dating. Irene, being completely clueless about your relationship status, told him that you and Seulgi were just friends. So, I had to play along. Dude, you gotta make a move, fast.” Mino warned.

“I know that. I’m pretty aware of that ’s plan. He may have not said it but I could see right through him. Don’t worry about me, hyung. I have plans for him.” Seungyoon smirked.

“Just don’t start a fight, ok?” Mino asked.

“Yeah, I know that.” Seungyoon nodded.

Seungyoon stuck by Seulgi the whole time, making Jackson really suspicious of the former’s relationship with his ex.

After a couple of weeks of practice, the artists were off to SBS Gayo Daejun. 

“I’m pretty nervous about tonight. This is my first live appearance with Mino.” Irene said.

“You are gonna be fine, eonni. We’re all gonna be fine.” Seulgi smiled.

“I hope so.” Irene forced a smile.

2016 SBS Gayo Daejun MC line-up include GOT7’s Jackson, WINNER’s Seungyoon, Red Velvet’s Seulgi, EXO’s Kai, BESTie’s Haeryung and Lovelyz’s Mijoo. There was tension between three of the MCs, but no one had noticed this. They have been divided into three pairs: Seungyoon and Seulgi, Jackson and Haeryung and Kai and Mijoo. Each pair had stations and shifts.

“Annyeonghaseyo! We are the ’94 liners!” All six idols greeted.

Their name was projected on the screens. They also introduced themselves individually.

BESTie was one of the first performers in the year-end show, so Haeryung and Kai had to step back as MCs and let Seungyoon and Seulgi take over.

Some performance and ninety minutes later, the former ‘Strong Babies’ team took their respective stages. First off was GOT7, who performed their latest high ranking song. They were followed by Lovelyz who perform their new song.

At the backstage, Mino wrapped his arm around Irene’s waist and hugged her as they patiently wait for their respective group’s stages.

“You seem tensed. Loosen up a bit, Baechu-yah.” Mino whispered on Irene’s ear.

“Mino-yah, right after our respective stages, our collaboration comes next. You do know it will be our first live performance together as a real-life couple, right?” Irene responded.

“I know. Don’t worry about it. The fans will love our collaboration stage.” Mino said.

Meanwhile, Red Velvet’s maknaes and WINNER’s hyung line calmed themselves down by cracking jokes. Seungyoon and Seulgi ease their nervousness by sitting at one corner and secretly holding each other’s hands, while Taehyun and Wendy discussed what fan service they were gonna do.

“Bear, don’t let him flirt with you, ok? Keep your interactions at the minimum or people will speculate that you have gotten back together.” Seungyoon whispered.

“Uh. I’ll keep that in mind.” Seulgi nodded.

“Red Velvet, you are up next!” The stage manager cried.

“We’re up next! Wish us luck.” Wendy smiled at Taehyun.

“Fighting!” Taehyun cried.

“Good luck!” Mino kissed Irene’s cheek and let go of her.

After a while, Red Velvet officially took the stage for their performance. Soon, WINNER took their own stage.

GOT7, Lovelyz and Red Velvet then joined WINNER on stage for their special stage. One Direction’s track ‘Best Song Ever’ played. The camera focused on GOT7.

“Maybe it's the way she walked…straight into my heart and stole it~” JB began.
“Through the door and past the guards…just like she already owned it~” Youngjae followed.

[Pre-Chorus: Seungyoon]

I said, "Can you give it back to me?"

She said, "Never in your wildest dreams!"

The boys, led by Jinwoo and Taehyun, danced and sang through the chorus altogether. 

And we danced all night to

The best song ever

We knew every line

Now I can't remember

How it goes but I know

That I won't forget her

'Cos we danced all night to

The best song ever

I think it went oh, oh, oh

I think it went yeah, yeah, yeah

I think it goes... 

Woo!

The boys walked back and the girls stepped in. They tweaked the song lyrics a little bit.

“Said his name was George Rose…(OW!) And his daddy was a dentist~” Seulgi continued.

“Said I had a dirty mouth (You got a dirty mouth) But he kissed me like he meant it~” Wendy followed.

[Pre-Chorus: Kei]

I said, "Can I take you home with me?"

He said, "Never in your wildest dreams!"

The girls, led by JIN and Sujeong, danced and sang through the chorus altogether. 

And we danced all night to

The best song ever

We knew every line

Now I can't remember

How it goes but I know

That I won't forget her

'Cos we danced all night to

The best song ever

The boys then joined the girls to the stage and danced around crazily. 

I think it went oh, oh, oh

I think it went yeah, yeah, yeah

I think it goes... 

Woo!

“You know, I know, you know…I’ll remember you. And I know, you know, I know…You’ll remember me.” Jackson & Jr. sang and danced to the third verse.

“You know, I know, you know…I’ll remember you and I know, you know, I hope you'll remember how we danced.” Irene sang.

“How we danced…” Mino chimed in.

“One! Two! One! Two! Three! Four~” Seunghoon screamed.

Everyone jumped and paired up.

PAIRINGS:

Mark + Mijoo // JB + Baby Soul // Jackson + Seulgi // Jr. + Sujeong // Youngjae + Kei // BamBam + Yeri // Yugyeom + Joy 

Jinwoo + Jiae // Seunghoon + JIN + Jisoo // Mino + Irene // Seungyoon + Yein // Taehyun + Wendy

How we danced all night (YJ: How we danced)

To the best song ever

We knew every line (YJ: We knew every line)

Now I can't remember

How it goes but I know

That I won't forget her

'Cause we danced all night to (W: We danced, we danced)

The best song ever (W: It's always something like this)

And we danced all night

To the best song ever

We knew every line

Now I can't remember

How it goes but I know

That I won't forget her (TH: That I won't forget her)

'Cos we danced all night to

The best song ever (TH: Best song ever)

I think it went oh, oh, oh

I think it went yeah, yeah, yeah

I think it goes... Woo!

“Best song ever…It was the best song ever…It was the best song ever…It was the best song ever~” Taehyun ended.

The song ended and everyone posed. Mino and Jackson had their arms around their respective partners’ waist. Pissed, Seungyoon posed by himself, completing ignoring his partner, Yein. Taehyun hung his arm around Wendy’s shoulder, Mark and Mijoo, along with Seunghoon, Jisoo and JIN posed on one line. The rest pulled out heart signs in various ways possible, i.e. arm hearts, hand hearts and finger hearts. Some also did the V sign.

They bowed at each other one last time and gradually stepped out of the stage. Mino waited for Irene, wrapped his arm around her waist and led her out. 

Seungyoon jogged to Seulgi and wrapped his arm around the idol’s shoulder.

“Yoon…” Seulgi mumbled.

“I did not like what that idiot had done.” Seungyoon said.

“The collaboration stage has ended. We can let go of it now.” Seulgi said.

“If he flirts with you again, I am not gonna hesitate to kick his off.” Seungyoon cried.

“No need to be violent, Yoon.” Seulgi said.

“I know, but if he doesn’t stop, I’m gonna plant my fist on his face.” Seungyoon said.

“Ok. Ok. Let us calm you down.” Seulgi said and dragged her friend away.

The idols walked to their designated seats in the audience area. Red Velvet sat right in front of WINNER and GOT7 across them.

Jackson and Mijoo rushed to their MC spots and welcomed the next performers. 

Meanwhile, the boys of WINNER were busy chatting / flirting with the girls of Red Velvet that they didn’t bother watching the performers. Mino had asked Seulgi to swap seats with him and so, the latter ended up seating right beside Seungyoon.

“Are you crazy? Why’d you swap seats with Seulgi?” Irene cried.

“I wanna sit with you.” Mino smiled and wrapped his arm around the lady.

“Babe, you’re abusing your fan service power.” Irene said.

“Well, fans will definitely love this fan service. So, just relax.” Mino smiled.

Seulgi and Seungyoon were also engaged in a friendly conversation while watching the show.

“If we aren’t in this event, I’d say Mino hyung and Irene noona would be making out right now.” Seungyoon whispered.

“Gross, but you’re right. Wait until the countdown comes. I strongly feel that they will do something crazy.” Seulgi said.

“They can’t kiss during the countdown. That is just inappropriate.” Seungyoon cried.

By the time EXO was called to the backstage, Seungyoon and Seulgi took their places in the MC spot. They had taken over Kai and Haeryung’s shift.

The last stage was of BIGBANG’s. They had performed their hit song. At the end of the program, all artists took the stage for the encore performance. Fans witnessed the friendships between different artists, most especially WINNER and Red Velvet.

“Woah! It’s almost New Year everyone! Let’s count down!” Haeryung beamed.

Altogether, everyone from the crowd and the artists themselves had counted down to New Year.

“Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One! Saehae bok manhi badeuseyo!” Everyone cheered and confetti exploded, gracing the stage.

Mino had enveloped his girlfriend Irene into a back hug lovingly.

“Saehae bok manhi badeuseyo!” Mino smiled brightly at his lovely girlfriend.

“Saehae bok manhi badeuseyo to you too, Mino-yah.” Irene smiled back and let the idol’s muscled arms wrap her petite waist.

“I love you.” Mino smiled and kissed his girlfriend’s crown.

“I love you too.” Irene wrapped her arms around Mino’s, which were on her waist.

While the lovey dovey pair was hugging each other on stage, the rest of the girls were rather fooling around with each other and with the rest of WINNER. Seungyoon secretly grabbed Seulgi’s exposed hand and squeeze it. He gave her a warm smile.

“Saehae bok manhi badeuseyo, Seulgi-ah.” Seungyoon smiled.

“You too, Yoon.” Seulgi smiled back.

“And I’m still waiting for your answer.” Seungyoon added.

“I know.” Seulgi nodded.

Seungyoon released his hand on Seulgi and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead and coolly waved to the fans together.

Wendy hooked her arms around Yeri, who’s attached to Joy and Seunghoon. Taehyun joined them, forming a human chain. Altogether, the five idols paraded down the stage and waved at the fans.

Jinwoo, on the other hand, hang around with Seungri.

After the encore, the artists gradually head back to the backstage. By then, Seungyoon’s arm had shifted from Seulgi’s shoulder to her waist.

“Yoon, not here.” Seulgi shrugged Seungyoon’s arm out of her waist.

“Why not?” Seungyoon pouted.

“Manager oppa might be around and I’m sure both of our companies would freak out if they see us like this. Arm on the shoulder is fine, but not the waist.” Seulgi warned.

“Yes, boss.” Seungyoon nodded.

When the pair disappeared, someone from the dark corner of the backstage area jumped out from hiding.

There is no way I am letting that dude date Seulgi. You are not succeeding, Seungyoon. Not on my watch.

“Yah! Jackson, what are you doing here?” A black-haired dude in red clothes appeared out of nowhere and snapped at the dude who was hiding.

Jackson twisted his body and faced the dude who just nagged at him.

“Uh, hyung. I was just…I got a little lost.” Jackson grinned and rub his nape.

“C’mon!” The black-haired dude hung his arm around Jackson’s shoulder and dragged him away.

“Yo, Jackson! What’s up with you?” Mark threw a pillow at his friend.

“I was just in the middle of a deep thought. Geez!” Jackson cracked.

“Well, turn the lights off when you’re done. I’m going to sleep!” Mark ordered as he laid down and pulled the covers over his body.

“Hey, dude.” Jackson spoke up.

“What?” Mark groaned.

“Do you think Seungyoon is hitting on Seulgi?” Jackson asked.

“No, I think he is just being a protective friend considering that you hurt her. I’m going to sleep. Good night!” Mark groaned once more and shut his eyes.

“I don’t think he is just being a friend. He is hitting on Seulgi and I am not letting him get away with it.” Jackson cursed.

“For pete’s sake! Dude! Let me sleep! I’m freakin’ tired.” Mark snapped.

“I’m gonna get to the bottom of this!” Jackson cried.

“You are an idiot!” Mark cried and covered his ears with his sheet.

“I am gonna get her back.” Jackson asserted.

“You’re crazy…” Mark groaned under the sheets.

“That prick is never gonna get his hands on Seulgi now.” Jackson smirked.

“Shut up, Jackson!” Mark groaned.

Seulgi had awakened from a vibration under her pillow. She rubbed the crusty things off her eye and squinted at the screen.

One new message? And it’s from…JACKSON?!!

Seulgi  lazily got up from her bed and stood upright, trying to get answers as to why Jackson would contact her.

Why in the world would Jackson send me a line message? This is bizarre.

Seulgi opened the message and read it.

From: Jackson Wang

Happy New Year, Bear.

Seulgi froze. People who called her ‘Bear’ were mostly her closest friends. Heck! Jackson even called her that when they were still dating. 

What’s his motive?

Seulgi didn’t bother replying. She was afraid that whatever Jackson was doing would actually get into his head and he would expect something from her. The female idol pulled her phone out and tapped on the third person on the speed dial’s list—Seungyoon.

After a few rings, the guy picked up.

“Hey, what’s up? Miss me already?” The guy on the other line smirked.

“I think Jackson is up to something.” Seulgi revealed.

“What?” Seungyoon snapped.

“He just sent me a line message this morning. So, weird of him to do that after I had specifically ignored him for more than six months.” Seulgi explained.

“What did the line message state?” Seungyoon asked.

“The message read, ‘Happy New Year, Bear.’ It was followed by a cute emoticon of Cony, the brown bear. I don’t know if I’m overthinking but I’ve not heard him call me ‘Bear’ ever since we’ve broken up.” Seulgi said.

“If he’s pulling some twisted plan on hitting on you, I’m gonna snap his head off.” Seungyoon spat.

“Yoon, we cannot settle this with violence. I don’t know what he is up to, but I’m gonna let this go for now.” Seulgi said.

“But I am not. He is blatantly trying to get into your head again. I am not buying him anytime to mess with you and me. I am gonna talk to him and ward him off.” Seungyoon pressed.

“Yoon!” Seulgi whined.

“What now, Seul? Are you bailing on me?” Seungyoon cried.

“No, it’s not that, Yoon.” Seulgi argued.

“Well, you sound like it. You defending him just slowly cuts my chance of being your boyfriend.” Seungyoon cried.

“I am not defending him, Yoon. Hell, I really want you to be my boyfriend now. I do!” Seulgi beamed at her phone.

“Y-You do?” Seungyoon stammered on the line.

“Uh. You’ve been always there for me and the affection you give me is just so pure. My heart wants to return the favor. I really really like you, but you know our situation now. Irene eonni and Mino oppa had just recently gotten together. It will be a big issue if we suddenly start going out in public too.” Seulgi explained.

“We can always date behind everyone’s backs. Seul, please give me your ‘yes’ now.” Seungyoon begged.

“I don’t want our companies to go on chaos again. Please hang on.” Seulgi persuaded her male friend.

“Fine, but I am so close to giving up.” Seungyoon teased.

“Hey! I just told you that I wanna be with you soon, but you’re giving up? You’re a meanie!” Seulgi whined.

“Kidding. You know I wouldn’t give up just like that. I like you so much to let you go.” Seungyoon argued.

“Alright, lover boy. I’ve gotta go. We’ve got a schedule in an hour. Bye. Talk to you soon!” Seulgi cried.

“Mhmm, okay! Take care, Bear. Oh and I’ll handle Jackson.” Seungyoon cried and hung up.

By the second week of January, the boys of GOT7 had been working on their Japanese promotions which would be carried out ’til the end of March. Jackson had no choice but to put a hold on his quest to win Seulgi back. The producers of Inkigayo had decided to put Seungyoon in his spot as the temporary MC. 

“You’ll be taking over his spot temporarily? Yoon, don’t you think this will just piss him off even more? His already after me.” Seulgi said.

“I know, but the producers really want me to MC. So, I should go for it, right?” Seungyoon asked.

“O-ok. It’s your call.” Seulgi forced a smile.

“Ok. I will go for it.” Seungyoon smiled.

February came, Seulgi’s birthday was fast approaching. Seungyoon huddled the boys together.

“So, what is so urgent, leader?” Seunghoon asked.

“Seulgi’s birthday will be in a week. I want us to go and celebrate it with the girls.” Seungyoon announced.

“Cool. The question is, will the girls actually celebrate it?” Mino spoke up.

“Wendy just contacted me last night. She and the girls are planning to throw a surprise party for her. So, what do you guys say?” Seungyoon asked.

“Wendy contacted you?” Taehyun beamed.

“Easy there, Taehyun. Yes, Wendy contacted me, but not to flirt with me. She was wondering if he wanted to join the girls?” Seungyoon clarified.

“I say, call!” Seunghoon cried.

“Guys?” Seungyoon asked the rest.

“Call!” Jinwoo, Mino and Taehyun replied.

“Assa! Taehyun, tell Wendy that we’re up for it.” Seungyoon ordered.

“Already ahead of you, hyung.” Taehyun said as he furiously tapped on his phone’s screen.

Katalk…a cute sound echoed from Wendy’s phone. The female idol immediately grabbed the device and checked her Line message. A smile crept on her face as soon as he spot the sender’s name.

From: Nam Taehyun

Wan, count us in. 

From: Nam Taehyun

*cute WINNER emoticon

Wendy chuckled and messaged back.

To: Nam Taehyun

Cool! Be here at our dorm at 12 midnight of February 10th. We need your hands on the decorations. I’ll be stalling her.

To: Nam Taehyun

*cute Red Velvet emoticon

Taehyun smiled and sent back another message.

To: Son Wendy

Ok. Cool. I’ll see you then.

To: Son Wendy

*Winner emoticon

Hours before the surprise party, Seungyoon pulled out his phone to call Wendy.

“Seungyoon? What’s up?” Wendy asked.

“Uh, I need your help with something too, Wendy.” Seungyoon said.

“What is it, Seungyoon?” Wendy replied with a curious question.

“I really like Seulgi and I was wondering if you can help me pop the question.” Seungyoon shyly explained.

“Omo. Jinjjayo? Woah! Sure, I’ll help you. I’m pretty sure Seulgi will say yes. She likes you too.” Wendy squealed.

“I know that. She and I expressed our feelings to each other already, but we decided not to embark on a relationship yet. I know that she might not be ready but I can’t wait anymore.” Seungyoon explained.

“Aigoo. Ok. I’ll help you with the crucial question. What else do you need me to do?” Wendy asked.

“I just want you to buy me time. Right after she blows the flame off the candles on her cake, I want you to help me cut in before the actual party happens so I can pop the question.” Seungyoon further explained.

“Ok. I will. So, do the rest of WINNER know about this?” Wendy asked.

“Mino hyung knows that I like her and I’m planning to tell him about my plan for tonight. Please don’t tell Taehyun about it. He may just mess it all up.” Seungyoon said.

“Ok. I’ll make sure not to tell Taehyun about this.” Wendy informed.

“Cool. We’ll see you guys in eight hours.” Seungyoon said.

Seungyoon knocked on Mino’s door and walked in.

“What’s up?” Mino asked.

“I’m popping the question to Seulgi tonight.” Seungyoon bluntly said.

Mino sat upright from his bed and looked at Seungyoon.

“You’re gonna propose to her? Dude, what the hell?” Mino cried.

“Shh! I’m not gonna propose to her. I’m gonna ask her to be my girlfriend tonight. Now, will you keep it down?” Seungyoon corrected and shushed his friend.

“Cool.” Mino nodded.

“Don’t tell the others and most especially Taehyun. He may just mess my plan up. Oh and don’t tell Irene noona either. By the way, Wendy knows and she’ll be helping me. All you gotta do is act all surprised, hyung.” Seungyoon ordered.

“Aye, aye, captain!” Mino saluted.

Seungyoon went to a florist and bought a bouquet of flowers. He also bought a teddy bear and a box of chocolates, to which he asked Mino to hand it to Irene for safe keeping.

At 11:55pm, the boys of WINNER made it inside the girls’ dorm. However, Wendy was still buying the gang some time.

“I’ll hold onto the cake, eonni.”Joy volunteered.

“Ok. Joy is in charge of the cake. Can someone light the candles up?” Irene ordered.

“I’ll do it.” Seunghoon volunteered and grabbed a lighter from a cabinet. He lit the tall and thin candles up.

“Wendy just sent me a text. She and Seulgi will be up in four minutes max.” Irene cried.

11:59:58 pm, Wendy and Seulgi walked into a dark dorm. Only a floating orange flame was seen.

12:00:01am, Wendy turned the lights on and the gang beamed.

“Saengil chukhahae, Seulgi-yah!” Everyone greeted the birthday girl a happy birthday.

Seulgi cupped in surprise and smiled widely.

“Ah, gomawoyo!” Seulgi thanked everyone.

“Now, blow the flames out and make a wish, eonni.” Joy walked towards her and presented the cake.

Seulgi closed her eyes for a few seconds and then blew the flames out.

“Wah! Saengil chukhahae uri Kang Seulgi!” Seunghoon cried.

Cheers and whistles were heard for the next thirty seconds, until Wendy broke them. Everyone turned to her. She eyed Seungyoon and he nodded. The male idol walked up to Seulgi and smiled at her.

Wendy walked over beside Irene.

“What is going on?” Irene asked.

“You’ll see.” Wendy smiled in anticipation.

Mino handed the bouquet of flowers and teddy bear, which were both on the couch, to Seungyoon. The leader smiled and turned to Seulgi.

“Yoon, what’s going on?” Seulgi asked.

“Seulgi-yah…” Seungyoon begun.

The gang looked at him intensely.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” Seungyoon finally dropped the question, surprising everyone.

Seulgi froze. She analyzed Seungyoon’s face and saw the anticipation in his eyes. Smiling, she accepted his gifts and nodded.

“Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend, silly.” Seulgi smiled.

Seungyoon broke into a smile and gave her a bear hug. Everyone cheered for them.

The rest of the night was merry. They were games, singing and drinking—minus Yeri, who was too young to drink. Unfortunately, the boys were not sober enough to go back to their dorms. So, they decided to crash for the night. The girls grabbed sleeping bags and pillows from a wardrobe and dumped them all on the floor. 

“C’mon, babe. Get up.” Irene slapped Mino’s arm to wake him up, but Mino didn’t move an inch.

“Song Minho, get the hell up now!” Irene continued slapping her boyfriend. This time Mino grabbed her hand, yanked her down and enveloped her into a big hug.

“Mino, get off me and wake up. We need to get you to the couch.” Irene demanded.

“Just sleep with me on the floor tonight, please.” Mino groaned.

“Jeoldae andwae. Now, get up! Up! Up! Up!” Irene nagged.

“Fine.” Mino groaned and lazily got up. Irene wrapped her arm around Mino’s waist and then wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She led him to the couch. 

Irene grabbed a blanket from a closet and hovered it on Mino’s body.

“Good night, Mino.” Irene snuck a kiss on his forehead and walked away. 

The rest of the boys were sprawled on the floor. Wendy shook her head in disappointment.

“We shouldn’t have bought beer.” Wendy said.

“You think? If manager oppa finds out that WINNER spent the night here because they were too drunk to go back to their own dorm, we are all screwed.” Irene cried.

“We can always say that it was all for Seulgi’s birthday.” Taehyun smiled drunkenly.

“Yeah, but then manager hyung has no clue that we’re even here. We snuck out, remember?” Seungyoon said.

“Whatever. Just sleep here and leave before our manager oppa comes over. Good night.” Seulgi said as she retreated to her room.

Four hours later, Irene was awakened by the vibration under her pillow. She rubbed her eyes and grabbed the device. She tapped on the screen and answered the call.

“Ung…yoboseyo?” Irene groaned.

“Joohyun-ah, I’ll be there in an hour.” The man on the other line stated.

“Uh.” Irene answered and hung up. She shut her eyes again, only to open them a second later.

! Manager oppa will be here in an hour and we’re still not ready. I better wake the girls up.

Irene bolted out of her room, fixed her bed and raced to the bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and opened the lights in the living room, leaving the boys who sprawled on the floor, squirming. 

She first made her way to Mino who was sprawled on the couch. She giggled and kissed Mino’s forehead. The male idol flinched.

“Wakey wakey, sleepyhead. It’s 8 am and our manager oppa will be here in an hour. Unless you don’t want to see your girlfriend for the next couple of months, I suggest you get your lazy of the couch now.” Irene whispered on Mino’s ear.

Mino lazily sat upright from his slumber and rubbed his eyes. He immediately pulled his hoodie over his head when the bright light temporarily blinded him.

“You wake your friends up, while I wake mine.” Irene said and walked into Seulgi and Wendy’s room. She opened the curtains, letting the sunlight brighten the room up.

“Wan, Bear, wake up. Manager oppa will be here in an hour and the boys are still outside.” Irene said.

Seulgi and Wendy lazily got up and rubbed their eyes.

“Up! Up! Up! I need you to help me wake those idiots up or we’re all screwed.” Irene said and walked out of the room.

Seulgi and Wendy came after her and helped Mino wake his friends up.

“How should I wake them up?” Mino asked.

Seulgi and Wendy glanced at each other, smirked and began screaming.

“FIRE!!!!!” Altogether Seulgi and Wendy screamed and immediately the boys bolted up.

“WHAT? WHAT? What fire?” Taehyun panicked.

Seungyoon was still wrapped up in his sleeping bag and so was Jinwoo. Seulgi and Wendy laughed their asses off.

“Why are you two laughing? What’s going on?” Seunghoon snapped.

“Well, we just lied and screamed ‘Fire’, so you four would wake up. Now that you’re all up, freshen up and go back home.” Wendy ordered.

“Why?” Taehyun groaned.

“Manager oppa is gonna be here in fifty minutes and you guys are still here. If he finds out that you five spent the night here, drunk, we are all screwed.” Seulgi explained.

The boys nodded and shrugged off their sleeping bags. 

“We’ve got spare toothbrushes in the toilet cupboard. You five can use and throw them into the trash.” Seulgi said.

Soon, Joy and Yeri woke up. The two girls joined Seulgi and Wendy in the kitchen.

“Hey maknaes, can you two get rid of those sleeping bags and the mess in the living room? We don’t want manager oppa freaking out.” Wendy ordered. The two girls nodded and did what they were told to do.

Meanwhile, the boys were crowding the sink.

“Move over, I need to spit.” Taehyun demanded.

“Give me a few seconds. I’m still rinsing.” Seungyoon cried.

“Hurry up, guys! This toothpaste is spicy.” Mino ordered.

“I need to spit too!” Seunghoon screamed.

“Just spit on the toilet bowl and flush it down.” Jinwoo said as he spit on the toilet bowl.

When the brushing dilemma ended, the boys were now arguing over one gets to wash their faces first.

“For the love of God, will you guys just quit arguing and just take turns?” Irene screamed at them.

Soon, the boys were all washed up. Mino grabbed his cap from the coffee table and wore it to hide his bed hair. Seungyoon was fixing his hair on the mirror and Taehyun was shamelessly flirting with Wendy in the kitchen.

“Can we at least have breakfast?” Seunghoon asked Irene.

“You do realize that we only have fifteen minutes ’til manager oppa comes. We can’t risk him seeing you guys here. There’s a convenience store downstairs. Why don’t you all go there and buy food now?” Irene said.

“Right. Let’s go, guys. See you around, babe.” Mino smiled, kissed Irene on the crown and walked away with the boys.

When the guys left, the girls exhaled. 

“That was close and I thought manager oppa is gonna kill us.” Wendy exhaled.

The boys walked into the nearest 7-eleven store and grabbed something to eat. The ’94 liners Seungyoon and Taehyun went over to the fridge area and pulled out energy drinks. Jinwoo searched for ready-to-eat treats along the pastry aisle and Mino and Seunghoon went to look for chips. 

Just then, Mino spotted a familiar man walked into the store. He immediately hid his face. He nudged Seunghoon.

“What?” Seunghoon asked.

“Hyung, the girls’ manager is here. If we let him see us, I don’t know what excuse we’re gonna make up.” Mino whispered.

“Shoot. We need to grab something, pay up and leave, fast!” Seunghoon replied. He quickly broke away from Mino and get Jinwoo.

“Hyung, hurry up and pick something. The girls’ manager is here and if he sees us, we’re screwed.” Seunghoon whispered to Jinwoo.

Jinwoo nervously grabbed three packs of pastries and walked to the counter.

Mino made his way to fridge area to motion the two maknaes to hurry up, but the girls’ manager beat him to them.

“…” Mino cursed under his breath and turned around.

“Taehyun, just make a choice. Will it be Bacchus or Red Bull?” Seungyoon spat.

Hearing this, the man beside them snapped his head onto their direction and smiled.

“Seungyoon-sshi? Taehyun-sshi?” The man spoke up, surprising the two WINNER members.

“Oh, annyeonghaseyo!” The two boys bowed at the man before them.

“What are you two doing here? This place is very far from YG Entertainment.” The man asked.

Seungyoon and Taehyun panicked. Before Taehyun could speak up, Seungyoon beat him to it.

“Well, we happened to pass by and decided to greet Seulgi a happy birthday.” Seungyoon grinned.

“Y-yeah.” Taehyun grinned awkwardly.

“You boys look tired. Have you gotten enough sleep?” The man asked.

“Uh, we barely slept a wink. Really busy.” Seungyoon lied.

“I see. Well, I’m gonna go pay for this drink and I’m off to the girls. See you around.” The man said and walked away. The boys gave him a bow and exhaled.

The man walked to the counter, only to find Jinwoo and Seunghoon paying up.

“Jinwoo-sshi? Seunghoon-sshi?” The man said.

Seunghoon tensed up. He and Jinwoo turned to their left and awkwardly bowed at the man.

“I guess the whole WINNER is here. Wait a minute. Where’s Mino-sshi?” The man said.

“M-Mino? He’s…” Jinwoo looked around and locked eyes on a nervous wreck, Mino.

“Oh! Annyeonghaseyo.” The male idol bowed at the man.

“You boys must be really starving.” The man glanced at the amount of food placed on the counter.

The boys nodded and laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah. We forgot to get breakfast from the headquarters, so we decided to grab some in this store after dropping by at the girls’ dorm.” Mino reasoned out.

“I see. Well, have fun with you guys. Here.” The man said and checked out his drink. He then left the store, giving the boys a peace of mind.

The boys checked out their purchases and left with two bags of food on their hands.

“Why did you tell him that we dropped by the girls’ dorm?” Seunghoon snapped.

“It’s not like I had any choice. Seungyoon already gave him the heads up.” Mino spat. Seunghoon turned to Seungyoon.

“Hey, we were caught redhanded. I couldn’t think of any excuse at the last minute. So, I told him that we dropped by, say hello and greeted Seulgi a happy birthday. At least I did not give out any idea that we were drunk and slept over there last night.” Seungyoon defended.

“Whatever. Let’s just get back to the dorm before manager hyung finds out that we left.” Seunghoon cried.

“Uh, guys…” Jinwoo glanced on his phone in panic.

“I-Is that manager hyung?” Taehyun asked.

Jinwoo nodded. 

“Give me that.” Seungyoon grabbed Jinwoo’s phone and picked up the call.

“Ne, hyung?” Seungyoon answered.

“Seungyoon? Where the hell are you?” The manager spat.

“Yeah. We just went out to get something to eat. We’re feeling a little bored with our food in the dorm. Yeah.” Seungyoon panicked.

“Ok. Where are you now?” The manager asked.

Seungyoon panicked.

“Uh, we’re in a supermarket. Don’t worry, we’ll be there in thirty minutes.” Seungyoon said.

“Ok. I’ll come back in two hours.” The man said and hung up.

“We better leave or manager hyung will kill us.” Seungyoon faced the boys. The rest nodded and hailed a cab back to their dorm.

The boys got back just right in time. They took turns in taking a shower. While dressing up, Seungyoon snuck a KakaoTalk message to his girlfriend.

To: Kang Seulgi

Your manager did not grill you alive, right?

From: Kang Seulgi

Nope. Wendy saved our asses off from his interrogation. How about you? Did your manager freak out?

To: Kang Seulgi

Almost. Good thing we made up some excuse and he fell for it.

From: Kang Seulgi

That’s good. Well, I’ve got to go. See you soon.

*insert cute Red Velvet emoticon

Seulgi received a handful of greetings from her family back in Ansan to her SMTOWN family and her SOPA family.

===============================================================================================

A/N: So, Jackson is back and it seems like he still has feelings for Seulgi. And did you expect that Seungyoon and Seulgi will get together at the end of this chapter? I didn't hehe. I had not planned to but ended up writing it in this chapter. 

I could not think of a better collab song, so I chose 'Best Song Ever' by One Direction. For Directioners out there, please don't be mad at me that I tweaked the song a little bit. I had to for Seulgi and Wendy to fit into the performance.

For those who are wondering who or what is 'SOPA', it stands for School of Performing Arts, Seoul. It's one of those art high schools where Kpop artists go / had gone to (e.g. f(x)'s Sulli, Miss A's Suzy, EXO's Sehun and Kai and many more).

Next chapter will be up soon! :)