San's POV

After we received our presents and ate dinner, we decided to watch a French movie in the living room together before Ines and I went to watch a different movie with her brothers and their girlfriends. The movie we're watching in the living room is a romantic movie her maternal grandmother played in when she used to be an actress.

Apparently, the movie is about an undercover cop trying to save her brother and is joined by another undercover cop that is acting like part of the Italian mafia.

In the movie, it shows Azzura, who was young at the time the movie was filmed, with the actor portraying her character's brother. The way Azzura looked back then reminds me of the way Ines looks right now. They even have the same bright hazel eyes.

A flashback crosses into my memory...when I first saw Ines on the festival night.

Walking around the school area, I was hanging out with Wooyoung, Changbin, Seonghwa and Hongjoong after the show. Changbin, Wooyoung and I were just chatting with each other, meanwhile Seonghwa and Hongjoong were just following along. We eventually stopped walking after we spotted a bench in front of the entrance of the garden to sit for a moment.

"Hey guys, wanna join me to get some snacks?" Wooyoung asked us and Seonghwa and Hongjoong told,

"We will."

"I'm already good, bro. I'll get some whenever I want." Changbin told him and I said,

"Me too."

As Wooyoung, Seonghwa and Hongjoong left the garden, I heard chattering somewhere in the garden behind. Then I spotted Eva, Felix, one of the middle school girls who passed the audition earlier today and Kristen's cousin–walking out from the garden. They seemed to be waiting for someone to walk out too.

"You should see what we prepared for Hyunjin and Kristen! Mais ne leur dites pas, c'est une surprise." Eva told her, surprising me with her apparently fluent French.

"Une surprise?" A female voice asked her in French, which suddenly made my heart flutter...much to my confusion.

"Oui." Felix nodded. "C'est simple mais beau! Cela ressemblait à un conte de fées!"

And I saw...her. Coming out from the garden as the most beautiful flower I have ever seen. She's a brunette with a striking olive color on her skin. And her bright red lips stood out the most. Her hazel eyes sparkled when she looked up at the lights set up for the festival. It's as if an angel was descended from the heavens, right before my eyes. Just seeing and hearing her speaking French made my heart pound.

Since she's friendly with Felix and Eva, I turned to Changbin to see if he knew anything about the mysterious beauty. So, I gathered up my courage and asked,

"Hey Changbin. That girl that Felix and Eva are talking to, who is she? And why are they speaking French with her? Do they have French class with her or something?"

"That's just our friend, Ines Laurent-Min. She moved here from Paris, France, with her parents and younger siblings. She's half French and half Korean, so she's comfortable speaking French with Felix and Eva. However, she can speak Korean." Changbin explained while putting food on his plate.

"Really?" I asked and glanced at that French Korean girl strolling with Felix and Eva and others.

Ines just sounded even more beautiful; it even fits for her stunning beauty. And her name fits her angelic appearance. I wish I could speak to her, but I don't know much French. It's good she does know Korean, which means things will be a little easier than I expected.

Just as I was thinking about what to say, I heard Felix ask me,

"Hey San, could you get me some punch, please?"

"Sure, Felix."

I went over to pour a couple cups of punch, one for me and one for Felix. Just as I finished pouring, I noticed Ines came by to pour a couple cups of punch as well. Gosh, I don't want to be a nervous wreck in front of her! My heart better be still in case she gets closer to me, but I know for a fact it's too stubborn to stay still.

Soon, I gathered more courage and said, "Hello. How are you?"

She glanced at me and softly smiled, "Hi. I'm about to give some punch drinks to my friends. Including one for myself."

"Same here."

Hoping to continue the conversation, I introduced myself, "I'm San. Choi San. One of Changbin's friends. I go to another school, though, but one of my cousins attends school here."

"Really? That's incredible. Maybe I might bump into them after the festival ends if I don't see them after this. And it's an honor to meet you. I'm Ines Laurent-Min, and I'm in the same grade as Changbin and Eva. Perhaps he probably told you already." She said with a slight giggle at the end, which I found kind of cute.

"He did, and he mentioned that you're from Paris, and you're half French half Korean." I mentioned, and she explained,

"That's right. My father is Korean and is a baker, and he studied and worked in Paris. My French mother is a ballerina, and she's part Italian. We moved here to be closer to my paternal family, and I got accepted to this school to become a performer since Mere inspired me. My younger brothers just got accepted into this school, too, and they performed during the indoor performance. My little sister really wants to go to this school when she gets older. She also does dance and gymnastics, and she really enjoys singing."

"Your family sounds wonderful. Maybe I'll get to meet them someday." I smiled after hearing about her family.

"Perhaps you could as we get to know each other." She told me as we got the punch and walked over to our friends.

Just as I was done thinking these thoughts, I noticed Ines's maternal grandfather, Xavier, holding up some of the tarte tartin and asking,

"Would you like a slice of the tarte tartin Dong-wook and I made, jeune homme?"

"Oui, monsieur. Merci beaucoup." I said as I got the slice he offered to me, and complimented me,

"No problem indeed. I must say, your French is quite impressive. Guess my dear petite fille taught you well."

"I can't take all the credit for helping him, Pape. Even though I helped San improve his French, he learned a little bit back in middle school. He really is amazing, and everything about him makes me love him even more." My sweet girlfriend complimented me as she kissed my cheek, making me smile.

"He's wonderful to Eonni! And a great brother figure to me, Hugo Oppa, and Max Oppa!" Jackie said as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "He even gave me a cute beret to wear with the dress Halmeoni made for me!"

"I'm sure you would look very beautiful in that dress when you wear it with the beret, mia topolina." Azzura responded to Jackie while pinching her cheek.

"Grazie, Nonna!" Jackie cutely thanked her grandmother as we ate some of the leftover dessert.

We got back to watching the movie, and I began to learn some more French, as well as a little Italian, from the movie. Yeji and Ryujin were also picking up on the French that is being taught.

Seungmin's POV

After having some snacks, changing clothes, and setting up the aerial yoga equipment, we all began the aerial yoga session. Since she has more experience, Michaela decided to be in charge of the session. While she sets the aerial silk ribbons up, I laid down the yoga mats for when we have to stretch.

"I hope everyone has their water and is ready to go. Before I show you these moves, I want to do some stretches with you that will help with the exercises today. We're gonna start off with the arms, so I want you to follow me."

Then she started off by placing her hands on the hanging hammock, "Place your hands inside the hammock like this. Then open them up to the sides to bring your arms and hammock to the back. Just a quick warm up to stretch out your shoulders and chest a little bit. And also, it's a great way for you to get the feel of what the fabric feels like in your hands. Keep it nice and easy."

And we followed the same moves she's doing right now. After doing this three times, we moved onto another stretching exercise. Michaela taught us to move on to our legs.

"I'm going to step on my left leg, just placing my foot on the hammock. You can just hold your hand here to make sure to keep your balance. Straighten your leg and move to the other side. You can keep holding it, or once you can get comfortable enough, you can also just let your hand go. Just try to control the hammock with your leg. Nice and strong. Then you're going to switch to your right leg. It's always good to do both sides, keeping the balance of your body."

We all followed along to the instructions and tried to mimic my girlfriend's movements.

"Now, we're going to do some conditioning, or full body exercise in other words. This is the important part of stretching before practicing aerial, because it will help you advance in your practice a lot faster. We're going to do four conditioning exercises now--thirty secs each before we do the aerial." Michaela told us and continued on,

"The first exercise to start off is to wrap your hands around and press your shoulders down. Engage your shoulder blades in the back, lift your legs and hold for fifteen seconds. Then you can rest and hold for another fifteen seconds. Straighten your legs in the front to make it harder for the last hold."

For a while, I got distracted as I admired my girlfriend's beautiful frame from where I was standing. She has no idea how breathtaking she is to me every time I look at her. And her sweet personality makes her shine brighter than any star in the galaxy.

"The second exercise, you can come down to the floor to do a half pull up. Have your legs in front and wrap your hands for a better grip. Pull yourself up and down."

I was doing exactly as she said, but just as I was trying to pull myself up, I got stuck in this awkward position with my arms behind me. It hurt really bad, so I ended up whining and laughing at the same time, making the rest laugh along as I cried out,

"Minnie, please help me!"

Michaela quickly got out of the silk she was using for the demonstration, and immediately rushed over to help me. We couldn't stop laughing about what happened to me, but at least it's fun overall.

"Next one starts from standing. Pull up to your straddle and slowly come down."

"Last one is an aerial fan kick. Let's try standing first. Draw a half circle with your right leg, from left to right. Then follow the left leg and return. One more time on the ground. And add the puller."

We all managed to follow Michaela along during the last exercise before we learned one of the poses she picked up from her mother.

"Now that we're warmed up, I'm gonna teach you three poses today. That way we can practice them and be able to watch a movie after this." Michaela explained, then began to demonstrate the first pose.

"The first pose I'm going to show you is the anti-gravity warrior pose. It's a very easy pose for beginners, however you have to maintain balance and coordination as you do it with the aerial yoga silk."

She started off by showing the steps, "First off, look straight ahead to avoid any strain. Hold your arms steady and you can tense your core muscles if you want to see best results. Use the straps to shift the pressure of your body weight and always use a spotter to help you balance at first."

As Michaela explained what to do, I followed along. I made sure the silk was wrapped around my arms and legs well as I did the pose. This was much easier than I thought it would be. Usually, I have a hard time following along in aerial yoga, but it's still worth trying since my dear girlfriend and her mother enjoy it.

"Look Minnie! I did it! I'm actually doing the pose like you explained!" I said happily, and saw she was looking at me as she did the pose herself and said,

"You're doing incredible, my sweet Mickey. That's as impressive as when you tried the pose when we first met in LA. I'm so proud of you for picking up well on this, baby."

I smiled like an idiot as she complimented me. How I wish I could hug and kiss her, but not right now with our friends in the room.

"Hey, smile properly, Mickey." I heard Felix teasing me from behind, already in position.

"Shut your mouth, Yongbok!" I shushed Felix so Michaela could continue, but I heard snickers from my friends including him.

Aish, he can be annoying sometimes.

"Next pose is the inverted bow, I'll show you how it's done. You just grip the ends of the hammock to stay in place while you sit. Carefully bend backwards and pull your ankles down further to increase the stretch."

This seemed to be a bit difficult since I'm not that flexible unlike others, but I'll try my best. I did what she taught and as I slowly bent backwards...

As I did so, I felt my back crack in the process, making me giggle in slight pain. Everyone else heard it and were laughing because of it.

"Mickey, you're ok?" Michaela asked, sounding like she was trying not to laugh.

"I think I bent my back a bit too much." I sheepishly chuckled.

After I managed to make it look like hers, we were able to continue with the lesson. Finally, we were on the last pose, and I hope it's something that isn't gonna kill me.

"Last pose is the superman. Bend down while you lay your pelvic area on the hammock and grab the ends tight from behind. Then, you lift your legs together up in the air, making yourself a straight line. This stretches your stomach and lower back and it's fun to swing in this pose."

Michaela demonstrated the pose, making my eyes nearly pop out of my head in shock. I have no idea how I'm gonna be able to pull that off without hurting myself. However, I sucked it up and tried my best to do the move exactly as she showed us.

Just as I went to bend down, I probably went a little too far and got my arms stuck behind me in the silk.

"Minnie, help me, please!" I cried out with a laugh, low-key embarrassed to be in this situation.

This caused my friends to laugh at my awkward position on the hammock.

"Seungmin, you alright?" Eva asked within her laughs.

"My arms are already hurting!" I laughed throughout the pain.

"Hold on my sweet Mickey, I'm coming to help you." Michaela said, hopping out of her silk to fix my position.

After she helped me to get into the position, I was mentally begging to finish this session. It was fun but also tiring that almost made my poor body sore. Plus, I want to hug and kiss my sweet Minnie Mouse after this session ends.

After we did that, she wrapped up the session by having us get out of the silk so we could stretch and cooldown. Then we officially finished our session and got ready to prepare to eat and get ready for bed.

Michaela's POV

We all took turns taking showers and changing clothes after the aerial yoga session. Seungmin and I are in our pajamas while Eva and Felix warm up the food. I wanted to show Seungmin the extra picture book I got from modeling summer dresses before I moved to Seoul. He thankfully just got done changing clothes, so I can grab the book to show him the photos.

"Hey Mickey," I said as I sat next to my boyfriend on bed, "I got something to show you."

He asked me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, "What is it, Minnie?"

Picking the photobook next to me, I told him, "I've been modeling summer dresses before moving here and I just wanted to show you the photos."

He looked down at the book with me, and his eyes seemed to sparkle as he noticed the photos of me in the outfits. Some of my dresses are colorful, floral printed, striped designs, you name it. There are flowy dresses I wore in my photobook, but I'm sure there are some dresses that'll make Seungmin go clingy to me.

Of course, my figure-fitting dresses I'm referring to. I secretly bought that pink dress after he left to get a spot for us at the restaurant in the mall. I plan on wearing it in Hawaii for Kristen's 16th birthday party. Maybe I could show him since he's distracted with the photobook, but I won't wear it since we have a sleepover, and because he already knows what I look like in it.

I quietly got up as he continued looking at the photobook, and when I grabbed the dress from my shopping bag. Just as I was about to show him the dress, I heard Seungmin say,

"Michaela, you look really beautiful in all these dresses, but there's a couple of dresses that remind me of the first dress you tried on for me in the mall."

"Oh really? The designer said she wanted to try something new with her summer dress designs, so I went with the flow." I said, finding a good opening to tell Seungmin about the pink dress. "And speaking of that dress, look what I got for Kristen's birthday."

I turned around as I showed my boyfriend the dress, I bought along with the dress I wore to the wedding. Immediately, Seungmin's jaw dropped, making me giggle at his reaction. I could still remember his reaction to me trying the dress on at the mall.

"Are you serious, jagi? You really bought it secretly?" He sheepishly chuckled, partially covering his blushing face with his hand.

"Yeah, but you're well aware that Kristen's paternal grandparents invited me and the rest of our friends to Hawaii for her birthday, of course I asked if you were invited, too, since you were also her friend in LA, and you are. Since it's her sweet 16, we have to dress nicely, so I bought this." I explained, still smirking as my dear Mickey Mouse's reaction to the dress.

"You're not gonna be alone at that party if you wear that then, Minnie." He said, trying not to giggle as he was still blushing.

"Come on, Mickey, you know I love you and you only. Besides, if someone tried to openly flirt with me, you know my father would threaten them. Plus, Dad, who helps train military personnel and is a third-degree black belt in taekwondo, would teach me how to defend myself. And I'm about to resume my taekwondo training so I can get my second-degree black belt since I passed my audition for the school." I reassured Seungmin, then I teased him,

"Should I try this on for you again?"

"No! No! Aniya!" Seungmin dramatically answered, even making an X with his hands. "Our friends are here, and I don't want our friends to tease me over seeing you in that dress as it shows off your body."

"Relax, babe. I'm only teasing. Plus, Amelie wouldn't let me live it down if she walks in on me wearing this type of dress in front of you." I said as I put my dress up, and then sat on his lap while he's still sitting on my bed, then I noticed his red face as I wrapped my arms around his neck and giggled,

"You're still blushing, Mickey. You're such an adorable puppy."

"How can I stop blushing when you're the reason for it, Minnie?" He said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pecked my lips. "But I love you anyways, baby. And I'm always gonna be your adorable puppy."

"And I'm always gonna love you, too." I responded with a smile, pecking Seungmin a couple of times, and it led to us kissing deeper than the playful pecks with each other.

To my surprise, he gently laid me down on the bed without breaking our kiss apart. And I could feel the soft mattress on my back as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I couldn't help but focus on this moment with him. He was the only thing on my mind, and the kiss sent me to cloud nine. Losing ourselves into this sweet, blissful moment.

Oblivious of our surroundings for a minute, we heard Felix calling us,

"Guys, the food is–WHOA, OK SEUNGMIN, DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD IT IN YOU, MATE!"

He startled us that we quickly switched our position and my poor Mickey jumped out from the bed to the side. That caused Felix and Eva to burst into laughter and I tried not to laugh at my boyfriend hiding there, yet somewhat smiled in embarrassment.

Seungmin rushed over to the door and locked, obviously embarrassed as he shouted,

"WELL, SHUT YOUR TRAP, KOALA! I don't want our friends to come in here and see this!"

"Oh, come on mate! Open the door and we'll talk through it!" We heard Eva tell him, sounding like she was trying not to laugh more.

Seungmin glanced at me, and I gave him a nod, telling him to open the door. He took a deep breath and told Eva before unlocking and opening the door,

"All right. If you say so BUT STOP LAUGHING!"

I held my laughter in after hearing that before Eva and Felix entered the room. I'm certain they're smiling already right after they stopped laughing. Felix closed the door behind for a bit and sheepishly said while gently rubbing the nape with his hand,

"Well, we honestly didn't expect that to see you making out. We were just gonna let you know that the food is hot and ready so you can come down to eat with us."

Then I heard him whisper under his breath, making Eva snicker,

"But I guess you were in the middle of something else that was hot and ready."

"What did you say, Yongbok?!" Seungmin growled, and I went over to calm down my boyfriend.

And Eva held Felix, 'threatening' my boyfriend,

"Dare to fight him, I'mma kick your arse."

"Calm down Eva, I'll deal with my Mickey." I reassured her, about to giggle.

"I hope so because we don't need our friends to witness a bloody massacre in this room." Eva said while chuckling, causing the rest of us to giggle along.

"If we're being honest, we were about to make out before you guys returned from the wedding." Felix told me and Seungmin.

Eva added along, "We were just kissing at first. When we heard you, I grabbed my ponytail and acted like I was doing his hair. I mean, we just didn't want to get caught at all. You guys are not alone for that. Which means Felix, you can stop picking on Seungmin and Michaela now."

"And Mickey, you can stop being a grumpy puppy." I told Seungmin, and he and Felix groaned,

"Alright, alright!"

"Guys, hurry up and eat before the food gets cold!" Amelie called out to us.

"Ok, we'll be down there in a minute!" I called back.

"We can keep this as a secret. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone." Eva reassured us, and I replied with,

"Ditto. We won't tell anyone about yours either."

Seungmin and I stood up from the bed and exited from our bedroom along with Felix and Eva, to go downstairs and eat.

Minho's POV

It's late now, but after eating out with my family after my checkup, we finally got home. Today, I got the sling removed from my arm, and now it's in a new cast since it's healing some more. I finally feel the movements from my fingers again, and my arm is not as sore as it used to be, but I have to still take medication since the nails that stabbed me were made of iron.

https://youtu.be/WcKSPyhrGWc

(A/N: Play this 👆 while you continue reading below.)

My assignments for the week were done, so I decided to spend some time outside in the treehouse. When I got there, I noticed a light coming from it. Soon, I heard some music playing. It was a Harry Styles song "Falling", making me realize it was Dahyun up there since we both like Harry Styles.

Making sure to be careful, I steadily climbed up the ladder, and I noticed she was looking at the stars while singing along to the music. She looked so beautiful like that, being focused on the night sky and absorbed in the lyrics of the song playing. It's like seeing art coming to life before my eyes.

Carefully entering the treehouse, I began to sing along to the lyrics.

Dahyun turned around, smiled, and started singing with me. I then cuddled up next to her and we looked at the stars together while still singing. After the chorus began, we sang together,

What am I now? What am I now?

What if I'm someone I don't want around?

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm fallin'

What if I'm down? What if I'm out?

What if I'm someone you won't talk about?

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm fallin'

"I'm always falling for you, again and again." I sweet talked to her, making her smile.

I laid my head on her shoulder when she softly cooed,

"If I were born again, I would still love you."

After hearing her, I smiled and grabbed her hand with my good hand. She looked at my cast on my injured hand and asked me,

"How did your appointment go, today? Must've been a good one since the doctor removed your brace."

"Sure is. My arm is still in a healing process, even though the condition is improving." I answered as I showed off my injured arm.

Thankfully it doesn't hurt as bad as it did when it was first injured, but I'm still advised to be careful while using it. I'm happy that I'll be able to write and eat with my left hand again. Even though I'm ambidextrous, using my left hand is more helpful for me when it comes to writing, eating, and cooking.

"Well, I'm glad you're getting better. I'm happier to have you beside me. The possibility of you not being here scared me so much." She said as she hugged me.

Looking down, I noticed her cuts and scrapes were finally healed. Since they were minor compared to my injuries, I could see how fast she recovered. And in regard to what she said about my suicide attempt, I was also scared when she risked her life to save mine. The thought of her not being beside me also scares me half to death.

And then, I noticed a small, healed cut between her wrist and arm. Gently holding it, my eyes started to water, and I planted a comforting kiss on the healed wound.

"I'm sorry I scared you and put you in danger to save me, my darling. I never wanted to hurt you." I said as tears fell from my eyes.

Holding her hand up to my cheek, Dahyun looked me in the eyes and told me,

"Minho, please don't be sorry for that. You already proved to us that you regretted what happened before the incident, but the incident wasn't your fault. I was scared to see you on the road because I didn't want to lose you. All that mattered to me was making sure the man I love is okay and can live his life. You're precious to me, and to everyone that cares for you. Don't ever forget that, Lee Minho."

With that, she plants a soft and tender kiss on my lips. Responding to the kiss gently, I wrapped my good arm around her shoulder.

She is definitely my true love, and I will never forget that.

Eventually breaking the kiss apart, I whispered,

"Saranghae, Dahyun."

Before I could give her another kiss, I noticed from the corner of my eye Yugyeom and Sera peaking their heads in the treehouse.

"What are you guys doing here?" I somewhat chuckled sheepishly.

"We came by to see how you were doing after you got out from getting your sling removed. And we wanted to give you a present." Yugyeom said as he and Sera entered the treehouse and brought a box in with them.

I smiled and accepted the box. Then I tore the wrapping paper off and opened it. Once I did, I noticed there was a cookbook of some international recipes I wanted to make. And there's even a picture of Beef Wellington on it. I haven't had that since I tried it at the British restaurant I went to with my parents.

I wonder if Eva knows better about Beef Wellington since she's from England. Perhaps I could make some British food for her and Felix when I do read this book. I'm sure they would appreciate it.

"Thank you so much for the present, Yugyeom and Sera. I've always wanted to learn to cook different foods from around the world." I thanked him and carefully hugged him.

"You're welcome, Minho."

"Since you're here, do you care to join me and Dahyun? We have some Uno cards up here if you want to play a game." I offered to him, and he smiled and said,

"Sure. Uno does sound fun. Sera and I have some time before we're supposed to be home."

"I haven't played Uno in so long, but I'm already excited!" Sera said happily as she and Yugyeom took their seats.

Dahyun passed out the cards, and we all began to play. Doing fun things like this with my friends not only is fun, but it makes me feel better since the incident. And the fact we're making fun memories together does help me move on from the pain I experienced that night and having Dahyun as my girlfriend also gives me another reason to keep going. I can't wait to cook a wonderful dinner for her with these recipes when my arm completely heals.

A couple days later...

Kristen's POV

After putting on my back brace and school uniform, I made sure I was ready for my first day back at school after my discharge from the hospital. Hyunjin came by to pick me up so he could walk to school with me. He held my hand and walked with me down the sidewalks.

"Are you gonna be stuck to my side throughout the entire school day since it's my first day back, Oppa?" I sweetly asked my boyfriend as I leaned my head onto his shoulder.

"I don't want you to get hurt in any way. You know that I love you so much, Tokki." He said and softly pecked my forehead.

I smiled and wrapped my arm tightly around his arm. After crossing a couple of red lights, we made it to the school. Soon, I noticed Hyunjin giving me a blindfold and he told me,

"Here, baby. Put this around your eyes before we get into the classroom. We put together something for you."

I briefly giggled and replied, "Ok."

I put my blindfold on my eyes and let Hyunjin guide me as I asked him with a slight giggle,

"Oppa, what is this about? Did you do something to go all out for me just because I got released from the hospital?"

"Of course not. It's a surprise for your discharge, but it's nothing fancy. However, you might love the surprise I have planned for you. Do you trust me, babe?"

"Yes, I do trust you, Oppa. Now I'm excited." I said and allowed him to take me into the classroom.

As we arrived in the classroom, I heard Hyunjin telling me,

"Stop right here."

I stopped, internally giddy for the surprise my boyfriend prepared for me.

"You ready?" He asked and I nodded.

He took off the blindfold and when I opened my eyes...

"SURPRISE! WELCOME BACK!" Everyone shouted and cheered happily.

The room is nicely decorated by red balloons and streamers. On the table: there's a strawberry sponge cake which I oh so love, some get-well-soon cards standing on its own and a few wrapped gifts.

Eva approached me with a genuine smile and hugged me gently, "Welcome back, Kristen!"

"Thank you, Eva. And thank you everybody so much for what you did today! This is outstanding!" I gleamed and heard our homeroom teacher as she explained,

"I used some leftover decorations from the prop room, but this little surprise was Hyunjin's idea. And because of what you had to go through, I figured it wouldn't hurt to welcome you back like this."

"And happy memories are what you need on your first day back to school from the hospital." Ines said as she sat me down at my desk where the presents were lined up.

"I don't know what to say. This is all so wonderful!" I said and opened the smallest gift first, which turned out to be some incense sticks.

They were some kind of Himalayan scented incense sticks, and when I sniffed them, it already relaxed me. I could use this for my room while I study.

"Thank you so much. I'm gonna use this as soon as I get home." I thanked my friends and continued opening the gifts from my friends.

I got some stationary since I often write to my paternal cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents in the States. Also, I received some geranium seeds with a mini flowerpot and some planting soil, a sketchpad, tickets to a spa place, some bath bombs, a basket of my favorite snacks and candies, and some other small, but thoughtful gifts.

Last, but not least, Hyunjin gave me a gift he said he bought, but added some personal touches to it. It was a painted mermaid sculpture, resembling my appearance. The tail was painted gold since it was somewhat shining under the ceiling lights. This made me cry tears of joy since I watched The Little Mermaid a lot when I was in kindergarten. I told Hyunjin that I wanted to be a mermaid when I was a little kid.

"Hyunjin. This is wonderful! When did you find the time to do this for me?!" I said, trying to contain myself since he made this for me.

He hugged me and said,

"I did it while you were still in the hospital. Eomma and I went to an antique store after my maternal grandparents went back home, and I saw this. Of course, I painted it to make it look like you. Your parents showed me pictures of our memories after you and I realized who we were, and they said how you wanted to be a mermaid because of the Little Mermaid. So, I wanted to show you how beautiful you would appear as a mermaid."

He did this to make me smile, and that makes me feel special since he put thought into this. And customizing it to make it look like me. I have no words to express how grateful I am to have him as my boyfriend.

"Thank you so much, baby! I'm gonna put this on my desk and think of you every time I see it." I thanked Hyunjin and held his hand; our teacher was serving us the cake she sliced up for us, then thanked everybody in the room.

"Thank you once again for this wonderful surprise you put together for me!"

"You're welcome, dear. And since we have the cake in front of us, we can eat it while we begin our lesson." Our teacher said as she grabbed her slice and went back to her desk.

We ate our cake slices as we followed along to the lesson.

Seungmin's POV

It's already the second period, and I'm aware that Michaela is with the other transfers that passed their auditions last week getting their schedules for next semester, as well as getting fitted for their uniforms. Also, I just got finished with my assignment in my songwriting class, so I'm going to the art room to help Felix work on part of the set for the semester finals performance.

Some middle schoolers that passed their auditions will also be here to help as part of their extra credit for their schools. Michaela told me that Aria and Yoshi are volunteering today, as well. Yoshi enjoys painting and crafting, so he's supposed to be helping with the backdrops. Aria got asked to take pictures for the pamphlets the teachers are making for the school to prepare for middle schoolers that are still considering this high school, since there's still a couple of auditions for this school in the next two semesters.

Felix and I finally finished the vines we made for the statue to be used for the part where Kristen pricks her finger. There's even a part of the fake thorn we painted with red paint to help the younger Hyunjin and Kristen remember what they have to do for their part.

One of our friends that is in Eva's art class finished the statue for that particular scene. Since it's in the room now, we went on ahead and began wrapping the statue with the fake vine. I wrapped the vine over the statue's shoulders while Felix engulfed it around its body. We then taped some of the strings to keep it in place.

Once we're finished, we took steps back to take a complete look at the garden statue.

"Looks good, huh?" I asked.

"I like it a lot. It's gonna look great in the fake garden the stagehands will set up for the dance." Felix explained, and we carefully placed it on the stroller used for the statues.

Since we're gonna take it to the amusement park during the final exams, we decided to leave it in this room so it wouldn't break. We took the remaining fake flowers to Chaeyoung since she's putting together the mirror for the final scene of the dance number.

Helping me put them into a basket, Felix took one handle of the basket while me taking the other to carry it together. And when we headed out to the art classroom, we noticed Chaeyoung walking by, then she spotted us.

"Hey guys! Are those the remaining flowers you have?"

"Yeah, we consider them as extra so this is for you to put around the mirror." I responded and she picked the basket up.

"Awesome, thanks! You wanna see my work in progress in the classroom?" She asked us, and we told her,

"Of course. I'm excited to see what everyone has in mind for the show."

"By the way, some of the students that transferred are helping me put the mirror together, as well as decorating the flower bed." Chaeyoung explained as we went to the room.

"That's great. I'm sure they're gonna make the props look spectacular." Felix said, but hearing this made me curious who would be in the room.

We arrived and saw our schoolmates decorate the props with the transfers. We went to where Chaeyoung was decorating the mirror, and noticed Amelie passing some twine to someone...

It was my dear Michaela!

I didn't think I would see her here! This really made my day much better!

"Hey baby." I said, hoping to get her attention, and she stopped gluing the twine for a moment to look up at me.

"Mickey! I didn't think I would see you this soon today!" She hugged me, making me smile uncontrollably as I hugged my sweet girlfriend back.

"I'm so happy!"

Then I side-eyed at Felix, who is about to laugh, and I warned him,

"Now, don't tell me to smile properly, Yongbok! I know you well!"

"Seungmin, calm down. Don't be an angry puppy at school now." She said and kissed my cheek.

"Ehh, you know how he is when it comes to us, Minnie."

"The flower mirror looks so pretty! It would also fit for a garden-themed prom night!" Felix said as he scanned the mirror, and Michaela told him,

"Actually, it reminded me of my first middle school dance I had in LA. Kristen and I moved to LA at the same time that year after years of talking on the phone or visiting each other."

"Did you two have your first dance at that time?" Felix asked us.

"We actually did. This was actually before we confessed to each other since we had crushes on each other. Since the dance occurred the week before our confession, I guess it helped us out. He pulled me close to him during the dance, and I was taken aback, but felt happy. I kissed his cheek when he took me home, but at the time I passed it off as a kind gesture." Michaela explained what our school dance was like before we confessed.

"That's so cute of you two! And you go, Seungmin." Felix nudged my arm with a wide smile.

"I was surprised after I told her that I love her that the kiss to my cheek was more than just a kind gesture. After that, she told me she loves me two, and we sealed our love with a kiss. Kristen took the photo for us since she was using her Polaroid camera to take photos. Since we were cheerful about becoming a couple, she took another one so we could each have a reminder of the confession."

"No wonder Jeongin picked that up when we were staying over at your house, Seungmin." He chuckled. "I gotta tell you, Michaela, my friends were teasing and poking him about it."

"And that was before they ate the pretzels your grandmother made for me, Minnie." I said as I pouted and held her hand, she told me,

"Hey, stop your pouting, Mickey. If it makes you feel better, Oma is stopping by for a visit since she learned I passed my audition for the school. She's gonna make her pretzels and mustard sauce, and is excited to see you again, babe."

"Jinjaeyo?! That's awesome! That would fill my empty spot from those who ate the pretzels last time." I spoke and side-eyed at Felix again.

"They were as delicious as they smelled. Maybe if you don't mind while your grandmother is here, we could visit her and eat some of the pretzels?" Felix asked, but I told him,

"Not while I visit her, Yongbok."

He playfully rolled his eyes at me, making us giggle.

We spotted Mina passing by with some flower vines hanging on her arm and greeted us,

"Hey boys! Wanna see the flower bed we're working on?"

We nodded and followed her to see the beautiful flower bed–the artificial diverse flowers framing around an old mattress being covered by white tulle. This was put together by Tzuyu, Mina, and Eva.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!" I complimented it and Felix added,

"I could just sleep on that bed!"

"Sorry, but this bed is for the puppet Chaeyoung will control for the part where Hyunjin kisses Kristen to break the spell." Mina told us with a chuckle as Sana and Nayeon brought the puppet over.

"I know that, I'm just saying it looks comfy." Felix chuckled as he patted gently on the white tulle.

We looked at the puppet and noticed its face looked very similar to Kristen. Looks interesting how it would turn out for the dance number.

Ryujin's POV

Because they gave us a chance to study for our finals today, Yeji and I had permission to leave school early to get to her cousin's high school. We got asked to do another special performance for the semester finals, which would count for our performing arts credit finals for our school since we got accepted to the performing arts high school.

Also, we had to join the others that are in the dance based off of Hyunjin's paintings. Yeji and I will dance with some of the elementary school kids during the part where Hyunjin kisses Kristen to wake her up.

As we were walking and talking, we noticed Hugo and Max escort Jackie in the same direction we're walking. Some of Jackie's friends from her school are also joining her. I guess because she goes to the international elementary school where the students are asked to join the dance skit, our boyfriends got asked to escort the other kids as they picked up their little sister.

"Yeji Eonni! Ryujin Eonni! Come join us!" We noticed Jackie waving at us as she smiled.

"Are you guys going to the arts school, too?!" I asked them, and Max told me,

"Of course, ma bijou. On our way, we got asked by Jackie's principal to escort her and her friends that are going to participate in the dance."

"Like Jackie said, let's go together since we'll be at the same place." Hugo suggested, and we immediately rushed over to the group.

Without thinking, Yeji and I held our boyfriend's hands as we walked to the school together. After we did so, we heard one of the little girls tell Jackie in English with a British accent,

"Jackie, look at those girls holding your Oppas' hands. That's so cute."

"They're doing that because they're dating my Oppas, Clover. So, they're my Eonnis because of it." Jackie responded, making me and Yeji blush at their statements.

"And we love our girlfriends no matter what." Max said to the children. Yeji and I blushed some more as we made it to the school.

"Your girlfriends look so pretty, guys! You two are so lucky!" Clover complimented us.

"Maybe that girl next him is the reason why Max stopped flirting with other girls." Another girl giggled, referring to me–making the other girls giggle along.

I nearly laughed yet ended up blushing, and I could tell Max was blushing profusely as well.

However, it embarrassed Jackie and she told them, "All right girls, no need to spill more the beans, he already moved on from that. But he always flirts with Ryujin Eonni."

"Alright little sis, that's enough. You're making ma bijou blush in front of your friends." Max said as he held my hand tighter.

"You too, geosjimal!" Jackie pointed at him, causing a burst of giggles from her friends.

"She's not lying though." Yeji giggled while holding Hugo's hand, and of course my twin had the nerve to say while laughing,

"Is my younger brother turning red all of a sudden?"

Max, instead of telling him to shut up, he rolled his eyes at Hugo in annoyance before turning his face away. He knows he and Hugo would be embarrassed if Jackie scolds them for arguing in front of her and her friends.

After we went to the auditorium to get ready to practice the dance we made for parts of the routine, I noticed Jackie approaching me, Yeji, Max, and Hugo with a little boy and a little girl that are the same age as her. They're the kids playing as the younger versions of Hyunjin and Kristen, and even have the same names as them.

"Guys, these are my two friends, Kristen Aecha Woo and Kwan Hyunjin. They have the same names as Yeji Eonni's cousin and his girlfriend." Jackie introduced them to us.

"Wow, hello there. It's nice to meet you two. You're so adorable!" I said I bowed to them slightly.

"Thank you." The little girl shyly responded and the little boy answered with a smile,

"Nice to meet you too."

"Are you two excited to be learning the dance for this number?" Yeji asked the two young children.

"Sure am!" The two kids responded simultaneously.

"When are we gonna meet the bigger Hyunjin and Kristen? We're excited to see Hyunjin Hyung again and meet Kristen Noona." The boy asked, and I explained to him,

"They have work to do in their other classes. Also the bigger Kristen has to be careful because her back hurts. But they'll be here."

"Is she ok?" The little Kristen asked with a hint of concern.

"She's fine. But she has to be careful since she just got out of the hospital. The doctors are making sure she'll be fine so she can recover well." I reassured little Hyunjin and little Kristen.

"Well, good thing that she's overall ok." Hyunjin said.

"You'll get to meet them later since Jeongin and Chaeryeong need to see you all for costume fitting." Yeji told the two youngsters, making them excited to meet Hyunjin and Kristen together.

Just then, the teachers called us over so they can discuss the concept and then we can move onto practicing the dance moves.

Eun-kyung's POV

Eva was escorting me to the auditorium so we could meet up with the others for the semester finals dance project. Even though my leg is healing, I was still trying to get better at walking in my leg brace until I got it off. Just as we reached the door, I noticed someone in the hall. Eva also noticed as she asked the person.

"Are you lost by any chance?"

"Oh no, I'm just about to get into the auditorium to meet with the dance teachers. They want me to join the semester finals." The girl said while reading her paper, and when I heard the voice and saw the girl, I knew who it was.

"Eun-hye Eonni, you're back! I missed you!" I said happily as I knew it was Jang Eun-hye, a model and beauty queen who recently debuted as a singer, who happens to be my older twin sister.

She recently got back from filming the music video for her debut single in Japan. Because of that, she did some of her courses in a Japanese school until she got back. When Eonni heard what happened to me, she wanted to come back immediately to check on me. However, I told her not to worry about it since I knew she was following her dreams.

Eun-hye looked up, her eyes sparkling as she said,

"Eun-kyung! I missed you, too, baby sister! Are you okay?"

She rushed over and hugged me as I said,

"Eonni I'm fine. I'm still doing my physical therapy during and after school. Also, those girls that hurt me, they got expelled after they kidnapped and brutalized Kristen."

"I saw that incident in the news while I was in Japan. Plus, Eomma said San was upset because he let his emotions control him and he almost brutally hurt one of the girls that hurt you."

"It was awful, but we managed to stop him from going any further and getting arrested." I said, remembering what happened during Kristen's kidnapping.

"And those girls had the audacity to try to escape the police after getting arrested. Because of that, their charges also include grand theft auto and evading justice." Eva added on.

"Well, I'm glad justice's doing the right thing. Is everyone else ok overall?" Eun-hye asked Eva.

"We were all affected in different ways that night, but we're all ok now. Kristen recently got released from the hospital, and today is her first day back to school." Eva explained briefly.

"That's great news to hear. I can't wait to see her again! Her mother recently sold some products to the company I'm under, and they used those same makeup products for my video." Eun-hye added on, then noticed Hyunjin helping Kristen inside the auditorium and gleamed as she joyfully called,

"Kristen! Long time no see!"

"Eun-hye!" Kristen happily called back and my Eonni walked towards her to give her a gentle hug.

"I'm so happy to see you, girl! How are you feeling?" Eun-hye asked her.

"I'm fine. My overprotective boyfriend keeps insisting on helping me everywhere like I'm made of glass." Kristen giggled as she held Hyunjin's hand.

"I just want to make sure you're okay, baby. I don't want you to be hurt." He told her as held her hand tighter.

"So that's really your boyfriend. You two are so cute together! You would become a power couple in the future!" My sister squealed, and I said in response,

"When I went camping with Eomma and Appa after we sent you off to Japan, I was one of the first people outside their family to find out they began dating. Of course, you know that's why Gae-nyun targeted me after we got back to school."

"Don't feel so bad, little sister. The important thing is you're alright, and despite your injuries, you put your friends first. I'm proud of you for doing what you believed was right. And I'm happy you two are recovering." Eonni said as she hugged me.

"We should head into the auditorium before the teachers question where we are." Kristen said with a chuckle.

"Right." Eva agreed.

And as we began heading to the auditorium, Eva asked my twin sister, "So how was Japan, Eun-hye?"

Eva also knew her since she was with us before in middle school. Because of this, Eun-hye Eonni is aware of how protective Eva is. So, she wasn't surprised when she heard that Eva got really mad when she heard what happened to me.

"It was amazing! The cherry blossoms there were so bright and beautiful. It was actually close to time for the cherry blossom festival there when I got ready to leave, so I got myself and Eun-kyung some loose kimonos that could be worn with everyday clothing."

"You know, speaking of cherry blossoms...you see this bracelet I have on my wrist?" Eva showed us a pretty-looking flower resin bracelet.

"Oh my God, that looks so pretty! Who gave it to you?" Eun-hye complimented with surprise.

"My boyfriend. He made it for me when we confessed our feelings to each other." Eva told her.

"She's dating Felix Lee, a student from Australia. He's the one with the deep voice and freckles." I said, and Eun-hye smiles as she says while giving Eva's arm a nudge,

"Eva, you lucky girl you! This is so exciting! There have been so many new couples formed, but they formed while I was out of the country!"

"Not to mention your cousin just got a French-Korean girlfriend recently. Believe me, she looks gorgeous." Eva spilled the tea about our cousin San.

"Really now?! Well San is going to make good use of the French he learned in middle school because of her. So, who is she?!" My twin sister asked, and I answered her,

"Her name is Ines. Ines Laurent-Min. The daughter of the French ballerina, Celine Laurent."

"You mean our ballet instructor from when we did the summer ballet camp in elementary school in Paris?! Wow! I heard her mother, Ines' grandmother, the retired French-Italian actress Azzura Riva Laurent, is gonna cater for the semester final event. And she's gonna be in the K-drama I got casted in alongside my friend, Aiyana Giselle Cheng!"

"Aiyana just so happens to be my cousin!" Kristen said happily.

"Jinjaeyo?! Daebak!" Eva chirped and added with a chuckle, "Anyways, I think you two should have calmed your cousin San down, because he nearly 'killed' Wooyoung for being nosy and teasing him. You know, when San and Ines confessed to each other and shared some kisses. Changbin told me so."

"Oh dear." Eun-hye let out some giggles. "Believe me, he hates getting teased to the core."

"I assume it is." Eva chuckled.

In the auditorium, I sit next to Eun-hye while Eva goes to get our papers from the teacher about the performance. Just as I got comfortable, Eun-hye asked me,

"Well since Kristen and Hyunjin are finally together, I was wondering did you happen to be talking to some guy while I was in Japan, little sis? I heard there were new couples that formed and got curious about who is dating who."

"Eonni, it's nothing really. Yeah, I've been talking to a guy, but it was just one of San's friends that often stops by the convenience store I work at. He's been checking up on me since my discharge from the hospital. It's not like he and I are dating." I said, blushing as I thought of Seonghwa since he's been picking me up from school lately.

I still haven't mentioned anything to anyone about me liking him since he and I are still just hanging out.

Speaking of the devil, I got a notification on my phone. It was a text from Seonghwa saying he's bringing me a gift when he comes by to pick me up. Before I could turn off my phone, Eun-hye grabs it, reads the screen and says,

"Well, what do you know, Eun-kyung? You're talking to Seonghwa! That's amazing! So, are you two, you know?"

"Aniya! It's not like that, Eonni. We're just friends." I slightly rolled my eyes and shook my head, as if it was actually nothing.

But it was something for me.

"Alright, I get it. But you know if you do date him, you have to tell me! But make sure San doesn't find out right away because he's very protective of you. More protective of you than I am." Eun-hye Eonni said with a chuckle.

"I'mma nag San's arse off if he gonna lecture Seonghwa when he finds out, I don't give a fuck." Eva whispered with determination but also with annoyance.

"I never said anything about dating him." I told them, and of course Eonni had to say,

"Not yet anyways."

Oh boy. Here she goes again about me in regard to boys.

"Yeah, well, what about you, Eonni?! I guess you fell for some random guy in Japan while you were filming, huh?!" I asked her, hoping I could give her a taste of her own medicine.

"Pfft nah, silly. You wish I was just to tease me back." Eun-hye jokingly scoffed, before picking her phone to check her friends' messages.

Her friends in the group she'll be part of said that Nico Vincenz is part of the company. The German-Swiss singer she saw at the concert in Switzerland after her photoshoot there.

And she typed before sending it,

Sounds awesome! 👍

And when I saw her phone, I noticed she was looking at the photos of the concert, and the boy looks similar to Seungmin's girlfriend he introduced to me and our friends when she stopped by during her tour of the school.

I assume he could be a cousin of Seungmin's girlfriend. He looks kind of cute, and Eonni seems to be very happy in the photos since she told me she got a backstage pass. So, I decided to tease her back and ask,

"Is that your new boyfriend, Eonni?"

"Aish, jinja?" She groaned in annoyance. "Aniya! We're just friends. Our managers introduced us since we've been signed under the same company. And we bonded over the fact that we both have twin sisters."

"I keep on forgetting Nico has a twin sister. Doesn't she do amateur photography?" I asked, and Eun-hye Eonni said,

"Yes. In fact, his sister took pictures for their friend's mother's wedding. The pictures are really beautiful."

"Ooh, I can't wait to see those pictures!"

Not too long after, the elementary and middle school students arrived, and our dance teachers began to discuss the dance. They also showed us the photos Hyunjin painted on a slideshow they created on the concept they have for the dance.

Hyunjin is really creative. No wonder why the teachers wanted to do this dance based on that. Now I'm really excited to do this dance once my leg is completely healed!