-Prologue-

SH Academy is a place where only the super rich or the extremely gifted attend. A language arts school that splits into three departments,

Art, Music and Food…

Meet the three most popular and respected guys in the school. They have the looks, money, talent and a secret to keep.

Kim Taeyong- the forever sleeping baby-like face gifted artist who stopped painting for the public, competitions and for anyone after something happened to him in the past…He is rarely in class and is always sleeping at his “secret” hideout.

Kwon Yul- the “handsome” lazy violin prodigy who loves to play on the streets, but stopped taking part in the concours’ after a certain incident. It is rumored that he moonlights as a player at night and apparently earns money from rich clients.

Choi Soyoung- the cool, friendly and carefree baking prodigy that has a great sense of smell when it comes to food. Always wandering around the streets and tends to skip school from time to time. It is rumored that he never bakes the same thing twice but no one knows why…

Their popular prodigies with a past and a deep dark secret…

Their GIRLS…with a past…that can’t be revealed…

-Chapter 1-

-5 years ago-

“Jessi! Would you please hurry up and get down here!” cried Tiffany.

There was absolute silence, Sunny who already had everything packed and ready asked,

“Are we ready to leave yet?”

“We can’t…she’s still inside her room...” replied Tiffany pointing at the closed door.

“Sigh…we’re going to be late…”

After about 10minutes, a long brown haired girl came out of the room with her luggage.

“I’m done.”

“Man…I’m seriously going to feed you cucumbers if you do that again.” threatened the girl with short hair.

“YA! Don’t you ever dare try!” warned the brown haired girl with a death stare towards the shorter hair girl.

“Will you two stop arguing and let’s just get moving, we have lots of things to do you know…Moving to our new apartment which is conveniently just a 5minute walk away from school, unpacking, transfer stuff and such…blah blah…” complained the shortest of the three.

“Fine…let’s get going shall we? The moving truck is waiting…”

“Ok…”

Lee Sunkyu “Sunny” – The shortest of the three and loves using aegyo from time to time, was the national baking champion for 4 consecutive years. A talented baker that has a weakness hates being called by her real name and rarely uses it.

Tiffany Hwang- The short haired girl with a loud voice and loves pink, she’s a talented violinist but has something that prevents her from performing to her best. Even though she won all the past inter-school concours’ that she’s participated in.

Jessica Jung- The girl with long brown hair has a cold-hearted face and she loves to sleep a lot, hates cucumbers but reads a lot. The “nerd” of the three and has won several art competitions, a talented artist who has a flaw.

The three of them were recommended by their old school to get transferred to SH Academy. The academy got them a place to stay and paid for their tuition fees but in return they had to pay their own bills.

Now, they were heading towards their new apartment and a new beginning. After a 45minute drive they finally reached their new apartment, the house moving service had already help them clean out the apartment before hand and helped them unpack. They gave them a set of keys and bowed to the three girls before driving off; the three of them thanked the house movers and bowed back in response.

The three of them lay on the couch after finally finished organizing and unpacking their personal belongings.

“So, has our transfer been completed yet?” asked the short haired girl.

“Yea, I just received an email from the principal and he said that everything has been settled and we can start school as 3rd years with the rest tomorrow since it’s the start of the new school year.” answered the shortest of the three.

“Alright then…what are we having for dinner?” asked the brown haired girl.

“The usual, instant noodles…” replied the shortest one.

“Man…again? We’ve been living off instant food for like…I don’t know…” complained the short haired girl.

“Well we don’t really have loads of money to eat luxurious food do we?”

“Are our uniforms going to be delivered soon?”

“Yea, I think they should arrive in probably 20minutes time.”

“Then let’s eat first, I’m starving.”

“I’ll cook again…as usual…”

“You want me to help?”

“NO! Just wait at the dining table.”

“Alright~ you don’t have to shout you know~”

-After 5 minutes-

The three of them were seated at the dining table eating the hot bowl of instant noodles. Slowly by slowly devouring it, after they ate finished the noodles they slowly sipped the remaining broth and place the dishes in the sink. Jessica and Sunny went back to the living room to laze around on the couch while Tiffany washed the dishes as she told them that she would do it. After washing the dishes, Tiffany joined them at the couch. Sunny was flipping through channels on the television until they stopped at a news channel.

-Chapter 2-

The three of them were glued to the television screen listening attentively to the news report.

“Kim Enterprises has once again opened another successful art museum in Seoul, it is said to be currently the biggest art museum in Korea.” reported the announcer on TV.

“Mr. Kim held a press conference last Thursday on his purpose and thoughts on this new art museum and also talked about his only son and the likely heir to Kim Enterprises, Kim Taeyong.” reported the announcer.

The television screen now showed a man looking like he was in his late 40s or early 50s dressed in an expensive grey suit with a silk blue tie. He was composed and calm and answered the reporters’ questions with ease and also talked about what he wanted to say.

“Wow…His son sure must have a tough life…maybe it isn’t that great to be so rich.” commented Sunny.

“Yea…I know…But I wonder how the heir to the famous Kim Enterprises looks like?” asked the short-haired girl.

“I heard he never appears in front of the media, many know who he is but not many know how he looks like.” commented Jessica.

“Who knows why he hates appearing in front of the media? Maybe he’s camera shy or maybe he’s too embarrassed to appear in public?”

“Well…let’s not think too much about it…”

The three left the television on and continued lazing around the couch, at that time they heard the doorbell ring,

Diing~ Dong~

“I’ll get it!” answered Tiffany as she rushed to the door to open it.

When the door opened a young man in a delivery suit was standing outside with their uniforms in clothes covers.

“May I help you?” asked Tiffany.

“I’m here to deliver your uniforms.” answered the delivery man.

“Oh~ yes…yes…”

“Miss, these are your sets of uniforms, three sets each of the three uniforms. Please check to confirm and sign here if there is no problem with it.”

Tiffany checked their uniforms and checked whether the number of sets they ordered were correct, after she had done that she signed on the piece of paper that the delivery man gave her.

“Thank you and have a nice day, Miss.” said the delivery man before walking away.

“Thank you.” said Tiffany as she smiled and brought in the sets of uniform while locking the door to their apartment.

“Guys~ the uniforms have arrived!” cried Tiffany from near the door.

The other two helped Tiffany carry the box to the living room and they took out the uniforms to see which was theirs. The blazers were white in colour with a black vest with a red ribbon-like bow and black skirt which was slightly above knee length. The other uniform was a simple short sleeved white collared shirt with a light grey vest accompanied with the red ribbon-like bow. The P.E. uniform was a plain baby pink shirt with black at the back and at the edge of the sleeves it was black the shorts were black with a line of pink on each side.

Tiffany screamed when she saw their P.E. uniforms.

“Ahhh~~~~!!! PINK!! I’m so happy~ this school sure has nice uniforms~”

“Sigh~ when will you ever stop blabbering about pink~ arghh…never mind…” sighed Sunny.

“I can’t help it if I love it~”

The three girls were like any other ordinary female students laughing and teasing each other. At that time, they heard another news report which caught their attention.

“Choi Food Industries has again opened another restaurant in Seoul and as usual it will be of mostly Italian cuisine but Mr Choi has said that the other purpose for this was the desserts.” the same announcer just now was reporting the news again.

“Sunny, you’ve always said you wanted to work in any of the Choi bakeries right?” asked Tiffany.

“Yea…most likely, I mean they’re the best in Korea.”

“I think we should get some sleep, it’s getting late and we have school tomorrow.” suggested Jessica.

“Sica-ya, it’s only 8:30.” teased Sunny.

“Well it doesn’t matter, I’m going to get some sleep.” insisted Jessica as she went to her own room to sleep.

Tiffany and Sunny looked at each other and sighed, the two continued watching TV occasionally flipping through channels here and there. They were getting tired and so decided to sleep as it was their first day at their new school tomorrow.

-Chapter 3-

-The next morning-

-At a mansion-

There was a petite baby-faced young man who was sleeping as usual. The maids tried to wake him up but to no avail. At that time a tall young man came into his room through the window.

“Shorty, are you ever going to get up?!” shouted the tall boy.

“We’ll be late for school you know?”

There was still no sign of movement from the petite boy.

“Looks like I’ll have no choice.” mumbled the tall boy to himself.

He walked up to the petite boy’s humungous king sized bed and body slammed him. The smaller boy slowly opened his eyes letting out a soft grunt,

“Uhh…”

“You’re finally awake huh?”

The smaller boy who was still in dazed but as soon as he saw his friend he became slightly more awake.

“Annyeong, Soyoung. You came in through the window again right?” greeted the smaller boy with a drowsy tone.

“Drop the formalities, Taeyong-ah.”

“So how was your journey?” asked the shorter one.

“It was fun, since it’s the start of the new school year I decided to come back and you know attend school.”

“I wonder when you ever did. You always wander around and if your mom wasn’t the school’s Chairman Board of Directors, I doubt you’d still be in this school.”

“Haha…very funny…anyways let’s get ready we have to leave soon otherwise we’ll be late.” said the taller one as he let out a sarcastic laugh.

The shorter boy got out of bed and went into the shower, he changed into his school uniform which was a white blazer accompanied with a black vest and a red tie and long black pants.

“I’m heading off first! Bye!” informed Soyoung as he climbed out through the window.

Taeyong took his school bag and walked down the stairs; he walked towards the dining table and sat down. The maids served him his usual breakfast and his personal butler, Mr Lee was standing beside him waiting.

“Jal meogeotseumnida.” said Taeyong as he thanked them for the meal.

“Young Master, we have to leave now it’s getting late and it would not look good if you were to be late on the first day of the new school year.” informed Butler Lee.

“I understand. Kamsahamnida, butler Lee.” said Taeyong as he gave a slight bow to the older man.

The older man escorted the younger boy to the white Rolls Royce limousine waiting at the front of the house. The butler opened the door for the younger boy and entered after saying his thanks to the butler. The chauffeur drove him to school and when they arrived outside the school’s gate. The chauffeur got out and opened the door for the younger boy. He politely thanked his chauffeur and walk into the school.

The students that were walking into the school who saw him were either extremely glad or filled with jealously. The girls were screaming like fan girls so he decided to take another route to the classroom which only he and his friends knew.

He entered the classroom, luckily for him there were few students who had already arrived and most were too immerse in their own conversations to notice him. He walked towards the back of the class where only the famous 3 could sit and rested his head on the table with his arms as support falling asleep once again.

-Chapter 4-

-At the same time-

-At the Principal’s office-

“It is an honour to have you three ladies at our school.”

“Thank you.” said the three of them.

“You ladies will be put in Class 3-A.” informed the Principal.

“Your homeroom teacher will be Mr Han and don’t be afraid to ask anyone for help.”

“Thank you for your concern, sir.”

“Would you like me to ask someone to escort you three to your classroom?”

“There’s no need for that, sir.”

“Alright then, welcome to SH Academy.” the Principal said in a welcoming tone taking his hand out to shake with each of the three ladies.

The three excused themselves from the office and headed towards their classroom.

-In the class-

The homeroom teacher, Mr Han who had just walked in asked the class to settle down and everyone did as they were told. Although there were still occasional mummers and whispers that could be heard here and there.

“Class, we have three new students joining us for the new school year!” informed Mr Han.

“Please enter, ladies.” he spoke to the three who were standing outside.

As soon as the three entered the guys were drooling and some were already behaving like wild monkeys, while the girls just kept a close watch on them with a slight hint of annoyance in their eyes.

“Please introduce yourselves, ladies.”

The shortest of the three stepped up in front and introduced herself,

“Nice to meet you, my name is Lee Sunkyu but please call me Sunny. I hope I can get along with you all~. And I’m in the food department.” she said that with a slightly annoying but cute voice.

Some of the guys in class were going ga-ga over her and there were others were whispering about who she is.

“Isn’t she that Sunny?”

“Yea…it’s her alright…”

“Wow…she seems even shorter in person.”

Next the short-haired girl stepped up in front to introduce herself.

“Hi, my name’s Tiffany Hwang. I’m in the music department, it’s a pleasure meeting you all!” she greeted with her famous eye-smile which caused a few guys to nearly faint.

“Hey, isn’t that that violinist?”

“You mean, Tiffany Hwang? Yea…that’s her alright.”

“Wow…she really is pretty…”

Lastly the long brown haired girl was the last to do the introductions.

“Name, Jessica Jung. In the art department.” she gave a short and simple introduction with a cold-hearted tone.

Some of them were starting to get afraid of the new girl but some found her to be really hot.

“Now that sure was short...”

“Isn’t she that infamous ice princess, Jessica Jung?”

“Oh, that's Jessica Jung?”

“Love her art works though…”

The teacher assigns the three of them seats at the back of the middle end of the class. They walk to their seats and sat down and the teacher did the usual name call.

“Kang Jiyoung?”

“Here.”

“Kim Yubin?”

“Here.”

“Kim Hyoyeon?”

“Here.”

“Shim Changmin?”

“Here.”

“Lee Donghae?”

“Here.”

“Choi Siwon?”

“Here.”

“Choi Soyoung?”

There was no reply.

The room soon started to fill with people whispering about the boy who was just called.

“Soyoung’s going to be in our class? Sigh~ that’ll be so great~.”

“Yea…he’ll probably just wander around and appearing in class once in a blue moon.”

“We haven’t been able to see him for a long time~.”

“What’s wrong with all of them? Is this Soyoung guy some celebrity here?” Tiffany asked the girl who was sitting beside her.

“Oh, you three don’t know who he is? He’s the heir to Choi Food Industries.”

“What?!” exclaimed the two of them.

“You three must be really new here, Choi Soyoung is one of the three princes of the school along with Kim Taeyong and Kwon Yul.” explained the girl.

“Hi, my name’s Kim Hyoyeon it’s nice to meet you.”

“You already know my name and those two so I guess I’ll skip the introductions.” greeted Tiffany with a smile.

“So, is Kim Taeyong the heir to that Kim Enterprises?” asked Sunny.

“Yea, that’s right but he never shows his face to the public.” said Hyoyeon.

“Yea…have heard about that as well…”

Suddenly there was somebody who had entered through the window who caught everyone’s attention.

“I’m back, guys~” he greeted in a cheerful tone.

-Chapter 5-

The teacher who was still in shock since he came in through the window even though he’s done it countless of times.

“Mr Choi, please get to your seat and the next time could you please come in by the door?” asked Mr Han.

“Sorry but I can’t hehe.” apologised Soyoung with a slight giggle.

“Who’s he?” asked Sunny.

“That’s Choi Soyoung, heir to the Choi Food Industries. The “wanderer” of the group, he hardly ever attends school but yet his position within the whole school is amongst the top 10.” explained Hyoyeon.

“Top 10?!” exclaimed Tiffany in shock.

“Yea…I know it’s pretty shocking huh?”

“I think he’s really cool…” commented Sunny in awe as she stared at the taller boy.

Soyoung dust off his clothes and walked to the back of the class, when he arrived at the back of the class, he saw his friend sleeping as usual and just smiled.

Sleeping again huh? Seems like the class doesn’t know you’re here yet… Thought Soyoung.

The teacher proceeded to taking the attendance again after all the commotion had died down.

“Kim Taeyong?”

There was no response.

“Kim Taeyong?” the teacher called out again.

“Psst…Han is calling you…” Soyoung whispered as she nudged the smaller boy.

The smaller boy slowly opened his eyes and let out a soft grunt; he sat up straight and looks at the whole class with clueless eyes. All the girls in the class who had their heads turned to the back after they heard the name Kim Taeyong being called by the teacher. All the girls were starring at the petite boy like as if they were hungry nunas.

When Taeyong saw the teacher he immediately gave a 90degree bow and slowly but softly spoke.

“Annyeonghaseyo… Han seonsaengnim…”

“Mr Kim, I would like it if you stopped sleeping in class next time.” warned Mr Han as he sighed knowing that will never happen.

“So that’s the famous Kim Taeyong?” asked Tiffany.

“Yea…he’s either always sleeping in class or sleeping somewhere in the school, he usually skips lessons after recess. He always talks in a respectful yet soft and slow manner. The only reason why the school doesn’t bother about him is because of his grades. His position is always amongst the Top 3 in the whole school.” explained Hyoyeon.

“T…To…To…Top 3?!” gasped Sunny as she stuttered the words out.

“Well…this type of thing is to be expected… The school doesn’t call them the “princes” for nothing.”

“He’s different from what I expected him to be but he’s kinda cute like a little kid.” commented Sunny.

“Yea…I thought he’d be really tall and handsome but from here he looks like he could be around the same height as you, Sunny hehe.” teased Tiffany.

“Hey…don’t make fun of my height!”

“Hehe… but I have to agree he really does look like a little kid, is he really the same age as us?”

“He’s actually the oldest among the three of them.”

“Are you serious?!” the two exclaimed in shock.

“Well…looks can be deceiving you know…”

“I guess that’s true…”

Jessica who was lazily lying on the desk the whole time turned to look at Taeyong and a small smile appeared.

Like an angel…Wait! What am I saying? Well I guess I finally found someone who feels the same way about sleeping…lolz... Thought Jessica.

-Chapter 6-

Vroom vroom~

The sound of the motorcycle engine roared as it sped through the corridors. The motorcycle sped into the classroom which gave everyone a shock and their teacher nearly had a heart attack. The rider took off his helmet to reveal his face and gave a smirk as she saw the teacher’s face.

“I’m not late am I?”

“Mi…mii…Mister Kwon! Next time please enter the class by foot!”

“But isn’t it cooler this way?”

Mr Han let out a sigh and just simply said,

“Just go to your seat, Yul.”

“Is he one of the three?” asked Tiffany.

“Yea…that’s Kwon Yul, the heir to the Kwon Corporations. Rumour has it that he’s a player, he always comes late for class or he just skips it. Like what you saw just now, he never enters the class by foot.”

“Don’t tell me like the other two; he’s also in a really high position?” asked Sunny.

“Yea…probably amongst the top 5?”

“I wonder…do they even actually study?”

“No one knows for sure…”

He’s quite cute…nah~ that’s not the word ermm…more like cool? Thought Tiffany as she took a glance at Yul.

Yul who saw her gave her a smirk and walked to the back of the class.

Did he just smile at me?

“Soyoung~ you came back~”

“Busy with your ‘clients’?”

“Yea…you know how they are like…”

“What about kiddo?”

Soyoung pointed at the sleeping baby-faced boy and let out a sigh.

“The usual…”

“I can see…”

Yul took her seat which was beside Soyoung and fiddled around with his ring.

Mr Han was explaining some math formula, but the three of them couldn’t be bothered listening at all.

Tiffany

and Sunny were busy taking down notes, while Jessica was just listening. When the class heard Yul let out a loud yawn, nobody seemed to bother and just continued on with the lesson.

“Psst…Hyoyeon?” whispered Tiffany.

“Can I help you?”

“Why isn’t the teacher reprimanding the three at the back? I mean their not even paying attention or listening in class.”

“Well…let’s just say since they keep their grades up so well no one really bothers.”

“You serious?! I mean that Soyoung guy has been eating non-stop, the guy who came into the class on a motorcycle is just lazing around and that Kim Taeyong guy is forever sleeping.” reasoned Tiffany.

“I guess Soyoung’s mother being the Chairman Board of Directors of the school also plays a huge factor of them being able to slack class?”

“Can I ask you something, Hyoyeon?”

“Yea, what is it?”

“Is Kim Taeyong hibernating? It’s like he never wakes up no matter how noisy it is.”

“Haha…no he’s not…no one really got to know him well enough maybe except those two.”

“And the one who came in on the motorbike, Kwon Yul right? Why are there even rumours of him getting money from rich people at night? Isn’t he like one of the richest in the country?”

“Well nobody really knows about that…”

“Man…those three sure are a mystery, sigh~” mumbled Tiffany to herself.

-Chapter 7-

“Whew~ class finally ended!” announced Sunny as she stretched herself.

“Wait! Where are the other two? Class just ended like 10 seconds ago.” questioned Tiffany.

“Soyoung probably escaped by the window, Yul he has his ways as for Taeyong? He’ll probably sleep throughout recess.”

“Aren’t you guys going to grab a seat at the cafeteria for recess?” asked Sunny as she and Jessica stood up to leave.

Hyoyeon and Tiffany stood up as well but the four turned back to look at the sleeping boy.

“Now I get why those girls go so crazy for him.” remarked Sunny.

“Yea…he’s practically like a baby-faced angel when he sleeps~ I wouldn’t be surprised if those girls actually wanted to keep him as a pet.”

“Should we go wake him?” asked Sunny.

“It might be harder than we think…”

The four walked towards the petite boy and Sunny shook the boy while calling for him to wake up in an annoying tone.

“Heelloo~ its recess time~ aren’t you going to get up?”

The petite boy slowly opened his eyes but even in his still dazed form he made a 90degree bow and said,

“Kam…Sa…Ham…Ni…Da”

“Err…no problem?” said Tiffany eyeing him weirdly.

He stood up and slowly walked out of the classroom still looking drowsy.

“That sure was weird~” commented Tiffany.

“Tell me about it~” complained Sunny.

“I guess he is kinda weird huh? But you can’t deny the fact he’s too irresistible for words.” commented Hyoyeon in the petite boy’s defence.

Tiffany and Sunny eyed her weirdly,

“What?!” exclaimed Hyoyeon.

“Never mind, let’s just get going.” suggested Tiffany as the four headed for the cafeteria.

When the four of them arrived at the cafeteria it was already full.

“Man~ is it always this crowded? Do you think we’ll be able to find any seats?” asked Sunny.

“Sigh~ we’ll never find seats now~” whined Tiffany.

Just then everyone got up, mostly the girls. The four of them wondering what the commotion was followed the huge lot of fan girls.

“Kyaa~ it’s him!”

“So cool~”

“Sigh~”

The four squeezed through the crowd to see what was causing the commotion and it turns out that their classmate, Choi Soyoung was the cause of it.

“Does he ever come in by the door?” asked Sunny.

“Nope, never seen him do that before.” answered Hyoyeon.

Soyoung had once again entered the cafeteria through the window; he dusted off his uniform and waved to everybody in a happy-go-lucky manner.

Some girls were fainting and other girls just continued starring.

“Wow~ they must really be popular~” remarked Jessica in a sarcastic tone.

“It’s kinda obvious why they are…” commented Tiffany.

“I seriously thought all the three of them would be rude and arrogant rich brats but looks like I’m wrong.” said Sunny.

“But…that Soyoung guy is he always friendly to everyone? It seems like he doesn’t even know how popular he is…” commented Sunny.

“Well…although they may be the princes of our school but Choi Soyoung is pretty dense to his own popularity. He’s the friendliest of the three probably the easiest to approach.”

“What about the other two?”

“Kim Taeyong? He probably knows but doesn’t bother I guess…since he’s always in dreamland. He’s not really as friendly as Soyoung but I wouldn’t say he’s that bad…just that…”

“Just that…?”

“He’s easy to approach yet at the same time extremely hard to approach.”

“Then what about the other one?”

“You mean Kwon Yul? Unlike the other two who is so dense about their popularity, he loves using his popularity to his advantages. For example, flirting around with the fan girls and such. If he treats you really well be wary, cause well…it’s not that he’s not nice it’s just that he has a reputation for being a player.”

“We should quickly order some food, in case you guys didn’t know Soyoung has a big appetite…he can practically eat a meal for ten people by himself.” informed Hyoyeon.

“What?!”

“Don’t be too surprised, come on guys, let’s order then hopefully find a place to sit down and eat.”

“Ok…”

-At a garden-

A boy was sleeping on the grass as usual like any other day; the gardener was pretty much used to seeing him here. Just then, a tall dark-skin tone boy walked into the garden and towards the sleeping boy.

“Tae~” he called out.

The shorter boy surprisingly woke up really fast.

“You weren’t really sleeping right?” asked the taller boy.

“Can’t Yul…”

“Tae, we’ve been friends for since how long? There’s a reason why this place was built for the three of us, especially you.”

“Yea…I know…”

“You can’t hide it forever, Tae. Your condition will worsen and I don’t want that to happen.”

“Well…Yul…looks like the surgery turned out to be a major fail in the end…”

“Hey don’t say that! We’ll make the surgery a success again!”

“Thanks…”

“No problem, Taeyeon…” whispered Yuri trying to tease the shorter boy.

“Please refrain from calling me that in school, Yuri.” said Taeyong in a serious tone.

“Alright~ just stop calling me Yuri as well~.”

-Chapter 8-

-At the cafeteria-

“So, Hyoyeon please tell us a little bit more about yourself?” asked Tiffany.

“Well…I’m in the food department but I’m not into baking more into cooking. My grades are pretty good, slightly above average and well that’s pretty much it I guess...” introduced Hyoyeon.

“Cool~ you’re in the food department as well?” exclaimed Sunny.

“Anyways…Hyoyeon, could you please let us know about those three?” asked Tiffany.

“Well…I don’t really know them that much at all hehe. Well…let’s see… Soyoung’s in the food department, Yul’s in the music department and Taeyong’s in the art department.”

“How come we’ve never heard of any of the three take part in any competitions before?” asked Sunny.

“Well…there were rumours going around that the three of them stopped taking part in competitions ever since something happened.”

“I wonder what that was?”

“No one knows for sure…”

“Do they skip their respective department lessons as well?”

“Kind of…since well ermm…the lessons for each department is more freelance and such.”

“Oh…”

“So, Hyoyeon…have you ever seen them like do any ermm…like play an instrument, paint or bake anything?”

“Ermm…I have...kind of…Soyoung, he still bakes but he rarely bakes for anyone. Yul, he stopped taking part in the concours’ but there were rumours saying that he loves disguising himself and playing on the streets. As for Taeyong, hmm…let’s just say he still draws but…he’s stopped drawing for anyone even his two best friends.”

“They sure are a mystery.” commented Tiffany.

“Yea…I think I’ll never understand them.” said Sunny.

The four of them decided to eat their meals after their conversation on the three guys. At that time, when Sunny was about to bite into her red bean bun she had baked this morning, someone took it out of her hand and shouted,

“Thanks!”

With that said the person wolfed down the whole piece of red bean bun in a mouthful. Sunny turned around to see who the culprit was and it turned out to be one of the three guys. She stood up from her seat and faced the tall boy in front of her and angrily pointed at him.

“YA! Don’t you have any manners?! Why are you taking other people’s food without permission?!”

“Look! I’m sorry ok? But you’re bread just smelled so ahh~ and ermm… I just had to taste it and well…it’s as delicious as it smells.” explained Soyoung.

“That’s no excuse for taking away my bread!”

“Just think of it as helping a hungry person out?”

“You’re filthy rich! Don’t you have money to buy food?!”

“Oh! I forgot about that part!”

Sunny sighed deeply and placed her hand on her forehead giving an I-give-up expression.

“I give up! You win! Just stop taking my food away next time! If you want it, ask for it nicely!”

As Sunny was reprimanding the tall boy he was no longer to be seen and was already at the window.

“THANKS FOR THE BREAD, SHORTY!” shouted Soyoung really loudly as he waved and escaped through the window again.

Sunny turned around to her friends to see them laughing, she sat down and glared at them. They soon stopped laughing and pretended to show concern for Sunny.

“Man! I hope I don’t see him again!”

“You can’t Sunny, he’s in the food department and in the same class as you.” reminded Tiffany.

“Urghh! I give up!” said Sunny in frustration.

-Present-

“Do you still remember those times when Sunny and Sooyoung argued? I actually miss those days…” said a shoulder length black haired girl to herself as she looked at a photo.

“Well…their still fighting as usual, haha! Sooyoung’s dad was really quick to accept Sunny but hehe apparently he seems to favour Sunny a lot. They’re engagement ceremony is next month…Although I wonder how they’ll survive haha.”

"And how would I have known...the princes of the school were actually girls haha..."

“It’s been 5 years since I last heard about you…I wanted to ask you so many questions…but…I can’t…”

“Well…as for me? Yuri proposed but I’m still unsure if I should accept it…I mean you know how she’s like…”

“Oh! And Jessi? She’s doing great just that…she misses you to death, she had problems accepting your death at first but…it’s getting slightly better now…”

“Taeyeon-ah, I know this might sound weird but…will you come back for Jessi? She’s really weak and I can’t bear to see her like this! You know…if you weren’t irresistibly cute, I would have hunted you down and threaten you for making my best friend cry, haha…”

“But…that’s impossible right? Why…why did you leave without a word? For some weird reason, I still feel that you’re here…I wish I could turn back time…”

“Taeyeon-ah, where are you?”

-Chapter 9-

After recess had ended the girls walked back to class and surprisingly saw Taeyong sleeping in class but as usual Yul and Soyoung were cutting.

“Looks like the other two are cutting class huh?” commented Sunny as she looked at the back of the class.

“Yea…seems like it.” answered Hyoyeon.

The four of them walked to their seats and sat down waiting for the other students and their teacher to arrive.

The students quickly walked in noticing that two of the ‘princes’ have left they sighed and just quietly went back to their seats. Soon after the teacher arrived, he greeted them and instructed them to take out their history textbooks and turn to page 5.

The sound of the pages flipping could be heard as the students flipped open their textbooks. The teacher began his lesson, writing important notes on the board which some copied, while others couldn’t be bothered.

Tiffany who had never liked history gave a nudge to Hyoyeon.

“Yes?” asked Hyoyeon in a soft voice in order not for the teacher to hear.

“I’m bored~” whined Tiffany.

“Well…I can’t help you with that…” answered Hyoyeon.

After a long one hour the lesson finally ended but soon enough the chemistry, then English and other subject lessons past by.

“What lesson are we having after this?” asked Tiffany.

“P.E.” replied Hyoyeon.

Ahhh~ it’s just the first day and I already get to wear that pink uniform sigh~

“How often is P.E.?” inquired Tiffany.

“Ermm…it’s twice a week, every Mondays and Wednesday.” explained Hyoyeon.

“Ok, thanks.”

Tiffany went back to listening to the boring lecture the teacher was saying and yawned inaudibly. She took one look at her best friend, Jessica and wondered how she could sleep through all this.

Riiing~

The bell rang indicating the end of class. Most of the students were all going out to change into their P.E. uniforms.

“Oh great! They didn’t tell us there was P.E. today!” exclaimed Sunny.

“Don’t worry…I’m sure the teacher will excuse you since it’s your first day.” assured Hyoyeon.

“Oh really?! That’s great!”

“Maaan~ and I was just getting excited to wearing those pink uniforms~” complained Tiffany.

Sunny placed her palm on her forehead and rolled her eyes.

“I guess you must love pink huh?” questioned Hyoyeon.

“Absolutely!” Tiffany replied confidently with her signature eye-smile.

“Aren’t you going to change, Hyo?” asked Sunny.

“Hehe, I’m already wearing my uniform underneath.” replied Hyoyeon with a slight giggle as she took off her uniform revealing another uniform inside.

“Isn’t it hot?” asked Sunny.

“Naah~ as long as I don’t wear that vest, it’s fine.”

“Is he going to attend P.E.?” questioned Tiffany pointing at the sleeping boy at the back of the class.

“Well he does attend P.E. just that he usually just sleeps at the benches there.” replied Hyoyeon.

“That’s not surprising.” remarked Jessica.

“But isn’t he going change?” asked Sunny.

“Well…he usually wears his uniform inside, he never changes with the rest inside the bathroom.” explained Hyoyeon.

“But shouldn’t someone wake him up?” questioned Tiffany.

“Usually Soyoung would come in through the window by around this time…” answered Hyoyeon.

True to her words, Soyoung came in through the window already dress in his P.E. uniform.

“See?” remarked Hyoyeon.

“He sure loves to climb windows…” commented Sunny.

“I wonder where the other one went?” asked Tiffany.

“He’ll probably wait for them at where our P.E. lessons are usually held.”

“What are we playing?” asked Jessica.

“Basketball, that’s what I heard.” answered Hyoyeon.

“Oh great~” commented Jessica.

“What’s wrong?” asked Hyoyeon.

“She hates sports that involve sweating and teamwork.” explained Tiffany in a low voice.

“But doesn’t all sports involve teamwork and sweating?” questioned Hyoyeon.

“Except for bowling…it’s in an air-conditioned room and it’s individual play technically.” reasoned Sunny.

-At the back of the class-

“Hey! Kiddo, wake up.” called Soyoung as she nudged the petite boy.

He slowly opened his eyes and greeted Soyoung.

“Enough of the greetings, kiddo! Just change into your P.E. uniform.”

Taeyong did as he was told and finally spoke.

“What are we doing for P.E.?”

“Most probably basketball…you want to sit out on this one?”

“Yea…”

“Don’t worry we’ll have it all covered up.”

“I’m leaving first Yul’s waiting for me downstairs.” informed Soyoung as he went out of the class by the window again.

They walked out of the class and went to the basketball court; at there they were instructed to form their own groups of 5 of the same gender since it was a girl versus girl, boy versus boy friendly competition. Tiffany, Sunny and Jessica were in P.E. uniforms provided by the office. The three decided to form a team with Hyoyeon but they needed an extra player.

“Can I join you guys?” asked a girl who had an ascent.

“Sure!”

“Thanks! I’m Victoria Song, I’m from China.” she introduced herself with a smile.

“Oh! Hi, nice to meet you, Victoria!” greeted Tiffany with a bow and handshake.

“I’m Tiffany and that’s Sunny and that one over there is Jessica.” introduced Tiffany as she pointed at Sunny and Jessica.

“Oh! You’re the famous transfer students? I’m in the music department as well!” beamed Victoria.

“Cool! What instrument do you play?” asked Tiffany.

“Same as you!”

“Violin?”

“Yep!”

“Great! Looking forward to hearing you play!”

“Me too!”

Beep~!

The sound of the whistle blew as everyone gathered in their groups around the teacher. He assigned one court each to eight teams as there were only four courts the rest had to wait for their turn.

“Man~ I hate sports, can’t I sit out on this one?” whined Jessica.

“Sica-ya~ can’t you just help us out~?” pleaded Sunny using her aegyo.

“Ewww~ don’t ever use that on me!” exclaimed Jessica.

“So are you going to play or not?” asked Tiffany.

“I guess I don’t have a choice do I?”

“Hey! Are you twerps ready or not?!” a voice shouted from the other side of the court.

“Yes!” Hyoyeon shouted back not wanting to cause trouble, knowing them.

-At the other court-

“We’ll be counting on you two again.” said a tall handsome boy

“Hey! Don’t say that, we still need your help you know?”

“Yea…but still…I just hope we don’t pull you guys down…” reasoned a really tall model-like boy.

“So, how are we going to split the positions?” asked Yul.

“Yul, you’ll be Small forward, Changmin, you’ll be Center, Yunho, you’ll be shooting guard and I’ll be Power forward.” said Soyoung.

“What about Taeyong?” Yunho asked.

“He’ll be the point guard but with us alone we can win it so we’ll let him rest like usual.” said Soyoung.

Both teams walked towards the centre of the court, facing each other.

“Oh~ will you look at that, the prince is having his nap time again!” sneered a tall and strong built looking guy.

“Hahaha…” the rest of the group laughed.

“It’s not like you guys ever won us before.” reminded Yul.

“Hey! Watch your mouth ok? Player.” said a fair-skinned rather tall boy.

“Aren’t you the same?”

“Guys, guys~ can’t we just have a friendly match?” said Soyoung trying to brighten up the atmosphere.

“We’re going to make sure that Kim Taeyong plays.” assured one of the shorter ones.

The centers of each team stayed at the centre of the court while the rest walked back to their own positions. As they were walking back, Yul whispered to Soyoung.

“You know what to do right?”

“Don’t worry.” assured Soyoung.

“We can’t afford to let him play…”

“I know…”

Beep~

The whistle blew, as the ball was tossed into the air and the two centers bent their knees and jumped as high as they could. All the girls and some guys stopped what they were doing and just looked at the match. There was the sound of the ball being slapped by a palm and got caught by someone, marking the start of the game.

-Chapter 10-

-At another court-

It was half time and the score was 16:43, the other team clearly had a great lead.

“Maan~ why can’t we score more?” whined Sunny.

“Maybe we should stop playing?” suggested Jessica.

“No! We can’t! And you haven’t even contributed yet!” accused Sunny.

“Hey! It’s not my fault I don’t like to sweat!” retorted Jessica.

“Calm down guys~ we should vent our anger on them.” said Tiffany.

“You go calm down!” shouted the both of them at the same time.

“Sigh~ what am I going to do with them?” mumbled Hyoyeon to herself.

“How about we do an alley-oop?” suggested Hyoyeon.

“The problem is…how in the world are we supposed to do that?!” questioned Sunny.

“Haven’t you noticed most of us are too short to jump that high for an alley-loop?” reasoned Sunny.

“Ermm…I can help out if you’d like it…” said a certain Chinese girl shyly.

“You can jump?” asked Sunny.

“Yea…sort of…”

“Great!”

“But wait! Who’s going to throw the ball?” asked Jessica.

Everyone turned to look at Jessica.

“Hey! What are you all looking at me weirdly for?”

“Come on~ Jessi~ Help us out~” whined Tiffany trying to use aegyo.

“It’s all for the team you know~” said Sunny with her signature aegyo.

“Alright! Just stop using aegyo on me, it’s disgusting!”

“But wait! What are we going to do to catch up? I mean we can only score like at most 2 points from an alley-oop and what if we don’t succeed? And in case you guys have forgotten we’re like…let’s see…27 points behind!” reasoned Jessica.

“Well…I haven’t really thought of that yet…” said Hyoyeon.

“Sigh~ we can’t win this~” said a defeated Sunny.

“I’ve…got a plan…” said the long haired Chinese girl who was mostly quiet watching them quarrel with each other.

All eyes turned to her.

“So…what’s your plan?” asked Sunny.

“Well…I think the reason why we’re losing is because we’re always playing individually…”

“And your point is?” questioned Jessica looking annoyed.

“I mean look at the other team…they have great teamwork…Nicole-ssi speeding past us and passing the ball to Gyuri-ssi to score from near the basket or passing it to Seungyeon-ssi for a 3 point shot…Jiyoung-ssi getting any rebounds and passing it to Hara-ssi for her to speed past us and score…” explained Victoria.

“If we could work like them…I think we have a great chance of winning…” reasoned Victoria.

“But the problem is…princess over here won’t cooperate.” remarked Sunny eyeing Jessica.

“Ya! What did you just say?!” shouted Jessica.

“Guys~ calm down…don’t fight amongst yourself.” said Hyoyeon trying to calm the two.

“Victoria-ssi, just continue with what you wanted to say.” said Tiffany.

“Ok…”

“Since we can’t really match up to them, we’ll use our own strengths to win.”

“I’ll try to get as many rebounds as possible and I’ll pass it to Hyoyeon. Hyoyeon, I want you to use your speed and speed past them we’re going for a full court attack. After you infiltrate into their defence we’re going to trick them and past Jessica-ssi the ball to past the defenders and score. And if they catch that plan we’ll past it to Tiffany-ssi for a 3-point shoot or at least a 2-point shoot. And if all that doesn’t work out, we’ll use what’s least expected, using Sunny-ssi’s height to our advantage and scoring.” explained Victoria.

“Sounds good to me.” agreed Hyoyeon.

“Fine with me too.” said Tiffany.

“Are you in this?” asked Sunny directing her question to Jessica.

“I guess I need to be in this for us to win huh?”

“Great! Let’s try to even the score!” exclaimed Victoria.

“We’re not going to even it, we’re going to surpass their score.” remarked Jessica confidently.

The other team was waiting for them at the court; they all had a confident look that they were going to beat them easily.

“You twerps back for more, huh?” sneered the leader of the team.

“We were just holding back this whole time, so don’t get too cocky.” reminded Sunny.

“Ooh~ I’m so scared~.” said one of the short haired member.

“We’ll definitely win this.” exclaimed Hyoyeon.

The tension was much higher in the second half compared to the first; some of the students who hadn’t had a turn to play yet didn’t bother whether they had a chance to play. They were about to watch two exciting matches and that was enough for them.

Beep~

The whistle blew marking the start of the second half with the other team having possession of the ball.

-Chapter 11-

The girl who had big eyes and her hair tied up started the game by speeding past the opposing team, Sunny and Hyoyeon pretended that they could not stop her. She smirked as if she had wont he whole game, but that over-confident self was what brought her down. She passed the ball to a short-haired girl but the pass failed to happen as a certain brown haired ponytail intercepted and dribbled the ball towards the other side of the court.

The opposing team not knowing what was happening quickly rushed back, hoping to block the brown haired ponytail. She passed the ball to Hyoyeon who used her speed to her advantage to speed past her markers; she then passed the ball back to Jessica who was already at the two-point area. Jessica faint a jump, her marker, the youngest in the opposing team, thinking that Jessica was going to shoot jumped up to block her but it was too late. She was in mid air with her hands up in the air, there was no time to block Jessica’s move. Jessica jumped backwards and released the ball. The ball went right into the basketball net as the sound of the ball went in. Everyone who was watching cheered loudly, it was going wild, they had just seen someone do the fade away jump shot, even though it was not the best of the best and it was still lacking but the excitement was no joke.

Soon the opposing team was losing composure as they continued to make mistake after mistake, causing the other team to score more points to catch up. Now the score was, 49:50, they were just losing behind by one point. Hyoyeon who had the ball in possession gave an eye signal to Jessica and Victoria the both knowing what it meant just nodded back. As Hyoyeon dribbled past her opponents, she pretended as if she was going to do a lay-up shot but she turned back and passed the ball to Jessica who was at half court.

The brown haired ponytail shot the ball, the opponent thinking that the ball would be impossible to go in couldn’t be bothered to block it as the last 10 seconds were closing in. 10, 9, 8… The ball was still in the air…7, 6…it was reaching the basket soon…Victoria jumped up, surprising the opponents… 5, 4 … the ball was getting closer and closer…3, 2…1… her hand reached out and dunked the basketball into the basket. The backboard felt as if it were shaking, the crowd went wild.

Beep~

The sound of the whistle blew marking the end of the game, the score changed they had beaten their opponent, 51:50. They all cheered joyfully while the opposing team just went back to the benches in defeat. While they were done with their game, what they did not know was the huge tension that the other court was having during their game.

-At the other court-

It was still in the first half but the score was already 44:42, the opposing team was not far behind. Yuri who was in possession of the ball passed the ball to Yunho who was already at the three point mark, he feinted a shot and his opponent quickly jumped up trying to block it but he easily scored increasing the score to 47:42. The other team was getting more furious because they were losing to a team that only had 4 players.

The fair skinned playboy on the other team, Yoochun dribbled the ball he feint a shot and dribbled past the opponents but they saw through this and when Yoochun reached the area under the basket, Changmin was in his way blocking him. Yoochun smirked as he feint a shot but Changmin read through it and didn’t jump up. He smirked as he forcefully tried to past Changmin’s defence causing Changmin to fall to the ground. Yoochun knew all too well that it would cause him a foul but it didn’t matter.

Beep~

The whistle blew.

“Foul! Pushing!”

Yoochun just smirked at the tall boy who was on the ground; he did not just push past him at a brief second when he was blocking the referee’s view he trip Changmin’s right ankle causing Changmin to twist his right ankle a little. Soyoung went to help the tall boy up only to be greeted by Changmin with a sound of pain.

“Urghh…”

“What’s wrong?” he asked concerned.

“I think I twisted my ankle a little, that Yoochun…he was aiming for that…”

“Can you still play?”

“Yea…”

“Don’t force yourself if you can’t….”

“No worries.” reassured Changmin as he gave a weak smile.

Soyoung walk towards where Yul was with a defeated expression.

“So how’s Changmin?”

“Twisted his ankle…”

“And he still wants to play? I guess there’s no choice since we can’t exactly let Taeyong play.”

“Yea…I guess we’ll have to repay him back next time…”

“But he has to take the foul shot, do you think that’ll be too hard on his

ankle?” asked Soyoung.

“If he misses be sure to get the rebound.” reminded Yul.

Both teams all lined up facing each other while Changmin was at the foul line taking his free throw. He winced in pain as his ankle felt horrible, the more he stood the more pain he experienced. He weakly threw the ball but unfortunately it hit the rim of the basket. Everyone was trying to get the rebound, but Soyoung unlike the others who were guessing where the ball would be. He closed his eyes and listen to the sound of it and at that moment he jumped, higher than most of his opponents and in one big swing arm movement got possession of the ball as his feet landed on the ground he charged forward while dribbling the ball to the other side of the court.

The opposing team was quick to return on defence as he dribbled past one of the shorter ones. Yul who was running on his right hand side, signalled Soyoung. He feint a move as he passed the ball to Yul, Yul caught the ball and was face to face with Yoochun. Yul was bouncing the ball as he feint a move going to his right but actually was heading for left. Yoochun read this move and tried to block him but Yul was one step ahead as he made a circular movement and went past Yoochun. He passed the ball to Soyoung who was under the basket but was blocked by their opponent’s center, Taecyeon. Soyoung feint a shot as he back passes it to Yul who dribbled past and scored with a lay-up shot.

The girls went wild as Yul winked to the girls at the benches. Most of them fainted or were in a trance, they were slowly making the gap wider and wider. One of the shorter ones on the opposing team who was in possession of the ball quickly dribbled past the opponents and when he reached the area under the basket he smirked as he saw Changmin trying to hide the pain in his ankle. He jumped up not even trying to feint knowing the condition of Changmin’s ankle. Changmin tried to jump but he winced in pain and he jumped too late. The ball was already heading for the basket and the sound of the ball went into the net changing the score.

Beep~

The whistle blew as it marked half time, with the score now being 62:59.

The girls who were relaxing on the benches as they had won their game drank water trying to quench their thirst. They were watching the game just now and felt a lot of tension rising at that court. They saw the sleeping boy on the bench and just sighed.

“Does he ever play?” questioned Jessica.

“Yea…only the very last 15 minutes at most…”

“But that tall guy, it seems something is wrong with him…aren’t they going to substitute him?” asked Sunny.

“I don’t know why they haven’t but all I know is Kim Taeyong never plays a game for more than 15 minutes.”

“I wonder why’s that so?”

“Yea…”

During half time both teams were sitting down on the bench, Taeyong had woken up from his sleep before they even got to the bench but just pretended he was still sleeping.

“I think… I should step in and play…” suggested Taeyong whispering to his two best friends.

“Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten you can’t play more than 15 minutes?” reprimanded Yul.

“Then…what…do you suggest? Let Changmin play throughout this whole game?” questioned Taeyong.

“Its okay guys, don’t fight I can still play…” said Changmin weakly.

“Okay? Your ankle is freaking swollen!” scolded Soyoung.

“If you weren’t my cousin I’d have hit you on the head for being so stubborn!” reprimanded Soyoung.

“We need to find a way to make Taeyong not play but let Changmin not play as well…” said Yul trying to think a plan with Soyoung.

Just then they noticed Yoochun and Donghae from the other team talking to the teacher about something. When they were done, they smirked towards their direction and walk off. The teacher walked up to their bench and said,

“Mr Shim, we need to check on your leg.” informed the teacher.

“There’s nothing wrong with it.” replied Changmin trying to protest.

“Even if that’s the case, we still need to confirm, you had quite a fall there during the match.”

As the teacher moved closer to Changmin’s leg, Kwon Yul stopped him.

“Hey! Do you even know who I am? If he doesn’t want his leg checked then deal with it!” Yul shouted at the teacher.

The teacher just calmly said,

“If there is nothing wrong with him, why aren’t you letting me check on his leg?”

Yul looked down to the ground with defeat in his eyes. The teacher walked up to Changmin and instructed him to take off his shoes. When he did so, his ankle was swelling much more badly than expected.

“I…I still…can play…” said Changmin as he gritted his teeth when the teacher touched his ankle.

“You’re in no condition to play, I’ll have you substitute you need to go to the infirmary immediately.”

The teacher grabbed Changmin’s hand and placed it over his shoulder supporting him. He informed the other teacher about the situation and forcefully brought Changmin to the infirmary.

“****!” cursed Yul as he muttered under his breath.

“Its okay, Yul.” assured his best friend, Taeyong.

“I think it’s about time…I came onto the court…”

-Chapter 12-

Beep!

The whistle blew indicating the start of the second half; both teams stepped onto the court. Everyone was now eyeing at the game, some even stopped playing their own match and gathered around to watch the match.

“Wow~ why does everyone want to see this match?” asked Sunny.

“I guess it’s because Taeyong never ever plays?”

-At the court-

“The prince finally decided nap time’s over huh?” remarked one of the taller buffer guys.

“Hahahaha….” all of them started laughing.

Taeyong just gave them a smirk and for once he was not the sleepy dazed Taeyong, he was someone else.

“The winner isn’t decided until the very last second.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Yoochun who was in possession of the ball dribbled the ball until he reached half court where Taeyong was ready to block him.

“You think a shorty like you can stop me?”

Yoochun feinted towards the right and did a back turn but what he did not realise was that when he got pass Taeyong the ball was no longer in his possession. Taeyong dribbled past Donghae and was about to shoot when he found that he had three markers on him. They were surrounding him in a circle trying to block any chances of him scoring.

Yul signalled for Taeyong to pass to Yunho but he insisted that it was alright. Taeyong switched the ball to his left as he swiftly passed one of his markers and did a feint on his second marker. He was now under the basket, his last marker who thought he was about to shoot immediately jumped trying to block. Taeyong jumped as well as if shooting, his opponent smirked as he knew he could easily block the shot but Taeyong had no intention of shooting knowing his own height disadvantage, when he was in mid air he switched the ball to his right hand and quickly dropped to the ground before his opponent where he did two feints before finishing up with a lay-up shot.

The girls went wild while the opponents were angry at the result, Yul was also angry at Taeyong. Yoochun who was now in possession of the boy came face to face with Yunho and feinted before back passing the ball to Donghae who shot the ball with ease as the sound of the ball went into the hoop, he had just shot a three pointer.

Yunho was now in possession of the ball passed the ball to Yul who was at the right side. Yul ran towards the opponents’ side of the court as he signalled for Soyoung. Soyoung also ran up towards the other side of the court. Yul dribbled the ball as he headed towards the right and did a turn as he switched hands twice; he got past his marker and passed the ball to Soyoung who was jogging at the other side of the court. Soyoung also got pass his markers effortlessly as he passed the ball back to Yul.

The duo could not be stopped as the leader shouted instructions for them to be stopped. When the two reached under the basket, Yul passed the ball to Soyoung who jumped ready to dunk the ball into the basket but Taecyeon, the leader jumped up blocking him. He thought he had succeeded in blocking him but Soyoung gave a smile as he switched to his left hand and passed the ball by the back. Yul caught the ball and dunked the ball in, the score was now 70:63, the fan girls screamed like mad while Yul and Soyoung high fived each other.

“Wow~ what was that?” asked Tiffany amazed.

“That’s the duo’s famous move, Eiffel Tower. Basically they both stay at each ends of the court while passing the opponent and passing the ball back and forth each other until they reach the very end, then they go in for the goal.” explained Hyoyeon.

“So…it’s called Eiffel Tower because of the way the ball moves towards the basket?” asked Sunny.

“Likely so…”

-At the court-

Taeyong had just shot a 3 pointer increasing the gap to 79:73, he was losing his breath and could not handle the scorching sun beating down on him, and he was sweating profusely. Yul told him to rest but he insisted it was alright until when he was slowly losing his vision of the court and ball.

As he dribbled towards the opponents’ side, he passed his first marker with ease but when it got to the second one it was getting more and more difficult. The opponent smirked seeing how tired Taeyong was, Taeyong tried to shake it off as he tried to feint but the opponent read his move. He charged forward trying to take possession of the ball until at the very last second when he was about to grab it, Taeyong turned his back on him and switched to his left and was about to leave his marker behind and score a goal until he found the whole court to be a blur, he could not make out where was where and it got worse with the scorching sun.

He unconsciously dribbled the ball as his opponent jumped up thinking he was going to shoot but somehow Taeyong jumped backwards, doing a fade away jump shot. The ball went into the hoop and the sound of the whistle blew indicating the end of the match. The score now showed, 86:79 but when Taeyong reached the ground he lost balance, everything was a blur to him until he passed out completely on the court.

Yul, Soyoung and Yunho were about to run up to Taeyong until they saw him collapse. Immediately they were carrying him to the infirmary. Everyone gasped in shock not knowing what had just happened and as to why one of the princes of the school would faint after a match.

When they arrived at the infirmary, they place Taeyong down onto the bed and called for the nurse. The nurse came in and looked at Taeyong; she checked him and starred at him until Yul snapped her fingers trying to grab the nurse’s attention.

“How long did he play this time?” asked the nurse seriously.

“Nuna…”

“You should know perfectly well he can’t play right?” reprimanded the nurse.

“But…nuna…he insisted…” answered Yul back at her.

“No buts. It’s going to be a while before he wakes up so I suggest you guys go back to your class.”

“No, we’ll stay here! Yunho you can go back first, we need someone to inform the teacher.”

“Alright…but you three better not overwork yourselves…”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

The nurse continued to stare at Taeyong and sighed,

“I’d have totally kept him if he were a boy.”

“Ya! Narsha nuna! What are you thinking?” scolded Yul.

“Haha…someone’s jealous…”

“As if! You’re freaking 30! Nuna! Please drop any thoughts.”

“YA! Stop reminding me of my age! Sigh~.”

“Nuna, so how’s kiddo doing?” asked Soyoung.

“He’s alright just that he needs to be careful. What were you guys thinking allowing him to play like that?” reprimanded Narsha again.

“Hey nuna we know how much you favour Taeyong among the three of us but you don’t have to keep scolding us.” retorted Yul.

“That’s because you two are really dimwits, what are you going to do when something really bad happens to him?” questioned Narsha.

“Sorry…”

“Haha…the princes of the school…apologising? That’s really unlikely, especially you, Yul.”

“Ya! Nuna, stop making fun of me and why don’t you take care of your

precious pet?”

“Pet? Hehe…I wouldn’t mind keeping Taeyong as a pet though.” joked Narsha.

“Nuna!” both of them shouted at the same time.

“Just kidding, hehe…”

“So…has any interesting thing happen lately?” asked Narsha as she took a seat on the chair, Yul and Soyoung did the same as well.

“Not much but…nuna, can I ask you something?” asked Soyoung.

“Have you heard of Sunny?”

“Sunny? Ermm….no, wait! You mean, Lee Sunkyu? That Sunny?”

“Yea…”

“She’s the national baking champion for like, 4 years in a row already.”

“I heard she has this prodigy like taste.”

“Soyoung, are you going to join this year’s competition?”

“Nah~ you know perfectly well, why I won’t.” said Soyoung with a serious tone compared to the usual Soyoung.

“So, how’s it going Yul? Still flirting with girls as usual huh? But seriously you should stop those night activities.”

“Don’t worry nuna.” assured Yul.

“When will you take part in the concours again?”

“I don’t think I ever will and besides, it’s fun playing on the streets while in disguise.”

“I’ve always wanted to ask something, nuna.”

“Go ahead.”

“How in the world did the school manage to hire a nurse like you when you don’t even have qualifications?”

“Are you forgetting who my dad is?”

“Oh…ya, that’s right…”

“Nuna have you ever told anyone about our secret?” asked Soyoung.

“Even though I love to gossip but I definitely won’t do that, it’s personal and besides how shock would they be hearing their princes are girls, haha.” joked Narsha.

“Nuna!”

“Hehe…”

“So…when’s Hyori nuna coming back?” asked Yul.

“Hyori? Aww~ you guys miss her already?”

“Ya!”

“Haha, alright I’ll stop kidding with you guys…since I know how much you three love Hyori…especially Taeyong.”

“She said she’ll be back soon, probably next week.”

“I wonder if it was really the right thing for her to leave you guys here alone.”

“Hey! We aren’t that bad you know!” retorted Yul.

“You guys come into the classroom by the window, ride a motorcycle to class or sleep throughout the whole day and practically skip more than half the lessons.” reminded Narsha.

“Should we go fetch her at the airport?” asked Soyoung.

“Nah~ I don’t think so…you know how’s nuna like…she’ll probably just escape and run away again.” reminded Yul.

“I think I can understand her, taking care of you three isn’t an easy job, I bet anyone would have high blood pressure by now haha.” joked Narsha.

Taeyong had then woken up to find himself in the school’s infirmary.

“Taeyong-ah, you’re awake?” asked Narsha as she stood up.

“How are you feeling?” asked Yul.

“Fine…”

“How many times have I told you not to play sports?” reprimanded Narsha.

“Nuna…I had no choice…it was P.E. and Changmin…was…injured.” Taeyong reasoned.

“Just try not to hurt yourself; I wouldn’t bear to see a scratch on my pet you know.”

“Ya! Nuna! Don’t be so obsessive of him!” scolded Yul.

“Oops! Sorry.”

“Oh and by the way, Taeyong-ah. Hyori’s coming back.” informed Narsha.

“Hyori nuna?” asked Taeyong as he looked at Narsha.

“Yes…” answered Narsha as she nodded.

Taeyong smiled at the thought of Hyori coming back.

“So nuna has finally decided to come back huh?” he questioned.

-Chapter 13-

Although the commotion at P.E. had not died down, everyone still carried on with lessons. The guys did not return as usual and the girls were still unsure of what to say to what they had witnessed earlier.

Why did he suddenly faint like that? Thought the brown haired girl.

Riing~

The bell rang, indicating the end of the ‘normal’ lessons and after lunch break they would get to their respective department lessons, which were not really lessons though. They had about roughly two and a half hours left before their lessons started so the girls decided to explore the school and get familiar with their surroundings, especially their own department blocks. Art was in block a, music was in block b, food was in block c and normal lessons were held in block d.

They stood up from their seats and bid each other goodbye and agreed to meet at the cafeteria an hour later, so that they would have time to eat lunch.

Hyoyeon brought Sunny to block c to allow the girl to familiarise herself around the kitchen.

“We have two kitchens, one for cooking and one for baking.” informed Hyoyeon.

“The one of the left is for cooking; the one on the right is for baking.”

“We have personal lockers in the room over there to put our cooking uniforms.”

“You’ll most likely get your uniform by today and your locker will be assigned to you as well.” informed Hyoyeon.

Sunny scanned the kitchen, it was really neat and organised and she was really impressed at how clean it was.

“Wow~ it’s really clean~.” commented Sunny.

“Well…we have to thoroughly clean up the place after cooking or baking and when I mean thoroughly I mean literally thoroughly, a tiny spec of dust will get you detention apparently from what I heard.” explained Hyoyeon.

Hyoyeon stepped further into the kitchen and went to the one on the right, Sunny trailed along behind her. Hyoyeon walked further into the kitchen and at the end there was a closed door.

“Those are where the ingredients such as eggs and such are kept.”

At the huge table like cabinet near the door, there were multiple utensils and other ingredients.

“The bottom shelf is where the flour is mostly kept, one box has about 5kg of flour, rising flour, plain four and so on.”

“The shelf above it is where the equipment is kept for example, measuring cups for the dry and wet ingredients, we use stainless steel. Measuring spoons, mixing bowls, we have different sizes, small, medium, large and extra large. Rolling pins, rubber spatulas, we use the silicone ones as they can be used in high temperature and also metal spatulas are for removing baked goods from pans. Pastry board, an offset spatula, pastry brushes, pastry bags, flour sifter, dough scraper, glass bowls, graduating sizes of mixing bowls for preparing ingredients for recipes, we have a few thermometers as well to measure the temperature of the floor for the bread. There are many other equipments but unfortunately being in the cooking section, I do not know much.”

“The shelve right above it is where the yeast, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate, nuts, sugar, vanilla, salt, different kinds of cream most are not yet opened, milk that has not been opened yet and so on.”

“The eggs and some of the other ingredients can be found in the refrigerator or in the storage room.”

“Over there, are the ovens, we use commercial ovens instead of the normal ones, there are two each in each kitchen.”

“And over there is the proofer; you obviously already know what it is for, so I don’t have to explain.”

“The baking tins and such are at another cabinet; there are about five electric egg beaters in each kitchen. The whisk, egg batters and so on are also kept in that same cabinet.”

“I don’t really know that much about this kitchen, so you can ask your seniors or your peers to help you.”

“Thanks for all the help, Hyoyeon. But I’ll leave after I familiarise myself around the kitchen.” said Sunny.

“Alright then, I’ll leave you alone then, I’ll just be in the other kitchen, so when you’re done, just call me and we can leave together.” informed Hyoyeon.

Hyoyeon left the kitchen and headed for the one on the left just next to it. Sunny walked around the kitchen amazed at how clean, neat and organised it was. She walked over to where the equipments and ingredients were, checking one by one where they were kept making sure not to miss a single detail. She then walked over to the ovens, observing thoroughly as to how to operate them, after going through the kitchen thoroughly at every corner. She stood at the door to catch an overview of the kitchen and trying to memorise where they place each ingredient and equipment. After about forty-five minutes, Sunny walked over to the other kitchen and called for Hyoyeon.

“Hyoyeon-ah, we can leave now, I’m done.”

“Hehe…you’re finally done? I was getting tired of waiting, just kidding.” teased Hyoyeon.

“Let’s go then.”

Sunny nodded her head in agreement and the both of them headed out of block c and headed towards block d, where they had promised to meet Tiffany and Jessica.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, they could not find Tiffany or Jessica so they decided to find a place to sit down and chitchat first.

“So, Hyoyeon how are your cooking skills?”

“Pretty ok I guess? I have a tendency of mixing up ingredients haha.” Hyoyeon joked.

“Doesn’t matter, I can only cook instant noodles too but Fany and Sica are the worst they’ll practically burned up the whole place, especially Fany.”

said Sunny betraying her best friends.

“Haha, is it really that bad?”

“You wouldn’t want to imagine it, try living with them and you’ll know what I mean.” Sunny joked.

“Haha, you three sure are one interesting trio.”

On the other hand, Tiffany was strolling around in block b, the music department, trying to familiarise herself with the surroundings. But unfortunately luck was not on her side as she got lost halfway through. Luckily just then, Victoria happened to be walking by.

“Hi, Victoria!” called out Tiffany.

“Hi, Tiffany-ssi.” answered Victoria.

“Drop the formalities, and anyways…would you mind touring me around the school? I kinda got lost, hehe.” requested Tiffany with a slight chuckle.

“I’ll be your tour guide for the day, I guess.” replied Victoria with a smile.

They were walking until Victoria stopped, she pointed at the doors on the right and the left.

“These rooms are where we have individual practices, or when we have duet practices.” explained Victoria.

Tiffany was amazed at how many rooms there were and each room had a black Yamaha piano. Victoria then brought Tiffany to another part of the building right next to the individual or duet practice rooms. There were three rooms each and each room was really spacious, this was where the orchestra held their practices.

Victoria then brought Tiffany to another side of the building, it was an auditorium, and the inside was similar to that of The Musikverein. This is located on Dumbastraße behind the Imperial Hotel, between the Bösendorferstraße and Karlsplatz and lies in the east of Austria. It is famous for its acoustics and is considered to be one of the three finest concert halls in the world, along with Boston’s Symphony Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. It is forty-eight meters long, nineteen meters wide, and eighteen meters high. It has 1744 seats and standing room for 300.

What Tiffany was looking at right now was definitely not The Musikverein but it was like a miniature version of it. Even though it could not compare to the beauty of The Musikverein but it was still stunningly pretty enough. Tiffany was amazed at how her voice echoed throughout the auditorium giving her chills in the spine.

“Pretty cool huh?” asked Victoria.

“Cool? More like amazing, awesome, fantastic, out of this world.” bombarded Tiffany with awe in her eyes.

“Haha, calm down, most people have this kind of reaction when they first see the auditorium.” said Victoria.

“Hey, Victoria what made you want to come to Korea was it because of your boyfriend?” asked Tiffany in a teasing manner.

“In a way, yes, it was also thanks to him that I got to play the violin but one day, just one wrong move and everything was messed up.” said Victoria with a nostalgic and a hint of sadness in her tone.

“I wish…I wish I could just turn it back to the way it was…” Victoria sighed as she talked to herself.

Tiffany just watched the Chinese girl reminiscing her past until the Chinese girl broke the silence by saying,

“Let’s go to the cafeteria to eat, I’m starving.” in a cheery manner.

“Oh! Right! I promised to meet the girls’ there.” said Tiffany suddenly recalling what she had forgotten for just a short while.

“Well…let’s go find them then…they might be waiting for us there already.” suggested Victoria.

She and Tiffany walked out of the auditorium and walked out of block b building and headed towards the cafeteria in block d. Tiffany and Victoria spotted Sunny and Hyoyeon chatting away happily and they waved to the two of them.

Before they walked towards them, someone called out for Victoria and she informed Tiffany that she was leaving.

Tiffany

sat down and started the conversation by asking,

“So… what were you guys laughing about?”

“It’s a secret.” teased Sunny.

“Aww~ man~ you know how much I hate secrets~” whined Tiffany with a bit of aegyo in her voice.

“Fine, alright! We were talking about how terrible of a cook you and Sica are, just that you’re worst.” explained Sunny.

“YA! Lee Sunkyu! Why do you keep reminding me of how terrible a cook I am?” Tiffany scolded.

“Stop calling me that, my name is S-U-N-N-Y, Sunny.” retorted Sunny remembering to enunciate each letter of her name.

“Where’s Jessi by the way?” asked Tiffany.

“I guess it means she hasn’t arrived yet?” questioned Hyoyeon.

“Aish~ that girl, don’t tell me she already found a secret hiding place to sleep and on the first day of school!” exclaimed Sunny in doubt.

“Haha, you guys are really funny, I’m glad I got to make new friends. I didn’t have many friends when I first came here…” laughed Hyoyeon.

Just then, Jessica walked over to the table where her friends were.

“Hi, what’s up? What were you guys laughing about?” asked Jessica.

“Nothing.” replied Tiffany with her eye-smile.

“Okay?”

Jessica took a seat and rested her head on the table.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Sica?” asked Sunny.

“Nah~ it’s still early, I’ll order later on.” replied Jessica.

“Oh ok…”

They were all happily enjoying themselves until they heard loads of screams and a crowd gathering. The princes had just arrived in the cafeteria and for once Soyoung had not come in by the window.

“Sigh~ it’s them again.” commented Tiffany.

“Why? What’s wrong?” asked Hyoyeon.

“I don’t know, Hyo. They act as if they own the whole school and it feels like they’re the ones setting the rules in the school.” replied Tiffany.

The fan girls’ screams were even louder than usual and as soon as the three boys were insight they knew exactly why. Soyoung was carrying Taeyong on his back and it made Taeyong look even more like a little kid.

“Aww~ he’s so cute~” squealed Tiffany.

“Err…Fany? You were just ridiculing them like 10 seconds ago?” questioned Hyoyeon.

“Hehe sorry about that.” apologised Tiffany.

“It’s okay.”

“Urghh…why do I have to be so unlucky?” mumbled Sunny.

“What’s wrong?” asked Tiffany.

“Choi Soyoung.”

“Oh…”

“He better not take away this crêpe that I tested out this morning.”

“Is it a new kind?” asked Hyoyeon.

“Yea…kind of…it was experimental and I haven’t even tasted it yet well… this is the successful one the others were all failures.” replied Sunny as she tried to look out for the tall boy.

-At the entrance-

“Ahh~ it’s as noisy as ever.” complained Yul.

Sooyoung closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

“Shh…I just smelled something nice.”

“Sigh~ what am I ever going to do with you?”

Yul then walked to the second floor in the cafeteria where it was reserved only for the princes and the princes’ closest friends. Soyoung followed his sense of smell and rushed towards where the sweet aroma of whip cream and a hint of green tea. When he saw the crêpe he immediately grabbed it out of Sunny’s reach and said,

“Thanks!” before munching on the crêpe.

“YA! You giant! How many times have I told you not to take my food?!” scolded Sunny.

“It’s my first day of school and I already got my food stolen from you twice in one day!!”

Soyoung was still munching on the crêpe he had never taste a flavour quite like this before but he enjoyed how the bitterness contrasted with the sweetness.

“Mmmm…. is this some new recipe? Taste great! I like the bitterness of the green tea to it just enough not too much and the sweetness of the cream is just perfect.” complimented Soyoung.

“Oh, thanks! YA! Wait! Anyways, don’t you have your own food to eat? Do you know how long it took me to make that experiment a success? I can’t believe you just ate it! I didn’t even get to try it yet!” complained Sunny as she tried to hit Soyoung.

Soyoung immediately dodged Sunny here and there only to realize that he had dropped Taeyong on the ground.

“Ah!”

Soyoung who was still busy running away from Sunny did not stop to help his best friend.

“Are you okay?” asked Jessica as she helped Taeyong up.

“I’m…fine…” replied Taeyong.

“Oh okay.” said Jessica with a light smile.

“What…happened…?” asked Taeyong.

Jessica shrugged her shoulders not sure of how to explain the situation as well.

“Do you mind if I sit with you?” asked Taeyong.

“Err…no…but won’t your fans be angry?” asked Jessica.

It was too late to refuse, Taeyong had already grabbed a chair and sat down next to Jessica and rested his head on the table to sleep again.

“He sure loves to sleep huh?” asked Tiffany.

“Seems like it…but I wonder why he fainted earlier?” asked Hyoyeon.

Jessica sat down and just sighed.

Sunny was still chasing Soyoung around until Soyoung gave a defeated expression.

“Ok…I give up! Man…I seriously don’t understand women! Anyways… could you stop chasing me? I can let you try that crêpe you made if you want.” said Soyoung

“It took me a week to successfully make that! What makes you think you can?!” asked Sunny.

“Err…I don’t know, thanks for it though, shorty!” shouted Soyoung as he made his escape through the window again.

Sunny was left standing there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. She dragged her feet back to the table where her friends were. Sunny sat down lifelessly with a defeated expression. Her friends could only sigh and feel sorry for her.

“Cheer up, Sunny! I’m sure you’ll be able to make that crêpe again.” said Tiffany trying to comfort the shorter girl.

“Alright.” said Sunny with a pout.

Sunny noticed the petite boy sitting across her and asked,

“What is he doing here?”

“Soyoung was carrying him and dropped him, but he wanted to sit with us.” explained Jessica.

“But won’t his fans, like hunt us down?” questioned Sunny.

“From the looks of it, I don’t think so. And besides, we’re sitting somewhere that’s pretty isolated from everyone else and he’s kinda really small size to be noticed?” explained Hyoyeon.

“Well I guess that’s true.” admitted Sunny.

“Man~ the princes of this school sure are weird. One keeps taking away my food just because he smelt it? Another sleeps and talks too slowly and the last one comes into the class by a motorcycle and there’s rumours of him earning money from rich clients?!” exclaimed Sunny as she sighed once again.

“Yea true…but I do have to admit, it is kinda obvious why they’re called the princes of the school though.” commented Tiffany.

“Yea…true.” succumbed Sunny.

Just then Taeyong had awoken; he slowly lifted his head off the table and stared blankly at Sunny and Tiffany.

“Annyeonghaseyo…” he greeted bowing while still sitting down.

“No need to be so formal.” said Tiffany.

“You are the new student…Sunku?” asked Taeyong as he stared blankly at Sunny.

“Err…it’s Sunkyu but please call me Sunny.”

“You…are…Ti…Tiana?” asked Taeyong as he shifted his gaze to Tiffany.

“Ahem! It’s Tiffany by the way.”

“You’re my classmate right…? Hye…Hyeyeon?” inquired Taeyong as he now looked at Hyoyeon.

“Sigh~ it’s Hyoyeon. And how can you not remember my name when I’ve been in the same class as you for like two whole years already?” exclaimed Hyoyeon.

Tiffany, Sunny and Hyoyeon all sighed with a defeated expression not knowing what to say.

Taeyong turned to face Jessica.

“You are…that…new student…Jessica…Jung right?” inquired Taeyong.

“Yes, that’s right.” replied Jessica with a soft smile.

“Hey! No fair! Why can he remember you’re name and he can’t even remember ours?” complained Sunny.

“Yea…and I have been his classmate for two whole years.” agreed Hyoyeon.

-At the same time-

“Oh crap! I left Taeyong behind, wonder if he’ll be alright? Maybe I should go back and fetch him?” mumbled Soyoung to himself.

-At the cafeteria-

“So…Taeyong-ssi…why did you want to sit with us anyways?” asked Tiffany.

“I don’t know either…just because…” replied Taeyong.

“But won’t you’re fan girls kill us? You know how popular you are right?” questioned Hyoyeon.

“I haven’t thought of that yet…” replied Taeyong.

They eyed him weirdly, all thinking the same thing. How could someone whose position is always amongst the top 3 in the whole school be so oblivious and clueless?

“Oh…” Taeyong suddenly blurted out.

“Is there anything wrong?” inquired Sunny.

“I forgot about Yul…Soyoung and I…well…technically Soyoung just ran off stealing Seonku’s crêpe…” explained Taeyong slowly.

“Ermm…isn’t he on the second floor we saw him walk up earlier…” informed Tiffany.

“Kamsahamnida.” thanked Taeyong as he stood up and bowed 90 degrees as usual.

“Err…you’re welcome? And you don’t have to be so formal…just try to remember our names.” reminded Tiffany.

“I’ll…try…Tyrana-ssi…” said Taeyong.

“Sigh…I give up.” muttered Tiffany under her breath.

As soon as Taeyong stood up and walked away from the table. He was now in view of all the students which immediately caused commotion.

“Was he here all along?” asked one of the girls.

“What? How could we have not noticed?” another voice whispered loudly.

“Sigh~ we missed the opportunity to even talk to him~” complained another girl.

They all stared at him as the petite boy moved towards the second floor and the fan girls could only stare in silence unable to follow the petite boy fully knowing the rules.'

“He really is popular.” remarked Sunny.

“I wonder why they didn’t follow him, aren’t they like die-hard fans?” asked Tiffany.

“Well…the second floor is only for the princes and their closest friends which they rarely have any in this school.” explained Hyoyeon.

“Oh…so it’s their royal gathering huh?” remarked Jessica sarcastically.

“I guess you could put it that way…anyone who defies the rules and goes to the second floor doesn’t get a pretty fate.” said Hyoyeon.

“Do they have better facilities at the second floor?” asked Sunny.

“Well from what I heard apparently behind that door is an air-conditioned room, soundproof with various colour lightings switching. I heard they have their own personal chef up there to cook for them and it’s even equipped with video games, a comfortable sofa, a few couches, a table or two maybe? And even other stuff…well nobody really knows what it looks like…” replied Hyoyeon.

“Wow~ it sounds really cool~ but how do they know if someone has stepped into the room when they’re not even in there?” asked Tiffany.

“Well…it’s kinda obvious how…they have surveillance cameras and you need to enter a pin number and get your thumb scanned in order to get in. The thumb scanner is already personalised so basically to say nobody other than the three of them maybe except Yunho and Changmin as well can enter.” answered Hyoyeon.

“Oh yeah…why didn’t I think of that?” thought Tiffany out loud.

-Inside the private lounge? On the second floor of the cafeteria-

“Tae~ are you alright?” asked Yul as he stood up from the couch and hugged his petite friend.

“Y…Yu…Yul…yo…you…you’r…you’re suffocating me!”

“Oops! Sorry about that!” apologised Yul light-heartedly.

“Where’s Soyoung by the way?” asked Taeyong.

Yul just shrugged his shoulders unsure of where the taller boy could be. But he didn’t need to know for long. Soyoung had once again entered through the window making his ‘grand’ entrance into the lounge.

“I’m back~” exclaimed Soyoung.

Taeyong stared at him blankly and Soyoung gulped with fear.

“Loo…Loo…Look! Taeyong-ah! I…I…I…didn’t meant to leave you there…it just happened!” confessed Soyoung.

Taeyong stared at him blankly before giving a smile.

“What are you talking about? And thanks to you…I had fun.” said Taeyong with an inner smile which was rarely ever shown.

“Fun? Did I just hear Taeyong said he had fun?” whispered Soyoung to Yul.

“Yea…am I hearing things as well?” Yul whispered back.

Taeyong took a sit well lied down sideways on the sofa while Yul and Soyoung took a seat on the couch.

“So…you started preparing the plan yet?” asked Yul with a smirk.

“Ermm…not yet.” confessed Soyoung.

“WHAT?!” exclaimed Yul.

“Calm down~ I was busy.” defended Soyoung.

“Oh yeah, about what, food?!” protested Yul.

“Hehe…you figured me out…” admitted Soyoung with a sheepish laugh.

Taeyong got up from his position and sat down.

“Don’t worry about it, Yul…” assured Taeyong.

Yul’s face suddenly lit up fully knowing well what Taeyong was going to say.

“I’ve already started planning…” said Taeyong with a smile.

“But won’t nuna be mad at us?” asked Soyoung looking nervous.

“It’s been a while since we met nuna…so why don’t we greet her the usual way?” suggested Taeyong with a devilish smile.

“You know…Tae…that smile scares the hell out of Me.” confessed Soyoung.

Taeyong just stared at him blankly.

“I’m lucky that you’re clueless at stuff like these.” mumbled Soyoung to himself.

All three of them smiled to each other fully knowing each other’s thoughts well. There was no need for words anymore and that one sentence they were going to say completed everything.

“Mission: Kidnap Hyori nuna!” cheered the three together in unison with simplistic dorky smiles on their faces that were rare for them these few years.

-Chapter 14-

The department lessons had officially started. Well, it wasn’t really lessons more like freelance.

-In the kitchen-

“Hmm…where’s the teacher?” asked Sunny already in her chef uniform.

“We just bake ourselves usually make our own recipes or either do what is told on the board.” explained a student.

“Oh… so where’s the board?” asked Sunny.

“It’s right over there.” said the student pointing at the whiteboard plastered on the wall near the entrance.

“Thanks.” said Sunny as she walked over to the whiteboard.

She glanced through the whiteboard.

Today’s task: Make 10 red bean buns, 10 egg tarts and a dessert of your choice (optional)

That was what the whiteboard read. Sunny walked towards the basin to wash and dry her hands and after which she collected the ingredients and equipments needed and laid them out onto the table. She started with the bread, making the dough first. Measuring and pouring the flour, salt, ice water and yeast into the mixing bowl. Sunny used her bare hands to mix the mixture together to slowly form dough. She sprinkled some flour onto the counter, after which, she kneaded the dough making it have a soft, stretchable and non-sticky texture.

Sunny took the bowl and placed it in the proofer to allow the dough to rise. During that time she laid out the ingredients and equipment needed for the egg tarts out onto the table. She took the butter which was left to kind of melt just before class so that it could be used straight away. She poured the sugar into the same bowl with the butter and started beating it till it turned creamy. She then added the eggs into the mixture and started mixing until combined, after which, she added the flour and mix it into dough. She covered the dough with a cling wrap and placed it in the refrigerator for half and hour. As she waited, she checked on her previous dough and it had already risen. She took out the bowl from the proofer and dumped the flour onto the counter. She took the cutter and cut a portion of the dough, using her right hand to take the evenly shaped red bean balls. She placed the red bean ball right in the center and allowed her fingertips to skillfully seal the red bean ball up not leaving a single trace of it. She did the same for the rest of the dough completing the 10 red bean buns as promised.

She took out the dough from the refrigerator after half and hour, she weighed down the dough and set the dough aside. In another bowl, she started whisking eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. She poured in the milk into the mixture as she continued mixing while also gradually adding the water. She then poured the mixture into the other dough. After cutting out the shape of the egg tart and such she took out the red bean bun from the oven she had put in earlier. She then put the egg tarts into the oven and waited for it to bake. After a while, the egg tarts were done and she places the tray of egg tarts and red bean buns on the counter.

Proud of her work she smiled to herself.

Sunny oh Sunny you’ve done it again! I’m so proud of you! The bun is just the correct colour and the tarts crust is just right~ I wonder how they taste like though? Do I have to get the teacher to evaluate it?

Just then there were a couple of students who had surrounded her to see her work.

“Wow~ as expected of the national baking champion, really a work of art~” commented one of the girls.

“Yea~ totally agree the smell is just right~” complimented another guy.

“This may be just a simple task, teach asked us to do but it’s not that easy to do it that near perfection.” said another shorter guy.

Hearing all these compliments on her, Sunny started to blush and she smiled widely, proud of herself once again.

Just then, there was a crowd gathering in the kitchen even some of those from the cooking department had come along as well. Sunny knew all too well it was that food-stealer giant, Choi Soyoung. At that thought, Sunny cringed, not wanting to think of her so called ‘enemy’.

The tall boy had again entered the kitchen through the window. Even though he was the friendlier one out of the three and often smiled but his eyes had always shown sadness in them. But this time, there wasn’t any sadness at all. It was a big grin, just like a little boy who just got his favourite game.

“Hi~ everyone~” he greeted as usual.

“Finally decided to get your butt here huh?” a chubby looking boy sneered.

“The ‘prince’ finally decided to stop walking through mazes and settle down.” another boy said in a sarcastic tone.

“Hey, it’s enough teasing!” argued a small sized girl.

“Yea~ can’t we all just live in peace?” said a taller girl.

Soyoung sighed and just continued to smile at himself.

Sunny who noticed the strange behaviour asked herself,

He seems so happy….I wonder what’s going on?

Soyoung sniffed in the air and smelled something delicious. He unconsciously dragged his feet to Sunny’s counter. Sunny noticed him and immediately blocked him from getting any where near her work.

“Stay away from my food, ok? I don’t care if you’re one of the ‘princes’ and that your crazy obsessive fan girls will attack me! Just don’t take my food away from me, especially my work!” reminded Sunny in a harsh tone.

“Hey, shorty~” he sang.

“I’m in a really good mood today so I won’t eat your precious work, instead, I’ll bake it myself.” said the tall boy making almost everyone in the class stunned.

“He finally decided to use the oven?” a short hair boy said in a sarcastic tone.

“Cheh, as if he ever steps into this kitchen.” another boy remarked.

Despite hearing those comments Soyoung ignored it not that he did not bother, just that, he was too happy to notice it.

Soyoung went to his locker and changed to his chef’s uniform in the restroom. When he got out he was wearing a normal white cap instead of the usual togue- traditional chef’s hat. No one knew why Soyoung never wore a togue, only he himself and his friends knew why. Only they knew why that cap was so important to him.

Soyoung got his equipment and ingredients ready and started to make the red bean buns and egg tarts as written on the board. Sunny observed the tall boy wondering how his skills are like. Soyoung was busy kneading the dough, swift like hand movements, it was nearly near perfection, no, it was like the work of a master’s. Sunny was pretty shocked as to how good the boy’s skills were.

Soyoung started sniffing some of the ingredients to get the best smell as possible and when he was finally done, he placed the tray of red bean buns into the pre-heated oven. But at the same time, he placed two cups of water in the oven as well. He started to work on the egg tarts, again his flawless hand skills making it seemed as though it was perfect. He started sniffing the ingredients again, wanting to get the best smell out from the product.

After completing the egg tarts, his red bean buns were done as he took them out from the oven and placed the tray of egg tarts into the oven. As he laid the red bean buns on the table, he closed his eyes and brought his nose closer to the buns as he smelled the fragrance of it. He back away from his work and smiled to himself. He knew just by sniffing at it, the buns were a success; there wasn’t a need for it to be tasted.

Sunny who was observing the tall boy all along thought to herself.

His hand skills are better than mine, it’s flawless. And his sense of smell, don’t tell me he has that prodigy like sense of smell just like how I am like with my taste buds?

After a while, Soyoung took out his egg tarts and laid them on the counter as well.

Hmm….what should I bake? A dessert…dessert…

Ah! I should bake that!

Soyoung placed his work to one side in order to have enough space at the counter. Soyoung started to look for the ingredients he needed as he sniffed it out. He was in deep thoughts.

What did she use for her recipe? Hmm…it smelled like….and tasted like…ah! Got it!

Soyoung began laying all his ingredients and equipment on the counter as he started working on that particular crepe. Even though he did not have any specific instructions to the recipe, he relied on his sense of smell to recreate that same crepe he had tasted earlier this afternoon. After quite a while, Soyoung look at his work with a wide smile on his face.

It smells just the same~ I hope it tastes the same though...

Sunny on the other hand had completed her dessert a chocolate souffle. She slowly flipped over the porcelain cup onto a cup. She then slowly but skillfully lifted up the cup not wanting the souffle to fall apart. The souffle was straight standing upright on the plate, a great work of art as one would say. Sunny slowly cut opened the middle and the chocolate came exploding out. She dipped her finger into the chocolate and licked it.

Hmm...ah! It’s the taste I wanted~

Sunny smiled at her work of art and was inwardly really pleased with herself.

Even though it looked just like a normal chocolate souffle, Sunny had changed the taste a little bit to experiment and it turned out greater than she had expected however there was a flaw in this work of hers that others failed to see.

Soyoung was now walking towards her with the plate of crêpe in his hand.

“Hey, shorty~ I told you I’d compensate for eating your crêpe …so…”

“You giant, can you please stop calling me a shorty! And… crêpe?” reprimanded Sunny until she turned to face her so called ‘enemy’.

“Yea…I just baked it, I wasn’t sure of the exact recipe so I just followed my instincts.” explained Soyoung.

Sunny walked towards the tall boy and examined the crepe.

How did he bake this without the exact recipe, hmm…well everyone in baking class knows how to bake a crêpe but it’s the flavour…

“Would you like a bite?” asked Soyoung.

“Sure.”

Soyoung handled the fork to Sunny and she took a bite of the crêpe. Her eyes were in shock as soon as the crêpe went into her mouth.

That’s the exact flavour I was looking for! Wait! But how did he know?

“So…how was it?” asked Soyoung cautiously.

“It’s…exactly what I was looking for!” exclaimed Sunny.

“But wait! How did you…?” she questioned.

“I don’t know…like I said I just sniffed the ingredients and by instinct selected.” explained Soyoung.

“You know…I haven’t asked you something…you have a prodigy like sense of smell and you definitely have great hand skills when it comes to cakes, pastry, breads and such…” she began.

“But…why haven’t I seen you in any of the baking competitions?” asked Sunny.

Soyoung was stunned at the question; no one had really asked him why he didn’t enter the competitions. It was all because of a certain someone that it all started to happen. Ever since then, he stopped baking for competitions, he lost interest in baking for anybody or please anybody with his creations. It all happened after that terrible incident, he felt betrayed, like he was being stabbed in the back by a knife at that point of time. But, that was not all. The main reason why he was so angry was the fact that, he could not bring himself to hate her, she who betrayed him all in the lame excuse or reason. FAME.

But wait…why did I want to bake this crêpe for this shorty in the first place? I guess I felt sorry?

“Hello? You there…?” Sunny snapped her fingers trying to snap the taller boy back to reality.

“Ha…ha…yeah…anyways I’ve got to go.” Soyoung let out a nervous laugh before he informed her.

By now he was already at the ledge of the window, ready to jump out since this was the ground floor.

Sunny just walked back to her counter in defeat.

Man…he sure is a mystery…

-Chapter 15-

-At block b, music department-

Tiffany was walking with her violin case slung on her shoulders but she was completely lost.

Hmm…where are the practice rooms again?

Luckily Tiffany managed to glance upon Victoria again.

“Hey, Victoria!” she called out.

“Oh, hi, Tiffany!” the Chinese girl answered back.

“You got lost again, didn’t you?” asked Victoria.

“Hehe…I got found out…” confessed Tiffany with a sheepish laugh.

“Come, I’ll show you the way…and err…Tiffany…” Victoria began.

“What is it?” asked Tiffany.

“Are you sure you don’t want to change into your own clothes? We usually wear our own clothes when it comes to own department lessons.” explained Victoria.

“Oh crap! I forgot to bring any spare clothes, so I guess I’ll just have to stick with uniforms for now…” Tiffany blurted out.

“Haha…let’s go then.” announced Victoria as she led the way.

Tiffany

followed Victoria until they finally reached the long corridors of practice rooms.

“So…Tiffany…do you want to practice together or would you rather practice on your own?” asked Victoria.

“Ermm…I’m not sure but I guess I’ll just practice on my own for today.” replied Tiffany.

“Alright then, let’s try to find an empty room.” said Victoria as she walked past some doors to see the students practicing inside through the small transparent glass frame at the top right hand corner of the door.

When they finally glanced upon an empty room, she stepped into the room along with Tiffany and turn on the air condition for her.

“Thanks.” said Tiffany.

“No problem, I’ll be on my way then.” informed Victoria.

“Ok.” said Tiffany with her signature eye-smile.

Victoria left the room to find herself an empty practice room to practice in.

-In the practice room Tiffany is in-

“Hmm…what should I play as a warm up?” thought Tiffany out loud to herself.

“Aha! I’ve got the perfect piece to start things up!” Tiffany loudly blurted out only to find herself embarrassed by her antics realising she was the only one in the room.

Tiffany took out her violin and bow from her case while she started to do some warm-ups. After the warm up, she raised her bow and began to start playing. The thrilling sounds of each note trembled throughout the room as Tiffany played with accuracy and preciseness. She was playing, Polonaise Brillante No.1, Op 4 by Henryk Wieniawski. She was the playing the particular piece with such elegance and such power. After completing the piece, she smiled to herself; despite the near perfect performance she was unsatisfied with something about her playing.

Hmm…I wonder what the others are up to…

Tiffany wondered while she continued practicing now with a lighter song, spring sonata by Beethoven.

-In the other practice room-

Victoria was sweating profusely, she slide her fingers up and down as she let her fingers roam around the violin making the best sound as possible. The strong yet weak sound echoed throughout the room as she continued to play, her palms and everywhere were sweating but she refused to stop. After she finally stopped she took a deep breath and sighed as she gulped down the bottle of water.

Will you ever forgive me for being so blind? Will you ever look at me again?

-Meanwhile-

-At a busy street in Seoul-

A beautiful wavy haired tanned girl dressed in a huge French coat and long pants with a hat covering most of her face. But despite that, it was unable to hide her attractive features. Her hair was soft and smooth it was slightly wavy but mostly straight and black in colour. But it was obvious it was a wig if you looked at it from really up close.

The tall tanned girl took out a violin from her case and started playing. The sweet and melodic sounds caught the attention of passer-bys and on-lookers. They gathered around the mysterious girl, mesmerised by her performance. The elegant sound of the violin echoed throughout as the crowd closed their eyes appreciating the beautiful sound but there was something about it that showed a hint of sadness in the girl’s playing. After the two songs, the performance had ended. She gave a quick bow to the audience while the audience clapped as if they were attending a real violin concerto. She thanked the crowd before she squat down to keep her violin back into her case and quickly and stealthily disappeared into the crowd.

“Wow…that was amazing…” complimented one of the passer-bys.

“Did you see how she played that piece?”

“It really calmed me down…thanks to her I feel like the argument with my boyfriend has finally calmed down.”

“Where is she by the way?”

“I don’t know…”

The crowd continued to whisper murmurs here and there about the mysterious street performer or violinist.

At the corner of an alley, the beautiful tanned girl slowly took off her hat and took off her wig; revealing a stylish yet neat cut short hair underneath the wig. She took off the over-sized French coat and replaced it with a leather jacket. She put back on the hat with the violin slung over her shoulders she walked back with a smile on her face. But as she turned around, it was not the same beautiful tanned girl and had completely transformed into a handsome young man. He shrugged his shoulders as he walked off, hoping he didn’t bump into anybody.

It’s been a while since I was out like this…they can’t even recognised me!

Ahh~ the freedom~

-Meanwhile-

-At block a, art department-

Jessica was strolling along dragging her feet to the unused classrooms where they had the canvases and equipments; if you forgot to bring yours along for everybody. She took her art kit and entered one of the classrooms. Unlike music and food department, the classrooms are not depicted by level instead any level can use any classrooms they like. However, there was one classroom everyone wanted to be in, the classroom Taeyong was in. Unfortunately, to avoid screaming fan girls he requested for the school to prevent any girls from entering the classroom he uses, unless they weren’t one of those crazy obsessive fan girls. Jessica dragged her feet to the classroom and spotted the sleeping boy in one corner, as usual, sleeping.

Isn’t he going to start painting? Why is he here anyways? And…how come there are like only two girls?

Jessica just shrugged and took an empty seat; she took the art stand and placed it at an angle that was suitable for her. She then took one of the empty canvases and placed it on the art stand. After which, she covered the table with the tablecloth the school provided to prevent the tables from getting dirty. She then tore a piece of the paper palette and double-sized taped the edges and center and stuck it onto the tablecloth on the table. She then took out a simple cloth, which was already dirtied and placed her art kit on the table which was full of the colours. She took an empty container from the classroom and went to the sink to half fill the container with water and just walk back to her seat.

She took out a picture of a scenery; a mountain, clouds, a tree, perhaps a sea or river with the mountain’s reflection in it. She pasted the picture onto the top of the canvas so she could get a good view of it. She took out the colours she needed and squeezed the content from the tube. Then took her brush and started painting. One by one, overlapping the colours, making them blend in.

After about half and hour, she had completed the clouds and the background colour, along with the mountain and the general outline to it, but the details were still incomplete. The sleeping boy finally woke up, he had already prepared all his equipments and was ready to start finishing off the painting. He took his brush and dabbed the brush into the colours and started mixing the colours and slowly but steadily started to complete the details of his painting. Unlike most others, who would bring along pictures for their drawings, Taeyong mostly did his freestyle. He never limited himself to just pictures alone. He was so concentrated on his work he did not even noticed the long brown haired girl who had entered half and hour ago. By now, Jessica was already completing her work midway, the thing that was so great about oil painting was that the picture comes to live; it’s as if you were really there.

After about two hours or so, she had almost completed painting most of the picture. She just had to add the few tiny details and overlap certain colours and other details. After a while, her painting was complete. It was a fantastic work of art, as expected of her but despite that it was really stiff no sense of freedom at all.

Taeyong on the other hand, had painted a weird painting which was hard to decipher. It had happy bright scenery on half of the page but yet the person, or half the person possessed or emitted off something evil. It wasn’t the whole person but mostly the hands. It was as if it was the demon’s hands but yet the guy did not emit off the feeling of evilness. While on the other side, was dark and gloomy, the other half of the person who was dressed in white, looked sinister despite the fact that his hands were welcoming. His hands however emitted a strange aura around them. And the weirdest thing about them was that each halves were the exact opposite of each other.

Taeyong had no expression at all but inwardly he was happy yet sad with his work. Only he knew why he would paint something like this.

Just then somebody snapped him out of his thoughts; he was constantly trying to get Taeyong’s attention. He had neat flat hair; fringe parted to his left and was wearing skinny yet comfortable jeans, a plain black shirt with a grey vest that had no buttons and a jacket over it with his sleeves rolled up to prevent any paint from getting stained on it.

“Excuse me, sunbae?” the boy asked.

Taeyong snapped out and looked at his junior, he blankly stared and asked.

“What…is…it?”

“Err…do you mind if I borrowed your Lemon Yellow, French Ultramarine and Dioxazine Purple? I kinda used up mine already and the teacher still hasn’t received the supplies yet.” the boy explained.

Taeyong took the three tubes of the respective colours and handled it to the boy.

“Kamsahamnida, Taeyong sunbae.” he thanked Taeyong.

“It’s ok, Kim Kyubum.”

“Err…sunbae? My name’s Kim Kibum and my nickname’s Key and one of

Yul hyung’s friend.” the boy greeted.

“Ahh~ Kim Kibong…yea…” Taeyong repeated.

Kibum or rather Key just sighed in frustration and went back to continue on with his painting while Taeyong just went back to sleep.

Jessica

who was in the midst of starting a new painting, she left her painting at one corner of the classroom where all the completed works were left. She had then noticed the petite boy’s artwork. It was a weird yet unique and marvellous painting but yet it showed signs of sadness within the painting itself. Jessica noticed his right hand; it was flawless from afar but if you looked closely enough you could see certain scars on it which had already faded away through time.

I wonder what happened to him….and that painting what is he trying to say.

Jessica took a 10-20 minutes break and left the classroom to get a drink at the cafeteria. She ordered a cup of caramel coffee and sipped the contents slowly. Wondering about that unique painting Taeyong had painted.

Is he conveying some sort of hidden message, if so…what did it mean?

-Chapter 16-

-One week later-

-Saturday-

-At 12 midnight-

“So…you guys prepared the plan already?” asked Yul they were at Changmin’s house in the conference room.

“Yea…” Taeyong replied.

“According to Changmin, her arrival details are that she’ll arrive at Incheon airport at KST 02:15, her flight number is A520, she’ll be arriving from New York using Asiana Airlines.” explained Soyoung.

Taeyong took out a piece of paper and placed it on the table.

“Here’s…the plan…” Taeyong spoke.

“First, we…have to block off all routes…” he explained.

“According to Changmin’s details…nuna will be arriving at Terminal A…”

“She’ll most probably be using the back gate…instead of the front…” reminded Taeyong.

“Therefore…we have to keep on our trails…we can’t let nuna escape…”

“Yea, but how can we? You know how well nuna is when thinking on the spot right?” questioned Soyoung.

“Not to worries Young, I’m sure Taeyong already sketched out the perfect plan for us.” reassured Yul.

“First…I want Soyoung to block out the main entrance, if nuna decides to go by the normal way, you…along with 3 bodyguards….can capture her there…” explained Taeyong.

“But you honestly think it’ll be that easy?” questioned Yunho.

“That’s why…if this plan fails…Yunho, you will be coming from behind and with two other bodyguards capture nuna into the limo…”

“If that still fails…Yul and the 3 bodyguards will stand guard at the back gate…and capture nuna…”

“If all plans fail…I’ll be in the control room with Changmin analysing the situation…we’ll announce her whereabouts through the in-ear microphones…you guys will be wearing on that day…” explained Taeyong.

“All in all…no matter what…just capture nuna…and…make sure there are no obstructions…” reminded Taeyong.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve already told the staff not to do anything…and according to the details of the staff…the time she’s arriving in, there won’t be many people at all.” reassured Changmin.

“Kamsahamnida…” Taeyong thanked.

“No problem.” assured Changmin with a smile.

“Oh and by the way, Taeyong-ah…” Changmin began.

“What is it?” asked Taeyong.

“Seohyun’s coming back.” informed Changmin.

“She finally decided to come back?” asked Yul.

“When is she coming back?” asked Taeyong.

“Two weeks from now…”

“Taeyong-ah, looks like your cousin’s coming back for real this time huh?” asked Yul.

“I guess…so…but I would be more worried about Changmin…” commented Taeyong.

“Why would you be?” he asked.

“I know you have a crush on my baby cousin…” said Taeyong.

“I do not!”

“Hehe…Changmin has a crush on Seohyun~” sang Yul.

“Eomeoni said that there would be four new transfer students so I guess one of them is Seohyun…” said Soyoung who had just returned from the kitchen with a bag of potato chips.

“Soyoung-ah, I know you’re my cousin and all but…”

“STOP TAKING FOOD FROM MY HOUSE!” shouted Changmin really loudly.

“I guess it’s my cue to leave…bye guys~” said Soyoung as he climbed out of the window.

Changmin rushed out of the house to chase after his cousin. Yunho got up from his seat and informed them that he’ll be leaving and they’ll meet up at the airport later.

“You think she’s coping well?” asked Yul.

“I’m sure she is…I read the news she was the first 16 year old to be able to

play in that famous orchestra…don’t know the name though…” said Taeyong.

“After that incident…I didn’t think she’d be able to play the piano again…” commented Yul.

“But I’m glad she managed to pull through…”

-New York-

-10:00 a.m.-

“Butler Kim, prepare the car…I’ll be arriving in Korea tonight.” said the caller over the phone.

“Very well, Agassi…” replied the receiver.

The line went dead as the caller had hung up.

I wonder how the boys are doing…hope they didn’t cause too much trouble…

The tanned wavy haired brown haired girl walked towards the edge of the balcony of her apartment which was on the highest floor and looked out at the view. She smiled widely as she took a sip of ice coffee from her mug.

Maybe I should call the girls….

After finishing the iced coffee, she went back inside and sat on the couch, she took out her phone and began to scroll down the contacts.

Who should I call?

She randomly stopped at a number and dialled it.

“Yeoboseyo…” the receiver answered obviously had just woken up from her sleep.

“Oh hi, Fany-ah, it’s me!” the caller spoke.

“Who…?” the receiver answered sleepily.

“Me! Hyori unni, your favourite unni!” exclaimed the caller.

Tiffany

bolted up from the bed and sat up.

“Hyori unni, is that really you?!” Tiffany asked.

“Haha…yes it is…you sure haven’t changed…” laughed Hyori.

“Unni, why are you calling me so late at night? Its 1:00 a.m.!” reminded Tiffany.

“I wanted to inform you girls about my flight details, I’m arriving in Korea tonight, Incheon Airport 2:15 a.m. Flight number A520, Asiana Airlines.” informed Hyori.

“WHAT! Why didn’t you tell us about this unni?” asked Tiffany.

“Well…due to the time difference here…when you girls were awake I was sleeping…hehe.” she confessed with a sheepish laughter.

“Can you girls come pick me up at the airport?” asked Hyori.

“Sure but…I’m not sure if Jessi will agree you know how she loves her sleep right?” reminded Tiffany.

“Haha…that’s why I called you.” answered Hyori.

“You could have called, Sunny, unni…” she replied back sleepily.

“Haha, Sunkyu? Nah~ I doubt she’ll pick up…besides her obsession of making new recipes, I know how she loves playing with her DS…I bet she’s playing that game I bought for her last week right now.” reasoned Hyori.

“Yea…I guess you’re right…”

“Oh and by the way, remember to pick me up at the back gate.”

“Unni, you’re not going to use the main entrance?” asked Tiffany.

“Nah~ I doubt I could anyways…”

“Oh…ok…”

“Goodnight, Fany-ah.”

“Goodnight, unni…”

The line went dead.

Tiffany budges into Sunny’s room and loudly exclaimed.

“Sunny! Hyori unni’s coming back tonight!” she informed.

Sunny looked up from her DS.

“WHAT?!” she exclaimed.

“Yea…she just called she’ll arrive in Korea at 2:15 a.m.”

“She told us to pick her up…should we wake Jessi?” asked Tiffany still contemplating whether to wake the brown haired girl or not.

“I think we should…because I bet Sica doesn’t want to miss the chance of seeing Hyori unni right?”

“Ok, I’ll go wake her up!” informed Tiffany as she went to Jessica’s room.

The brown haired girl was sleeping soundly.

Tiffany creepily walked up towards her and started finding ways to wake her best friend up.

Hmm…this is useless…Ah!

An idea struck her as she rushed into her room to grab Jessica’s worst enemy, CUCUMBERS.

Tiffany took the cucumber and went back to Jessica’s room.

“Jessi…it’s time to wake up~ Mr Cucumber is waiting for you~”

The room was absolutely silent.

She slowly started to put the cucumber near Jessica’s nose.

Jessica recognised that smell from anywhere, she immediately bolted up from her bed and pushed the cucumber away.

“You’re finally awake!” exclaimed Tiffany.

Realising that it was Tiffany she pulled the covers over her again.

“Aww~ man, Jessi wake up~ Hyori unni is coming back tonight.” she informed.

Jessica took off the covers and looked up.

“Hyori unni?” she asked.

“Yes!”

“Really?” asked Jessica wanting to confirm once again her eyes beamed with delight.

“Yes!”

“When is she arriving?” asked Jessica.

“2:15 a.m.”

“Arghh~ why did unni have to choose such an early flight~” whined Jessica.

“Just get ready later.” reminded Tiffany.

“Yea…” replied Jessica as she dozed off to sleep.

-At Changmin’s mansion-

-1:30 a.m.-

-In the living room-

All of them had gathered around the sofa, they were all set and ready to leave. They had their in-ear microphones plugged to them.

Yunho was wearing a light bluish green v-neck long sleeve shirt along with Tommy Hilfiger jeans and a pair of adidas sneakers. Yul was wearing a plain white shirt with the words ‘Live life like there’s no tomorrow’ on it along with a black leather jacket and jeans that had a big hole at the knee cap area and colours fading at certain areas equipped with a black Sidi sport boots. Soyoung was wearing a plain blue long sleeve shirt showing most of his shoulders and baggy pants with a pair of Nike sneakers. Changmin on the other hand, was wearing a plain v-neck purple shirt along with a black jacket suit over it unbuttoned and plain black pants with black leather shoes. Taeyong was wearing a plain white long sleeve shirt with a creamy colour sweater over it and blue jeans that had colour fading away at certain areas along with a pair of Nike sneakers.

They all got up and went inside Changmin’s limousine, a Rolls Royce. Changmin’s chauffeur, Mr Lee greeted them before following Changmin’s instructions to drive to the airport. They drove to the back gate, where only authorised people were allowed to use it.

“Ok, everyone gets into your positions.” instructed Yul.

They all took their positions at the airport while Changmin and Taeyong walked to the control room.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Young Master.” the staff greeted once they saw Changmin.

“Annyeonghaseyo.” both of them greeted.

“I’ll need to use this room for personal reasons, you don’t mind right?” asked Changmin politely.

“Yes, of course. Please do.” one of the staff said.

“Kamsahamnida.” he thanked the staff.

Both of them took a seat on the leather chairs as they observe the other trio.

-2:00 a.m.-

Three girls had entered the airport by the back gate and waited at the waiting area by the back gate.

“-yawn- Has unni arrived yet?” asked Sunny.

“Another 15 more minutes.” reminded Tiffany.

“Oh...ok…” succumbed Sunny.

Yul had noticed the three girls and wondered.

What are they doing here? I shouldn’t care too much I have to concentrate on this plan

-2:15 a.m.-

The plane had finally arrived. Hyori was wearing a white shirt with the words ‘I love New York’ on it along with a black leather jacket and a red scarf over her neck with long blue jeans and black leather boots with high heels. She was dragging her luggage along as she took a detour route unlike the other passengers and did airport security check somewhere else.

Taeyong and Changmin had noticed it and were now speaking into the microphones.

“Soyoung, move to back gate, Yunho, stay in your position…” instructed Taeyong.

They did as they were told.

When Hyori was finally done with security check she took her luggage and walked towards the three girls that were waiting for her.

“Yul, target at exactly 3’oclock, Soyoung, target at 11’oclock…. You know what to do right?” asked Taeyong.

Both of them smirked.

“Of course, leave it to us.”

“Yunho...I want you to keep watch in case she escapes…” instructed Taeyeon.

“Roger that.”

“Hi~ girls~” greeted Hyori.

“Hi~ unni~.” they chorused.

Hyori was about to rush up to the girls to hug them but at that point of time, someone had sneaked up from behind and grabbed her.

“Unni!” the three of them shouted.

Hyori protested and hit the person back and managed to escape.

“Yul, target is now at 4’oclock.”

“Yunho…Soyoung…get back into the limo…”

Yul got into his position and grabbed Hyori shoving her into the limousine. Hyori protested and struggled to break free. She was now inside the limousine, Taeyong and Changmin rushed out of the control room and went inside as well. Changmin instructed for his chauffeur to drive off and they headed for Changmin’s mansion.

“What just happened?” asked Sunny who looked dumbfounded.

“Hurry we have to flag a taxi, unni has just been kidnapped!” instructed Tiffany.

The three immediately flagged a taxi.

“Where to?” asked the taxi driver.

“Follow that Rolls Royce limousine, ajussi!” shouted Tiffany.

The taxi driver immediately did as he was told.

-In the limousine-

“YA! What are you guys doing? Who are you? Do you know who I am?” questioned Hyori.

“Just calm down.” assured Changmin.

“I’m Lee Hyori, you know!” she threatened.

Taeyong signalled and they let go of her.

The three guys smiled at her with big dorky but devilish grins.

“Welcome back, nuna!” welcomed Soyoung with open arms.

“Yo, nuna, you’re back huh?” greeted Yul coolly.

“Annyeonghaseyo, nuna…sorry we had to greet you this way but welcome back…” greeted Taeyong.

“Welcome back as well, nuna.” greeted Changmin and Yunho.

“You guys…” Hyori spoke dumbfounded at the boys as she heaved a sigh.

“I knew that this would happen…sigh~” said Hyori as she succumbed to the boys’ childish acts.

“Look! Nuna, they forced me I wasn’t part of this!” confessed Soyoung wanting to be out of the plan knowing what Hyori might do to them later.

“Ya! Choi Soyoung! Be a man and accept the consequences later on!” threatened Yul.

“So, why did you boys want to kidnap me?” asked Hyori.

“Just a little invitation from us, nuna…” answered Taeyong with a dorky smile.

“Aww~ you’re still as cute as last time~” commented Hyori.

Taeyong slightly blushed at the remark.

“Sigh~ there’s another one who’s obsessed over him.” Yul sighed.

“As if one wasn’t enough…” commented Soyoung.

Changmin’s limo had turned into a mansion and they got out.

-In the taxi-

“Ajussi, faster, they just turned in.” shouted Tiffany.

“Calm down, miss…”

When they stopped at where the limo had stopped they paid the taxi driver and got out. They were starring at a huge mansion; they were all shocked beyond words.

“Do you think we can get in?” asked Sunny.

“I doubt so…I think this place probably has really high security…” commented Jessica.

“Yea…I mean look at that.” said Tiffany pointing at a scanner.

“We’ll probably need the password and a thumb print scan to get us in.” said Jessica.

“Aww man~ we chased them all the way here for nothing.” whined Sunny.

“But we can’t leave, Hyori unni might be in danger.” reminded Tiffany.

“We’ll just have to find a way to sneak in.” suggested Jessica.

“I don’t like the feeling of this…” opinionated Sunny.

-Chapter 17-

The three of them walk passed the main gate and tried to search for any ways to sneak in. Just around the corner they spotted a window on the second floor which was opened.

“Hey, look at that.” said Tiffany as she pointed at the opened window.

“Are you nuts?! Do you honestly think we can climb that?” reprimanded Jessica.

“Calm down girls, maybe we should try a different way…” suggested Sunny.

“Like what?” Jessica asked.

“Like…going in by the normal way? Ringing the doorbell and hopefully they’ll let us enter?” said Sunny as if it was so obvious.

“You think the kidnappers would actually allow us to enter? Do you think they’ll be so stupid as to say please enter but we have a hostage in our hands?” questioned Jessica.

“No…but…” protested Sunny.

“Climbing windows is just too dangerous and stupid.” opinionated Sunny.

“Well…I guess we have to find another way then?” suggested Tiffany.

“Like I have been saying all this while, just ring the doorbell.” commented Sunny.

They all walked back to the main gate and stood in front of the doorbell.

“You sure about this?” asked Tiffany as she eyed Sunny.

“It’s better than scaling the wall to get into that window, and have you got any better ideas?” questioned Sunny.

“No?”

“Good.”

-In the mansion-

“I haven’t seen you boys, I mean girls? For such a long time and you greet me in this manner?” asked Hyori looking very furious.

“Nuna…you should know perfectly well it’s our tradition and custom…to greet you in this manner…” defended Taeyong.

“Well you boys better prepare to face the consequences later…” reminded Hyori as she glared at the three of them.

The three boys gulped in fear including Changmin and Yunho.

“Were you two a part of this as well?” she asked eyeing the two taller boys at the back.

They both nodded in shame.

“I can’t believe this, especially you two.” said Hyori in defeat.

“Nuna…you can just accept the fact…that this is our way of showing…how much we love you…” opinionated Taeyong.

“So…anything interesting happening these days?” inquired Hyori.

“Nah~ just that there’s this shorty, she’s so funny~” said Soyoung unconsciously smiling like an idiot.

“Aww~ you’re in love~” commented Hyori.

“Pfft…as if I’m in love…Nuna where you did get that idea? I was just thinking about how funny it is when I steal her food away from her.” protested Soyoung.

“That’s bad you know…you shouldn’t do that.” reprimanded Hyori.

“I can’t help it if I smelled something that’s delicious.” defended Soyoung.

“So…what’s her name?” asked Hyori.

“Lee Sunkyu or she prefers to be called Sunny which I don’t understand why?” said Soyoung.

“You mean that under-18 national baking champion for four consecutive years?” questioned Hyori.

He knows about Sunkyu? Oh crap! I left them at the airport…

“Yea.” answered Soyoung.

“So…Yul, are you still moonlighting as a player?” asked Hyori.

“You know me too well, nuna.” said Yul with a smirk.

“You should stop it, Yul. You’re breaking millions of hearts out there… can’t you let the past go?” asked Hyori.

“Nuna…how can I do it? After what she did to me…” said Yul, his teeth was clenched.

“And what about my favourite dongsaeng?” asked Hyori.

“Yes?” Taeyong answered.

“How’s life going?”

“Same as ever…but I did play a basketball match only for the second half… and I totally…wiped out our opponents…” said Taeyong.

Hyori now fully faced Taeyong and looked at him with concern and angry eyes.

“How can you play a match?!” she scolded.

“Do you know that if anything happens to you, I can’t live with myself right?” she questioned.

“I’m sorry…” he apologised.

“Its okay.” said Hyori accepting the apology as she hugged the petite boy.

“Group hug~” Soyoung cried out as he went to hug the two as well.

Yul followed along as well, where as Changmin and Yunho just stood there smiling at them.

They let go of each other’s embrace and just sat down lazily on the sofa or on the floor which was carpeted.

Just then the door bell rang.

Diing Dong~

-Outside-

“You sure about this?” asked Tiffany.

“I’m perfectly sure.” said Sunny.

“Ok…” succumbed Tiffany in defeat.

-Inside the mansion-

“I’ll answer it.” said Changmin as he walked over to the front door.

He pressed a button and the face of a short girl came out onto the screen. Changmin recognised her immediately; she was his classmate and the new transfer student, Sunny. Changmin pressed the loudspeaker button and spoke into it.

“May I help you?” he asked politely.

“Err…I saw my friend enter this house and I was wondering if you knew anything?” asked Sunny.

“May I know what your friend’s name is?” he asked.

“Lee Hyori.” Sunny answered.

“Ah~ you’re Hyori nuna’s friends? Please come in, I’ll ask them to open the gate for you.” said Changmin welcoming them with open arms.

“Thanks.” said Sunny.

Changmin turned off the system and he instructed for his maids to open the gate. The huge gate shrieked open as the three stepped inside.

“That sure was easy?” commented Jessica.

“Told you so.” said Sunny.

They were amazed at how big the house was as they stared at the house. Just then, Changmin stepped out opening the door.

“Ah, welcome.” he greeted.

“Eh?!” they all exclaimed at the same time.

“Yes?” he asked.

“You’re the kidnapper?!” they inquired their eyes all about to pop out.

Changmin stared at them blankly, realising that they were accusing him of committing a crime he gasped.

“Me?” he asked as he pointed at himself.

They stood there in silence not knowing what to say until Changmin broke the silence.

“Would you girls prefer to be out there in the cold or inside the house?” he asked.

The three just decided to accept the invitation and step into the house.

Changmin walked back to the sofa and plopped himself down.

The three of them took off their shoes and placed it on the shoe rack. They walked further into the house and spotted the three princes, Hyori, Yunho and Changmin sitting together just lazing around.

“Unni~” they cried out.

Hyori startled at the sound of the voices turned around to see who it was. When she did, she saw three familiar girls standing in front of her. She stood up and walked towards them and smiled.

“You girls followed me all the way here?” she asked.

“Well…we thought unni had been kidnapped.” confessed Tiffany.

“Yea…and apparently she did, by those three.” said Jessica in disgust as she looked at the three princes.

“YA! We didn’t to anything wrong!” argued Soyoung.

“Oh yea, giant…then how do you explain this?” questioned Sunny.

“I can’t believe you guys would resort to kidnapping, you guys just wanted to have fun because unni is really pretty and out of your league right?” scolded Tiffany.

“YA! Mushroom head! Get your facts right first before scolding people! First off, don’t blabber nonsense if you don’t know anything about us and Hyori nuna! Secondly this is my friend’s house not yours he can chase you out anytime he wants to! He even has a hundred bodyguards at his service to usher you girls the way out!” retorted Yul.

“You, I thought you were different from the rest! That you were more polite, understanding and reasonable… I didn’t think you would stoop so low as to kidnapping Hyori unni!” Jessica scolded Taeyong who just stared at her blankly.

They were all starring at each other with immense murderous intentions. The whole house filled with silence. Changmin and Yunho didn’t dare to speak out, Hyori just smiled wanting to watch a good show.

Just then Taeyong broke the silence by blankly starring at the three girls.

“Annyeonghaseyo…” he bowed.

“Can I help you?” he asked oblivious to the situation.

“YES! Accept punishment for kidnapping!” suggested the brown haired girl.

“Yea!” agreed the other two.

“YA! What kidnapping?” Soyoung questioned.

“THIS!” said Sunny as she pointed at Hyori.

“For god’s sake, we know Hyori nuna and are acquainted to her!” screamed Yul in defeat as he sighed and went back to the sofa.

The three girls turned to Hyori who just smiled.

“Hahaha…that was so much fun~”

“Unni!” the three exclaimed.

“You know them?” asked Jessica.

“Ever since they were five.” said Hyori.

“What?!” they exclaimed.

“How come you never told us?” asked Sunny.

“Well…you girls never asked…” confessed Hyori.

“I’m sorry to be interrupting but…may I know why you girls are here and… is there anything I can help you with?” asked Taeyong politely.

The three just eyed him weirdly.

“Come on, let’s go.” suggested Hyori as she dragged the three to the sofa.

“He’s really oblivious to his surroundings huh?” asked Tiffany.

“Yea…” Hyori replied in a whisper.

“Boys, meet my friends~” said Hyori as she introduced them.

“Girls, meet the boys~ or should I say troublemakers?” introduced Hyori.

“Nuna!” defended Yul.

“Since you boys and girls already know each other there isn’t a need for self introduction I guess…” said Hyori.

They continued to stare at each other as if in a death match.

“Jessica-ssi, is something… the… matter? You’ve been starring…at the vase…for the past… five minutes…” asked Taeyong obviously clueless.

The three of them sighed in defeat.

“How can he be so clueless?” asked Tiffany.

“Beats me.” said Sunny.

“YA! Taeyong! We’re supposed to be attacking them, not letting them win this fight.” scolded Yul in a soft whisper.

“Are we…fighting for anything?” asked Taeyong still clueless.

“Sigh~ I can’t believe you’re my best friend.” succumbed Yul in defeat.

-After a while-

“Ok, we might have misunderstood the situation but how can you guys abduct her into a car? You should have greeted her the proper way!” scolded Tiffany.

“It’s our way of greeting, mushroom head!” retorted Yul.

“Well…it isn’t really polite!” argued Tiffany.

“And stop calling me mushroom head! I have a name for god’s sake!”

“Fine!” he scoffed.

“And firstly, we always greet nuna in this manner! It’s like a routine already! And secondly, Taeyong was the one who came up with the plan!” stated Yul.

Tiffany turned to face the petite boy across her.

“Is it true? You came up with the plan?” she questioned.

Taeyong simply just nodded.

“Is…there anything…wrong?” he asked obliviously.

“Now, can we stop fighting? I’m getting hungry.” suggested Soyoung.

“Yea…” Sunny agreed.

“You two sure are weird, one moment your fighting and the next your siding each other?” scoffed Yul as he eyed his best friend weirdly.

“It’s not my fault if my stomach calls for food you know.” Soyoung argued back.

“What shall we eat then?” asked Soyoung.

Everybody in the living room stared at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Hyori stood up and walked to the kitchen.

“I’ll cook.” she announced.

-After 30 minutes-

The kimbaps, kimchi jjigae was done. Hyori walked over to the back of the living room and placed the plates of kimbaps on the dining table. She then went back to the kitchen to take the pot of kimchi jjigae and placed it on the dining table as well. She got bowls and spoons for everyone as she walked back to the main living room.

“Food’s ready!” she announced.

“YES! I was starving!” said Soyoung in delight as he rushed over to the dining table.

“He sure loves food huh?” asked Sunny to herself as she smiled at the tall boy’s antics.

The other seven just strolled in and settled down onto the respective chairs to sit down and eat. While they were eating, Hyori broke the silence by asking.

“Changmin, you don’t mind if I stay here for the night right?”

“No problem, nuna.” he answered still slurping the soup and the kimbap still in his hand.

“Changmin, we’re staying over as well.” reminded Yul.

Changmin just simply nodded as he continued indulging himself into the food.

“I think I now know why his appetite is so huge.” commented Sunny as she stared at Changmin in awe.

“Yea…blood never lies…” agreed Tiffany.

“You girls should sleep over as well; it’s too dangerous to go back.” suggested Hyori.

“WHAT?!” all three of them exclaimed.

“No way!” argued Tiffany.

“Yea, nuna…There is no way in hell I’m sleeping in the same house as that mushroom head!” retorted Yul.

“Who are you calling mushroom head, you player!” she shouted as she slammed her palm onto the table and stood up.

“Who are you calling a player?!” Yul shouted back and stood up.

“Here we go again~” sighed Sunny.

After finishing eating, Jessica who had felt tired from not getting enough sleep went over to the sofa first to lie down and sleep. Taeyong walked over to the couch beside it and began to doze off as well.

-Back at the dining table-

The two who were still loggerheads with each other managed to calm down a little after Hyori hit Yul on the back of his head.

“Ouch! Nuna! Why did you hit me?!” he whined.

“Yul, it’s not polite for a boy to fight a girl.” reminded Hyori.

“But nuna, she started it!” he accused.

“What do you mean by that?” Tiffany questioned.

“Isn’t it the obvious?” retorted Yul.

“Why you…” Tiffany muttered as she gritted her teeth.

“Ouch!” another cry came out of the tan boy’s mouth as he rubbed his head.

“Nuna! Why are you taking sides with her?” argued Yul.

“I wasn’t…I just wanted you to behave.” said Hyori smiling innocently.

“Fine…” Yul said in defeat as he sat back down.

“Are you seriously going to finish all that?” asked Sunny in shock.

“Of –slurp- -munch- -munch- course!” replied Soyoung confidently still wolfing the jjigae and kimbap.

“Sigh~ I wonder where all that food goes?” asked Sunny to herself.

“Yea…you should see the two of them eat…” opinionated Yunho.

“Was it that bad?” asked Sunny curiously.

Yunho just simply nodded.

“They forced me to pay for their meal…which added up to a total of 1500000 won (approximately: $1500).” he continued.

“1500000 WON?!” exclaimed Sunny.

“For one meal?!” she asked.

“Yes…I know we may be wealthy and all but…spending that much on a meal? I don’t know how these two survive.” commented Yunho.

“Yea…me too.” agreed Sunny.

“Ya, Yunho~ how can you talk –munch- -slurp- about us –munch- like –slurp- that?” questioned Changmin.

“Yea, Yunho…Changmin’s right, we need –munch- -munch- nutrients –slurp- to –slurp- grow you –munch- know!” retorted Soyoung siding with Changmin.

Sunny and Yunho sighed; they were hopeless to what to say to the two of them.

-At the sofa-

The two who were sleeping peacefully, did not even wake up at the sound of the arguing from the dining table. Just then Hyori who had left the dining table to the living room to let the two of them let some steam off she spotted Taeyong and Jessica laying side by side each other. Jessica and Taeyong’s head were lying next to each other. Hyori smiled at the sight and took out her iPhone to take a picture.

Snap!

The clear sound of the camera snapped a picture and Hyori saved it, she put the phone back into her pocket and smiled to herself as she walked back to the dining table to face chaos once again.

-Chapter 18-

-Present-

“Do you remember the times we fought?” asked the shoulder length black haired girl.

“Yea…you were really feisty back then, sometimes I thought you were much scarier than Hyori nuna.” confessed the wavy haired girl.

“Haha…you deserved it back then, you were really a jerk…but I guess some things don’t change huh? You’re still calling Hyori unni, nuna…” commented the shoulder length black haired girl.

“Fany-ah, do you think…maybe Taeyeon is somehow…I don’t know somewhere out there?” asked Yuri.

“As much as I would like to believe that…if she were still alive…wouldn’t she have gone and find Jessi by now?” questioned Tiffany.

“But…” Yuri protested.

“No buts…I’m sure Jessi we’ll be able to pull through.” assured Tiffany.

“Yea…” Yuri succumbed.

-At a coffee shop-

A certain straight long brown haired girl with bangs was sitting by the window drinking cappuccino from the mug served by the coffee shop. She took a sip of the warm coffee and stared out the window.

Taeyeon-ah…I miss you so much…where are you?

The snow started to fall slowly.

Looks like I’ll be celebrating the first snow again without you huh?

Just then, there was a sound ‘ding~”, someone had entered the shop. It was a short haired girl and a girl in a wheelchair. The short haired girl pushed the wheelchair towards an empty table where it was in view of the blonde haired girl. The brown haired girl smiled sadly at the two girls, just then the short haired girl stood up and went to the counter to order. The girl in the wheelchair turned and smiled at her. When the girl on the wheelchair had turned, the brown haired girl saw her and was extremely shocked.

Tae…Tae…Taeyeon? She gasped. But how is that possible?

Just then she heard the short hair girl say something.

“Taeyeon-ah, you want mocha right? And would you like some toast as well?” she heard her asking.

It can’t be…it must be someone else with the same name…

“Sure…okay…” the girl in the wheelchair replied.

She speaks in the same manner…but…why didn’t she come look for me? Maybe it’s just a coincidence?

The short hair girl walked over to the counter to order and at that time, the brown haired girl stood up, placed the money on the table and walked out of the coffee shop not bothering to receive any change at all. While she was outside, she dragged her feet along and finally stopped at her apartment. She took out her keys and entered, as soon as she switched on the lights. There was a painting of Taeyeon smiling like a dork at the corner by the wall. She walked over to the painting and looked at it.

You did come back…but I guess you’ve forgotten about us huh?

She took out her hand phone and pressed the number 3, the line immediately connected.

“Yeoboseyo?” answered the receiver.

“Yeoboseyo?” she repeated again.

“Unni…” the caller answered, from the sound of it you could hear that she was sobbing.

“Sica? Is that you? What’s wrong?” asked the receiver concerned.

“Hyori unni…Taeyeon…Taeyeon…” she began to speak.

“Calm down, Sica and tell me what’s wrong? What is it about Taeyeon?” asked the receiver.

“Unni…she’s back…Taeyeon’s back and with some other girl.”

“But how is that possible? Wake up, Sica-ya…don’t be delusional…I thought you’ve already gotten over it…She’s dead, Sica…dead, don’t you remember what happened?” questioned the receiver.

“But…it’s true, unni…she isn’t dead…”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes…unni…a hundred percent sure…But…but…”

“But what, Sica?”

“She seems to have…forgotten about me…”

“Are you sure? Taeyeon’s not someone to forget someone so important to her, you know…”

“Yea…unni, I know that but…”

“Did you go talk to her?” asked Hyori.

“No…”

“Then how would you know that she has forgotten about you?” asked Hyori.

“Just a feeling, unni…”

“Well…talk later…”

“Bye, unni…”

“Bye, Sica-ya…and never forget this…the mind might forget things but…the heart never forgets.”

“Thanks, unni.”

The line went dead as they both hung up.

Taeyeon-ah…did you really forget about us?

-5 years ago-

“Man~ will you two stop quarrelling with each other?” asked Hyori.

“Nuna, how can I back down from a fight and that mushroom head started it!” retorted Yul.

“You’re the one who started it, you player!” protested Tiffany.

“Sigh~ I don’t know what to do with these two…” mumbled Hyori.

“Can’t you two be more like them?” asked Hyori.

“Them?” both of them asked at the same time.

“Taeyong and Sica, look! Their sleeping so peacefully next to each other…” said Hyori smiling pointing towards the living room.

“WHAT?!” they both exclaimed.

“Relax…” Hyori assured.

“How can he sleep with the enemy?!” said Yul in frustration.

“Enemy? I bet you’re just jealous that Taeyong and Soyoung are nice people and are popular without even flirting with the girls in school!” retorted Tiffany.

“Well…I bet you’re just jealous as well that Sunny is absolutely cute and adorable and that Jessica is simply gorgeous and has one hell of an s-line that you…let’s see…have none of these qualities!” Yul argued back.

“Ouch!” Yul let out another cry.

“Nuna! Why do you keep knocking me on the head?!” protested Yul.

“I was trying to knock some sense into you.” said Hyori smiling.

“Anyways it’s getting late so why don’t we all just go and sleep.” suggested Hyori.

“I’ll go ask the maids to prepare the guest rooms.” informed Changmin after finally finishing his meal.

“Komaweo.” thanked Hyori.

“No problem, nuna…”

They got up to leave one by one, Soyoung could not stop eating, just then Sunny persuaded the taller boy to go to sleep.

“Choi Soyoung! Stop eating and go to sleep right now!” ordered Sunny.

“Yes ma’am!” he obeyed instantly and followed her.

Yul and Tiffany who were too busy arguing got too caught up and left their two best friends there on the sofa in the living room as they all walked to their respective guest rooms.

-The next day-

-11:30 a.m.-

Everyone got up late due to the fact that they stayed up late last night but there were still the two who had not awoken yet. They were still soundly sleeping in the living room not giving a care in the world. Hyori on the other hand was already in the kitchen cooking breakfast for them.

Sunny was first to wake up as soon as she opened the door she rubbed her eyes making her look really adorable at that point of them. Just then Soyoung came barging out of the room and swung the door against Sunny.

“Ah!” she cried out loud.

“Sorry!” he apologised as he rushed towards the dining table.

Sunny who had finally come to her senses stood up and screamed at the running boy.

“Choi Soyoung! You better get back here or else!”

Sunny ran towards the dining table as well and saw that Soyoung was already sitting at the dining table eating the pancakes Hyori had made.

“YA! Choi Soyoung! How can you knock a door against a girl and just run off like that?!” she scolded him.

“It’s –munch- not –munch- my fault that –munch- you were –munch- there and I –munch- -munch- just happened to smell –munch- something –munch- really de –munch- lici –munch- ous.” he protested while still munching onto the pancakes.

“Sigh~ never minds...” Sunny succumbed as she took a seat on the opposite side and began to eat as well.

-At 12:00 p.m.-

“Hyori unni I’m done with my meal, so I’ll go wake Tiffany up.” informed Sunny.

“What about Sica?”

“You know how she’s like unni…”

“Haha she still hasn’t changed eh?”

Sunny stood up and saw that the taller boy was still wolfing down his breakfast.

“Sigh~ when you will ever stop eating?” she questioned.

“I can’t! I’m growing up, I need the necessary nutrients, and we live to eat you know…” protested Soyoung.

“Don’t you mean we eat to live?” she questioned.

“Nah~ we live to eat…”

“I can never understand you…” she commented as she walked off to the guest room Tiffany was sleeping in.

Just then Tiffany had just awoken, she opened the door and stepped out at the same time, Yul also opened the door and they stood there facing each other. Sunny who came to wake Tiffany was faced with a sticky situation.

“You…” they both pointed at each other as they both clenched their teeth.

“Sigh~ here we go again…” Sunny sighed.

“I won’t fight with you so early in the morning, mushroom head.” said Yul trying to calm the situation.

“Childish…” commented Tiffany.

“Why you…just because you think you’re a girl that I’ll step back from a fight huh?!”

“You wouldn’t…”

“Try me…”

They both stared at each other as if they were going to chop each other’s heads off. Sunny just sighed and walked up to them.

“Why can’t we all get along?” she asked as she placed her hand over Tiffany’s shoulders and drag her away from the tan boy.

Tiffany followed Sunny unwillingly to the dining table; she spotted the taller boy still eating and was shocked to see how much he ate.

“Just get used to it…” Sunny whispered.

Tiffany just simply nodded with a sheepish smile as she took a seat and began to eat. Yul followed behind and took a seat at the opposite side and began to eat as well.

“Man, will you stop eating?” complained Yul.

“I –munch- can’t…” protested Soyoung.

“Where’s Changmin and Yunho by the way?” asked Yul.

“They –munch- left –munch- Yunho left first as –munch- for Chan –munch gmi –munch- n –munch- he went to some business meeting in Jeju Island so he won’t be here till late at night.” informed Soyoung.

“Oh…”

Hyori had finished washing the mess she had made and took a seat at the dining table to finally reward herself with her hard work.

“So…nuna…where do you plan on staying?” asked Yul.

“Hmm…I’m not sure…” answered Hyori light-heartedly.

“You’re –munch- -munch- not go –munch- ing to –munch- -munch- es –-munch- cape again right?” questioned Soyoung.

“Nah~ I won’t but…I don’t wish to go back to that house…” remarked Hyori looking slightly solemn.

“We understand nuna…” assured Yul.

“Unni, why don’t you stay with us?” suggested Tiffany.

“It’s ok…” Hyori politely declined the offer.

“YA! You mushroom head! I didn’t think you’d actually be that stupid to not have thought that your place is TOO small for four girls!” scolded Yul.

“It’s better than have unni going back to that house! And you didn’t offer her a place to stay so don’t act as if you care for unni so much!” she argued back.

The two again stared each other as if it was a death match, both parties not wanting to back down.

Hyori just heaved a sigh and mumbled to herself.

“Sigh~ here we go again~ I wonder when they’ll stop arguing?”

“I’m staying at Narsha’s place so…just calm down the both of you.” she stated, the statement clearly directed to the two loggerheads.

She looked over at Soyoung who was pretty oblivious to the situation and still indulging himself in the food.

“And I wonder when he’ll stop eating?” she wondered.

Soyoung looked up and stared at her with a clueless expression. Hyori just smiled innocently shrugging it off. Soyoung then looked the other direction to see the two of them in a death match once again.

“Oh…” he voiced out, his mouth shaped into an ‘o’.

-Chapter 19-

They had finished their breakfast on a sour note, Yul scoffed and walked off while Tiffany did the same and walked off. Hyori proceeded to wash the dishes while the others lazed around and did their own stuff. Hyori dried her hands and walked over to the sofa, the two sleepyheads still had not woken up yet despite the entire ruckus. She smiled at the sight of the two of them until the two slowly started to move. Their eyes slowly lit open as they tried to familiarised themselves with the surroundings. Until there was a sudden loud shriek causing the petite boy to jump up.

“Ahhh~ what are you doing here?!” questioned the brown haired girl after letting out her dolphin scream.

The petite boy still oblivious stared at her blankly.

“I’m asking you, what you are doing here!”

“I was sleeping…” he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Sleeping?! That’s all you could come up with? Who knows I didn’t get taken advantage by you last night.” argued the brown haired girl covering her chest with her arms crossed as if to protect herself.

Taeyong looked at her blankly.

“Who would take advantage of a person when the person itself is sleeping…” he questioned.

“I don’t know but…” she protested.

“Ah… I guess there is one such person…that will take advantage of people…who is sleeping…” said Taeyong as it struck him.

“Who is that?” asked the brown haired girl curious.

“Kwon Yul…” he answered not caring about betraying his best friend.

Suddenly there was an outburst of laughter and the two turned to find the source of it.

“Hahahahaha….” Hyori laughed out loud.

The two eyed her weirdly until Hyori regained her composure.

“I didn’t think Sica would be so defensive haha…and you, who knew Taeyong, could betray your best friend so easily…”

“Unni, isn’t it the obvious thing to do when you see a guy beside you?” questioned Jessica.

“And nuna…isn’t it right to…state the facts?” questioned Taeyong as if it were so obvious.

“Yea…but…you didn’t have to be so obvious about it…haha…at least give your best friend a little leeway… haha…” commented Hyori.

“Oh…” that was all that came out from the petite boy’s mouth.

“Haha…anyways, you girls want me to send you back?” asked Hyori.

“Sure…” replied Jessica.

“Well…get ready by 1:30 p.m. then.” she informed.

“Okay…” Jessica replied before she went back to do her own things.

“Oh and Taeyong…come with me for a while.”

Taeyong just followed her along, leaving the others to mind their own business. Hyori brought Taeyong to the room she was staying in and instructed for him to sit.

“What…is it, nuna?”

“I bought something for you…” she announced sounding really happy.

“Nuna…if its girls clothing…you should know that…I’m never going to wear it…” he stated.

“Aww~ but since you look cute as a boy, I’m sure you’ll look even cuter as a girl…now.” she said bluntly.

“But…nuna…it’s embarrassing…”

“Ok fine…I knew that this wouldn’t work…” she succumbed.

Just then she pushed Taeyong down onto the bed, right now Hyori was hovering on top of Taeyong making Taeyong blush like a red tomato.

“Err…nu…nu….nu…nuna…what…ar…ar….are…you doing?” he asked.

“Hahaha…you’re just so adorable.” commented Hyori as she pinched his nose and got up.

“Nuna!” he shouted in frustration as he got up.

“Hehe…that was fun…” said Hyori teasingly.

Taeyong just stood there looking slightly angry.

“Aww~ don’t be like that~”

He continued to remain silent until the atmosphere suddenly turned really serious.

“I’m getting married…” announced Hyori.

“WH…WH…WHAT?!” he stuttered not knowing what to say.

“Appa is arranging me to marry some heir to Daemun Rice Wine Corporation.”

“But…nuna…can’t you object…to it?” asked Taeyong.

“I wish to…but I can’t Taeyong…”

“Nuna…you can just…marry me instead…” he suggested.

“Aww~ I’d love that but…Taeyong-ah, you know that I only love you boys as a dongsaeng right?” reminded Hyori.

“And I’m sure that one day you’ll actually find someone who sincerely likes you…”

“But…nuna…” he tried to protest.

“No more buts, let’s head back shall we?” she asked happily.

Taeyong succumbed as Hyori link arms with him and headed back out to the living room.

“So…when are you boys heading back?” she asked.

“We’ll send for our chauffeurs to pick us up.” informed Yul.

“Oh ok…”

“So…you girls ready to leave?” she asked.

“Yea…”

They put on their shoes as they step out of the house and out of the main gate, the Rolls Royce limousine was already waiting for them, with the chauffeur waiting outside.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Young Mistress…” he said as he bowed.

She bowed back slightly and so did the other three.

He helped put Hyori’s luggage in the trunk, after which, he opened the door for them to enter and headed back to the driver’s seat.

“Driver Yoo, please drive…” she instructed.

There was hardly any sound of the engine starting as it slowly drove off, the mansion slowly becoming out of sight.

“Unni, can’t you bunk with us? I know our place is small and all but….” suggested Sunny.

“Sorry girls but I can’t…”

“But unni…” protested Tiffany.

“No more buts, I can stay at you girls’ place just for tonight only but I’m moving the next day. Feel free to visit me sometime or maybe I’ll go visit you guys when I’m free.” stated Hyori.

“Alright…” the girls succumbed.

They all sat down on the sofa lazing around, watching TV until Tiffany broke the silence.

“Hyori unni, you mentioned you knew those guys since they were five, how were they like?” asked Tiffany.

“Ermm…they were pretty much the same just that they did change quite a bit…”

“How so?” she inquired.

“For instance, Soyoung, he was much brighter in the past, he may wander around a lot and all but he was a friendly and a great friend but now his smiles don’t seem all that friendly anymore.”

“Yea…I agree, when I asked him why he didn’t take part in any of the competitions he just shrugged it off…I feel there’s something wrong I mean his skills are really good.” agreed Sunny.

“Actually…he did take part in competitions before…when he was younger, around 13 or 14? They allowed him to take part in the under-18 national baking competition despite the age limit being 16 and above. Just like how they let you take part at the age of 15.” Hyori stated.

“Oh…”

“What about Taeyong? He seems really distant yet so close at the same time…” commented Jessica.

“Yea…he never seems to ever smile…” agreed Tiffany.

“Taeyong’s really a gifted artist, you probably saw his paintings before I guess, Sica…he stopped painting for anyone for a quite some time already, I mean he even stopped painting for his best friends even me, the nuna whom he loves so much hahas.” joked Hyori trying to lighten up the mood.

“What happened?” asked Tiffany.

“I’m not really sure of the details at all but just suddenly one day he stopped smiling…it took us really long to get him to smile to us again…and I don’t want him to experience that again…”

“We understand unni…and was that player always like that?” asked Tiffany curiously.

“Oh are you talking about Yul? Nah~ he might occasionally flirt with girls in the past, he’s quite the sweet talker but he took relationships really seriously. But after that, it just all went downhill…I know he’s just escaping from reality by moonlighting as a player but sometimes its too much…he breaks millions of girls’ hearts every time…”

“If he knows why he does it, unni?” pried Tiffany.

“I don’t know…maybe it’s his way of getting back?” questioned Hyori.

“Fany-ah, try not to fight too much with him…you know they say…the more you fight means the more you love each other~” teased Hyori.

“Hyori unni how can you say that! I DO NOT LIKE THAT PLAYBOY!” shouted Tiffany in defence as she enunciated every single word loudly.

“Hahas…you’ll never know what’ll happen…” warned Hyori.

“Unni~ how many times I told I’LL NEVER LIKE HIM.” claimed Tiffany again loudly enunciating every single word.

-Chapter 20-

-The next morning-

Sunny woke up first, after washing up she walked into the kitchen to see breakfast had already been made.

There’s no way those two made this…so I guess it must be Hyori unni…

Sunny walked nearer to the dining table and spotted a post-it note and read it.

I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye, I’ll visit sometime…

Take care and don’t fight with the boys too much^_^

-Love Hyori

Unni must be busy I guess…sigh should I wake Sica up? Nah~ I’ll probably get killed…

Fany should probably be waking up by now…ah~ unni’s cooking is the best how I wish we have a good cook at home, then we wouldn’t have to eat cereals or instant noodles all the time.

Just then the short haired girl stepped out of her room rubbing herself; she groggily walked to the bathroom to wash up. After fully waking up, she noticed the food lay out on the dining table and smiled as she devoured it straight away.

Ah~ Hyori unni’s cooking is the best~

After finishing her meal, she walked towards the living room to spot Sunny lazing around on the couch, flipping through channels. She went and sat beside the shorter girl as she tiredly plopped herself on the couch.

“What are you watching?” asked Tiffany.

“Just flipping through channels…” replied Sunny.

“Sica’s not up yet? We have to leave the house in about 15-20 minutes time.” reminded Sunny.

Tiffany just sighed fully knowing that the sleepyhead would never wake up so early. Sunny sighed in defeat as well, deciding to give their sleeping friend a few more minutes of rest. Afraid they would feel the wrath of a not so happy Jessica for disturbing her precious sleep.

They continued flipping through channels until they chance upon certain news.

“It has been reported food critic, Jin Bora or more commonly known as Sunday is coming to Korea after 4 years of living in France. Being more of a critic for pastries and desserts, she is extremely known in the baking industry for her different aspects of criticism on pastries and desserts. Being almost an unknown critic at first she rose to fame soon enough and is now regarded as one of the best food critics in the industry. She has published a new book titled ‘Criticism is more than a few harsh words’ this book has been translated and will publish in France, America, Korea, Japan, Australia, Italy and Hong Kong. She has decided to come down to Korea three weeks from now to hold a press conference with the reporters regarding her new book and also about the rumours of her engagement with famous pastry chef, Kim Myeonghun and also the only heir to Starlight Hotels.” The announcer reported.

Sunny became really concentrated on the piece of news that had just been announced.

“So…who’s coming?” asked Tiffany.

“Jin Bora, or now Sunday…I can’t believe this…she’s like one of the top critics in the industry, if I showed her my creations maybe she could give me some advisable feedback but…I guess she’s too busy and she’ll probably not stay in Korea for long.” said Sunny with excitement but slowly trailed away into slight disappointment.

“It’s okay…” comforted Tiffany.

-Meanwhile-

-At a certain mansion-

The tall boy happened to chance upon the news while grabbing for chips in the cupboard. He nearly dropped what he was holding when he heard the news; he was shocked and angry at the same time. He just went back to his room without even bothering to grab the bag of chips.

Why…why can’t I seem to get you out off my head despite the fact it was you who betrayed me in the first place…what happened to all those promises we made together in the past nuna? You must be really happy now huh? But…I can’t forgive myself for forgiving you so easily…why did things end up this way nuna…we could have been really happy but…

The tall boy sighed in frustration as he plopped himself back to bed again not bothering to prepare for school.

-Back at girls’apartment-

“I think we should wake Sica up now, it’s getting kinda late.” suggested Tiffany.

“Yea…” Sunny agreed.

They both entered Jessica’s room and shook the sleeping girl really hard for quite a number of times. Luckily, unlike on Saturdays or Sundays, the girl somehow began to wake up after a few attempts of vigorously shaking her. She lazily dragged her feet to wash up. After she was done they all began putting their shoes on ready to leave. Luckily they still had time to spare and by the time they reached school they still had 5 minutes to spare.

When they entered the class, again they noticed that the boys had not arrive yet as usual, even Taeyong who would usually come in extra early just to sleep in. Yul and Soyoung’s cousin, Yunho and Changmin however, was already sitting at their seats playing around with their phone probably trying to get contact with the three boys but to no avail. Just then Hyoyeon walked into the class and walked towards her seat.

“Hi, Hyo~” greeted Tiffany.

“Hi, as well Fany-ah~” she greeted back.

“So, how was your weekend?” asked Hyoyeon.

“Alright…just that I met some jerk.” Tiffany said bitterly not wanting to recall.

“Oh…that’s just too bad…” Hyoyeon tried to comfort her.

“It’s okay since my favourite unni came back to Korea.” said Tiffany with an eye smile.

“Then I guess that’s good then.” smiled Hyoyeon.

“Yea…”

“So…where are the three?” asked Tiffany.

“Probably taunting school today I guess…”

“I see…”

Lessons continued on as per normal, the three boys were not seen in school at all. The four girls were walking together to the cafeteria until they were stopped by Victoria.

“Hi.” she greeted politely.

“Hi~”

“Do you mind if I join you girls today for lunch?” she asked.

“We don’t mind at all.” answered Tiffany.

The five of them walked to the cafeteria and found an empty table to sit; they went to order their meals. After a while, they came back with a tray in each person’s hand. They took a seat and placed their trays on the table as they began to start eating.

“I wonder why the princes didn’t come today?” thought Hyoyeon out loud.

“Urghh…they probably can’t be bothered about school and I’m glad they didn’t come…we can’t even study in peace because of them.” complained Tiffany.

“Fany-ah, you sound really angry, did something happen?” asked Victoria.

“Yea…turns out the so called ‘prince’, Kwon Yul is a total jerk.” said Tiffany as she clenched her teeth.

“Oh~ so that’s the jerk you were talking about.” exclaimed Hyoyeon.

“I seriously can’t believe what’s so great about him that everyone wants him.” said Tiffany in disbelief.

“Well…he’s actually much better than you guys think…you just have to get to know him better…” defended Victoria.

“Are you taking sides with him?” questioned Tiffany.

“No…but…I think it’s wrong to judge someone so early…” reasoned Victoria as her voice trailed off.

Because I know the reason why he’s like this now is partly no…all because of me…

“So…let me get this straight you girls spend the weekend with the princes?” asked Hyoyeon as she realised something was amiss.

“I guess you could say that…” said Sunny with a sheepish smile.

“That is like super big news and you guys didn’t even bother telling me?” questioned Hyoyeon.

“Well…we didn’t think it was much besides, we were fighting and arguing practically almost the whole time…” answered Sunny.

“So…how did you meet them?” asked Hyoyeon curiously.

“Well…we didn’t actually meet them we chased them.” explained Sunny.

“Chased? Are you all stalkers? Even I wouldn’t go to that extend.” exclaimed Hyoyeon quickly making assumptions.

“No…we chased them because they kidnapped Hyori unni, a friend of ours.” explained Tiffany.

“Oh…”

“Turns out they knew Hyori unni as well…Hyori unni told us to stay at Changmin’s mansion for the night since it was too late to go back home.”

“And well…things went out of hand?”

“We kinda fought a lot and it turns out Taeyong is really clueless towards everything.” said Jessica as she smiled slightly remembering how Taeyong was so oblivious to everything.

“Haha yea…he can be like that at times…” admitted Hyoyeon.

“At times, are you sure? He’s totally oblivious to his surroundings.” exclaimed Sunny.

“What about Yul?” Victoria asked.

“Well…one word he was really a jerk he kept picking a fight with me.” said

Tiffany

in disgust.

“Fany-ah, calm down~ you were at fault too. Seriously I thought we were going to die from the way you two stared at each other with murderous intentions.” confessed Sunny.

“Haha…Fany…I didn’t know that you were so scary, maybe I should be more wary around you…” said Hyoyeon chuckling slightly.

“Ya~ why are you guys thinking that I’d eat you guys up?” whined Tiffany with a pout.

They all laughed happily and continued to talk and enjoy their meals. Time passed fast as they all got up, walking to their different classes. Department lessons ended as per normal they all went back home and bid their goodbyes. Continuously for the past few days it was the same routine and the three princes never once came back to school.

-In the kitchen for cooking-

I wonder why Sooyoung didn’t come these past few days, was it because of the news that was reported on Monday morning?

The tall boy wondered as he walked over to the boiling pot of water and poured the chopped vegetables in.

Hmm…there’s definitely something going on between those six…I have to find out more…

The wavy blonde haired who had her hair tied up in a bun, accidentally poured the chopped carrots that were meant for the paste into the soup.

“Hyoyeon?” one of her classmates asked politely.

“Yes?” she answered.

“You’ve poured the carrots into the wrong pot.” informed the boy.

“Oops! Sorry, Junho…” she apologised.

“It’s ok…Hyoyeon…we’ll just have to deal with it I guess.” he succumbed politely smiling.

“But Hyoyeon, why were you spacing out anyways, it’s dangerous to do that in a kitchen.” reminded Junho.

“Sorry about that, Junho…I was caught up thinking about something…” she confessed.

“Well…Hyoyeon, try to keep personal matters outside the kitchen.” he reprimanded slightly.

“I’ll try…”

-In the kitchen for baking-

That guy is sure weird…I guess the rumours must be true about him suddenly disappearing…I have to say even though he makes my blood pressure rise all the time…he does have a good side to him? Wait…what was I thinking anyways…no…there’s no way ever I’d fall for him…or have I already?

“Sunny-ssi, are you there?” one of her classmates called out to her breaking her train of thoughts.

“Ah, yes…is anything the matter?” asked Sunny.

“Your chocolate has already melted.” informed the long haired girl.

“Oh thanks…”

Sunny took the mittens and took the baking tray out of the oven. She expertly poured the hot melted chocolate over the plain cake. She sighed and looked bitterly at her creation, for some reason she was just feeling down and did not know why.

Why am I even like this? I can’t seem to concentrate at all…it’s kind of weird to say this but…I think I miss the times you took my food away from me…haha….is there anything wrong with you? Why haven’t you been in school these past few days? Wait…why do I care so much anyways?

-In the practice room-

You jerk…did you skip school just so that you could avoid me? What happened to not backing down from a fight? Wait! Why am I even thinking of that jerk! Urghh…I better concentrate…if I ever want to get selected to be the lead violinist in the upcoming performance the school’s orchestra is holding.

The short haired girl mentally smacked herself before lifting up her bow and playing the melodious tune again.

-In another practice room-

The Chinese girl was sweating profusely as she continued to play the same piece over and over again.

Was it because of me? Are you too afraid or too disgusted to face me? But you’ve been ignoring me all this while… so why the sudden change?

The long haired Chinese girl thought in her mind, worried about the certain violinist.

-In one of the classrooms-

The long brown haired girl had just completed her painting and sighed as she walked over to place her finished piece of work at the side. Just then the same guy who borrowed some of the colours from Taeyong tapped her shoulder.

“Err…Jessica sunbae…have you seen Taeyong sunbae anywhere? He went off the last time before I could return him his colours.” he asked explaining himself.

“No, I haven’t seen him at all for the past few days.” answered Jessica coldly.

“Oh…then I guess I’ll have to wait until he comes back to school then.” the boy sighed.

“Your name’s Kim Kibum right?” asked Jessica.

“At least you remember it correctly.” he mumbled inaudibly.

“What did you say?”

“Err…nothing…yea it is…but you can just call me Key instead.” greeted the junior.

“It’s nice to meet you then, Key.” greeted Jessica coldly with no sign of happiness at all.

“Err yea…it’s nice to meet you then, Jessica sunbae…” he greeted her, eyeing the girl weirdly.

I wonder why Yul hyung hasn’t been here these few days…what happened to him saying he’ll introduce me to this dance club…

Jessica walked out of the class and walked to the cafeteria and ordered a cup of iced coffee.

I wonder why he stopped coming for these past few days…what were those scars I saw? He definitely has something more to him then that oblivious and forgetful brain of his…

The brown haired girl thought as she sipped her cup of iced coffee.

-At the infirmary-

I wonder why they’ve stopped coming…sigh…I miss my pet already…I sound like a sadist hahas…I hope Hyori’s adjusting well…I wonder why she wanted to stay with me though…but I guess it’s okay…

The long haired nurse thought, she had her hair tied up in a ponytail. She sat down, drinking a cup of mocha.

It really is hardly any fun without teasing them…sigh…Yunho and Changmin doesn’t even know about why their absent…they said they’ve totally locked themselves out for the time being… Wait! Isn’t Seohyun coming back soon? Maybe she can help Taeyong…he’s always so overprotective over his little cousin…I’m sure he’ll turn up everyday once she transfers here…

The nurse just stared out of the window enjoying the view as she continued to sip onto her mocha.

I’m glad this school decided to build the infirmary here…it has such a nice view…

-At a café-

“Ok, take 5!” shouted the camera director.

The staff took a break as they went to talk with the co-workers or eat their well deserved lunch.

The wavy haired brown haired girl in a simplistic v-neck cut cream coloured dress stood up and walked towards a nearby seat to sit down. She glanced at her hand phone and sighed.

Why haven’t you guys been answering any of my calls? Is anything the matter…Don’t tell me it’s because of Sooyoung…that news…

“Hyori-ssi?” the camera director called out.

“Ah…Yea…Is anything the matter, sir?” she asked.

“You’re doing great for this café line photo shoot, I’ve discussed and they said they wouldn’t mind putting you on one of the front covers of their magazines. The theme was relax and comfort.” informed the camera director.

“Thank you, I’m really trying my best.” said Hyori as she smiled.

“I can see that…are you meeting your boyfriend?” he asked.

“Not exactly…”

“Well…looks like it, I heard that your father is announcing the wedding soon…do you think you could still continue modelling for us?”

“Haha…I’m not sure…isn’t this the reason why I ran away from home?” joked Hyori.

“Haha…I guess so…” agreed the camera director.

“No one here knows about my family background right?” asked Hyori suspiciously.

“No…I’ve kept it confidential, according to what you wanted.”

“Thanks, Director Kim.”

“Not a problem at all, but Hyori-ah, I know your parents probably won’t allow it but would you consider taking modelling as a serious job? You have a lot of potential for it…and I think you could be the next big thing.” praised Director Kim.

“Haha…you flatter me too much, but sorry Director Kim…I’d have to decline your offer…but I wouldn’t mind shooting for a few more photo shoots.” she declined politely.

“That’s too bad then…you could have been one of Korea’s top icons.” sighed Director Kim in regret.

“Don’t you have loads of models in your line up?” questioned Hyori.

“Yea…I do but I don’t think they can compare to you.” admitted Director Kim.

“Haha…I’m sure you’ll find a true gem soon.” she comforted.

“Let’s get back to the shoot shall we?” asked the Director.

“Sure…” she succumbed.

The staff went back to their positions, while Hyori pose for a few more shots here and there. The director shouting orders here and there, the busy hectic work of the day was how Hyori had spent. But her mind wasn’t concentrated at the photo shoot but drifting off somewhere else.

Answer my calls will you, you troublemakers…

-Chapter 21-

-Europe-

-Austria-

-Inside the Wiener Musikverein-

The performance had just reached its climax, as the young Korean girl with straight long black hair, wearing a simple plain black one piece dress with little designs and a simple necklace to accompany it, steps out from behind the curtains and starts walking towards the grand piano. The audience clapped politely and slowly settled down when she sat down and took in a deep breath. The conductor looked at her and she gave the signal that she was ready. The sounds of the instruments began to play. The slender fingers worked its way around the keys with such precise and swiftness.

Amongst the thousands of audiences, there was one particular girl who was mesmerised by the young Korean pianist. She had quite long black hair and milky white skin with an innocent face and could not have been more than 18. She sat at the very middle row, admiring the unknown pianist.

In her mind she had already began sketching the beautiful young pianist playing the piano. Just like how she does in this performance, a Beethoven piano concerto No.5. in E-flat major, Op. 73 "Emperor" II: Adagio un poco mosso.

The young aspiring artist took out her sketchbook from her bag and began to let her pencil flow on the paper. Sketching every detail in perfection of the young pianist, her only focus was on her and no one else. As the performance slowly reaching its end, the young artist finished her final touch ups of her sketch on the young pianist before smiling at her work and keeping her sketchbook back into her bag.

When the performance ended, the audience stood up and clapped and she did the same. The orchestra bowed to the audience and thanked them. The musicians one by one stepped off the stage with the instruments in their hands, soon after leaving an empty stage. The audience also began to slowly disperse as they left the hall in an orderly manner.

The young artist was determined to find the young pianist; she went out of the hall and sneaked around at the back entrance which was authorised only for the performers. She waited silently and yet the young pianist had been no where to be found. Just as she was about to give up hope, she spotted the young pianist stepping out. She walked up to her and greeted in Korean.

“Annyeonghaseyo, my name is Im Yoona.” she greeted and bowed.

“Annyeonghaseyo, my name is Seo Joohyun or I’d prefer Seohyun. It’s the first time I’m meeting a Korean here so it was nice talking to you.” she answered politely before walking off.

“Wait!” the young artist called out.

The young pianist turned around and smiled at her politely.

“Is anything the matter?” asked Seohyun.

Yoona walked up to the pianist and took out the rough sketch of her from her bag; she shoved it to the young pianist and smiled.

“This is my present for you for your great performance just now, it’s just a rough sketch but I promise to sketch something nicer the next time round I meet you.”

“Kamsahamnida.” the young pianist thanked politely.

“No need to thank me, I should be the one thanking you for giving such a wonderful performance.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” said Seohyun as she slightly blushed.

“See you around, then.” said Yoona as she bid her goodbye.

“Yea…” Seohyun agreed with uncertainty.

Yoona walked away from the young pianist, skipping along feeling like she was on cloud nine. The young pianist smiled at the young artist’s childish antics and looked at the sketch of her own self playing the piano just now. She smiled at the sketch and turned around to find a note and the artist’s signature.

Call me soon. Here’s my number.

010-XXXX-XXXX

I’ll be waiting for your call^_^

Love, Yoona, the young aspiring artist…

Seohyun smiled at the note but decided to not get involve with the cheerful girl. She knew that her past would come and taunt her and that the once cheerful smile omitted from the young artist will soon be gone and she did not want that to happen. Despite just meeting not long ago, she knew that the cheerful artist wanted to be friends with her. She knows that she had a strange feeling when the young artist smiled at her. She tried to get rid of the thoughts of the certain cheery artist and took out her hand phone. She pressed the number 2 and the line got connected straight away.

“Yeoboseyo…” the receiver answered.

“Taeyeo…sorry I mean Taeyong oppa. It’s me, Seohyun.”

“Seohyun, is that really you?”

“Yes, oppa…you probably have heard that I’m coming to Korea soon.”

“Yea…I heard about that, so…how’s life…?”

“Good, oppa…and how long are you going to pretend to be a boy?”

“I don’t know…”

“I’m sure uncle doesn’t wish for this to happen.”

Silence filled before the young pianist began to speak again.

“Sorry about that, oppa…anyways, don’t worry about me too much. And, stop skipping school too often.”

“Haha yea…I’ll try…”

“Don’t just try oppa…I know your having a hard time because of that but…try to be strong…just like how you always put on a brave front whenever it concerned me.”

“Thanks, Joohyun-ah.”

“Not a problem, oppa…unni…”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

The line went dead and Seohyun shoved the hand phone back into her handbag. She walked with upright posture as she slowly and cautiously walked towards the apartment she was staying in. She took out her keys and opened the door to the apartment. The piano lying there right in front of her eyes, despite it being old and a bit rusty it was still usable and Seohyun had always been using that same piano to practise.

By now she would have been in high school in Korea but due to the unexpected turn of events. She was forced, no; she was not able to decline the offer of staying in a total foreign country like Austria.

She knew she could never turn back the time and life had to move on, but, every time she looks down at her hands, it just all comes back. No matter how much she doesn’t want to believe it, there’s no use in denying it. Her hands that were meant for the piano were not fully meant for it.

For the sin she had committed or probably forced to commit, she could never forgive herself, for being able to play like that again in the public. But life had to move on and she was not going to dwell over it but, she knew, she knew all too well that…it was going to taunt her for life…

-Meanwhile-

The young artist smiled cheerfully as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. She skipped along the roads happily, not caring about the weird stares towards her. She wondered around, waiting to find for something to draw. But all that she could think of was the certain young pianist she had met earlier.

Despite meeting for just the first time, she knew that she definitely felt something different about the young pianist. Despite that politeness and calm manner of talking, she knew that the young pianist was putting on a front. She knew that the young pianist was as fragile as glass but that was not going to stop her from finding out more. She knew all too well within those innocent looking eyes lies deep dark secrets that could shatter her heart but yet somehow, just somehow, she was willing to take this risk, the risk of getting her heart-broken, over and over and over again…

Because for once she wanted to feel like a human being…for once she didn’t want to feel as if she was just putting on a fake smile every time…for once she wanted to feel as if she was being wanted…and just for once…she wanted to be loved…even if knowing that…her heart might get shattered into pieces from a truth…a truth she might not even be aware of…

-Chapter 22-

-South Korea-

After the photo shoot was done the staff began to pack up and Hyori thanked as everyone bowed to each other and bid their goodbyes. Hyori took out her iPhone and saw that she had just received a text message.

-To: Hyori unni-

-Annyeong^_^ it’s been a long time since unni has visited Australia hasn’t it? Anyways I’d like to inform you I got a scholarship to transfer to SH Academy. I’ll probably be in Korea in about one to two weeks time depending on how fast the procedures can be done. Ahh~ I can’t wait to meet unni again^_^ bye and take care~-

-From: Syafiqah-

Hyori smiled at the text, Syafiqah was a dongsaeng she met when she had a photo shoot in Australia. They first met when Syafiqah was painting a sketch of Hyori nearby. Hyori was impressed by her skills and helped her get recommended to the school she was in Australia. Hyori had even managed to help her get a scholarship as she understands that she is not able to afford such expensive tuition fees.

Syafiqah whose full name was Nur Syafiqah bte Ja’afar was a Singaporean Malay who had moved to Australia since she was young. She studied Korean as a foreign language and had therefore been able to communicate with Hyori. Syafiqah was rather on the short side, she couldn’t have been more than 155cm actually no, and she was definitely shorter than that. She had rather pale skin for Malay, had a small face, rather big dark brown eyes, slightly flat but rather sharp nose and thin lips. She had dark brownish wavy hair which was at chest length and had bangs covering her forehead. She was skinny though and was definitely pretty. She was someone whom you could say would easily be mistaken as younger than her age.

She could be both childish and mature at the same time and was fun to be around with and that was what Hyori had liked about this dongsaeng. Syafiqah was an art student and was exceptionally good at it and Hyori saw a lot of potential in her and had therefore managed to pull some strings for her to get a scholarship in the school she was studying in Australia.

-In Australia-

The short artist was jumping up and down in her room as she had just received the scholarship to SH Academy. Her family used to her antics just smiled. She could not wait to fly to Korea immediately, the country she had always wanted to visit. She decided to ring her best friend from Singapore Atika to tell her the good news but at the same time not wanting to upset her friend. Syafiqah began to dial in her best friend’s number and waited for her to pick up.

“Hello?” the receiver answered.

“Ah hello, Atika, it’s me, Syafiqah!” the caller exclaimed.

“Oh… Apa khabar?” asked the receiver.

“Fine…anyways that’s not the point! I got a scholarship to SH Academy and I’m flying to Korea in about one to two weeks time!” informed Syafiqah loudly.

“Oh…”

“How come you’re not jealous at all, we both have been dreaming of going to Korea since for how long?” questioned Syafiqah.

“Haha that’s because I…” Atika began.

“You what?” asked Syafiqah anticipating.

“I also got a scholarship to there!”

“You got a scholarship as well? No fair! I wanted to make you jealous…” said Syafiqah clearly pouting.

“Haha…too bad…see you in Korea then.” said Atika.

“See you, UNNI…” said Syafiqah emphasizing on the word unni.

“Haha…you better show some respect when we arrive in Korea because I’m still older than you.” reminded Atika.

“Hmph…” Syafiqah huffed.

“Anyways bye, overseas call is expensive.” reminded Atika.

“Oh ok bye~.” agreed Syafiqah as they both hung up.

Man, that Atika…why did she have to get the scholarship as well? Arghh…I can’t make her jealous that way…but I guess it’s still good since I get to see my best friend there…

-In Singapore-

Aish…that girl…still as childish as ever…sigh~ I’m finally going to Korea…I hope I get to meet new friends, I’ve been waiting for this day to come…

She looked at the awards she had won from the Under-18 National Cooking Competition in Singapore. Having been crown the champion for 3 consecutive years, one day someone had came to the competition and had offered her a scholarship. She went and told her parents about it and they agreed to her staying by herself in a foreign country.

Atika or Nur Atika bte Abdul Lajis, like Syafiqah was also on the short side but still slightly taller than Syafiqah. Unlike Syafiqah she was quite dark; she also had a small face and rather big eyes and had similar hairstyle to Syafiqah. If one didn’t meet them up close but from far they could have been easily mistaken as sisters or even fraternal twins.

She was older than Syafiqah by two years but they were used to calling each other by their names since in other countries there was no such term as ‘unni’.

They shared a strong relationship even after Syafiqah had moved to Australia. They were constantly video calling each other through msn using webcam and also constantly chatting on msn despite their busy schedule. Atika was the more mature one out of the two, but she did have her childish moments at times.

-In Korea-

-In Choi’s mansion-

I really should be heading back to school soon…I bet eomeoni’s really worried or maybe she really isn’t…But…I can’t seem to get you out of my head, nuna…did you really loved me for who I was? Or was it all a lie?

Soyoung sighed in frustration as he once again hid his face in the pillow.

-France-

-Paris-

A fair skinned rather tall girl with short hair was starring out the window of her apartment.

I’m finally going back… will you ever forgive me for what I did? I really had no choice but…I know that it’s useless to say anything now…

She sighed and walked back to the couch. Just then a man with grey hair and wearing a neat black suit came walking in.

“Agassi, we have to leave now, the press conference is starting soon.” informed the man who had just walked in.

“Alright…Secretary Han, I’ll meet you downstairs.”

The man bowed and left the apartment, she sighed and touched her pendant remembering how she got it, and she smiled as she reminisces the past.

-3 years ago-

A certain tall boy with rather wild hair had entered through the window. The girl who had long hair just smiled at the boy.

“So…what brings you here?” she asked.

“Well…nuna…I smelled food…” he began nervously.

“Haha, as expected…with a nose like that…” she complimented.

“So…what did you bake this time?” he asked.

“Just something…”

“Care to let me have a taste?” the tall boy asked.

“Sure…I was just about to ask someone to evaluate it.”

They walked to the kitchen and she cut a slice for him to try.

“So? How was it?” she asked curiously.

“Hmm…good but it has a bit too much cream…”

“Cream…ok, thanks for the advice as always.” she thanked him and smiled.

“No problem, nuna…”

“So…tell me, why are you really here?” she asked.

“Well…nuna ermm…” he began fidgety.

“Yes?”

He took out something from his pocket and shoved it in her hand.

“I got this for you.” he confessed shyly.

She saw what was in her hand and smiled, it was a gold Star of David pendant set with heart shaped semi precious stones. She hugged the younger boy in joy causing him to be in shock.

“Thanks, Young-ie…I love it!” she exclaimed after a while she let go of him.

“Really?” he asked.

She simply just nodded.

“So, would you put it on for me?” she asked.

“Sure…” he smiled.

He put on the pendant for her and she smiled at it.

“Nuna…I’ll be your knight in shining armour, protecting you from all directions. Be it, North, South, East, West, up or down. The heart shaped stones represent that my heart will always be with you no matter where you are….” he confessed shyly.

“Aww…that’s so sweet but you should know who you are right?” she reminded.

“Nuna…I’m perfectly sure I can protect you.” he assured.

“Haha…I’m sure you can but I kinda missed you calling me unni.” she confessed.

“Err…I guess I’ll be leaving then…”

“Haha don’t be like that…I won’t force you to say it if you don’t want to…”

“Thanks…”

“No need to thank me, I should be the one thanking you for this wonderful gift.”

“No problem, nuna…so you’re going to wear it everyday from now on?” he asked cautiously.

“Of course I will!” she exclaimed.

“Really?” he asked his eyes sparkling brightly.

“Haha…yes…”

“Whoo!” he shouted in joy as he hugged the older girl tightly.

The short haired girl smiled at that thought, the day she got the pendant was one of the happiest days of her life. She just wishes she could turn back, when everything was peaceful but she knew she couldn’t.

Young-ie, I’m sure you’re still angry at nuna right? I was stupid and foolish to not have realised that what I did hurt you but…will I ever be forgiven?

She just took in a deep breath and sighed, with a plastered smile she walked out of the apartment and headed to where the press conference was being held.

-A few days later-

-After school hours-

-In the girl’s apartment-

“They really cut off with school huh?” asked Sunny.

“Yea…I wonder why though…” agreed Tiffany.

“Well…hopefully they’ll try to act more as students when the mid-terms come.” said Jessica.

“Haha…I’d doubt that…” replied Sunny.

“I bet they wouldn’t even lift a finger to read a textbook to study.” stated Sunny.

“Yea…” Tiffany agreed.

-In Yul’s mansion-

Unlike the other two, his mansion was more of the traditional kind. It preserved most of its traditional nature except for the fact for some modern facilities used in the house. Considering the fact that his maternal grandmother was of traditional Kado background and therefore his mother specialises in things like, flower arranging, tea ceremonies and traditional gardening. Yul would mostly always wear a kimono when at home, since his mother was of Japanese descent; he took up the art of Ikebana but both the Korean and Japanese way of tea ceremony.

The boys were lazing around in Yul’s room, not bothering if they were attending school or not. Yul had just brought in the green tea, also known as “chaksol” or “chugno” in Korean. He sat down like how you were suppose to sit in the tea ceremonies and began taking a sip of the green tea. Unlike the others who just settled with fruit punch instead.

“So…have you decided to go back?” asked Yul.

“Well…I have to…soon…” informed Taeyong.

“Why?” asked the both of them.

“Joohyun’s coming…to our school soon….” he announced.

“So…you ok?” asked Yul directing the question to the taller boy.

“Yea…” he replied absentmindedly.

“Guys…don’t worry about me too much…” he assured them with a smile.

The two knew that their friend was definitely not in the mood to talk and decided to leave him alone. Yul put down the tea cup after finishing his tea and sighed.

“Soyoung-ah, you don’t have to worry too much, just tell us when you’re ready to go back.” reminded Yul.

“Sure thing Yul but I don’t think I’ll be able to do that when he’s always sleeping.” informed Soyoung pointing at the petite boy beside him.

“Haha…” they both laughed.

“I’ve decided to go back…I can’t be avoiding and staying at home all the time…”

“Glad your thinking that way; I miss the girls in school.” Yul voiced out.

“Haha…what kind of friend are you? Thinking of girls first…” Soyoung joked.

“Hey, it’s not my fault, blame the hormones!” defended Yul.

“Yeah…as if I’d believe that.” scoffed Soyoung.

“But I’m glad my friend’s finally getting back to normal huh? We wouldn’t want Hyori nuna to worry so much about we all right?” reminded Yul.

“Yeah…she’s probably stressed out already.” agreed Soyoung.

“Oh ya…I forgot to inform Key about that dance club.” blurted Yul suddenly remembering.

“Who’s Key?” asked Soyoung.

“Just a friend…” replied Yul.

“To be honest, I missed stealing food away from that shorty…” confessed Soyoung.

“Oh…I knew it, you’re falling for her already~.” teased Yul.

“Kwon Yul! Don’t sprout nonsense I have not!” retorted Soyoung.

“Haha as if I’d believe that, are you forgetting who I am?” reminded Yul.

“Yeah…the school’s most notorious player.” stated Soyoung.

“No…you mean the school’s prince.” corrected Yul.

“How are you a prince?” questioned Soyoung.

“Well…let’s see…” said Yul as he thought for a moment.

“So?” asked Soyoung.

“That’s because I treat every girl like a princess.” stated Yul.

“Haha…that’s more like flirting and besides you don’t treat every girl so nicely, what about that Tiffany girl?” reminded Soyoung.

“Oh, you mean that mushroom head?” asked Yul.

“You see what I mean? You don’t treat every girl like your precious princesses.” stated Soyoung as a matter of fact.

“Well that’s because she isn’t my princess.”

“Then what is she?” asked Soyoung curiously.

“I’d consider more of her as…a…TOY I can play with.” stated Yul with a devilish smirk.

“Haha…buddy, aren’t you a little too old for toys?” asked Soyoung.

“Oh, you’re never too old for toys and besides everyone needs a toy to get out of boredom in life right?”

“I don’t really think so…”

“Well…you’re just weird, and besides that mushroom head is such a fun toy to have.” stated Yul smiling.

“Urghh…I seriously can’t understand you.”

“Well neither can we ever understand Taeyong can we?”

“Yeah…” agreed Soyoung.

“The mid-terms are going to come soon…” reminded Soyoung.

“Haha…as if I’d be worried about stuff like that.” scoffed Yul.

“I bet I could easily score for the upcoming mock exams as well.” said Yul.

“I know but what about the girls?” asked Soyoung.

“Who’d care about them? And besides it’s their own fault if they don’t do well.”

“But…” Soyoung tried to protest.

“No buts…besides my friend, we shouldn’t be worrying about our nemesis.”

“When did they become our nemesis?” questioned Soyoung.

“Well…I don’t know…” admitted Yul.

“Haha…you claim we’re the weird ones! You’re the weirdest!” retorted Soyoung.

“I am not weird! Says who?” Yul argued back.

“Well…let’s see…claiming that Tiffany girl as your toy? Claiming the girls are our nemesis and not admitting that you are a player?” stated Soyoung.

“That’s just part of life…”

“And besides Tae’s the weird one, he can’t even remember a girl’s name properly!” stated Yul.

“Haha…for that I’d have to agree with you.” laughed Soyoung.

“I don’t get how he’s popular with the girls when he can’t even remember their names!” cried Yul.

“Well…let’s just say…he has his ways…”

“Haha yeah…but he definitely can remember someone’s name.” stated Yul.

“Oh…you mean that Jessica girl?” asked Soyoung.

“Yeah…”

Just then the petite boy woke up and stared blankly at his two best friends clueless as to what they had just said.

“Is…anything the…matter?” he asked.

“Haha…nothing…absolutely nothing…” they both laughed.

Taeyong smiled at the sight of his two best friends.

“Anyways I’m going to make my first move tomorrow.” announced Yul with a devilish smirk.

“What first move?” Soyoung questioned.

“Just wait for tomorrow, the show will begin…” stated Yul with an evil smile.

His two best friends eyed him weirdly not knowing what to say.

-Chapter 23-

The very next day, the girls came to school as per normal and still didn’t spot any of the three princes in school. As the teacher was taking attendance, he called out for Soyoung but again to no avail. But just then a loud voice came and someone had come into the classroom by the window.

“I’m back guys~ did everyone miss me?” he announced cheerfully.

The girls in the class were extremely enthusiastic that the taller boy had returned. Sunny scoffed at the taller boy’s childish antics but inwardly smiling.

You finally decided to come back huh? Looks like your problems are settled…

The teacher although frustrated at the boy, was still happy inwardly that his student decided to attend school again. Just as Sunny was about to turn back to face the front, there was a loud shout from the back of the class.

“Shorty~ did you miss me? Well…I did…I missed taking your food away from you!” announced Soyoung loudly.

Some of the girls were jealous of Sunny and were acting arrogantly, while the boys in class just started to laugh.

Sunny just sighed not wanting to cause interruption in the class.

And to think I was starting to think he was nice…

Just after Soyoung had made his grand entrance by the window, the sound of the familiar motorcycle engine roared as it sped pass and entered the classroom in style. The rider took off his helmet and the girls were having their hopes up again.

“I’m not late am I?” he asked

“I’ll let you off this time.” said the teacher in a happy mood.

Yul walked to his seat as he passed by Tiffany he smirked at her and whispered into her ear making the other girls jealous.

“Ya, mushroom head did you miss me?” teased Yul.

“Why you…”

“Don’t be so tensed…because well…I did have fun playing with my toy.” stated Yul to only her.

He straightened his back and walked back to his seat with a confident smirk.

“Kwon Yul, I so hate you!” screamed Tiffany.

“Haha…” Yul laughed to himself.

“Miss Hwang! If you have any personal issues to settle please take it outside the class!” the teacher reprimanded.

“Sorry…” she apologised and sat back down.

The class giggled a little and peace was about to be drawing in not until there was a loud bang at the front door. The sleepyhead walked in absentmindedly and greeted the teacher as usual with the 90 degrees bow.

Drowsily walking to the back of the class, Jessica looked at him worried that he’d trip over the steps.

With the three princes back in school the school was definitely much livelier than usual. The girls were happy to see them back despite their past conflicts.

“Everyone probably knows the mid-terms are coming soon, so the school we’ll be having the mock examinations soon!” announced the teacher.

There were sighs and complaints here and there.

“I want everyone to work hard and get better grades this time round!” stated the teacher.

“You’ll have to come back during the summer break for extra lessons, if you fail!” stated the teacher.

Again there was a huge amount of complaints.

“Alright…let’s get back to studying shall we?” announced the teacher as the sounds of the textbook pages flipped open.

-After normal curriculum time-

-At the infirmary-

“You boys finally decided to come to school?” questioned Narsha as she hugged them one by one.

“Nuna, stop trying to take advantage of us, you’re 30! Remember?” reminded Yul trying to provoke the older woman.

“Haha…then you’ll know not to mess with your nuna.” stated Narsha as she pulled the younger boy in for a headlock and knocked his head.

“Ouch! Let go!”

Narsha let go laughing at the scene, Soyoung and Taeyong laughed along as well.

“Man~ why do I keep getting hit on the head?” whined Yul.

“To knock some sense into you!” stated Narsha.

“So…what brings you guys back?” she asked.

“Why do you doubt us?” asked Soyoung.

“It’s rare to see you boys so obedient, well besides my precious pet of course.” stated Narsha as a matter of fact.

“Narsha nuna, what did we say about that?!” reminded Yul.

“What about what?” Narsha asked innocently smiling.

“Don’t play dumb with us…” said Yul.

“Haha…alright…alright I’ll stop messing around ok?” Narsha stated.

“Well…nuna, we’ll be leaving first we’ll come visit another time.” said Soyoung as they bid their goodbyes.

“Yeah…I just hope you boys attend school more regularly.” reminded Narsha.

“Yeah…yeah…”

She just smiled at them as they walked off to the cafeteria.

-At the cafeteria-

“Oh my god, Tiffany…you don’t know how lucky you are to be targeted by Kwon Yul.” squealed Hyoyeon in delight.

“Hmph…this is what you call bad luck!” she stated.

“Aww…how can you think of it as bad luck?” asked Hyoyeon.

“That’s because, he’s a jerk and how can I be…urghh! I don’t want to talk about it!”

“Oh and Sunny…Soyoung just flat out confessed his love to you in class, what are you going to do about it?” asked Hyoyeon.

“Confess? More like making my life more difficult.” stated Sunny.

Just then a loud crowd formed at the entrance as the three princes stepped into the cafeteria.

“Oh no, here he comes again~.” sighed Sunny in defeat looking at her handmade cream puff.

Soyoung rushed past the crowd of girls and grabbed the cream puff from Sunny’s hand. Sunny immediately stood up before he could eat it and shouted.

“Choi Soyoung stop taking my food!” she scolded.

“Haha…why should I?” he asked.

“Urghh…don’t you have manners? Ask for permission first?!” she reprimanded.

“Well…may I have this cream puff?” he asked.

“Well let’s see...ermm…no!” Sunny stated.

“Why~?” he whined.

“Because you’ve stolen my food all the time!” reminded Sunny.

“Fine…” he succumbed reluctantly.

He bitterly returned the cream puff to the shorter girl and she took it away from him. She immediately took a bite in front of him and began eating.

“Do you have extras?” he asked.

“If it’s this cream puff, I don’t…but if it’s others I do.”

“You only have one of that?” he asked again.

“Yes…and I’m not going to give it to you!” she stated clearly and took another bite the cream puff still in her mouth.

“I guess I have no choice then…” he said as he moved closer to the shorter girl.

He bent down to her height and took a bite out of the remaining cream puff that was sticking out of her mouth.

“Thanks…” he whispered into her ear happily and waved back as he walked to the second floor.

The girls were jealous seeing the scene in front of them. Sunny was in shock unsure of what to do. She felt like it was getting hotter in here and her face blushed. Jessica woke her up from her trance and she just sat back down.

There were jealous cries all over the cafeteria and Yul just smirked at his taller friend’s actions.

Taeyong just sighed with a calm expression. The two walked towards the girls table again making everyone else jealous.

“Hey mushroom head!” Yul called out making everyone else laugh.

“What do you want?” Tiffany scoffed.

“Hey! Don’t be like that~ how can you treat your master so badly?” he whined.

“Since when were you my master?!” she questioned.

“Since the day I claimed that you were my toy.” he stated.

“What do you mean by a toy?! You’ve got to be kidding me!” she argued back already standing up from her seat.

As usual they were like in a death match only this time there was a huge crowd watching.

“Haha…that’s what makes you so fun to play with…your reaction is always the best.” he laughed.

“Why you…” she said with her fist clenched.

“Hey…calm down…” he said trying to calm the shorter girl.

“Well…just get your facts right, number 1: I’m not your toy! Number 2: You have no rights to mess with me! Number 3: You’re the biggest JE…” stated Tiffany just as she was about to complete her sentence she was silenced by the playboy that stood in front of her.

He pulled her in and planted a kiss on her lips. Yul smirked and closed his eyes. Tiffany wide eyed and still in shock didn’t push the taller boy away yet.

Soyoung who was watching the scene from above smiled at his best friend.

Who knew he’d be so fast?

At another table the certain Chinese girl was watching bitterly.

I guess you’ve completely forgotten about me…well that’s good I suppose… you’re much better off with Tiffany…

Soyoung still in shocked, could not believe his best friend had just did that.

So…this is what you meant huh?

The girls looked at the scene in defeat and so were some of the guys. Many hearts were broken after the scene just played in front of them.

Tiffany regained consciousness and pushed the taller boy away, wiping her lips. The taller boy smirked at her and she screamed in defence.

“Ahh~, how can you take away my first KISS!” she stated blushing.

“Oh that was your first? I’m so sorry…who knew…” he apologised light-heartedly.

“You jerk!” she scolded.

Yul just smirked as he grabbed her by hand and up on a higher platform, where the piano was.

“Everybody, listen up!” he called out for everyone’s attention.

“You better let go of me or else!” she whispered to him.

“As if I would…” he scoffed at her.

“I Kwon Yul hereby proclaim that mushroom head over here!” he said beginning his speech.

“What do you mean by mushroom head!” she whispered to him struggling to break free of his grip.

“Miss Tiffany Hwang over here, is from today onwards…Kwon Yul’s toy! If anyone of you dares to play with her, I’ll personally see to it!” he announced.

“So all you losers can just buzz off, because Tiffany Hwang over here is from today onwards…a property of Kwon Yul!” he announced.

She struggled out of his grip and shouted back.

“Kwon Yul, get your facts right! When was I ever your toy?!” she argued back.

“Since I put my mark on you…” he whispered into her ear.

Tiffany blushed at the comment and the taller boy just smirked and walk towards the second floor.

Taeyong who was watching just sighed in disbelief and followed along, he bowed to the other girls looking apologetic for his best friend’s actions. Jessica just gave him a smile to assure him it was alright; Taeyong followed along and headed back to the second floor to join his friends.

-At the second floor-

“So…that’s what you meant by the show will commence tomorrow?” asked Soyoung.

“You figured me out…” admitted Yul with a smirk.

“Haha…I knew it, Kwon Yul, the infamous player would do something like that.” laughed Soyoung.

“So…Tae, did you enjoy the show?” Yul asked.

“Was there a show? And besides…you were rather rude…” stated Taeyong obliviously.

“Ya~ how can you be so oblivious to this kind of thing?” whined Yul.

“Haha…I guess that’s what makes you Taeyong.” stated Soyoung.

“Yeah…” agreed Yul.

“Enough about me, what about you, where did you learn that move from?” probed Yul.

“What move?” Soyoung asked clueless.

“Don’t kid around with me…that eating out from your mouth move~” teased Yul.

“Oh…that was just because I was hungry and I had to try that particular cream puff, the smell was different from the rest.” defended Soyoung.

“Sigh…as expected it’s related to food~ how can you ruin such a moment with food?” asked Yul in defeat.

“So…Tae, when are you making the first move?” asked Yul.

“What first move?” he asked.

“Sigh~ I wonder when he will ever grow up?” sighed Yul in defeat.

Soyoung just laughed at the tall boy and smiled at his shorter friend.

-At the cafeteria-

“Urghh…I can’t believe he just stole my…urghh! Never mind…” said Tiffany in disbelief.

“Who knew he’d be so fast?” commented Hyoyeon.

“Yeah…and announcing that you’re his to the whole school.” agreed Sunny.

“Ahh~ stop reminding me of that, I think this is the worst nightmare ever.” she proclaimed.

“It isn’t that bad…” comforted Sunny.

“Yeah…well other than the fact you’re now the main target for the girls in school, so all I can say is good luck.” warned Hyoyeon.

“I can’t believe this is happening to me…” whined Tiffany in defeat.

“Fany-ah, cheer up~ I’m sure that tomorrow we’ll be a better day.” said Jessica trying to cheer her best friend up.

“How can it be, when…starting from today I’m his TOY?!” she asked in defeat.

“I’m sure it’s nothing…” assured Sunny.

“Yeah…he’s probably just joking around.” agreed Jessica.

“Err…Fany? Just do your best and be wary.” comforted Hyoyeon.

“Ahh~ my life is so miserable~” stated Tiffany.

-Chapter 24-

Just as what Hyoyeon had predicted, things didn’t go too well for Tiffany.

The very next day when she came to school with her two best friends, they met Hyoyeon at the main entrance and they walked into the school together.

But, just as she was about to enter, not being careful she accidentally stepped onto a piece of gum and was stuck.

Her friends tried to help her but at that time a huge bucket of water splashed onto her from above. The culprits ran off giggling in success.

Tiffany was extremely frustrated, all due to the fact of a guy named Kwon Yul that made her life so miserable.

Her friends could only look at her in pity. They took her to the shower room to dry her up first, after she got out, they headed to their lockers to get their books but just as she swung opened the locker something spurted out onto her face, and her face and hair were full of flour.

She was in a total mess and there wasn’t enough time left to go clean her own self up again. Her friends just patted her on the shoulder and sighed in defeat she looked at them with pitiful eyes and they did not know what to do.

When the four of them stepped into the class, Tiffany spotted Yul at the back of the class relaxing and raised a fist at him. He just smiled at her as if she was happy to see him, Taeyong just looked at them apologetically and they walked towards their seats.

When Tiffany was walking the stairs someone stuck out their leg and tripped her over. She fell flat on the ground and the girls in the class giggled.

Hyoyeon and Sunny went over to help their friend; the girl who had stuck her leg out just gave a triumphant smirk.

Jessica who was extremely furious at the situation was about to turn around and slap the girl on the face but someone had stopped her, Kwon Yul.

“Didn’t I warn you guys not to mess with my toy?!” he scolded.

“Yul…it’s not what you think…” said the girl trembling.

“If I see something like this happening again, you’ll know what to do…” he threatened the trembling girl.

The girl fully knowing what Yul meant immediately nodded her head. He bent over to help Tiffany up but was pushed away by her.

“Kwon Yul! Don’t you even know why all this is happening to me?!” she questioned.

“It’s all because of you! So…I’d wished you would just leave me alone!” she shouted leaving him in shock.

They just walked back to their seats; everyone in class who were murmuring here and there whispers could be heard. Soyoung stood up from his seat and clapped for everyone’s attention.

“The show’s over everyone just keep quiet and wait for the teacher to come!” he said silencing everyone.

The teacher walked in and noticed Tiffany in a mess, he roughly guessed what happen but didn’t bother. It was not because he didn’t care but it was hard to defy the students in this school with family background like theirs.

“I wonder why that girl was so obedient after he threatened her?” asked Jessica whispering to Sunny.

“Beats me, we should go ask Hyo later.” suggested Sunny.

“Yeah…” agreed Jessica.

The lessons ended as per normal, no one dared to mess with Tiffany just for today after Yul’s warning.

Tiffany went to the restroom to wash up while the rest walked to the cafeteria and had their lunch, after ordering their food they sat down hoping they would be able to eat in peace.

“So…Hyo, you know why that girl was so obedient after he threatened her?” asked Jessica.

“Don’t you know the rules here?” asked Hyoyeon.

“What rules? If you’re talking about the student’s rule book, I most definitely know about that.” stated Jessica.

“For those staying in the school’s dormitories has to shut off the lights by 10pm, the cafeteria starts opening at 6:30 a.m. absolutely no use of electronic devices during lesson time. Self-study is from 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m., freelanced not really fixed timing before official lessons start. Department lessons start at 3:30 p.m. and ends depending.” recited Jessica as if she was reading straight out from the book.

“Wow…you actually memorised all those?” exclaimed Hyoyeon.

“I didn’t memorise them it, they were just always in my head.” clarified Jessica.

“She’s always like that…” stated Sunny.

“Oh…I can see…”

“So…you haven’t told us why she was so obedient?” probed Sunny.

“Well…in this school anyone who defies the three princes or those who don’t listen to their warnings will get expelled from the school.” explained Hyoyeon.

“But how can they expel someone from school?” questioned Jessica.

“Yeah…” agreed Sunny.

“Well…first off the whole school gangs up on you and you’ll be driven to the edge both mentally and physically. Not being able to take the pressure most would just drop out of school.” explained Hyoyeon.

“Wow…I didn’t think they’d be that scary.” commented Sunny.

“They aren’t…it’s just the power they have in school that makes them that way.” said Hyoyeon.

“Oh…”

Tiffany who had just changed into her own clothes walked into the cafeteria and found her friends and sat down.

“You OK?” asked Hyoyeon concerned.

“Yeah…” assured Tiffany who didn’t sound too convincing.

“Well…just try to cheer up ok?” comforted Sunny as they went back to eat their meals.

Just as expected, a crowd had formed, the three princes had just stepped into the cafeteria.

Yul looked at Tiffany slightly in guilt but just ignored it, and went to look for his hubae. He found the person he was looking for and called him over.

They walked over to some place quiet and Yul gave him a card.

“This is the address I manage to get for you, you’ll have to audition first, they may or may not accept you onto their squad.” informed Yul.

“Thanks, hyung! I really appreciate it.” exclaimed Key his eyes beaming with delight.

“Wait, aren’t you in the art department?” he questioned.

“Yeah…I do like painting and such but if this school had dancing in the music department, I’d have joined the music department a long time ago.” explained Key.

“Oh…hahas…well, good luck on the try-outs then.” Yul said cheering his fellow hubae on.

“Thanks Yul hyung, I’ll do my best.”

“Ok kid, bye.”

“Bye, hyung.”

Yul walked back to Soyoung and they headed off to the second floor.

-At the girls’ table-

I wonder where he is though…

A certain long brown haired girl thought and sighed.

-At the second floor-

Changmin and Yunho who were sitting on the couch waiting for their cousins’ arrival looked at them with angry eyes.

“Kwon Yul, I’m really disappointed with you this time.” scolded Yunho.

“What’s the problem?”

“You toy with a girl and all you can say is that?” he asked.

“So? What do you want me to do?” he retorted.

“You’d better go apologise, I didn’t raise my cousin to be like that. I know uncle and auntie didn’t have time to take care of you but that doesn’t give you the right to mess with a girl’s life like that.” he reprimanded.

“Yunho, calm down.” said Changmin.

“Do you like her?” asked Yul.

“What nonsense are you blabbering about?” Yunho defended.

“If you don’t like her, then why do you care about whether I’m toying with her?” he retorted back.

“Or you just want to be her knight in shining armour and what? Save her and then make her fall in love with you so you can sleep with her?!” he questioned.

Just then, a fist had came flying across Yul’s right cheek and he fell onto the ground. Yul stood up and brushed the blood away and smirked at his cousin.

“I’m really disappointed at you, Kwon Yuri! And to think that you’re my cousin!” he scolded with menacing eyes.

Staring at his cousin for the last time he stormed out of the room in rage, Changmin just sighed and looked at Yul, he knew why he just did that and just smiled then ran off to Yunho.

“Ahh~ life is so hard~” complained Yul.

“Yul, seriously, this time you were going overboard.” scolded Soyoung with an unusual serious tone.

“Did I say anything wrong?” he asked.

“You knew that Yunho always had a crush on Stephanie Kim from Class 3-B since like when they were in the same middle school.” stated Soyoung obviously.

“Yea…I know…”

“But why did you do that? Using Tiffany against him?” asked Soyoung.

“I just wanted him to realise his true feelings to Stephanie and confess to her…”

“What do you mean?” asked Soyoung.

“Ha, I’ve known this cousin for years…he’s always like that, thinking of others before himself, meddling into other people’s business first. Almost everyone knows Stephanie is moving back to America soon. I mean her letter of withdrawal from school is already soon to be finalised.” explained Yul.

“Then why did you…”

“I wanted him to realise that for once he should be selfish and put himself first instead of others…”

“And win that Stephanie’s heart like a man, I mean it’s not like Stephanie hates him or anything…in fact, I’m pretty sure she’s silently waiting for him to stop her…”

“I guess I was wrong about you just now.” said Soyoung apologetic.

“Haha…I have to be a real villain doesn’t I? Seriously, sacrificing myself… he should be honoured.” said Yul in a narcissist tone.

“Haha…sacrificing yourself huh?” asked Soyoung.

“Where’s Tae by the way?” asked Yul.

“Well he said he had something to do, so he left first.” explained Soyoung.

“Sigh…he’s always disappearing…” commented Yul.

“Yeah…I agree…”

-At the garden-

The petite boy lay on the grass, peacefully with no disruptions at all. Closing his eyes all he could do was think about when he and Jessica were at Changmin’s place.

He couldn’t sleep and he didn’t know why, ever since he became a boy, ever since he started to bore hatred with his father and ever since… he realised he could never feel relaxed.

But somehow with Jessica, it was different, and he just didn’t know why.

The petite boy just sighed and closed his eyes trying to get some sleep before department lessons officially start.

He stared at his right hand, the scars that were not visible from far was obviously still visible when close by.

He remembered vividly the day he got it and the day she who cruelly left him.

He started to wonder if she hadn’t turn into a boy, would life be so difficult?

Would she be smiling like a carefree person? Would she truly find that special someone?

“Umma… Umma!” a young girl who could not be more than ten was kneeling down at the deathbed of her mom.

A week later she barged into her father’s study, seeing that he was on the computer she became frustrated and shouted at him.

“Umma’s dead because of you and all you can think about is work?!”

“Get out…I don’t wish to talk to you…”

“Don’t expect me to ever forgive you…you coldblooded man…I’ll…I’ll never acknowledge you as my father…” she said firmly trying to hold back her tears and stomped out of her father’s study.

Taeyong looked back bitterly at the memory; she and her father never had a good relationship to start of with. And it just became worse after her mother’s death and not long after which…the death of the only family in the house she felt she had left…her twin brother, Kim Taeyong.

The petite boy just sighed, feeling extremely frustrated. Just then a certain wavy haired girl woke him up.

“Nuna…” he called out.

“Spacing out again, Taeyong?” she asked.

“What…are you doing in…our school, nuna?” he asked.

“Oh…I came by to meet up with the principal.” she informed.

“Oh…”

She sat down next to him and sighed.

“So…anything the matter?” she asked.

“Nothing much…nuna…but…I just can’t seem to understand…some things…” confessed Taeyong.

“Haha…I’m sure you’ll find the answers soon…” she assured.

“Yea…”

-Europe-

-Austria-

The fair skinned mid-length black haired girl was starring at her hand phone like mad wondering when the pianist would call.

Sigh…it’s been over a week already and she’s still not going to call?

Inside a certain apartment a certain black haired girl with bangs was contemplating whether to call the young artist about her departure back to Korea.

Her suitcase was already packed and her transfer procedures had already been completed.

She had decided to stay in the school’s dormitories as she doubts that she could erase the horrific memory left in that house of hers.

Should I call her and tell her I’m leaving soon?

The young artist kept pacing back and forth her small apartment, she lived alone without anyone.

People might wonder what a young lady like her doing in a foreign country all alone but her situation forced her to. Just then her ringtone started playing.

~maeumi yeppeun sarami dwelgeyo… (I’ll become a person with a beautiful heart)~ (song used: SNSD’s Dear Mom)

She answered the call hoping that it was the pianist.

“Yeoboseyo, who am I speaking to?” she asked.

“Yoona-ssi, it’s me, Seohyun…I just called because I wanted to inform you that I’m leaving for Korea today.”

“What…do…you mean?” she asked her voice trembling.

“My transfer procedures have been completed, so I’m moving back to Korea.” she stated.

“Which school are you attending?” she asked.

“SH Academy, 2nd year, they let me skip a grade because of my grades.” she explained.

“Oh…you’re 16? I’m 17 so I guess I’m your unni then…wait! That’s not the problem! When is your flight? Are you using Vienna International Airport?” she asked panicking.

“Yes…and my flight is CET 3:45 p.m. I’ll be flying using Korean Air, Terminal 1.” she informed.

“Oh ok…bye…”

“Bye as well Yoona-ssi…”

The young artist looked at the time; it read 3:15 p.m. She wasn’t even sure if she could make it in time.

She didn’t bother and just flagged a taxi. By the time she was at the airport it was already 3:40 p.m. She didn’t have much time left.

-At the departure hall-

Will she really come? It’s time to leave already, I guess I have to wait and see if we are destined to meet again…Goodbye, Yoona-ssi and goodbye, Austria…

She sighed and dragged her suitcase.

On the other hand, Yoona was running around the airport trying to find the certain young pianist.

When she looked at the departures of the flights to Korea, she knew that the plane had not taken off yet and she still had time.

Seohyun was about to take out her passport to show the security people, at that time, Yoona ran past her and she entered dragging her suitcase into the plane.

The plane was soon going to departure and Yoona was at absolutely a loss cause. She was panicking; she didn’t want to lose her chance to not meet that young pianist.

But when she looked at the screen again, all hope had been lost, she had missed the young pianist and the plane had left.

She went back to her small apartment and contemplated whether or not to call the man she dreaded the most.

She dialled in the familiar number and as expected his secretary had answered the call.

“May I speak to Hwejangnim?” she asked trying to sound polite despite wanting to just vent out her anger.

“Have you booked an appointment, miss? Hwejangnim is busy right now and might not be able to take any calls.” she informed.

“Just tell him that…Im Yoona’s calling…” she stated with much spite in her voice.

“Very well, miss…please hold on for a moment.”

-In Korea-

There was a knock on his office and he allowed the secretary to enter.

“Is anything the matter?” he asked looking tired.

“Sir, there is someone on the phone who wishes to speak to you.” the secretary informed.

“Tell that person I’m too busy.” he said frustrated.

“Sir, she told me to tell you that Im Yoona is calling and you’d understand…” she informed.

“Put her through” he said changing his mind.

“Very well, sir then I shall take my leave.” she informed and bowed to the old man.

“Yeoboseyo, what brings you to call me?” he asked.

“Annyeonghashyeosseoyo, hwejangnim?” she greeted.

“Cut the crap, what do you want?” he asked.

“I don’t want to ask favours from you but I’ve got no choice, hwejangnim…”

“I need a flight back to Korea.”

“Why so? Aren’t you living well in Austria?” he asked.

“Don’t ask too many questions and just get me a one way ticket back to Korea by tomorrow.”

“Fine…would you like me to prepare a room for you?” he asked.

“There is no way ever I’m ever going to stay in your house so dream on!” she snapped.

“Oh and prepare my transfer to SH Academy.” she informed.

“You’re going to Yuri’s school?” he asked shocked.

“Yeah…I know unni or should I say oppa now…doesn’t know of my existence but what will happen when oppa finds out that his appa is hiding a daughter in Austria for the past, 12 years.” she said trying to torment the old man.

“Fine…I’ll get you a plane ticket and get your transfer procedures done, just don’t tell Yuri about anything…” he begged but sounded unconvincing.

“I may ask for your help now but trust me, I’ll be sure to pay back every single cent I owe you…” she reminded.

“Yoona, you don’t have to…” he assured.

“Don’t ever call me by my name, hwejangnim!”

“And just to inform you, umma’s death anniversary is in three weeks time.” she informed.

“But I doubt you could ever go…too busy with all your business deals.” she said sarcastically.

“Yoona…” he called out not knowing what to say.

“Just get the things I asked you to get done, hwejangnim and don’t worry… I’ll start paying for every single cent once I start to earn money…”

“Goodbye, hwejangnim.” she said in spite as she hung up the phone on him.

She sighed finally being able to relax; she never liked her father and never called him appa not even once.

But she was glad that she was finally going to Korea the place that held painful yet unforgettable memories.

-Chapter 25-

-In Australia-

-2:30 p.m.-

I’m finally going to Korea! Yeah~! Hwaiting!

She boarded the plane and the plane headed off to Incheon Airport.

-In Singapore-

-5:00 p.m.-

I wonder if Syafiqah has arrived yet, aish…who cares…I’ll just message her later…

She dragged her suitcase and boarded the plane and just like the plane in Australia it was heading to the destination where they’ll encounter new people and experience new things.

-In Korea-

-Incheon Airport-

-11:30 p.m.-

Atika had arrived slightly earlier and was waiting for Syafiqah at the waiting area. She took out her phone and messaged the girl.

To: Syafiqah

-Have you arrive yet? I’m waiting at the waiting area…-

From: Atika

After about 5 minutes, Atika received a message from Syafiqah.

To: Atika

-Unni, I just arrived, wait for me for a while, Okays? I need to go through security check first. -

From: Syafiqah

When Syafiqah came out with her suitcase strolling along, she spotted her long time best friend Atika and waved to her.

“Wow, it’s been such a long time since we last saw each other!” exclaimed Syafiqah.

“Yeah…you look more mature now…” commented Atika.

“Let’s go, we need to sleep since school’s starting tomorrow.” suggested Syafiqah.

They both flagged a taxi to their new school, when they arrived they asked for directions and were taken to the dormitories they’ll be staying in, the disciplinary mistress gave them their card key and brought them to the room they’ll be staying in.

Unfortunately, they had to sleep in separate rooms due to the fact that Syafiqah was of a different grade from Atika. The 2nd year students were staying at the 2nd floor while the 3rd year students were staying at the 3rd floor.

The disciplinary mistress brought Syafiqah to her room first and explained to her certain rules; she also informed her that her roommate would be arriving probrably the day after tomorrow. Syafiqah thanked her and plopped herself onto bed and fell asleep immediately.

Atika was then brought to her room; her roommate was long ago asleep. The disciplinary mistress just gave her some instructions and left. Atika like Syafiqah not bothering to unpack just plopped herself onto the bed and slept.

The disciplinary mistress had already assured them that their school uniforms would be assign to them by tomorrow before lesson starts and that their lockers would be arranged soon.

-Incheon Airport-

-4:40 a.m.-

The three princes, Yunho and Changmin had been waiting at the airport for the plane to arrive.

Yunho who had found out why his cousin did that yesterday apologised to Yul and felt sorry for punching him. Yul just assured him that it was alright.

Changmin was pacing back and forth nervously.

“Haha…look at how nervous he is~” teased Yul.

“Changmin-ah…I’m sure…my cousin…will be glad to meet you…so can you stop pacing back and forth? You’re…making…me dizzy…” Taeyong assured.

“But…” he protested.

“Cousin, don’t worry…you look fine, really handsome…and haha the flowers sure are extravagant.” teased Soyoung.

“Ya~ you guys stop teasing me~” he complained.

They all laughed at the taller boy and he looked slightly upset.

-4:45 a.m.-

The plane had just arrived and they were waiting to find Seohyun. Seohyun spotted her oppas and rushed up to them.

“Long time no sees, Seohyun.” greeted Yunho in a less serious tone.

“Good to see you as well, Yunho oppa.” she greeted back.

“Seohyun-ah was there good food in Austria, welcome back!” Soyoung greeted with the signature cheery smile.

“Haha...Soyoung oppa you’re still thinking about food? Yea…the food was good…” she laughed a little.

“Yo, Seo…welcome back.” Yul greeted trying to sound uninterested.

“Haha Yul oppa…are you trying to flirt with me when my cousin is just beside you?” she asked.

“Oh no…who’d dare to hit on you when Tae’s here…” he defended.

He then whispered to Seohyun.

“You’ll never find someone with your cousin so over protective…”

“Haha I know…”

Seohyun smiled at her cousin and hugged the shorter boy.

“Welcome back…Joohyun-ah…” he greeted.

“Glad to be back as well, oppa.”

“Hey~ why didn’t I get a hug?” whined Yul.

“Haha…” laughed Seohyun.

“Kwon Yul…you better not…take advantage of….my cousin…” warned Taeyong.

“Taeyong-ah~ it’s not like your cousin even likes me~” he complained.

Seohyun then faced Changmin whose face was flushed.

“Wel…wel….welcome back, Seohyun…” he stuttered.

“Glad to be back as well, Changmin oppa.” she smiled.

“Th…Th…this is for you.” he stuttered handing out the bouquet of flowers to her.

“Kamsahamnida, oppa.” she thanked him and smiled.

Changmin was blushing like mad and they all decided to head to where Taeyong’s chauffeur was parked. They all got into the car and they sent the rest back to their houses before heading to back to Taeyong’s house.

“Joohyun-ah, you can sleep here for tonight…”

“Thanks, oppa…”

“Your uniforms have…already….arrived…it’s over there…” he informed.

“Thanks oppa, I’ll be moving to the school’s dormitories by tomorrow.” she informed.

“Oh alright…but be wary of people…” he warned.

“Oppa, I’m not a baby anymore…” she teased.

“Oh…sorry, Joohyun-ah…” he apologised.

“Haha…I was just kidding with you, oppa.” she said.

“Anyways, oppa…I’m going to get some sleep…I’m tired…” she informed yawning.

“Alright…goodnight…Joohyun-ah…” he said and headed back to his bed and fell asleep straight away.

Seohyun just smiled at her cousin and went to the guest room prepared for her.

-The next morning-

-7:00 a.m.-

-At the dining table-

Seohyun was enjoying her breakfast and wondered why her cousin still hadn’t woken up yet.

Sigh…Taeyong oppa is forever sleeping; we should already be getting ready for school…

After she finished her meal she thanked the butler and walked upstairs to Taeyong’s room. She knocked on the door but to no avail, she slowly opened the door and crept inside. She shook the petite boy awake and he looked at her lazily.

“Oppa, its 7:00 a.m. already, we have to get ready and go to school.” informed Seohyun.

“Joohyun-ah, it’s still early…another…5….more minutes….” he said drowsily still not fully awake.

“Oppa, you better get up or else!” she threatened.

Taeyong immediately obeyed and headed to the bathroom to wash up. After which he headed down to have his breakfast.

The chauffeur was waiting for them and the both of them stepped into the Rolls Royce limousine and the limo drove to school.

As soon as Taeyong’s limousine arrived at the school’s front gate, the students, especially the girls, recognising the familiar limousine stopped in their tracks and turned around hoping to catch a glimpse of the petite boy.

But when they saw another really pretty young and tall girl stepping out together with one of the princes of the school some girls were green with envy and probably had already planned something evil on the poor new student.

“Oppa, why are all those girls starring at us?” she whispered.

“I…don’t know…Joohyun-ah…” he replied unable to understand the situation.

They walked off together and headed to the principal’s office. After a short meeting, Taeyong bid goodbye to his cousin, Seohyun was then taken by her homeroom teacher to her new classroom. Taeyong whispered something to Seohyun before she left.

“If anyone…dares to…bully you…just tell…me about…it…” he instructed.

“Don’t worry, oppa…I’ll be fine…” she assured smiling.

Taeyong then walked back to his class.

-In class-

With none of the princes arriving yet, the girls definitely took this opportunity to torture Tiffany.

“Ya don’t think you’re such a big shot because Yul favours you!” threatened the same girl who had tripped her over.

“Yea…he’s probably just using you…” warned her friend.

The girls were continuing to torment Tiffany with the harsh remarks here and there until Jessica who was peacefully reading her story book could not take it when people were disturbing her.

“Why don’t you people just shut your mouth up!” she snapped as she slammed the book onto the table.

“What makes you think we should?” one of the girls challenged her.

“Yea…you better watch your mouth, we may not be as rich as the princes but we definitely have enough money to let you and your friends go bankrupt!” threatened one of the girls.

“Yea…so why don’t you just mind your own business!”

“Why you…” muttered Jessica with her fist clenched.

The girl stood up as well and looked at her straight in the face.

“What are you going to do? Punch me in the face?” challenged the girl.

Jessica was trying to calm herself down, she never was one to meddle into someone’s business but they were going overboard and at the same time they were disturbing her reading time.

Jessica was someone who got really angry when people disturb her reading and sleeping time. They stared at each other as if they were in a death match.

Just then, Taeyong stepped into class, catching the attention of almost everyone in the class. When he spotted Jessica and one of his classmates starring at each other like a death match, he didn’t know what got into him but he unconsciously walked towards them.

“What…do you…think…you’re doing?” he questioned the girl.

“Tae…Tae…Taeyong…it’s not what you think it is…” the girl stammered.

“If…I ever…catch you or anyone…else here…messing with…Jessica and her friends…” he began.

“I’ll…never…let you guys…off…” he warned with a serious tone and walked to the back of the class and rested his head on the table to sleep.

He didn’t know what got over him but he felt the need to protect Jessica. The girl succumbed and sat back down and so did Jessica.

I wonder why he helped me though…

The homeroom teacher walked in and the class started to settle down, Soyoung and Yul were late as usual and would later make their grand entrance. When everyone had finally arrived, Mr Han called for everyone’s attention.

“Class, I have to make an announcement!”

He instructed for the girl waiting outside to step in.

“We have a new student in the class!” he announced.

There were murmurs here and there.

“Please introduce yourself.” he whispered to the new student.

The short girl stepped up and took in a deep breath trying to keep herself calm.

“Annyeonghaseyo, everyone… My name is Nur Atika bte Abdul Lajis or just Atika for short. I’m from Singapore and I’m a foreign exchange student, my Korean might still be lacking but please take care of me. And in case anyone was wondering. I’m in the food department, under cooking.” she greeted.

The guys looked at her with plenty of interest, maybe it was due to the fact she was different from the rest and she possessed a different type of beauty. Some knew who she was and started to become wary of the girl.

“Isn’t she the Singapore’s National Under-18 cooking Champion?” asked one of the girls.

“Yeah…I heard she was offered a scholarship here…” said one of the boys.

Whispers could be heard here and there.

“Who’s the new girl?” asked Tiffany.

“Oh, Singapore’s National Under-18 Cooking Champion and also my new roommate.” replied Hyoyeon with a smile.

“Oh…”

The teacher tried to find a seat for the new student, after much thought she was put next to Jessica due to the fact that Jessica knew English and could help her with her studies as well.

“Annyeonghaseyo, it’s nice to meet you.” she greeted.

“Yea…me too…” replied Jessica totally ignoring the girl.

Atika nervously sat down beside the girl suddenly feeling as if the temperature had dropped.

Why is she so cold…Sigh…I just hope I can get along with everyone…I wonder how Fiqah’s doing?

-In the Class 2-A-

“Class, we have two new students today!” announced their homeroom teacher.

The two of them walked into the classroom, most of the students already recognised the taller girl. There were murmurs everywhere in the class.

“Isn’t she the girl that came out of the same car as Taeyong oppa?”

“Yea…don’t tell me she’s his girlfriend?”

“No way…Taeyong oppa doesn’t like girls her style!”

The teacher coughed demanding for silence and everyone finally settled down. The taller girl stood up to the front first and introduced herself politely.

“Annyeonghaseyo everyone, my name is Seo Joohyun or I’d prefer Seohyun. I’m 16 but I skipped a grade so I’ll just call everyone here unni and oppa instead. I’m in the music department and I play the piano. Please take care of me.” she greeted.

“Oh…in case if anyone of you guys were wondering, I am not Taeyong oppa’s girlfriend and neither was I trying to seduce him.” she stated firmly.

There were more murmurs in the class.

“I’m his cousin.” she informed clearing everyone’s doubts.

“Wow…she’s really pretty…”

“Yea…family genes never lie…”

“I heard she even got to play the piano for one of the famous orchestras in Austria…”

“Wow…she must be like her cousin, a genius…”

“Sigh…their whole family sure is talented…”

The shorter girl stepped up in front and started to introduce herself as well.

“Annyeonghaseyo, my name is Nur Syafiqah bte Ja’afar but you can call me Syafiqah for short. Like the girl over here, I also skipped a grade so I’m 16 as well. I’m Singaporean but I live in Australia, I’m a foreign exchange student and I’m in the art department. My Korean may not be up to standard but still hope we all can be friends, please take care of me.” she greeted.

“Isn’t she Australia’s Under-18 National Art Competition Champion?”

“Yea…she’s cute though…”

“We never really had a foreign student before so it should be exciting…”

There was one particular boy in the class who was rather attracted to her.

Hmm…a foreign exchange student…I better ask Yul hyung for some tips as to how to get close to a girl…

The teacher assigned their seats and they started the lessons like per normal. After class ended, Syafiqah walked up to Seohyun.

“Hi, Seohyun right?” she asked awkwardly.

“Yea…Syafiqah is that right?” she asked.

“Yea… ermm…would you like to have lunch together with me?” asked Syafiqah.

“Sure…” smiled Seohyun.

“Hope we can become good friends.” said Syafiqah extending out a hand.

Seohyun shook it and smiled.

“I hope so too.”

Just then the guy named Kim Kibum or Key spotted the foreign exchange student, Syafiqah and for some reason felt flustered.

Ya…Kim Kibum! Why are you so nervous? You should just walk up to her bravely and asked if she would like to have lunch with you!

He scolded himself mentally in his mind.

He walked over to the two new students who were chatting away happily.

“Ermm…Hi…I’m Kim Kibum or you girls can just call me Key.” he greeted nervously.

“Oh hi, I’m Syafiqah.” she greeted smiling causing him to blush a little.

“Hi, I’m Seohyun…” she greeted as well.

“Can I join you girls for lunch?” he asked.

“I don’t mind…” said Syafiqah.

“What about you, Seohyun?” she asked.

“I don’t mind but I’m not sure if Taeyong oppa would mind…” she said contemplating.

“Never mind…I’m sure he’ll be okay with it…” assured Seohyun.

“Thanks, I’ll meet you girls later…at the…cafeteria…” he said nervously as he went off to find his friends.

Syafiqah and Seohyun bid him goodbye and headed to the cafeteria.

He’s cute…

Syafiqah thought to herself as she thought about her classmate just now. She and Seohyun began to have some conversation about just anything. Syafiqah spotted Atika sitting with the girls and waved over to her.

“Unni, hi~” greeted Syafiqah.

Seohyun bowed politely and greeted as well.

Atika introduced her new found friends to Syafiqah and she introduced Syafiqah to them as well. They all sat down and began to start chatting.

“Seohyun, can I ask you something?” asked Tiffany.

“Yes, Tiffany unni?”

“Are you and Taeyong dating?” she asked.

“No unni I’m not…” she stated firmly.

“And in case anyone misunderstands again…I’m his cousin…”

“Oh…you’re his cousin?” exclaimed Sunny.

“Yes, Sunny unni…” she sighed.

“Is there anything wrong with being Taeyong’s cousin?” asked Hyoyeon.

“No not really but…oppa’s a bit too overprotective over me…” she admitted.

“Haha…I could never have imagined that…the always sleeping Kim Taeyong is so overprotective over his little cousin.” teased Sunny.

“Yea…me too…” agreed Tiffany.

“So…how is he like?” asked Jessica.

“Ermm…pretty much the same at home and school. He’s always sleeping…” said Seohyun.

“I guess old habits die hard huh?” commented Tiffany.

The seven of them began to chat about almost anything; they were having a good time and were glad to make new friends in the school.

Just then Key joined in, he felt awkward with a bunch of girls so he brought his hyungs along to sit as well.

He introduced his hyungs to the girls and they greeted each other. They had fun conversing with each other particularly Junho and Atika who had shared many common interests in food and recipes. And Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon were also chatting happily who shared their interest in dancing, despite being in the cooking department.

Just then the three princes stepped into the cafeteria as usually causing a ruckus in the cafeteria. The girls explained the situation to the two new foreign exchange students and they just nodded their heads understanding why this was happening.

“Where’s….Joohyun?” wondered Taeyong.

“Tae…let’s just go to the second floor and let Seohyun be alone with her friends…” suggested Yul tiredly.

Just then Yul spotted Tiffany and her friends sitting with Seohyun and some other guys.

“Let’s walk over to Seohyun and say hi.” suggested Yul immediately changing his mind

“I’ll meet you guys later at the second floor.” informed Soyoung as he headed upstairs.

“Ok…see you later then…”

Taeyong walked at a calm pace towards the particular table. Yul on the other hand was reaching there faster than the speed of light. Tiffany who spotted her dreaded enemy just sighed in defeat. When Yul walked over to the girl’s table he bent down and placed a hand over Tiffany’s shoulder.

“Aren’t you having fun~ are you forgetting that you’re my toy…” he whispered threatening the shorter girl.

“It’s none of your business…” she argued back her teeth clenched.

Taeyong who had arrived later just tapped his best friend’s shoulder telling him to stop tormenting the poor girl.

“Joohyun-ah…” Taeyong called out.

“Yes, oppa…is anything the matter?” she asked.

“Who are…these…people?” he asked cautiously.

“Just some friends, oppa…you don’t have to be so overprotective you know?” she stated feeling embarrassed.

The girls chuckled a bit at Seohyun’s remark. Taeyong not catching it just bluntly stated.

“Joohyun-ah…men…can’t be trusted…who knows…what they might…do to you…you shouldn’t…trust…anyone other than…your oppa…”

“Haha…he sure is over protective…” commented Sunny laughing.

Jessica just smiled at the sight of Taeyong acting that way.

I never knew he was like that…always thought he didn’t care about anything but…I guess he does have a different side to him…

Sitting opposite of Jessica was a pretty young man with black hair neatly cut; side burns looking like it covered his whole ears from the front. Fringe was parting to the left covering most of the forehead. He had a rather feminine face despite his build.

He and Jessica were conversing with each other but mostly he was the one who was taking the initiative. Jessica just tried to be polite and replied with short answers and a smile.

When Taeyong saw the two conversing, for some odd reason he wanted to just go up to them and break them apart.

And he didn’t know what got over him but while his best friend was busy tormenting the poor girl. And the others were too caught up in their own conversations. Taeyong walked over to their side of the table and bowed.

“May I…know…who you are?” he asked.

“Oh…hi, you must be Taeyong…I’ve heard a lot about you, I’m Kim Jaejoong…3rd year, food department: cooking.” he introduced with a smile.

“Ahh…yea…”

“So…what brings you here?” asked Jaejoong.

Taeyong just remained silent not knowing what to say or do. Just then, he felt the urge to just grab Jessica away from the pretty boy across.

He stared at Jessica blankly, Jessica however failed to notice because of the fact she was conversing with Jaejoong.

Taeyong didn’t know what got into him but the next thing he knew he just grabbed Jessica by the wrist, dragging her along with him.

Everyone in the cafeteria who saw this was shocked at his actions, knowing that the calm and collected Taeyong would hardly do anything like this.

Tae…haha…I bet he was jealous when Jessica was talking to that Jaejoong guy…

Yul smiled as he stood up and looked at his best friend departure. He leaned back to Tiffany and whispered to her.

“You better not cheat on me with other guys…” he warned.

“Why should I listen to you?” she argued back.

“Because I’m your master.” he stated.

“Anyways…don’t miss me too much, my toy…” he whispered seductively into her ears.

Yul just chuckled to himself as he stood up and headed for the second floor. Tiffany felt a blush crept onto her face.

Wait…why am I blushing? No…no…there’s no way I’d fall for that playboy… But why is it that every time he….urghh….never mind….

Taeyong who was dragging Jessica with no destination in mind just continued wandering around. Jessica felt that her wrist might break any minute; the petite boy was surprisingly much stronger than he looked.

Taeyong unconsciously brought Jessica to a place only used by the princes, no one was ever allowed in these premises of the school.

With the calm sound of the water from the water fountain, the blooming flowers and the whistling grass. It was definitely a great place to just escape from class and sleep. It brought a sense of peace and something about this garden calmed people.

Taeyong finally let go off Jessica’s wrist, Jessica rubbed it with utmost care she wondered why the petite boy would drag her all the way here for. But right now she cared more about her wrist, which was hurting badly.

“I’m…sorry…” he blurted out realising he had injured the girl’s wrist unintentionally.

“It’s ok…” assured Jessica although not sounding too convincing.

“So…why did you bring me here?” asked Jessica.

“I don’t know…” he answered.

“Would…you like…to…sit down first?” he asked.

“Alright…” she succumbed.

They sat down on the grass, enjoying the calm breeze.

“I’ve never been to this place before, it’s beautiful.” commented Jessica.

“That’s because…no one’s…allowed here…except for us…” he explained.

“Oh…so it’s like kinda you guys secret hide out?” she asked.

“I guess…you could…say…that…” he answered.

“Then why did you bring me here?” she asked curiously.

“That’s what…I’ve…been trying to….ask myself…” he replied unconsciously.

They just sat on the grass in silence not knowing what to say to each other. The atmosphere was really awkward and they couldn’t find the right words to say.

“Do…you like…him?” asked Taeyong.

“Yes…” replied Jessica casually.

Taeyong didn’t know why but he felt hurt hearing Jessica say that.

“But…only as a friend…” Jessica clarified.

“Do you like Hyori unni?” asked Jessica.

“Yes…but…just as a dongsaeng…she’s been taking care…of…us since we…were 5…” explained Taeyong.

“You boys seem really close with her.” commented Jessica envying their close bond.

“Well…I guess it was…due to our…family background…”

“People all…dream to live like us but…it isn’t really…that…great…”

“Must be stressful…” said Jessica kind of understanding.

There were moments of silence before Jessica spoke up.

“Do you think we should head back?” she suggested.

“They’re probably worried about us and…I think the whole school just got a shock because of what you did, just now.” she clarified.

Jessica stood up from her position, ready to leave but as she was about to leave, Taeyong grasped her fingers, holding her back.

“Don’t leave…just…stay here for…a while…”

Jessica just succumbed and sat back down on the grass. She enjoyed the cold yet calm breeze. Just then Taeyong placed his head on her lap causing her to be a bit surprised at the action.

“Ermm…what are you doing?” she asked cautiously.

“Just…stay here…” he replied with his eyes closed.

Jessica sighed and just succumbed not knowing what the petite boy was thinking at all.

She looked at his child like face when asleep and felt a blush crept onto her face. She had never seen the petite boy with such close proximity before and that was causing her to feel flushed.

You know…you’re like a closed book… you never seem to let anyone into that world of yours… I just wished you would open up more though…

She sighed and strokes the petite boy’s messy hair. He didn’t even cringe a bit; he just peacefully slept on her lap as if he had always done it for a long time.

-At the cafeteria-

Some of the guys had left first; Atika and Junho had exchanged contact numbers and bid their farewells. Seohyun left first as she wanted to familiarised herself with the school. Syafiqah and Key who were having a good time also got up to leave, Key suggested to Syafiqah on taking a tour at the art department, saying that he’ll be her tour guide. Now only the three friends were left.

“I wonder why he just pulled Jessi away though?” wondered Tiffany.

“Beats me…” stated Sunny.

“Maybe he likes her?” Hyoyeon bluntly stated.

“Who knows what’s going on in his head…” commented Sunny.

“Yeah…” agreed Tiffany.

-At the second floor-

“So…where’s Tae?” asked Soyoung.

“He left…”

“Left?” questioned Soyoung.

“He dragged that Jessica girl away… the whole cafeteria was pretty much shocked though…” explained Yul.

“Oh…haha…looks like our clueless Tae isn’t so clueless after all…” commented Soyoung.

“Haha…that I’d have to agree with you…” agreed Yul as he took a sit on the couch.

“So, the school’s ball is coming soon after mid-terms end, do you have someone in mind?” asked Soyoung.

“Haha…in fact, I do…” said Yul with an evil smile.

“It’s that Tiffany girl isn’t it? But you’d think she’d agree so easily?” questioned Soyoung.

“Hehe…I’ll make her…” smirked Yul.

“So, you’re going to invite Sunny?” asked Yul.

“Nah~ I’d probably won’t even bother to dance, I mean I’m only going there for the food.” informed Soyoung sighing.

“Man~ I’ll never understand you~” sighed Yul in defeat.

-Chapter 26: Cursed?! Nah...It can’t be right?-

-Narsha’s apartment-

-In the morning before school hours-

“Hyori-ah~” Narsha cried out from inside the bathroom.

“Wae?” replied Hyori.

“Are you going for a photo shoot today?” asked Narsha.

“Yea…”

Just then Narsha came out of the bathroom her long hair soaking wet, she walked over to the kitchen to see Hyori making breakfast for the two of them.

“So what are we having?” asked Narsha.

“Stir-fried veggies and egg…”

“Oh…ok.”

Narsha sat down at the dining table and waited for the meal to be served.

Hyori came with the plates and settled them onto the table with much ease. Narsha and Hyori both began digging in as fast as they could afraid of being late for work.

“So, how’s the modelling job going?” asked Narsha who had just finished her meal.

“Good.”

“Just good?” questioned Narsha.

“Yea…I might consider it a career option, who knows?”

“So…are you still meeting up with Jongkook oppa?”

“Kim Kookjong oppa?” asked Hyori.

“Yes…”

“That useless pabo, I don’t know where he has disappeared off to already…”

“What do you mean?” asked Narsha.

“3 years ago you and he were still dating happily.”

“Yea…but he left.” stated Hyori.

“Oh…”

“No need to look sad, I won’t shed tears for a man like that.” smiled Hyori.

“Anyways thanks for letting me stay in your apartment.”

“What are friends for?” asked Narsha.

“Well…to our friendship, let’s make a toast.” suggested Hyori.

“Sure.”

They raised their cup of iced lemon tea up.

“To our forever lasting friendship, cheers.” announced Hyori.

“Cheers.”

The two glass cups made a ‘clank’ sound as they made contact with each other.

After the meal they prepared and got ready to leave for work, Hyori drove Narsha to school and drove off to work.

-In Austria-

-6:00 a.m.-

Yoona was at the airport carrying her haversack bag that was slung onto her right shoulder; she heaved a sigh and boarded the plane to Korea.

-In school-

Lessons were as usual per normal but department lessons were put on hold for the time being due to the exam period. The school felt that many students were dropping in grades and had therefore decided to extend the normal curriculum time until the mid-year examinations ended. Just as the History teacher walked out of the class, the students were feeling restless and deadbeat. As usual the three princes would be at the back, sleeping, playing or eating.

“Sigh~ this is so tiring~” complained Sunny.

“Yea I agree, this seems even worse than the school I go to in Singapore~” agreed Atika.

“They sure are lucky~ lazing around~” commented Hyoyeon.

Tiffany who was still reading the textbook and looking through her notes she jotted down didn’t bother to join in on the conversation.

“Fany-ah, aren’t you working a little bit too much?” asked Jessica concerned.

Tiffany didn’t even bother to give a reply.

“Yea, Tiffany-ssi…Jessica-ssi is right, you shouldn’t overwork yourself otherwise you might fall sick…” agreed Atika.

Tiffany looked up and just smiled.

“It’s ok and Atika you don’t have to use such formalities on us, we’re all friends.” assured Tiffany.

“Oh ok…”

“And Fany-ah, why are you trying so hard?” asked Sunny.

“Urghh…that jerk…” Tiffany clenched her fist as she muttered under her breath.

“Sigh~ as expected it’s because of Kwon Yul.” stated Hyoyeon.

“Wow~ Hyoyeon how did you know that?” asked Atika.

“It’s pretty obvious.”

“So what did he bet with you this time?” asked Sunny.

“Sigh~ I don’t know, he said it was a secret.” exclaimed Tiffany in defeat.

-At the back of the class-

“So…what was the bet?” asked Soyoung curiously continuously bugging Yul.

“Didn’t I already say it’s a secret.” stated Yul firmly.

“Aww~ don’t be like that~ just tell me~” whined Soyoung.

“No way am I ever going to.”

“Aww~ please~” whined Soyoung even more.

Yul just sighed in frustration and looked up at the taller boy. He then looked down to see the petite boy still sleeping.

“Tae~ wake up~” complained Yul.

“Soyoung keeps pestering me~”

The petite boy slowly opens his eyes and looked at his surroundings.

“Where’s the teacher?” he asked.

“Left a long time ago.” answered Yul.

“Oh…”

“Tae~ can you help me~ ask Soyoung to stop pestering me~” pleaded Yul.

Taeyong turn behind to see his brightly smiling best friend looking at him. He just sighed in defeat.

“Yul…this time…I really can’t help you…”

“Why~?” questioned Yul.

Soyoung leaned in on the conversation as well.

“Tae, can’t you help me get him to say something?” asked Soyoung.

“Sigh~ why is it…that you two…have to drag me…into the mess?” questions Taeyong in defeat.

The both of them gave their best friend a devilish smile and chuckled slightly.

“That’s because you’re Kim Tae Yong.” they both stated enunciating every single word in his name.

“Sigh~ devils…” muttered Taeyong.

“What did you say?” questioned Yul staring at the petite boy.

“Yea Tae…what did you just call us?” questioned Soyoung as well while pretending to strangle the petite boy.

“Sorry…” he apologised wanting to be out of the taller boy’s grip as fast as possible.

“Anyways, where did you bring that Jessica girl yesterday?” asked Yul curiously.

“Yea…where did you bring her to?” probed Soyoung.

“The usual place…” Taeyong bluntly stated.

“Wow, you actually brought someone there?” asked Yul.

“Were you sick or anything?” questions Soyoung.

“No…”

“You must really like that Jessica girl huh?” asked Yul.

“Seriously Yul, I don’t know…” answered Taeyong.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…remember last time…and looked at what happen…” reminded

Taeyong looking at his hand.

“I’m sure Jessica isn’t that kind of person.” assures Soyoung.

“I’m not sure…”

“Tae, are you afraid of getting hurt again?” questions Yul.

“I don’t know…but aren’t you two…on the same boat as me?”

“Haha…I guess that’s true…” admitted Soyoung.

-In class 2-A-

“So, are you getting along fine?” asked Key directing the question at the shorter girl sitting in front of him.

“Yes, thank you Key oppa…too bad department lessons was put on hold; I really wanted to see more of oppa’s paintings.”

“Really?” he asked with his eyes beaming.

“Yea…oppa’s paintings sounded really nice.” complimented Syafiqah.

“Thanks…”

“Anyways, Seohyun…are you staying at the dorms as well?” asked Syafiqah.

“Yeah…I just moved in today, why?” asked Seohyun.

“I was wondering if you wanted to come over and study with me since my roommate hasn’t arrived yet.” suggests Syafiqah.

“Sure, if you’re afraid of disturbing your roommate when she arrives you can always come to my room.”

“But won’t it disturb your roommate?” asked Syafiqah.

“It’s okay, I stay alone.”

“Wow~ you get to stay alone?” asked Syafiqah.

“Yeah…Seohyun, you sure are lucky~” commented Key.

“I guess oppa must have talked to the principal about it…” admits Seohyun slightly embarrassed.

“Sigh~ it sure is great to have a cousin like that~” commented Syafiqah with envy.

“So do you know who’s your new roommate?” asked Key.

“I’m not sure oppa but I heard she’s from Austria, maybe she’s a foreign exchange student just like me!” exclaimed Syafiqah with excitement.

“Oh and Kibum oppa, I heard you were auditioning for a dance squad?” asked Seohyun.

“Yea, how did you know?”

“Yul oppa told us about it.” she explained.

“Oh…”

“Wow, you’re in a dance squad?” asked Syafiqah amazed.

“Nah~ I’m just going to try out, it isn’t even confirmed that I’ll make it…”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, I’m sure you’ll make it!” assures Syafiqah.

“Thanks…” he said softly slightly blushing.

“No problem.” said Syafiqah as she smiles.

“Do you guys want to head to the library later?” asked Seohyun.

“Sure, why not, what about you, Key oppa?” asked Syafiqah.

“Fine by me as well, and I could use some help to improve my studies.” confessed Key.

“But I can’t go today, maybe next time?” he asked.

“Sure but, haha, oppa…you haven’t been studying haven’t you?” questions Syafiqah.

“Hehe…I guess I got caught…” admitted Key with a sheepish laughter.

“Haha not to worries, Kibum oppa…me and Syafiqah will help you with your studies.” assures Seohyun.

“Haha, I feel so embarrassed asking people younger than me to teach Me.” states Key.

“It’s okay, Key oppa…you don’t have to be embarrassed about anything.” assures Syafiqah.

“Yeah…” agrees Seohyun.

-After the slight break from studying-

-Class 3-A-

The teacher walked back into the class and everyone settled down and started flipping opens their books, everyone except for the three princes who were lazing around.

Tiffany as usual was concentrating really hard and jotting every single thing the teacher was teaching. She listened attentively and smiled inwardly.

Kwon Yul…you better watches out, I, Tiffany Hwang, will be sure to beat you…

Hyoyeon just sighed as she looks at Tiffany.

Fany-ah, make sure you don’t overwork yourself too much…

Jessica, who was sleeping as usual, did not even bother to pay attention. Sunny looked at her best friend and sighed in defeat, Atika wanted to ask Jessica a question since there were quite a few confusing words in the Korean language but seeing the girl fast asleep, she sighed and just decided to concentrate on what the teacher was teaching.

Yul who was lazing around and playing with his iPhone looked at the short-haired girl from behind.

Try your best…because when the results come out…there’ll be a big surprise for you…

Yul smiled evilly by himself causing Soyoung to look at him weirdly.

Sigh…that shorty when is she baking more recipes for me to steal? Ah, wait! I promised that I won’t steal her food anymore…I wonder if she’ll attend the school’s dance party after the exams end…

Soyoung just sighed and stretched himself, he was feeling extremely bored. He looked over at the petite boy who was looking out at the window and then back to Yul who was busy smiling and text messaging, probably one of his clients.

Ahh~ why am I friends with such weirdoes~

-3:00 p.m.-

The bell rang indicating the end of lessons; everyone was too tired to even cheer. Tiffany looked even more exhausted than ever, she was too tired to even step out of the class to go and have lunch. Just then the prince walked down the stairs and Yul stopped at Tiffany’s seat.

“Aren’t you trying a bit too hard?” he asked.

“It’s none of your business, and aren’t you slacking off a bit too much?” she retorts back.

“Haha, don’t worry…” he assures.

“Who’s worrying about you.” she states as she grabs her bag and stands up, walking out of class.

Hyoyeon, Sunny, Jessica and Atika all followed along; worried that Tiffany might damage school property at the state she’s in right now.

“Aren’t you being a bit too harsh on her?” asked Soyoung.

“Nah~ she needs to know who her master is.”

“Sigh~ I really don’t know what to do with you~” admits Soyoung in defeat.

“Relax, buddy, it’s all under control.” states Yul as he smirks and walks out of the class.

Soyoung just sighs at his best friend and follows along, with Taeyong slowly trailing behind, deep in thoughts. Soyoung who was worried that the petite boy might bump into something again, decided to wait for him.

I wonder what he thinking…Tae… you needs to open up more…

The girls walked to the cafeteria to see Tiffany sitting near the window. They walk towards her and sat down.

“Fany-ah, you should relax a little.” suggested Sunny.

“Yeah…the bet can’t be that bad right?” asked Hyoyeon.

“I know Hyo, but who knows what he might suggest…”

“Wait, how did this bet come out about in the first place?” asked Jessica.

“Yeah, Tiffany-ssi…and why did you agree to it in the first place?” asked Atika agreeing.

“Ahh~ I was kinda forced into it…” she admitted.

“Forced?” questions Sunny.

“You know how that jerk has his way around words…”

“Oh…” all of them voiced out fully understanding what she meant.

Tiffany’s POV

-Yesterday-

-Just before department lessons started-

I was holding onto my violin case and was heading to the practice room when someone grabbed me by the wrist and cornered me. When I saw who that person was, I was really frustrated and wanted to leave immediately.

“Hey, don’t be like that~” I heard him say trying to stop me.

“What do you want?” I asked with much spite.

“Do you really have to treat your master so badly?” he asked.

“When were you ever my master?” I retorted back.

“Do you want me to kiss you again?” he questioned making me feel nervous.

Before I could argue back he just started to laugh by himself.

“What are you laughing at?” I asked angrily.

“Haha…that’s why I say, your reaction is always the best.” he complimented sarcastically.

“Never mind…I’m leaving.” I stated firmly and was about to leave.

But he grabbed me back and pushed me against the wall, cold sweat was slowly rolling down.

“You don’t go until I tell you to.” he warned.

“What do you want from me?” I asked trying not to sound scared.

“Nothing much…”

“Then will you let me go?” I asked.

“Let’s make a deal shall we?” he suggested.

“What deal?”

“If you can beat me in this mid-term, I’ll stop teasing you and leave you alone.” he said.

“What if I lose?” I asked.

“Hmm…let’s see, it’s a secret…”

“This bet is ridiculous!” I argued back.

“I’m leaving.” I stated.

“Do you want me to claim that you’re my girlfriend in front of the whole school, at the upcoming ball?” he questioned.

“Don’t you dare do it, ok?” I threatened.

“Haha…why should I listen to you?” he asked laughing.

“Fine, I’ll agree to that bet…” I said and walked off in a hurry, too angry to even think of anything else.

-End of POV-

“Oh…so that’s how the bet came about…” commented Atika.

“Yea…” Tiffany said with her head down.

“Well good luck to you then.” Hyoyeon cheered on.

“Yea…we wouldn’t want our best friend to be in so much torture than she already is in.” agrees Sunny.

“Just try to be careful and if you need help with homework you can just ask Me.” suggests Jessica.

“Thanks.” said Tiffany smiling.

Surprisingly the three princes did not come to the cafeteria today and neither did they see Seohyun or Syafiqah in sight. After they ate their lunch, Hyoyeon and Atika decided to go to the school library to borrow some books to study for the mid-terms and then head back to their room. The other three decided to head back and home and do group study. They bid their farewells and headed off to different directions.

Hyoyeon and Atika talked happily as they walked towards the library, when they entered Atika were amazed at how extravagant it looked.

“Wow, it’s so big~” she exclaimed in a whisper.

“Hehe…I know…” agreed Hyoyeon.

They both step inside, and started searching for the necessary books. Just then Hyoyeon and Atika spotted Seohyun and Syafiqah; they waved to them and walked over.

“So, what you guys doing here?” Atika asked.

“Nothing much, just borrowing books for studying.” answers Seohyun.

“Oh…”

“Well, we have to leave first, unnis.” informs Seohyun.

“See you later unnis, bye.” Syafiqah says and bids farewell to Hyoyeon and Atika.

They both went to the counter, to borrow the books they needed and left.

As they were walking, they spotted a really familiar tall boy that looked like he was sleeping after reading that thick book. They both walked over to wake him up and when he did, they realised who he was.

“Soyoung, what are you doing here?” Hyoyeon asked surprised to find one of the princes at a library.

“I was looking for new recipes to bake since the kitchen is out of bounds for the time being.” explained Soyoung.

“Oh…but why are you sleeping?” asked Atika.

“That’s because I’m not good at reading books and I can’t understand a single thing~” he sighed in frustration.

“Haha…” giggled the both of them.

“Hey, it’s not even funny~ I wonder why they even make these books~” complains Soyoung.

“They make these books for people to be able to cook.” states Hyoyeon.

“But you can’t even smell or taste them, how would they know if they’re even nice?” he questions.

“Haha…Soyoung, these books are for normal people, not for people who have a prodigy like qualities.” Hyoyeon explained chuckling a little.

“Oh…haha, then I guess it was a waste of time to make a trip here.” he admits slightly embarrassed.

“Why not you just go home and make up your own recipes instead of reading these books?” suggests Atika.

“Sure, why not! Thanks for the advice!”

“No problem.” they both said with a smile.

The wild haired tall boy left the library and quickly headed back home.

“That sure was odd.” commented Atika.

“Haha get used to it.” said Hyoyeon.

They both walked further into the library, finally finding what they needed. Just then they spotted Junho looking for some reference books as well and they walked over to say hi to them.

“Hi Junho, what are you looking for?” asked Hyoyeon.

“Oh hi, Hyoyeon and Atika.” he greeted with a smile making his eyes disappear.

“I was just looking for some reference books for history.” he informs.

“Oh…we’re both looking for reference books to study as well.” Hyoyeon informs.

“Good luck for the exams.” he cheered on.

“Thanks.” both of them said.

“Anyways Atika, if you find it difficult to understand feel free to ask your friends.” suggested Junho.

“Thanks.” she said shyly.

“Oh and another thing…” he said.

“Would you like to be my dance partner at the ball?” he asked.

“Err…” Atika hesitated.

“Accept it…” whispered Hyoyeon.

“But…” she protested.

“Haha…take your time to think about it, you can always give me an answer after the mid-terms.” suggested Junho.

“Oh ok…”

“Bye, girls.” he said bidding his farewell as he went to the counter to borrow the necessary books.

“Let’s go, Atika.”

“Ah…sure…”

Dance partner? Should I accept? Ahh~ I don’t know…

They both finished searching for the books they needed and walked to the counter and borrowed the books and walked to their dorms. As they were walking to their dorms Hyoyeon asked,

“Why didn’t you accept?”

“I don’t know what to say…” she admits shyly.

“Sigh…you just had to say yes and I think he has some interest in you.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yea…I mean I already accepted Eunhyuk’s invitation to be his dance partner at the ball.” informed Hyoyeon.

“Wow, Hyoyeon…you sure are fast.” comments Atika.

“Haha…we talked and it turns out he loves dancing just like me!” she exclaims.

“But aren’t all of us in the cooking department?” she asked.

“Well yes but still…sometimes you can have more than one interest, right?”

“Yea I guess so…” she agreed.

They both entered their room and sat down at the coffee table sitting in the center of the room. Taking out the books, they flip the pages starting to study.

The three girls stepped out of school grounds and walked towards their apartment that was provided by the school. As they keyed in pin number the door clicked open and they strolled in. Jessica decided to wash up first, after which she immediately went back to her room to fall asleep.

Seeing the brown haired girl, the shortest of the trio could only smile.

“Haha…she sure sleeps fast as usual.” comments Sunny.

“Sunny, you going to wash up first or do you want me to use it first?” asked Tiffany.

“You go ahead and use it fist.” said Sunny.

“Thanks.”

The short haired girl smiled at the shorter girl and headed off to the bathroom. Sunny went to her room first and took out her books.

Sigh…the kitchen is out of bounds now…man~ why couldn’t the school be providing us with a better oven~ hehe…I guess I’m asking too much…

The short girl just sat down at the study table and took one of her textbooks from the pile of textbooks she had and started studying. Soon after Tiffany was done showering, the short haired girl knocked on Sunny’s door informing her that she could use the bathroom now. Sunny grab her clothes and towels later, books would have to wait, and she needed to refresh herself first.

The short haired girl walked into her room and took out her notes and went through them over and over. Making sure she understood and knew how to apply everything written down. She took out her textbook and did the problems inside. Fully concentrating, even if a bomb landed beside her, she wouldn’t even notice it.

Urghh…Kwon Yul, don’t think you’ve won this bet yet…

-In Jessica’s room-

The brown haired girl wasn’t sleeping at all; in fact she was just lazing around on her bed. Unlike the others, she wasn’t really the type to study at all.

She thought about the time when the petite boy brought her to his ‘secret’ hideout. She smiled at the thought when the petite boy lay on her lap; she wondered why the petite boy would bring her to that garden. But suddenly her smile faded away when she recalled those scars on his hand.

That’s definitely not how an artist’s hands would look like…

But what exactly is it? It seemed really serious even though it has kind of faded away…

What exactly happen to you in the past, Kim Taeyong…?

The slightly wavy haired girl just sighed in defeat, she could not think of an answer and she could not sleep. She decided to read a book instead and tried not to think of the petite boy.

-Present-

-Choi’s mansion-

“Ya, Choi Sooyoung, you better get back here or else!” screamed the shorter woman.

The long legged short haired woman was long gone, climbing out of the window. The shorter woman came out of the kitchen and looked out the window to see her fiancé escaping.

“Choi Sooyoung, what are you doing? Come back!” she screamed.

“Escaping from you!” the taller woman responded shouting back.

“It’s not like I’m going to eat you, I’m more mature than I was in the past!” reminds Sunny.

“As if I’d believe that, and besides you’d beat the living day lights out of me when you find out how much I spent last month!” she scoffs.

“Wait…how much you spent this time round?!” she question suddenly recalling she forgot to calculate.

“You see what I mean?” states Sooyoung.

“What do you mean by that?” she questions.

“Sooyoung-ah, just be a good girl and come back into the house, it’s not like I’d eat my fiancé alive!”

“But I’d be dead for sure!” the taller woman retorts.

“Do you want to die earlier or not?!” she questions.

“Err…n...n…no!” the taller woman stammers.

“Very good, then come back into the house and stop escaping through

windows!” she warned.

“Fine…” succumbed Sooyoung as she steps back into the mansion.

“Sigh…when she will ever kick that habit of hers…” mumbles Sunny in defeat.

The taller woman walked over to the kitchen in defeat to see her fiancée with angry eyes.

“So how much did you spend this time round?”

“Err…slightly more than last time round?” she admitted with a sheepish smile.

“How much more?” questions the shorter woman.

“Ermm…2…no…3…or was it 4?” she said asking herself questions.

“How much was it?” questions the shorter woman again.

“Ermm…about 2 000 000won (approx: $2000) more?” the taller woman confesses.

“WH…WH…WHAT?!” the shorter girl exclaims in shock.

“Calm down, Sunny-ah…calm down…” the shorter woman mumbles to herself while her eyes were shut.

“Ok…you better not kill me ok?” reminds Sooyoung.

“Of course I won’t, darling.” the short woman assured with an evil smile.

“Ok…that smile scares the hell out of me…” commented Sooyoung shivering.

Ding~ Dong~

Just then a shoulder length black haired woman and a tanned wavy haired woman entered the mansion as the main opened the door for them.

“Hi guys, we’ve arrived!” announced the wavy haired girl smiling.

As the couple walked even further into the house they saw the sight of the two of them and immediately kept quiet.

“Uh-oh…” the tanned woman voiced out.

“Should we leave?” asked the shoulder length haired woman whispering.

“Ermm…maybe we should…” agreed the tanned woman.

Just as the couple was about to quietly leave, the taller woman spotted them and voiced out inaudibly.

“Stay.”

“We can’t.” they mouth out the words.

The short woman soon spotted her friends and smiled to them.

“Ah, Fany, Yuri…you’ve come.” she said smiling happily.

“Err…hehe…ya…” admitted Yuri reluctantly.

“Come and sit down.” said Sunny offering a seat on the sofa.

“Err…sure…” thanked the black haired woman.

The couple walked over to the sofa and sat down awkwardly. The short woman went to the kitchen and offered a glass of water for the both of them. She sat down on the chair next to it and the taller woman sat on the chair facing opposite of the shorter woman.

“So, what brings you guys here?” asked the shorter woman smiling.

“Nothing much…just checking on how things are going…” said Yuri uneasily.

“Oh…everything’s going along fine…” assured Sunny as she sipped the cup of tea she made for herself.

Sooyoung who was busily eating the slice of strawberry cake heaved a sigh of relief inside.

“Just that…there’s a slight problem with SOMEONE’S expenditures…” she stated intentionally enunciating that someone loudly.

Sooyoung choked on her slice of strawberry cake a little and stood up in anger.

“If you’re always going to be stubborn, I’m leaving…Yuri, I’ll be staying at your house tonight, Yoona won’t mind right?” stated Sooyoung firmly.

“Err…yea she won’t mind but…” Yuri tried to protest.

“But what?” questioned Sooyoung feeling irritated by the protest.

“Hehe…nothing at all…” assured Yuri with a sheepish smile.

The shoulder length haired woman nudged her girlfriend’s arm and whispered to her.

“Are you crazy?”

“What do you want me to do? She only has me to turn to…”

“What about Changmin? Her ‘oh so lovely’ cousin?” questioned Tiffany.

“But Changmin’s away on a business trip and besides, he’s already married have you forgotten?” reminded Yuri.

“Oh yeah…I forgot! To…ermm…” blurted Tiffany trying to recall the name.

“Dana…” Yuri stated sighing.

“Oh yeah…that tall fair and pretty personal assistant of his.” exclaimed Tiffany finally remembering.

“Sigh…why is it you’re so forgetful? But I guess that’s what makes you cute.” teased Yuri.

“Hey…I’ve longed past that ‘cute’ stage, I’m a fine mature and sexy woman now!” retorted Tiffany.

“Haha…you sure are…” admitted Yuri as she slid her hand on Tiffany’s waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Ah-hem!” coughed the shorter woman.

Yuri immediately released her hand off Tiffany.

“Man, you two just take it to a room!” exclaimed Sunny in defeat.

“Is this your way of comforting a friend?” she questioned and huffs then heads back upstairs to her room.

“I guess we should leave?” suggested Yuri.

“Yea…” Tiffany agreed.

“Hey, wait up!” shouted Sooyoung from upstairs, and in just a split second he was downstairs.

“Let’s go!” she announced.

“Are you sure about this?” asked Tiffany whispering.

“Don’t need to worry, Fany-ah…I’m sure Yoona won’t mind…” assured Yuri slipping her hand back onto Tiffany’s waist as they head out of the mansion.

“But I was hoping for some alone time!” protested Tiffany.

“Haha…your jealous face is so cute.” teased Yuri.

“Ya~ stop teasing me will you?” whines Tiffany.

“All right~” succumbed Yuri.

“And besides you’re always busy with that white skinned airhead, Sunhwa…” complains Tiffany as she huffs.

“Is someone jealous?” questions Yuri.

“Who wouldn’t be, when you spent half the time with her!” reasoned Tiffany.

“She’s just a personal assistant and besides she has no taste in me…” assured Yuri.

“But…you’re always helping her…”

“That’s because she has a blank head and can’t grasp things the first time round…” explains Yuri.

“Can’t you hire someone smarter?” asked Tiffany.

“Nah~ who knows they might hit on me…because I’m Yurisistible!” states Yuri proudly.

“Haha you’re so full of yourself~” scoffs Tiffany.

“I can’t help it if I’m so great~” says Yuri whispering into Tiffany’s ear.

“I guess that’s what I like about you…” admits Tiffany.

Yuri tries to plant a kiss on Tiffany’s lips but at that moment the short haired woman calls out to them.

“Oh man~ Get a freaking room you two!!!” she screams in defeat as she gets back into Yuri’s limo which was waiting outside the mansion.

“Man~ when will you guys stop interrupting the both of us?!” complains Yuri.

“And it’s not like you and Sunny haven’t done anything yet!” retorts Yuri.

“Let’s just head back home, dear…” suggested the black haired woman.

“Sure…alright…” succumbed the tanned woman.

They both entered the limo to see the short haired woman with a disgusted face.

“Sure took you guys long~” she remarked sarcastically.

“Hey, you can’t blame us! Blame the hormones!” argues Yuri.

“Sure~ the hormones~” she states sarcastically.

“What are you trying to say?” questions Yuri suspiciously.

“You both are waaay~ past your teenage years!” reminded Sooyoung.

“Hey the same goes for you about food!” retorts Yuri.

“Well…I guess that’s true…” admits Sooyoung.

Beep.

You have 1 new message.

-To: Tiffany-

-Hi, how are you and Yuri doing? I’m doing fine, me and Junho are enjoying our honeymoon together^_^ Hope to see you guys soon, bye~-

-From: Atika-

“Who is it?” asked Yuri curiously.

“Atika, she says she’s enjoying her honeymoon with Junho well.” informs Tiffany.

“Sigh~ when will I have that kind of happiness~”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you wouldn’t agree to my proposal~” argues Yuri.

“You proposed to her?!” exclaimed Sooyoung choking on her bread.

“Yea…”

“You proposed to me at your house during that important tea ceremony!” argues Tiffany.

“And also it was in front of your mean looking grandmother!” reminded Tiffany.

“And furthermore…without any flowers at all, or even a proper wedding ring!”

“You can’t blame me for not wanting to have that arranged marriage right?” Yuri argues back.

“Couldn’t you have planned something nicer?”

“Well sorry for being busy!”

They both huffed at the same time and faced the other direction.

“Err…guys? Would you like some cream puffs?” asked Sooyoung trying to enlighten the mood.

-At Kwon’s mansion-

The traditional setting was still the same as ever. Yoona was chatting with Syafiqah in her room.

It was the holidays so they had no school.

“So, how are you getting along with Key?” asked Yoona.

“Oh he’s really sweet~” said Syafiqah sighing.

“Haha…I envy you…”

“You know, Yoona…you should go and find your own happiness! Don’t let the chance slip by!”

“But…Seohyun…” the auburn haired girl protested.

“Sorry to say this but Seohyun’s long gone…you can’t be forever holding on to her right?” asked Syafiqah.

“And I mean she’d want you to live your life and be happy right?” states Syafiqah.

“Yea…I guess so…”

“Anyways don’t dwell too much on the past…the future is bright and awaits you!” says Syafiqah smiling.

“Thanks, roommate!” smiles Yoona in return.

“Hey, what are roomies for?” says Syafiqah and gives her friend a comforting hug.

“Don’t you think that family’s cursed?” asked Yoona blurting out randomly.

“Must be the work of the devil…” claims Yoona.

“Haha…I guess that’s true…”

“First, Taeyeon’s mom then Taeyong oppa then Taeyeon unni and now… Seohyun…” says Yoona sadly.

“I’m sure they’re all doing well up there…” assures Syafiqah.

“I hope so too…Seohyun as an angel would be perfect.” Yoona sighs dreamily.

“Haha…I’m sure it would…” agrees Syafiqah.

Beep.

You have 1 new message.

-To: My sweet Syafiqah^_^-

-Let’s meet up, I have something to say to you…-

-From: Your loving yeobo^_^-

Syafiqah

smiled at the message and shoves the phone into her pocket.

“I’m leaving first.” informs Syafiqah.

“Going to meet your boyfriend?” questions Yoona fully knowing.

“Haha yea…I got caught…” admits Syafiqah with a sheepish laugh.

“Haha…have fun!”

“Sure…thanks!”

“Oh and Yoona…try not to feel so sad, I’m sure there’s someone out there other than Seohyun for you!” comforts Syafiqah as she heads out of the traditional house.

Sigh…I wonder if there’s really anyone who could make my heart skip a beat…just like what Seohyun did when she played the piano…

Is there really anyone out there… why is it you have to be cursed like your family?

I finally understand how Sica unni feels after she lost Taeyeon unni…

But didn’t Yuri unni say Jessica unni saw Taeyeon unni? Sigh…she must have been imagining things…

But wait! Does that mean Seohyun could be?

Nah~ you think too much, Im Yoona! It’s impossible...isn’t it?

The shoulder length auburn haired girl sighed as she stands up. Revealing her wearing a beautiful kimono...as she walked out of her room and to the garden...

-Chapter 27: The sudden confession?-

-The next day-

-Class 2-A-

Everyone was doing self study as the teacher still hadn’t arrived yet.

“I heard the new transfer student is coming today.” commented Key.

“Seohyun do you by chance know who she might be, since you came from Austria as well...?” asked Syafiqah.

“Sorry I’ve got no clue who is she.” Seohyun apologised.

“Don’t worries, but I hope I can get along with her since she’s going to be my roommate...” remarked Syafiqah.

Just then the teacher stepped in and called in for everyone’s attention.

“Class, I have an announcement to make!”

“Everyone probably knows about the new transfer student, so I won’t go into details!”

He signalled for the girl to step inside the classroom. As soon as the tall slightly long black haired fair skinned girl stepped inside, loads of guys were looking at her with interest. Not many people knew who she was but still were rather wary. Others felt she resembled a certain someone.

“Annyeonghaseyo, my name is Im Yoona and I’m going to be in the art department. Please take care of me.” she introduced smiling.

Some of the guys were drooling at her while some just scoffed. There was one particular girl who was shocked at the new girl’s arrival.

Yoona-ssi? What are you doing here?

Yoona spotted the very same pianist and she smiled to herself inwardly.

Aha, I found you! Guess I’m lucky to be put in the same class as you...

”Doesn’t she seem to resemble someone?”

“Yea...and definitely someone really popular...”

“You’re talking about Yul oppa right?”

“But isn’t Yul oppa an alone child?”

“Who knows...she could be his cousin?”

The teacher pointed to the seat Yoona would be sitting at and she walked over smiling.

Lucky! I’m sitting just behind her...

Before Yoona sat down she turned and gave a smile to the younger girl causing her to feel flustered.

“Seohyun, do you know her?” asked Syafiqah.

“Yea...kind of...I met her after one of the performances in Austria.” explained Seohyun.

“Oh...”

She turned around to face the doe eyed girl.

“Yes? Can I help you with anything?”

“Hi, my name is Syafiqah and I hope we can be friends...I’m friends with Seohyun as well...if you don’t mind we can have lunch together.” stated Syafiqah.

“Sure no problem, and nice to meet you as well.” the taller girl smiled and turned back to face the front.

Lessons were long and boring as usual. Yoona was beginning to feel bored and sleepy from the boring lesson. She wondered how Seohyun could manage to pull through all that.

-In Class 3-A-

-At the back of the class-

“So Tae, you going to the dance party?” asked Yul.

“I’m not sure...”

“Come on~ go with us and besides Hyori nuna’s going as well~” whined Soyoung.

“Nuna’s going as well?” asked Taeyong.

Both of them just nodded.

“Are you forgetting nuna’s one of the school’s alumni and also the former school idol?” reminded Yul.

“Haha...I wonder why people idolised nuna though...” joked Soyoung.

“Yea me too...I thought they’d run away at her intimidating nature haha.” agreed Yul laughing.

-At the same time-

-At a beach house-

“Ahh~ choo!!” the wavy haired tanned woman sneezed.

Those troublemakers...must be talking behind my back again...

-Back at school-

-Class 3-A-

The class had a break from long hours of studying, being a senior meant that they had to work extra hard to get into a good university. Tiffany was still non-stop studying even when they were given a break.

“Tiffany, you should take a rest.” advised Atika.

“Yea...I agree with Atika, you are working too hard.” agreed Hyoyeon.

“Don’t worry about me guys...” Tiffany assured.

“Aish...I don’t know what to do with you...” Hyoyeon sighed in defeat.

“Jessica, are you going to the dance party?” asked Atika.

“Yea...we are all going since our close unni, Hyori is going as well.”

“Oh...”

Should I accept his invitation? But...Aish! Atika! Why do you think so much? If he wants to dance with you just accept it!

The short tanned girl scolds herself mentally in her head. Jessica didn’t even bother to study and was reading a novel the whole time, not bothering to pay attention to what was written on the board.

-At the back of the class-

“I’m leaving first!” announced Soyoung as he escaped by the window.

“Aish...that guy...what I will ever do with him?” his tall cousin sighed in defeat.

“So...Yunho, you confessed to Stephanie already?” asked Changmin.

Yunho just nodded shyly.

“Yea...we’re official now, she warned me not to cheat on her while she’s away in America.”

“Haha knowing how uptight you are, I’d be more worried that she gets a new boyfriend in America.” joked Changmin.

“Hey, it’s not funny ok?” complained Yunho.

“Haha...don’t worry, I’m sure she won’t...” assured Changmin.

“So, you asking her to the dance party?” asked Changmin.

“Of course, what do you expect? I want to spend as much time as I have with her when she’s in Korea.” replied Yunho.

“Haha of course...” agreed Changmin.

“So who you asking, Seohyun?” questioned Yunho.

“Err...errs...Wh-Wh-What makes you think that?” retorted the taller boy.

“Your face says it all...” stated Yunho.

“Is it really that obvious?” asked Changmin shyly.

“Haha...yea...” said Yunho chuckling.

-At the back of the class-

“Tae, I’m leaving first.” informed Yul.

“Oh sure...”

“Just help me tell the teacher later, thanks!”

“Another one of your clients again?” he asked knowingly.

“Hehe...you sure know your best friend well...” commented Yul giving him a knowing look.

The petite boy just sighed.

“Just be careful, okay?”

“Don’t worry...” Yul assured.

Yul gave a signal to his cousin telling him that he’ll be leaving as well.

“Looks like both our cousins are going to escape class huh?” commented Changmin.

“Haha...if his grades weren’t so good, I’d have made him stay back.”

“But you know...who can stop them?”

“Haha...that I’ll have to agree with you...”

Yul walk down the steps just as he was about to pass by Tiffany’s table he bent down to her height and whispered into her ear.

“Don’t study too hard my toy...anyways I’m leaving first, don’t miss me too much.”

Calm down Tiffany...it’s nothing...just bear with it...

The taller boy just stood up from his position and gave a disappointed look.

“Aww~ don’t I get a goodbye kiss?”

“Why you...”

“Haha I was just kidding...bye!”

The tanned boy walked over to his motorcycle, which was a black Icon Sheene. He picked up the helmet, which was a custom made one and put it on. The 250 hp, turbocharged 1400cc motorcycle was soon out of sight as the engine roared to live and sped out of the class and out of the school’s main gate.

“Did I just saw what I just saw?” asked Atika who was dumbfounded by the two princes’ actions.

“Haha...don’t worry Atika, you’ll get use to it soon.” assured Hyoyeon patting her shorter friend’s back.

Just then the History teacher stepped into the classroom and everyone stood up to greet her, when she noticed that the two princes were missing, she sternly asked.

“Where are Mr Kwon and Mr Choi?”

Taeyong stood up and bowed.

“They...left...first...Mdm Jan...” informed Taeyong.

“It’s Miss Jang...” muttered the teacher in frustration under her breath.

“Never minds...class, open your textbooks and turn to page 38...”

“Today, we’ll be talking about...”

The class seemed longer than usual and some students were getting restless. Taeyong, who couldn’t be bothered to listen, stared out the window.

Should I...leave...as...well...?

-In Class 2-A-

Some were listening to the teacher’s boring explanation on Science while there were others who were just simply lazing around. Yoona who had been staring out of the window the past hour noticed something interesting in particular.

So...oppa decided to leave first huh? I wonder how I’m going to break the news though... Hwejangnim, don’t worry too much...I’m sure I’ll get along just fine with Yuri unni...

Yoona turned back her attention to the teacher and couldn’t help but yawn at the sight of the textbook.

After enduring long hours of studying the bell rang indicating that it was time to go home or go back to the dorms.

“Yoona-ssi, would you like us to show you around the dorms?” asked Syafiqah.

“Sure, thanks.”

“Err...Syafiqah, I’ll be leaving first have to go for dance practise.” informed Key.

“Oh ok oppa...you made it into the squad?” she asked.

“Hehe yeah...” he admitted shyly.

“That’s so great! Congratulations Key oppa!” exclaimed Syafiqah.

“Hehe...it’s nothing much...” he confessed shyly.

“Bye, girls...”

“Bye...”

The flat haired boy walked out of the class and headed towards the dance studio near the school which was booked by the dance squad.

The three girls walked towards their dorm, when they finally reached Syafiqah’s room, she tapped the card at the scanner and it made a click sound. She turned the door knob and entered the room.

“This is the room you’ll be staying in from now on.” said Syafiqah with a smile.

“Hmm...It’s spacious, I like It.” commented Yoona smiling.

“So, Seohyun...where do you stay at?” asked Yoona.

“I stay not too far away from here, Yoona-ssi...” she informed.

“You don’t have to be so formal, Seohyun...just call me unni.”

“Oh ok...Yoona unni...”

“So...who’s your roommate?” asked Yoona curiously.

“She doesn’t have one, unni.” stated Syafiqah in behalf of her friend.

“You don’t have one?” questioned Yoona.

“Haha...yeah...” admitted Seohyun shyly.

“Wow...you sure are lucky...”

“Let’s wash up first and change into comfortable clothes and then we can go and have lunch together.” suggested Syafiqah.

“Sure, why not?”

“Then I shall take my leave first.” informed Seohyun.

“Oh ok...”

“And by the way Yoona unni, would you like me and Syafiqah to give you a tour around the school? That way we can have a look around as well.” suggested Seohyun.

“Oh ok no problem, see you later!”

“See you later, bye Syafiqah, and bye Yoona unni.”

“Bye...”

Seohyun left the room and closed the door shut leaving the two of them in their shared room.

“You go shower first, I still have to unpack.” said Yoona as she began to unzip her suitcase.

“Oh ok, thanks, unni!”

Syafiqah grab her towel and clothes and entered the bathroom. After a quick shower she came out of the bathroom. Her hair still soaking wet, she walked over to the dressing table and started blow drying her hair.

Yoona who had just finished unpacking walk up to her and was awed at how many facilities the school had.

“Wow, they even have a dressing table and a blow dryer?” commented Yoona.

“Cool huh? You’ll be amazed at what the bathroom has as well.”

After blow drying her hair, she started to comb her hair. Yoona who was tired from unpacking all her stuff walked over to her bed to sit down first.

“By the way, Syafiqah...how’s Seohyun like?” she asked.

“Ermm...really nice and polite I would say...” commented Syafiqah in the midst of thinking.

“Oh...”

“Is she popular among the students?” asked Yoona.

“Looks wise and such I would say yea...but you know it is hard a bit harder for us to get closer to our classmates...”

“Why so?”

“Well...it’s because we skipped a grade and people like to think that we’re too stuck up, I guess...”

“But I don’t think the two of you are like that at all!” defended Yoona.

“Thanks for saying that, I appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

“But well...we’re both still new at the school but I have to say she is popular among the male students.”

“There’s this one boy in class 2-C, Jinwoon who has a crush on her, another in class 2-B, and I think quite a few from our class as well.”

“Wow...she sure is popular among the guys...”

“I think Yoona unni will be pretty much the same as well.”

“Haha...nah~ I doubt so...”

“But you do kinda look like someone...” Syafiqah began.

“Who is it?”

“Hmm...Ah! He’s one of Seohyun’s cousin’s best friends!” exclaims Syafiqah suddenly recalling.

“Oh...who is it?” she asked again with curiosity.

“I think his name was Kwon Yul, although he’s really popular like Seohyun’s cousin he seems like a player though...”

“Oh...”

So Seohyun’s close with Yul oppa as well huh?

“I keep hearing people talk about the princes, exactly who they are?” asked Yoona who seemed confused.

“Well...I’m pretty new so I don’t know much about them but they seem extremely popular among the students.” said Syafiqah recalling.

“So, how are they like?”

“Hmm...Individually the three of them do give off a different feeling...”

“How is that so?”

“Well...let’s see...for example Soyoung sunbae although I don’t interact that much with him he seems the friendliest and easiest to talk to among the three. He always has that bright cheerful smile and I’ve heard he’s really good at baking and has a prodigy sense of smell...Although he is really tall and he has a pretty wild hairstyle as well. The way he wears his school uniform kinda shows his personality, really carefree. I guess that’s why girls find him to be cute and I heard his mom is the school’s chairwoman.” commented Syafiqah.

“Oh...so he’s the friendliest one huh?”

“Yul sunbae well...you could say that he’s really good at flirting with the girls. He seems friendly but at times cold as well, the way how his tie is always lose kinda describes his rebellious personality I guess... He’s pretty tall as well just like Soyoung sunbae. I heard he’s really good at the violin but rarely plays in school. Well...hmm...he seems like he has a laidback attitude but somehow doesn’t seem to get along well with the guys... You can say that he appears cool to the girls I guess that’s why he’s popular and he definitely knows how to sweet talk.” commented Syafiqah.

“Oh...so he’s like the cool one in the group?” asked Yoona.

“I guess you could say that...” replied Syafiqah.

“What about the other one, Taeyong sunbae?” Yoona asked.

“Oh, Seohyun’s cousin?”

“Oh...so he’s Seohyun’s cousin?” questioned Yoona.

“Yea...”

“Well...let’s see...Taeyong sunbae... he is really short I’d have to say and he talks really slowly and politely, it’s like he’s always sleepy. He definitely cares a lot for Seohyun and is overprotective over her. I’d think it’ll be hard for whoever decides to date Seohyun. He’s pretty distant and cold, always seems to be in his own world. The way he wears his uniform is really neat, tidy and proper but in contrast his hair is rather on the messy side. I heard he’s really good at art although I haven’t really seen him paint before. But Key oppa said his works are really deep. He keeps forgetting names but surprisingly can remember Jessica unni’s name really well. Well...let’s see...I guess you could say girls find him to be really adorable and cute. Amongst the three I guess you could say looks wise, he’s more my type but all three just aren’t my type hahas.” commented Syafiqah.

“Oh...anyways I’ll go shower first, Seohyun’s waiting isn’t she?”

“Oh crap! I nearly forgot about the time.”

“Hahas don’t worry, I’m sure she won’t mind...”

Yoona grab her towel and clothes and headed into the bathroom.

Wow it sure is big...just like what Syafiqah said...

Turning on the shower head, Yoona let the water beat down on her. After a while she came out, her hair still quite drench. She wiped it with her towel and sat down at the dressing table, blow drying her hair and combing it.

After she was done the two of them headed to Seohyun’s room and knocked on the door. The tall chubby cheeked girl step out of her room and smiled at the two of them.

“Let’s go shall we?”

“Sure...”

The three girls headed to the cafeteria there they spotted Atika and Hyoyeon. Syafiqah and Seohyun waved to them and along with Yoona walked up to them.

“Hi unnis!” greeted Syafiqah.

“Hi, Syafiqah and Seohyun and...Who’s she? A new student?” asked Hyoyeon.

“Annyeonghaseyo, it’s nice to meet you sunbae. My name is Im Yoona and I’m in the same class as the two of them, I’m in the art department.” the doe-eyed girl introduced herself.

“Oh...anyways please sit down.” said Atika offering a seat.

The three girls took a seat, Syafiqah and Seohyun noticed that only the two of them were here, wondered where all their other unnis went.

“Ermm...Hyoyeon unni, where are the other unnis?” asked Syafiqah.

“Oh...Tiffany went back to their shared apartment to study, Sunny went to the library just now but I think she went to her part time job after that. As for Jessica, she went back to their shared apartment as well to sleep I guess.” informed Hyoyeon.

“Oh...”

“Hyoyeon unni...where’s Taeyong oppa by the way?” asked Seohyun seeing that her cousin was not there.

“Well...Soyoung and Yul left halfway through class and Taeyong left a while after the two of them left.” informed Hyoyeon.

“Oh...”

Just then two familiar boys waved to them and walked over to their table.

“Hi, Eunhyuk oppa, hi, Junho oppa.” greeted the two of them.

“Oh hi~”

The two boys grabbed a seat, seeing the new girl they asked.

“Who may this pretty girl be?” asked Eunhyuk.

“She’s a new transfer student, Im Yoona and is friends with the two of them.” explained Hyoyeon.

“Oh...it’s nice to meet you.” greeted Eunhyuk stretching out his hand.

“Nice to meet you to, Eunhyuk sunbae.” said Yoona as she shook his hand.

“Haha no need to be so formal call me oppa.”

“Oh ok sure...”

“Nice to meet you as well Yoona, my name’s Junho.” the other boy introduced himself.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Junho oppa.”

They ordered their food and began to chat and talk after finishing their meals.

“Well...the four of us will be leaving first.” informed Atika as she stood up.

“Oh ok bye unnis~”

“Bye~”

Atika, Hyoyeon, Junho and Eunhyuk all stood up and left heading towards the library to study together.

“Don’t you think they look good together?” commented Syafiqah.

“Are you talking about Hyoyeon unni and Eunhyuk oppa?” asked Yoona.

“Yea...”

“I think Atika unni and Junho oppa look good together as well.” commented Seohyun.

“Yea...but they still seem shy around each other...”

“Yea...I agree...” agreed Yoona.

“So...Syafiqah has anyone asked you out to the dance party yet?” asked Yoona.

“Nah... I’m not sure if Key oppa will ask or not...”

“Hehe...I’m sure he will I can see he has a crush on you...”

“What about you, Seohyun? Anyone asked you yet?” asked Yoona.

“Ermm...well...”

“Oh...loads of guys have asked her out but she rejected all of them...” commented Syafiqah.

“Oh...why is that so?” Yoona asked.

“I was just waiting for the right one...” she confessed shyly.

“Oh...”

“Well...let’s head over to Seohyun’s room and study shall we?” asked Syafiqah.

“Sure, no problem...”

The three girls stood up and headed to Seohyun’s room to study together.

-At the same time-

-At the busy streets of Seoul-

A certain wild haired boy was wondering around, looking famished.

Ahh...I forgot to bring my wallet out today...how am I suppose to eat?

He walked aimlessly until he saw a commoner’s supermarket.

I’ve never really been inside a commoner’s supermarket before...Maybe I should go in?

The tall boy stepped into the grocery store he sniffed around and smelled food. Following his senses he headed over to the direction of where it came from. When he opened his eyes, he spotted the familiar short girl just a few metres away. She seemed to be dressed in the uniform that the supermarket workers wore and she looked like she was promoting a certain food product. He walk up towards the short girl in hopes of getting some food.

Maybe she’ll let me try some samples?

Noticing the tall boy walking towards her, Sunny panicked a little.

Oh no...What is he doing here? Is he going to embarrass me in front of this crowd?

“Hi~” greeted the taller boy with a cheerful smile.

“Hi...” she greeted awkwardly.

“Can I have a sample of that?” asked Soyoung pointing towards the product she was promoting.

“Ah sure...”

Soyoung immediately grab the sample and chewed onto it.

“It’s delicious!” he exclaimed.

“Would you like to buy some?” she asked eagerly.

“Nah...”

“Why not, sir?” she asked.

“Well...to tell you the truth...” the taller boy began.

“Actually...”

“What is it?” she asked.

“I forgot to bring my wallet and I was hungry from wandering around so I chanced upon this supermarket and followed the smell.” he confessed.

“Haha...that is so like you...”

“Well since I’m in a good mood today I’ll let you have more than one sample.” she offered.

“Really?” he asked his eyes beaming with delight.

The short girl just simply nodded.

“Thanks shorty!” he exclaimed and went to grab another sample.

I knew it...I shouldn’t have agreed so easily...

“By the way, why did you leave suddenly?” she asked.

“Well...lessons were boring and I thought I’d wander around to try different pastries and desserts but then I realised I forgot to bring my wallet.” he explained.

“Oh...”

“Anyways, do you work here?” Soyoung asked noticing the shorter girl in uniform.

“Yes...and apparently you’re disturbing me...” she stated.

“Oh is that so? Then would you like me to help you promote this, fishcake for you?” the taller boy asked.

“Are you sure you won’t just eat everything away?” she questioned.

“Don’t worry...I’m sure with my help you’ll get twice the amount of customers and besides there’s no harm in trying right?”

“I guess so...” she reluctantly admitted.

“Then I guess it’s settled then...shorty at the rate your promoting I doubt you can sell anything at all.” he teased.

“Sigh...just get along with it, wills ya?” the shorter girl sighed in defeat.

“Sure thing, ma’am!” he said loudly.

He took the pamphlet she was reading and skimmed through it. With a smile he walked over to an ajumma and greeted.

“Ajumma, would you like to come over and try some fish cakes? I really recommend it; it’s cheap and delicious and doesn’t take long to cook as well!”

“Well...I’m not sure...” said the ajumma slightly hesitating.

“It won’t hurt ajumma...and if you don’t like it there are always other products you can try!”

“Oh ok, I guess I’ll try one then!”

Soyoung brought the ajumma to where Sunny was and the ajumma took a sample to try.

“So how is it ajumma?” he asked.

“Hmm...It really is good~ How you cook this?” she asked Sunny.

Sunny went on to explain to the ajumma and the ajumma was attentively listening to her explanation.

“Ok, I’ll take a packet.” said the ajumma.

Sunny gave the ajumma one packet and the ajumma walked over to the counter to pay for all the items she bought. At that time Soyoung walked over to a group of girls in school uniform.

“Hi, would you girls like to try some fishcakes?”

“Ermm...is it expensive?” one of them asked.

“No not at all! And if you don’t have the money right now, you can always ask your parents to come back and buy later!” he offered.

“Do you want to go try?” asked one of the girls to her friends.

“Hmm... it wouldn’t hurt to try and besides the guy promoting it is cute...” commented one of them.

“Yea...I agree...”

“Ok sure!” all three of them exclaimed.

“Thanks!” the tall boy said with a bright smile.

The group of girls went to try a sample and agreed that it was delicious; soon the stall was beginning to have more customers.

He sure is good at promoting...I guess his looks do help as well...

The shorter girl smiled and gave two packets to a lady in mid thirties who walked away to buy other products as well. But soon the stall was getting empty again as the customers were more interested in buying their own necessities and such. Just then outside the supermarket, Soyoung spotted someone carrying a music instrument case and walked up to the boy.

“Hi kid, can you let hyung borrow your trumpet for a while?” he asked.

“Well...” the boy hesitated.

“Hyung will buy you any game you’d like.” he offered.

“Oh ok but be sure to wipe the mouth piece later.” he reminded.

“Thanks, kid!”

The tall boy walked back into the supermarket and headed to where the shorter girl was.

What is that instrument he’s holding? Oh...it’s a trumpet! But what is he going to do with it?

The shorter girl wondered and just sighed noticing that the customers were just slowly minding their own business.

The wild haired boy picked up the trumpet and started playing a tune. The sound coming out from the trumpet was slow and relaxing, it was loud but not too loud. Somehow it made people feel relaxed as the piece continued the playing held more power. Soon one by one people began to gather at where the sound was coming from. It didn’t take long for a lot of people to gather around the stall Sunny was tending to. After the performance everyone clapped loudly for the wild haired boy. With a bright smile he bowed and thanked everyone for watching.

“Since you’ve enjoyed the performance, why not try a sample of these fishcakes?!”

“I really recommend them; they’re delicious and also easy to cook!” he announced loudly.

Just then he spotted the boy outside the supermarket waiting for him. Taking his handkerchief he wiped the mouth piece and handed the trumpet back to the boy.

“As promise kid, I’ll come here tomorrow at the same time.”

“No need for that anymore, hyung...I enjoyed your performance just now, by any chance are you a music student?”

“Haha sorry kid but no...I specialise in making cakes and pastries...”

“Aww that’s too bad then...”

“Bye, kid!”

“Bye~”

-In the supermarket-

-At the stall Sunny’s tending to-

“Hey, would you like to go and try some fishcakes?” asked a woman in her mid 20s to her colleagues.

“Yea I don’t mind...the person playing the trumpet just now, was he promoting it?” asked another one of the ladies who was in her late 20s.

“I think so...he’s cute don’t you think?”

“Yea...I agree...”

“Hey, did you hear that performance just now?” asked an ajussi.

“Yea...it was simply wonderful.” commented his wife.

“Let’s go and try and see if the fishcakes are nice or not.”

“Hey, did you see the boy who was playing the trumpet just now?” asked a middle school girl.

“Yes, yes...I saw him, he had a rather weird hairdo but still he was cute.” commented one of her friends.

“Yea I agree...why don’t we go over and try some samples?”

“Let’s go then...”

Soon the stall was beginning to fill with more customers and Sunny was grateful for that.

He sure helped in promoting these fishcakes...I guess I’ll have to treat him to something later on...

The tall boy walked back into the supermarket and headed to where the shorter girl was. When he arrived, he caused quite a stir amongst the female crowd and was surrounded soon enough.

Hey, do you work here?”

“Sorry but no, I’m just helping a friend out...”

Pushing his way through he finally reached Sunny and gave a smile and a thumbs up.

Sigh...he sure is popular...But that performance just now was really good though...

Soon the products were all sold and the crowd began to disperse as well. Sunny was beginning to pack up as her shift was soon ending. The taller boy, who had been waiting for her, walked up to her and smiled.

“So shorty, your shift ended?”

“Yes Mr Popular...”

“Huh? Well...never mind...so do I get any reward for helping you bring in more customers?”

“Hmm... well I can treat you to ice-cream...”

“Yahoo! Let’s go!” he exclaimed in joy.

Haha...he sure is childish... Screaming over an ice-cream?

As they walk out of the supermarket together, they walked side by side on the streets and Sunny spotted the ice-cream stall.

“Ajussi, one mango cone please!”

“Sure, coming right up!”

-After a short while-

Holding onto the ice-cream cone, she handled it over to the taller boy.

“You not buying one for yourself?” he asked noticing only one cone.

“Nah~ besides I have to save up money to pay the bills.”

“Oh...ok then...” he said feeling guilty.

Licking onto the ice-cream cone and walking side by side with the short girl was quite a good feeling.

“Here, have a bite.” he offered.

“But...” she tried to protest.

“No buts, just try it! And it’s not everyday you get to see me sharing my food you know.”

“Ok fine...” succumbed Sunny.

The shorter girl took a bite from the ice-cream cone; indeed it was delicious as expected. She bit onto the cone and the taller boy took back the ice-cream cone, the piece of cone that was sticking out of her mouth, the taller boy bent down and took a bite out of it.

“And that’s how you eat the cone...” he remarked.

“Choi Soyoung, get back here or else!” she shouted.

The taller boy immediately ran away from the shorter girl. As he was running away from the shorter girl he did not notice the short haired young lady who was walking towards his direction and crashed into her.

Noticing the scene, Sunny walked up to the two of them and bowed to the older woman.

“I’m terribly sorry!”

“I’m fine, and it’s also my fault...”

“No, it’s clearly this guy’s fault for not looking where he’s walking...”

“Ya shorty, who are you blaming?” he questioned whispering.

Just as the young lady stood up and face the taller boy, both parties stood there rooted to the ground in shock.

“H-h-hi Soyoung-ah...” she greeted nervously.

“Welcome back, nuna.” he greeted with a cold tone.

“Soyoung-ah...” she called out.

“What is it, nuna?”

“Nothing much....” she said hesitating.

The shorter girl kept looking at the two of them and felt the rather intense atmosphere. Noticing the shorter girl she walked up to her with a smile.

“Annyeonghaseyo, are you Soyoung’s girlfriend? I’m Jin Bora or Sunday if you’d prefer.” the rather tall short haired girl introduced.

“G-g-girl-girl-girlfriend?!” she exclaimed.

“Oh was I wrong? If not then I’m terribly sorry...”

“Wait...you’re that famous food critic, Sunday right?” she asked recognising the taller and older woman.

“Yea...” admitted the fair skinned girl.

“Wow~ it’s an honour to meet you!” exclaimed Sunny as she gave a bow.

“I’m sorry nuna but we’ll be leaving first.” informed Soyoung cutting in on the conversation.

“Oh ok...alright then...” the short haired girl succumbed.

“Can we meet up again?” she asked hesitantly.

“The first time you decided to leave, you should have already known what would happen...” he reminded in a serious tone.

Looking at her wrist, he saw the all too familiar pendant and sighed.

“Nuna, after all these years you’re still wearing that huh?”

“Yea...I guess old habits die hard...” she admitted.

“Yea I agree...”

“Well...shorty, what are you standing there for? Let’s go!” he shouted and grab the shorter girl by her hand.

The short haired girl walked off and went back into the car, heading back to the hotel.

Looks like our first encounter...wasn’t that pleasant huh? But I guess I shouldn’t hope for much...it was my fault anyways...

The tall boy just continued walking and walking with no destination in mind. Finally he came to a stop and let go of the shorter girl’s hand.

“Sorry...” he apologised.

Seeing that his mood was down she knew she shouldn’t say too much. Otherwise it could anger him even more.

“You want to head back home first or you want to wander around?” she asked cautiously.

“Why don’t we sit down first?” she suggested seeing the nearby bench.

They both sat down on the bench in awkward silence not knowing what to say. Soon the sun was setting and Sunny felt that it was time to go home.

“Err...Soyoung-ah, I need to head home first, you ok already?”

“Where do you live?” he asked suddenly.

“Huh?”

“Ermm...I’m taking the bus home...”

“Oh ok...let’s go then...” he said standing up.

He walked together with the short girl all the way to the bus stop and sat down, waiting for the bus to arrive. When the bus arrives they boarded and Sunny paid the fare for both of them. The tall boy went to the very back of the bus and sat down. Luckily the bus was pretty much empty, which was a good thing. Sunny sat beside the taller boy not daring to ask anything. After about three stops, she had to alight and was about to leave when the taller boy stop her.

“Just sit down.”

“But...”

Seeing the taller boy’s defeated look she succumbed and sat back down. When she sat back down, she wondered how long she was going to ride this bus. Just then the taller boy plopped his head onto her shoulder and closed his eyes.

“Soyoung-ah... what are you doing?” she asked hesitantly.

“Just stays here... don’t move...” he ordered with his eyes still close.

They continued to stay at this position until they reach the final stop. Sunny nudge the taller boy to wake up as they had to alight. Being far from her apartment she sighed in defeat. The taller boy seemed calm and just dialled in a number.

“Butler An, can you sent the limo over? I’m at... Thanks...”

He hung up and put his phone back into his pocket.

“The car will come soon, so don’t worry too much.” he informed assuring the shorter girl.

“Oh ok...” she succumbed.

I wonder why he’s acting this way...ever since he met that unni just now...

They sat there in silence until a black limo pulled over and a man dressed in a suit step out and bowed to the taller boy. The taller boy and the shorter girl both stepped into the limo and the chauffeur closed the door, heading back to the driver’s seat; he sat down and started the engine.

“Drive me back to the mansion.” he instructed.

The drive was neither long nor short but no one really dared to speak. When they arrived the chauffeur step out to open the car door for them and Sunny stared in awe at how huge the house was.

“Shorty, are you waiting for the sky to fall? Come in...” he ordered.

Sunny snapped out of her train of thoughts and entered the huge mansion. The maids bowed in unison and greeted the taller boy.

“Welcome home, young master.” they all said in unison.

“Where are they?” he asked the butler.

“Madam went to a meeting overseas and will not be back in a week, young master.” the butler informed.

“As for Sir, he went on a business trip to France and won’t be back until two weeks later.”

“Oh ok...good then...”

He walked upstairs and signalled for the shorter girl to follow along as well. There were whispers amongst the maids as they carried on with their daily duties.

“Do you think that girl’s the young master’s girlfriend?”

“Well...they do look pretty cute together...”

“Sigh...”

“Were you hoping for the young master to choose you?”

“Hey, a girl can dream ok?”

“Haha...I doubt he even remembers your name.”

-In the room upstairs-

“So why did you bring me to your house?” she asked.

“What about school?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll send you back early tomorrow so you’ll have plenty of time to change and get ready for school.” he assured.

“Ok...but what about my clothes? I have to bathe but I don’t have any spare clothes...”

The taller boy opened the cupboard and took out a woman’s nightgown for the shorter girl and tossed it to her.

“Wear this.”

“But...who’s does it belong to?” she asked hesitantly.

“If it belongs to your mom, I’m not wearing it.”

“Why?”

“Because there were rumours in the school that your mom is a really scary person...”

“Haha...Don’t worry...it doesn’t belong to her.” he assured.

“Oh ok...” she succumbed.

“Nice room but it does look a bit girly.” she commented.

“This isn’t my room but you’ll be sleeping here tonight.”

“Oh...then whose room is it?” she asked curiously.

“I’ll be leaving first.” he informed as he headed back to his own room which was next door.

I wonder why he avoided the question though...

The shorter girl stepped into the bathroom and was awed at how huge it was.

It’s probably ten times larger than our apartment’s bathroom...

She turned on the tap filling the huge bath tub with water and soaked herself in the water. Enjoying a relaxing bath, after about fifteen minutes she step out and dried herself and changed into the nightgown the taller boy provided her with.

I wonder who does it belong to though...?

She sat down at the dressing table and started to blow dry her hair.

-At the same time-

The taller boy took a shower as well and came out with his hair dripping wet. He messily wiped it off and again firmly wrapped the cloth around his chest area.

Sigh...just bear it...

He slipped on the tank top and headed to the room next door while still drying his hair. The door was not lock so he entered the room; the shorter girl was busy combing her hair and didn’t notice the taller boy had just entered.

Seeing the shorter girl in the nightgown he smiled.

She does look good in it...

The shorter girl stand up and was about to head back to the bed when she spotted the taller boy standing at the door. Hair wet, in long pants and a tank top. Somehow the shorter girl couldn’t help but blush at that sight.

He is rather skinny though...

“Shorty, what are you staring at?” he questioned.

“If you’re done staring at how gorgeous I look after a shower, come down and have dinner.” he informed.

“Choi Soyoung, whoever said I was staring at you?” she retorted.

“Haha yea sure...you weren’t staring at me...” he remarked sarcastically.

The taller boy left and the shorter girl just sighed. After a while, she headed down to the dining table where the taller boy was already sitting down. His hair slightly messy and still wet but this time he was wearing a long sleeved buttoned silk shirt over the tank top. The short girl sat opposite of the taller boy and was amazed at how extravagant the food was.

“Why are you not eating?” he asked.

“Well...I’ve never tried such extravagant food in my whole life before...”

“Haha...then now is the time to try, shorty.”

“Will you please stop calling me that?”

“Haha fine...”

The whole meal was pretty much in silence but the shorter girl couldn’t help but take a glance at the taller boy every once in a while.

He seems so different when he eats here and when he eats my recipes in school... It’s like he’s a totally different person... here he’s more well-mannered where as in school he’s so different...

“I’ve always wanted to ask...whose nightgown is this?”

“It belonged to my older sister...” he said with a serious tone.

“Oh...so is she overseas? Working or she moved there?” the shorter girl questioned.

“Neither of them...” he replied.

“Jal meogeotseumnida.” he said as he placed the fork and spoon gently by the side of the plate and stood up.

The shorter girl thanked for the meal and headed back upstairs as well and knocked on the taller boy’s room.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“Yea...”

She entered the room and noticed the taller boy lying on the bed staring into the ceiling. Just then she saw a photo frame of what looked like a younger Soyoung who looked about twelve at that time with another older woman who looked about 5-6 years older. Both were smiling really happily in that picture and Sunny had to admit that the woman was a beauty.

“Is that your sister?” she asked.

“Yea...”

“She really is pretty but where is she now?” Sunny asked.

“I don’t know either...” the taller boy said with a sad tone.

“What do you mean?” she asked not getting his reply.

“Just stop asking, ok?”

“Ok...” she succumbed.

“Err...I’ll head back to the other room first...” she informed.

Just then the taller boy stood up and held the shorter girl back, forcing her down onto his bed.

“So-so-so-young what are you do-do-doing?” she asked stammering.

The taller boy remained silent and just laid his head on her stomach.

“Ya, what are you doing?” she asked trying to shift from her position.

“Hey relax will you? Don’t tighten it...”

“It’s my stomach you know and you have a pillow over here!” she retorted.

“I prefer this pillow.”

“Then use my lap instead!”

“This is so much more comfortable...” he commented with his eyes closed.

“Just go to sleep.” he ordered.

“How am I supposed to do that?” she asked.

The taller boy didn’t reply as he was already asleep.

Sigh...what am I going to do? But I wonder...what exactly happened to his sister though...

The shorter girl sighed and rested her head on the pillow.

“So...how did you know how to play the trumpet?” she asked.

“Nuna taught me how to...” he mumbled with his eyes closed.

“You’re not asleep?” she asked.

“I’m sleep talking to you...”

“Haha...as if...”

“So what was that piece you played just now?” she asked.

“It’s Holst Suite the Planets Op.32-4 Jupiter.”

“Oh...”

“So your sister used to play the trumpet?”

“Yea...she was in her school’s orchestra club as well...although our parents were really reluctant in her taking up music since our family was in the food business...”

“But what happened?” she asked.

“I don’t really know either...my parents say she’s dead but I don’t think so...”

“What do you mean by your parents think that she’s dead?” she asked cautiously.

“She was kidnapped...6 years ago...”

The shorter girl didn’t know what to say and just lied there in silence. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

-At a hotel-

The playboy still had his clothes on but wore a bathrobe over it. An older woman walked up to the younger boy and hugged him from behind. She took piece of paper and slides it into his back pocket.

“How much are you giving me this time, nuna?”

“It’s definitely enough...oh and as for the information you’re looking for...”

He turned around and placed his hand onto the older woman shoulders.

“So...have you find out about anything yet?”

“It’s not much but you can go here...” she said jotting down the address onto a piece of paper and handling it to the younger boy.

“Thanks, nuna...” he said with a smile.

“You know...you’re really popular among the customers but you never really do it with anybody right?” asked the older woman.

“Haha...yea...I guess so...” he admitted.

“So...don’t I get any reward for helping you?” the older woman asked.

“Of course...” he stated with a smirk and began planting kisses down the older woman’s neck.

Soon the two fell onto the bed and the older woman was enjoying herself as much as she could. After a while, the younger boy stopped and sat at the edge of the hotel bed. He put back on his outer jacket and left the hotel room. Taking the cheque out of the pocket he looked at it and smirked.

Looks like nuna decided to give more this time huh?

He walked out of the hotel and the taxi stopped in front of the hotel entrance. He stepped inside and the taxi drove off, finally reaching the traditional mansion. He paid the taxi driver and step out of the taxi; he took off his shoes at the main entrance and walked in.

“Obocchama, you’re late again.” reprimanded his 75 year old grandmother who was looking as stern as ever.

The old woman was wearing her kimono as usual and had her hair tied up in a bun.

“I’ll be more wary of that, Obaasama...”

“And look at the way you dress, it’s atrocious...You’re from one of the top traditional kado background and also the only heir to the Kwon Enterprises. It’ll be best if you dress properly.” she reprimanded in a strict tone.

“Yes Obaasama...I’ll go change...”

The tall boy headed into the bathroom and soaked himself in the bathtub. After a while he came out, doing the same thing Soyoung did at his house just now. The tall boy slipped on the kimono and walked out of his room wearing the traditional sandals as well.

“Obocchama, come with me, you have to learn more about the art of flower arranging.” instructed his grandmother.

“Fine...” he succumbed.

They were brought to the room and as usual, his grandmother began the boring long talk.

Sigh...I wonder how’s my toy doing though...

“Please concentrate, obocchama...”

“Fine...”

Soon after hours of the daily lesson of the art of flower arranging, he left and headed to the garden. Enjoying the cool breeze, he took out the violin and started playing a tune. It was a Symphony No.9 ~From the New World~ II. Largo piece and had a calm and relaxing tune. The sound of the violin echoed through the night sky as the maids were cleaning the house. They closed their eyes enjoying the music.

-At JeTiNy’s apartment-

-In Tiffany’s room-

The short haired girl was finally taking a break after long hours of studying.

Ahh~ it sure is tiring~ Maybe I should get a drink?

She stood up and stretches for a while before heading to the refrigerator to get a drink.

Let’s see...what is there?

Ah! Orange juice...I could use one of these!

She opened the bottle and gulped down the contents until it was half empty. She let out a relieving sigh and took a permanent marker to right her initials on the bottle cap, in case any one of them drank from it.

Stepping out of the kitchen she looked at the shoe rack and noticed that Sunny still hadn’t come home.

I wonder where she is... It’s so late already... Sigh~ maybe I should get a part time job as well to lessen her burden...

I guess I’ll get it during the holidays instead...

She walked past Jessica’s room and sighed.

Sleeping beauty must still be in dreamland huh? I wonder how she always does well for her studies when all she does is sleep and read books that are irrelevant to the topics in class...sigh...

The shorter girl just heaved another sigh and headed back to her room; she turned off the lights and climbed onto her bed, drifting off to sleep.

-The next day-

-At Choi’s mansion-

The two of them were eating their breakfast in silence and they both stood up to leave. Hopping into the black limo, it drove on and headed to the shorter girl’s apartment. Upon reaching the apartment, the taller boy stepped out of the car as well and took the lift along with the shorter girl.

“Why are you following along?”

“I just wanted to see how the place you live in looks like.” he stated.

As soon as they reach the front door she stared at the taller boy and sighed in defeat.

“Well...aren’t you leaving?”

“I haven’t seen the inside of the house yet.” he states.

“Urghh...never minds...”

-In the apartment-

Tiffany was about to wake Jessica up when she noticed that the door was unlocked. She entered to see the sleeping girl had left first, just as she was about to leave she saw a note at the study table.

-I’ll be leaving early today, see you later in school-

-Jessica-

Tiffany sighed and walked out of the room, she was getting ready for school when she noticed that the shorter girl still hadn’t returned. When she heard the sound of the door click open to reveal the all too familiar tall boy behind the shorter girl, she walk over to the shorter girl and stood in front of her.

“Young lady, you have a lot of explaining to do...”

“Err...Fany-ah? Can you let me get ready for school first?”

“Oh...Hi Tiffany!” exclaimed the taller boy.

“What are you doing here, Soyoung?” the short haired girl questioned.

“Well...it’s a long story...” he admitted.

“Did you spend the whole night with him?” she questioned the shorter girl in a whisper.

The shorter girl could only nod her head in defeat.

“W-w-w-what?!” she exclaimed in a whisper.

“Don’t worry...he’s not Kwon Yul, he didn’t take advantage of me...” assured the shorter girl.

“Do you want me to send you girls to school today?” he asked.

“Ermm...n-” just as Sunny was about to protest Tiffany cut in.

“Sure~ we’ll be delighted to! Since you offered why don’t you come in and have a seat first...” Tiffany offered with a smile.

“You better explain later...” she whispered.

“Ok fine...” agreed Sunny.

The shorter girl went back into her room to change; she didn’t need to take a shower as she already took one at the taller boy’s house.

The three of them left the house and stepped into the limo, as they drove off heading towards the school.

“Aren’t you alighting?” asked Sunny.

“I’m going to wander around for a while so you girls alight first, see you later in class.”

“Oh ok...”

The two girls stepped out of the familiar limousine and the students began to wonder why they were coming out of Soyoung’s limo. Some just shrugged it off while others began to spread the most ridiculous rumours.

When the two entered their class they noticed that Jessica still wasn’t there.

“Hi, Atika, Hi, Hyoyeon!” greeted the both of them.

“Oh, hi~”

“Have you two seen Jessica by the way?” asked Tiffany.

“Nah~” replied Hyoyeon.

“Oh wait, I think I saw her at the library this morning when I went to return some books.” informed Atika.

“Oh...”

“So how’s your group studying going along?” asked Sunny.

“Fine...we get along well, Eunhyuk treats me really good although he can be a joker at times.” states Hyoyeon slightly laughing.

“Haha yea...I know right?” agrees Atika.

“So...Atika are you going to accept Junho’s invitation to the dance party?” asked Sunny.

“But...”

“Don’t need to worry I’m sure you’ll do fine...and besides he’s a good catch, if you don’t seize this opportunity your happiness will slip away.” reminded Hyoyeon.

“Yea I agree with Hyo, I heard that in his class quite a few girls have been waiting for him to ask them out.” agreed Sunny.

“Don’t be shy Atika, just go out with him and if it works out its great! If it doesn’t, you guys can always still be friends!” stated Tiffany.

“Oh ok...I’ll go tell him after school at lunch today...thanks for the advice everyone.” the short girl thanked with a shy smile.

“No problem, Atika.” says Hyoyeon.

“Yea...glad to help out as well...” states Sunny.

“Anyways Hyo, when did you and Eunhyuk become so close?” asked Tiffany.

“Well...ever since you were too busy studying?” reminded Hyoyeon.

“Oops! Sorry about that guys...why not we go on a holiday together once the summer break comes?” suggested Tiffany.

“Sure, why not? What about you two?” Sunny asked immediately agreeing.

“Fine with us as well...” agrees Hyoyeon.

“Let’s invite Syafiqah as well...” suggested Atika.

“Sure thing...I’ll tell Jessi about it and we can have fun together!” exclaims Tiffany.

“Yea...most of the students we’ll be going to the Hawaii trip the school is organising huh?” states Hyoyeon.

“I’d doubt we could afford it though...” Sunny sighs.

“Yea...”

The four girls just took out their textbooks and continued on with self revision.

-At the library-

The slightly wavy haired girl was sleeping with a book underneath her hand. The petite boy who had arrived in school early to avoid the fan girls headed to the library to search for that particular book.

Just then he spotted the brown haired girl sleeping and he stared at the book that the sleeping girl was holding.

How am I suppose...to...wake her...up?

He walked over and sat beside the girl staring at the girl from up close he can’t help but think that Jessica was really pretty.

Just then the brown haired girl stirred a little and she woke up to see the petite boy staring at her.

“Err...Is there something on my face?” she asked.

“No...But...I was looking for that book...” he states.

“Oh...here you go then.” she says handling the book to him.

“So...what brings...you here so...early in the morning?” he asked cautiously.

“Well...I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d come here, what about you?” she asked the petite boy as she stood up.

The petite boy stood up as well and walked beside the brown haired girl.

“Well...Neither could I...” he states as they walk over to the counter and borrows the book.

“You couldn’t sleep as well?” she questions as they both exit the library.

“Yea...” he admits.

I wonder why though...all I could think about was Jessica...last night...

He looked at the taller girl again causing her to feel awkward.

“Err...can you please stop staring at me?”

“Sorry...” he apologises.

“No need to feel sorry, I just feel awkward...” she states.

“Oh...”

“So, shall we head back to class now?” she asked.

“Ermm...Jessica?” he calls out as they walked down the flight of steps together.

“Yes, what is it Taeyong?”

“Would you...like to skip...class today and go to...that garden with me?” he asked.

“I’m okay with it but are you sure it’s okay for me to be skipping class?” she questions.

“Don’t worry...I’m sure you’ll be fine...I mean you did do really well in the mock exams...” he reminded.

“Ok well...I guess it wouldn’t hurt...” she agrees and they both head towards the garden.

Upon reaching the garden, Jessica still felt a bit uneasy to be at this place during class hour.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked.

“Just...sit...down...”

The brown haired girl just succumbed and sat back down onto the grass. Enjoying the calm breeze as usual, the brown haired girl took in a deep breath. The petite boy continued to stare at the taller girl for the past while and she felt slightly uncomfortable.

“Err...why do you keep staring at me?”

“Well...I don’t really know either...I could lie and say I’m staring at you... cause...you’re pretty just like what...Yul would say...but...”

“Are you trying to say I’m not pretty?” she questions.

“It’s not that...it’s just...I can’t seem to get you out of my head...” he states bluntly shocking the taller girl slightly.

“You know...I’ve always wanted to ask you this question...” she began.

“Where exactly did you get those scars on your hand from?” she asked.

The petite boy just remained silent and the brown haired girl could not open her mouth to utter a word as well. Just then he lay down on her lap again and closed his eyes.

“W-w-what are you doing?” she asked stammering.

“Just stay...”

The brown haired girl just succumbed and sighed not knowing what to say to the petite boy.

“You know...” he began.

“I’ve never really...told anyone why I stopped...taking part in art competitions...” he stated.

“Even to your two best friends and Hyori unni?” the taller girl asked.

“Yea...they know most of what happened so...they think it’s understandable why...I don’t want to but...”

“To tell you the truth...I think I’m just...too...afraid...” he admits.

“Why’s that so?” Jessica asked.

“I’m afraid of being...betrayed...afraid of being backstabbed...afraid of being...abandoned...”

The brown haired girl could only stroke the petite boy’s messy hair not knowing what to say.

-In class-

Class had already started and as usual the two princes made their ‘grand’ entrance. Noticing that Taeyong and Jessica were no where to be seen, she wondered where her best friend could be at.

Sigh...I wonder where’s Jessi and it seems Taeyong is skipping class today... Don’t tell me they’re skipping class together? Ahh~ never mind...I’ll have to focus on my studies first!

The short haired girl snapped from her train of thoughts and continued jotting down notes.

-At the back of the class-

Hehe...you sure are working hard my toy...Tae went to his garden again huh?

The playboy sighed and leaned back, the taller boy who was munching on his bag of potato chips gave the shorter boy a questioning look and the neat haired boy just sighed.

“Anyways, there are rumours going around between you and Sunny.” states the neat haired boy.

“Oh is that so?”

“You did send the both of them to school today didn’t you?” questions Yul.

“Yea...Sunny stayed at my house last night.” informed Soyoung.

“Ooh~”

“I even told her about nuna...”

“Soojin nuna?” questions the shorter boy.

The wild haired boy just simply nodded his head.

“Oh and I bumped into Bora nuna yesterday.”

“You met her?”

“Yea...”

“So...she’s doing well I suppose...”

“Yea...she’s still wearing that bracelet I gave her...” he states.

“Oh...”

“So...how was it with your clients yesterday?” asked the wild haired boy.

“Good. The pay was definitely more this time...”

“So did you get the information you needed?”

“Yea...”

“You sure it’s the correct place this time?”

“I can’t be too certain but I’m putting my hopes on it...”

“You know you should stop while you can...this whole playboy business...”

“Well...we’re all the same in the end, aren’t we?” states Yul.

“Whether it’s being a boy or a girl, or how old or how young you are...in the end...everyone just wants to feel loved.”

“I guess so...”

“But you really can’t forgive her?” asked Soyoung.

“I know they say to forgive and forget but I just can’t...I just can’t...not after what she did...and aren’t we all on the same boat? You still can’t forgive her after all these years as well...” reminded Yul.

“Well I guess you could say that...” admitted Soyoung.

“Do you think Jessica will leave Tae just like her?” asked Soyoung.

“I doubt so...Tae seems to like her a lot he just doesn’t realise it...and besides she seems like a good girl, heck! She’s perfect for Tae...” states Yul.

“Haha...I’ll have to agree with you on that that Jessica girl sure does match well with our Tae...” agreed Soyoung chuckling a little.

-In Class 2-A-

-Just before lessons started-

“So Key oppa how was the dance practise yesterday?” asked Syafiqah.

“Err...it was good ermm...Syafiqah?” Key called out.

“Yes oppa, what is it?”

“D-d-d-do you have a date to the dance party yet?” he asked hesitantly.

“No, I’m waiting for someone to ask me out.” she say sighing.

“Then...w-w-w-would you like to go as my dance partner?” asked Key shyly.

“Well...”

“Accept it!” whispered Yoona nudging her roommate.

“Yea Syafiqah...I think Kibum oppa really likes you...” states Seohyun.

“Ok...fine by me!” agrees Syafiqah with a smile causing the latter to blush.

“Well...I don’t have any dance practise today so you girls want to go study together as promised?” he suggested.

“Sure thing, oppa...meet you after school then...” agrees Syafiqah.

“Sorry guys but I can’t today...” apologises Yoona.

“Don’t worry unni, its okay!” assured Syafiqah.

“Yea...” agrees Seohyun.

Soon after the teacher walked in and the class settled down, they took out their textbooks and began with the lesson as per normal.

-At the garden-

The petite boy was still lying on the brown haired girl’s lap; the taller girl was enjoying the warm breeze that made her hair fly a little. As the taller girl strokes the petite boy’s messy hair once again, the shorter boy stirs in his sleep a little and opens his eyes to face the latter.

“You slept enough?” she inquired.

The shorter boy just shook his head and remained his head on her lap.

“Aren’t you tired?” she asked.

“Or are you thirsty? Would you like a drink?” she inquires again.

“Neither...” states the messy haired boy.

“Oh alright then...” she succumbs.

The taller girl could only sigh as she stares at his hands again.

Just where in the world did you get that? Can’t you open up more?

The brown haired girl heaved another sigh until the petite boy began to speak again.

“Jessica...” he called out.

“Yes, what is it, Taeyong?”

“You won’t leave...right?”

“What do you-“

He sat up from his position and stared at the taller girl in the eye.

“Just promise me...one thing...you won’t just abandon me...will you?” he asked hesitantly.

“Why are you asking all these?” she inquired.

“Just promise me that you...won’t just leave me...” he repeated.

“Ok...but why do you keep insisting on saying that?” she asked.

Looking into those dark brown orbs the petite boy mustered up all his courage and took in a deep breath.

“Jessica Jung...” he began.

“Yes?”

“Would you go...to the...dance party...as my date, with me?” he asked.

The wind blew again and the gentle breeze grew stronger somehow. Jessica could only stay in silence still shock at the sudden question. All the petite boy could do was just to stare into those dark brown orbs waiting for the said girl’s answer.

-Chapter 28: Unaware of the other’s feelings-

The brown haired girl’s hair was gently flying with the gentle breeze and she carefully pushes her hair behind her ear. The petite boy patiently waited for an answer, although he wasn’t really expecting much at all. There wasn’t really any obligations for Jessica to agree to be his date but still the petite boy kept his hopes up for even a mere chance.

The brown haired girl moved closer to the petite boy, no words were needed as she leaned over and planted a kiss on the latter’s forehead and stood up. Her back facing the petite boy, who just sat there dazed for a moment.

“Let’s head back to class, since it already ended.” she said hiding her smile.

The petite boy snapped out of it and stood up, secretly smiling inside for probably the first in a long time. He tailed behind the slightly taller girl and eventually caught up with her.

“So...I’ll take that as a...yes?” he asked cautiously in case he misinterpreted her actions.

The brown haired girl just simply nodded not turning back to look at the petite boy. She widens the gap and enters the almost empty classroom. The petite boy slowly strolls in a few moments later. Surprisingly enough, the only students in the class were Tiffany, who was still busy studying. Hyoyeon, Sunny and Atika who seemed to be in the midst of a conversation, Changmin and Yunho who seemed to be accompanying their cousins, Soyoung and Yul respectively or either that they were waiting for Taeyong.

Jessica walked over to her seat and sat down, Taeyong just simply walked back to the back of the class to greet his friends.

Noticing the girl smiling to herself, Atika stopped the conversation and asked.

“Jessica, did something happen? And why did you skip class?”

“Oh...Hi, Atika...it’s nothing much just didn’t feel like attending and yea... something did happen.” she stated smiling.

“Well...we were just discussing earlier of having a holiday of our own earlier.” informed Sunny.

“Holiday?” the brown haired girl questioned facing her shorter friend.

“Yea...since we can’t afford the Hawaii trip.” reminded Hyoyeon.

“Oh...”

“So, you okay with it?” asked Atika.

“Sounds good...where are we going?” she asked curiously.

“Well...Sunny said her uncle might be able to rent a cruise ship...” states Hyoyeon.

“Oh...that’s good...”

“Well...how long have you been waiting for me?” the brown haired girl asked.

“Err...Sica, can we please help us stop Tiffany?” pleaded Sunny her gaze at the short haired girl.

“Yea...Jessica, help us out...you know how Tiffany listens to you more right?” agrees Hyoyeon looking at her friend worriedly.

“She hasn’t been eating well...all she does is study too much...” states Atika concerned.

Jessica looks over at her short haired friend and sighs in defeat. She walks over and takes a seat beside her, and of course her best friend does not notice her at all.

“Fany-ah, you should seriously take a break, everyone’s worried about you.”

“It’s okay, Jessi...I’m fine...” she assures the brown haired girl.

“Well...you don’t sound fine to me at all.” she reprimands.

“I just feel a little cold that’s all.”

“Fany, seriously...you’ll get sick this way.”

Seeing that her best friend had no intention in listening to her, the brown haired girl gave up; she stood up from her seat.

“Look, Fany...do whatever you want, I’m washing my hands off! I don’t care anymore!” she scolded and left the classroom in a huff.

The three girls gaze went between the two best friends and then they look at each other unsure of what to do. Atika and Sunny decided to go after Jessica, trying to calm the latter down. Hyoyeon on the other hand stood by Tiffany, making sure she was alright.

-At the back of the class-

Yunho and Changmin decided to leave first, saying that they were hungry. The three princes had no intention of leaving the classroom and just sat at their seats lazing around.

“So, Tae...what happen to you?” asked Yul.

“Nothing much...just something...came up...”

“Oh~” voiced out Soyoung giving his shorter friend a knowing look.

“So, you asked that Jessica girl to be your dance partner?” asked Yul.

The petite boy just simply nodded.

“Wow~ Tae! I’m so proud of you!” exclaimed Yul.

“So, what did she say?” asked Soyoung curiously.

“She...didn’t say anything...”

“Then what are you happy about?” questioned Yul eyeing his best friend weirdly.

“Well...she never agreed verbally... but...she kissed me on the forehead...that must mean something right?”

“Haha...looks like our clueless Tae, just scored himself a date and with a gorgeous girl at that.” remarked Soyoung.

“Haha...it sure looks that way...” agreed Yul.

“So...what are...you guys...doing in class?” asked the petite boy.

“Oh...young master here wants to check if his toy is alright.” informs Soyoung.

“Hey~ it’s not my fault she seems sick!” retorted Yul in his defence.

“Yea right~ you are worried about her~” sneered Soyoung.

“Am not!” argued Yul.

“Haha...just admit it, you are...” teased Soyoung.

“Don’t you agree, Tae?” asked the wild haired boy.

“Yea Yul...you are worried...about that Tina girl...aren’t you?”

“I am not! And her name’s Tiffany!” defended Yul.

“Haha okay...we believe you...” laughed Soyoung although he didn’t sound to convincing.

Hyoyeon watched her friend about to exhaust herself out and she just couldn’t take it. She snatched the notes away and slammed her palm on the desk.

“Look Fany-ah! Everyone’s worried about you, I know you don’t want to lose that bet but you’re making everyone worry!” shouted the wavy blonde haired girl in disbelief.

She gave the notes back to the short haired girl who seemed to be in shock.

“We care for you Fany and if you don’t want to heed our advice, I’m leaving!” the shorter girl stated and stormed out of the classroom.

Tiffany stood there dazed unsure of what to say, she didn’t know what happened but the next thing she knew she blacked out.

The three boys at the back who were keeping quiet throughout the whole scene, unsure of what to do, Soyoung escaped by the window again, Yul and Taeyong walked over to the unconscious girl and the playboy lifted her up in bridal style.

“Tae, I’ll bring her to the infirmary, just go ahead and join Soyoung; I’ll meet you guys at the garden later.”

“Ok...”

The petite boy left first and walked towards the garden.

Yul sighed and just continued walking towards the infirmary.

Why do you have to be so stubborn?

Having arrived, he laid the short haired girl on the bed and filled the pail of water with cold ice. Taking a towel, he wiped the girl with the ice cold towel.

Man~ where is that perverted nuna when you need her!

He stared at the short haired girl, unsure of what to say. Should he apologise when she woke up or should he cancel off the bet?

After a while, the short haired girl awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar surrounding. She tried to lift herself up but it didn’t work, the neat haired boy walked over to her and sat down on the seat that was next to the bed she was lying on.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Look, I don’t wish to argue with you right now since you’re sick...”

“I’m fine...I was about to leave anyways.” states the short haired girl as she tried to stand up.

Yul pushed her back down onto the bed and looked at her with a serious expression.

“Just rest ok?! For god’s sake! Is it really that hard to take a break?! I never meant the bet to end up this way!” he scolded.

“Your friends are really right, you are stubborn! Give it a rest ok?!”

Tiffany stood there dazed, finally understanding why her friends acted that way. Yul let go off her, and just stood there sighing in frustration.

“Look, I won’t force you to do that bet anymore, alright? Try to eat something for god’s sake!” he reprimanded.

“Sorry...” she muttered an apology but the tall boy still managed to hear her.

“It’s not me who you should apologise...it’s your friends...” he states.

“And besides, the bet was pointless anyways...I just wanted you to be my dance partner at the dance party.”

“What?! You expect me to go with you? As your partner?!” she exclaimed in disbelief despite still feeling that stinging pain in her head.

“Hey, it isn’t that bad ok?!” defended Yul.

“And besides, I’m not going to take no for an answer.” he says confidently.

“What makes you think I’ll agr-“Tiffany argued back and was silenced again.

She sat there shocked again as her hopes of ever having any romantic first kiss was already long ruined. But somehow she could feel her heart racing as the playboy pressed his lips onto hers, despite it being forceful.

Why do I even like it?! Wait! Don’t tell me...I’m really starting to fall for this jerk?!

The tall boy stands up and walks out of the infirmary before leaving he gives her one last smirk.

“Remember to eat and I’ll be seeing you at the dance party...” he states and walks off.

Tiffany unconsciously raised her fingers and touched her lips, unsure why she didn’t even kick or slap the boy. She could feel her heart racing by the minute and kind of understood why.

Is this what they mean by when you start to fall for someone? But...why...why someone like that jerk?!

-In Seohyun’s room-

Seohyun, Syafiqah and Key were having their usual study session as usual. At times when anyone of them was stuck at a question they would help each other out. Syafiqah and Seohyun were worried about what happened to their unnis as they seemed angry especially Jessica and Hyoyeon. Key noticed the two girls who were looking distracted finally put his notes down.

“Why don’t we take a break?” he suggested.

“Fine by me...” Syafiqah agrees.

“Well...I guess we should...”

“So, is anything the matter?” the flat haired boy asked, concerned.

“Nothing much, oppa...” assured Syafiqah with a smile.

“Oh ok...” he settled for that for now as he didn’t want to pry any further.

-At the cafeteria-

The four girls sat there at the table, Sunny and Atika unsure of what to say. The mood was definitely not right and the two shorter girls didn’t want to upset their friends any further.

Man...Why must that girl me so stubborn...

Sigh...can’t she understand everyone’s worried about her?! I hope she’s fine though...I shouldn’t have vented my anger just now...

“Should we do something about this?” asked Atika in a whisper.

“I don’t think we should...those two have quite a temper...” suggested Sunny for the time being.

“Alright then...”

Just then Junho and Eunhyuk come walking towards them with a smile on their faces but when they noticed the dampened mood they immediately changed expression.

“What’s wrong?” asked Eunhyuk noticing the darkened expressions.

“Just some problems.” states Sunny.

“Oh and by the way, Atika has something to tell you Junho.” informs Sunny as she nudges the tanned girl.

“Wh-wh-what?!” she whispers.

“It’s your chance, go for it!”

Atika tried to protest but eventually gave in.

“Err...Junho?” she calls out.

“Yes? Is anything the matter?” the small eyed boy asked.

“Well...I was wondering if the offer...was still available?” she asked nervously.

“Offer?” he questioned.

“Th-th-the one on being...your dance partner...” she stammered.

“Oh~” he said recalling.

“So, what about it?” he questions.

“Well...I-I-I don’t mind going as your d-d-date with you...” she stuttered.

“Really?” he asked his eyes beaming with delight.

“Yea...” she nods her head shyly.

“Thanks!” he exclaims and gives the shorter girl a hug.

Atika blushed a little at the contact, Junho let go feeling shy as well.

“Well...me and Eunhyuk will leave first...see you girls later.” he informs.

“Yea...anyways hope you girls can settle your problems soon...” says Eunhyuk giving them a worried look.

“We’ll try...” assures Sunny and waves goodbye to the two boys.

Just then Tiffany walks over to them, as she tried to come up with the right words to say.

“Look, I’m sorry guys...I really am, and I shouldn’t have...well...not heed your advice on asking me to rest and eat more...” she apologised.

Hyoyeon and Jessica just sighed unsure of whether to forgive the short haired girl so easily.

“Well...just promise us you won’t do it again.” says the wavy haired blonde giving in.

“Don’t worry, the bet’s cancelled!”

“Really?” questions the brown haired girl.

“Yea...”

“Good. That’ll teach you a lesson or two...”

“Well...in return...I’m going to the dance partner as that playboy’s date...” the short haired girl states, contemplating whether to reveal this fact.

“WHAT?!” all four of them exclaimed turning to face the short haired girl.

-At the garden-

“So...you think she’ll be ok?” asked Soyoung as he lay down on the grass.

“I’m sure...she’ll be fine...” assures Taeyong.

“Yea...sigh~ how I wish I can be swept off my feet like that~” an unknown voice popped out.

The two turned to see Narsha sitting down next to them and sat up immediately.

“Nuna, when did you get here?!” questioned Soyoung feeling flabbergasted.

“Yea...nuna...why didn’t you...inform us earlier...” agrees Taeyong.

“Haha...you two seemed too lost in thoughts to notice me...” states the long haired nurse.

“Well...I guess that’s true...” admits Soyoung.

“Anyways, nuna...what...brings you...here?” asked the petite boy.

“Just checking up on you boys since Yul was occupying the infirmary just now.”

“Oh...”

“So, anything interesting happened?” asked Soyoung interested.

“Hmm...Nothing out of ordinary...” says Narsha smiling.

“Ya~ tell us nuna~” whines Soyoung.

“Well...Yul kissed the girl again...and this time she didn’t push him away.” says Narsha as she stands up.

“Oh...and she’s going to the dance party as his date.” states Narsha suddenly recalling.

“Wow! He really is a playboy~” remarked Soyoung.

“Haha I guess so...” agrees Narsha.

“Well...I’m leaving first, good luck with your exams and I’ll see you boys at the dance party, ok?” says Narsha giving a wink.

“Nuna, how many times we’ve told you! Do not try to sexual harass us or any form of it!” shouts Soyoung in disbelief.

“Haha...I’ll try not to...”

“Oh and nuna, if you can’t find a date I can ask my cousin to help out!” offers Soyoung.

“Soyoung-ah, aren’t you forgetting your cousin has a major crush on Seohyun?” she reminds.

“Oh yea...I almost forgot about that hahas...”

“Well...just try to be good and Taeyong?” she calls out the petite boy’s name.

“What...is it...nuna?” he asked.

“If you can’t find anyone to go with, just go with nuna.” she offers and winks at the petite boy.

“Sorry nuna...but...I’m already...taken...”

“Aww~ that’s too bad then, bye guys~” she sighs in defeat as she walks off.

“Bye, nuna~” Soyoung waves back.

“And remember don’t try to sexual harass any of us!” reminded Soyoung.

Yul walks over and plops himself down onto the grass.

“So, you scored yourself a date huh?” questions his taller best friend.

“You know me too well...” states Yul with a smirk.

“What about you? Not asking that Sunny girl out?” asked Yul.

“Nah~ I heard someone already asked her out and she agreed.”

“Oooh~ that’s too bad then, guess you were a step too late huh?”

“Haha...maybe...?”

“Soyoung-ah...you going...to be okay?” asked Taeyong cautiously.

“What do you mean, Tae?” asked the wild haired boy pretending to be clueless.

“Bora nuna...she’ll be at the...dance party...as well...” reminds the petite boy.

The mood becomes more serious and Soyoung just shrugs it off with a smile.

“I’ll be fine...and besides...I doubt I’ll bump into her anyways...” assures Soyoung with his usual smile.

“Well...just hang in there, okay?” comforts the neat haired boy as he taps the younger boy’s shoulder.

Soyoung appreciated the concerned his two best friends were giving him, just then, Taeyong’s phone vibrated and he looked at the message.

-To: My favourite dongsaeng^_^-

-Nuna wants you to pick me up today, keep it a secret from Yul and Soyoung-

-From: Your most gorgeous nuna-

Taeyong

calmly placed the phone back into his pocket and stood up.

“Who is it from?” questions Yul feeling suspicious.

“Just...someone...” states the petite boy and walks off before they could question any further.

The two of them looked at each other, puzzled at how the petite boy was acting.

“Who do you think it’s from?” asked Soyoung.

“My guess is it’s either Jessica or Hyori nuna, well...Narsha nuna could be an option as well...” says Yul listing out a few names.

“Well...I doubt it’s that perverted nuna so we can be at ease...” concluded Soyoung.

“Haha...yea...Tae is really oblivious to her ‘oh-so-obvious’ harassments...” remarked Yul.

“I totally agree with that, should we set Narsha nuna on a date?” suggested Soyoung.

“Nah~ she’ll just start giving a lecture on how she still has plenty of suitors chasing after her.” reminded Yul.

“I didn’t know that, is it for real?” questions Soyoung feeling doubtful.

“I doubt so...but well Narsha nuna did say being a nurse gave some bonus to her, but I seriously wonder if that license of hers is fake...” states Yul suspiciously.

“Well...surprises always happens when it comes to that perverted nuna.” remarks Soyoung.

“That, I’d definitely have to agree with you...” agrees Yul.

The two friends stood up, dusting off any form of dirt and walked out of the school’s gate, just then, Soyoung’s limo pulled to a stop and the two of them hopped in.

“Do you want to go see some place interesting?” asked Soyoung giving his best friend a knowing look.

“I don’t mind...I’m bored anyways...”

“You’ll definitely find it interesting.” assures the taller boy.

“I hope so.” states Yul uninterested.

-At the library-

The five of them were back to normal and had been having a study session together. They forced Tiffany to rest and the short haired girl had no room for rejecting.

Halfway through the study session, Tiffany felt bored and wanted to leave but they insisted on her staying, scared that she might faint again. But the short haired girl’s boredom was soon taken care of as the familiar Chinese girl walked up to them.

“Hi, Victoria.” greeted Tiffany.

“Hi, Tiffany, you okay?” asked the Chinese girl worriedly.

“I’m fine...anyways, can you accompany back home?” she asked.

“Sure...but is there a problem?” asked Victoria.

“Hyo and Jessi are just too paranoid and can’t have me being alone for a second.” states Tiffany.

“Oh haha...I don’t mind, since I just finished my study session with my

friends.” says the Chinese girl accepting the offer.

“Thanks.”

“Make sure she doesn’t lift a book.” reminds Jessica coldly.

“Don’t worry.” assures the tall girl.

“Thanks, Vic.” said the wavy blonde haired.

“No problem, bye guys~” she says and leaves with Tiffany.

-In the car-

“So, where we going?” asked Yul for the umpteenth time.

“I already told you, you’ll know when we get there.” states Soyoung.

Soyoung had purposefully instructed for the driver to go in circles, because he knew that the girls wouldn’t come back home so early.

-Meanwhile-

The two friends walked side by side as they finally reach the short haired girl’s shared apartment. They entered and Tiffany offered a glass of water.

“So, how’s dorm life like?” asked Tiffany trying to start a conversation.

“It’s nice.”

“So, do you miss your family or anything like that?” asked Tiffany not taking into consideration the change in the Chinese girl’s mood.

“Not really...” replies the Chinese girl.

Noticing the change in atmosphere, Tiffany tried to change the topic but Victoria stopped her assuring her that it was alright to ask.

“So, is there anything wrong with your family?” asked Tiffany cautiously afraid of ticking off a time bomb.

“Not really...just that, well...” Victoria contemplated on whether to reveal such a fact.

“But...what is it?” asked the short haired girl concerned seeing the way how the Chinese girl was beating around the bush.

“My house is all messed up.” admits the taller girl.

“My dad owes a huge debt and he started taking up alcohol, mom left because she couldn’t stand the sight of him. Well...I sort of you know...ran away from home?”

“Must be tough.” says Tiffany trying to find the best words to comfort the girl.

“Not really...but ever since my dad became an alcoholic, he can’t kick the habit. The debts gone down by half now but well still...”

“It’s not as simple as I view it...I paid a huge prize for it and all I can do is regret...” says the Chinese girl sadly.

“It’s okay...I’m sure everything will be fine...” assures Tiffany.

“It really isn’t, Tiffany...and I can’t erase the guilt of what I did in the past...” says Victoria regretfully.

“What exactly did you do?” asked Tiffany.

“Something that...let’s say...made me lose someone precious...”

“I’m sure he has already forgiven you.” assures the short haired girl.

“I doubt so...” mutters the Chinese girl inaudibly.

Ding Dong~

Just then the doorbell rang and they both looked at each other puzzled as to who it could be. Tiffany doubted it was Sunny or Jessica, and neither could it be Hyoyeon or Atika since they usually headed back to their dorm room after studying.

-Outside-

“What are we doing at some commoner’s apartment?” asked Yul irritated.

“You’ll see...” states the taller boy for the umpteenth time and that was starting to annoy the heck out of the playboy.

The door opens to reveal the familiar short haired girl and Yul’s face immediately brighten up at the sight, of course the shorter girl didn’t seem to happy to welcome the taller boy.

“What brings you here?” she asked in a cold tone.

“Ask him, he brought me here.” argues Yul proving his innocence.

Tiffany turns to the even taller boy and gives a warm smile.

“I’m sorry Soyoung, Sunny isn’t home right now.” she informs.

“Oh...I wasn’t looking for that shorty...”

“Oh...”

“But...can we come in?” asked the wild haired boy.

“Sure.” she says welcoming him.

Soyoung steps in hurriedly; just as Yul was about to enter Tiffany turned away making Yul give her the what-is-her-problem- face.

When the two of them entered the house, the first thing Yul notice wasn’t the undeniably small apartment but the girl sitting on the couch. Upon seeing the latter, the Chinese girl fidgeted in her seat and before Tiffany could introduce the two, the latter stood up.

“I’ll be leaving first, Tiffany...” she informs nervously.

“Leaving already? Well...I’m sorry I can’t send you off since I have two unexpected guests.” apologises Tiffany.

“It’s okay...” assures the Chinese girl with a smile.

Just as the tall girl was about to leave in a hurry, Yul made a remark causing her to pause for a while.

“Always leaving aren’t you?”

Victoria could only leave in a rush afraid of staying any longer. When she finally was out of the apartment, she heaved a sigh and as she took the elevator tears began to roll down.

-Inside the apartment-

“So, you close with her?” asked Yul.

“Why do you care?” retorts Tiffany.

“I wasn’t.” argues the neat haired boy back.

“I’m leaving first.” informs Soyoung nervously.

“I’ll send you off.” offers Tiffany with her usual eye smile.

“No need to.” says the taller boy declining the offer.

“Alright then, by the way, I think Sunny’s shift at the supermarket is starting soon.” reminds Tiffany.

“Thanks.” said the taller boy and walks out of the apartment leaving the two so-called enemies alone.

“So would you like a drink?” asked the shorter girl coldly.

“Why have you been so hostile towards me ever since you finally gave in to the kiss I gave you earlier?” questions the taller boy.

“It’s nothing and besides I already agreed to go to the dance party as your date.” reminds Tiffany.

“Ok fine...I guess it was partially my fault for making you fall sick.” apologises Yul.

“So, would you like something to eat?” offers the short haired girl changing topics immediately.

“Yea...I haven’t really eaten a home cooked meal in a while.” says the neat

haired boy.

“Err...haha...I’ll be back in a while...” informs the short haired girl as she disappears into the kitchen.

The taller boy looks at her weirdly before taking a seat on the couch.

-In the kitchen-

Man...What am I going to do? Aish~ it can’t be that hard...right?

Let’s see...what should I make? Aha! I’ll just make that omelette that Sunny always makes, it looks simple enough!

-After about 30 minutes-

The neat haired boy was beginning to feel famished and wondered what was taking her so long. Just as he was about to stand up and head to the kitchen to scold the shorter girl, he sniffed in a burned smell and immediately rushed to the kitchen erasing all thoughts.

“-Cough- -cough- what the hell happen?” he questions as he entered the smoke filled kitchen.

“Err...I accidentally burnt the egg?” she admitted sheepishly.

“How –cough- did that happen?” he asked finding it hard to breathe and was wondering how the shorter girl could until he noticed the surgical mask the short haired girl had on.

“Err...I felt that the egg looked pretty plain by itself so I added all sorts of spices but then it still looked rather...plain so I heated it up in the microwave?” confesses the culprit.

“Are you –cough- insane?!” shouts the taller boy as he tries to get rid of the smoke by fanning with his hand.

After finally cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, the playboy sighed feeling exhausted.

“Why didn’t you just tell me you couldn’t cook mushroom head...” states the taller boy.

“You didn’t give me any room to speak, player!” retorted the shorter girl.

“Never mind...I don’t wish to dwell on that, just remember to tell me next time that you can’t cook.”

“So, you want to order take out?” suggested the shorter girl.

“Never mind...just wait a while, I’ll fix up something.” says Yul declining the offer.

Tiffany just succumbs doubtful whether the playboy could cook but just decided to play along.

-After 15 minutes-

Tiffany walked over to the dining table, seeing a small spread of dishes but still they looked tasteful and Tiffany was drooling at the sight of it.

“Sit down and eat, mushroom head.” says Yul bluntly snapping the shorter girl back to reality.

The short haired girl just sat down and began taking a bite of the playboy’s cooking and was surprised at how well he could cook because he looked like someone who wouldn’t lift a finger.

“It’s delicious!” exclaims Tiffany.

“I know...”

“I didn’t know you could cook.”

“I’ve lived alone before so of course I can.”

“You ran away from home?” questions the shorter girl.

“Not exactly but close to it...” states the taller boy as he continued with his meal.

Not noticing the slight tension behind his sentence, Tiffany just continued devouring the meal laid out in front of her. After a while, Yul cleaned up, Tiffany offered to help but after experiencing that ‘incident’ earlier, he felt it was best if she stayed away from the kitchen.

Tiffany sat on the couch and Yul joined in soon afterwards. They both sat in an awkward silence and for once, Tiffany didn’t feel like killing the playboy.

He’s not as bad as I think he is...

“So, why did you want me to be your date?” asked Tiffany still unsure of why the latter would choose her out of everyone.

“Like I said, it’s fun teasing you.”

“Besides that.” says Tiffany as she rolls her eyes.

“Well...let’s just say you amuse me...” comments the latter as he leans closer to the shorter girl.

Feeling the heat rushed up to the face, Tiffany steps back.

“Wh-wh-what do y-y-you think yo-yo-you’re doing?” she questions stammering in the process.

“Hahaha...” the taller boy lets out an uncontrollable laugh.

The short haired girl just eyed him weirdly.

“That’s what I like about you; you never fail to amuse me, hahahaha....” remarks the taller boy breaking into laughter again.

Tiffany huffs unsure of why she even thought that the playboy was alright.

And to think I was about to change my opinion on him...

Finally stopping his uncontrollable laughter, which the short haired girl did not find amusing one bit, the playboy stood up from the couch.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Taking myself on a tour around your apartment...”

The shorter girl decided to follow, afraid that he might say something that could put her in a win-lose situation. As the taller boy walked past the doors he noticed the pink wallpaper in the particular room and decided to take a look, the shorter girl following closely behind.

“Wow~ nice room~” he praises.

“Although...there’s a tad bit too much pink in it...” the taller boy opinionated.

“How did you know it was my room?” asked Tiffany flabbergasted at the fact he knew immediately.

“Well...I’ve seen you carry pink water bottle, pink handkerchief, and pink...almost everything...” states Yul blatantly.

“Haha...I guess you could say I have a...huge? Obsession over the colour?” she admits sheepishly.

“Huge? More like major to me.” says the taller boy as he scoffs.

“Speak for your own self...” the short haired girl mutters under her breath.

Noticing that the girl seemed to have muttered something he turned around and asked.

“Did you say something?”

“Oh nothing at all...” says the shorter girl, giving the playboy an eye smile.

“Yea~ right~” says Yul giving a suspicious look but just decided to shrug it off instead as he headed out of the room with the shorter girl following closely behind.

-Meanwhile-

-Inside a fitting room-

“Nuna...why did you...make me come...all the way here...just to help you... zip your dress?” asked Taeyong slightly irritated that the zipper seemed to be stuck.

“That’s because I trust you more than those two, who knows they’d try to virtually take advantage of my drop dead body.” remarks Hyori jokingly.

“Haha...nuna...I’d doubt that... they’re too busy with Tyana and Sunnee.” states Taeyong.

“Tyana and Sunnee?” questions the wavy haired woman.

“Yea...nuna...”

“Isn’t it supposes to be Tiffany and Sunny?” questions the tanned woman.

“Oh...is that...so?”

“Haha...it doesn’t matter, you’re always like that...” says Hyori laughing it off.

The petite boy eyed her weirdly but just shrugged it off. He finally managed to zip up the dress and wondered why Hyori would suddenly want to try on so many dresses. This was the fifteenth dress she’s tried on and they were finally going to come out of that fitting room.

“I’ll take these.” says Hyori with a smile and handles the dresses to the staff member.

“Very well, miss.” says the salesgirl as she bows and excuses herself.

“Nuna...why are you...buying so many...dresses, nuna?” he asked unsure of

why.

“Are you forgetting about the dance party?” she reminded.

“Oh...but...that doesn’t...explain why...you had to buy...so many dresses, nuna.”

Just then the salesgirl came up to them and handled the shopping bags to Hyori and bowed as the tanned woman and the petite boy left the store. The petite boy helped Hyori carry the shopping bags without any obligations. They reached the limo and entered, heading towards Narsha’s apartment, when they arrived, Taeyong placed the shopping bags neatly by the couch and plopped himself down.

“Thanks for helping me out today.” thanked the older woman.

“It’s okay...nuna...well...at least you...didn’t try to...forcefully put on...one of those princess dresses...” stated Taeyong regretfully.

“Aww~ but you looked really cute in it~” commented Hyori, recalling.

“Sorry...nuna...but I don’t wish to...remember...”

“And besides...there are...others who suit the...princess outfits...better...” commented Taeyong.

“Ooh~ and who might that be?” questioned the older woman cocking her brow.

“Jessica...” the petite boy stated as a matter of fact.

“Why so?” asked Hyori not convinced.

“I don’t know...she just seems...like a princess...from those fairytales...under those glass frames...hides a really...pretty...girl...” remarks Taeyong not knowing he had just praised his dance partner.

“You must really like her huh?” asked Hyori.

“I don’t know...nuna...I don’t want to be...you know...be betrayed, abandoned again...” admits the petite boy feeling scared.

The tanned woman gives the petite boy a heart-warming embrace; no words were needed at all. Just then Narsha came walking in on them, dropping her bag she gasped.

“Sorry to disturb, even though I shouldn’t say that since this is my house, haha...” laughs Narsha.

The two of them let go off the friendly hug and Hyori stands up to greet her friend.

“Anyways...nunas...I’ll be leaving first...” informs the petite boy as he left the apartment.

The two older woman watches him leave and just sighs, plopping themselves back onto the couch.

“I can finally understand why you want him as a pet so much...” comments Hyori.

“I know right...” agrees Narsha.

“So how did things go there?” Hyori asked curiously.

“Good.” states the long haired woman with a knowing smile.

“Anyways who you going with to the dance party?” asked Hyori.

“Well staffs aren’t exactly allowed to dance but well I guess I’ll just go with that physical educations teacher.”

“Correction, staffs aren’t allowed to dance with students.”

“Well I guess that’s true...haha...” admitted Narsha laughing.

“So, do you think you’ll bump into him there?” asked Narsha cautiously.

“Don’t need to worry about me, I mean I’m bound to bump into him, maybe...” assures Hyori.

“So you’ll be okay?” questions Narsha.

“Yes...and I’m pretty sure of that...” replies Hyori still not convincing the younger woman.

“And I’d be too busy dancing so it doesn’t really matter, just enjoy your date with Taewoo.” assures Hyori once again.

“Haha...I’d doubt that...” admits Narsha slightly regretting to agree to the really tall bear.

“Well...he is a nice guy, although he can be scary at times.” comments Hyori.

“Haha...yea, I guess you could say that...” agreed Narsha laughing along.

-At the supermarket-

Sunny was working as usual in peace until the familiar tall boy came walking in.

“What do you want now?” she asked slightly annoyed.

“Is this how you treat someone who helped you promote?” he questions back.

“Well...sorry Mr Popular but I’m busy as you can see.” reminds the short girl.

“Oh...I just came here to take a sample.” informs the taller boy smiling.

“Just take it.” the shorter girl sighs in defeat.

After chewing onto the new product she was promoting, he was satisfied but decided to hang around longer.

“So...you going to the dance party with Lee Sungmin from Class 3-B?” asked Soyoung.

“Yea...Is there a problem?” she asked.

“Not really...” states the taller boy with an unconvincing smile.

The shorter girl just shrugs it off not noticing the change in attitude.

“So, who you going with?” she asked.

“No one, I was only going there for the food anyways.” he states.

“Haha...so like you...” laughs Sunny.

“I guess so, hehe...” admits the taller boy with a sheepish smile.

Just then a group of girls came up to Soyoung and started to surround him.

“You’re that guy who promoted the fishcakes last time right?” asked a woman in her mid-20s.

“Err...yea...” he admitted with a shy smile.

“So, are you promoting any other products, oppa?” a teenage girl with bangs asked.

“Err...no? I don’t work here and I was just here to visit a friend.” the tall boy says clarifying.

“Oh...is that your friend over there?” asked another woman in her early 20s shifting her gaze to the short girl who was tending the stall.

“Err...yea...”

“Anyways, I’m sorry ladies but I need to talk to my friend and we’d appreciate some personal space.” he states smiling nervously.

“Oppa is she your girlfriend?” asked one of the school girls.

“Err...no...?” he replies with a question.

The small crowd finally disappeared to tend to their own business and the tall boy walked back to the shorter girl who didn’t seem amused at all.

“Well...looks like you’ll be most popular employee huh?” remarks Sunny sarcastically.

“Well technically I can’t be, since I’m not an employee.” corrects Soyoung.

“Just stop showing off your popularity and if your done eating the samples, could you please kindly leave?” she asked in hopes of getting out of any forms of embarrassment.

“Well sorry about that.” apologises the tall boy light heartedly and leaves the supermarket.

Man...Doesn’t he even know? That I want you...to be my dance partner instead?

The short girl sighs and hands the plastic bag over to a customer with a plastered smile. Her shift ended and she changed back to home clothes. Walking out of the supermarket, she took the bus and headed back to the apartment plopping herself down onto the bed.

-Earlier in the afternoon-

-At Kwon Enterprises-

“Yeoboseyo, may I help you?” asked the secretary for probably the umpteenth time to whomever who phoned.

“I’d like to book an appointment with hwejangnim, just tell him it’s Im Yoona.” the doe-eyed girl states over the line.

“Very well miss, please wait a moment.”

-In the Chairman’s office-

A knock came on the door and he instructed for his personal assistant to enter.

“What is it?”

“Miss Im Yoona wishes to book an appointment.” informs his secretary.

“Very well then...clear my schedule for the day.” he instructs the secretary before she excused herself with a bow.

The call was transferred and the old man spoke first.

“What did you call me for?” asked the receiver.

“I need help.” confesses Yoona not wanting to admit that fact.

“With what?” questions the old man.

“Picking a dress for the school’s dance party, how to slow dance and most importantly, how to ask someone to be my dance partner...” admits Yoona coldly.

“Oh...that sure is a lot...” remarked Mr Kwon.

“Well...considering that you were quite the Casanova, hwejangnim I reckoned I’d get some tips instead of you giving me nonsensical opinions.” retorted the tall doe-eyed girl.

“Look, I’m really sorry about what happen, ok?” he apologises.

“You never did care, didn’t you, hwejangnim?” she questioned.

The old man could only sigh through the phone.

“Ok, I don’t wish to argue with you so just come to my office.”

“Fine...”

They both hung up not even bothering to say a word of goodbye.

-At a dance studio-

The flat haired boy danced until he sweated profusely and Syafiqah was just sitting down watching from a far. After it all ended, she stood up to clap.

“Oppa, that was really cool~!” she commented.

“Th-th-thanks.” he thanked shyly.

“Do you want to try?” he asked.

“Dancing? Nah~ I can’t dance.” rejected Syafiqah.

“It’s okay, I can teach you.” he offered.

“Well...I guess it wouldn’t hurt...”

-After about 30 minutes-

The two were lying down on the floor side by side, exhausted from all the dancing.

“Wow, I didn’t know you could dance so well.” commented Key panting.

“Hehe...I did dance a lot with my friends and relatives...” admitted Syafiqah shyly.

“Oh hahas, that’s why your so good.”

“But...I can’t slow dance...” admits Syafiqah embarrassed.

“Don’t worry...I can always teach you after the exams end.” he assured.

“Thanks, oppa...”

“No problem.” he smiled and stood up.

They both begin to dance again, fully enjoying themselves releasing all the stress they had.

-At Atika and Hyoyeon’s room-

Sunny and Jessica had left beforehand and Eunhyuk suggested to continue their studying in the girl’s shared room. The four sat surrounding the coffee table laid out for studying or eating. They went through their notes, did example problems and tried to help each other out.

“Ahh~ I’m so tired~” Atika yawned stretching.

“Yea~ I agree, studying sure is tiring~” agreed Eunhyuk.

“Haha...you sure seem tired...” commented Hyoyeon at her dance partner.

“So...you two know how to slow dance?” asked Junho putting down his notes for the time being.

“Yea...” Hyoyeon assured.

“As expected of the school’s dancing maniacs, although I wonder why you two don’t go to a dancing school.” commented Junho.

“Well my appa wants me to take over the restaurant so there’s no choice I guess and besides cooking is rather fun.” states Eunhyuk.

“What about you, Hyoyeon?” asked Atika curiously.

“Well...haha...I didn’t really have a choice...” she answered nervously trying to avoid the question.

“Ah! I’ll go cook something since you guys are probably hungry.” offered Hyoyeon changing topics.

The three looked at each other then turned to look at the short wavy haired girl weirdly.

“You sure there’s nothing wrong with her?” asked Eunhyuk.

“She seemed alright when we’re with her.” commented Atika.

“Maybe she’s hiding something...”

“I’ll go check up on her.” offered Atika and stood up to head towards the kitchen.

She helped Hyoyeon cut the vegetables and helped stir the stew once in a while.

“So, Hyo, you having any problems?” asked Atika cautiously.

“No, why do you ask?” she says smiling.

“Well...you seemed to have some troubles and well...we’re worried about you.” Atika stated.

“Haha, you guys don’t have to worry there’s no problems at all...” assured Hyoyeon with an unconvincing smile.

The two girls brought the dishes to the coffee table which the two boys had already cleared the table full of books and notes.

The four ate their meal in peace and seeing that it was rather late the two boys decided to head back to their own dorm room. After bidding farewell, Hyoyeon offered to wash the dishes while Atika went to wash up. Hyoyeon did the same after she finished washing the dishes and they were both about to head to sleep when Hyoyeon received a phone call.

Hyoyeon cautiously moved to the kitchen to answer it and Atika found it suspicious as to why would she do that.

Is this phone call really so confidential? There seems to be something wrong...

The short dark skinned girl wondered but just shrugged it off and decided to get a good night’s rest.

-In the kitchen-

“Yes, hwejangnim?” she answered fully aware of who it is.

“How is the progress so far?” he questioned.

“Good. But it’ll be difficult...”

“I want no mishaps, is that clear?” he reminded.

“Understood, hwejangnim...”

“Oh and by the way, Hyoyeon...we have been able to track them.” informed the caller.

“I’m sorry hwejangnim but I don’t wish to meet them.” she stated firmly.

“Since you’ve taken me under your wing, I’m grateful for that.”

“Very well, Hyoyeon...I won’t force you...”

“Thank you, hwejangnim, I shall hang up first.” informs Hyoyeon.

“Ah~ yes, you’re probably tired from studying.” he concludes and hangs up.

Not even bothering to say a word of bye to each other, the both hung up as if they were just strangers talking.

Hyoyeon climbed back onto her bed and fell asleep straight away but still in deep thoughts.

So hwejangnim found them eh? As expected but...what will I say? And what would they say? It’s just too much to handle...sigh...

-Earlier in the afternoon-

Yoona came to visit and was escorted to the Chairman’s office, she greeted the old man without much enthusiasm and the old man just ignored her grabbing his jacket suit, he instructed for his personal assistant to prepare the car and Yoona followed him out.

They arrived at a department store and the old man walked to a clothes store, instructing the store owner what to do. Not long after, Yoona found herself wearing a bunch of dresses and finally found one she actually liked. The old tanned man took out his credit card and paid for dress. When Yoona saw the price she was shock as to how much it was.

“Don’t worry, when I start working I’ll pay back everything, hwejangnim.” she informed.

“Must you treat me like we’re strangers?” he questioned.

“You did the same to umma, didn’t you?” she questioned.

“That was...” he tried to protest.

“Never mind...” he muttered and walked back to the limo.

Yoona followed closely behind and they drove off to another destination.

They arrived at some dance studio and the doe-eyed girl wondered what they were doing at a place like this. The older tanned man instructed the man in the dance studio what to do and the well built tall mid 30s man just simply nodded, understanding.

The Chairman left first, informing Yoona that the tall man here would be able to help her rather than him himself.

“Leaving so soon eh? Hwejangnim?” she asked.

“Busy with your work again?”

“Look, I don’t wish to argue with you and this oppa over here will be able to help you.”

Yoona saw his retreating figure and looked at the older man with mixed emotions.

“Do you always have to leave?” she muttered under her breath.

The tall, short spiked haired man walked over to the doe eyed girl and bowed. Not wanting to be rude she bowed back as well and he began to instruct her on what they were going to do today.

Not long after, Yoona was beginning to feel that slow dance was tiring despite it looking easy from the surface. And what was worse, was that the first few practices they were wearing comfortable clothes but the dance trainer told her to get dressed in one of the gowns he provided and heels. Dancing for hours in these kinds of outfits was definitely tiring no matter how slow the dance was.

Finally the dance trainer thought that it was enough training and told Yoona to go wash up. Yoona wanted to punch the guy in the face but had no choice since she brought this upon herself.

It was rather late and Yoona headed back to the dorm, prepared to ask the pianist she fell for during that one performance. She wondered if the chubby cheek girl had already been asked out but still decided to give it a shot anyways.

She took the bus back to the school and headed back to the dorms, luckily she was in before curfew otherwise she would have to serve detention for at least a week. She entered her room to see that her roommate had already slept soundly. Not wanting to disturb her she quietly and stealthily walked to her bed.

Placing the shopping bag aside, she climbed onto her bed after washing up. She was about to fall asleep, but began to wonder about the chubby cheeked girl. Soon, not long after, the doe-eyed girl began to fall asleep with a satisfied smile.

-Later at night-

-At the Kwon mansion-

The Chairman entered the house and greeted his mother-in-law who had been frustrated at how Yul was behaving. The old man was too tired to bother and headed to his room, with his wife waiting.

After washing up he climbed onto the bed, ignoring the woman completely.

“Must you always be like this?” she complained.

“I know that you always had that woman in your heart but she’s gone, dead!” she reminded.

He turned to face his spouse angrily and spoke.

“Don’t ever talk about her that way!” he threatened.

“Just go to sleep, I don’t wish to argue with you.”

“It’s always like this isn’t it? Yul hasn’t even come home and you’re not even worried.”

“I’ve already washed my hands off him, giving him the freedom.”

“Ever since he decided to be a player, I disregarded anything he did.” said the old man staying firm on his statement.

“Do you have to be so harsh, he’s your only son, ok fine, daughter!” she reminded.

“Oh~ unless you think of bringing that girl into the household~” the old woman stated suddenly recalling.

“Let’s just drop this shall we? It’s getting late and you need your sleep as well.”

“Fine.” she succumbed and both parties turned to face the other direction their backs facing each other.

-At a hotel-

Yul came in with one of his clients as usual but not knowing why after a while he stopped and forced her to leave, the woman was still kind enough to leave a cheque but he ignored it. Lying on the bed, the wrinkled bed sheets, he wondered about the events that had happened earlier in the day and smiled.

Tiffany Hwang, you’re just one more step to being mine...I guess I won’t be going to Hawaii this time round, that poor girl probably can’t afford that... Tae and Soyoung will probably come along since those two will probably be with Tiffany... hehe... let’s hope we have an exciting trip...

The neat haired boy smiled happily at that thought and took the cheque from the table, sliding it into his pocket he smirked and checked out of the hotel. He drove back home and entered; luckily everyone was asleep making sneaking in much easier.

He tiptoed to his room and lay on his bed, exhausted. He needed to find out more about the truth and he was determined to find out, even if it meant to take unreasonable measures.

-At the girl’s apartment-

Jessica and Sunny were already at home sleeping; however were still thinking of the events that happened today. They sighed and decided it was better to concentrate on their studies first. Boys, dancing and such had to wait.

-At the Kim’s mansion-

Taeyong lay on his bed, unconsciously smiling inwardly. But looking at his hand and the scars, it was just another reminder not to fall too deep again. It just made being betrayed or abandoned much easier for the other party. The petite boy sighed and just headed to sleep instead.

-At a hotel-

The short cut haired cut stared out the window and wondered if she should risk everything and just tell the wild haired boy the hidden truth to her betrayal. But seeing how happy he was with the short girl, she wondered if it was really alright for her to step into his life again. She didn’t want the tall boy to experience the same pain again.

Was she really willing to risk her career just for the tall boy? It was the path she had chosen and decided to stick by it and besides, she could no longer turn back.

She doubted Myeonghun would ever let her go, that man treated her as his possession and she knew that it was pointless to fight against him. The man if one word could describe him, he was definitely crazy but still she chose this path so there was no turning back now, no matter how much it was going to hurt her.

She sighed and sipped the warm cup of cappuccino before heading back to the bed and tried to sleep. The whole pressure of her announcement about her engagement with Myeonghun, her new published book was taking a toll on her health. But tonight, the short haired fair skinned girl was able to sleep without any worries.

-Two weeks later-

The examinations were over and the results were out, most of the students didn’t really bother about the results except for certain few. A lot of students were crowded around the big notification board where it had the positions from 1st to last for each year.

The girls were searching for their names on the huge list and found it hard to do so with the amount of students so they decided to wait for the crowd to disperse. Just then the princes along with Changmin, Yunho came walking towards the board and the crowd began to disperse upon seeing them.

The boys headed to where the higher positions were and began searching for their names from there. The girls decided to go see their scores as well, hoping that they’ll get a good position.

Seeing his name, the petite boy didn’t feel anything and was beginning to walk off before his best friends stopped him.

“Tae, what place did you get?” asked Soyoung.

Giving his best friend a knowing look, they both nodded knowing immediately.

“1st again huh?” remarked Yul.

“You should go see where that Tiffy girl’s position is.” reminded Taeyong.

Yul was confused as to what his shorter best friend until he saw the short haired girl’s name within the top 10.

Looks like all her studying did pay off after all.

He saw the short haired girl with her group of friends at the middle section and wondered why they were doing there. He walked over to them causing Tiffany to want to hide away.

“Hey, mushroom head, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“To look at my ranking, smart ass.” she retorted.

“I know that, I mean what are you doing in the middle section, your name is all the way at the top.” he informed.

“Are you trying to trick me?” she questioned suspiciously.

“See for yourself if you don’t believe.”

Tiffany immediately rushed to go see her name and when she saw her name in the top 10 position, she squealed inwardly with joy not wanting to embarrassed herself.

Yunho and Changmin saw their own scores and were satisfied.

“Looks like Tae got 1st again huh? So, Changmin did you get 2nd again this time?” asked Yunho.

“Nah, someone beat me to it.” he said feeling a bit upset.

“Oh...who is it?” he questioned.

“See for yourself.” Changmin stated.

Yunho was confused as to what his best friend meant until he saw the name and immediately understood why.

2nd Jessica Jung Soo Yeon

Hyoyeon

and Sunny saw their positions and were glad that they were still able to make it to the top 20. Atika was worried as she didn’t see her name anywhere in the top 20 or top 30 and was extremely worried until Junho walked over and smiled at her.

“Atika what are you doing here?” he asked.

“Trying to look for my position.” she replied nervously.

“Haha silly, you’re up there in the higher rankings.” he informed chuckling a little.

“Really?!” she asked with her eyes beaming.

“Yea...go see for yourself.” he nodded smiling.

The three of them went over to see for themselves and when they saw Atika’s name they hugged each other immediately.

11th Nur Atika bte Abdul Lajis

“Looks like we accidentally went pass your name huh?” remarked Sunny.

“It’s okay, I’m so glad I got a good ranking.” Atika said feeling happy.

“I wonder what ranking the other two got?” asked Atika.

“Let’s go see, shall we?” suggested Hyoyeon.

“Sure!” agreed Sunny.

They saw Tiffany’s name two names before Atika and were a bit shocked.

“Wow, looks like the studying really did pay off she’s in 9th place!” exclaimed Sunny.

“Tiffany? Wow! So, who’s after her?” questioned Hyoyeon.

“Yunho.” stated Atika seeing the name.

“Ooh~ man~ they sure are all smart.” Sunny sighed.

“So what’s Sica’s position?” asked Hyoyeon.

They walked further and spotted the brown haired girl’s name at 2nd place and they gasped in shock.

“I knew she was smart but she hardly even studied!” exclaimed Sunny.

“So, who beat her?” asked Atika.

“See for yourself.” stated Hyoyeon giving a knowing smile.

Both of the shorter girls went to see to find the petite boy’s name at 1st place.

“Wow, that clueless prince got 1st?!” exclaimed Sunny in shock.

“He must be really smart.” commented Atika.

“Wait! What position did the other two get then?” questioned Sunny suddenly recalling.

Just then the wild haired boy walked over to the shorter girl and smiled.

“So, shorty which place did you get?” he asked.

“15th...” she mumbled not wanting him to hear.

“Oh...it’s okay...” he comforted.

He’s not mocking me? Wow! Now that’s a change, but wait! What place did he get anyways?

“What place did you get then?” she asked.

“See for yourself.” he stated and walked off.

Sunny not understanding him looked in the top 10 and found him name just before Tiffany’s at 8th.

“Wow, he still managed to beat Tiffany.” commented Atika gasping in shock.

“So, that means...” began Hyoyeon suddenly reminding.

The three boys looked further up to find the playboy’s name within the top 5.

4th Kwon Yul

They gasped in shock and when they finally managed to find the two girls they walked over to them.

“Err...Fany ah? What are you going to do?” asked Sunny nervously.

“What do you mean?” she questioned.

“Yul...he’s in 4th place...” announced Hyoyeon.

“Oh wow~ he must be smart~” she remarked.

“You just lost the bet, aren’t you scared?” questioned Atika.

“The bet got cancelled remember?" she reminded.

"Oh yeah~"

“Congratulations, Sica for getting 2nd!” congratulated Hyoyeon.

The brown haired girl looked at the outstretched hand and just ignored it.

“Don’t mind her, she’s just upset she didn’t get 1st.” informed Sunny whispering.

“But 2nd is really good too.” stated Atika.

“She always got 1st back in our old school.” informed Tiffany.

“Oh no wonder~” nodded the two of them.

Just then Changmin walked over to them with a smile.

“Hi girls~” he greeted.

“Hi, Changmin~” they greeted.

When he received no response from Jessica he looked at them puzzled.

“What happened?” he asked.

“She got 2nd and is upset because she didn’t get 1st...” informed Hyoyeon in a whisper.

“Oh...haha...she shouldn’t be, I just lost my two whole years of 2nd place to her!” the tall boy chuckled with a hint of sadness.

“Oh~ sorry about that Changmin.” comforted Sunny.

“It’s okay, I’ll just have to work harder next time.” he assured them.

“Well...I’ll be leaving first, see you at the dance party on Friday.” he informed and left.

“See you~” they bid farewell as well and they headed to the cafeteria.

Just then the familiar Chinese girl walked over to them and greeted them.

“So, Victoria, what place did you get?” Tiffany asked.

“Oh...13th.” the Chinese girl replied.

“That’s pretty good.” commented Hyoyeon.

“I guess so...sorry guys but I have to leave first, my friends are waiting.” Victoria informs.

“Oh alright, bye then.” said Tiffany.

“Bye~” says the Chinese girl as she walks over to her group of friends.

-At the 2nd year’s section-

The four of them were looking for their names, when Key saw his name in the 10th place he hugged Syafiqah in delight.

“Congrats oppa, the hard work paid off!” Syafiqah exclaims.

“It’s all thanks to you and Seohyun...” he thanked shyly.

Yoona walked over and smiled when she saw her ranking.

“So, roomie, which place did you get?” asked Syafiqah.

“5th.” stated the doe-eyed girl with a dorky smile.

“Wow, congrats!”

“You two should go see your positions as well.” informed Yoona.

The two younger girls not understanding what Yoona meant but when they saw their rankings they smiled.

“Wow~ I got 3rd~” gasped Syafiqah in shock.

When the shorter girl saw the chubby cheeked girl’s ranking she immediately hugged her friend.

“Wow, Seohyun~ you got 1st!” exclaims Syafiqah.

The tall girl was still pretty much in shock but finally regained herself back.

“Congrats, Seohyun.” said Key.

Yoona smiled and congratulated her as well.

“Ermm...Seohyun?” called out the doe-eyed girl.

“Yes, Yoona unni?”

“Can you go to the dance party as my date?” she asked her hands fidgeting.

“Sure, I’m fine with it.” says Seohyun smiling.

The tall boy who was nearby sighed in defeat when he realised he just got beaten. He walked off not wanting to see the smiles on the two girls’ faces.

-After school-

Jessica, Tiffany and Sunny were walking out of the main gate together until the black Icon Sheene came to a stop in front of them and the driver threw a helmet to Tiffany forcing her to hop on.

The two of them watched their best friend literally get kidnapped and were still pretty much in shock as to what just happened. At that time the kidnapper’s best friends walked over to them.

“Don’t worry too much shorty, Yul knows what he’s doing.” assured Soyoung.

Snapping out of her dazed self, she turned to face the taller boy.

“Can you please stop with the nicknames?” she complained in frustration.

“Can’t you be more like Taeyong?” she asked pointing at the petite boy.

The taller boy looks over to his shorter best friend and the brown haired girl beside him who didn’t even bother to exchange any words.

“You want me to stop talking?” questioned Soyoung.

“No...Not that! I mean...urghh...never mind!”

“You sure are weird~” commented the wild haired boy.

“So do you have a dress?” he asked.

“Of course I do, do you expect me to go in jeans and a shirt?” she teased.

“Haha...no, that will definitely be the talk of the school.” he remarked chuckling.

The taller boy turned to face his shorter best friend and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Tae, give me a ride back home okay?” asked Soyoung.

“But...” he protested.

“I’m bringing...Jessica...somewhere...” he informed.

“Oh~” with a knowing smile he grabbed the shorter girl and walked off.

“Let’s go, shorty!” he announced.

“Ya~ how many times I’ve told you stop calling me that!”

The two of them looked at their best friend’s individually and couldn’t help but cock a brow at the two of them.

Just then Taeyong’s limo pulled over and he ushered Jessica into the limo. They drove to a department store where it was empty, especially cleared off all customers, just for the heir to the Kim Enterprises.

When they entered the clothes store, the staff immediately bowed to the petite boy immediately.

“I want...you people...to pick out the...best dresses you have...for her...” he instructed.

The staff immediately did as they were told and brought Jessica to the fitting room. Asking her try on the different dresses, when Jessica was fitting on her fifteenth dress, she was exhausted. However, the petite boy didn’t seem satisfied. Some were to plain, some to revealing and some just plain...there was no words to describe it.

But finally he found the dress he was looking for when Jessica pulled away the curtains and stepped out he was dazed for a while until he stood up and walked over to the brown haired girl.

He told the staff that he’ll take three of the dresses and paid for it, he gave Jessica the shopping bag and they walked out of the store with the staff bowing to them.

“Taeyong, are you sure you want to spend so much money? One dress was enough...” she said worriedly.

“It’s okay...and I bought three...because I want to know...which you would...wear at the...dance party...”

“To be honest...I’m not suppose to see...what you were...going to wear...” he informs.

“Oh...but the store seems oddly familiar though...” she commented including the dresses.

“That’s because...it’s Hyori nuna’s store...” he explains.

“Oh no wonder~ I think I’ve seen some of those dresses in unni’s design book before.” she commented recalling.

“Oh...”

The two walked over to the limo and they drove them both to someplace that looked like a hair salon.

“Ah~ welcome, young master~ how can I help you?” he greeted with a weird ascent.

“Give the girl...over there...a hairstyle...that...ermm...” the petite boy thought for a while.

“That...will make her...stand out...in a really gorgeous way...” he whispered to the older man’s ear.

“Understood, young master.” he said nodding and ushered Jessica to sit down.

Taeyong walked over to the leather couch and sat down, waiting for the brown haired girl to get her hair done.

-At the same time-

After the short haired girl was kidnapped by the motorist they arrived at an empty clothes store. Where the playboy instructed them to measure the girl’s measurements, when they were done the neat haired boy whispered to the staff as to what to do and they nodded understanding.

“Kwon Yul, what are you planning?” she asked.

“Don’t ask too much questions and just follow.” he ordered.

“Man~ I feel like your slave~”

“Do you want me to bring that bet back?” he reminded.

“Urghh...never mind, forget it!”

“Haha...now that’s a good toy...” he remarked laughing.

“How many times I’ve told you, I’m not a toy!” she exclaims in frustration.

“Fine~ let’s go shall we?” he said leading the way.

The short haired girl succumbed and followed the taller boy back to his motorcycle.

He put on the helmet and she did the same. Both of them hopped onto the motorcycle. However Tiffany was grabbing onto his jacket instead of hugging the taller boy’s waist.

“Hang on tight, if you don’t want to fall.” he reminded and drove off.

Driving at a speed twice as fast as just now, made the short haired girl frightened at the speed. Underneath the tinted helmet, Yul was smirking when he felt the shorter girl’s hands hugging his waist. But at the same time, it was starting to bring back memories.

-3 years ago-

-In China-

Yul was driving around the streets with the long haired pretty Chinese girl as usual with her hugging his waist. When they arrive at their destination they would hold hands and enter the empty

国家大

剧院

guójiā dà jùyuàn which literally meant National Grand Theatre, it was usually described as The Egg and is an opera house in Beijing.

The two lovers would come here often, hoping they would be able to perform on this stage one day. But who knew that, they would meet with such unforeseen circumstances.

Yul sighed unsure of what to think, but somehow the frightened Tiffany calmed him down as he pulled to a stop. The two entered the empty hair salon that was already booked. Yul instructed the hair stylist what to do and he nodded understanding.

Tiffany who was still pretty much in shock from the ride however still managed to walk over to the seat with much difficulty.

“So how’s your salon doing, ajussi?” asked Yul.

“Oh business is good and I just opened a new branch.”

“Wow~ Key is sure going to have a hard time taking over.” Yul commented.

“Haha...that boy, he loves dancing too much to want to take over...”

“Yea I guess that’s true, ajussi...”

“Wait! You mean you’re his father?!” exclaims Tiffany interrupting their conversation.

“Err haha yes miss...” he admitted with a smile similar to his son’s

“Oh haha...” Tiffany laughed nervously.

He seems friendly enough, hope he can accept Syafiqah...sigh...Key seems to really like her...hehe...they are so cute...

-At the same time-

-Inside the Mt. Namsan cable car-

“How did I end up alone on a cable car with you?” asked Sunny sighing in defeat.

“Well...I was bored and this was the only place I could think of.” confessed Soyoung.

“Fine...but what happened to all the other passengers, why didn’t they board?” questions the short girl.

“Haha...I...err...kind of copied Jinheon from Sam-soon...” admitted Soyoung nervously.

“You mean...the scene where he said he was going to propose to Samsoon but it was actually just to ask her to go back to work?” she questions cocking a brow.

“Not exactly but well I did say something...” admitted Soyoung unsure of what the shorter girl would do to him.

“Man~ I give up, as long as you didn’t say that I was going to marry you, its okay.” Sunny sighed in defeat.

“Why? Is it that bad to marry me?” asked Soyoung.

“It’s not that, just that...if you haven’t noticed, I haven’t changed out of my uniform yet and I’m a high school student, if you haven’t noticed!” she reminded exclaiming in defeat.

“Oh hahas...I forgot about that...” said Soyoung with a sheepish smile.

“Never mind...” the shorter girl sighed.

The cable bar continued to move upwards and the two sat in silence not sure of what to say to each other. Just then when they were looking at the beautiful scenery at the opposite direction. The cable car that was coming down consists of a really familiar passenger, who happened to not see them as well. They passed by, not even knowing that the other party was in the other cable car.

As they continued travelling up, Sunny was getting hungry and Soyoung noticing it took out a chocolate bar.

“Here, take it.” he offered.

“Thanks...” and accepted the only source of food gratefully.

Munching onto the chocolate bar, the taller boy looked at her with envy, feeling guilty she broke a small piece for the taller boy and he gladly accepted it.

After finishing the chocolate bar, the shorter girl contemplated on whether to ask certain questions.

“So...how did you get to know Sunday-ssi?” asked Sunny cautiously.

“We were kind of like childhood friends, her dad worked for us.” he explained.

“Oh...but what happened?” she asked.

The taller boy didn’t reply and just continued staring at the scenery. Seeing the taller boy’s expression she decided not to pry further.

“Do you know you’re actually my nuna?” asked Soyoung trying to break the awkwardness.

“Aren’t we the same age?” she questioned.

“Nah~ I was born in 1990 but I was an early born that’s why.” he explained.

“Oh~ so are you going to start calling me nuna now?” she asked in a joking manner.

“Haha...nah~ you look more like my dongsaeng, considering how short you are nobody would believe what I say.” he teased.

“Ya~ must you always ruin the mood~” she complained and pouted.

“Fine...I’ll try not to but...it’s just that when I say Tae’s my hyung they don’t believe it either hahas.” commented Soyoung.

“Haha...I guess that’s true...” agreed Sunny.

The cable car was still going up at a steady pace and as they were about to reach the top soon, they sat in silence again not knowing what to say.

The wild haired boy looked down at the shorter girl sitting beside him, not knowing why but just as they were about to reach the very top, he leaned towards the shorter girl.

The cable car door opened as they finally reach the top, but the two were still inside. Sunny sat there shocked for a while, feeling the taller boy’s lips onto hers, she closed her eyes enjoying it while it last.

Must you hurt me this way? You lead me on, knowing I’m falling for you but...you don’t even stop me from going with another person to the dance party...

Choi Soyoung... what am I to you? Do you have to torture me this way?

The gentle sweet kiss lasted for quite long, both parties confused as to what they would say to each other later on.

Both parties were becoming unaware of their beating hearts. Beating at the same rhythm, same pace, not even bothering to breathe, they were now in their own world.

-Chapter 29: Surprises and more surprises-

-The day of the dance party-

The princes, Hyori and Narsha were at the second floor, they looked out the window of the empty classroom to see the countless of students strolling in. The loud music played and students and alumnus alike were all grooving to the beat, some were mingling around, while others just plain eating.

-Meanwhile-

The girls were getting ready for the dance party, and looked even more gorgeous than ever that night.

Sunny had her hair let down instead of tying it like she usually does when baking. She was wearing a cute yellow dress with frails at the bottom and had a ribbon at the waist and a flower like ribbon on the top left hand corner of the dress. It fitted her well and she smiled, but felt sad that she was going without a dance partner.

-Yesterday-

Her phone rang and she answered it.

“Err…Sunny? I don’t think I can go to the dance party with you…” the caller said nervously.

“Why? Is anything wrong, Sungmin? You wanted to go with someone else?” she asked.

“N-n-no…it’s not that…it’s just…you see…ah! My grandma admitted into the hospital recently…” he lied nervously.

“Oh…alright then, I hope she’s alright…” she succumbed fully knowing it was a lie.

The phone went dead and she sighed.

She wondered why he would lie to her as he didn’t seemed like someone who would lie but she just shrugged it off.

Just then, Tiffany stepped out of her room in a strapless black dress that revealed her back. It had tiny silver studs on the dress and was rather long. The front of the dress was around knee length but the back of it were probably close to her feet. Her hair was styled a little and she had stronger make-up than her usual image.

“Wow~ Fany-ah, you look really pretty~” complimented Sunny jaw dropping at the girl.

“Same goes to you…” the short haired girl said in return shyly.

“Man~ what is taking Sica so long?” complained Sunny.

Just then the brown haired girl stepped out and stared at her two friends who were now in a state of shock.

“Is there anything wrong?” she asked.

“Err…nothing at all…”

“Then why are you guys staring at me weirdly?” she questioned.

“Haven’t you seen yourself in the mirror.” mocked Sunny.

“Yea…you seriously should get rid off those ridiculous huge rimmed glasses of yours…” agreed Tiffany.

“Thanks for the compliment but we have to go…” she reminded ushering them out the apartment.

Jessica’s hair was half tied half let down, it was kind of wavier. She was wearing a plain white dress. It was simple yet elegant at the same time and it suited her. Her dress had a ribbon belt like Sunny as well and she looked amazingly stunning.

The three walked to school since it was close-by, Tiffany’s date, Yul originally offered a ride but she declined.

-Yesterday-

“Why won’t you let me fetch you?” whined the neat haired boy as he followed the short haired girl to her apartment.

“Do you expect me to ride a motorcycle in a dress!” she reminded.

“I can always send a car.”

“Aren’t you forgetting about your fans?” she reminded.

“Oh~ yea~ I forgot about that part~”

She sighed and shook a head in defeat, not knowing what was going on in the young man’s head.

“So can I fetch you?” Yul asked again.

“N-O, No!” she answered loudly.

Tiffany was firm on her decision and nobody could change her mind. Tiffany smiled sarcastically and slammed the door in the playboy’s face.

-At the dance party-

“Why haven’t they arrived yet?” questioned Yul angrily.

“Calm down~”

“How can I calm down?!” he said raising his voice.

“Ow, nuna!” he screamed and tried to massage his head again.

“Must I always get beaten up?” he whined.

“If you don’t want to, sit still and be quiet.” Hyori reprimanded.

Hyori was wearing a v-cut long red dress; it fitted her well and definitely showed off her figure. She had her wavy hair let down as usual but styled it differently.

Narsha was wearing a long tube dress and had a suitable necklace to accompany with it. She had her hair let down, rather than tie it up like how she does when she’s working.

Both women look absolutely gorgeous and people would doubt if they were actually 30 at all.

Taeyong who was silent throughout noticed the three girls walking into the school and saw them interact with their friends as they walked in together. He turned away and looked back at Soyoung who had taken the food from the party munching onto it and Yul who seemed quite impatient waiting.

-At the main entrance-

The three girls waved over and spotted, Key and Syafiqah, Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon, Junho and Atika, all three couples hand in hand.

Syafiqah was wearing a light pink long tube dress that showed her slim figure. Her hair was let down rather than tied like she usually does in school. Her partner, Key was wearing a black tuxedo with a white collared shirt and a bow tie. His flat hair was spiked and styled a little and had a bit of wavy effect.

Hyoyeon was wearing long emerald green dress that was v-neck cut, her hair was let down rather than tied and she was wearing ear studs to accompany her dress. Her partner, Eunhyuk was wearing a similar tux to Key but with a red tie instead. He had usual rather long flat hair but it was kind of wavy.

Atika was wearing a short orange dress with frails at the bottom like Sunny’s, it was puffy at the end and complimented well with Atika. Her hair was half let down half tied. Her partner, Junho had his usual spiked but flat hair but was styled a bit. He was wearing a similar black tux and a black collared shirt along with a white bow tie.

All three couples looked good together and were looking absolutely stunning. They walked in together and followed the sign to the grand hall where the dance party was held. They could hear the music blasting and they were amazed at how it was. They wondered where Hyori and the princes were but decided not to worry.

Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk started grooving to the music, showing off their hidden dance moves on the dance floor. Atika and Junho went to try the food while Key and Syafiqah shyly danced to the beat as well.

Sunny went over to indulge herself in food as well and told her two best friends to look around for their date or go dance first. Jessica and Tiffany just walked around and mingled, just then Victoria came up and waved ‘hi’ to them.

The Chinese girl had her hair half tied, half let down and was wearing what seemed like a traditional Chinese dress.

“So, where’s your date?” asked Tiffany.

“I came alone.”

“Oh sorry…”

“It’s okay, what about you?” she asked.

“We both don’t know.” stated Jessica.

“Don’t worry, they’ll most likely make some grand entrance.” remarked Victoria.

“Well, I have to go first my friends are calling. It seems they want to introduce me to someone.” informed Victoria.

“Oh alright then…byes~”

The Chinese girl politely bowed and walked over to her group of friends.

-At the second floor-

Taeyong stood up and they were ready to enter the grand hall. Narsha went by the back and walked down the stairs along with Hyori while the three boys made their grand entrance to the party.

-At the grand hall-

The loud music stopped playing and everyone was puzzled the dimly lid room just now was brightly lid up and the school’s orchestra stared playing. Just then the three princes stepped out and looked at everyone who was at the ground floor. The fan girls’ squeals could be heard here and there and even one or two till the extend of fainting.

Tiffany who had spotted her date scoffed, knowing that they’d do something like this.

Yul clapped for attention and everyone soon gave all the attention to him. Soyoung seemed to focus more on the food and Taeyong seemed to be uninterested.

“Welcome to SH Academy’s dance party and I hope you guys have a great time tonight~!”

“And we have a special treat for you all tonight~” he teased the fan girls with his usual smirk.

“The Queen of tonight’s dance party, will get a-“he announced and pulled his shorter best friend to the front.

“A kiss on the cheek, from the one and only Kim Taeyong~!” he announced causing squeals in the hall.

Taeyong turned around and stared at his taller best friend.

“Are…you… insane?” he whispered.

“It’s just for fan service.” assured Yul.

“Then why…. can’t you… or Soyoung… do it?” questioned Taeyong.

“That’s cause you always disappear halfway in events like these, and besides, the girls seem to like you better.” reminded Yul.

“Urghh…Fine…” he succumbed.

Yul walked back to the front again and snapped his fingers for attention.

“And I hope everyone will have the most unforgettable night ever~!” he exclaimed with a wink that swooned the fan girls over.

The three of them disappeared from the second floor and walked into the grand hall by the back door.

Key and Syafiqah who were waiting for Seohyun and Yoona to arrive were near the entrance. Syafiqah was slightly taken aback when she heard the announcement. Key on the other hand stood there rather amazed.

Hmm…I should really take lessons from Yul hyung on how to win a girl over…

-At the food corner-

The short girl was stuffing herself until a tall figure tapped her shoulder.

“What do you want?”

“Hey~ don’t be so down~ and why are you staring as if you’re going to kill me?” the tall figure complained.

“Well SORRY for being upset.” she retorted.

“What happened?” he asked concerned.

“I don’t want to talk about it…”

“Your date dumped you?” he asked cautiously.

“How did you know?” she asked.

“Well…your expression says everything…” reminds the taller boy.

“Oh…”

“Well he didn’t exactly dump me but…I feel that he’s lying…”

“Hey~ you shouldn’t be here sulking and enjoy this wonderful night.” suggested Soyoung as he put his plate down and grabbed the shorter girl away from the food.

Man~ what is he doing now? Why am I so nervous? Kyaa~ stay calm…stay calm…

-At another side-

Hyori and Narsha were mingling around and occasionally chatting with old friends they hadn’t met in a long time. But unfortunately enough they bumped into someone they didn’t want to.

“Kim Kookjong oppa…” Hyori said with much spite.

“Err…Hi, Hyori-ssi…” he greeted nervously.

“I hope you enjoy your date with Yejin.” said the tanned woman before walking off with her best friend to mingle with her ex-classmates.

The couple walked off and put on a smile to their old friends as well.

“Do you think we should tell her, oppa?” asked Yejin cautiously.

“Nah…are you forgetting about that deal?” he reminded.

“But Hyori unni is hurting, oppa, your hurting!” argued Yejin.

“It’s okay…” he assured.

“Oppa is it really okay to live a lie?” she questioned.

“You don’t even love me, I don’t even love you…and your heart belongs to her!”

“But Yejin-ah…we’ll only get hurt…”

“What are you so worried about, oppa?”

“Everything…I just don’t want anyone to get hurt…and I’m sorry that you have to pretend with me like this.” he apologised.

“It’s okay…who asked me to be your good friend…”

“Haha…I know, thanks….”

“No problem, oppa…”

--

“So you really okay?” asked Narsha.

“Not really…urghh…I just have bump into them…”

“Hyori-ah just forget about him…”

“I’ll try…”

Just then a short haired girl came by and greeted them.

“Long time no see, Hyori unni.” greeted the short haired woman.

“Ah~ long time no see as well Bora or should I say Sunday?” greeted the tanned woman.

“Why don’t we go sit down at the bar and catch up?” suggested Hyori.

“Fine by me…” agreed Sunday to the tanned woman’s suggestions.

The two walked over to the bar while Narsha was dragged away by Taewoo to go dance. At first she refused but eventually decided to give in.

-At the bars counter-

“So, when do you plan on telling Soyoung everything?” questioned Hyori.

“I don’t think there’s any point anymore…he seems happy with that Sunny girl…”

“But you practically made him lose any will in taking part in any

competitions…”

“I know I was harsh but that was the only thing that could protect him from anymore harm at that time…”

“Yea…I know…” agreed Hyori solemnly.

“Then can I ask you one thing, Sunday.”

“Yes, what is it, unni?”

“Do you really love, Myeonghun?”

“I don’t know…my parents are forcing me to marry him but I just don’t see him further than an oppa.” admits Sunday.

“Then what about Soyoung?” the tanned woman questions again.

“Let’s just say he’s a really important person in my heart…but…”

“But…he was never more than a friend…I know he had feelings for me in the past but he was just more like a close frie- no…a really important friend…” admits Sunday.

“Haha…I knew something was suspicious from the start when I heard about the news of you hurting him…”

“I didn’t believe you’d be so cruel to do that, the Sunday I knew was never one who would even think of doing that.”

“Hyori unni…”

“So, do you ever plan on telling the truth?”

“They say the truth will reveal itself, unni and besides I don’t think it’s really that necessary now…”

“Okay I won’t force you to but trust me, even I don’t know the entire story…” admits Hyori.

“Well…I’m sorry, Hyori unni but I have to get back and accompany Myeonghun oppa…” informs Sunday.

“Oh alright…oh and Sunday?” she calls out.

“Yes, what is it, unni?” she answers as the short haired woman turns back.

“Never mind…” says Hyori smiling, Sunday just shrugged and walked over to her fiancé with a fake smile.

You don’t love that Myeonghun don’t you? Bora-ah…for once, stop living in the path your parents set for you and break free…

--

Yul who was busy flirting with the alumnus in school smiled as he reached Tiffany who was mingling with some new found friends.

“Well, aren’t you enjoying yourself?” scoffed Tiffany.

“Haha yea…I am and I do happen to have a thing for older women.” admitted Yul with a smirk.

Tiffany looked away trying to ignore the playboy. Yul noticed the change in attitude and immediately understood why.

“You know…aren’t you acting a bit too jealous today?” he questions trying to tease the short haired girl.

“W-w-w-what?!” she exclaims nearly choking onto her beverage.

“So are you?” asked Yul again with a smirk.

“Just leave me alone.” states Tiffany coldly as she walks past him.

The neat haired boy just followed.

“Ya~ don’t be like that~” whined the playboy.

“I said leave me alone!” states Tiffany irritated.

“How can I leave a pretty lady alone?” questions Yul.

“Well, there are plenty of other pretty ladies!” scoffed Tiffany.

“Man~ stop walking away~ isn’t your feet hurting at all?” he complaints.

“Even if it is it’s none of your business!” she argues back.

“Aren’t you being a bit too unreasonable?” he states.

“What?! Me?! Unreasonable?!” she questions as she finally comes to a stop and turns to face the tall playboy.

“Yea…”

“What makes you think that I’m unreasonable, you should look at yourself first before questioning me!” she states angrily and storms off again.

Man~ this woman is so hard to please~

Yul sighed and just followed the older girl again trying to mend things since he doesn’t want to ruin such a lovely night.

--

-Dance floor-

Sunny and Sooyoung were grooving to the beat and the shorter girl actually seemed happier now. Seeing her expression the taller boy smiled, knowing that he had succeeded.

-Yesterday-

-After school-

Sungmin was walking out of the school gate when a certain tall guy cornered him and brought him to a corner.

“Aren’t you Choi Soyoung?” he asked, unsure of what the prince wanted with him.

“Tell Sunny you can’t go to the dance party tomorrow.” he orders.

“But I can’t lie, I’m a terrible liar and what do I tell her?” he argues back trying to escape from Soyoung.

“Then just say your grandma has some terminal disease or something and you have to accompany her!” suggests Soyoung.

“Err…my grandma passed away last year…” he admitted nervously.

“What about your maternal grandma?” the tall boy questions.

“Err…she passed away when I was 6?”

“Man~ why aren’t any of your grandmas alive?!” whines Soyoung in defeat.

“Well…sorry about that?”

“What about your grandpas?”

“They both passed away before I was even born.”

“Oh sorry about that…but never mind…just lie and say your grandma’s in the hospital.”

“But why should I do that?”

“Do you want to get kicked out of the school?” reminds Soyoung threatening the boy.

“N-n-no?” he stammers.

“Good then, now run along and break this news to that shorty.”

“Uh…okay?”

-End of flashback-

Soyoung knew he was in the wrong this time but well he couldn’t help but not want the shorty to go on a date with another guy. He knows the shorty definitely has fallen for him but he feels that it isn’t the time yet. He turns back his attention to the shorter girl, seeing how happy she was instead of a frown on her face; he felt that he had succeeded.

--

Jessica was getting glances here and there from the boys in school and even the alumnus. She politely smiled to them not wanting to offend anyone. She walks over and mingles around with some ex-students, engaging into conversations after conversations. Laughing along with the girls, whenever the guys cracked a joke or two.

The petite boy starred at the two older guys; if they weren’t too busy laughing away, they would have died from the intense glare the petite boy was giving them.

Jessica felt something was amiss but just decides to shrug it off instead, getting more engaged into the conversation. On the other hand, the petite boy could no longer hold in any longer and walks over to the group cutting in.

“Sorry…but I’ll…have to borrow her…for a moment…” he informs as he grabs the taller girl by the wrist and away from the group of ex-students.

Jessica was slightly flabbergasted at the petite boy’s actions but just succumbed to it following him over to the bar.

“What were you doing?” he asked.

“Why do you bother?” she argues back jokingly.

“Because…I’m your…date…” he reminds.

“It’s not like I was flirting and besides even if I was, you should be thankful

that you have such a gorgeous date.” she scoffs.

“Well…I didn’t really…like the fact of you with…other guys…” he admits in a mumble, pouting his lips.

“What did you just say?” she asked.

“Never mind…” he states shrugging it off.

The brown wavy haired girl with squealing a little inside, could the petite boy be any more adorable?

“So, want to dance?” she offered.

“Nah~ it’s not… really… my thing…” he rejected.

“Are we just going to sit around all night?”

“You can go…”

“Come on~ it’ll be fun.” assures Jessica as she grabs the petite boy by the hand and to the dance floor.

The two began grooving to the beat and Taeyong felt that he was actually enjoying himself for once.

--

Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk were having a blast and people were gathered to watch their amazing dance skills. Syafiqah and Key on the other hand decided to take a break and get some refreshments.

“Oppa, so are you enjoying the night?” the Malay girl asked.

“Err…yea…” he says nervously noticing how close she was to him.

“Great!” she exclaims.

“I’ve never been to anything like this before and I’m glad I came with you oppa.”

“You are?” he asked taken aback.

“Of course! You always treat me so nicely~ I’m beginning to miss my oppas~” she sighs.

“Err…Syafiqah?” he calls out nervously.

“Yes, oppa?”

“I…like you…” he mumbles.

“What did you just say, oppa? I can’t hear you!” she asked above the loud music blasting over the speakers.

“Never mind…let’s get some food!” he suggested.

“Sure!” she agrees happily.

--

“You’re a pretty good dancer.” compliments Junho.

“Well…I was in Malay dance back in middle school.” admits Atika shyly.

“Oh…did you know you look great tonight?” he asked nervously.

“Err…thanks…”

“So…would you like to be my partner for the upcoming inter-school cooking competition?” he asked.

“Sure…why not?”

“Really?”

The dark skinned girl just simply nods smiling.

--

Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk decided to take a break and gulp down the bottle of mineral water.

“Man~ that was exhausting~”

“Yea…but I’m glad we got to show off our dance skills!” agreed Eunhyuk.

“Yea where else would we be able to show off our talents like that?” boasts Hyoyeon.

“Haha yea…”

--

The tall boy looked at the two younger girls jealously as they enjoyed themselves. He sighed, hoping that they wouldn’t notice how pathetic he looked right now. Just then, he bumped into one of the alumnus and recognised her instantly.

“Dana nuna?”

“Changmin?” the latter questions back.

“It’s been so long since I saw you.” greets the older woman.

“Yea…long time no see as well nuna...”

“You look upset.”

“Well…I was about to ask the girl I like out but someone beat me to it…” he admits sheepishly.

“Oh…that’s too bad then, well I can always introduce you to some of my friends.” she offers.

“Nah~ I’ll pass nuna…” he declines.

“Well, see you around then…” she smiles as she disappears into the crowd.

“See you around.”

The tall boy just walked over to the eating corner and grabs some snacks to munch on.

--

Yul finally finds the short haired girl and walks over to her.

“Just enjoy this night, will you?”

“Well sorry for being confused!” she fires back sarcastically.

“What are you confused about?” he asked as he sits down beside the shorter girl.

“You could always tell me your problems.” he offers.

“I’m a good advisor you know.” he boasts causing the short haired girl to scoff.

“Enough of that…can’t you tell me what’s wrong?” he asked facing the older girl causing her heart to skip a beat when she turns to face him.

“How am I supposed to say it?” she mumbles.

“What did you say?” he asked unsure if he heard her correctly.

“How am I supposed to tell you…” she mumbles once again.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

“Man~ I don’t even know if I hate you or not~” she admits sighing in defeat.

“Does that mean you like me?” he states smiling.

“Are you insane?! I just said that I don’t hate you, I never said I liked you!” she fires back.

“Well…you were pretty jealous just now…” reminds the playboy.

“What makes you think I was jealous?” she argues back.

“Hmm…because you’ve fallen for me?” he asked.

“Don’t be so full of yourself and no I wasn’t jealous.” states the short haired girl standing up to walk away from the tall playboy.

Yul chases after her once again, smirking, fully knowing what his toy was confused about now.

“Ya~ don’t be like that, okay~?” he whines.

“I can’t hear you~”

Yul quickens his pace and grabs the older girl by the wrist, forcing her to stop. Just then the music was getting quieter and Yul smirked fully knowing it was time to announce the queen.

“Wait for me, I’m going to make an announcement.” he informs.

“Why should I?”

“Because you’re my toy.” he states.

“Urghh…I hate hearing that…”

“Good. Then be a good toy and wait for your master.”

Why did I even have thoughts of falling for this jerk?

Yul heads over to the second floor, clapping his hands for attention as the music stopped playing and everyone turned to face him.

“I will now announce the queen of tonight’s dance and after which we’ll have the last dance of the night!”

Everyone remained silent, wondering who the lucky girl was.

“And the queen of tonight’s dance is Jang Hyejin~!”

The girls squealed with much jealously as the winner was identified by the spotlight. Taeyong who was now spotted as well as the blinding light was shown on him, the winner slowly and nervously moved towards the petite boy causing Jessica to feel slightly jealous.

Just then, Taeyong grabbed his date by the hand and made a run for it. Everyone stood there flabbergasted as to what had just happen. Jessica smiled inwardly as they ran away from the crowd and headed towards the garden. Taeyong lets go off the taller girl and breathes in and out deeply, clutching onto his chest.

“Is anything the matter?” she asked worriedly.

“Nothing…” he assures her.

“Okay then…”

An awkward silence filled them again, realising that they were alone again.

--

-Back at the grand hall-

“Err haha…I’m sorry about that!” Yul apologised.

The neat haired boy walks down the steps and heads over to the winner, planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Well…sorry for the slight changes but I guess I’m better than nothing right?”

The fan girls obviously still jealous of her but in the end they went back to their respective partners. Yoona and Seohyun stared at the two of them in shock.

Yuri unni sure is daring…

I never knew Taeyeon unni had such a sight to her…

The music slowly started to play as the doe-eyed girl offered her hand.

“Seohyun-ah…”

“Would you like to have this last dance with me?” she asked looking away from the younger girl.

The younger girl just smiled and takes the older girl’s hand, allowing everything to fall in place as they slowly moved to the beat.

The other couples slowly did the same and started moving to the beat of the music.

--

“Well…it seems you enjoyed yourself pretty well huh?” scoffs Tiffany.

“Can’t help it if I’m so marvellous.”

“Can’t you be any fuller of yourself?”

“Can’t help it, I was born that way.”

“Cheh!”

“So, can I have this lovely lady to dance this last dance with me?” he asked offering his hand.

“Just this once.” she succumbs as she takes hold off his hand.

His hand holding onto her waist, while the other grabs onto her hand. She places her other free hand on his shoulder. Their bodies only a few centimetres apart from each other.

--

Soyoung and Sunny were dancing along as well; Sunny faced the taller boy and felt her face flushed.

Man…why am I blushing again? Ever since that…urghh…stop thinking about it!

“Is there anything wrong?” he asked concerned.

“Err…nothing…”

“Alright then…” he says shrugging it off.

--

-At the garden-

After escaping from the crowd, the two who were now alone in the garden were feeling awkward around each other until Ronan Keating’s this I promise you, started to play.

Taeyong knelt down on one knee and looked up the younger girl.

“May I ask…this lovely princess…for a dance?” he asked.

No words were needed as she takes his hand; Taeyong stands up and places his hand on her tiny waist. Jessica looks even more beautiful under the moonlight. The couple moves slowly to the distant music that could faintly be heard. The calm breeze of the night envelops them as their bodies draw closer to each other. The lyrics could faintly be heard.

My love, here I stand before you

I am yours now

From this moment on

Take my hand

Only you can stop me shaking

We'll share forever

This I promise you

And when I look in your eyes

All of my life is before me

And I'm not running anymore

Cause I already know I'm home

With every beat of my heart

I give you my love completely

My darling, this I promise you

The two moved even closer to each other, leaving almost no space in between. Taeyong looked at his date and began to sing along with the song.

My love, I can feel your heartbeat

As we dance now

Closer than before

Don't let go

Don't let go

Cause I can almost cry now

This is forever

I make this vow to you

Jessica felt her heart beat faster as the petite boy’s angelic voice filled her ears.

And when I look in your eyes

All of my life feels before me

And I'm not running anymore

Cause I already know I'm home

With every beat of my heart

I give you my love completely

My darling, this I promise you

My darling, this I promise you

This I promise you, oh I promise you, promise you

This I promise you

(Song used: Ronan Keating- This I promise you)

--

-At the grand hall-

The music slowly fades away as they released from their partners, smiling in satisfaction.

“Err…Syafiqah; I have something to say to you…” Key says nervously.

“What is it oppa?” she asked.

“I think I like you…” he admits.

“It’s okay if you don’t I just wanted to confess…”

“It is a bit surprising but I’ll consider.” smiles Syafiqah.

“So…can I give you a ride back?” he asked.

“Are you forgetting we live in the school dorms?” she reminded.

“Oh yea…” he chuckled nervously.

“Well…let’s go then shall we, oppa?”

“Haha…yea…”

--

“Err…Seohyun-ah?” the doe-eyed girl calls out.

“I have something to say to you…”

“What is it Yoona unni?”

“I’m…actually…Yul oppa’s half sister…” admits Yoona.

Seohyun was taken aback but tried to remain calm.

“I’m sorry for keeping it from you guys but…”

“Does Yul oppa know about this?”

“I doubt so…”

“Do you want to tell him?”

“I don’t know…”

“Well…when you’re ready, try to tell him that okay?” suggested Seohyun.

“So, you’re not mad at me?”

“Why should I?” smiles Seohyun.

“Let’s go back to our dorms shall we?” suggested Seohyun.

“Sure!” agrees Yoona as she follows the chubby cheeked girl, their hands still not letting go.

--

As the music came to a stop, Yul pulls Tiffany in, his hands on her waist as he kissed her once again on the lips. This time, it was different, the short haired girl didn’t push him away and he wasn’t just doing it for fun and games.

Tiffany succumbed as she closes her eyes, her hands over the tall boy’s neck. She feels her stomach tightening and her heart beating faster, the kiss becomes deeper as their bodies drew closer leaving absolutely no gap in between.

The Chinese girl looks at the couple with mixed emotions but was soon distracted as her date nudged her.

“Victoria-ssi, do you want me to send you home?” the pretty boy offers.

“Thank you, Nichkhun-ssi…” she politely accepts his offer as they walk out of the school.

The tall pretty boy escorted her out as she followed him out of the school’s gate.

Students, alumnus and teachers alike were leaving one by one. However the couple still hadn’t broke off the kiss yet. When they finally did, Tiffany started blushing after facing her partner.

“So, I guess this means you don’t hate me huh?” states the neat haired boy.

“I don’t know, okay?” she says shrugging the taller boy off as she shoves past him.

“Hey~ how can you just leave like that?” he complains and chases after the short haired girl.

The two walk out of the school gates and headed towards the girl’s apartment. But not watching her step, Tiffany trip over some crack in the ground. She fell down hard and scrape her knee, blood could be seen. Yul immediately rushed over to his date and lifted her up bridal style.

“W-w-what are you doing?” she stammered feeling her face flush.

“Will you just keep quiet…man~ you always cause me trouble~” whines the playboy sighing.

“Well sorry about that!” she fires back.

“I’m glad you’re still as feisty as ever.” joked Yul.

“I give up…” Tiffany sighs in defeat.

“O-o-ow!” Tiffany cried out in pain.

Yul immediately quicken his pace, reaching the shorter girl’s apartment, he asked her to key in the password. They enter the apartment and he gently puts her down on the couch. He finds the first aid kid and starts treating her wound.

“You know, you should learn to be more careful.” he reprimands.

“Why do you care?” she scoffs.

“Because I’m your master and I hate seeing my toy getting injured.” states Yul.

“Since when were you my master?” she questions.

“Since you lost the bet…” reminded Yul still treating her wound.

“Ow!” she hissed.

“Can’t you be gentler?!”

“I’m trying!” he argues back.

“And wasn’t the bet cancelled? Besides, I already went as your date.” she reminded.

“Nah~ that wasn’t what I really wanted…”

“Man~ you better not be thinking of something perverted otherwise I swear I’ll smack you in the face.”

“Nah~ I’m not so low yet…” he smiled his usual smirk.

Placing the bandage over the knee cap after cleaning the wound, he stands up and sits beside the short haired girl. Their close proximity causes her heart to flutter again.

--

-Outside of school-

Soyoung and Sunny walked home together; unfortunately Sunny was piggybacking the taller guy since she lost the game.

“Man~ why am I piggybacking you?” she complains.

“It’s not my fault you lost!”

“Urghh…just keep still will you? I’m still the girl!”

“Don’t you know I’m really skinny for a guy?” he retorts.

“I know that, but I’m still a girl!”

“You seem strong enough since you’re able to lift me up.”

“Sigh…”

After finally reaching her apartment, Soyoung gets off her back and gives her time to rest.

“Man~ this is so tiring~” pants Sunny.

“At least you proved you’re strong.”

“Don’t you have better ways of cheering someone up?” questions Sunny panting even more.

“Now…I-I-I don’t even have the en-en-energy to walk…”

“Sorry…” he mutters under his breath feeling slightly guilty.

He lifts her up bridal style and starts climbing the flight of stairs.

“Ya! What are you doing put me down!”

“Will you just keep still…your already heavy enough…”

“Are you saying I’m fat?!”

“No…”

“Never mind…”

“You sure you won’t die from exhaustion?” she asked worriedly.

“Just keep still and keep quiet.”

“My apartment is on the 20th floor you know?” reminded Sunny.

“It’s just returning the favour.” he states and continues up the flight of stairs.

When they finally reach, Soyoung puts the shorter girl down in front of the door. Panting and sweating profusely, the shorter girl felt sorry for him so she decided to invite him to take a break before heading back home.

“Thanks.” she says as she plants a kiss on his cheek, tiptoeing to reach to his height.

Sunny blushes and rushes in only to discover Yul and Tiffany locking lips with each other on the couch.

Soyoung smiled as he entered, but his smile immediately turned into shock as he saw his best friend and his partner’s best friend kissing on the couch. The two didn’t even notice that two intruders had intruded in the form of a shorty and a giant.

--

-Earlier-

-At the garden-

After the music died down, Taeyong let go off Jessica and walked back to the grand hall, from there they walked hand in hand out of the school’s gate.

Taeyong walks Jessica to her apartment, when Taeyong finally escorted Jessica right to her door step she smiled. Brushing the hair off his forehead, she plants a kiss on his forehead then closing her eyes plants a light peck on his lips. As she parts away, facing the older boy her face flushed.

“T-t-thanks for sending me home…” she stammers.

“So wou-wou-would you like to c-c-c-come in?’ she offers.

The petite boy politely accepts as he enters the wavy haired girl’s apartment only to find himself chancing upon his best friend and his best friend’s so called enemy locking lips with each other.

Closing the door behind her, Jessica gasped as well. Until now, the couple on the couch still hadn’t noticed the two shocked couples standing there. After Yul released the kiss, he gave his signature smirk.

“You’re going to be my personal maid.” he states as a matter of fact.

“W-W-WHAT?!” Tiffany along with Sunny and Jessica screamed.

“Oh~ Hi guys~” waved Yul as he stands up from the couch.

“You all just missed the fun part.”

“Actually…we saw the ‘fun’ part…” corrects Soyoung.

“Oh you did?”

“Then you must have heard that mushroom head over here loves me a lot.” states Yul.

“WHAT?!” exclaims Tiffany in shock.

“When did I ever say that?!” she argues back.

“Since you started returning the kiss.” states Yul whispering into her ear before standing up to scoot away.

“YA! KWON YUL! Get back here or else!” she threatens.

“AND I AM NOT GOING TO BE YOUR PERSONAL MAID!” she screams in fear of what is going to unfold.

-Chapter 30 Part 1: Forgiving is the next step…to something…-

-1 week later-

A week after the dance party, everyone was enjoying their summer break. Well, almost everyone that is.

Atika and Syafiqah went back to visit their parents and were coming back by next Monday or Tuesday. Hyoyeon went to visit Eunhyuk’s parents to ask for permission in dating their son. They all got along well but his mom was a bit reluctant in letting her only son go but still it was all good.

Sunny was working her part-time job as usual; Jessica was obviously lazing around after she had completed all of her holiday homework. Hyori headed off to Bali for another photo shoot and Narsha was as usual being the perverted one.

Sunday was staying in Korea even after all the press conference ended, due to the fact that her engagement still had to be announced and also of the fact that SH Academy had invited her to evaluate some of the pastry students’ works after summer break but only few were to be selected.

Taeyong went for his check up at the hospital again, accompanied by his best friends as usual and this time there was hope. He was going to get a heart transplant right after high school ends but the operation is in another country.

Key practically text messaged Syafiqah everyday telling her about what happen and about good news as well. The dance team he was on was going to take part in some dance competition and he was going to be part of it. Syafiqah congratulated him through the phone and he could already feel his cheeks burning. Key wondered if the girl even liked him back or just considered him as an oppa. Not wanting to make anything more awkward he just decides to let that confession that night slide and remain as the younger girl’s really close friend.

Unfortunately, Key went back to his house to spent the week there since most of the students went back home instead of staying in school. He was of course happy to see his parents but things didn’t go as well as planned. His dad wanted him to go and learn about hair grooming, styling and so on so forth. The boy never took interest in his father’s profession and never liked it, he was still uncertain about his career but still he felt that he should have the right to choose. Key and his dad had a huge fit and he left the house, storming off in the process.

--

-Kim Enterprises-

Hyoyeon went to visit the Hwejangnim at his office, the secretary asked if she had booked and appointment and after giving the secretary her details she told her to wait for a moment.

Hyoyeon entered the wide and spacious office after getting permission to enter. She bowed in respect and the old guy told her to sit down.

“So, how is Taeyeon doing at school?” he asked.

“Very well, hwejangnim…but there’s something I’d like to inform you.” she says.

“What is it?”

“Your daughter or should I say son, seems to be taking an interest to our classmate Jessica Jung.” she informed.

“Is she safe?” the old man questions.

“Most probably…”

“I don’t want assumptions, I want full proof that she’s safe.” demanded Mr Kim.

“I’ll report to you as soon as I find out more.”

“You should know what happen to her before right?” he reminded.

Hyoyeon just simply nodded, feeling slightly guilty.

“If anything like that happens to her again, know that I’ll never forgive you.”

“I adopted you for a purpose and you will serve your purpose.”

“Yes, hwejangnim…” agreed Hyoyeon.

“Anyways, you sure you don’t want to know about your birth parents?”

“I’m pretty sure, hwejangnim and can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why aren’t you stopping Taeyeon from dressing as a guy?” she questions.

“I mean…until now I still don’t get why she’s doing that, is it for fun or something else?”

“I’ll tell you when the time is right…but for now, let’s just say she did it to protect someone important, to erase the guilt that person had…”

“And most importantly, to erase the memories she had… as herself…”

“Well, I’ll be taking my leave first, hwejangnim.” she informs.

“Oh, very well then…”

“Oh and Hyoyeon?” he calls out.

“Yes, sir?”

“Always know that I already regard you as family, call me if anything happens.”

“Thank you sir, I appreciate that.” she smiles as she exits the office.

Hyoyeon walks out of the building and heads over to the bus stop. Waiting for the bus, she takes out her mp3 player and starts listening to Kris Allen’s The Truth. When the bus arrives she boards it and alights after about a 45 minute ride. She visits a cemetery and kneels down in front of the gravestone; she takes out the bottle of rice wine from her bag and sprinkles it at the grass around the gravestone.

“Hi, halmeoni, I’ve come to visit.” she greets.

“I even brought your favourite makgeoli for you; I know how much you hated flowers so I didn’t buy them.”

“So, how’s life in heaven? Good? Is harabeoji treating you well?”

“I should have visited you guys earlier but well I was busy but I guess it isn’t really an excuse huh?”

“Oh and halmeoni, I got a boyfriend.”

“You don’t have to worry he’s sweet caring kind funny, and well if you feel he’s not the one you can just strike lightning on him hahas.”

“I missed you halmeoni, and I love my new family even though he is really strict.”

“I found whereabouts about my parents but I don’t know if I should visit them or not, not after what they did.”

“What should I do halmeoni?”

Kim Heran

November 15, 1940

January 11, 2001

Beloved wife, grandmother and friend

Hyoyeon stands up, walking back to the bus stop and heads to the dance studio, to relief some stress.

--

-At Kwon’s mansion-

Yul was lazing around in his room as usual after the tea ceremony he had with his ever so strict grandmother. He received a message from one of his previous clients but ignored it, since he wasn’t really in the right mood. Noticing that she still hadn’t entered the room yet, he shouted out for her.

“What’s taking you so long?!” he called out.

“Coming~! Young master!”

After about 5 minutes, the short black haired girl steps in, wearing a maid’s outfit that made her look really cute.

“Here’s your mango juice, young master.” she informs placing the cup down.

“Man~ what took you so long?” he complained.

“You wanted your juice fresh from the fruit.” reminded Tiffany.

“Aren’t you being a bit rude?” he questions.

“Urghh…sorry…” she mutters.

“To whom?”

“Young master Yul.” she reluctantly admits.

“That’s better…” smiles the neat haired boy.

“I’ll be taking my leave then, young master.” she informs.

“Did I say you could leave?”

“I have to do the chores…”

“Leave the maids to do it, you’re my personal maid.” he reminded.

“You’re supposed to do my chores.”

“Fine…”

After standing there for at least 5 minutes without doing anything, the short haired girl became irritated.

“What is it do you want me to do?”

“Just stay here.”

“What?!”

“You heard me right.”

“Fine…”

“You can sit down if you want.”

Tiffany takes a seat on the floor, metres away from the playboy.

“Hey, it’s not like I’m going to eat you up~” whines Yul.

“Considering that you already did that before, I doubt so…”

“In my defence, you enjoyed it.” he smirked.

“Did not!” she retorted.

“Did so!” he fired back.

“Never mind…” he says shrugging her off.

“So, where are you going on vacation?”

“None of your business…”

“Hey~ don’t be like that~”

“You look better when you smile so smile more.” he complimented.

“And you haven’t answered my question yet.”

“I’m sorry young master.” she apologies sarcastically.

“But I don’t think I’m obliged to inform you about every single detail of my whereabouts.”

“Fine…I’ll find out eventually anyways…” he assured giving her his signature smirk.

Just then he received a call and picked it up.

“Yeoboseyo?”

“Oh, hi nuna~”

“No, nothing’s up and yea…I missed you too.”

“So, how’s Italy? Great? I wish I could go there to visit you.”

“Oh really? I’m so upset…”

“Ahahahaha….”

Hearing the conversation made Tiffany want to puke, but she felt something as well. That something called jealousy.

After hanging up, Yul took out some comics to read while Tiffany just sat there.

“So who was it?” she asked.

“Are you jealous?”

“No.”

“Then I won’t tell you.”

“Then forget it!” she stands up to return to do the housework.

“Sit down.” he commands.

“Why should I?” she retorts back.

“Because you’re my personal maid and I said so…”

Tiffany ignores him and continues dusting the cupboards and so on.

“Will you just sit down?”

She continues to ignore him.

“Urghh…fine do whatever you want!” he shouts in defeat.

“Can’t you stop being so jealous for once?”

“When was I ever jealous?”

“You’re totally being the jealous girlfriend right now.”

“I am so not dating you, and I am so not your girlfriend!” she reminded.

“Well…you are acting like one.”

“I am not! And besides, I was just asking who it was.”

“Then why did you sound as if you were jealous?” he asked scooting over to her.

“Can you just leave me alone? Can’t you see I’m trying to clean your room up?” she states irritated.

Tiffany moves away from the playboy and starts cleaning the other side of the cupboard. She takes the feather duster trying to dust off the top but unfortunately was a bit too high up for her. She tiptoes trying to reach the top but to no avail. Yul walks over and forces the duster out of her hands.

“What are you trying to do?” she questions trying to retaliate.

“Will you stop making a fuss?”

“Just leave me alone…”

Tiffany tries to move away from Yul but unfortunately, she trips over causing both of them to fall. There was quite a loud ‘thud’ as Tiffany landed on top of Yul.

Feeling her face flushed after realising her position, she immediately stands up brushing her uniform out. Yul smirks seeing her expression and stands up as well.

“I-I-I’m so-so-sorry…” Tiffany stammers looking away from the latter.

“Its okay…” he assures her.

“W-w-well, I guess I-I-I-I’ll be leaving first…” she informs nervously as she immediately rushes out of his room.

Yul walks back to his bed and lies down, with a smirk dials a number and smiles after it is settled.

This summer break sure is going to be fun, Hahaha…

--

-At the supermarket-

“What are you doing here again?” asked Sunny irritated at the tall boy’s presence.

“Aww~ I thought you liked me being here.”

“Don’t get too full of yourself, you were only useful because you helped sell the products.” she reminded.

“And besides, my job now isn’t to promote new food products but to make sure every product is in the right place and check if it has passed the expiry date and also help customers occasionally” she explains.

“So?” he asked.

“So it means you don’t really have a reason to be here.” she states harshly.

“That kinda hurt you know?”

“Well…sorry about that but I’m busy.” she apologises sarcastically.

She walks away, going to the next shelf to check on the other products as well and the tall boy just follows her. Just then, a group of middle school girls walked over and asked for directions. Soyoung smiled and told them where it was since Sunny was busy at the moment. The girls thanked him and left, as Sunny finished checking the products she could hear the group of girls squealing about the tall giant.

What is so great about him?

Another lady in mid-twenties came up and asked for directions again and Soyoung gladly helped out.

Okay fine~ he’s helpful and caring but that’s nothing…

Sunny climbed up the ladder to check on the other products again and Soyoung just watched her, waiting for her to finish in the process. As she was checking on the products she could hear a group of office workers in their twenties talking.

“Hey, it’s that boy from last time; you know the one who promoted the fishcakes?”

“Yea I remember…I’m glad he’s coming more often these days…”

“But I wonder, is he poor?”

“I mean he’s cute, helpful and all but he is still in high school…”

“Yea…it’ll be a waste if he was poor…”

Poor?! The guy’s richer than ever!

“Why don’t we just go and ask him?”

“Are you insane?!”

“Yea…we barely know the boy and besides he’s not working here, look at what he’s wearing!”

“Well…he seems to visit only when that girl is promoting.”

“Are they dating?”

D-d-dating…that giant?! Are they insane or something?!

“No way~ but they do look rather cute together~”

“Yea for that I’ll have to agree, maybe they go to the same school?”

“Yea he did say she was his friend before.”

“Let’s go ask him.”

Sunny stepped down from the ladder and watched as the group of office workers came up to Soyoung shyly.

“Ermm…we were wondering, do you work here?”

“Sorry but no, I just came to visit the shorty.”

Sh-sh-sh-shorty?!

“Oh…so do you attend the same school as her?”

“Yea…we’re in our senior year, stressful though…”

“Don’t mean to be rude but what school do you attend?”

“SH Academy…”

“Isn’t that the prestigious academy for food, art and music?”

“Yea…”

“So, what is someone from such a rich school doing in a commoner’s supermarket? I mean…I heard the people there come in limos and all.”

“Like I said to visit the shorty…”

“Are you both poor? Like on a scholarship or something?”

“Hmm…yea as you can see…”

“What a bummer.”

Sunny steps in and cuts into the conversation.

“If this giant here was poor, the sky would fall down.”

“Really?”

“Yea…otherwise why would he be so popular in school?”

“Oh he is? But I thought the girls there would only look at the rich kids no matter how good looking he is.”

“Oh the giant is rich alright…one of the princes in the school.”

“Wow~”

They turned to face him.

“You must really be rich huh? But you don’t act like one.”

“Ahahaha…yea I guess so…”

“Oh he definitely is~ Choi Soyoung, son and heir to Choi Food Industries.” informs Sunny sarcastically.

“Ch-Ch-Choi Food Industries?!” they exclaimed in shock.

“Ahahaha yea…” he admits nervously.

“As you unnis may have already known this supermarket is own by his dad as well.” states Sunny.

“Really?” the latter asked flabbergasted.

“You don’t know?” asked one of the office ladies.

“Well I’m not really interested in the business…”

“And just a piece of information, his mom is the Chairwoman of SH Academy.” states Sunny.

“Wow~ I guess we are being honoured for such a person to visit the commoner’s supermarket.”

“Well…I don’t really think so because even rich people get their maids to buy ingredients from here.”

“It was nice talking to you Soyoung…”

“Ahaha yea…” he agrees nervously.

After the group of office ladies left, Sunny returned to work ignoring the latter.

“Why did you do that?” he asked seriously.

“Well…Mr popular, I’m working and people should know your status.”

“Why would they want to know that?”

“So that you know and can stop disturbing me as it is!”

“You could have asked before telling people what my parents do…”

“It’s not like you’re living in a dump or anything worse than that, so what’s the big deal?”

“The deal is I don’t like being treated differently just because I’m the heir to some food industry!”

“Then why don’t you just give that to someone else then!”

Soyoung remains silent and Sunny pushes past the tall boy to walk over to the other shelf to check on the other products. The wild haired boy leaves the crowded supermarket and instead of taking the limo, he decides to take the bus.

Alighting from the bus, he walks to some baking school and recalls the memories he had here.

-4 years ago-

The under-18 baking competition was under way and this time there was a rookie competitor who was being allowed to participate at the age of 14. The clocked stopped and the competitors placed their final products in front. The judges went around each table to taste the products.

After a long discussion they announced the winner and unexpectedly, the new rookie had won. He shook hands with the organisers and gladly accepted his reward. He heads home to tell his parents about the good news, wanting to hear praises from them especially his mom. That night was the very first time his mom had ever praised him and actually smiled.

Soyoung steps into the empty kitchen as he sighs, recalling all the happy memories he’s had.

Why must everyone treat me differently? Is it that hard to just see me as a normal high school student? That’s why I always told the organisers to not tell the judges or competitors who I was…

Why is it everyone thinks that being rich is good? I thought she was different but I guess maybe not so much huh?

Soyoung steps out of the empty baking school and heads back home, as he leaves someone familiar enters. The short haired fair skinned girl enters and looks at the empty kitchen with fond memories as well.

-4 years ago-

“Nuna, I won!”

“Congrats, Young-ie!”

“Thanks!”

“Let’s go celebrate shall we?”

“So what do you want me to bake for you nuna?”

“Hmm…how about I treat you to dinner.” suggested the long haired woman.

“Really? Wow~ thanks nuna, you’re the best!” he exclaims hugging the older woman.

“Let’s go then shall we?”

“Bora nuna?” he calls out.

“Yes, Young-ie?”

“Are you in love with Junsu hyung?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“Just answer…”

“I guess so…”

“Are you jealous?” she teased.

“I am not!” retorted the tall boy as he pouted.

“Aww~ you look so cute but you know I just see you as a dongsaeng right?”

“I know but I can still like you right?”

“Haha…of course…as long as you don’t start killing off anyone I date.” she jokes.

“I’m not such a jealous person okay?”

“Oh and Bora nuna?”

“Don’t accept the engagement proposal.”

“Why? I thought you liked Junsu oppa?”

“Not Junsu hyung, Myeonghun hyung, his cousin.”

“Oh…”

“You know your parents would want you to marry Myeonghun hyung because his family is rich and all and I mean Junsu hyung isn’t exactly on the rich side, remember?”

“Thanks for thinking so much about my future,, but you have your own future to think about as well.”

“I’m being serious here nuna, that guy’s a jerk!”

“Don’t talk bad about someone that way, didn’t your sister teach you anything?” she reminded.

“Sorry, nuna…” he apologised.

“That’s better…” she smiles as she takes his hand as they head over to the new restaurant that just opened last week.

Sunday sighs as she walks around the empty kitchen.

Maybe…I shouldn’t have accepted my parents’ proposal in asking me to marry Myeonghun oppa…just maybe I should have defied my parents this one time…

Hyori unni’s right…I don’t love Myeonghun oppa…I’ve always loved Junsu oppa, even until now…Just maybe…I should defy them for once and fight for my own happiness…

The tall short haired girl exits the empty baking school and enters the limousine, driving off to another location.

--

-At the supermarket-

Was I too much just now? Maybe I should go and apologise to him but I doubt he’ll ever come back here again…I’ll just apologise the next time I meet him.

--

-In Singapore-

Atika was enjoying her last meal with her family before she returned to Korea again. They all missed her and she definitely missed her mom’s cooking as well. She heads back to her room to receive a text message from Junho.

To: Atika

-Ermm…I have something to tell you…so call me once you reach Korea…-

From: Junho

Hmm…I wonder what happen? Sounds like something bad…did the visit back to his house went bad?

--

-In Australia-

Syafiqah was having a blast with her siblings, they decided to sing and dance to K-pop songs, their mom called for them to eat dinner. After dinner, Syafiqah heads back to her room and takes out her hand phone to find a message from Key.

To: Syafiqah

-Hi, can we talk?-

From: Key oppa

I wonder what Key oppa wants to talk about? Seems like something went wrong…

Syafiqah dials the latter’s number, waiting for him to pick up.

-In Korea-

-School dorms-

-Key’s room-

The flat haired boy sees his phone ringing and wonders who it could be. Seeing the Malay girl’s name on the screen he immediately answers the call.

”Yeoboseyo?”

“Ah Syafiqah?”

“Oppa, is anything the matter?”

“Nothing…”

“You don’t sound good…”

“Well…I had a fight with abeoji…”

“What was it about?”

“He wanted me to take over the hair salon chain but I didn’t want to.”

“Well…he just wants the best for you.”

“But sometimes I wish he’d just let me do what I want.”

“So…do you know what you want?”

“No…”

“You see? If you aren’t even certain of your own future of course your dad feels the need to decide for you!”

“Haha…”

“What are you laughing about?”

“You know how to cheer me up and also scold me at the same time.”

“Hehe…I’ll take that as a compliment…”

“Thanks, Syafiqah…”

“No problem, oppa…”

“Oh and another thing…”

“What is it Key oppa?”

“You’ll come watch me at the dance competition right?”

“Of course!”

“Thanks…”

“Err…about that night…”

“Sorry Key oppa, I still have to think about it…it’s still too early to decide…”

“It’s okay, I understand…but don’t leave me hanging.”

“Hehe, I’ll try not to…”

“Bye, Syafiqah…”

“Bye, Key oppa…”

They both hang up and Key lies on his bed sighing.

--

-At Junho’s house-

Junho had went back to spend the week with his family, his parents were happy with the fact he had taken interest in someone and supported his decision to probably date her but unfortunately his seven year old sister was against this idea.

He knocks on his door entering his sister’s room and sits on the edge of her bed. Pulling the covers off her, he sighs as he tries to explain.

“Look, oppa isn’t going anywhere. I just found someone I like that’s all.”

“And I’m sure you’ll like her too once you get to know her.” assures Junho.

“No!”

“There’s no way I’ll like her! She’s stealing oppa away from me!”

“Oppa isn’t going to leave you…”

“That’s what they always say!”

“Who said that?”

“TV…”

“TV?”

The seven year old just simply nodded as she sits up to face her much older brother.

Junho sighs not knowing what to say and stands up to leave.

“Just be sure to be a good girl when she comes to visit.”

“Sure! I’ll be on my best behaviour!” she exclaimed smiling.

Little did Junho know he was about to face with a disaster in his humble home.

--

Syafiqah and Atika had returned back to Korea and settled back in the dorms. Atika received another text message from Junho as soon as she landed.

To: Atika

-I’m sorry for not informing you but my parents want you to babysit my sister while their away on a dinner party. I’ll be there as well but they want you to familiarise yourself with the family-

-From: Junho-

Atika stared at her hand phone screen still unable to comprehend why would Junho’s parents ask for such a favour?

--

-Junho’s house-

Atika was at the door, feeling nervous. It was the first time she’s been to a friend’s house since her stay in Korea and to make matters worse it was a boy.

She rang the doorbell waiting for someone to answer.

-Inside the house-

“Jeonghee-ah~ go answer the door!” shouted Junho from in the room.

“Going~!”

The six year old Jeonghee walked over to the front door and opened the door to see the nervous Malay girl standing outside. Knowing who it was she slammed it in her face.

“Who was it?” asked Junho as he steps out of the room.

“Just some delivery person…” lies Jeonghee as she sits back on the couch.

Realising that Atika had arrived Junho immediately rushed to open the door for her.

“I’m sorry; my sister is a bit…”

“Its okay.” she smiled.

Atika walks over to the living room, seeing the younger girl she walks over to her and offers her hand out.

“Its nice meeting you.” she greeted.

Jeonghee just ignored her.

“Since you’ve seen me, can you leave?”

Atika looked at the six year old, baffled at her words. Junho came to the living room and tried to settle the problem.

“Jeonghee-ah, this unni here can’t leave because she has to baby sit you.”

“But oppa, I’m fine by myself!”

“Don’t argue…and besides she’s oppa’s close friend…”

“More like girlfriend…” Jeonghee mumbled.

“N-N-No…just close friend…” denied Junho stammering.

“Hmph”

“Sorry about that my sister can be a bit…”

“It’s okay…its good enough you have only one sibling…I’m the oldest and I have like two brothers and one sister.” sighed Atika.

“Haha…well…I’ll leave you two alone then…”

“Oh and just try to get along thanks.”

“I’ll try…”

Junho walks back to his room, leaving the two of them in the living room alone.

“Are you trying to steal oppa away from me?” questions the six year old.

“I’m just his friend…” states the Malay girl.

“Yea…friend…even before you’re his girlfriend you’re already stealing him away from me!”

Realising why the younger girl was acting this way she smiled.

“Are you jealous?”

“No way! I just don’t want oppa to leave me!”

“Haha…”

“What are you laughing about?!”

“I’m sure we’re going to have a great time together.”

--

-A week later-

Sunny took leave from work and so did Tiffany at first she wondered if that manipulative playboy would ever let her off the hook but he surprisingly agreed to let her on vacation.

Sunny, Tiffany and Jessica were now at the port waiting for everyone to arrive. Shortly after, Hyoyeon arrived along with Eunhyuk, followed by Atika, Junho, Syafiqah and Key. And then came the arrival of Seohyun and Yoona.

They walk over to them and greeted each other. Turning to see the huge cruise ship they wowed in amazement.

“Wow Sunny unni~ did your uncle really rent this whole ship~?” exclaimed Syafiqah in fascination.

“Yea…isn’t that great?!”

“It’s awesome!”

“Well let’s hurry; we want to enjoy this vacation as much as possible don’t we?” suggested Hyoyeon.

“Yea!” Eunhyuk agreed.

Just as they were about to walk towards the cruise ship to go on board, they heard a familiar voice that caused them to turn around.

“Shorty~!”

Sunny face palmed herself before letting out a miserable sigh.

What is that giant doing here?!

“Ya! Choi Soyoung! Keep it down will you?!” scolded the notorious playboy.

Soon all five of them were in sight, Taeyong bowed to them while Yunho and Changmin politely greeted. Seeing her boss here, Tiffany felt her hopes of a relaxing holiday was down the drain.

“What are you all doing here?!” questions Sunny.

“For our vacation duh!”

“Didn’t you all go Hawaii?”

“That’s so last year~”

“We decided to well you know…change things around a bit…”

“What I was asking was what the hell you are doing at this port?!” Sunny exclaimed in defeat.

“Oh~ that’s because that ship over there is ours!”

“What do you mean yours? My uncle rented this ship!” retorted Sunny.

“Technically not anymore.” interrupted Yul.

“What do you mean?” Tiffany interjected.

“Your uncle booked the ship but I bought it so it’s mine now.” explained Yul.

“You all can come along if you want to but I’d doubt you want to anyway.” offered Yul.

“HA! As if I’d be tempted!” scoffed Tiffany as she watched the playboy going on board the ship.

Soyoung walks past Sunny and gives her a sheepish smile.

“There’s really good food~” he assured.

“Oh man~ go stuff yourself~” the shorter girl sighed in defeat.

Changmin and Yunho apologise for their cousins’ childish behaviour as they enter the ship asking if any of them want to go on board.

Taeyong walks over slowly and calls out to Seohyun.

“Joohyun-ah…let’s go…”

“But oppa…”

“Okay fine…” succumbed the chubby cheeked girl as she followed her

shorter but older cousin on board.

“Yoona unni, hurry up! We haven’t got all day~”

“Oh okay…”

The others followed along as well leaving the three girls still standing there. Taeyong walked back to the port and walked over to the three girls.

“Jessica, aren’t… you…coming along?” he asked politely.

“Well Tiff and Sunny don’t really seem to want to go on…” Jessica said hesitating.

“Just…come along…”

“But…”

Taeyong grabs the girl by her hand as he gently pulls her away, forcing her to go on board with him. Sunny and Tiffany looked at each other with a defeated expression until they heard a familiar voice.

‘Ya~ shorty! Hurry up! The ship is leaving soon!”

“Fine! Will you keep it down?! Must you announce to the whole world how vertically challenged I am?!”

“Oops sorry…shorty!”

“Man I give up!”

Sunny huffs as she follows Jessica on board, Tiffany follows as well not wanting to be the only one left out.

They all gathered and began arranging rooms. Two people per room. Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon were in one room. Junho and Key decided to bunk together. Atika and Syafiqah decided to bunk together as well. Yul shared a room with Soyoung while Yunho and Changmin shared a room together. Taeyong forced Seohyun to share a room with him, since he couldn’t really trust the others. Leaving Jessica and Tiffany to bunk with each other and Sunny and Yoona doing so as well.

They all grabbed their stuff and unpacked once they got the card keys to their room. The princes were used to it but the others were still amazed at how big the ship was. After they all changed, they decided to explore the ship further. Soyoung had already rushed to the restaurant before anyone could.

-SeoTae’s room-

“Oppa…must you always do this?”

“It’s for…your own good…Joohyun-ah…”

“I’m fine now really!”

“Oppa! Why can’t you just try to see that I’m really going to be okay?”

“Joohyun-ah…do you really… want that to repeat… itself again?!” he asked raising his volume at his cousin for the first time.

“I’m sorry oppa…but…”

“It’s already been 5 years oppa…”

“Well…have you gotten over it…Joohyun-ah?”

Seohyun shakes her head, agreeing with her petite cousin. Taeyong walks over to his much taller cousin and embraces her in a hug.

“Always know that…no matter…what…”

“Oppa…will be there to…protect…you…” assured Taeyong.

“Thanks…Taeyeon unni…” whispered Seohyun.

--

-At the restaurant-

Soyoung was indulging himself in an all you can eat buffet and his plate was filled with food, mountain loads of them. Sunny who came walking in, sat across him and sighed.

“Eat slowly! You don’t want to choke do you?”

“Shorty~ -munch- you should –munch- try this!”

“Sigh~ I really give up~” she face palmed herself another time.

The taller boy just looked at her weirdly before continuing indulging himself in the food. Sunny walks over and takes a reasonable amount of food as well and sits back down.

“Have you noticed that Yoona looks ridiculously like Yul?” asked Sunny.

“R-munch-ea –munch- lly?” he asked, his mouth still stuffed with food.

“Urghh! Man~ I give up~ it’s really hard talking to you like this~”

“Just nod your head if you agree.” suggested Sunny.

Soyoung just simply nodded following her advice.

“So have you noticed?”

The tall boy shakes his head.

“Too busy looking at food?”

Soyoung shakes his head.

“Really?” she questions feeling that he was lying.

“Aren’t you lying?”

He shakes his head once again.

“Then what in the world were you busy looking at anyways?”

Soyoung points at her causing the shorter girl to feel flushed.

“Y-Y-You’ve got to be kidding!” Sunny stammered.

Soyoung just simply shakes his head.

“Urghh…suit yourself!” Sunny sighed in defeat as she continued eating her meal.

--

-JeTi’s room-

“Urghh…I can’t believe he actually followed me!” shouted Tiffany in defeat.

“Calm down Tiff…and besides, knowing you…you secretly like it don’t

you?” teased Jessica.

“W-W-What do you mean by that?” she stuttered.

“Your stuttering Tiff, you always do that when you’re nervous.” reminded Jessica.

“Aren’t you the same?!” Tiffany fires back.

“And you always try to put everything onto others when you’re nervous.” reminded Jessica smiling.

“Sigh~ maybe you’re right…” admits Tiffany.

“Not maybe…I’m right about you and that playboy for sure.”

“He seems to like you…why don’t you try confessing?” suggested Jessica.

“I’m not sure Jessi…he seems to be using me…”

“Oh…”

“Enough about me, what about you and Taeyong?” questions Tiffany.

“I don’t know…that guy is so confusing…”

“What do you mean? He’s like the perfect one among the three, other than the fact he’s clueless all the time and he can’t remember our freaking names…”

“Perfect?” questions Jessica baffled.

“Well…for one he doesn’t bully, he isn’t manipulative, he treats you well…he definitely doesn’t make your blood pressure rise hahas.” laughs Tiffany.

“Hmm…he may be short but who cares he’s cute and smart plus talented what more do you want? Although he can be well…you know not open to others but well Hyori unni did say that they changed a lot so maybe he just needs more time…”

“Haha…you sure have loads of good points for him.” chuckled Jessica.

“Well if it was that playboy…I’d probably give him a million bad points.” scoffs Tiffany.

“More like a million bad points on how good those bad points attract you.” teased Jessica.

“Man~ Jessi~ will you stop teasing?” pouts Tiffany.

“No aegyo please, Sunny is already enough.” begs Jessica cringing at the sight in front of her.

“Fine~”

They both laughed heartily, enjoying this talk instead of exploring the ship. The laughter died down and Tiffany looks into Jessica’s eyes seriously.

“But one thing’s for sure, he’ll never cheat on you.”

“I guess so…” agrees Jessica.

“Jessi don’t let this opportunity slip away, happiness doesn’t come knocking all the time you know?” reminded Tiffany.

“Thanks Tiff.” says Jessica as she embraces her best friend in a hug.

“You’re welcome.” smiles Tiffany; her eyes turning into crescents.

--

-Atika/Syafiqah’s room-

“So how are things between you and Junho?” asked Syafiqah.

“Good. But his sister is a pain~ but well we are getting along pretty well now except for the occasional quarrels here and there.”

“Haha…you sure are having fun…” chuckles the younger girl.

“What about you?”

“Key oppa confessed.”

“Wow~ so what did you say?”

“I didn’t accept…”

“Why?”

“It’s still too early…and besides I don’t want to rush it…”

“Yea that’s good too…same goes for me, that’s why Junho and I are still just close friends.”

“I guess it’s better to stay that way for now.”

“Yea I agree…wouldn’t want to lose such a precious friendship like that.” agrees Atika.

“I’ve noticed, Yoona does look like Yul though…” commented Atika.

“You noticed it too?”

“Yea…”

“Maybe their siblings?”

“Isn’t Yul an only child?” reminded Atika.

“Oh yea…”

“Let’s just go meet up with the other two and play tennis.”

“Let’s go then!”

The two Malay girls left their room and heads over to the tennis court to have a doubles match with Junho and Key.

--

-SeoTae’s room-

“Oppa…actually I have something to tell you…” says Seohyun contemplating.

“What…is it, Joohyun-ah?”

“Well…Yoona unni is…”

“…actually Yul oppa’s half sister…”

Taeyong showed no reaction causing Seohyun to feel confused.

“Oppa, aren’t you surprised?”

“Yul had…his suspicions about a sibling…but…never really looked into it…”

“Oh…”

“Should we tell him?”

“I’m sure…Yoona will tell him…when she wants to…” assured Taeyong.

“I guess you’re right…”

“Oh and oppa, don’t forget…I’m always on your side no matter what.” smiles Seohyun.

“I appreciate…that…” thanks the petite boy.

“Let’s go and explore the ship shall we?”

Taeyong nods his head following his taller but shorter cousin.

--

Changmin and Yunho, who were swimming at the pool, got out and relaxed there. They sighed as they looked at each other, wondering what they did to deserve cousins like these. But then laughed shrugging it off since that was why their cousins were so precious to them in the first place.

Their conversations mainly consisted on how things were going at home and so on. But one thing came to a shock to Yunho that Changmin said.

“I’m going to give up on Seohyun…” sighs Changmin.

“Why?”

“She likes someone else…”

“Is it about Yoona?”

The tall boy simply nods.

“Hey! Be a man and fight for your girl!”

“But…”

“Don’t but me!”

“Yunho-ah…sometimes, you just got to let go…certain things can’t be obtained by force…and besides who knows? I might find a better catch…?”

“You must really like her huh?”

“Ever since I knew her…”

“It’ll definitely be hard to let go…but I can’t be selfish can I?”

“I’ve already let Soyoung have everything his way…I’m sure I can give it up, isn’t that what I do best?” chuckles Changmin.

“Well…in a way yes…” agrees Yunho.

“Why you…” Changmin says as he jokingly pushes Yunho back into the pool.

“YA!” screams Yunho dragging Changmin in as well as they play fake wrestling in the pool.

--

-Before the tennis match-

-Junho/Key’s room-

“So you confessed to Syafiqah huh?” asked the small eyed boy.

“Yea hyung but…”

“She rejected?”

The flat haired boy just simply nods his head.

“I’m sure she needs time I mean I haven’t even confessed to Atika yet.” assures Junho.

“You haven’t? I was pretty sure you two were dating, hyung.” states Key.

“Nah…I want to respect her decision and besides we’re just starting this friendship it’s just too soon to start a relationship.”

“I guess you’re right, hyung…maybe I should give her some time…man~ I’m really lousy at dealing with girls.” sighs Key.

“Haha I wouldn’t really say that…you are pretty popular.”

“Thanks hyung, but I just can’t find topics to talk about…” admits Key.

“Try to get to know them better, and topics will eventually just come out naturally.” advises Junho.

“Thanks, hyung!” exclaims Key as he rushed to the door about to leave.

“Where’re you going?”

“Trying to understand someone better!” answers Key as he leaves the room.

--

Yoona was walking around and as she was walking she bumps into Yul. She fell but the older boy helped her up.

“I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.” said Yul.

“Im Yoona…” greeted the doe-eyed girl.

“Kwon Yul…” Yoona answered for him.

“Haha I guess I must be popular!” boasts the playboy.

“Well I’ll see you around then.” says Yul as he walks off.

“Yea see you around unni…” says Yoona whispering the last word.

They both walked off in opposite directions but Yul was still lost in thoughts at those last words.

Wait…how did she know? Wait! Im…Im…that surname sounds so familiar…

Yoona on the other hand, headed to Seohyun’s room to look for her.

Unni…I’ll tell you when the time’s right…but for now, sighs…the truth better be left untold…

--

-Present-

The shoulder length black haired girl was looking at her best friend worriedly. Wondering what had happened to her over the past few days that she refused to talk.

The wavy haired tanned girl came sitting beside her on the couch and sipped her coffee before settling it down.

“Hey! Go talk to her!” whispers Tiffany.

“No…”

“Why?”

“Because she seems scary right now…” states Yuri.

“And can’t we have more alone time?” whines Yuri.

“We’re already having too much alone time.” retorts Tiffany.

“Fine~” succumbs Yuri.

“Seriously, ever since she claims to have seen Taeyeon…she’s been like that.” sighs Tiffany.

“What can we do? Huh? It isn’t her fault…”

“Yea I guess so…” agreed Tiffany.

“And just when I thought that all those blind dates with all those hot guys were going well…”

“You should know…Taeng’s the only one in her heart…” reminded Yuri.

“I know but…it’s been freaking 3 years already!”

“That just means she still hasn’t gotten over Taeng yet.”

“But what about Taeyeon? How can you be sure that she hasn’t forgotten about Jessi?” retorts Tiffany.

“I know her, she’s not one to do that…at least not the Taeng I know…” argues Yuri.

“But…” Tiffany tries to reason.

“No buts…Fany-ah…Sica heard the accident in case you haven’t forgotten.” reminded Yul.

“She’s probably traumatised and maybe we were wrong Taeng didn’t die…”

“Then what?” questions the black haired girl.

“Have you forgotten that they weren’t able to find the body?”

“Yea…”

“That means she’s definitely not dead…”

Jessica continues starring out the window watching the snowflakes fall, winter season was going to end soon in about a few weeks. She doesn’t even bother to turn her head at the constant bickering of her well-being by her best friend and her ‘dead’ girlfriend’s best friend.

--

-At an apartment-

“Ahh~” screams a certain petite girl in pain grasping onto her head.

At the sound of the cry, the short haired girl immediately rushes to the petite girl.

“What’s wrong Taeyeon?” she asked.

“Is your head acting up again?”

Taeyeon struggles as she shakes her head, trying to get past those nightmares she saw.

“Stay calm, breathe in breathe out~”

“Everything’s going to be okay…” assures the short haired girl.

The place became quiet as soon as Taeyeon managed to settle down.

“Thanks, Sunye…” smiles the petite girl.

“What are friends for? Huh? Besides, I am your personal doctor.” retorts Sunye.

“So, another bad dream?” questions Sunye.

“Yea…”

“About Jessica?”

Taeyeon shakes her head.

“Family…” she states.

“Seriously Sunye…I feel really useless…”

“I mean I know Jessica…but…I can’t remember our relationship…and all… and the worst of all I don’t even have amnesia! Well…not exactly…”

“It’s okay Taeyeon…some things are better left not to think about it…”

“And besides you can’t blame yourself you are suffering from Subdural hematoma.” reminds Sunye.

“Yea…in simple words I’m stupid now…” states Taeyeon bitterly.

“You’re not!”

“Don’t try to comfort me Sunye…I know my limits…”

“No…as your doctor I refuse such thoughts and besides I’m sure you’ll be able to return to your old self…” assures Sunye.

“It’s useless…”

“I can’t read properly…write…let alone draw anymore…my memories are broken…I still have traumas of deep slopes, cliffs…I feel insecure whenever I hear…the car’s honk…”

“And worst of all…I start having panic attacks…”

“It’s just hyperventilation…and that’s cause you’re always in such stress and anxiety…I don’t really know what you’ve been through…” explains Sunye.

“But I feel…so useless…I know I’m supposed to love her but…I seriously can’t remember the feelings…any longer…”

“No matter how hard I try…I just can’t get it out…”

“Those words I said…to her…on the phone, that night…” says Taeyeon as she struggles to think.

Grabbing onto her dizzy head again, she sits on the floor back leaning against the wall as she struggles to recall the feelings she once had for the certain brown haired girl.

Sunye looks at her worriedly, afraid she might do something stupid. There were times where Taeyeon had attempted suicide whenever she felt too down and saw herself as someone useless for not being able to remember.

--

-Kwon’s mansion-

Jessica stood up and heads over to the table to take a sip of coffee. She definitely has been thinking about it a lot and just maybe she should just give up on Taeyeon. Just maybe the petite girl had really forgotten and moved on.

But starring out the window again at the busy streets she knows she can’t turn back time for sure. The sounds of the honks she heard through the phone traumatised her and it was all caused by her. Even if it was unintentionally the petite girl only tried to call her because of something. And she was to be indirectly blamed for that accident.

-3 years ago-

Jessica and Taeyeon were supposed to be celebrating their anniversary but this time it was different. A turn of events forced them to break apart and Jessica knew it was her fault. She just did not have the guts to face the petite girl any longer.

Both parties were suffering greatly, each not knowing each other’s pains but definitely felt it. Their days went by day after day, refusing to meet up afraid of all sorts of things.

But that was not until Jessica runs to the bathroom sobbing, feeling like she was unworthy of the petite girl’s kindness. Sitting inside the cubicle her back sliding down the door as she sits on the floor of the nightclub’s bathroom.

Guilt was felt throughout, she couldn’t explain why but all she knows was that the tears just kept flowing every time she remembers that dorky smile.

She receives a call from Taeyeon; she dared not answer but answered anyway feeling that it was time to face the petite girl.

Not even bothering to speak she just hears the petite girl speak.

“Sica-yah…I know that you’ve been…avoiding me but…I just want….”

Jessica pressed the phone closer unable to hear the petite girl really well.

“Is the signal…bad?”

“Hold on, I’ll try to…change…locations….”

Taeyeon walks out into the completely empty main road, trying to get a better signal.

“Can…you hear…me now?”

“Urghh…hold on…a moment…”

She walks further towards the edge, trying to get a better signal not even noticing the oncoming truck.

“You can hear me now right?” asked Taeyeon.

“Look…I know that…you’ll probably never forgive yourself…but…I just wanted to say that…I always forgive you, no matter what it is…”

“There are some things…I haven’t been very good at and didn’t handle things…well…”

“But I tried to be as…honest…as possible…”

“I know you’re probably…crying…and I just want you to know…”

“I’d dry your tears…for you princess…I’ll protect you no matter…how tough…the going gets…”

“I’ll be the wind…that…gently wraps around you…”

On the other line, Jessica was sobbing even more. She knows she doesn’t deserve all this and just wishes Taeyeon could stop.

“Sica…please…just listen…”

“You can hear me, right?”

“No matter what you’ve done…sins, you’ve committed…always know I’m there for you…”

“Sica…” the petite girl calls out.

Listening even more attentively than ever before, she waits for the older but shorter girl to speak up.

“I love you…” confesses Taeyeon sincerely.

Tears roll down Jessica’s cheeks; endlessly not even stopping. Those three simple words that had such impact on her, it was not that she didn’t know how much the petite girl loved her it was just that because of that one mistake she committed, their relationship was in jeopardy and Jessica didn’t think that their relationship would ever be mended again.

“Are you still…there…?”

The brown wavy haired girl just simply nods.

“Sica…will you…”

The signal was slowly becoming bad and Jessica swore she heard the sound of a car engine or something similar.

“Sica…”

“Will you marry me?” asked Taeyeon the words crystal clear, no disruptions whatsoever.

But the next thing she heard through the phone was the sounds of honking. Realising that her girlfriend might have gotten into an accident she panicked not knowing what to do as she finally opens up to speak.

“Taeyeon?”

“Taeyeon?”

“Are you there? Taeyeon?”

She repeatedly repeats her girlfriend’s name over the phone continuously. But got no reply, all she got was a broken signal and no signs of the petite girl ever replying again.

As the truck honks loudly, Taeyeon says her final words of confession before getting hit hard as she turns to see the blinding light. She falls down the edge of the steep slope as she rolls down to a never-ending bottom.

The phone clutched in her hands still, the engagement ring in the other. Taeyeon lies there unconscious, no one out there was going to save her and she was probably going to die here but despite that all she had in her head was Jessica.

I love you…Sica…Will you marry me?

These words continuously repeated in her head like a broken tape recorder. Not even knowing this was probably the last time she could say it to a certain dark brown wavy haired girl with an icy glare.

Jessica sobs harder as she clutches her phone in her hand tightly, traumatised by the sound of those honks. Refusing to believe that her girlfriend’s life was uncertain.

How can you just leave me hanging…?

Don’t you know…you’re supposed to wait for an answer first…

“Taeyeon-ah…I love you…” confesses Jessica to the already dead phone line.

-Chapter 30 Part 2: Sometimes you just need to open up…-

-The next morning-

-7:00 a.m.-

-SeoTae’s room-

Just before her alarm clock rang as usual, Seohyun was sleeping soundly on the single bed with her overprotective cousin in the same room. She was having the same nightmare again and was perspiring profusely. The scene played over and over again. The blood that was on her hands, she could never erase it that painful memory that led to her staying in Austria and also the reason for Taeyeon to disguise as a boy.

As the noisy alarm started ringing she lazily rose up from the bed to switch it off and headed to the bathroom to wash up. She walks back to see her shorter cousin still sleeping soundly, seeing the expression he was wearing she began to worry.

Unni…was it really necessary to go through all this trouble just for me? Was it really worth to risk everything?

Seohyun decided to read her story book as she allowed her petite cousin to get more sleep. She sighs as she flips over to the page where she last stopped at.

--

Unlike Seohyun everyone was practically asleep and couldn’t be bothered to wake up so early in the morning. Unfortunately there was a certain someone who could not sleep at all. Tossing and turning in his bed this whole while he couldn’t squeeze out the answers he wanted in his head.

-Yul/Soyoung’s room-

The neat haired playboy was scratching his head, unsure of why Yoona would know that he was a girl in the first place. He was frustrated over the fact that he just couldn’t place her but her surname; Im did seem oddly familiar.

Ahh~! Im, Im…who was that again? Ahh~

Yul tossed and turned again trying to squeeze out some answers but to no avail instead all he got was an extremely sleepy Soyoung throwing a pillow at him in his sleep to stop his nonsense.

Im Yoona she does seem oddly familiar…like someone I’ve probably known but yet never seen…Who is she? Man~ this is so frustrating~ and Soo just made it worse by throwing a pillow at me! Urghh…never mind…

Think Yul! Think! Where in the world have you seen that surname before?

Ah! Im…isn’t that the woman abeoji had an affair with? The one he originally loved but chose eomeoni because of Obaasama?

So that means…she’s my sister? Wow~ I guess I must try to act more mature now? Oh well…who cares! Man~ all this thinking is making me go bonkers soon enough… Im Yoona this is your entire fault!

Letting go of the entire burden he seemed to have, the playboy could finally get his rest as he finally entered a deep slumber.

--

-Sunny/Yoona’s room-

Yoona stared at the ceiling from her bed, she didn’t know if that very word she said to her half-sister or brother would affect her this much. Multiple thoughts kept pondering in her head.

Hwejangnim…is this what, you really wanted? For us, to be nonexistent to each other?

-Yul/Soyoung’s room-

“Unni~!” the tomboyish like girl wailed.

Two big sized men with tattoos held captive over the older girl and carried her to the minivan. There was someone sitting at the back with sunglasses and an expensive black suit, with his hair gelled back. He was much smaller in size but emitted such force and power.

The short haired girl lay there on the road, all worn and battered. She tried to get up but her legs refused to move. Her right leg was bleeding profusely and she was beaten to a pulp.

The minivan drove off at a reckless speed with the older girl trying to turn her head back and struggling to break free but to no avail.

Feeling her vision get blurry, she reached her hand out to the now empty road. A tear running down her cheek.

“Unni…” she called out, the last time she was going to use that word.

The last time she was ever going to see her sister again. The last time… perhaps for now…

Soyoung woke up from the dream, his heart beating really fast. He quickly walked over to the bathroom to wash his face up.

Looking into the mirror, he splashes himself with more water trying to keep his cool.

It’s been 6 freaking years! Nuna’s not going to come back…she ain’t! But… why aren’t they doing anything about it? Do they not even care about their own daughter, even if she were to be deceased by now?!

Ahh…I’ll just go out and have some fresh air, I didn’t get enough sleep from all the tossing and turning Yul did.

Soyoung changes into a new batch of clothes as he leaves the room, heading towards the sky deck.

--

Sunny who got up early, headed to the sky deck to enjoy the open breeze. She didn’t want to be stuffed up in the luxurious cabin and would rather enjoy the calm breeze, the gentle wind wrapping around her.

Sigh…can that idiotic giant be anymore oblivious to the obvious? Sigh… now I just made myself confusing… I’ve always been thinking what’s so great about that idiotic giant anyways?

I mean…sure he’s tall, good looking, friendly and all but… he’s so freaking oblivious to everything! One moment it seems like he cares the next it just seems like a whole big joke! I seriously can’t understand this tall stupid idiotic cute weirdo anymore~!

Just as she was about to vent out her frustrations, someone tapped her on the shoulders, causing her to jump up when she faced the person.

“Hey shorty~” greeted the taller guy. Again, with the usual friendly smile.

“Will you stop that?” Sunny sighs.

“Stop what?” he asked obviously oblivious.

“What you’re doing right now.” she states.

“Doing what?” he questions again.

“Urghh…never mind…” she sighs in frustration.

She pushes past the taller boy leaving him there at the sky deck, confused at what had just happened.

Man~ she’s so weird~

--

-JeTi’s room-

The sleeping beauty was still very much soundly asleep despite the fact that by now everyone had woken up; maybe except Taeyong. Tiffany was on the floor, doing yoga on the yoga mat she brought along with her.

The sun was shining in and brown haired girl couldn’t withstand the blazing sun any longer. She tried to cover her eyes with the blanket but all she got in return was the stuffiness of being inside it.

She pulled the blanket away and slowly began to squint her eyes open only to find her best friend at a weird awkward position.

She blinked multiple times before being fully awake as she stared at her short haired best friend weirdly.

“Err…Tiff? What are you doing like 8 in the morning?” asked Jessica.

“Yoga…and for your information snow white it’s 9.” informs Tiffany.

“9? Haa~ I guess I’ll just sleep in some more…” sighs Jessica.

“Sleep in?! Again?!” shouts Tiffany in frustration.

“Alright~…alright~ I won’t okay?” said Jessica succumbing to her best friend’s rant.

“That’s better.” smiled Tiffany.

“Now go wash up and play tennis with me afterwards.”

“Why~?” complains Jessica.

“Because you lack exercise sleeping beauty.” informs Tiffany.

“I do not lack exercise.” retorts Jessica.

“I’m athletically more incline than you.” reminds Jessica.

“Well…that’s a fact but you do lack exercise Jessi.” admits Tiffany.

“How many hours do you sleep a day?”

Jessica just simply shrugs her shoulders.

“You see?” reasons Tiffany.

“See what?” asked Jessica oblivious.

“Urghh…dummy, the fact that you don’t even know how much you sleep in a day!”

“Hey! I resent that! And sleep is important you know?” argues Jessica.

“Yea sure…not when you’re sleeping more than half the day away.” Tiffany fires back.

“Jessi…on normal school days the only time you’re awake is recess, lunch, 5-10 minutes of each lesson, department lessons but when you’re finished early you just go to sleep or drink coffee. When you head back home, you quickly finish the homework given to you and just fall back asleep again.” informs Tiffany.

“So?”

“The point is you lack exercise!” says Tiffany in frustration.

“Oh…”

“Now get moving Jessi.”

“Do I really have to?”

“It’s either tennis, yoga or…” suggests Tiffany not saying the last option.

“Or what?”

“Or getting Taeyong to play for you.”

“Him?” questions Jessica.

Tiffany just simply nods.

“But I’m afraid he won’t be able to play, I’m not sure what he has but the other two and Hyori unni have warned us not to let him play anything physically vigorous.” informs Tiffany.

“Ok fine~ I’ll play~” Jessica says giving in.

“That’s better.” she smiles brightly, eyes turning into crescent moons.

“I’ve got to learn to stop giving in to you.”

“You should.” jokes Tiffany.

Jessica takes the pillow and throws it at her best friend, aiming straight for the face.

“Ya~!”

--

-At the arcade-

Yul was playing at the arcade, it was completely empty or so he thought. When he was done with a particular game he moved on to the next one until he once again bumped into Yoona.

Yoona tried to avoid the older guy after her encounter with him yesterday but she stopped in her tracks when she felt him hold her back.

“Hey look, Yoona right?”

“You’re my sister aren’t you?” he asked causing the younger girl to feel shocked.

“How…d-d-did you know?” she questions stammering slightly.

“Well…your surname.” states Yul.

“My surname?” questions the doe-eyed girl.

“Yea…when I was young I always heard abeoji and eomeoni quarrelling.”

“The old man never loved her you know that right?” asked Yul.

“Wait! What do you mean?” asked Yoona flabbergasted.

“He never loved my umma; he didn’t even come when she desperately needed help! She was dying and he didn’t even come, he even sent me away to Austria just so I wouldn’t meet you…He never even attended her funeral.”

“You’re wrong about that…he always did love your mom, he was forced into marriage with mine. About why he didn’t go to see your mom, yes it was his fault but you know how much business means to him don’t you?”

“But…she was begging him…you won’t understand what I saw that night.”

“Umma…she couldn’t even breathe properly, blood was seeping out of her ears and worst of all…she couldn’t even remember your dad until the very last breath…” says Yoona choking on the tears she was holding back.

“I’m sorry about that alright? But…abeoji really loved your mom…he always secretly visits your mom’s grave.”

“How did you know?”

“There was one time I followed him secretly when my parents had another huge argument.”

Yoona fell silent at this new side of the father she never once knew.

“Yoona? Let’s start afresh shall we?” suggested the neat haired boy.

“How?”

Yul offers his hand and gives a sincere smile for the first time, rather than the usual smirk.

“I’m Kwon Yul, your older brother or sister starting from today.”

Yoona smiles and gladly accepts the hand that reached out.

“Im Yoona, nice to meet you oppa.”

“You won’t tell him right?” asked Yoona.

“About what?”

“Umma…her disease, it’s hereditary.”

“You mean…”

Yoona just simply nods her head, confirming his doubts.

“Don’t worry okay? You might not get it.” assured Yul.

They let go of each other’s hands and felt rather awkward but Yul decided to be responsible for once and took the initiative to start a conversation.

“So…sis, on for some racing?”

“Sure! Loser must do something daring in front of everyone.” suggested Yoona.

“You’re on!”

--

-At the tennis court-

Jessica was panting and was sitting on the bench restless while Tiffany was all cheerful and full of energy.

“Tiff, can we stop now?”

“Nah-uh, Jessi…you’ve only played 2 sets and you’re already tired?”

“But I won every set!” complains Jessica.

“Whatever…” scoffs Tiffany.

“You are going to play all 6 sets or if I’m lucky more and that’s final!”

“Must I?”

“Break time’s over lazy bum! Now on with the game!”

“Ahh~! Someone lock this girl up~” sighs Jessica in defeat as she drags her feet back to the court and starts playing another round of tennis.

--

-At the restaurant-

Yunho, Changmin, Taeyong and Seohyun were sitting at the same table. It made Changmin awkwardly nervous and uncomfortable at the same time but just decided to let it slide for now.

“Err oppa is anything wrong?” asked Seohyun concerned.

“What makes you think anything’s wrong?” the taller boy laughed nervously.

“Because you’re hardly touching your food.”

“Oh haha…I’m on diet.” laughs Changmin again nervously, trying to avoid the chubby cheeked girl.

“Diet?” Seohyun raises her brow suspiciously.

“Yea…girls aren’t the only one who need to diet you know?”

“Yea but oppa…you eat like 7-8 meals a day and you never ever gain weight.” reminded Seohyun.

“And in case you haven’t noticed your one meal is equivalent to a normal male’s 2 or perhaps even 3 meals.” informs Seohyun.

“Err…hehe…I guess your right.” admits Changmin.

“Oppa, is it about a girl?”

“How did you know?”

“It’s written all over your face.”

“Oh…haha…”

Taeyong and Yunho finished their meal and informed the other two they were leaving first.

“Oppa…so who’s the lucky girl?” initiated Seohyun.

“She likes someone else I think…”

“Who is it?” Seohyun prompts further.

“You…” he mumbles.

“Huh?”

“You, Seo Joohyun, you!”

Seohyun sat there shocked and taken aback at the sudden revelation.

“But…”

“Yea I know…you’ve always thought of me as an oppa only…”

“How did you know I was going to say that?”

“Haha…Seohyun how long have I known you?”

“Ever since I was about 3?”

“Precisely.” he smiles.

“So…you’re still pretty much in love with me?”

“You’re not supposed to ask that after being rejected before confessing you know?” he reminds.

“Oh haha…”

“Hahaha…” he laughs along.

“Let’s just stay friends, oppa.”

“Sure, friends.”

--

Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon were playing around on the empty stage, where they were dancing to the music from the stereo. They groove to the beat and were having a good blast.

They lay on the stage, perspiring and exhausted. Eunhyuk taking the chance leans in to give Hyoyeon a kiss on the lips. They both sweetly at each other before Hyoyeon got up to sit.

“So, are you ever going to tell me anything?” asked Eunhyuk.

“About what?”

“Don’t play dumb Hyo…you know, you’re family…”

“What family? I’m perfectly fine.” said Hyoyeon lying.

“Don’t mess around with me Hyo…you don’t have one do you?”

“How did you know?”

“Heard the conversation between you and ‘hwejangnim’ “

“Oh…”

“Look, it’s okay to tell me stuff like this; I won’t judge you base on your background. I like you because you’re you, okay?”

“Thanks.” smiles Hyoyeon shyly.

“No problem, Hyo…”

“Care to have another dance?”

“Sure, why not?” agreed Hyoyeon smiling as they both got up.

This time waltzing to the slow music being put on, the spotlight all on them and just them only as they enjoy the empty stage.

--

The petite boy wanders around and glances upon Jessica playing a game of tennis with Tiffany. The brown haired girl seemed abnormally exhausted and feeling worried he quickly walked towards her when she was having a break.

“You…okay?” he asked.

“I’m…f-f-fine…” she says exhausted, not even noticing she just talked to the petite boy.

“Oh…just be…careful…” he reminds.

“Yea…s-s-sure…Taeyong…”

“You’re welcome…Jessica…”

“Wait! Taeyong?” she mumbles to herself, turning to face the messy haired boy.

“Err haha…nice to see you…” she chuckles nervously.

The petite boy just stares at her not bothering to answer her.

“Is anything the matter?” she asked feeling something was off.

“Oh nothing…at all…just…I think you look really pretty right now…” compliments the shorter boy.

Feeling her face flushed, she immediately stood up walking away from the shorter boy and quickly getting back to the court to face an angry Tiffany. Right now, all Jessica had in mind right now was to finish the game and hopefully it would be the last for the time being.

Taeyong sat there watching the two in envy, hearing all the rants and complains he was going to get if he were to participate in a game like that again made him shudder in horror.

--

-Present-

The bus slowly pulls to a stop as Syafiqah alights and heads over to the empty theatre.

I wonder why Key oppa wanted to meet me here. Is he even here? I can’t see a thing…

As the wavy haired girl slowly walks down the steps heading towards the stage she notices the lights turned on as soon as she steps onto the stage. Key walks over to her nervously, feeling his heart thumping faster by the seconds.

Syafiqah remained silent unsure of what the older guy was going to do, but somehow had a hint or two.

Plucking up his courage, he takes out a worn piece of paper and begins to read it out loud.

“The day you came to my world,

it swept me off my feet

But it also made me scared,

of the very thing called rejection

Day by day, every hour, minute and seconds,

passed by like a fleeting moment

But to me, every thing was precious,

the more I got to know you, the more attached I became

Can you tell me if this is love?

What is love?

Is it really what I think it is?

Please, just give me an answer

But for now, don’t say a thing,

because I’m afraid of what you might say

Don’t just come and go,

I don’t want this to be just a fleeting moment

Is this love?

Am I feeling it?

I honestly don’t know,

can you help me?

But one thing’s for sure,

I think I’ve fallen too deep

I can’t get out of this hole

But don’t try to save me

Because I want to be trapped there,

forever, to eternity, till the ends of the world

Don’t stop me any further,

right now I’m going to take the first step

The first step to the truth,

truth that begins with honesty

My heart thumps at your every gaze

You can’t just smile it off like that

Let me take the first step,

the first step to your heart

Awkwardness is not an excuse anymore,

I’m not begging, not pleading but confessing

I won’t say I love you,

because it’s all too common

Instead I’ll say the words I’ve never got to say”

Key looks up and faces Syafiqah, starring into her dark orbs he sums up all his courage and completes his last sentence.

“Don’t ever let my hand go, because that’s where it belongs”

He nervously puts away the piece of paper and stuffs it back into his pocket. Syafiqah feels touched by the effort he put in all this, she just stands there speechless.

Key advances towards her shyly, feeling his face flushed, blushing even more. He finally reaches her, taking hold of her hand gently. He holds it firmly and smiles nervously.

“Fiqah…I know this isn’t much but…”

“Don’t run away and just let me take the lead now.”

“My heart is where it belongs right now…”

He slowly takes out a box and opens it revealing a ring inside that caused Syafiqah to be taken aback.

“Don’t look back any longer, because this is where we belong.”

“Will you marry me?” he asked with all the sincerity in his eyes.

Syafiqah looked at him still moved by all his actions, she just gives him a peck on the lips and hugs him.

“Oppa…”

“Thank you…”

Key smiles at the two simple words and pulls away from the embrace that might have turned into eternity.

--

-At the tennis court-

Jessica finally finished playing all 6 sets, luckily for her she managed to not make it a draw or anything that could make the game drag any longer. She was dead beat and could not understand how her best friend was still full of energy.

Jessica walks back to the bench to get some water and to rest, she smiles when she sees the petite boy lying there sleeping peacefully. She puts down the bottle after gulping down the water. Sitting down on the bench, she gently lifts the petite boy’s head and allows it to land on her bare lap.

She strokes his hair and watches as he slightly moves, sleeping like a baby. Tiffany smiles at the sight and decides to flee the scene, giving the two some peace.

Jessica watches the petite boy sleep, silence falls upon them until the older boy begins speaking, his eyes still closed.

“Sica?” he calls out.

“Yes?”

“You won’t just suddenly leave me alone right?”

“No, so don’t worry…” she assured.

“You won’t right?”

“Yes but…”

“But what?” he asked now his eyes fully open.

“Tell me something about yourself I don’t know about.”

“Okay…what do you…want to know?”

“Your hand…”

“What…about it?”

“Where did you get those scars?”

Taeyong sighs and closes his eyes again, he breathes in deeply before lifting his head off her bare lap, sitting up straight.

“Do you know why…I keep asking whether you’ll leave?”

Jessica shakes her head.

“I just don’t want to be abandon, betrayed or backstabbed again…”

“Nobody’s ever asked why I stopped entering competitions…”

“Why’s that so?”

“Because no one really bothered…”

“Sica…”

“Yes?”

“Can I lie on your…lap again?”

Jessica just smiles back at him letting him lay back down again. He closes his eyes turning away from her.

“It was 3 years ago, I was on my way to the art competition…” he began, in his slow talking manner.

“I was feeling great and was heading towards the destination with high hopes…”

“But all that changed when I receive a call from my girlfriend…”

“She sounded desperate like she needed to be saved…”

“I panicked and rushed to where she told me she was immediately.”

“I knew something was amiss but never did I think I’d get tricked…”

“As soon as I entered the dark warehouse, I called out for her name…”

“But all I could hear were footsteps…”

“The sounds of metal bats scrapping the cold concrete floor.”

“Someone swung it hard on my head and I remember hitting the cold floor in a mere second…”

“All I could remember was them kicking me until I was half dead but I never saw her…”

“But what made it even worse was that…they kept aiming for my drawing hand…the pain was unbearable…”

“They stopped after a while and just then I knew I had been tricked…”

“She walked in, and immediately they gave way to her…”

“I looked at her with almost no life left in me…”

“She gave me that same innocent smile, that same smile that drew me in to her…”

“She gave them a signal…and they began aiming for the hand again…”

“She sarcastically tried to comfort me…”

“My hand was bleeding but it didn’t matter as long as I didn’t lose the ability to draw…”

“But I couldn’t hold it in any longer…they dropped their weapons and one by one…”

“Stepped on my hand as if they were rubbing off their cigarette bud…”

“I held the tears in, I had promised someone I’d change and protect her and I wanted to keep that promise…”

“But things could only get worse, when she gave another signal…”

“One of the men began to take out a cigarette and a lighter and began to smoke…”

“But it didn’t end there…”

“He took the cigarette and smeared the lighted cigarette on my hand…like it was ashtray…”

“All I could feel was the burning sensation…as if it was on fire…”

“I tried to keep my hopes up…even if it were just a lie…”

“But that’s when I know, she had betrayed me…”

“When she took hold of the knife that was passed to her…”

“She gave me that innocent smile once again but the next thing she did was much opposite of that…”

“I couldn’t remember what happen since I blacked out but all I remember is waking up in the hospital…”

“Yul and Soyoung sleeping on the chairs, like they hadn’t gotten any sleep…”

“And that’s when I saw my bandaged hand…perhaps underneath the bandages, it was probably disfigured or beyond repair…”

“I tried to lift myself up…but as I tried to use my right hand to grasp hold onto the side of the bed…”

“Nothing work…I felt nothing…”

“Like how a paralysed person lost the ability to walk.”

“I began to panic…”

“Luckily enough Yul and Soyoung woke up, only to see me going mental…”

“They broke the news to me…I was devastated I needed the ability to use my right hand again…”

“I was discharged after a week but I cut off all contact…not even to hang out with them…”

“They visited every day to see me…in a mess…”

“Every day I tried to lift a pencil, brush, even a pair of chopsticks…”

“Nothing worked, it just got me even more frustrated…despite all the rehabs I had been going…”

“When the bandage was removed I was faced with a horror, I could never imagine…”

“The scars were far worse than I had thought…”

“And everything just went downhill from here…with the departure of Bora nuna or whom your friend, Seonyu might know as Sunday. Yul wasn’t on the bright side either. He couldn’t even compete in the concours; Soyoung had recovered by the time I was injured fortunately…”

“I never heard a word from her again…she betrayed me, she abandoned me, and she made me trust her only to have that trust get trampled all over…”

Taeyong finished saying his story, the tears just fell uncontrollably. Jessica holds him tight, soothing him to sleep. Just maybe she shouldn’t have asked at all.

“It’s okay…” she hushed.

“It’s okay…I’m here okay?”

The petite boy just remained silent, letting the tears fall. Completely letting down all his guards when he’s with the brown haired girl. He was completely vulnerable right now and all Jessica could do was to give him a hug.

Not a hug of comfort, not a hug of sympathy but rather a hug that was needed. A hug necessary for the petite boy, a hug that he longed for but could never get one. Just like a mother’s embrace, all the worries just flew away in the mere moment of the embrace. It was as if…everything had been solved, Jessica looked at the petite boy the tears flowing, she felt her heart pierce every time he gave her a look filled of longing and she knew there was more to the petite boy than she thought.

This time Jessica didn’t even budge, he continued to allow Taeyong to sleep on her lap. Knowing how vulnerable he was now, she didn’t want to leave him alone for now. She gently strokes his messy hair once again, as he slowly closes his eyes to sleep. Trying once again to forget the memories that were long supposed to be forgotten.

--

-Present-

-America-

-At night-

-At an apartment-

The lanky but muscular guy stepped in with groceries in one hand, only to find himself rushed to his fiancée on the ground, seemingly in a mess.

Her auburn hair looked as if it hadn’t been washed for days, even for the fact he knew she just bathed in the morning. He witnessed the same hopelessness in her eyes again. The girl he once knew was no longer there and he knew there was no point in giving her false hopes.

He tried to help her up but was only given the cold shoulder, she struggled to get herself back onto the wheelchair on her own but somehow still managed to. The fiancé could only look at her with a stinging pain in his chest, he noticed the blood that was seeping out of her right foot and quickly attended to it.

The auburn haired girl quickly wheeled away after letting her fiancé tend to her wound. She locked herself up in a separate room as usual, not even to drop a tear or just to shout out in frustration.

She completely lost all hope and was a living breathing person who had long ago died inside her. The smile she had once worn had faded from her long ago; she clenched her fist and hit her thighs hard but all she felt was nothingness.

She could smell the food from the enclosed room and briefly sensed that her fiancé had brought her food. Her career or even before it started had taken a disastrous turn, not having the ability to walk any longer. Her career ended even before it began to start, it was the painful but cruel truth she had wanted to deny all this while.

Her fiancé had stuck by her through thick and thin and she was thankful for that but nothing could save her from the nothingness that enveloped her every single day.

All that lay ahead of her was filled with darkness everyday, the feeling of hopelessness took over her every single moment. The more she lived the more she felt she was in a bottomless pit to no end. She could end her life but was it worth it? She still had her fiancé to worry about and would her friends even let her when they found her in this state.

The auburn haired girl didn’t even bother for self sympathy; all that kept her living right now was her beating heart, so alive and kicking. Every single system in her body seemed to shut down. The once cheerful girl was no longer there. She was taken over by a completely different façade and all the auburn haired could do was play along with his cruel game of truth.

--

-In Bali-

The wavy haired woman was staying at the hotel provided for her as she took a one day break from the photo shoot due to bad weather that day. She enjoyed her stay here and would definitely loved to come back to visit once again.

Hyori wondered how the gang was enjoying their summer break and hoped that the troublemakers weren’t causing too much trouble. She had heard the news from the doctor that the petite boy would get his heart transplant right after he graduated and she was honestly thankful for that.

During the past week or two, the older woman had come into contacts with people she had missed. But what came to a surprise was when Junsu had contacted her that he was coming to Korea.

--

-At the arcade-

Yoona hung her head low as she was being escorted out by her half-brother Yul. He just signalled her to continue where she was going, not even giving a teensy bit of information as to what was to unveil.

Yoona could feel the cold sweat rolling down her bare back, soaking her shirt in the process. She was even more tensed than ever, she should not have agreed to play with him on such a childish basis but who was to blame anyways.

Yul went to the control room and announced that everybody was to gather at the hall if they would like to see a good show. Upon hearing the broadcast, Changmin and Yunho wondered what tricks Yul had up his sleeves again and just hope for the better.

Yoona feels even more nervous as to what her punishment has install for her, especially due to the fact that most of the gang was now here and anything Yul would make her do now was definitely going to embarrass her greatly.

Yul stepped up on stage and spoke into the microphone that had already all been staged. He greeted everyone who was there and called out for Yoona, the doe-eyed girl nervously walked to the stage. Yul whispers into his younger sister’s ears, the punishment only to see her wide-eyed and in shock. He steps off the stage with a smirk as he mouths and inaudible ‘good luck’ to his half-sister.

Everyone was watching at what the doe-eyed girl had to say expectantly, they all waited patiently however getting anxious for no particular reason at all.

“Err…Hi, dongsaengs, oppas, unnis…” she greeted nervously.

“Well…err…as you can see…as a result from playing games with Yul oppa and getting involved with a stupid bet…I have lost and well let’s say… doing my punishment as of right now….”

Changmin and Yunho just sighed, fully knowing what Yul was capable of. They spoke softly in whispers, hoping that no one would lean in to hear their conversation.

“I knew something like this would happen…” Yunho sighed.

“Just take it easy bro, not like he’s never done it before…and this time it seems to be getting interesting, don’t you think?” smiled Changmin.

“Yea…kinda….” Yunho reluctantly admitted.

Back on the stage, Yoona still was fidgeting her palms were soaking by the seconds and there was no way she could escape. She pondered through what Yul had told her in the last few moments before he walked away and honestly could not come up with a good answer.

Yoona grabs onto the mic again and this time confidently speaks into it.

“Seohyun-ah!” she calls out her name.

Seohyun was pretty shocked when her name was being mentioned and for once her attention was now shifted towards the medium-length black haired girl instead of her book on psychology; hallucinations. She waited patiently for what the doe-eyed girl might say next only to be greeted with silence.

Yoona sums up all her courage and storms off the stage, heading towards where the chubby cheeked girl sat. Seohyun could feel her heart slightly pounding faster than usual but decides to shrug it off as usual nervousness.

As Yoona approach, she contemplated whether or not her actions later would cause her friendship, trust anything to do with Seohyun would be in jeopardy or not. But instead of using her rational mind she just keeps moving forward. When she finally steps foot right in front of Seohyun, she could feel her heart pounding faster by the minutes, by the seconds.

The next thing that happen all too fast and in a moment of panic. But Seohyun could still feel that lingering taste left in her mouth even if they just happened to braze past each other’s lips. Seohyun was in shock only to discover Yoona had ran away as quick as her feet could carry her.

Seohyun unconsciously brought her fingers to her lips, touching them briefly. Feeling her heart beat getting faster than usual; Seohyun could not make out what had just happened. But one thing was for sure, the older girl had definitely left her mark in a manner that shocked almost everyone there.

Yul gave a sly grin as he walks away from the scene, he was lucky Taeyong was not here; he would not want to know what the petite boy would do to him anyways. He was actually pretty surprised his younger sister had a liking for Taeyong’s precious cousin in the first place.

Yul heads over to where Yoona might be hiding, disappearing from the group without anyone noticing. He heads over to the restaurant and finds her behind the bar counter, crouching there. Yul quietly sits beside her and just sits there accompanying her.

“Sigh…I shouldn’t have done that….” mumbles Yoona regretting her previous actions.

“I thought you did pretty well though…” comforted Yul.

“Ha~ Seohyun’s not like the girls you’ve been with oppa…” reminded Yoona.

“I know that and you should be glad Taeyong wasn’t there…he would’ve killed you…” chuckled Yul.

“What I’m more worried about now is that Seohyun might avoid me…”

“Hey don’t be so unconfident about yourself! You are the younger sister of one of the most notorious players in the school okay?” warned Yul.

“Haha yea…oppa, you’re the only player I know…” the doe-eyed girl reminded.

“But still thanks anyways, oppa…” the younger girl thanked and stood up from her position.

Yul remained in his position but turned his head to face upwards, to face Yoona. Yoona was about to turn and walk away and think of ways to apologise to Seohyun for the impulsive action earlier. But as she turns to leave she hears an audible but soft mumble.

“You know…I’m glad you’re my sis…”

“You’re probably the only one…keeping me from all the…insanity…”

“Thanks, Yoong…”

Yoona stops in her tracks for a brief moment before continuing her way back to the hall; where hopefully Seohyun was still there. She takes step by step away from the restaurant before mumbling about something almost inaudible as well.

“No problem…oppa…unni...”

--

-JeTi’s room-

Jessica brought the petite boy to her room instead, especially feeling the need to stay by his side more as of now. Considering the fact that the brown haired girl’s bed could only fit one person, the petite boy just decides to lie on Tiffany’s bed instead.

“Taeyong-ah…so have you like…” Jessica wanted to ask but felt herself being stumped on the question.

“No and yes…” Taeyong replied as if he knew what she was going to ask.

“I’ve been wondering…why you’re always so overprotective over Seohyun.”

“She’s my cousin…” reasons Taeyong.

“I know…but…” Jessica tried to protest.

But Taeyong got up from his position and turns to face Jessica who could only remain silent.

“Sorry…” he apologises.

“What are you apologising for?”

The petite boy simply shrugs his shoulders.

“Hehe…”

The room is filled with silence, both parties not knowing what to say to each other.

“Sica?” he calls out.

“Yes?”

“Can I sleep…on your bed instead?”

“Sure…I’ll just move to Tiffany’s instead.”

Jessica begins to get off of her own bed, allowing the petite boy to lay on it as he pleases but finds herself being somehow forced back down onto it.

“W-w-what are you doing?” she stammers as she notices they were both now sharing the same bed.

“Yul says…girls like it when you hug them when you…sleep…” informs Taeyong.

“And are you him?”

“No…”

“He really is a bad influence huh?”

“But from another….perspective, a good one as well…”

“How so?” questions Jessica.

“The fact that…I’m getting even closer to you…”

“You could’ve just talked in the first place.” reminded Jessica.

“Nah…you would’ve thought…I have speech disorder or something…”

“That I’ll have to agree…” chuckles Jessica.

--

-Hyohyuk’s room-

“So, you think the younger ones we’ll be alright?” asked the blonde haired girl.

“Haha…you make it sound as if your so old…” chuckles Eunhyuk.

“I do not!”

“Do too!”

“Hahaha…” Eunhyuk laughs out loud uncontrollably.

“What are you laughing about?” questions Hyoyeon puzzled.

“Are we going to get into another one of those petty arguments again?”

“Hehe…I guess so…”

--

Seohyun ran away from her rooted position and finally reached a quiet and seemingly deserted place. She was panting and her already thumping heart felt as if it was going to burst.

Im Yoona…Yoona…Yoona unni…

The only words that ran through the chubby cheeked girl’s mind right now were the name of a certain doe-eyed girl. As she sat there pondering as to what she might say to the older girl, she didn’t even notice someone had sat there beside her.

Still in her subconscious state, she starts sorting things out in her head only to get even more frustrated. Seohyun lets out a sigh only to be tapped on the shoulder by Yoona the person she probably dreaded the most or wished to see right now.

“I’m sorry…” she apologises.

“Err…unni…”

“Look, Seohyun don’t avoid me alright? I know I acted on impulse urghh… but it wasn’t my fault…urghh! I mean…it was all oppa’s…I mean…” Yoona felt herself getting tongue tied at the situation.

“Well…what I was trying to say was…”

“Hahaha…” Seohyun chuckled.

Yoona looked at the younger girl puzzled by her casualness, and her actions as of now.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Haha…unni…you don’t have to explain so much…”

“You know…I didn’t even get a word you were saying…”

“Oh my bad then…” apologises the doe-eyed girl with a shy smile.

“It’s okay, let’s go back shall we?” suggested Seohyun.

“Sure…”

Walking back side by side like nothing had happened at all but one thing had changed for sure. Slightly yet still noticeable, they were interlocking hands with each other without even realising it themselves.

-Chapter 30 Part 3: Something that can’t be remained hidden…-

-3 years ago-

-Beijing, China-

The sweet looking long black haired Chinese girl was running away from some thugs. Rescued by the familiar neat haired boy, their hands interlocking as they swerve round the corner. The boy had a loose shirt on showing most of his bare shoulders, ripped skinny jeans and a few accessories here and there.

He quickly gestured for the Chinese girl to hurry up, tossing her a helmet. She grabs it and puts it on, only to feel the wind rush past her as the motorcycle engine starts to roar to life and take off. The thugs who saw them passing by gave them a disgruntled look and underneath that helmet the neat haired boy gave the all so familiar triumphant smirk.

Victoria grabbed on tightly to the neat haired boy’s slim waist and gently lands her had on his back, enjoying the wind rushing past her and the sounds of the engines in the busy streets seemed to have died out.

“Yul, you’re not skipping work again are you?” she questions in her limited Korean.

“Hmm…I guess so?”

“Hey! You promised!”

“I’m sorry okay? I’ll make it up next time.”

“You sure you will?”

“Yea I’m sure, close your eyes because you’re going to be in for a surprise.” the neat haired boy teased.

As soon as they reached their destination, Yul cups her eyes with his hands only to have them swat away.

“I won’t peak okay?”

“Well…I don’t trust you…”

“Never mind…”

“Haha just kidding I do, just follow my lead okay?”

“Yea…”

The Chinese girl could only trust in Yul right now, if she were to fall down a drain or get stuck in some pot hole, it’ll be his fault anyways. She felt herself being trapped in the world of darkness using full use of her other senses to try and get her way around.

She could hear the soft whispers of Yul reading out the directions to her, she could feel his hot breath, giving her a tingling feeling. They entered a place unbeknownst to Victoria was that they had entered a place where she dreamt about almost all the time.

“You can open your eyes now.” he informs.

As soon as she flutters open her eye lids, all she could do was just stand in amazement at the inside of The Egg. She had never once dreamt of something like this and definitely was touched by the neat haired boy’s offer.

Just then she hears the sounds of the violin playing a melodious tune, she walks down the stairs, getting closer to the stage to find her boyfriend on the grand stage.

As soon as the music ended she applauded with much anticipation as to what was to be next but found all this to be surreal.

Yul walks over to her and grazes his lips on her cheek, only to have the Chinese girl blushed at the intimidate action.

“Are you sure we’re allowed in here?” she asked suspiciously.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got my connections.” he assured.

“Well…it was beautiful…” she complimented.

“Thanks…” he smiled at her compliment.

Grasping hold of her hand he brings her to the grand stage, with shy steps she steps onto it feeling as if it was all just some hallucination and it would just disappear if anything were to be touched.

They both start prancing around the stage living in their own dream world, laughing heartily at every gaze they shared. Yul holds onto her tight and they start spinning around in circles.

The dizziness had gotten to them and they had to stop before they lost balance.

They both lay on the floor staring into the ceiling; the neat haired boy looked towards his left to see his girlfriend panting slightly taking in deep breaths. She closed her eyes shut as she tried to keep her breathing at a momentum.

Yul moves closer towards the Chinese girl as he hovers over her and plants a small light peck on her lips.

--

-At a café-

The Chinese girl sat outside as she reminisce the memories she once shared with the certain now popular playboy.

The faired skinned toned Thai man sitting across her tried to get her attention after many failed attempts. He was getting worried about the Chinese girl and did not know where to begin.

“Victoria, are you okay?”

“Yea, Nichkhun. Why do you ask?”

“Well…you seem…you know? Out of it…”

“Oh haha…am I? I’m sorry okay?”

“Still can’t forget about him huh?”

“How did y-“

“Your eyes never lie…” he interjected.

“You know Victoria, it’s alright I can still wait…”

“I’m sorry…”

“You don’t have to apologise…”

“But remember I can’t wait forever…” he reminded.

“Yea I know…”

“Nichkhun?” she called out.

“Yes?”

“What if you really messed up big time…with someone you love? What do you do?” Victoria asked with pleading eyes trying to get answers.

“Well…” he began, contemplating on what to say.

“You have to try and stop loving them…”

“And have you managed to?”

“Honestly, no…” he chuckles.

“Haha…”

“See, you look much better when you smile so smile more alright?”

“Thank you and again, sorry…”

“Like I said stop apologising…”

“So, how did you get over your first love?”

“Like I said just try to stop loving them…no matter how hard it might be…”

“First loves are hard to forget and cannot be just erased off like that but… you should learn to stop mentioning them when you’re in love with someone else…”

--

-On the cruise-

Yul, Yoona, Taeyong and Seohyun were all sitting across each other in the restaurant. The atmosphere was tense and no one dared utter a word not even the sound of the forks and spoons clanging with the plates and bowls helped either.

At a table not too far away were Sunny, Soyoung, Tiffany and Jessica trying to spy on how things were going on around there.

“Why did I have to get dragged into this?” Jessica heaves a sigh and looks away.

“It’s important Jessi because turns out Yoona’s Yul’s sister, half-sister that means…urghh…and well Seohyun’s Taeyong’s cousin so…”

“So…what?” Jessica questions.

“It means by any chance that I ever you know get together with that player which is probably a 1:1000000 chance of doing that but ermm…you know well…the thing is…” Tiffany started rambling, beating around the bush.

“Get to the point Tiff.”

“Okay, okay~ we might become family you know Jessi?”

“So?”

“Never mind…maybe I was a little too paranoid…”

Tiffany turns her attention back to the four while Sunny and Soyoung seemed to be silently arguing in their own little corner.

“Look giant, Taeyong’s not that bad he’s going to allow Seohyun to date.”

“I’m telling you shorty he isn’t! That guy’s freaking protective over Seohyunnie!”

“Do you know Yul’s even scared of him when it comes to Seohyun?”

“Well I’m sure anyone’s over protective over their younger cousin aren’t they? And besides I’m sure he’s nice enough to know Seohyun’s all grown up.”

“That’s the point he’s afraid!”

“Of what? Not like Yoona’s going to beat her up or anything she seems like a good kid.”

“Not that! Shorty…He’s afraid of letting Seohyun go…”

“Why would he? I mean she’s freaking 16 already!”

“You don’t understand…something really bad happened last time…”

“Well I think it’s alright now isn’t it?”

“Obviously not shorty! Otherwise…why in the world would Seohyun still feel traumatised?”

“She seems alright…”

“Only to strangers obviously! Are your brains even working?!”

“Hey! What did you say giant?!”

“Guys~ stop arguing you’re going cause a ruckus!” interjected Tiffany causing both of them to turned silent.

-At the table-

“Tae…you’re not going to kill Yoong right?” Yul chuckled nervously feeling intimidated which was a rare side.

“Oppa…” Yoona whispered.

“Yes?”

“What’s Yoong?”

“You duh.”

“But…”

“Are you two going to speak up? Or you’re gonna…continue whispering?” asked Taeyong in a serious tone.

“Ahem!” the two siblings cleared their throats at the same time.

“Nothing…” they smiled nervously.

“So, Yunga?”

“Yes?”

Oh this is what they mean when she can’t recall names very well…

“Since when?”

“What?”

“Hyunnie…” whispered Yul.

“Oh…”

“Since the day I met her?”

“Love…at first…sight?” repeats Taeyong.

“I guess so…”

“Oppa, stop scaring her…” whispered Seohyun.

“I can’t…help it alright?”

“Well…you can start by stop being so overprotective…”

“Something bad happened because…I wasn’t there to protect you…and…”

“I know oppa but to be honest I like her as well…”

“Alright…but if she does…anything…”

“I promise she won’t alright, oppa?”

“Alright…poor Changmin though…”

“Oppa how did y-“

“Everyone knows…Joohyun-ah…except for you that is…”

“Sigh…”

The two of them sat there glued to the chair unsure of what to say, they seem genuinely scared of what was to be unfold and to be honest could not wait for the tension to just breeze past.

“Alright…you can date her…” Taeyong agreed.

“But on one condition…” he forewarned.

“If I ever see you do…anything funny…”

“I’ll make sure something…really bad happens…got that?”

“Yes…” Yoona gulped, swallowing her own saliva down her throat feeling her tensed muscles finally able to relax.

--

Yoona and Seohyun stood up and left first, upon leaving they spotted Sunny, Soyoung and Tiffany trying to eavesdrop on their conversation but just decided to let them be.

Sunny, Soyoung, Tiffany and Jessica decided to leave since the meeting was basically over and felt that there were other things that could be done during their stay here.

Yul and Taeyong both left the restaurant shortly after and headed off in different directions.

--

-Arcade-

Junho, Atika, Key and Syafiqah were split into teams of two and battling each other out in the arcade. They were racing cars, shooting hoops and so on so forth.

Enjoying themselves to the max, but soon became tired after trying out almost all the games that were to be offered.

--

-In Bali-

Hyori had just wrapped up her photo shoot in Bali and was heading back to the hotel to rest. The weather turned out to be greater than expected and the photos were looking spectacular.

When she arrived in the hotel, the wavy haired woman took a quick shower and changed into a party dress for the dinner party with the staff later on. Just then, receiving a text from Sunday and Junsu both at the same time.

These two sure are coincidental…hmm…wonder how the gang is doing?

Hyori send a message to each of them, hoping they would bother to look at their messages and reply back.

--

After the blatant spying, Jessica headed over to a quiet place on the cruise ship she accidentally came across when she was exploring. Lying there gazing up at bright sky, closing her eyes slowly.

Taeyong who was just mindlessly walking around, chance upon the familiar brown haired girl and decided to keep her company. Lying beside her, drifting off into dreamland once again.

--

Yoona and Seohyun were at the sky deck after enjoying a round of pool, they were both occasionally getting shy at the sudden intimacy and could not get over the awkwardness and silence that down upon them.

“This is getting awkward isn’t it?” asked Yoona.

“Yea…kinda unni, you are pretty bad at talking aren’t you?” questions Seohyun.

“Hehe…yea…” chuckled Yoona nervously.

“Maybe less talking would help us more?” suggested Seohyun.

“Yea…I guess so?” agreed Yoona with uncertainty.

“Hmm…want to have another round at pool?” asked Seohyun.

“No!” rejected Yoona.

“Haha…”

“Haha…” Yoona laughed along as well, feeling that the awkwardness would soon not be a problem to worry about.

--

-Present-

-Jeju, Korea-

“Thank you.” thanked the young lady politely.

“No problem, sweetheart.” smiled the old lady.

The young lady had a slim and tender body that seemed like she would be blown away by the wind. Beautiful she was but unfortunately luck may not have been on her side in her past. Even when she hid behind those humungous straw hats and scarves. You could see her being badly scarred, like she survived a fire or something. It was horrifying to the point that she probably would not let herself out of her shell ever again.

Her lower part of her left cheek all the way down to her neck was badly burnt and the scar looked horrendous, her left hand especially her fingers seemed so badly burnt she could hardly used them anymore. As said by the doctors multiple times, it was almost impossible for her to ever continue her career.

The young lady walked towards the object that was drawing her in, her right hand started pressing certain keys trying to relive the moment when she first started learning how to play. However it goes as far as that, she quickly closes it trying to forget about it.

“Are you alright, dear?” asked the old grandmother worriedly.

“I’m alright.” smiles the young lady.

“Now…now…I can see it all on your face, you miss it don’t you?” asked the old lady.

“Yea…I do miss it…” the long haired girl said trying to stop remembering.

“Then give it a go then!” urged the old lady.

“But…” the young tall lady tried to protest.

“You still have one good hand don’t you?” reminded the old lady.

“Yea…” agreed the young lady.

She opens it again; she stares at the keys as if they were coming alive telling her to do something. She presses the keys and soon it turns into a melody however without the bass notes to go along with it.

After the whole piece ended, Seohyun stood up from the chair and sighed.

“You did great, dear~!”

“Thank you.”

The old lady walks over to the tall young lady and pats her on the shoulder.

“That was beautiful, Seohyun-ah…”

“Thank you…” Seohyun thanked once again, not even knowing tears somehow managed to fill her eyes up.

--

Jessica and Taeyong were lying on their backs facing the sky, Jessica turned to face the petite boy and felt the need to ask something. That argument Soyoung and Sunny had earlier had made her question about the petite boy’s past.

“Taeyong?” she called out.

“Yea?”

“What exactly happen between you and Seohyun in the past?” she asked with a serious tone.

Taeyong sat up and immediately became silent. His eyes had changed drastically in that split second. He looked really upset and Jessica felt her hair stand when she saw the petite boy’s back view.

“Don’t ever talk about this to anyone.” he warned harshly as he stood up to leave.

Leaving Jessica sitting there alone, the wind blew her hair in all directions as she could feel her heart racing but not in a good way.

--

-Hyohyuk’s room-

Hyoyeon had received yet another message from the Chairman and tonight everything was going to be different. Tonight everything was going to change and honestly she was afraid of it.

Eunhyuk did not know what was going on but still hugged the girl he fell for, giving her the best morale support she could get.

“Thank you.” she said.

“You’re welcome.” he answered.

Those simple words meant so much to her right now as they sat there on the bed in the embrace that seemed to last forever.

-Later that night-

It was the last day on the cruise before they headed back to Seoul and everyone was having a good time, eating and drinking at the dinner party.

Just then Hyoyeon clang her glass with a teaspoon to grab everyone’s attention. They all stopped to turn and look at the passionate dancer.

“I have something to tell everyone.” she started nervously.

“I know you guys might hate me after I announce this piece of news but just know that I meant no harm.”

“Kim Taeyong, son of Kim Juyong and only heir to Kim Enterprises.” she continued.

Everyone fell silent not knowing what to expect.

“I, Kim Hyoyeon kept hidden by the Chairman for the past four years.”

“On this fateful day, finally am able to say who I am…”

She breathed in hoping that all her nerves would go away.

“I, Kim Hyoyeon am you, Kim Taeyong’s adoptive younger sister…” she finished.

Everyone sat there silent; mouths wide open in shock, not knowing what to say with this new revelation of this piece of information.