Part One (1/1)

It was a another uneventful Saturday night at home for Choi SooRi. She kind of wanted to dress up and go out, and she kind of wanted to sink into her bed until Tuesday.  Looking in no specific direction, she puffed up her cheeks and sighed. There was really nothing to do. She groaned.  ‘Is this really what my life has become? Stale popcorn and wishing I had more snacks?’ -- In the midst of trying to figure out whether the lady on TV should say yes to the dress, her phone buzzed, dancing across her coffee table. “That dress is ugly as shit, if she picks that…” A freshly manicured hand unlocked the phone and read the text message. ‘The guys and I are coming over to pick you up. Get ready~~’ SooRi smiled. The ‘I’ was her good friend Jung Jessi and the guys could mean any combination of Jessi’s class TA-turned-boyfriend, Kim Junmyeon and his set of friends. Well, at least things had picked up.  SooRi sauntered to her bedroom to find something to wear. Junmyeon had some really cute friends, and she’d rather die than have them catch her looking unsightly. She held up a cute babydoll dress with a floral pattern to her body. Then, she tried a burgundy romper. She twisted in front of the mirror and decided that wasn’t a good choice either. Finally, she settled on a cobalt blue, knit cable crop top and and some denim cutoffs. She ran her fingers through her thick curls and applied a light layer of makeup. A deep cherry color for the lips and perfectly executed winged eyeliner were the finishing touches to her look. Roughly an hour after the text was sent, she heard shuffling at her doorstep, then a delayed knock. She quickly opened the door to let them in. There were fewer people than she expected. It was just Jessi, Junmyeon, and his friend Byun Baekhyun.  “SooRi, you look cute!” Jessi winked knowingly and nudged Junmyeon. “Yeah SooRi-ah! You look pretty. Doesn't she, Baek?” SooRi instantly cursed herself for putting any effort into the look. There wasn't anyone here to impress. Baekhyun was nothing more to her than an incessant itch she couldn't scratch. “I guess. Cute. Doesn’t she have to get ready though?” Baekhyun smirked and found a seat, propping his feet on her small table. ‘What an ass…’ “I am ready.” “Oh.” “And get your crusty feet off my coffee table. Were you raised in the woods or something?” -- SooRi narrowed her eyes on Jessi and Junmyeon, yanking her friend up by the arm, “What the hell is he doing here? I thought Kyungsoo was going to be with you two!” “Where’d you get an idea like that?" "I thought you were trying to you know...set me up with him?" SooRi glanced at her feet in mild embarrassment. Her stomach flopped. She'd been so expectant, sure, in fact, Kyungsoo would be with them. Her irked expression transformed into one of dejection. She'd been trying to get close to Do Kyungsoo since she was first introduced to the group. Everyone knew it, but they wanted to push the two together. They were really quite sweet together. "We're taking you to a party at Jongin's apartment. Kyungsoo will be there. He had to set up some stuff and Baekhyun needed a ride, okay?" She nodded and released her grip on the other's arm, "Fine. But, you should've just made him walk." -- The ride to Jongin's apartment had an awkward air, consisting mainly of the attached couple telling stupid jokes and Baekhyun regaling his own personal stories while SooRi alternated between staring and mocking him. -- Finally, they made it to the complex and everyone piled out of the car. Baekhyun sprinted up the stairs, not waiting for anyone. Junmyeon had interlaced his fingers with Jessi's as they moved at crawl, more interested in each other than anything around them. SooRi walked slightly ahead of them, unsure of whether to leave them or not. 'Ugh.' Once she made it inside, she was genuinely shocked at the party's turnout. The placed was packed. Sweaty bodies were pressed against each other, swaying to the pulsing melodies. The music blasting through the tiny living space was deafening. Thin plumes of smoke billowed past her face, nearly closing off her airway. Besides the people she entered with, she recognized a few familiar faces. Kim Jongin, the host, passing out beers and doling out high-fives to everyone. Kim Jongdae and Park Chanyeol, frat brothers who were just as close as real brothers. Jongin corralled his close friends out to a table on his balcony. Junmyeon, Jongdae, Chanyeol, Jessi, Baekhyun and SooRi stood around exchanging pleasantries. Everyone was seated with a drink in front of themselves--except for SooRi--she hated beer.  SooRi happened to be unfortunate enough to have the seat next to Baekhyun. Aside from disliking him, Baekhyun was swarmed with girls that didn't understand the meaning of personal space. There was a girl on his lap and two pigeons hovering behind him, presumably waiting in line. He twisted the girl's hair around one of his fingers, telling her just how pretty he thought she was. His hand rested on her thighs and he stroked her cheek softly.  She placed her hand on his chest and put on a pouty face. "Dance with me, Baekhyun?" He grinned and helped her off his lap, sending a cheeky grin to everyone else around the table. SooRi sucked her teeth, "What a slut." "Why? Because she asked him to dance?" "I was talking about Baekhyun." A frown formed on SooRi's face. Her fists involuntarily balled, her shoulders tensed, and her breaths were indignant snorts.  She didn't actually like him, but she was a bit put off that he hadn't said anything nice or flirty to her. She looked good. She didn't have a glaring glob of something stuck in her teeth. She was a catch. Clearly, his sight was impaired. Her sight wasn't. She found it grossly unsettling how handsome he was.  -- She watched as the two stepped in the center of the apartment with other partygoers. The flirty young woman wasted no time in pushing her body against him. She twirled around as the music took on a heavier note, grinding her ass into Baekhyun's pelvis. Enjoying the show, Baekhyun gripped her hips and pressed himself into her curved frame. He looked back over toward the group, Chanyeol and Jongdae smiling and making jokes about how he was going to get in her pants tonight. SooRi shuddered at the gross display. Then, a hand touched her shoulder.  "Hey. Want a beer?"  She turned and looked up, it was Kyungsoo. He was tall--taller than her, at least--and definitely enjoying the view looking down. She couldn't decide whether to be flustered or flattered, so instead she just said, "Okay."  He took Baekhyun's seat next to her and joined in with the rest of the group. "You look tense, SooRi. Is something wrong?" SooRi's heart sped up some at the worried crinkles filling his forehead. He was concerned about her and it only made her heart swell. She gave a last look at the softcore porn show Baekhyun was participating in, then shook her head. "Nothing is wrong. I'm glad to see you here though." Kyungsoo beamed at her, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. Jongin needed my help with setup and music, and I couldn't let him down. I'm glad you came. I haven't seen much of you lately," he trailed off and gave her a once over, "But what I do see, looks really good." A familiar warmth spread over her cheeks. He always made her blush. She was mad. She was an ethereal, ice-queen goddess who wasted no time on the follies of men. She also felt her nether-regions tighten every time Kyungsoo looked at her.  She gulped a mouthful of the awful-tasting beverage. She detested beer, but her mouth was dry and she was starting to get hot. Forcing down a few more sips, she engaged Kyungsoo more. <