ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗨𝗘

You couldn't remember the last time you'd been to a ballet. And The Nutcracker was your absolute favorite.

Your parents had taken you to your first ballet when you were a little kid. To them, it was very important for a child's socialization for them to go to cultural events, like the opera, orchestra, and of course, the ballet. It was a place where you got to dress up, flaunt your wealth in front of everyone else, in the name of societal norms.

But you, as a young girl who just loved pretty clothes and watching people dance, didn't care about any of that. You'd simply fallen in love with the stunning winter sets, tutus, and graceful moves from the men and women onstage. And you would forever think of The Nutcracker as the pinnacle of the winter, and Christmas, season. And since then, you had made a point to attend at least one ballet every year. However, you hadn't been able to see The Nutcracker since that fateful day as a young girl.

So of course, you were absolutely buzzing over the chance to see it, yet again. And this time, not only were two of your closest friends starring in the show, but you would get to watch it with your boyfriend, the man you loved, Seo Changbin. You were even standing in the middle of his room right now, waiting for him.

Unlike you, Changbin had never been to a ballet before. However, just like you, he was exceptionally eager to attend.

"Babe, do you think the black or white jacket is better??"

Changbin held up both pieces for you to inspect, a goofy smile on his handsome face. He had settled on simple white slacks and black shoes, paired with a black undershirt, his arms so big they strained against the material. His hair was styled perfectly, dark strands falling over his forehead, like he was the lead in a romcom movie. He'd already spent a solid hour scouring his wardrobe, trying to pick the best outfit combination for tonight, and another half hour on his hair.

Okay, so he might be more excited than you, if that was even possible.

You furrowed your brows, scanning both items, weighing which one would be most suitable for The Nutcracker, trying not to get overly distracted by how hot your boyfriend looked. While you weren't a licensed fashionista like Alaska, you knew the way the upper class dressed like the back of your hand. And while you thought Changbin would look amazing in anything that graced his gorgeous body...

"I would pick the white jacket." You sidled up to him, a little grin on your face, your heels clicking across his bedroom floor as you approached. "And I would wear it just like this." You took the jacket out of his hand, and helped him put it on, fingers brushing against biceps a few too many times to be an accident.

He smirked at you, cheeks flushing with pleasure at your touch. "You couldn't at least try and make it subtle?" he teased, as you finished straightening the garment. Then, he turned around and gripped your waist with firm hands, holding you securely against his broad chest.

You shrugged, pretending to play it cool. "Huh? What did you think I was doing?"

He shook his head, the ghost of a smile gracing his lips, before he leaned in and laid a searing kiss on your awaiting mouth. All you could do was cling to him, gripping the lapels of his jacket as he had his way with you, tongue invading your mouth with an everlasting hunger, one that had not disappeared since you'd left the camp an entire month ago.

"Did I mention how fucking stunning you look tonight?" he husked, breath ghosting across your cheek as he leaned in so close, you could smell the toothpaste on his breath, and the spicy, masculine scent of his cologne.

His eyes roved your body like you were a meal, hands dragging up and down your hips. You had chosen a black silk slip gown so long it went past your ankles and hit the floor, paired with a white fur jacket, and white heeled sandals. The gown was simple, but with a pearl necklace and matching earrings, it was much classier. You kept your hair down in naturally curled waves, and a matte pale red lip stain on your lips. Since it was a Christmas ballet, you wanted to look the part.

"I think you did, maybe a hundred times," you giggled, pressing another kiss to his already lipstick-stained lips. "And did I tell you how smoking hot you look?"

He grinned sheepishly, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. "You make me feel handsome," he murmured, kissing you one more time before forcibly releasing you, like it tortured him to do so. "If I keep standing here ogling you, we won't get out of the damn house, will we?"

You shrugged, sly smile still on your face. "Would that be so bad?" you asked innocently.

He shook his head at you, giving you a look of fake disappointment. "Have we sunk so low that I'm the voice of reason?" he joked.

You sighed, huffing at him dramatically. "I guess you're right. If I didn't love The Nutcracker, and want to support Mya and Minho so bad, I would stay home and let you fuck the shit out of me." Without letting him reply, you exited his house, and climbed into the passenger's seat of his car.

"What???" Changbin yelped, scrambling to lock the door and run after you. "Babe, why would you say that if you're not gonna follow up on your word? I would gladly stay home and fuck you silly. You know that."

You tsked at him, as he started the car and backed out of the driveway. "Why don't we make an after party out of it then, huh?" You winked at him playfully.

He grinned. "You're so on. Right after you move in with me, yeah?"

You sighed, shaking your head playfully at him, before resting it on the side of the car window. How many times had he not-so-jokingly suggested that, even after you got back?

Were you ready to share your news with him?

Instead, what came out of your mouth was, "I can't believe it's been three weeks since we've seen some of the group. We've all been so busy."

Changbin nodded. "With the pilot of Chan and Riley's show coming out next week, we haven't gotten to hang out much. And of course, most of you girls are in Jeju, so we haven't gotten to see any of them besides you in person. What are they up to, again?"

"Well, Tessa is finally working on her first children's book, thanks to Jeongin and his students. Jeongin has been giving her ideas, and information about what kids like the most. And she's hired Renee as her official financial advisor, now that her writing is starting to make it big. And she even got Seungmin to take promo pictures for her!"

"I love that Jeongin and Seungmin are working with such a famous person now," Changbin joked. "I actually don't think Jeongin has shut up about that. When he's not talking about Mya and how obsessed he is, of course."

You laughed in agreement. Mya and Jeongin had been officially dating since they left the campsite, and things seemed to be going really well. Even though Jeongin was busy teaching and helping with Tessa's book, and Mya was busy with ballet rehearsals, they always made time to see one another, whether it was for a nice dinner out, or a movie night in.

"And then JJ just got done with her modeling campaign with Tommy," you continued. JJ, the real model of the group, had been contacted by the huge clothing company days after you got back, and went into shoots with them right away. You were so proud that your friend was so successful, but you weren't sure how interested she was in the high modeling business.

"I love their clothes, I'm always tempted to buy from them." Changbin chuckled. "I bet she'll be earning them crazy money, she always looks so cool."

"And speaking of clothes, did you see some of Laska's new designs??" you exclaimed. "I can't believe she's getting to be Sabrina Carpenter's personal designer for her tour."

Changbin nodded. "Felix won't shut the hell up about it, he's always sending the approved pictures to the boy's group chat. And he's not even talking about the fact we're working on a whole ass album together! Shouldn't he be proud of that, too?"

You laughed, nudging him. "I think he's trying to be humble, isn't that a good thing? Besides, he loves his girlfriend, that can't be a crime." You teased, as he pulled into the theater's parking lot. Felix, Changbin, and Han were working on Felix's first ever official album, after his first song and subsequent music video had gone viral online. Everyone was obsessed with Felix and Han's romantic lyrics, and Felix and Alaska's relationship on-screen only fueled the fire. Now, they wanted more, and Felix was ready to give it to them, with the help of his best friends.

"Hyunjin isn't too happy about all the Alaska talk in the group chat," Changbin continued, unable to control his laughter. "Especially now that he's helping Alaska and Felix move in together."

You grinned, nodding as Changbin parked the car, and you both got out, making your way inside. "He did this to himself though, agreeing to help them design their new house."

That was the big news of the month. Felix and Alaska had officially decided to move in together, with their new dog, Bingsu. Yes, Bingsu from the shelter! Felix had finally caved, and allowed Alaska to take home the dog of her dreams, a short week after they'd gotten home. Of course, their relationship was still semi-new, having only been together since June. But they had known each other since they were little, and it felt like they'd been together for years. And Felix was over at Alaska and Hyunjin's place practically 24/7 at this point, so it just made sense. And as much as Hyunjin pretended that he couldn't wait for her to officially leave, you had definitely seen him crush her in a hug, bawling his eyes out about how he had to live alone now, and he was going to miss her.

"How is his contract with Enhypen going?" you asked Changbin, once you made it inside.

Before he could answer, both of your phones buzzed. You reached down to check yours first.

baddie gang

laska 💋
hey babes

we're hereeee

where are you guys???

jinnie
yeah we're waiting to go
in with everyone

robs
i'm in my car lemme
come inside

innie
i was saying good luck to
mya, i'm coming

hua 💅
we're in the lobby

where are you???

tess 🤪
tell mya we love her and
to break a leg!!!

and minho too, ig

"Hey king and queen, there you are!"

You looked up to see Alaska, Felix, and Hyunjin hurrying towards you, Alaska waving her arms over her head, a huge grin on her face. She donned a stunning champagne-toned slip dress in a similar style to yours, but with lace around the hem, and a white cardigan around her arms. Both men wore matching black suits, looking handsome as always.

"You two look amazing!" Alaska gushed, grabbing your hands and squeezing. While your friend was absolutely glowing, she also looked quite tired. So did Hyunjin and Felix. Clearly, moving was exhausting.

"Hey y'all!" Robin approached them as well, wearing a dark purple sweater dress and black boots. "Sorry I'm a little late, my stream went late again. Is it time to go in?" Robin had been extra busy with her streams lately, ever since she won a Mario Kart competition two weeks ago, causing her her Twitch views to skyrocket even higher.

Chan and Riley arrived shortly after, matching in black. Riley had even put on a dress for the occasion, opting for a simple knee-length number that flared out at the bottom, and kitten heels that she probably borrowed from Alaska. Although, now that their tv show premiere was fast approaching, she would have to get used to dressing formally...

Soon, the rest of the group arrived too, and they all headed inside, Robin and Han still notably staying a polite distance from one another. From what you knew, those two still hadn't properly hashed out their relationship, or lack thereof, even after you and the other girls had actively tried to facilitate a conversation. Even Changbin and the boys had tried to push Han to speak with her, but apparently, he was too nervous.

"I can't believe tonight is their final performance!" Alaska cried, as she took a seat between Felix and Riley. Chan sat on Riley's other side. "I've heard nothing but rave reviews online, I can't wait to see all the costumes."

Since they knew two of the cast members personally, they had all been gifted free tickets to come cheer their friends on. So, they were all seated together in one row. Everyone had made time to come, except the other Jeju girls, who were unfortunately so busy, they weren't able to book a flight.

Thankfully, either you were out here in Seoul, or Changbin was back in Jeju, almost all the time. You were practically inseparable at this point, weren't you?

What about you? What had you been up to, since you got back from the Park and Paws camp? What did your professional life look like, ever since you had been fired, asked to come back, and then politely declined the offer?

Well, for starters, you were still not working at Park and Paws. However, you were also not unemployed anymore.

For the first two weeks after the camp, you had taken time completely to yourself, sleeping in, spending time with Junjie and Jiao, and getting back into some semblance of a routine back in Jeju. You had also been traveling back and forth between Seoul and your own home, spending as much time possible with Changbin, cultivating your relationship, and becoming even closer to him, if that was possible. Being away from any sort of work for multiple weeks had improved your mental health so immensely, it had spurred you to make a life-changing decision, with the help of Changbin, earlier this week.

You had decided to open your own veterinary clinic. It would be part-time, of course, to keep it low stress and low pressure fo you, as you didn't want to have another mental breakdown. Plus, Changbin had only allowed it if you made that promise to him.

And guess who was one of your first clients? None other than Min Jun himself, Snowball's owner. You had honestly come to care for both him and Snowball, and even started working with him on his skittish behavior. You were also starting to work with Areum and Bingsu, Mya and Alaska's dogs, too. And although Min Jun had said, repeatedly, that he would recommend you to any of his friends, you had politely declined. You wanted to take your new career path slow and steady, rather than immediately going full-throttle. Because for the first time since you could remember, you were truly enjoying where you were at. You didn't need to be number one. Being with Changbin had taught you that you were already number one, to him. And honestly, that was what mattered most.

Throughout the ballet, Changbin kept glancing over at you, and meeting your gaze. He would wink at you, give your hand a squeeze, and turn back. It made your stomach flip with happiness every time.

And in that moment, watching the ballet with your loved ones, you knew you had to tell him what you had been thinking about for a while now. The love you felt for this man, the surety you felt about him, you knew you were doing the right thing. No overthinking, no doubt. You were just going to do it. Oh, was he going to be over the moon when you told him. But it would have to wait until after the show...

The ballet went on without a hitch, Mya and Minho absolutely shining on stage. You were so proud of both your friends for starring in something so massive, and fulfilling their dreams. Mya had been positively giddy after each performance, FaceTiming the whole girl squad to gush about how happy she was. The only other time she did that was when Jeongin bought them matching Lady and the Tramp plushies, before reenacting the pasta scene with her later that night.

Oh, and it hadn't hurt that Changbin had held your hand throughout the entire show, never letting go even during intermission. He didn't seem to care that this was his first time attending a fancy show like this. He was confident in himself, and your relationship, a stark contrast to how he had been at that fancy dinner over a month ago.

"Where are they???" Alaska exclaimed, forcing Felix to pick her up so she could get a better view of crowd, which was now milling around in the lobby, waiting for their loved ones who had starred in the ballet to exit.

"We want to give her her flowers!!" Riley agreed, holding up the bouquet she and Alaska had purchased.

"And the plushies!" Robin added, nodding staunchly. They had also gotten her a pink hamster plush, which matched the flowers perfectly.

Chan had brought flowers for Minho, even though the man had told them multiple times that he didn't want any. There was no way they were letting their friend star in a ballet, and not get anything after!

"Oh my gosh, JJ is calling!" you gasped, yanking out your phone at the ringtone, and accepting the call. The three other Jeju girls had promised to call after the show, and they had followed through.

Right as you picked up, and Renee, JJ, and Tessa's faces lit up the screen, Mya and Minho burst through the doors, and raced towards your group, huge grins on their faces.

"MYA!!! MINHO!!!" The whole group, including the girls on FaceTime, yelled in unison, as you all ran at the duo, arms outstretched.

Alaska and Riley got to Mya first, crushing her in a loud, squealing hug. Robin ran in, and gave Mya her plushie, too. Chan and Felix hugged Minho, as Chan gave him his bouquet.

"I told you I didn't want one!" Minho grumbled, taking the bouquet reluctantly. But you could see a little smile behind all that annoyance. He was secretly proud of himself, and happy to receive a gift.

Soon, everyone was running in to give them both hugs and congratulations. You gave Mya a big embrace, before forcing a tight hug on Minho, too. Changbin moved in to grab them both too, before coming to stand next to you once more, hardly leaving your side.

"Congratulations guys, I bet the show was amazing!!" Renee called from the screen, waving at everyone happily, as the hugs and cheering subsided.

"You both look amazing!!" Tessa cried, pumping her fist. "I'm so happy for you!"

Minho blushed even harder at that, covertly hiding his face with the bouquet. He must be grateful to have them now.

"So is Tae! Aren't you, babe?" Tessa continued,