𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐞 ||| 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐯 (𝟐)

[ 𝟐𝟏 ]

"Winter, does this necklace go with this dress?" I asked as Winter walked over to me.

In my hand, I held a circular golden pendant against my neck. Winter nodded and helped me put it on.

"There you go," Winter said. "You look pretty!"

I analyzed myself again in the mirror: a cream-white turtleneck with a black miniskirt borrowed from Winter. I would never buy or wear a miniskirt; Winter recommended it with my sweater and I trust her.

"Thank you, I should be saying the same thing to you too!" I told her.

Winter straightened her layered silver necklaces, then slung a leather jacket over her shoulders. Her champagne bodycon shimmered, and the diamond straps caught my eye as I smiled. I would never wear what she was wearing right now, but that's fine—different people have different fashion styles.

"Oh, Minnie, I have the perfect shoes to go with your dress," Winter rummaged through her closet and pulled out a pair of black leather boots.

"Ah, thanks a lot, Winter."

I fixed my miniskirt to be sure it wouldn't slip up any time and put on the boots. Winter stepped into her black pencil heels as we went outside. Today, Karina and Taemin are hosting a party at Karina's house—she lives near the college—and we were getting ready for the party. They texted everyone in the study group chat about the details and said the party was for nothing special. I guess they want to celebrate the start of midterms, which is a weekend away.

When we reached Karina's house, Winter and I were welcomed by the warm and upbeat atmosphere of the party. Food was already set—mostly Korean cuisine—and everyone gathered at the table. As usual, we greeted the Han twins who were accompanied by Kai and Taemin.

"Winter, Mingxia, it's nice to see you again!" Karina gestured for us to sit down.

"You guys are just in time," Taemin smiled.

I sat next to Winter and glanced at the empty seat in front. Almost everyone was there except for Sicheng.

"Sicheng should be arriving anytime now," Karina said as if she had read my mind.

The doorbell rang and Karina went to greet Sicheng. He walked over to the table and sat in front. Our eyes met; I smiled at him as he returned it. My attention turned to the variety of food on the table.

"Mingxia, do you have Instagram?" Karina asked me.

I shook my head as a no, then noticed mostly everyone taking pictures of their food.

"You should get it," Winter suggested. "These days, basically everyone has it."

"Oh, it's fine," I said.

"If you want, I can help you make an account right now," Karina added.

"Thanks, but it's okay. I'll make one later."

"No, no, make one right now," Winter insisted.

"Uh, I-"

A hand holding a pair of chopsticks placed a piece of Kimchi Jeon on my plate. I looked up and saw that Sicheng gestured to me to eat. Almost everyone except for Winter, Karina, and I had begun eating.

"The food is going to get cold," Sicheng said.

I thanked him and took a bite of the Kimchi Jeon. it was crispy and had a distinct flavor that I liked. Soon, I was busy trying out all the dishes displayed on the table.

While we ate, Kai and Taemin pulled out some soju bottles and poured everyone a glass. I never really drank alcohol; it would be my first time. Honestly, I wasn't fond of the idea of drinking but I didn't want to refuse and seem rude. Suddenly, Taemin and Karina stood up and caught everyone's attention. Taemin cleared his throat and started speaking.

"There was a special reason for today's party. It marks the anniversary of my and Karina's relationship," Taemin announces.

"We never told anyone because we decided for the best to keep it private and not let it affect our modeling careers. But now, we wanted to let everyone know since you guys are our friends, and what better day to announce it than on our anniversary," Karina said.

Kai started clapping, then everyone followed him. He stood up and threw a fist in the air with a joyful expression, then ran to Taemin and embraced him in a tight hug.

"I knew it! All this time, I knew my best friend had a secret girlfriend!" Kai exclaimed.

Taemin chuckled as everyone continued the meal.

I took a sip of the soju. A memory floated back into my mind.

It was Christmas morning when I was in 7th grade. I had spent the night with Hendery; we were having a sleepover. While we were opening our presents, Ms. Wong handed us the phone. Yangyang greeted us from the other end of the phone as we asked him how Germany was. As he explained, he had mentioned that he had a sister which surprised the both of us. Yangyang never told us that he had a sister.

At the time, I believed that Yangyang had lied to us. I felt betrayed and thought he didn't tell us because he didn't trust us or something along those lines.

Now that I sit here and have witnessed Karina and Taemin revealing their relationship, I think of that moment differently. Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to conclude that Yangyang didn't trust us enough. I shouldn't have been so quick to conclude that he lied to us.

Maybe Yangyang had valid reasons to keep his sister secret from us. Maybe he had family problems that he didn't want to share. Maybe he wasn't close to his sister. Maybe he didn't want to bring her up because he didn't want to think about her. Maybe his parents told him to keep his sister's secret from everyone.

Who knows. Whatever the reason was, I shouldn't have been so quick to conclude.

"Mingxia, have some more soju," Kai refilled my glass as I snapped out of my thoughts.

I hesitated and glanced at Winter who told me not to worry about it and drink as much as I wanted to. I think she misunderstood me; I wasn't very fond of drinking. I sipped the drink and noticed a change in taste, causing me to narrow my eyes at the glass. Kai chuckled and explained that it was soju mixed with beer.

"Oh, makes sense. Thank you," I said.

I was offered more glasses of soju and beer and I drank until I realized everyone had left the table. The twins were outside on the balcony chatting with each other. The couple of the day disappeared while Kai and Winter were dancing together to some KPop songs. I scanned the room and found Sicheng sitting on the couch on his phone. I got out of the chair, almost falling on my face, and walked over to him.