Call Me Noona

Chapter 25 - Party Time (Mature)

I talked to Nikki after I got home and told her about Minhyuk's surprise. She asked me if he had given any hints as to where but did not really bug me for more information... which was not like her at all. Something was off, but I could not put my finger on what it was. I had known this girl over half of my life, and she was hiding something. I asked her what or who it was, and she told me she had a headache and wasn't feeling great. I accepted this answer, but my spidey-sense was still tingling. She was up to something and just did not want me to know. When she did that it was usually because she knew I would try to talk her out of whatever trouble she was getting into... usually a man was involved.

When we had celebrated Joohoney's birthday, we drank and got a bit wild. Changkyun got a bit clingy when we were dancing and Minhyuk had to pull him away. He was just holding on to me, not really doing anything out of line. I got Nikki on video chat and she distracted him for us. It was mid-morning for her, so she took a break at work and spent it flirting with a pouting Changkyun. I think he just wanted the companionship. I wondered if something had happened during the call that she did not want to tell me. I knew she would spill it when she was ready.

The gallery renovations were coming along nicely. I was in love with the space and could envision galas and fundraisers in the main hall and exhibits throughout. It was going to be fabulous. Jisung finally let me in on his plan for the grand opening. He wanted to do a charity fundraiser for orphans. He had talked to some of his Hallyu connections and had a couple of idols and actors on board to donate some original works. I was sure Minhyuk and Kihyun would love to contribute and volunteered to recruit them. We had an opening date set and I started organizing the artists and guest list, with Jisung's help.

The SM Halloween party was an annual company event, but over the years it had evolved into a bigger production than before. It was now a multi-company party with idols and actors from all over. It was massive! The costumes were incredible, and I felt a bit like a fish out of water. This was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life. I had been around celebrities at our gallery functions countless times and never had been starstruck before.

For the past several years I just existed. I wasn't living. The galas and fundraisers were something I looked forward to. I felt valuable and useful when managing them... a part of something important. Having the A-list there just validated my efforts. But too many times I had seen those people in a different light than what their public personas portrayed and was unimpressed or even downright disgusted. Somehow this was different. Perhaps because the Korean culture is different on a whole, or maybe it was just simply because I was a fangirl and these men were sexy and flat out gorgeous. I'd had a soft spot for Asian men for quite some time, and I was surrounded with the best of the best.

Since Minhyuk loved calling me his Princess, we had decided on Prince Charming and Cinderella costumes for the party. Our costumes were stunning. Minhyuk had ordered them from a special place that he knew. He looked like a dream in his satin brocade suit. It was ivory and light blue with gold accents. My gown was light blue organza with embroidered flowers covering the bodice and scattered around the skirts. I felt like a fairytale princess in it. When we had gone for the fitting, I was expecting a simple costume like what you would order online from a costume shop, not a true ballgown. Minhyuk said that I deserved to be treated like a princess, and that he wanted everyone to see that I was his princess. You can imagine where that conversation led.

Our masquerade masks had been made specifically to match our costumes. Unlike the mask he wore on King of Masked Singer, these only covered the top half of our faces. His lips were easily identifiable and most everyone knew about me, so we were not truly incognito but there was still a mystery surrounding our identities. Some of the other costumes were just fun and did not hide the identity of the wearer. Others were harder to identify. We were somewhere in between.