They're Made of Glass | SEVENTEEN

03 | a dance with destiny

"What? Suit yourself then-"

"No, I'll take it." I said, taking it before he could store it back behind the pillar. It was the same brand as the banana milk Seokmin gave me. I felt a bit nostalgic as I stuck the straw through the top and took a sip. Surprisingly, the strawberry milk tasted better than the banana milk. Mr. Smiles sighed in content as he downed his milk in two gulps. I continued drinking mine in small sips as I watched people dance.

"How'd it go with Wonwoo?"

I shrugged. "It was fine. We only danced for a little while and then this girl, Jessica, came."

"Jessica?!" He exclaimed. I nodded. "She just doesn't give up, huh? You know, that girl is bad news." I stayed silent as he then went on about how Jessica and Wonwoo dated for a while before breaking up due to some prick named Mingyu swooping in. I didn't know why he was telling me all of this. Wasn't this a private matter?

"Is it really okay to be telling me this?" I asked. After a retelling, in extreme detail, of the fistfight between the two, I grew uncomfortable and randomly interrupted. Smiles stopped and grinned at me with a small tilt of his head.

"Think of it as an apology."

I was completely confused.

"For what?" Smiles nodded his head in the direction of Hyemi and Hansol. I watched bitterly as she laughed at some horrible joke of his.

"Looked like you were having fun with that crazy bastard over there. It wasn't my idea, but the girl insisted." He said. I knew it. So it was Hyemi's idea.

"It's not a problem. I was getting tired of dancing anyway." I sighed, spinning the straw around my now empty pack of milk. Smiles chuckled as he took the empty milk and stored it back behind the pillar.

"Then here's an idea: how about a walk?" He asked. "I'm not a fan of dancing either."

Smiles led me outside where already a slight breeze was starting to pick up. I placed a hand on the front of my dress so I wouldn't accidentally flash Smiles as he took my other hand, taking me to the garden on the side of the school. My eyes kept flashing back up to the patchy sky. I felt a drop of wetness on my face and shuddered. I hated the rain.

"What happened there?" He reached a hand out and gently touched the scar. The wind must've blown my bangs away from my forehead. I stepped back a bit, noticing how a look of pity flashed across Smiles face.

"It was an accident." I lied. "Banged my head when I was little."

"Ah I see." I let out a little sign of relief.

"Cut it out."

My heart nearly stopped as the smile wiped off of his face. There was a slight coldness to his gaze as he stepped forward, leaning down till he was practically nose-to-nose with me. I could smell the sweet aroma of the carnation pinned to his lapel. But even with all these distractions, never once did he look away.

"What do you mean?" I stammered, taking a step back. He stepped forward again, still holding my gaze. He made it very clear that this would keep going on. If I took a step back, he would take one forward. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, trying to muster up at least a bit of courage.

"Do you really think you can keep running?" He asked. When I didn't respond, he reached forward. I shut my eyes, thinking the worst. But he didn't lay a finger on me. It was the necklace he was after. "Minah, what are you doing here?"

My eyes slowly opened to meet his. There was an unexplainable sadness behind them, almost pity. His fingers kept a gentle hold on the chain and if I hadn't been so caught up in the fact that once again, Minah was mentioned, I would've stepped back. There was too much mystery surrounding this girl. She was dead, and the dead were usually soon forgotten. And buried with them were their secrets. At least, that's the way it was for my parents. So why was Minah constantly appearing in my life? What was so important about her?

Why was everyone mistaking her for me?

I opened my mouth, about to respond when there was a bright flash across the sky. It was a brilliant white, brighter than any of those damned stars that kept me up all night long. But it wasn't some giant star - it was lightning.

There was a loud clap of thunder and my head whirled around to the source of the sound. Taking several steps back, my knees began to wobble as I searched for the path back to the school. I had to get inside before the rain started.

Smiles voice, oddly distant sounding, was asking me if I was okay. I wasn't. Too many bad things had happened on nights like these. Whenever there was a clap of thunder or a flash of lightning, horrible events always followed. And as the streets were washed with rain, blood and tears were always shed. It rained when Mama died. And it rained when Papa died.

I was so caught up in trying to get back inside, that I didn't even notice that the world was starting to spin and fade. I was beginning to feel light-headed. My senses were starting to numb as the edges of my vision blackened. Life felt unreal, like everything was a dream. I didn't even feel the stinging pain of raw skin from where the chain of my necklace bit into my neck. And a few seconds later, I was out cold by the time Smiles was able to rush to my side with my necklace in his hand.

When I woke up, it all seemed like a dream. Seokmin was there with his smiling face and his banana milk. But I didn't feel the same feeling of content. Because there was Hansol to think about with his adorable bangs and his winning personality. And there was Smiles (who I still couldn't remember the name of) with his strawberry milk. But I had woken up all tucked in bed wearing loose sweatpants and socks instead of a fancy dress and glass slippers. It felt like a dream.

Only the stinging pain of the cut on my neck and the aching blisters on my feet told me otherwise.

When I reached over to set my empty pack of banana milk on my nightstand, I realized there was a pink carnation resting in a small jar of water.

Prince 4: Kwon Soonyoung

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