The party music blasted in the lake house, the cool breeze of autumn flying by, glasses full of beers up as the students hit the dance floor. Minnie probably hosted a bigger party than the WELCOME 2020 party at SNHS. Taehyung signaled  his friends to meet him in the corner as he received a message from Jimin, "Guys, I got a message from Jimin, he's safe, don't worry, he is gonna be here soon," 

Jennie sighed, she felt bad that it because of her that Jimin had to go through this

[3 DAYS BACK]
[THE SAME DAY AS DEATH WARRANT]

Jennie opened her locker, biology class just ended and the next was Chemistry. Grabbing her chemistry book, she opened the chapter that was supposed to be taught today, but suddenly a picture fell from her book. Picking it up from the ground, Jennie looked at it, afraid. 

The pictures were the ones she and Taehyung clicked in the photo booth, ignoring the first two pictures, the third picture was literally them locking lips, and then her phone buzzed

Jennie felt her hands shaking, there was no way she wants XOXO to deliver these pictures to her mother. "How would I do this alone?" she muttered under her breath, and then her phone buzzed again

Jennie sighed, she probably did. and Jennie was kinda sure that she would help her. Walking to the cafeteria, she found her sitting there, at the usual table. Approaching her at the speed of light, Jennie said, 

"Rosie, I need your help,"

[ PRESENT TIME ]

Rose sighed, this was probably the worst party of the year. There were hundreds of students attending it, but she still found herself alone, sitting by the lake as she admired the couples taking the boat in the lake and flying sky lanterns, that filled the sky and lit up the moonless night. The cool breeze flew by, making her wrap her arms around herself. And then, she heard footsteps approaching her. Turning her head, she met Jungkook's eye. He was holding a sky lantern in his hand, as he asked, "Do you wanna lit one with me?" 

Rose smiled, this party isn't that bad after all, "Aren't those for couples?" 

"Are we any less than one?" Jungkook said, offering her a hand as she and he walked to get the boat. The sky seemed like hundreds of candles and lightbulbs glow there, replacing the moon. The feeble sound of water moving under the rowing boat adding a whole new vibe, as they approached the center of the lake, Jungkook lit up the candile , "Ready?"

With a little help from him, Rose managed to maintain her balance. holding hands together as they held the lantern above her head. Jungkook looked at her, her face lit up under the orange light of the lantern, her eyes shimmering in the atmosphere, as they slowly let go of it. The lantern slowly took its pace as they watch soar high in the sky, and then they looked at each other. 

Maybe time stopped when his lips met hers, but the flutter only intensified. Rose's heart pounded in her chest as her knees got weaker. She could only focus on how soft he felt against her mouth, how addictively he invaded all her senses.

It still wasn't clear if she dreamed this moment to live, but there was raw emotion in the way his fingers curled around hers. Jungkook kept his eyes half-open, sneaking a guilty peek at her every time he came back for air, just to make sure this wasn't a product of his imagination.

His whole body tingled, the feel of her leaning on him as his arms wrapped around her felt nearly forbidden. He pulled her in, claiming her mouth again, Intense. That night, they had their first kiss on a boat with hundreds of lanterns lit up the moment as if celebrating the moment. 

Finally reaching the lake house back, Rose's phone buzzed in her pocket, taking it out 

"Who is it from?" Jungkook asked filling a glass with Vodka, "Jennie, she wants us to be with her and Taehyung, come," Rose replied, as she and Jungkook made their way to Jennie who was standing with Taehyung. Rose whispered in Jennie's ear, "Did XOXO ruined your date?" 

Jennie shook her head and just showed her the phone, the same message. Rose sighed, it's all fine, she thought. 

But it wasn't. 

Lisa and Hoseok climbed up to the terrace, Hoseok's jacket wrapped around her since she was just wearing a bodycon dress and the weather wasn't agreeing with it.  Lisa admired the sky, the sky lanterns made it look way more romantic than it seems, "I heard Rose and Jungkook lit one together," Hoseok told her as she nodded, "I wanted to light up one too,"

"With whom?" he asked, taking a sip of beer from his glass. Lisa looked at him, we are standing too close, she thought, but I don't mind. Hoseok kept his glass on the facade, and then, taking a chance, he slowly leaned in, and surprisingly Lisa did too, but before their lips could touch, they heard the sound of a gun, Lisa screamed, Hoseok looked at his glass, the bullet went right through it. He turned around to see the roofs of the other lake houses, no one was there. And, then their phones buzzed

"Why are Rose, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jennie an exception? Something is clearly wrong," Jisoo asked the other five (Namjoon, Jin, Hoseok, Lisa, Yoongi, and Jimin) as they sat in the corner, eyeing the other four who were on the dance floor. Lisa had shown the others the message the minute after it arrived, hoping the others would have too, but they didn't. 

"Do you perhaps think they are betraying us?" Jin asked as the others looked at him, their eyes asking for a brief explanation. "Jin is probably right, they are always separating themselves from us, doing tasks together, they are meeting all the time, and even XOXO is not harming them, it's clear that at least one of them has a connection with XOXO," Namjoon said, trying to be logical. 

They all looked at the four, probably they are right. 

One of them is maybe a betrayer.