Chapter 5

Mugged

Nothing worked.

No matter how much concealer or foundation I applied, nothing could hide the bright red mark in the middle of my forehead. Staring into the bathroom mirror I attempted to maneuver my bangs so they would cover the wound but it proved to be difficult. In a huff, I blew the bangs off of my forehead. Opting for a clean-cut look I pinned them to the side.

The world will just have to deal with my red forehead. With vigor I grabbed the face cloth on the bathroom counter and rubbed off the caked on make-up. Instead I applied a little face powder so it looked less red. With nothing more to do, I walked into my kitchen and prepared a cup of coffee. I wasn’t due at work for another two hours, leaning against the granite counters I thought about last nights discovery and took a sip of my beverage.

I would have never pegged Minho as a fellow insomniac. If I had worked as hard as he did, given his hectic schedule, I’d be out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow. But I guess some people are just different. In fact, I liked that we had something in common; a secret we shared that the world didn’t know about.

I sat at the reception desk and ignored the stares. Yes people, my forehead is red. Is it a crime to have a red forehead? What I didn’t appreciate was the fact that people didn’t try hiding their obvious stares.

“Can I help you?” I asked the business man who was gawking with a hint of rudeness in my tone, hopefully he caught the double meaning behind my question. He shook his head and continued on his way.

“People are so rude these days” I mumbled to myself. I stood up and turned towards the fax machine, documents from the Avex Trax office in Japan were being sent over. After sending them to Mr. Kim’s office I did little things to keep myself busy since the phones weren’t ringing this afternoon. I was organizing files when someone approached the desk. Looking up I saw it was Key, he was carrying a duffle bag and I assumed SHINee had another dance rehearsal.

Smiling I asked if he needed anything. I wasn’t surprised at his response.

“Yeah, I need to know why your foreheads so red! You’re a girl, why don’t you use make up?” it took a lot of will power to not roll my eyes. I was about to tell him my story when I saw Taemin, Onew, Jonghyun and Minho come up behind him.

“Yah!” Jonghyun exclaimed, pointing at my forehead. God, these guys weren’t shy.

“Noona, what happened?” Taemin said with a concerned face.

“It’s not something I can catch, is it?” Onew asked, backing up slightly.

I sighed, about to explain the basketball incident when I spotted Minho behind his fellow members. Everyone was so entranced with my red forehead that they didn’t notice him waving his arms in a frantic manner, his eyes wide. I raised an eyebrow in his direction. Curious the four boys turned around, just in time to see Minho pulling his arms down and becoming strangely interested in his shoes.

I heard Key mutter “weirdo” before turning around.

“So, what’s the deal Annahyun.” Key asked as the other members faced me.

I looked up and saw Minho trying to grab my attention. He was shaking his head as if to say ‘Don’t tell them about last night’

“Well you see...” Taemin, Onew, Key and Jonghyun leaned closer; interested in what I had to say.

Dammit, what could I tell them that didn’t sound ridiculous and make me look like an idiot. I racked my brain for a believable story.

“yes…” Key said after a few moments of silence, urging me to continue.

“I was mugged!” I blurted out. Mugged? I mentally slapped myself. Of all the possible explanations I just had to tell them I was robbed.

Taemin gasped.
Jonghyun’s mouth hung open slightly.
Onew’s eyes bulged out of their sockets.
Key looked shocked.

My eyes found their way to Minho. A hand covered his mouth, trying to suppress a laugh.

“Well, sorta of…”

“What do you mean sort of? How do you sort of get mugged?” Key exclaimed.

“I was walking home from…the karaoke bar, and you see I was alone. I was a few blocks from my apartment when a man came out of the shadows and grabbed my purse. It was my all time favorite purse you see, so I fought back! He tugged at it and then I pulled it back even harder, I started yelling at him to let go but he was stubborn. This man would not let go and neither would I. After five minutes of playing tug of war I guess he got the hint and let go. I wasn’t expecting this and the purse smacked my forehead with such force that it left a mark.”

Five pairs of eyes stared at me. Minho looked slightly impressed by my elaborate tale while the other four looked surprised.

I gave them a sheepish smile. “Well, you asked!”

“Wow, I know but I thought you fell and smacked your head!” Jonghyun was the first one to speak.

“Yeah, seriously I can’t believe you fought off a robber! You’re my hero Noona” Taemin replied. He looked so proud.

“Whenever I take walks at night, I’m taking you with me!” Key added

“Seriously, and all for a purse? Most girls would have screamed and ran away” Onew said looking impressed.

“My favorite purse” I interjected.

“And you managed to save your purse and only come out of it with an insanely red forehead” Minho said with a grin. I glared at him. If they only knew the truth, they wouldn’t be so impressed.

“Woah” I heard another voice say, I saw Min Ki behind SHINee; a package in her arms.

“Why is it so red?” Min Ki asked as she walked up to the desk. She put the package down and poked my forehead, I winced. It was still tender.

Min Ki gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry” she said pulling her finger back.

I was about to re-tell my heroic and not so truthful tale when Key spoke.

“She was almost mugged! She fought back and her purse smacked her forehead”

“She’s so brave!” Taemin added. The other members nodded in agreement.

“When you put it that way Key it sounds kind of stupid.” I said, while touching my forehead.

“I’m just giving her the shortened version.” he replied with a smile.

“Ouch, well it will heal in a few days! Don’t worry. This package is filled with extra office supplies.” Min Ki explained while I took the package and stashed it behind reception.

“Great! I was running slow on staples”
“Well there are a few boxes in there!”
“Thanks, I’ve been meaning to call you but I’ve been busy”
“Are you free Sunday? We can grab coffee then”
“Sure sounds great, I’ll text you befor-”

“As the leader” A voice interrupted.

I had forgotten that SHINee was still there.

“-I feel it’s my duty to say that it’s been wonderful listening to you girls talk about your staple shortage, but we’ve got dance practice.”

“Yeah, we’ll catch you later Noona!” Taemin said with a smile as they all began walking towards the elevator.

“See ya at the Inkiyago performance tomorrow Min Ki!” Key shouted before the elevator doors closed.

“You know them?” I asked Min Ki

“Oh, yeah. I’ve worked with them a few times. Their always at the music venue rehearsing while me and my crew set the stage up. Such nice boys!” she replied with a huge smile.

“Anyways, gotta get going. I’ll see you Sunday, don’t forget to text! Friends text each other on a weekly, even daily basis!”

Min Ki waved at me before she went through the revolving glass doors. I watched as they kept spinning; she had pushed them with such force that they kept on moving, long after she had left. I had to admit, Min Ki left her mark no matter where she went but its what made her memorable.

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It was stupid to think that I’d see him again tonight. It was Friday and he was probably out at a party with all his Idol friends. Yet I found myself walking the same path I had last night, hoping to catch him playing basketball or even walking around. When I didn’t see him I walked to a local park. Feeling defeated I sat on a bench a pulled out my cell phone to check the time.

‘4:15AM’

I sighed and felt stupid. I should have known the chances of running into Minho a second night in a row were slim. My head hung in defeat, after my pity party I tilted my head towards the sky. It was the perfect shade of dark blue. The stars shone brightly, and I smiled. The world was such a different place when the sun came down. If there was one thing I was happy about when it concerned insomnia, it was that I was able to witness nights like this.

“I was hoping to run into you.” a voice shot through the darkness. I turned to my left and saw Minho sitting beside me, he too was looking up at the sky.

We sat in silence and admired the night sky. In a perfect world we would have looked like a happy couple, admiring the natural beauty that the world possessed. But we both knew the truth. In reality we were just two lonely people, craving company.

“It’s nights like this that make me feel alive.” He said it so quietly I almost didn’t catch it.

I turned to him and spoke.

“I know exactly how you feel.”

From his profile I saw him smile, then he stood up and stretched. I stifled a yawn, for some reason I felt tired and light headed.

I stood up, but too quickly; my vision became blurry and my body felt heavy.

“Hey...are you okay?” was the last thing I heard before everything went black.