Jonghyun’s POV

                I sighed inwardly as the door opened and my mother walked in, her arms laden with grocery bags. I could see through the thin plastic that she had purchased a rather large bag of Valentine’s-themed chocolates. She smiled as she set the items on the countertop.

                “Umma, all that chocolate’s going to go to waste, you know.”

                She laughed lightly. “I’m sure you’ll get so many chocolates from girls at your school, you’ll have enough to last you for years, right?”

                I sighed. Why did she sound so happy about that? “I can’t accept chocolates from every girl who offers them to me. The only reason I get so many is that they find some way to shove them in my locker… Which totally defeats the purpose…”

                “You’re admired, dear. But you’ve never accepted chocolates from a girl, have you?”

                “Well, I’ve never had a girlfriend, have I? So that would be a no.”

                My mother seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. “But dear, I don’t understand it. You have so many girls falling all over you… Don’t you like any of them?”

                I shifted uncomfortably. This part was difficult to explain. “Most of them are nice enough… But… I’ve just never really felt the need to date anyone… None of the girls have caught my eye enough yet, I guess. I’m fine with being single. That’s okay, right?”

                “None of the girls have caught your eye?” Her tone was a bit suspicious.                    

                I glanced up, confused. “Ne, that’s what I said. I guess I just have to wait for the perfect person to come along…”

                “So… Do you mean to say that… Maybe… Some of the boys have caught your eye a bit more?”

                My eyes widened in shock and I could feel my face getting warmer. “What?”

                My mother thought that I was…gay?

                She smiled, but the way her hands fidgeted with the grocery bags showed me how awkward this situation was for her. “Well… When your father and I came home on Christmas…” Her voice trailed off.

                My mind flew back to that day; the images were seared across my brain like a tattoo. I had come home after driving Key back to his house. I had gone upstairs, taken a hot shower, and gone to bed. I remembered that I hadn’t slept well at all. Key had popped up in too many of my dreams to allow for much rest. When I woke up the next morning, my parents were home, sound asleep.

                “I was in bed when you got back,” I said slowly. “What happened?”

                “Well, actually… Your father and I got back a lot earlier than that…”

                “I didn’t see you guys come in…” I was really confused now.

                My mother laughed slightly. “You were asleep,” she explained, watching my face for a reaction.

                The events of that day were so ingrained in my memory, I didn’t have to ask her what she meant. The only other time I had fallen asleep on Christmas… My face was burning at this point. My parents had seen me sleeping with Key’s head on my shoulder and my arms wrapped around him? I knew what that must have looked like to them… Hell, even I was confused about what that meant.

                “Oh,” I mumbled. “That. Ummm, well… We had a Christmas party and-”

                My mother held up a hand to stop me. “You don’t need to explain. I get it, really. I understand.”

                I gaped at her. “You… You do…?”

                She nodded. “When I walked in and saw you, I couldn’t help thinking that you guys are just…”

                Just friends. That’s what she’ll say. She gets it. She really does.

                She grinned and put her hand on my cheek. “You guys are just so cute together!” She squealed, pinching my cheek and doing a small sort of happy dance. “Kya~ your boyfriend is really adorable. I love his hair! And his fashion sense! He’s so cute!”

                … What?!

                “Umma… Umma, he’s not-”

                “You really should invite him over for dinner sometime. And, dear, why didn’t you tell me? Did you think I wouldn’t approve…?” Her lips turned down in a slight frown of concern.

                I held up both of my hands. “Umma, you really don’t understand. Key and I aren’t dating. It’s not like that at all.”

                She looked at me suspiciously. “Yah, you don’t have to deny it. I don’t mind, really. I think it’s so sweet…”

                I shook my head violently. “Umma! Really! We’re just friends. We both just happened to fall asleep right there…” I shrugged nonchalantly.

                “And your arms just happened to wrap around him like that?” She raised an eyebrow.

                “N-ne…,” I stuttered, trying desperately to control my expression.

                She sighed. “You really aren’t dating?”

                I cringed at the disappointment that colored her tone. “We really aren’t. I promise.”

                She turned to the groceries and began putting them into their proper places. “I must say, I’m a bit disappointed. You two really do look so cute together.”

                I blushed and looked away. My mother actually wanted me to be gay? That was unexpected.

                “Either way,” she said casually, placing the chocolates in a large bowl and setting it on the kitchen table. “You should have him over. You seem to be close friends, and I’d like to meet him. You haven’t had your other friends over in a while, either. How are they doing? Did Taemin and Minho finally get together?”

                She knew about that? My mother was just full of surprises today.

                “Ummm,” I glanced at my feet. “I don’t know. I keep telling Minho to confess, but I don’t think he’s brave enough to do it…”

                She sighed. “That boy is so smitten, he doesn’t know what to do. And poor little Taemin…”

                “Umma, how do you know about all of this?”

                “It’s not exactly hidden,” she said with a laugh. “Those two might think they’re hiding it, but it’s really quite obvious to everyone else.”

                I rolled my eyes. “I know what you mean.”

                After a few more general inquiries about Onew and his family, and once my mother was convinced that my positive remarks on their health and well-being were true, I went upstairs and sat down to my homework. After several problems involving Partial Fraction Decomposition, and even more Trig Proofs and memorization of the first quadrant of the Unit Circle, I shut my book in frustration and went to bed. I cringed when I remembered that Valentine’s Day was tomorrow. Just another day for me to break a bunch of hearts.

Key’s POV

                I ran the comb through my hair again and smiled in satisfaction. Perfect. The jacket Taemin had given me looked amazing with the boots from Jjong, and the jewelry from Minho and Onew complemented the ensemble well. It had quickly become my favorite outfit, and I was always in a better mood when I wore it.

                I headed down the stairs and froze in surprise when I saw my parents in the living room. They were sitting on the couch, staring blankly at a documentary about conflict in the Middle East. They were obviously severely hung over, but the fact that they were sober at all shocked me. They were never up this early, and they were usually too wasted to sit upright. They watched me blearily as I made my way out the front door.

                The steady hum of girls chatting reached my ears as I entered the school. They were louder than usual today, excited about the chocolates they had prepared. The pink-and-red adorned boxes peeked from locker shelves and shoulder bags, glinting underneath the fluorescent lights.

                I rolled my eyes. I had never cared for Valentine’s Day. One of my favorite teachers from my old school had always called it “Singles Awareness Day”, or SAD for short. Yes, Valentine’s Day was definitely sad. It wasn’t that I was depressed about being single; quite the opposite actually. I had never really minded being single. I would just never understand why a girl would go through so much trouble to prepare chocolates for a guy who might not even like her back. And the couples who were already established threw off enough PDA to gag anyone within a ten-foot radius.

                I hurried to my first class and sat down, trying to ignore the gossiping girls around me. The lesson passed in a blur as I took hasty notes and tried my best to retain the information. The second class passed in a similar fashion.

                I sighed in relief as the lunch bell rang. I threw my binder back into my bag and hurried to the cafeteria, impatient to see everyone. The first week after the incident at Taemin’s house had been a bit awkward, but we had all moved past it. What worried me now was the strange behavior between Taemin and Minho. For the past two weeks, they had seemed extremely awkward around each other, and the rest of us were determined to find out why.

                “Annyeong~”, I sang as I took my place at the table. The others looked up at me with smiles and replied cheerfully. I reflexively glanced at Taemin and Minho. They were sitting as close as they always had, but they rarely looked at each other, and Minho didn’t tease Taemin nearly as much as he used to. I bit my lip in concern and absently pushed my food around my plate.

                “I’ll be right back,” Jonghyun announced. He grabbed his plate and walked to the end of the cafeteria to throw it away. I watched as he dumped the contents in the trash. He seemed different today, too. Everyone seemed so… off. I couldn’t help but feel like it was my fault, and I scanned possible solutions in my head. All I wanted was for everyone to be happy…

Jonghyun’s POV

                I watched as the plate left my fingers and slipped into the chaotic mess at the bottom of the trash can. Everyone at the table seemed so distant today. Taemin and Minho were acting extremely awkward around each other, Onew had to leave early for the musical rehearsal, and Key seemed too concerned about everyone else to say much. I desperately wanted to fix things, but I had no idea what to do. I didn’t even entirely know what was wrong…

                Someone cleared their throat quietly behind me, and I turned around to see a timid girl in a bright yellow jacket. Her dark hair barely brushed her shoulders, and it was cut in a fashionable way, with lots of layers. A small silver bow was clipped on one side. She glanced up at me through thick lashes and shifted uncomfortably.

                “Um… Is there something I can help you with?” I asked cautiously.

                She bit her lip and glanced away as she bowed and held out both hands. Balanced on her palms was a small box wrapped in bright pink paper.

                “Oppa, I…,” she began hesitantly. She stopped and seemed to be thinking hard about her next words. They came out in a rush once she had built up her confidence. “I-really-like-you-and-I-made-these-chocolates-for-you-and-I-really-hope-you’ll-accept-them.”

                My mouth fell open in surprise. Sure, I had girls confessing to me all the time, but they were never girls like this. They were always the popular types that went through boyfriends quicker than they broke in their newest pair of heels. Then they took those stilettos and used them to walk all over his broken little heart. This girl was quiet and shy. Her cheeks flushed pink when she caught me looking at her. She was pretty, yes. She was absolutely gorgeous, but she wasn’t the type to fall for a playboy like me. I was completely baffled.

                But… would I date her? She was, admittedly, the best girl who had confessed to me in years. She seemed sweet and kind, and she was brave enough to deliver the chocolates in person instead of shoving them in my locker like most of the girls did. But dating… It was such a strange thing for me. Yes, I’d had girls falling all over me for years, but I had never actually gone out with any of them. Frankly, they weren’t my type. This girl was different.

                And finally dating someone would solve so many of my problems. First, bringing a girl home would convince my mother that I wasn’t gay. Second, focusing on her would take much of my attention away from Key. If I didn’t focus on Key so much, I could finally stop giving weird, mixed signals and our friendship could be fixed. Fixing our friendship would get Minho and Taemin off our backs, and Onew would stop thinking we were in love. And she really did look so hopeful…

                I reached out and gently took the box of chocolates from her. “Of course I’ll accept them,” I said with a radiant smile.

                Her eyes widened in surprise for the briefest of instants before she smiled cutely and looked down at her shoes. “My name is Park Mi Sun,” she said, bowing ever so slightly. “I would really like to-”

                I laughed. “There’s really no need to be so formal. My name’s Kim Jonghyun, and I would really like to get to know you better, Mi Sun.”

                She smiled sweetly again, and I was again taken aback by how pretty she was. Coupled with her adorable personality, she seemed to be exactly my type of girl.

                “Where’s your next class, Mi Sun-ssi? I’ll walk you there.”

                She directed me toward her classroom, and I glanced back at the table before I left. Minho and Taemin were staring at me open-mouthed, identical expressions of surprise painting their faces. Key glanced away when he caught me looking at him, but the small expression I had seen on his face was deep, complex, and impossible for me to read.

        .... Don't be mad at me for doing this.  -_-  *hides*  Good things will come from it, I swear!  >.<  And Mi Sun's cute, right? Right...? More of her personality will show up later, but she really is nice and sweet and stuff.  (: 

Sorry it took so long to update!  *cries*  I really feel terrible about it... Math 1050 and 1040 kind of swamp me with homework.  -_-  Not to mention the HUGE packet we just got in AP PolySci... 14 pages. About Great Britain. *overload*  I'm working hard, though. Fighting~~

I know I say this all the time, but....

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