Jonghyun’s POV

                I slammed my locker door shut and rested my head against the cool metal. Key really was okay; I had seen him at lunch and during Foods class, although he had refused to acknowledge my presence both times. I sighed and adjusted my backpack. As long as he was all right…

                I headed out to the parking lot, pulling up the collar of my jacket against the chilly wind. Aside from the breeze, the weather was fairly nice, and the clear blue sky held no signs of an upcoming storm.

                I slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. I carefully maneuvered the car through the narrow lot and onto the street, heading toward my house. Images of Key flashed through my mind, but I had grown used to them. He occupied my thoughts more often than I would have liked, but I had no control over it.

                I turned into my driveway and sighed inwardly. My umma would probably have a dozen questions about Key that I really didn’t want to answer. She was almost as worried about him as I was, and she made sure I knew it.

                She glanced up as I opened the door and hastily wiped her hands on her apron. The counter was littered with meats and vegetables that she seemed to be adding to some sort of stew on the stovetop.

                “Ah, Jonghyun, you’re home.” She came toward me and shoved her hands into her apron pockets. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

                I sighed. “Key is fine, umma. I saw him at school today.”

                She shook her head. “Ani, it’s not that.”

                I lowered my eyebrows in confusion. “Well, what is it then…?”

                She gestured for me to follow her into the living room. I complied warily and sat next to her on the couch.

                “So… About you and Key,” she began hesitantly, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.

                Aish~ not this again.

                “Umma, I already told you -”

                She held up a hand. “Let me finish. I know you aren’t dating, we’ve been over that. But… There’s this…look that you always get in your eyes whenever you talk about him. And I’ve seen how emotional he makes you…”

                I shook my head. I could already tell where this was going. “Umma, really -”

                “Don’t deny anything until you’ve heard what I have to say. Jonghyun, I’ve never seen you act this way about anyone before. You burst into tears whenever someone even mentions his life at home. You worry about him all the time. I understand he’s your best friend, but…have you ever thought that maybe…he means a bit more to you than that…?”

                I knew this would happen. Onew, Minho, and Taemin were always telling me the same thing. But this time, I was prepared. “Umma, I have a girlfriend.”

                Her eyes widened ever so slightly. “What? You do? Since when?”

                “She gave me chocolates on Valentine’s Day, and I accepted them. She’s really nice; I think you’ll like her.”        

                My umma stared at me blankly. “Why… Why didn’t you tell me this before? Why haven’t you brought her over to meet us or anything?”

                “Things have been kind of hectic lately, if you haven’t noticed,” I muttered sarcastically. “I’ll bring her over soon, okay?”

                “Oh,” my mother glanced down at her hands, which were lying motionless in her lap. “Okay…”

                I jumped as my cell-phone began to ring, blaring the B1A4 ringtone throughout the room. I fished it out of my pocket and quickly read the screen.

                Call from: Mi Sun

                “That’s her right now,” I said, gesturing toward the phone. “I should probably take this.” I pressed the answer button and brought the device up to my ear. “Yeoboseyo?”

                “Ne, Jonghyun oppa!” Her cheerful voice filtered through the speaker, bringing a small smile to my face involuntarily. “How was your day?”

                I laughed lightly. “Great, how was yours?”

                “Fantastic! I just have something I want to ask you. I was thinking yesterday, and I realized that we haven’t seen each other in a while, and I think it would be really, really fun if we went to the amusement park! Don’t you think that sounds like fun?”

                I laughed again at her infectious enthusiasm. “Ne, that does sound like a lot of fun. But Mi Sun, it’s the middle of February. Are the amusement parks even open?”

                “Ne, they are! I checked. You don’t think we’ll be too cold, do you?” Worry laced her tone.

                “Ani, I think we’ll be just fine. Just remember to bring a jacket, okay?”

                “Okay! Invite your friends, too, all right? Your friends from lunch. I really want to meet them!”

                I froze. Taemin, Minho, and Onew would definitely come, but…what about Key? Things were so awkward between us lately; just inviting him would be a monumental task.

                “Um…ne, ne I will. I’m sure they’d love to come.”

                She laughed. “Great! I’m so excited. How does Saturday sound?”

                “Saturday is perfect. I’ll need your address so I can come pick you up.”

                I scrawled down her address on a stray sheet of paper before the conversation ended and we hung up. My umma was staring at me with a curious expression on her face as I carefully folded the paper and slipped it into my pocket.

                “Sounds like you have a date,” she said casually.

                I smiled. “I sure do. So I’ll be gone Saturday, okay?”

                She glanced down at her hands again. She seemed to be seriously upset about something. “Okay… Just don’t be out too late.”

                “I won’t be, umma. Don’t worry.”

Key’s POV

                I dug my cell phone out of my pocket and read the screen as the catchy f(x) ringtone bounced off the walls of my bedroom. I sighed in exasperation. Jonghyun. I debated on whether or not I should answer before finally deciding to pick up. He might have a panic attack if I didn’t.

                “Ne?”

                “Key…um, how are you doing?”

                I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. How are you?” I kept my voice flat and neutral.

                “Um, I’m all right. Hey, uh, Mi Sun called and said she wants to go to the amusement park on Saturday… She wants you guys to be there, too, so I was just wondering if you wanted to come…?”

                Mi Sun? Really? He was seriously inviting me to the amusement park so we could all hang out with his girlfriend? I closed my eyes in annoyance.

                “Ani, Jonghyun. I’d really rather not.”

                He was silent for a few seconds. “Oh. Um…okay. If you really don’t want to…”

                “I don’t want to. You guys have fun, all right?” I hung up and tossed the phone onto the rainbow rug covering my floor. I immediately regretted how harsh I had sounded, but his absolute stupidity got on my nerves. Couldn’t he tell that I was in love with him? Even if he didn’t feel the same way, it was a bit callous to invite me to spend time with him and his girlfriend. I buried my face in my pillow.

                My phone began to ring again, and I instinctively picked it up to see who was calling. “Jonghyun, I swear I’ll -” I began as I read the screen. My annoyance eased when I saw that it was Taemin, not Jonghyun. I pressed the answer button.

                “Ne, Minnie?”

                “Key hyung!”

                I smiled as his small, cheerful voice came across the line. “How was your day?”

                “Great! Guess what, guess what? Jonghyun hyung wants us all to come to the amusement park with him!”

                Fantastic.

                I sighed. “Ne, he told me…”

                “You’re coming, right? It’ll be so much fun! It won’t be the same if you aren’t there. I’m so excited; I’ve been waiting to go since it closed! I love amusement parks, don’t you? They’re so fun! Minho already said he would go, and Onew hyung is coming, too!”

                “Slow down, Minnie,” I said with a laugh. “You’re going to pass out if you don’t stop to breathe.”

                He took a deep, exaggerated breath and let it out quickly, causing a rush of static and muffled noise to blast through the speaker.

                “Now,” I said tiredly. “You really want me to be there that badly?”

                “Of course!”

                I could almost see him bouncing up and down in his seat. I sighed.

                “I’ll be there. Just for you, okay?”

                “Yay! You’re the best, Key hyung! We’re going to have so much fun! I can’t wait! Minho already said we could ride all the roller coasters, and there’s cotton candy and games and prizes and a huge Ferris Wheel and -”

                “Okay, okay, Minnie,” I interjected. “Calm down. I’ll see you on Saturday, okay?”

                “Okay! I’ll see you then! I love you, Key hyung~! Have a good day!”

                I laughed again. He really was too adorable. “Love you, too, Minnie.”

                I hung up and rested my chin in my hand. I had to go now, if only for Taemin. I scrolled through my contact list until I highlighted Jonghyun’s number.

                “Ne, Key?” His voice was wary and awkward, as if he was worried about why I had called.

                “Turns out I’m going, after all. See you Saturday.”

                With that, I hung up and threw the phone back to the floor. Saturday was going to be a very long day.

Saturday

Key’s POV

                I locked the door securely behind me and slid into the backseat of Jonghyun’s car. Mi Sun turned around in the passenger seat and waved to me happily.

                “Annyeong, Key-ssi!”

                I inclined my head toward her slightly. “Annyeong, Mi Sun-ssi.”

                As much as I loved Jonghyun, it was impossible for me to hate Mi Sun. She was nice and sweet to everyone, and if she made Jonghyun happy, that was enough for me.

                The drive to the amusement park was a long one. I managed to tune out Mi Sun’s overly cheerful conversation with Jonghyun as I stared out the window. I couldn’t help wishing that I was the one who made him smile and laugh like that; that I could sit beside him and hold his hand as he drove instead of sitting alone in the backseat and daydreaming like a schoolgirl. I shook my head. Love really was a ridiculous emotion.

                We parked in the expansive lot outside the front gates and met with Minho, Taemin, and Onew at the entrance booths.

                Taemin immediately wrapped his arms around me. “Key hyung! I’m so glad you’re here!”

                I hugged him back tightly. “Let’s go inside, Minnie. I saw this roller coaster that I’m dying to ride.”

                He beamed and grabbed my hand, pulling me through the entrance booth closest to us. We quickly paid for admission and entered the park.

                “It’s that one,” I called, pointing to a looming steel structure that towered above our heads in numerous hills and loops. The passengers screamed as the cars sped along the track.

                Taemin’s eyes widened. “That looks scary, hyung.”

                I shrugged. “There are scarier things.” I knew that all too well. “Do you not want to go?”

                He shook his head. “Ne, I want to ride it. Let’s go.” He smiled up at me and pulled me into the line.           

                We stood in silence for a few moments, observing the roller coaster as it took its course over and over again. Taemin’s red hair fell into his eyes as he watched the cars climb to the top of the first hill.

                “Key hyung,” he said suddenly, his eyes locked on the slowly ascending train.

                “Ne, Minnie?”

                “Why don’t you tell Jonghyun that you’re in love with him?”

                I froze. “Wh-What?”

                He brushed his hair back. “You heard me.”

                If Taemin could see it, why couldn’t Jonghyun? Did that mean that Onew and Minho knew, too, and Jonghyun was the only one who was completely blind to my affection? It honestly wouldn’t surprise me at all. He could be incredibly stupid.

                “I… He… I know he doesn’t feel the same way…,” I mumbled.

                Taemin smirked. “Yeah, right.” He rolled his eyes.

                I turned toward him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

                He shook his head. “I really think you should tell him. It at least gets the weight off your shoulders, right? You know, Minho thought I didn’t feel the same way.”

                I raised my eyebrows. “He confessed? Really?”

                Taemin blushed and looked at his shoes. “Ne, he did. He was so convinced that I didn’t love him back, but he chased me out into the rain and confessed everything just so he wouldn’t have to carry the burden of it anymore.”

                “Wait. So… You guys are…together now?”

                Taemin blushed again and nodded.

                So that was why they had been acting strange around each other lately. They were just waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell us what had happened.

                I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. “That’s great, Minnie! I’m so happy for you guys!”

                Taemin shook his head. “We’re not talking about us right now, hyung. This is about you. What if you confessed to Jonghyun, and he did love you back? You won’t know until you try, right?”

                “He has a girlfriend, Taemin-ah. He doesn’t love me back.” Sorrow twisted around my heart as I said the words aloud. He would never love me back. Never.

                Taemin opened his mouth to reply, but then seemed to think better of it. He turned away and continued to watch the roller coaster follow its course.

                The next hour passed by in a blur. After we rode the coaster, we met up with the others and stopped at one of the numerous, overpriced restaurants for lunch. I spent the meal avoiding Jonghyun’s gaze and talking with Taemin, whose hand was held securely in Minho’s. I tried to ignore the pang of jealousy that shot through my heart every time I saw them together.

                After lunch, we wandered aimlessly around the park, playing games and talking with Mi Sun. I grabbed Taemin’s hand as we passed a cotton candy stand.

                “Look, Minnie. Weren’t you saying you wanted some cotton candy?”

                He smiled brightly. “Ne! I want the blue kind!”

                I laughed and politely asked the vendor for two cones: a blue for Taemin and a pink for me. I had always loved cotton candy, but I hadn’t had it in years. My parents always bought it for me when I was younger, every time we came to the amusement park… I closed my eyes. No. I wasn’t going to think about that right now. I was going to have fun and pretend like everything was normal. In my opinion, I deserved that much.

                Taemin and I happily picked off the fluffy bits of sugar as we walked behind the others. I laughed as it began to stick to my fingers and coat my hands in gloves of soft pink.

                Taemin held one of his hands in front of me to prove that it looked very much like mine, except covered in a sticky mess of blue. “I think we need to go wash our hands, hyung.”

                I laughed. “That’s probably a good idea.”

                We informed the others that we were heading to the bathroom, and they turned to follow. Jonghyun caught up to me as I pushed open the door and gingerly the faucet.

                “Key, are you having fun?”

                I rolled my eyes. It was nice of him to pretend to care, but I was tired of niceties.

                “Ne, Jonghyun, I am.” I concentrated on rolling up the sleeve of my jacket without getting the sticky candy on the material.

                “Here, I’ll get that.” Jonghyun reached out and hastily pushed the sleeve up to my elbow. He was about to move on to the other one when he froze.

                “What?” I muttered, annoyed that I was now only able to wash one of my hands.

                He reached out and gently took my wrist in his hand, extending my arm and scanning my skin in the dim light. “Key…”

                I glanced down at my arm to see what was upsetting him so much, and mentally cursed myself for being so forgetful. Dark purple bruises extended from my wrist to my elbow; the marks of my father’s latest attack. The spots stood out like the neon lights of Seoul, impossible to miss against my pale arm.

                I jerked my arm away and shoved my hand underneath the hot stream of water. I kept my head bent over the sink as I carefully scrubbed the cotton candy from my hands, focusing on keeping the other sleeve dry.

                “Key…,” Jonghyun whispered. “Why… Why didn’t you tell me? I could have… I would have come to get you… You can stay at my house if you need to… You can’t just -”

                I turned off the water roughly and spun around to face him. “Come to get me from where, Jonghyun? You don’t even know how this happened. Stop making assumptions.”

                “I have a pretty good idea,” he retorted, his voice rising. “I know what’s going on, you can’t deny it forever. And I’m going to help you. I can’t just sit back while you go home and suffer! Don’t you understand that?”

                I shook my head and stormed out of the bathroom, not even bothering to dry my hands. Jonghyun ran out behind me. The others glanced at us curiously, and Taemin looked up at me with worry evident in his eyes.

                “Stop being so stubborn!” Jonghyun shouted, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “I’m trying to help you! Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

                I looked at everyone else warily. They were going to start asking questions if he didn’t shut up soon. I grabbed Taemin’s hand and began to walk away, ignoring Jonghyun’s worried shouts as they slowly faded into the cold air behind us.

Mi Sun’s POV

                My phone began to vibrate in my pocket as I watched Jonghyun’s devastated expression. Tears were beginning to build in his eyes, and he looked absolutely hopeless. It was painful to see.

                I pulled out my phone and read the text message that had come through. It was only two words:

                Phase Three.

                I whirled around to see him sitting at a table a few feet behind us. I ran over and sat across from him, lowering my eyebrows in confusion.

                “Already?” I whispered, glancing warily at the others. “We haven’t even been ‘dating’ for a week. Don’t you think it’s a little too soon?”

                He shook his head and gestured toward Jonghyun. “Look at him. He’s in tears over this boy, Mi Sun. Who knows what will happen if we wait any longer? I think he’s close to realizing it; we just need to give him a little push in the right direction. This is the perfect time.”

                I glanced back at him. He was still standing in the exact same place, and he brought up a hand to hastily wipe away the tears that were spilling down his cheeks. It was true; his affection was impossible to miss. It was incredible how much he cared for Key, and yet, he still didn’t see it.

                I sighed. “Okay, oppa. Phase Three it is. I understand what you mean now. He must be a complete idiot if he hasn’t figured it out by now.”

                He laughed lightly. “He just needs a little help. Which is why you’re here.” He gestured for me to leave.

                I stood up and turned away from the table, heading toward Jonghyun. For once, I didn’t have to pretend. The concerned look that played across my features was genuine; it hurt to see him in so much distress. I took his hand in mine and gently wiped away the tears that remained on his face.

                Phase Three: Start.

                “Oppa,” I said softly. “I can see what you’re going through…and… I think it’s best if we don’t see each other anymore.”

     #1- I'm sorry it's been so long... *tears* So so so so so so so sorry... D:  I feel awful about it...

#2 - This chapter totally didn't end where I wanted it to, but if I had ended it where I wanted, it would have been about 11 or 12 pages... (What you just read was about 8 pages). And I figured I wouldn't put you through that... That's a lot of reading... -_-

#3 - It's my birthday tomorrow, and all I want is for you all to be happy with my updates and stuff. ^;^  So I'm probably going to update again so I can get to what I wanted to get to in this chapter, but couldn't... >.<

#4 - You have to see what my friend made me for my birthday... \(^o^)/  If you're a JongKey shipper (which I'm guessing most of you are, since you're reading this >.<  ), you'll love it. It's adorable... ^;^ 

-- My JongKey mobile of adorableness--

Isn't it so cute? Jeez, I love it.  ^;^  <3 <3 <3

And guess what? My birthday cake says happy birthday in KOREAN!  =O 

I don't think the bakery was very happy about it, but they did it anyway. ^;^  Ke ke ke~ Super excited~~

AND....

I REACHED OVER 100 SUBSCRIBERS.....  =O

That makes me really happy inside... *tears* 

I'll give you plenty of  cute JongKey and 2Min gif/picture spam in the next chapter to thank you all... ^;^  <3 <3

YOU GUYS ARE SERIOUSLY THE BEST! \(^O^)/

I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU ALL~~~!!!  ^;^  <3 <3 <3