Jonghyun’s POV

                The unrelenting carpet pressed against the back of my head roughly. A dull ache resonated throughout my skull as the cold metal of the knife sent a burning pain across my neck.

                As suddenly as it had come, Key’s hand left mine, and I closed my fingers desperately over lonely, empty air. I didn’t dare turn my head to discover his reason for leaving.

                “Where do you think you’re going, boy?” His father growled, turning his head to glance over his shoulder. The action caused his knee to dig deeper into my chest, and an involuntary cry of pain escaped from between my lips before I had a chance to stop it.

                Key’s father jerked his head back around, his hazy, evil eyes focusing on my agonized expression. “He’ll be easier to kill than you,” he hissed, tightening his grip on the knife’s worn handle. “I’ll deal with him later.”

                “No,” I gasped, reaching up painfully and wrapping my fingers around his wrist. I clawed desperately at his fingers as a soft black haze slowly painted the edges of my vision.

                A sudden, dull thud rang throughout the house. The pressure vanished from my chest, and I choked as air rushed into my lungs once more, clearing my eyesight and my thoughts. For a moment I remained in the same position, exhausted and dazed. I ran a hand carefully over my neck and sighed in relief when my fingers came away clean.

                “Jonghyun, get up!” A beautiful, urgent voice filtered through the air, winding itself into my consciousness and shocking my heart into action. I glanced up to see Key standing over his father’s limp form, an innocent-looking frying pan clutched in his fist.

                Although the situation didn’t warrant it in the slightest, I began to laugh.

                Key’s eyes widened, and he took a tentative step forward. “Jjong, are you all right?”

                I waved a hand dismissively and gestured toward the pan in his hand. “Did you seriously just take your father out with a frying pan?”

                He glanced down at the heavy piece of cookware, a surprised look playing across his features. “Well…ne.” He quickly dropped the pan to the carpet and folded his arms defensively. “Yah, it was the only option, all right? And I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you. I think you just got a very good demonstration on how deadly kitchen utensils can be.” He pointed to the knife that was now nestled among the sparse fibers of the carpet.

                I looked away as the light glinted off the crimson blood that laced the bright metal. I shook my head and struggled to my feet, reaching out blindly when my head began to spin sickeningly. Key grabbed my hand in his, and the world instantly righted itself.

                “Thanks,” I whispered.

                “We need to get out of here,” he said forcefully, striding toward the door without letting go of my hand. “I don’t want to be here when he wakes up.”

                I followed obediently, warily scanning the thin lines of blood that were beginning to dry along my arm. Key followed my gaze as he stepped across the threshold.

                “Damn it,” he muttered, pushing the door back open. “We’d better get that cleaned up before we go anywhere.”

                He dragged me up the staircase and into the small bathroom. “I keep this up here for times like these,” he said matter-of-factly, rummaging in the cabinet underneath the sink until he emerged with a small first-aid kit.

                Times like these. My heart contracted painfully. He was so used to this treatment, so prepared. He knew it was going to happen, and he could only wait, like an animal trapped in a cage, until it did. My fingers curled into fists as the injustice of the situation once again sent white-hot anger coursing through my veins.

                “Yah,” Key said softly, gently prying my fist open with his fingers. “Does it hurt that much?”

                “Oh…,” I glanced down at his fingers laid so casually over mine. “Um…ani, it’s…it’s not that.”

                He tore open a paper package and pulled out a small cloth, pre-soaked in a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide. He laced his fingers through mine and extended my arm. “What is it, then?” He ran the cloth softly over my skin, clearing away the remaining blood with smooth, even .

                “Um…” He was standing very close, and the proximity turned my once-coherent thoughts into a jumbled mess. “It’s…nothing.”

                He glanced at me skeptically as he carefully placed a bandage over the wound and tossed the cloth into the trash can. “I don’t believe that for a second, but I’ll let it go. For now.”

                “For now?”

                “Well, you’re injured. And exhausted, I’m sure. It probably isn’t the best time for me to grill you about your emotions, is it?”

                I shook my head. “Aniya, definitely not.”

                “But later, when you’re feeling better, you better be prepared to answer some questions.”

                I pulled my fingers from his grasp and headed out the door. “That depends on what the questions are,” I said without looking back.

                He followed me and took the stairs two at a time, grabbing the end of the banister and spinning around to face me once he reached the bottom. “No. It doesn’t matter what the questions are. You risked your life for me-”

                “So doesn’t that mean you owe me?” I replied hotly, pushing past him and heading for the front door. “I’m not obligated to answer anything.”

                “Jonghyun.” He slammed the door behind him and folded his arms. “You’re seriously going to act like some y drama queen after everything we just went through in there?”

                I laughed bitterly. “That, coming from the biggest drama queen diva I’ve ever met in my life.”

                He put a hand on his hip. “But when I do it, it’s okay.”

                I rolled my eyes. “Right.” I headed down the steps and pulled my car keys from my pants pocket. “Come on, let’s go.”

                He raised an eyebrow. “Where are we going?”

                “To my house, of course. You can’t spend the night here.”

                Even from the driveway, I could see the bright red shade that painted his cheeks.

                “I can’t spend the night at your house, either…,” he muttered.

                I watched him over the roof of my car as I began to unlock the door. “Why not? Where else are you supposed to go?”

                “Well... I don’t know-”

                I rolled my eyes again. “Just get in.”

                I wasn’t about to let him stay here. To have him at my house all night, where I knew he would be safe, would be a welcome reassurance. And besides, my umma would be ecstatic when she finally got to meet him.

                I pulled open the door and climbed inside, folding my arms and staring at him through the windshield. He glared at me as he descended the porch steps and reluctantly sat in the passenger seat.

                The drive to my house was a quiet one. Key sat with his arms folded, his eyes glued to the landscape flying past his window. The sun was beginning to set, and the bright golden rays filtered through the clouds, casting his face into an unreadable pattern of light and shadow.

                My fingers tightened around the steering wheel as my mind flipped through the day’s events. The scene at the amusement park, coupled with Mi Sun’s help and my ultimate realization, had been exhausting enough. The fiasco with Key’s father had only added to the mess of emotions tumbling through my system. I sighed softly. When had everything become so complicated?

                I pulled slowly into the driveway and turned off the engine. I pushed open my door and headed for the house, looking back to make sure Key was following me. I sighed in frustration when I saw that he was still sitting in the car, apparently deep in thought. I strode back to his door and pulled it open.

                “Key, come on. We both really need sleep.”

                He rubbed his eyes distractedly and glanced up at me. “Ne, sorry. I’m coming.”

                I grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the car, dragging him behind me as I headed up the porch steps.

                “Jjong, I said I was coming,” he said softly. “Let go.”

                I shook my head and laced my fingers through his. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

                I pushed the front door open and stepped inside. My mother glanced up from her place at the kitchen counter, where she was carefully putting the leftovers from dinner into separate containers. Her eyes widened when she saw Key standing beside me.

                “Key!” She exclaimed, running up to him and enveloping him in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re finally here!”

                I saw his entire body tense, and he glanced at me with a confused expression.

                “Just go with it,” I whispered.

                My mother stepped back and placed her hands on his shoulders, holding him at arm’s length.

                “How are you feeling? Are you tired? Are you hungry? Have you even had dinner yet?” She gestured toward the kitchen. “We have plenty left over. You’re welcome to eat as much as you want.”

                Key glanced down at his feet and shook his head slightly. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

                My mother looked at me worriedly and mouthed the words, “How is he?”

                I shook my head. “We’re both pretty tired, umma. Is it all right if we just go to sleep? I promise we’ll eat plenty in the morning.”

                She nodded and hugged Key once more. “Of course, of course.”

                I pulled Key along behind me as I headed upstairs. “Our guest bedroom is right up here-” I began, gesturing toward the end of the hallway.

                “Ani,” my umma called from the bottom of the staircase. “Your father and I aren’t finished painting it yet. All the furniture is covered in plastic and some of the paint is still fresh.”

                I stopped and turned around. “Since when were you re-painting the guest bedroom?” 

                “We started yesterday,” she said matter-of-factly. “It really needed a change.”

                “Okay.” I rolled my eyes and headed back downstairs, Key’s hand still held firmly in mine. “You can sleep on the couch, then. Is that all right?”

                He nodded, keeping his eyes glued to the carpet.

                “Ani, that’s no good, either,” my umma said again.

                I sighed in exasperation. “Why not? Did you decide to paint that, too?”

                She folded her arms. “Don’t get smart with me. Your aunt is coming to visit from Busan. She’ll be here tonight, and we already promised her the couch since the bedroom is being redone.” She shrugged. “It’s a really inconvenient time, but what can you do? I’m not going to tell her she can’t come.”

                I sighed. “Well, then.” I turned to look at Key. “I don’t want you to have to sleep on the floor… You can have my bed, all right? I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”

                “Aniya,” Key said, glancing up at me and shaking his head. “I don’t mind sleeping on the floor, either. It’s okay, really.”

                “No way-”

                “Yah,” my umma said, shaking her head in exasperation. “Jonghyun, your bed is big enough for two, isn’t it?”

                Key’s eyes widened, and his face immediately flushed a bright shade of red as he looked back at his feet. I felt my own face heat up at the thought of being so close to him for an entire night.

                “Umma,” I hissed, leveling a glare in her direction.

                She smirked and mouthed the words “You’re welcome” before she her heel and walked happily back into the kitchen.

                I ran a hand through my hair. Aish~

                “Well, I’m really tired…,” I said slowly, turning back toward the staircase. “I guess we should…go…” I headed up the stairs, pulling Key along with me.

                I pushed open the door to my bedroom and rummaged through one of my dresser drawers until I found a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. I held them out toward Key.

                “Here, you can wear these. The pants will probably be really short on you, but…” I shrugged.

                He took the clothes hesitantly, his eyes still turned toward the floor. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

                “If you don’t want to wear them, it’s fine… You can sleep in your jeans if you want to…”

                He shook his head. “Ani… Um… Thank you.”

                I pointed to the door across from my bedroom. “The bathroom is right there.”

                He turned slowly and headed for the door I had indicated.

                I closed my door and changed quickly, my head spinning with conflicting thoughts and emotions. One half of my mind was elated at the idea of spending an entire night with Key by my side; the other half was unsure, nervous, wary, and about a thousand other things.

                I jumped as a light knock sounded against my door. “Oh…um, come in.” I called.

                Key came into the room slowly, his previous outfit folded neatly in his hands and his face sporting an annoyed expression.

                I raised my eyebrows. “What?”

                He pointed toward his foot, and I laughed when I saw that the pajama pants ended nearly three inches above his ankle. His hair was a mess, sticking out in different directions and falling into his eyes, and his pouting, childlike expression only intensified when he saw that I found it funny.

                “You look adorable,” I said with a grin, resisting the urge to wrap my arms around him and never let go.

                He glowered. “I look ridiculous.” He gestured toward the navy blue T-shirt that hung loosely on his thin frame. “And what made you think that navy blue and black go well together?” He shuddered. “Don’t you have anything pink?”

                “Of course I don’t. Could you honestly see me in pink?”

                He tapped a finger against his chin and looked me over from head to toe before shaking his head. “You’re right. Pink definitely isn’t your color.”

                I laughed lightly. “Sorry I don’t have anything pink for you. My sister might have something, though, if you’re really that desperate.”

                His face brightened. “Does she have a pink headband? Or a pink bracelet?”

                I grinned and shook my head. How did I fall in love with such a high-maintenance diva? “I’ll go check.”

                I returned a few minutes later with a thin, hot pink bracelet and a black headband coated in pink glitter. I held them out toward him. “How’s this?”

                He pulled the bracelet onto his wrist and placed the headband on his head. He ran into the bathroom to fix his hair in the mirror before coming back with a smile on his face. “Much better.”

                “Will you be able to sleep soundly now?”

                His smile fell slightly as he glanced toward my bed. His eyes flickered back to me for an instant before returning to the floor once more. “Um…ne, probably.”

                I glanced at him curiously. Why did he seem so…nervous? I cleared my throat softly and pulled back my blankets, climbing into bed and resting my head against the pillows. “Come on, then,” I said, pulling the blanket up to my chin. “Turn the light off, I’m exhausted.”

                He hesitantly flicked the light switch down and climbed into bed beside me. The gray light of dusk filtered through my blinds, glinting off of the sparkling headband as he turned away from me and lay perfectly still.

                I rolled my eyes and pulled the blanket up to his chin. “Get comfortable, pabo. You’ll get back problems if you don’t relax.” I saw his shoulders fall slightly as he settled into the pillows, but he was obviously still extremely tense. I sighed and turned away, letting my eyes slip closed. He would fall asleep eventually, but having him here, safe and sound, was all that really mattered.

                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                I rubbed my eyes tiredly and rolled over, grumbling in annoyance when I saw that the clock read 3:42 AM. It was rare for me to sleep soundly throughout the entire night, but it still grated on my nerves when I was forced awake hours before the sun came up.

                I rolled over once more and stopped when I realized that nothing – or, rather, no one – was blocking my way. I reached over blindly, closing my fingers around empty air. Where was Key?

                I sat up and ran the back of my hand over my eyes, glancing around my room slowly. When my eyes landed on a small figure curled up on the floor, my heart’s tempo increased tenfold. I jumped out of bed and kneeled by his side, gently shaking his shoulder. He was lying directly on the carpet, curled up in a ball without a blanket or a pillow. My room tended to get very cold during the night, and it pained me to think about how uncomfortable he must be. What the hell was he doing there?

                “Key, are you all right?” I shook his shoulder with more force. “Key, wake up!”

                He rolled over slowly and glanced up at me with bleary eyes. “Jjong, what are you doing?”

                “No, what are you doing? Why are you on the floor?”

                He rubbed his eyes tiredly and curled up into a smaller ball. “I’m more comfortable here.”

                I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right. It’s freezing in here. Get back in bed right this second.”

                He shook his head. “I’m fine right here.”

                “Key…” I grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him to his feet. “I just want you to be comfortable…and happy…”

                He sat up abruptly, and the glare he threw at me was fierce enough to distinguish even in the dim light of my bedroom. “I’m not going to be happy here, Jonghyun. I’m not going to be comfortable. You’ll never, ever understand why, but it isn’t going to happen. How many times have I told you to just stop worrying about me? I can take care of myself.”

                I slowly let go of his hand and lowered my gaze to the floor. “It isn’t that easy,” I said softly. “I can’t just stop worrying. It’s… It’s hard to explain…”

                “Well.” He brushed his hair out of his eyes and quickly got to his feet. “I don’t think Mi Sun would approve.”

                I started slightly at the mention of her name. What did she have to do with any of this?

                “How does Mi Sun relate to this situation at all?” I demanded, standing up slowly and turning to face him.

                He folded his arms and averted his eyes. “I don’t think Mi Sun would like you sleeping next to me, crying over me, running to help me whenever I have a problem. Don’t you think you should focus on her a bit more?” His voice was as frigid and sharp as a row of icicles, and his fingers were curled into fists.

                “I…” I ran a hand through my hair and took a deep breath. Why did he seem so angry? “Mi Sun and I broke up,” I said quietly.

                He froze and raised his eyebrows. “Really.” His voice was completely emotionless, and the word came out more as a statement than as a question. “You weren’t even dating for a week.”

                “I know, I-”

                “What happened?” Key kept his eyes turned toward my bedroom door, as if he was planning an escape route.

                I watched him carefully, gauging his reaction to my next words. “I… I fell in love with someone else.”

                He laughed bitterly. “Wow, Jonghyun. You couldn’t keep your eyes from wandering for an entire week. Are you really so fickle that you can’t commit to a single relationship?” He began to walk toward the door. “I guess it was stupid of me to expect better from someone like you.”

                My fingers curled into fists involuntarily. He had no idea what he was talking about. He didn’t know what I had to go through… My head began to pound as I forced myself to keep my emotions inside.

                “It didn’t happen instantaneously,” I said forcefully. “I had known the person for a while… I was just… too blind and stupid to realize my feelings earlier…”

                “Big surprise there,” he muttered, his tone laced with venom. “She must be one hell of a girl.” He was now standing in the doorway, poised to turn down the hallway and leave. My heart stopped at the thought of him returning home.

                I ran forward and wrapped my fingers tightly around his wrist, pulling him back into the room and closing the door firmly. He glowered and yanked his wrist from my grasp.

                “Don’t start with me, Jonghyun-”

                I glared at him, taking a threatening step forward until his back was pressed against the wall. I placed my hands firmly against the wall on either side of his face, effectively trapping him in place.

                “No,” I hissed, my face mere inches from his. “Don’t start with me, Kibum. You have no idea how hard this has been on me-”

                He rolled his eyes. “Having every girl in the school practically falling at your feet? Yeah, that sounds so difficult.”

                I took a deep breath as white-hot anger began to build inside my chest. I didn’t care about those girls. I didn’t care about every person in the school who thought I was a player. At that moment, I didn’t care about Mi Sun; I didn’t care about the pounding in my head and the aching in my heart. All I cared about was him. Why couldn’t he see that? Why couldn’t he see that he meant more to me than anything else in my life?

                “That has nothing to do with it,” I said slowly, my voice rising.

                He pushed on my chest roughly in an effort to get free. “Well, you had your pick, didn’t you? Girl A for one week, Girl B the next; maybe mix it up a little and date both of them at the same time without them knowing about it, hmm?”

                My mouth fell open in astonishment. Did he honestly think I was that kind of person?

                “So,” he sneered, his voice dripping with acidic sarcasm. “Who is it?” He pressed harder against my chest, struggling to get as far from me as he possibly could. “Who’s the person who stole your heart so completely?”

                “It’s you!” I shouted, my fingers curling into fists against the wall. “It’s always been you, you idiot!” I pushed away from the wall roughly and ran a hand through my hair. My heart was beating wildly, and I felt the blood rush to my face as I realized what I had just done.

                “Damn it,” I whispered as tears began to cloud my vision. Jonghyun, you just ruined everything.

                I glanced at Key warily, hastily brushing the tears from my eyes. He was frozen against the wall, his eyes wide and his face pale. “W-what…?” He whispered, his voice shaking ever so slightly.

                I pressed my hand against my forehead and closed my eyes. There had always been a crack in my reservoir of emotions, and I had just made it so much bigger. I could feel the words waiting on the other side of the wall, struggling to break through and lift the weight off my shoulders.

                “I’m in love with you,” I whispered, laughing bitterly as the tears began to fall once again. I was sure I would never understand how he was able to mess with my emotions so completely, but once the tears began to fall, it was impossible to stop them. I brushed my fingers across my cheeks and shrugged. “This is what you’ve done to me,” I said softly. “I’m an absolute mess.”

                “Jjong…,” he whispered, taking a tentative step toward me.

                I held up a hand. “Key, I just want you to understand this.” I took a deep breath and prepared myself mentally. How could I possibly put it into words? “I know you don’t feel the same way about me…and… I’m okay with that. Really, I am. But… I just need to tell you… I…” I took a step forward, and he immediately took a step back. My heart twisted when I realized how uncomfortable I must be making him, but it was nearly impossible to stop what I had already begun.

                “I cherish you more than my own life,” I whispered, keeping my eyes locked on the floor. “I know you won’t understand, but… I am so completely, desperately in love with you, I can’t even think straight. You are the single most important thing in my life, and I would do absolutely anything for you. I know it took me so long to realize…,” I took a shaky breath and ran my hand across my eyes once more, “But…Key… I love you more than anything on this Earth... All I want is for you to be happy… If I could, I would stay by your side forever… I would never, ever let you go…”

                “Then don’t.” Key’s voice was soft and heavy with emotion as the two words filtered through the small space between us.

                I glanced up at him, my vision blurred with tears. He took a step closer to me and gently wiped the tears from my face.

                “W-what…?” I whispered. Don’t what…? What was he talking about?

                He leaned in close, until his lips brushed against my ear. “Don’t let me go,” he whispered, his breath raising goose bumps along my neck. “Stay by my side forever and don’t ever, ever let me go.” He slowly wound his fingers into my hair, and my entire body involuntarily froze.

                Did he… Did he love me back? Was it really possible that he felt the same way…? The thought, coupled with his breath against my skin, set my heart racing, and a thousand different thoughts fought for dominance in my head.

                My eyes slipped closed as he brought his hand up to my chin, tilting my face upward. As his lips pressed softly against mine, he once again wound his hands into my hair, and a spark of pure lightning shot through my heart. My head spun with what I could only describe as pure, absolute ecstasy, and I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

                His lips curled into a smile as I leaned into the kiss, causing him to take a small step backward. He pulled away and laughed softly, his breath playing across my lips. “Calm down or I’ll fall over,” he whispered, trailing a hand absently down the side of my face.

                I felt my face heat up, and I took a hesitant step back, unlocking my hands from around his neck. “Sorry…,” I said softly.

                He laughed again and grabbed my hand, pulling me close and pressing his lips against my forehead. “I never said I wanted you to go, pabo.”

                I laced my fingers tightly through his and stepped back toward the bed, pulling him down beside me. I brought the blankets up under our chins as he turned toward me and pressed his lips against my neck.

                “I love you, Jonghyun,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his head on my chest. “I’ve loved you for such a long time, and I will love you until the day I die.”

                My breath caught in my throat as his whispered words hung in the darkness. My frenzied heartbeat was deafening in the silent room, and my head felt unbelievably light. It was suddenly as if every tiny thing that had ever been wrong in my life vanished, and all I could remember was this. This moment was all there had ever been and all that there would ever be, for now, and for eternity. Nothing else mattered. To have Key here, in my arms, safe, happy, and loved, was the single most important thing in all of history.

                “I love you, Key,” I whispered back, pulling him close and gently kissing the top of his head. “For now and for eternity. I will never let you go.”

                “Promise me,” he mumbled, his voice growing slow with fatigue.

                I brought my lips to his ear and brushed his hair from his eyes. “I promise you, Kim Kibum, that I will cherish and adore you for as long as I live. And if there is any existence after that, whether it be in heaven or in hell, I will love you then.” I brushed my lips against his cheek. “And don’t you forget it.”

                He sighed contentedly and wrapped his arms more tightly around me. I rested my cheek against the top of his head and absently ran my fingers through his hair, enjoying the absolute bliss that coursed through my veins before I eventually fell into a deep, untroubled sleep.

       I'M SO SORRY~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!  >.<

It's been so long... *tears*  I'm really sorry about that...

But I hope this chapter makes up for it! At least a little... >.<

I worked very hard on it and even neglected my math homework muahaha >.<

And thanks to  xxjenjaexx for the frying pan idea. ^;^   It helped a lot haha~  <3

And thanks to CHEESECAKETATTOO86 for bugging me to update. ^;^  It really gives me motivation haha <3

Anyways~ I LOVE YOU ALL~~~~ Thanks so much for sticking with this story~!

Let me know what you think~  ^;^  <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3