Onew’s POV

                “Here you go, oppa.”

                I glanced up as Mi Sun’s cheerful voice pulled me from my thoughts. She was standing directly in front of the sun, throwing her face into deep shadow and creating a bright, otherworldly aura around her silhouette. She looked like some sort of fallen angel, and the plate of food she carried in her hands made her appear even more perfect.

                Chicken.

                I smiled as she set the plate on the hard metal surface of the picnic table. “You didn’t have to do that.”

                She shrugged. “I know how much you love chicken. Now hurry and eat it before it gets cold, okay?”

                I laughed and hastily bit into the first piece I laid eyes on. Mi Sun watched me for a few seconds, then rested her chin in her hand and stared pensively into the distance.

                “Something wrong?” I asked, picking up a handful of napkins and quickly running them over my fingers. “Are you still having trouble with your lines?”

                She shook her head, causing her short, choppy hair to fly into her face. “Ani, ani, it’s not that. The practice we did today really helped. I’m just…thinking about Jonghyun and Key.”

                I smiled involuntarily at her concern. Mi Sun had always been a confident, slightly conceited individual, and it was rare for her to show any sort of worry for another person.

                “Well, from what you told me, Jonghyun finally figured it out,” I said, mentally congratulating myself on my overwhelming success. My plan had been absolutely flawless.

                “That doesn’t mean he did anything about it, oppa,” she grumbled irritably, absently twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

                I froze. All right, so maybe it hadn’t been completely flawless.

                “But… He finally realized it. He wouldn’t keep those feelings inside, would he? That’s so stupid. Key obviously feels the same way…”

                “It isn’t obvious to him. Think about it, oppa. They’re best friends. Jonghyun probably doesn’t want to risk ruining their friendship by confessing. Imagine how awkward things would be if Key didn’t feel the same way.”

                “But he does!” I said loudly, throwing my hands up in exasperation.

                “Jonghyun doesn’t know that!” Mi Sun retorted, just as loudly. A group of friends sitting at the table next to us shot us annoyed glances before returning to their card game.

                “But how could he not see it?” I continued in a more subdued tone. Images of Key’s obvious displays of affection flashed through my head. “Neither of them hide it very well.”

                “They’re in denial,” Mi Sun explained. “Or Jonghyun was, at least. Imagine how you would feel if you suddenly realized you were in love with Minho or Taemin. Wouldn’t you instantly deny something like that?”

                I rested my chin on my hand and tried to imagine what that would be like. What my entire life would be like if I was in love with anyone but Mi Sun. “Well, ne. I guess I would. That would be really strange and unexpected…”

                “Exactly.” She nodded vigorously. “That must be how Jonghyun was feeling. He thought he was a straight playboy, and all of a sudden Key shows up and his entire world is flipped upside down.”

                “But Jonghyun isn’t in denial anymore,” I said slowly. “You helped him figure it out. So now you think he’s just worried about ruining the friendship?”

                “Ne. I bet that’s exactly what he’s worried about.”

                I ran a hand through my hair and let out an exasperated breath. “God, those two are stubborn. I had no idea it would be this difficult. I don’t know what else to do…”

                Mi Sun shook her head and placed her palms against the tabletop. “Don’t do anything else, oppa. Let them go from here, all right? They’ll figure it out. I think Jonghyun is too impulsive to keep it inside forever. Not to mention, he can be a bit slow. He’ll probably just let it slip accidentally because he forgot to restrain himself.”

                I laughed lightly. She was right about that. “Okay, okay. I’ll let them handle it. I think the worst part is behind us now. It was so hard to see them like that… Always fighting and on-edge. Hopefully Jonghyun will be a bit nicer now that he’s realized it all.”

                I jumped slightly as Mi Sun gently patted the back of my hand. “I’m sure it’ll get better, oppa.” She smirked and brushed her hair back. “But see? This is what happens when you worry about other people too much. It’s so much easier to just focus on yourself.”

                “Yah, you’ve been worrying about them, too! Don’t think I can’t see it.” I stuck my tongue out at her.

                A look of pure sadness flashed through her eyes for the briefest of instants. “There are a lot of things you don’t see, oppa,” she muttered softly, pulling her script from her bag and studying it intently. My heart contracted painfully at the barely concealed loneliness in her voice. What had she meant by that? What didn’t I see?

                “Mi Sun-ah…”

                She looked up from the worn pages of her script and stuck her tongue out at me. “Let’s get back to rehearsing, oppa. I need to practice this soliloquy more, there’s this one bit that’s absolutely killing me…”

                I gazed at her silently for a few seconds, trying to gauge her emotions. She was always hiding something from me; I had known her long enough to see that. It frustrated me immensely that I wasn’t able to figure out what it was.

                I sighed. “Okay, do you want to start from the beginning, or just focus on the soliloquy for a while?”

                She bit her lip and rifled through the pages quickly. I smiled. She always bit her lip when she was focusing intently on something, and it was one of the many things I loved about her.

                “Let’s start from the beginning,” she said with a nod.

                I pulled my script from my bag and read my lines carefully, keeping a close eye on her and trying, for the thousandth time, to decipher the complicated emotions that were always written across her face.

Key’s POV

                I opened my eyes slowly, squinting as blinding sunlight filtered in through the blinds and struck me across the face. I grumbled under my breath and rolled over. I was still exhausted; not nearly ready to get up.

                “Yah, it’s time to wake up, sleepyhead.”

                I froze as Jonghyun’s soft voice came from directly behind me. He reached over and wrapped his arm securely around my waist, pulling me back against his chest and burying his face in my hair. Every single second of the night before crashed back down into my consciousness, and I felt my face heat up. Jonghyun was in love with me…

                “I don’t want to wake up,” I mumbled.

                He chuckled softly. “Did you have a nice dream that you’d like to return to?”

                I rolled over again and rested my head on his chest, wrapping my arms around him securely. “No. No dream is better than this.”

                He kissed my forehead lightly. “So do you really want to go back to sleep, then?”

                I sighed. “I guess I don’t. I’m just tired, is all. I’m guessing it wouldn’t be okay for us to simply lie like this all day?”

                “I’d like to,” he whispered. “But no, I’m sure my umma has some kind of plan laid out for us today.”

                A light knock on the door made us both jump, and before we could move away from each other, Jonghyun’s mother walked into the room.

                “Speak of the devil,” Jonghyun muttered under his breath.

                The grin on his mother’s face was one of joy mixed with a bit of triumph when she saw us lying next to each other. Jonghyun sighed in exasperation and pulled away from me.

                “Sorry if I interrupted something,” she said with a smirk. “I just wanted to let you know that breakfast is ready, and I won’t settle for either of you skipping it. So get downstairs before it gets cold. You have the rest of your lives to spend together; I think you can handle keeping your hands off of each other for thirty minutes, can’t you?” With that, she turned and walked out the door.

                “I can eat breakfast in less than thirty minutes!” Jonghyun called after her, sticking his tongue out at the empty doorframe.

                I sat up slowly, his mother’s words ringing in my ears. “You have the rest of your lives to spend together.” I hadn’t thought about it that way before…

                “Is something wrong, Key?” Jonghyun’s voice, soft and heavy with concern, pulled me from my musings. “Sorry, my umma can be a bit annoying…”

                I shook my head. “She… She said that we can spend our entire lives together…” The thought made my heart race. Every morning could be like this one. I could wake up in Jonghyun’s arms, with my face being struck by sunlight instead of my father’s hand. I could wake up to a hot, home-cooked breakfast instead of shouts, breaking glass, and an empty pantry. I could be happy again. An overwhelming wave of longing shot through my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I wanted it so incredibly badly…

                “Hey…” Jonghyun’s warm fingers brushed away my tears. He wrapped his arms around me once again, and I buried my face in the fabric of his T-shirt. “Of course we can spend our entire lives together, pabo. What were you thinking?”

                “Sorry,” I whispered, rubbing my eyes furiously. “I didn’t mean to-”

                “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. Cry if you need to. I’ll still be right here.”

                I shook my head again. “It’s just… I’m so…happy here. I don’t want to leave…” I could feel Jonghyun’s entire body tense. He tightened his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head.

                “You aren’t going to leave,” he said forcefully. “I’m not letting you go back there.”

                “Jjong, I can’t just stay here…”

                “Yes you can. We have a guest bedroom. I’ll talk my umma into letting you have it. We can go pick up your furniture when nobody is home. You’re eighteen; you don’t need your parents’ permission to leave.”

                I bit my lip. Could it really be that simple? Would his parents really let me stay? Would it be that easy for me to put all of my problems behind me?

                Jonghyun kissed the top of my head and laced his fingers through mine. “Come on. My umma will throw a fit if we don’t go down to breakfast soon.”

                I nodded silently and allowed him to lead me down the stairs.

                “…probable cause. We’re technically allowed a warrantless search and arrest in a situation like this.” Jonghyun’s father’s voice carried up the stairs. I cringed. I had forgotten that he was the police chief. He had seen my father that night… He had seen me and my mother…

                The conversation ceased when we entered the kitchen. Jonghyun’s father stared at me for a brief instant, taking in my entire appearance before pushing his chair back from the table and emptying his plate into the trashcan. I kept my gaze locked on my feet as Jonghyun led me to the table.

                I sat down without a word and stared blankly at the plate of food Jonghyun set before me. His father would probably want to know details… He would ask me questions… What had they done that night? Had they started an investigation? Had they taken him in for questioning?

                “Key,” Jonghyun whispered from his place beside me. “Don’t worry about it. Just eat.”

                I sighed and began methodically eating the absolute mountain of pancakes that sat before me. How did his mother expect me to eat all of this? How would his father bring up the subject…? Would I even be able to talk about it…? I had never spoken about it to anyone…

                “I thought your sister was coming to visit from Busan,” Jonghyun said, eyeing his mother suspiciously over the pitcher of syrup that sat in the middle of the table. “Isn’t she still here?”

                His mother smirked and waved a hand dismissively. “Really, Jonghyun, can’t you spot a lie when you see one? We didn’t repaint the guest bedroom, either, in case you were wondering.”

                Jonghyun sighed and nodded. “I figured as much, to be honest.”

                “Well it worked, didn’t it?” His mother replied hotly, gesturing to our intertwined hands on the tabletop. I blushed and pulled my hand from Jonghyun’s grip.

                “Ne,” Jonghyun said with a smile, grabbing my hand and lacing his fingers through mine once more. “So… I guess… Thank you, umma. For everything.”

                She grinned. “Oh, it was no problem, really. It’s just nice to see you happy, dear.”

                We finished breakfast quickly, and Jonghyun took both of our plates, merely shaking his head when I protested and tried to take mine myself. As we headed back upstairs, Jonghyun’s father’s voice carried to us from the living room.

                “Jonghyun. Could you and Key come in here for a second?”

                I froze. No, I definitely wasn’t ready for this. Not now. I glanced up at Jonghyun, hoping that the fear was evident in my eyes.

                Jonghyun’s eyes slipped closed and he sighed. “Um… Is it really that important, appa?”

                His father’s voice was forceful. “Ne. It’ll only be for a few minutes.”

                “Jjong,” I whispered. “I know what this is about… I can’t… I can’t do it…”

                Jonghyun’s grip around my hand tightened. “If it makes you too uncomfortable, we’ll leave. I promise. I’m not going to make you stay if it’s hurting you, all right? We’ll just go see what he wants.”

                I took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

                We entered the living room quietly and sat down on the couch. Jonghyun’s father turned toward us, resting his elbows on his knees. He clasped and unclasped his hands repeatedly, evidently thinking of where to begin.

                “So… Key. You know…that I’m the police chief…right?”

                I nodded mutely.

                “And you know…that I was there that night? And I saw you…and your mother and your father…”

                I closed my eyes and nodded again.

                “Do you know what happened after that? After we took you to the hospital?”

                I cleared my throat. “No, sir. I don’t.”

                “Well, we took your father in for questioning. We didn’t get much out of him, but we had enough probable cause to search your house. Again, we didn’t find much. A bunch of alcohol, but we can’t get him for that. It was all perfectly legal. And so now… We need to gather evidence. Anything we can.”

                He knew. He knew too much. He knew everything. “But…,” I began. My voice was weak and soft. I cleared my throat again. “If you had that much probable cause, why didn’t you just arrest him then? I know enough about the law to know that warrantless arrests are legal in suspected domestic violence cases.”

                Jonghyun’s father nodded. “Yes, they are. You’re right about that. But you also have to remember, that is a guideline, not a rule. There was, according to the rest of the officers, enough probable cause to search. Not enough to arrest, especially because the search didn’t give us anything. And also, when it comes to warrantless arrests, you have to take into account the possibility that the victims could be lying. And, like you said, it was a suspected domestic violence case. Not confirmed.”

                “What about the possibility that the suspect could be lying?” I said, the anger in my voice barely contained.

                “We took that into account, too. But we haven’t questioned you or your mother yet. Once we have more information, we’ll be able to come to a more concrete decision.”

                I stared at my feet and didn’t reply. Jonghyun squeezed my hand reassuringly.

                “So, would you be okay with me asking you a few questions about this?”

                “Appa,” Jonghyun began. I could feel his gaze on me. “This is a really…sensitive topic-”

                “This doesn’t concern you, son. Let Key answer for himself.”

                “Whatever concerns Key, concerns me,” Jonghyun replied forcefully. “You have to think about the pain this subject puts him through.”

                “You guys don’t know anything about it,” I said softly. “For all you know, my father was telling the truth and my home life is fantastic.”

                Jonghyun’s father leaned forward. “Well, was your father telling the truth?”

                I took a deep breath. Sure, they knew part of the story. But they had no idea what the rest of it was like. I had kept it inside for five years. Was I really ready to spill the entire story to a man I barely knew?

                I shook my head as tears began to build in my eyes. “No,” I whispered. “He wasn’t.”

                Jonghyun’s father nodded. “This is a good start. If I ever ask you something that’s too difficult to answer, feel free to keep quiet. You have that right.”

                I nodded and hastily brushed the tears from my eyes.

                “So, let’s begin with the obvious one.” Jonghyun’s father leaned forward again. “Does your father abuse you, Key?”

                I took a deep breath before realizing that I didn’t trust my voice to not betray my overwhelming mix of emotions. Instead, I nodded, keeping my eyes on the carpet.

                “And how long has this been going on?”

                I felt Jonghyun tense beside me. The room filled with a crushing silence that broke only when I took a shaky breath. The tears began to build again.

                “Five years,” I whispered.

                I heard Jonghyun catch his breath, and his fingers began to shake ever so slightly. I tightened my grip on his hand.

                His father’s eyes widened in surprise. “That long…,” he said softly. He glanced up at me. “Key, would you be willing to come down to the station so we could conduct this interview more formally? There are some people there who need to hear about this, and we need to record it for use as possible evidence in the case.”

                I looked over at Jonghyun. His eyes were cold; filled with a dark fury that made me flinch. He shouldn’t have been here for that… He didn’t need to hear this.

                “Yes…that’s fine,” I said quietly.

                “Key,” Jonghyun whispered, turning to look at me with tear-filled eyes. “You don’t have to do this-”

                “Yes, I do, Jjong. It’s time someone heard about this. Just…just let me go. I think I’ll feel better if I finally talk about it.”

                “I’ll come with you,” he said quickly, standing up and pulling me with him.

                I pulled my hand from his gently. “No, Jonghyun, you won’t. I can do this on my own. I need to do this on my own.” I looked up at him, and his breath caught when he saw the desperation in my eyes. “I don’t want you to get dragged into this. Do you understand that?”

                His eyes closed, and he nodded. “Just be careful, okay?” With that, he leaned down, kissed me on the forehead, and headed up the stairs.

                His father gestured for me to follow him. I slipped my shoes on in the entryway and followed him out the door, my heart heavy with the burden of all the secrets I had never said to a single soul.

      Aish~! Sorry its been so long, guys >.<

This is a pretty long chapter, though, so I hope it makes up for it ^-^

And yay~! Mi Sun's mystery master-plan-guy has been revealed~!

For all of you who guessed it was Onew already... good job. ^-^

Maybe this means my writing is boringly predictable. Haha XP

And sorry to all of you who are well-versed in law...

I don't know much about the legal system >.<

And I know NOTHING about the South Korean legal system... except for what I learned from City Hunter haha >.<

So this is based on what I know about American law, and even then it's probably a flawed interpretation... XP

So please don't tear it apart haha >.<  I'll try not to bring it up much~

Enjoy it for what it is ^-^

Let me know what you thought of this chapter~~

Comments are love and happiness and joy and lots of other good things ^-^

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3