“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” buzzed a cheerful voice over the loud speaker, and the crowd appropriately responded with a chorus of delighted screams and chants, drowning out whatever the joyful announcer had been saying. Eun-Ae leaned forward slightly as forms began to spill out onto the ice, a few of them waving graciously to their adoring fans before skating gracefully to their positions. The announcer was blabbering facts about players she had no idea about, but the man in question appeared on the massive overhead screen hanging from the domed ceiling. They all seemed to have very impressive achievements, and Eun-Ae found herself wondering for a moment if she had never been stricken with cancer if she would have become a famous athlete. For a time, she had dabbled in school sports teams, but nothing had really grabbed her interest.

“Ah, and number 11 there is our star of the show! He was recruited earlier this season to begin training as an Olympic athlete! Let’s show him our national pride, everyone!” The man that appeared on the giant screen seemed young, not much older than Eun-Ae and the boys themselves, and even through the hockey mask you could see that he was blushing brightly as he waved at the crowd. Their cheers were positively thunderous. He looks so happy, like his dream came true, she thought at the elated smile on the boy's face. It then occurred to her that she didn’t recall ever having a dream.

“What’s with that weird look on your face?” Key asked suddenly. It seemed that whatever gloom that had been lingering around him all day had subsided for the time being, for when she turned to face him he was casually sitting in the chair, with his cheek propped in his hand while gazing curiously at her. Eun-Ae was now the one who felt gloomy. She didn’t answer for a moment as she glanced down at her lap, struck by the thought that her life had amounted to nothing.

“I was just thinking… How nice it must be to have a dream,” she whispered, her voice barely audible in the booming coliseum. Key’s eyes widened slightly at that, and he shifted uncomfortably, sitting up straight and wringing his hands together while he searched for a response. They both stared out at the ice rink, watching as the hockey puck was flung into the air and the two men of opposite teams fought with one another in a brief struggle to claim it. The boy, number 11, managed to swipe it from his opponent and went careening down the field.

“Yeah. It is nice to have a dream,” Key remarked as the young boy scored and the stadium erupted into screams. Minho and Taemin jumped up in excitement, then blushed brightly when an angry old woman in the row ahead of them stood up and cursed at them for spilling popcorn into her hair. After the brief altercation, Key smiled gently at his rowdy friends. “It’s their dreams that keep them going. They all want to make music and make people happy… A worthy dream if there ever was one.”

“Isn’t that your dream too?” she asked him, and when he looked back at her, he was wearing an expression that made her heart race. The pity that had been clouding his eyes was gone now, replaced with that familiar heat that sent electricity dancing through her. Is he back? She thought.

“It was, at a time. I have a different one now, though,” he remarked with a slight smirk, and before she could even ask what it was, he leaned forward, over her armrest, until their faces were a mere inches apart. “My dream is to make you the happiest girl on Earth, Eun-Ae,” he murmured, and then he kissed her, passionately, like it was only them and they weren’t surrounded by thousands upon thousands of strangers. It was the moment she had been waiting for, and she didn’t even have the sense to blush or be embarrassed; completely oblivious, she closed her eyes and relished the feeling of his mouth moving against hers, of his hand slowly migrating up her arm and over her shoulder and past her neck to tangle in her hair. Every touch sent a fire through her body, warming her in a way she couldn’t put into words. I love this man, she thought as the happiness began to grow inside her, and then the bubble burst when she heard Jonghyun snorting with laughter.

“Smile!” she heard Onew cry, followed by the shutter of a cell phone camera. Then she had the sense to grow dark red, and she jerked back from Key with a start. Onew had squeezed his way into the small ask me to crouch in front of them, and was holding his phone up to snap another picture. Minho, Taemin, and Jonghyun were all giggling like mad, on the point of tears as they stamped their feet and held their bellies.

“It’s not funny!” she protested as she shrunk down into her seat, growing an entire shade darker.

“Oh, it’s funny!” Minho howled.

“You looked like you were enjoying it, Eun-Ae,” Taemin added with a snort, then collapsed on the floor with another fit of giggles.

“See how you like it when I interrupt you guys kissing your girlfriend!” Key snapped as he went to snatch the phone away from Onew, but the boy pranced away from him and skipped back down the aisle to plop into his seat. The others boys crowded around to gush over their trophy, while Key fumed and Eun-Ae wished nothing more to crawl into a dark hole and live out the rest of her days.

Then her eyes widened in shock.

He… Called me his girlfriend! She realized abruptly, and she glanced at Key, trying not to let her happiness show. Apparently, it did, because when his eyes trailed back to her he cocked an eyebrow at her. “What?”

“You called me your girlfriend,” she smiled stupidly. He blinked, then smiled softly, shifting in the chair so that he was leaning close to her side.

“Yeah. That’s what you are, aren’t you? Or am I just misinformed?” he teased gently. His hand found its way into hers, their fingers lacing together perfectly. Key. My boyfriend, she thought giddily as she gazed into his eyes- his passionate, alluring eyes. She had never realized how beautiful they were, dark as night but still shining with a peculiar light. He’s the light in my darkness.

“Oi, so are you guys gonna watch this game or just each other? Because I want a refund!” came a jeer from Jonghyun, followed by another round of hysterical giggling. She and Key sighed in unison and returned their attention to the hockey game, but their hands remained locked together.

The game was entertaining once she started paying attention to it. The Olympic boy, whose name was Lee, was quite an outstanding player, and so it was easy to see how he had earned his way onto the national team. Any time he claimed the puck, he scored, and he was also quite intense on defense, barely giving the opponent a chance to move a few feet before he was on them like a tiger on its prey. Eun-Ae found herself jumping up and shouting too, after a while, and even though she was breathless and sweaty, she was exhilarated.

When half-time came around, she flopped down into her seat and fanned herself with her hand.

“Ah, that was fun! Even though that Lee is so good, the score is close! Ah! I can’t wait to see what happens!” she squealed in anticipation, wriggling in the chair. Key laughed at her, then rose from his seat to hop out onto the stairs.

“Do you want some water, Eun-Ae? I’ll go get you one,” he asserted without waiting for an answer, then shoved his hands in his pockets and began marching down the stairs. She watched him go with a smile on her face, then went red when she turned to find the four other boys all jostled around Key's empty seat with expectant grins on their faces.

“What?” she whined.

“You and Key!” Taemin cried and promptly wrapped her in a hug. “Do you know how long we've been waiting for this to happen?”

“Forever!” Onew affirmed with a nod of the head. Eun-Ae was mildly confused, and she cocked her head to the side.

“What do you mean?” she inquired.

“Only that Key has had a crush on you for pretty much ever,” Minho answered simply, crossing his arms as he gazed down at her. The thought made her strangely happy. He had a crush on me for that long? She had thought it strange how their romance had developed in such a short time, but she had thought it was just because they were the best of friends already, and the step to an item was short.

“So? Is he a good kisser?” Taemin asked abruptly, and she bopped him on the head as she reeled with embarrassment.

“I’m not answering that!” she cried hotly.

“So he’s not a good kisser?” Onew blinked, taking her mortification to mean that she was not impressed with their friend's performance.

“That’s not what I said!” she cried defensively.

“So he is a good kisser!” Taemin grinned stupidly, and she pulled at her hair in frustration. They began laughing, indicating that they were only teasing her like they always did. They battered back and forth until Key returned none the wiser, and the six of them chattered non-stop until the game resumed. Sipping on her water and watching the men re the ice, Eun-Ae suddenly found herself grateful for their presence again.

I think I may have a dream after all, she thought with a small smile. I don’t have much time here… But while I am here, I want to make them happy, too. I want to give them the best memories of their lives… So they can go on and make their dreams come true.