Why do I keep thinking about Key?

"Jonghyun Hyung!"

Oh god now I am hearing his voice! *Sigh* Such a beautiful sound... Suddenly he felt a hand on his sholder.

"Are you ok?" Jonghyun jumped at the sight of Key.  He had not seen him since Friday, and Key was prettier than he remembered.  He looked directly into Key's eyes.

"Uh... y-yeah, you just startled me, thats all."

"Oh, I'm sorry."  Key's smile faded with his words.  This made Jonghyun sad.

"It's ok. What's up?" The smile returned and Jonghyun smiled along with him.  They started to walk in the direction Jonghyun had just been heading. 

"I just got out of my Math class.  I am on my way to my design class now. Then I have lit with Minho.  It's a really good thing a took a picture of that cake before I took it to Micha's house."  Key laughed.  What a beautiful sound... GAH, snap out of it Jonghyun!.. I feel funny.  I must be getting dehydrated. Yes that's it...  

"Hey guys!" Taemin came jogging over.

"Taeminnie!" Key gave a high pitched squeak and threw his arms up in the air before wrapping them around Taemin's neck.  Jonghyun clenched his fists and bit down on his tounge as a wave of jealousy surged through him.  He relaxed his muscles as Key pulled away and looked at his watch. "Oh no. I am going to be late! Bye Taemin, bye hyung." Key threw the last words over his shoulder as he ran away.

Jonghyun could feel Taemin's eyes on him. "What?" he asked without taking his eyes off of Key's retreating figure.

"You really like him, dont you?" Jonghyun looked at Taemin's expression, it was calm. 

"L-like? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? OF COURSE I DONT!"

"I see the way you look at him, and it was written all over his face when he hugged me."

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY THINK THAT? HE'S...A...A...he's a he..."

"There is this thing, you know, called being gay."

"ARE YOU CALLING ME GAY?!?"

"It is nothing to be ashamed of."

"But-"

"I have a class to get to.  See you later, Hyung! Hwaiting!" With that Taemin strolled off casually.  Jonghyun felt his legs start to give way underneath him.  He moved to the bench and sat down.

Can he be right?  I mean, I have been thinking a lot about Key... But I CAN'T be! I had a girlfriend before! But that didn't go too well, did it?.... Have I always felt this way about him? His thoughts took him back to middle school yet again.

"Is that us?" Jonghyun was looking at the picture Key had painted and given to him.

"Yeah. We will be friends forever, right?"

 That was the class before lunch, on the last day Jonghyun had seen Key. This thought made him shudder.  He now reached into his bookbag beside him and pulled a small tattered piece of paper out of the front pocket.  He unfolded it and looked at the painting of himself with his arm around Key. He folded it up and stuck it back in the front pocket of his bag.  He shook his head to clear it. "What does Taemin know? Crazy kid... I should get him an appointment for a psychiatrist."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Should we go get some lunch?" Minho asked Micha.  They had only been practicing for a half hour but Minho decided that he should spend some time getting to know his new friend instead of spending three more hours beating her at soccer.  They had spent a lot of time all week out on the field, but running around like that did not allow for much talking.

"Sure, I am starving! Can we go to the chicken place?"

"You mean Mexicana? Sure."

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

"I'll get it for you."  Micha had a plate in front of her piled high with extra helpings of chicken.

"Are you sure?" she asked as Minho pulled out his wallet. 

"Yeah, no problem." Just then something flashed in the light. It was his platinum credit card. Ahh, crap! Why do I even carry that around anymore? Glancing out of the corner of his eye, hoping Micha hadn't seen, he quickly pulled out a bill and flipped the wallet shut. Then he noticed that he had pulled out a 50,000 won note.  Hoping that Micha would not be paying attention, he handed it over then grabbed his food and pushed Micha toward the tables, saying "Keep the change." as he went. 

"But sir..." the guy at the counter called after him.  He turned toward the guy so that Micha couldn't see and he put a finger up to his lips.

"Put it in the tip jar!" he called before rushing towards the far side of the room.

"Did you just give him a 50,000?"

"What? No. It was 5,000 won."

"Uhuh..."

Micha still looked suspicious so Minho changed the subject.  "You know, I don't know very much about you. Other than the fact that you play soccer and you are a freshman who just turned 19. What is your major?"

"I am a vocal major."

"Oh wow. That's awesome, following your dream... do you know what I have always wanted to do?"

"What?"

Minho leaned in close to her, as much as sitting across the table would permit and whispered "rap."

"Wow, really? Would you do one for me?"

Minho laughed nervously.  "Here? In public...?"

"Please, oppa?"

"I'll do it later, when we're not in public, I promise."

"Ok, I am holding you to that."

Minho placed his hand on his chest "I am a man of my word."

She giggled. Now that Minho was taking the time to sit down with her, he really noticed her for the first time. He saw the way that her shiny, brown hair contoured her face and fell gracefully to her shoulders. Her milky white skin looked smooth and he was filled with an urge to reach out and touch her cheek. Calm down, Minho...but, omo... she's so pretty.

"Why are you looking at me like that, oppa?"

Minho realized that he had been staring at her.  "Oh sorry. I was reading that poster behind you." Good save, now she will think you are a jerk who dosen't pay attention when she talks. Idiot...

"You seem a little tense, Minho oppa. Are you alright?" she asked. Minho nervously tugged at the thin gold chain around his neck as he insisted that he was fine.

"What's this?" Micha asked, reaching for the chain and pulling the charm out from behind his shirt. It was a golden heart with a trail of daimonds through the middle. On the back was an inscription: Smile and the world will smile back.

"Ohh, this is very nice. Did your girlfriend give this to you?" Micha asked. Minho could not help but notice how close her face was now. He could see the flecks of emerald around the edges of her caramel brown eyes. 

"My girlfriend? No, no. I don't have a girlfriend. This was from my parents." Micha beamed and thought, Haha! Yes. No girlfriend...

"That's sweet. Do you miss them while you're here at school?" Micha asked. 

"I miss them very much..." 

"I've only been gone for a few weeks and I miss my parents." she laughed. Minho gave a small chuckle and tucked his necklace back into his shirt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Key was putting his fourteen or so years of art experience to work in a doodle, while in his head he played back the conversation he had with Jonghyun earlier, before Taemin showed up.  He looked upset about something... I wonder what it could have been.  But then he smiled at me... God I love his smile! He is just SO- Ouch!  Something had just hit him hard in the back.  He turned around to glare at Minho who pointed to the front of the classroom.  Key turned and saw the teacher standing there, glaring him down. The professor cleared his throat, arms crossed. 

"Oh..."  Key glanced at the board hoping for some help. 

Literary Strageties

Well that's not much help... "Um... 'Beowulf the bold battle slayer' is an example of an alliteration."

A confused and displeased look crossed the teacher's face.  Key, used to seeing this, knew it meant that he was right. 

"Yah," Minho whispered behind him. "Were you actually paying attention?"

"Not at all."

"Then... how did you do that?"

Key suppressed a giggle.  "It's a gift. That's why they call me Key." He smiled at his nickname, before turning back to his doodle.

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

Key sat down at an empty table with his bowl of bibimbap.  After about five minutes, two people noisily sat down at the table next to him. 

"Did you hear that someone got hurt on campus today?" Key overheard the guy say. His ears perked up.

"No I didn't," the girl answered, "do you know anything about it?"

"They had to call an ambulance and everything! I don't know what happened, all I know is that it was that freshman dance major I see all the time. He's always unreasonably happy. I think his name is Taemin."

"WHAT?" Key yelled, making the two students jump. He jumped to his feet and ran for the door, not offering any explanation. Once he was at the bus stop he pulled out his phone.  Minho doesn't have class right now. Key dialed his number.

*Ring Ring*

Minho dug his phone out of his pocket as it played the familiar tone.

"Yeobose-"

"Quick." He was cut off by Key's voice. "Taemin is in the hospital.  Tell the others."  Minho's left hand shot to his chest and wrapped around the heart at the end of the chain that was underneath his shirt.  His thoughts drifted back to when he was 12 years old.

Minho's appa was squatting down in front of him.  "We have to go now son. Remember what we always tell you." His father handed him a golden heart with a long chain attatched to it.  It said the very thing that he was just told to remember. Smile and the world will smile back. He had always been a shy kid and his parents told him that if he oppened up, people would love him as much as they did. He looked up at his parents. They both kissed him on the forehead.

"Do you have to go?" he whined.  It was the first time they had ever gone on vacation without him.  His uncle was coming over tomorrow to stay with him.  Minho didn't like his uncle. He was only intrested in their money.  

"We won't be gone long, dear." his umma answered. "Be good for your uncle."

"We love you" his dad said as he pulled the door shut behind him.

Three days after that, they got a phone call.

*Ring Ring*

Butler Lee answered the phone, then came to find Minho. "Minho, do you know where your uncle went?"

"He said he was going to the bar again." Butler Lee rolled his eyes. He was not so fond of the uncle either. Minho had always liked Butler Lee. 

"Well your parents are on the phone." Minho stretched out his hand to take it.

"Yeoboseyo!"

"Honey, we are coming home early!" His parents were on speaker phone, talking at the same time. "We should be home late tonight so we will see you in the morning."

His memory jumped ahead four hours.

*Ring Ring*

Minho, who had been falling in and out of sleep while waiting for his parents to get back home, woke to the sound of the phone.

He heard Butler Lee answer. "Yeobose- What?" Minho heard the phone hit the reciever then Butler Lee was waking him up. "Come on, Kiddo, let's go get in the car."

"What's going on?" Minho asked as he was lifted from the bed and carried outside.

"I'll explain on the way."  Once they were in the car and on the road, Butler Lee started to talk.

"Minho... the plane... the plane that your parrents were on... the engine failed. It crashed."

"But... but..." 

"They are in critical condition in a hospital.  We are going there now."

They sat in silence for forty-five minutes. Minho's heart was racing.

*Ring Ring*

Minho jumped at the sound of the phone.  

"Yeoboseyo?" Butler Lee listened as he drove and Minho watched him anxiously.  He hung up the phone without saying anything and tears started to fall down his face.  He pulled the car over.

"Minho..." His voice broke. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Minho, they... they didn't make it."

"No... no. It can't be right. You're lying. Why are you lying to me Butler Lee?"

Minho shook his head. "Taemin..." He had only just met the kid, but he was almost as scared as he had been that night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors note from JinJae:

You must hate us now. I do!

Poor Minho!

So now you know his secret...

But Taemin is in the hospital!

What could have happened to him?

I gues you will have to keep reading to find out...