It had been a week and a half with Taemin in a coma when Key got a phone call from the hospital. This was his first call from them since the accident. He looked over at Jonghyun, who was sitting at his computer, working on some sort of economics homework.

            “It’s them, Jjong, what do I do?” Key whimpered.

            “Just pick it up, Kibum, it’s obviously important. I’m here for you,” Jonghyun said, getting up from his desk to sit next to Key. Key took a deep breath and hit the “talk” button.

            “Hello?”

            “Key-ssi?”

            “Yes,” Key replied.

            “Key-ssi, I have some news for you,” the nurse said. Key’s heart beat fast, the adrenaline pumping through his veins like never before.

            “Y-yes?” he stuttered. Please don’t make this what I think it is, please, please, please…

            “Taemin-ssi is awake.”

            “WHAT?” Key yelled. Jonghyun jumped, looking anxiously at Key, who began to hyperventilate.

            “Yes, Taemin-ssi is awake, and he’s doing quite well considering the circumstances. Would you like to come see him?”

            “OF COURSE,” Key cried. He hardly noticed the tears falling from his eyes as he hung up the phone. “Jjong,” he sobbed.

            “Oh, Kibum, I’m—”

            “He’s okay!”

            “What?”

            “He’s awake, he’s alive, and he’s doing well! Come on, come on, we have to go see him.”

            “Well, yeah, of course we do, let’s go then!” They jumped up and grabbed their light jackets before running out of the dorm. They made it to the hospital in record time. The place seemed cheerier suddenly. The walls seemed to have changed from their sickly gray into cotton white, and the floors that used to make Key think of vomit suddenly looked beautiful. Key pushed open the door to Taemin’s room and stepped past the doctors to give Taemin a hug.

            “Oh, Taeminnie, Taeminnie, I’m so happy you’re okay, I missed you so much, how are you feeling?” he asked tearfully. He pulled away from Taemin and looked him over. He looked skinnier and paler, and his hair still looked like a mess, but the thing that bothered Key the most was the blank smile on Taemin’s grayish face.

            “Uh, sorry, who are you again?” Taemin asked. Key chuckled nervously. He looked at Jonghyun, who shrugged, and then back at Taemin.

            “Very funny, pretending not to know your own Key-umma.”

            “Uh…I’m sorry, I don’t think I know you,” Taemin said blankly. “It’s nice of you to be concerned for me though.”

            “Wh-what?” Key stuttered. He could feel the hot tears accumulating in his eyes and that unpleasant lump welling up in his throat. “You…you don’t know me?’

            “No…should I?” Taemin asked, looking up at the doctor nearest to him. The doctor smiled understandingly at Taemin and pulled Key aside.

            “He’s suffering from post-traumatic amnesia. It’s possible that he’s completely forgotten up to years of his life. I know it’s difficult to understand and to handle, but if he gets his memory back, it could take quite a while.”

            “So…so he has no clue who I am?” Key asked in disbelief.

            “I’m sorry,” the doctor said. Just then, Minho burst into the room, and Key knew that he was going to do the exact same thing Key had done only seconds before. He looked on sadly as Taemin gave Minho the same empty smile and thanked him for being concerned. Tears spilled out of Minho’s eyes as the doctor explained post-traumatic amnesia to him, just as he had done for Key.

            And then Onew came in. Key, Minho, and Jonghyun waited to see Onew experience the same unfortunate greeting as they had received. But it never came.

            “Appa!” Taemin cried, smiling his genuine, adorable smile.

            “Taemin-ah, you’re awake! How do you feel?”

            “I have a headache and I’m still confused, but I feel okay besides that,” Taemin chattered away. Minho stalked out of the room, and Key could hear muffled sniffles as he left.

            “Why?” Key asked, looking over at Onew. “Why him?”

            “Kibum, he’ll get his memory back eventually, I’m sure of it,” Jonghyun reassured Key. Key walked over to Onew.

            “What does he remember?” he asked. “Because he doesn’t know who I am.”

            “What?” Onew asked. “Is it amnesia?”

            “No, I don’t have amnesia, I’ve had amnesia before,” Taemin clarified. “Appa, I remember perfectly well that you are leaving for Japan in two weeks and you’re supposed to bring me out for Japanese food tomorrow as your going away party.” Key suppressed a sob.

            “So…so…you don’t remember Key-umma at all?” Key asked Taemin.

            “Am I supposed to?” he replied. Key shook his head.

            “What about Jonghyun-hyung? Yeeun-noona? Minho-hyung?”

            “Who?”

            “You don’t remember any of us?”

            “Why do you keep saying remember? I’m sorry, but I don’t know you; I never did.” Key shut his eyes, but tears dripped out anyway. “Why is he crying, appa?”

            “Taemin-ah, let me explain this to you. You’ve been in a coma for a week and a half,” Onew said.

            “What? No, I’m here because I must have fainted or something from my anemia.”

            “Do you know what today’s date is?”

            “Sure, it’s January second.”

            “Taemin, today is March twenty-ninth. You’ve been in a coma since the nineteenth.”

            “What are you talking about? And why is this guy here?”

            “Taemin, listen, you’ve forgotten everything that’s happened for the past three months. You fell down the stairs and hit your head really hard. This is Kim Key-ssi, you were living with him for those three months, because I’ve been in Japan.”

            “Appa, you’re just messing with me, aren’t you?”

            “I wish I was, Taemin.”

            “Okay, whatever. Key-ssi, nice to meet you, I’m Lee Taemin. Thank you for letting me invade your room,” Taemin said. Key couldn’t help but cry. Jonghyun stepped up and took Key’s hand, leading him out of the hospital room, where they found Minho sitting on the bench.

            “I wasn’t just imagining that, was I?” Minho asked them.

            “No,” Jonghyun replied. “I’m going to talk to the doctors, you two stay here.” Jonghyun disappeared back into the room, but Key and Minho could still hear his voice.

            “When will he be discharged?” Jonghyun asked.

            “Well, seeing how well he’s doing right now, he could be out by Sunday.”

            “Really? And who would he stay with?”

            “Well, Key-ssi is currently his guardian, however, seeing as Jinki-ssi is back, it may be wise to let them decide.” Key turned around and burst into the room.

            “Please, please, let him come back to live with me,” Key pleaded to no one in general, just to everyone in the room.

            “He’s lived with me since his parents passed away, I’m not about to give him up,” Onew said, more menacingly than Key thought could possibly come from that walking ray of sunshine. “Anyway, he doesn’t even know who you are.”

            “He didn’t the first time he came to live with me either! Please, please, I’ve already lost him twice, I don’t think I could do it again.”

            “Think of Taemin though!” Onew said.

            “I am, I am, please believe me when I say I am,” Key sputtered. Onew softened his expression.

            “I believe you. But I also believe that it would be best if Taemin came back to stay with me. He would be going back in a month and a half anyway, and we don’t know how long it will take for him to regain his memory, if he gets it back at all.”

            “Could you please stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Taemin interrupted. “I can hear you, you know. Key-ssi, as much as I like you, I seriously have no clue who you are. No offense, but I don’t want to live with you.”

            Key cried as Jonghyun took him back to their dorm.

            It ended up being another week until Taemin was discharged from the hospital. Onew took him back to his dorm, so Key literally did not see Taemin at all. If it was hard for Key though, Minho was taking it even worse. It wasn’t as if Onew had forbidden them to see each other, but it was hard for Minho to be dating someone and then suddenly have him forget that he ever existed. It wasn’t as if they’d broken up and had to restart being lovers. No, they had to restart being friends too.

            Key knew what it was like to be alone. And suddenly it was the worst feeling in the world.

A/N: This is the penultimate (penultimate = second to last) chapter! And that's final. I'm not writing any more chapters. I've had this entire story completely written since January, I'm not about to randomly change it. But if you want more of this story, read Persuasion! 

But I'm going to save my gooeyness for next time. No double update today, I'm afraid~

In other news, my Sherlock album came yesterday! I got a Jonghyun photocard...I was so hoping for Onew but oh well...Still. Best day ever ever ever.

And TO THE WONDERFUL ANON FROM TUMBLR: If you're reading this, I adore you to bits and I really want to love you and be your friend.

@AmythystJade: Kekeke I still need to watch Dream High.

@JongkeyShipper08: It’s sad to see him sick :( And yes! You understand Onew’s character well. I’m glad you caught the sangtae moment :D

@naznew: He’s sad but he feels that Taemin will recover~

@heme-sanloveminho: They do need to have more faith in him!

@AZUMIX: Ah, yay, I’m glad you forgive Minho. And there’s dubu-baby. I’m happy~

@KhmerKoreanBabye96: You cried? Wahhhhh I’m sorry! But I’m glad I can get emotions to come out. That’s what I aim for <3

@ShawolShadow22: It can’t go on forever! It has to end at some point~

@AsianNoodles: I’m happy they made up too. Having them constantly fighting kind of .

@keyloverlocket: Creepy? Aw :( I didn’t write him to be creepy~ But I have to end it! It needs to end!

@maedeh: He does love frogs, and as we know, Minho = frog :)

♥ Exie