None of us spoke.

None of us moved.

Nobody even dared to breathe.

Key’s eyes darted between Minho and me, full of anger; full of…venom.

It was like staring into the face of death itself.

My heart raced; my throat tightened; a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on my skin, and I shivered in the evening breeze.

Minho’s hand twitched against my shoulder.

“Lee Seungmi,” Key growled again, drawing out my name slowly.  Like torture.

“Come here.”

I heard his command, but my feet didn’t budge.  They felt like two giant sticks of lead.

“I’m not playing games.  Come here!”  The intensity of his voice made me tremble.

I glanced up at Minho beside me, who gave me a tiny nod.

“I’ll see you later, Mi,” he whispered before gently pushing my body forward.  My shoes scuffed against the asphalt of the parking lot.

Key grabbed my wrist as soon as I was within reach, and he drug me forward until my feet were planted directly before him.  I didn’t meet his gaze; rather, I didn’t want to.

Instead, my eyes trailed off to the side, watching Minho’s back recede across the dark parking lot.

Don’t leave me, Minho!  Please…!

“Look at me, Seungmi.”  Key’s voice was dripping with rage.  “I’m serious.”

I slowly turned my head and my frightened blue eyes met Key’s.  My whole body was trembling by now.

“Where were you?” he demanded.  “What were you doing with Minho?!  Is he the reason you weren’t answering my texts, huh?!”

“No.  Key…I can explain.” 

 “I didn’t ask for your explanations; I asked for an answer!”

I cringed, drawing my hands closer to my chest in defense.  Key’s eyes fell upon the frozen yogurt still held between my palms.

“Did Minho buy that for you?” he snapped. 

I didn’t answer.

Key suddenly knocked the cup out of my hands and it fell to the ground below, spilling perfectly good yogurt onto the dirty asphalt.  Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Seungmi, you will answer me when I’m talking to you,” he growled as he roughly grabbed my shoulders.  I whimpered in pain.

“What were you doing with Minho?!”  His words came out in angry gasps of fury and he moved his face directly in front of mine.

“N-nothing!” I squeaked, squeezing my eyes shut.  “We were just hanging out…eating.”

Key’s fingers tightened around my shoulders.  “You little liar,” he spat.

“Key, we…we weren’t doing anything wrong,” I said.  “It was just harmless hanging out; like you and I do all the time.  What’s wrong with being Minho’s friend?!  Why am I not allowed to see him, huh?”  My voice cracked near the end.

Key was silent for a moment; his eyes glazed over and his nostrils flared with rage.  His lips curled up slightly.

“Don’t you dare talk back to me!”  He shoved me violently, and I shrieked in pain as my body hit the pavement below.  Warm, sticky blood started flowing from my elbows.

I began to cry.

“Why are you like this?!” I shouted, ing my finger up at him.  “I’m not your girlfriend; you have no authority over me!  Why did you even show up at my apartment at eleven o’clock at night?!  Leave!  Go away!  Leave!”

Key’s fury reached its boiling point; it was almost tangible.  He stooped down to grab my wrists, and I thrashed and screamed as he pulled me upright again.

“Stop squirming, Seungmi!”  He shook my body.  “I came here because I was worried about you!  You didn’t answer any of my texts for two hours!  I thought something bad happened, so I came to check on you!  You know why?!  Because I care about you, you stupid girl.”  His teeth ground together.

“You see him?!” he asked, pointing his finger out into the parking lot.  “Minho doesn’t care about you.  He doesn’t care one bit.  He’ll chew you up and spit you out without a second thought.  Tell me, Seungmi…is that what you want?!  Huh?!”

I remembered Jonghyun’s words from last Wednesday night; about how Minho was like a giant, gentle teddy bear…and Key was a liar.  My eyes narrowed into slits.

“You…” I growled boldly.  “You don’t know the first thing about Minho!”

“Oh, and you think you do?” Key demanded.

“I know more than you ever will!”  Tears rained down my cheeks.

Key was shocked for a moment; shocked at my outburst.  But, the anger soon returned to his expression and his eyes bore into mine.

“Why, you little--”

I flinched as Key raised the back of his hand.

“Is everything alright here, folks?”

Key and I whipped our heads to the front doors of the skyscraper, where a security guard was strolling towards us, his eyebrows arched suspiciously.

Key’s expression softened slightly and he slowly released his hold on me.

“Y-yes, sir.  Everything is fine,” the pop star said, steadying me as I regained my balance.

I glared at him.  You liar!

But, I simply turned my head and smiled weakly at the security guard.  “Yes, we’re fine!”

The guard’s eyes swept over my body; observing my wet, shiny cheeks, my bloody elbows, and the dirt now smudged all over my clothes.  He could have totally called us out if he wanted to.

“Alright,” he finally said.  “You might want to head inside.  It’s getting late, you know.”  With that, he shuffled away to continue his rounds of the building.

Key breathed a sigh of relief and his gaze cut back to mine.  It was not a friendly gaze.

“Go inside.  Go to sleep,” he muttered.  “I’ll see you later.”

I didn’t say anything.  Instead, I simply watched him as he stalked off across the parking lot, running his hands continuously through his hair.  My wet, puffy eyes never left him until he finally got into his Mercedes and sped away, squealing the tires as he went.

I wrapped my arms around myself and slowly hobbled inside.

My tears didn’t stop falling.

=========================================================

Minho’s POV:

I saw it all.

I had slid into my BMW, kept all the lights off, and watched the whole thing out of the back window.

I saw everything.

Key shouting in Seungmi’s face, knocking her frozen yogurt on the ground, grabbing her and shoving her to the ground, then both of them shouting at each other…

It was bad.  I almost couldn’t stand it.

When I had seen Key throw her on the dirty pavement below…my heart ached.  I didn’t know why, but it had ached.

My hand had paused on the door handle, ready to run to Seungmi’s rescue…

But, I’d talked myself out of it.

Then, the security guard had broken up their little feud, and Key had gone on his merry way, speeding off in his sleek sports car.

I knew he was heading back to the dorm, and I panicked.  If I wasn’t there before he was, it would look suspicious.

I put my car in drive and hurried from the parking lot, speeding way over the limit through the streets of Seoul.  The entire time I drove, I couldn’t seem to get the scene I’d just witnessed out of my mind.  Seungmi crying…Key pushing her to the ground…both of them screaming…

I shook my head and forced myself to concentrate on driving.

After taking several –somewhat illegal– shortcuts back to our complex, I parked my car in my parking space, and sighed in relief to see Key’s space still empty.

I was safe.

Quickly, I hurried into the building and jumped on the first available elevator; luckily, since it was nearing midnight, the elevator was empty and it shot straight to the eighty-fifth floor.

Laughter reached my ears as soon as I stepped into SHINee’s dorm.  I hurried down the hall, passing the living room where Jonghyun, Onew, and Taemin were gathered around the plasma screen TV.

“Yah, yah , yah, Minho!” Jonghyun called between laughs.  “You have to come watch this with us!”

I ignored him and raced into my bedroom, instead, slamming the door behind me.

“Minho?!  Minho?!”  My fellow singers’ voices could be heard through the walls.

Safe in my bedroom, I tossed my junk in a corner and collapsed onto my bed.  The images of Seungmi wouldn’t leave my mind; they tortured me.  I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my head into my mound of pillows, trying to escape the visions.

Across the penthouse, the front door suddenly opened and closed again, and heavy footsteps began storming down the long hallway.  My stomach tensed into knots.

“Yah!  Choi Minho!” Key hollered as he pounded on my bedroom door.  “I want to see you in front of me right now!”

I groaned and rolled off my bed.  Fine; if Key wants to see me, then he’ll get his payback for what he did to Seungmi.

I crossed my room and flung open my bedroom door.

Key’s fist immediately connected with my jaw.  I let out a grunt as my body hit the carpet below.

“Keep your hands off of Seungmi!” he spat.

I smirked as I sat up and wiped my mouth with my sleeve.

“Funny,” I muttered, rising to my feet.  “I should say the same thing to you!”

I returned Key’s punch to the jaw, and it was his turn to hit the floor.  He coughed and sputtered a bit before turning his furious expression upon me; his eyes glimmered with rage, his teeth bared themselves like an animal.

“Choi Minho!” he shouted as he lunged at me again.

“Whoa, guys!  Chill out!”  Taemin’s small body suddenly appeared in between us; one hand on Key’s chest, the other on mine.  Jonghyun and Onew stood at our sides.

“What’s going on here, you two?!” demanded SHINee’s leader.

“Minho…Minho…”  Key was breathing so heavily, he could hardly get the words out.  “Minho was with Seungmi tonight!  He was with Seungmi!”

Jonghyun turned his wide eyes upon me.  “Minho, is that true?  That’s where you went tonight?”

I nodded.  “We just went out to eat pajeon,” I muttered.  “It was no big deal, really.  We didn’t do anything bad.  Unlike what happens when she’s with Key!”

Key snarled a bit and pushed against Taemin’s hold on him, fighting to break loose.

“You’ll pay, Minho!” he spat.  “You’ll pay for touching my girl!  For putting your filthy hands on her!”

Onew helped Taemin restrain the pop diva.

“Calm down, Kibum, calm down,” he said quietly. 

“Yeah,” Taemin added.  “This honestly doesn’t even sound like that big of deal.”

“Says you!” Key cried.  “Minho’s not trying to steal away your girlfriend!”

I laughed out loud.  “Your girlfriend?!” I repeated.  “Get real, Kibum.  Seungmi’s not even your girlfriend; you have essentially zero control over her.  She’s allowed to see other boys if she wants to.”

Key’s entire torso heaved with each angry breath he took.  Eventually, though, he relaxed a bit.  His fists unclenched themselves, his teeth separated, and his expression softened into a smirk.

“You know what, Minho?  You’re actually right.”  His smirk widened.  “Seungmi’s not my girlfriend, so…I’ll just have to do something about that, won’t I?”

All four of us narrowed our eyes at him.  “What are you saying?” Jonghyun asked.

“Make her my girlfriend, of course!” Key replied.  “Then, nobody but me can touch her.  Not only that, but it will also be that much easier to get her in my bed.  I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner!  Thanks, Minho.”

He threw his head back and laughed; actually laughed.  It made me absolutely sick.

“You dirty son of a—”

“Minho, stop!” Taemin cried, grabbing my fist.  “Just let it go.”

“Yeah, just let it go,” Key sneered.  “And, let Seungmi go, if you know what’s best for you.  She’s mine, Minho.  She always has been and always will be mine.  You’re way out of your league, buddy.”

With a flip of his hair, Key chuckled again before heading off down the hall to his bedroom.  The four of us jumped in place as he slammed the door, locking it behind him.

“You guys, this is serious,” Onew murmured, leaning against the wall and putting a hand to his forehead.  “Kibum’s not gonna stop for anything.”

“Good job trying to distract her from him tonight, Minho,” Jonghyun said as he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes.  “Yeah.  Even though it had no effect.”  I heaved a sigh and rubbed my face.  “Guys, listen.  He hurt Seungmi tonight.  He shoved her to the ground; I saw it with my own eyes.”

My fellow singers all gasped in horror.  “He-he what?!” Onew hissed.  “No, Key wouldn’t!  He wouldn’t…actually physically harm a girl, would he?!”

“He did it to this one,” I replied.  “He pushed her down hard enough to make her bleed.”

Hushed whispers of shock rippled through our small group.

“I can’t believe it,” Taemin said sadly.  “Key-hyung has totally lost it over her.”

“You can say that again,” Onew mumbled.  “And, if they become an actual couple, things will get even worse.  Minho, you’re getting to know Seungmi pretty well.  Do you think she’ll actually agree to date Key?”

I gave a solemn nod.  “In my honest opinion, I think she will.  I think she’s still stup—err, naïve enough to give in to him.  Key’s a master of seduction, and she’ll fall for his little tricks.”

“But, but, hyung…Key’s never had a girlfriend, either,” Taemin reminded us.  “He’s never, like, actually been able to commit.  So, maybe he’ll get tired of Seungmi really fast, and he’ll want somebody else, so then he’ll just break up with her before anything bad happens!  All she’ll have is a little heartbreak that will heal with time.”

I smiled a bit at Taemin’s logical thinking.  I mean, it did make sense.

“You’re right, Taemin,” I said.  “Kibum can’t commit.  So, you know what he’ll do?  He’ll just cheat on Seungmi.  He’ll hide it from her and lie straight through his teeth to her, and she’ll never know the difference.”

“Aishhh,” Jonghyun sighed, sliding down against the wall and sitting on the floor.  “What are we going to do?!  We have to save her.”

“I don’t think there’s much we can do,” I said.  “No matter how hard we try to keep her away from him, he’s not going to disappear from her life.  Not until he gets what he wants.”

Onew shook his head.  “No.  There’s gotta be something we can do,” he replied.  “We just need some time to think of a solution.”

“Don’t take too long,” I warned as I headed back into my bedroom.  “Seungmi will end up in his clutches again before we know it.  And, next time, we might not be there to save her.”

I shut my door and left my friends alone in the hallway, surrounded by nothing but silence.

=============================================

Oh no!  The drama! D:

Ughhh now I have to drive back to school. ewwww lol

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