Dedicated to minimim on tumblr

“Ugh, I hate my life!” you screamed at the top of your lungs as you sat on a bench in front of the Olympic Stadium in Seoul. There wasn’t a single person in sight, and the SMTOWN concert was long over, and you sat alone on a bench yelling profanities. Around you, grandpas and old ladies stopped to stare and mutter about how disrespectful you were being by yelling out like that in a public place, but you had long since stopped caring. An injustice had been done to you, and you had refused to give anymore s until you or someone else had done something right the wrong.

Tonight was the eve of your seventeenth birthday, a day that you had anticipated for years and years. For the weeks leading up to this day, you can spent countless hours working overtime to make money in preparation, shopping for the perfect outfit, and hunting down tickets for you and all your friends. You wanted everything to be perfect. With the amount of work you did, you had made just enough to buy dinner for you and your closest friends, bought a new shirt to wear, and even bought 5 tickets to the SMTOWN concert that weekend for you and your four best friends. You guys were all SM fangirls, each of a different group. TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, f(x), EXO, and SHINee. Even your parents made jokes: "the only way you'd ever be satisfied on your birthday is if you got a date with SHINee as a birthday present".

A girl ought to remember her 17^th birthday. The world over, the number is hailed as the age of the ideal woman, progressing from the delicate years of innocence and girlhood and taken into the big world. And for you, this progression was fast approaching and you wanted it.

But to your minor disappointment, a few friends had canceled on your dinner. The shirt you bought was a size too big because the store ran out of your size. And all four of your friends had other plans on the night of the concert. But you were determined to make things right, to make sure that whatever setbacks you faced tonight, this night was yours to claim and yours alone and you would make this last night as 16 years old the best night of your life.

So you dressed in your concert clothing, brought your camera, and set out from your little town all the way to Seoul to attend the concert. You were late to the station. The train broke down. You’re pretty sure someone stole your camera as well. But just the thought of joining the crowd at the Olympic Stadium and screaming out the names of your idols and hearing their voices and singing along kept you going despite the obstacles in your way. Your heart was shattered to find the doors closed shut by the time you arrived. And there was muffled music emanating from every corner.

And that was how you ended up alone and cold on a bench in front of Olympic Stadium in Seoul and miles away from home. You had spent so much planning this night and still had too much ego to let it go down the drain like this. So you sat there hoping that someone something would come along and make everything better. It couldn’t end like this. You refused to let it.

You had dreamed that things would change after you turned 17. For the past sixteen years you had always been the plain nobody, the girl that nothing happens to. For sixteen years you felt so unaccomplished and so low and so pathetic, and you had nightmares that you would be this way for the rest of your life. Your 16^th year had been as uneventful as the previous 15 and you were determined to make something out of it before your 17^th birthday came. And fate always had to ruin things for you.

You got up from the bench and began walking around the Olympic Stadium. Because Seoul was so far from where you lived, your parents had rented out a hotel room for you to stay at. But you weren’t ready to go back there yet. If you couldn’t have the concert of your dreams, you wanted to at least torture yourself with thoughts of how much fun you could have had. You had even worn the Taemin SHINee t-shirt that you bought online, hoping it would catch one of the idols’ attentions. It was getting late, approaching 11 o’clock and in an hour’s time, your 16^th year would be over. Is this really it? Did nothing really happen in your 16 years of life?

The passageways on the side of the Olympic Stadium were now empty when only half an hour ago it was filled with fans and idol vans and security guards. Now, it was only lit by the dim lighting of the street lamps a few feet away. You liked the solitude these hallowed halls held. At least here you could be alone with your thoughts.

Previously, no one was allowed to be near the back of the Olympic Stadium, as that was where the entrance to private dressing rooms of the idols were, and it was heavily guarded by security personnel. But since the concert ended nearly an hour and a half ago, it was empty. Not a person in sight.

The night was cold, and the concrete surroundings made it seem colder. The initial comfort you felt being there suddenly waned away until you were left with a mysterious feeling of dread. As though you were being watched, but upon turning to take a look around, you spotted a security guard who smiled at you and you immediately felt safer. You were only beginning to walk back to previous spot when you heard him speak.

“Young woman! Pretty young woman over there!” 

You froze, not liking the way the voice sounded. The very sound reeked of inebriation and madness. But the security guard called you over again and you were unaccustomed to civil disobedience and so turned to him as he came nearer to you. He was a young man, no more than 35, perhaps, and his shirt was a size too small for him and showed off his toned upper body. You could smell how drunk he was.

“This here… is private property. You shouldn’t be here, a pretty thing like you; folks around here might take your eagerness to get around the wrong way.” He leaned forward until his face was in yours and you took a defensive step backwards.

“Sorry,” you said firmly. “I’ll just be leaving then.” And you turned away and prepared to bolt off.

“Now wait a minute,” the officer said, quickly jerking his hand out and wrapping his grimy fingers around your elbow. Every nerve in your body was electrified at having been touched. Your heart fast as your head repeatedly chanted, get out of there, get out. The guard looked you up and down, and you suddenly wished you were wearing more than just your jeans and t-shirt. This man seemed as though he could right through the thin fabric and you blushed. Whatever ideas he was getting, you hoped he would stop soon.

“Maybe you could stay and keep me company for a little while,” the guard breathed.

“No thanks,” you said, trying to appear strong. “I really should be getting back now anyway, so if you’ll excuse me--,”

The guard guffawed as he suddenly took a hold of both your arms and pushed you backwards against the walls of the stadium. You would have screamed but the next moment you knew, he had taken charge, bolted forward and stole a rough kiss from you. His mouth tasted like beer, and his tongue jerked into your mouth. Panicked and terrified you mustered up as much strength as you could and feebly pushed him away just enough to break the kiss.

He didn’t like that.

As soon as he regained his balance, he ran after you. You had barely gotten three steps away when he seized you by the elbow and pulled you back toward him.

“Stop!” you yelled. “No! Please, don’t!” The guard pushed you back against the wall, this time, when you noticed you were slightly taller than him, you realized that he had lifted you up. You used the last of your strength and adrenaline to fight him, but he was stronger than you. Tears began to flow down your eyes and you felt him slip and hand under your shirt and you screamed.

But then suddenly, the guard fell backward. His grip on you loosened and you fell to the floor in a heap. A man had come along and pulled the guard off of you by the collar, and the guard, after a short skirmish, hit his head against the wall and passed out. Before you could see anything else, your savior pulled you up by the arms, helped you stand and when you found enough balance, the two of you ran as fast as you could away from the guard.

The stranger led you to the corner of a street, near a convenience store, where the two of you stopped to catch your breath. But once you caught it, the magnitude of the events that just took place dawned on you, and you felt overwhelmed.

“Are you okay?” the person said, but instead of answering, your knees finally gave away and you again fell into a heap on the floor and cried. You wrapped your arms around yourself. Under your t-shirt, you could still the guard’s grimy fingers tracing your skin, you could taste the liquor in your mouth, his hands on your elbows. It was still real. And you were still living it over and over in your head. The feeling fresh in your mind and the tears wouldn’t stop flowing, the sobs continued coming out of your mouth.

“Hey,” the stranger said, putting a hand on your head and ruffling your hair. “It’s alright now, you’re safe. Here.” The man took off his jacket and placed it around your shoulders. It was heavy, but it was warm and the sudden increase in weight was grounding.

“It’s okay,” he continued to say. “He can’t hurt you anymore. Calm down, you’re just in shock. It’s over now.”

The man’s deep soothing voice continued to comfort you and you tried your best to be accommodating to him by slowly telling yourself to calm down. Yes, he was right. There were more people here now. You were no longer in an empty alleyway next to stadium. There was no more drunk guard to ually assault you. You were just feeling a bit of shock. Gradually, the speed at which your heart raced slowed down and the stranger continued to ruffle your hair.

“Feeling better?” he asked and you nodded. “I’ll be right back,” he said, and he disappeared into the convenience store. You brought a hand up to your face to wipe away your tears. This strager was good enough to save you and then see to it that you were okay. You didn’t want to annoy him by crying too much. Whatever had happen back there, it was over now and it was all thanks to him. You found a small cut on your lip from when the guard kissed you.

You heard the familiar chime of a bell as someone exited the convenience store and you figured that it was the man who saved you. It was getting late; you really ought to be getting to that hotel your parents booked for you. You turned, perfectly poised to thank him and be on your way, but instead of a stranger, you saw a familiar face, and you gasped.

“Minho!” you yelled and immediately covered your mouth. Minho stopped mid-stride and stood straight up. He wore a simple t-shirt and jeans ensemble completed by a cap on his head. He smiled nervously at you.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked. You let out the breath you were holding in. You couldn’t believe it. You were dreaming obviously. You couldn’t believe in the possibility that you were truly standing here in front of a convenience store in the presence of Choi Minho of SHINee and he was asking you if you felt better. Because you had no other way of expressing your feelings, you began crying again, but this time from the sheer joy of seeing him here in person.

“Yah, don’t cry!” he said, taking a step toward you and handing you a soda with his other hand. “I thought you just finished crying. It’s alright now--,”

“I’m crying because,” you said. You took a deep breath. “I just can’t believe it’s you! But… what are you doing here?”

Minho gave you an expression as though you had suddenly grown another head. “What am I doing here?” he asked. “Well… I just saved you.”

"Drink some more," Minho said, and obediently, you lifted the soda can to your mouth and drank some more. The two of you sat on the curb outside of a ramen restaurant and it was now just ten minutes past 11 o'clock. As you drank, you stole another look at Minho, you was gazing out into the street. Butterflies crept into your stomach once again. You had seen him on TV countless times, but seeing him in person, sitting next to him was entirely different. He had warmth; he was kind, he was endearing. He was real, and even this fact alone was hard to hold onto. 

"What were you doing over there anyway?" he suddenly asked, catching your gaze and making you blush. Did he want the long or short version?

"I know I shouldn't have wandered over to that part of the site," you answered. "I was just angry and I needed to walk around to cool off some steam."

"Angry at who?" he asked.

"No one," you answered. "i was just angry. Because I got to the stadium almost an hour late and the doors were closed and everyone was already inside. I even bought five tickets for the concert with my own money so I could go with my friends. But they all bailed on me and I had to come alone. I could even get inside."

"Inside for the concert?" Minho asked. "Wow, that...really . I'm sorry, if it helps any. If I knew you were out there, I'm sure I probably could have done something."

"What were you doing there? I thought the concert ended already."

"It did," Minho said. "I just went back because I thought I might have left my phone charger there and I was passing by and saw your shirt and I thought you were Taemin for a minute. But then I saw what the guard was doing and couldn't just stand there and let him take advantage of you."

You smiled hid your face in your sleeve as you blushed.

"So you went and saved me?" you asked and Minho nodded. It reminded you of a fairy tale or drama, in whcih the girl meets her handsome prince after he saves her from disaster. You were not quite sure you would have been willing to go through the terror you felt in the arms of the guard in order to meet Minho, but you were beginning to believe that some disasters were only post-poned successes. 

"So," Minho said, clearing his throat. "You... you like Taemin." For a moment you didn't know what he was referring to, but suddenly remembered that you were wearing the yellow t-shirt Taemin wore at the SHINee World Concert. 

"Oh," you said. "Well... I like everyone in SHINee. I just happened to have Taemin's shirt because they ran out of the other members' shirt on the website and I had to order this one and... I do like you, too, you know."

Minho just laughed. "Well you better," he said. "After tonight. It's getting kind of late though. Shouldn't you be getting home?"

"Uh," you started. "I should but actually I'm not from here. I only came because of the concert. I'm staying at a hotel nearby." Minho stood and dusted off his pants. You stood as well.

"I'll take you there, then," Minho said. "I don't think I really trust out here on your own anymore, seeing as how you got man-handled earlier. Where is this hotel?"

You smiled as you told Minho the address of your hotel and you followed him as he walked in that direction. But in the corner of your eye you spotted something: a bakery and it was open late for some reason. In the window was a display of all sorts of pastries.

"What's wrong?" Minho asked. Without taking your eyes from the bakery, you answered.

"It's my birthday," you said plainly.

"What?"

"It's my birthday," you answered. Girls all over the world always had such glorious fantasies about their birthdays and you weren't exempt from this. Tonight had not turned out at all as you ha dplanned, especially after your friends ditched you, you got locked out of concert, and were nearly . But somewhere out there, some higher power was showing mercy on you, allowing you to meet Minho even for just a short while. 

"Minho," you said gently. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Like what?" he said, moving closer to you and seeing the bakery you were eying. It was a small one and the walls inside were painted pink. The sign at the top read "Sweetie's Bakery and Restaurant". 

"I'm going to sound like a really spoiled brat," you warned. "But today's my birthday. Well, actually it's tomorrow, or in forty-five minutes or so. Could you buy me a cake?"

Minho just sighed; he had expected, after seeing you stare so longingly at the bakery that you would ask him. But where was the harm in that? He nodded his consent and the two of you entered the bakery where Minho had you pick a cake. he bought you a slice of it and even ask for some candles to light on it. And when he told you to make a wish, you were suddenly out of wishes. What could you possibly wish for? You were with Minho, your ultimate bias; he was here, buying you a cake and singing happy birthday after saving you from certain disaster. Despite the previous failures of the night... the rest of it was absolutely perfect. And instead of wish, you said a small payer of thanksgiving, and blew the candles out. 

"How old are you now?" he asked.

"Seventeen now, or in a couple of minutes."

"And there'll be many more years to come, I hope. Because there will be a lot more concerts for you to attend, as well." And the two of you talked until you had both finished your slices of cake. As promised, Minho paid for the desserts and walked you the two miles to the hotel.

It was midnight now and Minho had to leave. It reminded you of Cinderella at the ball, and how all he rdreams came true and she danced with the prince only for the whole illusion to collapse at midnight. There was a good chance that you would never meet Minho under similar circumstances ever again and the fact saddened you. Despite the short time you spent with him, Minho became your friend. He was a friend in the sense that he was there for you when your other friends weren't. he saved you from a drunk guard and made sure you were okay and pat your head to calm you down. He bought you a cake and sang happy birthday. And this was perhaps the last time you'd meet. 

"Be careful from now on, okay?" he said. Standing in front of him, you were hyper aware of his towering height. You nodded.

"And thank you for saving me... and for everything else." You weren't quite sure what to do and so you only bowed as you were expected to. But when you stood upright again, Minho reached out and placed his hand on your head and ruffled your hair again, the small gesture sending a warmth through you and calming you down, much the same effect as when he had saved you. But then he leaned down and placed a kiss on the crown of your head and with one last reassuring smile, he was back outside and hailing a cab. 

Inside your hotel room, you tried hard to make your heart calm down. It was just a platonic kiss, you knew he didn't mean anything romantic by it. But with that one kiss, your imagination was bouncing off the walls. A girl ought to remember her birthday, and you knew that this one would never be forgotten for as long as you lived.

You were ditched by your friends, you were late to SMTOWN, you were almost .

You were saved by Minho, you were given his jacket, and he kissed you goodnight.

Overall, not a bad way to spend your last night as sixteen going on seventeen.

Author's note: *crying* Oh my god, I don't like the way it turned out, not necessarily because of the storyline, I mean that part was cool, but ugh, my writing isjust so messy >.< anyway, this one is dedicated to a reader on my tumblr name minmim because she had a birthday recently and this is my gift to her! minimim, I hope you enjoyed it! :) And I actually haven't been to the Olympic Stadium so I don't actually know what it is like.