I swallowed hard, fidgeting with my hands in my lap as I kept sneaking glances at Jonghyun’s still-angry form sitting beside me. He drove with his left hand on the wheel—well, more like left wrist?—and his right on my gear shift, indicating to me that his own car was a standard. His jaw was tense, clenching and unclenching in this really irritated manner, giving off a bad boy vibe that I was totally diggin’ at the moment. Okay, so I’ll admit. Deep, deep, deep, deep, deep down, I suppose I’d always had a tiny little, itsy-bitsy crush on the guy, but can you blame me? He was totally gorgeous, but even beside that, he’d been really sweet to me ever since I’d gotten here. Well, not recently and of course, there was the matter of him being an absolute jerk when I first met him, but we’d gotten to know each other since then. And now? Now he was royally pissed off and this was the first time I’d ever been scared of him. He’d never—not once—ever struck me as the kinda person who could actually hit someone, and to see that rage burning, so alive in his eyes after he’d beaten the crap outta that creep, seriously scared me for a second. It was…Different.

“Why?” he suddenly asked, his voice sounding strained against his anger.

“Wh-why?” I asked.

“Why would you pull the stupid stunt of worrying m…Us like that for?!”

I let a cold, sarcastic laugh escape my lips. “You think I planned for that creep to come after me?” I shot him a look, my lower lip slightly trembling. “You think I like it when creepy guys follow me around?”

“Why did you leave?” he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

I snapped my gaze back to the windshield, watching as the stretch of pavement was quickly swallowed by the front of my car. “That’s how these things always happen when Minho and I get together. We used to be really close. And then…And then SHINee happened. We haven’t been the same ever since.”

He suddenly skidded to a halt and I immediately threw my hands out against the dashboard to keep myself from getting a concussion against the windshield. I flew forward slightly, silently thanking the lords for such things as seatbelts to cut into my torso and save myself from an untimely death. The dust settled around the car and I was breathing hard, allowing my racing heart to stop jumping around wildly in my constricting chest. I swallowed hard, snapping my gaze to Jonghyun, who was sitting calmly in the driver’s seat.

“What the hell?!” I growled.

“Don’t blame SHINee,” he said listlessly, keeping his eyes staring at the many gauges with numbers and things above the steering wheel. “Minho loves you. Sometimes, I wonder if he loves you even more than us sometimes, which is totally understandable, but still. You have no idea how badly he was freaking out when you left.” He looked up at me then, his eyes still smoldering with a subdued anger that was still slightly kindling in his normally kind and teasing dark brown eyes. “Minji, you have no idea how much he loves you and how badly he was freaking out. Please don’t ever do something like that again.”

“Jonghyun,” I said softly, reaching out a hand and laying it gently on his arm.

“What happened out there?” he asked, clenching his jaw once more and turning to face out the driver’s window. “I thought you were a fighter. I thought you were a black belt. What happened?!”

I sighed softly, retracting my arm and laying it back down in my lap. I turned my gaze down to my two hands who simply sat on my lap, staring at them as if they were the most interesting thing I’d ever seen in my entire life. “I panicked.”

“You…Panicked?” he asked, turning to look at me with an incredulous look on his face.

I nodded slightly, never tearing my eyes away from my hands. “I panicked and then these things started going through my mind and…and…I panicked.”

“Minji, don’t you know what they would have done to you?! Don’t you know what would have happened if I—we hadn’t shown up?! Don’t you know what would—”

“Yes, I know exactly what would have happened!” I interrupted, taking a shuttering breath. I impatiently wiped my tears away, sniffling slightly, as the corners of my mouth pulled down into a slight frown. “I know exactly what would have happened.”

My eyes widened when his arms suddenly closed tightly around me, holding me close against his toned chest. I hesitated for a moment before hugging him back as well, burying my face in his shoulder which was softened by his cotton hoodie.

“Don’t you ever worry me like that again,” he murmured in my hair, sounding as though he were on the brink of tears. “I was seriously about to kill that creep. I was scared that I was going to kill that creep. The moment I saw him with his hands on you…I was going to kill him!”

I smiled against his shoulder. Hearing him say these words, letting me know that he cared so much despite the douche bag he’d turned into this past month, put my racing heart at ease, even if it were only temporary. I pulled back and playfully tapped his nose.

“Well, aren’t I lucky to have someone like you running around as my knight in shining armor?” I asked with a playful smirk playing at the corners of my mouth.

He blinked for a moment but didn’t hesitate in responding with his own playful smirk.

“You should feel special,” he said, resettling himself in the driver’s seat.

“Oh? And why is that?” I asked, also straightening myself in my seat.

“I don’t go around as everyone’s knight in shining armor.” He turned to face me, leaning over and kissing me on the cheek before turning the key in the ignition and bringing my car to life, turning back to stare out the windshield. “Only the special ones.”

I was speechless for a moment, taken aback by the smoothness of this guy. Damn. He’s pretty pro. I continued being speechless as he laced the fingers of his right hand with those of my left, holding on tightly and not letting go on the entire way home. I smiled contentedly, feeling so safe and protected by simply holding hands with him. Alright. This is his point times freaking ten.

So…That puts us at…

Jonghyun: 76

Minji: 66

Surprised? Yeah, alotta things went down in the past month. ;D

Jonghyun’s POV~

“Minji. Minji, wakey, wakey. Aww, c’mon, Minji, we’re home.”

I continued to try and wake her, gently shaking her shoulder repeatedly, but damn. When that girl knocks out, she knocks out. I sighed as I shut my door and ran around to open her door. I reached over her, unbuckling her seatbelt and froze for a moment.

She smells so good.

I shook my head, clearing away my ridiculous thoughts, as I pulled myself outta the car and contemplated on how I was gonna get her inside. Would she hit me if she found out I carried her inside? Nahh. She held my hand all the way home so I highly doubt she would(x I slid one arm under her legs, right behind the knees, as the other slid neatly behind her head, supporting her neck. I picked her up and held her close so she wouldn’t fall, but it wasn’t a strenuous task anyway seeing as how this chick probably weighed, like, ninety pounds. =.= I smiled slightly, liking the fact that she fit so perfectly in my arms, the way her head fell just right in the crook of my neck. She smelled so good. What in the world is that smell? I started chuckling quietly to myself when I realized that it was the same perfume she had thrown in my face that first day she was here. Ahh, Minji~

I kicked the door shut with the heel of my foot, turning to open the backdoor and reaching in for her duffel as well. How this girl didn’t wake up in the midst of all this was beyond me. o.O I sighed, amazed at how heavy of a sleeper this girl was, and made my way toward the front door. I reached forward, managing to open the door and walk in without dropping the duffel or Minji. Remembering that I had left the car unlocked, I quickly straightened the key in my hand and pushed the lock button twice. Hearing a satisfying beep both times, I walked toward the elevator, ignoring the questioning looks Songmi was throwing my way. I hit the elevator button with my elbow and waited patiently. I didn’t mind carrying Minji. I liked the feeling of having her in my arms(:

When the elevator doors opened, I stepped in and hit the button labeled with a painted number fourteen. Minji stirred in my arms, mumbling something under her breath. I looked at her to see her slowly waking up, blinking for a moment. Her eyes widened when she saw my face so close to hers. I gave her my signature smile.

“Annyeong, Sleeping Beauty,” I replied.

She laughed, and instead of hitting me or fighting to get outta my arms like I thought she would, she snuggled closer to me, settling her head back into the crook of my neck. I felt her smiling against my neck, heat pinpointing to the exact place her lips touched my hot skin, making me cough nervously. She laughed and I felt the heat slowly creeping up my neck and spreading in my cheeks as well.

“You’re funny, Jjong,” she said, inhaling deeply. “Mmm, your cologne smells really good, do you know that?”

I laughed. “Well thank you. Your perfume would smell good to me, too, if it weren’t for the fact that you practically suffocated me with it the first day you were here.”

She full-out laughed this time, pulling back and looking at me, this weird light sparkling in her non-Korean green/gray eyes. After she calmed down, she gently smiled at me, leaning forward and kissing me on the cheek.

“I never said thank you, by the way,” she told me quietly, the smile never leaving her face, “for saving me.”

I smiled at her. “If it wasn’t me who saved you, it would’ve been Minho or one of the other guys. It just so happened that I was the first one to reach you.”

She laughed again.

Goodness. Does this girl not realize that every time she laughs, my heart starts beating a little faster each time?

“Regardless of who reached me first, you were still the one who knocked the crap outta that guy for me, so I thank you,” she said, giving me that smile that only she seemed to have mastered.

That smile that was the only thing in the world that was capable of giving me butterflies.

Does she not know that she’s driving me crazy?

“Well, you’re welcome,” I responded, leaning in so our noses were almost touching.

She giggled, playfully pushing my face away from hers.

“Aish, oppa, you’re silly,” she said, laying her head back down on my shoulder. She sighed contentedly and I could feel her smiling once more. “Thanks again, oppa. I won’t ever forget this.”

I simply smiled as the elevator doors opened, the sight of the empty dance studio greeting us. It was an eerie sight, seeing the studio that was usually so lively and bright so dark and creepy now. I immediately felt Minji tensing in my arms, burying her face deeper in the crook of my neck. Huh?

“Minji? You okay?” I asked, stepping into the studio.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” she said, not pulling back to look at me. “I’m just kinda…Scared of the dark so to speak.”

I chuckled quietly, tightening my arms around her. “Don’t worry. Oppa promises that nothing will hurt you, arasso?”

She smiled, pulling a new move of kissing the side of my neck, which nearly made me collapse from how badly my knees started shaking.

Oh my goodness.

This girl is going to be the death of me.

“Thank you, oppa,” she quietly murmured before I walked to the door on still-shaking legs.

When did this girl get so damn pro?

Ahh, they're so flippin' cute together. :3

Lol. Oh my goodness, I've been getting so many comments and wallposts and whatnot telling me that you guys like the style of my writing and the way I've developed my story and characters. That seriously means a lot to me and it makes my day every day to be able to read such nice things(:

I seriously love you guys and wanna thank you for all your support. I can't even begin to express just how thankful I am for great supporters like you guys(:

And, I promised you drama, so expect drama within the next chapter or so. >;D

Love you guys! Thanks again for all the support! Mwah!<3

Aww, Jonghyunnie! Don't cry! D:

Gah. Even while crying, he's still a y BAMF. >;D