They finished their first week of comebacks and were reviewing the tapings of their performances in the kitchen on Taemin’s laptop.

“God Hyung, why do you have to look like so depressed?” Key said as he watched Onew on screen.

“Whatever, Key. Shut up,” mumbled Onew but he wasn’t really irritated. It was the truth.

“I know it’s supposed to be a sad heartbreak-type song and all, but the outfits kind a ruined it anyway so a smile won’t hurt. Look at me. I’m looking y man,” Key said while admiring himself and partly trying to cheer Onew up.

“Alright alright. I’ll try working on it,” Jinki said while running his hand through his still styled hair. He changed the subject. “When are you going to wash that Christmas colored spray hair dye out? The holiday cheer when it’s not even Christmas is starting to get to me.”

“What? I kind like it. I’m due for a new do.” Key messed with his bangs, staring up through them to see the multicolored strands.

“The smell is starting to get to me though hyung,” Taemin said as he wrinkled his nose. “Too many chemicals.”

Kibum puffed his cheeks out before standing up. “Alright alright Taemin baby. I’ll wash it out now just for you.”

“Hurry up though Kibum. I want to practice ‘JoJo’ once tonight and then go over ‘Y.O.U’ before we go on that radio show tomorrow night,” leader Onew said to Key’s back. The other boy lifted a hand in acknowledgement as he walked out.

“Actually, I’m going to go take a quick shower too,” announced Jonghyun as he stood.

Taemin sat there for a few minutes before standing and going off to do his own thing. “I’ll be back.”

A cell phone vibrated against the countertop, and Onew picked it up to look at the caller id. He stood up and answered the call while heading towards the door. Throwing Minho a look, the eldest left after the ice man nodded in understanding.

Left alone, Minho took out his cell phone to check his messages and kill some time. The corner of his lips tugged upwards into a wry smile. It wasn’t often that he had time to kill. The fingers tapping the screen of his phone abruptly stopped as the swinging door of the kitchen made a sound. He didn’t look up as the only female of the house paused at the door for a full 30 seconds before entering the room.

She was looking through cupboards now, and he resumed texting. She placed a mug on the counter along with a teapot and retrieved a pot from somewhere else to fill it with water to boil. After measuring a teaspoon of green tea out and tapping it into the teapot, she paused with the spoon in her hand. Minho seemed to sense something coming and also stilled his movements. Even though he expected it, her voice still somehow made his heart beat just a bit quicker.

“I want to…discuss something with you,” she said in a steady voice while looking down at the teapot.

They both lifted their eyes to look at each other. Minho calmly answered, “Yes?”

“That thing you talked about before…,” the so far calm female started, “did you mean it?”

The male genuinely questioned, “What part of ‘it’ are you referring to?”

“The part in which I can decide to leave and you won’t stop me.”

“After you accept my lessons.”

There was just silence for a while. She broke eye contact and slowly the gas stove. Another silent pause. Suddenly, she turned around to put her hands on the counter. In a slightly raised voice, she firmly announced, “On my conditions. I want to be able to tell you ‘Stop. That’s enough.’ At any time. If I feel like I’ve heard enough and don’t want to know anymore. Then, I can decide and you guys can leave me alone. Forever.”

Minho almost narrowed his eyes at her. “No. What if you say ‘Stop’ at the very start. We both know that you’re already prejudiced against us.”

“One week. I give you one week to skim the basics and I’ll definitely stay for that one week,” she tried to negotiate.

“One week is hardly enough to learn everything I feel you need to know,” the ice demon calmly replied. “One month. At least give it one month.”

“One month is way too long. All you wanted to teach me was about you as demons right? I don’t think you need that much time to explain all you guys. You told me the whole ice thing in twenty seconds!” Her voice rose a little louder.

“There’s more to me than that.” His eyes took on a troubled look. She almost recoiled at the change in his expression, but then he steeled it again to resume negotiations. “You need to know about us and then also about other aspects of the supernatural world. Those dirt people came after you. Who’s to guarantee that other things won’t find you too? I want to give you enough understanding to know what you’ve gotten yourself into-“ At her glare, he revised, “…What we’ve regretfully gotten you into so that you can protect yourself.”

He could tell that she wasn’t too persuaded by his explanation, but he offered with pleading eyes, “Three weeks minimum. Then you can decide whatever.”

“…” Her eyes bore into his own two. For some reason, the sad songs she had heard recently briefly passed her mind. Her eyes shifted to the side, and she slumped her shoulders. After sighing once, she squared her shoulders and said firmly, “Three weeks minimum. Not one second more and those three weeks start right now.”

Minho stared at the hand she held out to him almost as if it was a foreign object. He glanced up at her face across the counter from him and then looked serious again as he clasped that hand, a symbol of their deal. She tugged her hand out of his shake after a few seconds because he was seriously considering not letting it go. Just as he was about to crack a smile of accomplishment, he heard shuffling behind the door and rather loud whispered threats.

“Quit it!”

“Watch the elbow before I break it!”

“Shut up! If I can’t hear them then you’re definitely too loud!”

“Well if somebody would stop breathing so loudly!”

“SHH! God…I don’t hear them anymore. Did they stop talking? What’d she answer?”

“Let me peek.”

“No! Wait!”

“What the ! Stop pushing!”

“Ugh!”

The two teenage looking occupants of the kitchen were startled (one a lot more than the other) as four guys fell through the swinging door. Jonghyun stumbled all the way to the middle of the room. While Taemin and Key almost hit the ground in a flurry of limbs but caught themselves. Onew did hit the ground but got up quickly.

The eldest badly feigned innocence. “Ah…Minho. You’re still here.” He glanced at the girl who shifted in her spot. They nodded to each other in greeting.

“How much do you know?” Minho just asked and the girl snapped her head at him before looking back at the others.

“The whole conversation,” Jonghyun confessed.

“Good. Saves me the trouble. We’re going to start teaching her,” Minho said, not expecting arguments.

“Wait. What? I thought it was just you and me…” The girl looked at Minho with betray in her eyes.

“You only gave me three weeks and our schedules are busy so I can’t be here all the time. They could help fill in the gaps. Plus, what better way to learn about us individually than being given information by the individual?” Minho said matter of factly.

‘Why’d I even think I would be able to do this even a little on my own terms?’ she thought dejectedly.

Minho addressed the other guys, “Do you guys have a problem with that? I know I didn’t ask you guys beforehand but…”

“Are you kidding me? It’d be no trouble at all!” Jonghyun said happily.

Minho looked at Onew for permission.

Onew stared at him and then at the girl before nodding. “I think it’s a good idea.”

“Cool. We have three weeks to teach you all you need to know,” Key reiterated for the group.

‘Three weeks to convince her to stay.’

‘Three weeks until I can be free.’

_________

THEA's Corner<3

I'm back in my home country! Going back to study abroad in a few months though. But until then... hopefully I'll get to write more.
I was rereading all my comments. Every single one of them. Really motivating! ^^ A lot of them made me laugh too. Those were fun to read. Comments seem to go in this pattern of 'Awesome update! Update again soon!' and then a few longer comments and then eventually it gets to the pleas for an update and inquiries of whether I'm still existing or not. Then the pattern goes again :P I really do love my readers, subscribers, and commenters. Especially the commenters. I like that I can go back and reread all your comments from the very beginning. I was just reading the Happy Birthday ones today. Even though they were last year's I felt like it was for this year since my birthday was last week. Then I felt old because they were old bday wishes >.<

Well, Happy Year of the Dragon everyone!

Posted: 22 Jan 2012