He continued to smooth down my hair, rub my back, until I fell asleep from exhaustion and crying so much.

I punched the sandbag with the punching gloves, putting my power into it.

It was late at night, and I’ve decided to do a bit of karate practice on the sandbag to release some of my stress at the gym. I practiced some kicks onto it, my mind full of so many things that had been a nightmare – a living nightmare and it ruined my mood completely. It ruined me completely that I didn’t want to think positively about Christmas coming up next week.

I punched the bag again, this time, with more strength, the object swinging back and forth.

I thought back a lot: the school, the confession, the nightmares.

I made a kick.                                                 

I saw my step-mother, Taemin and Sulli, then Su-Min…

A roundhouse kick was indicated upon the moving yet inanimate object, my anger for her fueling up in such an intense speed.

Her cursing my mother…my mother, that… that… that !

I used too much strength in my punch that the sandbag flew off from its hook and exploded onto the ground, the sand spilling everywhere. I was too pissed off to see the damage I’ve done. I sat down, leaning against the wall as I began taking off the punching gloves and threw them away abruptly before burying my head into my arms, my hands into my hair.

I’m just so… pissed off.

I heard a male voice then, clearing his throat. I looked up and was a bit surprised to see Kim Jonghyun standing there, smiling at me.

“Still furious, I see?” He said, taking an empty seat next to me on the floor before fixing my glasses on my face. He wiped a dried tear mark off my reddened cheeks. My red, puffy eyes were showing evidence that I’ve cried. “I saw. You even made a sandbag explode all over the ground.”

I let out a choked sigh. “So many things have been happening to me. I had it worse before I met you guys, and I was almost at breaking point. Now—now I feel like I’m going to have a mental breakdown,” I whispered to him. Then I glanced at him sideways. “What are you doing here?”

He pointed at his gym clothes that were soaked with sweat. “I’ve been working out for my diet, but actually, I have the same reason for doing so as you. I’m the same actually, being pissed off, I mean. I was so angry at her that I worked too hard. I cannot believe that she would insult your mother like that – and especially when she’s dead? It’s like stomping over her grave and spitting on it!”

I let out a weak chuckle before leaning my head onto his shoulder. I felt his head on mine, attempting to comfort me. I needed this kind of treatment, this kind of silence – at least, just for a moment.

Just for a beloved moment that will grant me a mind full of peace.

The blond singer spoke up, “How long has you last done karate?”

I shrugged. “It’s too long to count. I remember stopping when I was 13 after graduating as a black belt. I couldn’t find any use of it anymore,” I told him softly, pausing for a moment before saying, “I miss it, really. It helps me release the stress I’ve always had.”

He hummed, his arm wrapped around my shoulder as he shifted his head, his cheek now resting on my head. “I’m sorry,” he spoke. “I mean, about your mother. I didn’t know that she died. You never said much about her, so I thought she was away or something but not like this… I’m sorry for her death…”

“It’s alright, Jjong… but, jinjja…” I trailed off for a momentary time as I closed my eyes. “She was the best mom I’d ever had. She was everything I could have asked for. Now fate had to go and screw me over and take her away from me in a stupid car accident.”

Jonghyun could say nothing but held out his other hand. I placed my hand onto his, and I could feel his thumb rubbing over the back of my palm, trying his hardest to comfort me. “I wish you punched Su-Min in a little bit more – that’ll be good, but I don’t want you to get into too much trouble than you’ve already been.” I chuckled a bit. I’m already in trouble and there’s no doubt that I might be suspended for a week’s time to reflect on what I’ve done before I get back in. Plus, I’m in my scholarship – I cannot lose that very one thing that helps me to enter one of the best universities in South Korea. I could go in with money, too, to pay my tuition, but I didn’t want to stress my father too much. He’s already in so much stress as he is as he’s still working late.

Then I smiled, raising my head to look at him completely. “Thank you, for telling Su-Min off, she really deserved it.”

He grinned, giving that dorky grin of his. “Nah, I’ve learnt from the best.”

“When you say you learnt from the best, do you mean that you’ve learnt from Key?”

“You bet.”

I let out a laugh; thinking that it’s really absurd that he learnt such a thing from the diva, like how is that even possible? “Silly dinosaur,” I playfully, giggling when I heard a protest from the male beside me when I called him that. “I don’t even know why I’m friends with you.”

Jonghyun ruffled my hair, still grinning. “That’s because you love me, MiMi~!”

My cheeks flushed red and my heart almost skipped a beat at the line before mumbling a shy ‘Ne,’ to him.

We sat in silence for a very long time until Jonghyun stood up. I looked up with furrowed eyebrows. “Leaving already? Where are you going?”

“Ani, aniyo, not me,” he said, looking at me with a smile. I then stared at his now outstretched hand. “It’s not ‘where are you going,’ Mi-ja. ‘Where are we going, should be the correct question. I’ll show you a place that I loved and helps me bring tranquility when I was young. You love it there, I promise!”

I narrowed my eyes at him, staring at him before getting everything straight. “Wait, wait, wait, hold on – you’re inviting me to a place where only you have been?”

“Of course I am!”

“Well, that sounds like a secret ‘lair’ you made up during your childhood.”

“That’s because it is!”

I stared at him longer. Then I asked, “Am I the first one to go there?”

“No,” he answered with a grin. I frowned at him. “But you’re still the first.”

I scrunched up my face in confusion, raising an eyebrow at him. I’m not sure if I get what he’s saying. “That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not first but I’m the first? Kim Jonghyun, are you even in the right state of mind?” I paused for a moment before rolling my eyes at his still grinning face. “Of course you aren’t, you’re Kim Jonghyun, the idiotic dinosaur who couldn’t even take a beating from a girl.”

Jonghyun scoffed, his face contorted into one of a look of disbelief before rolling his eyes. “Hey, that was when I was defenseless, okay?”

“You could have used your body.”

“Can’t, I have an image to protect.”

“Pussycat,” I retorted sharply.

Jonghyun shook his head. “Nah, that’s Key’s job of being one. Have you ever seen a guy who hates horror movies yet he likes it? I would think he’s sadistic or maybe even a masochist!”

I raised both of my arms in the air as if rejoicing. “Oh, finally, I’ve found someone who actually thinks that! Goodness, that devil is one weird nut…on the good side.”

Jonghyun nodded. “Plus, he attracts you a lot with his appeal,” he told me, wiggling his eyebrows. He seems to know, because my cheeks flushed red when he said, “You like him~”

I scoffed. “I do not! I’ve rejected him once and if he confesses again, I’d gladly do it twice!”

“Not true~ you continued to blush this morning when you came out with Key. Even the poor ice cream couldn’t cool you down.”

I hummed in denial, swaying my head side to side. Jonghyun only scoffed and changed the subject of the topic as he said, “Okay then—that proves the fact that you like Taemin!”

I could have sworn my jaw dropped down to the floor and my face had exploded into red, bunny steam. “I-I do not!”

“Your face is burning red, I think that’s evidence that you like him too! You like Key and Taeman, omo, how kyeopta~!” He squealed, pinching my soft cheeks.

You missed out Minho, babo Jamong.

I whined, smacking his grabby hands away from my face. Then I smacked his stomach in annoyance, before whining when I felt his rock-hard abs. I felt the tingle run through my hand and a bit of throbbing to go along with it. He smirked down at me.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Aish, you work out hard! Much harder than Minho, though.”

“Yes, yes I do,” then he snorted, shifting his standing position as he started to impatiently wait for me to take his hand into mine and pull myself off the ground. “Now grab my stupid hand and let’s go and change back into our clothes.”

I snorted and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly as I stood up. “This is bull.”

“I know,” Jonghyun continued to smile as he dragged me out of the area.

“And what are your reasons for bringing me there?”

He paused in his steps. I felt his grip on my hand grow tight as he slowly turned around, facing me but his eyes were not looking at me. “One: for obvious reasons, it’s to cheer you up from that incident that happened earlier. And two…” He trailed off for a moment before looking at me with a smile. There, in his deep brown eyes, swirled with reminisce and comfort as he stared at me. “Well, that will remain a secret.”

I pouted. He chuckled. “I know, I know, you hate having secrets being kept from you – but a secret isn’t a secret if you tell. I will give you hints along the way.”

I sighed and shrugged it off before he resumed dragging me down to the locker room area. Then I realized something.

But I never told him how much I hated having secrets being kept from me… I looked at the male, staring at the back of his bleached blond head, his hair bouncing with every step as we walked together, hands held tightly. How in the world did he know that?

I pulled my jacket closer to my body to keep warm as soon as we stepped out of Jonghyun’s car, closing the car door gently behind me. Who knew that December can be so cold? But then again, it’s the season of winter.

My eyes sparkled at the sight of the large Christmas tree placed in the center of the city park, near famous Seoul. Colorful lights were decorated on it, most of them blinking to attract attention. A glass, sparkling star that hung on the tip of the tree caught my attention the most. “Wah~” I awed at the beautiful sight that was ready for upcoming Christmas. My breath came out a thin fog as I breathed out. “It’s so beautiful! Is this where you want me to be, Jonghyun?” I turned to him who was also staring up at the tree in delight. He turned to me and shook his head with a smile.

“Ani, this place isn’t it. Why would I bring you to a place full of people? I told you it’s a secluded place where it brings me only peace.”

I tilted my head in wonder, looking at him for a momentary time before looking back at the sparkling Christmas tree. I hum disappointedly, but still allowed him to take my hand and pull me to somewhere else. We walked together, down the lit up night city; cars were driving down the road; people happily walking together, entering in and exiting out of shops; city lights attracting each and every one of attention – and yet, curse my curiosity, none of the places around the area were his secret ‘lair’.

And those were areas that seemed really secluded too.

“When are we going to get there?” I whined, tugging onto his hand like an upset child who was complaining about this and that.

“Soon,” Jonghyun told me with a smile. “We’re almost there!”

“Almost…!? We just walked into the middle of a freaking forest in the park of which name I do not know nor remember because I have never been here and we’ve been wandering into the depths of nothingness in the dark since like, forever. You call that ‘almost there’!?”

Jonghyun snorted, gripping my hand tightly. “I love you too, Mi-ja,” he slyly cooed, dragging me along. I snorted back at him.

He’s just trying to avoid having to answer that true statement.

He abruptly went behind me and covered my eyes, startling me. “M-Mwo—”

“Shh,” he shushed me, his soft voice in my ear. He guided me safely, his toned, built body pressing my slender figure behind me. My face heated up and I’d hoped that he wouldn’t notice nor feel the heat burning on his hands. “We’re there now. I want to surprise you,” he told me, a smile in his voice.

I felt my stomach churn and bit the inside of my bottom lip, feeling a bit more anxious than usual. No matter how much sweet nothings Jonghyun whispered in my ear, trying to release some of the tension in my muscles, nothing ever seemed to help.

I stopped when Jonghyun stopped as well, his hands still covering my eyes. I had a feeling that the building was standing right there, right there in front of my face and my own two eyes. I was waiting with anxiety. Even Jonghyun couldn’t wait as I heard him take a shaky breath from behind.

“Are you ready?” He asked me, nervousness laced around his cool voice.

I nodded, more eager to see his secret ‘lair’ that he knew since his childhood. It’s not every day that someone entrusts you into showing you a part of their childhood. He uncovered my eyes and soon enough, I saw it.

It was a quite large building of an old church, but not large enough for it to be seen above the trees – but it was still big. It was an abandoned church that didn’t old, but also didn’t look modern. It looked like it was recently worn down, but that’s what adds another charm to the mysterious aura of the building. The size and layout and design of the building reminded me of a castle back in the medieval era, although the roof seemed to be broken and damaged, only a few parts of them missing.

I’d never thought that it looked so magical in this dimly lit forest, faint lights emitted from the lantern stands from the distance within the trees. It looked like something that came out of a magical fairytale – something that exists in a dreamscape. It was just surreal.

“Wah,” I gasped out in awe. “This…” I was speechless then, staring at the beautiful, outstanding building. I’ve always loved antique and mysterious things when I was younger – I felt like they contain a special meaning. It still affects me now, the whole point being mysterious thing.

“Cool, isn’t it?” said Jonghyun as he went up to stand next to me, looking at me with a bright grin plastered on his dinosaur face. Then he pondered as he looked at the church. “I wonder if the lights’ still working as they did before last time I came…” The blond looked back at me again and smiled warmly, a delight glint sparkling in his large chocolate brown, puppy dog eyes. “Want to go in and see?”

I nodded my head, curious to see the interior of the building. The inside was much better than the outside. I thought I was in a fantasy MMORPG – some kind of a video game, more like Final Fantasy IV-themed or Kingdom Hearts-themed or maybe even Skyrim-themed due to the soft moonlight beam shone down from the cracks and holes of the damaged roof.

I stared at the piano that was underneath the white mysterious glow of the moon ray. I could see faint dusts within the light, making the atmosphere seem heavenly and exotic. Something about the old piano reminded me of how much I loved music. Of how well I could express my feelings through music and through playing it out via notes when I am unable to describe them in words. And most importantly, it reminded me of someone familiar that I couldn’t remember – if anything, this place feels familiar as well, but I couldn’t place my finger to it.

I heard a low humming and the soft flickering as the lights began to turn on. I abruptly turned to Jonghyun with teary eyes and yelled out, “Aniyo!”

He froze up, his eyes wide as he stared at me and I stared at him. I begged him with my eyes to turn the lights back off, to regain that mysterious aura around this place once again.

“Jebal…”

Jonghyun’s POV

I smiled when Mi-ja entered the building first, her eyes wide with innocence and wonder. She seems to like this place, even though I know that it’s not her first time here.

I would know. I was there when I first saw her in this same building.

I watched as she slowly walked down the aisle amongst the broken and rusty chairs, most of them full of dust and haven’t been cleaned for days. The only thing I have been taking care of was the piano. Although it’s old, it’s something that I didn’t want to throw away.

That piano contained too many memories that I’m unable to throw it away.

It might be odd to find a church planted in the middle of a small forest within a park, surrounded by trees, but it was there when I was the person who found my own secret ‘lair’.

I thought she minded the dark, so I felt the wall and flipped on the switches. A low humming and soft flickering came on as the lights . I heard clothes rustling and I looked to see Mi-ja, just in time to see her wide, teary eyes.

She yelled, “Aniyo!”

I froze in the spot, my eyes wide as I saw a Mi-ja that I was familiar with. I explored her eyes as she begged me internally to turn the lights off.

“Jebal…”

Her voice was soft and angelic – that same tone she used on me when I first met her. Her hair swayed down to her shoulders as her hair band had snapped loose from the abrupt turn and from that point, I thought I was living in a fairytale.

I don’t understand why she has the role of a witch. She may be the good witch, but I honestly think she doesn’t deserve that title. Despite that she’s only wearing ordinary clothes, in my eyes; she’s like a goddess – a frail goddess that needs protecting and security. I’ve seen her cry today and it broke my heart to see her so broken. I didn’t want her to be like that. I wanted her to be happy, as she has always been.

Now smiling at her, I nodded and flipped the switch off, the lights shutting off. Mi-ja smiled at me before turning around, her back to me.

I remember that first meeting we had in this very same building.

When she was young, she was like an angel in the day, peering at me through the door. Now, she looks more like an angel standing in the midst of the broken chairs within the dark, the moonlight worshipping her like a princess as she walked towards the old piano. I could have sworn I saw wings behind her back, but I slapped my cheeks slightly, thinking that I must be crazy if I saw actual wings on a living person.

I followed her behind, quietly as if not wanting to disturb her from her innocent exploring as she then circled around the piano, her hand feeling the dusty yet smooth texture of the wooden lid. She stood in front of the musical object, staring down at it. I looked at her and smiled when I recognized that look on her face – the look that displayed her wonder and anxiety. I could see it in her eyes.

She pulled out the piano seat, the object making a low, groaning sound as its legs scraped across the floor but never of us minded. I watched as she sat down on the seat before pulling herself closer to the piano. She opened the lid, revealing the still white and black key, thanks to my care. Her nimble fingers ran over them, feeling the smooth texture. I eyed her hands, staring the teal-colored fingernails. I haven’t notice how small her hands looked. It’s like I can cover my entire hand around hers.

She pressed a key, the note playing out softly. It was a bit odd, but at least it still worked. It did need a bit more tuning, however, but Mi-ja didn’t let this faze her. I watched in awe and shock as she began to play a melody – a melody that we both came up together when we were young. It was strong and simple, clean and soft, yet complex and passionate—even I was shocked that she played this when she was approximately five years old. I don’t think she knows this and just started playing impromptu, but I remember us playing this when we first met – when she encouraged me.

I went over to her left side and scooted her over a bit, my hands on the piano as I caught up to her, playing the lower tone melody. She glanced at my hands in shock before smiling as we played together. Honestly, this should be done with Taemin, and it was quite hard too since I knew almost nothing of piano (that wasn’t a complete lie, but it’s still true), but it was still our composition and it was something even I came up with too. I smiled at this, eying her warm expression as she played the composition with feeling whilst I closed my eyes and hummed along, slowly going back into my memories.

(A/N: This is actually my favourite composition by Flaming Heart (불꽃심장) And I know Jonghyun isn't like 'the best pianist in the entire kpop world' lol no, but he can play – though not as much as Taemin since he's known to have played the piano longer than he... yeah.)

No-one’s POV

A young brunet ran through the park, holding his books tight to his chest as he zoomed across. He looked no more than ten-years-old with a bit of a short height. His face obviously looked one of a dinosaur with a mixture of puppy. He panted, clearly out of breath, but he couldn’t stop. He can’t stop.

And why is that?

“Kim Jonghyun, you’ll regret it!”

That’s why.

He laughed foolishly, not caring about the danger or the damage he had done to the other person as he was being chased. So what if he got bullied? That doesn’t give him a reason to give up everything he has! He’s already in middle school and was a bit of a rebel then.

“If you want me to regret it then you gotta catch me first!” He yelled back, looking behind to see a boy who looked older than he, possibly a high school student.

What had he done to him? Oh, nothing much, he just purposely spilled his smoothie on him after witnessing a harsh breakup with his now ex-girlfriend.

What? That fool deserves it – he was rudely talking back to her, pushing her off of her and even cursed her.

And she’s a noona.

Oh, and that was his friend’s noona, that’s why it was possible for her ex-boyfriend to know him as he always went over to his friend for homework or possibly sleepovers.

Jonghyun whooped as he entered the forest, sprinting to get out of his sight, going into his beloved secret place – his secret ‘lair’. He can hear his voice fading as he went there.

The brunet slowed down in his steps and looked behind, seeing the unlit lanterns from the distance within the trees before looking at his notebooks in his arms. He let out a sigh, a sudden burden weighing his shoulders before looking up at the antique building in front of him, a smile on his face.

“Miss me?” He asked, earning no reply from it aside from the soft sunbeams shining down onto it. Knowing that the bastard would just get himself lost in here, he entered the church with ease, opening the large, wooden door and stepping in.

The furniture was clean and nicely polished, as if they were just bought recently. The grand piano was there, near the empty altar, sitting there and waiting for the boy’s return. He grinned foolishly and went over to it in a hurry, dropping his schoolbag somewhere upon the chairs.

As he was near, the first thing he did was pulling out of the piano seat and sitting onto it in a hurry, opening the piano lid. He laid his notebook onto his lap before his fingers went onto nicely polished white-and-black keys.

If you were there, you could have heard how happy his notes were, even though it was impromptu.

But after playing five or ten different melodies for a while, he stared at the piano, dissatisfied. None of them were what he wanted to hear and he couldn’t get the right chords from his head onto the piano.

“Damn it,” he growled, pounding a fist on the piano keys, the notes resounding and distorted. “Why can’t I get anything right?”

No matter how many he made and no matter if his friends liked them, it never satisfied him. It never did and that’s what ticked him off the most.

He felt like crying.

He felt like doing so until a young, feminine voice caught his attention, causing him to look up and stand up in surprise as he stared at a little girl peering at him by the doorway.

“Um, annyeonghaseyo…?” She shyly answered, her hands fiddling with each other.

It could be just him, but she looked pretty. With the sunlight behind her, he could see the golden locks within her short, reddish brown hair. Her dress was pure white with sparkling golden flats. Her milky pale cheeks were flushed red and her brown eyes glittered – literally.

She looked an angel.

Jonghyun couldn’t speak, shocked not only because of her appearance, but of how she found his secret place.

She was the first person to have found it herself. There’s no way the lanterns could be that easily seen since they were further away from the center of the park.

“How…” He cleared his raspy voice before asking in a loud voice. “How did you find this place? This is my place!”

She pouted as she stepped into the church, her steps light and graceful as she skipped her way down towards him. “I don’t think your name was carved onto this place, is it now?”

Okay, for a girl who looks like she’s five, she talks big. Jonghyun gave her a cocky lopsided grin. “Well, too bad, because it’s my secret lair!”

“Well, too bad,” she mimicked him playfully, a wink in her eyes, “because I don’t like people keeping secrets from me. I want to know too!”

Jonghyun hummed lightly, now interested in her. “But it wouldn’t be a secret if they told you, right? That’s the fun of it!”

The girl only pouted in disapproval before whining the brunet pinched her cheeks. “Oppa, stop that!” she cried out in annoyance, smacking his hands away. Jonghyun only chuckled at this cute reaction. Staring at her more closely, he could have sworn that he saw actual stars in her eyes – almost as if the entire universe were in them.

She’s definitely out of this world. And he’s not just saying that.

“What’s your name?” He asked the girl who was currently rubbing her cheeks. She looked up at him, her movements paused as she stared up at him with wide, bright brown eyes and her cheeks squished, her rosy lips puckered up softly.

Oh, what the heck, Kim Jonghyun, thinking of a girl who is like half my age so weirdly like that.

She pulled her hands away from her face and smiled at him. That smile made him smile at her automatically, although he does not know why. The smile was so bright that he cannot help but smile along with her. It was like all of his frustration earlier vanished into thin air.

“My name is Mi-ja—Baek Mi-ja!”

Mi-ja…he thought to himself before he smiled at her again. “That’s a good name,” then he smirked. “But I’m not telling you my name.”

She smirked back, “Oh, oppa, I have tons to call you so I don’t have to call you by your name.”

“Like what?”

“Like…Shorty-oppa.”

Jonghyun gaped at her, his jaw dropped to the floor. “I…I am not that short!” Okay, he had to admit, she was a bit tall for a five years old. But still, how did she know!?

Mi-ja giggled, putting a finger to her chin as she thought of more. “Hmm, or Dino-oppa would work! Dino-oppa suits you just fine—you look like a dinosaur! Rawr~” she cutely roared, her fingers curled into ‘claws’ before squealing when Jonghyun playfully threated back with his ‘claws,’ his mouth opening as if planning to eat her alive.

“Call me that again, and I’ll make sure I really eat you this time,” he told her with a pout but he still let out a smile when he heard her laugh. It was the most innocent, brightest laugh that he had ever heard and never that much made him want to laugh along with her. It was like a spell casted upon him to laugh and smile like he had never smiled or laughed before.

“Why?”

Jonghyun turned around to face her. He was about to sit back onto the piano before she asked him that question. Seeing his confused expression, she asked him again – this time, making more sense. “Why are you so mad?”

His eyes softened as he looked at the notebook on the piano seat. “Well… that is…” he began, but was unable to continue. He let out a surprised gasp and almost protested when Mi-ja picked up the notebook and stared at the page that he left open. Then she smiled as she continued to stare at it whilst taking a seat on the piano seat, scooting herself closer to it. Putting the notebook upon the place where there was a part that allowed any books or papers to rest upon it whilst the pianist play it whilst looking at the notes in the paper/book.

Jonghyun couldn’t believe his ears when she started playing – the same melodies that he played earlier. Had she been listening onto him? She must be a truly skilled piano prodigy to even repeat the melodies by ear. He felt a pang of jealousy. He had been using the same feeling to create such a song, but how come when she plays it, everything around him dance? How come when he’s the one playing the piano, nothing ever pop ups and go as lively as they are now?

He was envious of her.

She stopped halfway during the second melody before looking at him with a smile. “You don’t have to be so mad at your works.” Jonghyun looked at her surprised, stunned at her words. “That just shows how you’re progressing. It doesn’t matter if you’re not satisfied with it or not – you have to learn to love it.” Then she looked down at the piano. “I think your compositions are very well done. You must have a big dream if you’re so dissatisfied with yourself.” She looked back at him. “Am I right?”

Scratch ‘out of the world’ – she’s beyond that! Jonghyun could only nod. “N-Ne, you’re right. I wanted to become a composer and so that I can sing my own songs, but…” he let out a sigh. “None of them seems to work.”

She hummed at this. Mi-ja was then scooting over and patting the empty space on the left side next to her. “Sit here for a moment.”

The brunet did not know what she was planning to do but did what he was told to do. He was in shock when she said, “Play the piano with me.”

“H-How…?”

Mi-ja demonstrated as she took his hands and placed it onto the left side of the piano whilst hers were placed upon the right side of the piano. “I play the right side and you play the left. I’ll start first and you’ll follow.”

“W-Wait,” he stammered, almost in shock that they’re going that quickly. “Are we playing this by memory or melody or…”

“Ani—this is all impromptu.”

Jonghyun was a bit nervous. He has no idea why or for what reason did Mi-ja wanted her to do this, but complied to it anyway. She didn’t count down or indicate a warning that she was starting, but she did hold up a finger, gesturing him to wait before she started playing a strong phrase of the unknown melody. He was in awe as he watched her fingers dancing upon the piano keys. He can play the piano but not so much as he’s more into guitar. And he’s not much of a professional pianist either unlike one of his friends.

That doesn’t mean that he can’t play the piano – he does, time to time when a melody comes into mind.

Watching her play made him go in awe. She was one skilled child and he bet that her parents would be proud of her. Speaking of which – wouldn’t her mom or dad be worried for her? He made a mental note to help find her parents after this.

The starting point was really passionate and strong that he can literally feel the emotion she was expressing, the notes high. When he saw Mi-ja nod her head slightly, he took it as a cue to play something that matches the melody. To his surprise, one instantly came into mind and he began playing it with his two hands on the left side, the low keys playing out as the bass as the duo played together harmoniously. They both grinned but Jonghyun had the biggest grin, surprised of how well his melody matched with hers.

For once in his life, he was satisfied.

They continued to play, and play and play until Jonghyun ended the song with a soft, low note fading at the end. They both went into fits of laughter, applauding for giving such a good performance even though there was no one else but them inside the lonely, empty church.

“See how easily you can come up with something?” Mi-ja told him with a grin. “If you just combine one melody with another, you’d be able to make up a song!” Then she shrugged. “But what’s better is that if you sat still and looked around your surroundings a bit more, I think you’d came up with a song that came truly from your feelings and not just some ‘codes’ that came into your head. A tune that contains feelings makes a good song.”

Jonghyun saw a sparkle in her eyes and at that moment, he began to take her advice. He felt stupid. He could have done such a thing, combining notes and melodies into a song, or something similar but he was too caught up into his own works to even notice that. All the notes in his head were like codes and he couldn’t even get them all right. Now he knew what he was missing: his emotions, his thoughts, his feelings – pretty much everything.

The brunet whined when Mi-ja flicked his forehead. “Finally realized it now, huh? Babo oppa, you’re such an airhead!”

“I am not!” He exclaimed, rubbing his forehead with a pout.

“Yes you are!” She exclaimed back, poking his cheek with a giggle.

They’ve continued to giggle and play around, looking at his notebook and writing in it until Jonghyun offered to take her back into the park, grabbing his notebook and his school bag of which he had left on one of the chairs. He was a bit startled with the sudden skin contact when Mi-ja abruptly grabbed his hand, looking up at him with a foolish grin before exiting out of the door together.

Her words were always on his mind as they’ve searched one of her parents until Mi-ja’s mother screamed at her. Jonghyun chuckled, awkwardly watching the mother scold Mi-ja. He found it cute when Mi-ja pouted and mumbled a soft apology to her.

“Aish, jeongmal, Mi-ja—someday you will be the death of me, I swear,” he heard her mother mumble before telling her. “It’s always like this—you disappearing off whenever you see something that is mysterious to you.”

Mi-ja pouted even more. “Umma, you know I can’t help it! He was the one who had the secret place in the first place!”

Jonghyun was a bit shocked when she pointed at him. His cheeks flushed red underneath her mother’s gaze before hissing at her. “Yah, says the girl who found it all on her own of which I have no idea how!”

Mi-ja stuck her tongue out at him and he gladly did the same. Her mother laughed happily at the two’s bickering before pulling Mi-ja away. “Arraseo, let’s go, I think it’s time we’d go for some ice-cream, ne?” She smiled at her daughter’s happy nod before looking at the brunet. “Thank you for finding her – and for entertaining her as well. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble to you.”

“Aside from her mocking my height,” he hummed before chuckling. “She didn’t cause any problems at all!”

She smiled at him before grabbing Mi-ja’s hand, now beginning to walk away. “Well, we’ll be off now. Take care and study hard!”

“I will, ma’am!” He yelled back, waving at the duo.

“Bye Dino-oppa!” He let out a playful growl at the little girl, the latter laughing in response to it. Honestly, he didn’t find it offensive—the way she called him that made it fun and playful. He continued to wave until he saw that they were no longer in his sight. He held the notebook close in his arms before pulling it away and opening the page. His heart thudded when he stopped at the page where they have been doodling on. He was more interested in that now familiar handwriting, that cute smiley faces on the upper right corner of the page.

Play to your heart’s content and ride the rhythm! ^^
From Baek Mi-ja ~ XX(YY)03(MM)12(DD)

He smiled and hugged it close, glad to have found someone like who would help him with his troubles and encourage him when he feels low.

Mi-ja…I don’t think I’ll ever forget you…

Jonghyun’s POV

We walked out from the forest, hand in hand as our arm swung back and forth. Mi-ja was clearly in a happy mood and I just stared at her, a warm smile on my face.

“That was the best secret place I’ve ever been to in my life,” she told me as she looked into my direction with a bright grin playing on her lips and a delighted sparkle in her eyes.

I only let out a hum as we decided to go all the way back to the center of the town, where I have parked my car. “You can go visit there, you know, when you’re upset or when you have a lot on your mind…”

Mi-ja looked at me in surprise, her beautiful brown eyes reflecting my image. “Jinjja…? I can go there whenever I want?”

“Well, what better place can you think of if you want to have peace and quiet and one that has a piano?”

“Hmm…good point, but are you really sure?”

“MiMi, if I didn’t want you to go, I wouldn’t have brought you there,” I simply stated, rolling my eyes. She smiled at me, that smile which would automatically make me smile. It did, just for a moment. I liked her.

I liked her.

But, to be honest, she’s too much of a playful little sister aside from my loving noona.

We reached to our starting point all over again, my car in the parking lot. The Christmas tree was still up, shining in beautiful colours. I saw a white little fuzz land upon on the hood of my car before it melted away. I looked up to see snowflakes falling down from the sky above.

“Oh, it’s snowing!” Mi-ja exclaimed in surprise, her lips curved into a smile as she held out her hands, feeling the sudden coldness of the snow. How long had it last snowed? Possibly a long time since I last saw it snow during the first week of December. I watched her gather the snow in the palm, her eyes sparkling with so much innocence that I could barely see because of its brightness.

Tell me: how did Su-Min see a witch inside her? I scowled at the incident that happened hours ago in the evening. Su-Min really needs to go. When Key calls, I am so telling him – no, Taemin and I and the rest of us are so telling him what happened this evening, like, definitely.

I grabbed her snow-filled hand, ignoring the cold that took away every bits of warmth in my hands, startling the female. She wanted to speak but was unable to string up some words, which enabled me to speak up.

“Mi-ja…” I started off, my voice soft and warm. “I just wanted to say…ever since we met, I took a liking to you. I began to adore every little thing you did – even though you were still scary when you looked like you were about to kill me that time.” I chuckled at her playful glare before I held her hands tightly. “I just wanted to say…”

I paused there as I moved my hands from her hands to her waist, holding her close. I didn’t have to tell her what I felt. I could show her. I leaned down to her lips with half-lidded eyes. We were so close, so very close. I had my eyes still open to see whether she’d let me or not. I thought she was allowing me to kiss her when I grew closer.

But I was wrong. Centimeters before lips touched, she moved her head downward, her forehead gently bumping into mine. I smiled and pulled back, nodding in understanding. I knew what that meant.

She didn’t feel the same after all.

“Mian, it’s just…” she started, “It’s just… what you’re doing to me…it felt like you were using me and I…I can’t help but feel…agitated. I don’t know your motives, I can’t understand you – I don’t think you’re the right person for me at all. It’s like you were…” she trailed off before finishing off her sentence. “It’s like you were using me for your plan.”

I hummed at her predictions before smiling. “You’re not wrong there.”

She looked at me shocked. “Mwo…? T-Then why—”

“—I actually wanted to create competition between us. SHINee, I mean.” Then I smirked when she gave an awkward, shy look towards me. “Don’t give me that look; you know what I mean by ‘competition’. Plus,” I paused there, scratching the back of my neck, my cheeks tinted red as I blinked at the snow that fell upon my eyelashes. “I…um…I’m in…”

Geez, way to break down your cocky demeanor all because of mentioning one girl!

Mi-ja was waiting for me patiently, her eyebrows rose in astonishment.

“I’m…I’minlovewithMin.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I said…I’m in love…with…nghhhahhh…”

“Jonghyun, I don’t understand what you’re saying here…”

“I’m in love with Choi Freaking Min!”

Mi-ja stared at me wide-eyed, surprised of my sudden outburst. My face burned red like a tomato and I could literally feel the snow melting off of me. I heard a snicker, then a ‘p-pshhhhh’ before a ‘ha!’

I whined when she began laughing. “It is not funny!”

“It is to me! I thought you were going to say, ‘Choi Freaking Minho!’ Now that’s something,” she cackled, holding her stomach and wiping a tear away from her eye. I grimaced at the thought of ever loving Minho.

Although I don’t blame Taemin when he told me that he fell to his trick to get into the vent – even I would be in his spell if he ever tempted me like that…

Mi-ja then smiled at me after her laughing matter and patted my puffed-up cheeks as I pouted at her. “I think you two would go well together.”

“Wait, you’re not objecting to it?”

She shook her head with a smile. “Why should I? You two seem cute and are the most entertaining couple I’ve ever seen. I hope you confess to her soon!”

I smiled at her before pouting. “I can confess to her easily at anytime and anywhere – it’s just her not being able to admit it that she does like me back. I can see it whenever I try to make her jealousy and she’s way too stubborn. It’s no use…she’ll just deny me…”

“Now, now,” the reddish brown brunette cooed, patting my shoulder. “You shouldn't look down on yourself too much! She will accept your feelings, I promise you. I’ll support you from behind, Jjong-oppa~ hwaiting!”

I smiled at her, watching her go around to the other side of the car. I unlocked the door, enabling the other locks to disable before I let her enter into the front seat first. I smiled to myself, glad that she’s still encouraging me even now. I shook my head, my hair getting rid of the snowflakes before I entered the car, going into driver seat to get out of the snow.

We’ve stopped upon a red light on our way to our dormitory after hearing her agree to stay over for a sleepover before going home first thing in the morning. I glanced over to her, only to see her sleeping, the seat inclined backwards so she was in a comfortable position. I could see the peacefulness in her face as she slept, obviously having a very good dream. I smiled and looked ahead before looking up on the front mirror, that piece of paper I’ve always cherished so dearly.

That encouraging message made from a five-years-old Baek Mi-ja.

I chuckled to myself as I drove on safely though the gently falling snow, the green light showing on the stoplight.

Thank you for still encouraging me after 14 years. I will do the same on finding your true love—just as I had found mine…

1. Jonghyun’s memories of Mi-ja = 34350 characters, 7958 words
2. Key’s memories of Mi-ja = 21380 characters, 4986 words
3. Onew’s memories of Mi-ja = 12336 characters, 2847 words
4. Minho’s memories of Mi-ja = 10786 characters, 2510 words
5. Taemin’s memories of Mi-ja = 8738 characters, 2018 words

It's official – Jonghyun's chapter won over the others with the most word count. I should have known – I predicted this on Chapter 31 (Key's chapter) and I was right. I just didn't expect it.

Wow, just...wow.

Sometimes, I just be like staring at my computer when I compared the word count like:

Even though I did this myself.

Anyways, another chapter well done! In addition to that, here's some polls to cease your boredom! (Even though it's not much...)

See you next update!!