Paring: KeyxOC 
Inspiration: Sherlock by Shinee
Rating: K+
Description: Nobody thinks that the extraordinary could happen to them, but what happens when it does? 

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Destiny

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Okay, I can go through this door, alone. 
You'll never see me or the people chasing us again.
Or you can come with me,
and I don't know what's on the other side,
but I'd know you'd be next to me.
And that's all I wanted since the minute I met you.

- David Norris in The Adjustment Bureau

 

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I swore to myself that if I ever got out of this alive, the first thing I would do is get a hearing aid to help me. My poor ears had been long exposed to those banshee-like cries and I was sure I’d be hard of hearing when this was done.  

I glared at the figure that was nonchalantly standing with his back against the cement wall. I kissed my teeth at him. His brown eyes turned to me in curiosity as he wondered what I was up to. “Can’t you get them to go back home or something?” I whined as I crossed my arms.

The man, I think his name was Key, chuckled and shook his head. “It wasn’t my idea to run into a small store in the first place, as I recall somebody pulled me in.” His tone wasn’t accusing of anything, but held a hidden flicker of amusement in it as he spoke. He was teasing me.

I pouted slightly and sulked. I could feels tears sting my eyes at the thought that my only day off would be ruined. It was horrible that I had to spend my day cooped up at my part-time job when I could have been out with my friends. These people were friends that I hadn’t seen in so long since I started working as a medical lab technician, since I moved to Seoul.

The pay was great, but the hours were something else. The person who made the hours for the employees had decided to give me odd hours every since I began to work there. I was faced with night and evening shifts and my only free time was in the morning, when everybody else was at work.

Naturally, I had nothing to do with my spare time and became slightly withdrawn from the world of popularity that I once lived in. With my sudden free time during the mornings, I decided to help out my uncle with his store. I worked there for a couple of hours whenever I didn’t have work and I helped him look after it so that he could do better things with his life than sit all day at a counter.

I didn’t know what I had been doing here in the first place, forgot my reason for being here as soon as the fan girls crowded the front of the store. I just felt as if I had to tell my uncle in person that I wouldn’t make it to work today. It was that and the fact that he told me to go to the shop early because he had a surprise for me.  I guess this must have been the reason why. Destiny clearly had unavoidable plans in store for me that I could not defy as much as I wanted to.  

Key sighed and walked towards me. He placed a hand on the top of my head and patted it ever so slightly. “If you could just wait for a bit more, I’ll be out of your hair.” Key smiled in a way that made all my previous disappointment disappear. The feeling of disappointment was instantly replaced with guiltiness. He managed to turn the tables and make me feel bad with a bunch of words and a pat on the head.  

I sighed and uncrossed my arms, “That’s what happens when you save an idol while you’re about to tell your uncle that you won’t be able to make it for work today.” I said with a slight nod. “I’m sorry for acting like this but-“

“-I’m sure you had a reason for it,” A genuine smile graced his features as he cut me off, “I understand, don’t worry,” Key said before he walked back to his previous spot  and leaned back into the wall once more.

I took the time to study his features. His sandy-colored hair framed his face as he focused on the blinds as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world right now.  Key looked almost like an angel as the dim light hit his face. The light cascaded down the silky strands of hair, to his prominent cheekbones and then past his well-built frame. It was no surprise to me that he was popular with the ladies, after all, he was like a work of perfection, seemingly flawless under the low lights of the small store we were in.

“When do you think your fans will give up waiting and go home?” I said as I grabbed a bottle of water from the small glass fridge and opened it. They were perched outside the store in wait for Key. Her uncle had left them alone a while ago to go do his ritual prayers, or something of that sort. He left the two to watch over his shop, well, he let the idol take sanctuary in his store and decided to make something of his life rather than waiting in the store with the two.

That sounded like a mean thing anyone could do, but I was the one who ushered him out of the store. He didn’t have to stay with us when I could have as well watched the store for him. I wanted to cut him some slack for working hard to keep his small store running and perhaps there was a part of me that was too scared to meet up with my past friends.

A part of me didn’t want to hear how most of them were getting married soon, or how successful their lives were. A part of me didn’t want to listen to their stories of adventures when my life was just rooted to one place with no chances of slight freedom. I had chosen my path, so I had to take it like a trooper, even though the adventurous side of me had strongly objected to it.

If I had to originally follow my dreams, I would be a freelance artist, taking pictures of the most amazing sights in the world. I wouldn’t have gone to medical school at all; instead I would have done many reckless things, like get a PhD in poetry. But my parents would have none of that, so instead of following my dreams for myself, I followed their dreams for me and went to medical school.

Maybe that was why I pulled him inside the shop in his attempt to run from fan girls. Key represented a part of me that wanted to follow my dreams. He was living his dream and a part of me yearned for that. Maybe I thought that somehow saving him would make up for letting myself down. Maybe I thought that if I helped him, my guilty conscience would leave me alone.

Key didn’t deliberately run away from his sasaeng fans like they were the plague itself. He was just trying to have some time by himself, to find peace on the silent streets of Seoul in the early morning. Maybe he was trying to find a part of himself that he lost the hectic hours of practicing to perfect their new album and all that it entailed.

 He was stood in front of the library when I first saw him, his back faced me and his hands were placed on the back of his head. One would have thought that he wanted to get in the library as he stood in front of the glass doors. But from my angle I could see that he was staring at his own reflection as if in a daze.

A couple of fans that lived in the apartments nearby must have seen him before they made their way to him. It looked as if he didn’t mind if his fans spotted him. He was wearing his stage clothes that were laced with an eye-catching gold colour to match his sandy-colored hair.  I turned my attention away from him as I entered the store to wish my uncle. I was about to tell him that I had plans for today when I heard a couple of loud squeals.

I realized that his fan girls must have discovered his location and I glanced outside curiously to see what was happening. My uncle did the same and we both looked out to see Key had started to run in our direction with a couple of fans tailing closely behind him.

“Poor boy…” My uncle shook his head; I could see that he wanted to help but didn’t know where to begin or if he should meddle with an idol’s affairs at all. Through all the chaos, my uncle had forgotten to give me whatever he wanted to give me and I, too had forgotten to ask him about it.

While my uncle was debating on his next move, I seemed to have shut down upon seeing the idol run in our direction. When I came to, I had already pulled him in the shop and closed the blinds. My actions seemed to stun both my uncle and the star himself. His eyebrows knitted in confusion as he wondered if I was just another fan.

He didn’t object when I locked the door as the fans pounded on the glass. Their fists made a loud bang against the glass as they pounded on it and demanded that their oppa be released outside. I sighed and let go of Key.

 It was only a matter of minutes before I got a headache from their screaming and it only took them a matter of seconds to realize that it was better to save their energy for when Key decided to make another attempt to escape.  I peeked past the blinds to see that they were sitting on the pavements as if they were guarding the store.

I didn’t think badly of fan girls, the situation just got the best of me. I knew, like in everything else, there were extremists, and they just happened to run into a couple of them. In turn, those girls attracted attention and soon a horde of fan girls stood outside in wait for their beloved oppa.

Key made a small noise which indicated that he was contemplating about the question, “Probably when my manager comes to get me,” Key took out his wallet and placed a couple of bills near the cash register. “For your bottle of water,” He motioned to the cool bottle in my hands.

“Thank you.” I smiled at his gesture as I took a sip of water. It wasn’t like I needed to pay anyways, considering the fact that my uncle owned the store, but I was grateful that he paid anyways. I relaxed slightly as I felt the cool liquid make its way down my esophagus and settled itself in my stomach.

“When is your manager coming to get you?” I asked and as I did, a throbbing sensation rose up my chest. The kind one would get when they part ways with a close friend. I managed to suppress the odd sensations that rose in my chest as I paid attention to him.

“He said he’d be here soon-”He was cut off by sound of his phone ringing. A song that was probably from some musical rang for a couple of seconds before he excused himself to take the call. I took another sip of water as I scolded myself. Why on earth would I have such feelings when we just met? Perhaps the loneliness I had felt for a while and the offset of my whole day had somehow managed to trick me into thinking that we could have been friends.

Key came back just as quickly as he left the room. “My manager’s here,” His eyebrows knitted as if he were sad to hear the fact. I nodded my head and shifted my gaze away, as if I was hurt. It was as if his manager had interrupted a date that would determine the rest of our futures. “It was nice meeting you,” I managed to plaster a smile on my face as I spoke.

 The tension rose in the air as my eyes locked with his and we both froze. We kind of looked like deer that had been caught in a pair of headlights. We were unsure of what to say next, as this sudden awkwardness filled in the empty spaces that separated us.

I didn’t really know how to say bye, I knew that I wouldn’t see him again after this. I wasn’t used to this situation, but then again, who would be? “…So goodbye then,” His head tilted slightly to the side as he too didn’t know what to say. Key opened his mouth slightly as if he was about to ask something, but he quickly shut it.

“Good luck on your next album.” I wished him and he replied with a quick thank you. We stood like that for a couple of minutes, Key opened his mouth once more and began to speak, “What’s your-“ A sudden loud knock the glass door of the shop interrupted him and we both turned out attention to the door as we wondered if it was another fan girl or if it was his manager. “Kibum-ah! We need to go!” His manager managed to travel over the screams of the fan girls.

Key made his way to the door and opened it. He was instantly pulled through the entrance by his manager and the two started to make their way through the crowd. Before he left, he turned around and shot me a smile that was filled with gratitude. I quickly waved back at him with both hands and continued to do so until the doors of the store closed.  

My name is Jung Kyung Mi. I wanted to reply, but he had already gone. I sighed softly and ran a hand through my hair as I eyed the entrance. The room returned to its previous silence and it did not take long before my uncle came back with a pleased expression on his face. I knew that expression all too well, but I ignored it and finally told him that I couldn’t work due to other plans before I left the store and met up with the friends that I had wanted to meet for so long. 

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Okay, I can go through this door, alone. 

You'll never see me or the people chasing us again. 

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I know what you must be thinking right now....Darn manager coming to save Key's in the end and ing Key and Kyung Mi *shakes head* Oh well~ Maybe they'll meet again *winkswinkshinthint* in an alternate universe~ <3 

I hope everyone enjoyed reading the story ^^

See you next time O: <3 

TheWinterFairy 

Here's where I got my inspiration from ; uu ; It's some lyrics from Sherlock~