Everything about the moment was exciting.

The adrenaline going through his body; the blood pumping faster in his veins; the taste of the girl's sweet cherry lips; the feeling of her body against his; the sound of her fast-paced breathing - everything.

On top of all that, he enjoyed the secrecy. He loved the thrill of almost getting caught, of looking for the quiet places he could steel away to with his lover of the moment. He enjoyed the challenge of making love in that brief time span, before Krystal even knew he was gone. It was a game to him, one he always won just in time.

It made his "commitment" to her almost worth it.

"Minho?"

And there is was: the end to his excitement.

He broke from the kiss with his lover of the moment and turned to face none other than Krystal herself. The girl was standing in the doorway, shock and disbelief painted all over her face.

He was disappointed - after all, his fun challenging game was over with - but he wasn't particularly upset. Krystal was bound to find out eventually. At least now he could do away with all the pretense.

"What...What are you doing?" she asked, as if she didn't already know. As if there really was some ridiculous excuse to explain the situation.

Tears were already gathering in her eyes. It was amusing how quickly women could cry.

"You should probably go," Minho advised the woman he had been kissing. She looked disappointed and annoyed, but was smart enough not to argue. Without a word, she left the room, knowing he would find her later to continue what had been interrupted.

Krystal watched the woman leave, looking at her as if she couldn't even believe she was real - as if she couldn't believe any of it was real.

"Minho..."

"What?" he asked coldly.

"Why? Why would you...?" She couldn't even finish her sentence. She was trying so hard not to break down. "I thought..."

"Thought what?"

She fumbled for a second, before getting the words out. "We're going to be married! Why were you kissing that ?!"

He stayed calm while her anger came to the surface. Her quiet tears turned into exasperated breathing.

"Krystal, don't be so naive."

"But we love each other!" she argued, still unable to grasp what was so plainly before her.

"You really believed that?" He chuckled softly.

The look of pain and humiliation on her face should have been enough to move him, but it wasn't. He ignored the small part deep inside that wanted to feel sorry for her.

"You're a monster," she said, with the words spoken so quietly he could hardly hear them.

"And you're a fool."

"You bastard!" she yelled, suddenly angry. She ripped the emerald necklace from her neck and threw it at his feet, casting away the gift from him that she cherished so much. "You'll regret the day you ever lied to me. No one makes a fool out of me. No one!"

"And what are you going to do?" he taunted, taking a step closer to her and towering over her distraught little form. "You're nothing compared to me. You're nothing but a peasant girl who somehow crawled her way out of the mud and up to my level. You're lucky I even put up with you for this long."

She struck him suddenly. She slammed her fists so hard into his chest it knocked him back.

"I'm going to curse you, you dog," she answered. "For as long as you live, you will remember this day. You will never leave it. You'll be stuck here, in this house. You'll never know freedom. You'll never know humanity."

He didn't know why, but he was suddenly afraid. Something about her changed. She was different, the air within the room was different, and he felt different.

"You will not pass a night without seeing what you truly are. Your time will stand still. You will be alone, stranded, and loveless. You're a monster, and a monster I shall make you!"

Minho collapsed to the floor, unable to stand because of the pain that now wracked his limbs. A dull fire traveled through his body, causing him to shake violently. He screamed out in agony, but no one came to save him. Not his parents. Not the guests. Not even the woman he had just sent away. He was alone.

"This is your curse, Minho. This is the price for scorning Krystal Jung. Until the day you find love, you will suffer."

He didn't know what was happening, but he could feel his body changing. He could feel the muscles growing and shifting, bulging through his clothes and ripping the seams. His voice changed as he screamed. It was no longer the cry of a man in pain, but the howl of a frightened animal. He watched his vision change. He no longer saw the room the same. It was smaller, or rather, he was larger.

Fur grew over the massive muscles as claws grew from his fingers. He saw every part of his body transform before his eyes, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He regretted everything in an instant. He should have never approached that witch. He should have listened to the rumors about what her family was. He shouldn't have played with forces that were beyond his control. He shouldn't have been so foolish.

When it was all over, and the fire in his limbs subsided, he pulled himself to his feet - or what used to be his feet. He now stood on bulky animal legs. He tried to speak, but his lips wouldn't move. His voice only came out as a strangled growl. Terrified, he turned to the only mirror in the room. The reflection staring back at him was hideous.

What had he done?

What had he become?

He had never known what love was.

He never loved any of the women he had been with in his life, and he certainly never loved Krystal. He wasn't even sure he loved his parents. He might have loved Jinki and Jonghyun and maybe even Kibum, but that was different. They were his friends, and they could never be what he needed. Neither could Taemin, and yet...

He felt something.

Not like he would ever admit it.

Minho stood looking out the window in his bedroom, at the garden out back. Taemin was outside helping Jonghyun with his work - or helping him slack off more likely. He had been standing there for several minutes now, trying to figure out just what it was he felt for the boy.

The boy. Maybe what Krystal said was true. Maybe he was desperate.

"It's been over two months you know," Kibum said as he walked into his room. Minho had heard him come in, but preferred to stand at the window instead of greet him.

Minho did the math and the magician was right. Taemin had been there for more than two months. Five weeks had passed since he returned, and Minho's life had become fuller than it ever was before. Taemin had renewed his hope, given him a little freedom, and managed to worm his way inside his cold heart.

Yep, definitely something.

"I was here three months before I got stuck," Kibum continued. "Taemin doesn't have much time left."

Minho pulled away from the window and from the sight of his smiling friend, "I know," he admitted reluctantly.

He knew what the magician had come there to say, but he didn't want to hear it. He had been trying to ignore his conscience. He tried to pretend like Taemin was immune to it all, that the curse wouldn't inevitable take him over too. He tried to pretend like everything would be fine if he just stayed there with them a little longer.

But he could not ignore Kibum like he could ignore his own conscience. Very soon, Taemin would be bound to that mansion just like they were. He would never be able to leave. He would never be able to see his family again. And he would hate him for it.

Minho threw himself down in his chair. Like he expected, Kibum came and sat on the armrest.

"You need to make a choice, Minho," he said, speaking softly and compassionately. It was so uncharacteristic for the magician. Had Taemin managed to change him too?

"It's like asking me to choose between my life and his."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. No one's going to die."

"But I won't live. And I feel like that's what I've been doing since he came here: living. For the first time since my curse, I've felt alive."

"Do you love him?" Kibum asked, voicing the very question that had been plaguing his mind. "Do you love him, Minho?"

"...Yes."

"Then you need to let him go."

"But he's..." Minho tried to think of a legitimate argument, some reason that would justify keeping him there. But the right excuse was lost to him, because simply put, there was no excuse.

"He's not all you have," Kibum argued his unspoken thoughts. "You have two friends who gave up their lives for you. And you have me, who tries very hard to get you your life back. Try and see that, will you?"

Minho couldn't help but smile. "You're right".

How come he had never appreciated them before? It was just another one of the many things Taemin had shown him to do.

Kibum clapped him on the shoulder, before he rose from the chair again, considering his work done. "Come on. You know what you have to do."