Key's POV

My eyes snap open as the smell of something burning floats past my nose. I lay there groggily for a second, thinking I might just be dreaming. It is, after all, quarter to five in the morning. But then I hear Taemin cry out. My baby.

I throw the sheets from my body, not even pausing to fix my pink sweatpants hanging loosely from my body. God, please don't let me open this door to find the dorm in flames. Please don't let me run out to find Taemin's burning body. Don't make me bury my baby. Please.

I claw at the door and gasp when I find it locked. I turn and turn the knob, but it's no use. The door won't budge. I call out to Taemin, smelling the burning getting stronger. It's only when I smell burning flesh that I start yelling and pounding on the door with my fists.

My screams are drowned out as I hear Taemin yelp again. A door from down the hall flies open, and I hear frantic footsteps. Minho.

"Minho! Help me please! I need to get out and help Taemin!" I scream as I pound louder on the door. Minho's footsteps thunder down the stairs and disappear. I really don't understand MinKey shippers. Sometimes he could really care less about my .

It takes me one more shriek of pain from Taemin before my full adrenaline finally kicks in. I stand back and give a ninja kick to the door knob, knocking it completely off. I reach my hand through the hole and pull it open before shoving the barrier that kept the door stuck. A dresser. Someone wanted to keep me trapped in my room.

"It hurts!" Taemin screams and I immediately forget about the dent I'm sure I've put in the wall with the dresser. I run down the stairs and cough as I reach the smoky first floor. I squint to see Minho in the kitchen, bravely using a fire extinguisher to put out flames engulfing the entire stove.

"Taemin!" I cry out and he yelps again. I crawl through the smoke until my hand touches one of his knees. I immediately scoop him up into my arms and carry him up the stairs and into my bathroom. Yes, the upstairs bathroom belongs to me. I need my space.

I look Taemin over. His tears are flowing nonstop, and he's biting his lip to hold in screams. His cheeks are both bright red and swollen from being burned. I notice he's gripping his right hand. I pull his hand away, and he winces. His palm is swollen too but with a dark-purplish tinge. He's been burnt pretty badly.

"Come here," I turn the sink on and quickly his hand under the water. Taemin screams and I smooth his hair. I then wet a rag and press it to his face, skillfully covering both of his cheeks.

"Keep your hand under the water, baby, okay?" I instruct, and Taemin nods as he whimpers in pain. I sit on the side of the tub and monitor Taemin's cleansing.

Minho suddenly appears in the doorway with a frantic, worrysome expression. He speaks fast. "I got the fire out. I opened the windows downstairs to let the smoke clear. We need to get a new fire extinguisher. I drained that . Also, the stove is totaled. We should get that fixed. Is Taemin okay? Is he hurt? Is he gonna be okay?"

"I'm fine, hyung," Taemin sniffles behind his rag. Minho sighs in relief and sits upon the closed toilet, in between Taemin and I. Now I need answers.

"Now, why was I trapped in my room while my baby was burning alive?" I ask, glaring straight at Minho. It had to have been him. But why? Him and Taemin are in lo-

"It's my fault, Umma," Taemin murmurs as he shuts the water off. "I wanted to make everyone breakfast."

"Then why was I trapped inside my room?" I ask as I stand up and rummage through the cabinets to find the burn cream.

"You would have tried to stop me if you had woken up."

I frown as I spread the ice cold cream onto Taemin's hand and cheeks, causing him to flinch. "Taemin, if you had just come to me and-"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he sighs, staring down at the floor. "I thought I could do it by myself since I've watched you so many times. But I was wrong. I'm so sorry, Umma."

Rage boils up inside me, and I have to swallow hard to keep it down. "Go watch TV, Taemin. I'll put bandages on you later, but for now your burns need air, araso?"

Taemin bows slightly and slowly leaves the room. I turn to Minho and suddenly show the fire in my eyes. He cringes.

"What the hell is he thinking? He can't make breakfast by himself. That's like asking Onew to walk a straight line when surrounded by fried chicken. Impossible! That kid is so stupid sometimes!"

I blink. Wow, I must be pretty angry. I never say these things...

"Key, you need to calm down."

"I will not calm down! We have dance rehearsal in two hours, which is not enough time to have the stove replaced. So we will not get the nutritious meal we need to perform well. Don't you know how unhealthy that is?"

"He was just trying to surprise you."

"Surprise me?" I laugh bitterly. "Oh, yes. Surprise, Umma! I burnt up the kitchen so now we're gonna get sick and have to have IV treatments! Isn't that great?"

Minho narrows his eyes at me. "Key, don't you know what day it is?"

"Yes," I growl, stomping out of the room. "The day that Taemin ruined my daily routine!"

I slam the door and march off into my room, the slight smell of smoke still lingering in the air. I'm not quite sure why I feel so pissed off. Sometime just feels...off balance. Taemin would never do something so stupid.

Why today?

--

I climb into the manager's van last. Minho takes the passenger seat up front ( up), Taemin and Onew hyung have the back, and Jonghyun and I sit in the middle row.

"Good morning, Key," the manager greets cheerfully. What the hell? Our manager's a douchebag. Why is he being so nice now? "I wasn't expecting you to join us today. Don't you have other plans?"

"I never have other plans in the SM Town," I grumble, crossing my arms as we start our ride to the studio. "Plus, I need dance practice."

The manager frowns at me in the rear-view mirror. "There's plenty of days for dance practice. You should have just stayed home and rested today."

"Just because Taemin burnt up the kitchen doesn't mean I should rest!"

"Mianhae, Umm-"

"Shut up, Taemin."

I hear Taemin recoil, and I bite my lip. "I'm sorry, TaeBaby. I'm just so pissed off today, and I'm not sure why."

"Key, don't you know what day it is?" the manager asks. The rest of the group turns to stare at me.

"A day when we're apparently going to be late because of your slow . Now drive faster!" I growl, and the manager floors it, causing the others to turn back around. Jonghyun, however, keeps his gaze steady on me. 

"Are you okay, Kibum?" he asks, his voice dripping with concern. I nearly melt. Jonghyun's been my crush since he instantly stole my heart three years ago during our debut.

I sigh. "I just wish today was over," I mutter.

Jonghyun shakes his head as we pull up to the studio parking lot. "What a shame," he whispers as he bustles out of the van, leaving me to ponder his statement.

--

"Damn it!" I screech as my foot slips on the floor slightly. I've never messed up this much in my life! I'm the best dancer in the group. It's Onew hyung's job to screw up all the time!"

"You're not gonna be perfect every time," speak of the devil. Like you really need to tell me about being perfect, Mr. Chicken Addict.

"Play the track again," I spit, ignoring my leader. The music starts over, and I begin the routine again.

This time I get past my previous mistake. Now all I have to do is wait for Taemin's cue for that super hard move at the end. I look up and search in front of me. But Taemin isn't there.

"Taemin!" I call out angrily as the track ceases yet again. I see the little mass of blonde hair pop up from a distant corner.

"Neh, Umma?" he chirps as he hurries over to me. I grit my teeth.

"Why aren't you practicing dance with me and the other hyungs?" I seethe through my teeth. Taemin smiles brightly and s a piece of paper towards me.

"I was making a picture card for you, Umma!" Taemin sings as I glance down at the colorful paper. Taemin's doodles cover the sheet, and I yank it from his hands.

"You can doodle after practice," I crumple up the piece of paper and throw it across the room. Taemin looks like I just killed a puppy in front of him. "Now get in position."

"But Umma!" Taemin squeals with tears in his eyes. "Don't you know what day it is?"

"I don't care!" I yell, silencing the room. The sound guy shifts uncomfortably in his seat as he prepares to start the track over. Jonghyun mutters something under his breath as I sigh deeply.

"From the top!"

--

"Ugh," I lean back in my seat and grip my temples. My voice is so nasally. Why didn't I take those singing lessons like my mother suggested? I didn't know back then that SM was going to stick me in a group so quickly. Maybe if I had taken those lessons, I could actually get these notes.

I hear knocking and look up to see Onew hyung's stupid smiling face on the other side of the glass of the sound booth. He checks to make sure the recording light isn't on before stumbling in the door.

"You've worked so hard today," Onew says, dusting himself off from his fall. "Why don't you wrap it up for the night and come out to eat with us?"

"Not interested. I need to stay here and practice until I get this right," I return to my lyric sheet and wave him off.

Onew frowns. "But we were gonna go out to your favorite Italian restaurant."

I scoff. "I see what's going on here. I've been extremely pissed off all day, so you guys want to take me out to make me feel better. Well, thank you, but I don't need your pity party."

"Key," Onew breathes, and I cringe. "Don't you know what-"

"IT'S ING FRIDAY!" I explode, slamming my fist into the wall. Why the hell is everyone asking me that? Why does it matter what ing day it is? "Get out and go have your damn dinner."

Onew bows with a small "mianhae" before fleeing the room. I throw my head into my hands and take deep breaths. When I look up again, I find Jonghyun standing in front of me.

"Get up," he growls. I narrow my eyes and begin to protest, but he grabs my wrist.

"Get up," he repeats, and this time my feet betray me, making me stand up and follow him out of the room, out of the building, and into his car.

Jonghyun drives in silence as I study his reflection in my window. His expression is serious and determined and a bit hesitant. We pull up into the parking lot of my favorite Italian restaurant.

"The others aren't here," he explains in a softer tone. "You and I are having dinner. Together."

I nod, in a daze as I walk with him into the restaurant.

We sit at my favorite table: the one in the very middle with a view of everything. We mull over the menu for a while before finally agreeing to share a pasta plate. I can't help but blush every time we have a near-Lady-and-the-Tramp moment. After eating, Jonghyun refuses to let me have dessert, and we both sign a napkin, knowing it will make up for our lack of money.

Jonghyun drives me back to the studio in silence. He walks beside me and stops me just short of the door.

"So, you really have no idea what today is?" he asks carefully. I shrug, swallowing a bit of rage.

"Today is September 23rd, Key. Your 20th birthday."

Suddenly, the world stops. Chills run down my spine as I stare at my crush's face in disbelief. No way. There's no way I've been so busy that I forgot my own birthday.

Jonghyun takes my hand and leads me into the studio, which is now filled, almost to the ceiling, with fan gifts. I blink, overwhelmed by the quantity. All these people remembered, but I didn't?

"I can't believe I forgot," I whisper, inspecting the pile of presents closest to me. Taemin cooking. The manager letting me take the day off. Onew's dinner plans. They all just wanted to celebrate. And I pushed them away.

Jonghyun grips my shoulders, causing me to blink. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you never forget today again."

And then he kisses me. His grip relaxes as I kiss him back passionately. I've waited three damn years for this moment, and now it's mine, his fingers in my hair as our lips and tongues dance in sync.

When he pulls away, he takes my hand again, this time leading me through my gifts and through the doors to the sound booth.

"Happy birthday, Key!" Onew, Taemin, and Minho suddenly jump from their seats. The sound booth is decorated with colorful balloons and streamers. Minho's holding a beautiful cake, white with pink frosting and flowers and fruits. The candles on top are burning brightly, beckoning me. I suddenly feel tears stream down my face.

"I'm so sorry, you guys," I cry, shifting my gaze between their faces. "I was so rude to all of you today," I blink over at Taemin. "Especially Taemin."

"Gwaenchana, Umma," Taemin beams, his eyes sparkling as he holds up a piece of paper. "I made you another picture card."

I smile and take the paper from his hand, examining it carefully. He used bright colors to draw me and his other hyungs celebrating. I chuckle as I see that he drew himself in between me and Jonghyun. Taemin, the adorable er.

"It's beautiful, TaeBaby," I coo, kissing the top of his head. "How about you and I get up early tomorrow morning, and I'll teach you how to properly cook breakfast."

Taemin squeals and hugs me tightly. "I would love that!"

I look up at Onew. "Sorry about your dinner plans. I did happen to fulfill them, though."

"It's fine," Onew smiles. "We went out for chicken!"

I laugh. Of course. Not even the end of the world could keep Onew from his beloved chicken. I feel sorry for his future wife.

"And maybe the manager will let me have the day off tomorrow," I state hopefully.

"Nope," I suddenly see the manager in the back of the room, who stands up with his phone pressed to his ear. He glares at me as he scurries to the door. "Better leave me a piece of cake, Kibum. Or you can all forget about next week's food."

I sigh as he leaves the room. Yep. Our manager is a total douchebag.

"Key?" I turn my attention back to Minho. "Are you going to blow out these candles, or are you gonna eat waxy cake?"

I rush to my cake, seeing the hot liquid drip slowly from the candles. I freeze as Jonghyun wraps his arms around my waist from behind me. I smile and lean up against him.

"Make a wish, neh?" Jonghyun whispers, his breath hot in my hear. I tremble and reach my face towards his.

"But I already have everything I want," I lean in and kiss him. I feel the oxygen leave the air as the other members stare in shock.

I turn around swiftly and blow out the candles, allowing the others to clap. Jonghyun suddenly jumps ahead of me and gets wild, dancing around with the others.

"Happy birthday, Key! I love you!" Jonghyun shouts out, and the look in his eyes tell me he's not just being crazy. He's serious. He means it.

"I love you too," I smile as Onew hyung begins the chanting of "Go Key!" I run to into the middle of the floor and dance the best I can. Jonghyun joins in, grabbing my hands and spinning me around the room.

"Cake!" Taemin yells impatiently with a pout. I ignore him. He then rushes over to Minho, whom doesn't even wait for his aegyo to say yes. He scoops Taemin up and carries him across the room to get a piece of cake.

I stare into Jonghyun's eyes as we dance. which are telling me that he still has a few surprises for me. I tremble. After everyone's asleep, my eyes answer, and he smiles. But I can't even think about that right now. All I can think about is how perfect this moment is. A perfect moment to end a not-so-perfect day. And with everything that's happening in this moment, I will never forget my birthday again. I snuggle close to Jonghyun.

Never.

--

Happy birthday, Key! Hope you got some rest from your busy schedule to party! :)