a small hand

The Red Shoes

I'm really touched by how interested and open-minded you are and MissLocket's comment especially moved me. I'll get to that again later on :)

Thank you all very much for your support!

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For a second I just stare at the blank screen not capable of processing what just happened. Then Minho cursing next to me wakes me from my stupor and I see Jonghyun breaking away and running towards the stadium.

Minho and I exchange a quick glance both thinking the same thing and follow him. We easily avoid the security because they have trouble enough to avert another panic in the plaza. And while we’re running I try to gauge the extent of damage the building has suffered but it’s impossible to say from the outside.

Jonghyun has already reached the nearest entrance. I wish he would wait for us and not just storm into the stadium risking to get hurt, but there is no holding him back now.

Minho is faster than me but waits for me at the entrance.

“Let’s proceed carefully,” he says, “we won’t catch Jjong anyway.”

We see a couple of soldiers already at work at the inner stadium-doors some of which are blocked. They ignore us. I catch a glimpse of Song hauling off a man in hand-cuffs and for a split second our eyes meet. Is this the bomber?

But there is no time to think about this. Minho has managed to wrestle open a door and we enter the stairs that lead down to the floor-seating area. The destruction is minor in the corridors but the further we proceed the more obvious the disaster becomes. We have to climb over piles of rubble to reach the last door that opens towards the floor. Luckily it is halfway open so we can slip through it.

We’re entering from the stage side of the place. Inside the air is filled with dust and smoke. It’s impossible to see as far as the center-stage. The tarpaulin over the seating towards the back has caught fire and is smoldering away. But it doesn’t look like the fire-hazard is major here.

I can hear Jonghyun’s desperate shouts for Kibum and Taemin. He must be on the other side of the stage. Minho has ripped off part of his shirt to cover his mouth and nose. Good old rational Minho. I follow his example.

We fight our way towards the center slowly grasping the amount of damage done to the inside of the stadium. The broken steel-beam has smashed into the floor seating on the right where Jonghyun tries to get through.

While looking around I lose sight of Minho but I don’t care right now. I’m near the remains of the bridge between main stage and center-stage so I just follow it to get to our boys.

The amount of plaster, concrete and steel I have to climb over is alarming. Looking up I see sunlight pouring in through a ragged hole in the ceiling. I realize that this is the only light-source except for a couple of emergency-exit signs.

Falling directly on the center-stage the light leads me there. I can hardly make out the former shape of the platform. There are parts of it ripped away where a bomb went off and it is covered with the debris of the ruined ceiling. My heart skips a beat when I can’t help but think ‘there is no way they’re still alive below this’

I push the thought aside and start to tear away at the rubble when I see Jjong on the other side of the platform. He doesn’t even look at me when I call him but keeps frantically digging with bare hands for Kibum and Taemin among the ruins.

Suddenly there are a number of other people around and I register that the bomb-squad has come to search for our boys as well equipped with shovels . Nobody talks.

We keep digging in silence until someone beside me shouts:

“I see a hand!”

I didn’t even realize that Minho caught up with me and we have been working side by side for a while already. He’s pointing to a spot to our left and for a horrible second I believe he’s talking about a severed limb but then I realize that it is still attached to an arm that reaches deeper down into the ruins and doesn’t look separated from the body.

We scramble to the spot and while Minho and a couple of squad-members carefully clear away the rubble I grab the unusually small hand with the familiar rosary-ring. Gently squeezing it I am rewarded with a faint echo.

“He’s alive!” I shout, “Taemin is alive!”

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bella0203
#1
I can't believe I've just found your story now! already finished reading all your story and I love them all
this one is my favorite, I really like taekey as my favorite ship and I can totally imagine kibum would do anything to save taemin
I love the way you wrote and potrayed all members. thank you so much for making this! I hope someday you'll write something like this again :)
aoajisai #2
Chapter 28: I really can't express how much I love this story. Thank you, author-nim for writing this wonderful story. The way you've captured their personalities, their bond...it's just too real.

I have a habit of observing people and what you've written here, what you've said on your thoughts about Key and the members, I've noticed that too. I hope that more and more fans would try to go beyond the visuals and persona being projected to the public. (This goes for any fandom and idols.) To try to understand SHINee better and support each one of them and their activities. To try and separate delusions from reality. Break free from the "Perfect Illusion" (as Lady Gaga would have said it).

I hope nothing like this or something similar happens in the future for SHINee or any idol group. May they be saved from psychotic fans or haters.

Continue writing author-nim! I'd love to read more of your stories. Gambatte!
sonnet_sartori #3
Chapter 28: *-*
i cannot thank you enough for writing this.
the way you wrote the story... your portayal of kibum and taemin..
i cried. i cried like a baby ;_;
my life is super busy.. super chaotic.. super stressing.. to the point that i hate it; but this story took me away from the mess for a bit; thank you for that <3 the plot kept me on my toes! it had me on the edge of my seat *-*
arrghhh i just love this so much :')
KimHaeRa
#4
Chapter 28: This story is really something,you made it look so real. It's really good!
bluestormysky
#5
Chapter 28: Good story, great job authornim
dibidibidis27 #6
Chapter 28: This story is so good. Honestly I really don't like reading fanfics, but I got bored and tried reading one, and yeah I stumbled upon this story, and I fell inlove with this story right away. I can't explain or even put into words how much this story moved and amazed me. Anyways I need to say this, thank you for this amazing story.
MissLocket #7
Chapter 28: Chapter 28: I have to thank you again so much for this amazing story. I enjoyed every moment even if I was scared to keep reading. About Key, I am one of your fans of the roles you had given Key till now because I believe as you that Kibum is a special person, he has something like an inner strenght and clean aura that attracts me in a very particular way. He is the one and only artist I would like to meet and become his friend. I find him extremely smart, interesting, sweet but not too sweet, and more. That's why I like your story so much, because you can put on words how I really think he is. Please keep doing that.
Abhirami #8
Chapter 28: This was a well written story and I enjoyed reading it. I'm an ELF but I like SHINee a lot so here I am. All the things you said about Key I think are really true. He is one of the most interesting person I have ever seen.
Jimmae #9
Chapter 28: I love you. Thank you. :-)