He should have listened to his mother. „Let love come to you.” Onew sighed quietly as he repeated his mother’s words, sitting at the usual lake once more. His eyes were focused on the icy water. The leader didn’t really care about the falling snow which covered his hair and clothing, making him look like some kind of snowman. Why did he even bother to confess? He should have known he’d get rejected. He knew – everyone knew – that Key was madly in love with Jonghyun. Something he wouldn’t have expected, though, was having his feelings being played with – by Key.

Okay, he was kind of prepared for a rejection. It hurt, but it was nothing the male couldn’t manage. But a kiss? A kiss out of fun? He was aware that Key was a playful and flirty person. It was his nature. The kiss was too much, though. It was Onew’s very first time he felt someone’s lips on his own. He had always dreamed of that moment and he couldn’t even enjoy it. Sure, he received his first kiss from the person he admired and loved, but the giver wasn’t someone who returned the feelings.

Yeah, perhaps Onew was a bit old-fashioned, dreaming of the perfect first kiss with the person he loved and was being loved of, the person he could entirely call his own, the person he might would marry one day and spend the rest of his life with. Onew was indeed dreaming of a fairytale-like first love. His dream was ruined and he had to face reality – a reality he didn’t feel like accepting. He would never experience his first kiss with the person he loved and was being loved of because his first kiss was stolen by a diva who happened to be one of his best friends and his beloved band mate since over five years now. Onew was raging inwardly, his face scrunching up in a mix of anger and pain. He wished all this was a bad dream, a bad dream he would wake up from really soon.

Pinching the back of his hand, he winced from the icy feeling of his cold fingertips on his just as cold skin, sighing deeply. It wasn’t a bad dream, sadly. Onew came to the conclusion that even fairytales weren’t all rainbow and giggles. Every fairytale had a villain, mostly a witch who tried to prevent the princess and the prince from getting together. Perhaps Jonghyun was the witch in Onew’s very own fairytale? No, it couldn’t be. Jonghyun wasn’t even doing anything. Actually it was Jonghyun who told Key to move on and find someone else to like. Onew decided that Jonghyun was the good fairy in his fairytale. Who would take over the spot of the evil witch, though? Was he himself the princess who had to be saved or the savior, the prince in shining armor? Onew realized that his own fairytale was nothing like those ordinary fairytales children loved to read. Sadly. Everything would have been so much easier that way.

“Hyung! Hyung!”

The leader snapped instantly out of his thoughts as he heard an all too familiar voice from afar. Turning his snowy self slowly, he blinked, seeing the maknae standing at a tree with an umbrella not too far from himself, waving widely with his usual smiling self. Onew was relieved it was just Taemin and not Key. He wasn’t really in the mood to face the person who broke his heart for now. The maknae hurried over to Onew and squatted down next to the older male, hovering the umbrella over Onew’s and his own head to shield both of them from the constantly falling snow.

“Hyung, aigoo. You will definitely catch a cold. Why didn’t you take an umbrella with you? Hyung, you can’t get sick, you know. We have preparations for our comeback. And anyway, why did you leave the dorm in such weather?” Taemin rambled without stopping for even a second, giving Onew a pouty face. Onew could only smile at how adorable the younger one was being. He didn’t think anyone would actually come to search for him. Taemin started to brush affectionately the snow off of Onew’s hair and coat after giving Onew the umbrella to hold. Onew couldn’t lie; he loved being taken care of for once instead of being the one to always take care of the others. It was the right thing he needed right now. Although Taemin was the youngest out of the group and pretty much the spoiled maknae he was, he knew Taemin cared and enjoyed taking care of his band mates as well, like now.

“Hyung. Key was worried about you. I saw him standing in the hall, whimpering after you left.”

“I don’t care.”

Taemin’s eyebrows raised in slight shock at Onew’s answer. It was most definitely unexpected, unexpected to hear an ‘I don’t care’ from Onew. Onew always cared. He cared about everyone and everything and Taemin didn’t remember hearing such a thing from the older male, ever.

“You do care.”, was all Taemin said in a whisper as he hugged his legs close to his chest, sitting next to Onew under the umbrella. “If you wouldn’t care, you wouldn’t be here drowning in self-pity right now.” The leader’s eyes widened at the younger’s words. Taemin was right. Why was that teenager so smart for his age? Maybe he wasn’t as innocent and dense as he always showed to be, Onew thought but quickly shoved this thought aside, just nodding quietly at Taemin.

“I just… I don’t know what to do, Taemin”, the leader responded and bit his lip.

“Hmmm…”

“Hm?”

“I know it’s probably a bad moment to tell you this...” the younger one began to speak but stopped a couple of seconds later.

Onew furrowed his eyebrows at Taemin’s words, not really being in the mood to hear any negative things anymore.  His day was already the worst day of his life, but on the other hand he was curious as to what the maknae had to announce. Instead of stopping Taemin from proceeding, Onew gestured the younger one with a hand gesture to continue talking, reassuring he was all ears. The maknae cleared his throat as he bit his lip, glancing over at Onew with an unsure look in his eyes. He was afraid of telling Onew, but it was probably the best to tell him now instead of having him return home and find something… not very pleasing and even more heartbreaking.

“Jonghyun broke up with Sekyung.”