The spaces in this chapter are weird :c Sorry, my laptop and PC behave differently.

---

This time, I woke up to the sound of clanking chopsticks and steamed rice. I opened my eyes but didn't see the usual figure sitting beside me. Taemin and his crutches were gone but he had left his cellphone in my lap. What could've happened to him?

My imagination started to wander. Maybe I had been talking in my sleep and I had replayed my speech to him unconsciously. Taemin could've heard that and maybe he decided that I had smartened up and finally understood him. And being the good friend he was, he just walked away so I wouldn't have to deal with the departure. Wow, Taemin's so nice. I'm so grateful to have an ex-friend like him.

But he didn't do that, right? I mean, he couldn't have. On one hand, it would've been nice but on the other hand, it was cruel to just leave me like this. I was hopeless with directions and I'd probably turn into a hobo on the streets. Omo, Taemin, where are you?

I flipped open his cellphone and saw that it was 5 in the morning. It was still dark, though, but the mood seemed to have lightened on the other end of the mall. I stood up from my bench and squinted to try and find out what they were doing. They laid out their chopsticks and spoons and opened lids to styrofoam containers. They were eating.

My stomach registered what was going on and started growling frantically. "Shut up," I told it, "the food's not for you."

But how had they gotten the warm food? I sat back down and played with Taemin's cellphone to waste some time. A thought popped into my head. Taemin wouldn't just leave his cellphone. It was his mobile lifeline between him and SHINee. Whenever they had emergencies, they always called Taemin's cellphone, never his home phone.

Suddenly, I heard banging. It was like somebody was banging on a door. I looked to my right and saw some men outside with bags in their hands, banging on the door. They looked cold so I rushed over and tried pushing the door open. It wouldn't budge, though.

"Help!" I called. A few men from the other side of the mall ran over to my side and together, we pushed the door open.

Six guys covered in snow walked inside. I couldn't recognize five of them but the last one came in on crutches. He also held two bags in his hands and one in his mouth.

"Taemin?"

"Anyeong." He said through his gritted teeth. I brushed the snow off of him and brought him over to our bench.

"What happened?" I took the bag from his mouth as he warmed up his hands.

"You didn't wake up at all?" He looked surprised.

"No...I woke up like, two minutes ago."

"Some people from across the street got this door to open and--"

"Does that mean we can leave?" I asked, hopeful.

"Do you want to freeze outside or stay a degree warmer in here?"

"Oh, then keep going."

"Well, they had people over at their store. They own a restaurant, I think, and they let us have some food." Taemin opened the bags and inside were Styrofoam cartons. Instantly, I could smell the food and my stomach growled. I slouched over to try and hide the unpleasant sound. "Don't worry, your stomach was crazy loud when you were sleeping." Taemin laughed while passing me a pair of chopsticks.

I took a bit of rice and savoured the flavourless goodness. "Mmm, it's good and warm. But isn't the power out? How did they cook this?"

"They made a real fire." Taemin ate a piece of meat and then offered me one. "This is good. Have some, Tae Seul."

I shook my head. "You eat it. You need some more meat on those bones."

I think Taemin decided better than to force me to eat. I mean, judging from last time, nobody would want to make me eat something I didn't want. He stuck the chopsticks in his mouth, put one hand on the bench, and put his other hand on my forehead. "Aigoo, you're still burning up though you're not coughing or anything, right?"

"Not really. Just an itchy throat, that's all."

He dug through the bag that he had held with his mouth and brought out a bottle of water for me. "Here, drinking water will help you get better."

"Thanks." I sipped on water throughout my meal and we conversed back and forth. Sometimes, Mr. Choi would run into the conversation and we'd wonder where he was. Could he be at home? Taemin always tried to change the subject, though, and I found that cute. Oops, I mean manly. I guess he was just trying to protect me from any false hope.

After the hearty meal, Taemin turned into a blob on the bench. He sprawled his limbs out and closed his eyes. "I've never been so full."

"Seriously? Never?"

"I'm exaggerating." Taemin patted his stomach and sighed in contentment. I cleaned up the styrofoam cartons, utensils, and bags and dumped them in the garbage.

"Taemin, are you gonna go to sleep?"

He nodded, "Are you?"

"No, I've got enough sleep."

"Four hours of sleep is enough for you?"

"No, but I'm not tired. Now go to sleep. You're the one who hasn't got enough."

Taemin pulled his hood up and snuggled into a ball on the bench. I patted his leg and then went off to staring at the snow outside. The flurries were lighter but it was still hard to see very much.

I stood up to stretch out my sore body that's been cramped on a bench for hours. I had never missed my bed so much.

-

It was eight in the morning when I heard the honks and saw the lights on the snow removal trucks. A weak sun peaked through and I ran up the stairs. It was a miracle that I didn't trip since I was so groggy for not doing anything for a good two and a half hours. I looked outside and saw that they had cleared a lot of the sidewalks and people were walking again. I saw a worker bang on the door of the mall after they had shoveled away most of the snow from the entrance. He opened it and I could instantly feel the cold air blow in, even from upstairs.

I ran down, praying that I wouldn't just fall all the way. Taemin had sat up and rubbed his arms to keep warm. He had an angry face on, probably displeased about having to wake up.

"C'mon Taemin, let's go home!" I would've jumped up and down in front of him if it wasn't for the fact that the room was practically spinning.

"You look horrible, Tae Seul." Taemin said with his eyes half open.

"Well, thanks."

"No, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Why didn't you sleep?"

"I wasn't tired."

"Are you tired now?"

I nodded in honesty. "A little."

"Then sleep."

"I can't sleep now! We should go home and sleep! You know, where I can lie on a bed?"

After a pause, Taemin said, "Do you know how to get home?"

To say the truth, "Not really. But there are maps right? And signs. Let's go, Taemin! I wanna get home!"

He finally gave in and stood up. I handed him his crutches and we walked outside to where the snow removal crew and a large group of people were standing. 
 

A lady handed us both some blankets and we wrapped it around ourselves. “Where’s the nearest subway station?” I asked.

“Oh, I wouldn’t use the subway, dear. Full of snow down there, and the stations are pretty frozen.”

I looked at her blankly for a moment. “Are the buses working?”

“No. Bus services are still on hold.”

Taemin piped in this time, “Is there any way to get out of the city?”

The lady shook her head. “It’ll take at least until tonight to clear the roads and many workers are homebound.”

Taemin looked at me, “Wanna spend a day in Seoul?”

I wanted to shake my head but I couldn’t so I just shrugged. “Sure, why not spend Christmas away from the family?” I mumbled. Oh, my bed. I miss my soft bed. What a difference it was from the wooden bench in the mall.

“Sorry, kids.” The lady said and she turned around to hand out more blankets.

Taemin looked around and started walking while I watched him. Did he know where to go? Then he turned around and said quite loudly, "Where do you want to go first?"

---

Did everybody have a good start to 2011? :3 I spent January 1st searching for the fancams to SHINee's concert <3