I'm guessing this is the same as a prologue.

 

 

Prologue        

 

“Minho, you sure may be able to intimidate an athlete with you’re competitiveness, but I am quite sure that you will have absolutely no effect on that clock you’re glaring at!” a snarky Key remarked.

 

For 5 hours Minho had lay frozen on his bed staring at the clock opposite him, wishing for time to go faster. His hair was in a messy heap and bags were noticeable under his gloomy, emotion – free eyes. Sheets and blankets were lazily kept in a heap at Minho’s feet. The dim lighting from the single lamp kept the room at an eerie mood. It didn’t help that there was a blizzard outside. Winds strong enough to knock down a full-grown man howled against the apartment building. A faulty window allowed an occasional breeze to ruffle the curtains. To Minho’s right a calendar brazen on the wall was marred with X’s leading up to today, Christmas Eve of 2020. It was the same for the previous month and the previous year and the previous before that too. Calendars were piled up against the wall and pens dating back from 7 years ago were neatly placed in a box, courtesy of Umma* Key.  If it wasn’t for Key’s motherly instincts Jinki, being the klutz he is, would still be tripping over those pens and taken to the hospital.

 

Since the day of Christmas in 2013 Minho stayed lifeless whatever time he spent alone from his fans. That was the day Taemin’s room was cleared of his belongings. His bed was neatly made without a single noticeable crease in the sheets. Where heaps of shoes used to lay was just an empty corner. Even Taemin’s sweet scent was masked by a heavy concealment of spring flowers. A lone and empty Febreze bottle sat on the floor, the only indication that someone had previously occupied the room. Sadly, there was one other hint of former residence. A stubborn purple stain marked the room. A memory that was never lost in Minho’s mind.

 

~+~ Flashback ~+~

 

“Yah! Taeminnie! Wake up and get dressed!” Key screamed from the kitchen, spatula in one hand and a pan in the other. The egg he was frying began to sizzle from the heat. “You have a new hyung who wants to meet you!”

 

Taemin rolled lazily around in his bed, barely acknowledging Key’s demands to wake up.  The sun poured in through the wide window leaving an angel like hue in the room. At 9 am in the morning Taemin was hoping for at least another 3 hours of sleep. The intense training last night had completely drained out the energy of the sweet 13 years old. 

 

Back in the kitchen, Key greeted the new visitor.

 

“Hi, I’m Kibum. You can also call me Key. Whichever seems more comfortable to you,” the notorious diva said. “The short one over there is Kim Jonghyun, he is…quite loud to put it nicely.” Key remarked with a slight smirk on his face. “Our other member is currently out buying some groceries. You might want to avoid him a bit; he could tumble onto you at any given time. Also, the one who is still holed up in his room is Taemin, he’s our magnae*.”

 

Jonghyun sent a glare towards the two bodies in the kitchen. “I’ll show you one day! I’ll be the tallest in this group!”

 

“Of course you will!” Key answered wittily. “With the help of shoe insoles.” Jonghyun flushed red in embarrassment and continued his Internet surfing. He had finally glanced at the new boy, and recorded him down as a giant in his mental address book. All he could do was sigh in defeat.

 

“Annyonghaseyo*, my name is Choi Minho,” the tall and amused boy claimed.

 

            “Ahh yes, we know all about you. Lee Soo Man has already filled us in,” Key said. “Go ahead into that door right across from us. You’ll be there temporarily until we get a room sorted out for you!”

 

            Minho listened diligently and left for the room with his luggage. Without thinking to knock he let himself in. Nothing would have prepared him for the image he saw before him. The silky of the body was just barely covered by a single blanket. Minho was no different from any other teenager as he felt his hormones raging inside of him. After a minute of taking in the sight in front of him he couldn’t continue living with the heat building inside of him. Minho cleared his throat causing the younger male to jump from the bed and land in a tangle at Minho’s feet. Luckily for Minho, Taemin slept with his pajama pants on but the shy boy hurriedly scrambled up in shock and grabbed the shirt nearest to him. In the process of trying to get dressed Taemin had knocked down a cup of grape juice set down for him by Key earlier in the morning. Mesmerized by the beauty in front of him, Minho didn’t notice the purple liquid spilling onto his feet and beginning to stain the carpet.

 

            “I’m so sorry for that!” Taemin quickly said, trying to save the situation by dabbing at the floor with another shirt. After a few more attempts to relieve the color on the ground Taemin gave up and introduced himself to the waiting stranger. “Hi, I’m Lee Taemin, but you can just call me Taemin,” he said with a toothy smile and innocent eyes shimmering in the light.

 

            Minho responded with a grunt and stood in surprise pondering at how a young boy could be such a beauty and how such a beauty could be so clumsy. Taemin waited for a response as his eyes slowly took in the new trainee in front him. Minho realized he was staring and rid his mind of inappropriate thoughts.

 

            “I-I’m Minho! Choi Minho… but you can just call me Minho,” he stuttered almost to a state of incoherency.

            “Alright Minho! It’s nice to meet you! Hopefully we have many years of fun in front of us!” Taemin returned with an even wider smile on his face.

 

            Minho could only grin in response. This is going to be an interesting training period… he thought.

 

            ~+~ Flashback End ~+~

 

“Yah! Minho!” Onew said, barely getting a raised eyebrow out of his dongsaeng*. “You’re really persistent aren’t you?” His tone of voice made it more of a statement than a question. “After 7 years neither one of us have heard from Taemin. Key went crazy after he found his son gone, but he’s alright now!”

 

Minho barely grunted in response. The clock now shined 11:59. A sealed envelope that was previously hidden from view was taken out from Minho’s coat pocket. The sides of the envelope had begun to crinkle from being played with repeatedly. Brown edges had started to line the package. What used to be made of a fine thick parchment was reduced to a flimsy encasement. Minho could barely keep in tears while waiting for Christmas to open the letter, a promise he made so long ago.

 

Onew could only sigh at the sight in front of him, but decided to leave Minho be. As the leader of SHINee for 12 years now, Onew knew everyone inside and out. Not one thing passed by him when he was around. The day Taemin mysteriously disappeared Onew was there to comfort Minho. Although he was a blundering and clumsy leader, his body – gags served a good purpose in sparking a laugh or a smile out of the confused and miserable Minho. Now, any attempt he had tried before to raise the mood only ended in a disaster. Even when Jonghyun challenged him to a game, Minho stayed adamant. As December 25 came nearer, it seemed to the remaining members of SHINee that their lovable and competitive Minho was getting farther away.

 

Onew ended up snuggling closer to Key, encircling him in his arms. The couple watched forlornly at Minho as Christmas day slowly crept closer.

 

            To Minho, the last minute seemed to last longer than the previous 7 years. He didn’t dare breathe. His grip slowly tightened around the envelope and he was near ripping it open when finally a tick signaled the arrival of Christmas. Minho let out his breath and tenderly opened the envelope at its fold. He didn’t want to risk ripping the letter after waiting so long and eagerly. A single sheet of paper was pulled out from the package and tears began to fall from Minho’s face.

 

7 years he had waited for an explanation. 7 years he lived, questioning what there was to live for. 7 year he wondered what went wrong.

 

Those 7 years were worth it.

 

~+~ Prologue End ~+~

 

 

Umma – Mother, mom

Magnae – Youngest person in a group

Annyonghaseyo – Formal Hello

Dongsaeng – younger girl or boy said by boy or girl.