The Story of Minho

Key was dissapointed.

As to why he was disappointed, Minho couldn't say. Perhaps Key had gone in with very high expectations of the girl and had not been impressed. Or perhaps he had not been able to get the information he wanted. Either way, Key looked pretty sad for someone who had been so energetic and eager before.

Jonghyun was disappointed.

He had expected a full report - details and stories and recounts of what had happened. Instead, Key had just shrugged and looked sad.

Taemin was disappointed.

He had really wanted the chicken, but Key, in his strange onset of despondency, had forgotten to buy them.

Onew was...Onew. The leader of SHINee crossed his arms and was distracted by the flow of traffic on the street, refusing to divulge any details or involve himself with this 'spy mission'.

Minho sighed.

It was up to him then. Somehow, it always ended up being him. But he couldn't fail his fellow team members here, now could he? It was time to get them some food. Everyone was hungry after all.

"I'll go," he said simply, and walked toward the teriyaki shop.

Everyone else was taken by surprise. Even Onew turned around to look at him. But nobody said anything.

Minho did not have to try to look handsome. His walk was a natural male model's walk. After all, he had received training in that area. The tank top and sweatpants that he still wore from the dance practice showed off his strong build.  And yet, his determined yet young face with curly hair framing it revealed a certain degree of vulnerability. This was Minho as a knight in full armor, ready to save the day.

.

.

It was very empty, and there was no line outside. Minbo decided that it was okay to enter, and cautiously poked his head in. He walked in on a snippet of conversation that sounded like it cam straight out of a movie or drama.

In fact, it even looked like a scene from a drama. There were three girls, very well dressed, surrounding a commoner with a broom in her hands. The commoner leaned her chin on the broom, saying nothing, only staring straight into the eyes of the girl who was speaking.

"- aren't even enrolled in any college yet, don't get ahead of yourself."

"Yeah, take this as Onee-sans advice. We're saying this for your own good."

The girls laughed together, but it was not a nice laugh. Minho hung back a little, not wanting to interrupt them.

"What are you doing anyway, with those two boys? Don't tell me you're cheating on them both? The way they both look at you - it's a little too suspicious isn't it?"

"That's not healthy at all, stupid girl. That's called being a ."

"," they taunted her. "That's what you are."

The commoner's eyes were steady, but the second Minho saw her hands shaking while holding the broom, his chivalry kicked in. With a big and dramatic sweep of his arm, he flung open the red clothed cover to the teriyaki shop.

"I'm here to buy five chicken teriyaki to go, please." He stared down the three girls, who looked both shocked and guilty. "Am I interrupting something that important?"

There was no way they could argue with his angry, threatening aura. Minho was normally a very quiet and reserved person. However, his strong charisma when he was angered made him a force to contend with. The three well-dressed girls exchanged glances. Then, with an annoyed huff and another glance at him, they made their way out. Mockingly, Minho held the red cloth up for them, and watched them leave.

"Five chicken teriyaki to go, am I right?"

Shocked, Minho turned back to the commoner. She was already back in the kitchen, busily pouring oil and ingredients into pans and bowls. Her hands shook, but her voice was steady.

"Y-you don't have to make it if you're - I mean, does this sort of thing..."

"Oh, don't worry about it." She had noticed him staring at her hands, and smiled. "My hands are like this sometimes. I just deal with it."

And indeed, she was moving very fast, preparing the five dishes. Her hands scooped up the chicken and dropped them on the grill, filled with the ease of a long practiced movement even though her hands almost dropped everything too soon in haste. Minho sat down to wait, but couldn't help sneak glances at her every so often.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He blurted out.

Her movements faltered. Taking a deep breath, Ikki tried to relax her hands. They still wouldn't stop shaking. "This is...actually this is the first time...something like that has happened. Ive never been called a bad name before. It's strange. I'm in shock."

The matter of fact way in which she said this, and the even tone she used, made Minho suddenly understand why Onew might like her. She wasn't the complicated type, not manipulative or cunning in any way. Just like Onew, she had simple thoughts and simple desires. They would definitely be on the same wavelength.

"I'm sorry I didn't interrupt earlier. Who were the two boys giving you trouble? I'll hunt them down and tell them to stop bothering you, if you want."

Ikki laughed, and then sighed. "You even heard that?"

"Sorry."

Ikki sat down, checking on the teriyaki grill only periodically. "Oh no, it's okay. Really, I think those girls just misunderstood. There was a good looking boy that just walked in, acting strange. He said he was looking for a friend of his. I had never met him before."

Minho's face paled. Could it be?

"Ah, did he have a narrow face and short brown hair? He was wearing chains on his jeans, right?"

"I'm not sure if he had chains or not, but he had a very...teasing manner. It seemed a little like he was trying to get me to like him, but it was weird. I think that was his way of making a joke."

Oh Key, Minho thought to himself, slightly horrified. What are you doing to Onew's girl?

"You must have seen him then? When he was walking out?" Ikki asked him quizzically. When Minho nodded his head, unwilling to lie, she looked curious.

"You know him?"

Unwillingly, Minho nodded again. A smile broke out on her face. "That's interesting. He says he knows Onew too. Onew is...well I'm not sure what he is, but he must be pretty popular. You know him as well?"

"For some reason, Onew is popular." Minho agreed. "Ive never seen someone as awkward and strange as him, but he's hardworking and earnest and caring. He is... a good ....Hyung."

Ikki glanced at him sharply. "You're Korean." She said it as a fact, a bit of surprise tinting her tone. "I should have known. In Japanese it's oni-sama, but since you're not related...I guess it'd be 'aniki' as the word you're looking for."

"Thanks."

They lapsed into silence for a while. The shop was empty except for the two of them, and Minho found himself wondering what kind of circumstances had led to Ikki dropping out of college. Surely it wasn't the difficulty of the material.

"It must be nice in Korea," Ikki said absently. "Weather's colder, but there's more space and less earthquakes and tsunamis. You have somewhere to go, instead of being trapped on an island...But maybe it's the same. People are still the same. There are girls like that everywhere. I have to get used to it." She was talking to herself now, it seemed. "It's a natural part of any city, especially like Tokyo. I need to deal with it."

So she was still bothered.

"Still," Minho said, putting his hands on his chin. "That wasn't fair of them to assume you were cheating."

 "Yeah, it was just a stupid misunderstanding. Since he only talked to me and ignored the other girls in the shop, they must've felt a little humiliated and took it out on me. Especially since I'm only a...a dropout with no college..."

"But you run an entire shop by yourself. That takes some skill. Who does all the accounting?"

"Me," Ikki got up to tend to the cooking again. She sounded very offhand about it.

"Everything? Even the taxes and rent?"

"Of course." Ikki added something, and smoke billowed up to cover the sound of her voice and her face.

"Then you must be pretty smart." Minho offered.

Her hand froze on the frying pan, the first time that she had gone completely still. Minho saw her struggling to hold back something. Was it a smile? Yes, a tiny smile of pleasure showed despite her efforts.

"You think so?" she said modestly, and then handed him five bags of teriyaki chicken. "Thank you!"

Minho paid and then left, feeling happy. Whatever Key was disappointed about, it had to be wrong. This girl, to be able to smile like that, carefree and trusting, even after being bullied for the first time in her life...

That was some fortitude.

.

.

The food was delicious. They all ate outside, on the bench below a tree. Even Onew had been lured over, hungry.

"I'm still hungry," Taemin complained, "Hyung, why didn't you buy more?"

"Hey! Don't hog all the food! I'm hungry too!" Jonghyun rolled up his paper bag, pouting. "I'm thirsty too. Know a place where we can buy frozen drinks?"

"There's Ikki's teriyaki shop," Onew said unexpectedly. He then recited all five drinks and their prices to his stunned band members. When he finished, inwardly, Onew beat himself mentally. He was so careless! Somehow he had retained a bit of his shopkeeper mode and had advertised to the last set of people he wanted Ikki to meet.

Jonghyun's smile was slow and mischievous. "Hey, then I know who's going to meet this Ikki next."