A/N: I'm so sorry, last week I've been so busy I completely forgot to update my stories. Special thanks to my 5 lovely subbies for supporting Red-haired Devil. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

- Soo Min POV  -

After I have gathered all the pictures I assume my brother needs to determine the angle of the Jongkey picture, which – in any case – should never be made public, I hurry back home. Though Onew is well aware he won’t be of any great help to my brother, he still decides to come along with me. I don’t ask and he probably won’t admit it, but I know he’s just trying to escape the apartment’s tensed atmosphere. Granted, Key and Jonghyun are acting all lovey-dovey again, but both Onew and I can see that the smile on the rapper’s bow-shaped lips is just a façade. He is afraid that this nightmare will never end and that he will never be able to return to his fairytale-like life again. His boyfriend, the lead vocal of the group, believes we can solve this, just like the maknae line does. But I could clearly see pain and fear in Key’s feline eyes, the same pain and fear I saw during the concert yesterday. Was it only yesterday? So many things have happened after that, it seems so far away.

*Flashback*

The evening concert was halfway as SHINee wrapped up the second set perfectly. I decided to take a look in front of the stage since my work was done. I left the backstage and joined the thousands of Japanese Shawols that had gathered in the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. After all, I was a fan as well. A fan who wouldn’t want to miss this chance to see SHINee’s first individual concert.

The moment I had found my spot between the other fans, the second ballad was already starting. It was one of my favourites, ‘Romantic’. I felt how the corners of my lips unconsciously curled up into a soft smile. Until a girl next to me suddenly whispered “is Key crying?” My Japanese is not that great, actually it’s horrible, but I could understand what she was trying to say. My eyes fixed on the huge LED-screen behind the main stage and there I met with Key’s red-stained cheeks again. To most of the fans it would seem as if he was only touched by the lyrics, but I knew better. I could see the glances the diva and the dinosaur were sharing. They were singing to each other directly and they were not hiding it. For the second time that day my heart was broken into thousand pieces and I could feel tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. ‘Romantic’ is not a happy love song, you see, it’s about a lost love, a broken love.

After ‘Romantic’ the performance continued, the boys joked around between the songs, but Key did seem to be out of his element the whole time. I could understand he was a little distracted after what had happened the day before, but there seemed to be something else on his mind.  At the end of the concert they all said their farewells, everyone smiled, thanked the fans and promised them to come back soon. However Key’s farewell was different, it was serious, almost definite. I made a mental note to ask him what that was about, but I didn’t find the time to ask him after the concert.

*FB end*

When Onew and I arrive home, my brother is nowhere to be seen. After a call, I discover that his photo shoot is taking longer than expected. So we have to wait. I start to pace restlessly around the room, walking up the walls. I find myself biting on my nails, although I thought I had quit that awful habit years ago. In the end Onew pulls me on his lap as we sit on the couch, telling me I have to close my eyes and try to catch some sleep.

Tiredness must have taken over and granted me some sleep, because I only wake up when a soft, manly voice reaches my ears. My muscles feel a little stiff from the awkward position I’m sleeping in, curled up in a ball on Onew’s lap. The clock confirms that I’ve fallen asleep as its hour hand has ce, indicating an hour has passed after I’d last checked it.

I’m rather surprised when I hear my brother, whose voice I recognised when I woke up, isn’t alone. Why did Kevin come along with my brother if he knew I was waiting for Soo Hyun with the camera to analyse the photographs? Did he convince my brother not to join the anti-stalker pact, to stay out of this business to protect themselves? No, I need my brother’s help! I need Soo Hyun and Kevin won’t stop me. Tears of anger and betrayal fill my eyes as I clench my fists around Onew’s shirt. My nails must be digging into his flesh when he suddenly wakes up and groans in pain. I mutter a soft ‘sorry’ as I get up from the couch and head towards the hallway.

The two U-KISS boys enter the living room, greeting me as usual with a soft smile on both their lips. I can’t show a smile in response. On the contrary, I have to bite my lip to prevent myself from flying into a rage. I want to tell my brother what a coward he is and call Kevin so many ugly names. But the words don’t find their way to my tongue. Luckily, it turns out, when Kevin asks something rather astonishing.

“Have you taken all the necessary pictures? So hyung can explain everything?”

It turns out my brain played  a trick on me. My brother-in-law is no douchebag, nor is my brother. The past few hours, when I was taking the photographs in the dorm and U-KISS were at the photo shoot, Kevin did some thinking. At least that’s what he’s telling me now. When he was staring at Soo Hyun posing for the camera, he realised how much he loves my brother ad how depressed he would be if he would ever come to lose him. That’s how he imagined how Jonghyun and Key must be feeling at the moment; loving each other profoundly, but forbidden to be together because of the circumstances. Kevin admits he was close to tears while he imaged the pain and sorrow and he even smeared his make-up, making the noonas furious. At that point he decided he would help us, or at least support us: his boyfriend, his sister-in-law and SHINee, who were – apart from being co-idols – complete strangers to him.