There once was a boy who loved at first sight, his name was Kim Jonghyun. Black hair, light brown eyes, a young seven year old boy innocent to the feeling called pain before today.

He took one long look at the fragile creature with pale skin, equally dark hair and light eyes with pink bow shaped lips and his heart thumped loud in his ears, like drums.

The smaller boy looked up, cheeks burning from embarrassment and choked out a meak "hello."

The high pitched childish voice sent a similar wave of embarrassment back at the latter, startling him.

"Jonghyun-ah. Don't just stare, say hello back. He'll be our neighbor from today onwards because his parents- well. Anyways, him and-"

"I-" Jonghyun cut his mother off, not letting her finish. As if she was insignificant, and at the moment, she was. Everyone was but them two. "I don't want to say hello to someone like him!" He screamed, "I can't be friends with an orphan."

"We're not orphans!" A higher pitched voice screamed and Jonghyun noticed the girl standing next to Kibum's side, holding his hand tightly. "We live with our grandma now!"

"Why?" Jonghyun shot back angry at how close the siblings were. "Because your parents don't want you?"

A loud slap echoed in the hallway followed by a gasp of two elder women and the beginning of soft sobs.

Jonghyun stared wide-eyed at the boy who was now crying into his sister's chest and he ran passed them, tearing them apart and went to his room.

------------------------------------------------------

In the living room, two elder women exchanged "I'm sorry's" as the twins slept cozily in each other's arms on the patio.

"No need to worry." The eldest women said. "They're still children, that's how children are. They fight."

"No, no. It's still not okay, I'll talk to him. He shouldn't have said something like that..."

At that moment, the too-tall-for-his-age boy walked inside the room, hands behind his back, head titled down in shame.

"Jonghyun-ah..." His mother called, "come here, baby." She patted the cushion next to hers signaling for him to sit.

"I-" Jonghyun began, looking up only to reveal a slightly red hand print and swollen pink printed eyes.

"Shh." The elder woman whispered, "when they wake up, you can say it. I don't need it, they do." Soft wrinkles withered upward on her small eyes and lips.

Gentle. Just as fragile. Jjong noted.

"But,"

"Can I tell you something, boy?" His mother asked, looking up at the woman across the tea table separating the two couches, searching for approval.

"Yes ma'am."

"Those two over there," she turned her attention to the soft cries coming from the small bodies behind the back door, "you have to be careful with what you say to people like them, they're not like you."

"What do you mean, mommy?"

"They don't have a mama and papa, they only have each other now, and elder Kim, of course."

"Oh..." Jonghyun's voice broke off at the end of his response, "but why?"

"Well," the woman sighed, "sometimes fate tears people apart like that."

Jonghyun stared, confused, not able to comprehend his mothers words yet somehow, at seven, he still felt the pain in the air as he looked down towards the two and saw small twinkling streaks falling from their closed eyes.

"So be nice, okay?"

All Jonghyun could do was nod slowly. He didn't know what happened, probably didn't want to understand. However, later that night right before the neighbors left and silent apologies were exchanged again for a new party, he held the hands of Nicole and Kibum and made a vow.

"I'll protect you," he said as he looked deep into Key's wet eyes, "both of you." He continued turning to Nicole and an odd, chilly breeze ran through the house in the midst of Spring. They smiled at each other, exchanging pinky promises, unaware of the future and what it had in store for them.

Because that's just how fate works. No matter what you do, how much you plead, it can break you. Those who get lucky get saved, but this wasn't the case. This wasn't the fairy tale kids read about in their books. This was reality and in reality, there are no happy endings.