Taemin and Key started a dance battle while the others stood around clapping and cheering. 

“Watch out Ji Ara, your boyfriend is going to turn into mush” key teased.  Ji Ara smiled.

“No one can beat my boyfriend” she said and glanced at Taemin, who looked proud.

Key chuckled.  “Want to make it more interesting?” he asked.  Taemin nodded.

“If I win, I get a wish from Ji Ara and if you win, well, Ji Ara will give you a big hug in front of all of us” key said and Ji Ara blushed. 

“Hey don’t bring me in” she complained when Taemin agreed.
 

“Let me in on that action” they all heard Jonghyun say, and turned to find him and Anna walking hand in hand, both of them looking very much happy.
 

Anna was red and shy.  Ji Ara chuckled at her friend.
 

Key nodded and the battle started and as expected Taemin won.
 

Ji Ara’s POV

Everyone was so happy and jolly that I did not want to ruin it.  I laughed and walked towards him. 

He was sweating and a bit drunk, and yet, all I wanted was to wrap myself around him and just stay there, relishing the feel of him against me.
 

I shook my head.  I must be crazy.  I walked up to him, looking straight into his eyes, but just as I was about to hug him, my phone started ringing. 
 

The crowd started booing.  I chuckled and moved away from the crowd.
 

Taemin’s POV

I watched her walk away and relished the thought that she was all mine.  She was proud of me. 

I could not have been any happier.  I had the best members, the best mother, and above all, the best girlfriend.
 

The crowd started cheering once more and I turned to find her walking towards me.  I smiled but then my face fell at her expression.
 

She was looking at me bleakly, not even a smile on her face.  I noticed that she was visibly shaking.

I ran over to her.  “What’s wrong?” I asked, definitely worried now. 
 

She hugged me and held on tight. I could feel her heart race.  “Chubby, what’s wrong?” I whispered in her ear.
 

“I am all alone now Taeminnie” she whispered in such a soulless, broken voice that made me break the hug and watched her tear stained, pale face.
 

The noise stopped and Anna was suddenly by her side too.  “Are you alright?” she asked. The SHINee members also looked concerned.
 

She looked at him and just gave him the phone.  It seemed like the person was still on the phone.
 

He took it.  “Ji Ara, please don’t cry” the woman was saying…wait, was this my mother?
 

“Omma?” I asked and I knew it was her.  “Taeminnie…Ajumma passed away” she said and I felt my heart break a thousand pieces.  She was the last blood relative for ji Ara.
 

“I’ll talk to you later” I said and gathered Ji Ara in my arms and just hugged her.
 

“We’ll go right away” I whispered and she nodded.
 

“Her mother passed away” I said quietly to Onew hyung who nodded and immediately called for the car.
 

She was sitting on the couch, motionless, with Anna when I came back to the living room with packed bags.

I walked to her and kneeled before her.  “Ready?” i asked and she nodded.
 

We walked quietly to the car, Jonghyun and Anna riding with us, while Onew, key and Minho hyung followed.
 

It was getting tensed.  The chirpy girl I knew was not here. 

Instead the silence that prevailed was deadly.  In situations like this, it was normal to cry right? Then why was she not crying?
 

Anna’s POV

“Well the funeral went well” I said to Jonghyun who stood at the back of the room.  I was glad that the members were here.  Both Taemin and Ji Ara needed them.

I glanced at her, sitting on the couch, glass in hand, plate untouched. I was worried. She had not eaten at all yesterday when we arrived. Heck she did not even cry.

“I’ll go see if she’s alright” I said to Jonghyun and he nodded.  I sat down next to her.

“You should eat something” I said.

She looked at me with such forlorn eyes that it made my heart break. “I am not really hungry” she said and continued to stare at her glass. 

“You guys should go now”” she said in a quiet voice. 

“And leave you here alone?” I asked. 

“They have schedules, don’t they? Coming here for the funeral was nice, but they need to go now” she said and I nodded.

It was indeed true.  As a CEO of a talent agency myself, I knew it would cost a lot if they delayed their schedules any further, but she needed us.

“Fine, I’ll talk to them” I said, deciding it is after all better for them to go.  Maybe she was not grieving because of them?

I walked to Taemin who was in the lawn, a drink in his hand and talking to Onew oppa.
 

“She wants you guys to continue with your schedules” I said and Taemin  just stared at me.
 

“Why?” Onew oppa asked with a frown.
 

“She wants to be alone I guess.” I said and saw anger on Taemin’s face.  That was weird!
 

He suddenly got up and walked inside, in fury.
 

Onew and I followed, worried that he might do something he would later regret.
 

“Why do you want us gone?” he asked in a weirdly loud voice.
 

Ji Ara looked at him weakly.  “You’ve got schedules” she said. 

Upon hearing his son almost shout, Taemin’s mother walked in hurriedly, but Onew hyung stopped her.
 

“She needs this.  She needs to grieve and Taemin will make sure she does, and does not fall into depression” he said and I glanced at Onew. So that is what they were talking about.

“So we can’t postpone the schedules?” he asked and she looked at him again.
 

“No you can’t.  It is my mother who passed away and I should be the one to stay” she said forcefully and Taemin stalled for a moment.
 

He took in a deep breath and said “What the hell is wrong with you? Ajumma was more like a mother for me too, and you know that.  I am devastated by her lost too.” He said and she glared at him.

“Stop pretending that this is affecting only you, and stop pretending that you are strong” he said angrily and Ji Ara’s eyes misted.

“Taeminnie..” his mother was about to stop him when he looked at her.

“No mother, she needs to stop behaving as though it is only her that lost someone precious” he said and that was when I noticed it. 

The young boy was transforming into a man, a man who could take care of his woman.  I smiled and looked at Ji Ara, her eyes were misty.  It was then that it dawned on me.  Ji Ara had really found someone she was meant to be with.

“Why are you smiling?” Jonghyun asked, suddenly by my side.  I shook my head then glanced at the rest of us.
 

Taemin’s POV

I looked at her fallen face and wanted to hug her and sooth her, but I knew she needed this.  Sometimes we have to be bad for our loved ones own good.

“Just go” she said and covered her face with her palms.  

“Why? Cause you are running away again? This time from your emotions?” I asked louder, making her shudder.

“What would you know? You still have got your mother who adores you. Who you know is gonna be there for you whatever is it you do!” she uttered, standing up and confronting me.

“Just go away” she said and was about to turn, return into her no crying shell, when I walked behind her and turned her to me.

“You are not going to run away, nor are you going to send me away” I was literally shouting now. 

“We are together and we will face this together.   I am not a kid from whom you want to hide the pain…the reality that she is no more.  We will face this together” I finished and looked at her.

She was angry.   I knew that.  Her face was flushed, her nose was red.  But tears were streaming down her cheeks now.  She probably did not realize that she was crying.  I sighed.

“Ajumma is dead, chubby” I said softly, walking towards her.  “She is not coming back”

“I know” she replied in a low voice.  “Oh god I am all alone” she said and started crying, as though there will never be any tomorrow. 

And all I could do was hold her, hoping to make it all better.  If there was something I could not handle, was her tears.  But I knew I had to be strong for her, for us.

So I stood there, letting her take all of it out.  An hour later, my shirt was all wet and yet she was sound asleep against it.

Onew’s POV

I saw him walk out and waved at him, we were actually in his backyard, sitting and just talking.

He came, sat down next to his mother and sighed.
 

“Sorry you had to witness that” he said and Anna smiled at him.  “We thought you guys would probably not want us to hear that so we came here” she said and Taemin smiled gratefully.
 

“How is she?” I asked, hoping to God she would do much better soon.  I quite liked the laughing Ji Ara.
 

Taemin sighed.  “She’s good now.  She has been crying for over an hour and then went straight to sleep” he said and I nodded.  That’s good.  She needed to grieve.
 

However, he looked tired.
 

“You should get some sleep too” I advised and his mother nodded.
 

He shook his head and sighed again.  “I can’t sleep.  I cannot see her this sad hyung.  And she thinks she is all alone now”
 

“Nonsense, she has you guys!” Taemin’s mother exclaimed. 

“Look at you all, you quit everything to be here with her, and she is not official yet!” she exclaimed then looked at her son’s still face.

“And she has me, doesn’t she.  I am her mother too” she said to her son, the back of his head.

I smiled at that. She totally adored Ji Ara!

“You know we’ll all love her.  And we are her family now” she said and Taemin nodded. 

He stood up, “I better get some sleep.  Wake me up when she wakes up” he said and walked to the house.

“Aigoo” his mother sighed.  “My son’s all grown up” she exclaimed.  We chuckled.  “He is a good kid” Minho said and the rest of us nodded.

“Thank you all for coming here and helping with everything else” she said and we nodded.

“Well, you might as well get some sleep.  Pretty people like you guys need some beauty sleep” she said. 
 

I smiled at her.  She had just lost her best friend and she was still so upbeat. 

However, I knew deep down inside, that she was a person who would grieve alone, and make sure everyone around her is happy….quite like Ji Ara herself.

We all walked into the houses, half of us in Taemin’s house, and half of us at Ji Ara’s.  I walked into the room and sighed.  Taemin had insisted to let us sleep in his bed while he sleep on the sofa. 

I plopped myself on bed and thought about how to make it all better for Taemin and Ji Ara.

What I did not know was that on the couch, Taemin was still awake, and plotting, thinking.  And he had a big plan in mind.

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Any idea what that big plan is???? Kyaaaaa am so excited for the new chapter!!

Stay tuned and i promise you guys will just LOVE the next chapter. :)  I am feeling giddy already thinking how it will all turn out.

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