*Back at the dorm*

Taemin’s pov:

                Key was sitting on his bed facing me who was sitting down on one of the chairs. We stayed silent for a few minutes before I decided to started the conversation.

                “Both of my parents died in a car accident. Then my uncle and aunt adopted me. They’ve been very nice to me, but even so, I still decided to come here. I’ve lost my parents and I’ve got no place to go. I probably shouldn’t say it myself, but I think I’ve had a pretty rough life. I always thought you might have had the same experience as me.” I said in a solemn tone wanting to make Key feel that no matter what his past was I would listen to him.

                “It looks like you were talking to your mom on the phone, but why don’t you want to go home? There has to be reasons which are hard to express.” I continued when Key just stayed quiet not looking at me.

                He didn’t lose his parents like me, since his mom called him here. Maybe something happened between him and his mom? Or his dad?!*mentally gasps* Could it be that due to this guy’s beauty, he’s kept his complicated past a secret?! I was mentally deducing what Key’s past was when he derailed my train of thought.

                “Taemin…” Key started still not looking at me.

                “W-What is it?!” I stuttered a bit feeling suddenly anxious.

                “If I tell the truth, you might change your attitude towards me.” Key said in a serious tone with his eyes hidden behind his bangs.

                Did he really have a cruel experience like being abused by his parents like the ones that you see on dramas?! Mentally dreading the worst that Key might have experience before I even met him.

                “Don’t misjudge me! I’m not bragging, but my past was really sad too!” I said trying to encourage him to tell his story.

                “Then…no matter what you’re going to hear, don’t change your attitude towards me.” Key said finally taking a glance at me.

                “Sure!” I said keeping my facial expression straight. We were silent for a couple of seconds as Key collected his thoughts.

                “I grew up in a single-parent family with my mother. My dad died from illness when I was very young.” Key started telling his story.

                So the key word must be poor? Or he was forced to work to support his mom at a young age?! I thought getting way ahead of the story.

                “But that didn’t bother me. I didn’t have a father to begin with, so I don’t know what it’s like and never wanted to have one either. Furthermore, I always had to think about how to support my mother when I was young, so I didn’t have time to think about anything else. But…”

                “But?” I said encouraging him to continue with what he was saying.

                “When I was in 4^th grade in elementary school, the teacher in charge was cheerlful and tolerant. How should I say this? I felt that he was an ideal father figure. If I had a dad, I wanted him to be just like that guy. So in order to make that teacher like me, I became the perfect student. The teacher also favored me above the other students. Then one day after school, I was asked to stay in the classroom alone. The teacher came in, but he looked different than usual. He seemed very excited and out of breath. He grabbed my shoulders with his sweaty hands…” Key was saying still serious.

                “Then…then what happened?!” I said thinking the worst thing that could happen to a child left to stay on the classroom with his teacher acting weird.

                “He asked me if I would give my mom to him.” He said suddenly changing his mood from serious and brooding to happy and nonchalant. “Well, it seems without me even realizing, they’d fallen in love with each other. So I just told him that it was okay, because I already felt like he would make the perfect father. And after that, things went really well. Now I have a little brother, and they live happily together as a family.” He continued but I can hear the sadness in his voice though he had a smile on his face.

                “Just a second…” I said feeling confused.

                “Mmmm?” Key replied.

                “Gloomy past?” I asked.

                “None.” He answered.

                “Cruel life experience?” I asked again feeling a bit mad.

                “None either.” He said.

                “Then, just why do you look so miserable?!” I shouted not being able to control my frustration.

                “That’s why I said no matter what I tell you, you can’t change the way you treat me.” He said pointedly.

                “But you only say something like that when you’re going to talk about a miserable past! Come on! Then why don’t you want to go home? It’s a happy family, right?” I said trying to figure Key out.

                “Without me, yes.” Key said going back to his serious and brooding self. “It’s not like I don’t want to go home. I feel like I’m just an outsider when I see my family, and I hate that feeling. When I see mom, dad and my little brother; the three of them together, I just think ‘Ah, what a perfect family.’ But once I’m in there, that spell is broken. I feel the distance between us. I know that I could try being close to them. But no matter what, I still can’t change it.” He said finding the floor suddenly interesting and kept his eyes away from mine.

                “You don’t have to be so negative.” I said trying to comfort him.

                “Yeah. Maybe it was wrong from the start. Just like fastening the wrong buttons. I’m really happy that they’re married, because they are both the people I love most. But at the same time, I still feel a little bit uncomfortable, like my teacher has taken my mom away from me…and that both of them have abandoned me.” Key said turning his gaze outside the window, sadness written all over his face.

                “You’re the one who created the distance, isn’t it, Key?” I said finally understanding the sadness that I hear from his voice.

                “That’s how it is.” Key said still not looking at me.

                “At school, you always control other people’s hearts with pride, but why are you so weak in front of your family?” I said trying to make him understand.

                “That’s right…I don’t care what those people at school think, but I’m so afraid of becoming estranged and abandoned by my family. Only of my family.” Key said, opening up to me even further than I expected.

                “Really?” I said trying to find the right word to say. “In that case…”

                “What?” Key asked finally looking at me.

                “Try saying this to your mom.” I suggested to him looking him straight in the eyes.

                “Huh?” he said confused at my words.

                “Tell them what you think. It’s not going to change if you keep avoiding them. The same thing will keep happening.” I explained to him.

                “But what’s the use? It’s been six years already.” Key said.

                “That’s why you need to tell them now. Since it’s in the past, and it won’t hurt as much now. You’ve even told me.” I said as we stared at each other. “There’s no time limit for correcting our mistakes. The buttons were fastened wrong, then them again. If that doesn’t work, you can still come back here. And even though I can’t heal your wounds, I can listen to you, like now.” I said as I looked at Key with kindness.

                “Taemin…” Key said lost for words.

                “Or aren’t I good enough?” I said feeling a bit down at his lack of reaction.

                “No, it’s good enough. But, Taemin-ah!” Key said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

                “Mmm?” I said wondering what he’s thinking.

                “Those lines are what a lover would say.” Key informed me with a smirk on his face.

                “Huh?!” I yelled in shock, realizing what I just said earlier.

                “Thanks for persuading me, but we can only have a platonic love, Taemin-ah.” Key said teasingly.

                “Why do I have to do that with you?!” I said overreacting from embarrassment.

                “Pure love isn’t bad!” Key said still teasing me.

                “Stop it!” I shouted in annoyance and embarrassment not being able to take any more of his teasing.

                “Pure love! Pure love! Platonic!” Key continued in a sickeningly sweet sing song voice making me lose it and starts chasing him.