After the misunderstanding cleared between the two of you, you found yourself spending all day with Taemin. It was just like the past when the two of you had been inseparable friends with a single person holding a one-sided love. Though it may seem like something insignificant to any other person, it meant the world to you just to have Taemin in your life.

The two of you would walk to school together, hand in hand, and you heard that sweet laugh that rung from him. The feeling was amazing. Even if you didn’t understand the reason for Taemin’s transformation that had happened and why he was so cold to you before, you didn’t care. That was all in the past and it no longer mattered to you.

However, after you had begun to hang around Taemin, the past came right back. You had just finished your gym class and was planning on heading out to lunch to find Taemin when two figures blocked your way – two extremely familiar figures.

“Kim Jisoo,” the girl on the right gave you a disgusted look, “I didn’t think I would have to come back for you. Didn’t we get rid of you a year ago or two?”

The girl on the left sighed, “It’s like getting rid of dirt. They just keep on coming back and you just have to keep on dusting it away – extremely annoying if you ask me.”

Your eyes narrowed when you heard that voice once again, “Seulha. Junhee.”

Did the two of those girls really compare you to dirt? If you said you couldn’t believe it, you would be lying. These girls were and always have been bad news. They assume that they are the most popular girls in the grade, but in reality, it’s just because everyone is scared of them.

Junhee and Seulha tended to use underhanded methods to get what they want and they wanted Taemin and the rest of his friends; also known as SHINee. If they had encountered you a long time ago, you would’ve been scared of them. You didn’t have the courage to stand up for yourself back then, but now, the situation was different.

If they managed to chase you away once more, you weren’t sure if you could protect Taemin anymore. In order to help Taemin, you needed to stand up for yourself this time. There was absolutely no choice. You had to do what you could. These girls could also use the wake-up call that tells them that they are not as powerful as they portray themselves to be.

“Do you remember what we said would happen if you didn’t stay away from Taemin?” Junhee asked, raising her eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, you gazed back at her with no signs of weakness, “Whatever you said back then isn’t worth remembering.”

Seulha scoffed, “Who do you think you’re talking to? You’ve gotten more confident in yourself, haven’t you? Tsk, that’s a problem, isn’t it?”
The two of the girls advanced towards you, hatred evident in their eyes. You could understand why they seemed to despise you so much – it was because you occupied the attention of the boy that they wanted to have. However, these actions were going too far.

Wanting to stand up for yourself, you stood still, “You two are a bunch of cowards. If you guys want to have Taemin’s attention, court him yourself! Stop using these foul methods to get what you want. It’s ridiculous.”

“Shut up, !” Junhee became quite enraged, “Don’t talk to us like you are of some higher position than us. You’re nothing.”

It was strange how her words, the ones that once affected you so deeply, seemed to barely scratch a mark on you now. When did you become so confident? You didn’t understand. Was this, perhaps, the consequence of falling for Taemin?

That cliché term – was it really love that changed who you were? Or maybe it was just the adrenaline that was pumping in your heart that caused you to gain this instance of bravery? You didn’t quite understand it, but you felt good, standing up for yourself.

“I’m much more than what you’ll ever be,” you shot back at Junhee, your words brewing with the feeling of being proud.

“SHUT UP!” Seulha raised her hand to slap you.

You closed your eyes and waited for impact, but it never came. A soft sound of the soles of shoes being dragged on the ground was heard and your eyes slowly opened.

Junhee’s eyes widened, “…T-Taemin.”

The look in Taemin’s eyes was so unfamiliar. It wasn’t the same eyes that belonged to the Taemin you knew. You weren’t sure what to make of it. He seemed so different. The expression that he had on seemed, not only to petrify the two girls, but also to petrify you as well.

“Don’t you ever raise your hand to her anymore,” Taemin’s words were low and gave off a dangerous vibe that seemed like a bomb ready to go off.

Junhee spoke with a sense of alarm, “No, you don’t understand! Jisoo was talking about how she wanted to get rid of you because she didn’t like how you were popular! I couldn’t let her talk about you that way!“

Junhee had given a ridiculous lie because she couldn’t come up with a believable lie in such a short time. Seulha was the same. She also tried to lie her way out of this. It was too embarrassing for her to be in such an awkward situation.

“Jisoo was just being a like before,” Seulha explained, her voice slightly trembling, “She thought that she could care less about you and that – “

“That’s enough!” Taemin’s voice was full of anger and his eyes were full of despise, “You two. Get out of my sight before I kill you. Jisoo is important to me and I won’t let anyone harm those that I care deeply about.”

Your eyes widened as you saw Taemin stand up for you. A soft warmth touched your heart. The heart that always beated for Taemin raced in this instant. The feeling of having someone you love stand up for you was just one of pure happiness.

Was this really happening, or was this a dream?