Final.

❄ Snow Kiss ❄

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Ren sighed as his head found purchase on his soft pillow. It was only 4:30 in the afternoon, but the boy was so exhausted, he could barely keep his eyes open the whole ride home. Clenching his eyes shut, Ren almost screamed as his phone suddenly came alive - that catchy-but-obnoxious chorus of SNSD's Gee echoing through the speakers. Swallowing down the urge to slam something, Ren brought the offending object to his ear and mumbled, "Yeoboseyo?"

If Ren's ears were made of glass, well… They would have shattered.

A high pitched squeal tore through his phone, causing Ren to drop the said object instantly. In a second, the squeals were covered by furious yelling as someone else took the phone, "Yeoboseyo? Minki-ssi?" Ren smiled widely as he picked up the dropped device and brought it to his ear once more, "Ne~ Rae Min-ah!" The sound of a door being shut sounded softly through the speakers as Rae Min whined, "Aigoo oppa~ It's so noisy here!"

Chuckling quietly, Ren almost forgot about being tired, content with hearing the sound of his best friend's voice. The two had been friends for as long as either of them could remember. During their middle school years, Ren and Rae Min had been inseparable - always by each other's side. Turning onto his stomach, Ren allowed his phone to fall next to him, before turning on his loudspeaker.

"Yah! Choi Minki! Are you even listening to me?"

Ren grinned at the fake annoyance in Rae Min's voice as he called back childishly, "Ne~ Mina-yah!" Soft grumbling could be heard on the other end of the line as Ren laughed, "What's up Mina?" He asked, fighting back a sudden yawn. A huff sounded through the phone and Rae Min began to rant;

"Well, first off we had an exam today which I had no idea about and so I didn't get to study and I swear I failed it. Then we had to have PE and you know how bad I am at sports, so I faked sick and sat out. And then I'm told that I have auditions with SM, YG and Pledis, so I'm stuck with who to go for! And now, on top of all that, these g-"

"Girls are being so loud and noisy, that I can't relax and I can't study." Ren cut in, "That sound right?" He chuckled as Rae Min whined, "Re~n! Why can't you ever let me finish ranting?" Ren let out a mocking sigh, "Because Mina, it's always the same!" He hid his face into his pillow to muffle his laughter as Rae Min blew him a raspberry through the phone, "Just because you're a big star that's finished high school and doesn't have to worry about this sort of stuff!" Rae Min huffed, making Ren sigh and smiled softly.

"Yeah, I know Mina-yah. Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?" He asked, stretched his arms behind his head gently and yawning silently, "Tomorrow?" Rae Min asked, before humming thoughtfully, "I have school and then nothing. Wae?" Ren smiled, Perfect, he thought, "How about I pick you up from school and we go out for ice cream?" Rae Min gasped excitedly before pausing, "Ice… Cream?" She asked, "YAH BABO! It's the middle of Winter! Do you want me to get sick?"

Chuckling to himself, Ren sighed mockingly, "Then what does the Little Princess want?" He asked, using Rae Min's old nickname teasingly. Humming again, Rae Min was silent for a moment before cheering, "I want hot chocolate! And maybe some hot cross buns." Ren rolled his eyes, "You want a café date." He stated, smiling slightly. He could almost see Rae Min nodded excitedly, if the excited giggles were any give away.

A sudden knock on Ren's bedroom door startled the boy and he yelped in surprise, "Minki-ah? What's wrong?" Turning his attention back to the conversation for a moment, he said, "Hang on a moment Mina. I'll be right back." An affirming noise was heard as Ren got up from his bed and reached for his door - pulling it open to reveal JR and Minhyun, "Ne?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow at the two.

Minhyun glanced inside Ren's room curiously, "Who are you talking to?" Ren glared at Minhyun slightly, "Rae Min, why?" JR shrugged, "No reason. We're going out to get dinner. What do you want?" Ren thought for a moment before deciding on bimbimap. As JR and Minhyun left, Ren quickly shut the door and dove back onto his bed;

"I'm back Mina-yah~!"

.:~*~:.

After a solid 2 hours of talking about anything and everything, Ren finally bid goodnight to Rae Min and ended the call. Setting his phone on his bedside table, Ren groaned as he got up, stretched and collected his pjs - heading for the shower. Once under the warm stream of water, Ren sighed happily and let the water loosen his tense muscles… Only to jump back into a corner when the door opened and JR walked in.

"WHAT THE HELL JONGHYUN! DON'T YOU EVER KNOCK?!"

Glancing at Ren over his shoulder, JR shrugged as he dug through his vanity drawer, "It's nothing I haven't seen before Minki, so there's no use covering it up. Ah-ha! Found it." Standing straight, JR pulled out what seemed to be plastic packet - and Ren really didn't want to know what it was. Shutting the drawer with his hip, JR winked at Ren as he left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Letting his head fall forward, Ren sighed in frustration at his leader's antics.

After a quick shower, Ren dressed in his pjs and headed back to his room, only stopping to tell the other band members that he was going to sleep. As they nodded and called goodnight, Ren headed to his room, shutting the door securely and locking it - to avoid any mishaps during the night. Diving underneath his covers, Ren quickly checked his phone to see that he had one message;

Sleep well Busan boy ^^~

-Mina

Smiling, Ren quickly sent a goodnight message back, before plugging his phone into charge and falling asleep.

.:~*~:.

By 3pm the next day, Ren was standing outside the gates of Seoul School of Performing Arts, swamped in his trench coat - which covered his thick sweater and turtleneck. With his hands shoved into his pockets, Ren the heat packs he'd brought for Rae Min - just knowing the girl hadn't any sense that morning to bring her own.

Suddenly, a pair of small hands were into his pockets from behind and someone sighed happily;

"That feels so good."

Turning his head, Ren smirked at Rae Min, "You're going to walk like that are you? Here." He said, taking out two heat packs from his pocket and handing them to her. Smiling at him guiltily, Rae Min took the heat packs and shoved them into her blazer pockets. As her hands followed, Rae Min's eyes rolled back slightly and she groaned as the heat encased her hands deliciously.

"How did you know I didn't have a heat pack?" Rae Min asked, as she and Ren headed down the street to a nearby café. Ren only smirked and shook his head, "Because I know you." He teased, reaching out to poke Rae Min's forehead gently, "Yah~" she whined, unable to stop the grin that spread across her face.

As they reached the café, Ren gestured Rae Min in first, following her closely as the warmth of the establishment embraced them welcomingly. Sighing happily, Rae Min allowed her hands to be free of her pockets, as she threaded her arm through Ren's and tugged him up to the counter quickly.

Ordering what they wanted, Rae Min found seats for them while Ren collected their food and beverages. Placing them down on the table, Ren slid into the booth opposite Rae Min and watched as she wrapped her hands around the steaming mug of hot chocolate, "What time do you have to be back?" Ren asked, picking up his fork and taking a piece of cake. Rae Min sighed as she set down her mug, "Four thirty." She answered and Ren nodded.

After a moment of nothing but soft chewing and clinking forks on plates, Rae Min cleared , "You know, a lot of the girls in my class keep asking if we're dating." Ren narrowly avoided choking on his mouthful, "Wh-what?" he spluttered, having forced the food down. Rae Min nodded as she hummed, "Of course, I tell them the truth and that we're best friends but not dating. But they keep in saying that we look good together and th-"

"Wait," Ren interrupted, holding up a hand and looking at her accusingly, "How do they know what we look like together?" Rae Min flushed pink and looked away, "Uh… Well…" Ren crossed his arms and leant back in his seat.

"Show me."

Flinching at the demand, Rae Min huffed as she dug through her bag for her purse and pulled out a picture of them together. Staring at it, Ren couldn't help but roll his eyes, "You still carry that picture around?" Rae Min frowned as she hugged it to her chest, "Yes." She huffed, turning her nose up, "And I intend to keep doing so." Sighing, Ren shook his head as he smiled gently, "I guess there's nothing wrong with that."

Glancing at him, Rae Min shoved her purse back into her bag and picked up her hot chocolate. There was a few minutes of silence, until Ren sighed and leaned forward. Wide-eyed, Rae Min could only watch as he came closer and finally, Ren kissed her - on her upper lip slightly. Pulling away, Ren let his thumb run over her top lip before sitting back in his seat.

"Did you seriously just pull a Secret Garden on me?"

Smirking, Ren only shrugged, "It's not my fault you didn't notice. And to be fair, I just saved you from looking like an idiot with a hot chocolate moustache." Rae Min could feel her cheeks heat up as Ren looked down at their empty plates, "You all done?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he got ready to leave. Nodding, Rae Min grabbed her bag as Ren grabbed their plates and tray - leaving to return them and pay for their meal.

Waiting for him, Rae Min shoved her hands into her pockets once more - feeling the heat packs again warming her hands. Thinking back, Rae Min realised that Ren had always been like that. He always knew when she'd forget her heat packs, or her umbrella, even her schoolbooks and he'd always come to her rescue. Ren was always either one step ahead or ready and waiting for her to call him for help.

Rae Min smiled to herself. She loved that about him. She loved how reliable he was, how precious she was to him. Looking it over, Rae Min realised that she loved a lot of things about Ren - his hair, his eyes, his voice, his personality, his dancing, his attitude…

She loved him. Ren. Choi Minki; the maknae of NU'EST.

"Ready to go?"

Startled, Rae Min jumped as she swung around, wide-eyed as she face the very boy she'd been thinking of, "Huh? O-oh! Yeah…" Raising an eyebrow, Ren started at her for a moment before nodding, "Ok… Let's go. I'll walk you back." Thanking him quietly, Rae Min followed Ren out of the café and back up the street to her school. Scuffing her boots in the fresh snow that had fallen while they were indoors, Rae Min acted on impulse - reaching out and tugging Ren to a stop.

"Mina? What's wrong?"

Silence. And then...

"I… love you."

"What?" Ren stared at Rae Min, as she stood with her head bowed and fidgeted nervously. Shifting her weight, Rae Min breathed in and out deeply, before looking up and straight into his eyes, "I love you." She said, sounding more confident as her feelings became more clear. A moment passed, the three words sinking into Ren's brain, before a smile crept across his face and he swept Rae Min up into a hug - spinning her around in circles.

She screamed in surprise, until Ren set her down and held her cold face in his warm hands, "Tell me you're not joking. You're telling the truth, right?" Nodding, Rae Min looked him in the eye and told him truthfully, "I love you, Choi Minki." In the next moment, Ren's warm lips covered her own and she felt him smile as she kissed back.

"You have no idea, how long I've waited for you to say that." He whispered, as they pulled apart and rested their foreheads against each other, "Y-you mean…?" Nodding, Ren smiled blissfully;

"Yes, I love you too, Kim Rae Min."

And as the snow started to fall, the two kissed once again.

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