Finally!  So, in the past like month I have started and completed a massive 100+ page story.  It’s an Onew + an OC that I had originally never intended to post but now that it’s consumed so much of my life I feel like I am obligated to put it up – that and I kind of like it.  It is being beta-ed right now by the amazing SilverKey, but when they’re through I will have a new story to post up for you all.  And one that is finished too so I’ll probably post like a chapter a day or something…  But anyway, now that it is finished, I seem to finally be able to get back to this 100 prompts story.

This is different from what you’ve seen so far.  It’ll be the first one-shot to be from Minho’s Point of View.  I feel that Minho has been kind of left as secondary in this so far in this project.  Onew’s had a chapter from his Point of View and so has Jonghyun.  Heck, even Yooguen managed to sneak in there for one.  But Minho has been mysteriously left out – so this one is for him.

There is barely any KeyTae in here.  As in they are each mentioned, but that is about it.  The focus on this one is Minho’s life. 

#57 – Dust

“ACHOO!” 

Minho’s neck actually ached from that one.

He swiped at his nose with the back of his hand before folding in the flaps in front of him and reaching over for the roll of tape and succeeding in sealing up the last of his boxes. 

He glanced around.  He was slightly ashamed to admit that he’d been living with his parents since his discharge from the military, despite being a full grown man, with a significant source of income. 

He had only meant to stay for a couple of weeks, maybe a few months while he sorted out finding an apartment now that he didn’t have the SHINee dorm to rely on anymore.  But somehow, he had never got around to actually deciding on a place. 

But now he was finally moving out, and onto a whole new life.  He was getting married!

He had met Misun shortly after getting discharged from the Marines.  He had been cast in a role on a new SBS sit-com as his comeback to the entertainment industry.  Misun was a caterer who would bring food to set periodically.  At least once a week Minho could find her standing behind a white-cloth laden table, ready to spoon out any amount of scrumptious food that she had waiting and ready for the members of the cast and crew to devour.  She thought that Minho had been pulling some horrible prank on her when he first asked her out.  Minho was a former idol and she was just a caterer.  But Minho kept up with his stubborn sense of purpose and direction and dedication and finally she said yes.  And when he had used a cheesy pick-up line too...

"So that's the kind of thing that you like?"  Minho had asked incredulously.

Misun had laughed, a blush already forming over her cheeks. "Not really, but I had already told myself that if you asked again I would just say yes and see how it goes..."  She had trailed off at Minho's odd look.

He had scrunched his face together, “You mean I could have said just about anything at this point and you would have said yes?” He asked exasperated. 

Misun pushed her lips together in an attempt to hold in her laughter and just nodded, before looking away to hide her smile. 

Their relationship seemed to be like that a lot: Minho trying really, really hard and then Misun seeming to tug the rug out and force him to trip.

But he liked it.

When you become a star young, especially one like Minho who seemed to be a woman’s dream, it was so common for people to just go along with whatever you say.  Minho had become somewhat accustomed to that from the women in his life.  The few girlfriends that he had managed to secure had always just gone along with whatever he wanted.  Misun wasn’t like that.  She challenged him, fought with him, won against him.  And she wasn’t going to take any of the ‘I’m a celebrity’ crap that he sometimes tried to pull. 

She kept him honest, and kept his head small. 

He liked it. 

He quickly fell into a deep sense of love and devotion.  Some of his celebrity friends tried to talk him out of seeing her.  Someone like him should be with a celebrity, they said.  Someone like him should be with the most drop-dead gorgeous woman out there.  Someone like him should be with a rich woman who wouldn’t need him to take care of her.  “She’s just after your money,” they said.

He stopped being their friend.

They didn’t know.

He didn’t want to be with a celebrity, they would let him get away with crap and he would never know when they were being honest and truthful.  Misun wore her heart on her sleeve.  And to him, Misun was drop-dead gorgeous.  He could stare at her for hours, because to him she was perfect.  And he knew, above all, that she was in no way interested in his money.  She had her catering business and it did relatively well.  She wasn’t rolling in money but she wasn’t having to pinch pennies either.  She was a great cook and loved what she did.  She was one of those people who could win the lottery and would go into work the next day.

He knew Misun and knew her character, they didn’t.

What Minho saw was her trying to get to know his life.  He saw her slaving in the kitchen, after having worked all day, to make Jonghyun’s favorite dinner as he was coming out of the army.  He saw her sending care packages to Taemin as he studied in America, sending some things from home so that he felt less lonely and homesick, despite the high cost of shipping overseas.  He was dragged to Kibum’s fashion shows by her, even when Kibum hadn’t asked them to come because “he shouldn’t have to ask, you should just go and support him.” 

He knew what she was like and that was all that mattered.

His family loved her.  His brother telling Minho to treat her well or he’d steal her away.  His mother was glad at how down-to-earth she was, and his father was just happy that Minho had settled down enough to think about marriage at all. 

SHINee adored her.  She had become fast friends with Kibum as he awaited Taemin’s return from college and Onew’s wife Hosook had practically become a sister to her. 

Minho carried the last box downstairs and piled it with the others by the door.

He sneezed again, as his body tried in vain to clear the dust out of his nose. 

His whole body was covered in dust from having pulled down boxes from the upper shelves of his closet and shifting furniture and checking beneath it all to make sure that he wasn’t leaving any of his precious memories behind. 

He swiped ineffectually at the grey specks on his red t-shirt and sighed.

It clung fiercely to him, as though it didn’t want him to leave.  Like they were pieces of his past, memories of his youth, that didn’t want to be forgotten and left behind as he moved on to his new life with Misun.

“Is that everything?” his father asked him, approaching from the kitchen with a glass of cool water for his son. 

Minho took a grateful swig and scratched the side of his head, “I think so…I can’t think of anywhere else I would have put anything…”

“Well, you are welcome to come back any time you need to, in case you remember something…” his mother trailed off, a few tears in her eyes.

She had cried when his brother moved out too, had cried when Minho had joined with SHINee and left home as a teenager. 

Minho moved in and gave her a quick hug, “Mom, it’s alright. Seoul isn’t far away from Incheon, just hop on the subway or bus.”

She swatted at him lightly as he pulled back, “I’m not sad.” She pointed out, “I’m proud.  Proud of the man that my son has become.  Proud of the choices that he has made in his life.  You’ve done well son, and I’m proud.”  She told him, absentmindedly swiping at dirt, transferred from Minho during the hug that clung to her like she was electrically charged.

A honk outside alerted him to Misun’s arrival.  She had cleared out her catering van and was letting Minho use it to move his things into their new apartment, where they were going to start their lives together. 

They loaded up the van and Minho slipped into the passenger seat, waiting for Misun to finish latching the doors.

When she came in she gave him a hard look, “You ready?”

Minho knew she was asking about more than just if it was alright for her to start driving.  She was asking about all of it, about moving on with his life, about joining it with hers. 

Minho took one last look at the home that he had grown up in, his parent’s still standing in the doorway waving at him.  He waved back before grabbing the seatbelt and locking it into place.

He turned back to Misun and gave her the same hard, measured look, but threw in a smile for good measure.  “Yes, I am.”

Alrighty!  So there you go!  What do you think about Minho huh? 

And my birthday is tomorrow, so be really really nice and leave me a review as a present?