Another rainstorm was brewing outside. Rain drops pelted the windows while the wind gusted about and pushed against the front of the small store.

            Onew, Key and JongHyun lazed about the store, cleaning but not at the same time. The atmosphere was cold in the store. Key had had some spat with Jessica who had left him grumpy as all hell; JongHyun was exhausted from his double jobs and financial situation and poor Onew was just stuck in the middle.

            “So… Who wants to grab a bite to eat?” Onew suddenly asked.

            Both boys turned away from their “vigorous cleaning” to look at the store owner with blank faces.

            Ignoring the flat response, Onew continued, “We could go to that café down the street and have a little lunch break. You guys look like you could use a little break and it’s not like we’ll be getting that many customers today…” His voice faded off and his hope at a lunch out dwindled when the other boys failed to share his enthusiasm.

            After what seemed to be a long pause, Key said, “But what about my hair?” It was the icebreaker of the day.

            Seconds later, JongHyun was teasing him.

            “It’ll dry,” he assured him, moving over to his coat.

            “I’ll bring an umbrella,” Onew said so he wouldn’t have to deal with Key complaining the whole walk down the street.

            Once the three boys had their rain gear on (Onew sporting a flashy pair of canary yellow rubber boots), they locked up the store and headed down the street to the café Onew had suggested.

            Not many people were roaming the streets that day but many cars still roared by, leaving a mucky trail of misted water to hang in the air for a brief moment.

            The smell of coffee and muffins floated into JongHyun’s nose. It reminded him of the food he had once been able to have. He couldn’t wait to step out of the rain and into the quaint looking place. Unfortunately, he and the group were held back a bit longer due to the fact that someone was screaming out JongHyun’s name.

            “JongHyun! JongHyun! Donsaeng~ah!”

            The urge to flee hit JongHyun. Running across the street towards him was EunJi, the manager of the convenience store he worked at.

            “Noona! Slow down!” JongHyun yelled. Hopefully his worry about the others finding about his double jobs would come across as worry for EunJi’s safety.

            The girl finally reached the group, doubling over so she could catch her breath. Her usual up-do was let loose so that brown, wavy hair caped around her shoulders. She had on a pair of high heeled boots to make herself taller and a nice dress since even with the rain it was too hot to actually wear a jacket or pants.

            Finally having caught her breath, EunJi straightened up, flashing a smile to the whole group.

            “JongHyun~ah! Didn’t you hear me calling before?” she asked, lightly smacking her co-worker on the arm.

            “Sorry… I didn’t,” JongHyun mumbled. He was feeling more and more awkward.

            When the only sound started coming from the rain plashing the pavement and the hum of passing cars, EunJi said, “Yah! Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”

            “Oh, uhm… Key, Onew hyung, this is EunJi,” JongHyun introduced. He purposely left out the details of how he knew either of them but no one seemed to notice.

            “It’s nice to meet you,” Onew greeted politely.

            Key spared himself the greeting, rolling his eyes instead. “Can we go inside now? My hair is getting wet.”

            Not wanting to annoy Key any further the group headed inside. Cool air brushed over their damp bodies, chilling them slightly. They huddled over to a table big enough to hold them all. They ordered their own specific drinks (espresso for sleepy JongHyun, late for Key, cappuccino for EunJi and plain coffee for Onew).

            “JongHyun~ah,” EunJi stated once she’d tested her drink. “You look tired, have you been sleeping?” She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead to see if he was warm.

            Key glared at the girl, feeling an off feeling tug at his heartstrings. For some strange reason that he couldn’t explain it angered him that this girl was being all touchy feely with JongHyun. It didn’t help that she was a noona either. Everything about her from her long, perfect hair to her bargain brand boots annoyed him.

            All caught up in his intense dislike for EunJi, Key barely heard the end of Onew’s question.

            “How do you know JongHyun, noona?”

            “Ah, we -” EunJi was abruptly and rudely cut off by JongHyun who almost choked on his beverage in his haste to speak.

            “We go to school together!” he blurted.

            “Really?” Onew asked, interested now.

            A confused looking EunJi went to speak up but one look at her new friend told her that she should play long with his gimmick.

            “Yeah… We uh… Had a class together last year,” she said cautiously.

            “But aren’t you older than JongHyun, noona?” Key asked suspiciously. He leaned down on his palm and narrowed his eyes at her hoping that something he liked would come out of .

            “It was a special class,” JongHyun answered. “We were a mix of students.” He downed the last of his espresso, making a face at the bitter taste. “I think I’m going to get another one of these,” he said.

            Everyone watched as JongHyun ordered another espresso, downed it in a few gulps and then ordered two more. By the time he had finished his third cup his hands were shaking from all the caffeine and nerves bundled up inside him.

            “JongHyun… Shouldn’t you slow down with those?” Onew asked. Never had he seen his employee act so oddly. He was trembling all over. His body showed the exhaustion he was under. He was emaciated from the lack of nutrients he was received from his limited diet. Everything about him looked tired save for his eyes which were alert from the caffeine buzz.

            “I’m fine; a little coffee won’t kill me,” JongHyun brushed off.

            EunJi tried to slip the last cup away from JongHyun but he noticed and finished that one, too.

            There was an odd moment in which everyone stared at the jittery guy. Key found it quite amusing. He still felt that burning pang churning up inside him, though, as he stared at EunJi beside JongHyun.

            They would make a good couple, he thought bitterly. He suddenly wished he had gone to school with JongHyun and it would be him instead of EunJi fretting over the muscular boy.

            What the hell are you thinking, Key?! You hate this guy! He’s an annoying, display ruining, dino puppy boy!

            You shouldn’t be feeling this, Key…

            An idea suddenly hit him, though. It was weird and even though his brain screamed at him not to do it there was a desire he had to just go ahead and do it anyway. He didn’t know why (or at least, he refused to admit why) or how long it would take but he would need to study real hard… Real, real hard.