Naeun ~

It was only Monday, but the seniors were already buzzing about leaving for the trip on Thursday morning.

“I heard that we’re going to the mountains this time!”

“Aren’t we going to a traditional Korean home in the countryside?”

“Yah, are you crazy? We’re probably going to go to a hiking site!”

Naeun trudged through the crowds of excited students, uncaring. The teacher would announce it on Wednesday anyways, and she couldn’t really focus on that when there were five annoying boys surrounding her.

“We should be going to America!” Onew stated.

“Stupid . . .,” Jonghyun commented. “There’s no way we’re going overseas.”

“Can you guys stop talking about that? Let’s go to the grass for lunch, okay?” Naeun suggested. “I can’t stand listening to all this talk about the trip.” The angels pouted and trailed after the stubborn human as she led them out to the schoolyard. As they sat on the grass with their lunches, they heard a few words.

“Can you believe it?! The seniors have so many transfers this month! And they’re all so cute!” a girl shrieked. Naeun jerked her head up and squinted. “I know! First it was that one boy, and then those four hotties, and now twelve transfer students. It's like we're in a fanfic or something!” The girls who had been talking let their eyes travel over to Naeun and SHINee, and they shot Naeun dirty looks. Naeun ignored them.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Key growled. “They actually came? And they all transferred as seniors? They’re like all totally different ages.”

“When you’re immortal, you take advantage of it, like we did,” Minho said knowledgeably.  “You know we’re all older than Minnie, right?” he told Naeun.

“Um. Yeah."

“Onew’s like hundreds of years older. We age way more slowly than a human. Jjong here was back in the time of the dinosaurs; that explains his face, right?” Jonghyun punched Minho’s arm. “Well, anyways, we can’t change what we are in age, but we stay relatively young in image for a long time. The equivalent to an angel's face aging is one angel year to probably a thousand human years or so."

Naeun made a face, opening up her Korean bento. Taemin took in that it was simply a clump of rice and kimchi. He opened his own lunch. When she made SHINee their lunches, she gave them rice, kimchi, egg, and spicy eggplants. Before she could even touch her food, Taemin swapped their lunchboxes, pulled out his chopsticks, and happily munched on plain rice.

“Yah,” Naeun exclaimed, startled. “What are you doing?”

“I didn’t think it was fair that you were getting such a poor lunch,” Taemin said, feeling a bit proud of his heroic act.

“What’s the point?” Naeun muttered. “I made this lunch anyways; you guys just happened to use up all the eggs . . .” Okay, the heroism went down a notch.

“Naeun-ah! I’m sorry! I didn’t realize!” Onew cried, throwing his arms around her neck. Naeun choked and slapped his arms away. “Take my food, too!”

“Yeah, yeah, Onew-ssi, I got it . . .,” she spluttered, putting her lunch box down. “I don’t need it. I’m perfectly fine with kimchi and rice. I’m used to it.”

“Yah, quit using formal language with us, will you?” Minho chided. “Call us oppa.”

“Yeah, you make me sound old when you call me Key-ssi!” Key added. Taemin chewed on his rice, looking doubtful. Naeun always refused to call him oppa, so -

“Key oppa,” Naeun said, smiling. Taemin’s mouth fell open, clumps of white grain falling from it. Naeun frowned and took a napkin, wiping at it. “What? Close your mouth, flies will go in.”

“Why don’t you ever call me oppa?!” Taemin gasped. “Am I that detestable?” Naeun's eyes flickered with an unreadable question, and she glanced down at her lap. He wasn’t detestable, but why was it so hard to bring herself to call him oppa?

“Taemin . . . Taemin oppa,” she managed. Taemin grinned at her, that sparkling smile that he always managed to make flashing.

“Now you can call all of us oppa, hm?” Jonghyun teased.

“Does that include us?” a voice sounded. People around the small group directed their attention on them, now that the twelve transfers and their unavoidable auras were making their way towards them. Taemin automatically seated himself in front of Naeun, and she didn’t protest. Those EXO angels intimidated her in a way that she didn’t like.

“Annyeong, sunbae-nims!” Sehun chirped happily, sitting down immediately. Girls around them squealed at his adorableness. The rest of the Dark angels followed suit, sitting across from the group. It was odd, five boys and one girl against twelve boys, but at the moment, SHINee’s aura seemed much more menacing.

“Relax, we’re not going to do anything,” Kris assured them with a smirk. Kai settled next to Taemin, who moved even closer to Naeun. Kai flashed Naeun a smirk of his own, which she replied with by chewing on her egg dully.

“You really are different, aren’t you?” Kai mused, leaning forward to stare at her. Taemin put a hand on his shoulder and shoved him back. “What? I was just trying to see if I could erase her memory. Yeah, it definitely doesn’t work.”

“Don’t even try,” Jonghyun cut in. “I tried it on her already. It seriously doesn’t work.”

“What?! When was this?” Naeun protested.

“You weren’t supposed to let her know, idiot!” Key hissed.

“We tried it while you were asleep,” Minho said with a shrug.

“Do you realize how erted that sounds?” Lay noted. “By the way, are you all going to be joining the camping trip at the end of the week?” No one answered, which EXO took as a yes.

“Asa!” Xiumin cheered. Beside Naeun, Taemin was rigid. She leaned forward and checked to make sure he was calm. He gave her a stiff smile and returned to glaring at Kai, who was staring right back.

“I already told you I’m not going to kill Naeun.” Kai turned and gave Naeun a wicked grin. “She’s too pretty for that. No promises about what my ruler will do, though.” Taemin’s hand shot out to grip Naeun’s arm, and she was a little startled by his urgency. “EXO is here to threaten you and get the both of you to understand to break apart, silly.” Naeun realized that everyone had quieted down to listen.

“Speak quietly, Kai,” Suho muttered, looking around at the humans who were still eyeing the radiating group. A lot of them were giving Naeun odd looks, and she could understand why. The silent, bullied girl in the back of the class was now surrounded by seventeen, count 'em, seventeen inhumanly perfect flower boys. (Not to mention that they weren't even human to begin with.)

“We all know that nothing will change if I go back to the Light and she still remembers everything,” Taemin said evenly. “We could erase the memory of us from the whole city of Seoul, from the whole country. But her? We can’t.”

“The lords will find a way,” Kai rebutted, his tone flat. “If anything, it’s death. We might be Dark angels, but we don’t respect killing something that doesn’t need to be killed.” Naeun noticed that he didn’t exactly say that they didn’t and wouldn’t kill her. “So for now, we’re going to stand on the side until we decide what kind of step we’re going to take. We’re not going to let you go so easily, though, despite your cute looks.” He winked at Naeun, causing a growl to erupt from Taemin.

Naeun ignored the both of them. She had one month to figure out how to go with all this, but everything was unpredictable. She turned and smiled at the seventeen angels in front of her. She might as well enjoy it while it lasted, right?

~~~~~~~

“You’re out here again!”

Naeun jerked in surprise and turned around. Taemin was leaning against a tree, his head tilted to the side and a faint smile graced his lips. She was sitting at what she referred to as their special place (secretly, in her mind). It was the pond out in the forest. Taemin walked forward and settled down next to her and pulled off his shoes, dipping his feet next to hers in the water.

“What are you doing here? Where’s the rest of SHINee?” Naeun inquired.

“They’re hanging out in the house. I was wondering where you went off to. Is this place still special to you?” Taemin teased, nudging her shoulder. Naeun blushed and looked up through the trees, at the endless sky. Was that where the Light was?

“I guess, in a way. I made my first friend here,” she admitted softly. Taemin didn’t say anything, and when she glanced at him nervously, he was simply staring at her. Naeun quickly returned her gaze upwards. “Plus, this place is peaceful, quiet.”

“I know." Silence. "Naeun, am I still your friend?” Taemin asked. Naeun continued staring at the sky, but her mind went blank. “Or . . . now . . . maybe I’m more than that?” Naeun brought her head down sharply to stare at him, and Taemin was smiling widely.

Oh. It was just a joke. Naeun let out a relieved sigh and shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“You’re more than a friend. An enemy. That’s more, right?” Naeun teased. She saw the light in Taemin’s eyes grow a bit dimmer, but she swallowed the guilt. The only way to solve the problem was to push him further away from her, and by then, somehow, maybe they would find a way to erase her memory of the angels, the Light, and the Dark. It would save all the pain and regret if they could just make her forget . . .

Taemin ~

It was Wednesday, the last period, P.E. Taemin stripped off his physical education uniform and threw on his regular clothes.

“Taeminnie, it hurts me everytime I see your scars,” Key whined. The five boys had managed to score lockers next to each other. Minho and Onew patted Taemin’s back, and Jonghyun shuddered at the thought of the pain of torn off wings. Taemin smiled.

“At first, it was hurting a lot, but when they tossed me in the Middle, I couldn’t really feel a lot of pain there. It was all over my body since every single bone was practically broken.” He was trying to joke about it, but s only stared at him gloomily. They had been sent to the Middle, not thrown aside like Taemin had been. They could only imagine the pain, but it still made them wince. “I’m fine now. Honest." Taemin tried to smile again.

“Does it seriously hurt?” Taemin closed his eyes and turned around to glare at the owner of the voice. Why the hell did Kai have to have the last period with them? And why did he get Naeun’s P.E. teacher? Taemin thanked the Light that Minho was still there to protect Naeun.

“Would you like me to pull off your wings so you can see?” Taemin threatened Kai, who was smiling. They both knew it was difficult to do that.

“Yah, SHINee!” a female voice called. Female?

“Naeun?!” Taemin exclaimed.

“Are you guys really the last ones in the locker room?! What’s taking so long? Are you all changed?” Naeun scolded.

“Yes,” Minho called, even though he, Jonghyun, and Kai were all shirtless. Footsteps began sounding, drawing closer.

“Wait-!” Taemin shouted, but it was too late. Naeun gasped as she turned the corner and saw the three half- boys. She stumbled back and covered her eyes.

“S-sorry!” she stammered. Minho had the decency to pull on his shirt, but Jonghyun and Kai didn’t seem to care. “Y-yah . . . where are the wings? If the wings aren’t gone, why are their backs bare? And there aren’t any scars . . .” Naeun quickly composed herself, uncovering her eyes but staring at the ground.

“Oh, you want to see some magic happen?” Kai teased somewhat seductively. Taemin scowled and shook his head.

“Not in public,” he hissed.

“No one’s here. Jjong, help me demonstrate, will you?” Kai said. Jonghyun looked at Naeun, who had a curious twinkle in her eye. She nodded excitedly, and despite Taemin’s reluctance, he had to admit she looked a little cute. Jonghyun and Kai turned their backs on her, and they let their wings appear. On Jonghyun’s side, a small light began to grow until a brightness overcame most of his back. In place of the air around him, a large pair of brilliant white wings were boasted. Taemin felt an ache in his chest and a lump in his throat as Jonghyun flexed his wings. Finally, he let his wings dissolve back into a glow before his back was once again bare.

“Wah, it’s pretty,” Naeun commented, in complete awe. Taemin looked at the ground. He wanted his wings back, to show her. He wanted her to look at him like that.

“My turn,” Kai said. He turned around, and an ominous black fog began to take over his back. Taemin heard Naeun give a sharp intake of breath, but he just watched as the dark mist around Kai transformed into two large, pitch black wings. The feathers were lined just the same, and the shape was only slightly different, but its dark shade completely contrasted with Jonghyun’s wings. He let his wings disappear as well, and he turned to Naeun, an arrogant smile on his lips. “And that is the difference between the Light and Dark angels. Not that big, is it?”

“Not at all,” Naeun said softly, her large eyes sparkling with genuinity and wonder. Taemin felt uncomfortable seeing Kai eyeing her with interest, so he reached forward and grabbed her hand. “Taemin-ss - I mean, Taemin . . . oppa?”

“Let’s go outside. I think they’re announcing where we’re going for the trip in a few minutes,” Taemin breathed. He led Naeun out of the boys locker room, not caring if anyone followed.

“You can call me oppa as well,” Kai offered. Naeun glanced back at him uncertainly. “You might as well call the rest of EXO as well. Oppa is just a title you put after a name. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Got it, Kai . . . oppa.” Naeun looked up at Taemin as he pulled her outside. He was fuming. Kai might’ve thought that “oppa” was just a useless term that girls referred to older boys with, but it actually meant a lot to him when he called her that.

Of course, he didn’t know that it meant something to Kai as well.

“Did you hear that, Taeminnie?!” Key cheered, throwing his arm over Taemin’s shoulders. Naeun took the chance to slip her hand out of his.

“Eh?” Taemin said, distracted.

“They said we’re going camping up in the mountains, where they have springs!” Minho whooped, ruffling Taemin’s hair. “Weren’t you listening?” Taemin shook his head and glanced at Naeun, who was staring thoughtfully into space.

“You guys, where did you get all your clothes?” she asked.

“We were supplied by magic,” Jonghyun explained, making jazz hands in the air. “Why?”

“Hiking boots,” Naeun said. “I guess you guys can magicly get your own shoes then.” The bell rang, and Kai finally parted ways to meet the rest of EXO. Taemin frowned after him. “What’s wrong?” He glanced back at Naeun, who had noticed his odd behavior.

“Nothing. I just thought . . . Kai is supposed to be evil to you, but he’s acting pretty . . . flirty, isn’t he?” Taemin muttered, frowning. Naeun’s mouth twitched.

“Who’s the jealous one now?” she teased. Taemin raised his eyebrow, smirking. Was she talking about that time at the mall and the girl at the cash register?

“So you admit that you were jealous?” he countered. Naeun’s smile fell, and she started to walk off. Minho, Jonghyun, Onew, and Key exchanged knowing glances as Taemin laughed, chasing after her. “Admit it! You were jealous!”

“When pigs fly!” Naeun shouted. She whirled on them. “Oh, wait! You are pigs!”

“Hey, why are we dragged into this?” Onew protested, pouting.

“Ask my empty box of KFC, Jinki oppa!”

A/N:

Not much happened in this chapter. I just wanted to elaborate on how some things worked, like where they kept their wings and how the rest of them got human clothes. I don't know if it's a personal preference, but I like it when things are explained and there's not much reality to question.

(Says the girl who's writing a story about angels, but whatever hehehe)

So, it was brought to my attention that 1 girl + 17 boys = crazy fantasy

And literally my first reaction was

it's true. no shame ~~~

But really, my fanfiction is where all my dreams come true so

whatcha gon duuu, whatcha gon duuuu

HAHA, I actually just wanted to use that gif of Key because he was so fabulous.

But in all seriousness, I'm grateful for the advice/insight. I love readers like that, so thank you if you're reading this  ^~^

They meant well!

I could totally imagine myself in Naeun's situation with seventeen perfections around me though.

At first I'd be like

Then I'd go

Seriously, thank you for reading and commenting and upvoting or whatever who's reading this is doing right now!

Please continue to follow My Angel <3

You are all my angels.

-pannashawol