She drags him everywhere. She drags him to his doctor's appointments and to buy him new clothes. She drags him to social gatherings and family reunions, and even drags him to get his hair cut…or try to. She has to drag him, because her son, Lee Taemin was the laziest 17 year old she ever had the pleasure of birthing. 

Mrs. Lee knew she was going to have her hands full since Taemin was young; the boy never wanted to do anything but play video games, watch TV, and sleep. Originally she had brushed off his lazy unkept behavior as just a phase, thinking that it would get better with time. Yet no matter how hard she tried, her son never wanted to cooperate. However, as Taemin grew older, Mrs. Lee tried different approaches, almost tricking her son into activities; one of those being dancing. She watched with a hopeful heart as Taemin fell in love with dancing and took up more and more classes surrounding the art. She thought that all her troubles were over…that was until her son came home from dance practice one night with tears in his eyes and anger filling his heart. 

Taemin never told his mom what happened that night, nor would he ever. He told no one, not even his best friend Kai, instead he chose to keep it locked away, letting the anger slowly resonate inside. He stopped caring. He stopped buying new clothes and getting his hair cut. He stopped going to dance class and stopped caring about what he looked like. He stopped living. 

~

As Taemin blew out the candles on his birthday cake his hair once again flopped in his face. His mother only frowned, knowing perfectly well to avoid another argument with her son. 

“Happy 18th Birthday Taeminnie!” She clapped while forcing a smile. 

“Thanks Umma.” Tae shyly smiled back as he pushed his auburn shoulder length hair behind his ears. 

“Now…presents!” She giggled excitedly as she shoved a pile of ornately wrapped packages across the kitchen table to her son. She watched with breathless anticipation as her son’s hazel eyes widened at the sight.

“U-Umma… this is too much! Thank you!” He exclaimed as he began ripping open the gifts one by one. He didn’t notice his mom’s smile had faded to a more serious gaze, replacing her normally infectious and youthful smile.

‘He isn’t going to be thanking me soon…’ Mrs. Lee thought to herself. Taemin opened his first present to find a new pair of black dress shoes. His smile faltered a little but still thanked his mom as he reached for another. Present after present, Tae’s smile began to disappear as the piles of designer clothes and shoes grew and grew. Finally Taemin reached for  the last gift. He ran his fingers along the silver ribbon, wondering if he should really open it. He glanced over to his mom who was leaning over the table watching him intently, her eyes wide and sparkling. He sighed and ripped the paper off to see a brand new tuxedo. His face fell like the bangs of his hair falling to cover his eyes. He ignore the cheerful excitement of his mother next to him and only focused on the sinking feeling of his heart and the prickly sensation behind his watery eyes.

“You’re going to look so good Taeminnie!” His mother cheered, clearly oblivious to her son’s imminent breakdown. “Just think! Prom is just around the corner! You could ask Sunny to go!” She chirped happily. 

“Umma…I’m not going to prom…” Awkward silence fell over the kitchen as his mom stopped to turn and look at her son. Her jolly mood vanished as she tried to sweetly encourage him. 

“Tae, honey, prom is like a right of passage. Everyone should go. You can ask Sunny to go with you as your date. I’m sure she’d love to.”

“No mom. I don’t want to take Sunny. I don’t want to go at all. Prom is stupid.” Taemin simply stated as he sunk into himself. 

“Sweetie, I just don’t want you to miss out on the fun things. You’re only young once! I don’t want you to have any regrets…” Her voice trailed off as she placed a loving hand on her son’s shoulder. “Call Sunny Tae. I know she’ll want to go out with you.”

“I don’t want to date Sunny mom, she’s like a sister to me!” Taemin’s voice began to rise as he tried desperately to push down his feelings and hide his tears. 

“How do you know if you don’t try!?”

“Mom! Enough! Please! I don’t want to date her and I don't want to go to prom!” Taemin stood up from the table and began walking out of the room. 

“Taemin!” Mrs. Lee yelled. “Don’t walk away from me while I’m speaking with you!”

“I’m not going mom! And there’s nothing you can do about it!” Tae stormed off, however Mrs. Lee was faster as she caught him before he could run up the stairs and escape to the confines of his room. Grabbing her son’s wrists, she forced him to freeze on the stairs. 

“Lee Taemin. You are going to prom and that’s final! I don’t even care if you have a date or not but you are going. You are going to change these bad habits of yours once and for all!” Taemin kept his head down as silent tears finally emerged and cascaded down his flushed cheeks.

“Tae…I just want…I want you to be happy again…can you understand that?” Mrs. Lee whispered and gently let go of her son’s wrist. She straightened herself and cleared . “Taemin…you are going to prom…and you’re going to clean up for it too!” She commanded sternly before watching her son scale the steps and lock himself in his room. 

Little did she know, it would be the first of many nights that tears would fall from her son’s eyes. 

~

Soon after the argument, Mrs. Lee began aggressively searching for a salon that would fit her son’s…needs. Running all over town, she visited every salon in sight, but none had the full services or privacy her son would expect. Yet like sun peaking through a clouded sky and shining angelic rays of light, Mrs. Lee found the perfect salon.

Built less than five minutes away, the salon seemed more like an oasis in the desert. It’s small yet simple structure and decoration made it the town’s hidden treasure trove. The new salon called “Shining Diamonds Nail Salon” was a full catering spa, complete with massages and tanning beds. However, the best thing about the new salon wasn’t the endless services they offered, it was who offered them. 

When Mrs. Lee first entered the salon and spa, she was greeted by a paradise of scented candles, exotic oils, and men. Beautiful, young men. 

The salon itself was decorated in warming earth tones that immediately helped customers relax. The front of the shop had five manicure stations, complete with massaging chairs. The front desk faced the entrance and small but comfortable waiting area. Along the walls hung beautiful Japanese paintings of trees and birds, while green, tan, and brown curtains added the finishing touch. Blown away by the atmosphere, Mrs. Lee barely registered that she was being checked in. The man behind the counter smiled brightly, his warm chocolate eye sparkled as he escorted her to his manicure station. He bowed low before introducing himself as Kim Jonghyun. He pulled out her rather large black massage chair and guided her to sit. Walking around to his side of the station, he seated himself as well, his eyes never losing contact with hers. He smiled and reached for her, taking her soft matured hands into his youthful strong ones. Immediately he set to work, meticulously filing, cleaning, and shaping each nail. Mrs. Lee felt herself flush a deep red as he chatted with her softly…or at least tried to. She was so taken in by the handsome boy’s eyes that she hardly noticed the other woman being pampered around her. Still, she watched his every move, the flex of his brows, the movement of his plump pink lips as he spoke, and the rumble of his low voice. She was completely entranced. 

Then it was over, and much too quickly for her tastes. From that moment on, Mrs. Lee vowed to never to go to another nail salon except for Shining Diamond Nails.

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I'm back~~ and I'm just gonna leave this here kekeke.

Not much for a first chapter but please have patience, it will get better I promise you!

Thank you to those who have stayed with me from the very beginning, who've stayed with me through my rough times and never lost faith in me. Thank you! I hope I can be the writer you look to for a good laugh, loving story, and shamless xD.

And welcome to my new readers too! I hope I get a chance to talk and meet each and every one of you! <3 

With Love,

~S.I.R.