18

(Key’s P.O.V)

“Eomma!”

I almost fell down from my hospital bed when the door suddenly burst open and Taemin practically screamed my name as he hugged me tightly. I chuckled at him and hugged him back. A smile crept up my face when Jonghyun and another guy came inside the room.

“Are you okay now Key-hyung? Is there something still hurting? Are you still sick? Did your doctor say that you’re gonna be alright?” Taemin asked continuously with worry hinting on his voice. I could also see the worry in his dark brown eyes as he hugged me tightly.

I patted his head and smiled. “I’m fine Taeminnie, you don’t need to worry your little beautiful head about me, ‘kay?”

He nodded and broke the hug off. “Oh… by the way eomma…” Taemin walked and stopped beside the tall guy that came inside the room with Jonghyun. “I want you to meet Minho, he’s actually my boyfriend.” He grinned brightly at me.

I gasped. “W-what?! How could my baby have a boyfriend?!” I pouted then looked at the guy whose name is Minho. “Well… At least my baby has his taste…”

Jonghyun laughed at my comment. “True! He likes guys that look like aliens!”

“Hyung! That’s mean!” Taemin pouted at Jonghyun while Minho smirked at the guy who .

“And I see that your eomma likes guys that look like dinosaurs, Minnie.” Taemin and I chorused a laugh while Jonghyun just chuckled.

“I think I like your boyfriend baby, he’s a nice choice. Nice choice indeed.” Taemin grinned at me as he hugged the waist of his boyfriend.

“And I’m also happy that our problem has been resolved, thanks to Jonghyun hyung.”

The couple took a glance at Jonghyun who was busy gazing at me. I looked at him, his gaze meeting mine and making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “Is that the reason why you were gone yesterday, Jjongie?”

“Ummm… yyeaahhh….” Jonghyun smiled at me nervously. “We fixed their problem yesterday…”

I pouted at him. “And why didn’t you tell me that my baby had problems of his own?! I should’ve help.”

“And how could you help them if you’re stuck in that hospital bed, hm?”

I sighed in defeat and just kept silent. I know he has a point, but he should’ve have still told me about what’s happening to Taemin. He’s been such a good friend to me after all.

Jonghyun quickly approached me and sat at the bunk of my bed then he held both of my hands tightly. “I’m sorry, okay?” He did his puppy-dog eyes. “I just don’t want you to worry… You’ve been in so much stress with the kidnapping thing… And I don’t want you to stress you more over Taemin and Minho’s problem… Our hyungs helped with that, so don’t worry… Forgive me, baby?”

I sighed again. “Like I can be mad at you for so long…” He grinned brightly and pulled me into a hug. “But next time don’t you lie to me again, araso?”

Jonghyun broke the hug and kissed me on the lips softly. ”araso.”

“Now, tell me everything that happened.” I glanced at the smiling couple.

(end of Key’s P.O.V)

Flashback, 2 days ago when Taemin & Minho was supposed to meet after school ( The time when Kibum was kidnapped ))= )

Taemin quietly made his way to the coffee shop where Minho had asked to meet him. He took the bus and walked a few blocks to his destination as he pulled up his sleeve and checked his watch for the time – 5:30pm.

The worried young man arrived at the coffee shop. The scent of coffee beans and whipped cream filled his senses. He ordered two lattes and sat down beside the window. Taemin sipped the hot latte and stared outside the window, quietly watching the passersby go on with their day. The rays from the sun shone from the glass, spreading like wildfire inside of the coffee shop. From the bright light, a tall figure walked down the street opposite the light. It was a beautiful sight, Taemin admitted fully.

The tall man opened the shop door and looked around. He found the person, “Ah…Taeminnie…there you are.”

“Is this for me?” asked Minho as he pointed at the latte cup on top of the round coffee table.

Taemin smiled weakly and nodded, “Yeah…”

“Thanks…” Minho took the cup and drank a big gulp. He sighed in satisfaction and put the cup down, “That was good. I walked a long way from the university.”

“It’s good exercise though…”

“Yeah…”

“A-about y-your dad…” Taemin stopped in the middle of his sentence. He had so much painful memories about Minho’s dad that it always makes his heart break into two every time he thinks about it.

Minho’s eyes turned serious. “He wants me to marry the daughter of one of his business partners…” Taemin’s smile disappeared. His fluttering heart that longed and hoped died right then. His eyes that were filled with warm sentiment blanked out. “He wants me to marry someone who can be useful for the family’s chain of businesses... He wants me to meet his partner and the girl tonight… He wants to dictate whom I should marry and love…”

Taemin wanted to take back what he thought. He thought that talking about the problem with Minho’s dad of Minho being away from him would break his heart but he never thought that Minho’s wedding with someone else could break him even more. No, he knew. He knew from the beginning he’d get heartbroken but so soon. For it to be so soon, he cried. Taemin cried in the coffee shop.

Minho stopped his babbling and wide-eyed at the sight of his love tearing.

“Taeminnie…”

Taemin sniffed. Minho got some tissue from the tissue dispenser and handed it to the crying guy. Taemin slapped his hand away and stared at him. Minho’s heart was breaking at the sight of the person he loves crying.

“Taem-”

Taemin stood up from his chair and ran out of the coffee shop. The other customers and clerks stared at Minho. They whispered about the strange scene as Minho ran after the younger crying guy.

Taemin ran to a secluded park. The park he remembered going to with Minho. Wonderful memories during those times but it just tore his heart. He sat under one of the trees he remembered as his sanctuary tree. He’d go there to think about things by himself. The only people who knew about it would be Minho and Key; however, Key has never seen the tree so Minho was the only one that knew about it.

Minho looked far and wide. Taemin ran so fast that he lost track of him. He passed by the park he knew as a child. He was suddenly reminded of the one place Taemin goes to when he’s sad or to think. He ran to the tree and there the young boy was, crying away his heart out.

Minho took a step closer, and another, and another until Taemin saw him.

Taemin turned himself away from Minho and wiped away the tears from his cheeks. Minho sat beside him and leaned back on the trunk of the tree. He asked, “Do you think that I’ll marry someone whom I don’t even know?”

Taemin was rather sad and broken but answered, “I don’t know… Maybe you will if that is what your dad wants. It’s very unpredictable, Minho.”

Minho chuckled, “It’s so like you to answer like that.”

Taemin turned around, “What? What do you mean by that?”

Minho still didn’t look at him, “You stick with what you know and believe in. It applies to everything you do. You are somewhat innocent and naïve about things that may involve other people… You tend to be always selfless and just keep on thinking about what other people would feel… Think about yourself, of how you would feel, even just for once…”

“Sadly I can’t, Minho…” Taemin answered in his mind. He can’t really be selfish… Can he?

“Taemin…I have something to say…”

Taemin wiped his tears and but he stayed silent.

Minho did his best to avoid eye-contact and continued, “I’ve been wondering…”

“Minho, will you marry me?”

“I was thinking that may—what did you say?” Minho turned his head and was face-to-face with Taemin. Only a ruler away, but they felt so far from each other.

Taemin murmured under his breath, “I love you… Will you marry me and nobody else?”

Minho crawled a bit closer to hear better, “What did you—“

The younger guy cupped the back of Minho’s head and kissed him. They have been waiting for a kiss like this for almost a year now. They’ve been wanting this sweet scene for almost a year. Finally, it came to them once again. Taemin broke the kiss and looked elsewhere to avoid Minho staring back at him.

The younger felt a hand brush his cheek. Minho slightly turned the younger guy’s head to his direction so he could take a good look at his eyes to see if there was a hint of a lie in what he said.

“What did you just say, Taemin?”

“Marry me and not someone else.”

Minho couldn’t believe it. He covered his mouth in complete disbelief. It was as if he was about to burst into tears as well, but the tears would be of celebratory joy. He pulled Taemin into a tight hug and whispered in his ear, “You don’t know how much I wanted to ask you to marry me… You’re the only person that I’ve dreamt of marrying Taemin.”

Minho had pulled away from the hug. He leaned forward and pressed his lips on Taemin’s. They me