Jonghyun's POV

Yawning while stretching, I made my way past the hallway, down the stairs, and into the living room.  Man, I'm freaking tired!  ....I'll eat.

My stomach growled as soon as I thought about eating.  I chuckled in delight, but then froze in spot.

I saw something from the corner of my eye move.

Slowly, I turned my head to the right and my eyes widened at the sight in front of me.

Nikka.

On the couch.

Sleeping peacefully.

With Key.

MY GIRLFRIEND wrapping her arms around MY BEST FRIEND's waist like a teddy bear!  My anger grew deep within my body as I rushed to the couch where they were sleeping on, but those feelings had faltered a bit as I noticed the scene more closely.

Both Key and Nikka were still in their pajamas, but still hugging each other like bears.

I understand why Nikka would hug Key tightly - her body's used to the cold, but she really likes to hug in her sleep.  I noticed this last month back in the city here in America.  Hehe~ can't help but think she's so cute in her sleep! ^^

But, Key...?  Why's he hugging her like that?

My anger was starting to rise, but then it descended as soon as I caught him shivering from the cold.

I almost forgot that my yeobo isn't used to the cold, even though he lives in Daegu almost his whole life.  Poor yeobo~  ....I sighed deeply and silently grabbed a blanket from one of the shelves.  I then covered yeobo up comfortably and just stared at him sleep.

Then I started getting pissed at how Key was able to sleep next to Nikka in the first place.  What the hell happened last night?

A few minutes later, I couldn't take it anymore.

I immediately pulled Key off of Nikka and shook him awake by the collar of his pink shirt.

Seriously, how can Nikka like this kind of diva?!  His pajama bottoms are decorated in Hello Kitty patterns!

Key woke up immediately and groaned in frustration.  He quickly held his head and pulled away from my hold.  "What the hell, yeobo?  Why can't I just sleep in peace?!"  he shouted.  I quickly shushed him by clasping my hand over his mouth.

Then there was a light gasp.  Yeobo and I turned to see Nikka's widened eyes watching us.  "So... JongKey is real?"  she innocently asked.  That's when I felt the closeness between my face and yeobo's.

Omo~ from her perspective, it might look like that I'm kissing Key with force!  I quickly pulled away and glared at Key.  He, on the other hand, looked at me innocently.  I shot daggers at him and nodded at the sleepy Nikka now with my head.  His eyes widened at me.  Oh, NOW he gets the picture!

No doubt, I can tell he knew that he was sleeping next to her because his face is all red now.  I growled at him.

But then all of a sudden, I hear, "Oppa... I'm still cold..."  then I heard teeth chatter away.  My eyes widened and I turned quickly to Nikka.  She's on the couch hugging her knees, trying to keep herself warm.  Didn't she say she was used to really cold weather?

Key and I rushed quickly by her side, me holding onto her for warmth while Key tried to check her temperature.  He backed away slowly.  "No wonder I felt warm in my sleep... she has a fever, Jjong."  I winced at the nickname slightly.  He didn't add the 'hyung' part at the end of it.  Man, he's really serious when he proposed that we fight for her.  In that case, I'm really not letting go of Nikka.  My arms squeezed her body frame tighter.

I looked up at the taller younger boy who stood up.  "Key, we have to go to the hospital."  I stated out.  Suddenly, Nikka jumped up slightly from my lap and looked at me with a frightened expression on her face.

"Nonononono.....mother can't find out.....mother can't find out...." she mumbled inaudibly, but audible enough for me and Key to hear.  Key suddenly had a change of facial expression - he has a dark look every time he hears Nikka mention something about Tita.

"Jjong, she's right.  What about her parents?  They'll freak out once they hear their daughter is in the hospital."  He looked at me blankly.  Geez, bipolar, much?

"Key, Nikka's their daughter.  I'm sure their parents will freak, but they should have a right to know what happens to her daughter."  I tried to reason with him, but he simply shook his head and gave me a dark glare, his eyes piercing into mine.

"Tito's reaction will be normal, but his wife?  She'll have a bipolar fit and will somehow manage to pin her fever on us, blabbing on that we don't take care of her daughter quite enough, and then what will happen?  She'll pull Nikka away from us!  Do you want that to happen?!"  This time he exploded, anger frustrated out on... Tita?  Taking away Nikka??

No, that can't happen.

I looked at Nikka and... a tear fell from one of her eyes.  She truly looked scared.

"Oppa-deul, don't make me go to mother.  I want to feel safe..."  then she hugged me tighter.  I responded by hugging her back and kissing the top of her head.  She spoke in Korean - maybe Tita really is scary?

Because Key is MY yeobo, I'm trusting him on this issue.  I looked up at him.  "I have an idea."

Key's POV

I checked her temperature once more with my hand on my forehead and another on hers.  Her fever is still high.

What caused this?  She was fine when she ate cheesecake with me last night.... could it be the cheesecake?  No, then I would've had a fever, too.

Then again, we both did scrape the entire pan of the cheesecake.  Honestly, she took more big bites, but I didn't mention that in front of her, because I might end up calling her fat again.

Let's not repeat the past, okay?

Maybe.... she didn't get enough nutrition?  She looked hungry last night....

Nikka, oh God, please be fine!

Right now, I'm holding onto Nikka while sitting in the waiting room of the emergency area.  Jjong is busy over the phone booth, making excuses for not only Nikka's parents but for the director/producer of the show Jjong and Nikka are filming in.  Oh yeah, that's still going on.  Sadly, it won't end until mid-December.  And guess what?  After Minho's birthday here, that's when I'll have to fly back to Korea to watch Onew hyung.  :(  The rest of the members will come back for Onew hyung's birthday the day before, but then Jjong will have to fly back to America afterwards to finish filming.  Minho and Taemin were able to be excused for the last couple of episodes, seeing as they already have a happy ending earlier on in the show.  Plus, there's not much film and money left for the show, so they don't have to come back here.

What will happen to Nikka once I leave?  Will she be okay with Jjong here?  What about that mother of hers?  I honestly don't trust her with her own daughter, seeing how Nikka fakes a smile every time she's around her.  Either that, or Nikka would stay really quiet as her mother talks.

Do you know what happened at the Thanksgiving party yesterday?  That lady kept bragging about her daughters, and then the split second later she laughs and makes fun of them!  How absurd!  Yes, some jokes are like that, but when it frequently comes from your own mother's mouth, you'll be bound to feel insulted.

How do I know this?  Nikka told me this at the party later when she managed to escape from the adults.  Yep, I should be happy that she chose to trust me on this matter, but I kept feeling bad for her.  She's too afraid to stand up to her own mother.  I asked her why Connie didn't react and acted like she didn't care, and she told me that she watches her little sister try standing up to her mother.... and it usually doesn't go well.  She stopped talking about that matter afterwards, and I didn't feel like pressuring her into opening up more.

I glanced down at Nikka's face, her head leaning against my chest as she slept.  I sighed deeply while watching her sleep.  Why can't I stay longer?  Or better yet - no, manager hyung will get angry with me if I suggest to go to college here.

Then a revelation hit me.  What if.... Nikka comes to go schooling in Korea?

My face brightened up a bit, but then my smile faltered a bit as I thought of something else.

In America, school year term isn't over until mid-June.  Plus, Nikka is a senior high schooler, last time I heard.  T^T How can I watch my poor baby now?  I bet even Tito won't agree with this arrangement.  Pabo, Key!

Jjong sat down next to me and reached over to Nikka, removing the strand of hair from her face and tucking it carefully behind her ear.  "How is she?  Have they checked her yet?"  he asked softly.  I shook my head and continued studying Jjong's concerned face over Nikka.

"Jjong."

"Hm."

"You'll be able to go back to Korea once the filming of the show is over, right?"

"Of course, silly!  Why wouldn't I be?"

"Then how will you be able to be near Nikka afterwards?"  He quickly wore a frown as he tried to think.  OHMYDIVA THIS MAN IS LIVING UNDER A ROCK!  Has he not thought of that situation?!

Suddenly, a small grin crept upon my yeobo's face.  "Email, duh!"  he exclaimed.  We both laughed and looked at each other, laughter fading away.

"Key."  Jjong spoke first.

"Hm?"

"Are you still serious about yesterday?"  I nodded without hesitation.  He sighed deeply and leaned back on his seat.

"So that means you also have her email address, huh?"  From the corner of my eyes, I could see him looking away from me, so I really couldn't nod at this point.  I'll have to speak to him.

"She gave it to me at the party yesterday."  He nodded and then I turned away, lost into my own thoughts.

Nikka's POV

Did you know what I dreamed about?

Jonghyun oppa and Key oppa - kissing in the living room.

Gotta admit - that was some hot a** JongKey scene, and it felt so real.

That's when I woke up. -____-

I slowly fluttered my eyes open and tried to scan my surroundings.  Dammit, I forgot my glasses!  I can only see an object clearly without my glasses if the object is within 5ft away from my face. :(

That's when I heard noises from the outside.  Where am I?

"Doctor, will she be okay?!"  I can hear the worried tone in Key oppa's voice.  [Author's Note:  Keep remembering that they're all still in America, so the conversation with other people in here will be in English.]

I heard a sigh and a deep voice saying, "She's fine at the moment, and it's not only the fever that's been bugging her.  It seems that she has been under malnutrition.  Are you two, by any chance, related  to her?"  Wait, 2 people?

"I'm her boyfriend and this guy is her brother."  Someone said quickly.  I felt the corners of my mouth twitch upwards.  Jonghyun oppa~ he came to see me?  WAIT.  Doctor.....fever.....malnutrition?

Oh f***, I'm at the hospital.  And I bet these 2 will be very angry with me knowing that I haven't been eating!  F*** my life!

"Oh, okay.  What you two need to do is to take care of this girl.  Make sure she has enough nutrition in her body, which includes making her eat more.  She seems to not have been eating for the past 24 or more hours."  the doctor explained.  Dammit, shut up!

I heard the two guys thank the doctor formally and open the door of a room.  Probably my room.... oh God, please help me!

"Nikka~"  Jonghyun oppa cooed near my ear as I felt him hug me.  My eyes finally adjusted to the light, and I realized the only light there was in the room is from the doorway.  The lights were turned off.  I looked up at Jonghyun oppa smiling down at me, yet worry and concern was shown through his eyes.

Suddenly someone had flicked my forehead. OW!!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My head turned to see an angry Key oppa with a toy hammer in his grasp.  o_O Where'd he get the hammer?

He started scolding me right on the spot.  "NIKKA!  MALNUTRITION?!  NOT EATING MUCH?!  NO WONDER YOU ATE MOST OF THE CHEESECAKE IN THE PAN LAST NIGHT!  YOU WERE TOO HUNGRY!"

"Key, stop yelling!  She might be really dizzy from her condition."  Jonghyun oppa countered him.  He then turned to me and sighed.  "Nikka, Key's right.  Why haven't you eaten the past 24 hours?  Didn't you eat at Thanksgiving dinner?"

"I threw up afterwords."  Both oppas widened their eyes at me.  Oh God, I'm gonna get it!  I shut my eyes tightly as Key oppa started scolding/yelling some more.

"WHAT?!  YOU THREW UP?!  JESUS CHRIST, YOU NEED TO EAT!  I DON'T WANT YOU TO END UP SKINNIER THAN TAEMINNIE - AND HE'S PRETTY SKINNY!  AISH, NIKKA!  WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR HEAD EVERYTIME YOU GOT HUNGRY, HUH?!?!  BESIDES, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE FAT OR ANYTHING!"  I snapped at that last sentence.  I don't know what came over me - I just couldn't take it anymore.

"Yah!  Do you know how many people laugh at me at school?!  It's hard to even eat in front of people knowing the looks they give me every time I scarf down food!  At first, I thought it was my table manners, but even when I eat like other normal people, they either call me 'too elegant' or 'too savage'!  Do you know what hurts the most?!  Calling someone fat!  Bullies at school snicker at me when I pass them by - do you know that?!  Heck, I'd rather be skinny as Taemin so I'd at least have a chance for someone to carry me bridal style or at least carry me at all!  And I don't even know why I kept throwing up food for the past 24 hours!  I just did!  Plus, I rarely get hungry, and I've realized this a couple of days ago, so that's why I'll only eat when I'm hungry, okay?!?!"

Key oppa's eyes widened and his mouth gaped at my shocked words.  Jonghyun oppa, on the other hand, squeezed my hand that he was holding and leaned in closer to me.

"....you're not fat, okay, Nikka?  Chubby, yes.  But don't force yourself not to eat just because of the bullies at school."  he told me calmly yet his voice was firm.

I lowered my head and stared at the blanket wrapped around the lower half of my body.  ".....but I am overweight, I checked the scale a couple of days ago." I mumbled inaudibly, but I guess the guys seemed to have heard what I said, because now a pregnant silence enveloped the hospital room.

It was then that Key oppa quickly stood up from the side of my hospital bed that he was leaning on earlier.  Jonghyun oppa remained sitting on the side of my bed.  I glanced back at Key oppa, now looking directly at me, causing my cheeks to blush.  Every time he stares at me, he just looks so.... I don't know.

When he opened his mouth, the words that came out of it stunned my mind.

"I think... I've been thinking that maybe this is an opportunity for Nikka to move to Korea with us.  With her formal education already near to completion, I bet I could pull a few strings in school to let Nikka complete her education and graduate early.  That way, she could live in a dorm and be freely enough to go to college away from her mother.  This way, you and I could finally watch her carefully in peace, knowing that she's safe..."

That's what he told Jonghyun oppa, but after he was done, he silently looked back at me, as if granting for permission to go with his idea.  Should I...?

Jonghyun's POV

........what?

Key said what now??

So these were his thoughts which he was totally into.

I kind of agree with him, but I don't think Tita's THAT bad to live with, right?  Besides, Nikka can lose weight anywhere.  There's no need to move just because of bullies - plus doesn't Nikka want to graduate with her friends?

.....and then it hit me.

Eunhye.

That b**** probably is popular at school, based on the party.  I guess her minions are the bullies who pin out that she's overweight!

Nikka doesn't even look overweight!  ...but, if she is, then maybe I could look after her...?  Maybe make sure she's fine and in good state - mentally and physically.

Seriously, she nearly scared the crap out of me earlier!  I thought she may have some signs of life-threatening disease or something!  I don't want to lose her...

I looked up at Key.  "Key."  I called out to him.

"Hm?  Yeah, yeobo?"  He smiled sweetly at me.  What the f***?  Oh yeah, Nikka doesn't know about the quarrel between me and Key - and it's over her.

I faked it back.  "Could you give me and MY GIRLFRIEND a moment, please?"  I asked politely.  Ah yes, you know which part I emphasized.  And I asked in Korean so Nikka wouldn't notice my hint to him.

Key sent eye daggers to me, but quickly smiled and nodded as Nikka glanced back at him from looking at me.  Yes, I know I'm handsome, but no need to stare at me!  Hehehehe~

As soon as he left, I turned to Nikka.  "Babe, let me ask you a few questions, okay?"  She nodded in reply.

"Are you really scared of Tita?"  She nodded quickly without hesitation.

"I know this sounds bad, but... which parent would you prefer?"  "Daddy."  Again, she answered without hesitation.

"Um... how are you and Eunhye at school?"  She remained quiet at this question.  I guess I have my answer.

"Do you have any best friends at school you would graduate with soon other than that b****?"  She chuckled at my calling Eunhye a b****, then sadly shook her head and looked down.

"Nikka, what would you like to study once you go to college?  You know, like a career?"  It took her a long moment before answering me.

"I'd-I'd like to b-be a singer, like you.  Remember?"  Oh yeah, she mentioned that in her letters before!

"Yes, but what type of singer?"

She let out a soft and small smile before continuing on with her answer.  "I'd like to sing a few ballads, do a little R&B, and obviously pop.  I also like rapping and hip hop. ^^  You know, I've written a couple of things down, but I'm still editing them as song lyrics just in case for the future."

"Hmm.... do you also like dancing?"  She shyly nodded at me.  I grinned at her.

"Babe, I think I can convince Tito to let you come with us after we're done filming the show."  Nikka looked confused until her eyes widened, now staring at me in disbelief.

"Wait, you mean come with you... to Korea?"  she asked slowly.  I nodded with a cheeky smile.

"Key's right, jagiya.  It'll be easier if you go schooling with Taemin.  Plus you'll be graduating soon from high school anyways, right?  I'll convince your parents to let you come with us.  I want to be able to watch you carefully to know that you'll be okay - no bullies and no unhealthy eating habits.  Okay?"  I tried to convince her, but she still looked uncertain.

Hmm.....

"Nikka~"  I called out to her seductively as I drew her closer into my arms.  She blushed and only focused on my shirt, trying to not look deep into my eyes.  I chuckled at her cuteness.  "Nikka, don't you want to spend time together?"

And guess what happened next?

Nikka sighed deeply, then finally spoke up, but it sounded like a whisper:

"Fine, I agree with Key oppa's plan.  I want to see more of my boyfriend, anyways."  She smirked and finally looked up at me from my shirt.  She leaned closer and pecked my lips.

Boy, you have no idea how happy I am to know she'll be coming with me to Korea!

I kissed her gently, the kiss slowly turning into a passionate one as our tongues fought for dominance.  Hehe~ I won.

Think of this as my celebratory kiss~ right before I crush Key in this race we call love.