"I don't want to let you go Min Ah, but I promised you that it was going to be your decision when the time comes. I won't chase after you if you really don't want me to" Minho said, betrayal clear in his eyes from her inability to respond to his confession.

"How do you know that you really love me?" She asked him.

"Because I really can't imagine not being with you anymore. I can't imagine not having you by my side as time passes. That's how I know" He whispered as he closed the distance between them and placed his hands on both sides of her face, "I'm young and I'm stupid, but I know what love feels like and this is it for me" He added as he brought his forehead to hers and gently placed his lips on hers.

" I think... I love you too" Min Ah whispered breathlessly when he pulled away.

He smiled as he pulled her into his arms. Holding her tightly as he felt her wrap her arms around him. This complicated girl in his arms, he wanted to make her love him and trust him for the rest of her life. He knew, he just knew that she felt the same way. She might not want to admit it, but he would make her see that he was the one.

"I know you do, just promise to never suggest breaking up. Even if things get tough ok? That stupid deal we made. I'm calling it off ok?" He asked her.

She nodded in agreement. Ok, she was making a choice now she told herself. It was him. She was choosing Minho and she wouldn't ever again try to run away from him because he loved her and she... loved him too. That should be enough. She wouldn't be like her parents, she wouldn't ignore love when it laid in front of her so clearly she realized as she looked up at Minho. He was a good guy.

"I debut in a month, I can get you in backstage that way you can be there" He said proudly as the doorbell interrupted his plans.

"It's probably Ji Young" Min Ah said softly, still in a daze at what had just happened.

She stood up and rushed to her front door and she felt the world shift slightly under her feet as she desperately wished for a crack to appear and to swallow her whole.

"W-what are you doing here?" She asked quietly, feeling like maybe if she spoke quietly enough, nothing bad would happen.

"We took an early flight so you wouldn't be too lonely on your graduation!" Her mother exclaimed as she and her father pushed past her straight into her living room, "It seems that wasn't necessary since you've found other... company" Her mother stated blandly, but Min Ah could see the anger bubbling just under the surface.

"Maybe it's time for your little friend to leave" Her mother ordered as she placed the gift box she held forceful down on the coffee table.

"Oh, hello nice to meet you I'm Choi Minho" Minho said nervously as he immediately recognized them from the portrait in the living room. He stood straight up and bowed in respect.

"I can't say it's a pleasure Mr. Choi. Now if you could please make your way out so that we can talk with our daughter" Her mother said evenly as she stared down the young man in her daughter's living room. What had Min Ah been thinking letting in strange men into her apartment?!

"Mom, you can't kick him out" Min Ah said as she walked next to Minho's side.

"Come here" Her mother snapped as she tightened her grip on Min Ah's wrist and pulled her forcefully away.

"No, stop. Mom! Why are you doing this?" Min Ah asked, searching for some sort of understanding in her mother's eyes.

"Because I won't have you running around with just any guy you please! You have expectations to live up to" She said.

"He's not just any guy! He's my boyfriend and if you had paid any attention to my life then you'd know we'd been dating for a while now... you don't get to suddenly come in and decide who I get to see" Min Ah yelled as she dug the heels into the ground and pulled her arm out of her mother's death grip.

She turned away from Minho ashamed at the way her parents were acting. Why were they being so dramatic about this? She knew her mother would overreact but to this extent? Clearly, what Minho thought of them was of no importance to them though and clearly, they were trying to scare him off Min Ah realized suddenly.

"That, that boy there!? Your boyfriend?! Who is he? Where does he go to school?" Her mother demanded and Min Ah could already see her pulse elevating and her veins popping.

"He's a trainee at SM Entertainment mom ok? Does it even matter? And yes, he's not from a well-off family either" She snapped suddenly, angry at her mother for acting like the world was ending and hating the disgusted look that came about her parent's faces.

"A trainee? Do you know who we are?! How can you even associate with some common boy that will probably never step on stage?" She hissed in anger.

"You don't know anything about him! He's already going to debut and I... I love him mom! We're happy together" Min Ah exclaimed, a sudden burst of courage.

"You don't know anything about happiness. You're only nineteen. You're making a big mistake Min Ah, a mistake I won't allow to continue" Her mother said stubbornly.

"Wait! Listen it's not Min Ah's fault I went after her first and I may be a trainee, but it is definite that I'm going to debut it's just that for now I don't have money, but later—" Minho began, trying to explain.

"Stop it now. Look at yourself, you're nothing but some poor bastard that can sing. I know all about Idol's conditions after they debut. Sure you may have fame, but money? That won't come after at least a couple of years and even then you want me to leave my daughter's future to some boy who's income depends on the latest trends from little girls?!" Her mother said coldly, hating the boy who could cause their family so much embarrassment. What if Min Ah wanted to marry him? Some boy who's background they knew nothing of, some boy that may or may not succeed in the unsteady world of entertainment? Never.

"Mom!" Min Ah yelled in outrage as she grabbed onto Minho's arm.

"We'll talk later" Her father insisted, the slightest hint of apology towards the boy who stood there stunned. He pulled on his wife's arm and pulled her to the door.

Min Ah followed behind them quietly.

"Min Ah I hope I won't have to repeat this again, stop whatever you have going on with that boy immediately. Look what you're doing to your mother"

"When and if I decide to break things up is up to me" She spat out, wondering where this sudden rush of bravery came from.

"Of that you're sorely mistaken. You are part of our family, we pay for everything you own and will continue to pay for your tuition so no, this is not up to you. Your future is one of the largest investment's we've made, this is for your own good" Her father said sternly as he took her mother's arm.

"You can't do this to me, I'm a person too aren't I allowed to choose who to be with?" Min Ah asked, choosing not to back down from her mother's angry glare.

"Not when you're clearly making a mistake This is our one and last warning Min Ah, break things off with that boy. We'll talk later" She snapped suddenly, ignoring the fact that "that boy" was standing only a few feet away as she slammed the door behind her.

"I'm so sorry, she's... she says things like that all the time... Minho?" She asked quietly as she reached out to him, a crazy shot of pain running through her head.

"And all this time I kept telling myself that you might be over exaggerating" Minho murmured, unable to make himself sound like he was ok. Her mother... she was vicious and she really knew where to hit so that it really hurt.

"I knew she would do something like this. Why are they even here?!" Min Ah said angrily, she didn't even want to imagine the long talk she was going to get later.

"It's been such a weird day. First I'm nervous as hell because I'm afraid you'll dump me, then I confess that I love you, you tell me you love me and I feel like I'm on top of the world and then I'm back to being nervous as hell that you'll dump me"

"I don't want to break up with you" Min Ah said with determination, "They might have controlled all my life, but with this they don't get a choice. I want to be with you and you want to be with me and that's all that matters"

"You're right, I'm sure it was just the shock that made your mother overreact right?" Minho asked her worriedly.

"Yeah, she's not that bad, once I talk to her we'll be fine" Min Ah answered with a smile.

Then again, that entire sentence was a lie, but you don't have to know that.

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I think I always have this problem when writing, I'm never quite sure where I'm taking things until later on. BUT now I know so this is good since it'll make writing easier ^-^ I've been dying to introduce Kim Hyun Joong and finally I get to in the next chapter! Thanks to everyone that's been reading!