Jonghyun x Sherrina
She lay her head on his strong chest as they lay beneath the stars. They lay peacefully in silence. Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock. She asked him with an amazed expression, “Did you see that shooting star?”
He looked at her lovingly as she wound his fingers through hers. “Hmm? See what?”
“The shooting star!” She giggled. “I made a wish,” she added with a grin.
“Oh really? A wish? What about?” He asked dreamily, looking into her bright eyes.
“Silly, I can’t tell you! Then it wouldn’t come true. And I really want this wish to come true..” She said wistfully.
He gave a big smile and wrapped his strong arms around her.
She batted at his arms futilely. “Oh gosh, let go of me! It’s too hot!” Yet she snuggled against him, contradictory to her words.
He let out a big guffaw. “You want me to let go?”
“Yes,” she said, while shaking her head.
He groaned and told her, “You’re impossible you know that?
“Yeah I think I do, you tell me basically every moment of every day,” She replied before wrapping her arms around his waist. She turned her head back to the night sky.
The moon was full and they were laying beneath a small tree; the leaves rustling slightly in the midnight breeze, braches swaying underneath the moonlight wind.
I wished that we’ll always be together. Through everything. Because I know we can make it through.
Jonghyun looked at her peaceful face. She fell asleep in his arms all the time. And it would fall to him to carry her home. He didn’t mind at all, it gave him an excuse to carry her in his arms. He lay there for a few more ever so precious seconds, reveling in the feeling of having her in his arms. Then he gave a sigh and picked her up behind the knees and back. Her arms went instinctively around his neck and he gave a smirk.
He moved awkwardly trying to fix his cap, but gave up when he heard her give a little groan. “Don’t worry, my princess, you’ll get your sleep soon enough,” he whispered devilishly.
He kicked the door closed and started to kiss her neck. Kissing his way down her throat and trailing his tongue across her collarbone. She arched her back, pushing her chest closer to his mouth.
He let out a growl and dropped her on the bed. Sherrina let out a helpless “oomf!” But she was too sleepy to fight back. For once.
Jonghyun smirked even harder. His hair sticking up in every direction, looking like a predator on the prowl. Which, if you thought about, was true. Which, in turn, would make Sherrina the prey.
Oh yes, Jonghyun liked the direction this was going in.
Jonghyun took off the sneaker on her right foot, janked the sock off and laid a kiss against her ankle. He moved his hands to her leg, pushing up the leg of her jeans and dragging his mouth teasingly over their smooth surface.
Sherrina tensed up everywhere. Panting as the pressure of his mouth eased and the pressure of his hand increased and increased. She felt his smile against her knee, and let out a quiet yelp as he proceeded to make out with her thigh.
She almost screamed in frustration. How could he play with her like this in this kind of situation?!
Suddenly, his mouth was by her ear and he whispered thickly, “Scream. Scream to the world Sherrina. Let them know that I am a. Fucking. Beast.” He slowly slid down her body. His hands dragging against the length of her body and his mouth touching any piece of skin he could get at. “Sherrina, scream for me, please.”
He unbuttoned her jeans with his teeth, pushed up the end of her shirt with his nose, and started to kiss his way down-
She sat up and took hold of his head with her hands on both sides of his face. She held him nose to nose with her. Sherrina cleared her throat and asked “Excuse me, exactly how fast are we going here?”
Jonghyun blinked innocently. “What do you mean?” He asked, using his puppy eyes to their fullest extent.
Sherrina narrowed her eyes at him. “You know fully well what I mean. What. Do you think. You are doing. Unbuttoning my pants?”
He pursed his lips and looked from side to side. “Uhm….I kind of….thought….that……..uhm…..you know…”
She was incredulous. “That I what…exactly?”
Jonghyun felt awkward. “Uh that….you……uhm…enjoyed it?” His face in the cheesiest smile possible, and his hands raised by his side like he was balancing scales.
Sherrina took pity on him. “You are so adorable, you know that?” She laughed and added, “Look me in the eyes…please?”
Since he was trying to look everywhere but her perfect face, he had no choice but to comply. He looked deep into Sherrina’s eyes.
She couldn’t help but melt. Those puppy eyes that were endless pools of chocolate stared right to her soul. She couldn’t take it anymore. Sherrina ruffled his soft brown hair and kissed his plump, soft lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his strong arms circled her waist as his kiss enveloped her completely.
-
Jonghyun and Sherrina were tumbling all around the room. Hands and mouths all over each other. They bumped into the wall, and a shelf fell on them, making quite a loud thud.
They heard movement from the next room over and they looked at each other in alarm. Neither of them looked the tiniest bit like they could face the other members. They were in quite a state. Sex hair, even though they didn’t actually. Pink Lips. Flushed faces.
They heard the floor creak from people walking in the next room. In the hallway. Oh shit. Man were they in trouble.
Jonghyun looked from Sherrina to the door, then back. “Fuck. What are we supposed to do?!” He whispered fiercely.
Sherrina looked at him with frantic eyes. “How the hell am I supposed to know? And…um you’re still pinning me to the ground. It’s not exactly helpful.”
Jonghyun looked at their bodies, his on top of hers, the shelf on top and books scattered everywhere. He was surprised. “Oh, oh yeah sure.” He pushed up off the floor, and held out a hand to help Sherrina up. They both scanned the room quickly with their eyes. There. There was a small closet that they could hide in and hopefully not get caught. They both sprinted towards it and Jonghyun held the door open for her just as they heard a hand on the doorknob. Jonghyun gestured for her to get in, quickly.
“Are you kidding me?!” She hissed. “This is no time for being gentlemanly!”
“Just get in!” He hissed back.
Sherrina glared at him as he got into the closet after her.
Just in time. As the closet door closed, the door opened and Key stepped in.
Key took a look around the room. The bed was messed up, and the new shelf that they put up was on the floor. He scoffed and gave a scowl. Obviously, someone had been in here. He closed his eyes and listened hard. Aha. There. He heard heavy breathing coming frmo the closet.
Jonghyun and Sherrina held as still as possible. But it was hard considering how small the closet was. Not to mention their heavy breathing. It was so small, that after the clothes, there was hardly enough room for one person, let alone two. Sherrina was pressed tightly against the length of Jonghyun’s body. After a while, when he finally became aware of it, he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. She just slapped him. Sadly, it made a thud against the door of the closet and their eyes widened in horror.
“Quick! Hide behind the clothes!” He whispered as quietly as he could.
Sherrina’s horrified eyes pleaded with him until he pushed her behind the clothes. Light entered the closet and Jonghyun spun around just in time to end up face to face with Key, as he had been with Sherrina moments earlier.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” asked Key.
“Uhm,” Jonghyun said, starting to sweat, “Heeeeeeey Key! Heheh. Heh.” Oh fuck. What did he get himself into.
-
Sherrina watched on horrified as Jonghyun and Key argued in the closet doorway.
“Why are you in the closet?” asked Key.
“Um, I was looking for something..” lied Jonghyun.
“With the door closed? That makes no sense Jjong.” Key replied, unfazed.
“Um, it was more fun..?” Jonghyun tried again.
Key scoffed his diva scoff. “Fun? As if. Is Sherrina in there?”
Jonghyun had to control himself. He couldn’t know she was in there. Manipulation was the game, control the only rule. “What are you talking about Key?”
“Is. Sherrina. In that closet? Simple question, really. Why are you avoiding it?” Key asked.
Jonghyun looked him straight in the eyes “No. Why would she be? She fell asleep when we were out, so I carried her home.”
Key didn’t back down. He crossed his arms. “Move.”
Jonghyun was alarmed for a millisecond, but controlled it. “Move? Why? I still haven’t found what I was looking for.”
“Found what you were looking for?” Key still looked dubious. He took a step towards Jonghyun and put his right hand on his chest. Looked down, then up at his eyes. Fluttering his eyelids, he asked, “There was a time when you had everything you were looking for.” Then he grabbed a fistful of Jonghyun’s shirt. And gave the smaller man an angry gaze. Then he threw him down. Jonghyun landed on the floor with a loud thud. Movement could be heard from the next room again. Louder this time. Voices too.
She couldn’t help but be scared for Jonghyun, even though it was her safety on the line. It was partly her fault too. She was the one that Key didn’t like.
“Now move. I know she’s in here.” Key said and
Oh..okay, Jonghyun is free. Thought Sherrina. WAIT WHAT. Oh crap. This was not good. Not good at all.
-
Sherrina tried to make herself as small as possible with the least amount of movement. It was hard, though, because she would end up moving the clothes. Whichh, of course, Key’s sharp eyes would see. Thus, end up seeing her.
That could not happen.
Sherrina pressed herself against the back wall of the closet. As far away from the clothes as possible. Key looked around the closet, moving clothes out of the way and looking at the floor, scanning the row of shoes.
OH FUCK. I’M ONLY WEARING ONE SHOE. Thought Sherrina. The other laying somewhere in the vicinity of the bed. Hopefully unseen. Come on Jonghyun, remember, or see it, or something. In the meantime, she tried making her barefoot as inconspicuous as possible
Jonghyun felt helpless while Key was searching through the closet. Key throwing him down on the floor like that meant that nothing he could do would appease him. What he needed was Onew now. And that wouldn’t happen because he was asleep in the next room. Shit. This was not a good situation.
A thought struck him. Sherrina’s shoe and sock. He looked frantically around the room for it, praying to God that Key didn’t see it when he first entered the room.
He stood up slowly, hoping Key was too busy searching the closet to notice him. He saw it at the foot of the bed, half concealed by the comforter. He looked to his right, at the open door. The door to the room opened to the left of the top of the bed, so Key couldn’t have seen it when he came in. That’s it. He thought, a plan formulating in his head. He moved into action.
Please, God, please, let this work…
-
“Okay so just let me get this straight…” Onew said to Jonghyun. “Key…threw you on the floor..because he used to love you? Or still does?! Or is jealous, angry PMS-ing…?!
“Aish…” Dubu-leader looked so confused. Jonghyun, frantic.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s it! Now he’s in the next room about to hurt Sherrina!” He added.
Onew still looked confused. “But why would he do that? That’s absolutely ridiculous. You know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you?”
Jonghyun spun around in frustration. “Onew…I just need you.” Jonghyun pointed to him, “to come with me,” then gestured to himself, “to that room.”
“Um okay..I was sleeping. Then I heard lots of thuds and noises coming from the next room. I thought I should check it out anyways. I was on my wa-“
Jonghyun cut him off. “Wait you were?”
Onew nodded happily. “Yeah I was. But then you got here and you were telling me your story, then I forgot.”
Jonghyun went all bug eyed, and slapped his forehead. “No. Fucking. Way. Hyung.”
His hyung laughed. “Jonghyun are you alright? Didn’t you want to go check on Key?”
That woke him up. “Oh yeahyeahyeahyeah, LET’S GO!” Jonghyun grabbed his leader’s wrist and half led, half dragged Onew to the room.
Onew grumbled all the way, tripped over some rugs, and ran into some tables throughout the hallway. “Ouch, ow…Jonghyun could we-ouch-slow do-owww oww-n a little?!”
“NO!” Was the only answer he got.
Dubu just sighed.
-
“Well lookie here. Is this something like a person in this closet?” Key said, crouching down and pinching a toe.
Sherrina bit her lip to keep from making a noise. Maybe the less noise she made, the less Key would get angry. But you never knew with that one. You never knew.
“Nothing? I so this isn’t a person? I guess it wouldn’t mind if I just…”
Sherrina almost doubled over in pain. But that would have put her face to face with Key. Which was never wanted. He would most likely spit in her face.
“Still nothing? Kitty, kitty, come out. I got something pretty for you.” Key took out a necklace that he received from Jonghyun years ago. He momentarily teared up, then crushed the necklace in his fist. I made myself get over this. No way am I getting sucked back into that sappy shit. But something clicked. An epiphany, you could say.
Sherrina was horrified. What is it? A knife? A razor?
Key sighed, and settled for sitting on the floor instead, supporting himself with his arms behind him. “Sherrina…I… could you just come out? I’m not going to hurt you..”
She shook her head in disbelief. “Why should I believe anything you say?” Whoops. She clamped a hand over her mouth. Did i just…?
“I promise on Jonghyun’s life.” He said quietly.
“That could mean nothing.” She replied.
A tear actually fell from his eyes. “Never.”
--
Sherrina tried to work up the courage to come out from behind the clothes and face Key. She was scared, but if Key hurt her, Jonghyun was there. Wasn’t he? Um maybe a peek to check, she told herself.
He still remembered when his best friend used to be just his. Still remembered the nights it all came crashing down on him, too.
It was several months ago, though. Which meant it was surprising that Key hadn’t gotten over it. But then again, it was surprising how hard he fell for Jonghyun.
You could hardly blame Key, though. The way Jonghyun would take his hand during performances. The way he would always mess with him and tease him. The way he laughed whenever Key did something to him, regardless of whether it was truly fun or funny.
Thinking about it made him choke up a little bit. It wouldn’t be the same now.
Key also thought about why he had to drag Jonghyun to Noraebang to cheer him up. Some crazy stalker girls were following him. Jonghyun was walking as fast as he could, but still, they didn’t let up. Key was incensed but Jonghyun would never let him show it. He’d just calm him down, saying,
“Key-ssi, it’s fine, really. I mean, what can you expect? We are Idols.” Jonghyun would say with a laugh.
But that time, Key saw it really affected him. He laughed his usual laugh, brushing it off as nothing. But when Key looked in his eyes, he saw Jonghyun’s gaze falter and he knew that he had to do something to help his hyung cheer up.
Key stood up from the couch he was sitting on, and took his hyung’s hand. “Get up off you depressed butt. We’re going out”
Jonghyun looked surprised. “G-going out?”
Key’s heart skipped a beat, thinking of the connotations that could mean, but didn’t want Jonghyun to see it. So he rolled his eyes at his friend. “Yes. We’re going to Noraebang. Pft, what did you think I meant?”
Jonghyun sighed, relieved. Key’s heart sank, disappointed. “Get your coat. We’re going.”
Key dragged him out of the dorm, him laughing all the way.
They got to the place they usually go, and Key asked for a private room. The lady gave him a condescending look, and replied shortly, “We’re fully booked. There’s only one room with space, but there’s already two other girls in there.” Key looked at Jonghyun, “Can you handle it, or do you want to go somewhere else?”
Jonghyun shrugged, “It’s fine. This is my favorite place, besides I need some social interaction. Hopefully they won’t be too shy. If they are, just ignore them.”
Key snorted. “Fine okay,” then turned to the lady, “Yeah that’s fine, just put us there then.”
The lady gave them a skeptical glance, then said, “If you’re sure… then follow me.” She turned on her heel and led them past several noisy rooms, blasting music.
She finally turned at the end of the hallway and pointed to a room. “This one.” Then squeezed past them, and left.
Key scoffed. “Geez…” Then gestured to Jonghyun, “After you my lady.”
Jonghyun snorted, but still went inside. Ending up face to face with someone who left him breathless.
Key closed the door behind him and immediately ran into Jonghyun’s back. He put his hands on both sides of his hips and savored the feeling.
Looking over jonghyun’s shoulder, Key said, “Jonghyun, move ov-” then his mouth fell open.
“Omo, she’s gorgeous.” Key said.
“I know.” Said Jonghyun.
You could almost hear the record scratch. They looked at each other in surprise and disbelief.
“What?!” They said at the same time. “Which one are you talking about?”
The girls in the room looked at each other in confusion. “Tiffany, do you know what they’re talking about?”
“Uh, no clue Sherrina. This is weird.” Tiffany replied.
“You could say that..” Sherrina looked everywhere but the two newcomers faces, locked on each other in anger.
They were so confused, but neither knew what to say. So whatever, I’ll just wing it, thought Sherrina.
“Um, excuse me.” She said quietly. Apparently neither of the boys heard her, so she asked louder. “Excuse me?” Still nothing. Her face contorted in frustration. “EXCUSE ME, GUYS.” She yelled.
That got their attention.
She looked from one boy to the other. The shorter one, looked at her with amazed eyes. The taller one looked at her with his arms crossed over his chest and a condescending look.
Sherrina raised her eyebrows and let out a low whistle. “Well then.”
-
Sherrina crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing?”
Jonghyun snapped his mouth closed. “Um….Hi!” He said with a charming smile.
Sherrina wasn’t fazed. “Hi. Now why are you guys being like that?”
Key scoffed. “Being like what?” Sneaking a look at Jonghyun and his face. He still looked amazed at this girl. I’m not jealous, I’m not. He said. Then he took a look at the girl still sitting on the couch. Take my mind off of him. That’s what I gotta do.
Sherrina saw the look in Key’s eyes, and the direction they were looking. She raised her eyebrows. Ah that was it. She looked back at Tiffany, who just shrugged, then went back to making faces at Key, and then back at the two boys. She rolled her eyes and said simply, “You guys look like you’re about to start a fight right here. Why.”
That shocked them. But they both just looked guilty. Neither knew what to say. What would appease this stubborn girl.
Jonghyun had no idea how to approach either. Do I introduce myself? Will she know who I am? What would she think? Hundreds of thoughts ran through his head. None of them helpful.
Tiffany spoke up. “You know, we could be doing something more productive than you guys arguing here. Need I remind you that we’re paying by the hour?” She sighed and shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.
Sherrina laughed. “Tiffany you’re right. Nevermind. We’re at noraebang. Let’s see what you got.”
The two boys smiled evilly.
-
Jonghyun fell in a breathless heap on the couch. He couldn’t help but laugh at the pathetic attempts the girls did at singing their song. It was a passable attempt, well okay it was actually pretty good, but he could do it much better. Jonghyun averted his gaze from the girl who had spoken first when they got there, who was glaring at him as he laughed. Finally, she got so frustrated, that she confronted him.
“What do you think you’re laughing at mister?” She questioned, angrily. “Think you could do it better?”
Jonghyun really had to keep himself from bursting into even harder laughter. You have no idea, sweet pea, just how much better I could do it. He didn’t even think he was thinking about the song.
“Move over… um,” he shuffled his feet in embarrassment. “Wait, I don’t think you mentioned your name? What is it again?”
“Sherrina,” She said shortly, arms crossed over her chest. Again.
“Sherrina,” Jonghyun repeated, rolling the name around in his mouth like sweet candy. “Sherrina.”
“YES SHERRINA NOW GET ON WITH IT MAN.” She ordered, pressing ‘try again’.
“Tiffany, let’s sit down and watch Mr. Cocky give it a shot..Tiffany?” Sherrina looked around. She was sitting in Key’s lap. She slapped her head. Oh geez….
-
Sherrina’s mouth was on the floor. Damn. He was amazing. He was perfect. AND he sounded just lik-. If it was possible, Sherrina’s mouth would have been on the floor of the floor below.
“YOU’RE KIM JONGHYUN. HOLY EFFFFFFFF!” She screamed.
Jonghyun jumped in alarm, and tried to quiet her down. “Shhhh!”
Key and Tiffany looked up from where their mouths were interlocked. They both looked a mess. Sherrina looked at them in disbelief and Jonghyun snorted. Typical Key.
Sherrina said, “Tiffany!”
She smiled sheepishly. “Sherrina, how could I resist? It’s the freaking ALMIGHTY KEY.”
Key looked satisfied.
“Woah woah woah,” Sherrina said. “You knew who these guys were and you didn’t care to enlighten me?”
Tiffany smiled even more sheepishly. “Um…I was distracted?” She gave Sherrina a cheesy smile.
Sherrina rolled her eyes, then decided her anger would be better aimed at the guy who just tricked her. “You duped me. That’s cheating.”
Jonghyun laughed. “What’s cheating? I never duped you.”
She was accusing. “You’re a singer. You’re singing your own song. You cheated.”
Jonghyun threw his hands up. “You never asked me anything! Your lack of curiosity is your own fault!”
Sherrina scoffed. “Oh so now this is my fault?”
He looked at her with puppy eyes, and nodded.
That’s it. She thought. Now she was furious
-
Sherrina couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to slap the shit out of him. But that wouldn’t be classy. She wanted to leave with her dignity, and her conscience unburdened. She glared at Tiffany, still very much engrossed in trying to eat Key’s face. Sherinna closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Jonghyun was still looking at her with puppy eyes. There was a small guilty smile on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him.
Finally, Jonghyun sighed. He took a step towards her. Her eyes bulged out of her head, alarmed.She took a step backwards. He gasped “Oh no no, I’m not going to hurt you Sherrina, just why are you so angry at me for not telling you who I was?”
She continued backing up and Jonghyun countered every single one of her steps, keeping the same amount of distance in between them. He kept his eyes on hers, trying to convey his message.
“Sherrina,” he signed, “It was nice talking to someone who wasn’t intimidated by who I am. It was different and a total change from what I’m used to.”
Her eyes were still bugging out. By this time, Tiffany and Key were finally breaking apart to watch the drama unfold. Key looked worried and Tiffany was busy trying to navigate his mouth back onto hers. He was an amazing kisser. He just swatted away her efforts. He needed to know what happened next.
Sherrina’s eyes were still bugging out. She couldn’t process the information he was trying to tell her. Or rather, she was trying and none of it made sense. What was he trying to say? It didn’t look like he was going anywhere. Or reaching a an end to his rant. He was just coming closer and closer, (well technically just stepping towards her every time she took a step back). She didn’t know what to do but keep on moving backwards. She knew eventually she’d run into the wall but her mind drew a total blank to everything.
Jonghyun couldn’t find the exact words to explain it so that Sherrina wouldn’t get freaked out. “Sherrina…I had a fun time with you, here.” He started slowly. “It was even more fun because you didn’t act shy or like I wasn’t a normal person. And that’s just it,” he said with a sincere smile. “You treated me like a normal person. You stood up to me and told me your thoughts. Not to mention you’re unbelievably gorgeous.”
She flushed red, and took another step back, finally running into the wall. Jonghyun kept on advancing, closing the gap between them.
“A little bit, I think, this may be a little bit too fast, but I think I want to see you again,” he said, raising the back of his hand to her cheek.
She gasped, shocked. She stood there for a few seconds before something registered. Then she slapped his face. Hard.
-
Jonghyun staggered backwards. Sherrina took this as her cue to escape. With or without Tiffany. She sneaked a glance at her as she ran out the door, thinking to persuade her to come with her with her eyes. But Tiffany was too busy wrangling with Key. Sherrina pursed her lips and ran out to the Hallway. Jonghyun raced out after her, Key after him, and Tiffany after Key.
Sherrina didn’t stop, she ran right out of the building. The lady at the front got angry, since she left without paying, so she stopped Jonghyun in his tracks. Jonghyun let out an angry snarl, throwing several bills into her hands. Though it was only a few seconds, it was enough time for Key to catch up to him just as they passed through the doors. Tiffany also got held up by the lady, who was demanding money for the trouble they were causing. The lady was blocking the door. Tiffany was stuck.
Right outside the door, Key was breathing hard. “Jonghyun…” he said, grabbing his arm.
Jonghyun glared at Key, trying to force Key to let go. “Key let go of me!” Shaking his arm. He looked around for any sign of Sherrina.
Key looked at his hyung with pleading eyes, asking him to see in his eyes what he couldn’t say out loud. He asked, “Why are you running after her?”
He turned and looked at his dongsaeng with furrowed brows, “Why does it matter?”
“Because! Jonghyun, I….” Key took a deep breath and opened his mouth, just as Jonghyun spotted Sherrina come around a corner, “Hyung, I lov-“
Too late. Jonghyun was gone, leaving an opened mouthed Key with tears falling down his face.
-
Key sat in the corner sulking, trying to keep the tears from falling down his face. Not like it mattered. Jonghyun was too busy making faces at Sherrina to give him any attention.
Though she noticed. She really did. She looked at him with understanding eyes. She knew. And he hated it. He hated her pity, he hated her apologetic glances his way. It made him feel all that much worse. He didn’t fucking want her pity. Key scowled at Sherrina and Jonghyun having a food fight in the kitchen. She flicked her spoon at him, spattering him with some alfredo sauce. He laughed an threw a linguini strand at her. She let out a little yelp and Jonghyun laughed and drew her into his arms. She giggled and then wrapped her arms around his waist. She snuck a quick look at Key.
Key closed his eyes and rubbed his palms into his temple. I need to get out of here, some fresh air. Maybe it’ll clear my head. He thought. He stood up from his chair and grabbed his coat from the hook on the way out. He let the door slam and it felt good.
Meanwhile, inside, Sherrina was worried. She wanted to talk to Key, but never had a chance to because someone was always with him, or she was with Jonghyun. She really tried to tone it down in front of him, knowing his tendency to get hurt and start sulking, but Jonghyun was just clueless. There wasn’t much she could do. She would love to tell Jonghyun about Key’s feelings for him, but didn’t know how he’d take it. Or how it’d affect him. Not to mention it wasn’t her secret to tell. Her tight hold on Jonghyun’s waist loosened. He drew back and looked at her with a questioning eyes. Sherrina smiled at his worried gaze. She cupped his face with both her hands, patting his cheeks. He laughed, and lowered his head to hers. He stopped with his lips near hers.
“Hey Sherrina” he whispered against her lips. She closed her eyes and she felt his lips curve into a slow smile. He lowered his arms to enclose her waist and pulled her to him. She smiled at their intimate embrace and kissed his sweet lips. He dragged on her top lip and she laughed distractedly. Maybe she could still catch up to Key if she left now. But Jonghyun being too persistant was her problem.
She detached herself from his lips and stuck out her tongue. Merong~ She smiled and Gave him a hug, him being confused and reluctant to hug her back. Sherrina laughed at him, went on her tiptoes and said,
“It’s getting late, I should go.” She kissed his nose and wiggled her fingers in a goodbye wave.
He caught her by the waist. “Wait! Let me walk you home.”
Sherrina harrumphed. If he didn’t let go of her, she’d never be able to find Key. “Let goo~ You know I can walk home by myself.” She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
He laughed and let her go. “Fine, I’ll be checking up on you though. You have your phone right?”
She grimaced and laughed, “Yes of course.”
“It’s not on silent right?” He questioned seriously.
She laughed exasperatedly, “Yeah! Now can I leave?”
He sighed dramatically, and finally nodded, glumly. She pushed his shoulder, exclaiming, “You dork!”
He started laughing and hunched his back, looking at her. Sherrina snorted and turned on her heel.
“Byee~ Rina to my Jong!” He called after her. She shook her head in more exasperation.When will that dork finally become undorky? But then realized that she didn’t really want him to stop being the dork that she loved.
-
Jonghyun waited with his ear against the door. Waiting for the soft thump, thump of her sneakers to stop, and the clear ding of the elevator door closing, before he left. He almost forgot his coat, and reached behind him, grabbing at the door hook.
His hand met empty air. He looked back, puzzled. Only Key’s jacket was left on the rack. Strange, he thought. I thought I heard Key leave earlier. He stared at the hooks with a ruffled expression.
Then the muffled click, click of the elevator brought him to his senses. He raced to the stairwell and sprinted down the stairs to the lobby, where he rammed into the door with an “oomph!” Hands splayed on the door, and ear on the crack, he listened for the distinctive thump thump of Sherrina’s footsteps to exit the elevator, and the doorman’s polite “Annyeonghaseyo”.
Jonghyun tried to calm his breathing, the better to listen. There. He quietly opened the door and saw her exit the building with a worried look on her face.
That worried expression on her face concerned him. Of course it would. Why would she leave him with that kind of feeling? That made no sense.
He exited the stairwell and was immediately greeted with a ”Annyeonghaseyo” and a bow from their doorman. Jonghyun nodded at him and mindlessly said a “Annyeong…” The older man was taken aback. Jonghyun shook his head clear, also shocked at his impolite greeting. “Oh… Annyeonghaseyo, mianhae” He said with a deeper bow. Then he looked out on the street, searching for Sherrina. He spotted her walking briskly, still with that worried expression on her face. He didn’t know at all why she would feel that way. He racked his brain for every possible reason, and came up empty. Nothing explained it. Nothing at all.
He sighed, Sherrina what’s bothering you? He followed her, keeping his distance, and hoping she didn’t notice him tailing him. But she was so preoccupied she never even suspected anything. Which in itself was strange. She usually looked back, saw him, laughed and evaded him. Popping up behind him, and wrapping her arms around his waist. He smiled at the memory. Then set his face again, Set on walking up to her as she reached her door and asking what was wrong.
But then something surprising happened. She was taking a… a different route home? That wasn’t like her. She usually walked the same way home every time. He could walk it with his eyes closed. Yet here she was. Where was she going?
Jonghyun became curious, yet doubtful. What? Why isn’t she going home? Maybe she’s just stopping by a market to get something. Yeah that’s probably it. No reason to think about any other shady reason…
But Jonghyun was still worried. She took another strange turn and Jonghyun saw Key a little ways ahead of her, walking… wait scratch that more like meandering around like he was drunk.
His brow furrowed even more. Was Sherrina going towards Key? What for?! They kept on walking, and Sherrina finally caught up to Key at the edge of the neighborhood park. She grabbed onto his arm. Jonghyun walked back into the shadows, not wanting to be seen, yet wanting to know exactly what was happening.
He saw her talk to Key, shy at first, then she moved her arms like she was trying to explain something.
Keys face was cool, almost stony, as he replied to her. Jonghyun wanted to know what was going on, but didn’t want to get in the way of their conversation. It couldn’t be that Sherrina was ……with Key? No….right?
Jonghyun was shocked. Was that why Key was so cold to him lately? He and Sherrina had a..a thing?
He started hyperventilating. How could she do that to him? He thought she…wait.
Jonghyun turned his attention back to the two of them. Their voices were raised and he heard snippets of what they were saying.
“…can’t you just……fucking love…..nothing is stopping you from…BACK OFF…first…jealous…”
Key started crying, and turning away from her. Then he saw Sherrina put her hands on his shoulders, shaking him. Key stiffened, then slapped her hard, making her fall to the floor.
Jonghyun’s heart stopped, losing no time, he ran towards them. Key turned and saw him. Mouth dropping and tears flowing even harder, his shoulders shook, and he fell into a heap next to the scandalized Sherrina, sobbing his eyes out.
-
Key felt the satisfaction of the door closing. Too bad neither of them inside cared. He pursed his lips, his aching heart hardening.
Fuck this shit. I don’t want it anymore.
He pressed the down button on the elevator, waited two seconds with his arms crossed over his chest and foot tapping, then decided to just take the stairs. He crossed through the first floor to the door and nodded at the doorman who called a quiet “Annyeonghaseyo”
Key stopped on the sidewalk, quickly glancing at the window to their dorm, just in time to see Sherrina give Jonghyun a kiss on the nose. He gagged. She made him sick. He walked around the block, turning right two blocks down. He went inside the bright convenience store and bought himself a drink. Soda, he would never defile himself with alcohol. He hated the smell of alcohol almost as much as he hated Sherrina. But that was another story. As he was checking his pockets, he realized that the coat he was wearing wasn’t his.
He froze. He was wearing Jonghyun’s coat.
He started hyperventilating, smelling every inch. The cashier looked at him with a weird expression.
“Are you going to pay for this?” She asked.
Key looked at her with the bottom of the coat held up to his face. Something fell out. Jonghyun’s wallet. He bent down to pick it up, and opened it up. Taking out some bills. He’d pay Jonghyun back when he got back to the dorm. He wouldn’t mind.
He paid the cashier, not bothering to wait for change. She called after him, “Wait! Your change!”
Key waved her off. “Keep it.”
The cashier looked around before pocketing the money. Her manager spotted the edge of it going in, and got angry, calling, “Jiae!” Her eyes widened in fear.
Key snorted. Stupid girl.
He opened the drink and took a sip. He immediately spat it out. He looked at the drink again. Damn, it’s cherry. Who the fuck drinks that? He dropped it in a nearby trashcan and took a left turn, seeing the park in the distance. He smiled a small smile, finally reaching a destination. Key felt really tired, he was swaying and not walking in a straight line. He reached the park and stopped, putting his right hand to his head, trying to steady it, he looked around for a bench, but felt somebody grab onto his arm. He turned and looked at her, surprised.
“Sherrina?”
“Key…I…I think we need to talk.” She said, letting go of his arm immediately. Clenching her hands behind her back. She looked down.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Talk about what?” He asked, tight lipped.
“I…I see the way you look at him.”
Key’s eye twitched. “Look at who?”
She looked up into his eyes, and whispered, “Jonghyun.”
Key’s emotions switched off. It was his way of dealing with that touchy subject. Just…not.
“Key, why don’t you just tell him? He’s your friend, what’s so wrong about telling him how you feel? Do you think it’ll help you at all to keep this to yourself? I know how you feel about him. I see it every day. He doesn’t, and you know that he’ll never notice. It’s hurting you every single day that you keep it in.
“So why don’t you just…you know, tell him? Get it over with?”
Key didn’t want to get angry. He just wanted to explain this to Sherrina with as much control as he could muster. He did not want to get into a fight with her. As wrong as it would be, he didn’t know if he could restrain himself if he started yelling now.
“Sherrina. Fuck, I was going to tell him, the night he ran after you after noraebang. He ran after you, and I asked him what he was doing, and why you were so important, you were, after all, just some girl he’d met that night.
“I don’t know what happened inside him that night, but he changed after seeing you. He was all beat up because of some stalker fans and I guess he didn’t get to see someone stick up for themselves in his presence. I think he wanted to love somebody but had nobody to.”
Sherrina opened her mouth and was about to speak, but Key cut her off.
“Do you even know, how hard it was for me to even get the courage to tell him, even a little, how much I loved him? How much he meant to me? It took every single ounce of courage I had. And of course, he ignored me. For you.
“Now you have the audacity to tell me to tell him I love him? When he didn’t listen to me the first time?! God, can’t you just lay off?! I see your pity. And I don’t need it. I can see you fucking love him, and he loves you. How could I tell him about my..” he spat the word out, “feelings, for him.” Key hung his head. “He’d never forgive me. And I would never be able to take it.”
“Nothing is stopping you from saying those things!” Sherrina exclaimed.
“JUST BACK OFF SHERRINA. STOP IT!” He yelled. “First, you try to convince me to say my feelings towards him, now you’re trying to tell me that he wouldn’t care?! That he’d just comfort me and say it’ll be okay? I was there since the. Fucking. FIRST! And then you just had to come along. I am JEALOUS! Is that what you want to hear? He’ll never look at me the way he looks at you. He LOVES you…the way..” His throat tightened up, tears threatening to spill over. “The..the way…he looks at you..”he said, tears finally falling.
Sherrina put her hands on Key’s shoulders. “Key look at me, just tell him. You’ll never know his feelings until you tell him.”
Key snapped. He slapped her. Fucking hard. She fell. He gasped and looked at his hand, blurring in his gaze. He heard loud footsteps and looked up to see Jonghyun running towards him. Just my fucking luck. The tears flew even harder, his shoulders started shaking, and he finally fell to the floor, exhausted and sick of everything.
-
Sherrina exited their dorm, closing the door quietly, then half jogging to the elevator. She pressed the button and calmly waited for a few seconds. The clear ding of the elevator signaled its arrival and she got in and pressed the “star 1” button, which would take her to the first floor. The doors were about to close, but she accidentally pressed the open door button. Oops.. she thought, staring at the elevator console, and just waited for the door to close.
Sherrina thought she saw some movement come from the door, as if Jonghyun was coming out to stalk her. Again. She smiled and brushed it off as him locking the door. She spun around several times in the elevator, wondering where Key had run off to. The elevator background music was SHINee. Typical, she thought. The landlord was always trying to get on their good side so that they’d perform at his daughter’s birthday party.
Sherrina snorted. Onew was the only one who used the elevator frequently enough for him to be able to hear the music. Even then, he would always be far too preoccupied to notice. Key was too impatient, Jonghyun thought using the stairs would give him muscles, Minho only used the stairs because Taemin was constantly asking him to race him to the floor.
She laughed at their crazy antics. But when the door opened, she thought about Key again. He wouldn’t have gone too far would he? She exited the building quickly and gave a swift bow to the doorman, who was becoming quite amused at the number of people rushing out of the door. He had a genial smile and calm demeanor. He was a good doorman, Sherrina wondered if he saw Key and which direction he went in. She thought better of it, and just walked the way she would when she walked home.
She was walking briskly, then turning her head, she caught Key waving his hand above his head. She was confused, yet thankful none the less. She took a right and started walking faster. She saw him pause to spit out the drink in his hand, look at it in disgust, then drop it in a trashcan. Well what a waste… she thought. He took another left, and Sherrina immediately sped up, turning left too. He was walking in front of him, swaying, and walking weirdly.
He finally stopped at the edge of the park. He put a hand to his head, as if to steady himself. He looked as if he could drop at any moment from exhaustion. She sped up and grabbed his arm.
He turned to look at her, a surprised expression on his face.
“Sherrina?” He asked.
“Key…” She didn’t know what to say, what could she say? “I…I think we need to talk.” She began, letting go of his arm. She felt bad for interrupting him like that, so she clasped her hands behind her back, shuffling her feet. She bit the inside of her lip, worried about what he’d say to her.
He crossed his arms over his chest, he questioned her, “Talk about what?”
“I…” What. What was she supposed to say to him? She didn’t want to be too blunt and say it, but how was she supposed to get through to him?
“I see the way you look at him.” She finally concluded. His eye twitched and she grimaced.
“Look at who?” He continued to ask, acting oblivious.
She was still looking anywhere but his face, but looked him straight in the eye. Drawing up all her courage, she said quietly, “Jonghyun.”
Sherrina saw his face empty of all emotion. She was puzzled, yet slightly scared. She continued cautiously, “Key, why don’t you just tell him? He’s your friend, what’s so wrong about telling him how you feel? Do you think it’ll help you at all to keep this to yourself? I know how you feel about him. I see it every day. He doesn’t, and you know that he’ll never notice. It’s hurting you every single day that you keep it in.”
She took a breath before finishing, “So why don’t you just…you know, tell him? Get it over with?”
He closed his eyes, as if to stop thinking about it, but she saw a vein pulsing in his temple. Sherrina’s breathing got shorter and shorter until Key started speaking.
“Sherrina. Fuck, I was going to tell him, the night he ran after you after noraebang. He ran after you, and I asked him what he was doing, and why you were so important, you were, after all, just some girl he’d met that night.” Sherrina felt offended. What the fuck?
“I don’t know what happened inside him that night, but he changed after seeing you. He was all beat up because of some stalker fans and I guess he didn’t get to see someone stick up for themselves in his presence. I think he wanted to love somebody but had nobody to.”
Sherrina was really confused now. She wanted to ask him why Jonghyun had never mentioned any of this to her. Did he really think so little of her that he couldn’t confide anything in her? But Key cut her off.
“Do you even know, how hard it was for me to even get the courage to tell him, even a little, how much I loved him? How much he meant to me? It took every single ounce of courage I had. And of course, he ignored me. For you.”
She was speechless at this. Sherrina never knew what happened that night between Jonghyun and Key, but when they returned to their noraebang room, Jonghyun ignored Key completely and focused only on her. To tell the truth, it had always bugged her.
“Now you have the audacity to tell me to tell him I love him? When he didn’t listen to me the first time?! God, can’t you just lay off?! I see your pity. And I don’t need it. I can see you fucking love him, and he loves you. How could I tell him about my..”
She scoffed. Just fucking say it, Key. But say it to him, say all this to him, not me, please, just..please. I don’t want to have to compete with you, but I’d hate myself if he didn’t know any of this, and I kept it to myself. I need you to tell him. So that I can finally know whether he loves me or you. To truly know. I know the way he feels about you. He deserves to know how you feel about him, Key. He really does.
He spat out the last couple words with venom, “feelings, for him.” Key dropped his head. “He’d never forgive me. And I would never be able to take it.”
Sherrina was just so frustrated. “Nothing is stopping you from saying those things!” She yelled.
Key didn’t buy it. “JUST BACK OFF SHERRINA. STOP IT!” He screamed at her. “First, you try to convince me to say my feelings towards him, now you’re trying to tell me that he wouldn’t care?! That he’d just comfort me and say it’ll be okay? I was there since the. Fucking! FIRST! And then you just had to come along. I am JEALOUS! Is that what you want to hear? He’ll never look at me the way he looks at you. He LOVES you…the way..” She saw him hang his head, she wanted to reach out a hand to comfort him, but didn’t know how he’d take it. “The..the way…” “He looks at you..”he said, tears finally spilling over.
She couldn’t take it anymore, she put her hands on his shoulders. “Key look at me, just tell him. You’ll never know his feelings until you tell him.”
He snapped; she felt it internally, and she saw it in his eyes. She registered his hand coming up to slap her face, it came up as if in slow motion. Her eyes widened, and his hand made stinging contact with her cheek.
Then it all moved in double time, her falling to the floor, her shoulder making contact with the floor, Jonghyun and Key arguing, then somebody lifting her into their arms before she blacked out
He looked at her lovingly as she wound his fingers through hers. “Hmm? See what?”
“The shooting star!” She giggled. “I made a wish,” she added with a grin.
“Oh really? A wish? What about?” He asked dreamily, looking into her bright eyes.
“Silly, I can’t tell you! Then it wouldn’t come true. And I really want this wish to come true..” She said wistfully.
He gave a big smile and wrapped his strong arms around her.
She batted at his arms futilely. “Oh gosh, let go of me! It’s too hot!” Yet she snuggled against him, contradictory to her words.
He let out a big guffaw. “You want me to let go?”
“Yes,” she said, while shaking her head.
He groaned and told her, “You’re impossible you know that?
“Yeah I think I do, you tell me basically every moment of every day,” She replied before wrapping her arms around his waist. She turned her head back to the night sky.
The moon was full and they were laying beneath a small tree; the leaves rustling slightly in the midnight breeze, braches swaying underneath the moonlight wind.
I wished that we’ll always be together. Through everything. Because I know we can make it through.
Jonghyun looked at her peaceful face. She fell asleep in his arms all the time. And it would fall to him to carry her home. He didn’t mind at all, it gave him an excuse to carry her in his arms. He lay there for a few more ever so precious seconds, reveling in the feeling of having her in his arms. Then he gave a sigh and picked her up behind the knees and back. Her arms went instinctively around his neck and he gave a smirk.
He moved awkwardly trying to fix his cap, but gave up when he heard her give a little groan. “Don’t worry, my princess, you’ll get your sleep soon enough,” he whispered devilishly.
He kicked the door closed and started to kiss her neck. Kissing his way down her throat and trailing his tongue across her collarbone. She arched her back, pushing her chest closer to his mouth.
He let out a growl and dropped her on the bed. Sherrina let out a helpless “oomf!” But she was too sleepy to fight back. For once.
Jonghyun smirked even harder. His hair sticking up in every direction, looking like a predator on the prowl. Which, if you thought about, was true. Which, in turn, would make Sherrina the prey.
Oh yes, Jonghyun liked the direction this was going in.
Jonghyun took off the sneaker on her right foot, janked the sock off and laid a kiss against her ankle. He moved his hands to her leg, pushing up the leg of her jeans and dragging his mouth teasingly over their smooth surface.
Sherrina tensed up everywhere. Panting as the pressure of his mouth eased and the pressure of his hand increased and increased. She felt his smile against her knee, and let out a quiet yelp as he proceeded to make out with her thigh.
She almost screamed in frustration. How could he play with her like this in this kind of situation?!
Suddenly, his mouth was by her ear and he whispered thickly, “Scream. Scream to the world Sherrina. Let them know that I am a. Fucking. Beast.” He slowly slid down her body. His hands dragging against the length of her body and his mouth touching any piece of skin he could get at. “Sherrina, scream for me, please.”
He unbuttoned her jeans with his teeth, pushed up the end of her shirt with his nose, and started to kiss his way down-
She sat up and took hold of his head with her hands on both sides of his face. She held him nose to nose with her. Sherrina cleared her throat and asked “Excuse me, exactly how fast are we going here?”
Jonghyun blinked innocently. “What do you mean?” He asked, using his puppy eyes to their fullest extent.
Sherrina narrowed her eyes at him. “You know fully well what I mean. What. Do you think. You are doing. Unbuttoning my pants?”
He pursed his lips and looked from side to side. “Uhm….I kind of….thought….that……..uhm…..you know…”
She was incredulous. “That I what…exactly?”
Jonghyun felt awkward. “Uh that….you……uhm…enjoyed it?” His face in the cheesiest smile possible, and his hands raised by his side like he was balancing scales.
Sherrina took pity on him. “You are so adorable, you know that?” She laughed and added, “Look me in the eyes…please?”
Since he was trying to look everywhere but her perfect face, he had no choice but to comply. He looked deep into Sherrina’s eyes.
She couldn’t help but melt. Those puppy eyes that were endless pools of chocolate stared right to her soul. She couldn’t take it anymore. Sherrina ruffled his soft brown hair and kissed his plump, soft lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his strong arms circled her waist as his kiss enveloped her completely.
-
Jonghyun and Sherrina were tumbling all around the room. Hands and mouths all over each other. They bumped into the wall, and a shelf fell on them, making quite a loud thud.
They heard movement from the next room over and they looked at each other in alarm. Neither of them looked the tiniest bit like they could face the other members. They were in quite a state. Sex hair, even though they didn’t actually. Pink Lips. Flushed faces.
They heard the floor creak from people walking in the next room. In the hallway. Oh shit. Man were they in trouble.
Jonghyun looked from Sherrina to the door, then back. “Fuck. What are we supposed to do?!” He whispered fiercely.
Sherrina looked at him with frantic eyes. “How the hell am I supposed to know? And…um you’re still pinning me to the ground. It’s not exactly helpful.”
Jonghyun looked at their bodies, his on top of hers, the shelf on top and books scattered everywhere. He was surprised. “Oh, oh yeah sure.” He pushed up off the floor, and held out a hand to help Sherrina up. They both scanned the room quickly with their eyes. There. There was a small closet that they could hide in and hopefully not get caught. They both sprinted towards it and Jonghyun held the door open for her just as they heard a hand on the doorknob. Jonghyun gestured for her to get in, quickly.
“Are you kidding me?!” She hissed. “This is no time for being gentlemanly!”
“Just get in!” He hissed back.
Sherrina glared at him as he got into the closet after her.
Just in time. As the closet door closed, the door opened and Key stepped in.
Key took a look around the room. The bed was messed up, and the new shelf that they put up was on the floor. He scoffed and gave a scowl. Obviously, someone had been in here. He closed his eyes and listened hard. Aha. There. He heard heavy breathing coming frmo the closet.
Jonghyun and Sherrina held as still as possible. But it was hard considering how small the closet was. Not to mention their heavy breathing. It was so small, that after the clothes, there was hardly enough room for one person, let alone two. Sherrina was pressed tightly against the length of Jonghyun’s body. After a while, when he finally became aware of it, he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. She just slapped him. Sadly, it made a thud against the door of the closet and their eyes widened in horror.
“Quick! Hide behind the clothes!” He whispered as quietly as he could.
Sherrina’s horrified eyes pleaded with him until he pushed her behind the clothes. Light entered the closet and Jonghyun spun around just in time to end up face to face with Key, as he had been with Sherrina moments earlier.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” asked Key.
“Uhm,” Jonghyun said, starting to sweat, “Heeeeeeey Key! Heheh. Heh.” Oh fuck. What did he get himself into.
-
Sherrina watched on horrified as Jonghyun and Key argued in the closet doorway.
“Why are you in the closet?” asked Key.
“Um, I was looking for something..” lied Jonghyun.
“With the door closed? That makes no sense Jjong.” Key replied, unfazed.
“Um, it was more fun..?” Jonghyun tried again.
Key scoffed his diva scoff. “Fun? As if. Is Sherrina in there?”
Jonghyun had to control himself. He couldn’t know she was in there. Manipulation was the game, control the only rule. “What are you talking about Key?”
“Is. Sherrina. In that closet? Simple question, really. Why are you avoiding it?” Key asked.
Jonghyun looked him straight in the eyes “No. Why would she be? She fell asleep when we were out, so I carried her home.”
Key didn’t back down. He crossed his arms. “Move.”
Jonghyun was alarmed for a millisecond, but controlled it. “Move? Why? I still haven’t found what I was looking for.”
“Found what you were looking for?” Key still looked dubious. He took a step towards Jonghyun and put his right hand on his chest. Looked down, then up at his eyes. Fluttering his eyelids, he asked, “There was a time when you had everything you were looking for.” Then he grabbed a fistful of Jonghyun’s shirt. And gave the smaller man an angry gaze. Then he threw him down. Jonghyun landed on the floor with a loud thud. Movement could be heard from the next room again. Louder this time. Voices too.
She couldn’t help but be scared for Jonghyun, even though it was her safety on the line. It was partly her fault too. She was the one that Key didn’t like.
“Now move. I know she’s in here.” Key said and
Oh..okay, Jonghyun is free. Thought Sherrina. WAIT WHAT. Oh crap. This was not good. Not good at all.
-
Sherrina tried to make herself as small as possible with the least amount of movement. It was hard, though, because she would end up moving the clothes. Whichh, of course, Key’s sharp eyes would see. Thus, end up seeing her.
That could not happen.
Sherrina pressed herself against the back wall of the closet. As far away from the clothes as possible. Key looked around the closet, moving clothes out of the way and looking at the floor, scanning the row of shoes.
OH FUCK. I’M ONLY WEARING ONE SHOE. Thought Sherrina. The other laying somewhere in the vicinity of the bed. Hopefully unseen. Come on Jonghyun, remember, or see it, or something. In the meantime, she tried making her barefoot as inconspicuous as possible
Jonghyun felt helpless while Key was searching through the closet. Key throwing him down on the floor like that meant that nothing he could do would appease him. What he needed was Onew now. And that wouldn’t happen because he was asleep in the next room. Shit. This was not a good situation.
A thought struck him. Sherrina’s shoe and sock. He looked frantically around the room for it, praying to God that Key didn’t see it when he first entered the room.
He stood up slowly, hoping Key was too busy searching the closet to notice him. He saw it at the foot of the bed, half concealed by the comforter. He looked to his right, at the open door. The door to the room opened to the left of the top of the bed, so Key couldn’t have seen it when he came in. That’s it. He thought, a plan formulating in his head. He moved into action.
Please, God, please, let this work…
-
“Okay so just let me get this straight…” Onew said to Jonghyun. “Key…threw you on the floor..because he used to love you? Or still does?! Or is jealous, angry PMS-ing…?!
“Aish…” Dubu-leader looked so confused. Jonghyun, frantic.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s it! Now he’s in the next room about to hurt Sherrina!” He added.
Onew still looked confused. “But why would he do that? That’s absolutely ridiculous. You know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you?”
Jonghyun spun around in frustration. “Onew…I just need you.” Jonghyun pointed to him, “to come with me,” then gestured to himself, “to that room.”
“Um okay..I was sleeping. Then I heard lots of thuds and noises coming from the next room. I thought I should check it out anyways. I was on my wa-“
Jonghyun cut him off. “Wait you were?”
Onew nodded happily. “Yeah I was. But then you got here and you were telling me your story, then I forgot.”
Jonghyun went all bug eyed, and slapped his forehead. “No. Fucking. Way. Hyung.”
His hyung laughed. “Jonghyun are you alright? Didn’t you want to go check on Key?”
That woke him up. “Oh yeahyeahyeahyeah, LET’S GO!” Jonghyun grabbed his leader’s wrist and half led, half dragged Onew to the room.
Onew grumbled all the way, tripped over some rugs, and ran into some tables throughout the hallway. “Ouch, ow…Jonghyun could we-ouch-slow do-owww oww-n a little?!”
“NO!” Was the only answer he got.
Dubu just sighed.
-
“Well lookie here. Is this something like a person in this closet?” Key said, crouching down and pinching a toe.
Sherrina bit her lip to keep from making a noise. Maybe the less noise she made, the less Key would get angry. But you never knew with that one. You never knew.
“Nothing? I so this isn’t a person? I guess it wouldn’t mind if I just…”
Sherrina almost doubled over in pain. But that would have put her face to face with Key. Which was never wanted. He would most likely spit in her face.
“Still nothing? Kitty, kitty, come out. I got something pretty for you.” Key took out a necklace that he received from Jonghyun years ago. He momentarily teared up, then crushed the necklace in his fist. I made myself get over this. No way am I getting sucked back into that sappy shit. But something clicked. An epiphany, you could say.
Sherrina was horrified. What is it? A knife? A razor?
Key sighed, and settled for sitting on the floor instead, supporting himself with his arms behind him. “Sherrina…I… could you just come out? I’m not going to hurt you..”
She shook her head in disbelief. “Why should I believe anything you say?” Whoops. She clamped a hand over her mouth. Did i just…?
“I promise on Jonghyun’s life.” He said quietly.
“That could mean nothing.” She replied.
A tear actually fell from his eyes. “Never.”
--
Sherrina tried to work up the courage to come out from behind the clothes and face Key. She was scared, but if Key hurt her, Jonghyun was there. Wasn’t he? Um maybe a peek to check, she told herself.
He still remembered when his best friend used to be just his. Still remembered the nights it all came crashing down on him, too.
It was several months ago, though. Which meant it was surprising that Key hadn’t gotten over it. But then again, it was surprising how hard he fell for Jonghyun.
You could hardly blame Key, though. The way Jonghyun would take his hand during performances. The way he would always mess with him and tease him. The way he laughed whenever Key did something to him, regardless of whether it was truly fun or funny.
Thinking about it made him choke up a little bit. It wouldn’t be the same now.
Key also thought about why he had to drag Jonghyun to Noraebang to cheer him up. Some crazy stalker girls were following him. Jonghyun was walking as fast as he could, but still, they didn’t let up. Key was incensed but Jonghyun would never let him show it. He’d just calm him down, saying,
“Key-ssi, it’s fine, really. I mean, what can you expect? We are Idols.” Jonghyun would say with a laugh.
But that time, Key saw it really affected him. He laughed his usual laugh, brushing it off as nothing. But when Key looked in his eyes, he saw Jonghyun’s gaze falter and he knew that he had to do something to help his hyung cheer up.
Key stood up from the couch he was sitting on, and took his hyung’s hand. “Get up off you depressed butt. We’re going out”
Jonghyun looked surprised. “G-going out?”
Key’s heart skipped a beat, thinking of the connotations that could mean, but didn’t want Jonghyun to see it. So he rolled his eyes at his friend. “Yes. We’re going to Noraebang. Pft, what did you think I meant?”
Jonghyun sighed, relieved. Key’s heart sank, disappointed. “Get your coat. We’re going.”
Key dragged him out of the dorm, him laughing all the way.
They got to the place they usually go, and Key asked for a private room. The lady gave him a condescending look, and replied shortly, “We’re fully booked. There’s only one room with space, but there’s already two other girls in there.” Key looked at Jonghyun, “Can you handle it, or do you want to go somewhere else?”
Jonghyun shrugged, “It’s fine. This is my favorite place, besides I need some social interaction. Hopefully they won’t be too shy. If they are, just ignore them.”
Key snorted. “Fine okay,” then turned to the lady, “Yeah that’s fine, just put us there then.”
The lady gave them a skeptical glance, then said, “If you’re sure… then follow me.” She turned on her heel and led them past several noisy rooms, blasting music.
She finally turned at the end of the hallway and pointed to a room. “This one.” Then squeezed past them, and left.
Key scoffed. “Geez…” Then gestured to Jonghyun, “After you my lady.”
Jonghyun snorted, but still went inside. Ending up face to face with someone who left him breathless.
Key closed the door behind him and immediately ran into Jonghyun’s back. He put his hands on both sides of his hips and savored the feeling.
Looking over jonghyun’s shoulder, Key said, “Jonghyun, move ov-” then his mouth fell open.
“Omo, she’s gorgeous.” Key said.
“I know.” Said Jonghyun.
You could almost hear the record scratch. They looked at each other in surprise and disbelief.
“What?!” They said at the same time. “Which one are you talking about?”
The girls in the room looked at each other in confusion. “Tiffany, do you know what they’re talking about?”
“Uh, no clue Sherrina. This is weird.” Tiffany replied.
“You could say that..” Sherrina looked everywhere but the two newcomers faces, locked on each other in anger.
They were so confused, but neither knew what to say. So whatever, I’ll just wing it, thought Sherrina.
“Um, excuse me.” She said quietly. Apparently neither of the boys heard her, so she asked louder. “Excuse me?” Still nothing. Her face contorted in frustration. “EXCUSE ME, GUYS.” She yelled.
That got their attention.
She looked from one boy to the other. The shorter one, looked at her with amazed eyes. The taller one looked at her with his arms crossed over his chest and a condescending look.
Sherrina raised her eyebrows and let out a low whistle. “Well then.”
-
Sherrina crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing?”
Jonghyun snapped his mouth closed. “Um….Hi!” He said with a charming smile.
Sherrina wasn’t fazed. “Hi. Now why are you guys being like that?”
Key scoffed. “Being like what?” Sneaking a look at Jonghyun and his face. He still looked amazed at this girl. I’m not jealous, I’m not. He said. Then he took a look at the girl still sitting on the couch. Take my mind off of him. That’s what I gotta do.
Sherrina saw the look in Key’s eyes, and the direction they were looking. She raised her eyebrows. Ah that was it. She looked back at Tiffany, who just shrugged, then went back to making faces at Key, and then back at the two boys. She rolled her eyes and said simply, “You guys look like you’re about to start a fight right here. Why.”
That shocked them. But they both just looked guilty. Neither knew what to say. What would appease this stubborn girl.
Jonghyun had no idea how to approach either. Do I introduce myself? Will she know who I am? What would she think? Hundreds of thoughts ran through his head. None of them helpful.
Tiffany spoke up. “You know, we could be doing something more productive than you guys arguing here. Need I remind you that we’re paying by the hour?” She sighed and shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.
Sherrina laughed. “Tiffany you’re right. Nevermind. We’re at noraebang. Let’s see what you got.”
The two boys smiled evilly.
-
Jonghyun fell in a breathless heap on the couch. He couldn’t help but laugh at the pathetic attempts the girls did at singing their song. It was a passable attempt, well okay it was actually pretty good, but he could do it much better. Jonghyun averted his gaze from the girl who had spoken first when they got there, who was glaring at him as he laughed. Finally, she got so frustrated, that she confronted him.
“What do you think you’re laughing at mister?” She questioned, angrily. “Think you could do it better?”
Jonghyun really had to keep himself from bursting into even harder laughter. You have no idea, sweet pea, just how much better I could do it. He didn’t even think he was thinking about the song.
“Move over… um,” he shuffled his feet in embarrassment. “Wait, I don’t think you mentioned your name? What is it again?”
“Sherrina,” She said shortly, arms crossed over her chest. Again.
“Sherrina,” Jonghyun repeated, rolling the name around in his mouth like sweet candy. “Sherrina.”
“YES SHERRINA NOW GET ON WITH IT MAN.” She ordered, pressing ‘try again’.
“Tiffany, let’s sit down and watch Mr. Cocky give it a shot..Tiffany?” Sherrina looked around. She was sitting in Key’s lap. She slapped her head. Oh geez….
-
Sherrina’s mouth was on the floor. Damn. He was amazing. He was perfect. AND he sounded just lik-. If it was possible, Sherrina’s mouth would have been on the floor of the floor below.
“YOU’RE KIM JONGHYUN. HOLY EFFFFFFFF!” She screamed.
Jonghyun jumped in alarm, and tried to quiet her down. “Shhhh!”
Key and Tiffany looked up from where their mouths were interlocked. They both looked a mess. Sherrina looked at them in disbelief and Jonghyun snorted. Typical Key.
Sherrina said, “Tiffany!”
She smiled sheepishly. “Sherrina, how could I resist? It’s the freaking ALMIGHTY KEY.”
Key looked satisfied.
“Woah woah woah,” Sherrina said. “You knew who these guys were and you didn’t care to enlighten me?”
Tiffany smiled even more sheepishly. “Um…I was distracted?” She gave Sherrina a cheesy smile.
Sherrina rolled her eyes, then decided her anger would be better aimed at the guy who just tricked her. “You duped me. That’s cheating.”
Jonghyun laughed. “What’s cheating? I never duped you.”
She was accusing. “You’re a singer. You’re singing your own song. You cheated.”
Jonghyun threw his hands up. “You never asked me anything! Your lack of curiosity is your own fault!”
Sherrina scoffed. “Oh so now this is my fault?”
He looked at her with puppy eyes, and nodded.
That’s it. She thought. Now she was furious
-
Sherrina couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to slap the shit out of him. But that wouldn’t be classy. She wanted to leave with her dignity, and her conscience unburdened. She glared at Tiffany, still very much engrossed in trying to eat Key’s face. Sherinna closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Jonghyun was still looking at her with puppy eyes. There was a small guilty smile on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him.
Finally, Jonghyun sighed. He took a step towards her. Her eyes bulged out of her head, alarmed.She took a step backwards. He gasped “Oh no no, I’m not going to hurt you Sherrina, just why are you so angry at me for not telling you who I was?”
She continued backing up and Jonghyun countered every single one of her steps, keeping the same amount of distance in between them. He kept his eyes on hers, trying to convey his message.
“Sherrina,” he signed, “It was nice talking to someone who wasn’t intimidated by who I am. It was different and a total change from what I’m used to.”
Her eyes were still bugging out. By this time, Tiffany and Key were finally breaking apart to watch the drama unfold. Key looked worried and Tiffany was busy trying to navigate his mouth back onto hers. He was an amazing kisser. He just swatted away her efforts. He needed to know what happened next.
Sherrina’s eyes were still bugging out. She couldn’t process the information he was trying to tell her. Or rather, she was trying and none of it made sense. What was he trying to say? It didn’t look like he was going anywhere. Or reaching a an end to his rant. He was just coming closer and closer, (well technically just stepping towards her every time she took a step back). She didn’t know what to do but keep on moving backwards. She knew eventually she’d run into the wall but her mind drew a total blank to everything.
Jonghyun couldn’t find the exact words to explain it so that Sherrina wouldn’t get freaked out. “Sherrina…I had a fun time with you, here.” He started slowly. “It was even more fun because you didn’t act shy or like I wasn’t a normal person. And that’s just it,” he said with a sincere smile. “You treated me like a normal person. You stood up to me and told me your thoughts. Not to mention you’re unbelievably gorgeous.”
She flushed red, and took another step back, finally running into the wall. Jonghyun kept on advancing, closing the gap between them.
“A little bit, I think, this may be a little bit too fast, but I think I want to see you again,” he said, raising the back of his hand to her cheek.
She gasped, shocked. She stood there for a few seconds before something registered. Then she slapped his face. Hard.
-
Jonghyun staggered backwards. Sherrina took this as her cue to escape. With or without Tiffany. She sneaked a glance at her as she ran out the door, thinking to persuade her to come with her with her eyes. But Tiffany was too busy wrangling with Key. Sherrina pursed her lips and ran out to the Hallway. Jonghyun raced out after her, Key after him, and Tiffany after Key.
Sherrina didn’t stop, she ran right out of the building. The lady at the front got angry, since she left without paying, so she stopped Jonghyun in his tracks. Jonghyun let out an angry snarl, throwing several bills into her hands. Though it was only a few seconds, it was enough time for Key to catch up to him just as they passed through the doors. Tiffany also got held up by the lady, who was demanding money for the trouble they were causing. The lady was blocking the door. Tiffany was stuck.
Right outside the door, Key was breathing hard. “Jonghyun…” he said, grabbing his arm.
Jonghyun glared at Key, trying to force Key to let go. “Key let go of me!” Shaking his arm. He looked around for any sign of Sherrina.
Key looked at his hyung with pleading eyes, asking him to see in his eyes what he couldn’t say out loud. He asked, “Why are you running after her?”
He turned and looked at his dongsaeng with furrowed brows, “Why does it matter?”
“Because! Jonghyun, I….” Key took a deep breath and opened his mouth, just as Jonghyun spotted Sherrina come around a corner, “Hyung, I lov-“
Too late. Jonghyun was gone, leaving an opened mouthed Key with tears falling down his face.
-
Key sat in the corner sulking, trying to keep the tears from falling down his face. Not like it mattered. Jonghyun was too busy making faces at Sherrina to give him any attention.
Though she noticed. She really did. She looked at him with understanding eyes. She knew. And he hated it. He hated her pity, he hated her apologetic glances his way. It made him feel all that much worse. He didn’t fucking want her pity. Key scowled at Sherrina and Jonghyun having a food fight in the kitchen. She flicked her spoon at him, spattering him with some alfredo sauce. He laughed an threw a linguini strand at her. She let out a little yelp and Jonghyun laughed and drew her into his arms. She giggled and then wrapped her arms around his waist. She snuck a quick look at Key.
Key closed his eyes and rubbed his palms into his temple. I need to get out of here, some fresh air. Maybe it’ll clear my head. He thought. He stood up from his chair and grabbed his coat from the hook on the way out. He let the door slam and it felt good.
Meanwhile, inside, Sherrina was worried. She wanted to talk to Key, but never had a chance to because someone was always with him, or she was with Jonghyun. She really tried to tone it down in front of him, knowing his tendency to get hurt and start sulking, but Jonghyun was just clueless. There wasn’t much she could do. She would love to tell Jonghyun about Key’s feelings for him, but didn’t know how he’d take it. Or how it’d affect him. Not to mention it wasn’t her secret to tell. Her tight hold on Jonghyun’s waist loosened. He drew back and looked at her with a questioning eyes. Sherrina smiled at his worried gaze. She cupped his face with both her hands, patting his cheeks. He laughed, and lowered his head to hers. He stopped with his lips near hers.
“Hey Sherrina” he whispered against her lips. She closed her eyes and she felt his lips curve into a slow smile. He lowered his arms to enclose her waist and pulled her to him. She smiled at their intimate embrace and kissed his sweet lips. He dragged on her top lip and she laughed distractedly. Maybe she could still catch up to Key if she left now. But Jonghyun being too persistant was her problem.
She detached herself from his lips and stuck out her tongue. Merong~ She smiled and Gave him a hug, him being confused and reluctant to hug her back. Sherrina laughed at him, went on her tiptoes and said,
“It’s getting late, I should go.” She kissed his nose and wiggled her fingers in a goodbye wave.
He caught her by the waist. “Wait! Let me walk you home.”
Sherrina harrumphed. If he didn’t let go of her, she’d never be able to find Key. “Let goo~ You know I can walk home by myself.” She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
He laughed and let her go. “Fine, I’ll be checking up on you though. You have your phone right?”
She grimaced and laughed, “Yes of course.”
“It’s not on silent right?” He questioned seriously.
She laughed exasperatedly, “Yeah! Now can I leave?”
He sighed dramatically, and finally nodded, glumly. She pushed his shoulder, exclaiming, “You dork!”
He started laughing and hunched his back, looking at her. Sherrina snorted and turned on her heel.
“Byee~ Rina to my Jong!” He called after her. She shook her head in more exasperation.When will that dork finally become undorky? But then realized that she didn’t really want him to stop being the dork that she loved.
-
Jonghyun waited with his ear against the door. Waiting for the soft thump, thump of her sneakers to stop, and the clear ding of the elevator door closing, before he left. He almost forgot his coat, and reached behind him, grabbing at the door hook.
His hand met empty air. He looked back, puzzled. Only Key’s jacket was left on the rack. Strange, he thought. I thought I heard Key leave earlier. He stared at the hooks with a ruffled expression.
Then the muffled click, click of the elevator brought him to his senses. He raced to the stairwell and sprinted down the stairs to the lobby, where he rammed into the door with an “oomph!” Hands splayed on the door, and ear on the crack, he listened for the distinctive thump thump of Sherrina’s footsteps to exit the elevator, and the doorman’s polite “Annyeonghaseyo”.
Jonghyun tried to calm his breathing, the better to listen. There. He quietly opened the door and saw her exit the building with a worried look on her face.
That worried expression on her face concerned him. Of course it would. Why would she leave him with that kind of feeling? That made no sense.
He exited the stairwell and was immediately greeted with a ”Annyeonghaseyo” and a bow from their doorman. Jonghyun nodded at him and mindlessly said a “Annyeong…” The older man was taken aback. Jonghyun shook his head clear, also shocked at his impolite greeting. “Oh… Annyeonghaseyo, mianhae” He said with a deeper bow. Then he looked out on the street, searching for Sherrina. He spotted her walking briskly, still with that worried expression on her face. He didn’t know at all why she would feel that way. He racked his brain for every possible reason, and came up empty. Nothing explained it. Nothing at all.
He sighed, Sherrina what’s bothering you? He followed her, keeping his distance, and hoping she didn’t notice him tailing him. But she was so preoccupied she never even suspected anything. Which in itself was strange. She usually looked back, saw him, laughed and evaded him. Popping up behind him, and wrapping her arms around his waist. He smiled at the memory. Then set his face again, Set on walking up to her as she reached her door and asking what was wrong.
But then something surprising happened. She was taking a… a different route home? That wasn’t like her. She usually walked the same way home every time. He could walk it with his eyes closed. Yet here she was. Where was she going?
Jonghyun became curious, yet doubtful. What? Why isn’t she going home? Maybe she’s just stopping by a market to get something. Yeah that’s probably it. No reason to think about any other shady reason…
But Jonghyun was still worried. She took another strange turn and Jonghyun saw Key a little ways ahead of her, walking… wait scratch that more like meandering around like he was drunk.
His brow furrowed even more. Was Sherrina going towards Key? What for?! They kept on walking, and Sherrina finally caught up to Key at the edge of the neighborhood park. She grabbed onto his arm. Jonghyun walked back into the shadows, not wanting to be seen, yet wanting to know exactly what was happening.
He saw her talk to Key, shy at first, then she moved her arms like she was trying to explain something.
Keys face was cool, almost stony, as he replied to her. Jonghyun wanted to know what was going on, but didn’t want to get in the way of their conversation. It couldn’t be that Sherrina was ……with Key? No….right?
Jonghyun was shocked. Was that why Key was so cold to him lately? He and Sherrina had a..a thing?
He started hyperventilating. How could she do that to him? He thought she…wait.
Jonghyun turned his attention back to the two of them. Their voices were raised and he heard snippets of what they were saying.
“…can’t you just……fucking love…..nothing is stopping you from…BACK OFF…first…jealous…”
Key started crying, and turning away from her. Then he saw Sherrina put her hands on his shoulders, shaking him. Key stiffened, then slapped her hard, making her fall to the floor.
Jonghyun’s heart stopped, losing no time, he ran towards them. Key turned and saw him. Mouth dropping and tears flowing even harder, his shoulders shook, and he fell into a heap next to the scandalized Sherrina, sobbing his eyes out.
-
Key felt the satisfaction of the door closing. Too bad neither of them inside cared. He pursed his lips, his aching heart hardening.
Fuck this shit. I don’t want it anymore.
He pressed the down button on the elevator, waited two seconds with his arms crossed over his chest and foot tapping, then decided to just take the stairs. He crossed through the first floor to the door and nodded at the doorman who called a quiet “Annyeonghaseyo”
Key stopped on the sidewalk, quickly glancing at the window to their dorm, just in time to see Sherrina give Jonghyun a kiss on the nose. He gagged. She made him sick. He walked around the block, turning right two blocks down. He went inside the bright convenience store and bought himself a drink. Soda, he would never defile himself with alcohol. He hated the smell of alcohol almost as much as he hated Sherrina. But that was another story. As he was checking his pockets, he realized that the coat he was wearing wasn’t his.
He froze. He was wearing Jonghyun’s coat.
He started hyperventilating, smelling every inch. The cashier looked at him with a weird expression.
“Are you going to pay for this?” She asked.
Key looked at her with the bottom of the coat held up to his face. Something fell out. Jonghyun’s wallet. He bent down to pick it up, and opened it up. Taking out some bills. He’d pay Jonghyun back when he got back to the dorm. He wouldn’t mind.
He paid the cashier, not bothering to wait for change. She called after him, “Wait! Your change!”
Key waved her off. “Keep it.”
The cashier looked around before pocketing the money. Her manager spotted the edge of it going in, and got angry, calling, “Jiae!” Her eyes widened in fear.
Key snorted. Stupid girl.
He opened the drink and took a sip. He immediately spat it out. He looked at the drink again. Damn, it’s cherry. Who the fuck drinks that? He dropped it in a nearby trashcan and took a left turn, seeing the park in the distance. He smiled a small smile, finally reaching a destination. Key felt really tired, he was swaying and not walking in a straight line. He reached the park and stopped, putting his right hand to his head, trying to steady it, he looked around for a bench, but felt somebody grab onto his arm. He turned and looked at her, surprised.
“Sherrina?”
“Key…I…I think we need to talk.” She said, letting go of his arm immediately. Clenching her hands behind her back. She looked down.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Talk about what?” He asked, tight lipped.
“I…I see the way you look at him.”
Key’s eye twitched. “Look at who?”
She looked up into his eyes, and whispered, “Jonghyun.”
Key’s emotions switched off. It was his way of dealing with that touchy subject. Just…not.
“Key, why don’t you just tell him? He’s your friend, what’s so wrong about telling him how you feel? Do you think it’ll help you at all to keep this to yourself? I know how you feel about him. I see it every day. He doesn’t, and you know that he’ll never notice. It’s hurting you every single day that you keep it in.
“So why don’t you just…you know, tell him? Get it over with?”
Key didn’t want to get angry. He just wanted to explain this to Sherrina with as much control as he could muster. He did not want to get into a fight with her. As wrong as it would be, he didn’t know if he could restrain himself if he started yelling now.
“Sherrina. Fuck, I was going to tell him, the night he ran after you after noraebang. He ran after you, and I asked him what he was doing, and why you were so important, you were, after all, just some girl he’d met that night.
“I don’t know what happened inside him that night, but he changed after seeing you. He was all beat up because of some stalker fans and I guess he didn’t get to see someone stick up for themselves in his presence. I think he wanted to love somebody but had nobody to.”
Sherrina opened her mouth and was about to speak, but Key cut her off.
“Do you even know, how hard it was for me to even get the courage to tell him, even a little, how much I loved him? How much he meant to me? It took every single ounce of courage I had. And of course, he ignored me. For you.
“Now you have the audacity to tell me to tell him I love him? When he didn’t listen to me the first time?! God, can’t you just lay off?! I see your pity. And I don’t need it. I can see you fucking love him, and he loves you. How could I tell him about my..” he spat the word out, “feelings, for him.” Key hung his head. “He’d never forgive me. And I would never be able to take it.”
“Nothing is stopping you from saying those things!” Sherrina exclaimed.
“JUST BACK OFF SHERRINA. STOP IT!” He yelled. “First, you try to convince me to say my feelings towards him, now you’re trying to tell me that he wouldn’t care?! That he’d just comfort me and say it’ll be okay? I was there since the. Fucking. FIRST! And then you just had to come along. I am JEALOUS! Is that what you want to hear? He’ll never look at me the way he looks at you. He LOVES you…the way..” His throat tightened up, tears threatening to spill over. “The..the way…he looks at you..”he said, tears finally falling.
Sherrina put her hands on Key’s shoulders. “Key look at me, just tell him. You’ll never know his feelings until you tell him.”
Key snapped. He slapped her. Fucking hard. She fell. He gasped and looked at his hand, blurring in his gaze. He heard loud footsteps and looked up to see Jonghyun running towards him. Just my fucking luck. The tears flew even harder, his shoulders started shaking, and he finally fell to the floor, exhausted and sick of everything.
-
Sherrina exited their dorm, closing the door quietly, then half jogging to the elevator. She pressed the button and calmly waited for a few seconds. The clear ding of the elevator signaled its arrival and she got in and pressed the “star 1” button, which would take her to the first floor. The doors were about to close, but she accidentally pressed the open door button. Oops.. she thought, staring at the elevator console, and just waited for the door to close.
Sherrina thought she saw some movement come from the door, as if Jonghyun was coming out to stalk her. Again. She smiled and brushed it off as him locking the door. She spun around several times in the elevator, wondering where Key had run off to. The elevator background music was SHINee. Typical, she thought. The landlord was always trying to get on their good side so that they’d perform at his daughter’s birthday party.
Sherrina snorted. Onew was the only one who used the elevator frequently enough for him to be able to hear the music. Even then, he would always be far too preoccupied to notice. Key was too impatient, Jonghyun thought using the stairs would give him muscles, Minho only used the stairs because Taemin was constantly asking him to race him to the floor.
She laughed at their crazy antics. But when the door opened, she thought about Key again. He wouldn’t have gone too far would he? She exited the building quickly and gave a swift bow to the doorman, who was becoming quite amused at the number of people rushing out of the door. He had a genial smile and calm demeanor. He was a good doorman, Sherrina wondered if he saw Key and which direction he went in. She thought better of it, and just walked the way she would when she walked home.
She was walking briskly, then turning her head, she caught Key waving his hand above his head. She was confused, yet thankful none the less. She took a right and started walking faster. She saw him pause to spit out the drink in his hand, look at it in disgust, then drop it in a trashcan. Well what a waste… she thought. He took another left, and Sherrina immediately sped up, turning left too. He was walking in front of him, swaying, and walking weirdly.
He finally stopped at the edge of the park. He put a hand to his head, as if to steady himself. He looked as if he could drop at any moment from exhaustion. She sped up and grabbed his arm.
He turned to look at her, a surprised expression on his face.
“Sherrina?” He asked.
“Key…” She didn’t know what to say, what could she say? “I…I think we need to talk.” She began, letting go of his arm. She felt bad for interrupting him like that, so she clasped her hands behind her back, shuffling her feet. She bit the inside of her lip, worried about what he’d say to her.
He crossed his arms over his chest, he questioned her, “Talk about what?”
“I…” What. What was she supposed to say to him? She didn’t want to be too blunt and say it, but how was she supposed to get through to him?
“I see the way you look at him.” She finally concluded. His eye twitched and she grimaced.
“Look at who?” He continued to ask, acting oblivious.
She was still looking anywhere but his face, but looked him straight in the eye. Drawing up all her courage, she said quietly, “Jonghyun.”
Sherrina saw his face empty of all emotion. She was puzzled, yet slightly scared. She continued cautiously, “Key, why don’t you just tell him? He’s your friend, what’s so wrong about telling him how you feel? Do you think it’ll help you at all to keep this to yourself? I know how you feel about him. I see it every day. He doesn’t, and you know that he’ll never notice. It’s hurting you every single day that you keep it in.”
She took a breath before finishing, “So why don’t you just…you know, tell him? Get it over with?”
He closed his eyes, as if to stop thinking about it, but she saw a vein pulsing in his temple. Sherrina’s breathing got shorter and shorter until Key started speaking.
“Sherrina. Fuck, I was going to tell him, the night he ran after you after noraebang. He ran after you, and I asked him what he was doing, and why you were so important, you were, after all, just some girl he’d met that night.” Sherrina felt offended. What the fuck?
“I don’t know what happened inside him that night, but he changed after seeing you. He was all beat up because of some stalker fans and I guess he didn’t get to see someone stick up for themselves in his presence. I think he wanted to love somebody but had nobody to.”
Sherrina was really confused now. She wanted to ask him why Jonghyun had never mentioned any of this to her. Did he really think so little of her that he couldn’t confide anything in her? But Key cut her off.
“Do you even know, how hard it was for me to even get the courage to tell him, even a little, how much I loved him? How much he meant to me? It took every single ounce of courage I had. And of course, he ignored me. For you.”
She was speechless at this. Sherrina never knew what happened that night between Jonghyun and Key, but when they returned to their noraebang room, Jonghyun ignored Key completely and focused only on her. To tell the truth, it had always bugged her.
“Now you have the audacity to tell me to tell him I love him? When he didn’t listen to me the first time?! God, can’t you just lay off?! I see your pity. And I don’t need it. I can see you fucking love him, and he loves you. How could I tell him about my..”
She scoffed. Just fucking say it, Key. But say it to him, say all this to him, not me, please, just..please. I don’t want to have to compete with you, but I’d hate myself if he didn’t know any of this, and I kept it to myself. I need you to tell him. So that I can finally know whether he loves me or you. To truly know. I know the way he feels about you. He deserves to know how you feel about him, Key. He really does.
He spat out the last couple words with venom, “feelings, for him.” Key dropped his head. “He’d never forgive me. And I would never be able to take it.”
Sherrina was just so frustrated. “Nothing is stopping you from saying those things!” She yelled.
Key didn’t buy it. “JUST BACK OFF SHERRINA. STOP IT!” He screamed at her. “First, you try to convince me to say my feelings towards him, now you’re trying to tell me that he wouldn’t care?! That he’d just comfort me and say it’ll be okay? I was there since the. Fucking! FIRST! And then you just had to come along. I am JEALOUS! Is that what you want to hear? He’ll never look at me the way he looks at you. He LOVES you…the way..” She saw him hang his head, she wanted to reach out a hand to comfort him, but didn’t know how he’d take it. “The..the way…” “He looks at you..”he said, tears finally spilling over.
She couldn’t take it anymore, she put her hands on his shoulders. “Key look at me, just tell him. You’ll never know his feelings until you tell him.”
He snapped; she felt it internally, and she saw it in his eyes. She registered his hand coming up to slap her face, it came up as if in slow motion. Her eyes widened, and his hand made stinging contact with her cheek.
Then it all moved in double time, her falling to the floor, her shoulder making contact with the floor, Jonghyun and Key arguing, then somebody lifting her into their arms before she blacked out