leave me.
g, angst.
key/shinee.
oneshot, complete.
1012 words.
Key just wants to relive his moments with SHINee all over again. Forever.
This was inspired by Leave Me, a film by DarosFilms. I was introduced to that film during a camp, and I fell in love with how beautiful the plot is. It left a deep impression on me and I decided to write a fanfic based on its plot.
I really enjoyed writing this, and I felt the emotions of Key as I wrote. I hope the video touches you as it touched me, and that you enjoy this fanfic!
Note: I apologize beforehand for Key's umma's death. This is purely fictional, and I have no intention to insult or curse anyone. I hope you guys understand.
Key scrolls through the photographs in his digital camera, pausing briefly at each photo before moving on to the next. His pupils look hollow, empty, as they sweep over each face, each item in the photographs. He is searching. It has been a while since the five of them left the industry, but he can’t let go. Something in him shattered when they said their goodbyes, promising to stay in touch. They did, at least at the beginning, but everyone began to move on. Conversations became dry. They just didn’t know what to say anymore.
Minho had picked up being a soccer coach, working long hours to earn a healthy salary to support his parents. Taemin worked as a waiter in a café, teaching dance classes part time. Jonghyun sang in a pub and wrote songs, while Onew ran his own chicken specialty restaurant back in his hometown. As for Key … well he hadn’t exactly moved on. He had been approached by model agencies to model clothing lines, and he had given it a shot, but … it hadn’t felt right somehow.
He left the agency after a few months, and they were only too happy to let him go. Key always looked lost during photo shoots. He hardly paid attention to a word the photographer said, earning the agency many complaints from clothing companies about the poor quality of Key’s modeling. Yes, the agency was only too willing to oblige when Key spoke to them about quitting. Despite his flawless milky skin and high cheekbones, no agency would want such a poor model.
Key sighs. It seems like he’s not going to find what he’s searching for. He scrolls quickly now, eyes barely skimming each photo. Wait. That last photo … He scrolls back, a mixture of desperation and hope. There. He’s found it. The other four members are laughing at something someone had said. Key remembers that day. They were at the amusement park on one of their days off. Key smiles. He runs a thumb across the lit screen on his camera, leaving a slightly smudgy thumbprint on Jonghyun’s face. Warm, salty tears start to run down his face.
‘SHINee …’ he whispers hoarsely. He would give anything to go back to those happy times, to be together as a group one more time. He scrolls away from the photograph in frustration, putting down the camera as he cups his face in his hands and cries. It’s not the quiet tearing he has been doing for the past few months, but full-frontal sobs - loud and pleading. His cries echo through the apartment, emphasizing its emptiness, his loneliness.
Gradually, the flow of tears ebbs. The heaving of shoulders slow, as does his rapid heartbeat and uneven breathing. Key moves his hands away from his face, eyes still closed, letting them fall loose next to his thighs. He opens his eyes. And breathes in sharply. He is no longer in his room. Around him is sand. He’s at the beach.
‘Key ah, come over and have some juice,’ an all-too-familiar voice says behind him.
‘Umma?’ Key whips around. His mother had died a few years ago to a rare disease. It can’t be her. But it is. His vision blurs as the tears fall. ‘Umma …’
Meanwhile, Jonghyun is knocking at Key’s apartment door. He wrings his fingers together nervously, exhaling loudly. Key doesn’t seem to be home. Jonghyun knocks again. Still no answer. He gives the door a push in frustration, and to his surprise, it swings wide open. Sticking his head in, he glances about. No one seems to be home. Jonghyun steps in and slips off his shoes. He closes the door with a click, shutting out the sounds of traffic, the sounds of the city. Jonghyun walks about, looking around the apartment. It has been so long.
Everything is very Key somehow. The apartment is furnished simply but stylishly, the walls green and the flooring of dark wood. Then he enters Key’s bedroom. Something feels off - the chair at the table has been pushed aside to the middle of the room, the bed is undone and a cup of what appears to be slightly stale coffee sits on the table. A camera rests next to the cup.
Jonghyun holds it up carefully. The camera is on. On the screen is a photograph of Key’s family at the beach. Key’s there too, but he sticks out in a grey knit sweater and black skinny jeans while the rest of his family is in their swimming clothes. How odd.
Key hugs his mother as he cries, his confusion turning to understanding as he recalls the family outing to the beach back before he debuted. He’s in his camera? Somehow, he is.
He looks around for some way out, but finds none. Suddenly, the ground tilts to one side and Key loses his balance, falling to the ground. His family members are still standing, tilting along with the ground but never losing balance.
Someone is out there, handling his camera. With this realization, Key is struck with an idea. He points to his left. Scrolling through Key’s photographs, Jonghyun starts to notice the same Key in each photograph. Key is pointing to Jonghyun’s left. Jonghyun scrolls again, and Key is still there, now facing Jonghyun, his face pleading.
Feeling a little silly and confused, Jonghyun scrolls to the left slowly, photograph by photograph, finally reaching the one of Minho, Onew, Taemin and himself laughing. With a slight smile, he wonders when Key took that photo.
Key looks about him. He’s in that photo.
‘Minho … Jonghyun … Taemin … Onew …’ he mumbles.
‘Hey Key hyung!’ Taemin says, hugging him.
‘Key,’ Minho nods at him with a smile.
‘Key ah, you’re here.’ Jonghyun grins at him.
Onew beams at him cheerily. ‘Hey Key!’
Key feels his heart flying, and he pulls all of them into a hug.
'I love you guys,' he chokes out.
Digging about his pockets, Key pulls out a marker. He scribbles hurriedly on his left palm and holds it up.
‘Leave Me,’ Jonghyun reads. For some reason, he is already crying.
key/shinee.
oneshot, complete.
1012 words.
Key just wants to relive his moments with SHINee all over again. Forever.
This was inspired by Leave Me, a film by DarosFilms. I was introduced to that film during a camp, and I fell in love with how beautiful the plot is. It left a deep impression on me and I decided to write a fanfic based on its plot.
I really enjoyed writing this, and I felt the emotions of Key as I wrote. I hope the video touches you as it touched me, and that you enjoy this fanfic!
Note: I apologize beforehand for Key's umma's death. This is purely fictional, and I have no intention to insult or curse anyone. I hope you guys understand.
Key scrolls through the photographs in his digital camera, pausing briefly at each photo before moving on to the next. His pupils look hollow, empty, as they sweep over each face, each item in the photographs. He is searching. It has been a while since the five of them left the industry, but he can’t let go. Something in him shattered when they said their goodbyes, promising to stay in touch. They did, at least at the beginning, but everyone began to move on. Conversations became dry. They just didn’t know what to say anymore.
Minho had picked up being a soccer coach, working long hours to earn a healthy salary to support his parents. Taemin worked as a waiter in a café, teaching dance classes part time. Jonghyun sang in a pub and wrote songs, while Onew ran his own chicken specialty restaurant back in his hometown. As for Key … well he hadn’t exactly moved on. He had been approached by model agencies to model clothing lines, and he had given it a shot, but … it hadn’t felt right somehow.
He left the agency after a few months, and they were only too happy to let him go. Key always looked lost during photo shoots. He hardly paid attention to a word the photographer said, earning the agency many complaints from clothing companies about the poor quality of Key’s modeling. Yes, the agency was only too willing to oblige when Key spoke to them about quitting. Despite his flawless milky skin and high cheekbones, no agency would want such a poor model.
Key sighs. It seems like he’s not going to find what he’s searching for. He scrolls quickly now, eyes barely skimming each photo. Wait. That last photo … He scrolls back, a mixture of desperation and hope. There. He’s found it. The other four members are laughing at something someone had said. Key remembers that day. They were at the amusement park on one of their days off. Key smiles. He runs a thumb across the lit screen on his camera, leaving a slightly smudgy thumbprint on Jonghyun’s face. Warm, salty tears start to run down his face.
‘SHINee …’ he whispers hoarsely. He would give anything to go back to those happy times, to be together as a group one more time. He scrolls away from the photograph in frustration, putting down the camera as he cups his face in his hands and cries. It’s not the quiet tearing he has been doing for the past few months, but full-frontal sobs - loud and pleading. His cries echo through the apartment, emphasizing its emptiness, his loneliness.
Gradually, the flow of tears ebbs. The heaving of shoulders slow, as does his rapid heartbeat and uneven breathing. Key moves his hands away from his face, eyes still closed, letting them fall loose next to his thighs. He opens his eyes. And breathes in sharply. He is no longer in his room. Around him is sand. He’s at the beach.
‘Key ah, come over and have some juice,’ an all-too-familiar voice says behind him.
‘Umma?’ Key whips around. His mother had died a few years ago to a rare disease. It can’t be her. But it is. His vision blurs as the tears fall. ‘Umma …’
Meanwhile, Jonghyun is knocking at Key’s apartment door. He wrings his fingers together nervously, exhaling loudly. Key doesn’t seem to be home. Jonghyun knocks again. Still no answer. He gives the door a push in frustration, and to his surprise, it swings wide open. Sticking his head in, he glances about. No one seems to be home. Jonghyun steps in and slips off his shoes. He closes the door with a click, shutting out the sounds of traffic, the sounds of the city. Jonghyun walks about, looking around the apartment. It has been so long.
Everything is very Key somehow. The apartment is furnished simply but stylishly, the walls green and the flooring of dark wood. Then he enters Key’s bedroom. Something feels off - the chair at the table has been pushed aside to the middle of the room, the bed is undone and a cup of what appears to be slightly stale coffee sits on the table. A camera rests next to the cup.
Jonghyun holds it up carefully. The camera is on. On the screen is a photograph of Key’s family at the beach. Key’s there too, but he sticks out in a grey knit sweater and black skinny jeans while the rest of his family is in their swimming clothes. How odd.
Key hugs his mother as he cries, his confusion turning to understanding as he recalls the family outing to the beach back before he debuted. He’s in his camera? Somehow, he is.
He looks around for some way out, but finds none. Suddenly, the ground tilts to one side and Key loses his balance, falling to the ground. His family members are still standing, tilting along with the ground but never losing balance.
Someone is out there, handling his camera. With this realization, Key is struck with an idea. He points to his left. Scrolling through Key’s photographs, Jonghyun starts to notice the same Key in each photograph. Key is pointing to Jonghyun’s left. Jonghyun scrolls again, and Key is still there, now facing Jonghyun, his face pleading.
Feeling a little silly and confused, Jonghyun scrolls to the left slowly, photograph by photograph, finally reaching the one of Minho, Onew, Taemin and himself laughing. With a slight smile, he wonders when Key took that photo.
Key looks about him. He’s in that photo.
‘Minho … Jonghyun … Taemin … Onew …’ he mumbles.
‘Hey Key hyung!’ Taemin says, hugging him.
‘Key,’ Minho nods at him with a smile.
‘Key ah, you’re here.’ Jonghyun grins at him.
Onew beams at him cheerily. ‘Hey Key!’
Key feels his heart flying, and he pulls all of them into a hug.
'I love you guys,' he chokes out.
Digging about his pockets, Key pulls out a marker. He scribbles hurriedly on his left palm and holds it up.
‘Leave Me,’ Jonghyun reads. For some reason, he is already crying.