A SHINee Night To Remember (SHINee Fanfiction)

Chapter 12 (Final)

"What's taking them so long?" Karen asked as she danced with Minho on the floor.

He laughed. "I'm not sure I want to know."

Karen rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Kori wouldn't do anything stupid."

"Oh, I'm not saying that. I'm only saying that they seem to get along very well. That's all."

"I could have told you that." Karen ducked under Minho's arm, spinning out onto the dance floor. With Minho leading, she followed, and they danced together, a perfect pair. Since most of the kids now knew who Minho was, they watched in awe as Karen danced with her date.

"You're good at this," she said, and then, Minho pulled her close on the floor. Her breath caught. "What?"

"We already had one close call tonight," Minho said, and then his lips brushed against her cheek. "Key is a lucky guy."

Karen couldn't think straight. Minho had just -- had just kissed her -- on the cheek -- and he was talking about Key? "What do you --"

"Because he's got your phone number. And I'm going to want it by the end of tonight."

She stammered again. "What about international rates --"

He kissed the other cheek. "Don't care." He held her close as the lights came on in the gymnasium, signaling that the prom was over. Couples started to walk out, the music stopped and the DJ packed up, but Karen and Minho stayed in the middle of the floor as long as they could. And finally, when everybody else was gone, when the hall was quiet, Minho leaned down and kissed Karen just as the lights turned off.

They stayed alone for a minute or two. Not a word was spoken. Both of them understood: a night to remember, yes, but a future full of promise.

--

Karen and Minho met up with Onew and Kori outside. Both couples looked pleased with their night.

They were quiet in the limo as they went off to their afterprom. Nobody said anything. They simply basked in the magic of the night and in what was happening. Kori leaned her head on Onew's shoulder, and Karen and Minho held hands, giggling every once in a while. Nobody wanted the night to end.

Soon, the limo pulled up outside a bowling alley, lit up in neon lights and with school kids streaming in and out. When it stopped, someone from the outside opened the door, and Kori noticed it was Key.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"We bought some clothes to change into," Key said. "And, well, we figured we'd come for this part."

"Bling bling!" Jonghyun said as he threw an arm around Taemin's shoulders and gave a peace sign.

Kori laughed, then let Onew lead her out of the limo for the last time. She bit her lip, but then relaxed when he kissed her cheek.

"Breathe," he said. "It's not the end."

Most everybody had gotten to the bowling alley ahead of the group, so when they walked in, they all turned to stare. Then, most of the kids from Kori and Karen's school cheered. Karen blushed and held onto Minho's hand as they walked through the crowd.

There were twenty bowling lanes, and the main lights were off. Strobe lights went on overhead, and there was music playing in the back. Kori and Karen rented some shoes and changed into their less formal clothes. Kori wore a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt; Karen wore jeans and a frilly purple shirt that matched her hair.

"Classic," Key said with a wink and a nod as they came out. "I matched you."

"Matched?" Kori asked, then laughed when she saw Onew and Minho, both wearing jeans. Onew had a pink T-shirt, and Minho had a purple one. Kori threw her hands up in the air. "It's official, Key thinks of everything."

The music immediately changed, and Kori could hear Nightmare playing from the Why So Serious? mini-album. "Who requested that?" she asked, then saw Jonghyun was standing by the jukebox. "How did you...?"

"Internet." Jonghyun gave another peace sign.

All seven of them played on one lane, without gutters. Onew ended up being better than anybody thought he would be, but it was Taemin who took control of the game. With his swift moves and good accuracy, he found himself at the top of the leaderboard.

"Way to go, maknae!" Kori said as she high-fived him.

Karen sat by Minho during their off periods. She watched as Kori and Onew danced to the SHINee music that was playing, twirling around and singing along at the top of their lungs. "Kori really can't sing, can she?" she muttered.

"She can hold a pitch, but I see what you mean." Minho laughed. "Not everybody has to be perfect at singing. Onew's right in that people just need to be themselves." He kissed Karen's cheek again. "And I hope I get to hear more from you."

"Already taken care of," Key said, handing Minho's phone back to him.

Minho glanced down at the phone and saw Karen's American number in it. "I owe you, pabo."

"Hahaha, sure! Why you calling me a pabo, pabo?"

"Guys!" Kori skipped over after Taemin won the game. "How about a congratulatory picture for the maknae?"

Taemin grinned as the other SHINee guys, Kori, and Karen crowded around him and took pictures. He started posing, and everybody laughed. "Get in there," Kori said, and then pushed Onew, Key, and the other boys in for more pictures.

Then, Kori and Karen were pulled into the group for one last picture. Kori and Karen smiled at each other, then at the camera. "Everybody say "Fighting!""

"Fighting!" everybody yelled, and the camera clicked, sealing the time and place for all eternity.

--

Thank you for reading A SHINee Night To Remember!

A few things I, as the author, want to make you aware of:

THIS ISN'T THE END FOR OUR HEROINES. There will eventually be more stories with them. But you'll have to wait! If you want to hear more, be sure to let me know. There will be more stories in this universe, but others that aren't in it.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO REQUEST SOMETHING? If you have a couple you'd like to hear about, or have a favorite band, please request it. I take requests at all times.

I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PATRONAGE. As a writer, it's important to be connected with my readers, and I'd like to take a moment to shoutout to those who have been following this story. A HUGE thanks to Karen Soul herself, better known as @SoulMatthew!

UP NEXT; For subscribers, there will be a special chapter in a short bit, an epilogue of sorts to tide you over until we meet Kori and Karen again!

Thank you for reading, and see you at the next story!

With love,

Emily Ann Imes