Your POV

“Hello there Oppa…”

Yoochun smiled and let his arm drop from around your shoulders assuming a more relaxed position. “So…”

You looked away guiltily. “So…”

He smirked already catching on to the game you were playing. “So what were you doing being all buddy buddy with Kyuhyun?”

Pouting slightly you crossed your arms over your chest. “Oppa really? You haven’t seen me in nearly three months and your first instinct is to grill me just because I talked to a boy.”

His smile widened. “What can I say?” It comes naturally after having known you my entire life. Trouble tends to be attracted to you in every way possible.”

You rolled your eyes. “Oh relax Kyuhyun and I are just friends. He was kind of like your replacement while you couldn’t be there. He helped me loads of times.”

Yoochun raised an eyebrow.

Exasperated you let out an audible sigh and just stared right back.

It felt like a few minutes, but in reality you knew it was only a few seconds before he finally broke down. He did manage to startle you however when he let out his signature laughter and discreetly grabbed your hand.

“God how I wish I could just pick you up in my arms and swing you around while I scream at the top of my lungs how proud I am of you!” He whispered.

You glowed under his praise and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you that means a lot to me. Though I can never understand all the hardships you’ve gone through as a trainee I want you to know that I think you are such a strong and amazing person. I’m so lucky to have you for a brother.”

“Chipmunk…”

His voice sounded strained with emotions to your ears, but you couldn’t summon up enough courage to look up into his eyes. It was all you could do to stop yourself from tearing up yourself. Your emotions were still high from the concert on top of all the buildup over the course of the tour that it was surprising you were still holding it all together. After a few minutes of self-reflection you were finally able to make eye contact.

Yoochun was smiling gently down at you conveying his feelings across the strong bond you two share. For a short while you just stood there in companionable silence against the wall while staring out at the crowded room. You saw Hara talking animatedly with the PD from the reality show, while IU piped in every now and then. Mi-Na was standing talking with a few of the higher executives who were milling around her Dad. It took you a moment to find Ailee, but from the looks of it she was deep in conversation with a foreign looking reporter, probably from the states. Just as you were about to turn back towards your brother your eyes caught the unmistakable graceful movements of Shinee’s main dancer…Taemin.

You stood transfixed as his slim body elegantly maneuvered throughout the throng of people almost as if dancing. Suddenly he paused as if feeling your eyes on him and he began to turn his head towards your direction. Unknowingly you held your breath stuck under his strange spell. When his eyes locked with yours it felt as if you’d been punched in the stomach. All your breath whooshed out at once and a weird electric shock danced across your skin. You watched as his eyes lit up in recognition before he turned to his friends finally breaking his hold over you.

“Mel are you okay?”

“Sorry what did you say oppa?” You asked while still trying to get your racing heart under control.

Yoochun’s concerned face suddenly appeared in front of you. “You were hardly breathing and you look really pale. Are you feeling well?” He reached up to put a hand on your forehead.

Brushing it off gently you shook your head. “I’m fine. Just a little too much excitement I think for one day.”

He nodded in understanding. “Yea it can be overwhelming at first. Why don’t you go find your friends or something? I should probably get back to the boys anyway. We wouldn’t want any reporters to catch on to our relationship…that is if you still want to keep it a secret?”

You nodded vigorously. “Yes good idea and yes I do still want to keep it on the down low… at least until our group gets established officially.”

He shrugged his shoulders clueing you in that he was a little disappointed, but would accept your decision.

The two of you said a quick goodbye before he slipped away leaving you blissfully alone. Your thoughts were still in a scramble allowing the PD to startle you with her quick approach.

“Whaaa!” You screamed causing the PD to jump.

“Easy there Melody-ssi I apologize if I’ve scared you. I’ve been trying to find you for quite awhile and here I find you trying to blend into the shadows.”

Allowing yourself to relax slightly you moved away from the wall and into the light more. “No it’s fine. I just needed a quiet moment to myself.”

The PD tilted her head to the side expressing her curiousity. “I’m surprised. I thought for sure you’d be bouncing right along like the rest of your friends.”

You shrugged. “Apparently you don’t have as good a grasp on my personality as you’d originally thought.”

Your complete honesty caused her to bark out laughing and a few people turned their heads your way at the grating sound.

“I’ve always liked your sharp tongue. A bit out of character for most celebrities, but it suits you completely.”

“Thank you.” You replied not wanting to make the interview any easier for her.

She smiled indulgently. “Still stubborn till the end huh?”

You chose to remain silent.

“Well no matter.” She dismissed with a wave of her hand. “My job is to do a follow up interview of everyone are you ready?”

She didn’t even wait for you to respond before launching right into her questions.

“So Melody-ssi I’m sure all of the people at home are wondering just how you are feeling right now after being selected as a final member of SM’s new powerhouse girl group.” She said while turning half towards the camera.

Noticing you were being filmed you quickly donned on your professional smile and reined in your emotions. “It was such a shock really. I mean my friends and I have been talking about the remote possibility that we’d be chosen, but the reality of it is still surprising. All the girls selected for the world tour are so talented that in all honesty any one of them has the potential of a star in the making.”

“Then do you think SM made the correct choice in picking you?”

“I’d be lying if I said no, so then I guess yes I do think I’m a good pick. Not neccesarily because I’m more talented than the girls not selected,  but perhaps it is more due to the chemistry my friends and I share on stage. A group isn’t just about having the most gifted members. It is about having great teamwork and compatibility.”

You could tell you had her complete attention when she failed to have a rapid fire question prepared. “Ummm can you-uh explain a little more?”

This was a topic you loved and you felt your professional smile form into a genuine one. “Have you ever witnessed a group performance where each member acted as an individual on stage?”

The PD nodded her head.

“Was it very enjoyable?”

The PD looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. “No… the crowd’s energy flagged rapidly and towards the end they lost interest all together. I don’t believe they even asked for an encore.”

You smiled triumphantly glad she was helping you to make your point. “That’s because they had no chemistry. When group members fail to interact on stage or communicate through gestures and eye contact there is no cohesiveness. How is a group supposed to harmonize if they can’t get a grasp on their members’ moods, level of focus, and even body condition?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know.” The PD responded.

“You see a group performance takes so many factors into account. Each person needs to be able to pick up on even the tiniest of nuances from their members. Say for example I notice Hara taking too short a breath before the crescendo of a big note. I would most likely support her with my own voice knowing that she was struggling and we could prevent a major mistake. Or let’s say IU trips slightly going up the stage to the second half of the concert indicating her body is getting tired. Then the rest of the group could switch to her as our focus and match our movements to hers giving a more cohesive performance.” You explained.

The PD nodded. “I can see you’ve given this a lot of thought. Allow me to confirm what you’ve just explained to everyone.”

“Of course.” You replied.

“You are saying that it wasn’t necessarily because of pure talent alone that each member was chosen, but more of a culmination of your strengths put together to form the best group. Is that correct?”

You smiled. “I couldn’t have put it better myself.”

“Wonderful answer as always Melody-ssi, you always leave us with a lot to think about.”

“Thank you.”

“I just have one more question for you then before I let you get back to the party.” She said.

You nodded your agreement showing she could ask whatever.

“What do you hope to accomplish as a group after your debut?”

“That’s easy… I plan to help our group become the best music artists in the entire world.” You stated matter of factly before turning on your heel and walking away leaving a stunned PD behind.

Not really caring where you were going you wandered throughout the crowd saying a few words here and there to people you passed. Most people didn’t seem to recognize you without your stage clothes on, which suited you just fine. You spotted Hara through a seam in the crowd and started to make your way towards her when someone suddenly stepped in your path.

“Oh pardon me…” You muttered before trying to move around them. It startled you however when you felt a strong grip on your arm.

“Trying to escape so soon? I never thought you to be a coward.” The stranger said.

Your head whipped up at the insult, eyes on fire with leashed anger. Unfortunately you knew this stranger quite intimately. You suddenly felt all your witty retorts fly out the window as you recognized the abnormally good looking face of Lee Taemin.

“At a loss for words? This is a first. The tour must’ve changed you more than I originally thought it would.” He teased before quickly turning serious. “How have you been? I know world tours can be extremely exhausting.”

You melted under the concern shown in his chocolate brown eyes. It irritated you that he still had the effect on you despite having not seen him for almost three months.

“I’ve been better, but it’s all been worth it for the joy I feel today after being chosen.” You replied unable to lie to him.

He smiled causing your stomach to do a flip flop.

“Good I’m glad. I always knew you’d make it.”

Blushing under his compliment you were forced to look away. A moment of silence passed before you both began to speak at once.

“Listen I-” You began but quickly stopped when you heard Taemin speaking at the same time.

“Listen I-”

You both broke into laughter at the siliness of it all.

“You go first.” He said.

Taking a deep breath you looked up into his eyes causing your blush to darken even further. “I just wanted to apologize for my behavior in China. It was extremely childish and immature of me to dismiss you like that for something as petty as a simple case of jealousy. You don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to call you up and say something. I even begged one of the managers to lend me their cell phone so I could, but you didn’t answer.”

“You did?” He asked completely shocked.

Nodding you looked away in embarrassment.

His hand discreetly brushed against yours sending a spark of electricity through the brief connection.

“I’m so sorry. I must’ve not picked up because of the unknown number.”

“It’s ok. I’m just glad we got the chance to talk today.” You smiled up at him. “What was it you wanted to say earlier?”

“Pretty similar to what you just said. It was rash and stupid thing to do to chase you to China right after our fight. I knew you needed some space, but it was difficult to let you go away for so long without clearing it up. I soon realized my mistake shortly after. Forgive me?”

“Always.”

His eyes sparkled with relief and happiness. You felt a tightness form in your chest and subconsciously you gripped the necklace in a comforting gesture.

“You still have it.” Taemin stated pulling you out of your daze.

“I’m sorry what did you say?”

He nodded he head towards your hand still gripping the charms. “You still have it.”

Looking down you saw what he must be referring to. The star pendant he gave you for your birthday sat nestled safely next to music note one from your brother.

“It was a precious gift. I can’t just throw it away… especially when you gave it so much thought. Besides I’m secretly hoping you still mean what you had inscribed.” You whispered while staring down at it.

“Always.”

Still looking down at the pendant you read the inscription quietly. “Until we stand on the same stage…”

Taemin grabbed your hand pulling it away from the necklace and forced you to look up into his eyes.

“Until we stand on the same stage.” He said firmly. 

A/N: Well here you go my lovely readers... A wonderful Teamin and Mel moment. Sorry it took me so long to update I've been super busy with final exams and the holidays. Wishing you all a happy new year and as always please comment and subscribe :) -Sarah