The sudden closeness between Minho and Taemin became the hot topic for the entire week. Beside the time they spent together for practicing the play which would be performed on the next two weeks—only two days before Christmas—Minho and Taemin sometimes walked together to their class if they accidentally met in the hallway or they would stop to have a little chat. It obviously brought the jealousy from Minho’s fans, especially Eun Soo. The said girl couldn’t accept the fact that her Minho was close to other person, especially the one she really hated.

Unfortunately, Minho himself didn’t really mind about the issue between him and Taemin. Instead, he felt totally happy. He enjoyed it everytime people around him—the ones who agreed with the relationship— and Taemin, saying how they would make a really cute couple together.

What bothered Minho was the fact that he wasn’t the only man close with Taemin. And he disliked it when he found out that Taemin spent more time with Jonghyun than him. He himself was so surprised with his new character. He suddenly became so selfish and possesive, wanting Taemin by himself.

“Hey hyung! You’re spacing out!”

Minho automatically smiled when Taemin’s face appeared in front of him.

“I’m not!” Minho denied. They just finished their practice and Minho was examining his little Taeminnie chatting with their other friends.

“You’re spacing out!” Taemin said stubbornly. “If I don’t call you now, I’m sure you’ll stay here until everyone leave!”

Minho laughed. Getting closer with Taemin, he discovered so many things about Taemin. How the younger boy could be very cute, how the younger boy was so stubborn, and how the younger boy had a very hard-working side of him. Minho had fun watching time, but he enjoyed it more to interact with the beautiful boy.

“Hyung! Don’t laugh!” Taemin whined.

Minho laughed some more. He ruffled Taemin’s hair. “Alright. Now, let’s go home, shall we?”

Taemin nodded. They left the hall where they practiced, with so many eyes followed them, including the hatred glared from Eun Soo, which wasn’t noticed by both of the guy.

Soon as Taemin and Minho walked out of the school building, they were welcomed by Minho’s expensive car with Jinki was already ready beside the car.

“You want a ride home?” Minho asked Taemin hopefully.

Taemin shook his head. “No. Thank you. I’ll just take the bus.”

“I’ll go now,” Taemin waved to Mino cutely, before bowing politely to Jinki and ran towards the bus stop. Minho stared at where Taemin had disappeared disappointedly. He really wanted to spend more time with Taemin.

“C’mon, Minho. Don’t you want to go home?” Jinki said in order to catch Minho’s whose attention was still on the way Taemin left. But instead he got it, Minho ran towards the streetTaemin took. “Minho!” Jinki shout.

Minho turned around, but still running, backwards. “You go first, hyung! It’s emergency!” With that, Minho brought his feet fast leaving the school.

Seeing Minho’s action, Jinki only could shake his head. That emergency situation must turn to be being-with-Taemin-as-long-as-he-can situation. Jinki laughed at the thought. Never had he seen Minho being like this, so he would just let Minho did what he wanted.

***

Taemin became the last person who entered the bus. He took out his wallet to pay. His money was decreasing so much because he should help his parents to pay his brothers’ school fee. Ugh, he should have just walked earlier, but he was too tired to do that. Or maybe he should have just accepted Minho’s offer to drive him home rather than wasting his money. Taemin shook his head. How could he be like this? Didn’t he hate Minho so much? But now all he could do was thinking about how sweet and nice Minho was.

“STOP!”

A shout snapped Taemin out of his thought. He turned around to find Minho was struggling to open the already closed bus’ door. Taemin couldn’t help but felt so surprised. He quickly asked the driver to open the door for Minho. As soon as it was opened, Minho hopped into the bus.

“Minho hyung?”

Minho smiled widely to Taemin who seemed so speechless. He waved his hands signaling that everything was okay as he pushed Taemin lightly from his way. He paid the driver for two persons, before dragging Taemin to the middle of the bus.

Finally, Taemin had understood the situation and protested, “Hyung! You shouldn’t do that!”

“Do what?” Minho asked innocently as he grabbed the holding above him. There was no empty seat left.

“Paying for me!” Taemin folded his hands.

“Why? Can’t I treat my friend?”

“But…hyung!” Taemin puffed his cheeks frustratingly. He tried to seem scary but it just made Minho wanted to laugh at his cuteness. So the shorter guy gave up. Instead, he asked, “Why are you here anyway?”

“I just feel like going by bus,” Minho lied. Oh, of course he couldn’t tell that he wanted to be with Taemin a little longer.

Taemin opened his mouth to ask again, but the words never came out because suddenly the bus did an abrupt stop. Taemin instinctively reached something to support him, and it turned out to be Minho’s shoulder. Minho automatically wrapped his arms around Taemin, trying to help the younger boy but the force was too big that Taemin crashed into Minho. Both stumbled backwards—forward in Taemin’s case—but Minho managed not to fall. When it had stopped, Taemin and Minho quickly broke away. They looked at anywhere except each other eyes. Blushes appeared on both of their cheeks.

But it wasn’t because of their sudden practical hug.

It was because both of them realized that their lips had touched each other for a split second.

***

The ride was completely awkward for both Minho and Taemin. Minho himself didn’t really realizing what he was doing. His mind was still at how their lips connected to each other. So he just followed Taemin to get off in the next stop without really knowing how he would go home because he obviously didn’t know which route would bring him home.

“You can ask your driver to pick you up at my house,” Taemin, who seemed can read Minho’s situation, spoke for the first time after the surprising incident.

“Ah, thank you,” Minho answered shortly, still surprised by Taemin’s sudden conversation.

Their journey to Taemin’s house was just as awkward as the bus ride. They only walked side by side without a single word. Minho sometimes glanced over Taemin, examining the younger boy’s face. Taemin’s cheek flushed because of the weather. And his lips pouted over nothing, making it seemed so delicious…

Minho quickly slapped himself for having that kind of thought, earning a confused look from the shorter guy. Minho only could scratch his head and smiled foolishly. Taemin unknowingly chuckled finding Minho’s action adorable.

The heavy atmosphere melted on the rest of the journey. Small chat started to be built between them. Minho asked a lot of things about Taemin, but he tried to make it seem as unimportant things only for fill the silence, although inside he noted every small thing Taemin said about himself.

“So, you like to sing, dance, and act?” Minho questioned, referring on Taemin joined the audition of the play.

Taemin shook his head. “No. I just like dancing. I really at acting and singing.”

Minho raised his eyebrow. “So, why do you join the play? It’s really the acting thingy, you know.”

For a second Minho noticed the dislike look from Taemin, like he was forced or something like that. But he quickly erased that thought when Taemin answered playfully, “It’s a secret, hyung. Only Jonghyun hyung and I know.”

There was no other thing that Minho could thing about now after hearing that from Taemin. He suddenly had this kind of urge to shout at Taemin, asking why it was always Jonghyun hyung. But that thought disappeared as soon as it appeared. Oh, he felt so horrible thinking like that. Jonghyun was his best friend after all.

“Hyung!!!”

Minho turned to the pouty Taemin. He really shouldn’t do something that make I remember at the kiss earlier, really. Minho blushed at his own thought.

“You’re spacing out again!” Taemin folded his arms on his chest.

“Mianhe dongsaengie,” Minho used his aegyo, the first time ever since he was born.

And Taemin’s reaction was priceless. He suddenly looked so embarrassed. Shouting ‘let’s go now’ and walked very fast. But he still couldn’t hide his blush from Minho. And the older boy only could laugh.

“Look!” suddenly Taemin shouted and pointed at the sky.

Minho followed Taemin’s pointer and he automatically knew what Taemin referred.

“It’s snowing again!” Taemin said happily. “It has been weeks after the first snow until it finally snows again!”

The small guy was so excited but it didn’t make him warm. He only wore a jacket and the wind easily blew on him. Minho couldn’t help but notice Taemin was shivering. He thought of acting like gentleman in the story who sheltered their lover with their coat. But he himself only wore a thin cardigan, never thinking it would be snowing today.

Taemin’s teeth started chattering. Minho really couldn’t see this adorable guy suffered from cold. So without thinking, he grabbed Taemin’s hands in his, rubbing it together. Taemin looked up at Minho, shocked and shy mixed. But he couldn’t stop his smile to appear on his face.

That was the warmest snow Taemin had ever experienced.

***

“Aish! This is totally a humiliation!” Jonghyun said annoyingly as he tried to solve the problems on his math book. Miss Yoon seemed still holding grudge towards Jonghyun because of the cockroach incident that she made Jonghyun’s life miserable by holding the student back every day giving him so many assignments.

When Jonghyun finally finished, he shouted excitingly. Well, he was actually so smart. He only didn’t like to waste his time doing something silly like solving numbers by formulas.

Jonghyun was ready to go out of the class, looking for Taemin so they could head to the Key’s café together, but he was stopped by Minho’s sudden appearance.

Talking about Minho, Jonghyun didn’t know he should be happy or not. Minho was like his younger brother, but he didn’t like the fact that Minho was close with his Taemin.

“Hi, hyung,” Minho greeted.

“Hi, Minho,” Jonghyun greeted back.

“Can we…talk?”

Jonghyun was taken aback by Minho’s question, but he quickly agreed. The two best friends ended up sat face to face inside the class.

“So…what is it?” Jonghyun spoke. Don’t tell me Minho has asked Taemin out and they date and now he wants me to stay away from Taemin and…

“It’s about Taemin.”

Jonghyun gulped.

“Hyung, do—”

“I don’t want to stay away from Taemin! It took me so long until he wanted to be my friend!” Jonghyun freaked out as he stood up.

“I…I’m not going to say that,” Minho managed to speak although he was so shocked by Jonghyun sudden outburst.

“Oh, well…I’m sorry,” Jonghyun sat back.

“I…I don’t have the right to ask that to you, hyung,” Minho admitted sadly.

“Me too,” Jonghyun was just as sad as Minho.

They looked at each other and laughed. Well, they didn’t need to speak out that they liked Taemin, but they at least knew it wouldn’t be an obstacle in their friendship.

“If it’s not about that, and then is it about what?” Jonghyun curiously asked when they were done laughing.

“The reason Taemin is so eager joining the play,” Minho bluntly said. “He didn’t say it’s important, but…I just know it is.”

Jonghyun gulped. He still remembered the first time Taemin told him the reason, right after the announcement of the main role. He clearly knew Taemin didn’t like to talk about that, as much as he didn’t want someone knew. He even didn’t tell his parents. Only me, Jonghyun thought proudly.

But he had a problem here. He also knew how perseverance Minho to find out about something he wanted to know.

God, help me out of this situation!

***

“Jonghyun hyung is soooo late!” Taemin mumbled. He pouted, feeling tired of waiting his dino hyung. Jonghyun had promised to drive him to Key’s café, but he didn’t show up. Should I leave first?

“Oh, look who is here!”

That annoying voice snapped Taemin out of his thought. He glared at the owner of the voice, who was no other than Eun Soo. The girl stopped right in front of him and smiled oh so sweetly, making Taemin felt nausea.

“Hello, Lee.”

“Oh hi.”

“Waiting for Minho?” Eun Soo asked, still smiling but looked scary.

“Nope.”

“Oh,” Eun Soo smile widened.

“You’re close to Minho,” Eun Soo suddenly brought the topic.

“Why? Afraid?” Taemin dared.

“Of course no,” Eun Soo answered confidently. “I know better about him. Like how…he hates you so much.”

“So pathetic, Eun Soo-ssi,” Taemin mocked. “Minho hyung is not someone like you.”

“Is that so?” Eun Soo tried to look confident, although inside she was ready to attack Taemin. Calling Minho ‘hyung’ like that. “Do you think he is really serious being friend with you? I mean, why will he be like that to someone he tries to destroy?”

“So funny,” Taemin’s calmness sounded shaky.

“Funny? So, I was being asked by Minho to report you to the principal so your scholarship was cancelled are funny?”

***

Okay, I don’t believe it! You shouldn’t believe it, Taemin!

Taemin chanted those words as he made his way towards Miss Han’s office. He should make sure what Eun Soo said was lie. Minho wouldn’t do that, would he? He was being so nice to Taemin. And even to Yoogeun. He wasn’t the bad guy Taemin imagined he was, right?

Taemin stopped right in front of Miss Han’s office. He took a really deep breath, before reaching out for the knob. But he cancelled his will to open the door as soon as he heard the voice he really knew.

“Miss Han, I want to talk about Taemin’s scholarship.”

And Taemin’s trust to Minho was destroyed.