14

 I was just finished my piano practice and on my way out of the music store when I saw a yeoppo looking girl checking some random German band’s CD called Humanoid (?).

It was Valentines Day.

How ironic...

All of a sudden, I got an idea.

I sprinted out of the music store and ran toward the florist a few blocks down.

I bought half dozen of white roses, hoping that I still got time.

When I arrived at the music store, panting, I saw that she just about to leave the store.

So I paid one of the elementary schoolers that passed me by, to pass the flower to her.

She took it, frowning.

Surprise, I guess...

And she left the store with half a dozen flowers in her left arm...

After a while, I left too...

 

Me and the rest of SHINee, as we called ourselves, were entering the front gate when most of the students there make way for us.

It wasn’t even necessary.

I just don’t know why they did that.

But from what I realized, they’re admiring us for what we can actually do.

Key is good when it comes to fashion.

Onew is good when it comes to clumsiness (hey, they thought it cute).

Minho is good in sports.

No one, and I mean no one, can beat him in sports.

Taemin is good, no, MASTER in popping and dancing and stuff.

And me, they said that my voice is sweet and have such a charisma when I sang.

I just smiled every time they complimented me.

Key was commenting, or rather bullying Onew hyung about his hair and Minho was talking on his phone with his dad who was abroad.

I was just looking around when Taemin suddenly winced.

“What?” I asked, as I, clearly, the only one noticed.

“Stomach ache...” he answered, a little while later.

I shook my head and stare ahead when I saw the same girl I saw 8 months ago.

Her figure still fresh in my mind even when her hair is slightly longer than the last I saw her.

Apparently, I’m not the only one who noticed this.

Taemin did too.

He tried to smile at her but because of the stomach ache, all that came out from him was a smirk.

When we were inside, out of everybody’s attention, Taemin suddenly burst out saying, “She’s cute.”

“Who?!” Onew hyung, Key and Minho asked, shocked as Taemin is not a kind of person who’s interested in girls much.

He’s much more interested in dogs.

“That girl that stared at us back,” Taemin said, frowning as he eats his granola bars.

“Oh... That...” Minho said, looking relieved.

“WAIT! OUR TAEMIN LIKE SOMEONE?!” Key shouted.

“Key, can you please don’t act all giddy? People will think you’re gay,” I said.

“So? What do I care as long as I myself know I’m not,” Key said, turning back to Taemin (I rolled my eyes) saying, “So, you like someone? Your hearts finally LIKE someone! I AM SO FREAKIN PROUD OF YOU!”

Then he hugged him.

“YAH, KEY HYUNG!!!” Taemin shouts.

The rest of us laughed.

 

That night, all of us decided to stay back and finishes all of our homework.

Taemin beamed all day long right after he told us that he’s one class as Luvly, the ‘mystery’ girl.

Her full name is Shin Hyo Young and that the other one, who look just like her except with a shorter hair, was her twin, Shin Hye Won, also known as, Leena.

Minho seemed happy when we bumped into them a couple of TIMES today.

When we entered the library, Taemin opened the door a LITTLE bit too loud making a few students who stayed glanced around angrily.

Key glared at Taemin with both of his hand at his hips.

Minho and Onew hyung just shook their heads.

I saw Luvly at one of the book shelves and shoved my books to Minho, “I’m going to get some books first. You guys go ahead, ‘kay?”

Minho just shrugged.

I went to the book shelve and saw Luvly and her friend on the floor.

“Excuses me, can you pass me that dictionary?”

Luvly seemed surprise before give me one of the books.

It wasn’t even dictionary but I didn’t say anything.

When I arrived at the table where the rest were sitting, Minho was drawing something.

Looks like Lines and Angles.

Key was doing his calculus homework, one of his weak subjects.

Although for me, it’s easy!

Onew was frowning over Taemin’s homework.

Taemin was just looking around like nothing to do.

Key looked up when I took my seat facing him, a very strategic position.

I can see Luvly and her two friends sitting two tables away.

“Since when are you interested in Einstein’s theory?” Key said, staring at the book that I’m holding.

“Just for bedtime reading later...” I shrugged.

Key mumbled something before continues with his work.

I spread around my books and all but I didn’t even touch it.

I just stare at Luvly.

She didn’t even notice.

At first, she concentrated on her homework before she suddenly snapped, saying something at her friend.

I still stared at her when her friend got up and walked toward us (?).

I didn’t care much.

I just stare at Luvly.

Because I know, Taemin surely likes her.

And she surely WILL fall in love with Taemin.

He can be all sweet and lovely but at the same time, mature young man (a.k.a , once he get all aeygo and all).

It’ll be a miracle if she’s together with me.

I heard all of them laughing at something amusing but I didn’t bother to find out about what.

Must be because the girl had confessed to one of them...

Key got a funny way of showing that the rest, I, Minho, Taemin and Onew hyung don’t want any commitment for now.

I mean, he himself got a girlfriend from Malaysia.

Sometimes I feel sorry for all the girls that confessed, so, when they confess, me and Minho, usually, we apologize to them and said that we just not ready for any commitment.

Taemin, he’s still a kid...

So, he didn’t feel like he need to say sorry or anything.

Onew apologize a lot too but usually he makes jokes to make them feel cheerful again.

Suddenly, I saw Luvly get up from her seat and sprinted toward us, looking like a fierce lion.

She then shouts, “Who do you think you are?! Who are you compared to her?! You are nothing! Nothing I say! All five of you, all of your popularity, were even lower than any animal in this world! This is why, I agree with myself when I ‘decided’ to not to respect all of you guys!!!!!!!!!!! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!! IDIOT!!!!!!”

Leena then grabbed her behind her back and dragged her away.

Her friend followed them a few moments later.

We all sat in stunned.

Until I said, furiously, “What just happened?”

“The usual... But I never thought that Luvly girl would be so mad,” Key’s the one who replied me.

“I told you, how many times should I repeat? When people confessed, do not treat them like that!” I said, infuriated.

“I’m sorry but I thought we told like every single girl in the school that we don’t want any commitment?” Key said, innocently although he’s not too innocent.

“Key, she’s a new kid. What do you expect?” Onew hyung said.

“When you said ‘we’, you meant us, me, Minho, Taemin and Onew hyung! Let us answer them. Keep your busy away!” I said, got up from my seat, couldn’t wait much longer.

Key’s forehead wrinkled when I left.

 

Taemin told us ‘bout Luvly attacking him again.

This time, in class...

Luvly had been attacking us ever since the incident.

Minho tried to find the girl next day but we found out that she’d already moved.

When Key asked more about Luvly’s ‘attack’, we found out that it is all Taemin’s fault.

He attacked Luvly in the middle of the night, when she was walking home after her detention.

“WHY ON EARTH DID YOU DO THAT?!” This time, I’m not the only one shouting.

Key, Minho and Onew hyung were also shouting.

“I-I just wan-wanted her to kno-know that we-we’re not an-any someone th-that sh-she can messed around...” Taemin said, again, innocently.

“TAEMIN!!!” all of us shouted again.

“And now, she’s going to think that we’re the one who order you to,” Onew hyung said.

“Sorry...” Taemin said, innocently, again.

“You make sure you apologize to her TODAY, you understand me, young boy?” Key nagged, acting like umma.

“Neh, araso...” Taemin nodded.

 

At recess, all of us sit together at our usual spot.

At the middle of the cafeteria.

“Guess what?” Taemin said.

“What?” All of us chorused together.

“I just asked her out,” Taemin said.

“WHAT!” all of us looked at Taemin, feeling shocked.

Taemin just grinned broadly before continues saying, “Yup... I just asked her out.”

“Didn’t I tell you to apologize to her?” Key said suspiciously.

“Yes, but that’s how I apologized to her. Besides, I like her...” Taemin answered, chewing his sandwiches.

“So, what did she replied?” I asked, relieved that my voice quite steady.

“She said no,” Taemin answered, making a face.

Pheww...

“Oh, my poor baby...” Key said, grabbing Taemin’s head and tried to chop it off, from what it looks like.

“KEY HYUNG!!!” Taemin whined.

 

We were sitting in our ‘secret’ room when Minho entered it and said calmly, “I just confessed to Leena.”

“Leena?” Onew hyung said, his eyebrow raised.

“Yup...” Minho looked cheerful enough.

On the other hand, Taemin sulked at the corner of the room.

“Well? Did you guys um... kissed?” Key asked, acting all giddy over again.

Honestly, it made me wonder if mom dropped him too often when he’s still a baby.

Minho just smiled so we assumed, yup, they’d kissed.

“Key, stop acting like a little girl,” Onew hyung said.

Key stuck his tongue out at him.

I just hope that what happen to Minho, will happen to me.

Luvly would at least reply me.

 

“Why exactly are we doing this?” I asked Key.

Him, Onew hyung and Minho were doodling on the blackboard.

Writing stuff ‘bout Taemin and Luvly...

“To make them solve this ‘mystery’ TOGETHER...” Key said.

“What ‘mystery’?” I said, staring at the blackboard. “I see no mystery in what you doodle...”

“You’re right...” Key said. “Well, they would at least talk about this. I mean, when the whole school sees this, they would talk about it for a month or so. Luvly won’t like it. So, she and Taemin can work together to solve it. And when they work together, something will happen...”

“What if there’s nothing happen then?” I said.

“There’d better be. Or I will make something happen,” Key said.

“Well, I’m outta here...” I said.

“You’re not going to help us?” Key asked.

“No... I’m going to let things flowed the way it suppose to flow. You cannot force love, Kibum...” I said, and left the classroom.

“I know that!” he shouted back.

Sometimes, Key can be so annoying.

 

“I don’t think it works,” Onew said.

“I told you it going to be a disaster,” Key said.

“Who’s got this idea first?” I said, after Key said that’s ‘it going to be a disaster’.

So…

It wasn’t his idea huh…

“Me,” Minho said.

“Next time, we won’t listen to you,” I said.

“Can anyone explain why exactly is Jonghyun’s hyung name were there?” Key asks.

“KEY! I thought this is all your idea!” I hissed, shocked when Key acting like he’s not the mastermind.

Key just shrugged.

“Well, I just play along. It was originally Minho and Onew hyung’s idea. I never thought why they choose you,” Key said.

“Jonghyun is the nearest target seeing as I never won the Best Body Award and you and Minho already have a girlfriend,” Onew explains.

“Best Body Award but never had a chance to kiss someone,” I said with my head slightly down.

 

“Listen,” Onew hyung said. “When they come, Jonghyun, you sit beside Taemin and let Leena sit beside Luvly. And the rest, sit tightly next to each other so that Taemin and Luvly had to sit together, araso?”

“You still on with the get-them-be-nice-to-each-other thing again?” I asked.

“Of course…” Key the one who answered me.

I rolled my eyes.

Then I saw Taemin sulkily walked toward us.

“I can’t stand it…”

“Stand what?” Minho asked.

“That girl... I already apologized. What more does she wants?” Taemin took a bite of his brown rice.

Then I saw Leena and Luvly walked toward us.

Luvly looked pissed.

But pretty at the same time…

She stared around and let out a huge heavy sigh before took her seat beside Taemin.

Luckily, Taemin’s mouth was full so he couldn’t reply anything but his eyes glared at Luvly, full with… unless my eyes were deceiving me, full with hatred.

A second later, we heard a soft commotion.

Taemin was covered with food before he shouts, “YAH! WHY’D YOU DO THAT FOR!!!”

“YOU TOUCH MY ELBOW!” Luvly shrieked.

All five of us look at them both back and forth, feeling a little bit confused.

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!”

“I DON’T CARE!!”

“SUCH A BABY!!!”

“JERK!”

“IDIOT!”

“What did you called me?”

They were fighting with each other when our discipline teacher, Mrs. Lee, break the fight and sent them for detention after school.

Luvly got so mad at Taemin, she slap his face.

Taemin tried to reply her attack before I dragged him far from her.

But instead, when we were outside of the cafeteria, he attacked me!

He, the Taemin that I’ve known for almost 13 years, had just punched me!

 

“Taemin said sorry,” Onew hyung said to me, after finding me on our school’s rooftop.

It’s the only place I’m actually feeling at peace.

“That’s okay,” I grumbled. “He’s mad at that time. No need to be sorry…”

“Yes… but he saw you bleeding furiously and it made him feeling sorry… He himself never thought that he was that strong.” Onew hyung said.

“Well, it is now or later that he’ll be realizing he had to control his temper and that he’s a man. All of us have to… Coz it’s not nice to hit people. Especially girls… Think of what’ll happen if I don’t drag him away,” I mumbled.

We sat in silence, watching sunset before he said, “Is there something wrong?”

“No…” I shook my head. Didn’t want to discuss about it much further, in case I accidentally slipped out about my feelings, I said, “Let’s go… I’m tired…”

Onew hyung didn’t object.

 

It has been a month Taemin and Luvly were dating.

I get used seeing them snogging each other frequently, I didn’t feel jealous anymore.

Well, actually I do, but I’m good on not showing it.

At first, I feel disappointed that Luvly had chose Taemin but they fit for each other.

And I like Luvly.

I mean, if you like someone, you will make them happy always right?

And Luvly is happy when she’s with Taemin.

Even so, they do fight a lot.

Usually Luvly won.

But when Taemin won, boy, it’s scary to watch her.

 

I was just open my bottle’s lid when Taemin and Luvly walk toward us, bickering.

What now?!

Leena is right behind them.

“What is wrong with you?” he said, innocently.

“What’s wrong?! The girl is what is wrong!”

“Huh?” Taemin reply, blur.

Huh?

What the hell just happen?

I can see the other tried to keep up.

“SHE IS FLIRTING WITH YOU!!!!” Luvly shouted.

The rest of us were trying really hard swallowing whatever they were talking about.

It looks like Luvly was jealous about something.

Leena wasn’t even care to explain.

She just ate her food, leaving all to us to understand.

“Didn’t you notice or you’re actually enjoying it?!”

“No… I never-“

“Oh, shut it!” Luvly cut his word.

“Chill, Luvly,” Onew hyung said, trying to calm her.

Luvly is breathing heavily now. She looked resentful.

“Taemin is blur when it comes to girl who play flirt. He is more to girl who is hard to get. Like you. Don’t you worry… He will never fall for that kind of girl. Not when he is having you as a girlfriend,” Onew hyung said, lowering his voice at the last sentence.

“MWORAGO?!” Luvly glanced at Onew hyung sharply.

“Not when he is having the most beautiful harsh girl in school as a girlfriend,” Onew hyung said, now lowering his head.

Luvly stared at him sharply.

“Relax Luvly. If it proves that she is flirting with Taemin, we will get rid of her together,” Key said, pointing his index finger at Luvly and him back and forth.

I sighed slowly when Key said like that.

Boy, if the girl repeat whatever she just did, she’s gonna get something from Key.

And it’s not good…

Not good.

Luvly stared at Taemin for a long time before taking a bite on her sandwich.

She looked unhappy and it suddenly making me pissed off.

But I was able to control it.

Who is the girl that they were talking about?

 

We were studying at the twin’s house when Leena received her unexpected letter from an unknown sender.

We all read the letter together after Leena left the room, so pissed or mad, I guessed.

The sender wrote that she wanted Leena to end her relationship with Minho.

When she came back, Onew and Key expressed their reliefs when she said she’s not going to leave Minho.

Phew…

I don’t know what Minho will do if she did leave him.

I mean, for the first time, after with Sica, he actually smiles.

He used to just drag his lips to both side, creating a smile.

Although he will sometimes laughed an honest laugh…

But that is like the record of the year.

I asked her, “What are you going to do now?”

“Secretly dating Minho oppa,” she said.

“Huh?” All of us chorused together.

“We’ll pretend that we’re breaking up in front of the whole school. We’ll have a huge fight. The whole school will then know that we’re no longer together. It’s as simple as that,” Leena said.

All of us look at each other.

“What if she didn’t buy it?” Onew said.

“Oh, she will…” Leena said.

Luvly’s eyebrows pulled together.

I can tell she’s still concern about the idea of her sister.

But she didn’t say anything ‘cause she respected her.

 

While Minho and Leena did their ‘drama’, Onew hyung, Key, Taemin and I all were watching the expressions of everybody in the hall whose look suspicious.

“Anyone?” Key muttered.

“No,” I whispered back. “Onew hyung?”

“None… No one look suspicious. All of them are surprised,” Onew hyung replied quietly.

“You, Taemin?” Key whispered.

Taemin sighed.

“None…”

All four of us disappointed.

Sorry Luvly, I couldn’t help your sister.

 

That morning, all five of us were at Onew hyung’s house when the twins came.

That was the first time that I saw Leena furious, shouting with all her might.

When Key, Minho and I walked towards them, we saw Taemin was begging about something.

Onew and Luvly were expressionless.

Leena were mad like a fierce lion.

She looks almost like Luvly.

No, she’s scarier than Luvly.

“Leena, calm down… Taemin, how come you were hugging these girls?” I said, trying to calm myself after looking at those photos that are right now in Key’s hand.

I know that Taemin is innocent but I just couldn’t help myself.

It feels like he’d betrayed me too.

“I… the girl was asking for a hug. The other girl was claiming she’s scared. She’s the one who hug me.”

I shook my head at Taemin’s foolishness.

Next thing I heard is Luvly said, almost calmly, “Let’s break up.”

All of us look at Luvly whose face still doesn’t have any expression.

“Luvly…” Minho and I said at the same time.

“Mworago?” Taemin said, looking thunderstruck.

“Let’s break up. If you couldn’t even rejecting these girls from flirting with you, there is no use we still together. You’re only gonna hurt me even more,” Luvly said, heartlessly, looking straight at Taemin.

I stared at them both back and forth, as though I was waiting for someone to shout, ‘APRIL FOOL!’ although it’s the end of October.

“Andwae… Please don’t,” Taemin said, holding Luvly’s hand.

Luvly let go of her hand from Taemin’s grip with much difficulty that her TAEMIN bracelet break and fall. Then she said, “Let’s go Leena… Mianei for causing so much trouble.”

Luvly bow 90 degrees and drag Leena, looking anxious, away.

Taemin fell down to his knees, slumped on the floor.

With shaking hands, he took the bracelet and brought it to his chest and crying quietly while his mouth keeps saying, “Luvly… Saranghaeyo…”

It was a long time for all four of us to actually get him up from the floor.

We only disturbed him when it started to rain.

We know that he’s feeling a little confuse and disturbed.

He looks like an old man.

He’s not crying but there’s no expression on his face either.

I knew Luvly didn’t mean any of that.

But apart from me, is feeling relieved that she finally untied herself from him.

I know it’s wrong but I know that I’ll get a chance.

Yeah, I’ll get the chance.

In another millennium yea rs from now…