Hey, everyone! This is the new chapter I finally finished after a whole year *bad Lindsay* I was having a supremely crappy day and as always, writing came to the rescue *cues Superman's theme* Anyway, this scene is totally fictional, hope you like it :D Enjoy!

The door swung heavily on its hinges as Yuri stomped into the empty dressing room, panting loudly.

To steady her breathing, she placed her palms on top of the table in front of her, bowing her head. Then she closed her eyes while she tried to erase the bile forming in and the tears starting to form in her eyes.

It had been a typical photo shoot right from the start. Yuri and the rest of her band mates were clustered all over the white make-shift catwalk, doing an array of different poses meant to be coy and y without being provocative.

How could she have been so stupid to let her feelings show at the critical moment?

She had just walked out in the middle of an important photo shoot to promote the new winter range by High Cuts, one of the band’s biggest sponsors.

She’d done it for a good reason, but that hardly mattered when so many of the top execs from SM Entertainment had shown up to watch their progress.

Her actions had been completely unprofessional and unlike her usual ability to brush aside anything disturbing that happened on the job.

And all because the newly hired photographer, a seedy German guy in his mid-forties with receding blonde hair and a lecherous smile had gotten ‘handsy’ with her in his bid to make her look more y.

He’d done the same thing with Yoona, but that was completely different. And all because Yoona knew exactly how to wear her ‘poker face’, even in the most stressful situations.

Seohyun, the maknae of the group, didn’t react well either to men flirting with her. But she at least had the good sense to always flee the scene whenever it occurred and dismiss the incident from her head as if it had never existed.

Yuri had always been more naturally reserved and introverted, despite her image in the group as the y vixen.

The young raven-haired woman thumped her fist down hard onto the make-up counter in front of her, tears of frustration seeping from beneath her partially closed lids.

Focus, Yuri.

Get a hold of yourself.

Sooyoung always told her that she took herself way too seriously; maybe the tall and feisty ‘ball-buster’ of the group had a point.

Just then, someone began knocking gently on the dressing room door.

And in walked the last person Yuri expected, but whom she’d most wanted to see in that moment.

“Yuri-ah,” Minho greeted with a small smile tugging on his lips.

In spite of how she currently felt, Yuri ended up smiling in turn. “Hey, Oppa.”

“For the last time, I’m not an oppa! I’m only two years older than you, Unnie!” Minho retorted defensively, which make Yuri want to laugh.

Minho really was cute when he wanted to be taken seriously.

He and the rest of Shinee had joined Girls Generation for the day with their photo shoot for High Cuts. They’d already done a few promotional pictures a few weeks before with f(x), the young five-member girl group that had recently debuted with SM Entertainment.

With SNSD, most of the shots they’d done had been group photos. But a few of them were more intimate, particularly one of Yuri and Seohyun standing and resting their hands on Minho’s broad shoulders while he sat aloof on a brown ottoman sofa with a merry fire blazing in a fireplace beside them.

“Then how come are you allowed to call me ‘unnie’, but I can’t call you ‘oppa’?”

“Because despite your age, you look like an ‘unnie’.”

“Then you look like an ‘oppa’.”

“Do not!”

“Do too!”

“Do…not!”

“Do…too!”

And since Yuri was pushing her luck while Minho was clearly fuming, she couldn’t resist adding, “It’s because you take yourself way too seriously, especially with women. The only time I really saw you relax was when you were with Yoon Goon,” she teased.

Her heart thumped extra hard in her chest when Minho’s serious mouth crinkled into that irresistible smile of his while he thought fondly of the young toddler he and the rest of the Shinee had babysat during their season of ‘Hello Baby’.

“He’s a boy. And he’s 4. And it was a reality show.” Minho answered exasperatedly, but still grinning nonetheless.

“Exactly. You’re more comfortable with children.” Yuri declared.

“You think so?” Minho asked in a self-conscious manner, digging his hands deep into his jeans pockets.

Yuri’s brown eyes misted over as she approached him quietly. “I think you’ll be a great appa…someday.” She responded sincerely.

Her hand had suddenly found purchase on his broad shoulder and she found herself the bony contours underneath his turtleneck sweater.

“Thank you, Yuri. I think you’ll be a great omma someday too…if Sunny ever lets you near a baby.” Minho stated with a mischievous grin.

Trust Minho to bring up the fact that Sunny had hogged little Kyungsan throughout SNSD’s season of ‘Hello Baby’. Yuri had initially teamed up with Yoona to get more ‘face time’ with the adorable baby. But Yuri realised early on that Sunny had no intention of letting Yoona anywhere near the baby, so she changed her alliances rapidly afterwards.

Yoona got her back though with a few of those ‘prank sushi rolls’ she’d made for dinner one time during the show that had been laced with salt.

Those were some funny moments caught on camera.

“Yah, Minho!”

The tall man put his hands up in defence, laughing and protesting loudly while Yuri proceeded to smack and punch any part of his arm she could lay hands on.

“You promised you wouldn’t laugh at me about that anymore! Damn Sunny and her overly paternal ways! Yoona and I just wanted to play with Kyungsan.” Yuri frowned, her signature pout in place.

Minho would never admit it to anyone (least of all his band mates, who couldn’t keep a secret to save their lives), but he loved Yuri’s pout. It made her look extra-cute and huggable.

This was especially true right now, when she looked like she could use a hug.  

She looked so much better when she smiled.

“What happened?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing if you’re in here instead of being out there enjoying yourself. What happened, Yuri-ah?”

“Alright, I’ll tell you. You know how the photographer was trying to get me to loosen up during the shoot?”

“Uh huh.”

“Well, he…kinda hit on me at one point.”

Yuri was confused by the sudden blackness which flashed through Minho’s brown eyes when she said this.

Even though Onew was the leader of Shinee, Minho still liked to think of himself as being a kind of protector when it came to the people he cared about.

And he’d gotten a distinctly bad urge to punch the new photographer when he’d seen him talking to Yuri earlier. Only, he hadn’t been able to explain away the bubble of jealousy that had filled up his chest like acid at the time.

“What do you mean?” he demanded slowly, trying to get a reign on his emotions.

“Well, he sort of…whispered something inappropriate in my ear. Like…how he could help me ‘loosen up’ in my spare time.” Yuri answered uncomfortably.

She knew the rules of the entertainment industry. And for a group like SNSD that was extremely image-conscious, she knew how important it was to play your designated role, even when the cameras weren’t on you constantly.

But all of those expectations that were continuously upon her seemed to contrast a lot with that inherent sense of being a woman and feeling proud of your body without feeling degraded.

Out of her group members, Yuri prided herself on working the hardest to maintain her body weight and eat healthy.

And a creep had actually used that fact against her today.

“Pabo!” Minho spat with surprising venom, which brought Yuri out of her disturbed reverie.

“Minho?” she asked with real curiosity.

Her hand still hadn’t left his shoulder, and Minho was aware of this fact. But he still liked her hand coming into contact with his skin in any sense, if only to touch the fabric he was clothed with.

If this was all the contact he could have with Yuri before life and business interrupted as it found a way to constantly do, then he would gladly take these stolen moments with her.

“The company should’ve explained to him that we have set expectations about how women should be treated in public,” Minho went on with vehemence.

He reluctantly plucked Yuri’s dainty hand off of his shoulder. But he was much too indignant in the moment to give it too much thought.

“A woman should not feel threatened or uncomfortable in any setting, especially a professional setting. It’s like forcing her to wear short skirts or bikinis against her will!”

“Uh, Minho, but that’s what SNSD has to do all the time,” Yuri pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

She began laughing just a little at the look of chagrin that appeared on Minho’s face when realised his faux pas.

“No, what I meant was…you girls wear those clothes well…not that there’s anything wrong with short skirts and bikinis…” Minho spluttered stupidly.

“Ah, I finally see what’s going on here,” Yuri declared with sudden suspicion.

Minho gulped nervously when the shorter brunette sidled up to him with her hands on her hips. Then she began poking him hard in the chest.

“Choi Minho is a…byuntae!” Yuri exclaimed triumphantly.

She proceeded to clap enthusiastically when Minho rolled his eyes at her as he finally understood that she was teasing him.

“Yah, you’re one to talk! You’re always taking off your clothes on camera!” Minho protested.

“How do you know I take my clothes off? That just proves you’re a byuntae!”

“Hey, sagwayo!”

From there, the playful banter between them turned out into a fully fledged chasing match where Yuri was shadowing Minho closely. They were laughing their heads off and chasing each other around the room while Minho sought to rip the cushions off the nearest sofa and throw them at Yuri.

When he realised Yuri wasn’t going to give up chasing him, Minho changed tactics and spun around sharply, taking the shorter brunette by surprise. Then he grabbed her legs and slung her over his shoulder while she continued peppering his back with small punches.

“Yah, Minho! You’re messing up my hair!” Yuri scolded in a huff behind him.

“If you say ‘sorry’, I’ll put you down!” Minho teased with a sly smile on his face, keeping a firm grip on the backs of Yuri’s thighs.

“I’m feeling faint!”

“Sagwayo!”

“Pabo! Sagwayo, Minho-oppa!” Yuri conceded in defeat in her best aegyo voice.

That seemed like enough for Minho, so he finally put her back down on her own feet.

“See? That wasn’t so hard,” he said in a smug voice.

He grew more concerned however when Yuri began massaging her forehead. “Eh, what’s wrong?”

“I wasn’t joking when I said I feel faint,” Yuri complained lightly, making a face.

“Let me see,” Minho urged.

He took Yuri’s hand away from her face and held it while his other hand traced some soothing circles across her skin.

That little bit of contact sent an electric shock through Yuri’s veins, making it even harder for her to breathe.

Does Minho even realise how distracting he is around the opposite ?

No wonder he always gets chosen to play the part of the love interest in so many K-pop music videos.

“Better?” Minho asked quietly, rubbing his thumb over Yuri’s hand.

“Huh?” Yuri asked in a daze.

He was standing far too close to her.

If he didn’t move soon, Yuri couldn’t be held responsible for her actions, which might lead to lots of future awkward interactions between her and the handsome K-pop singer.

Minho seemed to sense it too; but instead of backing off, he kept leaning in closer, almost as if he deliberately wanted to tease the line between them.

In a world where lines of morality and attraction were constantly blurred, was there really any harm in not taking your chances whenever they came?

And yet, they still called an end to their non-verbal sparring, Yuri lowering her eyes to stare at her feet while he cleared his throat nervously above her.

So many stolen moments and not nearly enough time to make them count.

“The photo shoot…” Yuri trailed off.

“Ne!” Minho piped up

And just because Yuri knew she’d always regret it if she didn’t, she took a leap of her own and leant forward again.

But only to kiss his cheek briefly before her face was flushed with deep red.

“Komawo…oppa,” Yuri couldn’t resist teasing on the last part.

“Ne,” Minho repeated once more for no apparent reason.

But he seemed to understand the hidden message behind Yuri’s words, and he was still choosing to be her friend despite the inherent tension that seemed to be part of their unique dynamic.

That meant more than Yuri could have asked for in the moment.

Then they both cleared their throats and made a hasty retreat out of the dressing room and back to the studio where their band members were waiting for them.

However, a subtle change had come over Yuri as she faced the seedy photographer once more and posed beside Sica. Instead of feeling self-conscious like before, she threw herself into the task wholeheartedly and even upped the ante with her sultry performance.

She out her angular chin with dignity and determination and her warm brown eyes flashed with an air of mystique, her lips curling into a seductive grin that was sure to make any man (gay or straight) fall head over heels in love with her.

And Minho stood off to the side with Onew, grinning broadly at Yuri’s confident demeanour.

Now there’s the vivacious woman he knew and respected.

All she’d needed to know was that she was beautiful no matter what and not the kind of woman who could be pushed around.

He and the rest of the Shinee and SNSD members joined Sica and Yuri a few minutes later for one last group photo. After lots of toggling and quiet bickering between Sooyoung and Jonghyun about her shoes making her taller than him, the photographer assembled them in a pyramid, with the tallest members on the outskirts of the human triangle.

It was pretty amusing when Key (who was deceptively tall) ended up crouching slightly between Sunny and Taeyeon in the front. But as always, he was a good sport about it and wrapped his arms tightly around the pair, playing the ‘flamboyant angle’ he was renowned for all it was worth.

As for Yuri, she ended up standing beside Minho, as they so often managed to do.

But on some level, it was nice to know that their being thrown together constantly was often decided by a higher fate that went beyond their control.

While Minho grinned in a suave manner at the flashing light of the camera clicking away, his fingers still managed to brush against Yuri’s from time to time, which were hidden by Taemin’s tall profile as he stood in front of them.

And just because she could, Yuri would purposely lace their fingers together while she stared ahead of her and smiled broadly.

It wasn’t much, but these stolen moments belonged to her and Minho.

There weren’t minutes or even hours.

Just seconds of clandestine rapture.

 I'm a terrible tease with that Minyul cheek kiss *bad Lindsay* I'm not sure when I'll write another Minyul drabble for this collection in-between my epic obsession with 'Landscaping The Heart', but I'd appreciate comments and feedback. Thanks for reading, cheerio!