Chapter Fifteen: Compelling

Taeyeon stayed for a little longer to keep her company while SM’s staff fussed over Taemin. The two of them became friends when Taemin brought her to one of SM Town’s private gatherings. Over time, not only did she became close friends with Taeyeon. She also developed close friendships with other SM artists.

What the public was unaware of was that there were many close friendships between artists. Most artist were just good at hiding them to avoid fan wars and misunderstandings. Especially if it was a friendship between a male and female artist.

Since it had been awhile since Taeyeon and her sat down for a chat, their topics were unending. They filled each other in on what they had been up to recently. Taeyeon even told her that she would be releasing a song very soon. She even made her promise to attend one of her performances of her schedule and Apink’s schedule would permit her.

Taemin joined them a while later when he was done getting ready.

“What are you guys been talking about?” He asked, choosing to sit on the arm of her chair instead of getting his own seat.

“Just random stuff,” Taeyeon answered, raising an eyebrow at Taemin’s chosen seat. She turned to her and gave her a teasing look.

She made a face and pushed Taemin off her seat. “There’s a chair next to Taeyeon unnie,” she told him, motioning to the empty seat across her.

He threw her a look of complain before proceeding to sit across from her.

She secretly threw an appreciative look at his transformation. He was now Taemin, the celebrity. Gone was the Taemin who walked in wearing a simple shirt and black pants. His smokey eye makeup highlighted his eyes, making his gaze penetrating and mysterious. He looked different, but in a good way. She liked this side of them.

The three of them sat in the waiting room. From there, they watched the performances while they waited for Taemin’s turn. Since he was added last minute to the lineup of performers, he was the last one to perform.

While Taemin and Taeyeon’s attention were on the screen, she casted a curious look at Taemin. Up until now, she did not know how SM managed to pull the whole thing off. She wondered how they managed to squeeze in an additional ten minutes for Taemin’s performance. Did they cut some of the time allocated for the MCs or the commercials? Being an artist from SM indeed had its own perks.

Towards the end of the show, Taeyeon was forced to leave. One of her family members called her for something important. She looked downcasted on her way out so Taemin consoled her of the thought that there would opportunities in the future where she could watch him live.

About ten minutes after Taeyeon left, a staff member notified Taemin to get ready. The next minutes after that were a blur as the SM crew once again fussed over Taemin. They had to make sure everything was set.

When they got to the back of the stage, Naeun stood on the side. She watched as people continuously surround Taemin. Since it was his first comeback stage, his crew looked tense. They had to make sure that no problem would arise.

The main performer himself, however, was far from tense. His posture was relaxed. He was even happily conversing with one of the backstage crew.

She was suddenly reminded of his very first performance when he had his solo debut. That was the time when everyone was genuinely tense. Taemin’s parents, her, SHINee, Taemin’s best friends, and some artists from SM were present to support him.

They were all anxious yet excited at the same time. Taemin’s solo debut was a first in SM. He was the very first one to debut as a solo artist while still promoting as part of a group.

“Taemin-ssi, three minutes!” informed one of the show’s staff members.

Taemin gave the staff a nod. “Okay, got it!” Then he motioned for his crew to stop.

They immediately stopped picking at his clothes and hair. They all stepped back and left him.

When he was alone, Taemin walked up to her.

“You don’t have to stand there.” He smiled as he spoke. “Go and wait in the waiting room.”

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