“You guys have been working really hard today,” Aerin said to them with a gracious smile. “Why don’t you take your lunch break now?”

                “Okay,” Taemin sang. “Thanks, noona!”

                “Thanks, noona,” Minho echoed. Minho took Taemin’s waist as they walked (slowly, since Taemin was still wearing his boot) over to the café that was in the library. “What’s that you’re holding, Taeminnie?”

                Taemin looked up, eagerness in his eyes and a smile on his face.

                “This, hyung,” he said extravagantly, “is none other than my favorite book as a child. A Frog’s Life Cycle, it’s called, and it is one of the most glorious books in the universe.”

                “Taemin, it’s a book about frogs. How glorious can that possibly be?” Minho deadpanned, and Taemin looked offended.

                “Hyung, I’m not sure you understand. Have you seen these illustrations? They’re beautiful,” Taemin mused, looking fixated on the book.

                “Those hardly look like frogs!” Minho pointed out, and Taemin whipped the book away from him.

                “They’re cute, hyung! And anyway, that one isn’t a frog yet. It’s a froglet, which is the intermediate stage between tadpole and frog. If you’d read this book, you’d know.” Minho chuckled to himself as Taemin flipped through the book. “Hyung, do this frog’s eyes look familiar?” he asked, shoving the book into Minho’s face.

                Minho found himself eye-to-eye with a frog with deep brown eyes.

                “No,” Minho replied. “Should they?”

                “Hyung, they’re like your eyes!” Taemin cried. “That’s part of the reason I love this book so much.”

                “I’m not sure whether to be flattered or insulted,” Minho laughed.

                “Well, in any case, it’s a compliment to the frog,” Taemin said.