Jonghyun was sitting next to Jinki on the couch. He was playing with some inconsequential toy when Jinki turned to the younger male. He had the most put upon expression on his face that Jonghyun had ever seen. He looked at his Hyung expecting him to say something. Jinki had been acting strangely ever since the beginning of their comeback promotions. He had been distant toward the others, especially towards Taemin. The boy had recently gotten bolder in his involvement with his friends, and he wanted to be around them much more. Jonghyun could sympathize with that. He'd recently broken up with his girlfriend for reasons he wont discuss. In those months they were together he had been going out as much as the Maknae if not more. During that time in his life, he's dismayed to admit he hadn't paid enough attention to their group dynamics. Now that he was single, and back in the dorm, he could practically see everything that had gone amiss. What he was starting to notice more than ever, were his relationships, specifically with one Kim Kibum.

Jonghyun snapped out of his head, and in an instant Jinki's solemn expression broke into a smile. It was as bright as a summer skyline and just as blinding. 

"Jonghyun-a. What do you call somebody who has no body and no nose?" Jinki said with that same smile splitting his face. Behind the brightness, the man's smile hid some secret. Shading his face in such a way that if you were to observe the older man you'd be able to tell he was hiding something. Even though the smile concerned him, the question itself confused him more. 

"Huh?" Jonghyun finally exclaimed. 

"Listen to me!" Jinki admonished. His brow furrowed, but he still seemed to be more at ease now. The longer they sat there, the more amused he seemed to grow. He rolled his eyes and repeated himself.

"What do you call someone with no body and no nose?" Jonghyun was still confused, but that didn't stop him as he was determined to interact with his recently more elusive Hyung. 

"I don't know." He paused to think better but still couldn't figure it out.  "What would that be." He responded then turned himself fully toward Jinki. Somehow Jinki's smile turned bigger than before at Jonghyun's two-part answer. His smile seemed to light the room ablaze with its brightness. Jonghyun immediately knew this joke was going to be terrible. It could potentially be one of the worst their leader has ever told and he, unfortunately, would be the only one to witness it. Jinki gathered himself and opened his mouth. 

"Nobody knows," He said as slow as possible so that the point could get across well. Jonghyun sat in silence for a second. Mind completely blank. He didn't say anything or even think before Jinki shot another joke at him. 

"Jonghyun-a. I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down!" He snickered out while Jonghyun sat in astonishment by his side on the couch. Yet again the leader spits out another joke. One after the other after the other. Each more painful than the last. 

"What's brown and sticky?! A stick!" 

"What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled Milk!" 

Until Jonghyun had enough, it was easy for him to see the vague sea of emotion in Jinki's eyes. No matter what his reaction was that emotion wasn't going away. He had to fix this. Whatever this was. 

"Hyung! Stop! Can you please stop making jokes for 1 minute?" Jonghyun had somehow gotten closer to the leader within the short period it took for him to speak. Yet Jinki was frozen on the couch. Jonghyun reached out and grabbed Jinki's leg. Jinki's smile dropped to show his real feelings. They poured from his eyes onto the rest of his cherubic face like a waterfall. His head dropped once again, he tried smiling, but it wouldn't stick. Not anymore. He his lips and cleared his throat, slowly looking up at Jonghyun. 

"I can't," he replied

"Why not?" Jonghyun said jokingly trying to get Jinki to open up more. It didn't work. In fact he just seemed more resigned. Jinki glanced over at Jonghyun and said.

"Because The only other option besides me telling these jokes is to cry and face my feelings... so no. I can't." The older male gritted his teeth, and turned his face away. They were getting somewhere at least. In the months of silence and avoidance, this was the . Jonghyun didn't want to push because he knew his Hyung was a very private person. He sighed to himself. He only wanted his Hyung to feel relieved of whatever burdens he may be carrying around. Jinki had his head turned down again. He was playing with his bracelet pretending to be lost deep in thought. Even though they both knew he was very aware of everything going on in the room. Jonghyun squeezed Jinki's thigh to get his attention again, and smiled at their leader. 

"Hyung confide in me, please. What am I here for if not to listen and support my members?" Jinki looked up with a little hesitant smile and a new look of determination on his face. He sat up straight, eyebrows creased in seriousness. 

"Jonghyun-a. You have to promise to keep this a secret from the others. This secret has been eating me up inside for months, and I think I'm about to burst." Jonghyun was so confused, but he knew he could keep his promise, this was of grave importance to Jinki and thus what was causing him so much turmoil. He would get to the bottom of this one way or the other. 

"Yes, Hyung! I'll try my best!" Jinki's strong eyebrows creased again. It was like he was still conflicted before smoothing out with a long sigh from their owner. 

"It's... It's actually about Taemin-a..." Jonghyun wasn't shocked in the slightest. Jinki had been weird around their Maknae and Vice Versa. Jonghyun nodded to encourage his Hyung to say a little bit more. At this point, it's all he could do to get him to go on without the fear of him changing his mind at the last minute, and keeping all his angst within. 

"One night, a couple of months ago. I noticed Taemin-a going out more and more. Which is fine, but I kinda got worried about him." Jinki stopped, then looked at Jonghyun. Jonghyun realized that he was expecting some type of reaction from him, and he quickly schooled his expression into shock, widening his eyes. Jinki blew out of his mouth in a quick puff more determined than ever to continue. 

"As a leader, I had to know what he was doing every night. What was so damn important he couldn't disclose his location to his family! So I- I followed him." Jinki finished sheepishly. Jonghyun wanted to snicker at the bashful man, but kept it to himself, and encouraged him on with his small nods.

"Jonghyun-a this part is where everything changed in our relationship." Jonghyun sat up straight. Was it that serious that their whole relationship changed? Jinki began to breathe shallowly through his nose. He was ready to reveal something that could be a blow to Jonghyun's psyche. He looked up fire blazing in his eyes and blurted out. 

"Taemin-a! He's-He's Straight!!!" He closed his eyes in preparation to hear a gasp or see some form of shock on his dongsaeng's face. Jonghyun was in shock but not for the reason's Jinki may have thought. He almost did a spit take at the ridiculousness of the previous statement. How was this the devastating, life-altering, dramatic news that had caused his beloved Hyung's relationship with Taemin to change? He couldn't hold back his loud cackle at the so-called news. Jinki, absolutely flabbergasted, turned back towards Jonghyun his eyes widening at his most trusted Dongsaeng. 

"Yah! Are you crazy?! Why are you laughing?!" Jinki's eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows flew up past his hairline. Meanwhile, Jonghyun was practically hanging off the couch, screeching to the high heavens. He began gasping, desperately trying to catch his breath. Still feeling like he might descend into another fit of laughter, but knowing he could ultimately speak, he righted himself. 

"Why do you say that, Hyung." He gasped out almost vibrating out of his seat on the couch against Jinki's shoulder. Jinki huffed as he believed this was all a matter of the utmost importance. 

"Remember how I said Taemin had been going out? Well, that night that I followed him. I saw him and Jongin go to a bar in Hongdae! Taemin was all over the place, drinks were flowing, girls were all over him, and he was enjoying himself a little too much. At one point in the night, he disappeared a couple of times with those girls. I left before him, and when he came home, I decided to confront him! He smelled like straight , a gross mixture of booze, sweat, and perfume. We fought about how much he was going out and how it was dangerous. He was staying out to late and drinking to much. Suddenly in the middle of the argument he said he wanted a girlfriend already! He told me that he es at least ten times a day, and sometimes even on my bed!" Jinki said the last part with a small tear in his eye. His bed was the second-most sacred place to him, and it was desecrated repeatedly, by their maknae. Yet still, this wasn't the most shocking news to Jonghyun either. Taemin was a growing boy, and he's lived with all the members long enough to know how much Taemin wants a girlfriend. Jonghyun had to let their clueless Hyung know that this "secret" was an already well-known fact. So he did the only sensible thing in this situation. He broke his promise and called for the other SHINee members. Taemin was even out right now for dance practice and couldn't interject. "Minho-a is Taemin-a straight?" Jonghyun asked as seriously as he could with the subject matter. The sudden yell shocked the distress from Jinki, and caused Minho to stir in the next room over. Kibum also seemed to be summoned when in all actuality. The man had been keeping an ear out since the beginning of the conversation.

"Huh? Why ask that question if you live with Taemin. He's so disgusting. He constantly wants some new idol girl, and come on! We've all walked in on him way too many times with idol magazine pulled up." Minho said in exasperation from his room. Kibum, having heard everything, lazily walked out into the living room as confidently as always. Before he had refused to comment on account of this being something Jonghyun related, but putting away his pride now and quickly said

"He's about as straight as I'm gay." Then the pretty male glared at Jonghyun, and retreated into his kingdom of opulence. Cupid's bow lips glossed and pursed in annoyance. Jonghyun looked away and his lips. He was pointedly not thinking about how Kibum was treating him, and how it may be 80% his fault. One day he would have to face that music too, but for now, Jinki was floundering next to him due to the fact all the members already seemed to know Jinki's 'Huge Taemin Secret.'

"Sorry, Hyung. We all kinda knew already." Jonghyun provided unhelpfully. Jinki pouted, arms crossed over his chest. 

"Why didn't anyone tell me!" Jinki grumbled

"Well, it's pretty obvious!"Jonghyun replied in exasperation. Jinki shook his head, and Jonghyun stifled another giggle.

"It's Onew Sangtae," Jonghyun said as Jinki continued to pout. In the back of his mind though he was glad to get this "secret" off his chest. He also was thinking to himself.

'I may have Onew Sangtae, but that doesn't mean I can't see the way you and Kibum have been acting around each other.' He smiled at his dongsaeng and shrugged his shoulders.

'That's another problem to worry about.'