An hour later.

Tapping my fingers against the door, Taemin does not answer. Turning the door handle, it doesn't move. He locked the door? But i told him that i would be back. With my knuckles, i try knocking before pressing my ear to the door to listen. He isn't moving.

"Taemin?" i say loud enough so the sound goes through the door. "Hey, are you okay?"

"What are you doing?

I turn around sharply, Onew is standing there with a paper in his hand.

"Uh...I was...What are you doing?" i ask instead, resting my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt.

"I was just getting sheet music. Want to rehearse after dinner? I keep messing up this one move while holding the mic."

I nod. "Yeah, sure. I'll rehearse with you. Are we leaving for dinner now?"

Onew nods, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Is Taemin not in his room?" he asks, coming over to me, chewing gum like a loud horse. "Is he not coming with us?" He pulls out a room key and unlocks Taemin's door without knocking. Stepping in, Onew turns on the lights after hearing the sound of sobbing. "Taemin! What's wrong?" We stay in the doorway, not moving to the small crying boy on the bed. His tears and red face make him look so much younger then he actually is. His body is all hunched and crumpled looking that the bed is so large compared to him. Onew makes the first move towards him, sitting on the bed next to him. I cannot make myself go to him too. Inside, something snaps and i keep thinking of wanting to fall over and pass out, hating the fact that he's upset.

Taemin wipes his face fast before Onew can get to him, coughing into his hands.

"Nothing," he says, shaking his head, hair a bit messy from sleep.

"Liar." Onew wraps an arm around his shaking shoulders. "What's got you bothered?"

"Did someone hurt you?" i chime in, my voice deep.

Taemin looks up at me, his eyes red. "No."

"Did you hurt yourself?" Onew asks, looking at Taemin's bare arms and feet, not seeing any cuts or scrapes or blood.

"No." Taemin sighs, trying to calm himself down enough to not shake.

"Then what?" Onew glances at me, not knowing what to do, his own eyes beginning to water. That's all we need, two people crying. 

"It's nothing...I had...i had a bad dream." He's lying again. Taemin surrounds himself in the lie and continues, saying, "I large spider tried to eat me. I guess that movie last night got to me." He shrugs, wiping at his face again. "Don't worry about it. I'm okay." With that, i don't see a little kid anymore, i see him, Taemin, a teenager keeping something from people he cares about. 

"Are you coming to dinner or not?" i ask, feeling that my tone is harsher then wanted.

Onew glares at me.

"No." Taemin shakes his head, fixing his head with the movement.

"Onew, let's go. The others must be waiting for us." With that, i walk out, anger filling the shallow hole in my chest. Sometimes there is nothing one can do if all the other person does is lie without letting up even a tiny bit. I hurry down the stairs. Key standing there with a strange look on his face. I return with a raise of my left eyebrow, not wanting to talk.

"Taemin's not coming?" he asks, and i just shrug, walking around him to Jonghyun leaning against the wall by the doors, the bodyguards waiting out by the car, one looming behind me.

"Ready?" he asks, his eyes finding mine. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay." I walk passed Jonghyun into the cold air, loving the painful freezing that cuts at my throat when i breathe. 

"Are you ready to go, sir?" a bodyguard asks and i nod.

"The others should be out soon."