It’s common knowledge that a deck of cards represents a kingdom and the kings and queens rule over it. But what about the Jacks? Are they the princes? No. They’re not even royalty. They’re the knaves – the knights. So why are they face cards? Some would say they’re fake. They’re wannabes. I just to happen to think differently. They’re not to blame for any of it. They were merely lied to. Someone long ago decided it would be a cruel trick to make the Jacks seem important by making them face cards and seemingly “even” with the royals. That jerk.

Now the suits in a deck of cards are a different story. You may think that they are the four kingdoms: the Kingdom of Diamonds, the Kingdom of Clubs, etc. But they actually represent the four classes: the nobility, the clergy, the merchants, and the peasants. It doesn’t matter what the bottom three are to me. The only one that matters are the Spades – the nobility. Why? I’m not the ruler of them nor am I of great importance to their survival. In fact, that would be a step up from my current position for you see I’m not the seven of Clubs or the three of Hearts. No. I’m something much worse: the Jack of Spades. If I were the King of Clubs that would be a different story entirely for at least then I would be the top of the bottom level. Sure I look good but that’s only because I’m a face card (or the human version of said concept) even though I’m just a Spade.

My name is Lee Jinki – or Onew – and I am the leader of the pop group SHINee. Sure being the leader sounds great but it’s just another cruel trick created by society. I’m no one special. I talk for the other members, think for the other members, and even sometimes pretend to be the other members over the internet. In other words, if anything bad were to be said about the group, it would reflect upon me and my actions. It would be my fault.

In my deck of cards called SHINee, we have Kim Jonghyun, the King. Being the main vocals in the group is just like being a king. Your voice is the voice that’s heard the most like the King whose face should be seen the most throughout the kingdom. In fact, he’s so important that he sometimes travels to other kingdoms to help out the kings and queens with their own work. He is the king of every suit – the king of every kingdom.

The next most important card would be the Queen – the cool, calm, and level-headed one that always makes clear decisions in case the King cannot. Within my deck of cards, that position belongs to Choi Minho, the rapper. Although in terms of looks, he does not appear to be a queen, but in terms of personality, he’s the queen of us all. In every situation, he remains collected and gathers his thoughts before speaking. I guess that’s why he’s good at sports. He’s calculating, like a queen should be, strong – both in mind and body, and most importantly, fair.

Normally the Jack would be next in the deck but I’ve already mentioned who that loser is so I’m going to move on to the Joker, the Fool, or the Jester who, according to me, is Lee Taemin, the dancer. I’m not saying that Taemin’s a fool or anything (although he can be quite foolish at some moments) but he is exactly what a Joker is supposed to be: different. Depending on which company’s deck of cards you purchased, the Joker will always appear different. In fact, they are sometimes considered the most valuable to card collectors because of the variety of art they can have. Taemin is like that. Taemin is different. No matter what type of song it is – be it a hip-hop song or a waltz – he always knows exactly what type of dance to do and how to make it look the best. He molds his dancing to match the music and emotion behind each song. He is our molder; our Joker.

Finally, only one card remains: the Ace which, in this case, belongs to Kim Kibum – or Key for short. Key is the group’s Ace, the triple threat. He can sing, dance, and rap. Without him, SHINee may be nowhere. We’d be nothing. Key is a workaholic and deserves the spot of the Ace – the high card. In my kingdom, the Ace is not a single person or group of people. The Ace represents the unit or the glue that holds everything and everyone together.

So in my little fairy tale world, everyone has a place and everything is in its place. You have the King – the face, the visual. Then there’s the Queen – the peacekeeper, the level-headed one. Next is the Joker – the molder. Finally there’s the Ace – the cement, the tape. That’s it. No, I’m not forgetting anyone. Not anyone important anyway. Oh, the Jack. Right, him. Like I said, I’m not forgetting anyone important. Who cares about the Jack, though? He’s worthless. He’s just the knight. He’s a nobody. Then again, he’s me. Again, my name is Lee Jinki – or Onew – and I am the Jack of Spades.