Sehun and I were both surprised to see that the pretty barista we knew working at Dream Tea did not look like the guy standing in front of us, right outside my door.

"Sehun!" Taemin exclaims, a wide smile on his face, "You're here." He chuckles. "How are you?"

"Peachy." My best friend answers quickly. "Did you get a hair cut?" Sehun is quick to ask.

I face-palmed.

Sometimes the guy just has no filter. I was more or less mortified until Taemin laughed.

Sehun and I exchanged glances not getting the joke that Taemin seemed to be laughing at by himself.

He shakes his head, "No. I didn't cut my hair. Those things are extensions." He tells us.

"Why do you wear extensions?" I raise an eyebrow.

"For work."

"For… work?" Sehun and I muttered slowly, confusedly.

He went on to explain, "Yeah, for work we have to have this kind of look… some sort of Japanese-inspired flower boy look or something. That's why they have me wear those extensions, and why Key hyung's hair is blonde."

There was only one thing going through my mind. And it was: dafuuuuuuq? Not like I would ever let Taemin know the thoughts running through my mind about the whole thing.

"So, you don't willingly enjoy the long hair?" Sehun asks.

He shrugs. "It's okay, but I prefer my hair like this." He chuckles.

Taemin's hair was styled in a nice up-do that complimented his face very well.

Despite his really feminine-looking face, the hairstyle brought out Taemin's more handsome side, and I thought he looked really good. Long hair or not, Taemin could get away with looking both pretty and handsome. I smiled.

"So, should we get going?" I ask Taemin.

He nods. "What about Sehun?" He looks at my best friend.

"Oh, he's just here to send us off." I say, "Right, Sehunnie?"

"Yeah. I should head home." He tells us, then he shoots Taemin a sly look, "Call me when you get bored." With a wink, Sehun skipped off to the house beside ours. Leaving me and Taemin laughing.

"So, does Sehun live with you?" Taemin asks me playfully, while we were walking on the way to the bus stop.

"Only on weekends." I humor him. He laughs, so I laugh a bit too.

"But, it's like he's always at your house, though…" He says.

I nod, "Mhmm. Well, it takes us no less than 2 minutes to be at each others' doorsteps, so…"

"You visit Sehun's house often, too?"

"Yup. We're constantly in each others' houses." I share with Taemin. "Like, if I don't have food, I raid their kitchen. If Sehun wants to borrow clothes, he can raid my closet." Taemin laughs, I grin but I continue, "Yeah. We can do that even if neither of us are at home or are sleeping or something. We're always welcome to each others' places."

He smiles warmly, "That's really nice."

I agree, "But my friends and I enjoy hanging at Sehun's place the most because of his mom's cooking."

"Oh…" Taemin says. "Are your friends going out tonight?"

"I don't think so. But Sehun will be bored. I won't be surprised if some of them end up meeting up." I tell him.

"And you don't mind?"

I shake my head. "I'm with them all the time anyway."

Taemin nods.

"So how'd you get here?" I asked curiously. "Did your brother drop you off again?"

"Nah, I took the train. It's only one stop, then it's like a 10-minute walk to your neighborhood."

"Ah, yeah. The nearest station isn't too far from here."

"Mhm. So it's really no problem." Taemin nods.

I would save my question for where he lived later in the day.

Taemin glances at me with what seemed to be a slight smirk playing on his face.

"What?" I my head to the side.

His smirk turns into a smile. "I hope you're hungry."

"I am. My last meal was lunch. I'm pretty much starving."

"Good!"

"So, where are we eating?"

"You'll see."

The restaurant Taemin took me to was in a place just a little off Gangnam district-- where I lived. It took us a bus ride and a cab to get to the restaurant. The restaurant being a long walk away from the stop we got off at. The area was really nice. There were lots of nice shops, little cafes and restaurants. And for a place with many interesting shops to see, it wasn't crowded.

"Do you mind Italian food?" He asked me.

"Not at all." I say with a smile.

He brings me to this restaurant called Esprimere. It looked expensive. But I didn't really mind. When we walked inside, I saw that the place wasn't all that big, it could dine about 40-50 people. Then I noticed that most of the waiters and waitresses inside greeted Taemin warmly, as if they've been friends for a long time. Taemin was probably a regular here.

I walked faster, wanting to be closer to Taemin, so that I could whisper him my question. "Do you eat here often?" I ask quietly, when I was close enough.

"Not as often as you visit Dream Tea." He teases.

I chuckle. "Haha. Very funny." I retort sarcastically.

In no time, Taemin and I were seated. In a booth table, might I add. I quietly laughed by myself at the coincidence of it. We sat on opposite sides. The menus came before any of us could start a small conversation, and I found myself starving as I was looking through it.

"You've eaten here before, what's good?" I ask Taemin, looking up from the menu I was holding up.

Taemin, on the other hand, was staring down at the menu he had placed on the table. After he flipped a page he looked at me, "They have really good pizza and pasta. Their Roman salad is really yummy as well."

Well. I wasn't in the mood for salad. I was hungry.

"What are you going to get?"

"I want their Spinach Ravioli. But I'm craving for pizza, too." He tells me. "Do you wanna share one?"

"Sure." I say, and quickly turn to the pizza page. "Which one do you want?"

"I want their Quattro Formaggi--" I froze at the sudden Italian that came out of his mouth, but he didn't seem to notice. "--cause it's really good. Unless you want something else. Which I recommend their Margherita Pizza…" He goes on to say.

"The what?" Was all I could reply.

Taemin laughs, "I'm sorry." He shoots me a kind smile. "Their 4 cheese pizza is really good. That's what I want, unless you want to try something else with more toppings."

In the end, we ordered both pizzas. Because I was starving and wanted to try them both. I also argued that if there were any left overs, I could bring them home and share them with Sehun. I knew he was going to ask about tonight, anyway. Taemin and I also ordered our own dishes. For him it was that Spinach Ravioli, and for me, it was a Sausage and Pepper Penne pasta.

The waiter took our menus after we had ordered and served us our iced teas. Which I quickly took a sip from.

"How is it? I love their iced tea here." Taemin said playing with his straw.

I nod, "It's really good."

"Their iced tea isn't the usual lemon, it's raspberry and I think it's really delicious." He tells me. "There aren't a lot of places with yummy raspberry iced teas."

I continue sipping, knowing my drink had the 'refillable' option, and looked at Taemin as he continued to talk.

"I'm sorry… I'm rambling." He chuckles.

I shrug, "I like your passion about iced tea." I joke.

He rolls his eyes and laughs. "I'm picky when it comes to food, okay." He defends. "That's why when I find a place with something I particularly like, I don't hesitate to come back."

I think there was an underlying teasing message to that--with the whole me going to Dream Tea every week routine-- but I didn't retort because it reminded me of a question I wanted to ask.

"I've been meaning to ask…" I started, which got his attention. "Where do you live?" Not to sound like a creep or anything.

Taemin chuckles, "I'm a neighborhood away from the Dream Tea area." He nods. That place was a bit far from where I lived. By car it would probably take up to 20-30 minutes. Oh well, that didn't seem so bad.

"It's a small neighborhood." He goes on to say. "Probably less than half of your current community."

I chuckle, "We have a big neighborhood."

"Which is fun, because you have all your friends." Taemin says, "The place I live in is an old area, so most of the people living there are much older than my parents."

"Where do your friends live?"

"Onew hyung lives in the area, too. While Minho hyung's grandparents reside there. But he and Key hyung share a dorm at the university… which is in the same area as Dream Tea and your dance Academy."

"Oh. You all go to the same University?"

"Except Onew hyung, since he's in a pre-med course… and our school doesn't offer medical courses." He explains.

Now would probably be the right time to bring up college. As Sehun told me to ask help from Taemin.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." He replies wittily, which was no help to my nerves. He sees the change in my look and his expressions softens.

"Of course, Kai. You can ask me anything." He encouraged. "Go ahead."

I pause. "What course are you taking up?"

Taemin smiles brightly, "I'm in Culinary Arts." He answers immediately. No wonder he was so passionate every time we talked about food. "Why? Are you interested?" He asks me.

I shake my head slowly, the topic being a little uncomfortable for me. "…not exactly." I mumble, avoiding eye-contact. I could sense Taemin's worry, so I glanced up. He looked worried.

"What's wrong, Kai?"

"It's just… I still don't know what to take for college."

"What do you love to do?"

"Dance." I answer. He was going to speak up, and I knew what he was going to say, so immediately I added, "But I don't want to dance for a living."

"Well…" Taemin starts slowly, "What do you find interesting? What is something you want to try but were afraid to do?"

I was confused.

"College is not always about knowing what you want to do or what you want to become. It's not always about having your future planned out, expecting a career that you envisioned right after graduating. No… sometimes it's about trying something new, finding out if you're good at it or finding that it is something you enjoy doing." Taemin explains. It was along the lines of what Sehun was telling me, but Taemin had explained it so much better.

My eyes were suddenly open to the thought of going to college.

He continues. "I had my heart set on becoming a lawyer, but, in my last year of high school, I realized I loved to cook--apparently. And all I wanted to do was learn more and more, so here I am, 2 years later, studying culinary arts."

I blinked, processing what he just said.

"Did my answer help?"

I nod. "It did." I say, "A lot."

"It's just, now I'm not sure what I want to try. I never really thought about it." I couldn't admit the reason that I never thought about college was that I didn't really think I wanted to attend it. Maybe put it off. Do something else. It's not that I hated school, it's just, what was there for me to learn? I could dance or travel for a whole year first or something, I always thought I needed more time to think of what I wanted to do. But maybe taking a year off was too much.

Then again, I never told my parents of these plans. They were just ideas. For all they know, I have my college applications all picked out already.

"Not to pressure you or anything, but applications need to be submitted soon, so, I think you should dedicate a day or something to decide and look over courses…" He suggests.

I nod, keeping quiet. I didn't know what else to say, then Sehun's courses popped into my head. "…well, Sehun told me about some of the courses he liked." I tell Taemin.

"Well, was there something that you found interesting?" He asks me. "Or other courses that you heard of that you might like?"

I shake my head, and bit my bottom lip nervously.

Taemin probably noticed my uneasiness because he let out a sigh and spoke with e gentler tone of voice. "Kai…" He starts, I make sure to look him straight in the eye. I didn't want to be rude. "You don't have to decide now. If you need help, you can always consult with me, and we could look at your prospects together. Even Sehun, if he needs help, I'd be more than happy to give you guys a hand."

He was being too sweet. But, I would really, really appreciate his help. I need it now more than ever since applications need to be filled out already.

I agreed, accepting his help and Taemin told me a lot more comforting offers and suggestions. He really lightened up my mood about having no plans after graduating high school.

After the conversation about college, our pasta arrived. I was relieved when it finally did. We took a break from the long talks and started on our food.

"Wow. This is really good." I pause. "Really, really good." I look at him with a huge, satisfied smile.

Taemin smiles. "I'll make sure to tell the chef of your compliments." He says, sticking half a piece of ravioli into his mouth.

I raise an eyebrow. "You know the chef?"

He laughs. "Why else would I bring you here?" It was followed by a quick, "Just kidding." I shake my head and chuckle, chewing on the piece of sliced sausage I just stuck into my mouth. "This is one of my favorite places to eat, and I was craving Italian food. But yes, I'm friends with the chef and I really like his cooking." He tells me.

"I see." I nod, taking another big bite from my pasta. "Y'know…" I start, "Now that you mentioned it, you should let me try your cooking!"

Taemin laughs, "Sure! Some time." He says. "But you already have your favorite chef, Sehun's mom. How could I compete with that?" He jokes.

"…are you being sarcastic?" I say with a straight face.

"Kind of. But I do think Sehun's mom is a great pastry chef! I would like to try her savory dishes." He tells me.

I pretend to know what he's talking about and instead, opted to take another bite from my pasta.

By the time the pizzas arrived, the atmosphere was much lighter. Taemin and I were both in a joking mood and much more comfortable with each other. (This was even including all our previous interactions.) We brought up a lot of things when the topic about our 'what we do on a regular day' was what we were talking about.

Taemin told me that he went to school, to work and if he had time, he'd hang out with his friends. But school and work kept him busy. He actually enjoyed being busy. Taemin said that if he was idle, he would get bored a lot. 

I was the exact opposite. On the other hand, it seemed I had much more time on my hands than he did, because when school was done, it was always just chilling or hanging out with Sehun or the rest of my friends. I did tell him I dedicated a lot of my time to dancing. Which still involved Sehun's presence most of the time, as I did practically everything with my best friend.

The conversation reminded me about the showcase.

"Are you busy next Saturday?" I asked nervously.

Taemin shakes his head, "No plans yet. Why?"

"Umm…" I started slowly, "I was wondering if you'd like to go to mine and Sehun's showcase?"

"Showcase?"

I nod, "Yeah… for our Dance Academy. It's like a recital…" I go on to explain.

"Oh! A dance showcase. Like a performance of what you've learned!" He smiles, understanding.

I smile too. "Mhmm!" I nod enthusiastically.

"Sure. I'd love to go." He tells me.

My smile got even wider. "Really?"

"Of course! I would love to see you and Sehun doing what you're good at." He grins.

"I'll give you a ticket on…" I think when I'm going to see him. "Tuesday." Yeah, we'll be in Dream Tea next Tuesday and Thursday. As usual.

Taemin nods. "I'll be waiting for it, then."

"Are your other friends going to be watching?"

"I know Luhan and Baekhyun are. We have yet to tell the others." I tell him.

He nods as he takes a sip from his raspberry iced tea.

"While we're on the topic of my friends," I start, leaning in closer and grinning, "Confidentiality, just between you and me, which of them do you like?"

Taemin fakes a gasp and then starts to laugh. "What the hell? Kai!" He scolds playfully, the eyesmile never leaving his eyes. "What brought on the question?" He was able to say in between hearty chuckles.

I lean back and shrug, "I was just curious."

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

I nod, "Yeah, which of them do you like more than the others?"

"Sehun." He answers smartly.

I roll my eyes, "Except Sehun."

He laughs, "But what if Sehun really is my favorite?"

"That's because he hangs out with almost as much as I do, so he doesn't count." I argue.

"But I like Sehun more than you, though…" He casually says.

I knew he was joking, but I shot him a serious look. "Sehun. Doesn't. Count."

Taemin laughs again. "Fine. Fine." He pauses awhile, I am assuming, to think, "Um… probably the first 3 I met. Luhan, Lay and Baekhyun."

"…and out of those 3?" I ushered.

"I don't know. Luhan and Baekhyun are both really nice and funny." He starts, "Lay is, too. But he's quieter than the both of them…" He nods, I find myself nodding cause Taemin was quite right. Then he adds, "Actually, I think I'd get along with Lay pretty well."

I was surprised to hear that. "Really? How come?"

"I dunno. We're similar in attitude?" He shrugs. "Like, I'd rather stay back and watch my friends and laugh along, but if you ask me to join in I would. Which is kind of what Lay did when we were in Myeongdong." Taemin explains. I smile and nod at his observations. "Well, at least, that's what I was getting from that one time we hung out. But who knows, right?" He chuckles. "I do like your friends, though."

"I like them, too." I laugh.

Taemin throws a crumpled up napkin towards me. Now both of us were laughing.

"As much as I enjoy the Gelato here, I want to take you to this dessert place."

"Maybe I can have gelato next time." I tell Taemin, "I had ice cream with Sehun earlier."

"Perfect!" He smiles brightly. "The place I want to take you to sells a lot of really good cakes."

"Better than Sehun's mom?"

"…well…" Taemin starts, "You could be the judge of that." He chuckles.

"Hmm. Sounds like a plan."

Taemin grins. "Shall we go?"

"I haven't paid yet."

"It's on my tab, my treat." He smiles cheekily.

I frown, "Okay, but let me buy the dessert!" I compromise.

"I'll think about it." He teases.

I didn't want to whine, so I kept my cool with, "C'mon, you don't have to treat me twice even though you're a couple of months older than me!"

He snorted and shot me a look. "I said, I'd think about it, Jonginnie." He teases, using my real name for the first time.

"Taemin!" I bellowed, half annoyed, half embarrassed. 

I was definitely blushing.

HI EVERYONE!!!!!!!!! finally. an update! ><

So, first of all, I would like to apologize in the delay of the chapter. I know I used to update every day. Those were the days I had back-up chapters already written and prepared, now, I have no other excuse except that I have been lazy to write this past month.

Boo < / 3

 
(original gif I planned to use as visual aids for Taemin's hair. LOL ) 

Not to worry, though! The story is still in progress. In fact, it's going to end soon. I predict 3 or 4 more chapters before the end. (at most 5, probably) I won't guarantee a quick update, like I used to, but I hope to have the next chapter up in the next 1-2 weeks? I am honestly hoping against hope I can power through my writer's block and start writing a lot again.

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL MY NEW SUBSRCIBERS! Another huge thank you for the old ones, too! Thank you for sticking to the story even if it hasn't been updated in soooo long! ♥ To everyone dropping by and leaving a comment, big big thanks! They encourage me! ^_____^ and to everyone else reading, I hope you're enjoying the story! And thanks so much for getting this far! ;D

정말 고마워용!!!!