Honestly, Taemin had no idea what to do at this point. He wasn’t expecting things to be found out this easily. There was so much more he needed to do, so much more fun he wanted to have with this two way friendship.

But by the way Jonghyun was irritably looking at him and Kibum was staring at him with question and confusion, the young baker knew it was time for all three of them to get acquainted.

“Let’s have a seat first, hyungs.” Taemin suggests, leading the two to a table.

“You better tell us everything, Tae. No time for secrets anymore.” Jonghyun glares at him, and the baker swallows thickly.

“Well this is an unexpected surprise.” Kibum smiles, sitting down calmly at the table.

Taemin helplessly looks back and forth between the two, baffled by their differences and opposite attitudes.

He could tell it was going to be a long day.

“Hold on, let me just whip something up for you guys to eat before we talk. I’ll be back.” the baker says, scurrying into the kitchen.

“I didn’t know you and him are friends.” Kibum says, leaning back into the chair.

“And sadly, you had to know him too.” Jonghyun scowls.

“He was really friendly when I first came in here. I never would’ve guessed you two knew each other. It sure is a small world.”

“Just because we’re socially different doesn’t mean we can’t be friends with each other.” Jonghyun says drily.

“So you admit you’re a hopeless social douche?”

“You want to start something with me?” the lawyer growls threateningly.

Kibum laughs, so airy and carefree that it made Jonghyun flinch. “I was just kidding, alright? Lighten up will you?”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

The artist shrugs. “The world’s not just about law and government, you know. We’re all humans that need to have fun once in a while.”

“Are you trying to say that I’m boring?”

“He’s right, you know.” Taemin says, reappearing from the kitchen with a plate of newly baked cookies in his hands.

“I don’t need you to side along with him.” Jonghyun glares, taking a cup of hot chocolate from the baker’s tray.

“Don’t worry hyung, I’ll explain.” Taemin reassures the lawyer, knowing that he was still mad at him for keeping his friendship with Kibum a secret.

“Yeah, explain why you decided to make a fool out of me and pretend you didn’t know who the hell Kibum was when I said he was my annoying neighbor.” Jonghyun says accusingly.

“Hey, I had fun while it lasted.” Taemin laughs, taking a seat beside the artist.

He knew that sitting next to the lawyer was not the best idea at the moment.

“It’s something I would definitely considering doing.” Kibum giggles, and Jonghyun shoots him a what-the--are-you-doing-siding-with-this-lying-bastard look (which the artist pointedly ignores).

“I didn’t know at first you guys knew each other, it was only when Jonghyun hyung mentioned you the other day that I found out about it.” Taemin says.

“You were talking about me?” Kibum asks Jonghyun slyly.

“Yeah, talking about how annoying your retarded face is.” the lawyer shoot back.

Taemin gives Kibum an apologetic look. “Sorry about that, I know he’s got a nasty attitude. I promise you’ll get used to it.’

“It’s alright; I know what I’ve gotten myself into.” the artist smiles.

“Hello? I’m still here you guys.” Jonghyun butts in, mortified that the two boys were talking about him as if he wasn’t there with them.

“You’re boring to talk to anyways.” Taemin waves him off. “I like talking to Kibum hyung more.”

The lawyer’s jaw drops open. “You know what? Fine, just continue talking like I’m not here. That’s totally fine with me.”

At that moment, Jonghyun’s cell phone rings.

And he’s more than happy to leave the table and step outside to take the call.

After making sure the lawyer is out of earshot, Taemin turns to Kibum once again.

“He may seem rude, but he’s really kind and a great friend.”

“That’s what I’ve thought. Seems like there’s more to him than what meets the eye.”

The baker’s eyes light up in amusement. “That’s definitely true.”

Kibum looks at the baker quizzically. “Is there something I should know?”

“That’s not for me to say. I think Jonghyun hyung would make my life a living hell if I told you anything about him.”

“He seems like a man with many secrets.”

“Funny, those are the exact same words I said to him a few years ago.” Taemin laughs, his brown eyes looking distant.

“Was he always this cold and negative?” Kibum dares to ask.

“No. Believe it or not, he was a bubbly and happy person back then. He was very popular in high school, and most of the girls swooned over him.”

“What happened that changed him so much?”

Taemin’s eyes darken and his smile fades a little. “He found the person he loved.”

Kibum raises an eyebrow in surprise, completely forgetting about the half eaten cookie on his plate. He was intrigued of the sudden turn of events.

The lawyer didn’t seem to be the type to have any love interests at all.

In fact, Kibum thought Jonghyun was only interested in work and nothing but law and government.

“Was it Minjung?” the artist asks.

“How do you know her?” Taemin asks in surprise.

“Jonghyun and I ran into her at the office by the elevators.”

“He never told me that he was with you.” the baker mutters. “Anyway, back to the story.”

Kibum instinctively leans forward, completely hooked onto the baker’s words.

“Again, I can’t say who that person was or clarify if it was Minjung or not. That’s for Jonghyun hyung to tell you.” Taemin winks.

“Alright, go on.”

“You see, Jonghyun hyung wasn’t the type to date back in high school.” the baker continues. “He was really kind and soft hearted, but he was always single without giving any hints of his love interests. I guess that’s what made the girls like him so much, because they wanted to find out more about it. I guess he’s always had that guarded side of his.”

Kibum nods. He knew exactly what Taemin meant.

“And then one day, out of the blue, he was suddenly in a relationship. He was in love. Everyone in the school was so surprised and excited, even the teachers were gossiping about him. He made no move to hide his relationship, and everyone learned to accept his love. Some people were even inspired.”

“And then?” the artist asks excitedly.

“But not every love story has a happy ending.” Taemin says softly. “On the couple’s one year anniversary, something happened in the Kim family’s household. No one really knew what exactly happened, but rumors said that Jonghyun hyung’s parents were criminals and did something very bad that they urgently had to leave the country. Of course, that wasn’t true, I’ve met his parents and they were kind enough.”

“So what happened next?” Kibum asks.

“The couple broke up one day, when Jonghyun hyung was already a senior in high school. His lover suddenly disappeared without a trace from the school. Everyone was shocked when they heard the news. From that day on, Jonghyun hyung lost his smile and tender attitude. He closed off others around him, afraid that he was going to get hurt like that again if he fell in love one more time. He became a totally different person.”

“What happened to his girlfriend?”

“A few years later, after he just graduated from college, he met her again.”

“So it was Minjung!” Kibum says excitedly.

“I’m not going to confirm anything.” Taemin half smiles.

“So he didn’t get back with that girl?”

“She was his first love, and sadly, the last.”

Kibum leans back, feeling that a big piece of information was missing. “But, what exactly happened between the two that caused them to break up?”

The baker takes his time to reply, sipping a bit of his hot chocolate and gently placing it down.

“No one knows, until now.”

“Not even Jinki hyung or yourself?”

Taemin shakes his head. “Sometimes it’s best to leave the past unexplained.”

The baker’s words are still ringing in Kibum’s ear when the door to the bakery dings, and both boys turn to find a tall figure making their way towards them.

“Minho?” the artist says, still a bit dazed from his conversation with Taemin.

“You know this place ‘Bum?” the tall boy says, dripping in sweat.

He was still in his athletic gear, a basketball tshirt on with gray sweatpants and running shoes. He had a towel resting on his shoulder, a half filled water bottle enclosed in one of his big hands.

“Yeah, I’ve been here a couple of times before. This is your first?” Kibum replies.

Minho nods. “The smell lured me in. I was out for a jog and I came across this place. The pastries look really good.”

“All thanks to Tae.” the artist smiles, turning to the baker who was looking at them with an amused smile.

“ ‘Bum?” he repeats, replicating the way Minho had said it.

“Yeah, he likes to shorten a lot of things. Including my name.” Kibum says, looking at his friend with a grin.

“You own this place?” Minho asks with wide eyes, realization finally dawning on him as he sees the Manager nameplate pinned on Taemin’s shirt.

“Actually, my parents do. But I’m responsible of running it when they’re out of town.” the baker clarifies.

“Impressive, huh?” Kibum nudges Minho.

Before the tall boy could respond, Jonghyun saunters back into the shop, almost doubling back when he sees Minho standing by the table.

“It’s you!” both boys say at the same time.

“You’ve met?” Taemin asks.

“Once.” Jonghyun scowls, remembering their first brief encounter.

“So you’re that bastard neighbor of ours.” Minho says, who receives a heated glare from the lawyer.

“You were the one who bumped into me first!” Jonghyun shouts.

“Are you ing kidding me? You were the one ramming into me in the first place!”

“Your sweat went all over my suit, you jackass!”

“Aw, I’m sorry. Did I get your pretty little suit dirtied up a bit? Want me to clean it up for you, princess?”

“Nah, it’s okay. I’ll save you the trouble of getting your perfect little manicured fingers from getting dirty.”

“I’d rather have manicured hands than have a shorter height than the average smurf.”

“I could poke your huge eyes out with my ‘short’ little finger, frog boy!”

“Guys, guys!” Taemin shoots up from his chair. “Calm down, will you? You’re scaring the customers away!”

Amidst the chaos, Kibum stayed seated.

Ever since Jonghyun had stepped back into the shop, thoughts of the lawyer’s past came flooding back into his brain. He felt like there was something else he had to know. Like Taemin had concealed the most important part of Jonghyun’s past.

What exactly happened to him and his lover that made them break up all of a sudden? The reason had to be big, something so serious that it changed Jonghyun’s entire personality.

Something so painful that it closed his heart off to others.

A/N: Ah, I missed writing the lovely Jongho bromance xD

So I decided to update in celebration of me surviving through hurricane Sandy, which resulted into having 4 days off of school. And next week, I also get 4 days off due to the teacher work days. 

So yeah, we get a little sneak peek of Jjong's past in this one, plus some bonus Jongho. I'm working on Onho next chapter (or sometime soon). And for those of you who don't know what a smurf is, here's a pic:

They're incredibly tiny and adorable :3

I hope that helped you guys a bit to understand Minho's joke. I enjoyed writing that scene too much, I sense more jongho moments coming up in the future xD

I just can't with jjong's adorable puppy eyes and the massive height difference OTL

I'll try to update soon guys, be safe out there with the storm and have fun this coming Halloween!