[twenty-eight]

Catch Taemin If You Can
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A sense of shame, self-hate, and depression overcame Taemin as the boy entered Paran High in his most haggard shape in the history of flowerboy Lee Taemin’s life. Taemin couldn’t bring himself to sleep the previous night, and he arrived earlier than he usually did. Wandering through the quiet hallway, Taemin headed straight for the gymnasium.


 

The gymnasium's platform was the first thing that came into view as Taemin opened the door, and the memories of yesterday came pouring in. The picture of the heavy pole crashing down on Jongin replayed in his mind over and over, and Taemin shut his eyes. His heart raced just thinking about it, and Taemin was worried. Desperately.


 

He lingered by the doors and soon Coach Kang, the school’s P.E teacher came out from the changeroom with Jongin right behind him. By the look of his crisp uniform shirt, Jongin didn’t seem to have participated in the morning practice. The two continued conversing with a serious expression over their faces, not noticing Taemin a feet away. Taemin hid himself as they came out the doors, and tailed them amidst the crowd of surging students. Coach Kang and Jongin continued their discussion until they reached the staff rest room, and Jongin bowed curtly before walking down the hall.


 

It wasn’t obvious, but Jongin was having a hard time walking. He limped from time to time, and stopped to lean against the wall as if his backpack was over-pressuring his injured ankle. 


 

Unable to stand it anymore, Taemin slowly approached Jongin. And he did exactly what Jongin did for him for the past five years.


 

He snatched Jongin’s backpack from him. Surprised, Jongin whipped his head around.


 

“Let’s go.” Taemin said.



“…Give it back.” Jongin said flatly.



“I’ll carry it until we reach your classroom.” Taemin replied, and Jongin sighed.



“….Lee Taemin…”



“You don’t have to like me.” Taemin cut him off. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”


 

Taemin then moved on with the two backpacks on his shoulders. Jongin hurried after him, flailing his arms to grab his own bag back.


 

“Give it back!” Jongin tugged the strings of his bag. Taemin hastily hugged Jongin’s backpack into his chest.



“You do this all the time, why cant I?!” Taemin demanded as he resisted.



“Stop being stubborn and let go.” Jongin frowned. “You’re already driving me crazy these days.”



“I’m just carrying a freaking backpack, what’s wrong with that…Ow!!”


 

Jongin hit Taemin in the back, and Taemin scowled.


 

“I have my soccer cleats and a soccer ball in there, it’s heavy.” Jongin said as he tugged his bag from Taemin’s arms. “You’re already staggering from low blood pressure so don’t even try…”



“And you’re not?!” Taemin shot back. “At least I’m not limping around like a cripple…”



“W, what did you just say?! A cripple?!!" Jongin cried indignantly. "Give it back, you idiot!!” Jongin pulled harder and Taemin strengthened his grip.



“You’re so weird, all I’m doing is exactly what you did…”


 

Taemin was unable to finish as his body swayed back at that moment. Having overstrained his hurt leg during the bickering, Jongin lost balance on his feet and fell forwards. Jongin fell right on top of Taemin, and the next thing Taemin registered was that both of them were toppled on the hallway floor. Taemin coughed as Jongin’s weight squeezed his stomach. It only ceased when Taemin realized that Jongin’s face was right on top of his, and both of their eyes met.


 

Jongin’s eyes widened. He tried to get up, unsuccessfully to his own dismay, his ankle stil throbbing from the sudden pressure.


 

“It’s only morning, bastards!” Their classmates walking past guffawed, whooping at Jongin and Taemin engtangled intensely on the floor.


 

“The music room is empty if you two are up for a morning ride! Whoo!” They whistled and continued down the hall, leaving Taemin’s face to color deep red and Jongin to bolt upright. Jongin snatched his backpack on the floor, and Taemin idiotically rubbed his bruised elbow.


 

“Get up! You’re such a pain in the …” Jongin grumbled down at Taemin, as he wore Taemin’s bag on his shoulder.


 

Watching Jongin limp away, Taemin got up to his feet. There were two backpacks dangling from Jongin’s shoulders.


 

As always.


 

“…Stubborn bastard.”


 

Taemin sighed and followed after Jongin.


 

It doesn’t matter, I don’t care…


 

The amount of time and memories Taemin had with Jongin were too infinite for these words to end anything. If Taemin actually had the time and plopped down to trace his life back, Jongin had always been there in one way or another, as far as his memory could take him.


 

Taemin smiled. Looking at Jongin ahead of him, Taemin laughed lightly.


 

Jongin was right, he was selfish. Taemin loved Jongin as a friend,…and also in a different sense. And he wasn’t going to lose him.


 

“Give me my bag.” Taemin said as he scurried next to to Jongin. “I’ll hold mine then.”



“Shut up and go get a band-aid.” Jongin said, taking a short glimpse at Taemin. “Getting hurt every five seconds…”


 

Then he walked fast ahead, leaving Taemin to stand confused. A sudden prick of pain woke Taemin up, and he looked down at his hand to find dews of blood forming on a light scratch. He must've gotten it during the fall, but...


 

“…When did he see this?” Taemin mumbled and shook his head.


 

He wasn’t going to lose Jongin. Nope.





 

***





 

Taemin sat mindlessly, staring into space. He was finally beginning to show symptoms of losing his mind, and the only muscle he was moving were his eyelids for blinking and staring outside the cafeteria windows.


 

I’m going to make you like me back!


 

Taemin had no idea what went through his head when he blurted that out.


 

How the hell am I going to back that up? Make Jongin like me back? How?!


 

Taemin shut his eyes and disheveled his hair in exasperation. He opened his eyes, his pupils naturally gaining focus. Taemin sighed. He understood the meaning of hallucination, he was definitely hallucinating as his state of mind dangerously swayed over an edge of an imaginary cliff.


 

Or he at least hoped he was hallucinating.


 

Taemin stared at the three heads in front of him. Chanyeol had his head down while devouring his entire tray of food, Soojung was glaring at Sulli sitting beside her, and the last girl was unwrapping a gigantic lollipop with a spoon in . Honestly, Taemin could only tell that the girl was Sulli when she lowered the candy and revealed her face, because the lollipop was actually so large that it covered her entire head.


 

“Here.” She said, handing the candy over to Taemin.


 

Taemin accepted it mindlessly, and the edge of the gigantic swirl. It looked like he was going to need an entire week to finish it.


 

“Why are you so out of it?” Soojung gave Taemin a suspicious glance. “I heard you performed live with Jongin this morning.”



“Shut up.” Taemin deadpanned.



“Rude.” She glared, only to flash a bright smile in less than a second. “Taemin-ah, let’s go on a date tonight.”


 

Stunned by her blinding-but-somehow-really-scary-smile, Taemin only answered with a blank stare when Chanyeol suddenly raised his head (finally) from the tray.


 

“Why would he go on a date with you!!?” He yelled incredulously.



“!” Soojung jumped in her seat and feriouciously barked back at Chanyeol. “, are you trying to make me deaf!?”



“? ?” Chanyeol gaped. “Just listen to this girl talk.”



“Is there a law stating that girls can’t say ?” Soojung flipped her hair. “Is there? .Tard.?”



“……Ha, ...Wow, scary world. Scary world.”


 

Taemin blandly stared at the two bickering with each other. Sulli waved her hand in front of Taemin’s eyes.


 

“Are you okay?” She asked.



“……No.” Taemin replied.



“Aren’t you gonna eat anything?”



“……No.” Taemin replied again.



“The lollipop is sweet though, right?” Sulli inquired, her eyes sparkling in hope.


 

Taemin let his eyes fall to the gigantic candy and nodded. Smiling in satisfaction, Sulli took a spoonful of her lunch. Watching all this in disapproval, Soojung crossed her arms.


 

“What the heck is going on in this freak’s head?” She spat. “Hello! Down to earth! Always in a daze this girl, don’t you know that people call you crazypop?!”



“Why am I crazypop?” Sulli asked, her eyesbrows frowning in genuine curiousity.



“……Forget it.” Soojung sighed, wavering her hand dramatically. “Just… go back to eating.”



“Okay.” Sulli nodded.


 

Taemin stared out into space again.


 

…Please, somebody… somebody! Anybody! Just please get rid of these freaks from my life!!!!


 

Taemin almost screamed, his mental strength running out of its limits.


 

Fortunately for Taemin, he didn’t have to say anything when Sulli suddenly made an announcement that she would be following Taemin to his home that afternoon. Soojung and Chanyeol settled it before Taemin could, as Soojung started screaming and freaking out while Chanyeol gave a lecture on how Sulli should actually use her brain to filter her thoughts before blurting them out. Leaving the three behind, Taemin left the cafeteria.


 

Still having some time remaining on his hands, Taemin collapsed into his seat. But before he could rest his head, a classmate called Taemin and notified that their homeroom teacher was waiting to see him. Puzzled by the unexpected summoning, Taemin reluctantly got up again.


 

When Taemin slid the door of the teachers’ office, his homeroom teacher, Shin ssaem, was chatting with another teacher. Taemin bowed awkwardly, realizing then that he was still holding on to the enormous lollipop in his hand. He hastily threw it in the garbage bin, and the fairly young teacher directed Taemin to a chair.


 

“Something wrong, Taemin?” Shin ssaem studied Taemin’s face. “You don’t look so well.”



“…Just lack of sleep.” Taemin mumbled.



“Oh, why?” She asked, and Taemin blinked.


 

…Why? The question was so simple yet Taemin was lost on how to answer. He would probably need a day and a half to explain “why” and he decided not to ponder.


 

“…I’ve been getting nightmares.” Taemin managed to find a suitable excuse, and Shin ssaem carelessly nodded. Flipping through Taemin’s records, her masacaraed eyelashes fluttered as she scanned the papers from top to bottom.


 

“How are piano practices going these days?” She asked. “I see that you’ve played since five.”



“…Uh,…”



“I actually recommended you for playing at the end-of-the-year festival.” Shin ssaem continued before Taemin had a

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SHINeeGirl7 #1
Chapter 41: I FOUND THIS LATE BUT READ THEM ALL IN ONE GO!! ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT WORK! Thank you for sharing cuz this helped me to lift my head off the stressful things going around haha...Anyway I enjoyed this sooo well cuz it was so scarily matching my preference! Keep up and take care!
MissDhy01 #2
Chapter 41: This is the best !
marshmallowo
#3
Chapter 42: Oh my goodness I need details of what's exactly going to happen next...
marshmallowo
#4
Chapter 37: Of course Jinki is a farmer who lives in the middle of nowhere hahaha
IrmCik
#5
Chapter 17: What does he even mean with "when I did not lay a finger on you for 10 years" like dude did you want to beat him up? Like for years you wanted to punch him? Or is he angry bcuz they messed up his pretty face. This is going in such a slow pace, they like each other obviously they should kiss already urgh...