Kibum knows Jonghyun. He's known him since the day he was born, to the sound of his mother and aunt screaming their lungs out and a two year old Jonghyun barfing somewhere in the corner of the room. He knows that Jonghyun was scared of cats until he was eight, he knows that Jonghyun's father suggested putting him in preschool and he screamed so loudly his mother said, ' it, i'll do it myself'. He knows that when jonghyun turned eleven, he fell in love with Shin Sekyung and confessed to her outside of the girls bathroom, her hands still wet because there were no more paper towels. Kibum knows that Jonghyun's first kiss was with her and that they went out for two years until Sekyung moved to America. Kibum knows that Jonghyun was actually really happy when Sekyung moved because Krystal had confessed to him the week before, and he was thinking he might want to try something new. KIm Kibum is the only person on earth that knows that it was Jonghyun, not Changmin, that peed in the tent on the 4th-6th grade camping trip. Kim Kibum knows Kim Jonghyun.

Minho knows Jonghyun. He knows that a fourteen year old Jonghyun with a cocky grin and a soccer ball is not someone to be tampered with. He knows that, for all his arrogance and bragging, Jonghyun is the first one to make sure that every single member of the team feels important, even the water boy. He knows that Jonghyun knows the names of every single person in the school, and makes a point to talk to them all. Minho knows that the shorter boy is the first one to cry when they win, when they lose, when someone gets injured. Not when he gets injured, though. If Jonghyun gets hurt he just laughs it off with a quick, 'What? You think i'm gonna cry like some freaking girl?' When he's fifteen and Jonghyun is sixteen, Minho finds out that being short has nothing to do with how strong you are and he knows for the rest of his life never to make Jonghyun angry. Choi Minho is the first person on earth to know that Kim Jonghyun lost his ity to Jung Jessica, the foreign exchange student from the United States. Choi Minho knows KIm Jonghyun.

Taemin knows Jonghyun. He knows that the older boy will be there when you need him, even if you've never met before. He knows that if Jonghyun ever sees anyone being bullied for being nerdy, or fat, or maybe a little too skinny and girly looking, despite being a College student, the older boy will be the first to jump to their defence. Taemin knows that Jonghyun is scared of growing up, of getting a job, of having to live his own life without anyone telling him what to do and when to do it. Taemin knows that Jonghyun will do anything and everything to protect the people he loves, without ever askng for someone to protecet him in return, even if that's all he wants. He knows that the older boy is the most loyal friend in the world. Taemin is the one who finds the recorder and the notebook lying next to each other in Jonghyun's apartment one night before they all go out together. He's the one that first hears the passion and dedication and raw emotion that have been crammed into a small, worn out machine. He's the one that notices the development of a young, high-pitched and immature voice, to a strong and beautiful sound that should be shared with the rest of the world. Taemin is the first to know that Jonghyun wants to sing, and the only one to make it happen. He steals the recorder, photocopies pages from the notebook, and sends them away. When Jonghyun gets the call from the company vice president, offering him a contract that will take him around the world, Taemin is the first to know. Lee Taemin knows Kim Jonghyun.

Kibum, Minho, and Taemin know Jonghyun. So they're not surprised when they see him on TV for the first time, flourescent lights making him glow as if he's on fire, mike stand clucthed in his hands as people claw at the stage, desperate for a touch of his flame. 

***

"OH! MY! GOD!!!!"

Key twitches forward, spitting coffee over his desk and choking on the burning liquid.

"Goddammit Taeyeon! ing spiderman better just have jumped in through your window, because if I am ing dying here for any lesser reason, I will_"

"KIM JONGHYUN IS HAVING A CONCERT!! HERE!! OHMYGOOOOD!!!"

"I know that you did not just talk over me."

"TIFFANY! SUNNY!! COME HERE AND LOOK AT THIS!"

"I am not being ignored. No. It's just not happening." 

"Omygod, omygod, OH MY GOD!! Guys,  oh my god."

"THAT IS IT!!! Someone better acknowledge me now,  or you are all going to need new jobs!"

Key stomps out of his office and into the salon, coming to a halt at the front desk where all the stylist noonas are crowding over the computer screen. The computer that should be strictly used for work. Key crains his head to see Jonghyun winking back at him, white shirt clinging to his sculpted body and guitar leaning on the tree next to him.

"Oh, give me a break, that picture is so gay."

"You're so gay."

"You want a new job? Besides, I don't see what the big deal is. I know him, there's really nothing great about him."

There are suddenly nine sets of eyes trained on him.

"You're lying."

"Why would i need to lie? He's my cousin, I've known him forever. And, like seriously, he was a bed-wetter."

"WHY HAVE YOU NEVER TOLD US THIS?!"

"Omo, bring him in! Like please!! Almighty Key, I will love you forever!"

"You don't have to pay me for the next two months! Just let me meet him! Or, like, touch him!"

"Really, guys, he's not that great."

But he says it with a smile that implies just the opposite.

***

"Do you want to make it into the world cup? Because what i'm seeing is NOT WORLD CUP MATERIAL!!"

"We already qualified, what are they going to do? Kick us out the year before the cup?"

"You think you're so funny, huh, Yoon? How does thirty laps around the ing club sound? Sound funny? Cuz I think it's ing hilarious! Get running!"

Minho shakes the sweat out of his eyes and watches as Dujun trots sullenly off the field, muttering under his breath. He pretends to be tying his shoe lace when the coach turns to glare in their direction, eyes burning. Nichkun is crouched next to him, using his tall body as a sheild from the unforgiving glare of the coach, eyes moving desperately over the screen of his phone.

"What's up, Khun?"

"Our anniversary is next week, and I promised Victoria I would get us tickets for the Junhyung concert and they're all sold out! Dude, she is going to kill me."

"You mean the Jonghyun concert? Hyung, if you want I could get you tickets."

"What did you say?"

"Yeah, I know him. Jjong hyung and I went to high school together, and Sulli and I are going to the concert, I might be able to-"

And suddenly there's 180 cm of Nichkhun pinning him to the grass and kissing his cheek.

"My Flaming Charisma is so handsome! Daebak! I love you!!"

***

"I just think," Kai says as he dips his finger absent mindedly in the frosting again, "That if she wanted the freaking bracelet she should have freaking said so. I mean, what the hell is she getting so upset over when she's the one who said she didn't need anything for her birthday!?"

Taemin takes the bowl away from him and continues pouring the batter into heart shaped molds.

"Dude, when a girl says 'no i don't want anything' it means 'You better get that for me'. And that applies everywhere. Like when they say they're not hungry, it really means they want to eat a cow."

"Well, alright then Oh Master of the Female Inuenndo's. What do you suggest i do now?"

"Uh, I thought that's what the cookies were for?"

"You think cookies are enough? She's pissed. I need something amazing."

"Ummm... You guys like Jonghyun, right?"

"Jonghyun? Kim Jonghyun? The singer? My freaking hero?? Nah, dude, I only came crying to your apartment the other night when tickets sold out while I was up in the mountains without service cuz, you know, I didn't want to go to his concert anyway."

"A simple yes or no would have sufficed. Do you think she'd forgive you if you guys met him? Seats are completely sold out, but if you don't mind listening to the concert from backstage, I can-"

"Man, are you ting me?! Yoona would go insane! I would go insane! But how would you do that?"

"Huh? I never told you? I know Jonghyun."

***

Jonghyun stretches his arms above his head and arches his neck like a cat, snuggling further into Key's lap.

"So how was my concert? Pretty awesome, huh?"

Key snorts and rolls his eyes.

"You know, that's my first time seeing you live? I was expecting something more."

"What?!"

"Yeah, it was kind of lacking for me too. Man, I got Kai and Yoona back stage passes and everything. I hope they don't stop being my friends cuz it wasn't what they expected."

"WHAT?! They were practically foaming at the mouth when I went back after the second set! That kid wouldn't even let go of my hand! I was amazing!"

"I don't know, hyung" says Minho, checking his phone, "Victoria just told Khun that that was the worst anniversary gift she's ever had."

Jonghyun's eyes are open wide, his mouth moving open and closed, outraged noises the only thing making it past his lips. Sulli finally decides to take pity on him and leans into her fiancé, reading the text over his shoulder.

"You guys are aweful. It says that your concert was amazing, oppa, and that Victoria is singing all of your songs standing on the kitchen counter."

"Thanks Sulli, you're an angel, you know that? Wait, where are you going?"

"Sorry to leave you with these monsters, oppa, but Sun- Young unni is having a party tonight for her co-workers and I promised i'd help. You be nice to oppa!"

She glares at Minho, her plump lips pursed and he returns her look with an innocent smile. For a moment, it's just them in the room, lost in each others smiles. But then Taemin makes a gagging noise, Key rolls his eyes, and Jonghyun makes a loud, smacking kiss noise. Sulli just shakes her head and kisses Minho before sending one last good-natured, 'You guys are all s!' over her shoulder. Jonghyun lays back in Key's lap and Taemin leans against his legs as Minho leaves the love seat he had been occupying with Sulli in favor of the miniscule space between Taemin and the arm of the sofa. They stay like that for what seems like hours, talking about nothing and everything. Taemin's graduation coming up, Kibum opening a new salon, South Korea making it to the world cup with star striker Choi Minho to lead the pack. Jonghyun's upcoming World Tour. At this, the oldest boy goes oddly silent, staring up at the cieling absentmindedly. As usual, Key is the first to know something's up.

"What?"

"What, what?"

"Come on, Jonghyun, what are you thinking about? Is somethinh going on with your tour? They didn't cancel it due to lack of an international fan base, did they?"

 There's concern behind his teasing tone and Taemin and Minho exchange a glance when Jonghyun doesn't immediately bristle at the comment. The eldest sits up, adjusting himself between Kibum and Taemin.  

"I wasn't going to mention it until after the tour, but... I'm seeing someone."

They all immediately relax and Key shoves his cousin, laughing loudly.

"Jesus! You scared me, I thought it was going to be something bad. So, how long has it been this time? A few weeks, a month?"

Taemin leans forward, face excited.

"Is she as hot as the last one?"

"I bet she's got bigger s, too. Is it another model? Maybe Sulli knows her."

"Jesus, Jonghyun, what are you going to do with her while you're on tour?"

"A year."

The others are so asorbed in their conversation they almost don't hear the eldest's quite comment.

"What?"

"A year. We met in Paris at my first concert and we started dating a year ago."

The sudden silence is heavy with shock and three pairs of eyes search eachother desperately with the same question, 'Did you know?' and recieve the same answer everywhere they look. They didn't know. None of them. Surprisingly, it's Minho, not Kibum, who breaks the silence.

"Why didn't you tell any of us? You were going to wait for another year to mention it? Or were you planning on just breaking up with her before leaving and never mentioning it at all?"

"I... I thought I could take the time I was on tour to really think about things, get my brain in order. Think about where I want this to go, if it's really what I want for myself." He takes a deep breath and looks up, a familiar determined look on his face. They all know that look.

"But I was just being a coward. There's nothing else to think about. I'm in love, and I want to spend the rest of our lives together. We're moving in together next week. I've already payed the mortgage on the apartment."

Key is breathing heavily now, trying to think and Minho once more takes it on himself to be the voice of the group.

"Hyung, have you really thought about this carefully? You are going to be gone for a whole year. I'm not saying break up, I'm just saying why not wait until you get back? What's the rush to live together?"

"The same reason you want to get married to Sulli before she leaves for fashion week in Paris and before the world cup. I'm just being possessive, making sure they are completely and totally mine before I leave."

At that, Minho is quiet. Key is looking down, Taemin's hand on his back.

"When are we meeting her?"

"Not until after we're completely moved in. Sorry, Bum, but I just want to get everything out of the way before introducing you guys." 

Kibum nods once, then stands up and leaves, the slam of his bedroom door being the last thing they hear from him that night. Minho and Taemin eye each other up for a moment before the elder stands and claps Jonghyun on the back.

"We're just surprised that you kept this a secret for so long, hyung. And kind of hurt, you know? But I'm happy for you. We all are. I'm sure she's amazing."

Taemin smiles, legitimate excitement and happiness etched in the lines around his mouth.

"I can't wait to meet her."

And then they both leave after saying goodbye to Key through the door and Jonghyun stays on the couch for another two hours, head in his hands, wondering if he's doing the right thing. Neither Kibum, Minho, nor Taemin know about the conflict raging in his head.

***

Almost two weeks have passed since Jonghyun's confession and Kibum pulls nervously at his fringe, eyeing himself critically in the passenger side mirror of Taemin's car.

"You look fine hyung. Now stop fiddling, it's distracting and i'm going to crash."

"Why are you the one driving, anyway? Why couldn't we take my car? This thing looks like some poor college students reject jallopee."

"Hey!"

"Oh, shut up. The two of you. And there is no way all three of us could have fit comfortably into that overpriced sports car, Minho."

Minho settles into the back seat, muttering under his breath about how a soccer star shouldn't have to be caught dead in a ing mini van. The nervous energy in the car has them all on edge. Taemin breaks the silence, finger tapping against the steering wheel.

"What if she doesn't like us?"

"What?"

"What if she tells hyung we , and to stop hanging out with us? Like that one , Jiyeon?"

"Oh my god, what the hell are you saying? She's the one who should be worried if we don't like her. Jonghyun would never be with someone if we didn't approve. He dropped that the moment I told him to. Besides, there's no way that he would spend a whole year with some that wouldn't like us. Jjong isn't that bad a judge of charcter."

But he sounds nervous and he gives another strong yank at his hair. Minho reaches back to tug on his ponytail, forgetting that he cut his hair a week ago. He scratches at his neck instead, swallowing thickly. They look up at the building where Jonghyun's bought a penthouse apartment for him and his- girlfriend? Fiancé? Love-of-his-life?- and walk into the lobby. Taemin gives a low whistle at the sight of the marble floor and grins, anxiety momentarily forgotten. 

"Man, I love having rich friends."

And the tension is suddenly gone as they all laugh at that and push the maknae roughly into the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor. Why are they so nervouse, anyway? They know Jonghyun, after all. So it was a little unexpected that he's suddenly in love, that he's been in love for a year now. But that's a good thing, that he has someone to share his life with. And they know Jonghyun, so they can already guess what she'll be like. Thin, with a small waist and delicate legs. A tiny thing, with straight black hair and big eyes. Thin lips and a tiny nose, the face of a fairy. Sweet and probably quite and shy, covering with small hands when she laughs. They know Jonghyun. Know what he likes. When he opens the door and sees them, they know the huge smile that spreads over his face, know the familiar feeling of being crushed in his hug. They know the vein that moves up and down in his neck when he turns to call someone from the kitchen. Know the challenging look he throws them when a distinctively male voice answers. Know the slight, protective snarl on his face when a pudgy faced person walks into the living room to stand next to him. A person with thick thighs and short, stubby fingers. A person with small eyes that all but dissapear when he smiles. A person with short brown hair and a wide nose on top of thick lips. A person who is maybe three cms taller than Jonghyun. A person who isn't a woman. 

"Kibum, Taemin, Minho, this is Lee Jinki. My boyfriend and the person I hope to be spending the rest of my life with."

Jinki blushes heavily and pushes Jonghyun roughly, bowing ninety degrees to the boys in front of him.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Jonghyun's told me everything about you guys, I feel as if I know you already."

And it's the worst thing he coudl possibly have said, because his voice is low and soft and reminds the other three that they don't know anything about this person who isn't a women.

And the worst part? Not a single one of them recognizes the look of absolute adoration and happiness on the face of the friend they thought they knew.

a/n: I wanted this was supposed to be a one shot but it got too long so it's going to leak into two chapters. GAH!! WHY CAN'T I WRITE ONE-SHOTS???