Minho flings on his crisp suit jacket as he jogs down the last flight of stairs to his building's main lobby. He had promised to himself the night he came home from his date with Taemin that starting tomorrow, (which is today) he will wake up extra early so that he would be the one to pick Taemin up from his loft. But his damn alarm clock had not gone off this morning, or he was too far gone in his dream about the boy to hear his phone's loud ringing. He had also decided to take the stairs this morning because he was too impatient to wait for the elevator to reach his floor.

 

 

He steps into the lobby, ecstatic at the thought of seeing Taemin after his awkward confession last night. For today, he holds high hopes that the brunette will be the sweet, cuddly Taemin that he loves seeing now that they are both aware of their feelings for each other. He imagines how the boy would snuggle into his arm when he wraps it around his slender waist, how he will be getting a good morning kiss -- preferably on the lips, but on the cheek will be fine -- how the boy will whisper into his--

 

 

"CHOI MINHO."

 

 

How he will be staring him down from 2 yards away with his hands on his hips, angry pout in place.

 

 

He does not know what he did to make the brunette so upset this early in the morning, but he replies cheekily anyway as he walks up to the boy, "Good morning to you too!" He does not even care that the obligatory morning bagel is nowhere to be seen.

 

The younger holds out his hand, and Minho finds it so endearing how he is trying to look stern but failing miserably as he grunts out, "Phone. Now."

 

 

For a few moments, Minho does not know what the other is talking about. He arches his brow, but then realizes that he had in fact forgotten to give back Taemin's phone last night, having been too caught up in finding out that his feelings weren't as one-sided as he thought. Upon remembering this, he, in turn, remembers that he might have forgotten to take the phone out of his jacket last night, and he might have thrown his jacket into his laundry basket.

 

 

"Crap."

 

 

"What do you mean, crap?"

 

 

"Crap, meaning I might have thrown your phone away."

 

 

"WHAT?"

 

 

Minho could practically feel the outrage seething in Taemin's voice, so he tries to calm the younger down. Before Taemin could even raise his voice or lash out at his poor boss, he raises his hands in front of his chest in an attempt to tell him to take it easy as he says, "Relax, I haven't called for anyone to pick up my laundry yet, so it's probably still there."

 

 

Taemin narrows his eyes at him and mumbles in a grim voice, "It better be."

 

 

A cold shiver runs through Minho's spine when he hears the threat, because he is very much aware of how much the boy enjoys taking his revenge on other people, and because that voice is just capable of turning any man, woman or whatever gender available into mush. Being the opportunist that he is, he grabs hold of Taemin's wrist, grins at his surprised expression and drags him to the elevator to sift through his laundry basket. He calls up Shindong, telling him to wait for just a few minutes and buy him a bagel while he's at it.

 

 

 

After sliding his key card into the door's registration machine, Minho holds open the door for Taemin. He wants to with a 'Ladies first,' but thought the better of it, considering the younger's mood for today. He closes the door behind him and tells the younger to wait just a minute, and that he'll be checking for the phone in the bathroom if he needs anything. Taemin nods distractedly in reply, too in awe of Minho's loft to fully give the man his attention.

 

 

The first time he had barged into Minho's place, he had not really bothered to appreciate its modern design, its (surprising) neatness, and its overall manly bachelor-pad feel. The contrasting colors of black and kind of tell something about Minho's personality, but the boy can't point it out exactly.

 

 

He hears the low rustle of clothes from where he assumes Minho is, briefly considering helping the elder out in the search for his phone, but instead deciding to just explore the man's loft and leave him to do it by himself. It's his fault anyway for taking away his phone and forgetting to give it back.

 

 

He walks to the living room where there is a large, flat screen HD TV propped up on the wall and a black couch placed smack in the middle of the room. The black picture frames hanging artistically on the wall beside the TV catch his attention, so he curiously walks to the photographs, hands clasped behind his back as he innocently snoops on Minho's private life.

 

The pictures are all of Minho and his three other friends, Jinki, Kibum and Jonghyun in several different places. There is one where MInho and Kibum are standing arm in arm under the Eiffel Tower and another where Minho, Jonghyun, and Jinki are raising their glasses to the camera as they lounge around in the deck of a luxury yacht. A particular picture brings a small smile to his lips, one where the men look to be in their teens, probably 14's to 15's. Jonghyun is grinning widely at the camera, peace sign and black marker at hand. Jinki has his head thrown back, hands on his stomach, probably having been laughing uncontrollably when the picture was shot. In the center of the photograph is a peacefully sleeping Minho with black markings doodled all over his face.

 

 

He ponders about how Minho is such a strict, annoying boss to him and how he looks like a fun-loving, easy-going guy in the pictures with his friends. The camera would always catch him smiling, grinning, or laughing like an idiot, and Taemin finds that he would want to see that Minho in person one day.

 

 

After he reaches the last picture frame (one where Jonghyun is clearly struggling to stay standing as Minho rides his back with his arms latched around the older's neck), he walks to the couch, deciding that he has done enough snooping for the day.

 

 

He drops himself down on the black couch that looks very similar to the one in his boss's office, not expecting to feel something quite hard under his rear. He pulls what he feels to be a magazine and stares blankly at it for a few seconds. The image of Krystal and Minho arm in arm on the front page finally registers in his mind, as well as the caption. 'On Korea's youngest Golden Couple: Are Wedding Bells That Far Off?' He scans the cover again and again, reading and rereading the cheesy caption. But as cheesy as it is, Taemin cannot stop himself from developing an intense amount of jealousy and confusion. Amber had already told him about the true nature of the couple's relationship, but he finds that he  cannot quite believe it completely unless he hears it coming from Minho himself. He is about to flip through to pages to read the article, but Minho's voice stops him from doing so.

 

 

"Hey! I found it!" Minho waves Taemin's phone in his hand casually, grinning at the boy. He receives no reply. He was looking forward to offering the lost item, expecting a congratulatory hug or maybe just a smile and a thank you. But that seems to be far off when he feels the dim aura that the tthe boy is giving off from his seat on the couch. From where he is standing, he can only see the back of Taemin's head, so he walks to sit beside him, phone forgotten and worry setting in.

 

 

He carefully places an arm around Taemin's shoulder and asks him, "What's qrong?" When he does not get an answer, he follows where Taemin's sullen eyes are, and his own eyes land on the magazine in the brunette's hands. He sees his and Krystal's picture together and the completely untrue headline. He dumbly remembers how he had confessed to Taemin without so much as an explanation considering his public relationship status, which is: taken. What would Taemin think if he saw the magazines and the tabloids publishing things about him and Krystal, 'the golden couple'?

 

 

He is cut off from his upcoming explanation when Taemin looks into his eyes, brows furrowed as he asks in a whisper, "Minho, what are you and Krystal-sshi?"

 

 

The hurt and confusion in Taemin's eyes makes Minho want to take him in his arms and just never let him go. So he does just that, pulling the boy into an embrace and resolutely answering, with the most conviction and sincerity in his voice, "We're absolutely nothing. Business associates, if anything. It's all just pretend." Minho pulls away and looks straight into the younger's eyes as he pleads, "Please believe me." 

 

 

He feels Taemin relax under his grasp, and maybe those words are enough of an explanation for the boy. Taemin smiles and suddenly he is the one hugging the elder. He whispers into Minho's ears a quiet and soft, "I believe you." Before he pulls away, he pecks Minho on the cheek, inducing red-tinged ears from the taller man. His hands have slid down to close around Minho's. 

 

he just kissed me why am I blushing like a frikkin girl when did I ever say frikkin in my whole damn life

 

 

He successfully pulls himself out of his -filled musings when he remembers something that had been bothering him very much since last night. Scratch that, he wasn't just bothered.

 

 

He was enraged. Until now, even.

 

 

He coughs awkwardly, fiddling with the boy's delicate fingers, "What about you and that... Kay guy?"

 

 

Taemin looks up from their playful fingers and raises a brow, "Kay?"

 

 

"Kay, Kai, I don't remember, and I don't want to." He snaps a little as he remembers how Taemin had called the 'oppa' last night, gripping Taemin's hands tighter as he continues with a softer voice, "Just... The guy you called last night... What's he to you?"

 

 

Taemin finally realizes that his boss is talking about Kai, and he smiles in realization. He notices the way that Minho's fingers are grasping his in a mildly possessive, childish manner, and he finds it adorable. Is he seriously jealous of Kai? His heart skips a beat at the mere thought of Minho getting jealous over something like this, over someone like him.

 

 

He tugs at the elder's fingers, silently telling the older to look up at him. He gently smiles, and then answers, "He's my best friend, but that's all there is to it." Taemin notices the way Minho's shoulders loosen up in the tiniest of movements, an air of relief radiating from him. He chuckles at the sight, but it is suddenly gone when Minho squints at him and slightly pouts.

 

 

"Then what's with your phone's background picture? And your texts? You call him 'oppa' an awful lot."

 

 

Taemin's face heats up as he incredulously sputters, "You... You went through my phone?!" He is upset, but he does not let go of the hands in his. Minho does not answer him, only continuing to pout at him in childish envy. Instead of getting angry and making a mess of things again, he bows his head in embarrassment and just answers him, "We're just really close, okay? We're childhood friends, and you don't have to worry about him because the guy's as straight as anyone can get."

 

 

There is still doubt and jealousy etched in the elder's face, but they have both lessened considerably as he asks, "Really?"

 

 

Taemin nods his head unwaveringly, "Really."

 

 

"Good."

 

 

Not wanting to miss the chance to tease his boss, he props his chin on his thumb and forefinger and says thoughtfully, "Though I have tried to turn him gay a couple of times in the past." Minho literally gasps at this. 

 

 

Taemin smirks at him, "Jealous?"

 

 

" yes." Minho crosses his arms childishly and leans back in the couch, looking away angrily. 

 

 

Deciding to press Minho's buttons a teensy bit more, he leans his head on Minho's shoulder and continues, "I almost got him, too. But a girl named Luna got in the way--"

 

 

"Please stop talking before I track down that friend of yours and personally push him off a cliff." 

 

 

This draws a laugh from the brunette, not having expected Minho to be the jealous type. He is really enjoying this, whatever this is.

 

 

He juts his bottom lip out and whines, causing the elder to look at him, "Awww, I'm sorry~ I was just kidding. I would never do that." He wraps his arms onto one of Minho's that had uncrossed when the man had let his guard down due to Taemin's cute whining, pulling their faces a bit closer, a mere inches apart. "It's just really fun to tease you."

 

 

For the nth time that morning, Minho's face heats up. He asks himself where have all his playboy skills gone, but then quickly realizes that those perfectly practiced skills are still ever present and that they oly ever dissipate when he is with this one particular person. Before Taemin even has a chance of poking fun at him at yet again, he playfully threatens him. 

 

 

"If you want your phone back, you're going to stop talking now."

 

 

The boy registers the threat and releases Minho's arm to pout adorably. Minho laughs at the brunette's antics, and once again, a brilliant idea comes to mind.

 

 

"Shindong's probably getting impatient now. Go on ahead to the car, I just need to grab something real quick."

 

 

"My phone--"

 

 

Minho shooes him away, telling him that he'll give it back in the car.

 

 

When Minho slides into his side of the vehicle, he passes the gadget back to the rightful owner, and the boy slips it into his pocket hastily, urging Shindong to step on it because they are now 15 minutes late for work.

 

 

 

"You told him?!" Krystal is far from pleased when Amber tells her this, but she can never really get angry at the latter, so she only stomps her right foot frustratedly in a temper tantrum, the sound of her heels clicking with the sound of the printer's periodic beeps.

 

 

"Don't worry, you can trust Taemin. I'm 100% sure that he won't tell anybody about the truth behind the 'golden couple'." Amber makes sarcastic air quotes with both hands and this makes the younger laugh. She then crosses her arms and says reasonably, "Besides, it would only kill him if I let him keep believing that you two are really an item."

 

 

Krystal arches a perfect brow, not understanding. "Why's that?"

 

 

"He likes Minho," She chuckles, remembering how Taemin had admitted his feelings for his boss to her in his half-drunk state.

 

 

"Bwoh?!" The printer beeps several more times than normal, signalling a loss of paper. Amber grabs a stack from an upper shelf and places it in. The beeps lessen considerably.

 

 

"Yep. Cute, isn't it?"

 

 

"But he's so adorable! Why would he like someone like Choi?"

 

 

"Krys..." Amber shakes her head laughingly, already used to the other woman's candidness. Krystal concedes, laughing along, "Okay, okay. I admit, it is cute."     

 

 

Amber grins at her, "Right?" The printer's beeps have stopped, and the boyish woman turns around to collect the stack of printed worksheets. "We should get going now. If we stay here for too long, people might get suspicious."

 

 

Krystal rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, "Tch. Let them think what they want to think."

 

 

"Krys, we have been in this printing room for 15 minutes. If people start assuming things, boss might hear and I might lose my job."

 

 

The younger turns her nose up and flips her long back hair, not flinching in the slightest. "I'll kill Minho if he does that." But she opens the door anyway, walking out with Amber and a stack of papers following right behind her. The elder sighs in relief when she sees that people are only beginning to file in for the morning, along with Taemin and the big boss.  

 

 

Minho grunts audibly when he sees his oh-so-appealing girlfriend walking out of a room with Amber right behind her. Great, another day with her. Krystal meets his bored eyes with a grimace, exchanging looks of subtle animosity towards the other. But in an instant, they simultaneously revert to their lovey-dovey charade. He silently thanks the heavens above that Amber is there, because at least that would mean that his 'girlfriend' won't be as snarky as she 

usually is.

 

 

"Honey! What are you doing here?" Minho smirks when he hears the slight choking sound Krystal made when she heard the disgusting pet name. She easily composes herself.

 

 

Two can play at that game, . "Baby, don't you remember? I told you that I'd be coming over today!" She notices the employees are watching, and just to make an even better show for the audience, she crosses her arms and pouts at Minho, knowing that Amber wouldn't mind.

 

 

Minho internally cringes, but he pushes himself to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach when he sees Krystal's pursed lips. He admits that she doesn't look all that bad when she does that, but after seeing Taemin do the exact same thing, everything and everyone else pales in comparison. 

 

 

He glances to Taemin at his side, worried that he might upset Taemin by what he is about to do. He sees the boy give him a small smile and a small nod, and he does not know how, but he understands that Taemin is fine with it and that he doesn't mind. He smiles back at the boy, though his eyebrows are still furrowed with concern and guilt, and proceeds to hook an arm around Krystal's waist. Taemin quietly follows right behind then while Amber has already left to attend to her duties. Minho is aware of the longing look in Krystal's eyes, looking to where Amber had probably walked off to. He understands exactly how she feels, not being able to go after the one person that means the world to you, not being allowed to stay true to what you want to be just because society says so. So in a rare, empathic gesture for the woman he has always hated, he pulls her closer to her and whispers, "I'm sorry."

 

 

In a rare, grateful gesture for the man she too, has always hated, she smiles up at him and whispers back, "Don't be. It's not your fault." 

 

 

 

When he reaches home, Taemin throws himself onto his bed, lying on his stomach. He groans from how tired he is, physically, mentally, and emotionally.He had had to endure hours of watching Minho from afar, talking to his public girlfriend, Krystal Jung. Though he knows that there is really nothing remotely romantic in their relationship and that it is all just for show, he cannot help but feel jealous. Though he knows that their skinship and their blatant flirting all mean nothing to Minho, he cannot help but long to be in Krystal Jung's place.

 

 

Taemin's only consolation in those painful hours was seeing Minho sneaking peeks into his office as he talked with Krystal, trying to get glances of him every minute or so, showing the brunette that the elder would much rather be spending his time with him. They would exchange smiles and then go back to what they were supposed to be doing: Taemin attending to phone calls and the like, Minho entertaining his girlfriend.

 

 

He squirms around in the bed, trying to get into a comfortable position on his stomach when he feels an object poking against his leg. He realizes that it is his phone, forgetting that he had gotten it back from Minho this morning.

 

 

He pulls it out and slides his thumb across the screen to unlock the phone.

 

 

A giggle escapes his lips.

 

 

His previous background picture of him and Kai had been replaced by a picture of Minho squinting at the camera, two fingers pointing in a 'v' at the camera as well, as if saying, 'I'm watching you.'

 

 

Taemin does not know what the picture is about, if it is directed towards his relationship with Kai, if it is about his constant teasing of the elder, or if it is about anything at all. But he does not care, because the picture is too precious and the gesture is too sweet and Minho is too charming that he cannot find it in himself to switch it back to its previous background.

 

 

After dreamily gazing at the background for way longer than what is necessary, he locks the screen again and throws his phone on the bed. He stands up to take a long, hot shower before going to bed, hopefully to dream about an attractive frog-looking gentleman.  

 

 

---

 

Well, Kai is kind of out of the competition, but it seems that Minho has forgotten about Jinki. :))) I'm sorry for not being able to update these past days! I hope this makes up for it. D: