Um.. Lee Taemin-shii… are you busy?”

I looked up to see Onew smiling apologetically at me.

“Of course not,” I bluffed quickly, clicking the minimise button on my game of spider solitaire.

We’ve been working together for a few days now, and all I do is fetch him coffee in the morning and get and send his mail. He doesn’t have that much phone calls for him yet, he hasn’t met any clients and the meetings aren’t until next Monday. So I spend my hours doing virtually nothing.

“I don’t want to be a bother, but you said you could help me if I was too busy…?”

“Of course. What do you want me to do for you, Lee sunbae?” I asked.

He pulled out a USB from his pocket.

“My wife gave me a memory stick with photos we want to develop, except I think the stores all shut after I finish work, and my lunch break isn’t long enough to wait for them to develop. So I was wondering if you could please go down to the shop and do it for me? I hope it’s not a pain.”

“Of course not,” I grinned, taking the USB. “It’s what I’m here for.”

He smiled at me with so much gratitude that I get embarrassed and blush, smiling back. He doesn’t have to look so grateful!

“Also- sorry to ask this, but can you please look for a pink baby album? Any one will do. My wife wants me to get one to put the baby’s pictures in. I think your taste will be much better than anything I choose. Here’s my card.”

Walking back slowly to the office, I had the album and the photos in my hand. The album was baby pink with a pink lace border and little popup words that say ‘my little princess’. But the photos were burning in my hand. I really wanted to see what his wife and his baby looked like. Was his wife beautiful? Was the baby cute? What’s his type? What does he find attractive? Was she prettier than me? Would there be any possibility he would choose me over her?

I stopped abruptly and took a peek inside the paper folder, and pulled out a photo.

It was a picture of dumplings.

I sighed and slid the picture back in. I couldn't be bothered snooping.

If something is meant to happen, then it will happen.

“Thank you so much!” Onew gushed when I showed him what I bought. “The photo album is very cute. My wife will love it.”

I bowed and turned to leave when he called my name again.

“I’m sorry, but can you help me put the pictures in the album? It doesn’t matter what order they’re really in, but can you put the baby’s in the album? I don’t know when my wife and I would have a chance to do that, our daughter takes up so much time,” he chuckled. “You can do it in my office if you want. I know the fan outside isn’t as good as the air conditioning in my office.”

“Okay,“ I agreed. It was really hot today. This meant I could watch him work, and that was enough for me. I smiled and plopped down on the couch.

His jacket was at the back of his chair and his sleeves were rolled up. I thought it made him look cool. Not as stodgy. Plus I could see his arms and hands as he twirled his pen and read through a sheet of paper. He had really manly looking hands. He didn’t have hairy arms and there were the subtle hints of veins and muscle on his hands. His fingers were actually quite stubby. Sort of like mine.

I pulled out the photos and looked at them.

Wow, his wife was really beautiful. Slim, fair, brown hair and perfectly made up. She looked perfect. In this photo she was smiling as she leaned on a tree.

“Your wife is very pretty,” I told him.

“I know. I don’t know how I managed to catch that one,” he laughed, chewing on his pen.

I flipped to the next photo of the lady holding a baby which was dressed in pink with a ribbon in it’s short hair. The baby was leaning on the lady’s shoulder and smiling blissfully at the camera, it’s eyes and mouth wide open. I smiled. It was really sweet! And I don’t say that about most babies. I realised it must have been smiling at Onew, who would’ve taken the picture.

“Your baby is so cute,” I said. “I think she looks like you.” All parents love to hear that.

“Thank you! She’s one. She's just learnt to walk and it's exhausting running after her. I don't know where she gets the energy from."

I started sorting the photos out in piles.

“You know Lee Taemin-shii, they only gave me your picture and not your profile. They said it was because they didn’t know that much about you. Jung sunbae said that you got mine though. So you must know everything about me, but I know nothing about you.”

I looked up and he was studying me with a friendly smile. “How old are you Lee Taemin-shii? You look so young.”

“I’m 19,” I said. “I’ve been working here for about a year though, I started when I was 18.”

He smiled. “Did you get this job after you finished high school?”

“No,” I said, looking down at the photos so he didn’t see my eyes. Great. Now he can find out how dumb I am. “I worked in a clothestore before this. I left school when I was 16. I’m not very smart.”

“Don’t say that,” admonished Onew. “I’m sure you’re very clever.”

“No I’m not,” I said, talking to the photos. “I’m nowhere near your level, Lee sunbae. I'm actually very stupid. I couldn’t finish high school at all. I didn’t want to repeat the year a second time. I had to drop out. And earn money.”

“I don’t want to hear you putting yourself down again, Lee Taemin,” said Onew in such a soft, caring voice that I nearly shivered. “You’re doing a lot better than the majority of your age. You should be proud.”

“Of what?” I said, slotting in the photos. “I’m dumber than a 9^th grader and twice the age of one. All my teachers and classmates used to make fun of me about my dumbness and my looks. I swear I only got these jobs because I look like a girl.”

This was not the usual conversation I have with a guy I liked, but something about Onew drew the truth out of me. I should have been asking about him and laughing at all his jokes even if they weren’t funny. But Onew had somehow twisted it to make me talk about myself, and truthfully too. I never did that. Not even with Key. I never talked aloud about how dumb I was, how weird I looked or about my past. They were just my insecurities that were always at the back of my mind… but when I said them aloud, it hurt. Even though it was coming from my own mouth, it still hurt because it was so true and I wished so much that it wasn’t. I wished I was smart like everyone else. I wished I looked like a boy.

I knew my mouth was sinking into a pout as I swallowed and blinked hard. I was NOT going to cry. No wonder I used to be teased that I was a girl if I was going to cry like one.

“Taemin…”

My name, in his honey voice, no formalities, drenched in sympathy and comfort only made me want to cry more and my cheeks start to flush in embarrassment. He stood up from his chair and I saw his knees kneel in front of me.

“I’m sorry for being insensitive. But you really aren’t ‘dumb’ if you got up to here, right? And you do look like a boy. I wouldn’t mistake you for a girl. You are a very good looking young man and if I was a girl I would go crazy for you. Don’t do this to yourself over things that aren’t true.”

The fact that he was comforting me only made me the urge to cry stronger. I rubbed at my eyes to try force my tears back into their ducts. “You don’t know how untrue that is,” I tried to say but my voice broke on the last word.

God I was a sissy.

“Aww Taemin…”

And he hugged me.

I didn’t realise until I was resting my cheek on his shirt shoulder and I could smell his cologne. He was holding me gently, like I was breakable. It made me feel precious. It made me feel special. Like he was superman, protecting me and letting me lean on him. I could feel his heat and the warm vibrations that comforted me as he spoke.

“You don’t know how untrue that is,” he chided. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to know more about you. You’re like a shining star Taemin, but of course you can’t see your own light.”

He reached up and started to softly my hair as I closed my eyes, letting him make me feel better.

“You’re such a good boy Taemin, I know you are.”

Even though I was still sad and embarrassed, his words and his soothing tone were like a balm to my heart to stop it from cracking any further. As I took a deep breath I felt the emotions slowly recede back into me, to be hidden away in the dark for as long as I wanted. Nothing like a guy in advertising to have such a way with words and be so persuasive. No wonder he was headhunted.

I pulled away and rubbed my nose, still feeling him stare at my face. He arms were now loosely on either side of me, but he was still crouched at my level.

“I finished the album,” I said, handing him the pink album.

He flicked through it and he looked shocked.

“What? Did I do something wrong?” I asked, scared.

“No Taemin…. You put in the pictures in nearly perfect chronological order. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing,” I shrugged. “I’m sorry for…losing it a bit.”

“And I’m really sorry for making you sad. It’s nearly lunchtime. Why don’t we have lunch together? My shout.”

I pondered this. I didn’t know whether I should say yes or no. I wanted to, but I didn’t want him to think I was a moocher.

“You know, don’t even answer that. We’re going out, no argument needed.”

A/N I am finally slowly getting the groove for this story! I'm sorry it's slow paced at the moment, but I promise to update very soon!

 I don’t know if you noticed, but I changed Onew from having a son to a daughter, because of… uhh… feminism. Who run the world? Girls!

I actually did change it because females and feminine roles is a big source representation in this story, and that Onew should be proud to death for having a daughter, and not a son haha. Or rather, if Onew leaves his family, he’s ditching the girls… girls aren’t the winners in this story, I’m afraid.  We’re not really winners in life either though, tbh :/ i was once walking down the street and some yucky dudes are like "look at that ." oh thank you, kind sirs.

Also, I made Taemin a teenage boy housewife lolol. He is obsessed with his cutlery/houseware, his possessions and his looks, and defines and prides himself on them. Actual brains mean nothing. And homewrecking/promiscuity is such a female stereotype isn’t it? He wants to be owned, he wants to look like, feel like, and treated like a perfect doll. He lets Onew sweet talk him and control him. He’s staking out Onew’s family and baby. Taemin isn’t chasing… he’s just checking out the net that Onew might catch him in :)

Thanks for reading, and tell me what you think :D