A week or so had passed since SHINee’s flight home from Thailand, and each of them were once again wrapped up in their busy schedules. Members rushed around the studio where they were having their latest photoshoot, managers and staff members barking orders and arranging costumes. They were back to their fast-paced, up-beat lives once again; however, life as Key knew it was far from comfortable normal. He sighed for the umpteenth time that week. Key really felt as though he was almost at his wit’s ends. How could he ever operate like normal again, knowing that Jong was in love with another? He hid his pain from the other members behind an air of professionalism and detachment. He could barely concentrate on anything at all, and he felt as though he was beginning to get on the other member’s nerves, because he would keep spacing out randomly and screwing up what they were working on at the moment.

                “You’re not hungry, Key?” a deep voice inquired, and Key peered up to notice Minho watching him with careful eyes, taking a casual chunk out of a juicy looking red apple.

                “Not really…” Key trailed off, laying his head on his arms and blowing his bangs out of his eyes.

                “Home to shink o’ i --“ Taemin began with a mouthful of eggroll.

                “Yah, swallow your food first,” Minho scolded caringly. Taemin rolled his eyes and gulped dramatically before flashing Minho an overly cute smile.

                “I was saying, come to think of it, Key hyung didn’t eat any breakfast this morning, either.” Key froze for a moment before forcing his muscles to relax.

                “I-I’m just not hungry,” Key insisted, averting his eyes from the suspicious gazes of his friends. Minho quirked a single dark eyebrow and leaned back farther in his chair, as though to say, “ORLY?” However, before the matter could be pressed any further, Jong returned to the table, beaming like an eighty watt light bulb.

                “You guys, I have someone special I want you all to meet,” he told them nervously but happily. He motioned to someone they couldn’t yet see, and in walked a beautiful young Korean woman, with soft, pale skin and long, silky looking obsidian hair. Her eyes absorbed each of them in turn as she brushed a lock of her midnight black hair behind her ear, a nervously weak smile gracing her subtle features. Her face was sophisticated and sweet looking, her body small set and dainty. She appeared as strikingly aesthetic as a movie star.

                “Omo, you’re Shin Se Kyung!” Taemin observed, his eyes doubling in size.

                “Guys, this is Shin Se Kyung… my girlfriend.” Jong allowed for that bit of information to sink in, and everyone reacted besides Key. Key simply picked his head up and stared at her. So this was the intent on stealing his Jonghyun’s heart. Onew’s mouth dropped open, anything but nonchalant, revealing the delicious chicken within. Taemin’s jaw fell to the table, and Key averted his eyes from everyone, determinedly keeping his visage placid and unreadable. Minho was the first one to react like a normal person.

                “Yah, your girlfriend?” he stood up gracefully and shook Shin Se Kyung’s surprised, soft hand. “I find that hard to believe, Jonghyun ah. A beautiful movie star like Shin Se Kyung? Is he putting you up to this?” he asked aforementioned lady, and she blushed as Jong began to protest. Taemin puffed out his cheeks unhappily for a moment, but quickly got over himself and stood up to bow politely to Jong’s girlfriend.

                “Nice to meet you, noona. Please take care of our Jonghyun ah!” Taemin intoned, grinning charmingly.

                “I’m very happy to meet all of you,” Shin Se Kyung spoke at last. The gentle, feminine tones of her voice felt like they were beating against Key’s eardrums mercilessly. He suddenly recognized a troublesome lump forming in his throat. Why was this affecting him so powerfully? After Jong had stolen his heart and then ran away with it – keeping very ty care of it, mind you –he’d strongly decided that he would give up on Jonghyun. He and Jong could never happen. He’d been certain he’d crushed every lingering glimpse of hope that may still exist in his mind’s eye of the two of them being together. Apparently, he couldn’t have been more wrong. His heart felt as though it was being trampled, constricted, and for the first time in the past two or three years Key finally allowed himself to accept the fact that…he still liked Jong. Simultaneously as that thought entered his mind, Key suddenly found the pain too much to bear and stood up much too quickly. All eyes turned upon him, and he dropped his gaze, too closed off and ashamed to meet any of their stares.

                “I have to use the bathroom,” he announced awkwardly to the confused group, before spinning on his heel and pacing the hell out of there. The further he got from his friends, the more strongly the lump in his throat tugged at him. Arriving at last at the men’s restroom, Key simply couldn’t keep a lid on his emotions any longer and choked back a sob. What was he doing? He couldn’t let Jong hurt him so much, in this way… What the hell was wrong with him? Thankfully, the bathroom was void of all other life at the moment. Key sighed mournfully and clutched subconsciously at his chest. He had to pull himself together. He was Key, after all.

                “Key hyung…?” rang out a sweet sounding voice from the doorway of the bathroom, and Key spun around with a small, girlish gasp. It was Taemin, the curious expression that had settled on his features instantaneously replaced with one of concern when he noticed the tears sliding smoothly down his hyung’s face. “Key, are you okay?” he queried, his voice soaked with shock and worry.

                “Omo, Taemin ah…” he croaked, his voice rusty from the embodiment of human suffering leaking from his eyes. Key swiftly swiped a frustrated hand at the tears, once again averting his eyes from his friend’s, foolishly attempting to keep his pain all to himself. However, Taemin simply wouldn’t have any of that. He pouted his lower lip, quite sensitive to his omma’s sadness.

                “Please tell me what’s wrong, Key ah,” Taemin pleaded, crossing the distance between them with a few strides of his impressively long legs.

                “N-Nothing’s wrong,” Key insisted stubbornly but weakly, and as a sniffle escaped him Taemin just couldn’t stand it any longer and collected Key into a hug. Key stiffed in his embrace (A/N: not in that way, crazy fangirls~ XD), but after a few moments he melted into Taemin’s loving arms and let go, weeping tear stains into Taemin’s fancy photoshoot shirt. Taemin’s heart felt weighed down heavily by his sympathy, and he held Key as close to himself as he could. Neither of them was aware of how long they’d been standing there, Key finally letting his pain overwhelm him. At last, his sobs morphed into sniffles, and soon he was pulling away from Taemin’s comforting embrace and wiping his delicate features with his long shirt sleeve.

                “Key, do you want to tell me what’s wrong now?” Taeminnie asked softly as Key continued to sulk and pout. At last, Key heaved a deep, thoughtful sigh.

                “It’s… Jonghyun…” he trailed off mysteriously.

                “Eh? Jonghyun hyung? Did he say something mean to you? What are you guys arguing about this time? Oh my god, did he tell you your looks big in those skinny jeans again? He knows how sensitive you are about that!” Taemin rambled, anger furrowing his brow.

                “No, no! God, no. He didn’t say anything like that,” Key could only wish his problem was that simple, “It’s…” he finally stopped avoiding Taemin’s stare and turned his face up so he could look him straight in the eye. “I like Jong.”

                Taemin blinked once.

                Twice.

                Three times.

                Then his face broke into a wicked grin.

                “Yah, you’re like me and Minho hyung!” Taemin beamed. Eh…? Key cocked his head to the side confusedly, but at that moment the door to the bathroom cracked open, a shock of dark hair revealed beyond it. Minho poked his head inside, curious and suspicious.

                “Yah, what’s taking so long – in… here?” he inquired, his voice becoming increasingly unsure as he took in the scene, with Key’s eyes red and puffy and Taemin standing unnaturally close to him. His eyes drank in the distance between the two, and he stepped into the bathroom quickly, but didn’t do anything rash seeing as how Key seemed quite upset. SHINee had been through many things together, and Minho knew by now that Key was really much more sensitive than he led anyone to believe, sometimes even himself.

                “Is everything okay in here?” Minho asked, concern subtly etching his eyebrows. Taemin smiled at Minho as Key sniffed and rubbed his eyes.

                “We were about to come on our way back,” Taemin told him. Minho eyed them with slight suspicion, but the situation seemed under control and he really didn’t want to add any stress to Key.

                “Are you alright, Key sshi?” he asked, and Key turned to him with sad eyes; yet, he was smiling genuinely, as he had just gotten a vast load off his chest thanks to Taemin.

                “Ah, I’m better now,” Key replied, moving to the sink to splash offensively cold water on his face. “Thank you, Taemin ah. I couldn’t ask for a better son!” Key locked his arms behind Taemin’s neck for a quick, grateful hug. Taemin chortled happily. Key then left the bathroom, and Taemin went to follow him, but just as he pressed his right hand against the swinging door, a large hand s around his wrist.

                “Aish!” was all Taemin could choke out before he was pressed firmly against the wall, Minho’s face inches away from his own, sparking a blush behind his cheeks. Minho’s eyes bore into his own, and, frozen on the spot, a part of his mind realized that he was under Minho’s enchantment, once again.

                “Taemin ah…” he began, his lips like something was bothering him, “why don’t you tell me what was going on between you and Key?” Taemin stared at him cluelessly for a moment, before realization dawned behind his clear, bright eyes. He’s jealous…? He thought, and fought off a small smirk from creeping onto his plump lips.

                “Ah,” he responded, by some miracle keeping his voice sounding confident and innocent without breaking, “why do you care so much?” He saw the shift in Minho’s eyes and grinned inwardly.

                “Taemin, am I going to have to have to make you tell me?” he threatened, and despite himself, Taemin shivered. A smirk played on Minho’s lips when Taemin didn’t answer, and he yanked open Taemin’s loose silk shirt, planting a kiss as gentle as a feather on his chest and slowly trailing upwards, Taemin writhing more and more underneath him. Finally Minho got the reaction he wanted when Taemin couldn’t take it anymore and choked, “M-Minho ah…” Minho’s lips had made their way to his soft neck, and he gasped slightly, Minho smirking against his skin.

                “Minho ah, n-not n-now!” he finally got out, but Minho didn’t stop. “Bad Minho!” he cried, as Minho’s lips found their way to his jawbone, before abandoning their route completely and capturing Taemin’s lips. Taemin felt himself melting from Minho’s heat, desiring to give himself to him. With a sudden burst of willpower, he pushed Minho off of him, and had to use even more of his willpower not to pounce on him.

                “Babo! We’re in the middle of a photoshoot!” Taemin scolded; he was breathing heavily, as well as Minho. Minho pouted like a little kid who’d gotten caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar.

                “Yah, it’s your fault for not telling me what happened with you and Key,” he argued. Taemin rolled his eyes and gave him a soft shove.

                “You really want to know? He was crying his eyes out because Jonghyun hyung is a big fat BABO!”

                “Bwa...?” Minho questioned, confusion clouding his dark eyes.

                “Key’s in love with Jong and Jong’s in love with Shin Se Kyung,” he elucidated patiently. He waited as this information registered in Minho’s mind, and suddenly Minho was speaking animatedly, angrily.

                “YAH! That retard! How could he do this to Key?! I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind!” he exploded, making for the exit, but this time Taemin was the one holding him back from leaving, pouncing at his arm and holding fast.

                “Minho, first of all, you sound like an idiot right now. Second of all, you can’t say anything! It took forever for Key to even tell me what was wrong. You can’t do that to Key hyung!” he insisted, emotion b his eyes at the thought of Minho humiliating Key like that. At the sight of Taemin becoming frantic, Minho’s eyes automatically softened, and he relaxed, his heart filling with love.

                “Okay, Taemin ah. Only for you,” he spoke sincerely, and a bright grin broke across Taemin’s face, making Minho’s heart soar.

                “Yay!” Taemin squeaked, fixing his shirt and planting a kiss on Minho’s cheek. Minho followed his uke out of the bathroom and joined the other members -- plus Shin Se Kyung.