(A day later)

Victoria skipped into Taemin’s hospital ward, grinning brightly at the SHINee family. Then she noticed that they were asleep and pouted.

“Wake up! It’s 7am already!” Victoria shouted, surprising the others in the ward.

“Noona, it’s still early… Do we really have to pack now?” Taemin whined. Onew, JongKey, Mrs. Lee and the manager nodded in agreement.

“No, it’s not early. Seungie’s uncle, Dr. Jang, already gave us the green light to leave at 10am. Come on people, let’s start packing now!” Victoria ordered.

“Oh I see. Ne!” Taemin replied, smiling while he pulled his bag out of a drawer. The SHINee family, along with Mrs. Lee and Victoria, all helped to pack the clothes neatly. Within twenty minutes, they were done with the packing.

Just then, Mrs. Kim came in. “Eh? Taemin, I thought you were discharged at 1pm? Why are you packing already?” she asked in confusion.

“Hyunseung hyung told Dr. Jang to let me be discharged at 10am,” Taemin answered.

“What does Hyunseung have to do with Dr. Jang? And when you say Hyunseung, do you mean Jang Hyunseung from B2ST?” Mrs. Kim asked.

“Ne, of course…” Taemin said dryly.

“Oh… Then what’s their connection? Don’t tell me he’s Dr. Jang’s son!” Mrs. Kim exclaimed in disbelief. Victoria shook her head furiously, not wanting the doctor to get bombarded.

“They’re relatives. Distant relatives,” Victoria answered just as Onew opened his mouth to speak. She winked at the rest of them who nodded in agreement.

“I see… well, your breakfast is ready. It’s outside. Wait a moment,” Mrs. Kim said, stepping out to get the tray. “Here,” she said, placing the tray on the table.

“Thanks!” Taemin exclaimed.

“No problem. Mrs. Lee, you know where to return it. See you soon! Bye Kibum,” Mrs. Kim said, waving as she pecked her son on his forehead, causing the latter to blush.

“Umma… not in front of noona…” Key told her, embarrassed.

“Not my problem. Bye!” Mrs. Kim exclaimed again, walking out to get back to work.

“Your umma is a nurse?” Victoria asked Key who nodded.

“Yeah. It’s a little weird seeing that side of her, but I got to deal with it,” Key sighed.

“Yah! At least your umma has time for you. Mine always works in the office, day and night. The only time I see her is when I visit her at the office!” Victoria complained.

“Break it up already. Now let’s go get breakfast, arasso?” Jonghyun told them. Victoria nodded, her stomach rumbling as she didn’t eat much for dinner.

“Sandwiches, I guess? And coffee, too?” Onew asked knowingly. The others nodded, and OnToria went to get breakfast together. Taemin, on the other hand, was already eating his breakfast.

“So, noona. Did Minho ask for anything else?” Onew asked randomly after a few minutes of awkward silence. Victoria shook her head, getting into the line for sandwiches while Onew got into the line for coffee.

“He sent flowers to Taemin though. It’s been happening for two nights now. I wonder when he got the idea of using flowers. Maybe it’s because of my bouquet?” Onew asked, mostly to himself. The two of them had already bought the food for the others, and were eating in the canteen first.

“Who knows? And what’s with your random idea of flowers?” Victoria shot back.

“I don’t know. It just seemed like the thing that I guy would do, you know?” Onew told Victoria.

“How’d you know so much about flowers? It doesn’t seem like a guy thing. I mean, even I don’t know much about the symbolisms and all,” Victoria stated incredulously.

“My anniversary WAS two days ago. I went to research on them, for the celebration,” Onew explained to Victoria.

“Our anniversary, one month anniversary, is on 4^th February, got it? Better celebrate it, even if it’s just for fun, you know?” Victoria warned, but laughed at Onew’s shocked expression. “Kidding! But still, I want to celebrate it…” Victoria whined.

“Ok, fine, we will,” Onew said, giving in.

“Then what flower would you give me? If I asked for it, I mean,” Victoria questioned.

Onew thought about this for a moment, wondering what Victoria meant to him. *Is she a friend? A lover? Or an enemy?* Onew pondered.

“I’ll give you a yellow rose, or maybe a striped carnation,” Onew finally decided.

Victoria raised a brow, obviously not understanding the reasons. “Why?” she asked, since Onew didn’t respond to her ‘raising your brow when confused’ expression.

“Oh, erm… a yellow rose symbolizes friendship while the striped carnation…” Onew hesitated.

“At least you treat me as a friend. And the carnation?” Victoria asked again.

Sighing, Onew decided to reply. “It symbolizes refusal. Which means something like ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t accept your feelings’ or so. Yeah…” Onew answered.

“I understand. Don’t worry. From the very first day I saw you, I knew that it was love at first sight. But I never did expect you to accept me. I guess I was being too demanding, huh? I can’t believe I even hurt Taemin like that. And it all led to him being in the hospital again. Aish…” Victoria said regretfully. Onew smiled encouragingly at her, trying to say that it was alright.

“So you’re going to apologise after all?” Onew asked hopefully.

“Yep. But I don’t know how. What flower can I send? Or should I use something else? Since Minho’s using flowers, too,” Victoria explained when Onew looked at her in confusion.

“You can still use flowers. I’m sure it’s fine. As for what flowers… I have to think about what Minho’s already used,” Onew told Victoria. “You can eat first, you know?” he asked when Victoria kept looking at him. She nodded and opened the packet of sandwiches, taking a piece and eating it as Onew thought about her earlier question.

*A yellow rose? How about ivy? Nah, that so won’t work… it means fidelity and affection too, not just friendship! King’s spear, maybe?  Or maybe a phlox…* Onew went through the list, not being able to decide between a king’s spear or a phlox. He decided to say both in the end. “I think that a phlox or king’s spear wouldn’t be too shabby,” Onew told Victoria.

“Mwoh?” Victoria asked as if Onew was speaking in an alien language.

“A phlox is a pink flower that grows in clusters. It symbolizes harmony, or a good partnership. A king’s spear is a yellow flower that grows singularly, but there are quite a few of them on a stem. It symbolizes regret. You could use the yellow rose too. And it’s better to send fifteen of whichever flower you choose, because it means ‘I’m sorry’. So which would you want?” Onew asked Victoria after explaining the various meanings of the flowers.

“I don’t know… yellow seems to be a nice colour though. Cheerful, you get what I mean?” Victoria asked. Onew nodded, not understanding the link. “So… it’s a battle between yellow rose, and king’s spear. Which do you think is better?” Victoria asked Onew for his opinion, walking back to Taemin’s ward since they finished their breakfast already.

“Hmm… I think king’s spear would be better. It looks quite nice, too. But then again, the fifteen flowers thing is better if used on roses… FLIP A COIN!” Onew suggested excitedly.

“Um… ok?” Victoria said, unsure if this was a good idea. She took her purse out and found a coin, looking at him as if he were mad. “But seriously? Fine, heads for yellow rose, tails for king’s spear,” Victoria decided, putting the bag of sandwiches down, flipping the coin. She covered the coin when it landed on her hand while peeking at it nervously. “TAILS!” Victoria exclaimed, smiling at Onew.

“Told you it was a good idea,” Onew boasted, smirking at Victoria. They continued walking back to the ward, not wanting to waste extra time.

“You only told me to flip a coin. Never said it was a good idea. Babo!” Victoria exclaimed. “Anyway, this means king’s spear, huh? You think all stores sell them?” Victoria asked Onew.

“I’ve seen it a few times, when I was preparing my bouquet for OnTae’s first year anniversary. It seems common enough,” Onew informed Victoria who nodded.

“Ok. I’ll get them tomorrow morning, before going for our shopping trip. I’ll meet you at your dorm then? What’s the time, anyway?” Victoria asked, nearing Taemin’s ward.

“Don’t look at me. Key knows all the details. Kim Kibum!” Onew shouted, walking into Taemin’s ward with their breakfast.

“You’re back! Finally… What?” Key asked, grabbing a sandwich and chewing on it immediately.

“I just wanted to know what time the shopping date was. Maybe we should tell YunJae and YooSu like, now?” Victoria reminded Key.

“Oh yeah! Wait, let me text them…” Key said, taking his phone out.

 

{From: Kibum~

YunJae and YooSu hyungs, do you have time to go shopping for the whole of tomorrow? It’s fine if you don’t have time. Just asking :)

To: Jaejoong sunbae
       Yunho hyung
       Yoochun sunbae
       Junsu sunbae}

 

Key pressed send and closed his phone, waiting for a reply from the sunbaes. It didn’t take long though. All of them replied the same thing: ‘We have a schedule. Sorry…’

“So? And did you ask SuJu yet?” Victoria questioned.

“They’re busy. And no, I did not. I have a feeling that they’re going to come soon…” Key predicted. Surprisingly enough, he was right. Not more than five minutes of random chatting, SuJu and SNSD burst into the room. Literally.

“Hi people!” Leeteuk shouted loudly.

“Hi! We were just about to ask if the SuJu couples could go shopping with us tomorrow! For the whole day. Is that alright with you guys?” Jonghyun asked immediately.

“I guess so. Saturday… I don’t have much on. Neither do the others. And EunHae, GET YOUR HANDS OFF EACH OTHER!” Leeteuk screamed at the two, making them jump away from each other.

“Can I come too? Key, you better say yes or I’ll castrate Jonghyun,” Heechul threatened. Evidently, shopping played a huge role in Heechul’s life.

“I guess so. And leave my Jjong alone!” Key hissed at his sunbae who nodded.

“Siwon, I’m going too. You better follow, got it?” Leeteuk demanded. Siwon sighed and nodded, standing in the corner while reading his bible.

“And can we go too?” Jessica asked excitedly.

“I guess so. But aren’t you busy with your Japanese comeback?” Taemin asked in confusion.

“Oh yeah… I guess we can’t go then…” Jessica sighed sadly.

“Oh yeah, here’s our fruit basket for you! And a bouquet, too! Wish you a speedy recovery!” Sooyoung exclaimed happily, pulling a bouquet of flowers from behind her back. Yuri, on the other hand, was holding the fruit basket and smiling at Taemin.

“Thanks!” Taemin said in gratitude, gesturing for the two females to put their gifts on the table.

“Yoona, is your leg better?” Victoria asked in concern.

“It’s much better, thank you. I went to the doctor and he gave me some medicine. And he wrapped my leg up, too. Guess I won’t be dancing for the next week…” Yoona sighed, not wanting to slack, especially when they were going to comeback in Japan, and it was only a month plus away.

“Hyung, what flowers are these? I know these are yarrow, right?” Taemin stated, pointing at the pink and white flowers. Onew nodded and smiled at Taemin proudly. “Then what are these?” Taemin asked Onew, pointing to the white flowers with some pink in the middle. It seemed familiar, yet Taemin couldn’t put a finger to it.

“Not bad, not bad. You remembered the yarrow from two days ago. This would be magnolia. It symbolizes perseverance and nobility. Remember what yarrows symbolize?” Onew quizzed Taemin who appeared to be trying hard to remember the little bit of knowledge he had on flowers.

“Healing and health, right?” Taemin asked for confirmation.

“Yup! Not bad, not bad at all. I didn’t really expect you to remember that,” Onew joked, earning a small yell from the younger. Onew then noticed the sunbaes looking at him as if he grew a tail or something. “What?” he asked, feeling somewhat offended.

“We were just wondering how you knew so much about flowers,” Shindong told Onew, shrugging as if he didn’t care. But then he added, “What flower should I give to Nari on our anniversary?”

“I researched on flowers for OnTae’s anniversary two days ago, ok? It’s not gay, although I am. And Shindong hyung, you should give her two poppies. You know those small red flowers? Or maybe 365 of them would be better… Giving 111 of them isn’t too bad either…” Onew trailed off, lost in his own thoughts about flowers.

“I know what a poppy is, but why two, or 365, or 111?” Shindong asked Onew, snapping the younger male out of his thoughts.

“Two means mutual feelings. 365 means ‘love you every day’. 111 means ‘long lasting love’. And I think 20, 21, 999 or 1001 isn’t that bad, either. Giving her 21 flowers means ‘I love you the most’. Giving her 20, 999 or 1001 flowers are almost the same though, ‘love you forever’, everlasting love’ and ‘never ending love’. It’s your choice. Since they’re all pretty small, so I don’t think carrying or keeping them will be much of a problem,” Onew advised, beaming at Shindong. Shindong smiled thankfully and nodded at Onew.

“You need your hoobae to tell you about this kind of stuff? Shindong oppa, when have you become so dependent?” Sunny mocked.

“Yah! I’m still your sunbae! And I just don’t seem to be interested in these things anyway…” Shindong complained, sighing loudly.

“But it’s not a bad thing though. It’s pretty useful for gifts, don’t you think?” Seohyun asked. Onew nodded, smiling at his sunbae.

“Yeah. Like on special occasions, you don’t have to waste time researching and all, you know? And next time, I can be a flower arranger!” Onew joked.

“Teach me if you have time!” Yuri demanded. Onew smiled and nodded at his sunbae.

“If you do become one, make sure to help me decorate my house!” Kyuhyun told Onew.

“No problem hyung! But you have to marry Sungmin hyung first!” Onew told Kyuhyun, causing the couple the blush a bright red.

Suddenly, everyone was quiet. It was pretty awkward and sudden, actually.

“Then… now what?” Tiffany asked quietly, after a moment of awkward silence.

“Well... Taeminnie’s discharged in about an hour plus from now, so I guess you guys could go back…” Onew said to the sunbaes who sighed.

“So we came here just to give the fruit basket and bouquet? That’s all?” Hyoyeon asked no one in particular. Onew just nodded, not knowing how to reply.

“So… I guess we’ll go practice now. Bye,” Taeyeon bid her goodbye, and the other SNSD members followed behind her. SuJu just looked at each other awkwardly, not knowing how to start a conversation, even a random one.

“We’ll go too. Um, at least I will. This is way too weird. Wookie, let’s go,” Yesung announced, tugging on Henry’s sleeve. The shorter boy smiled and waved at the others.

“Bye!” Ryeowook exclaimed before Yesung pulled him out completely.

“He’s one to talk. Weird, huh? I wonder what he is then?” Siwon finally said, closing his bible and looking at the others.

“Agreed. He’s the weirdest person I’ve ever met, and he’s telling US that silence is weird? That’s just… epic,” Heechul agreed.

“But then again, this is a weird conversation. You sure you don’t want to go yet?” the manager asked.

“We have time, but it’s quite boring now. I guess we’ll go back too. Bye! KYUMIN AND EUNHAE, STOP TOUCHING EACH OTHER! WHICH PART OF ‘NO SKINSHIP’ DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!” Leeteuk yelled, pulling all four of them by the ears. No one knew how he did that though. He is Leeteuk, after all. Nobody questioned his ability.

“Bye?” Onew asked, unsure of how to reply.

“BYE AND SEE YOU TOMORROW! Kidding! But really, see you tomorrow!” Heechul exclaimed, waving to the SHINee family and Mrs. Lee before dragging Siwon and Shindong out.

“THAT was weird. I guess we… chat? I really don’t know,” Onew admitted, looking around for something to do. “Anyone wants to learn about flower arranging?” he asked suddenly.

“Me? At least teach me about the more common or popular flowers,” Jonghyun asked Onew.

“Sure,” Onew agreed without hesitation. It was really boring right now.

“What do we start with?” Jonghyun asked.

“Roses, I guess. There are way too many types of roses. Colours, I mean. So what meaning do you want to convey?” Onew asked, wiggling his eyebrows cheekily.

“Well… love?” Jonghyun replied, feeling embarrassed of himself.

“Sure. Red roses, the most commonly used, symbolize passion.  Coral roses symbolize desire. Lavender or thorn less roses symbolizes love at first sight. A single red rose means ‘I love you’. Bridal roses, obviously, symbolize happy love. A yellow rose with a red tip indicates friends falling in love,” Onew listed, ticking the colours off his fingers.

“Cool. I’m sure I’ll forget all about that tomorrow. And how about tulips or lilies?” Jonghyun asked again. The others kept quiet, watching the lame exchange of words between the two eldest members of SHINee.

“A yellow lily symbolizes gayness. I have no idea why though. A calla lily symbolizes beauty. A lily of the valley means something like ‘you’ve made my life complete’. A normal tulip symbolizes a perfect lover. A red tulip means ‘believe in me’ or is a declaration of love. Anything else?” Onew asked, his voice becoming more and more monotonous.

“Yeah. WE REALLY HAVE TO FIND SOMETHING TO DO!!!” Jonghyun screeched, bored out of his mind.

“Like what? Seriously… can we leave earlier?” Onew asked Victoria.

“I’ll call Seungie, if you want. I’m not sure if he’s busy though,” Victoria told them, taking her phone out and dialing Hyunseung’s number.

“Seungie?” Victoria called.

“N-noona…” Hyunseung sobbed.

“Hello? What’s wrong?” Victoria asked, panic rising.

“Hyungie… he…” Hyunseung wailed, not being able to finish his sentence.

“Why’re you crying? Seungie? JANG HYUNSEUNG! YAH! Oh .” Victoria cursed, looking at the other members in panic.

“What’s wrong?” Mrs. Lee spoke up, her voice cracking a little as was dry.

“Seungie… he was crying, I don’t know why. I have to find him. I’m sorry guys, but Seungie is like my brother,” Victoria apologised. The SHINee members shook their head and smiled at her in encouragement, gesturing for her to go.

“I better call Junhyung. My ‘umma’ senses just tell me that it has to do with their relationship,” Key muttered, calling Junhyung immediately.

“Yong Junhyung, you better pick up! YONG JUNHYUNG, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHY WAS HYUNSEUNG HYUNG CRYING? He saw you doing WHAT?! Oh, so a trainee seduced you, did she? I really didn’t know that any of them had feelings for you. Go find Hyunseung hyung, you babo! Victoria noona went already. Beat her there and explain things to him, ok? Good luck. Bye,” Key said, ending the call and sighed, looking at the other members worriedly.

“So? A trainee kissed Junhyung or something?” Onew asked.

“No. She tried him. Or so he said,” Key replied, rolling his eyes.

“Come on, let’s go help. Key, you better go. You know how much you care about Hyunseung hyung,” Jonghyun reminded Key. The younger male nodded and looked at OnTae apologetically, rushing out with Jonghyun chasing him.

“I think I’ll call Doojoon hyung. He needs to know what’s going on,” Onew mumbled, taking his phone out and of course, dialing Doojoon’s number.

“Hyung, what happened between JunSeung? Oh, he’s with you now? Where? The dorm? I see… Um… then never mind. But tell him that Victoria noona and Junhyung are looking for him. On second thought, maybe not. He could try to run away… that’s all, thanks and bye,” Onew ended the call.

“What’s with them? It’s so weird to see your hyungs in this kind of situation…” Taemin sighed.

“I think I’m going to tell Leeteuk hyung. He does have quite a lot of experience, and from what he said, he’s quite free right now. Wait…” Onew trailed off, calling Leeteuk this time.

“Hyung, it’s Onew. JunSeung are having some kind of problem now. I don’t know, Key told me that Junhyung said a trainee was trying to him. I think he could have pushed her off, couldn’t he? Wait. You experienced something like this before?” Onew asked in disbelief.

On the other end of the call, Leeteuk nodded to himself. “Yeah… three years ago…” he whispered, memories of that day flooding back.

 

[Flashback]

“Kangin? Where are you? I’ve been looking everywhere!” Leeteuk exclaimed in exasperation when he spotted a familiar figure through the translucent curtain. However, there was a smaller body pressed against the figure, and Leeteuk frowned.

“Kangin? Is that you?” Leeteuk asked. When he got no reply, he walked to the door and opened it slowly. The cup in his hand dropped as his mind processed the image in front of him. Kangin being kissed by, or kissing, a woman. A trainee and Leeteuk knew her.

“SONG QIAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Leeteuk screamed. The two of them broke apart immediately, and Kangin looked at Leeteuk guiltily.

“Teukie, it’s n-” Kangin didn’t get to finish his sentence, because he was slapped immediately. Then Leeteuk walked up to Song Qian and slapped her, even harder than he had to Kangin.

“Scram. Now.” Leeteuk ordered coldly, glaring at the woman.

“Heartbroken? You know who I am, don’t you? Remember what happened to another two couples in your beloved band?” Song Qian asked, smirking evilly.

“Damn you. Go to hell! Kangin, how could you?! I told you who she was, didn’t I?” Leeteuk demanded.

“Yeah, but… I didn’t know. I thought, maybe it was you. I’m really sorry, Teukie…” Kangin apologised profusely. Leeteuk didn’t buy it, and he continued seething.

“EXCUSES! What do you mean you thought it was me? You thought that I was a WOMAN?!” Leeteuk screamed, smacking Kangin repeatedly.

“Not to break your fun, but you guys aren’t that close, are you?” Song Qian questioned.

“Shut up. What’s your purpose in causing unhappiness amongst us couples, anyway?” Leeteuk asked, staring at Song Qian weirdly.

“I’m a sadist. Duh… it makes me feel good to see others in pain, or suffering,” Song Qian explained, smirking at Leeteuk’s dumbfounded expression. “What? How does it feel to see you children suffering?” Victoria questioned.

“Why them? Why not find some non-celebrity couple? Why us?” Leeteuk asked softly.

“It was kind of a throw the dart thing. The dart hit SuJu, and then I figured that you three couples looked quite easy to target. So I just chose you guys,” Victoria said simply, turning on her heel and walking back to her dorm. Leeteuk rolled his eyes and turned back to Kangin.

“Back to you, . Why didn’t you push her away? Do you really think I’m that small-sized?” Leeteuk asked fiercely.

“Yeah,” Kangin answered bluntly.

“Hmph! And to think I cared so much about you! And I actually warned you about that ! We all did. And you still fell for her trick! The worst part is that you thought she was me! Go away, Kangin,” Leeteuk instructed, pushing his way past the bigger built man and walking back to the dorm.

“Teukie umma? What’s wrong?” Ryeowook asked worriedly upon seeing the leader crying. “SUNGIE!” Ryeowook shouted for his boyfriend who ran out and jumped in shock.

“Teukie hyung, what’s wrong?” Yesung asked.

“Kangin… kissing… woman… Song Qian…” was all the YeWook couple made out between Leeteuk’s sobs. Yesung helped Leeteuk to the couch while Ryeowook patted his back lightly.

“HYUNGS! KIBUM AND KYUHYUN!” Ryeowook shouted again. He didn’t really mind getting a sore throat, if it was for Leeteuk, anyway.

“What? OH MY GOD TEUKIE!” Heechul screamed, running to sit beside Leeteuk and putting an arm around the leader’s shoulder.

“Hyung, what’s wrong? . What happened?!” Kibum asked, cursing when he realised what had happened, even without Ryeowook telling him. He had been the same when it happened to him a few months ago. *Again. I bet it’s her again, isn’t it? The thought of such a vile thing in SM Entertainment sickens me!* Kibum thought angrily, attempting to comfort Leeteuk.

“What the heck’s going on here? I’m tired you know? What the f-” Eunhyuk almost screamed, but Donghae covered his mouth in time.

“No cursing. What happened?! Kibum, you know, don’t you?” Donghae asked the second youngest who nodded knowingly.

“The same thing that happened to SiBum and HanChul, months ago. Song Qian again, isn’t it?” Kibum asked, but he already knew the answer.

“Yeah. Teukie hyung, don’t cry…” Ryeowook said, continuing to pat the leader’s shoulders.

“Teukie, I’m s-” again, Kangin was cut off by a flying cup. Not a soft, fluffy cushion, but a hard, plastic cup. Leeteuk could get as scary as Heechul if he wanted to.

“GET OUT!!!” Leeteuk screamed, his voice breaking at a point.

“But…” Kangin tried to explain, but Hankyung walked over to Kangin and placed his hand on Kangin’s shoulder, shaking his head.

“Kangin, I think you should go out first. This isn’t the time to be apologising, because it really is your fault. Don’t worry, we’ll find you later,” Hankyung reassured. Kangin nodded reluctantly, walking out of the dorm.

“Teukie umma, what did Kangin hyung do to make you so mad? He kissed her?” Ryeowook asked carefully, not wanting the leader to lash out at him. Leeteuk shook his head slowly, making the other members confused.

“Then why?” Heechul asked.

“He… he said that he thought Song Qian was me because of her figure… do I really have a girl’s figure?” Leeteuk asked sadly.

“This was what you’re so depressed about?” Heechul asked incredulously. Leeteuk nodded. “What the heck? This isn’t the time to be angry about this kind of stuff, Teukie,” Heechul said.

“But… I’m a guy! I’m not angry at him for kissing her. I’m angry at him for forgetting who she is. I’m even angrier at him for saying that I have a girl figure!” Leeteuk complained, pouting.

“I’m going to tell him and you’re going to patch up. Your case isn’t anything like HanChul or Sibum’s. Jinjja…” Hankyung said, texting Kangin about his mistake, and what he should say to apologise.

Within seconds, Kangin came back into the dorm and praised Leeteuk for his ‘manly’ figure. And in no time, they were alright again. But they couldn’t forget what Song Qian said: You three couples looked quite easy to target.

[End of flashback]

 

Did she really look down on them so much? Anyway, all this was forgotten until recently, when Victoria reminded them of these incidents.

“LEETEUK HYUNG? HELLO?!” Onew shouted into the phone, snapping Leeteuk out of his trance.

“Yeah?” Leeteuk asked, completely confused about where the conversation ended.

“I asked you what Junhyung should do, to get Hyunseung back. They’re supposed to go out tomorrow, with us!” Onew exclaimed.

“Just apologise. Keep saying sorry and tell him that he didn’t know. Apologise till he finally gives in. maybe he can say that he thought the trainee was Hyunseung. With the figure and all, you know? Hyunseung’s really thin for a guy,” Leeteuk commented.

“Why don’t you tell him? I don’t feel like it…” Onew whined.

“You’re doing it. I don’t care. Bye,” Leeteuk said, ending the call abruptly.

“Aish… Yong Junhyung… ah, here!” Onew exclaimed upon finding the number. He dialed it and waited for Junhyung to pick up. Surprisingly, it only took five rings.

“Yeoboseyo? Onew?” Junhyung asked.

“Ne. I was just going to tell you that Hyunseung hyung is with Doojoon hyung now. I asked Leeteuk hyung for advice, and he told me to tell you to apologise, a lot. And saying sorry and that you didn’t know it wasn’t him. You thought the trainee was him cause of his slim figure. And it’s not my idea. Screw Leeteuk hyung if this goes wrong. Remember, I hope to see JunSeung together tomorrow. You better do it!” Onew threatened.

“Yeah. Sure. I assume Doojoon hyung’s in the dorm?” Junhyung asked, already running towards the CUBE building to find his boyfriend.

“Yep. Good luck,” Onew wished.

“Thanks. Bye,” Junhyung said, ending the call.

“Bye?” Onew said, but the call already ended.

“I hope this goes well for them…” Onew prayed.

Meanwhile, since Junhyung was much more familiar with the CUBE building, and he got there earlier, he managed to get to Hyunseung before Victoria.

“SEUNGIE!” Junhyung shouted. The sound of someone crying was enough to confirm that Hyunseung was there, with Doojoon of course. He walked in =to their shared room, only to find Hyunseung crying against Doojoon’s chest.

“Go away! I don’t want to see you now!” Hyunseung screamed.

“I’m so sorry. I really thought that she was you! Your figures are really similar! I swear I didn’t mean to let her try to me or whatever. I didn’t have time to react, and when I did, you already ran away… I’m sorry…” Junhyung apologized, even getting on his knees in front of Hyunseung.

“WHAT?! Now you’re telling me that I have a girl’s figure? I was going to forgive you, but you just had to say that, didn’t you?” Hyunseung demanded, turning to face Junhyung. Doojoon smiled and walked away, giving his dongsaengs some privacy.

“I wasn’t the one who thought of that. Leeteuk hyung of SuJu told Onew hyung to tell me to tell you that I mistook the trainee for you because of your figure,” Junhyung explained hastily.

“What? I did not understand a single part of what you just said,” Hyunseung told Junhyung, his head tilting slightly to the side in confusion.

“I said that Leeteuk hyung told Onew hyung to tell me to tell you that I mistook the trainee for you because of your similar figures,” Junhyung said again, slower this time.

“Oh. That’s dumb! I feel offended…” Hyunseung whined, glaring at Junhyung.

“It isn’t my fault. Blame Leeteuk hyung. He’s going shopping with the others tomorrow, and Onew hyung really wants us to be there as a couple. Please?” Junhyung begged, still kneeling down.

“Fine. But you’d better take back what you said about my figure. You know best that I hate being called girly,” Hyunseung complained.

“Ne. THANKS SEUNGIE!” Junhyung exclaimed cheerfully, jumping up to kiss his boyfriend. “You don’t look good when you cry. Cute, but not good, ok? Don’t cry,” Junhyung cooed, wiping the dried tears off Hyunseung’s cheeks.

“Arasso…” Hyunseung pouted. “But I’m still older than you. Don’t treat me like a baby…” Hyunseung whined, looking at Junhyung sadly.

“Aww, is my Seungie pouting? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Don’t pout anymore, ok? It’ll make you look ugly,” Junhyung joked, earning a smack on the head from Hyunseung.

“Hyunseung? Are you here?” Victoria’s voice was unmistakable.

“Hyunseung hyung? Are you ok?” Key asked worriedly. Footsteps were heard as the said people walked into the room, panic on their faces. Following behind them were Jonghyun, DooSeob  and KiWoon.

“Yeah, I’m perfectly fine. Shoo, go away!” Hyunseung ordered. The other B2ST members, JongKey and Victoria smirked knowingly, nodded, and walked out of the room.

“I guess it’s a wasted trip. Let’s get back to the hospital. Or should we go straight back to SHINee’s dorm?” Victoria asked JongKey, oblivious to the B2ST members listening.

“Hospital? Why?” Dongwoon asked worriedly. As idols, they were all pretty close to each other, and they didn’t wish for any of their friends to be injured.

“Our dear maknae got injured again…” Jonghyun sighed.

“How? And what do you mean by ‘again’?” it was Gikwang who spoke this time.

“The first time, his left leg was shot by a professional, when he and Onew hyung were having lunch. Apparently SOMEONE,” Key exaggerated the word, “wanted him to be hurt. And then a lot of events happened. A few days ago, his leg hit a table edge, the injured part, and his bone had this hairline crack thingy. He’s been hospitalized for a few days, and he’s getting discharged today. Like now,” Key explained, smiling at the B2ST members.

“Wait. Minho’s still there too. Don’t we have to get him? I think OnTae’s gone back already. Let’s help him, although he doesn’t have much to pack. And he sure as hell doesn’t deserve it,” Victoria scoffed. The B2ST members’ eyes widened, shocked that Minho was in the hospital too.

“Minho’s there too?” Yoseob asked incredulously.

“Yup. Onew hyung beat him up after he ruined OnTae’s first anniversary celebration. Quite sure he got a sprained ankle, probably some bruises like, everywhere. And not to mention the fact that he’s got some kind of slight crack, fracture, or maybe break somewhere, but it’s not that serious. He was able to make it to DBSK’s dorm from the hospital, so I’m sure he’s fine. He’s getting discharged in a while,” Key told them. B2ST nodded and sighed in relief, glad that not everyone was getting that seriously injured.

“His doctor said that he would be fine in about three, maybe four, weeks. Taemin, on the other hand, needs at least five months to recover fully. Aish…” Victoria sighed.

“Don’t worry noona. We’ll be there at Dongdaemun on time tomorrow, with JunSeung. So I guess you’re going now?” Doojoon asked Victoria and JongKey who nodded in reply.

“You’re going already?” Hyunseung asked sadly, walking out of the room with Junhyung.

“Yeah. Noona has to rehearse a little. Only then can I go out tomorrow, ok?” Victoria told Hyunseung. The latter smiled and nodded like a child, waving to Victoria before she even took a step out.

“Bye Victoria noona, bye JongKey!” Junhyung exclaimed, waving as the three of them headed back to the hospital to find Minho.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Victoria and JongKey strolled to Minho’s ward.

“Hi? When am I discharged?” Minho asked immediately when he saw the three elders.

“Now. Come on. I think manager hyung’s either waiting or he left already,” Key said, walking out to find their manager’s car. The others followed, but they matched Minho’s pace.

“Which part of you got injured, anyway?” Jonghyun asked Minho.

“My ankle got sprained, and my right wrist was fractured a little. Nothing much,” Minho shrugged, finding that his injuries were so minor compared to Taemin’s.

“He’s still here. Let’s go,” Key told the others, walking to the car and opening the door before getting in. Minho, Jonghyun and Victoria went in afterwards, closing the door before SHINee’s manager drove back to SHINee’s dorm.

The trip was quite silent, and they reached the dorm in no time. While the manager went to park the car, Victoria, JongKey and Minho went up to the dorm.

“We’re back~” Key sang, picking up Eve who ran to him, wagging her tail excitedly.

“Whose dog is this?” Victoria asked, not knowing much about idols who had pets.

“Taemin’s, why? You didn’t know?” Key asked, as if knowing that Taemin had a dog was common sense. Victoria shook her head, taking Eve from Key’s hands.

“She’s so cute! Omo! I always wanted a dog, but my appa’s allergic…” Victoria sighed.

“Hyungs, noona, you’re back!” Taemin exclaimed from the bedroom.

“Yeah. I’ll stay here for a while, but I have to leave by sunset. I really need to practice before tomorrow,” Victoria told Taemin, continuing to play with Eve.

“I guess I kind of need singing practice too. Maybe we should go now. Minho hyung, we’ll be going first. You can come find us when you’re done unpacking. If you want to come, anyway. Bye!” Taemin exclaimed, grabbing his crutches and walking out of the room with Onew supporting him. Victoria put Eve down and followed the couple to the practice room.

“Sure?” Minho replied too late, limping to the bedroom and putting his clothes down. He unpacked his things and went to find something to eat, deciding to have lunch with JongKey who were already cooking some rice and bulgogi.

“Need my help?” Minho asked, trying to be helpful.

“Nope. We’ll be done in a few minutes. Go and wait at the dining table for us to finish,” Key said in an irritated tone, rolling his eyes.

Minho nodded and went to sit at the couch, waiting for his hyungs to finish preparing lunch.

In the practice room, OnTae and Victoria were practicing ‘Lucifer’, ‘Hello’, and ‘Pinocchio’. Onew practiced and commented on Victoria and Taemin’s singing, which really was quite helpful. At the end of an hour or so, they finished singing and rested for a while.

“Go back now?” Taemin asked after a few moments of silence.

“Sure, why not?” Onew answered awkwardly, helping Taemin up before walking back to SHINee’s dorm with him slowly, Victoria following behind.

“I’m going back to f(x)’s dorm now. Bye!” Victoria exclaimed when the lift doors opened, holding it for OnTae before waving goodbye and skipping off to her dorm.

“That was the weirdest thing ever. Come on,” Onew said, supporting Taemin back to SHINee’s dorm.

“We’re back! Is lunch ready?” Onew shouted.

“Yeah! We ate already. Go heat up the food that I saved for you guys!” Key shouted back. Apparently the JongKey couple and Minho were watching TV.

“Kay. Thanks!” Onew replied, walking to the kitchen to get the plates of food which he then put in the microwave before turning it on.

After a few minutes, Onew decided that the food was warm enough, and he laid the table before calling Taemin in. Hopefully, Taemin would be smart and use his crutches instead of hopping.

“Yah! Use your crutches you babo!” Onew scolded the hopping boy. Usually, people had the thinking of ‘once bitten, twice shy’. Evidently, Taemin was not one of those people.

“I don’t care~ mehrong~” Taemin stuck his tongue out, sitting down at the table before grabbing a bowl of rice and digging in. Onew shook his head, giving up on changing Taemin’s mindset, and began to eat as well.

“I’m so full!” Taemin said, putting his chopsticks down on the table and smiling contentedly.

“Key! Get Tae’s crutches and make sure he gets into the room safely! I’m just going to wash these plates,” Onew decided, standing up and grabbing all the utensils.

“Lee Taemin! What did we tell you about not using crutches?” Key demanded.

“Not to not use crutches?” Taemin answered sheepishly.

“Then what are you doing?” Key asked sternly.

“Not using my crutches, I get it. Seriously…” Taemin sighed, snatching the crutches from Key and going in the bedroom.

When Onew finished the dishes, he went to join Taemin in the room. Suddenly, Minho poked his head around the door and looked at OnTae, trying not to puke at the sight of them together. He cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the two.

“I’m going out. Will be back in less than an hour. Bye!” Minho exclaimed, not giving anyone the chance to protest as he left the dorm quickly. Then he headed to the florist to get flowers once again, this time, with a different meaning in mind.

After Minho returned, hiding the flowers and saying that it was a present for a friend, SHINee decided to go out for dinner at night. Meanwhile, they were just watching some variety shows and dramas on the different channels.

They celebrated the two youngest members’ hospital discharge and went to eat steak, Taemin’s favourite food. Then they chatted for quite some time as they didn’t really have that much time together lately, what with all the SHINee World Concerts and individual schedules.

They returned to the dorm when it neared their ‘curfew’, or so they called it. Their manager decided that they shouldn’t stay out for later than 9pm, sadly. Since they weren’t that far from SM’s building, they decided to take s troll back instead of hailing a cab.

Walking into the dorm, Key and Onew plopped onto the couch while Jonghyun and Minho decided to bathe. Taemin was just standing there, not knowing what to do.

“Come on, sit down,” Onew told Taemin after a while, patting the seat beside him. Taemin obliged and walked over to the couch, sitting down slowly.

“Want me to bathe you again?” Onew asked playfully.

“No way! I’m bathing on my own today!” Taemin shouted, folding his arms across his chest.

“Aww, Taeminnie’s grown up. Fine, I won’t help you. Just make sure you don’t fall again, ok?” Onew asked, serious this time. Taemin smiled and nodded, not wanting to worry any of his hyungs.

“Minho’s out. Go! Shoo,” Onew joked, deciding to help Taemin get a fresh set of clothes and towel. He didn’t need Taemin to walk around even more and injure himself again.

“Thanks hyung!” Taemin exclaimed when Onew passed him the clothes. He pecked Onew lightly on the cheek, causing himself to blush.

“Ne. Hurry, I want to bathe too,” Onew instructed, beaming at Taemin as his lover walked into the toilet after nodding. Meanwhile, Jonghyun had finished bathing too, and Key had gone into the other toilet. That left Onew to sit on the couch and wait for someone to finish bathing.

A few minutes passed and Key walked out of the toilet, looking as if he was going for a performance. Onew got up to get new clothes before going into the toilet, bathing quickly.

When Onew came out of the toilet, Taemin was still inside.

“You’re ok right?” Onew asked worriedly. He heard a muffled ‘yeah, but I think my cast got a little wet’ from Taemin. “I’ll help you clean it later. Hurry up,” Onew told Taemin who replied ‘ne’.

Another few minutes passed and Taemin finally came out of the toilet, allowing the other members to heave a sigh of relief.

“Next time, I’m so helping you,” Onew announced. “You take too long in there. We were thinking that something happened to you, you know?” Onew asked, worry evident on his face.

“Fine, I won’t argue with that. Help me clean my cast. It’s wet…” Taemin whined, pouting cutely at Onew, causing the older male to laugh and nod.

Onew helped Taemin wipe his cast dry, doing so with care, of course. JongKey were watching some movie that OnTae didn’t care about, and Minho was in the bedroom, placing the flowers that he bought earlier onto Taemin’s bed, forming a heart. He put a note there and went to sleep, not wanting anyone to question him about it.

When the couples finally decided to turn in for the night, they went into the room and jumped in shock upon seeing the flowers.

“What are… these?” Taemin asked, looking at Onew for an explanation. Of course, they had seen the heart formed by fifteen yellow flowers.

“They’re daffodils. They mean unrequited love. And fifteen flowers, as I’ve said before, means ‘I’m sorry’. There’s a note,” Onew pointed out, picking the small piece of paper up and showing it to Taemin. He unfolded it and read aloud:

Taemin, Minho hyung here. I’m sorry for trying so hard to chase you. I even ruined your date. I really did a lot of thinking about my actions, and I think that I’m really an idiot.

I hope you and Onew hyung will forgive me. And I’ll be here, if he ever betrays you.

I love you, but you don’t love me back. As much as it saddens me, I have to face reality. You won’t love me even if Onew hyung didn’t exist. I know that.

Seriously, I’ll be here forever, waiting for you.

Sincerely, Minho.

“Hyung, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but it’s already too late for that, huh?” Taemin muttered to himself, folding the note and telling himself to keep it well.

“Put the flowers in the vase,” Key told them, climbing into his own bed and sleeping. Jonghyun smiled at the couple and did the same as Key, leaving the two to clean up Taemin’s bed. Onew helped Taemin to gather all the flowers and put them in the vase.

“Let’s sleep, arasso?” Onew asked when he was done. Taemin smiled lightly and nodded, getting into bed and falling asleep almost immediately. Onew sighed and the maknae’s hair soothingly, falling asleep as well.

But good things never last.

 

 

 

Will Minho really give Taemin up? Keep guessing :) and please comment! Thanks for reading and look forward to the next chapter :D haven’t really thought about it, but I’ll try to update by next Friday. Thanks again to all my readers! X)