For a few long moments, Sojin's judgement faded in and out as he kept his lips locked with the maknae's. The drunken part of him told him to keep going. Taemin was adorable and was making a move on him, who would ever resist? However, his rationale side urged him to pull away. The longer he stayed like this, the more blame would fall on him for not trying to get out of it. The boy's rational side suddenly got the upper hand as he moved his hands to Taemin's chest and pushed the maknae back a bit. The dancer's soft lips left Sojin's, yet he remained hovering inches above the boy's face, his face starting to flush. Sojin finally opened his eyes to meet the maknae's, a look of concern on his face as he worried whether he had offended the Shinee member. He opened his mouth to apologize, yet a sudden clicking to the left cut him off. 

Sojin's heart jumped out of his chest as he watched Jonghyun enter the apartment. Both Taemin and Sojin remained frozen in surprise, the dancer still on top of the half-Korean. Jonghyun, who finally noticed the scene, stood awkwardly for a moment with wide eyes, unable to say anything. A deathly silence filled the air until Taemin finally crawled off of Sojin, taking a seat on the couch and fixing his tousled hair. Sojin pushed himself to a sitting position, then placed his beet red face into his hands. 

"I didn't know you two were having a special evening..." the lead singer stated awkwardly, finally breaking the silence. Sojin pulled his hands from his face and shot up from the couch.

"W-we're not! He just fell on me! We're drunk from dinner!" he exclaimed, running over to Jonghyun and grabbing the singer's arm. He gave it a shake as if begging the older boy to believe him. Jonghyun looked from Sojin to Taemin then slowly nodded his head.

"I see..." he stated. "Well, I'm just gonna go to my room then! Haha, what a misunderstanding."

Sojin watched hopelessly as the singer headed down the hallway to his room, obviously not believing the excuses he had heard. As soon as Jonghyun's door closed, he snapped his attention back to Taemin, filled with a sense of guilt and rage. The maknae sat on the couch with a sullen look on his face, seemingly sobered up enough to feel embarrassment. Sojin opened his mouth to chastise the dancer, but closed it as he realized he wasn't completely faultless either. If he had pushed the maknae off sooner, he could have avoided the whole situation with Jonghyun. Wordlessly, he left the room, heading to Onew's and slamming the door behind him. Finally alone, he let out a deep breath as panic started to set in. He had to do some damage control and quickly. If Onew found out about this, it would be a huge setback to their relationship, or maybe even the end of it altogether. Why did this have to happen now? He only had five days left to get Onew to ask him out before the crazy girl set out to get him once more. 

Taking a seat on the edge of Onew's bed, he ran his hand through his hair, pushing his bangs up and off of his face. He wasn't sure how to settle things with Taemin, yet he doubted the maknae would speak of the incident to the other members. The one to worry about right now was Jonghyun. Every second he spent sitting here was another second that Jonghyun could be texting his fellow members what he had seen. With a look of determination, the boy rose from the bed and headed to the door, whisking it open and heading to Jonghyun's room. He knocked lightly and entered upon hearing a hesitant greeting. Sojin shut the door quietly behind him and took a deep breath before making eye contact with the singer.

"I..." he began. What should he do? If he lied, the whole situation could get worse. Yet admitting his crush on Onew and the events with Taemin was so humiliating. Sojin shook his head. He couldn't risk making the situation any worse than it already was.

"I'm sorry you had to see that...I made a huge mistake!" Sojin started out, taking a seat on the ground next to the older boy and rubbing his own forehead as if to sober up. Jonghyun turned his full attention to Sojin now, noticing that the issue was a serious one. Taking a deep breath, Sojin explained his crush on Onew and the mixup with Taemin. To his surprise, Jonghyun didn't looked shocked by any part of the story, simply nodding his head.

"Hm, I've known that Taemin has liked you from the beginning. He was asking me for advice!" Jonghyun said, stifling a laugh. Sojin's eyes widened, then narrowed into a glare. 

"Ya! You've been advising him to keep going?! When you knew I like Onew?" Sojin exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the singer. Jonghyun shook his head and waved his hands in front of him, trying to defend himself.

"I didn't know you liked Onew! Well...I wasn't sure...and Taemin liked you so much! I didn't want to crush his hopes," Jonghyun stated. Sojin let out a frustrated sigh before nodding to himself, trying to accept the facts. Okay. Jonghyun already knew everything. In fact, he might have coordinated this whole event. 

"Ya! Make sure this never leaves you, me, and Taemin! Got it? You're going to ruin my chances with Onew!" Sojin exclaimed, pointing at the lead singer accusingly. Jonghyun's slight smirk disappeared for a moment, his own eyes narrowing.

"Shouldn't you consider Taemin's feelings too?" the singer stated, crossing his arms defiantly. Sojin opened his mouth to retort, but wasn't sure what to say. It was true that from the very beginning, Sojin had also liked the maknae as more than a friend, yet Onew had always been his priority. The boy's eyes settled on Jonghyun, a hint of annoyance bubbling within him. It wasn't fair of the singer to ask him to pity Taemin! Love came naturally and it wasn't his fault that Onew held his heart. If Onew had seemed disinterested, it would have been another story altogether, but as of now he wouldn't let their budding relationship be ruined.

"I am considering them! I'll let him down gently," Sojin stated, rising and heading for the door. He glanced back at the singer, glaring slightly. "And getting someone drunk to get with them isn't good advice, just so you know!"

Sojin headed back into the living room to find Taemin pouring himself a glass of water in the kitchen, lost in thought. As Sojin came closer, the maknae finally realized his presence and looked up from the water, avoiding eye contact. He turned to put the water container back in the fridge, his back to the other boy.

"Sorry..." he managed to whisper, before closing the refrigerator door and heading towards the couch. Sojin grabbed the dancer's arm as he passed by and took a deep breath, using all of his strength to look him in the eye.

"Taemin! That was a drunken mistake, so I'll just say that it's neither of our faults. Let's just pretend like it never happened and not tell anyone...okay?"

The maknae stared at the half-Korean with an unreadable expression for a moment, before his eyes narrowed into a glare. He pulled his arm from Sojin's grip and continued on to the couch, an aura of annoyance radiating from his frame. 

"I've liked you from the first day! How could you have not noticed? I thought you felt the same way!" the maknae suddenly exploded, glaring daggers at the other boy. Sojin hesitated, taken aback by the dancer's forwardness and sudden outburst.

"I-I do like you!" Sojin stated defensively, though he immediately realized his mistake as the dancer's ears seemed to perk up. He quickly tried to cover the confession. "But Onew and I..."

"You like me? Then I won't give up! I won't lose to Onew!" Taemin exclaimed, standing now and moving towards Sojin with a look of determination. Sojin took a step back, waving his hands in front of him as if trying to create a barrier.

"No no! That's not what I meant! I-" he tried to explain, before the maknae grabbed one of his wrists and looked him straight in the eye.

"You and Onew aren't official yet, right?" Taemin asked, his grip on the boy's wrist tightening. Sojin gritted his teeth, glaring slightly at the dancer through his disheveled bangs. 

"N-no, we're not yet, but-" he began before getting cut off again.

"Well then, I'm not gonna give up! I'll prove to you that I'm the right choice!" Taemin exclaimed, finally releasing his grip and taking a step back. Sojin rubbed his arm where the maknae had been holding him, surprised by the dancer's strength. Before he could get a rebuttal out, Taemin turned and headed for his room with what Sojin thought was a smirk. He remained standing for a few minutes, shocked by the sudden turn of events. His already sticky situation had somehow become even more complicated in just one night. Sojin could feel the stress building up inside of him as he continued to stand alone for a few minutes. There was no one he could turn to for help. As of tomorrow, he would only have four days left to get with Onew, and Taemin would likely be making that far more difficult. Just as panic began to take over him, the apartment's front door clicked open behind him.

Onew, followed by a bickering Key and Minho, entered the apartment, falling silent as they found Sojin standing alone. The youngest boy turned around to face the idols, surprised by their sudden appearance. He quickly stifled any signs of his previous panic and placed a bright smile on his face.

"Oh! You guys are finally home!" he exclaimed, letting out a slight chuckle. Sojin was practiced in hiding his feelings and no one could deny that his skill in this area was impressive.  Onew's look of concern immediately switched upon seeing the younger boy's happy disposition.

"It was a long day!" the leader exclaimed, nodding with a smile. Sojin couldn't have agreed more. While the two other members returned to their prior argument, Sojin approached the leader, grabbing his arm and giving it a light shake. 

"I can stay in your room, right?" he asked, a slight hint of desperation in his voice. Onew seemed amused by the question, glancing towards Taemin's door. 

"You disliked staying with him that much?" Onew replied, laughing. Sojin ignored the comment and pushed Onew towards his room.

"It's been a long day, right? Let's just go to sleep for now..." he exclaimed. Onew put up no fight and headed for the bedroom, bidding Key and Minho farewell. Sojin also turned and waved goodbye to the other two before heading down the hallway--speeding past Taemin's room in particular--and shutting Onew's door behind him. He let out a sigh of relief, finally feeling safe now that it was just him and the leader. The two quickly prepared for bed, changing into their pajamas and brushing their teeth together. Sojin slipped into one side of the large bed, while Onew took the other. The awkward feeling from the first time they had shared the bed had completely disappeared as the younger boy snuggled up next to the leader. Onew placed his arm under Sojin's head and the younger boy closed his eyes, a feeling of peace finally taking over him. Unintentionally, his fingers moved to his lip, reminding him of his past deed with Taemin. He let out a frustrated sigh before turning on his side, his back facing the leader.

"What's wrong?" came Onew's concerned voice. 

"It's nothing...I'm just sleepy," replied the younger boy. He felt the leader shift onto his side and move closer, pulling him into a back hug. Sojin gripped Onew's hands tightly against his chest and closed his eyes. Four days left to make this happen. With Onew's protection, he quickly fell asleep, even with the slight feeling of guilt beating in his chest.

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Sorry! Not the most exciting chapter, haha. Things will pick up next time! Please leave feedback/comments! ;D Thanks guys!