By the time he reached his home, the crying had finally ceased, replaced with a resounding silence. Everything felt empty, as if his insides had hollowed out and were now only filled with air. The front door to his apartment still remained open and splintered from when the intruders had broken in, but he managed to push it shut behind him. The bedroom door had fared worse, having been broken off its hinges and left lying on the ground. He carefully stepped over it and examined his broken lamp on the floor, the ceramic pieces scattered across the wooden boards. With a sigh, he leapt onto his bed and buried himself under his covers. He had cried himself out on the journey back and now all he could feel was exhaustion. He peaked his head out from below the comforter and stared at his Shinee poster, still easily able to make out its contents in the darkness. Sojin forced himself to look at Onew and was relieved to feel that it hurt. He didn't want to become an emotionless shell due to this event. Shutting his eyes, he fell asleep almost instantaneously. 

The boy slept like a log and would have stayed that way had the sunlight not filtered in through the window as it always did. His head ached and his eyes were still puffy from the night before, making him wonder if he was actually hungover instead of depressed. He silently wished that he had just been drunk and imagined the whole ordeal, but knew that was not the case. Mustering his strength, he rolled over and grabbed his phone off of his nightstand, pressing a button to wake it from its sleep as well. His eyes widened a bit at the sight of thirty missed calls and a multitude of voicemails. Scanning through the call log, he saw that the majority were from Onew, with quite a few from Minho as well. The thought made him tear up, but he held it back, tapping one of the voicemails to play it. Onew's voice came through the phone, sad and hoarse.

"Sojin...I'm so sorry. So, so, so sorry. I can't make excuses--I shouldn't have drank that much--but just know that it meant nothing. I know you can't believe it, but he kissed me and took advantage of my state! I would never...please, let's just talk in person. I'll call you later."

The sadness in the leader's voice almost hurt Sojin more than the act itself. Sighing, he clicked on one of Minho's messages.

"Sojin-ah...are you okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just let you go, I was just so shocked myself. I'll talk to Onew hyung and see what that was all about. Text me if you want to meet up..."

Sojin locked his phone and pushed himself up to a sitting position with a groan, gazing out his window. The day was picturesque with a pure blue sky and the sun shining down at full force. He honestly wanted to simply forget it and see Onew in his normal, happy state again. It was true that the leader had been drunk and that the fault probably was on Minseok. The half-Korean had never been one to hold a grudge and he could already feel his sadness subsiding upon hearing how regretful Shinee's leader had been. Still, he wanted to talk to someone else about the ordeal before confronting Onew. For some reason, Taemin flashed through his mind briefly, but he immediately shook the thought. If the maknae heard about this event, he would surely use it to make the case of why Sojin should end up with him rather than Onew. Another love triangle was the last thing that the boy needed right now. He chose the "call back" option on Minho's voicemail and waited for the rapper's voice to come through. 

"Sojin??" Minho asked frantically. Sojin could hear a commotion erupt around Minho and he prayed that the rapper was not with Onew at the moment. If he was, the rapper did not announce it, instead asking how the boy was feeling.

"I've thought it over and I'm trying to be rational...I don't think Onew would normally do that type of thing. I just wanted to meet with you before I go talk to him," Sojin stated, grasping his phone tightly. He heard a relieved sigh from Minho before the rapper voiced his agreement.

"That's right! Let's meet at the SM building in 20 minutes."

Sojin approved the plan then dropped the phone into his pocket and began his walk to the SM building. The gorgeous weather made him feel better and he could smell the scent of the various bakeries that lined the street around his apartment. As much as he loved Shinee's dorm, he had to admit that his own apartment was a much more comfortable stay. 

As the SM building finally came into sight, Sojin's heart rate picked up. Why was he nervous? He hadn't done anything wrong. Still, he had never been in a situation like this before and had no idea what to expect. Choosing to meet Minho first had been a solid decision and he hoped the rapper would be able to advise him on how to interact with Onew. As he passed by the security guard in his booth, the man gave him the same suspicious gaze that he did every time, untrusting of an outsider nearing the building. Sojin simply smiled at him, a bit annoyed that the man was not used to his presence yet, but relieved that the guard made no attempt to stop him. He neared the door, but before he was even within range, it burst open to reveal Minho with an apologetic look on his face and Onew beside him. Sojin's eyes widened in surprise, feeling a bit betrayed by the rapper, but had no time to think as the leader bounded towards him. As the vocalist neared, he showed no signs of slowing down.

"W-wait!" Sojin exclaimed, backing away slightly. The leader ignored him, colliding with the boy at full speed, and pulling him into a hug as they both fell to the ground. Onew managed to turn them slightly in the air so that Sojin landed on him as they fell, locking the boy in a deathgrip hug. 

"I'M SORRYYYY!" the idol shouted, squeezing Sojin even tighter and rolling him from side to side.

"Ya! Onew, are you crazy?!" came the rapper's voice from the doorway. The fact that the emotional outburst apparently hadn't been planned made the half-Korean smile a bit. He looked down at Onew and saw that the idol wore an expression of genuine hurt.

"Please! Please...you know I like you! I wouldn't have done that! I shouldn't have done that!" the idol stated, his bangs falling into his eyes as he finally stopped rocking the boy back and forth. The apologetic rant seemed to continue endlessly, with the grip around the boy's waist tightening even more.

"Yaaa! Are you trying to kill him now?" Minho asked in shock. "You're going to suffocate him!"

Finally realizing just how tight he was holding the boy, Onew released his grip and fell silent, letting the younger boy lay on top of him. After taking a deep breathe--both to fill his empty lungs and clear his mind--Sojin brought his arms to the idol's face and pushed his bangs back. He cupped the singer's face in his hands and peered at him for what seemed like an eternity before a smile cracked on his face. He could see Onew's eyes fill with hope, but the idol remained still, staring back at him and waiting for a reply. 

"I know. It was definitely a mistake, but mistakes happen. Just...make sure it doesn't happen again," Sojin stated, giving the older boy a peck on the lips before rolling off and onto the pavement beside him. Onew nodded and pushed himself to a sitting position before standing back up and pulling Sojin up beside him. The half-Korean had expected Shinee's leader to be filled with joy and nothing but smiles, but was surprised to see him holding back tears. Sojin poked him lightly in the arm and grinned widely, hoping to cheer him up.

"I really do forgive you. Stop being sad! I can't be happy unless you're happy too," he exclaimed, speaking the truth. Finally, Onew looked at him and smiled. The idol pulled him into a hug once more then released, and Sojin could almost physically feel the tension between them dissipate. 

"Aigooooooo, take it to the bedroom," came Key's sarcastic voice. Sojin glanced to his right in horror, seeing that the diva was now standing next to Minho, watching the scene unfold with amusement. He felt his face turn red as he stumbled away from Onew a few steps and glared at Key.

"How long have you been standing there?!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking a bit from embarrassment and causing him to turn an even deeper shade of red. Key smirked before pointing to the spot where Onew had knocked them to the ground.

"Long enough to see you two rolling around on the ground and doing who knows what," the diva stated, raising his eyebrows and smirking even harder, seemingly pleased with himself. Minho tried to stifle a giggle, but Sojin heard it, throwing a glare at the rapper who immediately silenced himself. Grabbing Onew's hand, he pulled him off away from the SM building.

"So embarrassing," he muttered, just loud enough for Onew to hear.

"Don't have too much fun, you guys!" Key called after them, bursting into laughter. 

"Same to you and Jonghyun. Everybody knows, Key," Sojin called back, silencing the diva and causing Minho to erupt in laughter instead.

"YA. You're dead when you come back!" Key called after them. Sojin smiled to himself, hearing Onew laughing behind him as they rounded a corner and disappeared from the other members' sight. 

The rest of the day continued in a pleasant manner, bolstered by the perfect weather. With Onew's help, Sojin was finally able to repair most of the damage in his apartment and he now had someone to visit the bakeries with. After scarfing down an unhealthy amount of pastries and discussing the party further, the boys finally headed out into the cool, evening air. As they reached the street, their phones dinged simultaneously and both pulled them out to see who had contacted them. Sojin's eyes widened momentarily as he saw that it was a message from Taemin, asking to meet. He quickly stifled any hint of surprise and stuffed the phone back in his pocket as inconspicuously as possible, peering over at Onew's phone. This time, he could not hide his surprise. "Minseok" was clearly displayed across the screen, though he couldn't read the message. His gaze shifted from the phone to meet Onew's eyes, a mixture of emotions building within him. Unexpectedly, the idol unlocked his phone and opened the message, before handing the device to Sojin. The last ten texts were all from Minseok asking to meet with no reply from the Shinee member.

"He won't stop messaging me," Onew stated. Sojin's anger immediately dissipated, realizing that the idol was actually being more open with him than he was in return. He had yet to tell Onew anything about Taemin's advances and confession. He considered pulling out his own phone and showing the idol the situation, but decided against it. Revealing Taemin's infatuation risked creating tension within the group, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause Shinee to fall apart.

"Are you upset?" Onew asked, obviously nervous about the boy's long silence. Sojin snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head.

"No, it's not your fault," he stated, handing the phone back to the idol. Sojin hated confrontation, born as a natural peacemaker, but there was no way around it this time. Minseok was overstepping his boundaries and obviously had no respect for him. He turned to Onew, pointing at his phone. "Reply to Minseok and tell him that you'll meet him!"

Onew gave Sojin a confused look, his eyebrows raised in disapproval. "If I go--"

"You're not gonna go. I'm gonna go!" Sojin replied, clenching his fists. "Someone has to tell him to step off. And he tricked me so blatantly at that party...I have to confront him!"

The idol gave him a look that Sojin could not quite ascertain the meaning of.

"Er, Sojin..." Onew stated, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. "You're way too nice. Minseok will eat you alive."

Sojin wanted to question why Onew had even been dating a person like that, but he held it in. Instead, he pumped his fist, clenching it tightly before poking Onew in the forehead.

"I'll handle it!"

Thank you for all the new subs and comments! :) Can't believe we're all the way through Chapter 18!