Taemin climbs out of bed and walks into the bathroom with a wide smile on his face. Today was his 21st birthday and he knew exactly who he wanted to spend it with. "Jagiya?" he calls, expecting a response. Surprisingly, he isn't met with any. "Jagiya?" he calls again, poking his head out of the bathroom door. It was only now that he realizes how void of life the room looks.

The setting was familiar, it was the bedroom he shared with You in your apartment, but it seemed as if he lived alone on this morning. Something was off, it was the middle of July, and yet the sky was dark and the temperature seemed cold. Walking out of his room, he starts towards the kitchen, hoping that maybe it was just a prank. You was always the type of girl to play tricks on her boyfriend, she liked the look of surprise that always painted his face. But when he steps onto the cold kitchen floor, he sees a kitchen that looks new, uninhabited, and eerily white.

"You? Where are you?" The male keeps his guard up for any tricks, unwilling to get discouraged by the unnerving silence. He runs his hand across the smooth surface and stops at the stainless steel fridge. His eyes widen when he sees the bare surface. Usually, it was almost a scavenger hunt to find the handle of the fridge, since it was covered in pictures of him, You, and SHINee. But now, it was as if his relationship of 3 years never existed. He sighs and decides to look for something to eat to settle his rumbling stomach, looks like his house wasn't the only empty thing this morning.

Grabbing a bowl and spoon off of the dish rack, Taemin settles for a bowl of cereal, as he wasn't the best of cooks and You nor any of the hyungs were here to cook him breakfast. He sits down at the kitchen table to eat his breakfast, a frown on his face. Suddenly, the pocket of his sweatpants buzzes and he reaches inside for his phone, a smile returning to his face. I knew she wouldn't forget my birthday. It falls when he looks at the screen and finds out it was only an alarm. He shuts it off and throws his phone into the living room, feeling depressed.

After finishing his breakfast, Taemin walks back to his room and gets changed for the day. Not wanting to stay inside and be surrounded by the depressed atmosphere, he steps out of the apartment and goes toward his car. He gets into his car and just drives around the streets of Seoul, hoping to find something that would inspire him. Somehow, he ends up at the SM building and gets out of his car. He hears screams from the entrance and smiles sadly as he realizes only the fangirls will wish him a happy birthday. Walking through the fans, he is surprised when they become silent and even make a way for him. They put their cameras down and don't make a sound. As if they were ignoring his existence. He wanted to ask them why, but he had a feeling that they wouldn't answer.

He sighs and makes his way through the building, silently bowing to the sunbaes and hoobaes alike. He pouts and walks through the halls, looking for an empty dance studio to clear his mind. Turning on the music, he loses himself to the rhythm, the beat, the melody. Everything. He becomes one with the music. Popping and locking, with a spin, he finally stops and breathes. A smile is on his face as sweat drips down his body. He finally felt at peace. Breathing heavily, he checks his phone for the time. "5:08..." he nods, and picks up his bag before walking out.

Walking through the halls, Taemin hears chattering coming from a nearby room and decides to see what's happening; the male was always a curious one. Opening it, he is delighted to find his hyungs, the oher 4 members of SHINee. "Hyungs!" he smiles widely and runs towards them, arms wide open. The maknae was naive enough to expect a greeting.

The blonde one, known as Key, watches him as he runs with a disdainful expression on his face. "And who are you?"

Taemin laughs as he hugs him. "Key hyung, you can be so funny sometimes."

"No seriously, who are you?" Minho, the tallest of the 5, asks, watching the two with a confused face. "I've never seen you in my life."

"Minho hyung, I'm Taemin. The maknae of SHINee!" he continues to hug the blonde.

"No. Minho-goon is the maknae," the shortest, Jonghyun, answers. "SHINee only has 4 members..."

"What?" Taemin lets go of Key for a second and his eyes widen as the oldest holds up a picture. The picture clearly shows a SHINee with only 4 members. "But SHINee has to have 5 members. That's how we work."

"I don't know how you got in here, because we are the only members of SHINee," Onew says, looking at him with a concerned look, as he puts the picture down. "We'd be happy to give you a tour of the building, though, but you have to leave before security finds you."

Taemin huffs, dropping his arms as he rolls up his sleeves. "What do you want me to do to prove I'm a part of SHINee?"

"YOU. ARE. NOT. A. MEMBER. OF. SHINee." Key says, with crossed arms.

Onew puts a hand on the blonde male's shoulder, causing him to stop. "What do you mean 'prove'?"

"I can dance to one of our songs or sing to one of them," Taemin continues, sounding determined.

"'Our' songs?" Jonghyun whispers to Minho, who shrugs.

"Fine. Let's see if your 'part of SHINee'," Key says, eyeing him. 

"I'll do our latest song, Why So Serious," he says, and starts the doing the Zombie Dance while singing the lyrics to himself. 

Halfway through his performance, the blonde stops him, shaking his head. "Stop."

"What?" Taemin asks, trying to slow down his breathing.

"How can you call that Why So Serious? We don't even have a song called Why So Serious."

"What do you mean, of course we do."

"Jonghyun hyung was injured when we were supposed to release it, so we waited until he healed to release a new song," Minho says, eyeing him curiously.

Taemin huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "What did you release instead?"

"Nightmare," Jonghyun says, giving the maknae a look.

And with that, sleeping beauty awakens from his sleep, covered in sweat. "What was that?" he asks, looking around with sleepy eyes. He looks around and sees he's back in his bedroom, and it still has that bare look. "Jagiya?" he asks, quietly, fearing his dream had come true. Pulling the sheets down, he exits his bed and walks into the kitchen. "Jagiya" he stops in front of the bare fridge.

"Taemin, you're up," You calls from the door, as she slips her shoes off. She walks over to him with a wide smile on his face, holding a large box. "Wait, why are you awake now?" she asks, her smile falling.

"You!" he runs for her and wraps his arms around her without warning. "So we are still together," he whispers into her hair, a smile on his face.

"Of course we are. Unless something happened in 24 hours," she giggles, as she slides out of his grip. 

"Where were you?" he asks, pushing back a loose strand of her hair. 

"I was getting some stuff..." You replies, trying to slide the box away inconspiciously.

"And what's this?" Taemin smirks as he catches her. His hands grab the box and start to feel the smooth surface, searching for an edge.

"Stuff..." she tries to get it out from his grasp.

"Tell me?" the male uses his aegyo to bait her. "It's my birthday.."

The girl huffs, unable to resist his charms, plus the fact that is was, in fact, his birthday. "Don't tell the hyungs," she asks, leaning towards him.

"Ok?"

"It's the cake for your surprise party," she says, laying her hands on top of the box. 

"Jinjja?" he asks, impressed by the box's size. He knew it must've been really expensive. "Can I see it?"

"No~. I've already said too much. Please just wait~" she pleads, using her own aegyo.

Taemin reaches up to rake his fingers through his hair. "Arasso," he says, putting his hands down on the counter.

"Thank you," You say, giving him a peck on the lips before turning to the fridge. "So what do you want for breakfast-"

"Aha!" Taemin yells, as he opens the box, a smile on his face until he sees what's inside. "But this is full of rocks..." he says, a confused look on his face.

"Haha! You thought I would bring the real cake home? I knew you were curious, I'm not dumb, unlike you, pabo," You sticks her tongue out at him. 

"Does this mean I'm not having a surprise party?!" Taemin asks, holding up one of the rocks.

"Of course you're having a party! Be sure to pick a nice outfit, because Key-umma will be taking lots and lots of pictures. Wouldn't want to be nagged on your birthday! :P" she struts out and towards the bedroom.

"Jagiya, come back back~" Taemin whines, running after You. "You didn't wish me happy birthday!!"

Surprising him, she sticks her head back out of the door. "Saeng-il chukhahapnida, jagiya," she says, with a wide smile. "Happy?" she asks, in a teasing tone.

"Very," he smiles, hugging his girlfriend again.

 

 

---

 

 

 

And that's it! My first oneshot dedicated solely to Taemin's birthday. Yup, I became a Shawol last year after an ex-friend of mine showed me the Sherlock (Clue + Note) mv. Taemin instantly caught my eye because of his extensions (I love guys with long hair) and I learnt more about the group because of him. Nearly a year later, I am proud to say happy birthday to my ultimate bias, Lee Taemin. I hope this year is great for him and that he and SHINee have many many more years. HAPPY TAEMDAY EVERYBODY! :D