WARNING! UNEDITED!

Jealousy, n.

-mental uneasiness from suspicion or fear of rivalry, unfaithfulness, etc., as in love or aims

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After Taemin and Naeun had finished their little date in the rain, Taemin picked up Naeun bridal style and then sat her down on their makeshift bed. He then went and picked up a towel which he draped on his front side and then enveloped Naeun in a hug, so that she could be warm while he dried her off. Once she was done, she too, got a towel and then dried Taemin off with a towel hug. They changed clothes and then made dinner together, which was time spent sweetly together. That night, they fell asleep in each other’s arms while watching a romantic comedy.

The next morning, they woke up in each other’s arms. Naeun had woken up first because she wanted to make Taemin breakfast in bed, but he had his arms wrapped firmly around her that trying to get out of them would just cause him to wake up. Instead, she cuddled into him, inhaling his scent, listening to his heartbeat and watching him sleep. She felt warm and safe in his arms, and his heartbeat seemed to act as a lullaby to her because she ended up falling asleep again. Meanwhile, Taemin was stirring from his sleep as he felt someone moving in his arms. His eyes fluttered open to find his girlfriend trying to get even closer to him. He buried his face into her hair and then gave her a kiss. They could wake up later; they felt like they had all the time in the world to be together.

When they did finally wake up at mid-day, they spent a good twenty minutes just gazing at each other, with Taemin whispering sweet nothings into Naeun’s ear. They both wanted to wake up like this every morning, but they couldn’t, so they just cherished and lived for these moments. They finally decided to get up when their stomachs growled at them. Taemin chopped up some vegetables and cooked rice, while Naeun fried some eggs and the leftover beef that they had yet to consume. After ‘breakfast’, they packed up their fort and their overnight suitcase, lugged them into the car and then drove off to Seoul, where Taemin dropped off Naeun at her dorm and then went back to his own.

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One month later…

“Yeoboseyo? Oppa?”

“Naeun-ah, are we still on for tonight?”

“Of course!”

“I’ll pick you up at around 5pm?”

“Ok. See you then, Oppa. I love you…”

“Love you too…”

This was to be Taemin and Naeun’s last night together for a while. Taemin was going to be away for one month to finish up the last leg of the SMTOWN concerts. SM Entertainment had some scheduling conflicts, especially after their merging and couldn’t do what they usually did in regards to spreading out the concert dates. Instead, it was going to be a very hectic one month for SM artists as they would be globe-trotting to finish up the tour. APINK had finished their Korean promotions, and were no focusing on individual activities. Chorong, Namjoo and Bomi were starting to become frequent guests on various variety shows, Hayoung would join occasionally, but would be finishing up school and Eunji and Naeun had been offered roles in dramas. Eunji had already accepted, but Naeun had to ask someone for their opinion before fully committing to the project.

At precisely 5pm, Taemin showed up at APINK’s dormitory and picked up Naeun. They decided to have dinner first at their favourite barbecue restaurant before heading back to the SHINee dorms. When they arrived, Taemin and Naeun bid a quick ‘hello’ to the members before going into Taemin’s room. Sleeping at each other’s dorms was becoming increasingly frequent between the two. They sat at the head of the bed with Taemin leaning against the bed frame and Naeun leaning against Taemin. They were both quiet, staring directly ahead. Taemin and Naeun’s hands were interlocked, and Taemin was playing with Naeun’s fingers. Naeun was looking into Taemin’s face, trying to remember every single detail. They had been apart before, but this time, it seemed like missing each other would be even more painful. Naeun sighed.

"Aigoo…is uri Naeun-ie going to miss me that much?”

“Ani…I mean, of course I will, but there’s something else…”

“What is it?”

“I got offered a role in a new drama.”

“That’s great! I’m sure you’ll be amazing. What’s the problem?”

Naeun got up to retrieve a script from her bag and handed it to Taemin. She had tagged three pages, that she wanted him to see. He quickly flipped to those pages, and she saw his eyes flicker. It seemed like he was reading the page multiple times. He closed it abruptly, and then tossed it to the edge of the bed, and then turned to Naeun.

“You should do it.”

“It doesn’t seem like you want me to do it…”

“I don’t want you to do it, but this is work. And the role fits you perfectly. I want you to show off your talents. I have to be cool about this.”

“So…you’re okay with me kissing another guy?”

“No, but we have to look at this from a professional perspective. I don’t want you to do it, but I want you to do it at the same time.”

“Should I accept it?”

Taemin sighed, as if he was just defeated. He was pushing her to do it but his instincts told him that he should just hide her away in his room so that no one else gets to touch her or kiss her other than him. But, he knew this business. He wanted her to be able to extend her career as an actress and at some point she would need to kiss someone. He was insanely jealous, but he also understood that it was just her job.

“Accept it.”

She placed her hands on either side of his face, and then kissed him. No words needed to be said. Naeun tried to convey all her feelings for him in that kiss. She knew that it was hard for him to watch her kiss someone else, and also the fact that they wouldn’t physically see each other while she shot the drama was also tough on him. She was grateful though, that she had a very understanding boyfriend. She knew that if she was in his position right now, she would be feeling exactly the same. However, even though they were jealous, they felt comfortable with their relationship and were always assured about the other’s feelings.

The next morning, SHINee’s managers had woken them up at 6am so that they would be out the door by 7.30am at the latest. Naeun went with them to officially send them off. Surprisingly, SHINee had arrived at the airport first before the other artists and were given some free time around the airport. Taemin and Naeun had breakfast and coffee together before they were called to go into the boarding gates. Taemin was alright with being one of the last to board so he took Naeun to a quiet place in the airport, where they said their goodbyes.

“I’ll miss you so much…”

“I’ll miss you too…but we’re not that far away. We’re always in here.”

Taemin grabbed Naeun’s hand and placed it above his heart.

“I have a gift for you…it’s at you dorm.”

“You didn’t have to buy me a gift.”

“I wanted to.”

Taemin saw his manager waving to him as a final boarding call echoed throughout the airport. Taemin and Naeun shared a tender kiss as Naeun gestured for him to go.

“As Taemin was about to disappear through the gates, he caught Naeun’s eyes and mouthed an “I love you” and Naeun reciprocated. When he had finally gone through, she called a taxi to take her home. Her members were not around so she ran straight to her room. She didn’t see anything until she went to her bed. On the window sill, there was a pot plant with a beautiful flower and a sticky note that read:

Naeun-ah, annyeong! I hope that you’ll put some love into caring for this flower. It’s called an Azalea. I asked the shopkeeper what it means and she said that it stand for “I will always be true”. You’re mine, you know that? And I am completely yours. It’s always going to be you. I love you so much. Before you know it, I’ll be back home with you. Good luck on your drama, baby. I know you’ll do amazing.

P.S. I have your co-star’s number and I already had a small talk with him. He’ll probably tease you for having a protective boyfriend…but who cares ~

Naeun’s cheeks ascended into heaven. She touched the petals of the flower and instantly felt Taemin’s love in his thought for this gift. She quietly hummed a tune while she went into the kitchen to get some water for the flower.