The hall was crowded and humid, and the restlessness of the audience was apparent. There were shuffling feet, rustling papers, exchanged whispers—everyone was holding their breath as they waited for the event to start. Slowly, the stage lights opened and some of the fangirls squealed as if they were attending an event for the first time (they weren’t). The organizer came in to give a few reminders and rules. A few minutes later, the members of the boy band SHINE came up on stage one by one.

As his favorite member went up the stage, Taemin felt as if air was suddenly siphoned out of his lungs.

Kim Jonghyun is the best artist Taemin had ever known. He’s good looking and had a really nice body. He can sing magnificently, the best among the group, and can perform beautifully as well. He is caring towards his fans and would give them special attention. Taemin could go on and on about his bias, but in brief, Jonghyun is perfect.

Taemin could feel his chest swelling as the singer waved to the screaming fans as he took a seat. He felt happy every time the fans cheered loudly for Jonghyun, since he knew that the man’s hard work was being recognized. Considering how nice Jonghyun is to his fans, he deserved this much recognition and popularity. But it wasn’t like he was the most popular member in SHINE. Even though he should be the most recognized SHINE member, someone else had to take the spotlight from Jonghyun.

The crowd’s screams turned almost deafening as the last member of SHINE stepped up the stage. It was so obvious that he was the favorite amongst the fans. It was a saying within the fandom that a fan is not a SHINE fan if he or she doesn’t like their leader. But of course, Taemin had to disagree. He is a SHINE fan and he would give anything for Kim Jonghyun. But he would never ever come to like this guy—the most popular member of SHINE who made Jonghyun stay in the shadows despite his talents.

Taemin rolled his eyes. He just really hated SHINE’s leader, Onew.