When Taemin enters the dorm after returning from Japan, he can’t help but feeling déjà vu. He walks in slowly and carefully, trying not to create any noise. He successfully gets into his shared room with Jonghyun without alerting anyone in the dorm – if there is any – and wishes Jonghyun will be busy enough to come back any sooner. He throws his backpack in the corner of the room and climbs on his single bed. An audible sigh escapes his full lips when he finally realises how quiet the room is and how lonely he feels right now. The thoughts, that have been flooding his mind during his stay in Japan, suddenly rush back and drown him in grief once again.

It was his first ever musical and was held in another country. He was dead nervous and needed moral support more than ever but none of was there. They sent text messages, though. But not the one Taemin wanted the most. Minho didn’t say anything to him which has Taemin down till now. Things haven’t been well with Minho since they broke up. Taemin has been constantly trying to reach out to him only for Minho to further away. Minho only talks to him when the members are around. He acts as if nothing happened between them. Say goodbye to the bad-acting-Minho as he plays so well he deserves a daesang for it, Taemin thinks. Taemin can’t really say he is okay with all of this. He isn’t. He has never been okay with this. He never knows parting ways with Minho would be this torturing and emotionally draining.

Taemin digs in his bag for a thing he has kept since he was in Japan. Holding it tight in his hand, Taemin goes out and knocks at Key’s door. When he hears no response, he cautiously opens the door and finds the owner of the room isn’t there. He moves to Jinki’s door and it’s the same. Lastly, he makes his way to Minho’s door. Wishing he’ll be there, Taemin knocks softly and wait for a sign.

“Come in.”

Taemin breaks into a wide smile when he hears Minho’s voice. After he can control his beaming face, Taemin holds on the knobs and gets in.

“Hyung” Taemin calls out.

Minho lowers the book he’s holding on and sees Taemin walking in. “Oh, you’re back.” Minho replies – if only Taemin can catch the relief hidden behind that flat tone.

Without Minho’s permission, Taemin sits at the end of the bed, looking at the older boy who already has his eyes back on the book. “What are you doing, hyung?”

“As you can see, I’m reading right now.”

“Ah, is that Murakami’s book you ordered last week?”

“Mmh.”

“Hyung, look!” Taemin reveals the thing he kept in his hand. “I got lucky stick when I bought ice cream yesterday.”

“Oh,”

“Do you want to keep it, hyung? Last time you got a lucky stick you were so excited that you even showed it off to the fans. That’s why I didn’t throw this off in case you want to keep it.”

When Taemin doesn’t get any reply, he stands up and puts it on Minho’s bed table. “I put it here, okay?” Taemin struggles to keep the conversation on to no avail. Minho clearly ignores his existence. Taemin feels like a fool when he sits back on his bed, this time closer to Minho.

During the uncomfortable silence, Taemin hopes that Minho will put the book aside and asks him how he was doing in Japan, or maybe asks if his first musical went well. However, Minho doesn’t seem to do it.

“How long we’re going to do this?” Taemin murmurs, head down unable to look straight on Minho’s face anymore. He doesn’t want to show him his vulnerable look nor does he want him to know how much he suffers because of this.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Taemin.”

“You know it very well, hyung. How long you’re going to ignore me? How long you’re going to act like we’re fine in front of the others only to give me your cold back once they’re gone?”

Minho sighs heavily and shifts on his bed to get a better sitting position. “I thought we’re done with this chapter but now I find out we actually haven’t, more like you who haven’t through with this. First, I’m not ignoring you. I’m reading a book just now. Second, I don’t act fine because I am fine with you in SHINee.”

“What about outside SHINee?”

“Fine too.”

“Liar! You’re not fine with me. You shut me out. You treat me like I don’t even exist. I’m a human. Treat me like one!” Taemin’s tone has gone higher than he intends to.

“Define treating Lee Taemin like a human.”

Taemin admits that the question blows him. How exactly does he want Minho to treat him? “Just like before.”

“But I was your boyfriend before. Now I am not. So pardon me if I don’t treat you like before. This is how I want to treat you as a person I work with. Have I ever been unprofessional as a work mate, Taemin? From the way I see it, you only dislike the way I treat you when we are alone. So I assume you’re fine with the way I treat you on stage and as a SHINee member. I don’t know if no one ever tells you this but you can’t expect your ex to care about you as much as he does when he’s still your boyfriend. You seem to have a problem with accepting the fact that I won’t care about you as much as before and I hope you stop dragging me into your own problem, Taemin. You know the right person who will give you every attention you want why run to me.”

“Let’s not bring him into our argument, please.”

“Then stop bringing up this topic.” Minho snaps.

There is a heavy and painful silence that follows. Taemin’s still recovering from the shock of Minho snapping at him. Minho never talks to him in such way. It hurts.

“I just want to be able to talk to you and play with you like friends.” Taemin’s voice is low and unconfident.

“You have many friends you can talk to and play with. Jinki hyung might be willing to play with you if he’s not busy after his schedule.”

“I want to play with you. It has been awhile since we last play Winning Eleven together.” At this point, Taemin hates himself for sounding like a desperate teenage boy who can’t break up with his lover.

“Jonghyun hyung might say yes to that request.”

“What about Minho hyung?”

“What does it take to make Minho hyung agree to play Winning Eleven with me?” Taemin adds.

“If I do what you always want, will you come back to me?” Taemin urges.

“Get out, Taemin. You’re disturbing my reading time.”

“Oh, Taemin-ah, you’re back! I don’t know that you’re coming back today.”

“Taemin-ah, hey, what’s wrong?” Jonghyun moves closer to the younger boy as he senses something wrong with him. Taemin has his face buried on the pillow and didn’t look up when Jonghyun calls out to him. When he’s close enough, he can hear the low sobs coming from the boy.

“I heard your musical run smoothly. I saw many pictures of you and other casts. I guess this isn’t about your musical, is it?”

Taemin shakes his head which caused Jonghyun to grin. He’s just a little happy to know he’s right.

“I don’t want to meddle with your business but it’s either you don’t show him enough that you only look at him or Minho has a trust issue, maybe not with you but with the third person. We all know, Minho’s bad at acting and you’re obviously looking like a kicked puppy whenever Minho laughs with the others.”

“Or maybe he’s just stupid for letting jealousy take a hold of him.”

Jonghyun chuckles, “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“When Jinki hyung drifted away from me, it was the worst feeling I ever had. It to the point of I’ll do anything to get him back. It’s pointless to explain that it’s not the way he think it is. So I prove him wrong by confessing to him. Show him that he matters the most to you, Taemin-ah. I know you must be upset and think that he should have understood and that he should have known that you two are just best friends and so on but if you insist on it, you have to bear the consequences. As for me, I better do anything to show him how I truly feel than expect Jinki to already know it. It’s exhausting to have to ensure him how he is the only one that matters but compared to the pain of being ignored by him, it’s nothing. Think of it carefully.”

That night, Taemin has decided that instead of keeping a good distance with Minho, he’ll keep a very good distance with the person that has caused this mess.

Sadly, his weak heart ensures the failure of his own plan

I have some 2min and Jongyu ideas on mind and am currently working on it. Please look forward to it ♥

Thank you