The Twelfth Meeting
The Little ThingsJuly 17th, 2010
She wondered why they always met in supermarkets. Perhaps it was his idea of whatever the cost, food was worth the money. He admitted his free time was generally spent in supermarkets or small restaurants. And since she made biweekly trips to stock up her refrigerator, she guessed it wasn’t too odd of an occurrence to see him browsing over the different types of tofu.
After their talk about four months ago, they had tentatively tried to rebuild their friendship. It wasn’t entirely the same as the one in their youth; they had become more world weary, mature, and realistic. They knew that those middle school days would be impossible to recapture. But they were comfortable with where they were and tried to focus on the present rather than the past. There was always lingering feeling of sadness and regret; but it made them appreciate the other more and reminded them not to make the same mistakes again. With the air between them cleared, they could finally breathe.
Onew would call her or she would call him on days they weren’t piled up with music shows or school work. They mostly would go out and eat, catching up and talking about whatever captured their attention that day. She was grateful for his presence; perhaps he was the only person other than her absentee father that truly knew her. And with Onew by her now, she felt a little more at peace. Half of her bitterness was put to rest; the other half, she knew was never going to leave her until she put the correct flowers on the grave.
She couldn’t say the same for her relationship (or whatever it was at this point) with Minho. She had not spoken to him or even contacted him at all since that day and he had done the same. Onew had tried to pressure her to call but she put her foot down with a glare. As the days passed, she tried to will herself to call him, apologize for her ridiculous outburst. But days turned into weeks and weeks slowly became months. The more time that passed, the more she replayed the situation and the more nerve she lost.
The lack of contact made her wonder if he was going through the same.
Or he hates me. It’s probably more sensible than Minho being too nervous to call me.
“I need to bake a cake,” Onew said while picking up a crate of strawberries and breaking her out of her thoughts. “Taemin’s birthday is tomorrow and I don’t want to just buy a cake. It’s so meaningless! Too bad I have no idea how to make one…”
He shot her a pitiful look, eyes glistening and lips pouting in mock sadness.
“No. NO,” she said tonelessly while picking up her basket. “I’m not helping you Jinki. I know what you’re trying to do.”
Onew frowned and rushed after her with the strawberries in hand. “Look, no one is going to be home in the dorm. Minho is not going to be there. I told you they’re all in the studio practicing and I only got off because I have my musical practice later tonight. And if I try to make one, you know Taemin’s going to end up with food poisoning or salmonella or something. Can you really live yourself knowing you could have prevented it?”
She pursed her lips her lips in annoyance but Onew saw the worried look in her eyes.
Score.
“What kind of cake does Taemin like?” she sighed while putting in basic ingredients in her basket. “Go buy some cocoa mix. We’ll need some.”
Onew grinned mischievously as he walked down an aisle as they separated. His plan was in motion.
“Are you sure no one’s home?” she said nervously as she took out a bowl from the cupboard. “I thought I heard something a little while ago.”
Onew frowned as he cut open the bag of flour. “That was me falling from the rain water that’s building up in our walkway. You laughed so hysterically at my pain, remember? Or it‘s thunder. It‘s raining pretty hard out.”
___ shrugged as she began cracking eggs in the bowl. Shinee’s kitchen was strangely clean. The only thing that made the dorm seemed inhabited was the pack of pain relievers and half empty glass of water. The boys were unusually neat, but she supposed they were too busy preparing for their album to spend much time at home. Brushing the thought off, she searched for the cocoa powder she had bought.
“Jinki, have you seen the chocolate mix? I swore I bought one,” she said as she emptied all of the shopping bags. “I told you to get one.”
“Ah.. I thought you told me to get choco pies!” Onew said smacking his forehead with his palm while taking out the snack. She looked suspiciously at his over exaggerated action. “I’ll go buy a new one! Just wait ten minutes or so okay? I’ll run to the corner store.”
He swiftly put on his down jacket as he disappeared from the kitchen. Before she could protest, the door slammed loudly behind him.
Minho groaned as he woke from the door slamming. He knew Onew hyung was preparing for Taemin’s birthday but he didn’t expect him to be back so early with groceries. Onew didn’t know how to cook anything besides ramen so Minho figured he’d spent a couple of hours at the grocery store. He reached for his phone and checked the time. One pm. No new messages.
It wasn’t as if he were waiting or a call or text. He stopped waiting months ago. His pride refused to let him call first or be the one to give in. Her outburst threw him off guard and he said things that he regretted saying and made assumptions he never should have made.
But he was angry.
He tried to convince himself he wasn’t the one at fault and she had gone overboard. But he wasn’t sure if he was angry at her or himself.
Because as she yelled at him that day, he had a feeling that as she was looking at him…
She was seeing someone else.
A shock of pain rippled through his leg as his jaw clenched in response. Deciding to put his thoughts on hold until after he got his pills, he picked the crutches from beside his bed and slowly lifted himself up. He left his pain killers on the kitchen table but Onew probably would not have been able to find them if Minho called him to get it.
“Hyung!” Minho called as he began to turn the corner to the kitchen. “Honestly, can’t you slam the door a little more lightly - “
They froze as they finally met after four long months.
He wondered if he was dreaming. And if he was dreaming.. Was this a nightmare? Perhaps he took too many pain killers before and he was just imagining her here. How could she be in here in the first place? It made no sense whatsoever..
“What.. What are you doing here?” Minho said breathlessly as he suddenly became self conscious over the fact he was just wearing a black wife beater and an old pair of sweats while on crutches. He doubted his hair looked too presentable either.
She seemed to feel the same as she tried to rub off some flour from her face. “Um.. Baking… A cake?”
Minho laughed nervously but he wasn’t exactly sure why he was doing so. It felt surreal to finally see her again after all these months of silence and in the dorm’s kitchen of all places -
“Wait. No. I mean, how’d you get in here?” he asked as he laid the crutches against the wall and slowly limped his way towards her. “How do you even know where I live?”
She looked around nervously as he approached her. “Well, you know I was just around the neighborhood and I decided to drop.. By? Actually, no. Jinki oppa wanted to make Taemin sshi a cake so he asked me if I could help - “
Minho froze.
“’Jinki oppa’?”
His mind was racing. How did she know Onew hyung? Why was she calling him ‘oppa’? She hadn’t once mentioned Onew in their conversations and this still didn’t explain how on earth she got in the door and -
Onew stared at the door sadly. “A ghost.”
Onew hyung didn’t know how to cook. How did homemade myeokguk suddenly appear on the day of his exams?
She whispered, her voice hoarse. “Minho sshi -”
He found her crying near the area where his hyungs were getting their hair done. Onew hyung hadn’t returned with Key and Jonghyun that day.
She said that she reserved the title for someone else.
She had just called Onew ‘Jinki oppa‘.
"We are friends! Of course we’re friends! We’re friends but you’re not my keeper! "
Just friends.
“That’s it? That’s all you say after stalking me to find where I live?” She stuck a tongue out at him. “I didn’t stalk you.”
She knew where he lived despite him never telling her.
The door slammed shut as Onew furiously stomped out of the house.
Onew acted strangely when he saw her with Yoogeun. He waved it off but now…
“It’s fine. People like me usually don’t get along that well with people like him.”
How could she say that if she never met him?
"Both of you are the same."
Both?
Minho felt his throat dry and his chest constrict.
The silver bracelet on his wrist suddenly felt heavy.
“D-Do you know.. Onew hyung?” he whispered as he stared at her nervous stance. Her hands were wringing and she chewed her lips.
He knew her answer before she even said it. Minho tried to walk to her but his leg suddenly throbbed in pain. She rushed towards him, hooking an arm under his to help him up. But he felt as if he were touching an entirely different person from the girl that he had once held hands with.
He gulped. “Onew hyung. How do you know him?”
She avoided his gaze and simply helped him to the living room’s couch. “Minho oppa, please sit down. You’re hurt and - “
“Don’t call me that,” he bit out as he took his arm from hers. “How do you know Onew hyung?”
She looked hurt at his biting order but answered his question. “We.. We were friends in middle school before I moved to the States. But really, Minho, this isn’t important. You should rest and - “ she began but Minho cut her off.
“No. I’m fine. Just.. I don’t understand. All this time you’ve known me, you were friends with Onew hyung but you never told me? I don’t get it. If you two were friends then there’s no reason for either of you not to tell me,” Minho mumbled as his head began to throb like his leg. “There’s no reason for you to keep this secret from me because you told me everything and - “
How much of her did he really know? Why was she keeping secrets? Was she lying to him all of this time?
Who was this person?
Minho’s eyes narrowed. “Is your name even ____?”
gapped in surprise at his question. “Minho, that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever! You know it‘s me and you‘re not even thinking straight -“
“I’m not sure what I’m thinking either!” Minho said as he backed away from her, allowing a little distance between them. “You’re definitely not that same ____ I came to know. You look like her but you’re definitely not her. She never kept secrets from me and I actually knew her -”
"Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare even think about talking to me as if you know what I’ve been through."
He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. He stared into her eyes and looked into the same brown eyes that he encountered on the plane. But he saw something different, something he never saw before.
“Who are you?”
She bowed her head and he noticed she saw the bracelet she had given him for his birthday. It seemed so long ago, the feeling of light happiness and carefree smiles. She the silver before her glistening eyes stared boldly into his.
“I’m ____. Someone you never saw. And you’re Choi Minho. Someone I never really knew.”
Minho stared at her, not knowing what he was feeling or what she was even saying. He didn't understand why his eyes suddenly started stinging.
"Leave," he croaked as his hands covered his face.
He wouldn't show her any weakness.
"Minho - "
"I said leave," he commanded. He heard her stand up from the couch but did nothing to stop her. He ignored the choked sob that made his heart pound so long ago and continued to do so now. He ignored the pain in his leg because it felt nothing like the hollow feeling in his chest.
The door creaked opened and he heard furious hushed voices and sobs in the walkway before the door closed again. He gripped his hair in frustration, not knowing what to do, trying to process what had just happened. A quick stomp of footsteps approached him and he looked up to find a fist coming straight at him.
Minho stared at her, not knowing what he was feeling or what she was even saying. He didn't understand why his eyes suddenly started stinging.
"Leave," he croaked as his hands covered his face.
He wouldn't show her any weakness.
"Minho - "
"I said leave," he commanded. He heard her stand up from the couch but did nothing to stop her. He ignored the choked sob that made his heart pound so long ago and continued to do so now. He ignored the pain in his leg because it felt nothing like the hollow feeling in his chest.
The door creaked opened and he heard furious hushed voices and sobs in the walkway before the door closed again. He gripped his hair in frustration, not knowing what to do, trying to process what had just happened. A quick stomp of footsteps approached him and he looked up to find a fist coming straight at him.
Bam!
“I can’t believe I thought you two were mature enough to handle it on your own,” Onew said furiously as he threw a can on the floor. “Minho, I expected more from you.”
Minho clutched his quickly bruising jaw and glared at his hyung. “Well I’m sorry, Jinki oppa. It seems like no one knows me at this point so you can just join ____ in your little happy relationship that blossoms under the sun - “
Bam!
Minho felt his hyung grab his shirt. He suddenly thought back when he did this to another man in order to protect her. “You..” Onew said as he pressed his forehead to Minho’s. “I don’t care if you disrespect me. I’m your leader but I don’t give a damn. I know that you don’t mean it. But say a word against her and I’ll make sure our comeback will be without you.”
He knew his hyung wasn’t joking. Soft and kind Onew was, Minho had never witnessed his anger before. The fact Onew was this furious..
“Who is she?” Minho quietly asked. But both knew what he was really asking.
Who is she to you?
Onew let go of his dongsaeng and sat down next to him. Sighing, Onew said, “She was one of my best friends. But I left her when her mom died to be where I am now. I hurt her and she hurt me but we’ve done our best to patch things up. I loved her more than you can imagine.”
Minho looked intently at his hyung and noticed a sad smile appearing on his face.
“But I don’t deserve her. We’re not meant to be and I accepted that. We have our regrets but we’ve moved passed them,” Onew continued. “She told me a lot about you since we made up and I can tell she’s sorry and angry and hurt. I know you are too, which is why I tried to force you two to make amends. But I made the mistake assuming that two headstrong babos can do it within twenty minutes time.”
Onew sighed and leaned back into the couch before turning his head to Minho.
“You may not know her entirely, but the side she showed you is the person she was before all of the little things in her life started to fall apart. She‘s stubborn and bitter right now but it‘s only because she wants to prevent herself from getting hurt again. She‘ll push you away but you‘ll have to hold on,” Onew smiled sadly and ruffled Minho’s hair as the younger chewed his lip. “Don’t make the same mistakes I made.”
The two men sat silently next to one another, feeling the same pain because of the same person. Minho glanced at his hyung as Onew’s lips trembled slightly as his eyes were shut tightly.
“I beg you, Minho. Don’t let her shatter any more than she already has.”
Author's Note: "Twelfth" is such an awkward word for me to type. It doesn't look right no matter now much I force myself to look at it.
Sorry for the time it took for me to update! I was throughly distracted by Minho's predebut chinese. THAT BOY WAS (and is) SO CUTEEEE. HIS VOICE WAS EVEN DEEP THEN. And he still did the nervous laughs and smiles and it is just. Too. ADORABLEEEEE.
Ahem. Okay. I'm back.
This chapter is dominated by talking. And short sentences. I'm sorry but my normal writing wouldn't agree with this chapter!
This story is coming to an end! Thanks for all the love and support you guys have given this little story that didn't expect it at all. *Bows* Until next time!
10/19/10: I added a couple of lines after rereading this about a bajillion times. Nothing too significant so you have to reread if you don't want to.
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