Taemin excitedly skipped to the entrance of Jinki's office, looking forward to meeting his Kibum umma. It has been awhile since he last visited due to his final exams. And now that he's all free, he intended to spend all day in his hyung's office, bugging both Kibum and Jinki and possibly, set them up as their umma had asked.

He smiled at the thought of his Jinki hyung and Kibum umma together. It was so obvious that they loved each other. To the point that even strangers could tell the same. And it frustrates him to no end that neither of the two makes the first move to confess. He knows the two of them like the back of his hand. Jinki is being the most dense person on Earth and Kibum being afraid of what could possibly happen. 

Walking into the all-too familiar hallway, he bows as the employees greet him. He doesn't get it why they do. He is just a highschool student visiting his brother and they were adults, professionals even. But it's pretty much because of his status as the boss' brother.

He arrives just outside Jinki's office and wonders why Kibum's desk was empty, like no one uses it anymore. No stacked documents, decorations and the picture frame containing a photo of the three of them. Seconds of pondering in knocking on the glass door of his brother's office, an employee whom he recognized as Nicole walked up to him.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lee. May I know what brings you here to our office?" She smiled, but not the usual smile he often saw her using, too forced. He likes Kibum's warm smiles.

"Uhmm.. Can I know where Kibum umma is? He seems absent to be honest." He said. But Nicole's reply left him speechless.

"Kibum is not working here anymore, Mr. Lee. And I'm afraid your brother ordered not to be disturbed." She was about to walk away when she added, "He's been out of it since Kibum left. Something must've happened. I do suggest you reach out to him. He's been working nonstop since last week. I'm afraid he might get sick with a routine like this. If you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." She bowed and walked away.

His Kibum umma left? What on Earth happened? With the newly known information, he barges into Jinki's office without knocking. His feet stubbornly stomped on the ground, making angry sounds. He doesn't have a clue of what had happened and he's going to have his brother spit it out, whether he likes it or not.

"Nicole, how many times times do I have to tell you that no one should disturb me? Didn't I made myself cl—" Jinki was startled by the person in front of him. It wasn't Nicole, but Taemin.

"Hi hyung." Taemin said in a dangerously low voice. He instantly noticed the changes in his hyung's appearance. He lost weight and his skin looks pale, like he hadn't been outside for a long time.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have class today?"

"For someone so intelligent, you seem to forgot that it was already our vacation." Taemin took the seat in front of Jinki. "Mind to tell me what happened?"

"What are you talking about? Everything's perfectly fine."

Those words made Taemin chuckle bitterly. "Perfectly fine, huh? If working nonstop since last week and Kibum umma's absence is perfectly fine for you, then for me it isn't. What happened hyung? And don't even think about telling me a lie."

His hyung's actions surprised him though. Jinki cried, for the first time in front of someone. Taemin had always know that Jinki is a strong person. He admired his hyung for it. To exceed everyone's expectation flawlessly and to have no one along the way. And to think that his hyung broke down in front of him right now made him hug the older tightly, whispering comforting words that he knows nothing will do to his aching heart.

They remained like that for a few minutes. Jinki crying his heart out and Taemin hugging him as tight as before, rubbing circles on his hyung's back. It also broke Taemin's heart to see his hyung feeling so vulnerable and weak. That's when he knows this isn't just a petty issue. There is something more to it and he'll never leave this building without knowing the full story.

"I'm so stupid, Minnie. I hurt Kibum... I was worse than Kim Jonghyun.." Jinki's cries were thankfully toned down into quiet sobs. But what he said intrigued Taemin more.

"Mind to tell me the whole story?"

"Yes. But let me warn you that I'm such a jerk who doesn't even deserve to live right now."

"Everyone deserves to live. Now, tell me the whole story before I make you spit it all out."

"Okay.."

Jinki began to narrate what had happened starting from the day they visited Kibum's family to the morning Kibum left. How he stupidly acted and ignored Kibum before he drank liquor past his limits and said things he didn't mean to. He told him everything, not a single thing or information left out. He even let Taemin read Kibum's first and last letter, his goodbye, making Taemin cry.

Knowing the story made Taemin realize something. He knows why Jinki reacted that way.

He thinks that this was for the best, not knowing how it badly affect not only him but his Kibum umma too. He thinks it was best for Kibum to go back to his family even though he knows that he, himself, doesn't want the other to leave. His hyung has always been so selfless that he tends to make stupid decisions because of it. He may be intelligent, but he's just as stupid at the same time.

But he didn't even know that he could be this stupid.

Taemin knows how Kibum is right now. He's upset, sad and angry. Not with Jinki, but with himself. He knows Kibum is blaming himself for what had happened, that this was all his fault. He's also sure that Kibum is crying himself to sleep at night.

Love is such a frustrating thing to deal with. It can be a friend or an enemy, depending on how you choose to deal with it.

It was then that Taemin decided that he'll have to step in and make his move. Those two were so in love, but they were blinded by worries and fears. They were so close, yet so far. 

"So what are you going to do right now?" Taemin asked.

Jinki stood up from his seat, rubbing his forehead as his head aches. "I don't know..."

"But hyung, you have to at least talk to Kibum um — HYUNG!"

Jinki could hear Taemin's voice, shouting for help as his body met the cold ground. Taemin told him to stay conscious, but he's so sleepy and his body is weak from skipping food and overworking. A sleep is so inviting that he ended up closing his eyes and let the darkness surround him.