Enter you, 18 years old. 

Enter Taemin, 18 years old.

Like Taemin, the enjoyable, mild temperature disappeared. Now the mornings were coated with frost, the sidewalk and roads were harsh to walk on, inhaling was a pain, and everything was really like a winter wonderland. The university life only got harder, so studying went into an overdrive. For respect of his new girlfriend, you didn't call Taesun in the mornings just to talk any more. You couldn't call Taemin, either. He lived with his hyungs and calling him would wake everyone up.

That would be a bad idea because their promotions also went into overdrive, what with having to go to Russia, then New York, then to all sorts of other places with barely a few hours to rest. SHINee needed all the peace and quiet they could get.  

Winter was lonely. 

When the lectures were finished, you headed straight home. It had been a long standing thought to get a part time job, but there was more than enough money to get by, so you never took a serious look at it. Even then... it was always good for experience. 

On the way home, you always looked passively at the pat bing soo cafe that held so many memories from your younger days. The people who worked there were still the same: still smiling and still pleasant. They greeted you through the glass windows every time they saw you, so they were also like family to you. 

Today, of all frozen days, you walked into the store just to loiter. 

"Hello!" the ajhumma called to you when she saw you. "How were classes?" she smiled, bowing before letting you answer. 

This was the same woman who saw you with Taemin during the hot summers, and the only woman who knows the importance of shaved ice between you and Taemin. Although she had so many would-be scandals waiting to happen, she kept them all secret and treated you like her daughter. 

"It's alright," you said, smelling all the delicious scents in the store. "Ajhumma, are you guys hiring?" you wondered. If they weren't that was okay, but if they were, it wasn't such a bad idea to apply. 

She chuckled, looking strangely pleased. "I was wondering when you would ask." 

"Oh?" you answered, genuinely surprised. 

"You have two wonderful boys following you, taking care of you, always buying you pat bing soo from this cafe. I've been wondering when it would be your turn to one day make them pat bing soo, too." 

You couldn't reply from realization. All these years, it had never been you who made pat bing soo, or even bought it. Taemin always bought it for you regardless, and Taesun bought it for you on the times that Taemin wasn't around. You were there with both of them, but you were never the one that called for paying. 

"Would you like to come in through the back? I can gladly teach you how to make it for them." she gleamed, pointing to the back door with the polite hand. 

You nodded. "Ne~," you adjusted your bag before heading back out. 

When you came in from the back, all the ingredients were ready. From the ice cream, to the red beans, to even the pieces of fruit. The lady, Mrs. Kang, showed you that it was easy to make pat bing soo if everything was prepared, but the ones made by hand are the ones that taste best. She showed you how to properly cut the fruits, how much ice cream was needed so it wouldn't be too sweet, how to arrange the red beans so it looked appetizing, and pretty much everything there was to know about making pat bing soo.

She has had this career for around 10 years, more or less, so she should know how the customers would like their shaved ice.

You came back regularly for almost a month, perfecting the system. Sometimes, Mrs. Kang left you to make the pat bing soo for customers, even though it was strange for them to want something so cold when the weather was just as cold.

Lying down on your bed, you imagined the Lee brothers fighting over the bowl, or maybe even asking for seconds. It was a pleasant thought—pleasant enough to help you sleep soundly through the night.

- - -

"Ohhh," you nodded, even though Taemin couldn't see you over the phone. "You have to come over today since you don't have a schedule, okay?"

"Ne," he said, his hyungs laughing in the background.

"Is that your girlfriend?"

"Ooooh, our maknae Taeminnie has a date~,"

"Omo, omo, how come he has a girlfriend but not us?"

"Wae? Isn't this unfair? He's the maknae!"

"Ya, Taemin, are you showing off?"

"How come you only talk to her when we're here? Do you do this on purpose?"

"Ya! I'm going to scold you at home."

"Did you guys kiss yet?"

"Aigoo, Taeminnie is all red now. Are you nervous?"

"Ooooh, look at him, he's like a tomato!"

Oh, dorks. You thought to yourself. "I'm hanging up!" you laughed before clicking the 'End call' button. 

So much training had to pay off. Now that Taemin was coming over, it was time to show off your newly acquired skills. Your mother usually went grocery shopping during the mornings, so you asked her to buy the ingredients for you, since you never really woke up early in the morning for a Saturday. 

Shaved ice wasn't so hard to prepare, so you thought of what to wear — wait. Since when did you start caring about what you wore in front of the Lee brothers? 

"I'm home!" your mother's voice called through the main hallway. The sound of plastic bags and glass jars were ringing through the household. She must have gotten the whole list. 

"Umma," you entered the kitchen, where she had already started to arrange all the supplies and groceries. "Taemin is coming over today!" 

"Omo, that boy? And you still have the guts to say you two aren't in a relationship? This rascal." she clicked her tongue, holding your face in her hand.

- - -

4pm. Taemin should be here soon. You set the bowl with the cool ice cream on the table, a masterpiece waiting to be devoured. 

You decided to go against dressing up nicely just for Minnie, but you added all sorts of scents on your skin and tied your hair in a bun with a few loose strands here and there to reveal the nape of your neck. It was the cool, casual look a lot of boys seemed to like on girls these days. 

4:30. Rush hour, understandable. You lowered the thermostat in the house so that it wouldn't melt the ice cream or shaved ice so much. 

5pm. Because it was winter, it was considerably dark out already. There were no clouds that evening, but the stars weren't visible yet. The mellow blue shade of the sky was unsettling. 

6pm. Even though the thermostat was at a low temperature, the ice had already turned to water and the ice cream became a thick, creamy mush. 

6:30pm. Your mom was talking to someone on the phone, and dad came back from home. You had already cleaned the bowl up and threw away the rest, so he was confused when he saw you just sit in the dining room with an empty look. 

7:00pm. Your mom was placing all sorts of things from the pantry onto a bag. You didn't look at what she placed, but assumed it was for work the next day. 

Knock, knock.

Taemin, really. What's the use? You thought to yourself, lazily getting up from the chair to unlock the door. 

Before you opened it, your mom nudged you in the arm. "Here, take this." 

"Wait, what?"

"Umma, thank you!" Taemin said as he grabbed the bag before you could see its contents. 

You heard your mother laugh, "Rascals." before Taemin dragged you away into their van. 

"I'm not forgiving you for this." you warned, genuinely in a foul mood after having him show up late and acting like nothing was wrong again. 

"I know." he said, placing the bag in the back with care and kissing your forehead daringly before leading you into the vehicle. "But I planned something that might." 

You touched your forehead, unable to speak. That was the second time. 

And really, that was enough.