Enter you, 18 years old. 

Enter Taemin, 18 years old.

"Who falls asleep in horror movies?!" Key exclaimed, obviously surprised. 

"How do you fall asleep to something like that?" Onew added. 

"Shhh," Jonghyun interrupted. "We might wake her up."

"We might wake them up." Minho corrected.

"I don't care much for our maknae," Jonghyun countered with a snicker, ensuing a hit from Key not long after. "I'm kidding! Do we just leave them here in the couch, then?"

"Won't they get sore in the morning?" Key voiced with worry. He spoke from experience, as sleeping on the couch could result from a sore neck the next morning. "Manager said he'll pick her up in the morning, right?"

"I didn't even know she was staying the night." Onew confessed, putting away the empty bowls of pat bing soo onto the sink. 

"We'll leave them. Just tell them we were too scared after the movie to do anything about it." 

The three other members silently ended the conversation with nods, heading into their respective rooms for the night. It was a movie you had already seen with MiYoung, so you knew what to expect. It wasn't on purpose that you fell asleep, just that the SHINee members all sat on the floor, leaving you and Taemin to the couch. All throughout the movie you held hands with him, only letting go when he wanted to take a scoop out of the pat bing soo. With the members around, it was hard to be able to say anything to Taemin, so you soon drifted off to sleep. 

Taemin, on the other hand, never watched the movie. Even so, he was too preoccupied to watch the movie because he liked the feeling of being able to touch your hand. When you rested your head on his shoulder to go to sleep, he took it as a chance to rest his head on yours. Unintentionally, he too fell asleep comfortably.

The members, in a little world of their own, covered their eyes or pulled on each others shirts or threw pillows against each other yelling, "SHE KNOW'S IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. AIGOO, WHY DID SHE DO THAT?" "WAE?!" "WAEEEEEE!!" But even though they were so loud about the movie, all the noises were drowned out by the erratic beating of your heart. The electrifying feeling of Taemin's hand never left you, and as long as he reciprocated your touch, the feeling lingered still. 

"Hey," Taemin said, his face still young and innocent looking. "I really like..."

"Hm?" you asked. 

"I really like..." he said with a softer tone.

"Taemin, I can't hear you..." you said, cupping a hand to your ear to hear better. 

"...gs..." He said, his voice becoming more distant. 

"Taemin...?"

"EGGS!" his voice boomed, immediately breaking the dream-like state you were in. You got up from the couch after looking around dazedly, a long needed stretch following.

Taemin sat on the side of the table where he faced you, his ears red and his eyes avoiding your gaze. "Ah... did I wake you up...?"

"Morning!" Jonghyun said, already dropping the respectful dialect. "Do you like toasted bread?" 

Minho appeared from the kitchen, kimchi and another bowl in hand. Key followed, carrying the last bits of breakfast. "Good morning~ please eat well today~" he cooed, pulling you to the table after he placed the meal. 

The rest of the boys weren't uncomfortable making jokes and laughing here and there, which was nice because you didn't really have anything to say. Jonghyun and Key spoke the most, Onew laughed the most, and Minho smiled the most. You ate your fill while they continued like this, happy that this was the setting that Taemin lived in since long ago.

"What time is manager coming to pick you up?" Minho suddenly intruded. The thought didn't dawn on you that you eventually had to leave, so you stared at him, not exactly knowing how to respond.

"You're going to come visit again, right?" Jonghyun asked, giving you a friendly arm-over-the-shoulder hug.

Key and Onew already started talking about the next time, planning the food and movies and games.

"Taeminnie," Jonghyun said, switching his attention from you to the maknae. "You have to talk to manager hyung about this. Got it?"

Before Taemin could utter a word, a knock that came in threes sounded from the door. All five of the members looked, Minho saying what everyone was thinking. "Is that manager hyung?"

Key went to answer the door moving aside to let someone in. It was easy to recognize him as the he wore the same sweater from yesterday. "Hyung!" Jonghyun said with a smile, acknowledging their manager casually. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Their manager brushed him off with a wave, letting out a small sigh. "We have a problem," he said. "I'm assuming you haven't seen the lobby yet?"

"Mwo?" Key asked, the door shut behind him and already settling himself next to Minho.

"There is a group downstairs and they said... ah, they said they saw her." the manager narrated, shyly bobbing his head in your direction. "We have to take her home today, but we can't just pass by without them noticing."

"Paparazzi?" Jonghyun and Minho voiced, genuinely surprised. "Otteoke?"

The silence of brainstorming minds was worrisome. You tried to think of some ideas as well, but they never seemed like appropriate ones. Stuffing you into a bag didn't make sense because you weren't that tiny, and would seem too suspicious. If you came down alone but still entered SHINee's van, that would also be suspicious. If you used all of SHINee as a shield around you, it would be too blatant. Chances are, the group waiting downstairs would be suspicious of anyone who even set foot on the first floor. 

Even though they weren't the type to take on such a serious approach to things, seeing SHINee and their manager thinking about ways for you not to get caught and tangled in the giant showbiz drama was sort of appealing. At least, until Key spoke up. 

"Cut her hair."

______________________________________________________________________________

PUT DOWN YOUR PITCHFORKS, I'M ALIVE!!!!!111!1!!
lolol how many months since i haven't updated um
let's not think about that

ANYWAY I AM CHANGING THE TITLES TO ALL THE CHAPTERS

CHAPTA 16 IS COMING RIGHT UP 
i just.... ya i'm srry late update OTL 
i started writing a new one though LOL "shadows of another" but suddenly got writer's block again um. 
i'm a failure at all this fic bsns LOL