Taemin’s POV

Hyungs, I need your help. Can you guys come over ASAP?

I read the text over once before pressing “send”. A moment later my doorbell rang, making me jump. “Well that was fast,” I muttered, going to answer it.

“Minnie!” Key cried as soon as I’d opened up, flinging his arms around me. I stumbled backwards, thrown off-balance, while one-by-one Onew, Jonghyun, and Minho filed in. Key pulled back and held me at arm’s length, gazing intently at my face. “You look thinner than the last time we met,” he said critically. “Have you been eating well?”

“Key, we literally saw each other yesterday,” I pointed out. Minho snorted, and Key turned to him, annoyed. I took advantage of his distracted state and surreptitiously ducked into the kitchen, where everyone else had already seated themselves around the table.

“So what did you need, Tae?” Jonghyun asked. Onew looked around, surveying the kitchen once before pouting in disappointment at the lack of chicken.

“Um…well, I was wondering if—if you guys could give me some girl advice,” I mumbled, scratching the back of my head. The room went silent.

“Girl advice?” Key echoed at last, and I nodded. Another pause. And then, before I quite knew what was happening, Key had leapt from his chair and was hugging me for the second time in less than five minutes.

“My baby’s all grown up,” he sobbed, while I struggled to breathe under his death grip. “He’s even asking for girl advice.”

“Key, let go of him,” Jonghyun laughed, “he’s turning blue.”

Key obligingly released me, and I gasped for air. “Oh—sorry, just got a bit carried away,” he said, wiping his eyes and returning to his chair.

“What do you need girl advice for, anyway?” Jonghyun asked curiously. My cheeks went red.

“Well, there’s—there’s someone I like,” I said reluctantly. Key shrieked and toppled off his chair, while both Jonghyun and Minho clapped me on the back. Even Onew looked mildly interested.

“So you need advice on how to ask her out?” Minho questioned, and I nodded, regretting this decision already. Why on earth did I think this would be a good idea?

“LESSON ONE!” Onew suddenly yelled, making everybody jump. “Girls love guys who sing for them. So sing her a sweet song, and—wait. You can play the piano, right?”

I nodded again, feeling apprehensive. Onew grinned.

“Perfect. So play her a song on your piano, sing for her, and BAM—you’ve got your girl.” He sat back in his seat with his hands clasped behind his head, looking satisfied.

“That’s…that’s it?” I asked dubiously. Onew nodded at the same time that Key shouted, “NO!”, making us all jump again.

“You’ve got it all wrong,” he sniffed at Onew, who looked affronted. Turning to me, Key said matter-of-factly, “Girls love shopping. They pay a lot of attention to clothes and fashion. So you’ve got to keep up with the latest trends.”

I looked down at my outfit, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Did I dress badly? I’d never really thought about it before.

“Look what you’ve done,” Jonghyun told Key, tsk-ing while shaking his head. “Now he’s all worried about the wrong things.” I looked up in surprise, and Jonghyun winked at me confidentially. “Girls don’t care about all that. All they notice is what you say to them. So whisper sweet nothings in her ear, with that adorable eye-smile of yours—’’

“—and don’t forget to play the piano,” Onew interjected. Jonghyun looked indignant about being cut off, but before he could say anything Minho broke in.

“Is it really as complicated as you guys are making it out to be?” He rolled his eyes, turning to me calmly. “You don’t need to try so hard to impress her. All girls care about is whether you’re tall and good-looking.”

“And well-dressed,” Key added.

“And well-spoken—’’

“And a good singer—’’

“No, listen, your face is all that matters—’’

“You mean your eye-smile—’’

“And your piano-playing skills—’’

“STOP!” I shouted, holding my head in my hands. The four overlapping voices ceased, and I closed my eyes, rubbing my temples. “I can’t focus with all of you talking at once,” I sighed.

The room was filled with silence for a moment. Then, quietly, Key mumbled, “We’re sorry, Taemin.”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun piped up sheepishly. “We probably just ended up confusing you more, didn’t we?”

I nodded exasperatedly, and then without warning burst into helpless laughter. The others looked at each other, lips tugging upwards into hesitant smiles until finally they relented, joining in. “I appreciate the help guys, I really do,” I told them, wiping the tears from my eyes, “but I think I might as well just wing it.”

“Do you want some serious advice?” Key offered. I hesitated, then gave a small nod.

“Just be yourself,” he said. “Cliché, I know, but seriously—don’t try to be something you’re not. You may be awkward…’’

I winced, and Key smiled, patting my head affectionately.

“…but I guarantee it’ll make her smile. So muster up the courage to go talk to her. Show off your cute little self; take care of her and do what she wants.”

“Dress well,” Minho said, and Key gave him a surprised but pleased look. “Let her know you want to be more than just friends, but take it slow. Do what your heart tells you to without rushing ahead, and everything will come to happen in its own time.” Minho paused, a little smile playing on the edge of his lips. “So who’s the lucky girl?” he asked.

I gulped. “U-uh…well, about that…could I have your b-b-blessing to date your little sister?”

Minho’s mouth dropped open. Jonghyun, Key, and Onew all gave whoops of laughter while pounding me on the back.

“You mean I just gave you advice on how to ask out my little sister?” Minho said, looking aghast. I nodded, unable to stop a smile from spreading across my face.

“So is that a yes?” I said happily. Minho spluttered, while the others turned their attention to him with whining choruses of “Come on~” and “Don’t be a party pooper!”.

“Oh, fine,” Minho said at last, relenting. “But I’m warning you, Lee Taemin—if you break her heart, if you make her cry…I’ll make you pay.”

“Okay,” I chirped, his warnings going in one ear and out the other. All I could think about right then was asking her out, armed with the new advice I had just acquired. I grinned at the thought of finally doing it; my previous nerves had been replaced with confidence.

After all, I had learned from the best.