"Geonbae!" The leader-maknae pair clinked their cans and downed the rest of the beer in one gulp. 

They both laughed heartily, then sighed heavily in the cool winter night. The leader had asked the youngest out for a drink by the beach facing their apartment dorm. It had been a long time since they last could. It was now dead in the middle of the night, they'd bought a couple of beers from the nearby convenience store and settled on a bench at the beach. 

It was a quiet night, and they both liked (always did) the comfortable silence. Nights like this they could even hear the other's heartbeat, soothing their own. The low tides crashed ashore before washing back into the calm sea, transporting seaweed and starfish to and fro. 

Jinki chuckled, remembering how Taemin used be at the beach whenever the eldest brought his dongsaeng here during his study breaks. He loved to chase the waves barefooted, pick up the swept-up starfish and toss them back into the sea, then run back up shore as the waves "chased" him back. That was when Taemin was only sixteen, still an adorable innocent boy.

Looking at the namja beside him now, he saw anything but those. Under the influence of his hyung, the youngest had begun taking up drinking and smoking as his social hobbies. In fact, Taemin turned out to be the 'brattiest' of them all. But he was nonetheless the closest to Jinki, and to the eldest, the maknae was still the cutest of them all. 

"So, how's doing it solo feels like?" Jinki asked casually, taking another gulp from the can.

"Spectacular," Taemin answered nonchalantly, "And a little lonely sometimes, maybe."

He made certain to sound composed. It was definitely something he wouldn't want to not happen, he'd worked his off for it, even going overseas to have his dance choreographed. But Taemin do miss being on stage with all five members as SHINee. Actually, he really misses Onew hyung; being able to sit beside him while they did interviews and promoted, having him as his constant source of encouragement and support.

"Hyung, I can already imagine myself growing old and alone." It was weird even to him when he heard himself say it.

But Jinki paid that no mind, "Old, yes. But alone? Probably not." 

"Scrap that, absolutely not." The leader chuckled a second time, "Didn't you declare to steal all the girls' hearts in just the other broadcast?" 

Teasingly, the eldest did the 'shooting action' Taemin recently learnt to do to the camera.

Taemin laughed loudly. Jinki had totally missed the intended effect; he most likely won't get any girl's heart, but he sure did got Taemin's. 

"Stop it!" Taemin pretended to pout, face flushing a pretty faint red from the beer and the embarrassment, "You know I hate doing those. They made me do it." 

"Besides, they may give me their hearts, but that doesn't mean I'll give them mine."

"Well, alright then. If you choose to stay single, then I might as well give up on finding a partner too. We'll both be lonely old men when we leave the industry." 

Taemin frowned at the thought, how could Jinki hyung think like that? And unmistakably hyung deserves all the love and happiness he can get! 

"Tell your favourite hyung," He made sure to stress the word, "Why won't you give your heart to anyone?" 

Taemin thought carefully. As he grew older day by day, he found himself more and more afraid of telling Jinki hyung the truth, more and more he'll keep everything to himself. 

"I'll tell if you tell me why you won't get married." 

"Fine." 

Fine? What's fine? 

Taemin sat straight up to face the older man, watching him expectantly as he now blew out another puff of smoke. 

"What? I'm not telling." Jinki said simply, exhaling his next bout of smoke in the younger's face. 

"Fine!" 

They both went back to chugging down their beers, watching the far ends beyond the sea and listening intently to the slightly hastened heartbeats of the other. They both thought:

"Because I love you."