Taemin has the looks of an innocent angel. It’s no wonder he’s popular among the females, because with his refreshing appearance he makes the ladies feel young again and they just simply adore his cute nature. But quite frankly, that’s only his image at Club SHINee, he’s not that innocent youngster he facades himself to be, in fact, he’s rather a spoiled tyrant with only one thing on his mind… to be ranked number one and be honored with the title “best host in Club SHINee.” The only thing in his way would be Choi Minho, who currently holds that title and ranking.

From across the room, the little blonde one sees him and grits his teeth as the alcoholic beverage in his hand shakes. He sees Minho in the center of the C-seat, girls draping around him, indulging him with their flowery scents. Taemin watches Minho chuckling hollowly, bringing a drink up to his lips and watches his apple-bottom’s move up and down slowly as he washes it down his throat. Pft, I can drink while looking y as well… Taemin thinks to himself, not even noticing the crease in between his brows until his client mentioned it. As Taemin turns back to pay attention to his client, in the corner of his eyes, he catches the tall, charismatic man’s gaze locked on him with that annoyingly irritating smirk pasted onto his face. The young boy mutters angrily, thinking of how much he hates that look that Minho gives him just to , but he also hates the fact that he finds it quite charming.

“Why are you a host, Taemin? If you’re in need of money, you can just stay with me,” Taemin’s customers often offer silly requests like these. Everyone at Club SHINee had their reasons for working there as a host, and Taemin’s is quite simple, he did need money because his beloved older brother is currently ill and checked into the hospital. But he also found this job quite entertaining ever since he wanted to be on top, or so to say ever since he challenged Minho to become the best. Why was he so fixated on outranking Minho? When did challenging him even begin? Probably ever since Minho called him “cute.” Being labeled the “cute boy” made him feel like Minho was treating him like a kid, like he was inferior or something and that just got on Taemin’s nerves. Therefore, Taemin believed that if he surpassed Minho, everyone’s impression of him would change. The thought of shoving it into Minho’s face and being cooler than him pleased Taemin so much that he became determined to achieve that goal. Breaking away from his thoughts, he turned to his customer and smiled sweetly at her, “if I lived with you, I would make a cute house pet, huh?” The woman glomped him—squealing in agreement.

“Dammit, Taemin!” Jonghyun boomed right when he entered the back room. He grabbed the smaller one’s sides, shaking him. “You knocked me off second place!” Taemin eyes grew big, a wide and triumphant smile beamed across his face, and he immediately dashes to the wall of rankings after brushing Jonghyun off. That satisfied smile was soon wiped away when he saw Minho’s name still on top. He sneered when he felt a presence behind him—he knew full well who it was.

“My, my, little Taemin. Still behind me, huh?” The low voice sang a little, mockingly. “At least you’re catching up, right?” Taemin turned around and was surprised to see how close in distance they were, so close that he almost face-planted into Minho’s chest. His nose wrinkled in disgust with the scent of perfume still lingering on his torso. He scoffed and hmphed while pursing his lips. “Don’t worry, I will certainly outrank you soon enough!” Taemin wasn’t sure where his confidence came from, but he couldn’t take it anymore, he desperately wanted to be superior to Minho. The taller male simply cracked a laugh while rummaging his hand through Taemin’s blonde hair into a tangled mess. He told the blonde, “not soon enough!” The little one could feel it, he could feel his heart fluttering for a fleeting moment through the simple contact but he refused to accept his feelings—there can’t be anything good about this guy!

Jonghyun interrupted their moment, swinging his arm around Minho’s neck as he asks how on earth does he manage to keep his number one spot. Minho simply arches his brows and shrugs his shoulders as he replies, “women seem to like quiet guys who listen and not have a loud-mouth like you do, Jonghyun. Also, one client told me before that a guy who seems mysterious has this charismatic and handsome aura that seems to attract them.” Taemin stalks away, pouting, after hearing that conversation and he discovered something else he didn’t like—the fact that it’s somewhat true, he does find Minho’s mysterious side quite attractive, and how his silent self can be soothing and peaceful at times, but then again… way, way, way deep inside, he finds everything about Minho attractive and alluring.

Ah, Taemin was definitely annoyed, why on earth did a group of clients have to order him and Minho at the same time in the same area?! Well, it’s to be expected, they are the two best hosts at the club, and it would make sense if the two best hosts come service a crowd of ladies. That whole night, Taemin couldn’t tear his eyes apart from Minho, he wanted to see it all, see the skills he had and how he interacted with the girls. To his distaste, he didn’t like it at all, he didn’t like how Minho’s hand seem to naturally fall onto their hips and curves, how he softly whisper sweet nothings into their ears, and how easily he lets them rest their head onto his shoulders. In fact, the blonde was quite positive that his head would fit perfectly there on Minho’s shoulder. Oh well, two could play at this game, and there the two best hosts went at each other, attacking at maximum power to see who could woo who. And by closing time, the winner will be determined by the amount of money they made that night.

Much to his despair, Taemin lost by a couple hundred, this was probably the closest he had ever been. He felt a hand patting his back, the soothing words of “it’s okay, maybe next time” echoed into his ears, but he rolled his eyes and picked his head up, standing tall and strong with fire in his eyes. “Yep! Next time for sure!” He smirks cunningly. He sees Minho’s eyes growing wider with surprise and his white teeth flashing from his smile. “What are you staring for? Did ya fall for me or what?” Taemin lightly chuckles as he teases. Only to be surprised by Minho’s playful response…

“Maybe.”

end / 1,160 words