• The Puppet •

For the very last time, Taemin gave a long scan over his reflection on the life-sized mirror with a helpless smile. His neat golden walnut hair was immaculately flipped sideways as to cover his brows, and his fit body was dressed in navy blue plaid shirt and charcoal black slim fit jeans. He made sure everything was perfect and grabbed his aviator sunglasses from the night stand. Right before he was about to fit them on his nose, he saw a familiar figure lingering at the door.

“Are you sure? I mean -” The hoarse voice at the door sounded worried.

“I’m doing this, Jongin.”

“But-”

“I’m ending this stupid plan. I can’t do it anymore,” Taemin cut sternly.

“Good luck, then,” Jongin said, still unconvinced.

“Yeah,” Taemin said before giving Jongin a quick hug and paving his way out of the room.

“Bye, Taemin.”

“See you.”

Soft music could be heard playing from the car. The windows were rolled down halfway to allow the chilly night air passed through; the summer heat was really intense these few days in Seoul. The couple was lying down side by side on the hood, leaning against the windshield. Taemin gazed at the twinkling dots of stars in the dark sky, searching for recognizable patterns. He was so absorbed in seeking for any pattern in the sky that he forgot about his boyfriend at his side.

“Taemin? You’re zoning out again. It’s been the third time,” Minho said and snapped his fingers.

Taemin gave him a sweet smile and a slight shake of his head. Minho was skeptical with the response, but he internally shrugged it off. Slipping his hand into Taemin’s colder one, he then laced their fingers together and rubbed his palm over their fisted hands. He kissed the cold knuckles. It had become their habit since his hands were usually warmer than Taemin’s hands. When he saw Taemin his dry lips, he reached for the strawberry lip balm in his pocket and handed it to Taemin. He could not bear looking at that sight. Taemin’s habit of lips was too tempting for him.

“What do you think about us?” Taemin asked after applying the lip balm.

“What do you mean?” Minho asked back, his face showed confusion.

Taemin took a deep breath. He looked pass Minho at the dark sky and softly chuckled. He passed the lip balm back to Minho.

“Never mind. It’s nothing,” Taemin said, putting the topic off.

Taemin turned his face to look upward, a tiny smile playing at the corner of his lips. He could see clearly that Minho did not like the sudden halt in the conversation. Nonetheless, Minho said nothing. He assumed his boyfriend might be uncomfortable if he pressed more about the topic. The way Taemin was playing with Minho’s fingers, looking downwards, he was certain of it. He knew Taemin that well.

Taemin’s face was always flawless to him no matter how many times he looked at it. He could perfectly recount the times he had brushed his fingers and had placed sweet chaste kisses against Taemin’s soft skin. He raised his hand and cupped Taemin’s right cheek, and Taemin could not help but lean into the warm comforting touch. Minho felt a sharp aching tug in the deep part of his heart. Let’s end this game now, he thought and leaned his face into Taemin.

It all happened at once. One second they were silently holding hands and the next, they were kissing. Minho pressed his plump lips firmly against Taemin’s moistened ones, being cautious not to slip his tongue into the warm mouth despite how inviting it felt. Taemin was startled by the sudden urge against his lips as his head gently hit the windshield. He tried to grasp the odd things happening: Minho was kissing him on his lips. After all the slow baby steps they were taking for weeks, his boyfriend finally decided to take another one. He could feel butterflies flying around freely in his belly. He could feel himself squirming when Minho held his sides tightly.

“You kissed me?” Taemin asked the obvious when they pulled away.

He flushed and his lips in a daze. He flushed harder when the thought of Minho’s lips having been there just now. He’s his lips, Minho thought. Taemin smiled and turned to Minho, finally being able to look into Minho’s eyes. He was finally ready to spill everything now that he was sure of Minho’s feelings. A moment later, his smile faltered in confusion.

Minho’s eyes were unamused. Dark. Different. They were empty of Minho.

“You know the game, Taemin,” Minho asked, unwavering.

“What game?” Taemin asked back and swallowed nervously.

“Your game. You think I’m not aware of this game you’re playing? You think I don’t know about you and the infamous Jongin?”

Taemin looked down, staying calm and composed. He swallowed again and looked up to meet with Minho’s eyes. He did not know how Minho know about the game… or plan… whatever Jongin called it. yourself for not telling him earlier, Taemin thought with frustration. His heart beat fast against his chest and his hands slightly trembled with silent terror. He felt as if the man who just kissed him disappeared to nowhere.

“You think I’ll fall for your trap? For God’s sake, people can tell from your faces.”

“Minho,” Taemin began in his small frightened voice.

“Because of bloody Lee Jongin, my brother died and my son is brain-dead right now. Do you have any idea about that?! Do you even really have feelings for me? Is this even real, Taemin?”

Taemin swallowed again, dry and thick. He did not know how to respond. He simply wanted to help Jongin. That was his intention. This was not supposed to happen. His part was just to be a puppet in this plan. That was it. Taemin never thought he would actually fall for this guy. He never thought he would drive all the way from his university just to meet him, spend a good time with him during the weekends, laugh out loud at his silly jokes or prank, and actually feel safe and comfort around him. Minho was too good to be true for him. He found it hard to spill the truth at that moment. He was very confused and nervous, and he was not sure what to do. Seconds later, he decided to softly blurt out the only truth lying among all these deceptions:

“Minho, I love you.”

And it seemed like the man never heard it.

“Since the first time we met, everything was planned, isn’t it? You’ve no idea how much I’ve learned about Jongin… and you when I found out about your plan. I doubt that this relationship- ” Minho in a sharp breath, bracing himself from his next words and pointed his finger at both of them, “- is even real. You’re one ed-up brother, aren’t you?”

Taemin could hear his little heart breaking over the revelation. It felt as if his heart was smashed into pieces and melted in a hot fire. He clutched at his heart and felt a thick lump growing in his throat. Small tears were collecting in his eyes. He looked straight into Minho’s eyes, desperate for some connection.

“No, Minho. I really love you. I do,” Taemin whispered, voice cracked and sounded very deeply heartbroken.

Minho stilled a short moment later with his eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. He painfully gulped, and it felt as if he was swallowing dry rocks. His mouth immediately dried up and the surrounding suddenly felt chilly. Despite everything that happened and despite the deceptions that lay in their relationship since the beginning, he knew that Taemin was speaking the truth. It seemed funny that after everything that had happened, he still fell in love with the sweet cheerful man, or at least that was what he saw in Taemin before. Now, all he saw was a heartbroken man. Taemin looked at him through his watery eyes, straight and shaking. Minho closed his eyes and turned away. He could not look at the man right now. Had he known Taemin sincerely loved him, he would find another way.

“It’s – ” Minho reached for the thin layer of rubber on his lips. “ – too late anyway. .”

He pulled off the pair of thin poisoned rubber layers on his lips. The toxin by now, according to his prediction, should be in the bloodstream. Taemin quivered his lips in surprise. Maybe in a few more minutes, this would all end. The poison was already in Taemin, there was no more turning back for him.

“What did you do to me?” Taemin rasped, his voice becoming hoarse and painful.

“You’re a good man, Taemin,” Minho whispered, holding Taemin’s cold hands in his.

“Minho, help.”

“With everything happening, I still can’t help but fall in love with you. Why did you do it, Taemin? Why did you lie to me? Why did you trust your brother that much?” Minho whispered, his voice cracked and his eyes glistened with tears.

“Minho, help. I c-can’t b-br-breathe.”

“You shouldn’t trust Jongin. He’s an evil son of a . I… I see his actual game now. Taemin, you… you were never the puppet in this plan. Oh my god.”

Realization caught Taemin. He was silent before his pale lips curved into a smile. There was nothing he could do anymore. Jongin was really one evil son of a . He had probably found out that Taemin had always known they never shared the same blood. He, too, saw the actual game now.

“You’re the p-p-puppet-t. I’m t-the p-pawn.”

Nonetheless, Taemin was glad that his love was not one-sided after all. His head felt very heavy and gradually, he lost his grips on Minho’s arms. He could feel his heart weakening and his heartbeats slowing down. Beads of cold sweats rolled down his temples. Black shadows hovered around his sight. He could barely breathe when he felt the muscles in his throats slowly contracting to a complete close.

The poison was successfully wrecking his systems. He tried to grab at anything he could desperately. Minho caught his grasping hands and rubbed his palms over Taemin’s cold ones. Taemin looked at Minho with widened and anguished eyes, but Minho could only stare at him back with tears rolling down his cheeks and mouth clamped shut. I’m sorry, Taemin, Minho thought as he looked into Taemin’s eyes.

Taemin collapsed on the car hood, his body was very weak and helpless. He looked up at the stars as his systems slowly shut down one by one. He could not feel his body and limbs anymore. His eyes were getting heavier and droopier. He knew it was ending soon, so he did the only and the last thing he could.

“I love you, Minho. Always,” Taemin mouthed to Minho weakly.

Taemin attempted a smile before slipping away. No, Taemin. Don’t, Minho thought as he wrapped his trembling arms around Taemin’s immobile body. He shook Taemin a few times with a small hope that he would wake up, or at least move, but the body was beginning to lose its warmth and becoming lifeless. Hot tears poured down his cheeks heavily and loud anguished sobs came out of his throat. He shook the body, again and again, silently hoping Taemin would wake up. He wished it was all a bad dream, just a nightmare.

Minho cried and cried, knowing he placed his doubt more than his love towards Taemin. He trusted the wrong person and his action cost him his love. Embracing the cold body with his shaking arms on the car hood, he buried his face in Taemin’s hair and smelled the scent of his shampoo. Somehow, the scent, too, seemed to be fading away. He tightened his embrace around the body in desperation. When a message came in, he wobbly grabbed his phone and opened the new text.

‘Game over. You lost. -Lee J-’

Yup. I myself was confused when I wrote this. I had to improvise a lot regarding the plot. Also, I'll be posting the backstory tomorrow (because it's ing 2.30 AM right now as I'm typing this). Pardon any grammar error because my 3-AM self can be an ignorant about that. What do you think about the story? Is it good or bad or twisty or confusing or WTF? Please let me know down below.

Adios, es!