As I said from the last update, I got a new phone and this time with a pen, making it easier for me to write. So here's an update! Did you guys think it'll take me another million years?

Enjoy!

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 The Truth and the False

 

The movie has playing but only three out of the five were paying attention. Jonghyun and Kibum were watching, sure, but they were fidgeting too much that Taemin noticed.

 

“Kibum hyung? Is it really that important? I can watch the movie another time.” Taemin whispered and also showed a smile to show that he wasn’t bothered. Kibum thought about it for awhile. He looked at the couple on the couch then back at the boy giving him a smile.

“If it’s alright with you?” Kibum whispered.

“Of course it is.”

 

Before Taemin could excuse themselves, Kibum spoke first.

“Taemin, didn’t you say you were going to show me that new bag you got from a company as a thank you?”

Before Taemin could answer, puzzled as to what the older was talking about, Kibum cut in again.

“I’ll bring Jjong too so that way he knows what I actually look for in gifts.” He playfully rolled his eyes.

 

The three got up with Taemin still looking confused but he went along with the two. While exiting the room, he noticed Jinki watching them, giving Taemin a questioning look, the younger only smiled back as he shrugged his shoulders.

 

The three entered the younger's room and Taemin went to sit on his bed since he knew he wasn’t showing any bag to the fashion designer.

 

“So? What’s happening guys? Why are we in here?” Taemin started, as he looked at the two people in front of him.

 

The couple didn’t say anything but only looked at one another. They both didn’t know how to start the conversation since they weren’t even 100% sure if the younger still had feelings for Jinki or not.

 

Taemin was slowly getting curious as to what was happening because of the glances the couple gave each other. It was then that Jonghyun sighed and pulled out the photo from his pocket and giving it to Kibum.

 

It was Kibum who saw everything, so it will be him to explain.

 

Taemin looked at the item that was being passed to his friend, wondering what it could be about. He tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner. Taemin raised a brow when he lifted his head to look at Kibum. The expression Taemin saw right now, wasn’t the expression he usually got from the other.

 

It was then that Taemin became cautious of what was going to happen. The atmosphere with his friends were never like this. It was usually light. Jokes would be said out loud here and there. The atmosphere that always surrounded them was comfortable to be around.

Now, it was tense, fragile, and troubled.

 

Although Taemin knew he should feel worried about what’s about to happen, he didn’t, because he knew, whatever it may be, he knew how to answer it. The talk they were going have was obviously about him and anything that dealt with him was already thought out by him.

 

Kibum looked down at the photo, not even knowing if talking about it with the boy was a good idea. No one knew about what Taemin felt inside years ago because he didn’t say a single word about it, so it made sense that the boy could’ve moved on without saying anything either.

 

The pattern Taemin always had was, when the situation is gone and over with, he’d say something about it to someone.

However, even now it wouldn't make sense for the younger boy to say something about it if his feelings did happen to disappear because Jinki was a close friend who had a girlfriend.

 

Kibum knew Taemin still held some feelings for Jinki. From the short amount of time he was here, he saw glances no one would give to someone you only looked at as a friend. Kibum, being a fashion designer needed to know body language, and as he looked at their youngest friend, he saw the way that Taemin would lean a bit towards Jinki even when there was a huge gap in between them.

 

“So… is anyone going to say anything or—” Before the younger could finish, Kibum’s hand inched forward, slowly giving the photo to the boy.

 

Taemin took it in his hands, still looking at Kibum with a questioning gaze. He then looked down to what he was holding and it was then that he froze in his spot, slowly losing the smile he had.

 

“Where… where did you find this?”

 

With the boy's tone, anyone could tell that he was shocked to see something he thought he would never see again. If you paid enough attention, you'd noticed the boy's eyes widening for a split second. What the couple saw next surprised them. Taemin's expression changed to one they both knew so well, as if a button was pressed.

 

“I was looking for this! But why… is it ripped in pieces?” Taemin continued, this time with a tiny smile along with curious eyes.

 

When the two heard that, their hearts ached. They both looked at each other, disappointment written on their face, to them it felt like the boy didn’t trust them, but they knew otherwise. They knew Taemin only wanted to hide his feelings because Jinki was with someone else, Jinki was happy with someone else. To see that the boy would lie about something so obvious meant one thing.

 

He still had feelings for Jinki.

 

And he wanted to continue hiding it.

 

But, they won’t let that happen, not when they both knew Taemin was hurting.

 

“Tae… you don’t have to—” Kibum started.

“Have to what?” Taemin tilted his head, still having that innocent look.

 

If it wasn’t obvious that Taemin didn't want to talk about it before, now it was. He never cut off Kibum whenever the other was talking, Taemin knew the older didn’t like that one bit. For a second Kibum saw Taemin drop his acting due to his eyes shifting, it meant the boy was nervous, it meant the boy was scared.

 

But scared of what?

 

Taemin was scared that Jinki would find out, leave him earlier than he expected, to be with the one who he was happy with. Taemin wasn’t ready for that. He’s not going lie, he’s still in the progress of letting that sink in because he knew Jinki loved someone else, but he wasn’t ready to let go of his best friend, he wasn’t ready to let go of Jinki just yet.

 

There was a minute of silence before Kibum answered Taemin. You would think that when someone didn’t want to talk about a topic, they’d change the path of the conversation immediately, but Taemin didn’t and Kibum noticed it. It meant Taemin wanted to talk to someone about everything, everything he couldn’t talk to Jinki about.

 

Kibum walked forward towards the bed. “You don’t have to lie… I saw everything that day…”

 

Taemin’s smile; a smile that was obviously hiding something, slowly fell into a frown. He looked over at Jonghyun who only had his head down, then he looked back at Kibum.

 

There was no use of hiding anymore. Not when it was obvious the two knew. There would be no use if he tried to dodge it.

 

Taemin shifted his eyes from Kibum to Jonghyun, “does…” Taemin shook his head as if clearing his mind, “Jonghyun hyung, did you see too?” Taemin asked.

“I didn’t… I didn’t even know about the photo until today.”

 

Taemin sighed.

 

“I can leave you two to talk if you want to? I mean I’m sure you’ll tell me too but I know you'd hate it if you had two people to explain everything to at the same time.”

 

Taemin was honestly glad for that and nodded his head as a thank you.

 

“I’ll be in the kitchen… I can… use it right?” Jonghyun asked first, not wanting to bother Taemin much more. His voice showed he was scared, he honestly didn’t know how Taemin would react now, he never been in a situation like this with the boy.

“Of course hyung.”

“What would you like?”

“Anything is fine with me, thank you.” Taemin whispered and brought his head up to smile again, and this time, it was a genuine smile.

 

Jonghyun left the room and closed the door quietly.

 

It was only the two boys now. Taemin walked back to his bed after locking the door because he didn’t want Jinki to barge in. The older was too close for TaeminTaemin's liking. He was too close to be talking about this right now but he knew he needed to let things out.

 

Taemin sat on the edge of his bed, resting his elbows at his knees with his head down. Kibum didn’t know whether to just start talking or to wait for the boy to start, so he just stood there looking down at his feet. After quite a while, Taemin patted the place beside him, asking the older to sit too.

 

Kibum followed and they both just sat there for a good five minutes, letting the silence sit with them again.

 

“So… you were there?” Taemin chuckled as he let his head lift slightly towards the older.

“Yeah… I was hiding. I wasn’t sure if I should’ve showed myself or not.”

“You saw everything?”

“Yeah… from start to finish.”

 

Taemin chuckled. “Wow, you must think I’m a mess then?”

“No, of course not, everyone needs to cry once in awhile.”

 

Again, silence.

 

“Why… didn’t you say anything?” Taemin was now leaning back, eyes on the ceiling as if asking ‘why me?’

“Well… that’s because you’re good at hiding things,good at acting. I knew that what I saw then was right, that I didn't imagine it but, at the same time, I thought it was just a hallucination because when I came back to the group that day… you were so happy, it was as if you weren’t crying at all.”

 

There was a paused.

 

“Have you ever considered acting?”

 

The two of them laughed. Taemin knew Kibum was trying his best to make this talk comfortable and he was succeeding in it. That’s what he loved about Kibum, the other knew how to make such situations seem like it was carefree, he made it seem like it was okay to talk about it. Taemin knew the talk wasn’t done yet, how could it when he hasn’t even answered a single question he knew the other had?

 

No one was speaking. Taemin felt comfortable right now but he knew the older was still anxious. He wouldn’t blame him though. Literally no one, not even Jinki, knew how to deal with him when it came to these “love-talks.” Everyone knew Taemin didn’t talk about love, he did when he was in middle school but when high school began, he stopped.

 

“We need some snacks, hold on.” The younger left for a while but came back as soon as possible, with bags of chips in his hands.

 

“Why do we need snacks?” Kibum questioned as he took the bag being handed to him.

“Well…” Taemin jumped back on the bed, “if we’re going to talk about my love life, I need to be comfortable and relaxed, and the person listening has to be comfortable and relaxed too.” Taemin wiggled his brows at the older and opened a bag. “I mean it’s the first time I’m ever speaking about it.”

“It is?”

“Yeah… I mean who would I talk to when all my friends are all for Luna and Jinki?” The boy chuckled and only continued to eat the chips.

After processing Taemin’s words, Kibum chuckled.

“Why? Did you think I wouldn't like you for hyung if Luna wasn’t in the picture?” Kibum sounded offended and Taemin only laughed.

“It’s not that… you’re not like that.”

 

Taemin sat up and let the bag fall onto the bed rather than keeping it on his thighs. Kibum only watched and wondered what the boy could be thinking about. Although he knew the boy since middle school, he could never tell what was in the boy’s head after knowing that Taemin has always had a wall.

 

“We all know they’re perfect for each other…” Taemin shrugged as he took another chip, “and plus I’m not making this into a competition.”

“Of course you’re not. I can see it.” Kibum answered as he lied down on the bed and stared off to the ceiling. Taemin followed the boy and closed his eyes.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well… you try your best—no,” Kibum shook his head, “you do your best to give Jinki and Luna time of their own. Plus you’re not one of those best friends who’re too clingy because their friend got into a relationship. I mean, just now, it could’ve been only you and hyung watching the movie but you allowed yourself to agree with Luna coming along. Everyone, and I mean everyone knows that movie nights are only reserved for both you and Jinki alone.” Kibum chuckled as he turned his head to the boy.

 

Taemin nodded and chuckled. “Well, it’s not like that anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Kibum sat up and looked down at the boy. He went over to where the boy was and adjusted Taemin’s head so that it was on his lap. He started playing with the boy’s hair and sensed that something that Taemin didn’t like was about to come up.

“Well, in the past couple of weeks, months? I don’t know, Luna has been coming along with our movie nights and I only allowed it because it makes hyung happy. I didn’t like it, I don’t like it… but it makes hyung happy.”

 

Kibum’s hands stopped raking Taemin’s hair and shifted his eyes to look at the boy’s. It was beginning to water and you can tell that tears were forming because they became red. Kibum felt his throat tighten at just seeing that.

 

“But… are you happy?”

“Of course I am.”

“No, I mean… are you happy? Not the happy because hyung is happy. But happy because you’re happy with how things worked out.”

Taemin sat up and turned away from the other. It was silent and the only thing that was let out was a painful chuckle from the younger. “Is that even a question?”

“I guess not.”

 

Kibum pulled up the photo that was in between them.

 

“This… I heard what you said that day.”

“If that’s your way of asking if I still have feelings for hyung, I do.” Taemin chuckled, he wiped his face dry from the single tear that fell and looked at his fingers.

 

Kibum stared at him and what he saw, he didn’t want to see again. It was a smile but he never wanted to see that kind of smile on Taemin again. Smiles were supposed to indicate that you’re contented with whatever is happening in your life. They weren’t supposed to be painful.

 

A thought flew across Kibum’s head. What if Taemin was contented with everything because he just let things hurt him? What if he’s okay because everyone else seems to be okay?

 

Taemin looked up at Kibum and saw compassion.

“Be honest, if you were me, wouldn’t you still love your best friend, Jonghyun hyung, even if you knew he were happy with someone else?”

 

A tear.

 

That’s what made Kibum know how much the boy was hurting, how much the boy was hiding. A tear, although so little, held such valuable meaning not many understood.

 

Kibum thought about the question given to him. He thought about Jonghyun, they were best friends, they didn’t start off as lovers right off the bat but it worked itself like that.

 

“I would… but it would hurt. It would hurt so much.”

Taemin shifted and took the photo into his hands. Smiling at the photo he thought he would never see again. Smiling because of the memories the photo held.

“Of course it will” a pause, “but you see, why would you stop that special smile your best friend has for another person just because of your love for them?”

 

Taemin looked at Kibum and held the photo beside his face.

 

“You see this smile hyung has? It’s way different than the smile he has with Luna. Plus,” He shrugged again, letting the photo fall on the bed, “hyung and I are better off as friends. I would rather have him as a friend than a lover because that would mean I’m not making him happy.”

 

“Taemin… what if that smile he has with you is different because of the feelings he has for you?” Taemin stood up and walked to his desk.

“Please, don’t give me false hope. Plus,” Oh how Kibum hated those pluses the boy had, “if it was, then wouldn’t we be together right now? He wouldn’t be with Luna.”

 

Kibum shut up and began thinking about the future.

 

“Do you know about his plans?” The older asked slowly.

“Of course I do…” The younger sat down on the chair and held his head. “I’m his best friend.”

 

“What are you going to do?”

“Leave it be.”

Kibum only looked at the boy.

 

Just how much was the boy willing to hurt himself just for Jinki to be happy?

 

“Hyung I haven’t love him for too long to make it hurt too much, so don't worry too much about it.” Taemin said.

 

Kibum stood up and walked around the room.

 

“Why… why are you lying?” Kibum whispered.

“Lying about what?” The younger boy lifted his head up only to see that Kibum’s back was facing him.

“You’ve loved hyung since the beginning.”

“You’re crazy.”

 

That made Kibum spin around and look at the boy. He loved the boy but Taemin wasn’t making it easier to not get frustrated with him.

“If you’re forgetting, please look at the back of the photo, Jjong even said that the date corresponds to when you met Jinki.”

 

Taemin froze and didn’t bother to look because he knew he wrote something at the back. The only reason he wrote it was because he knew Jinki wouldn’t be asking for it. Jinki always said the picture should be kept by him or else his old man abilities would forget about it.

 

It hurt.

 

But it was true.

 

Jinki, did in fact forget about it.

 

“Look, let’s not bring this up anymore okay? Hyung will be proposing in a couple of months and I’ll be in an arranged marriage organised by my grandparents.” Taemin stood up and walked out the room.

 

It didn’t process in Kibum’s head when Taemin said it out loud but when it did he ran out to the boy.

 

“You’d be in a what!?” Kibum yelled, getting the attention of the couple on the couch and his boyfriend in the kitchen.

 

“Lee Taemin, tell me you’re kidding.” Kibum begged.

“I’m not, plus it’s good for the company.”

 

Taemin… Taemin didn’t even care about love anymore and Kibum knew this.

 

It meant. Jinki would be Taemin’s first and only love.

 

That spoke more than anything that they talked about.

 

“You will not be in a marriage where you’re not happy!” Kibum yelled.

“Hyung, it doesn’t really matter. Plus, who knows maybe I’ll fall in love with them?” Taemin brought out the “good” side.

 

Kibum only shook his head because he knew the boy was lying. He knew that the minute he gets married to the person he’s arranged with, Taemin would be locking his heart once and for good.

 

Jinki got up and walked towards the kitchen after taking Luna to the door because she had to go, “who’s getting married?”

“Me.”

“Uh, how come I don’t know about this?” Jinki questioned as he leaned on the kitchen island. Kibum was about to in when Taemin stopped him. “Because I don’t really care about it, it’s an arrange marriage for the company.”

“What about your boyfriend?” Jinki asked.

 

Jonghyun and Kibum looked at each other and then towards the maknae.

“Boyfriend?” Kibum asked in a ridiculous tone.

“Yeah boyfriend, Taemin has a boyfriend, you guys didn’t know?”

 

Kibum walked towards Taemin while Jonghyun was already beside the boy, putting his arm around his shoulders.

“So Tae? How come we don’t know about this boyfriend of yours? Is he treating you right?” Jonghyun asked.

Taemin panicked.

“Of course h-he is. Why would I be dating him if he wasn’t?”

 

Taemin chuckled nervously and turned around to look at the food Jonghyun made. Jinki turned around to leave but just before he left he called out to Taemin.

 

“Your boyfriend won’t mind if I sleep here tonight right?”

“Of course not hyung, you know where everything is.”

 

Jinki left and Taemin was spun around violently.

“He’s staying here? And your boyfriend doesn’t mind?”

“Look, he thinks I have a boyfriend because I was constantly texting and leaving him all of the sudden. He also thinks I didn’t agree to move in with him because of my boyfriend.”

“But you don’t have one!” Kibum whispered-yelled.

“And?”

“What if he asks you to introduce him?” Jonghyun asked.

“Easy, I’ll say he’s out of the country for now.”

“And when your boyfriend comes back?”

“I’ll say he’s busy with work.”

 

Taemin grabbed a plate and it only showed the couple that he really didn’t care now.

 

“And when he gets annoyed with not knowing who he is?”

“I don’t know, plus Jinki isn’t that nosy.”

“He is when it comes to you .”

“He has Luna to worry about, we’re all good here.”

 

Taemin left to go to his room leaving his plate on the table. The couple followed.

 

“Jinki hyung, there’s food, come on and let’s eat first, I know you won’t be sleeping anytime soon.” Taemin offered. He looked behind him and signaled all of them to go to the kitchen.

The four of them were now eating what the composer made, making small conversations here and there.

 

“Hyung, you’re sleeping on the bed?” Jonghyun asked. “Yeah, where else would I sleep? Minnie only has one bedroom and I am not sleeping on the couch, I already did that and the next day my muscles were aching.” Jinki finished eating before the others and waited for the other three to be polite.

 

When they all finished they all headed to Taemin’s room. Jinki was changing his shirt as he was comforting Jonghyun with words because Kibum nagged him about something and while that was happening, Kibum had thoughts of rewarding Taemin for not oogling on Jinki since he was the love of his life.

 

Kibum shook his head from those thoughts. “Uh, why not sleep on the floor?” Kibum asked. Taemin quickly looked at Kibum and the older had to stop himself from chuckling.

“What’s the problem? Taemin and I have been sharing the bed since middle school.” Jinki raised a brow.

“That must’ve been so hard for you.” Kibum said to Taemin.

“Why would that be hard for you Minnie?” Jinki asked.

“Because… because before, back when we were younger… you liked to move a lot in bed and I wouldn’t get any sleep at all… but it’s all good now, you sleep like a log.” Taemin rushed out.

“I… I don’t know whether I should be taking that as an insult or as a compliment?” Jinki questioned.

 

Jinki lied on the bed and looked at the couple. “Aren’t you guys going to leave? It’s kinda late.”

“It’s alrig—” Kibum said but Taemin cut him off and pushed the two out.

“I’ll see them off.” Taemin smiled at Jinki and closed the door.

 

Yells of ‘goodnights’ and ‘byes’ were heard from the couple and Jinki only chuckled, but later smiled as he saw Taemin coming through the door.

 

 

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, it had a lot more dialogue than the first three chapters so that's fun. I do hope you guys are ready for the next chapter!

'Till next time, bye!