Lee Jinki knew the exact moment when it started, because he hadn't seen Lee Taemin be flustered like that in years. He was used to him being awkward, yes, and quite shy signalled by his rapid blinking in some situations, but truly flustered, where he fumbled with his hands and stuttered quite tragically over his words was something he didn’t expect he would see again from their usually self-assured maknae. 

It started out slowly, as these things often do, and not very well at that. It was a sneaking glance in the corridors of SM or a mumbled "Morning," or "Afternoon," or "Evening," if they ran into each other while going in and out of practice rooms.

There were the stares in their recent SMTOWN Concert practice that had him gently nudging Taemin and clearing his throat more than once in the hopes that two of the best dancers SM has ever had would pay some modicum of attention to the director and not get caught or scolded. He often had to hide a smile behind his hand at the shy blushes and nervous fidgeting that would happen when they were asked to be in the same group or even just stand together, because for all of their experience being idols and their confidence in facing thousands of people onstage, Lee Taemin and Kang Seulgi were very much a young man and woman inexperienced in love.

It was uncertain, for a while, when both are unsure of their feelings; a time when the stares were of longing instead of wondering warmth, and work served as a distraction rather than done for passion.

But time passed, and as the first snow fell on the streets of Seoul, it appeared that all was indeed well again between the pair. They often stopped to talk amidst rushing from one place to another, eyes flashing and hands flying as they discussed one topic or other. It doesn’t matter how fleeting these moments are sometimes, they savour every little bit of time they can squeeze into their busy schedules to simply be in each other’s presence. 

One day during SHINee’s downtime after their five-hour straight rehearsal, a Kibum cuddled on Jinki’s side confessed that he had asked Taemin to get him something from the café near their building because he heard Seulgi was on her way there. This confession led them to reminisce about when they just first started dating - their struggles and their wins, that ultimately prompted to a discussion of Taemin and Seulgi’s budding romance and an impromptu contingency planning of how they can help the two protect their relationship. 

With the New Year came casual touches: a firm hand on the small of a back or a comforting palm across the shoulder. There were teasing jostles of elbows and playful nudges; secret smiles as private jokes were exchanged.

Jinki regularly marveled at how well they got to  know one another. It became a habit for the SHINee and Red Velvet members to eat a meal together on days where they are both scheduled to practice for their comeback