Taemin was more than just stunned into silence. He had forgotten all about his ex up until this point, even the fact that they would be attending the same university. Would they have classes together, too? The thought made the younger one's stomach turn and he wasn't sure why.

Jinki hadn't noticed Kibum's presence until he physically passed by, reversed, and smiled at the two.
“Taemin! What are you doing here in Tokyo?” Even though it made the older one feel weird, he wanted to be as casual as possible. He had to seem like he was on top of his game, that he didn't care whether Taemin was coming or going...but he wanted to know everything. He wanted to know why him and Jinki ended up together, why Jinki decided to come to Tokyo to study even if he had a loving boyfriend back in Seoul, why Taemin was here...Kibum wanted to know all the details.
“He's come to study,” Jinki said seriously, his excited demeanor gone out the window.
“Study? Really? Which university?” Kibum questioned as Taemin took in his appearance. He seemed a little bit more muscular from the last time the younger male had seen him, his hair was a blonde now, and he seemed more devious before. Maybe that was just Taemin's imagination, but Kibum gave off the perfidious aura; deceitful, a liar with pretentious motives.
“Tokyo. He's staying with me for the time being,” His boyfriend answered for him again, and Kibum's fox-like eyes shifted between the two of them. Taemin didn't mind that Jinki was taking control of this situation, mainly because his tongue had suddenly gone limp.
“Really...? What about your parents? They don't mind?” Kibum asked, and glanced at his ex again. Jinki started to grow impatient, so he cleared his throat.
“Why are you asking so many questions? Can't we just enjoy our coffee in peace?” He questioned, and the blonde blinked a few times before flashing that dazzling smile of his.
“Of course, of course, I'm sorry to have intruded,” He said, and then waggled his fingers in a greeting way, “I'll see you around, yes?”

“What happened? Cat got your tongue?” Jinki asked once the threat had disappeared, and Taemin had come back from his stunned state.
“I don't...know,” He admitted honestly, and took a sip of his very warm coffee quietly. He wasn't sure what to tell the other one since he himself didn't know why he reacted like that.
“I guess I didn't really expect to see him so soon,”  The black haired male said and ran his thumb around the rim of his cup after a while of some silence.
“Well, this isn't the first time I've seen him here. Maybe we should've gone somewhere else,” Jinki replied as he looked at Taemin who was slowly coming down from his shock.
“No, no, I'm happy we came here,” He smiled faintly anyway, “he didn't ruin today or anything,”
After all, Taemin had seen a worse side of Kibum than him just being too inquisitive.

After the two had finished their coffee, Jinki took them home. Since his parents were at work, it gave the two some alone time to discuss the way forward. Now that the younger one had touched down in Japan, Jinki was responsible for him, even if it was only for a month or two until Taemin got on his feet and learned his way around the culture and streets.
“I hope you don't mind the cream color scheme,” The older one said once he led the black haired male to his bedroom, putting his bags down as Taemin took it in. It was much bigger than the bedroom he had grown accustomed to, so much so that he felt somewhat disoriented as he took in the size. He could walk around his bed and not climb over it to get to the other side of the room, it had a nice desk and chair, and even a spacious wardrobe. The only thing he really had in his apartment back in Korea was a tiny double bed, no fancy table or wardrobe.

“No, it's great,” He answered Jinki's statement, and put his hands in his pockets as he nodded.
“Well...I'll leave you just to look around. I'll be in the kitchen,” The university student said when he noticed his boyfriend's silence, then walked out to let Taemin get used to the idea of having a new bedroom.
The younger one ran his hands over some of the furniture in wonder - everything looked almost brand new and definitely expensive. The wardrobe felt like mahogany, the sheets felt like smooth cotton, and even the curtains felt nice to touch. The room had the scent of citrus, but not the overwhelming kind; just a touch to tickle Taemin's sense of smell. Everything was neat and orderly, something the young man really liked. Overall, he was happy to stay here.
He even had his own bathroom, which meant he could stay as long as he wanted in there taking a shower and getting ready without worrying that someone else needed to use it...and he was sure the hot water wouldn't turn cold in ten minutes like back in Seoul.

It was such a change, but a good one. Even though he missed his parents a lot at the moment, he knew it would pass like it always did. He was doing fine without them, even if it was a bit stressful for him up until this point, and he was feeling good about himself that he had managed to last so long without any financial help. He did need a lot of emotional support, but other than that, he was fine.

He went out to join Jinki in the kitchen who had just pulled out some muffins from the oven.
“I made these as a welcome home celebration,” He said with a smile once he noticed his boyfriend standing behind him, looking at the steaming muffins on the counter.
“𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒?” Taemin had to ask, “why do you say that?”
“Because this is what that is to you. Home, as long as you need it,” Those were the very words that warmed Taemin's heart so much he was almost moved to tears. He couldn't believe Jinki had been this patient with him, always listening to his complaints about how he had to work and study at the same time, and never once getting mad about hearing it. He had always tried to support Taemin as much as he possibly could - and as much as his boyfriend would allow - and not once had he ever asked for anything in return. This just reminded the younger one how lucky he truly was to have someone like Jinki by his side.

The two relaxed in the kitchen while sharing one of the banana muffins Jinki had made, laughing about some of the things that had happened - Taemin would tell stories of what happened back  in Korea, and Jinki would tell stories of what happened in Japan. Some of them were sad, most of them were happy, but they knew nothing would be as good as the story they were living right now.

Jinki's parents arrived at ten minutes past four, wide smiles gracing their faces when they heard the laughter coming from inside their home. They knew Taemin would be arriving, but it still overjoyed them to hear he was really here; they had hardly seen Jinki as happy as he was the days leading up to his boyfriend's arrival, so they were more than happy to welcome the younger one into their home. He had always been like a son to them, and now he would be like a son-in-law instead which was good enough for them too.
They embraced him once they were inside, asked about his trip, and to tell them exactly how it was both being a senior and working to provide for himself. Although they would've loved to have financially helped him when he most needed it, they had a newfound respect for him learning to stand on his own two feet even if he had resources offered to him. It showed he cared about Jinki more than his money, which was a problem his parents were concerned about when it came to finding a partner. They didn't care too much about having grandchildren, so they didn't mind it that Jinki hadn't fallen in love with a woman - after all, surrogacy was always an option. As long as their son was happy, it was all that mattered.

Taemin enrolled in the university to study dance and allowed Jinki's parents to pay for his tuition.
“It's the least we could do for the man Jinki loves so much,” They insisted when Taemin had told them he couldn't possibly accept the offer, and he eventually caved in.
He stayed in their home with them and promised to pay them back once he had a good job, even though they said it wasn't necessary.

Over the next five years, Jinki and Taemin grew even closer until the older one eventually proposed to his boyfriend who of course said yes.
Kibum became a famous fashion designer and lost interest in love; he threw himself into his work, and that was the way he liked and wanted it.
Minho went on to become a soccer player under the guidance of his father, and had several relationships which never really stuck.
Jonghyun didn't attend university or college, but instead took several writing classes to become a poet instead; he received several awards for his poetry books and adopted a Dachshund, Roo, which he loved and adored more than anyone else.
Jongin and Kyungsoo had a steady relationship all through high school and university, getting engaged soon after they were done with their studies after school.

All in all, each person found happiness in their respective fields - with a love or not - and although not everyone could keep in contact, they remembered one another even when they were old and grey. For those who had grandkids, they told stories of their youth, and laughed; even Taemin laughed at his own childishness. But it had taught him valuable life skills, and opened his eyes to true love which he had with Jinki, which was something he would never regret. He appreciated the things Kibum had taught him indirectly, and they were things Taemin remembered for the rest of his life. Even though he saw more and more as the years went on what a fool he had really been, he would always be grateful for the experience. Because without it, he wouldn't have gotten the chance to be with Jinki, and he wouldn't have gotten the chance to live the best life he possibly could. Without Kibum, he wouldn't have been opened up to the possibility of real love, and even if they didn't keep in contact, Taemin often thanked the older one in his mind until the day he couldn't remember Kibum's face, voice or name anymore when he was in his late seventies, relaxing on his porch with Jinki and watching the sunset.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓔𝓷𝓭.