Since I had finished the whole story, I thought that I'd be able to post it up quickly...unfortunately, I was wrong :/ I'm still slow as ever. But enjoy :D

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A week passed quickly and I had my routines half finished. I made one of them contain appeal because I had been praised about my S line before so why not use it to my advantage? With a tight t-shirt and shorts to show off my curves, I practised my routine in front of the big mirror before anybody arrived. I wanted it to be near perfect before I showed Mr. Park because after this class, there were only two more times to consult him.

The door opened and Taemin walked in. I smiled at his image in the mirror but continued with the dance. He stood at the door, not moving, and I felt uncomfortable.

"Tae Seul, you're entering?" Taemin said once the music stopped.

I nodded, "Aren't you?" He said yes and I smiled. So I was going to have Taemin by my side throughout this contest, eh? It was just going to be friendly competition and I made myself promise that this wouldn't break our friendship.

The other students began arriving and soon the class started. We got our forms and all was well as we continued with the routine that we began learning last week.

"Anybody wanna show me any of their routines?" A bunch of us raised up our hands. "Okay, Tae Seul, you're up first. The rest of you, go practise the moves that we just learned."

I began dancing and counting in my head. I saw Taemin watching me and smiled since I knew if one person was watching intently, somebody else must've been, too. And I hoped that somebody else was Mr. Choi. When I finished, Mr. Choi applauded. This gesture made my smile even brighter.

"Good work. Keep going with those moves and you'll win for sure. Who's up next?" He asked the class.

I walked towards Taemin and squealed in delight. "He likes it!"

Taemin didn't return my reaction with a smile, though. "He does?"

"Yeah, he said good work!" I made sure that I didn't let Mr. Choi see how giddy I was but he was talking to his assistant.

"But he barely...nevermind." Taemin went back to the dance that we were practising and I joined him.

Near the end of the class, our instructor and his assistant told us to gather around them. "There's a studio on the fourth floor that'll be open on the weekdays but only from 4PM - 9PM, I think, so get practising if you've entered, alright?" Everybody nodded and Mr. Park dismissed us.

"Tae Seul, ice cream?" Taemin once again asked me.

I shook my head this time. "I need to practise, Taemin. I wanna win this thing and I don't even have my routines finished."

Taemin understood. "Then can I stay with you? I want to practise, too."

"Sure. Meet you outside in fifteen?" We headed to our changerooms and were outside soon enough. It was Saturday so all the dance studios were taken. Both of us went to Taemin's apartment instead of mine since he said he had a bigger window and when it was dark outside, you could see yourself in the window and it was like a giant mirror.

When I got to his apartment, though, I was in shock. It was so tidy and I was amazed that his mom wasn't at home right that moment to pick up some of the slushy snow we brought in. I took off my shoes and stood at their living room in front of the big window.

Taemin was right. If you the lights and made sure that it was dark outside, you could see yourself perfectly like a mirror. Taemin went to the kitchen and brought out some leftover food.

"Eat." He said, "We need energy."

I happily ate with him but the silence was uncomfortable. The only small talk we could do was about school or dance and anything else just seemed strange.

"Do you think you'll ever get together with Mr. Choi?" I looked up at him when he asked though he faced down and his hair covered his eyes. Where was he going with this?

I laughed, "I'll try. I don't see anybody else that I can get so he's pretty much all that I'm going for right now." It was a lie. I was filled with lies around Taemin but I didn't want him to find out about my old crush and not have the chance to go have ice cream with the red-headed boy.

Anyway, Mr. Choi was decent looking. He didn't look anywhere near as good as Taemin but he was close...right? And it was easier to use a decent looking guy as my "fake" crush. That way, it's easier to develop a real one for him. Yes, I've got this all planned out. The more I think about Mr. Choi, the less I'll think about my old crush for Taemin. Wait wait wait, when I said "fake" crush, I mean real. Yes, very real.

"But he's like, three years older than you." Taemin was still looking down at his food.

I sighed, "Haven't you dated noonas who are like, fifty years older than you?" He shook his head at my exaggeration, "You get the idea. If you can go for noonas, why can't I go for oppas?" He shrugged and I smiled in triumph.

Once we were finished eating, we showed our dances to each other. His routine just contained a lot of popping, which I guess was his specialty. Ever since I knew Taemin, I knew that he was a great dancer. When he was dancing, you wouldn't know that he had an addiction to ice cream, he didn't look like a child at all. His face was always serious as he executed his moves perfectly. I knew I had big competition.

One Monday, Taemin and I went to the said studio on the fourth floor but found out it was already packed. "My house?" Taemin asked and I nodded.

We had practices at Taemin's house for the next week with the rest of SHINee watching us. The six of us exchanged tips and numbers and by the end of the week, Taemin and I were practically ready to compete. Once again, I showed my full dances to my instructor.
 
"Good. You've improved." He said. I ran over to Taemin and he had one of his eyebrows raised while I squealed quietly.
 
"He's noticed how much I've improved, Taemin! Omo, I'm so excited!"
 
Taemin shook his head at the instructor and looked at me seriously, "You want to win this, right?" I nodded slightly and my smile dropped, trying to copy Taemin's stern face but it was difficult to contain my emotions. "Then come to my house everyday after school until the competition. I'll help you win this." My smile came back. For the past week, he hadn't been much help, just company. Getting pointers from Taemin was almost as useful as getting pointers from the instructor.
 
I almost hugged Taemin but refrained from doing so, terrified of what his fangirls would do. "Thank you, Taemin! Thank you thank you thank you!"
 
On the first day, I continued to thank him. He helped me throughout the whole three hours that I was there and I was grateful. There was also always food at his house so I didn't need to buy any for myself and I was thankful for that, too. Hey, free food's always good, right? It was like this for the first week and then when I went back to class, I was thrilled when my instructor's comments went from a good to a great.
 
So I practised even harder. I wanted to win and the only dancer that was better than me was probably Taemin. With only one last week to go, I went to Taemin's house to put on finishing touches.
 
"Hey, Tae Seul. Did you eat yet?" Taemin asked when he opened the door.
 
I nodded. "Yeah, had a some dumplings on the way here. C'mon, I want to get as much done as I can today."
 
Taemin laughed at my enthusiasm and stood at the centre of the living room. "Okay, so I pretty much have your routine memorized. Show me that turn again." I did as he told me to but then was stopped. "Stretch your body out more. You're shriveling up like some vegetable."
 
Again, I followed his orders and for the first few hours, I was fine with it but then I started getting irritated.
 
"Tae Seul! Your hand's supposed to fan out on the fourth beat and then folded together on the sixth, not the fifth! Try that again."
 
I glared at Taemin. "But I've already done it a million times! Can we move on?"
 
Taemin took a deep breath and rubbed his temples, "Fine, you wanna go back to the clap and hip part?"

I shook my head, "I meant going forward."

Taemin made a grumbling sound out of frustration. I felt bad about getting him to that state but I wasn't very happy with his attitude, either. "I though you wanted to win this!"

I stamped my foot, "Of course I do!"

"Then you should be practising." Taemin headed into the kitchen. "I've been in competitions with SHINee before and you need a ton more practice before you're ready."

"But Mr. Choi said--"

"Stop listening to that guy." Taemin said in a serious tone though his face was calm. He came out of the kitchen with a plate of watermelon slices. "Eat some of this to cool down."

I ate quietly, not wanting to create a full out fight for Taemin and me. This new mood for him was one that I didn't like. I suddenly missed the old Taemin that loved ice cream and talked like a baby. Maybe competing wasn't a good idea if he was going to be like this.

No. I shook my head and Taemin gave me a funny look. I ignored him and went back to thinking. I was going to win the contest and I would deal with this new Taemin no matter what. I mean, he would change back once the competition's over, right? And I needed a strict teacher, one that would discipline me until the end.

For the next two days, I dealt with Taemin's crash courses. On the third day, though, I wasn't as enthusiastic about going over. "Okay Taemin. Today's the only day that I get to spend more than three hours at your house. I want to get as much done as I can."
 
"Then we'd better get started." Taemin started stretching and I did the same.

Two hours later, we were both sweating and Taemin stopped with his "suggestions". While he went to the kitchen to get us some food, I continued practising. In the back of my mind, I secretly hoped that I would reach perfection by today. I didn't want to come back to Taemin's house if we continued to get on each other's nerves like this.
 
"My mom made lunch for us before she left for work this morning. Eat." Taemin brought out a tray of food but I shook my head and kept going. He looked disappointed but left the living room where we usually ate and went into the kitchen. This made me even more irritated. Not just at Taemin now, but also at myself. Why can't I just be good and listen without arguing?
 
I guess it was because I wasn't used to it. Ever since I've known him, he's always been the baby and I acted like his caregiver. It felt nice to feel responsible for Taemin since he didn't act like a real baby but now it seemed like he didn't want my help. I continued pracitising the dance, though, over and over. It wasn't dark outside so I couldn't see myself move but I still tried mastering all the movements. Taemin was quiet as he ate and I could barely hear the clank of his chopsticks over my panting.

The faucet in the kitchen ran after a while and it made me suspicious. "Taemin?" I asked as I headed into the kitchen. I was embarrassed when I realized he was barely sweating and I looked like I recently came out of a sauna.

"Hmm? What's up?"

I shook my head. "Nothing." Taemin was bent over the sink, washing the dishes. He never washes the dishes. Ever. He was a boy and like most boys, disliked any chores. If he did this voluntarily today, did that mean that he wanted today to end as soon as possible, too?

I fell back onto the couch in the living room and listened to my iPod while waiting for Taemin to come back into the living room. I wanted to talk to him and make sure that our friendship didn't just fall apart in a few days. I wanted to make sure that even after this competition, I could still be with him at those ice cream shops.

I stuffed my face in a cushion. Who was I kidding? This is Taemin! He's gone from girl to girl and never cared about parting with any of his noonas. A little talk wouldn't cut it and I had to think of a much better plan. There have already been girls out there who have come up to us and randomly struck a conversation with Taemin. In the end, they would usually reveal that they were a noona that Taemin dated and would also try to reignite the "love".

I was probably pushing the limit with Taemin. He wanted me gone, he was bored of me. All I could do was be with him at ice cream shops and dance. Dancing horribly compared to him. And at those ice cream shops, I didn't even eat the ice cream! He would always be at it alone, probably discussing with himself about how awesome every cone tasted.

I felt horrible. Even though Taemin had allotted me so much time, all I did was try to maintain an image. All I did was fawn over another guy around him so Taemin couldn't see right into me. All I did was waste his time. Maybe if I had made a move in the beginning, I could've spent a little while actually being his girl. Not his sister, not his friend, but somebody who was more than that. Somebody who doesn't have to hide.

"Are you tired?" I heard Taemin say. The couch sunk down by my knees and I took the cushion off my face to shake my head.

"Just frustrated."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, you can rest while I practise, okay?" He smiled and it made me forget about what I had wanted to say at first. "By the way, why are you entering anyway? Thought you didn't like the cold."

Should I tell him that I was gonna go with Mr. Choi? I decided not to. I mean, I don't think Taemin wanted to hear me going on about another guy anymore. "Just gonna share those two tickets with somebody."

"Ooh, who do you have in mind?" Taemin asked as he scrolled through the songs on his cellphone.

I was totally stuck right now. Did he seriously not know who I was talking about? "A guy."

Taemin gave me a smirking glance and started stretching. "And who might that be?"

"He...He's tall." What other characteristics did Mr. Choi have? "He can dance. Oh, and he's older than me." Really, is that all I knew about him?

No way, that wasn't it. He hated asparagus, he was allergic to ragweed, and he was a morning person. I didn't say any of that, though, in fear of making Taemin see me as a stalker. Considering how many random facts I knew about Mr. Choi, I'm probably way past the stalker stage.

Taemin didn't seem to care, though, and instead began to dance. I watched his swift and smooth movements, each one sliding perfectly into one another like a puzzle.

It was awkward watching Taemin's back after a while so I started talking. "So who are you going to go with?"

He continued dancing, not answering. I looked down in embarrassment. I should've known he was serious about dancing; he cared much more about it than small talk.

"Did you say something?" The music stopped and I looked up to see him panting with his hands on his waist.

I restated my question and he thought about it for a second.

Then a smile came to his face. "To the ice gallery, I would take..."

"Jonghyun? Onew? Key? Minho?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I wanna take a girl. Those guys already know about my love for the cold. Plus, it'd be weird going with another guy to the gallery. The magical winter wonderland or whatever it's called."

"So you're gonna take another one of your noonas?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. You know, I've been thinking for some time now. I actually want to try and find somebody that I can stay with for a long time."

"But you're only seventeen. You don't need to think about marriage and stuff like that."

"I'm not talking about marriage. Just like..." He paused for a second. I felt like a little girl, not knowing anything about relationships. "Well, I want a relationship to last longer than a week, that's all."

I nodded, acting as if I understood. Unfortunately, I didn't. Never had a relationship before and don't think I ever could. All the guys were afraid of me. They thought that with my connection to SHINee, I could bring anybody's reputation down. "So you're thinking of trying to win that competition and taking the girl of your dreams with you?"

He grinned. "Yup, that's about it. And I won't just be trying to win, I'll most definitely win." He said with triumph.

I immediately sat up and slapped him lightly. He acted as though I karate chopped him. "Don't be so confident. I'm in the contest, too, you know."

"Then you'd better get practising if you want to beat me."

We both plugged in our earphones and began dancing. There was a comfortable silence between the two of us, no more arguing. Though I saw him look at me, wanting to change something in my routine, I ignored it and continued. I wanted to beat Taemin's dance and show him and Mr. Choi that I could dance.

Five hours passed. Yes, we spent five hours dancing. That's how competitive we both were. The two of us fell onto the couch, panting. That couch had better be sanitized soon since it was covered with sweat.

"You've improved a lot." Taemin said through pants.

I caught my breath and replied, "Thanks. Still nowhere near you, though."

I looked over and saw him trying to hide his smile. He stood up and went to the kitchen, "There's got to be some food in the fridge."

I started packing up. "Nah, it's okay. I'll go home and eat."

He already began heating up leftovers in the microwave. "But your apartment's an hour away."

"I won't pass out or anything." I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

"Tae Seul," Taemin guarded my bag, "stay here and eat. You're already pale and I don't want to see you faint on the sidewalk."

I maneuvered around him and grabbed my bag. "I'll be fine. Stop worrying."

I heard him go into the kitchen and grab something while I put on a sweater over my tank top. "Will you at least buy something to eat outside?"

"Taemin, I'll eat when I get home okay? I didn't bring money, anyway."

"At least eat this before you go." He held out a bowl of rice with vegetables and meat in it. It looked delicious and my stomach growled but I remembered my manners and shook my head. I had already used enough of Taemin's time. Once I was out of this apartment, I didn't need to worry about anything. I wasn't going to come back after the competition.

"No, Taemin. I promise I'll eat right when I get home." I tried to get around him but he blocked my way to the door.

"Yah, are you trying to be skinny for the competition or something? Why won't you eat?"

I looked up in anger at his accusation. "I'm not trying to be anorexic, if that's what you're implying. I just wanted to be polite and not take somebody else's food."

He ignored me, though, and took a spoonful of rice and meat. "Say ahh."

"What the heck are you doing?" I was irritated. If Taemin had just let me go, I would've been on the bus by now.

"I'm trying to get you to eat. Key hyung did this with a baby and it worked." He held the spoon closer but I didn't open my mouth. "Tae Seul, come on! Just eat!"

I shook my head like a stubborn little child. "No, Taemin! I'll eat at home! Stop it."

"Stop being difficult! Just eat this bowl and then you can go home."

I spun around and ran to the other side of the living room. I didn't want to go down without a fight. Once I was out the door, I was gone and that's all I needed. I watched as Taemin delicately held the spoon as he headed towards me and away from the door.

That was my chance.

I raced for the door. In two seconds, I got my shoes on and as I reached for the doorknob, I felt arms wrap around me. It was all a blur and at the end of the hurricane experience, I found myself pinned to the ground by Taemin sitting on top of me.

“You’re so light and skinny! You need food more than I do.” He poked my side and I tried wiggling out from under him. He wrapped his legs tighter, not letting me go.

“Taemin, get off!” This was the most awkward position I've ever gotten into and I'm a dancer so I've been in many uncomfortable positions.

“Not until you eat. You'll be thankful once you're home safely.” He smiled and continued, "Key hyung always made sure we had food in our system and once, he wasn't with us at practice and Minho could barely dance because he was so tired. Key's like our mom and we're happy that he can take care of us like that. Now, eat this and your stomach will be happy." He grabbed the bowl and the spoon and fed me.

After a long pause, I gave in. "Fine, I'll eat it. But stop with your stories, they're making me feel guilty."

He chuckled, "Exactly what I was going for. But seriously, you need to eat, especially before a competition."

With my mouth full, I tried again. “Now can I go?”

“Swallow.” He smiled hopefully.

I did as he told me to and asked again, “Now?”

He shook his head. “You have to finish this whole bowl.”

“Taemin!”

“Tae Seul.” He held another spoonful to my mouth. So this was how babies felt when they ate. I promise never to do that airplane motion again, ever; just having somebody watching and spoon feeding me was embarrassing enough.

Taemin watched me intently. Every chew that I made, every mouthful that I swallowed was seen by him. He was probably making sure that I didn’t spit the food right back out. It wasn't something that I would do but in this kind of situation, I was ready to claw somebody's eyes out.

Out of nowhere, my tears poured out and I could feel Taemin’s grip on my waist immediately loosen. He seemed scared of me now but the tears just came down harder, even though I tried to stop them. I didn’t want Taemin to be scared of me. I didn’t want him to go away because I was intimidating. But what could I do? He was going to let go of my sooner or later for that special girl anyway, I might as well leave now.

I stood up, gave him one last look at him on the floor and headed for the door. “Don’t expect me tomorrow.” I mumbled.

I went to bed that night with tired muscles and a foggy mind. I can't believe I let my stubbornness get the best of me and ruin our friendship. He was only trying to make me eat so that I would stay alive. Why couldn't I just agree?

Well, guess what, Taemin? I made it back home without fainting. I sighed and reasoned with my arguing. I didn't faint because he had fed me spoonfuls of food. I should've been grateful to have a friend like Taemin and instead, I'm always unwilling to abide to his instructions. He always had good intentions, he always wanted to make the people around him happy, but I just couldn't let him make me free myself in front of him. What would he think if he knew that I had a crush on him?

 
Not that I did, of course. Never. Never in a million years would I actually fall for that guy. I couldn't. I like Mr. Choi. I like Mr. Choi. I like Mr. Choi.
 
I fell asleep chanting that to myself but I woke up with the worst thought possible:
 
I love Lee Taemin.

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Was that too fast-paced? xD Probably because it was intended to be a one-shot kekekeke.