The preparations for the fest were in full swing and Minho had volunteered to take photos of the club activities this year as well. Taemin wasn’t taking part this year–he had heard so from Jonghyun when he had gone to the music room to get some pictures.

Minho almost wished Taemin would’ve participated, seeing the music club had divided into two groups for a mash-up between old and new songs. He had even recognized quite a bunch of songs from the list, having either heard Taemin hum them or from the playlist his brother had made.

He had remained in the music room even after everyone had left, sitting on the piano bench as he went through his pictures, pausing on the one he had taken from the bridge. 

Quite a lot had gone down in the winter break, and ever since school had started. The Spring fest was the only thing keeping him distracted from all of it. 

He had gotten his summer photography internship, which meant he won’t be playing soccer for the school this summer. Everyone knew he had gotten it, but none of them knew that it clashed with his soccer schedule. He was still waiting to break his situation to the Coach and the team, worried how they would react to him quitting the team barely two months before the game. It had him unfocussed in soccer practice and he was also zoning out in classes, as he knew it was something he had to say but he just wasn’t ready to say, wasn’t ready to let go of, yet.

Despite the looming tension of the exams, of the summer classes for entrance tests, his internship, he still couldn’t just ignore how much he wanted to confess to Taemin… how much he wished he could ask him to the farewell dance. But the thing stopping him was time. Time that wasn’t passing quickly, but also time, which he felt like could slip from his hands if he didn’t act quickly.

But he didn’t want to hurry, despite how much waiting now seemed harder and harder, not wanting to burden Taemin when he might still be healing from his previous relationship. The time for taking a step just wasn’t right.

It was official that Taemin and Woojin had broken up. Woojin and his friends were conspicuously avoiding Taemin, perhaps to show everyone that it was Taemin at fault. Minho didn’t know or care whose fault it was, nor had he even bothered to listen to any of the rumors. It was unfair, and he had almost intervened that one time when the entire class was playing dumb charades to let out some steam during a free period. They had ignored Taemin’s correct guesses and when it was Taemin’s turn, the other team just looked right through him, not even giving him a prompt to act out. Taemin had good-naturedly handled it by saying that “It’s okay, I didn’t want to play anyway.” and Minho had dropped out of the game right after that, along with Jonghyun and Kibum.

Things like these weren’t happening anymore… but Minho was still unsure if time had passed enough for him to take the step he had been waiting to take for so long now.

His daze broke when he heard footsteps and he looked up to find Taemin at the door, who smiled slightly as he entered, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Minho answered, his mind and heart racing… he felt caught red-handed, to have Taemin walk in right when he had been thinking of him.

Taemin explained his presence by waving the folder that was left on the desk, “Just grabbing these for Jonghyun.”

Minho smiled and when Taemin was about to leave, instead of saying goodbye, he said, “Congratulations, by the way.” He was hugging the folder as he nervously added, “I didn’t mean to… but I overheard Kibum congratulate you in class the other day. About your photography internship.”

“Eh, he’s loud. I’m sure people in the next class heard him.” Minho brushed it off, smiling, “Thank you, by the way.”

Taemin was about to take his leave but Minho stopped him, growing hesitant the next moment because he had done so on impulse. “Sorry, it’s… nothing.” He shrugged it off but Taemin sat beside him, taking off his bag and putting Jonghyun’s folder inside.

When he had secured the folder inside, he removed something else– a camera strap. It was studded and still sealed in its packaging. Taemin was fidgeting with it as he softly started, “I was buying earrings and… you know, how they have those ‘get 6 for half price’ on accessories? I liked the design on this, I… thought it was a phone strap but it’s actually a camera strap.” He handed it to Minho, “And the only one I know who has a camera is you, so.”

Minho took it.

“It’s adjustable– for both the wrist and neck–” Taemin stopped abruptly and Minho chuckled, opening it right away and linking it to his camera.

“That’s quite an upgrade.” He smiled, a bit struck that something so important to him now had Taemin’s trace on it, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Taemin smiled back and was packing his bag, getting ready to leave.

“Taemin?” Minho halted him again, still hesitating as he looked at his camera, fingers grazing the strap, but he couldn’t say what he intended to, still burdened, lingering on whether the time was right or not, and instead asked the first thing that came to his mind to save the situation, “If– If I had to choose between soccer and photography, what should I choose?”

Taemin was silent for a few moments before he said, “The fact that it’s a choice means you want to do both.”

Minho lowered his head, overwhelmed at how easily he had been caught, “Yeah… I do wanna do both.” He sighed, “I don’t think it's possible though.”

“Nowadays I’m doing this little thing,” Taemin said after a while, turning around on the bench to face the piano, pressing a random key, “I imagine an ideal situation. Where what I want is possible. Then I think back on what needs to happen so that it becomes possible.” He pressed another key and then another, unleashing a soft tune, “Because the outcome is not what is impossible, it’s the factors and obstacles that lie in the way that make it seem so.” He stopped playing, retracting his hand, “Sometimes it helps, reverse-thinking, I understand the problem area, and if I can do anything in real life to overcome it or compromise with it.”

Minho was following his words, and as he did what Taemin suggested... it struck him… how he could tackle his predicament. He stuffed his camera in his bag hastily and got up. He needed to see the Coach before he left for the day and his heart was thumping in excitement, because of the plan that began brewing in his mind… all because of Taemin’s words. “I owe you one, Taemin.” 

“No,” Taemin replied, smiling, “We’re even now.”

Minho smiled back. He wished he could just hug Taemin for pulling him so easily out of the sinkhole that had been consuming him for days. But he just settled for a smile and was out the door, his steps halting on the faint piano tune leaking into the hallway from the music room… and it fired him up more as he got back on his path, to get to the staff room as soon as possible.

Minho had only been thinking of quitting soccer. He had dwelled on how to say he wanted to quit when, in fact, what he had to say was he wanted to stay. He knew there was a chance it wouldn’t make a difference. His Coach could rule out his plan as unsuitable, and Minho would have to quit anyhow. But this still had better chances than him giving up without taking the shot, no matter how long it was.

His brother was the only one aware of his situation and was home for the weekend. The moment Minho had entered the house, he asked him what he had chosen. It was obvious he could only choose one, considering how soccer practice was almost every day during summer and the internship schedule, Minho had forwarded it to him, also had him booked six days a week. Minhyuk was worried because he knew that as