Taemin was annoyed at himself for making Seo-Yun disappear?

Taemin tried hard to stifle a yawn as he slumped against the back seat of the car. After the last schedule ended at 1a.m, they are finally sent back home. And the Shinee hyungs are at it again. This time, Key umma is recording the random sing-along and dance moves of Onew, Jonghyun and Minho hyungs with the company’s camcorder. He faked a bright smile as the camcorder zoomed in on him and the smile instantly dropped once he was left out of its vision. He was slightly relieved when the car finally arrived at the house’s entrance. As he left the car, he cast a random glimpse around the surroundings and found his gaze landed on a lone person sitting on a swing in the playground across the street.  Taemin squint his eyes to focus on the person who was casting a sense of familiarity within him.

I looked up at the night sky from where I was sitting – a swing in a random playground. This was ironically the only resting spot for me to sit on after walking around the area for ten minutes. There were no stars in the sky for the bright city lights had dimmed them out. I sighed and saw the puff of vapor that escaped from my lips. The night breeze was chilly but it brought a sense of comfortable solitude to me. I pushed my legs off the ground and swing myself for a bit. Puffs of vapor continued to escape from my lips. The chills were starting to get to my bones, but I wasn’t in good enough condition to move around yet. Just as I was deciding on my next course of actions, a voice interrupted my train of thought.

“What are you doing here?” Taemin’s voice called out and in a moment, he appeared within my vision and was walking his way towards me. “Being a responsible savior again?”

“Are you a stalker?” I said out in jest, remembering my previous encounter with him outside of school.

“Jeez…I should be calling you that.” He said softly and took off the scarf around his neck. “What are you doing in the playground across my home? You looked cold, Seo-Yun” He wrapped the scarf around me. The simple yet gentle gestures send a spring of fluttering in my heart. I looked away, not knowing how to respond.

“Thanks.” I mumbled. He smiled at me gently and sat on the swing next to me.

“You haven’t answered my question yet.” He asked as he started swinging.

“What?”

“What are you doing here?”

“You said it yourself; I was doing my job as a responsible savior.”

Judging from his chuckles, I guessed he didn’t take it seriously.

“Well it’s too bad…” I changed the subject.

“Too bad what?” He turned his gaze towards me.

“There’s no stars tonight.” I pointed up to the night sky.

“That’s random.” He pointed out. “I know.” I replied seriously.

Both of us chuckled at the same time.  Suddenly it felt like we’re back on the rooftop, basking in the afternoon sun…chatting about nothing again. Has it only been a few days since I last saw him? It already felt like weeks.

“When will you come back to school?” I mumbled out the question.

“This coming Monday. But I still won’t be able to come to school every day. Maybe on alternative days.” He replied. “But hey…how come you’re in the area? Is your house around here as well?”

I looked at him, trying to form an answer that isn’t not true. “You can…say that.”

“Then where do you live? Point out the building.” He continued.

“Err…a place where I can get home faster than you can.” I gave a nervous smile.

“Right…” he gave a disbelieved smile. “My house is the only building anywhere near this playground.”

“It’s my talent, at finding secret routes to get home faster.”

“A talent?”

“Right.” I confirmed his thought.

He cast an interesting glance at me. “Prove it.”

Oh the nerve of this guy to make things difficult for me. I made up my mind.

“Hey Taemin. Look.” I pointed to the direction behind him. He turned around. I smiled.