After Taemin left, Hyerin cleaned up the kitchen, after doing some basic preparations for the morning menu & left the café to walk home.

As routine, she got her airpods out from her cross-bag plugging them into each ear, connected them to her phone, and played the usual playlist.

With the inclusion of almost 30-35 songs on the list, ‘Hypnosis’ by Taemin started playing when she hit the play button on the shuffle mode.

It was unexpected!

The song as well as the flinch in her stomach, that dropped her heart-beat for a second!

Although she wasn’t a die-hard fan, his songs & voice matched her mood much often, which was why that song was randomly added to her playlist when it came out like few more under his name.

Was his voice too familiar now, or was it the mood, but listening to his voice in airpods in the maximum volume, like this at this moment, with even his breath being heard in detail, was bringing his image from before in front of her eyes again, when he asked her that question.

Of course she was comfortable, his humble & straight-forward approach towards her, instead of being a popular figure, had made her feel comfortable for sure.

But today why did it seem like his eyes were expecting something more than ‘Yes’ from her?

For a while, she did forget he was a person who is also a pop-star of Korea, who swoons girl’s hearts with that smile & charisma, for which she wasn’t a big exception too.

Maybe he was just that expressive & she was misunderstanding that for something else now.

The way this unreasonable coincidence had brought him in front of her wasn’t that bad now, as it seemed when they met for the first time, she thought it as the moment that will pass away with time, the moment that is meant to be forgotten as days will pass, but now that she looks back, it strangely feels like more than just a moment, the way they came across each other again, was ‘unexpected’!

‘Who thought I will end up teaching shinee taemin someday like this’

‘Jinho would go crazy if he gets to know about this’

A smile grew on her lips, as she was reminded of him smiling at her again with his voice filling her ears now, when he cracked the non-sensible jokes from nowhere, always at an unexpected moment.

He was much more unexpected than she thought of him.

The song was already at the last verse but before it could end, she opened her phone to put it on-loop, putting the phone inside the bag again.

--------------------

Hyerin opened the main door slowly without making noise, entered the hall changing her footwear, moving inside with light feet so that her mother, probably sleeping on the same floor, wouldn't wake because of her.

As she went up the stairs, she was finally relieved to walk normally again & so walked comfortably now through the corridor to her room passing through Jinho’s room, but heard his light sobs from outside as it was clear to be heard because of the pin-drop silence.

She clicked the door, opening it & peeked inside to find the boy sitting on his bed with his laptop on his lap.

“Are you crying?” she moved inside to get the light switch as it was too dark inside with the lights off.

He looked up with teary eyes watching her with the soft puppy gaze.

“What happened?” she walked to him in a rush pulling out her bag sliding it on the bed.

She went to sit beside him to know what he was watching to make him cry like that & noticed Taemin on the screen.

Looking back at the fanboy and the screen simultaneously, she smiled, releasing a breath, “Why are you crying watching him?” She was observing Jinho curious to know as it didn’t make sense to her because even though Jinho would go crazy & act hyper-energetic while watching Taemin’s mvs, not once had she seen him cry like this.

“This MV is just…” he was lost for words as he watched the screen with soft moist eyes.

She looked at the screen & it was definitely some new MV because she by default had seen all taemin’s Mvs till now by some or the other reasons eventually.

“Why is he so sweet?” Jinho's voice low & soft reached Hyerin’s ears as she was staring at the screen for a while at that smiling face again.

What was so pure about his smile that can even make people cry for him?

She had never experienced that. Crying watching someone smile!

She was too fascinated how a person can make someone feel like that.

Coming back to realize that she was with Jinho, she turned to Jinho again, “You didn’t even cried when noona was away for 5 years”

Jinho looked at her flustered like his younger cute self, blinking his eyes at her, as Hyerin couldn’t help but laugh now watching his cute face.

“I did cry once” he confessed, making Hyerin look at him with shock as he looked away immediately in embarrassment. “Anyway” “He’s still more precious” he said smiling at the paused video, “No!” “But really!” “Noona should thank him too” Jinho raised his eyebrows at Hyerin who was watching him in confusion now.

“I was really upset when noona went away from us back then” “I was angry & thought noona didn’t love me enough” “And was selfish to leave like that” Hearing those words from Jinho was more hurtful.

“But all credit goes to him for making me understand noona’s dreams & decision back then” he looked at Taemin’s paused image on the screen as Hyerin followed his gaze, “He made me realize how dreams can be bigger than anything sometimes & it’s okay to be a bit selfish if you’re working so hard for them” “Because if you take the responsibility to have a dream for yourself, it’s also your responsibility to fulfill them” Hyerin had never seen Jinho talk like this considering him a kid until now.

She looked at Teamin’s figure on the screen.

What was this boy teaching him?

Why is my lil brother talking like a grown up suddenly?

She always thought that being a fan of Taemin & shinee was part of his teenage years, but now she could see everything in a new light.

“Wah!” “That was unexpected,” she replied, stunned by his answer.

‘Taemin’  & ‘Unexpected’ were the words that were on her mind a lot since last week.

“I got my dream inspired from him too” Jinho continued, taking Hyerin's attention now.

“What is your dream?” Hyerin got curious about his answer.

“I want to be a fine art photographer” “I didn’t knew I had any knowledge or even any interest for clicking the pictures or something like that, but some day while watching Taemin hyung’s Want MV I got attracted to this hobby” “I got interested through some fine-art exhibitions relating them with the theme of the MV & went to some more exhibitions after that”

“I was so intrigued by the art forms & sculptures & paintings in that exhibition that I clicked some pictures & started wondering how they would look in different angles & came to realize about using my talent to capture art in camera in this way & expressing it in a more artistic form” “That’s when I came across fine-art photography” “I’m discovering it more now & thinking of learning it properly soon”

Hyerin continued listening to Jinho like a curious child in the classroom, as he was talking much more definite & precise than she had ever seen him.

“That’s why Taemin hyung is precious” “He gave me what I was searching for” he looked at her with a warm smile which was quite emotional for Hyerin because when she went to Paris, Jinho was just in middle-school & when she was back, he was a grown-up adult already, but she still saw their bond as before, which made it comfortable for both of them to communicate easily with each other after her long absence, so she kind of saw him as the same younger Jinho always who was a brat & demanding younger sibling to her.

Thank you for taking care of my dongsaeng when I was away. 

She didn’t know when she actually talked to his virtual figure on the screen & had some tears in her eyes now.

She got up from Jinho’s bed flustered, “Stop crying & go to bed” “Don’t you need to go on your shift in the morning?” without waiting for Jinho’s response she left the room.

“Good night noona” she heard Jinho’s singing behind her as she shut the door behind her smiling on her own.

She was feeling light & warm with happiness & contentment having a satisfying talk with her brother after a long time. It was the first time she was hearing his thoughts on his dreams & goals.

Hyerin always had a guilt that her brother would get distant from her because of the distance time had brought between them, but today she got her answers to her worries through the talk they had, which strangely had the involvement of Taemin somehow.

She still was stuck on his smiles flashing like images from her memories coming in front of her eyes now, which was getting too much, to sort what it was indicating, till she gave up thinking by finally watching the MV of ‘Think of You’ that Jinho was watching & crying tears, to satisfy her curiosity, and then tried sleeping with the thought that she was slightly attracted to him maybe because, he was always in front of her a lot these days now.

Of course he had natural charms to attract people and how can she ignore that as she was a human after all, and so after concluding all her thoughts to a temporary infatuation, she managed her adrenaline rush to calm down, so that she could sleep peacefully, as she had to leave early morning to Jejudo with Ryujin for their trip together.

And finally Taemin was going to make cake for his mom on that Sunday.

-------------------

Ryujin dialed Taemin speed-dial while her hands were busy on the wheel, “Hello” he was actually picking up her calls these days.

“Oppa!”

“Hmm?” his lazy & hoarse voice made it clear that he was woken up from sleep.

“Are you busy today?” She pulled the car to the side of the road to stop it for a while, “I have a request for you?” her voice lowering in nervousness slowly.

“Can you come to Jejudo?”

“Yah!” “Are you crazy?” he shouted making Ryujin squeeze her eyes in embarrassment, “I just came from my house & I was sleeping for a while” “I’m too tired I did so much work since morning”

“But listen to me first” she went on in rush before he hangs up on her, “It’s Hyerin”

“What about Hyerin?” of course she had his attention with that.

“We talked this morning” “She was fine” “Don’t try to prank me using her” he yawned as the sleep was slowly fading away from his eyes with the distraction, “You are with her on trip right?”

“That’s what!” “I got a call from the hospital & I need to go back to Seoul immediately” “And she is alone at the resort now”

“Why is she alone?” “What kind of friend are you?” “Why did you leave her alone there?” he was on with his scolding, firing the hell out of Ryujin now.

“Argh!”

“Don’t even ask” already pissed by termination of her vacation, Ryujin was irritated too, “I insisted her a lot to come with me instead of being alone there but she kept on saying she was fine & she wants to stay there till morning” “And sent me away”

“It seemed like she wanted some time for herself so I left agreeing with her” “but now I’m worried” Ryujin scratched the back of her neck knowing she was asking too much of him but she had no other option.

“I don’t know her many friends, probably she doesn’t have much here” Ryujin was wondering why she thought of taemin to call though at that moment.

“I don’t even know why I thought of you suddenly”

“Ah! Right!”

“You disturbed us this morning with the video call!” Ryujin sang as she remembered, “That’s why I thought of you no wonder” for that matter that she was almost meddling in the situation now.

“It seemed like you both are older friends than us"

"I  didn’t even mention you as much as she wanted to talk about you” Ryujin decided to add fire to what she seemed like she already started now.

“But if you are busy it’s fine” Ryujin knew that taemin being a homebody would make it harder for her to ask him to leave his place on his only offday so there was quite a big possibility of him saying no too.

“She talked about me?” he almost fell from his couch trying to sit up.

“Huh?” teasing Taemin was always fun for Ryujin,

“Yeah, somewhat”

She was enjoying every bit of it but then a part of her goodness awakened & she was worried if she was going a bit overboard with her asking him to go Jejudo if he’s gonna be busy tomor