Taemin's POV

A few days went by and I hadn’t heard from Jinki hyung. I left him 2 messages. I had gone over his house 1 day ago but he wasn’t home. I stopped by Game Monster shop today after work but he wasn’t there. I asked the owner, Dongwon, if he had seen him. He told me he hadn’t seen him either.

When I got home from work I knocked on his door but he wasn’t there again. Maybe he is working a lot to pay for all those clothes he bought.

……………………

The next day it was about 10pm. Key and I were playing a game when my phone rang. I jumped up knocking over the game board. “YAH! Taemin I was winning too.” Key complained.

“Sorry Key.” I found my phone on the charger. “It’s Jinki hyung!”

“Good, he should have called you earlier.”

“shh Key.”

I answered the call “Hello”

I couldn’t really hear. “Hey Taemin, what’s up?”

“Hyung I can’t hear you that good. Where are you?” Key walked over to me and tilted my phone so he could hear too.

“I’m out having a few drinks with some friends.” We looked at each other.

“Are you at the club?”

“Yeah, you should come out.”

“I’m sorry I can’t, I don’t have a car, and I have work tomorrow.” I could hear people talking really loudly. “Hyung why don’t you come over here?”

“I’m having too much fun, so I’m not going to leave.”

“I’ve been calling you, where have you been?”

“I’ve been hanging out or going out a lot with friends. Look I have to go, sorry I didn’t call sooner it’s just I was really busy at night so I wanted you to come out tonight since I haven’t called you back…its you can’t come out.”

“Maybe next time.”

“Sorry, I have to go. Talk to you later Tae.”

The call ended and Key took the phone from me and stuck it back on the charger. “That was weird.” Key said.

“He has been going out at night? Every day since we all went? We’re his friends, why doesn’t he just come and hang out with us?”

“At least he wants you to be there. That is a good sign right?”

“Yeah.” I smiled.

……………………………………………..

Every time I spoke to Jinki over the next few weeks it was only for short periods of time. He’d call while he was getting ready to go out or once he had already been there for a while. Or I’d see him in the hall. He always was talking too fast, telling me about his good times. His new cool friends, and about how someone thought he was cute or how he flirted with someone, building up confidence or something. I never felt like the time was right to tell him how I feel.  I got a weird vibe from him. Jonghyun hyung and Key felt it too. They told me he was treating them differently also. Maybe he likes his new friends more than us…more than me.

Last night I was walking in the hall on my way back from checking the mail box and I heard music and people talking and laughing, it was coming from Jinki hyung’s apartment. I sighed. Why didn’t he invite us over? I almost knocked on the door. But I turned away from his door when I heard a girl laugh really loud and went inside my own.

……………………

Onew’s POV

As I poured drinks in my kitchen for some friends I made at the club. I felt like something was missing.  But what could that be? I have friends, this new life. I’m happy. Aren’t I happy?  I put the drink on the table as I filled the next one. I remembered Taemin and I having breakfast together at this table, scrambled eggs with chicken. I miss Taemin, maybe I should bring him over.  I would have but these people just showed up, if I knew they wanted to hang out I would have invited Taemin and Key and Jonghyun.

I walked back into the living room and handed my guests their drinks. “I’ll be right back” I said .

I went to the door I saw the backside of Taemin closing his door. I shut my door and walked out into the hallway. I noticed the noise from my apartment was loud. Taemin must have heard our music and talking.

I knocked on the door. Key answered. “Hey Key is Tae here?”

“He is in the shower.”

“Oh… well…, tell Taemin I said Hi, I was thinking about him.”

“Really were you? Doesn’t sound like you were.”

“They just showed up, do you guys want to come over too?” It’d be cool if they could see all the progress I’ve made all on my own.

“We’re not really in the mood Jinki hyung..I think you should talk to Taemin tomorrow, I don’t think he wants to talk to you right now.

“What are you all too cool to hang out with me now?” I was mad he wouldn’t let me talk to Taemin. Taemin is a grown man he can tell me he doesn’t want to talk to me, Key doesn’t have to interferer.

“What in the hell Lee Jinki? Isn’t you who are too cool to hang out with us?”

“You’re not Taemin’s mom, you can’t tell me I can’t talk to him.”

“I care about him enough to protect him from players like you. Are you going to show off the cute little Taemin or something? Or are you going to show off in front of him again?  Brag and brag about this and that. Hi I’m lee Jinki I’m y and hot and blah blah blah. Look at this girl, look how I make her blush, blah blah blah. We were cool with it the 1^st two times but this has gone on long enough.”

“No, I’m not bragging, I want you guys to share in my happiness.”

 “Get out Jinki.”

“No”

“I said leave us alone, especially Taemin.”

“Why?”

 “You made him cry. You .”

I never heard Key cuss before. “What?”

“Please get out of my door way before Taemin hears you. AND you know what? Have you even asked Taemin about his day? Our days? You don’t care about us so just leave, please!”

“Taemin!” I yelled over Key’s head.

“Go away, come back tomorrow when you don’t have people waiting for you and we are an afterthought. Taemin should be your first thought, he thinks you 2 are best friends but yet your leaving him out of a party next door. I don’t think so mister, get out.”

“He is my first thought!” I changed for him.

“Liar!” He slammed the door in my face. I turned my back to the door and slid down sitting at the foot of the door. He opened the door back up. “Get away from my door Mr. Lee.” He was swatting at me with a broom.  “Oh and one more thing. Would any of those people hug your bad dreams away? Would any of those people like it if you showed them your games collection? Think about it.” He slammed the door again.

I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I meant to impress Taemin that I could be...that I could be something more. I wanted to show him I could be cool just like him, handsome like him, so I wouldn’t embarrass him. I wanted to be good looking so I could be worthy of him, walk next to him and he’d be proud I’d be the one next to him. I wanted to show him I could do this on my own without Key.

 I wanted to cry but my door opened.

“Hey Jinki hyung what are you doing in the hall way?”

“Um, nothing. I just needed some fresh air.”

I went back to my party.

After awhile we started watching a movie. I was thinking about Taemin, Key and Jonghyun. I scanned the room at everyone. They (Key, Tae, and Jjong) felt like family, this doesn’t feel that way. This feels different.

I thought I felt someone looking at me, I remembered Taemin normally sat next to me. I turned to look to my side, there was a girl I had meet she was looking at me. I wish it was Taemin looking at me like this. I felt very sad and my stomach felt weird. I felt utterly alone even in a room filled with people.

“I’ll be right back.”

I snuck out of the movie and went to my room. I opened my sock drawer and put on my shirt I got with the Diablo game. I put it on. I smiled in the mirror. I started crying.  I heard someone coming, I wiped my tears quickly.

“Hey Jinki you’re missing the movie. Oh my god whats with your shirt?”

“It’s just a joke; I was putting it on to be funny.”

“Good one man, come show everyone else your shirt. They’ll get a kick out of it.”

I wanted to cry. I put on a fake smile and walked out of my room. “Hey look at this crappy cheap shirt I found the other day. It’s funny right?”

They thought it was funny. They were laughing at my shirt. I felt like they were laughing at me. I went back to my room to take off my shirt. I put it away.

I miss Key he knows the real me. He always had and was cool with it. I miss Jonghyun too, I miss talking to him I still have to visit his parents so I could have his mom’s cookies. I laughed at that thought. I miss Taemin.

“I’m sorry Taemin.” I didn’t mean to push them away. I think I turned into the people I hate most.

But for now I have to it up and go back out there. Tomorrow I will talk to Taemin.

………………..

Taemin’s POV

I came out of the bathroom done with my shower. “Key, was someone at the door? Was it Jinki hyung?”

“Sorry Tae, but I told him he was a jerk for being insensitive. I told him to come back tomorrow.”

“KEY! Why?  You know I want to talk to him! You’re suppose to tell me if he calls or comes over. Damn it Key.”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Leave me alone!” I ran to my room to get dressed up to go over hyung’s.

“I’m just trying to help.”  Key came barging into my room.

“It’s your fault he is like this! You made him get all pretty and he doesn’t trust me! And when he comes over here trying to invite me over you told him no! Oh my god he thinks I don’t like him I bet and it’s all your fault!”

“No, Taemin. I saw you crying when you came in from getting the mail and how you slammed the bathroom door shut. He has been rude to me and Jonghyun and clearly he is blind not to know you like him.”

“I told you I can’t tell him yet. I plan on something really nice and then I can tell him. I just haven’t found the right time yet and you are messing it up!”

“I-I didn’t mean too. But don’t act like you’re not mad at him.”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you. But I am really confused right now. And I want to talk to Jinki. I know you are trying to help.” I sat down on my bed and calmed down.

Key spoke very slow and caringly “Taemin, I’m sorry. I should have told you he was here. But please you have to understand. I’ve known him for a long time and I’m mad at him and I had to tell him, it’s just the way I am, and he knows it. We’re friends too and he can’t treat friends like this.”

“I-I- don’t want to be mad at him though.” A hot tear rolled down my cheek. Key wiped it away.

“I know you don’t but on the upside. I did give him an ear full because I know you wouldn’t have done it. So I did it for you too. Hopefully that helped.”

“I just hope you didn’t make it worse because I’m trying to be supportive.”

“Let him come to you, he isn’t ready yet, if he was, he would have stormed in here to get to you. Please stay here.”

I didn't speak for awhile. I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking.  “Umma if I stay here will you help me plan my special way of telling Jinki hyung I love him?” Another tear fell from my eye.

“Of course Taeminnie” He sat me up and hugged me.

I smiled. I love you Jinki. I know you have to find yourself and I’ll be right here waiting for you. I said to myself before I told Key about my plan on how I wanted to confess.

Poor OnTae  *cries*

Is Jinki going to find out he loves Taemin? And if and when he does, will he go to Taemin when Taemin needs him even if Key is in the way???

 Oh the drama …  ;)