They were like brother and sister. Well, something like that. Bommie was like Jinki's baby sister, although she was only a few years younger than him. They met through their parents, who worked in the same small, inner-city corporation. They grew up exploring the office building together. They weren't able to go to the same school, but they always found time for each other. Jinki was always the quiet, shy one, but, when it came to protecting or comforting Bommie, he became a whole new person. Bommie, on the other hand, although shy herself, she had no problem standing up for herself and especially Jinki. She scared the hell out of people when it came to anyone even considering messing with her oppa. It happened one time and that was enough for everyone to remember; that scarred a lot of kids in both of their elementary schools.

It seemed that Jinki had just told her about having auditioned for SM Entertainment, instead of it being four years later. She always kept her eye out for any and everything SHINee, simply having the habit of focusing on "Onew," as he'd come to be called. They still kept in touch. Whenever there was time, they would even hold a conversation over the phone, but the two usually had to settle for simple text messages and voicemails after missed calls.

Jinki was in the van, heading back to the dorm with the rest of the group. It had been a long day, at least it felt like it since not one of them had gotten any sleep the past few days. He was a little upset that he'd left his phone next to his bed on the charger. He'd even left his mp3 players. So, he opted to napping the the van. Jinki was awoken by Key and Taemin trying to literally pull him out of the van, all three of them tumbling to the ground in the process. The oldest quickly got up and helped s up, mumbling continuous apologies. Key just sighed and headed inside, brushing his pants and shirt off. Taemin smiled at his elder and took the other's hand, tugging him inside.

The honey-haired boy let his dongsaeng drag him to his room, since his feet refused to move like he was trying to get them to do. He immediately flopped down on his bed, faintly hearing the other saying how he'd call him when it was time to eat. Jinki just snuggled into his pillow. His phone buzzed a couple of times, forcing him to roll over before he could pull his blanket over his head. There were a handful of text messages, all reading "call me, please," and a few missed calls - all from Bommie. There was one voicemail. He unlocked his phone and sat up to check it.

Jinki-oppa, please, answer your phone. I know you're probably busy, but... I'm really worried. I-I don't know wha-what's going on with you...! I was hoping I wouldn't cry... I'm going to have to do this over again...but I really, really n-need to talk to you. It's very important. Jinki, please...

He sat there speechless for a moment, trying to process what exactly she was talking about. He was okay, at least as far as he knew. Okay, well, that wasn't entirely true. He was exhausted in all possible ways, mainly physically. He figured that he played it off pretty well. He made sure to always put on a smile whenever he could. He was the leader of his group and also the oldest, so, in his eyes, no matter what was going on with him, everything was okay as long as he put on a that strong facade that everyone seemed to believe. Everyone but Bommie, of course.

He had dialed her number back without even realizing it and jumped when she answered the phone. "Yoboseyo," her voice greeted, cracking terribly, "Oppa?" Jinki was honestly choking back tears just from hearing her voice. He missed having her by his side all the time. It honestly felt like his heart had been taken away from him. There was an aching there that he had forced himself not to pay too much attention to before. She's watching, he would always think, I know she is. She even tells me she does. I have to stay strong for her. I have to show I can do this.

Bommie already knew he was on the other line. She could hear him breathing - soft and shallow. "I miss you," she finally stated, breaking the silence. When he didn't answer, she just continued to speak, "...I need to know how you're doing. I haven't talked to you in a while. Are...Are you okay?" He made a small noise that she assumed was supposed to be affirmation, but she wasn't going to take that. They both knew that. Her voice cracked again as she spoke, fighting tears for the nth time that day, but managed to keep her voice as stern as she could, "Jinki, tell me what's going on. Say something...please?"

"I miss you, too," he finally choked out. He wished that he could hide it, but he already knew that she could hear him crying through the phone. It wasn't noisy or loud, but the soft sniffles and choked sobs made it clear, especially the second the line would grow quiet.

"You know you're supposed to call me when you feel like something's bothering you. I'm always here for you."

"I know..."

"Do you really? Do you really get that you can talk to me about anything? Even if there's nothing you really want to talk about and just want to sit on the phone like we did when we were kids."

She wasn't sure if that made him smile, but she hoped it did. It did. "Y-Yes, I know."

"So, is there anything you want to talk about, Ontokki?"

His sobbing broke with a soft chuckle at the nickname she'd donned him with since debut, "No, I think I'm okay. I just needed to hear your voice."

"Mmm, okay then. No matter what's going on, everything will be okay, ne?"

"Ne."

"I have to go. Call me next time you're free, okay?"

"I will."

"Saranghae, oppa."

"Nado saranghae."

~~~

Almost a month had gone by. Sherlock and had been digitally released and they were now promoting their comeback. There had not been a single word from Bommie - and he'd definitely tried to reach her. He didn't know whether to be worried about why she wasn't answering his phone calls and texts all of a sudden or if he should just be patient and wait for her reply. May and June had come and gone and he was definitely worried. There were no more voice messages, text messages, or even missed calls from her. Not even the occasional letter she would manage to send. Yeah, the group was touring, but in the bits of free time he could find, there still was nothing from her at all.

July had arrived and there was a bit more downtime here and there. Jinki was roaming the halls of the main SM building and practically jumped out of his skin when a pair of arms wrapped around him. He turned in the hold to find Taemin holding onto him. The younger smiled brightly at him, "Hyung, come with me! There's this new group you have to meet." The older looked at him confused, but followed along anyway. Jinki followed the boy to the elevators, not paying attention to anything - his mind focused on upcoming schedules and, of course, Bommie. He was pulled of the elevator and continued following his bouncing dongsaeng down the hallway. He stopped at an office doorway, standing behind Taemin and peering over his shoulder at the four girls in front of him. "I found him! I found him," Taemin smiled brightly.

The four girls turned around, smiling sweetly. The girls bowed as they gave their greeting, "Annyeonghaseyo~! Jageun kkocheul imnida. Please, take care of us." [Little Flowers, in case you wanted to know~]

There she stood. Jinki's little Bommie. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. She stepped out of the line and hugged him tightly. He immediately hugged her back. The two stayed just like that for a while, not even noticing when Taemin had left with the other three girls to show them around the building. Bommie looked up at him, smiling softly - teary-eyed. He kissed her forehead and wiped her eyes, forcing himself not to cry as well, "You scared me, you know?"

She nodded, "I figured I did. I didn't mean to. I got so busy with auditioning and practicing~"

"Trust me, I know," he chuckled softly.

"I had to find some way to get beside you again," she poked his chest with her index finger, "Thankfully, I had enough talent for it to work."

"I'm not surprised...but you do know how hard this is going to be, right?"

Bommie smiled and nodded, "I can handle myself, and my group."

 He frowned and she simply shook her head, cupping his face in her hands, "Don't worry about me, okay? You worry enough as it is. I'm here for you this time. Don't worry about me."

"Easier said than done," he replied, kissing her forehead.

~~~

"So, you mean to tell me that you're not stressing out right now," Jinki asked from the common room of the girl group's dorm.

Bommie sighed and walked out of the kitchen, "No, I'm not stressing." She handed him his drink and took a seat next to him on the couch.

"If you say so. Why'd you call me over," he questioned, drinking some of the water he'd been given.

"Because you had free time and I had free time and we haven't hung out since...before you were signed."

"But I have to go soon..."

"Where?"

"I have to record a song for the drama Minho's in."

"...Can I tag along? I promise I won't get in the way."

Jinki smiled that bright smile of his and nodded, "Yeah, and we can hang out after."

Bommie sat in the studio with Taemin while Jinki recorded his song. They listened intently as the older sang, unable to put their attention anywhere else. She didn't say anything when he came out, Taemin and him switching places. She just smiled to herself and rested her head on his shoulder while listening to Taemin record his song, Jinki wrapping an arm around her and hugging her to him.

~~~

"This is it. You're big debut," Key cheered, standing backstage with Little Flowers, or Garden as they also became known.

Ayume, technically the youngest and least fluent in Korean, looked scared at the comment, her eyes widening. She was so nervous that she was actually shaking. Her twin, Amaya, moved to comfort her. The second oldest of the group, Miyeon, was chatting away excitedly with Key and Jonghyun about their performance in less than a half an hour.

Bommie watched the rest of her group, smiling uneasily. She was nervous, which is actually the worst way to describe it. Her stomach was in knots and every bad scenario that could possibly happen was playing through her head. She was most worried about embarrassing the rest of her group by doing something stupid. Average leader worries, right? It took her a moment to notice it, but eventually she realized that Jinki was standing in front of her. She looked up at him, unable to fight the nerves behind her smile and hiding in her eyes. He smiled brightly at her, taking both of her small hands in his, "Just relax, okay? You can do this." She just stared at him. His words had gotten through but she couldn't get herself to speak.

"Where's my strong, little Bommie?"

She smiled a little easier.

"My bodyguard?"

He chuckled himself, and made her do the same as well.

"My best friend?"

She smiled brightly, gripping his hands a little.

"My little angel?"

"She never left," Bommie finally spoke.

"Good," Jinki kissed her forehead, smiling still, "Just remember, I'm always here."

---

BEYOND CHEESY! OHMAHGLOB! This wasn't even the way that I wanted it to turn out, to be honest. I got so off track and it turned into something completely different. >n<

Oh, well! It's still a bunch of candy floss. So, yeah~ I hope you enjoyed~

~ AmbieAssassin ^^