The four men looked around at each other without exchanging a word. What was there to say anyway? 

"Sorry for spying and ing you guys; it was an accident. Please, continue on."

Certainly not.

"Thanks you guys, I was about to kiss Taemin." Or anything else along those lines was a definite no-no at this awkward moment.

As 'Love Like Oxygen' ended, there was a short pause before the next song. Taemin took that as a cue to be the first to leave. With his cheeks flushed a heavy pink, he gathered his items without haste and bolted out of a different exit opposite the mirrored wall which led straight into the spa area. Sure, he'd have to walk an extra ways just to get back to his room, but having to pass Jonghyun and Kibum would embarrass him to the point of tears. A walk wasn't such a bad idea to help cure his trembling body filled with adrenaline.

Entering the spa, an immediate rush of cold air greeted him. The sensation of a nippy breeze clashing against his burning skin sent a chill up his spine and ordered the hairs on his arms to stick up. Taemin was glad that this part of the mansion was always cooler than the rest, since two sides of the building were nothing but mere glass looking out to the surrounding field. The design of the room was more of an atrium so small cracks and poorly sealed crevices allowed a good draft to sneak in on a regular basis.

Taking advantage of the calming temperature, the young man shoved his cell phone into his pocket, and set the rest of his belongings on a sunbathing chair lined up against the wall. Taemin began to pace back and forth with his hands behind his back, thinking about the close encounter that he could have had with Minho's lips. Truth be told, Taemin had never had his first kiss yet and he plans to keep it that way until he knows that the person he shares it with loves him unconditionally.

If Minho hadn't looked down at him with those blush inducing, brain confusing, adorable eyes before trying to kiss him the older man would most likely have left the studio with a stinging, red hand print across his face. For some reason unknown he was willing to submit to Minho because of a certain gentleness radiating off of him. That's right; the older man had full power over his servant if he fluttered his eyelashes and looked longingly into Taemin's eyes. Hell, Taemin would do anything for the man if he used that hypnotic trick.

He reminisced; looking up at Minho's face and smelling minty-fresh breath being fanned over his cheeks as the younger's mind drew a blank. It was like his brain was saying, "Sorry Taemin, I can't help you here    Ask your heart this time."
A bit cheesy, yes, but what else could be behind shutting off Taemin's brain in the blink of an eye? Minho's eye to be exact.

It happened almost too fast for Taemin to process what was happening. All he knew was that Minho was on top of him and that he was invading Taemin's space. Watching the idol's eyelids shut slowly, it was an obvious guess about what was going to happen next and Taemin was completely fine with that. In fact, is drumming heart indicated that he liked what was happening.

And then, an imaginary gong next to the worker's ear sounded out, bringing him back into reality. A wake up call, really.

"Oh my god." Taemin stopped in his tracks and frantically dug into his pocket to fish out his phone. The cellular device almost leaped out of Taemin's grip as he punched a set of numbers into the touch screen. The little memories were pieces of a puzzle, consisting of his past, recent living, and feelings. It all made sense to him now; Why he'd never had a girlfriend before, why he'd never had a crush on a girl, and why he'd been so attracted to Minho.

Rubbing his pounding temples without mercy, he walked in circles and listened for his best friend's voice to speak up. Soon enough, the groggy male picked up the phone. Jongin didn't even have the chance to say anything because Taemin went straight to the point of the phone call.

"I'm gay."

~~~~~

Back inside of the dance studio, Minho released a frustrated sounding shrug and rubbed his face with his hands.
And just when I had the perfect moment, these two bozos appear out of no where. I bet Taemin thinks I'm a creep now or something. Just my luck. Minho glared at Jonghyun and Kibum who sat near the door and wrapped their arms around their legs, guilty faces peering back.
"You guys didn't see anything, okay?" The youngest said sternly, surprising his elders in doing so.

Jonghyun looked at his master with his jaw dropped to the floor. Even that big mouthed man knew that he couldn't keep a secret like this; it was shocking that Minho wasn't going to burn his live witnesses then and there. There were only two ways to shut him up    okay maybe just one, since the other option was the easy way out. Minho could beat the crap out of him or just proclaim his love already    which was the easy option. That way, everybody wins, and Jonghyun would have the freedom to blab all he wants. But either way, in the end, Jonghyun's going to spill something.

"Didn't see anything?! You obviously like him! Why don't you just tell him already!" The oldest man bursted while pointing a finger at Minho. The younger's expression changed drastically; an incredulous scoff coming from him as he jolted up from his spot.

"Unbelievable! What do you think I was trying to do?! This is your fault for barging in on my affair!" Minho returned the finger, knowing that Jonghyun was in the wrong about this. In awkward, choppy lengths, Minho retracted his arm    obviously a bit confused with himself    as he watched a bright grin stretch from ear to ear on the other's face.

"So... It's true; you do like him." Jonghyun smiled, adding a weird sounding cackle at the end of it. Both Kibum and Minho slapped themselves in the face in reaction to his obvious revelation.

"Jonghyun, how did you even manage to graduate from high school?" The tone of voice that Minho used indicated that it wasn't a question to be answered, but of course, Jonghyun thought differently.

"Let's just say, that I was the teachers' favorite." He said with a mischievous smirk that turned into a wince after Kibum knocked on the back of his head.

"Yah! That's enough; we need to sleep now." Key prevented his crush from digging his own grave; being stressed out and annoyed this late at night was going to make him age and sprout blemishes. Plus, he wasn't in the mood to listen to Jonghyun brag about flirting with his teachers to get a good grade. "I can already feel bags starting to form under my eyes." He stated as he used the wall next to him to stand up and cracking his back in the process. "Aish," the man murmured under his breath and then looked down at his roommate whose tush was still planted to the floor.

"Well what're you waiting for?! Do you need me to drag you?!" Without even taking the next seconds to accept Jonghyun's objection against that, Key pinched and then tugged the cartilage of his ear; reeling the other in, like a fish on a hook.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" The he yelped and immediately brought himself to his feet but hunching slightly because of the  height Kibum was holding him at. Obediently    like he even had a choice    Jonghyun was outside of the door first, while Key's head lingered inside of the room.

"Minho, go to bed. Don't forget that early, tomorrow morning you have the last preparation meeting for your drama." The manager reminded his idol with a less than cheery tone and a face that warned of horrible things if Minho won't do as told.

"Okay, mommy." He replied with emphasis. Minho pretty much gave Kibum that title since his real mother was barely aroun, and Key's bossiness and nagging was.
Kibum rolled his eyes and released an annoyed sigh as the struggling Jonghyun attempted his great escape. "Speaking of your mother, I got a call today, saying that she should be coming home soon." He smiled.

Minho decided that it was best to keep his comments to himself, remembering what had happened last time he talked badly of his mother. Even if Taemin wasn't present, he thought it would be a good idea to start training himself to do so. He just nodded, and watched as Kibum began closing the door behind him. "Oh," The man stuck his head inside, remembering to say something else, "we'll be talking about this 'Taemin problem' tomorrow as well." He added. Key laughed at the remaining blush on Minho's face and finally left.

In as little as three minutes, the master of the house was wrapping himself like a burrito in his bed. Lying there on his side, he glanced over at the bright red numbers of his clock, floating there in the darkness. With a sigh, Minho turned to comfortably lay on his back while staring up at the pitch black darkness of his eyelids. Some time passed by and the man became restless with the reoccurring thoughts of Taemin's innocent face just before Minho moved in for the kiss. It was nearly impossible for him to clear his mind, and he knew that this would keep bothering him unless he did something about it.

I need to talk this over with dad tomorrow. He decided.

~~~~~

His cell danced and shook in two second intervals against the glossy surface of his nightstand, causing a nuisance to the sleeping young man. Dawn was just breaking through the slim slits of Taemin's blinds when he was dragged back into reality by the obnoxious buzzing of his phone. Taemin shifted under his layered covers and blankets, inching his body towards the source of the sound. Barely opening his eyes, he took purchase of his phone and stared menacingly at the lighted screen.

Kim Jongin, what the do you think you're doing, calling me this early on my day off? His mind thought, as his thumb hovered over the 'decline' button, unsure about what to do. What if he's dying right now? But why would somebody attempt murder in the morning? Taemin then reached for the glowing green button next to it, but returned to his original spot. But he's always picked up my calls. . The man remembered one time back in Japan that he called Jongin at three in the morning for a reason that he couldn't recall. In the end, he tapped the 'accept' option.

"Contemplating on whether to take my call or not, I presume." Jongin said flatly.

"Kai, why are you calling me this early? It's my day off; I'm allowed to sleep in." Taemin yawned and then pulled one of the plush blankets up to his neck.

"I'm letting you know that I'm coming over to visit today. I'm interested in seeing the other rooms of the mansion. Oh, and you need to finish the rest of the story you were trying to tell me last night. Why did you hang up all of a sudden?" The younger one asked curiously.

Taemin had the truth right on the tip of his tongue, but couldn't spit it out because of the intimidating figure that paid him an unexpected visit. "My phone died, and when I plugged it in last night it wouldn't turn on fast enough so I decided to sleep and finish it today. Sorry, I left you hanging." Taemin both lied and apologized. "Why didn't you just wait until later to call? I'm so tired right now." He complained.

"Oh, shut up. If I waited until later, you probably wouldn't be able to get your up until dinner time." Both men laughed, because it was probably true. 

"Screw you, Kai. Let a hardworking guy take a break; I don't feel like babysitting your all day today." Taemin said jokingly but sort of meant that at the same time. 

"You call making googly eyes at your lover all day hard work?" 

"I do not make googly eyes at Minho! And he isn't my lover!"

"Au contraire, mi amigo!" 

"Jongin," Taemin giggled, "don't mix two languages like that. You sound ridiculous, and I have no idea what you just said." He finished and then replayed that sentence through his mind. It was bad enough listening to French and Spanish being placed together, but the accent Jongin ha when speaking foreign languages cracked Taemin up.

"I said, 'On the contrary, my friend.' I don't see you speaking any other languages besidess Korean and Japanese, so I suggest that you sit down and shut up." The other kidded.  "Anyways    hyung told me that you have been making eyes at the dinner table ever since Minho started joining you all for dinner."

"Hyung? Hyung who?!" Taemin's eyes were wide open now, wondering what kind of connection his friend had with his co-workers.
"One     I mean     Jink     Nobody! Nobody at all!" The younger one stuttered and tried covering up his words after accidentalkt giving away a snippet.
"Jinki? Onew?! When did you get his number, and how long have you two been talking for?!" Taemin sat up in bed, wide-eyed since this was such a surprise to him.

"What? What did you say? I think our connection is breaking up!" The line was mysteriously taken over by the crunching sounds of 'static.' A pop sounded into the receiver, and so did a quiet "."

"Oh Jongin, better pick those potato chips up from the floor, or else you'll attract mice." The older man informed the other, knowing this trick too well. Taemin wondered when his best friend would find a better item to use, other than a potato chip bag to simulate a fuzzy call.

Kai just laughed as said, "Yeah, yeah; I got it. I'll see you around three or four," and hung up the phone.

Taemin lowered the device from his ear and stared at Jongin's contact picture, taken the first day that Taemin moved to Seoul. A silly selca of them with colorful cat ears and whiskers drawn on by an doodle app. The bright screen in contrast with the dim room brought the man's eyes to a disapproving droop. Following what his eyelids want to do most right now, Taemin locked his phone, found a comfortable position, and fell asleep within a matter of seconds.

It was noon when he decided to actually get up and be at least a little bit productive today. Jinki stood outside of his door with casual clothing, calling him for a lunch that Taemin kindly turned down. With what happened earlier that morning, Taemin asked the older man about Jongin, but he only ignored that question and literally stumbled away with an awkward smile. It was amazing how many times Onew could trip on air in only the time frame of one minute.

Moving on with his day, Taemin took advantage of the empty laundry room to wash his clothes. Since everybody was busy eating, there was no need to compete for the best washing machine and fastest dryer, which put Taemin in a good mood. As he sat in a stool up against the wall watching black and white fabrc swish around, he finally had a decent hour of dance time. Although there was no mirror to monitor himself in, the worker was just happy that nobody was there to interrupt his session.

But now that he thinks about it, Taemin hadn't seen Minho yet. Same with Kibum. After folding his two loads of laundry, on his way back to his room he ran into Sooyoung.

"Taemin, you weren't eating lunch with us." She peeked down at the basket of clothing, "Did you spend the time watching your clothes spin around?" Sooyoung seemed a bit shocked at that. 

"Yeah, I wasn't really hungry when I woke up so I just decided to do this. By the way, is Minho here today?" The man asked and quickly scanned the foyer and living room where most of the workers gathered to watch television.

Right as Minho's name popped up, Sooyoung's eyes brightened about 1,000 watts. "He's out at a meeting with Kibum. Why?" She wondered with a mischievous grin.

Taemin stared to the side, trying not to seem like it mattered to him, "No particular reason. Just curious why he hasn't tried to insult me today. See you later." And with that, Taemin rushed off to his room to continue on with his personal duties until Jongin arrived.  

During the next 45 minutes, Taemin had organized his belongings, stored away his clothes, showered, and changed into navy blue jeans and a white hoodie. All of those things were finished, and Taemin had probably had about two hours or so to kill before Jongin would come to keep him company. The dancer didn't feel like dancing any more, didn't feel like staying cooped up in his room, or go socializing with the rest of the staff in the living room.

Honestly, he wanted to be alone but had nowhere to go. A walk in the garden sounded nice, but that meant passing by his friends, who would most likely force him to stay. So Taemin settled to wander around the house quietly and out of the way of any other beings. Fifteen minutes passed, and he'd been everywhere except for the upstairs, which he had been saving for last for a reason. The place he wanted to explore was the elevator to    where ever it takes people to.

That was the most compelling part of those double doors. Apparently, nobody knows what's up there except for the Chois. Except Taemin wouldn't be surprised if Kibum knew but denies that he does since Key and Minho trace way back to being childhood friends.

Taemin's nerves started to pound as he stood looking at the stainless steel doors and the single arrow button on the side.
What if it makes a ding sound, then I'll be caught. This might actually be a real reason why I should get fired. Taemin remembers Onew's words from their tour when they first met: "You aren't allowed to go up there. It's strictly prohibited," or something like that. Same point, different wording.

Taemin conceived a plan that if it does, in fact, make any type of sound, that he would stealthily run into one of the rooms down the halls. In his throat, Taemin made an audible gulping sound as he raised his finger to the button. Lingering there for a couple of seconds to gather his courage, he pressed the button and began to start down the hall to his right, when he stopped. Absolutely nothing was heard as the doors slid open smoothly. 

Looking out into the foyer and finding nobody in sight, the male used carefully placed steps to enter the glass box that was illuminated by the sun above. The roofing of the elevator was glass and so was the top of the shafting. Taemin tilted his head back to examine the unique and amazing design of the contraption. He was almost sure that this was one of a kind- and expensive.

Of course, the only way to go, was up. Pressing the button, Taemin stared up at the blue sky decorated by thin strips of clouds.

As Taemin was transported up the square shaft, he feared that he made the wrong choice. What if he discovered some sort of dark past? Or what if they kept nosey   or curious and adventurous    workers up here to rot away so they can punish the people who were stupid enough to go to the forbidden place that they were told never to enter? Seemed like something Minho would do.

After ten seconds of what seemed like ten centuries of agonizing anticipation, then, came the startling ding. What Taemin found inside, though, was completely different than what Taemin had imagined. There were no starving, aging people, or any torture chambers    nothing of that sort.

It was beautiful; the sunroom was beautiful. Setting one foot inside, Taemin was engulfed by warm sunshine and sweet smells of various flowers and fruits growing in pots on one wall of the room. Against the other, were bookshelves full of large chapter books and small trinkets on display in large glass cases. Snow globes, dolls, magnets, key chains, and other things you would expect find at a souvenir shop. Small items like those were grouped in glass display cases with sticky notes attached to them. It seemed that they were being labeled and sectioned off by continent- pieces from North America were separated from those European as well as Asian and so on. Taemin could only read two out of the many notes, since he was only bilingual. One read Seoul, Korea and another that read ding.

Wait, that wasn't right.

Ding, was the sound made by the elevator behind Taemin. His heart skipped a beat.

A/N: Ah, I actually started writing yesterday, but never got to finish because I was in a horrible writer's block! And I really mean horrible. T^T Please excuse me, if the whole first part of this chapter ! (when Taemin ran to the spa)  Well..... Is Taemin going to get caught up here?! Who followed up after him?! When will Minho's mom come back, and who exactly is she?! What's going to happen next?! Until next chapter!
        Annyeonghigaseyo!~ Queen S