“Ahem, I’d like this pack of gum,” Kibum said, putting the said item on the counter. “Please.” It was added as an afterthought, shouldn’t exes be polite? Not that he would know since he never had an ex.

“Two dollars.”

“For a pack of gum!?” 

“The economy is on inflation and whatnot,” Jinki replied, face still deadpan, “Two dollars.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Kibum mumbled as he took out his wallet. 

“What are you two doing?” Joon asked from where he was sitting, munching on his bag of celeries since he was eating healthily and working out these days. “Reciting a play?”

“No, we’re being distantly polite,” Kibum answered him.

Joon rolled his eyes, “Oh. Is that what you’re doing?” 

“Does it seem like we’ve broken up?” Jinki asked, breaking out of his role.

“No,” His cousin retorted. “But then again, it’s you two. Your relationship is already so weird that no one is even going to bother to question it.”

Jinki nodded in agreement, “That’s true.”

“Don’t agree to that!” Kibum scolded. “We are not weird.”

“Oh really? So you guys didn’t just get together out of the blue, moped for no reason, then suddenly everything is just okay again?” Joon argued. “That’s weird.”

“I didn’t mope,” Kibum frowned, confused. “Wait, you moped?”

All eyes turned to Jinki as the cashier shifted uncomfortably under the stares of his boyfriend and wry smirk of his cousin. “It was when you didn’t answer your phone,” Jinki whined, pouting. 

“But I thought you said you didn’t believe the pictures!”

“I didn’t!” Jinki countered, “But how was I supposed to not believe the break up text when it was sent from your phone? And then I went to see you and you just brushed me off.”

“That’s weird,” Joon piped up again. “How did someone get ahold of your phone?”

Kibum shook his head, “I don’t know. I don’t know where my phone is.” Then it suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. The only people who could get to his phone were the people near him, the ones who he would never suspect. “Minho.” 



“There is no way,” Taemin said after Kibum finished relaying the whole story. He had listened without comment, but nothing was clicking into place. “Hyung, Minho hyung isn’t like that.” 

Then he remembered that day at the lake when Kibum’s phone had gone off. Minho had offered to give it back to Kibum, but somehow, the phone never made it back to its owner. That was suspicious, but the time didn’t add up. Jinki had gotten Kibum’s supposed break up text a day earlier, on the day Kibum’s grandma was admitted to the hospital, so what would Minho be doing with Kibum’s phone now? Unless he was trying to severe their contact with each other, Taemin reasoned, but why?

“Taemin?” Jonghyun nudged him. “Where did your mind go?”

“N-nothing,” He lied, there was no point in bringing in more misunderstandings. He had to talk to Minho first. 

“But Minho hyung really isn’t like that.”

“And he did warn you about his cousin,” Jonghyung pointed out. 

“But the pictures, they were from his room.” Kibum argued.

“Well, she is his cousin,” Taemin countered. “She could have gone through his room.”

“Why don’t we just clear this up with Minho?” Jonghyun suggested. “Where is he anways?”

“I haven’t seen him today,” Taemin said. 

Kibum didn’t bother mentioning the oddness in that itself because his friends were obviously defending Minho about this one. And it was unfair to jump to conclusions, but he couldn’t help the odd nagging sensation that his friend was up to something. 



Minho tossed the basketball in the air and caught it in one hand, with perfect ease. He smirked as the other guy cowered further into his seat. 

“One more time,” Minho said, “And let’s see if you can get this right – are you the one behind it all?”

“I…I…”

“What’s your name?”

“J…Jinwoon.”

“Let’s see, hacking into someone’s phone, framing and damaging someone’s reputation,” Minho tried again. “I wonder what the punishment for that is. Come one, Nicole can’t be paying you that much.”

“She…not.”

Minho threw the ball at the other guy’s face, “Oh come on! You should have at least gotten money…oh God, you like her.”

Jinwoon pushed his glasses back to its original place, cringing in pain from the impact, “She’s my friend. And she isn’t…like that, usually.”

“I know,” Minho sighed. He felt pity for the other guy. “But she’s gone too far this time.”

“It’s those people she hung around with,” Jinwoon glared at the floor, “Dongwoon and his gang.”

“They are not holding a gun to her head. And you’re not helping her.”

“She promised to stop hanging out with them if I did her this favor.” Jinwoon smirked. “I guess I was just being stupid.”

“Yeah you were, but you’re not the only stupid one when it comes to liking people,” Minho remarked, thinking back to his friends. 

“You’ve ever liked someone like this, have you?”

“Nope. And after all this, I don’t plan on it.”

“You’re missing out.”

Minho grinned, “Good. Spare me the drama.”



“What do you mean you quit?” Nicole screeched. “Jinwoon!”

“It’s over, I am not going to do it anymore,” Jinwoon said firmly. “You shouldn’t, either.”

“But I can’t get Key without you.”

“Even if he is a great guy,” He said, taking her hands, “I’m not bad, either. Can’t you like me instead?”

From outside his cousin’s door, Minho gagged. What sort of intervention was this? He shrugged; it was none of his business. He had to be ready just in case she tried something else, and knowing his stubborn cousin, she was likely to. Jinwoon had to go and like her of all people, poor guy.

For now he had to convince Kibum to stay away from Jinki. The less they irritated Nicole by flaunting their relationship, the less she’d likely to pursue the matter. Even if they didn’t mean to be obvious, it was a small town after all.



Jinki stared at the flyer in his hand, “What’s this?”

“A party,” Joon stated in an obvious manner, “Bring Kibum.”

“You’re having a party?” 

“Sure,” His cousin shrugged. “What’s good of my parents’ place always being empty because they are always out of town?”

“If auntie finds out…”

“She won’t.” Joon said impatiently. “And look, this way you can make your fake break up with Kibum official. In front of everyone. Isn’t this a better way of luring out the suspect than whatever it is that you and him are doing?”

“I thought we were doing a good job.” Jinki said sulkily.

“How is bantering over the counter going to help? You guys always do that anyways.”

“But I didn’t show any expression this time! Like I mean it. Like I don’t…” Jinki folded under Joon’s scrutiny, “Fine. We’ll go.”

“Good.” Joon grinned. “Now bring some hot friends.”

“Where am I going to get hot friends?”

“Oh right, tell Kibum to bring hot friends.”



“What! No way!”

“Kibum is gay!?”

“Even so why would he be dating that dork at the convenience store? They are so mismatched.”

Jonghyun glanced nervously as voices buzzed around them, Kibum looked like he was about to turn around and stab the next person with his fork. 

“I guess they found out.”

Taemin sighed, “Well, what did you think? Nothing is a secret here.”

“Lee Jinki isn’t a dork!” Kibum snapped, glaring full at the crowd. Surprised faces gazed back at him, eyes wide from shock. No one had heard his voice quite that deep or menacing. 

The crowd immediately dissipated.

“There goes our fans,” Jonghyun sighed. “And I needed a new sound system for my birthday.”