“Tell Taeminnie I say hi,” I say, smiling and waving at Zara as she goes to spend time with my sister, who also is her friend.

Zara smiles and waves back at me as she closes the door behind her.

I sigh, letting my smile drop. “It’s been 2 months now,” I say, walking over to the living room and letting myself fall onto the couch. “Does she still just see me as Taemanry’s twin? An ex?”

The door quickly opens and Zara rushes in.

“Zara, you’re back?” I lift my head up and paint a fake smile on my face.

“I have to give Taeminnie her jacket! She forgot to get it from me last time,” she says, rushing back to the front door, the jacket draped across her arm.

I nod, remembering how absentminded we both were.

Zara starts to go out again, but then turns back to me. “Wait, Taemin?” her voice rises, giving me some hope.

“Yes?” I smile slightly.

“Should I buy you something on the way?”

I think for awhile. “I don’t know.”

“Well ok then. :D” she smiles and walks back out the door.

I wave back at her and give a small smile as I hear the door click closed. I sigh again and start again on my self-pitying until I feel my phone buzzing. “Bwoh?”

“taemin, get down here fast. we have to tell you something.” From Onew

“Ok?” I shrug, confusedly and start to reach for my white leather jacket until I remember I resigned. Why do they still need me, then? I shake my head of its thoughts and grab my coat, starting towards the HQ. I walk into Onew’s office. “What happened?”

The doors slam closed and I notice that the rest of SHINee are surrounding a computer, surprised looks on their faces.

Hearing the door close behind me, they all look up at me and all say at once “Zara’s being followed. By the Pinocchio.”

I’d like to say I stormed towards the desk, tearing the computer from Key’s hands and scanning whatever they were looking at, but rather, my feet stay planted on the ground as I stand there in shock. “Since when?” I finally ask.

“A week or so after Taemanry’s death,” Minho says, observing my reaction with the rest of SHINee.

“How long have you known?” The edge in my voice I was looking for never came. I just sounded desperate and strained.

“I found out late last night,” Jonghyun announces, sheepishly.

Finally, I’m able to move. Raising my arm out towards them, I say “Let me see.”

They turn the laptop towards me and scroll down so I can see the candid pictures taken of her-as well as written observations-that could only have been obtained from close surveillance.

My hand turns into a fist as I lower my arm back to my side. “So what are we going to do about it?”

“What we are going to do is have one of us four be with Zara at all times,” Onew says, turning the laptop back to them.

“What do you mean ‘us four’?”

“Since you resigned, I can’t tell you to be her bodyguard,” he says, trying to sound sad for me.

“I’m her boyfriend.”

“Her ex, Taemin. You’re her ex,” Key points out.

I glare as I slowly walk over to the 4 of them. “Then I want back in. Cuz I’m not having-”

“You can’t, Taemin,” Onew continues.

“And why not?”

“I knew you would try to get in to protect her. So I already selected someone to protect her until we find out why they’re following her.”

I calm down, expecting it to be one of them. I can trust them with her, they’re friends with her. They won’t be dangers to her. “Who?”

A dark haired tan male, a few inches taller than me, walks in with a nervous smile on his young face. “Kai will be taking care of her.”

Who the heck is ‘Kai’?