I use 'Jinki' and 'Onew' interchangeably in this chapter; because Onew is the stage idol that Taemin adores and Jinki is his actual person, but I guess I got distracted halfway...so, just so you know :) Happy reading!

“Taeminnie!” Key called from the other end of the hallway of the SM office building.

The younger turned around to see Key hyung running towards him, hands outstretched. And before Taemin could react, he was enveloped by his hyung with him ruffling his hair adoringly.

“Omo omo, Taemin-ah! What’s with the face? Why do you look so down? Did that head bully again?” Kibum questioned immediately, seeing the drooping shoulders and the red eyes of his dongsaeng.

Taemin felt like fresh tears were worming into eyes once again as he recalled how Onew was with him for the past week.

“Ani…I’m quitting. I just cleared my outstanding responsibilities and now I’m going home to get the rest of my belongings.”

“What? Wae? Did Onew say anything too far for you to quit like this? But that shouldn’t be, seeing how you fawn over him. Or could it be-“ Key began rambling on by himself, forgetting the focus should be on Taemin.

“Hyung…it’s nothing like that. Appa doesn’t want me to continue. He said someone will be substituting him until appa is ready to come back.” He muttered under his breath, directing the response to his feet.

It kills him to even say something like that; to be saying something like quitting on his idol is like quitting his support for him. He really couldn’t figure out what Onew meant last night on the radio show. Was he just paying lip service? Was he just saying that to garner more support and love from his fans? Because Taemin knows he hasn’t been interacting personally with fans since he’d taken over, not like their schedule allowed for it. Unless there’s just someone he doesn’t know about.

‘As if he’ll let me in on it anyway.’ Taemin thought to himself.

“Is that it? Is that why you’ve packed your bags and so brazenly decide to leave? Does Onew even know?” Key asked sounding irritated at this considerate, supposedly virtuous, behaviour of the younger.

Taemin kept quiet and only shook his head.

Key gripped onto both sides of his shoulders, “You said Lee appa doesn’t want you to continue. Do you? You said someone else would be substituting you to manage Onew? Are you fine with that arrangement?”

“Are you fine with someone else, someone who doesn’t care for Onew like you do, taking care and protecting Onew like you did?”

“Are you fine with someone else to be the one waking Onew up every morning, to be the one making his breakfast, to be the one looking at him from the backstage as he performs, yet not support and squeal over him?”

Key waited for a reaction from the sniffing boy. Seeing none, he peered closer to his ear to whisper: “Are you fine with him going after Minho?”

That snapped Taemin instantly. His eyes shot up to meet with Kibum’s, questioning the validity of his claims; that Onew was really into Minho.

“How…how did you know?”

“Well, the other time you said Onew was upset with you being too close to Minho. And the other times when he flared up at you for such, I was there too. Kind of figures.” Kibum shrugged innocently.

Though he really knew that was not the case. But he needed to ignite the spirit in Taemin to go after Onew, not the other way around. Fact is, Kibum saw how Onew was trying to get his manager’s attention, but Taemin kept pushing him away. And really, Onew was being a with his lousy tactics too. No wonder he turned out gay.

Kibum knew everything. He knew what Onew was doing, why he was doing it and who he was doing it for. Only the silly Taemin was too blinded by his care for his idol, he failed to see that the other cares for him too.

“So…? Are you still going to quit like that?”

“…”

“Arasso, think about it. Just ring me if you decide to stay, I’ll settle the rest with GM.” Key said finally with an encouraging pat on Taemin’s back before leaving the boy to himself.

 Taemin had his heart stirred up again by what Kibum had just told him. When he’d already put a lock on his decision, his hyung had to come and remind him the reasons why he was ever here in the first place. And now those questions were desperately trying to pick on the lock.

He hung his head low all the way from the office back to the apartment, refusing to even respond to the jovial conversation the driver tried to start.

Taemin entered the familiar space, now filled with his scent of residence, and changed his footwear at the hallway. The only thing he hasn’t packed was his Onew bedroom slippers since he was still walking around the house.

”Lee Taemin. What do you think you’re doing?”

The younger froze as he walked into the living room, facing an intimidating Onew sitting on his couch.

“I’m asking you, what were you thinking, deciding by yourself to leave me? Having someone else to manage me instead?” He approached the boy, “Did I give you permission to do that?”

Taemin looked at Onew; his eye bags were showing clearly, his hair undone and his cheeks pale in colour from the lack of rest.

“Aren’t you my number one fan?”

Taemin was speechless. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t say anything. What was Onew talking about – How did he know about the change? Why should he need his permission if he already hated Taemin’s presence? What number one fan?

It was all too much to process in his little head.

His mind was all swirling with the confusing thoughts, he could never be sure with Onew. Though he didn’t back away when Onew approached him with open arms and embraced him, tightening his hold around the skinny frame, speaking behind Taemin’s ears:

“Would you be happy if I got together with Minho?”

That was the only one thing Taemin could answer right away, and he shook his head with the last of sense in him (seeing how his idol was pulling him into a warm hug).

“No! I never wanted to leave you! I’m not okay with someone else other than me managing you, to be tending to you or protecting you as if they care!”

“I’m not okay with someone else other than me waking you up in the morning, making you toast, to be seeing you perform so tirelessly on stage and not be overwhelmed by your every performance!”

His fist unknowingly curled into Onew’s shirt, tears fumbling out of his weary eyes.

“I’m not okay with you-“ Taemin stopped when he felt the heavy weight fall on him.

He heaved out a sigh, realising that Onew had fallen asleep on his shoulders. The fan walked him slowly (the same way he did when Onew was drunk in Chapter 5) to his now empty bedroom and laid him down carefully on the bed. Taemin pulled a chair by his bedside and sat quietly, looking at the peaceful sleeping face. It was times like this when the fan truly felt as if Heaven has lost an angel, and he’s looking at him.

He figured Onew must’ve worked through all night at the radio show. The boy went to the bathroom for a damp towel to at least wash Onew’s face. The tranquil morning was of Onew’s incoherent mumblings in his sleep and the soft sighs of Taemin.

“Ottoke?”

His heart fluttering at what Onew has said to him earlier on. He made his choice by re-placing his entire idol’s merchandise back to where they belong.

***

“Taemin…” Onew groaned as he awoke from his sleep.

It was late afternoon by then. His eyes fluttered open to see the boy by his bedside, snoozing with his head on his stacked arms. He smiled in content at the sight.

Onew carefully got off the bed to avoid waking the fan.

It was his first time at Taemin’s place, heck it was the first time he’d come next door even. He wanted to see what kind of a place Taemin lived in.

He chuckled when he first saw the bedroom slippers; he slipped them on comfortably.

Jinki saw the huge wall poster facing the bed where he woke up from, the Onew mugs and Onew towels in the bathroom.

He saw the CDs racks of all the albums he’d ever released; mini albums, full albums, repackaged albums, and even concert DVDs.

Jinki went into the kitchen to see Onew drinking mugs, Onew coasters, and Onew table mats he never knew existed. He grinned even wider when he saw the other couple mug from ‘Mint’.

“Onew…”

The singer turned around to see Taemin standing at the kitchen doorway, face a tinge of red.

“Mint-ah…” Jinki teased, his feet wriggling the slippers at its owner.

He put the mug down in its place before going up to Taemin to wrap him in a hug again.

“Now you already know…can I still stay?” Taemin asked meekly.

“I never wanted you to leave. I’ll never let you leave.” Jinki reassured, his back soothingly, “In fact, I’ve known for a long time.”

Taemin pulled away to look at Jinki, his expression obviously asking questions.

“Manager Lee would always get his hands on the first of any signed merchandise, didn’t you think I would figure from there?” He laughed, “I don’t think he wanted those for himself.”

“Whenever I bother him, he would brag about how his son would be the total opposite of me. And on long rides, he would drone on about how it bothered him to no ends that you would idolise someone like me.”

Jinki explained how he never would have thought, though, that Mint was actually Taemin. Until receiving the scarf that the fan had personally knitted for him.

“You never bothered to send it through the mail, so your scent always lingered on. Stupid. And how obvious can you get, always sending the right things.” Jinki smirked, mocking the younger.

“Obvious enough for you to not realise.” Taemin muttered under his breath.

“Taemin-ah, mianhe.”

The boy looked up at Jinki innocently, wondering why the sudden change in mood.

“I’m sorry for being such an ‘’ with you and Minho.” Jinki sighed.

He led the both to sit on the sofa in the living room.

Jinki was truthful of his jealousy when Taemin became close with Minho. He came in earlier than Minho; so Jinki knew Minho was more of the independent type that he didn’t need anyone to interfere with his work. But when Taemin came along, Minho changed and it annoyed him.

It started early at the bar, when Minho initiated to care for the new manager. Then the hugging in front of him, then the keychain he gifted to Taemin, and the sharing of mufflers at the studio. He disliked it all, especially when Taemin was so unguarded against him.

“You shouldn’t be sorry…I should be. Kibum hyung already told me how you felt about Minho.” Taemin looked down at his tangling fingers, “I’ll distant myself from Minho, no matter how hard it is…”

“What…?”

Then it struck Jinki.

“Taemin! The one I like is you, not Choi Minho.” He smacked his forehead, “I like you, Lee Taemin!”

“Aish, jinjia…” Jinki sighed in exasperation.

He was trying to hold in the laughs, looking at Taemin’s reddening face from the sudden confession.

***

The next bright morning, Onew continued with his schedules since he had so abruptly cancelled all his assignments yesterday to save his manager from resigning. He left without Taemin, since the boy said he would like to visit his father at the hospital first before meeting with him for the rest of the day.

Taemin paced outside the ward for close to half an hour, back and forth, trying to explain his situation now: He had initially wanted to quit, but then Onew came and persuaded him to stay, and he confessed! Now they’re kind of in a closer relationship…and the bottom line is that he’s back on the post.

He wondered if his father was going to disapprove, calling him silly to give in so easily. Damn the fanboy soul in him! But appa has always been supportive, maybe this time he will too, give in to his precious son.

“Appa…” Taemin stepped in gingerly after knocking on the door twice.

His father was already awake reading the newspapers on the bed. Lee umma was also by his bedside, peeling her husband an apple.

“I heard about it.” Appa said simply, “Onew called and told me everything.”

Onew had been kind enough to call on Taemin’s father as a greeting before he started work, and had updated him on everything that the younger had been fretting about earlier.

“He’s kind of vague and his choice of words is quite worrisome, saying something like ‘being in my care’ and ‘for a lifetime’…”

“Though what I really understood was that you’re staying put until I recover?”

Taemin gulped his thick saliva down and silently cursed Onew for making such a weird suggestive conversation. He’d certainly hoped his appa wouldn’t dwell on it until he could explain himself well.

He nodded in agreement at his father’s question.

Lee appa’s eyes surveyed Taemin, wondering if the boy was really staying of his own accord. But when he thought about it, Onew has been a great deal of help to the family ever since he had the accident (that Onew was somehow the cause of it anyway).

“Tae-ah, please convey our thanks to Jinki-ssi. He has been very kind; the nurse came and informed that half of the hospital payments have been taken care of by him. We’re very grateful.” Lee umma said sweetly, “Let him know we’ll pay him back soon.”

That got Taemin stunned. The charges were not trivial, where would he get the money unless he did more– So that was why Onew was so insistent on completing his work and even overworking himself!

Now Taemin felt like the prick here for acting like a spoilt brat who threw a tantrum when things didn’t go his way, he’d misunderstood Onew and said unforgivable things to him. He said Onew didn’t care for anyone else except himself, and he was so wrong.

He thanked his parents and excused himself, rushing back to the studio where Onew is.

Taemin clutched at his heart; hurting both from the immense happiness and sadness felt. All he wanted to do now was throw himself back in Onew’s arms as he was this morning when he woke. 

Annyeong! Was it shocking to see the story completed amidst all the angst? 

Hehe I wanted to break this chapter into two until a reader commented that my updates were too short! Why hasn't no one told me about it??? I usually use about 1,000 words as a benchmark, but apparently it's not enough for you insatiable readers! Yep I'll learn well *bows* 

If the ending is abrupt to you, it's because it's not the last x) 

Let me know what you think! 

Thanks for reading and please comment! ♥