I'm rather pleased with this chapter. Hope you like it too

btw. this is the stage I'm referring to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYWQj3LStl8 but of course the background story is fictional

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When the service guy at the VIP lounge asks for identification I have my passport ready. I’m getting used to not being a celebrity anymore. Sometimes I’m even grateful for that.

I’m meeting Minho at Incheon International Airport. He’s busy as always but he seemed rather happy to meet me when I asked him. Actually I’m not really sure what I’m doing here.

“Jinki Hyung”, he says and hugs me. There are a lot of people around so he pulls me to a table in a corner and orders drinks for both of us. When he pays for them I catch a glimpse of a crumpled photograph: a picture of him with Kibum. It makes me smile. I know when it was taken.

---

You might remember SMTown stage in Tokyo 2012. It was really big and important for us. But Minho was absent because of another drama-shooting. I still don’t understand why the management allowed him that freedom when we had a concert scheduled. However to cover the gaps in our choreographies SM recruited Luhan and Sehun from EXO who had only just debuted in spring. We weren’t happy about Luhan. He’s a sweet guy but he wasn’t ready for a big stage like that and dancing is not his asset.

Surprisingly enough in spite of the disadvantages the show was a big success and we got more praise than expected. Fans were running wild and everybody was talking about Key. People fought about the question whether he had rapped Minhos part in “Lucifer” better than Minho himself. And they couldn’t stop pointing out how confident and beautiful he looked.

After returning to Seoul Minho had obviously spent quite a lot of time reading reviews and comments and it was getting to him. Especially the comparison with Key, the very amount of positive comments about him and even the weird stuff by EXO–fans who kept asking who Luhan and Sehun were actually covering for. When we met for the first shared practice at the studio afterwards, the mood was tense. And when Kibum messed up the choreography on purpose to release the tension, Minho just snapped.

“What’s wrong with you?” he hissed and pushed Key against the wall.

“Woawoawoa”, Jonghyun interfered, “what’s wrong with YOU, Minho?”

Key just straightened his clothes and checked his hair in the mirror. Then he said: “Okay now, Honey, just spit it out. It’s been eating on you for days. Let’s get it over with.”

“Don’t play dumb”, Minho snarled, “you’re obviously trying to make me redundant.”

I was genuinely surprised, so was Jonghyun. He asked: “what? Are you mad? What are you talking about?”

“He’s talking about the concert”, Taemin said, “and that Key Hyung was enjoying himself so much.”

“Key’s always enjoying himself on stage”, I replied, “I don’t get it.”

Kibum looked puzzled but didn’t say anything. So Taemin went on: “I didn’t like how Key Hyung was all too ready to take over the rapping part of “Lucifer” either.”

“But he’s the obvious choice since he’s a rapper too”, Jonghyun snapped, “would YOU have liked to do it?”

Taemin didn’t have an answer to that so he said: “He just shouldn’t have enjoyed it so much.”

Jonghyun threw up his arms in frustration, “I don’t believe this”, he shouted, “what’s wrong with the two of you.”

Taemin’s unexpected support had fuelled Minhos ranting and he added: “And what was with that freaking outfit? Were you trying to steal attention from Taemin?”

Key rolled his eyes and I had a hard time to hold back Jong who was about to punch Minho.

I looked at Taemin and said: “Don’t you have an answer to that?” Taemin cast down his eyes and admitted: “He backed me up with it.”

Then he explained how he had thrown a tantrum when he was told to wear that ridiculous spiky shirt with the skirtpants. But our manager was adamant because of the fashion contracts. So Key had switched the relatively moderate outfit he was entitled to wear with another pair of skirtpants from the collection topping it with striped leggings that neither of us would have put on in a dark room not to mention on stage in front of a huge audience. Wiggling his towards Taemin he had made our Baby smile again and given him confidence for the show.

Jonghyun shoved him in Key’s direction and Taemin hugged his Hyung and murmured “I’m sorry.” Key just ruffled his hair and hugged him back.

“And about the making-redundant-thing”, Jong said turning to Minho. “It’s your ing responsibility to make your schedule match with SHINee schedules. What do you expect us to do? Cancel concerts because you think it’s more important to make another cheesy entrance in a drama?”

“... No, it’s just ...”

I couldn’t hold back any longer either and said: “Kibum SAVED us out there. Don’t you see that? We were in freaking TOKYO and you know that’s a killer stage. Even though we had pre-recorded “Lucifer” before the show we had to be accurate on the lip-sync. And we didn’t have much time for pre-recording either. Both Taemin and me messed up twice so we had to start all over. Key just smoothly got through your part first time although it was Japanese and yeah, he was pleased with himself. So what?"

"And did you see Luhan dancing? He’s a sweet kid but he can’t dance, seriously. I don’t know why they cast him for “Lucifer” ...”

“He’s afraid of heights, when the stage went up ...”, Taemin tried to defend his Hubae half-heartedly.

“So ing is KEY”, Jonghyun interrupted.

I continued: “Just to get this over with, Minho. It was hell out there with Luhan messing up and Sehun downright bored we had a hard time to look good. You know how this works. Once we show that we’re losing confidence it all goes downhill. So Kibum switched on his charm and smiled the audience into oblivion. He kept reassuring Taemin during costume changes and even got a smile out of Sehun. You weren’t there, Minho, so don’t judge. Key burned his last resources making it look like fun. When we got down from the after-show reception he collapsed in the restroom.”

Jonghyun and Taemin both snapped their heads towards me and then towards Key who gave me an irritated look and then shrugged.

“Why didn’t you tell us, for crying out loud?” Jonghyun asked him. Then looking back at me “.. or YOU.”

“It was nothing, I was just exhausted”, Key said appeasingly.

Minho wasn’t quite ready to let it go but had lost his drive. So Key finally decided to share his thoughts about the whole incident:

“Look”, he said, “I like to be in the spotlight. You’re right about that. I enjoy being on stage. But it’s hard work, too. We’re a team and we need each member equally. I really hate to cover for you ... OR Jonghyun” he shot a smile in Jong’s direction, “I hate rapping in Japanese and I’ve got enough to worry about when Jinki dances backwards towards me while the freaking EXO-kid keeps fiddling with his mic and isn’t paying attention. I got my pants wet down to my CK-briefs when Sehun had a splashing fit in the puddle during “Love like Oxygene” and the tin-fringes on my knees started to rust ...”

I burst out laughing at that point, so did Jong and Taemin.

“... and you ing worry about me trying to make you redundant? I can’t do that twice in a row and keep smiling like an idiot. I need you to be there. I need you, because you know what you’re doing and you know ME. So don’t give me that , Minho. There’s no SHINee without you ... and I hate that shirt you’re wearing. Go burn it.”

He smiled and Minho did too. There it was again. The weird affection we all felt for each other every now and then. Even though we fought we never severed the bond we had struggled so much to knit.

Afterwards the practice went quite well and while we were tidying up the place Minho grabbed Key and made a selfie of the two of them, Kibum cross-eyed and Minho kissing his cheek.

---

So he got a print of that picture. I guess it’s more of a token than the kind of picture you show around. But I’m touched, I didn’t expect that.

“You look old, Jinki Hyung”, Minho says without spite. “You can’t worry forever.”

“I guess you’re right”, I reply. “I just can’t get rid of the guilt.”

“Yeah”, he agrees, “it’s probably easier for Jong.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because he shot her”, Minho says.

“Her?”

“Jinki?”

“Oh HER ...”

I keep forgetting.