They hadn't been taught how to read the time yet, but Minho knew the bell was about to ring. The small hand was pointing at the number three and the teacher had been passing around the sticker of the day, and that was when his sister usually came bounding down the gate.

He wore his blue backpack and hugged his new lunch box closer to himself as they fell in line by the door. He kept an eye out for Jonghyun, because the smaller, older-by-2-months boy had been trying really hard to get his dirty hands on his shiny Iron Man lunch box. He swiftly stepped to his side, dodging Jonghyun's swift hands.

"Minho-ah!"

Minho craned his neck as he tried to see where his sister could be among the sea of other kids. His eyes scanned over the waiting bench and the guardians crowded at the waiting area. He knew better than to keep looking there, though— because by the gate, as always, was his big sister.

Sooyoung was beaming at him, bent down on her knees with arms spread out to greet him like on every day that she picks him up from school.

He would have gladly run into his sister's arms if it weren't for the distracting figure standing beside her.

She was standing with her hands at her back, smiling at Minho too. Her hair was short and tucked in a headband and she looked like the kindest person Minho had ever seen in his five-year lifetime.

He stumbled toward them, eyes glued to the pretty stranger.

"Did you miss big sister?"

He didn’t answer Sooyoung. Only kept staring at the girl who bent down as well, her hands on her knees.

"-Minho-ah! Are you ignoring me, huh?!"

He looked right into the stranger's pretty brown eyes until they crinkled up as she smiled. And then there came her voice.

"Hello Minho-ah. It's nice to meet you." She extended her hand, and Minho could only look at her in question. "I'm Taeyeon-noona."

Colour rushed up to Minho's cheeks, because how could anyone have such a pretty voice and such a pretty name all at the same time?

He stretched his stubby hand out as well, shaking Taeyeon's hand shyly. His voice was even smaller than it usually was. "H-Hello." He looked down at the ground, kicking at the pebble by his sneaker. His cheeks felt like they were on fire, like whenever he eats Mother's homemade kimchi.

"Awww, Taeyeonnie! I think someone has a little crush on you."

Minho's head snapped up and he glared at his sister. Her hands were clasped in front of her, like whenever she coos at Minho whenever he accidentally wears his froggy pyjamas inside-out.

He could shout at Sooyoung for saying what she did in front of his new noona, throw a temper tantrum just for the fun of it. But Taeyeon was there, and he didn’t want to waste his precious time on his sister when he could be putting more effort into looking at Taeyeon noona.

He turned his nose up at Sooyoung and peeked at Taeyeon through his messy fringe. The redness was still apparent at the tips of his ears.

He tugged at Taeyeon’s fingers.

“Walk me home, noona?”

A breath caught in his throat when she smiled at him, yet again. “Sure thing, Minho-ah.” His whole hand was enclosed around her fingers as she began to pull the both of them ahead.

“Yah! Lee Taeyeon! What do you think you’re doing?” He heard Sooyoung ambling to catch up to them. “Stop stealing my little brother!”

Taeyeon threw a quick wink down at Minho, and it took everything he had not to squeal like how he heard his girl classmates during their recesses at the playground.

“What’s that, Soo? I can’t hear you over the sound of your dongsaeng talking to me.”

“I swear, sometimes I don’t even know why we’re friends.”

The playful banter between the 13-year old girls continued, and Minho didn’t mind because he was content in holding onto his noona’s hand even tighter as they walked down the street.

---

"Minho, I think that's your sister over there."

Hearing Jonghyun's voice, he kicked the soccer ball one last time into the air and caught it in his right hand. He squinted, trying to make out the figure by the gate waving its arms, presumably at him.

He heard Sooyoung's distant hollers, telling him to hurry up. He was about to resume his kick-the-ball-around game with Jonghyun, until he heard his sister's voice again.

"Come on Minhooo! Hurry up! Taeyeonnie and I still have a lot of projects to work on at home!"

The ball was left bouncing in the dust with a gaping Jonghyun as Minho picked his bag off the ground and ran to where he now sees Taeyeon standing by his sister.

---

Each school year, the school holds a talent showcase for the sixth graders. Whenever the season for the talent showcase comes around, each sixth grader is forced to dig up some kind of skill that he or she can present to the audience of proud parents and relatives. Minho was glad that he discovered his secret talent of rapping some few years ago.

His voice may not be deep enough yet, but he can certainly follow the words and the beat- that's what his sister said.

He kept that in mind and just performed- knowing that a pretty brown eyed noona was there in the audience. Oh, and Sooyoung was there, too.

He bowed after his song was over. Hopping off the stage, he tried his best to ignore the crowd of girls beginning to swarm down his path. He hurriedly made his way to the right side of the auditorium, to the last row, 15th chair from the left.

He crossed his arms over the back of Taeyeon's seat and propped his chin on top, tilting his head to the side.

"Hey. Hey. Were you watching? Did you see me? Were you watching?"

Sooyoung scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Nah, she was too busy texting Jinki-oppa. I was watching, though-"

"…Oppa?" He found it difficult to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Taeyeon's head suddenly snapped in Sooyoung's direction and then at him. She waved her hands in front of her, eyebrows furrowed.

"Don't listen to your sister, Minho-ah! Of course I was watching!" She was smiling, but it didn’t look as real as her smiles from before. "You sounded so good up there!"

Minho pulled himself to stand up straight, his mouth formed in an unconscious pout. "... Right." He patted down his fringe to cover his eyes. (Not like there was a need to, since it was a lot longer now. But just to make sure neither girls saw his expression.)

Another student's performance was beginning, and amidst the off-key first verse, he heard Taeyeon huff; probably at his sister. He picked up an incredulous 'What?' from Sooyoung.

Light hands landed on his shoulder, and he warily looked up.

"Minho-ah, I really was watching." She was wearing a worried smile. "You were singing my favourite song too. Did you know that?"

Yeah, I did. Minho wanted to say, but he remained quiet. He looked down again, not quite understanding how he could feel so heartbroken over something as small as this.

"Minho-ah," came her cooing voice, "Look at me, please?"

Her face was inches close, the only thing separating them being the row of seats.

"I loved your performance. But I'm sorry, anyway- for making you feel bad. Forgive me?"

He shook his head, "No. I'm sorry, noona. Sooyoung shouldn't have forced you to come."

"Yah-"

She shook her head as well. "I wanted to come! Why would I miss the chance to see little Minho-ah perform?"

He fumed, stomping his foot down. The darkness of the auditorium concealed his blush. "I'm not little!"

Her laugh was so pleasant to Minho's ears, successfully overpowering the horrid notes of the performance upstage. "Okay, okay- you're not little."

He was pulled into a hug, where Taeyeon whispered, "Great job, Minho-ah." and where he blushed profusely

Sooyoung told the both of them to pay attention to the show since they paid for it and all, and Taeyeon only giggled as she pulls away.

Minho laughed along, but then he was called backstage by a worn-out Kim Kibum. He grumbled and then walked away, leaving behind a trail of girls still stalking behind him.

---

"I like you, noona!"

Sooyoung wasn’t at home and he still had his second-year projects to attend to but he just could not concentrate with Taeyeon being right downstairs.

He had bounded down the staircase, sat himself down on the couch in front of Taeyeon and blurted out a few choice words that he had been keeping to himself for years now.

Taeyeon's eyes were both blinking and unblinking, in intervals. The pretty brown eyes were wide like they had never been before, her eyebrows raised in what Minho can only assume was surprise.

"Really now?" She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side, "Didn't you like Sulli? You two looked really cute together, as far as I remember!"

Minho huffed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Cute- CUTE? Never tell me that we- or I- am cute. Never. I'm not cute."

As frustrated as he was, when he saw Taeyeon's lips turn down in a pout, his demeanour relaxed right back.

"But why?" The whining voice coming from a 22-year old woman would have been annoying for Minho, but hearing it from Taeyeon just made it so unbearably irresistible. "You are cute!”

At the sensitive age of 14, his voice was still unstable from his adolescence, still possessing that youthful undertone. "You don't like cute. You like handsome. And unless you tell me you are attracted to cute and cuddly things,” He crossed his arms and turned his flushed face away, “never call me cute.”

No reply came from the woman, and it worried Minho. As much as he wanted to tell Taeyeon about his feelings, he would hate it if things became awkward between them because of some idiotic impulsive action on his part. From the corner of his eyes, he tried to take a peek at her. He caught a glimpse of her thoughtful gaze.

And then he heard a giggle.

He turned to her, and he saw how she was covering with the back of her hand, stifling her quiet laughs.

She cupped her cheeks as she smiled at Minho. “Aigoo…That’s so adorable.”

In a matter of seconds, he was stomping up the staircase and on the way to his room, seriously contemplating on hibernating there for the winter, or for the rest of eternity— whichever worked better. Taeyeon was climbing after him, giggling all the while as she called after him. “Minho-ah! Wait! I was just kidding!”

He successfully reached his room before the elder could  catch up to him, locking the door and throwing himself on his messy bed. He buried his face into his pillow, willing the redness to go away, because good lord, he had to practice some self-control. She had simply called him adorable and he was already blushing like there was no tomorrow.

---

“I’m an idiot, Jjong. I told her I liked her. I told her.”

Jonghyun lifted his foot to stop the soccer ball, lightly punting it into the air. “It’s not like it was something she didn’t already know.”

Minho raised an eyebrow, wiping his face with the towel hanging from his neck, “The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, nothing. Here, catch.”

---

Minho leaned back on the couch, carefully watching the man that Taeyeon had been attending to for the past half hour. From his observations, the customer had already tried on 8 polo shirts and 5 pairs of pants, and it was when the man had asked for yet another pair of leather shoes that Minho had figured that the man was not there just to purchase some clothes.

He gripped his phone tighter in his hand, willing himself to calm down and not to beat up the man because that would not be good for Sooyoung’s and Taeyeon’s store. They had been successfully running their own clothing line after they had graduated from their fashion school, and he would hate it if Taeyeon were to see him lose his cool and risk their reputation as a result.

The infuriating man finally left the store after having bought a single polo shirt. At this, Minho immediately relaxed, but stiffened once more when Taeyeon plopped down beside him on the customer couch, leaning on his shoulder. Her hair was a lot longer compared to all those years back.

“What brings you here, Minho-ah?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged, trying to look as cool as possible. “Just wanted to drop by.”

“Ah. Do you want me to call Soo?”

“What do you think?” He smirked.

She peered up at him through her brunette bangs (Sooyoung had insisted that they colour their hair the same shade) and shook her head amusedly.  “Of course not.”

Minho nodded his head in affirmation. He basked in the peacefulness of the empty shop and the warmth of the woman beside him until her voice came once again.

“You know, I remember when you were the one who used to lean on me like this.” Her quiet laughter soothed Minho, just like it always did. “But I don’t think that’s possible now. You’ve gotten so tall!” She sat up straight and Minho already missed the warmth. She put her hands on her waist, blowing a frustrated breath. “How old are you now? 16?”

He smiled, rolling his eyes. “18.”

“Mwoh?! 18? I feel so old!”

She was being too endearing right now, too cute. It made him want to take a chance, unconsciously wrap his arm around Taeyeon’s shoulder and pull her to lean back against his side.

“You’re not old, noona. And even if you think you are, you’re still pretty.”

It immensely relieved him when Taeyeon didn’t pull away and leaned her head against his shoulder as if it was something she was used to. “Since when was little Minho-ah so good with words, huh?”

It felt like a stab to the chest, how she still spoke to him like he was a child. As calmly as possible, he grunted out a retort.

 “You call me little and yet you’re inches smaller than me.”

He received a harsh poke to his side, making him wince. “Bad Minho-ah.”

Grumbling in response, he looked away. He was planning on sulking quietly until Sooyoung returned so that he could ask her to treat him to lunch, but he was interrupted by another poke to his side. And then another, and then another.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t stop the laughter that erupted from his throat as he raised his hands and tried to block Taeyeon’s tickling hands. He pleaded with her to stop, and after a few rowdy moments filled with both her and Minho’s laughter, she finally did.

They both leaned back on the cushions of the couch, breathless and red-faced. Taeyeon rolled to her side, smiling at Minho.

“That’s more like it. You don’t look as cute when you’re all grumpy and frowning.”

The satisfied grin on Minho’s face disappeared upon hearing that word again— cute.

He his side as well, mirroring Taeyeon’s position.

“Please stop doing that.”

Her eyebrows visibly furrowed in confusion, “Doing what?”

“Calling me cute. Stop that.”

Their eyes met and it was simply too quiet.

She was the one who broke the gaze first, turning her eyes down. “Oh. Sorry.”

, Minho panicked, because now he made her feel bad. “No, don’t- don’t say sorry.” He said it all too hurriedly, and when it seemed as if Taeyeon wasn’t listening, he lightly touched her fiddling hands. “Look at me.”

Her eyes were covered by her coloured bangs, but through the strands, he could still see the pretty brown orbs. He took a deep breath.

“I want to take care of you. I want to get to protect you, and I can’t do that if you still see me as just this cute kid.” Her eyes were slowly widening, probably because Minho’s words were finally starting to register. “You don’t have to find me handsome or attractive or whatever- just don’t call me cute. It makes me feel like I’m never going to have a chance with you.”

“M-Minho…”

He didn’t let her continue. He gets a firm grasp of her hands and held both in his.

“Just watch,” He smirked, “I’ll be even manlier than that Jinki guy you keep raving about to Sooyoung.”

Taeyeon silently gaped at him, until a beautiful rosiness took over her cheeks. She smiled like the first time Minho had laid his eyes on her, and it looks an infinite times more beautiful now than it was then, if that was even possible.

“I’ll be waiting, then.”

Minho felt like jumping from the couch and running wild down the streets when Taeyeon shyly pecked him on the cheek. But he didn’t, because that would mean making a fool of himself in front of the girl of his childhood dreams. He twined their fingers and they fit perfectly.

From outside the store, Sooyoung’s phone clicked as she took yet another shot of Taeyeon’s blushing face and Minho’s -eating grin. She pocketed her phone and brought her bag higher up her shoulder as she rolled her eyes.

“Finally.”