When Kibum is upset, he tends to seclude himself from everything. He favors locking himself in his room to think in an attempt to take his mind off things in his own way; he had always preferred to be alone when he was having problems, it was just his way of coping and sorting things out himself. Often times, it would even take a day or two before he would think to tell anyone what was wrong; and when he finally did, that person was always Minho. Kibum pretended that they only liked to irritate one another, but in reality, he considered Minho to be the closest thing he had to a best friend in SHINee.

So naturally, when days turned into weeks of Kibum acting strange--being less of his usual, chatty self--Minho took it upon himself to find out what had gotten him so upset; he had been moping around for far too long.

The elder man had been sitting in the park beside their dorm building, looking up at the sky with a thoughtful expression. Minho had it will himself to not laugh at how cliche the situation was as he walked up behind him, letting out a long groan akin to that of an old man as he sat beside the blond.

Kibum looked up, expression generally blank but Minho could detect a hint of thankfulness as he got himself settled. The shorter of the two sighed when he registered who it was, not at all surprised but he knew exactly what to expect from the other.

“Alright,” he began, leaning back and supporting himself with his arms, “What’s the matter?” He had never been good at starting heart-to-hearts, but he cared for Kibum a lot, as he did with the rest of the members. Even though it was awkward for him, as it always had been because he’s much better at just dishing out hugs and comforting pats on the , he did his best to help them talk it out when it was needed.

The blond raised an eyebrow, as if Minho’s question was completely out of the blue to which the taller man scoffed, leaning back to look up at the foggy night sky. He knew Kibum was simply feigning indifference and Minho wasn’t about to allow him to get away with it and he gave him a look that told him to just spit it out.

Kibum sighed, taking a moment to think of how to word all the thoughts running through his mind. There had been a lot he needed to get off his chest and as he glanced up at Minho again--who was no longer looking at him at all--he suddenly felt at home, like he could let it all go. In an instant, a classic case of word-vomit came over him and he just let it all go:

“I can’t dance as well as Taemin, I can’t sing like Jonghyun, Jinki hyung’s acting skills burn my own into the ground…” He trailed off, looking up at Minho with sad eyes, a bitter smile gracing his features as he took a breath before finishing, “And I sure as hell can’t rap as good as you.”

He sighed, hesitating for a moment, “I’m useless, I’m ordinary. I’m average.” At this, Minho scoffed and Kibum frowned, shifting himself to face the taller man angrily on his knees.

“I’m serious!” He fought on as Minho started to laugh even harder, that smirk still on his face. Trying to get him to speak, Kibum shoved him harshly and whined, rocking the other’s tall and toned body to the side and back again.

Minho lifted his hands in defeat, “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Kibum huffed and turned away with his arms crossed like a child, making Minho shake his head. Sometimes Kibum was just too cute.

“Where is all of this coming from?” Kibum shrugged as if it were no big deal, shifting back to his original seated position. His eyes told a story thicker story than that, one that was much sadder, much more elaborate.

"Just tell me," Minho pushed.

His lips pursed as he began to speak, “You’ve seen what the fans are saying. ‘SHINee would be better off without Key’. ‘SHINee Key’s singing ability has plummeted’. You know exactly where this is coming from.” He said, frustration lining his words.

They sat in silence for a while then, Minho leaned back against the tree they sat under and watched as a group of people walked by laughing. Out of habit, Kibum pulled out his phone; he knew he had no messages, but it was an easier method of occupying himself while Minho sat there with apparently nothing to say to him.

Kibum had always been very insecure; from the day they met he'd always been very unsure of his talents even though everyone else could see he was obviously amazing. He hid behind a confident facade of haughtiness and bb cream to shield that fact that deep down, he didn't know who he was or what he was good at.

However, Minho could never understand how Kibum could ever speak down on himself. It was as if he had no clue how much the rest of the members and their fans looked up to him; his everlasting ambition, his unyielding kindness, his multi-talented nature, they were all traits that the rest of the group yearned for, admired. His stage presence enchanted people, his growth over the years was exponential, and on top of that he was absolutely gorgeous.

And to hear that Kibum thought any less than damn near perfection of himself baffled Minho, to say the least.

He took a deep breath, a small smile finding its way back on his face, “Taemin may have been in a sitcom,” he started, nudging Kibum with his shoulder, “But he’s not going to win a Grammy any time soon. Onew hyung's never gotten a single rap line.” Kibum turned his head a bit to face the other man, both surprise and confusion gracing his features that were nothing short of flawless in Minho’s eyes.

He went on, "I can sing, but I’m nowhere near getting a  solo track on one of our albums. And you’ve seen Jonghyun hyung dance.”

Kibum snorted at this, “What’s your point?””

“What makes you special is that you excel in what we are all individually experts in, and then some.” Minho looked at Kibum then, a goofy smile playing on his lips. A person would have to be made out of stone not to melt at his expression.

“You are talented beyond anyone I have ever met. I can’t believe we even need to have this conversation--you’re the “almighty key” for Christ’s sake.” Kibum had to keep himself from scoffing at his old nickname.

He opened his mouth to respond, but Minho cut him off again, “So stop acting like such a brat. Don’t listen to what bitter people have to say on the internet; there will always be people who will say mean things about you and we’ve been in this game far too long for you to not know this.” He slowed down, taking a breath and calming his tone.

“Kibum, you’re incredible. And no matter what baseless, spiteful, jealous comments you may hear from people on the outside, you need to have confidence in yourself to know that you’re better than that. I know you are, we know you are.” He touched Kibum’s pale hand, genuinely smiling at him, “You just have to believe it for yourself.”

Kibum stared at the hand on top of his, then looked up to meet those big doe eyes that always somehow managed to bring him solace and shine in peace into his life. He smiled then, a silent thanks that didn't require any words. They understood each other, they trusted each other.

Minho and Kibum were more than just two friends born in the same year; Minho was Kibum’s rock, his best friend, the small bit of sanity and simplicity he had in his life.

And he could never be more thankful to have him than he was right then and there.