“The bibimbap was really good.” A voice greeted you as you exited the restroom with Minhyuk in tow.

You gasped and clutched your chest. “You need to stop appearing out of thin air.”

“I didn’t.” He said as a matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t mean that literally but anyway, thanks… for the compliment.” You replied and walked past him to go back to SHINee’s waiting room.

“You know… I never realized how good you were at cooking. Until today.” He confessed. “I guess I have to thank your friends and my dongsaeng for enlightening me.”

You forced a smile. “I’m just glad that people appreciate my cooking.” You tried to leave again.

“Why do you keep running away from me? Do you really hate me that much?”

You let out a soft sigh. “No, I don’t. I’m just not sure if I want us to be friends. I need time to think about it. And space.”

“Ok, I get it.” He took a small step back before bending down and ruffling Minhyuk’s hair. “He really does look like you, you know that?”

“Yeah, all except the nose…” You realized where the topic was heading and quickly decided to change it. “Why were you angry just now?” You asked the first thing that popped into your mind and instantly regretted it when you saw his expression darken.

“Oh, so you actually noticed that I was there?” He replied snarkily.

“I’m sorry I asked.” You pulled Minhyuk back against you and made a move to leave.

“No no, wait. I’m sorry for snapping at you.” He paused and you waited for him to pull himself together. “It’s just that I don’t like seeing you with him.”

“Him? You mean Kibum?” You inquired and he nodded in confirmation.

“But why?! He’s my friend. All the SHINee members are my friends. You’re going to have to get used to it if you ever want us to be friends again.”

He sighed and covered his face with his hand. “I don’t know why. But I’ll try if you let me be your friend again. I really will.”

“I still need to think about that-“

“-------ah!” Two voices called out to you in unison.

You looked to the front and saw Soojin and then looked back and saw Kibum. Both of them heading towards you and Junhyung.

“I better go back first.” Junhyung informed when he saw Soojin heading towards you before shuffling away, leaving you standing there awkwardly.

“Where did you go?” Soojin asked, her voice harsh, when she reached you.

“Sorry, you were in the middle of a conversation and Minhyuk needed the restroom. It was just down the hall so…” You trailed off guiltily, knowing that she already understood.

“Next time, make sure you bring me along.” She sighed.

You quickly nodded in agreement, not daring to speak for fear of angering her.

“What are you all standing out here for?” Kibum asked when he had finally reached you.

“Minhyuk needed the restroom. I bumped into Junhyung when I was on the way back to the waiting room and…” You glanced over at Soojin.

“I came to find her because she was taking too long.” She quickly finished your sentence. “Aren’t you supposed to be recording? Or is it already done?”

“Nope, not yet. I just came to use the restroom.” He eyed the door to the men’s room, suddenly awkward.

You chuckled. “Ok, we’ll go back first then.” You said so that Kibum could go to the restroom and started walking back.

You didn’t notice that Soojin wasn’t following you and so you didn’t see that she had waited until you were out of earshot before saying something to him.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t let her spend too much time with Junhyung.” Soojin said in hushed tones before striding forward to catch up with you, leaving a confused Kibum behind.

Soojin jabbed her finger into the side of your head when she finally caught up to you. “You should really learn how to follow simple instructions. Even Minhyuk is better at that than you!” She chided.

You rubbed the spot that she jabbed. “Sorry.”

“Maybe next time, I should just tie you to a chair or handcuff you a door or something.” She threatened.

“Yeah, maybe you should.” You replied weakly, causing Soojin to look at you with worry.

“Was it that bad? What happened with Junhyung?” She asked, her voice lowered and filled with concern.

“I wouldn’t say that it was bad. But it wasn’t good either. He wants to know whether we’re still friends.”

“That can’t be all right?” She commented. “Tell me everything. From the start.” She demanded, pulling you further down the hall to an empty area instead of going back to the waiting room.

You sighed and glanced down at Minhyuk, who was still tagging along with you and Soojin before pulling out your mp3 player from your pocket. You put the earphones into Minhyuk’s ears and played the playlist with his favourite songs before proceeding to fill Soojin in on what happened earlier.

“I told you he was jealous. He’s unbelievably jealous of Kibum.” Soojin said the moment you were done with your recount.

“I’ve been thinking about that. I think he’s just upset that Kibum sort of replaced him. I think that is why he doesn’t like seeing me with Kibum. It’s the only thing that makes sense anyway.”

Soojin raised her brow at your reasoning but chose not to say anything about it, choosing instead to ask you about what was troubling you earlier. You explained the situation with your mom and your worries about the hospital bills as well as finding a slightly bigger place to live, even if only for a short while.

“Don’t worry too much about it alright? I’ll help you ask around and then we’ll see what we can come up with. I’ll even ask Seyong to help too.” Soojin offered.

“Thank you. I really don’t know what I’ll do without you.” You gave her a tight hug.

“Ok ok. Don’t cry on me now. You’ll just get me into trouble if Kibum sees you with puffy eyes.” She teased as she patted your back.

You smiled and gently tapped her on the arm when you pulled away. “Come on. He’s not that protective over me.”

“Yeah, right. You’re not the one who watches him as he fusses over you. Trust me. He is protective over you. I think you might even be able to compete with Taemin on that.”

“Alright alright. I believe you. My two best friends are crazy protective over me.” You looped your arm around hers and tugged her towards the waiting room; at the same time, reaching down to take hold of Minhyuk’s hand in your other hand.

SHINee’s performance was the last one of that music show so they only returned to the waiting room after the whole show had ended. Unlike the previous time where you were watching them from the side of the stage, this time, you watched them from the television in the waiting room. You watched them win another award again and celebrate on stage. The staff in the waiting room also rang out in cheers and everyone hugged and hi-fived each other, smiles on everyone’s faces.

When SHINee finally made their way back to the changing room, you and Soojin decided to make a move first since they had another schedule immediately after and you still had to go and visit your mom. You said quick goodbyes to all of them since everyone seemed to be in a hurry before leaving with Soojin and Minhyuk.

“Hyung, I wouldn’t allow noona to spend too much time with Junhyung hyung if I were you.” Taemin stated when all the members were in the car.

“Oh? And why is that?” Kibum asked curiously. This was the second time today that someone had told him that.

“Because I think Junhyung hyung likes noona too.” He replied while still managing to sound so innocent.

Kibum choked on his saliva, causing Jonghyun to pound on his back with a little too much force. He didn’t know which to be more shocked at– being told that Junhyung likes you or being called outby the maknae. “What makes you think that Junhyung likes -------?” He asked, choosing not to address the issue of his feelings.

“Junhyung hyung asked me for noona’s handphone number just now. He said he had something important to ask noona, so I couldn’t refuse.”

Kibum’s forehead creased into a frown. There was something strange about the situation but he just couldn’t really piece it together yet. He quickly took out his phone to send a text.

To: Pumpkin

Hey! Taemin gave Junhyung your number because he asked him for it. Do you have any idea why he would want your number? Anyway, I hope he doesn’t bother you too much. Tell me if he does, alright? Take care!!
 

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To all my lovely readers!! I'll be away on a trip to wonderful South Korea for over 2 weeks so I really don't think I'll be able to sit down and write for long periods to time. And so, there won't be any updates =/ 

I hope you all don't feel too bad about this but I will be back before you know it! The story is already over 105K words so I think I really need to end it. I'll be thinking of the story and jotting down any random thoughts I have about it. I'll update as soon as I can!

My flight leaves in like 5 hours and I still haven't slept. Gosh. I really have to get some sleep now. 

Anyway, enjoy the update and I'll be back soon! ^^