It All Started With A Pamphlet; Taemin/Minho
Taemin, a high school student, crosses path with Minho, a college student, for the very first time all because of one plain as can be pamphlet.
Author's Note: A one shot set in the alternate universe Taemin and Minho see themselves in if they weren't in SHINee.
Lee Taemin was 18 and normal. Normal meaning he was in his final year of high school and just like any other average student, was not sure of what he wanted to do in the future. The only direction he had in life was his passion for dance. Yet, growing up in a traditional family meant dancing would not get him anywhere in life. It was an unspoken agreement with his parents that dance could only be his hobby and not a full time career. Taemin couldn’t say he was happy about this but he wasn’t sad about it either. To him, he was only 18 and had his whole life ahead of him so he still had the time to consider his options in life.
Right now, with graduation arriving very soon, all Taemin had to do was decide on one University that he wanted to go to. And that was exactly why he was now exploring Konkuk University on the day of the university’s Open House. The university was a buzz of activities with talks, exhibitions, campus tours and everything else going on just to attract prospective students to enroll into the school. Alone by himself, Taemin had already browsed through the types of degrees the university was offering and he found himself most attracted to the programmes offered by the college of Art & Design. Now, if he managed to find something of interest at the student organizations exhibition (actually, all he wanted to do was check out the standard of the dance club), he might just place Konkuk University as one of his choices.
“Now where can I find the dance club?” Taemin thought to himself as he wandered aimlessly into the exhibition hall, following the crowd blindly. Yes, it was way crowded and it felt like the entire school population was squeezed into one hall! Taemin could barely see where he was going with all the bodies in front of him. He could only continue walking with the crowd, turning his head left and right as he kept his eyes wide open in search for any booths that belonged to dance related clubs. All he wanted to do was find the booth as quickly as possible so he could escape the crowd and head home. He was pretty much focused on his task, ignoring all voices that were actively promoting their clubs, until a pamphlet suddenly appeared right in front of his eyes and almost smacked him in his face!
“Sorry!” A low voice sounded right next to Taemin’s ear.
Taemin shuddered at the closeness of the voice and stopped abruptly in his footsteps. The next thing he knew, he was pulled by the arm into a booth, freeing his body from the crowd and finally being able to have his own personal space.
“Woah! You shouldn’t have stopped just like that.” The same voice sounded but this time, it was coming from slightly above his head.
Taemin frowned to himself. If it wasn’t for the pamphlet that came flying into his face, he wouldn’t have stopped! He was about to reason with the person who grabbed him but when he looked up and met the other’s eyes, he was at a complete loss for words. Now Taemin was shy in nature but that didn’t mean he couldn’t speak to strangers. Yes, it was his habit to laugh nervously or keep conversation at a minimum but he could still manage a simple albeit formal conversation with others. Yet, it was the first time in his life that he felt as if his voice was stolen from him. The reason behind this was simply because he was captivated by the stranger’s eyes and well, actually just everything about him. Everything from the way the stranger’s hair was naturally styled, to his well-defined physique, his towering height and even the charisma he was exuding (whether consciously or not) caught Taemin’s eye. Said stranger was now staring curiously at him and Taemin could feel his cheeks burning red now.
“Say something Taemin, anything you idiot, hurry!” Taemin thought as he frantically searched his mind for something to say.
“Hi.” Taemin managed to croak out after what seemed like enough time for the model-like stranger to have his fair share of checking Taemin out.
An amused expression appeared on the stranger’s face. Much to Taemin’s embarrassment, he remained silent, his eyes never leaving Taemin’s eyes. Think about your most awkward moment in life, well, Taemin’s situation was 10 times more awkward than that! The 18 year old cursed in his mind and decided to just leave to save himself from further embarrassment. He would rather squeeze with the crowd again than allow himself to drown in embarrassment and awkwardness. Without even saying anything else (not that he planned to anyway), Taemin turned and made his way back into the crowd. He only managed to take two steps before he was pulled back by the arm again.
“You really got to stop doing that.” Taemin complained.
When the words came out of his mouth, Taemin himself was shocked that he even managed to string a sentence together. While Taemin relished in the fact that he regained his ability to talk, said stranger laughed and gently released his arm.
“Sorry, my bad. And sorry about the pamphlet too… I wanted to pass it to the guy next to you but you came in between and I couldn’t take my hand back fast enough.”
Taemin shook his head and muttered, “Never mind… did you want something? I mean, you did pull me back after all…”
The stranger didn’t know exactly why he pulled Taemin back (it was just his instinct but he couldn’t possible explain that to a person he hardly knew) so he avoided the question and just laughed again, asking about something he noticed. “Do you not look at people when you speak?”
Taemin widened his eyes. It was only then did he realize his eyes were indeed fixed to the floor. He immediately looked up and found himself getting lost in the stranger’s eyes once again.
Taemin swallowed nervously and forced a smile.“Sorry…”
“Seems like the only thing we’ve been saying to each other is sorry…” The stranger quipped. “How about I introduce myself? I’m Minho, the captain of the university’s football team… and that explains why I have to be here in this booth.”
With a dashing smile (Taemin’s honest opinion), Minho stretched his hand out towards Taemin. Taemin, thankfully, remembered his basic manners and shook the taller boy’s hand.
“I’m Taemin.”
Minho returned the hand shake and released Taemin’s hand (with a bit of hesitation that was instantly covered up). At the same time, he nodded and without even thinking, came straight to the point and asked, “Wanna join the football team?”
Taemin blinked a couple of times before answering, “I, umm, I’m not a sports person… and I’m not even in this university.”
“Oh. I thought you were my junior. So that means you’re still in high school?” Minho probed. He wasn’t one who to initiate conversations much less ask others about private matters but there was something about Taemin that made him want to learn more about the boy.
Taemin rubbed his neck awkwardly. “Yeah but I’ll be graduating this year so I’m looking at the different universities now…”
“I see! Will you be considering our university then?”
With Minho looking at him expectantly, Taemin suddenly found a new direction in life. Call him foolish or rash or whatever, but right now, he knew exactly what he wanted. All he needed was the hopeful look on Minho’s face to help him make his decision.
“No, I’m not considering it.” Taemin paused.
Minho’s face, without him even knowing, turned downcast upon hearing those words.
Taemin, with his new found confidence, took a deep breath and smiled, “I want to get into this university. Hopefully I can!”
Minho’s expression took a 180 degree turn and he was now sharing a smile with Taemin.
“That’s great! I hope you get in too.”
It was hard to believe this since he barely knew Taemin but he sincerely meant what he said.
Taemin’s smile grew wider as he nodded in agreement. Amidst all the buzz that was surrounding them, both Taemin and Minho only had each other in their eyes. One look and they both knew that this was the start of a bond they would both treasure deeply in their lives. Whether it was friendship… or love… they didn’t know what the future would hold but they definitely knew that there was sparks flying between them and neither of them wanted this to be their first and only meeting with each other.
“Do you wanna get a drink?” The request came flowing out of Minho’s mouth before he could stop and think. Afraid that he might come off too strong, he quickly added, “I mean, I could tell you more about uni life and all, perhaps give you some advice… how about that?”
“What about your booth?” Taemin questioned back with a tinge of worry.
“No worries! I’m the captain after all, I don’t think it’ll hurt if I abuse my power once in a while.” Minho smiled and then took the initiative to step out of the booth first and lead the way before Taemin could hesitate further.
“Starbucks?” Minho suggested.
Taemin nodded with a smile that took Minho’s breath away. And with that, the pair squeezed through the crowd and made their way to the door that would lead to treasured memories that would last a lifetime.
Fate truly works in mysterious ways.