SHINee Duets 2012: justangel & twenty3eleven (Part Two)
Part One
Outside, Jonghyun’s mouth hung open as he watched his otherwise calm and shy cousin’s surprising display of anger. He turned towards Minho, who looked almost as dazed.
“What did I do wrong?”
Minho simply shrugged, speechless. But in his mind, he could roughly pinpoint the cause of Taemin’s sudden outburst. Right there on the pavement, he began to fix the puzzle piece by piece.
Slowly, he was starting to understand why the second youngest son of the Lee household seemed so tired all the time.
The project Yunho worked on with the help of Taemin’s ended successfully and it did not take long for the latter to have his share of limelight of being ‘the boy behind Yunho’s success’.
Students began to notice his presence and greet him in the hallway, to which Taemin greeted them back politely with a smile. In a way, Yunho had opened up an opportunity for him to be something more than a typical wallflower, even though humble Taemin still kept a low profile. School was turning out to be more tolerable for him, as he basked in this new and warm atmosphere. He was very much thankful towards Yunho.
Taemin’s little crush, however, ended up with a crash and burn. He was hurt, but learnt well not to dwell on the past. Besides, he had already come to a realization, that Yunho came from a significantly different world than his, and Taemin knew long ago that they could never be more than that.
Summer enveloped the city with its strong heat wave, which was reported to have killed several people throughout the country.
Back in the Lee household, Taemin was enjoying his school break, hogging the shadiest spot at the front porch of the house and lazing around all day. Other than the regular club meeting, during which he was required to attend his regular library duty, Taemin had nothing particular to do. The insufficient money in his wallet also deterred him from heading somewhere and having fun with his friends.
As for the rest of the family, well they were luckier.
Sunny was offered an intern job through the University Career Center, and was away for two nights of member training (MT).
Jonghyun returned to his hometown and helped his aunt and uncle (who were distant to Taemin’s family) run their beachside restaurant that was overflowing with vacationing teenagers.
Dongho was the luckiest in the family - he was tagged along in a vacation with his friend’s family.
The remaining members of the family were Taemin, Jinki and their father who was busy working and was seldom at home. And even if Jinki was home, Taemin rarely saw him. If he was not studying for his university entrance exam, Jinki would be spending time with Kibum.
If it weren’t for Minho, the long monotonous vacation would be something unbearable for Taemin.
Minho.
Taemin’s lips instinctively curved into a smile upon the thought of the older boy.
Minho had been kind enough to drop by every so often, with him being confined within the city due to the strict schedule of football club practice. Both Taemin and Minho ended up spending several hours together in most of the evenings.
They would sit behind the garage on a worn-out couch-the one Taemin’s dad had thrown out-sheltered from prying eyes from inside the house, where Taemin would steal a smoke and Minho stared at him scornfully. They spent the hours immersed in casual talk.
Minho was being considerate enough not to touch the subject of Yunho after Taemin’s disclosure about his heartbreak. This went on, until Taemin was called inside to help with the house chores or Minho was needed to tend to his other matters.
“Here you go, Taemin-ah,” Sunny placed a plate of pancakes in front of Taemin before sitting down on the chair adjacent to his.
That day was a Sunday - family day. Apparently, Taemin was the last in the household to get out of bed. Whilst everyone had finished with their breakfast, Taemin went down the stairs with sleep still clouding his eyes and mind.
Sunny knew something was bothering Taemin these days - her innate ‘maternal’ instincts was bugging her day and night to confront the younger. However, she decided to step back and keep a close watch on him first. Teenagers, she thought, they needed their own space to ponder too.
With half lidded eyes and a mussed up hair, he smiled faintly at his sister before poking the food with his fork. His actions were slow and almost a little draggy, which was not his usual self, as Taemin was silently scrutinised under Sunny’s eye.
“Taemin-ah,” Sunny began to break the thickening tension between them as she watched her brother. “Your birthday is coming in a few days’ time. Do you want to do anything special on that day?”
Taemin did not respond.
“Well, I was thinking of a birthday party. The others were fine with the idea. We can invite your friends and classmates over.”
Taemin glanced over at his eldest sister, expressionless. Sunny was not quite sure if he was bored with the idea of a mundane party, or was he just not entirely awake yet.
“I can cook a huge sumptuous meal for everyone!” Sunny raised her hands high up into the air, waving them excitedly with a huge smile on her face.
It amused Taemin that she was more excited about his birthday than he was.
“Anything will do, Noona.” Taemin replied with a grin as he chewed on the piece of pancake.
“That’s it then!” Sunny jumped out of her seat, surprising her brother at the same time.
“We’re having a birthday party!” She announced loudly to the entire house, as if the rest of the household were hiding behind closed doors or couches awaiting the breaking news.
“We’re going to have a party for Taemin!”
Taemin chuckled to himself, as he watched her retreating back entering the kitchen. For a moment, warmth seeped and occupied his insides as he was touched by his family and at the same time, greatly amused by his sister’s blithe. However, it died down upon an image flashing into his mind.
Inevitable poison, he thought to himself. He was inevitable poison.
As soon as the last ray of the setting run settled behind the dusky clouds, the Lee household was alive and kicking to celebrate Taemin’s birthday. It was chaos the moment the invited guests, including Taemin’s classmates and friends, and his siblings’ close friends passed through the doors and filled the house with overzealous energy.
Sunny was busying herself in the kitchen, along with Kibum who were trying their best to send out starters and cookies to the hungry guests outside. Jinki and Jonghyun however, helped out around the house a little, to ensure that the situation was under control and nothing got out of hand.
Dongho, being the youngest, continued to play video games with his close friends in his and Taemin’s shared room, despite his elder brother’s birthday. Well, it was not like he was needed anyways. He was much comfortable to be hanging around his friends and the occasion was another reason to invite them over.
Despite the loud pumping music of Jonghyun’s mixed records playing through the stereo and the lively atmosphere, the birthday boy was not moved by any of it. He would stand by the living room entrance, embracing all the birthday messages and presents the guests had brought. Dressed rather casually than expected - a red and blue button down long sleeve shirt with camel brown skinny jeans and sneakers, Taemin was all smiles when he made small talk with his classmates and friends.
However, to Minho, behind that fake smile hid something confused and… hollow.
He had been sneaking glances at the boy ever since the party started. The chocolate irises of his eyes were lifeless. The tiredness was even reflected in his facial expressions when he turned away from people; the dark crescents seated below his eyes and face seemed paler than usual despite the milky whiteness of his skin.
He was not happy, Minho concluded to himself, sipping his soda while still maintaining his gaze on Taemin. His heart tugged at the sight of someone he liked looking so blue on his special day. It pained him to see how a grand birthday party such as this could not even alleviate the sadness that Taemin had been facing all this while.
At that moment, Minho had the unfathomable urge to approach the boy and comfort him, throwing jokes that seemed lame for others but never failed to rouse Taemin’s cackle, or basically do anything to see him smile genuinely.
But then again, Minho did not wish to disturb the little bubble Taemin had built around him for the past few days to protect himself from any more damage. Right now, his emotions were simmering underneath the rocks. A little prodding would cause them to blow, like a volcano.
What was he to do, Minho was not sure. He never thought that he had to stand amongst the crowd, fighting an inner battle within himself in such an energtic atmosphere. He was sure that Taemin was fighting a similar battle within himself too.
“Taemin”
Minho called out from behind the younger boy. Taemin was sitting on the couch behind the garage, looking as solemn as the black night, with a cigarette hanging loosely between those plush lips-those which, under the minimal light, looked endearingly inviting. Almost embarrassedly, Minho dismissed the thought and flopped down next to the birthday boy.
“Hi there,” Taemin grinned at taller male, before automatically dropped the cigarette to the ground and crushed the stub under the soles of his shoes. Minho’s eyes travelled back to the plump lips as he watched a quick swipe of the pink tongue licking the bottom lip for some aftertaste. “Having fun?”
“Shouldn’t you be inside? It’s your night after all.”
Taemin snorted. “Come on hyung, the last thing I saw before I went out was my great-aunt dancing her arirang dance with one of my classmates in a drunken state. Poor dude, I hope he won’t give me a hard time when school begins.”
“Well, it’s a little cramped inside.” Minho leaned back against the couch.
“By the way, where’s your girlfriend?” Taemin asked, turning towards the older boy.
“Taemin,” Minho chuckled nervously. “I couldn’t bring her here.”
“You’re right. This place is practically a mess. Of course you wouldn’t bring her.” Taemin’s shoulder sank; the balls of his covered feet digging into the hard soil.
“Eh, it’s nothing like that!” Minho quickly replied, almost defensively. “Taemin, haven’t you heard? I broke up with her a couple of weeks ago.”
“Seriously? What happened?” Taemin’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Well…Yuri-noona said that no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t feel any connection with me. I mean…” Minho shrugged. “It’s understandable, considering her wealthy background and everything.”
Taemin looked down onto his lap, with his head somewhat hung in an apologetic manner. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know.”
Minho noticed the guilty tone in Taemin’s voice, and smiled reassuringly. “It’s for the best, really. Somehow, in the middle of everything, I just realized that being with her was different than the image I had in mind. I had high expectations, and it probably put a burden on her.”
“Wow…you’re amazingly level headed, huh?”
“What can I say?” Minho feigned a smug expression. “I’m good.”
Taemin rolled his eyes and gave the older man a light and playful punch on his shoulder. Silence fell over them shortly after that, until a moment when Minho spoke once again.
“Tell me, do you really hate your family?” Minho asked. “I mean, you have a very fun and lively bunch of people as your family and I really envy you for that. But you seem to build a barrier around you, and I do know that sometimes Sunny-noona and Jinki-hyung are just desperate to reach out for you.”
Taemin’s smile instantly fell, as he sighed long and heavy. He looked up onto the velvet blanket, already dotted with tiny diamonds called stars. “I don’t hate them, really. Like you said, they’re really nice and caring, but sometimes I just want to be left alone-you know, to think…”
…and it was when Taemin had the urge to tell Minho about his secret. There was something in the air around them that night that awakened the need to share the innermost details of his emotions - those he had bottled inside. Yet, there was this nagging fear of rejection and disappointment - the one he had experienced once with Yunho.
In the end, however, as Taemin glanced towards to the side and stared into the pair of round, deep-brown eyes, he finally made up his mind.
“If I tell you something, will you promise me, and solemnly swear that you won’t laugh or tell another soul about it?” Taemin asked apprehensively.
“I won’t. I promise.” Minho’s answer was nothing but sure.
“Well, this probably sounds silly but…in times when I feel like I need to be alone I’d crawl into the closet in my room. There’s this hidden space, and I will stay there, sometimes for hours.”
Taemin unconsciously held his breath as he finished, preparing himself for a bout of laughter from the older boy, just like what Yunho did. He did not expect Minho to smile and gently patted his back.
“It’s not silly at all. I think it’s cool that you could find such a place in your house. I live in an apartment so most likely I won’t find such interesting place there. But you know…I have my own fortress too!”
“Really?” Taemin’s eyes widened again. Glittering excitement was clearly seen in his eyes.
Minho nodded. “You see, during my first year in high school, I discovered that the lock on the door that leads to the rooftop of my apartment building was broken. Someone probably jimmied the key, and the building maintenance workers never bothered to replace it. Out of curiosity, I snuck out during the dawn to avoid any encounter with the other residents, and it was when I discovered the perfect place to spend some time being alone.”
“Wow…” Taemin didn’t realize that he was holding his breath. “That sounds great!”
“It is!” Minho’s voice was full of pride. “The view was spectacular at any time of day. You can see the city’s skyline from the distane, which is almost magical at night, as well as both at sunrise and sunset. You should come and see it some time.”
“Well,” Taemin suddenly had an idea. “How about now?”
Minho looked amused. “Right now? For real? I mean-we’re having your birthday party here!”
“Aww, come on hyung! You know that those people could go on partying even without my presence!”
“Alright, if that’s what you want.” Minho laughed heartily as he stood up. “It’s your birthday anyway, your wish is my command…sort of.”
They walked back into the house while still conversing in whispers, and came into the kitchen through the back door. Some of the Lee siblings were standing around the kitchen table, and busy pouring drinks into plastic cups (Jonghyun was trying his best to lace the drink with his supply of alcohol behind Sunny’s back). All of them looked up at the rustling sound of the old shingles, and was surprised to see Taemin and Minho together.
“Where have you been? Dad was asking for you.” Sunny said.
“Out.” Taemin shrugged. “It’s too hot inside. Anyway, listen noona-I’m going out. Please don’t tell dad that I’m abandoning the party, okay? I don’t want to look like I’m not appreciating his effort but I need to be somewhere else.”
“Well, if you must…” Sunny stared at her brother in confusion. “Just don’t come home too late or dad will find out, okay?”
Taemin nodded thankfully and went up to his room to take his jacket. The room he shared with Dongho was packed with middle-schoolers; some were sitting on Taemin’s nicely kept bed and messing up his sheets.
Taemin, however, could not care less. He simply grabbed his jacket, boldly combed his hair under his brother’s dirty stare (Dongho could tell that Taemin was planning to sneak out and he did not like the idea), before exiting the room.
Downstairs, Minho was nowhere in the kitchen. Taemin poked his head into the living room and saw-in the epicenter of the crowd- a high-spirited Minho, handsome and young, dancing along to the late 80s music with Taemin’s obviously drunk great-aunt.
He twirled and swayed along with the plump old woman, not a single reluctance etched on his face (even when the great-aunt ever so boldly pulled him down and planted a loud peck on his cheek). Taemin stood leaning against the wall, watching with amusement how the couple stirred up the crowd in the middle of the living room. It was until Minho’s eyes caught him, and the older boy dismissed himself with a deep and respectful bow towards the great-aunt and the crowd.
“Are we ready to go?” Minho asked joyfully; the wide and flashy smile he wore during the little dance still plastered on his face.
“Shouldn’t I ask you that? I robbed you off your path to fame, you know…”
“Oh you…” Minho laughed before head-locking Taemin under his arm all the way to the kitchen. Taemin was shrieking and yelping; bony fingers trying to escape. He was obviously not used to being in that position until Minho abruptly pulled away.
The birthday boy looked up warily and noticed that his family members (and a famiy member’s boyfriend) were staring at the pair with questioning looks.
“So…let me get this straight.” Jonghyun put down the plastic cup in his hand and approached them with slow and gentle steps, putting on his well-used interrogator persona. “You said you were leaving. Are you leaving together with Minho?”
“Umm…yeah?” Taemin could not hide the seeming blush searing his cheeks.
“So…are you two finally going out?” Jonghyun eyed them suspiciously. It did not help that his annoying and piercing stare, combined with the other pairs of eyes standing two feet away were latched onto their faces, waiting for a definite answer.
It was weird how the question that used to annoy Taemin so much had turned into a rather pleasant one - one which he could actually, bring himself to answer.
Taemin glanced at the taller boy by his side, whose hand was still resting on his shoulder, meeting in an eye contact. Taemin could feel his heart leapt as he saw nothing but Minho’s obvious answer playing on the curve of his lips, and he began to think.
How long have I liked him and not realizing it? He’s perfect-he knows how to talk to me, our minds work on the same wavelength, and he definitely belongs to the same world as me. Besides, my family loves him, and it’s sure as hell mutual!
“Are we going out, Taeminnie?” Minho asked in the end, when Taemin seemed unable to make up his mind. The awkward and heavy silence distancing between them and the rest was indeed uncomfortable to Taemin, but in the end, the light tones in Minho’s voice drew a smile on Taemin’s lips.
“How should we answer that?” Taemin maintained his gaze onto Minho’s.
A wicked (and brilliant) idea appeared in his mind. Swiftly mustering up courage, Taemin boldly pull Minho’s head down and pressed their lips together in a kiss. It was brief, almost like a peck, but it had very well, served its purpose.
When he pulled away, Minho’s expression was of surprise, with delight soon swirling in his features. The widened, almost frog-like eyes caused Taemin to giggle silently behind the back of his hand. They sparkled ever so brightly as Taemin, still in his newfound courage, took his hand and laced their fingers gently together.
“I don’t know…” Taemin smiled. “I guess so.”
-fin-