[Oneshot] Finding Taemin
Title: Finding Taemin
Length: 3408 words
Genre: Drabble, Fluff
Rating: G
Pairing: OT5, hinted!2min
Disclaimer: I asked Santa to give them to me for Christmas, but NO, they are not mine and I only own the story T_T
Summary: The Shinee members had agreed to spend Christmas together this year, but when Minho arrived home, there was no sign of Taemin. The maknae left a video for the hyungdeuls to watch, and well, their mission before mid-night was to find their beloved maknae.
A/N: Merry Christmas in advance to everyone! (:
F I N D I N G T A E M I N
Minho shivered as the elevator door slid open - it was really chilly since the snow hadn’t stopped raining down and he was half-drenched already even though his dad had kindly dropped him off near the apartment’s entrance. He wanted nothing more than to quickly get into the warmth of the dorm, so taking advantage of his long legs, he took big strides towards the door. He unlocked it hastily and got in without hesitation.
The Shinee members had agreed to spend Christmas together this year, because they felt like they were much closer than before and it would be a pleasant change. They had agreed to buy gifts and exchange them, and before they went to their own homes three days ago they had already decorated the dorm to welcome the Christmas Eve. The current time was four hours to midnight - to Christmas.
“Minho-yah, you made it.” Jonghyun greeted from the couch. Minho grinned before plopping next to the dinosaur-look-a-like hyung. He then noticed that the air was weird and as he looked around, he noticed that the bubbly maknae is not around.
“Where’s Taemin?”
“We don’t know.” Kibum grimaced. “But now that you’re here, I guess we can finally find out.”
Minho then realized that Jinki was holding a DVD disc in his right hand and a piece of paper in his left. The paper says,
“Dearest Hyungdeuls.
Watch this ONLY when all 4 of you are present.
Saranghae, Taeminnie.”
Feeling puzzled, Minho stared at the rest of his hyungs who mirrored his confusion as well. Jinki then placed the DVD into the player and pressed ‘play’.
“Annyeong hasaeyo yorobunnn!” A bright Taemin appeared on the screen, wearing a Santa Claus outfit.
Minho felt a smile stretching on his face automatically. Taemin looked so cute with the fake beards.
“So everyone is here already, right? Good, good. So let’s get this started, shall we? Ppyong!”
Taemin jumped, and then the video was edited such that he arrived somewhere else. He chuckled childishly, “I’m cool, aren’t I? Hehehe. Anyway, now we’re going to play a game before Christmas, okay?”
Taemin then stepped three steps to his right where there was a white board covered with a red cloth. He pulled it down, revealing the title of the game he was about to play with the hyungs; ‘Finding Taemin!’
“I have left one hint somewhere in the living room about where you guys can start searching.” Taemin giggled. “Well the game ends when the clock struck 12, so if you still can’t catch me by then, I will be the winner and the punishment will be as follows.”
Taemin then took out a big piece of mahjong paper with a list of things:
1. Onew hyung to stay away from chickens until New Year
2. Key umma to not go shopping until New Year
3. Jonghyun hyung to clean the dorm everyday until New Year
4. Minho hyung to stop talking to anyone but me until New Year
“Sooooo!” Taemin grinned. “I bet you don’t want to suffer from all these, right? So make sure hyungs can find the clues and win the game, okay? I shall not waste any more of your time… Fighting! Saranghaeee! Ppyong~”
And then the screen blacked out. The older four members stared at the screen, taken aback and dazed.
“Is he nuts?!” Kibum was the first one to snap out of it. “It’s freaking freezing out there?! He wants us to die in cold?!”
“Well, Key, if you don’t want to be refrained from shopping, we need to do this. I’m not cleaning.” Jonghyun gulped. “Besides…”
“I’M NOT STAYING AWAY FROM MAH CHICKENS.” Jinki roared with determination, eyes blazing and determined. “Let’s do this!”
Minho simply kept quiet as he watched his hyungs flailing in despair. In all honesty, he felt that his punishment was not that bad since he still could talk to the maknae even if he had to ignore all his sunbaenims. This just shows that the maknae was feeling jealous and possessive. After all, Minho was his favorite hyung. Heh.
“Oh, okay then.” Kibum gave in. The four of them started looking around the living room - under the sofa - the table - behind the TV - the TV remote - the side of the cupboard-
“Roo, move away - WAIT WHAT ARE YOU EATING?” Jonghyun was about to shoo the dog away when he noticed Roo eating something. He swiftly snatched a piece of photograph away. Roo’s saliva was ruining the corner of it.
Behind the photograph said, Clue 1. It was a photograph of a clear sky.
“He wants us to fly?” Kibum asked sarcastically. “My baby Taeminnie is expecting too much from us. We’re not supermen!”
Minho scratched the back of his head. There are a lot of possibilities of places they could see sky from - outside the apartment, or even through the windows or-
“The rooftop.” Jinki spoke. The other three members looked at him. “That’s taken from SM Building’s rooftop.”
“How do you know, hyung?” Jonghyun asked.
“Well, I’ve spent years practicing singing there, of course I know.” Jinki shrugged, already putting on his jacket and shawl. “Let’s go.”
The four of them headed out of the apartment, walking closely as the chilly night become colder. They took a taxi to the SM building and arrived there in less than twenty minutes later. The receptionist and a few security guards greeted them, saying early Christmas greetings and all.
Jinki twisted the doorknob open and soon they were outside again, at the rooftop. It was still snowing and Kibum started to press himself on Jonghyun just because his teeth started to chatter and the older simply needed some warmth too.
“See? I’m right.” Jinki spoke; a sense of pride could be heard. He smiled goofily before bending down and to take a red colored envelope, which Minho, Kibum and Jonghyun failed to notice.
“L-Let’s r-read i-it ins-side.” Kibum trembled. Minho quickly pulled both Kibum and Jonghyun back into the building, Jinki following them.
Once Minho closed the door, Jinki opened the envelope and read,
“Congratulations on solving your first clue! \(^___^)/
Jinki hyung, remember the times we are always practicing at the rooftop? You are my first vocal teacher and I’m forever grateful to you. I always feel like I’m a lacking maknae but you’re always there to lead me to be a better Taemin. Thank you so much and please continue taking care of me. You always smile happily but I can tell sometimes you’re really tired. If you ever feel like crying, I will lend you my shoulder so just call me! :D You seem to be really busy lately, which is really good because you’re making a lot of money. Kekeke. Please remember to eat properly and rest! Don’t fall sick, okay. Hyung saranghae! <3
Now, next clue will be inside the envelope as well. Hyungdeul Fighting! :D”
Jinki couldn’t help but smile, his heart filled with a gush of affection for the maknae. Of course he did remember. Taemin had a mushroom hair back then, just like during their debut days. He had an innocent cheerful look and he was praising Jinki’s voice when he caught the older male singing in the rooftop. Ah, those days.
“Isn’t this a voucher or some sort?” Minho’s voice broke Jinki’s thoughts. The next clue that they obtained from the envelope was a piece of paper - a brochure. The name of the restaurant was kind of unfamiliar for everyone, but Jonghyun beamed upon reading it.
“I know this place!”
“You do?” The other three gave him a doubtful look.
“Yeah. It’s around three blocks away from here but I guess we can take a taxi down… Since it’s freezing and all.”
“Alright, let’s get going.”
Jonghyun was literally half dragging Kibum along as they walked - the diva was still shivering in cold. Jinki took off his scarf and wrapped in around his neck. Minho offered to lend Kibum his jacket, which the latter refused since Minho would die frozen if he didn’t wear a jacket in that kind of weather.
They got into another cab and Jonghyun was giving the driver directions to the next designated place - the clue.
“What is that place, actually?” Minho asked, curious.
“Uh, it’s a ramyun restaurant.” Jonghyun answered. “I’ll explain later… And we’re here. Let’s go in.”
They paid to the driver, exchanging another ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting before entering the restaurant. The heater was warm and comforting for them. Kibum sighed in relief as he took a seat, his body finally managed to stop shivering.
“Jonghyun-goon, you are here!”
“Ahjussi!” Jonghyun grinned widely, clearly happy to see the man, “It’s been awhile!”
“Yeah, you and Taemin-goon seldom visit us nowadays. But we understand you two are busy making money. And we bought your album too!” the ahjussi laughed. “Yeobo, come see who’s here!”
“Omo, Jonghyun-goon!”
“Ahjumma~”
Minho, Kibum and Jinki blinked, feeling lost as Jonghyun exchanged friendly conversations with the ahjussi and ahjumma. The restaurant was apparently empty - and now that Kibum paid attention, the sign on the door said ‘closed’.
“I almost forget… Meet the members!” Jonghyun then motioned the other three members to come.
“Annyong hasaeyo, we’re shining Shinee!” They all said together.
“Omo, you are all really good looking!” The ahjumma praised. “And I know what is this about… Come here, have a seat.”
The ahjumma led the four of them to sit at the corner of the restaurant. She then told them to wait for a moment before coming back with four bowls of ramyun and a familiar red envelope.
“Taemin-goon came this afternoon and told me to give these to you all. Enjoy your meal. It’s paid already.” The ahjumma winked before walking off.
Kibum eagerly opened the letter.
“See? It’s not that hard, right? Congratulations on solving the second clue! Hyungdeul daebak! :D
It must be really cold to walk outside. I feel bad because I made you all go to the first place so as a token of apology, enjoy the ramyun, ok! It should help warm you even by a bit. :D
Jjong hyung, do you remember this place? During our debut year, whenever we get our pay you’d always drag me here to treat me ramyun. You always scold me for being too skinny and that I should eat more… I’m not that skinny anymore, right hyung? I’m tall and handsome now! Kekeke. We always sit at the corner of the restaurant since we’re afraid to be recognized. Ah, I miss those times! Let’s wear a disguise and come here together again soon, okay? (^__^) Hyung please continue shining like the star above, you are so busy lately. I really love SM Ballad songs! Kekeke. Take care of your throat hyung, because we all love your voice. Jonghyun hyung fighting! Saranghae~ <3
The next clue is in the envelope. Hyungdeuls fighting! \(^O^)/”
“Let’s eat the ramyun first.” Jinki suggested.
The food tasted twice as delicious as they were eating with touched hearts - they never knew their maknae could be this sweet. Kibum and Minho were both curious about what the maknae was up to next - since the first clue was related to Jinki and second was related to Jonghyun (who was now surprisingly quiet but looking really, really in good spirits), so the next clues should be related to either Kibum or Minho.
“It’s one hour and thirty minutes before Christmas.” Kibum announced as he checked his wristwatch. “Aigoo, we won’t be able to welcome the Eve together since Taeminnie isn’t here.”
“Oh well.” Jinki sighed, feeling slightly regretful about that. “Anyway since we’re done eating, let’s take a look at the next clue.”
It was a picture of a night view of Seoul city - the lights from the streets and buildings looking like sea of stars. This picture seemed to be taken from a place quite high up.
Jonghyun noticed how Kibum immediately froze as he saw the clue. He suddenly blushed but cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to hide the fact that he was nervous.
“Do you know this place, Key hyung?” Minho asked as he played with the photograph. Kibum merely nodded and got up the seat, gesturing the rest to follow him. They bid goodbyes to the restaurant owners before hauling a taxi again.
They arrived at a park ten minutes away from their dorm. It had stopped snowing but the air was only slightly less cold.
“It doesn’t look like you can see Seoul city from here.” Jonghyun commented.
“Not here. Come on. You’ll see.” Kibum started to walk, the other three exchanged unsure gazes before following the older rapper.
They strolled by a small path (which none of the three other boys had noticed before even though they had lived in that dorm for around three years and passed by the park probably more than thousand times) leading to a hill behind the park. After around five minutes, Kibum stopped and pointed.
“See?”
The ground there was higher and the view of the nighttime Seoul city from there was beautiful. Although slightly dark and isolated, it was like a perfect ‘getaway’ sanctuary that all the boys had in mind. Minho had never seen something like that before. Jonghyun was amazed and Jinki simply gave a questioning look to Kibum.
“I think you’d understand if we read the letter from Taeminnie.” Kibum said, “I just hope he doesn’t reveal my secret- never mind.”
Jonghyun and Jinki gave weird looks at the diva before turning their attention to Minho, who was now opening the envelope (which previously was placed taped onto a bench nearby).
“Congratulations for solving the clue! You better hurry or you won’t be able to find me before midnight~ Kekeke.
Kibummie umma, thank you for bringing me here when I was really, really depressed before! I remember every time I miss the view of Seoul city from my house’s window… You’d bring me here because the scenery looks similar! I miss my family a lot but because Kibummie umma is always with me and takes care of me very well, I’m always okay and not lonely! I also remember there was once you cried yourself silly here because of a certain sangtae. I’ll beat him up if he ever made you cry again, okay umma? ^_^ Kibummie umma is very pretty especially when you smile, so please continue smiling and be happy always! Saranghae <3
2 more clues and you’ll be able to find me. Fighting! (^_^)V”
“YOU CRIED BECAUSE OF JINKI HYUNG?!” Jonghyun yelled in disbelief. His eyes looked like they were about to jump out of their sockets.
Kibum’s face immediately flushed again.
“S-Shut up, that’s irrelevant. Let’s see the next clue!”
“What did I do, Kibummie?” Jinki demanded, his face looking guilty.
“It’s long ago, hyung, I can’t remember.” Kibum lied.
“But-”
“It’s the park.” Minho cut the conversation, earning a grateful smile from Kibum. “The next place is the park.”
Minho showed the others the next clue - a dried maple leaf. The park would always have lots of maple leaves on the ground during autumn, and all of them remembered how Taemin onced came home bring a bag full of maple leaves declaring he wanted to make them into dried flowers.
They went back to the park where they came from - pace slightly faster as there was only thirty minutes left before midnight and they definitely didn’t want to lose the game. Although really, none of them were thinking about the punishment. Each one of them only wanted to meet Taemin before midnight so they could do a countdown to Christmas Eve together as Shinee.
There were five snowmen built next to the slide - and the four members wondered how they didn’t even notice this when they passed by the park moments ago.
The snowmen somewhat resembled the five Shinee members: The one with a mushroom head (shaped using snow) was obviously Taemin, the one with one-sided hair (formed using snow and grasses) being Kibum (“Oh, he tried to copy your disastrous hair from Lucifer” Jonghyun pointed, “OHFUC-DON’T HIT ME, KEY!”) - the shortest one was obviously Jonghyun (“Maknae is so dead.” Jonghyun scowled), the tallest one Minho (“Hmm, not so bad”). Taemin had cleverly pasted a KFC sticker on one of the snowmen to indicate it was Jinki (who nodded approvingly at this).
Then, on the snow coated ground was a scribbling “Shinee forever” and another envelope beside it.
“It’s close to midnight, isn’t it? So you better hurry because there’s not much time left! Kekeke.
Minho hyung! You know that I love going to the park the most, right? Whenever we go out together, we’ll always drop by this park and just sit on the swings and you always insist on pushing me! I like building castles on the sand and having a snow fight during winter with you. To me, Minho hyung means a lot, like a brother and sometimes more. Kekeke. Thank you for always being there to hold me when I’m lost and catch me when I fall. Don’t ever get injured again, okay? Minho hyung looks very handsome when working hard, but Minnie’s heart breaks whenever hyung is in pain or hurting. So please take a good care of yourself even during filming, okay? And stop hyung-whoring! 0-(>3<)-o Flaming Charisma is the best! Saranghae! <3
Come on, last place! FIGHTING!”
“We have sixteen minutes to twelve! Hurry!” Jonghyun urged.
Minho had wanted to relish the moment a bit longer, because Taemin’s letter had touched his heart deeply (but he did frown a little - he never meant to appear as a hyung-whore, what on earth was Taemin thinking) but he hastily took out the last clue from the envelope.
It was a picture of Taemin sitting in the living room’s sofa with a piece of paper saying, “There’s no place like home”.
As if all four were on the same page, they started running without giving clue or hinting at each other towards their dorm. Their minds telepathically said, “Taemin’s home!”
The apartment was 10 minutes walk from the park, and they managed to somewhat reach the lobby by the seventh minute despite the ground being slippery from the snow. Jinki caught Kibum right before the diva kissed the ground. (“Yah, is Jinki hyung’s sangtae rubbing on you?” “Shut up, dinosaur, just run.”) And Jonghyun was panting really hard from not exercising for quite sometime.
Minho, having the longest pair of legs among the four of them, was of course, the first to reach the front door and unlocked the door. Five minutes to Christmas.
“Taeminnie?” Minho called, the other three entering behind him. Creeping in the darkness, Jonghyun’s hand finally found the light switched and flicked it.
“HOHOHOHOHO!!!!!!” A very excited Taemin dressed in santa suit jumped out and popped a party popper, startling the hyungs.
“Omo!”
“OHMYGOD!”
“OHMYCHICKEN!”
“…!!!”
Taemin laughed heartily at the sight of his four hyungs patting their chests to calm down. “Congratulations for finding ME! You guys won the game… Yay~!”
Somehow, Taemin was the only one who was laughing, so he stopped and glanced at the hyungs. They were staring at him, hands still on their chests, and Taemin suddenly felt nervous.
“Um… You didn’t like it?” Taemin bit his lower lip. “I thought it’d be more meaningful to spend Christmas Eve doing a special event or some-OMPH!“
Kibum was the one who jumped on Taemin, literally hugging him tightly. Taemin swayed backwards with the diva still clinging onto him.
“You’re the best, Tae.”
Soon Jinki let out his usual angelic laughter and joined in the hug. Jonghyun grinned widely and ruffled Taemin’s hair before hugging the three of them as well. Minho was the last to join in, but since he was the tallest (and has the longest hands among the five of them), he managed to somehow include everyone in the hug.
“Love you, Tae.” Was whispered - Taemin couldn’t tell who it was but he was grinning anyway.
“I love you all too, hyungs.”
There was a beep coming from the digital clock signaling that it was 12 mid-night. They still had to exchange presents and enjoy the party, but since none of them made any move to break the hug, Taemin simply closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth from all his hyungs. This feels real and they are a family.
“Merry Christmas.”
Length: 3408 words
Genre: Drabble, Fluff
Rating: G
Pairing: OT5, hinted!2min
Disclaimer: I asked Santa to give them to me for Christmas, but NO, they are not mine and I only own the story T_T
Summary: The Shinee members had agreed to spend Christmas together this year, but when Minho arrived home, there was no sign of Taemin. The maknae left a video for the hyungdeuls to watch, and well, their mission before mid-night was to find their beloved maknae.
A/N: Merry Christmas in advance to everyone! (:
F I N D I N G T A E M I N
Minho shivered as the elevator door slid open - it was really chilly since the snow hadn’t stopped raining down and he was half-drenched already even though his dad had kindly dropped him off near the apartment’s entrance. He wanted nothing more than to quickly get into the warmth of the dorm, so taking advantage of his long legs, he took big strides towards the door. He unlocked it hastily and got in without hesitation.
The Shinee members had agreed to spend Christmas together this year, because they felt like they were much closer than before and it would be a pleasant change. They had agreed to buy gifts and exchange them, and before they went to their own homes three days ago they had already decorated the dorm to welcome the Christmas Eve. The current time was four hours to midnight - to Christmas.
“Minho-yah, you made it.” Jonghyun greeted from the couch. Minho grinned before plopping next to the dinosaur-look-a-like hyung. He then noticed that the air was weird and as he looked around, he noticed that the bubbly maknae is not around.
“Where’s Taemin?”
“We don’t know.” Kibum grimaced. “But now that you’re here, I guess we can finally find out.”
Minho then realized that Jinki was holding a DVD disc in his right hand and a piece of paper in his left. The paper says,
“Dearest Hyungdeuls.
Watch this ONLY when all 4 of you are present.
Saranghae, Taeminnie.”
Feeling puzzled, Minho stared at the rest of his hyungs who mirrored his confusion as well. Jinki then placed the DVD into the player and pressed ‘play’.
“Annyeong hasaeyo yorobunnn!” A bright Taemin appeared on the screen, wearing a Santa Claus outfit.
Minho felt a smile stretching on his face automatically. Taemin looked so cute with the fake beards.
“So everyone is here already, right? Good, good. So let’s get this started, shall we? Ppyong!”
Taemin jumped, and then the video was edited such that he arrived somewhere else. He chuckled childishly, “I’m cool, aren’t I? Hehehe. Anyway, now we’re going to play a game before Christmas, okay?”
Taemin then stepped three steps to his right where there was a white board covered with a red cloth. He pulled it down, revealing the title of the game he was about to play with the hyungs; ‘Finding Taemin!’
“I have left one hint somewhere in the living room about where you guys can start searching.” Taemin giggled. “Well the game ends when the clock struck 12, so if you still can’t catch me by then, I will be the winner and the punishment will be as follows.”
Taemin then took out a big piece of mahjong paper with a list of things:
1. Onew hyung to stay away from chickens until New Year
2. Key umma to not go shopping until New Year
3. Jonghyun hyung to clean the dorm everyday until New Year
4. Minho hyung to stop talking to anyone but me until New Year
“Sooooo!” Taemin grinned. “I bet you don’t want to suffer from all these, right? So make sure hyungs can find the clues and win the game, okay? I shall not waste any more of your time… Fighting! Saranghaeee! Ppyong~”
And then the screen blacked out. The older four members stared at the screen, taken aback and dazed.
“Is he nuts?!” Kibum was the first one to snap out of it. “It’s freaking freezing out there?! He wants us to die in cold?!”
“Well, Key, if you don’t want to be refrained from shopping, we need to do this. I’m not cleaning.” Jonghyun gulped. “Besides…”
“I’M NOT STAYING AWAY FROM MAH CHICKENS.” Jinki roared with determination, eyes blazing and determined. “Let’s do this!”
Minho simply kept quiet as he watched his hyungs flailing in despair. In all honesty, he felt that his punishment was not that bad since he still could talk to the maknae even if he had to ignore all his sunbaenims. This just shows that the maknae was feeling jealous and possessive. After all, Minho was his favorite hyung. Heh.
“Oh, okay then.” Kibum gave in. The four of them started looking around the living room - under the sofa - the table - behind the TV - the TV remote - the side of the cupboard-
“Roo, move away - WAIT WHAT ARE YOU EATING?” Jonghyun was about to shoo the dog away when he noticed Roo eating something. He swiftly snatched a piece of photograph away. Roo’s saliva was ruining the corner of it.
Behind the photograph said, Clue 1. It was a photograph of a clear sky.
“He wants us to fly?” Kibum asked sarcastically. “My baby Taeminnie is expecting too much from us. We’re not supermen!”
Minho scratched the back of his head. There are a lot of possibilities of places they could see sky from - outside the apartment, or even through the windows or-
“The rooftop.” Jinki spoke. The other three members looked at him. “That’s taken from SM Building’s rooftop.”
“How do you know, hyung?” Jonghyun asked.
“Well, I’ve spent years practicing singing there, of course I know.” Jinki shrugged, already putting on his jacket and shawl. “Let’s go.”
The four of them headed out of the apartment, walking closely as the chilly night become colder. They took a taxi to the SM building and arrived there in less than twenty minutes later. The receptionist and a few security guards greeted them, saying early Christmas greetings and all.
Jinki twisted the doorknob open and soon they were outside again, at the rooftop. It was still snowing and Kibum started to press himself on Jonghyun just because his teeth started to chatter and the older simply needed some warmth too.
“See? I’m right.” Jinki spoke; a sense of pride could be heard. He smiled goofily before bending down and to take a red colored envelope, which Minho, Kibum and Jonghyun failed to notice.
“L-Let’s r-read i-it ins-side.” Kibum trembled. Minho quickly pulled both Kibum and Jonghyun back into the building, Jinki following them.
Once Minho closed the door, Jinki opened the envelope and read,
“Congratulations on solving your first clue! \(^___^)/
Jinki hyung, remember the times we are always practicing at the rooftop? You are my first vocal teacher and I’m forever grateful to you. I always feel like I’m a lacking maknae but you’re always there to lead me to be a better Taemin. Thank you so much and please continue taking care of me. You always smile happily but I can tell sometimes you’re really tired. If you ever feel like crying, I will lend you my shoulder so just call me! :D You seem to be really busy lately, which is really good because you’re making a lot of money. Kekeke. Please remember to eat properly and rest! Don’t fall sick, okay. Hyung saranghae! <3
Now, next clue will be inside the envelope as well. Hyungdeul Fighting! :D”
Jinki couldn’t help but smile, his heart filled with a gush of affection for the maknae. Of course he did remember. Taemin had a mushroom hair back then, just like during their debut days. He had an innocent cheerful look and he was praising Jinki’s voice when he caught the older male singing in the rooftop. Ah, those days.
“Isn’t this a voucher or some sort?” Minho’s voice broke Jinki’s thoughts. The next clue that they obtained from the envelope was a piece of paper - a brochure. The name of the restaurant was kind of unfamiliar for everyone, but Jonghyun beamed upon reading it.
“I know this place!”
“You do?” The other three gave him a doubtful look.
“Yeah. It’s around three blocks away from here but I guess we can take a taxi down… Since it’s freezing and all.”
“Alright, let’s get going.”
Jonghyun was literally half dragging Kibum along as they walked - the diva was still shivering in cold. Jinki took off his scarf and wrapped in around his neck. Minho offered to lend Kibum his jacket, which the latter refused since Minho would die frozen if he didn’t wear a jacket in that kind of weather.
They got into another cab and Jonghyun was giving the driver directions to the next designated place - the clue.
“What is that place, actually?” Minho asked, curious.
“Uh, it’s a ramyun restaurant.” Jonghyun answered. “I’ll explain later… And we’re here. Let’s go in.”
They paid to the driver, exchanging another ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting before entering the restaurant. The heater was warm and comforting for them. Kibum sighed in relief as he took a seat, his body finally managed to stop shivering.
“Jonghyun-goon, you are here!”
“Ahjussi!” Jonghyun grinned widely, clearly happy to see the man, “It’s been awhile!”
“Yeah, you and Taemin-goon seldom visit us nowadays. But we understand you two are busy making money. And we bought your album too!” the ahjussi laughed. “Yeobo, come see who’s here!”
“Omo, Jonghyun-goon!”
“Ahjumma~”
Minho, Kibum and Jinki blinked, feeling lost as Jonghyun exchanged friendly conversations with the ahjussi and ahjumma. The restaurant was apparently empty - and now that Kibum paid attention, the sign on the door said ‘closed’.
“I almost forget… Meet the members!” Jonghyun then motioned the other three members to come.
“Annyong hasaeyo, we’re shining Shinee!” They all said together.
“Omo, you are all really good looking!” The ahjumma praised. “And I know what is this about… Come here, have a seat.”
The ahjumma led the four of them to sit at the corner of the restaurant. She then told them to wait for a moment before coming back with four bowls of ramyun and a familiar red envelope.
“Taemin-goon came this afternoon and told me to give these to you all. Enjoy your meal. It’s paid already.” The ahjumma winked before walking off.
Kibum eagerly opened the letter.
“See? It’s not that hard, right? Congratulations on solving the second clue! Hyungdeul daebak! :D
It must be really cold to walk outside. I feel bad because I made you all go to the first place so as a token of apology, enjoy the ramyun, ok! It should help warm you even by a bit. :D
Jjong hyung, do you remember this place? During our debut year, whenever we get our pay you’d always drag me here to treat me ramyun. You always scold me for being too skinny and that I should eat more… I’m not that skinny anymore, right hyung? I’m tall and handsome now! Kekeke. We always sit at the corner of the restaurant since we’re afraid to be recognized. Ah, I miss those times! Let’s wear a disguise and come here together again soon, okay? (^__^) Hyung please continue shining like the star above, you are so busy lately. I really love SM Ballad songs! Kekeke. Take care of your throat hyung, because we all love your voice. Jonghyun hyung fighting! Saranghae~ <3
The next clue is in the envelope. Hyungdeuls fighting! \(^O^)/”
“Let’s eat the ramyun first.” Jinki suggested.
The food tasted twice as delicious as they were eating with touched hearts - they never knew their maknae could be this sweet. Kibum and Minho were both curious about what the maknae was up to next - since the first clue was related to Jinki and second was related to Jonghyun (who was now surprisingly quiet but looking really, really in good spirits), so the next clues should be related to either Kibum or Minho.
“It’s one hour and thirty minutes before Christmas.” Kibum announced as he checked his wristwatch. “Aigoo, we won’t be able to welcome the Eve together since Taeminnie isn’t here.”
“Oh well.” Jinki sighed, feeling slightly regretful about that. “Anyway since we’re done eating, let’s take a look at the next clue.”
It was a picture of a night view of Seoul city - the lights from the streets and buildings looking like sea of stars. This picture seemed to be taken from a place quite high up.
Jonghyun noticed how Kibum immediately froze as he saw the clue. He suddenly blushed but cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to hide the fact that he was nervous.
“Do you know this place, Key hyung?” Minho asked as he played with the photograph. Kibum merely nodded and got up the seat, gesturing the rest to follow him. They bid goodbyes to the restaurant owners before hauling a taxi again.
They arrived at a park ten minutes away from their dorm. It had stopped snowing but the air was only slightly less cold.
“It doesn’t look like you can see Seoul city from here.” Jonghyun commented.
“Not here. Come on. You’ll see.” Kibum started to walk, the other three exchanged unsure gazes before following the older rapper.
They strolled by a small path (which none of the three other boys had noticed before even though they had lived in that dorm for around three years and passed by the park probably more than thousand times) leading to a hill behind the park. After around five minutes, Kibum stopped and pointed.
“See?”
The ground there was higher and the view of the nighttime Seoul city from there was beautiful. Although slightly dark and isolated, it was like a perfect ‘getaway’ sanctuary that all the boys had in mind. Minho had never seen something like that before. Jonghyun was amazed and Jinki simply gave a questioning look to Kibum.
“I think you’d understand if we read the letter from Taeminnie.” Kibum said, “I just hope he doesn’t reveal my secret- never mind.”
Jonghyun and Jinki gave weird looks at the diva before turning their attention to Minho, who was now opening the envelope (which previously was placed taped onto a bench nearby).
“Congratulations for solving the clue! You better hurry or you won’t be able to find me before midnight~ Kekeke.
Kibummie umma, thank you for bringing me here when I was really, really depressed before! I remember every time I miss the view of Seoul city from my house’s window… You’d bring me here because the scenery looks similar! I miss my family a lot but because Kibummie umma is always with me and takes care of me very well, I’m always okay and not lonely! I also remember there was once you cried yourself silly here because of a certain sangtae. I’ll beat him up if he ever made you cry again, okay umma? ^_^ Kibummie umma is very pretty especially when you smile, so please continue smiling and be happy always! Saranghae <3
2 more clues and you’ll be able to find me. Fighting! (^_^)V”
“YOU CRIED BECAUSE OF JINKI HYUNG?!” Jonghyun yelled in disbelief. His eyes looked like they were about to jump out of their sockets.
Kibum’s face immediately flushed again.
“S-Shut up, that’s irrelevant. Let’s see the next clue!”
“What did I do, Kibummie?” Jinki demanded, his face looking guilty.
“It’s long ago, hyung, I can’t remember.” Kibum lied.
“But-”
“It’s the park.” Minho cut the conversation, earning a grateful smile from Kibum. “The next place is the park.”
Minho showed the others the next clue - a dried maple leaf. The park would always have lots of maple leaves on the ground during autumn, and all of them remembered how Taemin onced came home bring a bag full of maple leaves declaring he wanted to make them into dried flowers.
They went back to the park where they came from - pace slightly faster as there was only thirty minutes left before midnight and they definitely didn’t want to lose the game. Although really, none of them were thinking about the punishment. Each one of them only wanted to meet Taemin before midnight so they could do a countdown to Christmas Eve together as Shinee.
There were five snowmen built next to the slide - and the four members wondered how they didn’t even notice this when they passed by the park moments ago.
The snowmen somewhat resembled the five Shinee members: The one with a mushroom head (shaped using snow) was obviously Taemin, the one with one-sided hair (formed using snow and grasses) being Kibum (“Oh, he tried to copy your disastrous hair from Lucifer” Jonghyun pointed, “OHFUC-DON’T HIT ME, KEY!”) - the shortest one was obviously Jonghyun (“Maknae is so dead.” Jonghyun scowled), the tallest one Minho (“Hmm, not so bad”). Taemin had cleverly pasted a KFC sticker on one of the snowmen to indicate it was Jinki (who nodded approvingly at this).
Then, on the snow coated ground was a scribbling “Shinee forever” and another envelope beside it.
“It’s close to midnight, isn’t it? So you better hurry because there’s not much time left! Kekeke.
Minho hyung! You know that I love going to the park the most, right? Whenever we go out together, we’ll always drop by this park and just sit on the swings and you always insist on pushing me! I like building castles on the sand and having a snow fight during winter with you. To me, Minho hyung means a lot, like a brother and sometimes more. Kekeke. Thank you for always being there to hold me when I’m lost and catch me when I fall. Don’t ever get injured again, okay? Minho hyung looks very handsome when working hard, but Minnie’s heart breaks whenever hyung is in pain or hurting. So please take a good care of yourself even during filming, okay? And stop hyung-whoring! 0-(>3<)-o Flaming Charisma is the best! Saranghae! <3
Come on, last place! FIGHTING!”
“We have sixteen minutes to twelve! Hurry!” Jonghyun urged.
Minho had wanted to relish the moment a bit longer, because Taemin’s letter had touched his heart deeply (but he did frown a little - he never meant to appear as a hyung-whore, what on earth was Taemin thinking) but he hastily took out the last clue from the envelope.
It was a picture of Taemin sitting in the living room’s sofa with a piece of paper saying, “There’s no place like home”.
As if all four were on the same page, they started running without giving clue or hinting at each other towards their dorm. Their minds telepathically said, “Taemin’s home!”
The apartment was 10 minutes walk from the park, and they managed to somewhat reach the lobby by the seventh minute despite the ground being slippery from the snow. Jinki caught Kibum right before the diva kissed the ground. (“Yah, is Jinki hyung’s sangtae rubbing on you?” “Shut up, dinosaur, just run.”) And Jonghyun was panting really hard from not exercising for quite sometime.
Minho, having the longest pair of legs among the four of them, was of course, the first to reach the front door and unlocked the door. Five minutes to Christmas.
“Taeminnie?” Minho called, the other three entering behind him. Creeping in the darkness, Jonghyun’s hand finally found the light switched and flicked it.
“HOHOHOHOHO!!!!!!” A very excited Taemin dressed in santa suit jumped out and popped a party popper, startling the hyungs.
“Omo!”
“OHMYGOD!”
“OHMYCHICKEN!”
“…!!!”
Taemin laughed heartily at the sight of his four hyungs patting their chests to calm down. “Congratulations for finding ME! You guys won the game… Yay~!”
Somehow, Taemin was the only one who was laughing, so he stopped and glanced at the hyungs. They were staring at him, hands still on their chests, and Taemin suddenly felt nervous.
“Um… You didn’t like it?” Taemin bit his lower lip. “I thought it’d be more meaningful to spend Christmas Eve doing a special event or some-OMPH!“
Kibum was the one who jumped on Taemin, literally hugging him tightly. Taemin swayed backwards with the diva still clinging onto him.
“You’re the best, Tae.”
Soon Jinki let out his usual angelic laughter and joined in the hug. Jonghyun grinned widely and ruffled Taemin’s hair before hugging the three of them as well. Minho was the last to join in, but since he was the tallest (and has the longest hands among the five of them), he managed to somehow include everyone in the hug.
“Love you, Tae.” Was whispered - Taemin couldn’t tell who it was but he was grinning anyway.
“I love you all too, hyungs.”
There was a beep coming from the digital clock signaling that it was 12 mid-night. They still had to exchange presents and enjoy the party, but since none of them made any move to break the hug, Taemin simply closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth from all his hyungs. This feels real and they are a family.
“Merry Christmas.”