The Secrets We Keep - Taekai

the one with the truth

Taemin was nowhere near excited to see Kibum enlist in the army. He knew it was a fact of their lives, all of them would have to serve in the military eventually - Minho would only be a couple months behind Key as it was.

But it meant one less person for Taemin to lean on. Sure he could still talk to Key and even see him sometimes while he was in the army, but it wouldn't be as easy as it was now.

"Lighten up some, Taem. You look like you're the one enlisting today." Key said, nudging his arm with an elbow.

"You're not scared? Or worried? Or even upset about it in any way?"

Kibum shrugged, "It's something we all have to do, Taemin. It's inevitable. It's like going to school, or getting a job. It's two years and then I'll be back out. Why get worked up over it?"

Taemin stayed quiet, looking back out of the window as they sat outside the dorm - waiting for Minho.

Key sighed, patting Taemin's arm. "You should talk to Jongin. Maybe you wouldn't be so upset about me enlisting if you let him back in."

Taemin scoffed, "He's moved on."

"Sure he has."

"He has. He's dating Jennie."

"Lord, Taemin. You really pay no attention. To start with, they're already broken up. Was probably nothing serious or real in the first place."

"Doesn't matter. What happened happened."

"Do you really think Jonghyun would approve of how you've treated Jongin since he passed away?" Key hated to bring out the Jonghyun card, but he needed Taemin to hear how ridiculous he was being.

"Jonghyun never really approved of Jongin anyway. So I doubt he'd care all that much."

"He didn't approve of him at first, but Taem when he saw how happy Jongin made you - Jonghyun really grew to like and appreciate Jongin for being there for you. He trusted Jongin and that says a lot right there. Cause you know as well as I do, Jonghyun didn't trust a ton of people.

"He never wanted you to know how depressed he was cause he worried about you. But he always told me that he knew he didn't have to worry about you as much because of Jongin being around - that he knew Jongin would watch out for you as much as he could. He knew Jongin was exactly what you needed in someone to be with and he was beyond ecstatic that you had found someone like that.

"So don't go telling me that Jonghyun wouldn't care about the fact that you dropped Jongin the way you did. He would be disappointed in how you went about that. He would be telling you to call Jongin and ask for forgiveness and to tell him that you're so sorry and that you don't know why you did what you did.

"Jonghyun would have been upset about everything that's happened since he passed away, Taemin. You ran from Jongin the second that you messed up and got scared. I lied for you and covered up so much and then all you did was leave Jongin instead of making things right."

"I don't want to talk about it, hyung." A quiet voice replied to Key, Taemin's eyes focused on something outside the car.

"You need to though. You really do. You and Hanbin - whatever that fling was - it happened. I lied and said you were asleep when Jongin came by to check on you because you hadn't answered any of his messages and he was scared that something was wrong."

Hanbin was an SM employee that had taken a liking to Taemin right around the time Jonghyun had passed away. Kibum had tried to make sure nothing happened, but he hadn't been all that successful in it. And instead he ended up lying to Jongin's face, telling him that Taemin was asleep when he came looking for Taemin because he was worried.