Jinki’s POV:

I stayed frozen at my place at the sight. I really wanted to do something to get her now that I saw her leaning toward Minho even more. Things between them are getting serious and that is frightening me.

I may sound like a home wrecker, but my heart ached too much for me to stay still.

Looking at them getting closer was like a waking alarm for me.

Your POV:

The day went by smoothly. The courses were as boring as ever, but I didn’t mind it the least as my heart felt peaceful, especially after a day like yesterday. The bell rang and we were dismissed. I was collecting my books when I took sight of two boys standing behind the window. As they saw me looking toward them, the more active one waved his hand at me. I told Hyo Joon that I was leaving first before heading toward the boys.

“Taemin-shi, Jinki-shi! What are you doing here?”
“Don’t tell me you already forgot about our agreement… And stop the honorifics!” Taemin exclaimed, with an exasperated look in his eyes.
“Errr… To be honest, I totally forgot” I laughed nervously.
“See hyung! I told you she will sneak out!” He turned and told Jinki who smiled weakly at him.
Meanwhile, I scratched the back of my head while my eyes lingered at the floor as I felt their eyes on me.
“ So, shall we go?” Taemin asked while I nodded.

He walked in front while Jinki and I walked side to side. In no time the younger disappeared from our sight, while an awkward silence lingered between us. As I started to feel uncomfortable, Jinki finally spoke.

“So? Do you like it here?”

Something in his voice made my heart skip a beat. The only and short time he talked to me before, his voice was unsure and made him look like a scared teenager, but now, confidence poured at his words even if it was nothing. As he saw me space out, a worried look took place in his eyes.

“____-ah? Are you alright?”
“Deh! Mianhe! Yes, I like it here a lot; I actually always wanted to be accepted here after graduation!” I answered as he woke me up from my reverie.
“Glad to know it.”

As I felt silence drop on us again, I tried to pick up the conversation.

“Jinki-shi… You seem to be a quiet person!”
“Ah… That’s what I looked like… I’m not actually; you should ask Taeminie about it… I’m just not good at dealing with –you- new people!” he remarked.
“I see … So you call him Taeminie?” I giggled “It sounds really funny” and I laughed even harder.
“Make sure he doesn’t hear you saying that, otherwise you’ll probably end up in pieces!” he grinned.
“Well then, if you don’t tell him I will be safe!” I joked back.
“Don’t worry about that, my mouth is locked and I am even considering throwing the key!”
“That would be extremely gentlemanly like of you Jinki-shi!”
“I think Taeminie is right, we should drop the formalities, since we are being friends!”
“Arasso… And you? Do you have any funny nickname?”
“I have a nickname but nothing fun; other than the dance crew no one uses it, everyone is more into my real name!”
“So you’re at the dance club too… Anyway, what is it?”
“Onew”
“Onew sounds cute… Can I call you that?”
“That would please me!”
“Gamsa amnida… In return I want you to be more comfortable around me… I like it more when you are outgoing!”

As I said those words, I saw Jinki blushing and his ears got red while nodding.
We were in front of his car already when he asked about my nickname… my childish embarrassing nickname, and I was more than glad that Taemin appeared from nowhere at that moment, not because of my feelings for him alone ( that was already a given ) but because he was rescuing me from the question. But to my dismiss, Taemin had ear dropped the end of our conversation, and I saw his eyes lighten in a mischievelious way.

“I don’t think she will ever tell you about it” he smirked at me.
“Why?” Jinki asked innocently.
“Because it is a hell of an embarrassment for a college girl to be called that… I happened to hear Minho call her by it someday!” He then burst out laughing.

As Jinki heard Minho in Taemin’s speech, his face darkened, while I blushed and wished earth swallowed me. My crush was making fun of me in front of his hyung with the thing that I hated the most. At that specific moment I would have gladly pulled all Minho’s hair one by one enjoying his screams.
If something was worst that not being acknowledged by your crush what is worst is probably being gagged on by him.
I looked at my hand, feeling all weird, wanting to run from that spot. I felt Jinki’s eyes on me before he spoke.

“As if Taeminie was the nickname that made a man’s pride… It sounds more like Minnie mouse! I’m sure ____-ah’s is cutest!”

I looked at him in surprise. I wasn’t waiting for any help from him especially after the behavior he had toward me at first.
Taemin felt oppressed when his hyung took sides with me, and that expression of his made me forget about my embarrassment… He was totally cute!

“But I’m your friend hyung! Why are you in her side?”
“Get in the car, we won’t argue over childish things the whole day! We need to get ____-ah home!” he said and winked at me while I looked at him gratefully.

I couldn’t help myself but I felt the heat find its way to my face. I fanned myself as the boys opened their doors and I just followed them in. They put their seatbelts and Jinki started the engine.

“ Aren’t you curious to know?” Taemin asked his hyung.
“Know what?” he asked back his eyes on the road.
“Her nickname?” he said while looking back at me with an intimidating smirk, while I face palmed myself.
“Not if she doesn’t want to share it with us!”

I couldn’t contain my anger as Taemin kept teasing me. He may be my crush, I was out of control at that specific moment, and being sweet wasn’t an option anymore!

“IT’S PINKY CHERRY! SATISFIED MINNIE MOUSE?”

As I shouted my sentence, both of them froze in shock for a moment, and I put my hand on my mouth not believing that I actually ended up saying that. Just then, Jinki burst out laughing, he even pulled the car aside the rood to not cause any accidents. Taemin on the other hand turned to look at me with round eyes not believing that I had the nerves to call him that. And I just looked away, pretending to get interested in the outside view. He sighed and looked back in front of him as Jinki did his best to calm his laughter hysteria. I just couldn’t tell what he was laughing about.

“Mian guys, but hearing ____-ah calling you that was the best part of the day! Thanks ____-ah!
You just made my day!”Jinki finally said as he stopped laughing while looking at me in the car mirror. I smiled at him knowing that I was blushing again. “What’s wrong with me this time?”
“Yeah… Right…” Taemin answered. Those were the last words we exchanged until we reached my dorm.

Before getting off, as guilt ate me the whole time, I apologized sincerely to Taemin, who already
got over it.
“Yah, why are mentioning that again! We were joking around and I deserved it anyway!” he winked at me, and I blushed for the nth time today.

I said goodbye as I left the car, both guys waved me goodbye too with a wide smile.

“See you tomorrow Pinky Cherry!” Jinki joked. I smiled at him then he drove away.

I spent the evening preparing dinner for my roommate and I (today was my turn) and doing my homework. Before sleeping, thoughts lingered in my head. I couldn’t believe how Jinki changed… extremely. If I didn’t witness it myself I would have never said it was the same person. Still I liked him much today, and I liked more the fact that he opened up to me. I don’t know why, but it just made me happy. That is, without forgetting the playful Taemin, even if it was oh! So embarrassing, but I still got all his attention today, and that made my heart flutter.
At the thought of the two guys, I drifted to sleep.

Jinki’s POV:

I don’t know how I managed to keep calm around her today. I, myself, can’t believe that I didn’t stutter and talked to her as if nothing was going on in me, especially when she blushed.
And the moment she asked if she can call me by my other name, I didn’t know what to do with myself. It’s like that insignificant nickname of mine became so special in a twist.
As I talked to her, I couldn’t not fall for her even more, that sweet voice of her, that beautiful smile, made me sink even more. Even that nickname that Taemin found embarrassing, I just loved it, it suited her a whole lot, she was totally a luscious pinky cherry. The only thing that angered me about it was Minho calling her by it.
I’m not sure how things managed to change this fast, but that made my day brighter… Although, I still have the feeling of chasing castles on clouds…

Notes

Hope you love the nicknames everyone!