13 -- SHINee Lost Boys

Things were different than the last time she watched television with Taemin. The first time when everyone stayed at her complex, she was the only one awake for a majority of the time. The second time, everyone was awake, but the other SHINee boys were lavishing her with compliments in order to rise jealousy in their maknae.

This time, amongst the empty dishes of what had been a delicious chicken dinner (causing Onew to be in pure ecstasy for the rest of the night), everyone had fallen asleep... except for Taemin. They were watching some variety shows when each SHINee boy fell into slumber, back in their apartment's living room, one by one. She and Taemin occupied part of the couch, and when he saw that none of the other guys would be watching, the boy slipped his arm around her shoulders.

"It's cold," he told her innocently, cheeks reddening as he focused his eyes on the tv with all of his might.

Marilyn warmly smiled back, her eyelids drooping slightly. "It's a good thing you're a portable heater, Peter," she exclaimed with a yawn, enjoying the comfort and warmth. Feeling safe for the first time in awhile, she allowed her eyes to shut and her mind to wander into Neverland.

Taemin didn't realize she had been sleeping until her head rolled to the side and snuggled onto his chest. Her being this close for this long made his face and neck turn redder, but something in his stomach danced excitedly. For the longest time, he looked at her face, remembering every detail that he could about it. Once in awhile, his thin fingers would lightly trace her features; her pretty eyes, little nose, and soft, sweet lips. Unconsciously, a small smile grew on his own face. To him, she was the cutest, prettiest, most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He squirmed ever so slightly at the corny thought, but couldn't find himself able to back down from it. He believed it one hundred percent.

The SHINee maknae sneakily pulled her even closer and rested his head on top of her soft blanket of hair. He smiled at the familiar vanilla scent. This was the definition of comfort in his book; of excitement, happiness, and peace. He'd never felt this way before... It was strange and enchanting at the same time. Sure, he had crushes in the past. He's appreciated a woman's looks and charms before... but not like this. Taemin really, really liked Lee Lee.

He gazed down at her face again. For some reason, a worry line kept creasing her eyebrows together. Taemin's gleeful smile started to lower down, worried about what she could be dreaming of to cause such a line. His teeth grazed his lips as he stubbornly put a thumb to the line, attempting to smooth it out.

"Please don't be worried," he whispered with a pout. "What's wrong, Tink? You can't be sad. If you're sad, I'm sad..."

His soothing voice must've been the cure. Suddenly, her face relaxed back into its Sleeping Beauty mode. Taemin sighed, happy that whatever she was anxious about was gone now. Clandestinely, he pecked the top of her head and with an equally sneaky, satisfied grin, he rested his face on her head once more.

"Aigoo," Key's voice rang quietly from the floor, laughing softly.

Taemin opened one eye at the retort and sighed. He should've known better than to believe they were all asleep... Refusing to give in to the taunting that may follow the outburst, he closed his eyes once more and attempted to join Marilee in Neverland.

Key smirked at the boy. He couldn't deny that the couple together was adorable. "Future Brangelina in the world of cuteness," he whispered to himself as he watched the two. Ahh, where would they be without him? Had Key not have taken the reigns in this somewhat unofficial relationship, they never would've gotten as far as they did. What a proud Umma he was, not only of them, but of himself. With a satisfied grin, he rolled over to gaze at the television once more.

His content eyes began glaring once the doorbell rung. Who dared come to their apartment at such an ungodly hour? Key quickly glanced at his children, a little less angry knowing that they still slept. Grumbling, Key pushed himself off of the floor, ran a hand through his hair, and opened the door.

Kwan and Hyun-Ki stared at Key. Key, in turn, rose an eyebrow at the two boys.

"What?"

"Way to welcome a guest," Kwan chuckled, before poking his head in. "Yah! Lee Lee! Yah~! Look alive, Sunshine!"

Key began glaring daggers again. Automatically, he pushed the boy back out and smacked his shoulder. "Aish! Don't wake doll-face up!"

"We're here to pick her up," Hyun-Ki explained, also hitting Kwan for being a nuisance.

"I've figured that out... I'm not sure if she should go back, though. Especially with you."

Both boys furrowed their brows, confused. Key sighed and walked out of the apartment, shutting the door quietly behind him. He expected the other two to follow him as he walked away towards the staircases. They did, but not before looking at each other and shrugging. They were brought to a dimly lit area right under the stairway.

"Why was Lee Lee crying on the phone with you, and what do you know about Seung that Minho doesn't?"

Kwan backed up, surprised. "Wait. You know? Another guy knows, too?! Lee Lee said she didn't want anyone else knowing..."

Key rose a brow curiously. "She did?"

"Yeah... that's part of the reason why she started crying. We're not too sure about the other details ourselves, though," Hyun-Ki admitted, but with the tough situation, he decided to fill Key in on the little details that Minho may not of known about. Kwan added his little comments here and there, too... including the event with the glass.

"She's staying here," Key simply stated, arms crossed as he stood his ground. The defense system of a mama bear was switched on.

"She's going to have to go home eventually," Hyun-Ki hesitantly exclaimed in his low voice.

"Humor me for one night, then."

They looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Finally, Kwan sighed and replied, "Alright, alright. We'll go to Mina's and tell her that Marilyn wants her to bring over some clothes tomorrow. Then we can bring her home from filming. Okay?"

"Glad we understand each other," Key said as his feline eyes turned into satisfied slits.





Marilyn attempted to lift her head at the sound of voices, but couldn't do much. She looked down to see Taemin's shirt and jeans, which both surprised and comforted her. When did she fall asleep on him? Not wanting to wake the boy laying on her own head up, she situated herself briefly so that she'd be more comfortable and simply looked up at the television.

They were now doing a special report on the celebrities that had entered the military. In Korea, all males (idols included) have to serve in the army before the age of thirty for about two years. It was one of the things she hated about the Korean culture... Rain, one of her and Mina's first kpop crushes, popped onto the screen, making her whine slightly. Her whine grew when they flashed another one of her favorite idols, Heechul.

"What's wrong?" a tired voice above her asked, his hands automatically rubbing her arms comfortingly.

She blushed. "I'm sorry! Did I wake you?"

"No... Whoever was at the door did. Are you okay?"

Her blush grew. "Yeah... Just the television."

Taemin lifted his head from hers finally and gazed at the screen as he rubbed at his cheek. His lips thinned slightly as he saw clips of some of his hyungs in military gear. He kept his arm around her, but the grip was loosened in order to look down at her face as he asked, "Do you not like the military?"

"I know we need it, but do all boys really need to be a part of it? Everyone misses the idols so much, and each family has someone taken away from them without a choice. I mean, in America, you get to choose if you want to fight for the country or not, usually."

He laughed a little bit. "We're not America, though."

"I know... I just don't like it."

Taemin looked back at the screen. "Do you like Heechul?"

"I really like everyone in Super Junior... but Heechul is one of my favorites."

His lips formed a small smile. "I'll introduce you to him when he comes back, then," Taemin told her, stifling a yawn in the process. "If 'Oppa Hyukkie' and 'Teukkie' don't before me."

Marilyn giggled. "That'd be so cool~! But... that's a couple years from now..."

"Just have to be patient," he replied, leaning back comfortably on the couch as he started to feel sleep pull him in again. "You'll get to meet him, though. Don't worry~!"

Her face was still hot. Although it wasn't said, that implied that she'd still be around in a couple years time. Not that she didn't want to be... but it never occurred to her that it'd be possible to stay with such fantastic boys, specifically this one, for that long. Each day with them was like a dream, and she continuously found herself counting her blessings.

"The military... that means you'd have to go too, right?"

He nodded a little. "Everyone does. But that won't be for a long time. I'm not that good at things like that, though, so maybe they'll send me home early... or reject me. I'd be okay with either or," Taemin quietly laughed, still a little groggy from the sleep his mind was beginning to enter.

Marilee's lips pouted out. For some reason, it never really occurred to her that any of these younger idols would eventually be in the same place as those on the television. Heechul and Rain's recruitment made it a little more real, but now... It all kind of hit her like a sack of bricks. When they say everyone, they mean everyone. It made her eyes tear up. Automatically, she sought comfort in Taemin's arms, resting on his chest once more.

The sudden movement surprised him, delaying the sleep. His hands went through her hair as he asked, "Are you okay?"

"...I don't want you to go..."

His eyes opened up. Heart flipping, he gazed down at the blonde, who had hidden her face in the material of his shirt. Taemin's smile returned, touched by her words.

"Look at me, please."

It was slow, but finally, she managed to calm her cheeks down enough to finally look up at him. Once their eyes locked, he didn't hesitate to swoop in and snatch her lips with his own. It was a slow, sweet kiss that caused both to feel anxious and at east at the same time.

"It'll be okay, Tink," he told her once they were finished, his pure smile shining, making Marilee flash one, as well. Everything would be okay... and for the first time, she believed it.

Key walked back into the apartment, but luckily, it had been a few minutes since the kiss. Taemin couldn't fight sleep for much longer and had fallen under with a content grin still on his lips. Marilyn, on the other hand, was still watching the show. When Key entered the living room, her gaze flickered up at him.

"Where'd you go, Umma?" she asked, getting up and stretching. It was about time she started heading out, as well. She didn't want Mina to get worried...

"Ahh, don't worry about that. Umma had to go make some arrangements," he replied back. "What about you, doll-face? Where are you going?"

"Home?"

Key shook his head. "At this hour? When such shady creatures lurk the alleyways? When it's cold? When anything could happen?! Aish, no. What kind of umma would I be if I allowed that? Absolutely not. You're staying here."

She bit her lip. "I can't do that!"

"Ohh yes you can. Besides, our driver's probably at home sleeping. Do you want to wake him up and take him away from his family?"

"Nuh-uh. I can just walk home, or take a taxi, or-"

"Yah! I won't hear another word. Follow me," he commanded, grasping her wrist as he lead her to their rooms. They bickered the whole way, even as Key dragged her in and went through some closets.

Jonghyun, who at some point traveled to his bed while everyone was sleeping, popped up and gazed at the two wearily. "Wha's goin' on?"

"Doll-face is staying with us tonight."

The boy sat up in his bed, a bit more awake. "Really? Slumber party with the boys, huh? Nice!"

Key shushed Jonghyun, wincing at the puppy's loud voice.

"Aish, they can't hear me," Jonghyun rolled his eyes and got out of bed. Marilyn blushed slightly when he walked towards them in nothing but boxers. When Jonghyun slept, he always wore as minimal items of clothing as possible. "What're you doing, anyway, Kibum?"

"The poor girl needs pajamas, doesn't she? I'm giving her some of my clothes."

Jonghyun pushed Key aside and, sniggering, he went through a different part of the closet. The sniggers increased as he pulled out a checkered button-up shirt and some black boxers. Satisfied, he handed them over to the girl just as Key started tugging out his own clothes.

"Don't worry, they're clean," Jonghyun exclaimed. "Those boxers are rarely worn, anyway."

Key glared down at the other male. "She can wear my things."

"Oh, but this is more fun~!"

"I can just-"

"Doll-face, you're sleeping here and going to the shoot with us tomorrow. Those are your pajamas so you can be comfortable. No more questions? Great~! Umma will see you in a few minutes," he told her, sighing as he and Jonghyun left the room.

Marilee blinked at the door before letting out a sigh and looking at the clothing in her hands. Well... she was really tired... Maybe one night wouldn't hurt. Quickly, she changed into the makeshift pajamas and not long after, joined Key in the hallway.

Jonghyun whistled at Marilee's appearance and laughed again, earning another glare from Key. Key handed Marilyn a toothbrush still in it's package and commanded her to wash up, which also didn't take too terribly long. Finally, he brought her to one of the beds in their rooms and commanded her to lay down. Jonghyun had already returned to his sleep in the other bed... although it didn't look like it. His eyes were still slightly open. The only thing that assured them that he wasn't awake were his light snores.

"But don't the other-"

"They're already asleep out there. No point in waking them up, right?" Key exclaimed with a grin. "I gave them blankets, so they'll be fine."

She bit her lip, but obeyed Key's orders and climbed into the comfortable bed. Once in, Key fussed over the covers and tucked her in until everything was nice and warm. With a satisfied smile, he brushed away the pieces of blonde hair from her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep, okay?" he told her after shutting off the lights, climbing into his own bed nearby. For awhile, it was silent... but before Marilyn drifted off, she turned in her bed to face the boy.

"Umma?"

"Mm?"

"Thanks for taking care of me..."

A genuine smile crossed his face in the darkness. "Anytime, doll-face."





Taemin stretched as far as he could, stiff from sleeping on the couch. He glanced at the window to see shards of new morning sunlight starting to peek through, which made him reach into his pocket and check his phone. Six? The maknae groaned and started to roll back over... but stopped, his eyes popping back open.

Lee Lee... The spot she was in the last time he could remember was empty and cold. Did she get home safely? When did she leave? Not thinking clearly, he flipped open the cell and began to text her:

"are you okay tink? did you get home at a good time?"

He waited impatiently for a text back. Slowly, it started to dawn on him that it was pretty early... Hopefully he didn't wake her up. Nonetheless, he was worried. On one hand, he wanted her up, and on the other, he didn't. Taemin let out a small whine as he stared at the phone he set on the coffee table in front of him.

The bedroom door creaking open caused him to turn backwards. It must be Key... He was the only one not in the living room other than Jonghyun, but Jonghyun rarely got up early in the morning. Since he ended up in his own bed, maybe he knew what happened with Lee Lee?

...He was wrong. Instead, he felt his face warm up as none other than Marilyn herself clumsily stepped out of the room. It wasn't the fact that she stayed here that cause him to blush. No, actually, it was the fact that she was wearing his button-up shirt and his boxers that brought it about his cheeks. It didn't help that she looked good in them, either... The slightly too long outfit over her small body paired with her bed head made him smile as his heart started to race.

Taemin was further amused when she started to stumble her way towards the bathroom. She hadn't been kidding when she said she was just about dead in the mornings. Her eyes were barely open, and as she dragged her feet, one hand felt the wall beside her to lead her way. Finally, she found the opening of the bathroom and, after stumbling, slowly closed the door behind her.

His smile grew. Lee Lee was here! She was so cute! He... should get something ready for breakfast. Automatically, he jumped up from the couch and raced to the kitchen.

When Marilyn left the bathroom, she was a little more awake and aware of the situation. A few splashes of cold water on her face helped her with that. She was greeted with wafts of what smelled like cooking eggs. Curious, she walked towards the SHINee kitchen as she ran her fingers through her hair. Sure enough, Taemin was there pushing around eggs in a frying pan. It brought a smile to her face.

"Hi," she exclaimed in a quiet, tired voice.

Taemin turned to greet the girl, but could only stare at her for a couple seconds before turning bright red and gazing in the opposite direction. There was something about her and that outfit that just... rubbed him the right way, so to speak. Maybe a little too much.

"H-Hi," he timidly replied back with an embarrassed smile, cringing when he heard his voice crack slightly. Why would it do that in a time like this?! Taemin tried to look nonchalant by gazing at the frying pan intently, acting completely absorbed in the meal he was preparing.

"You're cooking!" Marilyn said happily, leaning closer to him to see what he was making. It looked like your typical scrambled eggs, but the gesture made it look so much more appetizing.

He tried turning away some more, keeping any improper thoughts out of his mind with all the power he could muster. "Yes..."

"Ahh, aigoo, doll-face! You look too cute in the mornings!"

They turned to see Key, still clad in flannel pajamas. The diva reached out to pinch Marilyn's cheek, and gave her a side hug. He noticed how Taemin was acting from the very start, making him smirk. Coolly, he asked, "Don't you like how she looks, Taeminnie?"

The maknae's face burned brighter. He ignored Key as he started to plate the eggs.

Key started cackling. "Wait... you're cooking now, too?! What is this insanity? Are we experiencing Freaky Friday? Secret Garden?"

He ignored his umma again, but his irritation was slowly becoming more visible. Oh well... at least his mind was going elsewhere. Taemin could feel his blush dying down. The toast he prepared popped out of the toaster and quickly, he slathered it with peanut butter. "Sit down, Lee Lee~!" he told her, gesturing towards the table.

Once she was over there, he brought the plate of food and a cup of tea over to her. With an innocent smile, he exclaimed, "An American breakfast!"

"Wow! Awh, you made all this for me?" she asked, touched.

Taemin shuffled his feet. "Yes..."

Her eyes and smile warmed over even more. However, before she could express her gratitude, he hurried out of the room, which made Key chuckle as he helped Marilyn fix her bed head. It was sad, but true. His son was growing up so fast. However, if any more impure thoughts continued in the recent future, he'd have to give his son a loving smack upside the head. Seeing his son like that was amusing, but not something he wanted to be a habit.

Jonghyun woke up and went to the kitchen just in time to see Taemin hurry away. Gazing from Taemin's disappearing figure to Marilyn, he started to laugh. As he passed by Key, he whispered, "He's a man!"

"I will kill you for taking away my son's innocence," Key sharply whispered back.





Thanks to a bag that Key had delivered to the SHINee residence, they were able to leave fully clothed and ready. Whoever delivered Marilyn's clothes hadn't stayed, but Marilyn was thankful that what was in the bag was something similar to what she wanted to wear that day, anyway... bow included.

She and the rest of SHINee waited in the studio kitchen from before once they were done in makeup. Taemin stole glances at Marilyn as they waited, finding himself unable to hide from her much longer. Despite the image of her wearing his clothes still lingering in the back of his mind, he controlled it and appreciated her beauty both then and now. Each glance brought an embarrassed, yet greedy, smile to his face.

The cameras started rolling. A paper airplane flew in and landed on the counter in front of them. Onew, being the leader, decided to be the one to pick it up and read it. Clearing his throat and acting official, he read, "Your mission today is to compete against one another in making birthday cakes. Whoever wins gets to go to the birthday party. The losers must clean up every team's station."

"But who's it for?" Minho asked the staff behind the cameras.

Suddenly, the beginning of "Man Man Ha Ni" started playing, making Marilee giddy with excitement. She bounced up and down when Dongho, Kiseop, Eli, and Soohyun entered and started to do the dance in front of the cameras. When they finished the popular chorus, everyone clapped as they introduced themselves. In turn, SHINee introduced themselves, as well, which made Marilyn giggle.

"Why are you here?" Taemin asked.

"Kevin's birthday is today, and he's been hinting since the Halloween special that he wanted a cake from Marilyn," Eli replied, before turning towards the girl. In English, he said, "Hey! Long time no see, blondie."

"Hello! How are you~?!" Dongho added in his own accented English, making Marilyn smile at how adorable he was.

"Hi!" she replied back to them both with a bright smile.

"Why do you seem even happier than usual?" Minho asked with a grin.

"She's a Kissme," Key simply replied.

The U-KISS boys looked both surprised and pleased.

"Really?!" Dongho asked excitedly, earning a happy nod from the foreigner. U-KISS cheered, ecstatic that they had her as a fan. The cameras panned to SHINee, who looked a little jealous. They'd have to find out if she was a Shawol later...

"Here's what we have planned for today," Marilyn began, looking at all the boys. "U-KISS will help us out while Hoon and AJ keep Kevin busy. There will be three teams. Eli, Dongho, and Soohyun with Kiseop will be on each one to give you ideas and help you prepare the cakes. You can ask me for some help, but for the most part, you're all on your own. Remember the tips I gave you last time! You can look up recipes and do some research to help you all out."

The teams were split up. The first team were Soohyun, Onew, and Kiseop. The next consisted of Eli, Minho, and Jonghyun. Lastly, Dongho, Taemin, and Key made a team.

Just to give them an idea of what a cake could potentially look like, Marilee started to whip up a batter while the others surrounded the counter and watched. She asked for a volunteer to sift the dry ingredients into the wet ones as she stirred. Automatically, a few guys started to go up to help, but Dongho popped up through the crowd and pushed them back with his butt. He stuck out his tongue as he did so. When Marilee looked up to see who would help her, he gave her a big, innocent smile, which she returned.  

Dongho continued to help her, and tried to be constantly close to her, until the cake was finished. The boys clapped appreciatively.

"Decorating is also completely up to you. It's why you have U-KISS helping you! Make something you think Kevin would like. Now, go have fun!"

They all took off in their groups to various places in Seoul. Marilyn, however, stayed back and continued to work on the cake she had prepared as an example.

"What are you going to do while the boys are out?" one of the cameras asked her.

"I'm making my own cakes for the competition," she replied gleefully as she put frosting on the cake.

"Is that one it?"

"Nope, nope! I'll make something different. This one is for you guys for working so hard," Marilyn exclaimed, making the staff clap and cheer at her kindness.





Automatically, Eli told Minho and Jonghyun, "We should make a cheesecake with a bunch of cream and fruit on top."

His group was very laid back and agreed with whatever he said. From what they'd seen on Chef's Kiss, Eli was one of the better chefs. Jonghyun and Minho, on the other hand, weren't quite up to par with things just yet. Instead, they decided they'd be better at being helpers. Besides, Eli seemed to know Kevin the best of all. This seemed to give them the upper hand.

However, Key was really good at cooking... and another group had him. Key started spewing out quite a few ideas, imagining how various cakes would look. Being as straightforward as Dongho was, he'd speak up his own ideas, as well, and sometimes shoot down Key's without hesitation. Finally, with a little help from Taemin, they decided on having a universal chocolate theme. Chocolate cake, chocolate decorations... everything chocolate.

"And if he doesn't want it, we'll eat it all to ourselves," Dongho cackled, rubbing his hands at the idea. Although Taemin was wary at the youngest boy for flirting with his girl too much, he liked how he thought. Lots of sugar all to themselves would be pretty great, too...

Soohyun, Onew, and Kiseop were a bit at a loss at their end... Honestly, they had no idea where to start.

"You're his group members! You should know what he'd want!" Onew told them.

"Yahh, it's not that easy! He likes lots of things..." Soohyun replied.

"Lets just find a really good recipe that we'd like. If it's really good to us, it'll probably be really good to Kevin, too," Kiseop exclaimed, making the other two agree quickly. At least they had an idea... The easiest thing seemed to be a vanilla cake. They'd tackle the decorations once it came time. They decided to leave most of the cooking to Kiseop, being he was the best of the three. That, and the other boys were wary of Onew's famous clumsiness.





The kitchen was chaotic. First, the groups fought over which kitchen station was theirs. Then, they fought over ingredients and equipment. Lastly, they fought over Marilyn... a lot. Left and right, she heard her name being called. Right when she finished with one station, she'd have to hurry to another. In particular, she found herself being called the most to team DongTaeKey. Key seemed to have everything under his control... but nonetheless, she constantly heard Dongho whine Lee Lee's name.

Taemin carefully watched the boy. Every once in awhile, he could feel his naturally happy face darken. Dongho would lean closer towards Marilyn whenever she'd do something to their batter or teach them something new. The youngest boy looked extremely pleased about it, too. But what could Taemin do about it? No one outside of their close friend circle knew about their dates.

Key had gotten fed up from Dongho, too. They didn't need Marilyn's help. This was their competition, and Key intended on winning. Finally, he decided to start making chocolate decorations for the cake while Marilee helped Dongho with the chocolate batter.

"I can't make the whole cake for you, though! So I better let you all finish the rest. Add some coffee into it to enhance the flavors," she whispered secretly to Dongho with a wink. "Just don't tell anyone that I told you, 'kay?"

"Yes~!" he replied brightly before pretending to zip his lips and throw away the imaginary key.

"Taemin," Marilyn giggled, looking nearby at the SHINee maknae's face.

He looked at her questioningly.

"You have flour all over your face!" she giggled again.

Sure enough, when he reached to wipe at his cheek, his fingers were dusted with white powder. Marilyn shook her head with a warm smile and after grabbing the end of her pink apron, she gently wiped away the rest of the flour. Taemin smiled back, catching her gaze every once in awhile.

"I'm sorry," he bashfully exclaimed.

"Don't apologize! Ya just gotta be more careful," Marilyn replied, sticking out her tongue as she finished wiping everything off.

Dongho pouted at the two. A quick smirk flashed over his face before the pout returned as he shouted, "Lee Lee~! I need help!"

Marilee flashed Taemin another smile before returning to Dongho's side, answering any further questions he had. Taemin's happy grin turned into a small pout of his own. Every time he had a chance to be around Lee Lee, someone had to snatch it away... It wasn't fair. What was so great about that other maknae, anyway? Sure, Dongho was young and cute, but so was he, right? Handsome, at least?

Taemin mentally smacked himself. Why was he getting jealous? He wasn't normally like that. Besides, he'd be able to see Tink as much as he wanted after filming.

Suddenly, Dongho looked back at Taemin and stuck out his tongue before looking intently back at Marilyn as she spoke. Taeminnie's eyes widened. What was that about? Did Dongho know that something like this would get him jealous? Was Dongho really after Marilyn? His fake smile melted into another uncontrollable pout.

Although Taemin was a little older, he still had his childish side, as well. If it was a competition Dongho wanted, he got it.

"Ah! Lee Lee!" Taemin suddenly called out, looking about a mess of ingredients for the frosting. Marilyn looked away from Dongho to Taemin and after smiling apologetically at Dongho, went to Taemin's side.

Dongho huffed. "Lee Lee!"

Marilyn quickly helped Taemin the best she could before hurrying back over to Dongho.

"Lee Lee!" Taemin called again, smiling innocently.

"Lee Lee!"

"Lee Lee!"

"Lee Lee!"

"Lee Lee!"

"AISH! That's enough!" Key exclaimed loudly, grabbing Marilyn just as she reached the area in between the two. "The chocolates are almost done, so I can do everything else if you're that clueless. Give the poor girl a break!"

"I'm sorry! I really wanted to help you, then another person called me and I really wanted to help them, and then I got all mixed up, and other stations need my help, too, and I need to decorate my-"

Key tapped Marilyn's mouth with his spatula. "Hush. Go take a break and then do what you need to do. We won't need your assistance for the rest of the day, okay?"

She let out a breath, slightly exhausted, and smiled. "'Kay. Take care, guys!" she exclaimed and took off to her own little kitchen area to finish decorating her own cakes for Kevin.

Taemin looked down at his shoes sadly. He exhausted Lee Lee? Just from being jealous and stupid over something like that? He felt like a jerk...

Both he and Dongho looked like scolded pups once Umma got a hold of them. From there on out, they worked diligently and silently for the rest of the time.





"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Kevin... Happy birthday to you!" the room chorused once AJ and Hoon led Kevin into a new spacious room filled with balloons, presents, and their cakes. Kevin's smile lit up at the song and the sight of his friends awaiting him.

"For me? Really?! Awh, guys..." Kevin said, eyes shining with emotions. He had been led to believe that everyone forgot about his birthday. Seeing everyone there was relieving and touching. He laughed once he saw the cameras there, too. "What's going on?"

They pushed Marilyn forward, who smiled just as widely as Kevin.

"Marilyn~!" he cried out, waving happily. "Hi!"

"Hi!" she giggled, waving back. "You know that SHINee took over season two. Well, your U-KISS buddies told me that you wanted some yummy cakes! So we had a competition. We made some cakes for you! All you need to do is choose which one you want. Whoever wins gets to stay for your whole birthday party! The others will clean up and join us later."

"I get to celebrate my birthday, too? It's been awhile... This is so awesome!"

Each cake was set on a white clothed table in front of Kevin. For beginners, Marilyn was impressed by their hard work and at how well the cakes turned out. The U-KISS members that helped bake went back to Kevin's side, giving him hugs and pats on the back as they did so. With his smile still as bright as ever, he went up to each cake and made little comments about each one, always positive.

The first cake was a chocolate cake with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting. Chocolate candied roses that Marilyn taught Key how to make decorated the edges, and 'Happy Birthday' was written elegantly in white.

The second one was a cheesecake with puffs of whipped cream topping it. Not only was it decorated with kiwis, raspberries, and black raspberries, but pretty chocolate-dipped strawberries, as well. Each chocolate strawberry had a white chocolate letter on it, spelling out 'Happy B-Day'

The third was a simple vanilla cake covered in slightly cracked fondant and decorated with green and blue fondant dots, as well as 'Happy Birthday, Kevin'.

Kevin was also impressed by what he saw, although each one was a little messy... At least they looked like they tasted good! However, suddenly, a small table off towards the side caught his eye. He went towards it with a big grin on his face.

"Awh! Ah! These are incredible! I want these!" Kevin stated, picking up one of the little cupcakes. They were blue velvet cupcakes with intricate, puffy mounds of white icing. Light blue sugar crystals made the cupcakes glitter. The candy decorations varied. Some were lips, others his name, and even one that had a little chibi cartoon face of Kevin wearing a crown. That last one was the one he held up happily. "They're blue and pretty."

"No, no, wait! That's not a part of the competition!" she exclaimed, waving her arms and laughing as the other groups looked confusedly what didn't belong to them. Marilyn blushed slightly as she explained, "I was gonna give those to you as a gift, since you liked my cupcakes so much..."

"Seriously? That's so nice. Thank you! I still say you win," Kevin replied, winking. U-KISS clapped with him, agreeing as they took a couple cupcakes and shared with each other. They groaned and cheered once more, louder than before. Although they went to trouble of making their own cakes, they couldn't deny that they wanted to eat some of these cupcakes themselves at the party...

"Yah! That's not fair. There has to be one winner!" Onew interjected. SHINee only stared, still confused with the situation.

Marilyn nodded. "I'm not the winner! They went through a lot of hard work. Go pick your favorite from there."

Marilee had each group make a tiny cake of their own cakes as well, so that Kevin could try out the cake without ruining the décor. He tried each one before standing beside Marilyn. "One, she's definitely coming to the party with her cupcakes. Two, I've come to a decision. The winner who made my favorite birthday cake is..."

Everyone leaned forward at the suspense.

"...Team ElJongHo!"

"I KNEW IT!" Eli shouted, throwing a fist in the air. "See? What'd I tell you? This cake would be perfect."

"Cheesecake and fruit can steal my heart any day," Kevin laughed, nodding his head.

Minho and Jonghyun were still in shock that they actually won for once. Minho, being the winning-loving person he was, soon joined Eli in his celebration. The other teams sighed angrily at their defeat. Cleaning wasn't their favorite thing to do, and after all the work they put into baking, they all thought they had a shot at winning. Key looked the most bitter, but soon shrugged it off. At least he was good at cleaning...

"Have fun with the mess~!" Dongho cackled, giving a cute little wave towards the SHINee boys.

"What? You lost, too!" Taemin replied.

"U-KISS hired you, remember?" Marilyn explained, giving her boys a sympathetic look. "Of course they need to spend time with their band mate..."

"YAH! This is a conspiracy! I want my lawyer!" Onew called out, playfully angry. "Injustice!"





The room filled up with Kevin's closest friends, as well as some of his family who had flown in. Marilyn had set up the food so that the cake Jonghyun, Minho, and Eli had made was in the center on a raised platter, and her cupcakes sat all around the cake on the table. As everyone chatted, joked around, and enjoyed the food, Marilyn snuck off to see how the boys in the kitchen were doing.

It wasn't a surprise that Key had done most of the cleaning. Taemin stole bits and pieces from his chocolate cake as he tried helping, and Onew had been permanently banned from using anything that could potentially spill, making his clean-up rather limited.

Marilee poked her head in the doorway. "You guys can go have fun with everyone now," she exclaimed, relieving them from their duties. As Key and Onew abandoned their cleaning gear walked out to join the party, the cameras followed. Taemin had mentioned that he'd be there in a bit.

She took up the opportunity of them being alone. Smiling, she waltzed up to the boy and took some of the cake frosting. First, she put some of it on his nose, causing her to giggle. Every time something got put there, Taemin always tried to look at it cross-eyed. This time was no different. With the remainder frosting on her finger, she licked it off.

"You guys did a good job on your cake," she told him as he wiped the frosting away.

Taemin smiled a little. "You did a bit of it..."

"That's not true. I just gave you guys some pointers."

He smiled a little and looked down. The smile disappeared not long after, being replaced by a worried pout. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "I'm sorry for tiring you out earlier..."

"Huh? When? ...With helping you and Dongho?"

Taeminnie nodded, not quite ready to admit the real purpose of the help was caused by jealousy.

"Helping's my job," she told him, shrugging. "Besides, I love helping you..."

He looked away, turning crimson. His heart jumped to his throat from her sweet words.

"Why are you blushing?" Marilyn asked with a small grin, trying to turn back into Taemin's viewpoint. The maknae smiled, embarrassed, and tried turning even more away.

"Am not."

"Yes you are~!"

Taemin looked at her. "Maybe a little," he admitted, before looking at his jittery feet.

Her eyes radiated warmth. She looked back at the door to make sure the coast was clear. Once satisfied, she quickly went towards him and jumped up, successfully catching the tip of his nose in a light peck. The blush deepened at her cuteness, which made Marilyn giggle, but at least he was looking at her full-on this time.

Their eyes spoke a thousand words, keeping the kitchen comfortably silent. Showing him a loving smile, she reached out her hand, which he automatically took.

"Come on, Peter. Let's join some Lost Boys in some partying before everything's done," Marilyn said. "But remember to drop my hand before we get there... We gotta keep a poker face."

"A what?"

"P-P-P-Poker face, p-p-poker face..."

Taemin giggled. "Lady LeeLee?"

She grinned. "You did get the reference~!"

"Who doesn't know Lady Gaga?"

"A sad person. Mother Monster rules the world."

"Mother... huh?"

"Never mind~! Come on, a party awaits!"

Key poked his head in, coming back to pick up the two since people (meaning Dongho, mostly) were starting to notice their disappearance. "You called?"

"Huh?" Marilyn tilted her head.

"I heard 'Mother'. There better not be any other Umma than me, doll-face. And you're right. I am the best, and one day, I will rule the world! Now come and save everyone. That Dongho kid's cute and is usually pretty cool, but when he likes something, he gets damn annoying..."