no regrets 。taekai 。

v

jongin had woken up early to meet up with some friends from high school at the cinemas in the shopping mall.

he usually declines when old high school peers invite him out, because usually they're just trying to impress girls and trick them into dating them.

but these people were different, even when he just was a trainee they would hang out with him, even before he was famous they were there for him, or so jongin thought.

jongin didn't really remember his friends, they were a very small part of jongin's high school years that he completely forgot. he had a few shards of very happy memories with them, but that was about it.

they agreed to meet there at seven, since the movie started at seven forty five, they would have forty five minutes to catch up.

jongin first recognized jinyoung, the one he was closest to in high school and gradually recognized the other three, who now had slight stubbles and short hair.

"hey, stranger!" jinyoung waved at him, short brown hair, a big smile and his eyes shinning.

jongin slowly came to remember  the names of the other ones, besides jinyoung there was seunggi, choseok and minjun.

"you completely forgot us after you became famous, you brat." minjun a little too strongly punched jongin's shoulder. "will we sit down? we have more thirty minutes or so."

they sat down on the table, talking a little about the past before jinyoung announced he'd be going to buy popcorn and as soon as he left, jongin felt the atmosphere darken a bit.

"so, jongin. tell me." minjun cleared his throat, "you're not even talented in singing, how much money did your family pay to let you become an idol?"

jongin's mouth open and closed as if to say something but nothing seemed to come out. he slowly moved his head to look down at his hands and fumbled with them desperately.

he now remembered who were these people. they were jinyoung's friends who consequently became jongin's friends too. they were always jealous of jongin for having been accepted as a trainee in sm while they weren't. in high school they would discreetly drop little unnecessary comments here and there and make jongin feel miserable about being the only one accepted into sm.

ah, jongin thought, that is why i chose to forget them, that's nice.

"do you even have friends in the industry? no, right? you never had any social skills anyway, i'm not surprised." choseok chuckled, sitting back on his chair and crossing his arms.

they all had a sense of superiority that jongin hated, all of them but seunggi and jinyoung. seunggi never bullied jongin, but he'd always stay quiet and watch them do so.

after a few times of doing that jongin considered hating seunggi, but seunggi always helped him from the shadows. he'd drop something to divert the attention of the others or just change the subject while minjun and choseok were continuing to degrade jongin.

it appeared after all those years he was still the same, but jongin wouldn't blame him, if he were in his shoes he'd probably do the same.

while minjun and choseok held a conversation in which jongin had no say in, the singer would just look up at jinyoung who was just about to pay for the popcorn.

"... oh my god! and that last music video you were in jongin." minjun laughed, "you looked so ga-"

someone behind jongin cleared their throat loudly, interrupting what nasty comment minjun had to make towards jongin this time. a small but bony hand gripped jongin's shoulders.

jongin slowly lifted his head up, scanning his 'friends' shocked faces before looking back and seeing a boy with black hair and a black mask covering his mouth and nose matching with a black cap and shirt.

"hey jongin. fancy meeting you here, haven't seen you in some days." the boys lowers his mask only to reveal shinee's beloved youngest smiling with his mouth as well as his eyes.

"a-ah." jongin gulped, "taemin."

his so-called friends made a low gasping sound that wouldn't be heard if most of the people who were waiting for the movie weren't already gone.

"i'm kinda hungry, do you wanna go eat in the park after the movie you're watching? i came to watch the lego movie with my sister, she kind of left me to be with her friends so i'm kind of lonely," taemin sighed, taking off his cap to throw back his hair before putting it back on.

"will you be just taking you sister around the shopping mall until she feels like leaving?" jongin asked, now turning his whole body to face taemin.

"life of an older brother, she's only 15, what can i do." taemin shrugged and stuck both of his hands in his hoodie's pockets.

jongin looked back at the people he was with, they all quietly awaited jongin to stop talking while looking down and their own hands. as if on cue, jinyoung came back with a huge sack of popcorn and some drinks.

"there ya go!" he looked at the two males who were standing together as if they were doing a vogue  photoshoot, "oh, that's lee taemin."

jinyoung's mouth hung open and taemin let out a little giggle.

"i think i'll go with you then, i really need to stretch my legs." jongin said now standing up, "i'm sorry jinyoung, i'll make it up to you next time."

jongin bowed at jinyoung and looked at seunggi, producing a little smile and wave to go with it, "see you, seunggi"

seunggi smiled a bit and waved as minjun and choseok looked with disbelief at seunggi.

"it's fine, bro. we'll see each other another time." jinyoung jokingly saluted jongin and called his friends to go to the room where their movie would be streaming.

jongin and taemin watched them prave before taemin brought jongin to the far table on the cinema in which six to eight kids were sitting down sipping on their drinks, probably waiting for taemin to come back.

"i'll introduce you to my little sister." taemin smiled again and wrapped his arm around jongin.