Why am I different?

Chap 11: Why me? Why now?

"...yeon! Taecyeon!"

The sudden call jerked Taecyeon out of his musings. He had been caught doing that often lately, brooding until he was unaware of his surroundings. He shook his head to clear it.

"Ne hyung?"

"Aren't you getting off? Are you feeling okay?" His manager touched his shoulder, concern evident in his voice.

"Ah, yeah hyung," he muttered as he hurried out of the elevator, not wanting to have to explain his absentmindedness.

His manager mentioned something as the elevator doors slid shut behind him but he was too preoccupied with his thoughts again to have heard a single word being said. His brothers had arrived. He had seen the tweets of pictures of them at the airport. Soon, he would have to come face to face with one particular 'brother'. He cringed inwardly. He was absolutely NOT looking forward to the meeting but what choice did he have? The problem between them had manifested into a ball chain shackled around his ankles, exhausting him as he dragged his feet through his schedules, making him careless and clumsy. He could not wait to be rid of it. Already, he almost slipped up during the 'How do you eat well and eat well' program recording that morning. When asked of Minjun's familial role in their team, he inevitably vented his frustrations about Minjun's oblivion- only focusing on his passion, music, and listening to no one. It was lucky that he recovered enough to turn it into a joke, portraying Minjun as an unreliable first son instead. He could only imagine the magnitude of the mistakes he would make in the future if he did not resolve the issue between them soon.

Taecyeon stopped mid-stride and focused his vision on his surroundings after feeling like he had been walking for far too long. Turning to the nearest door, he realised that he had long before passed his room and was already nearing the end of the hallway. He scoffed at himself and wondered absently if Minjun was suffering as much as he was. Sighing, he turned around and forced himself to pay attention as he back-tracked across the hallway. Upon reaching his door, he took out his key card and swiped it against the lock. He turned the knob as a 'to-do' list formed in his mind. First on it was a bath. He really needed one to relax his tensed muscles if he were to brave through the nerve-wrecking talk he would have with Minjun later on. He should also put on some decent clothing. It would not hurt to look nice since it may play to his advantage. Following that train of thought, he scoffed at himself again. Who was he kidding? Looking nice would only work if Minjun felt the same way about him. Talking about Minjun, he would also need to ask Nickhun which room Minjun would be in. He paused midway through pushing the door inwards, his hand still on the knob. Would he be with Junho again? After all, they always room together when they travel. The image of them cuddling in bed, much like the previous morning, invaded his mind. He shook his head to clear the image away. He could not afford to think of that now. It would mess up his head again, as if it was not messed up enough as it is. Forcing his thoughts towards the relaxing bath he was about to have, he pushed the door all the way in and had to double-back in shock, almost dropping the bag of food in his hand. He stood frozen, his body filling the doorway, eyes wide, mouth agape and heart racing.

"Minjun?" he breathed after taking a second to regain his composure.

"Hi," Minjun greeted in a whisper, his expression sheepish, his cheeks tinged a slight-pink.

When he had finally gathered his courage, Minjun had knocked on the door. Then knocked again, and again, but it still went unanswered. At first, he was confused since Nickhun mentioned that Taecyeon had already finished his recording for the day. Afterwards, not knowing when Taecyeon would be home but not wanting to wait outside the door either, he had no choice but to call on Taecyeon's manager. His manager then contacted the hotel's security to inform them of his approval to let Minjun in. Which was how he ended up sitting cross-legged on the floor by the bed. Taecyeon's bed. It felt wrong for him to be sitting on the bed considering their circumstances and there were no other places for him to sit. He was now seriously considering giving the hotel that feedback he had been thinking about for the past 2 hours, the one about having at least a chair in their rooms. Especially now that he feels a little ridiculous with Taecyeon looming over him. Pulling off his earpiece, he ignored the music that was still playing as he forced himself to look up at the mammoth of a guy still standing by the doorway.