Chapter 3 - Closer

* * * *

"You come." Said Krystal, sliding into the stool next to Sulli's in her bar.

"Yeah." Replied Sulli nodding, staring to the screen of TV before them without really seeing anything.

"Alright, what's wrong?" Asked Krystal.

"Uh? Everything is fine."

"Don't even try to lie to me as if I've just known you yesterday."

Ah, yes, they had been friends since the third grade and for that small circumstantial proximity had led them to fifteen years of unconditional friendship. They had been there for each other, sticking together through thick and thin. It'd be really strange if they wouldn't be able to read each other.

"Sulli?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I tell you. It's just that I'm having dinner at this fancy restaurant tomorrow night and I wanted to see if you have some clothes I could borrow."

"Uhh, what's the occasion?"

"It's Minho's mother birthday and she wants to go to some fancy restaurant. She doesn't want to go to Sweetlove because she thinks that if we go there all Minho is going to do is work and she feels she deserves a little attention from her only son on her birthday. So we are going to celebrate in another restaurant. Minho was livid, Friday night is usually a very busy night and he likes to be at Sweetlove in case an emergency occurs." Said Sulli.

"So you're calling him 'Minho' now, uh?" Asked Krystal with a bit of mischief in her voice.

Sulli just shrugged. "I couldn't keep calling him Mr. Minho when I am pretending to be his girlfriend. He doesn't mind and he calls me Sulli all the time, anyway."

"So he hasn't tried doing anything to you?" Asked Krystal.

"Oh course not!" Said Sulli indignantly. "I despise the man, remember? I've sworn him to loathe him for all eternity!"

"Whatever." Said Krystal in disbelief as she rolled her eyes. "So, a dress you want?"

"Yeah, something classy, please. The last thing I need is Mrs. Choi Minyeon, queen of haughtiness, making snide remarks about my clothes and all that."

"Alright, come to the mall." Said Krystal, standing up and making her way to the back of the local, the customers were filling out though in the bar and so Krystal just nodded to the night manager before slipped out with Sulli to the loft upstairs.

The loft upstairs was so completely different from the bar downstairs. Just half of the place was taken by a huge walking closet, that was what Krystal liked to call The Mall and with all the clothes she owned, the place was damn close to be a mall, after all.

"I think I know exactly what you should wear." Said Krystal, pulling a short black dress from the closet.

"That's too short." Said Sulli.

"It will look fine on you." Convinced Krystal.

"But…but--"

"No buts…"

"But--"

"Now try it on!"

- - - -

Minho tilted his head to the left and then to the right. Sulli didn't look like the shy little girl he had hired for the job. She did look fine and that little wisp of hair brushing her shoulder was very distracting.

It kept giving him all sorts of ideas he had no business thinking and when he helped her to her seat at the table in the restaurant, Minho couldn't help himself and smelled her neck. Her skin smelled clean and so warm. He liked it.

"Sulli." Said Minyeon from across the table. "Do you want me to ask for a menu in Korean?" She said sweetly, making reference to the French printed menus the waiter was giving them.

"That won't be necessary, Mum." Said Minho smoothly, resting his arm on the back of Sulli's chair and leaning in. "I can tell Sulli what's what in the menu in case she needs help."

"Aren't you sweet, Minho?" Said his mother with a tight-lipped smile and then went to make a great show of talking in French with the two friends who accompanied her.

Meanwhile, Minho leaned closer to Sulli and whispered the entire menu. It was not romantic stuff to be sure but he managed to make escargots sound y with that deep voice of his.

And Sulli couldn't help to enjoy he gentle ruffle of his warm breath against her temple. This closeness was something Sulli had never experienced and had dearly wanted.

Sure, she used to have a boyfriend before but there wasn't much to say of him. Kang Daeho who had bolted as soon as she had made the smallest hint that she needed his support. It made her so mad thinking about him that she was imagining he was right there.

"Why are you frowning?" Asked Minho in her ear.

"It's nothing." Replied Sulli, trying to shake herself from the ridiculous notion that her ex-boyfriend was there.

Only that he was. And what was worse, he recognized her. It would have been rather hard that he hadn't as he was waitressing the next table over.

"Oh dear!" Said Sulli, trying to hide behind the menu.

"What is it?" Minho asked impatiently.

"Ex-boyfriend at two o'clock. Whatever you do, don't look him in the eye or he'll never leave." Whispered Sulli low and urgent.

"What?" Said Minho.

"Sulli! Is that you? What a surprise seeing you here!" Said Daeho, all cheerful as if they had ended as friends.

Sulli shut her eyes, trying to compose herself elegantly. "Hi Daeho!" She answered in her most cool voice. "Haven't seen you in a long while, you look well." She said politely.

"You look fine too." He said with a grin as his gaze slid down the modest cleavage Sulli was displaying.

Sulli crossed her arms across her chest and reminded herself not flinch as Minho slid a proprietary arm around her shoulders and pulled her neatly into his side.

"Minho." Said Sulli sweetly, leaning slightly to his side. "This is Kang Daeho, an old acquaintance. Daeho--"

"You're here with him?" Daeho cut her off as if guys like Minho would never look twice at girls like Sulli, which in truth, Sulli couldn't help to remind herself, they didn't. They were completely from different classes of society.

That was the way of the world. And since that was the way of the word, Sulli couldn't suppress the smile that curved her lips up as Minho stepped in smoothly and said in a clear, even voice.

"Choi Minho, Sulli's boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Asked Daeho blinking rapidly.

"Indeed." Minho answered and he even made a great show of nuzzling Sulli's neck which only served to make Daeho blink even faster.

"Kang Daeho!" Another waiter rushed in and hissed. "This is not time to socialize. Get moving!"

"See you, Sulli." Muttered Daeho weakly and moved away. And though he didn't approach their table again, Sulli was well aware that he kept glancing at her from across the restaurant.

Minho didn't miss that fact either and that was the only explanation Sulli could find for the fact that Minho's arm remained around her through most of the meal and why he kept sending chilling glares in Daeho's direction when he thought his mother wasn't looking.

And lastly his mother's friends kept laughing discretely, making fun of the fact she actually knew a waiter. Still, Sulli tried to pay no mind to them and it was easy enough to do that when Minho was so close, filling her with warmth and a strange sense of confidence, plus he kept getting his fork on her plate and stealing her baby carrots.

- - - -

"Wait here." Told Minho to Sulli as he draped his coat over her shoulders and went to help his mother and friends to get into their car.

"Happy birthday, Mum." Said Minho dutifully.

"Thank you dear." Said Minyeon pleasantly. "But Minho, we must talk."

Minho sighed.

"I'm sorry, I know it's late, but I need to know how serious are you about this girl?" Asked his mother, glancing at Sulli over his shoulder.

"Serious enough to encourage Hannah to socialize with her." Answered Minho.

"But Minho! Think on the influence she might have on my darling granddaughter! She was socializing with a waiter! A WAITER!" Said Minyeon.

"There is nothing wrong with being a waiter. I employ several, if you can bring yourself to recall. And she wasn't socializing, she was merely greeting an old acquaintance."

"Ex-boyfriend!" Countered his mother. "I heard her whisper that to you before that man approached our table."

"Whatever it was, Mum." Said Minho and couldn't help to roll his eyes. His mother certainly took these things too seriously to anyone's liking, sometimes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, young man!" Warned Minyeon.

Minho sighed again. "Not now, Mum."

"Minho, you must listen! I suppose Sulli is nice enough but you can do so much better. Find a nice girl from our own social class and you'll be happier."

Minho snapped. He couldn't help it. "What about Eugene? She was from our social class as you call it. We went to the same schools, were of the same social circle, hell, we even belonged to the same country club, and so what? She didn't make me any happy, did she?"

Minho could see the emotions warring inside his mother. He had told the truth when he said that Eugene had been of their same social standing and it was true that it all had ended in a mess. If one could call that ending, he certainly never got much of a closure but there was a small part of it all that Minyeon wanted to throw to his face, yes, he had been happy for a long while, Eugene had made him happy, up until she left him all of sudden.

"I see that you're not good for talking tonight." Said Hannah finally. "We'll talk later."

"I can't wait." Minho drawled and went back to where Sulli was and took her home.

"Sorry about Daeho, I didn't know he works there." Said Sulli when the silence in the car became oppressive.

"No matter." Replied Minho dismissively, his mind was clearly miles away. "But I certainly don't want you near him." He added as in an after thought.

Sulli shrugged. No real problem there.

"So… who's Eugene?" Asked Sulli, wanting to change the subject.

Minho grew tense and said in a very quiet and deliberately flat voice, "None of your busi