Chapter 6 - Mess 

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Sulli felt absolutely giddy the following day. After they agreed to give dating for a real chance, her and Minho had proceeded to make out for about an hour in the couch.

Making out!

Sulli couldn't think about it without blushing. Sure that she had ever been kissed before but she never went up to the next level of making out with anyone. And last night, Minho just broke the record.

They both were too occupied by their making out session, not realizing that it was quite late night already and when they did, it took all Minho's willpower to manage untangling himself from Sulli.

She insisted to catch a cab home since she didn't want him to leave Hannah alone but Minho refused her idea and drove her home. Once they arrived, Sulli told him to go back quickly but safely. Minho nodded with a smile before pulling her in as they kissed good night.

"You are like totally spacing out on me." Said Krystal as she drove Sulli to Sweetlove.

"Uh?" Said Sulli, coming out of her daydreams. "Oh, I'm just so happy. Hannah spoke, didn't I tell you? And then Minho and I made up." 'And made out!' Added Sulli internally.

"Yes." Said Krystal. "You told me when I called you earlier to see if you needed a ride and you told me again when I picked you up. And now you just told me again, sweetie."

Sulli giggled. "Oh, right. Sorry. I'm just so happy."

Happy? She was ecstatic. She had a boyfriend and a good job and things seemed to be finally looking up.

"Yeah, yeah, you are. Even a blind could tell." Said Krystal and cut the engine off. Together they walked into Sweetlove's kitchen.

"Don't you have a job or some other place to be?" Asked Key to Krystal when he saw her walking in with Sulli. He always said something that more or less amounted to that he was very zealous over his kitchen.

Krystal frequently was here uninvited, let alone she wasn't even one of the staffs working here. Sulli just smiled, shaking her head. Truthfully she knew neither Minho nor him really mind Krystal hanging around the restaurant.

"Well sure, I got two jobs but then I'm the boss at one and at the other my semi-boss is totally infatuated with me so it's not like I have a time card to punch or anything." Said Krystal cheerfully because she knew it drove Key mad.

"So…." Said Sulli to change the subject. "Why the staff meeting hasn't started?"

Key looked vaguely harassed by the question. "Well Minho had….. Er…let's say a morning caller."

"Morning caller?"

- - - -

Minho's morning caller was none other than Jeong Eugene in all her shinny beauty. She arrived very early at Sweetlove and argued with Minho in the side walk for five minutes until he allowed her inside and then they kept arguing for another long while, making Minho be late for the staff meeting.

"All right, all right!" Said Minho angrily. "I allow you! Just say your piece and get the hell out of my restaurant. Why did you left me all those years ago with out so much as a word of why? Why did you leave me in such manner and left me here to wonder what I did wrong? What can you say that is going to make it all right?"

"The truth! Minho, I didn't leave you because I wanted and believe me, I didn't cheat on you, I wasn't cheating on you and I never did in all these years we weren't together." Said Eugene.

Minho snorted his disbelief.

"I'm serious."

"What about that guy then? The guy who went with you to the Black & White party?"

"Minjae? Oh gosh Minho, Minjae is just a friend." Eugene paused for a second. "He's my doctor."

"Your doctor?"

"He's a chief of oncology at Osaka University Hospital. That's how I met him. Remember that I hadn't been feeling all that great before I left? Well, I went to the doctor and after a lot of test he determined I had a tumor growing up near my spine. He transferred my case to Minjae because he was leading a study on spinal-chord related tumors. I flew to Osaka to meet with him and he was interested on my case and decided to treat me… so I moved to Japan and that's where I've been for the past couple of years."

"What?" Said Minho, feeling like someone had punched him on the gut.

"It wasn't because I didn't love you, Minho, I never stopped loving you." Eugene said quickly. "But it was something I needed to do on my own, do you understand that? I didn't want you to see me like that."

"Like what? Sick?" Asked Minho with a rush of tone. "Eugene, we were in a relationship! I loved you. Do you think I would mind?"

"A girl is entitled to her vanity." Said Eugene and it caused a vein to pop-out on Minho's forehead.

"I can't believe it. This is so like you, Eugene... how could you do something like that!" Said Minho and he began to rant, "It's like one time we were in Jeju and you made us lose that reservation at a fancy restaurant on our six month anniversary because you were having a bad hair day! You just can't go around making these selfish decisions and then tell people to deal!"

"Minho but... I just didn't want you to see me like that. I love you too much. I didn't want anyone to feel weird about me."

"Including me?"

"Especially you! I couldn't stand your pity."

"Pity? For God's sake Eugene! It's not about pity!" Yelled Minho and made his point very eloquently by throwing a vase against the wall, which shattered into a thousand pieces. "This is about how you left me, how we were in a committed relationship, practically engaged to be married and you made this life altering decision without consulting me! And then just left me to wonder what I had done wrong that made you leave that way."

"Minho, I'm sorry. Please…"

"Being sorry doesn't always cut it!"

"I…" Eugene began and stammered, "I'm sorry, Minho, I really am but I love you and I had to tell you." She said. When Minho didn't answer she began to move towards the door. "I'll come back later."

As Eugene exited Sweetlove she ran into Sulli, who had come to see about the noise the vase had made when it broke.

"Oh, you." Said Eugene with displeasure when she saw Sulli.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Sulli.

"That's none of your business. Though I will tell you this. You better say goodbye to Minho now because he'll be back with me in no time."

"He doesn't love you anymore." Said Sulli though she could hear the shakiness in her voice. Eugene actually laughed at that.

"Do you think he loves you? Snap out of it girl. Minho and I have known each other for years, we are meant to be! Everyone knows that. He might be with you but that's just for now. He'll come back to me." Eugene smiled like a cat chasing after a mouse. "Well, see you around… or not."

Sulli watched Eugene exited the restaurant with all haughtiness. She tried to dismiss her comments and not putting her mind on it. Taking a small deep breath, Sulli went into Minho's office.

"Minho?" Asked Sulli softly as she took account of the broken vase. "Are you alright?"

Minho looked up for a brief moment. "Not now, Sulli, please. We'll talk later." He said, not in a mean way, just as if he were so incredibly tired. "Please tell Key to start the staff meeting without me."

"Oh, alright." Said Sulli in a small voice. Sulli went back to the kitchen and told Key what Minho had said about the staff meeting.

Key quickly addressed the staff and soon they were all off to work on their little stations.

"What happened?" Asked Krystal as she seated herself at Sulli's work station.

"Eugene was here, she was the one talking to Minho. She said that he was going to go back to her… that they were meant to be and what not." Said Sulli de-flattening like a cupcake taken out of the oven before it was time.

"And what did Minho said?"

"Nothing… I asked if he was alright and he just told me that we would talk later. That's all."

"I see."

"Do you think he will go back to her?" Asked Sulli a little shakily.

"No, Sulli…. Well, I don't know. Men are known for being idiots!" Said Krystal. "What I do know is that you can't just sit here and let it happen like you aren't totally in love with the guy."

"Krys!"

"What? Like you aren't totally in love with Minho. It's obvious."

"Really?"

"Sure, everyone knows it or at least suspects it." Said Krystal with her usual flippancy. "No, don't start to blush we have a strategy to plan."

"Krys!"

"Don't Krys-me. Now, tell me… how do you feel about showing a little cleavage?"

"Krystal!"

"What?"

"What happened to all that stuff you're always saying about no chasing boys?"

"What about it?" Said Krystal, unconcerned.

"Well… isn't that like your principle in life or something?"

"Oh, please. I believe in Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Chocolate… er… I mean love."

- - - -

Minho locked himself in his office for a long time. He was so mad and sad and felt oddly betrayed. He even trashed his office a bit, throwing books against the wall and knocking over a few papers and breaking his mug.

Finally exhausted and feeling drained, Minho slumped on his chair and stared lifelessly at the wall for the longest of times.

Eugene had been sick, this woman who had once meant everything to him had been sick and she didn't tell him. They had been together for years, they were even talking marriage at the time and yet she didn't trusted him enough to tell.

It wasn't right for what Eugene had done and then she came back and disrupted the life he had worked so hard on rebuilding.

No, he couldn't let her do it but at the same time Minho felt a weird responsibility toward Eugene, maybe his feelings weren't as deeply buried in the past as they ought to be, as he wanted them to be. Maybe if they could talk and she could explain everything, it wouldn't hurt quite so much. He wouldn't feel betrayed and would be able to move on as he had never managed before, not for real.

And Sulli, Minho couldn't forget about Sulli, she had been nothing but good to him and Hannah. She brought out the best he could be and he couldn't just walk o