CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The National Younger Sister.

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SMTown had been in a stressful situation lately, although to be exact, mostly just the biggest groups were involved: DBSK, Super Junior and SNSD. And that was all because of their maknae.

When the three of them entered the preparation meeting for SMTown concert with Seohyun looking like she had cried for hours, no one said anything. When Kyuhyun and Changmin acted as if they would punch anyone who dared to step close to them and their precious girl, no one asked anything. When Luhan asked the cheographer to switch his role so that he would not be paired with Seohyun, everyone nodded in agreement.

And thus, even when no one said it out loud, everybody was clear that practically, the ones left in the race were only Kyuhyun and Changmin.

Most of Super Junior supported Kyuhyun with a couples of them telling the active supporters to leave the three alone. All DBSK members sided with Changmin, obviously since Yunho had no choice, and more than half of SNSD thought that Changmin would make a better boyfriend: more caring, more sensitive, and had known Seohyun longer.

- You can’t be serious, right? Kyuhyun oppa is perfect. Have you not seen their chemistry? – YoonA and Jessica, probably bribed by Kyuhyun, were his strongest advocators

- I am serious. Changmin was the first male that she was closed with. Doesn’t that enough? – Hyoyeon retorted. Yuri nodded in agreement.

- Yah Yuri, look at your choice. Minho was useless. – Tiffany joined the debate. She for sure had not given up the thought of setting Seohyun up with some stranger – Even when Changmin oppa is better, we can still look for another candidate like 2pm Junsu.

SooYoung rolled her eyes

- Technically speaking, HyunKi oppa is still there. Seohyun doesn’t have to choose between Kyuhyun oppa or Changmin oppa.

Taeyeon nodded. At this point, HyunKi might be the best choice for all of them. SMTown had been so divided about who should be boyfriend of their lovely maknae, as Kyuhyun and Changmin had been actively going around and holding their own campaign to persuade people that they were much better than the other. Even though they knew that it would make little different to Seohyun, somehow they hoped that the tiny margin would be enough to make her heart sway to them.

- Sunny, what do you think? – Tiffany turned to Sunny, the only one at that point who hadn’t picked a side yet.

Sunny looked up from her phone and simply shrugged

- Who am I to decide? Seohyun might already make the decision. All we should do is to support her, not to put more pressure on her with this kind of talk.

Soshi became quiet. Sunny was right, but at the same time, they could not stand to see their loved ones suffer. Seohyun was their maknae, but Kyuhyun and Changmin were also their oppa. The longer Seohyun took to decide, the longer all of them, and all SMTown in some senses, would be stressed out. Thus, they wanted to help, even when the help was misguided.

For the last practice, everyone could tell that the whole atmostphere was awkward. The more they tried to stay professional, the harder it seemed. Even some members from other groups outside of the big three were also involved, as they had been since the beginning.

- I just wish that things could go back to normal. – Yuri sighed.

- We change, Yuri-ah. – Jessica pulled Yuri into a hug and mumbled sadly. – We can’t stay the same forever.

Soshi looked at each other and sighed. They hated the feeling of being useless, but there was nothing else they could do.

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Seohyun peaked at the living room to make sure that all of her unnie had gone to bed before quietly slipping into the apartment. However, as soon as she entered the common area, a sweet voice grabbed her attention

- Joohyun-ah, come here. – Sunny was sitting on the couch and waved to her.

- Unnie… - Seohyun startled. - Shouldn’t you be sleep at this time?

- The radio show messed up my schedule.

They knew that it was a lie, but a needed lie nonetheless to make the conversation less awkward. It was obvious that Seohyun had been avoiding everyone, including her own members. She left the apartment early and went back late.

- You lost weight. – Sunny gave her a disapproval look. – Even in this dark, I could see it.

Seohyun came to sit next to Sunny to the couch, keeping her head low like a child who knew she was wrong.

- Unnie… I think….

- Seohyun-ah, you can talk to me. You know I won’t judge you.

Sunny looked at her makane with the most genuine expression on her face, but Seohyun still kept quiet. Realizing that the stubborn girl in front of her was probably having a debate with herself about whether or not to speak, Sunny continued

- You know what, Seohyun? Kyuhyun oppa and Changmin oppa understand each other so well that they have taciturn agreements about countless of things. Apparently, you weren’t one of it.

- Unnie? – Seohyun looked up, clearly surprising.

- Remember the overseeing team? I guessed they probably knew all about each other’s plan to distract us, but they respected that and did not inform anyone. How alike they are, aren’t they?

Seohyun nodded and smiled sadly. Somtimes, she wished they could be different just a bit more. It would be much easier that way.

- No wonder they both fell for you. And no wonder you for them both.

Sunny Seohyun’s hair and smiled gently. The only thing that Sunny had ever wondered about was that how she could not notice it sooner.

- Un-ni-e...

Seohyun looked at Sunny in disbelief. Her lips trembled. She thought she hid it well. She thought no one would know about her true feelings.

- I still love you, as well as other unnie and oppa, Seohyun-ah. It’s not your fault for loving someone.

- But it’s not just one, unnie. – Seohyun sobbed. – Isn’t that wrong? Aren’t we supposed to love only one person?

Sunny pulled Seohyun into a hug. Her poor maknae.

- I don’t know, Seohyun-ah. But really, who knows? We can never understand love enough to know what is wrong and right.

Sunny hoped that she could be more helpful. It was painful to see the usual calm and reasonable Seohyun became distressed and vulnerable. Many had mistaken Seohyun to be the older one in the group and her to be the maknae, because they failed to see how innocent and pure Seohyun could be sometime. How she would still need others to protect her, regardless of how independent she looked. And at those time like those, Sunny would never hesitate to be one of those to do so, to step up and being the source of strength for her beloved little sister.

- Joohyun-ah, you have time. God has plan for us all, don’t forget that. Oneday may you find the answer.

Seohyun put her head on Sunny’s shoulder and cried her heart out. Finally she found someone to confess her sin without judgment, someone who understood and loved her. Someone who wouldn’t be hurt if she spoke her heart. Sometimes Seohyun couldn’t see how people could mistaken Sunny as the maknae. Despite appearing cute, Sunny had such mature aura that even with her tinny figure, Seohyun could always feel safe in her hug.

- It’s fine, maknae. It’s fine.

Sunny mumbled as she wiped away Seohyun’s tears. Seohyun nodded.

- Thank you. – She hugged Sunny tightly. – Thank you so so much, unnie.

- No need. You are always my little sister.

Sunny patted her back and smiled. Seohyun gave her a smile back. The first one in many days.

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The next morning, Luhan asked Seohyun to stay after the practice between EXO and TTS, because they needed to talk, or at least that was what Seohyun made out of the inaudible string of words that came out of Luhan’s mouth

- Seohyun-ah, I’m sorry.

- Why are you saying sorry? – Seohyun was puzzled. – If one of us has to say so, I think I should be that one.

Luhan shook his head

- It shouldn’t be you. I gave you more troubles.

- Oppa? No. – It was Seohyun turn to deny. – I should have told you that I can’t see you more than a friend.

- Even though we probably didn’t know it before, I always see you as an idol. That must have put a lot of pressure on you.

Luhan looked at her with his caring eyes, but in turn, Seohyun gave him a professional smile unconcisouly.

- I am used to it, oppa.

- That’s why it would never work out between us. – Luhan sighed. – You are not curious why I suddenly changed my mind? It’s because of Kyuhyun hyung.

Seohyun’s smile became frozen. Her body stiffened at the sound of his name. Sensing her uneasiness, Luhan reached out and rubbed her hair

- Kyuhyun hyung and I love you differently. However, that’s not what important. What you should remember is that we both love you.

- Oppa. – She sighed. She probably caused people to worry too much.

- I will always love you as my idol, and my dongsaeng. – His voice was so warm and genuine that Seohyun felt her eyes become teary again. – Whoever you choose, whatever your decision is, that won’t change, araso?

She nodded gratefully. She didn’t know what to say beside thank you, because anything would be obsolete and at the same time, deficient.

- Seohyun-ah, good luck.

And with that, Luhan turned away. Only God knew how hard it was for him to reach that decision. He wasn’t sure if he only liked her as an idol, but he knew that they weren’t meant to be. Kyuhyun wasn’t the one that made him change his mind. Kris was.

Kris asked him if long distance relationship would work. Kris asked him if he would stay in Korea forever. Those questions helped him gather his courage to made his decision much quicker. And realizing how he stepped down had help Seohyun feel a bit more relief in her stressful situation, he knew that he had made the right one. Wasn’t that what fan supposed to do?

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As Seohyun walked in the SM building, trying to find her unnie after the talk with Luhan, she bumped into someone unexpectedly in an empty meeting room: a men that stired odd feelings in her every time they met.

- I have hoped that we could meet again soon, and sure God heard me.

HyunKi looked at her and gave her his usual warm smile. Seohyun stuttered as she walked in

- Oppa. How come you are here?

He turned to his employees and with a nod, they bowed to him and quietly leave the room to two of them. In that moment, Seohyun thought she had seen another side of HyunKi: powerful, and distant.

- I am not a stalker, let’s be clear on that.

He winked, being back to the warm HyunKi, and Seohyun chuckled.

- Professionally speaking, I needed to discuss a few things with SM, and personally, I wanted to check on SooYoung and you.

- May I asked what matter you discussed?

- Stealing you out of SNSD? Although I am sure I would be killed before my plan can carry out successfully.

Seohyun blushed and gigled at the same time. For some odd reason, HyunKi always made her feel comfortable when spending time together. He stepped closer and whispered into her ears

- You didn’t say no. May I take this as a yes for my proposal?

Seohyun stumbled backward as his scent suddenly became strong and his presence became overwhelmed. She looked up at the tall man, stuttered

- Oppa, I hav-haven’t thought about it.

HyunKi looked into her eyes and stayed silent. His penetrating gaze made her feel uncomfortable, but before she could turn away, he had shut his eyes.

Seohyun stood there, not knowing how to react. HyunKi had always given off the image of a gentleman that it was hard for Seohyun to find him intimidating, like she just did when he looked at her.

- Seohyun-ah. – HyunKi had opened his eyes again. He gave her a small smile. – Somtimes I wish that I could hate you.

- Oppa. – Seohyun shivered lightly. There was an unamed change in HyunKi that made her feel like she no longer knew the man in front of her.

- You know time is running short for me.

Seohyun instantly nodded. They knew that he needed a wife to fulfill his responsibilities.

- Everytime you look at me, you always look through me to see someone else. I thought we could have more time, but it seems as if I have hoped too much.

She looked at him, utterly shocked and speechless.

- You probably don’t realize that yourself.

HyunKi still looked calm, even on the edge of unemotional. He turned his back at her and paused for awhile, before speaking again in a monotonous voice

- I guess I have to stop seeing you from here.

- HyunKi oppa.

His body was shaking in a blink as she called his name with her soft and angelic voice. He turned around and she was looking at him with her big eyes, lost but still caring.

- I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I still don’t know why that happened. But…but

- I know. – He gave her a small smile.

- You are a great man. – She took a deep breath to remind herself to stay calm. She owed him an explanation. – I have thought about marrying you, because I felt comfortable being with you. It was that my heart doesn’t listen to my mind easily.

- Stubborn Seohyun, huh?

She nodded. If he was right, was that the reason why she felt comfortable with him so quickly? Because he reminded her of someone else?

- I hope you would find someone else who makes you happy, oppa.

- Thankfully, I am not a stubborn person, so I probably will.

HyunKi sighed. He liked Seohyun, but it was definitely not love. Not yet. That was why he hoped that they would have more time, so that they could slowly love each other. However, he might need to be grateful that they did not have that time, because he could have fallen in love with her and she not. So, it would probably much better this way: to stop when he still could.

- And don’t… - She mumbled

- Hate you? – He shook his head. – I can’t, Seohyunie. You are too good of a person for me to ever hate you.

She smiled sadly. If he knew.

- You make people want to protect you. – He reached out and rubbed her hair. – I guess you’ll be another sister of me like SooYoung from now on.

It was the first time that he did something so intimate to her. As he stepped closer and his hand touched her hair, Seohyun blurted out

- Your scent.

- Huh? – HyunKi tried to smell himself. – My scent?

She tried not to sniff off his scent to confirm her sudden thought, but HyunKi had been faster

- My scent was similar to his?

Seohyun didn’t answer, but her reddend cheeks was a confirmation. They both became quiet, and the mood dropped again, until HyunKi slowly spoke again

- I should have guessed it sooner.

She looked at him questioningly.

- When SooYoung bought the perfume for me, she said that she also bought that for her male friends at SM. – He looked at her as if he was trying to see something from her expression. – When we met last time, I thought you started dating because of your parents’ request.

Seohyun did not deny it, but she didn’t confirm it either.

- That was probably not the only reason then. Seohyun-ah, I don’t understand why would you still have to carry out the dating plan if you already had someone else in mind. Did you start this plan because of him?

She trembled and shook her head. She held onto the table as if it was her life saver. How could he realize it so quick? Would there be anyone else understand my plan? Those questions popped up in her head, and Seohyun turned pale at the thought of other people seeing her true intention.

HyunKi sighed and patted her back lightly. You are not a good liar, Seohyun.

- Seohyun-ah, I am not accusing you, or judging you. No one has the right to do so. – He spoke slowly and gently. – What happens between you and him is none of other people’s business. Relax and you’ll find a way.

- Oppa, you really think so? – Seohyun looked up at him, her eyes were so desparate that HyunKi felt a pain in his heart.

She needed a rational mind to guide her through her tumultuous state. Sunny could be a great shoulder to lean on, but she might not be unbiased when giving advices.

- Truthfully speaking, I don’t know.

HyunKi looked directly into Seohyun’s eyes. His expression was genuine and sincere. Seohyun saw a faint hope when looking into his caring eyes.

- I don’t know what happen between you. But remember this, if there is a will, there is a way, Seohyun-ah.

His voice sounded so persuasive that Seohyun immediately nodded at his words without fully comprehending them. He smiled when he realized that his words had helped Seohyun to lighten up a bit

- Oppa, thank you so much. – She gave him a sweet smile, but her eyes were still sad. – And I am so sorry.

He closed the space between them and kissed her forehead softly

- It’s fine, my little sister.

Seohyun startled, but before she could do anything, he flicked her forehead

- Be a nice dongsaeng to me, ok?

She chuckled. How she wish she could love him instead of them, sometimes. However, wasn’t bcause HyunKi resembled them so much that she felt a special connection to him: his humour, his scent, his figure?

- Of course, oppa!

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The news of HyunKi asking for his name to be crossed off the contender list spread like fire. Thus, from that point, technically and practically, Kyuhyun and Changmin were the sole survivors. That was the reason why the situation escalated to a higher level of stressed.

Onew was the first one to whine as the boys gathered together

- Can any of you go and convince either one of them to give up?

Minho looked at him like his leader was hit somewhere on his head

- Do you want to commit suicide? If yes, do it yourself instead of pulling us with you!

- I actually think that would be a good idea. – Yunho suddenly spoke. – Leeteuk hyung, why don’t you find another girl for your maknae?

Leeteuk shoot a glare at Yunho. For the first time in history, the two leaders did not agree on a matter when it came to their maknae

- Why don’t you do that for your maknae then?

They had to admit that no matter how much they love their dongsaeng, their maknae had to come first before the other maknae. And they were selfish, too. They wanted to bring the angel maknae to their group.

- If you could find another Joohyun, I would definitely tell Changmin to give up.

Yesung gave Yunho a weird look. Ryeowook rolled his eyes

- Same for us then.

Suddenly, Yunho found himself in a disadvantage: Suju outnumbered his group. Thus, he turned to SHINEE

- Boys, don’t you think that Changmin is the better choice?

Minho ignored him, being the member of Kyuline made him unable to choose. Even though in his humble opinion, niether of them seemed good enough. Taemin looked at him like he had no idea. Key looked at Onew and Jonghyun, and they gave him their vote. Yunho grinned.

Leeteuk sneered.

- Half of us already equals you and SHINEE combining.

Yunho turned pale. EXO broke out laughing, until Yunho directed his attention to them.

- Hmm, Suho, Kris, Lay, Xiumin, Luhan.

They guled as their names were called. The five tall men eyed each other worriedly and moved closer together in a hope that it would give them more courage to face the wraith of their sunbae. However, before Yunho could say anything, Siwon jumped in

- Even with all of them, we still outnumber you.

That was painfully true. Suju had thirteen members, and even with five of the oldest of EXO and SHINEE combining, Yunho would still need one more vote to match that. EXO tried to supressed their laughs while SHINEE was straight out rolling on the floor and laughing. Yesung grinned victoriously

- Changmin should just quit. It’s better for him.

Eunhyuk and Donghae nodded and danced around happily. They really needed Seohyun to be with Kyuhyun because of her charm on him: Their lives would be much more bearable if they didn’t have to face an angry evil maknae. Ryeowook started singing, but he was smacked at the head by no other than his royal highness Kim Heechul

- Stop. You are disturbing my beauty sleep.

- You sound like Sica. – Poor Ryeowookie complaint, but Heechul ignored him

- And you are all pabo. – Heechul stretched himself while giving them all pitiful looks. –Tell me, what would you do if she chose one and not the other?

They knew Heechul was damn right. They knew the problem was no longer in their power to resolve. 

- We can’t help it. – Leeteuk sighed defeatedly. – We are their elders. We supposed to help them out.

- We can’t. – Yunho agreed with him again. – I can’t sit here and do nothing.

- Well then I’m sure that whatever your plan of helping is not working, and will never do. – Heechul yawned. – Think of something better.

- I just want to protect her. – Suho looked at s and they nodded in unison. – We all want to.

- Isn’t that why we call her the national little sister? – Onew mumbled without looking at anyone.

- She is a grown up now. You can’t babysit her forever.

Heechul felt that he couldn’t knock some sense into his friends’ thick skulls, and he had been wasting his important time explaining things to them, so he decided to leave

- Even when she is always our baby sister.

Onew sighed. Leeteuk shooked his head. Yunho looked at the ceiling. The rest stayed quiet. What should they do to for their maknae, the little girl that they all loved so dearly?

A/N: I had finished this chapter long ago, and at the time, the devastating news about Jonghyun had not happened. I don't know if this is appropriate to include SHINEE, and especially, him in here anymore in this period, so if you have any strong opinion about it, please do not hesitate to let me know. Thank you so much and stay strong, Shawols!