C h a p t e r  2: Peach

The next time Minho looked up at the clock, it was six o’ clock. He felt so pathetic, mourning over his ex-girlfriend for the past few hours when he did nothing wrong to begin with. But, he still loved her. Everyday, her vibrant smile permeated its way into his mind, spreading about him like a disease. In his vision, all he could see were her deep sienna eyes glowing with love and happiness. Every shade of brown seemed to fill her eyes, from caramel to dark chocolate. It was what made her so special among other things. Her laughs would encaptivate him and bring him into another world unimaginable where everything was in serenity.

But then, it occurred to him. Choi Sulli was still in his house and yet it was silent. He stealthily left his room, peering over to the living room to see Sulli soundly asleep on the sofa. Minho made light steps towards Sulli, taking off the laptop from her lap. Curiously, he glanced at the screen, wondering what her occupation was. From a quick glimpse, it seemed that she was writing an essay about current events, maybe she was a journalist? Minho decided he would figure out later, but first he needed to obtain a light blanket to keep Sulli warm.

Minho heard his stomach growl as he peered over Sulli. “Aish, I forgot to make dinner,” Minho mumbled as he approached the kitchen. From a young age, his parents had worked long hours and so he was forced to learn how to cook for himself. He scanned the contents of the fridge to find a few ingredients left to make a decent dinner for him and Sulli, so he swiftly grabbed them and the stove.

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Sulli awoke to the sound of the oven hood fan and the smell of  what she believed to be soft tofu stew. For a moment, she panicked at her surroundings, forgetting that she was in Minho’s apartment. After calming herself, Sulli removed the blanket from on top of her and began searching for the laptop. “Where’d it go?” Sulli scratched her head.

As she stood up, Minho walked out of his kitchen with two bowls of fresh stew, placing them cautiously on the table. “Oh, Sulli, you woke up just in time for dinner,” Minho remarked upon seeing Sulli’s figure.

“Minho, did you make this?” Sulli marveled at how well the stew turned out, and was more than happy to find out that she guessed it right. It was soft tofu stew.

Minho nodded his head as if it were nothing.

“Wow, you’re talented, but Minho, I think I can probably go back now. You didn’t have to make dinner for me,” Sulli politely mentioned with embarrassment etched in her face.

“Gwenchana. Eat up before you go, plus you need to rest. You’re such a workaholic, even worse than me,” Minho playfully teased.

“No really, Minho, I’ve caused enough hassle for one day.”

Minho softly grinned at Sulli’s politeness before approaching her and lightly pushing her towards the kitchen table. “Sit. You need the rest and then I’ll help you contact Krystal.”

“Minho, you’re too kind.” And Sulli meant it. It was so hard for her to fathom how someone she just met could approach her with such generosity, as if they’ve known each other for ages.

“What are friends for?” Minho casually answered while flashing his winning smile.  

Sulli faltered upon hearing Minho’s response. Friends, a short and simple word. Yet, to her it meant the entire world. Friends established a long lasting interconnection between two souls, where each could divulge in the other’s interests, hearing of their pains and sorrows and consoling one another. However, this relationship was already too much of an investment for Sulli. Other than Krystal, no one else could break her walls, and she wanted to remain that way, but here sat someone whom she could have referred to as a stranger a couple of days ago, claiming himself to be her friend. Could she blame him? No, she couldn’t. It was her fault for forgetting her keys in her apartment and for crashing in Minho’s apartment.

The rest of dinner lasted in silence with a few interjections of conversation in between on superficial topics. After Sulli insisted on helping Minho wash the dishes, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll go get that.” Minho wiped his hands against a towel to wipe off excess foam from the dish washing soap. Sulli momentarily stopped washing the dishes to catch a glimpse at who was at Minho’s door at such a time. “Oh, you must be Krystal?”

Sulli mentally slapped herself. How dumb could she be to forget that Krystal was supposed to come.

“Yes, and you must be Choi Minho?” Both bowed to one another out of respect. “Sulli is in the kitchen.”

Krystal smiled, but with an smirk hidden beneath. She was sure that she was going to get Sulli and Minho together. Their chemistry during the blind date was undeniable, and she would work to make one another fall in love at all costs.

“Sulli!” Krystal cheerfully called out after placing her shoes neatly on the shoe rack. “You clumsy peach forgetting your keys.”

“Peach?” Minho interrupted. With on warning, he began laughing as hard as ever, as if he had just experienced the funniest joke ever. “Peach,” he said once again while gasping for air.

Sulli eyed Minho weirdly amidst finishing washing the last dishes. “What’s wrong?”