Leeteuk’s POV~

“Ukiiiiiiiiiii~” I heard someone complaining as Donghae left to his room.

“Aish, Sungmin, I made so much food already! I still don’t understand how you finished everything so quickly. That was a whole steak I made you!”

A second later, Uki came into view, wearing simple Sophie shorts and a black tank top with Sungmin pouting and begging behind her.

“Please?” Sungmin asked, batting his eyes at her and pulling one of the poutiest pouts I’d ever seen in my life.

Uki gave a big breath. “Fine.”

“Wait, you don’t needa make him anything,” I interrupted. I held up my container. “He can have mine.”

“Aww, thanks, hyung!” Sungmin exclaimed, taking the container excitedly and popping it into the microwave.

“But oppa, what’re you gonna eat?” Uki asked.

“I’m not hungry.” That was a complete and total lie. I was starving, but I didn’t want Uki to cook anymore than she had to.

Uki squinted her eyes at me and smiled. “You never were really good at lying, oppa.” She laughed and pulled out a carton of eggs. “I’ll make some eggs and we can eat that since Sungmin is being a little piglet and snatching up everyone’s food.”

Sungmin cheesed at her which caused her to roll her eyes.

“One of these days, your aegyo is going to be ineffective, just saying,” she told him, taking out a frying pan.

“Oh I highly doubt that.” And with that, he took his/my Tupperware out of the microwave and trotted away to his room.

“So how was your date with Donghae?” I asked, preoccupying myself with the rice pot so I wouldn’t have to look at her face.

“Hmm? Oh.” She laughed. “I don’t know why everyone keeps calling it a date. I mean, I just wanted to spend some time with everyone since I haven’t gotten the chance to do so for the past two months. And it just so happened that today was his free day.”

“Me, Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun, Siwon, Yesung, and Sungmin weren’t doing anything,” I pointed out.

“Correction, I didn’t find out that you guys weren’t doing anything until it was too late.”

I smiled at her. “Fair enough.”

“Are any of you guys busy tomorrow?”

“Sadly. We’ve gotta television performance tomorrow and then afterward a random photo shoot.”

“Photo shoot? Photo shoot for what?”

“I’m not so sure, actually. I think it’s just ‘cause we were well overdue for one. Those folders that they sell of us and posters and whatnot needed an update, so says our manager.”

She smiled and looked up at me from the sizzling eggs in the pan. “I’m not gonna lie. I have quite a few of those folders.”

“Really?” I asked, a smile on my face.

“Yeah. They’re more convenient than the regular folders. I like them a lot more.” She pulled a plate from the cupboard and slid the eggs onto it, putting the pan in the sink. “And besides. Boring blue folder vs. Asianified folder with ridiculously hot Korean guys. Yeah, hardly a competition.”

“Which ones do you think are the hot Korean guys?” I asked with a slight laugh.

She looked at me with that cunning look of hers. “Teukie, if you just wanted to know which members I have a crush on, then why don’t you just ask me?”

My pulse kicked up a notch for some strange reason. “Um…Okay, so who do you have a crush on?”

She laughed at me as she split the eggs evenly and put two spatula’s worth of rice on two plates. “Well, if you really must know. Sungmin’s starting to grow on me.”

“SUNGMIN?!” I yelped in surprise.

“Yeahh,” she said, one of those dreamy, far-off little smiles spreading across her face. “He’s beyond cute, and there’s just something in his smile, and he’s just so childish sometimes, but I like it. And he’s always there.”

I blinked a couple times from shock. Uki and Sungmin? I just can’t see it! She’s way too mature for that child! He acts as though he were five when he was older than Donghae even! And she acts more like she’s in her mid-twenties than her true age of eighteen! Yah! What has the world come to?

“Oppa?” Uki’s voice asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I tore my gaze from the floor and looked up at her.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I-I’m fine,” I responded. I cleared my throat. “So who else?”

She smiled sadly and seemed to zone out as she said, “Well for awhile there, it was Donghae. But…I don’t know anymore.”

I looked confusedly at her. “But…Your date…?”

“It was great spending the day with him and all, but I mean…he kinda effed up big time in the past. I just haven’t quite forgiven him completely yet.” Then she stood upright and smiled at me. “But it’s okay. That’s precisely why I have people like you in my life.”

She handed me a plate and headed to the living room.

“What movie do you wanna watch?” she called.

I stared at my plate with scrambled eggs alongside my neatly piled rice. “Um, whatever you wanna watch is fine.”

“I’m gonna put on Camp Rock,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“Oh, dear God, please don’t,” I said, walking to the living to meet her.

She looked up at me from the floor and smiled, her eyes brightening her face. Hard to imagine that she was the same girl in the kitchen just a few seconds ago.

“It’s okay. I’ve grown outta my Jonas Brothers phase,” she responded, popping a DVD into the DVD player. “How ‘bout a Disney classic? Beauty and the Beast?”

I smiled at her and settled into the crook of the couch. “Well, why not? You already put it in anyways.”

“Aw, you know me so well.” She leapt onto the couch next to me and sat with her back leaning on me for support.

I looked down at the top of her head. I’ve known this girl since she was, like, what…Ten? Eleven? She’s changed so much since then. She’s ridiculously smart, she’s easy-going, and she accepts everyone that’s around her for who they are, never trying to change them. And she’s different. Her family is one of the strictest Christian families I know, and yet she had the audacity to veer away from that and become a Buddhist. Even has the nerve to wear a Buddhist necklace to show to the world what she truly was. Back then, she was a kid full of spunk, never watching from saying something stupid. And now, she’s an intelligent young woman, sitting on my couch eating rice and eggs, watching Beauty and the Beast. Hard to believe it’s been eight years already.

Flashback;; Seven years ago;; Leeteuk’s POV~

“This is ridiculous. Why are we always practicing for so long?” Sungmin complained.

“C’mon now, Sungmin, it’s not that bad,” I reassured him.

“That guy, Mr. Lee, works us too hard. Breaks are nonexistent in his world and five hours of nonstop rehearsing is just perfectly acceptable to him.”

I placed my hands on his shoulders and leaned close to him. “It’ll be worth it, trust me. One day, we’ll all be super famous and everyone will look up to us. And they’ll see you and say, ‘There goes Lee Sungmin. I wanna be just like him one day.’ All of Korea is going to love you.”

“Let’s hope it isn’t just him they love,” Heechul said, sitting right by the fan next to Siwon and Donghae, who were shirtless at this point.

Hmmm…That didn’t sound like too bad an idea. I took my shirt off and threw it into the corner with Donghae’s and Siwon’s shirts. Next thing I know, everyone followed suit and then there was a tiny little pile of nothing but sweaty T-shirts and wife beaters in the corner of the studio. 

“What do you mean, Heechul?” Siwon asked properly, fanning himself.

“Let’s hope that they become Super Junior 05 fans, not just Sungmin fans,” Heechul clarified.

“I have faith,” Donghae said, a starry look in his eyes. He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling, a smile on his tired face. “I have faith that one of these days, girls from all over the world will be yelling our names. And they’ll all love us and guys will wanna be just like us. And that Super Junior will be so popular that we’ll be within the top ten of album sales across the globe.”

I smiled to myself. “Donghae’s got the right idea. He dreams big. Despite the fact that he keeps calling his own group the wrong name.” I laid down on my back as well and stared at the ceiling.

“Pfsht. Wrong name. What’s with the 05? There are way more than five guys in this group. I think we should just be called Super Junior. I mean, Super Junior just rolls off the tongue, ya’ know? Super Junior 05. People will say that and wonder to themselves, ‘Where the hell did that 05 come from? Why is it even there? There are twelve members in the group, not five.’ Doesn’t it make sense?”

I laughed quietly to myself. “Of course, Donghae.” He was always the dreamer.

“Your sarcasm is not very much appreciated, hyung,” Donghae said.

We all laughed at that.

“Aye, what do you think you all are doing?” asked an angry voice.

We all sat up quickly. Uh-oh. Mr. Lee, the choreographer.

“Sorry, Mr. Lee,” I said immediately.

“Leeteuk, you, too?” he asked. I bowed my head and shut my eyes to ready myself for the yelling that was about to come. “I expected that you as the leader of the group, would be the one to make sure that the group wasn’t slacking.”

“Mr. Lee, it’s not Leeteuk’s fault,” Donghae cut in.

Aish, shut up, Donghae! I thought to myself.

“Donghae, stay out of this,” Mr. Lee warned.

“But Mr. Lee—!”

“Donghae!” Mr. Lee yelled.

I looked to Donghae to see that he had his fists balled and was biting his lip to keep himself from saying anything else stupid. I stood up, my head still bowed.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lee,” I said respectively, “I take full responsibility. It’s just…Well, we’re starting to get shin splints again and I figured we all needed some rest. Just a little bit, and we’d be getting right back to work.”

“Shin splints are painful, are they not?” Mr. Lee asked.

I was confused and looked to the other guys out of the corners of my eyes to see that they were also confused.

“For goodness sakes, look at me when I’m speaking to you, boy!” Mr. Lee barked.

I snapped my head up and looked at him. And he repeated his question.

“Um…Yes, they are,” I replied tentatively.

“Good!” Mr. Lee exclaimed. “Because you see, pain means that weakness is leaving your body. And to become successful artists and respected musicians, you must experience tremendous pain in order to become strong and powerful men in the future.”

Suddenly, the door to the studio opened and a little girl of about ten walked in. Her eyes widened at the sight of all of us shirtless and she immediately covered her eyes with her hands. I smiled. What a cute kid. Only question was, who was she?

“Aye, who let this girl in here?!” Mr. Lee barked at no one in particular. “Who is she anyways?!”

“S-sorry, sir,” she said in her innocent little ten-year-old voice, her eyes still covered by her tiny hands. “I’m Uki Seohae Choi. My family came to pick my brother up to go home for the holiday break.”

“Holiday break?” Mr. Lee turned his glare to Siwon, who seemed to shrink under the man’s fuming eyes. “I’m sorry, Uki, but stars don’t get such things as holiday breaks.”

Obviously she didn’t like the tone he had taken with her, because next thing you know, she uncovered her eyes and put her hands on her hips, her expression and tone of voice taking on a sassy one. “Listen, sir. With all due respect, I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, so I would very much appreciate it if you didn’t use that tone of voice with me or my brother. My family and I came here to pick up my brother, and even if I have to take you down and drag him out by the ankles, we are going to leave with Siwon.”

“Aww, look at you being so feisty!” Mr. Lee said, an amused expression upon his face.

I gave her a warning glance. Nobody ever talks like that to Mr. Lee and leaves the room alive. She looked at me and ignored me

Her expression took another irritated turn. “Your facetious tone and condescending demeanor is not very much appreciated and I would like it if you didn’t treat me as if I were some clueless little child who doesn’t know what was going on in her surroundings because obviously I am very much aware of what is happening around me.”

“And what are you aware of?” Mr. Lee asked, still having an amused expression upon his face.

She took a step toward him. “Are you aware that it is against the law to forbid performers a well-deserved break, whether it be from rehearsal or from a performance?” She took another step, and continued to do so with every one of her points until she had him backed against the mirror. “Are you also aware that if a performer is injured, he or she has the right to rest his or her injury until it is healed, when the doctor permits him or her back to work, or when the performer decides it is okay to start work again? Are you also aware that performers have to take at least forty-five minutes as a cumulative time in break for every three hours of rehearsal? Are you also aware that if these conditions are not met, you are in violation of manual labor laws and that every single one of these performers here could very well sue you?”

I looked at the other guys, a small smile upon my face. Never have I once heard someone speak like that to Mr. Lee. But to get away with it was a completely different matter!

“Listen here, little miss,” Mr. Lee said, straightening himself, “I don’t know you are, or you think you are, but you are not welcome in my studio. How dare you come in here thinking that it would be perfectly acceptable to not only insult me, but to threaten me?”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Pardon me, sir, but I don’t recall myself ever insulting you, nor do I ever recall myself threatening you. I apologize, however, because you obviously misconstrued my…Awareness of the law as both an insult and a threat to you. But you’d know all about these laws, wouldn’t you? Because you’re just such an aware adult, right?”

Mr. Lee just simply blinked at her a couple times.

“Well think about this the next time you plan on messing with me. My name is Uki Seohae Choi. And I will become the next great lawyer. You might want to remember that name because if you continue on with the way you’re treating these fine young gentlemen in rehearsal, you might need my services very soon,” she said with utter bold and confidence.

Mr. Lee’s lip curled up in anger and I thought he would kill her right on the spot, but I think it shocked all of us when he said instead, “Take a fifteen minute break, boys. Siwon, pack your things. Your family is here to take you home for the holiday break.”

And with that final statement, he walked off to the backroom again, slamming the door shut. Uki stood there, smiling in victory. Siwon came up to her and buried her in a hug.

“Uki! Don’t you ever come in here and do that again! You have no idea how terrified I was for you! That man could literally have killed you!” he said.

“Yah! Siwon, let me go! You’re all gross and sweaty!” she whined, breaking free of her brother’s grasp. “And besides, I wasn’t gonna be scared of some middle-aged man who was barely taller than I was.”

“But I’ve missed you~” he said, “it’s been almost a whole year since I’ve seen you. And watch your mouth. He is one scary man when he is angry.”

“Oh? And who’s fault is that?” she asked, sticking her tongue out at him. She obviously decided to ignore the Mr. Lee comment he made.

“Siwon, you never told us you had such an endearing little sister,” Heechul said, standing up to go introduce himself to Uki. “Hello there, miss. I’m Kim Heechul.”

She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, oppa. I’m Uki Seohae Choi.”

“Yah, Heechul, she’s eleven, you sicko,” Siwon said, pushing Heechul away from his little sister.

“Eleven?” Heechul asked incredulously. “Dang. Call me when you’re older.”

“Oh, yes, because I highly foresee that happening in the future,” Uki said, sarcasm practically dripping from every syllable that left .

I laughed at her. “She’s got you beat, Heechul.”

Siwon laughed and told Uki, “Uki, this is Park Jung-su, but around here, we call him Leeteuk. He’s the oldest of the group and the leader.”

Uki cocked her head to the side a bit and her eyebrows raised a fraction of a centimeter. Her facial expressions were just like Siwon’s.

“Special, eh?” she asked. Then she smiled at me. “Oh, I can tell you’re gonna be a special one for sure. Nice to meet you, oppa. I’m Uki Seohae Choi.”

I shook her hand and asked her, “Why do you introduce yourself in such an odd manner?”

“Odd manner?” she asked, looking up to Siwon in confusion.

Siwon laughed. “You see, guys, my little sister was chosen as a transfer student to go and study in America. And she’s been there for the past year, so I suppose the way they speak is starting to rub off on her.”

“Ohh,” Uki said, “no wonder that vendor lady thought my last name was Uki and my first and middle names were Seohae and Choi.”

“Uki, you needa remember that you’re in Korea now,” Siwon told his little sister.

She waved his hand at him dismissively. “Details, details. I’ll be back in the US soon enough.”

“Um, Uki, if you don’t mind me asking, what grade are you in?” Sungmin asked.

“Ah, Uki, this is Lee Sungmin. He’s the master of aegyo in the group, so you better watch out for this one,” Siwon introduced.

“I see. Aegyo, eh?” She studied him for a second then nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I can definitely see it. Well, nice to meet you, oppa. And as of right now? I’m a sophomore in high school. If everything goes according to planned, I should be graduating by the time I’m fourteen. Then it’s straight to college right after that.”

“Sophomore in high school?!” Donghae exclaimed. “You’re only a grade behind me and your brother! And you’re…Eleven!”

“There’s a reason why I was chosen to study in America,” she said, laughing at him.

Siwon laughed and said, “Don’t mind him. This is Lee Donghae. He’s the dreamer of the group and he tends to dramatize everything.”

“I do not!” Donghae exclaimed indignantly.

“See.”

He stuck his tongue out at Siwon. As Siwon went through and introduced the rest of the group, I couldn’t help but think to myself that this girl was going to be one very special girl when she grew up. She was going to make it big and she was going to get her name out there to the world, I know she is. I have high expectations of you, Choi Uki Seohae. Er, I mean…Uki Seohae Choi.