For a moment we just looked at each other, not saying anything, trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Actually I wasn't really trying to figure out what she was thinking, and she wouldn't have to try hard, because my mind was as blank as a new paper sheet.

At last the small boy, Yoogeun, interrupted the silence.

“Noona!” he yelled exitedly, running towards Sulli, who was still looking at me, mirroring my blank stare perfectly. “I bumped into him,” Yoogeun said, tugging on Sulli's skirt with one hand and pointing at me with his other.

I snickered at the random remark, and made the connection just seconds after; The boy had to be Minho's little brother, and that same, small boy called Sulli 'noona'.

Before I could decide what I thought about my new discovery, Sulli finally started to talk.

“Then you said 'I'm sorry' properly, right, Geuni?” Sulli answered Yoogeun with a motherly tone.

I frowned a little bit. It was weird to hear Sulli talking like a big sister while she acted so childish at school.

There wasn't more time to think about it, because the Choi siblings were walking towards me again.

“Hey,” Sulli smiled broadly at me this time, as she usually did. “What are you doing here?”

I opened and closed my mouth, trying to say something. No sound coming out of it, that's how surprised I was. I lifted my hand, pointing stupidly at the gate door.

“Uhm, Taeminnie?” Sulli tilted her head a little bit in question, wondering what I was doing.

“House. . . that one,” I pointed at the gate again.

This time Sulli's face brightened up. “You came to visit,” Sulli exclaimed, clapping in her hands happily.

“Uhm, actually. . .” I tried, but Sulli wasn't listening anymore.

She dug a key out of the pocket of her jacket and unlocked the gate with a little difficulty because of the grocery bags she was carrying.

“Come in, come in~!” Sulli cheered, grabbing me by the arm and leading (dragging) me inside.

We walked down a small sand path, surrounded by bushes and a lone tree, that lead to the wooden porch of a traditional, Korean house. There was a sliding door located at the left and another one in front of us. Sulli went for the one in front. On the ground, laying around, were some toy cars and a small bicycle. There were clothes hanging out to dry.

“Sulli-ah, are you there?” a voice asked from somewhere inside while Sulli was helping Yoogeun with taking his shoes of.

That was weird, because from what I knew, the Choi siblings lived alone, without any other family members.

“Yes, we're at the front, Ahjumma!” Sulli chirped back.

An elderly woman, who was surprisingly fast in her movements, appeared from the left room. She looked a little displeased.

“When is that damn Minho coming back!? The pay was due yesterday, remember,” she scolded Sulli, making it clear for me that this was indeed Choi Minho's house.

Sulli pouted and made puppy dog eyes while hiding Yoogeun protectively with her body. I was impressed by the childish, but oh-so-mature action.

“Oppa hasn't contact us yet, so I don't know when he's coming back,” Sulli said with a slight quivering voice, as if she could start crying any minute now. I felt a throb of sympathy for her in my heart and I couldn't understand that the woman had been able to keep that stone-like expression up in front of those begging eyes.

“You know the agreement,” the woman said harshly. “When you are three days late, I will kick you out!”

I was shocked, to say in the least, at the elder womans words and my eyes had widened, expressing my shock while watching the retreating woman.

“I'm sorry for that,” Sullis small voice said from my side, reraising from my shocked state. I turned my head towards her, seeing she was looking down, holding a very shocked Yoogeun against her knees. “Please forget what you just saw.”

Sulli lifted Yoogeun up before walking into the house. It seemed like Sulli's body was to small to hold a three year old like that, but she didn't tumble over like I expected her to do. In the door opening she turned around, motioning at me to come in too. I noticed I was just standing there like a dork, not doing anything, and rushed to get my shoes off tp follow Sulli inside.

The room we entered was small, no larger than three square meters. There was a single tall bookcase that brushed against the roof. It held a lot of things beside the few books. The ground was fully carpeted with stains everywhere, but still soft. There where two doors leading somewhere I couldn't see and through the other opening you could see a part of a small kitchen. In the center of the room stood low, traditional table and in a corner, in between the two doors, there was a small, old fashioned television.

“Sit down.” Sulli motioned to the floor. I sat down with crossed legs. She herself walked into the small kitchen to get three cups from a cupboard, after which she filled a kettle to boil water in. “Geuni, go change your clothes!” Sulli said with a slightly raised voice. She didn't have to yell, the apartment wasn't that big anyway.

The small boy listened to his sister's command, dropping his backpack against the closet and disappearing into the room opposite of the door we entered through.

It was silent for a few minutes, aside from the soft noise of the fire warming the water.

“I won't forget what I just saw, Sulli-ah,” I said in a soft voice, knowing that she could hear me, my voice dead serious.

It was silent again.

“And now what?” Sulli asked, the happy-go-lucky sound of her voice completely had disappeared. It didn't even sound like her voice anymore. “You're going to take pity on me?”

I snickered. I couldn't help myself. “Pity?” I said, with amusement in my voice. “You were really strong out there, I think you can manage just fine without it. But, as a friend, I cannot simply ignore it.”

Sulli appeared in the kitchen doorway, locking her eyes with mine. We stared at each other.

“So what are you going to do now?” she asked, without breaking eye-contact.

“I'm your friend,” I told her. “And friends don't ignore what is happening to their friends. All I can do is be here for you, anyway.”

A hesitating grin started to form on Sullis lips, becoming broader and broader until there was a full fletched happy smile on her face, with teary eyes and all. “Friends,” she sniffed in glee.

I nodded.

She turned her head suddenly when the kettle started whistling, indicating that the water was boiling. She rushed to the kettle and came back in a matter of seconds with three cups, the kettle and teabags on a platter. She put it on the table and sat down.

¨How did you know where I live?” Sulli asked. She had lifted the kettle and was filling two cups with hot water.

I suddenly felt embarrassed by the question, but I knew I had to answer.

“Actually, I might be able to help you more than only that,” I said with the most neutral tone I could muster, but I felt really stupid.

Sulli looked at me curiously. “That isn't an answer to my question,” she stated.

A small sigh escaped my mouth. I was scared about how she might react.

“Your brother gave me the address, before I knew he was your brother,” I said, adding the last part to be sure she wouldn't misunderstand it.

Sulli's head snapped up at the mention of her brother.

“You know where Minho-oppa is!?” she exclaimed at the same time the door of a room opened and a fully dressed Yoogeun came out. He seemed a little bit shocked by her raised voice and Sulli quickly moved towards the boy on her knees. “Go get the choco powder, Geuni,” she chirped happily, getting the boy to walk to the kitchen. When he was gone she turned towards me again.

“Where is he,” she demanded, her eyes intimidating me enough that I almost felt like telling her, but Minho didn't want that, so I didn't.

“He asked me not to tell,” I said, trying to keep calm under Sulli's glare, which was surprisingly harsh for that happy go-lucky-girl.

“So something bad happened!?” Sulli said in despair. She groaned softly, trying to not sound overly emotional, because Yoogeun came back in with hiss choco powder. I watched him putting the stuff in the third cup and fill it up with milk. I smiled at the cuteness with which he was doing everything.

“Is he badly hurt?” Sulli asked softly.

I looked at her. She was sitting with her knees under her knees now, looking at Yoogeun, just as I was doing.

“No, don't worry,” I said, lying, but I knew it was better for her to be mad at me afterwards than het being worried right now. “But he won't be home in a while.”

Sulli nodded slowly, still looking at her little brother, who was drinking his choco while enjoying himself with the pictures of a picture book, not paying attention to our conversation.

“He told me to tell his sister that his savings are underneath a loose board under his bed,” I said. “You should use that to survive for the coming days he won't be here.”

Sulli chuckled. It sounded a little bit sad. “I know,” she said, reaching for her cup of tea. “That it's there, I mean, but that he sent the green light to use it means he will be away for a long time this time around.”

The small figure in front of me looked so fragile that I unconsciously reached out with my hand and ruffled her hair. She looked up at me in surprise, meeting my bright smile.

“But he will come back, that's the point, right?” I reassured her, my hand still on her head.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Yeey, got this from my mind. :D One month, not bad right!!!

Gotta be happy :P I know I am. I haven't had any inspiration the last month, so I'm happy I got this far. Now I should update the my other fic to ><

Please comment and subscribe!!!!!!!!!! or one of those. I'll promise that I'll get to editing soon together with my friend ^^