My Senior Year : Apples

"Sungminnie... Wake up..." Umma whispered in my ear. I can feel the touch of her hand on my face. "Sungminnie..." I turned to lie on my belly. No... Umma I don't want to wake up early. "Our Sungmin needs to wake up now..." Umma's voice is getting deeper and louder. But really... I'm too tired to wake up, I spent the whole night tossing and turning in my bed. I couldn't sleep. "Sungmin-ah..." Umma's voice was getting closer. "Sungmin..."

"Yah! Lee Sungmin!!!"

I jumped up from my bed when I felt something soft hit my head. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. As my vision got clear, I saw Hyukkie standing at the foot of my bed holding another pillow aiming for my face. "I'm up!"

He placed the pillow down. "Come on Sungmin. Be ready soon. You're leaving today to visit Cho Kyuhyun, remember?"

"I wish I don't" I mumbled.

"What did you say?" Hyukkie asked.

"I said I know! I'm getting up!" I was partly yelling. Irritated at the fact that I have to get up this early. I am not even excited about seeing Cho Kyuhyun.

"Isn't it too early for you to be this cranky?" Hyukkie sat on my bed and laid half of his body down with a hand propped under his head for support. I just noticed that he's wearing his university uniform.

"Uh... Sorry. I just didn't get enough sleep. Hey, why are you wearing your school uniform?" I asked getting up from my bed and heading to fish some clothes from my closet.

"Oh yeah. Sorry Sungmin-ah. I know I told you last night that I'll be going with you today." I stopped walking towards my closet, I slowly the balls of my feet. I don't want to hear what he is going to say next. "But I can't. Something came up in school and I have to meet up with my classmates for a special course today. I only got the notice late last night. I came by to tell you but Sajang-nim said you already went to bed."

I stomped a foot. "But I was wide awake until sunrise!" I got like less than 2 hours of sleep. "You could just knock or wake me up! Hyukkie! I needed you to come with me today!" I slumped on the floor. I sat there like a 3-year-old, with my legs straight in front of me and a frown on my face. I seriously want to cry out in frustration.

"Na... Sungmin-ah... What's wrong with you? Why are you like this?" He sat up again. "You're only going to visit a classmate in the hospital" he lightly chuckled, "It's not like you're gonna get your heart or brain replaced or something..." he stared at me like I look so silly.

I guess I looked silly. I stood up slowly and went to rummage my closet for something to wear. Pink. I want to wear pink. Maybe it would brighten up my sullen appearance.

From behind me, i felt Hyukkie stand up from my bed and started walking out. "I'm leaving for school, shower quickly so you can eat breakfast before you leave." I didn't look back, I only raised a hand to bid him goodbye. "Sungminnie~~" turning my head, I saw Hyukkie's head wedged in my door. "I bought a basket of apples from the market earlier. Take it with you and wish Cho Kyuhyun well for me, okay?" I only nodded. "Try to have fun today, you'll never know Sungmin-ah.." he then closed my door lightly.

Should I even try? I don't want to see him. I can already imagine Cho Kyuhyun staring at me with cold eyes. I even think he's mad at me for helping him.

Is that why I don't want to see him? Because he could be mad at me?

I helped him. But it doesn't mean I don't hate him anymore. Maybe not hate. I still don't like him.

"Sungmin-ah!" Halmeoni called me for the second time.

"Coming!!!" I yelled from up stairs. I was stuffing MinBunny inside my bag when Halmeoni called me, saying that there's a car waiting for me out front. Cho Kyuhyun's older sister. Cho Ahra.

I ran down the stairs. "I'm leaving Halmeoni!" I gave her a peck on her cheek and ran out the door.

"Hey!" she called "Don't forget this!" she held a basket of apples in her hand. That's right, Hyukkie bought it for me to give to Cho Kyuhyun.

I ran back and grabbed the basket from Halmeoni. "Thanks Halmeoni! I'll try my best to be back soon" I really don't want to spend too much of time there.

Halmeoni gave a laugh "Oh Sungminnie, it's okay. You can stay there as long as you want. Principal Cho phoned me last night and told me that his daughter will be taking care of you today."

Does everybody want me to spend the whole day with Cho Kyuhyun?!?! I can feel nerves pulsing on the temples of my head. I breathed heavily.

I walked towards the gate and saw the van that came to pick up Cho Kyuhyun before. As I went out the gate, a man stepped down from the front door to slid open the door from behind him.

Cho Kyuhyun's sister stepped out from the van. 'Hello Sungmin!"

I smiled shyly and bowed my head. "Hi..."

She smiled and said "Just call me Noona, okay?" she walked towards me and grabbed my arm. "Come on, get inside the van."

She made me step inside before her. She sat beside me. "Ah... A-Ahra N-Noona..."

"Hmm?" She smiled as she looked at me.

"I'm sorry you had to wait. I got up late because I wasn't able to sleep well last night." I had the basket of apples placed on my lap, I was staring at it.

Ahra Noona grabbed my chin to make me face her. "Is that why you're eyes look so tired? Aigo... You must be excited to see Kyuhyunnie, right?"

Huh? Excited? What is she saying? I gave an awkward laugh. "I don't think so..."

"Yah... Sungmin, it's okay." She laughed and helped me remove my backpack from behind "Just place this down so you can sit comfortably. Maybe you can close your eyes a bit while we travel" she placed my bag between us and then she grabbed the basket from my lap. "Let me place this at the back" and so she did. "How did you know our Kyuhyunnie love apples?"

"He does?" Lucky guess for Hyukkie.

She nodded. "Yup, he loves them. But he's too lazy to eat them sometimes. I'd buy him apples but I'd have to cut it for him. Sometimes make him eat it too. He really is my baby brother" she smiled, thinking about it.

Are we really talking about the same Cho Kyuhyun? We might not be. Bad- Cho Kyuhyun being fed apples by his older sister. I smirked upon knowing that. "I just can't seem to connect you with Cho Kyuhyun, Ahra Noona."

"I know, I get what you are saying" she slumped back in her seat "He can be very cold sometimes. Mostly when Appa just got mad at him for something" she smiled even more. "Really, he hates it when I call him my baby, and I treat him much younger. But I just love annoying him too. It's what he gets for brooding too much. He can be very hostile sometimes and it annoys me. So I do that to him to annoy him too" she laughed.

Did I just hear an evil laugh? They really are siblings for wanting to annoy people.

"You must not like him too, right? I bet he annoys you" I slumped back to my seat at what Ahra Noona said and nodded quietly "Forgive him Sungmin. He's just bored. He's been around the same people in the school for so long. I'm sure he annoys you a lot because you're someone new in his life. And I guess he really would annoy you because he wants to be friends with you"

"You think so Noona? We usually bicker. I think there wasn't a moment when he never tried to make me feel annoyed" I felt shy telling Ahra Noona that his beloved brother annoys me.

She laughed. "I think he likes you"

I sat up straight from my seat "What?!" Mwo?! Likes me!?

"He likes you. I mean, he wants to be friends with you. Just give him a chance and try not to be too annoyed. My brother is nice too. He's just naturally too cool to be friends with someone in a normal way" she pointed a finger at me "Look, he annoys me a lot but I can see how much he loves me. He's such a meanie, irritating mom and he angers dad a lot because he loves us too. And just like that, we all love him as much as he aggravate our feelings"

I only nodded, what is she trying to say?

"Just try to observe him. He is very indifferent to those people he doesn't care for. He won't mind what they say, or even what they do."

I remembered when he kept ignoring Tae-yeon when she was apologizing. Is that what Ahra Noona means? I blinked... Hmm.. My eyes are getting heavy...

"Sungmin..." I felt a nudge on my shoulder "Wake up, we're here."

I opened my eyes to see a building outside the vehicle I was in. Oh, that's right. I'm with Cho Kyuhyun's sister, Ahra Noona. I fell asleep talking to her.

"Here's your bag" she handed over my bag and reached for something behind us, the basket of apples, I guess.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep Ahra Noona" I said scratching my eyes still adjusting from the sunlight.

"It's okay. You probably need a lot of sleep since you'll most likely bicker with our Kyuhyunnie all day" she laughed.

The door of the van was again opened by the man who was with us. She stepped out holding the basket of apples. I quickly stepped down while trying to put my backpack on.

"I can carry that Noona"