It’s been weeks since Taemin and Sulli became friends. Sulli was now frequent in his circle of friends, and they did everything and went everywhere together. Taemin was a super nice friend to Sulli, who in return loved that she had someone new to hang out with and replaced Minho who was too busy. Taemin even started helping her with her business just so he could get closer to her but she only saw him as a good friend.

“Are you okay?” Taemin ask Sulli who was lost in her thoughts.

“Yes, just my dad and my brother doesn’t want to continue helping me with my brand” she sighs.

“Well, didn’t you tell them about your new product line?” Taemin had come over to her house to help her out with the brand marketing plan and more.

“I did but because profits went down, they said they didn’t wanna waste money on a business that could easily fail”

“So your business hasn’t been doing well?”

“It has done well before but lately I haven’t had time to change things up and create new things so my profits decreased a bit”

“You’re creating a new line so I’m sure they will invest”

“They won’t. I had to put out the business money to create this new project”

“That’s what you’re supposed to do. Seems like you have a bit more to learn about business”

“Are you taking their side now?” Sulli looks at Taemin menacingly ”It’s my first business okay plus I only needed more money because I lost a bit but they really made it clear they won’t help me even my brother”.

Taemin suddenly got an idea “Do you want my help?” he asks her.

“Your help? What do you mean?” Sulli asks not understanding.

“I’ll help. I’ll invest” Taemin said.

“No No, you don’t have to do that” Sulli shook her hands in disagreement.

Taemin got closer to her and looked at her in the eyes “I want to, don’t stop me since I see you working so hard” he continued “Your dad and brother should see this. You’re talented at this”.

It flustered Sulli how close their faces were and how intensely Taemin was looking into her eyes. She quickly moved her face laughing.

“Thanks Taemin, you’re a really good friend”

“You’re welcome, it’s no bother” Taemin said now only looking at her neck, he noticed how Sulli found their faces being close uncomfortable so he moved a bit.

“You know it’s funny how you can see my talents in such a short time but not my own family” Sulli said a bit gloomy.

“What do you mean?” Taemin asks.

“In my family, I go unnoticed a lot. I used to be the baby of the family but now I’m the ghost”.

“I’m sure that’s not it. Your family probably loves you a lot”

“They do but that’s not what I’m talking about”

“What are you talking about?” Taemin focused his attention on the sad girl.

“Well, they used to like me a lot and thought I was cute when I was younger but over the years my siblings got a lot more attention from my parents than me. I mean everything they do, they fight, causes trouble, achieve good things, do stupid things. I’m the only one who never did anything”

“You’re the youngest so…”

“Yeah that’s a problem too.They try to shield me from everything acting like I have no sense and need protection because of I’m young” Sulli points out “Whatever is going on in the family, I’m the last to know. They hide things from me and it’s like I’m invisible to them”

“My brother Siwon is like so handsome and my dad loves him.He is my dad's pride and joy because he’s so hard working and listens to him. My sister who’s wishy washy gets attention from my parents for causing trouble sometimes and for fighting with my dad all the time. Then there’s Minho, well he’s the only courageous one who dares to go against my dad. He doesn’t ever try to please my parents and does whatever he wants”

“I d-din’t know it was like that” Taemin said, surprised the girl was spilling so much about her family, almost like she was holding things back and waiting to burst.

“And there is me who…has always been crying for them to look at me especially my parents. I’ve had to basically take care of myself for the last few years and sometimes I needed my parents but they were always focusing on those three and forgetting about me”

“I’m sorry about that”

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault. I bet you’re asking yourself why am I telling you all this, right?”

“No, I’m not. I’m actually happy you’re venting to me”

Sulli brushed her fingers against her hair and sighed “You know this business is the only way I can please my parents and get a bit of attention if I do well. My dad wants us all to follow in his footsteps and I’m trying so hard to beat the others. Only my brother already beat me to it, he’s a genius who my dad loves… and loves to control” she laughs at the last part.

“So what you’re saying is you’re basically nonexistent unless you succeed at this?” Taemin asks teasing her.

She hits him playfully “No, I didn’t say I was nonexistent… just invisible”

“Anyway, I think you will do well. You will do better than your brother”

“Yeah right. Is that even possible?” she scoffed

“I see a great and talented girl in front of me and it’s only about time everyone else does too.” He quickly put a kiss on her cheek.

She got flustered again and held her cheek “What are you doing Taemin?”

Just before then someone walked behind them in the living room silently.

“Nothing… I had something to ask you before you started talking about all this” Taemin was slowly approaching her more and more, their faces and lips getting closer.

“What is it?” Sulli asks her heart beating like a drum as she moves back a little to create space between them but Taemin kept moving towards her until she was sinking down on the sofa.

Their lips were inches apart, while Taemin was on top of her “Can you be my girl…”

“What are you two doing?” someone asks interrupting and scaring them.

They turned around to see Siwon looking at them.

“Oh oppa. What are you doing here?”  Sulli was fixing herself.

“This is my house Sulli I live here. I’m coming back from work remember”

“I-I mean, why are you here so early?”

“Hmm, this is around the time I’m usually home. Why do you act so surprised?”

“I’m not surprised just…”

“Are you doing something you shouldn’t be doing?” his eyes went to Taemin “Who’s this?”

“I’m Lee Taemin” Taemin went up to her brother, shook hands and bowed.

“A boyfriend?”

“No, he’s just a friend” Sulli cuts in standing up.

“Do you usually try to kiss your friends?” he looks at both of them.

“Oppa, it’s not that. He was just helping me”

“Helping you with what? Your ?”

“Oppa” Sulli yelled

“I understand, carry on”

“I was just about to leave anyway” Taemin interrupted.

“No no don’t leave. Finish what you were doing” Siwon said.

Sulli was looking at her brother with anger in her eyes. Then Sooyoung came home and saw them standing in the living room.

“What’s going on?” she asks feeling the tension.

“Good night sir” Taemin bowed to Siwon ”I’ll see you later Sulli” he waved, he bowed to Sooyoung before he left.

Sulli looked at her brother before storming upstairs. Sooyoung was confused and asked again.

“What’s going on oppa? Who was that?”

“I don’t know, ask Sulli. He wasn’t on top of me”

“What?”

Sooyoung walked upstairs to her sister’s room.

“What’s going on Sulliver? Who was that boy…on top of you?”

“Oppa said that" Sulli shakes her head angrily "Your stupid brother is what’s going on”.

“What did our stupid brother do?”

“He embarrassed me in front of him”

“Ugh tell me about it, he used to do it to me all the time but was that your boyfriend Sull?” Sooyoung tickled Sulli out of happiness.

“No unnie!” she yells annoyed “Don’t tickle me”

“I thought you had finally found your first”

“Unnie, can I ask you something?” .

“Yes”

“What does it mean when a guy is being so nice to you?”

“It means he’s either a nice guy or he wants to be friends”

“What about if he goes beyond nice and goes out of his way to help?”

“I think maybe he likes you”

“You sure? What about when he sees all the good things in me? When he’s there for me when I need it? It’s just weird”

“It’s not weird honey. I think he may really like you and wants you”

“No that’s not it. That can’t be it” Sulli tries to get the thought out of her head.

“Do you want to be convinced or lied to?” Sooyoung chuckled.

“It’s probably not that. I mean he has a lot of friends, some females. So he’s probably like that to them too”.

“I doubt it Sull. But do you like him?” Sooyoung asks.

“I-I don’t know” Sulli answers back.

“How do you feel around him?”

“Happy. Now that I don’t have Minho, I love being next to him”

Sooyoung thought a little bit “Looks like to you he’s only a replacement”

“Huh?”

“Don’t lead him on too much, he’s probably thinking of you as more than a friend Sulli”

“Should I do something to get him uninterested?”

“Yes but what?”

“Why are you asking me unnie? Why do you think I’m getting the help from you?”

“I don’t really know what you should do though”

“I forgot, you never had any luck with guys anyway” Sulli laughs.

“That’s not funny and we’re not talking about me right now” Sooyoung got upset.

“Sorry for being rude”

“Maybe I should let you deal with it on your own, then you will know how it’s not so easy to deal with some guys” she got up and left.

“I’m sorry unnie” Sulli yells after her while she's leaving.

“Hey, what did you want to ask me the other day?” Sulli sat down next to Taemin who was sitting down alone at lunch break.

As soon as he saw Sulli, his expression lightened up “You’re here. What’s up?”

“I’m good, you?” she smiled and said cheerfully.

“Why are you so cheerful and happy today?” Taemin ask curious.

“Happy to see you” she said but Taemin was waiting for a real answer. She gave in “Actually, I was just really curious about what you wanted to ask me. What is it?”

“So that’s the only reason you came looking for me?” he smiled “It was nothing”

“What! Nothing!”

“Bye, I’ll see you later” he quickly got up and left, throwing the rest of his food in the trash. She stared at him leaving thinking “Why is he acting so weird and distant today?” She shrugged it off and went to get her lunch.

Few hours later, Sulli decided to write a note to Taemin who was momentarily absent from the class and put it on his desk.

*See me later after school

P.S. Can we leave together today? Thanks*

Minutes didn’t pass and the note left the desk to the floor due to turbulences and people moving around in the class.

After tennis practice, Tiffany and Sooyoung decided to take a little walk to their nearest favorite café.

Walking by, Tiffany notices a familiar face in one of the shopping stores and she made a rough halt.

“Isn’t that your brother? With some girl” Tiffany says to Sooyoung who was steps ahead.

“Who?” she retracted to look at where Tiffany was pointing at. Through the window, she saw Minho with company.

“Who is that girl?” Sooyoung asks “Why is my brother shopping with her?”

“She seems familiar to me” Tiffany started brainstorming.

“Do you know everybody?”

“Should we go in and say hi?” Tiffany asks Sooyoung.

“What? No. Do you want my brother to think we were meddling in his business?” She pulls Tiffany “Come on, let’s leave. He’s a scary kid”.

“Who do you think that was? A girlfriend? because she doesn’t look like a friend hanging all over him like that” Tiffany said.

“What else would she be other than a friend?” Sooyoung glares at Tiffany “He has a girlfriend. My brother is not that type of person”

“Okayyy, don’t get all defensive” Tiffany rolls her eyes.

Sulli was at her locker fixing her books, she slams the door to leave and got surprised by a face standing next to her locker.

“Hey!” Taemin said to Sulli “Were you going to leave without me?”

“No” Sulli said “Didn’t you see the note I posted on your desk?”

“What note?”

“A little note I left you”

“I didn’t see it. It must’ve fallen off the desk. What did the note say?”

“Just I wanted to leave together with you today…in your car” she said cutely.

“Do you like riding in my car that much?” he asks playfully.

“Yeah but I like hanging out with you more” hearing those words made Taemin happy, he smiled secretly to himself.

They kept walking and chatting till they got outside but Taemin stopped walking, looking nervous.

“Sulli, remember what I wanted to ask you? Well I kinda wanna ask you now.”

“What is it TaeMAN?” she joked “And why do you look all serious all of a sudden?”

He took something out of his pocket, shoving it towards her, he blurted out “Do you wanna be my girlfriend?”

Sulli couldn’t believe her ears at what she heard, and she also couldn’t believe her eyes when he opened his hand with a white gold promise ring.

She was on the brink of tears for what she was about to do, she felt guilty but she took one step back. She stared at the ring, then at him scared of what would come out of .

“I-I don’t feel the same way” she was unsure of what to say to not hurt his feelings and hesitated “I mean why do you ask me to be your girlfriend?”

“Why else? Because I like you” he was getting irritated at her reaction.

“I l-like you too but…”

“No, I don’t mean in that way” Taemin cuts her off “I mean as more than a friend”

“Can’t we just leave it as that…as friends?” she looked down feeling like someone had just threw cold water over her “I don’t want to ruin our friendship”

“Bye, see you later” she quietly turned around and left him standing there feeling rejected.

Later in the night she tried calling and texting him but he never gave her a sign of existence.

“Unnie can I talk to you?” Sulli texted Sooyoung while they were both in their rooms.

“Why?”

“Because I’m having an issue”

“What kind of issue?”

“Boy issue”

“I thought you said I didn’t know much about men?”

“Oh yeah right I forgot. Maybe I should ask Jessica”

“What?!” Sooyoung texted in jealousy “Are you really going to be like that to me? Why would you ask her when you have me, you ungrateful brat?”

“Calm down unnie. I was just kidding. Gosh you take everything too seriously. Hold on, let me come to your room”

She came jumping on Sooyoung’s bed.

“What is your dilemma?” Sooyoung asks distracted typing on her laptop sitting on the bed.

“I told him I just wanted to stay friends” she said in a sad tone.

“Told who?”

“Taemin”

“Taemin…Taemin” Sooyoung think distractingly.

“My guy friend” Sulli reminded her “the one’s who’s really nice to me and does everything for me”.

“Oh that Taemin!” the other said still too focused on her laptop.

“He asked me to be his girlfriend and I told him I didn’t like him, that we should stay friends and rejected him”

“You did what?!” Sooyoung quickly put her laptop aside.”Why why?”

“I really don’t know” she said thinking back on the situation “I felt shocked and cornered. I didn’t expect it”

“So you told him let’s stay friends just like that? You sure you don’t like him?”

“What was I supposed to do? He even offered me a ring but I’m not sure if I like him”

“Wow, you really blew it”

“Thanks unnie for making me feel better” Sulli said sarcastically.

She stayed laying on Sooyoung’s bed quietly, while the latter went back to her business in atonement “Wow,wow”

After a while a weeping sound was heard, Sooyoung looked around. She looked at Sulli who was laying face down on her bed.

“Sulli is that you? Are you crying?” she shook the latter.

She pulled Sulli up by her shoulders to look at her, the girl’s face was drenched in tears.

“You really are crying, huh?”

“Unnie, why do I feel so horrible now?” she cried “He won’t even talk to me. I called and texted him many times but he’s not answering me back”

“Sorry Sull, you gotta give him some time after you rejected him”

“I know but I’m scared he will not want to talk to me again”

“If your friendship meant anything to him, trust me he won’t cut you out just for that” Sooyoung pulled her to hug her.