Sulli's POV

Sulli woke up in the passenger seat of Minho’s car while he was still driving back to Seoul. His jacket was thrown over her since the spring weather was crisp and cool. She turned around to look at Minho and felt her heart beat faster to see how handsome he was. She leaned over and pressed her lips against his cheek for a quick kiss.

“Ya! I’m driving! Go back to sleep” Minho said but he smiled.

The two of them had spent the morning walking around the grounds of their elementary school until school opened and students started to show up. Sulli cherished those simple moments of tenderness between her and Minho.

Now, they were driving through the peaceful countryside. Sulli admired the blueness of the sky and the rustling of the rice paddies by the road. She opened the window to feel the breeze whip through her hair and then reached for Minho’s phone to take a photo since she had left hers at home.

The background of his phone was still the picture of him and Sulli. He had never changed it even though he had been acting cold to her.

Suddenly, the phone vibrated with a message.

“Minho, where did you go? I am waiting for you outside your house, so please hurry back and talk to me. I didn’t sleep at all last night because I was thinking of you”

The message was from Yuri.

Sulli quietly put the phone back onto the dashboard and looked solemnly out the window.

She heard Minho grab the phone to glance at the screen.

Then, she felt him reach over and enclose her hands with his hands. He was still watching the road but he intertwined his fingers with hers. He worldessly took her hand and placed it on his lap.

“You should change your phone’s background. Someone might see it and make assumptions” Sulli whispered solemnly. 

“So what if someone sees it? Why should we be secretive? Everyone can assume just by looking at us. I cannot just hide my feelings”

“It is not professional. People will not like us together”

“Are you thinking of Yuri? I will deal with her so just let it go. The one I love is you”

“It’s not just Yuri, but the company will not like it if we are together. Since your appeal comes from your image as a charismatic lady's man, your rating will go down and the public will lose interest if it’s exposed that you are in a relationship. News of your affairs with Krystal and Yuri and other women were all rumors, but an official relationship will affect your status. The Couples shoot between you and Yuri would not be popular. SM won’t allow it”

“You always have to be professional. Even though you act naïve and simple-minded, you are actually more mature than I am. I just wish for the day when we can simply be the two of us without having to think of the company or the media. Why does it have to be so complicated?”

“I also miss the days when we could love each other freely without problems…”

They spent the rest of the trip in silence.

Sulli kept her hand gently on Minho’s lap. The breeze blew through her hair and filled the car with the scent of lavender.

--

Minho dropped Sulli off at her apartment building.

“I will go sort everything out with Yuri and then come back to pick you up so we can go to the site for today’s TTBY shoot” he said.

Sulli kept standing in front of her apartment building and watched as Minho drove away.

Will he come back to me after he sees Yuri? I am too simple-minded for all this mildang (mind games)…

She stayed rooted in place. For some reason, she couldn’t move. She felt like she had to wait right there for Minho or else she might lose him. She had run away ten years ago because she couldn't face the truth. This time, she had to stand her ground and trust that he would return to her. 

She sat on the curb and bit her lip. The wind bit her skin so she wrapped her arms around herself.

Minho, please return to me.

“Ya!”

Sulli felt a slight nudge on her shoulder. While waiting for Minho outside of the apartment building, she had accidentally dozed off. She looked up to see her shining Minho standing over her. 

All of a sudden, tears just started to pour from her eyes.

For all her life, Sulli had thought that Minho would end up fated to be with a woman like Krystal or Yuri. But here he was...

Minho smiled sadly and reached over to Sulli’s hair.

“Why were you waiting out here all this time? You will get sick and I will have to take care of you again”

Sulli pulled Minho down towards her and cried into his shoulder.

“Sulli-yah, you know what your tears does to me. Don’t cry, since I already broke off any relationship I had with Yuri”

Minho used his hand to wipe the tears from Sulli’s face but they continued to flow from her eyes.

She had never cried so hard before. Sulli had suppressed her feelings and hidden her thoughts for all her life. 

At the time Minho had told her to go away when they were younger, she was filled with sadness but she did not let herself cry because she did not want to be troublesome. In the moment she saw Minho and Yuri kiss each other on the street, she could only turn away and be glad that Minho had found the one who truly made him happy. In the years and years after they were separated, she heard news of all the women who Minho dated, even her own best friend Krystal.

But she simply buried the pain in her heart and put on a brave face. There were moments when tears would fall, but not like this. Sulli was sobbing so much that her entire body was shaking and she couldn’t breathe.

“I-I-It hurts!” Sulli cried. Her heart was sore because she was panting for breath.

Minho kissed away every tear. He wrapped his arms around Sulli to shield her from the cold wind.

He pressed his lips to her forehead. And then her nose. And each rosy cheek. Finally, he kissed her moist lips to breathe life back into her.

“It hurts my heart too”

Minho pressed Sulli’s body against his.

They stayed like that outside her apartment building, with Minho cradling Sulli in his strong arms as she cried and her body shuddered. 

--

­-Flashback-

“Minho-sshi!”

Yuri waved as Minho’s car pulled up.

She was wearing the red dress that Sulli had tailored for her. The dress fit her well. Minho could see her smooth back and toned legs. As always, she was beautiful.

But that was all. She was only beautiful like a petal without the flower. In her life, she had never laughed at anything Minho said, since she did not care for silly things or quirky personalities. She had never supported him or cheered for him in anything, since she must have thought everything was easy for him. She had never confided in him and talked deeply with him, since she only cared about his image but not his thoughts. After all these years, she didn't truly know Minho's heart. 

“How long have you been waiting?” Minho asked. 

“I dropped by a few hours ago but you weren’t here so I went to the salon. I had my chauffeur bring me back here after I got your message saying that you were on the way”

“Your hair looks very good when it is done professionally” 

“I scheduled an appointment at the salon to get my hair styled just for you… But you ran off with Sulli”

“I’m sorry, Yuri. I respect you and I enjoy the times we have spent together but I have been lying to myself and I have been dishonest to you too. The truth is, I love Sulli”

“Ne… I already knew that. I have probably known it for my entire life. But why her?”

“You are perfect in many ways which is why I like you. I am similar to you since I always work hard to have a perfect and manly image. But when I am with Sulli, I feel that perfection is so boring. She gives me many new feelings and experiences. When you cry, I would praise you to bring up your spirits. But when Sulli cries, I start to cry hard with overwhelming emotion because when I look at crying Sulli, I can’t help crying too. That is the kind of love I have for her”

“Now I know that I truly had no chance. Your relationship with her doesn’t only look like love. You are so tamed by it. Although you are usually serious and competitive, it is like you open up when you are with her”

“Because she is the petals that give meaning to my flower, the sunrise that complements my sunset”

--

Sulli was sleeping peacefully in Minho’s arms. He carried her into the apartment and laid her on the bed. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open.

“Minho, cancel the TTBY shoot for today…” Sulli said wearily.

She buried her chin deeper into the covers. Minho tucked her in more warmly.

Then, he called the staff to reschedule the photo shoot. Everyone at the studio trusted Sulli’s authority so they didn’t ask any further questions.

“Will you spend the rest of the day and night here?” Sulli mumbled.

She reached out and held Minho’s hand with her cold fingers.

“I have to take care of my Ssul. I will go make you some tea and then let’s watch a film together”

“Toy Story!”

Sulli's favorite movie since childhood, Minho remembered. 

Minho went to brew hot tea with honey to warm Sulli up. When he went back into Sulli’s room, she had already started watching the previews.

“Why did you start without me?!” Minho complained.

He set the tea on the bedside table and then sat on the bed with Sulli. She nestled close to him and leaned her head on his shoulder as they started to watch.

“Minho… don’t you think you are like Woody?” Sulli said.

“Bwo?!”

“You are a good and charismatic person who always tries your best. But you take yourself too seriously and care too much about everyone around you”

“Really? Then will you be my Andy who always cherishes me?”

“Always…”

“Promise?”

“Promise”

Sulli took Minho’s phone from his pocket and changed his background to Woody. He smiled and kissed her forehead. 

They continued to watch the movie until they both fell asleep against each other.

--

SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE Alkgha;fkghad;lfkhafha'gkafg. 

fun facts for this chapter:

on the datv interview, sulli said that when she saw the crying taejoon, she would be overwhelmed by emotion and start crying herself (credit to peach20kr on soompi. I also stole the "mildang" and "tamed by love" line from her)

sulli's favorite movie is TOY STORY and minho's phone background is WOODY as seen on that shinee vacation show

guys seriously, send me more fun facts so that I can include them in the story. I've also noticed that there are many ppl doubting the minsul ship so tomorrow I might post a filler chapter talking about why I have faith in minsul! 

loveeeee you all. COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE AND UPVOTE!!