Sichuan (四川), China.

" Listen up, Kid. Remember how you say your brothers would protect you?" Little Jinri nodded her head timidly with big, dark brown eyes, begging them to stop silently. They won't. 

" Guess where they are now? They're sitting there eating, not giving a damn of what is happening to you." Indeed, they were sitting there not caring about the situation. Everyone found them weird. Who would let their little sis get bullied by someone else? Someone much bigger and taller than her? 

" You think they care? You think that just because you have two brothers, does that make me scared to beat you up?!" She continued. When Jinri didn't respond, she slapped her across the cheek. Hard. 

" Answer me." This time, she said it in Chinese. Jinri's lip trembled in fear and slowly gapes open a little. 

" N-no." The girl smirked before grabbing Jinri's neatly tied back ponytail, pulling it harshly. Jinri yelped. Everyone was staring intently at the commotion between the senior girl, - Qing Shan and the junior girl, Jinri. Almost everyone in the school detests Koreans, but some decided to bully the other race. The only two persons that weren't looking at all nor affected with the noise were her brothers. 

Qing Shan clicked her tongue in satisfaction, then along with her fellow gang left the scene. Jinri was left at the corner of the cafeteria, weeping. Jinri was a independent girl, maybe much too independent for her age, but she was a fragile girl inside. Her feelings were easily hurt and she can be easily pushed down, but she knew that it wasn't her brothers fault. 

After the lost of her mom, her brothers had became like that. They were cold to her and to her father. Both of them are close to their mom. That's why they don't socialise anymore, they don't make jokes and lighten up the house anymore, they don't care about anything anymore. Jinri's eyes wandered across to her brother's table. One was sitting across the big window while the other was sitting in the corner. Their faces held a cold expression, nobody would have dared to talk to them, but Jinri could see it all. 

They were still hurting inside. Their hearts have already torned apart but yet, it decides to still beat it's way through, keeping them alive. 

Jinri could see all of it, and she doesn't blame them. She stood up slowly when the bell signalling there is five more minutes left rang. Slightly limping, she makes her way to her next class, the last two periods of the day. 

~ 

" Appa~ I'm back!" Jinri yelled happily, skipping into the living room to see her father looking up from the newspaper. They lived in a small little apartment, right at the most top of the building. Sichuan was a big city, but it still has confine space. The population raised a lot within a few years and buildings were built all over the place. 

" Come here, little girl." Her dad waved her over with a big smile on his face. She was the reason he smiles everyday. Jinri ran towards her father, leaping into his embrace and hugging him tightly. 

" I missed you, Appa." He chuckled. 

" It has only been a few hours, silly." Jinri closed her eyes. Just melting the warmth, the love into her veins. It made her feel happy. When they finally pulled away, her dad looked at her with a goofy grin.

" Let's go somewhere," Jinri widened her eyes that filled with happiness. 

" Where?" 

" You'll know." In a few minutes, Jinri came back with a fresh pair of clothing. Her knee-length dress flowed gracefully as the wind blows by. 

" My hands are so small~!" Little Jinri whined as she compares her small delicate hands with her father's rough big hands. Her dad looked down at Jinri with a warm smile.

" Then wrap your fingers around my thumb." Jinri did so and together, they crossed the busy street. The feeling was one of a kind. In school, she never had anyone to protect her from the bullies, no one to accompany her lonely soul, no one there to say, " It's going to be alright." To her. But now, this was all she ever wanted. Her dad can protect her, her dad can accompany her, and he's there to say comforting things to her. He was the reason why she can survive, and she just loves him so much. 

" We're here." Lost in her train of thoughts, she snapped back into reality. She took a second and looked around her. China was a big and polluted place, yards filled with flowers usually don't last long, but in this case, the yard right in front of her eyes were filed with fresh and beautiful flowers. 

" A- appa, this is so nice." Jinri's eyes almost couldn't take it all in. The yard was filled with all kinds of flowers, all kinds of different colours. 

" I did it for you, because I remember how much you love flowers, just like your mother." Jinri looked at up at her father with her ever so loving eyes. 

" I love you, Appa." She went running around the yard and began plucking flowers. Pure happiness was genuinely seen now. Her father stood a little further away, smiling at her small figure. A tear fell. She reminded him so much of how in the young days, her mom used to run around in the fields when there are a few flowers nearby, together with him. 

" Appa! Look, I found two most beautiful flowers!" She waved a white and a lavender coloured flower in front of her dad's face. His mouth gaped opened a little. They were indeed beautiful. He took the lavender coloured one and slid it in between Jinri's soft black hair right above her right ear. Jinri touched the flower and grinned when she did the same for her father, with the white coloured one. 

" Jinri-ah, I want to give you a new name." 

" What is it?" She asked, with excitement written all over her face. 

" Sulli. Choi Sulli." She cocked her head to the side. She liked it, but she wanted to know why. 

" Why?" 

" Because your spiritually charming and intense." At that time, Sulli didn't understand the meaning of her new given name, but she appreciated it anyway. They enjoyed the nice scent of the flowers in the yard. For a moment, Sulli even forgotten that she had ever been bullied before, mentally and physically hurt before. She just want to spent this time, just breathing in the fresh air. Together with the one she could not love more, - her father. 

~ 

She got bullied again. And again, no one helped her out of it. Her legs were bruised and cheeks were red. She went home with teary eyes. As soon as she stepped inside, her father could sense something wrong. 

He stood up immediately and held Sulli by the shoulders, she was looking down, not wanting her dad to see her red face, but he knew better. He held her chin up and examined it. His eyes widened when he sees the red mark of a handprint on her face. Then his eyes traveled down to her legs, a big bruise has already formed from the last few hours. 

" Who did this to you?!" Sulli kept quiet. She didn't want to give away Qing Shan's name. 

" Sulli-ah, you know it hurts to see you hurt?" He croaked out, making Sulli look at him with big, dull eyes. Unlike the ones a few days ago. In a few seconds of looking into her dad's eyes. Tears began to flow out of her eyes. Tear by tear, shedding how much pain she has been through. 

He hugged her tightly. He had kneeled down so he can see her eye level. And they had stayed in the same position, just comforting each other without words. Nothing needed to be spoken, just love that could be spiritually felt. Truthfully, it does seem fake. How people as young as Sulli can feel these kinds of things. But the real truth is, Age is not a barrier. Sulli was borned with it. It's a gift. 

He pulled away and hastily stood up and ran to his room. A few seconds later, he was back with a guitar in his hands. He smiled at Sulli at the same time when another tear fell from his eye. He tuned it a little bit, cautiously. It was his one and only guitar and It was precious to him too. Then he started. 

" You were just a tiny little girl, innocent and pure, 

You have my hair, but you'll have your mother's eyes, 

I'll hold your body in my hands, be as gentle as I can, but for now you're scan of my unmade plans, 

I'll whisper quietly, I'll give you nothing but truth, 

I'll hold you tightly, I'll give you nothing but truth, 

you are my one, and only, you can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight, 

oh, you are my one, and only, you can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight, 

and you will be alright."

When he finished the little song, Sulli was crying. The only difference is that it was tears of joy.

It was a fine Saturday afternoon. Nothing much going on. In the living room, Sulli was building a castle using clay. Her castle was filled with all sorts of different colours. Kids like Sulli love bright colours. Her dad was peacefully sleeping in his room. He had to work for half a day in the construction site and by the time he came back, he was already tired. 

Then suddenly, the ground began to shake. Sulli noticed it very quickly and titled her head to a side, feeling the ground shaking underneath her, shaking greatly as seconds goes by. Coming to her senses, she ran into her dad's room and hastily woke him up. He too, felt it. Compared to the small earthquakes they have experienced, this is big.

Without another word, he grabbed something else from his bed then ran out of the room with Sulli. Sulli wrapped her fingers around her father's thumb before they ran down the stairs. They were 11 levels above. 

8, 

6, 

4, 

2, 

1. 

Just as he was about to step out of the building, the building itself collapsed. All he remembered to do was pull little Sulli into his embrace before it collapsed on him. 

~ 

Seoul, Korea. 2018.

Choi Sulli is now a successful Engineer. An earthquake engineer, to be precise. Her job is to deal with earthquakes and the effects it does to buildings. Also, to build and design materials that could withstand moderate earthquakes, or even big ones. There is only one thing that motivates her. - Her father. 

Choi Jae Wan died due to the earthquake. It has been a painful lost, for almost six months she has been mourning over him. All he ever thought was to protect her, and he held her in his embrace. Fortunately, they found Sulli still breathing but unconscious when they removed the pillar away from her dad's body. She thought that she would never have a shoulder to lean on anymore, untill her brothers returned. 

They apologised for multiple times. It was selfish of them at that time, and they returned. Not just because of their father's death, but because of Sulli too. Sulli never blamed them, and she was just so grateful to have them back. 

Even the students, including Qing Shan, was sympathetic towards her. They agreed to stop bullying her, it wasn't right from the beginning after all. The school also helped with financial issues. After studying hard, she moved to Seoul, her hometown, and got a job. Once in a while, she will still visit her brothers back in China. 

It was in the evening. Sulli has already came back from work. She bathed and ate, then decided to check the mailbox outside. Opening the door and slipping onto a pair of slippers, she walked towards the mailbox. There were small catalogs of the supermarkets and unimportant letters, but one stood out. She raised her brows while examining it. 

Still looking at the package, she walked towards a bench in her small garden filled with flowers. She sat down quietly. The package was from the company that cleared up the mess after the building collapsed. She opened it carefully, revealing a crumpled purple coloured Note with a walkie talkie. Another note was attached to the walkie talkie. 

One of the workers found this but forgot to send it to you, I'm sorry it came late. But I believe it's something your father left for you. 

" How's my baby daughter been? I hope your doing well there. I'm watching over you from above, you know. I'm sorry I won't be there for you anymore, but you know that our bond can never be broken, right? Remember, no matter what happens in the future, stay strong. Things will be worth it in the end, surely. You had stayed strong when they bullied you, you hid your feelings so you won't worry me, you have such a kind heart. 

Your my one and only daughter, and you have done me proud. I love you, Sulli-ah." 

The walkie talkie has actually recorded those words. It was that something that her dad grabbed before he ran out of the room. With trembling hands and teary eyes, she picked up the purple Note. 

" You are my one and only, 

you can wrap your fingers round my thumb, 

And hold me tight. 

Oh, you are my one and only, 

you can wrap your fingers round my thumb, and hold me tight. 

And you'll be alright." 

Sulli looked up into the sky. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she waved her hands to the sky. 

" Do.. You see me, Appa?" She paused when she sees a piece of cloud that looked almost exactly the same as her dad's face. 

" I love you too.. Appa. We can still talk, here." She pointed to the left side of her chest, where her heart is supposed to be. 

The meaning of love, is deeper than it seems. Because without words, they can still talk to each other, love each other. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

------ A/N ------ 

Okay, I have to admit, I cried while writing this whole thing. But I enjoyed it too! I actually get to feel something a little bit more different than the usual chapters I write in my fics. 

I know it's kind of sad, but I also hoped you have enjoyed reading it. :) Should I try to write another one-shot later on? Though it'll depend on whether my mind has any ideas haha. 

Like I mentioned, it is based on a partially true story. The earthquake and the walkie talkie part is true. But It didn't happen to Sulli! Dont get me wrong, haha. it did happened, but to another person. Other than that, everything else is fictional. :D 

if you'd like, you can comment what you think about the one-shot, or maybe even give suggestions. Your more than welcome to. ;) 

All in all, thank you for reading! ^^

============