twenty-seven

  “Knock, knock?”

  Sulli heard several raps on the door, then accompanied by a deep, rusty voice. She instinctively turned her head towards the doorway, and she met the eyes of a lithe, muscular man who wore a comical grin upon his face. Instantly, a smile formed along the contours of her cheeks as well, as she quickly halted her movements and approached him warmly.

  “Minho-oppa! What are you doing here? Come in anyway!” Sulli chirped elatedly, gesturing him into the room graciously as she shut the door. “You’re in luck, so much luck – Victoria-unnie’s decided to go and do some final touch-ups to the overall plan, so she’s left the room.” She grinned cheekily as she said her words.

  He chuckled softly, glancing at her before taking a seat on one of the empty chairs. “Vic-noona’s been like a madwoman for the past week. Seriously, she’s practically insane. I’d bet she’s even sleep-talking about the wedding!” He cracked a joke, though much sarcasm was hinted in his tone. “…The last time I met her, she was mumbling about some napkin issue and I had to stand in her way for her to bump into me for her to realize that I was there!”

  “…You seem to want to speak to her.” Sulli remarked, somewhat amused by his vehement intonation.

  “I don’t know, I guess it’s the intuition of everyone in the company – anyone having problems will either run helter-skelter or make their way straight to Victoria Song. She’s like our company’s personal psychologist.” Minho chortled as he spoke, he himself rather unsure about whether he was merely being teasing or not. “…Unpaid though, unfortunately.”

  Sulli nodded her head, purposefully making effort to lend him her ear. “And I’d suppose that you’ve got some sort of problem that makes you wish to consult her so urgently?”

  “It’s not a problem; actually, it’s just more of a certain issue of curiosity.” He said, a-matter-of-factly.

  She rolled her eyes, shooting him a wry gaze. “…In other words, you mean that you’ve got a problem.”

  “Yes, fine, I’ll tell you. I know you want to know~” He teased, irking her with his immensely annoying tone. “It’s about Soyeon. And Victoria-noona knows a lot about women and how to make them clip, so I thought I’d ask her about some dating advice.”

  Sulli was unable to control her laughter, bursting into a fit of giggles. “This has got to be the biggest joke ever! You’ve got to be kidding me, right? The charismatic ‘Noona Killer’ Choi Minho actually needs advice for his romance with the doll-faced Soyeon? Seriously, if the press got a grab of this, it would hit-“

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah… I get it.” He brushed her off quickly, feeling his cheeks beginning to turn red. “…I just… really like this girl.”

  Sulli couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “I didn’t expect it at first, since I didn’t really know Soyeon-unnie well, but after Taemin and Jjong-oppa’s description of her and after observing her rather different mannerisms… She’s definitely your other half.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “…And you’re saying that because?”

  “Because, oppa, firstly, you need someone who’s going to be able to control that conceitedness of yours.” Sulli said tactfully, grinning as she saw the somewhat agitated expression upon his face. “Soyeon-unnie’s the sort of person who says things as she wishes, and she’s able to keep you underneath her fist without budging. She’s got the strong will, you know, and she’ll stop something before it goes wrong instead of just letting it loose.”

  Minho shifted his gaze to her. “I’m conceited?”

  “I don’t know if anyone’s told you properly, but you’re as conceited as a cat, Minho, though I know my usage of similes isn’t that good.” Sulli commented, bustling about the room and busying herself with random things as she spoke. “…There are few women who can tell that straight in your face, but she, I’d bet that she made you feel that way.”

  “…I am not conceited.” Minho replied indignantly, not wishing to agree, not rebuke her. “I don’t see why you keep stressing upon the fact that I’m conceited-“

  “Well, ever since you stepped in the room, you’ve been blabbering on and on about yourself, and the last time I looked, you’re here for my wedding, aren’t you?” Sulli’s statement was honest and sharp, yet extremely smooth. “That’s why you can’t have an ordinary girl, Minho. You can’t have someone who’s going to make you feel good about yourself. You need someone to kick your and get you on your knees to compliment her.”

  He had to agree with her, though he was rather reluctant to admit it. “…I’m sorry, Ssul.” He murmured guiltily. “I’ve just been stuck with a lot of issues and it’s a relief to finally find someone that I can actually-“

  “I know, I know…” Sulli said soothingly, though in a somewhat rushed tone. “…I get it.”

  “…But I’m happy for you. You’re getting married.” Minho beamed brightly. “The little baby of our company is finally getting married, settling down, and who knows – you might even become a mother soon!” He teased jovially, earning himself a soft whack from her. “…I’m proud of you.”

  “You should be.” She scoffed, folding her arms in pretended irritation. “You’re a conceited brat, and because you’re Taemin’s groupmate and best friend, I put up with you – I even helped to wipe up your puke when you got sick! You should be more appreciative to have me around!”

  “Salty apple crumble and the chocolate milk carton that exploded – I’ll never forget those pranks.” Minho reminded her playfully. “…I’ve learnt a lot from you, Ssul.”

  Sulli’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “That’s something new.”

  “…Well, I never thought I’d say this but you’re actually quite mature. You’ve got your silly and absolutely immature moments but you’re always kind and stuff…” Minho scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he murmured those words. “What can I say? I’m really proud of you…”

  “Thank you.”

  “And… uh…” Minho hesitated. “…Throughout these years, thanks for being like the baby sister that I never had.”

  Sulli distinctly felt tears spring to her eyes.

  “Having pre-wedding anxieties, buddy?” Jonghyun questioned, thumping Taemin on the back as he approached him. “You’ve been in the room all day.”

  Taemin shrugged his shoulders furtively. “…A bit, I guess. It’s inevitable to worry. It’s like watching your whole life suddenly come ahead of you, and you’re wondering whether this is the best for you, the best for the person you love, and…” He paused, reluctant to continue. “…I wonder if Sulli would be happy.”

  “You’re still concerned about that?”

  “We went through months after months of problems, and though we endured them, I still feel that there might be some doubts in between us, that some things haven’t been fully settled yet and all.” Taemin admitted honestly. “It’s rather cumbersome to be continuously pondering over such issues, but I guess I’ve got a tendency to worry too much.”

  “You’re sounding more and more like my naggy grandmother.” Jonghyun cackled, receiving a sharp nudge from Taemin as he said those words. “…But hey, then again, being anxious is sometimes a good thing.”

  “A good thing? Hyung, half the time, you’re as calm as a rock.” Taemin pointed out. “Or rather, you’re probably as heck-care as a rock.

  “It’s true, yet not completely true.” Jonghyun was instantly defensive. “I mean, it’s not like I don’t worry. I worried a lot during the two periods of which Jessica was pregnant, and I am still constantly having this little voice in my head that just squeaks out Jeongmin and Mijeom’s names every two seconds but hey – that’s life. After being a father, you c