thirty-four

  “And this would be the third time that you’ve been dumped?” Sulli’s words were somewhat sympathetic, yet heavily dripping with sarcasm.

  “I was not dumped three times!” Minho was initially defensive, before his voice began to falter as he realized that Sulli’s statement, truthfully speaking, was pretty much reflecting what was happening in actuality. “…Only twice.”

  “Isn’t that because the first time you crushed on a girl, she didn’t actually respond to your feelings?” Sulli asked wryly, averting her eyes to her laundry, folding it neatly and placing atop the pile of folded clothing in the laundry basket.

  Minho opened his mouth to protest, then he drooped his head. “…Yeah. Well. But… Yoona’s perfectly happy right now and I’m perfectly happy to be her friend. No intimate feelings, no hard feelings – it’s best that things stay that way.”

  “But the trend is getting rather dismaying, don’t you think?” Sulli pointed out, being tactlessly frank and honest. “You get together with someone you like, then you get dumped over and over again… Seriously speaking, there has to be something out of place-“

  “Ssul, I think you’d best not rub it in,” Taemin chortled as he approached her, sitting next to her on the couch. “I don’t think hyung’s gonna listen to you.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Sulli touched Taemin’s shoulder, heaving a soft sigh.

  Minho rolled his eyes, pretending to puke. “Intimacy-“ He coughed, about to tease them once more when a rather agitated Taemin reflexively punched his shoulder.

  “Oh for crap’s sake, hyung, what’s wrong with the necessary intimacy? Just because you don’t have it, it doesn’t mean we can’t!”

  Sulli nodded in unison. “My hubby’s right!”

  “Hubby?” Minho enunciated on the word, almost horrified. “Alright, y’all are disgusting.”

  “No we’re not!” Sulli insisted indignantly. “Maybe that’s why Soyeon ended it with you – you act like a big ol’ ‘Noona Killer’ but the truth is, you can’t handle girls at all. You’re conceited, self-centred, self-absorbed and unfeeling! You treat girls like they’re items on the shelf and not actual human beings! You’re making a mess out of every girl you have and-“

 Taemin patted Sulli’s shoulder, trying to ease her anger. “Ssul, that’s enough-“

 “I’m not yet done, Taemin, wait!” Sulli snapped at him crossly. “You’re an , Minho, a true ! Look, even though Sehun’s completely bonkers, chasing after several girls at the same time and not knowing what he wants at all, he’s a billion times more humane than you are! He’s trying, okay, and you? You’re doing nothing.”

  Minho raised his head, gazing at her bitterly. “Are you done now?”

  Sulli huffed, “Yeah.”

  “Can I say my part now?”

  “…Yeah.”

  “I didn’t break up with her because I wanted to, Ssul,” Minho explained, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “…She wanted us to break up. We’re an accidental couple anyway, what prospect would she see in us being together? Nothing, Ssul. She’d want someone who’s more mature, more-“

  “Then be someone who’s more mature,” Sulli suggested, whole-heartedly offering him advice. “Be someone who’s compassionate, kind and loving. You don’t have to be the perfect guy, Minho. Just don’t act all stocky and self-conscious.”

  “She doesn’t like me anymore, Ssul.”

  “…Trust me, I know how girls would feel,” Sulli gave him a little smile. “I think… She’s probably feeling the same way as you are right now. You still love her. And she probably still loves you. The both of you are just purposefully being idiots.”

  “You could have said it in a nicer way, you know.”

  “Ssul’s always right,” Taemin smiled protectively.

  “That’s my hubby,” Sulli beamed with pride.

  Minho rolled his eyes.

  “Oh, Kai!”

  Her words were lined with surprise and unexpectedness, setting her eyes upon the tall, lithe man in front of her. It felt as though weeks had flown by, and she hadn’t had a chance to speak with him or meet him. She desired to, secretly, but she had three boys under her roof, three very intelligent boys who would be able to catch her in action if she wasn’t careful. And thus, she didn’t even make an attempt.

  “Hey, Yoona-noona. You’re looking pretty for a lady who’s just given birth,” his comment was smooth, but she knew his personality all too well, giving him a little shove on his ribs.

  She seemed slightly bothered by his purposefully mocking remark. “Where have you been, Kim Jongin? It’s been almost two months since I gave birth,” she scoffed, then adding on another sentence to compliment herself. “…I am naturally pretty, let’s not forget that.”

  He chuckled, amused and somewhat grateful to hear her speak in such a light-hearted manner. “Yeah, you are.”

  “You shouldn’t say that, you know,” she reminded him as she poured him a glass of tea. “You shouldn’t compliment me. You should bark at me and say I’m conceited or…” She trailed off, then cleared awkwardly. “…Something along those lines.”

  He forced out a smile. “Well, Yoona, I wish I said that last time. Maybe if I did…” He looked up at her with a pained, distressed gaze. “…We wouldn’t end up like this.”

  Yoona bit her lip, suppressing her emotions. She knew there was a limit, even to casual nostalgic remarks. “…How are you, Kai? Still single and available?” She attempted to sound comical and humorous, though her stomach was churning on the inside. 

  “I suppose so,” he heaved sigh, but gave her an optimistic smile. “Sad, isn’t it?”

  “You could find someone,” she suggested, though she knew she didn’t sound convincing. “Someone pretty. Someone who can dance. Someone who’ll take you to watch movies twice a week and someone who’ll say that you’re the handsomest guy on the face on the earth. Someone like that.”

  “That sort of perso