The sound of the ticking grandfather clock resonated in the silent room where Minho was. His vision was slightly blurry and there is throbbing pain in his head. The morning was oddly cold and there was a chill that was filling up his body. Last night was an entire blur for him. He went to the party with Krystal, they had drinks and had fun. Next thing he knows, it was already that morning and he was alone on bed only in his underwear. He squirmed under the sheets. Basically, he was too lazy to go out of bed but he'll have to in about an hour. Minho was needed to report to Key's office since they'll be talking about the new photoshoot. They'll start shooting the Fall-Winter campaign of Key's brand.

The room was empty. Krystal almost left no trace except for one note that was tucked under Minho's dead cellphone and car keys. She left to meet some friends and that was all that was included in the letter. Minho had no memory of last night. But somehow, deep in his gut, he feels as if something wrong happened. He left the note and proceeded to fix himself for the meeting at Key's office. He staggered as he stood but Minho felt lucky to have no urge of vomiting. He knows he hit it pretty hard the last night. Otherwise, he wouldn't be feeling as if he came off a rollercoaster ride.

Minho's cellphone was of no use to him. It had no charge and he left the car adapter back home. He would've wanted to call Key to inform him that he'll be coming in late but that wasn't really possible. Once he finished, he checked his things and looked around if he forgot anything. Everything was clear and Minho left, having no idea on what truly happened behind those doors. The road he traversed was a breeze. There was no traffic and he was easily able to find a parking space near Key's studio. There was noise coming from the floor where the studio was so it already implies that the staff are all present, even Sulli.

"Finally!" One of the staff shouted at everyone. Minho bowed apologetically to everyone the moment he stepped in. Most of them didn't really mind. Key, who was very particular with time, surprisingly looked very happy and at ease. He didn't mind Minho's tardiness to the meeting whatsoever. Minho took his seat and they proceeded with the meeting as scheduled. Key presented the ideas of his collection for the upcoming season. He focused more on fashionable coats for men. He mentioned that there seemed to be a lack of winter items that aren't generic which are directly marketed for males. Everyone pretty much agreed. With this, Key took some suggestions from the staff regarding the possible concept of campaign for the upcoming season. Other's mentioned that it would be great to capture Minho in black and white but other's mentioned that such shots would ruin the intricacies of the coats Key will be designing. Things were subject to debate but ultimately Sulli suggested to have the shots vintage style. Key's latest collection was inspired by 30s and 40s. Shooting the campaign in vintage would be really good. It's in color but there is a feeling of it feeling classic without looking dated. Nobody had complains about it.

"Well, if we will go vintage, do any of you know a place we can go to?"

"There is this church in Myeongdong. We can go there to use it as a place for the shoot or we can also go to one of the old towns near Incheon." one of the staff suggested. Key decided he'll still think about it and decided to ajourn the meeting for that day. As everyone left, Minho waited by the door for Sulli.

"Sulli-ah."

"About the other day.."

"It's nothing. I was just a little out of it. I am not mad or anything, okay?"

"What a relief. I was really scared you were mad about it. But anyway, are you free today? Are you going somewhere?"

"No, not really. Why?"

"Really? Then come with me."

Sulli wasn't able to reject. Minho dragged her by the arm and they immediately headed back to Minho's car. He drove away and Sulli just wondered where they were headed. By the time they reached roads familiar where it was bound for Lotte World, Sulli began to panic a little bit. Were they really going to the amusement park? She didn't have high hopes and it was a little odd for Minho to bring her to such a place. But surprisingly, indeed, they were already in queue for parking in Lotte World.

"Are you for real?"

"Consider this as an apology. I remember when you said before that you always wanted to go to Lotte World when you get the chance. This might not be your first time but I heard there were new rides."

"Are you kidding? This is my first time. I spent all my time studying and working when I came here to Seoul. I haven't got the proper chance to go here since it always coincides with my schedule."

Sulli looked and acted like an excited kid. She can't stay seated and looked outside since the queue had a view of the Lotte World castle. Minho on the other hand, had a foolish smile. He was feeling proud for being able to be the first one to take Sulli to Lotte World. It felt like some sort of achievement on his part. It didn't take long for them to spot a free parking space and head to the amusement park. Minho was forced into a disguise. He had ads spread throughout the entrance of the place. It's not that he was getting ahead of himself. He was just taking precaution. He intended that day would be meant for Sulli and not about him. The two of them headed to the castle and reached the parade of the mascots the park had. Anyone adult would find it childish but Sulli enjoyed it thoroughly. She clapped and cheered. Minho only looked at her and smiled.

The entire afternoon was spent with the two of them going into rides Sulli wanted to go to. Minho didn't particulary say anything. He'd offer smiles and screams but he was satisfied to just looking at Sulli. He didn't dare touch or lay a finger on hair. 

"Are you having fun?"

"Fun? Are you kidding?! I'm having a blast! Thank you, oppa." As Sulli thanked Minho, she unconsciously leaped and hugged Minho. She didn't realize what she was doing. Minho on the other hand was just stunned; eyes and mouth wide open. He stood as stiff as a board, lost on what he should do or how he should react. Instead, he cleared his throat which made Sulli realize what she was doing.

"Sorry." She breathed under her breath. The air has turned silent and awkward. Sulli left Minho's side to purchase a rabbit balloon to try and escape the awkward situation. In turn, Minho gathered his senses and followed after the girl. He tried to sound as normal as possible. Sulli realized his effort and she tried to lessen the awkwardness as well. In their entire stay, the crowded spaces provided enough heat for the two of them to sweat profusely. This caused Minho to remove his disguise once in a while to wipe his sweat off and it is also this very action that caused some girls to give him more attention. As the two of them walked further along, they started to receive second glances and whispers. 

"Oppa, I think your cover blew."

"They can never be sure."

Soon, someone in the sea of crowd shouted that it was Choi Minho who was walking around in the blue cap and black face mask. A group of girls turned around and started to swarm the two. By instinct, Minho grabbed unto Sulli's hand and they ran as fast they can. Squealing fangirls ran after them but Minho's superior running skills proved handy for the situation. They managed to escape that area of Lotte World by going through different alleys in the park. They eventually stumbled upon a less frequented area where most families tend to stay to share a meal.

They were panting and running out of breath. Sulli fell on her bottom as she tried to recover. Minho was sweating. Marks of his sweat were evident in his back. Ultimately, he had to let go of his disguise. What the two didn't notice was how their hands remained interlocked even if they were no longer on the run.

"That was crazy! But it was fun." Sulli mentioned.

"Fun? You weren't scared? That was the first time I honestly feared I might die from suffocation."

"Suffocation from a swarm of fangirls? That's a fancy way to die."

"Funny."

The two of them sat on the grass as they still had their hands held by each other. It had been a long day and the sky was slowly turning orange. It was almost six in the evening. The two of them barely noticed that so much time has passed. And with that timely hour, it brought Minho back to one afternoon they had shared back in Busan. It was the one afternoon that Minho made the memory of being a jerk towards Sulli. People noticed what they  possibly had. People knew what they possibly had. But it was that afternoon that Minho destroyed everything they could've POSSIBLY had. He remembers the misery it has brought Sulli ever since that fateful afternoon.

"Oppa, I'm hungry."

"I know a good place not far from here. Let's go?"

Minho lied. It was relatively far from Lotte World. In fact, they had to take the highway to Incheon. There was a pretty good diner near another amusement park in the area. They were serving spicy chicken and grilled beef. The two ordered one serving of beef each and went ahead with their dinner. They made wraps for each other and fed each other's mouths. Clearly, people will view them as a couple being sweet towards one another. But that was the problem; they weren't a couple. As the beef grilled, soju poured. They poured each other glasses and as expected Sulli was the first one to get red from the effects of the alcohol. Minho tried his best to control the intake since he just drank the previous night. 

"Oppa, drink up! Bottoms up!" Sulli coerced.

"I can't. I drank last night so I can't do as much tonight."

"Loser!"

"Cut it! And you should stop drinking.. You're red as a sea squirt already!"

"No!" There was a strain in Sulli's voice. Minho heard it. Things escalated quickly. Sulli then started to sob which made the other people in the restaurant look at them. She tried to wipe her tears away but she just started to cry even louder. Once again, Minho was lost on what he should do. The were eventually forced to leave and Minho had to pay the bill. Sulli was already waiting inside Minho's car; still crying.

"Sulli-ah, where do you want to go?" He asked but to no avail. It won't help to bring her home since Amber will be there and he'll get nagged for bringing Sulli home drunk. In order to relieve their drunken state, Minho drove over to Hangang river where they can breathe some air. By the time he parked at an empty but well lit space near the river, Sulli was still crying. 

"Sulli. What's wrong?" He asked. She still didn't answer.
"Sulli-ah.. Answer me."

"Just go."

"What's wrong?! I can't leave you here. We're in Hangang."

As Minho wondered what in the world was wrong with Sulli, she opened the door and started to walk away. This just pissed Minho off. He went after her as she staggered while she ran away. Minho was getting impatient with Sulli and with what she was doing. He grabbed her forearm and turned her around to face him. What he saw on Sulli's face just confused him even more than he already was with what was going on.
Sulli was smiling; giggling at that. It appeared as if she was trying to hold in her laughter. 

"Caught you!" She shouted in his face. She then leaped around repeating and chanting it over and over again. Minho was just completely lost on what was happening. Twenty minutes ago, she was crying like a hysterical and now she was laughing to worlds no end. He felt defeated and his knees suddenly went weak.

"I was trying so hard to not laugh in the car.."

"What was the crying all about?"

"I am just making fun of you.. I am drunk! What would you expect from someone like me?"

"I don't know. Some maturity, I suppose?!"

The two of them walked back to the car and left the windows open. The air was helping the two of them sober up. Sulli has quieted down and Minho still can't get a full grasp of the situation. A can then popped open. It was a beer can and Sulli was slowly gulping it down. Minho grabbed it from Sulli's hands and drank it bottoms up.

"I told you to stop drinking!"

"Have some fun in that body of yours. I mean, you should be celebrating. You got your dream of being a top model. Girls run after you and you grant autographs whenever you can. You're happily married to a top model. You surely have gone far from your humble beginnings in Busan. You achieved a life long dream. While here I am, still struggling."

"What are you talking about? You've been working for a lot of top designers. Is that so bad?"

"Not really but come on.. Let's face it. People don't really look up who is the stylist that made the clothes go together. They all know who the designer is and who the model is. No one knows who the stylist is. I don't even know if I can even reach my goal. Sometimes, I feel my purpose of coming to Seoul to study and work will never play out."

No words really followed after. Minho just sat in silence as he patted Sulli's head. After what felt like an hour, Minho decided to drive Sulli home. It was already past 9 in the evening. There was no word from Krystal the entire day, which was quite odd. There wasn't traffic but the ride back to the apartment felt oddly dragging and slow. And by the time they arrived, Sulli was asleep. Instead of waking her up instantly, Minho just sat there and gazed at Sulli's sleeping face. He still doesn't get the whole act of crying but something is telling him it wasn't all an act. She was crying for almost an hour. Tears that had no reason won't last that long. Somehow, he had this feeling that the very reason Sulli started to tear up was because of the same situation he remembered by the sunset.

What he did was a complete jerk move. Things were going great for them. But on that fateful afternoon that he told Sulli that he had decided to go to Seoul and no longer study was the day he cut all ties with her.  He brought her to the rooftop of their school which had a perfect view of the sunset near the coast. He saw the glisten of happiness in Sulli's eyes when he brought her there. She always had a bright cheerful smile on her but after that fateful afternoon, she lost all sparkle in those eyes. He started ignoring Sulli even at school. He was blinded by the idea that moving on would be so much easier for the two of them. He believed that if he left without any commitment and no promises towards Sulli, she'll learn to hate him and eventually fall for another guy. 

It was only that moment that Minho realized leaving and ignoring Sulli only caused the girl so much pain. It became clear to him that he was selfish with what he did. He wants to apologize but he knows it's too late for that. Without a doubt, he feels that Sulli hates him down to the core.

"Sulli-ah.. We are here."

"Hmm?"

Minho accompanied a half-awake Sulli and lead her to the front door. It was still dark inside which implied that Amber wasn't home. It was a sigh of relief for Minho. Sulli reeked of alcohol. She stumbled as they walked. 

"Careful." Minho said.

She reached for the keys in her bag and slid it through the keyslot but her state was making it look such a tedious task.

"Let me take that." 

"Call me Jinri." Sulli spurted out.

"What?"

Sulli faced Minho and looked him in the eyes. "Call me Jinri.. I miss how you'd call me Jinri. I was always Jinri before you left me. After that I never allowed anyone to call me the same name except my family. It was only you."
Minho didn't know what to say. He just looked at Sulli, shocked by the words he heard come out of the girl's mouth. It stirred his mind. Does that mean she doesn't hate him? Or was it just another act?

The door clicked open. "I should go. I hope you had fun at Lotte World. I was just glad to see you smile and all." Sulli looked up to Minho and she then held his face both by her hands. Neither were sure if it was the alcohol in their system or if it was a completely conscious choice but Sulli lifted herself by her toes and softly planted her lips on Minho's. To Sulli's surprise though, Minho responded.. It was just a soft kiss. A kiss that felt like they were longing for. Minho felt Sulli's lips curve against his. He was feeling funny inside in such a way Krystal never made him feel. Truth be told, he lost all thoughts of Krystal when they kissed.

As soon as they parted, Sulli took a step back and so did Minho.

"Thank you for today. Good night."

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Update! Finally got the chance to recover from writer's block for the past three days. Anyways, more exciting things are bound to happen. Minho's decision will come in a few chapters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter^^