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3^rd Person P.O.V

Everybody knew the song Sungmi were playing; some could even play it too. But it gave a kind of different feel when she played and you watched her back. Just by watching it, you could see how much she used her soul to play, not something many could do. When Sungmi finished and turned around they even started clapping, totally amazed by her skills.

“Who taught you?” Henry asked.

“Her mother,” a voice said. They turned around and saw the manager, Sangkyu, stand in the door with some copies in his hand. He smiled.

“What about playing one of your own pieces Sungmi?” he asked. Sungmi made big eyes. Playing her own? Without her mother singing by her side? She couldn’t do that! She haven’t even accepted the fact that her family were dead yet, how could she be ready to play her own songs?

“What’s wrong?” Sangkyu asked. Sungmi shook her head. No! She wouldn’t answer… she wouldn’t face the truth! Not yet!

“Sungmi! What’s wrong?” the manager asked again. The artists in the cantina were still in shock, now a bit more over Sungmi’s reaction. Why was she acting that way?

“Are you okay Sungmi?” Sungmin asked. She looked at him and made big eyes… he was named Sungmin… as her brother… Sungmin…

“Yah, Sungmi! You’re scary!” Eunhyuk said. None of them dared to go to her, even not when she started shaking. Why, she couldn’t explain herself… she just did…

“Sungmi ah!” Donghae exclaimed when Sungmi collapsed on the floor, crying. As the first person who got up, Donghae ran to her and took her in his arms and tried to comfort her, an action which brought everybody back in shock.

Sungmi P.O.V

I don’t know how long Donghae just sat on knees by my side, holding his arms around me to comfort me while I was crying soundless. All I know is, that it felt good. To be comforted by one I knew would protect me.

“Cry it out,” I heard him whisper several times. And it helped…

“Sungmi, when you feel for it, come to my office,” Sangkyu-ssi said, then turned around and left, but before that, I noticed that he laid the notebook on a table: hid my head in Donghae’s shoulder and felt the tears stop at that moment. Inside I still felt empty. More empty than ever… the memories came back, the ones I didn’t got yesterday…

~Flashback~

“So you’re lying?” I think my heart stopped that second.

“P-P-Please… don’t hurt them,” Sungmin whispered, “I promise… I’ll do anything! Just don’t hurt them… please,” he begged. The man in charge smirked.

“Tie him up!”

“No!” my mother screamed, “not my baby! Let him go, please!” I bit my lip. Don’t cry mommy! It’ll be okay, everything will be okay! I kept repeating while I saw two men tie my brother up.

“Tie the other man up too,” the man said and two the men tied my dad up, and let my mum fall on the ground.

“So… what are we going to do with them?” the man said and smirked.

“We can use the young one sir,” the guy, Lee, said. The man in charge nodded.

“Some months the right place and he could be good. Well done Lee, you’ll make sure that he’ll arrive to the black whole within three days, araso?” Lee nodded while my brother spitted on the ground.

“I’ll never be one of you!” he said. In that moment I felt proud of my brother, even when I knew that those words meant that he should die… or…

“Ouh, you will my friend,” Lee said. Now, they all turned attention to my parents. The man in charge looked at my dad.

“Shoot him,” he said, “now. In front of their eyes,” he smirked evilly. I wanted to jump against him, beat the crap out of him… but my body was frozen. One of the men raised his rifle, aimed and shot… both my mum and my brother screamed, I would probably have done it too if I could.

“HOW COULD YOU!?!” Sungmin yelled and tried to break free, without luck. I was crying hard a meter behind… no… nonono!

“Everybody, start going down. I’ll take care of the mother and then come,” the leader said. I sank. Take care… yeah…

“Don’t dare to touch my mother!” Sungmin screamed.

“Can’t someone make him shut up!?” the idiot said. One of the men took a piece of clothes form his pocket and tied around Sungmin’s face, then they all started walking away, pulling him with me. Then the man looked at my mum with a smile. She looked frightened.

Finally it was over… my mums screams… and the man was gone too, letting both of my parents lay in the roadside. I slowly got up, stiff after laying quiet for God-knows-how-long. I went crying to my parents, covered my mum’s body and prayed. I know that it sounds really harsh… but there may be a reason why I survived this. I don’t know why, but… God didn’t want me in heaven yet. I kissed both of my parents’ foreheads after laying them close together took a deep breath and turned around. I had to hurry…

~End of Flashback~

3^rd Person P.O.V

Around a month later~

“You are going with to New York. We’re leaving tomorrow,” Sangkyu said. Sungmi looked up, Sangkyu sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed.

“Look Sungmi. I know that you won’t tell me what you are carrying inside yourself right now, but you are isolating yourself. You haven’t leaved the dorm in a month now! You are going with to take care of the boys as you do here, araso?” Sungmi nodded slowly. She had to… He hadn’t forced her to leave before now and that was more than she would have expected. Sangkyu got up.

“I’ll bring a suitcase for you later. See you then,” she nodded when he left the room and immediately went to the kitchen where Leeteuk sat with Eunhyuk and Shindong, talking about a Strong Heart episode. They all looked up.

“How is she?” Leeteuk asked. Sangkyu sighed.

“I don’t know. It’s not that she says much,” he smiled mild, “but she is going with you guys to NYC tomorrow. She needs to come out,” the guys nodded.

“What about after that? We have a vacation,” Leeteuk said. The manager shrugged.

“If she keeps acting that way, she might prefer to be here in the dorm alone. Now, I’m leaving. I’ll be back later with some stuff for Sungmi,” the three boys nodded and said their goodbyes to the manager when he left. Leeteuk looked after him, then at Eunhyuk.

“I’m taking with Donghae on vacation and I’ll try to get through him… you haven’t done any progress?” Eunhyuk shook his head.

“Nope. He just sits with his laptop, reading or listening to music…” he sighed, “I wish that Sungmi could be more out here again. Donghae seemed happier the two days or what it was,” Leeteuk and Shindong looked at Eunhyuk.

“He did?” Shindong asked. Eunhyuk looked surprised at them.

“Was I the only one who saw?” he asked, “it was obvious! He smiled, he laughed, he talked to us… and the day in the cantina where Sungmi broke down he was the first to reach her and comfort her…” Leeteuk mentally slapped himself. Why hadn’t he seen that? Was he that a bad leader? Aish!

Sungmi P.O.V

Everything was ready. My suitcases, food for the trip to the boys and the boys. We just arrived at the airport where we should meet some of the other artists.

“Over there! Changmin and Yunho!” Yesung said and waved to two tall guys. I didn’t think that I’d seen them before.

“It’s the two members from Dong Bang Shin Ki,” Kyuhyun whispered to me, “they debutated before us but they’re younger than the most of us…” I nodded slowly.

“You’re Changmin’s noona too,” Eunhyuk said laughing. We went to them, the boys hugged and stuff. I just stood with my suitcase and looked at them. They all looked so happy, really…

“Sungmi noona!” a voice exclaimed. I turned around and saw some of the boys from the cantina… The SHINee boys, right?

“Annyeong hyungs,” they all greeted. It was first now that I noticed that a lot of people stared at us, girls were screaming and taking pictures.

“We’ll live in a minute,” Donghae told me. He suddenly stood beside me and smiled soft. I nodded nervous.

“I’m sorry… are you Sungmin hyung’s sister or something?” Changmin asked me. I shook my head.

“Then… who are you?” he asked again, “sorry if I’m being rude…” I looked at Donghae for help since he was the nearest one.

“Her name is Kang Sungmi. She’s our new maid, she work for SM as a pianist and she come from North Korea,” he said and laid his hand on my shoulder, “she is going with us…” I nodded.

“Can’t she answer?” Yunho asked, “is she shy?”

“She lost her voice…”

“SMTOWN, this way!” a man’s voice said.

“You’re really from North Korea?” Changmin asked me when we sat in the plane. I nodded slowly. “Is your family here too?” he asked. I shook my head and looked down as I felt the tears start coming up.

“They aren’t,” Kyuhyun said from behind, “they… they’re death…” I nodded and closed my hands.

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Changmin-ssi said. I just nodded slowly.

“You can’t say a sound? Make sounds with your mouth?” Yunho asked. I shook my head.

“Not scream? Laugh? Whistle?” I smiled mild and whistled. Everybody looked against me.

“That was loud! Why haven’t you done that before?” Eunhyuk asked impressed. I shrugged.

“That’s a good way if you want to get attention,” Shindong said. I smiled a bit.

“I once saw a televisionshow with a dumb boy… he had talked once, then he lost his voice but he got it back,” Changmin said. Everybody looked at him.

“How did he get it back?” Donghae asked… and everybody got surprised. Why were they always surprised when he talked?

“Ehm… by tickling the person to laugh, make him scream and such. As more sounds he could make as more he could talk and he ended up with a voice like everybody else…”

“So you’re saying that we’re going to torturing her? To make her scream or what?” Kyuhyun asked, “Changmin, we can’t do that to her!” I bit my lip. Make me scream? I found my notebook and wrote.

Not even seeing my brother get tied up and pulled away, seeing them shoot my dad or my mum before killing her made me scream. Do you really think that you make me by tickling me? Everybody gaped when Eunhyuk read up the lines.

“You…” I nodded and got up, made the bathroom sign with my hand before I left. When I entered the bathroom I saw tears running down my cheeks and I saw my soundless sobs. I dried the tears away but new kept coming up.

“Sungmi-ssi? May I come in?” a gently voice said while knocking on the door, “it’s f(x)’s Amber…” I hesitated. Amber… that was the one I thought was a guy… she reminded me a bit about Donghae… I bit my lip and dried me cheeks again before I opened the door. She came in and closed it after her, then laid her arms around me.

“I’m so sorry Sungmi…” she whispered, “if I can do anything… then say it….” I nodded, tearing up again. This hug… it felt so friendly… a bit like the hugs my mum always gave me just… it felt so nice…