In order to relieve his stress, Minho decided to drive to the gym where no one could bother him. Leaving his room his phone began to ring. He took his phone out of his pocket to see that it was Suzy calling him. "Suzy?"

"Oppa it's me! I was just wondering if we could eat out together, maybe at the same time solve some of the company's problems." Suzy cheerfully said, changing her tone of voice with Minho.

"But––"

"Oppa...please?" Suzy asked.

Minho knew that Suzy had been through a lot to bring Minho out of his misery and was the only one who stayed by his side, so he felt obligated to agree. "Fine." Minho replied shortly. 

"I'll send you the location then later!" Suzy said excitedly.

Minho couldn't help but think of Sulli as he was talking to Suzy, but quickly focused back on Suzy. "Ok." After hanging up, he looked downstairs to see Jisoon looking up at him. When they made eye contact, Jisoon quickly went back to cleaning the tables. When Minho was downstairs, Jisoon temporarily stopped scrubbing the table and looked at Minho. 

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes." Minho replied, not wanting to say more.

"With who?" Raising her hand to stop Minho from speaking, she continued, "I know what you're going to say, but I am obligated to care for your safety, therefore I should know." 

"Suzy."

Raising her eyebrows, Jisoon replied, "Oh," and proceeded to continue working.

-------------------

"Oppa, over here!" Suzy said as she waved towards Minho, who was once again in his suit, since the restaurant Suzy picked was rather formal. 

Once Minho was next to Suzy, they walked to the front counter to register for a table. "How many?" 

"Two, " Suzy replied. 

"Follow me please." The waiter replied. 

Suzy and Minho walked past multiple tables, finally reaching a table for two. When the waiter had left, Suzy's face began to grow serious. "Oppa, we've known each for how many years?"

Looking up from the menu, Minho recalled in his head. "Since we were kids."

"Twenty years. We met when I was five and you were six." Suzy clarified. Minho nodded in response. He saw as Suzy's hand slowly felt its way towards his, until her hand was finally intertwined with his. Grasping his hand tighter she took in a deep breath. Looking deep into Minho's eyes she mustered the courage to remark, "Choi Minho...I like you, will you be my boyfriend?" Suzy waited earnestly for Minho's reply as she tried to read his face.

Minho's eyes widened as he heard those words. He recalled when he felt strong feelings towards Suzy as a teenager. Minho began to remember years ago when Suzy had alleviated his fear of cars, his fear of driving, and most importantly, taught him how to socialize with others once again. Recalling his dark past, Suzy was the only light at the time, allowing him to continue to live on, however, one person appeared in his mind. He removed his hand from Suzy's grasp and replied, "I'm sorry Suzy. You know me, I don't plan on getting involved in relationships."

"I know, I know. You don't want to get hurt, but Minho, we've been together for so long. Have I ever hurt you? I helped you, remember?" Suzy replied, feeling tears well up in eyes.

"Suzy, I'm really sorry, I have to go." Minho stood up and was about to leave when Suzy slid out of the booth and grabbed Minho's wrist. 

"If your secretary, Choi Sulli, had asked you the same question I asked you, would you have gotten stirred up?"

Minho turned around looking at Suzy as he replied, "What? She has nothing to do with this."

"Fine, then what would you do if she had been fired."

"She's not fired." Minho replied, without any emotion.

"And if she was?" Suzy asked.

Minho repeated himself, this time in a firmer voice, "She's not fired."

Still holding his wrist, she replied in a voice as firm, "Yes, and you are notoriously known for quickly firing your secretaries; what's so special about Sulli that you won't fire her?" 

"Suzy, please just stop. Don't make me mad." Minho turned around as he saw a family walking down the restaurant hallway, however, it wasn't any family. Minho witnessed the family nearing, realizing he had no escape. 

"As if talking about her isn't enough, she has to appear." Suzy muttered under her breath.

Sulli was walking down the hallway with her brother and parents, wearing an elegant red floral dress with her hair flowing downward in spiral curls. Minho watched as Sulli walked with such grace and smiled with such softness towards her parents. For a moment, Sulli looked up, to meet Minho's brown eyes, locking each other's gaze. Sulli was first to break the gaze as a look of horror swept her face. Minho watched as Onew and their parents saw him and helplessly stood where he was. 

"Minho, it seems the universe wants you to have dinner with us." Jiyoung, Sulli's umma, joked. Realizing Suzy's hand on Minho's wrist, a frown formed on her face, however, she quickly masked it. 

Minho uncomfortably stood as he replied, "De (yes)." He then looked at Sulli who was standing by her mother looking at the ground, as if it was the most intruiging thing that she had ever seen.

"Young man, it's nice to see you again." Songmin pat Minho's shoulder with a smile. 

Onew realized that Sulli was beginning to feel uncomfortable and so he ushered his parents to continue moving. Looking at Minho, he communicated the words, "We'll have a talk later," through his eyes.

-------------------

Dinner with her family had ended and Sulli kept recalling Suzy's hand wrapped around Minho's wrist. "They must be dating," Sulli sadly thought to herself. "No, what am I doing, I should be happy for them––for Minho. Stop it Sulli, wake up from your dream, he'd never like you." Sulli sat on her bed, alone in her house, for her parents were staying with Onew for the night. Wrapped in a fetus position, Sulli couldn't help but let a tear slip over the events that happened on one day. Looking outside at Seoul at night, Sulli said to the night sky, "I've tried changing him, but it never worked. I'm not important to him anymore and he's still the cold person I met three months ago." Blowing a breath of air onto the window, she watched as the fog formed and drew a heart in Seoul's night sky. Watching the heart fade away, she realized her feelings would need to as well.

-------------------

The next day, on Sunday night, Sulli was returning from Choi Empire after working extra hours. While standing on the bus, she watched the rain slide down the weathered windows with the constant pitter-patter audible. People began running for cover, retrieving their umbrellas as to avoid the spewing rain. Looking out the window, she viewed as someone was sitting on the ground, parked on the side of the road. Questioning the person's motives, she squinted her eyes as she tried to avoid the beads of water forming on the windows. 

"Stop the bus!" Sulli screamed. Everyone looked up from their phones in annoyance as the bus stopped. Sulli quickly ran out of the bus as she ran towards the person sitting on the side of the road. Ignoring the spray of water droplets, Sulli ran. The dampened ground soaked through her shoes as she felt her feet well up in water. Finally reaching the person, she kneeled down as she shouted over the piercing ring of sirens and the whoosh of traffic. "Mr. Choi!" When no response was given, Sulli tried again. "Minho! Choi Minho!" Minho was in a daze, staring at the ground breathing heavily, unable to move or speak. Sulli lifted her gaze, realizing that a car crash had happened, as an ambulence and multiple police cars were present. "Minho, please answer me! Get up!" Sulli screamed as she tried to lift Minho up, but he remained still on the ground. Sulli watched as Minho's face slowly turned towards hers, feeling his warm breath on her face, in contrast to the cold winter rain. "Minho, why aren't you getting up?"

Minho's hands slowly lifted up as he pointed towards the car accident in horror. Placing his hands over his face, he breathed harder, forming clouds of fog in the frigid air. "Umma, appa! Umma, appa!" Minho began chanting as he rocked back and forth in a fetus position. 

"Minho, please listen to me! It's me, Jinri!" Sulli felt foreign to her birth name, for she hadn't used it in years.

Sulli watched as Minho slowly turned his head, his face an inch apart from hers as she felt his breathing against her face. Pointing to the car accident, Minho exclaimed like a little child, "Jinri, umma and appa...!" 

"Umma and appa are safe somewhere else Minho." Sulli comforted Minho as she pat his back lightly. "Please, listen to me and get in your car before you get sick." Sulli urged, softening her voice, realizing that Minho was currently in a traumatic state.

Nodding like a young toddler listening to his mother, Minho slowly got up. Sulli opened the door for Minho as he quietly slid onto the passenger's seat. Sulli shut the door and walked around the car, entering the driver's seat as she tried to remove excess water. Sitting against the car seat, her entire body felt numb and cold. Shakingly, she reached for Minho's car keys, which were still in the ignition hole. Searching for any towels or napkins in the car, Sulli only found tissues. Grabbing bundles of tissues, she began drying Minho's face as it was drenched in beadlets of rain. 

Feeling someone touching his face, Minho turned around, locking his gaze with Sulli's. Sulli couldn't dare to look into his eyes any longer and looked out the window. Leaning over to grab the box of tissues and removing her hand from Minho's face, she felt someone grab her arm, permeating electrical sensations throughout her body. Turning around, she saw Minho in tears as he muttered, "Umma and appa. My fault. Umma and appa gone..." after a pause, Minho finished, "gone because of me."

Sitting silently as she watched Minho cry, she didn't know what to do. Every tear that sild down Minho's face stung her as she tried to comfort him. "Minho, I'm sure it isn't your fault. Don't put the burden on yourself."

-------------------

FLASHBACK 

"Minho!" Minho's umma cried out as she embraced him into a hug. "How was the exchange student program? Did you enjoy your family?"

Minho nodded with a smile as he responded, "Umma, it was amazing! My Korean is so much better, and I was able to make new friends!"

Minho's appa appeared from the side as he rubbed his son's head. "That's my boy." Minho smiled in return feeling his parent's love once again. "Does it feel weird to speak English again?"

Minho tilted his head replying, "Actually, it is, for a month I've only been speaking Korean."

Gesturing to the car, Minho's appa said, "Well, let's get going." Minho nodded as he entered the car, his parents sitting up front, and he in the back by himself. 

While on the road, Minho silently looked out the window as he began to miss Korea and his time as an exchange student. Suddenly, he heard his mom scream. "There's a car! Turn to the right!" A car was swerving towards their car at an insanely fast speed. Minho's appa slammed the breaks, but it was no avail. The other car came flying over towards their's until the sudden clashing of the cars rung in Minho's ears, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. The hood of the car crumbled as the sqeaking of tires sent chilling sensations down Minho's spine. Minho's body ed foreward as his head hit the seat in front of him and his seatbelt rubbed harshly against his skin, sending an excruciating sensation throughout his body. Feeling his adrenaline rush and his heart pound eradically, he saw crimson streaks down his arms as a shard of glass was embedded in his skin. Looking up, he saw what he least wanted, his parents resting unconscious. 

Shakingly, Minho said, "Umma? Appa?" Feeling tears streak unstoppably down his face, he began to scream. The piercing sound of ambulances began to fill Minho's ears until all he saw was black.

FLASHBACK ENDS

----------