Hello - SHINee

Min Yu's POV

"You want to know my specialty?" Donghae asked. "Knock knock jokes?" I tried, turning to look at him with a smug smile on his face as we walked hand in hand. "No. If you hear my childish jokes, it's the best. Wanna hear?" he boasted, swinging our arms to and fro. "Fire away," I replied. "What do you call a headless Super Junior member?" he asked, making me slumber in deep thought to rack my brain for clues on what the punchline would be.

He chuckled to himself, pressuring me to outsmart his immature sense of humor. But after a few seconds, my desire to know was greater than my desire to have the last laugh. "Fine. I give up. What is it?" I braced myself for the excessive, boisterous laughter I would let out after he says the correct answer. He bit his lip hesitantly. "A dead person," he revealed and stopped in his tracks to clutch his stomach and laugh so hard.

He rested his hands on both his knees to support him in his joy caused by his own words. I only stopped and stared at him. The stomachache and tears of joy I was expecting didn't come. Confusion came instead. "That was...unexpected," I thought out loud when his uproars calmed down to normal levels. His fingers laced through mine again and we continued walking. "You are the only person who enjoys that kind of joke," I commented.

The stroll didn't take long as we arrived in front of the same diner we had been in last night. The place wasn't crowded at this time of day, unlike in Korea, people stumble to fast food chains to eat a meal too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. "Donghae oppa!" one female staff recognized him and called out. He smiled and waved at her. The food didn't become much of a trouble as all I had to do was point to a particular food on the menu and pay.

"So when are you planning to go back?" I demanded as we walked over an empty table for two. "How about you?" he asked back. "I still have four more days left. Go with me. I don't want to travel alone," I calculated in my head starting from the day I had arrived in Bangkok. "You won't. I'll follow soon after," he replied.

"I don't want to travel alone," I whined that day in Incheon airport. My eyes became alert and wide open at his news. "You won't. I'll follow soon after. Now hurry. You don't want to miss your flight, don't you?" Chunji replied and took the bag from my shoulder, walking with me until we had reached the departure area.

He had told me he was coming, and that he would follow soon after I left. But he didn't. He had left me all alone. And worse, after I go back home, there would be no more of him I could hold onto. It was the worst promise he had ever broken. No. Wait. He never promised me anything. Donghae must have noticed the sudden blankness in my eyes as the memory washed over me with a cold sense of deja vu.

"Promise," he raised his right hand up, as if he had known what was running in my mind after all. I only replied with a smile as the food we had ordered was brought to our table. "So what do you do for a living?" I joked with a different tone in my voice, making him choke from the water he was drinking. He sat up straight and fixed the collar of his shirt awkwardly, riding in with the joke. "I work at an amusement park," he nodded convincingly.

"What does Lee Donghae do at an amusement park?" I demanded. "I'm the one who pushes the rollercoaster so it would move. I get paid a million won per hour," he replied, making me almost spit the water in my mouth because of laughter. He smiled at my expression, for I must have looked like an idiot laughing with my mouth closed. He patted my back as I coughed and handed me a napkin to wipe my mouth.

He returned to his seat and we resumed in eating in silence. I slumped back on my seat and realize that even after 9 years of knowing each other, I barely knew past his name. "So what do people who date do?" he asked, as if on cue. "They get to know each other better. They talk about their family backgrounds, their likes and dislikes...stuff like that," I replied, jumping at the chance to get him talking spontaneously.

"But I know almost everything about you," he snorted. "That's why it's your turn to do all the talking and necessary chattering," I rested my chin on both my hands, gesturing for him to start the conversation. "My life's boring. I'd rather listen to yours," he hesitated and continued eating. I would have thought he would start talking to me like I was a slumbook page, where he would write his favorite color, his definition of love, and his ambitions and goals for the future. But he didn't.

"Why don't you let your guard down a bit and let me in? We're dating here," I suggested. He chuckled and looked away. "What are you planning to tell your parents, anyway?" he asked, obviously changing the topic and steering the conversation to me. "Not to mention the other members," I added. "Aish. Eunhyuk would tease me to death," he facepalmed himself.

"Heechul would hit us in the head with his spatula," I pictured Heenim with his hands on either side of his hips as he glared with laserbeams from his eyes. We both cringed at the imaginary thought bubble overhead. "Just thinking about it makes me nervous," he commented. "And what do we have to tell Min Young?" I put my finger involuntarily to my chin in deep thought.

He seemed satisfied at his job well done distracting me. What's so wrong about telling me about himself? I began to feel guilty with all these years of me ranting to Donghae about senseless episodes of my life and now I didn't have anything to say. "Come on. Can't you even tell me your favorite color or something?" I sighed. "It's blue," he replied. "Aren't you going to tell me some story about you falling down the stairs or...?" I puffed my cheeks with air in disappointment. He only chuckled in response and pinched my cheek, making me give up trying to start a conversation altogether.

Narrator's POV

As expected, Min Yu went back to Seoul, South Korea after four more days, leaving Donghae behind in Thailand. Deep inside, she had braced herself for when he would tell her he was never coming, just like how Chunji had made her expect. She was welcomed back by her family and her colleagues from work with open arms. She had longed to see Chunji again, but it's as if the universe was conspiring to not let it happen.

Days passed by quickly in the city, as it always does. She had longed to see Donghae again, and wondered when he was about to come back. "Yoboseyo?" Min Yu answered her phone to stop it from ringing loudly. "Min Yu-ssi, are you busy doing something?" Min Jae asked. "No. Why?" she replied, glancing at the wall clock and wondering what her mother was about to tell her at a peaceful Saturday morning.

"Leeteuk left his bag here at home as he was hurrying to leave. Can you and Min Young bring it to him at the company building?" she requested. "Sure. I'll be on my way," she hung up and yanked her closet doors open to look for something to wear. She bit her fingernails and wished Sungmin or Ryeowook or even Niel was there to help her decide on what's presentable enough for an outfit. Leeteuk, or even any Super Junior member, introduces her to anyone that passes by, whether it be the receptionist at the lobby or Lee Soo Man himself.

She sat on the floor and stared at the messy pile of clothes inside the wardrobe. If Chunji has seen her carelessness, he would have scolded her endlessly and folded the clothings one by one, holding the fabric as if it had diamonds embedded on it. Min Yu smiled at his memory and wondered when she was going to see him again. Needless to say, it was harder to move on when almost everything reminded her of him.

She sighed and began to dig at the garments stuck at the bottom. These were the clothes her mother had bought for her, but she never bothered wearing because of its style. Her hands traveled mindlessly until she felt something rough and thick. She grabbed it and laid it out in front of her face. The denim shorts reached above her knees and was just the right length, but she never really wore it. Lately, the weather had been extremely unpredictable within the day, but since the sun was high up in the sky and a warm breeze blew over the streets, it didn't hurt to give it a try.

A sheer, blue shirt hanging above her head caught her eye. She threw her outfit on the bed and walked towards the bathroom to take a quick shower. The refreshing water seemed to ease her irritation at the silence hovering over her apartment, the absence of noise suddenly becoming unbearable to her ears. She turned the water off and stepped out, drying herself with a towel while walking towards her strewn clothes.

While paying attention to the wet, brown locks of her hair that never seemed to get dry, her eyes drifted to her bedside table. Her eyes searched for the usual note Chunji always left stuck to the wooden furniture. He would never cease to remind her that he had already made breakfast waiting at her table, or that he had already left, or simply just to tell her that he loved her. But right now, the bedside table only gathered dust and dirt, not that it used to be a witness to the time they had spent together.

She stood up and got dressed. If her mother had seen her attire, she would have suggested that she wear high heels or bright-colored flip flops to match, but her pair of black sneakers always did the trick. She tied the shoelaces in one go and left her apartment. Her parents' house was just a few blocks away, and her settling on a place of her own didn't define the distance and independence it was supposed to.

Ringing the doorbell, her sister came scurrying out the front door, with her mother following behind her. "Unnie!" the child exclaimed, excited to see Min Yu after how many days. "Annyeong~" she greeted and opened her arms to give her a hug. "Here," Min Jae handed the bag to her. "What's inside, anyway?" she asked, wondering how important the contents were that Leeteuk can't drive back to their house to get it himself.

"Spare clothes and makeup. Apparently, he and the members wear more makeup than me," her mother laughed. "Say goodbye to omma," Min Yu knelt down to be on eye level with her sister. Min Young kissed her mother's cheek farewell before walking hand in hand with her sister. "Where have you been, unnie?" the child asked as they stopped at the corner of the street, waiting for a taxi to pass by.

"In Thailand. It's not very far from here. I just had to look for someone. Did Chunji oppa visit you when I was gone?" she explained. Min Young nodded in response. "He told me the same thing. And now that you're here, he's the one who's away. Where is he?" she answered. "I don't know either," Min Yu replied as she spotted a cab swerving towards their direction. She lifted her right hand and signaled for a ride.

The vehicle stopped in front of them. Min Yu opened the door for the younger and let her slide in on the seat before her. She entered soon after. "To SM Entertainment please," she directed and the cab soon headed to their particular destination. After a few minutes, they arrived at the familiar building Leeteuk himself was very proud of.

Min Yu handed cash to the driver before slamming the door shut, sending the taxi to its own way. She grasped her sister's hand tightly as they crossed the street and entered through the glass doors. Both their hands swung wildly as they walked merrily. "Annyeong, Min Yu-ssi," the receptionist greeted as they neared the front desk. "Annyeonghaseyo," she bowed politely. "Is Leeteuk here?" she stood on her tiptoes to see if any of the walking figures was her father. "Super Junior's currently recording and they would be done by 11. Please sit down and wait," the receptionist smiled and gestured to the cushion seats.

"Come on. Let's wait for appa here," Min Yu directed her sister to the receiving area, tossing the bag carelessly to the glass table in the middle. Although it wasn't their first time to visit the building, they were always mesmerized at the life size portraits and sculptures adoring the first floor. There was a framed, enlarged picture of all the SME artists at the center, and the two siblings always directed their gaze towards their father, who smiled brightly like an angel.

They roamed around the huge room as they waited for a few more minutes until they could see their father again. "Min Young-ssi, unnie will just go to the rest room, arasseo? Stay where the receptionist can see you. Don't go out, okay? Just wait for me. I won't take long," she left her sister and headed towards the ladies' room. The seven-year-old child entertained herself at the different forms of art she could see, careful not to be too close as her parents had always reminded.

"I told you many times already. The best angle for an ulzzang is the side view. It shows how sharp the bone structure of your face is," Min Young could hear men talking loudly, as if they were miles away from each other. "It depends on the person. My best angle is the front view," the other fought back. "Don't argue with me! I'm an ulzzang!" the other snapped back. "But I'm an ulzzang too!" the shorter of the two guys argued as they were halfway across the room.

"Noona, are the hyungs inside?" the taller asked at the front desk. "Your manager said they were on their way," she replied. "How about in my group, noona?" the shorter asked. "They all went out for an early lunch," she answered. "Aish. Hyung, let's just wait here," the baby-faced guy tugged at the other one's arm for them to sit down. Min Young didn't pay them any attention and walked round and round the lobby instead.

She got distracted by the coming and going of the people inside and outside the building that she unconsciously stepped on one foot with her other, loosening her shoelaces and untying the knots completely. She carefully walked towards the long sofa, where the two men were, and sat to wait for her sister instead of tripping by her own fault.

"Annyeong~" the older of the two guys greeted her with a smile.

She stared at him blankly, afraid to answer. "Do you want me to tie your shoelaces for you?" the other one offered, kneeling in front of Min Young. Before she could protest and move away, the guy's hands held her shoelaces and tied it neatly, putting one loop over the other expertly. "Xie xie," (Thank you.) she bowed slightly out of respect. It was her sister's orders to speak in a different language whenever a stranger talked to her.

The shorter man's eyes lit up at the sound of his mother tongue. "Ni hao. Shénme shì ni de míngzì?" (Hello. What's your name?) he asked. She bit her lip and hesitated to answer. The last time a stranger talked to her in Chinese was two years ago, and her sister had scolded her, but it turned out that it was only Donghae. But even so, she abided by Min Yu's orders strictly.

"Wo bùshì gàosu ni tánlùn mòshēng rén?" (What did I tell you about talking to strangers?) Min Yu's stern Mandarin sounded from afar, as if on cue. The two men stood up and fixed their clothes as they turned to look at the source of that voice. "Wo bù dai ren," (I'm not a bad person.) the Chinese-speaking guy defended. Min Yu blinked her eyes a few times at the unfamiliar face before turning back to Min Young and switching to another language.

~Can you guess who the two guys were? ☺