Chapter 4: Everything Is Not What It Seems

I don't know why it's marked Rated M, since there isn't a huge scene or anything, but I can't get it away.

Sulli found herself in the park, her small feet swaying as she looked out at the park's river. She wondered why she came there in the first place. She opened her phone once more, the time in her eyes: 12:37.

Why was she out there in the first place? She simply wanted somewhere nice to think, somewhere without any distractions. Sulli sighed again and closed her eyes, allowing the sweet breeze to comfort her.

"I'd thought I'd find you here." She opened her eyes and looked at the person. She could've jumped at the sight of Taemin. He sat next to her on the bench, a small smile on his lips. "I tried calling you."

The brunette gulped, looked away so he was facing her hair. "My phone was off."

"Ah…"

"Why were you looking for me?"

Taemin his lips as he continued to stare at her. Her hair had gotten longer, her body much taller. "I just wanted to catch up with an old friend."

"You have Krystal for that. You've always had her for that." Taemin didn't understand what she meant but she knew exactly was she was speaking about. Sulli her lips, shut her eyes. Her beating heart was betraying her. "Besides, I have to go soon."

"Can't you stay for a little while? I truly would like to speak to you."

Sulli wanted to groan but forced herself to face him. "Fine, I'll stay for a little while."

Their conversation had been a bit awkward but they had managed to catch up. Taemin smiled at everything she said, laughed at her sarcastic jokes. It felt like old times but she knew it wasn't like that anymore. Sulli knew things had changed. But she smiled anyways. Even if he was taken, she just liked being around him, making him laugh and smile.

"Well I'm glad things have been looking up for you," he said, a small chuckle following. "I didn't know you were so funny."

Sulli felt herself grin, her cheeks heating up in the process. "I can be quite the comedian when I want to be." Taemin chuckled again. Since when did she become so funny? He always remembered the petite brunette to be a little demon.

"You know, Krystal was really happy when you agreed to be a bridesmaid. It was a part of her plan to get you two back together." A soft breeze blew their hair in front of their faces. She gulped as she looked straight ahead, her fingers fumbling with each other. "But she was so upset when you left the wedding."

"I apologized, didn't I?"

"I know, but…" Taemin his lips. "I want to know why you left. The real reason."

The real reason? Oh there was a plethora of reasons why Sulli had left, staring with the ultimate reason: she loved Taemin and she couldn't stand to see Krystal with him. She couldn't stand to be in a happy place where she felt like . In fact, Sulli had been feeling like for years. Happiness just didn't exist in her life anymore. Not after her bitter argument with her parents, not after becoming independent, not after losing the love of her life to her supposed best friend. It was all too much for the girl to handle and Sulli wondered how she had survived.

Taemin's hands cupped her cheeks; his thumbs were wiping the tears she hadn't realized were falling. "Why did you leave?"

Sulli couldn't tell him. She sniffled. "Because happiness doesn't exist in my world anymore."

"That can't be true."

"It is…" She began to cry, much to her embarrassment. He felt a bit uncomfortable but pushed through it and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She shivered at his touch but relaxed some.

Taemin gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Everything will be okay."

Sulli sniffled again, her fingers digging in her purse for some tissues. She wiped her red eyes, her lungs drawing in a shaking breath. "I sure hope it will."

"It will," he said with a gentle smile. "I promise."

She smiled softly, the sadness on her face. "I'm glad everything's working out with you and Krystal. In all honesty, I never pictured you two together."

He frowned. "Really? Krystal, that's—"

"But I think you two look good together. Like a sweet couple." He smiled again. "I'm glad we're friends again, too."

"Me too." Taemin began to wonder if he had missed Sulli as much as he felt he did. He missed her brunette curls, her mean stare, her quick remarks. She was always with Krystal, always keeping her from falling off the brink. He wondered how the two became the best of friends.

Sulli stood. "I have to go. But it's been nice talking to you."

"You…too." As he watched her petite form fade in the distance, he also wondered when he started missing her more, even if she was just a phone call away.

Sulli grinned to herself. Taemin was a er for a crying girl.

I can't stand this, an agitated Sulli thought as she sat on Krystal and Taemin's couch, watched them exchange cute little remarks about each other. She was sure they knew her and Minho were sitting on the couch opposite them. So why were they being all lovey-dovey when they were there?

Minho sipped his coffee nonchalantly before giving Sulli's shoulder another squeeze. She glanced at him before sipping her scalding hot coffee, letting it sizzle down . At least the burning sensation was something to distract her from the emotional pain she felt.

Sulli had gulped it down without realizing it. She placed her cup on the table before abruptly standing, causing everyone to look at her. She blinked before giving a graceful smile. "I need to use the bathroom." No one responded. Sulli then disappeared down the hallway of their large apartment and into the bathroom. She locked the door before sitting atop the toilet and dialing Luna.

"What's up, Sulli?" She asked.

"I'm at Krystal's place and I'm getting super pissed."

Utau chuckled. "What's going on?"

"Her and Taemin are being lovey-dovey at each other and it makes me want to puke." Sulli leaned forward, a hand pressed to her temple. "What do I do?"

She could almost hear the shrug over the phone. "Fight fire with fire. Get lovey-dovey with Minho." Sulli knew that Luna was possessive of Minho but she was kind of surprised that she gave away her brother to her. Maybe she wasn't as possessive of him as she thought. "You did good at the dinner. Get all romantic-y with him."

"I'll try—"

"You won't try. You'll do." And then she hung up, leaving Sulli to come up with a strategy. Minho was on board right? So would it be weird if she just went out there and kissed him? Would it be weird if she threw herself all over him like a trashy ? Yeah, it would, she thought. Sulli shook her head before heading out of the bathroom and going back to the living room.

Minho smiled at her. "I was starting to worry. I thought you got lost in there." Sulli smiled before kissing his cheek. At least he gave her something to work with.

"Nope. But I liked the bathroom tile pattern, so I was staring at it for a while."

Minho, Krystal, and Taemin laughed. "Really, Sulli?" Minho wrapped an arm around her back when she sat down. She laid her head on his chest. "You cease to amaze me."

"You cease to stop touching me." The two shared a laugh before turning their attention to the married couple before them. Taemin stood, stretched his arms, before going into the kitchen.

"Would anyone like anything?"

"Water please!" Krystal called out. She smiled at him before turning her attention back to Sulli and Minho. They had entwined their fingers, Sulli's being noticeably smaller than his. "So, Sulli, how did you two meet?"

She gulped. She quickly thought of a reasonable story. "I saw him at the park. We talked, walked, exchanged numbers. It just went on from there."

Krystal almost twitched. "And Minho? What did you think of her then?"

"She's tall," he blurted out. It made Krystal laugh, as it did Sulli. She sat up and smacked him in the chest, making the dark-haired man smirk.

"You didn't really think that, did you?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm six-two and you're…"

Sulli raised an eyebrow. "six-one."

Minho nodded with eyebrows perked. "Yeah, well you're still shorter than me." She smacked in the chest again as she laughed. Krystal laughed gently just as Taemin came back with water for her. He planted a small kiss on her lips before turning to the couple across from him. They had begun to play fight with Minho on top of Sulli and tickling her. "Say uncle five times."

Sulli was dying. "Uncle, Uncle, Uncle, Uncle—" She hadn't managed to say the final one. Minho kissed her softly, their lips moving in an almost sinful unison. Her fingers craved to be in his hair, to feel his soft locks in her palms. But Sulli settled for sitting up a bit and kissing him deeper.

She had to admit: he was a good kisser. And over the last two weeks, she had learned enough about kissing to be called good as well. They broke apart, her eyes still closed, her mind and body still registering what was happening. She liked that kiss. Her eyes fluttered open and she gasped when she saw his eyes: they looked almost molten honey. As she sat up straight and coughed a bit, she began to understand why Krystal liked him in the first place.

Those eyes. They almost made her melt.

Taemin raised an eyebrow, a smile on his lips. "Well, that was unexpected."

Krystal smiled bitterly. "A lot of things are unexpected." Sulli wanted to smirk at her tone but refrained from it. She watched as the other brunette stood up, disappeared down the long hallway, Taemin trailing behind her. The two let out a breath of relief when they were gone.

"I didn't think they would ever leave," Minho breathed out as he slumped against the couch.

"Me either." She her lips. "Why'd you kiss me like that?"

He breathed through his nose. "You kissed me back, didn't you?"

"That's not the point, smartass." Minho chuckled a bit. "Answer the question."

"Because we're putting on a show, right? Might as well make it a good one." Sulli couldn't help but smile. The guy was sly … but at least he was cooperative.

Sulli tossed and turned in her bed, her body getting tangled in the sheets. Her brown orbs snapped open as she breathed heavily. The dream was always the same but felt too real each time. She ran a hand through her brown curls, a sigh escaping her lips. She sat up and looked around her room as she calmed herself.

It was then that her phone buzzed. A text? At this hour? She grabbed her phone from the nightstand, flipped it open with annoyance. Granted it was a distraction from her dream but she hated that someone was sending her texts at—Sulli's eyes narrowed. It was a text … from her father.

From: Old Bastard

To: Sulli

Hey, Sulli ... it's your father. I know we haven't spoken in a while but I would like to meet up with you again. And your mother, too. She's on board with this. I'm going to be in Japan with Suki and her daughter Ai for a month or two. I hope you'll come so we can talk.

We'll be at the Tokyo Hotel in the next week. I really hope you'll come.

He had the nerve to send her a message at two-thirty-five in the morning and not even put an 'I love you' at the end. Oh, that's right—he didn't love her. He loved Suki and Ai, not Sulli. Not that she cared. And Sulli didn't want to be anywhere near her idiotic parents. She put the phone back on her nightstand and returned to sleep.

"Shopping?"

Luna rolled her eyes. "No, fishing. Yes shopping!"

"I don't want to go," Sulli began as she turned off her television, "I'd rather stay inside."

"Inside's boring. Krystal, Taemin, Minho, and Onew are coming." She grabbed her wrist and pulled her up to a standing position. "Which means you're coming." Sulli groaned. Did she really have to? She knew she was going to be more irritated because she had a horrible sleep and because she had a lot on her mind, thanks to that text. But she knew Luna wouldn't take no for an answer. So the petite brunette reluctantly put on her flats, followed Luna out of her apartment outside where a long limo was waiting for them.

Inside was everyone Luna mentioned. Sulli sat next to Minho, Krystal and Taemin next to them, Luna and Onew across from the two couples. Sulli kissed Minho's cheek before laying her head on his shoulder. She groaned.

"What's wrong?" he asked her as they joined their hands.

Sulli yawned. "I didn't get any sleep last night." She closed her eyes for a moment, tried to catch a quick nap before they arrived at their destination. But it was impossible—the noise in the limo seemed to grow when she didn't want it to. So she settled for glaring out the window, her tiredness making her even more agitated.

Sulli wanted to die.

She didn't think Luna and Krystal could talk or shop so much. It drove her insane. It made her want to rip out of ear drums, to rip out their vocal cords. But she wouldn't do that. She just followed them behind, groaned at each and every sale sign she found, prayed the trip inside the store would be short.

And at the end of the day, Sulli was ready to collapse. Minho saw the tiredness written all over the agitated girl's face. When she looked up at him, saw him staring, she glared. "What're you looking at?"

He poked her cheek. "You." Sulli almost snapped but remembered that they were 'in love'. Oh, this, she thought. Just because they were 'in love' didn't mean it was pretty all the time. She slapped his hand away and began to walk faster.

"Don't poke my cheeks." Minho knew she was agitated but he couldn't help it. He smirked and followed her, his long legs easily eating up the distance.

"Aww, is Sulli upset?" he teased. "Would she like me to carry her to her crib?"

Sulli balled up her hands. "Would Minho like me to chop off his—"

"No need to get violent, Sulli," Luna began as she stood between the two. "And no need to . She's irritated."

"More than irritated," She snapped. "Take me home or I'm killing someone."

"Fine but if you do kill someone, do it in an alley."

More texts. From her mother, from her father, even from Suki. It wasn't helping her mood either. Over the few couple of days, Sulli didn't want contact with anyone. Every time Minho or Luna or anyone called her, she hung up. She didn't reply back to texts, she didn't answer phone calls. She went to school and came back home.

It was truly annoying, being hounded by her idiotic parents and her tramp of a stepmother. But Sulli didn't give a about them; they would continue to anticipate her arrival and she would disappoint them.

Just like how they disappointed her all those years ago.

As she exited her shower, towel wrapped tightly around her body, her eyes caught sight of lightning that flashed in her peripherals. A thunderstorm, hmm? The weather didn't say anything about it though. Sulli shrugged and proceeded to the kitchen to prepare her dinner.

As she was pouring water into her instant ramen, someone banged on her apartment door. She was reluctant to answer but moved to the front door anyways. Slipping into the genkan shoes, she stood on her toes, looked through the peephole. She gasped when she saw Taemin soaking wet. But before she opened the door, she regained her composure—her natural Sulli—and opened the door.

He was shivering. "Hey, Sulli." She was aware that she was standing in nothing but her towel, which stopped pretty high up on her thighs. But she wouldn't acknowledge it. "Umm, I know this is last minute, but the storm isn't passing until the morning, so…"

Her heart was doing cartwheels. She gulped before smirking. "You need a place to stay." She tugged at his soaking shirt. "And some dry clothes." His stomach grumbled, making the light brown-haired man look away. "And some food, too."

"It would be really kind of you, yes," he responded, his eyes staring at her. Sulli leaned against her door, pursing her lips, as she stared at him. The shirt clung to his muscles making him look even more attractive than she would've liked. But two could play at that game, even if one didn't know they were playing.

She walked in, Taemin following. She stepped back into her house as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Strip."

Taemin raised his eyebrows. He looked around before his eyes landed back on the girl. "You mean here?" Sulli rolled her eyes, rested her hands on her hips.

"No, in South Africa. Yes here." He chuckled at her sarcastic remark but began to remove his shirt. "I'll wash those for you."

"Thanks." He ed his shirt, removed it from his body. "You know, I'll never get tired of that sarcasm. If only Krystal knew sarcasm like you."

She grinned as she took his shirt. "I'll give her lessons one day." He laughed again.

"Can I have a towel? I'm sure you don't want to see my—" Sulli turned around, walked to the bathroom to fetch a fresh towel. When she came back, she could've died. He stood there in his black boxers, a lean and muscular body staring back at the girl. Her body felt hot all of a sudden but Sulli tossed him the towel, removed the hair ribbon that kept her brunette waves up in a bun. He stepped up into her house, clad in a towel. "Thank you for your hospitality."

She waved him off. "Whatever. The third door on the left is the bathroom. Use the green sponge, not the yellow one." He nodded before disappearing down her hallway into the bathroom.

Sulli knew the situation was one that some girls would've jumped on top of. But Sulli—she was a wreck. While she could've jumped him, she also could've pushed him out of her house. But she swallowed her cowardice, walked into her kitchen to prepare a meal that the both of them could eat. She was glad she went out grocery shopping earlier that day. She tossed her instant ramen into the trash, pulled out vegetables and large pieces of salmon from her refrigerator, seasonings and rice from her cabinet.

As she chopped the onions, her ears picked up the faint sound of the shower running. He had been in there for a few minutes but it seemed like forever. No matter. Sulli finished chopping the onions and garlic before putting them in a bowl. She began to hum a tune, just something random. She seasoned the onions before drizzling olive oil in her pan.

She noticed that Taemin had finished his shower and was watching her cook but she acted like she didn't. He leaned on the kitchen's doorway, his body and hair still dripping but a smile plastered to his lips. She had changed into a t-shirt that didn't stop to hide her legs. He gulped when he realized he was staring for longer than necessary.

Sulli smirked as she seasoned the salmon. "Staring is impolite, you know." She glanced at him before returning her attention to the salmon. "I would've figured you of all people would know that."

Taemin laughed awkwardly as he stepped inside the kitchen, watched Sulli flip the salmon in the seasoning. She lifted up a piece and laid it in the boiling oil, the soft sizzle filling the void of silence. The brunette placed her seasoned vegetables into the smaller saucer before turning on the rice steamer. She leaned against the counter, a smile on her lips.

"So," she began, "your clothes are drying. I washed your boxers."

"Yeah, I put them on." He smiled. "I didn't know you could cook."

Sulli slipped the salmon over, stirred the vegetables. "I didn't at first. I took cooking classes and I learned a lot."

"Ah." Sulli rubbed the back of his head, his eyes drinking her in. He knew he shouldn't have been thinking about her in such ways but he couldn't help it. She looked ... beautiful.

The dinner was delicious. He didn't know Sulli could cook salmon that well. He had eaten it all and wanted more. But she laughed at his expression. They played Blackjack, played Go Fish, too. Then the tiredness swept over the two and Sulli showed him to the guestroom.

She smiled, almost sinfully sweet. "Goodnight, Tae."

Tae? Did she call me Tae? he thought. But he smiled before saying, "Good night."

As Taemin walked home that morning, he couldn't get her off his mind. Yes, he was married. Yes, he loved Krystal. Maybe he just missed Sulli. They were good friends before things turned sour. Maybe that was it. He was seeing her for the girl she grew up to be. There was nothing wrong with that …

Right?

Author's Note: This, in the beginning, was just a filler Chapter since I'm currently not having that much time. But I didn't upload the filler in the beginning and just put it into the real Chapter, so it doesn't really fit with the whole thing properly. But I wanted to make a scene with Taemin and Sulli so bad.

In this case, petite is meant as delicate. I didn't thought about how petite meant something like small, since Sulli isn't. So I'm sorry. I will us delicate or something like that from now on. And like I said, don't complain about OOC-ness, it's my story I make it how I want it.

Please don't complain about how I'm not updating. 3 weeks no update isn't that much, I just don't have the time to do anything. So Please understand. You wouldn't want such comments too. And I'm sorry if there are any name differences, I watched TV while writing it and sometimes I just copy the names of the shows, don't know, it's a habit. xD

review :)