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Chapter 10 - Sulli's Regrets

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It is a Saturday. Being as bum as he is, Sungmin stays at home, busy surfing the Internet about random and totally funny posts.

From the living room, Sungjin, his brother, can hear his laughter. And he shows his annoyance by yelling. "Hyung! Stop laughing out loud! I'm watching Sherlock and I can't watch it properly!"

He doesn't hear any answer from his older brother, but he still hears the latter's laughter. He sighs as he finally gives up watching his favorite detective television series. He has watched the third episode of the second season for almost ten times, but he doesn't get tired of it.

He really loves such detective television series. He also likes reading detective mangas, and watching detective animes and crime investigation shows. When he and Sungmin were younger, they both liked watching those shows. For Sungjin, it was their bonding time. However, when Sungmin entered high school, he almost stopped watching and reading such. Maybe his brother had grown up already that he had other priorities in life. To be honest, Sungjin missed those times.

"Jin, someone's ringing the door bell!" Sungmin informs Sungjin who comes back from the past. Sungmin's words sink in after a minute as he hears the door bell constantly ringing. "Jin!"

"Who could this be?" Sungjin asks himself as he walks towards the door and goes out to open the gate. "Sulli?"

"Hi, Jin," greets Sulli. She is a classmate of Sungjin and also a family friend's daughter. She is one year younger than Sungjin but they are on the same grade. They were close friends when they were younger, but when Sulli's family migrated in France, their communication was cut. Sulli came back just a year ago, and good thing Sungjin was studying in the same school.

"Come in," Sungjin tells Sulli and waits for her to go inside. He lets Sulli walk before him and Sungjin follows her. "What brings you here?"

"Uhm, I actually want to ask if I can borrow your Science notebook since mine got wet when I accidentally dropped it," Sulli tells Sungjin.

Sungjin chuckles and jokes, "You're still quite careless and clumsy until now, Sulli." He opens the door and lets Sulli in. "I am going to study for Monday's test so I can't lend it to you, but you can copy the notes here."

"That's fine, Jin," Sulli smiles. When they reach the living room, Sungjin invites Sulli to sit on the sofa while he gets the notes. Sungjin iz about to go upstairs when Sulli notices the paused scene on the television screen. "Oh, you watch Sherlock too, Jin?"

Sungjin looks at Sulli then at the television screen. "I thought I stopped it already," Sungjin comments as he realizes that he paused the screen instead of stopping it. "Yes, I do. I love it."

"I love it too. When we were in France, I-"

"Are you going to see the actors tomorrow at the theater?" Sungjin cuts Sulli's words. Sulli is startled because she doesn't know that the actors are coming. Sungjin, as he observes, says to Sulli, "An expression of shock with a mixture of confusion, and an inability to speak means you don't know about it right?"

"U-Uhm, yes," Sulli admits. "How about you? Are you coming?"

"Probably, but I don't have someone to accompany me," Sungjin says. "And besides, I don't have tickets. It is too expensive."

"Jin, who's-" Sungmin asks as he goes downstairs but he fails to continue the question when he sees Sulli, his favorite younger sister. Even if she is not her younger sister in real life, he still treats her as one. "Lili!" He excitedly calls her with her nickname. He smiles widely as he hugs Sulli tightly. "I miss you, Clumsy Lili! You haven't been here since you came back to Korea. How's life? Where are you studying now?"

Sulli pulls herself from Sungmin's hug. There is a sad emotion that can be seen in her eyes although she is still smiling. "You don't know? Jin and I are classmates."

Sungmin glares at his brother who suddenly displays an annoyed expression. "Why didn't you say so? Why didn't you tell me that you're classmates and you didn't even invite her here-"

"You're always out, and it's as if it is needed," Sungjin says coldly. He walks towards the stairs so Sungmin asks him why he is leaving his visitor. He answers, "I'm going to get what she needs." Then he goes upstairs.

"What's with him? Sudden mood swings?" He laughs. He hears a soft giggle from Sulli, but he notices that she looks sad. Sungmin taps her shoulder and grins at her. "Don't worry, Lili. He's just jealous." He winks.

Sulli blushes. "E-eh?"

"He thinks that you have a crush on me, as I can see. I know what you feel about my brother and vice versa so," Sungmin pauses. Sulli's face turns even redder. "I am rooting for you. I know my brother likes you."

"Min oppa!" Sulli covers her face in embarrassment. "It's embarrassing!"

"Don't be, my dear Lili. I'll help you with that," he winks again as he sees Sungjin coming back from the second floor. "Lili and I are going somewhere else to have a chitchat. We're taking those," Sungmin says to Sungjin as he gets the notes from startled Sungjin. Sungmin grabs Sulli's wrist and runs away.

"Yah! Hyung!" Sungjin calls them but he fails to stop them. He sighs as he sits on the sofa.

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"Good after-"

Kyuhyun fails to finish his greeting when he sees Sungmin entering the ice cream parlor with an unknown girl.

Since Sungmin became Donghae's friend, they have chosen the ice cream parlor as their hangout place. The three of them, Sungmin, Donghae and Ryeowook, would always go there after classes, but it's the second time that Sungmin goes to the ice cream parlor on a Saturday. Not that he is complaining. He really likes seeing him everyday. What he does not like is that Sungmin is catching attention of other waiters and customers. Well, he caught Kyuhyun's attention. Why couldn't others be the same?

It is very slow that afternoon, so Kyuhyun is only one who is serving. It is so because he is a permanent employee. He approaches the two who finally settle down. "Good afternoon, your orders? Still strawberry parfait, Sungmin?"

"Wow, Min oppa, are you a patron here? He even knows your favorite," the girl asks.

Min oppa? It seems that they are close, Kyuhyun thinks. Of course, I know everything about him because I have known him longer than you.

"Hmm, just recently," Sungmin replies. "Oh, he's Kyuhyun, my friend. Yes, as usual."

"Colleague," Kyuhyun corrects. But he is amazed at the fact that Sungmin introduces him as a friend. He feels giddy inside, but as Kyuhyun, he tries to conceal it.

"Wow, you're like Dr. John Watson," the girl compares him to a character in Sherlock Holmes. "I'll have a lychee yogurt."

Sungmin grins at him, "You're in a fruit diet, Lili? Are you impressing me or-"

"Min oppa!" Sulli scolds Sungmin as she hits Sungmin's arm jokingly. "You're starting it again."

Min oppa your face! He wants to tell the girl that she must stop flirting with him because obviously, she looks younger than Sungmin. But he wonders how the two are related, and he also wonders why they seem comfortable with each other. "Okay," he says thriftily and leaves with his lips tightly closed. Is Lili his girlfriend? Ugh, I can't believe that I am getting jealous at someone who is younger than me. Sungmin is really good in getting the attention of many people.

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"How's France?" Sungmin asks. "I really envy you because at a young age, you already traveled to France."

"It's fine, but it is really different there," Sulli says. "You don't have to be envious because even though I left for France, I also left people here."

"That includes Sungjin," Sungmin grins and teases.

"And that includes Sungjin- eh, oppa!" Sulli hits his arm again. "Sungjin dislikes it when I tell him about France."

"But it's true right? You failed to say goodbye to Sungjin because he had an exam right, and you didn't want to disturb him, so you told me instead," Sungmin recalled. "Maybe he was really upset because of that, but I think it's time to move on already."

"You're right," Sulli agrees. "We've been close since we were six, but I was regretting that I didn't tell him that I was leaving. I want to make it up with him."

"That is why I'll help you," Sungmin says. "Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"Well there is something," Sulli remembers the meet and greet of Sherlock actors. "Sherlock actors are coming here tomorrow, and he doesn't have tickets yet!"

"Aw damn, it involves money," Sungmin sighs. "I can't help you with that."

After a minute of silence, their orders arrive. When Kyuhyun is serving them, Sungmin thinks of an idea and talks to Kyuhyun. "Kyuhyun! Can I borrow money? I'll pay you back. I promise. Please! I really need it!"

Kyuhyun's furrows his eyebrows. "For what? Don't tell me you don't have money to pay your orders?" You invited someone to a date yet you didn't have money?

"No, no, I just need it to buy some meet and greet tickets," Sungmin tells Kyuhyun who still doesn't believe him. "You're my friend, right? Please?"

"No," Kyuhyun replies and leaves.

"Aish, that guy really. He is a cheapskate. He works every day but he barely spends money," Sungmin pouts and crosses his arms. "Really a monster."

"Maybe he is saving money for something big, something important?" Sulli speculates.

Sungmin thinks that Sulli may be right. Because according to Kyuhyun, he is living alone. But it is impossible that someone like Kyuhyun spends and works for himself. He must have parents who supports him any way. Sungmin snorts, "Perhaps, but he's a rich kid. He is studying in Inhwan."

"But Inhwan has rich kids and good looking guys. Students there can be both, or can be either, and if Kyuhyun is both, he would not work while studying," Sulli says. "To be honest, I find him handsome. As a girl, I find him really handsome."

Sungmin shrugs. "I don't know why almost everyone, of course not me, likes him."

"Don't you find him handsome, or at least cute?" Sulli asks Sungmin. "Oh well, you're a guy."

"Fine. He's good-looking but I am more good-looking than him, right," Sungmin finally admits. "It's just an outside appearance. I am better inside and out."

Sulli giggles. "Of course, oppa. Anyway, I notice that he is always looking here. He's even glaring at me, or maybe it's just an imagination."

Sungmin looks at Kyuhyun who, when their eyes meet, pretends that he is not looking and is doing other things. "He's always like that, so it's not your imagination. He really stares coldly at anyone. That is why I call him 'Ice Monster.'"

"You even have nickname for him, oppa. Are you sure he's not special?"

"Huh? Special?" He asks as if the word is foreign to his ears. He knows that word, but he doesn't know its real meaning because as he knows, there are a lot of things attached to it, may it be positive or negative. "What makes a person special though?"

"Hmm, he or she is unique in your eyes. Everything that he or she does, you compare him or her to anyone and find him better. You do something different when it comes to him or her. Or that is," Sulli displays a rotten smile before continuing her explanation, "you care for him or her."

Sungmin awkwardly laughs. "If it is its meaning then no, he's not. Why are we even talking about him?" Sungmin tries to recall their conversation. "I know now where we can get tickets, and he'll surely not say no!"

"What?" Sulli asks as she sees Sungmin calling Kyuhyun to pay for their orders even if they are not yet finished with their food.

When Kyuhyun approaches them and gets the money, Sungmin takes Sulli's hand and pulls her. They are already near the door when Sulli realizes that she left the notes on the table.

"Oppa! How about Jin's notes?" Sulli informs Sungmin.

"Leave them, we'll get it later," Sungmin says. "It's nearly five in the afternoon so we might miss getting the tickets. I heard from Jin that the ticketing event is until five only so we must hurry," Sungmin looks at Kyuhyun. "Kyuhyun! Can we leave the notebooks first? We'll get them later. Bye!"

It is already too late before Kyuhyun can react. Both of them have already left.

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