{ 24 }

Sulli immediately singled out Byun Mihyun’s private room among the others. Of course, it was the isolated one at the end of the hall, with two burly bodyguards guarding the door. When the two saw Baekhyun, they bowed to him.

“Good morning, Young Master Byun,” they greeted in chorus. She stopped herself from raising an eyebrow. Is it really mandatory for them to call the boys as ‘young master’?! Even Kai was called like that in their hou– err, mansion before. Maybe Chen and the others are also called like that? She wondered to herself.

Baekhyun, however, was serious. He didn’t even pay attention to the greeting of the two men. “Is Mihyun awake?”

One of them answered. “We checked on Miss Byun a while ago and she was awake, Young Master.”

Baekhyun nodded and turned to Sulli, smiling. “Let’s go, Sulli,” he said and motioned to the door. One of the bodyguards immediately opened it and he led the way inside. Sulli was awed at the luxury that the hospital room was displaying. Actually, it looked more of a presidential suite in a hotel rather than an ordinary hospital room. There was a 75” television, a king-sized bed rather than the usual hospital bed, and a terrific view. It must be nice to become this rich, she can’t help but think.

Mihyun was looking at them, specifically, at her. She wanted to melt in a puddle of goo under Mihyun’s scrutiny. Baekhyun guided her to a couch next to Mihyun’s bed and the two of them sat. “Mihyun-ah, this is Choi Sulli. She’s my friend.” He introduced before turning to Sulli. “Sulli, meet my sister, Byun Mihyun.”

Sulli shyly smiled before offering her hand. “Annyeonghasaeyo, Mihyun-ssi. My name is Choi Jinri, but please call me Sulli.”

Baekhyun’s sister smiled at her and Sulli quickly understood why CNU fell head over heels for her. She looks so angelic. Even the few scratches and wounds on her face and arm didn’t even mar her ethereal beauty. “Annyeonghasaeyo, Sulli-ssi.” She greeted. She turned to her brother who was also smiling at the exchange. “Oppa, this is the first time you brought a girl, huh?” She teased, to which Baekhyun quickly reacted.

“Mihyun!” He protested, but his younger sister only laughed. Sulli was feeling very warm inside, seeing this carefree side of Baekhyun. With the time they spent together with Mihyun, she got to know a new side of Byun Baekhyun. He was not just the cold guy Baekhyun who was hiding behind a brave exterior; he was also the warm Baekhyun who was Mihyun’s oppa. I… I wish I can make him smile like that too, she mutely wished internally. She knew it was too much of her to think like that, now that she was not even sure if Baekhyun was interested, but a little part of her keeps on hoping for her unrequited love’s completion.

Baekhyun stood up after a while. “Mihyun-ah, do you want anything? I’ll go buy food.” He told her.

His sister shook her head. “No need, oppa, I’m great.” She turned to Sulli. “How about you, unnie? Do you want anything?”

Sulli smiled. “No, I’m okay. Thank you for asking, Mihyun.”

Baekhyun nodded his head. “Alright then. I’ll just buy something on my way. I’ll leave you two girls alone.” After saying that, he walked towards the door and left.

There was a minute of silence before Mihyun spoke in a small voice. “Unnie, you go to the same school as Baekhyun oppa, neh?”

She was surprised by her question, but she could somehow sense why Mihyun was inquiring about that. She nodded her head and smiled. “Yes, Mihyun.”

“Do you…” Mihyun swallowed an imaginary lump in before continuing to speak. “Do you happen to know Shin Dongwoo? He’s a senior alrea–”

Sulli’s smile widened at her question. “I know him. Actually, he’s one of my best friends. I treat him as my real oppa.”

Mihyun’s eyes widened at her revelation. “JEONGMALYO, UNNIE?!” She half-shouted in surprise. “Does Baekhyun oppa know?! You’re his friend, too!” She added in disbelief.

Sulli nodded her head in affirmation. “Neh, Mihyun-ah. Baekhyun knows I’m friends with Dongwoo oppa–”

“Omo!” The younger girl cannot help but to react. “And he was fine with it?! I mean, you do know what’s going on, right?” She asked uncertainly.

“I know, Mihyun. Dongwoo oppa told me everything.” She answered softly. She reached out to hold Mihyun’s hand in order to comfort her. “Mihyun-ah, don’t worry much about Dongwoo oppa. He’ll be fine. Besides, I asked Baekhyun a while ago to rethink his decision regarding you and Dongwoo oppa. He told me he’ll think about it, so let’s just hope for the best results.” She explained to Mihyun.

The younger girl’s eyes were sparkling, both with joy and unshed tears. Her hold on Sulli’s hand tightened. “Unnie, I– I don’t know how to start to thank you. I mean, I begged Baekhyun oppa a million times and yet he didn’t budge but you–” She shook her head in disbelief and then smiled as if laughing about a private joke. “You managed to change his mind one time, unnie. Tell me,” she wiggled her eyebrows at her. “Is there something I should know about you and my oppa?”

Sulli’s eyes widened and she could already feel the blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks. “A– ani!” She stuttered while vehemently shaking her head. “We’re just friends. And I didn’t change his mind just like that! He just told me he’ll think about it. Don’t get weird thoughts inside your head, Byun Mihyun.” She warned.

Mihyun giggled like a schoolgirl. “Waeyo, unnie? What am I thinking, anyway?”

Sulli was about to answer when the room’s door suddenly opened. Both her and Mihyun turned to look, expecting to see Baekhyun, but they were surprised to see that the EXO boys were there. “SURPRISE, MIHYUN!” Chen yelled at the top of his lungs, not caring if he disrupts the peace inside Mihyun’s serene room.

Suho quickly elbowed him. “Yah, Kim Jongdae! Shut your mouth, will you? We’re in a hospital, for Pete’s sake!”

Chen rolled his eyes before muttering, “This grandpa, really.” He walked inside and was even surprised to see Sulli next to Mihyun. “Omo, Sulli?!” His eyes went to Mihyun, to their hands clasped together, and then back to Sulli. “What are you doing here?!” He questioned, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Sulli, on the other hand, was feeling very alarmed. She quickly scanned the crowd to check if Kai was around but was disappointed to see that he wasn’t there. She caught herself. Yah Choi Sulli, what ‘disappointed’ are you talking about?!

“Ah, uhm, actually–” She was about to explain her side when Mihyun beat her to it. “Baekhyun oppa brought her here.” She answered pointedly.

Sulli instantly felt the tension which wrapped the room. No one dared to speak. After a minute, Kyungsoo’s quiet voice filled the whole room. “Kai was going berserk.” He simply stated. The huge room suddenly felt so small, as if it was closing in on her. She could almost literally feel herself shrink on the plush couch where she was sitting at.

Mihyun’s face contorted in curiosity. “Kai oppa?” She parroted. “What’s up with him? And Kyungsoo oppa,” she turned to face him. “Why are you telling that to Sulli unnie?”

“Unnie?!” Tao repeated. “Whoa, I didn’t know you two are close.” He commented as he casted a look at the two of them.

Sulli felt herself flush as she thought about Kai. Her good mood suddenly turned sour as she thought of him “going berserk”, as what Kyungsoo said. But… why would he do that? She questioned quietly. It’s not like we’re in this relationship for real–

The door suddenly slammed open, revealing a sweaty Kim Kai. His hair was disheveled and he was panting heavily, as if he just went out for a long run. His eyes hungrily searched the crowd and when he saw Sulli, his face fell.

So she’s here, he bitterly thought to himself. Of course, Jongin, why did you even bother? His shoulders shrunk as he walked away, looking defeated. He doesn’t understand why he feels so disappointed. Damn, I kissed her– WE. FREAKING. KISSED! And now what? She’s with Baekhyun hyung? What the hell– He angrily stomped away from Mihyun’s hospital room. DAMN!

On the other hand, Sulli was frozen on her spot. She didn’t even have enough time to process her thoughts but she already found herself running towards Kai. When she finally reached him at the end of the hallway, she grabbed his wrist. “Kai…” she whispered while breathing heavily.

Kai turned to look at her. She feels like such a big disappointment as she stared at his eyes. His eyes were filled with too much angst and sadness that she couldn’t take it anymore. She tore her gaze away from him and instead focused on the floor beneath them.

“What do you want, Sulli?” He asked, his voice as cold as ice. Sulli couldn’t understand why it feels as if her heart was being torn to pieces at his coldness. He didn’t even call her Jinnie again.

“I… I…” She was so sure that she had a lot to say, which was why she followed him out, but now that they were faced with each other, it was as if all the right words just flew out of the window, leaving behind a mass of scattered words inside her brain.

He gently tugged his sleeves away from her grasp, but she continued to hold on. Her grasp on him tightened, not wanting to let go. Kai took a sharp intake of breath in order to calm himself down. Not only his mind was in chaos because of her one simple touch, but his heart as well. In actuality, all of him was in chaos just because of this one girl in front of him, and he’s afraid to finally confirm the reason why.

“Mianhae, Kai-yah…” She said in a small voice. There was a heavy lump in , and she didn’t even notice that her eyes were starting to get blurry because of tears. “Mianhae…” She repeated.

Kai felt as if air was knocked out from him as he saw her tears fall on the floor one by one. He sighed before he closed the distance between them in one step and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Her tears continued on as she sobbed quietly on his chest while he was gently playing with her hair.

He planted a soft kiss on her tresses. “Shh, don’t cry anymore. It’s okay, I’m not angry, Jinnie,” he cooed, soothing her. “It’s all right.”

She began to calm down as he continued to caress her hair. Not long after, her sobs which once filled the quiet hallway was gone. However, instead of letting go, she just found herself placing her arms around Kai’s torso, tightening her hold once again. She buried her face further on his chest, too afraid to go.

Honestly, she was also unsure why she was acting like this. Just a while ago, she was ecstatic to be with Baekhyun, and yet seeing Kai now and the pain reflected in his eyes, even she felt so disappointed with herself. She wanted to take his pain away, and this was the only thing that she could think of.

Kai closed his eyes tightly. I wish this moment wouldn’t end, he thought to himself. He liked– no, scratch that, loved this feeling. It was as if Sulli was afraid of losing him too, just like how he’s too scared to watch her go. Truthfully, he was already going crazy as he searched everywhere to find her. He even cornered Gongchan and Soojung but it was to no avail. When he received Sehun’s message, he quickly ran towards the hospital. When he saw her there, looking comfortable while holding Mihyun, he felt mixed emotions. He was glad that she wasn’t in danger, but sad and afraid as well. It wasn’t rocket science to figure out who brought her there to meet Mihyun.

…And he’s being slowly crippled with fear. It feels like Sulli’s slowly slipping away from his grasp, and he hated the feeling.

--

The two of them were inside Sulli’s room, doing their homework. No one spoke about their little scene earlier. There was an unspoken agreement to just let nature take its course.

“Yah, you’re not supposed to do that!” Sulli slapped his arm. He was lying on his stomach on top of her bed while she sat cross-legged next to him.

He snorted before rolling over and placing his head on her thigh. “C’mon, I’m tired, Jinnie.” He whined before closing his eyes.

“YAH YAH YAH KIM KAI! Don’t tell me you’ll sleep in my room again?!” She screamed. She doesn’t really trust him anymore when he’s being like that. Kai was the kind of person who can sleep just anywhere.

He didn’t pay her any attention. He continued to close his eyes as sleep began to lull him. Sulli could only sigh at him. She couldn’t get herself to reprimand him since she’s still feeling bad for her actions earlier. She played with his brownish-black locks, just like what he always wanted.

When he felt her doing that, he snuggled closer to her. He brought himself up for a while to straighten her legs before lying down again. Half of his body was laid on top of her legs as he turned to his side and hugged her.

She stiffened at his actions. She swallowed repeatedly as she darted her eyes on him. He looks so peaceful, his eyes closed serenely. Her other hand rested on his arm and gently tapped him.

Choi Jinri, what the hell are you doing? She scolded herself. You kissed this guy… you allow yourself to be cuddled by him… and then you like Baekhyun. Sulli tightly closed her eyes as she repeated Baekhyun in her mind like a mantra. I like Byun Baekhyun. I like Byun Baekhyun. I like Byun Baekhyun. I like Byun Bae– What about Kai? She bit her lip hard as thoughts and memories of Kai flooded her mind.

“Kajima, Jinnie-yah…” Kai mumbled in his sleep as he snuggled closer to her. She felt a tightening in her heart as she looked at him. Why are you doing this, Kai? She questioned him internally. Why…

Why does it feel so different now?

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A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter's not that good! T.T I'm still getting the feel back because of the looooong hiatus lol. I'm not promising that I'll be updating regularly as I used to, but I'll do my best whenever I have free time.

P.S. selmonggg saeng, annyeong!~