Chapter 4

 

 

The trip they get home was a most unpleasant trip for both. They didn’t talk as usual, didn’t see each other like usual too. Like two strangers who just meet each other, but they  holding each other's hands, that's the best word to describe their condition.

Minho was hit by emotion. Bad words he had heard was still ringing in his ears and don’t want to go. The anger was still evident in his eyes, also distributed through his hands which tightly holding Sulli's hands. Sulli bit her lip, bear the pain caused by the tight grip of her brother. Fortunately, they've almost got home, because Sulli started to feel cramps in her palm.

"Oppa, my hand-"

Before her sentence finished, Minho let go of her hand and walked immediately in front of her. Sulli pouted and choose to follow Minho from behind. She sighed and stared at the back of Minho who was getting away.

"Mianhae." she whispered.

-

 

Sulli should have been fast asleep at this hour, but she couldn’t close her eyes for longer than one minute. Every time she closed her eyes, Minho's angry face always appear and forced her to open her eyes again. Since they back from the festival, Minho really didn’t open his mouth at all. He washed his hand and brush his teeth, then deliver a chocolate milk for Sulli and went into his room just like that.

He left Sulli with a big question mark.

Tok ... Tok .. Tok ...

"Minho, quickly open the door!"

Sulli glared when the voice came. She immediately got up and peeked out of her window. A woman with a tight black dress standing in front of the door, knocked on the door loudly. A very thick makeup in her face didn’t have much effect on Sulli, she can easily recognize who she was.

"Hara?" she asked herself, "Oppa, Hara come!" she said as she ran out of the room.

She met Minho in front of his room. Apparently, he was also awakened by the sound of knocking on the door by Hara. Sulli remember Minho's angry face and his coldness before, she immediately kept her distance from Minho.

They both towards the entrance and opened the door for Hara. Without permission, Hara stepped into the house and threw herself on the couch. The smell of alcohol was immediately filled the room instantly, get into anyone who breathe it.

"Are you get drunk?" Minho asked, closing his nose.

Hara shook her head, "No, I just drank a beer ... and a bit of soju," she replied and laughed under the influence of alcohol.

"You're drunk!" Minho convince himself.

He was convinced that Hara drunk. Her red blushed face and the dress that Hara wear now is the evidence, Minho bet that his sister had just come home from a night club.

"My head feels heavy," she complained, "I can’t drive, so I decided to stay here tonight, it's okay, right?"

"Can I resist you?" Minho hands on his hips.

Hara chuckled, "Why are you so cruel to me? I'm your sister, whether a sister should not stay at her brother's house?"

Sulli saw them with a straight face. She then went to the kitchen to get a drink for Hara, but when she returned, she didn’t get good treatment from Hara.

"You get me a drink?" Hara asked. Sulli nodded. "Minho, you seem to successfully train this idiot, right." she continued.

"Hara!" Minho shouted.

"Why? Are you angry?" Hara stand up from the couch and put her face in Minho, "You're still the same as before, even though I was innocent. She is idiot, right, so you don’t have to be so mad at me,"

"Hara, shut up!" Minho made a fist, "You're not supposed to talk like that to your sister!"

Hara laughed out loud, "Wait a minute, she is your sister, but not my sister! This idiot is not my sister!"

Minho was about to punch his fist at Hara after the words were out of , but he was able to hold his hand while just five centimeters from Hara's cheek. He was angry, he was furious, but somehow he couldn’t hit Hara.

"What? you wanna hit me?" Hara's eyes widen, "Where are you going to hit me? Here? Or here?" she pointed to her right cheek and left cheek.

Hara look at Minho's eyes. That eyes looked at her with hatred, anger, and revenge. It makes her almost in tears. That gaze... she never could understand why her brother could stare at her with that horrible gaze.

"Why don’t you hit me? You hit all the people who say that Sulli is crazy, you hit them all, you swore and promised to kill them if they continue to say it, but why don’t you hit me? Are you still think of me as your sister? Really? "

"Sulli, go to your room!" Minho commanded.

"But-"

"Now!" Minho emphasize his words.

Sulli couldn’t do anything about it. She walked with her face down to her room sluggish. Although after arriving on the second floor, she take a glimpse to the place where Hara stood opposite Minho who being fiery. Not long after, Sulli go into her room and overheard the two from her room.

Minho and Hara, they still insist to each other's opinions. They stared at each other, showing a dislike through their eyes. Slowly, Minho finally stretched his fist. He first turned his face from Hara.

"In any case I can’t do it, although I wanted to hit you but you're my sister and will forever be so." Minho said that makes Hara getting angry.

"You know that, right? I'm your sister, I'm your real sister! But you treat me like a stranger and treat the stranger like your sister." Hara voice weakened, although it didn’t reduce her anger.

"We've been over this, Sulli is family, she's not a stranger." Minho put his hand on her shoulder, trying to drown her anger.

However, Hara shoved his hand.

"How can you think of people who are destroying our family as a family?" she asked with a trembling voice.

"Nothing is destroying our family. As you know, father and mother have often quarreled before she came to our house," he lowered his voice.

Minho knew that Hara will always be weakened whenever talk about their families. Basically, Hara was a gentle person. She is a good person and a loving her family. However, since their parents split up, she and Mrs. Choi didn’t have a good life. She also didn’t get enough affection from her father. It made her hurt and kept blaming Sulli for that.

"If she didn’t come, Mom and I didn’t need to go out of the house. You and me didn’t need to be separated, mom and dad, me and Dad, you and mom, we would stay together if she didn’t come." Hara's eyes turn sad and Minho could see it.

"Hara, never mind! It's over, even if we talk about, everything will not be repeated,"

"Yeah, you're right. Dad and mom will not be able to live again and be with us." Hara quips.

"Hara .."

"Never mind. Whatever I say will not change your mind, you will remain protect her and will continue to get rid of me," she took her purse and was about to leave.

"You knew she is different, and therefore Sulli need protection-"

"She is crazy, if she needed protection you're supposed to send her to rehab, Minho!"

"She's not crazy!" Minho shouted, "She's just different, Hara, she doesn’t like you," Minho said.

Hara took a deep breath. She closed her eyes to drown her anger, and pain, which attacked her every time she had a fight with Minho because of the same problem. "Do you think if I don’t need protection? Are only Sulli who need protection? She can’t survive without you, then what about me? Will I? you do not even know how my life after Mom died, you never know! You really still think of me as your sister but you do not ever think I am here, Minho, that's you are."

"Listen to me-"

"I'm sleepy," Hara change the subject, "I'm going to sleep in your room, you can sleep in that idiot's room or if you want, you can sleep on the couch." she went straight up the stairs to the second floor without looking at Minho at all.

After Hara leaving, Minho sitting on the couch. He covered his face with both his hands. Hara, she never misses her chance to fight with Minho and the only thing that has always been the reason they fight is Sulli. Do not know why, Hara hates Sulli. No, actually Minho know why, but he couldn’t understand the reason for it. And don’t want to try to understand it.

Hara is not the only person who sad since they separated on Christmas Eve, he is also sad. But Minho can see the problem with an open mind, don’t like Hara who continue to see if all of that was Sulli's mistake.

Minho made ​​a fist and punched the table in front of him. In his eyes, there was a very deep remorse for having behaved badly at Hara. Also feeling guilty for abandoning her sister alone. He should understand the conditions of Hara. He should also be concerned with her like he concerned at Sulli. Minho is like that, his emotions always works faster than his mind. And consequently, it is not uncommon that he regrets something he should not have done.

And Hara... She seems to have suffered after the death of Mrs. Choi. She now lives in an apartment and she was pioneering career to become a model. Being a fashion model is not easy, but she did well even though not a single person standing next to her to helped her to survive when she would fall.

-

 

Sulli was lying in bed when Minho came into her room with a pillow and blanket. She looked into the ceiling, pretending not to recognize the presence of Minho in her room. Minho approached Sulli, then he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you awake?" Minho asked.

Sulli take a glance towards Minho, but didn’t say anything.

"Do you mad at me?" Minho asked again.

Instead of answering, Sulli turned around so her back to Minho.

Minho sighed, "You must be really mad at me," and he lay down beside Sulli, "Tonight I will sleep here because Hara sleep in my room, can you defer your anger until tomorrow morning?"

Sulli stole a glance towards Minho. Her brother looked at the ceiling with dazed eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you in front of Hara." Minho said.

She finally felt sorry. Minho's sigh after saying sorry showed how sorry he was for his actions. Sulli finally turned towards Minho. Her head resting on her arm as a pillow.

"Didn’t you mad at me?" she asked back.

Minho turned towards her, "Me? Are you kidding me, how could I be angry with you?" he said.

"But since we returned from the festival, you didn’t talk to me. You're also acting strange, made ​​me uncomfortable,"

"Oh, it's ..." Minho didn’t finish the sentence.

Sulli held out one of her arm to hug her brother. She put herself into Minho's body, and buried her face in his chest. "It's okay, I still love you. You’re the best brother that I ever had." she replied.

Minho smiled relieved to hear that speech from her sister and hug her back. He then said, "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself. I can’t take care of you, it pisses me off, I'm sorry."

"I also want to apologize for keep becoming a trouble to you, Oppa," Sulli said, she strengthen her arms. "I knew I am different, that's why you continue to take care of me and sacrifice yourself for me. I'm sorry."

Minho her hair and kissed the top of her head after that. "You didn’t need to apologize, it's not your fault. And another thing, I love you. I love you so much."

No more voice was heard from the two of them after that. Only the sound of the breeze and the sound of crickets from the yard of the house that fills the space between them. However, in silence, as if they can keep in touch. Minho gently patted her shoulder so Sulli could quickly sleep. And Sulli still didn’t removing her arms, she really enjoys every second she spent beside Minho like this.

"Oppa, do you have a dream?" Sulli asked suddenly.

"A dream? Hm .. I have, everyone has their dreams. what's wrong?"

"Yesterday, Taeyeon Eonni asked me about my dream. She also said the same thing like you, everyone has their dreams. Such Taeyeon Eonni, she had dreamed that she would become a nurse since she was little," Sulli explained with her eyes closed.

"Then what do you say? What is your dream?"

"I told her I couldn’t have dreamed when I was didn’t sleep. I told her that I was going to sleep first, once I dream I will tell her my dream." Sulli said.

Minho chuckled. He had thought that his sister would answer the question with a ridiculous answer like that.

"Oppa, you said you have a dream, what is it?"

"My dream? ..." Minho closed his eyes, "I want to be a doctor who could cure all manner of diseases." he said.

"Like Doctor Leeteuk?" Sulli asked. Minho nodded. "Well, your dream is very great .. If your dream is to become a doctor, can I become a nurse?" she asked.

Minho opened his eyes, then frowned, "Why? Do you want to be like Taeyeon Eonni?"

"No. Because Taeyeon Eonni always there beside Doctors Leeteuk, so I always want to be near you."

Minho touched by what Sulli said. The words sound so simple but sincere and reassuring. Those words brought peace that unbeatable by anything. It makes Minho increasingly tightened his arms. In his heart, he is justifies those words because he is also the same as Sulli, he always wanted to be near Sulli.

"So what if I don’t want to be a doctor?"

"So I don't wanna be a nurse."

"You shouldn’t be like that. A dream is your own free will, not because of me. A dream is something you really want, not because of anyone."

"Then, I want to be a stars." she said and smiled.

"Stars?"

Sulli nodded. "Daddy once told me that a star is the brightest thing in the world. Neither day or night, there is always a stars in the sky. And because there are stars in the sky, it means there is anyone who will be able to reach me, so no one will be hurt me."

She was right. But something disturbing Minho after hearing those words.

"That means I can’t reach you?" he asked in a sad tone.

Silence surrounds them both after that. Minho taking the time to look at Sulli who was already asleep in his arms without a chance to answer that question. A bit, Minho seized with fear. His feelings growing uneasy after learning Sulli's dream, although at first he was happy to talk about it.

"Then you must not be a star." he whispered softly.

-

 

Hara down from the second floor with a tangled face. By wearing red pajamas, she looks like a goddess in the morning even without makeup. Hara has a face that was almost perfect, added with the ideal body shape, she is a dream girl of every man. Hara sat next to Minho at the dinner table. She laid her head on the table with her arms as the base.

"You want to make some sandwich?" asked Minho who was then already spent half his breakfast menu.

Hara shook her head, "I don’t want to eat, I am on a diet."

"Diet? Your body is very slim, even slimmer than chopsticks. You can get sick if you don’t have breakfast." Minho gave suggestions. He was always cares, but to this day onwards, he will try to pay more attention to Hara, his sister.

Hara lifted her head, then put her hands on Minho's forehead. "Looks like you who are sick. Since when did you become so attentive to me?" she chuckled, then got up from her seat and walked towards the kitchen.

"Aish! If not me, who else would care about you?" he snorted.

Hara reappeared from the kitchen carrying a carton of milk and an empty glass. This time, she sat in front of Minho then pour the milk into his glass first before her glass. "By the way, where is she?" Hara said.

"Sulli?"

Hara nodded.

"She had breakfast and now she's in the room."

"Oh ..."

After that, Minho spends his breakfast menu while Hara gulped down her glass of milk. Hara then into the living room, and the television when Minho washing dishes after eating. The atmosphere in the morning was pretty quiet as if the fights never happen overnight. Yes, they're both really like that. Fight and then treat each other like never had happened before but the they keep repeating the incident.

Minho opened the fridge and then pull out a packet of dog food. He then poured it into a plastic bowl. "Appa ... Appa ..." he called as he knocked the bowl with a spoon.

Hara who heard Minho screams from the living room asked, "Appa? Who do you mean?"

Minho then sat next to Hara, "I and Sulli bought a dog yesterday, and we agreed to give him the name 'Appa'. She misses him, she said she want to say that name again so she wanted that name for our dog." he explains.

Hara smirked, "So, to this day she doesn’t know if in fact Daddy is dead?"

"Guuk! Guuk!"

A puppy ran to Minho. He barked, asking Minho to immediately give the breakfast because he was hungry. A dog can also be hungry, too, right?

"Appa, eat a lot, so you can grow up quickly!" Minho said as he rubbed the head of his dog, Appa.

"When are you going to tell her that dad-"

"I probably will not tell her. Sulli will be very sad if she knew dad was dead and .. I can’t imagine what happened to her," Minho's face turned serious, "Please don’t tell her!" he said to Hara.

"Is that a threat?" Hara joked.

It doesn’t make Minho more relaxed. He look at the eyes of Hara sharply and then, with his right hand, he holds her hand.

"Don’t worry, I will not tell if that's what you want." she added then get rid his hand of hers.

Minho sighed. His eyes changed again as usual.

Hara glanced at Minho from toe to head. These brown-haired man looks very handsome with a shirt. He also wore his hair with the help of hair gel. And his perfume can also be easily smell. Her brother wouldn’t dress like that if he would just sit at home.

"Where are you going?" Hara asked suspiciously.

"Me? .. Eo, I want to go to the office. Kyuhyun Hyung wants to see me." Minho replied.

Hara's facial expression changed. "And you left me in the house with Sulli? Are you crazy? In your dream, Minho." Hara move from the chair, grumbled.

Minho caught up in the back and held her when she was going up the stairs. He would definitely go again. "Please, just for a moment." Minho begged.

"Just for a moment? There is no word 'just for a moment' when I spend time with that idiot! Don’t you remember what she did to me last time? She almost burned my hair! Burn my hair, do you remember?"

"Hara, please. Taeyeon Noona can’t come today, only you're my only hope now," he whined. “I'll pay you, how is it?"

"Paying me?" Hara raised her eyebrow.

-

 

Minho looked around the room. He still remembers the last time he came, the room was still brown-painted as milk, give the impression of a warm and relaxed. But now, the blue color that dominates the room. Minho taking a cup of coffee that are served by Kyuhyun's secretary  and sip slowly.

"I've explained to them that you were not the person who wants to be popular, but they still would not understand. Even they are willing to pay whatever it is if you could be on the cover of their magazine." Kyuhyun explained.

Minho put the cup back in its place, "No matter how much they pay me, I don’t care." he said.

"I knew you would refuse, but can you think about it one more time?" Kyuhyun asked.

"No need, Hyung, the answer will remain the same. I don’t want to." he refused for the umpteenth time.

Already an hour, he and Kyuhyun discuss this issue, but they both haven’t found a way out. Actually for Minho, the way out was already evident, he just needs to wait for Kyuhyun give the door locks. But Kyuhyun could not give the keys easily on Minho. He did not mean any harm, it's just that he was in this unfortunate situation.

A few days ago, a journalist from famous magazine in Korea come to his office. Kyuhyun working with the magazine to promote newcomer girl group in his agency. At first, all went well until the arrival of the reporter. He wants a special interview with Minho. Minho success in making a song is heard among the producers, but no one can actually know who he is, that's why he wanted this interview.

And that's the problem.

"They refused to work with me if they can’t interview you." Kyuhyun said, taking off his glasses.

Minho sighed. After Kyuhyun removed his glasses from his face, he could see how tired that man who he has been known for several years. His face that full of cheerful and his word that always inviting laughter seemed to disappear over time. Wrinkles on his face as representing a variety of issues that must be faced as a company director. Kyuhyun rubbed his face and then put on his glasses and smiled back at Minho.

"Hyung, I'm sorry ..." with regret face, Minho said that, "It didn't mean if I don’t want to help, but ... when everyone knows me, they will begin to find out about me and that means Sulli is in danger."

"I know," Kyuhyun nodded, "I can not make you do this. You must protect Sulli, and to be honest, if I were in your position, I would have done the same thing." Kyuhyun said wisely.

"Once again, I'm sorry, Hyung, I've made ​​a lot of trouble for you."

"It's okay, you also helped me in a lot of case. This is as a sign of gratitude that I can't pay for you," Kyuhyun smiled, "Besides, I can work with other magazines, you just relax."

This is not the first time Minho turned down interviews with high pay. The songs that he created almost entirely sold in the market and bring in more profits and fame. It is also likely to bother him. Like he said at Kyuhyun before, when people know him, sooner or later, they will also learn about Sulli.

Sulli is not a disgrace that should be hidden. Minho just wants to protect her. Sulli hate the crowds. She would be easy to panic and restlessness. Minho just wants to protect her. Because if people know about Sulli, various possibilities can happen, including losing Sulli. It's the thing that Minho most don’t want to happens.

-

 

She was lying on the bed nearly four hours since Minho left her at home. She rolled to the left and to the right as she didn’t know what to do any more. She was bored, bored until it feels like she almost dead. She looked into the ceiling of the room and immediately her stomach rings.

"I'm hungry." she complained.

Hara squirm before she got up and walked towards the door lazily. She peered around the door before exiting the room, make sure that Sulli were not hanging around at home. The state of the house was very quiet. Feels like Hara is the only person who lived in that house, but it's okay, for Hara, it was much better.

Nothing can be eaten in the kitchen. Hara had checked around the corner in the kitchen and could not find a food that can make her stomach stop ringing. She took a breath full of disappointments and move on to the living room to watch television.

There is no difference between Minho's room and living room, it was equally uninspiring. Not much to do after she landed her body on the sofa and then, pressing the television remote. She rolled her eyes and watched the house. Hara turn off the television and then asked herself, "Sulli.. where is she?" then throw the remote at the other side of the couch she was sitting on.

Hara slowly climbed the stairs after stairs as she put her ears that captures the unusual silence in the house. At least every two stairs she climbed, she turned to the left, to the right, and the back, to make sure that no one who followed her.

Sulli's room door is open, but not quite big enough to make Hara can see that Sulli were sitting face to face with a stuffed rabbit on the floor. The girl was playing with her dolls. In front of her, two plastic cups and plastic plates also presented, perhaps she was entertaining her doll for lunch. Hara gripped the door handle when suddenly doubts arose in her mind. She gulped, don’t know why Sulli looks so scary at the time.

".. Ssul?"

Sulli suddenly turned and looked at Hara with a creepy stare. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Me? No. I just-"

"Get out of my room!" Sulli screamed before Hara get to finish her words. "Get out!" she added.

Hearing Sulli shouting on her, Hara emotions provoked. Instead of stepping out, Hara opens the door wide open and bravely went inside. "You shout on me, huh?"

"Get out!" Sulli shouted again. She grabbed the cup and the plate in front of her and threw it to Hara.

Hara looked away as she closed her eyes and used her hand to block the stuff to her face. A few seconds later, she didn’t feel anything, but she clearly heard the sound of the clash of of objects falling on the floor. How shocked she was when her eyes opened a cup floated above her head quickly and hit the the wall behind her.

"Get out!"

Her eyes widen. She quite surprised with what Sulli did although this isn’t the first time she experienced the same thing. Hara stepped back slowly and closed the door with a trembling hand. She sighed as she leaned against the door.

-