Chapter 31
"Yah! Back so fast?" Baekhyun greeted Sulli when he met her and Kai in the hallway going to their class. "You should have taken more time to rest."
"I don't need to." She answered. "I'm already feeling as good as new."
"Well, you do look better now. Kaja!" He commented and draped his arm to Sulli's shoulders, leading her to their room while Kai walked lazily behind them.
When they arrived at their classroom, Sulli was welcomed with a hug by Krystal. "Yah! Are you really okay now? I told you not to worry about your book report and just take more rest. You know I'll Taser my cousin's ass if he doesn't work on it." She uttered and snarled at Sehun, while the latter just snorted at her.
"Yes. I'm really okay now." Sulli replied, assuring Krystal and unknowingly relieving her cousin as well from worrying. "I've been resting all day yesterday. Besides, I missed you guys already."
"Aww. I missed you too!" Her friend crooned while Luhan chuckled on his seat. "Silly." He commented. "Didn't you guys just saw each other yesterday?"
The girls playfully stuck their tongues on him and giggled, until the bell finally rung, signaling the start of class. And they both obediently went to their seats still smiling.
When Sulli have settled on her seat, she heard Sehun murmured. "Why do you have to come back so quickly? My peaceful time has been cut too short."
"Bo-bwo?!" Sulli reacted, incredulous.
"Oh. You heard it?"
"I got sick, not become deaf."
Sehun shrugged his shoulder in response and gave her an indifferent look. "But will you be able to do the book report after class? Or... should we just skip this one?"
"What are you talking about? I'm as healthy as a horse." Sulli whispered fiercely. "We will do the report later."
"Damn~"
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Even though Sulli said that she already feel well, there were still two pairs of eyes that were constantly following her every movement. Both will also furrow their brows whenever she cough a bit or cleared her throat.
"By the end of this day, you two will be exhausted worrying about Sulli." Baekhyun blurted out to his friends as he chow down his food. The two boys' gazes were fixed to Sulli, who was sitting with Krystal a couple of tables away from them. Although the two girls were talking happily, the boys were watching them were wearing a worried look on their faces.
"For heaven's sake! She already said she's fine. You two are acting worse than my mom! UUGH. Chincha!" He sighed in frustration, in which Kai responded by clearing his throat and looking away, trying to play it cool.
On the other hand, Luhan didn't even bother to hide his irritation of being caught by Baekhyun. "You're spitting everywhere. Will you stop talking when you're eating?!"He retaliates. "So disgusting."
"Ne. Mianhe eomma!" Baekhyun replied sarcastically.
"You wanna die?"
"Weird-that's what my mom always tells me as well."
"YAH!"
The two's bantering only stopped when Sulli walked over to their table to talk to Kai. "I won't be able to come home together today."
"Bwo? Wae?" He asked.
"I'm going to do my report with Sehun later. I'll just ask my driver to pick me up when I'm done."
"Ani." Kai answered shortly, contradicting her plan. "We're still going home together."
"Oh. Okay. Are you going to meet with Woo Ri?"
Kai shook his head. "No. I'm coming with you."
Baekhyun almost spit his drink to Luhan, who was sitting in front of him, when he heard his friend's reply. "You totally lost it, man." He commented.
His dark friend gave him the glare.
"What do you mean you're coming with me?"
"Let me translate it for you." Baekhyun offered. "He said he's coming with you and Sehun and probably scowl at him all the time while you guys try to do your... report." He said with matching hand gestures.
"And why?"
Kai's gaze sliced through her. "Because I don't want you being alone with him anymore."
"And why?" She repeated.
Her fiancé rolled his eyes. "Because there's always something bad happening to you whenever you're with him."
"That's absurd. I told you I got sick because I was caught in the rain." She frustratingly reminded him. "He was actually nice enough to buy me a change of clothes."
"BWO?" Luhan butted in. "You're with Sehun when you got sick?!"
Sulli can only stare blankly at the boy with pink hair who was threatening to join the ridiculous Overly Protective Friends Club with Kai. "Okay. I'm done with this." She announced. "I can't deal with you guys anymore." And walked away.
"UH-oh." Baekhyun uncomfortably shifted in his seat. "You guys pissed her off." He blurted out as the two slumped on their seats. "But seriously, why was she with Sehun last Sunday?"
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Sulli did really get mad and it was evidenced by her not talking with Kai or Luhan for the rest of the day. Even after the class has ended, she just nonchalantly gathered her things together, whispered something to Sehun and walked out of the room.
Her fiancé was about to follow her out when he received a text from Woo Ri, asking for them to meet later.
Sorry, I can't right now. I have something important to do. He texted back in which Woo Ri replied shortly, Oh. Okay. He read before he quickly pocketed his phone back and rushed to follow Sulli.
He found her by her locker and was just finishing putting her books back in. When she closes her locker door, she finally realized that Kai was just standing beside her.
"What do you need?" Sulli asked coldly.
Her fiancé leaned on the locker and crossed his arms over his chest. "I told you, I will come with you and Sehun didn't I?"
"You're still at it?" The girl shut her eyes in frustration, trying to stop herself from kicking Kai's shin. When did he become so over protective of her?
"Drop it off, Kai. You're not coming with me."
"Of course I am. I can't leave you with Sehun."
"GOD!" Sulli finally burst after reaching the limit of her patience. "Why are you so annoying? Seriously, Kim Jong In. You. Are. Not. Coming. With. Me. AND THAT'S FINAL!" She yelled at Kai, startling him. And he knew at that point that he was screwed. That was the first time that he saw Sulli exploded. And he has a feeling that it was the first time that her patience cylinder ever burst.
"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa!" Luhan suddenly popped up behind her. "What's going on here?"
The girl rolled her eyes at the sound of Luhan's voice. "Oh great~ Here's another one."
"Hey, don't hate on me quickly." He protested still wearing his charming smile. "I'm actually here to support you."
"Bwo?" The two chorused.
"I mean you can go and do your report with Sehun now." Luhan explained. "I'll deal with Kai."
"Really?" Kai and Sulli blurted at the same time again but in a different tone. She uttered the question all perked up and excited while Kai sounded like his friend just said something dumb.
"Dangyunhaji!" Luhan uttered confidently. "Go!"
"Oh. Okay." She then looked at Kai's unreadable expression and bid her goodbye. Better leave now when he was still blank before he can stop her. "I'll call you when we're done, okay?" She told him and scampered away from the two.
The moment that Sulli vanished in their sight, Luhan's charming smile vanishes as well and his sharp gaze sliced to his friend, Kai.
"I should be the one looking like that." Kai uttered in a cold voice as he returned the scowl on Luhan's face.
But Luhan didn't lose his frown and the tension begun to boil between the two. "I hope you're not forgetting your promise to me, Kai... or do I have to remind you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I saw Woo Ri watching you and Sulli a while ago." He explained. "And she looks like she's jealous." He then averted his gaze for a moment as he signed before he looked back to him again. "I gave way to you because you said you'll take care of her. You said you'll never make her cry and I trusted you. But all you did was made her cry."
"You know how much I love her before, right? But I backed off because she loves you and I thought that you'll always protect her, that you'll make her happy... but what are you doing now? You're making her feel miserable. You are hurting her and worse, you're making Sulli involve, which is unfair to her. And I hate it. I hate that people is starting to think that she's that kind of girl... and that you're that kind of guy."
"And you do know that I'm only doing this because I felt responsible for Sulli, right? That I needed to protect her too? How could I just let her go alone with the person who strangled her the first time they met?" Kai replied. "I may hate this engagement but Sulli has been so nice to me and that she already became an important person to me, like you guys. And I will continue to protect her and worry about her all the time especially when she's with a person that I do not trust."
"And you realized that Sehun changed because of her, right? And like all of us, he's also trying to protect her but it looks like you won't just admit it? ... Why?"
"Because I can never trust him."
"It's because you know that Sehun's starting to like Sulli." Luhan corrected. "Are you jealous? Are you beginning to have feelings for her, too?"
"No." Kai answered briefly. "You know that I love Woo Ri so much."
"Then let go of her. Let go of Ssul... or I'll do what I vowed to do before. I'll take Woo Ri back."
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Sulli's built in warning alarm went off at the sight of what looks like a pub where Sehun was casually walking into. She stopped abruptly at the entrance, her mind filled with the sound of sirens and wildly flickering red lights, alerting her of the possible danger lurking behind those glass doors.
The boy stopped when he felt Sulli wasn't following him anymore and glanced back at her.
"You want us to do our report here?" She asked eyeing the establishment, in which Sehun just nonchalantly replied. "Yes, why?"
"Sehun, this is a bar." She reminded him. "How are we supposed to do our book report here?!"
A while ago, Sehun demanded that they do their report somewhere else rather that the library because he can't stand the other students staring and whispering about them while he reads, and the constant sound of their hush talking gets on his nerve. It pisses him of every time and he can't really concentrate on what he's doing. And Sulli who was aware of his annoyance agreed to do their report somewhere else, knowing that Sehun only meant to do it in a coffee shop or somewhere where they can really focus. She never thought that he would bring her in a freaking bar!
"So what?" Sehun replied staring at her like she just asked the most dumb question ever. "It's a quiet place. And I'm more comfortable here."
She might not know what a bar really likes and how it normally works around there but she was positive that it is not a quiet place. It is her turn to look at him with furrowed brows. "No. It is not a quiet place and I'm sure that it's dark there as well. Besides, are we even allowed there?"
"Don't worry about that. You're with Oh Sehun." He uttered in a raspy voice and grinned at her evilly. He then continued to walk into the bar, leaving her dumbfounded. She deliberated for a moment if she was willing to risk her safety for the sake of grades-Duh! Of course she will. And she followed him inside.
Sehun strode inside like he owns the place and the bouncers didn't even try to stop him even though the bar doesn't look like they were open yet. But when Sulli tried to pass them, they blocked her path and eyed her suspiciously.
"She's with me." Sehun's voice was heard behind the guards first before he appeared himself as the bouncers give way to him. Sehun tipped his head to the side, beckoning her to follow him, which she did.
They were met with the waiter and ushered into one of the VIP rooms of the bar, which Sulli gingerly enter. She carefully placed her bag on the couch and sat down while Sehun plopped down on the floor beside her, so he will be comfortably leveled with the low table.
Sehun handed her the book. "You can have this." He told her without looking at her. "I'm already done with it."
"You're done reading it?"
"Yeah." Sehun answered flatly.
"But you just had it yesterday, right?"
"So?"
Whoa. Did he actually finish reading it over night? That is considered as an achievement for a teenage boy, right? She stared at him with fascination before she finally uttered, "N-nothing. Just give me half an hour. I'll just look for a summary on-line."
"Okay." He then pulled out his iPad and headphones, and proceeded to watch an anime while Sulli read in silence.
After a while, Sehun stood up from the floor and faced her. "I'm hungry. Do you want anything?"
"May be just an apple juice, please." And with that, Sehun left the room. When he came back, he was with a waiter who was holding a tray of food and placed it on the table. Sehun then returned on his spot on the floor and sipped from his can of coke.
Sulli was worried that her partner was starting to get bored as she watch him pick up his iPad once again. "Mianhe," she blurted. "Are you getting bored? I'll be done reading the summary soon."
"Don't talk to me and eat this." He pushed a plate of fruits towards her. "Just take your time." He added before he put his headphone back and continued watching his anime.
Sulli just finishes reading the "brief" (you liar) summary of their assigned novel when someone knocked on the door, before it was opened, revealing the waiter who ushered them earlier. Sehun removed his headphones to listen to what he was about to say.
"He's here." The waiter said shortly in which Sehun just nodded casually. He then stood up from the floor and turned to face Sulli. "Let's take a break." He announced.
"What? No. I'm good." She replied. "I'm done reading the summary so-"
But Sehun pulled her by the wrist from her seat and lead her out of the VIP room.
When they finally walked out of the room and went on the bar itself, Sulli was surprised by the number of people who were now occupying it and was engaged in each other's conversation. But when they walked across the room, all the eyes of the guests seems to focus on them, since they were the only ones who are underage and even wearing their school uniforms. Being quite embarrassed, Sulli tugged on Sehun's sleeve, who was walking ahead of her and was not even bothered by all the people eyeing them.
Sehun looked down to his arm to see the hand which was pinching his sleeve and when he looked up, he saw Sulli with a flustered expression on her face. Her brows were pulled together and she looks so vulnerable, like a lost child. He then twisted his wrist to get her hand off his sleeve, so he can hold it properly. He held her hand and squeezed it gently to comfort her as he carefully led her to the front of the crowd, facing a low-built platform. And just in time for their arrival, a white guy went up the stage and grabbed a guitar that was leaning on the stool.
Sehun took a peek of her and witnessed Sulli widened her eyes, realizing who was the guy sitting on the stage, just right in front of her. A smile secretly crept up on his lips at her expression, his hand still tightly holding hers. Sulli then squealed when her favorite singer, The Passenger, finally introduces himself. But the cute sound that she made was drowned by the loud claps of the people around as they welcomed the famous foreigner, although
it didn't escape Sehun's ears.
"How's everyone tonight?" Michael David Rosenberg, better known by his stage name, The Passenger greeted. "This is actually my victory performance as my concert last Sunday became very successful, thanks to you guys and especially to the main producer of the concert and the owner of this awesome bar, Kris. You're the man!" He then saluted to where Kris was standing behind the crowd. "And now, I shall begin this mini concert with my most popular song that everybody seems to love, Let Her Go."
Sehun was startled when Michael begun to strum solemnly on his guitar, not because he was surprised by its beautiful melody but because Sulli gently squeezed his hand. When he looked at her, he was greeted by her heavenly smile as she mouthed the word 'gomawo'.
Unable to say anything since he was so taken aback by her beautiful smile, Sehun was only able to shrug his shoulder, but he made sure to return her warm gesture by tightening his held on her hand for a bit before they focus again on the song.
≽≽≽ ≼≼≼
"I thought you can't meet up today?" Woo Ri started the moment she saw Kai waiting for her in their usual rendezvous place. He actually texted her a while ago asking if they could still meet and that he'll be waiting in the student lounge. Instead of replying to his message, she just directly went to where her boyfriend was waiting.
"Change of plans." Kai said nonchalantly as he patted the seat next to him, beckoning her to take a sit. But Woo Ri remained rooted to her spot, her face impassive.
"What's that important thing that you have to do?"
"Oh... that?" Kai cocked his head to the side. "I'm trying to get Sulli away from Sehun." He said flatly like it wasn't a big deal.
"You know sometimes I hate your honesty. Do you realize that you just said right in my face that you chose her over me?" Woo Ri was really hurt when she realized why Kai can't meet with her when she saw him and his fiancé by the locker earlier. And she was trying to keep her tears in check for a while now.
"Why do you have to think of it that way? I'm just trying to protect her from that ass. Sulli is still my fiancée; she's my responsibility and my friend. Do you think I'll get comfortable with her being alone with Sehun?"
"Kai, why do you have to protect her? Is Sehun trying to hurt her? As far as I know, he is also trying to protect her as well... or... are you just being jealous?"
The boy lifted his gaze to meet hers. "Are we going on about this again? We just got back together."
"That's exactly my point." Woo Ri returned his gaze fiercely. "We just got back together and you're making me feel like crap again." And with that, her tears finally flow down her face.
Kai softened at his girlfriend's pain and stood up from his chair to walk over to her. He then wrapped his arms around her and caresses her hair. "I'm sorry." He breathed on her crown. "I'm sorry for making you cry like this again. You know how much I hate Sehun and that I don't trust him, right? So I hate it when the people that's close to me is alone with him, since I wouldn't know what he will do to them. Besides, Sehun strangled her before, remember? So I feel anxious whenever she's with him... I'm sorry but I just have to protect Sulli. Despite being only tied by business, she's already helped us a lot and she became my friend. She's as important to me as Luhan and Baekhyun are, so I just can't let anyone hurt her."
Woo Ri laced her arms around his torso and continued to sobbed on his chest. "But by trying to protect her, you're unconsciously hurting me..."
"I know. I'm sorry. I only realize it now." He responded, still holding her. "I'll do better next time. I promise to treat you better from now on. I'm sorry." And with that Woo Ri's hugged tightened around her Kai, silently accepting his apology and pushing the thought of him slowly slipping from her fingers.
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Sehun never thought that by seeing Sulli happy would make him satisfied. He was watching her all throughout the concert and couldn't stop staring at her when Sulli closes her eyes and begun swaying to the slow beat of the song. She's so beautiful. He was starting to think that everything about this girl is perfect, especially when she started singing along with the song, the way her lips move. And she even has a beautiful voice. He suddenly can't hear anything but just her singing.
"Are you guys enjoying the show?" An arm suddenly slid on his shoulder, pulling him back to reality, where he can finally hear the crowd humming around him again. He watched Sulli fluttered her eyes open and tilt her head to look at the guy beside him.
"Annyeong!" The guy raised his hand and greeted Sulli. "I'm Kris, are you Sehun's girlfriend?"
The girl was taken aback by his question but still manage to laugh it off. "Aniyo." She replied, still smiling. "I'm just his classmate."
"Ah, chincha? What a shame, I thought my cousin finally got himself a girl, and an angelic looking girl, if I may add. Anyways, do you perhaps know my sister? Krystal?"
Sulli's eyes widened as she realizes the faint resemblance between her Krystal and this Kris beside Sehun.
"She's actually Krystal's best friend." It was Sehun who answered it for her.
"Oh? So you're the Sulli that my sister never stopped talking about. Seriously, I feel that I already know you even before I met you because of her. Thank you for your patience with my sister and for enduring her. I know she can be a real bratty kid sometimes."
But Sehun interrupted them, "What do you mean sometimes?"
"Okay. Okay. She's really bratty all the time."
"And it's your fault." Sehun added which earned him a smack on the head.
"Say that again and you're out of this bar kid. Remember that you're only allowed here because I'm the owner. And hey, it's not my fault that she got that nasty attitude in my mom's side-ehem-your side of the family, brat."
Sehun rolled his eyes while Sulli watched them, amused. "Apparently, this bar is hangout place for a lot of underage students. I'm quite surprise that you guys haven't got any complaints yet."
"What do you mean a lot? Only you and your friends, Luhan and Chanyeol are the minors who were allowed in here... and besides, you boys don't even look like a minor anymore-Well, except, maybe, Luhan. That boy could go back in elementary and he would just fit in perfectly."
Sulli's eyes widened at the mention of Luhan's name. "Really? Luhan goes here too?" She never thought that Luhan go to a bar. Is he drinking as well?
"Yeah. That boy hangs out with me a lot and visited here sometimes. He adores me so much-But don't get the wrong idea, these boys are only allowed to hang out here but not drink anything except sodas or juice. They're all clean." He assured her. "Anyway, I'll leave you guys alone now and check on the other guests, enjoy the rest of the show. And Sulli... it was nice meeting you!-Yeah, and oh... I'm just curious. Is it, perhaps, Passenger is your favorite singer?"
"Omo!" Sulli was kind of startled with his correct guess besides the fact that the question was also so sudden. "How did you know? Did Krystal tell you?"
Kris chuckled and stole a knowing glance at his cousin and smile evilly. "Ani. I don't think she knows, but I will tell her." He then gave them a playful salute, "Keureum," before he left.