Minji awoke to the sound of her phone vibrating from the other room.  She tried to ignore it, but it kept going off.  Fine,  she thought, slipping out from under Baekhyun’s arm.  She tiptoed to the bedroom and grabbed it.  Five missed calls?  Wow, I’m popular this morning.  She went to the call history.  Minzy?  She never calls me.  She quickly dialed her friend’s number.  The phone only rang once.

“Hello?  Min?!”

“I’m here, Z.  What’s going on?”

“Where are you?  Are you alright?  I’ve been waiting for you at your apartment all night.”

“Waiting for me. . . Z, are you here?” Minji couldn’t keep the excitement from her voice.

“Of course I’m here!  I came back as soon as Junhyung called me.  Where are you?”

“I’m staying at my friend’s place-”

“Give me the address now,” Minzy interrupted.  Minji did, immediately.  “I’ll be there soon.”  The line went dead as her friend hung up the phone. 

Minji snuck back into the living room and to Baekhyun’s side.  She gently shook his shoulder and his eyes eased open.

“Good morning,” he said sleepily.

“Morning,” she replied, looking guilty.  “I’m sorry about this, but apparently my friend is on her way over right now.  I didn’t even know she was back in Korea.”

“Why are you sorry?  You can have friends over, you know.”  He reached for her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him.  His teasing eyes held an element of something else when he continued.  “Although I would rather keep my noona all to myself.”

Minji blushed and quickly stood, ignoring the last part of his statement.  “Thank you,” she bowed.  “I’m going to hurry and shower before she gets here.”

“Go ahead.  I’ll straighten up out here.”

Minji was true to her word.  Her shower lasted maybe five minutes, and ten minutes later she was done.  She’d dressed in a pair of dark stone-washed jeans, a tank top, and a hoodie.  Her hair split into two braids that hung over her shoulders. 

“Do I look alright?” she asked, self-consciously twisting one of her braids.

“You look great.”  Baekhyun said.  “I’ve tidied up a bit, now I’m going to shower too, ok?” 

Minji sat on the couch waiting for her friend.  It had been a little over a year since they’d last seen each other.  I can’t believe she flew here all the way from America. 

There was a knock at the door and Minji surged to her feet.  The instant the door was open a crack, it was open the rest of the way by her friend.  Minzy threw her arms around Minji, squeezing her tight.  Minji squeezed her back. 

“Oh, Min!  I’ve missed you soooo much!”  She leaned back to get a good look at Minji.  “You look great!”

“Not as great as you do!” Minji replied.  Minzy still looked as amazing as ever.  She was about two inches taller than Minji and very slim.  She had cut her long hair to above her shoulders, one side longer than the other.  Her hair was still mostly black, but she’d added streaks of purple and blue to the front.  “I’ve missed you too.”  She pulled her hand and led her to the couch.

Minzy cupped her friend’s face in her hands.  “Did Zico hurt you?  Junhyung couldn’t really give me information since he hadn’t seen you.” 

Minji pulled her friend’s hands away, but kept hold of them in her own.  “He scared me pretty bad, but my friends showed up in time to stop him from. . . well, you know.”

“I’m so glad,” Minzy said, releasing a huge sigh of relief.  “Wait, friends?  Plural?  I thought you were staying with one guy?”

“And his friend.  Tao is asleep and Baekhyun is in the shower.  I’m just glad they got there when they did.  Tao knocked him out.”  Her eyes twinkled with a suppressed secret.  “I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

Minzy eyed her friend with curiosity.  “I can’t wait either.” 

“Hey, Z?” Minji asked.

The twinkle was gone and Minzy felt herself grow worried.  “Yeah, Min?”

“I. . . I saw Minhyuk that night.”

“What?!  What do you mean you saw him?”

Minji lifted her shoulders helplessly.   “When I got to my apartment, he was sitting outside my door.  He hugged me and told me I shouldn’t be there.  Then he was just. . . gone.”

Minzy pulled her friend into another hug.  “Oh, Min.”

“He tried to warn me, somehow.  And Z, last night I dreamed about him.  About the night he. . .”

“Shhh,” Minzy said, patting Minji’s back.  “It’s alright.  Wait,” she said, pulling back to examine her friend’s face.  “You used to be totally messed up after one of those dreams.”  She squinted as though to intensify her studying.  “No puffy eyes or black circles.  How did you get back to sleep?  Wait, what’s that on your neck?”

Minji’s face turned fire engine red and she shrugged.

“Whoa!  Are you blushing?  Blushing?  My Min doesn’t know how to blush!”  She grinned.  “I have got to meet these boys.”

*               *               *

“I saw Minhyuk that night,” Minji said from the living room.  Baekhyun paused with his hand on the bathroom door knob.  He knew eavesdropping was wrong, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t stop listening as the two kept talking.  Who is Minhyuk?  She’d obviously had a bad dream last night.  A bad dream that had obviously shaken her.  What had happened to him?  Questions bounced around in his mind.

“Blushing?  My Min doesn’t know how to blush!  I have got to meet these boys.”

Guess that’s my cue.  He stepped into the living room and both heads swiveled to look at him.  Minji’s friend’s eyes locked on to him as she stepped around the couch.  She scrutinized him from head to toe, arms crossed.  Wow, she’s intense.  He met and held her gaze.

“Are you Baekhyun?” she asked. 

“I am.  Nice to meet you,” he said, extending a hand in greeting.

“Oh heck no,” she said, startling Baekhyun.  “A handshake isn’t enough for the guy who saved my best friend!”  Minzy crushed him in a bear hug. 

“Ooof!”  The air rushed out of his lungs and he awkwardly hugged her back.  “Thanks but Tao really is the one who saved her.”

Minzy released him and shook her head.  “Oh yeah, I’m Minzy, but you can call me Z.”

“Nice to meet you, Z.  Why don’t you two catch up and I’ll make us something to eat?”

“Thank you,” Minzy said and ran back to her friend’s side, pulling her back down to the couch.  When Baekhyun had left the room, she leaned in to whisper in her not quite a whisper voice.  “Min, pleeease tell me he’s where that mark on your neck came from!”

“Who’s got a mark on their neck?” Tao asked from his doorway, covering a yawn.  Noticing they had company. . . hot, female company. . . he leaned against his doorframe.  “Hey, Minji.  Who’s your friend?”

Yay!  Minzy is here!  I can't wait to write the next chapter!