HeeChul stormed around the dorm, throwing various objects around and cursing to himself. Hankyung looked on trying to comfort his friend to no avail. They had just finished another round of promotions for the single “U” and he’d messed up big time. At least that’s what he kept telling himself.

“I should just quit. I can see the messages from the fans now. HeeChul oppa, why are you so stupid. Aish!”

“HeeChul, you know non of our ELF would say that about you. Why are you being like this? It was a mistake, it’s going to happen.”

But HeeChul wouldn’t hear any of it. He continued to beat himself up and nothing HanKyung or their Manager Hyung was saying, was changing his mind. So HanKyung decided to take matters into his own hands once their manager left for the other dorm. He went into his bedroom and he texted you.

’_______-ah, you might want to come to the dorm. HeeChul is really upset and I think only you can calm him down.’

You blinked at your phone and realized who it was from. You and HeeChul hadn’t been going out that long. Super Junior, who had recently dropped the 05 from their name, were still relatively new. Rookies. Just like you and HeeChul’s relationship.

You knew HeeChul was a quirk type. Once he got an idea into his head, come hell or high water that’s the way it was. He was so stubborn sometimes. How were you going to turn this around? Either way you told HanKyung that you would be over after work, and hopefully, HeeChul would be a bit calmer by then.

By the time you got there, he had stopped ranting and raving..sort of. He’d stopped stomping around the dorm, but he was now on his computer, digesting every comment both good and bad on his Mini Hompy where his fans were not only offering encouragement for his mistake, but also critiquing his performance and telling him that he should know better. All the mixed messages were driving him nuts.

“Yah, how can one person say I’m the best performer they’ve ever seen, I just had a bad time of it in this post, and then..” he scrolled down with a purpose, “.. then this person here saying that I’m no good, that I should just quit now and save Super Junior the embarrassment of being in the group at all. How does that work?” he fumed to HanKyung who was sitting at a laptop next to him on the floor.

“I don’t know HeeChul.”

There was a knock on the door and HanKyung jumped up to answer it. His shaggy dirty blonde hair and double black and grey wife beaters were the first things you saw when he opened the door. He smiled and bowed in his still hesitant hangul and invited you in in a mixture of familiar and formal which made you stifle a giggle. HanKyung, who’s real name was HanGeng, was Super Junior’s only Chinese member. He was still relatively new to the industry and was still learning. You admired him for being able to leave his own country and come to a foreign place to work and follow his dream. Although to hear HeeChul talk, you’d never know it. He often said that there was no awkwardness between him and HanKyung. And that being around him was like being around the korean neighbor next door, in terms of understanding each other. They were very close and you knew it.

“HeeChul Oppa.” you said softly putting your bag down. The dorm room was bare of real furniture. Mostly there were wracks of clothes, where it was just HeeChul and HanKyung in this unit. Things were piled up in.. well… piles. They sat on the floor to do computer work, like checking their webpages and the like. They were still rookies after all.

HeeChul turned to look at you and instead of being a boyfriend, by getting up and hugging you. Or even saying hello, he was just HeeChul and pointing to the screen, began using you, in much the same way he had HanKyung when it came to ranting.

“Look at this! I don’t believe this. I make one mistake and it’s the end of the world!” he said raising his voice. You looked at HanKyung who shrugged his shoulders as if to say “I don’t know” and fidgeted with his cast.

“Oppa, it’s not as bad as all of that, and you should know better than to be looking at the mixed messages of your fans.” you reprimanded going into Umma mode. It was the only way to deal with him when he got like this.

“But I don’t..” he started and you cut him off.

“Are you going to leave Super Junior?” you demanded. He looked away from the screen at you. You stood there with your hips locked, your arms folded and an expectant look on your face.

“Yah, why are you like this, Oppa is having a problem and you’re having attitude.” he said with a disapproving look.

“No, you’re being ridiculous and I’m being the voice of reason, now answer my question, are you going to leave Super Junior?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then what does it matter what they think? Your true fans support you no matter what. They understand you guys are still rookies, no one expects you to be perfect all the time. You guys are still in transition. Especially with the move from here to the new dorm, the addition of KyuHyun-ah, there’s a lot going on with you guys right now. So don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“But… they… fans..” he stuttered trying to find the words to convey his frustration. You sat down on the floor next to him and took a hand. He wasn’t the touchy feely type, or the PDA type so you knew you couldn’t hug or kiss him to help him feel better, he wasn’t into that.

“I understand you’re disappointment in yourself because you’re a perfectionist. But Oppa it was ONE performance, out of how many? You can’t let one little mistake throw you off like this. Super Junior wouldn’t be the same without you. Who else would name s after Disney? What would HanKyung Oppa do without you here? Yeah he would have KangIn and SiWon but they’re not you. You’re important to this group. Don’t forget that.” you reassured him.

He sat there for awhile thinking about what you said. You had let go of his hand by now and was just sitting there next to him. He turned to you out of the blue.

“Yah, you should go home it’s late, and we have to go to bed, we have schedules in the morning.” He got up and went to his room closing the door.

You smiled satisfied that he was almost back to his normal self, if you could ever call anything HeeChul did “normal”. HanKyung stood back with his mouth open and shook his head at HeeChul’s lack of appreciation.

“Thank you for coming to here _______-ah.” he managed. You smiled.

“It’s alright HanKyung Oppa. Just give him time and he’ll be back to normal. Whatever normal is for him.” HanKyung grinned and walked you to the door. He waved goodbye as you left and walked out to your car.

“Is she gone?” HeeChul asked coming out in his pink tom and jerry night shirt.

“You should have told to her goodbye HeeChul, she made a long way to make you feel better.”  HanKyung scolded. 

“I know, she was too right.” he admitted. HanKyung tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“Too right?” he repeated, trying to have it make sense.

“She made too much sense, and I felt bad for being stupid.” HeeChul explained. HanKyung chuckled and shook his head. 

“You are one of many.” he told him heading for the kitchen, attempting to mean that HeeChul was one of a kind. “Do you want shin ramen? I’m hungry.” he called.

HeeChul didn’t hear, he was in his bedroom, on his bed, typing out a text message to you.

‘Sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye. I was busy. Thank you for your words of wisdom. Sleep well.’

You snickered at your phone when you parked in the driveway. Typical HeeChul, the only person you knew who could give a compliment, without giving a compliment.