Suddenly, my mind wandered off to my conversation with my younger sister, Sunny, earlier today. The word pink seems to have made an unexpected and huge impact on me.

-FLASHBACK-

"Donghae oppa!" Sunny squealed on the other end of the line.

I had to pull my phone from my ear for a second from the loudness of her voice. "Oh, Sunny," I chuckled, "Not so loud."

"I heard you got promoted!"

Instantly, my lips curled up in a smile. "You got that one right," I gleefully said. Little things like this can make my day.

Then again, Sunny's high pitched squeal reached my ear, "GYAAAAAHHH!~ Congratulations, oppa!"

"Thanks, thanks. But getting a promotion has its hidden backslides, too, you know? It equates to me having to carry a heavier responsibility here at work." I don't know why pessimism suddenly won me over. It's true, though--I may have less time for other things now that I got promoted. Of course, I have to show my seniors and bosses that they did not make a mistake in promoting me. What did they see in me, anyway? For all I know, I'm a moderate worker, not a show-off arse-kissing workaholic who'll abuse his own body to hog the vacant position that will get him promoted. As I think about it more, I find less and less reasons for me to be the new Creative Director of our department. "I may be very busy from now on," I concluded.

Sunny then let out a tiny whimper that I did not fail to hear. "Donghae oppa~" she whined. Her voice was suddenly glum and I know exactly why--because in two days, it'll be her birthday.

Sunny and I are total opposites. Sunny loves throwing parties and being all flashy as much as I dislike all those stuff. There's no doubt that she'll be having a birthday bash two days from now especially that her birthday falls on a Friday.

"Sorry, Sunny," I apologized to her before she could even mention anything about her party. "I might be very busy and oppa here needs rest, too. Besides, I'll make sure to visit you, mom & dad on Sunday like I always do!"

I heard my sister heave out a deep stressful sigh before she insisted, "But it's not just any Friday, oppa! It's my birthday!"

Sunny may be turning 21 years old two days from now but she never fails to remind me of little Sunkyu from her elementary days. She's still as persistent, attached and childish as she was over a decade ago.

As much as I wanted to say yes to her invitation, I can't afford to make promises, too. So once again, I tried to compromise, "I will try, Sunny. I will try my very best to be there on Friday night, okay?"

"Oppa..?" Sunny's voice then changed in tone. It gained intensity and for a second, I thought I heard a tinge of accusation in the tone she used. "Are you using your promotion as an excuse to spend more time with that Jessica Jung, oppa?"

I don't know how rumors about me and Jessica reached my sister but I'm starting to lose temper myself. Looking back now, how did Sunny even find out about my promotion, too? "Sunkyu!" I reprimanded.

"Donghae oppa, look," my sister began, "I don't like you spending a lot of time with that blonde tramp! How about Tiffany?"

Now, how in the world did her best friend, Tiffany Hwang, get involved in our conversation?

Sunny was speaking too fast, giving me no chance to ask that question and not even a chance to clarify things and defend myself and my friend, Jessica. She continued, "Look, Tiffany will be there in my party so you, oppa, definitely need to be there, too. Besides, what kind of a brother is too busy to attend his own sister's birthday party, right? Anyway, don't forget my present and oh, be reminded to bring Tiffany a gift, too. She definitely loves pink; take note of that, okay?"

"What?!" It was all I was able to say. I don't believe it. Tiffany Hwang is now the main subject of our conversation.

Seemingly, Sunny did not even hear my previous interjection. She added, "And most of all, that would be the first time you two will meet each other, all the more reason for you to go, oppa! Remember, first impression lasts so don't forget to bring a gift for Tiffany, alright?"

Her persistence can be, as it is most of the time, cute and I don't know why but today, it's giving me an unknown reason to fear something. I'm just not sure what that is. Like for some weird reason, Sunny will get what she wants.

My sister has been bugging me to meet her best friend but for some reasons, Tiffany Hwang and I can't seem to cross paths.

"You are not making any sense here, Sunkyu!" I authoritatively told her, "Tiffany and I have not even met yet and here you are, asking me to bring her some gifts like I'm some suitor of hers!"

From the other end of the line, I heard Sunny draw in a deep breath. "But when I showed you her pictures, you told me that you like her, oppa! Wouldn't 'liking her' eventually result to 'courting her?!'"

I tried my best to recall when I ever actually said that 'I like Tiffany Hwang.' I'm sure there'd been a long pause of silence between me and my sister as I rummaged my brain for anything that can oppose Sunny's statement. I know it's impossible because who would like someone he/she has not even seen in person yet? Finally, "When did I ever say that 'I like her?!' I just told you that she's pretty in the picture and that she seems like a really nice person! I don't like her, Sunny," I pointed out as I successfully remembered having that conversation with my sister.

By the way my own words rolled in my tongue, I was silently caught off guard. I am certain that I spoke of nothing but the truth but why did it feel so wrong saying those things?

As I heard Sunny speak again, my thoughts, fortunately, were put in a sudden halt.

"Lee Donghae oppaaaa," my sister began dramatically, "Sooner or later, you'll eat your own words and so I suggest that for once, you listen to me, alright? Just wait because in destiny's own perfect timing, all of these will make sense to you and to her, too. Just.. just be there on my party, okay? Don't forget--pink. Tiffany loves pink. That's all, bye!"

With that, my ever-so-persistent sister hung up on me.

Surprisingly, for a second there, I think I caught myself taking note of the fact that, Tiffany Hwang, a girl I have not even met once, does love pink.

This is crazy.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

All that just because Heechul mentioned the word 'pink' to me?! I must be out of my mind.

I my swivel chair to get back on my conversation with Heechul but as I opened my mouth..

Kring kring.

It was my phone ringing.

Before I picked up to answer, I turned to Heechul and mouthed, "Sorry."

As I answered the call, I saw Heechul's shoulders sink in disappointment before he walked back to his desk. I should probably make it up to him a little later after this call; I never got to finish helping him with his plans for confessing to Jessica and I feel bad.

"Hello?"

"Donghae!" the caller greeted me as I imagined him spreading his arms as though opting to give me a big brotherly hug.

Immediately and in reflex, as I recognized the voice, I stood up from my chair and bowed to an imaginary figure in front of me--an imaginary Choi Siwon. An imaginary figure of the heir of Choigo Foods, Inc.

Mr. Choi and I met in one of our business gatherings naturally because he is an heir-in-training of Choigo Foods, Inc., a loyal client of our advertising company, and I am simply an external research officer on the field. He and I have had a drink or two with our other colleagues but we got along pretty better than the others did maybe because we are of the same age.  "Good morning, Mr. Choi," I politely replied.

..to be continued..