Mimi looked around the kitchen and sighed. The place was in a complete mess but no one was there so it was her safe haven at the moment. Her heart was still hammering in her chest. Jong Woon's singing paired with his intense gaze contributed to it. He was just amazing. His vocals were soothing yet powerful. It took her by surprise. 

 

She started cleaning up the kitchen, throwing empty containers away. She couldn't deny that she was drawn to him. he made her curious. But she really wasn't interested in anything but friendship with him. He was an interesting guy. She sighed starting to wash a couple dishes. Maybe she should make lunch for Mike then again he would probably get angry with her if she went to his office. She felt the back of her eyes begin to burn and a headache form as she tried hard not to cry. She really was sick of this but that didn't change the fact that she still loved him. Loving someone didn't mean she had to deal with all his bad habits.

 

"Eun Mi-ssi?" A low husky male voice asked. Mimi jumped and dropped a glass in the sink breaking it.

 

Jong Woon rushed to her side and held her hands before she reached into the sink to pick up the glass shards with her bare hands. An electric current passed through both of them and he released her. They looked at each other curiously. What had just happened?

 

"I-It's dangerous to touch the glass if you don't wear gloves." He said putting his hands in his pocket. The feeling of electricity was still coursing through him.

 

"I know." Was Mimi's simple reply before going back the sink. She reached her hand in again. Jong Woon grabbed her other arm and yanked her away from it.

 

"Didn't you just here me? It's dangerous!" He exclaimed surprised that she was still trying to reach inside.

 

"And didn't you hear me? I know!" She retaliated shocking him off.

 

That's when it hit him that she was trying to hurt herself. As she reached into the sink he went to get some gloves in the kitchen pantry. He heard her whisper a small 'ow' and when he turned around sure enough she was looking at the blood on her finger. He sighed and went over to her. There was a significant amount of blood flowing letting him know the cut was pretty big. He placed her finger in his mouth. Mimi shocked tried to pull away from him but he held her still. Once he enough blood he dragged her to the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet seat.

 

"Kim-ssi you don't have to don't have to do this. I can-" she started saying but once he got the first aid kit he flashed her an irritated expression. She shut up immediately.

 

He poured some alcohol on a cotton ball and started cleaning her finger. She winced a bit because of the stinging but didnt say a word as he applied gauze and a bandaid. He sat on the sink and stared down at her. She refused to look at him. She felt strange having him stare at her. This time around it didnt feel nice, warm as if he was watching over her. He was annoyed with her and didnt hide it at all.

 

"Why are you trying to hurt yourself?" He asked she didn't respond. "Eun Mi-ssi." He said softly even though she heard the sternness in his voice. He raised his hand in the air and she flinched away pressing herself against the toilet seat in attempt to get away from his raised hand. He lifted a brow in question but brought his hand down to pat her head. Her eyes were closed tight and tears formed slipping out the corners of her eyelids and clumping on her eyelashes.

 

"I-I-I'm sorry....." She whispered her tremulous voice barely making it out of her lips.

 

"Hey-" he said softly. He kneeled down in front of her and held her face in his hands. She opened her eyes a little but then immediately closed them. She bit her lips and more tears flowed down her cheeks. 

 

She was shaking. She was scared. 

 

He was going to say more when someone knocked furiously on the door. Jong Woon looked between the door to the crying girl in front of him and decided to unlock the door. As soon as he did the person flung the door open.

 

"I. Need. To. Pee." A girl said glaring at him.

 

"Sorry we'll get out of your way." He took Mimk's hand that was still shaking and left the bathroom. The door slammed shut. Eun Mi flinched hard bumping into Jong Woon. 

 

She let go of his hand and started to wipe the tears away from her face. He turned away and waited until she finished cleaning her face. Why has she been so scared earlier? 

 

"Let's get back to the party." He said going back to the living room. Mimi followed after him.

 

"What about the glass in the sink? I don't want anyone getting hurt." She said walking beside him. He stopped abruptly.

 

"Ok go back to the party. I'll take care of it." He said turning in the direction of the kitchen. 

 

"No I'll do it. I broke the glass." She turned in the same direction. He stopped walking.

 

"No. I'm not letting you cut yourself. Please go back to the party. Watch Noel before she drinks even more." She was going to protest but he gave her the third annoyed look for the night. She said nothing. "Eun Mi-ssi I will take care of it." He thought for a moment. "Come on." He said going back to the living room.

 

The party was still going. He found Noel and deposited Mimi beside her before disappearing out of sight. Eun Mi tried to tip toe to see him but she was too small. She decided to let him take care  of the mess she made. She was uncomfortable about it but knew he wouldn't let her help. The party went on for another two hours before people started leaving. When everyone was out Eun Mi and Noel started to clean up the living room. They cleaned in silence wanting nothing more but to get the dirty work done. So when morning came they wouldn't have a mess to look at it. Once they were done they went to the kitchen to clean that up next but when they walked in there wasn't a speck on the floor.

 

"Did you?" Noel asked Mimi but she shook her head.

 

"No..." Mimi replied.

 

"You guys finished with the living room?" Jong Woon asked emerging from the pantry closet.The girls nodded. "Ok so it doesn't look you have anything left." He closed the pantry door and smiled at them. Noel skipped over to him and have him a big bear hug.

 

"Oh my gosh Yesung! You're the best! Thank you!!" She said attempting to kiss him but he picked her up and put her beside Mimi again.

 

"Thanks." Mimi said bowing. "You were a lot of help." She was more than relieved that he had done the kitchen. In her opinion the kitchen was the hardest place to clean. Plus she was tired and sore.

 

"Great! Come on Mimi let's go wash up." Noel suggested taking her hand and leading her to the bathroom. Jong Woon stood there his cheeks colored red. Noel liked to say very descriptive things which he would have liked to be not so descriptive. A need to know basis was always the best.

 

Noel led Mimi to the master bathroom in the condo inside of  her room. She the hot water and allowed the bathtub to fill up. While the water ran she added some bath salts then she turned to her friend who was outside the bathroom near the door frame. Noel smiled.

 

"We don't want you going back home smelling like booze right?" She said with a giggle. "Let's take a bath together like we used to in college!"

 

Mimi smiled fondly at the memory. They had shared the same dorm room for all four years of college. When they had really long and tedious days they would strip down to their bras and and just talk. Immediately afterward they would have to go to the laundry. Bath salts and underwire did not mix well. But those times were the best, they would talk, trash talk, share secrets and complain to each other about anything and everything ragining from the newest kpop idol to family secrets.

 

Once the water reach a certain limit in the tub Noel made it stop running.  She turned around and let Mimi undress first and get in the tube before following suit. 

 

"Ohh you have the bubble gum bubble bath!" Mimi exclaimed looking at a pink and white bottle. Her eyes were wide with delight as she examined the bottle. Then she looked at Noel giving her a puppy dog face. Big, watery eyes, lower lip out with her head titled to the right. "Let's use this too please?" She asked. Noel splashed water at her shaking her head while giggling. Mimi screamed delightedly and attempted to swim to the other side of the large tube. "Please Noel?!" She asked again.

 

"Go ahead you big baby." She said trying to splash more water but Mimi was too far away for it to have any effect.

 

"Awesome!! Turn on the hot water." Mimi said swimming back and opening the bottle. Her back was now to Noel as she poured the contents out into the running water. As Mimi happily watched the bubbles form Noel noticed a big black and purple bruise on Mimi's waist. Her happiness immediately dropped when she saw it.

 

"Mimi....you have a bruise on your waist....." Noel said her voice devoid of emotion. Mimi whirled around dropping the bottle in the water. She wrapped her hands around her waist. She knew she was bruised because Mike forced her into the other night. She didn't want Noel to see them. She completely forgot to be more careful with her friend. But she had just felt so safe the she had completely forgotten about Mike and the abuse. "What happened?" Noel asked. Mimi couldn't look her in the eye. So instead her gaze was centered on the still bubbling water.

 

"Nothing." She replied. She closed her eyes and shook her head images of last night at the back of her eyelids. "Nothing happened."

 

"How are you lying to me when I see that bruise on your waist?!" Noel asked angry that Mimi was still lying to her. Mimi flinched but didn't take back her lie. Noel thought about the bruise and realized that it was snapped like the palm of someone's hand not like someone had punched her. But she wouldn't be surprised if she found bruises like that on her friend. Why would a palm snapped bruise be at her waist so near her lower body. Noel gasped in shock. "Mimi...is....is he...rap-" she stopped herself when she saw Mimi start to shake a bit. Noel closed her eyes to calm herself down. She kneeled in the bath tub then gave Mimi a hug. Mimi just sat there, her head resting on her friends shoulder he held in the urge to cry, to tell her everything. What if Mike found out? She wouldn't put it past him to interrogate others to see what she was up to. So she didn't say anything more because of fear than anything else. "I want you to stay with me for a couple days ok?" Noel whispered. She knew she couldn't have Mimi go back home. That bruise looked new. "We haven't spent too much time together lately. How about it? I'll even lend you some of my cloths." 

 

Mimi nodded grateful that she didn't pursue the topic any further. They finished bathing and threw their cloths in the hamper. Noel took out some of her cloths for Mimi to wear but frowned. Mimi was a lot taller than she was so all her cloths would be uncomfortably short and tight. Mimi sat on her bed, a towel still around her and she started to shiver a little. She needed to get her cloths soon.

 

"I'll be right back ok?" Noel said rushing out of her room. "Yesung?" She asked going into the living room. "Yah! Yesung!"

 

"I'm on the balcony!" He shouted out to her wherever she was. Noel sped walked over to him and three open the doors to her balcony. He was leaning over the edge of the railing his eyes closed as he took in the air of the city. 

 

"Do you mind letting Mimi use one of your t-shirts?" She asked getting straight to the point. Mimi was probably freezing, she hated the cold but loved winter holidays which she was still trying to understand. "She's sleeping over but my cloths are too small." 

 

"So you guys didn't plan this." He said matter of factly. "I don't think she would like it if she wore my things." 

 

"She doesn't have a choice she's staying. Come on Yesung lend her a t-shirt. We'll go buy her some cloths later." She said trying to keep as much as the situation hidden.  Although all she did was assume she knew that her were assumptions were correct.

 

He raised an eyebrow at her but when she didn't open he decided not to press any further. He went over to his luggage and took out one of his cotton long sleeved t-shirts. He handed it to her.

 

"She can keep that." He said non chalantly. "I'm leaving next week and it's just a t-shirt."

 

"Yeah, thanks. I owe you one." She replied greatfully. He laughed.

 

"You owe me a lot." 

 

She stuck out her tongue playfully. He laughed again as she went back to her room. She gave the shirt to Mimi. She looked at it dubiously but she put it on none the less. It was snug and she buried her face in the neckline.

 

"It's so warm." She whispered sighing in delight. Noel smiled.

 

"Good. Tomorrow we'll go out to buy you some cloths. Or I could go and pick a couple things out. But let's worry about that later." She yawned and rubbed her eye. "Let's go sleep."

 

Mimi nodded in agreement even though she was far from sleepy. But they snuggled in Noel's bed. Mimi covered her head with the comforter and curled into a tight ball. Noel laughed at her friend which earned her a shove.

 

"Don't laugh." Mimi said scrunching up her nose. 

 

"Sorry. Sorry. But you really haven't changed. Dongsaeng your just really cute." Noel giggled patting her head. Mimi hit it away.

 

"Go sleep." She ordered slightly embarrassed. Her sleeping habits were the same. She didn't like having her head or her feet sticking out of the comforters. If it was really cold she would curl into a tight little ball to get warmer. 

 

When Noel quited and her breathing became soft Mimi knew that's he had fallen asleep. Only about three minutes had passed. Noel hadn't changed either. With all that energy she had you would think she could stay up forever but she always fell asleep earlier than anyone else and woke up at six or eight in the morning. She was like an old person.

 

But Mimi couldn't sleep. Her eyes stayed open, refusing to close. Sleep she felt was at the other side of the world for her. She was worried that her boyfriend would come and get her. She could handle getting abused but she didn't want Noel to see it, or even get involved. When Noel saw her bruise and her reaction it made her sad that she found out. Noel was very protective of her so if Mimi decided to tell her she would have done something reckless.

 

Mimi sat up in the bed. The cold air made her want to go back under the covers but she didn't want to if she wasn't going to sleep. She left the room going out into the living room. Sitting on the love seat she put her feet on the cushion curling into a ball again. She wasn't sure where the quilts were so she was freezing yet again. But as she sat there and shivered she seriously considered leaving Micheal. She loved him yes, she wanted to give him another chance but deep down inside she knew he wouldn't change. She wanted to cry because she loved him more than anything else in the world. They had gone through a lot together and they had their good times. But this, what was happening wasn't good at all. Then again it would all come down to when she had to speak to him, to go back to him to see if her resolve would stay.

 

"Eun Mi-ssi?" Yesung asked his voice riddled with confusion. She looked up and her eyes matched the emotions in his own.

 

"Jong Woon-ssi? You didn't go home?" She asked sitting up from her ball. He shook his head.

 

"I live in Busan. It's a long drive from Seoul so Noel let me stay over. I do have business here too so it saved me some money." He replied setting down a mug. She eyed the bug watching the steam lift from out of it her body shaking because of the cold. "Ah here." He put a blanket around her. "You seem pretty cold."

 

"Thank you." She replied snuggling into the blanket she sighed again happy for the warmth. 

 

"Why are you up so late?" He asked sitting beside her but a sufficient distance away that they weren't sitting as if connected to the hip.  She sneezed. 

 

"I couldn't sleep." She replied still shivering. 

 

"Here drink this." He took up the cup and handed it to her. It was bothering him that she was so cold. It was only about sixty five degrees outside. Others would think it was hot. But she was shivering cold. It didn't help that Noel left the air conditioning on. He could only guess that Mimi was anemic. "Are you sick?" He asked giving her the warm milk with honey he had made.

 

"No," she shook her head. She gratefully took the cup and sipped it. A wide smile read across her lips, "it's so sweet." She said delightedly. "I'm anemic, Jong Woon-ssi. I get really cold very easily and I'm just weak over all."

 

"I'm sorry about that." He said sympathetically.

 

"Don't be. I've lived with it for a while. I'm used to it. But thank you." She said a smile still on her lips. She was touched that he was so concerned about her. 

 

They stayed in silence for a bit. Mimi sipped his milk and honey while Yesung looked at nothing in particular. It was a comfortable silence. Mimi glanced over at him a couple of times before going back to sip her drink.

 

"What do you do? Like profession wise?" She asked in a small voice timidly. 

 

"I'm starting up an entertainment agency." He replied quickly not having to think.

 

"Really?" She asked in disbelief he nodded turning to her. "So you'll be scouting out people to sing and act?"

 

"Not just that." He said with a smile. She was completely covered by the blanket that only her head and hands were out for her to drink the milk and honey. "Models too. I need to do advertising and marketing. I'm here in Seoul to hire some producers and choreographers." He thought for a moment. "I will be moving to Seoul later this year. Business is a lot better here than Busan."

 

She looked completely engrossed in what he was saying which was slightly amusing to him. He thought she was adorable, the way her eyes grew wide as he explained, the way she bit her lip in concentration as she started to understand his line of work. It encouraged him to say more but he refrained not wanting to look selfish.

 

"What about you, Eun Mi-ssi?" He asked tilting his head to the side. Her eyes widened even more.

 

"Me?" she squeaked out surprised he was even asking her. He chuckled and nodded to confirm her question. "Oh...I...umm...well I'm attending graduate school near by. I majored in journalism for my undergrad but now I'm taking some business courses." she sipped her drink again. "I...I want to create my own magazine."

 

"That's really amazing." He said praising her. "Not a lot of women I know want anything to do with businesses."

 

"I like to write. A lot so I took creative writing and journalism classes. But I thought that the best way to make money and do what I enjoy was opening my own magazine or publication company. I could do both but I rather take one step at a time."

 

"I think that's the best thing." He nodded in approval and overall being impressed by the women beside him. He hadn't expected her to have such ambitions like making her own company based on writing. But something did bother him. Why would she try to hurt herself, why did she look so sad if she had such a wonderful dream and a friend like Noel by her side. "Why can't you sleep Eun Mi-sii?" He asked softly. She glanced up at him once again. Her smile disappearing.

 

"You can just call me Mimi." She whispered taking another sip of her drink only to find that she had finished it. She sighed and put it down curling into her small ball yet again. Yesung could feel her retracting from him."And it's because I'm thinking too much. When I do that i chase my sleep away and stay up all night." She mumbled as images of her previous night flood her mind. Of course she couldn't sleep last night after being forced into bed. She had felt too dirty and was praying she wouldn't get pregnant. She wanted to finish grad school first. If she ever got pregnant from Micheal she would be grateful but also regret it. She didn't want her baby growing up watching her life as it was.

 

"i can't really sleep either. I'm a bit nervous for this week.Getting producers is going to be a little tough." He admitted. He wasn't going to say anything about his business for the week but if he wanted her to open up then he had to as well.

 

"I'm thinking a lot. That maybe...its time for me to move on. But i'm too scared." She said careful not to divulge too much information. Her voice cracked a little. "I'm too weak." She whispered so softly that she hoped he didn't hear her.

 

"You don't look weak." He said crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking over at her. He didn't like that she thought of herself as weak. Yes, she was small and soft spoken but that didn't make her weak. To go through grad school and have such an ambitious dream had to take someone strong and able. "You're not giving yourself enough credit."

 

"You shouldn't say things that will get my hopes of Jong Woon-ssi. I've been disappointed several times but I know my own capabilities."

 

"That doesn't change my mind." He stated stubbornly.Then he laughed shaking his head. "This turned really serious didn't it?" He smiled then yawned. "But talking makes you feel better."

 

  Mimi was quite for a moment but nodded. She did feel sleepy. She glanced at the clock it was almost six in the morning. It had felt like only minutes that they had bee talking. But that didn't stop them from continuing to speak. The subject changed to less somber things like food, movies and even Noel who was undoubtedly still sleeping in her room. By the time six came Mimi had finally fallen asleep and Yesung followed suit. Noel woke up around nine thirty which was her latest for the year. When she walked into the living room she gasped in total shock. But once she took in the scene of Yesung's head on top of Mimi's lap she smiled. Mimi looked peaceful as if all the cares in the world were gone when she dreamed. Noel only hoped that she could look like that everyday instead of only in her dreams.