The silence is deafening. I’ve never truly understood this phrase until now. But apparently, it is possible for silence to swell up in my head, seep out through my pores and wrap around me, squeezing me to the point where I can’t hear anything else. A few seconds-that-feel-like-hours later, Ms Pink still hasn’t spoken a word and the need to squirm is on the verge of overthrowing my instincts telling me to keep still. Just how intense can a situation get?

“Do you really want to find out?”

I almost sigh with relief. Ms Pink isn’t angry. At least, I don’t think so. But her eyes look so intense… “I’m sorry. The question totally slipped out. I don’t mean to pry. It’s just…so pink, you know? Everything. Here. It’s like you really, reallylove pink.”

“That I do not deny. But what’s there not to love? Pink is meant to be loved. It is everywhere—in flowers, rocks, the sky… it is a beautiful colour.”

I find myself nodding along to what she says and stop myself, lest I look even more like an idiot after my spectacular entrance. It then hits me that I haven’t set the voice recorder up. Thank goodness I remembered it before the end of the interview!

“Do you mind if I record this interview?”

“Go ahead.” Ms Pink waves her right hand with the air of a person who can’t care less but I am relieved to get her permission.

It takes a little rummage through my bag before I find the black case that contains the voice recorder. The sound of my heart thumping is growing louder and louder in my ears as I turn the gadget on but I manage to set it to recording mode.

“What are your plans for PINK in the future?” I ask, finally remembering the list of questions that Sunny had given to me after seeing it in my bag.

“World domination.” Ms Pink’s voice sounds sturdier than a six-foot-wide beam of wrought iron.

“W-World domination?”

Ms Pink nods almost imperceptibly and says, “I want every wardrobe to be home to PINK. I want every human and creature to be in PINK. I want the whole world to be in PINK.”

“T-That’s very ambitious of you…”

“Oh no, you are mistaken, Taeyeon. This isn’t just ambition. It is a pursuit of excellence. To reach far and wide and take control.”

“You seem to like…” I falter in my question when Ms Pink’s eyes hold mine fast and a corner of her lips curl up just a tad.

“I seem to like…?”

“C-Control. You like being in control?”

“It is necessary. Being in control leads to success. I work hard for what I have and I work even harder to get what I don’t. All of this requires control. Both of myself and other people.”

You sure sound like the controlling type… I run my eyes down the list to the next question. “How did you get started on pink? When did pink become such an important part of your life?”

“From a very young age. I told myself that pink is mine, so it is.”

“Pink is yours?”

“Yes,” Ms Pink’s eyes gleam with a trace of dark intensity. “Everything pink is mine.”

A tremble worms its way up from the bottom of my stomach to my chest, making it hard for me to keep my voice steady. “R-Right. So, erm, next question…” My hand is trembling as I hold up the list of questions and I can’t stop it. Ms Pink’s stare is so intense! “A-Are you gay, Ms Pink?”

Right in that instant, I swear I can feel the air around us simmering, ready to combust. Why the hell is this question on the list? Thanks to Sunny, I am going to be kicked out of PINK now. Not that I wish to stay here any longer than necessary, no.

“Are you gay, Ms Kim?”

Woah. Ms Kim? What happened to calling me Taeyeon? It must be a sign that she’s angry, I figure and a cold, clammy string of dread slithers down my spine. But why am I intimidated by her? I’m only here to help Sunny get her interview done. She has nothing on me. I have nothing to be afraid of.

“Yes, I am, Ms Pink.” My words seem to have a profound effect on Ms Pink. Her chest rises, the movement sharp and sudden and her eyes bulge a little. What is that about?

“That’s very forthcoming of you.”

“I have nothing to hide.”

Ms Pink’s smile right then is downright disarming. How disturbing. “Since you gave me your truth, I will give you mine. But the recording stops. Now.”

I reach for the recording device and stop the recording without question. It is a reasonable request, given the rather personal question.

“Good.” Ms Pink smiles once again and crosses her right leg over her left, tilting to face me completely. Her eyes have got mine locked down and her smile widens a fraction just before she says, “Ask the question again.”

I don’t understand why I should, but I do it anyway. “Are you gay, Ms Pink?”

“Yes, I am, Taeyeon.”

I can’t help the smile that forms when I hear her answer. And now we’re back on first name basis. “Thank you for answering that, Ms Pink.”

The look in Ms Pink’s eyes is beginning to make some parts of my body burn but I can’t look