"Who is it?" Sungmin pressed the answer button on his intercom when the doorbell buzzed.

"Hi Minnie!" Heechul said into the speaker.

"CHULLIE!!!" Heechul laughed when she heard her friend shriek at the sound of her voice. The door buzzed, unlocking to allow her to climb the stairs to the familiar pink apartment. When she says 'pink apartment', she means PINK and every other color that goes with every shade of pink. Heechul couldn't help but sarcastically wonder what the man's favorite color was. She chuckled when the door flew open revealing a tall skinny man in a baby pink polo shirt and light wash jeans beaming at her. 

"Come in. Come in!" Sungmin ushered his guest into the living room. "Sit down and I'll make us some tea." He walked into the kitchen and looked through the window at his guest as she took her usual seat on the vintage couch. 

"You got a new end table." Heechul observed. Sungmin nodded.

"Yep. Kyu found it at the conseignment shop last week." She could hear him stirring the tea in the mismatched mugs that overflowed from his cabinets. She sighed and put her laptop at her feet and pulled a book out of the side compartment of the carrying case. 

"Looks good. I'm surprised you got him away from the games long enough to go shopping with you." Sungmin shrugged, placing the cups down on the coffee table in front of them. 

"So, to what can I give credit for the honor of you gracing me with your presence?" He asked, flopping back on the sofa and reaching for his own cup. 

"Are you mocking me?" Heechul asked, raising an eyebrow and glaring at the man over the top of her book. 

"Just a little bit." 

"Aish! Didn't your mother ever teach you to respect your elders?!" She slammed the book and gave him a stern look. If there was one thing she demanded, it was respect. And in light of recent events both with Jae and this kid Hankyung, she was more desperate for that respect than she had ever been. 

"I'm only two and a half years younger than you." Sungmin protested jokingly. Heechul grumbled, leaning forward for her cup of ginseng tea.

"I try to make friends and what do I get? Disrespectful, ungrateful children... just my luck..." she muttered under her breath. 

"I'm just kidding, Chullie. You know I love you... and respect you." He narrowed his eyes curiously. 

"Wae?!" Heechul jerked her chin up when she spoke.

"What's wrong? You're not usually this uptight. Did something happen?" Sungmin asked, eyeing her carefully, gaging her reaction. Heechul put her book back into the carrying case and threw her now bare feet into her friend's lap. She leaned against the arm rest of the sofa and took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally to tell Sungmin everything that had happened in the past twenty-four, good and bad. 

When she was finished, the man looked at her blankly, totally opposite from when she began her story with explaining about her good review. CONGRATULATIONS!!! He had interrupted her and given her a big hug, shocking her for the umpteenth time that day. But as she continued her story, his expression grew graver and eventually turned to pure anger when she told him of the events after the party. But he allowed her to continue with her story up until the point that she appeared at his door. He had smiled slightly when she mentioned Hankyung. Apparently they knew each other from high school. But his expression was still marred by his emotions in response to Jae's actions, therefore lessening the effect that was intended. 

"Well, say something." she urged, feeling awkward with the silence that was setting heavy around them and refused to lift. 

Sungmin finally looked away from the woman in front of him remaining silent. Heechul fidgeted in her seat, draining the rest of her already cold tea down , trying to keep occupied.

"Sungmin..." 

"Heechul, you can't stay there any longer. I'm getting you out of there!" He suddenly reacted, speaking slowly as if she wouldn't understand him. She looked at him as if confirming that theory. She was the silent one this time.

"Don't tell me you're going to stay there?!" He shouted and grabbed her arm with a bit too much strength. She jumped and looked at him with frightened, guarded eyes. He let go immediately. Okay, bad idea. He shouldn't have grabbed her like that. She was still on her guard. "I'm sorry." he whispered, running his hand through his hair, desperate for something to do. After another extended period of silence Heechul was the one to speak.

"Sungmin, I can't move out of there. Not yet anyways. I don't have anywhere else to go right now." She moved her feet out of his lap and place the now empty cup back on the table. "And no, I am not moving in here and taking advantage of you so don't even suggest it." She said, hearing Sungmin's teeth click as he closed his mouth from preparing his offer. He knew there was no convincing this hard headed woman of anything. But he least had to try to get her out of her current apartment. It's a good thing he had suggested that Yesung and Ryeowook introduce her to Hankyung. Maybe he would be good for her. But there was no way he was going to tell her that. He sighed his defeat, making himself the promise that he'd watch over her from a distance. He'd have to figure out a way to get Yesung and Ryeowook to pay attention to her and let him know if she started acting strangely without giving them too much information. Watching her suffer was the last thing he wanted on his to-do list. 

"So about Hankyung..." Sungmin took advantage of the moment to change the subject as he could see Heechul so desperately wanted. She didn't need his scolding at the moment, just any comfort he could offer her. "What are your plans with him tonight?" Was that a hint of a smile Sungmin detected playing on the corners of Heechul's lips? No. It couldn't have been. Must have been a trick of the light.

"He said he's closing his restaurant early so that we can have dinner." she said, crossing her arms over her chest, grateful for the shift in atmosphere. "I don't get this guy. He was so shy when I met him last night then this morning he goes and does this." She threw her hands in front of her as if indicating the events of that morning. 

"Oh he's a good guy. You'll like him." Heechul chuckled darkly. "Well," Sungmin pat her on the knee and stood up. "Let's go." he said, offering her his hand to help her off of the couch. She looked at him puzzled. 

"Go where?" she asked, eyeing him with her trademark glare. 

"Back to your place." Sungmin winced inwardly when he saw Heechul visibly stiffen. "I'm going to make you look hot tonight!" He tried to make up for his bad choice of words. She smirked.

"I always look hot, Minnie. That won't take much work." Sungmin rolled his eyes and grabbed his coat and keys from the vintage table beside the door and opened it for the self proclaimed princess to walk through. As he did, he said a quick prayer that Jae wouldn't be home. Just because he enjoyed all things cute and pink didn't mean that he couldn't -- or wouldn't -- easily put his three black belts to use.