Heechul and Geng are strolling casually through the aisles of the grocery store, pretending they don’t have the slightest association with Donghae or Eunhyuk, who are pushing Henry and Zhou Mi respectively in their shopping carts and racing each other all through the store. Henry’s clapping his hands and laughing. Kangin’s already heading back towards the car having purchased his six pack of beer.

            “I want ice cream,” Heechul announces and Geng obligingly turns the shopping cart towards the frozen food section. However, as they are walking past the herbs, Heechul suddenly gasps and bolts towards the plants. Alarmed, Geng turns to follow him and finds Heechul on his knees, cradling a tiny potted plant and cooing to it in a soft, reassuring tone while gently its leaves.    

            “Um…” Geng is not quite sure what is going on. This has never happened before. Heechul looks up at Geng, his uncharacteristically eyes wide and shiny. Geng knows better than to ask if Heechul is actually going to cry.

            “Look at her,” Heechul says. His bottom lip is definitely wibbling. “She’s so small and scared and cute and she needs a good home…can we please keep her? Please?” He’s holding the plant closer to his chest, still petting the leaves.

            “Um…yeah? That’s probably why she’s at a store. So, you know, people can take her home and stuff. What is it…she?”

            “She’s a little baby jasmine,” Heechul answers. “She’s…” He turns back to plant. “She says she is this many,” he says, holding up three fingers. “But she’s all alone and she’s been all alone for a hundred years, she says. All the other plants got new families and she’s the only one left. And when the lights in the store go off, it’s scary when she’s by herself. Her best friend was a mint, but she already got taken and…” he breaks off to listen to the plant some more. “Her name is Mina and her favorite color is orange. She wants to be a ballerina-ninja-soccer player-teacher-princess when she grows up.” Geng sighs.

            “All right,” he says. “Put her in the cart.” Heechul puts down the seat for children, but frowns when Mina almost slides out.

            “I’ll just carry her,” he says, holding her up and gently nuzzling on her leaves. “Oh, who’s the cutest, smartest little jasmine?” he coos before softly giggling. “I’m going to be your Heechul-appa. And this is Geng-appa. But he doesn’t talk to plants.” Neither do any of the people at the store who are currently staring at the strange man talking to the most delicate potted plant in the history of potted plants. But Heechul’s so enamoured with his new plant that he doesn’t even notice the stares. Instead, he weaves in and out of the aisles, occasionally asking Mina about her thoughts and feelings about particular brands of coffee and which toothpaste he should get. They settle on some mocha and the blue sparkly toothpaste that Geng hasn’t used since he was five. But it makes Heechul and Mina happy, so it goes into the cart.

            Finally, they’ve gotten everything on their list and successfully avoided Donghae and Eunhyuk. They get into a checkout line and Heechul places Mina on the conveyer belt, although he keeps his finger underneath one of her leaves since the scanner frightens her. He assures it that it won’t hurt her—it’s only going to scan the little sticker on her pot and make a little beep and he’ll never let anything hurt her. Geng refuses to meet the cashier’s eyes and he moves to the front to pay for their purchases.

            “Um…I’m going to need to pick up your plant and scan it. Is that ok?” the cashier asks Heechul.

            “Can I hold her while you scan her?” Heechul asks. “The beeping makes her nervous.” The cashier glances over at Geng at this point, who is still adamantly not looking up from his shoes.

            “Yeah…if it’ll make her feel better? I guess?” Heechul beams and scoops up the little plant and the cashier quickly scans the barcode.

            “See? All over. You were such a brave girl!” Heechul praises, kissing one of her leaves. “And it didn’t hurt at all. Your Heechul-appa is right here.” Geng quickly grabs their bags of groceries and bolts for the exit, where Kangin and Leeteuk are waiting. Leeteuk smiles at them.

            “And Geng and Heechul. Right. Donghae, Eunhyuk, Zhou Mi, and Henry are all having a time out in the car, so I’m only missing one.” He frowns. “Wait…”

            “Kibum’s already in the car. That’s everyone,” Kangin says. “We can go home now.”

            “Oh, right. Kibum. I thought I saw him earlier. Right then, let’s get out of here.” He turns to lead his band back to the parking lot, when his eyes fall on the little plant that Heechul is cradling in his hands. “You got a flower? That’s nice.”

            “Her name is Mina,” Heechul says. “Mina, this is Leeteuk. Leeteuk, this is Mina.” Leeteuk reaches out to shake one of her leaves.

            “Nice to meet you, Mina,” Leeteuk says. Kangin glances over at Geng.

            “You guys adopted a plant?” he scoffs.

            “No, Heechul adopted a plant. Apparently he’s her new Heechul-appa.”

            “And you’re her Geng-appa!” Heechul calls out to them. Leeteuk awwws while Kangin doesn’t even try to hide his snickers. “Here, meet your niece!” Heechul says, shoving the pot in Kangin’s face. Kangin doesn’t really do the whole flower thing, but he has to admit that of all the flowers he’s actually paid attention to, Mina’s one of the cutest. “She says you look like a teddy bear.” Kangin looks down at the pot, then sighs and reaches out to pat her one of her petals.

            “This is going to be the most spoiled plant in Korea,” he mutters.