Man-shik leaned against the counter in his dimly lit kitchen, his phone in one hand as he scrolled aimlessly through an online menu. The apartment felt quieter than usual, the absence of Chrystal's voice gnawing at the edges of his thoughts. He tried to convince himself he didn't miss her—didn't miss the way she'd roll her eyes at him or how her laughter occasionally snuck up on him like sunlight breaking through clouds.

The sharp ring of his phone startled him out of his thoughts. Frowning, he saw Chrystal's name flashing across the screen. Relief flickered in his chest, followed quickly by confusion. Why was she calling him now?

He answered on the second ring. "What do you want? Miss me already?" he teased, his tone casual, though his pulse quickened.

"Actually, it's Mina," came the curt response, cutting through his levity like a blade.

Man-shik straightened. "Mina? Why do you have Chrystal's phone? Is something wrong?"

"Relax," Mina replied, though her tone lacked its usual sarcasm. "She's fine, mostly. But there's been a little... incident."

"What kind of incident?" he demanded, his grip on the phone tightening.

"She slipped on some stairs and sprained her ankle," Mina explained. "She's at my place now, resting, but I thought you should know."

"Is she okay? Did she see a doctor?"

"She's fine, really," Mina said. "Just a sprain. Nothing life-threatening."

"Send me the location from your phone. I'm coming over," Man-shik said firmly, already grabbing his keys.

"Whoa, hold up," Mina interjected. "Nobody said you needed to—"

The line went dead before she could finish. Man-shik was already out the door.

When Mina opened her apartment door fifteen minutes later, she found a slightly disheveled Man-shik standing there, out of breath. His tie was loose around his neck, and his usually styled hair was ruffled, as though he'd run his hands through it multiple times on the drive over.

"Fast response time," Mina quipped, leaning against the doorframe. "Should I be worried?"

"Where is she?" Man-shik asked, brushing past her without waiting for an invitation.

Mina rolled her eyes and closed the door. "Nice to see you too."

Man-shik found Chrystal sprawled on Mina's couch, her leg propped up on a cushion and her phone sitting on the coffee table. She was scrolling through the TV channels, her expression somewhere between bored and irritated.

"You're here," Chrystal said, glancing at him in surprise.

"Of course I'm here," he said, his tone softer now as he crouched beside her. His gaze dropped to her bandaged ankle. "What happened?"

"I slipped," she said nonchalantly. "It's no big deal."

"It's a big deal if you're hurt," he said, frowning as he inspected her ankle.

Chrystal raised an eyebrow. "What are you, a doctor now?"

"Don't need to be a doctor to care," he shot back, his voice sharper than he intended.

Mina cleared her throat loudly, breaking the tension. "I'll, uh, let you two talk. I have a... thing to do in the other room." With that, she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving them alone.

Man-shik stood, walking into the kitchen to retrieve an ice pack. When he returned, he sat beside her on the couch and gently rested her foot on his thigh. Chrystal froze, her breath catching at the unexpected intimacy of the gesture.

"You don't have to—"

"Stop," he interrupted, carefully pressing the ice pack against her ankle. "Just let me do this."

She watched him in silence, her defenses crumbling just a little as she saw the sincerity in his actions. "You're being... weirdly nice," she said finally, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm always nice," he replied, smirking.

Chrystal snorted. "Yeah, okay. And I'm a billionaire."

His smirk widened, but his hands remained steady as he adjusted the ice pack. "You know, you could just say thank you."

"Thank you," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"That's more like it," he said, leaning back slightly but keeping her leg in place.

They sat in silence for a moment, the air between them thick with unspoken words. Finally, Chrystal broke it.

"You didn't have to come all the way here," she said quietly.

Man-shik looked up at her, his expression softening. "Yes, I did."

Her eyes searched his face, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. "Why?"

"Because I..." He hesitated, glancing away for a moment before meeting her gaze again. "Because I care about you, okay?"

Chrystal blinked, caught off guard by the admission. She opened her mouth to respond but found herself at a loss for words.

"I know I don't always show it," he continued, his voice low. "And maybe I'm terrible at it, but... I do."

For a moment, the room felt impossibly small, the weight of his words filling the space. Chrystal's heart thudded in her chest as she tried to process what he was saying.

"You have a funny way of showing it," she said finally, her tone softer than before.

He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm working on that."

The corner of her mouth lifted in a faint smile. "Well, don't expect me to go easy on you."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said, his voice warm.

Their eyes met, and for a fleeting moment, it felt like the rest of the world had faded away. But before either of them could say anything else, Mina reappeared with two cups of tea.

"Alright, lovebirds," she said, setting the cups on the table. "Time to break up the moment before I start charging rent for this couch."

Chrystal rolled her eyes, but the intimate moment had been broken. Man-shik stood, clearing his throat as he gently placed her leg back on the cushion.

"I should get going," he said, avoiding her gaze.

"Yeah," she replied, her voice quieter now. "Thanks for coming."

He nodded, hesitating for a moment before heading to the door. As he left, Chrystal couldn't help but wonder if this was the beginning of something—or just another moment they'd let slip away.