The Hidden Love by Hagocimit

FA N F I C T I O N

The Hidden Loveby

Hagocimit

200 9

FA N F I C T I O NThe Hidden Love

CO N T E N T S

PrologueChapter 1 Silently WatchingChapter 2 Looking For HerChapter 3 Last FarewellChapter 4 HelloChapter 5 HeartbreakerChapter 6 The Past Revealed I: Meeting HerChapter 7 The Past Revealed II: Tough TimesChapter 8 The Past Revealed III: The DareChapter 9 The Past Revealed IV: The DepartureChapter 10 The Past Revealed V: Sad StoryChapter 11 The Past Revealed VI: Laughters and TearsChapter 12 The Growing ListChapter 13 Tam-tam versus GDChapter 14 The Other Phone CallsChapter 15 The Crab DanceChapter 16 Another Phone CallChapter 17 SilenceChapter 18 NoticeChapter 19 One-Sided SmileChapter 20 Stage and CelebrationChapter 21 Rap TutorialChapter 22 A Hundred TimesChapter 23 A Series of Talk: Part IChapter 24 A Series of Talk: Part IIChapter 25 A “Surprise” RequestChapter 26 ConfusionChapter 27 Wish Granted: Part IChapter 28 Weird DinnerChapter 29 Two Voices, One Heartbeat

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Chapter 30 ShoutoutChapter 31 UnfairChapter 32 Sweet CookiesChapter 33 The DreamChapter 34 Stolen GlancesChapter 35 Real ScoreChapter 36 UnexpectedChapter 37 Strong HeartChapter 38 FlowerChapter 39 The VisitorChapter 40 This LoveChapter 41 The SnakeChapter 42 RemedyChapter 43 TrendsetterChapter 44 Security CodeChapter 45 Parking LotChapter 46 FirefliesChapter 47 Wish Granted: Part IIChapter 48 The “Secret” BetChapter 49 The Snake SlithersChapter 50 The BargainChapter 51 A Kiss of FreedomChapter 52 Rays of the SunChapter 53 DecisionsChapter 54 The HallwayChapter 55 The ConfrontationChapter 56 BandageChapter 57 One Last MemoryChapter 58 MirrorChapter 59 The WinnerChapter 60 The Five StepsChapter 61 The RevelationsChapter 62 The Last Day ConfessionChapter 63 StayChapter 64 A Blur of EventsChapter 65 Epilogue: The Sunrise

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PROLOGUE

"It's been years since I met her. I've been silently watching her from afar. That smile that's glued on her face makes me smile, too. She's

always been my secret love. . . and always will be"

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Cha p t e r 1

S i l e n t l y W a t c h i n g

I t was past midnight. A man was sitting in front of his laptop. A smile was playing around the corner of his lips as he watched the girls on the video, or one girl in particular. It's been a while since he last saw her. He's been busy with Japan activities that's why he just contented himself with watching 2NE1tv. He let out a silent laugh as he watched the girl's unusual antics and gags. She's usually a very shy person, but very funny,too. Ah, he missed those days. But he will return soon! It's a good thing he can do some re-runs on his laptop. He's not a stalker or anything but, he's been watching her for quite a while now. Besides, they belong to a one corporation. As the video ended, he stood up and stretched a little. He was about to go to bed when his phone beeped. It was a text message. Upon reading the name who texted him, a frown creased his forehead. He replied with: "it's late. Y r u still awake?" He waited for a few minutes, but there was no reply. He reread the message he sent to her. 'maybe I was a bit harsh and snobbish' he thought. To make up for the wrong impression, he decided to update his Social Networking System(SNS), asking her if she sleeps soundly. She's known to be the queen of SNS anyways. Surely, she will read that.

As he prepared to bed, his mind was filled with thoughts of how will the people respond to his 1st solo album. He really worked hard so he hopes that the people would love his work. Upon the thought of his album, he smiled. Anticipating for a one recording session. And before he closed his eyes and fall into sleep, he whispered, "goodnight, Dara"

-THE FOLLOWING MORNING-

GD woke up. He first checked for his phone= NO MESSAGE.

He checked SNS. There it was! A post from Dara. As he read the post, he smiled. 'at least she's not mad'. But as he read the next line, he frowns. She was once again feeling lonely. She's been feeling this after she moved in to the apartment with the other girls. Actually, since she moved back from the Philippines to Korea. It was really tough for her to lose a career and bear the responsibility for the living of her family. Ever since her father left them, she took up the responsibility for her siblings' education and for their living. He saw how she struggles a few years back when they were still trainees. She

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almost didn't made it, but she's a one tough girl. The smile never left her face, it was as if it was glued. But he saw how she cries when she's alone. Many times, he went and comforted her. That's why she looks up at him as a big brother who she can lean on. But, it wasn't what he desired.

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Cha p t e r 2

Loo k i n g Fo r He r

I t's been three days since Jiyong and the boys(Bigbang) has arrived in Korea. From that three days, he hasn't seen Dara yet, not even her shadow. But they kept in touch through SMS(text messages). He knows she's at the Numero photoshoot with the girls. He decided to drop them a visit and bring some foods since he know how weak Dara's endurance is. But of course, he brought the other girls food,too. It would be too obvious if he would only bring food for Dara. She already gained quite a lot of antis from the MV she did with TOP. He doesn't want to add up to that. But of course, that's only one of the reasons he's keeping her distance from her especially if they are being filmed by the YG tv crew. The camera's always tagging along,so, he really watches his actions closely.

Upon arriving at the location, he didn't see any of the girls, so he asked the photoshoot crew where they were.

"They're over there" someone answered. He followed where the guy was pointing and saw Bom. He stayed for a while, teasing Minzy and Bom and giving them they're foods. He has a meeting to attend to in a short while but he hasn't seen Dara yet so he kept asking "where's everybody?". He was disappointed of course. 'where is she?' he asked himself.

After a few minutes, there's still no sign of Dara so he decided to go because he still have to go to a meeting. Everyone said goodbye to him, well except one.

On his way to the meeting, he can no longer contain his disappointment so he send a message to Dara.

GD: where wer u? didn't c u

After a while, Dara replied.

Dara: thanx 4 the food. really hungry, eating it deliciously right now. kekekeke

He stared at the message blankly, it wasn't the response he expected.

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GD: welcum. so, where were u?Dara: im @ the photoshoot

He rolled his eyes

GD: i know ur at the photoshootDara: kekeke. juz kidding u. u wer looking for me? y? i was probably sleeping when u came.

He sighed. What perfect timing does the girl had? Of all the time to sleep, she chose to sleep in time of his visit.

GD: u didn't sleep well last night?Dara: no. . . i find it hard to sleepGD: u always sleep late these past few days, it's not good for uDara: been missing a few peopleGD: oh. really? like who?Dara: secret! kekeke. Dara likes keeping secret. kekekeke..

He laughed silently. He was about to send her another message when he received another message from her.

Dara: got to go. it's my turn agen

The disappointment was somewhat lessened by their exchange of messages. But the next time he visit,he'll make sure she's not sleeping. She can't sleep forever, right?

He leaned his head on the headrest. Only two songs left unrecorded and his album's good to go. Of course, he's saving the best for last. Mr. YG questioned him the first time he said he wants Dara to be featured in his album. He was 100% sure he wants to include her. That's why he wrote a song that would be appropriate for Dara's voice. He sighed. Of course, this is the second reason he's keeping his distance from her. He doesn't want people to think he's biased. He also wants Dara to be pushed to her limits so the people will not doubt her talents anymore. Yes, she's not the best singer and dancer but if you listen closely, she puts her emotions into the song. He hopes someday people would see that and stop questioning how she became a 2NE1 member.

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Cha p t e r 3

Las t Fa r e w e l l

D ara was clasping her hands quite tightly. In just a few hours, they're going on stage to perform Bigbang's Last Farewell. She's nervous of course but quite confident. She never made mistakes during the rehearsals. The problem is, the song's really making her breathless. She was in that state when she heard her phone rings. Without looking at it, she answered, "hello?"

"Ya!"

"GD?"

"I'll be watching YOU closely tonight, you should do well. Don't disappoint me"

"Omo, GD sunbae, I'm not CL! kekeke.. You dialed the wrong number!"

"On second thought, I think I'll watch you live. I'm coming."

"But---" she answered but the line was cut off. She secretly smiled. She's been noticing the growing closeness between Bigbang's leader and their leader. She recalls the time when she noticed the growing closeness between the two, the moments.

'Dara can smell something fishy. kekekeke.. Dara like fishy smells' she thought. Too bad she was mistaken by Jiyong with CL. Maybe he didn't hear her right. Everything will be cleared when he arrives, though.

'I will endlessly tease them' she thought excitedly, jumping up and down.

"What are you doing?" someone whispered in her ear from behind that made her heart jump. She clutched her heart and was breathing hard when Jiyong stepped in front of her.

"Omo! You almost scared me to death! Don't do that again! I'm going to have a heart attack"

Dara saw that GD was laughing on all fours, clutching his tummy while laughing.

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"Ya! Why are you laughing! Stop that!"

"You should (*laughs*) have seen your face! It was so funny!"

"Why don't you just go to CL, so you won't bother me anymore?"

"What?" he asked a little breathlessly.

She rolled her eyes. "I said, why don't you just go to CL? She's the reason you're here,right? She's over there" She points CL out. Having a chat with some of the show's crew.

"I didn't came here for her. Are you deaf? I called you a while ago", he then leans in and whispered closely in her ear,"I'll be watching you closely tonight,and,oh,the hair suits you. You're really pretty tonight" She heard him chuckle. She stood there like a statue watching his back as he turned away to greet the other 2NE1 members. Is she going deaf? Of course not! But, did GD really said that? A peculiar feeling was starting to creep up from her toes to her head. 'Omo, what's happening to me?' she thought.

LAST FAREWELL PERFORMANCE

Dara placed the smile on her face, but her mind was off somewhere else. She danced in a trance-like state. GD's words kept swirling around her head, making her do choreography mistakes. But she just laugh it off and continued performing. He’s watching' she thought.

The performance received quite good reactions from the critiques and fans as well.

After the performance, they decided to go to their stylist's house first, just to pay him a visit. They were surprise to see GD's mom there and the YGtv crew, and was more surprise to see GD there with a puppy. Everyone seemed to find Gaho as a cute puppy, but not Dara. She kept her distance and they teased her for being afraid of puppies. GD even said she was a lot scarier than Gaho, which made her pout her lips.

'What's wrong with him? Just a while ago, he said I looked pretty, now he's saying I look scarier than his puppy' she told herself.

The other girls played around with GD's puppy for a while. While he was silently praying for Dara to come a little closer. He didn't know she was scared of puppies. He will convince her to be not afraid of Gaho because he's really a gentle puppy.

When the three girls said goodbye to him, he also said goodbye to them but in the back of his mind, he was hoping that Dara would say something,too. And she did!

"Annyeong!"

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"Annyeong!", he answered back. He liked the sound of it, since the word has double meaning. He doesn't want the meaning of a blunt goodbye.

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Cha p t e r 4

He l l o

-FLASHBACK-

Phone rings. She answers, “hello?"

"You'll be doing recording with me three days from now"

"Eh? Jiyong-ie sunbaenim, you've mistaken me with CL again. Why are you always doing that?"

"No,I'm not mistaken. As far as I know, this is the phone number of Sandara Park. Unless, you're not Dara?"

"I am Dara. But why are you telling me such nonsense? As far as I know, Chaerin will be the one recording with you. Are you on drugs? Aiissshhhhh.. You should go see a doctor!kekeke"

"I decided to include you in the album"

Silence.

A full minute passed: Silence.

Silence.

"Dara?"

Someone screamed. "Seriously? Omo! Why me? You should have chosen Minzy or Bom"

"The song needs a high-pitched voice. Your voice suit the song well. It's just like your In Or Out song", laughs.

She pouted her lips. "Look who's talking! You're the one who keeps singing it too high"

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"I'm just imitating you. Anyway, tomorrow will be Chaerin's time for recording and you will be recording with me three days from now. Got that?"

"Yeah, yeah. Got that. Have fun tomorrow!"

The next day. . .

'Are you having fun?' she texted.

'Yeah, CL is doing a great job!' he answered.

She held her phone tighter. 'She did a great job', he said. 'What if I fail him? What if I don't reach his expectations?'

She knows her limits and capabilities pretty well. Compared to the other girls, she still has a lot to go. that's why she's feeling a great feel of pressure right now. 'Why did he have to choose me? Is he torturing me for some reasons?' she thought. For some reasons, she just can't bear the idea of disappointing GD. She wants to impress him, MAYBE because he is her senior.

"Waaaaggghhhhhhh! What am I going to do?"

She tried to forget the pressure she's feeling by having fun with Bom and Minzy, since CL is doing recording with GD at the moment.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"HELLO" RECORDING

Dara was so nervous that she arrived at the workshop a bit early. They were doing some re-runs on their Last Farewell performance. She laughed at herself for committing a mistake. GD was not yet around so, she hang out with the others first. She sat beside Teayang in the chair and talked to him. It's been a while since they had a talk. They used to hang out together with the other YG family anyways.

"You look very nervous" Taeyang noticed.

"Yeah, I am. This is the first time I'll be doing a "featuring", so I'm really scared. Plus, it's GD's 1st album. I don't know why he had to include me."

They continued talking until GD arrived.

GD arrived in the workshop seeing Bom, Teddy, Taeyang and Dara. He was about to greet them when something caught his eyes that made him stop greeting them. Taeyang was facing Dara and his arm was at the top of the chair where Dara was leaning. It was almost touching Dara's shoulders. As if Taeyang noticed, he pulled his arm a bit.

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"Dara, come on" he said. He doesn't want to stay there longer. It's not Taeyang's fault of course. But he just can't help it. 'Omo. I slipped. I forgot to call her noona in front of the camera' he thought.

They proceeded to the recording studio. GD taught Dara the lyrics and the song. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes. "Noona, you're not tired right now, are you? Are you tired?" he asked,then he thought,'just say yes and I'll cancel this'. He waited for a yes but she just shook her head. 'She's really hardworking' he thought again."Yesterday I couldn't sleep" she laughs. GD saw how tired she was so he thought of a way to make her laugh.

"Really? I saw what you did yesterday", he faced the camera,"she got it all wrong by herself... before I said.. something to her""I never made mistake practicing it" Dara said.

'Whoa, that was really close. I almost revealed what I told her' GD thought. But he was glad to see Dara's face lighting up.

Dara recorded. They listened. GD have been trying to make her laugh because she looked so serious. He have to fight the urge to laugh because it's so unusual for her to be so serious. But maybe, she was just so tired.

After the recording, he said, "you worked hard""You all worked hard, too" she said.

As she left, she heard her say, "I don't know if I did well"

He sent her a message. 'you did very well, Dara. Sleep early tonight, okay? Your eyes are not looking good.'

'Thank you. I think I can sleep well tonight because of what you said' she replied.

He smiled.

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Cha p t e r 5

He a r t b r e a k e r

'H ow do you find my hair so far?' he texted later that evening.

'It gets quite a while to get used to' she replied.

'Tomorrow's the first day of Heartbreaker MV shoot. Are you coming?'

'Oh,goodluck! Fighting! Nope. I'm afraid I can't. We can't actually. Maybe some other time.'

'I don't think the boys are coming,too. Except for YB. He promised to be there'

'Yeah, YB is such a sweet guy. I'll spank the boys if they don't come. kekeke'

-1ST DAY-

GD didn't expect TOP to come on the MV shoot but was glad he did. They told him YG family will be coming tomorrow and watch the filming of his MV shoot. He was excited, of course. It felt weeks since he last saw Dara and got the chance to talk to her. He knows it will be limited because of the camera and all but her presence really means a lot.

Later that evening. . .

'Just finished filming for today. I heard you are all coming tomorrow?' he texted.

'How was it? Yeah, YG family is coming, but I'm afraid I still can't go'

'What? But why?' he keyed in.

'I've got some personal stuffs to do. Sorry. But CL's going to be there, you should be happy'

'Do you really have to do those stuffs tomorrow? How about some other days?'

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'Need to do it tomorrow'

He didn't reply. Disappointment can be weakening sometimes.

After a while, she texted. 'Are you sleeping already? kekekeke. Get some rest. Goodnight.'

-2ND DAY-

He was feeding Gaho when the YG family arrived. As he looked over, he saw ALL of 2NE1. He was so happy that he chanted '2NE1' over and over. When he saw Dara, he said,"you came!"

Mr. YG played with Gaho and passed him to Minzy. He mentioned about buying Minzy a puppy.

'Uh-oh' he thought. Of course he now knew that Dara's afraid of puppies. To save her from being scared, he said,"noona's afraid of puppies. She can't even touch one"

"Really?" Mr. YG asked. "Did you have a bad experience with puppies?"

"I'm scared of big dogs, not with small ones" she said.

"But Gaho is small" GD reasoned out.

"Smaller than him. I want a bunny, they don't bark" she laughed. And they all did. After the teasing was done, he saw Dara went to a small room where the foods are being stored. Seeing the cameraman taking a rest, he followed Dara. He stood beside her. "I thought you said you're not coming?" he whispered.

"Hmmmm?"

"I thought you said you're not coming?" he repeated a little louder, but still a whisper.

"Oh. I was just fooling around" she laughs.

"I'm glad you came but I hope you won't fool around like that again. Anyway, why are you so afraid of puppies?"

"Aigoo. I feel like they're going to eat me"

"Do you think I would let anything happen to you?" he whispered.

She stared. Not quite sure if she heard him right. Then, she smiled.

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"Of course, just like the old times, right? You and YB are like my brothers, always there for me"

He stared,too. Exhaled. "You're such a pain sometimes"

"Eehh?"

But then, he saw the camera is on again and focused on them. To create a distraction, he pointed at Bom who was eating. The camera followed, focusing on Bom, and right on time, 2NE1's trainer came in.

"Jiyong, the filming will resume any moment"

"Ok" he answered.

"Eat" he instructed to Dara, then added,"you're getting thinner everytime I see you"

After an hour or so. . .

GD was resting. Then, someone "chopped" his back, giving him massage. It was CL. He took her hand, not quite sure how to tell her he had enough.

Dara saw how GD and CL held hands. 'Ooh. Another moment' she giggled.

"Ya! Dara noona, why are you giggling by yourself?"

'Oops' she thought, ‘that was embarassing'

"Nothing" she answered, a little blush creeping over her cheeks.

Seeing her blush, GD smiled. 'She's so cute. I wonder what she was giggling about' he thought.

Dara and the rest of the girls stayed for a little while. All those time, the scene she witnessed a while ago kept on replaying on her head.

'Gah! Why can't I forget the holding hands scene? Well, maybe I'm just happy for the two of them', she tried to convince herself.

* * *

But before going to sleep, a thought came up to her head.'But why am I feeling this way? I can't understand myself'

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Cha p t e r 6

T h e Pas t Rev e a l e d I : M e e t i n g He r

-PRESENT-

G D woke up a bit late. He checked his phone. No message. He typed in: 'what's on your agenda today?'

Dara: excited! We were given three days vacation! I'll be going to the Philippines. I'm doing some paper works right now

GD: Oh. I think three days is too long, don't you think?

Dara: No. Don't kill my happiness. keekkee.

GD: Yeah, you always seemed so happy when it's about the Philippines

Dara: It's my second home

GD: I know. Just take care of yourself,okay? And puh-leeze, eat a lot. You really looked thinner.

Dara: Too much practice, I guess.

GD: You tire yourself too much.

Dara: I have to work hard. You know I'm not the best dancer and singer in the group,right?

GD: You've improved already. I won't include you in the album If I didn't think so.

Dara: Gah! Don't remind me! I don't think I did well

GD: I already told you, you did well

Dara: You should have chosen Bom,though. I'm still wondering why you chose me.

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GD: I told you, it fits your voice.

Jiyong shook his head. Of course it fits her voice, he wrote it thinking of her voice. He really wants her to be a part of his FIRST album. It feels complete in a way. But the girl can't seem to shut up and just let it be. President YG already questioned him regarding that, but he insisted, saying he can't find another that will fit the song.

Dara: Yeah, yeah! I'm really excited to see my Filipino friends again!

He frowned.

GD: Are you going to see your --?

Dara: My what?

GD: Your ex

Dara: Oh. I guess so. We'll be having SCQ reunion. Probably.

GD: What are you going to do when you see him?

Dara: I'll probably greet him "hello". keekkeke

He smiled. How can she do that?

He sighed, thinking she'll be gone for three days. But he should give that to her. The girl needs a break,anyway. Thinking of her going to the Philippines brought memories to his mind.

-FLASHBACK-

There's a consistent talk among the people that a celebrity from the Philippines will be coming to YG to train. She's not a Filipino as the others first thought, but a Korean. This talk was quite circulating around now but the president haven't confirmed any of it, so Jiyong didn't really pay attention that much. He kept his focus on his own group, the Bigbang and their training.

Later that afternoon, the president came in accompanied by a familiar girl. 'She looks familiar' he thought. As he stare at the girl, he finally remembered. 'Oh,yes, I saw her in a documentary before. I never imagined she looks this pretty up close'

"Listen" the President started. They all stopped and listen.

"This is Park Sandara. She'll be with us for a while. Please show her support".

The girl greeted them and introduced herself. 'Oh she's older than me' he thought.

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They all greeted her and introduced themselves,too.

"Jiyong-ah, meet me later. After your training" the president said.

"Ok" he answered.

"Continue with what you're doing", Mr. YG

They continued their training while Sandara sat in a corner and observed them. Jiyong glances at her sometimes. He can see that she's a bit uncomfortable. She seems very quiet,too. But her smile. She was smiling as she watches the others. 'She's smiling by herself' he thought. Her face seems to light up when she smiles. He smiled,too. 'Ah, her smile is infectious', he thought.

He wants to approach her but he doesn't know how. 'Maybe some other time' he told himself.

When the trainer told them that they can go home and take a rest, the girl stood up, too.

"You'll be starting tomorrow,right?" the trainer asked the girl. She nodded. "Thank you for letting me observe"

The trainer bade them goodbye. Jiyong glanced at the girl before leaving the room. She was talking to the trainer. There were so many questions he like to ask her, but that will have to wait, the president is waiting for him.

As he entered the office of the president, he saw that the president was watching something. "Ah, Jiyong-ah, you're here. Come, I want you to watch something."

He was curious. As he fixed his eyes in the monitor, he saw a video of Sandara singing. As the video reached middle, a smile was starting to curve his lips. Okay, the song is not really that good, and so is she. But he finds the song and the girl cute.

When the video ended, he was smiling, and laughing a little.

"What can you say?" the president asked.

"Eh?"

"It's Sandara's song in the Philippines, called In or Out. It's quite popular there"

"I think it's cute"

"I think we got a lot of work to do on her. I honestly think she's not capable. But we'll see"

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On his way out, he bumped into someone. The person dropped to the floor. 'Aisshh. It's her' he thought.

"Oops, I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" he asked reaching for her hand.

She smiled. "It's okay. No harm done"She was standing already as she received his hand."Thank you"

"You're thanking me for bumping you?"

"Ah, no. For helping me"

He smiled,"oh,yeah. Are you going to talk to the president?"

"Um, yeah, I'm quite scared actually" she said nervously, but she was still smiling.

"I felt the same way the first time I saw him. But look, I'm still alive", chuckles.

A peculiar look came on her eyes. But it was fastly replaced by amusement as she laughed timidly."Thanks, that made me feel better" she said.They stood there for a few seconds, until it was too awkward already. "I think I gotta go" she said.

"Yeah, I guess. See you around"

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Cha p t e r 7

T h e Pas t Rev e a l e d I I : T o u g h T i m e s

H e can't quite count the months since he met her. All those times, it was a one tough ride for her. He watched how she struggled through their rigorous training. She was progressing, yes, but it wasn't quite enough for the president. He watched how she smiles when being criticized then cries the next second, when everybody was not looking. But not him. He's been watching from afar. He watches, never tries to stop the harsh words being thrown to her. 'I'm sorry. But you have to be strong' he thought. There were times that he just watch and listen. But everytime he sees her crying, it's like squeezing his heart, too. For the past few days, he's been giving comforting words to her. Words of encouragement. He also gives her constructive criticisms.

He can see through her sometimes, though. Behind those sweet smiles, loneliness is lurking behind her eyes. That's why he's been keeping her company, eventhough she's close to almost everyone in YG. Since Taeyang is naturally a sweet guy, though very shy at times, he's also keeping Sandara company. They sit in a corner sometimes, during break and laughed off to her jokes. He jokes around, too, when she's not her usual cheery self. It's been like that for the next few months, until one day, she announced that she's going back to the Philippines.

"But why?" he asked.

"I have to work. And besides, I told them I'll be gone for just a year"

"Are you staying there for good?" he asked.

"Philippines is my second home" she answered.

She smiled. "We'll always be friends, right?"

"Yeah" he said.

Yes, friends. The first time he heard she already got her eyes and heart on someone, he was somewhat disappointed. Of course, that's the reason she's been treating him like her brother. There were times that she's been giving him peculiar looks. But

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when he looks closely, it disappears, so he just think of it as his imagination, but he swears he's been noticing it happening more and more lately .

"When are you leaving?" he asked.

"Next month"

'That soon?' he asked himself.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes, why?"

"Well, you looked odd a while ago", she chuckled.

"I always look odd, don't I?"

She laughs. "Yeah, that's why you always amaze me"

"What?"

"Ya! Break time is over!" the trainer said.

"Time for practice!" she said, standing energetically.

After a week. . .

Dara was smiling because the trainer praised her for the first time. Though, there are a lot of harsh words, still, he said she's already showing some improvements in her dancing and acting skills. She was also praised for being the most hardworking trainee.

"Why don't we all take a break and enjoy? Have dinner in a restaurant or something?"

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Cha p t e r 8

T h e Pas t Rev e a l e d I I I : T h e Da r e

"O h" Dara exclaimed."What?" GD asked.

"I'm afraid I can't come with you guys, I got something to do" she said.

"Oh", he exclaimed, not quite able to hide his disappointment.

"How about moving the dinner this weekend, so everybody can come? We need to get together as a family anyways" Se7en suggested.

Jiyong's face lit up. "Yeah, that's a great idea.You're free this weekend noona,right?"

"Oh,yes, I am" she answered smiling.

"It's settled then"

They all bid their goodbyes. Jiyong waited for her, but she said he should go without her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. I just want to check a few things" she said.

"Okay", he hesitantly said and bid goodbye.

"Take care" she waved.

He waved back. He walked a little out of the studio. When he saw Dara was not looking anymore, he went back and sneak. 'I wonder why she's staying?' he thought.

As he watched through the glass door, quite making sure he remains unseen, he saw that she was practicing some moves by herself. There were a few times she fell on the floor, stumbling and struggling from the dance steps. He wanted to go to her but he knew she needed to do this alone.

24

He stood there for like hours. 'Isn't she exhausted already? She's been practicing for hours' he thought.

Right on cue, he heard Dara's exhausted breathing. He saw her lie on the floor, taking deep breaths. Then, she sat. Stared at herself in the mirror, then smiled.

'Here she goes again, smiling by herself. I wonder what's on her mind now?' he thought.

Then all of a sudden, Dara jumped up, full of energy. Then started singing and dancing. At first, he didn’t understand any of it until he heard the words "in or out". She was so energetic it almost look too chaotic, like she's on rage. She was throwing her hands everywhere. She also got this big smile on her face and she was singing too loud, it was almost she was shouting but it sounded too pitchy.

He was laughing by himself as he watched her, when the song finished, she strike a pose, the smile never leaving her face, then all of a sudden, she fell to the floor. He panicked, he thought she fainted from too much exhaustion, he was about to enter when he heard her laugh.

"Omo, I'm so tired. Kyaa!"

He let out a sigh of relief. 'She scared me there' he thought. When he saw that she was preparing to leave, he immediately took off, or ran away, to be exact. As he was heading home, his mind was full of thoughts of her. 'She's working so hard. And she looked so fragile, with that body of hers. I want to help her. But how?' he asked himself.

WEEKEND. . .

Jiyong woke up quite ecstatically. His mood seemed to light up the atmosphere everywhere he go. He went to the training room with a smile on his face. And she noticed.

"You look so hyped today" she said, smiling too.

"Well, yeah. It's a beautiful day, don't you think?"

She chuckled. "I guess so."

"Oh yes it is. The sky is clear, the sun is shining brightly--"

She laughed. "What happened to you? You're saying weird things, it's kinda crazy" she cut off.

"Oh well, it's just a beautiful day"

25

Jiyong's mood didn't cease 'til the end of the day. It even doubled up when the trainer announced that they are done for the day.

"Okay guys, hurry up, we're going to eat out tonight, remember?" He reminded them.

They all freshen up first before leaving the studio.

They decided to eat in a restaurant not too far from the studio. They were all having fun when Se7en came up with an idea of a game. Spinning bottle! But it's not a "truth or consequence" game. More of a consequence game.

The game started with Se7en. They kept on thinking dares for every person chosen by the bottle. From funny to embarassing to humiliating, everything under the sun.

The restaurant was filled with their laughters and jeers. All those time, he steals glances from Dara. He was having fun watching her reactions. Sometimes, she's the one who gets so scared for someone. He was glad she was having fun,too.

Then, the bottle pointed Dara.Everyone applauded. He watched her reaction. She was smiling, but he knows better, she was starting to get nervous.

"Hmmm. What dare shall we give her?" a YG trainee asked.

They all think, then someone answered. "I know! How about eating a saucer of chili?"

"Oooohhh.. Hahahaha"

The others jeered and laughed.

"Yes, let her do that"

"I agree"

They all said. Jiyong kept his silence, yes, he was smiling, but he was watching Dara's face the whole time, watching for a hint, any unnecessary reactions to help her. And he was not disappointed. He saw her eyes widen and the scared look on her face could break anyone's heart, or his heart. Because it seems like the others didn't notice maybe because she was still smiling. He doesn't want to see her like that."Omo" she whispered.

"Don't you think it's too hard?" YB asked the others.

"That's why this is a dare game" someone answered.

26

Sandara was cupping her face and she was laughing weakly.

"I'll take her place" Jiyong suddenly stated when he can no longer hold it in. Everyone stared at him. Dara's eyes even got wider and she was shaking her head.

'Of course you won't accept my help because you don't want to appear weak, don't you?' he thought to himself, and continued thinking, ‘I’m going to ask a favor in return so you won't reject my offer'

"But. . ." he said, breaking the awkward silence.

"But what?" the others asked.

"I have one wish from noona" he smiled. He really has no idea what to ask her. But then, he remembered something. His smile grew wider.

Dara, thinking of Jiyong asking for a wish, she immediately agreed, though she was having doubts because she doesn't want Jiyong to eat those for her.

"Shoot" she said.

"You have to sing In or Out with choreography"

"Whoa!"

"That's a great idea"

"Yeah, think of it as your debut stage" Se7en stated. They all laughed. She bit her lip. "Aigoo", she said, covering her face.

"Okay, I'll do it" she agreed.

Jiyong smiled. 'That's my girl' he thought. He wasn't really intending to embarass her, he just want the others to see how cute she is. Though he'd rather keep her to himself. But he also wants them to see her charm.

She stood up. "Omo" she said. He saw her took a deep breath, closed her eyes a moment then opened them, a smile on her face. He took his phone. He wants to remember her as a funny and tough girl, he doesn't want to forget that smile, though it seemed glued to his mind.. Who knows when will they see each other again? Since she's going back to the Philippines, he wants to record this moment.

Then she started. Everyone was smiling. They were clapping to the beat, jeering and cheering her on. The other people in the restaurant started to watch, too. They were all smiling and laughing.

27

But Jiyong did not pay attention to anyone else. He didn't notice anything. His eyes were set on the girl who'll be gone in a few days time. He was smiling at first, but the smile was starting to fade as the thought of her leaving started to sink on his mind. He realized this could be the last time he's going to see her like this.

When she was finished, her face was so red, she almost resembled an apple, she was so cute. She was covering her face and shaking her head. "Aaiigoooooo" she laughed, still covering her face.

The others clapped and laughed with her. Even the other customers were clapping.

"You already gained fans" someone said,"successful debut"

They all laughed.

"Jiyong, you have to eat the chili, since noona did her side of the deal"

He smiled seeing the weird expression on Sandara's face. Her expression was a mixture of smile, a scared look, doubtful and a pitiful look.

"You really don't have to eat all of it" she whispered, making sure the others can't hear.

"Okay,I'll do it then" he said to the others, ignoring Sandara.

And so he did. He put up quite a brave face, so she won't feel guilty.

"Are you alright?" she asked, when everybody's attention was once again on the spinning bottle.

"Yes, of course. Why?"

"Your face is all red, you kinda resembled an apple" she laughs awkwardly.

He stared at her. He can't quite understand what he felt. He can't point it out. 'Can she read minds? Of course not, that would be weird. But SHE is WEIRD' his mind battled.

"Ya! Are you already sleeping with your eyes open?" she asked.

"Oh, no, no. I just rememberd something" he mumbled.

The night past with all of them having fun. They left the restaurant with huge smiles on their faces.

"Ya, noona" he called.

28

"What?"

"Take care. And sleep well" he said.

"I will. You take care of yourself, too"

He smirked. "I'm quite capable. You should be the one taking care of yourself. With a body like yours, you can collapse anytime"

"Kyaa! I'm quite capable myself"

"If you say so"

"Uhm. Thanx for saving me there"

"It's nothing. You did something in return, right?"

"Ya! GD! Let's go!" YB called. "Noona, take care of youself, okay? Sleep well tonight" he added.

"I will" she answered back. "You should go" she whispered.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, I'll see you Monday?"

She nodded. "See you" she smiled and waved him goodbye.

They all waved goodbye to each other. Jiyong watched her back and sighed.

29


Cha p t e r 9

T h e Pas t Rev e a l e d I V : T h e De p a r t u r e

F or the past few days, Jiyong spent more time with her, together with YB. They grew closer to each other. He thought he knew her already but he found out so many things from her. She's predictable at times but most of the time, she's unpredictable, he also learned that she got a wild side, but in a good, crazy and funny way. He knows she's crazy, but he found out that she can be extremely crazy.

And for the past few days, he's been teasing her with In or Out. He always sing the two lines from the chorus: "in or out, am I in or out?"He enjoys watching her reaction everytime he teases her. The blush, the embarrassment, the pouting lips, the smile, the laugh, the cuteness. Her reactions changes everytime he teases her, but he enjoyed watching her face, she never fails the amaze him with her unexpected reactions. But he was asking her in a way. Everytime he sings in or out, at the back of his mind, he was asking her if he's "in or out" in her heart. But of course, she doesn't know that. She only thinks that he's teasing her.

"What does the song mean, anyway?" he asked one day. They were sitting in a corner of the studio. He was just teasing her a while ago. She told him the meaning of the song.

He was shocked when he heard the meaning of the last line. He laughed sarcastically 'Coincidence?' he asked himself.

"Ya! What's so funny?" YB asked.

'This is unbelievable' he thought. "Nothing, I just rememberd something funny" he answered, then he looked at Sandara.

"Hmmmmmm. I think I like the last line, you know, when the girl is asking the boy if she's in or out in his heart"

But in his case, it's the other way around. It's not the girl asking, but him. Oh, how he wish the girl would someday ask him that, too. But it's impossible, of course. With her being in a relationship.

30

"You always remember something" she mumbled.

He smirked. "It's because I have a good memory, unlike you" he teased.

"Kyaa!"

They continued being like that for the rest of the day. Jiyong knew his time with her was getting slimmer. He gives hints, of course, like him singing In or Out but she don't notice any of it of course, with a crazy mind like hers.

The night before she leaves and return to the Philippines came. They've been exchanging messages through the phone.

GD: Do you really have to leave?Dara: Yes. I told you, I need to work. And besides, I missed my Filipino friends alreadyGD: And of course, that special someone of yoursDara: kekeke.. That's part of the reason, of course.

"That hurts" he whispered to himself. "That really hurts, this girl is so insensitive", he kept mumbling to himself, shaking his head.

Then his phone beeped.

Dara: I'm gonna miss you, too. All of you

'Ugh! Why does she have to include everyone? For once, can't it only be me?' he thought.

He replied, 'we'll miss you,too'Dara: I know. kkkkk. So, are you going to send me off tomorrow?GD: Sorry, I can't. Have a happy and safe trip, though

Yes he can't send her off. He doesn't want her to go. Watching her back would be painful, just like the time when he watched her go, seeing only her back. He's scared. He's scared to send her off. But he's also afraid of stopping her.

"Coward" he whispered.

Dara: Oh. I hope you can come and send me off,though. That would be thoughtful

"Ugh" he exclaimed. Knowing she's leaving was already gut-wrenching, watching her leave would be too much, and yet she's asking him to send her off.

Dara: I'll be waiting for you, okay? You should come

He didn't reply.

31

The next day. . .

Dara was already at the airport with her family. She was somewhat excited and scared and sad.

She sent him a message: 'Ya! Where r u?'

After a few minutes, NO REPLY.

She frowned.

She sent him another message: 'aren't you going to send me off?'

She waited. There's still no reply.

Dara: Ya! Did something happen to you?

He replied: 'I'm not coming. Have a safe trip'Dara: But why?

NO REPLY

"Ya! We should go" her mom called.

"Annyeong" she whispered to herself.

Not too far from where she was standing, a guy was hiding in disguise. He watched her turned away, her back to him. He followed her physique until it disappeared. He was rooted to the spot, quite unable to move. Then, he whispered, "annyeong"

-END OF FLASHBACK-

-PRESENT-

That was the most he can remember. The following months came like a blur. He hardly remembered what happened after the incident in the airport. He continued with their activities, of course, but he felt empty in a way. And now, it's like history is repeating itself. She, returning to the Philippines. The difference is, now he's assured that she will return. That it's just a vacation. The thought of her returning, somewhat brought another wave of memories.

32


Cha p t e r 10

T h e Pas t Rev e a l e d V: Sa d S t o r y

-FLASHBACK-

"S he's coming back" he heard, not quite sure who said it. He doesn't care who's coming back though, she could be anyone, but he REALLY doesn't care, except if that someone is HER.

"Yeah, I heard she'll arrive tomorrow"

"Ya! Jiyong, aren't you excited?"

"No. Why should I?"

"But S-"

"Ya!"the trainer shouted. "Let's resume."

And so they did.

After two days. . .

The usual rehearsals and training are happening. The usual sweat, heavy breathing filled the room. Nothing unusual. Jiyong was so used to this routine everyday for the past months. Nothing exciting, new or thrilling's been happening lately. Come to think of it, it's been like that for him for a year.

He heard the door open, he wasn't really looking, he was staring at the floor. The moment that someone entered, the room was filled with roars, cheers and laughters.

"Sandara!"

"You're back!"

"I told you she's coming back"

33

"Sandara, we missed you!"

"Omo!" Sandara said, laughing.

The room was filled with gleeful greetings. The others were ecstatic and happy to see her again. They all greeted her, welcomed her and hugged her, except one.

Jiyong's head snapped up. He can't believe what he heard. But there she was! With her usual smile, fragile body, shyness and craziness. He was rooted to the spot. He's not sure if he's just imagining her or not. 'I'm just imagining this one' he thought. He smiled. He can't believe he can still picture her perfectly, it was as if she's really there. His imagination was quite accurate. Of course he knows she's not coming back, that this is just his imagination. He was quite sure she'll inform him that she'll be coming back and SOMEONE would surely inform him,too. Why would she leave the Philippines and return to Korea if she's having a great career there, a lot of friends and someone special? He frowned as he thought of the words 'someone special'.

"Ya! Jiyong!" he heard her call.He secretly smiled. 'I can still imagine her voice perfectly' he thought.He saw her smile and she was coming near him.

"Omo! You changed! You looked different, especially your hair" she said, with that crazy and funny look of her eyes. He saw her reached his hair and touch it, he held his breath. 'She seemed so real' he thought. But when he felt a tingling sensation creeping from his neck, he realized he's not imagining. 'She's here, she's really here!' his mind shouted.

He was still holding his breath. It's as if the time stopped the moment he realized she's not his imagination. He was scared to let go of his breath, scared that every movements will make the time tick again. He wants to savor this moment. He saw her sniff herself.

"Do I smell bad?" she asked, a frown creasing her forehead.He exhaled. "What?"

"I'm asking if I smell bad to you. You've been holding your breath there"

"Oh, no, I just. . . remembered something"

She smiled. "You still have a good memory,huh?", laughs.

"So, when did you --?" he started, but unable to finish, stunned by her presence.

"Yesterday. And guess what?" she asked excitedly.

"What?"

34

"I just signed a contract with YG a while ago" she said, clapping her hands and jumping up and down.

"Really? You're staying for good?" His eyes widen.

"Yes!",laughs.

"I think I have to go to the bathroom" he said.

"Ehhhh?"

He ran to the bathroom. He smiled. The smile slowly turning into laughters, then tears started to flow. He covered his face, then exhaled. He punched the air, saying the word "yes" over and over again. He can't believe she returned, and was staying for good, even signed a contract with YG.

He stayed there for a while, savoring the moment. He regretted his welcome, though. He could've shown her how happy he is that she returned and staying. 'Ugh, how stupid' he muttered. He should have given her a grand welcome.

He returned to the studio and saw Sandara talking to YB. She must sense his presence because she looked over him and smiled. He smiled back.

"Ya! Why didn't you tell me that you're coming back?" he asked.

"I've been calling you many times, but I can't contact you. And besides, I told Youngbae to tell you" she ranted, then turned to YB. "You didn't tell him?" she asked.

"I did. But he wasn't paying attention" YB answered, a little flustered.

"Oh, I guess he just remembered something again" she laughed.

He laughed, too.

"Enough about me. Let's talk about you" Jiyong grabbed her wrist and shook his head. "You're not eating properly" he noticed.

She just laughed. 'Ah, I miss that sound' Jiyong thought.

"So, tell me everything. What you've been up to the past year? And what made you decide to come back?"

She laughed again and said, "It’s quite a long story"

But he saw it. Behind the laugh was sadness. It sounded hollow, empty.

35

"But it's a good thing you're back. We missed your craziness, you know" YB said.

And she started with her usual crazy self, making everybody laugh with her jokes.

'I'll find out what happened soon enough.' he thought.

Three days had passed. In those three days, he's been thinking of ways how to ask her what happened. But he can't seem to find the perfect timing. She was always with everybody, talking and laughing. She was never alone, so he can't pull it off. He's been watching her though. And he can see that she's hiding something. He can see it in her eyes and she's been trying too hard to make jokes and fool around.

'I already gave you three days, I can't wait any longer' he thought.

"Ya, Sandara noona!" he called.

"Huh?"

He motioned his finger, so she would come to him.

And she did.

"I want to know everything. Later, when everybody leaves" he whispered, then left her and joined the others.


She was talking.

He was listening.

She cried, he felt bad.

She started crying harder.

He was speechless.

He comforted her.

He let her lean on him.

He shouldn't have asked. He hates seeing her crying like this. He learned about what happened to her career, how she struggled to make a living for her family, how she found out about her father and his other family, her relationship. He don't know if he should be happy that they broke up. Seeing her cry like this over that boy, angered and

36

saddened him. If she was crying hard like this, he'd rather they would be together again, eventhough it would kill him. But Sandara deserve someone better than him.

He told her that.

"But I loved him so much. I don't think I can love again after what happened, after what he did."

Those words broke his heart.

That was the saddest story he ever heard and will ever hear in his life.

37


Cha p t e r 11

T h e Pas t Rev e a l e d V I : Lau g h t e r s an d T e a r s

H e wanted to punch something or someone. But of course he can't do anything since they're miles apart.

He continued listening to her gut-wrenching sobs, feeling her tears soaking his shirt.

He closed his eyes and lean his head on the wall. 'Please make it stop' he thought, 'please make that sound go away'

He wanted her to stop crying, so the pain he's feeling from seeing and hearing her like this will go away. He wanted to run away to escape from the sound of her pain.

But he can't.

He won't.

And he didn't.

She needs him right now. He knows crying is her way to ease some of the pain she's feeling. So, he stayed. He listened, even if right now, he just wants to be deaf.

He would make sure he won't hear that sound from again. All he wanted to hear are her silly laughs, her hysterical laughs, her high-pitched laugh and even her annoying laugh.

A moment later. . .

She stopped crying. He can't hear her sobs anymore; he can't feel her shoulders shaking.

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, swallowing hard.

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

He didn't see her smile.

38

"Thank you for always being there for me. Eventhough I'm older than you, you're the one who's taking care of me. Omo, I wished you were my real big brother"

She also didn't see the pain that crossed his eyes, the sarcastic smile that curved his lips.

"Yeah, you're so fragile"

She chuckled.He smiled, loving the sound of it.

A few minutes passed. . .

They stood up.

They walked.

They didn't talk.

She waved him goodbye, a smile perfectly in place.

He waved back.

She left, and so did he.

He arrived at his place, went to bed and stared at the ceiling.

He closed his eyes, went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, he woke up. He was breathing hard and sweating. 'Just a dream' he thought.

He sighed. Now that he's awake, he can't seem to find sleepiness. The sound was haunting him. He kept on hearing it, it's as if she's there and he can hear her crying.

He covered his ears with his pillow and tried to go to sleep.

Not too far from that house, a girl was curled in a tight ball. Her tears were falling endlessly, as if they don't wanna stop from falling.

The following day. . .

Jiyong arrived earlier than the others in the training room. He was not expecting to see her today, after what she confessed last night. She's probably so depressed right now for reliving what she'd been through.

One by one, the others arrived, then, "Kyaa! Good morning everyone!"

39

He looked up. There she was , smiling brightly, greeting everyone enthusiastically, it's as if she didn't cry hard last night. But her eyes were all wrong. It was puffy and it has dark circles under it.

"Hi!" she greeted him.

"Hi", he greeted back, then added, "you didn't sleep well last night." It wasn't a question, but a conclusion.

She scoffed. "Look who's talking. You got dark circles under your eyes, too"

He smirked. "It's natural."

She laughed.

"Yeah, I was born with dark circles under my eyes" he continued.

He tried his best to make her forget, to make her laugh. He was somewhat succeeding, though there were times when he can see a distant look in her eyes.

"Ji," she called.

"Hmmmm?"

She smiled. "Thank you," she whispered.

"What?"

"Do you want to go out?" she suddenly asked.

He stared, not quite believing what he heard. He was stunned. His heart was beating so fast, it felt as if it's going to pump out of his chest.

Sandara, on the other hand, saw the blank look on his face. 'Maybe he doesn't want to go' she thought. She was embarrassed. When the silence was too awkward, she added, "with YG trainees of course, or just YB. The three of us, just like before. But I think the more the merrier, right?" she reasoned out.

Jiyong snapped out of his own world.

"Um, so do you want to go?" she asked again.

"Oh, with the others? I guess so" he answered.

"Great! It's settled then!"

40

'Stupid' he told himself.

For the next few days, they were hanging out a lot. Sometimes with the other YG family, or just the three of them. Him, Sandara and Youngbae.

He was glad that she seemed to forget what happened, and he was glad that she looked so happy. But he was mistaken.

They were just wrapping up their training.

He went to a storage room. But he stopped dead with what he saw. He saw YB hugging someone. He wasn't quite sure who it was, but he was sure it's a girl. He smiled. Usually, YB can be VERY shy in front of a girl, but from what he saw, it looks like he finally overcome that one. He was about to leave, not wanting to disturb the two when he heard YB spoke. "Sandara noona, it's alright"

His eyes widen.

"I'm sorry for being like this" he heard her say.

"It's okay. I understand."

She sniffed, wiped her tears and smiled.

"I think we should go" she said.

"Are you sure?" YB asked.

"Yeah"

He saw YB put his arm on Sanadara's shoulder and led her out. They both stopped when they saw him.

"Jiyong!" they both said, and laughed.

He even didn't crack a smile.

"What were you doing there?" he asked.

"I was just-" Sandara started but stopped upon seeing Jiyong's face.

"Noona needed someone to talk to" YB answered, easing the tension, and removed his arm from Sandara's shoulder.

They stared at each other.

41

"I think we should go" she said.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

-PRESENT-

They were quite close, but, lately, he's been avoiding her, creating distractions so the people won't notice.

42


Cha p t e r 12

T h e G r o w i n g Li s t

J iyong was browsing the net when something caught his eyes. As he further read, he don't know what reactions he should have. A mixture of amusement and something else? He shouldn't be surprise, though. She's really pretty. But the others don't know that there's much more behind that pretty face of hers.

She can be shy and wild at the same time.

She can be quiet and crazy at the same time.

She can be funny and cry baby at the same time.

She can be fragile but strong at the same time.

There's much, much more.

She'll be going to the Philippines two days from now. And from what he read in the articles, her list could grow tremendously.

He texted her.

GD: Ya! U seemed to catch a lot of guys' attention these days, not only guys but popular Idols, in that sense.Dara: Kyaa. Such nonsense!GD: Do you think I'm a tough guy?Dara: Ehh?GD: I'm asking your opinion. Do you think I'm tough?

He just heard somewhere that she likes younger, tough guys. He never asked her that for the past few years.

Dara: Why are you asking questions like that?GD: Just want to know.Dara: Let me think.

43

30 minutes passed.

GD: Kyaa! Do you have to think long? Never mind the question. Your admirers are kinda younger than you, most of them. You like younger guys, right? Have anyone caught your eyes?Dara: kekekeke. Secret!GD: Seriously, do you like any of your admirers or someone in particular right now?Dara: I'm really not sure on "your admirers" kind of thing. I haven't talked to anyone in particular except Bigbang, so I don't know.GD: Why do you always answer out of topic?Dara: They can be good looking, but it would be better if I KNOW someone deeply before I can say I like him. Satisfied?

He sighed.

GD: Bigbang members are younger than you, though.Dara: Ya! You don't have to remind me that I'm old and older than any of you guys, I already know that!

He rolled his eyes. 'How stupid can she get?' he asked himself. He was referring to himself, that he's younger than her, since she likes younger and tough boys. But what to expect from her? He was already giving hints, but she misinterpreted them all.

GD: So, no one's really caught your attention from your set of admirers?

He keyed in a few names.

Dara: I won't tell you.GD: But why?Dara: Because it's a secret! You don't tell anyone your secret, right? kkkkk

'She's getting worse' he thought and shook his head.

What to do? Good looking, not to say popular ones have their eyes on her. Of course, there are others that might be just hiding their admiration on her. Who knows? Her fanboy list is quite growing rapidly. The others are starting to confess even in television! He doesn't know how to describe what he felt. In a way, he's happy that she's gaining attention, but on the other hand, he doesn't want others to confess like that when they don't even know her personally. He has known her for years, but he wasn't able to confess directly. But he can't blame the guys, what's not to like about her?

GD: But you like young and tough ones, right?Dara: kkkkk. U always ask the same questions.

44


Cha p t e r 13

Ta m- t a m ve r s u s GD

H e sighed. He never gets straight and coherent answers from her when they're exchanging messages.

He keyed in another message.

GD: Did you pack your things already?

He waited, but there was no reply. His gaze roamed around until it stopped at the sight of his table, where papers are scattered. He's been really working hard with his fisrt solo album, so his attention was kinda diverted from writing 2NE1's song for their next album.

He smiled. Aside for his love in writing and composing songs, he really wanted to help 2NE1, but of course, he got excuses to see her more often. As the maker of the song, he sees to it that he supervised every details, from studying the songs to recording it. From that, he got to see her. His brain surprises him sometimes. 'Ah, I'm so brilliant. Aside from helping them, I get to see her often' he thought and laughed by himself.

His phone beeped. He immediately reached his phone, but it was too far that he fell off from the chair.

'Aww' he thought.

Dara: kkkk. Preparing Tam-tam-i!GD: Ur going to bring that doll?Dara: Yes.

He frowned. That Tam-tam is one lucky "doll", if you can even call that a doll. Aside from those hugs she's giving it, it get to sleep with Dara, or lie beside her in the bed. He remembered it was a toy, how can it sleep? That thing gained a lot of dirty looks from him already. He remembered getting envious of that thing, he kept throwing it dirty looks, his eyes squinting into tiny slits. He was thinking of giving it to Gaho when she left it in a corner, when the girls were rehearsing in the studio. He took it from the corner, when everybody was busy. He was simply giving it punches, or pounding it.

45

-FLASHBACK-

He attended one of 2NE1's rehearsals. Right now, they were having a break, and as usual, she was fooling around. Bom was sitting in a corner across him, taking a rest. Minzy was dancing and stretching while CL was talking to their stylist.

Dara was talking to the camera about her so-called "doll", Tamtam.

"Tamtami!" she squealed.

Then, the camera focused on the other girls. He took the opportunity at once.

"Dara!" he called.. She looked at him, he motioned her to sit beside him. She didn't literally sit beside him, there was a little distance between them. He heard the cameraman saying that he needs to go to the bathroom.

"Omo, Tamtami, you should take a bath later" she said, ignoring him.

He called her again, a little louder this time, but she wasn't really listening because she got all her eyes on Tamtam. She was too engross talking to the "doll"

"Tamtami, stay close with me. Bom-ah's planning to kidnap you! Kyaa!" she said adoringly, with that pretend scared look on her face. He smirked.

"CL made that for you, right?" he tried again.

She looked at him, a shy smile on her face, and nodded. Then she turned to Tamtam again.

"Dara" he called softly.

"Eh?" she asked.

'Finally' he thought.

"Are you-" he started, but then, Bom came and grabbed Tam-tam away from Dara.

"Gah, Tamtami!" she screamed, going after Bom. They chased each other around until the trainer called them to resume their rehearsals, and right on cue, the cameraman came. Bom gave Tamtam back to Dara. She hugged the doll tightly. Then, Dara left Tamtam near where he was sitting.

He let out a frustrated sigh.

He looked at Tamtam and threw a dirty look at it, his eyes squinting into tiny slits. 'I should have brought Gaho with me' he thought as he looked dangerously at the doll.

46

He looked. No one was looking. Their eyes were focused on the girls. He reached out for it, slowly and innocently.

He gave it a BIG squeeze, then punched it secretly. 'CL shouldn't have made you' he thought.

Then, suddenly, Dara looked over him, he immediately hid Tamtam, he sat upon it, jumping a little on his place. When he saw that Dara was not looking anymore and was too preoccupied with practicing, he threw Tamtam carelessly to the side.

He watched them practicing. He gives advises sometimes or words out his opinions.

When it was time to go home, the girls prepared their things. Dara took Tamtam and kissed it.

"Miss me, Tamtami?" he heard her say.

He threw another glare at the doll as they exited from the studio.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Thinking back, it was really stupid to feel envious with Tamtam, it was a cute doll, after all.

47


Cha p t e r 14

T h e O t h e r Phon e Cal l s

T he following day. . .

GD: Ya! I’m afraid I can’t send you off tomorrow.

Dara: It’s okay. I’m quite used to you not sending me off.

‘Oh. So she still remembers’ he thought, that made him cough. He didn’t expect that she’ll bring that up. He felt guilty.

GD: I have a valid reason, though. We still have some work to do for my album.

Dara: Kyaa! Then what was your reason the last time?

‘Ugh! Does she have to ask?’ he asked himself.

GD: I was quite busy that time, too

Dara: Okay. If you say so.

GD: U don’t believe me?

Dara: Kyaa! Can’t wait to see my Filipino friends

‘Now, what was that?’ he asked himself again. There he was, getting a bit sentimental, then she just changed the topic randomly. ‘She’s really getting worse’ he thought again.

GD: Why do you always do that? U never take my questions seriously. But when we are being filmed, you talk to me too seriously.

Dara: Kyaa! U do the same! U don’t talk to me too much when we are being filmed!

Come to think of it, it’s like they both have an understanding not to talk too much in front of the camera. But when they’re having their “phone conversations, they’re so at

48

ease with each other. Back then, they personally talk often. But of course, he was distancing himself from her now, but he never thought that it came to her notice. He smiled. ‘So, she noticed.’ He thought. That only means one thing, she must missed those days when they used to talk to each other often. He just noticed that they were getting awkward with each other in front of the camera. She doesn’t treat him like she treats him before and doesn’t talk to him the way she talks with him on the phone. ‘So, does that mean that she’s been watching her actions closely, too?’ he asked himself. He hopes so.

GD: It’s because u don’t talk to me normally, too.

Dara: U did it first!

GD: No, I didn’t start it.

Dara: U think I haven’t noticed?

‘Uh-oh. I’m in trouble. So, she notice I’ve been keeping my distance from her? Play it innocently’ he told himself.

GD: What?

Dara: U don’t call me noona sometimes

“What the----? “ he asked himself. He thought she was talking about the “distancing” issue.

Dara: C? U can’t answer because it’s true! But it’s ok. I look young anyway. U look way older than me.. kkkk.. I should call you Grandpa!kkkk

He looked older? He shook his head.

GD: U should go to a clinic and let your eyes be checked.

Dara: Grandpa! Kkkk

He knew he won’t get any serious answers from her now that she’s being like this again.

He sighed. He missed talking to her in a “serious way”. Just like the time when she confessed about what happened to her in the Philippines. He missed times like those. He always wants to be the one she runs to or trusts with her secrets, doubts and fears.

He heard his phone ring. He looked at it, a smile on his face, expecting it to be her, but he was a bit disappointed when he found out it was not her.

“Ya! Taeyang!” he greeted then listened.

49

“Okay. Sure, you can come”

A moment later. . .

Taeyang arrived.

They talked about their solo albums and talked about anything they could come up to. They don’t see much of each other now; because of their individual activities.

A few hours later.

Jiyong laughed at his own joke, he was expecting Taeyang to laugh too, but he didn’t. He looked at him. Taeyang was frowning while looking at his phone. A message probably. ‘He looked frustrated. What could be the reason?’ he asked himself.

“Ya! Are you okay? Is there something wrong?” he asked.

“Sandara noona” YB answered nonchalantly.

The smile suddenly disappeared from his face. “Why? What’s wrong with her?” he asked simply, trying not to sound concerned.

“Oh, the usual” YB answered, typing a message.

“What do you mean by the usual?”

YB didn’t answer, he was too busy texting. He waited.

And waited.

Still, he waited.

“Ya!” he suddenly burst

He saw YB jumped in his seat with a surprise. “Huh?” he asked blankly.

“I was asking you what do you mean by the usual”

“Oh. You know, she’s feeling kinda lonely again and that she’s scared and excited at the same time to visit the Philippines” YB ranted.

“That’s usual?”

“Yeah. You know her, She tends to feel lonely sometimes”

50

“Do you always exhange messages?” he asked, trying his very best to hide the conflict he’s feeling.

“Yeah. She calls me sometimes, too”

" How often?"

"Hmmmm. Well lately, it's been quite often."

51


Cha p t e r 15

T h e Cr a b Dan c e

"O h. Really? What do you guys usually talk about?" he asked, simply gripping the armchair, his heart was beating furiously fast.

"Hmmmm." YB thought for a minute. "Well, she usually does the talking, I just listen" laughs.

"I see" GD murmured.

"What does she usually tell you?"

Taeyang gave him a look. "Well, anything, actually. I guess it depends upon her mood. We usually talk about the past. You know, when the three of us used to hang out. We talk about you sometimes, too"

That did him in. He was trying so hard to control his facial expressions and the tone of his voice. He gave a shaky laugh.

"I hope she's not talking about any stupid things about me" he said, unsuccessful to hide the expectant tone from his voice. He was on the edge of loosing his control of asking what she says about him.

"Well, she's a bit worried actually. But I'm not gonna tell you everything she said to me. I promised I won't tell anyone." YB laughed guiltily.

"Oh, I won't tell anyone, too! Why would I do such things? I'm not the type who spread gossips"

"It's not really a big deal, though. She was worried if she did something wrong because you've been keeping your distance from her. I'm sorry that's all I can tell. You're my friend, but she's my friend,too. And she trusted me not to tell anyone"

"You mean there's more?"

52

"Why are you so interested in what she thinks about you?" Taeyang laughed. "You know her thoughts are a bit weird compared to a normal human being"

"Ya!" he blurted out. "Look at the time, it's getting late! You're tired are you? I think you should take a rest. I'm really concerned about your health, I think you should go and take a rest" he ranted and lead YB to the door, or he was kinda pushing him out.

"But-"

"Bye bye! Have a good night sleep!" And he closed the door.

He looked at his phone on the table. 'How come she calls him and she only send messages to me?' he asked himself frustratedly. "Aiisshh" he blurted out, gripping his hair with frustration and dropped himself in the chair. He looked at the phone again. He took it and dialed a number, but then he canceled and stood up. He walked back and forth in a circle, glancing at the phone every now and then.

He took it again and dialed a number. He heard it ring. He waited. 'She'll get what she deserves from this' he thought. He was thinking a lot of words to say to her that would make her feel guilty.

Waited for another 10 seconds or so but no one's answering. He canceled it then redialed again.

He heard it ring again.

'Why isn't she answering?' he asked himself.

"Ya! Ji! What do you want?" he suddenly heard, she was having difficulty speaking or something. He frowned.

"Ya!" he shouted back. "Where are you? I've been calling you for-" he stopped when she heard her moan, and he thinks he heard a rumbling sound or something.

"I'm in the comfort room" she said in a strained voice.

"What are you doing there in the first place? I've been-"

"Kyaa! Do you have to ask? My stomach's not feeling well!" Then he heard another rumbling sound.

"Oh!" he muttered.

"Call me later. I need to concentrate" The line was cut off.

53

He looked at his phone then laughed. He was supposed to be frustrated at her, but he can't really stay frustrated or mad at her if she can make him laugh that easily. The image of her face having stomach problems kept on surfacing in his head and he can't help but laugh.

A moment later. . .

His phone rang. He looked at it and he can't help but laugh again as he saw who was calling.

"Hello?" he asked, a little breathlessly.

"Ya! I know you're laughing. Aigoo! You don't have a good timing do you? Ya! Stop laughing" she burst out frustratedly.

"I'm sorry" GD said, then another wave of laughter burst out from his lips.

"Kyaa! Is YB still there? I'd rather talk to him than you"

That stopped him from his laugh trip. He wiped his tears out of his eyes from too much laughing. "No, he's not here anymore. How did you know he went here?" he asked, sitting up.

"He told me. So what do you want anyway?"

He opened his mouth. But closed it again. How could he ask her what he wants to ask? Like, how come she calls YB and not him? Or why does she suddenly confides to YB when not long time ago, he was the one she always confides to? And the most difficult question, does she like YB? He then remembered that she was a bit biased when it comes to YB.

-FLASHBACK-

He was in the recording studio with Teddy and TOP. Taeyang was presently recording fro his second album. YG tv is not around since the songs are quite confidential at the moment, and this song was not chosen to be broadcasted on tv.

Then, someone came unexpectedly.

"Dara!" Teddy called.

"Hi!" she greeted.

"Why are you here?" GD asked.

She smiled. "Oh, just to see YB recording" she said.

54

He couldn't quite believe his ears.

She sat beside him. He looked at her. She looked back. He thought something tender crossed her eyes as they stare at each other, but it fastly disappeared.

"How have you been doing?" he asked.

"I'm doing quite good, don't you think? I look so fresh today"

Teddy and TOP laughed, he chuckled. Then, YB came out of the booth.

YB smiled. "Noona, you came!"

"I told you I'm coming" she answered, with a smile. GD looked at her then at Taeyang. His eyes squinting into tiny slits again. "I promised, didn't I?"

A moment later. . .

"I'm thirsty, I'm going to get water in the storage room. Noona, do you-" YB started.

"I'll go with you" Jiyong cut off. "Dara, do you want anything?"

"Um.. I just have what you got here" she answered.

"I think I need to go to the bathroom, too" Teddy said.

They were about to leave, when TOP stopped them.

"Ya! Why are you only asking noona? I've been here longer than her, I even woke up earlier and skipped breakfast, just to be here. I've been waiting for any of you to ask if I want something to eat, but no one did. Aiisshh.. Is this how you treat your hyung? Taeyang, I'm disappointed with you" TOP ranted. They all laughed. They know he wasn't really mad and that he was just teasing because of that stupid look on his face.

"I was going to surprise you, hyung" GD answered.

"I'll get you something hyung" YB said.

The three of them exited the studio.

Dara was left with TOP. They were sitting at the opposite end. She was sitting stiffly. No one was talking.

She looked at him the same time he looked at her. She smiled awkwardly. He smiled back awkwardly,too.

55

"Are you feeling well?" TOP asked her.

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm okay"

They didn't talk after that anymore.

Three minutes of silence passed.

"Whoa! Did someone die here? I swear I'm having goosebumps right now. My hairs are standing up!" Jiyong blurted out as he arrived at the studio.

"Why?" Teddy asked.

"The silence was filling the room too much!" Jiyong answered, laughing, then he turned to Dara and TOP. "What happened to your tongues?"

They laughed.

"TOP and Dara have an awkward relationship, don't you think?" Teddy said, chuckling.

"We're just both very shy" TOP reasoned. "But I do feel awkward to noona" he added.

"I feel the same way" Dara said, making all of them laugh.

Jiyong gave Dara a sandwich, a bottle of water and a box of milk.

YB gave TOP his food, too. They started eating their food.

"Ya! Why does noona's food looked tastier and stuffier than mine?" TOP asked.

Teddy chuckled. "Dara's really thin, she needs that"

"Do I have to look thinner for you to treat me nicely?" TOP asked YB and GD. They laughed again.

"Your gags are back" Teddy said. "I thought you said you're a very shy person?"

TOP smiled. "Noona's very shy,too but she can crack up a good joke. I think Dara noona's a lot funnier"

GD smiled, too. "Park Bom noona's really funny,too" he said. He does find Bom very funny. He wasn't expecting her to be this funny, but of course, Dara's way, way funnier, he just can't say it out loud.

56

"Yeah, but Dara noona's crab dance was jackpot." TOP said.

"Aigoo. That was really embarrassing" Dara said.

TOP laughed. "No, it was fun. Due to your popularity,they even asked us to imitate your crab dance"

"Yeah, I saw that one" she said, laughing.

"I did well than TOP hyung in the crab dance" Jiyong inserted.

"Ya! How can you say that?" TOP asked.

"Yours was too weird, mine was closer to what she did" he answered. Of course, he watched that clip for nth time, he did have a good laugh at Dara at that time.

"Why don't you three do the crab dance again, and me and YB will be the judge" Teddy suggested.

Dara went first; then TOP; GD did it last.

"I think TOP's version was really funny, though GD's was almost the same with Dara's. What about you YB?" Teddy said.

"TOP hyung's expression was really funny" he answered, chuckling.

"I think TOP's version was funnier" Dara said, laughing.

TOP punched the air, a motion that he won.

Jiyong was in the middle of a smile and frustration.

"How can you say that? I'm the one who brought all this foods to you, you should be rooting for me" GD said. They laughed. He knew that the others were thinking that he was just teasing Dara, but at the back of his mind, he was kinda disappointed.

"Ah, sunbae-nim's quite good in everything he does already" Dara said dramatically that sent another roll of laughters.

"Ya! Are you saying I only do well in crab dance?" TOP asked her.

"I'm just saying this to make GD feel better" she laughed, pretending to whisper to TOP. She was about to drink water when GD grabbed it out of her hands. "I shouldn't have brought you this, I'm returning it"

"Ya! But I'm thirsty already"

57

"It's cold, not good for your voice"

The others thought GD was teasing Dara again so they chuckled.

"Noona, take mine" YB said out of nowhere. He threw the bottle to Dara who opened it immediately and took a drink at once.

Jiyong looked at YB. He saw that YB was looking at Dara with a smile.

"Ah, YB's such a sweet guy" Dara said, after drinking half of the bottle.

TOP sniggered. "Yeah, but he tends to be overwhelmed by his emotions sometimes"

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"Ya! Ji! Are you still there?" GD snapped. He loves how she calls him G or Ji sometimes.

"Yeah"

"So, what do you want?" she asked again.

"Are you feeling well? I mean your stomach"

"I feel better. But what is it you want?"

"I. . . I was just checking. YB said something about-"

"What did he say?" he heard her voice panicked. He frowned. He got curious.

"He said something about you feeling scared and excited about going back to the Philippines"

"Oh" she sounded relieved.

"Is there something else?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. There's nothing else" she said, her voice fading away.

There was silence.

"Um, Ji?"

"Hmmmm?"

"I forgot to thank you for including me in your album, eventhough I still don't know why you-"

58

"You're welcome" he cut off. He doesn't want to hear her doubting herself again. "So, umm, why are you scared of going back to the Philippines? I thought you were excited?" he asked.

"I just don't know if how are they going to welcome me. If they still remember me.. Something like that" she laughed. "Maybe I just wanted to prove to them that all their support to me before are not wasted..."

"You're doing great, already, you shouldn't be scared"

She laughed. "That's what YB said.But I can't help but feel scared."

YB again. He was silent."Do you want to learn how to rap?" he suddenly said out of nowhere. 'Aish, what were you thinking?' he asked himself.

"Aigoo. I sucked at it. I want to concentrate on improving my dancing, singing and acting first, before I try to learn something new."

"How did you know you sucked at it? You haven't even tried it yet?"

"I've been attempting with YB. You know he used to rap before, right?" laughed.

"Oh, I see" he said quietly.

"I actually wanted to impress and surprise you, but I totally suck!" she laughed harder.

"Can you repeat what you said?" he asked, eyes growing wide.

"Once Mr. YG is satisfied with my performance and once I'm satisfied with myself, I'll ask you to personally teach me how to rap" she said.

"Can you repeat what you said before-"

"Aish! I already said it, I don't want to repeat it anymore"

"But why do you want to-?" he intentionally trailed off, a smile on his lips

"Omo! Of course, you're a sunbae, it's natural for me to want to impress you, right?"

"Oh! Yeah, right!"

Meanwhile, Dara was still in the comfort room because she doesn't want the others to hear her, and there's no camera literally in front of the toilet bowl. She faked a yawn. "I'm already sleepy. I'm going to sleep" she said.

"Oh. Okay. Goodnight! Bye bye!"

59

"Goodnight"

"And Dara? Sweetdreams"

She smiled. "Okay. Bye" She cut off the line. She looked at the phone. "Sweetdreams, too. I'm sorry if I'm not confiding in you anymore. I don't want you to burden with my problems. You've already done too much for me"She sighed.

60


Cha p t e r 16

An o t h e r Phon e Cal l

“I wish I could come with you in the Philippines”, he texted, hours before her flight.

Dara: It’s not your birthday yet, you’re not allowed to make wishes. Kekeke

He rolled his eyes.

GD: Speaking of my birthday, I’m expecting you to be there, alright?Dara: Of course, I can’t miss all the foods and drinks you’ll be serving, right? Yumyumyum. And besides, I’m a party type of girlGD: Since when did you become a party girl?Dara: Starting on your birthday. Anyway, do you want anything for your birthday?GD: Just be there, that’s enough for me.Dara: Oh, good. I won’t be spending money. It’s such a waste to spend it on you, don’t you think? Kkk

He’s not really expecting anything from her. Honestly, her presence would be enough but to say that it’s a waste to spend on him was overboard.

GD: Why don’t you just enjoy your trip and stop messing me?Dara: I will! U should have a vacation yourself. Ur working too hard this past couple of months. I can see that you’re losing weight rapidly.

He smiled.

GD: Concerned?Dara: kekeke. You’ve been teasing me about how fragile my body is, I’m just having my revenge. . .Ah… It’s so sweet!

He’ll definitely miss her. Three days felt like three weeks for him.

GD: Yeah, I think I can eat and sleep well now that you’ll be gone for three days. You’ve been disturbing me with your messages for 24/7. It’s kinda annoying.

61

He was just teasing her of course. He actually liked the idea of her texting him late at night, or early in the morning or even during lunchtime. And, this is his way of saying that he’ll miss her badly, and her messages. He knows she won’t be able to text him regularly once she arrived in the Philippines

Dara: Fine, then. I won’t text you anymore if it’s annoying you already. I know you only want to text CL, but u don’t have to tell that too bluntly.GD: hahahaha. Don’t be such a baby, I’m just kidding you.

He waited, but she never replied. He tried to call her, but her phone was off. He sighed.‘I was just kidding her’ he thought.She can be really hardheaded and hotheaded sometimes. She also got a lot of mood swings. It’s actually driving him crazy sometimes.

‘I’ll just call her again later’ he told himself. He shook his head. She’s really one of the most unpredictable girls in the world. He sighed again. He knows she’ll be seeing her “ex” again, because she mentioned that she will be having a reunion with her fellow contestants from the talent search she once joined in the Philippines. He never really asked her if she still loves him. Maybe because he was afraid to hear what the answer is, to hear her say the word “yes”. It was already too painful for him to hear her say that she loved him so much and that she thinks she can’t love another guy again. To hear her say that again would too much for him. He could literally lose his sanity.

He knew that this is her lifelong dream: to be a singer and a performer. She wanted to prove wrong all the people who didn’t believe in her, the people who thought she was just another pretty face. And of course, this is her way of earning for her family. He doesn’t want to distract her yet, since she’s just beginning her career. To confess his feelings to her would put her career at risk. He doesn’t really care about his, but he can’t risk her career for his own happiness. All he could do for now is just watch her from afar, secretly loving her.

* * *

He went to the workshop. And as usual, TOP, Teddy, YB were there, but this time, Kush was with them.

“Hi!” he greeted.

They greeted him back.

“So, how are things going?” he asked.

“Good, good” Teddy answered.

After a swift moment. . .

62

“Ah, it feels weird that the girls are not here, especially Dara. She always gives me quite good laughs” Teddy chuckled.

TOP sniggered. “Dara noona’s really unique”

‘Oh, please, not you, too’ GD thought.

“I just noticed that TOP and Dara are the same in a way” Teddy chuckled again.

“Yeah, yeah. I thought I was the only person who noticed their similarities” Kush agreed.

“In what way?” GD frowned.

“They’re both very shy, but they can crack up really good gags”

“Both of them have the same facial features, too. The hollow cheeks and smoky eyes” Kush added.

“I don’t think noona’s cheeks are hollow” he disagreed.

“Dara can be a gangsta if she wants to, so much like TOP” Teddy continued, as if not hearing anything he said.

“I rhink CL fits the gangsta image more” GD disagreed again.

“But noona’s really sweet, too. In her own way.” YB said.

GD’s frown deepened. “I don’t think TOP hyung is a sweet guy”

“Ya! Why are you talking about me as if I’m not here?” TOP asked. Teddy and Kush laughed.

“Ah, that’s where they differ. She can be compared to YB in that category”

He looked at them expectantly, waiting for them to say anything that Dara also have similarities with him. But no one did. They kept on comparing her to other people.

He doesn’t what to hear any of it anymore. It’s as if they’re saying Dara’s compatible with everyone except him.

‘What kind of friends are these people? Are they blind? Dara and me have a lot of similarities’ he thought. But then, he realized, they’re really not aware about his feelings for her.

He was in that thought when YB’s phone rang. “Hello?” YB answered. GD saw him paused for a while then smiled. “Oh, so you arrived already? Really? Wow!”

63

There was too much enthusiasm in his voice. Then, YB looked at him for a moment. “Yes, yes. Oh, I see. Of course” YB excused himself and went outside the workshop.

“I wonder who’s he talking to? He’s been talking on the phone almost everyday. I wonder if it’s the same person” Teddy voiced out.

“His face usually lights up like that when there’s good news” TOP said, “must be his mother” he continued.

“Or must be someone special” GD muttered. ‘Someone special to me’ he thought. The other three whoop in glee.

“Nah, YB’s too shy” he heard TOP say.

He stood up. ‘I think I got an idea who that is’ he thought.

“I need to go to the bathroom” he excused himself.

Upon going outside, he saw YB in a corner, still talking to his phone. As he passed by him, he caught the words “noona” and the “Philippines”

‘I knew it’ he thought.

He went to cubicle and locked it. He leaned his forehead against the door.

‘This is really pissing me off!’ he thought grimly. ‘If this is what she wants, fine then, I’ll give it to her’

After a while, he went back to the workshop. He saw YB still talking on the phone. He didn’t hide the grim expression on his face.

YB saw how grim GD’s face was. He shook his head and sighed.

‘I can’t believe two people can be this stubborn’ he thought.

64


Cha p t e r 17

S i l e n c e

1 st day of Dara’s vacation. . .

He didn’t receive a single message from her for the whole day.

He didn’t attempt to text her either.

2nd day. . .

Still, no messages. He’s usually busy talking or typing a message on the phone, but today was different. It’s actually odd how his phone beeped once in a while. But still, no messages from her.

He decided to bury his head with work, since life gets too boring sometimes.

He sighs once in a while, looking at his phone. Another boring day has passed.

3rd day. . .

He’s slowly losing it. He looked at his phone for the nth time today, opens it, then closes it at once.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple.

He opened his eyes again, looked at the phone. He typed a message, then deleted it. He threw the phone to the side.

“Looks like noona enjoyed her vacation” YB chuckled.

GD looked at him dangerously. It was a good thing YB was busy reading MESSAGES.‘Does he have to broadcast everything he read?’ GD thought irritatedly.

“Oh!” YB suddenly said, a frowned creasing his forehead.

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He didn’t even dare ask what happened or if anything happened. He had seen and heard quite enough already. And it’s pretty clear for him that Dara doesn’t feel the same way he do. Maybe it’s about time to give up and find another who would appreciate his affection. He smiled bitterly. ‘Replace her?’ he thought. That was quite impossible. Yes, he could find another, but he knows he can’t give his whole heart to that girl, he already gave it to someone. And that someone is kinda crushing and breaking his heart into pieces, it cannot be fix by just anybody, but only her.

* * *

His phone beeped. A message.Dara: Ya! I’m back! Where r u? I got something for u

Then, another message came. . .

Dara: Ya! Why are you not responding? Are you busy?

Then,

Dara: Ya! Oohh..! I know! Are you having stomach problems right now? I’ll text you again later, so you can concentrate… kkkkk. A piece of advice: Flush it four times, okay? So, no bad smell. I flushed mine four times.

He can’t help but smile. His fingers were itching to key in a message but he didn’t. He consumed all his energy to restrain himself from sending her a message.

Dara: Ya! Some of the Filipino fans bought gifts for you and the YG family. Aren’t you excited?

Later. . .

Dara: Ya! What did you eat? Your stomach problem seemed so severe. I pity you, I pity you. But I totally understand, I’ve been there. Go ahead, take your time. Just don’t forget to text me later.

Much, much later. . .

Dara: Ya! Kwon Jiyong!

Okay, he’s control got all fed up.

GD: I thought u said u won’t text me anymore? Ur flooding my phone with your messages

A moment later AGAIN. . .

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Dara: Sorry. I won’t flood your phone anymore! It won’t happen again. Bye!

But she kept on flooding messages to him anyway.

Messages like:

Dara: I really am sorryDara: Are you really mad at me? Annoyed?Dara: Am I really annoying you?Dara: Why are you being such a baby?Dara: Ya! I said I’m sorry alreadyDara: Y r u being so coldhearted? Don’t u pity me a bit?

And it went on and on and on until he can’t take it any longer.

GD: Ya! Stop it already. Why do u keep on flooding me when u said u won’t do it anymore?

Then his phone beeped again. Thinking that it was just another “flood” message from Dara, he lazily opened his phone and read the message anyway. His eyes grew wide as he read the message, his mouth hanged open in disbelief, his heart beat furiously fast and he was speechless. Then, the biggest smile appeared on his face. He stared at the message as if it’s a dream come true.

Dara: I missed you

He quickly replied.

GD: Ur forgiven

That simple, and he just went to heaven reading it. ‘Ah, she knows my weaknesses’ he thought. Now, he’s wondering if she’s not really aware of his feelings.

Another message came. He didn’t quite understand the whole message, well, except for the first line.

Dara: I really did miss u. Maybe that’s why. Kekekeke. But I know you missed CL, right? You’ll see her pretty soon

Dara exhaled. At first, she was really hurt when he said she was annoying him. Due to her hurt feelings, she said she won’t text him anymore. She tried to forget by enjoying herself. She did have fun, and forget about it for a while. But she did miss all the teasing. She was actually expecting a “bit” that he’s going to send her a message or even call her in that three-day vacation, but he never did. ‘Oh, well, maybe he was busy texting CL-roo’ she thought before. She sighed. She’s really missing her “friend”. Their friendship ever since 2NE1 debuted, somewhat changed. At first, she didn’t really pay

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attention that much, since she was busy with their debut also. But then, she noticed the growing closeness between GD and CL and that he always teases Bom and Minzy made her realized that something has changed, and there’s a growing gap between them. But she never said a word about it, just let it pass because she saw that he seemed happy and enjoying the company of CL and Bom. She thought that he doesn’t feel the same way like before. Maybe his feelings changed and he doesn’t see her as a friend nor a sister. Maybe he only sees her as his junior. It was a good thing YB was still there, just like before. She smiled. It’s always refreshing talking to YB. In a way, some of the “bad vibes” she’s feeling eases.

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Cha p t e r 18

N o t i c e

G D was told that the President wanted to see him. Thinking that it was another meeting for his album, he immediately complied.

Upon arriving at the President’s office, he was somewhat surprise that it was only the two of them. Usually, if there’s a meeting, the office is filled with people. But not today.

“Sit down”

It was as he expected. They talked about his album and some other future plans. They also talked about 2NE1 and their next album, since some of the songs were written by him.

Then, the President went silent for a few minutes. GD’s beginning to have suspicions that this meeting is not all about his album

“You know I’ve been watching YGtv, right?”

He nodded.

“And eventhough you have a solo album right now, you’re still Bigbang’s leader. And as a leader, I expect you to show support to 2NE1 especially 2NE1’s leader CL”

He nodded again.

“Do you have anything to say about you and Sandara?” the President asked that made his eyes grew wide.

“Huh?” he asked blankly.

“Do you think I haven’t notice the looks and stares you’ve been giving Dara? I’ve been asking some of the crew to edit some scenes out before broadcasting but not all of them were deleted. Your eyes always look different when you look at her. Do you want to explain that?”

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GD was dumfounded.

After an hour…

“You understand what I’m saying, right?”

GD nodded.

“Good. You can go” Mr. YG said. As Jiyong stood up, he watched his back and sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Jiyong’ he thought.

Jiyong kept on sighing. He kept remembering the talk he had with the President. That was probably one of the President’s longest speech. He knew he should forget that talk and act normally, but he can’t help himself from remembering it. But he knows one person who can help him forget.

His phone beeped. ‘Right on time’ he thought.

Dara: Ya! They told me I’ll be doing CF with Lee MinHo! So excited! Kkkk.. But this is a secret, okay?

‘This is getting more complicated’ he thought.

GD: I’m happy for uDara: Is there something wrong?GD: No, why?Dara: I was expecting another answer, and this is not ur normal way respondingGD: Do me a favorDara: U always asks favor.. kkkk. What is it?GD: Behave while filming the CF, okay?Dara: Kyaa! I’m always behave!GD: Just give me ur wordDara: Okay, sunbae-nim. I won’t even talk, just to behave myself. KkkkkGD: That’s far-fetchedDara: kkkkk.. How far?

He smiled. Yes, he was right. She can really lighten up his mood.

Dara: Congratulations, by the way.GD: Huh? For what?Dara: I know ur album will do very well once it’s released.GD: I do hope soDara: I know it will, because I’m a part of it. U should be honored.. kkkk. People would buy it because of me!

He chuckled.

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GD: Ur so full of urselfDara: I’ll be using 3 of ur songs as my BGM once ur album is released.GD: Why?Dara: U used mine before. I think I have the right to use yours, tooGD: I mean, why 3 songs?

He was kinda expecting her to use only one song, the one they did togetherDara: Aisshh. U ask too many questions, why don’t u just thank me for giving u this so much honor?.. kkkkk

He smiled again.

GD: I kinda miss ur’ In Or Out’ songDara: U should do a remake of it on your next solo album.. kkkkGD: U wish! I won’t do that even if they allow meDara: Y?GD: I’m afraid of how big your head will beDara: Kyaa! It’s ur lost, not mine! kkk

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Cha p t e r 19

On e- S i d e d Sm i l e

G D’s album was a smash hit! He was overwhelmed by the reception he received from the people. And, true to her words, Dara did use 3 of his songs as her BGM. At first, he was a bit worried that it will cause a talk, but not much article came out. Instead, the people perceived that Dara was just helping him promote his album.

On the other hand, he’s been rehearsing for a few days already. This is for his solo debut stage of course. Being a perfectionist is part of his character, so he’s a bit touchy on the details, besides, the president will be dropping by tomorrow to check him out. As for Dara, she’s been busy with practice and filming for the CF with “that guy”. He’s been askin for details about the CF, but she kept saying “surprise surprise” or “secret” or “guess guess” with “kkkkk” in every message.

They took a break from rehearsing. He checked his phone, there’s a message that was sent 15 minutes ago.

Dara: Can I drop by for a moment?GD: sure. Why?Dara: Just finished filming CF, so CL’s not with me

He frowned. Another out-of-the-topic answer from her.

GD: Y don’t u just go home and take a rest?Dara: U don’t want me to come?

‘Silly. Of course I want u to come’ he thought. He was just worried about her health.

GD: I didn’t say thatDara: Good. I’m actually at the front door of the practice room already, before I asked u if I could come. Kyaa! I’ve been waiting for ur reply here outside for minutes already!

Before she even entered the room, Jiyong’s smile was all ears. The moment she entered, it went even wider.

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“Hi!” he greeted. “I can’t believe you waited outside for so long. You should’ve come in even without my reply”

She laughed.

“Hello” she greeted him back, smiling. “Where’s YB?”

His smile suddenly disappeared and turned into a frown.

“He’s not here. He’s at the workshop, but I think he’ll drop by later”

“Oh, I see” she murmured, not looking at him.

“If you can’t wait to see him, you can just go check him out at the workshop”

She laughed again. “I didn’t came here for him, I was just wondering why he’s not here,. I actually came to-“ she stopped, her eyes growing wide.

“To what?” he urged, looking at her expectantly, but she’s avoiding his gaze. Her eyes were wandering around.

“Oh, is that TOP?” she suddenly blurted out.

GD didn’t even look back when he answered “yes”. She laughed awkwardly.

“So, why did you come?” he asked again. She can’t expect him to just let her drop off like that, can she?

“Aisshhh.. You always ask too many questions”

He smiled, only one corner of his lips curving up.

“Aigoo! It’s back!” she exclaimed, looking at him with amazement.

“Huh? What came back?” he asked in confusion.

“Your one-sided smile! It’s been quite a while since I saw that one” she giggled.

“But, you still haven’t answered my question. Why did you-?”

“Aisshh.. Am I not allowed to see and watch my senior anymore?” she cut off, then continued dramatically, “Ah, sunbae-nim, you are so coldhearted”

He smiled his “one-sided” smile again.

“I really like that smile of yours” she mumbled.

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They looked at each other, his eyes growing tender and warm.

“Ya! GD! Let’s go!”

“You should go. Fighting!” she cheered.

Again, he smiled one-sidedly. She seemed to like it, so he can’t help himself from showing off a little to her.

Dara looked around. Most of the seats are occupied with stuffs. The other unoccupied seats are across the dancefloor, she just can’t cross the dancefloor, so she got no choice but to sit beside TOP. She walked silently towards TOP.

“Hi!” she greeted, smiling a little. He looked at her with that sharp eyes of his, then smiled a little, his lips curving a bit and nodded. She sat beside him. They were silently watching GD with the back-up dancers

Once in a while, in her peripheral vision, she could see that TOP glances at her, opens his mouth as if to say something then closes it again.

‘Déjà vu?’ she thought.

They’ve always been like that even if they were still trainees back then. When it’s just the two of them, it can be too silent you think someone died, that’s according to GD of course. There were attempts of talk, but they always end up being silent again. They usually talk with a “yes” or “no” conversation. That’s how it is between them. It’s kinda funny actually. She was known for her gags, but she can’t seem to pull off a gag with him. But if there are people with them, the two of them are usually the ones responsible for the gags. So, it’s really weird that when they are left alone, you can never hear the two of them pulling some gags or even talking.

They sat in silence for like an hour. Then, she stood up. As she stood up, she felt like the room was spinning around, that she was silently falling, the floor disappearing from her feet. She felt her body falling sideways, but before she hit the floor, she felt two arms catching her.

“Ji” she whispered, then, DARKNESS.

At first, TOP thought she was dancing, because her body was swaying. ‘What a weird dance’ he thought. Then he saw her body falling sideways. ‘Is that suppose to be part of the choreography? What a weird step’ he thought again. But then, he noticed that something was wrong because she kept on falling sideways. He caught her right on time, just before she hit the floor. “Noona?” he asked at the same time he heard her whisper something.

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GD was glancing at Dara once in a while through the mirror. He saw it all happened. He rushed to her at once. He patted her cheeks. TOP was cradling her face.

“Let’s lay her on the couch” he said. TOP obliged, he carried Dara to the couch.

“Hyung, let me” GD said. He lifted Dara’s head and placed it on his lap.

After a while, she blinked.

She blinked for a few times again, then slowly opened her eyes. He let out a sigh of relief and leaned his head on the wall. She tried getting up, but he stopped her. Just then, YB arrived.

“What happened?”

“She fainted” GD answered. “Get her a water, will you?” he asked YB.

“Okay”

YB turned away.

GD turned to Dara. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Please don’t tell Mr. YG” she asked from the other witnesses who were gathered around them.

“Give her room to breath” he snapped. The dancers scattered and went on doing other things, since they saw that she’s already okay. Then, GD turned to Dara, “Lie still” he whispered.

“Here’s the water” YB said. She sits up, took the water and drank it. As GD watch her drink, he saw that she really looked tired and exhausted.

“I’m fine already” she said again. “You should continue practicing, don’t mind me”

“But-“

“I’m fine, really. Besides, YB and TOP are here”

That’s mainly the reason why he don’t want to. But, he should control himself. He looked at her, hesitating. “Okay” he said, after a while.

GD resumed practicing but he wasn’t as focused as before. He called the practice off after a few minutes.

After the practice, the others went home already. GD, Dara, YB and TOP stayed.

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“You still need some rest.” GD told her when she said she should go to the practice room already.

The four of them talked, laughed and joked around.

“Ya! Jiyong! Why are you always smiling like that?”

“What smile?” YB asked, Dara frowned, looking at him.

“He kept smiling one-sidedly, I swear his lips is going out of proportion already” TOP stated. Dara’s confused look disappeared, instead a knowing smile crept appeared on her face, then it turned into fits of laughter. She burst out laughing. She was rolling on the floor with laughter and was pointing at GD.

TOP and YB laughed, too, but not as much as Dara’s, her laugh was much louder and harder than the two. She kept on laughing until her stomach aches already.

“Ya! Stop laughing”

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Cha p t e r 20

S t a g e and Ce l e b r a t i o n

I t took 15 minutes for Dara to stop laughing. TOP was looking at her with a weird expression. 'This girl's going out of her mind' he thought. YB was amusingly watching her, while GD got a look of embarrassment, his face turning red.

"That's the longest laugh I've ever heard from noona" YB chuckled.

Dara was looking at GD with a mischief look in her eyes. GD can't seem to find the strength to stare or even look at her.

'Why does he notices everything?' GD asked himself, referring to TOP's observant attitude. 'That was really embarrassing. One day, TOP hyung's going to pay for this. I'm going to prick his eyes out for noticing everything'

"That was really funny" Dara exhaled.

"Yeah, we noticed you did have fun" GD said.

"Noona's a natural happy person" YB said.

"Anyway, thanks for catching me before I hit the floor" Dara turned to GD.

He frowned. "No, it wasn't me. TOP hyung did" the disappoinment in his voice was too obvious.

"Oh!" Dara exclaimed in surprise. She turned to TOP. "Erm, thank you"

"It's nothing. The truth is,I thought you were just dancing at first. Then I realized something was wrong"

YB laughed. "Hyung, can't you spot the difference between a dance and fainting?"

"Ya! You know how weird she gets some-" he stopped, remembering that Dara is with them. He looked at Dara guiltily.

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Dara chuckled. "It's alright. I know that already."

"You shouldn't have come here" GD whispered. He felt guilty somehow. He felt responsible for what happened. "You know your body can't even last for more than 14 minutes working but you still-"

"You sound so much like our trainer" Dara cut off, chuckling. "I'm just overworked, that's all"

"Not to mention sleeping very late" YB added.

GD's head snapped towards YB, his eyes squinting all over again.

"You know the reason why" Dara laughed.

'Does this mean that they still talk on the phone late at night?' GD thought.

"Are you having problems in sleeping?" GD asked.

"I always do" she chuckled. "Anyways, I'm really feeling well. I need to go" she stood up. Upon seeing her standing up, GD suddenly grabbed her elbow gently, afraid that she might faint again.

The three of them walked her out, GD carefully stayed by her side. He wants to be the one who catches her this time if ever she faints again.

TOP's phone rang, he answered it when he heard YB.

"Noona, get some sleep tonight. No phone calls for the mean time" YB said, chuckling, his eyes smiling.

"Why? Have you guys been doing this for a long time?" he asked. He saw YB and Dara looked at each other.

"Noona's always getting sentimental these past few days" YB answered. GD looked at Dara. A questioning look on his face.

"Uhm, I really need to go. Bye" she waved.

"Bye" YB waved back. While GD just stood up, frozen, and nodded to her.

"Ji!" Dara called. "Take care" she added.

That made him smile. And once again, his lips curved into a one-sided smile.

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"Ya! Why do you keep on doing that? Do you have a toothache?" TOP asked who was finished talking on his phone already.

He looked at TOP and smiled mysteriously and chose not to answer.

"That smile is starting to annoy me" TOP said while YB laughed.


His phone beeped. He immediately smiled.

Dara: Are you nervous on your solo performace?GD: I can't explain what I'm feeling.Dara: I know you'll do good. You always do! I wish I could perform on the same stage with you, even as your back-up dancer. Minzy and me are left out! Aigoo!

It's true that Dara and Minzy haven't shared the same stage with him while CL and Bom already did.

GD: You're too pretty for a back-up dancerDara: Aigoo. I'm tired of people always reminding me that I'm pretty, I already know that! kkkkk

* * *

He was browsing the net when his eyes caught something. It was on old post of Dara in SNS(me2day). She was talking about her body and that she can work 14 days straight. He shook his head. 'Stubborn' he thought.

GD: Ya! What are you talking about working 14 days straight?Dara: Omo, I can do that! You'll see.GD: I don't think so.Dara: Just wait and see. kkkkGD: StubbornDara: but cute.kkkkkGD: Ur really so full of urself.Dara: Nope, just being honest.

He chuckled.

GD: Oh, just want to remind you about the party, I will celebrate it after my birth dateDara: Yeah, yeah, I know.

* * *

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His phone was irritatingly ringing nonstop. He looked at the clock; it was 12:05 in the morning. He was annoyed, he slept around 11: 45 in the evening and he was really tired. He wants to get more sleep as he can, but the caller was so persistent. 'Who the hell could this be? Calling this late?' he asked himself irritatedly. He took his phone and answered it without even looking who the caller was because his eyes were having problem in opening. They remained closed while he answered with an irritated and sleepy voice "hello?"

"Ya!" the caller answered back. His eyes suddenly snapped open as if he was so awake and not sleepy; the voice made him sit up from lying in the bed; the irritated expression on his face and tone of his voice was suddenly replaced by delight.

"Are you still there?" Dara asked.

"Yes, yes of course. What-"

"Oh, good. I thought you went back to sleep. I'm really sorry for calling this late. I was thinking about a million ways on how to do this but my brain can't come up with a good idea. I was also thinking about when and where I'm going to do this, but my brain is really not working well nowadays (laughs awkwardly). Well, you know my brain gets weird sometimes. I know I'm brilliant but of course smart people like me needs to rest their brilliant brain sometimes. You know that, right?(laughs awkwardly again). I wasn't really planning to call you this late. I'm sorry to bother your sleep. Were you sleeping before I called? Of course you were (laughs awkwardly). Aigoo! Bye!"

The line was cut off. Jiyong looked at the phone. 'What was that?' he asked himself. He knew that she was nervous about something because she kept on babbling and babbling and keeps repeating what she already said. He dialed her number; the phone rang for a few times before he heard a sleepy voice.

"Hello?"

"Ya, Dara! What-?" he started but was cut off.

"Kwon Jiyong! Don't you know it's already late? Why are you calling me this late? I was already peacefully sleeping (yawns). Aisshh, sunbae-nim! Is this the way you treat your junior? I'm really tired, you should let me sleep. I-"

"Ya!" he shouted. "You're the one who called me so late and kept on babbling on the phone"

"Really? I called you? Nah, I was probably dreaming"

"Are you saying that you were dreaming about me?"

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"Aisshhh.. Of course not! How would I dream about you or even dream when I wasn't even asleep and- oh. Aigoo!"

"Caught in the act. I'm not as scattered-brain as you. Stop playing Dara. Why did you call?"

He heard her laugh awkwardly again.

"Well, I was just, you know. I-"

"I'm waiting Dara" he warningly said.

"Oh, well. I just wanted to greet you a happy birhday, it's not really a big deal. I've been waiting for the clock impatiently to turn 12, I even adjusted the time, making it 12, I swear, our clock is really running slow-"

"Thank you" he whispered. He smiled. "You're the first to greet me today. I forgot it's actually my birthday today. Thanks for reminding me"

"I'm really sorry if I woke you up. I-"

"No, it's okay. I'm actually glad you did. Thanks again."

"You're welcome"

They stayed like that for a while, both holding their phones in their ears and listening to each other's breath. GD closed his eyes and smiled. 'Life can't get better than this' he thought.

"Uhm.. Should I say my wishes?" Dara broke the silence. "I wish you gain weight already, since you looked thin like me. I also wish that you feature me in your next album so it will be a big hit again. I wish-"

"Be serious, will you?"

She chuckled, "Sorry. But I can't think of anything right now, you got everything already. Fame, money, friends, family, you name it. What more could you ask for?"

'You' he thought.

"But anyways, hmmm, I wish for more success and happiness! Fighting!"

"Thanks"

"I should thank you also" she said.

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"For what?"

"You don't know? Aisshhh.. Then, I won't tell you. Bye! I want to sleep. I've been up for hours already."

* * *

His solo debut stage is just a few hours away and Dara hasn't arrived yet from the filming of the Cass CF.

GD: Where r u?

He keyed in. She needs to arrive in an hour or so, since 2NE1 will be performing an Unplugged Version of I Don't Care.

Dara: Still filming. Almost done

But of course, he wants her to be there on his solo debut. He was grateful that the other YG artists came to support him, but her presence means so much more to him.

Later. . .

It's time for his debut. He performed Heartbreaker first. He will be performing Breathe later on

Dara arrived while GD was performing Heartbreaker. 'Oh, I almost didn't make it' she thought. Then she proceeded to the dressing room and the stylist started styling her hair.

Meanwhile, GD went off the stage after his Hearbreaker performance. He was not satisfied with his performance though the others were saying that he did well. It felt like something was missing.

He proceeded to a room, and started dressing and preparing for his Breathe performance.

"You did well" he heard someone said from the side. He turned and saw Dara smiling at him.

"You saw?"

"Yeah, I arrived just in time" she answered.

He was about to start a conversation with her when he saw Mr. YG looking at him with a warning in his eyes. When he was done, he hanged out with CL, looking at Dara every now and then. He wasn't really saying that he doesn't enjoy CL's company, he

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really does. He actually admire CL's talents and abilities as a performer and he really sees her as his sister.

Then, 2NE1 performed I Don't Care. He was watching at the backstage through the monitor and can't help but be proud of these girls, especially Dara, who was really looking chic and classy.

After their performance, the Breathe performance will be next. As he was climbing the stage and 2NE1 was going down, they all cheered him. "Fighting!" he heard Dara say. He smiled and performed, feeling so alive.

* * *

It's his birthday party, eventhough he celebrated it late, he was glad that his friends are coming one by one.

"Where's 2NE1? They always come late, such amateurs" Kush jokingly said.

"They said they'll be here in 5 minutes" he answered. Well, that was Dara said in the message.

Later on, they arrived. He went to where Dara was sitting, it was a good thing Bom was there, since he won't want the camera to catch them together and be seen by the president. Bom greeted him but was looking at the camera that made him laugh.

"Why are you saying that to the camera?" Dara asked, laughing too. Then, Bom was acting all cute that made both of them laugh.

"Happy birthday" Dara simply said. He was talking to the camera when Dara suddenly asked, "Is there alcohol today?"

"Yes, there's a lot of it" he answered.

"Uh... Moscato d' Asti" she said, then chuckled.

'Look at this girl, she didn't even say anything special, just a simple "Happy Birthday", and now she's looking for a drink already' he thought. It was as if she was saying she just came for the drinks. But she did say that, but at that time, he knew she was just joking. He was a bit disappointed, of course, but then he remembered the day when she called him to greet him on his birthday. That lightened up his mood.

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Cha p t e r 21

Rap Tu t o r i a l

I t's his second performance in Inkigayo today. He was at ease in a way. 2NE1's also going to perform Pretty Boy on stage. He was being styled at the moment. At the mirror, he saw Dara sneakily taking his Heartbreaker shirt. He smirked. 'I wonder what she's going to do with it?' he asked himself. Then, he saw that she put it on top of her, not really wearing it and took a picture of herself.

'Ah, for SNS' he thought. It would have been better if she wore it, since he's going to wear it later on.

He was set to perform first before 2NE1. As he got out of the room, he stole a glance at Dara and he was glad to find out that she was looking at him too, with a smile on her face. He took a deep breath and went on stage.

Then, it was 2NE1's turn, it wasn't one of their best performances, but they delivered well enough.

When it's time for the countdown and announcement of the winner, they all went on stage and to his surprise, he won #1. He heard 2NE1 was cheering for him behind and as he looked at them, he was happy to see the expression on their faces. It's as if they've won themselves, especially Dara who was all ears smiling. He wanted to hug her but she was standing behind CL, and of course, he can't do that in public. When they were about to leave the stage for his Encore performance, he suddenly remembered Dara's wish to perform on the same stage with him. So, he asked them to stay with him on the stage and besides, he wants to share his victory to her. He can't stop himself from looking at her, she looked so happy that he can't help but feel elated,too.

After the show. . .

"Congratulations, oppa!" Minzy said and bowed to him. CL and Bom did the same, cheering him. Everyone else in the backstage greeted and congratulated him. He was of course overwhelmed and grateful, but he's actually waiting for a particular someone to greet him; he wants to share his victory with that someone.

While everyone else were busy fixing things and themselves, Dara approached him.

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"Ji" she called."Hmmmmm?""You're sweating, here I will let you borrow my shirt for the mean time" she said and gave him a neatly folded white shirt. As he unfolded it, he found out that it was actually HIS Heartbreaker shirt.

"But this is mine""I know" she rolled her eyes and laughed.

He shook his head. "You're really getting worse" he muttered. She just chuckled and stood there like a statue.

"Are you going to say something else?" he asked as he removed his costume and wore the shirt.

"Well, I-"

"Yo, GD!" Sean called. GD looked at him. "My son wants to take a picture with you, is that alright?"

"Of course" he said with a smile.

He turned around. "Dara-" he started but found out that she was no longer there. 'Where did she go?' he asked himself. He was about to look for her when Sean's son came. So, he strike a pose in front of the camera.

He then saw her hanging out with the girls in the corner. He keyed in a message: 'we're not finish talking yet. Y did u leave?'

He looked at Dara's reaction as she read the message on her phone. After reading it, she looked at him, a curious expression on her face. He saw her typed a message on the phone.

Dara: It's nothing. Just want 2 congratulate u, that's all. Congratulations. U did very well, like u always do

* * *

He was laughing so hard it felt like he got the worst stomach ache of all time and it felt like his jaw was going to be dropped on the floor at any moment. He kept on slipping from the couch from too much laughing and he was banging his hand on the floor.

"You really do suck" he gasped in between his laughters. Then he turned to Youngbae and said, "I don't really blame you, YB. It's not your fault if she TOTALLY sucked at it." He can't help himself from laughing.

85

"Noona's really working hard on it, give her a break" YB said, frowning. YB was obviously worried about Dara's reaction.

GD was so busy laughing that he didn't see the dangerous glare Dara's giving him and he earned a pretty good smacking wack in the head and she didn't give him just one smack but a LOT. He did earn it.

"Ya! Ya! Stop!"

But she didn't stop. He used all his strength to grab a hold of her flailing arms, which he did successfully since she was so thin. She was struggling so hard from his grasp that he didn't have any choice but to hug her struggling body to stop her from beating him up. She hit his head again, this time, it was too hard that he didn't have a choice but to let her go and soothe his aching head. She stood up angrily.

"If you find my rapping too funny, I won't force you to teach me anymore" she said irritatedly, then turned to YB. "YB, why did you give me to this kind of teacher? You were a way better tutor than him" she asked.

"He's better than me when it comes to rapping. But I don't mind if you really want me to teach you again." YB answered.

GD, who was still clutching his head, grabbed Dara's hand and pulled her to the couch beside him. "No, I'll teach you"

Then, YB's phone rang. "Hello?" he paused, "Oh, why? Yes, wait" He excused himself from them

"Can you do that again?" GD asked, still laughing. He did have a great laugh when Dara rapped with choreography; it looked so stupidly funny that he can't help himself from laughing.

She looked at him deadly. "Are you making fun of me?"

"I'm sorry. I can't help myself. You should have seen your eyes"

It took a little while for GD to control his laughter. He then proceeded to giving points and teaching Dara more about rapping. And everytime she tries to rap a line, he starts laughing again.

"Ya! I'm trying to learn here! I shouldn't have asked you if you'll just keep on laughing. How will I learn? Aiissshhh"

"I really can't help myself. Try changing your expression, will you? You really looked funny"

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Just then, YB entered. "I got to go somewhere. I'll be back later"

"You're leaving me with him?" Dara exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Ya, Jiyong, be kind to noona" YB said chuckling. "Bye! See you later"

"But-" Dara tried to protest but he was gone already.

GD sniggered. "Are you afraid of being alone with me?"

"No. I was expecting YB to stay and just let him teach me since you're too busy looking and laughing at my expression and my lame attempts in rapping. You're having too much fun already" She shook her head and mumbled, "how unproffesional"

"You really look like an apple when you're blushing" he muttered.

"Eh?"

"Nothing. C'mon, let's be serious about this"

"I'm being serious for a century here. You're the one who's being childish. Aisshh. I sometimes regret why of all people you became my senior. Aisshhhh.."

He chuckled. "I feel the same"

For the next hours, he tried his very best not to laugh and appear serious, but there were times that he just can't control it and he always earn a good smacking in the head.

Dara was having fun watching him laugh and enjoying himself even if it's at her expense. But another thought came to her mind and she smiled naughtily.

After a while, she can see that he's patience is slowly wearing out and that he's becoming frustrated every minute. 'He must think I'm a slow learner. Look at his face, he's so irritated' Dara thought to herself and a smug smile appeared on her face.

GD's phone rang, he answered it.

"So, how was it? She's a fast learner, isn't she?" YB asked on the other line.

"What are you talking about? We've been here for hours and we're still stuck at the first stanza"

"Huh?" YB asked blankly, then continued, "That’s odd" he whispered.

"Well, sorry to say but-" he stopped then looked at Dara who was concentrating so hard looking at the lyrics but her eyes were not moving

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"When you were teaching her, how long does it usually take her to pick up?"

"Well, not as long as she's doing right now. Is she feeling okay? Maybe she's not okay. Have-"

"No, she's okay. More than fine, actually" GD interrupted, he looked at Dara and she was covering her face with the paper where the lyrics are written. "I'll hang up, call again later" He cut off the line. Dara suddenly stood up.

"Uh, I need to go to the bathroom" she said, not looking in his eyes.

"No," he answered. "You can go later after we talk" he said, his eyes squinting into tiny slits again. "Sit here"

"I'd rather stand, I've been sitting too long" she laughs awkwardly, the one she usually produces when she's nervous.

"No, sit here beside me" he insisted. She did, but she was still avoiding his gaze.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"What? What did I do?" she asked innocently, her eyes growing wide. "Aisshh, Ji, such accusations"

But after a while, she can't hold it in anymore. It was her turn to burst out laughing; she fell to the floor and rolled in laughter.

"You should (laughs) have seen your face (laughs harder) when you were losing your patience. It was really a sight to see (laughs even harder)"

Then, she added dramatically, "Ah, revenge is sweet" then burst out laughing again.

GD turned red. He can't believe he was fooled by her. It looked like she was just acting to play dumb and slow. He shook his head, and looked at her, still rolling on the floor looking really stupid.

But after a while, he smiled. It's been a while since he heard her laugh like that.

Later. . .

GD talked and talked and taught her some techniques. He was glad she was being quiet this time compared a while ago, he really doesn't want to be interrupted.

"So, this part will be a bit faster compared to this line. Got that?"

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No one answered. He turned his head around and saw that Dara was peacefully sleeping, her head was cocked a bit to the side.

'Stupid. I've been talking to myself all this time' he thought. Her hair was covering most of her face. He brushed it off and sighed. He leaned his back and lifted her head. He put his arm around her shoulder and leaned her head on his shoulder. He inhaled the scent of her hair and smiled. He took her right hand and clasped it with his hand. He put a gentle kiss on her head. He then leaned his head against her head and closed his eyes.

A man entered the room and stopped at the scene. A smile curved his lips. She was leaning on his shouder while the other was leaning his head against her head and both were peacefully sleeping. He decided not to disturb them. He slowly and quietly got out of the room.

Much, much later.

He blinked. Then, he opened his eyes. He closed his eyes again as it was blinded by the light. Then, he opened it again. He looked at the time.

'I can't believe I slept that long' he thought. He then looked at her then smiled. 'How thick could she get? She's been sleeping for hours already'

He just stayed like that, staring at her face. Then, he took his phone and took a picture of them. Her phone suddenly rang. She blinked then opened her eyes. She looked confuse at first but the persistent ringing of her phone brought her to her senses.

"Omo" she said and took the phone at the table. She talked to the phone for a while.

"I need to go home”

89


Cha p t e r 22

A Hu n d r e d T i m e s

H e was once again browsing the net that night. And, as usual, he was shocked by what he read and the pictures posted on the net. He was speechless. Of course, he knew something like this could happen, since she's not just an idol, but an actress also. But, the news came to him without warning. He's been asking her for details but she didn't budge even a bit. '100 times?!?' his mind screamed.

He tried his very best to act casual for the next few days after hearing about it. But there were times that he can't help himself. Just like the time when they were once again at the workshop. He was with Taeyang.

"Can you imagine two people kiss a hundred times? It's unbelievable, right?" he exclaimed, disbelief in his voice.

"Huh? Well, I think it's possible, especially if the couple had live for a long time together. They could even come up with a thousand kisses"

"But they are not even a couple! I mean, a hundred times? C'mon, that's really overboard"

"What are you talking about anyway?" YB asked. But he wasn't really listening. He keeps muttering a"hundred times" over and over again with that same disbelief in his tone.

"Are you talking about Dara noona's CF?" YB asked again. GD heard Dara's name but not the entire sentence. "Huh? What about Dara? What are you talking about? I didn't mention her name, did I? It doesn't mean that she's doing a CF with MinHo and was reported to do a kissing scene and their pictures posted on the net meant that I was actually talking about her" he stopped as he realized that he actually revealed that he was indeed talking about Dara's kiss scene with Minho.

"Uh" YB started awkwardly, "Well, it was just a CF. There's no other meaning to it. It was just work"

Jiyong opened his mouth to argue but stopped as he saw YB's raised eyebrow. "Yeah, you're right, just work. I was just shocked when I found out on the net"

90

Would have it been better if he found out that from her? No, he doesn't know the answer. He’d rather have the kiss scene deleted from the script. That would have been a way, way better.

Later. . .

"Ya! What happened to GD?" TOP asked YB.

"Why?"

"I just bumped into him, he doesn't seem to know where he's going. He kept mumbling "a hundred times" with a blank look on his face. He didn't even look at me or even greeted me. He was walking like a zombie" TOP chuckled uncertainly.

"Oh" YB exclaimed. "He'll get over it" he chuckled.

* * *

His forehead creased. He was sweating a bit even if the room was air conditioned. He just seen the Cass CF and he's trying he's very best to edit the video but he was having a little difficulty. 'How am I going to delete him from the scene?' he asked himself frustratedly.

"Aisshh.. This is testing my patience" he exclaimed.

He had to give Dara credit, she did VERY well in the CF. Well, except the last part, where she pulled the guy to kiss him. But she really was a sight to see in the video. She did well in acting, too. Her eyes project her emotions pretty well.

As for the guy, he was alright. He didn't actually notice his presence too much in the video.

Okay, he was just being jealous.

The next day. . . .

"Why is he giving me cold shoulders?" she asked YB. He just shrugged.

"Why don't you ask him youself?"

"He's already giving me cold shoulders, do you think he'll talk to me?"

"Why don't you give it a try?"

She hesitantly approached him. "Ya! Ji!" she greeted cheerfully. He looked at her for a while.

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"You did very well in the CF" he stated flatly, no emotions at all. It earned him a good smack in the head AGAIN.

"Ya! Why do you keep on doing that?" he shouted.

She cringed at the look on his face. "I'm sorry" she said and hurriedly went to YB's side.

For the next few days, Jiyong was busy guesting in some radio stations. Every now and then, 2NE1's name would come up. He was having difficulties and unsettlement everytime Dara's name is mentioned or when he's asked how his relationship with the girls is. He remembered answering: "CL and Minzy are like my real younger sisters. Bom and (swallowed hard) Dara are like my real older sisters". He also found it difficult to lie when he's being asked who he's ideal girls are or what type of girl he likes. He just said that he likes cute girls. But the host was persistent and asked for a name, so he just mentioned a name randomly. He was actually getting tired of lying sometimes, but he was actually doing pretty well about it especially in front of the people; of the fans. But he must admit, that he can't control his feelings in front of his friends especially to Taeyang. He thinks YB is slowly seeing through him. He also felt guilty about his attitude towards Dara lately. The last time he talked to her was the time he shouted at her. From that, she never tried approaching him again. He knows he's being unfair to her because it wasn't really her fault.

He sighed. 'I have to do something' he told himself.

That night, he called her. It rang for a while.

"Are you done giving me cold shoulders?" she asked. He opened his mouth to defend himself but closed it again.

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

"What did I do, anyway?"

"I was just not myself at that time"

"Yeah, I noticed, you were acting like a zombie. Did you receive a role of a zombie for a movie?'

He chuckled. "No, silly"

"Am I forgiven?"

There was silence. "I guess so. Just don't do that again, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks"

92

The following morning. . .

He was really getting hooked by the net. And as he checked his SNS account and hers, he saw a photo of her reading a newspaper and a smile on her face. She was reading an article about the CF she made.

'She looked happy' he thought. He exhaled. His eyes wandered around the room and saw his trophy from the last Inkigayo. 'How odd' he thought. Everyone thought that he was a bigtime winner because Heartbreaker is really doing well in charts, but no one knows that he's such a loser when it comes to love.

He looked at the monitor again. He doesn't want to think that she's happy because of that guy. Come to think of it, that guy comes closely to her ideal guy. "Loser" he muttered.

The CF was still a common talk in YG these days. He can't really blame them, it was pretty good. Everytime someone asks him about his opinion on the CF, he always keeps a smile on his face and praise the lead girl. He never mentioned the lead guy except if someone asked him, too. Usually, he just answers, "he was fine" and adds, 'but he could have been better if he did this and that'.

He notices how the others look at him everytime he voices out his opinion about the guy. What can he do, it was his opinion? Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, anyway.

"Ya! Why do you always praise noona and say bad things about the guy?" TOP asked.

"It's my opinion"

"I think both of them did pretty well" TOP said. "They look good together, too, since noona doesn't really look her age"

The others talked about it for a while. He kept his ears sharp. And everytime he hears something that displeases his ears, the crease on his forehead grew deeper and deeper and his brows were so mashed up, it looked like they were connected.

93


Cha p t e r 23

A Se r i e s o f Ta l k : Pa r t I

H e was watching their farewell stage with In The Club at the backstage.

"Wow! Look at Dara's facial expression!"

"Yeah! Nice, nice"

He heard the others saying. He smiled without taking his eyes off the screen. He was watching intently, his rest his chin in his folded fingers, as if in prayer. Then, she made a mistake. He saw a flash of disappointment flash across her eyes and her voice became shaky after making a mistake.

'C'mon, you can do this' he thought.

As if she heard what he was thinking, the disappointment and shaky voice disappeared. Once again, the fierce expression on her face returned and her voice sounded confident. He smiled again. 'That's my girl' he thought.

He stood up and clapped, the others followed him.

When the performance ended, he was expecting and hoping to see a laughing Dara, the one who laughed at her mistake during their Last Farewell performance, instead, he saw her in tears; bowing and apologizing for her mistake and imperfect performance. The others clapped and cheered her, amazed by how dedicated she was to their last performance. He wanted to comfort her himself, but the people crowded in on her, so he kept his distance. He was trying to catch her eyes at least but she never looked nor even glanced at him.

They were on their way home. Dara was unusually quiet. The girls let her be on herself for a while, then, Bom started cheering her up. The other two followed suit. Then, Dara hit a joke and they all laughed. Later, the three received calls and talking on their phones. But she never received one.

'Maybe the others are greeting them for doing a good job' she thought.

94

They arrived at the dorm. . .

Dara went to the couch immediately and lied faced down.

"Unnie, we're going out. Do you want something?"

"No" she answered.

The three girls looked at each other and sighed. Then, CL motioned the two that they should get going. Upon opening the door, they were surprised to see someone standing by it.

"Oppa!" Minzy and CL exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" Bom asked.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Erm, she's over there, at the couch" CL whispered.

He sighed.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked.

"Yeah, we'll just grab something"

"Buy her a ramen, will you?" he asked.

"Okay" CL answered.

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, sure. You can keep unnie a company"

The three of them went on their way while GD got inside. He saw her lying face down on the couch. He went nearer and sat at the floor. "Hey" he whispered softly.

She grunted. "What are you doing here?" she said in a muffled voice.

He chuckled, "What do you think?"

"Visiting CL" she answered in a muffled voice again, "or maybe Bom"

He rolled his eyes. "Are you still crying?"

95

She grunted again. "Don't look at me. Just go away" she said, turning her head away from him.

He chuckled again. "Hey, don't turn your face"

"I want to sleep, the light is blinding me"

He sighed. He removed his shoes and stayed sitting on the floor, stretching out his feet.

A while later, she turned her face on his direction again. He saw that she was evenly breathing. 'How could she sleep so fast? She didn't even change her clothes'

He took the blanket from her bag and covered her with it. He stood there for a while and watched her sleeping. Then, he took a cap and put it on her head, covering her eyes, but she fidgeted a little so the cap was out of place, showing a bit of her face. He was about to fix it but he stopped.

'Oh, well, never mind. At least I can see her face.'

It was really nice seeing her peacefully sleeping. He looked around and saw her cellphone lying on the table. He took a picture of her then chuckled. He returned her phone on the table and took his own.

He then took pictures of her from different angle using his phone. He sometimes includes himself. 'Ah, we really look good together' he smiled smugly.

He falls asleep while waiting for her to wake up.

She blinked, then opened her eyes. "Aigoo!" she exclaimed as she sat up, her neck was so stiff. She stood up and fell backwards to the couch as she stepped on something unusual.

"Ouch" he grunted and opened his eyes. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't see you. I thought you left already" she said, she looked so worried that he answered, "its okay."

He saw her massaging the side of her neck.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really. It's just stiff. I guess I slept in one side for too long" she chuckled.

"You're doing it wrong. Here let me" he said. He massaged it, trying his best. "Ugh, CL should be here, she's the expert when it comes to this" he muttered. He wants her to feel

96

well already and he's not really that good when it comes to massaging, but Dara was worse than him, she could literally break her own neck.

"I'll just wait for CL, then" she said and started standing up but he stopped her by pulling her shoulders back.

"Don't be stubborn. You would feel better at once if it was CL, but I'm doing my best here. So just stay put, will you?" he scolded.

Meanwhile. . .

In an office. . .

The room was unusually quiet. Everyone seemed confuse as to why they were at the dim-lighted room at the moment. They were personally contacted by the person who called this "meeting"

"I think I know why we're here" a male wearing a gray jacket said.

"I think so, too" It seemd like only two persons are missing" the capped one said, chuckling, like he always do.

"Yeah, the two stupid lovebirds" the guy in a black shirt added.

"Ya! Watch your language, there's a minor here" the hooded girl burst.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot"

"Do you think this is really about them?" the youngest one in the group asked.

"Pretty much, I guess" the one in the gray jacket answered.

Then, the door suddenly opened and the room was filled with silence as the man of the hour entered, exhibiting an authoritative aura to everyone. Three girls and six boys stood up to greet the newcomer. He nodded in return.

"Take your seats" he said in a stern voice, it was natural for him anyway. Then he looked at them, eyeing them carefully.

"I think you're all aware on what's going on here, right? And I know everyone of you knows why we're here?"

"Erm, no" the beannie guy answered the same time everyone else said "yes"

"Stop playing, hyung"

97

The "hyung" was about the open his mouth to argue but the capped guy shush him with his eyes.

All eyes turned on the newcomer again.

The newcomer cleared his throat. "I never thought this would come to this. But I want to be clear that I only want what's best for them. I know some of you may disagree and may not comply to what I'm going to ask you, but be forewarned that after hearing everything, I will not make irrational and selfish judgments. I know this will be hard for some of you,too, since your friends are involved, but for once, I ask for your trust" he paused, waiting for any violent reactions. But there was none except for the capped one who straightened uncomfortably.

"Now, I'm going to ask each of your opinions and observations. Let's start with you" he nodded to the guy on his left, the guy wearing a black shirt.

"Well, the one thing I'm sure of is, is that both of them are the stupidest person on earth. Sorry maknae" he paused to let the laughter die down then continued. "As far as I can see, the guy is head over heels with the girl, and he tends to be easily distracted when he hears or sees something that is related to her. He's actually starting to lose his control of not showing his feelings. As for the girl, I must commend her for hiding her feelings well, coz I can't really tell if she feels the same but there are moments that her smile is just different when he's around'

"I saw how they kept on stealing glances at each other, how his eyes change when he's looking at her and the secret smiles they're exchanging. I think the guy brings out the best from her, but the girl has a different effect on the guy sometimes. He can really be easily distracted. And I noticed that he doesn't really call her noona" the guy in the jacket stated, chuckling.

"They really look cute! Aigoo!" the girl with a long hair said, acting cutely that made everyone laugh.

"I think she's confused. She doesn't really know how she feels towards him. I even think she's not aware that she has feelings for him" the hooded girl nodded.

"They got the most complicated relationship. She's always nervous and shy when he's around. Sometimes awkward,too, but she's comfortable with him. It's really odd" the maknae laughed, the others chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"She brings out the jealous and inferior side of the guy, but she can really make him happy with simple hello's" a guy in a white shirt answered, smiling beautifully.

"One day, hyung is just going to burst if he keeps his feelings for too long" a cute guy in pj's said, and motioning his hand like something exploded.

98

"Erm, are we talking about GD and Dara noona?" the beannie guy asked uncertainly. The others rolled their eyes and shook their heads. "But I thought he likes CL and Bom?"

"Stupid" the others muttered.

"Ya! How thick can you get? You just learned about that now?" the one in pj's asked, laughing that made everyone laughing,too.

Then, it's the turn of the capped one. Everyone else fell silent.

He was having second thoughts on saying something but when he looked at the guy behind the desk, whose eyes were saying, "trust me this once"

He drew a deep breath and released it slowly.

"Both of them are really stubborn. They are not aware about each other's feelings. Both of them thinks that the other don't have any special feelings since both of them are hiding it pretty well. They show their jealousy through pissing each other off. If they continue being like this, they'll just end up hurting each other. She's really insensitive when it comes to his feelings for her but she can also be very sensitive when he's teasing her" he paused, then continued, "honestly, I'm confused on why they keep on hiding their feelings"

"That would be my fault" the stern voice came. He sighed as everyone's eyes turned on him again.

"As YG family implies, we are a family. I have my own reasons in what I'm doing but I never thought that it would turn out like this. He seemed willing to sacrifice his own happiness just to make her happy. But I'm not sure if the girl feels the same. I think she's not yet ready to do the same"

Back to the dorm. . .

"How are you feeling?" she heard him asked.

"I'm fine" she answered without looking in his eyes. She was afraid on what she might see there. For some reason, she can't bear to see the disappointment in his eyes more than YG's or the other members. But GD's disappointment would be a big deal for her.

'Why is she not looking at me?' he asked himself.

"Ya! Do I look that hideous?"

"Huh?" she asked blankly, looking at him.

He smiled. 'Finally' he thought.

99

Upon seeing him smile, she smiled,too and she felt relieved.

"That's better" he said, chuckling.

They were silent for a few seconds. "I made a mistake" she whispered.

"Everybody makes mistakes" he whispered back.

"But I've been consistently doing it lately, and it was supposed to be our farewell stage. I should have practised more. I should have done better. I-"

"Don't be too hard on yourself" he scolded her. "You're only a human after all, eventhough a bit weird, but still, it doesn't exempt you from making mistakes"

"I can't help but to feel bad" she said, and was starting to cry again.

"Come here" he said, motioning her to lean on his shoulder.

100


Cha p t e r 24

A Se r i e s o f Ta l k : Pa r t I I

H e saw her shook her head.

"Don't be stubborn" he said, and patted his shoulder, indicating for her to lean on it. She put her head on his shoulder and he patted her back. He was surprised that she was crying silently, usually she really cries noisily. But this time, no sound was coming out from her.

After a while, she chuckled.

"Ya! What's funny?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just remembered. . . . This felt like the old times, doesn't it? Me, always leaning on you. I wonder when will you be leaning on me?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, it does feel like the old times"

"I missed those times. Speaking of old times, you never really told me everything about your past. And I mean EVERYTHING, before we met"

He sniggered. "I'm afraid you have to be part of my future to know everything about my past"

She pulled away from him. "Eh? What do you mean?" she asked, obviously confused.

He chuckled once more. "I guess you have to figure that out yourself"

"But, we'll still be seeing each other in the future, right? It means that I'll still be part of the future. So, you can tell me-"

"No. I can't believe you're this slow"

"Kyaa! I'm not slow, you just talk too much in riddles"

"If you say so"

101

He sighed. "You looked happy during the Encore, I never though that you. . ." his voice trailed off.

"Oh, well, I'm in front of the people, so I have to put a happy face. Beside, the almighty Bigbang leader won, what's not to be happy about?" she ranted.

Then, later. . . .

He started humming the melody of Butterfly.

"That's one of my favorite from your album" she said, smiling.

"Really?"

"Yes. It's actually part of my Top 5 Favorite Song in your album"

"It's one of my favorites, too. Tell me the rank of your top 5 songs"

"I won't tell you. I'm afraid you have to tell me your past first before I tell you my Top 5" she said, mimicking his voice.

He laughed.

"What's taking them so long?" Dara wondered, referring to the girls.

He just shrugged carelessly. He doesn't really care if the girls take the whole night buying foods. He was content with what he was doing and where he was right now.

"Why are you looking so smug?" she asked, her eyes squinting just like what his eyes looks like when he's jealous. He chuckled. 'We really got a lot of similarities. Teddy hyung is so wrong with his observations'

"I took a picture of you while you were sleeping, it's on your phone"

"Omo" she took her phone from the table, panicking.

"Oh, I looked okay. I thought. . ." she stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "Can I see your phone?"

"Why?" he asked, trying hard not to smile.

"Kyaa! You used your phone, too, didn't you?"

"Why would I do that? It'll be such a waste of my phone's memory"

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But she was still looking at him suspiciously. Then, she turned her gaze on her phone. "Hmmmm.. I wonder where YB is?"

"Why?"

"Well, it's just odd that he's not. . . Oh, well. Maybe he's just busy or something" she mumbled.

"You and Youngbae really grew close"

She smiled.

"Yes. He's the sweetest and kindest person on earth"

"Do you. . . Do you like. . . I mean, you and Youngbae-"

"Youngbae" she said, then paused, a smile on her face. "Youngbae is really someone special. He's the big brother I never had, a brother I wish I had. He makes me feel relax sometimes, especially when I'm tired from working. When, I wanted to stop from doing this, but I know I can't because my family depends on me and this is my lifelong dream. I'm not really complaining about it, I'm actually happy that I'm the one giving them their needs, but there are times that I want that responsibility taken off from my shoulder, and Youngbae's been doing that lately for me"

"You can depend on me,too, like your. . . as a brother"

"But you're different" she said, smiling, which he found weird.

He swallowed hard. Is she trying to say that he, Kwon Jiyong can never be Dong Youngbae? That he can never replaced YB on his secured place in her life? That he can never amounts to what YB had given her?

"I think I should go" he said, standing up.

"Eh? But there are ghosts in here. I don't want to be alone"

He was about to say something when they heard the others arrived.

"Dara! We're here"

"Oh, Oppa, you're still here" Minzy exclaimed.

"Unnie, we got ramen for you" CL said, beaming at GD.

"Oh, really? Thanks! Ah, CL-roo, so sweet to remember me"

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"Actually, it was Op-" she started but GD flashed a warning in his eyes and shook his head.

"Eh?" Dara asked curiously.

Then, they heard someone ringing.

"I'll open it" Minzy volunteered.

"Youngbae!" Bom chimed.

YB smiled brightly.

"Hi!" he greeted. "Jiyong!"

GD tried to smile, but failed.

"Ya! YB! What are you doing here?" Dara said.

"I just thought to drop by. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Ji was really a good boy today" she said, chuckling. She looked at GD, waiting for any sarcastic remarks or response, but he remained silent.

"Erm, since you're fine, I think I should get going now" YB said.

"Eh? So soon?"

"I'll drop by later if I can, I just got to check something in my room"

"I'll go with you" GD said. Then he put a cap on Dara's head. "That suits you"

Then, they left.

In Youngbae's dorm. . .

GD sat upon the couch while Taeyang was looking for something in his room.

"Ya! What's with the heavy face?"

"Huh?" he asked blankly.

YB chuckled. "What's wrong this time?"

GD hesitated. 'Should I tell him?'

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"What if. . . Have you ever liked a girl that can never be yours?"

YB thought for a while, then sat beside him.

"Yeah, I did. But I chose my brother"

"Brother?" GD asked, confused.

"My friend, whom I treat as my brother is inlove with her, too. I chose him, I gave up my feelings for that girl ever since I found out that he's inlove with her, too"

GD was speechless. He always knew that YB is really kind and sweet, but he never expected that he's this kind. 'She's right. We're different' he thought.

"What happened to the girl and boy? Did they end up?"

He smiled. "I don't know. But I hope so" he whispered.

They were silent for a few seconds. Then, YB chuckled. "Where did that question come from anyway?"

"Uh, nothing. Just thinking of an inspiration for a new song"

Then, they heard a distant ringing. "Oh, I left my phone in my room" YB said, then stood up.

GD was left pondering on what YB said. 'Can I do the same?' he asked himself. Then, his eyes wandered around and he saw one of YB's cap lying atop of pile of papers. He stood up and put it on his head, then something caught his eyes. The papers were covering the most of it, but the familiar wave of hair didn't escape his eyes. He removed the papers from the top and he gasped as he saw a few stolen pictures of Dara. She was either laughing or smiling at the picture. He looked at it each picture, and as he arrived at the last picture, an unknown feeling hit his stomach.

It was probably taken years ago because they still looked so young, it was a picture of the three of them: him, YB and Dara in the practice room. The picture showed that he and Dara was talking while YB was looking at them smiling. But it seemed like it was edited and reprinted because it looked so new, and there was a caption above their heads.

On his head, it says: "my brother"On Dara's head: "my brother's girl and my favorite girl"On YB's head: "this is me"

His fingers felt numb as he dropped the pictures and covered it with papers. He removed YB's cap from his head then turned towards the door.

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"Ya! Are you going already?"

He didn't answer and just continued walking to the door.

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Cha p t e r 25

A “Su r p r i s e ” Req u e s t

I t was a bit awkward for him after the incident in the dorm. At first, he was all locked up in his own world, there was always a distant look in his eyes and he can't even look at YB nor Dara's eyes after that. For a while, he was a bit down, it was very rare for him to laugh or even crack up the smallest smiles. He was torn. A side of him is telling him that he should give up, because it seemed like she likes YB, too. But the other side of him says, he should continue because YB already gave her up for him. But it looks like the other side is winning. He doesn't really wants to take anything from YB, he loved that guy like his brother! And there's this issue with the President. For a while, he was really saddened and confused on what to do.

'If I'm going to give her up, I should make the most of my time with her' he thought. That's why he thought of her birthday. He doesn't want to give her just something. He wants to do something for her, just like what she did on his birthday. And as far as he know, she got 2 major wishes.

1. To release 2NE1's album and perform a concert in the Philippines2. To perform on stage with him.

The second wish was the closest to possibility since they did a song together. And most of all, the plans of his own concert.

-FLASHBACK-

He arrived at the office with unease.

"Oh, you're here already. Take a sit" the President motioned to the chair.

He complied.

"We're planning for a solo concert for you this year or maybe early next year. But-"

"Is it possible to held the concert on November?" he asked, brightening up.

Mr. YG looked at him and was silent for a while.

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"Yes, it is possible," he said slowly, "but I have to think about it. I don't want a rush concert, the quality of the performance might be compromised. But if you want, I can think about it"

He sat there for a while.

"I got a request or a favor to ask" he said. He's been practicing this line for quite a while.

"Hmmmm?"

"Is it possible to release 2NE1's album in the Philippines?"

A look of understanding came to the President's face. He sighed.

"We've talked about this Jiyong. You still remember that, don't you?"

"Yes. But, can you just think it over? The company will also benefit from this"

The President was silent once again.

"I'll think about it. But, what if I say yes, will I get something in return from you?"

GD answered immediately. "Yes, you can ask me whatever you want"

Mr. YG chuckled then shook his head.

"You misunderstood me. I want YOU to decide for yourself on what are you willing to give in return for this favor of yours"

GD was silent as the words dawned in on him. He only knew one thing that would make the President agree to what he was requesting.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

He went to 2NE1's practice room. That were training at the meantime, so, he quietly sat in a corner and watched them.

When, they were given a break, he called Dara.

"I've been thinking, what-"

"Omo, that's a newsflash! Kwon Jiyong, Bigbang's leader is-"

"Stop fooling around will you?"

"Okay, fine. What were you thinking?"

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"I've been thinking to do steps on Hello, just for fun"

"Eh? But why would you do that? Aren't you busy for your other songs? And besides, I'm quite a busy trainee, too"

"Don't be such a spoilsport. I think it would be fun"

"Why. are you planning to perform that onstage? Or even make an MV?"

"No, there are-"

"Then why make choreography for it?"

He sighed exasperatedly. It was already hard for him to lie and make it sound like he just wants to 'have fun', but she was making it even harder. 'Why can't she just simply agree?' he thought.

"You're so stubborn" he whispered.

"Eh?"

"Nothing" he said.

He saw her sighed. "Fine. Have it your way, then" she said.

Then they resumed training. He stayed there, watching her intently, memorizing every move, every expression. A sad smile appeared on his face.

For the next few days, he's been constantly going to the practice room. And during breaktime or free time, he and Dara started practicing for Hello. He smiled as they were singing with the song, he remembered the day he wrote this one. He was thinking about their first meeting, how they met and what happened for the next months after meeting her when he wrote this song.

While practicing Hello, he tried to forget everything that is bound to happen soon. And he did it successfully, with Dara's help of course. She never fails to make him laugh. He was surprised by himself, too as he was overly funny himself that she always laugh out hard,too.

* * *

There was a little party for Teddy's birthday.

Everyone was having fun of course. He was sitting with the other Bigbang members and staffs. She was sitting with 2NE1 on the other table.

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He saw Teddy circulating around and stopped at where her table was. He saw she said something to Teddy, that made the latter throw his head from laughing, the others in the table laughed, too.

After a while, they were all finished eating and now they were just circulating around, talking, socializing, and drinking wine.

He drank a few glasses already, but he wasn't drunk.

He went to where she was sitting, her back was facing the wall, the chair next to her was unoccupied, and probably the person went somewhere or socializing.

Minzy and Bom was seated in front of Dara. He sat.

"Hey" he greeted.

He talked with Minzy and Bom first, pretending that he's not really paying attention to Dara that much since she was not talking too much, but he glances at her once in a while. Then, without warning, he took her hand from her lap that was under the table. He was really grateful for the location of her chair and the long tablecloth, in that way, no one will know that they were holding hands under the table.

He heard her gasp as he took her hand. In his peripheral vision, he saw that she looked at him with a surprise expression, but he ignored her and kept talking to Minzy and Bom. He clasped her hand with his and squeezes it lightly.

And to his surprise, she never pulled it back.

The night passed by with laughter in that particular table. Two person seemed so hyped up that they kept on throwing jokes that never fails to make the other two occupants in that table to laugh.

'That's right. Just this night, be mine' he thought. 'Just this once'

He squeezed her hands again, as if afraid that any moment, she will be taken away from him, like what would happen sooner or later; like what was meant to be. Her, away from him.

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Cha p t e r 26

Con f u s i o n

'M ake the most of it' he thought.

The people started to get rowdy when the music started to play in the background. At first, there were only few people dancing while the others were clapping and laughing. The center of attention was TOP who was making weird dance steps. Then slowly, everybody else joined the fun, well except for two people.

He wanted to join the others and have fun but his hand seemed like it has its own mind, because he can't let go. It's as if his hand were locked to hers.

He tried to speak, but he can't seem to find his voice.

Then, SeungRi called him.

"Ya! Hyung!"

He just smiled and nodded. Then, TOP went to him and pulled him up.

"Don't be so lazy, come and join us"

As TOP pulled him up, he felt Dara letting go of his hand. TOP was dragging him in the middle. But he stopped him and went back to Dara.

"C'mon" he invited. She shook her head.

"Aisshh.. Don't be so stubborn, everybody's having fun there" He grabbed her arm and pulled her in the middle. Later on, everybody was dancing. He saw Dara went to the other 2NE1 members. He followed unobviously, dancing while following her. But he kept a little distance. Then, the song started to change. It became slow and mellow. The others jeered and whoop, teasing each other. He looked at Dara who stopped dancing and just stood there, looking at him, too.

He smiled.

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Then, he saw TOP pushed YB towards Dara. YB scratched his head, as if hesitating.

"Noona, dance with YB" someone said. YB shook his head, but Dara smiled at him and offered her hand. YB looked at her, still hesitating. But after a while, he accepted. The others found partners for themselves while the others were group dancing with the slow song.

He stood there, not sure what to do. 'Should I give YB this moment or should I take her?' he asked himself. He was in that thought when he heard someone called him.

"Ya! Jiyong Oppa!"

He looked, it was CL. "Come, dance with me"

He smiled at her and accepted her offer.

They danced across the floor, they were swirling around it and as they passed by YB and Dara, he tried catching her eyes, but he failed. She was too engross talking to YB. He looked away and stared at the ceiling for a moment, blinking, to stop something from flowing.

She was happily chatting with YB when she remembered something.

"Ya! YB, you're a guy right? Can-"

He chuckled. "Of course I am"

She smiled. "Can you tell me something? I don't really know how guys' minds work sometimes"

"What is it?" YB asked.

"What does a guy mean when he says to a girl: you have to be a part of my future to learn everything about my past?"

YB was silent for a while, thinking. She was getting a little impatient.

"Well," he said slowly. "I'm not really sure. But if you ask my opinion, I'd say it has two meanings. First, the guy could be seeking assurance from the girl that she will never left him or he was actually proposing" he paused then chuckled. "The second would be-" he stopped and looked at her, a confused look on his face.

"And?" she urged.

"Second, it could be his way of saying goodbye" he said quietly.

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She was silent for a moment, contemplating what he said. 'But that's impossible' she thought.

Then she sniggered. "That was a weird conclusion" she teased him. He laughed.

And so, they talked. She really finds it relieving talking to him. But eventhough she looks too engross talking to him, 'they' didn't escape her eyes as they passed by them.

YB frowned as he saw Dara's distracted expression. She was smiling a while ago, but she looked a little distracted and there's a far away look in her eyes. He looked around and saw GD dancing with CL.

'Oh, I get it' YB thought.

He stopped swaying and removed Dara's hands from his shoulders. She gave him a questioning look but he just smiled at her, and lead her across the floor, towards GD and CL.

"Ya! Can you dance with noona?" he smiled at GD. "I've really been wanting to dance with 2NE1's leader"

They exchanged partners. YB started dancing with CL. He stole a glance at the two. He secretly chuckled as he saw the two hesitating, standing there looking like two lost people trapped in a jungle. But then, he saw Dara smiled at GD.

'Ah, I can never make her smile like that when she's with me' YB thought. "Go get him" he whispered.

"Eh?" CL asked, confused.

When GD saw her smiling at him, he smiled, too. "Looks like I've got no choice but to dance with you. Be gentle to my feet, will you? Don't step on it. It's really precious" he smiled, teasing her.

She pouted. "I really am tired, I should sit down" she said, starting to walk away from him. He stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"I think I can bear with it for the meantime" he said and started swaying.

He looked at her eyes. An unease feeling started to creep in his stomach.

"I love the color of your eyes" he whispered.

She chuckled. "My eye color is common. What's to like about it?"

"Why don't you just thank me?"

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She rolled her eyes. "Thank you, then. You and YB are really weird today" She shook her head.

As expected, the party ended a bit late.

The others started to leave and said their goodbyes.

"It's still early, we can still stay" GD complained.

"You of all people should go home already, you need to rest" Teddy said.

"Fine" he muttered, and mumbles something which sounded "spoilsport"

* * *

He was once again at the workshop. Teddy was already there. Sometimes, he really wonders if Teddy ever leave that studio and go home, he seemed like living in the studio already.

"You're always early. Did you sleep here last night?" he asked, laughing.

Teddy chuckled.

"What are you working on right now?" GD asked.

"The same, as usual" Teddy answered. "I've been contacting Taeyang, but I can't reach him"

"Why? Do you need something from him?"

"I just want to ask him if he still wants to feature Dara in his album" he chuckled, "That girl's really gaining quite a lot of attention. Even TOP is interested in featuring her, too"

He frowned.

"Dara didn't mention that" he said.

"Oh, Dara doesn't know. Even the President doesn't know about it yet. Taeyang just mentioned it in passing, asking me if it's possible. Of course I said it is, but he have to talk to the boss first. Since she already did a song with you, it can create a talk if she will be featured again in another Bigbang member's album, so I told him to ask the president first"

He's really getting more confused every minute.

* * *

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He wasn't able to practice with Dara these past few days, since she was busy practicing and training for some events. But he visits them everytime he got time.

He was thinking of other things to do or give her on her birhday. He felt that giving her the two wishes was somewhat not enough. He was still waiting for the President's answer, so, he have to think of back-up plans. But he got a feeling that the answer would be a "yes". Still, there's no harm of thinking more to give to her.

He also never got the chance to see YB again, so he decided to pay him a visit, after thinking over and over and over if he should really do that. But, he knew its the right thing. He should not let anything bulid walls between him and YB. And besides, YB already did a lot for him already.

As he entered YB's dorm, they talked of various things. He felt relax.

'She's right. He can really make someone relax' he thought.

As he looked at YB, who was smiling and telling him some stories back then, he was caught in his own thoughts once again.

"Have you seen Dara lately?" he asked.

"Nope, not really. She's really busy right now. with all the practicing and training"

"Why don't you visit them sometimes in the studio?" he asked.

YB looked at him with an undescribable facial expression.

"I bet Dara would like to see you, too. Because it's been quite a while, right?" GD tried again.

"Nah. I don't really think that's necessary"

"But why?" GD asked. "C'mon, let's visit them sometimes"

YB didn't answer. He's really confused with GD's actions lately. He knew it was HIM who said the "you have to be part of my future before you learn everything about my past" thing. As soon as he realized all by himself that it was GD who said that, he got really confused. He was hoping that GD was trying to imply the first meaning he came up with, but from his actions right now, he can't help but think that he was actually trying to say goodbye to her.

He frowned at GD. If that's the case, then he would stop him from doing it. He knew Dara would not take that easily. And aside from hurting Dara, he knows it will also pain GD. And he can't bear to see two of the most important people in his life in pain. . .

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"Are you planning anything for her birthday?" YB asked.

GD was silent for a while. "Aisshh.. It would be a waste of time. And besides, its still a few months away. A simple gift will do"

"You're not really a good liar, you know" YB sniggered.

"Eh? What?"

"Nothing"

"I heard you said something, I just didn't catch it"

"You should clean your ears frequently then"

"Ya!"

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Cha p t e r 27

W i s h G r a n t e d : Pa r t I

H e was able to 'force' YB one time to come with him and visit 2NE1's practice/training. When they arrived at the studio, they saw that they were already practicing, so they silently sat in a corner.

After a while, "Youngbae!" she greeted. "You're here!"

YB smiled. "Yeah, GD kinda ASKED me to come"

"Aren't you going to greet me, too?" GD asked.

"You're almost here everyday" she answered.

"Yesterday is different from today"

"Cmon, let's show YB why you're here almost everyday" she said cheerfully.

He saw YB raised his eyebrows at him and a questioning look came to his face.

"Aiisshhh. Why should we?"

She was about to open her mouth when his phone rang.

He answered and talked to someone for a while, then he said "Okay, I'll be there"

He looked at YB and Dara, then sighed. "I need to go to the President's office, I'll be back later" he said.

Then, he also said goodbye to the others and told them that he'll be back later.

As he was walking towards the President's office, he can't stop thinking what could it be this time?

He knocked then entered the office. The President motioned him to sit down.

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"So, have you decided what songs are you going to perform for this upcoming event?"

"Yes, I'd like to perform This Love and Hello"

The President was silent.

"Besides, me and Dara uh(clears throat), has been uh, practicing some moves for the song this uh, past few days" he said uncertainly.

"Choose more songs; you're not only going to perform two songs. And I'd like to see a presentation for Hello two days from now, so you still have more time to practice. If I'm not satisfied, I won't let you perform that song. Understood?"

GD nodded.

"You may go"

As he got out from the office, he smiled and run. He was a bit surprise that the President was going to give 'Hello' a chance. He was ecstatic to tell Dara the news. He can actually imagine what her reaction or reactions will be. 'One wish almost granted' he thought. As much as he wanted to perform with her on his "rumored" November concert, which is also her birth month, the very reason he wanted it to be held on November, he wanted to take advantage of every opportunity being presented to him since there's still no confirmation on the said concert.

He was happy that one of Dara's wishes is just a few steps away.

Before entering the practice room, he fixed his face into a sober one. Then, he entered. He saw YB and Dara talking at one corner.

"Oppa! You're back!" CL greeted.

He smiled.

"Are you done?" he asked.

"No, not yet. We're just having some break"

"Ya!" YB called.

He went to them and talked for a while. His tongue was itching to tell Dara the news, but he decided to tell her later.

It was getting late and he saw that it was already dark outside. 2NE1 was just wrapping a few more steps. All those time, he and YB were just silently watching,

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sometimes a smile would crept into their faces. There were also times that you can hear their delighted laughter.

Then, they were finished practicing and was preparing to leave.

He stood up.

"Dara, I'm afraid you have to stay" he said.

"Eh? But why?"

"We have to do some wrapping up for Hello"

She frowned. "Kyaa! Can we do it tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow will be different"

The others looked at Dara. He saw Dara nodded. He bit his lower lip to stop himself from smiling.

The others started leaving the room, which only left him, YB and Dara.

He can see that Dara was in a bad mood from the way she acts. 'She must be really tired' he thought.

"We should worked hard on Hello because the President will be here two days from now, he'll be watching us perform it. He will then decide if we should perform it onstage for the upcoming event"

He didn't take his eyes off from her face. At first, she was really looking pissed, maybe because she wanted to go home already, but after he was finished talking, he saw how her eyes grew wide in surprise and a bright smile was slowly appearing on her face. Her head snapped up at him. 'As expected' he thought. Then, a blush slowly crept to her cheeks.

"Omo! Are you serious?" she asked.

"Yes"

Then, she started jumping up and down, squealing at first, then it turned into a high-pitched scream then turned into hysterical fits of giggling.

"What do you think are you doing? We should start practicing instead of just standing there" she scolded him in a stern voice and literally dragged him into the middle.

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"Ya! YB, what are you doing just sitting over there? Play the music!" she commanded, looking pissed.

YB hurriedly played the music while shaking his head with laughter. GD laughed, too.


2NE1 was practicing again. This time, he was alone when he visited them. Now, he got a more valid reason for his stay there: He'll be practicing for his presentation.

Nothing more, nothing less. Okay, that was a lie. Of course, he wanted to see her.

It was late afternoon when they started practicing Hello with the dancers.

Dara was confident at first because they've been practicing the song for the past few days and the song doesn't have complicated steps, more of a story, but upon looking at GD's face her confidence seemed to waver. 'He looked unsatisfied. Maybe I'm not doing well, that's why' she thought.

"Again" GD shouted. "Dara, your voice is not so clear at the end" he said forcefully that made Dara cringed.

The others looked at each other. As far as they heard, she was doing pretty well.

They started practicing again. She saw GD sighed.

"Okay, the rest can go home. Dara, you have to stay and work on that last part"

She nodded obediently.

GD looked at Dara. He felt bad for being a bit harsh. She was doing pretty well, but he wanted to push her to show her best. As much as possible, he wanted it to be perfect so the President will let them perform together onstage. But, that's only the second reason. The first of course, he wanted to spend some time alone with her, he just pretended that he was pissed off and unsatisfied so he will have a reason to make her stay.

He smiled as he saw the look on her face.

"You look scared" the one-sided smile is back again.

"You're mad"

"He chuckled. "No, I'm not"

"Yes, you were. I saw your face"

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"I should get an acting award, then"

Her head snapped up as her eyes squinted.

"You. . .You're just acting? KYAAAAAAA!!"

She hit him in the head and slapped his arm. He laughed as he run away from her, she chased him around the room. She was a bit fast, too, so there were times that she was able to give him quite a few hitting and slapping.

"Okay, I think you already had enough" he said, gasping.

"Who told you I already had enough?"

After a while, they were both sitting on the floor, gasping for air. They were quiet for quite some time, then, Dara felt her shoulder becoming heavy. She looked. She saw GD was leaning on her, eyes closed.

"Are you asleep?" she asked. 'Stupid', she thought. 'If he's sleeping, do you think he'll answer?' she asked himself.

But he didn't answer. She smiled. "Finally, you learned to lean on me" she whispered.

GD closed his eyes tightly and tried to even out his breathing eventhough he was hyperventilating from what he heard. As he pretended to sleep, a thought came to his mind: he should think of going into acting, he's getting better at it.

The day of the presentation. . .

GD was not surprise to see other YG artists in the practice room. 'Other judges' he thought.

He even expected to see the rest of Bigbang and wasn't disappointed when he saw them in a corner.

Then, the President arrived.

Mr. YG watched them intently as they started performing. He also watched the reactions of the other artists. He was actually surprise to see them all smiling while watching the two, but what surprised him more is GD's expression. He never seen him like that before. As for Dara, he can see that she was a bit nervous, but everytime she and GD made eye contact, her face lights up with confidence. He folded his arms and continued watching the two. And as he continued watching, he finally understands why the smile on the other artists' face seemed so delighted. GD and Dara are exhibiting an infectious happiness around them. It's as if they were showering everyone with happiness

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and you can't help but be happy,too. Even he, himself can't help but smile a little. The happiness in GD's face was so genuine that it was almost too painful for him to watch.

And as the presentation ended, everyone else clapped and cheered.

He was silent and waited for the cheers to die down. He stood up.

"Okay, you can perform this" he said dismissively. "Jiyong-ah, give me your final list of songs later. I want to see the final rehearsals of everyone participating in the event. I'll just announce the day" he said, then went on his way.

Everyone bowed him out, then the other artists started leaving, too.

GD looked at Dara, but she was nowhere to be found. He frowned. 'Where did she go?' he asked himself. When it was only 2NE1, Bigbang, Teddy, Kush, and a few staffs left in the room, he was definitely sure that she wasn't really there.

He went and looked for her.

He saw her in the storage room, her back facing the door. He heard her sniffing.

He slowly aprroached her. "Ya! Are you crying?"

She then turned around and faced him. He was taken aback when she hugged him and started crying.

He hesitated at first, but he hugged her back anyways. Then he started patting her back.

"Why are you crying? It's over already, the President already approved to the performance-"

"No. It's not that"

"Then, why are you crying?"

"I'm just happy. I've been wanting to perform. . . Oh, well, never mind. Let's go, they might be looking for us already"

"No, let's stay for a while. Besides, your eyes are red, you don't want the others to see that, do you?"

He sat on the floor and motioned her to do the same.

He smiled. "I remember seeing you and YB here before. At first, I didn't know it was you. I thought YB finally found someone, but then, I found out it was you" he started.

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"Hmmm. Those were such tough times for me. I always cry that time, I was such a crybaby" she said, chuckling.

"You're still a crybaby, you know"

"No, I'm not! I've matured a lot already!" she proudly said.

"You still act like a child sometimes, you know"

"It's part of my charm"

"You should act your age already" he teased.

She threw him a glare.

"And you should call me noona if you want me to act my age"

He laughed. "I can't do that"

"Why?"

"Well, first, you really don't look and act your age. And besides, it gives me goosebumps when I call you noona" he said, chuckling.

"And because I love you" he whispered softly the same time her phone rang.

"Hello?"

Later. . .

"Okay, bye bye" she hanged up.

She looked at him. "What were you saying a while ago?" she asked.

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Cha p t e r 28

W e i r d D i n n e r

"N othing"

Dara frowned. She was quite sure she heard him say something. "The others are looking for us" she muttered.

"Let's get going then" he said and started standing up. He took her hand as he stood up, bringing her up with him.

"I'm not as fragile as you think, you know"

"Huh?" he asked blankly.

"You're acting as if I'm an old lady who needs assistance in standing up" she said as she pulled her hand back.

'She's unbelievable' he thought. She misinterpreted his actions again.

"I didn't-" he started but got cut-off by her laughter and her amused expression.

"I was just kidding! You always fall into my traps, don't you?"

"Aishh!" he exclaimed exasperatedly and wrapped his arm around her neck and rumpled her hair. "You're so childish"

"Kyaa! I can't breath" she made a gargling sound.

They resumed practicing. And he, along with the other Bigbang members, practiced too for their performance. It was a bit sad that Daesung won't be able to perform with them, but at least, he wasn't in danger anymore.

He was caught between relieved and disappointed when he remembered what happened in the storage room. He knew he wasn't supposed to do that, but he was just a man after all, he can't control his feelings all the time. Those feelings were trapped inside him for so long but she didn't hear him say those words. . .

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But maybe, it was meant to be that way. . .

* * *

He laughed out hard as he saw Dara's recent SNS update.

'Cute!' he thought.

He sent her a message.

GD: Ya! Cute hotdog!Dara: You saw? kekekeke.. Yumyumyum...

For the next days, he's been teasing her about the hotdog thing. He would ask her, "What's for dinner later?"

She really never fails to amuse him.

One night, the other Bigbang members decided to drop him a visit. They were having a fun reunion when his mom called them for dinner.

He saw the surprised looks on the other members' faces, well except for YB, who gave him a knowing smile.

'Aisshh. I forgot to warn my mother!' he thought.

"Eat all you can, just don't touch the hotdogs, Jiyong's a bit possessive when it comes to that food"his mom said.

"You're eating hotdogs for dinner?" TOP asked unbelievingly.

He remained silent, quite unsure what to say, but his mother answered for him.

"He's beeen taking a liking to that kind of food lately" his mom smiled that made him blush.

'Aisshh!' he thought.

"Since when did you loved hotdogs this much?" TOP asked, chuckling.

He mumbled something unintelligible. But the others caught the word "tasty" and "delicious"

TOP was about to give another snide comment but YB interfered.

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"Let him eat what he wants" YB said chuckling.

* * *

He was a bit preoccupied with the upcoming performance that he almost forgotten all about the release of his second MV next week until someone mentioned it to him in passing.

-FLASHBACK-

It was one of those busy days. He was currently shooting for Breathe MV. Today's scene would be with the featured girl in the video.

'What was her name again?' he thought, then continued, 'oh, well, I'll just ask the staff again later'

And to his surprise, "they" visited him again.

'Perfect' he thought then smiled.

"Hello!" he heard them greeting everyone.

"Ah" he moaned dramatically. "I'm starting to feel nervous now that 2NE1's here. Ahhh.. I can feel butterflies in my stomach right now" he finished, still in his dramatic mode.

The others laughed.

"I should really wait for Dara's song to wind down in charts, she might take over me again. Aiisshh" he shook his head dramatically.

Bom, CL, and Minzy laughed while Dara was just silently chuckling, with an awkward expression.

‘What's up with her?' he asked himself. It looked like she was not in the mood for jokes.

Then, the filming started.

A while later. . .

The people in the studio clapped as they finished filming that one part. He smiled at the girl and thanked her for doing well.

He looked at the others who were still cheering them, a particular girl catching his eyes, who was seemingly and oddly unenthusiastically clapping, the littlest smile on her lips.

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He frowned and wondered what's wrong with her.

He smiled and thanked the others, slowly and unsuspectingly going to her place.

"Oppa! You did well" Minzy greeted him. CL and Bom also greeted him enthusiastically, though Bom was teasing him a bit.

"You did well" Dara said with a straight-face, not really looking at him and bowing awkwardly.

He stood there, laughing and talking with the other three, who seemed very energetic, especially CL.

He glances at her everytime the others are busy laughing at his jokes. She was unusually quiet and serious.

'Why is she always like that when I'm doing something?' he asked himself. First, during the recording of Hello, then when she was watching him on the monitor during the Heartbreaker filming (he saw that one on 2NE1 tv), then, now.

Then, he saw her face lit up as something caught her eyes. She stood up smiling.

"Hi!" YB greeted. Dara bowed and greeted him back. The others greeted him, too.

They talked for a while. He was getting more and more awkward as his smile was appearing to be a forced one. It's as if his smiling muscles were strained because he can't give off the full smile that he usually do.

He watched how Dara interact with YB and the girls only, laughing and smiling.

Then, he saw how her face fell as YB mentioned about the girl in the video.

"Yeah, she's really pretty" Dara said, looking at GD with raised eyebrows.

He frowned. He was about to open his mouth but YB said something (that he didn't quite understand), that made Dara divert his gaze back to YB.

YB just shrugged when he heard Dara praising the girl. "GD got good taste" he said, a mischief look in his eyes.

"Ya! I didn't personally choose her. If it would me, I would choose-" GD stopped.

YB secretly chuckled, looking at Dara's reaction.

"I was just kidding, I knew YOU didn't personally choose her, and you didn't decide that by yourself"

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All this time, YB knew what was going on, so before the two started ranting on the phone once both of them arrived at home, which he was pretty sure would happen, he interfered at once. Then Dara would call him again. She would then tell him everything, about why GD treats her like that, how GD changed towards her, how she thinks that GD and CL really looked good together (with obvious jealousy in her voice that is). He knew Dara pretty well that he can anticipate what would happen, he was pretty sure that he would be up all night again, listening to her rants. He's not saying that he was getting tired, but he don't want thing to worsen furthermore, knowing how stubborn these two people are.

"Okay! Let's get back to work!" the director shouted.

He looked once again at Dara, and surprisingly, she was smiling at him.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

He smiled. That was one of Dara's weirdest day.

A day before the Global Gathering performance, they were called by the President for the final rehearsals.

They performed energetically, as if they were really performing onstage.

The President watched his artists as they performed energetically. He smiled. He felt proud for having producing artists like them.

But he can't help to notice and observe Jiyong in particular. As he watch, he saw how serious he was for the final rehearsal. It can be seen through his expression, a fierce and a serious one. So, as much as he don't want to be surprise, it seemed inevitable as the music started playing Hello.

He saw how his expression changes from a serious one to a playful one; from fierce to gentle. The truth is, he was quite used to how his expression changes sometimes when it comes to Dara, but GD seemed to surprise him always. That boyish smile on his face can only be seen when he's looking at Dara.

'The boy's so obvious' he thought. So, he can't really understand why Dara is still unaware of Jiyong's feelings until now looking at how GD was so transparent. He then looked at YB, who was watching the two intently, a small smille on his lips, but he was not fooled. He knew GD and YB that much, loved both of them as if they were his own sons. He can see a glimpse of sadness and regret on YB's eyes. But no one can also deny the glimpse of happiness in those chinky eyes.

He clapped, following the others after the performance.

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"You all worked really hard. Take a rest so you can perform well tomorrow" he said, his usual dismissal speech, then went on his way.

The others started packing and arranging their things.

GD cleared his throat. Dara jumped in surprise then turned around.

He smiled. She smiled back.

"Here" he said, giving her an energy drink. "You need that"

"Oh! Thank you"


A message. . .

Dara: kekeke.. Ya! Still awake?GD: U should be sleeping right now. . .Dara: kekeke.. Look who's talking? Ur really not a very good model for a junior.GD: And ur not really an obedient junior. . .Dara: kekeke.. I'm just excited for tomorrow! I can't sleep thinking about it! kekekek. I'll be performing with the Legendary Kwon Jiyong! kekekeGD: I'm excited, too!Dara: Eh? What r u excited about? You've been performing onstage for quite a long time already!

He sighed.

GD: I'm excited for my performance with KushDara: Oh! I c! Oh, well. I should go to sleep! Bye bye

"Eh?" he mumbled. 'She just said she can't sleep, and now she wants to go to sleep already' he thought.

"Aisshhh" he muttered.

Dara: Ya! Goodluck with your performance tomorrow.GD: Goodluck to you, tooDara: GoodnightGD: Wait!Dara: I'm not going anywhere. C u tomorrow! Kyaa! Bye bye

He keyed in another message.

He waited.

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He dialed a number.

He waited.

The phone was turned off.

130


Cha p t e r 29

Tw o Vo i c e s , On e He a r t b e a t

H e woke up a bit early than expected. Immediately, he looked at his phone. It was empty. He sighed. He threw the phone to the side.

'Stupid, useless phone' he thought. He sighed again. 'What to expect?' he asked himself.

He got out from bed and looked for Gaho. He found him peacefully sleeping. He smiled.

It was a good thing that there's another one who can make him smile when the main source of his happiness is unavailable and offbeat.

'She's getting a lot of mood swings lately' he noticed, frowning.

He looked at his phone again, for a while; he was torn if he should be the first one to greet her after what she did last night.

'Hmmphh. I won't make the first move this time'

He then went to the bathroom and took a bath.

After a few minutes. . .

He heard his phone beeped, even if he was inside the bathroom because he put it in loud mode, just in case. He immediately wrapped the towel around his waist while his hair was still soaked in soap, unwashed. The bubbles are starting to fall on his face and eyes, but he ignored it.

He opened his phone. A wide, expectant grin on his face, only to found himself disappointed when he found out it wasn't from her. He threw the phone in his bed again, not even bothering to read the whole message the moment he saw that it wasn't from her.

"Aisshh" he exclaimed exasperatedly. He went back to the bathroom and resumed what he was doing with a frown on his face. A moment later, he heard his phone beeped again. His frown grew deeper, ignoring it.

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He took his time in taking a bath, marveling the feel of the water on his skin, even if his phone was consistently ringing. He decided to just ignore it, he could call the caller back later.

After settling himself, he took time in choosing what to wear on the dry-run on the venue.

After being satisfied, he then took his phone and read it.

"Aisshh!" he exclaimed.

Dara: C u later!

And, yeah, the call that he's been ignoring was from her.

GD: Ya!Dara: Network busy. Try again later.

He chuckled.

GD: Don't think too much of me, I don't want u 2 be distracted. hahaDara: :(GD: Y were u calling anyway?Dara: I didn't intend to. I ACCIDENTALLY dialed ur number.

He frowned. He was pretty sure it was a call, since his phone was ringing for too long; it can't be an accident, can it?

GD: My phone was ringing for so long, r u sure it was an accident?Dara: Of course. . I just didn't notice.

* * *

Bigbang and 2NE1 arrived at the venue at the same time. They arrived a bit early to check the stage and rehearse a bit. It was still afternoon, so there was still a dim light in the place. The seats were still empty, except for the few people whom he guessed were the organizers and staffs. Then, he jumped in surprise when he heard a snap. He turned around and saw Dara taking pictures of the venue.

"What are you doing?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Obviously taking pictures" she mumbled then turned away.

As Dara turned away, she smiled. 'kekeke. Got the angle perfectly' she thought as she scrolled the pictures down. The first few pictures were of the venue but the next captures were not of the venue anymore.

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They waited for their turn to check the stage out since the other artists were also checking the stage out.

A moment later. . .

As they went off stage, he saw that "someone" was talking to Dara. He wasn't really sure where he's from or even if he's an artist or a staff, well the truth is he doesn't really wanna know and doesn't care. What matters to him is that he's a "guy" and that he was talking to Dara.

"Ya!" he called, "have you checked out the stage already?" he added, addressing all four members. The three smiled at him while Dara was still talking to the "guy."

He was about to open his mouth but CL spoke for him.

"Unnie, let's go!"

"Oh, yes, wait!" Dara turned to them then turned back to the guy, bowed and smiled at him. As the girls passed by him, he waited for Dara to look at him and she did. Upon making eye contact, she smiled then let out a cute "hehe" to him.

'What was that for?' he asked himself irritatedly.

At the backstage. . .

He's been waiting for a moment, just a single moment to approach her and inquire her about the "conversation" she had with that "guy" But he can't find the perfect timing. She was busy chatting with 2NE1. The others were laughing nonstop at her jokes. The, he realized that maybe she was actually trying to cheer Minzy up, who cried a while ago upon hearing about her grandmother's condition. Of course he can easily approach them, but he can't just ask her about it in front of the people, when she's being her usual "civil" self towards him again. And besides, he knows she needs some time with the girls especially now that the news was out about Minzy's grandmother. So, again, he kept his distance. But as always, he kept on stealing glances at her. He can't seem to stop himself, it's becoming a habit of his already.

Later. . .

While they were waiting for their turn to perform, he was watching the other artists performing through the monitor. 2NE1 was also watching the others in awe, he chuckled how "her" mouth hanged open as she watched the monitor, too. Slowly and discreetly, he went to Dara's side, pretending to get a closer look of the performer. He cleared his throat, a smile set on place and joining the others who were clapping.

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Dara looked at him in surprise. "Oh, you're there" she whispered, more to herself.

"What were you talking about with the guy a while ago?" he whispered back, barely moving his lips while his eyes were focused on the monitor, but not really seeing the performance.

"Why are you whispering?" she asked, still whispering

"Because you're whispering, too?"

She chuckled.

"So, what were you talking about?" he asked, still whispering.

"Oh, he just wants to know where I'm from" she answered quietly, not whispering anymore. It made a few people turned their heads on her but ignored it and just continued watching.

'Aisshh! She's blowing my cover off!' he thought.

As he looked at Dara, he saw a smug smile on her face; it was too beautiful for him.

"You attract too much attention to yourself" he said, still in his whisper mode.

"What are you whispering about?" she asked, in her normal volume AGAIN.

He saw that the others got curious and confused look on their faces. He cleared his throat.

"That was really an intense performance" he said, making it up, referring to the performer. He cleared his throat again. "I'm saving my voice for later"

Global Gathering. . .

He hanged out with his friends for a while; having fun goofing around since the others were being prepared and freshened up.

Then, later, he was having a conversation with Choice 37 for the performance later. Then, when he caught a glimpse of her, he went to the girls, greeting them then started goofing around, teasing Minzy and imitating Bom. He was happy to see that Minzy's mood seemed to lighten up.

'Good work, Dara' he thought.

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Then, SeungRi came and joined in on the conversation. And as expected, he started playing around with him, playfully teasing him. Then, much to his surprise, CL and SeungRi started bickering at each other. Minzy laughed.

"Here comes the cat and dog" Minzy said. Bom was also busy watching the two while Dara was silently smiling and laughing, too. Then, her head turned towards him. She smiled.

He smiled back, his one-sided smile, to be exact. "Hey"

Her smile grew wide, then she sighed. "I'm really starting to fall-" she started but was got cut-off by TOP.

"Ya! What's with that one-sided smile again?" TOP asked as he approach. Then, TOP started telling the others how he noticed GD's lips going out of proportion because of "that" smile. And he didn't fail to make the others laugh, so much to GD's dismay.

'Aish! Expect him to always ruin the moment' he thought. And as usual, Dara's attention was diverted from him.

Then, it started.

Dara was clasping and unclasping her hands once again as she waits for her turn to go onstage with GD.

'Relax' she thought, slapping her cheeks lightly.

"You look like someone who's going to faint any moment" someone said from behind. She didn't have to look to know who the speaker was. She knew that voice pretty well, so she kept her gaze on the stage especially at the performer.

"Look at him, he's just playing it. You should do the same"

She smiled, feeling a bit relax hearing his soothing voice. She looked up at YB then smiled.

Then the music started playing Hello and GD started rapping.

'This is it!' she thought, a smile perfectly in place.

She started walking to the stage as she heard the others cheering for her.

"Fighting unnie!"

The moment she entered the stage, she got confused at first but then, her smile never wavered. Years of rigorous training under YG taught her that.

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She got confused by the sounds. At first, she thought something went wrong because she can only hear his voice. No music, no cheer, no crowd. Then, as she started singing, she can hear two sounds. Then, another sound added. It was beating fast and lightly. 'Is that my heart?' she thought.

Then he looked at GD. He was still rapping, so it means nothing has gone wrong with the system. Then, why is she only hearing three things? Is she going deaf? 'Of course not! I can still hear three sounds!' she thought.

Those three sounds sounded beautiful in her ears.

HER voice. . .

HIS voice. . .

Her HEARTBEAT. . .

But among those three, what really caught her attention was her heartbeat. It was beating so fast and it sounded double up, as if two hearts were beating; rhythmically, synchronized at the same time; together as one. Could it even be possible that she can hear his heartbeat, too? But she knew it was impossible.

'I think I'm having heart problems, I should see a doctor' she mentally noted herself.

Then, she looked at GD again. If there's no choreography, nor a story, she would never take her eyes off him. It was weird for her to feel that way, it's as if she was drawn and mesmerized by the aura he's exhibiting.

The President was silently watching, arms crossed while the others were cheering. He noticed that Jiyong is not as intense with his other performances compared to his performance with Hello right now. Instead, he looked relax, comfortable in a way. That boyish grin flashing once in a while indicates that he was playing, he was having fun. In short, he was not perfoming for his fans and he's not performing as an Idol right now, but he was performing for her and as a normal boy. His breath was caught in his throat as he saw the look at Dara's eyes, that smile and the way she looks at him. It was a surprise to see her like that. 'Could it be?' he thought. But he shook his head as if to clear his mind. He should stand on what he said. He still needs to see more. . .

Then, he looked at the crowd and smiled at how the performance was receiving good reception. A possibility for an MV? He smirked.

GD was doing his part pretty well, but he made a mistake at the end. But he couldn't really say that it was all a mistake, but it made him dazed for a moment. The moment he looked DEEPLY into her eyes, he was caught in its depth. He seemed to forget what to do next or why he was there or where is he at the moment. But then, he felt

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something cold and he realized that it was the mic. It somewhat brought him back to his senses, it was a good thing Dara transferred her mic on her other hand.

Dara was in trance state. But the moment she no longer felt his presence beside her, that's when all the sound started pouring in on her: the music, the crowd, the cheers, everything. All of it brought her to her senses and she turned around and followed him.

The moment the lights went off, GD turned around, expecting her to be next to him, but she was still a few meters away from him.

"Sandara" he called through the darkness.

Okay, he knows that she's used to lights going out after performance and walking her way around the dark. But there's still 0.5-1.0% chance of her stumbling in the dark, and he can't risk that percent, can he? So he went back a little and took her hand then lead the way.

"You're overly doing it again" she said.

"What?"

"Treating me like an old lady"

He chose not to answer.

Then, he was shocked as he felt something warm, soft and gentle on his face, then at his nape and neck. His eyes widen.

"Ya! What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm just being a good noona to my dongsaeng. You're sweating, I'm just wiping it off" she said and continued wiping his sweat using her other hand since the other was still tightly clasped with his hand.

137


Cha p t e r 30

Sh o u t o u t

'I s she trying to kill me?' he asked himself as the feel of her hand brought mixed sensations and feelings from him.

He wanted so much to hug her right here and there but he knew he can't and he mustn't. And to stop the himself from the urge of hugging her, he took her hand away from his face and unclasped his hand from the other.

"Let's go, I'll talk to you later" he said in a dismissive tone, and continued walking, letting her trail behind him. It was his only way to stop himself from doing something reckless.

Dara was shocked when she heard his dismissive tone. She couldn't understand herself, she never intended to wipe his sweat off by her own hand in the first place, but it's as if her hand has its own mind and act on its own accord.

'Aigoo! What's happening to me?' she asked herself, while staring at his broad shoulders.

And, she's starting to dread the "talk" they'll have later. She hoped that it's not about the whole wiping-his-sweat-off-by-her-hand thing.

Later, after the performance.

GD thanked Kush and the others for doing a great job, but she wasn't included in his thank you and doing-a-great-job list. And to top it all, he wasn't even bothering to even glance nor look at her. Everybody seemed hype and happy, well except for someone who was sulking in a corner. Then, GD went and hang out with his friends again, while the others were taking a rest. Minzy excused herself and went to the comfort room.

Then, later, she saw him coming, looking at her. She looked the other way and pretended to be busy with something. She felt that it will happen right now.

"Dara!" he called.

'Uh-oh' she thought. Looks like the "talk" she's been dreading will happen already. She pretended she didn't hear him and looked around again, then, a smug smile appeared on

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her face as she saw the President sitting nearby. She went near where the boss was sitting, then looked at GD. A smug and playful smile appeared on her face once again as she saw him frowned at her and a look of hesitation crossed his eyes.

'Ha ha!' she secretly laughed.

Well, she doesn't really know why GD usually don' want to talk personal stuffs in front of the President nor why he's usually distant from her everytime the boss is around, she just noticed it. So, she took advantage of her observation.

GD was infuriated with her smug look. She's the only girl who gets to his nerve but also the only one he let goes with it unscathed.

'I'll deal with you later' he thought, as he gave Dara a menacing and a smug smile.

And he was satisfied with her reaction. 'Do you think I'll just let it pass by that easily?' he thought smugly.

As the others regained their energy and being their usual happy selves, GD went to his "sneaky" self and inconspicuously went to where the girls were, chatting with them first, especially with Cl, since she's not awkward making conversations with him. Then, the moment he saw a chance to talk to her, she grabbed it quickly.

He cleared his throat first, pretending that he's listening to the girls' talk. He saw her fidget in her seat.

"So, what were you saying before?"

"Huh?" she asked blankly, looking surprise and confused.

"What were you saying before TOP hyung called me?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, looking relieved. He frowned.

'Why is she looking so relieved?' he asked himself.

"Hehe. . .Well, I was just saying that I'm starting to fall for your hair. It's growing in on me already. Do you think blonde will also look good on me?" she asked, taking a strand of her own hair and looked at it.

He was holding his breath when she started talking, expecting, only to find himself disappointed AGAIN. He shouldn't have expected, he should've known.

"So, what do you think of a Dara blondie?" she continued.

"I don't think so" he answered, not hiding the irritation in his voice.

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"Eh?"

* * *

GD: U didn't tell me ur leaving for ChinaDara: U didn't ask me, y would I tell u?GD: Call me when u get thereDara: Long distance calls are really expensiveGD: I'm not asking for u to talk to me for an hour, it won't even reach a minuteDara: Easy for u to say that because ur not the one paying the billGD: Fine. Send me a message then.Dara: Y do I have to do that in the first place?

Dara was smiling as she send the message. She can clearly imagine his irritated look. She was planning to contradict him the whole time. So, she waited for her response.Then, her phone beeped.

GD: So, I'll know that u arrived safely?

She stopped. The thought of responding a sarcastic remark was suddenly gone. How can she contradict him when he's being like this?

"He he" she giggled.

Then, she keyed in a message.

Dara: Ah, dongsaeng-ah, don't worry, I'll take care of CL-roo for u

Then she added a winking smiley.

* * *

'Roaming is not working here?!?' her mind screamed. They just arrived. She's not even sure if her SNS (me2day) will work, but she gotta try.

'I hope he'll read this one ifever this works' she thought as she post another update, saying that roaming don't work and they'll just contact everyone soon.

It was really general, she was addressing the fans of course, but she was also giving an indirect shoutout to him.

So, she set the thought aside and just enjoyed the trip with the girls since it's the first time the four of them went out of the country together.

Meanwhile, back in Korea. . .

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'Why isn't she contacting me yet?' he asked himself.

He took his phone and dialed a number. The other line rang for a while, then he heard someone answered "Hello?"

"Ya!" he answered back.

"Wassup?"

"Erm (clears throat), have you received any long distance call from someone?" he asked uncertainly then internally cursed himself for doing such stupid things like this.

"Nope. Why?" YB answered.

"Received any messages from someone out of the- er, out of the country?"

"None. Why are you-"

"Oh, thanks! I was just wondering you, know. Anyways, I know you're really busy, so I won't disturb you anymore. Continue with what you were doing and just ah, er pretend that this call never happened. Bye!"

'What could she be doing?' he asked himself again.

He sighed. There were many things he wanted to talk about with her, like why the incident of her wiping his sweat using her hand.

Another thing that caught his attention was the way Dara was looking at him during the Hello performance. She never looked at him that way before, but of course he can't talk about that one with her. He was absolutely sure that she'll just laugh at him and say that he was having hallucinations or he was sick or whatever funny remarks she can come up with.

* * *

Dara and the girls were packing their things once again, because they'll be going home. And once again, she updated, giving another shoutout to him, that they'll be contacting everyone once they arrived.

Upon arrival. . .

Dara: We're back!GD: Ya! I told u to call me, but u didn't

'He didn't read the post?' she thought. So, all her efforts were wasted?

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Dara: Roaming's not working

'Aisshh! This guy!' she thought again.

GD: U could've use other phone.Daea: U missed me, didn't u? kekeke. . .GD: Eh?Dara: ;(

* * *

He saw Dara and the other girls surrounding Teddy, cheering him from all the plagiarism issues. He was putting up a very brave face, acting like he don't care anymore because the issue is so overused already. But his pride was hurt, of course. He was acting like he got over it already. At times like this, he was really grateful that he's under the roof of YG. They already talked about this and decided that he should keep his silence for the mean time. So, upon learning about the President's statement and stand regarding the matter, he felt very grateful, touched and guilty at the same time. He wasn't guilty about the "plagiarism issue" but of other things.

'Just give me more time to be with her, hyung. Just a bit more, I'll never back out from my word' he thought.

He glanced at the others again. He stood up, stretched a bit but nobody was bothering to ask him nor even look at him. He walked to the door and glanced at Dara for the littlest moment.

'I need you, too' he thought as he went through the door.

They were cheering Teddy up, she wanted so much to cheer GD, too, but it would be awkward if the others were cheering Teddy while she was cheering someone else, and he looked fine so she declined. She was watching him from his peripheral vision, and she saw something crossed his eyes as he went outside. She was disturbed by what she saw. It was there, the need for someone. She assumed that maybe because he was looking fine, nobody bothered to ask him how he's feeling anymore. He looked at the others circling Teddy, especially at CL.

"I need to go to the comfort room" she stood up.

She decided to look for him, making the need to go to the comfort room as an excuse.

She looked for him in the storage room first and wasn't disappointed when he found him there, sitting on the floor

'Of course' she thought.

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His head was bowed, his hands covering his face as his elbows were set atop his bended knees.

'Stubborn' she shook her head.

GD was on the verge of breaking down and he hated himself for feeling like this, for being weak. He should not feel like this. Then, he felt a very gentle pressure on his left shoulder. He looked up and saw Dara smiling at him in her most gentle way.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to be with the girls, cheering Teddy hyung?" he asked, looking at the floor.

No answer. Then he felt her sit beside him.

"That's why I'm here, they're overcrowded there already"

Silence filled the room. . .

And then, he broke the silence.

"Leaders and seniors should not show their emotions to other people especially to their members and juniors" he chuckled lightly

'Yes, that's the price of being a leader' he thought.

Then he felt his head being whacked by her.

"Aisshh! What was that for?"

"That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard" she said, frowning. He opened his mouth to answer but decided that he was better not talking, he might get another whack in his head.

Another silence passed between them.

Dara was looking at the floor until she can no longer take the silence. She glanced at him, raised her hand and grab few of his hairs and pulled it gently. She was thinking of something funny the whole time because she doesn't really wanna talk about serious stuffs like the time when CL was trying to have a serious talk with them. She already went through a lot of hardship; to talk about serious things would only bring sad memories.

'Maybe this isn't the right time for jokes' she thought.

She sighed. The price of being a leader is bearing him too much weight in the shoulders already.

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"For this moment ONLY, I'll act and PRETEND to be a er, a noona to you. Though I think you look older than me, I'll treat you as my dongsaeng and not Bigbang's leader and Dara's senior"

He chuckled. She smiled hearing the sound from him.

"Come here" she said gently, almost a whisper, motioning him to lean on her shoulder. He hesitated, but then he threw his arms around her suddenly, hugging her close to him. She squeaked in surprise. She was about to protest and push him away but changed her mind.

'He needs me' she thought. She patted his back gently, whispering the words: "it's ok dongsaeng-ah, it's ok" over and over again.

A few minutes later.

"Uh" she cleared her throat. "Ji,(gasp) I can't breathe" she continued in a strained voice.

But he didn't move. He didn't answer. She used all her strength to push him gently away from her.

'Ugh! i can't believe his heavy seeing how thin he looks' she thought.

His eyes were closed. She sneak up at his eyes.

"Eh? He fell asleep?" she muttered.

She then stretched out her feet and settled his head on her lap.

"Gah! You're heavy dongsaeng-ah" she continued talking to herself. "You're so ugly when you're sleeping" she laughed.

"Kyaa! I was just kidding! You actually look a bit cuter than your normal ugly self, you should always sleep then, kekeke" she monologued again.

Then, she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I really think blonde looks good on me, too" she still continued talking, then added, "You just don't like to have a competition with me, do you? Because you know I'm going to win"

She laughed again.

Then, an idea came to her. Se looked for her phone in her pocket but it wasn't there.

'Oh! I must've left it in the studio' she thought.

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She looked at GD's face again.

"You're lucky my phone's not with me" she said.

Then, she started humming tunelessly and secretly laugh at her self.

"Is that even a song, Dara?" she asked herself.

She turned her attention to him again. "Dongsaeng-ah," she crooned, then leaned in closer, looking at his jaw, then continued talking to herself.

"Dongsaeng-ah, you should start shaving again, there are hairs growing again. kekeke"

She then moved her head and eyes towards his nose, her face was just a few inches away. She caught his nose between her fingers.

"Ooohhh.. Dongsaeng-ah, you got a nice nose!" she exclaimed then, she saw his eyes snapped open.

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Cha p t e r 31

Un f a i r

H er eyes grew wide and she gasped in surprise as she saw his eyes staring at her gently. Then, out of nowhere, she slapped his jaw

"Ouch! What was that for?" he asked, a hand on his hurt jaw.

"Omo! I didn't catch the mosquito!" she exclaimed as she leaned back then pretended looking for the "mosquito" in the air.

"Oh, there it is!" she pointed, and moved her hand as if she's trying to catch it.

"Ooh, it flew higher" she suddenly stood up, forgetting that GD's head was settled on her lap. The next thing she knew, she heard something hit the floor.

GD grunted as his head fell to the floor. He clutched it with both of his hands and curved into a ball.

"Oh!" he grunted again.

When Dara saw he was curved into a ball, grunting in pain, she panicked. She quickly knelt to the ground beside him and pulled his head gently.

"Aigoo!" she said, still panicking, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, it wasn't my fault! It was the mosquito's fault; it flew higher, so I have to stand up"

Then, she saw his shoulders shaking.

'Oh no! Is he crying because of the pain?' she thought, she wasn't really sure because he was still covering his face. Then, the next thing she knew, he was rolling on the floor with laughters. She sat there frozen, unable to move, then when she realized what was happening, she angrily stood up then started kicking him in the back, but she was making sure that the kicks were gentle avoiding hurting him even if he was already making fun of her.

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Then, he started to sit up, wiping the tears from laughters off his eyes. He was looking at her adorably. 'Ah, she's so adorable' he thought, and then chuckled.

"You should thank me instead of making fun of me"

He stood up and smiled gently at her. They stood there, staring at each other. He was about to open his mouth when she suddenly waved her hands.

"Oh! The mosquito!" she exclaimed, waving her arms frantically, trying to catch the "mosquito" again.

"Stop it. I know there's no mosquito here"

But she continued as if she didn't hear what he said. He sighed, then took both of her wrists and pulled him closer to him, placing her arms around his waist. Her eyes widen and he felt her froze. He took her chin with his fingers, then his phone beeped.

'Aishh' he thought.

He took his phone with his other hand, not letting go of her chin. He opened the message.

TOP: I just arrived, wer r u? I thought u said ur gonna be here?

'Why is it he's always the one disturbing moments like this?' he asked himself. He looked at Dara awkwardly, not knowing how to break the silence and their awkward position.

Then, he smirked, looking for a way to escape from his strange behavior. He leaned in her ear

"Oh, FYI, I just shaved this morning and trust me when I say blonde doesn't look good on you" he said. He felt her stiffen even more, then he let go and chuckled.

He was starting to walk towards the door when he stopped and turned around again. "And, oh, another thing, please don't call me dongsaeng again, will you? It's creeping me out and giving me goosebumps." he finished with a smirk and a wink at her. Then, as he stepped outside the door, he can't stop himself from laughing at Dara's expression, it was priceless.

Meanwhile, Dara just stood there, speechless and dumbstrucked, her mouth slightly open with disbelief.

'He heard everything?' her mind screamed in embarrassment.

Then, when she recovered from the shock, "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Aigoo!" she screamed, covering her face and shaking her head, as if removing the embarrassing memory.

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GD laughed harder when he heard her scream. He was just leaning on the wall beside the door, unseen.

"Ya! Crazy girl, come on" he said. Then, another roll of laughters came off him as he saw how red her face was.

Later. . .

"Where's unnie?" CL wondered.

GD tried to control himself but he can't. He let out a silent laugh and sinked in the couch, covering his eyes with his fingers. Then, he heard the door open and footsteps. He looked up and his shoulders started shaking so hard from trying to stop the sound of his laughters from coming out. Dara wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was looking straight ahead or anywhere or on anything except him.

"Oppa seemed so happy today" Minzy noticed.

Then, he saw Dara glanced at him, his doggish grin grew even wider. She turned red again and looked away. He laughed.

"Jiyong, why are you acting like a crazy person there? Aren't you tired of smiling and laughing silently? You've been smiling this whole time" TOP asked, looking at him stupidly

Dara went even redder if that was even possible.

"Well, because-" he intentionally stopped, cleared his throat and stole a glance at her. He saw how her eyes grew wide and how stiff she was sitting, it seemed like she was not breathing anymore, that she was holding her breath.

"-because a while-" but he was cut off by her voice this time.

"Youngbae!" she exclaimed in relief, standing up and smiling brightly at him as if YB was her savior or something.

"Hey" YB greeted, smiling brightly, too.

The others greeted him back. And he did, too.

"I heard you'll be starting to shoot your MV soon?" she asked, still smiling brightly and was looking hyped up that she was actually jumping up and down on her seat.

"Oh, yeah, I've been told about that, too" YB answered.

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"What are you still doing standing over there? Come, sit" she motioned to the seat beside her. GD then suddenly stood up. Then, made a hand gesture of greeting YB then patted his back.

"It's been a long time, isn't it?" GD asked. "How have you been doing?" he asked, his arm on YB's shoulders and leading him to where he was sitting, and let him sit beside him.

"Ya! We were just together yes-"

"So, have you discussed with the team what will be the concept of your video?" he asked, cutting him off.

It went like that, him, monopolizing YB with conversation. He glanced at Dara once in a while, flashing an evil grin everytime she looks at him, too.

Later. . .

He was in his bed, wide awake; one arm across his forehead, a wide smile was still there as he remembered the day's event. He was quite enjoying pretending to sleep around her because she tends to talk loudly to herself. Then, a weird sensation crept to him as he remembered how her face was so close to him. He was tempted to kiss her when he felt her breath blow against his jaw and when he smelt it. Then, the way she touched his nose and crooned on how she thinks about its cuteness almost did him in. Maybe if he didn't open his eyes that instant, and she was still leaning on his face, he might lose his control. But he know it's not yet the right time.

* * *

For the next days, 2NE1 was busy with practicing, training and performances in different events.

One in particular is the Supermodel contest were both he and 2NE1 were invited to perform.

He let out an amuse chuckle as he saw what Dara was wearing and his eyes grew wide when she took her blue "hiphop" cap and started doing hiphop moves and poses. The others were laughing at her.

"Yes, I'm a hiphop girl"

He knew she always wanted to wear baggy clothes and he also saw one of 2NE1's interviews where Dara mentioned that the moment she entered YG and saw how hihop had a great influence with YG artists, she had then wanted to wear baggy clothes but he can't believe that the stylist let her get her way.

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'This girl probably used her charm again' he shook his head, still chuckling at her stupid gags.

Then, later on, when she got tired of doing hiphop moves and poses, she rested. Then, after a while, she went to him.

"Do you think I can wear this later?" she asked, pointing at the cap.

"No, you can't" he answered.

"Eh? But why?"

"Your apple hair won't be seen" he answered absentmindedly.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "And so?"

He was silent for a while then he smiled, "CL made an effort on doing that"

Her face fell. "Im sure CL-roo won't mind" she muttered, a frown creasing her forehead.

"And besides, the fans gave that to me, what would they think if they saw you wearing that?"

"Oh! Yeah, I forgot"

And the show started. Then, it started raining, as he got down, he told them, "Be careful, the stage is slippery"

* * *

He was ecstatic as he went to the practice room. The President talked to him yesterday so he woke up early today to bring the good news: that they'll be having special performances with 2NE1 and of course another Hello performance. And also, the President will be leaving everything on GD's hands and that Mr.YG trusts him enough to get in charge for the rehearsals and the performances.

But as he entered the practice room, his smile faltered.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"They said they'll be coming late. They'll be visiting Youngbae's filming, I think" one of the crew there said.

"Oh! But the filming will be later, right?"

"Yes, but I guess they just want to be early there"

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Of course he knew that YB will be filming today, he was actually on his way there but he decided to drop them a visit first, but he should've ask her first and confirm if they're at the practice room.

'She didn't tell me that they'll be going there today' he thought.

Upon arrival at the location, he saw her talking to him, laughing. Then, when the filming started, he saw her watch the monitor with a serious face but a smile would light her face once in a while.

'She's so unfair' he thought. She didn't smile like that when she was watching him on the monitor when he was filming the Heartbreaker MV nor during the Breathe MV.

He approached them.

"Oppa, you're here!" CL smiled and greeted him. The others followed.

"Hyung!" SeungRi called.

"Aisshh! How come you're here but when I was the one filming, you didn't come?" he asked. "As a maknae, you should treat your hyungs fairly, just like me. I always find time to support my members. That's the kind of leader I am"

The others laughed at his remark.

"It's because SeungRi is ridiculous" CL piped in.

SeungRi looked at her with that stupid looking eyes of him and blinked several times.

"Ya! I'm a year older than you, and I'm supposed to be your senior, you should-"

"You're really ridiculous" CL cut him off, shaking her head.

And they started having their usual "word fights" again.

He smirked at the two. Looks like the maknae is in for a fight with the leaders. He shook his head. It was funny how SeungRi seemed to be always the underdog to CL, knowing that CL is a girl and younger than him and of course his junior.

'You're fighting a losing battle, kid' he thought.

Then he glanced at Dara. She wasn't glancing his way; she was just staring ahead with a blank look on her face. He wasn't really sure if there's something wrong because her expression didn't give her away.

"He's really good, isn't he?" he said, standing beside her, watching the monitor.

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"He's one of the best" she answered and smiled.

"Yes, he is" he answered back silently.

* * *

They started practicing. He's in his "leader" mode when they're practicing, keeping a keen eye on everyone and the mistakes or the lacking of energy and passion. Everyone else looked serious also when he's being his serious self. But he's not all that serious during the period, at breaks, he would team up with CL and beat SeungRi.

While TOP would be seen with Daesung, though the latter won't be performing, he's still there to support them. The two, who's also known for their unusual antics, would entertain the others with their funny acts by which YB would laugh at heartily. Dara was sitting on the other side of the floor with Bom, Minzy and Teddy.

Then, he heard Minzy, Bom and Teddy's amused chuckles. He looked at them, and saw how Dara was all frozen with Gaho, wagging his tail in front of her.

"Aigoo!" she exclaimed, then Minzy and Bom took Gaho and played with it. Dara took the opportunity and stood up, putting a distance between her and Gaho. But Gaho struggled against Bom's hold and ran after Dara.

Minzy laughed. "I think he's chasing Dara unnie"

Upon hearing that from Minzy and seeing Gaho nearing her, she started walking faster, then it broke into a run. The others laughed at the funny scene. Dara then went to the bench, lifting her feet with her.

"Hah!" she exclaimed. Gaho stopped in front of her, then wagged his tail. She looked at it with scared-looking eyes.

Then, later, Gaho turned around and went to GD. He smiled as he saw him going to him. He played with him lovingly, then, Gaho started slipping from him, he frowned.

"Ya! Where are you going? Come back here" he called. But then, he saw Gaho going back to Dara whose back was facing Gaho and was walking towards Minzy and Bom, she probably thought that it was already safe to set her feet on the ground since Gaho went to his owner already.

He saw the others waiting in anticipation. As much as he wanted to warn Dara, he also wants to see her reaction.

Dara was walking towards the others when she suddenly felt something on her left leg. She looked down.

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"Kyaa!" she screamed, and started running with her knees going up so high.

The others laughed, he even joined in on the fun.

153


Cha p t e r 32

Sw e e t Coo k i e s

A nother day of practice. . .

He noticed that she was not her usual self. She kept on looking at her phone anxiously.

'I'll ask her later' he thought.

Break. . .

He went with the others when they said they'll be getting something to eat. But she didn't go with them, saying that she was really tired and she wanted to rest. Upon getting outside, he received a message from the President.

He told the others that the President wanted to talk to him and that they should go without him. The others agreed and just told him that they'll be grabbing something for him, too.

He turned around and went to the boss' office.

After a while. . .

His back at the practice room. The others were not yet there, he looked around. He found her sleeping faced down. He sighed, then lied face down vertical to her. Then, he closed his eyes, too. Slowly, he fell asleep, too.

Later. . .

Consciousness was slowly going back to him. He heard footsteps but chose to remain his eyes closed. Then, the footsteps stopped near him. He opened one eye and peered. He saw YB bowed down and looking at her. He saw YB brushed some hair off her face and a bittersweet smile crept to his lips. He closed his eyes and squeezed it tight.

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He can't look for too long in YB's eyes: pain and regret. 'Soon, you won't suffer anymore. Just give me more time, brother' he thought.

Then, he started hearing more footsteps. When the room was filled with noise, he faked a loud yawn and opened his eyes. He stood up and rubbed his eyes, stretching a little.

"What took you so long? I already fell asleep waiting for you guys" he said.

"Sorry about that. CL and SeungRi were arguing what to order for you and Dara" Bom answered.

Minzy woke Dara up. Then, they started eating.

After a while, the others were finished eating and just taking a rest while the others were dancing to Last Farewell which was being played in the background. He saw looking at her phone with a worried look on her face. He slowly went to her.

"Hey, is there something wrong?" he asked.

She looked up and asked blankly, "huh?"

"I said, is there something wrong?"

"Oh! I'm just worried about my friends and the people in the Philippines. You know about the typhoon, right? I've been contacting them and asking if they were safe. The others already replied that they're safe. I'm. . .I'm still waiting for the others. . ." her voice trailed away.

He felt bad for what was happening but he was also worried about her.

"Is he one of the people who. . .Is he safe then?" he asked.

"Who are you talking about?"

He gave her a knowing look.

"Oh, no, there's still no news about him" she answered.

'I see. Now I understand' he thought.

Of course she's still worrying about him; he can't take that away from her.

After the break, he called for everyone's attention. He told them what the boss said a while ago.

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"I'm afraid the Last Farewell performace collaboration won't happen. Hyung said that because this is actually Bigbang's first time to do broadcasting again here in Korea, he wants it to be a special one. But 2NE1 will still perform Last Farewell, only the first part. The latter part will be performed by us. And he also said that you'll appear on the last part of How Gee, showing some dance skills"

"TOP hyung and Dara noona should be paired in the dance showdown. It would be funny" SeungRi said, unaware of the two eyes glaring at him, while Dara was just laughing.

"Ya! Are you embarrassing your hyung?" TOP asked, but he danced funnily anyway.

"Mr. YG said that CL, Minzy, SeungRi and Youngbae should do the-"

"Oh, good. The boss really know who to choose" SeungRi interrupted.

* * *

She was standing in front of a door, hesitating. She raised her hand and was about to ring when she changed her mind. She turned around and was planning to leave but then she changed her mind again and turned around. She found herself staring at the door that she was staring for over an hour already. She raised her arm again, but the door suddenly opened.

"Oh!" they both exclaimed.

She bowed and greeted GD's mother at once.

"Come in. I'll be going out, he's in his room"

Then, GD's mother called him. "You've got a visitor!" she shouted. "I'll get going" then she went.

A few minutes after his mother left, she was still standing there, waiting for him, but there was still no sign of him. But she was hearing music coming out from his room. She walked towards the door of his room which was left ajar. She peered her head through it, her eyes automatically wandered around the floor, searching.

GD stood up from the swivel chair. He was uploading some of the latest stolen pictures of "her" in his PC. As he turned around to go to the restroom, something caught his eyes. He stared at the little bobbing head peering through his door. He chuckled at her expression.

"Ya! What are you doing there?" he asked. She didn't answer, her eyes were still wandering around the floor, as if searching for something.

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"Gaho's still sleeping" he said as he finally understood what's going on. Her eyes snapped at him then she smiled, straightening up, entered the room with confidence that nothing would come and scare her.

"What's that?" he asked again as he noticed that she's hiding something behind her.

"Oh! Well, Minzy was baking this morning, then I just remembered the time when we gave Teddy and the boss, erm, cookies, then I remembered again that we weren't able to give you some, so I mad-, I mean, I brought you this" she said, pulling her arms from behind her, a box on her hand. She gave it to him hesitantly. He opened the box and saw two letters: "G" and "D"

He looked at her.

"They're cookies" she said. He smiled.

"Come, eat this with me" he said, taking her wrist and pulled her with him. He sat on the edge of his bed, motioning her to do the same. He gave her the letter "G" cookie while he took the "D" one. She shook her head frantically at him.

"Oh, no, it's for you-"

He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Fine" she mumbled.

As GD gave her the cookie, she automatically looked down at the floor again. She nibbled a bit.

"Oh! It didn't taste the way I want it to be" she mumbled, embarrassed. She should have asked for the girls's help.

"What are you talking about? It tasted good"

Her eyes squinted, her head snapped at him. "Ya! Are you making fun-" she stopped as she saw him putting the last piece of the cookie in his mouth. Her eyes grew wide. "You. . You ate all of it already?" she asked in disbelief. He just shrugged.

"What taste were you expecting anyway?" he asked, ignoring her questions.

"Well, I wanted it to taste sweet like normal cookie, but it tasted salty and-"

"It was sweet" he cut-off. "You should bake more often for me, then"

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"I don't think that's a good idea" she said, frowning as she looked at the G shaped cookie. She was sure it tasted salty and a bit off, but he said it was sweet. Maybe her tastebuds are off, that's why.

"Are you going to eat that?" he asked, taking the cookie from her hand and consuming it with just three bites.

"Ya! I didn't say yes"

He smiled boyishly at her. As much as she wanted not to, she can't help but smile at him, too.

SILENCE

She looked around, then saw something. A framed photo of him. She sighed heavily.

"I miss the old Jiyong" she suddenly said.

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"You were more approachable before and you're usually the one bringing up conversations" she chuckled, then continued, "you seemed so distant nowadays" She sighed heavily, "you changed bigtime" she finished.

'You changed bigtime towards me' she thought. Then, she smiled. "Oh, well, it's in the past anyways" she stood up. "I think I should get going then"

GD grabbed his wrist tightly and looked at her.

Looked.

Stared.

Breathe.

Eyes started to melt into liquid soft.

Then, she screamed, jumping so high that she landed on his bed, hiding in his back.

"Oh, Gaho's awake" he said blankly. "I'll feed him first"

"Why is he always doing that? He keeps on sneaking on me"

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He chuckled. "Maybe because you look like a bone, seeing how thin you are" he said. That earned him a pillow thrown straight into his face but he just laughed it off and turned around, his back facing her. He then started feeding Gaho.

"How am I going to leave now that he's awake?" she asked.

"Too bad" he muttered, an evil grin spreading his face.

"Oh, well, you can carry him once my feet's on the floor" she chirped happily.

He stood up, went to his computer again. "I've got some work to do, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait. This is really urgent" he said, then, added, "you're gonna be okay there, right?"

She nodded. She was now sitting in the middle of his bed. While he was "working" in front of his computer, she never took her gaze off him. Then, she would smile at him everytime he glances.

"What are you working on, anyway?" she asked.

He gave her a mysterious look. "It's confidential" he winked.

"He's really getting bigger" she said after a while, looking at Gaho with a scared face. He was once again in front of her, waggling his tail.

"Aren't you finish yet?" she asked him.

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Romantic comedy?"

"Yeah" he smiled, grinning evilly, but she didn't notice, she was more worried about the one she's looking at.

"I'll leave him here. Let's watch in the living room"

"How am I going to go there?"

"I'll distract him"

Later. . .

GD put the volume up, then the movie started rolling. She was sitting comfortably in the couch. He sat beside her. A smile was constantly placed on his face.

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Then, she started screaming, hiding behind his back sometimes, peering through his arm.

"Ha! Aigoo! Run!" she squeeled.

"Omo" she whispered, half scared, half anticipating.

She would close her eyes and hide her face in his shoulders, too.

'Ah, this is the best romantic comedy movie I've ever seen' he thought, grinning at how funny she looked.

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Cha p t e r 33

T h e D r e a m

T he movie was already finished, but she was still hiding behind his back.

“Is it over?” she asked.

He smirked. “Yeah,”

She then emerged herself from his back and looked at him, eyes squinting. “You told me it’s a romantic comedy movie” she burst, her hair in disarray.

‘It was for me’ he thought, smiling as he stood up to turn the player off. He heard her phone beeped.

“Oh, I should go” she said.

“You’re-“he stopped as he turned around and saw her exiting through the door already.

He just shook his head. She didn’t even say a proper goodbye to him. Then, he heard someone buzzing. He went to the door and opened it. She was smiling at him weirdly.

“Erm, can you. . . can you walk me to the dorm? I don’t really want to walk the hallway (gulped) alone”

He smiled and praised himself for thinking of watching that scary movie. It all benefited him.

They walk silently. She was not talking to him because she kept on glancing behind her. He smirked.

“You look so scared”

She jumped and squealed in surprise. “Oh, no. I was just checking. . . “ her voice faded away.

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“Do you know the history of this building?” he asked.

“No, why?”

“Well, many people said that they usually see a woman standing here alone, she never talks nor walks. The people also said that they can’t see her face properly because she kept on glancing at the floor and that her long hair is covering her face. There-“

He suddenly felt her grabbing his arm. “Ah, I really am not interested in the history of this building” she laughed awkwardly, looking at the empty hallway behind her. He laughed.

“Don't worry. Like I told you before, I won’t let-“

“I bet you’ll be the first one to run once you see a ghost” she murmured.

They walked in silence again. She was still gripping his arm tightly.

Then, they were in front of her dorm. “Erm, thank you. Kekeke. I think you should go now” she said.

He raised his eyebrow questioningly at her. “The girls didn’t know that I- uh, well,. . . Aisshh! Why are you asking so many questions? Just go, okay?” she burst.

He looked at her for a minute. So, the girls didn’t know that she went to him, then? He smiled at that thought and just nodded.

* * *

He was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, one arm across his forehead. A smile would lift his lips everytime he remembers the day’s events. But, he was really disturbed by the way she looked when she said that HE changed bigtime. He frowned as he remembered the sadness and longing he saw on her face at that moment. She should know that people really do change. Even he admits it to himself that he changed but he didn’t see that the change was bad. He actually thought it was a good change. He missed those times of course, when he and the boys were not as busy as today. When they would just hang out on the practice room or go out as a group or the three of them (him, YB and her). He was actually surprise to see that YB was somehow “at ease” with her when he tends to be very shy in front of other girls.

‘What did happen anyway?’ he asked himself. Well, maybe he became really busy with work but he never failed to communicate with her through phone. And of course, he was holding back and keeping his distance from her because of the complications surrounding both of them. Then, there’s YB, then her ex, and his. He was a man after all, he may have liked or loved or admired some girls but she was always there deep inside all this time.His phone beeped.

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Dara: Asleep?GD: Nope. U can’t sleep?Dara: I keep remembering the movie. . goosebumps. . U? Y r u still awake?GD: can’t sleepDara: something’s bothering u?GD: well, yeah. . .Dara: eh?GD: I was thinking of wat u said a while ago. . about me changing. . .Dara: Oh!GD: people change, u knowDara: I know. . but YB didn’t change as much as u

He was silent for a while until he received another message. . .

Dara: don’t think about it anymore. . .it’s already in the past. . .GD: can’t help but be bothered.Dara: sorry . . . I shouldn’t have brought that up. . GD: no, don’t be. . .I’m just curious. . .What change r u talking about, anyway?Dara: CL-roo’s preparing to sleep. . .

The next morning. . .

She woke up earlier than the girls. She went out and started jogging. As she was jogging, she was thinking about last night’s conversation. She sighed. As time goes by, he kept on rising so high that she can just look up and do nothing. Maybe she was afraid to reach for him and fall hard on the ground.

After sweating a little, she then proceeded to the exercise room, expecting it to be empty. But she was wrong.

“Youngbae!” she exclaimed in surprise.

He seemed surprise himself. “Noona!”

She smiled at him. “Still building muscles, eh?”

He laughed. “Not really. Just a preparation for the album and the promotions”

“Oh! Yeah! Of course! You must be really excited and nervous at the same time, eh?”

He chuckled.

“Oh, well, continue with what you’re doing” she said and started working out herself.

163

The room was filled with silence except for some whirling sounds from the machine or their heavy breathing. Then, as she turned around, she found YB was not around anymore.

‘Where did he go?’ she asked herself.

“Noona!” someone called. She turned her head and saw him coming to her smiling. “Here” he said, giving her a drink.

“Oh! Thank you. I thought you left already”

They sat on the floor and leaned their backs on the wall.

“Eh?” she muttered in disbelief. YB looked at her questioningly.

“You came here before me and worked out for a longer time but you’re barely sweating while I’m already drenched”

He chuckled. “You still look fresh” he said.

SILENCE

“And I think it’s overboard to say you’re drenched in sweat, when in truth is you’re not”

“It’s not that obvious but I really am drenched in sweat”

YB’s phone rang.

“Hello?” he greeted, then listened.

“I’m here in the exercise room”

The other on the line must have said something funny because she saw him laugh.

“Oh, no. I’m not the only one early here” he said, still smiling, then he looked at her. She smiled back.

“Yeah, yeah. . Noona’s here already, too” he listened for a while then answered immediately.

“Sandara noona”

“It was Jiyong” YB said after the call ended.

164

“Oh”

“He’s just choosing something to wear and he’ll be here in a few min-“

“Annyeonghaesseoyo!” someone greeted loudly and a bit ecstatically that it was close to a shout.

Both of them looked up and saw Jiyong entering the room, his hair was still a bit wet, as if he just walked out of the shower.

“-minutes. . .” YB finished. “That was. . . . fast” YB continued, disbelief and amazement in his voice. He looked at her, and then she burst out laughing.

“I was just talking to him on the phone a while ago. He said, he was just choosing something to wear and now he’s already here”

She laughed even harder. He joined her.

GD saw them sitting on the floor. Then he saw YB’s lips moving, but he didn’t quite hear it. Then, she laughed out hard, looking at him weirdly.

‘What’s so funny?’ he asked himself. He looked at YB and saw him silently laughing beside her. It seemed like both of them were enjoying teach other’s companies. He smiled awkwardly at them.

“Where are the others?” he asked.

“Not yet here” Dara answered as if asking, ‘isn’t it obvious?’

Dara then finished what she was drinking then stood up. She looked at YB then smiled.“Thanks for this” she said, lifting the drink.

“Sure thing” he answered.

Dara then resumed what he was doing and so is YB.

GD was not on his best mood

Later, Minzy arrived and join in on the exercise activities.


They went to the practice room and saw that Bom and CL were already there.

The girls then started practicing for Let’s Go Party.

165

And as usual, he just sat there watching them. “Chaerin’s really good” he commented to YB who was sitting beside him.

“Yeah” YB answered blankly. He looked at YB and saw him watching the girls, too.

Then, the rest of the Bigbang arrived. The girls watched as they practiced. Then, during the break, when they were supposed to be resting the members where ecstatically showing off their dancing skills, especially SeungRi.

“Ah, SeungRi, CL’s gonna beat you if you’re like that” GD laughed. SeungRi blinked at him stupidly.

“Ah, hyung-nim, I was really busy with my acting activities for the musical show, it’s been a while since I danced” SeungRi answered defensively

CL scoffed at that.

“Ya, Chaerin-ah, what can you say about SeungRi’s performance in the musical?” GD asked.

CL looked at him and smiled, then looked at SeungRi mischievously.

“I don’t really like to hurt SeungRi’s feelings, so I’ll keep the comment to myself” CL answered that made everyone laugh.

“SeungRi, tell me something. Is there something that you’re really good at?" GD teased.

SeungRi opened his mouth then closed it again, standing there looking like a fool that made another wave of laughter from the people. GD laughed out loud.

“I think SeungRi did well in the musical” a small high-pitched voice said. GD looked at her. Then, SeungRi went running to her,

“Oh, noona! You’re really the best among 2NE1” SeungRi added, and hugged Dara for a moment then let go. It made GD’s eyes grew wide.

“Unnie is a scattered-brain person, you didn’t actually believe that, did you?” CL interrupted.

It made the people laugh again.

GD smiled at CL. ‘Nice one’ he thought.

* * *

166

The President was watching his artists practicing for the upcoming performance. As much as he don’t want to, he can’t help but smile when GD and Dara started practicing Hello.

He nodded in approval and satisfaction as 2NE1 and Bigbang finished presenting to him. Then, he called GD.

In the office. . .

“About your other request. . . . .”

* * *

He dropped himself on the bed. Sleep automatically took over him.

It was a very tiring day after all

Then, he dreamt. . .

She was running, but she was still on the same spot. It was like she was stationary running away from him, like in the treadmill. Then, she stopped, turned around to face him, waving happily. Then, she started running again, this time, she was running towards him, still, not moving an inch from where she was. She stopped again. This time, he saw a tear fell on her cheek, she put a hand to where her heart is and moved her lips . . . He tried to listen, but he didn’t hear anything. He tried reading her lips, but he failed. Then, slowly, tears started to fall rapidly on her cheeks. A strong wind suddenly blew, he watched in horror as she fades with the wind. . .

“No. . .” he moaned in his sleep. Then he turned his head to the side, falling deeply into sleep again.


He woke up feeling weird. He frowned as he contemplate the reason behind what he’s feeling, but his brain failed him, so he just shrugged it off and went to the bathroom, the dream all forgotten. . .

167


Cha p t e r 34

S t o l e n Glan c e s

‘B ack to work’ he thought as they arrived at the venue for the Idol Show. Since it’s a pre-recorded event, there was much lesser commotion and pressure in the backstage compared to live events. They already shoot the jamming version of I Don’t Care, and done rehearsing on stage. They were at the backstage that moment. Bom and CL were done with their make-up and hairstyle while Minzy was on the process of it. Dara, who was sitting beside CL, was still make-up free.

“Bom noona and Minzy are really charming today” SeungRi suddenly said. Then, he continued, “but Dara noona is really pretty even without her make-up on”

Dara laughed shyly at SeugRi.

It wouldn’t take a genius or a fortune teller to tell what SeungRi is up to. He was trying to piss CL off again.

But Teddy chuckled. “CL looks very feminine with her hair down, doesn’t she?” Turned to GD, who smiled then nodded. “Yeah. It suits her”

“Oh! I didn’t notice that CL is already here! Is that her beside Dara noona? I thought-“ SeungRi started.

“I’ve got Papa Teddy earrings, here, take a look” CL loudly turned to Dara. GD shook his head and laughed silently at SeungRi. ‘Poor kid’ he thought. He was fighting a long-time lost battle and he’s not even noticing it. But he agrees with him at one point, though, she really looks pretty.

The whole time they were at the backstage, he never got the chance to talk to her or even get closer. He contained himself with a few to more to many stolen glances. She was with the girls while he was hanging out with the boys. He would sigh every now and then she’s out from his view, everytime someone’s blocking or covering her view or when her back was facing him.. But come to think of it, they don’t really talk that much especially when there’s a big crowd like this surrounding them. Well, except maybe for those few stolen moments when the others were not paying attention that much or when there’s only 2NE1 or YB.

168

Then he jumped in surprise as he heard a phone beeped. He looked at his phone expectantly as he saw her closing her phone. But to his disappointment, there was no message. Then, at the side of his vision, he saw YB opened his phone and stared at it for a while, a frown creasing his forehead. Then, YB looked up at the direction of Dara and shook his head chuckling. He saw him typing a message. His head turned to Dara as soon as he saw YB’s phone closed. And right on cue, Dara opened hers and read the message, a shock look on her face, then she keyed in a message frantically. Then, YB’s phone beeped again. He heard him chuckle.

“Looks like someone sent the message to the wrong person” YB muttered, but it didn’t escape his ears. Then, this time, he was sure it was his phone that beeped this time.

Dara: R u ok?GD: Eh?Dara: U looked tired during the I Don’t Care shootingGD: Oh! I’m fine. . .He waited for her response, but it never came.

GD: Ur really pretty even w/o make-up

He glanced up and saw her smile. She glanced at him, too. He smiled back.

Dara: kekeke. . I know . . .Er, should I say the same to u?

He chuckled.

Dara: YB’s being weird

He glanced at YB and found him his usual YB-self.

GD: Y?

But she didn’t response again. And once more, he heard YB’s phone beeped. After a while, he got so frustrated that he started typing keys incoherently and randomly.

“Hyung-nim, what language is that?” someone asked from behind him that made him jump in surprise. He turned around and saw SeungRi peering at his phone interestedly. He snapped his phone close.

“Just because nobody’s bothering to send you a message don’t give you the right to read other people’s message”

“But you’re not even typing a coherent-“

“You know you can’t win over me, so don’t try” he cut-off dismissively.

169

Then the program started.

It went out smoothly. But he made a few unnoticeable mistakes during the Hello performance, maybe because he was a bit befuddled. Nevertheless, everything else was fine. And everytime the girls changes outfits and accessories, he helped them with what accessories to put on. He was particularly being helpful to CL since he tends to get too sweaty when it comes to Dara, and oh well, a bit touchy too at times. He glanced at her and saw her cap turned to the right side. Finding an excuse to finally talk to her after all those stolen and secret glances they’ve been sharing for the past hours, he went to her and adjusted her cap.

“It looks better on the left side” he said.

“Oh, thanks” she murmured, looking down, and turning red. She was like that after the Hello performance.

“Still can’t get over what happened during the Hello performance?”

“Aniyo”

He chuckled.

“You’ve been red after the Hello performance.

He saw her lips moved and mumbled incoherently. But he caught the words: “noticed everything”

He chuckled again and looked at her gently. “Look at me” he whispered.

She hesitantly looks at him. He smiled. “Expect more to come” he said, and then went away.

Dara stood there, dumbfounded.

‘Expect more what?’ she asked himself.

Then, Last Farewell and How Gee followed. He laughed when he saw CL totally nailed SeungRi down in the dance battle.

Backstage again. . .

Everyone was clapping for the successful show and for their performances. The others were already packing their things up while the others were taking a rest.

170

He looked for her and saw her sitting on the floor, looking at him too. Then, she suddenly looked down, as if embarrassed of being caught from doing something illegal. He smirked when she glanced at him again. Then, he mouthed: “later”


Dara was finding it hard to sleep. She’s been turning to the left and right for the past hours, but still, she can’t sleep. The Hello performance kept on replaying on her mind and the way GD looked at her behind that cap. But then, she can’t also forget what he did.

-FLASHBACK-

She was more relaxed now than the first time she performed Hello with him, after seeing Bom cheering for her near the stage entrance. She knew what was coming that she was a bit caught in surprise when they did the last act in the performance. She knew that they were going to pretend to kiss, just their cheek touching each other. So, when she saw his expression when he pulled his cap, her insides melted into butter that she looked down a bit and turned her head to the side, his lips touching the side of her nose. The moment his lips touched her nose, she saw a sad smiled appeared on his face, but she thought it was just a trick of light, because he was smiling fully once again. And as the sensation of his lips touching her nose, she felt. . . . . weird and giddy that she can’t help but smile brightly, too, forgetting his weird, sad expression a while ago.

Then, they went offstage.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Then, she heard her phone ring. She took it and her eyes grew wide as she saw who was calling. She looked at the time then stood up, and went to the bathroom.

“Ya! Why are you calling this late? It’s already morning!”

“It’s your fault”

“How did it become-“

“I mouthed later to you but you ran away or should I say escaped from me-”

“Ya! I didn’t know what you were trying to say with later. How would I know-“

“Don’t sound so mad, I know you haven’t gone to sleep yet”

“How did you know?”

171

“Your voice don’t sound like fresh from waking up”

172


Cha p t e r 35

Rea l S c o r e

“W hy did you call anyway?”

GD was silent for a while.

“We haven’t talked for a while”

“So?” she asked.

“Why are you being so difficult again?” he asked back.

“Difficult? What do you mean? Why are you talking in riddles these days?”

“I’m not talking in riddles. It’s not my fault if you’re really slow”

He heard her gasped on the other line. He can clearly imagine how her nose is flaring right now. She was probably pissed off. But then, she surprised him by laughing.

“You sounded so much like CL-roo. It must be fate, don’t you think?” she teased.

He frowned. ‘There she goes again’ he thought, shaking his head.

“You’re being random again” he answered.

“Hmmm.. Are you trying to get close to me because you know I’m closer to CL than any of the other girls?”

He sighed heavily. He was still wondering how he fell head over heels to this kind of girl. ‘Ah, the works of love’ he thought.

“Do you need help with CL?” she continued.

“I heard you’re going to China again”

173

“Oh, yeah”

“Be careful”

“Ya! I’m not as clumsy as you think”

“And don’t attract too much guys’ attention”

“It’s not really my fault if-“

“You should always wear jacket and pants since it’s really cold there. Don’t even try wearing shorts in front-“

“Ya! You know I’m not that comfortable wearing shorts in front of-“

“You did perform wearing shorts not long time ago” he mumbled.

“Bom’s always wearing shorts. Why don’t you tell those things-“

“She’s different” he insisted.

“Ya! Are you trying to say that I can’t-“

“I didn’t say anything”

"Then why are you so against me wearing shorts?”

“I’m not against it. I just. . . don’t want. . . you wearing it in public” his voice trailed away slowly.

‘Aish! What are you thinking?’ he told himself.

“What an overprotective senior and dongsaeng you are”

“I told you not to call me dongsaeng again”

“I’ll call you whatever I want” she answered stubbornly.

He heaved a great sigh. “How long will you be gone again?”And they talked and talked. She was always being random, not to mention sarcastic at times and incoherent that no matter how much he wanted to still talk to her, he let her get her sleep and put some sense into her mind.

On the other hand, a smile never disappeared as he went to sleep.

* * *

174

Practice room. . .

They were practicing. She kept yawning in between. She’s been covering her mouth every now and then to hide it.

Then, he arrived. She looked at him, confused.

‘What is he doing here again?’ she asked herself as he greeted everyone cheerfully.

Later. . .

“What happened to the both of you?” the trainer asked. The others looked at each other, frowning and confused.

She frowned too and looked at their trainer, who was turning his head back and forth to him and to her. When neither of them answered, the trainer continued.

“Both of you are yawning every now and then”

She blushed as she heard his soft chuckle from the side. He was sitting five seats away from her, Bom and Minzy in between.

“A phone call kept me up last night” she mumbled in irony. She can totally imagine his smile right now.

GD cleared his throat. “I slept late last night, and then someone woke me up early this morning, so I didn’t get that much sleep”

She went redder than before.

-FLASHBACK-

He jerked awake as he heard his door banging open, thoughts still incoherent. He looked at the intruder with curiosity and a confused look, making him frown.

“Good morning!” she greeted, then he followed his gaze to her physique as she went to his wardrobe, opened it and looked for something.

“Aha!” she exclaimed, finding what she was looking for.

“I’ll just borrow this one, I’ll return it soon” she said, pointing at something that he can’t clearly see. He blinked for a few times and just nodded, mesmerized by her smile.

Then, she gave him a look that brought him to his senses. He looked down and his eyes grew wide as he finally realized that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He quickly took the blanket and covered himself, sinking deep into the bed.

175

“Dara! What are you doing here?”

She laughed and shook his head.

“Ya! You can’t just barge in my room like-“

“You can go back to sleep now” she said dismissively and walked out the door. He glanced at Gaho who was peacefully sleeping.

‘Where were you when I needed you?’ he thought.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Then, they resumed practicing.

As he was watching them, he can’t help but think of what will happen in the future, on what’s laid in front. To think that he’s falling even deeper made it a lot harder for him to take the path that’s laid out in front of him. He knew once he put one step forward on the path he’s been willing to take and painfully chose, there would be no turning back, that he can never go back, never retreat. He smiled bitterly. He can’t believe how something so plain and simple would turn as complicated as this. Realizing his feelings for her brought all this complications up. He can’t clearly remember when it all started. He just knew that the very first moment he saw her, she already stirred something in him, at first he thought it was curiosity about her life and career in the Philippines. Then, eventually, it turned to a friendship then, as for him, it turned into love. He secretly mocked himself at how his love for her remained hidden for years.“Oppa!”

He blinked.

“We’re having a break, come eat with us” CL called. He smiled at her then nodded. Then, he glanced at Dara who was looking down on the floor. Then, he turned his gaze to Bom and started teasing her with her eating habits.

The whole time they were eating, he would throw a few jokes in between but she remained silent, smiling once in a while. Then, when everyone else was full and taking a rest, that’s the time she glanced at him. He stared at her intently but she quickly looked down again.

* * *

His phone beeped.

Dara: We’re back!GD: How was China?Dara: Fun! Need to sleep! Contact u later!

176


The girls were ready for sleep. And as they went to bed, she turned the lights off and sinks herself in the comforts of her own bed.

A few minutes later, her phone beeped.

GD: Still awake?Dara: Y?GD: Come outsideDara: Y?GD: I’m waiting.

She frowned then stood up, not bothering to open the lights again. She doesn’t want to bother the girls’ sleep.

Dara: Wer r u anyway?

She walked to the main door, waiting for his response but he didn’t. She opened the door, and saw a man’s back facing her. He was wearing a simple navy blue hooded jacket and a black beanie.

“Ya! Ji, what do you want?”

GD turned as he heard her voice. He saw her stepping outside and closing the door behind her.

He took her hand and pulled him towards him, imprisoning her in a tight embrace. She struggled for a while then he whispered, “no one’s here except us”

Then, he continued, “Ah, I missed you” he muttered and squeezed her tightly.

Dara’s hands stopped in midair. She was planning on pushing him away but she stopped as he heard him mutter those words. She felt weak that her arms fell to her sides.

Then, she raised his arms again and put both hands on both sides of his waist. He pulled his face back a little.

“Go get a jacket and a beanie” he said and run his fingers lightly through her hair.

“Why?” she asked.

“Can you be a good girl for once and just follow me?”

She looked at him hesitantly then shrugged. She then turned around and went inside the dorm.

177

After a full minute, she stepped out of the dorm again, wearing a black beanie and a hooded jacket. He smiled at her then took out the scarf he brought and wrapped it around her neck, half-covering her face.

“Are we going somewhere?”

“Han river” he answered with a smile, then he took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

They walked hand in hand in silence. Her mind was buzzing and working overtime. His actions are absolutely mind-boggling. Then, thoughts and questions started forming in her dizzy mind. She wanted so much to know what’s going on in his mind right now or why was he acting like this. She wanted to ask him what’s going on or if these things will somehow lead to something. She wanted to think that he’s doing this because he wanted to be with her but she strongly fought against that thought. She was scared to assume or let her hopes up. She was afraid to ask him, to confront him and voice out her thoughts to him.

She was also feeling guilty and confused.

Guilty, because she felt she was betraying CL because she was rooting GD for CL.

Confused, because she can’t quite understand what’s going on. Then, the mixed emotions she was feeling added to that. She was happy yet scared. She was relaxed and comfortable despite the fact that her heart was beating frantically fast. But the one thing that she wanted so much to know is what the real score between them now was.

They sat on the ground as soon as they arrived at the place. He squeezed her hand, as if sending her a silent message that he doesn’t want to let go, ever. He can’t quite believe he missed her this much when she wasn’t even gone for more than three days and they were in constant communication the whole time she was in China unlike the first time.

He glanced at her then smirked.

“I hope you didn’t attract too much guys’ attention there”

“Bom actually nailed all three of us there” she said. “Ahh, I actually thought I’m hot and attract attention to myself, but I was wrong!” she added dramatically. He chuckled.

“I prefer it that way” he mumbled, mostly to himself, and then added, “You already got a lot of celebrity fanboys and you’re still craving for more attention? You’re unbelievable”

She laughed. She found it funny how she took the “rumored” male celebrities’ attention when the only attention she wanted was HIS but she can’t quite own it solely.

178

“Don’t tell me we came over here just to talk about rumors?”

He chuckled then sighed. “Who would’ve thought that a guy like me would be missing someone like you?” he said, looking forward.

“Hmm. . .Yeah, well, I did miss-“she stopped as the words formed in her head. Then, she burst out, “Ya! What did that mean?”

He laughed.

“Oh, well, I did miss you too” she suddenly said. He stopped laughing and looked at her with a shocked face that he looked so pale.

‘Uh-oh. What have I done? He looked so pale. I think he went into shock’ she thought. She then chuckled awkwardly then started laughing out loud, clutching her tummy.

“I can’t believe you actually believed me! This is the nth time you fell into my traps”

Then, he started gaining color, but this time, he was so red she thought he was going to burst out anytime.

“Aissshh!” he shouted frustratedly at her

And so, the bickering started.

It was almost midnight when he decided to take her home because she kept on yawning in between her rants, long talks and sarcastic remarks.

In front of the dorm. . .

“Goodnight” she said, pulling her hand from his. He didn’t let her go, instead, his head swooped down and his lips planted a soft kiss near the corner of her lips. She gasped in surprise. He pulled back then chuckled.

“I did warn you to expect more to come, didn’t I?”

She was still speechless. He let go of her hand and grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. “Now, go inside and have a good night and sweetdreams”

179


Cha p t e r 36

Un e x p e c t e d

H e watched her entered the dorm. But he didn’t move an inch the moment the door closed in on him. It seemed like he was rooted to the spot. He just stood there and stared at it.. Then, the door opened a bit, her cute little head bobbing out, peering through the small space.

“Erm, thank you for, uh, well, goodnight” she said, then closed the door again. He smiled in amazement.

‘Yeah, she’s weird. It makes me fall for her more’ he thought. Then, the door opened again and for the second time, she peered through the small space.

“Oh, you’re still there” she mumbled mostly to herself but he heard her alright.

“Why, are you waiting for more to-“

“Oh no, I was just checking. . . .” her voice trailed away, then she continued. “Anyways, sweetdreams”

He let out an amused chuckle the moment the door closed again. He was about to turn around when he heard the door creaked open AGAIN. He stopped and stared at her.

“I think you should go now. Go on, go go” she said, shooing him with her hand. He shook his head. “I was about to, but you keep on checking on me. It makes me think that you want to go to the dorm with me” He finished with a smirk.

She opened her mouth then closed it again. Then, she shook her head. “You definitely need some sleep, you’re talking nonsense already. Now, go” she shooed again.

He turned around and started walking. Then, he took a glance behind him and saw her craning her neck, still looking at him. He shook his head and smirked. Then, he looked down at his hand. It felt so cold and empty now that he’s not holding her hand anymore. He sighed. ‘I should get used to this kind of feeling from now on’ he thought. He knew his time with her was almost done.

180

She watched his back as he went and disappeared. The moment she can’t see him anymore, she leaned her head and closed the door. Now, that she’s alone, she was able to think of the complications and consequences of this evening.

The kiss. Eventhough it wasn’t really on the lips, still, he kissed her near her lips! She can’t deny the happiness that kiss brought to her, considering that it was near her lips. She can’t stop herself thinking what would she feel if it was in the lips? She suddenly shook her head, as if to shake the thought off her head. But she got to admit, she was a BIT disappointed that it wasn’t on the lips.

The evening also brought a whole lot of confusion to her feelings for him. She frowned. Of course he was special to her, he was like her big brother, friend, protector. But now, her heart is telling her otherwise.

‘No, don’t feel that way’ her mind screamed to her heart. ‘It’s wrong’

Yes, it was SO wrong to fall for him.

He was a superstar. She was a rookie.

He’s a senior. She was a junior.

He’s a dongsaeng. She’s a noona.

They belonged to YG family. YG family should be a family, not like this.

Then, there are these other complications on the way.

The fans.

Her dreams.

His ambition.

Her family.

His music.

His life. .

No matter how hard she looked at it, these things will always be put on line and no matter how hard she think about it, it will always be HIM who will be greatly compromised.

Then, there’s this issue with their feelings. They never said they like each other or something like that. Then, she was pretty sure he still loves that girl. She saw it in his

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eyes. Both of them had bad experience with relationships. She was really afraid to take a risk with him.

The consequences. Mr YG gave her chance to this. She knew once the President found out about this, he will be disappointed and he can do something serious to both of them. She doesn’t want him to suffer because of her.She sighed. But she can’t also deny the overwhelming happiness she felt this night; this one night with him. She knew something like this won’t last. But, she decided to just go along with the flow for the meantime. Even if it was just a game for him, she will treasure memories like this.

* * *

It was one of those days where they would be hanging out at the practice room after practicing and working their butts off. They were in the midst of their preparation for the Dream Concert.

‘It’s been a while’ Youngbae thought as he laughed with the others, who were laughing their heads off at Daesung’s funny remarks joined by TOP, who’s gags are slowly returning. Then, there’s GD, who seemed to have acquired a new character that is, being a dork. He knew GD can be a dork at times but he noticed that he was on his next level of dorkiness nowadays. He can actually amount to Dae and TOP’s gags now. The others even started calling them “the threesome”. But, it was just one of the things he noticed on GD lately. Well, as for the other, he noticed the exchange of glances with HER has changed. Oh, yes, he already knows all about those secret glances before, but now was different.

The stares, looks, glances, gazes or whatever you want to call it was more. . . . . . . . INTIMATE than before.

And their smiles. . . .Both of them are giving each other a “knowing-smile” as if they both knew a secret, like their the only ones who knew about it. Those smiles would also make you think that both of them received the best news in the world.

He then shook his head. ‘I can’t believe they’re still flirting with each other at this rate’ he thought.

But the last thing he noticed was somewhat bothering him. The look on GD’s face when he’s not exchanging that flirty looks with her or everytime Dara was not looking at him creeps him out. That empty face, that faraway and dead look in his eyes could only mean one thing. . . But he doesn’t want to think that’s even possible. Just as he thought something was really off, he suddenly heard GD’s genuine laugh and saw his genuine smile.

He frowned. ‘Maybe I was just imagining things’

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* * *

The Dream Concert. . .

It irritates him to see the “others” staring, no drooling over her. And it irritates him more to see her greeting them and smiling at some of them.

‘Gah!’ his mind screamed.

But then, his attention was diverted to Daesung. His brother seemed well enough compared to before, still he prays for his full recovery. He shouldn’t be worrying about her when there’s still a lot to think about. Just like Dae’s performance with them tonight. The truth is, all of them got teary eyes when they heard they’ll be performing onstage with Daesung. The feeling of being with your family or sharing the stage with the people you consider your family is overwhelming! But of course, he can’t also deny that no matter how hard he try not to think of her, she would always popped into his mind every now and then just like the stubborn person she was.

He was mentally scolding her for always poppong into his mind whenever and wherever he was.

‘Stupid, stubborn girl’ he thought.

And the harder he tries not to think of her, the more she tends to get inside his mind. And he solely blames that on her stubbornness.

“Youngbae!” he heard her calling YB.

He frowned. He just realized that she never called HIM on his full name, well except if she was agitated or mad or pissed or really happy. It was always GD or G-dragon or his most-loved nickname made by her, Ji.

‘Why’s that?’ he asked himself. He never thought about it before. Well, what to do but to ask her?

Then, he saw her talking with YB about caps.

Then, the show began.

He was watching on the monitor for the performances. Then, he smiled as the others cheered upon hearing CL’s intro in Fire.

Then, others things got forgotten the moment he went onstage with his brothers.

‘It’s been a while’ he thought.

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At the backstage, the others were having goosebumps watching the boys, the five of them together onstage again, and Dae giving his all for the performance. There were even a few who got teary eyed as they watched the boys. They did come a long way, in terms of music, popularity, charms, skills but most especially, the friendship and the bond was something no one could ever break.

Or so they thought.

They were on their way home. . .

GD was staring out the window, keeping the disappointment to himself for not being to talk to her that much. The others were goofing around again, especially TOP, SeungRi and Dae. Looking at Daesung right now, one can not imagine that he was still recovering and he was involved in an accident. But of course, YB was his usual silent “laugher” and “smiler” self again.

Then, he suddenly jerked up in his seat as he saw someone through the window. He felt an electric shock being jolted through his body as he saw her physique. It’s been years since he last saw her but he was 100% sure it was her. He turned on his seat as the car passed by her, his heart started beating fast as he realized where she could have been. She was walking away from the direction they’re heading.

‘Impossible! She’s. . . Could it be. . .? But how?’ he thought.

“Ya! Is there something wrong?”

“Huh?” he answered blankly.

“You’re pale and sweating. Are you okay?” YB inquired.

“I’m just. . . tired.”

Upon arriving home, he was surprised to see his mom waiting anxiously for him.

“Someone was looking for you. She said she thought you’d be here after your performance in the concert” his mom said. He looked at his mom quite uncomprehendingly.

Then, no need for words to be asked, his mom nodded. “Yes, she said she went and watched the concert. The moment you were finished performing, she immediately went here”

“We. . .I-I.. We(YG crew) hanged out a while so I wasn’t able to get home as soon as the performance was done” he said.

“I told her to come back some other time”

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After a few seconds. . .

“Son, are you alright?”

“I don’t know” he whispered.

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Cha p t e r 37

S t r o n g He a r t

T hey seemed to be stuck in practice rooms these days. Rehearsing, hanging out, training, goofing around, practicing again, teasing each other, working out, talking and the likes. 2NE1 was especially working hard. They were being prepared for their upcoming album, and the talks of holding out an independent concert for them at the end of this year. And of course, there are plans for the girls and Dara alone appearing in some shows. Eventhough he was also busy and working hard himself, he can’t help but worry over her. Everyone knows how she easily gets tired. Plus, there’s this additional training she’s taking by herself.

Oh, he knows all the “overtime” she’s doing. He would sometimes see her in the practice room or in the exercise room. All those nights or early in the morning that she was secretly working, he was there, seeing that he’s just a concerned sunbae to his junior. Then, she would surprise him the following day with her energy, gags, laughter and bright smiles as if she wasn’t working her butt off the previous night. He didn’t hear her complain even once. The others were not suspicious because she was hiding her tiredness pretty well. But he knew better. All those little naps she’s taking during the breaks and the lessened exchange of messages between them during the evenings were just a few signs of how tired she was that she easily falls asleep.

* * *

YB saw the surprised look on GD’s face as the four of them appeared in the doorstep. TOP cheekily smiled at the surprised leader, arms full of FOODS

“Hyung-nim!” SeungRi greeted loudly with that weird accent of his.

“Sorry about this, he dragged all of us here, well except for TOP hyung. The maknae did a good job on him” YB said, trying to control his smile.

“What brought you here anyway?” GD asked.

“2NE1 will be appearing tonight, right? Watching it would be the right thing to do, don’t you think?” SeungRi butted in.

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“Ya, SeungRi-ah, don’t you have your own television?”

“It’s better to watch it with my equals”

This time, it was TOP who answered disbelievingly. “Equals?!?”

“Oh, I think it’s starting already” the maknae said, ignoring his hyung’s outburst.

Then, they watched. The others laughed at the right places. YB noticed SeungRi looking at GD when the people in the show started teasing Dara and Seunggi. And oh, YB saw how the maknae’s face light up when Dara said that she finds Seunggi cute, enjoying the leader’s reaction, probably. He turned around and saw the dark look on GD’s face. After a while, he then fidgeted in his seat as he felt goosebumps on his arms. The aura that GD was exuding was creeping him out. If he got the abilities to see the aura of people, he was 100% sure he would see green and black surrounding GD right now.

‘Uh-oh. I think she’s in trouble. Bigtime!’ he thought.

Then TOP started ranting on SeungRi’s quoted statement about HIM being the best member in Bigbang. And to YB’s surprise, GD reacted a bit violently than necessary. And as he watched GD pounding on SeungRi , he shook his head. He knows GD was just letting his frustrations out.

And as the show came to an end, TOP still can’t get over it.

“Ah, did you see how he looked at Dara noona when she was singing?” he heard SeungRi asked Dae loudly.

YB fidgeted again. “Er, I think we should go. GD needs some sleep, too” he urgently said as he saw the look on GD’s face.

“I think they’ll look good together, don’t you think?” the maknae continued. That made YB literally dragged him out of the reach of their leader. The maknae might not know it, but one day, he’ll find himself tongueless.

He pulled SeungRi to one side when they were out of the dorm.

“What do you think are you doing?” he asked. The maknae smirked at him.

Back at the dorm. . .

GD was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

The show was one hell of a roller coaster ride for him. He can’t help himself from pumping his chest out proudly as she mentioned his name and laughed at her when

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she showed “a few” of her hiphop moves, just like the time she was flaunting a lot of hiphop moves during the Supermodel Contest. But, of course, it was not all highs for him.

‘How could she?’ he thought grimly. His mind was screaming silent protests as the show kept on replaying in his head.

He scoffed. “Seunggi-ah annyeong” he mimicked her high-pitched voice in mockery.

Oh, no, he was wrong. It wasn’t high-pitched at all. She was saying it in her cute, sweet voice just the way she said “annyeong” to him before. He thought that word was rather special hearing her say the word in that cute, sweet voice of hers, but now, he realized there’s nothing really special about that word. And to add up to that, she even said she finds that guy cute!!! Oh, and don’t even think that he didn’t saw the look that guy was giving her when she was dancing to Get Right. And don’t even think he doesn’t remember that it was the same guy staring at her during the Big Idol show. And the others on that show was teasing them! And he didn’t like that SHE kept on laughing. Then, she said it was better if the guy can sing. He was not sure what he felt there, considering that he’s not really like YB when it comes to singing.

Time slowly flew as he stared endlessly at the ceiling. Then, he took his phone and dialed a number. After a while, he heard a sleepy voice answered.

* * *

Dara was on her way to the exercise room. She knew the trainer wasn’t there yet because it’s still early, so she was expecting to have a quiet time alone and a nice warm-up before the trainer arrives.

She turned the knob and entered the room a bit preoccupied with what would be the best warm-up for her to do. She went in and walked towards the other end of the room when she suddenly stopped in the middle as her eyes landed not on one but two “things” she wasn’t expecting to see and definitely would not want to see when she’s alone.

‘What are they doing here alone, anyway?’ she asked herself.

“Aigoo” she let out as she stood there transfixed and frozen. Then, the brown one started moving towards her.

‘Uh-oh. Not again!’ she thought. She then started stepping backwards slowly; not wanting to give the impression that she was “playing” around again. Her pace increased, when suddenly, the other one stood up too and started following the lead of Gaho. When she couldn’t help it anymore, she turned around and started running, aiming for the door. But there was a body on tye way that it left her no choice to throw herself towards that person, doesn’t giving a damn who that person was. And she was actually grateful that he

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caught her in time, she was now being carried in a bridal way. She buried her head in the person’s neck, hiding herself. And as she did, she inhaled the familiar scent that always brings butterflies in her little tummy.

GD stood frozen as he felt her burying her head in his neck. He was shocked and surprised, not expecting her to throw herself to him. When he saw her running towards him and was about to throw herself to him, his arms, instinctively, acting on its own accord raised to catch her. Slowly, gradually, a smirk appeared on his face.

This wasn’t part of his plan, not at all.

-FLASHBACK-

After a while, he heard a sleepy voice answered.

“Ya! Could you bring Boss tomorrow in the exercise room around 6?”

“Eh? Why?”

“I’m bringing Gaho, too. It would be nice if he got to play with Boss”


He arrived ahead of YB.

“Oh, Teddy hyung was looking for you” he said.

YB frowned. “Really? He didn’t send me any message. I should call him-“

"You should go to the studio, he’s there. I guess he was just preoccupied that he forgot to send you a message”

“Oh. I’ll go then” he said, leaving Boss on the floor.

As YB left, he set out the “planned” revenge in his head.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

But, things got out of hand. His most-thought-out revenge ended differently. But he’s not complaining a bit. This was WAY, WAY, WAY better than he originally planned.

“Don’t put me down” she said. An evil smile spread across his lips. He then started walking to where the two pups were, and he was teasing her that he would drop her

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anytime when the door suddenly opened.

“Teddy hyung-“ YB started but stopped when he saw the two of them. “Oh!” he exclaimed. A knowing-smile lit his face.

“Youngbae!” Dara exclaimed, embarrassed. “Um, Ji, can you put me down over there?” she said, pointing at the seats.

He obliged, walking over the end of the room and put her down.

Then, there was an awkward silence.

Dara was contemplating at how embarrassing it was of YB finding them in that position. . .

YB finally realized all the reasons behind GD’s actions. Asking him to bring Boss, sending him to the studio when the truth is, Teddy hasn’t arrived in the building yet. . .

GD was frowning as he remembered something: her not calling him in his full name on a regular day-to-day basis

Later. . .

Taking a rest. . .

“Ya! I just noticed. You haven’t called me by my name lately.

She looked at him weirdly. “Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-“ she started, prolonging the “i”. He waited in bated breath.

“Di” she finished. “GD”

He gave her a look.

“I liked the sound of GD better. And besides, what difference shall it do? You already heard me calling you by your first name before.”

“Just this once”

“Ji-D-yah!” then she laughed.

‘Weird’ Dara thought as she realized that for sometime, she’s finding it hard to say his name. It was always GD, or G-dragoon, or Ji. And sometimes Jingyo.

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Then, later. . .

“I’ve seen the Strong Heart episode” he started.

“Really? So, sunbae-nim, what do you think of the first appearance of 2NE1 in a variety? Did we do well?”

“The MC was pretty charming that night”

“Eh? Oh, yeah. Seunggi-ah was really-“

“Chaerin did pretty well. And Minzy wowed the people there with her moves while Bom noona was really hilarious. And I wasn’t even pertaining to Seunggi”

“You’re not a fair sunbae”

He chuckled. “You were alright” he teased.

“I’d better start working again” she mumbled, standing up.

He grabbed her wrist as she stood up.

“I was just kidding. Don’t overwork yourself too much”

She scoffed as she pulled her hand away. “Easy for you to say”

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Cha p t e r 38

Fl o w e r

2 NE1 was already there when he arrived at Lotte. After rehearsing for a while on stage, they lounged at the backstage. Then, he took a little time for himself. Then, as he was heading back to the backstage, a figure of a girl caught his eyes. He froze, unsure of what to do. Then, as he blinked, the girl was no longer in sight. After a while, he decided it was just a figment of his imagination.

At the backstage.

As Dara was fiddling through her things, a rose fell out of the chaos caused by her scattered possessions. She frowned as she stoop and picked the flower. The girls saw it and started questioning her.

GD’s head snapped up as his eyes flew to where she was. ‘Someone gave her a rose?’ he thought.

“Is there a card? What does it say?” Bom asked. He saw Dara looked for the card and opened it. Her eyes grew wide as she read what was in the card. Then, a smile curved her lips, that was quickly replaced by a frown.

“Nothing. . It just says ‘To Sandara Park’ “

Then, her head snapped up to him as she gave him a bright smile.

‘Is she trying to piss me off?’ he asked himself as he finds it irritating for her to smile at him like that. ‘Yeah, enjoy that flower while it last’ he thought grimly as he saw her sniffing the flower and how she seemed to can’t take that stupid bright smile off her face. Then, the show started. Since they will be appearing in the second part of the show, they stayed at the backstage. She was goofing around again. She was imitating YB’s dancesteps in his Where U At MV, there’s this ‘where u at hand dancestep’ and the ‘chest-hitting dancestep’. She added her own style and making funny faces that it looked darn hilarious making everyone laugh, including him, inspite his “little” grudge against her. But he still kept his distance though, contemplating about the recent events.

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FIRST: he kept seeing “her” everywhere ever since he learned that she dropped by his dorm. See her, but never got the chance to talk to her. Then, it was always a glimpse, he had never seen her face upfront yet. It was always a glimpse of her back, of her side, of her physique so it was making him confuse if he could actually see her or he was just imagining that she’s everywhere he was.

SECOND: looks like someone’s starting to make a move on Dara. At this point, he was actually a bit thankful that they’re not allowed to have boyfriends yet.

As the performances ended, a series of fireworks lit up the sky as part of the celebration. The people gasped and cheered, in awe of the sky’s beauty. He stole a glance at her. Her face illuminates different colors and he loved how the colors play beautifully on her face. He sarcastically smirked. He can’t quite understand why the people where in awe of the sky’s beauty when perfection was at his side.

“Beautiful” he said. She chuckled.

“Yeah, it is. Feels weird”

“Eh?”

“It’s weird to stand here when not long time ago, we were mere trainees working for our dreams. Weird how not long time ago, Hyun Seung was still with us, in this very place and working his way to be a part of Bigbang and now he’s. . .” she stopped then sighed. “So many things has changed. Ahh, I missed the others”

“Past is past. You can never go back once you took a step forward” he said, mostly to himself, mentally preparing himself.

Dara froze as she sensed a deeper meaning to it. But she ignored the fears she suddenly felt and chuckled.

“You’re talking in riddles again”

Later. . .

As she lay in bed, she looked at the flower again. She smiled despite the guilt gnawing inside her for lying about the card’s content. Her smile grew even wider as she remembered the card’s full content. It said: “To Sandara Park”, then at the bottom of it, a cute letter “J” was scribbled

* * *

His head was aching a bit. Probably from lack of sleep. But he had to get up to go to the YG building and prepare for his upcoming Inkigayo performance.

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Dara: Ya! Did u sleep well?

He hesitated as he remembered he still have a “little” grudge against her, but then, he responded anyway.GD: Not reallyDara: Ur overworkedGD: I’m fine. Ur d one who’s overworkingDara: I can manage. What’s wrong?GD: I told u it’s nothing.Dara: -.- I don’t believe uGD: Ur bro’s going to debut, isn’t he? R u excited?Dara: Oh, yep, of course I’m excited for him. And Hyun Seung, too! Say hi to him for me ifever u bumped into him, okay?GD: Sure. . .Dara: Back 2 u. What’s wrong dongsaeng-ah?GD: Don’t call me thatDara: I won’t if u tell me what’s wrongGD: I’m just tired.Dara: U want a massage? I can send CL there or maybe u want the model u were with in the beach?GD: That model thing is so long time agoDara: I just found out recently. So, which do u prefer?GD: Hmmm. . . I’ll pick the model (winking smiley)Dara: pervGD: hahaha

A minute passed. . .

Another one, making it two minutes. . .

Until it turned into an hour. . .

Then, hours. . .

She never sent another message again.

He sighed. He was just hanging around back then; never expected it to come out. Besides, it was really the boys who invited those ladies. And now it’s out in the open. He felt guilty. Most of the people know Dara has some “trust” issues when it comes to men, especially after what happened to her father and that guy. But that particular girl reminds him so much of her, especially the eyes.

Then, when he remembered her stint in Strong Heart, he had a change of heart. He shouldn’t feel guilty, there’s nothing going on between them anyway.

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Later. . .

He dropped by the practice room where 2NE1 was, bringing foods with him. The three girls greeted him while she merely bowed to him.

‘How dare she act like this towards me?’ he asked himself as he smiled at the girls.

“Oppa’s always good to us” Minzy said that was seconded by CL. They then thanked him.

He watched them for a while, waiting for any sign of recognition from her. When he didn’t get any, he bid goodbye to resume his rehearsal. He was already a few meters away from the practice room when someone called him. He turned around and saw her jogging her way towards him. She then reached out for his hand and opened it, placing a chocolate bar in his palm.

“Energy” she said, then turned around. He quickly grabbed his wrist and was about to hug her, but he changed his mind.

“Thanks” he said. She smiled then bowed to him and went away.

He looked at the chocolate in his hand as a grin spread across his face, the unknown sender of the flower and the incident in the Strong Heart episode all forgotten.

* * *

Dara: Ya! U won DMA’s! Congratulations!GD: Thank u

His phone was now bombarded with congratulatory messages but he replied to Dara first. He was on his way home already.

Dara: U should treat us!GD: Shouldn’t it be the other way around?Dara: kekeke. YG family fighting!

He arrived at the dorm.

As he entered, he stopped halfway through the living room.“Hey, it’s been a long time” she greeted, smiling at him.

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Cha p t e r 39

T h e Vi s i t o r

H e was speechless as he was rooted to the spot. She chuckled and snapped her fingers in front of him. He blinked.

“I-I. . .Y-you. . .” he stuttered.

She chuckled amusingly at him. “I see you haven’t change”

He stood there, transfixed as the silence grew.

“Oh, your mom said she’ll be out to check a few things. But I think, she was just giving us some quality time together, don’t you think?”

Then, he heard a buzzing sound. He snapped out of his reverie and excused himself from her and went to open the door.

“Congratulations, oppa!”

“Congratulations” the girls greeted cheerfully.

“We got some cookies for you” CL said. His eyes suddenly flew to Dara who was smiling brightly at him.

“Er, aren’t you going to let us in?” she joked

He blinked. “Oh, yeah. . .Come in”

Dara entered the room headfirst, feeling excited. Then, all of them stopped as they saw another visitor. They all bowed and greeted her. The girl smiled back.

“J-ah, 2NE1” he casually said.

“Sandara-ssi, did you like the flower?”

Dara was taken aback. “I-it was from you?”

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“Yeah, I’m a big fan you see. Sorry, I tend to be shy at times so I just left it there. And, sorry about just putting a letter J instead of my full name”

“Oh, it’s alright” she mumbled, turning red as she sensed the girls’ eyes on her. Now they knew she lied. “Thank you by the way” she added as she glanced briefly at him. Then, she gave a little bow to her to show her appreciation.

‘I should have known better’ she thought as the disappointment hit her hard in the guts. She shouldn’t have assumed nor expected. She was right from the very beginning, to let her hopes up would be a slap in her face.

Then, another buzz came. GD went to see who that was.

“Youngbae oppa!” Minzy greeted. YB greeted everyone. Then, his eyes landed on the other girl in the room making him glance at Dara at once.

“I just came to congratulate you” he said to GD while still glancing at her in between

“Ahh, you’re embarrassing me. You know it’s unnecessary” GD chuckled.

The girl chuckled, too, making all their heads turn to her.

“Looks like everyone came here to greet you but me”

“You don’t really have to . . .” his voice faded.

“You’ve got a nice set of friends” she said.

YB saw GD smiled then glanced at Dara. “Yeah, I am lucky to have them”

“Looking at you now made me realize that I made the right decision before”

“I think I should put this on plates now” CL suddenly said, going to the direction of the kitchen while MInzy offered help and followed the leader.

“Why don’t we take our seats?” the girl asked, breaking the silence.

“Oh, I’m not really staying. I just dropped by to greet GD” YB answered, looking at Dara who was as stiff as a board.Then, CL and Minzy returned.

“Oppa, we’ll get going. We still have training tomorrow”

They said their goodbyes. YB secretly nudged Dara who seemed to be rooted to the spot. Then, they went on their way. When they were outside, YB glanced at Dara.

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Upon seeing him looking at her, she smiled. He smiled back, unable to resist her charm. Then, he watched as the girls turned around and started walking away from him. He then went to his dorm, too. Upon arriving, he took a bath then put some PJ’s on. He proceeded on opening the computer. Then, he heard a buzz. He went to open the door and see who it was.

“Noona!”

She smiled. “Can I come in?”

“Of course” he answered.

“I’m not disturbing you in any way, am I?”

He chuckled. “You don’t mind disturbing me before. Why ask?”

She chuckled, too. “Yeah, I guess that’s true”

They stood in silence, then he broke it. “Why don’t we take a seat?”

“Okay”

Then, she started telling him about the “flower” incident, how she lied to the others, how she assumed that it was him. But she never mentioned how disappointed she was when she finally found out who the sender was, but he heard it in her voice. And she also confessed that she’s now a bit ashamed for lying and can’t face the girls, so she sneaked out to go in his dorm.

“I want to let the girls sleep first before I go back. I don’t want to talk about it yet. I know they’ll be asking me questions”

Then, she was silent again.

An idea came to his mind. “Come, I want to show you something”

He went in front of his computer and let her sit on the swivel chair. He leaned his hand on the table while the other took the mouse and he clicked a few buttons then, when the video started, he put his other hand on the backrest of the swivel chair as the other was still leaning on the table.

“Omo!” she exclaimed as the video started. It was taken during the time when she did her In Or Out stint in the restaurant.

“You got a copy of this?” she asked.

“GD was insisting to have a lot of copies, for backup purposes according to him” he

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chuckled.

The room was then filled with their laughters as they jumped from one video to another. Most of them were taken when they were still trainees: in the karaoke, in the practice room, etc.Miraculously, their laughters sounded harmoniously and beautifully together, as if they never experienced any hardships in their lives.

GD’s dorm. . .

“What did you mean when you said you made the right decision?” he asked.

“I never really wanted to be in the way while you were reaching for your dream. And I’m actually happy that all your hardwork paved off. You’ve gone so far” she chuckled lightly.

He was silent.

“Your friend seemed to change” she said.

“Who?”

“Youngbae. She seemed at ease with girls already, especially with Sandara-ssi”

“Oh. Yeah. I think she’s the first girl Youngbae was comfortable talking and hanging out with”

“Hmm..”

“So, what really brought you here?” he asked.

“I think it’s about time to claim back what I once have” she said, giving him a knowing smile. “I already had enough waiting”

Back to YB’s dorm . . .

They were now looking at some pictures.

“Ha! Look! I look so bad there!” she exclaimed.

“Hmm” he paused. He looked at her then at the picture. “Well, nothing really changed from that picture to what you look now”

“Ya!” she exclaimed and slapped him in the arm. He laughed. Then, they heard someone

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clearing his throat. They both turned their heads at the same time: she, to the left; he, to the right that it made their noses touch each other. They both stopped and leaned back as their eyes grew wide. Then, they started laughing.

“Omo, that was close” she said.

The person made another clearing-of-throat sound.

“GD!”

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Cha p t e r 40

T h i s Lo v e

“Y ou left the door open, so I just thought to come in” GD said as soon as he heard YB giving him recognition.

“Oh, really? I guessed I was a bit preoccupied that I forgot to close it” YB answered chuckling.

“I can see why” he mumbled.

“Oh!” she suddenly exclaimed. “Look at Minkki here! She looks so young! Hehe”

YB turned his head and eyes back on the monitor and laughed along with her as she continued viewing the rest of it. While GD just stood there watching them laugh, looking like a stupid outsider. Then, he walked over to couch and sat there, still his eyes were on them, who seemed to be unaware of his presence. Then, he stood up and went behind her, crossing his arms across his chest as he viewed the photos on the monitor. Upon seeing them, he frowned. He doesn’t really find the photos funny, so he was a bit infuriated by the sound of their chuckles and laughters. It was like both of them were trapped in their own world while he was outside, unable to penetrate the protective layer of their own world.

He gave the swivel chair a little kick when she was leaning on YB from too much laughter but she never noticed the “little” kick she gave, instead, she jumped up and down on her chair from too much delight. He now put his hand on the backrest of the swivel chair next to YB’s hand.

YB noticed how she stubbornly ignored GD. She was overly laughing herself off.

“Wow, Jiyong-ah, you look like a schoolboy there” YB said, pointing at the picture on the monitor. She then stopped laughing.

GD sniggered in return. He then leaned down to take a closer look on the monitor, his head passing by hers. His face was too close to the monitor that his nose almost touched it; he then turned his head to look at her. She stuck her tongue out to her that made him chuckle.

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‘Childish’ he thought.

“Where is she?” she asked.

He leaned back. “She already went home”

“Oh, so that’s why you’re here? Because she already went home?”

“Why is there something wrong visiting Youngbae? And besides, I’d really want to talk to him”

“Then why don’t you talk to him already?”

“Well, it’s a boy-thing”

“Why don’t you just say that you want me to go?”

“You shouldn’t be here in the first place, you’re going to film for Family Outing tomorrow, remember?” he fired back.

“Er, it’s still early, so I think it’s alright for noona to-“

GD cut off YB by sniggering. “Yeah, like everyone knows how weak her endurance is but she’s still hanging out in the middle of the night”

She stood up angrily and gave him a glare. “Fine, I’ll go then”

He shrugged. “Goodnight then. And be careful down the hallway, I think I saw a glimpse of the lady haunting this building”

He secretly laughs at how her eyes grew wide in fear. She then turned her head to Youngbae.

“Youngbae. . .”

“I think you already took too much of Taeyang’s time. If you want, I can-“

“I’d rather have a glimpse of the lady than see your stupid and ridiculous curls for a long period of time”

This made YB laughed.

“It’s really okay, Ji. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Come, noona” he said, putting a hand at her back. As they passed by GD, she stuck her tongue out to him again.

‘Aissh’ he thought.

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“Youngbae, I really have something important to tell you”

“I’ll be back” he answered as he continued guiding her out.

He stomped childishly and sits on the swivel chair. She was really being unfair. Everytime he guides her or assist her in walking or going down off the stairs, she would always say that she doesn’t need assistance because she’s not that old but how come when it’s YB, she never say a thing?

Later. . . .

GD’s brows are now meshed up together as he kept on looking at the time. ‘What’s taking him long?’ he asked himself. His attention then turned towards the monitor. He lazily sat up straight and took the mouse as he clicked on to the previous pictures. Next thing he knew, he was laughing his head off.

“We really look funny before, don’t we?”

He jumped in surprise and saw YB looking at him.

“Well, yeah. What took you so long?”

“Noona's being funny” YB simply answered, he was expecting him to elaborate further, but he didn't and just continued, “So, what were you going to say?”

“Well, it’s about J-ah”

“Oh, yeah. How is she? I was kinda shocked to see her in your dorm”

“Me, too. I didn’t expect to see her either”

They were silent for a while.

“What does she want anyway?”

“She told me about the decision of leaving because she doesn’t want to be in the way of my dreams. She. . .she also said that she’s now ready to be with. . to be with me”

YB drew a sharp breath. “What did you say?”

“I didn’t give an answer yet. But she said she’s willing to give me time to recover from the shock”

“Do you still feel the same about her?”

GD let out a light chuckle. “I was never the same after she left me”

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* * *

She was anxiously and excitedly waiting for the door to open. She didn’t really plan on seeing him or anything, but she realized that he’s not really at fault if she got a teeny-weeny disappointed regarding the flower. And besides, she wanted to see him, since it's been two or three days since she last saw him but she was not really sure about the number of days since it felt so long, so she made a perfect excuse from the girls. As she remembered the girls, she was somewhat relieved that they didn’t question her about the “card” incident. She was actually a bit confused as to why she missed him. Then, as the door opened, a bright smile came to her face only to get surprise as she saw who opened the door.

“Sandara-ssi!” the girl greeted.

“Annyeong” she said, bowing.

“J-ah, who’s-“ GD stopped as he saw her

“It’s Sandara-ssi. Come in” she smiled at her, opening the door wider for her.

“Oh, I won’t be long. I just came to-“

“I’m actually preparing something for Ji, maybe you could take a taste of it, too? I would really love for you to taste it, too and tell me what you think about it since Ji can be a bit biased sometimes. It would be better to hear an honest review from someone else.”

Dara, cringed as she heard her calling him “Ji”, she then looked at the girl smiling brightly at her then at GD who was standing closely behind the girl. Too close.

She gave a little smile then went in, the girl guided her to the table and motioned the chair in front.

Then, when the food was ready, she served it to them.

“It's Ji's favorite!” both girls said at the same time, looking at each other in surprise.

Dara chuckled to ease off the tension she felt building in that small table.

“Let's taste it then” GD said.

She took a spoonful. She was surprise that it tasted good, and so, she started snarfing down the food. She stopped as she sensed two pair of eyes staring at her. GD got an amused expression while the girl wears an expression she can't quite describe.

“It tastes so good” she exclaimed, mouth still full of food. He chuckled lightly.

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“You're so childish”

“I'm glad you liked it” Jae answered, a smile on place now.

“Don't be fooled, she loves everything that can be eaten and edible”

Dara threw him a dirty glare.

“Ya! I'm telling the truth” she burst.

“So, Ji, what can you say?”

“It does taste good, better than I've tasted in the restaurant”

“Ugh, and I was aiming for the best” she laughed, “but maybe I can try again in the future”

He chuckled. “Dara knows how to cook, too. Her specialty is baking cookies”

She turned red as he gave her a playful smirk and when she remembered how the cookies tasted a bit off. She can cook, yes, but not really bake, but she's learning how, though.

“Really? Maybe we can cook together some time” Jae said.

She shook her head frantically. “Oh, no. Ji- I mean, G-dragoon-sunbae just enjoys teasing me”

Dara saw GD frowning at her, like he's pissed off or something. 'Now, what have I done? I think I'm behaving well' she thought.

“Oh, what's this?” Jae suddenly said, taking a look at the bag she brought.

“Oh, it's nothing. .It's just. . .” her voice faded as Jae took the things out. Her eyebrow raised as she saw the content of the bag.

“I'm just returning it to sunbae”

“But these are men's clothes and, er-”

“She loves borrowing and wearing my things, she said it's giving her the hiphop feel she wanted” GD snickered.

“Our bodies built's almost the same, so-” Dara started.

“Meaning, her body is proportioned like a man” GD cutted.

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She threw him another look. “Don't you think it's the other way around? Your body's built is closer to a girl's body, not much muscle in the body unlike YB or SeungRi or Daesung” Dara ranted. She then felt a warmth feeling crept to her cheeks.

“I'm sorry about that” she added sheepishly to the girl, “I'm not telling he's gay or something but-”

The girl laughed. “No, it's okay, I've proven myself how manly Ji is”

GD laughed out loud at the shock look in Dara's face. She was really turning red just like an apple that he used to tease her about. As he was amused by her expression, little did he know that Dara was nothing close to being amuse.

* * *

He was in the practice room and watching YB rehearsing. Then, 2NE1 arrived.

“Annyeonghaessaeyo” they greeted then bowed. They went to one corner where Teddy was. He watched as she sat down beside Teddy, making the latter laugh with her antics again. Then, she turned her head to YB who was in the middle of the dancefloor.

Then, when the dancers were having a break, YB was still in the middle of the dancefloor, dancing. He then saw Dara stood up and imitate Taeyang’s dancesteps again making everyone around her laugh. GD can't help but silently laugh, too.

YB stopped as heard her tinkling laugh. He turned his head as he saw her imitating some of his dancesteps. He laughed as he saw how she panicked and got all shy when she saw the President coming in. She then sat beside Teddy again, looking like a good girl that she was.

Then, someone requested for another show from her. She shook her head frantically, looking timidly at the President.

YG asked what were they talking about and the crew answered.

“Sandara, why don’t you show me?” Mr. YG asked. He saw how she panicked and got all red from embarrassment. He knew she can’t say no to the President. She then stood up, then, someone replayed Where U At. Then, she started showing her own version of the steps from his song.

There was another round of laughter in the room.

“Aigoo”

He glanced at GD who was seemingly and unusually quiet. He saw him busy fiddling with his phone, a smile would come every now and then. He glanced at Dara,too,

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looking if she was holding her phone, too. But, no. She was busy chatting with the girls and Teddy. He frowned as he got the suspicion of who was texting GD at that moment. So, YB called her.

“Noona!” YB happily called, and was satisfied to see GD's head snapping up from his phone. YB then boldly went to her and leaned in to whisper something.

“Nod” he whispered. She frowned, but followed him anyway.

“Why are you-”

“Smile” he whispered again.

She let out an awkward and forced smile that made him laugh. 'Is she really an actress?' he asked himself.

“Can't you make it a bit natural?” he murmured, then, cleared his throat.

“So, how was the Family Outing shoot? Did you meet Park Hae Jin?” YB added in a loud voice, making sure HE heard it clearly.

'Make up your mind' he thought.

GD hissed under his breath as he waited for her answer, but then, his phone suddenly rang.

“Hello?”

“Ya, Ji, it's me. I brought you some foods”

“Oh, really? You shouldn't have done that. Where are you anyway?”

“I'm at the basement”

“Alright, I'm coming”

He glanced at her, but she was not looking at him, she was having a fun discussion with Taeyang.

Upon arriving at the basement. . .

“Hey” he greeted, giving her a smile.

“Hi there. Here, I brought you some foods, thought you might be hungry”

“You shouldn't have-”

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“Just let me make it up to you, okay? I've been wanting to do this the past years”

He chuckled. “Do you want to come with me upstairs?”

“I really love,too. But I'm afraid I can't. I've got somewhere else to go, I just dropped by to give the foods. Maybe next time?”

When he returned in the room, the President wasn't there anymore, but Teddy, TOP, YB, 2NE1 and some of the crew were still there. As he entered, the others asked what was in the bag.

“Foods”

“From who?” Teddy asked.

“J-ah” he answered.

“Oh”

Then, the others started singing This Love.

YB glanced at Dara. Dara gave him a small smile, then looked down at the floor.

“Are you tired?” he asked.

“Almost” she whispered. And he knew that she wasn't pertaining to her physical state, but other things. It seemed like she's starting to realize her feelings for GD slowly.

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Cha p t e r 41

T h e Sna k e

T hen, a smile lit up her face again. “Ah, it seemed like yesterday when I told Daesung we should be in a variety show together. I must have a secret fairy godmother!” she exclaimed dramatically. He chuckled.

“A secret fairy godmother?”

“Yep, coz my wishes are coming true one by one”

“You deserve it, after all the hardwork and all the efforts you put to reach your goal”

She smiled again. “You never fail to make me feel-“

“Ya!”

Both their heads turned up to him. “Jae-ah wants me to give this to you” GD said, reaching a sandwich to her.

“Oh. Thank you”

GD nodded.

YB was off space as he listened to Dara’s rants again. First, TOP hyung in I’m Sorry MV, then GD’s Hello, now Dae’s FO. He sighed. At this point, this is actually one of those rare moments that he envied GD. See, GD writes and composes songs, which give him the power on who to work with and how to make it sound. Of course, Hello was made to like a “conversation” song and the beat suited her voice perfectly. It was obvious that GD was exercising his freewill and rights well, being too involved in making his album, unlike him. He, Dong Youngbae, usually just sits down and listen to what the others says and suggests, and just give his best. Of course, he had secretly wished before to include her in his first album, but it seemed impossible at that time. But now, things had change. Slowly, he was beginning to exercise his “rights” and “freewill” ever since

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he heard that HE will include her in his first solo album. At that thought, for the first time, a smirk unlikely seen in his face appeared. He was just bidding his time, one step at a time.

They finished early today because they’ll be attending to an event later, just one of those moments where the artists of YG would go out and hangout or watch some shows. He waved goodbye to her as they headed to their respective dorms to prepare themselves for the concert they’re going to watch later.

At the concert. . .

“Where’s Jingyo?” CL asked.

“He said he’s just waiting for Ja-“ YB stopped then glanced at Dara, then added hesitantly, “for someone”

But Dara just smiled at him. “This will be a fun night” she said. Well, as of this moment, she doesn’t really care if he’s waiting for HER and that they’ll be coming together. She was with her friends that she considers her family, and besides, this is one hella concert to watch. But she should admit that it gave her an unease feeling in her stomach.

Later. . .

She knows someone was texting for a while now, but she ignored it first, rather enjoying the concert and having fun watching it, cheering and shouting at the same time, with a few claps here and there.

YB stole a glance at her and he was glad that she was enjoying herself. Then, he catch Minzy looking at him, he smiled at her then looked down immediately, after he saw the look on Minzy’s eyes

On the other hand, GD looked at his phone for the nth time, only to find himself disappointed again. He sighed then took a glance at her, craning his neck a bit. He saw that she was enjoying herself and laughing with YB.

“Is there something wrong?” his companion asked.

“No, nothing.” He said, then smiled.

Later. . .

A phone was ringing.

“Hello?”

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“You’re at the dorm already?”

“Yes, why?”

“You didn’t response to any of my messages”

“Sorry. I enjoyed watching the concert. And I thought you were busy showing how manly you are”

“If I was busy, do you think I’d be able to text you? And F-Y-I, we’re not doing what you think we are doing”

“Fine. But I was really busy myself, too”

“Yeah, I noticed”

“Besides, your messages were nonsense anyway”

“Ya! Is that the way of talking to your senior?”

“Ah, sunbae-nim. I’m sorry. I really forget that you’re my senior seeing how unprofessional you are for coming in late to the concert”

“I was waiti-”

“Yeah, I know you waited for her. Still, it was unprofessional”

“Look who’s talking. You came late on my birthday celebration, too”

“Well, it was not a major event anyway”

That hit home. He opened his mouth but no sound came out, his throat constricting, disabling him to speak.

“That was. . . .mean” he whispered.

“Oh, so you’re telling me that you’re the one who’s in pain now? Well, can you just imagine what I felt the whole night when I-“ she stopped, then continued. “You’re meaner than me!" She bursted out, ending the call.

* * *

“Oh, look at him, isn’t he so adorably cute?” Jae crooned at Gaho. GD chuckled, and looked at Gaho adoringly. Dara felt an unease feeling crept to her stomach as she saw the scene, they were at one of the lounge area of YG building.

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“Ah, anyone who will see this pup will totally fall in love with him” Jae continued. This made GD sniggered. The girl looked at her with a confuse look.

“Dara doesn’t think so”

“Really?”

“She’s afraid of dogs”

“Oh. But he’s so cute, just like his owner” Dara heard her say, twinkling her eyes at GD.

Dara felt like she was going to throw up, so she covered her mouth with her hand, while she clutched her tummy with the other. ‘Weird’ she thought.

“Are you alright unnie?” Minzy asked.

“Oh, yes” she answered blankly, her ears were still trying to catch the conversation between the two.

“I thought you were going to vomit”

“Aniyo”

Jae then scooped Gaho up.

“He’s heavy” she heard GD warned the girl.

‘Kyaa! What’s with that soft voice?’ she thought.

GD watched Jae crooning over Gaho. He chuckled. The pup can really attract attention to himself. But then, he frowned as he saw Gaho trying to wiggle out of Jae’s hands. Gaho usually LOVED being pampered and adored, especially by girls. But he’s not saying that it’s unusual for Gaho to wiggle out of a person’s hands, but from what he was seeing, the pup was frantic to get out. Then, he finally succeeded escaping from Jae’s hands.

“Omo!” she exclaimed. He watched as Gaho went running, then, when he saw where Gaho was heading, a boyish smile curved his lips. He then stopped Jae from chasing Gaho.

“Let him be. He loves chasing Dara around” he sad matter-of-factly. And he was right when he saw the pup stopped in front of Dara”

He let out an amused chuckle. And to his astonishment, he saw her poke the pup’s

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nose and he thought he heard her say “good boy”. She stopped as she realized what she did. He heard her surprise gasp, then, she suddenly pulled back and lifted her feet, the surprised look was still on her face. He looked at the others, it seemed like no one notice. He glanced at Jae, and it seemed like she didn’t notice what Dara did either. Was it just him then? He looked at Dara’s face again. The surprised look was gone, instead, there’s that look of fear again.

‘Did I just imagine it?’ he asked himself, confused.

“Really?”

That brought him back to his senses. “Yep. I told Dara before that I think Gaho sees her as a bone-food” He laughed.

“Yeah, she’s really thin. Maybe I should cook food more often for her”

“That won’t help. That girl can eat an elephant without even gaining weight”

She let out a tinkling laugh. “That’s impossible”

“You haven’t seen her eat a whole dish of crab dipped in soysauce. You’d be amaze”

There was a moment of silence as he recalled the days back when they were still trainees, a dreamy look on his face. She decided to break him from his dazed state.

“Where did Goldilocks go?”

“Huh?”

“The curls”

“Oh. Ssantokki chased her away” he laughed.

Then, he saw her confused look.

“Oh, sorry about that. Dara said I looked stupid, so I-”

She let out a light laugh. “Is she your stylist now? And since when did you mind other people’s opinions about you?” He wasn’t sure if heard her right, but he thinks there’s a hint of sarcasm there. He frowned a bit, not used to her tone. But then, he smiled.

“She’s not just another-“ he stopped, then smiled charmingly again. “Are you jealous?”

“It’s just you’re too comfortable with her and well, everything she does and say makes you laugh even if it’s not funny”

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“I just find her funny, like Bom noona. And besides, Sandara is my. . . she’s like my little sister even if she’s older than me. You don’t know how childish she could get. So whatever you’re thinking, it’s wrong, not true at all”

She gave him a sweet smile. “So, are WE going to visit Bom-ssi’s filming, too? I heard the girls are going”

* * *

She saw him in one of YG building’s mini offices with his usual accomplice, Gaho. But she found it weird that SHE’s not with them that moment. For the past days, it’s been a common sight to see him, Gaho and J-ah. Everytime Dara sees the three of them together; she would always feel something creepy in her stomach, gnawing her insides. And she finds that feeling EXTREMELY weird.

Then, his head turned to her unexpectedly.

“Hey, what are you doing there? Staring at me too much?”

‘Flirt’ she thought. “I wouldn’t waste my time on you” she fired, hiding her embarrassment from being caught.

He raised his eyebrows at her. “Then, what are you doing over there?”

“I’m just thinking”

“Of me?”“Nope. I would just put damage to my brain if I do that”

“You’re brain’s already damage” he answered, chuckling. She stuck out her tongue to him.

“Why don’t you come in here?” he asked.

She shook her head frantically, giving Gaho a frightened look. GD followed her gaze.

“Ya! Don’t be like that”

“What?”

“He adores you, I think it’s a bit mean if you’re giving him that kind of treatment”

“Gaho chasing me around is a sign of admiration?” she asked in disbelief.

His phone suddenly rang.

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“J-ah!” he greeted enthusiastically.

Dara’s eyes squinted. ‘Now what does she wants? It’s like they’re separated for more than 5 hours’ she thought, getting more irritated when she heard his flirty laugh. She then shook her head, clearing her thoughts, realizing that she was indeed being mean. The girl didn’t do nor showed anything bad to her anyway. She should not think and act like this.

“Gaho? Yeah, he’s here with me” she heard GD answered. She stood there, not even daring to blink.

“You’re looking for Gaho and not for me? Ugh! You’re hurting me! I envy Gaho for your attention; this is a first time I envied a dog”

‘Gaho deserves more attention than you’ her mind remarked.

“Okay, okay. Of course” GD said as the call ended, but he didn’t put the phone down and pretended that he’s still talking with her as he finds Dara’s expression at the moment very cute and funny.

“Gaho’s umma?” he exclaimed and let out a flirtatious laugh. Ooh, he was loving what he’s seeing now.

‘I wonder what’s irritating her this much. Hmm. . the call?’ he thought.

Little did he know, it struck a chord on Dara’s nerves that made her do the unthinkable.

Later. . .

“Ya! I told you to hold him tightly. He almost reached me!”

“He’s not going to bite you. I think he was just trying to lick your face”

“Ya! But that doesn’t change the fact that you didn’t hold him-“

“He’s really heavy, you know. And besides, I’ve already told you before, I think he sees you as a food. And I think he’s hungry, no one can stop him once he’s hungry”

“You should have feed him then. Aisshh I think it’s your brain that’s been damaged, not mine”

He stood there, mouth hanged open, with a disbelief smile on his face. “Why are you like this when we’re alone? But when there are people around, you can’t even look at me nor go near me. If the VIPs found out how you’ve been treating me, you’ll be in trouble”

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“That’s why I’m only doing this when there are no people around because I don’t want to get into trouble”

He shook his head in disbelief. ‘Damn, she’s so good at this’ he thought. Who would’ve thought that G-dragon, the other half of Tom and Jerry is such a loser when it comes to her?

“You’re so mean”

“Ooh, I came out nicely here” she said, looking at her phone, surprising him with her randomness again and totally ignoring what he said.

“Let’s take a photo of the three of us” he said, lighting up.

“Na-ah. I don’t want to” she said, still looking at her phone.

‘Irritating butterfly’ he thought grimly. She would be the first in that category because butterflies are rather fantastic. But then, she’s really one of a kind.

But he can be irritatingly stubborn, too. He swing his arm over her shoulder, locking her neck with his arms and pulled her to him, while his other arm was occupied with Gaho. He then took a photo of them, using his free hand while the arm is over her.

He let her go after taking a few pictures, and settled Gaho in one corner, who just lied down and slept. He looked at his phone, browsing through the photos. He suddenly turned his head, surprising her, who was craning his neck over his shoulder to get a closer look at his phone. He laughed at her stupid reaction, his breath blowing in on her face.

Dara’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Omo! I don’t like feeling this way!’ she thought.

GD turned his eyes back to his phone, stared at the photo of the three of them squeezed in the screen. He felt his stomach clenched.

“I thought you don’t want to take a photo? Look at your expression here, it’s well prepared” he suddenly said, shaking his head.

“Ah, sunbae-nim, why do you sound so surprised? You’ve been with us for quite some time already. You should know by now that, Park Dara, is always ready for some stalkers and papparazis taking my photo. It just comes out naturally, unconsciously done, it’s automatic”

He stared at her, dumbfounded as she sontinued.

“It’s like my face and my expressions can detect when someone’s trying to capture a photo of me without my knowledge”

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He can’t help to let out a half-amused, half-irritated chuckle. ‘Ah, she’s so adorably lovable’ he thought as he stared at her adoringly.

“Without your knowledge? Look at your face here. You don’t look like someone who’s unaware that someone’s taking a photo of you”

Dara stopped as he showed her the photo. It was weird looking at the photo of the three of them squeezed in that screen, definitely weird. He then continued showing her the rest of the photos, and she kept on giving snide remarks about his expression, like: “you look bad here” or “you look stupid” or “I’m the only one who came out nice here”, etc.

But then, he stopped at a photo that made him smile. He waited for her remarks or any comments. “Hmm. . I came out nicely here” he said, glancing at her, she wasn’t looking at him, but on the floor, cheeks turning red. “This is my favorite so far” he said.

“Ha! Look! It’s Youngbae on the wall!” she suddenly said, pointing at YB’s photo, then her randomness began. He wasn’t really listening, as he continued to stare at the photo on his phone.

Gaho was nowhere to be seen in that photo, just the two of them. The photo shows him kissing her on the cheek. It was a stolen kiss of course, and he made sure that the camera would only capture the two of them. And her expression made this photo his favorite.

She was smiling all ears, plus the crimson pink that colored her cheeks is well shown.

* * *

“What’s taking you so long?”

“A complication came on the way”

“What complication?”

“Another party”

“Do something about it”

“Don’t worry. The snake is already slithering, sooner or later, the rabbit will be swallowed.”

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Cha p t e r 42

Rem e d y

“W hy are you all ears, here? You were expecting-“

She let out an eerie laugh, imitating Minzy’s deep voice. “Why did you do that anyway? Now I have to put an ointment to prevent having skin infections!”

He grunted. “Huh! It looked like you were enjoying it” he wiggled his brows playfully at her.

She opened her mouth then closed it again, and repeated the actions for a few times. He chuckled amusedly at her, who looked like a goldfish at the moment.

“Unnie!” Minzy called. GD let out a more pronounced chuckle seeing the relieved look in her face.

Dara hurriedly exited the room and followed Minzy out. ‘Omo omo omo. What happened?’ she asked herself.

Later. . .

Her phone beeped.

GD: I’m still wondering why you were smiling all ears at the last photo I’ve shown you

She cringed as she read his message. She knows he’ll keep bugging her about this and she knows how PERSISTENT he can be when it comes to stuffs like this.

Dara: Y is it such a big deal 2 u? I was just testing my acting skills, if I can smile despite a disgusting situation I’m in

‘What a lame excuse’ she thought.

GD: Disgusting?Dara: Yep. I’d rather have Gaho at that moment than u

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GD: haha. Ur such a bad liar. U think I would buy that one?Dara: R u one of my fanboys, then?GD: Eh? Ur delusional. Me? A fanboy of who?Dara: R u retarded? Aisshh. I guess u r, well let me repeat what I said, so ur slow brain can understand. R U 1 OF MY FANBOYS?GD: HAHAHA. What made u think that?Dara: Well, 1st off, u wouldn’t do that in the 1st place if ur not

‘Keke’ she silently laughed. He can’t expect her to just let him get his way now, can she?

GD: Yeah, right! I’m just being a sweet dongsaeng. And besides, I just find ur reactions funny everytime I do that. And besides, I did warn u before about it.

Dara: I’ll tell J-ah uv been abusing meGD: She won’t believe uDara: Y?GD: As far as she know, ur not my type

Her head spin at that response. She weakly keyed in a response.

Dara: I know

‘I need some chocolates’ she thought.

* * *

Inkigayo. . .

He was being massaged by CL. “Goodluck, Oppa!” she greeted. He chuckled.

“I looked like someone being hit by a lightning, eh, Chaerin-ah?”

CL let out an awkward laugh. “You looked okay, Oppa”

He glanced at the mirror and saw her goofing around AGAIN. She was imitating YB’s dancesteps again, which made the latter and the others laugh.

“Aigoo” she exclaimed as she sat beside YB. Then, she smiling and quietly sitting there.

“Ah, I don’t feel good” YB said.

“You’ll do good. You always do. And besides, you’ve already been through that situation before, performing while being sick. It’s a good thing your condition today is not as worse as long ago”

He suddenly sneezed. “I’m sorry, noona, I didn’t mean it.

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“It’s alright” she chuckled lightly.

Then the show began.

When it was YB’s turn, everyone surrounded on the monitor tv and watched intently, cheering at first, then total silence, then cheers again, silence. It was like that. His head suddenly turned as he heard the woots of the girls when YB showed his well, toned abs. But what really made him turn his head was because of HER. She was the one who was loudly giving a gleeful cheer. He gave her a dangerous glare but she didn’t notice as she was TOO ABSORBED watching Taeyang’s performance.

‘I’ll get my own abs someday. You’ll see’ he thought darkly. But then, he stopped as he realize the complication in his thought.

Someday.

That word seemed impossible already, at least for him.

Then, as the show was done, and GD and YB returned backstage, the others clapped and greeted them. Giving praises here and there for showing everybody great performances. Amidst all the people swarming in on him and Taeyang, he looked around and saw her smiling brightly at him. He smiled back, and was about to approach her when his phone suddenly rang.

“I saw your performance. You did a great job! Ugh, I feel so bad for not coming there, I’m really busy, but I sneaked out to watch your performance!”

“Hey, thank you! Anyways, I’ve been wondering, you never told me what’s keeping you busy these days? Are you working-?”

“Let’s not talk about me, at least not now. We got lot of times to talk about my work. What’s important now is you”

That made him smile, and from the corner, he can hear someone humming to the tune of This Love again. He chuckled lightly.

“Ah, they’re teasing you again, huh?” she broke the silence, apparently, she heard the humming tune.

“Well, yeah”

Dara saw he seemed BUSY and GIDDY at the moment, so she just let him be and went to greet YB instead.

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“Wow! And I thought you said you were sick or something” she said, shaking her head as she approached him.

“If that performance is what you call being sick, then I’d rather catch colds and fever right now. C’mon, share some of the virus with me” she joked. He laughed. Then, he sneezed unexpectedly again.

* * *

He fidgeted in his sleep, throwing his head here and there; sweat was starting to form in his forehead as he delved deeper into his dream.

He looked around and saw that he was in the middle of nowhere. But he wasn’t worried that he was lost. The beauty and serenity of the place captivates him. The glint of the yellow and pink flowers reflecting the sun’s rays were blindingly hypnotic, giving the surrounding’s a combination of yellow, green, orange, white and pinkish atmosphere, it soothes his eyes from strain. He smiled as he saw someone waving happily at him, then she turned around and started running towards the cliff, that was overlooking the sea. She probably wanted to get a look of the view. But then he frowned as he noticed how she was running in a dreamstate like, her hair was gently floating behind her as her white dress was gently trailing behind her but she was not making any progress, she was still on the same spot, never moving forward, never leaving that spot. Then she stopped and turned around to him again. He prepared a perfect smile on his face, but it disappeared as he saw her face. She was sad, in pain, in tears. The melancholy was too much for him to bear. She started running towards him as he reached out his hand to her, but she was not getting nearer, she was still on that spot, on that same damn spot. Then she stopped. A tear fell down her cheek as she clutched her chest and mouthed something to him. Then, he felt the wind coming, blowing gently. His eyes grew wide as she was gently blown by the wind, fading into the air, leaving trail of tears behind her.

He moaned in his sleep.

“No, don’t” he gasped in a broken voice.

Morning. . .

His phone beeped.J: Good morning, Ji oppa! R u awake! It’s a beautiful day today He went into the bathroom and splashed his face with water, a frown creasing his forehead as he looked in his reflection in the mirror. He remembered he was dreaming about something, but he can’t remember the details. All his memory can give him was that he was standing in the middle of nowhere, in a cliff full of flowers that was looking over the sea, he remembered how perfectly beautiful it ws that it was impossible to think that such place exists.

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He splashed his face with water again, thinking that it was probably a good dream.

* * *

Dara was anxious as they were having another Japanese lesson.

‘Aisshh. This is so frustratingly hard. I’d rather be with Gaho right now’ she thought.

Then, he arrived. She childishly pouted. ‘Frustratingly hard times five’ she thought.

BREAK

GD: U want me 2 teach u Japanese?Dara: No thanks. -.- Minkki can help me

She can totally imagine what will happen if she agree to him. It would be another “rap tutorial” incident where he was having so much fun laughing at her. And instead of learning, they’d just end up bickering at each other. He would laugh his head off as if there’s no tomorrow, and she would fume at one corner, giving him dark glares. Then, she would plan out revenge, which would succeed of course, but he would always find a way to get back at her, too.

GD: haha Y?Dara: Ur a bad teacher. I got worse after u TAUGHT me. If u can even call that one “teaching”GD: It’s not my fault if ur brain work the other way

‘Aissh’ her mind screamed.

Then, they resumed their lessons. After a CENTURY of hours, they proceeded to their voice lessons.

She’s been through this before, but she can’t help but feel nervous everytime they’re having this kind of training. She’s always the last one to vocalize, because there’s usually extension when it comes to her.

So, Bom started. She was doing well, as usual. There were only a few flaws as she was catching her breath in between. She was then taught to do the proper breathing exercises again.

Next was CL. The teacher was testing CL’s range. And so far, there were improvements as CL hit notes that she can’t reach before. For that, CL was highly praised by the instructor.

Third was Minzy, the instructor worked on her range, too and a few breathing

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techniques.

Then, it was her turn. After a while, her voice broke.

‘Oops’ she thought, looking at the instructor apprehensively.

“Your voice seemed off. Are you alright?”

“My throat hurts” she said hesitantly. She thought she was going to pull it off just like YB.

‘So much of imitating Youngbae’ she thought.

“You should have told me earlier. Take a rest. You’re going to have a separate session once you feel better, okay?”

She nodded.

She sighed as she settled at one corner of the room.

Later. . .

She was half-running half-walking as she kept pace with him, who was literally dragging her.

“Did you wander off to the Han river again without bringing a jacket? Or did you eat too much chocolate last night? Aissh!! You are so frustratingly irritable. And don’t you dare start saying that it was my fault and it was me who got you infected because we both now that it’s not true. Woman, how old are you, really? Seemed to me you don’t know how to take care of yourself. Aisshh… What am I going to do with you and that stupid head of yours? Aisshh. . . . “

And it goes and on and on, his voice was boring her ears already. His voice sounded harsh, irritated and frustrated. The words she was hearing should pissed her off or angered her to be exact.

“….. so stubborn.. Aisshh.. Never follows….”

“….childish, childlike…..not capable of taking care….such careless act”

“…stupid. never listens. Always thinks she’s right. . .scattered brain. The damage seemed permanent. Aisshh..”

“…cannot be cured, totally incurable, brain’s totally in wrecked.”

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“. . .totally a hopeless case.. nothing can be done, abnormality’s irreversible”

Yes, those words should anger her, but no. Instead, she found herself smiling. Maybe because the way he was holding her hand as he dragged her contradict those words and the tone of his voice. The way he held her hand was so overly gentle, it’s as if, a teeny weeny pressure would break her.

‘Stupid mutt’ she shook her head, but the smile was still there.

Then, his head turned around her and his eyes squinted, then started mumbling to himself again.

“. . .totally out of her mind, smiling by herself”

They reached his dorm. As they entered, he called out his mother.

“Umma, can you make a soup remedy for-!” he stopped in his track as he saw another person in the space.

“Oppa!” J-ah smiled brightly.

GD suddenly let go of Dara’s hand as if she was infected or something. Dara was surprise by J’s address to Ji.

“J-ah! What are you doing here? You never told me you’d come”

“I wanted to surprise you! Are you surprised?”

‘Obviously. He wouldn’t ask why you were here if he was not surprised’ Dara thought. Then, she shook her head. ‘Aisshh. What am I thinking? I’m so mean! It’s wrong’

“Sandara-ssi! You’re here, too!” the girl smiled. She smiled back.

“Annyeong!” she greeted then bowed.

“Why are you here?” the girl asked.

Dara looked at GD for a swift moment then looked at the girl again, feeling guilty. ‘Aisshh. Why am I feeling guilty?’ she asked herself.

“Err, I-“

“Noona’snot feeling well. She got sore throat, so I thought to ask umma to make something for her”

“Aww. What a sweet sunbae!” Dara heard the girl exclaimed but she was not paying

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attention to her, as she was looking at GD.

‘What’s with the noona now?’ she tried to communicate through her eyes, but it seemed like he didn’t get her message.

“Yeah, he’s such a caring sunbae to us” she answered.

“I’m not feeling well either. Amd If I remember it right, Sandara-ssi can cook well. Maybe you can make something for us? I’d really like to taste-“

“Aniyo. I’m not really that good. GD SUNBAE was just teasing me”

“Oh, but-“

“Sandara is really modest, humble really, when it comes to her cooking abilities”

GD was startled to hear his mom’s voice.

“Umma” he greeted.

Dara let out a light chuckle. “Aniyo” she shook her head.

His mom smiled at her. “Still as humble as before”

Later. . .

Dara was slowly sipping the soup as GD was watching her with an amused look.

“Ahh, this really tastes good” J-ah exclaimed.

GD’s head turned to J who was sitting beside him while Dara was sitting in front of him.

“Yeah, umma’s the best”

Dara just listened to them, smiling every now and then when being addressed or asked of something. And everytime she talks or answers, GD would let out a controlled chuckle or snigger.

‘Is he making fun of me?’ she asked.

When she was done eating, she sat there awkwardly, looking and feeling stupid as they continued talking and “reminiscing memories”

She cleared her throat, wincing a little. “I think I should go” she said and stood up. GD stood up, too.

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“Oh, look at the time! I didn’t notice. Time really flies when you’re having FUN” J-ah said in disbelief, looking at her watch. “I think I should go, too”

“I’ll walk you two outside”

“Aniyo. I’ll be fine” Dara said.

“Don’t be stubborn”

They walked out after saying goodbye and thanks to his mother.

Dara started walking the other way.

“Ya! Where are you going?”

“The dorm?” she asked blankly.

“The elevator’s this way”

“I know. But since when did-“ she stopped, realizing the change. Usually, he would walk her to her dorm through the stairs even if she kept on insisting that they used the elevator. He would always say that taking the stairs would be good for HER, so she can exercise her legs and walking would help her for her breathing techniques. But then, J-ah was with them. Surely, he wouldn’t want her to take the stairs, probably because he doesn’t want to tire her.

“I’ll take the stairs. Exercise” she said, hyping her legs up and smiling stupidly bright at the two.

“You’re not feeling well, remember?” GD said. “Come on already”

“No, I’ll be fine, really”

“Come on Sandara-ssi. Ji is right” the girl smiled at her and pleaded with her eyes.

“Okay” she mumbled after a moment of hesitation. She mentally scolded herself for thinking bad things about the girl. She was a nice girl after all, she was just not use to see GD- well, scratch that out. The girl’s really nice. Period.

Or not.

She saw J-ah linking her arm to GD’s arm the moment they were inside the elevator, and she was leaning her head a bit towards his shoulder. She stood stiffly far from them, at the other end of the elevator, impatiently waiting for the elevator to arrive on her floor.

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After the OH-SO-LOOOOOOOOONG confinement in the elevator, it finally stopped in her floor. Without waiting for the elecvator doors to fully open, she squeezed herself out only to bumped on someone.

“Da-“ GD started the moment the elevator stopped. The door wasn’t yet fully open when she stubbornly squeezed herself out, and went straight into the person waiting outside. Then, the door closed again.“Was that Taeyang?” J-ah asked.

“Yes” he answered a little breathlessly. She chuckled.

“No wonder Sandara-ssi was such in a hurry. Taeyang must be waiting for her”

Meanwhile. . .

“Youngbae!” Dara exclaimed. But YB was not looking at her, instead, his eyes were on the two occupants of the elevator. Then, it closed.

“Noona”

“What are you doing here?” Dara asked.

“Oh, I was just thinking of returning this to you” he said, showing her a cap.

“Oh. Thanks” she said, a warm smile on her face. The sun never fails to make the rain stop. His onstage name is so appropriate for him as he always, constantly comforts her with his smile and words.

* * *

“I’m on my way home already”

“Any progress?” the person on the other line grudgingly said.

“Yep!”

“Get on with the plan already. S is getting impatient”

A sarcastic laugh was heard.

“I don’t care about your S, but since we had a deal, I’ll try to be nice but it’s not yet time. The sun is still hovering; I’m still wating for the sky to be clear. And besides, snakes love working during the night”

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Cha p t e r 43

T r e n d s e t t e r

“A re you alright? You look pale”

“Sore throat” she answered, clutching her neck with both hands as if she’s suffocating herself. And made some weird gurgling sounds.

YB laughed at her expression, but he saw a glimpse of doubt crossed her eyes for the briefest moment. Then as if what he saw wasn’t enough already, an embarrassing silence passed between them.

“He’s just confused, you know” he muttered.

“Huh? What are you talking about? Confused? Who? Me? I’m not confused. Am I?”

He shook his head. “Ah, when will you grow up, noona?”

“Huh! Look who’s talking! You’re not as tall as TOP either”

YB stared at her in amusement as she laughed at her own lame joke. Pure randomness. Yes, that’s Sandara Park.

“Don’t worry, he’ll wake up soon”

“Eh?” she stared at him blankly.

“You’re so stubborn, really. Anyways, I’d better get going, still got lot of work to do”

“Oh, okay. Thanks for this” she said as she held the cap up, “you shouldn’t have bothered.

“It’s nothing. Your dorm’s on the way anyways. So, I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, see you around”

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She turned and was about to head towards the dorm when she heard YB calling her.

“You still got my number, right?” he asked.

She frowned, confused of his question. “Of course. Why?”

“Just in case you need someone to talk to” he smiled, then stepped into the elevator as it opened again.

Dara was left there standing, staring at the place he just vacated a while ago. Then, a small smile broke into her face.

“Thank you, Youngbae” she said, then added in a whisper, “my sun”

If only life could be as warm and bright as the sun, maybe she won’t feel the coldness gnawing inside her right now.

If only. . .

* * *

For the next days, they were occupied with their own activities. She, with her usual training, rehearsals, demos and a few photoshoots while he was pretty busy himself with both solo and group activities with Bigbang. But they kept in touch of course. It’s something he can’t imagine a day without.

But there were also those times when they would bumped into each other in the office, hallway, recording studio or in the practice room.

“Whoa, Chaerin-ah!” he exclaimed AGAIN, still can’t get over CL’s new ‘do. “You should always wear your hair like that” he added.

CL smiled at him, blushing from the attention as she earned a laugh from Teddy.

“You’re blushing again” Teddy noticed. She went even redder.

Lately, CL’s been, well looking very. . . well, feminine. What’s with the skirts and shorts she’s wearing lately. He then suddenly remembered Dara wearing those kinds of clothes. His initial reaction upon seeing Dara wearing shorts was proud, to be exact. Because at that time, he was glad that she’s trying to overcome her awkwardness of wearing shorts, but after a VERY short while, he didn’t like it. He was not against her wearing shorts, just not in public and in a show where a lot of fanboys’ eyes are on her. It was a good thing he had a “gentle” and “professional” talk with his friend, Yanggaeng, who happened to be 2NE1’s stylist regarding the girls’ wardrobe in performances. He was also glad that Dara loves sporting loose and baggy clothes because according to her,

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it helps her fell the “hiphop” vibe she wanted. He thought his friend already learned his lesson, but apparently not judging from Dara’s photos in the gangsta themed photoshoot. Alright maybe she was covering her stomach and all, but still, seeing her skin exposed like that is just. . .he just don’t like the idea of it. Maybe it’s about time to have another talk with his friend.

Maybe one of the reasons she let Dara wear and use some of her clothes and things because he doesn’t want her to appear to girly, too cute and too feminine. In that way, boys won’t mind her that much. But it was a failure. Her beauty and cuteness still stood out, plus her personality. A total package, thus gaining her a lot of fanboys.

“CL!” someone shouted in disbelief.

GD emerged from his thoughts as he looked at the newcomer.

“What happened to you? Are you sick?” the newcomer asked, who happened to be Lee Seungri.

CL wrinkled her nose at the sight of Seungri as if he’s the most disgusting pest there ever is. “No. Why?” she asked.

“Well. . . .” Seungri started in a grave voice, as if something dreadful happened. “You see, you looked like, well, you look like a girl. But I’m not saying you’re ugly but loking at you gives me goosebumps. You look really weird”

And so the bickering started, followed by screaming and shouting, deadly glares, snapping and gritting of teeth, blushing, laughters from the audience. Eventually, the others were able to calm CL down.

“I think I know why the sudden change” Seungri started again after an hour of silence and cold treatment between him and CL. GD rolled his eyes.

‘Here we go again’ GD thought.

“You see, Teddy hyung," Seungri continued in a VERY loud voice to Teddy who was on the other side of the room, “I bet CL here heard that I’m going to the same university where a member of SNSD will be attending to, which I might add, is really pretty and girly for my type. And I think CL just wants to show me her feminine side because she felt threaten that I might fall for that girl”

Seungri then turned to CL. “Don’t worry, Chaerin-ah, she’s not really my type but I’m very sorry to inform you that I only see you as my sister” he finished in a very sorry and regretful voice.

“LEE SSEUUNNNGGRRRIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” CL bellowed.

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Later. . .

He’s overly grateful that it was peaceful now, since Seungri already left because according to him, a very busy and popular person like him still got some “important appointments” to attend to.

He then let his gaze roam around. Minzy and Bom as usual, were staying close with Gaho. CL was at a corner with Teddy and Yanggaeng while the apple of his eyes was cutely lingering behind Minzy and Bom, probably wanting to prove that she’s not that afraid of Gaho anymore, but there’s no mistaking the hesitation in those eyes. Then, he saw her took her phone and dialed a number. He saw a gentle look appeared on her face and her voice went all cute, cooing words of encouragement to the person on the other line. It made him smile. He was sure it was her brother. He’d seen it before, how she goes all tender when it comes to her family. She may be the toughest, strongest, dorkiest, the most sarcastic, stubborn and fragile-looking person on the earth, but when it comes to her family, she becomes the gentlest person there ever is. Thinking of that, he can’t help but envy her future children for having her as their mother.

‘She’s the best candidate for it’ he thought.

He heard his phone beeped.

J-ah: R u busy?

* * *

GD: I heard u watched horror movie the other day?Dara: Yep! Baby Minkki was so scared. KekekekeGD: And u weren’t?Dara: Brave unnie for maknae. That’s me!GD: I thought u said ur afraid of things like that? That's y u always beg me to walk u to ur dormDara: I DID NOT BEG!!!GD: Still... R u trying 2 fool me again?Dara: The movie was really scary! U should watch it, too! It will giv u nightmares! GD: Hmmm... Ur making me think that ur juz pretending 2 b scared and making it as an excuse 2 b with meDara: BWAHAHAHAHA!! Ur so funny! Such a dork! Gudnyt!GD: Ur sleeping already?Dara: Zzzzz... Ssantokki is now asleep. . GD: Wait! Don't sleep yet. .GD: I won't tease u anymoreDara: Eh? Hu said I'm going 2 sleep already? It's still early, u know

He rolled his eyes.

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GD: Ur sense of humor's getting woseDara: Dara the mascott, that's me!

For some people, the messages would appear nonsense to the point of stupidity, but for him, these are those moments that are mostly glued to his mind and tattoed to his heart, something he needs to hold on to the fact that love does exist. He already shared a few heartaches in his past. In a way, Dara helps him forget those, but for some reason, he should admit that “J” had the greatest impact in his past. And now that she's back again and trying to make up for those lost time before is bringing him some confusion.

He stared at the ceiling, seeing two faces at once. Then, his phone suddenly rang. 'Speaking of the devil' he thought and smiled.

“J-ah!” he greeted, “it's late. Why are you still up?”

Meanwhile. . .

Dara tossed on her bed then looked above her as she remembered Bom's MV. It did touch her, especially the 'you and I together forever' concept. She admits that she's such a sucker when it comes to romantic things like this. But as she pondered on, the sight of Bom alone on that field at the end of the video caused some unsettlement inside her. She doesn't know why, but it does. She sighed then look at her phone. ..

EMPTY

'What's wrong with him? He asked me not to sleep yet, but looks like he's already sleeping.. Aiishh..' her mind ranted.


She blinked for a few times after hearing her phone beep.

YB: Goodmorning, noona!! Did u sleep well?

'Odd' she thought. It's usually GD who greets her first thing in the morning.

YB: Noona!!! Wake up, wake up!! It's a beautiful day 2day!! Don't waste itDara: too early. . .want more sleepYB: hehe.. I'm doing some exercises right nowDara: want more muscles, huh?YB: It juz became a habit I can't breakDara: I won't be surprise if u resign as a performer and become a gym instructor insteadYB: Ah, noona!! Ur so mean 2 me.. poor dongsaeng YBDara: Zzzzzzz.... Sexy lady wants to sleep again

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YB: Eh?Dara: :p

Later. . .

She took the stairs by storm.

'Omo omo omo' she thought as she skipped the last remaining stairs. She was sweating a bit and breathing heavily when she reached the door of her destination. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathe in then released it slowly as she turned the knob.

“Ya! Sandara Park! You're late!” the trainer greeted.

She smiled sheepishly then showed the trainer her 'peace' sign.

Jina watched Sandara entered the room with a flustered look. She turned her head towards GD when she heard him chuckle. Then, she returned her eyes to Sandara again.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry” the girl apologized, then bowed to the trainer and to the others. A frown marred her forehead.

“Hey, what's with that frown?” GD asked her.

“That bow is awfully familiar. I'm sure I've seen that before”

“Oh,” GD chuckled again.She was about to ask him if he recognized the bow, too, but she stopped when her

ears caught YB's voice.

“I can't believe you did sleep again, noona. I already told you to wake up”

Dara chuckled. “It's not my fault if you texted me too early for my liking. And besides, I think I'm half-awake and half-asleep when I read your message”

“They're really close, aren't they?” she muttered. She felt GD stiffened beside her, but when she looked at him, he was smiling at her then answered, “yeah, they are”

Then the girls started practicing while they silently watched them. She glanced at YB, then smiled upon seeing the guy watching Dara intently with a smile on his face. She turned her eyes on GD who looked bored.

Then Dara, Minzy and CL took a break while Bom remained in the middle, singing.

Minzy sat near where she was while Dara and CL sat near YB. Out of curiosity, she called Dara.

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“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Neh” Dara answered, who was standing infront of her and GD.

“Can you do that bow thing of yours again?”

She saw Dara's confused look and glanced at GD for a while as if asking GD's permission. She heard GD chuckled. Then, Dara shrugged and did what was being asked of her.

“The way you bow is awfully familiar” she said.

She turned her head towards Minzy who chuckled.

“It's similar to Jiyong oppa's bow” Minzy answered, then continued, “oppa loves teasing and imitating us. But mostly, he's unconsciously copying Dara unnie's habits. Though unnie also copies oppa sometimes, I still think that most of oppa's habits came from Dara unnie”

“Ah, I'm such an epic trendsetter” Dara added dramatically, which earned her a few good laugh from the others.

“Ah, Minzy-ah, I think it's the other way around” GD disagreed.

“I don't think so” Minzy answered.

“Really? That's interesting” J said earnestly to Minzy.

“Oh, yes, it's true”

“Like I said, I'm a trendsetter” Dara said a bit louder because she was now back to YB and CL's company.

“Don't be too full of yourself” GD sniggered which was answered by Dara with her stuck out to him.

And so, one by one, J acknowledged and observed the similarities between the two. The way they rock back and forth when laughing or how they cover their mouth with folded fingers when laughing; the same expressions of disbelief; the way they run their fingers through their hair among so many things.

“We're flying off to Japan sometime this week” YB said. GD straightened his back uncomfortably, taking a quick glance at the side.

“Oh, yeah, I heard about that” Dara said, with a hint of sadness in her tone.

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“It won't be long, though. And I think we'll be going back and forth here”

“Don't forget my birthday present”

Her birthday! He mentally slapped himself for overlooking that detail.

“Oppa, are you gonna be busy later this evening?” J asked.

“No, not really. Why?”

She gave him a bright smile. “Let's go out or something”

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Cha p t e r 44

Se c u r i t y Cod e

“W ow! That was something!” J exclaimed, catching her breath.

“Yes, it was something” GD agreed, gasping for breath, too.

They were settled in a corner of an ice skating rink. They just caused a riot on the place with all the chasing they did. And eventhough it was cold, both of them felt warm.

“Ah, I wish I don't have to cover my face like this” he voiced out, lowering his scarf and pulling his beanie back a little. “I probably look stupid wearing SUNglasses when it's not even daytime”

She chuckled. “Do you want to get into trouble? And besides, we won't be having our privacy if the fangirls recognized you”

“I guess not” he answered back lightly. “Maybe we should try skiing some other time, too”

He looked at her when he didn't hear any response from her. As he did, he saw her wrinkling her nose a bit.

“Ah, so I see you're not a fan of skiing, eh?”

“Not really. I told you this before. But I would love to go with you, of course. It's just that I got a lot of embarrassing memories with skiing” she chukled lightly.

“Really?”

“Yeah, to sum it all up, I just hate falling down on the snow then struggle standing up”

“Aaaahhhh”

She laughed. “Ya! What's with that reaction? You haven't experience falling down on the snow, have you? Huh! Lucky you. You should have heard the others whining when they fall down, especially falling face-down”

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He chuckled, then cleared his throat. “Actually, I did”

“Really? That's new. It's refreshing to know that there is something you're not that good at”

“Hey, it's not really my fault if Dara can be so stubborn sometimes”

“Sandara-ssi?”

“Yeah” he smiled. “Me and some of the YG trainees went skiing way back. Sandara was telling some joke to the other trainees. She was laughing so hard to her own joke that she stumbled down the snow, butt first. We told her to get up knowing how weak her endurance is, but she just lied there, making angel-wings with her arms. I tried pulling her up to get up, but she pranked me. Instead, she pulled me down so hard I fell face down beside her” he recounted then shook his head. “She can be so childish most of times”

“I can imagine your annoyed face after what she did”

“Oh, that's nothing to what she did next” he paused, then continued. “She leaned her elbow on the back of my head for support in standing up. I swear, my face got all swollen from being buried deep in the cold”

He heard her sharp intake of breath. “She shouldn't have done that! You could have experienced frostbite!”

“I kinda got my revenge, though. And besides, she also make it up to me by preparing me a hot chocolate and a soup . I made her feel guilty so much that she ended up taking care of me like I'm a terminally-ill diseased person”

“That was your revenge?”

“Oh, no. That was different. There was a time during our stay there that all of us had snowball fight. I kept on throwing mine to her. And my timing was always perfect because everyime she tries to throw the snowball, she would shout 'kyaa' first. And everytime she does that, I always aim for her mouth that's hanging open. You should have seen her face. And the funny thing was, all her snowballs never reached me, it was always halfway. Ahh.. She's-”

“She really is something” she cut.

“I guess so” he chuckled, adding a humor to his voice.

She smiled, took his his hand and linked them together.

“Let's skate again” she said, pulling him close to her as they skate to the middle.

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Later. . .

Dara: Ya!Dara: Errr. . Dara: Ji!Dara: Eh?Dara: Ya! Kwon Dragoon!

He sighed. The messages were sent three hours ago. He keyed in a message as he prepared himself for sleep.

GD: Hey. . .Sleep well

He set his phone aside, not expecting any response from her since it's already late and he knows she's already sleeping. So he was surprised to hear his phone beep. As he opened his phone, he found out it wasn't from Dara.

J: Just arrived home. Thanx 4 giving me a wonderful time! Sleeptight, Ji.. And, oh, gudmorning :)

* * *

He tapped his foot on the floor repeatedly as he waited impatiently for the door to open. He looked at his watch and pressed the buzzer again.

After a minute or so, it finally opened. As it did, a boyish smile was perfectly on place.

“Omo! G-dragon sunbae-nim! What are you doing here?”

He grimaced with her greeting.

“Why do you look so shocked?”

“Err, I wasn't expecting you” she murmured.

“Noona” GD heard someone calling her from the inside. She turned her head the same time he craned his neck to see who she was with.

“I have to-” YB stopped, seeing him. “Oh, hey. I thought you said you'll be going to YG building?”

“I've been there already. The girls told me that Dara was alone here. . . “ he shrugged.

“Oh, how're the girls doing?”

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“They're doing fine” he answered, looking at Dara who was not looking at him.

“Oh. Well, noona, I have to go and pack some things for the flight”

She smiled. “Don't bring too much caps with you, okay?”

YB chuckled. “Sure thing” He then waved goodbye to the both of them.

GD stood there in front of her while she was still holding the knob of the half-opened door.

SILENCE. . .

“I'm flying off to Japan with the boys t-”

“I know. Youngbae told me”

SILENCE AGAIN. . .

'Why do I feel like I betrayed him or something? Aisshh...' Dara thought.

“Err, what do you want?”

“What was YB doing here?”

“He just dropped by, then we had some talk”

“What kind of talk?”

“About some certain things”

SILENCE. . .

“What kind of things?”

“Secret”

SILENCE AGAIN. . . .

She waited. But he just stood there, not speaking nor moving. She knew from his look that he's thinking deeply about something.

“Uhm, do you want to come in?”

“If you want me to” he quietly answered, then added in a shrug, “and if you let me”

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She frowned a bit, wondering what's wrong with him as she opened the door wide enough for him to enter. She walked slowly ahead of him, heading for the living room. She was so tempted to stop, look back and see what his expression was because it was unusual for him to be this quiet. But she stopped herself.

“Are you going to miss me even a bit? Because I will.. So much”

She stopped then rolled her eyes. She was sure he was teasing her again. Her brain quickly came up with a sarcastic answer and a smirk curved her lips as she turned around, expecting to see his smile, teasing expression and the playfulness in his eyes. She was about to open her mouth for her attack, but she stopped, the smirk disappeared and the words caught in her throat as she finally saw his face. A pained longing and the gentlest expression greeted her. And the way his eyes looked at her, it was as if she was the most important and precious human being in the world.

'Ya! Sandara Park! Get a grip of yourself! Stop imagining things' a side of her mind scolded her heart as it start beating fast. But deep inside her, she felt her heart smiled.

They stood there, looking into each other's eyes, seeking answers to unspoken and unknown questions.

'Oh, puh-leeze, don't stare at me like that! You're making me fall-' her mind stopped continuing the thought, rejecting it.

'No, no, no! Erase that thought! Delete!' she told herself.

Suddenly, Dara felt he was being pulled and the next thing she knew, she was cradled in his arms.

“Ahh, Sandara” he muttered against her hair, hugging her tighter.

“J-ji. . .I-I c-cant breath!”

She felt him loosen his hold, but the intensity was still there. For some reason , she didn't find it right to push him nor it even crossed her mind. She inhaled his familiar scent, loving how it clings to her nose. Then, she felt his lips brushed against her forehead gently.

'Omo! He kissed me again! Kyaa!!' a side of her mind rejoiced, joined by the beating of her heart.

“Behave yourself while I'm gone, okay?” he whispered.

Impulsiveness seemed to be taking control over GD.

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First, he blurted out some stupid, not to say cheesy words to her.Second, he pulled her out of nowhere then hugged her tight.Third, he kissed her on the forehead.

'I'm out of my mind. Maybe I should send myself to a mental facility' he thought.

His phone suddenly ring. He took it without letting go of Dara.

“J-ah” he greeted.

Dara's breath hitched 'I knew it! He was just teasing me' she thought as she let herself go out of his arms.

When the call ended, she asked him. “Is she going with you?”

“Who?”

“Jina-yah”

“Oh, no. She said she's busy with work”

“Oh, I see”

* * *

JAPAN. . .

“J-ah!” GD exclaimed as he opened the door.

“Surprise!” she greeted.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were busy? Where are you staying? When did you arrive, anyway?”

“Whoa, hold your horses. I'm glad you're happy to see me. I arrived this morning and I'm staying not far away from here” she winked, “but can I come in first? I brought some foods for you”

She held two bags up.

“That's a lot! Thanks” he muttered as he took the bags out of her hands and motioning her inside.

“Some of it are for the boys”

“Oh, and I thought I'm the only one” he teased that made her laugh.

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“Ya! Hyung-nim, who're you talking-” Seungri entered, then stopped as he saw the visitor, his mouth forming a big “O”.

“Annyeong” the girl greeted.

“Annyeong” he greeted back.

Later. . .

J wiped some tears off her eyes as she watched the two going to their alter egos: Tom and Jerry

“Why don't you just go and deliver some of the foods to the others?” GD scornly said.

“Ah, hyung-nim, I'm really-”

“I'll do it” she represented.

“Aniyo!” GD shook his head, then looked dangerously at Seungri. “Ya! Seungri-ah!”

“Okay, okay, I'm going already” Seungri stood up lazily, mumbling to himself as he took the foods for the others. She chuckled as she heard Seungri mumbling to himself. And as he passed by her, she caught the words “loyal” and “Sandara noona” in between his sentences.

“Sorry about that” GD said apologetically as the door closed, oblivious to the maknae's mutterings.

“It's okay. You two are actually fun to watch”

“You think so?”

“Yes” she chuckled. “But I pity him though. You're pretty good in 'word' wars. He looked so beaten, verbally”

“Huh! Don't pity him! I actually consider myself lucky right now because Dara's not here” shakes head.

“What do you mean?”

“Dara and him usually teams up to beat me up. You should have seen those times when I was verbally harassed by those two. On second thought, I'd rather you don't see that. It would be embarrassing on my part”

She gave a heartily laugh. “That's quite impossible to believe”

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He grunted. “Well, I always win against Seungri but I always lose to Dara. You don't know her abilities. She can appear weak and gentle on the outside, looked like an angel but there's a little devil lurking inside that cute and dorky personality of hers”

“Really? I wonder what she thinks about me”

GD laughed. “She's probably thinking you're so unlucky to have met me”

“If that's true, then she's out of her mind permanently”

Then, they heard a commotion.

“Ya! Seungri-ah! Why don't you go to sleep already?” GD shouted as the maknae arrived.

“Aisshh..I'm not yet sleepy”

“Ya! We still got work to do tomorrow!”

“I'll sleep if you go to sleep, too”

GD suddenly stood up and was about to pound on Seungri when the latter hurriedly run to his room.

“Alright, I'm going to sleep”

“Maybe you should go to sleep, too" she said the moment Seungri's bedroom door closed.

“Nah, I'm not yet sleepy. Besides, I still have to clean this up” he said, pointing at the table.

“Let me deal with it”

“No, I-”

“I insist. Just sit okay?” J said pushing him back to the sofa.

“But-”

She gave him a pointed look.

“Okay, if you say so” he shrugged.

Later. . .

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She was finished washing the plates. As she returned to the living room, she saw him peacefully sleeping on the sofa. She took her phone out and took pictures of him.

'How cute' she thought.

Then, her eyes landed on his phone that was lying on the table. She smiled then took it, browsing through the list of contacts he have. She stopped when she found what she was looking for, then copied the detail. She went to the gallery and browse through his photos. Then, she stumbled upon a folder with a “My Butterfly” as the folder's name. She clicked it open, anticipation building up like lava inside her. But then, these words greeted her:

ENTER SECURITY CODE:

She tried a few things that popped into her mind, like her name and his, her birthday and his, everything she could think of. But the same words would always popped into the screen:

WRONG CODE!

She frowned a bit, wondering what's in the folder and why did he have to put a code. She was in deep thought that she jumped a little when the phone rang. She looked at the caller ID then looked at GD, who was peacefully sleeping. She doesn't really want to wake him up so she decided to take the call instead.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Eh? Ya! Omo, you totally gave in! I can't believe it! You sound so much like a girl! Is it official now? Kkekeke. I knew you were gay! Aisshh, you-”

“Sandara-ssi” she interrupted, “it's Jina”

There was silence. “Err, Sandara-ssi?”

“Oh, J-ah! Keke.. Aisshh. I should have known he left his phone here in Korea. Sorry for disturbing you. Aish, that stupid guy, he-”

“Oh, no. I'm in his dorm here in Japan. He's sleeping right now, and I really didn't want to wake him up. Do you have any messages you want to leave?”

“Oh... Uh, well, I. . . .I was just. . .I called him because. .well, Youngbae! Yeah, that's right. I was just wondering if YB is doing fine. I didn't call YB because I know he sleeps early unlike GD. So, I'll just call YB tomorrow.. Yeah, that's right, Taeyang, he's the one I'm going to call tomorrow. Sorry for er disturbing you. You should go to sleep now, too. Goodbam!”

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She chuckled. “Goodnight, Sandara-ssi”

Back in Korea. . .

Dara stared at her phone. 'He said she's not coming with him. I can't believe he lied to me' she thought.

245


Cha p t e r 45

Pa r k i n g Lo t

J ina pressed the play button for the nth time. As she did, the soft strumming of guitar filled her ears. She closed her eyes then leaned her head on the wall as she let herself be drown into the song. After a while, she opened her eyes then leaned forward, grabbing the piece of paper lying atop the table. She let her gaze focused on the words written on the paper.

“Ugh” she sighed frustratedly. Her patience is slowly running out which was very rare for her.

Eversince she stumbled upon that folder, a growing obsession of finding it out kept on nagging her mind like an infectious disease. Judging from the folder's name, she concluded that it was somehow related to his song Butterfly, that's why she's been listening to it over and over again. She even wrote the lyrics down, hoping that somehow, the answer would materialize out of it, but it was of no help. Of course she already keyed in her full name, so the “three-lettered name” was out of the list already.

But she did try asking him about it by borrowing his phone and saying that she wants to see his pictures when in truth she already saw them the first time she visited him in the dorm. But he just smiled at her when she asked about the folder's contents. She was not used to him hiding something from her. She remembered long time ago that he's a very vocal person. He usually rants about things that she's not even interested and without her asking him to.

GD seemed to be in a foul mood these days. Their schedule was just a minor cause. The major cause? Of course, the one and only Sandara Park. Yes, that fragile-looking girl can throw him off the wall and cause chaos in his mind. Recently, she seemed cold to him. She never send messages regularly to him anymore. She would just send him a message when she's being asked of something. And everytime he calls her, it was either her phone was off or busy or her many excuses like she's tired and wants to sleep or she needs to do something or she needs to go to the bathroom or that she doesn't have time to talk to him because according to her, a rookie like her should not be wasting her time on UNIMPORTANT things because she needs to concentrate on her training. He was badly missing her but after that burst out from her, he tried refraining himself from

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sending her any messages or making phone calls anymore. He concluded that maybe she was just under pressure and experiencing what he calls the “artists' dilemma”. It's where you want to cut yourself off from the world and just find yourself some time alone and buried in your craft. He's been there, so he totally understands her.

Then, out of nowhere, TOP threw his phone on the table, giving a squeak of fright, his eyes wide in fear and he was pointing a shaky finger at the phone.

“Err, hyung, are you alright?” YB asked worriedly. They were now having an “after party” of TOP's birthday in the dorm. Weird, isn't it? Well, if you happened to live with a person named Lee Seungri, you won't be that surprise, really. That maknae can be really persistent when he wants to.

Then, he saw TOP shaking his head while giving his phone a frightened look.

“Please tell me that's not Sandara noona” TOP asked YB. YB frowned and took TOP's phone. Then, he chuckled.

“It's noona” YB confirmed.

“What did she say?” Seungri asked.

YB cleared his throat while GD waited with bated breath. “She said: 'ya! Tabi, happy birthday. kekeke. And she added a little picture of a cake”

“Ahhh...” Seungri said dreamily, “Sandara noona is really sweet” he finished with a sigh.

“Please tell me she didn't just call me Tabi” TOP denied.

“She just did”

TOP shivered. “Aishh.. That girl's creeping me out. Look,” he said, pointing to his arm, “I'm having goosebumps. Yikes”

See? He was right all along, That fragile-looking girl can throw anyone off the wall. First with YB who was known to be afraid of women but seemingly comfortable with her. There's TOP whose known for being at ease with everyone but awkward with her. Then, of course, he should include himself on the list.

Then, Seungri smack TOP's head. “Hyung, you're overreacting”

GD heard a low chuckle beside him. He turned his head around and looked at J.

“You guys really love each other, huh?” she said, then he burst out laughing.

Later. . .

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They were drinking slowly. “Seungri-ah, you're not allowed yet” he said.

“But hyung, it's only the five of us here and Jina-ssi. And besides, its TOP hyung's birthday and don't forget that I was the one who came up with this idea”

“No” GD said again. “Go to your room or else I'll call Dara”

He saw Seungri pouted at him then mumbled to himself. “I'll just watch my hyungs then” he said.

“Why do you have to threaten him with Sandara-ssi?”

He opened his mouth to answer but YB made it before him. “Seungri listens to noona. And he knows noona won't let him drink because noona knows how GD get so drunk sometimes, so she usually orders Seungri to watch out for our leader and for us”

“Oh, I see” J answered, then continued. “But, I'm here, so I guess I can fill in for Seungri's responsibilities for the meantime and look after you guys. Give the poor maknae a break”

“Aniyo” Seungri answered.

“But I thought you-”

“He's actually afraid of noona, most especially if noona slipped to CL and when the President would found out” YB interfered.

“But how would she know? She's not even here”

GD laughed lightly. “I'm afraid you have to ask YB about that”

J gave a questioning look at YB, but he just chuckled in return.“Why?” she asked GD instead. “YB's a sucker when it comes to guilt trips especially to Dara”

A dawn of understanding lit J's face. “Oh, I see. I now understand. I guess it's a big part in a relationship, right? But-”

“YB and Dara don't have a relationship” GD interfered.

* * *

Korea. . .

Dara's eyes widened as she opened her phone.

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Teddy: The president's looking 4 u. He seemed upset.Dara: Oh, no! What have I done?! I'm scared. HuhuhuTeddy: He's waiting in his office right now. Don't worry, I'll help u. Meet me in the parking lot, I'll be in my hoodieDara: Ok, I'm coming

She fumbled upon herself. With trembling hands, she wore her jacket, put a beanie on her head then wrapped her neck with a scarf.

“Ya! Noona, where are you going?” Sanghyun asked.

“The boss is looking for me”

“Are you in trouble again?”

She eyed her brother carefully then rumpled his hair, thinking what could she have done wrong. She was sure she asked the President's permission to go home and spend a quality time with her family since it's been a while already.

Sanghyun frowned at the troubled look of his sister. Again, he felt useless, just like before, when she was always crying every night. All he could do at that time was listen to her anguish as she took responsibility of him and the whole family. He was wishing right now that all will work out for him, then maybe he can take the burden off her sister's shoulders. She already sacrificed a lot, even her own self and happiness. But only time can tell. . .

“Where are my shoes?” she exclaimed.”

“Over there” he pointed.

“Oh, thank you” She then hugged him and kissed Durami and their mother goodbye.

“Take care” she shouted as she stepped out through the door.

“Where is she going?” Durami asked.

He just shrugged.

Meanwhile. . . .

Dara can't help but think of GD while she was on her way to the YG building. At first, she was really hurt upon learning that he lied to her. They're supposed to be FRIENDS. And friends don't lie to each other, right?

She felt her conscience nagging her mind. Well, honestly, she was not always truthful to him either. But, still, their situations were different. But then she realized that

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it was really none of her business if he doesn't want to inform her with what's going on in his “private life”

She sighed, acknowledging she's at fault. She should apologize to him as soon as this meeting with the President get sorted out. She admits that she's been a bit rude to him lately by rejecting his calls and ignoring his messages. At first, she was really irritated that he's been bombarding her phone with messages and calls, thinking how could he have the guts to text and call her when he lied to her. But then, gradually, his messages and calls lessened as the days passed until he no longer contacted her. And surprisingly, it irritated her more.

She walked faster as she arrived at the parking lot, her eyes roamed around the area, searching for Teddy, but she didn't see anyone. So, she walked further, then she smiled as he saw him leaning against a black and heavy tinted car. His head was bowed and his face was covered with the black hoodie he's wearing. As she was nearing him, a frown was slowly replacing her smile as she recognized that it wasn't Teddy. But the familiarity of the way the person's physique and stance made her continue walking towards him the same time her heart went hammering against her chest. She stopped when she was just three steps away from the person, squinting her eyes and trying to see through the hoodie. The person must've sensed her presence 'cause the person's head snapped up to her as a playful smirk curved those lips.

“Missed me?”

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Cha p t e r 46

F i r e f l i e s

S he clenched her fist as waves of emotions washed over her and as series of thoughts poured into her mind. Who gave him the right to smile at her beautifully? How dare he stand there looking so utterly gorgeous in a simple, casual wear? How dare he use the word “miss” when she can’t even find the right word to describe her longing to see his face? To get a glimpse of his blonde hair? To hear his voice?

She balled her fists tighter, torn between walking away and running towards him. Caught in her confusion, she instead mumbled something incoherent. “What are you?” she asked.

He laughed out hard. And as the sound reached her ears, it served as her cue on what to do. She closed in on him unexpectedly and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Oof” GD felt like the wind was being knocked out of him as she threw herself to him.

“Whoa, take it easy” he chuckled as soon as his breath came back to him. He sniffed the scent of her hair then smiled. ‘Home at last’ he thought.

“Did you take a bath?” he teased.

Dara stiffened as she heard his teasing voice, dispelling the magical moment she had, it’s as if he broke the enchantment surrounding her. She removed her arms off his neck, stepped back then squinted her eyes at him.

“Ya!” she screamed, and then secretly smiled as she saw him flinched. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you of course” he answered, eyeing her carefully.

“Waiting? For me? Ya! What are you talking about? Teddy-“

“Will you please lower down your voice?”

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“I’ll shout as long as I want! Especially if I’m talking to someone like you”

“I never thought that you’d miss me this terribly. Aisshh.. Just calm down will, you? The guards might find us here”

“I don’t care! So what if they find us?”

“Do you really want to get into trouble and be sent to the President’s office?”

Her eyes grew wide. She forgot about the President. “Omo, I forgot! I have to go” she said and started jogging her way but she was stopped by a hand on her wrist.

“Err, the President’s not really looking for you”

“But Teddy said-“

“It wasn’t hyung. I borrowed his phone a while ago. I know you’ll just ignore the message if it was from me. And besides, I wanted to surprise you”

“Ya! Do you know what it felt like when I read that message? Aisshh” she said, clutching her chest. Well, in all honesty, she was somewhat relieved that it was nothing serious and that she wasn’t in trouble BUT that doesn’t mean that this blondie standing in front of her looking so cute with his hoodie will go unpunished. Yes, Dara the Great will think of something to punish this guy.

“Sorry if I scared you. It’s your punishment for being away from me” he paused, then continued, “moving on, let’s get going, shall we? I didn’t come her for nothing, you know”

He pulled her back to where the black car was. As they reached it, he held her hand up then dropped a key.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“That’s what you call a key, you know, the thing that normal human beings used to run a car?”

He saw how her eyes widen, then a big smile crept to her face as she jumped up and down, clapped her hands then gave him a quick hug. She then excitedly examined the black car, running her fingers gently through the car’s body.

“Wow! Thank you so much! Though I’d prefer the color pink, black will do for the meantime. Aigoo! This will be the best birthday gift ever” she exclaimed delightedly. She hurriedly went to the driver’s side and was about to open the door when his voice stopped her.

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“Silly, I just borrowed this one so I’m not giving this to you. I’m just letting you drive because you got your license”

He tried so hard not to laugh at how her face fell, but he failed.

Later. . .

He was covering his mouth and biting his lower lip hard to stop himself from laughing as he looked ahead of him while Dara was driving. He still can’t get over the scene in the parking lot. She was so hilarious. And for the last minutes, she was venturing her frustrations at him, literally barking her sentences at him. Probably to hide her embarrassment.

“IF YOU’RE NOT GONNA STOP LAUGHING, I’LL KICK YOU OUT OF THIS CAR!!” she barked.

He composed his face into a serious one. After letting her see his composed face, he turned his body towards the window, but he just can’t help it as he remembered her face. He burst out laughing again. But after seeing that she was about to cry, he stopped. Because he can’t forget the expression on her face, he just tried hiding his laughter with a cough.

“Aren’t you really going to tell me where are we going?”

“Nope. That would spoil the surprise”

“I hate surprises” she muffed.

“We both know that’s not true”

A while later. . .

“Please tell me we’re almost there”

“We’re almost there” he answered, unable to hide the humor in his voice.

“Ya! I’m serious”

“What? You asked me to tell you we’re almost there, so I just complied”

“Aiishhh!! Kwon Ji-!”

“Turn left” he suddenly said.

“Are you trying to let me drive all the way to the Philippines ?” she asked as she turned

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left, leaving the comforts of the smooth, straight, cemented street behind. She was now faced with a narrow rocky road. Obviously, he’s planning to bring them out of the civilization, judging by the horrendous trees surrounding them.

“Did I just drive myself to North Korea ?” she voiced out.

He chuckled. “Nope”

"Why are there so many trees here?”

He rolled his eyes. “Stopped at the clearing” he said.

Dara got out of the car and saw a little stream of water not too far from where she was standing. A river? A pond? She was not really sure. She turned around and saw him at the car’s compartment

“Can you PLEASE tell me what are we doing here?”

No answer.

“Don’t tell me we’re going to swim and let ourselves turned into ice?”

He then emerged from the compartment, with arms full of bags, plastics, basket and sheets.

He smiled. “Nope. We’re camping”

She chuckled. “Oh, camping. Well, I-“ she stopped. “CAMPING?!? Are you out of your mind?!? Do you know what season it is? It’s nearly winter! Camp trips are for summer! We can’t just go camping in this time”

“We just did” he winked.

“But. . .but”

“I want to watch the sunset. And besides, I got it all controlled, so don’t worry”

“Watch the sunset? We could watch it from the car, you know”

Later. . .

“Dara, c’mon, get out of the car already”

254

He was already finished setting all up. And he was pretty proud of himself, to be able to set the tent up by himself was an achievement, though he wouldn’t mind if tiny Dara here lent a helping hand, but no, she stayed in the car the whole time, sulking.

“Don’t tell me you don’t want to stay? You could’ve left me now already” he said, seeing that the key was still in the ignition.

She threw him a dirty glare. “If only I can remember the way out, Mr. Kwon, I’d be gone already in a blink of an eye”

“Who would’ve thought that your poor memory would be helpful? Ahh, I should thank your poor memory for this” chuckles.

Dara grumpily stepped out of the car. She doesn’t really have a choice, does she? Though, she must commend him for doing a great job on the tent, it was vast that it can fit six people. She saw some of the foods and things at the other end of the tent in a neat pile.

‘He’s really organized, just like CL-roo’ she thought.

“See? I told you I got everything controlled” he smiled, pointing to the thick sheets laid in front of them. “I’ve also got some heat pads under those” he added.

He turned his gaze to her who was wearing a very peculiar expression.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” he exclaimed. “Oh, c’mon, don’t give me that kind of look. I’m not planning anything to you, so don’t be too assuming”

“Well, good” she answered that made him laugh.

“You sounded disappointed! Ahh, noona, now you’re scaring me. Please don’t do anything to me” he hugged himself.

“Ya! I don’t have any intentions either” she answered defensively.

He just shook his head in response. He then took something from the pile of things in the far corner of the tent. “I brought you pink earmuffs and gloves” he said, putting the items on her. He took a sit at the mouth of the tent and motioned her to do the same. When she was already sitting beside him, he took one of the thick sheets and wrapped themselves with it. His arm is now resting on her shoulder, then he drew her closer to him. Upon seeing her looking at him confusedly, he said, “so you won’t get cold”

“Hey, look” he said as he turned his eyes forward. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked, as the sun slowly prepared for setting. She sniggered.

255

He sighed. “I’m always amazed by the sunset. But when you look closely, it kinda symbolizes something sad, seeing that it’s always associated with goodbyes”

She was quiet for a while. “We should watch the sunrise, then” she muttered.

He chuckled lightly. “Yeah, I think we should do that, too”

They sat in silence and watched as the sun slowly lowered itself, giving a dull red-orange with a hinge of yellow to this other half of the world, perfectly setting the atmosphere for all the lonely and bleeding hearts out there.

“Are you hungry?” he asked a while later, when the darkness finally engulfed the surroundings.

“I thought you’ll never gonna ask”

He then set out the food he brought with the help of the light in the tent.

They ate in silence, looking at each other’s eyes every now and then. He would smile everytime their gazes would meet. But the truth is, his eyes never left her face from the very beginning. The silence between them must be the effect of the sunset. It sure does have its wonders sometimes.

“There’s a toothbrush there” he said, breaking the silence, quite unable to pull something more with a sense, judging by how his mind was in a daze.

Then, she finished her food and eyed him carefully. He smiled. “Here” he said, giving her his food. He knew that look of hers pretty well. She smiled back at him then started attacking the food as he watched her in amusement.

Later. . .

“I think my phone’s missing” he said.

“What?!”

“Help me look for it, will you? Look here, I’ll go look for it outside”

As soon as he said that, she turned away from him and started looking for it. He smiled then went out quickly. He took something near the river then shook it.

“Come now, don’t disappoint me” he murmured. He went back to the tent.

“I already found it” he said.

She turned her head, then started crawling towards him.

256

“Oh, look! The Christmas lights are flying!” she said with amazement, pointing outside.

GD was thankful that he was not sitting on a chair, he could’ve fallen off from that statement, total brain damage. That’s what it is.

“They’re not Christmas lights! And in the world of normal and sane people, Christmas lights don’t fly”

Her eyes were still full of wonder as she answered, “I know they’re not Christmas lights, I was just kidding”

She looked outside again, then gasped. “F-fireflies!” she exclaimed.

“But how. . . .? Impossible!” she added in amazement.

He chuckled. “Nothing’s impossible for G-dragon”

“Fireflies!” she exclaimed again. She took his hand then pulled him up, bringing him with her outside. She let out a delighted giggle as she joined the fireflies, tried to catch one by jumping up and down, then chased the lights around.

He watched her in wonder, laughing at how childish she looked playing with the fireflies.

He went to her later on, took her hand, facing it upward. He put his closed fist atop her palm, then slowly opened it and pulled away. As he did, three fireflies are now sitting on her palm

“Ooohhh” she let out in wonder, lowering her eyes to take a closer look. Then, they watched as the three lights flew out of her palm then stopped midair where their gazes met. Then, the three fireflies started moving in synchronized movements, as if dancing, then the others followed, surrounding the two of them, sending sparks into their eyes.

A moment later. . .

He used all his strength to pull her back to the tent because it was getting colder by the minute. They sat at the mouth of the tent again. Both wrapped in the same sheet they used this afternoon. He pulled her closer and pushed her head on his shoulder, then squeezed her arm a little. They sat in silence as they watched the fireflies one by one disappearing.

“You should lay down and go to sleep now” he murmured.

“Hmm.. I want to see the sunrise”

“I’ll wake you up, now, c’mon, lie down”

257

No answer. Instead, he felt her burying her face on his neck. He waited for her to sleep soundly. When he saw her even breathing, he slowly laid her down and covered her with the thick blankets while he just sat there and watched her sleep. A smile would come every now and then when she moves or stirs or mumbles some incoherent words.

* * *

He looked at his watch. It was already four in the morning. He went outside then stretched a little. He started jogging around.

Then, later on, he saw her emerged from the tent, yawning. He went to her.

“I never thought you could be an early riser”

“I alarmed my phone because I don’t believe you”

He chuckled.

“Right on time” he mumbled as he faced forward, seeing the first rays of the sun coming out from the confinement of the mountains. He glanced at her and was captivated at how the rays perfectly lit her face.

“Sandara” he whispered. She turned her head and he let their gazes meet for a moment before his head swooped down and his lips reached for hers. His hands framed her face, and as he did, he angled her head to deepen the kiss. He felt her hands on his shoulder then snaked to his nape, making him gasp as she answered him with equal fervor. He could now feel the sun piercing through his closed eyes, but he didn’t mind. He numbed his other senses to everything as he only wants to feel this moment with her.

And as if the nature was with him, a gentle breeze shyly passed them as if afraid to disturb the moment; the insects who were chirping noisily a while ago suddenly became quiet; even the sun joined in as it took its time in rising as if prolonging the moment between two people who’s hearts have been drained by their past.

He pulled her closer, then silently, secretly, he moved his lips against hers to form the words he longed for her to hear; longed to shout out loud. But he knows she’s not allowed to hear it; he’s forbidden to say it. So instead, he put the words into her mouth discreetly as their breaths become one. As if in notion, his lips repeatedly mouthed and formed in silence the words: ‘Saranghae, Sandara’ over and over again.

Eventually, he had to break the kiss. With eyes still closed, he leaned his forehead against hers as he opened his senses again. He listened to their ragged, uneven breathing until it evened out. He leaned back then opened his eyes to look at her. A small smile curved his lips as he saw her eyes still closed. He rubbed a thumb gently over her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open and he felt like he was being swallowed deeper into the depths of her eyes.

258

“Happy birthday, by the way” he greeted.

She looked shock for a moment but then she smiled. “I should expect more to come, then” she sniggered, blushing.

He looked at her blankly.

“It’s my birthday, remember?” she reminded him.

He threw his head back in laughter.

259


Cha p t e r 47

W i s h G r a n t e d : Pa r t I I

“I t would be better if I could use both of my hands” she said, not looking at him.

“I have a spare” he said. At the corner of her eye, she saw him waving his free hand. Well, technically, she was handling the steering wheel with one hand because her other hand was a bit preoccupied by the moment since it’s entwined with his. For the past minutes or so, he’s been acting like a crazy schoolboy by stubbornly repeating his actions.

He would stare at her for a moment; he then would chuckle while covering his eyes with his free hand. Then, he would sigh, “Ah, Sandara Park” then he would change it into “Ah, Sandara Park you’re so cute” He would interchange those two everytime. And now, he’s doing it again. She could definitely feel his gaze on her, but she didn’t turn her head towards him. After a while, she heard him chuckle. She rolled her eyes, knowing what would happen next. But instead of covering his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose, as if thinking. “Ah, Sandara Park, what have you done to me?”

It was her turn to chuckle. ‘That’s new’ she thought. Then, she cleared her throat.

“Are you getting addicted to my name now?” she asked.

“My voice and your name go perfectly, don’t you think?” he inquired. He cleared his throat, too. “Listen,” he paused, then continued in a low, slow voice, “Sandara Park”

He giddily laughed. “Did you hear that? Your name sounds beautiful with my voice. And my voice sounded sexy with your name”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh-mai-gah, Ji. Stop acting like that, will you? It’s creepy!”

“San-da-ra Park” he muttered again.

A few minutes passed.

260

“I really need both of my hands now” she said, as they start to tag along with the other cars. Upon hearing that, he loosened his hold on her hand, expecting her to pull away, but she didn’t.

“A little help, please?” she asked, her fingers won’t seem to budge and follow her brain. “I can’t move my hand” she added.

”Oh”

He then pulled his hand away and put her clammy hand on the wheel.

“Thank you” she said.

“You’re welcome” he answered.

Then, they arrived at YG building’s parking lot. Dara gave the key to GD before steeping out of the car. Upon stepping out, she sighed then gave the car a longing look.

“Please stop staring at the car like that. I don’t really want to lose a friend” GD said, taking her hand and pulled her with him.

“Where are we going now?”

“Home, of course. I’ll be walking you to your dorm”

Later. . .

They were now in front of her dorm. She smiled up at him.

“Thank you” she said, then turned around and was about to open the door when his voice stopped her.

“Wait, don’t go in yet” he stopped her.

She turned back to him. “Why?”

And the next thing she knew, she was imprisoned in his arms.

“Just a moment” he whispered.


She tiptoed slowly to her bed. ‘Looks like the girls slept in late’ she thought, seeing the girls’ sleeping forms. She lay down at her own place and stared blankly ahead, thinking.

261

Why did he kiss her? Why did she kiss him back? Obviously, she can’t answer the first question. As for the second one, well, she doesn’t really know. Maybe because of the sunset? The fireflies? The sunrise? His eyes? Or because it was HIM? Or because it felt so right even if it’s wrong?

The recent events felt like a dream, like she was in a world where fairytales exist. He seemed surreal. No, there weren’t any exchanges of words between them, no “official” statement, declaration, confession or whatsoever. But who needs them anyways? Like the saying goes: “action speaks louder than words”. Looking at his actions, one can conclude that there is something, right? An infatuation? Admiration? Something else? She’s not really sure since it’s hard to pinpoint since her heart is acting all weird, not to mention the constant and classic battle between the heart and the mind.

She remembered being “hurt” about him lying, then when she saw him in the parking lot, everything vanished, and all was forgotten. She forgot she was hurt, pissed; that he lied; she even forgot about Jina! Remembering Jina brought a frown to her forehead. Everyone knows how he feels for that girl. But then, why was he acting like this towards her? Who was she in his life anyway? With no answer to come up with, she fell asleep.

* * *

The place was not yet full, only a few people are there but Dara was already happy and contented as of the moment. She was sitting in a table with the girls while waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive; they were already hyped from the beginning.

And surely enough, the rest of the guests started arriving. The BB boys came in late. Out of the boys, Seungri came in with a very wide, pathetic smile on his face.

“NOONA!” Seungri greeted enthusiastically. He went to her side and gave her a hug that was so tight it looked like he was squeezing her to death.

“Ya! Seungri-ah! What are you doing? Are you trying to break noona’s bones and feed them to Gaho?” Daesung asked, patting the maknae’s shoulder a bit harder than usual.

The maknae let go of Dara then turned to Daesung. “Ah, hyung, I just missed my Dara noona” he dramatically said. “And of course Bom noona and Minzy”

Daesung just shook his head in response then greeted Dara. YB and TOP came next. YB smiled at her sweetly.

“Happy birthday, noona”

Thank you for coming, I didn’t expect that all of you are coming! Thinking that all you are really busy and all. I’m really touched” she said glancing at the four of them that made TOP straightened his back uncomfortably.

262

“Err, happy birthday, noona” TOP greeted then walked stiffly away from her, going to the pile of gifts and adding his to them. She chuckled uncertainly, seeing TOP’s discomfort She thought they were already passed the awkwardness stage, but she thought wrong. Sometimes, they go along well, sometimes not. Maybe they’re meant to be like that. Weird.

“Don’t worry noona, he’ll get over it” YB whispered to her.

She smiled. “I hope so”

“Ya! Hyung! What are you whispering to my Dara noona?” Seungri asked.

“Jingyo oppa!” CL suddenly said. Her head automatically turned. And there he was, looking so utterly gorgeous as ever with. . . . . Jina clinging into his arm. She was surprised to see them arrive “TOGETHER”, though she was already expecting Jina to arrive. She invited her in the first place.

-FLASHBACK-

Her phone beeped for the nth time. She’s been receiving messages and calls from her friends both from Korea and the Philippines, greeting her for her birthday, not to mention the gifts from her fans and friends! Ssantokki was indeed deeply touch.

She opened her phone. An unknown number appeared on her screen. She opened it. The message goes: Sandara-ssi, I heard it’s your birthday! Just wanna greet u Happy Bday! –Jina

She quickly replied.

Dara: Oh, thank you! How’d you know?

Jina: hahaha.. Ur very funny! Ur an idol, remember? Ur popular! Ur bday’s all over the net

Dara: Oh! Kekeke

Jina: Happy bday again! I’ll just drop ur gift in the practice room

Dara: Oh, u shouldn’t have! Thank u.. Umm, r u free later?

Jina: Yes, why?

-END OF FLASHBACK-

“Sandara-ssi, happy birthday!” the girl greeted then hugged her.

263

“Thank you” she answered, then glanced for a while at GD.

“Happy birthday! You’re getting old.” He teased.

She stuck out her tongue out at him. He chuckled.

“Noona, doesn’t look like her age, so it doesn’t really matter” YB said. Dara turned to YB then smiled brightly at him.

‘That’s right, that’s right’ she thought.

Then, they started eating. Seungri was watching Jina closely, who was sitting with them, beside GD. He frowned a bit. It was really weird to feel a bit distant from her when he could see nothing wrong with the girl. She’s cute, sweet and kind. Maybe he was just feeling that way because she once hurt GD some time ago? Or maybe because of the way she acted during TOP’s birthday?

“Ya! Seungri-ah! Are you going to eat that or not? “TOP interrupted his thoughts, eyeing his plate carefully.

“Of course! It’s MY Dara noona’s food, so I’m going to eat this heartily”

Later. . .

“Okay, now that everyone is full and contented with the food, I would like to make an announcement before all of you start partying up, of course this is also a part of this birthday celebration” Mr. YG stopped, waiting for all of them to turn their eyes on him. GD straightened in his chair, looking intently at the President, who glanced briefly back at him. Upon making eye contact, GD nods his head once.

“As of this very moment” the President continued, “we are just wrapping a few talks with some producers to release 2NE1’s album in the Philippines. So, maybe before the year ends or early next year, the album will be available in the Philippines. I’m also in negotiation with some event organizers for 2NE1’s concert in the Philippines once we can produce enough songs for the girls. And again, happy birthday, Dara”

Everybody clapped and cheered.

‘Wish almost granted’ GD thought as he joined the others.

“I would like to ask everyone to keep this a secret for the meantime” the boss finished. GD took a chance at glancing at her, and he was not surprise to see her crying

‘Aish! Such a crybaby’ he thought, but a smile curved his lips.

264

“Wow! That’s great to hear! I’m so happy for the girls” Jina said. “You must be really proud and happy for them”

“Yes, I am” he answered quietly, eyes never leaving Dara’s face.

265


Cha p t e r 48

T h e “Se c r e t ” Be t

“Y a! Ssandara Park! Stop crying already” CL whispered, who was also on the verge of crying.

Sniff sniff

“I’m sorry (sniff sniff) I can’t help it” Dara sobbed.

“Congratulations, girls!” YB greeted who left the BB table and was now sitting in front of them.

“Thank you” the girls answered.

“Noona, you’ll get colds if you continue crying”

“Hehe. . Sorry, I’m just so happy I feel I can hug the President now” Dara answered, making the others laugh. She wiped her tears off.

“Ya!” Seungri took the mic, trying to get all the guests’ attention but to no avail. Everyone was just bust talking about the boss’ announcement. Well, except for 2NE!, Yanggaeng and YB, whose heads were turned to him.

“What is that pabo trying to do now?” CL asked in disbelief.

Seungri cleared his throat, but the others continued talking. But it didn’t seem to bring him down. He then turned his head towards 2NE1’s table then smiled.

‘Oh, this is embarrassing, but I have to start this’ he thought.

“Can I ask MY DARA noona for a dance? Not that I need to ask, I know my noona won’t be able to resist my charm because I’m the cutest and the best artist of YGE”

The others shook their heads in response.

YB, Minzy and Bom chuckled.

266

CL froze.

The rest of the BB members and boys straightened their backs, taking what the maknae as a challenge.

While Dara just stared blankly at the maknae.

“C’mon, my noona, it’s your birthday, you don’t have the right to say no” Seungri said, who was now in front of her.

“Ya! That’s not charm! That’s harassment” someone shouted that made a few people laugh.

Dara hesitantly stood up, a blush on her cheeks.

‘Oh, this is so embarrassing’ her mind screamed.

Seungri raised his hand and clicked his fingers.

“What an idiot” CL said.

Right then, a soft music played.

Later, every guy in the room danced with Dara already, except for GD and the President. Seungri watched how HIS noona danced with the guys. A few memorable dance he thought would stir HIS hyung to go up and ask her, like the time when she danced with Teddy and kept on laughing, that earned Seungri a LOT of dirty glares from CL, probably she was thinking it was his fault. Then, of course there’s the sweet dance with YB. She kept on smiling and blushing while they were talking. And now, it was TOP. Seungri can definitely feel the awkwardness between the two. Both of them had their heads turned the other side. TOP was so stiff, he looked like he wasn’t breathing anymore. He glanced at their leader who was eyeing the two dancers carefully.

‘Aish!’ he thought, he then leaned on him. “Ya! Hyung, you’d better go save TOP hyung, looks like he’s not breathing anymore"

GD turned to him with eyes squinted into tiny slits. “This was your idea in the first place” he answered, “aish, do I always have to clean up your mess?”

But GD stood up anyways and started walking towards the two awkward dancers.

Meanwhile, YB saw GD approaching TOP and Dara. He hurriedly went to where the player was and changed the music, turning the volume up. As he glanced up, he saw GD looking at him. He just smiled and nodded.

267

As GD approached the two, the music started to change as a familiar strumming of guitar filled the room. He stopped then looked at where the music was coming from. He saw YB fiddling with the volume, then YB smiled at him and nodded.

‘YB knew’ he thought as his Butterfly song reached his ears. Without hesitation, he closed the distance and tapped TOP’s shoulders, who sighed in relief then immediately backed out.

He bowed a little to her, never breaking eye contact. Then, they started swaying softly side to side, barely stepping, staring into each other’s eyes, never speaking. Neither of them finds it appropriate for talks.; neither of them find there’s no need for words; neither of them wanted to break the silence. They just continued looking into each other’s eyes, as if seeking for something. But neither of them knew what to look for or if there is something to look for.

Meanwhile. . .

Seungri saw how Jina gripped her glass seeing the two dancing, not talking to each other, just looking into each other’s eyes. The girl brought the glass to her lips then emptied it in one go. She stood up.

‘Uh-oh’ Seungri thought

“Jina-ssi! Do you like to taste noona’s cake?” he asked, and not waiting for an answer, he grabbed her wrist then pulled her to the table where Dara’s cake was placed.

“I’m sure you’ll like this, 'coz this is my Dara noona’s cake”

‘Ah, hyung-nim, if you only knew what I’ve been doing for you, you’ll never treat me as your slave again’ Seungri added in his thoughts.

-FLASHBACK-

TOP’s birthday. . .

“YB and Dara don't have a relationship” GD interfered.

After that, GD stared drinking his butt off.

Seungri sullenly watched as his hyungs drink. GD and TOP are usually the drinkers. So, when TOP stared snoring, it was something new. YB and Dae were also silently grunting in the corner, both of them leaning their heads on the wall with closed eyes.

268

“Ya! TOP hyung! What happened to you? You’re down already? Aish” GD laughed loudly. “Youngbae-ah, you’re not drunk yet, are you? Good, good. Let’s drink some more”

Seungri sighed as he watched GD laughing and chuckling to no particular reason.

“Ya! J-ah! Have you heard In or Out?”

Seungri closed his eyes as he heard GD giddily laughed. ‘Hyung, please don’t slip!’ the maknae silently prayed.

“Huh? J-ah asked blankly.

“Dara’s In or Out song! Have you heard it? No? Aish”

Seungri rolled his eyes out of embarrassment. Then, he heard his hyung cleared his throat and started singing at the top of his lungs with a very-high pitched voice.

“In or out! Am I in or out! In or out! Am I in or out?”

His hyung laughed. “It’s cute, isn’t it? Funny, too” He turned to J-ah again. “Oh, have you seen the choreography of it? It’s cuter! Wait, I’ll show you”

‘Oh-mai-ghad!’ Seungri’s mind screamed as he watched GD staggering to stand up, laughing so hard that he fell back to the sofa.

“Ji, show me some other time, you’re drunk already.

“No, I’m not drunk, am I?” chuckles.

“Yes, you are. Now, let’s go to your room” the girl whispered. But the maknae heard it alright.

“My room?” GD asked blankly. “I’m not yet sleepy”

“Who said we’re going to sleep?”

“We? Not sleeping? What are we-?”

“Ah, look at the time!” Seungri suddenly exclaimed. He pulled the girl up, put both hands on her back, pushing her “a bit” towards the door.

“Jina-ssi, a cute and a pretty girl like you shouldn’t stay this late in the evening, You need your beauty sleep. I know you’re tired. I’m just a concern maknae, so I think it would be better if you go home and take a rest”

269

They reached the door, he opened it and pushed her outside.

“But-“

“Annyeong, Jina-ssi. Sweetdreams” he waved then closed the door on her stunned face.

“Whew! That was close” Seungri muttered.

“Is she gone already?” TOP asked the moment he returned, looking so widely awake, far from what he looked like a while ago.

He nodded.

“Good job, maknae” YB said, standing up then patted his head.

“What do you think happen? LQ?” Dae asked Seungri.

“I don’t know, either” he answered, looking at GD who was still singing In or Out and laughing pathetically.

“Ya! Did you know that Dara Park of 2NE1’s real name is SAN-DA-RA Park? Weird, isn’t it? Three syllables! Huh! Can you believe it? No wonder that girl’s so weird, she got a weird name. But very pretty…. And unique. One of a kind” GD’s voice faded, turning into a mumble as he fell asleep.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

But of course he can’t use that as a blackmail for the leader. . . At least for now.

Jina wasn’t really in the mood for a cake or something sweet. She wasn’t paying attention to Seungri either, who was ranting on and on and on while slicing a piece of cake for her.

‘A few more minutes’ she thought as her ears caught Ji’s Butterfly song. A few more minutes and the song will end. She’s been listening to it for eternity that she already knows when will it end. ‘Aish, are they planning to just stare at each other and dance with the whole song?’ she asked herself. Then, her eyes caught Dara’s cake. No, not really the cake, but the words written on it with pink icing.

Ha p p y Bi r t h d a y , Sa n d a r a

Then, she gasped as her eyes focused on the pink icing while her ears continued listening to the song. A dawn of understanding came across her face as she slowly smirked.

* * *

270

Practice room. . .

The girls visited GD in the practice room in part of his preparation for his solo concert. And to no surprise, Dara saw Jina in the room, beside her was a bag full of foods, probably for Ji.

“Ah, here comes my favorite noona” Seungri teased Dara.

They watched him work. He really seemed to transform when he’s working. But not all the time of course. She remembered those fun times she had when they were still practicing Hello. She knows sooner or later, they’ll be practicing it again, and maybe adding a few twists here and there. Knowing him, he would probably want to show something new for his solo concert.

“He’s really working his butt off, ain’t he?” she heard Seungri muttered.

“G-dragon is G-dragon” she replied.

J-ah chuckled. “You sound so proud, Dara-ssi. Like how a mother sounds to her son”

“Who wouldn’t be proud to have a senior like him?” Dara smiled.

Later. . .

Seungri and CL can be seen bickering at each other again, something about Seungri said how Teddy was too old for CL while Minzy was watching the two, enjoying the bickerings. As for Bom, well, she was spacing out again.

“Who do you think will surrender first?”

Dara jumped in surprise upon hearing his voice. She turned her head and saw him wiping his sweat off with a towel. She looked around.

“Where’s Jina-ssi?” she asked.

“She’s just out, taking a call

Oh”

She looked at Seungri and CL again then shook her head.

“I think our maknae will surrender first” GD said.

“Nah, I don’t think so. It’ll be CL-roo” she opposed.

“Huh? Really? Wanna have a bet?” he teased. She smiled confidently up at him.

271

“I’m going to win, you know”

“Let’s see” he answered.

“What will be the consequence then?” she asked.

“Hmm.. Let me think”

After a while. . .

“How about the loser spilling the deepesr secret to the winner?”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Neh” he confirmed.

“You’re gonna regret making this bet with me” she threatened.

272


Cha p t e r 49

T h e Sna k e S l i t h e r s

G D resumed practicing while the “cat and “dog” were still spitting at each other.

“Sandara-ssi, you looked tired”

“Oh! Really? Aigoo! Hehe. Don’t get that much sleep these past nights”

“Thinking of Taeyang-ssi?”

“Huh?”

“You two really look good together, you know”

Dara chuckled uncertainly. “Youngbae-ah’s a good friend and sunbae of mine”

Then, slowly, she became conscious as the girl continued staring at her.

“They’re right” the girl mumbled.

She frowned a bit then looked at her, confused. The confusion must be too obvious because J-ah noticed this that made the latter chuckle.

“Oh, sorry about that. I just got this habit of voicing out what’s on my mind without thinking”

“Oh, it’s alright. I do the same sometimes”

The girl laughed heartily. “The boys are so right about us!”

“What do you mean?” Dara asked.

“Well, it was just out of curiosity, so I hope you don’t mind if we kinda talked about you”

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“Oh, really? Haha”

“Yeah, well, you see, when I was with the boys in Japan, celebrating TOP oppa’s birthday, my curiosity took over me. I always wondered about the closeness you had with Ji, so I kinda asked the boys about it” she paused, looking at her uncertainly, then added, “I hope you don’t mind?”

“Ani” chuckles.

“Thank you! I knew you were a naturally sweet person”

They were silent for a while until Dara can no longer contain her curiosity too.

“What did the boys say?” she asked, hating herself for doing it.

“Well, all of them except for YB, have the same answers. They said we kinda have similarities physically. Ji said you kinda reminds him of me. Ah, you don’t know how honored and flattered I was after hearing that! I mean, you’re really pretty and cute and to have similarities with you is really something I should be proud of”

Dara chuckled. “Aigoo, you’re pretty in your own way. Not to mention really sweet and charming”

“Thank you” J-ah said.

“Maybe we’re sisters separated by fate?” Dara joked.

“But then, I told them it’s impossible because youre prettier and cuter than me. Not to mention reall popular. But then they said I should not feel insecure because they know how Ji feels for me. Ji even said you’re older than him, so he looks up to you as his noona. The boys were really funny”

“Yes, they are” she answered quietly, feeling something like a numbing pain spreading all over her system.

“But they said you’re a lot funnier than all of them combined. They said they love having you around especially when they’re tired, because you never fails to make them laugh”

Dara chuckled, “Yeah, that’s my role. Dara, 2NE1’s mascot! And now I’m promoted to Bigbang’s mascot!”

The girl laughed. “You’re really funny”

“Keke”

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The both fall silent after that. She can’t quite believe the boys would say that. She wasn’t really that close to Daesung anyways, so nothing big there. She was always awkward with TOP and as for Seungri, she always knew the maknae finds her amusing. YB, was what she expected, always the quiet one. But for GD. . . .she just can’t believe it.

Why was she affected with what the boys said anyways? They were just telling the truth.

But maybe this explains why Ji acts weird towards her, why he was “especially kind” to her. She was a reminder of “J”. She can’t help but feel sorry for herself, thinking that she was a simple substitute, that he did all those things because he sees J from her.

The kiss. The hugs. The smiles. The laughters. The sweet gestures. All of those weren’t for her after all. He was seeing someone else doing all those things. He was seeing J, not Dara.

It stings. Definitely.

“Unnie, we should go” CL said, as the latter went to her. She stood up.

“Jingyo oppa, we should go. We still-“

GD stopped. “Eat lunch with me first. J-ah brought a lot of foods with her”

The girls hesitated, knowing the foods were really for him.

“Ji’s right, girls” the girl agreed, smiling.

“It’s still early for lunch” Dara interfered.

GD looked at the time. It was still 10 in the morning.

“Chaerin-ah, c’mon, you and the girls share the food with me” GD called with an air of authority this time.

Later. . .

“Ya! Lee Seungri! Jiyong oppa should be eating like that, not you! He’s the one who’s been working really hard while you were just sitting the whole time” CL scolded Seungri.

“I’m hungry. Why should I deprive myself?”

“Give those foods to oppa! He’s getting thinner by the minute”

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GD sniggered. “Ah, Chaerin-ah, I think you should give Seungri’s food to your unnie instead. She’s thinner than me but she’s barely touching her food” he said, glancing at Dara.

“Dara-ssi, don’t you like the food?” J-ah asked worriedly.

“Huh? Ani! I’m sorry, I was just thinking of something”

Then, she started snarfing down her food as she noticed everyone’s eyes on her.

“Ah, oppa, you haven’t seen how she attacked those ramens in the dorm like there’s no tomorrow”

J-ah chuckled. “No wonder you’re thin, Dara-ssi. You should nutritious foods more often”

“J-ah’s right, Dara. Eating a lot of ramen won’t take you anywhere”

“I love ramen” she answered, not looking at him. Instead, she looked up at Jina, “you’re really a great cook! Thank you for the wonderful food!”

“You’re welcome” the girl answered.

“You should lessen eating ramen, Dara” GD started again.

“I love ramen” she repeated.

“You’re loving the wrong things”

Dara stopped and looked at him. “No, I’m not”

“Aish! Why are you so stubborn?”

“Hyung-nim, let her be. There’s nothing really wrong with eating ramen” Seungri interfered, feeling the tension between his noona and his hyung.

GD threw a dirty glare to the maknae.

“I’m not being stubborn, I just love ramen” she said.

“There’s nothing wrong with eating ramen, I know. But you should eat foods with more nutrition to it”

"The fans gave them to me, I don’t want to waste it”

* * *

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“I know how to cover the sky with clouds already, but I’m not yet sure about he sun”

“Aish, will you please stop speaking in codes and just tell me their names?”

Laughs, “I’m sorry, but S asked me to do this for confidentiality purposes”

“Confidentiality? I’m also a part of this! I think I have the right to know who are involved. It;’s really frustrating when I only know about the plan and not the people involved in it”

Another laughter. “Why don’t you ask S yourself?”

“W-well, I already did. But S said I’ll find out soon enough. But c’mon!”

“Sorry, can’t help you there. I have to go. Tell S about the progress. Bye”

The call ended.

“Poor guy, If he only knew the reason behind S’s plan and who are involved, he’ll probably have second thoughts about this”

277


Cha p t e r 50

T h e Ba r g a i n

G D knew he should concentrate and practice nonstop for his concert and for the upcoming awards show, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a break for a while and give the “girls” a visit and see how they’ve been doing in their preparation for the same upcoming awards show. So, there he was, making his way towards the practice room where the girls were. He can’t help but feel excited. He entered the room and walked silently in a corner, sat then his eyes automatically flew to her like it’s the most natural thing in the world, like she was a human magnet. Upon seeing her, he frowned a bit. There were dark circle under her eyes again. She must be working hard late at night or early in the morning all by herself again. He scolded himself for not checking on her regularly like before. He was preoccupied with work for the past days. He hasn’t got the chance to talk that much to her during her birthday celebration then the last time they talked, they argued about the ramen. Looks like he got some issues to clear up. He sighed. She’s probably feeling pressured, not to mention that she does not want the “in-the-club-farewell-stage” to happen again that’s why she’s been working her head off hard again.

Then, he sneaked slowly beside her as she took a break. He secretly applauded himself. He’s becoming an expert when it comes to sneaking-to-be-beside-her kind of thing. She was drinking water when he finally reached her side.

“Hey” he greeted.

No answer. Instead, she took out her phone and busied herself with it.

“I’m sorry if I wasn’t able to stay long on your birthday celebration, J-ah asked me to accompany her home.

No answer.

“I’m sorry if I haven’t talked to you that much in the restaurant, either”

Still, no answer.

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“I was supposed to arrive in the restaurant early, but J-ah called me and asked me to wait for her and keep her company for the whole event since she doesn’t know everyone there”

There was still no answer. So, he suddenly grabbed her phone and kept it out of her reach.

“Ya! What are you doing?”

“You’re ignoring me; you’re being disrespectful to your sunbae”

He smiled when he finally looked into her eyes.

“What do you want, anyway?” she asked.

“I said I’m sorry. I just wanted to explain-“

“No need. I understand how you feel for her, so no need to do that”

“Listen, you-“

“I said it’s okay” she said, then gave him a small smile. “Don’t you have rehearsal? You should concentrate on your work.”

Then, his phone rang. He answered it.

After a while. . .

“The President’s looking for me. I’ll be back later” he said.

“Take your time” she answered sarcastically.

GD can’t help but think that this is probably about Dara again. He can’t help but remember the “Dara talks” he had with the boss. The first talk he had with YG was about Dara’s dreams, her family, what will happen to her career if he will pursue her while she was still being a rookie; about him not allowed to confess to her or to let other people know about his feelings for her. The boss surely made him feel guilty about what will happen to her if he decided to pursue her.

Then, the second talk he had was about the request he made. The request of making Dara’s wishes comes true. He also made a bargain with the boss. He said in return of making her wishes come true, he’s willing to sacrifice his feelings for her, to set it aside, to stay away from her. The other wish wasn’t granted yet, but almost. After 2NE1’s concert in the Philippines, that’ll be the time that he’s gonna stay away from her.

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“You still remember the request you had, right?” Mr. YG asked the moment he was settled in the chair in front of the President.

“Yes” he answered. Of course he can, he was just thinking of it a while ago.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I’m afraid I can’t accept the bargain or rather the sacrifice you’re offering”

GD straightened in his chair. What could be worst than staying away from her? From giving up his love for her? If the boss is going to ask him to stop loving her, he can’t do that! He will never do that!

“What do you mean?”

“I thought about your requests, and it turned out that you were right that the company will benefit from it, not to mention will also gain Dara and the girls more popularity. So, I’m afraid that our bargain will be no longer needed.”

GD remained silent as he waited for the President to continue.

“But I’m afraid you have to wait for three years before you can go out to the public together. And before you confess to her. So for the meantime, be very careful with your actions in public”

Did the boss turned gold? Because he can definitely see him shining brightly that he can now worship the President with all his heart.

* * *

A wide smile was on his face as he make his way towards the girls’ practice room. Then, he heard a phone ring. He frowned a bit. It wasn’t his ringtone. Then, he suddenly remembered that he didn’t return Dara’s phone to her. He looked at the caller ID. It was Bom. He answered.

“Hello?”

“Ya! Why did you bring mah phone with you?” the girl on the line shouted.

“I’m sorry, I forgot” he laughed.

“What’s so funny? I’m on my way to your practice room, so you’d better be there”

He smiled. “No, I’m on my way to your place, stay there”

“No, I’m already far from our practice room”

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He run when he saw a glimpse of a girl on the way with arms full of bag of foods.

“Hey, Ji!” the girl greeted.

“Hey” he answered, not looking who it was as he continued talking on the phone and making his way to the room. He turned in a corner and saw Dara at the far end of the hallway. He saw her stopped upon seeing him, eyes squinting into tiny slits.

“Ya!” she shouted. He run slowly to her, laughing. Upon reaching her, he hugged her tightly and turned in circles. His laughter was bouncing of the walls of the empty hallway. Then, he put her down again.

“Ya! Are you out of your mind already?”

“Here’s your phone” he answered instead and gave her the phone. Then, he gave her another tight hug.

“Ya! You should be practicing right now”

GD was so immersed in his own happiness that he didn’t notice the two eyes watching them carefully.

281


Cha p t e r 51

A Ki s s o f F r e e d o m

“W hat's happening to you?” she asked.

“Nothing. I'm just happy”

She smiled. Seeing him happy like this makes her happy, too. Even if it was because of Jina.

“Something good must have happened between you and Jina, huh?”

He pulled back, a frown on his face. “What ate you talking about?”

A phone beeped. “That's mine” Dara said, grabbing her phone from his hold. She opened the message. “Oh, they said break's over. I've got to go”

“Do you really have to go?” he asked.

“Of course I have to! “

“Why don't we sneak out instead?”

He wiggled his eyebrows playfully at her while she gave him an incredulous look.

“Why would I do that?”

“For fun? C'mon Dara, get a life sometimes”

She gave him a suspicious look. “You're up to something, aren't you? And you want me to get into trouble. Huh! You can't fool me, Ji. I'm smarter than you” she proudly said.

“Okay fine” he answered. “Go back to the practice room. You're so boring sometimes”

GD was rambling while going to the other practice room where he's been rehearsing. As he turned around the corner, he bumped into someone.

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“J-ah! I'm sorry. I didn't see you”

“It's alright. I brought you your favorites, by the way.” she said, lifting the bag of foods.

“Oh, really? Wow! Thanks!” He rummaged through the seven containers, opening each of it, searching for something he thinks is nutritious to eat.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I'm just looking for something to give Dara” he mumbled absentmindedly. Upon seeing what's inside each seven containers, he chose three of the most nutritious he could think of.

“Wait, I'll just give these to her” he said then run back to the girls' practice room.

* * *

Jina was silently sitting in a corner as she watched him work. Later on, he said he needs to go to the comfort room. She just nodded then smiled. When he was out of sight already, she sighed. Then, his eyes strayed on his phone silently sitting beside her. She looked around, making sure that no one's looking. She discreetly took his phone and immediately went to the gallery section. Her fingers confidently entered a code upon reaching the coded folder, and voila! It finally opened.

Later in the evening. . .

“Ji, I have to go”

“Oh, is that so? I'm sorry if I can't send you home, I've got a lot of work to do” he apologetically said.

She smiled. “It's alright. I understand. And besides, I already fulfilled my purpose here” she said, lifting the now empty bag.

GD watched her go. It pains him to see her exit that way. He sighed. He really needs to set out things soon.

Later. . .

They finished a bit late than expected. He went ahead of the crew. As he was outside the practice room, for some reason, his feet seemed to drag him towards the girls' practice room. As he reached it, he silently turned the knob. He peeked inside. Surprisingly, the lights were still open and a music was playing on the background. And then, he saw her. There she was, working her head off hard again. He looked at his watch and frown, seeing that it was late for her to keep on practicing.

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'Is she trying to kill herself with exhaustion?' he asked himself. With that thought, he stormed inside the room.

“YA! SANDARA PARK!” he shouted. The poor girl j umped in surprise and gave a squeak of fright. She then clutched her chest with relief as she saw who it was.

“What do you think are you doing?” he stormed again., closing the distance between them.

“Ya! Why are you shouting? She shouted back.

Upon reaching her, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her along with him.

“Don't you know how much electricity costs these days? And have you any idea of it's effects to the environment? And yet, here you are, wasting it” he lectured, shaking his head while still dragging her with him as he circled the room and turned off the player and lights.

“But I'm practicing!”

“Practice time is over! You should learn how to conserve energy. No more late practices for you, you're consuming too much electricity” he scolded.

“Ya! Look who's talking! You work late at night, too!”

They were now in the hallway. She tried pulling her wrist from his grasp but he won't budge.

“Wait!”she shouted, pulling him back to the practice room after failing to pull away from his hold several times.

“What” he asked, turning his head to her.

“I need to go back to the practice room”

“No. I told you, no more late practices for you. Why are you being so stubborn? Aish, no wonder you're so thin and-”

“I left my things!” she cut off, starting to get impatient.

“Oh! Why didn't you tell me earlier?” he asked,dragging her back to the room. He took her backpack and secured it in his back.

Once they were outside the building, he let go of her hand and walked confidently ahead of her, knowing that she'll follow because he got her things safely on his back.

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Meanwhile, Dara was silently trailing behind GD, a pout on her lips as she childishly followed him.

'What's wrong with him, now? Aish! He's so unpredictable' her mind ranted.

She was worried for her performance for the upcoming awards show that's why she's working hard to make it as close to perfection as she can. Then, she suddenly remembered YB. They've been working together in the practice room late at night these pasterns. He was helping her in a way. YB would probably be surprise to see that she's not there. She stopped. Since GD was walking ahead of her, he'd probably won't notice she'd be gone. Never mind her things, she can get it from him tomorrow, anyways. What was she doing wasting her time out here when there's still so much to do. With that thought, she turned around and slowly walked back to the building. She already took five or six steps when she heard him.

“Ya! Sandara Park! Where do you think are you going?”

She froze. Without looking back, she broke into a run. At first, she did want to go back to the practice room but after hearing him shouting for her and chasing after her, she changed her mind and decided to tease him. She giggled hard as she turned around the corner and saw a perfect place to hide, she scooted and silently wait for him to pass by, trying her very hard to suppress her giggles. Time ticked but there was still no sign of him. She frowned as she stood up, turning back in the corner to look for him. But the streets were empty except for a two or three cars passing by.

'Where'd he go?' she asked herself.

“Looking for me?” someone said from behind.

“Oh!” she squeaked. She turned around and saw her standing there with a smirk on his face.

“How'd you get there?” she asked in disbelief.

“Why'd you do that in the first place?” he asked back.

“I was trying to escape, obviously”

He turned serious. “You can't escape me, Dara” he solemnly said. “You can try, but you can never will”

“And why's that?” she asked, hands on either side of her waist.

“Because I won't let you” he quietly answered.

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She was having goosebumps from what she's hearing. He sounded so serious and there was something by the way his eyes looked that he was telling the truth. But she shook it off.

“Is that a challenge? Rabbits are really fast, you know”

He just shrugged and took her wrist again, dragging her back to the direction they were heading a while ago.

“Where are we going anyway?” she asked.

“Han river” he simply answered.

“Again?”

“Why, do you have some other place in mind?” he asked in return, not looking back at her.

“No, but it's cold out there” she reasoned.

“I'll be your jacket then”

She was quiet for a while, just letting him drag her.

“What are we going to do there, anyways?”

No answer.

“Ya! I'm talking to you!”

Still, no answer.

“Ya! G-dragon!”

“Shush! I won't talk to you 'til we reach the place. This is your punishment for running away from me”

Han river. . .

“Now what?” she asked.

“Sit” he ordered.

She stubbornly stared at him while he just gave her a pointed look. After a few seconds of staring battle,she gave up.

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“Fine” she mumbled. She sat on the ground, facing the body of water. Upon seeing her obediently sitting on the ground, GD settled himself behind her. His arms wrapped around her lightly.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she felt him hugged her from behind.

“Being your jacket, what else?”

“You're not really a very effective jacket. I'm still cold” she complained.He hugged her a bit closer. She pouted.

“I didn't feel any difference. I'm still cold” she rambled again. Then she heard him sigh as his arms wrapped around her tighter and pulled her closer to his body, it was so close that she can feel his warm breath blowing against her cheek.

"That's better” she mumbled. He chuckled lightly.

"You could have just asked me to hug you tighter simply, no need to ramble”

“I'm not rambling”

“If you say so”

SILENCE. . .

“Are we going to wait and watch the sunrise again?” she asked.

His head was thrown back as he barked out a laugh. “Why do you sound so expectant? Expecting for something, hmmm?” he teased, resting his chin on her right shoulder.

“Of course not! I was just asking” she answered defensively.

“I see that you're being defensive tonight”

“I am not” She blushed as she did sound defensive again.

“Yeah, right” he sniggered.

“That tickles” she suddenly said indifferently.

“What does?”

“Your breath! I can feel the breath coming out from your nose and mouth because you're breathing against my neck! Aish! Do you really have to breath through your mouth?”

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“You're so noisy tonight” he noticed.

“I am not”

He just chuckled.

They remained silent for a few minutes until she can no longer take it. She cleared her throat. “You haven't answered my question yet”

“What question?” he inquired.

“Are we going to wait for the sunrise?”

“No we won't” he answered, chuckling upon hearing that expectant tone in her voice.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because you still got a lot of work to do, plus your rehearsals and trainings”

“So?”

“So,” he emphasized, “You're forbidden to stay late”

“Says who?”

“Says me” he answered.

“But why?”

Because you easily get tired that's why you need a lot of rest”

“I'm not that weak” she defended herself.

“I know you're not”

“Then why am I forbidden?”

“Aish! Why are you being so stubborn? And since when did you like watching the sunrise? Or you just want me to kiss you again?” he laughingly teased. He was expecting a quick “no” from her in a defensive and defiant tone but the laughter died in his throat as she remained silent. With heart beating fast, he glanced at her and saw a blush crawled her cheek.

“Dara?” he uncertainly asked. When she didn't answer, he reached out for her chin in between his fingers and turned her head towards him. Upon seeing the look of confirmation in her eyes, his hesitation and doubts vanished as his head swooped down

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towards her for the second time. Just like before, his lips reached for hers. But something has changes. No, everything changed. Everything was different. Their first kiss sometime ago was deep, soft, warm and gentle. But this time, he took a risk in delving deeper into her mouth as his tongue conquered hers. And she seemed to be doing the same because unlike before, he can feel a bit of aggressiveness from her as her fingers caught the hairs at the back of his head, pulling him closer to her. This time, it washer who made the move of angling her head to give him better access to her lips as her lips followed his lead to a music that only the two of them can hear. He pulled back gently not because he wanted to end the kiss but because he was surprised and confused by her aggressiveness.

“Dara, are you al-?”

The rest of his words died down as she advanced on him. And this time, she took the lead as it was her lips that covered his and her tongue invaded his.


He was silently resting his chin on her shoulder again, until he fell asleep.

“Who am I in your life, Ji?” she asked. She waited, but then she heard his faint snores. She chuckled.

'He always fall asleep when he's with me. Aish! Do I look like a bed or a pillow?' she thought. But then, she let him sleep, knowing that he needs it badly.

An hour and a half later. . .

“Ji, wake up” she shook him gently, nudging him a little. When he didn't budge, she tried again, with a bit of a force this time.

“Hmm?” he mumbled., hugging her tight.

“Wake up, we have to go home”

* * *

They were walking back to the dorm when her phone rang. She looked for it in her backpack that Ji was still carrying.

“Omo!”she exclaimed before answering the call.

“Hello, Youngbae-ah? I'm sorry! Are you still there?”

289


Cha p t e r 52

Ray s o f t h e Su n

“Y es” YB answered.

“Oh, I’m really sorry! I forgot to tell you that I-“ she stopped and glanced at GD, “that I’ll just wander around for a while. But I’m coming back there.” She started walking but was stopped by GD’s hand. She turned around.

“Give me the phone” he mouthed as he held a hand out to her. She frowned at him. When she didn’t budge, he sighed impatiently and stole the phone from her.

“Ya! Give that back!” she protested.

“Hey” GD greeted YB on the phone as if he didn’t hear her protests. “Yes, it’s me”

“Ji, give that back” Dara tried again.

“Shush, I told you no more late practices for the meantime. You’re exhausting yourself too much already” he scolded. He turned back to the phone and continued talking to YB. “Sorry, bro. But Dara can’t go back there. She needs rest”He paused as he listened. Then, he chuckled. “Yes, she is really stubborn. Oh.. Don’t worry, she’s fine. Limbs and head still intact. Well, aside from her permanently-damaged brain, she’s perfectly fine” Another pause. “I got that covered. I’ll be walking her to the dorm”

He ended the call and gave the phone back to her with a victorious smile.

“Ya! Why’d you end the call? I wasn’t finished talking to him yet”

“You’re going home”

“But, I-“

“No buts” he snapped, grabbing her wrist.

“What did Youngbae say?” she asked later on. GD was quiet for a while, like he was

290

thinking what he’s going to say.

“He got worried when he didn’t see you in the practice room. He thought you were sick and went home early”

“Oh, he’s such a sweet guy, isn’t he?” she mumbled chuckling. His eyes squinted into tiny slits as his hold on her wrist tightened.

Dara felt awkward seeing Ji being SO quiet. She cleared her throat. “YB saw me one night practicing late, he was on his way home from practice, too. From then on, he decided to keep me company during my practices. He’s really helping me a lot, I mean, I asked for his opinion and advice sometimes… So.. . That’s why he’s been looking for me” she explained. Not that she needs to, since he didn’t ask her about it, but her mouth can’t just shut it.

* * *

“It’s your turn” Dara said as she sits beside YB on the floor. Eversince YB caught her practicing late at night, he’s been keeping her company. He would practice sometimes, too, but he would just watched and observed her most of the time.

“Nah, I’m fine. I’m actually having more fun watching you”

“Aigoo! I’m being unfair to you now. You should be practicing yourself instead of watching me. I’m consuming too much electricity for myself already”

“Don’t worry about the electricity, the company can pay for it”

“C’mon, Youngbae-ah! I really learn a lot just by watching you”

He looked at her for a few seconds. “Okay, okay. Aish, you’re very hard to resist” he mumbled. He stood up and went to the player. Dara clapped her hands and leaned her back against the mirrored wall, a smile on her face as the Wedding Dress started playing. YB faced her again as the soft intro part of the piano played. Then, he started singing and dancing to it. She watched him in amazement. But, her smile slowly faded as she continued watching YB. He was making her nervous with all the “eye-making” contact he’s making.

“That’s really a sad song” she mumbled when he was finished and was now sitting beside her.

“Yeah, it’s a very sad ending” he answered almost as quietly as she did.

“Is there something you can’t do? She suddenly asked desperately. He gave her a long look before chuckling.

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“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean, you can dance, sing and now you’re writing your own stuffs, too”

“Teddy hyung helped me there. I can’t really say that I’m into it already”

“Maybe you should teach me, too. Just like rapping before”

He chuckled. “You should ask GD, he’s more into writing than me”

She pouted. “Aish. You know Ji, he’ll just probably laugh and make fun of me. It’ll be another disaster”

“I can’t blame him, though. You can be really funny sometimes”

“Ya!” she burst. YB laughed more at himself, he finds it really weird that his funny side always shows up when he’s with her.

“So, tell me, is there something you can’t do but you want to do? Maybe I can help you? It’s about time for me to do something for you in return” she asked again.

“Well, I’m not really an actor, but I want to star in a drama or movie someday”

“I’ve seen your MVs, you’re acting skills are not bad”

“Really? That’s really flattering, especially hearing it from you” He became silent for a while. “Well, there are a lot of things I can’t do that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time now. But it’s something I should learn by myself” he mumbled, looking at her intently.

“Oh” she said, disappointment overwhelming in her voice.

“You sound so disappointed”

“I am. You’ve been helping me a lot. I just want to return the favor”

He looked at her disappointed face, can’t bear seeing her like that, he slowly, started. “Well, if you insist, hmm” he thought for a moment.

“What is it?” she hyped up.

“Remember when we went skiing sometime ago with the other trainees?”

“Neh” she answered quickly.

“Remember when you made a soup and hot chocolate drink for Jiyong?”

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“I didn’t make it for him alone! Who would’ve thought that he ate all of it by himself? Aish!” she heated up in disbelief, remembering how she left Ji for a moment to call the others to eat, then coming back with an empty pan and container. And yes, the culprit was Kown Jiyong. He devoured all of it! “Anyways, what about it?”

“Can you make one for me? I really wanted to taste it, but you know what happened” laughs.

“Oh, of course! But you should stay away from Ji, though”

He chuckled lightly. “You can’t really blame him at that time, though. I mean, you buried his face deep into the snow! He must’ve felt really cold. And his face was really all swollen up”

She laughed. “Yeah, that’s why he always refuses when we’re taking pictures. Too bad we don’t have pictures together, too. Since you became our photographer. You were really thoughtful at that time, and Ji was playfully determined to get revenge”

“Yeah, he was too playful that time. I really felt bad about the snowball fight”

“Oh, that!” she chuckled. “You were trying to protect me from Ji’s snowballs, but-“

“But I only blocked one snowball, since I’m caught with other snowball fights” he continued.

“Well, you can’t really stop Ji if he’s determined even if you weren’t involve in other snowball fights. But I had fun, really”

“Speaking of Jiyong, won’t he get mad if he finds out you’ve been disobeying him? ‘Coz to tell you the truth, I actually agree with him. You shouldn’t do late practices on consecutive nights. Maybe you should do it alternatively?”

“I really don’t want to make mistakes again”

“But you’re pushing yourself too hard”

“You’re doing it also! I saw you working so late that you’re actually getting sick from it” she fired back.

“That’s different” YB disagreed.

“Oh, really? How’s that different?” she asked sarcastically.

“Aish..” he shook his head. “One of the things I can’t do that I REALLY want to do is tame your stubbornness”

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She laughed.

The next day. . .

“Annyeong!” Dara greeted as she entered the practice room where GD and YB are currently rehearsing for their Korean Dream. “Youngbae-ah, I made a soup and hot choco drink for you”

GD looked stunned in disbelief as she gave YB what she prepared. Then, YB called the others and asked them to join him while GD remained where he was, rooted to the spot.

Dara looked around and saw GD still wearing that same expression of disbelief in one corner of the room. She smiled and approached him. She took something out from her bag as she was now standing in front of him. She gave a neat plastic to him.

“Cookies!” she chirped as he received the same “G” and “D” shaped cookie she made before.

“Did I hear someone say cookies? Did you bake Dara? Can I have some?” the trainer asked, apparently, he heard her.

“AANNII!!” GD forcefully refused.

Dara laughed as she watched the trainer looking at the cookies intently. She really finds it weird how two different people became bestfriends. In one corner, YB was sharing what he got to the others while Ji was selfishly munching the cookies by himself and looking like he won’t give anyone even a single crumble. But what was weirder was her heart. She actually finds Ji’s “selfishness” act sweet and funny.

* * *

A few hours before MAMA. . . .

A phone was ringing. GD answered it. “Hello?”

“I just want to remind you, Kwon Jiyong, no unnecessary behavior tonight or else I’m going to extend your wait to ten years”

“TEN YEARS?!?” he burst out. “But she will be 36 years old at that time! How am I going to have five little Jiyongs and five little Daras with that?”

“Five little Jiyongs and Daras?!? How sure are you that she’ll be saying yes, eh?” the

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President taunted.

“Well, I. . . . I’m still trying to figure that out myself”

The President laughed heartily which GD finds very irritating for the first time.

“Well, goodluck with that. And oh, don’t be too sensitive, Jiyong-ah”

Later on. . .

“I thought you said you’re not comfortable wearing shorts and skirts?” he asked.

“Well, yes, but-“

“Dara unnie, we have to go” CL called.

Okay, she was not looking just gorgeous tonight. She was in fact and no doubt oh-so-breathtakinlgy-gorgeous. Dresses do fit her BUT dang! Her dress was showing too much of her skin! Too much! It was really heard to be caught in between loving and hating how she looked too beautiful for herself.

Dara was seated with the girls. They’re currently watching Taeyang perform. When the crowd started chanting “Dong Youngbae”, Dara joined in. Then, sooner or later, the girls followed suit. But again, she felt de ja vu as YB started throwing her peculiar looks. It was making her uneasy. If he’s doing it on purpose or unconsciously, she doesn’t know. One thing’s for sure: she can see a glimpse of pain in his eyes. And she doesn’t like it. Not even a bit. Someone like YB who always finds time to help others should not be feeling pain.

Meanwhile. . .

The President was watching the event and he just wanted to shrink in his seat from embarrassment as he covered his face out of frustration and amusement as he saw GD “overly doing” what he said. ‘Ah, these kids take everything I say too seriously. First, the no-boyfriend contact and now this! Am I not allowed to joke around anymore?’ he thought.

After the show. . .

The YGE staff and crew were celebrating. Everyone gathered around GD and 2NE1 as they congratulated them for bagging awards. The girls were crying really hard, except for Dara, who’s been trying to hold back, though there were still a few stubborn tears escaping her eyes. She looked around and saw the others comforting Bom, who was crying the hrdest among them. Some were comforting the maknae, too. She also saw CL

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and GD having some “leader” conversation, that’s what she thinks anyways. Then, her eyes caught YB in a corner, looking alone, silently laughing and cheering for them. She squeezed her way out of the crowd and went to him.

“Congratualtions! You did very well! You were amazing out there” YB chuckled, giving her a little tight hug.

“Thank you! She said, tears starting to peak from her eyes again. “You did very well, too! Eventhough you’re not feeling that well”

“Nah, you girls were more awesome!”

Dara chuckled lightly.

“Dara!” someone called from behind.

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Cha p t e r 53

De c i s i o n s

S he froze as her heart automatically went erratic. She turned around and saw him. He motioned his head a little to the side then walked away. She followed. Then, when they were in a more secluded corner, GD pulled her to him and hugged her tight.

“I’m so proud of you!” he said. Then, she burst into tears which made him chuckle.

“Aish.. You’re really such a crybaby”

“You did well, too!” she sobbed.

“Hmm.. Aren’t you proud of me, too?” he teasingly asked. She laughed.

“I’m honored to be your junior”

* * *

-FLASHBACK-

"As YG family implies, we are a family. I have my own reasons in what I'm doing but I never though that it would turn out like this. He seemed willing to sacrifice his own happiness just to make her happy. But I'm not sure if the girl feels the same. I think she's not yet ready to do the same" The President said and gave YB a meaningful look.

“So, they’re not allowed?” Teddy asked bravely.

“As much as I want to say no, I don’t think Jiyong can be stopped, unless of course if it concerns Dara. And besides, it’s still too early for her to have a boyfriend”

When no one said anything, the boss continued. “I want to keep this a secret for the meantime. Only the ten of us knows about this. But I think the others are starting to get curious, too. I want all of you to act normally around them, as if you knew nothing about what’s going on between the two. Especially, you Seungri”

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“Huh? But why me? I-“

“Because you’re so noisy for your own good” TOP cut off.

“I’m not-“ Seungri cut off, sensing CL’s darting eyes on him.

SILENCE.

“Okay, that’s all for now. You may all go but I might call one of you from time to time. And oh, Youngbae-ah, stay behind”

With that, Kush, Teddy, TOP, Dae, Seungri and the 2NE1 girls except for Dara stood up and left the room, giving Yb a confused and curious look. As the door closed, the atmosphere suddenly became heavier.

“I know this is hard for you, Youngbae” the President started. “I know you were aware of Sandara’s feelings for you before, but you chose to ignore it because you were too shy to confess. And you were not allowed at that time”

YB remained silent, as if he was saying “yes” through his silence.

“You let Jiyong get close to her because of your shyness and asked him about what’s going on with Dara. And, we both saw how he fell inlove with her”

YB sighed. He knows all of this already. What’s with the reminder?

“I know from the very beginning you already liked her. And she felt the same towards you. So, I hope you can see what I’m trying to say”

YB gave the President a blank look. Mr. YG sighed.

“You see, if you’re firm with your decision of giving way to Jiyong, I must also take in consideration Dara’s feelings for him.. There’s no doubt about Jiyong’s feelings for her. But I want to see an evidence, a proof that she has feelings for Jiyong now and not just because she wants to forget you”

“She loves him, she just doesn’t know it yet” he said, trying to hide the pain from breaking his voice. “What she felt for me was just an admiration”

The President looked at him for a while. “Am I right that Dara is not aware that you know about her feelings for you before? And that she’s not aware of your… feelings for her?”

YB slowly nodded. “You’ll be giving them your approval when the right time comes, right?” he asked.

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“Jiyong is lucky to have a friend like you” Mr. YG smiled.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Meanwhile. . .

Dara was walking in a daze. She just had a talk with the President with TOP and YB a while ago. The latter two were still in the President's office while she was making her way to the practice room. The boss will be sending her to an acting workshop/training again, but this time, she’ll be joined by TOP and YB.

‘I wonder what the President is planning for me this time?’ she thought excitedly. She was in that thought when she heard voices.

“I’m tired of waiting, Ji. There’s no more extension. You’re time’s up. I’ll be waiting for your decision tomorrow. Meet me in my dorm tomorrow afternoon”

“Jina, I-“

“Tomorrow, Ji”

Dara gasped. She was about to walk away when the door of the storage room suddenly swung open. And out came GD, who looked shock seeing her standing there.

“How long have you been there?” he asked.

“J-just now. Why? Is there-?”

“Who are you talking to, Ji?” Jina asked as she stepped out, too. Upon seeing her, the girl smiled. “Oh, Sandara-ssi! Annyeong! How are you doing?”

“I-I’m fine” she uttered.

“Glad to hear that. Well, anyways, I got to go” the girl said and turned to face GD. The girl tiptoed and kissed him full on the lips. Dara’s eyes grew wide as she leaned a hand against the wall for support. She looked down, not wanting to see them, not wanting them to see her tears in the brink of falling. She wanted to run, but her feet won’t let her, they won’t move. Then, she heard the girl chuckle.

“Don’t forget about tomorrow, Ji”

Dara can’t help it, she looked up and she saw GD nod at the girl. The girl then turned to her. “Annyeong, Sandara Park”

Jina already left minutes ago but neither of them were moving. Then, he broke it.

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“Dara, I-“

“Mianhe!” Dara apologized, bowing to him. “I didn’t have any intentions of seeing the. . .what happened. I’m sorry”

With that, she ran away from him. She run and run.

“Oof” she gasped as she fell to the floor, bumping with someone.

“Noona, what-“ YB stopped, seeing her tear-stained face. Dara cried harder and buried her face in his chest. She was drowning in the image of Ji and Jina kissing. She was suffocating, she can’t breathe anymore just by thinking of it.

“Save me, Youngbae” she begged, feeling like she was being pulled even deeper into the sea of pain.

YB froze. He never heard that kind of tone from her before. It was like he’s being crippled hearing that kind of tone from her.

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Cha p t e r 54

T h e Ha l l w a y

“W hat happened?” YB asked while she continued sobbing on his chest.

“I can’t breath” she gasped. YB pulled back and panicked as he saw her having difficulty in breathing. He instructed her to breathe in and out slowly in a soothing and calming voice. Surprisingly, she was able to follow his instructions correctly. Then, without warning, he stooped down and carried her up, bridal way. She didn’t ask what is he doing or where are they going or why is he doing this. But he preferred it that way. He took the stairs down and quickly brought her at the backside of the building, where there’s a wide space for her to breathe. He put her down but his other arm never left her back. He just let her sob for seconds, minutes, hours. When her sobs slowly died down, he breathe a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Youngbae-ah” she croaked. He remained silent.

“Don’t you want to know what happened?” she asked.

“It’s up to you if you want to tell me” he answered quietly.

“It was really childish. I mean, they just kissed in front of me then I suddenly find it hard to breath. Aish”

“Jiyong kissed her in front of you?” YB asked in disbelief. There’s no need for her to tell him who those persons were, he knew what or who exactly can make her cry like this.

“Well, actually, Jina made the first move. But still, Ji,-“

“What did Jiyong say?”

“Well, I kinda run away . . .So. . .”

“So, you should keep holding on” YB cut off.

“What do you mean?” she asked, frowning.

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“Don’t let go, noona. You already won this battle a long time ago”

“Youngbae-ah! What are you talking about? You’re kinda scaring me”

“Stop denying it! Stop denying what you feel, noona. It won’t get you anywhere”

She chuckled lightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, dongsaeng”

YB sighed impatiently. “Your feelings for Jiyong, noona! I’m talking about your feelings for him”

God, can’t she see how much he was hurting right now? And still, she won’t listen.

“My feelings for Ji? I’m not denying that I admire him. He’s a great artist anyway”

“Aish, noona! You really are one of a kind. No wonder we both fell-“ he stopped and looked at her with fear in his eyes. But she was staring blankly ahead with a little sad smile on her face.

“Oh, yes of course I am one of a kind that’s why I looked like her” she remarked. Then, she sighed and looked at him. “You helped me again”

“Well, not really. I just happened to be around when you need one”

“Weird, isn’t it? How you’re always around when I need help or when I need someone to save me from something,” sighs “you’re really the perfect bestfriend a person could ever had. I’m lucky enough to be your friend”

“I think it’s the other way around” he smiled.

“You think so? I’ve never really done anything for you”

“You’ve done so much already, noona”

“Huh?” she asked blankly. He chuckled.

“C’mon, it’s getting colder here. we should go inside. And besides, we still need to attend our rehearsals”

They were on their way to the practice room when her phone rang. She looked at it and saw GD calling. She thought for a while, then decided to ignore it. She’s not yet ready to talk to him. When it rang again, she turned it off.

“You can’t ignore him, forever, noona”

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“I know. I’m. . .I just don’t want to talk to him yet” she mumbled. Why? Well, she doesn’t really know why. She was afraid of talking to him.

They reached the practice room. Before entering, she turned to YB.

“Do I look fine?”

He chuckled. “You always look fine to me”

She smiled at him then turned her head back to the door. She was about to reach for the knob when the door suddenly opened.

“Ya! Where have you been? I’ve been calling you. You’re-“ GD stopped when he saw YB beside her.

She chose to ignore him. She turned to YB and smiled again. “Thanks, Youngbae-ah. See you later”

For the whole day, Dara avoided him. Well, it’s not really needed since they were in different practice rooms. More of she avoided his messages and calls and avoided thinking of him. She wasn’t really successful with the last part. But she tried by burying her head and thoughts on practicing and thinking what could be in store for her now that she remembered the talk she had with the boss. He was sending her to another acting training again soon, with YB and TOP. But still, GD’s face kept on popping into her head. And GD was not helping her either. They were just a few minutes away from wrapping up when he arrived in 2NE1’s practice room, looking so serious. He quietly watched them from one corner. She could feel his eyes on her. And when they’re about to go home, he called her.

“Dara, you stay behind” he called, then turned to the girls, “I’ll bring her home” he said with that “leader” tone of his that no one can ignore. But she didn’t listen. She was being stubborn tonight. She went ahead of the girls out of the room.

“Unnie, what are you doing?” Minzy called her from behind.

“Oppa said you have to stay” CL seconded. Dara stopped in her tracks and turned back.

“Pfft. You all know him, he loves to joke around. He was just joking” Dara dismissively said and started walking away from the room again. The girls looked at each other with worried faces but they followed her anyway.

Dara felt a hand on her wrist. She just sigh. She knew he would come after her. No need to look back to know who it was. She knew that touch too much and by the way he was holding her wrist, it looked like YB was right. She can’t ignore him forever; she won’t be able to escape this time. The girls passed by them quietly and hurriedly. When

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they were out of sight, GD dragged her towards the storage room. He pulled her roughly inside as he closed the door and locked it.

“Are you avoiding me?”

“Yes” she quickly answered without thinking. GD looked surprise. Somehow, he expected her to deny.

“Why?” he asked with clenched jaw.

“Because I want to” she fired back. GD lose his patience. He suddenly pulled her and pinned her against the closed door.

Dara got scared when she saw the look on his face, She was expecting him to do something impulsive. So, when she saw his face nearing, she automatically shut her eyes tight out of fear. But instead, he gently leaned his forehead against hers. She breathes.

“Why are you making it easier for me to decide? Will you please just make me think twice?” he asked.

She opened her eyes and frowned. “What are you talking about?”

He didn’t answer. He just pulled back and looked at her for a few seconds before leaning in to kiss her forehead. Then, he kissed the tip of her nose next. Dara closed her eyes again, not afraid anymore but because she was starting to melt inside. Then, just as she thought, he pursued for her lips. Her lips parted just before he reached it. But when their lips touched for a few seconds, she suddenly pushed him away.

“No” she whispered then opened the door and ran away.

GD was left standing in the room. “Annyeong, Sandara” he whispered and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile. . . .

Dara reached the dorm without the knowledge of how she got there. She automatically went to the bathroom and locked herself inside. She leaned against the door and slowly slid down to the floor. Her trembling hand reached for her lips. It was so different. The moment his lips touched hers, she felt nothing but emptiness and coldness in it. She felt pain. That’s why she pushed him away.

The following morning. . .

Dara was unusually uneasy today. She kept on fidgeting with her fingers or the hem of her shirt or jacket. In the morning, she went to the exercise room and had some session with their trainer. Then, in the afternoon, she went to the studio with the girls. As

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they arrived there, she saw Teddy, YB and GD inside. Teddy and YB automatically greeted them.

She noticed that GD was unusually quiet. And he kept on looking at his watch. Then, later on, he stood up and said he’ll go ahead of them. Dara froze in her seat. She looked at GD as he passed by her but he didn’t glance at her. When he was already out of the room, she looked at YB who was also looking at her. Then, she stood up and followed him. She half-walk-half-run. Then she stopped when she saw him walking in the empty hallway.

“You’re going to her, aren’t you?”

She saw him stopped, but he didn’t turn around and kept his back on her.

“Yes”, he answered, then started walking again. She bit her lower lip then closed her eyes and run towards him. She hugged him from behind.

“Don’t. . . .” she whispered. “Jiyong, don’t go. Please don’t go”

She felt his hands on her arms. He then removed it from his waist.

“I have to go. She’s waiting for me”

“But why?”

He chuckled then turned around to face her. “Well, isn’t it obvious?”

She didn’t answer. Her throat felt locked.

“It’s because I want to be with her, noona”

“B-but. . .what about me? T-the fireflies. . . t-the sunrise. .we. .the sunrise” her voice broke.

“You shouldn't have expected too much and you shouldn't have taken things too seriously, noona. I was just meddling with my time. You were fun to be with and I was bored and depressed. You should have known better”

“You're lying” she whispered in a broken voice.

“I loved her, noona. I’m sorry if you’ve mistaken my actions. I’m at fault also because I just let it happen. But I loved Jina. No one can change that” he said directly looking into her eyes.

“No” she shook her head as tears started falling like there’s no tomorrow.

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“Mianhe, noona” he said then turned away. The moment he turned away, her knees gave in. She fell to the floor, kneeling. Her vision was blurry as tears clouded her eyes.

“Ji, don’t”

But he didn’t stop. He continued walking. She listened to the sound of his footsteps slowly fading away as he was gaining distance away from her. The sound of his fading footsteps was joined by her heart. It was like she was slowly listening to her heart as it dies down, slowly fading away. Then, she can no longer hear his footsteps. She can no longer feel her heart either. The numbing, crippling pain started to crawl from her toes all the way to her head; stinging and stabbing every part of her body. She doesn’t know how long she was there. All she knew is that she heard another set of footsteps. Unlike the first one, this second footsteps got urgency and was quickly moving towards her from behind. A pair of black shoes stopped in front of her. The person knelt in front of her and pulled her gently. She buried her face in the person’s chest as she started crying harder.

“Youngbae, I love him. . .I love him, Youngbae” she sobbed. The realization hit her so hard in the stomach she felt like there was a hole in it. YB hugged her tighter and put his chin on her head as he closed his eyes tightly, letting the tears fall down silently.

“I love him so much. . Youngbae. . Help me. .”

She sinks herself deeper into his arms, seeking for the warmth and comfort that he never fails to give her.One was silently tearing while the other was continuously crying her heart out. But both of them were thinking the same thing: the sun failed to shed his warmth and light for the first time.

* * *

A buzzer. Jina went to open the door. ‘He’s early’ she thought as she opened the door. She smiled sarcastically as she saw the person outside wasn’t the one he’s expecting.

“Come in” she invited.

“Is it true?” the guy asked as he followed her inside.

“What is?”

“That you’re backing out?”

“Oh, that. Yes, it’s true” she answered.

“Why?”

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She sighed impatiently. “Simple. I fell in love”

The person looked shock. She laughed.

“You. . But-“

“I’m not really in the mood for storytelling right now. I’m expecting a guest today. So, if you don’t mind, let’s talk some other time”

“I want to know the whole truth!” the guy demanded.

She looked at him for a while. “I guess it would be fine to tell you everything since I already backed out. But like I said, not now. So, please, some other time”

The guy hesitated for a while, then, “okay” he agreed.

“Good” Jina said and started walking ahead of him towards the door. The guy was about to follow her and leave when his eyes caught the mess in the table. He stopped and took a better look. His eyes grew wide.

“This is. . .” he whispered, shock.

“Don’t touch that!” the girl shouted and grabbed the things he was holding. “If you want to know the whole truth, don’t tell anyone about this. Now, leave. We’ll talk soon”

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Cha p t e r 54

T h e Con f r o n t a t i o n

G D decided to drop by the President's office first before going to Jina. He sees Mr. YG as his second father, though there were a lot of times that he disobeyed him, his respect for the boss is still there. And in part of that is to bring the news to him that he is now in relationship. As he entered his office, the older man looked surprise upon seeing him.

“Jiyong-ah, what are you doing here?”

GD took a seat first before answering. “I just came to bring a news”

“Oh. What news?”

“About me and Jina”

“What about her?”

“We're officially together” he answered quietly. If it was a normal day, GD could have laughed at the look on the boss' face.

“Don't worry, I don't have a plan of going on public yet” he added.

The President seemed speechless. But when he finally found his voice, he uttered the name that GD doesn't really want to hear right now. But he should have known that her name would come up eventually.

“Is this a joke, Jiyong-ah? If Sandara-”

“Being involve with Dara noona was a mistake”

“What's the meaning of this?” the President asked. “You were willing to sacrifice everything for her and now you're telling me that it was just a mistake? And you're choosing the other one over her?”

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“I realized I was wrong. And before it's too late, I want to correct it” he coolly answered. “I've mistaken fondness with love”

“You were wrong?”

“Yes, I was. It's not my fault if she expected too much from me”

“I can't believe any word you're saying. This is not you. Something must've happened. Tell me. We can sort this out.”

“There's nothing to be sort out because there's nothing wrong”

“What about Sandara?”

GD was quiet for a while. “I already talked to her” he slowly started. “And to be honest, I didn't expect her reaction to be like that. So, I guess she did have a little affection towards me after all. But she'll cope up. She's a tough girl anyways. And besides, Taeyang will be there to pick her up”

GD chuckled at the President's shocked face. “Oh, yes. I'm aware of Taeyang's feelings for her”

“In that case, you know very well that Youngbae won't take this easily, don't you?”

“Yeah, I expect that to happen. Knowing him, instead of getting happy now that I'm no longer in the way, he'll get angry at first. But I'm pretty sure that he'll understand eventually, especially after I explain everything to him”

The President shook his head in disbelief. “Jiyong, I've seen how you look at Dara and Jina now. You can't expect me believe this right away”

“I've already made my decision after I realized my true feelings for Jina and finding out that I was only fond of Dara noona”

* * *YB's dorm. . .

He settled her down on his bed. Her eyes were blank while tears kept on falling down silently. He'd rather hear her cry out loud right now than see her as lifeless like this.

After an hour or so down the hallway, he decided to carry her home. He called the girls and told them not to worry about Dara because they're just going to have a little chat. But he didn't mention what happened because he doesn't know it either. E didn't dare ask her because he was afraid she'd break down. When he noticed a while ago the fear in Dara's eyes after GD left the recording studio, he knew something was wrong.

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And when she didn't return at once, he decided to look for her. And he found her on the floor, kneeling, crying.

He covered her fragile body with his blanket. His whole body felt broken seeing her so fragile like this. He saw her eyes closed, so he took on the conclusion that she wants to sleep. He doesn't really want to leave her right now but he badly needs to talk to GD because based from what she was mumbling a while ago, he knew GD was involved. Who else could she be mentioning when she said “I love him”? He headed for the door.

“Youngbae?” she called. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. His breath swoosh out off him as he saw the look in her eyes. It looked so. . . lifeless. Freakingly lifeless. It was like he's looking straight into his own coffin.

“Are you going to leave me,too?” she asked in a hushed voice.

That voice. He used to love hearing that voice so much. But right now, he was hating it. The way it sounded boils his blood up.

“Please don't leave me, Youngbae. Not you too, please”

“I won't he answered as he sat in the bed near her head. He saw a little smile curved her pale, trembling lips.

“Thank you” she whispered, then added, “I feel cold. Aren't you cold?”

YB looked at her and almost cried seeing her face. It was a mistake looking into her eyes again. What he sees in there is far worst than death itself. He sighed then kicked his shoes off. Without saying anything or asking her, he laid down beside her and pulled her close to his body, his arm around her. He gently patted her shoulder as she cuddled in his chest.

“Youngbae?”

“Hmm?” he murmured.

“I'm scared”

“Of what?” he asked quietly.

“Of being left alone. I don't want to be alone”

“Everyone's scared of being alone. And besides, you won't be alone. You've got a lot of friends around you”

“What if they get tired of me and leave me behind, too?”

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YB closed his eyes tight for a moment, trying to stop his tears. He breathe in deeply and opened his eyes again. “The girls would never leave you”

“What about you?” she asked.

“I'll only leave if you ask me to”

“I would never do that!” she said, heating up.He can't help but smile. Not because of what she said, but because her voice didn't sound as dead a while ago. “I'm happy to hear that” he answered.

YB stayed. Silently watching and hearing her cry herself to sleep. Her sobs became her own lullaby. He wiped the traces of tears off her face. When he was sure that she was fastly asleep, he slowly removed his arm around her and quietly went out of the room. He desperately needs to talk to GD right now.

He pressed the buzzer of GD's dorm and was greeted by his mother telling him that her son's not at home. 'Where could he be?' he asked himself as he walked back to his dorm. Then he suddenly stopped as he remembered another person. The possibility that this is the President''s doing boiled his blood up again. His feet suddenly changed direction as he tried not to think of the things he might do.

YB stormed in on the President's office. He saw the boss sitting comfortably in his chair. He never felt this kind of anger before, so he was trying to control it. And it's not helping that the boss seemed to be expecting his arrival.

“I trusted you!” he shouted. “What more evidence do you need? I'll give you one! Have you seen her eyes? THEY'RE DEAD, hyung! DEAD! Isn't that enough proof for you? Isn't that proof enough that she loves him? That her feelings for me died a long time ago already?” he cried out. “You said you won't interfere anymore and just let the dice fall. You said you won't do anything that would break the two of them. You said you were going to give them your permission with a condition of waiting for three years!”

YB was now pacing back and forth in the office, still trying to calm down his nerves. “What made you change your mind? Why did you change your mind now all of a sudden?”

“It was Jiyong's decision” the President calmly said. Yb stopped in his tracks and looked the man disbelievingly.

“J-jiyong's decision?!? How. . .? It's. . .That''s impossible!” Yb was now hyperventilating. “He would never do that”

“Believe me or not, I tried to convince him to think it over because I didn't believe him at first myself. But he looked. . .serious and firm with Jina. I think we should just respect his decision”

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“Jina? How was she invol-?” Yb stopped, eyes growing wide as the truth dawned on him. “H-he chose that girl over noona?”

Seeing the confirmation in Mr. YG's face, he weakly feel to the chair in front of the table. “I didn't see this coming I thought he was just being a gentleman to her that's why he can't make her leave. I should have known. I should have seen this. I could have-”

“Youngbae, “the boss cut him off gently. “Even if you see this coming, you can't save Dara from hurting. Don't blame yourself. And don't blame GD”YB shook his head in denial. “I need to talk to Jiyong”

* * *

Taeyang come in” GD smiled at YB. “It's late. What brings you here?”

YB clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to control his temper. “Why? Why did you do that?” he asked aggressively.

GD laughed. “Oh, so she run to you, huh? Did she tell you everything that happened between us? I guess sooner or later the girls will be here too. She's probably telling them what-”

“She's sleeping in my dorm right now. She didn't tell me anything. Do you think she can bear to relive the events when she's in that kind of condition? Oh, I remembered, you haven't seen her yet. So you don't know how she's doing right now-”

“Taeyang, why don't you take a seat, first?”

“No, I'd rather keep our distance like this”

GD chuckled. “Wow! You're really into her, huh? I've never seen you get mad like this before especially to me”

GD saw the shocked look on his friend's face. “Oh, I know about your feelings for Dara noona. And don't worry, I don't really mind. Nothing will change between us”

“And since when did you start calling her noona? You're making a big mistake with this Jiyong”

“Is falling in love a mistake, Youngbae?”

YB didn't answer.

“I don't believe you still love Jina”

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GD laughed. “How'd you know about my feelings, eh? Can you hear what my heart is saying now? If you do, then, you won't be saying those thing to me. And besides, your way to her is now free, shouldn't you be happy?”

YB breathes in deeply. “I'm asking you for the last time.

Is this your final decision? Is this really your choice?” his bestfriend asked.

“Yes” he answered. “I am sure, there's no mistaking that it's J-ah”

“Are you sure you made the right choice?”

“Yes”

“I hope so. And I hope you won't regret this. I already gave way but you just threw it away. You can never get her back from me this time. I'll never give her that easily anymore”

He laughed maniacally. “Ah, Taeyang, you've become a joker! Can you hear yourself? You're talking as if you own her already. She's not even yours in the first place” GD joked back.

“She will be” YB answered quietly.

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Cha p t e r 56

Ban d a g e

Y B punched the wall several times. He didn't care if he was already bleeding. All he know is that he wanted to feel physical pain so he can forget other pain that was crippling him more than his bleeding hands. He leaned his forehead against the wall as he cried out the pain that seemed to be planning to stay for a long time. Then, slowly, he started to relax a little. After a moment of heavy breathing, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

“Hello, hyung?” he asked.

“Yeah? It's late, why did you call?”

“I need your help. Can we talk tomorrow?” he asked.

What about?” Se7en asked.

“I'll tell you tomorrow”

As soon as the call ended, he went back to his dorm. He saw her silently sleeping. He pulled a chair and took a seat, watching her. She looked so tragically beautiful in her sleep. If only there's something he can do. . .


He jerked awake as he heard a faint sizzling sound from afar. He looked at his bed and found it empty. He immediately runs outside. But he stopped as he saw a tiny figure of a girl in the kitchen with her back facing him. Then, the girl turned around with a plate in her hand. Upon seeing him, she tried to smile but failed.

“Oh, Youngbae-ah. You're awake! Are you hungry?” she asked in a monotone voice.

“Oh, uh, wait, I have to go to the bathroom first” he said, remembering that he hasn't wash his face nor brush his teeth.

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When he reached the bathroom and was about to turn the faucet, his eyes caught the sight of his hands for the first time. They were wrapped in bandage. He smiled.'Unbelievable girl' he thought.

When he was done, he went back to her. She was finished preparing the food. They ate in silence. After eating, they still remained silent. Then, to his surprise, she started telling him what happened. And just as he feared, she broke into pieces.

* * *

“I heard Taeyang oppa's hesitant to fly to Japan because he's worried about unnie”

Dara continued pretending that she was asleep. How many days has it been? How many days has she been moving like a lifeless body? Like she was physically present but mentally, emotionally and spiritually absent. If she was to be followed, she wanted to remain that way. But after hearing that the girls worried voices and that she was somehow being a burden to YB, a changed of plan formed in her mind. But not entirely, she haven't told the girls what really happened, and she trust YB that he won't tell it to them either because as far as she knows, the girls don't know about her and GD.

'Starting today, 2NE1's mascott Park Dara is jumping back' she thought as she continued listening to the girls' anxious and worried voices.

* * *

“Annyeong!” she greeted happily as she entered the exercise room. She felt the girls were surprise by her sudden change. “Oh, Youngbae-ah! You're here, too! That's good, that's good” she beamed then took the boxing gloves from the corner.

“Why don't you hold the punching bag for me, eh? I doubt any of the girls will be able to stand against my strength”

“Unnie, oppa doesn't have to hold that for you. With that thin body of yours, I doubt if the the punching bag would even move an inch” CL sternly said.

And so, Dara the mascot came back. Probably because she doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. Probably because she doesn't want HIM to see that she was a mess after the incident in the hallway. Probably because she doesn't want others to worry about her or probably because she felt guilty everytime she sees pain in YB's eyes just because she was also in pain.

She allowed herself to think of things over. Everything happened so fast, just like a blink of an eye. In a weird way, she was thankful that she saw the “kiss” scene between GD and Jina first before the “hallway” event happened. It would have been harder and more painful if they were doing fine before that event happen. She knew she had to face him soon. And honestly, she's not ready yet, especially after she realized her long-denied

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feelings for him. Her mind denied it for so long probably because of fear, of her trust issues. And it was funny how the timing of admitting to herself that she loves him a bit off. But she has to be ready. Especially his solo concert is fastly approaching. She would definitely see him again soon. As of this moment, she doesn't know what her reaction will be when they see each other again. She's also curious of how he will act when he sees her. But probably, he'll just act that nothing happened. She sighed and thought of giving herself a last gift for this year. In his concert, she would treasure each moment, even if it will mean she'll be crushed one more time.

The sound of her phone's beep brought her back to earth. When she read the message, she smiled a little. It was from YB. She was lucky to have a friend like him. And even luckier that he considers her as one of his friends. He was always ready to fix things up for her. These past days, he's been flying back and forth to Korea and Japan. He said he's just worried about his solo activities in Korea that's why he kept on coming back almost everyday. But she had a feeling that it's not the entire reason. She had a feeling he's just checking up on her.

* * *

INKIGAYO. . .

“She's spacing out again” CL heard YB muttered. She looked at her sunbae and followed his gaze. Her eyes landed upon the scattered-brain Ssantokki. YB was right, she got the blank eyes again, like her soul left her body and wandered around when a while ago, she was just goofing with them.

“She tends to be like that when she's alone and no one's talking to her” she said. Then, she decided to call her. “Ya! Dara unnie!”

The girl approached them. “Why don't we put your presence into something useful, eh?” CL joked. “Here take my phone and be our photographer for today and prove that you are indeed a fan of CL-roo” the leader instructed.

And so, the picture taking began. CL secretly gave YB a smug smile.

“Aigoo! Aigoo! Look, I'm the best photographer ever! Look at this photo! It's very well taken”

“Let me see” the leader extended her hand for the phone, then the others crowded around the leader to take a better look. Dara's lips curved in a satisfactory smile upon seeing the leader's nod of approval.

“You should take a new career” she heard YB said. She glanced at him.

“I just remembered, we really don't have any photos together” she said, then turned to CL. “Ya! CL, why don't you return the favor and take pictures of me and Youngbae?”

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“Since when did you see an idol took a photo of her fan?”

“Ya!”

“Minkki, take our photo-”

“Fine, fine. I'll take it” CL said and took Dara's phone.

“Okay, Youngbae-ah, let's do hiphop poses first”

Later. . .

“Fierce poses”

Later. . .

“Cute poses”

And so it continued on and on..

“Not bad, CL-roo. Your skills in photo taking's improving” Dara said as she sits down beside YB.

“You're really a scattered-brain person” the leader said that made the others laugh.

“Hey, why don't we take some selcas in my phone, too?”

Dara chuckled lightly upon hearing the hesitancy in YB's voice. “Sounds a good idea to me” she chirped. And so, another Dara-YB photo session started.

“Omo!” Dara laughed out loud. “You're the worst photographer, dongsaeng! You didn't tell me you wanted to take a photo of the wall. Aish!! Haha.. Aigoo! I think we should sit closer so our face s won't be cut off. Ya! Why are you looking at me like that?”

YB smiled. “Did I just hear you laugh?”

“Aishh.. C'mon, let's take improve your photo taking skills”

* * *'It's been a long time' Dara thought as she slowly walked towards the edge of the rooftop. It's been a long time since she last came here. She closed her eyes and smiled, inhaling the familiar scent of the cold, night air. Then she opened her eyes slowly to look at the stars. She was glad that the girls slept in early today, especially the two maknaes, who were probably tired because of the training and their performance last Sunday. As much as she was scared to be left alone, tonight was different. She felt she needs time alone. A time for herself. And this is the perfect place to have some time alone without

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disturbance. She shivered as a gush of wind blew her way. Instinctively, she hugged herself tightly and rubbed her arms with her hands.

“You're really the most stubborn girl that ever stepped into this world”It looks like she's not going to have her time alone because she's not the only occupant of the rooftop tonight.

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Cha p t e r 57

On e Las t M e m o r y

‘O h no, please let me be hallucinating’ her mind screamed, recognizing the voice without even looking back. ‘Hallucination! Hallucination!’ her mind chanted over and over again.

“Does Taeyang know you’re here?”

She didn’t answer as her mind continued chanting.

“I guess not, because if he knew, you won’t be standing here all by yourself shivering”

Still, she didn’t speak.

“You never learn do you? Did you literally left your brain in the dorm or you’re just plain stupid for not thinking of bringing a jacket in a place like this?”

Okay, he’s not a hallucination. She’s definitely not imagining things. The sarcastic tone of his tells her so. She knew she had to face him eventually, but not tonight. She didn’t expect it to be now, not here. She’s not yet ready for this!

“Ya! Show some respect to your sunbae! I’m talking to you. Is that the right way to treat your senior after not seeing him for a long time?”

She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes tight, trying to gather her senses and letting her guards up. Then she opened her eyes and exhaled slowly as she turned around. Ready or not, she had to face him. She had no choice. As she turned around, she immediately bowed, firmly keeping her eyes down on the floor for the fear of looking in to his eyes. She was scared that her defenses would crumble down and turn into ashes when she looks at him directly in the eyes.

“Mianhe, G-dragon sunbaenim! I was pretty busy that I didn’t notice it’s been days since I last saw my senior”

She straightened up. “But I don’t think you have the right to insult me just because I forgot to bring my jacket. Like you said, YOU’RE MY SENIOR, the only time

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you can criticize me is when or during performance or practice or if it’s related to music and work”

The guy chuckled. “Where did all these spice come from?”

She clenched her fists. How dare he act like nothing happened? Like he didn’t. . .

Well, maybe because it was really nothing to him because she’s a “nobody” in his life. Two can play a game, right? If he wants to act like nothing happened, she can do that, too, can’t she?

“From you of course” she answered, adding a hint of sarcasm in her tone. “I really learned a LOT of things from you”

A deafening silence passed between them as another gush of wind blew again. To her dismay, her frail body gave another wave of shiver.

“Oh well,” Dara croaked. “I’d better get going, it’s getting late already”She walked pass by him, holding her breath. She silently scolded herself for expecting him to stop her. Then, when she was near the exit, she looked back. She smirked as she saw him watching her leave.“Oh, by the way, welcome back sunbae! I’m looking forward to working with you again soon”


Dara was busy fiddling with her phone, texting her brother. She felt other people’s presence in the hallway so she looked up. She smiled seeing the panic and fear in YB’s eyes, who was looking back and forth between her and GD and Jina. The latter was clinging to GD’s arm like he’s her lifesaver jacket. She bowed and greeted them.

“Annyeong G-dragon sunbaenim! Annyeong Jina-ssi!” She turned to YB. “Good morning Youngbae-ah!”

Jina and YB looked shock while GD looked. . . . .er. . . .serious. She can’t really find the right adjective to describe his expression. Good thing YB was fast to recover.

“Good morning, noona! You looked happy today” YB greeted her back.

“It’s a wonderful day. And I slept well last night. Who wouldn’t be happy with that?”

YB chuckled. “I’m glad you slept well last night”

“Oh, actually, I’ve been sleeping well these past nights. I don’t know why but I’m stress free nowadays. I feel so alive and free. It feels good to be free, don’t you think?” She winked at YB

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“Obviously” she heard GD said. And was it only her or there was a hint of sarcasm in his tone?

“Ah, noona, you’re being playful today. I think you’d better get going to the exercise room before the trainer ruins your mood” YB interfered.

“Oh, yes, you’re right. I don’t want to be late” She turned to the two statues beside YB. “It was nice seeing both of you again” Then she turned back to YB and said, “see you later”

* * *

“Hello, sexy guy. . . . .”

GD never felt this kind of fear before. That smug look on her face was scaring the life out of him. And never in his life did he saw Dara smile smugly like that.

“Let’s take a break” he suddenly announced. The crew went out for refreshment and it only leaves the three of them: him, Dara and Jina. Dara sat on the floor, her head leaning against the wall. They’re currently in the middle of the preparation for his upcoming solo concert. Awkward silence filled the room. Jina’s phone suddenly rang. She went to a far side corner to take the call. He can’t really hear what she’s talking about because she was out of earshot and she was talking in bushed tones.

‘I wonder what’s wrong?’ he asked himself. Then as the phone call ended, his girlfriend turned to him and said, “I have to go somewhere” The hesitation in her voice didn’t escape his ears as he saw the girl took a quick glance on Dara.“My friend’s in trouble but I promise I’ll be back later”

She tiptoed and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before hurriedly exiting the practice room.

‘Now this is what you call total awkwardness’ he thought as he realized that it was only him and Dara in the room.

“Aren’t you going with her?” the girl asked.

“Huh?” he asked blankly.

“I think you should go after your girlfriend. She looked kinda distress”

“Oh. Well, unlike other people, J-ah can solve problems by herself. She’s really an independent girl”

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Dara’s eyes squinted. ‘Is that supposed to be an indirect insult to me again?’ she thought. But she countered back. “You really got good taste, sunbaenim”

* * *

“What do you want?” Jina hissed as she arrived in her place and saw him standing in her doorway.

“You promised you’d tell me everything!” he fired back.

* * *

GD just wrapped up rehearsals. He doesn’t know why, but there’s something pulling him to go to the storage room. He knew it’s not right, that it’s not healthy for him to go there anymore. There were too many memories in that room. There were too many memories of them together there. Every corner of that room was filled with her presence. He hasn’t been there for a long time. And he’s been avoiding to pass by it or even glance at it. But tonight was different, something VERY strong was telling him to go there.

He frowned as he reached it. Now that he’s in front of the room’s door, the need to go inside got even stronger. He reached for the knob and slowly turned it. As he silently pushed open the door, a gut-wrenching sound greeted him. He peeked inside and he was right. He silently closed the door again and leaned his forehead against the door as his hold on the knob tightened. His eyes automatically shut tight as he tried to stop himself from entering the room again. He leaned back then looked at the door longingly and sadly. He breathed and started walking away. He took out his phone and dialed a number.

“Hey, can you do me a favor?” he asked.

“What is it?”

“I left something very important in the storage room and I think it’s broken. Can you do me a favor by trying to fix it?”

“Huh? What kind of thing-“

“It’s on the floor near the cabinet. Please try your best to fix it, okay?”

“But-“

GD purposely ended the call and gripped his phone tight.

* * *

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YB frowned as he made his way to the storage room. He can’t really understand why GD wouldn’t fix that ‘thing’ himself. He opened the door as he reached it then stopped as he saw the figure of a girl sitting on the floor near the cabinet with her head down, crying.

“Noona?” he asked. The girl jumped in surprise and looked at him with tear-stained face. Upon seeing him, she looks the other way and wiped her tears away.

“Youngbae-ah, what are you doing here?” Dara asked.

“Jiyong told me he left something very impor-“ he stopped as his eyes grew wide.

Something important. On the floor. Near the cabinet. Fix it.

‘Something’s not right here’ he thought.

“Oh” Dara answered quietly upon hearing GD’s name, then she tears started pouring out again. Seeing that, YB set his own thoughts aside and went to her side to comfort her.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore, Youngbae. I can’t pretend anymore. It hurts too much. Seeing him with her is breaking me”

YB kept his silence and let her talk.

“But I have to be strong, right?”

SILENCE. . .

“Youngbae?”

“Hmmm?”

“I made a promise to give myself one last gift this year. Can you help me get it?” she asked.

YB can’t help but smile at her childishness. “Of course I will. What’s your gift to yourself anyway?”

“I want to have one last happy memory with him.”

“What should I do?” he asked quietly.

“Just promise to stay by my side after this. . .After his concert. Then, maybe after that I’ll be able to let go already”

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‘Yes’ Dara thought. She’ll force herself to let go. But as for now, she likes to be a part of his happiness, of his dream. She wanted his solo concert to be successful. She knew he’s been dreaming about this that’s why he’s been working and preparing so hard for the event. And she would not cry starting tomorrow. She would temporarily forget what happened in the hallway. In order to get that one last happy memory with him, she needs to smile and be happy for the remaining days. It’s the only way to create that memory because if she’ll keep on sulking and crying, she won’t achieve that. But she knew after making that memory, she’ll have to accept defeat.

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Cha p t e r 58

M i r r o r

G D’s Concert- 1st Day

DARA. . . It was a happy day for GD, eventhough she can see he was anxious and nervous. But anticipation and excitement filled the air. For the whole day, she did nothing but goof around with the people backstage, laugh and smile. She even threw jokes at GD and Jina, trying her very best to make the two laugh. For those wo knows what’s going on, they were curious and scared with her overly happy behavior, well, except for YB.

GD. . . As much as he wanted not to laugh, he can’t help himself. She was being way too FUNNY and ENERGETIC today. But there’s a shadow underlying his laughter. He was actually surprised by the way she acts normally to him and to Jina. It’s as if nothing happened at all. There are questions circling his mind like: “why is she acting like nothing happened?”, ”how can she throw jokes like that?” It’s making him think that he just imagined how broken her voice sounded down the hallway.

YB. . .Just as the rabbit requested, he stayed beside her. Well, not literally all the time, though. But he made sure that everytime she looks back, he’s there, to assure her that he’s keeping his promise: that he’ll always be there for her. He knew that the others who knew about the two were curious and scared as to why Dara acts like that.

-FLASHBACK-

YB punched the wall several times. He didn't care if he was already bleeding. All he know is that he wanted to feel physical pain so he can forget other pain that was crippling him more than his bleeding hands. He leaned his forehead against the wall as he cried out the pain that seemed to be planning to stay for a long time. Then, slowly, he started to relax a little. After a moment of heavy breathing, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

“Hello, hyung?” he asked.

“Yeah? It's late, why did you call?”

“I need your help. Can we talk tomorrow?” he asked.

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"What about?” Se7en asked.

“I'll tell you tomorrow”

The next day. . .

YB was waiting in the restaurant for the others to arrive. Se7en and the other BB members were already there, too. The three 2NE1 girls, Kush and Teddy are the remaining persons missing. Then, Kush and Teddy arrived. Of course, the “always-late” girls came shortly after the two.

"Sorry, Oppa. We were having difficulties escaping from unnie” CL apologized.

"How is she?” YB asked, eventhough he already knows the answer.

“Not good” CL answered.

“So, what’s this all about?” Se7en asked.

“It’s about Jiyong and Dara noona” YB bravely said.

“What about them?”

That’s where they started telling Se7en what happened. The senior was quiet for a full minute, thinking, contemplating. Then, he turned to YB.

“What help do you need?” he asked, frowning.

“Well, basically, I was thinking of getting making them confess their true feelings for each other” YB mumbled shyly.

Se7en chuckled. “So, you mean, after all those years, Jiyong never even once confessed her feelings for her? This is unbelievable”

SILENCE.

“But how are we going to make him confess if he already made a decision? If what he says about his feelings for Jina is true, we can’t just order him to stop loving the girl. Though I must agree with you all that this is not the type of thing Jiyong would do and that there’s something wrong. Because based from what I’ve heard from you all and I observed myself, Dara and Jiyong are into each other for life”

“I don’t believe hyung really loves Jina-ssi” Seungri had spoken for the first time. Everyone’s heads turned to the maknae wearing expressions of surprise as it was the first time they heard him speak, because the whole time the rest of them were speaking, he

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remained silent which was very unusual for him. They were also stunned to hear the fierce confidence in his voice.

“Have you told sajang-nim about this?” Se7en asked.

“He knows everything except for this talk. As much as possible, I don’t want to burden him anymore. I wanted to solve this by ourselves” YB answered.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

‘Looks like I have to talk to hyung again’ he thought as he remembered the call he received from Jiyong, asking him to fix something very “important” to him. The leader is really confusing him. Something must have happened, and he won’t stop until he finds that out.

* * *

The concert had wrapped up. Dara was now walking to where their foods where set, to get water when she heard heated voices. She stopped and was about to turn around because she doesn’t really wants to be accused of eavesdropping but then, she recognized the voices. Curious that she was, she tuned in to listen.

“What was that?” Jina hissed.

“That was just a performance” GD answered.

“You never told me about that scene! And I’ve never seen you rehearse for that bed scene!”

“How would you know when you always leave in the middle of the rehearsals to go to your friend-in-need” GD fired back.

“Huh! Now, what? You’re jealous? You’re angry because I’m helping a friend? What-?”

“You won’t even tell me your friend’s name” GD interfered.

Jina exasperatedly sigh. “Then, what should I feel about you being touchy with Dara’s foods, then?”

Dara froze as her breath seemed to stop in her throat.

“Get her out of this! She’s got nothing to do with us”

“Oh, c’mon, Jiyong! You think I don’t know how you sneaked up on the crew to always bring as much healthy foods for Dara?”

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“So, what? You know how weak Dara’s en- noona’s endurance is. I don’t want her to collapse in the middle of the performance. And besides, those foods were for everyone”

“For everyone, eh? Then, how can you explain that all of the foods the crew brought were her favorites?!? All of it were her favorites! I’m not that stupid. I’m warning you, Jiyong! You know what I’m capable of”

“J-ah, I’m sorry”

Dara was shocked to hear GD’s voice that gentle.

“J-ah, listen, I-“

Dara heard enough. She cleared her throat to stop him from finishing his sentence and let them know about her presence. She’s got a pretty good idea of what he’s going to say next.

“Er, I’m kinda thirsty, I really need water. Is it okay?” she asked, smiling, eventhough it was out of place since the two were wearing a “not-so-happy- expressions. Jina looked really mad while GD looked. . .scared? Is that fear in his eyes? So, he must be really afraid to hurt Jina, huh? She went to get the bottled water and took her time in drinking it in front of them. The two was unusually quiet and were eyeing each other carefully. When she was about to leave, she took one final glance at the the two.

“Oh, you did very well tonight, sunbae-nim! Especially the Breathe performance” she said, then winked at Jina.Don’t get her wrong, she’s not being revengeful or something, but lately, she’s been having “a heavy heart” for Jina, though she knows it’s wrong because the girl never did anything bad to her, but still, that’s what she feels. She also finds it amusing how her presence seemed to affect the girl.

GD’s Concert- 2nd day

The clock is ticking. In just a few minutes, the show will start. After goofing in the backstage, Dara went to look for him. The DAY has finally arrived. She saw him near the stage, looking at the cheering fans outside. She quietly approached him.

“Can you hear them? Can you see how many people loves you?” she quietly asked.

He was silent for a few seconds. “This is one of my dreams” he whispered. She smiled, took his hand and gave it a little squeeze.

“I’m happy to be able to witness one of your dreams come true” she said. Was that her voice? Why did it sound so calmly sad?

“Dara,” he started, “you’re. . .you’re not just a witness here. . . . .”

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She smiled again. “Can I ask you one last favor?” she asked.

“What?”

“Have fun out there tonight. Show all these people what your dreams are made of”

He looked at her with a frown in his face and, is that fear in his eyes again? She heaved a big sigh and gave his shoulder a light kiss. “Thank you for everything, Jiyong” she whispered then pulled her hand away. She turned around with a satisfied smile on her face. She glanced up and saw YB not too far from where she was. Their eyes met and though she can see sadness in YB’s eyes, he still gave her a reassuring smile.

“Sandara!” GD called. She looked back at him. The boy gave her his infamous one-sided smile. “Have fun with me tonight” he said.

She smiled back. “I will”

Later. . .

BACKSTAGE

To those where watching, the two looked simply like they’re performing. The others were smiling at how light and cute Dara and GD’s performance was. But YB knew better. The two were not performing for the fans; rather, they were performing for each other. YB saw how their eyes mirrored each other’s feelings.

Happiness. . .

Pain. . .

Longing. . .

Regrets. . .

LOVE. . .

Now, this is a concrete proof that something happened. Why would GD’s eyes show those kinds of emotions if nothing happened? Then, YB caught Se7en’s eyes. In that moment, YB knew that both of them were thinking the same thing

As soon as the Hello performance was finished, Dara immediately run outside and joined the fans in watching GD’s concert. She wanted to remember him as what she’s seeing right now than her memory of him in the hallway. She’d rather keep this new one: him, fulfilling one of his dreams; him smiling and entertaining people; him looking so cute and happy. ‘This is it’ she thought as she whispered, “saranghae, Kwon Jiyong”

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Meanwhile, Jina was in one of the front seats. And it didn’t escape her eyes how HIS eyes spotted Dara in the crowd. And it definitely didn’t escape her notice of how he kept on looking at the girl during his Butterfly performance.

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Cha p t e r 59

T h e W i n n e r

2 010(within January to December)

He witnessed how she smiled when she and YB had collaboration.

He watched as 2NE1 soared even higher, bringing her away from him even more.

He saw how she got closer to YB with their acting exercises. They were also joined by TOP.

He listened as she is now growing comfortable with TOP, again, because of their acting training.

He witnessed how happy she was when she found out that 2NE1’s album is set to release in the Philippines.

He smiled as he saw her becoming teary-eyed upon learning that finally, they’re going to have their own solo concert in Korea, and to be followed by a show in the Philippines.

Again, he saw how she and YB got even closer as the days passed by; he even saw the exchange of messages in their SNS accounts.

Again, he silently leaned his ears as he hears YB talking to her on the phone.

2011(within January to December)

He watched at how she starred and did well in movies and dramas alongside TOP, Seungri and other actors, thus gaining her tons of fanboys even more.

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He listened as another Dara-TOP collaboration happened, this time, in the field of music.

He sigh everytime he sees Dara and YB together, either sitting in a corner, laughing, going to the gym, jogging, eating together.

Then, the girls went to Japan and debuted there. Still, he silently monitored her activities closely eventhough she’s far away.

And again, she grew A LOT closer to Taeyang, who would visit the “girls” when he has time.

Rumors started spreading about her and a certain popular Japanese artist going out, evidenced by some photos of them seen together. But both denied, saying they’re merely acquaintances.

He watched at how YB’s face brightened up after receiving a call from her, reassuring him about the issue.

2012(within January to May)

They were now considered as on of the fast-rising group in Japan. He saw how happy she seemed to be with all the success they were having right now.

He was happy for her, too. He made the right decision by saying “yes” to Jina. If he said “no” before, she wouldn’t be this happy right now.

Her world seemed to revolve endlessly, while his seemed to have stopped a long time ago. It was like he was just sitting in his chair and watched the world around him continue revolving. It was like he was just sitting in a cinema and was watching a movie: he can see but he cannot touch it.

* * *

And now talks about the girls coming back to Korea were spreading like termites.

His phone rang. He answered it. “Hello?”

“Yo! GD!”

Teddy hyung! What is it?”

“Sajang-nim called for a meeting at his office at 4pm”

“Oh, okay”

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PRESIDENT’S OFFICE4pm

“I know you’ve been hearing about the girls coming home, right?”

Everyone nodded.

“Wow! Finally! I’ll be able to spend some more time with MY Dara noona!” Seungri excitedly chirped.

“I’m actually thinking of throwing a party for them, in part of their success and their third anniversary three weeks ago. And of course, as a homecoming greeting. Any ideas?”

“Why don’t we hold the party at the beach? They haven’t that much beach exposure, right?” Teddy suggested.

“Sandara noona would love that” YB smiled.

“I bet she will” Mr. YG smiled back. “But I have one condition, though” the President paused and all of them straightened up. The boss looked at everyone but his gaze stayed longer on GD. “The party will be only exclusive to YGE family”

GD immediately understood what that meant. He’s not allowed to bring Jina along. He sighed because he knew this would cause another fight between them. They’ve been arguing a lot lately, plus, she’s been hinting that she wants to go public already.

* * *

He heard the girls arrived yesterday. But he hasn’t seen any of them yet. He closed his phone. He just received a message from Jina asking him to meet her in a restaurant. He was now walking out of the studio. He turned in the corner then stopped as his breath came in as a sharp gasp. Seeing this hallway made him remember an event that happened years back. For the past years, he’s actually not that bothered to walk here, but maybe because knowing that she’s back brings the memory back as something very vivid. He forced his feet to move. He was in the middle of the hallway, the very same spot where she tried to stop him from going to Jina, when he stopped again. In the far end of the hallway, a figure of a small, fragile-looking girl was walking towards him. And there’s no mistaking that cute apple hairstyle that she’s wearing. Her head was bowed as she fiddled through the iPod she’s holding while she was wearing pink headphones.

‘I-it’s her!’ his mind stuttered.

For some unknown reason, his heart jumped back to life like it’s been dead for a very long time. He froze in his place as he waited for her to look up. But she didn’t look up and continued walking, even passing by him without a hello nor a hi nor any kind of

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greetings. Na-da. Not even a glance or a smile. Not even a sign that she’s aware that he was there, standing, frozen in his place. She seemed so near but so out of reach. When she passed by him, he turned around and was about to call her when he suddenly heard her speak.

“Hello, Youngbae-ah? Neh. . .”

* * *

“That was a pretty romantic movie” YB yawned as the movie ended. He’s at his dorm, watching movies with Dara. Her head was lying atop his lap the whole time they were watching.

“Insert the next movie” she cutely ordered.

“You’re really bossy”

“Dongsaeng-ah, why don’t you just follow your noona? You don’t want to get a taste of her wrath, do you?”

He chuckled then lifted her head off his lap as he went to put another movie on play. As he was done, he went back to the sofa. Dara laid her head on his lap again.

“I’m not a pillow, you know”

“I know” she answered. “Now, be quiet, the movie’s about to start” she ordered again.

A while later. . .

“Noona?”

“Hmmm?”

“You’re now allowed to have a boyfriend, right?”

“Neh” she answered. “Why?”

“Nothing. Just asking” he answered quietly.

Upon hearing YB’s indifferent tone, Dara sat up and looked at him closely. He wasn’t looking at her as his eyes were focused on the television.

“Ya” she said, but he avoided looking at her.

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She scooted closer and takes a look at YB’s eyes closely. When YB looked at her, she saw something flashed across his eyes. It was too quick that she didn’t have the time to know what it was.

They stared at each other. She was frowning a little as she’s trying to see through YB’s eyes. Then, that “something” flashed again. Her breath started to come in short gasps. Then, she saw his head dropping. Her mind went blank while he never borke eye contact with her, as if asking something. Her breath hitched as YB’s face drew nearer. He was nearing so much that she can feel his breath blowing against her lips. Just half an inch and their lips would touch. She closed her eyes, then, GD’s face suddenly popped into her mind. She gasped and pulled back.

Awkward silence.

She laughed awkwardly as she can never take the silence anymore. “I think that’s what we get from watching romantic movies too much. Why don’t we watch something funny instead?”

“I’m sorry, noona, I-“ “No, you don’t have to. Like I said, that’s the effect of watching too much romantic movies. Let’s just forget about it, okay?”

BEACH. . .

Dara was excited. It’s been a long time since she went to the beach. She was really grateful to Mr. YG for throwing a beach party for them. Almost all of YGE artists went with them. To name a few, there’s Se7en, Hye Sun, Gummy, Bigbang, Kush, Teddy, Yanggaeng and many more. Of course the staff and crew also went with them. It’s actually her first time to see the President in his, err, beach clothes: dark shirt, pants and a cap. It was really weird for her since all of them were wearing sunny clothes. Some of the boys are even showing off their “muscled bodies” by being shirtless and she had a great laugh at Kush.

Meanwhile, GD saw the others starting to attack the waters. Seungri and Daesung took of their shirts and went to YB, who was talking to Dara. The two forcefully took off YB’s shirt and dragged him to the water. He smiled and was about to take his shirt off when he saw Dara’s smirking at him. He looked at the others, specifically Dae, YB and the maknae’s well-toned abs. He then looked at his, uh, er, abs. He doesn’t know why, but taking his shirt off now seemed unappealing to him. He was satisfied with his shirt on, so without taking it off, he ran to join the others. He was having fun with the boys when Teddy suddenly started a conversation with YB.

“Since when did TOP and Dara become friends?” Teddy asked, chuckling. GD’s eyes suddenly looked for TOP. And there he was under the shade, with none other than Dara.

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“I think when the three of us had our acting training, they grew closer.” YB answered.

“That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life” Teddy said disbelievingly. “And I thought it was impossible for them to even have a more-than-one-sentence conversation before”

“What can you expect from Dara noona? She can make the impossible possible, just like what sajang-nim said before” YB smiled.

“Ya! Am I right in hearing that you two are talking about MY Dara noona?” Seungri joined in.

“Aish! Will you stop that ‘MY Dara noona’ thing?” YB said.

“Jealous, hyung? Where is noona, anyways?”

The maknae looked around, among the sea of people swimming, but no Dara. He looked at the dry land.

“Omo! What’s the meaning of this? Why is TOP hyung keeping Dara noona to himself? This cannot be!” Seungri exclaimed then went to the two.

“They’re really getting close, huh?” GD heard someone said beside him. He turned his head and saw CL who was looking at Seungri and Dara now laughing at the blushing TOP. Then, Seungri pulled Dara into the water.

“Youngbae-ah!” she squealed. “Aigoo! The water feels warm”

YB chuckled. “It is. I was starting to think that you don’t like beaches anymore, it took you long enough to join us here”

And so, their conversation started. He just listened as the others joined the conversation of the two

The sun finally set down as the sky started to be lit by stars. The YG family is now gathered in an open cottage, having dinner. There’s a few laughter, tinkling of the spoons and forks against the plates and a soft music in the background. Dara was seated between YB and Seungri. TOP was having a conversation with Teddy and Kush whilethe President was talking about sone “future plans” with Se7en. Minzy was listening to the other artists’ conversation about the evolvement of the entertainment industry and the attempts of Korean artists to make it big in the America. On the other hand, G-dragon was talking to Bom and CL and was seated across Dara.

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When all of them were finished eating, the others are starting to get some drinks. Seungri was exceptionally noisy this night.

“Sajang-nim!” Seungri called. When the President glanced at him, the Bigbang’s maknae smiled. “I was just wondering if there are now applicants for Bom and MY Dara noona already? They’re now allowed to have boyfriends, right? It’s been three years since their debut already”

“Well, actually, yes, they have applicants already. Though I must say that Dara’s fanboys seemed to be swarming YG building these days” the President answered.

“Yeah, but no one pass the third step yet. But I must say, that Minhwan boy is really persistent”

“But I think Dara’s ideal guy haven’t applied yet, so, it’s-“ Se7en started but was cut off by Seungri’s pretend-cough.

“Ah, I was thinking of applying, actually” Seungri seriously said with a hint of “drama” in it. And it looks like I’ve got a lot of competition for Dara noona. But-“

PAAKK!!

Every head turned towards Seungri’s direction as the boy shockingly put a hand on his red and swollen face. That was the hardest and most painful slap he ever received from a girl. Actually, never in his life has he ever received a slap, especially from a girl. This is the first time!

“I won’t let you apply for Dara unnie! I won’t allow it! You’re forbidden! I’m forbidding you!” CL shouted, chest rising up and down heavily. “I’m ordering you to wait for two more years and apply for me!”

Now, everybody’s eyes turned to CL. As the 2NE1’s leader felt the ‘knowing’ gazes of her fellow artists, she looked around with wide eyes and blushed furiously as she realized what she had done.

“Aigoo!” she whispered breathlessly then looked back at Seungri. “I-I’m sorry!” she bowed then run away.

GD glanced at Dara at first before going after CL. He accepted defeat as he saw Dara wearing a VERY smug smile and an “I-told-you-so” expression.

‘I can’t believe she won’ he thought as he closed in on the running CL.

“Ya! Chaerin-ah!” he called.

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Cha p t e r 60

T h e Fi v e S t e p s

T he girl stopped and dropped herself to the sand. GD knelt beside her and pulled her to a hug.

“Hush” he comforted.

“Oppa! What have I done?”

He chuckled. “I think you just confessed to Seungri. And I must say, that would definitely boost his ego And I thought you liked Teddy”

“I shouldn’t have done that! Aigoo! I can’t believe I did that! I’m being stupid just like him!” CL wailed.

“Love can really make people do something unexpected” he quietly said.

“I’m not inlove with him! I’m just. . .just. . . .”

Later. . .

He kept CL company ‘til she calmed down. He walked her to 2NE1’s room.

“Thank you, oppa! Goodbam!”

He smiled and nodded at her. The moment the door closed, he sighed and started walking towards where he and the other Bigbang boys were staying when something caught his eye or rather someone caught his eye. His feet automatically changed direction. After a while, he stopped walking.

“It’s late, what are you still doing here?” he asked.

“I like listening to the waves” she simply answered.

SILENCE

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“You won” he said. She turned to face him.

“I know” she smiled. “They make a cute couple, don’t you think?” she smiled.

“I guess so. And I guess I have to tell you my deepest-“

“No, you don’t have to. It was just a playful bet anyways, you shouldn’t have taken it too seriously because I didn’t”

He was silent. She was quiet. Only the waves of the sea against the shore can be heard.

“You’ve changed” he said.

She turned to face the sea again. “Do you know the saying, ‘the only constant in this world is change’? And like you said before, people change. Everything changes”

A wind passed by them.

“Is CL-roo in the room already?” she asked later on.

“Neh” he answered.

“Good. I think I should go, they’re probably having some girls’ talk. And I really don’t want to miss it out”

She glanced up at him and gave him a small smile as she walk passed by him. Then, she heard him speak.

“Are you happy?” he asked, still facing the sea.

She stopped and chuckled. “Of course I am. There’s no reason for me to be sad, is there?”

A small smile curved his lips. “I’m happy to hear that. And, oh, I’m glad to see you again”

“Thank you, sunbae-nim” she answered.

* * *

GD woke up sweating hard. He stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He looked at himself in the mirror and he didn’t like what he saw. The circles under his eyes are getting bigger and darker. He can even see distress in his expression.

‘It’s that dream again’ he thought.

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He’s been dreaming the same dream for the past years. At first, it was like a puzzle, he can only remember a few details when he wakes up. But as he continuously dreams about it, he can remember every small detail about that dream. Although he knows what’s going to happen in the dream, his reaction is still the same everytime he wakes up. He has been wishing that he won’t dream about it or that he can forget it, but he can’t. Who was he to control dreams, anyway? He went back to the room and saw the boys fastly asleep. He looked at the clock, 6:10.

He decided not to go back to sleep; afraid of dreaming again. They’ll be going back to Korea in a few hours anyways, since their beach party’s good for two days and one night only. He went out and walked alongside the seashore, letting the wind blowdry his sweat.

“You’re up early”

GD jumped in surprise as he heard YB’s voice. “Omo, don’t sneak up on me like that” he said, clutching his chest.

YB chuckled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you”

SILENCE

“How was your talk with Chaerin?” YB asked later on.

“It was alright, she was actually surprised with what she did”

“Seungri was shocked, too” YB informed him.

“That guy! He’d better gather his act together or I’m going to pound him!” GD grimly said.

YB laughed. “Don’t you find it funny how some people can’t see what’ so obvious? All they have to do is listen to their hearts and look deep into each other’s eyes, those two things don’t lie”

“Whoa! That was pretty deep!” GD teased.

“I guess that’s the effect of love”

* * *

Back in Korea

GD’s dorm. . .

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It’s the dream again. He stood there, watching her. Any moment now, the wind will blow her away again. If only he can do something. Three years. It’s been three years, but still, his heart still beats for her. For the time they were apart, it felt like his heart had stop beating, but when he saw her again, it came back to life. This dream. It’s like reality. He can only watch her, see her from afar, but he can never touch her, hold her, hug her. BUT this was his dream, maybe he can do something? Without thinking, he took a two steps forward. And to his surprise, he moved! He was able to move away from that spot! It was obvious that only HE can move while Dara can’t eventhough she’s been running all the time. Then, from the distance, he heard the swooshing of the wind. It’s coming, Dara would be gone again. Then, as if his feet have its own mind, it started running. He started running so fast, trying to race with the wind from blowing her away. He can feel the wind in his back and he even run faster, then, he quickly grabbed her wrist. “Don’t go, stay with me”

The wind blew hard against his back and he closed his eyes for the fear of seeing her being blown away again. But, he can still feel her wrist in his hand! He opened his eyes and looked at her. And there she was standing solidly in front of him with her hair being blown beautifully by the wind. She smiled.

“I’ve been waiting for you. I thought you’ll never come”

He woke up.

* * *

GD frustratedly massaged his temples, trying to lengthen his patience.

“You’re aware that you’ve been rejected two times already, right?” he asked. He can sense Teddy trying to control his laughter.

“Neh” Choi Minhwan answered, smiling brightly.

“And yet, you’re here again”

“Neh” the boy answered.

The door suddenly opened. And to his dismay, the boy’s smile grew even wider as he saw 2NE1, Seungri and the President entered.

“What’s this?” Mr. YG asked.

“He’s applying again” Teddy and Yanggaeng both answered a little tight, trying to suppress their laughter.

“Oh, I see. Choi Minhwan, right?”

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“Neh”

The President sighed. “Can you come back tomorrow or some other day? We have something, er, urgent to discuss”

“Oh, okay. I’ll come back tomorrow. Annyeong, Sandara-ssi”

“Annyeong” she greeted back.

Before exiting, the boy glanced at Dara once more. The girl smiled at him which made the former to blush. The moment the door closed, the President took a seat beside GD.

“Seungri said he got a very important announcement to make”

“Neh” Seungri answered.

“So, what is it?” the boss asked again. Seungri then went into the middle, looking really stupid standing in front of them.

“Annyeonghaesseoyo! I’m Lee Seungri and I’m here to try the five steps that sajang-nim had set out for 2NE1”

SILENCE

TOP suddenly laughed. “Is that a joke? It’s really funny”

GD’s eyes automatically zoomed to CL, who looked pale to the bones.

“Is he even allowed to apply?” YB asked.

The President was silent. “Well, since I didn’t implement any rule of forbidding another YGE family to try the five steps, I guess he’s allowed”

CL paled even more while the other girls were giggling. GD straightened in his chair.

“Aigoo! This is going to be interesting!” Dara said.

“Who are you applying anyway?” the President asked.

Seungri glanced at the girls first before turning back to the President and answered, “Lee Chaerin”

Another shocking silence.

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Daesung was the first to recover. “Whoa! Maknae! You’re growing up, finally!”

When GD heard this, he laughed out loud.

“Ya! Seungri-ah! You know that Chaerin-ah has two more years to wait to have a boyfriend, right?” GD asked, laughing.

“I know. But, uh, this is like, er- a reservation. If I pass, which I know I will, that would automatically mean that CL is not allowed to accept any more applicants and after two years, we will be officially. . . “

“You’re ridiculous! Who gave you the right to have a reservation?” CL shouted, but a small smile was starting to form in her lips.

“Looks like you already got CL’s approval” Teddy chuckled.

“If that’s the case, then, I’ll be going through the five steps, too” YB said out of nowhere.

It was GD’s turn to pale. The others stared in disbelief at YB.

“Finally! You’re coming out of your shell” TOP cheered.

“And who are you applying for?” GD asked.

“I think you already know the answer” YB answered.

GD was stunned in silence. YB was right, why did he have to ask YB when he already knows the answer?

A phone suddenly rang loudly.

The President took his phone out and answered the call. After the call ended, Mr. YG looked disturb.

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Cha p t e r 61

T h e Rev e l a t i o n s

“L et’s continue this some other time. All of you can go home now except for Taeyang and Seungri”

Eventhough the others were curious with the sudden change in the President’s mood, they still complied. When everyone was out of the room, the President turned to YB and Seungri.

“I think we’re about to get the answers we’ve been looking for” he said.

“Seungri’s eyes grew wide. “You mean, that call was from someone who knows? Who was that anyway?”

The President nodded. “You’ll meet him later. Since I can’t let the two know what’s going on, I sent all of them away, now we have to call the others back. Both of you contact the others; I’m going to call Se7en. And, Youngbae, the fruit in your acting training is good. What you did a while ago would have provoked Jiyong, if only my phone didn’t ring”

YB smiled, feeling proud of himself. Eversince the storage room incident and GD’s concert three years back, they’ve been trying to “act” to provoke GD. But GD was really stubborn. And he was about to lay down his last card a while ago through the “five-step” application, but it seemed like fate has more in store for them.

GD’s dorm. . .

It was weird how the President sent them home just like that. But why was he complaining anyway? Shouldn’t he be thankful that he’ll be able to rest?

His phone beeped.

J-ah: I’m on my way to YG buildingGD: Here at dorm. Sajang-nim sent us home earlyJ-ah: oh, k. I’m changing direction. Be there in a few minutes! See ya!

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Later. . .

GD opened the door and let her in.

Back to YGE buildingPresident’s office

Everyone gasped in surprise as they saw someone entered.

“Hyun Seung!”

YB smiled and stood up. “Hey! How are you? It’s been a long time! What are you doing here?” he bombarded. He was so excited to see him again.

Hyun Seung looked at the President helplessly.

“Youngbae, sit down. He’ll be telling us what really happened” the President said calmly.

YB’s smile faded. “You? How did you-?”

“Youngbae” Mr. YG warned.

YB shut his mouth up and took a seat again.

“Hyun Seung-ah, take a seat and tell us everything you know”

Hyun Seung took a seat. He sighed as he contemplated on what to tell first.

“I guess I have to start why Jina-ssi came back” he stopped and cringed as he started talking. “I-it all started I guess with me having- having an affection towards Ahn Sohee. I often visit her when she’s here in Korea. One time, I over heard her talking to Jina, and since I know they’ve been friends before, I thought it was just one of those girls’ talk. But then, I heard Sohee asking Jina for a favor. She asked Jina’s help to get back to a guy who had hurt her. I didn’t know who they were talking about at that time. Then, they started talking in codes. I was sort of a bridge to Sohee and Jina. I monitor Jina’s actions and report it to Sohee. Then one day, I asked Jina to tell me everything. I don’t know why she told me everything, I guessed she pitied me or maybe because I’ve been very persistent and maybe because I found out something that she did”

-FLASHBACK-

“What do you want?” Jina hissed as she arrived in her place and saw him standing in her doorway.

“You promised you’d tell me everything!” he fired back.

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The girl gave him a pitiful look. “Okay, fine. Come in, let’s talk inside”

The moment they were inside, she asked him to take a seat. The girl looked at her quietly.

“You promised” he reminded.

“Well, it’ll be fine to tell you since I already backed out from the plan. And, you were also in it anyways. So, where do you want me to start?”

“From the very beginning” he answered.

“Well, honestly, if you haven’t overheard us, Sohee won’t tell you anything about it” she paused then looked at him for a moment. “I consider you as one of my acquaintances already, a piece of advice, better think twice before pursuing Sohee”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Her feelings for Ji oppa is something you can’t compete with. She expected too much from him that when he didn’t return her affection for him, she plummeted down. But she hoped and waited that somehow it would change. But then, we bumped into each other. You should have seen her face when she saw me. That’s where she deviced the plan of getting back at him: I’m going to enter his life again and make him fall for me once more. And once he’s into me already, I’ll drop him like a hot potato, since she knows about me and Ji, she asked for my help in exchange of a promising career”

“I-I’ve been a part of her plan against Jiyong hyung?” Hyun Seung breathlessly mumbled.

“Yeah. And if you dare tell him about this, what do you think would he think of you?”

Jina laughed upon seeing fear in his eyes. “But I guess it wouldn’t matter anymore since he’s with me already and what I feel for him is for real already. Anyways, when I started getting on the plan, something came up. Obviously, Sandara-ssi was-”

“Sandara noona’s involved with this?”

“Will you listen first? Okay, moving on, Sandara-ssi was becoming an important person in oppa’s life, which caused a complication in the plan”

“So, those codes were. . . . “ he muttered.

“I thought by now you already realized what those codes stand for? Since you were once a part of YG family?”

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Hyun Seung stared at the girl blankly. The information were too much to take in one sitting. He was way beyond shocked!

“I see that you don’t know. Oh, well, obviously, the ‘rabbit’ was Dara-ssi. The ‘sun’ was Youngbae and the ‘sky’ was Chaerin. Ahh, those two gave me a hard time. CL, being observant and Youngbae being always around her. So, I have to watch my actions carefully when they’re around. Those were like her guards at first, then along came Seungri, who was really protective of Dara. But at least, I won’t be that careful anymore, ‘coz Seungri is like a distraction to CL. It was hard to put Dara down because of her ‘guards’. I mean, since she can be a hindrance to my plan. I mean, how can I make oppa want me again if she’s starting to get his heart?”

Hyun Seung can’t believe his ears. The girl looked so proud! And to think that he was a part of this plan! How could he have agreed to this?“But Dara-ssi was being helpful since she’s really stubborn when it comes to her feelings for oppa. The funny thing was, the plan backfired. After following him to Japan, that’s when I realized that I really love him for real this time” she finished with a smile. “And the victory is mine when we still somehow ended together”

“So, Sohee..”

“She got mad of course, but what can she do? She’s not always here in Korea and I told her I don’t need her “career” offer anymore since I already find something more important than that”

Hyun Seung was speechless. What could he say? He was stupid for believing every word that Sohee told him. For that lame story about a guy who have humiliated her. But then, he remembered something.

“Those pictures!” he blurted out as he remembered the photos he saw in her table not so long time ago. He remembered some selca photos, some photos that were obviously taken by photographers. Then he gasped as he remembered what those photos showed: Dara and Jiyong kissing in the Han river, somewhere with a tent, a selca of Jiyong kissing the sleeping Dara in the cheek.

“You’re lying” he whispered. “He doesn’t love you anymore! He’s- he’s inlove with Sandara noona!” he burst out as the undeniable truth those photos hit him. Where’d you get those photos?”

She didn’t answer.

“You used it to get him, didn’t you? The plan really backfired because he doesn’t have any feelings for you anymore! And Dara noona! How could I do this to Dara noona?”

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“Dara here! Dara there! What is it that you all see in her? Seungri simply adores her, Taeyang have feelings for her obviously, Jiyong is totally inlove with her! And now, you!”

“You don’t know what Dara noon did for me when I was down back in our trainee days! She always cheers me up. She always encourages me not to give up and work harder! She always comforts me when the everytime the trainer shouts at me eventhough she has been scolded herself!”

-END OF FLASHBACK-

SILENCE filled the President’s office.

Then, YB suddenly stood up but was stopped by TOP.

“Youngbae, calm down”

“THREE YEARS!!! You let Dara noona suffer for three years?!? Tell me why it took you three years to tell us about this?!” YB stormed

“I was scared!” Hyun Seung answered. “I got scared of what all of you will do or even think of me! I was scared that all of you will hate me especially Sandara noona and Jiyong hyung! But for the past three years, I’ve been haunted by my conscience, you don’t how hard it was to-“

“Are you saying that you suffered more than Dara noona? You haven’t seen the past three years. She always laugh, joke and smiles. But every night, she keeps on crying to me! Do you know how hard it was seeing her like a lifeless human being?”

“I-I’m sorry, I-“

Hyun Seung was suddenly punched in the face by Seungri.

“I’m sorry hyung but you deserve that” Seungri said.

Hyun Seung massaged his jaw but didn’t say anything because he knew the maknae was right. And he deserves more than a punch in the face.

“Youngbae, I think what we should think now is how to help those two. We still got a problem to solve, like for example those photos of Dara and Jiyong”

“Se7en is right” the President agreed. “What we should think for the meantime is about those photos and how to get them so Jina won’t have anything to use against Jiyong”

“Actually, another reason why it took me so long are those photos. Don’t ask me how but I already handled that. I deleted her files, burn the negative and stole these photos from

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her place” he said, retrieving something from his bag. He took out a brown envelop and gave it to the President. The President took the envelop and spilled the contents. The others were on the edge of their seats, wanting to take a look at the photos at once. The boss cleared his throat.

“Me first” he said. One by one, he looked at the photos, his smile becoming pronounced as he jumped from one photo to the other. “Jiyong’s really sneaky” he chuckled then passed the photos to the others.

Then, Kush whistled.

“Wow! Look at this! GD’s my man! He’s literally eating Dara’s li-“

“Ya! Minzy’s still a baby! Watch your language!” both Bom and CL said.

“That Jina surely knows how to play her cards well. I guess he threatened Jiyong about the release of these photos” Se7en noted.

“Career suicide. These photos scream that line” Teddy said.

“I agree. These photos could have been the death of Dara’s career since she was still a rookie three years ago. And it could definitely affect Jiyong’s career, too. But Dara would be the greatest loser if these photos were released” Mr. YG said,

“Not to mention one of the greatest scandals in Kpop history” TOP seconded.

“And it looks like Jina-ssi got access to hyung’s private phone files. There are some selca shots here” Daesung voiced out.

“But I’m wondering though. Why did GD let it go for so long? I mean, yes, these could affect Dara’s career three years ago but now? It would surely be a scandal, but I think its impact on their careers won’t be that heavy anymore” Teddy said.

“I think it’s because he thinks Dara noona has already moved on” Seungri said. “But, still, he was really stupid to worry over Dara noona’s career like that”

“Who’s worried about my career?”

Everybody’s eyes grew wide. YB’s head snapped up and he saw her standing in the doorframe, smiling cutely, oblivious to what was happening.

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Cha p t e r 62

T h e Las t Da y Con f e s s i o n

“U nnie, what are you doing here?” Minzy asked, panicking.

“Well, I was just thinking of visiting umma and thought of asking sajang-nim’s permission”

SILENCE

“What are you all doing here anyway?” she asked.

NO ANSWER

She looked around, frowning a little to the unusual behavior of her fellow YG artists. Then, something in Seungri’s hand caught her eye. “Hey, that looks familiar, what is it?”

All eyes turned on Seungri and the only photo visible in the room. The moment the others recognized Dara’s voice, they immediately hid the photos but it looks like the maknae was too shocked, too happy or plain stupid to even think of hiding it.

“Oh, this?” Seungri raise the photo up and showed it to Dara. “It’s just one of the photos of you and Jiyong hyung kissing which was used by Jina to blackmail hyung. But, don’t wo-” Seungri stopped as he realized what he was saying and who was he talking to. His eyes widen in shock.

‘Uh-oh’ everyone thought.

Dara’s initial reaction was shock, of course. But after a few seconds, she charged in and grabbed the photo out of the boy’s hand.

“You said this is just ONE of the photos of me and Ji. . . Where are the others? Give it to me” she commanded as she looked at everyone else. Since it was already too late to deny and hide the other photos, they all handed it to her. As Dara looked at the photos one by one, her blush turned redder and redder and it didn’t escape Kush’s eyes.

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“I must say, your best shot was at the han river, I didn’t know you can kiss like that”

Her face went deep scarlet.

“How did this-? Who. . .?” she asked blankly.

“It was Jina’s doings. There was a time she followed Jiyong hyung in Japan, then she was surprised when she found out that he left for Korea already without saying anything to her. She asked some of her friends to follow hyung, and obviously, those photos were taken” Hyun Seung answered.

“Hyun Seung-ah! What are you doing here?” she asked, suddenly distracted.

“It’s a pretty long story” he answered. “What’s important right now are these photos”

Dara blushed again. But she bravely put up a face. “But why would Jina blackmail Ji?”

“She wants him back” Hyun Seung answered again.

“But why would she need to do that? Ji loves her. I heard it from him myself, he said he loved-“ Dara stopped. She recalled the scene in the hallway, which after three years was still very fresh, very vivid in her memory.

‘I loved her, noona’

Those were the exact words. He said LOVED, not LOVES. Past tense! How could she be so stupid not to notice it before?

But then again, even if it was past tense, that doesn’t mean that, he loves her, too. He said it himself, she shouldn’t have expected too much. But what jina did to Ji wasn’t right either.

“So, Jina used these photos to get Ji?”

“Yes. I think she threatened him about the release of the photos”

“So, Ji was scared that his career will-“

“Noona, you got it all wrong” YB interfered. “Now that these photos showed up, I can safely say that he was AFRAID for you, not for him. These photos can put an end to your career and can create a scandal. But in my opinion, he was more afraid to you won’t reach your dreams because of these photos”

“I can second to that, Dara. I’ve known him for so long. I can even tell that he’s more than willing to give up his career just for you” Mr. YG added. Everyone else was starting

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to smile now. But Dara’s reaction took them by surprise. Instead of seeing a crying Dara, her face turned murderous instead.

“Are you telling me that he did “THAT” to me because of these photos?!?”

“W-well, YB stammered, “it’s-“

“Where is he?” she asked through gritted teeth.

No one answered.

“SEUNGRI-AH!!! WHERE IS HE?!?”

“He’s in the dorm” Seungri answered in his smallest voice, cowering in his seat. In a matter of second, Dara was out of the room already, leaving the photos flying behind her.

“Er, aren’t we going to stop her?” YB asked uncertainly.

“Or at least do anything?” Daesung seconded.

The President cleared his throat. “Er, I think it would be better to let her be. We did our parts already, let Jiyong do his. We don’t want to be involved in her wrath, do we?”

“Jina’s lucky she’s not here. She could be in deep trouble” Hyun Seung said.

“Why am I suddenly afraid for Jiyong hyung’s life?” Seungri mumbled.

“Me too” CL seconded.

* * *

‘How stupid can he get? Ahh! Kwon Jiyong, you’re gonna pay for this!’ Dara’s mind ranted as her feet furiously lead her out of the building and into the streets. Three years! She had to pretend for three years that she no longer cares for him. For three years, she tried her very best to control herself from hugging him whenever he’s near. For three years, she had to endure seeing him with that girl. All of it because of just some photos! How shallow!

She pressed the buzzer angrily the moment she was face to face with his door. She didn’t let go of the buzzer until the door opened.

“Who’s that, Ji?” she heard someone asked from the inside. There’s no mistaking that voice belonged to Jina.

“Dara, wha-, I mean, noona, what are you doing here?”

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“Get out of my way” she growled and entered the dorm forcefully. She marched to Jina’s direction who was sitting in the sofa very comfortably with a remote control on her hand. She grabbed her arm and pulled her up roughly, she let go of her arm as her hand flew directly to the girl’s face. The girl’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

“That’s for being so desperate and using blackmail to get what you want!”

Then, she pushed her heard back to the sofa. “And that’s for stealing my Jiyong away from me!”

She turned around and gave GD a murderous glare, who was by the way, standing against the wall with a mixture of shock and fear in his cute face. She saw him swallowed hard as she started advancing on him. Then, for the second time, her hand flew again, this time, it landed on GD’s face, but not as forceful with what she did to Jina.

“That’s for you being so stupid and letting this girl blackmail you!”

Then her hand flew to the other side of his face. “That’s for you leaving and hurting me just because of those stupid photos! Didn’t it even cross your mind of how proud I will be if those photos were released because it’s YOU I’m kissing and not just because it’s for work but because I want to do that with you?”

Dara’s chest rose up and down heavily. Then, his fingers grabbed his shirt. “And this” she paused, trying to control her temper, “this is because I love you so much, you dimwitted pabo!”

She then pulled him to her and let their lips crash. If GD expected the kiss to be rough, he was wrong. Instead, the kiss was the gentlest kiss they ever shared together.

After a while, she pushed him away. “I hope you already learned your lesson” she hissed then roughly let go of his shirt. “And oh, don’t you ever show yourself or even a strand of your hair to me for a week because I haven’t forgiven you yet! If after one week you haven’t think of a perfect way to say sorry, I’m going to cut off the future of Kwon generation!” she threatened and looked down somewhere in between his legs. She looked back again. “Got that?”

GD nodded frantically. Then Dara looked back at the girl. “You can send those photos to every newspaper or broadcast company you want, I don’t care”She looked back at GD and smirked. “Bear what I said in your mind”

Then she walked away with her head raise up proudly.

GD was too stunned to move or even speak. Then, a chuckled filled the room. His eyes turned to the source. He saw her mother looking at the closed door dreamily.

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“She’s one of a kind, isn’t she?” his mother chuckled, wearing a very amused expression. “And oh, Jiyong, you’re grounded for a week”

“Eh? Umma, I’m too old for that! And why would you ground me when I-“

“Shush! I’d like to see my grandchildren before I die”

“U-umma, what should I do so that she can forgive me?”

“Who? Why? What happened here?”

GD’s head whipped towards the door. He groaned out loud upon seeing his sister with a luggage on hand. Out of all the days to visit, his sister chose this day.

“Did I miss out on something?” Dami asked.

GD didn’t answer. How was he going to explain everything?

“Ya1 Kwon Jiyong! I’m talking to you!”

Dami, come, let’s go have a walk outside. Leave your things here” his mom said.

“But, umma-!”

“Come on, now” his mom cut off and started pushing his sister out. “Jiyong still got some unfinished business to attend to”

The moment the door closed, he looked at Jina.

“You know what this mean, right?”

“Oppa” she stood up and hugged him. “Don’t do this to me, please! I only did that because I love you so much. You love me, too, don’t you?”

“I did, Jina, but that was a long time ago”

The girl hugged him tighter. “Please! If I have to beg you, I will” she cried and kneeled before him.

“Get up, Jina”

She hugged his knees. “I’m sorry. Please give me one more chance”

* * *

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GD sighed. Being imprisoned in his own place was something already, but with no phone and laptop or computer was something else. It’s been three days since the Bigbang boys raided his room and took every means of contact. For three days, he’s been alone in his dorm. The boys didn’t visit him after the raid, his mother and sister left with a few clothes with them. Four more days and his suffering would finally come to an end/ But the problem was the ‘perfect way’ to ask Dara’s forgiveness. He has some ideas but he can’t decide what to choose or even if that idea is perfect enough.

Then, he suddenly heard the door open. He stood up and saw the boys coming in with wide grins on their faces.

“Yo! You’re still alive!” TOP greeted. GD laughed. He doesn’t care what they say, he’s been craving for some human company since Gaho can’t talk back, can he? He hugged all of them.

When they were settled, he started asking them. “Can someone tell me what really happened?”

The boys looked at each other as if waiting for someone to speak up. Then, YB decided to volunteer, so he started telling him what happened, from the very beginning, from their talk with the President.

“Wait, wait. You mean, all of you knew about my fee- I mean me and Dara?”

The boys rolled their eyes. “You two were so obvious, who wouldn’t notice? Daesung said.

“Are you still interested in hearing the whole story?” YB asked.

“Of course I am” he answered. Then, YB continued where he left off.

“What? You. . You were just provoking me? So, you and Dara were never a couple or something?”

“No. And it was Seungri’s idea, I mean to provoke you. He’s been provoking you even before Jina came back. Remember when we where watching the Strong Heart episode and how the maknae kept on mentioning Lee Seunggi and how he keeps on calling noona MY DARA NOONA?”

GD slowly nodded. “So, TOP hyung and Dara are not really close, are they?”

“Ah, that. Well, they did become close” Seungri answered, grinning.

After two weeks. . .

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‘You’re free to spend your last day with whoever you want to spend it with’

Dara sighed as she remembered that line. She didn’t think twice when she was asked whom she would spend her last day. The answer just automatically came out from her mouth. She sighed again and took her phone out and dialed a number.

“Hello?”

“Ya! Youngbae-ah! Are you free tomorrow?”

Neh. Why?”

“I have some plans in mind, you game?”

He chuckled. “Of course I am”

“Good. Meet me in front of the building at 6am, okay? And oh, bring a hooded jacket, face mask and big glasses. Oh I forgot, bring your bike also, okay?”

Dara was sure about him. And for some reason, she knew that if YB was in her place and was also given the chance just like her, he would also choose her to spend his last day with.


Dara smiled as he saw YB in front of the building with his bike. She also brought her pink bike with her. Both of them also had backpacks with them. When YB saw her, he smiled.

“Hey” he greeted.

“Hi! Good morning!” she greeted back.

“So, what do you have in mind?”

“Let’s have a race to Han river”

He chuckled. “Okay. What would be the consequence?”

“It’s up to the winner” she grinned.

“Sounds good to me”

“Good. Okay, let’s start here. Ready, set go!” she shouted and went off.

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“Hey, that’s cheating!” he called to her. She laughed. And so they raced each other towards the Han river.

“I won” she proclaimed.

“It’s because I let you win and you cheated” he answered. “So, what do you want me to do?”

“Drive us around the Han river”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to leave my bike here. I’m riding with you” she answered.

“Oh, okay. So, where do you want to sit? Front or back?”

“Back” she answered.

Dara wrapped her arms around YB’s waist as she rode at the back part of the bike.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Neh” she answered energetically. Then, they started circling around the Han river.

* * *

“Let’s go to the karaoke!” she chirped after “touring the Han river, and bringing the bikes back to the dorm.

“Let’s have some lunch first”

“Oh, yeah, of course. And let’s put our disguises on”

After having lunch, they went to the karaoke and sang their lungs out, cosuming at least five hours of their time. Then, she invited him to Lotte World.

“It’s still early. It would be more fun at night”

“Let’s watch a movie first then”

They want to watch a funny movie and by the time they got out, it was already dark.

“Lotte World, here we come!” she cheered.

“Don’t you ever get tired?”

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“Nope. Not today. Ssantokki is full of energy!”

And so, they went to the Lotte World and enjoyed every ride, still wearing their disguises.

“Let’s go to YG building. I’ve got something for you that I left in one of the practice rooms”

“Oh, really? What is it?” YB asked.

“Secret! Surprise surprise!” she winked.

Upon arriving at YG building, Dara immediately pulled YB to one of the building’s practice rooms.

“I made that myself” Dara proudly said as they both sat on the floor.

“Oh, a starfish plushie”

“Ya!” Dara exclaimed, slapping YB’s arm. “That’s not a starfish! That’s Tam-tamie’s sister. It’s color yellow because that’s the SUN’s color. And if you look closely, that’s actually a rabbit, not a starfish. Aish, I can’t believe you can’t recognize a work of art”

YB was silent as he squeezed the “yellow rabbit” tightly.

“Thank you” he mumbled.

She grinned. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked it!”

He chuckled. “I didn’t say anything like that”

“Aigoo! Give that back then!

“I’m just kidding!” YB chuckled.

“Well, since it’s my last day, I had a confession to make” she suddenly said.

“Oh, really? What is it?”

“Aigoo! This is going to be embarrassing! Okay, here it goes. I-I used to have a ‘thing’ for you before” she confessed then covered her face. But when she didn’t hear any reaction from YB, she looked at him. “You knew!” she exclaimed in disbelief as she saw his expression. “You knew, didn’t you?”

He nodded.

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“Aigoo! Was I that obvious?”

He chuckled. “Not really. But since you made a confession, I’ve got a confession, too… I-I’ve been inlove with you for as long as I can remember” he mumbled. “But I guess I was too shy to tell you, so I ignored it. Then, the next time I looked, you were already deeply into him. Too deep that I can’t pull you back again anymore. But knowing you, even if I can pull you back again, you won’t allow me, will you?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I’m afraid I won’t let you pull me back again even if you can”

For some reason, she wasn’t THAT surprise about his confession. Maybe because deep inside, she knew all along. But since she was stubborn, she ignored and denied it.

“Come” YB suddenly said, taking her wrist and pulling her up with him.

“Where are we going?” she asked. He just smiled.

She saw some instruments as she entered the room where YB dragged her. But what’s standing among them all was the grand piano. YB pulled her with him as he went to the grand piano. He took a seat and motioned her to do the same. As she sat beside him, she playfully stomped her fingers on the keys, making a nonsense noise.

“Lalalalala…..” she sang tunelessly.

YB laughed. “You should take piano lessons again. And take your fingers off the keys, have mercy on the poor thing”

She laughed back and removes her hands on the “poor thing”. Then, YB put his own fingers on the keys and started playing to the melody of Always Dara’s head nodded to the beat of the Bigbang song. Then, he started sining. She sang along with him. She would chuckle once in a while but she laughe earnestly at the rap part as she stammered with the words. Then, the keys shifted as another song started to fill the room. She automatically froze.

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Cha p t e r 63

S t a y

D ara’s breath hitched as she balled her fists tightly on her lap. She tried swallowing the big lump in her throat as the soft melody of one of Bigbang’s Stay entered her ears beautifully. Then, YB’s soulful voice filled her senses overwhelmingly. She closed her eyes and let the melody and his voice drown her.

~Oh. . . .yeah, yeah. .Why don’t you stay right here with me. .Can you feel me now~

Take a deep breath and let me explainAll the pain that's been wreckin' my brain

Gettin so close to goin' insaneAnd see you standing there

And the feelin' never gonna be the sameSeems like we missed the whole damn train

Blame is all we have for us

And I can let in get in the wayEven if the love is the costly price to pay

Lookin' back life love was the game or clicheGotta move away sacrifice my heart and let you breath again baby girl~

~. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baby please don't go away. . . . . . . . . . . . . . want you to stay

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I know it's late-~

When she heard his voice broke on the word “late” she wasn’t able to hold back the tears anymore. She turned to her side and wrapped her arms around his waist as she leaned her forehead against his shoulder. And she knew without even looking, that tears were also silently falling from his eyes.

YB’s tears feel heavily but he didn’t stop playing the piano; he didn’t stop singing even if he’s voice was breaking and coming out as chokes and sobs.

~I want you to stay. . . .I want you to stay~

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Still, he continued as he aims to finish the song. He knew it was already too late but that didn’t stop him from making one last appeal, his last appeal to make her stay by his side a little longer, even as a friend, he’d take it.

And for some reason, too, Dara knew that if only YB had the guts and courage to fight for her before, she could have said yes. But if he did fight for her and competed with GD, he won’t be the Youngbae she knew, she grown to love. Because the Youngbae that she knew will always give way to his friends; will always be the one who will willingly sacrifice his own happiness in exchange of the happiness of the people he holds dearly. But like what he knows, it’s too late already. She can never give anything to him anymore because “someone” already took EVERYTHING from her, and she willingly gave it all: her love, her heart, her mind, her life and even her soul. There’s nothing left for her to give except her love and gratitude for his friendship, for his warmth and for his love and sacrifices. As the song ended, YB bowed his head as he finally surrendered to the pain and let himself drown in his own misery and tears.

And when the sounds of their cries subsided, Dara leaned back and plated a very gentle kiss on YB’s tear-stained cheek and whispered in his ear, “Thank you for everything, Youngbae”

She unwrapped her arms from his waist and stood up. She knew that he knows she was saying goodbye to him.

No, she’s not saying goodbye to the YB who treasured her as a friend; she’s not saying goodbye to the YB whom she prized the most among her friends’ she was not saying goodbye to Taeayng, her sun.

Instead, she was saying goodbye to the their story that was never given the chance to begin; she was saying goodbye to the YB who loves her and whom she loves back in her own little way; she was saying goodbye to the YB who is hurting right now because of her.

She knew that the sun would never leave her, that the sun would still be there to give her warmth and light. But that’s not how life goes. Sometimes, you also have to face the clod and darkness of the night. That’s just how life goes. But this time, she won’t be facing those cod and dark nights up ahead of her; she won’t be facing it alone anymore. . .

As she was out to the streets, her tears started falling again, making her vision blurry. Blindly, she let hr feet lead her to a place where she’ll no longer feel nothing but happiness. She started running, wanting to end the misery she’s feeling for Youngbae. And as if her feet knew where she wanted to go, it lead her to HIM. She stood in front of his door and raised a shaking finger to press the buzzer. The door opened and she threw herself to the comforts of his arms.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him” she cried on his chest.

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“I know” he whispered, hugging her tighter, letting her feel that he wants to take all the pain away from her.

Meanwhile. . .

YB was still sitting in front of the grand piano, looking at Tam-tam’s sister that was sitting beside him, the same place where Dara occupied a while ago.

The day started out so well. He knew this was her last day, but he enjoyed his time with her that he almost forgot about what will happen tomorrow. He knew something like this would happen long before. But, in a way, he was hoping to see just a ray of light that their fate would change. He smiled sadly. How can someone change something so inevitable?

Her last day. Today was her last day as 2NE1’s fresh vocal Park Dara; her last day as Korea’s well-loved Ssantokki; her last day as one of Japan’s popular faces; her last day as his Sandara Park. Tomorrow, she’ll no longer be the Philippines’ phenomenal star; no longer 2NE1’s maknae; no longer Korea’s baby face idol member; no longer HIS Sandara Park.

Starting tomorrow, she’ll be Kwon Jiyong’s Sandara Park. . . . .and she’ll be FOREVER.

-FLASHBACK-

Eventually, Hyun Seung was forgiven. Since Dara doesn’t want to hold grudges, she asked the others to just let the fate do what it wants to Sohee. She also believes that Jina already got what she deserves, and that is being rejected by the one she loves, GD. But since Jina was still very persistent, the President filed a restraining order against her.

GD, on the other hand, followed Dara’s “order” of no-show-for-a-week., not even a call nor a message. But after the boys’ visit, he was able to conceive a plan. To put it into action would require some help of his friends.

The preparation wasn’t that grand because of the time limit. She asked him to think of a perfect way to ask for forgiveness, but he thought otherwise. So, when the final day of Dara’s punishment arrived, his friends gathered up to set out the plan. Once again, he found himself standing on the place where they watched the sunset and sunrise; where he watched her play with the fireflies; where they had their first kiss; where he had his first attempt to confess his love for her discreetly.

He looked around and saw that everyone was busy fixing the place and make it look like they were in a world where only fairytales exist. The 2NE1 girls were exceptionally “hands-on” on everything: from climbing the tree to wrap the softest white cotton fabric that will later curtain them to pinning the silver glittering stars on it to

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putting the human-sized rabbit statues to arranging the pink flowers on the vases to setting the lights inside the butterfly lanterns and everything they could put their hands on. Some of the boys were also there to help, like Dae, who kept on insisting to put Doraemon statues instead of the rabbit statues to Seungri, who’s been guarding the four jars full of fireflies to TOP and YB who were assigned to “kidnap” Dara. Teddy, Kush and Yanngaeng were responsible for the materials and their transportation to this place while the President made sure that they won’t be followed by the media.

Then, as the surroundings started to darken and the sky was now brightly lit with stars, he smiled at how the place looked like. Then, his smile grew wider as he heard a faint, distant rumbling of a car.

‘She’s here’ he thought. One week without seeing her felt like centuries already. And just as planned, Dara was blindfolded and her hands were tied behind her. She was now being carried by TOP in his shoulder just like a sack of potato.

“Put me down now!” she commanded. I’m telling you TOP, if you won’t put me down now, you’ll regret it!”

No one answered, instead, the others silently laugh.

“Taeyang! I know you’re somewhere out there, I can smell your perfume!”

Still, no one answered.

“Kwon Jiyong! I can sense your presence! Might I remind you that you haven’t asked for forgiveness yet, and now you’re adding another one! I know you’re behind all of this so you’d better tell TOP to put me down now or else I’m adding another week for your punishment!! I’m not in the mood for jokes!”

GD silently laughs as he heard his name from her lips. He saw the others giving him a thumbs-up and slowly retreating out of sight. As they did, four of his accomplices by the name of Bom, Minzy, CL and Seungri opened the four jars and shook it. And just like before, the place was filled with firelies. TOP then put her down in front of him, untied her hands and quickly hid himself, too.

Dara took her blindfold off and threw GD a dirty glare.

“Ya! What do you think are you doing?!?” she shouted, not noticing her surroundings, because all she can see is him.

GD smiled and took out the hand that he’s been hiding behind him.

“Look” he whispered then lowered his eyes as he saw her lowered hers, too. He slowly opened his lightly-closed fist and there sits a small white butterfly with tiny black dots in its wings. The butterfly, sensing that it’s being freed, fluttered its wings and took off.

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Dara gasped as she saw what’s sitting on his palm right now, the one that was hidden by the butterfly. She glanced up at him with tears starting to form at the edges of her eyes.

“Sandara, will you stay with me. . .? Forever? As my other half?”

“You’re forgiven”

-END OF FLASHBACK-

* * *

Everyone was moving fast.

Everyone seemed too busy to stop by and have a chat.

Everyone seemed to move in hushed movements as they silently gush for the day’s big event.

But everyone was wearing huge smiles on their faces.

And as requested, the event was to keep sacred and private. . .

As it started, everyone hushed in silence. . .

Dara felt her knees trembling as she slowly walked towards him. She felt a big lump on her throat as she saw even from a distance how teary-eyed he was as he patiently waits for her to reach him. The music filled the hall and the two voices of the two persons she loves, blended well in her ears. She glanced at YB and Bom, who were both singing in one corner. Bow was starting to tear up while YB nodded and smiled gently at her as if he’s encouraging her to continue walking. She smiled back then looked back at the guy who was still waiting for her despite how slow she was walking. What she saw in his eyes make her want to stay with him FOREVER, literally. As she slowly closed the distance between them and as they never broke ey contact, everything else disappeared. Everyone seemed invisible to her anymore. She can only see him, no one else. She can only feel his presence on no one else. She can only love no one but him and she could only promise forever with him and no one else.

She finally realized that after moving from Korea to the Philippines and back to Korea and to Japan; from music to acting to music, she would always come back to that place that connects her with him. After so long of not knowing where she stands, she finally found her place. And that’s in the circle of his arms and by his side. And she swears to stay there no matter what happens. And after a long time of wishing to have a complete and happy family, she’s about to start a new one with him.

As she reached him, she knew right then and there that she only belongs to him. Then, GD leaned on her ear and whispered, “Now, all of my dreams are fulfilled.

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Cha p t e r 64

A Bl u r o f Eve n t s

Y B turned in a corner and bumped into someone. The girl stumbled down.

“Oh, mianhe” he apologized, and assisted the girl in standing up.

“It’s okay, thanks by the-“ the girl stopped as she glanced up. Her eyes grew wide and she immediately bowed.

“Omo, annyeong, Youngbae-ah, oh, I mean, Taeyang sunbaenim”

He chuckled. “You’re one of the new trainees, right?”

“Neh”

He smiled. “Are you late? You were running”

“Neh” she answered as she glanced at her watch.

“You should get going then”

“Neh. Fighting!” the girl cheered and started running.

YB thought for a while. “Wait!” he called. The girl stopped and turned to face him. “What’s your name again?” he asked.

The girl smiled. YB felt something very familiar in his stomach.

“Just call me noona for the meantime, dongsaeng Youngbae” she answered.

‘What? She’s older than me? She doesn’t look older, just like. . .’ he thought. But then, a small smile curved his lips as he started walking away. He’ll get her name for sure. ‘No, there’s a difference’

* * *

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Kpop fans, the media, netizens and even Korean people were buzzing about the same thing for the past two days. Photos of two popular member of idol groups taken in front of a hospital became the hottest and most talked lately, and the fire hasn’t died down a bit. This added up to the fuel of the mysterious sudden disappearance of 2NE1’s Park Dara the music scene. But what made the photos controversial and phenomenal was Dara Park, who was not seen literally for almost seven months now. The way she looked in the photos was totally mind-blowing. Wearing a maternity dress was something, but the bulge in her tummy was totally an eye-catcher, and not to mention that G-dragon, Bigbang’s leader was also spotted in the photos. It was visibly clear how he assisted her off the pink car, how he wrapped his arms around her in guiding her in and out of the hospital. The official YG site wad bombarded with questions demanding for an explanation. And because of this, YG Entertainment’s President Yang Hyun Suk decided to release a statement regarding the photos. And it says:

“In response to the photos taken and released by the media without our knowing, here is our official statement. Yes’ it is true that Park Dara is pregnant and she had been for

seven months now. She was married to Kwon Jiyong eight months ago. The said wedding was attended by some close friends, relatives and their families. It was requested by

Dara to keep the wedding private and unknown to the media.

The doctor who’s been attending Dara has been very helpful in aiding the two about pregnancy and both are very cooperative.

We, the YG family are very happy for Dara’s pregnancy and are very proud to say that she’s well being taken care of. We also like to inform all of you that she’s been doing

very well and is very happy. We hope that you’ll give her love and support”

* * *

Dara stepped out of the bathroom and looked at the bed longingly then to the guy who’s been sitting in front of the computer with his back facing her, working for hours already. She slowly walked towards him and put her hands on his shoulders.

“A new song?” she asked.

“Neh” he answered.

She let him work for a while as she slowly massaged him.

“I really find your tattoos sexy” she said, running her forefinger along his tattoo.

He chuckled. “Thank you. But the answer is no, Dara. Not tonight”

She pouted. “But why?”

“I’m working”

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She pouted even more. But she’s not giving up that easily. Ssantokki wasn’t known for giving up. She leaned down and rested her chin on his shoulder while her arms went around hugging him. Then she smirked as she started planting little, soft kisses along his shoulder up to his neck.

“Dara” he warned.

“What?” she innocently asked.

“Please don’t use that kind of distraction. I really want to finish this song tonight, so please don’t distract me like that”

“Too bad” she whispered in his ear as she reached it. Then, she bit his earlobe lightly. She chuckled as she felt him shiver. She automatically straightened up and stepped back.

“Alright, that’s it!” GD stomped and stood up angrily.

“Ooohh, the dragon’s getting mad and he’s about to attack” she teased. GD turned to face her with a dark gleam in his eyes. She knows what to do, and that is to tease him more. So, when he started advancing on her, she ran out of the bedroom.

“Kyaa!” she squealed, suppressing the sound of her laughter, afraid of waking the two little other occupants in the house who were peacefully sleeping in their rooms already.

Dara played along as he chased her around the house.

“Gotcha!” he exclaimed victoriously as he caught her by the waist. He face her to him and threw her over his shoulders. With her being carried like a sack of potato, he started heading back to their room.

“Ssantokki is going to be punished for being naughty” he threatened.

“Aigoo!” she squealed in a pretend-trembling voice.

When they reached the room, he gently set her down on the bed with a naughty smirk playing along his lips. He towered over her and put all of his weight on her. He was about to lean his face down when Dara suddenly cupped his face with both hands and looked deeply into his eyes.

“I love you” she whispered.

His eyes grew tender for a moment as he smiled and answered, “I love you more”

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But then, the gentleness disappeared as his eyes darken again. “But I’m still going to punish you” he said. He started leaning his head down again when the phone suddenly rang. He groaned out loud.

“Ignore it” he said. But since she was stubborn and she enjoys teasing him, she took the phone. “Hello?”

After talking to a panicking Seungri, she turned to GD.

“CL-roo’s in the hospital” she said.

HOSPITAL

“Is she going to be okay? She’s scheduled two days from now, not tonight. She’s two days early. What if-?”

“Seungri-ah, it happens” Dara comforted himas the younger guy paced back and forth.

“Umma, everything will be fine right?”

Dara looked down at her eldest son sitting beside her. “Yes, CL-roo will be fine. Why don’t you go to sleep already?” she asked as she saw his eyes drooping.

“I’ll take care of him, Dara” Bom volunteered. “Come here, baby”

The boy went to jump on Bom’s lap and cuddled close to her, eyes closing. Minzy, on the other hand, looked anxious. Then, the rest of the BB boys arrived with a girl, who was standing closely beside YB.

“How is she?” YB asked the moment Dara stood up and greeted them.

“Where’s GD?” TOP asked.

“She’s still inside and Ji is with her”

“Jiyong hyung? But shouldn’t be Seungri-ah-?” Daesung started but got cut-off by Dara.

“Well, as you can see, er, Seungri is a bit distracted” she said, glancing at Seungri, who can’t seem to stay at one place for one second.

After a while. . .

“What’s taking them so long?” Dara asked loudly, panic starting to arise. She was slowly losing confidence that everything will be fine. Upon seeing her starting to panic, YB stood up and went to her.

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“Give her to me” he said, offering his arms for the sleeping baby girl in her arms. Dara, being distracted, passed her second child to YB. Then, she stood up and started pacing back and forth, too.

“LEE SEUNGRI! I’M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THIS!”

Dara and Seungri both stopped as they heard CL’s loud scream even they were outside. Seungri then smiled and sighed in relief.

“She’s fine” he said, then took a seat.


The doors opened.

“Twins. A boy and a girl” the doctor announced. GD followed out grinning. Dara ran to him and hugged him.

“Chaerin-ah did well” he said against her hair then chuckled. “Ah, twins! Seungri’s a lucky mutt!”

Dara looked at him. “You want to have twins?”

“Well, it would be cute, don’t you think?” he mumbled.

“Hmmm. I guess we’ll have to wait for just a few months to find out if I’m having twins”

GD stepped back and looked at her then to her tummy.

“You mean . . .? you’re. . . you’re. . . ?” he stuttered.

She nodded happily. “Two months”

* * *

Seasons come and go. . .

Minzy looked at herself in the mirror as she danced to the beat of the music playing in the background. . .

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Bom smiled as she started preparing to lock herself in eternity in his arms. . .

CL got all teary-eyed as she saw him looking at the babycrib with a gentle smile on his face. . .

TOP threw himself on the bed as another tiring shooting day finished. . .

YB held her hands to his heart and smiled. . .

Dae drank bottled water in one go as he was about to record another song for his solo album. . .

Seungri sat on the floor and looked at the miracle in the crib with a gentle smile on his face. . .

Sohee found a guy that could live up to her indifferences. . .

Jina, on the other hand, has been receiving medications for depression and therapy from a psychiatrist regularly. . .

Meanwhile, GD was having another argument with Dara. . .

“I’d say we go for ten”

“No” Dara answered stubbornly. “I’m not that young anymore”

“The doctor said you can still bear ‘til-“

“Aish! Fine, I’d go for five. That’s my limit. And since we already have two, plus the twins, that would count to four. So, one more-“

“But that’s illegal!” GD exclaimed loudly. “Twins are counted as one. But I still want 10”

“No, five. Twins are counted as two”

“Ten”

“Fine, six”

“Nope, I’m still all for ten”

Dara thought for a while.

“Seven. Twins counted as two. Take it or leave it”

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“Not fair. Fine, I’m back to ten”

“Eight. That’s final and twins are counted as two. One more word from you and you’ll be sleeping outside this room for a month. On second thought, make that for only tonight”

GD shut his mouth up and decided to put it into better and more pleasurable purposes.

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Cha p t e r 65

Ep i l o g u e : T h e Su n r i s e

H is eyes opened as he felt nothing but cold sheets beside him. He sat up and felt a gush of wind entered the room. His eyes darted towards the sliding glass door that leads to the veranda. The soft, light, white curtain was being gently blown by the wind. He stood up and went to lean on the door frame as he saw her standing in the veranda, looking at the sky.

“Waiting for the sunrise again?” he asked. Her head turned to him as she answered with a smile.

“Neh. Care to join me?”

He smiled as he walked to her and hugged her from behind.

“Do you have any regrets?” she asked.

“No” he quickly answered, “but I have one disappointment, though” he added.

“Huh? What is it?” she worriedly ask.

“I was really hoping for having ten children”

She laughed. “Eight is not a bad number and to think that our age gap is pretty big, we’re lucky enough to even have an eight. And you got your set of twins”

“Our age gap is not that big”

She chuckled then turned serious. “Do you think it’s time?” she asked.

“I don’t know when the right time is. All I know is that I’m always ready whenever you are” he answered quietly.

“How about them? Do you think they’ll be fine?”

“They will. We did a very great job in raising them, haven’t we?”

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“Yes, we did well” she agreed.

Then the first rays of the sun escaped the confinements of the mountains.

“I love you, Sandara”

“I love you more, Jiyong” she answered and turned her head to seal their words and love with a kiss.

Two hours later. . .

A young boy was grinning widely as he set out to putting into action his “planned” prank to his grandparents. That grin would send his mother to hysterical fits because it’s a sign that he’s up to no good.

He inserted the key in the hole and opened the door. How he got the key? It’s a mixture of his grandparents’ genes rolled into one. Result? The naughtiest family member was born. He slowly pushed the door, his grin faded as he didn’t see his grandparents on bed. He went inside and put the markers down on the table.

‘Where did they go?’ he asked himself. He let his eyes roam around the room. Then he smirked again as he saw the open sliding door. He picked the markers up again and tiptoed to the veranda. As he reached it, his fingers weaken and he dropped the markers on the floor as his eyes grew wide.

There they was, his grandparents, seated side by side in the bench. His knees buckled and he fell kneeling to the floor as tears started to folw. But he’s not crying because he can no longer hear his grandma’s high-pitched laugh, see his grandpa’s boyish smile; can no longer play with them; can no longer get some advises on how to throw jokes from both of them. Instead, he was crying because of what he’s seeing

Their white hairs were gently blown by the wind, looking like silver thread as reflects the sun’s rays. Their wrinkled faces were stretched by peaceful smiles. He was amazed at how his Dara Park still looks so breathtakingly captivating despite her age. The way his grandfather, Jiyong’s arm was wrapped around his grandmother’s shoulder was a full sign of how he loved, cherished, took care and protected her and still wants to protect her ‘til the end. The way Jiyong’s hand held Dara’s hand simply states how he treasured her more than his own life. Then, the way Dara leaned her head against his shoulder clearly says of how she willingly surrendered all of her for him, and still willing to do that. The way her fragile, wrinkled fingers wrapped around Jiyong’s hand is an evidence of how she will keep on holding on for his and her love for him. And lastly, the way they chose to leave the earth physically TOGETHER to start a new journey somewhere out there is a profound evidence of how pure and everlasting their love is.

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Who would have thought that those things would make him cry? Him, who never shed a tear even once, cried because of seeing a proof that pure and eternal love does exist?

After a while, he stood up, a small smile on his lips as he knows Park Dara and Kwon Jiyong’s love still travels. But it was soon replaced by a frown. How come he never asked them how their love story begun? How come he never asked them how their love survives through the years? How come he never asked them how to find an everlasting love just like theirs?

Thus, the hidden love remains. . .

The End

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Date post:	27-Nov-2014
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The Hidden Love by Hagocimit

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