Chapter 14 - Stay With Me

I woke the next morning to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Pushing the covers off, I stretched and threw my legs over the side of the bed. I looked at my shirt and my bare feet and panicked for a moment; then I remembered last night. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. How was I going to face Seung Hyun or Ji Yong after that happened?

I grabbed the robe off the armchair beside the bed and wrapped it around myself, tying the belt tightly around my waist. I shuffled into the living area and headed straight for the pot of coffee. I poured myself a cup and yawned widely. At that moment, I saw Seung Hyun emerge from the bathroom. My mouth dropped open. He was wearing a robe and drying his hair with a towel. His bare chest, visible from the V the robe offered, made my heart skip a beat.

"Good morning, Ha Na." He smiled.

I cleared my throat and tried to maintain my composure, "Good morning. Um, want a cup?" I held up a mug of coffee.

"Sounds good. Should I order breakfast?"

I wasn't sure which was worse, my hunger for food, or my hunger for him. "Sure."

He sat on the couch before picking up the phone to order room service. "English breakfast for two, please. Also, could you provide a set of size small women's clothes from the sauna?" I suddenly remembered how Ji Yong had ordered food for me the night before. My heart ached.
I sat in the chair beside him and set my coffee down on the table. "So, about last night..."

"What about it," he raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"I just wanted to say thank you," I paused, "and that I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I just feel like a burden. You saved me from an awkward situation."

"Don't be sorry for that," he took a sip of his coffee, "I followed you down the stairs to make sure you were okay. I don't think either of us expected what we saw."

We sat in silence for a few moments until a knock on the door disturbed the quiet. Seung Hyun walked to the door, opened it, and room service wheeled a cart of food into the room. Hanging on the side of the cart were the ugliest pair of pink sweats I had ever seen. The gentleman who had served us bowed politely and left the room. Seung Hyun laughed.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather wear the dress?"

I stuck my tongue out at him, grabbed the clothes, and retreated to the bedroom to change. When I returned, Seung Hyun was still smirking. "Somehow that getup suits you, Ha Na."

"Very funny." I rolled my eyes. My attention was quickly diverted to the plates set on the coffee table offering a buffet of eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice.

"Sit. Eat." He gestured at the food.

I sat down on the floor in front of the table and began to pick at the bacon. "So, what now?"

"I told you; I want to get to know you more." He didn't look up from his food.

"No, I mean, we have to show up at the office soon. How am I going to explain these clothes?" I gestured at the ugly pink outfit.

"We can swing by your place, and you can change if you want."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all," he smiled and offered to feed me a piece of toast. I felt embarrassed but I obliged, opening my mouth to take a bite.

"And how are we going to explain showing up at work together?"

"You're my manager. There's not much to explain," he shrugged

His nonchalance threw me off. "You don't think the other members will figure it out?"

He took a sip of orange juice. "Are you worried about that?"

I looked down and twirled the end of my robe belt with my hands.

"You're worried about Ji Yong," he sounded disappointed.

"A little. I don't know what to say."

Seung Hyun took a deep breath. "I understand."

We finished our breakfast, gathered our belongings, and headed to the lobby to check out. Shortly after that we were in his Escalade heading towards my dorm. He pulled up in front of the building and I picked up my shoes and dress before I opened the car door.

"Should I come in," he asked.

"No, no. I won't be too long." I didn't want him to see how small our dorm was, even if he had lived in a dorm before. He probably wouldn't have minded, but I needed some alone time, even briefly, to breathe.

I opened the door and Eun Ji pounced on me immediately. "What happened last night? I thought you were with G-Dragon! Why did TOP answer your phone? Where did you sleep?"

"Whoa, relax!" I held my hands out in front of me. "Why aren't you at practice?"

"No training today. I get the whole day to myself. That's why we had the party last night! Hangovers aren't fun if you have to get up the next morning. Wait a minute! Don't try to change the subject! And what the hell are you wearing?"

"I have to change quickly, so follow me if you want to know the abridged version." She was like a puppy at my heels, scurrying after me as I brushed my teeth and got dressed. I finished the story just as I put the shoes and the bag into a gift bag.

"So, you're not going to keep the clothes?"

"That's all you took away from the story, Eun Ji?"

"Of course not! But if G-Dragon tossed you away so quickly..." I flinched at her comment, "I mean, if he was going to act that way, shouldn't you, at least, walk away with something from the deal?"

"I don't want any reminders," I said as I picked up the gift bag, "Yesterday I lived my very own Cinderella story, but I think the 'glass slippers' don't belong to me."

"What about TOP?"

"Hmm." I couldn't deny the chemistry between us, but I also couldn't ignore the ache in my heart from Ji Yong. "I don't know. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."

"Ugh, Ha Na. You have all the luck. All I get is to be stuck in a room with a bunch of stinky, sweaty guys."

"Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. Any prospects?"

"Well there's one, but I'll save that story for later. Are you coming home tonight? I feel like you've spent more time sleeping everywhere but here."
I thought about that a minute, "You're right. I'll be home tonight."

"Promise?"

"Promise." I smiled.

We gave each other a hug and I returned to Seung Hyun's car. "You look much more presentable. Ready to head to work?" I nodded. The short drive to the YG building took less than 10 minutes. He parked in the garage and we walked to the elevator together. I was visibly nervous. "You going to be ok?" He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Yeah," I replied. The elevator doors opened and we walked into the lobby. We carried on small conversation and laughed. As we turned the corner, I stopped dead in my tracks.

"What is it?" Seung Hyun asked as his smile faded. I just stared straight ahead unable to speak.

There, in front of us, was G-Dragon. His lips were pursed as the sight of the two of us. He took a few slow steps forward until he was face to face with me. "Ha Na, we need to talk." He grabbed me by the wrist and began to drag me away. Seung Hyun clasped onto my other wrist. "Do you think you have the right to order her around right now?" Seung Hyun glared at Ji Yong.

"It's okay," I smiled weakly as I turned towards Seung Hyun, "I'll catch up with you later." His mouth sagged a bit and he slowly let go of my wrist. "Ji Yong, you can let go of my wrist." He did so with surprise. "Ji-Ji Yong?" I guess he was shocked that I didn't call him oppa, but how could I after last night? A gap had formed between us and I needed that distance to keep from falling apart.

"Fine," he muttered. "Follow me." I followed him to an empty studio room. We both stood awkwardly, neither of us looking at the other.

"You wanted to talk?" I broke the silence.

"Look, I want to explain what happened last night." He took a step towards me.

I immediately took a step back, "There's nothing to explain."

"Yes, there is," he pleaded.

"Honestly, Ji Yong. I saw you at the bar with that girl and that's all it was. It's not like we are anything more than colleagues." I tried my best to stand firm even though my heart was falling to pieces.

"Ha Na, just stop." He lowered his head and placed his fingers on his temples.

"Here." I held up the gift bag to him.

"What's that?"

"The dress and shoes from yesterday. They were exquisite but I can't keep them."

"Why not?" He was visibly offended.

"Because I don't feel comfortable keeping them." When he refused to take the bag, I set it on the table beside him. "I have to get to work. I'm sure I'll see you around." I turned away and walked towards the door.

"Song Ha Na!" His voice stopped me from moving another step forward. I didn't turn around.

"I like you. So, please, don't shut me out." His voice was trembling and I was reaching my emotional limit.

"I have to go. I can't deal with this right now." I opened the door and let myself out. Tears were spilling from my eyes. Through the watery haze, I saw Seung Hyun waiting for me, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. I covered my eyes and ran down the hall to the ladies' room. The last thing I heard was Seung Hyun's angry voice, "Kwon Ji Yong!" followed by muffled yelling as the door to the studio shut. I sank to my knees in the bathroom and cried my heart out.