"Are you okay, noona?" Seungri asked Dara when he felt they were finally far enough from The Enemy aka Kim Jaejoong. "Did he upset you?'
  Dara laughed as she patted Seungri's arm. "I'm fine, dongsaeng. He didn't do anything bad or mean. We were even conversing civilly before you dragged me away."
  Seungri studied Dara's face intently before nodding. "I'm glad. I don't really feel comfortable leaving you with him." To this day, Seungri hasn't forgotten Dara's face that night in Jeju. Her tears, her regrets and her pleas that he not think badly of Jaejoong. Nor can he forget Jaejoong's coldness and animosity. Although he could almost swear that he saw through his anger a couple of times.
  "Thank you, Seungri." Dara smiled at him. "But you have to get used to it. We will be -"
  "So this is where you've been hiding!" Hyoni exclaimed as she approached Dara with Kiyong. "What kind of sunbae are you? Leaving us hobaes to fend for ourselves.."
  Dara laughed. "Oh come on. I think half the people here are in love with you and the other half are intimidated by you. What do you need me for?"
  "She's been complaining that the idols are hogging you tonight." Kiyong told them with a smirk .
  "I was not!" Hyoni protested. "I was just making a statement that you see each other often enough in the recording studios.."
  "Oooooh... Is my Hyoni jealous of the boys?" Dara teased.
  "She also mentioned, ehem, bitterly, ehem, that you just went on a vacation with them." Kiyong commented.
  "Yah!" Hyoni exclaimed, hitting Kiyong in the arm. "You're supposed to be on my side!"
  "But you just went to that concert with my noona!" Seungri said. "And that fashion show. And you had lunch at that new restaurant."
  Hyoni and Seungri started listing all the times the other got to spend with Dara as Dara and Kiyong laughed.
  "What's going on?" Seungyoon approached them with s.
  "Oh, I'm just feeling so loved." Dara giggled.
  "Hyoni and Seungri are fighting over Dara." Kiyong filled the newcomers in.
  "Why?" Taehyun asked.
  "Because I'm amazingly lovable." Dara joked. 
  "But apparently not amazingly humble." Kiyong shot back with a laugh.
  "Well noona can't have everything, right? Then that would be totally unfair to us mere mortals." Jinwoo answered.   "Oh my Jinwoo is so sweet!" Dara gushed. "Why is everyone being so nice to me tonight? Did you do something bad? Or are you planning to prank me?"
  "We won't do that noona." Taehyun assured her.
  "We're too scared of the dragon." Seungyoon joked quietly, conscious of the reporters near by.
  They spent the rest of the night chatting with each other and with other actors from both companies. Dara finally got her wish to meet Song Il Gook and even managed to draw Seungyoon in a conversation with Hwang Jung-eum, thinking that the younger boy actually had a crush on the actress.
  As the night drew to a close, Dara was just waiting for the rest of the boys before proceeding to their car. It was then Yang Hyun Suk approached her.
  "How are you holding up?" He asked casually as he stood next to her.
  "Sajangnim." Dara greeted. "I'm doing good, thank you. Just waiting for the boys so we could go home."
  YG nodded. "I saw you speaking with Jaejoong earlier... Are you alright?"
  "I'm okay. We just spoke about the project." Dara informed him quietly. When YG kept quiet, she continued, "We're both looking forward to it."
  "That's good." YG answered. "You're probably going to get your filming schedule soon. We want to release a trailer soon that's why we're rushing filming. Chang-ju and I arranged it so that you'll film your scenes then leave."
  "Thank you, sajangnim but I don't want to trouble the staff needlessly and-"
  YG cut her off. "Please let us do this for you." He looked away from Dara and pretended to fiddle with his phone. "I know that as your boss I can order you to just be there. This is work after all." He sighed as he put his phone back in his pocket. "It's just.. I keep remembering how the two of you looked that night.. And.. I'm really sorry I couldn't do more for you."
  In his mind, YG could still picture Sandara's tear-streaked face and the agony on Jaejoong's. He could recall how tightly Jaejoong held onto his artist and how adamantly he refused to let go. He and Chang-ju had to intervene when Dara started having difficulty in breathing. He clearly remembered how Dara tried to wave the two of them off as she tried to talk Jaejoong down whatever precipice he was on.
  "Kim Jaejoong, let her go. Let her go this instant!" Yang Hyun Suk ordered as he tried to pry the younger man's arm loose from the frail girl he was holding on to.
  Chang-ju tried to appeal to the man he considers a son. "Jae,you have to let her go. She can't breathe. You're hurting her."
  Jaejoong just held on to Dara tighter. He buried his face in the crook of her neck. Dara raised her hand and his back. Whispering to the broken man in front of her so softly, the older men in the room couldn't hear what she was saying. The two of them were on a heap on the floor. With Dara on her knees and Jaejoong clinging to her like a lost child.
  A sob broke from Jaejoong as he shouted at Dara. "Why are you doing this to me?!? What have I done that you have to do this?"
  Dara cupped his face, tears clouding her vision but she looked at him and she forced him to look at her. Look into her. "You did nothing wrong. I'm the one who did wrong. I wronged you. I'm sorry."
  "I forgive you. I forgive you. Just don't leave me!" Jaejoong begged as he gripped her tighter. "Let's forget about all this and leave everything behind. We were happy, weren't we? You love me! I know you do!."   Dara cried as she shook her head. "We can't. You're just starting to get back on your feet again. You can't repay Baek Sajangnim's kindness by doing this."
  "He'll understand." He turned his head towards the man who gave him and s a chance when they decided to leave their former management. "You understand, don't you?"
  "Jaejoong.." Chang-ju's voice cracked as he called out to the man in front of him. "Let her go, Jae.. Let her go.."
  "Aaaaaaah!" Jaejoong let out an anguished scream at Chang-ju's answer. "No. No. No!"
  "Jae, if not for him what about your members?" YG asked him. "What about Yoochun and Junsu?"
  "You don't care about me or my members! You don't even care about Dara! All you care about is your stupid golden boy and how much money he brings you!" Jaejonng accused.
    "Jaejoong!" Chang-ju admonished. "I'm sorry, Hyun Suk.."
  YG waved him off. They had bigger things to worry about.    Dara was speaking earnestly to the man holding her. "You have to let me go now. We can't do this. We.. whatever we had.. It's over. It's been over for a while now. We knew it wouldn't last.. That we what we had was fleeting.. temporary.. We both said it when we started this. We agreed. It's time to let go now.."
  Jaejoong quieted at her words. He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time as the impact of her words hit him. "Why?"
  Dara looked away from him. "It just is."
  "You're going back to him aren't you? Or are you fckng him already? Tell me!" Jaejoong demanded. Dara looked away refusing to answer. "You are! You selfish btch. After all the and crying... You told me you felt it too.. That things are changing.. You.. " He pushed her away from him, causing her to fall on the floor. "Get out!"
  "Jae.."
  "Get the out, Sandara." He said quietly. The crying mess of a man disappearing completely to be replaced by this cold, angry version."Get her out of here."
  He entered the bathroom and locked himself in. Moments later crashes were heard from inside the bathroom. Chang-ju kept banging on the door as one of his trusted staff got the key.
  YG knelt down to help Dara, who kept flinching every time a noise could be heard from the bathroom. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." The girl kept repeating her apologies over and over. 
  Jinu, who came with him when Chang-ju called, finally awakened from his shock-induced paralysis and rushed to help Dara stand. 
  "About time. I thought I came here alone. Let's take her to my room first. She can't go back to her room like this. Her members will surely ask questions. When we're there, call the receptionist to see if we can get another room for her tonight." YG instructed Jinu.   At that moment, the door opened once again to reveal two men. A C-Jes staff and a doctor. A few minutes later, a sedated Kim Jaejoong was led out of the bathroom.
  Hyun Suk and Chang-ju exchanged a look. Businessmen wondering what the hell happened to their artists. Fathers aching for the pain their children are experiencing.They both released a sigh before focusing on their hurting artists.   "I guess that's why they say we should keep our personal and professional lives separate." Dara commented breaking YG out from his reverie. "I didn't mean to cause you this much trouble. I'm sorry. Please don't worry about me. I'm fine. Really."   "You'd say you were fine even if you sprained an ankle and had to perform in heels." YG laughed humorlessly.
  "Sajangnim! Are you leaving too?" Seungri greeted YG before turning to Dara. "Noona, we're ready to leave. TOP hyung already gave the signal. I bet those boys will come to him, ready to leave in less than two minutes."
  "In a while. Chang-ju and I have a few things to finalize before we can call it a night." YG told him. He tapped the younger boy's shoulder in a gesture of affection. "You're doing good, Lee Seunghyun."
  "Woah! Are you complimenting me?" Seungri asked exaggeratedly. He took out his phone clicked it a few times and then put it in front of YG's mouth. "Could you please repeat that? I need to save it so that I can make my members jealous. I'm thinking of using it as my ringtone. Noona, you have to call me every ten minutes so everyone gets to hear it."
  Dara covered as she tried to stifle her laughter at YG's expression.
  "Yah! Put that thing away before I send you off to wash the tablecloths we used tonight!" 
  "Yessir!" Seungri pocketed his phone and grinned at their president. "I'm doing good, eh? Noona, you heard that, right? You'll just have to serve as my witness."
  YG shook his head. "Just go. Sandara, please take this brat away from me."
  Dara laughed as she nodded. "Good night, sajangnim. Let's go, Panda boy."
  "Panda boy?" Seungri asked. "I thought I was your baby panda? I like that better. Panda boy sounds like a lame superhero."   Dara rolled her eyes as she led him away. Seungri threw YG a hasty goodbye. "Noona, I'm serious. Call me baby panda or panda or handsome panda, but not panda boy, okay?"

"Stay out of trouble!" YG reminded them.     ___________________________________
  Dara entered her apartment, completely exhausted. She was holding her purse in one hand and her heels in the other. She flopped on the couch and put her feet up on her center table.
  She was in the middle of convincing herself to get up and change into her pj's when suddenly her feet were lifted off the table. Her eyes shot open in alarm but immediately relaxed upon seeing her boyfriend's smiling face.
  "Hey, baby." He greeted her as he sat down on the center table and started massaging her calves. 
  "Hey." Dara smiled warmly. "What are you doing here?"
  "Waiting for you." Jiyong replied simply.
  "I thought you and Youngbae had a recording session." Dara commented as she let her head fall back onto the couch, fully enjoying Jiyong's ministrations.
  "We did. Then his girlfriend called." Jiyong snickered. "I thought it was only fair that I get to spend time with my girlfriend too. Get up and get changed. I bought the DVD you kept asking me to get. We can pretend to watch that then make-out."
  Dara laughed at Jiyong who was wiggling his eyebrows up and down. "Sometimes you really do remind me of a twelve-year old  boy."
  "I'll show you I'm all man." Jiyong announced before pouncing on her. He kissed her passionately. "I missed you."
  Dara was getting into it. Wrapping her arms tight around his neck when he suddenly started tickling her. For a second, Dara was frozen in s