Sitting in the quiet room, Ji Yong checked his hair and makeup as he waited for the questions to begin. He reminded himself that he was supposed to be open, honest, and generous with his opinions. This wasn’t a private matter. It would be hard, though, as it went against everything he had learned.

Andy ran a hand through her hair; the PD has instructed her to let it down. The longer she sat waiting, the more awkward she felt. She had been coached on her reaction to GD; they were worried about anti-fans. She was supposed to be attracted to him, but not overly so. It was apparently a fine line. If she didn’t like him, there would be hate; if she liked him too much, there would also be hate. Honestly, she thought it was a bit ridiculous. But, she decided not to say anything since it was basically how she felt anyways. He seemed nice, but hadn’t given her a second thought after the cameras stopped filming. He was cute, pretty, but not exactly gorgeous. She wondered what he was being coached to say.

“First impression?”

“She’s very pretty, her dress is nice, simple; it suits her well. She’s a bit quiet, but then, so was I. It was a little awkward at first, but once we got to the park, it became more comfortable.

“He seems nice. He smiles a lot, I like that. He didn’t get upset when I made a suggestion, that’s important. I think we’ll get along well.”

“Did you recognize him?”

“Instantly. Who doesn’t know GDragon or Big Bang? They’re one of my favorites.”

“One of your favorites? Who’s the other?”

“BTS.”

“I see. Would you have preferred to be partnered with a member of BTS?”

“What? No, I’m happy with Ji Yong Oppa,” she faltered a little on his name, it was still awkward.

Andy left the building, feeling slightly harassed; the questions had seemed to go on endlessly. And to top it off, she didn’t really know where she was. She studied the map at a nearby bus stop, but considering her extremely limited knowledge of the area, it didn’t help much. Giving up on independence, she pulled out her phone and called Joon.

“-Lo?” he answered on the third ring, sounding breathless.

“I’m lost,” she admitted without hesitation.

“Look around,” he instructed, chuckling. “Any significant buildings or landmarks?”

“They brought me to the network building for an interview. I’m at the bus stop out front.”

“Okay, I’ll find you. I don’t think it’s far from here. Give me a minute and I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

Ji Yong’s van pulled out of the garage some time later. Seeing her waiting on the bench, he had his manager pull over.

“Go offer her a ride,” Ji Yong instructed him.

His manager approached the girl, but she got to her feet, just before he reached her. She bowed at a small silver car and climbed in the back seat. Shrugging, his manager returned to the van.

“Who was that?” Ji Yong asked him.

“Don’t know; there were two men. She must have known them; they called her by name.”

“So, who is it?” Joon asked as his partner got in their coach’s car.

“GDragon.”

“What?! For real?” He half spun in his seat to stare at her. When she nodded, he let out a long whistle and faced front. “That’s awesome,” he said lowly with feeling.

“Remember, you can’t go around telling people yet; not until the first episode airs. Or I get sued.”

“Naturally. I’m telling Bomi though.”

“Obviously.”

“Do you like him?” Yamaa Yuuto asked in Japanese. He was their new coach, brought over from Japan just to work with them. He was young, but good. And, as a former Olympic gold medalist skater, he had the experience.

“…He seems nice enough.”

“That’s not exactly a yes,” Joon commented, eyebrows up.

“Well, I didn’t spend much time with him.”

Ji Yong stretched his arms, entering the practice room.

“Well?” Top questioned as soon as he saw him.

“Figure skater, American.”

“Is she pretty?” Seungri asked.

“Yeah. Nice hair, blonde,” he added before the youngest could ask.

“Is she nice?” Dae Sung called.

“Seems to be.”

“Were you nice?” Dae Sung asked.

“Yes…mostly.”

Dae Sung sighed and continued stretching.

“Do you like her?” Tae Yang asked while tightening his shoe laces.

“Hmm…maybe. I need to know more before I can answer that.”

“You’re interested in learning more?” Top asked suddenly, watching him closely.

“Um…yeah, I guess so. I mean we’re stuck together for at least three months either way, right?”

“Ji Yongie, you keep saying you want to find a good woman. Use the opportunity that’s been given to you. Meet new people with an open mind. Even if it’s not this girl, maybe she’ll introduce you to someone amazing, that you wouldn’t have met otherwise,” Tae Yang advised him gruffly.

Andy adjusted the bag on her back as she entered the room.

“Ah! Andy-ssi, right on time,” the main PD greeted.

“Hello,” she returned, bowing several times to cover the others in the room, including Kwon Ji Yong.

“Oh no,” a female writer groaned. “You were supposed to pack for an overnight trip. Did they not make that clear?” She glared at a couple of juniors.

“They did. I have my bag.” She gestured over her shoulder with her thumb.

“That’s it? One little backpack?” she asked suspiciously.

Andy nodded uncertainly. “It’s only one night, right?”

Ji Yong glanced self-consciously at his large suitcase and medium bag. Did he pack too much? No, it was fine for her, but he needed options.

“We’ll take a bus. It’s a long trip, but we don’t plan to film much in transit. Although, the two of you will sit together in the very back,” the PD explained as they left the building.

Ji Yong passed his suitcase to the crew and turned his attention to the girl beside him. Young Bae was right; he had agreed to the show because he wanted a real relationship. But with his ‘wife’? He wasn’t sure yet. She seemed to be surrounded by men: the partner, the two men she got into a car with; how many others? Probably the coach. She wasn’t even sure if she would be staying in Korea yet.

Andy twirled her hair up into a large messy bun on top of her head. She didn’t appear to have any make-up on, yet she wasn’t embarrassed to show her bare face. And she was still pretty without it, in an innocent sort of way. Wearing long jean shorts and a loose green tee, she didn’t seem to give her clothes much more thought than the sloppy bun. But the look suited her; there was something attractive about her casual disregard. A simple, confident charm.

“What?” Andy asked suddenly, breaking his concentration.

“Pardon?” he asked, eyes darting up to her face.

She made a face and glanced down at herself, then over at his outfit. Meeting his eyes, she bit her lip for a second.

“You want me to change? They told me it would be a casual trip; I didn’t bring anything…nice.” She gestured to his clothes.

“No, no. You look good, pretty. I just look at clothes, I didn’t mean anything negative,” he answered, surprised. Her definition of casual was a good match for Young Bae’s; casual typically meant comfortable. He warmed to the idea of her sharing characteristics with his best friend.

“Oh, uh…thanks,” she muttered, looking down at her own wiggling toes for a moment. “You too, you look good.”

The compliment felt awkward, as it stumbled out of her. But the slight pink of her cheeks gave it a sincerity that made him smile.

Finally, they made it to their seats and the van set off. After a couple minutes of hesitant looking around, Andy put in her ear buds and some music. She was set in charge of finding a song for their new short program; Joon was responsible for the long program. She searched unsuccessfully through YouTube for a long while, losing patience. They wanted something new and Korean, recognizable but not too poppy.

Glancing sideways, she considered disturbing the man beside her. He, also, wore headphones; his head was relaxed back, eyes closed. As she watched him, his eyes opened and he turned to meet her stare. She continued to watch him, which made his eyebrows go up.

“Are there any new artists that you know of?”

Curious, but wary, Ji Yong paused the song he was listening to and took off his headset. “Of course.”

“Could you…recommend me a song? Something new that’s fast-paced but not really pop?”

Ji Yong hesitated. “What for?”

“Oh, we have to choreograph a couple new routines. I’m supposed to pick music for one of them, but I can’t find what I want. It’s frustrating. Unless I have a name or title to go off of, I’m left just rummaging through the masses.”

“Do you know my company? YGE?”

“No.”

Ji Yong nodded. He handed her his headphones. Hesitantly, she slid them on, and he unpaused the song he had been listening to. Not acknowledging the cameras that had been turned towards them, he watched her as she listened. Her head bobbed slightly, her eyes were big, and she smiled.

When the song ended, she passed back his headphones.

“That was perfect! Who are they?”

“Ikon, a rookie group at my label. They just released their first album last week.”

“That’s definitely new. You said the company is YBE?”

“YGE.” He slid her phone away and programmed in the number. “The team is iKon, Rhythm Ta is the song. They’ll be happy to hear from you.”

“Thank you.”

“Oppa.”

“Huh?”

“Oppa,” he said again with a grin.

“Ah. Thank you, Oppa.”

He returned to his music, but subtly watched as she sent a text, then found his juniors on YouTube. It made him feel good to help her out and promote his juniors at the same time, plus confirming her taste in music didn’t hurt.

Several minutes later, he was still glancing over at her off and on when she got a phone call. Curious, he paused his song, but pretended not to be paying attention.

“Hey,” she answered brightly in English. “Yeah, I know. It’s perfect, won’t need much editing. No, Ji Yong recommended them. Yeah. So?”

His forehead wrinkled as he listened to the one-sided conversation. Who was she talking to? The partner?”

“When have I ever cared about that crap? Nope. What difference does that make? I’m not taking advantage of him! Coach is nuts. I would’ve asked no matter what his job was. I even asked the taxi driver on the way over for his opinion. Infinite. Good, but they were really poppy.”

Ji Yong listened carefully, struggling to keep up with her rapid English. Whoever she was talking to, they must be close; they seemed to be comfortable disagreeing.

“Ugh! Hang on. Err…O-Oppa?” her voice turned a bit timid as she switched to Korean.

“Yes?”

“Do you feel like I took advantage of this situation? By asking you about music?”

He grinned that she asked him so bluntly. “No. I was happy to help you. And them. It’s not like you asked me to set it up or introduce you to them.”

“Exactly! They’re just being over-sensitive.”

“Who?”

“Joon and Coach.”

“Joon’s your partner, right?”

“Yes. Joon, did you hear? Yeah. Oh, haha, you’re hilarious. Don’t get hurt. Later.” Andy hung up the phone and returned to YouTube.

Ji Yong wanted to talk to her again, but he didn’t know what to say. It was usually the other person that put in the effort to engage him; it was hard being on the other end.

“Andy-ah?” he began a little uncertainly, aware that a camera was still trained on them.

“Yes?” She pulled out an ear bud and looked over at him.

“You said you’re a student?”

“Ah, yes, my last year. Finally!”

“What are you studying?”

“Sports medicine and coaching. I don’t want to leave skating just because my body can’t handle it anymore.”

“What age is usually the end?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Mm…it’s not really about age, but condition. Injuries are the most common reason skaters retire. But honestly, even if I can stay healthy enough, I won’t stay competitive much longer. This is going to be our last Olympic cycle.”

“Why? If you can still compete, why wouldn’t you?”

“Same reason as lots of women, I want a family. I can always skate in exhibitions after kids, but bodies change after babies. Besides, I’d rather see my children grow up in person.”

She looked up at him suddenly, embarrassed.

“Sometimes, I overshare,” she admitted.

“To be fair, I did ask,” Ji Yong countered.

“True…” She fidgeted awkwardly.

“What about Joon-ssi? He’ll retire when you’re ready?”

“Well, it’s not just me; he’s ready, too. He has an old shoulder injury that keeps flaring up. We’re both just trying to hang in there through the Olympics. Then, there will be the customary touring. Then, we’ll finally be able to relax.”

“Touring? Skaters tour?”

“Of course. We have lots of exhibitions during the off-season. Although, following the Olympics is the longest stretch. It goes for three to four months; lots of different countries. They’re usually big, flashy shows, but sometimes it’s a small rink and we get to interact more with the fans. IT’s fun and exciting, but seriously exhausting. Do your tours feel the same way?”

“Almost exactly. I’m thrilled to go, but relieved when I get home to my own bed.” Strange, he hadn’t expected to find something they shared so closely in common. He really needed to look her up online, to see how she skated. And to get a good look at her partner.

After a minute of silence, they both drifted back to their phones. He caught a glimpse of their Bae Bae m/v on her screen before she pulled up another window. He took the opportunity to google her. The top search item was an article speculating on her relationship with her partner and the reason for the move; it looked like a rumor rag, so he didn’t read it, although truthfully, he was tempted. Next was a video of their silver-winning Olympic performance. He flagged it for later since they had finally arrived.