Seungri's apartment was filled with the laughter and chatter of the 5 Big Bang members. The scent of fried chicken wafted through the living room, where the singers were enjoying their take-away food for the night. Soju bottles were precariously balanced on the corner of Seungri's coffee table, and more lay awaiting in his fridge.

 

"Seunghyun hyung, you literally just took the piece I was going to pick!" Seungri protested, as a piece of chicken wings disappeared into TOP's mouth, who resided on the sofa next to Seungri.

 

TOP's voice was almost incomprehensible as spoke whilst chewing on the chicken. "I'm older, of course I get to pick first."

 

"Well this is my apartment!"

 

Jiyong cut into the petty argument, from his position on the floor. "Guys, neither of you paid for this, so stop arguing over my chicken."

 

In unison, Daesung and Youngbae chanted "Thanks Jiyong", both feeling a little bit tipsy from the soju they had consumed.

 

Jiyong smiled at his two most kind-hearted friends.

 

"Why you gotta make us look bad again!" Seungri gestured wildly between himself and TOP, causing the other three to laugh at his antics.

 

The loud noise of a crowd cheering on the TV drew everyone's attention to the show that was playing, Running Man. The introduction of one of the show's guests seemed to have caused a stir between the cast members.

 

On the screen, actress Claire Kim could be seen greeting the Running Man members. The males in the cast were transfixed on her, as she was widely loved in Korea for her talent, beauty and her honest personality.

 

"She was really good in that movie we watched last weekend, right TOP hyung?" Daesung asked the one Big Bang member who knew the most about acting.

 

TOP nodded. "I've never met her, but she seems like a very good actress. I've also heard that she's a bit of a perfectionist with her work."

 

Youngbae chuckled and turned to Jiyong, "Sounds like someone we know."

 

"I guess I do relate to that…I need my music to turn out exactly how I imagine it in my head." Jiyong admitted.

 

Youngbae chucked his arm around Jiyong's shoulders with a grin. "That's our genius leader!"

 

"Isn't Claire also good friends with our labelmate, Yoo In Na?" TOP asked.

 

Daesung nodded, "Right, right, they're always hanging out and going to places together. I've heard In Na talking about her as well."

 

Still staring at the TV screen, Seungri spoke up again. "But this Claire Kim really is very pretty. I would hope to meet her sometime." On screen, the actress was flicking her shiny brown hair over her shoulders.

 

"I'm pretty sure she's as old as me and Jiyong. You're not the right age for her Seungri!" Youngbae reminded him.

 

Seungri rolled his eyes. "I know, I know, she can be a cute noona!"

 

Jiyong tilted his head to get a better look at her appearance on Running Man. "Hmm she is quite pretty…"

 

Daesung nodded his head in agreement as well. "Ahh, we should go back on Running Man sometime soon. We always had such a fun time on that show."

 

The group continued to watch the program into the later hours of the night, enjoying some soju as they watched, and soon began to drift into sleep. The other members of Big Bang had fallen asleep by the time the show was ending, so Jiyong watched it by himself. Claire had remained fiercely competitive and determined throughout the show, and she sported a genuine smile upon winning the missions of the day. It reminded Jiyong of Big Bang's victory on Running Man as well, and he found himself smiling back at the TV screen.

 

Jiyong turned off the TV and got up, finding an available couch to then fall asleep on.

 

---

 

"In Na!" Claire knocked on her friend's door.

 

Yoo In Na opened the door and gave Claire a quick hug. "Hey Claire!" She wiggled her eyebrows.  "Where should we go for lunch today?"

 

"Well, there's this really nice place my mum told me about. I'll drive." Claire said excitedly.

 

"Alright, let me just finish getting ready." In Na walked back into the depth of her apartment, where she was blasting music.

 

"You know…I could hear your music from upstairs, that's how loud it is." Claire stated. Her and In Na lived in the same luxurious apartment complex, but Claire was one floor above In Na. 

 

In Na gave her a panicked look. "Really? That means the people downstairs probably also heard it. What if they complain?"

 

Claire laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You know the ceiling is pretty thick. Nothing gets through these walls."

 

"I almost had a heart attack! I've only been living here for a few weeks, so I guess I don’t know as much."

 

In Na went into her bedroom to finish doing her makeup, and Claire waited in the living room. The song changed to Big Bang's 'We like to party', and Claire began to dance along to it.

 

In Na rushed out of the bedroom to join her, screaming "WE LIKE TO PARTY", along with Claire.

 

"See, it's a good thing the walls are thick, otherwise our neighbours would begin to think we're absolutely crazy." Claire pointed out.

 

In Na giggled. "Well they wouldn't be wrong."

 

The two friends left their apartment complex and drove to a nearby restaurant in Claire's car. The singing, however, continued in the car. Claire's ability to dance and drive safely at the same time astonished even In Na at some times.

 

"So how has your work been going?" In Na asked after they ordered their food. "Everyone's been talking about your most recent movie. Even though I'm biased, I thought you were amazing!"

 

"Aww thanks In Na!" Claire said appreciatively. "Work has been going well in terms of my films and dramas. I'm finishing up a drama currently, so I'll probably think about picking another one to work on now. But…" She trailed off.

 

In Na grimaced. "Is it your CEO again?"

 

Claire had been having troubles with the CEO of her label, Eclipse Entertainment, for quite some time now.

 

"He is just too controlling of his artists and actors. I barely have any choice about the projects I want to work on, it's all determined by him and his publicity team. Plus, you know me, I tend to do what I want to do, not just what other people expect from me. Under Eclipse, I haven't really been able to. Even after that, he takes a large sum of the money I own from the projects. I understand that it normal for companies to earn from the actions of their actors and artists, but after comparing with you last time, I realised he's taking way too much from me!"

 

"That's horrible Claire…you deserve more freedom and respect than that." In Na shook her head sadly.

 

"My contract is finishing in a week…and I'm thinking about what I should do."

 

Suddenly, In Na's expression brightened, as if a thought had just struck her. "CLAIRE!"

 

Claire titled her head. "Yes?"

 

"You should come and join YG!" In Na suggested. "Look, you're such a successful and popular actress, any top talent agency would love to take you. I'm pretty sure YG wouldn't turn you down. I mean, the CEO would be insane if he did! These days we have more and more actors than ever!"

 

Her friend thought about the suggestion for a few moments. "That is… actually a really good idea."

 

In Na couldn't contain her excitement. "Right? I'll tell YG and set up a meeting for you! I can come with you if you want, or you could even ask Seungy-" 

 

Claire shook her head. "In Na thanks for the great idea, I love you, but I kind of want to arrange this myself. I don't want to get into the company just because I have connections, because of you or him. I want YG to accept me because he thinks I'm worthy of being in his company."

 

"Aww, Claire that's really admirable. Alright, you go for it, but let me know if you need help with anything!" In Na smiled.

 

"There's only about a week until my contract with Eclipse ends for now, and I'm definitely not going to sign with them again. When we get home I'll try to contact YG and arrange a meeting." Claire told her.

 

The two then moved on to chatting about some of In Na's projects and a cute guy In Na had met the other day. 

 

Once they got back to their apartment complex, the two women hugged goodbye and went entered their respective apartments.

 

Since she had stated that she wanted to do this a mundane way, she searched up the number for YG entertainment on google. Usually, her manager would be involved in things like this, but considering the fact that her manager worked for Eclipse Entertainment, it wouldn't be very smart to ask him. 

 

She called YG's administrative phone number and waited for someone to pick up.

 

"Hello, this is YG entertainment." An electronic voice sounded. Instructions followed this voice, telling her to click a certain number based on the service she wanted.

 

She selected the number '4', which was apparently for employment. Thankfully, she was then greeted with a human voice.

 

"Hello, this is Claire Kim speaking." She began.

 

The voice at the other end was silent for a few moments. "Like the actress Claire Kim?"

 

Claire could hear loud chatter between YG employees on the other end of the phone line, some of them obviously not believing her.

 

She continued speaking anyway. "Yes, I was hoping to get a meeting with the CEO, since my contract with my current agency is ending soon, and I am considering other companies."

 

An array of excited YG staff members discussed her proposal with each other, and Claire could clearly hear them talking. Several voices spoke up, "Is it really her?"

 

"Send us a selfie as confirmation!" One male voice said.

 

Claire heard the man receiving a slap from his co-workers, and laughed at the hilarity of the situation.

 

 "I could recognise her voice in my sleep! This is definitely Claire Kim!" Another employee said.

 

The main female voice that originally picked up the phone spoke. "I mean, this is quite unorthodox…we've never had such a talented individual call us on our public number…"

 

The male voice cut his co-worker off. "Why are you saying that to Ms Kim?! Sorry about that…we will set up a meeting with YG right away. We'll call back with the details soon!"

 

"Alright, thank you!" Claire disconnected the call. She turned towards her balcony and relished in the view outside the window. Chuckling a little bit, she reflected on what a strange phone call that was. All she could hope now is that YG would like her enough to sign her on as a company actress.

 

While waiting for YG entertainment to call her back, Claire reviewed her lines for the final shooting of her drama that would take place tomorrow. The timing of her contract finishing was actually pretty good when she thought about it. Her main activities as an Eclipse actress would finish around the end of the week.

 

Claire made sure she had remembered all her lines for the next day and that she was completely off-script. While it was not frowned upon to have the script nearby when filming, Claire simply liked to have memorised the lines before filming began. Once she had the lines under control, she could focus on the more subtle aspects of acting, such as her tone and her expressions. In Claire's opinion, the manner in which lines are delivered is even more important than the content of the lines.

 

In the midst of practicing her scenes, Claire almost didn't notice her phone ringing. However, she picked up after a few rings and heard the same female employee's voice as earlier.

 

"Hello, Ms Claire Kim! As expected, the CEO is delighted to meet you, and has agreed to have a meeting this week. He is free at about 10am in the morning, in three days' time. Is that alright with you?"

 

Claire rushed to the detailed calendar hanging next to her kitchen and checked her schedule. "Yes, that is completely fine. Thank you for arranging the meeting!"

 

"No problem! When you get to the building for your meeting, you can press the buzzer near the front door and we will make sure the door opens for you."

 

"Alright, thank you once again!" Claire disconnected the call. Excitedly, she did a little happy dance. Things were looking up for her in terms of getting away from Eclipse Entertainment.

 

Before going upstairs to tell In Na the good news, Claire decided to call one more person.

 

"Hey, Seungyoon! Guess what?"

 

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