Part 1

Target 1

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A year of ear-wrecking and eye-cringing auditions had taken its toll on his body. He has dark circles under and around his eyes. His throat was dry from talking too much, asking questions that are never answered properly and greeting ladies that don't know the true meaning of an audition. A year of hell and all he got was pain, rather than relief that his girlfriend, who broke up with him two months before the scheduled shooting, will be replaced of her role in his music video.

He went out of his room, dressed in a fashionable attire that all have envied and walks straight to the kitchen, to make himself a sandwich before heading out to the audition site. In front of him, where the living room is, his best friend was watching reruns of Friends. "What are you doing, Youngbae?" He asks as he pours himself a glass of water.

"Watching reruns of Friends of course." Youngbae answers as he presses the next button to watch the next episode.

Jiyong arches a brow. "That's unusual of you."

"Where are you going today?" Youngbae says, changing the topic smoothly.

"YG Building." Jiyong replies quickly as he presses the cheese on his sandwich, not pressing any further. "The last auditions are scheduled today."

Youngbae continues, "And? If not?"

"Then YG will be the one choosing the lead actress." Jiyong answers, definitely. "—which, of course, I don't want to happen. At all costs, I want to choose from the ladies today."

"And? Even if they're not on par with Kiko?"

I'm sorry.

Jiyong refuses to answer, shaking the thoughts of Kiko put of his damned mind, and quietly puts the sandwich in his mouth. A brief recollection of her could only worsen his heart.

"See?" Youngbae says, finally finding the last episode. "We just have the same feeling."

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The whole building looked like it had underwent an earthquake. People are running everywhere, holding either a stack of papers or folders, and they are panicking. Several artists are already helping out with the staff to make their jobs easier, but it was too much work since it is, after all, the last and grandest of the auditions that will happen within the year. As soon as the elevator doors open to the third floor, Jiyong is greeted by his manager, who was holding a clipboard in his arm. He looked worse than him since after all, he was the only one who got--in actuality, no sleep.

"It's up to you what time the auditions will start." The manager starts, keeping up with his pace. "Today's audition is not like the others. YG sangjanim has put the task of choosing the last member of 2NE1 to you, who will be introduced through your music video."

"Then?"

"Teddy, Kush and Choice will be in the audition site. After the audition, you told me to free an hour or two so you can visit the trainees." His manager continues. "After the visitation, if ever you have chosen the lead actress, you will have a meeting with the director at 6 p.m. So you will have about 3 to 4 hours of vacant time, depending on the audition itself."

"Place a schedule on my vacant time that I'd be going home to accompany Youngbae." Jiyong says, stopping for a moment to let his manager write on his clipboard, and to avoid him from falling over his two feet.

"Why?" His manager asks as his pen fluidly moves on the paper with the work of his hand.

"He's been acting weird." Jiyong tilts his head to the side and then continues walking. His manager quickly catches up, moving his clipboard aside.

"What do you mean by weird?"

Jiyong moves his lips upon contemplation, his hands doing gestures as he speaks. "There's this gloomy aura all over him, and he is watching reruns of Friends only today when he had plenty of time before. And we know it is his favorite show."

"Heartbroken?" The manager suggests, and automatically, Jiyong stops walking. "Him?" He asks, laughing, but half of him was convinced his bestfriend was. "No way would he have a girlfriend."

"Then why would he watch Friends when he's not sad?" The manager repeats and Jiyong was left to contemplate. If Taeyang never had a girlfriend like he always said, then why would he watch the show he only watches when he's sad? And it was even weirder to watch multiple episodes, because that would mean the sadness is grander than any other sadness he had felt. After a few seconds he gave up on thinking, and decides it was better if he goes straight to the audition site and worry over his friend later.

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Jiyong ruffles his hair out of frustration, sighing heavily even while in the presence of an auditionee. Having started since the morning, the fatigue has already taken its toll on his body. His head hurts as if someone is continuously hitting him with a frying pan and his eyes had been wanting to close so he can doze off. But the fact he still hasn't found the lead actress for his music video had kept him going—until the second to the last auditionee.

As he reads the application in front of him, Jiyong starts to have suspicions over her credibility. He takes a brief look at the bubbly girl in front of him, and then checks her application again. Her face was a huge contradiction (and evidence) that she wrote her age wrongly. A mocking laugh escapes his mouth as he reaches for the microphone.

"Hello, I'm G-Dragon. What's your name?" He asks politely, his husky voice ringing around the room. She bows, bending her body to make a 90-degree angle, and smiles. Jiyong quickly returns it out of respect, but it quickly fades like his interest. He had already interviewed half a thousand women already and no one still have piqued his interest. And all he can feel is that all hope is lost, YG would pick any woman on the street and his music video would be a complete disaster. Although YG is exemplary in his work, he always forget--or tend to--that Jiyong doesn't always work just with anyone.

"I'm Lee Ji Eun." She replies, shyly, twisting her body about as one of her hands keep her skirt in place. She was already using the microphone but her voice is barely audible. Jiyong sighs tiredly, ordering the papers on his table and asks again, "What's your age and where do you live?"

It's not that he's interested, but he wanted to know if she'd tell the truth about her age since he's very sensitive about lying. Ever since then. I'm sorry.

He shakes his head.

"I'm 23 and I live here at Seoul, Korea." She answers, barely audible again. Jiyong sighs again, leaning his body against the backrest of his swiveling chair, deducting points from her in his mind. "Begin." He orders, crossing his arms.

She gives the microphone gingerly to one of the staff and begins at modeling. She ramps around the stage with a fierce look, her eyes not scrunched nor narrowed. She stops in the middle, struts and the assistant gives her the microphone back.

Jiyong patiently waits for the minus one to play, and leans towards the table to put his grade on her modeling. Though she's good, she was not good enough. A part he's looking for is the confidence, which people commonly lack even though they have the talent to begin with. His mind flashes Kiko's picture, and he immediately dismisses the idea. They are over a year ago. It's already enough.

He writes down his thoughts, giving ample comments to help her improve. Modeling: Check! – Needs improvement.

The music suddenly starts to play and he quickly puts his pen down. Closing his eyes, Jiyong absorbs the music she was about to sing.

There's a fire starting in my heart

Reaching a fever pitch and it's bring me out the dark

Finally I can see you crystal clear

Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare

His brows twitch immediately as soon as she starts, and he immediately feels his throat being stuffed illegally by her mouthful, insensible lyrics. They were vague, lifeless as if she sung only for the sake of getting passed. Without thinking if he'd be rude, Jiyong pulls out his headphones and plays the original single on his phone, listening quietly to it than suffer listening to her.

Jiyong smiles contently, his lips arching honestly upwards for the first time today. He knew that a song composed beautifully as that one should be sung honestly, as if you're a leaked tap of emotions. Ji Eun was a closed tap of emotions, rusty and ugly—if he was honest. She suppressed everything she could have given. And this should be not a quality of an idol—as she can become the last member for 2NE1.

Jiyong pulls his headphones down to his neck, where it circles and gives Ji Eun a stoic, stern gaze. It was more of a glare, but he wanted to make himself sound better. 

Ji Eun trembles slightly.

Putting on a monotonic fake smile, Jiyong announces, "Miss Ji Eun, we will just call you if you're accepted." He looks away, unfazed and embarrassed for her sake. He has seen too much of this scene to know what will happen next. And soon enough, after a few seconds, sobs fill the room and Jiyong looks at her at the corner of his eye. He can still have emotions during auditions too.

Ji Eun rubs the tears strolling down on her face and sobs again. "I haven't danced yet!" She complains, hiccupping. "I've waited for hours and this is what you'll tell me? To go home after having four minutes of exposure?" She points at herself, and then points at him. "You're even worse than the articles!"

"Guards!" Jiyong calls out, trying to save the situation—or Ji Eun for the matter. She can save her excuses of her bad performance for later. The audition is finally ending and that's what all matters to him. YG would never bring him to flop anyway.

Ji Eun growls, and just in time, two buffy guards take her away off stage, securing her arms in each. Jiyong never forgot to smile as a way of saying his gratitude, for they have been helpful for the past couple of hours. "I can't let this happen! I am good for this! I am perfect! I am the one for the job! I need to debut as—" Ji Eun continues as she was being carried out, but Jiyong can't hear her anymore as soon as she was brought out.

"This is seriously giving me a headache." Jiyong announces, massaging his temples using his thumb and index. Kush and Teddy smiles at him, or more like laughing at his own predicament.

Teddy looked like he wanted to say something, and Jiyong knew that he was about to blame Kiko for the stress they'd been going through for the past year. Shaking his head, Jiyong says, "Hyung, it's fine. We shouldn't blame her for responding to what she feels. That's inhumane."

Teddy sighs. "But if you'll look at it, she didn't consider yours."

"I'm over it already." Jiyong assures, nodding his head and crossing his arms over his chest. "It's been a year!"

"I don't think so. It sounds to me that you're directing your sentence to yourself. You're assuring you." His producer says, pointing at him with his pen. "Inside wounds heal the longest and they leave scars deeper than any wound."

Jiyong raises both of his arms to stretch, not admitting nor replying to Teddy, and quickly cues the staff to call the last for the day—or for the year. She nods, and checks her cue board.

"Last Auditionee!"