3.

JULY

 

Jiyong had did exactly what Dara had told him to do and talked to Kiko. Both had sorted everything out and he had admitted that he was taking out his anger on her over something that happened at work. He did not tell her the reason nor did she even ask, she just accepted his apology as she didn't want to loose him. They both did not want to loose each other over something so petty. 

 

* *

 

Three days later, Jiyong had decided to visit 2NE1 in Music Core to support them in their performance but what he didn't expect to see was Dara outside her waiting room as she talked to Wooyoung. He frowned. He really didn't like the two talking each other, it just bothered him. 

 

He walked up to them and faked a smile. 

 

"Dara!"

 

Dara turned to her side and saw Jiyong, she looked back at Wooyoung as she instantly thought it'd be awkward but she pushed that thought out, thinking that she was wrong. 

 

She turned back to Jiyong and smiled at him. "Ji, you never said you were coming to visit!" 

 

Jiyong hugged her, making Dara blush a little at his sudden action. She hugged him back lightly and quickly pulled away. As this was happening, Wooyoung was standing there feeling slightly jealous that Jiyong could have contact with her like that as they've only talked and waved at each other. 

 

"I wanted to surprise you guys. I bought food." Jiyong said. 

 

Dara clapped. "Yay! I was so hungry as well."

 

"I thought so." he smiled. 

 

Dara was about to grab the plastic bag from Jiyong's hand but remembered that Wooyoung was still standing there. 

 

"Ah! Jiyong, you know Wooyoung, right?" 

 

Jiyong looked at Wooyoung and smiled, while Wooyoung bowed and greeted his senior (in the profession). 

 

"Yes. Hi, I haven't properly introduce myself before. I'm Jiyong." Jiyong held out his hand for a handshake which Wooyoung gladly took. 

 

"Ah, yes, hello. I'm Wooyoung from 2PM." he bowed once again. 

 

Jiyong looked him over as if he was analysing every small detail. Good looking, yes. Muscles, yes. Also from what he's seen from 2PM, he is an amazing dancer and singer. He seemed to have the package that Dara would like in a guy and he hated it. Jiyong wasn't exactly the best singer or dancer in the world, not the best looking and doesn't have much muscles to show but then again why was he comparing himself to Wooyoung? 

 

There was an awkward atmosphere in the air so Dara laughed nervously. 

 

"Wooyoung, I'll talk to you later. I'm gonna go with Jiyong to the other members."

 

"Um, yh okay." replied Wooyoung. "It was nice to meet you." He said to Jiyong and bowed once more then walked away. 

 

Jiyong looked at him walk away then turned to Dara. "How long we're you out here for?"

 

"Don't start, Jiyong." Dara told him sternly as she was entering the room. She wasn't having this type of discussion once again. 

 

Jiyong followed suit. "What? I was just asking. So are you gonna tell me??" 

 

She sighed. "Only for a couple of minutes, okay?"

 

Jiyong smiled slyly to himself. He was glad that they didn't speak that long but he still didn't get why he seemed to care about who she talked to. 

 

"Jiyong oppa, what are you doing here?" asked Minzy. 

 

Jiyong held up the plastic bags he was holding on. 

 

"Wah, oppa, do you want something from us? Why are you being so nice?" teased Minzy 

 

"Ey, I'm always nice." Jiyong said then winked. 

 

Minzy rolled her eyes and just took out the food she wanted as she called CL and Bom to go pick their food. 

 

Bom was about to pick a sandwich but Jiyong stopped her. 

 

"What??" she questioned. 

 

"Not that sandwich. That's Dara's favourite." he replied and Bom raised an eyebrow. He started to search around then asked: "Where is she by the way?" 

 

"Getting her make up done." 

 

"Okay, pick something else." Jiyong took the sandwich and headed towards the mirrors where Dara was redoing her make up. Jiyong sat at the edge of the table. "Here." 

 

Dara looked up when the make up artist was finished applying eyeshadow on her eyelids and smiled. "Thanks. That's my favourite." 

 

"I know." 

 

Both of them were still talking as Bom, Minzy and CL were looking at the two from afar, admiring their closeness to each other. 

 

People often thought that CL and Jiyong were the closest but that wasn't true. It was definitely Dara and Jiyong, they were always together since trainee days and Jiyong was even the one to convince Dara to audition for YG again when she failed the first time. Everyone figured that he liked her since he didn't want to let her go as normally he wouldn't care about who passed or who failed the audition. But Dara didn't notice everyone else's thoughts. She was oblivious of it. And Jiyong never admitted anything about liking Dara so they figured that he probably hasn't realised it himself and they wasn't exactly going to just tell him that he likes Dara. He had to realise it for himself. 

 

* * 

 

Jiyong watched 2NE1 perform from the waiting room, he was really proud at how far they've come since trainee days. They always work so hard and always try their best, so yes, he was definitely proud of the girls. 

 

After their performance, the girls went back into the waiting room. 

 

"You guys did great." Jiyong praised. 

 

The girls smiled widely, they always loved being praised, no matter who the person was. 

 

Jiyong suddenly got a call, he excused himself and picked it up. 

 

"Hello?"

 

"Jiyong, I need you to come to the YG building to discuss how you want your album to look like." It was Yang Hyun Suk, the president of YG, also referred to as YG hyung to Jiyong, T.O.P and Taeyang. Daesung and Seungri still felt a little awkward calling him hyung so they stuck with president.

 

"Oh okay, I'll be there soon."

 

The phone call ended and Dara stood beside Jiyong. 

 

"Are you leaving?" she asked. 

 

He turned to her and nodded. "Yeah, solo preparations."

 

"Hmmm..." she patted him on the back. "You're doing really good, Ji. I'm happy for you." 

 

He smiled down at her as she looked up at him and smiled back. "Thanks." 

 

"I'll see you later then."

 

"You're coming to YG later?" 

 

"Yup! After I go home and sleep, I have to practise again."

 

"Don't overwork yourself, Dara."

 

"I won't!" she smiled up at him to reassure him that she was fine. 

 

He let out a small sigh as if in defeat and smiled back at her. "Okay, let's meet up later. I'll text you."

 

Dara wondered why Jiyong wanted to meet up with her later but she didn't question it. "Um, alright..." 

 

And with that, Jiyong headed out of the waiting room and drove back to YG. 

 

* * 

 

He got to YG is half an hour or so and went straight towards Hyun Suk hyung's office. 

 

Their president's office always made him feel like a kid with all the figures around the room, and the big robot as well. But it was a nice atmosphere, that is when you're not getting told off and it doesn't seem like the figures are mocking you. 

 

"Hyung!" Jiyong bowed and went to take a seat in front of Hyun Suk's desk. 

 

"Ah, Jiyong, you're finally here. So have you decided what song you're gonna do to promote your album?"

 

He nodded. "I was thinking 'Heartbreaker', and an introduction song can be 'Can't Breathe'. What do you think?"

 

"Hmmmm.... Yes, I like those songs a lot. Choreography?"

 

"I'm working with the choreographer right now."

 

"Right. So this leaves us with what the design of your CD should look like." 

 

Jiyong suddenly got a text message, he excused himself for a moment to check it out. Hyun Suk didn't mind since it may have been someone important. 

 

But it was only from Dara and it seemed like Jiyong thought of her as very important. 

 

D: Hey! Where are you?? I'm at YG already! Come to the dance studio after whatever you're doing ^^ 

 

Jiyong smiled while texting a reply that he'll be there later on. 

 

Hyun Suk noticed his smile and slightly widen his eyes. After Jiyong was done, he was about to talk again considering the look of the album but was stopped. 

 

"Who just texted? Kiko?" 

 

Jiyong looked at him a bit strangely as to why he would bring Kiko into this but he softened his expression when he answered. "Oh, no, it was just Dara."

 

"Dara?" 

 

Jiyong nodded. 

 

"I see." 

 

Hyun Suk was one of the people who believed Dara and Jiyong liked each other.

 

And he had a little secret.

 

A secret no one knew. 

 

The reason for 2NE1 not being able to date. 

 

It wasn't one of his proud moments but he had forbid the girls from dating for 5 years, but as for Bom and Dara, only 3 years. 

 

What's the reason, you ask? 

 

Well, it was basically because he had always thought that Jiyong would confess to Dara one day but to his dismay, Jiyong hadn't. Hyun Suk then realised that Jiyong had not realised his true feelings, the boy would go on dates or be with somebody else and they would not have lasted long. Jiyong would never know why his relationships didn't last long but he knew. He knew that Jiyong was not in love with them. No, Jiyong wasn't. The boy believed in love so much that he always thought he was in love when going out with a girl but that was not the case. He liked them, but he did not love them. 

 

So Hyun Suk had not let Dara date, hoping that in those few years, Jiyong would realise his feelings and confess to her. Hyun Suk would've lifted the ban of dating if the two got together. 

 

It was true that he said no dating between YG members, but in actual fact, he didn't mind. It made them more of a family. But not only that, it was easy to keep the relationship a secret. Although there was a down side to having YG members date and that was if they broke up. He only really allowed a few to date as he could tell whether or not they'd last long or truly love each other. Don't ask how he knows, he just does, he was Yang Hyun Suk after all. 

 

"Anyway, I haven't completely thought of what I want my album to look like. Do I have to say it straight away?" Jiyong asked. 

 

"Hm, no. Think about it today and tell me your ideas tomorrow. We're on a tight schedule and it's best to get the concept of the album straight away. Just think about all the songs in your album, especially 'Heartbreaker' since that's the song you want to promote." replied Hyun Suk. 

 

"Okay, hyung. Is that all?" Hyun Suk nodded. "Cool. I'm gonna go now, is that ok?"

 

"Hm, alright." Hyun Suk didn't know why Jiyong was in such a rush to go but he had guessed that it was something to do with the text he had gotten from Dara. 

 

Jiyong left the office and Hyun Suk shook his head as he smiled, asking himself. "Is this the year they'll realise their feelings?" 

 

* * 

 

In the dance studio, 2NE1 was diligently practising their dance choreography for 'Fire' when Jiyong had arrived. The choreographer saw Jiyong and allowed the girls to have a break. Jiyong took a water bottle from the corner and walked straight to Dara, giving her the drink. She gladly took it and took a swig from the bottle, nearly finishing it all. She must've been really tired. 

 

"Yah, oppa! You give Dara noona a drink and not us?!" CL cutely accused. 

 

Jiyong finally noticed his actions and realised that it could be interpreted wrong. "Oh, I was gonna go back and get you guys a bottle. Hold up!" He went back to the corner where the package of water bottles were placed and got three out, then walked over to the girls, each giving them a drink and saying "You've worked hard" over and over again. 

 

The girls laughed and rolled their eyes at Jiyong. 

 

"Why are you here, oppa?" asked Minzy. 

 

"Why?? I'm not allowed to be here?"

 

"No, no, no. I don't mean it like that." Minzy quickly defended as she waved her hands in front of her. 

 

Jiyong laughed. "I just wanted to be." 

 

"Whatever. We saw Dara noona text you before." said CL. "Do you like her??" 

 

Dara nearly choked on the water she was drinking, completely caught off guard by the younger's remark. 

 

"Yah! Chaerin!!" she yelled. 

 

Bom and Minzy laughed while Jiyong had a tint of pink appear on his cheeks. 

 

"Hey, shut up, Chaerin. I have a girlfriend, you know??" Jiyong said, his tone slightly annoyed but CL didn't think much of it. 

 

"Chaerin, don't say things like that." told Bom. 

 

"Yeah, okay, I'm sorry." CL apologised. 

 

"CL, Minzy, come here for a second." called the choreographer and the two girls quickly went over to the other side of the studio. 

 

A few seconds later, Bom was called by a vocal trainer and had to leave so that left Dara and Jiyong together. 

 

It was awkward to say the least. CL's statement really made them feel uncomfortable and it made Jiyong over think about his actions. 

 

Is that true? Did it look as if he liked Dara? 

 

He didn't want others to think that he liked Dara in a different way than a friend because he had a girlfriend and it'd be bad if someone thought he was cheating on her or something. 

 

Jiyong looked at Dara and noticed she had once again had her hair tied up in an apple ponytail. 

 

Apple. 

 

All of a sudden Jiyong had gotten an idea for what he wants as a concept for his album and he excused himself from Dara straight away to go up to Hyun Suk's office. 

 

But Dara had thought that Jiyong left because it was awkward and what CL had said had made their friendship uncomfortable. 

 

* * 

 

Jiyong quickly knocked at Hyun Suk's office and entered without even getting a confirmation that he was allowed to enter. 

 

"I know what I can do for the album!" he quickly said, making Hyun Suk a bit shocked at his sudden outburst of excitement. 

 

"Oh?" Hyun Suk questioned. 

 

"Yeah. So I was thinking apple."

 

"Apple???" Hyun Suk thought that Jiyong was out of his mind or just needed more sleep. 

 

"Yes. An apple is slightly shaped as a heart. And my title song is 'Heartbreaker', so I was thinking of an apple being a sort of logo type thing for my album. For the photoshoot, I could crush it, eat it, or have red paint around. Just anything like that. So what do you think?" explained Jiyong.

 

Hyun Suk thought about it for a moment, contemplating on the idea and deciding that he loved it. He wondered where he got such an idea from. 

 

"I like it."

 

Jiyong smiled and did a celebratory fist pump in the air as he said "Yes!". 

 

"Where did you get such an idea?" asked Hyun Suk. 

 

Jiyong shrugged. "I don't know. I just saw Dara's apple ponytail and thou-" 

 

"Dara?" Hyun Suk smirked a little but Jiyong didn't notice. 

 

"Yup."

 

"Hm, okay. Well, I'll tell the photographer and the people in charge of your album. Text me any other details about it if you want. That's all, you can go." 

 

"Okay."

 

Jiyong left and headed back to the dance studio. 

 

But when he got there, everyone was gone. 

 

He texted Dara. 

 

GD: Where are you? 

 

Why didn't they say bye, he thought. 

 

D: We went home. We didn't know where you went off to so we couldn't say bye. 

GD: Oh. I wish you would've waited. 

D: I'm sorry. I didn't know. You just left. 

GD: Yeah, my fault. Sorry. 

D: It's okay :) 

 

Jiyong felt as if this conversation was awkward and he just didn't know why. So he decided to ask. 

 

GD: Is something wrong?

D: No...

D: What makes you think something is wrong? 

GD: It's just our conversation right now isn't like the other ones. 

D: It's nothing. 

GD: Dara, just tell me! 

D: Tell you what??? O_O

GD: Something's wrong! 

D: Nope! Nothing. 

GD: When girls say nothing's wrong, it usually means something is. That's what Teddy hyung tells me. 

D: Oh my~ 

D: It's just what CL said.

 

Jiyong's heart quickened when he read her message. 

 

D: Did you leave because it was awkward between us? Are we okay? :S

 

Jiyong chuckled at her over thinking. 

 

GD: Yes, we're okay! Of course we are. We'll always be okay. 

D: Then why did you leave so quickly? >< 

GD: I had an idea for my album concept and I guess I got too excited that I rushed up to YG hyung's office to tell him lol XD 

D: Ah~ so that was the reason! Well, that makes sense. 

GD: Yeah. You shouldn't over think so much, Dara. 

D: Ok, ok~ I won't! 

D: So what was your idea? 

GD: Wanna know my idea? 

D: Yes. 

GD: Apple. 

D: Apple??? 

GD: Wanna know how I got that idea? 

D: Okay... 

GD: You. 

D: Me??? o.o

D: How??? 

GD: Apple ponytail. 

D: So what's apple got to do with your concept? 

 

Jiyong began to explain to her what his thoughts were of the concept and Dara said it was a good idea, and that it was all thanks to her which made Jiyong laugh. 

 

They continued to text till Jiyong reached his house. 

 

GD: Well, we should probably sleep now. It's getting really late. 

D: Yup! I'm so tired but you've been keeping me up!! 

GD: Sorry!! 

D: Haha, I'm joking. 

D: Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow?

GD: Maybe~ :P

D: Ok~ goodnight x 

GD: Dara..

D: Yes? 

GD: Thank you. 

D: For? 

GD: Being my inspiration for my concept. 

 

Dara blushed when she read the text message from Jiyong and her heart slightly skipped a beat but she didn't take notice. 

 

D: You're welcome... 

GD: Goodnight, Dara. 

D: Goodnight, Jiyong.

 

---

 

 

 

A/N: The data was taking its time to get back and I couldn't wait any longer so I'm putting up the two missing chapters now. I'm still editing chapter 4 cz I realised that I made a few spelling mistakes and stuff so it's probably going to be up in a couple of minutes after this chapter. 

Also, I'm planning on putting up chapter 5 later on today, probably an hour or so after chapter 4 is up since I'm currently tidying up my room and I'm just taking a little break to put up the missing chapters lol. 

 

Thanks to the new subscribers btw. I'm quite sad that I lost a couple of subscribers due to AFF being down but I hope they find my fic again :) 

 

Any questions? Just write on my wall here on AFF or ask me on tumblr/twitter: www.ohkarlamae.tumblr.com / @kaymaei