Amina had second thoughts the following day about her decision to attend the party.  As much as she felt concern for Seungri's well being, she also knew that showing up would cause issues between her and Youngbae, not to mention amongst the band members themselves.  She decided to give him a call, using the number that he wrote on her palm the other day.  She hoped it was a real number and that he would pick up.

"Yoboseyo?"

"Seungri?"

"Neh... who's this?"

"Ah... it's me, Amina."

"Ah, noona!" A slight muffling sound could be heard as he moved to a quieter room.  She heard him shut the door. "What's going on?  How are you today?"

"I'm doing fine, I just..." she paused.  How could she explain her doubts for attending tonight's party without hurting his ego? "I don't think it will be wise for me to attend tonight's party with you..."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong... You mentioned it was a company party, so I don't know if it would be right for me to show up."

Seungri sighed into the phone.  "Oh... well, if it makes any difference, you won't be the only non YG person there.  We're allowed to bring someone, if we want to.  Aish... I just," he stammered.  "Are you sure you can't go?  I really don't have anyone else to go with me."

Amina could hear the desperation in Seungri's voice.  She knew she couldn't turn him down now. "No, I'll go... I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be awkward, that's all," she replied lamely.  "So... what type of party is this? Fancy or casual?"

Seungri's voice was filled with victory as he cheerfully responded, "It'll be an intimate affair, only a hundred or so of us.  I'd say somewhat fancy.. at least I know I'm dressing up.  Feel free to wear a dress, if you'd like."

"Okay."

"Alright then... what floor is your apartment on?" She gave him the floor and apartment number.  "Great," he replied. "I'll pick you up around seven.  Annyeong!"

"What was that all about?" asked Seunghyun, as he watched Seungri walk into the bathroom to take a call.

"I have no idea," replied Jiyong.  He was sitting in a black chrome swivel chair getting his make-up applied.  They were at another photo shoot this morning, a promotional venue for G-market.

"I haven't seen him that secretive in awhile.  Should we be concerned?"

Jiyong looked up as Seungri came back into the room, a small smile on his face.  "Yah!  Who was that?"

"Huh? Oh... just my date for tonight's party."

Seunghyun looked at Seungri in surprise, "So you actually found yourself a date?"

"Yeah, I said I would," he replied in confidence.  But with less uncertainty, he asked Jiyong, "I can still bring someone to the party, right?"

Jiyong smiled in disbelief.  This maknae and his dates!  "Neh... house rules though.  Who is she?"

"Umm... I rather not say."

Seunghyun made a disapproving sound.  "How can we know if she can come if you don't tell us who she is?"

"She may or may not come," Seungri responded.  "So, I rather not say who she is.  It might jinx the date tonight."

"Wae? Did you have other plans tonight if things go well?" Seunghyun rubbed his hands over Seungri's pecs in exuberance.

"Hyung!" Seungri jerked away embarrassed, grabbing his chest. He smoothed his shirt back into place. "Who knows.  I might."

"Aish... don't forget yourself tonight," Seunghyun warned.

The slight mention of his latest scandal immediately sobered Seungri up.  "What about everyone else?  Are you guys bringing anyone?"

"Aniyo... you know we never bring anyone," replied Jiyong.

"What about Taeyang hyung? He's might be on the phone with his date." They looked over to see Youngbae speaking earnestly to someone on the phone.

Jiyong clucked his tongue.  "You know damn well he's on the phone with his umma."

"What about Daesung hyung?" Seungri glanced over in the corner.  "He's always texting someone."

"Now that," Jiyong replied smiling, "I still haven't figured out."

Amina checked her hair and make-up one last time that evening while waiting for Seungri.  She knew it was overkill, but she had to make sure she looked her best.  Amina needed confidence if she was going to be around Youngbae all night.  She needed to show him that his slight from last night didn't mean anything to her.  She told herself she was a modern woman, someone who could kiss others without getting emotionally involved.  It was no big deal she lied to herself.  A knock sounded on her door.  That had to be Seungri.

Amina opened the door and found herself face to face with a very dashing and handsome Seungri.  His hair was gelled expertly in place, his fitted sports jacket cut perfectly to frame his long torso. He wore a white fitted button-up collar-shirt with slim black tie.  He topped off his fitted slim fitted black slacks with pure white sneakers, which looked new - straight out of the box. 

"Annyeong," Amina smiled.

Seungri stood gaping at her for a few moments before finally gulping and shutting his mouth.  "Noona, you look beautiful tonight."

His genuine compliment brought a blush to her face and she replied, "You don't think it's a bit much?" She wore a cream, one shoulder, body hugging, silk gown that showcased her decollatage.  The color blended closely to her glowing skin, almost making it appear that she was wearing nothing at all. It flattered her small waist and bust, drawing attention to her flawless face. Her hair fell in loose waves down her back and the only jewelry she wore were simple diamond stud earrings.

"Not at all," he replied.  And then under his breath Seungri added, "He's going to love it."

"Hmm?" Amina asked

"I mean," Seungri stuttered, "Everyone's going to love it. Let's go!" He crooked his arm for Amina to slide through and waited patiently as she grabbed her white wool wrap and evening clutch before turning off the lights and securing the apartment.  She placed her hand through his arm and held on as they made their way to the elevator.

The Thank You party was being held at Jung Sik Dang, a small fine dining restaurant in Gangnam-gu that served a modern take on the traditional Korean food.  The entire place was rented out for the evening and the ambience was modern and intimate. Waiters were dressed in white uniforms and provided white cloth service.  The guests were milling about, talking and laughing about their experience on the Still Alive tour that they had recently wrapped up. At their guest of honor's request, electronic music played in the background to contrast the elegant atmosphere, which created more of a relaxed vibe.

Jiyong and Youngbae secured a table near the back corner of the restaurant, next to the large windows that showcased the surrounding trees nearby and overlooked the parking lot.  From their advantage, they could see everyone who was coming or going. They both were semi-dressed up.  Youngbae had on a white fitted t-shirt under a Thom Browne black knit cardigan which had four white slashes along his left sleeve.  He wore his usual matching black bandana with black relaxed trousers, along with boots.  Jiyong, on the other hand, wore a red and green Christmas-like chunky sweater, the snowflake pattern lending it's cuteness against the other hard chrome objects on his person.  He pants were duck-taped and held together with numerous safety pins.  His hair was styled and swept high off his face.  They watched as Daesung and Seunghyun approach the table.

Seunghyun, looking dapper as usual, wore a laser cut navy blue suit over a white, blue and green cross-stitched button up collar shirt. He had on a matching green bow tie and his loafers were waxed to shine.  Daesung wore a long sleeve button up shirt as well, but paired his plaid top with a grey Thom Browne blazer, the pockets trimmed in white.  He finished off the look with skinny black jeans and matching oxfords.

"'Bout time you guys all got here." Jiyong teased, "I was afraid we would have to eat without you."

"Where's Seungrie? Still fixing his hair?" asked Daesung.

"Naw, he had to pick up his date remember?" replied Jiyong.

"His date?" asked Youngbae. He hadn't realized Seungri was bringing a date.

"Neh... the fool actually went through with his idea to bring a date to the party," Seunghyun replied.  "I guess old habits die hard."

Jiyong shook his head.  "Naw, I'm sure he knows better now.  I know he wouldn't do anything like that again.  I told him..." Jiyong annunciated in English, "discretion."

"Discretion," Daesung replied and nodded his head.  "New word of the night... discretion."  They laughed at their new play word of the night, using it in multiple sentences and jokingly using it in ways that didn't make sense.

"Yah! Isn't that his car now?" asked Seunghyun.  They all peered out the windows and watched as Seungri walked around the car and opened the passenger door.  "Well, whoever it is, better be worth it. He knows we're all watching."

"Well, whoever she is, definitely has a body," replied Daesung.  They all pressed their noses closer to the window.  The style of her hair and the way she angled her face made Youngbae look sharply away.  He immediately sat down in his seat, which didn't go unnoticed by Jiyong. Looking back at the couple below, Jiyong peered even closer and watched as they made their way slowly to the entrance.

"That little ..." gritted Jiyong. 

Amina left her wrap with the attendant and followed Seungri closely behind as they made their way past the wine fridge entrance.  The music and crowd were loud enough that they didn't create a disturbance when they entered the room. But with typical Seungri flair, he drew attention their way when he shouted greetings to people he knew. Slowly, people began to glance her way with curious expressions.

They eventually made it to Jiyong's table where the other Big Bang members were gathered.  Everyone but Youngbae.  Amina noticed he was nowhere in sight. She immediately became on edge. 

"Hyung!" Seungri greeted them.  "You all know Amina, right?"

"Annyeonghasaeyo..." Amina bowed as gracefully as she could considering the low cut of the dress.  Glancing around, she noticed she was slightly over-dressed from the other women in the room - the only people in suits being Seungri and Seunghyun.  She groaned inwardly.

They all smiled politely at her. "Amina-shi... are you ready to show off your moves tonight?" joked Daesung.

"Neh... I will if you will," she replied, much to their amusement.

"Seungri, do you have a moment?  I need to talk to you," asked Jiyong.

"Oh... sure hyung," replied a nervous Seungri.  "Let me just grab a table for Amina and me and I'll be right back." He looked over at Amina and gently touched her elbow to lead her off.

They walked across the room and found an empty table next to a couple of older ladies.  Unbeknownst to Amina, she was sitting next to Youngbae's crew: Im Hye Kyung, his makeup artist, Kim Tae Hyun, his hair designer, and Ji Eun, his stylist. She greeted the ladies warmly and they returned her welcome the same.  Seungri sat down next to her, their backs against a wall so they could see everyone around them.  Immediately, Amina turned to her right and grabbed a section of Seungri's side, hidden from the tablecloth's view, and pinched him with all the pent up anguish she was experiencing.

"Yaoooo!" Seungri winced and loudly hollered, sparking more interest to their table.  The three elder ladies glanced curiously at their direction. He looked accusingly at Amina, rubbing his side.

Amina planted a fake smile on her face and hissed at his direction through her teeth," Seungri-shi... you said it was a fancy affair."

Still rubbing his side, Seungri pouted. "Noona... did you really have to do that? That really hurt..." Wincing a few more times, he explained, "It is fancy... I'm dressed up, aren't I?"

With a forced smile still in place, she gently chided, "Do you always dress up for events?"

"Of course! I'm Seungri..."

"Aigo, aigo, aigo," Amina replied, closing her eyes.  She planted an elbow on the table and held her head.  "And their dates?  You said everyone was bringing a date?"

"Neh?"

"So where are they? I didn't see any ladies at their table."

He glanced away, but quickly looked back when he caught Jiyong's evil stare.

"Um... I guess they couldn't make it?"

Amina opened in surprise.  Based on the expression on his face, she knew she had been duped.  "Don't you mean that there weren't any dates to begin with?"

"Noona I..."

"Omo... I'm crashing a party." She looked down at the tablecloth, embarrassed for being there.

"It's not like that. I told you we could bring dates," he pleaded for her to understand.

She looked at his face, accusation lining her voice.  "Seungri... I told you I hated to intrude.  You could have invited anyone else to the party.  Why me?"

Seungri looked at the hurt on Amina's face and knew she deserved to be told the truth.  "Because I couldn't bear to see you unhappy."

His quiet confession confused her.  Her eyes expressing as such, she asked him to explain.  "What do you mean?"

He sighed and looked at the gorgeous girl sitting beside him.  Had he made an effort, Seungri knew Amina wouldn't have questioned her being there.  He would have made it known by now what his intentions were, no doubt about it.  But it seemed that fate had other plans.  "Amina... I know you care for Youngbae hyung." He paused when he saw her guard go up.  "And I know he cares about you too..."

"Seungri... I told you.  There is nothing going on between us."

"If that were true, I would have made my move on you last night," he declared. 

Amina gasped lightly at his bold confession and felt her cheeks heat in response.

"But I didn't," he continued, "because I could tell that you were lying." She turned away from him to glance unseeingly into the distance.  He tried to coax a response from her.  "Please don't be mad at me."

Amina felt vulnerable.  She was more upset at herself than she was at Seungri.  Looking into his eyes she asked pathetically, "Am I really that obvious?"

He grinned slightly at her miserable face.  "Neh... you say one thing, but your eyes say something else."

Amina quietly nodded.  She knew she was good at concealing her emotions but her eyes always gave her away.  "Do the others know?"

"Aniyo."

"Seungri... they're going to kill you for doing this."

"I know," he nodded woefully. "But they'll get over it.  Look, I love my hyung but he isn't always the best in expressing his emotions.  When it comes to singing and dancing, he holds nothing back," Seungri said, motioning his hands to indicate all.  He placed his palm over his chest.  "But when it comes to real matters of the heart, he tends to hesitate."  He continued in a quieter voice, "I know he cares for you... I'm just giving him more time to show you how."

Amina noticed Jiyong jerk his hand towards their table, commanding someone to come over.  "I think he means you."

Seungri glanced back at Jiyong's table and cringed slightly.  He planted a smile on his face.  "Well, my time has come. Do you think you'll be fine by yourself for awhile?"

"Neh.  Do you want me to bring you a weapon? A broom handle? A fork?"

A genuine smile crossed his face from her teasing.  "I think I'll be fine."  He stood up slowly.  "But if I don't come back tonight, don't come looking for me you hear?  You just save yourself."

She felt herself smile and pulled him down closer to her so she could whisper in his ear.  "Seungri... Gomawo." She quietly replied and watched as a red hue creep up his cheeks.  He bowed slightly and left their table.

Youngbae watched from a distance as Seungri dipped down to catch Amina's last parting words before leaving their table. He watched them trade secretive smiles before glancing away.  Pinning a smile on his face, he tried to concentrate on the conversation around him.  He was seated with his fellow back-up dancers, at a table diagonally around the corner. 

From his angle, he could watch her unnoticed. Trying not to be obvious, he found himself occasionally glancing her direction, watching her every move.  Every once in a while, she would toss her hair to the side and he'd be gifted with a view of her lovely neck and creamy back.  The dress perfectly matched her skin tone, giving him dirty thoughts to feed on.  He cleared his throat and forced himself to look away.

A few moments later, he looked at her table and noticed she was gone.  He shifted his seat further back and caught a glimpse of her.  She had moved closer to the next table and was slowly rubbing on Ji Eun's back.  The other ladies were watching her intently, animatedly nodding and smiling.  Kim Tae Hyun made a motion towards her neck.  Youngbae could see Amina asking questions and pointing to her own neck muscles.  He watched as his hair stylist eyes brightened with excitement when Amina conveyed her understanding. He found himself grinning at their childish expressions.

"Taeyang-shi... What are you smiling at?" A loud voice called over to him.  It was Teddy hyung, their producer, from across the room.

At the mention of his name, he saw Amina flinch and turn around in her seat, glancing in his direction.  He immediately turned his head away schooled his features.  Smiling, he replied  "Hyung!  When did you get here?"

Amina was having a great time under the circumstances.  The ladies next to her were friendly and kind, especially after they found out she had helped nurse Youngbae to health.  And it also helped that she was on her second glass of wine tonight. She needed the liquid courage if she was going to last through the rest of the night. 

As expected, Seungri didn't come back to the table in time for the main course. She scooted over and shared the table with the elder ladies and they chatted amicably about what they did during the tour.  The food was ultra-fancy and very delicious, but Amina couldn't force down much.  Her nerves were getting the best of her. To her horror, she watched from the corner of her eye as Youngbae made his way towards their table.

"Youngbae-ie!  Where have you been hiding?" chided Ji Eun.

"Oh..." he replied shame-faced.  "I meant to come by earlier.  Wae? Did you miss me?"  He playfully hugged his noona.

She gently slapped his arm wrapped around her neck.  "Yah!  Where's Seungri?  He left Amina all by herself."

"Yah!" chimed Im Hye Kyung.  "How come you didn't introduce us to Amina before? We've been telling her all sorts of horror stories about you."

Youngbae laughed.  "Is that right?  Don't believe everything you hear..." he said pointedly to Amina. "But most of it is true," he joked.

Amina forced herself to laugh on cue with the rest of the ladies.

"Teddy-shi!" Ji Eun called out, stopping Teddy on his way towards Jiyong's table. He made his way over.  "Come meet Youngbae's Amina."

He angled his eyebrow at Youngbae, "Yours?"

Turning red, Youngbae shook his head.

"Aish.. not 'his' Amina.  I meant, Amina as in the person that's been taking care of him for the past week," Ji Eun corrected herself.

"Ah, I see..." Teddy replied.  "Well with looks like that, I would have healed faster too just by seeing your face every day."

Amina blushed at the compliment.  "Kamsahamnida."

Teddy continued to stare at her features trying to intimidate her.  But instead of looking away, Amina met him gaze for gaze.  He was impressed by her actions.  "You sure she's not yours?" Teddy asked Youngbae teasingly.

"Ah... hyung!" He wrapped his arm around Teddy's shoulder.

Teddy laughed as he dragged Youngbae away with him towards Jiyong's table. 

Other than the slight acknowledgement in the earlier conversation, Youngbae didn't say anything else to her that night.  She watched as he moved from table to table, conversing directly with each of the occupants for several minutes.  She tried to concentrate on what Ji Eun was saying, but her focus kept drifting.  She saw him being friendly to a couple of his lady back-up dancers and wished he could be that relaxed and comfortable around her.  She immediately envied their relationship.   Why did it have to be so hard between them? The more she watched, the more pressure she felt in her chest.  She needed to get away for a bit before she cracked. 

"Excuse me, I just need to use the ladies' room," said Amina before leaving the table.

"So how do you think things are going?" asked Seunghyun to Jiyong.

Jiyong watched as Amina made her way towards the restroom.  "Based on the glances he's been giving her tonight and the number of glances she's been giving him in return, I'd say pretty well.  I just wish they would look at eachother directly instead of trading these love sick glances."

"Well, he's not going to get anywhere with her if he doesn't at least talk to her tonight.  Flat out ignoring her isn't going to help."

"True." He watched as Seunghyun stood up from their table. Jiyong raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"If he won't come to her, then I guess we'll need to make her come to him," Seunghyun quipped.  Jiyong watched in amusement as Seunghyun straightened his jacket and headed towards the bar, which was next to the restrooms.

Amina slowly made her way out of the ladies' room, dreading her way back towards the table.  If only she could find Seungri, maybe he'd take her home early.

"Amina-ah!" Seunghyun called out to her as she was walking out.  "Come have a seat.  I haven't spoken to you all night."

His presence and loud booming voice caught her by surprise. From the corner of her eye, she saw Youngbae pause in the distance and look directly at her.  She dismissed him from her mind and proceeded to sit down on the bar stool next to Seunghyun.  She immediately noticed his face was flush and his eyes were glazed.  

Peering closely in his face, she teased, "Top-shi, are you drunk?"

"Me?  No... I don't get drunk."  He paused before saying, "In fact, I don't think I've reached that limit before." He grinned down into her face.

She smiled in return. "Well you're in good spirits tonight."

"As I should be! I've worked my off these past couple of weeks." He quirked two fingers towards the bartender.  Amina watched in surprise as she was poured a shot alongside Seunghyun's. "Here," he urged, pushing the shot glass towards her.  "Celebrate with me."

He gave her one of his deep intense stares and she found herself complying to his command.  They clinked glasses and downed the liquor.  Amina cringed slightly as the liquid burned a trail down towards her belly.  She on the lime that was offered on the side which help take the edge off a bit.

"Aaah..." Seunghyun quenched.  "So how are things going tonight?  Are you having fun?"

"Neh... everyone's been real nice."

"But are you having fun?  I can't let you leave here tonight unless you're having fun."

Amina grinned at him.  This was a completely different Seunghyun than she had met before.  "It's been alright," she confessed. "I don't know too many people here, so it's a bit difficult to enjoy the night."

He nodded his head understandingly.  "You just got to relax a little, that's all.  People tend to flock around people that have fun." He leaned in close to her face and said, "You know what I always find fun?"

She quirked her eyebrows at him questioningly.

"A drinking game. Wanna play?"

She didn't know why he was offering her so much attention right now.  But she felt comforted that at least someone came by to talk to her tonight. Drinking was not her thing, but she couldn't think of a better way to make the night go by faster. Feeling out of body, she slowly nodded her head.

She was game.  His notch of approval of her went up.  He raised another two fingers at the bartender.  "Okay, here are the rules..."