Ji-Na.  His first love.  The woman he professed to when he was seventeen.  The woman that he felt was The One had the timing been different - if he hadn't debuted, if his life had been simple.  She was older than him by over five years, but she still called him 'Oppa'.  Every one of his band mates teased that he was still holding out for her.  That she was the reason why he never fell in love with another. He in a breath as he felt her voluptuous curves press intimately against him.

Youngbae impulsively looked for Amina, but only caught a glimpse of her facing away as she continued to place silverware on the dining table nearby.  Maybe she hadn't seen the affectionate embrace.  But who was he kidding?  Everyone in the room had their eyes glued to them.  And he affirmed it when he saw Amina set out another placemat, her hand visibly shaking.  He groaned inwardly to himself.

"Annyeong noona," he politely replied, immediately creating space between them.  "It's been awhile." He held out the plates in his hand as an excuse to soften the blow.  "Mianhae... I feel like I'm going to drop these, excuse me." He backed up from her and headed towards Amina, setting the plates on the table.

Upon hearing the thud of plates nearby, Amina looked up, her eyes carefully blank.  She smiled politely.  "I'll finish setting up."  She grabbed the plates in front of him, rendering him useless.  Ji-Na grabbed his hand, forcing him to turn around.

"Oppa! I've never been here before.  Why don't you show me around?" she simpered, her eyes inviting.

"Oh," Youngbae replied.  He glanced at Jiyong's pained face and Seungri's devilish expression and could see that he wouldn't be receiving any help from them tonight. "Neh, I'll show you around."

Seungri grinned as he watched the pair walk out of the room, with Ji-Na half hanging onto Youngbae.

"Seungri," Jiyong's curtly said.  "May I have a word with you?  Alone?"

Seungri's smile slowly disappeared when he saw his leader's murderous expression.  "N-neh..."

The pair walked in the opposite direction of Youngbae and Ji-Na, heading towards the foyer.  The front door of the building slammed shut, as they took their conversation outside.

"I wonder what that was all about," said Hanna, oblivious to the whole mess.

Amina delicately shrugged her shoulder, doing her best to appear calm. But inside she felt vulnerable and utterly humiliated.  Apparently, Youngbae had females lined up around the corner for him.  There was no way she'd get a second chance to explain her side of the story to him.  She needed to get out of there, fast.

"What did I say?" Jiyong sneered as he pummeled Seungri once more in the back.

"Stop hyung!" Seungri cried out, his blocking efforts mute.  "It hurts!"

"Oh, you think this is pain? Wait till Youngbae gets his hands on you!" Jiyong warned, coming after Seungri once again.

Seungri side-stepped him this time, backing away with his hands up.  "Mianhae... I'm just trying to help!"

"Help? How?  By adding more fuel to the fire?"  He took a deep breath, trying to cool his temper.  "Did you know she was going to explain herself to him while they were up here?  But how is she going to do that with Ji-Na all over him?  Huh?  Explain that to me!"

Seungri stood his ground, dumbfounded.  "Explain what?  She shouldn't have to explain.  It's Youngbae hyung that should do the explaining."

"Are you serious?" Jiyong scoffed.  "Get your story straight, maknae.  Your girl, Amina? Yeah, she has a fiancé.  That's why Youngbae won't have anything to do with her anymore."

Seungri paused, suddenly doubting his plan.  "Ani," He shook his head.  "There's got to be some misunderstanding. I saw her that night."  He broke off, remembering the pain in her eyes.  "I know she cares about him.  But hyung needs to apologize."

Jiyong sighed.  This was getting nowhere.  "Look, they just need to talk."

Seungri nodded his head in agreement.

"Why the hell did you bring Ji-Na?" Jiyong exclaimed again.

Seungri hesitated, while he thought it over once more.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but the more Jiyong pounced on him, the less confident Seungri felt of his plan.  "Well... you know how Ji-Na noona was Youngbae hyung's first love and all."

Jiyong raised an eyebrow, waiting for Seungri to proceed.

"I thought that was part of hyung's problem.  That maybe he's afraid to love again because he got rejected.  So when I found out that Amina was coming, I invited Ji-Na noona along..."

Jiyong visibly paused.  How the heck did Seungri find out that Amina was coming? he thought to himself.

"...once hyung sees the difference in the two women, he'll know that who he really loves is Amina."

"Omo!" cried Jiyong.  "Have you been reading romance novels again?"  He shook his head and grinned incredulously.  "You don't even know what he's going through.  Hell, I don't even know and I know everything!"

Seungri shook his head in denial and looked up into the night sky.

"What if it's the fact that he can't love her because she's already promised to someone else?  Did it ever occur to you that he may have morals? We're not all shameless like you."

Seungri grinned.  "I have morals..."

Jiyong scoffed.  "You've really gambled on this one maknae.  You're betting that his love for her is going to overcome whatever he's feeling inside."  He quietly snickered to himself.  "That's if he even loves Amina at all."

"Oh, he loves her," Seungri replied confidently.  "He just doesn't know it yet."

Jiyong scoffed under his breath.  What the hell was he going to do with Ri? "You forgot one thing though."

Seungri raised an eyebrow.

"What if she doesn't love him?"

Seungri grew weary.  With less confidence, he replied, "Ani... I know she cares deeply for him."

"And you don't think Ji-Na's presence is going to scare her away?  She may just give him up, you know."

There was a possibility that Jiyong was right.  Seungri worried.  "I-I'll talk to her...just to be sure." He started towards the door.

"Uh huh," mocked Jiyong.  "You do that."

Amina punched him in the stomach.  She hissed, "You said you were going to the movies!"

"Mianhae... mianhaeyo." Seungri quickly bobbed his head, rubbing his belly.  They were in an enclave, across the hall.  No one seemed to pay them any attention. Seungri glanced behind him, watching the others fix their drinks for the meal.   "I had to know if you were coming or not."

"I don't want to be here," she quietly confessed, her eyes swimming with panic.

"Mwuh!" exclaimed Seungri, his plans going down the drain.  "Ani, ani... you have to stay!"

"What for?" Amina cried, her eyes searching Seungri's face.  "When I'm around, it's like I don't even exist.  And now he has Ji-Na unnie to occupy him.  What does he need me for?"

Seungri felt helpless.  "Mianhae... I should have never brought her with me."

"Wae?" Amina implored.  "Why did you bring her here?  Just to add to my misery?"

"Ani..." Seungri replied.  "I just wanted him to see what he would be missing out on if he let you go.  You see, Ji-Na noona was his first love..."

"His first love?" Amina moaned.  She started to feel ill.

"Neh.  But please don't let that scare you off," replied Seungri.  "It was a long time ago... when he was young."  He thought for a second and added, "Actually, I think she took advantage of him back then too, since she was the older one."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"You'll see," Seungri said.  "A few minutes around her and you'll see how she is.  And then hyung will realize that his thoughts of love are misconstrued.  That it doesn't always have to be black and white.  That love is... it can change things.  And people."

Amina continued to watch him skeptically, unnerving him.

"Well," Seungri sheepishly replied, "At least that's what the lyrics of my song say."

"Seungrie!" Amina grinned, aiming a half-hearted punch towards his chest. 

He laughed and dodged out of her way.

"Looks like those two are having a good time," Ji-Na remarked idly, drinking her vodka and cranberry.

Youngbae made a non-committal sound and pretended to look away.  But he was on pins and needles tonight, the corner of his gaze steady on the two.  He saw them whispering something quietly amongst themselves, their heads bent close together.

It seemed he was the only one preoccupied with Amina and Seungri's private talk.  Ji-Na had taken it upon herself to press up against him on the couch, her fingers mere inches away from his thigh.  He couldn't seem to find a way to get rid of her tonight.  Even the short, boring, tour around the facility didn't seem to damper the woman's affections.  She was stuck to him like glue.  Damn Seungri!

Youngbae glanced towards the kitchenette area where Jiyong and Hanna were putting the finishing touches on tonight's dinner.  It looked like Jiyong was having himself a good time, showing Hanna how to handle a knife from behind.  If he wasn't so worked up over seeing Amina tonight, he would have definitely given Jiyong a hard time about it.

He let out a sigh under his breath and tried to concentrate on the movie.  So much for a quiet vacation.

"It's over, Seungri.  Whatever you plan on doing, won't work."

"Why not?"

"Because," she implored, "because the last conversation I had with Youngbae didn't end so well."  She glanced unseeingly at the wall behind him.  "I don't even remember what we argued about... but I lashed out at him," she looked into Seungri's eyes, her shame apparent.  "I don't think he'll ever speak to me again."

"Well, I'm sure it was his fault," replied Seungri loyally. 

Amina smiled weakly.

"You guys just need a second chance."

"And what about my other mess?  I'm sure you've heard by now that I have a fiancé."

Seungri nodded.  "I know there's more to it than just that."  He saw the anxious worry fade from her eyes.

"You believe me?" she asked.

"Neh," Seungri replied confidently. 

"Gomawo," Amina sighed.  "You don't know how much that means to me."

"You can tell me about it later," Seungri replied.  "I just need you to tough it out the next few days.  No matter what happens, you can't leave alright?" 

Amina saw hope reflected in Seungri's eyes and wished there was a way that she could dissuade him.  She glanced back towards the resting room, watching Youngbae and Ji-Na together on the couch.  He was already lost to her.  What more did she have to lose?  "Alright, Seungri," she quietly replied.  "I'll stay."

"Dinner's ready," announced Jiyong. He helped Hanna set out more side dishes and headed towards the sink to wash his hands.

Amina gave Seungri one more skeptical look before she took off towards the resting room.  She couldn't help but see how Ji-Na was clinging onto Youngbae as the pair made their way towards the dining table.  Seriously? How much help did someone need to walk? She mentally rolled her eyes and went to wash her hands.

She could feel Seungri behind her as they brought out cups to make their own drinks. From the corner of her eye, she saw Seungri stiffen slightly.

"Seungri," Youngbae growled.  "I need to talk to you.  Now."

"N-neh hyung," Seungri sputtered, setting his glass on the counter.

Something snapped inside her.  Amina turned around and grabbed Seungri's hand and glared at Youngbae.  "It can wait.  We're about to eat."

Amina saw Youngbae' eyes widen slightly in surprise, but she didn't care.  She tugged on Seungri's hand and headed towards the table. 

Seungri had no choice but to pick up his glass and follow her.  He kept his head down, knowing Youngbae was staring after them.  He plopped down in the seat next to Amina's right, ignoring Jiyong's questioning gaze.

Jiyong and Hanna sat on the ends of the table.  Since Ji-Na had already chosen her seat next to Jiyong's right that left only one chair.  The one directly in front of Amina.  Youngbae sighed quietly to himself before approaching the table.  He sat down and noticed that Amina had her head bent, her lips quietly moving.  Was she praying?  He tucked away the information.  It was just another thing that he didn't know about her.

He repeated the same, quietly to himself, before lifting his fork to join the others. 

"Oppaaa...," Ji-Na smiled sweetly at Youngbae.  She quirked her eyebrow at a dish and looked back at her empty plate. 

"Oh," Youngbae smiled painfully at her.  He grabbed the communal serving spoon and scooped some chicken bulgogi and placed it on Ji-Na's dish. 

"Kamsahamnidaaaa..." Ji-Na simpered.  She took her fork and knife and cut her meat into tiny pieces. She let out a little "umph".

Youngbae looked up from his still empty dish and glanced over at Ji-Na.  Her eyes were on something else this time.  Feeling everyone's eyes on them, Youngbae turned slightly red but got half-way out of his chair to serve Ji-Na rice and a few other side dish items.

Hanna and Jiyong politely averted their eyes, but Seungri and Amina stared unabashedly at the couple in front of them.  Amina turned to Seungri, her eyebrows raised slightly.  She had an incredulous expression on her face.  She couldn't believe it. Was this really happening?

Seungri raised his eyebrows in reply, nodding his head slightly.

Amina let out a half laugh under her breath and grinned, much to Seungri's amusement.  She shook her head slightly, but couldn't stop smiling at her plate.  If anyone thought she was strange, she didn't care.  For the first time tonight, she felt happy.  And it didn't even matter that it was at someone else's expense.

Her twinkling eyes were filled with laughter as she gazed up and met Youngbae's eyes across the table.  Seeing his pained expression only made her smile wider.  She popped a slice of kimchi in and chewed, still smiling at him.

For a moment, Youngbae felt the wind knock out of him.  He forgot about everyone around him as butterfly flurries started in the pit of his stomach.  He glanced away and flexed his jaw, hating the vulnerable feelings she was bringing back to him.  He picked up his fork and tried to concentrate on his meal.

He reached for the communal spoon the same time Amina did.  Their fingers grazed, igniting sparks up his arm.  Like fire, he dropped the spoon and backed off, glancing up to see if she noticed.

Amina smiled into his eyes and confidently grabbed the spoon, placing a few pieces on her plate.  She placed the spoon back on the communal plate, turning it towards him. 

Youngbae shook his head slightly, mentally telling himself to get a grip. 

"So, what brings everyone up here?" asked Ji-Na, her head angled cutely to the side.

Hanna smiled politely in her direction.  "Work.  Actually, getting away from work.  It's been awhile since I've had a reprieve and Jiyong was nice enough to invite us up here."  She glanced down the table and gave Jiyong a smile.

"Oh," Ji-Na replied.  "And you?" she glanced towards Amina.

"I'm just along for the ride," Amina replied nonchalantly.  "Unnie invited me, so I decided to come with her."

"Well, it's not just all for me," replied Hanna indignantly.  She looked over at Ji-Na and explained.  "She's also experiencing guy problems so we're having ourselves a little girl time."

"Unnie!" Amina exclaimed, opened in disbelief.  She couldn't believe Hanna just outed her like that, in front of strangers practically too. Amina glanced over, hearing Jiyong choking on his food.  He quickly downed it with water, while Seungri watched her in fascinated horror.  She looked at Ji-Na, feeling the heat creep up her cheeks.  At least Youngbae had the decency to continue eating, ignoring them all. "It's not like that," Amina shook her head.

"Oh, don't be modest," Hanna replied.  "We've all been there before."

"Ohh..." Ji-Na sympathized.  "Broken heart?"

Hanna murmured her agreement.

Amina closed her eyes, wishing the ground would swallow her up. So much for enjoying the night.

"It's alright," Ji-Na continued.  She looked over at Hanna.  "We should get dressed up and go out dancing!  I always find a night of clubbing helps relieve stress!"

"They have clubs in Pocheon?" asked Hanna. They both looked at Jiyong for confirmation.

"Umm," Jiyong looked at Amina's pained expression.  "I'm not sure... maybe some bars."

"Oh, that will work," Ji-Na replied flippantly. She looked over at Amina, concern in her eyes.  "So was he your first love?"

Amina felt everyone's eyes on her.  She looked over to see Youngbae guarded expression, waiting patiently for her to reply.  She felt all the emotions flood back to her and quickly looked away.

"Neh," Hanna replied for her. 

Amina swung her head towards her cousin's direction, her lips compressed.  She wished her unnie would shut up.

"So what happened?" Ji-Na asked, her eyes turning all watery.

Amina bit her bottom lip and looked at Hanna, waiting for her to reply on her behalf.  Hanna glanced up, seeing Amina's furious expression.  "Mwuh?" Hanna asked.

"I don't know," Amina shook her head, anger overwhelming her. "You seem to know all the answers tonight.  Why don't you tell her what happened?"  She couldn't help her voice from shaking slightly.

"Mianhae..." Hanna replied, her eyes filled with sorrow.  "I thought we were among friends..."

Amina gave her a cold shoulder and turned towards Ji-Na.  "To answer your question, no - he wasn't my first love."  She saw Youngbae stiffen slightly across from her.  "I don't think it was ever love," she continued to explain to Ji-Na.  "It was more like a passing infatuation.  A silly school girl crush.  He doesn't mean anything to me."

Amina felt the hated tears threatening to return.  She glanced at Jiyong and bowed her head slightly.  "Mianhae... I've lost my appetite."  She scooped up her plate and headed towards the kitchen sink.  There was no way that she was going to walk past them to get to her room.  Amina chose the nearest door, leading her outside to the patio.  She hugged herself, letting the freezing air cool her anger.

The room was deathly quiet as the remaining occupants stared at each other. 

"He must have really broken her heart," Ji-Na concluded quietly.

"I should go talk to her," Hanna said, getting out of her chair.

"Ani," Jiyong said, stopping her.  "I don't think she'll want to talk to you yet.  Why don't you give her time to cool down?"  He looked over and noticed that Youngbae had stopped eating, his hands fisted over the silverware.  "Let's just eat."

"Are you going to come inside?"

Amina looked behind her.  She was hugging her knees and seated at the top of the staircase that led down towards the grounds below.

"Or did you plan on sleeping out here?" Seungri continued.  He rubbed his arms vigorously, trying to keep the cold from seeping in.

She turned away. "I just died... of humiliation," Amina mumbled, gazing into the starry night sky.

"Come on now," Seungri coaxed, walking towards her.  He sat down next to her on the steps.  "It wasn't that bad.  You're still alive. And now hyung knows how you feel."

"I don't want his pity," Amina replied, her voice turning hard.

"I don't think you could ever make him feel that way," Seungri said.  "Hyung will do whatever he wants, regardless of how others feel. So if he forgives you or brings you back into his life, believe me - it won't be because of pity."

Amina sat in silence, pondering Seungri's words.

"So what's up with this fiancé? Why didn't you tell him in the beginning?"

Amina looked over at Seungri.  "I wanted to.  But we were still getting to know each other... and the opportunity never came up."

"I don't think there's ever a good time to tell someone that you're engaged to someone else.  You kind of just have to say it from the beginning."

Amina sighed and cupped her forehead in both of her hands. "I know," she moaned.  "I've ever done this before!  I've never dated anyone where I felt like I had to tell them up front.  Things just..." She let out a frustrated sigh.  Her eyes pleaded for him to understand.  "Things just moved so fast."

Seungri nodded in understanding, his eyes kind.

"I've never felt this way before," Amina confessed.  "I wasn't ready for all of this..." She hugged herself and looked bitterly away.

Seungri watched her for a few moments before asking.  "You mentioned your engagement wasn't traditional.  What do you mean by that?"

Amina looked back at Seungri and took a deep breath.  She explained to him her situation with her family, the night of the Ball, her living situation.  She watched as his eyes grew in horror to anger, then from anger to understanding. 

"So you see," Amina replied.  "I have to marry David.  I don't want to disgrace my family."

"But this is your life we're talking about!"

"I know," Amina quietly replied.  "But I'm also the only child.  My family's business is all that we have.  David will do great running it one day."  She looked back at the dark horizon in front of her.

"But what about you? You're just going to marry him?  What about love?"

"What about love?" Amina asked in return.  "See what love has gotten me?  Nothing but heart ache. " She shook her head at herself.  "I should have never started something I knew I wouldn't be able to finish.  I did this to myself."

"You love him?"

Amina glanced away, unable to talk anymore.

Seungri didn't know what to say.  He never knew anyone that gave up on love.  But he knew he had the next two days.  He was determined to change her mind.

"You said you wouldn't leave."

"Hmm?" Amina didn't know what Seungri was referring to.

"Tonight," he clarified.  "You told me you would stay and endure it.  You can't leave again, okay?"

She nodded her head slowly.

"Not only because you promised me that you wouldn't leave, but also because hyung will notice how much this is affecting you.  You said you didn't want his pity, well then - you have to act like it doesn't bother you.  Stop running away and just face it head on."

Seungri had a point.  She needed to show Youngbae that she had moved on. That his rejection didn't affect her. "Neh," Amina replied.  "I won't do it again."

"Good.  Let's get inside... I'm freezing!"