He adjusted the dark sunshades over his eyes and pulled the visor of his fedora cap closer to his hairline. He checked his appearance in the rear view mirror and scowled.  He didn't know how hyung could wear hats all the time. It just ruined the style of his hair.  But then again, he grinned to himself as he tossed the hat down in the passenger seat, he always did have better hair than his hyung.

Seungri brushed non-existent lint off the sleeves of his military styled blazer one last time before stepping out of his vehicle.  He looked up at the massive buildings in front of him, scanning the area to see if any paparazzi were lingering before slamming the car door shut.  But as luck would have it, not too many people expected hospitals to be a favorite frequent hotspot for K-pop stars.  He headed towards the main entrance, taking the elevators upstairs to the area where Youngbae directed him.

He spotted her immediately.  Seungri his lips and sauntered towards the reception area, taking care to angle his head seductively. He cleared his throat to catch her attention, watching her go wide-eyed.

With deliberate slowness, Seungri took off his sunshades and stared deeply into Yuri's luminous shocked eyes.  "Annyeonghasaeyo... I don't know if you remember me or not," he purred, inwardly enjoying the look of pure wonder on her face.  "But my fans call me... Seungri."

Yuri couldn't contain the happiness that was flowing through her, half wide open.  "N-neh..." she heard herself say, nodding her head slightly.

"And you're..." He lowered his eyes and checked her nametag slyly.  "...you're Yuri, if my memory serves me correct?"  He felt a little guilty as her smile became wider, her breathing shallower.

"N-neh!" Yuri exclaimed.  She looked like she was about to faint any minute now.

"I thought so," Seungri said, leaning closer to her over the counter.  "I was wondering if you could help me out, Yuri-yah."

"Anything..." she breathed.

"Good.  You see, there's a medical student by the name of Eun Amina," he watched her face fall slightly.  "Well, she took care of my hyung when he was injured."

"And you like her?  I don't blame you," she rambled in nervousness, jumping to conclusions "everyone likes Amina-sshi."  Her smile dimmed slightly.

"Ani," Seungri promised, watching her smile return.  He grinned.  "But I know my hyung really cares for her.  You see, he really didn't get a chance to connect with her while she was on assignment.  But now that he's healed... you know...."

Yuri nodded in agreement, half-understanding what he was talking about.  It was hard to concentrate with him standing in front of her. She was mesmerized by his teeth.  She never noticed how cute they were before... but now.  She sighed inside and caught bits and pieces of his conversation. He was rambling about Taeyang's injury and how hyung really appreciated Amina's help.  And something about them being busy over the next several weeks preparing for a final show in January.

"...so, would you mind sharing that information with me?" Seungri asked patiently, watching the haze clear from her eyes.

Yuri finally came to, after realizing he was waiting on her to respond.  She blushed.  "Mianhae... what did you ask me? My number?"

Seungri flushed, his eyes going over appreciatively.  She was a bold one.  "Umm..." he half-laughed in shyness.  "Neh," he said good-naturedly.  "And Amina noona's schedule for the next several weeks, if you have it."

Yuri blossomed under his gaze, the pinks of her round cheeks adding to her quiet beauty.  She quickly pulled up a few screens on her computer, clicking on the mouse rapidly. She hit the print button and smiled up at him, crossing her arms a little together to push up her goods.  "Should I let her know you asked about her?"

Seungri shook his head slightly to clear the effects her voluptuous curves were starting to have on him.  "Ani... shhh!" He pouted his lips together and raised an index finger, pressing it against Yuri's lips.  Her eyes went dreamy.  "This is our little secret okay?"

"Okay oppa," Yuri beamed, kissing his finger slightly.

Seungri jerked his finger back, feeling an odd current flow from his hand down to his nether regions.  He cleared his throat, watching her give him a knowing look. 

"Here you go oppa," Yuri scribbled her number on top and handed him Amina's schedule for the next several weeks.  "Amina-sshi starts school in a couple of weeks, so her schedule tends to bounce around.  But I'm usually here when she arrives... if you ever need me to do anything for you."  Unbeknownst to her, Yuri bit her lip seductively, as she waited for Seungri to respond.

He swallowed hard.  "Umm... neh," he replied, blinking rapidly.  He forgot what he wanted to say.  "I'll call you."

Yuri bowed slightly, smiling shyly.

He bowed back at her, all of a sudden feeling nervous.  "A-annyeong..."

"Annyeong Seungri-oppa..." She gave him a cute little wave as he walked backwards towards the elevators. 

He pushed the down button, smiling worriedly.  What the hell just happened? he thought to himself, as he entered the lift.

It had been nearly two weeks since her little trip to Dolce Vita.  Amina poured herself back into her work, picking up extra hours here and there from coworkers who were planning off for the holiday season.  She welcomed the distraction.  It kept her from over thinking and remembering.  It also tired her out enough that she usually fell into bed exhausted each night and woke up dreamless the following morning. 

On the way home, Hanna had laid it into her the best way that Hanna could without being bossy.  She was more hurt than anything that Amina didn't tell her beforehand.  They could have gone somewhere else for their mini-vacation.  How was she to know that she'd be taking Amina straight towards the mouth of the dragon's lair?  No pun intended!

Flashback

"Mianhae unnie..." Amina said, her eyes all cried out.  "I didn't think I'd ever run into him again, so I didn't think it would matter to tell you who he was."

Hanna gripped the steering wheel column hard between her hands.  "And to think... I thought he was the nice one," she muttered to herself.  "I can't believe he did this to you."

"He didn't do anything!" Amina exclaimed, feeling a need to defend Youngbae.  "It was me, remember?  I didn't tell him in the beginning."  She shook her head at herself and folded her arms over her chest.  She glanced over at the passenger window, watching the trees fade away.

"Are you okay?" Hanna asked cautiously, her eyes creased in sympathy.

Amina let out a humorless half-laugh. "I will be."

They sat in silence as the BMW ate the miles of pavement towards home.

"Well... at least it was just that one time."  Hanna stated, her eyes on the road.

She became alert when she didn't hear Amina's agreement.  She glanced over at Amina.  "Right?" She raised an eyebrow and waited.

Amina looked guiltily at Hanna.  Her face immediately gave her away.

"Omigod," Hanna said to herself, shaking her head.  "Mimi...."

"It just happened."

Hanna glanced her way and back.

"I don't regret it," Amina blurted, watching Hanna's face carefully.

"Oh, I know you don't regret it," Hanna grinned, watching Amina's defiant declaration of her new found ual freedom.  "I didn't ask if you regretted it.  But it does make it harder now, doesn't it?"

Amina looked at her miserably.  "Neh."

"I don't blame you," Hanna sighed, her eyes turning dreamy.  "The man just oozes appeal."  She clucked under breath.

Amina didn't think she could, but she found herself grinning at Hanna.  "Unnie..."

Hanna came back down to earth.  "Mianhae," she said sheepishly.  "I still despise him, if that means anything."

Amina smile slowly faded away as she recalled their last parting words.  "He wanted to be friends.  I wanted to be friends... but after last night."  She sighed.

"Friends... like with benefits?" Hanna asked, her eyebrow raising incredulously.

Amina shrugged her left shoulder. "I don't know... I'm sure it would have turned out to be that way.  And we would have hated each other down the road."

Hanna remained silent.

"I just know him, you know?" Amina thought out loud.  "He's not the type to share.  It would have ate him up inside if we kept going."

"And you?"

She glanced at Hanna's profile, her words grave.  "It would kill me too."

"Do you still love him?"

Amina glanced away, her heart heavy.  "Neh... that's why I'm letting him go now."

Hanna reached over and patted Amina's knee.  "I'm sorry it had to end this way... I wished that things were different for you." She glanced over at Amina and sadly smiled.  "Well, at least you guys cleared the air."

Amina nodded.  Hanna was right.  Now she could move on with her life.  It was just a matter of picking up the broken pieces of her heart and moving on.

"I can't believe I still didn't have a clue," Hanna shook her head at herself.  "Jiyong knew, right?"

Amina could see it was stinging Hanna's ego.  She twisted wryly and bit her lip, grimacing a little.  "Neh... and Seungri too."

"Aigoo!" Hanna banged her open palm against the steering wheel.  "And to think!  I let him kiss me..."

That shook Amina out of her resolve.  "Mwuh?!"

Hanna snapped out of her thoughts, suddenly realizing what she just said.  She blushed and cheekily replied, "Well... you weren't the only one that had fun on this trip."

Amina stared at Hanna, open in disbelief.  "Unnie!" she shrieked, her sadness fading away.

Hanna grinned.  "Jiyong's a real good kisser too..." Her eyes narrowed slightly, a frown forming on her lips.  "It's a shame I have to kill him now."

Amina choked back a laugh, her face burning in embarrassment.

End Flashback

The first day back at work was hard.  Everyone had asked where she went, what she did.  She planted a smile on her face and tried to appear excited, but it was exhausting.  At least her day was brighter when a bouquet of flowers arrived.  They were from Hanna and it included a cheerful note.  Amina smiled every time she admired the vase sitting on the corner of her desk.  That was one thing she could be thankful for.  While the trip was heartbreaking, she and Hanna had at least reconnected.

Hanna called her almost every day to check up. Amina was sure her cousin could still sense sadness lingering in her voice, but every day her heart felt stronger, her smile more believable. Sometimes Hanna would stop by to chat, bringing her treats, or they would hang out during Amina's crazy lunch break hours - whether that be at 2pm or 7pm, depending upon whatever shift Amina was working.  It was so nice to have Hanna back in her life now.  Yes, she felt like things were going back to normal.  That was... until the presents started arriving.

"Here you go, Amina-sshi," Yuri said, ready to plop down a large delivery box on Amina's desk.  "This one is really heavy."

Amina looked up from her computer and hastily made room for the delivery box.  Once she sat the delivery box down, Amina stood up in order to peer over it towards Yuri.

"Are you sure it's for me?"

"Neh," Yuri nodded.  "It says your name, right here."  She pointed at the delivery sticker on the side.

"Hmm," Amina poised her lips, unconvinced. Maybe it's from Hanna, she thought to herself.

"What is it?  Can I open it?" Yuri asked excitedly.

Amina smiled.  "Sure..."

Like a little kid on Christmas, Yuri grabbed the nearest letter opener and used the blunt end to rip off the tape from the delivery box. She bit down a smile as she continued to open the box, pulling away fluffy scrapes of tissue paper.  Her smile became bigger as she recognized the infamous gold boxes of sweets.  "Omo!" she sighed, pulling out the boxes one by one.

Amina craned her neck to the side to see what Yuri was harping about.

"Chocolate!  Tons and tons of chocolate...," Yuri breathed in, her eyes bulging.  She began stacking them on the floor, one after the other.  "It's a chocolate tower... expensive too!" She beamed up at Amina once she was finished, the boxes stacking and nearly reaching her height.

Amina swallowed, her hand lightly grazing her collarbone.  "I-is there a note?" she asked Yuri uneasily. 

Yuri went back to the delivery box, digging for a receipt.  She checked the outside once more before looking at Amina.  "Ani... it doesn't say."

Amina nodded her head distractedly.  She could feel herself becoming paranoid the more she stared at the tower.  "Gomawo Yuri-yah..." 

Yuri grinned, bowing her way out of the office.  She couldn't keep her eyes off the boxes of chocolate.

Amina noticed. "If you would like some, please help yourself.  I doubt I'd be able to eat them all."

"Neh?"

"Neh..." Amina replied.  She grabbed her cell phone off the desk and began dialing Hanna's number.  "Just take as much as you want," Amina ordered Yuri, watching the girl stress over which ones to pick.  Yuri flashed a grin and tucked two boxes under her arms before tip toeing out.  Amina vaguely heard Hanna's greeting over her loud beating heart.

"Hanna..."

"Neh," Hanna replied.  She paused, hearing the hitch in Amina's voice.  "What's wrong?  What's going on?"

"Please tell me that you're the one sending me chocolates," Amina begged, squeezing her eyes shut.

A long pause.

"Hanna?"

"Ani... mianhae, I was just thinking... Ani, it's not me," Hanna replied.  "Are you sure you don't have a secret admirer?"

Amina hadn't thought of that.  "Ani, not that I'm aware of. It seems... like a coincidence.  Mianhae, I'm going crazy that's all."  She shook her head and started pacing the office.

"I'm sure its nothing," Hanna reassured her. 

Amina stared at the boxes of chocolates in front of her.  "Neh... you're probably right.  Annyeong unnie."  She hung up and pocketed the cell phone, just as her office phone started ringing.

"Yoboseyo?"

"Amina-yah? came the sound of an old lady's voice on the other line.

Amina recognized her voice immediately.  It was Mrs. Song, the lunch aide she'd often greet during break.  "Yeh ajumoni."

"There's a delivery here for you," she said, her voice rising incredulously.  "I think you better come down..."

Amina felt her heart accelerate.  "Y-yeh... I'll be right down."  She hung up the phone and stared at it for a few moments before moving.  She passed by Yuri's station, feeling her eyes on her.

"Is everything alright?" asked Yuri, seeing the dazed expression on Amina's face.

Amina glanced back at her, her eyes wide.  She shrugged her shoulders and mouthed "I don't know" before hitting the down button on the elevator.  It took her a few minutes before she reached the correct floor and arrived at the kitchen area located behind the cafeteria.  She found Mrs. Song whispering with the Chief of Staff, an older man who ran the entire hospital.

"Annyeonghasaeyo," Amina bowed deeply, hoping whatever awaited her didn't involve her boss's boss.  She was wrong.

"Amina," the older gentlemen turned towards her.  "There is a delivery here for you.  Were you aware that it was arriving?"

Amina glanced at Mrs. Song, seeing her apologetic expression.  "A-aniyo sunbaenim," Amina replied, bowing once more. She looked back up at them, confusion written all over her face.

The Chief of Staff took pity on her.  "Well, I trust you will notify us next time there is a large delivery.  Luckily, Mrs. Song has room available in the deep freezers so it should work."  He glanced over at Mrs. Song.

"Yeh," Mrs. Song replied, bowing deeply.

He looked back at Amina, smiling slightly.  "Well, no harm.  The kids will get a kick out of it, I'm sure."

"Yeh," Amina politely replied, bowing.

"Alright, carry on," he said, before leaving the two alone.

Amina glanced at Mrs. Song, a worried expression on her face.  "What is it?" she blurted, preparing for the worst.

"Mianhae Amina-yah," Mrs. Song whispered.  She started walking towards the backroom with Amina in tow.  "I didn't think it would be a big deal, but news got out and he came down."  She ushered Amina towards the back dock where a large delivery truck awaited.  It wasn't any ordinary delivery truck, but one that held frozen goods.  A man in a blue uniform waited for her with a clipboard.

"Here she is," Mrs. Song replied, pushing Amina forward.

"Just sign here mam," the man said, plopping a pen in her hand.

"What is it?" Amina asked him as she signed her name on the line.  Her eyes were distracted as another worker crated several cardboard boxes into the building. 

"It's ice cream," he replied, signaling the Lotte Confectionary logo on the side of the truck. 

"M-mwuh?" Amina asked, her eyes growing large.

"Neh... ice-cream."  He shook his head.  "I don't know who eats ice-cream in the winter, but there it is..."  He tore off her receipt and tucked the pen behind his ear.  "Annyeonghasaeyo," he bowed to her and Mrs Song before leaving.

Amina bowed back at him, her mind going a million miles per hour.  Who in the...

"Did you want to take some home?" Mrs. Song asked, her eyes peering up at Amina, as she sorted through the boxes.  It was piled up all around her small frame.  There were hundreds, if not more, of boxes and boxes of individually wrapped ice cream bars.  Amina glanced at a few and could tell some were fruit flavored bars, some where chocolate coated vanilla bars, while others were kid friendly popsicles.  She shook her head at them all, unable to fathom why anyone would deliver her a truckload of ice-cream in the dead of winter.

"Aniyo," Amina replied.  She nervously bit her bottom lip, wondering what she would ever do with that many deserts.  "Please keep them here for the children's ward." 

Mrs. Song beamed at her.  "Alright, we'll do that."  She happily sorted through the boxes, calling on a co-worker to help her.

Amina walked back towards the lobby, taking the elevator back to her office.  Her mind was so preoccupied, she didn't even notice Yuri cheesing at her behind the receptionist desk.  She turned the corner to her office and stopped dead on her tracks.

"Do you like it?" Yuri asked from behind her, catching a glimpse of the gift she laid on Amina's crowded desk.  "It came while you were downstairs."

It was enormous candy bouquet of lollipops, with an assortment of sugary confections that ranged in size as small as her pinky to the size of her palm.  They were blossoming everywhere out of the tin vase, climbing as high as two feet.  Amina took a look closer and could see that all of the candies were hand crafted, the sugar blown to form flowers and small candy ribbon.  It was eclectic... and exquisite.  She could tell a lot of work had been put into the arrangement.

Amina looked up at Yuri, a look of disbelief on her face.

"It's for you... I checked," Yuri grinned, looking back at the arrangement.  "I wonder if you can eat it...." she sighed.

Amina smiled half-heartedly, her eyes turning wary.  She tried to concentrate on work the rest of the day, but her eyes kept drifting towards the candy bouquet and mounds of chocolate that sat in the corner of her office.  She received calls from the children's ward, exclaiming how all the children were excited that they would be receiving ice cream desserts with their meals for the next several weeks.  She smiled and accepted their thanks, her mind still lingering over who it might be.  She had a hunch... but a small part of her hesitated; she didn't want it to be true.

She took the subway home, her mind pre-occupied.  She reached the door to her apartment, unlocking it, before she noticed the brown paper wrapped large rectangular flat package leaning against the wall.  She glanced down the hallway and back, seeing if anyone was around or if someone may have misplaced it.  But all was quiet as she reached down for it, the package airy light for its large size.  Amina carefully peeled back the wrapping, her eyes growing misty when she recognized the piece.  It was the ugly vase painting from Mirae... the one from their first date.

Amina pulled the note tucked in the wrapping, her eyes turning blurry with unshed tears.  She sniffed them away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.  She read...

Jagi... do you remember the first night we shared? When I told you my favorite foods to eat?  Do you remember our first date? When I told you how much I loved your choice of painting?  Do you remember?  Because I do. - Yours

Her fingers shook as she held the note, the tears flowing down her face.  Her lips trembled as she spoke out loud.  "Oppa... why are you doing this?" she asked miserably, the pain returning.  She went inside the apartment, closing the door behind her.

The next day at work wasn't any better.  She had tossed and turned the night before and her eyes were still swollen from all her newly shed tears.  When she arrived at the hospital, there was another package on her desk.  This time it was smaller.  With shaky fingers, Amina gently unwrapped the gift, dreading what was inside.  She peeled the last of the wrapper off and let out a half laugh, a small smile forming on her lips. It was a pair of sneakers - Nike Air Jordan's to be exact. And lo and behold... they were just her size.

A note was taped on the box.  It read...

Jagi... since you insist on running away from me... I insist you do so comfortably. - Yours

She bit the smile on her lips, the sadness in her eyes fading away.  It was replaced by a melancholy feeling, the heaviness creating pressure inside her chest.  She let out a long sigh and set the gift aside, sitting down in her chair.  What am I going to do with you oppa? She powered up her computer and tried to refocus on the reports at hand.

The following days got worse.  There were no more notes, but the gifts became smaller... and more expensive.  At first it was a thin gold chain necklace with a solitary diamond pendant.  It was simple and classic.  Just her style.  She closed the jewelry box and shoved it deep inside her office desk so she wouldn't see it.

The next day, it was a diamond tennis bracelet, the round crystals sparking like fire against her skin.  Even without expert training, Amina could tell that they were expensive.  More expensive than what someone would spend on someone who wasn't theirs.  She laid it back inside the felt box and snapped it shut, before setting it next to the necklace.

The last gift was the final straw.  She came into work and wouldn't have seen the package without the big red bow on top.  It was small and blue, the velvet of the small ring box unmistakable.  She couldn't even bear to bring herself to open it.

Angrily, Amina grabbed all three jewelry boxes and shoved them inside her purse, her nerves on edge.  She went into Dr. Park's office and told her she needed to excuse herself for a moment to complete a short errand.  After leaving the hospital, she took the transit bus and traveled back towards Mapo-Gu, towards the Big Bang dormitory.  The security guard recognized her face and let her in immediately.

"Annyeonghasaeyo," Amina bowed, her face flush.  She had a string of words she wanted to say to Youngbae and her heart was racing.  "Is Youngbae in?" she asked the security officer.

"Aniyo," he replied, checking his schedule.  "They just left a few hours ago for rehearsal.  Did you need something?"

"Ani," Amina replied, digging into her purse.  "Just this."  She plopped the jewelry on the counter, watching the old man's eyes go wide.  "Will you please do me a favor and make sure this gets back to Youngbae, please?"

The gentlemen nodded, his hands carefully cradling the items. 

Amina bowed and turned, heading back towards the entrance.

"Ah, miss!" he called out.

Amina turned around.

"Did you want to leave a message?"

Amina paused.  There were a million things she wanted to say to him, the hurt and anger rising to the surface.  She nodded her head and came back towards the counter, taking the pen and paper from the security guard's hands.  Her fingers shook as she penned a short note, folding it carefully.  She glanced back at the officer one last time, her lips pressed together firmly.  She hoped Youngbae would get the message this time.