Time stopped as they stared at one another, neither one willing to make the first move.

"Ah, hyung," Seungri hesitantly said, breaking the awkward silence.  "Where's everyone else at?"

Youngbae looked one last time at Amina before raising his glance to address Seungri. "Daesung went to the restroom... and Jiyong's smoking."  He looked over his shoulder towards Jiyong's white Bentley which was parked a few spots away.  Very faintly, they could see the orange tip of Jiyong's cigarette as he took in deep long drags.

"Oh good... I think I want a smoke too." Seungri said, ignoring Youngbae's raised eyebrows. He started forward, moving away from them.  "Isn't there something you want to talk to Amina noona about?" Seungri called over his shoulder.

Amina looked over at Seungri, catching the devilish expression on his face. "Seungri," Amina hissed, her teeth clenched.  But he didn't acknowledge her as he continued walking, too far away now to hear her plea. She told herself that was the last time she trusted him again.  Amina shook her head and her heel, heading in the opposite direction.

"Amina..."

She faltered, hearing the strain in Youngbae's voice.  But she kept walking, rounding the corner of the building into the dark alley way.  She heard his footsteps behind her and slowed down.  There was no way she'd be able to outrun him in her heels.

Amina took a deep breath and turned around, her eyes turning wary as he walked the few spaces in between them.

"What do you want?" she started, feeling the need to get this over with.  "More chances to torture me with your presence?  Was my note not clear enough for you?"  Her voice quavered and hitched as the emotions came flooding back.  "I was doing fine... until you decided to torment me with your gifts." 

She saw him flinch at her words.

"But maybe it's not enough for you..." She felt hot tears slid down her cheeks and angrily wiped them away.  "Maybe you find some erse pleasure in reminding me of something I can't have."

"Baby..." He closed the steps in between them and grabbed her arms.

"Stop," she pleaded, shaking his hands off of her.  She looked into his eyes and begged.  "Why are you doing this?"  Her lips trembled as she waited for him to respond.

"I..." He felt his throat close up, the confession on his lips. 

Amina looked up into the dark night sky and bitterly shook her head.  "You know what?" She looked at him.  "It doesn't matter. I don't want to know."  She crossed her arms over her chest and brushed past him, heading back towards the parking lot.

She almost made it to the back entrance to the kitchen when Seungri called out her name. 

Seungri jogged up to her. He was surprised when he saw her re-appear and quickly deduced that the lovebirds' conversation, if any, would have been extremely short.  He confirmed his suspicions when he noticed the tension vibrating off her body. 

"Mwuh?" she asked him miserably, her eyes full of emotion.

"I said I was going to take you home, remember?"

Amina let out a mirthless half-laugh, her eyes accusing him.  "What now?  More tricks up your sleeve?  No thanks... I'll find my own ride home."

"Please," he begged, stepping closer to her.  He noticed Youngbae walking pass them, the defeated expression on his hyung's face clear.  Adrenaline started to kick in.  Seungri knew he had to do something... and do something now. 

"You said you'd let me explain...," he watched her eyes carefully.  "Even if you don't want to listen, at least let me take you home.  It's getting colder and could snow anytime now.  Please..."

When she remained quiet for so long, Seungri cupped her elbow and gently nudged her back towards the parking lot.  He let out an inward sigh when she didn't struggle against him.  After she got in, Seungri shut the door and quickly made his way around towards the driver's side. 

Seungri didn't try to engage Amina in any conversation on the way to her apartment.  He could tell that she was deep in thought as she stared unseeingly outside the passenger window.  When they reached the parking garage, he pulled into an empty slot and turned off the engine.  He turned to Amina and waited for her to come to. 

Amina blinked and took in a deep breath.  The long car ride home helped clear her mind and she no longer felt so vulnerable.  She looked over at Seungri and thanked him for the ride, her hand on the car door handle.

"Wait..." Seungri said, halting her progress.  "I need to tell you the truth... about the gifts."

Amina turned back and waited patiently for him to begin.

"The gifts... the sweets, the painting... the shoes," he inwardly cringed, still not over it.  "Those were from hyung..."  He looked into her eyes apologetically.  "But the jewelry... those were my ideas.  They weren't from him."

Amina's lips parted in surprise.  "Wae?"

"Because," Seungri looked back at the dashboard, unable to face her.  "I thought he wasn't being aggressive enough in winning you back.  I thought I would just help out a little and..." He smiled depreciatively at her.  "I guess, impress you so you'd come back to him."

"Seungri..."

"Needless to say," he cut her off and let out a half laugh underneath his breath.  "Hyung was mad at me for interfering."  He stretched his left forearm over the steering wheel and looked at her.  "Mianhae... I should have known that what you guys share is something special... something that even I don't understand."

He reached behind her towards the back seat, a wrapped package in his hands.  It was the size of a sweater box and had a large bow tied on top.  "Here... this was what I was supposed to leave for you instead."

"Ani," Amina shook her head.  "I don't want it."

"Take it!" Seungri begged, his eyes full of emotion.  "You don't understand.  Ever since we came back from our trip, hyung's changed.  He's been keeping to himself, locked up in his room for hours at a time."  He could see the information was upsetting her, but drove home the truth.  "The only time he's been excited these past few weeks was when he talked about how to get you back in his life."

Amina felt tears sting the back of her eyes.  She shook her head in denial.

"It's true," Seungri insisted.  "It's been his sole purpose since... it's the only thing that gives him life.  I know he's put a lot of thought into these gifts.  Please take it."

She looked into Seungri's pleading eyes and gingerly reached out to accept the gift.  "This doesn't change anything," Amina said, her eyes sad.

"I know," Seungri replied.  "But at least he tried."

Amina could hear the reprimand in Seungri's comment but she was helpless to deny it.  She knew could change their circumstances by giving in, but she didn't want this hurt.  Even now, the pain was unbearable.  She didn't want to know how much more it could be if they continued on.

She took the elevator up to her apartment, the package tucked underneath her arm.  She could tell it was stuffed solid, the weight of it comforting against her side.  She unlocked the apartment and set the gift on the counter, ignoring it as she got herself ready for bed. But after taking a shower, changing into pajamas, and making hot tea, the package beckoned her to open it. 

Amina sat on the counter stool, examining the package carefully.  It looked professionally wrapped, the blue and silver wrapping paper matching the expensive handcrafted bow.  She pulled the ribbon off and carefully started to peel back the wrapping paper.  She opened the box, finding a note on top of a mound of tissue paper.

Jagi... for the days and nights that I'm not there to keep you safe and warm.  I know you doubt me... but trust me when I say - I want you back in my life. - Yours

Her hands shook as she set the note aside, his message echoing loudly in her mind.   She gently pulled back the tissue paper, suddenly afraid of what it might be.  Her fingers touched the cool fabric, the red vibrant nylon soft beneath her hands. A smile formed on her lips as she found herself pleasantly surprised.

It was a North Face puffer jacket.  The same exact one that he had, she remembered from the night when he first drove her home.  Now she definitely didn't have an excuse for not wearing a jacket.  She pressed he lips together and shook her head.  Ani, there wouldn't be any more nights like those again.

Amina pulled the jacket out and laid it on the counter while she picked up the scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon, intending to discard them in the trash bin.  The jacket slid off the counter and landed on the floor with a loud audible thunk.  She glanced back, curious as to what would have caused such a noise.

She pulled the jacket into her arms, reaching into the pockets until she came upon something cool and hard against her fingers.  Clasping her hand around the object, she pulled it out and examined it.  It was an i-Pod touch.  Digging deeper, she found the pair of headphones, still packaged tightly in a plastic sleeve.  She checked the pockets again, searching for a note, but there was none.

Amina powered on the i-Pod, watching it come to life.  She touched through the screens checking for a message.  But there were no pictures, no notes.  Just one track.  She hit play, watching the seconds tick by silently.

Frantically she pulled the headphone package apart, slipping on the ear buds right before she plugged it into the device.  She heard the deep soothing sound of his voice come through and felt her heart stop.  Her lips parted and her knees gave way as she crumbled onto the kitchen floor, her eyes filling with tears. It was a love song... the timbre of his voice rising and falling with raw emotion as he poured out his heart to her through his lyrics.  She felt the overwhelming longing in his voice that echoed her own.  Feeling the injustice of it all, she hugged her knees and cried.

A few days later...

"Alright man, I can't take this anymore," Jiyong said as he whipped the lyric sheet out of Youngbae's hands.  It had just been the two of them in the studio for the past several days. Everyone else had left for special projects for the rest of week. And Jiyong would have left too... except he was worried about what Youngbae would do if he left him alone.

Youngbae looked up from his lounging position on the black leather sectional.  "How am I supposed to sing my lines if you take them away from me?"

"Cut the crap.  We both know you've memorized your part long ago."  Jiyong tossed the sheet of paper on the desk.  "Get up.  Let's go."  He started to put on his jacket, pulling a wool cap over his head.

Youngbae looked around, confused.  But he stood up anyway, his eyes questioning.  "Where are we going?"

"To get your girl, where else?" Jiyong smirked, his hands searching his pockets for keys.

"Ani," Youngbae sat back down. "What do I have to do to make you guys believe me?  She doesn't want to talk to me."

"It's been a few days since she received your last gift.  I'm sure she's changed her mind now."

Youngbae smirked and crossed his arms across his chest.  "What makes you so sure?"

"Well for one thing, Seungri calls her friend up every day and she said that your Mimi has been listening to that i-Pod all the time."

Youngbae felt his heart skip a beat, but schooled his features so his friend wouldn't see how the news affected him.  "That doesn't mean anything."

"Well, if the great Taeyang-sshi made me a personal track, I'd come crawling back... that's for sho'..." Jiyong grinned.

"Oh yeah?" He quirked his eyebrow towards Jiyong.  "Well that's because you're easy."

Jiyong chuckled.

Youngbae grinned.

"Just c'mon..." Jiyong beckoned once more, tugging on Youngbae's arm for him to stand up.  "She's off work for the next few days before her classes start.  And you know our schedule gets hectic after next week..."  He looked intensely into Youngbae's eyes, seeing the worry there.  "This may be your only chance."

Youngbae felt the stress of the moment crash down upon him, just as it did before he went on stage.  He took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Alright..."

A knock on the door.

"Hanna-sshi... someone is here to see you," her assistant said, her head popping halfway through her office door

Hanna looked up from the stack of papers on her desk.  "Alright, have them come in."

Her assistant bowed and closed the door behind her.

A few moments later, a confident Jiyong strode through the doors followed by a more hesitant Youngbae.

"Oh hell no!" Hanna cried out, her finger pointing back at the door.  "You can turn around right now and walk the out!"

Jiyong took off his shades and made himself comfortable in a chair diagonally across from her.  "Well, I've missed you too..." He grinned at her appalled expression.

She changed the direction of her heated gaze towards Youngbae.  "And you!  To think... I was actually nice to you."  She saw the guilty look on Youngbae's face and came around the desk to confront him.  "How does it feel, bastard, to take someone's innocence and then just walk away?  But lemme guess... I bet you do that a lot don't you?  Celebrity that you are."

Jiyong stood up and grinned as he watched Hanna kick off her heels.  He stopped her just as she was about to let out a serious slap.  "Hold on..." he held her back, quietly admiring the firecracker that she was.  He looked over at Youngbae whose body was tense, his hands fisted at his side.  "She doesn't know the whole story," he reassured Youngbae.  "Calm down," he uttered to the both of them.

Youngbae took a deep breath and glanced away, his jaw tense.  Hanna's words had cut him to the core. He never treated Amina that way... never.

"So what do you want?" Hanna asked Youngbae, as he continued to face away from her.  "I'm all out of cousins... you ruined the only one I had."

"That's enough!" Jiyong ordered, his eyes flashing at her.  "Damn, woman..."  He shook his head and let her go.  "We came to ask for your help."

Hanna smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.  "And why should I help you?"

"Let's just go," Youngbae said.  He heard the disdain in Hanna's voice.  "She's not going to help us."

"Look," Jiyong interjected.  "He just wants to talk to her... like, even if its for five minutes."

"Five minutes isn't going to be enough to undo the pain you've caused her," Hanna replied, her eyes shooting fire. 

"Wait... wait a minute," Jiyong interrupted.  "She was the one that wasn't up front with him in the beginning."

"Ani," she replied, "He's the one that still slept with her after knowing she was already engaged... and then had the audacity to proposition her for afterwards, like she was some common harlot!"  She watched as Youngbae flinched at her words. "Yeah," she replied sarcastically.  "I know about that too."

Jiyong looked over at Youngbae, his eyes in disbelief.

"I was angry," Youngbae gritted out, his fingernails biting into the palm of his hands.

"Oh, and let's not forget... how she wanted to be friends with you and you said no.  But after you slept with her again, you say 'yes.'  Kind of suspicious, don't you think?"

"She said that?" Youngbae clenched his teeth in frustration.  He felt his heart pound, the anger rising inside him.

"She doesn't have to," Hanna pressed her lips together in disgust.  "It's pretty clear what your intentions are."

Youngbae bit his lip, his eyebrows furrowed together as he paced the room. 

Hanna watched him nervously, seeing him pace like a anxious tiger inside a cage.  She glanced over at Jiyong, wondering if this was normal.

"He just needs five minutes," Jiyong told her once more.  He looked back at Youngbae and could see the waves of anger flowing off his body.  "Can you call her please?  She's not going to pick up our call if we try."

"Ani," Hanna shook her head, walking back around her desk.  She sat down and started sorting through her paperwork, ignoring them.

"Please," Jiyong pleaded, coming around to stand next to her.

"Give me one reason why I should help him?"

"Because I love her."

Jiyong and Hanna stared at Youngbae, watching his body heave in large gasps of air like he couldn't breathe.  "Please," Youngbae begged, his lips turning a deep red from all of the emotion.  "I just need to her tell her... and then I'll leave her alone."

Hanna stared at him for several seconds, her eyes taking in everything.  She could tell that he was being honest with her... and the realization made her eyes tear up.  She nodded her head and reached into her desk drawer, pulling out her smart phone.  She scrolled the screens and sniffed away the tide of emotion that was threatening to overwhelm her.  She clicked on Amina's name and pulled the phone to her ear.

"Yoboseyo unnie," came Amina's cheerful greeting.

"Mimi... What are you doing?" she said breathlessly, her hands still shaking slightly from Youngbae's confession.

"Cooking..." She could hear Amina rummage through something.  "But... looks like I'm all out of kimchi. Aish..."

"Oh really?  Well, I planned on being in your neighborhood and thought I would stop by."

Amina's voice brightened on the other line.  "Neh? So you'll go with me to the grocery store?"

Hanna chuckled half heartedly, her heart aching for her cousin.  "Neh... I can take you to the store.  I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Okay, I'll be here..."

She hung up the phone and looked up at Youngbae.  "Don't make me regret this."

He nodded at her and bowed slightly.  "Gomawo..."  He glanced over at Jiyong.

"Just tell the driver to take you there.  I'll find my own way back."

Youngbae nodded his head and left, his feet flying down the hall.

Amina pulled on her new Air Jordan's, admiring how comfortable they felt against her arch.  They were more boyish than she'd like... but she found a way to make it work with her outfit, paring it with black skinny leggings and a fitted grey sweatshirt that outlined her bum quite nicely.  There was little choice really.  Her sneakers and casual jacket were both ruined when she fell into the river at Dolce Vita.  And there was no way she was going to wear her fancy boots or heels to the market.  She heard a knock at her door.

She opened the door, a warm smile and greeting on her face.  "Annyeong unn..." Her smile died on her lips when she came face to face with Youngbae.  He stood outside her door with baggy dark denim jeans, camel colored mountain boots, and a black hoodie sweatshirt on.  His eyes were shaded by a pair of sunglasses, his hair covered by his favorite leather snapback.  She pulled her guard up.

"What are you doing here?"

He took in her appearance, quietly admiring how adorable she looked with her hair pulled up in a messy bun, her face without a hint of make-up.  He immediately noticed her choice of shoes and felt his courage go up.  "Can we talk?"

"Mianhae... I'm expecting my cousin any minute now."  She began to close the door, not caring whether or not she was being rude.

Youngbae pulled his hand out of his hoodie pocket and stopped the door from closing.  He stepped forward, his body blocking the doorway.  "I know... she's the one that told me you'd be home."

Amina stared at him for several seconds, her mind slowly piecing together the obvious.  She should have known something was up.  Unnie never was in her neck of the woods.  "She's not coming, is she?"

She didn't wait for response as she her heel and grabbed her jacket, suddenly wishing she had a spare one somewhere so she wouldn't be reminded that two major items on her body was actually bought by him.  She grabbed her tote and pulled on her own set of sunshades, turning off all the lights in the apartment.  She grabbed her keys and waited for him to move out of the doorway.

"Excuse me."

"You're not going to talk to me?"

"I'm going to the store.  If you want to talk, fine. You can follow me there."  She grabbed the door and started to pull it shut, not caring if he got hit in the process.  He side-stepped her and went into the hallway.

As soon as they left the building, she started walking down the street.  Amina was faintly aware of him signaling someone behind them, but she didn't turn around to check on him or whomever he was talking to.  She kept walking, finally deciding upon venturing into a local market that was busier than the others she usually went to.  Hopefully there would be too many people around that he would get the hint and leave her alone.  If he knew what was good for him, he would, she thought to herself.

Youngbae kept pace with her, keeping a few yards back.  Amina was walking at a fast pace and the distance between them didn't really allow him to have an intimate conversation with her.  And to top it all off, they were in broad daylight, surrounded by plenty of on-lookers.  He lowered his head and sighed, pulling the hood of his hoodie over his baseball cap.  He hoped no one recognized him.  He wasn't in a mood to be friendly right now.

He watched as she entered the store, grabbing a basket along the way.  He signaled the driver of the YG van to stop down the street as he followed her inside.  Amina entered a quiet aisle, her eyes scanning the shelves. He slowed his pace and stopped beside her.

"Amina-ah... can we talk now?"

She took a few steps away from him and kept browsing the shelves.  "Sure... go ahead."

He gritted his teeth in frustration.  She really wasn't going to make this easy on him. 

"I just wanted to tell you that..."  He stopped mid-sentence as she kept walking away from him.  He started to follow her when he heard girly whispers behind him.  He turned around and realized he had an audience.  He bowed politely to them, his smile tight.

"It is Taeyang-sshi!" one of the girls whispered, their giggles bringing other people's attention towards him.  He mentally groaned inside, suddenly wishing he was somewhere else.  He lost sight of Amina and started pacing the aisles in search for her.

The crowd of people stalking him became larger as he passed through the aisles.  He smiled painfully at everyone, bowing when he could, as he swiftly walked through the store.  He found her, near the refrigerated aisle, pulling out a jar of kimchi.  He watched her eyes widen in surprise when she noticed the throng of people following him. 

It was too late for pretenses.  He walked up to her and asked, "Are you done?"

"Neh."

"That's the reason we walked all this way for? Kimchi?" he asked her incredulously.

Her lips quivered slightly and her hesitation told him everything he needed to know.  She was setting him up.

"Look, if you didn't want to talk to me you should have just said so.  Instead of leading me on like this."

He saw her stiffen slightly.  "I never said I wanted to talk.  You're the one that said you wanted to talk.  So talk."

They could hear the rustle of people behind him, their camera phones going off. 

"You better leave before you get us kicked out of the store," she told him, her small smile victorious.

It was the smile that got on his nerves.  One way or another, they were going to talk... and she was going to listen to what he had to say.  He grabbed the kimchi container from her basket and put it back in the fridge.  "Let's go."  He grabbed her basket and placed it on the floor.

Amina opened in defiance.  "I was going to buy that."

"You want kimchi?  I'll get you better kimchi." He reached down and grabbed her hand and headed towards the entrance, knowing full well that she wouldn't cause a scene in front of all those people.  He felt her dig her nails into his palm and grimaced, turning it into a smile for the onlookers.  He said under his voice loud enough for only her ears to hear, "Keep that up and you'll get what's coming for you later."

He felt satisfaction when she stopped, her hand losing fire in his grip.  He sighed inside.  It felt good to hold her hand again, even if she was mad at him.

"Taeyang-sshi... Taeyang-sshi... can I please have your autograph?"

"Taeyang-oppa!  Can you take a picture with me please?"

The barrage of requests came from left and right as he and Amina continued their way outside.  He spotted the black van up the street and headed in that direction.  He smiled tightly at the fans that gathered outside the store. 

He looked over at Amina, noticing her head was down.  He stopped mid-stride, catching her slightly as she bumped into him.  She looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion over her sunshades.

He smiled into her face, not caring that people were snapping pictures behind them.  "You shouldn't put your head down so low.  People will think you're miserable around me."

Amina looked at Youngbae, wondering how he could be so happy during such a stressful moment.  "But that's because I am miserable around you."

He grinned down at her, his lips curving at her confession.  He noticed the crowd of people walking closer towards them.  "C'mon."  He tugged on her hand and continued walking to the van.  Once they reached the vehicle, he pulled the door open and waited for her to get in.

She glanced back at the increasing crowd and then gave him one last look.  It appeared she had no choice but to get in.  She ducked her head and climbed into the van.

"Taeyang-oppa!" A fan called out, waving her hand.  She was bolder than the rest, stepping closer to the van and snapping pictures. "Who is she Taeyang-oppa?"

Youngbae looked at Amina, his heart feeling right at that moment.  He turned to the fan and smiled.  "She's my girlfriend."