Jaejoong’s POV

Manager hyung hands over an envelope to me.

            “What’s this?” I ask.

            “Project.” He has a bright expression in his face.

            “Chincha?.......Wait, is it really for me or you want me to give it to Yoochun or Junsu?” I ask jokingly.

            “It’s yours. Read it and study the offer.” Hyung sits comfortably in the couch across from me.

I took out the folder and scan the contents.

            “It’s a drama offer from Japan. It’s a big project and they want you to play the lead role. It is a sure bet...the show will be for two seasons...” he says.

I stop scanning the document and turn to him. Two seasons....does it mean?

            “Yes, it will be more or less two years.”

            “Two years....” I repeated looking at him.

His smile fades. He must have realized what I’m thinking right now.

            “Don’t tell me you want to reject this? Jaejoong, this is not just your career saviour....it is a big production, a great acting opportunity for you. They want you to sign for an exclusive contract right away. Don’t tell me you are thinking of backing out?” he says.

I didn’t answer. I’ve done a TV drama in Japan a few years back but something inside of me is not satisfied with this offer. It’s more or less for two years....also, it is not just somewhere in Korea but in Japan.....

            “Oh Jesus.....don’t tell me you are hesitating because of Athena?” he utters confirming my concern. “Damn! It’s just for two years! Japan is not that far....there are lots of ways to keep in touch.” He lets out a heavy sigh.

I couldn’t say a word.

            “Okay....Okay...maybe you are just losing your work spirit. I will not ask you to give a reply now. Bring it home and study it well. I heard this drama has a great plot. Study it....I’m sure you are going to like it. We’ll inform the CEO about your reply after a few days, alright?” hyung tries to convince me until the end.

_____________________________________________________________________

Athena’s POV

SBS restroom

I come out of the cubicle and go straight to the sink.

            “The two of you are visually perfect.”

I stop and look at the woman beside me. She’s concentrating in re-touching her make up in front of the mirror.

            “Are you talking to me?” I ask.

I suddenly recognized her. She’s Jaejoong’s ex-girlfriend. I forgot her name but I’m sure she’s that woman.

            “This is the first time I see you up close so I couldn’t help but observe a little...I hope you don’t mind.” She says looking at me through the mirror. I slightly shrug my shoulders and open up my purse to get my press powder.

            “I’m BoA.” She says with her hand extended for a handshake.

            “Let’s just save ourselves from playing roles here. It’s not a secret to me who you are.” I refuse to shake hands with her. I don’t want to be hypocrite and be friendly with my boyfriend’s ex---I don’t buy that idea.

            “So, he told you about me.....How’s Jaejoong doing?” she asks.

I hide a sarcastic smile. What is this? Is she trying to make a conversation with me by opening up a topic about him as our common denominator?

            “If you really want to know, then why don’t you ask him yourself?” I answer as I apply powder to my face.

            “Then I’ll take it as permission from you.”

            “Well as you can see, we are not stuck with each other every single minute. He’s free to see or meet anyone without getting permission from me.”

            “You are not the jealous type eh?” she smiles while nodding.

            “I just don’t see any reason to get jealous because I’m absolute about one thing. The word ‘over’ simply means over.” I say indirectly indicates that her being his ex is something that I don’t care about.

It’s a close book for them. If Jaejoong wanted to continue with her then he should have gotten back with her already.

            “Right...you don’t have to see me as a threat. I’m not thinking of competing with you.” She says.

So she was just testing me.

            “But, I’m really curious....Can I say what’s on my mind?”

            “Sure. Be my guest.”

            “With the situation he’s facing now....aren’t you regretful for getting involved with him?”

I only stare at her.

            “He’s suffering from the consequences and you are still cool about it?”

My eyebrows furrow.

            “As an individual, I think I admire you but I can’t be your fan knowing what Jaejoong has been going through now. I know, I should be the least person to meddle with this but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Jaejoong. I was there when he was just starting...I witnessed how he worked hard for his dreams. How can you turn a blind eye on the situation? You will only break him.”

Her eyes are filled with conviction. I don’t know where she gets her guts to speak to me that way as if she knows better than I do. Jaejoong is being mocked by many and his fans are disappointed over the fact that we are dating but what’s new to that? People like to stick their nose on everything even though they are not in the position to do so.

            “I’m not surprised about that…I guess I might be in shock if you tell me that you support us being together. It’s just that, somehow it is funny to me how people are so obsessed on disapproving us when they are merely outsiders.” I answer bluntly.

            “I’m just concern about Jaejoong’s well-being.” She utters.

Is she trying to make me laugh? She tells me that I’ll only ‘break him’ when she caused him pain when they were still dating? So she’s concern with her ex-boyfriend’s relationship with other woman now?

            “Thanks for the concern but I think we are both capable enough to handle our own business.”

            “This ‘You and Me against the world’ situation must be thrilling for you….” I know she’s saying that with my bad image as her reference.

A crooked smile curves my lips.

            “That’s even funnier.” I believe that Jaejoong and I are not looking at our situation that way. “For unknown reason, people are placing us to that category….but that ‘you and me against the world’ is so overrated. They don’t know how to differentiate movies to real life. A relation requires only two people so I think ‘world’ should never be included.”

I don’t know if the public just want to ride the hype or something making a simple relationship like ours a big topic on every magazine or online sites. It gets bigger and bigger everyday when there’s really NO problem. A single man and woman met and decided to commit to each other---- everyone does that but why can’t us? If they’ll only leave us alone and start thinking about other things---much important things then it won’t be like this. 

            “Whatever game this is that you are playing....you better stop now before it turns worse.” she says with a tone of warning.

            “I don’t think I have to explain myself to anybody. Whatever purpose I have for dating him....I’d like to keep it to myself. And whether I’m playing a game or just being thrilled to the situation, that is to remain for you to be seen.”I close my purse and prepare to go.

            “As a woman who loves him, let me give you one last advice....Jaejoong is a great guy so he deserves to be loved. He’s not the type that you should fool around with.”

Loves----she’s still in love with him. I give her a half smile.

            “I’ll keep that in mind.” I say before leaving her.

_____________________________________________________________________

Jaejoong’s fans hate me. His mother doesn’t approve of me. Now, even his ex-girlfriend is interfering and says she dislikes me. Whaa.....Kim Jaejoong is really something......

My thoughts stop when I notice the uneasy expressions in both Ms. Go and the driver’s faces.

            “Something’s wrong?” I ask.

            “Some sasaengs are on our tail.” Ms. Go says.

I look through the tinted window. There is a taxi next us. There is another one on the other side.

            “There are three at the back.” Ms. Go adds.

            “What? They stopped being JYJ sasaengs and decided to be my sasaeng now?” I joke.

They must want to make sure I won’t meet Jaejoong now.

            “These people are crazier than the paparazzi...” the driver comments.

Yeah....behind the sasaeng taxis are some papz.....JYJ sasaengs following Athena....seems very interesting....I can imagine the look on their faces....‘Who’s gonna get the pictures’ that’s on their heads now.

I breathe out and close my eyes. I want to shut everything off for now and have a nap.

I managed to get a light sleep when all of a sudden; I hear Ms. Go’s screams. I open my eyes and see the van turning upside down.

____________________________________________________________________

Jaejoong’s POV

I come rushing to the hospital the moment I heard what happened.

            “Kim Jaejoong, what can you say about sasaengs being the cause of Athena’s car accident?”

            “Do you know her condition now?”

            “Where were you when the accident happened?”

The reporters are all over me but I ignore them.  Manager hyung told me to proceed inside as he does what he can to somehow hold the press a little bit. I enter the hospital.

I first see Ms. Go by the door talking to some security personnel. She got a sling that hangs across her right shoulder, holding her casted left arm

            “Jaejoong ah!”

            “Ms. Go, are you okay?”

            “It’s okay now.” She says talking about her broken arm.

            “How about Athena?”

            “The doctors just finished treating her. She’s fine now.”

We enter the room and see Athena on the bed. She’s trying to touch her neck brace.

            “Athena....” I rush to her side.

            “Oh...Jaejoong...” she says like nothing happened.

Aside from her neck brace, she’s also wearing another brace in her right pinkie finger.

            “How are you feeling now?” I ask worriedly.

            “I’m a bit uncomfortable with this neck brace but I’m better now. Don’t worry.” She says.

            “The doctor said that she got strained neck, fractured finger, and some bruises on legs and hips but she’ll be fine after at least a week.” Ms. Go says.

            “What really happened?” I ask Ms. Go

            “Sasaeng taxis almost ram to us so the driver tried to dodge but since we are driving on a speed trying to get away from them, the van spins out of control. We rolled over.”

The sasaengs are confirmed to be involved in this accident. I clench my teeth because of anger.

            “Ms. Go, has the doctor treated the Ajusshi?” Athena asks her.

            “Yes...He’s resting now in his room. His wife is there.”

I heard that the driver broke his nose. I’ll visit him later.

            “You can take a rest on your room now.” She tells her.

            “Okay, I’ll be next door. Call me if there’s anything.”

            “Don’t worry, I got it...Take a rest now Ms. Go...after all you are injured too.” I say.

Ms. Go left the room.

            “Aishhh, chincha....I’m losing my patience on those sasaengs. We should sue them.”

            “There’s nobody to sue....those taxis fled the scene. Even the driver didn’t have the chance to see their plate numbers. I heard that even the paparazzi couldn’t get a grip on the particular taxi that tried slamming us. ”

            “They are putting danger to people’s lives. They don’t have any conscience. ”

            “Don’t worry anymore....The agency already took action...they will give me an extra security assistance. Those sasaengs won’t be able to do something like that again. I’m sure they feel chickened out by now because the media takes interest to it.” She says.

            “How can I not worry? Look at what happened to you...”

            “It happened so fast that I didn’t feel pain. I was sleeping and woke up while the van rolls over. Too bad, I’m not wearing a seatbelt...I bumped to things and fell on my pinkie so it got fractured. It’s not that worse....I’ll be out after a week.”

I look at her. She makes it sounds like easy. I was so afraid while I’m on my way here....I feel like my heart stopped after hearing the news.

            “I’m fine...those sasaengs won’t succeed in assassinating me...” she jokes.

            “You can even joke at this time?” I say with a frown.

            “Aisshh....I said, I’m okay....I’m really okay....These braces only makes it dramatically bad but I’m just fine. I can even do the horse dance like this.” She says proudly.

I only stare at her with my furrowed eyebrows.

            “You don’t believe me? You want me to show you?” she tries to go down the bed but I stop her.

            “What do you think you are doing?”

            “I’ll show you that I can do the ‘Gangnam’...There’s nothing to worry about, it was just a fender-bender” she says.

            “Fender-bender?.....Are you calling this fender-bender?!”

She nods.

            “Eyyy....that’s why I told Ms. Go not to call you right away...you’ll be like this....Stop that frown...”

I didn’t change my facial expression. Athena starts dancing the horse dance with her hands.

            “Hey....y lady...Gangnam style....” she sings goofily.

I can’t believe that she still has her sense of humour to make things looks light.

            “Hey....y lady....” she continues to sing and dance while sitting in the bed. She’s staring straight into my eyes melting my worries.

Not long after, I smile because of her silly way of convincing me.

            “Is that a smile?” she asks.

            “Silly girl....” I mutter.

            “I’ll be resting for a few weeks....what to do? Maybe I should make a video of my own version of Gangnam?” then she continues to do the dance.

We chuckle.

            “What are you doing?.....Aren’t you going to stop with that dance?” I say to her.

            “What’s the other dance craze?......ahh...Harlem shake? Should I try that too?” she says.

            “Hajjima.....How could there be a weird patient like you? I think you cracked your head in the accident....”

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[Author's Note]:

Hi everybody! Sorry for skipping a week....I have to clear my schedule of work so that I'll have enough time to write some updates....I wrote three for this week so please look forward to it.

Comments pls. and Happy reading people!^-^