Jiyong:
 

Trainee from big entertainment company involved in service?

The headline couldn’t be more disturbing. It was currently one of our breaks during recording, and for some strange reason, I had an urge to check the entertainment section. I didn’t expect to see this kind of news.

Most especially since the girl seemed familiar.

Seungri, Youngbae, Daesung and Seunghyun hyung were huddled behind me, reading the article intently as well. They were shocked as I was, and something tells me that a part of them knew who this person was.

“Hyung, check the comments below,” Seungri urged, and I followed. I scrolled down the comments and read some of the opinions regarding the article.

I can’t believe this. Heard this girl is soon to debut as a member of an idol group.

the girl is disgusting.

she should just quit!

I wonder how her family is feeling now.

she should just die, to be frank.

she won’t debut now.

who is this girl, anybody know?

^to answer your question, click this: http://www.cyworld.com/darongdevil11
 

“Click the link!” Daesung said behind me. I hesitated for a while. Should I click it? Something tells me that this would lead to something that I wouldn’t like, but at the same time, I felt another strange intuition. 

“Hyung, click it.”

I clicked the link and for a split second we were transported to a minhompy.

Dara’s minihompy. Daesung, Youngbae and Seungri gasped, shocked, while hyung just stood there quietly.

Youngbae moved away from the laptop all of us were sharing and sat down at the arm chair beside us. He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this. First, that notebook and her real motives, and now...this.”

Daesung and Seungri nodded in agreement. “She looked so innocent, you wouldn’t really expect her to be like this,” Seungri added quietly. 

My eyes were completely transfixed on her minihompy. Her profile picture looked seductive enough to attract erted guests on her page. She was smiling a little in what appeared to be a suggestive picture of hers wearing nothing but a blanket to cover herself. 

Is this really true? My eyes laid on her photo albums and I felt my hand involuntary clicking it.

“Sh1t,” Even Daesung couldn’t help himself from cursing at the photos anymore. All of it were suggestive. A number of shots were her wearing a bikini top while making playful poses for the camera, the others were shots of her partying and wearing a dress that made her only half decent and the last batch...it was almost heartbreaking. It was selca shots of herself, lying on the bed, her expression sly -- as if she did something naughty the other night these pictures were taken. With whom? I asked to myself bitterly. 

“That’s her real self. About time you fully realize it, oppa.” 

We turned around to see Aera standing by the door. Hyung scoffed and walked across the small studio to get some water to drink. Aera on the other hand walked over to us. She took the mouse away from me and clicked at some link. The next thing we know, we were looking at some website we could only describe as sleazy and well...disgusting.

“Is this....?” Youngbae asked to no one in particular. He was looking in front of the laptop as well once again. 

“It’s an service site.” Aera replied matter-of-factly. “Go look at the marquee.” 

My heart almost dropped the moment I saw Dara’s photo on it. Aera clicked her photo and the unexpected happened.

Park Dara, 18. I’m more than willing to make you totally hot and bothered, all night long.

If I could only think of a word to describe what I was feeling now, maybe things would have been better. But alas, nothing came up. I didn’t know what to say. A part of me started getting worried for her, but a big part of me just hurt completely. Hurt, because if this was true (and it looked like it was, pictures are not gonna lie), then I must have been totally stupid for loving her. Hurt because as much as I hated to admit it, I still feel the pain of the idea that she must be hurting and alone right now; alone to face this crisis with no one to protect her.

“She’s a , oppa. The sooner you realize, the better -- “

“Get the fcuk out.”

Aera’s face fell as she turned to look at Seunghyun’s angry countenance. Hyung was never the one to fight with girls and never to show any kind of anger in front of them, but this time he looked really furious. He looked like he wanted to slap Aera hard.

“Oppa, I was just telling the truth.”

Hyung clenched his fists as he walked over to where Aera was sitting. “Truth? TRUTH?! You’re telling the truth?!” He grabbed Aera’s right arm roughly and she whimpered as hyung did this to her. “Fcuk you.”

“Yah, Choi Seunghyun!” Youngbae reprimanded hyung. He rarely did this, being the calm person that he was, but this time he did, and he was frowning. “Can’t you see how much you’re scaring her?!”

Seunghyun laughed sarcastically. “Scaring her? This two-faced b1tch?! Fcuk, can’t you see that she’s tainting Dara’s reputation right in front of our very eyes?!”

“Yah, hyung...” Daesung said nervously. “Stop doing that.”

“You guys, you don’t know what you’re talking about!” Hyung shouted angrily. He pulled Aera, forcing her to stand up. “Get the fcuk out now before I lose my mind and just slap you, b1tch.”

That did it. I didn’t know what happened, but something just snapped inside me. Before hyung could successfully throw her out of the room, I grabbed Aera’s left arm, stopping hyung.

He looked livid. His eyes were shooting daggers as he talked to me, menacingly. I’ve never seen him this angry before. He looked like he was about to explode. “Let go, Jiyong.”

“I won’t.” I tugged Aera’s left arm. “You let go.”

His jaw clenched and unclenched. “Let. The. Fcuk. Go.” 

That snapped my senses completely. “Why are you being so protective of Dara?! If anything, she is the b1tch here. And the , too! Have you fcuked her, hyung? Did she give you ual favors that’s why you’re so into her?! Did you --”

All I heard were gasps, and Aera’s scream. I felt a stinging pain near my jawline -- I only realized that hyung punched me hard when he was already all over me, slapping my face and tugging my shirt roughly as he screamed at me.

“You don’t realize, do you?! I’m gonna punch the living daylights outta you if that’s how you’re gonna learn, a**hole!” 

Youngbae and Daesung grabbed hyung away from me, while Seungri gently escorted the crying Jiang Aera out of the door. 

“Hyung, stop!” Youngbae pleaded. 

Hyung glared at him as he removed Daesung and Youngbae’s arms away from him. “To hell with you guys!” He was letting out a string of curses as he reached for the door. Before he went outside, he glared at me hard.

“To hell with you Jiyong. You don’t fcukin deserve Dara. Or anyone, for that matter!”

----------------------
 

Preview: Chapter 28

Youngbae:

“Hey.” She shyly greeted me. I found her eating alone, with that bento box she was holding a while ago. I didn’t really know her and the last few incidents related to her wasn’t really made for me or the others to leave a very good impression on her.

“Dara-sshi, why are you alone?”

“Oh, that.” She laughed, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere between us. “I’m not part of the line-up anymore.”

I was taken aback by what she just said. What?

“I’m not training for now. The management’s still deciding on what will happen to me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be.” She waved her hand dismissively. “What brings you here?”

“Food.” I replied back. “I’m in the midst of my solo promotions now so...” We looked at each other and a minute later, we were laughing together for some reason we didn’t really know.

“Would you like some of these?” She offered her bento box. “It’s too much for me to eat alone.”

I looked at the bento box. It looked like she spent the other night making it. I knew it was for Jiyong too, but he didn’t accept it when Dara offered it to him a while ago. 

I felt sorry for her. 

And I felt guilty, because Jiyong’s my best friend, and maybe...I should just stay away from her. I cleared my throat and stood up, much to her surprise.

“I have to leave. Mianhe, Dara-sshi.”

Her face fell; she understood why I wanted to leave all of a sudden. “It’s okay.” She tried her best to smile. “Hwaiting on your promotions, Youngbae-sshi.”

I bowed my head down and left her alone on the table. I kept telling to myself that I made the right decision, but I still felt guilty. I made a one last look at her, and the scene that I witnessed somehow made my heart heavier.

There she was, smiling to herself, maybe murmuring a prayer of thanks before she started to eat. She merrily took her chopsticks and tried to pick something to eat. As if excited, she swallowed it in the pretense of being satisfied with the dish.

But as she did so, a tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it hastily, but tears continued to fall as she continued eating by herself.

I can’t stand this. I walked back to her place.

“Dara-sshi?”

She looked up, surprised. She wiped her tears, sniffed, and smiled at me. “Yes?”

“Since you’re not having any formal training, you can use your time still practicing.”

“Huh?” She was confused.

“I have spare time around the same time your free time is, I can help you with your dancing.”

She just nodded. She was shocked I could tell, but still she smiled at me.

“Thank you, Youngbae-sshi.”

I smiled at her and formally said goodbye again. 

Me teaching Dara how to dance better --- Jiyong wouldn’t really have to know.