DARA POV

"Two full twist turns, three counts going to the right, do a half-turn and then then slide.." I am currently at the dance studio inside YG building, doing some warm-up exercises with the trainees. Our first formal dance session but the class felt like we've been doing this for years. What hell is this, bejeezus. If only I knew how hard it's gonna be, I would have thrown that letter down the drain asap.

"Dara, it's three counts not two-and-a-half. Pay attention, woman!" Oops. Apparently it's obvious to her that my mind was somewhere else.

I stopped for a while before trying to go ahead again with the next step, but alas.

"Wait--don't stop," Unnie turned-off the cd player and went towards my direction, with the other trainees' eyes on me. "What's wrong with you? Haven't you heard what I'm saying before?" She sighed, exasperated. "Three full counts to the right, half-turn and then slide!" She looked at me like some lost 1st grader that she has to help. "What part of it is hard to understand?!"

"Mianhamnida, I'll do it again." I bowed to her, apologizing profusely. She just gave me the evil eye in return and motioned the others to sit at the sidelines first. "Do the routine alone. One mistake more and you'll cause all of us to stay longer."

If I'm not mistaken, I heard Mina's soft moan of protest in the background. Argh. I am here to cause some ruckus with Jiyong's life, not with the trainees'.

"One-two-three, twist, half-step, slide. Four counts to the left, turn around..." Unnie sounded like an alien for the most part, but thank goodness I was able to get it. Finally.

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"What a 'fail' moment. Omona..." That was the only thing I could say five minutes after practice was over. I sat on the floor and did my pose of defeat. I'm just dead-tired and frustrated.

Aera sat beside me and patted my head affectionately. "Don't worry, unnie. You'll get it in no time," She sighed. "to be honest, even I find the warm-ups a little bit hard." 

I looked at her. Seriously? I can even see the instructor giving her that pleased smile while we were dancing. What's up?

"Are you kidding me?" Mina half-exclaimed, interrupting us. "It was just a simple routine. I see 5-year-old kids at the academy doing that effortlessly."

Aera just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We're not exactly dancers, unlike you," she pointed out.

"And we don't have enough money to actually enrol at a private dance academy, either," I added.

Mina just looked at us, at Aera especially. "What are you talking about, you had no problems earlier."

Aera just fell silent. All of us knew that she did have an easy time, so it was kinda dumb for her to come up with an argument about it.

I stood up and laughed, hoping to ease the tension. "Yeah, well...Mina's right. I was just the only one who lagged behind earlier." I extended my hand to help Aera stand up. "That's kinda sweet of you to say, but It's true that I ."

She accepted my hand and stood up as well. "Well, ok. But it's just the beginning, so there's more time." She smiled. "Let's go get some lunch!"

"Yeah, lunch!" I pumped my fist into the air. I looked at Mina as we were about to get out. "Care to join?"

She just nodded curtly in response and followed us outside.

Being new trainees that we are, we still didn't know our way in the building. We were walking for almost 15 minutes and we still couldn't find the cafeteria. This is just plain weird. Where is everybody?

"Yah, trainees!" someone called out, startling the three of us. We all turned to look. Thank goodness, it's T.O.P! How lucky can we get?

"What is he doing here," I heard Mina mutter under her breath. I wrinkled my nose. Come to think of it...what is he doing here? The place is deserted and---

"What are you three doing here?" Exactly our thoughts. He walked faster towards us, looking confused and amused at the same time.

"We're looking for the caf..." Aera replied, half-starstruck, for the most part breathless. LOL, this just too absurd for words.

"Caf?" He looked at us as if we're from another planet. "At the 9th floor?" 

The three of us nodded dumbly. 

He laughed. Hard. Mockingly. Atrociously. "This is floor is for recordings and stuff. Caf's way down..you know? I'll guide you guys there."

And all we did was follow him. In his excitement to be our tour guide, he forced us to just take the stairs instead, 'so we wouldn't get lost next time', he said. Being our sunbae, we couldn't really refuse this tiny bit demand from him, yes, even if we're tired and hungry --- not to mention very, very annoyed. He was just talking about every single floor as our minds wandered almost everywhere but him actually being with us.

And damn when we arrived at second floor...

"YO!" 

Good gracious. It's half past one and I'm hungry, now Jiyong had to magically appear from nowhere. Great. I tried my best to stay rooted on my spot, pretending not to care about his presence.

"What are you doing here, man?" TOP asked, surprised. Yeah, what are you doing here, Jiyong?! This was just annoying to death.

"I just visited my little Minji at the dance studio," Jiyong replied, oblivious to the fact that I was actually seething with anger already. I cannot stand another minute of this!

"Ah. Minji?" All of us suddenly turned to look at Aera, who just smiled in return. "I mean, another trainee?"

"Yeah, yeah. But she started training way before you guys arrived here," he answered back breezily. He then looked at the four of us again. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Caf," The four of us answered in chorus. 

"Cafeteria?" Jiyong's eyes got wide. Mine too, as he nodded eagerly and happily said, "Great! I'm starving too!"

And BAM! Just like that, my appetite was ruined.

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"You guys go ahead first, I'll be going the washroom for a moment" I said to Mina and Aera as the three of us filed out of the cafeteria. Jiyong and Seunghyun left earlier, praise the heavens. It was so tiring just smiling and nodding all throughout the conversation with him yakking about random topics that seemed useless. Often times I'd feel him looking at me, curious and somehow suspicious. Either way, I could care less. Let him think whatever he wants, bleh.

"Ok! See you later!" Aera replied cheerfully, while Mina just nodded curtly in return. Both of them were gone minutes later. I was about to head to the washroom when I saw a flash obnoxious hot pink jacket around the corner. I froze. I knew whose jacket was that! Hell, I just ate lunch with that jerk thirty minutes ago!

"Jiyong," I seethed at his jacket as it completely disappeared around the corner. "For a star, you're nothing!" I tried to take a hold of myself but I just couldn't stop.

"You're an insufferable brat, and I hate you; your guts, the way you move, everything. You're one overrated artist. If you're really an artist, that is."

"You what?"

I stopped breathing for a second. I know that voice behind me. But no, I just saw him walk around the corner. I just saw him walking away. With my heart beating wildly, I turned around.

Standing in all his overrated glory, it was the Kwon Jiyong who was really standing behind me. Omona, I'm busted. Goodbye, 'destroy kwon jiyong plans'. Might as well say goodbye to my short-lived trainee days, too.

"I, errr..." I tried my best to fumble for an excuse.

"You hate Seungri?" He managed to utter a coherent sentence first.

"Seungri?"

He frowned. "Yes, that's Seungri." 

"But that jacket...."

"Is mine. I was wearing it earlier but he borrowed it."

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

Jiyong narrowed his eyes. "Unless..." He walked closer, suddenly suspicious. "those heated words are for me?"

I gulped. You know what happened next?

"Oppa!" In a flash Jiyong turned around to see a young girl walking up to him as I just stood there, motionless. He must have forgotten our mini-confrontation because his face suddenly brightened up upon her arrival. 

"Minji-ah! What brings you here?" 

"I'm here to buy lunch," Minji replied. She paused and pouted her lips as she continued, "You told me before that you'd go buy them yourself, but I guess you have forgotten all about it."

"AH! Mianhe, Minji-ah. Your oppa forgot it. Too many things in his mind," He scratched his head while smiling playfully at her. I rolled my eyes in disgust. What kind of bs is this. He took her hand and led her towards the cafeteria. "Let's go inside the caf then. Choose anything and it's gonna be oppa's treat!" 

All I could do was watch the two of them go back inside, ignoring my presence. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. That was a close call. I should have watched my words, dammit.

"We'll talk again later."

Whoops! I opened my eyes in a snap. As it turns out, Jiyong stayed by the door, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

"We don't have anything to talk about." I replied, breathless. I am surprising myself these days.

Jiyong cocked his head on one side. "Really? We'll see about that, trainee. Whether you like it or not, we will have a talk. You and me."

I could have given an awesome retort but everything happened so fast -- he was gone in a matter of seconds.

JIYONG POV

"Who were you talking to a while ago, oppa?" Minji asked ten minutes later. We were heading towards the dance studio with her, CL's and Bom's lunch in tow. I thought Minji didn't notice her, but who was I kidding. Of course my little Minji notices everything that is to me.

I shrugged. "Oh, that? she's one of the new trainees, no biggie. Maybe you guys would meet them one of these days."

"New trainees!" Minji's eyes got bigger in excitement. "Girl trainees at that! Hah! Can't wait to tell this to Bom and CL unnie!"

"Yeah, well..." Somehow I have a weird feeling over this, especially since that Dara is one of those girls they're supposed to meet. I don't want her weirdness spread all over the girls, since I've known Minji, CL and Bom from way back, and they're pretty chill girls if you know what I mean. Anyway, as long as she doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, that's gonna be fine by me. They're all girls anyway, so the dynamic might be different. I shook my head, trying to clear my head -- I shouldn't be thinking about her in the first place.

"Ah, finally! The unnies must be starving already." Minji's voice just shook me out of my reverie. We're already in front of the dance studio's big doors in a matter of minutes; was I that preoccupied? This is starting to give me the creeps. Good thing we're here already, because I'd sure spend my time just talking to the girls just so my mind would not wander anywhere else -- to her, to be exact. I grinned to myself, preparing for a grand entrance, making sure that I wouldn't look bothered by what had transpired earlier...

"SURPRISE!!!" I greeted enthusiastically, but before I could continue I stopped at my tracks, bewildered of what--who I've seen on the dance studio with the other girls.

Wouldn't you know it. Sometimes there's just some cosmic bs going on when you least expect it. There was CL and Bom, but with them were the three trainees, hanging around the place as well. THREE, which includes Dara the weirdo. Our eyes met and her face had this 'wtf' expression; she even mouthed those words -- or am I seeing things?! I continued looking at her, but instead she gave me this cheshire-cat smile in return, as if suddenly finding the courage to mock me. To infuriate me, even if I don't know the reason why.

I took a deep breath, composing myself. And WHY am I getting afraid of her? I am her sunbae, for chrissakes! I am definitely not going to let her get away with her stupid tricks on me. Not in this lifetime.

Two can play this game.