Never say never?

It was a weird request and Ji had never known Teddy to be like that.Shaking his head, he looked directly at Teddy “I don’t think I heard you right.”The Manager laughed. “I knew you’d be asking that. I should have asked someone on a betting game about your reaction.”Ji - all the more - was perplexed. “It’s the last day of training Teddy. We’ll be launching them tomorrow. You and I both know it’s important.”“I know that. That’s why I want to do this… have you seen the girls? They look high strung - one wrong move and they’ll explode out of tension.”He sighed. That was true. Even their leader - Chaerin - was beginning to stiffen up with the strain.“The guys will be really surprised by this.”“I know they will be. I want it to be that way, actually.”“I’m calling them all here in your office.”“No. I’ll go with you to the training room.”Ji nodded. “You really surprised me” he couldn’t help saying.Teddy stood up from his chair and the smile left his face, instead there was thoughtfulness. “You see… these girls - they have never asked me for anything. With the Wonder Girls - I love them to pieces, mind you - but there was always a reward that they’d look forward to. That was how training them was for me… Now… these girls, they’re different.”“I know.” Ji remembered the incident with the noodles that Dara was eating. The girls never - as in NEVER - asked for him or anybody to buy them food when they were hungry, they bought noodles for themselves.He also knew that their personal staff had nothing but praises for their habits at home. They were all tidy, can cook, and were extremely adept in housework.“They don’t ask for anything from anyone but they give everything they’ve got during rehearsals and for that, I have really thought about rewarding them.”“That’s good Manager.”“And you guys - you deserve this too. You’ve worked so hard in schooling them and guiding them that I couldn’t recognize them now from how they were before.”“It was our job.”“That’s true but you did it perfectly and that is already more than I could have hoped for these ladies” Teddy grabbed his jacket “So, why don’t we go and have fun at Happy Land?”

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The heart has a better memory

Dara couldn’t believe her ears when the Manager came in their training room and announced that today there’ll be no practices.“I see how hard you’ve worked and I am extremely proud of all of you” Teddy told them “So, today, I thought that we could drop all the training and I’m going to treat you to a day-off!”Everybody let out a whoop. “We’re going to Happy Land!” he continued.And here they are now, excited like kids.“Picture!!!” she announced and saw everyone line-up. “Unfair!” she told them. The BIG BANG oppas, she, Minji, Bom, Chaerin, and the Manager had come together. “I want to be in the picture too!”She immediately looked around and tapped a young man. “Hi there! Could you take a picture of us please?”The guy looked dumbfounded - obviously thunderstruck by such sweetness. “Uhmmm… sure.”“Wow! Thank you!” Dara left him the camera and immediately ran to Chaerin’s side.The guy counted. “One… two… three.” Click.“One more please.” Dara smiled right at him and Ji felt bad for the guy, he’s become a total slave if you judged the way he was controlling himself from drooling all over“One… two… three.”Click.“Thank you” she told the guy and took Chaerin and Bom’s hand. “Come on!!! Let’s ride the carousel!!!”“Why Unnie? Can’t we ride the Lava Explosion first?” Minji asked, pointing at the huge roller coaster ride behind them.“We have to ride the carousel first” she explained “it’s for good luck!”“Good luck???” Chaerin asked.“Yep. Yep. For whatever it is we want to do while inside Happy Land” she turned towards Teddy and all the guys “Come on sunbaes! Manager!”“Noona! Noona!” Seung-ri called her attention as they all walked towards the carousel “Who told you such a tale?”Dara was about to answer but she paused. They all looked at her weirdly. “Sorry” she said when she recovered “I just remembered I hadn’t eaten yet.”They all shook their heads at her in laughter - except for Ji Yong. His face was closed off any expression, Dara was quick to note.“Unnie!” Chaerin scolded her.“But I haven’t eaten anything yet. Maybe we could eat first before riding anything?” she looked pleadingly at all of them.“Nah” Daesung replied “It’s good that you haven’t eaten anything noona so that you don’t have anything to throw up after we ride the Lava Explosion.”“Ommo!!!”They all laughed. “No one’s eating yet!” Teddy announced “We’re going to ride everything and then we’ll eat mountains of food. Is that ok with you Dara?”Dara pouted. “Ow… ok Manager.”Teddy smiled down at her and patted her head - like a kid’s. “Now… why don’t we ride that carousel of yours? So, we can have all the good luck we need.”

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Watching from the sidelines 

They were all having the time of their lives - except for him.He watched as his friends play tricks on the girls. Normally, he’d join them in teasing. He, even, often led them.But it bothered the hell out of him now that he was feeling like this and Dara was having fun, uncaring about him or whatever memories this place held for the both of them.“WTF?!?” he asked himself “You began this game, idiot. What’s wrong with you?”“Ji-oppa” Chaerin called him “Are you ok?”He tried a weak smile. “I’m fine.”Chaerin didn’t look like she believed him. She went over and put a hand on his forehead. “Woah! You’re hot.”He was surprised at that and put his own hand on his forehead. He was indeed hot.“Unnie!!!” Chaerin shouted at both Bom and Dara.Both girls ran towards her “Ji-oppa has a fever.”Dara placed her hand on his forehead and Ji, almost veered from her touch. He realized that this was the first time ever that they had touched since… “You are hot” Dara confirmed.“I think I have medicine in my bag” Bom announced and rummaged at her tote.“I’ll buy water” Chaerin said and grabbed Seung-ri, who was busy watching YB and Daesung , shoot at ducks.“Hey!” Seung-ri looked at her.“We’re buying water” she explained and led him towards the sea of people.“What’s wrong?” T.O.P. asked and walked towards Dara, Bom, and Ji after watching Chaerin and Seung-ri speed away.“He has fever” Bom answered “And I can’t seem to find my medicine box.”“Oh. I think we passed by a store on the way here. Maybe they have medicine. Or we can ask them where the clinic is” he looked at Ji “You look like death warmed up man.”“I hadn’t noticed” Ji replied sarcastically at him, then smiled.“We’ll be back for you” T.O.P. told him, smiling back, then faced Bom “Let’s go.”Ji watched them head for the place where their group came from and looked back at Dara. There were only two of them. YB and Daesung were busy, shooting ducks, obviously still unaware of what was happening as they were competing with one another. Teddy had taken Minji over another shooting gallery to get a bear for her.“Why didn’t you say you weren’t feeling good?” she asked him.“I didn’t even know it” he answered “Chaerin just came over here and asked.”“Lie back” Dara told him.“What?!?”Dara sat beside him. “Lay your head on my lap and stay still.”Ji looked around at the people. “Somebody might want to sit here.”“I’ll tell them you’re sick” she was watching him in frustration “Just lie back will you? Sitting up like that is not going to do your head any good coz I’m guessing it’s feeling pretty heavy now.”He shifted restlessly, undecided. “Don’t fuss about me. This isn’t even a high fever. I can handle this.”“So stubborn.”“Look, who’s talking” he replied, unable to stop himself.She pouted at him. “I think you’re not sick at all. You’re too talkative.”“Talkative??? Not sick???” he fumed at her “You know what? Maybe seating beside you isn’t really going to help me. You’re not healthy for sick people.”“Sick? You’re just so thin that even without fever, you look sick” she countered.“Thin?!?” he laughed “Why don’t you go look at yourself first? A paper’s heavier than you!” “Oh really? Well… you’re no different. You’re all BONES.”He snickered at her “All bones huh? Well, you haven’t seen me without my shirt so don’t you be too sure.”It was her turn to laugh. “I don’t even want to see you with your shirt off. I’d be traumatized.”“WELL! WELL!” Teddy’s voice boomed, interrupting the both of them.He and Dara looked around. They were all watching the two of them - in awe. Chaerin and Seung-ri had returned, holding two water bottles. Bom and T.O.P. had a nurse beside them. Daesung and YB were both holding fluffy penguins and Minji was hugging a huge teddy bear.“I didn’t know you two could fight it out like that” Teddy added.