On the road

Busy with their final stage rehearsals, trainings for their YG debut, and recordings for their first official EP, Dara and everybody else barely had time for themselves. Only Dae, who had gotten out of the hospital after a week and was now resting up at his parents’ home, was spared from the monstrous work they were doing. She and the girls were training more grueling hours under Mai’s tutelage and the Big Bang boys were more hard-pressed than before as not only Danny but also Teddy was now heavily involved with their shift to the mainstream.

So, it was a welcome respite for them when it was announced that the President had given them four days of rest.

“This is also to make sure that Dae will not be left that far behind” Mai explained as she handed each of them a water bottle “So, rest up ok? I’ll see you on Monday.”

Those had been the magical words that made her and the rest of the girls jump up and down at one in the morning.

Now, though, she was on her way to her Grandmother’s house and all the jumping up happening was from the bumps on the road. Her Mom, Durami, and even her brother Sanghyeun (who was also training for another Entertainment Company) had gone on ahead.

They were going to celebrate her Grandma’s 80th birthday on Saturday and she couldn’t wait. A lot of people from her family that she hadn’t seen in a long time were all coming to make merry this weekend.

“It’s going to be fun!” Durami told her excitedly over the phone before she hailed a cab to take her to the bus station.

As she she smiled at the prospect of a fun weekend with her family, her phone beeped with a message. It was from CL.

“Let’s all have a great weekend! 2NE1 nolja!”

She immediately replied and was just closing off her cellphone when another message came in. “The leader sure replied fast” she though to herself but was surprised to see that it wasn’t their leader but Big Bang’s leader who had messaged her.

“Enjoy your weekend Dara. Keep safe ok?”

Her heart skipped a beat but suddenly felt sad as she realized that if there was one thing that she missed the most… it was being able to see Ji. The last time they had been together on their own was on the apartment’s rooftop and they had only talked of mundane things… except the part of course when he told her that he’d never seen her as a kid.

“Ommo!” she exclaimed as she felt her blood rush through her head at that particular memory. “I’m a hopeless case” she admitted to herself. No one, not even Joseph, was able to make her feel like this. It was just one man. And she didn’t even know where he was right now.

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Home is wherever you are…

“I’ll see you next week bro” YB told him over the phone.

“You have fun this weekend” Ji responded to which YB laughed.

“YOU have fun” his best friend answered and he laughed too.

“Don’t worry. I will.”

As he put his phone down, he heard his Mom call for him once again. He immediately dashed downstairs. “Umma! What’s happening?!? Why are you screaming like there’s a fire?”

“Don’t be smart with me young man” Mrs. Kwon, holding a steaming bowl of rice, told him “It’s lunch time already! If you don’t want to eat, then don’t! I almost lost my voice just calling for you.”

“Mianhe” he responded “I was talking to Young Bae over the phone.”

“Take a seat” his mother ordered “You see one another everyday and you still talk on your day off?!?”

Ji decided not to respond anymore coz he knew his mother was not going to stop with her litany. He just scooted on the chair on his Father’s right and began to munch down on the beef stew.

“Are you eating well over there?” his Father asked.

“Yes Appa. They make sure that we all eat and no one skips a meal.”

“That is good then. Your Umma constantly worries because you seem to have lost weight and have become lanky.”

“Well… I haven’t been able to sleep all that much and we’re training harder than before but I always take my vitamins.”

His father nodded and continued eating.

“How is Lee Mai Goo like in person?” His noona suddenly asked and Ji felt that the question was something his sister was itching to ask since his arrival.

“She’s very kind” he answered.

“Wow! Really?!? I thought she might be a bad girl because of her image on her MTVs. Is she really that beautiful too? Her pores are so small when they close up on her and she has no blemishes!”

“She’s prettier in person.”

“Can I visit you and see her? I’ve told Sol Min that you’ve been accepted to YG and we’re dying to get to see Mai! Maybe we could also see Danny! He’s training you guys right?”

“Dami!” his mother apprehended “You’re brother is still a trainee. He hasn’t even debuted yet. Don’t distract him with your requests!”

“Umma! You also want to get Mai’s autograph right? You told me you liked her since her cameo in Full House!”

“Sssshhhhh! Don’t talk this nonsense. Your brother is training really hard and you can’t just barge in there to visit him. It’s embarrassing to his sunbaes.”

“Umma!” Dami reacted “You’re such a kill joy! We’re his family! Of course, we’re allowed to visit him!”

“I’ll get Mai-sunbae’s autograph for you noona but I’m afraid Umma is right. Maybe it isn’t really good to come and visit while I’m training. It IS embarrassing.”

“Really???” his noona bellowed and twitched her lips “Maybe I should have just asked Dara.”

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After dinner, Ji immediately trudged upstairs and found to his delight that the lights on the room directly across his were on. It had been such a long long time since he had seen those on. And there had been times when he just stared at it, hoping for the lights to be on as they are now.

At the moment though, he kept his roomlight off and reached for the pole stick he kept behind his door.

He slowly opened his windows and knocked on the other window.

Immediately, the curtains were drawn to show him a very very stunned Dara. Her eyes had widened and her jaw had dropped when she realized that it was indeed him who had knocked on her windown and who was now facing her. He smiled at her mischievously, then his lights and picked up the writing board he’d tossed in his bed.

He held the sign and saw Dara put her hands to .

He’d been told by his mother a few days back that Grandma Park was celebrating her birthday on Saturday and had even asked whether Dara was also going home. After last night’s announcement, he was sure that she most surely was going to go back here and had prepared to leave early so he could be here before she arrived. He wanted to surprise her.

And judging from her reaction, she was totally caught off guard. However, as she still wasn’t moving after reading his “Welcome Home” message, he erased it on the white board and scribbled “Are you alright?!?”

Dara, finally seeming to go back to her senses, suddenly turned back and scowered inside her room for something to write on. He saw that she found a notebook and she doodled something. Turning back to Ji, he read “I have never been better” and saw her smile.

“She got you bad Ji” he thought to himself “She got you really really bad.”