The Chance of a lifetime

(After two years…)

Yu Sun Shi was feeling nervous. In her whole career, she knew that today’s event would either make or break her.

“Am I sweating?” she asked her make-up artist who was re-touching her.

“Yes and I would understand why. This is the biggest thing you’ve ever done.”

“Thanks for reminding me” she replied sarcastically and then smiled “I’m nervous as hell.”

“Hey! They’re both very wonderful people and if it’s any consolation to you, they’re as nervous as you are too.”

“Well… we’re nervous for different things and I think I’m at a disadvantage because I’m nervous just by the thought of the two of them. Did you see me backstage? I was absolutely stuttering!”

“Sun you’re being silly. Just relax. You were given this opportunity because you’re good – you’re really really good! So… break a leg huh?”

“We’re going on-air in a minute!” the Floor Director announced and Sun looked around when she heard her audience of 250 – the most she’s ever had in a studio that actually fits only 150 – scream wildly. As her heart beat in trepidation, theirs beat in excitement.

“Thirty Seconds!!!” the Floor Director now announced “To our audience, please keep control of yourselves. Once, we’re live on air, you can begin screaming again.”

Sun had to smile at that command from their FD and turned her attention to one Production Assistant who had brought in flowers to the table. They were pink blooming roses – flowers that had always been associated with her guest for her pure looks.

“Is your lapel ok Sun-shi?” the assistant asked her.

“Chech 1… 2… 3…” she said aloud.

The Audio Man gave the thumbs up sign to her and the assistant as the Stage Manager positioned herself in front of Camera # 1. “Audio is ok” the Stage Manager announced and motioned for the PA to go back to her original position “Lighting is ok” she continued and looked at her clock “Going live in ten seconds!”

Sun took a deep breath and focused on Camera # 1 and chanted her lines to her head. She had a feed monitor but she had always been spontaneous with her lines.

Silence now enveloped the studio as the stage manager began to count “Going live in one thousand one… one thousand two… one thousand three… one thousand four… one thousand five!”

“Two of the biggest idols who’s faced speculations regarding their true relationship: Kwon Ji Yong, the charismatic and chic leader of hot group BIG BANG and Park Sandara, the always fresh and beautiful vocalist of 2NE1 has recently announced news of their engagement.”

The audience screamed and Sun smiled at their eagerness. She faced the camera again and continued…

“After a month of their announcement, let us welcome Kwon Ji Yong and Park Sandara!”

From the back stage, Ji and Dara walked out holding one another’s hand, making everybody in the studio scream wilder than they already had been shouting.

Ji was in a simple, well-fitting dark blue semi-suit while Dara wore a luxurious creamy dress that hugged her body and showed just enough skin to create a classy and alluring aura.

They both waved enthusiastically and smiled at the audience before joining Sun on the set.

“Welcome to you both” Sun greeted them and signaled for both of them to seat across her.

“Thank you for having us” Ji answered as they both made a bow and walked towards the set’s soft divan chairs.

“Now, we’re all pretty excited about the news that they have so joyfully shared to the world a month ago and we have a lot we’d like to ask about that” Sun began “but before we go into this latest news, we’d like to ask you a number of questions about how all this began because I do believe you are aware of all the speculations about your true relationship that has been floating around since both of your debuts.”

Ji smiled at that and then looked at Dara who seemed to say that it was ok and they could both handle it.

“You have confirmed in both your group’s autobiographies that you’ve had very hard beginnings. Is it true that during those times, you already had feelings for one another?”

The two guests exchanged meaningful glances at that question and Ji was the first one to answer. “Before we had even trained under YG and performed in Teddy’s club, Dara and I became neighbors and very good friends – “

The audience screamed before Ji could continue and he awarded them all with a very guilty smile.

“So… you already had feelings for one another?”

“Well, I liked her back then” Ji admitted, earning more screams from the audience “but I don’t think it was mutual.”

Dara, suddenly the one on the spotlight, looked like she was surprised by Ji’s teasing and could be seen softly pinching his hand.

“Dara-shi seems to have another answer for that” Sun noticed.

“The thing is when we first met, I had a boyfriend in the Philippines.”

“But you already liked him?”

“It was hard not to like him” Dara answered in a very low voice that was almost drowned by all the fans screams. The stage director on the side of the set was trying to contain the wildly giddy live viewers.

“So does this mean that you guys were already an item even back then?” Sun prodded.

“Oh no” Ji answered, controlling himself from looking smug because of Dara’s answer “She returned to the Philippines a month after we met and then we lost all communication.”

“Wow! Didn’t you try to get in touch with one another?”

“Uhmmm… it was a little hard back then because a lot of things happened when I left for the Philippines. I became busy with work and he became very busy too” Dara answered.

“But you still thought of one another despite all that?”

Much to the surprise of everyone in the studio, both of the guests blushed before answering.

“I thought a lot about her” Ji admitted “A lot of the things I’ve written down when she was gone were about her.”

“Did you know this Dara-shi? Did you know that Ji Yong-goon wrote songs for you?”

2NE1’s fresh-voiced vocalist nodded shyly “Well… at first I didn’t think they were about me because he is such a chic idol and a lot of girls really like him. I knew they were from his experiences because he really pours a lot of himself into what he writes but I’ve never really assumed anything until he told me.”

The audience, who was now behaving under the Stage Director’s glare, let out squeals to convey their happiness at that admission.

“How about you Dara-shi? Did you think a lot about Ji Yong-goon while you were back in the Philippines?”

“Well… I still had a boyfriend at that time and it was all very complicated but I ultimately broke up with him. And then when I returned here in Korea, I was not hoping for anything at all because I learned from his family that he had moved to Seoul. When I worked in Teddy-oppa’s place, I didn’t expect that a month thereafter, he and Big Bang would become stars there. I was really surprised.”

“Now, talking about Park Teddy – he’s such a big influence and force on both of your groups, how was his reaction to all of this?”

“Hyung’s very supportive and happy for the both of us” Ji answered.

Sun smiled at the sincerity she felt from Ji’s answer and was again amazed at the closeness of all YG artists “I know this is a little off the topic but I believe that this is very close to both of your hearts. Can you tell us about Lee Mai Goo and Park Teddy and how they have both inspired you?”

Dara’s eyes brightened at the mention of the two people who contributed a lot to hers and Ji’s happiness “They’re both very strong people who have the greatest of hearts. Mai-unnie sacrificed a lot not only for me and Ji but also for the rest of 2NE1 and Big Bang. She guided us, taught us, never gave up on us and never let us give up on ourselves… she’s really really special to all of us. And Teddy-oppa is very much like Mai-unnie in that sense except that he’s grittier and harder on us than unnie is.”

“Actually, they both called us before this to wish us luck” Ji added.

“Wow. That’s really sweet of them.”

Dara suddenly smiled mischievously “It’s actually Mai-unnie who’s sweet. Teddy-oppa’s just forced to be sweet because Mai-unnie tells hims to be.”

People in the audience laughed along with Sun and some of the crew members at this information.

“Mianhe Teddy-oppa” Dara then continued.

“Just out of curiosity and we all know that this is something you rarely talk about… you were just beginning in YG when some of the most unfortunate events in the Industry happened. It involved both Mai-shi and Teddy-goon. Speculations have always linked the downfall of the notorious Song Yu Seuk group to those events and its even been hinted at by Hyori-shi during her last interview with us, what can you say about this?”

Ji shrugged his shoulders a bit and looked seriously at Sun “This is something that we rarely talk about because those who are really involved rarely talk about it too. However, what we can say is that those were really difficult times for us because we thought we were going to lose Mai-noona due to the shooting and we were really afraid that Teddy-hyung could crumble apart if ever it does happen.”

“But you were given a miracle…”

“Yes we were” Ji affirmed “Noona was able to live after that incident and despite being told that she would have to undergo painfully extensive therapy to help her recover, we were all very happy about it. Seung-ri at that time even promised he’d behave the way the President wanted him to.”

“I can see how much you really care for one another.”

“What being in YG taught us is that we are a family no matter what” Dara answered “We are all very blessed to have each other.”

Sun nodded and took a deep sigh “As family, and I know you’ve been asked this question before and I know too that it’s been always hard to answer but we haven’t actually heard any of the two of you speak out on the the pain you must have felt when you lost one of the greatest voice coaches in the industry, Kyun Jin Ha.”

Both Ji and Dara paused at that and looked at one another before answering. Dara seemed to tell Ji that he should answer rather than her.

“Jin Ha-noona was really special to all of us and even though it’s been years and we were only with her like I think six or seven months, she’s affected all our lives immensely. She’s incomparable as a vocal trainer for all of us because she wasn’t only great in being a teacher, she was also a great great friend.”

“A lot of artists incuding Lee Hyori, Rain, and Jaejoong who are from other companies have been touched by her too.”

“It’s not really surprising because she’s mentored a lot of great singers and one of the things we have looked forward to when we became trainees of YG was to be trained by her” Ji responded “That unfortunate accident almost seven years ago now really affected us… I mean it only takes one day with one person to say that that person has somehow changed your life and to have worked closely with someone for seven months and suddenly have that person taken away from you really hurt all of us. She had often told us that she was the mother we can all run to… everyone, even the President, treated her that way.”

“In a documentary of Kyun Jin Ha’s life, Teddy admitted that he still feels guilty to this day about that accident. How is he coping now? How are you all coping now?”

“Hyung often blames himself because as everybody knows by now, Jin Ha-noona helped him rush to the hospital that day to see Mai-noona after she slipped while in therapy. He was really shocked to learn that Jin Ha-noona’s car got hit by a rampaging truck just abou thirty minutes after he got dropped off. He never quite got over it for a very long time but Mai-noona’s patience and support has made him realize now that that’s how fate works sometimes. And on our end, we continue to always visit her. The time before we, Big Bang, went to the military, we visited her and even played the songs in the compilation album that all of those that she mentored created.”

Dara wasn’t dabbing at her eyes but she looked very close to tears. Everybody knew how attached they had all become to the voice coach and how it had affected their groups to be subjected to so many pains even before they were all able to debut.

A lot of industry analysts and fans have agreed on the fact that those hardships they had gone through before their debuts made them more explosive, engaging, and much-loved idols.

“Thank you for your honesty and sincerity in answering these questions. We all feel now that we have known you better because of this” Sun told Ji and Dara.

“Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be honest and sincere too” Dara answered.

Taking a pause as though to recover from the very serious conversation that the show has turned in to, Sun then faced the camera ans smiled brightly “Well, everyone, please stay tuned as we pause for a commercial break” there was a collective mumble in the audience “When we come back… we’ll get more into the romance and how our awesome idols, Kwon Ji Yong and Park Sandara fell in love…”