Chapter Six

It was the regular monthly meeting with the girls. As of the moment, they are currently not promoting any songs in Korea or in Japan and they were given rest period by the president. Although it was like that, they were still obliged to attend monthly meetings, recordings and practices for their upcoming comeback to the music scene.

“So have you all listened to the sample track by Teddy?” He asked as he looked some of the sample tracks then exchange ideas on what to put into your second full album. Then we will meet up again within a week’s time to see your choices. Is that all clear?”

“Yes, sajangnim.” The girls all said politely.

“Good. By the way, we have decided to hold your second concert by the end of this year or within this year… It’s not yet final but we would have to see how it will proceed…” He continued when he saw the leader raised her hand. He wanted to ignore it but he cannot since the others saw her hand up as well. Reluctantly, he called her name, “Yes, CL-sshi?”

“I want to know when I would have a solo song released.” CL asked with a challenging look on her face. “The older girls have already gotten their chance to do a solo song and all I got were a featuring and a duet with the maknae.”

YG looked at the other people inside the room tensed up as spouted every word. This is what he was afraid of now. He doesn’t like to talk about the leader’s solo since he knew that it would not do any good. He thought that back then when he let the girl read the hate mails for her, she would at least change but he was dead wrong. It didn’t affect her nor change her but she has mellowed down a bit.

“We will talk about that another time.” He tried to change the topic and he would have been successful if not for her persistence.

“When would that another time be?” CL asked relentlessly that made his brows furrowed at her impertinence. She even snorted and raised her brows as she continued, “Or do you really have plans for me to do a solo song?”

“What my plans for you would have to wait and remain to be see so don’t ever use that kind of tone with me. I’ll let this slipped up but don’t you dare use that tone with me ever again. Do you understand?” He stated in cold and serious tone.

He saw CL about to utter another word but she was stopped by a warning look from Teddy. Relief flooded him. He just doesn’t know what to do anymore if ever she would show another brash behavior against him. He had heard enough already about her attitude and he’s at the corner on what to do.

“So if there are no more concerns, you are all dismissed.” He exclaimed as he watched everyone in the room hurriedly went out.

As soon as the last person from went out, he leaned his back on the chair and caressed his forehead. His eyes closed and sighed. He was running out of patience for the girl and he was known to be a patient man. He decided to take a few minutes to ease his mind by just closing his eyes and taking a short nap.

A few minutes later, he heard some knocks on his door. Reluctant, he opened his eyes and gave permission to enter the room. He put on his cold, business face and his facial expression softened when he saw the head of his wife popping out of the opened door.

“Your brows are furrowed like this…” Eun Jo commented and imitated a funny version of his tensed up face then smiled. “As what our little kid say, monsh-tur.”

His smile widened at his wife’s antics and motioned for her to come closer. Eun Jo obediently followed and sat at the seat opposite of his.

“So what’s up with your troubled look?” Eun Jo asked and looked at her husband warily.

He sighed and stared at the space for a full minute before he answered her question.

“I just don’t know what to do anymore…” He blurted out and his fist clenched tightly as if he was trying to contain his feelings by doing such action. “Eun Jo-ah… I don’t know anymore.”

“Hmm… Was it still about the girls?” Eun Jo guessed correctly. “I thought it was alright now?”

“I thought so too… I just…” He whispered and his face was filled with worried expressions that Eun Jo cannot help but feel sympathetic towards her husband. “Really, I don’t know… I never thought it would come to this…”

“What do you mean?” Eun Jo asked in confusion.

He looked at his wife’s face and smiled at her timidly.

“Nothing… Let’s not talk about it for now…” He said, ending their gloomy conversation. With a forced smile on his face and faked cheerfulness, he asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I just wanted to invite you over for lunch.” Eun Jo smiled and respected her husband’s decision of not telling her anything. She would just wait for him to tell it to her and she will just be there to support him in whatever he does.

“Great, I’m hungry.” He stated and kept the documents on his desk before standing up. “Let’s go.”

“Lead the way, old guy.” Eun Jo teased.

“But a handsome one.” He responded as he linked his arms with hers.

She saw the other two girls sad faces and it worries her. Although, she sometimes felt out of the place with them, she still loves the two. With a smile on her face, she linked arms with the older girls who were busy spacing out.

“Dara-unnie! Bom-unnie!” She called out their names in her most cheerful voice and tightened her hold on their arms. “Let’s play at the mall today!”

The two girls exchanged looks and hesitantly nodded which made her happy. It has been a while since the three of them last played together. They asked their manager if they can go to the mall now which they were allowed.

“Aren’t we going to invite her with us?” Dara whispered and glanced at the other girl who was walking ahead of them.

“Tell me you are not serious, Ssantoki…” Bom exclaimed with a horrified expression on her face.

“Yah! What’s wrong with your expression?!” Dara pointed out and looked at the lone girl with a dirty brownish blonde-like hair in front of them. “She’s still part of our team, isn’t she?”

“Technically, yes.” Bom quickly said before lowering her voice again. “But it’s just on stage. Look at our distance now and tell me if she was still part of our team.”

She can only glance at the two older girls who are whispering about the leader. She doesn’t want to say anything since she felt that she doesn’t have the right to do so. It’s because she was the youngest of them and the leader was older than her.

Sometimes, she hates her age for specific reasons. One of them was basically because of this. She cannot speak her mind about such things without thinking of what other people might think about her because of saying things against someone who is older than her. This is why she’s trying to be contented on hearing the older girls speak their mind about it.

“So what do you think about this, maknae?” Bom asked the youngest girl. “Don’t you think the diva leader of ours is not part of our group?”

She wanted to voice out her opinion but she just smiled. The stares of the older girl who asked the question were making her feel uncomfortable. She looked at the oldest and met her expectant gaze while her smile was getting a bit of awkward now.

“Aisht, Bommie…Don’t you go asking the maknae for her opinion?” Dara stated and winked at the youngest girl. “Let’s just forget we had this conversation and play well together!”

She smiled at her favorite unnie and thanked her in silence for saving her there. Although there are times wherein she feels so out of place with the two, probably it’s their age that was speaking, but she knows Dara would understand her.

“Fine, fine.” Bom said and pouted as she freed herself from their linked arms then walked ahead of them. “I want to eat first though.”

“You always wanted to eat, unnie.” She commented and made Bom’s mouth pout longer.
 

“Why you little rascal?!” Bom exclaimed and prepared to launch on the youngest girl but the latter has already ran away from her reach. “Come back here, you impudent brat!”

She just ran away laughing from the oldest girl who was trying to catch her. She can just imagine Bom’s nerves popping out because of being unable to catch her. From a distance, she can hear the infectious laughter of her favorite unnie which made her happy from the bottom of her heart.

She missed these days wherein they were just plain girls having fun and playing around. No worries and no pressures building up inside. Just them.

It took them half an hour before Bom have gave up catching her and was huffing while pleading to them to go and eat now. They were teasing the oldest girl on her lack of endurance on their way to one of their favorite places to eat out when she saw Dara stopped on her tracks, Bom continued walking without a care.

“Dara-unnie?” She called her out and followed the direction of her eyes.  Her small, slanted eyes widened at the sight of the familiar guy strolling around the area with another girl. She looked at the oldest girl who seems to be lost on her own world and her Dara unnie. She leaned closer to Dara and whispered, “Isn’t that Ta—?”

“Ssshh…” Dara hushed the maknae and gave a pleading look. “Don’t tell Bommie about this… Okay?”

“But… Shouldn’t she know this?” She asked cautiously as she glanced at the other girl. “She has the right to know this… I think.”

Dara let out a sigh which confused the younger girl. She messed up the maknae’s hair and smiled at her timidly.

“I know but not now. I’ll go talk to Seunghyun now and asked him about this…” Dara whispered. “Maybe he has a good reason about this.”

“Oh, how about her?” She asked as pointed at the brown haired girl who was still at lost in her own world.

“I’ll go alone…Don’t worry.” Dara said and assured the maknae. “Just go at the resto first and I’ll follow. Make some excuse from me, okay?”

She nodded as she watched her favorite unnie disappeared around the corner. After letting out a deep breath, she forced a smile on her face and surprised the dazed older girl with her.

“Unnie… What are you doing now?” She said in her infamous tone that has been often imitated by the other YG family members. “Are you drooling over food again?”

Bom’s face turned red and glared at the maknae.

“I was just kidding unnie…” She quickly said her apologies.

Bom looked around and tried to find Dara around.

“Where’s your Dara-unnie?” Bom asked and crossed her arms.

“She went to the washroom and she told me that we can go ahead first… She’ll follow soon.” She said as she pushed the older girl forward with all of her strength. “Move, move!! For food, food!!”

Her heart almost stopped when she saw Seunghyun walking nearby with a familiar female linked on his arms. She refused to believe that he was cheating on her friend but seeing it with her own eyes made her remember her friend’s state nowadays. She was grateful that Bom did not see him with another woman in his arms earlier or it would be chaotic.

After asking help from the maknae, she did her best to follow the guy. They were fast in getting away but she was able to keep it up. She cannot remember for how long was she following the guy but she was still able to see Seunghyun kissing the cheeks of the girl and bidding goodbye.

She waited for the appropriate moment to make her presence known. She decided to come out before Seunghyun was able to call his manager to pick him up.

“Seunghyun-sshi, was that Min Ah-sshi?” She asked as she comes out of her hiding place. She can see the guy’s eyes widened in surprise at her presence. Although it only lasted a few seconds and his expression was back to his normal one.

Seunghyun just looked at her without uttering another word that annoyed the hell out of her.

“Say something.” She exclaimed in annoyance.

“What do you want me to say?” Seunghyun asked back. He snorted as he continued, “You saw her, right? What more can I say?”

“Does she know?” She asked and tried to meet with his eyes.

“Min Ah?” Seunghyun asked with a confused look on his face. “Yes, she knew.”

“No, not her.” She stated while gritting her teeth. “I meant Bommie… Does she know you were meeting up with her?”

“Should I let her know?” Seunghyun asked in challenging tone and made her bit her lower lip. “It’s better if she doesn’t know. She won’t be hurt for something she doesn’t know.”

“Are you… and her together?” She asked as she looked straight to his eyes.

Seunghyun avoided her gaze which made her reach her conclusion.

“Why?” She asked as she tried not to sound sad.

“Look, me and Min Ah, we’re not together. If that’s what you’re implying.” Seunghyun said. “Stop being a and stop bothering me.”

“A ?” She exclaimed. “Being a concerned friend is now called being a then?”

Seunghyun rolled his eyes and turned his back from her.

“I’m not questioning your choices. All I want was for you to be honest with my friend. She is hurting and seeing her like that is hurting me as well. Is it wrong for me to think like that?” She said in a hurtful tone. “Why can’t you just be honest with her just like Ji?”

Then she heard him let out a bitter laugh.

“So you think Jiyong-ah has been always honest with you?” Seunghyun said mockingly. “You make me laugh with your naïve thoughts, noona.”

“What do you mean?” She asked nervously. Her heart beat was beating faster than ever. “What do you mean about that?”

“Why don’t you ask Jiyong then?” Seunghyun suggested and walked away, leaving seeds of doubt in her already shaken heart.