“You’re going to make it this time.”

His words stayed with her. 

She kept them close to her heart.  She replayed the reverent words in her mind throughout the two-hour flight to Shanghai, while they landed, and also when they exited the plane.  They gave her comfort and lent her strength – in more ways than one.  She saw the throng of people upon their arrival and felt seize up.  It was just like Tokyo… only louder and more chaotic.  With the aid of Yun Hee and another YG employee, Amina’s small crew stayed well behind the band, stage managers, and dancers.  As a small team, they took their time – grabbing their luggage and renting their own vehicle.

“Are you okay?”  Yun Hee asked, concern filling her eyes.  “Do you need any water?”

A bashful light filled Amina’s eyes.  She gingerly touched her cheeks with both hands and shook her head.  They felt clammy against her skin and she correctly guessed that her face had lost some color.  “I’m just a little bit overwhelmed with all the people.  But I’ll be fine.”

The older woman nodded with understanding.  “Neh, it does take a bit to get used to the crowd.  But after awhile, you desensitize yourself.”  She buckled her seatbelt and watched as Amina did the same.  “There’s only so much invading of privacy you can take.  Sooner or later, you’ll get to the point where you have to decide – it’s either your life or theirs!” 

The burly man in the driver seat glanced marginally over his shoulder and started guffawing.  “Noona, you sound like a gangster.”

Yun Hee clamped her lips together in a thin line and let out a muffled shrill.  “Just drive us to The Grand Hyatt, Sungmin-sshi!  If you help us unload our bags and get us to the office early tomorrow, I won’t tell Yang sajangnim you forgot to bring your paperwork.”

The man grumbled and turned around.  He inserted the key into the ignition and searched for the hotel address on the navigator.

“Luckily for him, I brought an extra set,” Yun Hee whispered, double-checking her briefcase.

Amina grinned and shook her head.

There was a soft knock on the door.

Youngbae ceased his pacing and shuffled forward – his feet nearly flying beneath him.  The lines of worry and strain left his face with every step he made.  He peered through the peek hole quickly, but already knew in his heart that it could only be one person.  The handle easily flew from his hand, swinging the door wide open, and whipping the air around her.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Youngbae breathed, a sigh of relief escaping him.  Traffic had been crazy and the hoard of people following them had become borderline unsafe.  There were many times throughout the ride over when he wished to call and ask about her safety, but he’d forgotten to purchase a SIM card for her phone.  He settled for a simple text message to Yun Hee instead but it still wasn’t enough.  Nothing less than seeing his wife for himself would ever be good enough.  Reaching down, Youngbae grabbed the handle of Amina’s small carryon luggage.  “Here, I’ll take it,” he said, and proceeded to close the door and secure the lock.

“I thought you were going to soundcheck.”  Amina placed her purse on the vanity nearby.  Her eyes quickly scanned the opulent space – more grand and luxurious than their previous experience.  Art deco pieces climbed the walls and there was ample room for a separate sitting area and workspace.

“I am,” Youngbae replied.  He scooted her luggage next to his and turned around.  “I wanted to make sure you got here okay first.”  He turned around and appraised her from head to toe.  Nothing had changed since the last time they saw one another.  Calm and alert, Amina did well on the flight – much better than he expected, although he did take pleasure in holding her hand all the way over.  No, she looked the same as she did this morning and yet… he couldn’t get his fill of her.

He took a step forward and reached for her hands.

He enjoyed touching her. 

“I’d ask you to come with me, but…” Youngbae trailed off, his eyes flickering over hers.  “… I’m afraid there are too many people.  With other singers and groups there, it might get crazy.”

Amina nodded, her eyebrows puckering up with understanding.  “That’s okay,” she replied.  “I’ll wait to see you perform tomorrow.”

He bit his inner cheek, the lines around his eyes tightening.

“Or not,” Amina softly laughed.  She could the concern in his eyes and the stress it was causing him.  “It’s fine.  I’ll um…”  She thought for a moment.  “I’ll just go to Yun Hee unnie’s room and we’ll watch the show from there.  We’ll make a party of it.”  She gave him another genuine smile so he could see that she was perfectly fine with staying back.

“Are you sure?”

“Neh,” Amina bobbed her head.

“Alright,” Youngbae nodded.  He looked at the open space around them – the cream on cream honeymoon suite that Yun Hee had reserved.  Thankfully, he hid the champagne bottle, the chocolates, and roses before his wife could see them.  He didn’t want her to become uncomfortable or forced to reconcile any emotions that she wasn’t ready to face.  “I’ll be back late.  You might be asleep by then,” he added, knowing her penchant for sleeping early and waking up in the middle of the night.

She gave him another small nod.

“I heard there were four different types of spas here,” Youngbae said.  “And several restaurants.  You can have Italian or Japanese.  There’s even a 24-hour buffet, in case you have your ice-cream cravings later on.  And lounges-“

“I’ll be fine,” Amina cut in, her eyes filled with laughter.  “Don’t worry, oppa.  I’ll be fine.  I’m going to run over some reports with Yun Hee unnie and tour the hotel.  Then we’ll eat and relax.”  She squeezed his fingers.  “I’ll be here when you get back.”

The tension from his neck eased.  “Okay,” Youngbae murmured.  Reluctantly, he let go of her hands and took a step towards the door.  “Your copy of the keycard is over on the night table,” he jerked his chin towards the bed area and his lips anxiously when he spotted the amused gleam in her eyes.  He grabbed his face mask and swiftly put it on.  “I’ll umm… I’ll be leaving now.” 

She followed him.

He gave her an eye smile over his shoulder and reached for the door.

“Oppa?”

Youngbae paused, his hand still on the knob.  He looked at his wife expectantly and felt his body freeze up when she leaned in.  Delicately, she pulled at his mask – inching the material down, until her fingertips slid against his mouth and chin.

“Be safe.”

He nodded.  Or at least he thought he nodded.  He was too captivated by the tender look in his wife’s eyes and the warmth of her gentle smile.  It felt like a dream.  A very slow moving dream.  She leaned up and sweetly brushed her lips against him.  They were soft yet firm.  Promising.  He felt his knees grow weak.

He closed his eyes.

And made a wish.

“Amina-yah?”

Amina looked up, her pen suspended mid-air.  She smiled easily at the approaching group of men. “Daesungie.  Seungrie.  Did you guys just get here?”  Her eyes immediately checked out the wisps of hair that were artfully curled and styled off Seungri’s forehead.  It wasn’t hard to miss.  It was as if a woman just ran her fingers through them. 

hair.

“Neh,” Daesung replied.  He chose the leather conference chair opposite her and sat down.  “Hyung should be in soon.  We had a little car trouble on the way here.”

“Mwuh?”

“It was nothing,” Seungri chimed in, slipping into the seat beside Amina.  Stretching out his legs, Seungri leaned back into his chair and folded his hands behind his head.  “Just a couple of fans that were following too closely, that’s all.  Happens all the time.”

Daesung scoffed.

Minutes later, the doors to the conference room opened.  The remaining band members walked in, followed by their boss, and the rest of the YG corporate staff stationed at the Shanghai office.  It wasn’t a large office.  In fact, it was just a penthouse suite in a building filled with other large business tenants.  They were just breaking ground and had yet to establish a strong foothold in Shanghai.  The meeting today was supposed to be quick.  A simple mid-year review amongst shareholders before the news went public.  Once they finished with that tidbit, they’d begin discussing the regional talent search and what they found and expected so far.

Amina stood up and politely bowed to the newcomers before sitting back down.  She tried to ignore the death glare her husband gave Seungri, but it was hard – especially when she could sense everyone’s eyes on them.

“Move,” Youngbae ordered in a low tone.

“Of course,” Seungri’s eyes widened innocently.  “I was just warming the seat for you, hyung.”  He shot Amina a small wink before moving one chair over.

Amina hesitantly gave Seungri a small smile and resumed filling out her report.  She heard the chair next to her swivel and compress as Youngbae seated himself.  From the corner of her eye, she was aware of him reaching for the water pitcher in the middle of the table; could hear the sound of glass on glass as he poured himself a drink.  Her heartbeat accelerated slightly upon hearing the light thud of the pitcher put back in its place. 

“What time did you leave?”

The barely audible question caused Amina to look over.  She met Youngbae’s intent gaze and felt her cheeks heat up.  “A little before seven,” Amina whispered in return.  Unconsciously, she began checking his face for signs of fatigue.  She met his tender, red, swollen lips, and quickly looked away. 

Somehow… in the middle of the night, things got a bit carried away.  Maybe it was the heat of their bodies pressed up against one another.  Or the way his arms securely held her while he was fast asleep.  Perhaps it was a full moon… she didn’t know.  She woke up to the feel of his exhales softly grazing her neck and became aroused.  Undeniably aroused.  Like a moth to a flame, she found herself touching his face.  Gentle, soft brushing touches along his brows, the bridge of his nose… down his cheek and the stubble across his lips.  Little by little, soon replaced her hands.  

“Yun Hee unnie still had some reports to finish up, so I went to help her early this morning.”

Youngbae nodded quietly.  As his wife tucked a strand of hair away, he couldn’t help but notice the small pinched marks near the base of her ear.  They were pink and slightly raised, but unnoticeable unless one knew where to look.  Love bites.  He remembered marring her skin with his tongue and teeth; remembered the feel of her nails on his back and the soft moans that escaped her lips.  With slightly shaky hands, Youngbae grabbed the glass of water before him and drank.

The sound of her raspy exhales filled his ears.

The feel of her fingers running through his hair sent currents of ecstasy charging down his back.

He could still feel her.  his bottom lip inside .  Teasing him with her tongue.  Plucking and pulling at him.  He thought to escape her sweet torture by moving down towards her jaw line and neck.  But she surprised him again last night when her hands wandered along his sides and dipped in-between his hips.

“Thirsty, hyung?”

Youngbae snapped out of his thoughts and quickly swallowed the water in his mouth.  He side-eyed Seungri and placed his glass down.  He started to speak but then stopped himself.  A comment like that didn’t warrant a response.  Youngbae leaned back in his chair and stared mutely ahead.

The meeting began.

The lights inside the conference room dimmed and the screen projector came on.  But instead of concentrating on the numbers and mind numbing profit projections, Youngbae found himself recalling more details of last night.    

“Bae-yah.”

He remembered the way his body quiv