“Are you still looking for an investor for your business?”

Ae Ra frowned, wasn’t sure what those words from the great Yang Hyun Suk meant. She was supposed to hear some other advice of how should she stay away from Jiyong, and she had prepared herself a nice and polite retort for that matter. But this was what made she confused.

“What do you mean, sir?” She asked back tentatively.

“Well, you see, I am looking for some business to invest, and just about the right time, I found out that you’re about to launch some business here, right? What is it about?” Yang Hyun Suk leisurely crossed his legs and smiled to Ae Ra. It looked more like a smirk, to be honest.

Ae Ra took 5 seconds comprehend what was happening, before her business mode was . She leaned back a bit on the sofa and flashed him a small smile. “May I ask why?”

Seeing him eyeing her mysteriously and somehow dangerously, Ae Ra went on. “Forgive for my question, but, it is kind of...unrelated you know. Especially when my business hasn’t bloomed yet, well, it hasn’t been even started yet. I just don’t see how someone doing entertainment like you would be interest in what I am about to do, like, bags and accessories?” She explained.

“Believe it or not,” Hyun Suk chuckled. “Sometimes I’m kinda tired of all these entertainment things.” He said. “I am looking for something totally unrelated to entertainment to invest.”

This time, it was Ae Ra who was studying him. It’s like she was still trying to understand the situation, and weighing the options.

“I will help you about finance, not all but a part, and also about everything you need if you’re about to start a business in Korea.” Hyun Suk said in a clear voice. “That reporter is right, you still has so little knowledge about Korea. But I’ll help you.”

“Why?” That was all she could think to question.

“Since you’re unwillingly dragged into this messy entertainment world because of Jiyong, I think it’s just fair that you are helped in some other way. I can’t help you to get out of this complicated situation you’re in, being nagged by the press and media, but I can help you with your business. Just see it like….an apology from us, from Jiyong.” He said with utter sincerity which made Ae Ra feel uneasy.

“Why everyone seems to jump to this conclusion about me, and you have different thought?”

“Let’s just say I have this impression on you.” Hyun Suk smiled.

“And that is?” Ae Ra frowned.

“You are here, involved in those things with us, for a reason.” He shrugged. “I’m still on the way finding out what it is, too. So don’t ask me further since I don’t know.” He concluded.

Ae Ra just felt…..weird. It’s true that she needed help, and she knew her business in Korea gonna be hard, since now her life got more complicated. But, help from Jiyong’s boss, that was something to consider.

“So, when will you officially start launching the brand?”

----

“Why do you wanna visit here?”

Ae Ra shrugged, didn’t answer Daesung’s question right away. After the meeting with Yang Hyun Suk, she called Daesung asked for a tour around the building. She wasn’t really interested in the building that much, but she needed to explore it a bit, to find Jiyong. She refused to talk anything about her talk with Yang Hyun Suk, though. They agreed that it would just something between them.

She kept hearing Jiyong told her about his time in YG building, and the place he talked most was the studio, his studio. So she asked Daesung to bring her there first.

“Who uses this room now?” She asked, peek inside the dark room, narrowing her eyes to see if he was there.

“No one.” Daesung sighed. “We have many studios, one unoccupied is alright. We just don’t wanna change anything in the room, or visit it while he isn’t here.” He sighed again. “This room is practically like his personal studio, so, yeah….”

“Can I see the practice room?” She stepped out, decided that Jiyong wasn’t here. “The one you guys often practiced before.”

“Why do you wanna see them?” Daesung eyed her suspiciously.

“Just curious.” She shrugged. “I never see how a practice room of singers is.”

“But it’s not like anyone can see it here….”

“I’m invited to this building, aren’t I?” She asked with a wink. “C’mon, show me.” she urged him with a light nudge.

Sighed in defeat, Daesung brought her to their practice room. “Normally, there will be many people in the room. But today is a day-off since we don’t have any schedule this weekend, so it’s pretty empty now…..wait….” Daesung trailed off when he opened the door, seeing a figure dancing in soft music. “Youngbae hyung?”

And Ae Ra saw him. He looked startled as how Youngbae did. He leaned himself off the mirror, looking at Ae Ra with guilty eyes.

She sent him a glare. Just wait until we’re alone.

“What are you doing here?” Youngbae’s sharp voice rang through the air, snapping Ae Ra out of her silent conversation with Jiyong.

“Hyung….” Daesung quickly came to his hyung and dragged him out of the room. “Listen, I have something to say….”

There were arguments and snaps and shouts, but Ae Ra ignored them all. She focused on keeping eye contact with Jiyong, afraid he would disappear again.

“Why did you leave?” She asked once they were left alone in the room full of lights, voice sounded harder than intended.

“I’m sorry….” He began but she cut him off.

“Can you stop apologizing?” She said angrily. “How many times I have to tell you, that it’s not your fault?”

“But it is….” He sighed, leaned back on the mirror, refused to look at her.

“Jiyong…” She came to stand in front of him. “Jiyong...look at me….” Seeing how stubborn he was, she came closer to his face. “Hey….” She called softly, and he looked at her.

Ae Ra smiled. “Listen, it’s not your fault, ok? It’s nobody’s.” She put her hand on his arm, well, literally. “This is just another thing happened in my life, and I just have to face it. It’s just happened to involve you, too.”  

Seeing he just stared at her and said nothing, Ae Ra sighed. “You disappeared doesn’t mean these things would not happen. Don’t you see, in the past days since you left me, things even got more complicated? I would be less...miserable, if you were with me.” She said sadly. “If you were there, I would have know how to deal with those reporters.”

“And if you’re about to say sorry again,” She threatened, seeing how he was about to open his mouth to say something. “I will go and strangle Seungri for real.” She glared. “Don’t take my words lightly.”

“That is the lamest threat I ever heard, you know?” He raised an eyebrow.

“How about I skip dinner more often?” She raised back hers.

“No.” He glared at her. “Don’t you dare!”

“I knew it.” She smiled wickedly. “I knew how to set you up now.”

He laughed, like, really threw his head back and laughed. Ae Ra smiled. “Promise me.” She asked once he calmed down. “You won’t leave me like that again.”

“I don’t make promises.” He said with seriousness.

“Ah, right, I remember.” She sighed, remembering one of those interviews of his she read somewhere before. “Fine. Just, I want you to know that I don’t wanna see you disappear like that again.”

Jiyong didn’t reply, just stood there and looked at Ae Ra with an unexplainable expression on his face. She scowled.

“What are you doing here anyway?” She shrugged off his unresponsive manner, looked around the practice room. “Watching over your best friend?”

“How are you?” He asked softly, noticing how tired her eyes looked, even though she appeared to be sober and energetic. “You must have not had enough sleep last night. Hotel bed isn’t the best anyway.”

“You stalked me?” Ae Ra glared at him. “Then why didn’t you showed up?” She groaned and flopped herself onto the bench. “I could have been less worried.” She mumbled and put her head between her knees, hands secured it.

“Hey, are you ok?” He kneeled down to her level, asked in worry.

“I’m fine….” She said without looking up, sighing. “Just tired, I guess.”

“Why did you have to worry about me?” Ae Ra looked up, frowning at how stupid that question was to her. She met with Jiyong’s close face in front of hers. He had this guilty look, again, on his face. Upset also.

As a soul, Jiyong always seemed to...glow in her eyes. There was this light, it always surrounded him, not too bright but enough to make him look radiant under lights and sunshines. And at night, when no light was in the room, he would….shine like a moon, not full-moon, but a half-full one, like a star. Right now, in front of her eyes, Ae Ra could see how fairy Jiyong looked right now.

“I don’t know. I just did….” She whispered back, still not taking her eyes off his. “You have beautiful eyes.” Those orbs, they were deep brown and so clear, she felt like she could see through everything with those eyes. She was drowned into that sea of emotions. “And I told you stop apologizing.” She glared, sitting straighter to distance herself from his closeness.

“I didn’t say….” Jiyong defensed while coming to sit beside her on the bench but Ae Ra cut him off.

“Your eyes said so.” She turned her head to look at him. “Those eyes of yours, they can melt any woman.” She said out of the blue. “There are so many emotions in there.” She explained, seeing his confused face.

“Why suddenly this topic?” Jiyong chuckled, taking his eyes from hers.

“I saw someone when I came to find you this morning at the hospital.” Ae Ra decided to talk about what nagged her these past days. she didn’t know why, but she felt...uneasy whenever she thought of that girl in his hospital room. “Kiko, she told me that’s her name. Who is she?” She asked him. “If you don’t mind me asking?”

“A friend.” Jiyong’s unreadable expression could not miss Ae Ra’s observation.

“Sorry.” She said, feeling bad for making him uneasy. “It’s just the way she asked me why I was in your room, it made me feel like I was doing something wrong.”

“She just feel guilty, since the last person I talked on phone just minutes before the accident happened was her.” He shrugged.

“Oh…..” Ae Ra didn’t know what to say anymore, she decided to switch their conversation to another direction. “Shall we go and visit you now?”

“No, you’re tired. Just go back home and sleep.” He dismissed the idea immediately.

Ae Ra just rolled her eyes and scoffed, stood up from the bench. She was about to retort to him, but Youngbae and Daesung reappeared again. Ae Ra halted her steps. She was, in fact, kinda scared of Youngbae.

Jiyong felt Ae Ra’s tense with Youngbae, he chuckled. He never thought his sweet best friend - who was always shy and timid to girls - would intimidate Ae Ra. And seeing how stubborn Ae Ra was everytime she talked with him, Jiyong surprised at how she was tensed up with Youngbae’s presence.

“Relax.” Jiyong whispered in her ears. “He won’t bite you. Youngbae is the sweetest man out there, I swear.”

Daesung frowned seeing how Ae Ra suddenly kicked her right leg backwards. “So,” He broke the awkward silence between them, when Youngbae still didn’t say anything under those dark sunglasses and Ae Ra just kept shooting wary glances at him. “....see what you need, Ae Ra?”

“It’s nice.” Ae Ra replied nonchalantly. “Thank you for showing me this room. I think I will get back now.”

“Ae Ra-ssi….” Youngbae called out, surprised Ae Ra. She looked up at him unsurely.

“Yes?”

“About last time…..” Jiyong watched his friend tried to say the right words with an amused face. He was apologizing. Jiyong smiled. “....I’m sorry for being rude. I shouldn’t have told you those things.” Youngbae sighed.

“It’s….ok.” Ae Ra unknowingly gave him a reassuring smile. “You are right anyway. I should have watched my move more carefully.” She said. “Besides, Jiyong is blessed to have a best friend like you.”

Youngbae decided that he would drop the question why Ae Ra addressed Jiyong so….friendly like that. “Sorry for what you have to face right now.” He said sincerely. “I hope the press and media don’t disturb you too much.”

“They do.” She sighed, but waved her hand off. “But I’ll get used to it. Thank you for understanding for me. I’ll try to be more careful then.”

“Do you need someone to you back?” Daesung asked when they walked out of the room. “You should not have gone anywhere alone now.”

“He’s right.” Jiyong whispered to her. “Let our manager or body guards help.”

Ae Ra secretly rolled her eyes at Jiyong, but nodded to Daesung. “Thank you, but I have to go to this place before heading home. I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”

“Yah I told you to go home.” Jiyong still annoyed her with his complaints and she just ignored his whines all together, saying goodbye to Daesung and Youngbae and headed to her car.

“You can visit me in the morning.” Jiyong tried once they were seated securely in her car.

“No, I have works in the morning. Beside, late night like this is better.” She replied in a final tone, drove the car to Jiyong’s hospital.

“Yah, I will disappear again.” He huffed.

“I will not eat dinner tonight then?” She threw him a sweet and evil smile. Ae Ra laughed seeing Jiyong’s sulky face. “Don’t worry. I’ll be quick, then we will go back and have dinner then sleep, deal?”

“Fine….” He grumbled, folded his arms.

“I seriously miss this.” Ae Ra chuckled, focused on her driving.

“What?” He was still childishly angry, she could see that.

“I miss you.” She turned around and smiled at him, but turned away quickly before he could show her how his reaction was to those words of hers.

----

A/N

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

I hope this update is not too late. I'm trying to keep my promise, not to let you guys wait for too long :P

Not much progress I think, but we're getting there, the fluff parts, before the angst :D *kidding*

You guys just don't know how much grateful and happy and thankful and alskjdhdsldfjkkfjds i am when I read you guys's comments. Seriously, you guys are wonderful <3 Each comment is a great encouragement and support and motivation for me to make my writing better (i hope its getting better -__-) thank you guys so much <3 and for those who are silent readers, *waves hands eagerly* thank you for dropping by my story <3

thank you for the sub too <3

and, omg Bae's comeback in Oct!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOP's movie in Nov!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BB's single in late Oct!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS YEAR IS LIKE A FEASTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 

Until next chapter then :D