“I see… It’s not what I had expected but I understand… Alright, we will do so then…” Sajangnim rubbed his temples as he regarded the five guys seated in front of his work desk. Jiyong was sulking while Seunghyun was just staring at his hands. The other three kept stealing glances at each other. “They want us to leave it as it is – no comments. This is good attention for the drama so from a work perspective, I have no reasons to disagree.”

Seunghyun sighed and looked up at the older man. “Sajangnim, I’ve already explained what happened. I don’t think I want to keep silent on this matter, as bad as it might make Yoona look.” Jiyong looked at his friend and then at Sajangnim. The CEO just shook his head, “This is work now. And I’ve given my word to the producer – it’s all for work. I believe what you said but you also have to see what will benefit you career-wise. And frankly, ratting on Yoona won’t make you look any better.”

He went on to tell the group to buck up and not to be careless like Seunghyun. “And Jiyong, you’re the leader so act like one. Stop sulking and acknowledge that this is for the best. All of you have to cooperate or all of you will have to suffer together.” Jiyong was glaring at a far corner of the room. Sajangnim sighed as he said his closing words, “This is work. Set aside all personal feelings. She did that to Seunghyun a while back with Hyun Joong too.”

That was all it took for Jiyong to realize that he was being unfair to Seunghyun. But he couldn’t control his anger over what Karin must have gone through. The members were bombarded with questions – she was probably going through the same; smiling on the outside but hurt inside.

They filed out of the office silently and Seunghyun only reached out to his friend when they were in the elevator. “Mianhe Ji,” he said quietly. “But I will do whatever I need to do to make it up to Karin.” Jiyong clenched his fists, determined to bear Sajangnim’s words to be a leader. “Hyung, you heard what Sajangnim promised the producer. I think it may be better to let the rumors about you and Karin die and focus on your work with Yoona. I will talk to Karin…”

Seunghyun pulled him to face him and shook his friend by the shoulders. “Ji! I will not allow any of you to get between us – work or not. You hear me?! Not even you. I will speak to her and I promise to make this work.”

“Make what work?” Karin’s voice surprised all of them. She stood before them, obviously straight off the flight, with Soo Yee accompanying her. Seunghyun was the first to reach her and he reached for her hand and dragged her to the studio. She didn’t resist and just followed, casually sitting down on the sofa once they were alone.

“Jagiya…” Seunghyun explained all that had happened at that time. Karin didn’t remove her shades so he couldn’t really read her expression. “But there’s a back story isn’t it? I don’t think she’ll just throw herself at you like this.” Seunghyun sighed but he had been prepared to share everything. He told Karin how they had used to date when they had just debut. The fact that they were rookies working very hard had served as a bond but their busy schedules had led to their eventual break. Karin was also told what Sajangnim had promised the producers.

“Oppa, I believe you, and I agree with Sajangnim that it’s all business. I will support you,” Karin said, almost to Seunghyun’s disbelief. “But don’t get careless again. Even this time round, you had left an opening for her that’s why this happened.”

Seunghyun nodded silently as he hugged her tight. The rest of them who had been spying through the door saw that everything was clear now. They entered the studio carefully, not too sure of their reactions. As the couple pulled away from their hug, Jiyong came to Karin’s side and she gave him a quick hug.

“Hello Ms. Busy!” Jiyong tried his best to be cheery. “So popular now that you have no time left for us?!” Karin smiled at his teasing. “It’s all thanks to you, Oppa! Everyone wants ‘GD’s cousin’ on their projects.” Her schedule had quickly filled up with the new music show, a drama and even a travelogue around S. Korea for a Japanese TV station. “It’s my only off day today, I start shooting the travelogue tomorrow and head straight back to Tokyo two days later. Then I have to host this new couple on my show.” No one else seemed to have noticed Seunghyun wince, only Jiyong. But Jiyong knew that Karin only said that because she WAS jealous.

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Although told not to comment, Yoona was fueling the rumors circulating on the internet with her suggestive comments and positive answers to interviews. Photos taken while they were dating in the past started surfacing and circulating online. All this had caught the attention of the TV stations in Japan and it was decided that it will be aired there. Karin and Takeru had the ‘pleasure’ of hosting the two of them on their music show today, not just to talk about the drama but their respective careers in their idol groups.

Filming went generally well as both Karin and Seunghyun had been briefed and made the necessary preparations for the show. Although both were actors, Seunghyun couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that Karin didn’t seem affected at all when Yoona showed some skin-ship with him during the show. “So Yoona and TOP, there’s been a lot of buzz on the internet about the two of you recently. Are you both dating like they said?” Takeru asked.

“I know we’ve been receiving a lot of encouragement from our fans, especially for the upcoming drama, so thank you very much,” Seunghyun said, sidestepping the question. Yoona giggled and continued, “We’re very close, especially after filming together but we’re too busy to date formally. Maybe if we can work our schedules out…” Seunghyun tried not to let the shock appear on his face at Yoona’s outburst and to Karin’s credit, she pretended to be so amused by Yoona’s candid answer that she had to turn away to laugh.

It felt like the longest hour in Seunghyun’s life and he was just relieved when filming ended. They exchanged thanks with their hosts and Karin quickly walked off the set to her dressing room. Seunghyun followed behind and let himself into her dressing room without notice. She was expecting him and the moment he shut the door, Karin threw herself into his arms. They hugged each other tightly, not saying a single word, for a long time.

“Jagiya, mianhe,” Seunghyun whispered into Karin’s ear. A tear rolled down her cheek, even as she tried really hard not to cry. “Oppa, I know I promised but I never knew it’ll be so difficult. I’m sorry I put you through that with Hyun Joong oppa.” Seunghyun hugged her tighter and wished he never had to let go.

They were startled by a knock at the door. “Ahnyeongha….!” Yoona was startled to see them quickly pull away from each other. Seunghyun and Karin knew they had reacted too late. Yoona understood what was going on between them, but she also quickly saw that she had the upper hand right now.

“Karin-sshi,” Yoona addressed her in Korean. “Thank you for your hard work today. But Oppa and I need to head to our next appointment now. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.” She walked over to Seunghyun and pulled at his arm. He shook her off and straightened his jacket.

“Go ahead, I will follow shortly. Get in the car first,” he said to Yoona. Karin turned to face her dressing room mirror, not watching Yoona leave. Seunghyun went over to her and gave her a tight back hug. “Jagiya, I have to go off first. But I’ll see you tonight.”

Karin nodded and closed her eyes. She knew. Yoona was for real.

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Yoona and Seunghyun spotted taking a break together during filming.
Yoona and TOP – are they or are they not?
Scent of a player – Choi Seunghyun! Karin then, Yoona now!
KPOP princess Yoona settled on charismatic rapper TOP for a prince.
 

Karin confirms that she is just friends with Big Bang’s TOP!
We caught up with Karin and G-Dragon recently while they were shooting a CF together for a local mobile phone. When asked about TOP and Yoona’s recent media frenzy, GD smiled secretively and just said that he doesn’t meddle in the members’ personal lives. “I think it’s out of respect that we give each other that personal space. I don’t check on them much since we are all adults now and have a right to lead our lives the way we want to.” Having said that, GD was still very supportive about his hyung’s upcoming project. “I think it’s a really good story and hope everyone will support the drama. Hyung, Fighting!”
Karin also seemed relieved that she was no longer in the limelight when rumors about her and TOP started on the internet. “I’m just very close to all the members, ever since Jiyong oppa introduced them to me. It was awkward to see those rumors going around at first but at the end of the day, what matters is that we know what we are doing.” As the only girl who has been openly hanging out with Big Bang, does she have any opinions on who the members date? “Like Oppa said, we respect each other and will be supportive no matter who they choose to be with. And the fact is, it can get a little lonely sometimes as the only girl!” Karin laughs as GD gives her a light knock on her head. “It might be good to have the members bring their girlfriends into the circle!”
So what about reports that TOP is a player who left her for Yoona? Karin wrinkles her nose cutely as she turns to GD. “Well, I would have been the first to skin him alive if he had been dating Karin and did something so horrible to her!” Karin laughs at GD’s faux stern expression.

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“She’s much more magnanimous than I had expected,” Yoona handed a magazine over to Seunghyun. They were resting in between takes and he had been pretending to be asleep to avoid talking to Yoona. She knew and had just dumped the magazine in his lap. He quickly read through the interview article and felt a warm feeling spread in his chest. It had been almost 2 whole weeks since he had last seen Karin and he was happy to see the photo of her huge smile as she posed together with Jiyong.

“I’m only putting up with this for the drama. Once we finish promotions, I’m done,” Seunghyun said as he casually placed the magazine on the table in front of him. Yoona sat down beside him and sipped her coffee. He plugged in his earphones and closed his eyes again. Yoona really wanted to reach out and touch his face. But she had to tread carefully and not do anything rash – she had to stick to the plan.

That night, Yoona and Seunghyun attended an event together and were invited to attend an after-party by their director. When they entered the club together with the director and other co-=stars, Seunghyun was surprised to see Karin and his other members there too. They had been invited by a friend of the director and were milling with other guests. Jiyong was being the protective cousin and introducing Karin to everyone whom he felt will help her.

The place was really crowded so it took some time before Seunghyun managed to make his way over. Yoona had stubbornly trailed behind him and greetings were exchanged awkwardly. “Karin-sshi, thank you for having us over the last time,” Yoona bowed courteously, most probably for the benefit of the other guests around. The guys were feeling uncomfortable at how serene Karin looked as she smiled back and exchanged pleasantries with Yoona. “Yoona-sshi, you have worked hard on the filming of your drama. We're all looking forward to the premiere, even in Japan.”

Their conversation was cut short by a photographer who came by to ask for a group photo. Yoona threw her arms around Seunghyun’s waist while Jiyong stood on his other side and rested an arm on Karin’s shoulder. Yoona asked to take a photo with Karin alone. “Excuse me while I head to the restroom, I’ll be back shortly,” Karin tried to leave but Yoona caught her wrist, surprising everyone. Yoona smiled as she said she’ll follow Karin. As the two girls walked away, Jiyong turned to Seunghyun with concern. “What is Yoona up to? I know something’s fishy when I see it.”

Seunghyun’s heart was pounding as he also smelled a rat. “Ji, Yoona found out about Karin and I. She’s probably going to say something to Karin so I need your help to do some damage-control when they come out. You have to help me.” Jiyong stared at his friend and knew how much he loved his cousin. He nodded silently as they waited for the girls to return.

Instead of the restroom, Karin and Yoona had slipped into a small private room in the club. Karin knew Yoona wanted to talk and she wanted to hear what she had to say. “Please leave Seunghyun oppa.” Yoona was very direct, leaving Karin speechless. “W-w-wh-why?” Karin managed to stutter.

“We share a history that you cannot over-write. Even now, you are slowly erasing all traces of what you and oppa shared. Trying to protect his reputation, you denied the past rumor and you can’t go back on your words now.” Yoona said, taking a step towards her. Karin held her ground and stared at Yoona. “What he does now with you – it’s all just for work. I’m an actress too so I know how it works. He tolerated all this when I went through it, now it’s my turn. I’m just going to pretend that this conversation never happened.”

Karin’s exit was blocked off by Yoona. “Do you even know what happened between us? He has not come clean with you, has he?” Karin was startled by her sudden aggression. Yoona took off her watch and held up her wrist to Karin. “I had to get an abortion because we were so young then and I fell into depression when we broke up. I tried to kill myself. Can you bear to take him away from me a second time?” Yoona shook Karin hard as she almost screamed at her.

Karin escaped her grip easily, she was stronger than Yoona. But Karin was still a little fearful of her sudden transformation and of the crazed look in Yoona’s eyes. Yoona took out a crumpled piece of paper and pushed it to Karin. “You still want to believe him?! Look, here’s the clinic I went to. You can verify to see if I’m telling the truth or if he’s really the saint that you think he is. I’m not afraid to tell the world the truth if that’s what it’ll take for him to come back to me!” Karin tried to move past her but Yoona shoved the paper down her top. Karin quickly left the room and almost ran back to Jiyong.

“Karin, what happened?” Seunghyun asked worriedly as Karin reached them, panting and her cheeks flushed. She shrugged off his hand and hid behind Jiyong instead – the guys exchanged looks and knew their suspicions were right. “Oppa, I need to leave. Now.” Karin said into Jiyong’s back. Seunghyun could only trust his friend to take care of his loved one while he went to look for the culprit of this unrest.