"She said what...?!" Seunghyun was pacing up and down his apartment, on the phone with Jiyong. His friend's furious voice was booming through the ear piece. "Ji, it's really the first time I'm hearing this... I'm not even... No!"

Daesung and Youngbae eyed him warily, wanting very much to know what was happening. Seunghyun saw their frustrated looks and set his phone to speaker mode and placed it in the middle of the coffee table and sat across the guys on the sofa.

"How could you not have known?! Yoona said she had an abortion and tried to commit suicide! How could you not even know that you had knocked someone up?" Jiyong's furious voice caused theguys to wince and their eyes to widen at the same time over the shocking news. "Why didn't you tell us before? And Karin had to find out like..." There were muffled voices in the background at Jiyong's end and the line went dead.

Seunghyun ruffled his hair in frustration and kicked at the coffee table. Youngbae patted him on his shoulder, "Hyung, maknae is out there digging as much information as he can get. We don't even know for sure that Yoona was telling the truth. Jiyong hyung is usually calm and he would have also waited for more information before snapping but it's different this time round. You know how he is when Karin's involved..." Seunghyun gripped Youngbae's hand in appreciation and nodded silently.

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Karin stared out of the window in a daze. The sound of the rain was lulling her into emptying her mind - just what she needed. It had been three days since her encounter with Yoona, three days since she had left Seunghyun behind without a word, and three days since she had answered her phone. She didn't want to see anyone other than Soo Yee and Jiyong. That night, she had shared everything with Jiyong and had begged him to let her leave. Seeing her in such a panic, he had relented, with the condition that he will go with her. They had picked up their passports and headed straight to the airport and taken the first flight out of the country. This was how they had ended up in Hong Kong with just the clothes on their back and wallet/purse.

On the first day, Karin had refused to say anything, just staring into space all the time. Jiyong had busied himself getting clothes, shoes, cosmetics and other necessities that she will need. He had also contacted Soo Yee who had been sworn into secrecy. Soo Yee had then hopped on to the first flight to Hong Kong. On the second day, Karin had suddenly perked up around dinner time and had dragged Jiyong and Soo Yee out for a night of bar-hopping. Minus the insane make-up and extravagant clothes, they had easily blended in to the crowd at the clubs - especially with the dim lighting. It was now the third day - nursing a hangover with an emptied mind. Just perfect.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Soo Yee whispered gently as she her friend's back. Karin smiled and turned to her, "my mind's empty." Soo Yee smiled back and hugged her tightly. "Why didn't you allow Seunghyun to talk to you? I'm so sad that you allowed Yoona's words to turn you into this mess." Karin smiles sadly and rests her chin on her knees as she tucked her legs towards her chest. "I thought about it - why did I panic and run away? I don't even know Yoona that well, why did her words affect me so much? But Soo Yee unnie, I think it was because things were getting so tough for me that I knew I couldn't have handled it if Seunghyun confirmed that what she said was true. So I ran - I'm so stupid."

The sound of the door opening startled the two girls but were relieved to see that it was just Jiyong. With him was the maknae, grinning from ear to ear. "Noona!!" Seungri bounded up to Karin's side and hugged her head to his chest. Karin was surprised by his presence and was waiting for an explanation. "Youngbae had asked him for a favour and Seungri got in touch with me. Says he has some information to share that he's already told Youngbae."

Karin watched Seungri sit down on the sofa excitedly - he looked like he was bursting with energy. "Noona, I have big news... Hyung is innocent." Seungri grinned as he pulled out his phone and located something on it. He turned it to Karin so she could take a closer look. "My hometown is in Gwangju and I have many connections there. This is the clinic that Yoona had claimed she went to for her abortion - I'm still amazed that she had given you the true address. She wasn't lying - there was a record saying that she had gotten an abortion there." Karin stared at the picture of a medical record. She had to admit that Seungri had an amazing network of contacts. There was no way any ordinary person could have gotten hold of this.

Seungri's update thus far was agitating Jiyong. "That bastard! He really did it and he claims that he didn't even know!" Jiyong punched a cushion but Seungri held up a hand to calm him down - with a huge grin. "Hyung! I'm not done yet. Look at the date on the record." Jiyong huddled close to Karin to take a closer look at the record. His eyes widened as he located the right information field. "Wait a minute... Maknae, the date..."

"Now you get it! It's not TOP hyung's! The abortion is almost a year after they split! If we count backwards, we all know that during the 6 months prior to the date recorded here, we were all travelling together  for activities - never once were we separated! There was no way hyung could have been involved in this," Seungri concluded with great satisfaction. "Wahhh.... But women can be so scary! Conveniently twisting the truth and taking a gamble by disclosing half-truths!" Soo Yee swatted at his head which he expertly avoided.

Jiyong was smiling and hugging Karin tightly. Karin couldn't take her eyes off the phone and it was as though she was trying to burn the date into her mind. Tears slowly welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she realized that she was happy - but sad at the same time. Why?

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Seunghyun was stuck on his lyrics and he couldn't get past the first line he had scribbled on the piece of paper before him. Seungri had updated that Jiyong was coming back to work today at the studio but had no information on Karin. Seunghyun had confirmed that Seungri had told Karin the truth - but she was still uncontactable. At least he knew that she was in good health and that Soo Yee was with her.

The door to the studio swung open and Jiyong strolled in. Their eyes met and Jiyong smiled softly. Seunghyun stood up to give his friend a tight hug, "Thanks Ji. Thanks for being there for Karin." Jiyong patted his back, "she's family - I will be there for her even if you had not asked me to."

Seunghyun pulled away and looked at his friend. "Where's Karin?" Jiyong sighed and sat down on the other empty chair. "She'll be back in a couple of days, once she's feeling more settled." Seunghyun raised his brow at Jiyong's words. Jiyong sighed again, knowing that Seunghyun wanted to know more. "Hyung, Karin is very insecure right now. The incident with Yoona has been cleared up and sorry, but I took the liberty to inform Sajangnim about it without discussing with you. I just wanted to lay the facts out to him so that if Yoona tries to do something stupid, he will have the right information to push back. You know what I mean?" Seunghyun nodded, amazed that Jiyong had not forgotten his leadership role in the midst of the chaos.

"Hyung, I'm a man who is good at keeping secrets but I'm only sharing this because I really care for Karin and you," Jiyong said seriously, looking straight into Seunghyun's eyes. "She's not sure she wants to continue the relationship with you." Seunghyun's heart fell with a dull thud at his words but kept his face perfectly composed. Jiyong broke eye contact and stared down at his hands. "She realized that she wasn't strong enough to take the jealousy and it had caused her to doubt you. She had lost faith in herself and believes that she is not capable of supporting you in your career - that you deserved someone better. Soo Yee and I tried to talk her round but Karin insisted that she think about it alone."

"But this was just one incident!" Seunghyun cried out in frustration. Jiyong tapped his arm to calm him down. "Hyung! Karin was shocked precisely because it was just ONE incident and she couldn't take it. She is really disappointed in herself."

Seunghyun was at a loss of words. He had done no wrong but was now on the verge of losing someone he truly loved. He didn't care that Karin had doubted him and not allowed him to explain. He didn't care that she had chosen to run away and not try to overcome this together with him. Seunghyun was really in love with her and was determined to take on all the blame if that was what it took for Karin to come back to him. "Ji, where is she?" Seunghyun asked.

With his friend's blessings, Seunghyun dashed out for his car and sped off. He didn't care what people might think - he only wanted Karin to stay by his side. He will choose Karin over everything else. It took him only 15 minutes to reach the luxury hotel. Ignoring the curious and excited staring eyes, he took out the keycard that Jiyong and handed him and caught an elevator just as the doors were closing. He quickly located Karin's room and barged in without even pressing the doorbell. He was greeted by the sight of a surprised Soo Yee who said nothing but grabbed her purse and left the room. Seunghyun stepped further into the suite and heard the showers running. He followed the sound into one of the bedrooms and the showers stopped just as he entered.

A few minutes passed with just quiet clattering coming from the bathroom. When the door opened, Seunghyun breathed in sharply to see his lover freshly showered with damp hair, clad in a fluffy bathrobe which was just a tad too big on her. Karin herself was shocked and stared at the man before her. It had only been a week but she realized how much she had missed him. All her resolve to avoid him went out the window when he closed the distance between them with two long strides. He leaned down to wrap his arms around her waist and kissed her. Karin could feel hot tears welling up and pushed against him, trying to free herself. He held her even tighter, coaxing her to kiss him back. Karin finally broke free to catch her breath. "Oppa, I'm sorry."

Seunghyun looked at her fiercely, not wanting to hear what she'll say next. "Don't you dare," he growled in his deep voice. Karin cowered under his intense glare and kept silent as he held her by her arms. "We are here now. And we will still be together in the future. I will not allow you to leave me and don't you dare tell me that you are not good enough. It was my past mistake that hurt you - you did nothing wrong. I love you, Karin. I will not let you leave me," Seunghyun shook her. Karin hid her face in his chest and he held her tightly.

"Oppa, I'm so weak... You bore all these for me before but I can't... I just can't... Hiding and pretending - acting even in my personal life..." Karin cried like a lost child. Seunghyun her head gently, wondering why he had fallen so hard for her. But that was his style, to go "all-in" when in love. He pushed her away gently so that she was standing properly. He knelt down on one knee and looked up at Karin's beautiful teary face. Without make-up, she looked so youthful and the tears just made her look more vulnerable.

"Karin, I will work hard to be a better man so please, will you make me the happiest man in this world?" Seunghyun asked. Karin's face turned into a slight frown, not quite comprehending what was happening. "Karin, will you marry me?"

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"And? What did you say?" Bom asked excitedly, bouncing up and down in her seat at YG's cafeteria. CL and Dara tried to quieten her down so that Karin could speak. Minzy was just staring at Karin with goo-goo eyes, totally lost in the romance.

"Of course she said no!" Soo Yee huffed as she attacked her mandu with fierce force. Karin smiled and nudged her unnie. "I said not now, it's still early. We're still both very young and need to work harder. I have so much more I want to accomplish before I get married and have to focus on Oppa 100%!" Karin blushed as the girls cheered and for her mushiness. "Besides, Soo Yee unnie said 'Choi Karin' doesn't quite have a celebrity vibe - not a good name to work with at all!" Karin giggled.

"What's wrong with being a Choi?" a familiar voice chimed up near the entrance of the cafeteria. The 2NE1 girls erupted into noisy cheers as the lead male character joined them together with the rest of Big Bang. Before Seunghyun could reach Karin, Soo Yee intercepted him. "Yah! Choi Seunghyun! You've given me enough grief so remember our deal from before! You can act lovey dovey all you want but MILK THE PRESS! Got it? No sudden confessions on camera please!" Seunghyun smiled and saluted his girlfriend's protective friend manager. Karin was giggling while Jiyong pulled Soo Yee aside.

"Soo Yee ah," Jiyong smiled. "You really have a tough job! Loving Seunghyun for being a good boyfriend to your best friend, but nervous all the time that your charge will suffer in the limelight! I don't envy you at all but I envy Karin for having you." He gives her a peck on the cheek jokingly.

Everyone laughs as Soo Yee swats him away and she turned to the couple and smile. "I hate managing an attached celebrity but yes, be good to my best friend or I'll skin you alive after Jiyong beats you up!" Soo Yee warns Seunghyun who smiles and just kisses Karin on her forehead.