The next day, Yang Hyunsuk calls me into his office. I walk into the room, only to meet an all-too-familiar pair of eyes that definitely don’t belong to the president.
 

“Yah! Seungri!” Yang Hyunsuk startles me out of my reverie, and I drag my eyes away from Jiyong to look towards the president.

 “Y-Yes, sajangnim?” I answer, trying to keep my voice from shaking. This is bad. Way, way bad. Why is Jiyong here? This definitely can’t be something good, not at all.

It’s funny how seeing the one you love makes you simultaneously dread and anticipate what’s about to happen. It’s truly terrifying.

“What’s wrong?”

I quickly realise that this is not the normal me, and I better start acting like the normal me, and fast, otherwise those two are going to sniff me out in an instant. It’s like I become a completely different person around Jiyong or when he’s merely mentioned as a conversation topic nowadays; nervous, jumpy and on edge. Completely paranoid, I sigh, shaking my head as I look down at the floor.

“Yah, Seungri! Look at me when I speak to you, yah! Yah, I said, what’s wrong?!” Yang Hyunsuk barks, and I internally roll my eyes. He’s saying ‘yah’ so frequently nowadays that he’s beginning to sound like those Singaporeans who add the word ‘la’ or ‘lor’ at the end of every single sentence. 

“Is this another trick question? Because I swear I’ve done nothing wrong this time, seriously! Nothing I can think of!” I whine, and just at the edge of my field of vision, I see Jiyong smirk from where he’s sitting.

“No, it’s not.” The president rolls his eyes. “But, good. That’s good to hear. I think. No, anyway, yah!” He yaps again, but adopts a different tone this time. “I’m so glad you and Jiyong are so close. Never realised you had such a strong friendship underneath all that fanservice, what with accompanying him all summer with his now-fiancée.” Jiyong grins at YG at the mention of Seulgi, and YG smiles brightly back in turn. “So, it’d be no problem for such a good friend to do a little favour for his leader and the company, right?”

. I see the world moving in slow-motion right in front of my eyes, YG’s gesticulating hands blurring as he waves them about in the air. YG doesn’t know that this will not be ‘a’ favour, as in singular, should I agree to partake. Whatever this, whatever it is, will actually be ‘yet another’ favour for Jiyong. As in multiple, having already done one for him before and now doing it again. And I cannot allow this to happen, because it will slowly but surely get steadily worse and worse.

I’d read about this particular situation before in one of the books which I pretended I didn’t actually study but would pretend and protest that I actually do study when confronted. An incredibly confusing theory, but it put on a good show for Big Bang TV when my room had been searched. Long story short, the thing I had read that was currently unfolding before my very eyes was called compliance. The oppressor initially asks for a small request that is easy and not difficult to fulfil. Then, later, they come back and ask for another request, slightly larger and taxing, which the target will also accept, considering they already did the first request, they may as well do the second. The oppressor then keeps coming back for more and more, again and again over time, and the target will not be able to refuse, because they feel obligated and find it uncomfortable to say no, having already agreed so many times. The oppressor is aware of this effect, and will keep taking and taking until there is nothing left.

Then they move on.

I can’t do this. I can’t let myself accept it. I have to say no, otherwise I’ll fall into an endless cycle of hell repeating itself over and over. ‘Books like those were made for idiots like you to study so you won’t fall for traps like this!’ I mentally scold myself, before opening my mouth and taking a deep breath, preparing myself to make my stand and finally let the president and Jiyong know who’s really in control.

“Of course he’ll do it, sajangnim.”

Jiyong and YG stare in surprise over my shoulder, and I turn around to see, of course, the one and only TOP.

“Who better than maknae to do it?” He continues, stepping into the office from the open doorway. “These two, they’re so close; your plan’s perfect, sajangnim.” Seunghyun-hyung declares as he walks over to me to clap a firm hand on my shoulder. With my back to the president and Jiyong, I frown in open confusion at Seunghyun-hyung, before widening my eyes in panic and mouthing the word ‘no!’ over and over. However, Seunghyun-hyung completely ignores this. Aware that, unlike with me, Jiyong and YG can see his face, he simply takes one step closer, leans his face down right in front of mine, and gives me that same blank stare that screams, ‘You will nod your head and go along with what I say or I will stare like this at you for the rest of your entire life,’ before pulling back and continuing on his path towards the president. I sigh, surrendering. It’s better to do as Seunghyun-hyung says, otherwise he’ll probably finish me like a multi-pack of ice cream.

“How do you know about the plan?” YG immediately frowns, winking one eye with suspicion as his mouth begins its downward descent into a threatening snarl that will shortly then demand how Seunghyun-hyung came about accessing such restricted information, only to get cut off midway.

“I can pretty much guess. Anyone here in the company who knows you, sajangnim, could guess what you have in mind. And it makes sense, it’s logical.” Seunghyun-hyung nods his head in agreement, furrowing his brow as though seriously considering something that truly does make sense, although in reality, he probably isn’t, and unlike Youngbae, is actually displaying some serious acting skills.

“Therefore, it being such a good idea, maknae will definitely have to smoke-screen for the couple to remain undercover, no two ways about it. Now that he’s started it, albeit unintentionally, it’d be pretty bad if he suddenly stopped. Inconsistencies are bad, sajangnim. Both you and I know that.”

What. The actual. .

My head snaps up in alarm at Seunghyun-hyung, who simply grins back in return. I sneak a glance at Jiyong, who, oddly enough, is glaring with all his might at the eldest band member. I frown slightly, confused. What’s he so upset about? Probably angry about Seunghyun-hyung ‘guessing’ correctly on what was supposed to be super-secret leaders-only info or something. Yang Hyunsuk also remains looking just as sour, most likely for that very same reason.

“Ye-es,” He carefully opens, finally breaking the silence. “That is the plan Jiyong and I discussed earlier. The rest of you-” YG pauses to give Seunghyun-hyung a stern look, who remains just as cool and composed as ever, nonchalance practically seeping out of his pores. “-were going to find out sooner or later, since the whole company needs to be in on this for it to function without fail. Anyway, without further ado, I’ve decided that we won’t make any press releases or statements - official or unofficial - about the engagement until after Jiyong has made his comeback and released his mini-album in mid-September. I don’t want it to interfere with promotions in the possible event that the public react badly to the prospect of G-Dragon becoming a married man.”

“So,” The president turns to me, giving his full attention. I’m suddenly very aware that all eyes in the room are currently glued to my face. I clench my jaw in anticipation and mentally steel myself for whatever’s about to hit me next. ‘I can take it,’ I inwardly repeat to myself over and over as Yang Hyunsuk resumes talking.

“Seungri-ah, this is where you come in.”

‘I can take it, I can take it, I can take it…’

“We’re going to need your help.”

‘I can take it...’

“We need you to act as a smokescreen.”

‘I can take it...’

“And so, until after September,”

‘I can take it...’

“You will be living with Jiyong at his apartment.”

‘I can take-’

I look up at YG, unable to mask the horror written all over my face.

I cannot take it.

Not in the least.

“Whuh, whuh…what?!” I croak, barely breathing.

Seeing the horrified look on my face, YG and Jiyong burst out laughing.

“Aish, this kid!” The president shakes his head, whilst Jiyong falls over onto the side of his chair, snickering into his wrist, and before I can even register what’s happening, he springs up and bounces over to me, clamping down both of his hands on each of my shoulders and shoving his face right up to mine, still laughing all the while, his red lips pulling back to flash me a brilliantly white smile.

“Yah, Seungri-ah!” Jiyong smirks, whilst YG is apparently dying of laughter in the background. “Yah! I’m not really that bad that you have to go and make such a gobsmacked expression on your pretty panda face, am I? You’re hurting your hyung’s feelings here, y’know!” Jiyong pouts, and I’m unable to ignore the fact how close his lips are to mine, and pursed, at that. “C’mon, it’ll be just like when we used to room together! Do it for me, pleeeeaaase?” He whines, jutting out his lower lip out and leans in even further…and further. If I don’t move in the next second, his lips are going to land on mine.

“Fine, fine! I-I’ll do it!” I gasp out as I jump backwards, blinking rapidly, the mere thought of it making me flinch. 

There’s a moment of silence as the words ‘do it’ linger suggestively in the air, until YG and Jiyong crack up all over again.

“Yah! The maknae has come round!” YG claps, grinning and satisfied that everything’s going according to his plan.

“Come on, Seungri-ah!” Jiyong grabs me and literally drags me towards the door, his eyes lit up like a winning combo on a slot machine. “We’ve gotta go move all your stuff to my place! And pack all your clothes; you’re not stealing any of mine again!”

I look back at the president in desperation and suddenly notice that Seunghyun-hyung is still standing there next to him, having remained silent amidst all the chaos. Instead of the usual blank, penetrating stare I expect of him, he catches my eye, and, ever so slowly, the corners of his mouth pull upwards.

He smiles.

He raises his right palm.

And merrily waves goodbye.

I swear down that I am going to murder that man one day.