Valentine's Day, 2014

JiYong rubbed his hand over his face and stretched thoroughly.

Thirteen hours.

Thirteen silent and uninterrupted hours. That is how long JiYong had been asleep, according to the time on his cell phone. He rolled over onto his back and let the sun punch him in the face. Physically, he felt great. He felt rested for a change. But as he lay there in the intense quiet, he found the intense quiet disquieting. For weeks, he had been practically living in the YG building so that he wouldn't have to go home. He spent that time working so he wouldn't have to slow down long enough to face the truth.

He was lonely.

His apartment, now that SeungRi spent the majority of his time in Japan, seemed almost abandoned. There was no maknae to bang on his door at all times to ask to borrow clothes, money, or sleep on the other side of his bed some nights. Gaho and Jolie were too big to have inside for long hours, so his parents took care of them at Dolce Vita. He had broken up with his girlfriend a week ago, and was having a hard time recalling her face. Or name. All he could vividly recall about her was how irritated her voice made him feel. It was whiney. Childish. JiYong had assumed that she sounded like that to pull off the aegyo everyone knew he was so fond of, but no. She sounded like that all the time. During phone calls, in the middle of movies, during dinner, even during . It made him feel like a e. She had to go.

His best friend, YoungBae, had found happiness with a wonderful woman. DaeSung had stumbled across a sweet girl in Japan while promoting there. Hell, even maknae had a leggy brunette to snuggle up to at night. It was just he and SeungHyun, the last of the singles.

As he brushed his teeth, his phone rang in the other room. Jiyong spit quickly and raced to grab it. “Yeoboseyo?” he asked as he wiped his mouth with the corner of his towel.

“Omo. You sound awake. Did you not sleep last night, JiYong-ah?” came the astounded voice of his manager, Gong MinJung.

“I slept just fine, hyung. Why the early morning phone call?”

“Don't you realize what today is?”

JiYong took the phone away from his ear and checked. “The fourteenth of February. Did you call to wish me a happy Valentine's Day?” He was single again, so the day held no special meaning for him. Even if he was still with his ex, it would hold no meaning. Valentine's Day in Korea was supposed to be all about the men, but she would have pouted and demanded a gift from him anyway.

“No, JiYong. I called to tell you to get up and get dressed, so I can come get you and take you to the salon.”

“Why?”

MinJung let out a huge sigh and JiYong could 'see' him taking off his glasses and rubbing his face. “You're getting married today, Ji. Please tell me you at least looked at the papers I left last week.”

“Of course I did, hyung.” JiYong assured him with a small laugh. He crept over to his desk and sifted as quietly as possible through the pile of papers until he found the untouched envelope.

“Bull,” MinJung countered with no heat in his voice. “Look, put some clothes on, I'm on my way. You can read the script as you're getting made up.”

“Script? I thought this was a reality show.” Jiyong asked as he flipped through the pages.

“Well, there's reality, and then there's 'reality'. This show falls into the latter category. Have you even watched the show?”

“Nope.”

“Figures. Hurry up. I'll be there soon.”

* * * * *

“Come on, get up. I need you to drop me off at the salon,” Jodi informed Sooyoung with a not so gentle shake. Sooyoung snuggled deeper under the cover and ignored her.

“Why are you bothering me? I don't have class until nine.”

“You don't have any class,” Jodi corrected. Sooyoung reached her hand out from under the covers to give her the finger. “Thank you for proving my point. For real, get up. I don't want to be late for my appointment. I've got to do today, like, get married.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.” Sooyoung said in a scratchy voice while rubbing her eyes.

“You're my PA, you're supposed to know my schedule better than me.”

“I'm your Photography Assistant, I don't get paid enough to be at your beck and call.”

“You're my Personal Assistant, 'beck and call' is in the job description. That's why I pay you. So get up and eat. Hurry.” Jodi ordered. She stood by the bed long enough to make sure SooYoung was moving before going to the kitchen to make sure she had everything she needed for the day.

Jodi was experiencing a mix of excitement and terror at the thought of meeting this mystery man. Her 'husband'. No, it was not a real marriage. No, it was not actually binding in any way, but that didn't mean she didn't want to make a good impression. She would be attached to this man for the next year, give or take, good or bad. And it would all be filmed. Yikes.

“Why don't you drive yourself?” Sooyoung asked her as she came out of the bathroom.

“Because I don't want to have to waste time looking for parking. Also, I'm not sure how long this will take, and you'll need the car to pick the boys up.” Jodi finished tying the bow on the gift box and set it aside to look for her mug of coffee. Sooyoung picked it up from the dining room table and handed it to her. “Thanks.”

“You pay me to fetch coffee, I fetch coffee,” she told her with a mocking bow. Jodi sipped it and made a face when she realized how cold it was. With a shrug, she chugged it, set it down and walked to the front door. Sooyoung put the mug in the sink and followed behind her. “Do you have your purse?”

Jodi picked it up from the console table. “Yep.”

“Change of clothes?”

“Got it,” Jodi responded as she lifted the handle on her carryon bag.

“Cell phone?”

Jodi looked in her purse, didn't see it, then felt in her pockets. “Yes.”

“Script?”

“If that's what you call this mildly offense piece of fiction, yes.”

“Gift for your husband?” Sooyoung asked. Jodi spun around in a circle looking for the box she had just wrapped.

Dammit. Where did I . . .

SooYoung pulled it from behind her back and handed it to her with a smirk. “I don't pay you to judge me,” Jodi told her with an unhappy look.

“You pay me to be at your beck and call, I throw in the judgment for free.”

* * * * *

JiYong stepped out of the salon and rolled his eyes(behind his sunglasses) at the large group of fans that were standing in the cold waiting to catch a glimpse of him. I guess they didn't get the memo, he thought sourly. After making the decision to back out of the spotlight for a little while, JiYong posted a letter to fans on the YG website asking for space. He told them that he would be seeing them soon, just please give him a little time to rest.

For the most part, people were supportive of his decision. There were a few 'Thank, God!'s from executives at other companies. A lot of fans were glad that he was going to take it easy, as they had been worried about his health. He was over worked, and his fatigue was obvious to anyone who looked. There was speculation that he was sick. Some people were hinting at a broken heart. And then there were the requisite meanies that had no care for his reasons, they told him to go and stay gone. All Jiyong could do was shake his head.

MinJung came out with JiYong's bag and led him to the car. “Where are we going, hyung?”

“The producers have it set up for you to meet her at a cafe first, and then the 'honeymoon' is later. It shouldn't take long to get there. Your stylist sent your clothes over already, you can change when we arrive. Have you read over the script?”

“Yeah. What is this ? When would I ever say, 'I hope that we can have a happy life' to a woman the first day I met her?”

“I don't know, Ji. You do fall in love rather quickly,” MinJung answered with a smile. He looked in the rearview mirror and smiled wider at the dirty look Jiyong was sending his way. “They say it's a guideline, not what they actually expect you to say.”

“That's good. Most of this stuff is so cheesy, even maknae would flinch.” JiYong removed his sunglasses and read a few more pages. 'It's so wonderful to be able to have a face to match my hopes.' 'I am blessed to receive such a beautiful wife.' 'I have been anticipating this day.'

You have got to be kidding me.

* * * * *

Jodi knew this was going to be a bad experience as soon as she sat down in the makeup chair and the makeup artist gasped. She fiddled with her brushes and looked around nervously.

“Is there a problem?” Jodi asked with forced patience.

"Are you . . . Jodi . . . Oh," she asked in confusion.

“Yes, I am. Nice to meet you.” Jodi could see the girls eyes widen in surprise. The situation would be funny, if it wasn't sad and all too common. “Look, skin is skin. Apply makeup to mine like you would anyone else's. Do you have the right colors to match my skin tone?”

“I can make it work,” the girl said with false confidence. Jodi wasn't buying it.

“I'm a photographer, I understand the necessity of good makeup under lights. I'll call my PA and ask her to bring my MAC case.” Jodi pulled her phone out and called Sooyoung. “Hey, got a small crisis brewing here.”

“Yeah, I figured. Look in your bag, I