CHAPTER THREE
Realigning The Lost Stars.The Man In The Shadows.
AUG 2010
"If you go hard you gotta get on the floor.
If you're a party freak then step on the floor.
If you're an animal then tear up the floor.
Break a sweat on the floor,
Yeah, we work on the foor.
Don't stop keep it moving,
Put your drinks up."
The loud techno music of J.Lo's song blaring through the loud speakers of the club. Grinding bodies, couples making out, people dancing to the beat of the music on the dance floor; a typical common clubbing scene. Except, maybe this club was a lil different from the other. Situated in Hongdae, this club is known for the high frequency of celebrities appearance. In fact, the sight of idols appearing was so often that the patrons of the club hardly bat any eyelid anymore upon glimpsing idols making their way up to the VIP rooms on the second floor.
YOONA'S POV.
"HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY FANY FANY TIFFANY! GAMBEI!!" Standing in a circle formation around the birthday girl, or rather, the belated birthday girl, the eight of us toasted with our glass raised, clinking our drinks before doing a one-shot respectively.
"KUMAWO~ I LOVE YOU GIRLS SO MUCH! MUACKS!" exclaimed a beaming Tiffany, blowing air kisses to each of us.
The lot of us, together with our managers and close acquaintances were partying in a private expensively furnished VIP room, having the time of our lives. Between our hectic idol life, such night-outs were rare so when the opportunity comes, we make the best of out it. A couple of hours of chatting and reckless drinking games passed and it was starting to be clear that some of our company were getting drunk. Especially so, considering that I was now listening to Hyoyeon whom has extremely rosy cheeks, speaking with an evident slur in her words. Perhaps it was the loud blaring music, or the smell of booze and tobacco mixed together, I was starting to feel a little out of breath and suffocated.
"Yul, I'm heading out to the open balcony down the corridor for some fresh air, I'll be back in half an hour alright?" I shouted over the loud music, despite the fact that Yuri was sitting just beside me.
"Be careful." she shouted back. With a nod and assuring smile, I left the room, not before mouthing where I was going to when an eagle-eyed Sooyoung spotted me leaving.
Opening the door to the secluded balcony that was only accessible to the club's VIPs, the cool autumn night greeted me as I inhaled the bout of fresh air. This feels good. Closing the door to muffle the loud music, the clicking sound of my heels sounded exceptionally loud as I walk over to the railings.
Propping both my arms over the railing, I lean forward slightly to admire Hongdae's nightview, exhaling a loud sigh as I ponder over what my fellow SM friends are doing at the moment. "I hope none of them are over-working themselves, especially HoMin whose comeback practice is facing more difficulties than anticipated.. JaeJoong, Yoochun, Junsu oppa.. are you working as hard as them at the moment? Are you.. are you hurting like them as well?"
YOONA'S FLASHBACK:
It was a couple of weeks after the duo's return when a housewarming party was held in the duo's new dorm. Nearing midnight, the guests started to leave one by one. I, together with Leetuek and Taeyeon were about to bade goodbye to the host when the scene we witness halted us in our tracks. Several feet ahead, a visibly drunk Yunho was hugging Heechul as though the latter was the last lifeline of the former.
"Heechul hyung, hyung.. do have to leave? It's going to be deafeningly quiet around here again when you all leave. The quietness is killing me hyung, don't leave... don't leave me here alone. Don't leave.. Stay awhile longer.. jebal."
Needless to say, the sight of the once formidable leader of DBSK begging like a neglected young boy broke all of our hearts. Just how much are you hurting inside hyung? How much are all of you really hurting?
Frustrated, I shouted to the silent night sky, "OPPA DUEL, I WISH I CAN ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING TO HELP, ANYTHING TO HELP ANY OF YOU. I MISS YOU! ESPECIALLY THE TRIO WHOM ARE CURRENTLY PROMOTING IN JAPAN! TAKE CARE.. TRY.. TRY NOT TO HURT SO MUCH. IT PAINS ME TO SEE YOU GUYS HURTING SO MUCH!"
A sudden ruckus to my right a distance away startled me, "Good job Yoona. Not only did you draw attention to yourself, you scared some poor soul too." I muttered to myself, mentally hitting myself on the head.
"Who's there?" I asked into the shadows.
Bit by bit, the figure stepped out of the shadows, the moonlight illuminating on his face. I let out a gasp and bowed ninety degrees instantly as I recognized the figure, "Annyeonghaseyo Kwon JiYong sunbae-nim!!"
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JIYONG'S POV.
"HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY BRUH." my best friend of close to a decade, Taeyang stated while handing me a glass of hard liquor.
Grinning, I clinked my glass against his, "Thanks."
"Hyung Hyung Hyung! Look at all the pretty girls down there! Which one do you want for your birthday, I'll head down personally to get her for you." a certain erted maknae eagerly suggested.
Annoyed, I slapped my hand against the back of his head, "Yah! Seungri! Can you not be so erted! I don't want any of girls downstairs for my birthday!"
"Aishhh, Hyung, stop hitting my head, it hurts!" the erted panda pouted.
"Hyung.. I know which girl you want hyung.... It's one of the girls from a nine member girls group right? I can get you her number just for you if you want hyung." commented the maknae, wriggling his thick eyebrows up and down.
"Seungri-ah, you better shut up before Jiyong does something to you" sniggered Taeyang.
Smirking, I placed my arms over the oblivious maknae's shoulder, "Seungri-ah~" I crooned.
"Neh Hyung, so do you want it, I--- AHH HYUNG!" The panda was unable to finished his sentence since I decided to trap him in a head lock. "Yah! Will you learn to keep your mouth shut maknae! I don't want her number, I just think she's pretty. And for your information, I can get her number by myself if I want to, thank you very much, I don't need your help!"
"Arraso! Hyunggg.. can't breathe" Seungri wheezed.
Deciding that the erted panda was punished adequately, I let the panda go. "Yongbae-ah, I'm heading over to the balcony area to get some air alright."
Making my way, I went over to the secluded part of the balcony for some privacy. Peace at last.
It was no more than ten minutes later when I heard the door creaked open. Deciding to ignore the newcomer, I continued to lay down on the floor with my eyes closed, my arms stretched out behind me to support my head. It was blissfully quiet and coupled with the cooling breeze, I was just about to fall asleep when a loud shout scared the bejesus out of me. Instinctively, I bolted up from my position, cursing out loud as my head came into contact with unknown object in the dark. What the hell?
"Who's there?" a voice murmured. Rubbing the sore spot on my forehead, I begrudgingly made my way out of the shadows, utterly surprised when I saw a certain doe-eyed beauty bowing to me. Bewildered by the turn of events, I returned the greeting, "Neh, annyeonghaseyo Yoona-ssi."
We stood there awkwardly facing each other not knowing what to say, considering that we've barely had any decent interactions, apart from greetings over the years. Not that YG entertainment loathes SM entertainment or vice versa.. it was just that for some reason, the people from the two companies just don't hang out with each other much. God, say something Jiyong, pull out your swag!!
"You're really pretty!" I blurted out, mentally face palming myself. Smooth move dude, real smooth.
Surprised by my sudden compliment, the girl dubbed as the face of SNSD blinked at me a couple of times before replying shyly, "Neh, thank you for the compliment, you look handsome as well Jiyong-ssi."
That was the end of our 'conversation' as another awkward silence fell over us, I was about to say something but Yoona beat me to it, "I'm sorry for giving you a scare Jiyong-ssi, I thought I was alone when I shouted on impulse." Yoona apologized with a sheepish expression. Cute.
Offering a smile, I replied "Don't worry, it's cool, no worries."
Feeling less awkward, I initiated a conversation with her, "If you don't mind me asking Yoona-ssi, why were you shouting? If it's okay with you, I'm more than willing to be your listening ear for the night. I know how stressful and ugly this industry can get, so if you want to talk about it, I can listen. It's unhealthy to keep it all in, sometimes, a fresh perspective help clear things. I promise I won't judge nor divulge any of the things that you'll say."
Biting my lower lip, I hoped that she was not offended by the bold request that I made. She hesitated for a moment before speaking "I... I.. Promise that you won't tell a single soul?" I gave a nod in response. Sighing, she began to tell her story; the threat her CEO gave, her worries over all five of them, the trio especially since she couldn't meet them, how it pains her to cut off all ties but so as long as it protects them she's willing to endure it, how the trio misunderstood her actions and how mad they are at her...
I nodded appropriately at certain parts of the story to ensure her that I was listening attentively. By the time she was done with her story, I can't help but to say, "Wow... your CEO is a real douchebag Yoona-ssi."
Surprised by my sudden remark, she burst out into her famous alligator laugh, "Yes, he's a real douchebag Jiyong-ssi."
Perhaps it was the alcohol talking or maybe it was because I felt truly comfortable with her, I started to share my own story with her. The pressure of the recent comeback Big Bang was due to have, the burden of having to fulfill everyone's expectation, the hurt I felt when being accused of plagiarizing other artist's song, the doubt of continuing the path as a songwriter.. Throughout the conversation, we traded our opinions regarding various matters, with her even giving excellent advice and heartwarming words of encouragement and support. Unlike what the rumors say, she's more than just a pretty face. By the time the conversation came to an end, I felt that it was as though as a huge weight was lifted off my chest. We were about to embark on a new topic when her phone rang, "Yeoboseyo? Neh, Yul.. NEH?!"
Taking a glace at her watch, her doe eyes widen. "Mianhe unnie, I didn't know I was out for so long.. neh.. neh.. Mianhe.. sorry for making you worried.. yeah i'm fine.. uh huh.. yep, I'm still over at the balcony.. uh huh.. neh, I'll meet you girls straight at the exit then.. ok, bye."
Giving me an apologetic smile, Yoona explained "That was Yuri, apparently I've been out for too long. Sorry to take up so much of your time, the girls and I are leaving now, it was nice talking to you Jiyong-ssi, remember your promise! In return, I won't say anything about your story to the others as well, you have my word. Goodbye Jiyong-ssi, see you around."
"Neh, rest assured, I won't tell anyone. See you around Yoona-ssi."
With a polite bow and a smile, Yoona left the balcony and shortly after her departure, I made my way back to the VIP room where Taeyang, Seungri and the rest of the nuthang crew were. It was no more than a second as I entered the room when an excited panda headed my way, "Hyung Hyung!! Where did you go for so long?! You've missed out! Did you know SNSD were here earlier on?! They were in the VIP room that was two rooms away from us! I tried peeking into their room, I only saw eight of them though, Yoona was missing... Sigh, they were all so pretty~" Seungri commented dreamily.
Biting back a smile, I replied as nonchalantly as I could while walking over to the table to grab a drink, "Oh really? Too bad that I've missed them then."
Sipping my drink, a smile unknowingly crept onto my face as I recalled the conversation that I had with a beautiful goddess at the balcony earlier, Looks like the birthday celebration this year isn't that bad afterall.
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Annyeonghaseyo Yoroboon!
Say hello to GDragon! Were you expecting this? Kekeke, what better way to spice things up with a potential love rival right?
I'm not making Yunho & Min compete with each other as love rivals simply bcoz the two poor souls have went through so much, they don't need this in their lives. PLUS, I've always liked YunJae, be it bromance or lovers-wise. *Shrug*
So, now that most of the mains are introduced (JYJ will appear in the later part),we can get this story started!
Yayyy! Bring on the drama, the angst, the tears, the fluff, the everything. *whoo!*
On a side note, I'm actually pretty amused with the reaction of Min's appearance, not that I'm complaining. You guys are adorable. Hehe. But yeah, Changyoon makes such a cute couple don't they?! *giggles*
Right, moving on, thanks to: lindatembam82, snxo_yoong, chillyautumn, Sapphire69, stargurl90, silverstorm, dolphin90, yo0nathelovez, thechilledstudio & rushpynatchocolate for subscribing! :)
Also, thank you to chillyautumn, yoonda, & yo0nathelovez for the comments.
Lastly, I'm really grateful to those whom have been cheering me on regarding this story, it really means a huge deal bcoz I'm not entirely confident with this story; with me being new, it being not a typical fluffy romcom (i really love such genres thou) & whatnots. My insecurities can get the better of me sometimes but your comments and replies really pushes me on. I know I say thank you in practically every post but, I really sincerely do mean every thanks that I say. Simply bcoz I won't be here w/o your support. /Heartfelt gratitude/ *Bows*
Okay, I've ranted enough today, till the next update peeps! :)
xoxo, againhello.
08/12/17: Yes, it’s a legitimate chapter update. Trust me, I’m as surprised as you are. Enjoy!! :))
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