- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dara took a deep breath. “I guess I should start from the beginning…”

She told him everything. About how she and Jiyong first met and became friends when she left the Philippines to attend acting workshops in Korea with YG Entertainment. The entire six months, she met and made friends with a lot of people: Hye Sun, Byul, Se7en, Taeyang, Jinu and Sean-oppa… Dara told him about how she kept in close contact with Jiyong when she returned to the Philippines and how talking to him and hearing him chase after his dreams inspired her and was the extra nudge she needed to make the decision to move back to Korea. She even told him about how he suddenly confessed to her; he blurted it out while he was observing her rehearse her scenes for The Return of Iljimae.

“We were so happy together,” Dara said with a faraway look in her eyes. “I was happy and I thought he was, too… until…” She told him about the first time she saw an article about him. “I felt horrible looking at the headline. ‘Big Bang’s G-Dragon is a ladies man’?” Dara snorted in disgust. “In the end, Bommie had to read the article and tell me what it said in nutshell. I couldn’t bear to look at the words. I was so… angry. I wanted to scream and tell the world that Big Bang’s G-Dragon was mine and nobody else’s. I’d never felt that way before in my life.”

Dara continued and talked about the dating scandal that just wouldn’tgo away. “I’m sure you’ve seen articles about it.”

Jay nodded. “I heard a little about it. But I know that the media likes to exaggerate, especially about idols dating so I never thought much of it.”

“That was when it all started to fall apart. I knew something was strange about this particular situation. For weeks, none of the Big Bang members could look me in the eye. It wasn’t until I directly confronted Seunghyun and Youngbae about it that I knew what really happened.” Dara sighed. “I knew that Jiyong loved going to clubs and partying. Even when I heard that he kissed that girl, I still thought nothing of it. Because at the end of the day he was still mine, you know?” Dara laughed bitterly. “I was so stupid. For two months I was so out of it. When Big Bang left for their Love and Hope tour in Japan, I felt sick the entire time he was gone. Like something bad was going to happen, and what do you know? It’s just one thing right after the other and this last time was the last straw.”

Dara ran a hand through her hair distractedly, growing agitated. “I’m so sickof feeling like this. I hung out with Byul and Se7en recently and they looked so happy. It was almost like you could feelthe harmony radiating from them just from both of them being in the same room. And there’s Sean-oppa and Hye Young-unni who are burstingwith happiness. They’re so in love with each other that I can’t help but feel jealous. Even Sajang-nim and Eun Joo-unni are really happy together. I-It’s like… everyone around me who has someone to be happy with is h-happy and f-for some reason, no matter whatI do, I just end up c-crying all the d-damn time!” Dara cursed under her breath, hastily wiping away her tears. “See? All the time.”

Jay reached over and used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe away her tears. His heart broke for Dara. He honestly had no idea that G-Dragon and Dara-noona were an item. She was always smiling on stage and cheerfully updating her fans with news about 2NE1, never once letting on that she was hurting so much all this time. She’s just that type of person, probably, he thought sadly, never wanting to be a burden, noona just probably holds everything in.

“I even put away everything in my room that reminded me of him. And I swore that I would stay focused on our activities. It hasn’t even been a day and I’m falling apart!” Dara started sobbing. “T-this so much!”

Jay enveloped Dara’s slender body in a hug and let her cry. “Noona, it hurts a lot now,” he said softly, “but I promise that one day, all of this pain will be a distant memory.” He patted her shoulder gently. Who treats a woman like that?he thought angrily. What a !

After a few minutes, Dara’s tears subsided. She gently pulled away and wiped her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. “I must look awful right now, huh?” she said cracking a tiny smile.

“I’ve seen worse,” Jay said jokingly.

“Nappeun namja!” Dara pulled her legs up and rested her head on her knees. They sat in a comfortable silence lost in their own thoughts. Out of the blue, Dara’s phone buzzed in her jacket pocket. It was Bom. Uh oh…

“Yeoboseyo?”

“YEOBOSEYO? YEOBOSEYO?” Bom shouted angrily into the phone.

Dara winced and held the phone away from her face for a bit and glanced at Jay. His eyes were round in awe. “Is that Bom-noona?” he asked quietly.

Dara nodded. “Uh… Bommie! Hello!”

“Don’t ‘hello’ me!” Bom sounded rather angry. “Park Sandara do you know what time it is!?”

“Eh…”

“It’s TWO in the morning! Where the hell are you!” she started ranting in English.

“I… uh… just stopped by to get something to eat at the konbini.”

“I called Doongie and he said that you left their dorm hours ago! Where are you!? Are you lost? Are you at the hospital!? Omo, I told you not to buy that big car because you’ll get into an accident! A tiny thing like you driving that monster car! Dara-yah! Which hospital are you at!? Tell me now! I won’t tell Jjangoo manager about this, we can get Gummy-unni to pick you up, okay? Where—“

“Park Bom!” Dara hissed into her phone. “I’m not at a hospital!”

“—if anything… What?” Bom stopped ranting.

“I’m not at the hospital.”

“Where in the world are you?”

“I’m at a park…”

“…”

“Bom-ah?”

Bom’s voice suddenly got eerily quiet. “You’re… at a park?”

“Uh… yeah,” Dara said meekly.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING AT A PARK? DO YOU KNOW WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU? WHAT IF A ERT OR A STALKER SAW YOU AND KIDNAPPED YOU? OR WORSE? SANDARA PARK YOU ARE AN IDOL. OMO. I’M GOING TO—“

Dara winced again and ended the phone call. She quickly texted Minji and Chaerin that she was heading home now, and that she’d be home in about twenty minutes. She turned to Jay and shot him an embarrassed smile. “Sorry about that. I guess it’s getting late.”

“Oh, it’s cool. My dorm is nearby anyway.”

“Uh…” Dara fidgeted a little. “Sorry about… making you listen to my sob story.”

Jay shook his head and smiled. “It’s okay. I was the one who offered in the first place, remember?”

Dara smiled a little. “Still! I feel silly that I cried all over you like this even though it’s the first time we met.”

“Well, when’s your birthday?”

“Um, November 12^th. Why?”

He paused for a little. “That makes you a Scorpio. I’m a Taurus. Which means our compatibility is supposed to be really good.” What the hell am I saying? Jay thought frantically when he saw Dara looking at him blankly. “Uh, one of my friends is really into astrology lately and it sorta rubbed off on me,” he mumbled hastily.

“That sounds interesting! Maybe I’ll do some research on that when I get home,” Dara laughed. “Do you need a ride home?”

“Nope! I only live about five minutes away.”

“Well, okay.”

Jay started searching through his pockets and pulled out his phone. “Let’s exchange numbers and email addresses.”

Dara’s eyes widened in surprise. “O-okay.” She pulled her phone out and sent him her contact information. “This is my personal email, so make sure you don’t send that out to anyone,” she warned playfully.

“Here’s mine.” He looked at her seriously now. “Anytime you want to talk… Like, about anything. No matter what time it is, you can talk to me.” He grabbed her shoulders gently. “We can’t have you bottling everything up like that anymore, arasso?”

Dara nodded silently. She felt grateful to have found a new, trustworthy friend to confide in. “The same goes for you!”

“Of course! I’ll tell you all of my petty problems, like when my abs have disappeared and stuff,” Jay said cheekily.

“Aigoo!” Dara looked quickly at her phone. “I better get going before Bommie starts searching the streets for me.”

“Drive safely, noona.”

“I will. I’ll text you when I get home so you know I’ve arrived safely,” she teased. “Don’t frown like that! You’ll get wrinkles.” Dara hopped in her car and waved at him before driving off.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ CL and Dara’s apartment ]

Dara stood in front of her door and took a deep breath. One… two… three…she thought, trying shake her fear. She reached for the door before the door was yanked open. Dara’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw Bom standing there fully dressed.

Bom stared at her for a moment before she yanked Dara through the door. “YOU!” she hissed angrily. “It’s been over twenty minutes! I was about to walk up and down the streets of Seoul looking for you!"

Dara hugged Bom tightly. “I’m really sorry, Bommie,” she said quietly.

“Eh…” Bom’s expression softened. “Well, take your shoes off. And then you have to explain to us why you’re so late,” she said gruffly.

Dara moved into the living room to see Minji and Chaerin sitting on the couch looking a little frazzled. “Sorry for worrying you guys,” she said apologetically before sitting down next to Minji.

“Heh?” Minji yawned resting her head on Dara’s shoulder. “We weren’t worried.”

“Mmhm,” Chaerin agreed sleepily. “I didn’t know you were gone until Bom-unni went on a rampage earlier because she came here wanting to borrow your shoes and you weren’t here.”

“Oh.”

“Mmhm,” Minji nodded. “So are you okay, unni?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Dara patted the maknae’s head.

Bom walked over to Dara and stood in front of her, tapping her foot. “I’m waiting!”

“Oh! It’s just like I told you, Bom-ah! I went to the konbini because I was hungry and I went to pick up snacks for everyone—“

“Really?” Bom interrupted. “Where is it?” She looked around for snacks.

Dara shifted uncomfortably. “I… ate them.”

“What!?”

“Well, I mean I just got sorta hungry,” Dara said quickly, “because we were talking for a while and I didn’t notice and I just saw the bag of food and just ate them but—“

“Wait. Who’s ‘we’?” Bom asked suspiciously.

Crap, Dara thought. “I… met someone at the konbini…” She looked up at Bom, who looked like she was about to go apoplectic with rage. “Before you say anything, he wasn’t anyone weird! He’s actually a really nice guy!”

“’He’? You met a strange man and that’s why you’re home so late?” Bom was glaring at her now. “Dara-yah—“

“He’s not a strange man! He’s just someone we haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet but he’s not weird at all!”

Minji perked up next to her. “Who are you talking about, unni?” she asked curiously.

Dara glanced at Chaerin and noticed she was no longer nodding off. She was listening quietly and waiting for her answer. “I, um, ran into Jay Park-sshi at the konbini,” Dara mumbled.

“Who?” Bom demanded. “Speak up!”

“Jay Park!” Dara said loudly. “You know… Park Jaebeom!”

“Oh.” Bom calmed down a little. “So… why were you out so late?”

“I told you! We were just talking about stuff and lost track of time!”

Bom frowned a little. “It’s a little soonfor you to be rebounding right now, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like that at all! We just talked and he was really nice! He even—“ she stopped abruptly.

Minji nudged Dara’s shoulder a little. “What did he do?”

“He noticed that I was… sad… and stuff.”

Bom sat on the floor cross-legged trying to calm herself down. “So,” she breathed deeply, “you… told him about…?”

“Yeah.”

“But unni,” Chaerin interrupted, “you don’t even know him!”

“I know! But it’s just that… He’s… I mean, you know, he’s just… Like…” Dara mumbled, trying to figure out exactly what to say.

Minji clapped her hands. “They’re probably kindred spirits or something!” she said cheerfully. “That’s really nice, unni!”

“Kin— What?” Bom looked a bit lost.

“Kindred spirits! Like when two people meet and become friends really quickly, it means they’re kindred spirits… Like… they can relate to each other and get along well naturally because they’re on the same wavelength,” Minji mumbled turning red as she noticed everyone staring at her. “I just read about it in a book,” she explained hastily.

“I guess so,” Dara said thoughtfully, remembering their conversation.

The room got silent for a bit. Then Chaerin said, “He’s pretty hot.”

“Yeah, he is!” Minji nodded in agreement.

Dara turned red. “It’s definitely not like that!”

“It better not be,” Bom said threateningly. “If he does anything to betray you or hurt you, I’ll hunt him down and shave his eyebrows off!” Minji, Dara, and Chaerin burst out laughing. “What? I really will!” Bom grinned evilly. “Let’s see anyone say he’s hot when he has no eyebrows!”

“I don’t think he’ll do anything bad to me,” Dara laughed.

“Oh? And how do you know that?” Bom raised her eyebrow.

“Just a feeling.”

“A feeling, eh?” Chaerin said randomly. Maybe… she thought carefully. Maybe making friends outside of YG will be good for unni.

“Well! I’m going to wash up and go to bed!” Dara stood up and smiled at her members. “Thank you for worrying about me, guys. I love you!” She made a quick ‘heart’ sign before walking off to the bathroom.

Minji, Chaerin, and Bom looked at each other for a moment.

“He really is hot, unni,” Minji said.

“That’s not the point, Mingkki! How do we know that he can be trusted?”

“I think it’ll be fine,” Chaerin interjected quietly.

“Lee Chaerin! How can you say that? We don’t even know him!” Bom argued.

“That’s why! Almost everyone that Dara-unni is friends with is in YG. When you think about it, unni and Jiyong-oppa have a lot of mutual friends. Think about how hard it’ll be for her when everyone finds out that they’re not together anymore!” Chaerin looked worriedly. “Think about how unni’s character is. She might be too afraid to voice her real thoughts because she doesn’t want to make her friends feel awkward.”

“That could probably include us,” Minji added thoughtfully.

“No way! Dara knows she can always talk to us!” Bom said crossing her arms in disagreement.

“Unni, remember what Dara-unni told us? She said to treat oppa normally. Doongie texted me and told me that she said the same thing to him and s!”

“But—!” Bom stopped herself, realizing that Chaerin had a point. “But I don’t want Dara to get hurt.”

“Dara-unni is stronger than she looks,” Minji said firmly. “And if she’s ever in trouble, we’ll always help her out.”

“The best thing we can do for unni is be there for her and support her,” CL said. “We have to trust her judgment. And if she really thinks that Park Jaebeom-sshi is trustworthy, then he’s probably a nice guy after all.”

Bom sighed in defeat. “Fine. But the moment I hear about him betraying our Ssantokki, I really will shave his eyebrows off. Or worse,” she growled.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dara walked out of the bathroom drying her hair. On her way to her room, she peeked around the hallway to see her members discussing the situation. She smiled sadly to herself. She hated feeling like she was a burden on them. Dara walked into her room and quietly shut the door before flopping onto her bed. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep.

A/N: The stuff about Scorpios and Taureans getting along well is true, according to astrology charts. Quoted from Yahoo (http://shine.yahoo.com/astrology/compatibility/love/?sign1=taurus&sign2=scorpio):

When Taurus and Scorpio come together in a love affair, their union is nothing if not intense, whether that's in a positive or a negative way. They are opposite Signs in the Zodiac, giving them a special, complex connection. They can combine to make a whole, each partner's strengths balancing the other's weaknesses. Their ual attraction is likely to be off the charts! Taurus and Scorpio have tons in common, but because their personalities are so powerful, they often swing between passionate love and passionate disagreement!

I thought it was interesting and decided to throw that in. :)