"Daesung," Seungri said in the same serious tone before chuckling, letting himself in and locking the door behind him.

It was a nice place, and it had an extremely 'lived in' and personalised look. It was decorated in a totally Oriental style. There was a door that led out to an opened area where Daesung do his exercises. Following the sounds of heavy breathing, Seungri guessed that's where he could find his friend.

"Seungri, what're you doing here?" Dara noona, greeted him with a soft kiss on the cheek. She was the doctor that ran the clinic downstairs and her father was the one that saved Seungri's lives a few times in his dark past.

"Can't a guy visit his two favourite people in the whole wide world?" Seungri batted his eyelashes at Dara noona, winning a laugh from her.

She quickly sobered, her eye travel over Seungri's tired face with concern. "You not taking care of yourself."

"I'm fine," Seungri flashed her with a huge smile.

The doctor shook her head in resigned. She knew from experience that nothing got past Seungri's defences. If the young man needed to talk, she was sure Daesung would be a good listener, despite his seemingly cold remoteness to this hyperactive photographer. "Have you had your lunch?"

"I…" Seungri started, only to be interrupted by the embarrassing growl of his protesting stomach. He flushed. "I guess I could eat."

Dara nodded and headed to the kitchen to get something for the photographer.

Left on his own, Seungri lowered himself gracelessly onto one of the plush couches. The hard rosewood chairs that Daesung insisted were 'good for your posture' were a huge pain in the , literally and were avoided at all costs. He picked up a book and read through it. It was something about battle tactics, completely written in Chinese. Wait. When Daesung learn Chinese?

Daesung, Seungri thought, leafing through the pages. Seungri had met him when he made a mistake of stealing from Daesung’s gang when Seungri was about seven or so and because of that Daesung had stab Seungri with a knife.

When a bleeding Seungri showed him angrily exactly why he was stealing before passing out in Daesung's arms, the boy had been eaten by guilt and carried Seungri almost two miles on his back to see Dara noona’s appa to treat him. Seungri had been stealing food for kids, most of them younger than him. Daesung had been one year older than Seungri. By the time, they had been close friends, with Seungri charming the good doctor's little daughter. Seungri smiled at the memory.

Seungri felt his eyes drop from exhaustion. He did wake pretty early for the shoot and that little fight with Chaerin had really exhausted his spirit. It had become a vicious cycle. Fight and make up, only to fight again.

He didn't know when he fell asleep but the next thing he knew, Daesung was sitting opposite him, a towel wrapped over his sweaty body and staring at him with concern.

"What's wrong with you, SeungHyun?" Daesung asked, watching his sleepy friend trying to claw his way out of drowsiness.

Seungri yawned, stretching. "Nothing wrong.”

"You know... you still at lie.." Daesung got cut off by an irate friend.

"I don't lie!" Seungri interjected, sitting up abruptly.

"Fine. Avoidance won't work around me, SeungHyun. I know you too well." Daesung's expression turned gentle. "This has always been your sanctuary. You only come here when something bothers you."

"I haven't seen you at Jiyong's house in a long time," Seungri stalled, not really wanting to talk about Chaerin, but knowing that his big brother would dig it out of him in his usual way, via a spar on the balcony.

Daesung snorted. "It’s not dinner anymore. It already become a dating game."

Seungri smiled, understanding that his friend couldn't bear the awkwardness of watching him try to let girl after girl down without hurting Jiyong's feelings. Seungri had break both of his worlds together and introduced his friends to the Kwons. They had gotten along well and had actually become good friends. But after ‘the Big Break Up’, and Jiyong's campaign of 'Let's Get Seungri A Date’, Daesung especially had been disgusted at the blonds’ idea. He was someone that firmly believed in letting nature run its course and Jiyong had meddling in nature. Daesung & Dara noona had slowly backed off from the dinner, showing up ever so often at Seungri's request. It hurt him that his friends were drifting apart because of him.

"'Daesung, they just want me to have someone," Seungri muttered.

He faked a yawn and saw out of the corner of his eye, Daesung staring at him. He noticed that Daesung had settle down on the 'pain in the ' chair and waited. "What?"

Oh Gods, not another silence therapy, Seungri thought, and wanting very much to pull his hair out. Jiyong’s silence was more guilt inducing, but Daesung's had an undertone of parental admonishment that made it more unbearable.

Their eyes meet in what seemed to be an eternity of silence.

"Seungri, I got you some lunch," Dara noona walk in bearing a tray filled with egg sandwiches. It served to break the tension between the two men and Seungri felt like kissing her.

"Woman," Daesung grumble. "We were having a conversation here."

Dara's eyes hardened. "Man," she began, but that word clearly meant 'idiot' in her vocabulary, especially when she directed it at her assistant. "The both of you were definitely not having a conversation. What I just saw was two idiots knocking testosterone." She settled the tray next to Seungri. "Here, eat before you faint in hunger."

Seungri live her his prized smile and dug into the plate, happy at the change of subject. But knowing Daesung, he wouldn't let him off the hook for too long. Daesung had pretty much the same type of childhood Seungri had, raise on the streets. When Seungri turned sixteen the two of them made a vow to leave the life on the streets and tried to make something decent for themselves. Daesung had started studying all sorts of weird new age nonsense in Seungri's opinion such as Yoga, Pilates, but he had also trained in various martial arts in very young life. He was the one who thought Seungri how to protect himself and been a mentor to the troubled teen.

"Don't eat too much," Daesung warned. "Unless you want to throw up if you miss a block."

Seungri winced at the promised pain his friend was going to inflict on him.

Two hours later, two sweaty males came panting into the living room while a very amused Dara looked up from her magazine with a wrinkled nose. She silently pointed to the bathrooms and the two men trooped in there. Shortly after, Seungri came out from the shower wearing Daesung’s old sweat pants and a loose shirt, his own clothes currently running through the dryer.

"Okay," Daesung said from behind his shoulder. "You got your frustrations out on me." He wince, rubbing his hip where Seungri got a pretty nasty kick in. "Talk."

Seungri huddled on Daesung's couch, not wanting to talk and looking like a lost soul more than a famous photographer. "Why do you always push?" He growled.

Daesung rest his hand on Seungri's shoulder. "You want to talk or not."

"I have a girlfriend now, you know," Seungri spoke after a long silence and Daesung settle down next to him, letting the photographer lean his head on his shoulders like he did when they were younger and Seungri needed to be comforted.

"Really?" Daesung was surprised. He never thought Seungri would get over the break up so soon.

"Her fiancée came to my studio to ask me to take their wedding pictures. Met the future bride, went out on a date with her, got set up in a blind date by Bom noona and here I am talking to you," Seungri finished, unable to look Daesung in the eye. He knew the condemnation would be there.

Daesung sighed heavily. "Seungri." He sounded almost disappointed. "You went through the same thing, so why are you doing it to someone else now?"

"It's not like I meant to fall in love with her,” Seungri laughed ruefully. "Daesung," his voiced echoed his pain and Daesung didn't have to interpret who 'she' was. "What the hell am I doing?"

"How long have the two of you been involved?" Daesung posed the question delicately.

Seungri sounded a little subdued. "If by 'involved' you mean have I had with her yet, the answer is we are not involved."

Daesung inhaled in surprise. Seungri has always craved affection and more than willing to submit to just to get that affection, so it was a big surprise to find out the photographer was still celibate.

"If by 'involved' you mean how long have you been cheating on the poor fiancée, then for about six weeks."

Daesung was taken aback. Six weeks? That's a long time in Seungri's calendar and for him to hold off meant either he was extremely serious about this girl, or 'she' had really hurt Seungri that badly until he couldn't trust anymore. "What are you waiting for?"

"For her to end the engagement."

"She still engaged?" Daesung manage to say.

Seungri laughed humourlessly. "Yeah, isn't that a ?"

"What are you going to do about it?" Daesung wanted to know.

The photographer just let out a heavy sighed.