The day came and went so fast and soon night fell on a cool Sunday night. Big Bang wanted to head over to the pub so Lia stayed home. At twelve midnight, they haven’t come back yet so she decided to go to sleep first. She was nicely falling asleep when the lights came on in her room from the door. She sat up and saw her brother and Tae Yang supporting Ji Yong, who looked drunk. “What happened to him?” she asked, hopping out of bed to them.

“He got drunk,” Tae Yang sighed. “Er, you might want to —”

“I love ponies,” Ji Yong slurred, stumbling a bit. “And rainbows and unicorns.”

The three of them helped Ji Yong get into bed. Lia ran to the bathroom and came back with a bucket in case he throws up. But he just fell back in bed.

TOP looked at his sister. “Mei, will you be okay, staying in a room with him in this state?” he asked her.

She nodded. “Don’t worry about me,” she replied. “It’s your leader you should worry about. It looks like he’s going to have a major hangover tomorrow morning.”

“But —”

She hugged her brother. “I think he’s too drunk to try anything funny,” she reassured him.

Tae Yang patted her head. “Good luck with him,” he told her before walking out of the room.

TOP nodded, kissing her lightly on the forehead. “Anything, I’m just a few doors away, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay,” she said and then she was left alone with her drunken boyfriend. She sighed, going back to him, where he was now lying down on his bed. “Time to get you into your night clothes, oppa,” she said more to herself.

She helped him take off his shirt and he just grinned stupidly at her. “Are we going to have ?” he asked her, holding her waist tightly. He kissed her and she could taste the beer in his mouth.

She pushed him down. “No, we’re not,” she said firmly. She yanked his pants off, leaving his boxers on. She decided it was okay to leave him like this. She got back in bed next to him and turned off the lights.

She felt a pair of hands s around her waist, making its way up to her chest. She pushed the hands away. “No,” she said again. She turned to face him. “Go to sleep.”

“I love you.”

She sighed. This was going to be a long night.

TOP was fast asleep when he felt someone tugging on his blanket. He opened his eyes and saw Lia getting in bed with him. “Mei, what’s wrong?” he asked, startled. “Did Ji Yong —?”

She snuggled up to him. “He’s fast asleep,” she whispered, careful not to wake Seung Ri up. “I just want to sleep with my brother.”

TOP could hear a hint of hurt in her voice. “Are you okay?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her.

“Just sleep,” she murmured to him. “I just want to sleep. Ji Yong is fine by himself.”

He was too tired so he didn’t think much. He nodded and fell asleep, hugging his sister tight to protect her from any harm.

The next morning Ji Yong woke up with a pounding headache. He groaned, not liking the feeling at all.

He looked beside him and found it empty. He frowned. Where was Lia? He got out of bed and out of the room, ignoring his head.

Tae Yang, who was on the floor playing with Boss, looked up. “Ah, how are you?” he asked him.

“Where’s Lia?”

He frowned. “Isn’t she sleeping inside with you?”

“No.”

Seung Ri looked up from the magazine he was reading. “Oh, Lia slept in our room last night,” he told Ji Yong. “She slept in the same bed with hyung.”

Confusion came over Ji Yong’s handsome face. “Why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t know about it until I woke up at five to go to the toilet and saw her and hyung sleeping quietly. I think she came in the middle of the night.”

This wasn’t making any sense and it wasn’t helping Ji Yong’s headache go away. Just as he was about to go inside the room, TOP came out with a frown.

“Has anyone seen Lia? I woke up to find her gone.”

Dae Sung came out from the kitchen. “Oh, Lia? She just took King out to the beach,” he told them. “She said she wanted a morning stroll with her dog.”

“Right.” Both Ji Yong and TOP made a move to go to the beach but they stopped short when the other moved.

TOP’s stare was cold. “I’ll go after my sister and you stay here,” he said, his voice sending chills down his spine. Without another word, he went out.

“What was that about?” Tae Yang asked.

Ji Yong shrugged, perplexed. “I don’t know,” he replied.

Lia sat at the beach side, just gazing as the sky lit up in pretty blue. She smiled to herself. King was off somewhere, running.

“I was wondering where you went,” a deep husky voice said from above her. The figure sat down next to her.

She turned and smiled at her brother. “Hi,” she said.

“What’s wrong, Mei?” he asked her softly. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

“What happened last night after we left him in the room?” TOP persisted. “Mei, I can tell something is wrong. Either you don’t want to tell me or you don’t want to admit it.”

“It’s nothing.” Lia shook her head, playing with her bracelet Ji Yong gave her. It was a couple’s bracelet. It was a simple chain with a book and a microphone pendant but the two objects symbolized their love: the microphone is of Ji Yong being a singer and the book is of Lia who wants to be an author when she grows up. It was simple yet meant so much.

TOP put his arms around his little sister and pulled her to him. “You don’t fool me,” he chuckled quietly.

Lia buried her face in his chest and sobbed. She sobbed.

Startled, he blinked a couple of times. “Mei, what’s wrong? What did he do?” He shook her gently. “What is it? Tell me!”

“Don’t do anything to hurt him,” she said to him in a whisper. “Not until I get all the facts first.”

“What facts?”

She shook her head. She wiped her tears away. “I want to be alone,” she said. “Please, leave me alone.”

TOP shook his head, confused. “Mei . . .”

She pushed him and he fell backwards. “Go. Please. But don’t hurt him.”

He stood up. “Mei . . .” His expression was pained. He didn’t know why Lia was crying. He didn’t know what Ji Yong did to hurt her. And he can’t even hurt him. He went back to the hotel room and made a beeline for his room. If he avoids Ji Yong, the less tempted he’ll be to punch him.

Ji Yong saw him returning and decided to seize the chance to find out what was wrong. Luckily for him Lia was hadn’t moved a spot since TOP left her. He strolled over to her and sat down behind her, wrapping his lean arms around her. He pulled her to him. “Hey, baby,” he whispered into her ears.

Startled, Lia jumped. “Ji — Ji Oppa!” she stammered. She felt his grip tightened and she squirmed.

He closed his eyes. “Ah, my head hurts,” he moaned. He sighed heavily, burying his face in her hair, smelling the familiar strawberry scent on her. He smiled, kissing her head, holding her. “You make me feel so much better now.”

“Let go.” Her voice was cold.

He let her go, hurt. “Lia, what’s wrong?” he asked her. “I don’t understand.”

She stood up. “King!” she called to the cute puppy who ran back to her. She scooped the little fella up and carried him back to the hotel room.

Ji Yong scrambled to his feet to follow her. He grabbed her by the arm and whirled her around. Unfortunately King took that moment to bite his fingers and he recoiled. Lia ran away from him and up to the hotel room. She quickly packed her things and was about to leave the room when he entered the room, locking the door behind him.

She gulped, suddenly afraid. She looked at him and knew he was angry.

“What’s wrong?” Lia heard the distinctive hurt in his voice. He crept slowly to her, not losing eye contact. “Lia, I don’t want to hurt you. So why won’t you tell me what’s wrong? What did I do?”

, she cursed as she found herself in a corner. Ji Yong was getting closer and closer until his body was pressed against her. She whimpered a little. "Don't hurt me."

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said gently and she believed him. “I just want to know why you’re avoiding me.”

“I’m not avoiding you,” she lied.

“Liar,” he said softly. He bent down and kissed her. “Lia, what’s wrong?” he murmured, pressing his lips against hers, caressing her body gently and sweetly.

She closed her eyes and kissed him back. She wanted to forget about everything, she really did. And with him kissing her now, it was working. He carried her and laid her down on the bed, getting on top of her, careful not to do anything to hurt her. His kisses grew heavier and more persuasive. She pushed him away. If he kissed her any longer she was going to forget everything and it was far too important to forget.

“No, I can’t.”

He groaned, burying his face in her neck. He kissed her there, not caring that she was trying to push him off. It only made him hold her tighter. “Why?” he growled, pulling her to him. “Why, Lia?” he asked agan, a little too forceful.

“Ji Oppa.” She shivered lightly and a chill went down her spine. “Stop it, please.”

He stopped, hearing a hint of fright in her voice, pulling himself apart from her. He stared into her eyes. “My sweet baby girl,” he said softly, his eyes full of confusion and pain. “You can tell me anything. We have no secrets to hide.”

“Really?” she asked him bitterly. She sat up and glowered at him. “Is that what you think?”

“Will you stop giving me riddles and just tell me what’s on your mind?” he asked, touching her cheeks but she slapped his hands away. His eyes grew wide.

She looked up into his eyes. “Okay. Then tell me, who is Shi Wen?”

“What?” He frowned. He panicked a little. Where did he hear that name? It sounded familiar, at the tip of his tongue. His mind scrambled to think of something quick. He decided lying was his best option. “Shi Wen . . . was an old lover, some random girl I met way before I met you.” He hung his head. “I’m sorry. Did I mutter her name out loud? Is that why? I don’t know why I thought of her. Lia, I swear, I only love you.”

But Lia was shaking her head. She looked away sadly. “Why are you lying to me?”

Ji Yong tried to lift her face up. “Lia . . .”

She looked up to him, her eyes blazing with anger. “You liar,” she spat out. “Shi Wen isn’t an old lover; you met her at the pub last night and made out with her. You cheated on me.”