CHAPTER 7

We Are Doing Fine

After that night in the bar, Youngji and Jackson’s relationship has improved. He comes with her when she hangs out with Bambam, JB and Dong Wook. He also calls her when he is out of the country. He sends her flowers and snacks during filming. Since he’s been joining them a lot, they gave the impressions that they are going out already. But JB still confessed to her and he thought that his feelings have been reciprocated. He let her do what she wants and she didn’t complain on everything that he’s doing.

The time has come when the family drama they are doing has to end. The planned 50 episodes has been extended to another 10 episodes and extended again for another ten. The production team planned to have a farewell party on their last day of filming. The casts have brought their gifts for the production staff as well.

Everyone gathers at Parkdaegamne, a self-proclaimed "celebrities' favorite barbecue restaurant" located on the outskirts of the Cheongdam district. A generation of club-goers has been raised on the restaurant’s galbi-tang (beef stew), and in its heyday the restaurant employed more than 70 staff. Even now, in its smaller new location next to the original house, the restaurant sells more than 300 bowls of galbi-tang a day.

The atmosphere is lively though the restaurant is crowded already. Youngji needs to go to the restroom and Jackson accompanies her since there is a group of middle aged man drinking on the way to the restroom. On her way out of the restroom, she saw him talking to a girl. She hasn’t seen this girl before but looking on how they talked, seems like they know each other very well. They laugh a lot and the girl pats his head many times. They seem too comfortable with each other. Her heart thumps fast, seeing them like that; she knew that she was jealous. She composed herself and started to walk towards them. She tries hard to set aside her nervousness.

“Youngji… meet Yunha, she’s a former JYPE artist. She’s at Core Contents Media now.”

“Meet Youngji she’s our new gem at JYPE…” he introduced her and the two girls bowed at each other.

“Hi Youngji! Nice meeting you. I like the song that you sing with him.” Yunha said and she replied to her with “Thank You!”

“By the way, are you two an item?” Yunha asked them without malice, but he laughed at it. Some people might be contented with his reaction but Yunha didn’t understand him. So Yunha asked again. “What? Is she your girlfriend? Youngji, is he your boyfriend?”

“She’s not my girlfriend. We just enjoying being together.” he explained to Yunha.

She didn’t bother to add reasoning on what he told Yunha. In her mind, she knew that what he said is correct. She is not his girlfriend but she didn’t think that he will directly answers that question with a “NO”. That was the first time he broke her heart.

They said goodbye to Yunha, and goes back to their group. As the night gets deeper, almost everyone is drunk and even her manager passed out. It was midnight when they decided to part ways. JB volunteered to give her a ride but she rejects him since Jackson talked to her earlier and said they will go home together.

They walked out of the club and they are both silent from the moment they said goodbye to the group until they reached the apartment building. She opened her apartment door and he follows her inside. He grabs her aiming to embrace her but she didn’t bother to respond to him and walk straight to the kitchen to get a bottle of water that she emptied quickly.

“Anything wrong?” he is confused as he asked her.

“You’re asking me?” her sullen reply. “If I am not your girlfriend, then who am I to you?”

“Oh, please, don’t go to that direction again Youngji,” he told her while holding on his forehead. “We’ve talked about it already. We’re doing ok, why we have to make things complicated. I like you, you like me, too. Why do we have to put a label on what we have now? We are going to marry someday anyhow.”

Instead of answering him she collected herself and say, “I am tired and I want to sleep. I have an early schedule tomorrow. I hope you don’t mind if I asked you to go home.” She said as she opened the door and leads his way