Why. Why were people overreacting so damn much? He could understand if maybe he had done it on purpose, or hurt someone, but this? No. It was ridiculous. It both hurt and angered the rapper to see his long-time friend going through what he was now, first having to deal with the looming fact that this would come to light eventually, and then seeing the reactions of both VIPs and people from other fandoms.. It mostly hurt him to see when their own fans suddenly turning a cold shoulder and starting to throw piercing words at the group. What happened to YG family? What happened to being a VIP forever?

The possibility that they were right and G-Dragon was wrong never crossed his mind.

Had he killed someone? Had he done something unspeakable or unmoral? Of course he, Choi Seunghyun, wasn't commending the use of drugs, in fact he stayed far away from them, but it wasn't like Jiyong had gone out and smoked an entire bag of the stuff on purpose. People were going crazy over an accident, an accident for Heaven's sake.

He sighed, slamming the lid of his laptop closed as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his eyes, phrases like "I wouldn't be surprised if he did it all the time anyway" seeming to be burned into the back of his eyelids as he couldn't forget the harsh words he read. That, the 'High High' jokes, people tearing at GD's character.. It was all so unfair.. The man hadn't even.. Why was everything.. No. This couldn't be happening. He wasn't denying it was, just questioning it, a lot. Was it possible for a sea of fans to suddenly turn on them, to go from chanting and cheering to sneering spiteful words and denying ever liking the group? It didn't seem like it.

Seunghyun sighed and leaned back toward the computer, throwing the clock on the far wall a glance before opening the lid again to reveal a brightly lit screen with several tabs open on a browser, each containing a different news site or forum discussion concerning the situation. One tab in particular, displaying a red square as the logo, upset him particularly, but that wasn't what he had was focused on.

Opening another tab, the rapper set about searching for the good. It was impossible for everyone to turn on them, so all he had to do was find those that hadn't. Hell, he'd print out every supportive single comment he found and show it to G-Dragon if it meant making him feel even a little better during all this..

Naturally, he was worried for him. What kind of a person would he be if he wasn't? All the changes lately, the fact that his friend's energy during concerts just hadn't been the same lately.. It was obvious, to him, when Jiyong went from bouncing around the stage to dancing almost mechanically just when he had to. Seunghyun frowned, remembering not long ago when their performances consisted of the other male taking the spotlight, commanding the stage, having the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand while TOP would look at him with a grin and feel the endless energy combined with the music making him feel so incredibly alive.. Alive was the right word. To share a stage with Jiyong was both an honor and an experience. But now.. He remembered it clearly, when he fully noticed the rapper's change in attitude in Malaysia. The other man had simply walked behind him to get to his spot on stage when his verse came up..

Walked.

Since when did Kwon Jiyong, G-Dragon, rapper extraordinaire, master of confidence and ruler of the stage, walked during performances?

Of course, TOP couldn't exactly stop in the middle of the song and call his band mate out on his lack of enthusiasm, and G-Dragon was quick to realize and make up for it during the chorus, but it didn't go unnoticed. Even if one was to say that he had moved around during certain parts of the song, it was nothing compared to the earlier performances.

Even if he was to hide it onstage (which was itself a difficult thing to do because TOP had known him for years and Jiyong wasn't the type that could completely cover up his emotions without him noticing at least something), offstage, it was even easier to see something troubling the performer. His radical appearance change, his numerous, sudden tattoos, the way his demeanor had quieted down considerably (which some were starting to refer to as 'arrogance'), and a number of other things were obvious indications something was going on. Had he himself not known what was going on with Jiyong, he would have picked up on the bits and pieces and eventually confronted him out of concern..

Oh. He hadn't even changed the page more than a few times he was so lost in thought.. Seunghyun blinked and focused back on the page, a small wave of relief falling over him as he read over one of the forum comments: how on earth could you "try to hate GD" for smoking weed, accidentally?