“So how was your little reunion with the Dragon?” Xin asked as soon as Chaerin entered her office.

 

“What? What’re you talking about? And what are you doing here?”

 

“Don’t play dumb with me, baby girl. I saw you.”

 

Chaerin rolled her eyes. “How ‘bout you stay out of my love life and start focusing on yours?”

 

“Oh so there is a ‘love’ life.” Xin said emphasizing the word love.

 

“Please Seungho. I’m not in the mood for that today.”

 

Xin stood up and sighed. “Okay baby girl. I’ll just go fix something up and we can go for pizza. How does that sound?” Xin knows that when Chaerin calls him his real name that she’s serious.

 

“Thanks, Xin.” Chaerin smiled at him.

 

 

“Someone’s not in the mood.” Youngbae whispered to TOP. They were supposed to be in a meeting about the upcoming launch of their summer collection but their friend wasn’t with them. Yeah, Jiyong was physically present but he was spacing out. He didn’t even at least try to look interested or that he was listening, he was simply just staring at the space.

 

“Okay, I think that’s enough for today.” TOP interrupted the intern who was presenting his piece.

 

The intern stopped talking and closed the folder he was holding. Even when they were already fixing the papers, Jiyong was still staring at the space. Until there were 5 of them left in the room, the four looking at him weirdly.

 

“Yah Jiyong.” Youngbae called out to him while waving his hand in front of his face.

 

No reply. Not even a blink of an eye.

 

“What’s wrong with him?” Daesung asked quietly.

 

“There could only be two things. Either he’s gone deaf or mute or both!” Seungri said in fake panic.

 

“Yah.” Jiyong said in a low voice, giving the youngest a glare.

 

“Well at least we know he hasn’t gone deaf or mute.” Seungri muttered under his breath.

 

“What’s with you, bro?” Youngbae asked his closest friend.

 

“Nothing.” Jiyong looked around and noticed the empty room aside from them. “I thought we were having a meeting, where are the others?”

 

The other 4 guys looked at each other.

 

“We were having a meeting but we cut it short because you weren’t here with us.” TOP said.

 

Jiyong looked at him confused. “I wasn’t?”

 

TOP sighed. “Come on, Ji. You know what we’re talking about. What’s up with you? Is it Chaerin?”

 

Jiyong just stared at him. I… I can’t. Those words echoing again in his brain.

 

“You know what? It’s been a while since we’ve gone to our club. How bout we swing there tonight?” Youngbae suggested.

 

“Yassss!” Seungri fist pumped.

 

“Oh shut up, Ri. Don’t act like you don’t go there without us.” TOP said.

 

 

“Hyung, you better stop him before he does something he’ll regret!” Daesung said to Youngbae as they watched Jiyong chug down another shot and grind with a girl.

 

They’ve only been in the club for an hour and Jiyong has been acting like he hasn’t drunk in years. He was getting himself totally wasted.

 

TOP stopped Youngbae who was about to get Jiyong. “Don’t. Let him regret his own stupidity.” He said coolly.

 

“But hyung…” Youngbae was about to argue but TOP stared him down. Who would win over that?

 

“Oh my God, hyungs!” Seungri screamed. He just came back to their place.

 

“What?” Daesung asked.

 

“You gotta get Jiyong hyung outta there!” Seungri screamed and pointed down, where they saw Jiyong, not anymore holding a glass but already a bottle and taking a swig from it. “He’s gonna get super wasted soon! And we all don’t want that! We’re gonna have that meeting tomorrow, remember?”

 

“ing stupid kid.” TOP mumbled and stood up himself.

 

Youngbae sighed in relief. He knows TOP wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to Jiyong.

 

“Yah!!” TOP said in his very low voice, calling out to Jiyong who was lost in his own world, wobbling around, with some girls clinging on to him.

 

“Go away.” TOP almost growled at the girls and they instantly disappeared.

 

“Ohhh hyooong! Come j-join us!” Jiyong said with arms spread wide. “Oh… w-where’d they g-go?” He asked, confused that he was already standing there alone.

 

“They left. So should we.” TOP said and grabbed the younger’s arm. Jiyong reacted and pulled his arm back, hard, causing him to almost trip back but he managed to balance himself while still holding the bottle.

 

“NOOO!!! I’m still having f-f-fuuuun!!! WHOOO” Jiyong shouted and the crowd shouted with him.

 

“No you’re not, you idiot.” TOP said, his patience wearing thinner.

 

 “Don’t be such a buzzkill hyoooong!”

 

TOP had enough. He pulled Jiyong’s arm and led them out. “Get some ing air!” TOP said, his low voice echoing in the somewhat deserted area of the back alley.

 

“I don’t need any ing air! I would be thankful if I didn’t have it! So I wouldn’t feel anything!!” Jiyong’s sudden outburst caught TOP off guard.

 

“What? What the you talkin’ about?”

 

“It hurts. Even breathing hurts…” Jiyong said softly. As if all his energy has left him. He had his back against the wall, his head facing up the dark sky.

 

“What happened Jiyong? This is about Chaerin, right?”

 

“It’s always about her…” Jiyong sighed. It was as if all the alcohol’s already been washed out from his system. Just thinking about that moment sobered him up.

 

“What happened? I thought you were fixing things?”

 

“I can’t. I don’t have a chance anymore.”

 

 

“So just like that? You just said no?” Xin asked Chaerin. They were in their favorite little coffee shop with Minzy, Chaerin’s assistant.

 

“I said I can’t…” Chaerin trailed off.

 

“Well that’s pretty a much a no.” Minzy said.

 

“Are you sure about this?” Xin asked Chaerin who was busy staring at her cup of Americano.

 

“Y-yeah…” Chaerin’s voice trembled.

 

“Girl, you don’t sound sure to me.” Minzy said and Xin agreed with a nod.

 

“W-well I am, okay? Enough about this. Let’s not talk about it.” She said and took a sip of her drink, the warmth of the coffee sliding down soothed the lie she just said.

 

“Mmhhmm.” Minzy said, totally not convinced but decided to give Chaerin a break.

 

“So Miss Park called, a little while ago.” Xin said with an amused smile on his face.

 

“And?” Chaerin said with a raised brow.

 

“And she said she loved your arrangements. She said she’ll just contact us through phone if there are changes and she looks forward to the event.”

 

Minzy giggled. “You really did a number on her, didn’t you?”

 

“She did.” Xin added and both he and Chaerin joined in giggling.

 

 

“Is he asleep?” Seungri asked Youngbae who was quietly going out of Jiyong’s room.

 

Youngbae nodded and put a finger on his lips signalling Seungri to keep it down.

 

“Hyung, what happened?” Daesung asked TOP who was sipping on water.

 

“Stupid idiot thought he could walk through the wall, hit his head on it.”

 

“But his knuckles…” Seungri said.

 

“Once he realized he couldn’t walk through it, he fought it. He lost.”

 

Youngbae chuckled and shook his head. “And you just let him?”

 

“So he’ll still have something to regret about when he wakes up.”

 

“Good thinking, hyung!” Seungri said and put two thumbs up.

 

“Alright. Let’s go home.” TOP said and finished his water. The others followed and they called it a day.

 

 

“Oww…” Jiyong groaned. He hasn’t opened his eyes yet but he already felt pain. On and in his head, on his hands, and all over. “The …” he muttered, covering his eyes from the blaring sun, unintentionally flexing his hands making the pain feel worse.

 

He dropped his hand back on the bed and closed his eyes again waiting for the pain to go away and also remembering what happened last night and bit by bit, memories came.

 

“…” he cursed. Now he knows why his body hurt so bad.

 

He forced himself up and went straight to the kitchen for water he so badly needed. The cooling sensation as the water passes down his throat felt like heaven. He didn’t want it to stop so he kept drinking from the bottle but was interrupted by the ringing of his door bell.

 

He looked at the clock. 11AM. He wasn’t expecting anyone though. Maybe it’s the boys. He set the bottle down and went to the door. Surprise would be an understatement of what he felt when he saw Chaerin standing there but it seemed like she was more surprised to see him.

 

“What happened to you?” Chaerin asked staring at his forehead.

 

“What?” Jiyong asked and reached for his forehead, instantly hissing when his hand touched it.

 

“Your hands too. Did you get in a fight?” Chaerin asked with concern evident in her voice. “You didn’t even wash them.” She said and suddenly took his arm and pulled him to the bathroom. She needed no directions from Jiyong since she’s very familiar with his house already.

 

Jiyong just silently followed her, a bit confused about what’s happening. Were they supposed to meet and he forgot? What’s she doing in his house? Questions float around his brain and the next thing he knew, Chaerin was already running a towel soaked with warm water over his knuckles, the warmth soothing the ache.

 

“What are you doing?... I mean, why are you doing this?” Jiyong asked while looking at Chaerin who was busy attending to his wounds. By this time she was already wiping his forehead.

 

“What? I’m just helping you. Why? We can’t be friends anymore?” Chaerin stopped and looked at him. Their very small distance from each other made the feeling more intimate than it should. Chaerin was first to break contact. “I just came by to pick up my white jacket. I think I left it here. And I find you like this… tsk tsk. What happened?”

 

“Nothing…” Jiyong said, too embarrassed to tell her.

 

“Okay. It’s none of my business.” Chaerin said and rinsed the small towel she was using.

 

“No! It’s not that… it’s just, it’s something stupid.” Jiyong explained, not wanting Chaerin to misunderstand.

 

“Come on Ji. I’ve known you long enough to see your stupidity.” Chaerin smirked.

 

Jiyong sighed. “Okay. I… I punched a wall.” He said in a voice so low hoping she wouldn’t hear, but of course, she did.

 

Chaerin snorted. “You’re right. That’s stupid. But I’ve seen you done worse.” She said and put anti-infection cream on both his fists and on his forehead. “You always had such a nice forehead.” She unintentionally let out.

 

“What?” Jiyong said with a small smile on his face.

 

Now it’s Chaerin’s time to be embarrassed. “Nothing…”

 

“Oh, I thought I heard something.” Jiyong just smiled and decided not to push it since he didn’t want Chaerin to feel awkward. He wouldn’t dare do anything that would stop what was happening at the moment. “Oh and yeah, you left your jacket here. It’s in the closet, if you’re talking about the Chanel one.” Jiyong said when Chaerin finished wrapping his hands with bandage.

 

“Oh yeah, that’s great. I really need it.”

 

“For what?” Jiyong asked while leading her to his room.

 

“For Sandara’s event.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“Yeah… well, aren’t you going? I saw your name on the list.” Chaerin said trying to not be awkward but feeling weirdly nervous right now since this would be the first time in almost 4 months that she hasn’t entered his room or his house, actually.

 

“I think I’ll pass that one.” Jiyong said and went in his walk in closet. “Here.”

 

Chaerin was more than surprised to see that her area of his closet was still there. Also, she didn’t expect that she left that much clothes there. “Oh… okay.” Chaerin went forward and started rummaging through her clothes. Jiyong just watched her. He remembered the days like this before. He would just watch her pick clothes for him and herself. He missed that.

 

“Ah, it’s here. Thanks!” she said when she finally found it.

 

“Sure. You’re welcome to come anytime, my room’s always open for you.” Jiyong meant it as a joke but it somehow made the atmosphere awkward.

 

“Hey hyung, you left the door open…” Seungri suddenly appeared.

 

“Oh Jesus!” Chaerin jumped in surprise.

 

“What the hell Ri! You scared the out of me.” Jiyong said while holding his chest.

 

“Oh sorry… was I interrupting something?” Seungri awkwardly asked while shifting glances at the two people in front of him.

 

“Oh shut up, Ri. And stop acting weird. You’re making Chaerin feel awkward.” Jiyong responded for both of them. “Let’s go outside.” He said and the three of them went out to the living room.

 

In the living room, Youngbae and TOP were seated on the couch, eating chips and watching TV and in the kitchen, Daesung was cooking something.

 

“How long have you been here?” Jiyong asked, attracting their attention. They were all kind of surprised to see Chaerin standing next to him.

 

“Oh hey Chae… what’re you doing here?” Youngbae asked and then shifted his eyes to Jiyong.

 

“I just came by to get something and I find this dufus with wounds on his face and hands.” Chaerin said, trying to make things a little less awkward.

 

“Did he tell you how he got those?” Seungri asked, excited to spill.

 

“Yeah, how stupid, right??” Chaerin said making Jiyong groan.

 

“I know right!” Seungri said and hi-fived her.

 

“If you girls are done gossiping, you can leave now.” Jiyong said. “I’m only talking to you Seungri.” Jiyong quickly added.

 

“Oh I gotta go.” Chaerin said while looking at her watch.

 

“I was just kidding Chae.” Jiyong said.

 

“No it’s not that. I really should get going. I still have some things to do.” She said and folded the jacket in her hands. She went near the kitchen “Smells great Dae!” she cheered on the guy cooking and Daesung gave her his sweet smile. “I’ll see you guys around!” She said and bowed.

 

“Bye Chae!”

 

“See you when Bom arrives.” TOP said and Chaerin gave thumbs up.

 

“Wait! I’ll walk you out.” Jiyong said as a last attempt to spend more time with her. “You really have to go already?” Jiyong asked when they were by the door.

 

“Yeah. I have things to do. I just really swung by to get this.” Chaerin raised the jacket.

 

“Oh…” Jiyong was disappointed and he didn’t even hide it.

 

“How about we hang out next time?” Chaerin offered.

 

“Really?” Jiyong asked, full of hope.

 

“Yeah. We can still be friends right?”

 

Well, that hope bursted. Friends. That’s what she wants?

 

“Uhh yeah… sure.” He decided he’ll take anything he can get

 

 

 

 

 

… for now.