Chapter Ten: She is Smart

For the next few days, Yeojung would spend the day working at YG building and during somedays, she would get called to work over time in Jiyong's private studio when he didn't have any schedule that day.

CEO Yang had given Jiyong a month break because the world tour had just finished and all the Big Bang members deserved a break or a short holiday to be precise. Jiyong wanted to stay at home and spend time with his family rather than going to the ton of parties which he was invited to. He felt a little guilty for not spending enough time with his parents, especially his mom who calls him almost everyday and he almost always missed her calls.

During those days, he didn't come to the company but he called Yeojung to his apartment to help him record some music because she was only one of the few people who knew of his recording room. And he promised her that he would pay her overtime fees, which motivated her to work more.

It was a Friday, Yeojung was about to go home when she got a call from her mother.

"Omma, what's up?" She said after picking up the call.

"When are you coming here? Everybody's here already." She said. It was her dad's birthday dinner and every member of her family will be there. She was nervous as always because everyone always belittle her.

"Arraseo, I'll be there in 15 minutes." Yeojung answered. She was nervous as always because her family always belittled her. Her sister is a doctor and her dad is a lawyer, her cousins grew up to be directors or permanent worker in companies. She was always the most unsuccessful one and she hated having that name tag.

~~~

When Yeojung arrived, the feast was almost finished. All that was left for her were some leftovers. She felt a little disheartened.

"Oh, you're here." Mrs Kang said when she saw her daughter entering the dining room. Everyone looked at her, but none greeted her. She bit her lips and bowed her head.

"I'm home." She announced and walked straight to her father who was sitting at the end of the table.

"Appa, Happy Birthday...Please stay healthy." She said and smiled as she handed him a birthday present.

"Thank you, Yeojung-ah..." He said and gave a hesitant smile. She had always felt distant from her father especially, mainly because she knew how much resentfulness her father felt towards her.

"Ne appa." She replied and walked to sit on an empty seat around the table.

She next to her cousin, Kang Yoonji who was of the same age as her. Everyone was interested in her life because she was engaged and had been working as a full time employee in a broadcasting company. She's pretty, kind-hearted and down-to-earth. She was perfect unlike her.

"Yoonji-ya, is there any vacancy in your company?" Mrs Kang asked.

"I heard they are recruiting new team members." Yoonji answered.

"Then, can you refer Yeojung to your director or manager?" Mrs Kang asked.

"Omma, I have a job." Yeojung answered.

"What job? No, what kind of job?" Mrs Kang asked and rolled her eyes.

"I'm working in a studio for G-Dragon." Yeojung replied.

"You need a more dignified job, Kang Yeojung, you're your father's daughter." Mrs Kang said and looked at her sternly. This was one of the main reason on why she moved out of her parents home when she's not even that well-off herself. She hated being belittled. She hated that music related jobs are always being mocked and looked down upon. She wanted to prove to them that she can be successful even without their help.

"Omma." Yeojung returned her mother's glare and stopped eating the leftover food she was given.

"Your mom is right Yeojung-ah, I don't think working in a recording studio is a good thing." Her dad at last spoke up only to corner her even more. "Look at your sister and Yoonji, and your other cousins. They all are living a stable life and have a permanent job."

"Omma, appa, if you're just inviting me to this dinner just to tell me this, then I'd better go." Yeojung told them with teary eyes and stood up from her seat. All of them were looking at her. Their judging expression made her feel nauseous. She just wanted to go out of this house.

"It's not that, Kang Yeojung. You got your Prosecutor practice license, you passed all the tests but why are you throwing it all away?!" Her father exploded and got up from his seat as well, pointing his finger at her. Her heart ached. All the resentment that her father tried to conceal finally showed. opened, but she didn't know what to say because it's all true. She didn't even know where to look or focus her eyes on.

Just then, her phone rang. The caller ID read, Kwon Ji Yong.

She never felt so relieved her whole life. She slid the green button to the side and answered the phone.

"Ne, I'll be there right now." She said even though it wasn't what Jiyong actually asked.

"My employer just called me, I must go." She said firmly and grabbed her coat as well as bag. Then, she walked out of the house with tears flowing down her cheeks.

~~~

Jiyong looked at his phone screen and narrowed her brows. He didn't ask her to come or run errands. He merely asked her what the name of the file which she saved one of his recording in was. But she didn't answer him and even hung up on him.

He placed his phone down on the sofa before turning on his laptop and put it down on the coffee table and sat on the floor. Immediately, he got a call from Kiko. He smiled. It's been awhile since they got to Skype with each other although they do text each other everyday. Normal couple wouldn't have lasted if they had a relationship like Jiyong and Kiko because they rarely see each other, but when they do they felt it. They felt what normal couples feel.

"Hi babe." Jiyong said and smiled while looking at the screen, longing to touch her cheeks. She had no makeup on as she just finished her photoshoot for the day. There were circles under her eyes but she was covering them with two eye masks.

"Hi Jiyong... It's been so long." She replied and sweetly smiled at him.

They began talking about everything; her photoshoots, her plans for the week and what happened last week. He wanted to tell her about his sponsors, the unique gifts he received and gossip about their mutual friends. He wanted to just talk to her. They talked for half an hour before she got up to make herself some food because she was starving and she hadn't made any plans for the night as she wanted to spend more time with Jiyong.

"Wait a minute, Jiyong, I'm going to make a cup ramyeon." She said and Jiyong agreed.

Suddenly, Jiyong's apartment bell rang. He was a bit surprised because the apartment was so quiet that the sound of the bell shook him. He got up from the carpeted floor and walked towards the entrance of the apartment. He looked at the monitor and Yeojung was there, placing her eye closely to the camera which gave him more shock. He pressed the accept button and she entered the building.

He quickly rushed to his laptop and there was Kiko slurping her ramyeon.

"Where were you?" She asked through the screen.

"Ah nothing, I'll call you back, Kiko." He said and smiled.

"Oh...Alright, see you." She said, disappointed. They barely talked for an hour and he hung up on her. This is the second time he hung up on her and she felt even more insecure. She keeps wondering what was going on in his life. He had never hung up on her until last month. She kept feeling disappointed and its beginning to seem strange to her.

Jiyong placed his laptop down on the bar table and waited for Yeojung. After 5 minutes, she knocked and he opened the door. She looked red and tired. She looked as if she had been crying for a long time. Her eyes, nose and cheeks were red. She looked different from when she went home a few hours earlier. But she tried to smile when their eyes met.

"Did you call me?" She asked and was probably trying her hardest to smile.

"Y-yes I did and you didn't answer my question." Jiyong replied.

"Well, I came here to answer that question." She said and invited herself in. She took off her thick coat and placed it on the coat hanger. She placed her bare feet inside Jiyong's home slipper and walked passed him. Little did she know, he sniffed her.

"Did you drink?" He asked and she nodded.

She turned her head back towards him. "Yup, I drank a little to make me feel better."

"Tch." Jiyong expressed and shook his head.

"So you only wanted to know the file name?" She asked while moving the mouse. She double clicked on the file and showed him. She played the file and instantly filled the studio with it. Jiyong nodded and smiled, acknowledging the file. While she was sitting on the seat, he was on her right slightly above her with his hand leaning on the table.

"Yup, that's correct." He said and pressed pause button.

~~~

After they were both done with the issue, Jiyong walked out of the studio first and then Yeojung followed. Jiyong knew she wasn't feeling good but somehow he wanted to make her feel better. He rubbed the back of his head and pondered on what to say.

He turned his body, facing her. "Why were you crying?" He asked and her eyes widened as if he caught her off guard. And then she looked down to her feet as tears began gathering in her eyes. It wasn't the first time her parents treated her that way, but after someone ask her about it, she felt sad. She felt upset for feeling sorry for herself.

She wiped her falling tears away from her cheeks and didn't even want to face him. He walked towards her with his concerned expression.

Jiyong didn't know what to do when Yeojung started crying. He had never encountered such a situation at which someone started crying after his question. But she must've been really sad, he thought. So he placed his hands on her shoulders before pulling her into his embrace. He her back with his palm to calm her down. He almost pushed her away when he felt something wet on his shoulder but he didn't mind. He just wanted to comfort her, his friend.

~~~

"I passed the bar exam." She said before taking a sip of her beer. Jiyong turned his head towards her with his wide opened eyes. He almost choked. She must be damn smart, he thought.

"What?! Th-that's amazing considering you're still 24." He said and took a huge gulp of his own beer.

"Yup, my father is a lawyer, my sister is a doctor, so I was training to be a prosecutor, but I quit before my Judicial Training course, which is the last step to becoming a prosecutor." She said and he choked again. Why did she make such a decision, when every law student would've wanted to be in her position, he thought.

"I love music. I love how music keeps me company. I love how music is my friend." She said and continued, "but my parents can't seem to understand, so even until today, they are still tormenting me on my decision. And when you called just now, you saved me." She smiled at him. For a moment their eyes were locked, until Yeojung broke it and focused on her beer can. Somehow Jiyong struggled to keep his eyes off her. That time, he realized that he only wanted to see her smile.

"Ah, so that's how smart and rich people live." He spoke which made her giggle.

"Yup, not all smart people are living better lives." She continued and finished her beer before getting up from the comfortable sofa. She threw the beer can in the dustbin and bowed to Jiyong who was still sipping his beer.

"Thank you, Boss for having my back today and listening to me." She thanked and smiled at him.

"No problem." Jiyong said and raised his beer. She turned her back and walked towards the entrance of the apartment.

Just before she walked out of the apartment, Jiyong stood up from the sofa and said, "Kang Yeojung, you're doing great."

Yeojung smiled widely and turned her body facing him, bowing her head. Then she walked out of the apartment feeling relieved and light. It's been awhile since someone had ever complimented her in anyway. She realized how much she missed being complimented. Somehow, she wanted him to say it again and again.

~~~

"My recording engineer is darn smart." Jiyong muttered when the door closed. He smiled and turned his attention to his laptop. Cursing himself, he knocked his head with his right knuckle. He forgot about Kiko.

He opened his laptop and tried calling her again through Skype. But there was no answer. He got so worried that he started biting his nails, which was a habit he was trying to get rid of. She must've been angry, he thought. He wanted to tell her about Yeojung, but somehow, it felt wrong to him. But he knew that he felt nothing for Yeojung, except friendship.

After a couple more tries, he gave up, she must've slept already. He threw his head on the armrest of his couch and placed both of his hands on his forehead, groaning. He felt like a 'bad' boyfriend for hanging up on her, forgetting to call her back and not telling her everything.

+++

Hi guysss!

Hope you like this chapter about Yeojung's past. 

Please comment your thoughts on this chap down below :D 

Question of the day: What's your dream job? Or what's your current job?

love you,

miss_sh