Chapter Fourteen: What Are Friends For

"SURPRISE!" Everyone exclaimed and the party horns were blown.

Jiyong was so taken aback that he shut the door and then managed to open it again after a second. His eyes were wide open and tears were gathering inside. He felt so happy and grateful to have his bunch of friends in his life.

Little Seunghyun a.k.a Seungri stood in front of his hyung, telling him to blow out the candles because the wax is melting quickly. Before blowing the candles out, Jiyong made a wish, more like a gratitude; that he was thankful for everyone.

Everyone clapped and Jiyong invited all his friends in.

While Yeo Jung laid down all the food on the dining table, Youngbae and Daesung took out the beers and bottles of wine, which Seunghyun bought from the bag and laid them all on the coffee table. They also put out some plastic cups for sodas and Hyorin took out the plastic cups. Yeseul and Teddy were talking with Jiyong in the living room. And Jiyong was laughing.

"Hyung! Your new studio is awesome!" Seungri exclaimed as he walked back from the hallway. Jiyong laughed and thanked him. Then Seunghyun sat down next to Jiyong and talked about some new art works that he saw recently.

"The food is ready!" Yeojung said and everyone approached the kitchen table to grab their own food.

Hyorin and Yeseul took some deokbokki and fish cakes as well as some man doo. They weren't trying to figure out their diets on a day like this. Youngbae ate most of the soondae and fish cakes that everyone was complaining that he ate too much of those. Seunghyun and Teddy both took a slice of pizza, but while Seunghyun filled his glass with wine, Teddy preferred a good old beer. Then comes Seungri who got three mandoos on his plate, a slice of pizza and a glass of beer. Probably it was Daesung who took the most food. He took two slices of pizza, deokbokki, mandoo, soondae and the tuna sushi as well as a glass of beer. Then Jiyong and Yeojung were left at the dining area to grab their food.

"It's been so long since I ate tuna sushi." He said and grabbed five of those as well as soondae, mandoo and a glass of white wine.

"I knew you'd like it," Yeojung said grabbed two tuna sushi, mandoo (her favorite), deokbokki and a slice of pizza as well as a glass of beer.

Then they all sat in the living room, rewatching the drama Princess Hours which Jiyong and Seungri loved so much when they were younger. Then they played the beer pong game to which Youngbae, Seunghyun, Hyorin and Teddy won.

After an episode, Yeseul suggested playing a game of truth or dare and everyone more or less agreed. So they sat in a circle and Yeseul did the first spin of the soju bottle. Teddy.

Everyone was in awe because he was the first one chosen.

"List the songs you wrote for Yeseul-noona," Seungri said with his red face. Everyone could tell that he was getting drunk.

"Hmm... R.O.D, Falling in love, Girlfriend..." He listed but he couldn't remember everything on top of his drunk head. "That's all I can remember now." He said and everyone clapped and looked at the couple in awe. Yeseul had her arms around her boyfriend's and leaned her head on his shoulder. Teddy turned his eyes towards her head and kissed the top of her head. He loved the fruity smell that his girlfriend always has on her hair.

"Go get a room for god's sake!" Daesung exclaimed jokingly and everyone agreed.

"Okay okay, I'm gonna spin it now," Teddy said and spun the bottle. Yeo Jung.

"Oh, I got a question for you, Yeo Jung-sshi!" Teddy said and suddenly got excited.

"Do you prefer working in Antennae or YG?" He asked. Now that's a difficult question.

Yeo Jung who was already sleepy couldn't really think much. But back then, she really liked working in Antennae, mostly because of how chill it was. Their music is very different in terms of style and how it's produced.

She couldn't answer. So she drank the glass of beer which was placed in front of her.

"Ahhh..." Everyone groaned because they were really curious.

Then she spun the glass and landed in front of Jiyong. The vibe in the room just tensed. It took everyone a moment to decide what question to ask.

"That's okay, just ask me everything." He said and sat straight, ready to answer.

Just when Seungri opened his mouth, Yeojung asked, "Do you like cheese?" Everyone bursts out laughing knowing that it was a line from an American movie and Seungri groaned because he lost his chance to ask.

"Yes, I do like cheese," Jiyong answered and smiled as he nodded.

"Good," Yeojung replied and smiled back.

Youngbae looked back and forth on them and sensed something weird.

"Why?" Hyorin asked beside him. "Nothing..." Youngbae replied and smiled at his girlfriend. They were not like other couples. They weren't a super lovey-dovey type of couple but they express their love for each other by caring and those little smiles and glances.

So the game went on for another round before everyone finished the beer and were drunk.

Everyone was on the floor. Yeojung was sleeping on the carpet while Teddy and Yeseul bid their goodbye to go home. Hyorin and Youngbae did too. Seunghyun didn't get too drunk but he went home as well. So the ones left were Seungri, Daesung, and Yeojung who was fast asleep.

Jiyong crawled towards her little body and picked her up in his arms. Then he opened the door to the guest room. He groaned as he found Daesung and Seungri sleeping there. The only room left in the apartment was his own bedroom. So he took her there with his limited energy.

He placed her on the bed and covered her with his blanket. She was sleeping so soundly that even when he the top of her cheek with his fingers she didn't budge. He never realized how long her lashes are, how sharp her nose is and how flawless her natural skin looks.

Feeling dizzy, he stood up from the edge of the bed and went to the other side of the bed and slept there.

~~~

Yeojung felt dry, almost in pain. She placed her hand on and slowly opened her eyes. She was sleeping on her left side. The first thing she saw, books, photo frames and a desk with a with a large window behind it. She squinted her eyes because of the harsh sun rays. It took her a second to realize that this wasn't her room. Her head was hurting because of the amount of alcohol she drank last night. Then she turned to her right. Her eyes widened. Jiyong was sleeping beside her for the whole night.

He slept facing her. She wanted to get up from the bed but she took her time to actually be a fan. She looked at his face. His closed eyes, high rise nose, and his half opened lips as well as his unshaven beard. He actually looks better with a little bit of beard. She smiled but soon came to her senses.

Slowly, she got up from the bed and pulled the blanket to Jiyong's neck. Then she closed the curtain of the window, letting him sleep in more.

She walked out of the room to find hungover Seungri and Daesung staring at her. They were sitting at the dining table, drinking water.

"Did you just come out of Jiyong-Hyung's room?" Seungri asked in a monotone. Yeo Jung nodded as she walked towards the dining table and drank a huge glass of water and approached the fridge for any leftover food.

"Why did you come out of Jiyong-Hyung's room?" Seungri asked again.

"I slept there," Yeojung answered and realized how weird her sentence was.

"Did you and Jiyong hyung...?" Seungri asked almost choking on his water.

"Of course not!" Yeojung replied with an extremely denial tone.

"Yeah, she probably just slept there for the night," Daesung said, defending Yeojung. Seungri had been super sensitive with Yeojung because of last night's event where she cuts him off multiple times.

Seungri eyed Yeo Jung suspiciously but his attention went back to his empty stomach. He was starving.

"Do we have anything to eat?" Seungri asked in a whiny tone.

"We have leftover pizza." Yeo Jung said.

"But, I want a hangover soup." He muttered under his breath but both Daesung and Yeo Jung could hear him. So Yeojung got up from her seat and went to the kitchen to cook something up. She thought about cooking Haejang-guk but she wasn't sure if Jiyong had any oxtail in his fridge. So she decided to use whatever meat there was.

After 15 minutes, she placed the pot of soup on the dining table along with some egg rolls with seaweed inside.

"I'll get some rice!" Daesung exclaimed excitedly and Seungri tagged behind him to get three bowls of rice ready on the table.

While they were eating, Jiyong emerged from his room looking messy and pale. He must've just woken up.

"What the..." He mumbled as he walked towards the three of them. "You guys started eating without me?" He questioned them and sat at the empty seat beside Seungri.

"Good morning-hyung!" Seungri and Daesung greeted before continue digging into their food.

"Morning," Yeojung said and smiled. Jiyong smiled back at her with his eyes still not quite open.

"Woah, this smells nice," Jiyong said with his husky voice. He motioned his hand as he tried to inhale the warm smell of the soup.

"Yeah, it tastes really good too!" Daesung exclaimed. "You're a good cook, Yeojung-sshi!" He continued and gave her his signature grin and she giggled.

"I know right, her kimchi jjigae is really nice too," Jiyong said as he placed his bowl of rice on the table.

"You cooked for Jiyong-hyung before?" Seungri asked with his eyes wide open.

"Ah yes, just once." She replied and continued eating as Seungri eyed both his leader beside him and the lady sitting diagonally to him, suspiciously.

~~~

Jiyong stood in front of CEO Yang's table with his hands clasped in front of him. He wasn't nervous but this is just the way he's comfortable with when talking with his CEO. Perhaps it had been his habit because this is how he would stand in front of his CEO since he was probably 12 or 13. CEO Yang looked at him and slowly nodded. Jiyong was getting more and more confused as his gestures.

"Just to let you know Jiyong-ah, your personal life is none of YG's business. So we are not going to comment anything on the recent article." CEO Yang said casually. He might have sounded as if he's angry but he's not. Really he's not. It's just that he is really stern and sharp when saying something.

"Yes, I understand. I and Kiko have really broken up so there will be no more scandals in the future. I'll try to keep myself as private as possible." Jiyong said and CEO Yang smiled but somehow pitied his artist at the same time. Seeing that he couldn't have a normal or at least a 'free' life gave him a heartache.

"You may go." He said and Jiyong turned his back. "Jiyong-ah," He called and Jiyong turned his body around. "Let's get dinner sometime soon."

"Ah ne," Jiyong replied and smiled before bowing his head.

~~~

It was March the 9^th and Bigbang members will be leaving for Shanghai in one a half days to continue their MADE V.I.P Tour. So everyone was just busy preparing for the costumes, the prep works, documents, ensuring that the instruments are well-tuned and balanced and whether their recorded songs are perfect. Jiyong had been busy and busier these days and for two weeks, he hadn't been spending much time in his studio. The members mainly practiced on their concert choreographies.

So since it was the last day in Seoul, the Bigbang members wanted to go clubbing with Seungri as their main DJ. They invited everyone to come but Yeo Jung couldn't come because she was in a meeting with a YG supervisor, as well as Kang Dong-won. It turned out that Kang Dongwon wanted to release a song.

Once the meeting was over, her supervisor had to go first because she had other appointments to attend to. So that left Yeojung with Kang Dong-won.

"Have you eaten?" He asked while his eyes were on the document which was in his hands.

"I am going to." She replied. She felt awkward being in a room with him but really it was just her.

"Do you want to get something together?" He asked as he dropped the document on the coffee table in front of him. He looked directly into her eyes. And suddenly she felt her heart racing. It wasn't something romantic but it's something that every person would experience when Kang Dongwon looks through them. Because the look on eyes was just so intense. She gulped and nodded.

"Sure."

~~~

They ended up going to a fancy Italian restaurant in the Gangnam area. As much as materialistic she might sound, but she hoped that he was going to pay for her because there is no way she could afford this restaurant.

"Are you sure we are eating here?" Yeojung asked for the second time since they sat.

"Yup," Dongwon replied.

"I'm sorry but I can't afford eating here. Should we get dinner some other time?" She asked with regret written on her forehead. He almost burst out laughing.

"Yeojung-sshi, relax, I'm treating you," Dongwon said and giggled.

"I feel bad..." She replied because she truly felt bad. This is not the first time he paid for her. The first time was the shirt she accidentally destroyed. Then, the meal she had together with Jiyong and Dongwon. And now he was paying for her again.

"You don't have to. I'm loaded. And you're here to accompany me because I have no one to eat with today." He said and explained to her.

"I know you're just trying to make me feel better," Yeojung replied and gave a smile. Dongwon couldn't help but smile back because she truly has the most beautiful smile. Her almond shaped eyes would turn to a crescent moon, her cheeks flushed and her naturally pink lips would tug into a smile. She was someone who doesn't need a lot of makeup but still looks beautiful no matter what. She wasn't as thin as female idols but she was just normal sized, which he loved. He is someone who likes normalcy more than anything.

So they ate their dinner. Yeojung ordered a fettuccine carbonara while Dongwon ordered a lobster based penne. They talked a lot about their favorite hobbies and some behind the scenes memories which Dongwon experienced. He asked her about her past but she couldn't tell him everything because she was afraid to be judged. So she told him where she went for high school, secondary and college, taking Law subjects.

Just when they were about to leave the restaurant, Yeojung received a call.

"Hello?" She quickly answered when she saw the caller ID.

"Hellloooo, Yeojung-ah, where are you?" Jiyong replied with his drunk tone.

"Are you drunk?" She asked.

"Nope, I'm super sober." He answered and clearly, he's drunk.

"Do you have someone to go home with?" She asked.

"I can go home by myself. When are you coming here? The party is lit!" He screamed and Yeo Jung winced as she pulled her phone away from her ear.

Then he hung up on her. Yeo Jung turned her head towards Dongwon who was standing beside her looking confused. She told him that she had to go somewhere urgently. He offered to take her there but she politely refused. So she rushed towards the club the Bigbang party was held in.

At the security, she flashed the guards her Employee ID card and went straight in. She went to private booths. And she found Jiyong with Youngbae and Seunghyun sitting at one of the private booths. He seemed really drunk. He got a glass of whiskey in his hand and a bottle of it on the table in front of him. It seemed like he was determined to drink all of it in one night.

"Ah, there you are Yeo Jung-sshi," Youngbae said in relief. He wasn't drunk but wasn't sober either.

"I thought he'll be the safest with you." He said and gave a drunk smile.

"What?" She exclaimed with her eyes widened.

"Could you please please take him back home? 'Cause he's really drunk right now. I don't think he should stay here any longer." Youngbae pleaded.

"Yes sure." She replied.

"I know he considers you a friend." He said and Yeo Jung's eyebrows raised in confusion. What was that suppose to mean? She had no idea. But that wasn't important. Her main priority now is getting Jiyong home.

So Youngbae and Seunghyun helped carry Jiyong to his car and placed him on the passenger's seat. Although Yeojung had been having driving lessons she wasn't confident enough to drive such a luxurious car. But somehow she had to.

She drove to Jiyong's parents' apartment building. It was luxurious especially at night with the beautiful lights on. Then she parked his car in the building's garage. She placed Jiyong's arm around his neck and pulled him from the car. Because the car was so low and Yeo Jung wasn't careful enough, Jiyong hit his head against the upper rim of the car.

"Ouch!" Jiyong exclaimed and his hand was rubbing his head. "It hurts!" He whined.

"Yes, me too." She replied and dragged him to the elevator. Floor 8.

Just when they arrived at the door, Jiyong pulled himself from her and stood in front of her as he leaned his body and head against the door next to him.

"So we're parting ways again..." He said softly while she was wiping the sweat from her forehead. She turned her head towards him and smiled as she nodded.

"Well, I'm going to miss you, Kwon Jiyong-sshi, my boss." She said and grinned at him. His smile disappeared as he reached out his fingers towards her strand of hair which was hanging at the side of her eye. He tucked it behind her ears. Their eyes were locked and Jiyong slowly leaned towards her with his eyes on her lips. She felt her heart racing. But he was drunk. He wouldn't do this when he was perfectly sober.

With that, she broke the eye contact and pressed the bell to the apartment. Jiyong's eyes were still on her face. And then the door opened, Jiyong moved from the door and tried to stand. Jiyong's mom was finally home and her first encounter with her son was him being drunk.

"Aigoo! Jiyong-ah!" His mom exclaimed. Yeo Jung bowed her head and looked at his mother's face. Jiyong really looks like his mother. They have the same eyes, lips, and even facial shape. She looks extremely beautiful.

"Thank you so much for bringing him home!" Mrs. Kwon said as she took Jiyong by his arm into the apartment.

"Ne, you're welcome. Good night." She said and bowed her head once more before turning her back, heading towards the elevator.

+++

Hi everyone!
I'm back with another chapter where Kiko and Jiyong aren't together anymore.
Comment your ships down below!

Have a good day/night everyone! ^^

love,

MISS_SH