you're the twinkle in my eyes

Chapter Eight: A Budding Friendship

The World Tour had just ended two weeks ago and Yeojung hadn't seen her boss since a very long time. The final world tour was in Seoul and obviously after the tour ended he wouldn't be directly working. For the past 2 months, she had been helping in Mr Teddy's studio and just arranging some stuff in her own boss's computer which her boss texted her about.

She also went out with other recording engineers in the company, like Min Seok from Mr Teddy's studio, Seokgyu from Choice37's, Umjin from Ms Lydia Paek's and many others. Yes, she was the only woman in the group but it didn't really matter, she blended really well with them.

Jiyong spent most of his time in Japan, mainly because his world tour took place around Japan. And he was even happier because he got to see Kiko more often. When he has a couple of days off before a show, he would spend time indoors in Kiko's apartment, cooking with her, cleaning her apartment just like normal people do. He had never been more delighted.

Although he was busy in Japan and with Kiko, he hadn't forgotten to keep in touch with Yeojung. Well, that's because she was his employee and there are quite a number of things she should do. Somedays when she doesn't really have anything to do, he would ask her to run his personal errands, like buying health supplements for his parents.

'Yeojung-sshi, new speakers will arrive at 2 pm today, make sure you are in the studio to inspect them.' He texted her. He was just cooking omelette and was sitting on the bar while waiting for Kiko to wake up.

'Ne.' She replied instantly.

'How's the studio?' He asked.

'Good.'

Somehow Jiyong wanted to talk more with her but her answers were so short and quick that she seemed so busy to him.

"Jiyong..." Kiko called from behind and placed her arms around his neck while her chest leaned on his back and her head on his shoulder.

"Good morning, babe..." Jiyong greeted softly and loosen her arms as he turned his body around, facing her. Their faces were inches apart and Jiyong glanced at her lips before closing the gap between their lips. His kiss was short and sweet. Kiko wanted more but she knew that she could have more later. He smiled as he pulled away from her and got up from his seat. He swiped the omelette up from the pan and grabbed 2 loaves of breads and placed them inside the toaster.

Kiko watched her boyfriend making her breakfast while sitting on the bar. After 30 seconds, the perfect breakfast was in front of her.

"Thanks, Jiyong..." She thanked and smiled.

"No problem...enjoy..." He replied. And then both of them ate.

Kiko explained her schedule for the week and complained about how tight it was. Jiyong told her about the concert staffs and what almost went wrong during his concerts. Honestly, all they ever talked about was their careers. Jiyong told her that he was going back to Seoul that night because his concerts in Japan had ended. Kiko was upset but there was nothing she could do.

+++

1st of March 2016

"What?!" Jiyong almost shouted when he heard that his assistant couldn't pick him up from the airport. "I understand. So did you send someone over?" He asked with his eyes closed, hoping that he wouldn't be stranded or forced to fight his way out himself.

"Yeojung?" He confirmed. "Arasseo, congratulations on becoming a dad." He congratulated his assistant and smiled when the other side thanked him.

As expected, the moment he walked outside, fans were screaming and the cameras' shuttering sound. Through his sunglasses, he was searching for her, Yeojung. There she was, squeezing through his sea of fans. Her petite body fighting along with the other girls.

And then she was in front of him. "Sorry, I'm late!" She apologized and bowed her head. "That's okay." He replied. She was about to take his big luggage but he restrained her.

"It's not good for my image." He said and smiled as he took it and gave her his small hand carry.

Among the consequences of being a celebrity, not being able to get out of the airport peacefully was the worst. Fans were crowding him and his recording engineer. Heck, this is not even her job, yet she had to suffer. Yeojung was in front of him, beside him and behind him. Technically she was around him, trying to get his fans out of his way. Jiyong felt a pang in his heart. He felt that he should be the one guarding her instead of the other way round. Just then, the airport security team came out and helped him walk out of the airport safely.

He sighed when he made it to the car. Yeojung sat beside him and quickly wiped her forming sweat from her forehead.

"That was the worst." He muttered under his breath.

"I think so." She replied as if he was talking to her.

"Yah, aren't you supposed to get me instead of her?" Jiyong started fuming when he saw his other assistant driving.

"I'm really sorry...but Yeojung-sshi said she couldn't drive so..." Lee Jehoon, the driver replied.

"Aigoo..." He pressed his head on to the headrest letting out his frustrations. "She's so damn small..." He mumbled.

"But I've gained weight..." Yeojung muttered, looking at her stomach. He looked at her strangely. She did gain weight. Her cheeks were chubbier and now that her hair was much shorter, it really showed.

"Why?" Yeojung asked when she caught him staring or pretty much, scanning her face and body. "Are you going to say that I should lose some weight?" She guessed and sulked.

"No, you look better like this." He said, looking into her eyes and smiled. She looked happier, healthier and...prettier...

"Really?" She broke the eye contact and looked towards her stomach instead. "I really think I should lose weight..." She muttered and Jiyong giggled as he heard her.

"This girl has been going out a lot that's why!" Jehoon told on her.

"With who?" Jiyong asked and giggled. She was really interesting.

"The other recording engineers...and she's the only girl there. I don't know why she drinks with them all night long." Jehoon told.

"That's not it, I-" Yeojung was about to defend herself when Jiyong bulged in. "What? You mean she's really the only girl there?" He asked with his eyes wide opened.

"Yes!" Jehoon exclaimed. Yeojung blinked and looked at both of them. Why are they bashing her at the same time. She gulped. She felt cornered and speechless.

"I'll make sure she never goes out anymore..." Jiyong said as he maintained eye contact with her and smirked. Yeojung looked at him with her eyebrows narrowed and her nose scrunched.

Yeojung had her long break from her boss. She hadn't worked over time for over 2 months and honestly, she was bored. She was glad that he was back to take those boredom away from her.

+++

They arrived at the basement of Jiyong's private apartment. Jiyong got out of the car and so did Yeojung. Jehoon took the big luggage and walked towards the elevator. Yeojung grabbed the small hand carry bag and followed Jehoon. When Jiyong saw her with his bag, he quietly took it from her.

"GD-sshi! Let me carry that!" She exclaimed and rushed towards him.

+++

Jiyong lived in the 8th storey out of a total of the 20 floors. Technically the whole floor is his because once the lift opened, there is only one door which was on the left hand side. The three of them exit the lift and Jiyong quickly took out his card and swiped it across the electronic lock.

The moment he took a step inside he breathed in the air and murmured, "Hmm...home...".

Jiyong unlocked his two main luggages and told his two assistants to help him unpack. Carefully, Yeojung took out a few clothes from one of them and went straight to where Jiyong was; the closet. Her eyes widened and toured around it. Damn, it was huge and luxurious. There was a sofa in the middle of the medium sized room. His suits were neatly arranged at the left hand side of the room. Opposite them were the 'cool' jackets and parkas, with various colours but, arranged according to their colours; just like a rainbow. Beside the door, were all his shiny shoes and boots as well as sneakers. Opposite the shelves of shoes were the shelves of shirts and tons of shirts. His neck hats were tucked at the corner of the room, just between the bunch of jackets and the drawer of shirts.

She almost gasped when she saw around 40 watches, laid in the middle of the room in front of the sofa.

"Why?" Jiyong asked, playfully. He approached her and handed her the cloth hangers.

"I've never seen this much clothes..." She admitted to him as she took the hangers from his hand. He chuckled and covered his mouth with his fingers.

"Really?" Jiyong finally replied and opened his two arms before saying, "Welcome to a celebrity's closet." He smirked and she tilted her head as she laughed.

The next one hour were spent on unpacking Jiyong's luggages. Before they knew it, it was already 9 pm. Unconsciously Yeojung threw herself on the couch and sighed. Jehoon zipped back the luggages and placed them in the storage room. Meanwhile Jiyong went to the kitchen and took a couple of bottles of soju from the fridge.

He strolled towards the sofa and sat down beside her. And then she realized how too comfortable she was being in her boss's apartment. She pulled herself up and straightened her back. He handed her a bottle of soju and she looked at him, confused.

"Are you giving me the whole bottle?" She asked with her eyes wide open. Her knees were closed and she leaned her elbows on each of them.

"Yes..." He replied.

"I'm not much of a drinker." She answered.

"Really?" Jiyong was surprised as he got both of his eyebrows risen.

"The last time I was badly drunk was..." She thinned her lips and squinted her eyes, trying to recall her memories before continuing, "the first time I drank."

Jiyong laughed. That was probably the funniest confession he had ever gotten.

"You're so weird." He said between his laughs.

Somehow seeing Jiyong laugh gave Yeojung the urge to copy him. She started giggling and took the bottle of soju from his hand. She got up from the comfy sofa and walked straight to the kitchen to grab a small glass. Then she went back to the living room and sat at the single seater sofa in front of him. She twisted the cap open and poured a small amount of alcohol into her glass. By that time, Jiyong's soju was already open and both of them looked at each other.

"Cheers." He said and clinked their drinks together.

They took a sip of their liquids and just then, Jehoon joined the duo. "What the, you guys are drinking without me?" He asked, feeling left out.

Jiyong giggled and so did Yeojung.

10.00 pm

Jiyong was still 'sober' even though he finished almost three bottles of soju already. His cheeks were as red as tomatoes and his ears were burning red. But, the way he talked showed he was still 'sober'. Jehoon was asleep after two an a half of bottles. Yeojung finished one bottle of soju but she felt fine. She wasn't that intolerant towards alcohol after all, she thought.

"Yeojung-ah," He called out and Yeojung responded by tilting her head up, looking at him.

"Yes?" She replied.

"I have something to show you." He announced and got up from his seat. She too got up and followed him.

There was a room that she hadn't entered. The one down the hallway, beside the bathroom. It almost looked haunted. At that moment, she wanted to turn back, she didn't want to follow him further.

But she was there just behind him when he held down the door knob and pushed the door open. Her eyes widened. It was a studio. His own, private studio. It was almost identical to the one in YG building, but more modern, new and...beautiful.

There was a grey-coloured leather sofa behind the seats and all the technologies. There were three keyboards; two of them beside each other and one MIDI controller above the one on the right. The computers were placed between the keyboards and the control surface. Behind it was a large glass. And behind the large glass were microphones, stands, acoustic and electric guitars, a set of drum and cables. The whole theme of the room was elegance and simplicity. The lights itself was enchanting.

Yeojung wondered when he built all of these when he had so little free time.

"Wow." She exclaimed as her eyeballs moved around the room.

"I know right." He said, agreeing with her.

"When-when did you..." She tried to ask and turned her head towards him.

"A year ago." He answered and looked at her with her messed up hair.

"Daebak..." She said and broke their eye contact, she fixed her eyes on the keyboard, as if missing it.

She finished the remaining alcohol in her glass and walked towards the keyboard. She sat on the seat behind it and rested her fingers on the keyboard. She started playing whatever popped in her mind.

She remembered how she used to play when she was younger. When everything around her was beautiful and happy. Tears began forming in her eyes as memories came by. The bullying, the insults and the looking down. Sad melody, sad chords, she played. As her fingers were sweeping across the keyboard, Jiyong sat down next to her.

Jiyong noticed how talented she was. How beautiful she was playing, which was why he sat down and played some notes that could possibly inspire him to write a new song. She turned her head towards him and their eyes were instantly locked. Somehow her teary eyes made him gave him a chill.

They continued to look at each others' eyes. Yeojung was playing the chords and Jiyong was playing the melody. After a few seconds, the chords stopped playing and he felt a weight on his shoulder. She had fallen asleep

He turned his head towards her and a smile tugged on his lips.

+++

Hey everyone!

Hope you like this chapter:) 

Question of the day: Do you play any instruments?

please upvote and comment your thoughts down below:DDD

stay tuned for the next one in a few hours time!

love,

miss_sh