The YG Family Tour would kick off in a day and everyone was doing their best to make it as memorable as possible. And the most challenging part of the rehearsal process was the scheduling. The company had grown exponentially throughout the years and so getting everyone together at the same time and at the same place was an arduous task for the management. The obligatory meeting with Yang Hyun Suk, the staff, and the artists happened two weeks ago—not everyone was present from the groups but each had a representative to contribute to the creative process. And what made YG a company that stood out among the rest was how they let their artists have creative freedom regarding their music, performances, stages, and even costumes. Meetings like this would spur out the ingenuity of the people they cultivated for a very long time. And it showed how much they all had grown.

As always, Japan would be the first leg of the tour. And then would move on to the rest of Asia and Australia, Seoul in August, the US and Canada in September, and would wrap up in some cities in Europe in October. It would be a grand and expensive tour—knowing how many performers there would be. And it would be the first time the YG Family Tour would go west. All the fans were so excited for it because it had been eight years since the company had a tour. BIGBANG coming back to perform along with the others made it even more exciting.

But there was one person who was dreading it all.

Lisa had been playing with her food—deeply lost in her own thoughts while everyone inside the room was chattering and having their lunch. It had been almost a month since they came back from Thailand. All the while, she kept herself busy with her restaurant, modeling, and rehearsals with her group. Because she knew that whenever she would be by herself, memories of what happened kept flashing in her mind and she would absolutely berate herself for what she had done. She had the guts to kiss him and it went dizzyingly passionate. But he had rejected her… or the idea of them being together. He was right. She knew that… but it hurt nonetheless. She had only come to realize the extent of her feelings for him and then he trampled that in a heartbeat.

She could never blame him though.

But please… don’t let me be in a same room as him or I’ll go crazy!

That would be impossible. They would be meeting each other while on tour and would have to promote their movie in August.

Oh god…what will I do?

“Yah. You’ve been crushing that potato with your fork it looks like baby food now.” Jennie spoke in front of her and she looked up—trying to appear casual but failed when Jennie frowned. “What’s gotten into you? You’ve been acting really strange lately.”

Lisa sighed and then smiled. “Nothing. I’m just thinking about the restaurant and our schedule this year.”

“Your restaurant is doing amazingly well and we’ll work on our new album in between shows.” Chae Young said beside her and Lisa lightly nudged her in appreciation.

It was Jisoo who didn’t say anything. Once Lisa had gone back to Seoul from Thailand, she kept her promise to have dinner with her unnie. Everything was going well during their conversation until Jisoo asked about him and Lisa suddenly broke out into tears—her resolve in keeping everything to herself crumbled when Jisoo hugged her comfortingly. She didn’t say what exactly happened… only that it was a hopeless case and the older understood.

“Rehearsals in 10 minutes!” A crew reminded from the door and a few silent groans could be heard in return.

Tokyo Dome was enormous. Their group had performed here for their two consecutive Japan dome tours. They were all familiar with the venue but the stage was much bigger than what they had before. Even the energy was different. There were so many staff and performers for this tour and everything was overwhelming. After rehearsing their separate performances in the morning, it was time for the encore rehearsal in the afternoon. Almost everyone was gathered at the center of the stage—wearing warmer outfits, most were bare-faced and some with masks or shades. Lisa was just sitting quietly near the edge of the stage as they waited for the rest to get there. And then she could hear English pop music playing in the background as some of the iKON members got up and started dancing excitedly. The fun was magnified when others joined in… from the junior groups to even senior ones.

Everyone was goofing off and then the next thing Lisa knew, she was being pulled by Dong Hyuk from her seat and was ed to the center of the stage.

“Here comes our dance machine!”

Everyone was laughing and cheering when Lisa started dancing along with the music. Her limbs moved on their own and as she closed her eyes for a moment, she felt her heavy heart go at ease… even just for a while. Dancing had always been her escape and during these times, she was glad it could still make her feel like it was her solace.

The music was something she was familiar with. She had danced it with her members while preparing for their second album. They even had fun making their own choreography with some iKON members during one productive afternoon in the dance studio. She wasn’t surprised at all when the cheers got louder as Han Bin stepped up and circled her. Lisa chuckled as she raised her eyebrows in challenge. They had danced this before so she knew how fun it would be.

“Ready?” He asked and Lisa scrunched her nose in teasing.

Just as the hook started, the two of them danced in sync—their movements fast and sharp. Lisa was feeling it deep in her bones as she moved her limbs with the music. When it got to the bridge, the tempo slowed down and Han Bin took control by pulling her towards him and she circled her arms around his neck. The beat changed once more and Lisa jumped—her legs carefully placed around his waist as he spun a few times and then the 1-minute choreography they made ended with loud cheers and hoots from their labelmates.

“Put them in the setlist!” Someone shouted from the back and Lisa thought it sounded like one of the WINNER members. It drew much laughter again and Lisa was just grinning until her eyes landed on the person she was dreading to see the most.

The music was abruptly ended as everyone was finally there at the stage and Lisa wished she would be transported somewhere far away—somewhere where she couldn’t see Seung Hyun who was standing on the other side of the circle looking so handsome and intimidating in his black turtleneck and dark grey coat. His face was impassive looking at no one in particular—as Jiyong caught everyone’s attention by announcing they would start blocking.

She looked down at her white sneakers and she could feel all the blood in her body drain at that very moment. The last time she had seen him was at the airport when they arrived in Seoul. And all she could think of was what happened that last night in Koh Lipe and she wanted to bury herself alive for not knowing what to do. Then she felt a hand on the small of her back and instantly stiffened when she realized Han Bin was standing beside her.

“Are you okay?” He whispered and she nodded meekly—so different from the attitude she had shown when they were dancing earlier.

“Just a bit tired.”

His brows slightly furrowed and Lisa could see the concern in his eyes. “We’ll have time to rest after this rehearsal. Hopefully, we can finish soon.”

He smiled at her then as he briefly patted her back before putting distance between them. Lisa realized a little too late that a cameraman was nearby. The dance earlier would be enough for the fans to fawn over with. Both Lisa and Han Bin knew that they had quite a number of fans who wanted for them to be together… for reasons she still couldn’t quite fathom. Maybe it was because they were about the same age? Or they were rappers and dancers in their groups? Or was it simply because they complement each other in terms of looks? She had no answer. But Han Bin was a good guy who was often misunderstood by some people. They had become closer throughout the years and they regarded each other equally. Still, Lisa knew she could never see him more than just a friend.

The rehearsal lasted for five hours. Once everyone had remembered their positions and cues—as well as Jiyong being satisfied—the huge group called it a night and dispersed to do their own thing. Lisa was grateful that she only got to share the stage with Seung Hyun during the encore and she made sure not to be within a 6 feet radius from him or else she would go insane. He acted the same as the others—contributing his ideas and laughing when someone cracked a joke. And he seemed particularly clingy with Daesung the whole time… as Lisa had noticed. Seung Hyun had his hands all over his brother when they were just standing while listening for the instructions. Lisa briefly thought how Daesung had gotten used to it over the years. She watched as Seung Hyun rubbed Daesung’s arm with one hand and without any warning, that memory flashed in her mind—his hands on her face, on her nape, and on her thigh.

I don’t want to suffer like this…

She wanted to cry out loud as the elevator rode up to their hotel room’s floor.

“What time do we have to get up tomorrow?” Lisa asked the others as the doors opened.

“We can sleep in. Our sound check will be at 4pm.” Jennie answered and Lisa sighed. “Why? Do you have any plans tonight?”

Before she could answer, someone was half-running towards them and it was Seungri who was dressed to the nines.

“Girls, girls! Do you have time tonight?”

“How did you change so quickly, oppa?” Jisoo asked—referring to the suit he was wearing. He had only gotten to the hotel as well.

Seungri winked. “I have my ways.”

“Are you attending an event?” Chae Young had been complaining about her lack of sleep so Lisa knew what her answer would be.

“Yeah. I’m DJing at an exclusive club tonight. All celebrities, socialites… no press allowed. If you want to unwind quietly, you can go with me.”

Chae Young made a sad apologetic face. “I’ll pass tonight. I really need to sleep.”

“Me, too.” Jisoo added as she was in the middle of filming a pre-produced drama.

Seungri was already pouting when Jennie said, “I’ll go.”

“Really? Ah… that’s a relief. I invited the others as well but only a few agreed to come. I feel so unappreciated.” He mocked sobbing and Lisa felt the need to then. She threw an arm around his shoulders and gently patted him.

“I’ll go with you as well, oppa.” Seungri’s grin suddenly appeared. “As long as you pay for the tab.”

“Oppa will take care of everything.” He winked and then gave Jennie and Lisa enough time to get ready.

The two young women found themselves in a van along with Mino, Bobby, Han Bin, and Junhoe. Their small crew arrived at the high-end club which boasted a lush and atmospheric interior with its blue, purple, and golden lights. Even though Lisa had been a celebrity for almost six years, she still felt a little intimidated in such an environment. Jennie had connections—especially in the fashion industry. And so when Jennie found an acquaintance, she went to catch up with that person and to meet more people within the course of the night. Lisa only agreed to come because she felt that she owed Seungri for the help he had given her in establishing her restaurant.

And she really needed something to distract her from her thoughts.

“Don’t get drunk.” Bobby sat beside Lisa as she was sipping her martini.

She rolled her eyes. “I only need two drinks and I’ll probably go back to the hotel.”

“Lies.” Junhoe said from her other side. “You’ll be piss drunk after this night you’ll be regretting you ever came.”

“Yah!” She elbowed him on the rib which only made him tug her hair. Lisa was only four days older than Junhoe and whenever they interacted, they would be fighting each other like cats and dogs—but all in good fun.

Min