They were being rushed under the stage and Lisa’s body was feeling more tired by the second. She thought it was just her jetlag… but she had gotten sick without her knowing. And she rarely got sick. Lisa just arrived in Sydney earlier that morning from a shoot in Tokyo. The flight took almost 10 hours and her whole body felt heavy. Even though she’d rather rest, she had responsibilities, and all came as part of her job. There were times exhaustion took over, but she would always do her best to overcome it. Besides, she never really wanted to burden others with her own carelessness and worries.

“Ready?” Jennie asked once they were behind the stage and the sound of BIGBANG singing was echoing in the arena.

She could only nod as she put on her best front—ignoring her racing heartbeat and clammy hands. And for the remainder of the show, she did her best that she almost completely forgot about her condition.

That was until the encore finished and they were all walking backstage when a strong wave of dizziness hit her. It was as if everything became blurry as her ears buzzed and the next thing she knew, her vision went dim and she was falling to the ground. And before that could happen, someone quickly held her by the arms.

“Yah!”

It sounds so far away…

Voices were jumbled but one distinct voice shouting stood out the most. It felt like she was floating until her senses immediately came back.

“What happened?” Someone had asked and then she was being lifted— she didn’t want to open her eyes knowing she had already caused a scene and was too embarrassed to face it.

Another voice spoke, “I’ll carry her, hyungnim.”

“No.” It almost came out like a growl and Lisa knew Seung Hyun was holding her. She was in his arms—his familiar scent enveloping her. And there was nothing she could do but be still.

It wasn’t a long walk and she burrowed her face on his chest—the action made him notice she was conscious.

“Oppa…” She whispered and then his hands slightly tightened their hold on her.

In a sharp tone, he said, “Not now.”

A few moments later, she was placed down on a couch and she finally opened her eyes. Seung Hyun was standing in front of her—his eyes hard and Lisa felt go dry. She barely noticed the other people around until her manager came rushing in along with a medic.

“You need to rest and drink more water. And please don’t skip meals.” The medic said as he finished checking up on Lisa.

She could only give a weak thank you before he left and the others started fussing all over her again. Tuning out all the voices speaking at once, her eyes darted towards Seung Hyun who was quietly standing at the makeup area. Crossed arms, furrowed brows, pursed lips… she knew he was angry. When she was about to say something to him, he pocketed his hands and walked out of the room. It was as if something squeezed the air out of her the moment he disappeared.

“Are you feeling okay now?” Jennie asked as she placed a damp washcloth on the younger’s head.

Jisoo and Chae Young were seated on the couch in front of her looking both worried. The oldest of them was peeling an orange and the other was rummaging her bag for something. It didn’t take long before Jisoo gave her the fruit and Chae Young brought out a menthol ointment she always had. Jung Hwa and a coordinator tried to do things all at once—fanning her face, dabbing her sweat, making her drink more water, and all the while scolding her for not telling them sooner. There were no camera crew present and she was glad about that. She didn’t want people to see her in this state. Squeezing her eyes shut, his face came to her mind. Seung Hyun seemed like the type to bristle over her not taking care of herself well.

“Working and flying nonstop for 3 straight days would do this to you.” Jung Hwa sat beside her—eyes looking more tired than she was.

“You’re as tired as me, unnie.” Lisa managed to chuckle but her manager just frowned.

“But I don’t look like death warmed over right now.”

“Feeling better?” Chae Young asked.

Lisa was still feeling a bit lightheaded but she gave her friend a reassuring smile.

“I’m not used to seeing you like this.”

“Your whole family’s going to our Melbourne show the day after tomorrow, right?” Lisa changed the topic and Chae Young’s eyes sparked as she tried her hardest to contain her excitement.

“It hasn’t been a year since we last performed in Australia… but this is very exciting. I hope you’ll feel much better by then.”

“Of course!”

Lisa loved how all of the members were family-oriented—especially the two of them who had been away from their families since they were young teenagers. They always get emotional thinking and talking about them even when they were already in their mid-20s. No one could take away their love and constant longing they had for them.

“TOP-oppa was so scary earlier.” Jennie suddenly said and that got everyone’s attention in the room.

The mention of his name made Lisa perk up. “What exactly happened?”

“He was walking right behind you so he was able to hold you up when you were about to faint.” Jisoo answered—her eyes inquisitive. Lisa knew Jisoo was putting two and two together in her head.

“And then he just started shouting orders. ‘Yah! Where’s the medic? Don’t crowd around her!’” Jennie visibly shivered. “I wanted to check on you but he was so scary I didn’t know what to do.”

Lisa could only remember hearing him shouting but didn’t understand anything.

“TOP-ssi was like that to you back in Bangkok, remember?” Jung Hwa suddenly quipped and everyone then turned to look at her. “You just finished filming the chase scene and you were half-running to see the playback when you accidentally tripped on a cord and fell down on all fours. And TOP-ssi straight out scolded a crew member who was in-charge of that thing.”

And Lisa remembered. It was nothing serious… no scrapes or bruises but Seung Hyun, despite looking collected and still speaking politely, had a voice that could make anyone feel intimidated.

“It’s always the quiet ones who are the scariest when angry.” The coordinator fanning Lisa’s face said.

“What’s strange though… he was even scarier when a male staff and Han Bin offered to carry you.” Jennie added and Lisa then remembered hearing that part earlier.

“He was like this…” Jisoo mimicked lifting someone—her eyes sharp as she spoke in a deep and growly voice, “No.”

Everyone laughed at that except for Lisa whose eyes were wide in disbelief. So it did actually happen. Seung Hyun showing that reaction in front of the people they work with… she didn’t know whether to feel anxious or amazed.

“Have you gotten very close with him, Lisa?” Chae Young asked and that made the younger suddenly uneasy.

“Uhh… yeah. I think so.” She tried to smile and think of something to say. “He’s very… kind and supportive.”

It wasn’t the proper time and place to disclose her relationship with him to her friends. There were other people around and she wouldn’t risk it. She had been looking for the right opportunity to tell them but she kept holding back—afraid of the possible outcomes.

Chae Young leaned back on the couch. “He would be since he’s our senior.”

“But what he did was totally boyfriend material.” Jennie grinned.

“We made a pact not to have any boyfriends anytime soon, remember?” Chae Young seemed exasperated at the mention of the word boyfriend. “As if we can date a senior in our company just like that...”

Jisoo laughed. “If TOP-oppa would be that caring towards me, I think I’d fall for him.”

Everyone was laughing again except for Lisa. When the coordinator spoke, Lisa suddenly felt like pulling the older woman’s hair.

“You girls… He’s too old and too weird for any one of you.”

The statement irked her and she wanted to retaliate when another staff came in announcing that the van which would drive them back to the hotel was ready.

It was almost midnight and even though she was tired, Lisa couldn’t bring herself to sleep. She had eaten a lot, showered, and changed into her comfy sweater and shorts. Everyone was at the after party except for her who was forced to rest. She needed it. Their flight to Melbourne would be in the morning and she felt sullen at the thought of flying once more. Her mood hadn’t changed at all since she came back to the hotel—thoughts of Seung Hyun still bothering her.

Her phone started buzzing and she sat back up so quickly her head whirred.

“Where are you?” She could hear the ping of an elevator from the other line.

“I’m in my room.”

“Which room?”

Heart suddenly picking up, Lisa looked at the card key on the end table and read the numbers out loud, “2504.”

The call was immediately dropped and not a minute later, she heard the door buzz.

Oh god…

As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by Seung Hyun’s stoic face. He was wearing a brown coat over a white dress shirt and black slacks. His hair wasn’t styled anymore and even though Lisa had known him for a long time already, she still couldn’t understand how he could be so handsome. But then the expression on his face made her stomach lurch as she quietly let him in.

She was about to say something when he pulled her into his arms. Grunting a little from the sudden impact, she immediately relaxed and wrapped her arms around his waist. And without really thinking, she planted her face on his chest and murmured, “Have you been working out, oppa?”

Seung Hyun sighed loudly.

“Why did you ask?”

Lisa s her hands onto his stomach and up his chest. “I haven’t hugged you in a while and your body has become really hard.”

He gave a short huff. “Don’t talk about my body when you haven’t been taking care of yourself well.”

They pulled apart and the cold expression on his face was replaced with worry. Lisa felt a little conscious then when his eyes raked down her face to her feet. She realized she was wearing a baggy sweater which covered her boy shorts—her legs in full display. She gingerly went back to the bed and buried herself under the blanket. Seung Hyun just stood ther