[ Point of View of Sandara Park ]

            Back during my trainee days, driving around the city late at night was one of the things that I loved doing the most. There was always something that left me so happy about the going through the city with the windows rolled down and only the sound from the radio heard. The way the once busy streets looked when only the faint lights from the streetlamps and houses were in contrast to the darkness that enveloped the city never failed to calm my soul.

           The abandoned roads served as my haven, a perfect escape from the world of worries. I allowed my car to drive fast to nowhere exact, simply just following the endless road ahead of me. It was if the problems on my shoulders were left behind me and none of them could catch up. My mind was free to think about my deepest hopes and dreams without me having to any interruptions. But there has been no opportunities for me to do so after we debuted as 2NE1. The promotion and filming schedules would either take up the whole night or leave me too exhausted to do so.

            “Penny for your thoughts?” I heard Jiyong ask from the driver seat beside me, his eyes never left the road while his hand gripped the steering wheel loosely. “You’ve been staring out your window without saying a word for quite some time now. Do you want to share what you’re thinking about to your humble driver?”

            A small laugh couldn’t help but slip past my lips at what he said. Jiyong and I attended the soft opening of the DOLCE VITA’s second store earlier today. And since I was one of the brand ambassador, my appearance was highly requested for by the fans when they announced the news about the second branch. Although Jiyong tried his best to convince me that he really planned for me to attend, I still think that he was forced to include me in the opening ceremonies of the store. There were more people than I expected, the line to enter the story reached several blocks away. What should have been a short event ended up as a two-hour fan meet in the store. Questions about the items, our personal style and the advertisements from the media were all answered. Plus, fans that waited for both of us had a chance to interact with us one way or another. The event left us tired and hungry but most definitely happy and fulfilled. Jiyong then ended up taking the tired staff out for dinner in a Japanese restaurant close by which was greatly appreciated by every single one of us. Due to the happy atmosphere and good food in front of us, we ended up staying in the restaurant for quite some time. I got to know more about people in his team for DOLCE VITA and he got discuss the future plans for the brand. In the end, we left the restaurant with our souls and stomachs content near midnight. And now, he was taking me back to my apartment with the windows rolled down and the music softly playing in the background.

            “I was just thinking about the times I used to do this during our predebut days” a soft smile formed on my lips as I thought about it even more, my gaze was taken from the serene view of Han River out the window to Jiyong’s face. “I used to do this when I was stressed about a routine. Just to calm me down, you know? I missed doing this a lot.”

            His head nodded as he took a quick glance at me before turning back to the road, “I remember doing this often when the plagiarism issues were released. It was the only time when I wouldn’t think about their comments and accusations.” A painful expression was seen on his face. There is no doubt that it was a time in his life where he was in great pain. The girls and I worried constantly about his well-being since he seemed to be losing even more weight every time we saw him. We even took him out just to help him keep his mind off the issue. But as my eyes looked at the man driving beside me, his expression was immediately replaced by a concerned one. “Are you still sad about the break-up?”

            “I don’t think that it’s the breakup to be honest.” My elbow rested on the window frame as I looked out the window once again. The tiny lights that filled the sky and accompanied the moon were reflected beautifully against the dark water of the Han River. The soft breeze ran through my hair gently as we continued to drive through the city silently. “It’s more of 2NE1’s disbandment. It would be a lie if I said that I wasn’t grateful for what we have achieved already. But it would also be a lie if I didn’t express my disappointment. I know we could have done so much more despite losing one member. The blackjacks have been with us for so long; they literally have changed our lives, Jiyong. But this is how we repay them. This was the last thing that I wanted to happen.”

            My hold on my emotions was slowly disappearing as I spoke more about my feelings about the issue. The tears were forming in my eyes but there was nothing I could do but look up to lessen the tears which were now falling. “What will happen to the girls? Will the friendship we built all these years just go to waste because of it? We have been together all throughout all of this. We always felt safe knowing that we were always there whenever one of us needed help. We knew each other the most, Jiyong. We knew exactly what we needed to do to cheer and comfort eachother. B