Months later, Sarang found herself chuckling while making breakfast. There was no stopping the little bursts of laughter that overtook her from time to time.

    “It’s 8am. What could possibly be that funny?” Jiyong asked as he sat down at the table. His hair was still damp from the shower, but he was fully dressed for the day.

    Sarang glanced over at him and released another round of helpless giggles. She didn’t answer him immediately, too busy making sure the eggs weren’t overcooked. She set a plate down in front of him before sitting across from him.

    “I met your new girlfriend,” she spoke with a grin.

    Jiyong’s fork stopped on the way to his mouth. “You met who?”

     “Oh, come on. The walls aren’t that thick. I know about your ‘night visits’.” Sarang chuckled again and sipped her juice. “At first I thought you were just watching really loud--which would have been most inconsiderate.”  Still laughing, she looked up at his stunned expression. “I guess you didn’t tell her you had a female squatter. Or she’s the shy type. She ran out of here as soon as she saw me. Wouldn't speak a word.”

    Jiyong put his fork down and Sarang watched as his face became a lovely shade of rose. He cleared his throat twice, then reached for his drink. “You weren’t supposed to meet . . . her.”

    “Why not? It’s been months since you and Kiko broke up. There’s nothing wrong with you . . . you know. Not that it’s my place to grant you permission. Or that it’s any of my business. Just sayin’ . .  .,” she finished lamely. Jiyong gulped down his juice and used the glass to cool his heated cheeks. “So how’d you meet her? Is she a model? She’s definitely pretty enough.”

    “We were, um, set up,” he responded slowly, not making eye contact.

    “Ooo. A blind date. Cool. What’s her name?” Sarang asked between bites.

“I don’t know,” Jiyong mumbled.

Sarang swallowed quickly and raised her brows. “How do you not know your girlfriend’s name?” She noticed his tense posture. “Oooooh. Just a hookup. Understood.”

Jiyong rubbed a hand down his heated face and groaned. “Can we please change the topic?”

“But I live vicariously through you,” she pouted for all of a second. Then her eyes began to gleam with mischief. “Was she any good?”

“Please stop~”, he begged and dropped his head while she continued to laugh. “Look, I . . . the thing is . . . you see . .aish, this is embarrassing.”

    Sarang set her face into what she hoped was a concerned and sympathetic look before she asked, “You can tell me anything, I’ll never repeat it. Only person I talk to is Seungri.”

    “Well he’d know all about it anyway,” Jiyong said smartly. He groaned and breathed out heavily. “The woman you saw this morning is not my girlfriend. And I don’t know her name because names don’t matter in . . .in this . . .situation. She’s an .”

    Sarang sat back in her chair and absently rubbed her aching hip. “You mean to tell me that you--Kwon Jiyong, G-dragon, Leader of Big Bang, Prince of YG, the Gold and Diamond Boy--pays for ?”

    “I pay for discretion,” he clarified. “I could get anywhere, that’s a well-proven fact. But going with an cuts out the worry of our  . . . encounter ending up in the tabloids.”

“That makes sense,” she conceded. She leaned forward with her hands clasped under her chin. She waited until he took a bite to say, “I bet a professional is worth the money. I might try it.” Sarang ran her toes up his leg and gave him a 'come hither’ look. “Know any guys with a foot ?”

Jiyong choked on his food and pushed the plate away.

* * * * *

As unlikely as it would seem based on their beginning, Sarang and Jiyong had become devoted friends. They spent time together at night, playing games and watching movies, at times falling asleep together. Other times, he would wear a disguise, walk with her around the park below and tell her stories no one but Big Bang members knew. Some nights they drove around looking at Seoul and listening to music.

Even though they would text throughout the day, they still had plenty to talk about when he got home. At her therapy sessions, Jiyong’s quiet encouragement meant just as much to her as Seungri’s boisterous cheering. She still needed