“Ah, I see– wait, you’re what?”

“I’m outside the YG building,” Jinyoung repeated, smiling to himself at Jisoo's flustered reply.

There was silence on the other line, and Jinyoung worried that he had scared her off and that she hung up on him. “J-Jisoo?”

Suddenly, Jisoo laughed loudly, surprising Jinyoung. “Wow. This is funny. Your jokes really have been getting good lately. For a second there, I actually thought you were serious.”

“I am.”

“Come on, Jinyoung. I’m tired and it’s late, don’t play games with me at this hour. I won’t fall for it.”

“I’m not–”

“Well, technically speaking, as long as you’re not inside the YG building, you are outside of it… You could be anywhere– for all I know you could be in the confines of your dorm bedroom or right outside this building right now, which is impossible given that–”

“Don’t overthink,” he cut off her rambling, his voice firm and low with a slight playfulness that wasn’t lost on Jisoo. “That’s what you told me. You’d do well to follow your own advice right now.”

It was Jisoo’s turn to be silent. All Jinyoung could hear through his phone was the zipping close of a bag, the opening and closing of cabinet doors… and a small thud followed by a groan from Jisoo, which he could imagine was the result of her hitting her head on something.

“You don’t actually have to go down if you don’t want to. I’m fine talking on the line like this. I just thought I’d pass by since you said you were alone and I’m in the area anyway and–”

“Ya. Are you crazy?” There were footsteps and the sound of a creaking door on the other line, and before Jinyoung could answer, Jisoo continued, “I’m on my way down. Where are you? If this is a joke I’ll kill you.”

“Miss Kim, your manager is not around to pick you up yet. I’m afraid I can’t let you out of the building,” the guard told Jisoo before she could escape leave to meet up with Jinyoung.

Part of Jisoo was still convinced that it was a joke, even while she was on her way down in the elevator. But Jinyoung had said he was in the small park near the back entrance of the building with the playground, a place Jisoo was familiar with. She tested him, asking about the places surrounding the park, and his answers were too specific and too accurate that no one with a sound mind to doubt that he was really there. Jisoo wished then that she didn’t have a sound mind so that she could still pass it off as him joking, and she wouldn’t feel the need to see him.

Gosh, this really felt like some sort of Romeo and Juliet forbidden love story type of thing. Jisoo hated Romeo and Juliet– she thought it was stupid how it ended the way it did. It could have easily been avoided had the main characters thought sensibly and didn’t act so recklessly.

Yet here she was, doing that reckless thing that she hated herself.

Racking her head for a quick excuse to get out for a few minutes without the guard being suspicious, she decided to bring out Actress Jisoo’s most convincing act.

Action!

“Sir, I understand, but I’m just going to head out to get some food–”

“The cafeteria is open if you want food, Ma’am.”

“But I’m really craving that ramen from that grandma’s store out back. You know, the one with the pink banner next to the convenience store that just plays Bigbang songs? It takes like home… I’ll just have a quick post-practice meal then go right back.”

“I apologize, but I really cannot let you go out on your own, especially at this time of night.”

“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll just go back to the practice room and get hungry and stuff since I don’t feel like eating anything else. I hope I don’t faint in our early photoshoot later…”

“Miss Kim, please understand that if something happens–”

“Thank you for looking out for me and doing your job well. But if you let me go now I won’t go far and take very long, I promise. See, I’ll even leave my stuff here so you can be sure I’ll come back. Our manager Sangwon-unnie is coming in a bit, too so I can’t be out too long anyway.”

“But–”

“I can even get something for you from the restaurant! Do you want some coffee? Tteokbokki? Kimbap? Chicken skewers?”

He sighed in defeat, hesitantly stepping aside for Jisoo, who was notorious for being hardheaded even when she was a trainee. “You don’t need to do that, Miss Kim. Just enjoy your meal and please come back safely as soon as possible. I’ll come search for you at the restaurant myself if you’re not back in about half an hour.”

“Yay, deal! My growling stomach thanks you.” She grinned genuinely at the guard and bowed to him before heading off hurriedly in the direction of the park where Jinyoung said he was.

On her way there, Jisoo’s mind started wondering what it was that made the normally cautious Park Jinyoung do something so careless. Nothing about him coming here made sense, nothing could rationalize what he was doing right now. Even if he had something he urgently needed to tell her, it wasn't worth going through the possible troubles they could get into.

A voice inside her head told her that she was being a hypocrite, because her going to meet him was the same. Nothing made sense. She could have stayed where she was and just talked to him on the phone like he had offered, but she had actually wanted to see him, and she’ll admit it– something about him coming to see her despite the circumstances gave her a funny feeling in her stomach that was not unwelcome.

Gosh, what is up with you, Kim Jisoo? Maybe I’m just hungry… and the hunger is making me make bad decisions…

It probably would have been much easier for Jinyoung to just tell her the truth–he was here to get her opinion on his Inkigayo predicament and also to personally wish her luck for her comeback before he leaves for the next couple