You’ll see me all sharp
And you’ll bow your head low
My thorns will dig deeper in you
You already bent and twisted me

 

When Jiyong returned back to the room, his brows crease in confusion upon spotting Chaerin eagerly typing something on her laptop. He wanted to go on her back and read what she’s doing but he doesn’t want to look like a curious cat in front of her. Unfortunately, the stubborn feeling in him just wouldn’t leave that he decided to probe.

“I hope you’re not typing your resignation letter just because of the disciplinary action I gave you.” He smirks, wanting some attention.

To his surprise, she smirks back, “Not yet Sunbae.”

His curiosity rises up again. “What’s that? Show me.” He demanded.

Chaerin immediately closes her laptop when he scoots closer to her. “No.”

“YG told me to help you. How am I gonna do that if you won’t let me?” he said, using his upper hand.

“Oh no worries. I’ll clean your name if YG asks. For the meantime, let’s mind our own tasks.” She haughtily replied and moves a bit far away from him.

For a moment, he was sure that he almost grab her arm just to maintain the close proximity. However, seeing her disinterest lessens his will of doing so. “Fine, do what you like.” He could only reply.

“Glad that you finally understand.”

“I am pretty sure it’s not important anyway. It’s not like you can write a hit song, you know.”

She feels offended. Jiyong really knows what buttons to push in order to bring the devil out of her. She glares at him, wanting to beat the out of that guy. ‘So insensitive!’

“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m just stating the truth anyway.” He ‘innocently’ smiles.

“I don’t know your problem with me but heck, you are so ing nasty. A gentle reminder if I must… in between the two of us, you are the one at fault so quit bothering me with your problematic behavior. Stop creating mess at my expense because I’m not the one who cheated! It’s you Jiyong. It’s you.” She sighs, feeling the anger building up. She decided to stand up before she can’t control her emotions any longer. “I’m done here.” Chaerin harshly grabs her things and proceeded to leave.

“C-Chae, wait!” Jiyong calls out but she choose to ignore whatever he says.

 

 

 

 

“Unnie!” Chaerin cheerily welcomes her favorite senior with a warm hug. Instead of going to Teddy’s studio just like what she planned when she stormed out of Jiyong’s, she decided to go out and head to the woman whom she adores since her trainee days.

“Yah, since when you become prettier than me!? My Chaerinnie is blooming huh? I miss you.” Lee Hyori, one of her former label mates in JYP when she was still a trainee, teases her.

“I miss you too Unnie!” she smiles, “Well, if breakups can make you prettier, then I guess I really am.”

“Wait a minute. Did you just mention break up?” Hyori asks, feeling concerned.

Chaerin tells Hyori what happened between her and Jiyong. She didn’t leave any details hidden for she knows that her Unnie needs to understand where she’s coming from so she will help her.

“Oh goodness!” she exclaims. “That guy~ I thought he’s a good man! He’s nice when I met him for a collaboration before though.”

Chaerin shrugs her shoulders, “Fame can change people…or maybe, he’s really not into me anymore.”

“You can find someone who will treasure you, don’t be sad.” The senior pats her head.

“I know Unnie…that’s why I am here. I need your help.”

Hyori is confused. “Help? Help about?”

Chaerin wickedly smiles at her. “I want you to…”

 

 

So don’t act like you’re sorry
But the one who’s really twisted
It’s not me, it’s you

 

 

“Bye girls! See you tomorrow!” she smiles at her members while they are parting ways on the ground floor. Dara and Bom will take the service to the apartment. Minzy’s mom will fetch the youngest while Chaerin decided to ask Teddy to give her a lift to the bakeshop around his area. She’s craving some strawberry pie and that can only be found on the small bakery near his home.

“Bye Unnie, my mom is here~.” Minzy cutely waves her hand before getting on the black car.

“Bye Minkki.” She smiles at the maknae’s mother through the window and wave again. She then fishes out her phone to call Teddy.

However, another car stops in front of her. The window pulls down and Jiyong’s annoying smirk welcomes her again.

‘This bastard. He’s still acting as if nothing happened!’

“Hop in.”

She fakes a smile and shakes her head. “No thanks. Teddy Oppa will…”

“He told me to fetch you, actually. He has an emergency meeting with YG. You’re going to the bakeshop near his place right?”

Chaerin sighs in disappointment. Her craving slowly decreases due to displeased of seeing this man’s face and having another unwanted conversation with him. “Really? I guess I’ll be going home then.”

“Just hop in Chae.” He said, and for a second, she feels like he sounds so sincere. ‘Pfft! As if.’ She scoffs in her mind.

“No really, it’s fine Sunbae. I already lose my appetite. I will just call a cab to drive me home.”

His grip on the wheel tightens. “I said HOP IN.” his tone is now demanding, more than inviting.

She ignores him.

Out of the blue, he honks the car, creating eerie noise in the quiet ground. He just wouldn’t stop doing so until she panics and jumps inside his car before the security comes and questions them.

“What’s your problem!?” she hisses in embarrassment.

“You.” He said as he maneuvers the car out of the YG area.

“You’re incorrigible.” Was all she can say. For her, it’s better to disregard him the whole ride than to interact with this bastard.

Jiyong taps the steering wheel with his fingers. “Let’s talk.”

She keeps mum, as if she hears nothing.

“Chaerin…please? I am making an effort here.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“There are so many things to clear between us. Come on Chae, stop being stubborn.”

She bitterly laughs, “Now I am the one who’s stubborn here.”

“You can’t blame me for everything.”

“So who am I to blame? Is it my fault then?”

He harshly breathes, contemplating what to tell her next. “I…I am sorry.”

“Which fault of yours is that sorry for?”

“For this.” And he grabs her by the neck and kisses her lips.

 

 

Fine, I’ll forget you
I’m gonna live like a flower, I’ll be myself
Can’t nobody stop me now
No try me

 

 

“That guy is really something.” Bom huffs while holding Dara’s iPAD. “Does he really have to invite her in their fan meeting? I better call Tabi and asks him about this.”

“He seems really proud of her as an accessory girlfriend.” The petite woman rolls her eyes in disgust. “What I don’t get is why do they had to make it more suspicious by ‘secretly’ dining out. Why not just confirm it? It’s all over the news!”

“Maybe they like the attention from people talking about them?” Minzy supplies.

“What do you think Chaerin?” Dara asks their leader who’s busy texting someone.

“Hmmn?”

“Hey…Who’s that? Why are you smiling while texting? Are you cheating on me Wifey?”

“Stop being silly. I am talking to Hyori Unnie.”

“Hyori Unnie?!” / “Lee Hyori Sunbae??” Bom and Minzy ask simultaneously in surprise.

Chaerin gummily smiles at them. “Yes, she will help me with the choreography in the special stage.”

“Oh? But the song will be co-produced by Jiyong right?” Bom said.

The leader sighs, “Unfortunately…but I am trying to push the change in my song. It’ll be my stage so I should have the final say.”

“So back to the topic…did he already talk to you about your closure?” Bom probe.

Chaerin tiredly smiles. “Let’s just forget about him.” She claps her hands to gather her team, “Practice mode!”

The three couldn’t say anymore. At the back of their minds, all of them knows that their leader is hiding something.

 

 

 

Once she reaches home, she dejectedly sits on her soft cushion. Her heart is aching by just remembering what happened between them before he flies to Japan…

 

They have been quiet after the unexpected (and unwanted as she wanted to insist) make out session in his car but managed to enter a secluded coffee shop without much disguise.

Once they have settled their orders, Jiyong started talking. “I miss you.”

“Quit the crap Jiyong. Why did you kiss me?”

“Why did you respond?”

She chuckles in revulsion. That’s not the answer she wanted to hear. ‘Wait, what did I anticipate him to say anyway?’

“Forget it. It was a mistake.”

“It’s not easy Chae…”

“Not easy?” she laughs dryly, “So having another woman at my back is easier? Why did you choose to cheat on me? You could have just told me you found someone new. Why do I need to hear it from the news instead? You know I will let you go if you just asked.”

“Yeah right…” he scoffs, “You didn’t even confront me when the news broke. You just avoided me, right?”

Chaerin can’t believe what she just heard. So that bastard expected her to run after him? “You are insane! Do you really think I would even waste my time to look for you after what you did?”

“Yes, cuz that’s what a girlfriend should do!”

She curses, but keep her poise in check. The last thing she needed is an unwanted attention. “A boyfriend shouldn’t cheat in the first place.”

“It’s not like I wanted this to happen.”

“Stop talking as if you don’t have a choice over your life. I just wanna know why? Why can’t you just tell it to me straightly? And if you can’t, then why can’t you just stay away?”

“Nana is different. If she’s here, she would…”

“I am not Nana!”

“Will you please listen first? Hey! Where are you going?!”

“I’m out. I was expecting a decent reason from you, yet you gave me nothing but foul excuses with what you two did behind me. You can go to hell with her and I’ll be happy to watch you under!”

He grabs her arm before she can leave, “I’m flying to Japan after this. Tell me not to go…”

Chaerin’s heart aches, and for a moment, she thought she will really stop him. However, her pride fuels up and the next thing she knew was that she kisses his forehead. “Bye Jiyong. Good riddance.”

“Chae…”

She then rushes outside the café, leaving him numb.

 

 

Everyone wants my scent
But only you don’t know, like a fool
Are you sure you’re not crazy?

 

 

“You have to feel it within you. Being y is more than just a body measurements. It’s more of confidence as to how you carry yourself. If you think you are y, if you think you are deadly, if you believe you can make a man go insane just by one stare…then you are, you can and no one can question that.” Hyori tells her as she stretches for some warm up.

Today is the start of their lesson.

The agenda? It’s to create the baddest female ever in Korean Entertainment’s history.

“We can start with some old music. I will teach you the basic but you have to learn more by yourself. Find your inner she-wolf and wake her up. Tell her to come out and face the world with you. Set the floor on fire and burn it together. I can push you to like the art of seduction but it’s up to you to master it.”

Chaerin breathes in and out loudly, calming herself. ‘This is it. No turning back…’

“Ready?” Hyori’s left brow raises as she eyes the awkward woman fidgeting with herself.

“Yes Unnie.”

“Good! Let’s start with…”

 

 

Why are you leaving the pretty me here
And going?

 

 

“Lower! Tonight you are CL! Forget your inhibitions and just dance with the music!” Hyori shouted as Chaerin keeps on swaying her hips with some y melodies. It has been going on for weeks. She will spend time with her right after her practice at YGE. For pushing herself too much, she slowly started to lose some of her weight. Her muscles are developing too and the fact that the sole distraction she had is still busy in Japan, everything is running smoothly for her.

“Shake that booty, flip your hair and lose yourself!” the woman keeps on instructing.

The music suddenly stops as she feels herself fell in the floor due to exhaustion. Ragged breaths fill the air as she runs after it for her life. However, being tired is not an option. She rolls herself and sits up, wanting to continue what she started. Hyori walks towards her student.

Chaerin’s sweating all over. Her hair is wet from her own sweat too and her white tank top is now revealing more of her skin. She can see her skin glistening in front of the giant mirror despite of the dim light inside Hyori’s practice room. For a moment, she thinks that she’s finally showing some improvement.

She finally sees herself as a woman…

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