4 hours until midnight...

"Hyung! Come over at my place! Everyone is here except you!" I heard my best friend's voice yelling through the music in the background. 

"I think I'm good at my place." I replied as I was just sitting lazily on my couch holding a beer in my hand. I was not really in the mood to celebrate New Years. It wasn't as special to me as everyone thinks. It is literally a minute of celebrating and once it is a minute past midnight, it's over. There was not a festive feel to it. 

"C'mon Jiyong! You are such a killjoy!" I guess I am... "Ji, you used to be the party animal! What happened!?"

Ever since I turned 30, I guess I slowly grew out of partying. It wasn't really a big deal anymore to me. I neeeded some nights to focus on myself, my body, my well-being.   My partying phase has come to a close and in all honesty, I'm enjoying it so much. I never knew how relaxing it is to just be alone.

"Sorry Youngbae... I'm just not in the mood to be in a party atmosphere. I'm celebrating by myself already." I said as I watched my television that showed a festival anticipating for the new year. 

"I swear, if you are not here for the next 30 minutes, you are not my best man anymore at my wedding." I heard the stern tone in his voice and I froze in the middle of drinking my beer. Oh c'mon he's not serious... I've been his ing best friend for more than a decade!

"You are not serious..." I glared towards my TV as I spoke to my phone. "You won't."

"Bet! I'm serious, Ji. See you here in thirty!" Right then and there he hung up, leaving me in disbelief. This man...

I sighed and slid myself down the couch even more until my head was facing all the way up. Should I go? 

I've already wasted three minutes debating whether or not I should go. I mean... I did feel a bit lonely as a straightened my position and looked around my empty penthouse. I guess a little company wouldn't hurt. Right? 

My decsion was made. I quickly gulped down my beer and quickly got ready.

3 hours and 54 minutes until midnight...

"Tae! Please?" There I was in my sleepwear, holding Zero in my arms, looking at my best friend, Tiffany, who came back to visit Korea for a while.

Tiffany and I were sitting on my couch and I saw that she had her makeup on, a nice outfit, and her hair was put together. 

"It's new years! We need to celebrate!" Tiffany was basically becoming desperate for Taeyeon's company at the event hosted by Dong Youngbae and soon-to-be Dong Hyorin.

"I don't know anybody there!" I said in my defense. It's true! The people in that party do not belong in my cirlce of friends and vice versa. I just don't fit in, I'm an outcast! 

"Then be social and make friends!" Fany was holding my hand real tight with pleading eyes.

"It's not as easy as you think! I'm not an extrovert like you!" I repsonded.

I had to look at my little puppy because I couldn't look in her puppy eyes. It made me weak. I need to stand my ground for this one night... You can do it Taeng.

I planned to spend my New Years alone. All the previous years, I've spent it with frinds and family. Though enjoyable, I wanted to try to see how it was to be in an independent atmosphere. Stupid idea, but I wanted to experiment. 

I just continued to look at Zero and I sensed Tiffany's impatience and frustration. I glanced at her for a quick second and she rolled  her eyes at my stubborness. I chuckled to myself and I know Fany noticed.

"Yah! It'll be rare for me to come back to Korea for a long time! This may be the ony chance we can hang out! C'mon! I miss hanging with my boo!" This statement made me look up. She displayed a pouting look that made me sigh. Aw I really missed my best friend...

"Fine," I replied and Tiffany was bouncing on the couch with her famous eyesmile. "But on one condition! Don't leave me alone please!" 

"Promise!" I pinky promised with Tiffany and she pulled me up to help me get ready for this party that I am dreading to attend to.

3 hours and  37 minutes until midnight...

Knowing that I wasn't really in the mood to party, I wasn't the fasionista I usually am for today. I walked in Youngbae's place wearing a loose black long sleeve t-shirt with light washed jeans and my famous customized vans. No one seemed to noticed my presence, I guess it's because when I look around, the music is blasting, everyone was in their own conversations. I looked over to the kitchen to guickly get a new beer bottle.

I popped it open and I watched the air smoke out of the bottle before drinking. I continued to stay behind the kitchen island counter on my phone, scrolling through my private instagram.

"Ji!" I looked up to find the owner of the voice. It was the host. "You made it in..." He quickly checked his watch. "... 27 minutes! You are still my best man!" I felt Youngbae pat my shoulder as we both chuckled. I shook my head and looked around the place.

"Everyone is really here huh?" I noticed that the nuthang crew was here, Soojoo noona was here, Chaerin, Nana, some 2pm members, Sistar, Wonder Girls,  Jay Park, Zion T., Crush, etc. It was basically the whole 2nd era of the music industry. I didn't see any newbies or the 3rd gen. Thank God, they were pretty annoying. 

"Exactly! Everyone was looking for you." I looked at Youngbae who shifted his attention to his soon-to-be wife, Min Hyorin.

Abandoned by my own best friend, I walked towards my good friends and caught myself in a conversation with them. 

2 hours and 24 minutes until midnight...

I began to enjoy myself at the party and started to settle in the social atmosphere. I felt like the good ol' times where me and my nuthang crew was just hanging with drinks. I was listening to Hyuksoo speaking about his experience in a recent fashion event until I heard a shriek. I sharply turned my head to the voice of that noise and it belonged to Min Hyorin.

What the fu... woah.

I continued looking at Hyorin who greeted with a smile and open arms. I saw Tiffany run into Hyorin's arms. She' s here? I haven't hung out with her in a long time.

I smiled and began to look back at Hyuksoo who continued back to his story. 

"Yeah, so the designer legit came up to me and asked if I could-"

I looked up from my bottle, confused as to why Hyuksoo stopped his sentence. 

"Yah..." I nudged him and it seemed to have snapped the man back into reality. Hyuksoo shook his head and apologized, then taking a quick sip of his beer.

"Sorry Ji, It's just that Taeyeon is here too." Hyuksoo pointed at the direction across from them and I took a glance and back to Hyuksoo, thinking it wasn't a big deal. But then I quickly looked back within a millisecond because damn...

My eyes were caught by the sight of Kim Taeyeon of Girls' Generation standing modestly and elegantly next to Tiffany who was busy talking to Hyorin. 

"Anyways..."

I heard Hyuksoo go back to his story and I really tried to pay attention, but my eyes kept finding its way back to Taeyeon. I couldn't stop looking at her. She looked so damn good today. She appeared with a black spaghetti strap shift dress with stilettos. Decade in the industry and I've never looked at Taeyeon this way. Yes, I've been admiring her craft and her music, I admit that she's a gifted singer and one of the best, but I've never looked at her as a woman. Tonight, was the night I have. She turned around to follow Tiffany somewhere else and it hit me when I saw how her back was exposed only for it to be covered by a thin fabric string. God... what is happening to me?

I felt someone push up my jaw and that brought me back to the real world. I fidgeted in my position and paid my attention back to my group.

"Yah Jiyong... Your jaw will lock if you continue like that." I saw Chaerin giving me a raised eyebrow. I let out a chuckle before drinking my beer and setting it on the table.

"Someone has the hots for someone" I saw Seungho look at me with the devilish smile. I looked at the rest of the crew members and they all had their focus on me.

"What?" I raised both my eyebrows acting confused, but I know that I was caught checking out the leader of the nation's number one girl group.

"You were eyeing Kim Taeyeon." Soohyuk said in his deep voice and I rolled my eyes and sighed. 

"No I wasn't!" I honestly don't know why I'm denying when it was so obvious. I look so stupid right now.

"Aw! The mighty dragon is in denial! He likes someone!" I felt Chaerin poking my arm in a teasing voice. I widened my eyes and shook my head. Bull, Jiyong. I thought to myself and I just kept denying all their teasing statements.

"Gdragon has a thing for Queen Taeyeon?"

"Oh my... Ji is falling into Taeyeon's charm."

"New year, new couple?"

"Shut up you idiots." I playfully said as I stood up. They all were laughing and nudging each other, whispering about me. I rolled my eyes again and placed my hands on my hips.

"You are all dead to me." I pointed at eveyone in my crew and they kept laughing. "I'm going to get another drink and call me when you guys have calmed down." I walked out on them towards the kitchen and grabbed another beer in the cooler. Not feeling like it was a good time go back to the Nuthang Crew, I just decided to walk around the apartment.