GD's POV

 

Is murdering someone a crime? I felt him kick my leg under the table again.

 

"Psssst, hyung!!" Seungri shouted over the loud music playing in the background. "Hyung!!!"

 

I'll take my chances.

 

"Psssst!!!"

 

I inwardly sighed and turned my head around to glare at him. Seriously. How can he still have this much energy after attending all those events? I'm basically dying to go home and crash. I'm that exhausted.

 

Seungri's wide grin reminded me of the Cheshire Cat as he discreetly mouthed, 'Three o'clock.' Stealthily pointing to the direction he just told me.

 

I refused to participate in his crazy antics so I merely narrowed my eyes at him and resumed staring into nothing in particular. Ten years, I silently mused. It's been ten years since I debuted as an idol. My gaze zeroed in on both Youngbae and Daesung who were currently mingling with the rest of our crew, then on Top hyung and Seungri who were seated with me in the lounge. More than ten years of friendship with these rascals. Time really does fly.

 

Seungri kicked my leg. Again.

 

"Seungri-ah," I hissed between my teeth in silent warning. "I swear to God I'll set your hair on fire if you don't stop kicking me."

 

The evil maknae didn't even bat an eyelash. Instead of behaving, he moved his head forward and pretended to drink. "Hyung, that woman in the bar has been stealing glances at you since we came in."

 

I crossed my arms and cocked my head to the side. "So?"

 

Seungri laughed. "So I'm telling you she's interested. Don't you wanna introduce yourself?"

 

I sighed in annoyance. "Why should I?"

 

"Well for starters, she's a ten..."

 

With brows raised, I gave him a very doubtful look. 

 

"Fine, fine. She's a nine, give or take. She's definitely hot though. And listen! Listen! Here comes the good part," he waved his hands in front of me animatedly. "She'd just broken up with her boyfriend!"

 

I'm seriously entertaining psychiatric evaluation for Seungri right now. This maknae had major issues he needed sorting out. TOP hyung finally returned to Earth and decided to acknowledge our existence once again. He languidly crossed his legs and looked at Seungri under hooded eyes.

 

"How did you even know she's single?" Hyung asked, narrowing his eyes at Seungri who, for some reason, was starting to find the centerpiece interesting. "Unless..."

 

"Unless you knew her personally," I finished, quickly catching on to Top hyung's thoughts.

 

Seungri bit his lips and guiltily scratched the back of his head. "Was it that obvious?"

 

Typical maknae.

 

I rolled my eyes and leaned back, pulling my cap lower on my face. "I still don't get why I have to introduce myself."

 

"Coz she's a freakin beauty!!" He replied in a huff, jutting his lower lip like some kid asking his mother for a piece of candy. "I organized this to celebrate you winning the artist of the year, but instead of partying, you're just sulking in a corner. I mean, check out Gwanghee!" He pointed to the guy with curly hair, dancing his heart away at the middle of the dance floor. 

 

"He looks like he's having so much fun and to think he slipped and fell on his face during his performace earlier. What's wrong with you today?"

 

What's wrong? A humorless chuckle escaped my lips.

 

Maybe Seungri should go ask President Yang and he'd get the idea of what's wrong with me. TOP hyung sent a knowing look my way, perceptibly shaking his head as he sipped his drink in silence. I sighed. He's right. I shouldn't vent out my frustrations at Seungri. After all, he doesn't know about my mental health issues. The only reason TOP knew about it is because he accidentally walked in while I was having a heated argument with sajangnim who insisted I take some time off to get some healing. Like that's going to help my mental state. I can't afford to lose my career, not when I'm on top of my game.

 

Aiiiiisht! This was giving me an aneurysm!

 

I sat up and leaned forward, a diabolical sneer plastered on my face. "If you like her so much then why don't you introduce yourself?

 

He looked taken aback. "Wha...HAHAHAHA!! Me?? Hyung, you're so funny!!"

 

Something doesn't smell right. Then again, this is Seungri we're talking about. Nothing ever good comes out from his ideas.

 

"Whatever," I mumbled tiredly, stretching my legs in front of me. After years of doing this, you'd think we would have enough of all the partying. I put my hand inside the pocket of my jeans and stood up. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm bushed. Just tell the others I went ahead. I'll see you both tomorrow."

 

"I'll come with you, Jiyong." Top hyung stood up and started to walk beside me. We've only covered three steps when Seungri grabbed my shirt and begged me not to go.

 

"Pleaaaaaase, hyung!! It's her birthday today. I'm not asking you to date her. Just, I don't know, greet her or talk to her or something. Please." Then he clasped his hands in prayer and made a show of channeling his inner puppy. It only made me want to gouge his eyes out.

 

Top hyung shook his head in amusement. He grabbed Seungri by the shoulder and placed him in a headlock. "Aigoo, maknae. You always give us quite the headache." He gently pounded Seungri's head with his fist and regarded me with his no-nonsense look. "Just humor the little oddball, Jiyong. Go and talk to the girl."

 

My mouth fell open. "What?!" I looked at him like he was nuts—which he kinda was. "You're not seriously suggesting that, are you?"

 

Top hyung merely cocked his brow in response while Seungri struggled to get free from his iron hold. "I'm gonna lay down the likely scenario for you so listen closely. If I release this little rascal now, he will do everything in his power to pester you until you say yes to his plans. Provided you are very skilled in evasion and would succeed in getting rid of him, no doubt he will make us suffer for the next few days by moping around. Do you remember Osaka?"

 

Oh God. Not the Osaka incident.

 

We all missed our flight back to Seoul since the evil maknae managed to steal our passports the night before our departure and all because we didn't accompany him to Disney sea. Freakin' Disney!!

 

I breathed through my nose and used my pointer finger to push Seungri's forehead so he was looking up at me. "You better not slack off during rehearsals or you're dead, you hear me?"

 

Seungri quickly nodded, his eyes practically twinkling with mischief. "Ye, sunbaenim!!"

 

I exhaled loudly. "Ya, which girl am I supposed to talk to?"

 

"The one in black," Seungri mumbled as he tried wiggling free of Top's chokehold on him. "She's by the bar."

 

I was about to walk away when he pulled me back again. I turned around and scowled at him.

 

"Here."

 

I frowned at the offensive looking concoction on his hand. "Do I even want to know what that is?"

 

"Oh this? This is my own specialty. I call it the 'Dragon Slayer.' Cool, huh? C'mon try it. It'll boost your confidence." He then raised it to my nose and I cautiously sniffed it. Ack. Smells like piss. Seungri suddenly grabbed my hand, urging me to hold the glass. "Aigoo! It's only a harmless drink, hyung! Don't be such a party pooper!"

 

If there's one thing I hate, it's when Seungri questions my capacity to have fun. I tossed my head back and drank it.

 

"There's a good boy!" Seungri happily clapped, grinning wildly at my disgusted expression.

 

"Alright! Now that's settled, let's get back to the party, shall we?" Top hyung said while he ruffled Seungri's hair. "Good luck, Jiyong. Whatever you do, don't make her cry, arasso?" He slapped me on the back and started dragging the breathless maknae toward the stage.

 

Ahhhh, jinjja.

 

I was on my way to the bar when I suddenly felt light-headed. What the hell was in that drink? Shaking my head, I warily scanned the place for the girl Seungri was talking about, occasionally changing paths when someone looked at me for longer than a second. Come to think of it, I could've ditched this party and slept the whole night if it weren't for Top hyung's nagging. I was even planning to stay in bed and do a movie marathon. A soft whimper escaped my lips as I remembered the tub of strawberry ice cream waiting for me at home. Aiiiisssht. This was definitely putting a dark cloud on my mood.

 

After making it through the dance floor unscathed, I squinted my eyes and saw two people wearing black outfits—one was clad in a black mini dress while the other was wearing an oversized hoodie.

 

Nah. Who am I kidding.

 

It has to be the girl on the right. She's sitting on the far corner, about two tables from the bar, sipping a glass of wine as she typed something on her phone. She looked familiar. I think I've seen her before, I just couldn't remember where. Judging from the empty seat beside her, I think she came alone. I was about to approach her when I heard a commotion behind me.

 

"Come on, just one kiss, babe."

 

"No. Stop it!"

 

I hazarded a peek and instantly regretted it. Damn. I knew I recognized the voice from somewhere. It belonged to Yuri, three years my senior who used to be at his prime before I claimed his spot four years ago. The funny thing was, he actually blamed me for his downfall just because I surpassed his album sales and earned the president's good favor. Such a sore loser. He definitely looked hammered right now and he's forcing himself on the girl. My brain and my morals were at war as I studied them.

 

Not your business, Jiyong, my conscience seemed to whisper in my ear. You've got a more pressing matter to attend to or else a full world war three will break out. Yep, that's it. Walk away. There's no shame in choosing to save yourself before others.

 

I nodded to myself and was about to follow my voice of reason when I heard the girl cry. My resolve instantly wavered.

 

Screw this.

 

I stomped my way back with every intention of giving Yuri a piece of my mind when...

 

"Are you by any chance, hearing impaired?"

 

I looked to the right. The girl wearing the hoodie had her chin propped on one hand, her eyes set on the empty bar before her.

 

With his grip still on his girlfriend's arm, Yuri regarded her with a scowl. "Are you talking to me?"

 

"No, I'm talking to this glass." She quipped, her voice laced with heavy sarcasm as she turned to look at him with a deadpan expression. "I think it's important for you to know that when a girl tells you to stop, she actually means it in the most literal sense of the word." She clicked her tongue in disapproval while shaking her head. "Which part of 'no' did you not understand?"

 

"Who the are you?"

 

She nonchalantly shrugged. "Just no one of importance."

 

Dragging his poor girlfriend with him, the douchebag approached the girl on the bar who didn't even looked fazed when he grabbed her by the collar. "Listen, you little b**ch! You have no idea who you're talking to so you better hold your tongue and mind your own goddamn business. You understand?!"

 

She blinked through half-lidded eyes, clearly unimpressed of Yuri's attempt at intimidation. Daebak. Who was this girl?

 

She raised her chin, her face imppassive. "What is it with men and their apparent need to always prove themselves? Tsk. I don't know if you've noticed, but she really doesn't want to be in your company, right now." She then peeked over his shoulder to the woman who was whimpering behind her tool of a boyfriend. "Do you want me to call the guards, miss?"

 

"Shut up!" He slammed the glass on the bar and it broke into pieces. Still holding the shards of glass, he then raised his hand to strike her.

 

Call it what you want—influence of alcohol, misplaced bravery, or just downright stupidity. Quite frankly, I don't know what came over me, but I reacted on instinct. In a split second, I caught Yuri's hand before it struck the girl. Positioning myself so that she was safely behind me, I leveled Yuri with what people refer to as my 'psychotic mafia killer' look.

 

"Didn't your mother teach you some manners?" I pushed him back so hard, he almost lost his footing. His eyes then went murderous as he realized who I was.

 

"Well, well, well. Look who the cat dragged in. If it isn't the infamous G-dragon." He laughed derisively. "We just keep meeting like this, eh?"

 

"Believe me, it's not my intention."

 

He sneered. "Stop acting so high and mighty, Jiyong. And don't act like you're some kind of saint, too. After all, everyone knows how much of a playboy you are. Tell me, does that singer girlfriend of yours know you're cheating on her with that international model?"

 

I fought the urge to punch his face into oblivion. Instead, I squared my shoulders and smirked.

 

"I'm actually flattered that you've been keeping updates about my personal life. Really, it's an honor." I put my hand over my heart in mock appreciation. "But what are they saying about you, nowadays?" I gasped dramatically. "Omo. There's really nothing interesting about you anymore, is there?"

 

That blew the proverbial fuse. He immediately went for my face and I ducked just in time, stumbling backwards and accidentally pushing the girl causing her to topple to the floor with a thud. I turned to help her up when Yuri sent another punch my way and unfortunately this time, I wasn't fast enough to deflect it. It hit the side of my jaw. I bent over in pain as I tasted my own blood. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I openly cussed.

 

Yuri cackled like a madman. "Who's the loser now, huh?"

 

"Still you."

 

Just as I looked up, the girl kicked Yuri on the balls and sent him careening to the floor in a tangled mess. His girlfriend, who's presence I've already forgotten, suddenly screamed, drawing everyone's attention to us. In an instant, the head of my security team came over and surveyed the area, alerting the others to contain the incident and make sure no reporters would be able to take pictures. I was still sprawled on the floor when I instructed my manager to take Yuri to the nearest hospital. Gotta make sure he can still procreate in the future.

 

I mean, I'm not that heartless after all.

 

"If you're going to start a fight, at least make sure you know how to throw a punch."

 

I looked up and saw the girl's hand hovering near my face. Did she really just reprimand me after what I did for her? I elected to ignore her help and hauled myself up by grabbing the nearest table.

 

"Glad to know you're so grateful," I muttered under my breath as I perched carefully on the stool.

 

She straightened and took a few steps forward. "How's your jaw?" She asked, her voice turning soft as she looked over me with an unreadable expression.

 

"Just peachy."

 

Truth is, it hurts like hell. You see, I've never been punched before. Despite the public's perception of me as a bad boy, I've never actually been in a fistfight. I basically grew up throwing shade at people when I rap, not punches. What can I say? I'm a lover, not a fighter.

 

She took out her handkerchief and presented it to me. I stared at it blankly. When I didn't make a move, she sighed and reached out, turning my palm up gently. I was shocked to find out that it was bleeding. When the bartender walked by with a tray of drinks, the girl deftly picked one and handed it to me.

 

"Here, drink this."

 

"Why?" I asked her as I held the shot glass on my hand.

 

"Trust me, you'll need it."

 

I was still in the middle of deciding whether to follow her or not when she started pulling the tiny shards out of my hand. I let out a rap of choice words. She only paused a few seconds before pulling one out again. This time I didn't need any encouragement as I chugged the drink in one go. I hissed, the bitter taste of the alcohol sticking to the back of my throat.

 

She held out a lemon in front of me, her face set in a serious look. "."

 

If it were a different situation, I would've accused her of a ual innuendo, but with the rate of pain I'm in, I can't do anything else other than nod. I obediently followed her orders, not even bothering with proper decorum as I leaned forward and the lemon directly from her hand. She actually looked surprised, her pupils visibly dilating as I moved closer.

 

Mmmm...now that the lighting was better, I realized just how petite she was with the oversized clothes and the pink scarf around her neck. She was so bundled up that only the upper half of her face was exposed. She suddenly scrunched her nose in an adorable way, reminding me so much of the pet rabbit I once had in preschool.

 

Aigoo, she's actually cute. Kekekeke

 

I was probably making a provocative expression since she got flustered and ended up shoving the lemon in my mouth and immediately shifted her attention to my hand. I chuckled and deliberately the fruit while smirking at her. She must've noticed this because she retaliated by pressing on the wound, making me cry out in pain. She then smiled sweetly at me.

 

Crazy girl.

 

Without a word, she expertly tied the handkerchief up in a figure of eight, careful not to cause further damage as she drew a knot over my knuckles.

 

"Make sure you wash and desensitize it when you go home. You don't want the wound getting infected." She then opened her bag and took out a box of band-aids.

 

"Why do you have so many?" I can't help but ask. She shrugged while removing one from the container.

 

"I'm accident prone," was her simple reply. She suddenly touched my face, her fingers ghosting on my cheek. It was absurd, but I felt sick to my stomach, like something was trying to crawl out.

 

"Ya, w-what are you d-doing?!" I managed to squeak while gripping the chair tightly with my uninjured hand.

 

She didn't answer and only moved forward, her eyes glancing at my lips for a split second before focusing on my left cheek. I swallowed. Is this her way of thanking me? By giving me a kiss? Ottokae?! What if my breath stinks? Despite the rational part of my brain screaming for me to run away, my eyelids had a mind of its own and decided it was an appropriate reaction to shut itself.

 

(. . .)

 

"Ya. Are you out?"

 

I opened one eye and saw her looking at me with furrowed brows, her eyes dancing with mirth. 

 

"Wait a minute, did you think I was going to take advantage of you?" When I didn't react, she snorted and shook her head, her ponytail swishing with the movement. "You're virtue's safe with me, mister. You're not my type." She then placed a couple of strips on the pocket of my jacket. "Just in case it bleeds again."

 

I didn't hear anything after 'you're not my type.' What the hell did she mean I wasn't her type? I'm everyone's type!! I was about to oppose her absurd claim when I heard someone call out my name from the crowd. I turned to see who it was.

 

"What happened here?" Top asked in his deep monotone voice, glancing around the broken glass and my bandaged hand. "I leave you for a few minutes and you immediately got into a fight?"

 

I sighed. Oh boy, here comes the lectures. I tiredly ran a hand over my face. "Relax, hyung. I'm fine. The bastard Yuri started it."

 

He stopped in front of me, raising my chin and turning my face from side to side. "That's definitely going to bruise. You should put some ice on it when you get home. And your hand," he gestured to the fresh blood seeping through the cloth. "Make sure you wash it thoroughly to prevent it from getting—"

 

"Infected. I know," I muttered under my breath. "She already told me that."

 

"She?" Top asked with a raised brow.

 

"Yeah. This girl right—"

 

Eh???

 

Where is she??

 

I quickly stood up and whirled around, scanning the crowd for the girl with the pink scarf. Aiiiisht. Where did that little rabbit disappear to?

 

"Who are you looking for, Jiyong?"

 

"The girl. She was here a second ago!" I rubbed my eyes tiredly and stumbled my way toward the exit, hoping to catch her outside the club. A hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to a sudden stop. TOP hyung shot me a stern look.

 

"Don't be stupid, Jiyong. The press are waiting outside. Someone must've tipped them about the incident." He then pushed me to the corner, hiding me from the bunch of people peeking through the glass doors. "They'll have a field day if they see you like that." He gestured to my bloodied shirt and injured hand.

 

I bent my head and sighed. He had a point. I really don't need another issue on top of the already mountain of rumors about me.

 

"Arasso." I was too tired to have an argument with him. "Let's just get back to the party." We turned back and I absently scratched my cheek.

 

"By the way, nice band-aid." Top hyung conversationally said, like he was just discussing the weather.

 

Eh?

 

He pointed at something on my face. When I removed it with my finger, I found out that it was a cartoon-printed band-aid. And guess what the design was. Yep. Fluffy rabbits.

 

"Aigoo," I muttered under my breath as I geniunely smiled, probably the first one for the whole day. Hyung looked at me curiously and I just shook my head. Placing it back on my cheek, I followed the others to the lounge, all the while wondering who the little tokki was.