“Put your mask on babe” she reminded him before she started to walk to the door of their apartment. He had two days off and she drove them both back to his apartment in Seoul at the early hours, when it was still dark and the city was still fast asleep. After making sweet sweet love (okay, probably sweet wasn't the word to use to describe the carnal need they had for each other) followed by a hearty breakfast, it was only 10am and they've been awake for hours and honestly quite exhausted but she is about to drive him to YG where he was to meet their CEO and then hang out for an hour or so with their friends. It's not an official visit, no, that's not technically allowed while on active duty. No, he wanted to meet his Hyun-suk hyung and tell him plans for his future when he comes out. He's no fool, he knows he's still very much bankable, but he doesn't want to jump right in to work after he gets discharged. He has the time to rest anyway, because he has to wait until Youngbae and Daesung are discharged too to continue. 

"I can't be bothered, babe. I've been away far too long. I want to inhale the grime of the city." he dismissed. He honestly didn't care. But he knew it would bother her. Still, he wanted to test the waters. 

"Put it on." she said, as he handed him the thick black cloth mask. "Don't even argue. The last time we went out on Christmas, we didn't think we'd be photographed because we're already at a tiny local shop in Jeju and it's been the talk of town for an entire month, I almost had to exile myself far away."

"Why do you avoid it, even? No point denying." he said as he put on the damn mask. 

"Because, I still feel like it should be YOU who confirms it. If it comes from me, I'll be bullied and stepped on by your fangirls." 

He didn't answer that because he didn't for a second think of it that way. He was only always ever insecure about being denied over and over by her, thinking he's not good enough for her. So this is what's stopping her? He thought. Well, he'll make sure to fix that before his off days are over. 

When finally they arrived at the building, he kissed him goodbye and asked him to give him a call when he's done. "You sure you don't just want to go down and hang out here?" he asked. Though, he already knows the answer to his question. It's a big fat no. "It might be a bit weird if I do that when I'm negotiating out of my contract with them. But say hi to our friends. I'll come get you when you're done."

After a lot of begging and pleading to be given another chance at being a singer and doing a solo album, their YG CEO firmly declined and stuck to his idea that she'll only be better off acting or hosting. With that, her dreams of being back on stage, not just shattered, but also, her drive to continue ended as well. She did make sure that her pre-recorded solo songs were given to her and all rights will remain hers. After her drama that ended first quarter of 2019, she is only fulfilling all of her endorsement deals and once all those are over (in a year or so) she will be completely free of YG. A free bird. Looking back, she wondered how it too her this long to leave. She should have done it when 2Ne1 disbanded but she felt she owed the company too much. But at this point, making them millions, she's paid all of it back. 

Which is why, she rarely ever goes inside the building anymore. Only when it's absolutely necessary for work. Today, it wasn't. So she drove to a coffee shop to kill time. Later, she will go shopping. Possibly for something nice to give to Jiyong. 

He, on the other hand, felt absolutely at home as soon as he arrived at YG. He can't deny how much he missed everyone. From security, cafeteria staff, voice coach, dance coach, managers to the higher ups. When he knocked at his hyung-ceo's office, he was greeted with a warm hug. 

"Ah here you are, Jiyongah! Looking well and healthy. I am glad you gained back the weight. You were looking more and more like a skeletal anorexic just before you left. Have you been well? When did you arrive?"

"Dara picked me up in the morning. Early, around 3 or 4am?"

"Ah. The elusive Park Sandara-ssi. You know, she's leaving me, you know that, right? Of course you know. You guys are together. Much to my dismay, I, with the rest of the world, only found out about it after you gave us all a headache with your IG post a year and a half ago."

He only laughed. What is there to say? He was a fool in love. He wanted to mark his territory before he left completely. 

"I have much to discuss with you, hyung, but the first order of business is her."

"Don't fight her battles, Jiyong. She'll hate it. She's a strong, independent, woman. I bet she doesn't know you wanted to talk about her today."

"No she doesn't. Anyway, hyung. My one request is let her go without giving her hassle. She's done all her responsibilities with the company. You've even received the cut in her campaigns. If you can speed the process, that would be best for her. I can see she's stressed about all of these and she doesn't need to see your lawyer and hers as frequently. Do it as a parting gift. She was once your favorite."

"She still is." he cut his artist off. He understands what Jiyong is saying, and even if he's the CEO, he's well aware that YG is nothing without BIGBANG, without Jiyong. "Sandara, she is still one of my most loved. Contrary to what a lot of you believe. I gave her less attention because she's strong and smart and creative and she can make a name for herself alone. Which she did. I guess.. I guess I'm prolonging the process cause a big part of me doesn't want to let her go. I've been in this industry far too long, Jiyong, your girlfriend is talented and beautiful but she is best to shine with 2Ne1. She will get eaten alive out there if she does her solo work. This isn't the Philippines where she's the princess. Here, the princess is replaced every few months. And with you away, Chaerin away, Bom unstable, her support group is not here and she needs that if she wants to survive. I was going to let her do it. But I wanted to wait until you all are out."

"Your professional decisions with your artists, hyung, that's something I will respect because you've only made us bigger than big. But I will beg to differ with your decisions with Dara. Maybe I'm biased because we're talking about the love of my life, but really, you're losing a good one. One of the best in this industry."

"I don't deny that, Jiyong...." he said regretfully. "So, what do I do with the two of you, huh? Will we keep mum about the relationship?" his boss asked. No, he thought. Not for too long, and the world can know. He then proceeded to tell him his plans. 

After the brief discussion about Dara, they moved on to talk about his plans after discharge, which involved a minimum of 2 months rest without working. He can afford it, in fact. He's earning a load of money despite being on active duty that he can afford to not work for the rest of his life. But of course, he won't do that. He's too passionate with his music to let it go. 

It was almost 1pm when Dara parked her range rover in front of the YG headquarters and he saw that he was already hugging his team goodbye. She put the window down and waved at everyone. Some had a shocked look on their faces. It was "old news" her and Jiyong but since it's never been confirmed, some of the newer people on his team didn't know if it was true or not. And her presence here and the dork Jiyong waving his hello and that extra loud voice of his saying "Yobo, I'll just say bye to everyone!" is enough confirmation. 

Back at the apartment, the two, even if both wanted to talk more or make love more, fell asleep 3 minutes after they put a movie on. Not bothering to eat lunch, exhausted from the early morning they both had, slept in each others arms again. 

It was another 5 months until they are able to sleep in each others arms again. Each night. For long. For keeps. 

~~~~

She's still hasn't seen him and he didn't dare move. He does not know if he's ready to be seen though he's been waiting for this day since he entered the military. So many words left unsaid. So many tears left unshed. How painful was it for him not to be able to see her the day he left for his enlistment. How many nights did he torture himself and wonder, how would it have been had he asked her manager to move her Bangkok schedule to a week later, but he didn’t. Because he thought then that she still needed the space. Because he wanted, for once, to be mature. When in the end, he realized that she wanted to be with him as much as he did, he forced himself not to cry over spilled milk. Nothing he or she can do about it. She was in Bangkok, He was in Seoul. So they settled for goodbye phone calls. 

But him, being him, he made sure that their momentary goodbye would not be too hard on her. Weeks ahead of his enlistment date, he rented a penthouse apartment so they can physically be “close” to each other, even if they didn’t actually see each other. He made sure that his entire team knows that even when he’s away, she's to be taken care of. So bodyguards, managers, PA’s, business partners, everyone-  can contribute in taking care of her, making her feel comfortable and safe. She was his queen, and this means, she should be treated as such. 

He may have gone overboard with the very obvious photo of her on his last IG update, but he really just needed to claim - SHE IS MINE. DARA IS MINE. BACK OFF. For the most part, he thinks he succeeded in making it known that HE is NOT single. However, he didn’t anticipate YG’s move of not confirming their relationship. He also didn’t think she would make ZERO comments about it with the media. So even if he’s now known to many as a man in a relationship, she wasn’t. Though she didn’t actively go out with other men, she was still very shippable. Specially after that one drama she worked on with Lee Dong-wook where the public saw her beauty and charm. People were smitten and every one wanted a piece of her. To his dismay, of course. 

Her decision to not be active in the entertainment industry after her drama ended on the first quarter of 2019 was something that he didn’t expect but was secretly thankful fo