"Why can't I be here?"

"I mean it's a vacation. Why are you here being a couch potato instead of heading out with the others?" Jiyong corrected his sentence.

"You're here too?" 

"That's because-" Before Jiyong could finish his sentence, his phone rang again, causing him to muttered in annoyance. "Let me pick this up first. Damn, this is never-ending..."

He walked to the kitchen, making sure that there's enough privacy. Yoona couldn't help but feel curious about the caller. Didn't he just have an hour-long call with his company? Who was the caller this time again? Judging from his look, it certainly didn't look like it's a welcomed person. Out of both curiosity and playfulness, she got out of her cozy blanket and crawled to the kitchen, crouching behind the kitchen top.

"Soonho, I've already told the company just now, no means no!" Jiyong was getting a little too agitated. "I already came clean that I'm with the guys and that's it! No girls involved!" 

/Yah Kwon Jiyong! You refused to say but they're breathing down my neck now! Teddy hyung and I are going crazy! It's LA. I'm almost a 100% sure that it's Fany, isn't it?/ Soonho groaned from the other end. 

"Stop guessing, I'll never give you the answer. It's enough that I got dragged, don't have to get others involved." 

/But that girl in the photo doesn't look like Fany... Wait a minute. Yah, are you guys having a SoshiBang gathering again?! Is that girl one of the Soshi girls?!/ Soonho was performing his own monologue. /Damn you guys! How could you all NOT call me along?! Hyung, Jiyong and that four brats went to gather with pretty girls without inviting us again!/

"I'm tired, bye." Jiyong couldn't be bothered with Soonho's exaggerated reaction. 

/Yah! Yah! You-/

Before Soonho could finish his sentence, Jiyong hung up. He walked out of the kitchen and saw Yoona sitting on the floor, leaning against the kitchen top as she stared into space. He raised his brows in both amusement and curiosity. 

"Yoona-sshi?" He cleared his throat, feigning surprise.

"I-I wasn't eavesdropping!" Yoona snapped out of her thoughts immediately, realising that she had been caught red-handed. 

"I was just planning to ask why are you sitting here. I didn't say you're eavesdropping," Jiyong stifled a chuckle. "Oh, you were?" 

"Wa-Was not!" Yoona could feel her cheeks burning as she stood up quickly, heading into the kitchen. "I-I just wanted to get a glass of water, b-but did not want to intrude, so-so I sat there and waited! I did not hear anything."

"Ohhhh~" Jiyong slurred his words on purpose and turned around, walking away. "Sure~ You can go ahead with your glass of water now."

"I-I-I really wasn't eavesdropping!" Yoona shouted after him but Jiyong simply waved his hand and went upstairs.

Yoona cursed under her breath. Damn, she should have chosen a better hiding spot and well, not be in her own world when she's eavesdropping! 

✾✽✾✽✾✽

"Stop guessing, I'll never give you the answer. It's enough that I got dragged, don't have to get others involved..."

Yoona stood in the kitchen, holding her glass of water and were deep in thoughts again, Jiyong's words lingering in her mind. Of course, she couldn't hear Soonho's reply but judging from Jiyong's replies alone, it seemed like he was adamant about not exposing them?

That's something she couldn't quite get it. Sure, he's rather close with the other Soshi girls but that girl in the picture was her. He could jolly well name her out and she's pretty sure her name was somehow still news-worthy. This would have taken a little heat off him. Why was he being so protective and keeping mum about this? Why did he choose to let the public misunderstand him? Wouldn't he feel horrible and wronged? She honestly wouldn't have blamed him if he revealed her name. In fact, she was already thinking on how to explain if she was asked.

This made her recalled the fact that just like the public, she believed what the media had portrayed. She was abashed. She always assumed news about him was almost always true. A little exaggerative, but still true to a certain extent. On top of the occasions that he's always late for gatherings and his nonchalance on answering when asked, she didn't have a good impression of him and couldn't see why the others respect and adore him so much. 

Maybe, it's time for her to rejudge her opinion of him...

"Yoona-sshi?" 

"E-Eh!?" She was startled as a voice rang behind her.

"You seem to like to daydream a lot huh?" Jiyong mused as he walked into the kitchen.

"I-I'm just still hungover," Yoona stuttered and realised Jiyong was all dressed up. "You're going out?" 

"Yeahs, like I said, it's a vacation. It'll be a waste to stay indoor to watch TV~" Jiyong asked. "You're still going to be a couch potato?"

"Nursing a hangover would be a better word," Yoona pursed her lips. "But Yuri unnie just texted and reminded that I've to be out. I still owe her a photo proof~"

"Photo proof?"

"Yeahs, she specifically WARNED me to not stay at home," Yoona gave an exaggerated sigh. "It's okay. I'll just google some LA café images and send them over. She would be too preoccupied to find out anything amiss." 

"Seungri joined them after meeting his friends. If he's around, your plan won't succeed," Jiyong jested. "He even tried using lesser-known search engines such as Bing and Yahoo to search for the images, just to escape his schedules and ended up failing badly. So, I would say those images that you're going to send, would probably have been seen by him on portals before." 

"Damnnnn, why must he join them at the amusement park!" Yoona grimaced. "What am I supposed to do now? My head is really throbbing!"

Jiyong contemplated for a moment and decided to speak up. "Actually, I know a place that can help you. You can be out to show Yuri, yet your head won't hurt."

Yoona was all ears, "really?" 

"At least for me I guess? Not too sure if it'll work for you," Jiyong smiled. 

"So long as it doesn't involve strenuous activity or having to go into the water, I'm fine," Yoona shuddered at the thought of having to swim. 

"Don't worry, it's autumn going winter. I won't want to go into the water either," Jiyong laughed. "Let's go then?" 

"Alright, let me get changed," Yoona sighed dramatically as she walked up to her room, muttering away. "There goes my movie and snuggle time~"

Jiyong couldn't help but laugh as he watched her grumbling away. He realised that for the first time, after more than a decade, they were actually having a PROPER one-to-one conversation like how he did with the others.

And this, wasn't that scary and daunting after all~ 

✾✽✾✽✾✽

"Hey G! Long time no see!" An American guy greeted him cheerfully when they walked in.

"Hey man!" Jiyong gave a brotherly fist-bump. "Yeahs, just discharged from army a month ago. I came to LA for a vacation and decided to bring a friend along this time."

"Wow, is this Girls' Generation Yoona?!" The guy exclaimed and gave Yoona a bear hug. "I'm a huge fan!" 

Yoona jolted at the sudden friendliness but returned the hug nonetheless, "h-hi there..." 

"Alright Garett, enough with your American greetings. Don't scare her," Jiyong tittered at her expression and helped her out. "Is my usual spot taken?"

"Nahs, always reserved for you," Garett released the embrace and showed them the way. "When you called just now, I had it cleaned up. Taeyang didn't come with you this time?"

"He's out playing in the amusement park. You know, once married, you'll let loose whenever you get the chance," Jiyong joked. "Saints like him is no exception~"

"Right, he's a married man now! Damnnnn, time seems to pass so fast!" Garett laughed as they reached the basement. "Okay, you know where all the materials are. This place is all yours now. Enjoy~ I'll bring in the food and drinks. The usual?" 

"Yeahs," Jiyong answered before adding, "maybe not the drinks. We'll have mocktails instead." 

"Sure~ Will be back in a jiffy!" 

"Thanks!" 

The place they are in? 

An art-jamming café. 

"TOP hyung first got into collecting art pieces, followed by me. I took a step further, trying painting and designing on my own," Jiyong explained when Garett left them alone. "Experimented here and there and yeahs, that explains the co