Here is chapter four, guys! I've decided that I'm going to continue writing this story. There will be no discernable days that I will choose to decide to post chapters. If I write every single day, uploads will be happening a lot sooner. A lot of idea came to mind and I've just been writing non-stop. Please do keep in mind that I am trying to write by how current events between these two might be so there won't be any actual interaction beteen Chaerin and Jiyong 

EDIT: I actually came back to this chapter on 5/18/22 to delete and rewrite some paragraphs. I lost touch with this story for a while and didn't keep up at all with K-Pop. I suddenly decided to try at it AGAIN with this story and realized that I have missed SO much from the time frame I stopped this in chapter 5...then I realized that Seungri was actually imprisoned August 12 so that completely screwed with this chapter's timeline (not so much as I had set in some worries about the maknae with Jiyong's parts). ALSO I realized that Chaerin released 'Spice' August 24th and the Met Gala wasn't until September 19th...so I needed to switch some dates on here. 

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He was feeling anxious and various mixed emotions. His foot tapped on the floor impatiently as he sat slouched in his chair within the studio, his hand was at his mouth allowing him to bite at his nails unconsciously.

“Ji, stop biting your nails, man.”

Jiyong stopped his jittering and pulled his hand from his mouth, looking at the person who had spoken.

Teddy-hyung.

The Big Bang leader cleared his throat and corrected his seating position in the chair.

“I know...things have been rough lately but—”

“Things have always been rough, hyung.” Jiyong cut him off, “Only difference now is that it's out there for the world to see.”

He didn't know necessarily what he was talking about. Was it the various scandals he's had in the past? His love-life—or lack there of? Seungri's legality issues, quitting the entertainment industry, and facing jail-time? The loss of a mother? Or just him in general?

Jiyong groaned, letting his head fall against the headrest of his chair and thumped his foot on the floor a few times before jolting up from the chair.

Teddy raised an eyebrow and turned his chair in the younger male's direction, “Where are you going?”

“I need to vape.” Jiyong replied, reaching for the electronic pen in his pocket.

Teddy rolled his eyes and stood up next to the Big Bang leader, “You need to drop that , man.”

“Funny, eomma says the same thing...” The younger male muttered.

“Your eomma is wise, that's why.”

Jiyong chuckled humorlessly and shook his head, waving the vape pen in the air as he began walking out of the studio, “I'll be back in a bit.”

The dark hallways of YG seemed quieter these days. There weren't that many artists signed to the label as there were before. He made his way down the hall and came toward the modern main lobby where all names of artists within the label shown brightly in LED lights against the wall. Those who were no longer contracted with the company had their names turned off and would probably be removed soon.

He walked up to the wall and came upon his group's names. His eyes spotted the maknae's name written in characters, completely dulled off while the rest of the member's names shown brightly.

“Seungri-ah...”

“...He says he's doing a bit better, you know?”

Jiyong's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he turned to look at the person who had spoken. Granted, he did recognize the voice but he wasn't expecting her to be here today.

“Jennie-ah.”

The younger woman was dressed to the nine's as always. It didn't matter the situation, if Black Pink's Jennie needed to go out of her home, she dressed to impress. They were alike in so many ways and maybe that was one of the reasons why they clicked. Her taste in fashion for one was something they both liked to talk about a lot. He's come to realize that the younger girl was also attuned to his emotions—he didn't understand where that came from though.

“Oppa...you look like a raccoon.”

Jiyong chuckled lightly and leaned against the LED wall, placing his hands in his pocket to hide the vape from her view. He really didn't want to get scolded by her too.

“My, what a compliment from the great Kim, Jennie.”

Jennie grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the black marble seats in the center of the lobby.

“You need to lighten up! It's a beautiful day today!”

Jiyong grimaced and pulled his hand from her grasp, running it behind his neck at the admission. Yes, the weather was beautiful but it didn't match his mood nor the situation he was going through right now. The rumors circulating about him and the woman before him in question didn't help matters either but all press was good press as their sajangnim had once said.

“Yeah...it is.” he muttered.

Jennie frowned and placed her hands against her thighs. Awkwardness started to settle in as they stayed quiet.

“Does how your feeling have anything to do with the rumors going around...?” She asked, uncertainty filling her voice at what he would respond with.

Jiyong picked up on this quickly and sighed, “Look, Jennie-ah...we've spoken about this before and the last thing I want to do is hurt you but you know how I feel toward you...,” he turned his body in her direction, seeing her eyes settle onto the marble floor, her stature in a defeated pose, “I'm honored that you would think so highly of me but I can't see you as more than a dongsaeng.”

Jennie looked up at him after a minute and gave him a sad smile, “I know...,”

Jiyong returned her facial expression and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a few taps for comfort.

The young woman took in a deep breath and placed her hands on either side of her thighs onto their chair, “I know you have feelings for someone else.”

Jiyong looked at her with questionable eyes at her comment. “Oh?”

Jennie rolled her eyes and slapped his arm lightly, “I saw you with her.”

The Big Bang leader had been around many females in his career and many more with whom he had been rumored to be with, including Jennie herself. Who was she talking about?

Jennie shook her head lightly at the male sitting next to her. “Back when I was a trainee, I liked walking down these halls...hoping to get a glimpse of the idols here—even you.” She stood up and slowly took a few steps away from him, wringing her soft white long-sleeve as her nerves began to wrack at her. “I was passing by your studio...the one you guys used to use a lot back then.”

Jiyong narrowed his eyes in curiosity, his head tilting to the side as he waited for her to continue. Fear trickled through his body for just a millisecond as he thought of every possible scenario where he would be in compromising situations with a woman in that specific studio—Kiko or Chaerin? For the most part he was always careful when he knew things would get lascivious with either partner so what moment was she speaking of?

“She was yelling at you...”

That didn't do much to help him remember...both women had argued with him in that studio.

Jennie crossed her arms and turned back around, giving him a small smile, “You pulled her into your arms—she tried pulling away but...”

Something clicked in him then and there.

She was talking about Chaerin.

Jennie had spotted them years ago in the studio...

His eyebrows furrowed as a distant memory came to the forefront of his mind. He remembered seeing a head popping into view of the small window of the studio door.

“That was you...?” He asked, raising his hand lightly to point in her direction.

Jennie rubbed her arm uncomfortably and nodded, “I didn't mean to spy on your guy's conversation...I just heard shouting and I looked into the window. You both looked like you were in so much pain...”

Jiyong dropped his hand and closed his eyes, breathing out lightly as he thought back to that time.

They had been in pain and it was all his fault. He couldn't let go—he never learned how to. Kiko was something different...she was part of a reality in his life that was separate from normalcy while Chaerin was, for lack of a better term, home and it didn't get anymore simple than that. She was all he knew and was confident that she would be there no matter what—this was his mistake.

It hadn't been a matter of wanting to have two women at the same time, it was just that he loved too strongly. They were two separate entities with very different personalities—both equally a breath of fresh air.

Someone had once told him, 'You'll lose the bunny in hand, trying to catch the one on the run.'

He knew they were referencing Chaerin as the bunny and Kiko as 'the one on the run' but he hadn't thought of it much. Now he knew what they spoke of.

His relationship with Kiko had been a huge roller-coaster. Many people liked to reference their love-life as such but he doubted a relationship should have so many dips and loops like his did with the Japanese model. He knew in part he was enamored with the idea of going outside of the norm and being with someone who wasn't Korean—who wasn't what your parents wanted or expected. They had very strong opinions about her during the course of their relationship and break-ups. Chaerin on the other hand was accepted into his home no questions asked and found nothing absolutely wrong with that.

There were just too many insecurities for all parties during that time. Now that he looks back, there was no way he would have made it with either women because of those doubts.

“Was 'Black' about her...” Jennie asked, tilting her head sideways, her hair falling over and covering part of her eye. “about sunbaenim?”

It took Jiyong a second to process her words and had him shaking his head to respond. “No.”

“Then...it was about the Japanese model?” she asked again.

The corner of Jiyong's lip quirked up slightly at the question, “You have so many questions today, don't you?”

Jennie's cheeks flushed and she found herself bowing at him, “I'm sorry! Sometimes my mouth gets the better of me!”

“Yeah,” The Big Bang leader chuckled, getting up from the marble seat and patting her head before making his way toward the exit, “it's one of the things I like about you.”

Jennie felt her face get hot at the notion and lightly slapped at her cheeks.

'He says he likes me...' She felt like her heart was going to pop out of her chest.

She wanted to squeal in delight but quickly reigned herself in as people began trickling in from other areas of the building. The Black Pink member bit at her lip, trying to force her grin down as she walked hastily in the opposite direction of the Big Bang leader.

Once outside, Jiyong looked down at the simple black vape in his hand. He turned it around back and forth and realized he didn't need it anymore. His stress levels had dwindled a lot conversing with Jennie—no matter what the topic was about. The little spit-fire knew how to distract him, that was for sure.

He put the vape back into his jean pocket and looked up at the clear sky.

'Are you as happy as the sky, Hunchae-ah?'

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

September 19, 2021

Seven months passed, it was now September, and things seemed to have gotten better for her.

Chaerin smiled and laughed again. She felt free, like she was on top of the world. She had released 'Spice' a month ago and feedback from her fans was phenomenal.

She looked down at her custom outfit made for the Met Gala and was ecstatic to try on the denim hanbok Alexander Wang had created for her. Chaerin jumped up and down lightly as she clapped her hands impatiently, the sound of her nails hitting each other resounded as the staff began to get her ready.

“Darling, this wi