After the concert, BigBang members were hanging around their room backstage, wearing regular clothes after wearing off their stage outfits, having no make-up and were all on their phones while their staff members and crew were cleaning up and packing their things before they left the place. 
It was quieter now compared to their situation before the concert where it was out of control. 

Jiyong was on his phone checking his social media when Daesung said, "Ahh, Dara noona watched the concert." while looking at his phone, reading articles about the stars who watched the show.

TOP replied, "Really? Ohh that was heartwarming." 

Taeyang butted in, "Yeah. My wife saw her with Gray hyung." 

Daesung said, "Ah, of course your wife would also be there." 

Taeyang replied, "Yeah. We're texting right now. We'll be meeting each other so I gotta go." 

Offhandedly, he left the room after tapping the members' back and saying goodbye. Right after he exited, TOP stood up and said, "My opponent is gone. It's time." as he took his duffle bag and began stuffing it with the free snacks in their room.  

Daesung laughed, knowing that TOP must've felt victorious when Taeyang, who used to get snacks as well, left without getting any. 

While the people inside the room were laughing along with Daesung, Jiyong was in a serious mood. He was in the rocks with Jennie these days. He couldn't help but to doubt whether they made the right decision for exclusively dating at times and envy other healthy couples. 
It was not that they were toxic for each other, he was just looking for the kind of relationship he sees around him—the public ones, or he must have been finding reasons to invalidate his feelings of jealousy now after finding out that Dara was finally happy. 

Due to his frustrations, he had the urge to reconnect with her after seldomly talking to each other for a year. Selfish it may be, he wanted to be involved in her life once again—even after she began publicly dating Gray just lately.
He knew that they had a thing going on a year ago but he never confirmed because she never posted anything or talked about anything regarding her love life. He also never asked because he became busy with Jennie after the incident in his house, which slowly drove both of them away from each other, leading to lesser and lesser communication. 

He was supposed to be happy for her because she finally came out with her boyfriend in public for the first time but he was rather mad. He was projecting his disappointment to Dara's dating status. If he was to act upon his desires, he would've ruined them by now. He would've made a mess and torn them apart but he was not that kind of guy. 

He couldn't do such a thing. 

He repressed his emotions until they went home. When he sat on his bed, he grabbed his phone and planned to send her a congratulatory message about her dating life instead. He wanted her to know how he was proud of her choices and he was rooting for her. He wanted to let her feel that even though they couldn't contact each other that much anymore because of their relationship status now, he would always be there for her. He would always cherish what they have and that she mattered a lot to him so it's impossible to throw it all away. He was typing all the words until he realized that it was leading somewhere else.  

Then he realized that something may be wrong with him for writing down the way he truly feels for her. He has a boyfriend and they just publicly dated, therefore, he must know his boundaries. Having the precaution in mind, he deleted what he was typing.   

He thought, "I might be doing something stupid." 

But a part of him, the stupidest part of him, the raging fires from within, was saying that he should tell her before it's too late. The voice within him kept telling him to screw what others would think and that he must be honest to himself for once. He told himself that he would not tell it for the intent of destroying their relationship but only to let her be aware of the way he feels about her. He thought it was now or never. She must know so he typed a lengthy message that night while thinking "Could she be thinking of me now too?" 

At the same time as he was thinking of her, Dara was talking to Hwangbo on the phone. Using her excited voice she said, "Guess what happened lately!"

Hwangbo was influenced by her good vibes so she impatiently asked, while smiling widely "What is it?" 

Her world spun around and she felt like passing out when Dara delivered the good news and exclaimed "I'm engaged!"

She screamed in shock and excitement then replied after, "Really?!? Wow! Congratulations! With who?" 

She was so private about it that it felt weird revealing it to her friend just now. She giggled first before she said, "Gray. He proposed to me outside the stadium after we went to the concert together. He tricked me well to let me go outside while the concert was still ongoing so there would be no people outside. He said his tires were flat and he needed to change his tires. He wanted me to get his spare tire at the back of his car but I couldn't find it. When I came back to ask him, he was already kneeling down, offering me a ring from his hand. I felt like exploding! Wahh~ I think I shared too much. I'm sorry. I'm just too happy I need to tell it to someone." 

"I'm running out of words now. I'm so happy for you! Really!" 

"Thank you! It really surprised me. He told me he was saving money for it by working overtime and almost killing himself. Aigoo~ He was even sorry for proposing to me privately and not too romantically but how could it not be romantic when he worked hard for it?! Right?"

"Right! Ahkk Dara, you always surprise us." 

"I move that way." 

"Yeah! With all due respect, I thought you and Jiyong are going to end up together. What you guys have is different. I saw a lot of stories where best friends marry each other in the end. That's why I thought it would be the same for the both of you but that didn't seem to be the case." 

"Auuh~ That's true. I mean, I knew we had a spark back then. I felt it too. But he had all the other girls and he hadn't chosen me. I think the line is clear." 

"You're right. But I'm happy for the both of you! You both finally found a wonderful love!" 

They talked about what happened for the rest of the night, with Dara happily sharing her sentiments about the proposal to Hwangbo. They were gushing over it and squealing whenever Dara spills some of the details of their relationship, which she never did before only but now.
It was one of the biggest days in Dara's life and she was currently overjoyed so Hwangbo stayed up to hear all of whatever Dara says—striking while the iron is hot.
She had never felt so happy for a friend that's why she drank with her to celebrate the night away while they were on call. 

It was already past midnight when they just noticed that they were talking for too long. Dara checked her phone and said, "Omo." and laughed after recognizing the time. "It was morning already." 

Hwangbo laughed too and jokingly replied, "How rebellious~" 

They had drunk a little and were already feeling the punch of wine, thus they ended the call to sleep. It was hours before dawn anyway and they thought that their body and their mouth needed to rest from an almost unending chitchat. 

It had already been hours since they were talking and Jiyong's message could've come through by then but hours already came by and she didn't receive one.

It was already late in the morning of the next day when Jiyong just woke up. He immediately smoked a cigarette even while still lying down. He took a few minutes, spacing out and rethinking what he would have done last night if he didn't change his mind. 

He thought it through and through whether he should send her the message that stayed in his drafts last night. He was battling against his righteousness of not sending it because she belongs to someone else already and however you'd turn the situation around, it could come as a form of meddling with her relationship. But again, he knew that his intention was clean and he just needed to get it out of his chest somehow without asking for anything in return.  
The latter convinced him more to take action so he stood up to go to his kitchen and open his fridge to give himself a glass of chocolate milk before he gets his phone and press send from his drafts. 

He thought having his mind foggy because he just woke up helped him to push his plan. For him, the best time to act on impulse was when you're feeling crazy. You just have to go for it and let the universe handle the rest.  
It was still daytime so he also thought that he had a lot of time within the day to distract himself from the embarrassment when he finally said it and from the awkwardness that comes after when she replies. 

Being fully determined, he drank the milk in one shot and went straight to his room to get his phone. Just when he was about to reach it, it rang. 

He checked who was calling and smiled after he saw her name. He said, "Now would you look at that timing." and confidently answered.
 
"Yoboseyo?" 

Dara replied cheerfully, "Jiyong-ah!" 

He cackled at her unusual tone and said, "Are you okay?" 

"Yes! I have something to tell you." 

"What is it?" 

"You can't tell anyone about this." 

He joked "I promise I won't tell the cops." 

She laughed and then stopped when she thought that she was being disrespectful for talking only about herself when they haven't talked to each other for so long. She later said, "But ah, sorry I blabbered too much. Anyway, how are you these days?" 

"Good. How about you?" 

"I'm good too.”

“What is it that you're going to tell me? It seemed so important. You haven't called for like... so many months." 

"I just think that you must know this." 

He scoffed when he noticed that the chance seemed to get to him when he needed it most. He chuckled like it's funny and replied, "Is that so? I also think you must know something." 

"Oh. Really? Wow. What is it?" 

"You first. You called me, so..." 

She heaved a breath before she spoke and before his world fell apart. It was the time he wished he didn't hear a thing as the words she said brought a loud ringing to his ears. 
He did not see it coming, much to say he was not ready for it. The disappointment arrived to him as sadness, grief and an ending. The result of his emotions was what could be felt as abandonment. But rather than acting like an impetuous emotional toddler who stamps their feet and makes protests of ego for not getting what he wants, he calmly approached the matter. He realized that no