Yoona set her phone down and thought she felt something in , but the need to cry suddenly dissipated. Seunghyun was such a vulnerable being and she needed to be the strong one at the moment. He was a gifted actor when it came to portraying his on-screen characters, but she didn't believe his break-up story for a second. If anything, the momentary pangs of sadness were for his sake. Her instincts told her this was all a lie that Seunghyun must be tearing himself up over. A man who was deeply in love just a day before could not have had a change of heart. Another woman? She doubted it. She was confident she had his full attention. Then what could it have been?

It was one of those rare afternoons that the SNSD dorm was completely empty and she was grateful for it. She needed time to clear her mind and really think of a strategy. She walked over to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. She caught the gleam of her silver chopsticks from the dish drying rack. They were too precious to keep stored in a box, so she used them constantly to remind herself of the only person she had dated who seemed to get her and accept her every flaw. She wasn't about to lose him now. At least not before they had gotten a chance to enjoy all the corniness that came with being a new couple. There was so much they hadn't gotten to experience together. Their one year anniversary seemed so far off. She wanted to reach that milestone.

She sat at the table and brought the glass to her lips. She knew Seunghyun was beyond stubborn and if this was a serious situation, he wouldn't budge. She couldn't help but feel disappointed that he wouldn't confide in her, but her rational mind told her there had to be a good reason for the deception. If she couldn't get to him, then she had to get to someone close to him. 

Somewhere not too far from the SNSD dorm, Cho Hye Jung had once again found a way to sneak out of class in order to make a phone call. Last time it was a stomachache, today she was excused due to period cramps. As she walked down the hall to the girls' bathroom, she only hoped she could get herself out of this dangerous situation soon. 

She knew perfectly well why she was targeted. As a 16 year old, she had put exposed herself to the world and had only gotten back from it what she felt she deserved. She regretted mixing with the wrong crowd at school and bullying kids who had once been in her position, but the praise and affection she received from her group of peers proved to be a powerful drug. She dabbled in the club scene, drank more alcohol then her young body could handle, and was taken home several times by men twice her age.

It wasn't until she started becoming a fan of Big Bang's T.O.P that her world took a turn for the better. It was silly to like a celebrity that much. That's what she had always thought when her classmates were going crazy over the latest boy group. But TOP was different. His story inspired her and his talent surpassed that of any of the younger idol robots. Most importantly, the group of fans she always hung out with kept her on track. While stalking a pop star wasn't exactly a worthwhile endeavor, it kept her busy and out of trouble, even if she was relegated to wangta status for dropping out of her old crew. She vowed to always protect him out of pure gratitude.

Yet here she was, causing deep pain to the person she admired most. They had tried recruiting one of her ex-friends, but somehow her name came up and her connections to the highest-ranking members of Big Bang's fan cafe. They tried offering her money, but she wouldn't accept it. Then, came the blackmail. If her father found out she was a former iljin, his heart would break into pieces. Knowing him, he would uproot the entire family and she knew he couldn't afford it. He was just beginning to catch up on all his debt and she wouldn't be the source of his ruin. But in exchange, she had to betray the one person who had made life worth living for the past year. 

Back at the audition, Minho's head was swimming with ideas as he sat in on the script reading. He hadn't expected TOP's ex to show her face at an audition for his drama, but now that she was here, the opportunity was too perfect not to take. Yoo In Na had made a fairly successful career off of sidekick and second-tier villain roles and she was obviously greedy for more if she had shown up to this. 

The director leaned in close to him during one of her dramatic readings. "What do you think so far?"

Minho stared ahead at the actress who tearfully read through her lines and furrowed his brow. Somber scenes were definitely her strength. 

"I'm not convinced."

He was supposed to have whispered it, but his voice rose a few decibels too high and within her hearing range. He was sure she had heard it, even if she was still in audition mode and stayed in character. 

"Bastard." 

The audition was over and In Na was gathering her belongings when Minho was certain he had heard this offense slip from as he walked past.

"Excuse you."

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. They appeared tired and solemn. "I was here to seriously audition, not for the mind games. I thought you were holding out for Director Yoon's movie, anyway."

He smirked at that. "Oh, I'm still holding out for that. What makes you think I wouldn't recommend you for this project?"

She sighed heavily. "Why did my agency not warn me about this director being your ? What do you want?"

He chuckled. "I like not having to beat around the bush with you. You're a smart girl, you know that?"

"I have a meeting that I'm late for..."

"It can wait." 

The audition room was empty by that time. He motioned for her to take her seat once more and she reluctantly obliged as he pulled a chair up next to her.

"I know just as well as you that you need this part," he began. "You may not think very highly of me, but a lead role in my drama would get you noticed. And you're not exactly young by industry-standards..."

"Get on with it, ."

"To tell you the truth, I don't think the director was blown away by you. How do you follow up an audition by Korea's sweetheart, Moon Geun Young?" He inched his chair closer and rested his hand on the arm of her chair. "But I was really moved by your performance. I can persuade him. All you have to do is help me out a little. And believe me, you'll enjoy it."

In Na scowled as she moved back in disgust. "Are you coming on to me?"

He scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. This is about your ex-boyfriend."

She tensed up at the mention of her ex. "Seunghyun?"

"I need you to go public about your relationship."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Maybe. But hear me out. I have something on TOP. Something big. And when this something comes to light, we'll reveal his heartbroken ex-girlfriend who was betrayed during their relationship."

"You can't be serious..."

"The entire country will despise the cheating douchebag. As for the girlfriend," he reached out to wipe away an imaginary tear from her cheek," she will have the nation's support in anything she decides to pursue thereafter." 

"You're sick, Minho."

"Hey, this is coming out whether you're with me or not. So either you get on my side, or you can say goodbye to this part and the multiple CF deals that are sure to come along with it. TOP is still getting screwed regardless."

He stood up to leave. "You know how to reach me if you want in."

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Hye Jung was curled up in her blankets as she stared blankly at the wall in front of her. She had skipped dinner again today, even though Mom had made her favorite japchae noodles. What did sustenance matter when she was a rat that didn't deserve to call herself a VIP? Again and again, she tortured herself by replaying the memory of the enraged look TOP gave her on the day they met. She wasn't like sasaengs. She didn't derive pleasure from his scorn.

Suddenly, her self-beratement was interrupted by a call coming in on the disposable phone they had provided for her. She hid under the covers before answering.

"Hello?"

It was a woman's voice this time. This caught her off guard.

"Who is this?"

"Is this Cho Hye Jung?" 

"This number was not supposed to be given out to anyone else," she seethed.

"An exception was made. I'll be helping you on your assignment. When do you want to meet?"

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Yoona wore 3 layers of clothing, a cap, heavy makeup and a face mask for good measure. Dark sunglasses were so obviously worn by celebs who were trying to disguise themselves. Nope. Yoona had Taeyeon sculpt new brows and pile on so much smokey makeup  to change the shape of her eyes that she was virtually unrecognizable. At least that's what she hoped for when she did a final take in the mirror before heading out to YG Entertainment. 

She was dropped off in a taxi a block away when her nerves began to build. The memory of the last time she had stepped foot outside of the building was still vivid in her mind. She giggled at the thought of Seunghyun passing her off as the CEO's pregnant wife, which helped her relax a bit. This time she was alone, no baby bump and no one to help her sneak inside. She just hoped she'd pass by largely undetected by the hoard of young women she was expecting to be waiting on the outside. 

It was deserted. Her sudden excitement at the sight soon turned to dread as she realized that if the fans weren't there, then there was a good chance that the members were probably not there either. She couldn't bring herself to turn back, as much as she wanted to. She was determined.

As she approached the entrance and put her hand up to the buzzer, she was addressed by a female voice.

"Annyeong."

She turned to find a woman who looked to be the same age as she, who wore a baseball jacket with Big Bang's B logo stitched to the front. Her heart began to race as she bowed slightly. 

"I've never seen you around here before." She switched to broken English. "Do you speak Korean? Fans can't use door."

Was she seriously being mistaken for a foreigner? 

"Fan de wa nai. Koriogurafa~ desu." 

She used her rudimentary knowledge of Japanese to tell the woman she wasn't a fan, but a choreographer. She had just come up with the explanation on the spot.

"Ah. Choreo. Ok."

The woman walked away and Yoona saw her texting, most likely alerting the others of the new face she had seen.

She felt like a video game character. Level 1, passed.

She waited until the fan was at an acceptable distance before ringing the buzzer. 

"Welcome to YG Entertainment, how can we help you?" said the disinterested voice that blared over the intercom.

She hadn't thought this through. She should have had a plan.

"I'm... here for an audition."

God. 

"There are no auditions today, please check our website for more information, thank you, goodbye."

The woman was obviously accustomed to random young girls trying to pass off as talent in order to get to the celebs. She couldn't blame her.

"Uh.. Kwon Jiyong called me here personally."

She was pulling things out of her at this point. 

"Mr. Kwon Jiyong didn't tell me he was expecting anyone, I'm sorry. If you don't leave now, I will call security."

OF COURSE. Why did she think she was going to get in with a stupid excuse that not even a 12 year old would attempt? She was almost ready to give up. And then it dawned on her. If she could only prove to someone that she was who she was, she'd get in without a problem. 

"Please... I swear. If you get him down here, he'll immediately know it's me. He's requested that I come here personally, it's very important."

"Miss... do you realize I could potentially lose my job if I interrupt him to come down here to identify a sasaeng?"

How many times in her life was she going to be accused of being one of those? 

"Look... I understand what your position is, but Jiyong really wants to see me. I'm here from... Japan. He's not answering his phone and my flight leaves in a few hours."

"Miss..."

"If you call him and he doesn't know who I am, then I will let you punch me in the face!"

Her face was her livelihood. Yoona meant business.

"Well if you are really telling the truth and I don't tell Mr. Kwon about it, I could end up losing my job anyway. What's your name?"

She was so getting punched.

"Yoona."

Common enough name, right?

"Do you not have a last name?"

"He'll know."

10 minutes later she was buzzed in and directed to the studio in which G-Dragon was busily at work on his solo album.

Level 2, passed.

As soon as the door was closed behind her she removed her mask. Jiyong smirked.

"I knew it was you. You're lucky I guessed that you'd be crazy enough to try." 

She let out a sigh of relief. She never thought she'd get this far undetected.

"Jiyong, I really need to know what's going on."

"Seunghyun hasn't been answering your calls has he?" he asked, knowingly.

"I haven't even tried."

He looked puzzled. "So you knew he wouldn't?"

Yoona nodded. "I know that pabo like the back of my hand. There's something serious going on and I'm not leaving until I know what it is. I'm not getting dumped without a real explanation."

"Yoona... look if I were you..."

"I made it through this far because I'm crazy. Don't test me. I know Seunghyun's in trouble."

She knew he wanted to spill. They continued arguing back and forth, Yoona's threats becoming more outlandish by the minute, but he wouldn't budge. He continued to reassure her and told her not to worry and that TOP would contact her whenever he was ready. The way he answered confirmed to her that it was deeper than a simple change of heart, and she would stick to that version until proven wrong.

"Fine. You won't talk. I'll be on my way."

She grabbed her mask and bowed before heading towards the door. She quickly turned back around.

"DON'T tell Seunghyun I was here. I don't want him knowing that I'm onto him. Please."

Jiyong nodded. "Let me walk you down in case anyone gives you trouble."

Yoona suddenly recalled the strange stares whenever she was spotted on her way up to the studio.

"Yes... maybe that would be best."

They stepped into the elevator and Yoona remembered to put her mask on as the doors closed. God forbid anyone actually recognized her. 

The elevator stopped at the 4th floor as Yoona finished putting on her mask. She turned back and her heart went cold when she stared straight into the eyes of Choi Seunghyun. It didn't matter how many pounds of makeup Yoona wore, Seunghyun recognized her instantly. Those 30 seconds spent travelling down felt like an eternity as his eyes seemed to sear through her skull. She nervously looked away but she felt his gaze on her and every breath felt labored. She wished Jiyong would disappear and that she could run to him and hold him close. But they were broken up now, they weren't alone, and she wasn't here as Im Yoona.

The elevator finally reached the lobby and all 3 of them exited. Jiyong looked just as nervous as she and both of them were certain that he knew her identity. She quickly bowed to Jiyong and walked away, but she was held back after running into Seungri of all people.

"Have I seen you around her before? You're really cute. Are you lost?"

All eyes were on them. And suddenly, the wheels in her head began to turn.

"s-s-Seungri-sshi...?"she stuttered coyly. 

"That's me." He smirked and her stomach turned at the thought of playing the love-struck trainee. However, her pride had no place in her heart at this moment.

She bowed deeply. "Sunbae-nim... I'm so honored to meet you. I'm looking for the practice room. Can you help me find it?"

"Of course, cutie." 

That required walking right back over to the elevator and right past Choi Seunghyun, whose gaze was still focused on her alone. All she could hope for was that the sound of her beating heart couldn't be heard by anyone but her, but it seemed as if it echoed through the hall. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was 2AM when the ahjumma with the wild perm was dropped off outside of the residential building. The streets were empty and no sounds could be heard aside from the quiet flapping of her flip flops on the concrete as she walked towards the entrance. She took the elevator up to apartment 405 and waited in front of the door, hoping she'd somehow get inside. She nervously rang the buzzer. She was shocked when the inhabitant answered as quickly as he did, it being 2AM and all.

"You've got the wrong apartment, lady."

Right. Who lets strange older ladies into their apartment at 2AM?

"I... I... need help!"

"With what?"

"My husband! He... collapsed! I need help! Please, young man! Open the door!"

Click.

Oh my god... she had actually gained access... and now? She ran in without a plan. 

"Im Yoona, what the ?!"

Oh yes. Yoona had enlisted the help of a costume designer from the set of one of her dramas and gotten ahold of a fatsuit, a hot pink tracksuit, and a short, curly wig. She looked absolutely ridiculous and almost irrecognizable and it was just like her to stoop this low. 

"What are you doing at my apartment in the middle of the night looking like one of our cafeteria ahjummas?" 

"Seunghyun..." she reached out and took his hands into hers, "you're not going to deal with this alone."

"What are you talking about?"

Seunghyun's emotions were in a strange place. He wanted to laugh at her smeared lipstick and the strands of light, brown hair sticking out from underneath her black wig. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her what an idiot she was. But he was livid at the same time at her nerve.

"I talked to Seungri earlier."

And nothing more needed to be elaborated. He took his hand back and suppressed a scream. She was so infuriating.

"I don't care what he told you. I need you and your greasy hair out of my apartment at this moment."

She held up her cell phone to his face.

"I thought you'd say that. I have a Tispatch samchon's number on speed dial and I'm ready to tell him all about us."

"You wouldn't."

Her finger went up to the send button and he latched on to her wrist. 

"Stop it, Yoona. We're over."

She reached out and softly touched his face. His whole body shivered and he turned his head away. He hated how stupid she was being. He hated not being able to save her on his own and he dreaded becoming the reason for her suffering. Why wasn't she like other girls? The others would have called him incessantly until he changed his number or maybe hung around outside of his building. But no one would be audacious enough to wear these absurd get-ups and most importantly, see right through his lies. He finally broke down and began laughing hysterically.

"What the hell, Yoona?" he said as he pushed his fingers through the curls of the wig and his eyes began to tear from the nonstop laughter. 

"You're ruining it!" She grabbed the wig defensively, but his laughter was contagious and she couldn't help but join in. 

"Let me help you with your lipstick, ahjumoni," he cackled as he used his finger to further smear the bright, red hue all over to make her look like even more of a lunatic then she already did.

She playfully tried to push him away.

"You're just jealous! I look damn good!"

He paused and his features softened. "You're right. I'm totally jealous. I wish I had some of that lipstick for myself."

He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The rubbery, chemical flavor of the lipstick was offputting, but it was only a thin barrier between him and the lips he adored. He pulled the lumpy body against his and held it tightly as he continued to explore the inside of the mouth he had been longing for. She kissed back just as intensely and the ghastly wig tumbled to the floor in their haste. He didn't want to pull away, but he had to let her know.

"I'm lost, baby. I don't know what to do but all I know is that I love you and I don't want you to endure pain or humiliation on my behalf."

She pushed him as she felt the wet tears spring to her eyes, this time from desperation rather than laughter.

"You promised me, Seunghyun! We were supposed to stick together. You were supposed to lean on me. You think I'd fall for your bull break-up excuse?"

"Yoona, you're so stupid." He grabbed her close once again and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

She rested her chin on his shoulder. "We're going to find a way out of this. Together."

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Note: I have no good excuses. But this will have an ending soon! Thank you to everyone that has subscribed since I last updated, and all of the lovely comments you've left that have pushed me to finish this crazy little fic of mine! <3