Seoul, 14 February 2008

“It’s Valentine’s Day!!!” I wake up to the roaring shriek coming from Daesung, who’s standing at my bedroom door with his arms and legs wide open. I pull my head up and glare at him. I smash my back against my comfortable bed once again and cover my face with a pillow. “Hyung! Ireonaaa…” Daesung sings in high pitch, much to my annoyance.

“Yah, Daesung ah! Neo jugulle?” I throw my pillow and yell at him. “It’s Valentine’s Day, hyung… Where’s your spirit of love?” Gosh, why does he have to disturb me in the morning? “Daesung ah, are you high or something? Go back to sleep…”

“Back to sleep? Didn’t you hear what I said, hyung? It’s Valentine’s Day!” He rambles on. I sit up and point my finger at him, “I heard you three times already, ok! Now tell me what you want so I can go back to sleep!” I ask him with my eyes half lit.

“Kwon Leader, let’s open the presents from our fans! It’s Valentine’s Day, you know!”

I finally open my eyes so wide, while secretly trying to burn a hole on Daesung’s body with my scowl, “yah, you say Valentine’s Day one more time, and I’ll make sure you’ll end up like St. Valentine!”

“Eh? What happened to St. Valentine, hyung? You think someday I’ll become St. Dae-Sung?” I ruffled my hair exasperatedly after hearing what he said. “Seriously, Daesung ah, read a book,” I tell him, strolling out of my bedroom.

We just got back from Japan 2 days ago, and Yang sajangnim gave us a day off today. I was planning to stay in bed all day, but no, these little monkeys had to ruin it for me. Who cares if it’s Valentine’s Day? None of us has a girlfriend, anyway, so why bother? I’m grateful that VIPs shower us with all these sugary treats, but do we really have to open them in the morning? I just want to sleep a bit more, the flights back and forth to Japan are killing me slowly. I feel like a grandpa trapped in a 20-year-old body.

As if reading my mind, as soon as I get to the living room, Seungri bowls, “oh, hyung! Good morning and Happy Valentine’s Day! We have to open all of these now, hyung, otherwise they'll go bad.” Our maknae is sitting on the floor with his hands up in the air. A whole bunch of gifts wrapped in colourful paper are scattered around him. Just how much chocolate have these two eaten?

“Where are the other two?” I ask Daesung and he nonchalantly replies, “they’re still sleeping. I thought you would wake them up.” I swear, if my glare can kill, Daesung would’ve already died twice. I’m at loss for words. It’s too early for me to pick up stupid trash talking competition with these two. I gulp water down my throat and wake Taeyang and TOP up.

Here we are, hundredth present later, and my hands are starting to cram. I’ve stuffed my face with sweets, chocolates, cookies; whatever other types of food usually given on Valentine’s Day, I have eaten them all. My body now feels worn out after coming down from the sugar rush.

We read the letters sent by VIPs, not realizing that we missed lunch. It’s now late in the afternoon and all of us are lazing around in the living room. We laugh happily while watching variety shows. Of course, Daesung, Seungri, and TOP make the atmosphere more fun with their ridiculous remarks at every little thing shown on TV.

We fall deeper into the evening, and it’s already 7 p.m. Our doorbell ring and I open the door. Ahjumma has come with real food! I squeal in my head when the woman who always comes to cook and clean for us gives me a large package. “Kamsahamnida, ahjumma…” I smile and bow at her before I close the door. “Kids, food is here!” I hear the sound of hurried steps coming closer. They must be very hungry, huh? I smirk as I put the food on my plate.

We’re eating in the living room area, which by now looks like a post-war zone. We finish our food in a jiff, which proves how hungry we are. Taeyang is busy flipping the channels when he finally decides to watch KBS. “Oh! There’s a Valentine’s Special!" he utters excitedly. Why is he acting like he's never seen a special program on TV before? No wonder he's never dated. He's just plain weird. 

The Valentine's Special is pretty good. Although, I think it's not special enough. Want to know why? Because Big Bang isn't on it, kekeke~ Oh boy, did I just make a bad joke and laugh at myself? Get a grip, Ji-Yong. Maybe it's because I'm sleep deprived. Gah... So many things are on my mind right now. Our promotion in Japan, making new songs, all the practice... But that's just the price i have to pay, right? 

I sigh as I drown myself deeper in thought. Once in a while I laugh at my brothers' antics who imitate every dance move on the Valentine's Special. The night's still young but I feel so sleepy. My eyes start to water as another yawn escapes my mouth. I'm afraid my mouth is going to tear up soon due to too much yawning. 

I get up from the couch and say goodnight to my members, who obviously are still high on sugar. Especially Daesung and Seungri. Where do they get all that energy from? I'm about to open my bedroom door when I hear Seungri screaming, "Wow! It's Brown Eyed Girls! Young-Bae hyung, turn the volume up! Brown Eyed Girls! Son Ga-In! Woo-hoo! Gwangju represents!" 

I walk back into the living room to see what all the ruckus is about. "Yah, Seungri ya, we've met Brown Eyed Girls so many times before! Why didn't you ever say anything to them?" TOP asks. "Ayyy, hyung! It's not that simple. They're all older. I have to look more mature to make them notice me... I can't possibly act in front of them the way I acted just now, that'll scare them away. I have a reputation to protect, you know! Especially Ga-In noona, Gwangju princess~" Seungri replies without taking his eyes off of the TV. He's now sitting on the floor, so close to the TV set. 

"Mworago? Gwangju princess? Is that your nickname for Ga-In ssi?" Daesung asks, looking a bit startled at Seungri. "Yup! Uri Ga-In noona is from Gwangju. As expected, girls from Gwangju are jjang!" Seungri says, clapping his eyes like a little kid. I huff at his remark, maybe a little too loud, making Daesung, Taeyang, and TOP turn their heads and look at me questioningly.

"Oh? Hyung! I thought you were going to bed?" That's right, I was going to bed. Why am I back here again? Before I can find an excuse to answer Daesung's question, Seungri turns his head around and says, "Hyung, I thought you were sleepy? Anyway, now that you're here, let's watch Brown Eyed Girls! L.O.V.E... L.O.V.E..."

I sit on the couch, hugging a throw pillow. The TV shows Brown Eyed Girls performing on the stage. The description shows the song title: L.O.V.E. The beat is pretty good. Although their outfits are a bit... how should I say this, a bit out of style? Well, who cares. It's not their fault. They should fire their stylists and get better ones. I should say, though, Brown Eyed Girls look younger than they actually are. They must be taking care of themselves well.

"Shhh! Shhh! It's Ga-In noona's turn now! Shikkuro!" Seungri claims with his finger on his lips. Who is he shushing? Nobody's making any noise but him. Weirdo.

Oh, don't be like this. Just tell me before it's too late. It can't be anyone but me. I know that you're picky, but you should know there is no one but me... Son Ga-In ssi sings her lines flawlessly. I like her voice, it's husky and soft at the same time. Her dance moves look so natural. You can clearly see how she loves doing her thing by the look on her face. I notice her asymmetrical haircut. She looks good. The camera zooms in on her, she ends her part with a bashful wink.

Cute, I thought to myself. Hang on, cute? Where did that come from? I huff again. Something I've been doing a lot today. Taeyang, who's sitting next to me on the couch looks at me, "something on your mind?" I look back at him, confused, "huh? Nothing. Why are you asking?" He smirks and raises his eyebrows before answering me, "Kwon Ji-Yong, I've known you since before we hit puberty. You've been spacing out a lot today, and I know that only happens when you have something bothering you. What is it? Malhebwa..." 

"Aniya, eobseo. I've just been tired lately, you know, with our schedules and everything..." Gosh, sometimes I hate Taeyang and his observational skills. "Ah, geurae? Well, if you say so. Let's just enjoy the show," the expression on his face tells me that he's not satisfied with my answers. 

The screen is now showing the rapper singing her part. If I'm not mistaken, her name is Miryo ssi. She sounds fierce. In a good way, of course. There aren't many good female rappers in South Korean music scene. Miryo ssi is one of the few who have impressive rapping skills.

Soon enough, their performance comes to an end. The four girls end it with a y pose, Ga-In ssi is standing in the middle. She grins shyly at the camera while biting her lower lip, making her eyes disappeared. I chuckle at the scene. Her eyes are probably as small as Daesung's and Taeyang's. 

"Waaah, jinjja daebakida!" Seungri claps his hands happily as soon as Brown Eyed Girls are no longer shown on the screen and the MCs start talking. "Seungri ya, aren't you a bit too excited? I mean, it was a solid performance and all, but--" TOP says and Seungri immediately cuts him, "what are you talking about, hyung? It was great! Did you see how pretty the noonas were? And Miryo noona was so cool! She got swag, right? And Ga-In noona! Oh my God, neomu yeppeo! Kyaaa~ Young-Bae hyung, Dae-Sung hyung, back me up here!" Taeyang chuckles softly, while Daesung shakes his head and says, "aigoo, we get it, okay. You love them!" Seungri fervently responds, "of course! What's not to love? The pretty faces? The lovely voices? The good songs? The--" "yah! Arasseo! You've made your point! Aish..." TOP retorts. 

Seungri then looks at me, "Ji-Yong hyung, it was great, right? You enjoyed it, right? The noonas looked so pretty, right?" I laugh at his enthusiasm, "it was daebak, Seungri ya~" before I can finish my sentence, Seungri hastily stands up and puts his fists up in the air. "Assa! See, hyung? Even Ji-Yong hyung agrees with me. You're defeated, T.O.P," he throws a smug smile at TOP. TOP lets out a big sigh, making all of us laugh at his reaction. He really is defeated.

I suddenly remember something, "but, Seungri ya, earlier... Did you call Ga-In ssi 'URI Ga-In noona'? Since when was she YOUR Ga-In noona?" Daesung seems to remember it too and adds, "oh, that's right! Can it be... Do you like her?" Seungri looks flustered, his eyes widen, "y-yeh? But I didn't say uri Ga-In noona--" "Yes, you did! I heard it, too, loud and clear!" TOP curtly remarks. "Did I? Uh, well..." Seungri looks like he's trying hard to find an excuse and his face looks amusing. "Ooooohhh~ you like her, don't you? You like YOUR Ga-In noona, huh?" Taeyang asks while pointing his finger at him. "Ani! You guys heard it wrong! I didn't say URI Ga-In noona, you guys need to get your ears checked! It's not good for singers like us to have bad hearing, you know," Seungri is obviously trying to defend himself, but the funny look on his face fails him. "But you did say that... URI Ga-In noona~" Daesung says in a singsong voice. 

I just laugh at them. That's the downside of being a maknae, I guess. You get to suffer from all the teasing. "Yah, let's drop it. Don't embarrass our maknae. Clearly, he is struck by her beauty..." Oops, did that come out wrong? Her beauty? What am I saying? "Mwo? Her beauty? But we weren't talking about her beauty, hyung! Seolma... Hyung, do you like her too?" Daesung asks me teasingly. I toss my pillow at him. That guy needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. 

"That's not what I meant. I'm just saying it's normal if Seungri likes her. He likes girls who are pretty. Anyway, it's late, I'm going to sleep. You guys should turn in, too. We have to wake up early tomorrow," I say everything under one breath. I stand up and make my way to the kitchen to get some water. I hear Daesung mutter to himself, "it's not even 9, yet..."

I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and guzzle it down. Seungri is standing near me, and by the expression on his face, I can tell that he wants to say something. "Wae?" I ask. He hesitates a bit, "uh... Thanks for earlier, hyung." I smirk at him, "no problem. I didn't know you were in love." He widens his eyes and says, "mwo? I'm not in love with Ga-In noona, hyung. It was just a slip of tongue. Jinjjaro!" I laugh and shrug, "well, whatever you say..."

"Ugh, whatever. But still, thanks for making them stop badgering me," he says. "By the way, hyung..." he says as I'm walking out of the kitchen. "What?" "Do you think Ga-In noona is pretty? She really is, right? Right, hyung?" Aigoo, Seungri. This is why your hyungs love teasing you. You never know when to stop. I look back and smile, "mmm. She's pretty cute." Okay. That's the second time I associate the word 'cute' with Son Ga-In. And worse, this time I said it out loud. Damn, I need to learn to shut my mouth, just like Daesung. Not wanting to hear his reply on the matter, I quickly turn around, "chalja, Seungri ya..."

I snuggle down on my bed and close my eyes. Let's sleep now, early day tomorrow. When I'm about to fall asleep I hear a knock on my door. Oh, come on. What now? "Come in," I shout at whoever it was. The door opens and Seungri walks in. What more does he want from me? He holds up his hand, waving what looks like a CD. "Hyung, this is Brown Eyed Girls' mini album. It came out last month. It's pretty good, hyung, you should listen to it. I'll leave it on the table, ok? Night, hyung," he gets out of my room in a flash. That's it? That's all he had to say? Couldn't he wait until tomorrow? I was about to doze off! Damn it, Lee Seung-Hyun! Sometimes you just piss me off. 

I let out a big sigh and close my eyes again. Great. Now I can sleep. Or so I thought. After about 15 minutes, I still can't sleep. Maybe because it's barely 9 p.m. What do I do now? I look at the table and see the CD that Seungri brought laid near my computer. I move out of bed and take it back to bed with me. I pull the CD out of the case and insert it to the mini stereo on my bedside table. Track 2 - L.O.V.E. That's the song from earlier, right? The stereo plays the song at a low volume. The melody lingers on my mind. I stretch my hand and grab the remote control from the side table. I decide to turn on the repeat mode since I'm not familiar with the other songs.

I close my eyes again. Brown Eyed Girls' performance on the Valentine's Special flashes in my mind. Ga-In ssi singing and dancing... Her playful wink at the camera... The way her hair flows around when she moves... Her smile that never vanishes throughout the performance... Her cute yet y pose at the end... Her eye-smile... She has a beautiful smile. 

My thoughts got interrupted by a beep. A text message from my manager came.  

From: Nam-Gook hyung

[Ji-Yong, r u sleeping? Just letting u know I'll be picking u guys up at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. The meeting got pushed forward, so we need to be there earlier.]

To: Nam-Gook hyung

[Not sleeping yet. Ok, hyung, I'll tell the kids. Good night.]

I send the guys text messages telling them to be ready by 7:30 tomorrow and set the alarm on my mobile phone. Now I should really go to sleep. Again, I close my eyes real tight. Then I remember what I was thinking about just now. Was I really thinking about Son Ga-In? Huh? But why? I never really paid much attention to her before when we ran into each other at events and such.

No, Kwon Ji-Yong! Stop thinking about other things and go to sleep! Now! Count sheep or something! Just then, a familiar sweet voice comes out of the speaker beside me. Oh, don't be like this. Just tell me before it's too late. It can't be anyone but me. I know that you're picky, but you should know there is no one but me...  

I smile. 'But you should know there is no one but me.' That somewhat sounds like a love spell. That was the last thing on my mind as I feel myself falling deeper into slumber.

Little did I know that tonight, the line sung by Son Ga-In's sweet voice had cast a spell on me...