A/N:  Hello people! I'm so so so sorry that I hadn't uploaded for about...3 weeks? ;A; School is MAD hectic these days. Here is chapter 8 for ya :)\

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“Hey, you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m really fine.”

Those were the few words that Jiyong and Seungri exchanged on the way back home, but other than that, there was only dead, awkward silence. Jiyong looked out of the window with his elbow propped up on the armrest, supporting the weight of his head as sigh after sigh escaped him. He felt the cool breeze sweeping over his face, and somehow, that negligible impact seemed to berate him on what he was doing – ignoring Seungri, escaping from Seungri, lying to Seungri. Apparently, the guy sitting beside him at that moment had thrown him into an internal turmoil again.

“Hey, you –“

“I said I’m fine already! Can you just stop asking me that same question? It’s god-damned irritating!” Jiyong snapped, whipping his head around. The younger man sported a dumbfounded look, but it gradually turned into one of embarrassment and hurt. Jiyong’s features softened immediately. What was I doing, I must have scared him… He did nothing wrong. I’m the one here overreacting. I should apologize.

“Seungri, I –“

“I’m sorry, but I’m just worried about you. You haven’t uttered anything to me since lunch, so I thought maybe something bad happened at school,” Seungri looked down at his palms, his voice getting softer and softer. “Maybe I should have followed you to lunch, instead of guiding Minzy…”

Jiyong flared at the mention of the girl. All the guilt that had been bubbling inside Jiyong instantly disappeared, with anger rapidly filling up his emotions. He slammed his palm down onto the cushion, his fingers curling up. Shocked by the movement, Seungri hastily looked up into Jiyong’s piercing, fiery gaze.

“You shouldn’t think that way. You did nothing wrong, after all.”  Jiyong’s sardonic tone was harsh and low, reverberating about the confined space. Seungri remained still in his position. Jiyong exhaled sharply, swiftly turning his attention to the buildings and trees that whizzed past. Soon, the car decelerated and came to a stop, and Jiyong practically jumped out of his seat, taking big strides towards the mansion. He could feel the other’s longing gaze at his back, but he fought his urges to turn around.

Jiyong promptly locked the door behind him as he entered the room. He flung his bag to one side before lunging at the bed, instinctively inhaling the flowery scent of fabric softener. He flipped over, resting his hands behind his head.

--

Seungri stood silently outside his room. “I did something wrong, didn’t I…” He shuffled restlessly into the room. He just couldn’t figure out why Jiyong was angry with him, and it’s tormenting him. How he wished to march right into Jiyong’s room now, to give him a bear-like hug and force the truth out of him. But he couldn’t.

He just couldn’t.

--

“Jiyong! Are you awake?” Seungri shouted impatiently as he knocked on the older man’s door for the umpteenth time, resting his other hand on his waist as he repeated the action again and again. This person…really… “Are you ready? If you’re not going to answer me, I’m going to barge in!”

No response.

Seungri had enough of this. This ignoring streak had gone over the edge. Twisting the door knob, he realized that the door was unlocked. “Eh…He doesn’t usually leave his door open like this,” he thought. He pushed the door in gently, peeking in to survey the surroundings. To his surprise, it was empty.

“He…He went to school on his own? What was he thinking?” Seungri spoke his thoughts aloud, taking big strides out of the room and towards the entrance. He was going to ask for an explanation for this absurd behavior, by hook or by crook.

--

Within mere minutes, Seungri arrived at the school compound. Casting away the oncoming pats, he marched straight to the classroom, his gaze fixed ahead, unmoving. Once inside, his eyes fell deftly on the blond - who was, at that point, chatting cheerily with the usual clique.

But time wasn’t on Seungri’s side. Just before he could cross over to the other side of the classroom, the bell chimed, the sound loud and deafening, drowning the student’s chatter. Seungri turned his head from the clock to where Jiyong was, only to find the said man already at his seat. Jiyong’s head was cocked to the side rather unnaturally as he tried to make conversation with Taeyang, his face hidden from view. Seungri narrowed his eyes into slits as he folded his arms.

“Oppa, why are you standing there?” Minzy whined, trying to make her voice sound as adoring as possible. “The teacher’s going to come soon, and he’s going to get angry if you are not seated!” At this, Seungri swore he saw Jiyong flinch slightly, the arches of his lips disappearing. A split second later, he was back to all-smiles at Taeyang.

“It’s so hard to figure out what he’s thinking…” Seungri mumbled, heading towards a worried-looking Seunghyun. He silenced his friend as soon as Seunghyun opened his mouth, shooting him a death glare. Seunghyun knew better not to probe – especially when Seungri was in that kind of mood – and quickly returned to his world of comics.

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“Class, it’s what you all have been waiting for…” Mrs. Park exclaimed, the edge of her lips curling up. The class’ atmosphere began to rise in tension as they await the words that soon came along.

“I’m sure many of you have guessed it. It’s another magnificent period of the year – Project time!”

“Ugh!” “Not again…” “Boring…”

Needless to say, the class produced all sort of negative responses. Lines started to form at Jiyong’s forehead.

There’s only a few that I know in class, and I wonder if they’ll be willing to form a group with me. And I don’t really fancy grouping with Seungri, especially now… Jiyong thought to himself. Damn it, why did projects come at this point of time!

“You know the rules, class. But just to make sure…” Mrs. Park coughed. “You’ll have to form groups of four, and you’re not children now, so I assume you all are mature enough to gather your own members. And yes, as usual, if your group consists of a mix of both genders, your group will get extra points and a special mention. Is everyone clear with that? Any objections?”

The class remained silent. Jiyong turned slightly to the right to find Seungri staring his way. He looked away immediately, rubbing his knuckles nervously. Seunghyun stood up first, and subsequently the rest of the class did so as well. The giant made his way towards Jiyong and Taeyang.

“So, I guess that’s set then? Me, you, Taeyang, Seungri. Perfect.”

“I…” Jiyong squirmed, not daring to look Seunghyun in the eye. “What’s the matter?” asked Seunghyun, disappointment written all over his face. “Do you…not want to join us?”

“No, it’s just –“

“Seungri Oppa! Do you not have a group?” Jiyong looked past Seunghyun, witnessing the sight of Minzy skipping towards Seungri, her fingers sinking into the fabric of Seungri’s shirt as she tugged it gently. “You can join my group! You’re welcome anytime!”

Jiyong looked on with shock. His bewildered expression turned gradually into one of anger, and then to sadness. Seungri did not agree to the idea, nor reject it directly. He just stared at the table in front of him, not moving a muscle. His eyes flickered to Jiyong for a moment, and Jiyong promptly went back to his poker face, giving the man no chance to register Jiyong’s devastated state.

Seungri started to move – away. Minzy’s smile grew wider than already possible, dragging him away and to the group of girls, with Dara among them. Seungri did not halt or even protest, he just followed Minzy, like a kite tied to a string. Jiyong used to be in control of the string, but he somehow cut off that connection himself.

And now, he wanted it back.

“Stop.”

Jiyong’s voice was solemn and quiet, barely audible, but Seungri stopped walking. His brown orbs widened as he tilted his head slowly towards Jiyong. Seungri’s face remained void of any emotion, but Jiyong knew exactly what was on his mind. Jiyong took a step forward, and Seunghyun automatically took a step back. He felt the full force of Jiyong’s ferocious aura, swimming with power. Jiyong’s eyes seemed to ignite, and Minzy released his hold on Seungri immediately, her face plastered with an unreadable emotion.

Fear?

“I suppose I didn’t agree to that, Minzy,” Jiyong spoke, his gaze strong and intense and unbreakable. Minzy, as cued by Dara, began to put on a strong front. “W-what? What did you not agree to?”

“If that wasn’t clear enough, I’ll say it just this time…” Jiyong slowly paced towards the couple. Once near enough, his hand caught onto Seungri’s wrist, and he clenched it so tight that Seungri winced. Nonetheless, Jiyong continued to send bolts of fire through his gaze towards Minzy, who began to shiver. “Seungri…belongs to MY group. If you want to take him away, ask ME first. Do you understand?”

“I-I-I…” Minzy’s arrogant front slowly crumbled as she began to back away from Jiyong. Dara went up front to grab her and led the group away, but not before giving Jiyong a hell of a glare. Seungri just stared, speechless. That side of Jiyong was indeed surprising, but also amazing. Who knew that the inside of a baby cub hid a full-grown tiger?

The hold on his wrist was gone. Looking down, he saw a faint red mark on his wrist, but the pain had subsided. “So, you’re in my group now. No complaints, you got it? Or you get the hell out,” Jiyong mumbled through clenched teeth, keeping his head low.

Seungri could not help but smirk.

“Got it.”

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Alright, I'm gonna bring in some news x_x My final examinations start next week and it'll last until about 16th (or 7th) of November. Which means... a short hiatus T___T I hate to do this man, but circumstances do not allow me to do otherwise >.> So yeah. Don't worry I'll try to make next chapter as sweet as possible, and I'll definitely become much more active after my examinations, which means more updates ^^ So do continue to support me by leaving comments! :D

Hope you enjoyed this chapter(and how fierce Jiyong actually can be), thank you for reading! I love you Cry! /random confession/ ♥Crimsonn