There's something about silence that's a double-edged sword. As I lie here, looking at Ji Yong's chest slowly moving up and down with his breathing and the minute flickering of his eyelashes, I feel such an overwhelming sense of peace. I am warm and safe in my huband's arms in this narrow hospital bed, and I am calm. Except it is in this stillness that I know that there is a raging storm to come, I can feel it. I don't know what has happened to me, and if Ji Yong did he has not told me yet. Right now, it felt like everything just needed to stop. This pregnancy, Big Bang's world tour, Ji Yong's endless work, my endless work, this was the neverending circle of life that we mindlessly go by and we never learn to just stop, appreciate and live. Live for my baby and for myself.

I stared at my husband's face, his plump lips, sharp nose and jaw. I think of his warm hands, loving heart and determined mind and then I think of our love that was always changing but never once faltered, and I am just thankful. With this calming thought I close my eyes and fall asleep once more in the arms of my love, Kwon Ji Yong.

Five years later...

"Thank you! Thanks everyone!" I said, bowing to the audience. I saw my fellow group members doing the same, never once failing to feel so grateful to our fans who've stuck with us for the past four years. I held the trophy in my hand, a mixture of glass and black metal with the title 'Winner This Week' embossed on it and smiled. It really never gets old. All of that hard work and strain and emotional drainage suddenly seemed like such a small price to pay to get to where I am now, to where we are now. My team. 

"You've got paper in your hair again!" Mi Na cried, and she laughed as she quickly wiped the pieces away. The encore song then soon came on and we went towards our screaming fans to perform a more laid back version of our new hit single. It's our first release in a year in what is supposed to be a series, but who knew with sajangnim. I was just glad to stand on stage once more. My feet were itching to dance and my voice aching to sing to anyone that would listen, we all felt the same. 

I looked at the girls, all three passed out in the van on our way back to the company. Something about this vehicle just made our energy level drop like crazy, and we end up snoozing or day dreaming on our way to venues. I couldn't sleep though. I fixed up my make-up with a small compact, snuggled into my after-show hobo gear and stared at the passing sunset, burning the roads of Seoul in orange. I hated this city at first, with it's cold buildings and mean streets, but now I'm thriving in this environment. From being alone, I've now found three friends that I couldn't imagine being without, and it was with this mindset that we had all agreed to extend our contract next year. All of us. We were another generation of YG artists, getting ready to pave the way for newer ones but still keeping the art of music alive.

"Do you think he gets tired of people seeing him everytime they win something?" Yu Ri asked me as we waited for the elevator to go up to sajangnim's office. It had always been a tradition to go up and thank him for awards on broadcasts, especially for girl groups. 

"Whaddya mean, he's probably cackling in glee inside his head," Mi Na commented. I chuckled as we went inside the awaiting elevator.

"I can totally imagine th-"

"Wait, wait! Hold the elevator!" I heard a familiar shout from the foyer, and looked out to find a woman, her black hair tied into a loose bun half running towards us. She was wearing a simple but elegant long black dress which showed off her curves, but even more so her belly which was growing more pronounced from the pregancy. Her smile was radiant as she saw us holding the door open, and her skin glowed with a lovely feminine charm. Most adorably however was that right by her side was a small boy, grasping his mum's hand tightly in what I could only say was a one of a kind attire. He also sweetly smiled at us, flashing his cute baby teeth.

"Jae Shin!" she exclaimed in recognition at me. They climed into the elevator and the doors closed. Her eyes then lit up even more at the sight of the trophy in Yu Ri's hands. "What, you girls won again? That's not fun."

"It is for us unni," Mi Na said.

"You didn't watch our broadcast, how could you?" I said, faking disappointment. She laughed happily and hit me lightly on the shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry. I've been running around all day like a mad woman but I swear you girls' song is playing on repeat in my car. This little kid was singing it all day... oh, Shin! What are you doing not greeting your nunas!?" 

"Annyeonghaseyo..." a little voice said from under us, and Shin did a folder bow. I could've sworn I heard all four of our hearts just breaking simultaneously from the cuteness that was before us.

"What the hell!? Is it legal to be that cute!" Mi Na cried.

"I want to take him home..." Yun Seo said in a daze.

"Go make your own," unni replied, grinning from ear to ear, but then her face immediately turned serious. "Uh, but not now. Later. Much, much later okay girls?"

The elevator soon stopped on the floor where all the recording studios were at, and unni was making her way out as expected. She took Shin out with her who did another cute bow to us, and the doors closed once more. I knew what all of us were thinking though, we all wanted to catch a glimpse of the power couple. Lee Ri Ah and Kwon Ji Yong, one of YG's representative couple were doted on and respected by not only artists from this company but celebrities in all fields. One was an iconic producer and artist, a household name in South Korean music and the other an ex-model, but now pioneering mental health for the young children and adults in the entertainment industry. She was the one that banded together with other psychologists and raised awareness for the wellbeing of trainees and young artists, and actually opened the government's eyes on the reality of this harsh industry. Most importantly though, Ri Ah unni was the one who convinced me that I had to put myself first beyond anything else, and it was due to her that I could stand confidently with my members now. 

The elevators re-opened and we rushed out like a bunch of teenage girls to peek around the corner. Shin was in his dad's arms, finding solace in the strength of his father's shoulders while his parents talked rather animatedly about something or rather. All of a sudden I saw unni frown in frustration and then turn to walk away, leaving sunbaenim chuckling and chasing after her. They came near us and we quickly stepped back from the corner, but their conversation now reached our ears.

"What do you want me to do Ri Ah?" sunbae nim asked.

"No, that's alright. That's fine. Don't worry about me. It's not like I need my husband there or anything. I'll just be a happy, pregnant woman waddling onto the stage on my own."

"Babe..."

"All by myself~" she sang out loud. "I'm gonna be... all by myself~" I tried to stifle my laughter at the way unni changed the lyrics, singing so unabashedly out of tune for all to hear.

"You didn't come with me to the music awards either," he pointed out.

"Honey, I could barely walk then. Unless you planned on wheeling me down the red carpet in my pyjamas, there was no way for me to be there. I was with you in spirit."

"As to will I."

"...Shin, baby. Come to mummy, we're mad at daddy right now. What did I tell you to say when we're mad at daddy?" There was a long silence before a tiny voice peeped out.

"Mummy is always right," Shin said. 

"Ya! Did you just brainwash our kid?" sunbaenim cried in mock shock.

"Maybe."

"Sky, you're going to be on my side right?" he cooed to unni's stomach, placing his hand lovingly on top of it. "You're going to be daddy's little girl right?"

"She's going to be spoilt rotten. I have a horrible feeling." Sunbaenim didn't argue that point one bit, and I heard unni grimacing.

"Where are you off to now?"

"Home, we thought we'd just say hi since Shin hasn't seen you for a while... I haven't seen you for a while either."

"Ah. Sorry, Shin. Did you miss me? Dad will be home soon."

"Alright, come on handsome. We've got to go, hold mummy's hand... not you Ji Yong." Sunbaenim chuckled at his little joke and passed over their son to his mum.

"Ri Ah," sunabenim called out as the mother and son pair made their way back towards the elevator. "I'm really proud of you. This award you're getting. You more than deserve it for everything you've done."

"Thanks babe." It wasn't long before we heard quick steps, and in our curiousity we peeked around the corner to see unni being embraced and kissed so belovedly by her husband, as if she was the most precious gem in the world. Shin was holding his mum's hand and looking up at his parents, except for the fact that sunabenim had his hand completely covering Shin's eyes.

"You know what, let's all go home today," Ji Yong sunbae said, as he looked at his wife.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," he said, ruffling his son's hair. "Give me 2 secs." And he went back inside to studio to grab his things. I tapped the girls' shoulders and pointed towards the elevator, telling them it was our time to make an exit. We silently rode it up to the seventh floor, each person lost in their own thoughts. Me though, I was wondering when I will ever find myself in such a happy and blissful moment such as what I had just witnessed. Sometimes it's not always about finding a man. It's about finding something you love and working hard at it until it flowers into something beautiful. Marriage, friends, work, whatever it is, I told myself that I was going to do my best to earn my happiness until one day I can show the world how blissful life can be.

- THE END -

AN: Dear readers, this has been quite a long ride. As always you are amazing, sticking through this journey from beginning to end. Ri Ah and Kwon Ji Yong's story has now finished, and I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did creating it. Again, thank you so much for joining me in this story, and if you're looking for something new to read, feel free to check out White Smoke, I've uploaded the first chapter and will be uploading the second one very soon. See you guys later! xxx