CHAPTER 22: THE MAN OUTSIDE THE WINDOW

[DARA’S POV]

We went back to the table without talking to each other after Bommie heard what happened. What is she thinking about now? Why did she become silent? Maybe I overreacted! I think I insulted her with what I said. I’m sorry Bommie… *sigh~

“So your name is really Youngbae? How old are you Youngbae-ssi?” CL curiously asked as she smiled while Seungri suddenly looked upset. What happened to them when we left, by the way? Did Seungri discover something bad about Youngbae?

“I’m 24 now. Please feel comfortable calling me by my real name. *smiles* I don’t want my close friends to call me Taeyang. It’s just for the fans and I believe you’re not my fans! Haha…” Youngbae laughed, as his eyes smiled again. Finally! The atmosphere changed now… I don't want another person to feel sad because of me..

“Waah! You’re 24 already? I thought you’re just in the same age group as me… I’m just 21 while Panda boy here is 22. You’re so humble Youngbae oppa!! You don’t want your friends to call you Taeyang! And I’m super happy that you are now considering us as your close friends!!! You are so kind oppa! *beams* and let me just correct what you just said----I’m a fan of yours! You really have swag! Your moves are so cool!” CL excitedly said as she smiled the way Youngbae smiles too! Youngbae amuses me. How can a strong looking guy like him give a bright aura like that of CL-roo's? 

“Chae Rin-ah! Don’t make it too obvious! Is it your first time to see a celebrity? *intense stare* You’re so embarrassing! It’s very obvious that you’re crushing on Youngbae hyung!”

“Jealous Panda? Haha. You’re more obvious than CL!! Maybe you’re the one crushing on her! Hahaha…” Bommie blurted as she suddenly laughed and joined the conversation. I held her hand, trying to catch her attention. I just wanna tell her that I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier, but she won’t look at me! *what to do now?*

“HUH?! NO!!!!! I don’t like tough girls! I like girls who dress like a REAL GIRL, and as we can all see---She always wear sneakers, and shirts that are bigger then my own shirt! Are you a lesbian Chae Rin-ah? HAHAHAHAHA!” Seungri forcefully laughed! I know my brother… and what he said was right. All of the girls he’s been with are all very feminine, unlike CL-roo who always looks tough and thinks maturely. Seungri likes girls who have a lot of aegyo in them… but he can’t fool me with his actions now! CL seemed to change his ideal type! When we’re at home, he would always say bad things about CL, but his actions are opposite of what he says! He always blushes whenever CL’s with us. He just couldn’t admit it to himself!

“You look good for each other, to be honest! Don’t get mad at me… but people say, the more you show hate to each other, it only means, you are hiding your true feelings! You actually love each other! Haha” Youngbae laughed as he teased them, while Bommie and I burst into laughter too! I hope Bommie and I will be okay now…

“Haha! That’s what I keep on telling this two! Heard that CL, Riri? I told you! You like each other! You just couldn’t admit it to yourselves! Hahaha!” Bommie laughed as CL-roo and my brother blushed like all the blood in their bodies went only to their cheeks!

“Anyway, how did you learn to dance so well? Can you teach me some moves? Actually, my dream is to become a performer too! I just don’t have enough money to study for college yet…” CL-roo suddenly changed the topic, trying to get the topic back to Youngbae. She obviously doesn’t want others to notice her blushing cheeks! Haha.

“Well, Jiyong and I trained together since we were six. All thanks to YG! He is really very caring and loving to his talents despite his superior attitude. Actually, that part of him----the very-hard-to-please attitude he has, it is the thing that made us strive to be the best!” Youngbae said as Seungri’s attention is now fully focused on him. It is also Seungri’s dream… to become one of YG’s dancers!

“Anyway, can I ask all of you a question? I am just really curious. What really happened back at the concert? Why did the girl want to have a cat fight with Dara? I don’t believe that Dara can do bad things! I think as I have observed, she can’t even hurt a fly!” Youngbae asked as he tried to get the topic back to me.

“Let me explain what happened back then…” CL uttered as she started to tell Youngbae the whole story behind the riot during the concert…

“Well, if we’re going to begin with how Minho and Dara’s relationship started, it will take us 2 days until we get to how it ended… so I’ll just tell you what happened during the concert…”

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[YOUNGBAE’S POV]

I am now staring at the person who made my heart beat at maximum level for the first time… If someone is going to ask me to describe her I would just say, Dara is perfect---As simple as that! I like her… She’s very warm and caring. But the thing that has been bugging me now is the guy who broke her heart! How can he do that? He knows how much pain Dara went through because of Sephie! And he did worse??? I pity Dara. I could not believe that someone would do that to a very beautiful and kind-hearted girl like her, who only knows how to love and is just expecting that guy to love her back! What more can he ask for? Why can’t that guy be contented with her?! He is actually lucky to have Dara as his girl! Why is she the one who has to experience the worst things in love, while there are a lot of people out there that needs to learn more from it? I think Dara learned so much from being hurt by Sephie, I just couldn’t believe that she experienced the worst because of Minho! They say, problems arise because people need to learn by experiencing hardships… but for Dara, what more can she learn from that when she suffered twice with Sephie already? What’s the use of Minho in her life? He just crumpled her heart and squeezed it until nothing is left of her! If I were him, I would not do anything to hurt her! I’ll take care of her fragile heart. I will make sure that she will not feel hurt anymore… I’ll fight for her!  Don’t worry Dara… I’ll always be here to protect you!

“To cut it short, Minho (her ex) begged Dara to come back to him, but when Taeyeon (Minho’s b*tch) spotted them, he suddenly turned the situation around and said that Dara was the one who is begging him to come back! Ooooooh!!! Whenever I remember that moment, I just wanna punch my fist onto something! He’s really an !!!!” CL blurted as she made a fist and banged our table. Dara must’ve been very hurt. After getting out from a bad relationship with Sephie, Minho caught her heart only to do the same! If only I was there when that happened, I would’ve done everything to prevent Dara from getting hurt! I suddenly felt my fist got as hard as a rock with my teeth now clenched, wanting to punch every guy who broke Dara’s heart!

“Don’t be sad now Dara. We won’t let that happen to you again, I’m your friend now. *smile* I will not let someone hurt you like that..” I suddenly heard nothing but silence as I uttered what is supposed to stay only in my mind! DAMN!!! Why did I just say that? I guess my feelings couldn’t be controlled anymore! I just professed that I won’t let anyone hurt her!! ! I am too obvious! I hope she won’t think that I am taking advantage of her vulnerability at the moment…

“Aww… That’s sweet Youngbae! You’re like Dara’s Superhero! *beams* Will you do that for me also? I want to be your friend too!” Bom said as she smiled widely. Really? She thinks I can be Dara’s hero? That’s very nice to hear! I felt my cheeks get warmer as soon as her cousin said that! I’m happy that her family and friends like me!!

“Of course! I will protect all my friends, especially the girls! *smile* so all of you should not worry anymore, arasso? Even you Seungri. Just tell me if someone does something bad to you… Anyway, I heard you also want to be trained in YGE?” Seungri reminds me of my best friend, Ji… Jiyong is a very good friend. We grew up together. He’s always there for me, protecting me and always making sure that no one will be a hindrance to our dream! We are like brothers already! He always helps me whenever I have a problem. He even helped me achieve my dream! Every dream that I already achieved, is all thanks to my buddy, Jiyong. He is the reason why I am popular now! He is the reason why everybody knows who Taeyang is! ------------------------------------Wait a sec… WHAT AM I DOING?! Am I trying to get Dara’s heart, instead of helping Jiyong be close to her? I don’t know why I am acting weird these days!!!  All I know is, it is not my fault to like the girl he also likes and I think he’ll understand when the right time comes. I’m really sorry Ji! I really want to tell Dara that you are her ‘mystery guy’… just not today. I can’t find the right time for that right now! I’m really sorry Jiyong. I won’t ask her to be mine... Let me just be her friend. Let me just show her that I care for her. I won’t leave her side until she becomes happy, even if it’s not with me… That’s what I am feeling right now. Forgive me…

“Yeah. That’s why I am always doing my best in school! Maybe if I will be number 1, he’ll finally hear about it and give me a shot ‘coz I heard he discovered TOP in our school too! He is my idol!!! Will that be possible hyung?” Seungri said as he looked more serious than earlier. He really wants to be in YGE huh? I’ll try to help him. Maybe Dara will be a bit happy if I’ll help his brother…

“Just study hard and pray a lot. It helps! Err… YG held an audition earlier. Didn’t you try to audition at YGE? I’m sure he’ll pick the ones who deserving to be a part of the family! And I think, you deserve to become one!”

“We had a program that’s why Bommie Noona was the only one who went there. I hope he’ll hold another audition! I really want to be a part of the YG family… BADLY! Anyway, this is a guy to guy question. *smirks* I am just curious… How many girlfriends have you had before you became ‘Taeyang’? Haha… I hope you won’t feel annoyed by that! I just want to know. Does YG investigate a persons background? Coz I’ve had a lot of flings in our school… Hahaha.” Seungri asked as he smirked and the back of his neck. He really reminds me of Jiyong!! Weird, but their smile and the way they act when they are shy are the same!

“Hahaha... It’s okay. Anyhow, I haven’t had a girlfriend before! I was busy training and studying at the same time… *blush* so I had no time to find my princess.” But now that I’ve found my princess, I won’t let her go! She is the dream I’ve been wishing for the longest time, and now that she is here, there’s no one who can stop me from taking care of her and giving her the love that she deserves! -------WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING??? I just promised myself not to think of getting her from Jiyong, and now… my heart wants to do everything to take care of Dara??? This is bad… I’m feeling dizzy! This is very confusing! *DAMN IT!*

“Aww, that’s sweet! I remembered when you held Taeyeon’s hand to stop her from hurting Dara! You’re the one who protected Dara when she was in danger! What a coincidence!!! *beams* you’re like a superhero with a pocket full of sunshine! *grin* I’m sure that when you find that princess of yours, she’ll be the luckiest girl alive! *Raises eyebrow* Right Dara dear?” CL uttered as she batted her eyelashes. Wow! This is really embarrassing! I feel my cheeks getting warmer. Am I blushing?

“Uhh, well… yeah. *blush* She sure is lucky. Haha…” Dara flashed her sweet innocent smile again! How can any guy resist this?? She is the sweetest girl with the most angelic face I’ve ever seen! I think I’m addicted to her right now! I’m falling more and more into love’s trap! I stared outside while imagining Dara’s smile coz I just don’t want the others to see me blush like crazy! I couldn’t control my lips from smiling because this is the first time I’ve ever encountered this kind of feeling---my heart jumped, like it wants to get out of my chest!!!I feel like I can do anything! I feel so powerful and happy!!! Why did it have to beat like this for the same girl Jiyong is crazy for?? Ughh. I don’t want to think about it now! I just want to indulge in this overwhelming happiness I am feeling at this moment! I just want to freeze the time and feel this happiness a little bit longer without worrying about anything! As my heart is rejoicing with what is happening right now, my eyes were suddenly focused on the tall man outside the café window… I think I know him... *eyes narrow* My smile suddenly faded as I realized who it was------Is that TOP hyung?! !!! Did he just saw me with Dara? I’m pretty sure he knows that Dara is Jiyong’s dream girl!!! What should I do now?! This is a mess! Tsssssss! I think he really stood there to show me that he noticed me hanging out with them…

I don’t know what these guys are talking about anymore because my mind was focused only on Dara’s smile! They’re laughing now---happily congratulating Bom. Why? DAMN! That’s not what I should be worried about right now! I should get out of here! I should go to TOP hyung!

“Uhmm… will you excuse me for a sec? I think I just saw a friend outside. I’ll be back. *scratch-head* I just need to talk to my friend… Wait here, arasso?” I said to the three girls and Seungri who nodded, as they continued eating.

I hurriedly went outside and pulled TOP hyung’s arm towards the nearest place where the others couldn’t see us. I hope he’ll understand and won’t get mad at me…

“HEY! I just saw that! W-Why are you with them?? Why didn’t you show up earlier at the medical exam? You told us that you have a problem at home that’s why you didn’t make it earlier! If you really have a problem, you shouldn’t be here! You’ll be home, fixing that *goddamn problem you are talking about! *shakes head* Tsssssss…” TOP hyung said in disbelief, trying to keep his voice down, as he now looks pissed! He always is funny when we are together, but whenever he gets upset about something, he is scary as hell! Whenever he is pissed, I feel the goose bumps crawl all over my body! With just his stare, it makes me want to shrink and just get lost! They say, funny people---the ones who always make the crowd alive and happy, they are also the ones who are very scary when they get mad! And I know why people say that---it’s exactly Top hyung’s personality!! I really couldn’t think of anything to say right now...

“So??? Aren’t you going to explain what I just saw? And don’t you dare make up another excuse to cover this up! Both you and Ji, I treated you as my own dongsaengs already! You can’t lie to me that easily YB!”

I still couldn’t open my mouth! I couldn’t stop scratching my head either! I can’t even look at TOP hyung!!! What will I say now? Will he understand me if I tell him that I’m liking Dara even more? Will he tell Jiyong what he saw before I get the chance to tell him first? Ughh… I’m really messed up! I’m an assh*le for doing this!

“Uhmm… Can we talk about this later hyung? I promise I’ll tell you everything! But first, I still have to go back there or they’ll notice that something’s up. I’m sorry…”

“You better! *controlling tension in his lips* or else… just forget that I’m your friend and I won’t let you call me hyung again! That would be meaningless! Tsssssss….” TOP hyung uttered as he shook his head in disbelief.

“Hyung, one more thing… Don’t tell Ji about this! PLEASE! I’ll be the one who’s going to tell him about this.” I said, as I couldn’t smile anymore because I’m worried!!! I really don’t know why I’ve done this! I don’t want Jiyong to get mad at me… I don’t want to stop seeing Dara either!!! I should think carefully on what I’ll do with this mess… Now hyung is mad at me!

“Alright! I’m not that kind of person. I won’t let myself get involved in your crazy mess… Just make it fast! Don’t make me wait too long!!. I’ll just be there at the farthest corner of the café. *intense stare* I’ll be watching you!!!” TOP hyung said as he entered the café and lit his first cigarette.

I went back inside the coffee shop with my mind now thinking about what I will be saying to hyung later. My hands are turning cold as I think of a reasonable explanation for doing this crazy mess! How will I get out of this?? I never thought that I’ll make things worse! All I want is to be with Dara and make her happy… I totally forgot about Jiyong!!! MAN! I don’t want to lose a great friend like TOP hyung! And if I don’t fix this now, I’ll lose a brother like Jiyong as well! I can’t let that happen!!!

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“Hyung! We were just talking about having a gathering at home because Bommie Noona just got accepted at YGE! DAMN! I’m so jealous! She gets to work with you now!!!” Seungri said as soon as I got back to my seat. How will I tell them that I need to go now? I want to fix everything right away! !

“PANDA! Don’t get jealous! You still have plenty of time to go at YGE! *smiles* I think you can go there any time! Just show them how much you are willing to be a part of the company! I think YG will be more interested if you’ll be persuasive and show him all you got there, even if he didn’t call for auditions! I’ll help you… don’t worry!” Bom said as Seungri got thrilled and hugged her. Bom suddenly turned to me and continued, “So, Tokki mentioned that you don’t have anything to do tonight… will it be okay if we’ll invite you to our small home? *chuckles* We’ll just have a small party to celebrate! Come with us!”

“Uhmm, I’m sorry. I’ll be meeting with a friend I just saw earlier… Well, Just text me when you get home so I’ll know if you all get there safely. Maybe after meeting with my friend, I’ll go there and celebrate with you. I’m really sorry.” I said as I kept on scratching my head! I’m still thinking about what TOP hyung said earlier, but I want to go there badly! I like all of them! They are so cool and fun to be with! But I need to fix this problem first…

“it’s okay. I’ll text you our address... *smiles* I’m expecting you to be there Youngbae. Consider it as my way of saying thank you for listening to me and helping me with my problem! Thanks for today! I really had a great time, thanks to you!” Dara said as she smiled and held my hand, showing how thankful she is! Her hands---I felt electrocuted when she touched me! URGHH!!! I’M INSANE NOW!!! WHY DID SHE STILL HAVE TO HOLD MY HAND??? I want to forget that TOP hyung is just watching me at the other corner! I wanna be with them more! *. Why does this have to happen now?! I watched them went outside the coffee shop, still smiling and waving at me... My eyes followed Dara until they went farther away from the cafe... As soon as they got out of sight, I took a deep breath, gathering all the courage I have and went to the farthest corner of this coffee shop to face TOP hyung…