DARA POV

Training's over, thank the jumping bananas. It was just a tiring day -- grueling to be exact, that all I want to do is to just take a nice hot bath and sleep -- for a whole day. But nooooooooo, I have to remind myself that I'll be having the same schedule from now on, no matter what. All of the love -- err hate, I said to myself.

"Daraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Someone called on to me as I neared our house. I narrowed my eyes, trying to identify who the person was. 

"Daraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" 

I walked faster. Here I am, dammit -- would she just quit screaming like that in the middle of the night? Panting, I finally stopped in front our house; and wouldn't you know it, it was only Ji Eun, sitting near the doorstep, waiting for me to arrive.

"What in the wo---"

"So how was it? Did you meet new people? Were they nice? Did you meet other YG artists, my aaaaay Taeyang, to be exact? How about Se7en? Oh gosh, oh gosh maybe I should have listened to you after all..."

I can't believe this. I raised my hand, trying to stop her. "Ji..."

"I knew it! Well, how about the narcissistic GD?! I hate ruining the mood whatsoever, but well he's our target so..."

I sighed. I love my best friend and all but this seriously has to stop. "Ji Eun-ah, let me.."

"So you did? Bam! Here we go! Anyway, how was the training? I guess it was hard, no? But you're my best friend and you're pretty talented and all that, so I guess you lead the trainee race by storm and that would leave GD utterly amazed and he'll feel sorry as an artist because you're so great and yet you're still a trainee while he's already there but all he can ever be proud of are his mediocre works. So yeah baby you're gonna be --"

"Ji Euuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!!!" I finally let out a blood-curling scream. This is just it! Lead the trainee race by storm is she effing kidding me?! I couldn't even do the the half-slide right!

She stopped, looking like a deer in headlights. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" I asked, frustrated. I have a feeling that it's my time to rant how my day went now. "Oh, nothing! Everything was just great! AQXVJGDTY great! The training was faaaaaaabulous, unless you want to end up in a hospital bed! The trainees? Oh, I lead the trainee race by storm -- my foot! One's like 15, and she can dance like a pro-pro, if you know what I mean, the other one just can sing like a nightingale compared to my tweety-like voice, the other one? Well she has charisma like no other she just owns and pwns everything -- the studio, the caf, the whole YG building dammit! The other two who became trainees at the same time as me? Well hell yeah, they just kick my inmypants every time we do exercises together. Feels like I lead the race, yeah? Am I to successfully amaze that GD with the way things are going? Yes, I want to, but no-siree, turns out I'm too slow for YG!" 

I couldn't read Ji Eun's expression after my outburst. I bit my lip, forcing myself not to cry. 

"Dara..." Her voice was dead calm. I know where this is going.

"It's unfair, you know?" I felt hot tears falling down my face. "The joke's should be on that sorry loser GD, but everything is just so freakin hard." I tried to stop crying but my tears just started falling faster. "It's the first of my many days as a trainee and yet I already want to give up. I don't know if I can still do this, makes me wanna cherish my mascot days at the supermarket more."

Right then and there Ji Eun hugged me, and all I could do was to hug her back, lest I would end up bawling on the pavement. "Dara, come on. Where's my determined best friend? You're stronger than this. You can't cry like that. Come on..."

"I..it's just..hard...you..know?" I managed to answer in between tears. "The whole day I was there...I...felt..stupid...I just want to get lost."

"Shh. Look at this way, what can't kill you only makes you stronger, right? Remember back in high school? I felt stupid because I didn't know sh1t about physics and all that mumbo-jumbo science stuff that you're good at, but you keep on saying that I shouldn't give up and now you're right. It's the same here, babe. So you won't quit like that. I won't let you. You have me, so even if I'm not a trainee? I'll always have your back."

I stopped crying as I tried to free myself from her embrace so I could look at her, straight in the eye. I sniffed. "Thanks, buddy."

She smiled as she ruffled my hair in disarray. "That's my girl. Promise me you won't cry like that again, ok? You just scared the living daylights outta me a while ago. Remember that we would always have the last laugh."

I nodded meekly as I headed for the door. I wanted to say goodbye to her properly, but I'm just tired. Ji Eun in return didn't say anything, she just stood there, waiting for me to get inside. 

But, as I entered the house and finally close the door behind me, I heard her call my name again. 

I turned around to look at her. "What's the problem..?"

Ji Eun took something out of her bag. In her hand was a small black notebook. "Here, take this with you while you're training at YG."

"Huh?" I asked, bewildered. "What for?"

"For taking notes, silly! You'll need that!"

I rolled my eyes. Ji Eun and her obsessive-compulsiveness strikes again. "You know I hate taking notes. No thanks,"

"Well, this is not for you, really. This is for GD. You just take notes about him. What he does, says, the whole package. We might be needing it in the future."

WHAAAAAAAAT? I just looked at her, horrified. Is my bestfriend out of her mind?

"I know right!" She continued, as if to read my mind. "It's genius!"

Hmm. Maybe she can't really read it. :|

"Ji, Maybe we can---"

She placed the little notebook in my hands. "Just do it. I know this is not the right time since you had a pretty bad day, but trust me on this one. We need to do this. And you have to show it to me every weekend, ok? You hear?"

"Why?"

"Well, we're in this together, so hell yeah you should show it to me!" She ran up to me and kissed me on the cheek. "Bye sweetie! Tomorrow's a new day, so keep on smiling sunshine!"

And poof, just like that, she was gone. I looked at the little black notebook on my hands. Hmm, smells like that romantic movie Ji Eun and I got crazy about some years ago. The lead actress had the same notebook and all that shizz. And she ended up with the guy, of course.

with the black notebook in my possession, I felt like that lead actress, to be honest. Only this time, Jiyong and I are definitelynot going to end up as lovers.

JIYONG POV

"Writing some songs again?"

I immediately looked up upon hearing that voice, only to see Taeyang, lurking in the shadows. In my fear and surprise, I let out a few cuss words at him while he just laughed at my expense. It was a rather chilly night and I couldn't sleep, so instead of tossing and turning in my bed for the rest of the night, I took my trusty notebook and climbed all the way to the rooftop, where I usually spend my sleepless nights brooding or in this case, writing songs.

"What the hell, man? Don't ever do that again!" I exclaimed to him as he sat down beside me. 

"Sorry." He replied, while trying to take a peek of what I'm writing. "So basically, that song is for...?"

"For what? I dunno. There's just this random melody and words on my mind right now, so here I am writing it down. For future use. Who knows, it may be our next hit song or whatever."

Taeyang just looked at me with those I-know-you-too-well eyes. "It better be."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!" I answered back, suddenly defensive.

"Don't tell me you're having a round of J syndrome again." He said quietly.

J syndrome? What the hell? I just gave him a confused look in return.

"It was T.O.P hyung who coined that term. He said that you looked so quiet and out of touch these past few weeks that it reminded him of the time when she just left you on---"

"Okay, stop. I know what you're going to say next. And anyway, I can't believe hyung is talking behind my back!!! To think that I never told anyone about him and Sung Hee noona's fling two summers ago!"

"Wait, what? Sung Hee? The stylist we had for some commercial we did two years ago?"

Oops, my emotions got the best of me again. Now hyung would definitely have a reason to talk behind my back and reveal some of my secrets! I tried to just sweep it under the rug. "Nah, just forget what I said."

Taeyang gave me a bothered look. "How can I forget that?! So that's why he was just so smiley and happy during that time! I can't believe this!" 

"Okay, okay. Just don't tell the others about it. I also promised hyung that I won't tell anyone that they had a pretty bad break-up because he found out that Sung Hee was cheating on him and he caught them in the act." 

Taeyang's eyes grew wide. Whoopsie-daisies, my mouth has a life of its own!

"God, Jiyong. I never knew that you turn into a blabbermouth whenever we talk about touchy-feely subjects, like your love life, for instance." he shook his head. "Thank goodness I don't tell all of my dirty secrets to you." 

"Hey! Don't like, blame this on me! You started this!" I gave him a light punch on his right arm. "I am not a blabbermouth! I mean, since when anyway?"

"Since now," Taeyang replied. "Anyway, back to the original million dollar question. So are you thinking about her again?"

I paused for a while. Am I, really? I didn't tell the others about her calling me again some weeks before my solo album dropped. I didn't tell the others that she wanted us to talk again. Typical oh-let's-remember-the-good-times thing. I didn't tell the others that I declined her offer and that I'm not answering her messages since then. If I'm not mistaken, it's been more than three years since things ended between us, so am I supposed to tell the others about her?

"So you are thinking about her. I guess it's safe to say that you're talking to her again, or it's her trying to contact you again?"

Is Taeyang the new Nostradamus? How the hell was he able to read my mind?

"Well...I actually--"

"That's it. I knew it. So the song you're writing now is just like, all about this recent run-in with her?"

"Does it look like it?"

"Well, I haven't read it yet, but you do always write songs about your experiences and memories with her. I just didn't expect that it would be the same thing up until now."

The two of us remained silent after that. I guess with the two of us being together since our trainee years, it is Taeyang who truly knows me the best. I didn't have to explain everything to him; everything just falls into place. I'm thanking my lucky stars just now that it was him who actually followed me up here. If it was hyung, Dae, or maknae Seungri who was here, I wouldn't know what to say when they come pestering me again about her.

I looked at him. "It's really not about her, but I guess the reason why I can't sleep is because of her. So yes, in hyung's words, as much as I hate to admit it, I am having the J syndrome all over again." I laughed bitterly. "kind of , no? Just as I am back on track again and actually having a normal life, here she goes again."

Tayeang just gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Aish, just let her be. You have your own world to think about now. And anyway, I just...you know. I just have this feeling. Like, this year's gonna be different. It's like, you're gonna be in love with someone new."

"Ew, cut it out man. Don't go all love doctor on me. I don't think so." I stood up. "And why are we talking about love all of a sudden? Let's stop." I looked at him. "Aren't you going back to bed?"

Taeyang remained seated, his eyes closed. "Nah, you go ahead first. I can't sleep anyway."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Serves you right for talking about someone else's love life. Leave that love forecast shizz to T.O.P hyung and his cosmo mag." 

He laughed at my remark. "You better not say that in front of hyung. And anyway, don't tell me I didn't warn you."

I just shook my head on what he just said. At that time, I just didn't have any idea how true those words would become later on.