Credits go to hungry- (from  affamé graphic shop), for this amazing poster.

[ Twenty Eight. Who You ]

“Thank you for your hard work.” Backstage after the concert ended, Jiyong ignored the sweat that was slowly dripping down from his forehead, and continued thanking and bowing sincerely to each of the staff for their hard work for his concert. “Thank you. Thank you.” After it finally sank in that his final concert had ended, he was left with a bunch of emotions. When he saw the thrilled and ecstatic reactions on the faces of his fans during his performance, he was beyond touched and happy that he had been able to give them something in his music that they love. But now, after it is over, it seemed surreal that everything had gone by so fast. He felt as if his soul had left his body, floating somewhere in the air and looking at everything objectively. He did not really feel exhausted, although he should, with all the running, singing, and shouting he did. He did feel lonely, but he was still in the company of a lot of people. By then, the VIP guests came in to offer their congratulations to the star for the success of his first tour. Among them was Haru, Tablo’s little daughter who was a big fan of G-Dragon. Before anyone else could reach Jiyong, Haru ran excitedly to greet her idol. Putting aside his thoughts temporarily, Jiyong grinned upon seeing Haru, and crouched down to greet her enthusiastically, which surprised the little girl as she stopped abruptly in her tracks. She then turned around to hide behind her mother, only daring to peek out at Jiyong shyly, which caused everyone in the room to laugh.

“I don’t need to tell you how good you were out there, because you know more than I do,” Tablo remarked as he shook Jiyong’s hands enthusiastically. Ever since their days of making music at YG Club, Tablo has been an important mentor to Jiyong. Although Tablo was now his boss, their deep bond of brotherhood did not change much between them. Tablo only gave some advice as a friend when needed, giving Jiyong enough space to make his own music. Tablo was as proud of this moment as if it had been his own concert.

“I hope I did good enough to earn more money for YG,” Jiyong joked as he went on to accept more congratulations from his other guests. Choice37 and Teddy, producers that Jiyong works with daily at YG Entertainment, pumped fists with him as they praised the stylists for the intricate details of his onstage outfit. His final list of guests included people from YG Entertainment, such as producers, stylists he works with and trainees that look up to him. He had also invited the guys from the Seoul University basketball team, who are now scattered in different fields and cities. He had contemplated whether or not to invite Byul and Dongwook, but then decided against it at the last moment. Ever since he debuted, he had been careful to maintain the mysterious image of G-Dragon. Everything from his academic to familial backgrounds was to remain a secret, and very often YG Entertainment had to step in when the media began circulating information about him. However, Byul and Dongwook had still called him hours before the concert, congratulating and cheering him on. The tension between Dongwook and him had not evaporated, especially after Dara left, but ever since Dongwook had finally agreed to let Jiyong pursue his dream of becoming a star instead of sticking with law studies, things had gotten better. He suppose it could also have to do with the fact that he rarely has a chance to see them these days that it’s less likely for Dongwook and him to argue. He had moved out of the apartment connected to theirs, and moved into a place of his own.

“Ji hyung!” Seungri hastily grabbed Jiyong by the arm, taking the chance when everyone else was happily chatting to talk privately to Jiyong. In comparison to the relaxed and merry faces of everyone else in the room, Seungri looked uncertain with worry. Don’t tell me that he wants to talk about Chaerin again. Jiyong was only half-listening as he smirked playfully at Haru, who was still hiding from him in embarrassment. “I saw Dara noona. She came to your concert.”

The smirk disappeared from Jiyong’s face as he stared expressionlessly at Seungri, giving the latter his full attention. He had to process for a moment what Seungri said, his heart thumping hard against his chest. The deep yearning he had been trying to suppress was awakened, but he prevented it from surfacing even to this moment. He grabbed wildly at other explanations other than the one he was presented. “Impossible. You must have mistaken someone else for her.”

“No, I’m positive it was her! I called out her name, and she turned around! I even talked to her!” Waving his arms around wildly, Seungri turned and pointed at Chaerin. “She was with Chaerin’s brother! Donghae!”

Chaerin looked alarmed. “What?! You saw my oppa? Are you sure? He did not tell me anything about returning to Korea!” She was frozen for a moment before hurriedly picking up her phone, seeming to be contacting her brother. Meeting Jiyong’s eyes that were accusing her, she threw up her hands to emphasize her innocence. “I swear, I did not change the guest list like you said. They must’ve gotten tickets by some other way.”

“Dara noona said they got it from someone named Seunghyun…” Seungri added.

She came.

The loud buzz of people talking was not enough to drown out the thoughts racing in Jiyong’s head. How was he supposed to feel about this? Happy? Even though he had not fulfilled his end of the promise of inviting her to his first concert, she came on her own. That must mean something. She still remembered their promise after all this time, even after they lost contact with each other. But she came with Lee ing Donghae! Jiyong’s face twisted in hatred. Of all people, she came with Lee Donghae. It made him infuriated. It was no coincidence that Dara had left shortly after Donghae went back to United States. He had once overheard Chaerin telling Seungri how Dara was interning at the US branch of SM Entertainment, and his suspicions were confirmed. I had underestimated that bastard. Without a doubt, Donghae had took advantage of the time their family was in a turmoil over the discovery of Dara and Jiyong’s relationship, and somehow managed to convince Dara to study abroad with him. His heart burned with hostility. Did he come tonight to mock me? Bringing Dara to flaunt it in my face how I had lost her to him? Jiyong’s hands tightened into fists, holding back the urge to hit and throw things.

“Oppa! Where are you?” Chaerin bit her lips as she nodded to Jiyong and Seungri. Donghae was indeed back in Seoul. “Why I’m calling? No reason. I just didn’t know you were back in Korea. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? When are you returning back to the US? Will you have time to see me?” She paused, patiently hearing Donghae’s reply. “So soon? Dinner tomorrow with Dara? Sure thing. Text me the address and time. Yes, I love you too, oppa. Bye, see you then.”

“Well?” Seungri demanded impatiently.

“They’re leaving on the earliest flight the day after tomorrow, so oppa invited me to dine with them tomorrow night.” Chaerin turned to Jiyong in concern. “Do you want to come?”

“Only if you want to see me beat up your brother.” Jiyong replied dully.

“You aren’t really going to beat him up, right?” Seungri asked nervously as he watched Chaerin walk over to her table. She has chosen a table that was within hearing distance from theirs, but it was impossible for anyone sitting at Chaerin’s table to see them unless they got up from their seats. Sitting across the table from Seungri, Jiyong grunted in response as he stared unblinkingly at the entrance of the restaurant. Now that he thought of it, it would be quite interesting to see what would happen if he actually beat up the unsuspecting Lee Donghae. The media would no doubt go crazy with that incident. He could see it now: Famous Rapper G-Dragon Violently Attacks the Next CEO of SM Entertainment. Not bad at all. G-Dragon has never been directly involved in any scandals since debut. It would be worth it for this to be the first time.

“Honestly, hyung, don’t even consider it,” Seungri groaned, already regretting that he agreed to accompany Jiyong. He knew that he should have asked the buff trainer at YG Entertainment to come instead. Seungri was no match to stop Jiyong if he chooses to act violently. “The YG staff are already exhausted censoring news concerning your background. If you hit Donghae, they’ll be working to death for a media blackout. I’m begging you.”

“Defending her brother is not going to make Chaerin fall in love with you.” Jiyong straightened up at the sight of Dara and Donghae appearing at the entrance, then hurriedly grabbed a menu to hide in front of his face. Seungri copied him, immersing himself in the menu. Fortunate for them, there were too many people dining at that restaurant, so the couple did not notice them. Sneaking a peek, Jiyong bit his lower lip hard in irritation as he tried to control himself