Credits go to kurogane, for this amazing poster.

[ Thirty Four. Brink ]

Tablo listened attentively to “Go Away”, which was playing from the speakers in his office, with his eyes closed and head bobbing to the beat. Chaerin, Teddy, and Dara sat opposing him across the long, wooden conference table, waiting for Tablo’s feedback on the tune. Personally, Dara was proud of this song and her collaboration with Teddy and Chaerin. Teddy’s creative ideas regarding the tune and mixing in new sounds gave the track an edgier, unique vibe. While the previous producers Dara had worked with were conservative and reluctant to diverge from mainstream music, Teddy was the opposite, encouraging them to experiment with eccentric sounds in order to find the one that fit with the flow of the song. Chaerin wrote and rewrote her rap numerous times until she was fully satisfied with the final version. Although Teddy and Dara coached her through the recording, giving her some recommendations, Chaerin’s powerful vocals and aggressive flair had done the tune justice. However, she had higher standards for herself, suggesting to rerecord lines that she did not think was good enough even though Dara and Teddy had been okay with it. The process of finishing the song was surprisingly swift. Dara had been concerned that, with Teddy’s too easy-going attitude and tendency to try out irrelevant concepts, it would take longer than usual to finish a song. But it had been the opposite. The way they worked with each other involved direct communication; when one of them had a differing opinion or suggestion, they were straight-forward in saying it. At first, Dara had a hard time getting used to it, even feeling personally offended whenever her proposal was relentlessly attacked by the other two. Now, she was thankful for the process, because it had produced an even better result than her original raw version of “Go Away”.

The last note ended, and Tablo looked at Chaerin seriously. “It’s your debut. What do you think?”

“It’s more than good enough to be my debut single,” Chaerin affirmed confidently.

“Debut single? You are not going to debut with one of your songs?” Like Jiyong, Chaerin had worked with him during their days performing underground at YG Club, accumulating an astonishing collection of self-written songs. Tablo had expected that she would want to debut with a song she wrote entirely from scratch on her own, one that she had finished long ago, like G-Dragon.

“‘Go Away’ represents my personality completely, and many people can enjoy listening to it at the same time. The melody is catchy. My debut single is important. I want it to leave a strong impression, but if I use one of my previous songs as my debut single, I don’t think people will be able to relate to the lyrics in the songs and the story behind it as strongly as I do. I think ‘Go Away’ is a good compromise, meeting halfway. They like, I like.” Chaerin explained.

“Basically you said everything on my mind yourself. I agree to it being your debut single.” Tablo leaned back casually in his leather chair. “I like the raw tune when I heard it weeks ago, and the finalized version is even more impressive. By the way, who came up with the tune?”

“Sandy did. She came up with most of the lyrics and melody in less than twenty minutes.” Teddy bragged proudly like a mother hen while nudging Dara.

“Really?” Tablo observed the petite girl in front of him with admiration. Dara only gave a modest smile. “Teddy, she’s giving you a run for your money, isn’t she?”

“I’m so glad that we’re in the same company, or else it would be so damn embarrassing if SM fried our asses by letting her loose!” Teddy chuckled. Dara swelled with confidence at Teddy’s open praise of her abilities. Working beside Teddy has made her see how professional and amazing he was, learning a lot from the experienced producer.

“Dara, good job.” Tablo nodded in approval. “I heard you also worked on ‘Ugly’, ‘I Am the Best’, and ‘Hate You’. Those tracks were very enjoyable to listen to, too. I will be looking forward to more of your work in the future.”

“I will try my best,” Dara answered bashfully. Although she knew Tablo as an employee at YG Club from before, they were not close, and now there was a distinct gap between them, with him being the head of the company. To have received his personal praise also made her overjoyed.

“Since most of the tracks for Chaerin’s debut album has been finalized, I suppose you will have more time on your hands to work on other projects. There’s our upcoming boy group’s debut, Bom’s upcoming single, and also Jiyong’s second album. I can count on you to help out, right? Especially now that Jiyong will be taking a temporary break at home.” Dara, even though she knew that Tablo did not know of the reason behind Jiyong’s injury, still winced at the mention of it. Of course she should take full responsibility for it. It was her fault in the first place. But the thought of working alone with Jiyong, or should she say G-Dragon, was exciting and frightening at the same time. She still cannot tell what he thinks of her, nor can she figure out what she feels about him. “He told me that you are willing to work on his album with him, which is good news. I don’t think we can spare the other producers at a time like this. It won’t be too much trouble for you to travel back and forth during work, right?” Dara seemed frozen in her seat, so Tablo went on, taking her inaction as confirmation for her agreement. “Good. That reminds me, Dara, you did not receive a proper welcome into the YG family yet. I’ll be holding a welcoming party for you at YG Club later this week.” Dara sputtered in protest, immediately against the idea of being anywhere near alcohol after what happened before, but was cut off by Tablo. “I won’t take no for an answer. I’ll get the news out to the rest of the company soon. Be there.” He then turned around to talk to Chaerin. “Chaerin, I’ll notify your manager and the marketing department to start working on your promotion and upcoming schedule for the drop of your debut single. Wrap up your album. That’s it for today. Nice job done.” Taking their hint to leave, the three of them walked out of Tablo’s office.

“Par-tay!” Teddy yelled gleefully, skipping his way down the hallway as he linked arms with the two of them. One mention of a party was enough to make him forget about the pressure of having to work on so many upcoming albums and debuts. “Let’s go par-tay! Work that bod-ay! You got that, Sandy? Free booze for you! Free booze!”

Chaerin’s eyes followed Dara carefully, her mind not on the release of her debut single but on something else. Dara could, no she should, refuse Tablo’s request. And didn’t oppa try to stop her as well? Despite what Teddy thinks and Jiyong says, Chaerin highly opposes the idea of Dara working with Jiyong at home, alone. Bitterness crept into her heart. She does not trust Jiyong, and she does not trust Dara, despite her gratefulness towards the latter for being such an asset to her debut album. It was wrong of her to think this way, but she could not help it. When Dara left Jiyong in pieces before, it meant that Dara had gave up their relationship. In Chaerin’s opinion, Dara does not have the right to stir emotions in Jiyong, which is precisely what she’s doing even if she does not know it. Whatever’s left of Dara and Jiyong’s relationship, Chaerin has to make sure to sabotage it at all costs. She did not wait so long, staying by Jiyong’s side, to have him taken away from her by someone who did not deserve his love.

“Chaerin.” At the mention of her name, the girl looked up to see Dara looking at her intently. Chaerin caught on that Dara was the one addressing her, feeling conscience-stricken although Dara could not read her thoughts. “Is there anything else I have to do for your album? Teddy was saying how I’ll be spending the rest of the week working with the trainees.”

“Not at the moment, no. I want to squeeze in a slow song, since most of the songs on the track list are too fierce and strong. But I’ll have to work on that later; I have to start preparing for my debut stage. I’ll contact you when I’m ready to work on it.” Chaerin almost felt sorry for thinking those malicious thoughts about Dara when looking into her innocent eyes. The quicker Dara leaves, the less impact she will have on Jiyong. It will be the best for every one of us.   

“Okay. Tell me when you’re ready.” With a genuine smile, Dara waved goodbye to Chaerin and Teddy, getting on the elevator to go out for lunch with Minzy and Bom. She had thought that she would get a chance to bump into Bom as they were in the same company, especially now that Seunghyun’s back in Korea and Dara expected to see them stick together often, but Bom seemed to be extremely busy these days, almost never coming to YG headquarters. A few days ago, Minzy contacted Dara, excited for a get-together to celebrate getting a new job, so Dara took this opportunity to make Bom come meet up with them.

On the way to the bus stop, Dara was conscious of the curious and envious stares she got from the fans that were waiting outside the YG building. Because she was not a celebrity, she came to work in casual clothes she was comfortable wearing and did not have to fuss about her appearance. Donghae had gotten her a personal stylist during her stay at SM, which she was uncomfortable about, that coordinated every outfit she wore, deciding everything from the designer pieces to the smallest accessories. Here at YG, she quickly realized that celebrities and non-celebrities alike dressed in whatever they like when working at the company. Another thing that made her feel at home here. She supposes that even if she tried explaining it to Donghae, he would not understand.

“Dara unni!” Minzy squealed, getting up from her seat to embrace Dara when she got to the restaurant. Dara hasn’t seen her in person since she left Korea, and Minzy has matured a lot. Her hair was dyed orange and cut in a daring bob, every inch of it screaming style. Wearing huge retro-styled sunglasses and a dress of sparkly sequins, Bom waved half-heartedly from her seat as Dara sat down, across the table from the two. Mouthwatering food was already on the table, accompanied by glasses of organic juice. “We already ordered for you, hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, I’m starving!” Dara hungrily spooned the salmon salad in front of her at once. “Bom, what’s wrong?” It was uncharacteristic of Bom to stay quiet and unmoving in one place, instead of jumping up and down while racketing off the walls. “Your schedule is so packed these days. You must be tired.”

“No, no, that’s not what’s bothering me.” Bom heaved a long, dramatic sigh as she grabbed a chicken leg from the plate, munching on it mercilessly. “It’s Seunghyun.”

“What about him?” Minzy asked in confusion. “Didn’t you visit him on the set of his new movie? I heard he came back too.”

“I don’t know what I am to him!” Bom burst in frustration, swinging the chicken leg in her hands violently towards her audience, who subconsciously backed away. “I don’t know where this is going. Wait, wait, I don’t know if there is even a ‘thing’ between us! I mean, is he playing with me or what? I feel like I am nothing to him. Nothing! Absolutely nothing!”

“You’re being ridiculous, Bom,” Dara told her firmly, recalling what Seunghyun had said about their relationship. “How are you