You were putting on your make-up when the video call came. You’d left your laptop on your bed, and you weren’t expecting a call. You hopped onto your bed to see who it was, and your face brightened when you saw Yongguk’s face on the screen. You answered the call and brought your laptop over to your vanity so that you could finish getting ready for the Cavalier party while talking to him.

“Hello,” you said with a huge smile, waving at your boyfriend as grainy footage of him appeared on your screen. You checked the time. “Why are you calling me now? Isn’t your concert about to start?”

“We just finished our sound check, and the rest of the guys are having dinner now,” he explained. “I just wanted to check on you for a bit.”

You laughed as you reached for a tube of lipstick. “Check on me, huh?”

He gave you a sheepish smile. “Not like, you know, to keep tabs on you. I just missed you.”

“Oppa, you’ve only been gone a day,” you pointed out. “If you’re not comfortable with me going for this party, you can just say it.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted shortly. “I’m not jealous.” You weren’t so sure if he were trying to convince you or himself. “Did you do your makeup by yourself? Why didn’t you go to a shop?”

“I’m not a real celebrity, you know?” you reminded him with a laugh. “Nobody’s gonna care if my makeup is done professionally.”

“Good. You don’t have to look too pretty when I’m not there.”

You faked a gasp. “So I’m ugly unless I get my makeup done at a shop?”

“You’re the prettiest without any embellishments,” he corrected you. Then, a mischievous grin appeared on his face. “You’re prettiest without anything on you at all.”

“I really hope you’re alone,” you said dryly, although you couldn’t keep a smile from tugging at your lips. “Wouldn’t want to give Jonguppie nightmares again.”

“Trust me, if he does dream about you , it definitely would not be a bad dream,” he replied, raising his eyebrows. “What are you wearing to the party? Show me.”

You stood up, stepping away from the screen slightly so you could show him. It was a figure-hugging white dress with black paneling down the front and sides, and sheer mesh above the bust. It reached just above your knee, so it was modest. Because it fit your body so well, it was y without showing too much skin. “You like it?”

You looked at Yongguk and it was obvious he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “When did you get this dress? I’ve never seen it before.”

You did a little twirl for him. “It’s sponsored. The Cavalier people sent it over this afternoon. So, do you like it?”

He pouted. “I love it. You’re gonna sweep all the men off their feet. I just wish I were there beside you instead of… someone else.” You frowned at him as he paused, looking down for a moment before he remembered something. “Speaking of which, since when did you get Instagram? And why am I not on your list of follows?”

“I just got it last week,” you replied, sitting back down. “I don’t have any of you guys on my list, not even Himchan oppa. Natasha unnie warned me not to have any connections to any of you. She said when you followed her, a flood of your fans did too, and they left all sorts of weird comments on her photos.”

“My sister?” he said with a laugh. “My brother was the one who told me about you starting on Instagram. Seems like you have more contact with my family than I do.”

“You’re too busy, so they check on you through me,” you pointed out. “Even your mother calls me to find out how you’re doing. Ya, don’t you think you ought to call them more often?”

He grinned at you. “Why? I like that you’re updating them for me.”

You stuck your tongue out at him. “What am I, a call center? I’m going to start charging you.”

“You’re mean,” he complained, laughing and sticking his tongue back out at you. “Ya, we need a photo together. The only photo you’ve posted so far is a photo with Dongwoon and there isn’t a caption. It looks like you two are a couple.”

“Who cares what it looks like?” you dismissed. “People who actually matter will know we’re not. Besides, I can’t post a photo with you, unless you want me to become the enemy of thousands of teenage girls overnight.”

He pouted, knowing you were right. “Still, we should have more photos together, even if you don’t post them. After this tour, I should whisk you away on a holiday.”

“That’s a nice thought,” you replied, a smile forming on your face. “But after you guys are done with the tour, we’ll be even busier with the preparations for the new album. I think everyone else will get to rest but you. You’ll have to start living in the basement again.”

“At least this time, you’ll have to live there with me,” he said mischievously, pumping his fist in the air.

You laughed. “Slave driver,” you accused, just as you caught sight of your phone. “Oppa, I have to go. Dongwoonie is swinging by to pick me up, and he’s just around the corner now.”

He smiled at you, but you caught that little twitch in his brow that hinted that he was suppressing what he really felt. It was gone in a second, however. “Okay. I should go too, if I want to eat before the concert starts. Have fun at the party, and drop me a text when you get home okay?”

You nodded, picking up your purse and waving at him. “Alright. You have fun at your concert later too!”

“Don’t drink too much! You know you can’t hold your liquor!”

You chuckled at his nagging. “Yes, oppa. Bye!”

The party was a lot fancier than you’d expected. When you stepped out of Dongwoon’s car, driven by his manager, you were blinded by flashbulbs going off. Most people weren’t too interested in you, but you heard photographers yelling out Dongwoon’s name all around you. You knew that he’d modeled on runways around the world, but his popularity astounded you. He was really natural, though, flashing his megawatt smile confidently and posing for the cameras. With his hand on the small of your back, he guided you forward down the red carpet. The two of you stopped in front of a black and white backdrop with the event’s sponsors emblazoned across it, and by that time, you’d regained your wits enough to actually pose for photographs with Dongwoon. After a brief minute, he was ushering you away and into Cavalier’s flagship store, where the party was held.

After the chaos outside, entering the cool interior of the store was a relief. People were milling around and chatting, while suited waiters weaved in between the guests, toting trays of drinks. As the doors closed behind you, you grabbed Dongwoon’s forearm. “Oh my god, why didn’t you tell me it was going to be this huge an event?”

He laughed and swiped two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, handing one to you. “What were you expecting?”

You took a gulp of champagne, your eyes wide as you surveyed the store. “I don’t know, maybe something more—oh my god, is that 2NE1?”

“Are you going to be this embarrassing?” he teased, tugging at your arm to stop you from gawking at the other guests. “Come on, your brother and boyfriend are idols. Don’t tell me they’ve never introduced you to their celebrity friends.”

“All they do is work,” you complained. “Other than the girls from Secret, they have just about zero celebrity friends.”

Dongwoon chuckled. “Well, here’s your chance to make some celebrity friends of your own. Let’s go mingle.”

The whole night was a real eye-opening experience for you. Following Dongwoon around, you smiled so much and shook hands with so many people that both your cheeks and your right hand were cramping by the end of the night. It was hard for you not to start fangirling at the star-studded event, and you kept your squealing to a minimum as you chatted with celebrities that you’d never expected to see outside of your TV. Dongwoon didn’t actually know all of the people that he greeted that night, but the trick, according to him, was to be friendly and pretend you’d met before. Within these circles, it was rude if you didn’t recognize someone, so everyone pretended to know everyone. You were a bit awkward, but Dongwoon pulled it off so well he might as well have been an actor himself. He’d go up to someone, all smiles and excited expressions, and go, “It’s been a while!” It was amazing watching him, because it worked on every single person he tried it on.

After a while, you got tired of engaging in friendly small talk with people who had no idea who you were, and Dongwoon left you with his friend, Soojung, who was a fellow model. She was a tall, skinny girl with feline-looking eyes and bleached-blond hair. She took your hand and led you towards the fitting rooms, where she locked the door behind the two of you and sank down onto the floor with a groan. You laughed and followed her, sitting as comfortably as your skintight dress allowed you.

“Dongwoon oppa is crazy,” she commented. “He works way too hard. It’s tough trying to keep up with him.” You gave her a quizzical look. “He comes to these things to meet people,” she said in explanation. “As long as his face is out there, he gets recommended for stuff like cameos in TV shows or music videos. If he shows up in photos of popular celebrities often, fans get curious about him. He knows how to market himself.”

You nodded. “I suppose he wouldn’t be so successful if he didn’t.”

A moment of silence passed between the two of you as Soojung studied her own reflection in the mirror. She had this quirky air about her, as if she were constantly floating about in a daydream. Then, she turned back to you. “Unnie, can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Do you like Dongwoon oppa?”

The question caught you off-guard, and your eyes widened as she stared expectantly at you. “No,” you said quickly. “Not in that way. We’re just friends.”

She nodded slowly at your answer. “You guys dated, right?”

“Yeah,” you replied. “It was a long time ago, though. I have a boyfriend. We’re really just friends now. Please don’t misunderstand.”

She laughed lightly. “You don’t have to sound so apologetic, unnie. He’s a really good-looking guy, but I know for sure I don’t have a shot with him. I don’t think he’s forgotten about you yet.”

“You’re really mistaken,” you insisted, putting your hand on her arm. “We dated only briefly, and he caught me at a time when I was fresh out of a long relationship and really vulnerable. We weren’t really that in love at all, which was why we parted without too much fuss. If you like him, you should let him know. He’s a really great guy…”

“Did you guys have ?”

Your mouth dropped open at her bluntness and your mind went blank. She chuckled at your inability to answer and gave you a once-over. “I see. You do have a better body than me. No wonder he’s still thinking about you.”

“No, Soojung ah…”

You were interrupted by a knock on the door. Soojung reached up to unlock the door, and Dongwoon popped his head in. He laughed when he saw the two of you sitting on the floor. “Girls and heels,” he commented with a shake of his head. “Have you two gotten enough rest? Let’s go. We’ve been invited to a party!”

Soojung perked up and got to her feet quickly, grabbing Dongwoon’s hand excitedly. “Really? Where are we going?”

You got to your feet a little slower. “I think I’ll take a rain check. I’m kinda tired.”

Dongwoon grabbed your arm with his free hand. “Oh no, you don’t. You’ve been turning me down every time I ask you out for drinks. It’s been years since we’ve had a drink together. You’re not going to be a party pooper are you?”

You hesitated, and he turned his puppy-dog eyes on you. “Come on, where’s the fun Kim Hana that I used to know? Your boyfriend’s overseas! Let loose a little!”

“Come along,” Soojung urged, her eyes twinkling. “Just a couple of drinks, and I’ll make sure you get home safe.”

You sighed. “Fine. Just a couple of drinks.”

The two of them managed to drag you out of the fitting room and somehow bundle you into the car. Without you knowing how or why, there was suddenly a whole bunch of other models in the car, chattering excitedly about how crazy the party was going to be. You found yourself wedged in a corner, with Dongwoon beside you, which suited you fine. As he turned to talk to someone else, you sent a text to Yongguk to let him know you were going to a club (remembering to assure him you were with a whole group of people) and were going to be home late. You didn’t really feel up to it, but two drinks couldn’t hurt, right?

Author's note:

Sorry for taking so long to update, lovelies! I've been really busy with school lately. I'm drowning from all these assignments! Seeing BAP appear on variety shows everywhere is making me a very very happy girl, though. After watching them on Weekly Idol, I laughed so hard that all my stress disappeared for a while. Himchan's y dance, oh my god. I felt so embarrassed watching it but I couldn't stop laughing at the same time! And Yongguk's chest exposure... I can't handle this!!!

Some of you commented that you don't know what to feel about Dongwoon, and trust me, I'm struggling with that too. I used to like Beast quite a lot before BAP came along and turned my world upside down. Sometimes I think it'd be easier for me as a writer if I just wrote him as a completely bad guy who's trying to get in between Yongguk and Hana, but I like him so much that it's really hard for me. And honestly, I don't believe that anyone is fully bad or fully good. We're all a mix of the two, aren't we? So, yeah. I haven't completely decided what to do with Dongwoon yet, but if you feel conflicted about his character, THANK YOU.

Since I'm rambling, GD's new album. FREAKING. MASTERPIECE. If you guys haven't heard it, you absolutely have to! I really loved Black and Crooked. Both songs are so heartbreaking that I feel like I can write really good one-shots revolving around them. I also have a weakness for songs revolving around heartbreak i.e. I Remember (which I would have named this story after if there weren't already so many other Yongguk stories with this title). But then again, my first priority would be to finish this story up with what little time I have.

Thank you for being patient with me, and thank you for leaving me comments! Said it a million times, will say it again. Seeing your comments really give me a lot of strength (especially now that school is getting really stressful for me) and they make me very happy! I still read a lot of other stories on AFF, and sometimes when I see people leave rude comments or one-liners demanding for the author to update, I feel lucky that you guys are always incredibly nice and take the time and effort to write comments discussing the plot, replying to the I write in my author's notes, giving me encouragements, or ALL OF THE ABOVE at the same time. Seriously, I love you guys and I hope when I do start on another story, I'll have the same group of readers because you guys are so awesome. THANK YOU. <3

xx.