"YOU must be Sheila-ssi." She was frozen for a second. His blonde hair was without product and he was wearing a wife-beater with loose cargo pants but in her eyes he was in a military jacket and an Irish skirt. For a moment the two images overlapped. She had to tilt her head to the side to wake herself up a little. When she finally stopped blinking, she remembered her manners.

She bowed and greeted him as properly as she learned from all the Korean classes and dramas she has been in and watched. She bowed 90 degrees and said in Korean, "Welcome to our retreat. Please enjoy your stay."

She straightened up and saw that he was bowing much the same way and she heard him say in English, "Please take good care of me." He straigthened and smiled at her. She swallowed a gasp because she didn't want him to know the real effect of his smile had on her. But there was something peculiar about the smile he gave her. It didn't reach his eyes.

She felt something pierce her heart. It was not her love for this talented man but the sadness and loneliness from Jiyong's eyes.

"We didn't expect you so soon." their guest was expected to arrive tomorrow. So him being there was unusual.

"My mom was supposed to be your guest. She cancelled and told me to go instead. She has been here before with her friends. They said it was a great place to think." Sheila was hanging on every word he said because she knew she would have to reiterate it to Sammie every single word to analyze over and over again.

"That's so nice of her to say." Her mind was turning to mush. She didn't want her first encounter with the Kwon kind to be a heaping mess so she cleared then asked. "Do you like your room?"

Jiyong nodded. "It has a great view of the sunset." he smiled his half-smile again.

Sammie would have an I-told-you-so party in my ear later. For now she would have to make sure she doesn't squeal in delight that she was talking to her bias.

"I am glad you liked it. I'll go up to mine and if you need anything just call for me using the reception." she walked towards the mini-elevator her dad placed in the house. She did her victory jiggy inside. She realized to late that the elevator was made of clear glass.

She looked at Jiyong was releaved that he did not see her.

JIYONG let his laughter explode after he saw that Sheila was no longer inside the elevator and was probably making her way to her room. He caught himself in the middle of laughing and realized that he hasn't laughed like that in months. His concert left him too tired to interact with friends and he was either in the hospital, in a hotel room or on stage. His schedule stretched him beyond his capacity and it caused a rift in his relationship with Dara. She was wondering why he was always snapping at her and he was sad that she chose to go to the Philippines after the night she was asked to perform for his concert. He had expected that she would find a way to fit his concert tour in her schedule. But she had gone to support her brother because he was sad that his group's concert was cancelled. Thunder had been looking forward to performing for his old friends from the Philippines and was depressed that something he could not control led to that.

They mentioned that the reason was technical difficulties but the security threat in the Philippines as well as the North Korean declaration of war had alarmed the company and had decided that postponing the concert for now was better than getting caught in a really sticky situation. But his concert was too global to cancel so it went ahead as planned. He decided that he could have MBLAQ guest on his concert next time or he would make a song for them to make up a little bit for what had happened to something they were working so hard to do. The fans didn't know that another concert was in the works. Though Jiyong knew disappointed fans could very likely turn into antis. He rubbed his chest a little bit, feeling the pain on a physical level whenever he thinks of the time he was a disappointment to his fans. It was a humbling experience, it brought him closer to his family but it still made him feel sad.

He didn't think anything else would come after that which would trump that pain. Boy, was he ever wrong. It's more painful when other people disappoint you as supposed to you disappointing them.

"If you think I am going to follow you around because I love you then you have another thing coming. I have my own dreams." Dara was hurt because he was for the nth time asking her to come to the tour with him. He even suggested that they some songs together but she refused.

 "Are you getting tired of supporting me?" he had to ask.

 "No. I will still continue to support you. But don't you think it's about time you supported me as well? You are not the center of this relationship, Jiyong-ah. I am in this relationship too. It has to be give AND take not give OR take." he felt insulted when she insinuated that she was the only one who is making adjustments.

 "You knew that my schedule is crazy so I can't move a single thing in it." she blew out air, a habit that made her cute whenever she was mad, when he said that.

 "Then I think you should date a PA. Because that is what you want. I don't want to be your sitter. I am a woman. I am your girlfriend. Why am I the only one making adjustments, because you are more sucessful than I am? Shibal." Dara caught the curse and pressed her hand on her lips. "Sorry, it's just that this whole LDR is not my cup of tea”

 “We are not having an LDR.” Both of them traveled for work but it wasn’t like she didn’t have other things that she had to do.

 “I want someone I can date publicly.” That exploded in his head and had his vision blurring.

 “You know that’s dangerous, right?”technically he has seen more bad things happen to his hyungs and their girlfriends than Dara had during her stay in YG so it was obvious that she didn’t understand the ramifications of her request.

 “I don’t want to deny my heart anymore. If you can’t be that person for me then I will find someone who can love me enough to tell the whole world about it in plane words and not in his vaugely concealed love song lyrics.” That hit home because he had always thought that she appreciated that about him.

 “Don’t be like this…” he was trying to control the frustration he was feeling. There had been more days like these lately. They argued about their schedules not matching up. They didn’t argue in front of the other members of their groups because they didn’t want them to worry too much. But from the looks the members of 2ne1 have been giving him lately, he could feel the guilt in him build up. I guess this is what they call rupture.

 “I am tired of dating G-Dragon. I wanted Jiyong not him.” That was a direct hit too. Dara walked away and started for the door. He felt like the room tilted when she turned around. “It’s time for me to think about myself this time. I need a man who can take care of me.” The door opened and Taeyang was there. Dara walked past him, placing a hand on Yongbae’s chest. The latter was about to hold on to Dara’s hand. “Don’t.” was all she said.

 “What the heck did you do this time?” Taeyang saw him shacking and held on to him just in time for him loosing his balance when he tried to step forward, towards the door where the woman he believe is the love of his life.

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