“Like I said, I don’t need an entourage, sajangnim.” He said huskily, his voice still unrecovered from the recent series of concerts.

“It’s not an entourage, TOP. It’s just Big Bang.”

“Exactly… You know the number of fan girls they bring with them.” Choi Seung hyun, known in the entertainment industry as TOP, had deduced nonchalantly. “I love our fans but I think it’s best if I meet you all in the office instead.” 

Yang Hyun Suk, the CEO of YG entertainment, sighed. “If you insist... How about a celebratory dinner?”

“Sajangnim, there’s not that much to celebrate.” He answered politely, sitting on the edge of his bed.

“Aigoo this young man…” Hyun suk smiled. “Humility is good, but to deny your success would be disrespectful, neh? Let’s just have an intimate dinner tomorrow with your friends from the agency. You know the boys aren’t expressive but they miss you, bingu!”

“Yah! Sajangnim…” TOP grinned at the fatherly gesture. Only YG could have said TOP’s infamous nickname without the guy throwing a fit about it. “Arrassou.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow in the afternoon at YG arrasou?” YG confirmed.

“Sabunim! No more!!!” Park Bom exclaimed, running on the treadmill for almost an hour now.

Hwang Ssabu, resident physical trainer to all YG artists, dancers and trainees, looked at Bom keenly. “Yah, Park Bom! Two months in and you’re already complaining like that! How do you expect to debut on time huh? Thirty more minutes!”

“DEH?!” The girl raised her brows. She looked at the stick like figure beside her; her good friend Park Sandara, known by most as Dara, who was lifting 7.5 lbs weights in each of her hands. “Save me!”

Dara gave her the ‘I know but I’m stuck in the same situation’ look as she carefully raised the weight to the air as per their trainer’s instruction to her.

The two have been friends ever since college. Both Dara and Bom took their music major at the Korean National University of the Arts. Initially they had wanted to train as singers, but coincidentally their parents were not happy with the trainee arrangement. Bom’s parents had promised that she would be allowed to pursue her career after college, while Dara’s mom insisted that she avoid the path for good. Being the Dara that she was, this didn’t stop her from applying in YG where she and Bom luckily got accepted at first try two months ago.

However, unlike the rest, these two were never exposed nor oriented to the challenges of being a trainee. They didn’t think that industry norms like mastering several other languages, dieting and exercising were this drastic; nor did they believe the ‘horror stories’ told to them about the hardships their training would entail.

What’s worse was that the president had intended to hasten their debut.

The actual reason for their acceptance as YG trainees (despite being above the average trainee age) was the president’s vision of debuting a new girl group by the last quarter of the year. He had envisioned this group to be ‘bad-’ and out of the normal Korean perception of beauty. What else could defy the Korean perception than to have a girl group debut with an average age of 21? Yeah, he had called their project group ‘2ne1’.

That meant both only had six months to prepare for their debut; whilst the rest of their peers in the industry had six years minimum.

------

“Wah! I’m so tired!” Bom exclaimed while collapsing on the sofa. She, Dara and two other girls who were members of 2ne1 got home at half past 11.

“Unnie, let me massage you.” Gong Minji, commonly called Minzi, reached out for Bom’s tired shoulders. She wasn’t as tired as Bom and Dara since she had already been used to the training module in YG.

“Komawo, Minji-ah.” Bom sighed heavily while poking the sleeping Dara. “Hey wake up. If you’re going to sleep, at least wash your face and brush your teeth!”

Dara, who was lying on the floor face first, merely raised her hand but dozed off again.

“Tomorrow we have dance practice in the morning, foreign language lessons in the afternoon, and dinner in the evening.” Lee Chaerin, or CL, recounted, looking at the ceiling as if an imaginary notepad were there. “Bigbang’s TOP is returning tomorrow after staying in Japan for six months. Sajangnim wants us to meet him.”

“Waeyoooo…” Bom protested.  She didn’t know of Bigbang until two months ago, neither would she have known TOP. Call it living under a rock during her college years, but she was genuinely not familiar with any of the famous Korean idols except for Girls Generation who once performed in their school celebration.

“Because it’s common courtesy, unnie.” said CL, pulling Dara to a chair. “When we met Bigbang sunbaenims he was still overseas, so sajangnim advised that we attend his celebratory dinner tomorrow night.” 

“Chincha, I prefer rest over common courtesy!” Bom muttered.

------

“T.O.P. of BIG BANG to secretly return to Korea… Time of arrival, 3 pm…” Lee Byeong Yeong, TOP’s manager, browsed through internet articles. “Netizens these days are daebak. They even know your scheduled arrival!”

“Deh.” TOP answered coyly, reading a Japanese book on gardening.

Byeong Yeong eyed the book TOP was reading. “I’m not good at reading Japanese texts, but is that a gardening book?”

“Deh.” TOP flipped a page.

“You planning on planting vegetables on the apartment terrace?” the manager raised his left eyebrow. “I’m not sure if it’s big enough though.”

“Ani.” TOP replied. “I got bored, so I read whatever I could find.”

“Chincha, you are different than the rest of them!” Byeong Yeong cried out scrolling farther down on the internet site. He and TOP hadn’t been assigned together that long. He had only been TOP’s manager ever since the start of his stay in Japan. “When you’re bored, all you do is read books or sleep or get some real fresh air. Ahh, I must have done something good in my past life to manage you. You’re no pain at all! ”

TOP let out a laugh. “Waeyo, what were you expecting?”

“Well, not to benchmark but when the other managers talk about your friends…” Byeong yeong paused, looking at TOP as if he weren’t sure if he should say it or just shut up. “…when Seungri, Taeyang and GD say they’re going to sleep, they’re actually going out to clubs to party with random girls; and when Daesung says he’s going to get some fresh air, it means he’s meeting up with his girlfriend…”

“Daesung has a girlfriend?!” TOP asked with curiosity. Surely he would have at least known if Daesung was dating. “I didn’t know that.”

“Ani, ani, he hasn’t announced anything yet.” Byeong Yeong waved his hands to correct himself, still looking at the computer. “Look this is a secret between the two of us, but  his manager once followed Daesung to his ‘fresh air’ and saw him going to a café with a yeoja!”

“Omo omo omo, it looks like tomorrow will be a tough day!” Byeong yeong exclaimed, his eyes glued onto the screen.

“Why?” TOP asked, walking towards the table where his manager was checking the internet.

“You see, I registered in one of your VIP sites when I became your manager… You know, to track their activities? Well it seems the like thousands of them are swarming over tomorrow for your arrival! Ottoke?! It’s just like last time! Aigoo, I was too early to say you weren’t a pain.”

“Let’s just take a plane tonight. See if you can book tickets. The earlier the better.” TOP advised calmly. Byeong yeong nodded. “We don’t want anyone getting hurt like last time, neh?”

“Arrassou.” Byeong yeong took out his phone and made some calls.

-------

“Where is it? Where is it?” Dara searched the gym. Out of fatigue, she had forgotten her bag when they left from the gym. It was four in the morning, when she shot up from her sleep and realized it. Instead of getting some well needed rest, Dara couldn’t help but worry that it would get stolen.  “Bag, bag, bag…  BAG!”

She found her bag behind a cluster of medicine balls. Dara hurriedly got it and checked if anything was lost. “Wallet, check! Phone, check! Watch, check! Yay! I can go home now!”

She walked to the elevator. While walking, she heard sound coming from one of the recording room. Dara figured that this was because the door was ajar. She intended to close it, but as she drew nearer, the melody of the song got her listening for more.

“This is a ballad song, with a namja’s voice! Hardly anyone sings ballad in YG…” Dara thought to herself.

[Song: Nothing Better by Brown Eyed Soul but I prefer Jonghyun’s version in one of Shinee’s live performances]

I-je ggum-cheo-reom nae mam-eun

Geu-dae gyeot-e ga-man-hi meom-chweo-seo-yo

Han-sun-gan-do ggae-ji anh-neun ggeut-eobs-neun ggum-eul ggweo-yo

I-je sum-cheo-reom nae-gyeot-e

Hang-sang swi-myeo geu-reoh-ge iss-eo-ju-myeon

Nothing better nothing better than you

Nothing better nothing better than you

(And now like a dream my heart
has gradually stopped by your side
Without awakening for a single moment,
I dream an endless dream

And now like breathing,
if you were to always rest by my side
if you were to always remain this way
nothing better nothing better than you
nothing better nothing better than you)

“Young bae, one more run. Starting from the refrain.” A voice Dara recognized as GD’s came out from inside the recording studio. She peeked further, her head clearly visible from behind the door.“ I-je ggum-cheo-reom nae mam-eun/Geu-dae gyeot-e ga-man-hi meom-chweo-seo-yo, slow down here so you don’t sound like you’re losing air. And you have to enunciate meom-chweo-seo-yo clearer.”

“Huh? Nothing was wrong with the first run!” Dara criticized from the back of her mind.

Young bae, known by most as Taeyang, sang as instructed; but before he could finish the chorus, GD cut him off. “One more time. From the refrain.”

Taeyang nodded, and repeated the refrain. GD bowed his head, listening intently. He furrowed his brows, as if something was wrong with the entirety of the song. Disturbed, he looked around and saw the door ajar, and Dara peeking from behind it. He sighed and glared at her, motioning with his left hand for her to close the door.

Dara noticed GD’s gesture, making her stand up and bow apologetically. Naturally she had hit the door twice while she bowed. Embarrassed, Dara closed the door and ran for the elevator.

------

Just went to YG for a bit! No cell phone so I had to make do with this letter! Will be back <3 Don’t miss me! –Darong

Bom looked at the note worriedly. She had only wanted to get water from the refrigerator when she noticed the note on the dining table. It was four thirty, and Dara was still out. Bom had a mental battle of deciding whether she should follow Dara or not.

------

“Ahh-ahh, it’s nice to be home!” Byeong yeong exclaimed, oddly kissing the wall inside the YG building. “I left a text message to sajangnim about us arriving earlier than the expected time. I’ll just inform the others as well. You just roam around for a while. Text me when you feel like going home, arrasou?”

------

“When I get my hands on you Darong you’re a dead piece of meat!” Bom thought infuriatingly as she stormed through the YG building, bumping onto someone head first.

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking!” Bom bowed for an apology.

“It’s okay, be careful next time arrasou?” Byeong yeong said as he entered the elevator. “I’m going ahead, you coming?” he looked at Top.

“Deh.” Top said, walking towards the elevator while looking strangely at the girl he sworn was familiar.

Bom looked up towards the direction of the men she accidently hit. Her eyes widened—not because of the absurdly perfect figure of the man in front of her— because she had recognize the man. She would recognize the guy anywhere. “T-t-TABI?!”

Top looked at her with the same wide-eyed expression as the elevator door closed. 

(A/N: As you may have noticed, the story I made is not coherent to the real 2ne1 and Bigbang [I even included a song that wasn't originally Taeyang's! :)]. I've also made some modifications of their characters in comparison to how they act in real life. This is truly fictional guys, so I hope it is okay with you. Enjoy!)

P.S. I don't know of any Taeyang covers of the song Nothing Better. But when I listen to it I can almost hear his voice! Don't you agree?