-----

Flashback

“Tabi, this is my girlfriend, be nice to her, okay?” he said, brushing off a few wavy locks from her shoulder.

-----

“Yah, TOP hyung,” Seungri nudged TOP, who seemed to be having a nightmare. They were at the Bigbang van with Daesung. Taeyang and GD were already at the Inkigayo studio preparing for the debut performance. “We’re here.”

-----

Dara peeked through her own dressing room inquisitively. Because she’s technically the only female YG artist in the live performance, she was given a spacious room for herself, separated from the other dancers and staff. She walked towards the closet opening and closing it giddily.  A huge smile plastered on her face.

“Darong, I’ve never seen you this happy over a closet before.” Bom remarked from outside the door. She also wore the smile likened to that of a proud mother. Cheerfully, she ran towards Dara to give her a congratulatory hug. “You did it! You’re here!”

“Unnie!” CL  called from behind, placing their gifts on the dressing room table.

“You guys! I’m so nervous and excited and and and and and….” Dara  animatedly shook Bom with her embrace. “Omo omo ottoke? What if I make a mistake? What if the VIPs kill me for for for…”

“For what?” Minzy asked.

-----

“I didn’t think you could pull it off without getting kicked out of YG.” Taeyang mentioned, looking at the mirror while straightening his tie. He was sporting a ‘suit and tie’ look for his first ever solo at Inkigayo. “But you actually didn’t practice for this performance.”

A week ago, during the dance rehearsal for Taeyang’s performance, GD had an outburst of horrid emotions on how men didn’t need women in their lives. The news of this outburst went viral inside the agency, forcing GD into seclusion in his recording room. This was, to him, by far the worst scandal he has created. He was too embarrassed to function.

“You’re lucky I even came here.” GD mentioned stubbornly, still ashamed of his actions. He looked at Taeyang and frowned. “I’m sorry Young bae, I shouldn’t be this selfish. This is your debut and I promise not to ruin it later.”

“I know you won’t.” Taeyang said patiently; grinning at GD who was still mulling over how he would wing it at the performance later. “Just do your swag like you did in the music video. And try not to be furious when Dara kisses me. I mean, you’ve obviously established that you hate girls so…”

-----

VIPs and YG fans were gradually arriving on the set of the Inkigayo. Lines were forming from street to street, and the organizers could only blame YG, the master of teaser photos, videos and announcements. Earlier that week, president Yang Hyun Suk himself announced that a live show would be performed before the release of the music video. He explained how, aside from GD’s appearance, the music video would feature ‘Dara,’ one of the members of YG’s upcoming girl group. Additionally, the publicity team also posted teasers of Dara and Taeyang’s silhouettes, stirring the speculations of the VIPs.

Bom looked down from the tinted window of the idols’ lounge area. Soon, she’d be performing for this crowd too. “Woah! I can’t wait.”

“It’s good that you’re not wearing white pants today.” TOP’s baritone voice crept from behind. Oddly, her heart raced. Bom could almost hear Seungri’s voice telling her to forget about the few revelations he had accidentally informed her of.

Bom turned around and saw him in a simple white t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. He was heading for the table where the sweets and pastries were. These tables always went untouched; and were only filled with food for common courtesy. Knowing what lies inside the lounge room, idols rarely enter the interior to avoid the sugar temptation.  TOP, however, simply took a piece of chocolate macaron and ate it. “I have no jacket so I can’t cover you up.”

Bom swallowed her nonexistent pride. She looked on the floor and uttered in defeat, “I-I’m sorry for calling you a ert…”

TOP picked out a croissant and placed it in a small plate.

“…and for shouting at you…” she kept her eyes down.

Within seconds it was gone, but within a few more seconds, TOP had already found a muffin replacement.

“…and for thinking that you had plastic surgery….”

He kept munching on, absorbed in his own little pastry world.

Bom bowed down farther, waiting for a reply. She was even prepared for more ridicule, but then the silence went on for too long. She looked up and saw TOP bending over the table to reach some raisin bonnets.

“…You, didn’t hear me?” Bom asked, choosing her words carefully this time. “Yah, Tabi.”

“Hmm?” TOP placed the bread to his plate and glanced at Bom. “Were you saying something?”

“Nothing!” Bom retorted with a sour expression.

“Park Bom, this is the only corn bread left.” TOP raised a small morsel of bread for Bom to see. He coughed on it forcefully and asked. “Want it?”

“….” Bom kept silent. Her face went from sour to different shades of bitter. She was still too traumatized to cause another scene in front of TOP, but she so desperately wanted to punch him at that moment.

TOP laughed strangely at the sight of Bom’s expression. To Bom, his laugh sounded like a low-pitched hen cackling “hul hul hul hul hul.” It got her snickering on her own as well. Hers sounded a bit more like “krrk krrk krrk krrk.” Together the sound their suppressed laughter was emitting was unexplainable, as though they were aliens.

After a moment, the two finally exploded into normal but excessive laughter. TOP was clutching the pastry table for support while Bom was wiping tears from her eyes.

“Park Bom, apology acce—“

“Oh, I can hear noise from the lounge room. People are actually here…” one of the young female Inkigayo staff said from outside the lounge room. She poked her head to survey the room, and saw TOP with his famous ‘eye smile’ directed at Bom. “A-a-a-anyeong haseyo! TOP-shi and…”

“I-it’s not what you think!” Bom instantly reacted. Slowly she could see TOP’s eye smile fading to horror with what she had just cried out. 

“Omo BOM! Why did you say that? Of course there’s nothing to think about! You and TOP are on the opposite sides of the room! And you were just laughing like friends! Why did you say that?! What were you thinking?!” Bom was mentally scolding herself.  

“Annyeong haseyo.” TOP bowed properly, resuming to his cold façade. “Did you need anything?”

“A-a-a-ni!” the girl replied frantically as TOP’s eyes bore on hers. She quickly took off from the scene.

TOP shook his head. Whenever he was with Bom they seem to attract misfortune of all weird kinds. He got his phone from his right jean pocket and began texting their publicity staff. “I’ll inform damage control.”

“Omo… Is it really that bad?” Bom feared, walking towards TOP to see what he was typing.

“When you say ‘It’s not what you think’ people tend to think all sorts of things instead.” TOP explained, sending the text message. He faced Bom and said, “They start speculating, and before you know it a scandal is formed… Since you’re going to be famous soon, you better keep that in mind.”

Minutes were all that was left before Taeyang’s debut performance. Dara had already worn her black dress, the same dress she used for the music video.  Hurriedly, she went to the backstage where the rest of the YG crew were, and tensed up like a raw carrot.

“Relax noona,” Taeyang noticed, smiling at Dara. Of all the YG artists, he seemed the most phlegmatic in any situation. “And enjoy the moment.”

Dara scoffed at herself. Here Taeyang was, about to go onstage for his debut performance, and she was the nervous wreck. “If Taeyang isn’t nervous, I can’t be nervous!”

After a while of psyching herself up, she failed. “I don’t care if he’s not nervous! I’ll be nervous for him!”

“Everyone’s going to be watching your every move.” GD said casually as he looked at the stage where SNSD was performing. “All the YG fans will be looking for ‘Dara’ the member of YG entertainment’s next girl group.”

Dara gulped; partly because of what GD said, partly because GD was actually talking to her again.

“And of course, all the VIPs will be anticipating. After all, the title of the song is ‘I Need a Girl.’ ‘Why did Taeyang choose ‘Dara’? Are they in a relationship?’ They would want to know what this ‘Dara’ looks like, and if she’s any good for their bias.” GD continued his train of thoughts. “Of course, if you don’t pass their taste, you’d be the object of their hatred.”

Dara was getting pale.

“If they like you, they would root for your pairing.” GD deduced, looking at Dara. “But if they see you kiss Young Bae, regardless of your beauty…”

Dara was a tic tac away from passing out.

“They would probably hunt you down.” GD concluded. “But you don’t need to worry for your life. Our VIPs are loud but they are harmless.”

She closed her eyes, both due to terror and  the fact that SNSD had just finished their song and Taeyang was up next.

“Everyone! We’re starting in thirty seconds!” one of the Inkigayo stage director shouted among the crowd.

“Don’t embarrass yourself.” GD finished off and walked towards the SNSD girls for a quick greet.

-----

The 2ne1 girls and Bigbang boys were clustered inside the TV room YG has designated especially for them. They have been waiting for a while, but finally Taeyang and Dara were onstage, performing live.

“Wah! Even in the TV Dara noona looks smokin’!” Seungri observed, earning a hi-five from Bom who was directly in front of him. He glimpsed at TOP, who tried to look happy but was looking pale. Seungri tapped Bom’s shoulder.

He motioned with his eyes for her to look at TOP, as if he was asking her if she said anything she wasn’t supposed to know.

Bom luckily deciphered his signal and shook her head.

“OMO OMO OMO!! Unnie look!” CL urged Bom to look back at the screen.

“She’s going to do it. She’s going to do it!” Daesung shouted as Taeyang and Dara’s arms interlocked. They were already at the bridge of the song. Their faces were too close you just knew what was going to happen next.

“No! Look at Dara unnie she’s going to pull away!” Minzy pointed out. And it was true; instead of the routine kiss on Taeyang’s cheek, Dara was looking unsure on the stage. “ACK!”

Taeyang smoothly recovered the situation for them by leaning over, supposedly to kiss Dara on the cheek instead. However Dara was still fidgeting from the internal war of kissing Taeyang or not that when she saw Taeyang’s face it was too late. They had accidentally kissed each other onstage. Both looked shocked.

“ON THE LIPS!” Seungri shouted as if he was watching NBA. “JJANG! TAEYANG FRIGGIN LEGENDARY HYUNG!”

And if that wasn’t awkward enough, the two exchanged laughter and briefly hugged apologetically onstage before resuming to the choreography. The VIPs were roaring loudly like shrieking birds.

“He’s going to be in big trouble!” Daesung remarked. “This isn’t pre-recording!”

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” Dara was chanting in front of Taeyang as they were being led back to the dressing room. “I shouldn’t have deviated from the routine.”

“It happens, you shouldn’t be sorry noona.” Taeyang replied coolly. “I should be apologizing to you. I’m sorry for kissing you on the lips. It wasn’t my intention.”

GD appeared behind him after a while, and with his temper, Dara was just waiting for his scolding.

“You did it, Young bae. Congratulations.” He patted his best friend on the back, Dara and her fiasco seemingly nonexistent to him. “Wanna celebrate later?”

“Yeah, we should! Let’s have a triple celebration. We weren’t able to celebrate Daesung’s birthday, remember?” Taeyang said thoughtfully.

“And what’s the other one?”

“Dara noona’s first cameo, of course!” 

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(A/N: I wasn't supposed to post today but my meeting got cancelled and I had extra time so... :)) 

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