Maybe she could ask Butler Kang to drive her to the mall. Of course he couldn’t say no to her, but she would not let him get into that difficult situation. Or she would call a taxi, she decided stubbornly.

She was scrambling through her clothes looking for something to wear when she sensed Seungri standing at the door.

‘I’m not playing this game anymore,’ she launch without looking at him. ‘I’ve let you get away with it long enough.’

‘I know.’

‘What do you mean, you know?’ she turned herself to facing Seungri. 

‘Everyone will be there.’

‘I am not paying my respects to them,’ Suzy pointed out.

Seungri let a small sigh. ‘Anna would be there and of course you would have to be nice to her.’

‘I'll play 'nice' when I know I need to,’ Suzy said stiffly, interpreting from his words that he didn’t want her to go to Changsung’s funeral because he was afraid she would get into a fight with that woman. Do I need to play nice’ when she’s weeping all over you.

‘I don’t want you to go.’ He finally said as he take the towel around his neck to rub his wet hair. 

Suzy was so hurt by that blunt announcement. ‘Are you ashamed of me or something?’

He should answered quickly, but no, unfotunately he keep quiet. Suzy turned back to the closet and blindly selected something to wear while her fingers trembling.

‘Its not the case, Suzy,’ he sighed out suddenly. ‘I just want to protect you.’

But he speak too late and his explanation did not make any sense…….unless …

‘Protect me from what? Gossip about you, by any chance?’

‘That is not what I meant!’

‘Well, try speaking in straightforward sentences!’ she launched at him. ‘Because all you’ve done is toss out these cryptic messages to me, so how am I supposed to know what you mean!?’

Seungri felt suffocated. Throwing his hands up, ‘Can I be allowed to get through the next twenty-four hours peacefully? Why can’t you just trust that I know what I am doing?’

Seeing the tension emitting from him, Suzy decided not to go further. ‘OK,’ she whispered. ‘I will not ask again until you’re tell me.’

But despite her assurance it did not seem to make his mood any lighter.

‘You can come to the funeral if you want to. But I tell you, if you move one inch away from me…. I will do something we both regret, got that?’

Suzy want to ask why he suddenly changed his mind instead she just pressed her lips together and nodded her head. Not wanting to make things worse.

Seungri, as expected had shut himself away and she did not see him again for the rest of the day. By dinner, he had joined them as Seungri’s uncle and Dara unnie had arrived home, otherwise she might think that he will begin another ‘hunger strike campaign’. They eat their meal in a stressful and sober atmosphere despite Dara unnie’s cheerfulness.

Seungri had excuse himself from the table as soon as the meal was over and disappeared again. Seungri might be talking to his uncle again but throughout dinner his tone had been flat and stiff and his uncle was either too jet lag to notice his nephew in the mood he was in or was very well aware of his fragile emotion.

Suzy spent lying wide awake, worrying about Seungri's behaviour when he suddenly become so distant and withdraw. Her curiosity had been eating her away so she decided to get up and sneaked into his room.

Seungri was awake. It didn’t surprise her. She slid beside him.

‘Shh,’ she whispered. ‘You don’t need to talk. I just need to hold you.’

And he let her. Putting his arm around her and draw her closed against him.