EPISODE 2

YGE Building, Seoul

Jiyong’s studio

25 February 2014, 23.45pm KST

Jiyong was carrying a bouquet of flowers and a few Chanel paper bag in his hand. He had gotten quite a few pieces of the new F/W 2014 Chanel collection when he was in Paris last month especially for Chaerin. He had wanted to give them to her on her birthday. Thinking that she would be practicing at the company with her group members since it was 3 days before their concert, he went to the dance studio that was reserved for 2NE1 first. However, when he got near, he saw that while there were people inside the dance studio practicing, the person he was looking for was nowhere in sight.

He was puzzled but decided to check Teddy’s studio. He walked quickly to the studio since it was almost midnight and he wanted to be the first one to wish her ‘happy birthday’ and to give her the gifts that he had prepared for her.

When he opened the door to Teddy’s studio, he could hear music coming from the studio and he recognized it as the new song in 2NE1’s album. He walked into the main area of the studio but was greeted by only Teddy fiddling with the computer. He was about to turn back and leave when Teddy happened to look up and saw him with the bouquet of flowers and the Chanel packages.

“Oh Ji, you shouldn’t have. Are all those packages for me?”

“Erm…no... Hyung, sorry, but have you seen Chaerin?”

“Nope~ In fact, I have not seen her today when the girls came in to finish up the backup track for their concert. But I didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary since she’s done with the recording for her part. Who knows what she’s busy with now. I’m a little worried about her. She has been working like a maniac these past few weeks, be it preparation for the concert or recording bits of stuff she had written on her own. Would you know if YG put her down for anything else other than 2NE1 World Tour and YG Family World Tour?”

“Not that I’m aware of… The girls have no idea where she is too?”

“Nope, but they did remark that she had been receiving a lot of calls recently and she’s acting all secretive. I wonder if she’s dating anyone, especially after Christmas. Or were you and Youngbae the ones with her that night?”

“It wasn’t us. She didn’t even ask me to go out with her, though she did ask Youngbae.”

“So who are the mysterious ‘brozzz’ then?”

Jiyong shrugged and the unsettling feeling came back again. After that chance meeting with Chaerin outside YG’s office, he made it a point to check that Chaerin was around whenever he was in the office. But with their own concerts, his trip to Paris, and the recording of new music for Big Bang, he barely had time. The few times he did ‘happened’ to be where they were, he was glad that he had found Chaerin in the building working hard on their concert. He had tried to ask her out for meals but she always had something on.

“Hyung, I’d go off then. I’d talk to you soon. I might need your advice for some of the stuff I have written.”

“Sure, drop me a message before coming. I should be going off soon too.”

“Yes, do rest as well. You are no longer a young chap!”

“You too.”

Jiyong left the studio and walked towards his own studio. He walked in and then put the flowers and packages on the table. Seeing that it was almost midnight, he started typing out a message.

TO: CHAERINNIE

Chaerin, happy birthday!! Where are you?!!

He timed his message to be sent at exactly 12am KST, then settled down, impatiently, to wait for her reply. When it didn’t come 3 minutes later, he dialled her number. When the connecting tone came on, he thought it strange because it felt like he was calling overseas. But the moment her voice came through the phone, he smiled.

“Jiyong oppa~ Thank you~ I got your message just now~”

“Where are you?”

“Paris.”

“WHAT?! You are in Paris? How come? Your concert is in 3 days!”

“I have a separate schedule.”

“Who are you with?”

Hearing that she was in Paris was already a shock, but when she requested for a video call, he quickly connected, thinking that it’d be great to see her face. But the moment the call was connected, she turned the phone towards the people she was with.

“Everyone, say hi to Jiyong oppa!”

Jiyong took a look at the people who were waving to him.

Jonghyun

Xin

TOP

Soo Hyuk

Harin

Jiyong frowned. How come she was with these people in Paris? When he tuned back to the burst of conversation, all he managed to pick out was words and phrases here and there but the one that got his attention was ‘We Got Married’.

He looked at the people present and seeing that she was the only female celebrity there, he began to have a bad feeling.

“Wait a minute, did I just hear ‘We Got Married’? What is happening? Why are all of you in Paris? How come none of you said anything?”

When there was no immediate response, he directed the question at Chaerin.

“Chaerin, answer me. What is going on?”

“Oppa, I’m married!!”

! My worst nightmare came true!!

To say he panicked would have been the understatement of the year. He didn’t know why he felt nervous and agitated but those were the exact feelings. Before he could stop himself, he said the first thing that came to his mind

“You ran off to Paris to get married when it’s just 3 days before your concert, have you forgotten you are the leader?”

Since Chearin had sat down beside Jonghyun, she had turned the phone to face her. The moment she heard what Jiyong said, her smile fell from her face. Jiyong knew that what he said was a low blow and was about to apologize but Chaerin cut him off.

“Jiyong oppa, thank you for calling in the midst of your busy schedule. Our meal has arrived. See you soon.”

“Chae…”

But Chaerin had already ended the call unceremoniously. When he tried calling back, he heard the phone ringing and then the call was sent to Voicemail. He called again and when it didn’t go through, he knew she had switched off her phone. Throwing his phone on the couch, he pulled at his hair. Then he remembered seeing TOP in the group, he quickly dialled his number. He knew the other boys would not pick up his call especially after hearing what he had said. But TOP is his group member, he would pick up his call.

However, TOP didn’t pick up his call and Jiyong was getting more and more frustrated. He continued calling, knowing TOP had little tolerance. After 5 minutes, he was about to give up but that was when the phone connected and he quickly spoke out.

“Hyung, can you pass the phone to Chaerin?”

“Oppa…”

“Chaerin ah, I’m sorry…”

“Oppa, it’s ok. But right now we are in the midst of the celebration party that Jonghyun oppa had put together for me, I’d call you later when we are done.”

“Ok… Are you really on ‘WGM’?”

“Yes, with Jonghyun oppa. Alright, oppa, it’s getting late in Korea. Go and rest.”

“I’d be waiting for your call, don’t forget to call me later.”

“Ok, bye oppa.”

When the call ended, Jiyong’s mind was in wrecks. He never thought that YG would actually allow Chaerin to go on ‘We Got Married’, neither would he have thought that Chaerin would actually agree to the idea especially with 2NE1 and YG Family World Tour. And lastly, why Jonghyun? If it was any of the other guys, he would have the perfect chance to bad-mouth them but Jonghyun is perfect. He’s a good boy and frankly if Jiyong had to choose a man for Chaerin, he would have chosen Jonghyun.

But he never wanted to have to choose someone for Chaerin. He liked how she was always within reach. If she was busy, he liked to know that it was for work and nothing like going out on dates or whatever.

But ‘We Got Married’ is work too.

Jiyong tried to console himself but it didn’t take away the anxiety that he was going to be taken off her list of priority. He knew he was selfish but he didn’t want anyone or anything else other than work to occupy Chaerin’s time. Knowing Chaerin and her attitude towards work, she was going to take everything she has to do for ‘We Got Married’ seriously. And if it was anything to go by, the first meeting was already impressive enough. He knew how envious she was of him and Youngbae when they went for Chanel’s showcase and got to meet Karl Lagerfeld. She had really wanted to go for Paris Fashion Week. So, Jonghyun definitely scored when he not only made it possible for her to go to Paris Fashion Week and it seemed like something happened at the Chanel showcase.

Sitting down in front of his computer, he typed in ‘Paris Fashion Week’, ‘Chanel’, ‘Lee Chaerin’, ‘CL’. He still didn’t want Jonghyun’s name to be a related search when it comes to Chaerin yet. But when the search results came out, another wave of panic swept through him. The photos of Chaerin in that beautiful dress, of Jonghyun embracing her were all over the Internet. He clicked on one of the Korean article and read the content.

Well-known Korean actor/model, Hong Jonghyun and CL, leader of 2NE1 had a special stage at the recent Chanel showcase in Paris. CL wore a dress that had been specially designed by Karl Lagerfeld in consultation with Hong Jonghyun…

Oh wow… Not only did Jonghyun managed to get her to Paris, he even got her a special stage and a dress made exclusively for her by Karl Lagerfeld.

Just then, someone opened his studio door. Jiyong turned to see that it was Youngbae and Teddy.

“Youngbae came looking for Chaerin too. I thought we would pop by and see if you have any clue where she is.”

“I found her. She’s in Paris.”

“WHAT?!!”

Both Teddy and Youngbae shouted.

“What is she doing in Paris?”

“She was there on an official schedule.”

“For Paris Fashion Week? But it’s 3 days before their concert! Is she crazy? Is YG crazy?”

“She’s there to film ‘We Got Married’”

“WHAT?!!!!”

Again, both Teddy and Youngbae exclaimed.

“Seriously? For real? Ji, this is not a joke right?”

“Nope~ I talked to her on the phone just now. She’s on the show with Jonghyun. Soo Hyuk, TOP hyung, Xin and Harin are with her in Paris right now. They were having a celebratory ‘wedding’ and birthday dinner. They are also all over the news. Here, take a look at this.”

Both Youngbae and Teddy went forward to the computer. Teddy read the article while Youngbae couldn’t take his eyes off Chaerin in the picture. Jiyong saw Youngbae looking at the picture of Chaerin and shook his head.”

“I know, bro, I had the same reaction when I saw her photo.”

“She looks amazing. I mean she always does but this was totally unexpected.”

“So, Jonghyun is his groom huh? He really pulled out the big guns for this first meeting then. Though WGM was not mentioned but any girl on the receiving end of this would be one happy girl.”

“What do you mean, Teddy hyung?”

“Dude, didn’t you read the article?”

“No, he was too busy staring at Chaerin.”

It was then that Youngbae turned his attention to the article. And after reading it, he could finally understand what Teddy was talking about. Jiyong closed that article and showed them the picture of Chaerin and Jonghyun hugging. He closed that too but when he refreshed the search and saw the picture of Jonghyun holding Chaerin’s face and kissing her forehead, he bit his lips in order to prevent the expletive that was at the tip of his tongue. He turned to look at Youngbae whose expression had gone dark.

“Wow, Jonghyun moved fast. That’s good. If he was an indecisive guy, he would probably be chewed by Chaerin. But I don’t know. Maybe Chaerin would have a different side when she’s with him. Knowing her, she’s going to treat this seriously. I might really watch the show just to see how she’s like. Did you mention that Harin was with her in Paris too? Did he fly her in from Hong Kong? That would score big with Chaerin.”

That was when Teddy realized that the other two men in the studio had gone all quiet. He looked at the two of them and saw each was holding themselves in from screaming. Jiyong was worrying his bottom lip, while Youngbae had fisted his hands. Teddy smirked.

This is going to be more interesting than I thought.

“Alright, now that we have found Chaerin, married…”

“It’s just a show, hyung.”

“It’s just work.”

Both Jiyong and Youngbae said almost immediately when they heard the word ‘married’, which caused Teddy to almost laugh out loud but he knew that if he were to do that, the two of them might hit him. But he was going to have his fun.

“You know how Chaerin is when it’s work. Work is never just work to her. She put her whole self into it. Who knows, we might just receive a real wedding invitation at the end of it all.”

“That’s not going to happen. Chaerin still has great ambitions towards her career.”

“I don’t think Jonghyun would object to her dreams. He looked like someone who would support her in what she wants. Anyway~ It’s still too early to tell. After all, it’s only their first meeting. I wonder what he has got planned for her tomorrow since it’s her birthday. I got to go now. See you two around. Don’t get too drunk.”

After a brotherly pat on their backs, Teddy exited the studio. He shook his head. He knew that Jiyong and Youngbae were confused by what they feel towards Chaerin. But they always thought that it was alright for them to just be able to hang around with her. They had never truly thought about how they would feel if Chaerin really started to date.

Maybe this would help...

Back in the studio, the 2 best friends sat on the couch still trying to get their heads around the fact that Chaerin was ‘married’. Although both of them knew that it was just work, they still couldn’t help that feeling that felt strangely like fear.

“Ji, I’m not ok with this. I don’t know why, but I’m not ok with Chaerin being on ‘WGM’.”

“Me too.”

“Are we feeling this way because of our brotherly instincts? Because someone else would now be able to take care of her and even go out on dates with her out in the open? Someone which the media won’t simply coin as ‘family love’? It’s like every single time she’s in a photo with any of us, it’s always being brushed off as ‘family love’. Imagine what would people say if they saw the pictures of her and Jonghyun at the Chanel event?”

“Things like ‘they look like a real couple’? Oh my, no! Why did Boss allow her to go on the show? He should let Dara noona go. She wants to be on the show so much.”

“But admit it, you would be more curious to watch Chaerin than Dara noona.”

“Of course! She’s unpredictable and no one really knows how she would behave in a relationship.”

Jiyong turned to Youngbae suddenly with eyes open wide.

“What, Ji? Why do you look like you have been hit on your head by a baseball bat?”

“Bae… Chaerin’s aegyo…”

Then it hit Youngbae as well. Everyone, especially Jonghyun, would be able to see the one side of Chaerin that they kept exclusively to themselves.

Chaerin’s cute side.

“We will be busier getting rid of more fanboys right? If they were just attracted to her because of her talents and her cool side, her cute side would bring more people trying to hit on her.”

“No one can resist her cute side.”

“I’m getting a headache.”

“Me too. Can we just do something? Like petition against her appearance on WGM?”

“You want to get into trouble with Chaerin? Boss probably asked her opinions and gave her good reasons to be on the show. On the one hand, I can see how it would help. Being a regular in a variety show would definitely give her more exposure to the Korean audience and she would definitely be able to show other sides of her to the audience. But being on ‘WGM’ meant that one person would be able to get all of her affections and efforts. Can you imagine her cooking for Jonghyun or just being able to spend time with her? She barely had time to go eat with me when I asked her whenever I saw her around the company.”

“And what Jonghyun did for her for their first meeting, if I were a girl, I would be impressed too. Paris Fashion Week, special stage at Chanel showcase, a dress designed with her in mind, and the most important arrangement, flying Harin in. That would score big with Chaerin.”

Jiyong rubbed his face roughly showing his frustration with the whole situation. He had planned to surprise Chaerin for her birthday but it looked like it totally backfired on him. Whatever happened in Paris would be hard to beat. Added to that, he realized that when she’s back from Paris, there would barely be time to meet her since it would be the day before their concert. Again, Jiyong shook his head. He knew it was going to be so tiring for her trying to juggle 2NE1 and YG Family concerts. Now, with WGM in the mix, she would barely have any time.

“She’s going to be so busy, how is she going to find time to rest? Ji, I’m worried. You know how she is, she would work herself to the bone.”

“I’m worried too. Boss is mad. If he had wanted more exposure or publicity for 2NE1, he could have sent any of her members.”

“But ‘Lee Chaerin’ is the one that people are curious about. The CL/Chaerin split is too distinct and it makes people curious about who Lee Chaerin is. Sometimes, I find it hard to use ‘CL’ to address her in interviews. She’s just Chaerin to us.”

“Trust me, to this day, I’m still amazed at the distinct split. She never allows her stage persona to take over when she deals with people close to her. But when she does, it scares the hell out of me. Like when she turned all ‘CL’ on me just now when I questioned her responsibility as a leader.”

“Bad move, Ji, bad bad move. You deserved to be skewered.”

At that moment, a beep was heard and it came from Jiyong’s phone. He quickly checked since he was still expecting that call from Chaerin. But reading the content of the message, he just threw his phone on the couch and got up to pace, pulling at his hair at the same time. Youngbae picked up Jiyong’s phone and took a look at the message.

FROM: CHAERINNIE

Jiyong oppa, don’t wait for my phone call. I’m really tired and I need to go to bed early since I have to film for ‘WGM’ tomorrow. You’d better go and rest since it’s late in Korea. Goodnight~ ^^

“They are filming WGM tomorrow. Tomorrow is her birthday. Lucky Jonghyun who gets to spend her birthday with her alone… The last time we ever get to spend her birthday alone with her was when we were still trainees. And it’s not even really alone since you were with me.”

“Ji, I’m not even an impulsive person but right now I want to fly to Paris but I don’t think I can handle seeing Chaerin on a date with Jonghyun. Part of me goes, ‘I’m never watching the show’ and the other part of me goes, ‘but I want to see her’. Isn’t it sad that we are in the same company as her and we have to see her through a TV program?”

“Why couldn’t it be one of us on the show with her? It would definitely be an instant hit.”

“But she knows us too well. She knows exactly which button to press so it really won’t be as interesting. Though she also knows Jonghyun, but out of all the guys she hangs out with, Jonghyun is the one who she knows the least about. So it would be interesting for her. You know her, she’s got the curiosity of a cat. Knowing more about Jonghyun would be like undoing a ball of wool. She would get a kick out of it.”

“Don’t make it sound like she’s going to have so much fun. When something she does interest her, she’s going to put her whole self into it. And I’m not sure if I want her to be fully immersed in WGM.”

The 2 best friends were once again silent, each lost in their thoughts about their ‘little sister’.

‘Married’ little sister.

“Let’s go for a drink.”

Jiyong looked at Youngbae strangely because he wasn’t someone who would suggest drinking among them. But looking at the flowers and the Chanel packages, then turning his head towards the computer to see Jonghyun kissing Chaerin, he suddenly felt the need to drink too.

“Ji, do we have any schedule from March onwards?”

“I don’t think so. We just finished the fan events in Japan. I’m supposed to work on our next album.”

“Do you think we can get cameo appearances on WGM? Like when they invite their friends over for their housewarming or maybe we can ask Jonghyun to set us with his model friends and go on a double date with them?”

“Maybe… But I don’t know, Bae. I don’t know if I can handle seeing them being close.”

“That’s true…”

“But if Chaerin invites us, I’d go. It feels like that’s the only way I would be able to spend any time outside of this building with her.”

“Argh! Still can’t really figure out why I’m feeling uneasy about the whole thing. And to think I was in high spirit just now thinking I would find her here.”

“And what were you going to do if you did find her?”

“Take her out to wherever she wants to go.”

“And if she had said she wanted to stay here or go home?”

“If she had wanted to stay here, I would have stayed here. If she wanted to go home, I’d have sent her home. Just wanted to be around her. I miss her so much, the chats we used to have during their hiatus. Then suddenly, she got busy, I got busy and then we just lost contact with each other. Now that our schedules had come to a close, I just want to be beside her and cheer her on like she did for me when I was preparing for my album and met with harsh criticism from Boss. Now that she’s on WGM and honestly with one of the best guys around it felt like my chance of being the one to take care of her is taken away from me. I don’t know what to feel about that.”

“Bae, why am I feeling like I just lost something precious?”

Youngbae looked at Jiyong, then couldn’t help himself looking at the picture of Chaerin on the computer screen again. Jiyong did the same thing too. But both looked away almost immediately.

“Me too.”