Devon spun around the room in her bath robe looking more light hearted and foolish than ever. I rolled my eyes and smiled as she watched her reflection dance in the mirror. She began taking the curling iron, wrapping it around her long silky black hair to give her nice big barrel curls.

“Ahhh! Paije!” She squealed keeping the iron in place. “T.O.P is going to be here any minute!”

Instead of sounding distressed she sounded happier than ever. “Isn’t that a problem….you’re not even dressed yet.”

                I sat on my bed and began flipping through a magazine. The black dress from our first night here in Seoul was lying still across her bed. This was just like her to procrastinate until the very last minute. She had a few hours after her rehearsal today to get ready but she chose to wait until the last possible second. She was no where close to being ready for her date with T.O.P.

“I can’t help but be happy Paije! I’m going out tonight with him” she accented the word.

                She continued curling and I flipped another page through the book. A few knocks were at the door, and fear clouded Devon’s eyes immediately.

“What do you expect me to do?” I smiled getting up from the bed.

“Thank you!!!!!” She yelled at my back as I shut the bedroom door.

                I took in a few extra breaths, trying to steady myself. On the count of three I opened the door. He was standing there, his fist ready to pound again. He looked at me and smiled; and I returned the smile as fake as possible.

“Can I come in?” He ducked his head, peering around me in search of Devon.  

 “Sure” I said opening the door a little wider, allowing him to step through. “Dev will be out in a minute-”

“She’s trying to make herself look perfect?” He guessed smirking. “She doesn’t have to try to hard.”

                There was that smirk again.

I half-smiled and offered him a seat on the couch.  He sat down and watched me walk about the room.

“So…Paije”

                I jerked my head in his direction.

“How long have you known Devon?”

                I sighed thinking over our friendship. We have known each other since first grade, we met at the playground. We had gone through grade school, middle and high school. And now we were tackling college together.

“A really long time, we’ve been best friends for years.”

“Good, because I was wondering if you could tell me more about her” he said leaning forward truly interested.

I felt my eyebrows furrow. “What exactly do you want to know?”

“Is she always this…” he waved his hands erratically to most likely express how crazy Devon was.

I smiled. “As long as I’ve known her, Devon has never, ever been one to be irrational. She knows the difference between right and wrong, and has stopped me from doing stupid things a million times.”

                He smiled and I shook my head and laughed.

“She’s got a good head on her shoulders, but when it comes down to you she can’t think. She can’t be reasonable.”

“I don’t think I understand” he looked at me curiously.

I let out a great gust of air. “She can hardly breathe watching you on T.V, let alone talk to you. And her smile? The way she giggles like a school girl, you can see it in her eyes!”

“Is that strange? Most girls I meet do that” T.O.P added.

“Devon isn’t emotional…she always laughs stuff off or rolls her eyes, but when its about you?”

                There was a big satisfied grin playing across his face. Just talking about her made me get this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. It felt wrong, and I knew exactly why it felt that way. It was T.O.P.

“Do you know how many times I’ve tried to make her understand the chances of her being with you? How many times I told her she was crazy?! Or how many times she cried?!” I said bitterly. “Like I would’ve said screw it but she didn’t. And she wont!”

“You make it sound like it’s my fault” he laughed hard.

“It is!” I shouted. “You do that to her! Her heart is so pure and she still loves you, even after the hell you put her through!”

“What hell?” He laughed realizing what I had said.

“Look, Tubby, don’t give me that because you know damn well what I mean.”

~

“Tubby?”

                My eyes widened at the word. Maybe she was trying to say Tabi and it just came out mispronounced.

“Yes, oh Tubby One!” She bowed sarcastically as if I were a prince or something.

I began laughing. Tubby? No one has called me that in a really long time. And here was this brown haired girl with piercing green eyes staring me down across the hotel living room.          

“Can you please explain what you mean about this ‘hell’ I’m putting Devon through?” I stopped laughing so I could hear her answer.

                I watched her body language… she was fuming. Arms folded and glaring at me. Her breathing picked up in pace a little, slightly reminding me of a cage bull ready to charge.

“You , get her beat up and then suddenly love her! It doesn’t matter if she’s fine” she yelled. “She’s never been in love, but from a million miles away she knew you’d be the one she could be happiest with. You owe her more than an apology and a promise!!!”

I rolled my eyes standing up. “I’ve cared about her all along! That’s never going to happen again; I felt horrible for allowing it to happen at all.”

“I get that you care about her. But I’ve known her much longer and better than you ever will” She was highly upset. “If you ever want to mess with her, make her cry, tell her what she can or can’t do, who she can or can’t see…I will come and find you, and I will tell you word for word what I think-”

“Aren’t you doing that now?” I challenged and her face flashed a bright red. “I totally get it now…you like Hyun Joong.”

“There is no reason for me to like you beyond BIGBANG.” She smiled wickedly. “Don’t get me wrong, you're talented and good looking but other than that…”

It made perfect sense, she was upset that I got her. “Sorry Paije, this isn’t a drama. I’m not going to step aside for him and lose my happiness. This is my life, not some T.V show.”

“It’s no secret that I prefer Hyun Joong to you! And I always will!” She paced the floor. “That right there proves how selfish you are!”

“What does that mean?!” My voice raised slightly.

                Usually stuff like this never bothered me, but coming from someone so close to Paije it hurt a little more.

“You only think about yourself! Hyun Joong is better for her! Healthier! Safer! But I know she loves you so I stopped fighting for him ages ago” she groaned.

                Devon walked out of the room looking stunning as ever. She was wearing the black dress that clung to her body snuggly. I smiled at her, but nothing but worry covered her face.

 “At least he has a sense of what is and isn’t good for her” Paije sneered. “While you were playing games with her, he was actually taking care of her! The poor guy was always cleaning up after you!”

“Paije!” Devon whined.

Paije ignored her continuing. “Devon knows that being in love with you is silly, and that makes it even worse. She knows how horrible you can be and she still hopes to be with you. She would even be happy growing old and alone as long as you keep smiling and that you're happy.”

                I looked to Devon who was embarrassed beyond belief. She buried her face in her hands afraid to look up.

“The point is…” She said coming closer to me.

                Man! She was really short compared to me! I don’t think she even reached my chin! She was probably the same height as Devon, bringing her to about a few inches shorter than my neck.

“You may love her, but that means nothing to me or the other people that love her too. What matters is that you make her happy”

                She began poking me square in the chest, and it took everything not to break into a smile. If I had she was probably guaranteed to hit me. Her constant poking decreased her height to that of a pygmy.

“So…STOP...ACTING…LIKE…A…CHILD AND BE…A…MAN! TAKE CARE OF HER, BEFORE I TAKE CARE OF YOU!”

                Devon groaned loudly and began dragging Paije out of the room.

“Have fun on your date!” She yelled sarcastically towards me.

                My face felt blank…I wasn’t sure which emotion to express. Part of me felt scared for my life because I knew she was serious. The other part felt extremely guilty. Everything Paije had said…was right.

                It was a silent walk from the room, to the elevator, through the lobby and to the parking lot. But during the car ride Devon had broke. She had apologized so many times  I had lost count.

“I’m so sorry!” She whined again, and I reached for her hand.

“It’s fine” I said giving her a squeeze.

“No! No it’s not!” She said guiltily slapping herself in the face, I smiled continuing to start the car. “I have no idea why she would say something like that! I mean she may not be your biggest fan, but never did I expect her to do that!”

I smiled as Devon continued to be completely mortified.  “I find it funny.”

                I stopped at a red light. When I turned to look at her she was completely skeptical.

“Funny?! It was totally disrespectful! I would never do that to Daesung! Not in a million years.”

“Don’t be too upset” I said giving her hand a squeeze before pressing my foot to the gas pedal. “Her words came from the right place.”

I could feel her looking at me. “She’s allowed to say that stuff to me! Not to you!” Devon groaned.

“Let’s not think about it” I added releasing her hand to make a turn. “This is our night to enjoy it, especially considering that tomorrow is the video shoot.”

She breathed out heavily.

“Don’t worry…you’ll be great” I promised to her, stopping at another light.

“I can’t believe that in another two days I’ll be on a flight back home” she said sadly.

“All the more reason to enjoy tonight” I spoke watching the car inch forward in front of me.

After a few more blocks, she spoke up. “Can I ask you something?”

I nodded waiting for her question.

“When did you get your license?” She giggled. “I thought you were the only member without one.”

“Just because I didn’t advertise it, doesn’t mean I didn’t have one” I smirked, and I literally thought I heard her heart stop. “I hate driving, but I wanted us to be alone so…”

               She smiled and settled into the seat until we arrived at the restaurant. I shut off the car and looked to her excitedly. This was one of my favorite places to eat in all of Seoul, and I was looking forward to sharing this place with her. I stared at her face a long time, not understanding the fear in her eyes. She looked frozen in place and I couldn’t for the life of me understand what had gotten her so freaked out.

“Are you alright?” I asked her unbuckling myself.

She swallowed hard before nodding. She unhooked the seatbelt, and bit her lip nervously.

“Devon…relax” I said rubbing her shoulder. “If you're worried about someone seeing us, they won’t! It’s really secret!”

                She nodded and unlocked the door, swinging out of the car. I placed my hand on her lower back, gently guiding her inside the restaurant. I looked around and it hadn’t changed in the slightest. The same maroon colored walls and brown leather furniture surrounded the entire place. Unlike most nights, there was a decent crowd tonight. Devon looked up at me, silently arguing my point about this place being a secret. Even with the small crowd, the atmosphere remained cozy and welcoming. The hostess at the front desk bowed slightly before noticing Devon next to me. She looked at the two of us and began smiling in disbelief. She sat us at a booth in a corner before I asked her what was so funny.

“Eh…you're BIGBANG’s T.O.P right?”

“Neh…that’s me. Is that why you're laughing?”

 “No” She said laughing harder. “It’s this girl!”

                She pointed to Devon, who jumped slightly at the waitresses motion to her.

“What about her?” I hedged curious.

“She’s good…that’s all”  she laughed harder. “This is a date?”

I nodded waiting for her to finish.

“You're the second idol she’s brought here! This girl is really good!

“No”I shook my head. “I think you're mistaken…this is her first time here.” I looked to Devon who was waiting for a translation.

 The woman shook her head. “Aniyo! She’s been here before! Haven’t you?!” She said turning to Devon. “With Kim Hyun Joong!”

                I watched Devon’s face flash a quick burst of shame. She didn’t need a translation for his name, she knew perfectly well what this woman was saying. The waitress walked away to give us some time to decide on a main course. Devon fidgeted with her chopsticks until I spoke.

“You came here with Hyun Joong?” I said genuinely asking.

                I didn’t want to accuse her, because what did it matter? She was with me now.

“About a week or two ago” she said after a while.

“So…you shouldn’t need help ordering then?” I teased.

Her eyes lit up and she gave me a warm smile, clearly happy at the fact that I wasn’t upset.  

“I need all the help I can get” she laughed.

                She snuggled closer to me and I tucked her away in the crook of my arm. I rested my head on top of hers as the waitress returned.

“She didn’t do that with the other one!”

                Devon picked her head up to look at me, totally confused.

“Don’t worry about it” I said kissing away the frown in the middle of her forehead.

                I ordered and we waited patiently for our food to come out. In no time at all a waiter brought over an extra dish.

“Ahjussi! We didn’t order this one!”

“It was sent over…from that man over there.”

                I looked over to where the waiter pointed and I felt my blood begin to boil. A blonde Hyun Joong was waving arrogantly in a corner near the bar station. He smirked at me and I felt my nostrils flare, as I sat up trying to keep Devon hidden.

“What’s wrong?”

                She was so quick, she didn’t miss a thing. She didn’t have time to figure out what was wrong, because Hyun Joong was walking over to our table.

“Devon” he greeted bittersweet.

                Devon inched away from me, but my hand suddenly flexed to keep her in place.

“Enjoying you're evening I suppose?” He flashed her a grin.

                She didn’t say anything; guilt had made it impossible to speak. And that made me more upset than anything. Hyun Joong swayed slightly a little tipsy.

“Can’t you stop it! For her sake!” I growled to him.

“Stop what?” He smirked. “I just came over to say hello…Hello Devon, you look beautiful.”

                The other hand that wasn’t holding Devon clenched reflexively.

“So I see you're wearing the dress we danced in, eating in the same restaurant I took you too…Sensing a pattern Tempo?” Hyun Joong laughed in Korean. “You look nothing less than gorgeous…and don’t let this selfish fool tell you any different!”

                He added slapping Devon on the shoulder. I heard Devon sniffle quietly and quickly, afraid that we would hear it escape.

“Are you satisfied now?”

He laughed with an edge. “Seung Hyun, I won’t be satisfied until she’s back at my house lying on my floor like before”

                I had to keep it together. All he wanted was a rise out of me, just to make himself feel better. Why was I upset anyway? I had won! Devon was here with me! She had chosen me! Why should I loose my cool? Devon wiped her face quickly, trying not to bring attention to herself.

“You're clearly drunk, if you think she feels anything more than-”

“Guilt?” He grinned. “If she truly never felt anything for me, there would be no guilt. She’s feels guilty because she knows that she’s hurting me and herself by keeping us apart.”

                I looked to Devon, whose face was intrigued with the ongoing conversation she clearly had no hope of understanding.

“T.O.P?” She pleaded.

                And I immediately felt myself pull out my wallet to leave enough money for the uneaten meal. We scooted out of the booth, and I allowed Devon to step in front of me furthering the distance between her and Hyun Joong. Devon and I both knew that neither of us were safe from Hyun Joong’s awaited anger until we were safely in the car.

“DEVON!!!” Hyun Joong screamed drunkenly. “You love me! You know it! He knows it…We all know it!!!”

                I was rushing to get Devon into the car.

“NIGA NEOMU SAENGGAKNANEUN NALEN! KASEUM SIRIGO SEULP’EUN NALENEUN!!!!”

He began singing the chorus to SS501’s ‘Because I’m Stupid. It had to be one of the most saddest things I had ever seen…not because he was a drunk man singing off key. But because he a man who was desperate.

“Hey! That song was supposed to work!” he laughed. “But hey! It was a first! And I don’t know how it is in America…but in Korea, you never forget your first!”

                My fist made contact with his face before I could stop myself.

~

                Hyun Joong was on the ground grabbing his face in shock from T.O.P’s punch. I was at his side immediately. His breath smelled of sweet liquor and I looked for something to wipe the blood from his lip. He was using the grey pinstriped sweater to wipe it away. T.O.P grabbed me by my shoulder blade and began forcefully guiding me back to his car. I broke away rushing back to Hyun Joong. I didn’t even bother looking at his face…I already knew he was pissed.

“Give me a minute!” I shouted to him. Hyun Joong was smirking to T.O.P who let out a frustrated groan but walked to the car. “Stop smiling! This isn’t funny!”

He grinned even bigger. “I knew you still cared.”

My eyes stretched wide. “What was this a test?!” I shrieked rising up from the ground.

“Yeah…and you passed” he smiled. “That song does work!”

I shook my head helping him up from the ground. He pulled me into a tight hug as soon as he regained an ounce of balance. My hands dropped to my sides refusing to choose a side, but I had completely forgotten how good his hold felt on me.

“I will see you” he promised squeezing me tighter.

I sighed as he let me go. “Are you positive you're going to be alright?”

“I’ll be better than that” he laughed scratching his head. “I will see you.”

                I patted his face before walking back to the car where the angry Seung Hyun awaited. I got in the car and buckled up, refusing to look into his patient glare.

“If you like me at all…you won’t say anything”  I said quietly.

                He started the engine and huffed. Zooming through the streets took longer than usual. Even though I was grateful that we didn’t argue during the slow car ride, I knew it was inevitable as soon as I stepped out.

“I don’t understand why you are so upset?!” I said getting out of the car.

“You feel guilty with me!” He stated not entirely accusing but not suggesting it either.

“My feelings are mixed!” I practically shouted.

“Un-Mix Them!!!” T.O.P bellowed.

“T.O.P-”

“That’s another thing!” He interrupted. “You call me everything but my real name!”

“Maybe if you turned back into a person instead of an insensitive Smurf Oppa! I’d be happy to call you Seung Hyun!” I shouted.

“If we date, I don’t want you to feel guilty for wanting to spend time with me!”

“If we date, I don’t want to have to always pick a side with every fight you get into!”

“Fight?!”

“Unless you call hitting another man something else!”

“AISH Devon! You don’t know the things he was saying!!! About you!” T.O.P was breathing heavy. “I hate fighting like this with you…”

“It doesn’t matter!” I shouted heading for the hotel lobby. “In exactly three days I’ll be gone! I knew this was too good to be true anyway! I was just waiting for the cue so you could end it.”

His face was shocked, but he quickly furrowed it into pride. “You need to sort out things anyway…”

“You're right! I’m clearly confused and I need time to think.” I nodded upset. My eyes were starting to water, and I knew I had to get out of there in fear of crying. My voice stayed steady. “Thank you for this evening.”

                He breathed out heavily.

“Rest well Oppa…tomorrow is the shoot!” I smiled watery turning my back to the entrance of the hotel.

                I didn’t even bother watching his car go out of sight. I was rushing through the lobby to the elevator. The doors opened up easily and quickly and I stepped in pressing my floor button. I wiped my eyes removing the fallen flecks of mascara and I was amazed to see a slumped man sitting outside of my room door. I walked in front of the door and bent down to look into the man’s face.

“Hyun Joong?” I said pushing back his hair so I could see his face.

He opened both of his eyes before smiling triumphantly small at me. “That song works too good.”

~~~~

okay so...more is to follow..even though this story is coming to a close ^o^lol

please leave me a comment...i want to make sure i'm going

in the right direction with these characters!

also too...my next post will probably include a poll...i have no idea how to end this story and i'd like to keep as many people happy as possible.

so thanks again ^-^

much love...pce!!!