CHAPTER 2
140226, 12.45am
Château Luxe

Everyone was a little surprised to see Jay Park standing there, especially since they were talking about Chaerin and Soo Hyuk. But they got over their shock and greeted him.

“Hey Jay! What’s up?!”

Youngbae greeted Jay cheerfully and Jay returned the smile.

“Jiyong, congratulations for getting on the show with Chaerin.”

The moment Jiyong hear Jay call Chaerin by her real name, his face hardened.

“Why are you calling CL by her real name?”

“That’s what I always call her, when we were dating.”

“WHAT?!! Both of you dated before?! When? What happened?”

“We dated for 6 months. She’s a really nice girl, affectionate and all but she didn’t want to have with me so I cheated on her. We are still friends now but Soo Hyuk keeps a close watch over me.”

When Jiyong heard that Jay cheated on Chaerin, all he wanted to do was punch him really hard. He didn’t quite understand his reaction but it was the first time he ever thought of causing bodily harm to someone because of a girl.

“If you are thinking of hurting Soo Hyuk in any way, the only way to do it is through Chaerin. But Chaerin would fight for her Soo Hyuk oppa till her last breath. They have a bond that no one has been able to break. I tried, but no, no one can win when it comes to Soo Hyuk. He is the center of Chaerin’s universe and it’s the same with Soo Hyuk. You hurt Chaerin, you are probably marked for death. The only reason why I’m standing here today and talking to you is because Chaerin spoke up on my behalf. Beneath that tough girl facade, she’s a very warm and loving person.”

“Why are they not married or something?”

“No one knows for sure. No one really questioned either. By the way, they stay together and from what Chaerin told me, Soo Hyuk won’t let her move out before she’s married. Not that Chaerin would move out of the house.”

“Well, she’s married now. Even if it’s just a show, I’m not going to move into their house when we are filming.”

“You would get her to stay with you when you are filming. But trust me, the moment the filming ends, she’d go back to Soo Hyuk.”

“Then why did he allow her to go on the show?”

“If it’s something she wants, he’s not going to stop her. In fact, he would do anything to give her what she wants.”

“Are you saying that she wants to be on the show? With me?”

“If she didn’t want to be on the show, she would simply not do it. I’m sure the production team has consulted her about her partner on the show. So I won’t be surprised if she requested you to be her partner.”

Upon hearing what Jay said, Jiyong broke out in a grin. All the boys turned and looked at him strangely.

“Well, when I contacted the PD, I specifically requested for her to be my partner. So it feels good to know that she is not resistant to the idea of being on the show with me. Maybe she wants to get to know me better too.”

“You contacted the PD? So this is all set up?”

“Daesung ah, everything in entertainment is about connection. If you are lucky, the company would make the connections for you. If you are not, you have to go out there and make the connections yourself to become famous.”

“Soo Hyuk and Chaerin set up their entertainment company in part to protect really talented artistes from being exploited by the entertainment companies out there. Though right now, they don’t have many mainstream artistes under their name but with Chaerin’s appearance on ‘We Got Married’, they might be taking a new direction.”

“You know a lot about them, Jay.”

“We talked a lot during the 6 months I was dating Chaerin. She is very passionate about the arts and is looking to develop a space to showcase talents in that too.”

“Wow! Ji hyung, if I didn’t know better, I would think that Jay is talking about you. Maybe you and CL are a match made in heaven.”

Everything that Jay had said just made Jiyong more curious than ever before about Lee Chaerin. He had known that CL was a match for his stage persona, G-Dragon. But he had not expected that Lee Chaerin to be similar to Kwon Jiyong too. This stint on WGM had just become more interesting.

“I’m glad that I’m on the show with her then. I wanted to be on the show with ‘CL’ just to see what it was like taking down ‘The Baddest Female’. But now, I want to know ‘Lee Chaerin’ as well. Has she ever talked about her past?”

“No, never. That is one area that I know not to go. She is open about everything except when you probe into her past. I overheard that you want to do a background search on both Soo Hyuk and Chaerin? I would advise you not to do that. What is public knowledge or information that you can find is what they want people to know. Wait till Chaerin trust you enough to reveal her past to you. If she does, you know that she has accepted you into her inner circle. The only people inside are the people who works with her, or more specifically, her oppas.”

“And who might they be?”

“You already know Soo Hyuk, the Twins, Deuk and Dony, Kim Woobin and Hong Jonghyun. Dony is her personal assistant so you would see him a lot. Kim Woobin and Hong Jonghyun run the modeling agency. The two of them and Soo Hyuk used to walk the runways when they were in their teens. Deuk and Dony run the artiste academy. Last but not least, the one who works most closely with her, Yang Seungho aka Xin. Their company is pretty much in-charge of importing all the note-worthy foreign fashion brands into Korea. On top of that, they each have their own clothing line. Everything Chaerin wears on stage has been designed by her so it’s one of a kind. Her designs are highly sought after and designers all over the world have been wanting a collaboration of some kind with her or Xin.”

“She’s a real busy woman then. How did she find time to have a relationship with you?”

At this question, Jay smiled, a bitter smile full of regrets.

“She always makes time for the people she loves. In the 6 months we were together, she had never missed a date or make me feel like her job is more important. But be forewarned, if any of her oppas call her, she would go to them immediately. Although I had quarrelled with her over this before, she said something that shook me to the core. She told me that these oppas have been with her since she was 3 years old and they have never let her down, not even once. She was not about to let them down, definitely not for a man who was quarrelling with her about it.”

“Weren’t you upset, that she prioritized her oppas above you?”

“But it made a whole lot of sense too. And her oppas knew not to disturb her unless it’s something really urgent that needs her attention immediately. Actually, the only person I had a problem with was Soo Hyuk hyung. Somehow it’s difficult to overlook the fact that the two of them stay together, not to mention, she has a curfew and she keeps to it strictly.”

“You mentioned they have been by her side since she was 3? What happened before then?”

“No one knows. I tried asking once, she closed up immediately. Xin is the only one who didn’t grow up with her. They met when she was studying in London. These guys would die for Chaerin, just remember that. If you hurt Chaerin in any way, you are as good as dead.”

“So you are saying that I shouldn’t try to break into this inner circle?”

“It won’t do you any good to force yourself in. Like I said, this inner circle is built on trust and familiarity. If she wants to allow you in, you will get in. If not, you will forever be outside.”

“Somehow she sounds really fascinating now. I want to get to know her too. You have to introduce us, Ji, when you finally get more than 3 minutes with her.”

The boys all burst out laughing at TOP’s statement. Jiyong was not amused. He was reminded that everything was taken out of his control.

“And Jiyong, don’t take those kisses too seriously or think that you would get them all the time. Chaerin is rather conservative. If I had tried to do that during the time we were together, she would have avoided it. But since the cameras were on you guys, she probably felt like she couldn’t just push you away. The only person she has ever shown such close skinship with is Soo Hyuk. Don’t be surprised if you see them kissing each other or cling to each other.”

“Did they do that even when you were dating her?”

“Yes they did, but not in front of me. They didn’t know that I saw their skinship. They maintain a proper distance when I’m with them.”

“And you never talked about it with her?”

“In her defence, it was never overboard. The kisses are usually on the cheeks and the hugs are somewhat sibling-zone. But knowing that they are not real siblings and the look in their eyes when they look at each other just makes it harder to bear.”

“When I saw Soo Hyuk hyung looking at her performing on stage, you can see how much he loves her.”

Seungri said out of the blue. Jiyong was surprised that someone else other than him saw the love he has for Chaerin.

“He’s very devoted to her, to the point where it might seem obsessive to people around him. But that’s only because no one is quite capable of that kind of pure love for another person.”

“How did Chaerin even convince him