Chapter 3 here! Enjoy!

===========================================================================================================

It has been three weeks since Jaeyeon had last seen the boys of iKON. One quiet night, Jaeyeon walked back to her place after a stressful shift at the chicken joint. As soon as the elevator dinged, she walked into the lift, pressed the close button and the door slowly closed. Right before it completely closed, someone inserted his hand in between doors, startling the female.

She quickly pressed the open button and the door immediately retreated, revealing a guy in baggy black clothing with a familiar eye-smile.

“Bobby?” Jaeyeon’s eye shot.

“Whazzup, Jaeyeon!” Bobby said and stepped into the lift.

“I thought you guys are in Japan?” Jaeyeon asked.

“We just came back. I forgot something in the dorm so I had to get it.” Bobby said.

“Ah, I see. How is idol life?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Stressful but I love what I’m doing.” Bobby said.

“Looks like I won’t be seeing you guys tonight.” Jaeyeon said.

“We’ll probably be home by 2am.” Bobby said.

“Oh. I would be asleep by then.” Jaeyeon said.

“Missed Hanbin, uh?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah. I haven’t seen him in weeks.” Jaeyeon said.

“Well, do you miss me?” Bobby smirked.

“Of course, I do, Jiwon.” Jaeyeon smiled.

“That’s good.” Bobby said as he hung his arm around her.

“So, what is our Jaeyeon doing these days?” Bobby asked.

“Well, I go to school on the weekdays and go to work on the weekends. Since it’s Saturday, I was in the chicken joint the whole day. It was pretty stressful though. The shop was surprisingly packed.” Jaeyeon said.

“Celebrities?” Bobby asked.

“Nope. It was just packed.” Jaeyeon said.

Just then, the elevator stopped at the 8th floor. An elderly woman walked in. On the way to their designated floors, the old lady spoke up.

“What a sweet couple! I wish I could enjoy time dating, but I’m alone now.” The lady said.

Bobby and Jaeyeon looked at each other, giggled and faced the old lady.

“Uh, we are not a couple, halmeonim. We are just friends, right, noona?” Bobby said.

“Ne, this idiot here is just my friend…actually he’s like a younger brother to me.” Jaeyeon added.

“Oh, my bad. I really thought you kids are a couple. You two just looked so good together.” The old lady said.

Bobby and Jaeyeon just smiled at the woman.

The lift then stopped at the 20th floor and the woman stepped out of it.

Bobby and Jaeyeon just laughed over the lady’s statement.“She’s really funny, Bobby. You and I will never date in a million years. We are out of each other’s league!” Jaeyeon said.

“Yeah. Halmeonim should meet Hanbin. He’ll surely flip when she says that you and I match together.” Bobby snickered.

“Yeah.” Jaeyeon nodded.

Ding! The elevator stopped at 36th floor. “This is my stop. Gotta go. Have a good night, Jae.” Bobby smiled and waved at Jaeyeon as he left the lift.

Jaeyeon walked back to her unit and dropped on her couch. 

What an exhausting day! I hope work will be a lot easier tomorrow.

The next day, Jaeyeon walked out of her unit. She took the lift to the lobby, but the elevator made a quick stop at the 36th floor. Seven bare-faced boys in baggy clothing, hoodies and caps appeared before her.

“Oh! Annyeonghaseyo noona!” The maknae, Chanwoo greeted the female. 

Immediately, a bare-faced Hanbin lightened up, walked up to the female and gave her a big hug.

“Ah, I miss you so much.” B.I, iKON’s kid leader smiled from ear to ear.

“Aish! For a leader, you sure look more like the maknae.” Jinhwan commented.

“Hi Jaeyeon noona!” Yunhyeong, Donghyuk and Junhoe also greeted her.

“Jae to the Yeon, annyeong! Did you sleep well last night?” Bobby said.

“Yeah, I did. Thanks for asking, Bobby.” Jaeyeon said.

“You two met up?” B.I asked.

“Uh. We bumped onto each other last night. There’s this old lady who rode the elevator with us and had made a really funny statement.” Bobby said.

“Hilarious.” Jaeyeon said.

“If you were with us, you would’ve flipped.” Bobby said.

“What is it exactly?” B.I asked.

“She said that we were a…g-great couple. HAHA!” Bobby said.

“WHAT?” B.I cried.

“See. I knew you would flip.” Bobby said.

“She was pretty cute actually. We told her that we weren’t dating and she was shocked. She said that we were a 'perfect match'.” Jaeyeon added.

“Am I gonna see you tonight?” B.I asked.

“I don’t know. If you boys come earlier, I may be able to see you.” Jaeyeon said.

“We’ll be home by 9, since we won’t be doing so much today.” B.I said.

“Ok. I’ll see you tonight. And by you, I mean all of you.” Jaeyeon smiled.

Jaeyeon’s shift in the chicken joint was pretty okay…not until three familiar boys entered the shop. 

Them again? Why must they keep making my work harder?

“Jaeyeon-ah, you okay?” Jaeyeon’s friend asked.

“Why do they keep coming here? I mean…I know they are some K-Pop idols who would want to unwind, but there are other places for them to go. That Baekhyun guy is smiling at me weirdly.” Jaeyeon said.

“Jaeyeon, you are so dense. Clearly, Baekhyun-sshi was hitting on you.” The other girl said.

“Why? Do I have the last piece of pizza on earth or something for him to come chasing after me?” Jaeyeon asked.

“You are the densest person I know. Why do you think would he hit on you? Duh! He is totally into you.” The friend said.

“Me? Tch. He is way out of my league.” Jaeyeon said.

“Oh! He isn’t your ideal type?” The friend asked.

“You could say that.” Jaeyeon said.

“Just talk to him! Who knows…maybe you two can hit it off.” The friend said.

“His fans will kill me and I am not risking my life here.” Jaeyeon said.

“Just go and man the cashier.” The friend said.

“Hi! Welcome to Mr. Chicken’s Kitchen! I’m Jaeyeon, how may I serve you?” Jaeyeon smiled in the calmest way possible.

“Hi! May I have a box of six with rice, please.” The guy smiled.

“One box of six with rice coming right up. Anything else, sir?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Three iced teas and maybe your time.” The guy said.

“Uh, three iced teas coming right up.” Jaeyeon inputted their orders, grabbed a beeper and handed it to him.

She then grabbed three medium sized paper cups, filled them up with iced teas, put lids on them and placed them on the tray.

“Your order will be out shortly. Have a nice day.” Jaeyeon said, ignoring the part when he ask for her time.

“Miss, I asked if I could have some time with you.” Baekhyun smiled.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m really busy today. I can’t make time for you. Now, please wait for the beep.” Jaeyeon said.

“You don’t like me?” Baekhyun asked.

“I don’t really know you, sir and you are holding the line.” Jaeyeon said.

“Oh. I’m so sorry.” Baekhyun grabbed the tray and walked back to his table.

“Did you finally ask her out?” Baekhyun’s friend, Chanyeol asked.

“Nope. I think she’s mad.” Baekhyun said.

“Well, that’s what you get for flirting. I hate to be the killjoy here but I think you gotta stop. She’s pretty overwhelmed by your presence.” Chen said.

“I’m not just gonna give up.” Baekhyun said.

“Is this your way of showing noona that you are better off without her? Why? Is it because she’s being friendly with G-Dragon sunbaenim? Dude, you are acting way so childish here. Man up.” Chen said.

“I’m not doing this to make noona jealous. I just really wanted to be her friend.” Baekhyun said.

Later that night, Jaeyeon hang with the iKON boys.

“This guy keeps pestering me.” Jaeyeon said.

“Who is this guy? I’ll give him a beating.” B.I said proudly.

“You wouldn’t want to hurt him though. He’s an idol…just like you guys. I think he’s from this idol group named EXO or something. Yeah! EXO.” Jaeyeon said.

“E-EXO?” Bobby chimed in.

“Uh. If I remember clearly, my friend told me that his name is Baekhyun.” Jaeyeon said.

“B-Baekhyun sunbaenim?” Yunhyeong said.

“Didn’t he just break up with Taeyeon sunbaenim from SNSD?” Junhoe asked.

“He dated a Girls’ Generation member?” Jaeyeon cried.

“Yeah, that’s what I heard.” Junhoe nodded.

“Well, why is he hitting on me?” Jaeyeon said.

B.I was mad. Some guy is flirting with his girl and he couldn’t do anything about it because the culprit happens to be his sunbae. He just wanted to protect her from him but he can’t. So, he just kept his mouth shut.

“Just don’t mind him. He’ll forget about it somehow.” B.I said.

“He comes to the joint like every weekend. Isn’t that crazy? If I tell him that I’m not interested, people may record it and post it online. I don’t wanna be the talk of the town for rejecting EXO’s precious member’s confession.” Jaeyeon said.

“You okay, man?” Bobby asked.

“I’m just mad at myself for not being able to stand by my girl’s side. I mean…Baekhyun sunbaenim is flirting with her. I can’t lose her, hyung.” B.I said.

“Jaeyeon really likes you. So, don’t you worry about her. She’ll find a way to tell him to back off.” Bobby said.

The pair spent the next three months, meeting up at their respective dorms, bonding and basically dating behind everyone’s back…minus iKON of course.

The young idol was getting too inspired that even boss Yang Hyunseok wondered why he was feeling that way.

He suspected that maybe his ‘son’ is dating some girl, so he observed his actions for the next two weeks.

I don’t know if you are dating or not, Hanbin, but I just want to remind you that you’re an idol and a dating scandal will be detrimental to your career. I just hope my hunch is wrong.

Even on a busy night, the boys still made time to hang around.

“Yah! Where is Hanbin?” Jinhwan asked.

Everyone in the room sulked. Just then, a newly-awakened Bobby walked into the room.

“Bobby-ah, do you know where our leader is?” Jinhwan asked.

“Uh, he went out for a date with our lovely friend, Jaeyeon.” Bobby smiled.

“Did he say when he would be back?” Jinhwan asked.

“Aniyo. Wae?” Bobby asked.

“Well, manager hyung said that Hanbin hasn’t been answering his calls and well, he called me up instead. We are needed in YG. He’ll be here in fifteen minutes.” Jinhwan said.

“What?” Bobby cried.

“Yeah! We have to come up with an excuse to stall them.” Jinhwan said.

“Just tell manager hyung that hyung was just out to meet his mom and Hanbyul, who called for him.” Junhoe suggested.

“That is a pretty good idea.” Jinhwan said.

“We can also say that we made a bet and he lost, so we asked him to buy meat for us.” Yunhyeong suggested.

“That is a believable one too.” Donghyuk spoke up.

Meanwhile, Bobby was panicking. He was impatiently waiting for his friend to pick up.

“Aish! Hanbin-ah, pick up.” Bobby mumbled.

“Hyung, what’s up?” A guy from the other line finally picked up.

“Finally! Dude, you gotta come home now. We are needed in the headquarters and well, manager hyung will be here in fifteen minutes.” Bobby said.

“Oh! Ok, Jaeyeon and I will be back in twenty minutes. Please stall for me, hyung. Make some excuse up. I’m sorry. We just finished eating and well, our bill hasn’t arrive yet. Please make something up.” B.I pleaded.

“Ok, but you can’t go any later than ten minutes, ok?” Bobby said.

“Aight! Sorry, man.” B.I said.

“What’s up?” Jaeyeon asked.

“That was Bobby hyung. Manager hyung will be in the dorm in fifteen minutes and well, we need to hurry. I told him to stall for me. They know what to do.” B.I said.

“Ok. Well, after paying, we gotta rush back.” Jaeyeon said.

After wrapping up their business in a small ramen shop, the couple hurried back to the condominium. 

Hanbin brought Jaeyeon back to her unit and finally made it back to his dorm.

“Hanbin’s back. Let’s go boys.” The manager said.

“Sorry, hyung. Hanbyul just wanted to see me badly. She was throwing tantrums at mom, so I had to calm her down. She’s asleep now, so let’s go.” B.I said.

Right before entering the dorm, Bobby had briefed him about the excuse that the group came up with.

“How was the date with you know who?” Bobby whispered at his friend.

“Well, if it wasn’t for this urgent thing, we would’ve enjoyed it more.” B.I replied.

“Did you talk about Baekhyun sunbaenim again?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah and he is really getting on my nerves. I can’t help but be the protective boyfriend here. Someone is hitting on my girl and I can’t back her up.” B.I said.

“Don’t worry about it. He’ll give up eventually.” Bobby said.

“How can we be so sure of that? The guy is a total flirt.” B.I said.

“Oh and you aren’t? You flirted your way to her heart.” Bobby said.

“Well, at least I had gotten the girl. He is nothing but an unlucky dumb who can’t even keep his relationship with SNSD’s leader longer.” B.I said.

“Whatever.” Bobby rolled his eyes.

A few more weeks passed and B.I has been working really efficiently. Their boss appreciated everything but he still felt really suspicious about the idol’s weird actions. Also, he received some photos from refutable media outlet. All the pictures show B.I out on dates with a mystery girl. The media outlet stressed that if YG does not confirm the issue, they will be releasing the photos online and let the netizens judge. So, he decided to end his misery of guessing and called him for a short meeting.

“Hanbin-ah, have a seat.” The man said.

“Ye, sajangnim.” The male idol sat on the couch.

“So, you maybe wondering why you are here. Let me get to the point. I have been observing you lately.” The boss said.

B.I panicked.

“I see that you are very eager to work. You seemed so inspired and it just made me wonder why. Your sunbaes like G-Dragon and Taeyang…they are very happy when they work but you display a different aura. It made me thinking that maybe someone had pumped you up. So, I wanna ask you. Are you dating someone?” The man asked.

B.I froze.

Oh no. Should I tell sajangnim the truth or lie about it? Aish! He’ll figure it somehow and well, he’ll probably grill me alive if I get into a scandal.

After some internal debate on whether to tell or not to tell the truth, B.I spoke up.

“Y-Ye sajangnim. I am seeing someone.” B.I revealed.

“I see. May I know who this special person is?” The boss asked.

“She’s uh…she’s someone from the same dorm building, sajangnim. The guys know her too. In fact, we are all friends.” B.I said.

“I see. So, I suppose your friends know about this.” The man said.

“Ye sajangnim.” B.I nodded.

“Does your manager know?” The boss asked.

“Aniyo. Manager hyung knows nothing about this.” B.I said.

“Anyone else from the company? Sunbaes?” Yang Hyunseok asked.

“Ani imnida. It’s just me, Jaeyeon and the boys.” B.I said.

“Ok. I know you know about covering up when you go out on personal agenda, but I have to give you a warning.” The man said.

“Warning?” The boss asked.

“Dispatch sent me these photos a couple weeks ago. Check these out for yourself.” The boss handed the idol the envelope.

B.I scanned through the photos and his eyes shot. The paparazzi had caught him going on a secret date with his girlfriend.

“You know that you are subjected to a dating ban, right?” The man asked.

“Yes, sajangnim. I’m sorry for disobeying.” B.I nervously bowed his head.

“Yes, I’m pretty disappointed in you, but I’m not gonna order you to break up. I’m letting you date her.” The boss said.

B.I’s eyes widened.

“R-really?” B.I asked.

“Yes, but we have to make an announcement. We have to show the press that you are indeed dating and your girlfriend’s identity must be revealed.” The man said.

“Y-ye? Uh, I don’t know if she will agree.” B.I said.

“We have to, Hanbin…before Dispatch release the photos themselves. I don’t want your career and our stocks to drastically fall down because of a scandal. Let’s make an official announcement and I know just the right medium for this.” The man said.

“How are we gonna exactly announce this?” B.I asked.

“We’ll be launching another line of clothing for NONA9ON. You will be walking on the red carpet with her.” The man said.

“Oh.” B.I nodded.

“We will be inviting different media outlets as well as other press people.” The boss said.

“Ye, sajangnim.” B.I nodded.

“Please talk to her about this. Or better yet…invite her here. I wanna talk to her personally.” The man said.

After a meeting with the boss, B.I pulled his phone out and rang his girlfriend.

“Hey.” B.I said.

“Are you ok? You sound worried.” Jaeyeon asked.

“Uh, Jaeyeon-ah, sajangnim busted us. He…um…was not opposed to our relationship. In fact, he wants to carry on dating.” B.I explained.

“Oh. T-that’s good.” Jaeyeon said.

“Yeah, but…” B.I said.

“But what?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Dispatch sent him photos of our date a few weeks back and threatened that if he won’t confirm the allegations, they would release the photos, thus scandal.” B.I said.

“W-what? H-how are we gonna keep this relationship a secret now?” Jaeyeon asked.

“About that…sajangnim wants to confirm it.” B.I crossed his fingers.

“Oh. C-Confirm? Our relationship?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Yeah. He wants to talk to you personally. Is tomorrow a good day?” B.I asked.

“Well, it’s my day off, so s-sure. I’ll meet with him.” Jaeyeon said.

“Ok. Thanks, babe.” B.I said.

“Ok.” Jaeyeon said and hung up.

She dropped on the couch and looked up on the ceiling. 

Wow! Telling the whole world that I’m dating iKON’s leader this soon is beyond my expectation. A meeting with YG’s CEO tomorrow is even beyond expectations. Man! This is making me nervous.

The next day, Jaeyeon made her way to YG building, meeting the boys at the doorway. 

“Welcome to YG! Time to meet the boss.” Bobby smiled.

“Stop making me nervous!” Jaeyeon slapped the boy’s stomach.

Jaeyeon and B.I then walked into the boss’ office and faced him.

“Annyeonghaseyo!” Jaeyeon greeted the man.

The man gave Jaeyeon a warm smile and gestured them to sit.

“It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Lee.” The man said.

B.I glanced at his boss and Jaeyeon.

“It’s an honor to meet you again, Mr. Yang.” Jaeyeon bowed.

“I still can’t convince you to audition, do I?” The man asked.

“Yeah. I’m really sorry if I was a little harsh back then. I just didn’t know how to act in that situation. Music is something that just relaxes me when I’m under a lot of stress and I don’t plan to pursue it anytime.” The man said.

“I see. Well, let’s just brush off the past and talk about this very crucial topic. I have learned that you and my artist, iKON’s leader B.I are in a relationship and I suppose Mr. Kim had already briefed you with little details.” The boss said.

“Ye.” Jaeyeon nodded.

“Well, the launching event of the new fashion line for NONA9ON will be in a week and we will be inviting press people, as well as YG artists to the event. I want you and Hanbin to go together, thus formally announcing your relationship to the media. That is…if you say yes.” The boss said.

“I-I’m onboard with this idea, Mr. Yang. The people needed to know. Just goodbye privacy to me.” Jaeyeon said.

“Thank you, Ms. Lee. As for your benefits, you can visit the boys as often as you like, provided that they are in the country of course. You will be keeping in touch with the boys’ manager just in case and for your safety, a bodyguard will be assigned to protect you.” The man smiled.

“T-Thank you, Mr. Yang.” Jaeyeon said.

“We won’t be needing a contract signing as your rights and privileges have been stated. As for music, we will be open to accommodate you if you change your mind.” The man said.

“Ye.” Jaeyeon said.

“Phew! That was one nerve-wracking meeting with YG’s boss.” Jaeyeon exhaled.

“I didn’t know you met sajangnim.” Jaeyeon said.

“Yeah, I met him a year ago. I was a freshman in Hongdae and was forced to participate in a talent show. Mr. Yang was one of the judges and he approached me at the backstage. He wanted to cast me but I declined his offer kinda in a harsh way. I ran out of his sight, not wanting to face the situation. It was already bad enough that I was forced into joining the contest and it was pretty overwhelming for a big producer to cast me.” Jaeyeon said.

“Well, like he said, it’s all in the past. Let’s focus on this. NONA9ON will be in a week. I will tell you the complete details as soon as I get it and you better dress nicely. Maybe I could convince sajangnim to have our stylist dress you up.” B.I said.

“Ani. I’ll ask my friends for fashion advices.” Jaeyeon said.

“You sure?” B.I asked.

“Positive. I just have to come up with a very good reason for them to dress me up.” Jaeyeon said.

“Ok.” B.I smiled.

A few hours before the event, Jaeyeon invited her friends over to dress her up.

“So, where is this party anyway and why aren’t we invited?” Jaeyeon’s friend asked.

“It’s my cousin’s birthday. I’m going all the way to Apgujeong to attend his party. Now, beautify me.” Jaeyeon said.

After two hours of applying make-up on Jaeyeon’s face and styling her hair, the two girls slumped on her bed.

“Woah! What a work of art! You look wonderful!” Jaeyeon’s friend complimented.

“You look smokin’ hot! Who knows! After this party, you’ll pick up a guy.” Her friend smirked.

“Ha! Not a chance.” Jaeyeon snorted.

“Are you sure you can go there on your own?” Jaeyeon’s friend asked.

“I know my way through Apgujeong, girls. So, don’t you worry.” Jaeyeon asserted.

Jaeyeon then stepped out of the dorm and met the boys outside of the building.

“You look amazing!” B.I smiled.

“Thanks.” Jaeyeon replied and squeeze between her boyfriend and Bobby.

“Everyone will be drooling over you, Jaeyeon.” Jinhwan said.

The leader shot the hyung with a glare.

“I can’t wait to see WINNER’s faces when they see you.” Bobby said.

After a while, they arrived in Apgujeong. The boys stepped out of the car first, leaving the couple inside. They then walked through the red carpet full of swag.

Meanwhile, the couple were discussing about their official red carpet appearance.

“Nervous, uh?” B.I asked.

Jaeyeon nodded.

The dude grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers.

“I’ll be there with you, so don’t you worry. Just smile and act normal.” B.I said.

“I-I’ll try.” Jaeyeon said.

The manager then motioned them to step out of the car and begin walking. With that, Hanbin stepped out of the car and assisted his girl down. He then offered his arm, to which she clung onto and off they go.

Jaeyeon wore the calmest smile she could possible do and pose with her boyfriend. Although the camera flashes temporarily blinded her, she did not fail to smile.

On cue, B.I then led her into the building, shifting his arm from her arm to her waist.

The idol and Jaeyeon greeted the people inside the banquet. B.I then introduced Jaeyeon to his sunbae.

“This is Epik High sunbaenim. Tablo hyung, Mithra hyung and Tukutz hyung. Sunbaenim, this is Jaeyeon, my girlfriend.” B.I said proudly.

“Annyeonghaseyo!” Jaeyeon gave them a bow.

“Nice to meet you too, Ms. Jaeyeon. Wow! We didn’t know that Hanbin here has a girlfriend. Anyway, congratulations!” Leader Tablo smiled.

B.I then led his girlfriend to Akdong Musician and Lee Hi.

“Hayi-ah, Chanhyuk-ah, Suhyun-ah!” B.I called.

“Hanbin! And…oh annyeonghaseyo!” The trio greeted the female.

“These are Hayi and Akdong Musician’s Chanhyuk and Suhyun. Guys, this is my girlfriend, Jaeyeon.” B.I said.

Lee Hi froze. Hanbin’s got a girlfriend and she’s clueless about it.

“Woah! Congrats oppa! Nice to meet you Jaeyeon-sshi.” Suhyun flashed her eye smile.

“Hi.” Hayi smiled.

“Nice to finally meet you. Hanbin talks about you, Hayi-sshi all the time. It’s nice to meet such a pretty girl.” Jaeyeon said.

Hayi blushed.

Bobby then popped out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around Hanbin’s shoulder.

“Whazzup guys!” Bobby cried.

“Bobby oppa!” Suhyun smiled.

“Annyeonghaseyo.” Hayi greeted the boy.

“I suppose you’ve met our leader’s girlfriend.” Bobby said.

“Hey Bobby!” Jaeyeon smiled.

After meeting almost everyone in the room, the couple and Bobby walked to their table.

“WINNER just walked in. Shouldn’t we greet them?” Yunhyeong asked.

“Later. The program will start in two minutes.” Jinhwan said.

BIGBANG and Yang Hyunseok then finally walked in and greeted everyone.

After some performances, Hanbin then proceed to introduce his girlfriend to the rest of the YG family.

And they stopped at WINNER’s table.

“Hey guys!” Hanbin cried.

The boys stood up and greeted Hanbin.

As soon as one member of WINNER turned around, he froze. Jaeyeon also met the certain member’s face and froze.

S-S-Seungyoon? He’s a YG artist too? Jaeyeon, think fast!

Jaeyeon gave the boys a bow.

“So, who is your lovely friend, Hanbin?” Mino asked.

“Well, WINNER hyungs, this is…Jaeyeon.” B.I glanced at Jaeyeon and smiled.

“J-Jaeyeonie…” Seungyoon thought and smiled.

“My girlfriend.” Hanbin said.

Seungyoon’s smile faded.

“Y-You’re girlfriend?” Mino and the rest of the boys cried.

“Uh.” B.I smiled.

“How about the rules?” Jinwoo asked.

“Let’s just say we were off the hook.” B.I said.

“Nice! Well, it’s nice to meet you, Jaeyeon-sshi.” Taehyun smiled.

“Noona!” Yunhyeong cried.

Jaeyeon turned around and smiled at Yunhyeong.

“N-noona?” Mino arched his eyebrow.

Jinwoo shrugged.

“Hanbin-ah, noona, Yang sajangnim is calling for you.” Yunhyeong said.

“Ok. Thanks Yunhyeong-ah.” Jaeyeon smiled and glanced at Hanbin.

“I guess we have to talk to sajangnim. I’ll talk to you guys later.” B.I said as he and Jaeyeon walked over to the boss.

Seungyoon sat back and watched Jaeyeon as she walked away with B.I.

H-Hanbin? S-She’s dating Hanbin?

“If Yunhyeong calls her noona, that means she’s older.” Taehyun said.

“Wow! Hanbin is dating an older woman.” Seunghoon said.

Seungyoon remained silent. He wanted to affirm Taehyun’s conclusion, but saying it will trigger speculations from the boys.

Throughout the night, Seungyoon watched Jaeyeon as she laughed with the boys and flirted with Hanbin. The scene just made him sick.

Why? Of all places I would find you, it had to be in this event and by Hanbin’s side? This is stupid.

After seeing an opening, Seungyoon approached Jaeyeon.

“Jaeyeon-sshi, jamkkanmanyo.” Seungyoon called.

Jaeyeon turned around and faced the idol.

“Yes?” Jaeyeon said.

“I miss you!” Seungyoon said as he threw himself at her.

Stunned, Jaeyeon stayed frozen on the ground.

“I think you have the wrong person, mister. I, uh…I don’t think we had met before this night.” Jaeyeon stammered.

Seungyoon pulled away and gazed at Jaeyeon.

“Uh? A-aren’t you Lee Jaeyeon?” Seungyoon asked.

“Yeah, I am Lee Jaeyeon, but you probably mistook me for another Lee Jaeyeon you are close to.” Jaeyeon said.

“Uh…” Seungyoon was speechless. He couldn’t believe that the girl didn’t remember him. His first love did not remember him.

That is right! WINNER’s leader and B.I’s non-celebrity girlfriend knew each other.

{Flashback}

“Jaeyeon-ah, meet me at the roof right after class. I wanna tell you something.” Fifteen-year-old Seungyoon said.

“Ok. I’ll see you then, Yoon.” Young Jaeyeon replied.

Right before meeting with Jaeyeon, Seungyoon received a really important call from an unknown number.

“Jeongmallo? Uh, kamsahamnida! Ye! Ye.” Seungyoon nodded and hung up happily.

He rushed back home, completely forgetting about his meeting with Jaeyeon.

Meanwhile, Jaeyeon just got to the roof. She patiently waited for Seungyoon to come. Two hours passed and he was still not around.

“Maybe I should call him.” Jaeyeon said and pulled out her phone.

To: Yoon

Yoon-ah, where are you? I’ve been waiting for you at the roof for two hours.

And send!

Two hours became four hours. It was 10pm and Jaeyeon was still at the roof, waiting for Seungyoon. Call her crazy but he was her best friend and she would wait for him ’til he shows up no matter what.

“Jaeyeon-ah, what are you doing here?” The school janitor asked.

“Uh, it’s you, Mr. Jang! I’m just waiting for Seungyoon. He said to meet him here earlier.” Jaeyeon said.

“It’s 10pm, Jaeyeon. Go home and just talk to him tomorrow.” The man said.

“I guess…it’s really late. I should go home.” Jaeyeon smiled.

Jaeyeon then rode the bus home.

The next day, Jaeyeon looked forward to meeting her friend. She was eager to know what he wanted to say and what caused him not to meet her.

“Jaeyeon-ah! Jaeyeon-ah!” A girl came rushing into the room.

“What is it, Seri?” Jaeyeon asked.

“S-S-Seungyoonie…he left.” The girl said in between pants.

“Left? What do you mean?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Uri Seungyoon has made it to Superstar K2. He left for Seoul to continue his journey.” Seri said.

“W-what? S-Seoul?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Uh. He left last night. He took the last train to Seoul. Isn’t that great? But wait a minute, why are you asking me this?” Seri asked.

“H-He didn’t say anything to me. I waited for him at the roof ’til 10pm but he never showed up.” Jaeyeon said.

“Roof?” Seri asked.

“Yeah! He asked me to meet him at the roof after class. He said that he wanted to tell me something but never showed up. I was hoping to see him today but I guess I won’t be anytime soon.” Jaeyeon said.

“Omo! If he wanted to tell you something, then that means…he wanted to confess.” Seri smiled.

“Confess?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Aish! You are the densest person on earth! He kissed you a week ago. Doesn’t that ring a bell?” Seri said.

“Yoon will never do that. He is my best friend. Ok, maybe he kissed me, but that doesn’t prove that he likes me. Hmm, maybe it was just some dare he and Daehyung made.” Jaeyeon said.

“Whatever! Anyway, he really made it to Superstar K2. Isn’t that great?” Seri said.

“I guess…” Jaeyeon flashed a slight smile.

Weeks passed since she last heard about Seungyoon advancing to the Superstar K2 competition from her friend, but she has not heard a single thing from him at all. No texts, no calls, no e-mails…nothing! 

D-Did Yoon forget me?

A week later, Jaeyeon’s parents talked to their daughter.

“Honey, we’ve got something to tell you.” Mrs. Lee asked.

“What is it, mom?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Well, your dad has been promoted to Vice President of Marketing in the company.” Mrs. Lee said.

“Jinjja? Woah! Congratulations, dad!” Jaeyeon cried.

“The promotion entails relocation. He has been transferred to Los Angeles.” Mrs. Lee said.

“Los Angeles? Miguk?” Jaeyeon asked.

“Yes, ddal-ah. Your mom and I have decided to move to the United States and we are bringing you with us.” Mr. Lee said.

“What? But, what about school? My friends?” Jaeyeon asked.

“We had arranged your documents as well as enrolled you in a new school in LA. As for your friends, I’m afraid that you have to say goodbye to them.” Mrs. Lee said.

“O-ok.” Jaeyeon nodded.

That night, Jaeyeon pondered over her future, her friends Seri, Daehyung and Seungyoon.

I’m moving to America in a week and I still couldn’t keep in touch with Yoon. I’ve sent him like hundreds of calls, texts and e-mails, but I’ve got nothing. I can’t believe that he forgot about me. Well, if this is what he wants, I am gonna give it to him. No goodbye to him then.

Right before leaving, Jaeyeon left no notes, messages or even a call. Even her friend Seri had no clue about her address in LA.

As soon as Seungyoon came back from Seoul, he immediately visited Jaeyeon’s place, only to find her house empty and up for sale.

“What the…?” Seungyoon cried.

The next day, the dude walked into school in a happy mood. Students were applauding and congratulating him for getting through the top 10 in Superstar K2.

“Congratulations man!” His friend Daehyung cried.

“Thanks! Hey, where is Jaeyeon?” Seungyoon asked.

Daehyung’s smile fade.

“Uh, yeah! About that…” Daehyung fake a smile.

“Well, where is she?” Seungyoon asked.

“She’s not here anymore.” Daehyung said.

“What are you talking about?” Seungyoon asked.

“She left for LA two months ago, man. Unfortunately, she left nothing. No notes, email, call or even a text.” Daehyung said.

Seungyoon walked away lifelessly.

He walked into the classroom, sat on his seat and stared blankly on air.

Why? Why’d you leave?

Seungyoon pulled his phone out, switched it on and hundreds of missed calls, unheard voice mails and unread text messages bombarded him.

The dude was not able to answer any of her calls ‘cause his phone died on the way to Seoul and he lost his charger.

I’m sorry…

Seungyoon scrolled up to the first message he had received since he left for Seoul.

From: Jaeyeoni

Yoon-ah, where are you? I’ve been waiting for you at the roof for two hours.

And it hit him!

I had asked her to meet me at the roof that day. But what did I do? Hmm, oh ! I left after getting a call from Superstar K2’s management and forgot about our meeting. Jaeyeon-ah, I’m so sorry.

Seungyoon then tapped on Jaeyeon’s number and called her.

Beep…beep…beep…beep…

No answer. She was unreachable.

The dude spent the next week, trying to establish a connection with her, but nothing seemed to be working.

Weeks, turned months and Seungyoon was left to nothing. His heart was crushed. The girl he loved for years left him without any note of where to find her. 

Depressed, he began drowning himself in vices such as alcohol and smoking.

Despite of all these, he managed to get himself a new skill…a skill in billiards. He even represented the city for his national recognitions. 

In 2011, he signed with YG Entertainment, appeared in High Kick 3 and continued training to be an idol.

Soon, he forgot about his past and had completely been drowned with music.

Back to reality, Seungyoon was still watching the girl from afar.

“Dude! You okay?” Taehyun shook him.

“Huh, what?” Seungyoon snapped out of his bubble.

“You ok? You’ve been staring at iKON’s table for twenty minutes.” Taehyun said.

“I was just deep into a thought. Say, Hanbin’s girlfriend is pretty, don’t you think?” Seungyoon smiled.

“You mean, Jaeyeon-sshi? Oh yeah! She is, but not as pretty as my Wendy.” Taehyun smiled dreamily.

“Why did I even ask?” Seungyoon said as he drank a liquid from his glass.

“Yah! Dating isn’t so bad. I should try it.” Mino said proudly.

“You don’t even have a girl. Think twice, hyung.” Seungyoon said.

“Yang sajangnim is gonna kill you too.” Seunghoon added.

“If Hanbin could date, why can’t I?” Mino said.

“Do you think that you would be off the hook too? Dream on, man.” Seunghoon said.

“I can try.” Mino said.

“Yah! You are not gonna woo Irene, are you?” Jinwoo asked.

“Who says I can’t?” Mino smiled.

“Yah! I called dibs on her already! She’s mine!” Jinwoo cried.

“Well, I like her. So, may the best man win then, hyung.” Mino smirked.

“You guys are sick!” Seunghoon shook his head and walked away.

“So, what excuse did you pull off to make your friends agree to dress you up, noona?” Yunhyeong asked.

“I just made up some lie that my cousin is throwing a birthday party at Apgujeong and he invited me.” Jaeyeon said.

“Nice.” Bobby commented.

After the party, the boys, along with Jaeyeon were dropped off back to their dorm and unit respectively.

While the boys were back in their dorm, their leader spent the last few minutes of the day with his girlfriend.

“Thanks for doing this with me.” B.I said.

“It’s about time the everyone knows. This will probably lessen my privacy but I chose it to happen, so I’ll accept whatever reality puts me into.” Jaeyeon said.

“You’re the best.” B.I smiled.

“You two. Well, it’s time for me to sleep.” Jaeyeon said.

“Me too. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night. Dream of me.” B.I said.

Meanwhile, Seungyoon rummaged through the boxes of his things.

“Yah! What are you looking for?” Seunghoon asked.

“Just an old phone from my stuff. I need to find it.” Seungyoon said.

“What do you need it for?” Seunghoon asked.

“I just needed it, hyung. Aish! Where is that damn phone?” Seungyoon emptied the box, but found nothing.

“Maybe it’s in one of your other boxes.” Seunghoon said.

Seungyoon rummaged through more mess and found what he was looking for. He pulled it out and smiled in victory.

“How old is that thing?” Seunghoon pulled a disgusted look.

“I’ve had it when I was in junior high.” Seungyoon said.

“Why did you suddenly want it anyway?” Seunghoon asked.

“Something just crossed my mind earlier and I just wanna look into something.” Seungyoon explained.

“Well, good luck with that.” Seunghoon said and walked away.

Seungyoon plugged onto the charger and waited for the phone to start up. Lucky for him, the battery did not die out. He smiled at seeing his phone’s wallpaper. It was photo of him and Jaeyeon hugging each other happily.

W-why don’t you remember me, Jaeyeon? 

The next day, Jaeyeon’s appearance in the NONA9ON event was in most Kpop news sites. She was also the top trending search in portal sites Naver and Daum.

[BREAKING] iKON’s B.I is taken!

Sorry fans, looks like iKON’s young leader B.I is off the market. According to media outlet, Dispatch, the idol was seen going out on dates with a mystery girl for months now. The couple was seen to be really sweet together, exchanging laughters, hugging lovingly and even holding onto each others’ hands. However, they did not release the photos until today. YG Entertainment launched a new apparel line for NONA9ON, held the said event yesterday and in attendance was B.I’s girlfriend, whom the idol walked with on the red carpet.  It is said that the girl’s appearance in the event wasn’t accidental, as YG Entertainment invited numerous press members to document the program. Although, there is no official written statement from the company, the idol’s walk on the red carpet with his girlfriend could serve as evidence of confirmation.

Below are photos taken by Dispatch before and during the confirmation.

As soon as Jaeyeon walked into the university, eyes were on her. Her friends came rushing to her.

“Jae…yeon…” Two girls cried in between pants.

“Hey guys!” Jaeyeon smiled.

“A-are y-you really dating iKON’s B.I?” One of the girls asked.

“Uh. I am.” Jaeyeon smiled proudly.

“Damn! You two just crushed thousands of fan girl hearts with your relationship confirmation.” The other girl said.

“Well, we had to confirm it or Dispatch would release their paparazzi photos. Yang Hyunseok sajangnim didn’t want Hanbin’s career tainted so we had to release an official statement.” Jaeyeon explained.

“Yah and we thought you would end up with Bobby.” One girl said.

“Me and Bobby? That kid is just really adorable. He’s a big dork too.” Jaeyeon said.

“It seems like you are pretty close with iKON. You meet them once in a while?” The other girl asked.

“About that…I have a big confession to make. iKON lives just below my floor. They invite me in once in a while.” Jaeyeon said.

“What? Yah! How many more secrets did you keep from us?” The other girl asked.

“Well, now you are asking. Some EXO dude is hitting on me too.” Jaeyeon added.

“E-E-EXO? Who?” One of the girls asked.

“B-Baekhyun? Yeah, I think it’s Baekhyun.” Jaeyeon said.

“H-How?” The girls asked.

“Well, he and his friends go to the chicken joint I work at. They are there like almost every weekend. He keeps flirting with me.” Jaeyeon said.

“At Mr. Chicken’s?” Her friend asked.

“Yes, Bohee. Where do you think is Jaeyeon’s work place at? Talk about, duh!” The other friend said.

“So, does B.I know?” Bohee asked.

“Yeah. I think he was pissed but he couldn’t hurt a sunbae, right? So, I just hope that Baekhyun-sshi would stop after this affirmation.” Jaeyeon said.

“Well, what if he didn’t see the news?” Bohee asked.

“It does not hurt to hope, right?” Jaeyeon smiled.

Meanwhile, the three members of EXO’s beagle line gathered together in the living room.

“Looks like it’s over before it even started.” Chanyeol said as he looked onto his phone screen.

Pissed, Baekhyun curled his fists into balls.

“Sorry, man. I guess she’s just not for you.” Chen said.

“She chose a kid over me?” Baekhyun growled.

“Well, you can’t control young love. Just give it up, man. She denied you numerous times. Another try wouldn’t be effective.” Chanyeol said.

“You may be a bigger idol than B.I-sshi, but right now, you are not even a fragment of thought in her life. Stop all these crazy things. It would really be a big distraction to your career.” Chen said.

“I guess…” Baekhyun said.

“We’ll give you time to recover.” Chanyeol said and patted his friend’s back.

Jaeyeon might’ve received death threats from Hanbin’s hardcore fans, but they didn’t stop her from sticking by the young idol’s side.

Soon, they was just any other couples in the K-Pop industry.

============================================================================================

A/N: Yes! Seungyoon and the original character Lee Jaeyeon are childhood friends. And yes! Seungyoon is still in love with her after all those years. She did not even know that Seungyoon was a part of WINNER until she met him in the party. Don't be mistaken! Jaeyeon doesn't feel the same way for Seungyoon. She just think / thought of him as a friend. Although, they did share their first kiss.

There you have it, guys! Chapter 4 will be up soon. Comments.