Ji Yong had to admit that Seung Ri’s idea was sheer brilliance. He can’t believe he didn’t think of this himself. He nodded. “Okay, but I think hyung keeps the key with him at all times. Like maybe in his clothes.”

“He’d have to have a spare key in case he misplaces it,” Seung Ri pointed out. “Okay, here’s the plan. You try retrieving the key from him and I’ll look for the spare key.”

“What the nonsense —?” Ji Yong didn’t like this plan. “No, you should try retrieving it from hyung and I’ll find the spare key.”

“I called dibs first.”

“Well, Lia is your girlfriend,” he reminded the maknae. “So that means you should do the harder one if you really love her.”

Seung Ri glared at him. “I hate you.”

He sighed. Seung Ri is so immature. In fact he sometimes wonders what Lia sees in him. “Dude, we don’t have that much time to delay and argue. So are we going to do this or not?” he asked impatiently.”

“Okay, okay. Fine, I’ll try retrieve the key from him,” Seung Ri relented. Obviously he wasn’t happy but Ji Yong had a point. He must take the responsibility by doing the harder task seeing as he was the boyfriend.

“Good luck finding the key,” they heard Dae Sung say from the door and they looked up. He was leaning against it, his arms folded, with a frown on his face. Tae Yang was beside him with the similar look. “I know where hyung keeps the key. I’m not sure about the spare one though,” he told them.

“Where is it?” Seung Ri asked eagerly.

“Around his neck. Hyung keep it in a chain around his neck and he never takes it off, not even when he bathes.”

His face fell. There was no way he can get that key now. But then he brightened. “Oh well. Now I can look for the spare key.”

Ji Yong sighed. “This guy ah,” he muttered under his breath. But to the two of them, he said, “Do you guys want to help us find out what they’re hiding?”

Dae Sung nodded. “I’m worried about Lia too,” he said softly. “I suspect that hyung is mad at you two for doing something to Lia but I’m just not sure what. But it isn’t fair for him to keep me and Young Bae hyung in the dark either. We did nothing.”

“How would you know?” Seung Ri asked.

Tae Yang shot him a look as he and Dae Sung came over to sit on the bed, closing the door behind them so they won’t be intruded. “He seems pretty normal around me and Dae but especially cold towards you and lideo,” he shot back.“Don’t you guys think that it says something?”

“He has a point,” Ji Yong spoke up.

Seung Ri sighed. “Okay, fine. So, we look the spare key. Where’s hyung now?”

“In his room,” Tae Yang answered.

“But the thing is, he hardly leaves his room these days,” Dae Sung reminded him.

He groaned loudly, shoulders slumped, as he buried his face in his hands. “This is really pathetic,” he muttered. “We can’t just sit here and wait until he leaves. Who knows how long that’ll take?!” He looked up. “All right. We’re going to need to change our plans ASAP.”

“Huh, I wasn’t even aware we had plans,” Ji Yong mumbled.

“He just makes them up as he goes,” Dae Sung cracked up.

Seung Ri didn’t smile as he said, “We are going to create a diversion.”

“And how so, Mr. I’ve-Got-No-Plans?” Tae Yang asked.

“Shut up.” Seung Ri didn’t like the fact that he has to come up with everything. “Why do I have to come up with everything?” he wanted to know.

“Because you’re the boyfriend,” Dae Sung simply replied. “A-duh!” He smacked him on the head.

“Ow! Stop that!” Seung Ri glowered at him. “Fine, we’ll distract him by . . .” He trailed off, thinking.

“By?” Ji Yong supplied.

He hung his head in shame. “Err, I was actually hoping that one of you would have an idea on how to do that.”

“Dae Sung can think of the diversion,” Tae Yang spoke up.

The joker’s eyes went wide. “What? Why me?” he complained.

“Because you’re the joker in the group,” Ji Yong retorted, pointing the obvious.

He pouted. “I’ll need time to think of a diversion,” he said halfheartedly.

“Fine. You have one day to think of one,” Tae Yang replied.

“But —!”

“We don’t have time to lose,” he snapped and Dae Sung sighed.

Ji Yong and Seung Ri exchanged glances. Could they really pull it off? They knew that if TOP finds out he would be really angry. But they don’t have much of a choice if they want to know what they were hiding from them.

Big Bang doesn’t keep secrets from each other. If one is hiding something, everyone will eventually find out about it. So even if this plan fails, they’ll think of another one until they got results. But it was better for them if they don’t fail because the cost would be too risky. They couldn’t afford to fail.

“I’ve got an idea!” Dae Sung suddenly cried out. He grinned.

“That was fast,” Ji Yong remarked.

“Who cares,” Seung Ri said impatiently. “He has a plan and we can do it.”

“Right.” Dae Sung nodded, rubbing his hands together. “So here’s the plan . . .”

A few minutes later the four boys piled out of the room. TOP was still inside.

“Why me?” Dae Sung was whining.

“You’re the one who thought of the plan,” Seung Ri shrugged.

“But he hates me!”

“Well, maybe he wouldn’t be if you don’t annoy him all the time,” Ji Yong shot back. He shoved him hard.

He shook his head, pouting childishly, but his two hyungs and Seung Ri pushed him toward TOP’s door. In a silent struggle, he tried to fight them off but they were too strong. He reluctantly went to knock on TOP’s door.

“What is it?” TOP’s voice boomed from the other side.

Nodding in encouragement, all three of the other cowards mouthed, “Go in,” at him.

“Oh, just in case the plan goes wrong,” Ji Yong added before he went in, “it’s all your fault. But no pressure.”

The three of them ran off, leaving Dae Sung alone to handle this. He inwardly smacked himself for being an idiot for thinking of such good plan. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and entered the room, a fake smile plastered all over his face to hide his fear. Oh, please let this plan work, he thought.

TOP looked up, looking irritated. “What do you want?”

He gulped. This wasn’t looking too good anymore. But now that he’s already started, he might as finish it. “Hyung, let’s go walk the dogs!” he said, beaming.

TOP shot him a suspicious look. “Why me? Why can’t you ask the others?”

Dae Sung sighed, sitting on his bed. He put a pout on his face. “Bae hyung is asleep; lideo is writing a new song and maknae just started his dancing exercises. They all asked me to ask you since they’re busy.”

TOP didn’t answer.

He decided to try another tactic. “Well, I would ask Lia but she’s —”

“All right, I’ll go with you,” his hyung cut in brusquely. “I haven’t played with Charlie in a long time anyway.” He stood up and walked out of the room.

Dae Sung breathed a huge sigh of relieved behind his back. “Okay. Let me go get my coat in my room,” he said, rushing to his room. He closed the door behind him where Tae Yang was pretending to be asleep. “All systems go,” he said, grabbing his coat.

He flung the door opened just as TOP was about to open the door from the other side, the dogs’ leashes in his hand. He took a step back, startled. Whoa, scary, he thought.

TOP looked over to Tae Yang, who was on the bed, pretending to be asleep. He nodded once at Dae Sung. “Let’s go then,” he said.

They walked out of the apartment with the dogs at their feat. The other three gave five full minutes before they all came out from their rooms, faces flushed with excitement. They were going to do find out the truth today!

“Did hyung come to check on you?” Seung Ri asked the others.

They nodded. It was a good thing that they had been doing what Dae Sung had told TOP they were doing to be able to convince him that they weren’t up to anything. They rushed to TOP’s bedroom and began searching for the key. They searched high and low, making sure there was not a single place they missed.

So, how have you been, hyung?” Dae Sung was asking TOP as they walked the dogs at the park. “I noticed you seem tired, worn-out and stressed lately.”

TOP nodded, running his fingers through his hair. “I am tired,” he replied. He really did look exhausted. “Taking care of Lia sure is hard work.”

“Oh, Lia is sick?” Dae Sung asked eagerly. Could he have accidentally found out the truth by accident?

. TOP quickly gathered his thoughts to say something. “Yes,” he lied, “she’s sick. That is why I didn’t want you guys to see her and why I didn’t tell you. The doctors said it is quite severe and I didn’t want to burden you guys.” He was sweating bullets. If Dae Sung was smart enough to figure out that Lia has been going to work, he was doomed.

But luckily for him Dae Sung just nodded, believing what he said. “Poor Lia,” he said sympathetically.

TOP shook his head. Wow, Dae Sung was really that dense. He was about to sit down on the bench when he gasped. He quickly checked the time and cursed. “Omo, Lia has a doctor’s appointment to go to!” he exclaimed. He shot Dae Sung an apologetic look as he handed the leashes to him. “Mianhae, but I really need to take her to the doctor.” He dashed off, heading back to where they came from.

“Wait, hyung —!” In horror, Dae Sung realized he was going back to the apartment. He had to warn the others. He took his phone out and was about the dial Tae Yang’s number when his phone died. “Babo!” he screamed in a high pitch voice whenever he gets scared or frustrated. Right now he was panicking.

He tugged on the leashes, turning around. “Let’s go, you guys,” he said to the dogs and they broke into a run.

Ji Yong, Seung Ri and Tae Yang weren’t having the much lucky either. They tried all the places: under the bed, at the window, in the cupboard, all the drawers, in the pillow cases, on top of the cupboard, in his boxers drawer (Seung Ri was forced to search through there), under his night lamp, underneath the bed and cupboard — everywhere! And they still could not find.

Suddenly an object landed on the bed and they turned to look. There was a key!

“Looking for this?”

They froze, slowly turning around to see their worst nightmare: TOP standing in front of them at the doorway.

And he looked mad.