The water felt like a safe haven and I didn't want to get out. For some reason, it felt so warm and nice. I didn't want to go above the surface and face all the troubles out there. But I couldn't stay in water forever. That's obvious. I didn't want to die in here and sooner or later, I had to breathe.
I pushed myself upwards and my head stuck out of the water's surface. I took in a deep breath of fresh air and I shook my head to shake the water out of my eyes. I opened my eyes fully and as I looked around the pool, I swam to the edge.
When I finally got myself out, I saw Hyo-rin, Seungri and TOP run towards me. Taeyang and Daesung also appeared.
"Sam, are you okay?" Hyo-rin asked, when she got closer.
"I've never been better," I answered as I looked at myself.
I looked ridiculously wet, that's for sure. My clothes felt so heavy. I pulled out my phone from the pocket and it was all wet and ruined. I sucked my teeth in irritation. So much for having a cool fancy iPhone only to find it taking a dive with you into the water. I put my phone back in my wet pocket. My day couldn't get any better than this.
I looked around me and luckily, the little drama I had had with G-Dragon at the top of the rocks, hadn't caught so many people's attention, but only to a few of those who were in the same pool I had fallen in. That was a relief. The last thing I wanted was to look embarrassed in front of the whole world.
"You need a towel," said TOP. "You're soaking wet, and you need a change of clothes too."
"No need," I said as I started to remove my wet sneakers and water poured out of them. "We've to go."
I heard Zoey and the others' laughter and cheering on the other side of the pool. I looked on and I saw the others approach G-Dragon after he climbed down the rocks. They surrounded and cheered for him as though he was a hero.
"Sam?" I heard Taeyang's voice as he held my shoulder. "You don't look okay at all. And you really need a change of clothes or else you're going to catch a cold."
"I already told you, I'm fine," I said as I slowly brushed off Taeyang's hand from my shoulder. I didn't want to be rude, but I was so not in the mood for consolation from anyone.
I made my way towards GD and the others, while they were chattering on with excitement over what had happened. Hyo-rin and the rest followed behind me. As the Toxins and G-Dragon saw me approach them, Zoey came forward.
"Oh, man, Sam," said Zoey, with a ridiculous smile on her face. "You should really see yourself. Sorry for all that, but we had to add a little spice to the game. Hope you didn't mind."
"Can we just go back to YG?" I asked, with no hint of emotion on my face. "I've had a long day."
"Go back to YG?" Zoey asked with a surprised look on her face. "I thought we were going back to the hotel."
"I told you, our managers need us back there. And as usual, you never listen to me." I rolled my eyes as I soon remembered something. "Speaking of our managers, Daesung, may I use your phone, please?" I looked over at Daesung.
"Ya, sure," said Daesung, as he gave it to me.
I dialled Lee's number and I placed the phone to my ear. The Toxins and G-Dragon looked on at me, clueless. They were obviously wondering why I was making a call. They would know soon enough.
"Hello?" came Lee's voice at the other end of the line.
"Lee, it's Sam," I answered.
"Sam, thank goodness, you called. Did you find them?"
"Ya, I found them," I said, as I looked on at the culprits in front of me. "Do our managers know anything?"
"No, not yet. But you better get back here quick. I can't keep them locked up much longer. And the press have been waiting for you, so you better hurry."
"We'll be there in thirty minutes."
"Okay, I'll be waiting."
I cut the call and gave Daesung his phone back.
"Wait, Sam, what's going on?" Daniel asked. "Why were you talking to Lee? Is something wrong?"
"Everything is wrong," I answered, trying to keep my cool. "I'll tell you later. We better go now."
"At least tell us what's going on," said Christine.
"It's best we get to YG first," said Seungri. "We're wasting a lot of time here."
"Come on. You heard Seungri, we don't have much time," I said.
"But you better change your clothes first," said Zoey. "You know you easily catch a cold. At least get a towel to dry yourself."
I shook my head. I was really on the edge of losing my temper. But I quickly took in a deep breath and started to walk away from the pool and the others in my bare wet feet and carrying my wet sneakers.
After walking a few feet away, I looked behind me and the others just stared at me, with surprised and confused looks on their faces. The last thing I wanted was for them to just stand there because they would end up grabbing other people's attention which I was highly trying to avoid.
"Aren't you coming or are you going to run off so that I go looking for you again?" I asked.
None of them answered as they all started walking towards me and walked past heading for the exit. I stayed for a few minutes from where I stood as I watched them go, except for TOP, who came to stand beside me.
"Don't say a word, please," I said as I turned to look at him.
"I wasn't going to say anything, apparently," said TOP. "I know you're angry and the last thing you would want to hear from me is advice."
I turned to look the other way as I now felt a little guilty.
"Was I harsh on them?" I asked quietly.
"To be honest, you did the best you could not to let your anger get the best of you."
"I'm still upset, though."
"And that's normal. They will understand. You're human too."
"Thanks, TOP." I said, trying to put up a smile. "Sorry for being harsh on you earlier."
"It's okay. You guys go on ahead. I'll go get changed and I'll catch up with you later."
I gave TOP an assuring nod and he gave me a pat on my shoulder and walked away. I was on my way again and I found myself outside the indoor water park. I saw the others ahead of me and I kept my distance. I was still soaking wet and I started to shiver. It was now in the afternoon but the sun still didn't seem to warm me up as I expected it to. It was hot, yes, but I still felt cold because of my dripping clothes.
We all found ourselves back at the back gate of the water park. I found G-Dragon and the Toxins all settled in G-Dragon's car. Daesung, Seungri, Hyo-rin and Taeyang were waiting for me.
"Hey, Sam, you don't mind if I ride along with you, Daesung and Seungri, do you?" Hyo-rin asked as she approached me to keep the others out of ear shot.
"I'll ride with Tae, he shouldn't be alone," I said, giving Hyo-rin a small smile. "Don't worry about it."
Hyo-rin gave me a kind smile and I looked on as she settled in with Daesung and Seungri in the car. G-Dragon's car took off first, then Daesung's. I continued to watch on as the two cars left the premises and all I did was stand in the sun, trying to take in the warmth, but still shivering like a leaf.
I had my eyes closed when I felt something warm on my shoulders. I opened my eyes and I found Taeyang wrap his warm coat around me.
"You're really shivering," said Taeyang. "Let's hope you don't get..."
Before he could finish his sentence, I sneezed.
"....a cold," said Taeyang, rolling his eyes at me. "Nice one, Sam. Now our managers will get pissed for sure."
"Don't worry, it's just a small sneeze," I said as I sniffed. "I'll be fine by tomorrow."
"Let's hope so. Come on, we better get going."
Taeyang led me to his car and he helped me open the door to the passenger's seat. We were on the road in no time, and as I sat in the car, I still felt cold that Taeyang had to turn the heater on.
In about thirty minutes, we were back in Seoul and back in the YG premises. I found the others all waiting for us at the front entrance of the building. Taeyang and I got out of the car and walked up to them. I led them in, still barefoot and surprisingly at the same time, Collins, Yang Hyun-suk and Lee appeared out of the elevator.
"Where have you guys been?" Collins asked, as they approached us. "And why do you look so wet, Sam?"
"We went to Caribbean Bay," I answered.
Lee who stood behind Collins gave me a funny startled look. She probably thought I was going to make up some kind of a lie to cover up for the others. But I had other things in mind.
"Caribbean Bay?" Yang Hyun-suk looked surprised. "We had things to sort out here and you went to have fun?"
Yang Hyun-suk sounded a little harsh and the rest of us were quiet. I could feel the atmosphere behind me grow tense as no one said a word.
"Well, is anyone going to say anything?" Yang Hyun-suk asked.
"We didn't just go there to have fun," I said, with my head down. "If there's anyone to blame for all this, it's me."
There was an awkward silence as I felt all eyes on me. Their eyes felt like piercing needles, but I had to ignore the feeling and carry on.
"What do you mean?" Collins asked.
"Well, I hear the press are here," said Sam. "And I bet they are here over the video of G-Dragon and I. I'll tell you everything from there."
"That won't be necessary," said Yang Hyun-suk. "We can do all of that tomorrow or some other day. You look all beat and I don't think it will be appropriate to go to the press looking all wet."
I breathed out a sigh of relief. Things were simply going the way I thought they would. I just hoped that what I was going to do next would work out too.
"In the meantime, you go to the hotel and get freshened up," said Collins. "We will talk later on in the evening and you will tell us all about it."
I nodded my head in agreement. Well, that was a relief. I seriously needed a change of clothes as I felt myself shiver vigorously.
"Come, I'll drive you to the hotel," said Taeyang.
"Alright," I said quietly, as I looked up at Lee. She seemed really frightened. The last thing she wanted was for all of us to get into trouble and it seems like I was only making things worse.
Before I turned to leave with the rest of the group, I gave Lee a wink, assuring her that everything was going to be alright and that she should trust me on this one.
***
I sat on the couch all wrapped up in a blanket, coughing and sniffing like crazy as I continued staring at the TV. I was watching a K-drama series, "Boys over flowers" and I was really enjoying it, despite being down with a cold.
I had a box of paper tissues right beside me and a plastic containing the ones I had blown my nose on on my other side. Disgusting, I know, but hey, it was only a cold and there was nothing I could do about it.
I continued watching the series when the waiter came in to bring in my warm chicken soup and announced that Taeyang had come to see me.
"Hey, how are you doing?" Taeyang asked after the waiter gave me the soup and left while he came in.
"Never better," I said, sounding funny with a blocked nose. "Take a seat, please. Not too close to me though, I don't want you to catch my cold."
"I wasn't even going to try," Taeyang took a couch right next to mine, but far away from me as possible.
"So, watching k-drama, huh?" Taeyang asked as he looked at the flat screen TV on the wall.
"Ya, I'm actually enjoying it," I said as I put in a spoonful of chicken soup in my mouth. Mmm, it was so tasty.
"And the others?"
When Taeyang meant the "others," I knew he meant The Toxins. I just rolled my eyes and continued staring at the TV.
"As usual, they went for practise two hours ago," I answered, not sounding like I cared.
"Are you still mad at them?" Taeyang asked.
I got the remote and paused the TV. I couldn't catch up with reading the subtitles and Taeyang's question just confused me.
"I don't know," I said, staring at my soup.
"You don't know or you are?"
I shrugged my shoulders. To be completely honest, I am still mad, but then again, I felt like I wasn't and that felt confusing.
"I don't know, Tae," I answered. "I'm still upset with all of them, but another part of me is telling me that I won't stay that way for long and I should just try to forget all that happened yesterday."
"Ya, I understand. They never listened to you and you had to carry on with their game. And in the end, you take the blame because you knew how angry our managers were going to get."
I looked on at Taeyang as I sniffed. He was right. Yesterday was tough, and coming up with a plan to help the others get out of trouble was even tougher when you know you weren't only dealing with Collins, but also with Yang Hyun-suk who was as tough as nails.
Last night, I took the blame and told our two managers that I was the one who decided that we should all go out and the others had nothing to do with it. I told them that the others had insisted on working on the song, but I was the one who objected and made everyone do whatever they wanted.
Apparently, the managers weren't that mad at me at all. If I hadn't lied on their part, they would've been way mad at the others instead. They were glad I had bought these guys back on time without creating much of a scene on social media. Luckily, only a few people had taken pictures of us. Most people on social media were even surprised that BigBang and The Toxins were at Caribbean Bay. Well, at least my plan worked out. What I was truly avoiding, was grabbing too much attention from our fans, the paparazzi and the reporters.
After my confrontation with our managers, I went straight to bed without talking to anyone and I didn't have supper. One, I was totally beat from all that had happened, and two, I just didn't feel like talking to anyone.
"Huh, I guess am still upset," I said, as I took in another spoon of soup in my mouth. "Especially after what GD did to me."
"Ya, what happened was kind of dramatic," said Taeyang.
"You saw that?" I looked surprised. "I thought you came later on when I fell into the pool."
"No, Daesung and I arrived when you got to the top."
"Oh," I sniffed and coughed. "Ya, it was kind of dramatic."
"Have you tried talking to GD?"
"To be honest, I haven't even tried. I don't even want to see nor talk to him. I would probably slap him in the face if I see him."
"I don't doubt that."
"And thank goodness my new phone isn't coming in until late in the afternoon. I wouldn't like anyone calling me trying to tell me how sorry they are. Right now, all I want to do is watch some TV."
I quickly drank my chicken soup from the bowl. And my goodness, the cooks here really knew how to make lovely soup. I would probably order for it again if I had to.
"So, how are you and Hyo-rin?" I asked, after putting the bowl aside.
"Still not talking to each other," Taeyang amswered as he leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling.
"Looks like I'm not the only one not talking to people, aren't I?"
"Nope."
I stared at Taeyang as he continued to look at the ceiling as I thought of what to say or ask next.
"What really happened to you two yesterday?" I asked.
Taeyang didn't say anything at first. Then he breathed out heavily and said, "what happened to us happens to every other couple, Sam."
"I know you fought or probably had an argument. I just want to know what it was all about. That's if you're willing to tell me. I won't push you if you don't."
I noticed Taeyang smile while he continued to look upwards. It was probably over what I had said. I was not one who liked to push people over talking about their problems. I wasn't like Zoey who always got away with such things.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" I asked Taeyang who continued to smile.
"I'm just wondering why some things you wish for never come to pass."
I raised an eyebrow this time around. Was he diverting the question or was he talking in riddles now?
"I thought I was the only one who is sick today," I said rolling eyes.
"Don't mind what I just said," said Taeyang, as he looked at me. "It's nothing."
"Mmm, figured. If you don't want to say anything, it's fine by.."
Before I could finish my sentence, I sneezed. Like, really loud. There was silence at first until Taeyang started laughing at me while I blew my nose with a tissue.
"It's not funny, Tae," I said furrowing my eyebrows and threw the used up tissue in the plastic.
"You sound funny when you sneeze. That's why I laughed," said Taeyang, giving me his eye smile.
"Well, it's good I made you laugh then. Just like me, you haven't been smiling at all since yesterday."
"Looks like the two of us really have a lot in common when things don't go our way."
"Yep, cheers to that."
"So, have you thought of any lyrics for the song yet?" Taeyang asked.
I slapped my face. I had completely forgot about the song since I was running up and down the whole of yesterday.
"I completely forgot," I said, as I sniffed. "Weren't you guys supposed to work on it today?"
"We can't work on it without you," said Taeyang. "You and G-Dragon decided that the both of you would work on it together."
"Don't mention his name because I feel like breaking something."
"Wow, that sounds personal."
"Ya," I nodded my head. "It really is."
"Then how are the two of you going to work on the lyrics if you're still angry at him?"
"I think I've a better idea. Let's all just work on the song together. I may be the songwriter in my group, but I always give a chance for others to bring in their lyrics. It's better that way."
"That's not a bad idea. Aren't you going to tell GD about it?"
"Uh, no. Until I'm no longer mad at him, you will have to act as my middle man."
"Me? Your middle man?" Taeyang burst into a fit of laughter. "That's going to be classic."
"You should be honoured. Most people would die just to be my middle man."
"I wouldn't. FYI, I'm a pop star just like you and people would die just the same."
"Haha, good point."
Taeyang and I continued to talk for a good thirty minutes and it was so much fun. I was glad he came to see me because life tends to be boring sometimes when you're alone. Apart from talking about the events that took place yesterday, we talked about other fun things concerning our personal lives. Mostly focusing on the funny things that goes on whenever we were with your group members. I mostly talked about Zoey, since she always creates drama in my life, while Taeyang talked about Seungri, who always got into trouble since he was the "maknae" (막내) (youngest) in the group.
While the two of us were laughing after Taeyang finished telling me a funny story about Seungri, I received a phone call from the hotel land line.
I quickly went over to the phone, trying to calm myself after laughing so much. Luckily, it was just the receptionist downstairs, informing me that Seungri and Daesung had come to visit. I told the receptionist to tell them that they could come up and I put the receiver down.
"Speaking of the devil," I said as I passed Taeyang, going back to my seat, "he is here with Daesung."
"Seungri is here? Well, that's a surprise."
"I'm not," I said shrugging my shoulders. "He's obviously here to check up on me, since he calls me his panda."
"Trust me, you're one of his many pandas," said Taeyang, as he smiled.
"Shut up, Tae!" I threw a pillow at him and he blocked it as he raised his arm.
"Eww, that pillow probably has your germs on it," said Taeyang, as he disgustingly looked at the pillow I had thrown at him on the floor.
"You're welcome," I said with a devious smile on my face.
A few seconds later, we heard the sound of the elevator then Seungri and Daesung appeared into the lounge. Seungri was holding a huge stuffed panda and Daesung was holding a box of chocolates.
"Awww, is that for me?" I asked as I turned on the couch to face them.
"Ah, no, the panda is a very good friend of mine and just came along to see the famous B.K who is sick," said Seungri. Daesung and Taeyang burst out laughing at the same time.
"Very funny, Seungri," I said, as I frowned at him. "Give him to me, I want to hug him."
"And give him your cold? No ways," said Seungri, hugging and holding onto the panda.
"Do you really want me to come over there and fight for it?"
"I would give the lady the panda if I were you, Seungri," said Taeyang. "You wouldn't want to see her nasty side."
"Hey, I don't have a nasty side," I said, as I looked at Taeyang.
"Everybody has one," said Taeyang, shrugging his shoulders.
"Never mind that," said Daesung, "just give her the panda, Seungri."
"Really? But he'll be scared without me," said Seungri, still holding onto the panda.
"For goodness sake, I know the panda is mine," I said. "And besides, we ladies are good with handling cute and cuddly stuff. Mr Panda won't ever feel lonely or scared with me."
"Ya, I know he won't," said Seungri with a smile as he walked over to me and gave me the panda.
I took the panda in my arms and I hugged and cuddled it as though I was a little girl who just got her doll for the first time. It was so soft and fuzzy that for a moment, it felt like a warm pillow I could sleep on. The new smell of the panda triggered my nose though, and I sneezed so loud, yet again.
"My goodness, Mr Panda would need a doctor," said Seungri. "You're gonna get him sick."
"He's officially mine now," I said as I sniffed. "We're going to be the best of besties."
"Whatever, just take good care of him for me, okay?"
"I will," I said with a smile as I cuddled the panda in my arms.
"I got you some chocolates," said Daesung, as he handed over the box of chocolates to me. "Every girl's favourite treat."
"Aww, thanks Daesung," I said as I smiled at him and I felt myself blush when I remembered what happened between him and I yesterday at the park. "That's so sweet of you. See, Seungri, you should be a little bit more like him."
"What did I do?" Seungri asked looking surprised. "I bought you a panda."
"Never mind, come take a seat, please," I said. "It's good you two came to see me."
"Are you feeling any better?" Daesung asked as he and Seungri sat on the other couch opposite Taeyang.
"Well, I'm not really feeling that sick," I said, as I sniffed. "I'll be fine tomorrow, you'll see."
"I doubt that," Taeyang blurted out.
"Ah, put a sock in it, Tae!" I said angrily. "You really know how to make me feel bad."
"Ya, I do."
While the four of us were chatting and Seungri kept on pulling funny faces at me every now and then, just to make me laugh, The Toxins arrived. At first I didn't notice since I was laughing so much, until Daesung looked behind me and said:
"Hey, Zoey."
I stopped laughing automatically and I turned to looked behind me. Zoey was standing in the passage with her training bag.
"Hey," Zoey replied. "I was wondering why there was laughter when we came in."
"We came to see how Sam was doing," said Taeyang.
"It's good you came to keep her company while we were gone." Zoey turned to look at me, but I quickly turned away, putting myself back in my usual position on the couch.
"Hey, what's with all the laughter?" came Mike's voice. "Oh, you guys are here, that's great!"
"Who's here?" Christine asked, also joining the others. "Hey, guys!"
"Hey, how was practise?" Daesung asked.
"Tiring as usual," I heard Daniel reply.
"We will just put our stuff away and join you in a second," said Zoey.
"Ya, please do, it will be so much fun," said Seungri.
I tugged at my panda's ear absentmindley as I felt Taeyang's eyes on me. I looked at him and it was obvious he could read my mind. I was still not in a mood to talking to the other Toxins, and I so much as wanted as to leave the room.
The Toxins came back to the lounge area. Zoey sat next to me and I moved away from her as I held my panda like it was the only thing that ever mattered to me. Christine went to join Seungri and Daesung, while Mike and Daniel joined Taeyang.
For a moment, no one said a word to each other. There was silence. As for me, I kept on tugging at the panda's ear still not looking at Zoey.
"Oh, Sam, you've a panda," said Daniel, breaking the silence.
"Ah huh," I replied dully.
"I got it for her," said Seungri, with a smile.
"Aww, it's so cute," said Christine. "You should get me one just like that someday."
I stared up at the ceiling and then at the panda. I got the box of chocolates that were next to me, opened it and put a piece of chocolate in my mouth.
"And she also has chocolates too," said Zoey. "I also want some."
When Zoey tried to reach out for chocolates, I lifted the box and took it to my other side to prevent her from getting any. I looked at her as I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Sorry, I should have asked," said Zoey.
"Ya, you should have!" I snapped at her.
Zoey looked hurt with the way I responded to her, but at the moment, it didn't even matter. I turned to face the other way sucking at the chocolate in my mouth.
"Are you still mad at us?" Zoey asked.
I didn't answer as I put another piece of chocolate in mouth. My silence was an obvious answer. I was still mad, especially at Zoey.
"I know it's a little late to say this," started Zoey. "But we're really sorry for what happened yesterday. Yes, we didn't listen to you as always and we're sorry for that too. You even took the blame for us. And I know it doesn't look like we appreciate what you do for us, but we really do. You've saved our necks a number of times before from Collins, but this time you had to deal with Yang Hyun-suk too."
I stared at the ceiling as I sucked at the chocolate in my mouth as though I wasn't listening.
"I don't like it when you're not talking to me," Zoey continued. "And last night when you didn't say a word, I knew you were going to give us the silent treatment. You know you're my best friend and my only source of happiness everyday. You know I'm not myself without you. I'm really sorry, Sam."
"We're all sorry, Sam," said Daniel. "I know you're hurt real bad because of our silly actions yesterday."
"I'm sorry too," said Mike. "I should have acted like the responsible one, but we all know that's not the case. You really saved us yesterday and all we want is for you to talk to us again."
"I'm also sorry, Sam," said Christine. "We might say 'we won't do it again,' but we keep on doing the same thing. We can't do anything without you. You're our leader."
I still didn't say a word to them as I continued to stare upwards. I knew it would come to this, them saying that they were sorry. My hatred for them wasn't going to last forever and I knew that very well. They were family and I loved them despite the awful things they put me through.
"Aren't you going to say something, Sam?" Taeyang asked.
"And what should I say?" I asked. "They know completely well that I can't stay mad at them forever, so...."
"Wait, you're not mad any more?" Zoey asked, with a little hint of excitement in her voice.
I sighed deeply and I turned to face Zoey. And I each gave the other Toxins a look as well.
"I'm mad and pretty much angry with all of you," I said. "But it's obvious I can never stay mad at you forever. So, yes, I forgive you."
"Seriously, you mean it?" Daniel asked.
I sniffed and said, "ya, I mean it."
"Aww, I love you, Sam!" Zoey exclaimed as she tried to come close to hug me.
"Whoa! Back up!" I said with my hands raised to stop her from getting any closer to me. "I've a cold. Just because I forgive you, doesn't mean you can hug me."
"Ah, you! Always acting like you don't want a hug. Come here!" Zoey wrapped her arms around me and hugged me. "Your cold isn't that contagious and I don't care if I catch it anyway."
Christine, Daniel and Mike also came over and we were all hugging each other on the couch. Even the panda got caught up in the hug. It was kind of nice and I smiled. I completely wasn't mad at them any more, that's for certain.
"Aww, let me take a pic of this beautiful moment," said Deasung as he pulled out his phone and took a photo.
"I'm glad you guys finally resolved things ," said Taeyang.
"Ya, I'm glad we did," I said, as I felt my nose twitch. "Can you guys please stop hugging me, I'm about to...."
I sneezed and the other Toxins quickly withdrew their arms around me and looked on as though I was contagious.
"Excuse me," I said as I got a tissue and blew my nose. "I just can't help myself."
"Don't worry, you won't help yourself laughing once you see this pic," said Daesung, as he looked at his phone with a smile on his face.
"Please don't tell me you captured me sneezing," I rolled my eyes when I obviously knew the answer.
"Ya, he did," said Seungri, with a smirk on his face.
"Never mind. It's almost lunch time and I'm starving," I said. "What can we order for lunch?"
"I'm glad you asked," said Zoey. "You just sit back and relax, my hungry kitty. We already have lunch covered."
"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at Zoey with an eyebrow raised.
"We thought of having a special lunch just for you since you were so mad at us," said Daniel.
"Well, that's interesting," said Taeyang. "Weren't you going to invite us as well?"
"Well, ya, but surprisingly you brought yourselves here," said Zoey. "We were about to call you as soon as we arrived."
"We already called the others so, no need," said Mike.
At that moment, I had put in another piece of chocolate in my mouth and I almost choked on it. Mike who was the closet to me patted my back.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine, I guess," I said, as I held my throat.
"This is what happens when you don't share chocolates," said Zoey. "Here, I'll help you."
Zoey got the box of chocolates and Christine went to sit next to Zoey to eat them while I continued rubbing my throat, deep in thought.
"Can you excuse me for a second?" I asked as I got up from the couch with my panda and left the room.
I was in the passage as I leaned on the wall, close to the door of the room Zoey and I were sleeping in. I held the panda in my arms and hugged it tightly. I sighed in what felt like sadness.
"You aren't okay, again, aren't you?" came Taeyang's voice behind me.
I sniffed and without facing him said, "you already know. I don't have to say anything."
I heard his footsteps and I knew he was coming closer. He also leaned his back against the wall as he stood right next to me and I heard him sigh.
"Are you really going to stay mad at GD for long?" he asked.
"And are you going to do the same with Hyo-rin?" I also asked.
"Are we really do this right now?"
"Do you want us to continue making each other feel bad about yourselves?"
Taeyang chuckled silently and I smiled, still not looking at him.
"This isn't working, is it?" Taeyang asked.
"Nope."
I heard Taeyang take in another deep breath and said, "I really admire you, Sam."
My eyes almost felt like they would pop out of their sockets. He admired me? Like how? Admiring meant a lot of things. And right now I felt really confused.
I turned to look at him and I found him staring at me. He gave me a simple smile and I didn't know where to begin to ask what he truly meant.
"I....uh, what do you, uh.... mean when you said you admired me?" I asked as I stammered.
"That you're surrounded by such amazing people in your life that you're even able to forgive them despite you getting hurt by them," he answered. "I admire that you've such a good heart. You don't seem to hold grudges for long."
"A good heart? Really? I don't think so. If it's anyone with a good heart it's you, Tae, not me."
"Then if you can see that in me, I can also see that in you."
I sighed and I gave Taeyang a stern eye. "So what's your point?"
"That you also shouldn't stay mad at GD."
"Tae, you don't know how I felt yesterday when he betrayed me and left me dangling on the cliff for my life."
Taeyang raised an eyebrow at me. "You felt betrayed?"
"Well, ya." I shrugged my shoulders. "What GD did to me wasn't.....It was so not....."
Apparently, I couldn't seem to find the right words. I didn't even realise how I felt when I talked about this to Taeyang. On one hand I was confused and on the other, I was still mad I could break something. I was even squeezing my panda tightly. If it were a live animal, I would have choked it to death.
Taeyang still looked at me with his eyebrow raised and I didn't like that he wasn't saying anything.
"Aren't you going to say anything, Tae?" I asked, sounding frustrated. "Don't look at me like that."
Taeyang folded his arms and said, "if you really want me to say something, I'll say what I think and what I'm seeing right now. You aren't mad at GD. You're just hurt."
"Hurt? I don't get it." I felt even more confused.
"You're may think you're upset and angry, when actually you're hurt. You just said you felt betrayed with what GD did to you. Feeling betrayed isn't getting angry, but feeling hurt."
I slowly took in what Taeyang said and I couldn't help but feel he was right on this one.
"But I wouldn't feel hurt or betrayed if I...." I was soon hit with the most shocking revelation of my life and I stopped myself in mid sentence as I looked at Taeyang.
Taeyang gave me that look that he already knew what I was about to say. And he probably had figured it out a whole lot sooner than I did. I shook my head at him, while in return, he nodded.
"No, freaking way," I said, trying not to raise my voice.
"Ya," said Taeyang. "Believe it or not, it seems like you like him."
I didn't say a word as I went back to leaning my back against the wall. I buried my chin into my panda's soft head not really believing what just happened. The thought of liking GD clouded my mind. Not only that. What happened between Daesung and I at the park really made things complicated.
"I guess you're right," I muttered to Taeyang. "But I can't tell for sure if I really like him or not."
"Maybe all you need is a little time to figure it out," said Taeyang. "Right now, you're just confused."
"I'm 'really' confused. You've no idea."
"Did something else happen that you aren't telling me?"
If there was ever a way I would personally give Taeyang an award for, was for mind reading. It's like he knew what was going on inside my head. I wondered if I should tell him about Daesung too, but I was saved my the bell.
"Hey, you two, let's go, lunch is ready downstairs," said Zoey appearing in the passage.
"Okay, let me put my panda away," I said as I quickly disappeared into the room and I left it on my bed.
When I came out, I still found Taeyang where I had left him and the two of us went to join the others entering the elevator.
"You two are really close today. Are you up to something?" Zoey asked Taeyang and I as we got into the elevator.
"No, why do you ask?" I asked.
"Well, I'm just asking," said Zoey, as she playfully scratched the back of her head. "Who knows, Taeyang might steal you away from me and become your new best friend."
"Sounds like you're jealous," said Seungri, with a mocking smile on his face.
"No, I'm not!" Zoey snapped.
"Hilarious," muttered Taeyang, as he smiled.
"If I knew that's what you were thinking about, I wouldn't have asked," I said, as I rolled my eyes.
I pressed the button leading us to the ground floor and the doors to the elevator closed before us. In a matter of seconds, we found ourselves on the ground floor and we all walked out of the elevator.
We went to the main hotel dinning room and a waiter lead us to the table reserved for us for lunch. It was a huge round table in the VIP section. There were ten seats around the table, obviously for all BigBang and Toxins members.
"Why didn't you invite, our managers and Lee?" I asked Zoey as we approached the table.
"Are you serious? Those guys are busy and you wanted me to invite them?" Zoey asked.
"To be honest, we just wanted to avoid them asking us questions about yesterday," said Daniel. "We wanted it to be strictly Toxins and BigBang."
"Was that so hard to say?" I asked Zoey upon Daniel's answer.
"Maybe. Let's forget about it and sit, shall we?" Zoey suggested and she walked ahead of us, reaching the table first.
We all got to the table and before I could pull out my chair, Taeyang pulled the chair out for me and I glady sat.
"Thanks, Tae," I said as I smiled up at him.
"You're welcome," said Taeyang as he sat next to me and Daesung sat on my other side.
"Okay, weird, you two are getting real close," said Zoey as she sat across the table looking directly at Taeyang and me.
"Nah, I don't think so," said Christine. "Taeyang is just so sweet. I wish I was the sick one so he would be treating me like that."
"Mmm, I don't think so," said Zoey, shaking her head. "Did something happen between the two of you yesterday that I'm not aware of?"
"My goodness," I rolled my eyes and sniffed. "Stop making a drama out of everything, Zoey."
"I'm not," said Zoey, shrugging her shoulders.
"Then, stop trying to make one."
"Before you two decide to tear each other apart," said Seungri. "Can we please have our food now? I'm starving."
"Ya, me too," said Mike.
"Wait, we've to wait for TOP and GD to get here first," said Zoey.
"Seriously?" Daniel asked. "Do we really have to wait?"
"We can't really be so sure how long they're going to take to get here," said Daesung.
"They will be here any moment now," said Zoey as she stared at her fancy white wrist watch. "Trust me."
"Really? Can we just get on with it?" Mike asked.
"We haven't even passed a minute, and you're complaining already?" Daesung asked almost in a fit of laughter.
"Ah, here they come," said Zoey as she looked behind me. "Told you they will be here."
I didn't even dare try to look behind me as I twirled a strand of my hair with my fingers as I coughed. Zoey got up from her seat and ran over to G-Dragon and TOP.
"I'm so glad you're here," said Zoey.
"I'm glad you invited us," came TOP's voice. "How is our patient doing?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Zoey suggested.
I heard footsteps coming towards the table and I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable as I moved in my seat. Taeyang must have noticed because he turned to look at me.
"Are you okay?" he whispered.
"I'm trying to," I whispered back.
I soon felt strong hands grip my shoulders and I was startled. For a moment, I thought it was GD until I took a whiff of TOP's musky cologne.
"Hi, Sam," said TOP, as he bent over to give me a peck on the cheek. "How are you doing?"
"I'm a whole lot better, thanks," I replied, as I felt myself blush and the spot where TOP pecked me burn up. "It's nothing serious." I sniffed.
"Glad to hear that."
When TOP let go of my shoulders and walked away to take his seat next to Mike, I heard G-Dragon's voice behind me.
"I'm glad you're okay, Sam. I thought of the worst when you got sick."
I was planning not to turn and look at G-Dragon, but I did anyway. When I looked at him, he was staring at me with those captivating eyes of his. I could tell that he was sorry for what he did to me yesterday. I was wondering whether to jump at him and tear him apart, or just let the problem go like water under the bridge.
I smiled, at least that was an effort, and said, "I'm fine, GD, my cold isn't serious neither is it contagious."
"Wait, you're not mad at me anymore?" he asked.
I tried not to frown. "Let's not talk about that. I'm starved."
"Okay, then," said Zoey, as she wrapped her arm around G-Dragon's elbow. "Let's sit and have lunch."
Zoey and G-Dragon sat down next to each other as they were conversating about something.
"You know what? At least I tried not to sound mad at him," I said to Taeyang.
"Will you try to keep that up for long?" Taeyang asked.
"If I can manage to have lunch without any mishaps, then I know things will be okay."
The waiters soon came and laid our lunch on the table. We first had lovely soup for a starter. And since Zoey mentioned earlier that it was a special lunch specifically for me, we were all served my favourite dish as the main meal, Italian chicken terazzini.
For a moment, I felt more at home than ever before. A feeling I hadn't felt in a long time. Zoey really knew how to make me feel more pleased with her in order for me to forget that I was ever mad.
"Mmm, this is so delicious," said Mike, a few minutes in during the meal. "Now I see why you like this dish, Sam. It's so awesome."
"I agree," said Seungri. "And the chefs here really know how to make a good meal."
"We wouldn't have had this if it wasn't for Zoey," I said, as I looked at her. "Thanks, by the way."
"Anything for you, Sam," said Zoey with a huge grin on her face. "But to be honest, this whole lunch thing, wasn't really my idea."
"Oh? Then whose was it then?" Daesung asked.
"Da, GD. Who else?" Zoey replied as she playfully nudged G-Dragon on his arm with her elbow.
I had just taken in some food into my mouth and I almost choked on it, but I tried not to make it look obvious. I slowly put my spoon and fork on the plate as I slowly tried to chew my food, but at the same time, processing what Zoey had just said.
"This was all G-Dragon's idea?" I asked.
"Well, ya," Christine replied. "You were so mad that you weren't talking to us, when we met G-Dragon at YG this morning, he suggested the idea of throwing you a special lunch to lighten your mood."
At that moment, I didn't know if all this lightened my mood or just darkened it even more.
"Thanks for the lunch, GD," I said with a smile, which felt rather painful on my face. "It's so sweet of you to have come up with this."
"You're welcome," said G-Dragon as he winked at me.
I almost felt like jumping at him from my seat to poke his eyes out with a fork, but I was surprised with myself when I didn't move a muscle and continued to stare at him with a fake smile on my face. Where was all this anger coming from? And why was it that with every minute that passed, my anger kept turning into rage?
Oh, goodness. I needed help, that's for sure. I wasn't supposed to be mad at G-Dragon up to this point. But why did I still feel angry and hurt?
I tried to push aside the questions and my boiling anger as I stared at my food and continued to eat. When we were all done with our main meal, we were served dessert. Again, surprise, surprise, it was my favourite dessert, frozen chocolate moussé.
"Yum, yum, yum," I said, with a bright smile on my face as the waiter laid down a dessert bowl filled with chocolate moussé in front of me.
"This is the most excited I've seen you today, Sam," said Taeyang.
"It's because chocolate moussé is her favourite dessert," said Daniel. "Give her that and she would be your best friend."
"I'll keep that in mind," said TOP.
I didn't wait for everyone else to get their own share of dessert. As soon as I got mine, I got a dessert spoon and started to eat the cold dessert. Mmmm, I closed my eyes as I took it in my mouth and for once, I felt like I was in heaven.
"This is so good," I said, with my eyes closed as I savoured the chocolate in my mouth.
"Be careful though," said G-Dragon. "You're not supposed to be eating cold stuff when you've a cold and a cough."
"I don't care," I said as I opened my eyes and smiled at G-Dragon. "I would end up with a bad sore throat and I still wouldn't mind."
G-Dragon smiled back at me and I realised that I wasn't mad at him anymore. It looked like I really couldn't stay mad at him. And I was glad that all the hate faded away.
After dessert, we all just sat there and started to chat. For once, it felt really good to be on speaking terms with everyone again. We were soon talking about what happened yesterday. After going through all that and talking about it, it all seemed rather funny and we all laughed about it. Although, the part where G-Dragon had made me dive into the pool seemed to hurt a little, I knew I would grow out of it someday.
"Hey, may I ask?" Seungri asked. "How did Lee manage to keep our managers at YG for so long?"
"Not sure, I'll make sure to ask her later on," I said.
"Yesterday, was just hilarious," said Zoey, wiping away a fake tear after laughing. "We should try that again some time."
"But this time, not at the water park," I said.
"Then where?" Daesung asked. "The water park was so much fun."
"I suggest we try to figure that out later," I said. "We have stuff to do."
"What stuff?" TOP asked.
"The song. Don't tell me you all forgot?"
"Oh, the song!" Mike slapped his forehead. "I myself forgot about that."
"I thought both you and G-Dragon were going to work on it," said Christine.
"Ya, but I have a better idea," I said.
I felt Taeyang look at me and I turned to look at him.
"Are you really going through with that?" Taeyang asked, as he whispered.
"I don't think that's a big deal, is it?" I whispered back. "I think it's a good idea."
"Wait, what's going on?" G-Dragon asked, as he noticed Taeyang and I whispering to each other. "And what idea have you come up with for the song?"
"I thought we should all work on the lyrics together. I feel it will be a lot better if we all bring out our ideas and put them as lyrics."
"But why do we have to put our heads together if there is you and G-Dragon who are better at song writing?" TOP asked.
"I don't know, I feel we have to put our all in the song by coming up with lyrics from everyone. It might sound a little strange, but we all have to help each other out on this. If there is anyone objecting to it, you're free to do so."
"I don't get it though," said G-Dragon, as he leaned back on his chair and stared at me. "What made you come up with this idea when we already agreed on who will write the lyrics?"
"I don't know, it kind of felt right, I think," I said.
"You think?" G-Dragon now raised his eyebrow at me. "Is there something you aren't telling us?"
This time, I also raised an eyebrow. I had told Taeyang about my idea earlier not because I was trying to avoid G-Dragon but for everyone else's benefit.
"What makes you think I have other intentions?" I asked.
"Maybe you might still be mad at G-Dragon," Zoey blurted out.
I sighed. Great! These were the times you wished Zoey never had such a big mouth.
"Is that true? Are you still mad at me?" G-Dragon asked.
"No, not any more," I answered. "At first I was, but now I'm over with what happened yesterday."
"Or are you still mad that you don't want to work on the lyrics with me?"
By the way G-Dragon spoke, I could tell he was hurting. But it was pretty hard to try to convince him that yes, I was mad at first and I wanted to avoid him. And no, since I'm no longer mad at him any more and that the idea of all of us working on the lyrics for the song seemed like a good idea.
"I just told you, I'm not mad anymore."
"Why is it that I don't believe you?"
"Maybe, it's because you're objecting to my idea and you just want to make up what would be a valid reason for it."
"Mmm, looking at it through Sam's point of view, I see nothing wrong if all of us work on the song," said Daniel.
"Then why come up with this in the first place?" Zoey asked.
"I already told you, I just think it's a good idea," I repeated.
"Well, I'm not up for it," said G-Dragon folding his arms. "I object."
"Well, you should have said that instead of blaming me for coming up with this as an excuse."
"I think you are, and you're not telling us."
"Are we going to go through this again? You just objected."
"I could go through this over and over again if I had to until you tell us the truth."
"What truth?" I asked.
"Okay, guys this is getting a little out of hand," said Taeyang. "Don't forget, we aren't the only ones here."
Taeyang was right. I was so caught up in the argument with G-Dragon, I forgot that we were in the hotel dining room. I looked around us and a few heads from other tables turned to ours. It seemed like our argument caught some people's attention.
"Tae's right," I said. "We shouldn't be arguing, much less here."
"Then let's conclude on this once and for all then," said Deasung. "Those who favour Sam's idea, raise your hand."
Taeyang, Daesung, Daniel and Mike, raised their hands. That meant Zoey, TOP, Seungri and Christine were on G-Dragon's side. What a bummer!
"Whoops, looks like it's a tie," said Zoey playfully with a smirk.
"It's not funny, Zoey," I said shaking my head.
"Well, this just got serious," said Seungri, scratching his head.
"It's a tie, so I suggest we..." I was then interrupted by G-Dragon.
"No, this time you aren't going to say or suggest anything," said G-Dragon.
"But I....."
"Sam, sshh," said Zoey, pressing her index finger to her lips, telling me to keep quiet. "You've talked way too much, don't you think?"
That felt like a slap in the face and I felt my face burn up in embarrassment. It looked like the tables had turned on me today. At first I was mad at G-Dragon and the other Toxins, but now, I was the one pissing everyone off. What happened to me being the leader? I know G-Dragon was older, but what about what I thought was best for the whole group?
"I suggest we think about it and when we meet tomorrow, we vote over it again," said G-Dragon.
"That's fine with me," said Mike.
Everyone else agreed, except me since I was told not to say a word. I personally also thought it was a good idea to try and think things through. But what if it didn't work out tomorrow? What would we do then? I had a terrible feeling that things weren't going to go as planned and we needed a Plan B, just in case.
"Okay, then, we will meet tomorrow," said G-Dragon as he stood up to leave.
"But I've something to say," I blurted out.
"Not now, Sam. We will meet tomorrow," said G-Dragon as he looked at me and walked away from the table heading for the door. I had to admit, the way he looked at me gave me goosebumps.
"Way to go, Sam," said Zoey, as she also stood up from the table. "You just made him upset. I need to go calm him down."
Zoey went after G-Dragon and I sat back on my chair, feeling defeated and powerless.
One by one everyone started to leave the table without even saying a word. It was awkward with the argument that had taken place, and saying something didn't seem appropriate.
I was soon left with Taeyang at the table and I looked at him, wondering why he hadn't left.
"Aren't you supposed to have left by now?" I asked.
"And leave you all alone? No way," said Taeyang.
"Why do I feel like I've just become the villain?" I asked, my thoughts elsewhere.
"You aren't a villain. You just feel bad that not everyone agreed to your idea."
"It's not that. I pissed almost everyone off and that makes me feel bad. How I wish I could take everything I said back. Too bad I can't control time."
"You never knew that was going to happen. Let's just hope for the best that it would all seem like one bad dream."
"Thanks, Tae" I said, trying to put up a smile. "It means a lot that you're still here."
Taeyang placed his hand on my shoulder, an assurance that he was there for me no matter what. He smiled back at me and I felt comforted.
I knew I had to hope for the best just like Taeyang had suggested. But I couldn't ignore the gut feeling that things weren't going to run smooth and easy from now on wards. Especially now that G-Dragon was angry at me. He seemed more angrier at me than I was at him. I feared for the worst and I knew this was just the beginning of a heavy storm ahead.