Breaking Rules

RULE # 26: STEP DOWN

Bommie smiled – shyer than before at the compliments. "Thank you. Thank you."

"We're shopping snacks for everyone. We're rehearsing nearby. Do you wanna come with us? I'm sure the other boys will be happy to see you" YB invited.

"That sounds great!" Jin-ah replied "I'll be very happy to watch you guys."

***

Just when things start looking up

Ji Yong watched as Dara, CL, Minji, Daesung, and Seung-ri rehearse a song that BIG BANG originally performed – actually, he was just watching Dara carefully.

He knew she had been stunned by the hug last night. She had momentarily stiffened in his arms as he pulled her closer – which wasn't his intention at all when he got up the roof top.

He just wanted to talk to her - coz he missed hearing her voice the past three weeks. He also just wanted to feast his eyes on her face as he had not seen her that close for days (the pictures in cyworld and me2day weren't really enough for him).

But as he opened the door and saw her standing there, the wind blowing gently through her hair, looking out the city, repeating to herself with sincere conviction the words "I will" – an electric current ran through him that said "There's the ONE" louder than any cannon in the world.

His weariness faded on the spot and he couldn't help himself from smiling at her, teasing her, laughing at her. In his ears roared the words "This is the ONE Kwon Leader! This is the ONE!"

"Make your jump rope step a little higher noona" Seung-ri told Dara, which totally derailed Ji's train of thought, "like this."

CL raised an eyebrow at Seung-ri, reacting before Ji was able to "Stop showing off for Dara, will you? She already got that part."

"Why? Do you want me to teach you instead?" the 'show-off' fired back at her.

"Oh please" CL replied, raising her right hand to Seung-ri's face "YB-sunbae and Ji-oppa already said I'm way better than you at this."

"They just told you that" Seung-ri told her confidently, not budging at all.

"Stop that you guys" Ji warned the two – sparks could potentially fly between these two but both of them didn't know it at all - and he wasn't to tell them that either so for now, he'd stick to what he did best "We're supposed to be practicing, not engaging in a cat fight."

"What cat fight?" Seung-ri faced him "I'm just being me. You might want to ask CL of 2NE1 about that."

CL wagged her tongue at the BIG BANG maknae and was just about to reply when the training room's door opened to bring in YB to the room.

"I got our snacks!!!!" YB announced.

They – meaning EVERYONE who hasn't gone shopping – all shouted "YEY!!!"

"I also got us a guest" Young Bae followed through and a cute girl that Ji would know from anywhere stepped inside.

"Jin-ah" he muttered "Aren't you supposed to be in Jeju?"

"Ji Yong! Seung-ri! Daesung!" Jin-ah answered, side-stepping Ji's question and went around to hug each of them "How are you guys?"

The other girls looked on at the exchange of greetings as T.O.P. and Bom came in with the other bags.

"Who is she?" Dara whispered to Bomtori.

"She's an old friend of theirs" Bom explained "we saw her at the Grocery store and YB invited her over."

"Wow!" she exclaimed "YB invited her? I didn't think he had that in him."

"I was just as surprised too" Bom replied as she set another bag down on the counter top.

"Girls" T.O.P. called out, facing all of them after divesting the groceries on the snack counter, "We want you to meet Jin-ah. Jin-ah, this is 2NE1."

They all bowed to greet her.

"Hi! I'm CL."

"Hello. I'm Minji."

"Anyeong. I'm Dara."

"Ow Hi!" Jin-ah said excitedly and responded with a very enthusiastic bow "I'm so glad to finally meet you. YB's showed me clips of your performance and he talks a lot about you guys - most especially you Dara-unnie. He says you're really cute and funny."

Dara smiled – blushing at that information but doing it quite gracefully "Thank you Jin-ah. YB-sunbae is actually my mentor."

"Oooohhh. I was kind'a hoping you'd be an item" Jin-ah replied, making everyone laugh.

"We're just friends" Dara quickly replied.

"That answer is so showbiz" Jin-ah commented "When Ji and I dated, I always answered like that."

"You dated Ji-oppa?" CL asked in surprise. Actually, all the 2NE1 girls were surprised at that announcement.

Ji admitted he was very surprised too. He had not expected Jin-ah to spill things as casually as that. She didn't even know these girls for more than five minutes.

Controlling himself from gagging at the statement, he noted the change in Dara's facial expression after hearing what Jin-ah said.

"That was such a long time ago" Ji said out loud, emphasizing the "long" word and looking on helplessly at Dara.

"Yeah it was" Jin-ah replied casually "but to just set the record straight you guys, we never really became boyfriend and girlfriend coz I had a boyfriend that time I didn't tell him about – which was really bad of me – so don't you let other girls hurt him, ok? He's really special."

As Jin-ah continued speaking, the Kwon Leader was looking straight at Dara. Something was going on in her mind. He knew it just from the play of emotions on her face.

He also knew that whatever she was thinking bode ill. "Oh hell. What timing! Just when I'm beginning to..." he sighed in frustration "I'll kill YB for this."