Ch 7: Tsk, temper temper (1/1)

Chapter Seven  Tsk, temper temper Fei wrung her hands as she sat at the backseat of what she assumed is TOP’s rental car.  TOP was casually chatting away as if he hadn’t dropped a bomb on her and her manager while they were still at the concert venue.  She and her manager were both very quiet, but TOP didn't seem to  mind or care as he went on.  They were getting very close to the hotel now, and Fei wasn’t looking forward to the conversation that she knew she’d have with her manager when they’re alone. She knew that he was going to think that their coming to Japan had something to do with TOP, and she was preparing herself to explain that it didn’t. After her manager parked the car at the underground parking lot, TOP turned and gave her a smile; she took that opportunity to channel all her frustration into her eyes and directed a glare back at him.  Unfortunately, all the glare did was make him chuckle. “Tsk, temper temper,” he admonished before he got out of the car.  Fei opened the back door, and climbed out the same time her manager opened the drivers door and stepped out. “TOP, I need to have a few words with Fei,” her manager said and she looked at him. “Of course,” TOP said as he walked around and took Fei’s hands in his; she quickly pulled her hands out of his clasp.  “No need to be shy, he knows about us now,” TOP said with an indulgent smile as if that really was the reason why she pulled her hands from his. “What the heck are yommfmf--”  Fei didn’t quite get to finish her expression of frustration, because TOP kissed her.  She heard her manager’s gasped, and she pushed TOP away as hard as she could; he gave her a little smirk before he turned, bowed to her manager, before he walked away whistling.   As soon as TOP was out of earshot, her manager spoke up, “I thought you were going out with Kim Hyun Joong."  He finished with a weary sigh.“We broke up earlier today," she informed him as she bit down on her bottom lip, worried about how paled he looked. “You just broke up with him, and now you’re going out with his friend?”  Her manager asked incredulously.“You knew they are friends?”  She asked instead of answering his question, because she was not quite sure what was going on herself.  How had things gotten to this?  How would she make her manager understand without saying that TOP was gay?  Because there was no way she was going to betray such a huge secret to anyone else.   “Yes.  When you accepted to be his girlfriend, I had to look him up to make sure that the risks to your image, if the relationship were to be revealed, would be manageable,” he said as he massaged his temple. “Oppa, you don’t have to worry about TOP,” Fei tried to explain, feeling guilty because of the fatigue she saw on his face.  “It’s not what it seems like.”  Her manager shot her a look that told her he wasn’t buying it.  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him about TOP being gay, but she stopped herself.  She might trust him, but this was a sensitive topic, and it wasn’t her secret to share; so she gave him an apologetic smile and repeated what she just said, “It’s not what it seems like Oppa.”“Fei, TOP’s image is very clean when it comes to being entangled up with other idols behind the scene.  He’s not one of those idols who flittered from idol girl to idol girl.  He's careful with the overt interest he shows.  He’s a manager’s dream.  Men like that don’t just declare they are going out with girls as a joke.  If he says you two are going out, you two are going out.”“I know that you might not believe this, but he’s playing a joke,” Fei attempted to explain again, and he snorted in disbelief.“You’re right I don’t believe it.  Fei, he grew up in Korea, not somewhere in the west.  He just kissed you in front of me.  That’s not a joke.  That has a very strong message in Korea.  'Possession.'  ‘This is mine.’ ‘Declaration.’”  The more her manager spoke, the shallower Fei’s breathing became.  She knew he was right.  Her own behind-the-scene dating reputation was not going to help her in this situation.  She could understand why her own manager would believe TOP more, especially with the way he was acting.“That’s the power of keeping a clean dating image behind-the-scene Fei; he doesn’t mess around the way some of his group memebers do.”  He sighed before he added, “I can’t take this.  This is what I get for turning a blind eye about this trip to Japan.”“Oppa, I had nothing to do with the trip here to Japan.  I promise it had nothing to do with me and TOP.  I didn’t make Suzy do it,” she quickly explained; fearing that he’d misunderstand. Her manager pinched the bridge of his nose.  “I know you had nothing to do with this trip.  This is G-dragon’s doing,” her manager admitted and she frowned.“What are you talking about?”“G-dragon gave Suzy the package deal to come here,” he said with a sigh.  "It wasn't even a 'packaged deal,' it was just free tickets, hotel rooms, and concert tickets."  They were here because of GD?  What did this mean? Fei’s mouth dropped when a thought occurred to her, “Oh my God.  He’s interested in Suzy,” Fei said out loud.  “You knew this, and you still let us come here?!” She asked incredulously.“This has nothing to do with Suzy, and everything to do with Min,” her manager said with a sigh.  “I have to be some special idiot not to notice GD’s excessive interest in Min’s schedule, and that whole collab thing,” he said with a snort. Then he narrowed his eyes toward Fei as he continued, “But we both know, that no matter how wild Min may seem to the public, she had always been careful with the guys she messes around with; so much so that she gives me the least problem in that area out of the four of you.  I knew I didn’t have to worry about her, and I thought ‘what the heck, a free vacation why not?  It’s not like she is going to get herself locked up in a room somewhere with a guy and then kiss him out in a public parking lot or anything,’” he finished by glaring at Fei as if she had done any of it on purpose. At the sight of Fei recoiling a bit, the manager sighed, “This is what I get for selfishly thinking of spending a day off in Japan.  I really do hope to God that I was making up seeing Suzy earlier with Daesung."Fei knew there was nothing she could say that'd pacify their manager, so she silently chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for him to go on.  “Let’s go talk somewhere private,” he added as he turned and walked away.  Fei slumped her shoulders and followed him.  He was still talking, and going on about his bad luck in life, when a familiar laughter filtered through the underground parking lot.  Fei stopped and looked around the parked cars. “Did I just hear Suzy's laugh?”  Her manager asked as he stopped and turned around.  It was at that same moment that Fei spotted Suzy in a car, smacking a guy’s arm with very blonde hair, and she knew by her manager’s words earlier that the guy was Daesung.“No, I didn’t hear anything," she quickly denied as she hooked her arm around her manager’s arm; he looked down at her arm as if she had gone crazy.  “Let’s go talk somewhere I can buy you a drink.  You’ve had a tough night.”  He looked like he'd protest against her idea, so she said some nonsense to get him to go willingly.  “If you come, I’ll tell you everything that happened tonight.”“Okay, a drink would be good,” he sighed, and Fei steered him in the opposite direction of where she saw Suzy and Daesung.  She was planning on liquoring up their manager quickly, so she can come back here, and drag Suzy up to her room; but she worried that those two would be stupid enough to enter through the main lobby together, so she purposely steered her manager so they would go the long way.“This isn’t the way Fei,” he pointed out.“I know Oppa, but I thought that a little walk would do us both some good."  He shrugged and allowed her to steer him  out of the parking lot. What was Suzy doing with Daesung in a car?  Is this the reason why she didn’t answer any of her text messages or calls?  And doesn’t Daesung have a girlfriend that TOP mentioned a few weeks ago at the game?  And what’s this deal with G-dragon? Goodness, no wonder their manager was babbling like he was losing his mind.  Just thinking about it was giving her a migrane.  She quickened her steps, eager to get their manager as far away from the parking garage as possible.  If he saw Suzy in Daesung’s car, he’d probably have a heart attack. "Things are truly messed up, when Jia is giving me the least problem out of the four of you.  Why does it have to be Big Bang?  An