A lot had changed for Taeyang in two and a half years. Gong-Gi was released on bail and had to complete community service. He only had to spend 30 days in jail. Taegong released a few more albums. None of them were as successful as Boy's Love or Taeyang's solo albums, but they did contain some of Taeyang's favourite songs from his career. The band came to a natural end. At that point, Flo Glitz had focused on developing new acts.
Tonight, he sat with Hoe Hana for her chat show. The show was produced by Elaine Jinx, so he expected it to be very anti-Gong-Gi. Hoe Hana gave him a warm reception. Entering the studio made him feel like he was at a grandmother's house with the bowls filled with snacks and the scent of tea not far away.

Hoe Hana, the famous talk show host, sat across from Taeyan. He irked whenever people referred to him as the the former member of the hit band Taegong, as if it was something to be forgotten. He was proud to be a part of the band and what it had done. The studio was packed with screaming fans, eager to hear from their beloved idol. It was hard for Taeyang to believe that idol would be him.

"First of all, thank you. Your music has really shaped the world," Hoe Hana gushed.  "During your two and half years as a band, you've released 10 albums in four different languages, sold millions of records, became movie stars, got your own series of video games and your own merchandise. You should be proud of yourself. You've only just turned 20."

Taeyang smiled, but his eyes betrayed exhaustion. "Thank you so much," he said.

"Now here is the question that everybody wants to know... why did Taegong break up?" Hoe Hana asked, leaning in.

"We wanted to end the band on a high note," Taeyang explained. "Our world tours were exhausting, but they were the best moments of my life. Seeing everybody with their phones and lights in the air made me think: 'Wow I'm not as worthless as I thought I was.'"

Hoe Hana nodded, but then asked the question that was on everybody's mind. "Did you love Gong-Gi?"

Taeyang's face lit up at the mention of Gong-Gi. "Of course I did. And I still do. 100%!"

"Do you see him being a part of your future?" Hoe Hana pressed?

Taeyang nodded. "Yes! He's the reason why I've become such a strong person."

Hoe Hana shifted gears and brought up the darker side of the music industry. "There's been reports about a lot of abuse happening behind the scenes of the music industry. Can you confirm or deny these claims?"

Taeyang's expression turned serious. "All idols deserve to be treated better, especially the female idols. I've smuggled pieces of chicken to a lot of the girls. Tried my best to get them to make up when they've been fighting. People didn't like it, but in the end, I saved a lot of girl groups from breaking up."

Hoe Hana nodded in agreement. "How would you change the music industry?"

"I hope there will be more diversity in future idol groups," Taeyang said thoughtfully. "I wish music industries valued uniqueness over profit. There's a lot of issues going on in the world, I think we should use our voices to raise awareness to them."

The audience erupted in applause, but Hoe Hana had one final question. "What will you do now?"

Taeyang grinned, his eyes lighting up. "I'm going to travel, then maybe go back to school and then enjoy my life. I have enough money now to live on my own terms."

As the show came to a close, Taeyang stood up and bowed to the audience, thanking them for their support. He left the studio, a sense of relief washing over him as he contemplated his future.