LUNA’S POV

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A man shouted behind me when I accidentally knocked his suitcase down while running past him.

"Sorry sir!" I called out without looking back.

I looked at my watch to check the time.

4:43

"." I said under my breath and ran even faster, pulling my suitcase along with me. 

Two minutes. I can make it.

"Excuse me!" I urgently weaved around the maze of people in front of me, ignoring some of their annoyed looks and remarks.

My eyes hastily searched the terminal signs for my flight number.

"72...72...72" I looked around frantically, already out of breath, and find my terminal all the way at the end.

Terminal 72, Flight to LAX

...And they're closing the doors.

"No wait!" I yelled, waving my plane ticket up in the air. "Don't close the doors!"

The lady thankfully saw me, and for a split second I thought about how sweaty and gross I must look from racing around the airport.

My legs feel like they ran a ing marathon.

"Your lucky, you made it right on time." She was obviously irritated by the tone in her voice, but I could care less.

I handed her my ticket, boarded the plane, and found my way to my seat.

My nerves were still all over the place, given that I almost missed my flight, but now it felt like I could finally breathe.

I pull out my phone to make a quick call.

"Hello?" The sweet tone of my mother eased my anxiety.

"Hi mom, I'm just calling to let you know that I made it on board."

"Okay honey! I hope you have a safe flight. We miss you already." Her words tugged at my heart.

"I miss you too."

"I'm sorry we couldn't come with you to the airport and send you off, darling. You know how your father is when it comes to his--"

"His job," I finished my mom’s sentence with a deep exhale, "I know."

"But I'll tell you what. As soon as your father takes some time off, I promise we'll come and visit you at UCLA."

My mind faltered, and I spoke quickly. "S-sounds great. Mom, I gotta go, plane's about to take off. Bye, love you."

"Okay sweetheart I love y--" I rashly hung up the phone before she could finish.

Guilt immediately began to wash over me.

The University of California, Los Angeles.  

Two months ago, I graduated from high school, and now suddenly I'm sitting on a plane ready to fly to California because my parents think I'm going to UCLA.

But the funny thing is, I'm not.

I never even applied.

I have no intention of going to college, but my parents don't know that. And I intend on keeping it that way.

They think I'm going to major in Neuroscience, whatever that is.

In reality, I'm moving to California in hopes of becoming an actress.

Lord knows that if my parents ever found out, I'd be dead meat. But it's a risk that I'm willing to take, because I refuse to live the life that my parents want me to live.

You see, during Christmas break last year, some close friends of my parents stayed over for the holidays. I don't remember how exactly it came up in conversation, but they mentioned how they were looking to rent out their vacation home in California.

And that's when the lie began.

When I approached them about the opportunity, they were more than happy to help. I told them I got into a college in that area, but the living expenses were just so high that I feared I would not be able to attend the "school of my dreams".

Once I had everything planned out, I told my parents about UCLA. I even had my friend type out a mock-acceptance letter.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I seriously went through extreme measures just to be where I am right now.

I've known them basically all my life; the owners of the house I'll be living in. They are as close as family as my own.

When I was younger, I was incredibly close to their son. He was honestly my best friend. We did everything together, and we were inseparable.

But then one day, he told me he was leaving, and I never heard from him again. I waited for him for who knows how long, thinking that he would come back. But after a while, the thought of ever seeing my best friend once more seemed so farfetched. 

That was six years ago.

Now he spends his days traveling the world and being praised by millions of fans everywhere: drowning in expensive clothes, expensive cars, and expensive girls. 

And he lives his new life as though his past one never existed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, at this time please make sure that your seat belts are correctly fastened. We will be departing shortly." The flight attendant interrupted my thoughts as she spoke through the speaker.

I put my phone on airplane mode and inserted my earphones in.

"Here's to a new beginning." I silently whispered to myself as I closed my eyes and looked forward to the future.

• • • • •

THIRD POV

“How does it feel to be ‘Fly’-ing all around the Unites States after you became the highest-ranked Korean act on the Billboard Artist 100 chart?

“Honestly, it feels like a dream,” Jaebum said, “We never imagined we’d come this far.”

“Just a few years ago, we were a group of kids struggling to even get noticed. It’s amazing to see where our journey has led us.” Youngjae agrees.

“So you’ve just wrapped up your U.S. Tour. How are you guys feeling right now? What’s going through your mind?” The talk-show host asked.

“I think for the most part, we’re just immensely grateful.” Jinyoung states as he glances at all of the members, “Honestly, words can’t even describe how we feel.”

“When we decided to go on tour, we weren’t really expecting too much. But this was way beyond our expectations.” Jackson says.

“We actually thought it was a joke at first when our manager told us that the tour was sold out." BamBam laughs as he recalls the memory, “All within thirty-minutes. I mean, that’s crazy! I still don’t believe it myself.”

“So with all this new-found fame here in the states, what can we expect next from Got7? Or will you be returning back to Korea?”

“I think we’re here to stay, Jimmy.” Mark announces, and the crowd cheers at the news. “We have a few projects under the wings at the moment, including our next full-length album. We’re going to be taking some risks with a new concept, but by the looks of it, I think it’s going to be our best comeback as of yet.”

“We’ve actually written and composed the majority of the songs on it too, so I definitely think fans can look forward to that.”  Yugyeom adds.

“Speaking of songs, what will you guys be performing for us tonight?”

“We will be performing our newest single, ‘Fly’.” Mark replies with a smile, and the boys begin to make their way towards the stage.

Jimmy Fallon turns to the audience as he speaks, “Get ready because Got7 performs for us after the break! Stick around, everybody!”