It was nearly 6 am and Jiyong was wide awake, just staring aimlessly at his ceiling. There was absolutely no way he could sleep. Not when there was so much going on in his mind. An ultimatum. His hyung, no. His boss had given him an ultimatum. 

YG looked at Jiyong carefully. "So what are you saying?" 

"I'm tired." Jiyong murmured. "So ing tired."

"What are you tired of?" He asked slowly. Jiyong lifted his head and stared back at him. The dead look in his eyes told him everything he needed to know.

"Everything."

YG thought for a moment. Here was his star pupil, someone he had personally groomed himself, on the verge of a break down. He couldn't risk having an emotionally unstable Jiyong. Not when their world tour is just around the corner. No, he needed a fully functioning Jiyong. Big Bang would collapse if Jiyong were to lose it right now. He needed a way to ensure that Jiyong will be back to his normal self... And then it hit him. He knew what to do.

"So why don't you take a break?"

"A break?" 

"From music." YG elaborated. "From the moment you step out of my office, you are not to set foot in the studios for two weeks."

"WHAT?! You're banning me? Hyung—"

"Right now, I am your boss." 

Jiyong bit back a curse. "And if I don't listen?" He sneered. 

"I will consider making this permanent." 

"You're giving me an ultimatum." 

"If you want to call it that, then yes." 

"Why?" Jiyong bit out. "Why are you doing this?"

YG ignored the question. "You have until tomorrow to give me your answer. Choose wisely."

"You'll regret this." Jiyong snapped before storming out of the office. 

"No, Jiyong. You'll thank me." YG whispered. "This is for your own good."

Two weeks without setting foot into the studios was like asking him to die. But he knew that once YG set his mind to something, nobody could sway him. Not even him. 

Jiyong sighed. What the was he supposed to do for two weeks? Where could he spend his time? Jiyong thought of all the places he could go to waste time. He could hit the clubs. Nahs, that'll get boring after the second day. The gym? He snorted derisively to himself. Yeah, right. He'll get sick of working out after the first couple of hours. Where could he possibly go for two weeks?

And then he thought of something. 

He bolted up from the bed and grabbed his phone off his desk. He punched in a familiar number and waited. 

"Book me a flight to New York City." 

"I'll take that as a yes."

"You'll be regretting this for two weeks." 

"We'll just see about that." 

"So about that flight..."

"Done."

"Good."

"I don't think I need to remind you to keep a low profile."

"This isn't the first time. I know what to do."

 Click. 

Jiyong smirked. "Two weeks, huh? Bring it on." 

Jiyong was bored. It was his second day since landing in the city that never sleeps and he was bored out of his ing mind. With absolutely no one to meet and nowhere to go, he had wandered into a quaint little cafe on the corner of 33rd street. He was preoccupied with fleeting thoughts of booking a flight back to Seoul when the soft clatter of a cup being set down distracted him. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled his nose and he breathed in deeply.

"You look like you can use a cup." 

Jiyong's eyes popped open, his eyes settling warily on the young waiter. "No, that's okay. I don't need it—" his eyes darted to the guy's shiny nametag, "Nico."

Nico smiled. "It's on the house." Jiyong eyed the cup suspiciously. "House rules." Nico added cheekily.

Jiyong looked up, his expression slightly curious. "House rules?"

"When a customer, new or old, comes into our cafe looking lost, we are to offer them a cup of coffee on the house." Nico explained patiently.

He narrowed his eyes. "What kinda house rule is that?" He retorted.

Nico's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Our owners made up the rules, we just follow 'em." He gestured at the cup. "Enjoy your latte." 

Jiyong eyed the steaming cup of coffee before giving in. He took a small sip and then another. And another. Before long, he found himself tilting the small cup into his mouth for the very last drop. He set the empty cup back on the small plate in wonder. What the hell was this? He'd never tasted such an exquisite cup of coffee before. The shot of espresso was rich, the slight bitterness masked by the creamy dose of steamed milk and a hint of something else. Something that tasted familiar. He eyed the cup again and cursed its ability to distract him. But damn, he wanted another cup. 

"So how was it?" 

Jiyong jumped slightly at the voice and scowled when he saw who it was. "Why can't you walk like a normal human being? Make some noise when you walk."

Nico chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "It's not my fault you were thinking so deeply you didn't hear me."

"Whatever."

"So, did you like it?"

"...It was alright." He mumbled.

Nico smirked knowingly. "Would you like another?"

Jiyong nodded sharply and waited impatiently for Nico to return with the cup of heaven. Nico had barely set the cup down when he snatched it up and took a quick sip. He hummed in satisfaction as the wonderful taste filled his mouth.

"Here, try this."

Jiyong narrowed his eyes at the giant chocolate chip cookie. "Why are you being so nice to me?" He can't possibly know who I am right? Could he possibly be a fan? This is bad—

Nico's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You are a customer and it is my job to ensure that you enjoy your stay here." 

Well, better safe than sorry. "I don't need any further assistance. Thanks." He said sharply, waving him away. 

"Suit yourself." 

Jiyong ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His mood swings were reappearing again. And he hated it. They made him agitated and restless. Normally, when he was feeling like this, he would hide away in the studio for God knows how long and just make music. Music was always something that calmed him down. But that was also the problem. These past few days, music did nothing but made him angry and annoyed. At one point, he even hated the music he produced. They all sounded the same. Empty and completely void of emotion. His heart wasn't in it because his voice was silenced.

Being a part of Big Bang meant keeping certain expectations or rather always exceeding expectations. Yet, what was ironic was that, when they chose to go above and beyond the norm, the general public gave mixed reactions. Weird, they said. Totally not the trend, they complained. Definitely not what I expected, they sighed. With the development of more idol groups into the already saturated entertainment industry, it was important to keep up with trends, but not rise above it. Because in the eyes of the general public, being too different made you a target. 

To cater to their demands, their music had slowly evolved itself to conform to the norm. Their music no longer embodied their voices, but the voices the public wanted to hear. And he hated it. 

Jiyong shook his head sharply. them. it all. I don't care anymore. It would do him no good if he fought to keep his own voice. He'd be the first to be condemned by the masses. The martyr. As with every scandal that had occurred in his past, he'd be slaughtered. 

And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't care so much this time.

"Hey." A familiar voice interrupted Jiyong's thoughts and he looked up. "We're closing right now. You can come back tomorrow morning. We open at 8 am." Nico said as he wiped down the table next to his. 

Jiyong reached into his pocket and fished out his wallet. He placed the crisp twenty dollar bill onto the table and stood up. "Thanks for the coffee. If I'm around, I'll stop by. Keep the change." He dipped his head slightly in thanks and moved towards the door.

He was about to exit when a corkboard filled with colorful post-it notes caught his eye. Curious, he went to take a look. There were notes upon notes all addressed to a "Sunshine". Some contained simple thoughts about mundane topics like the weather and how much they hated school and some were merely praises for this "Sunshine". But those weren't the notes that caught his attention. It was the countless others that penned things like contemplating suicide, a nasty break up, bullying, falling in love, abuse, and was that violence? They may have all been writing about these vastly different topics, but they all asked the same question: Sunshine, can you help me?

Jiyong scoffed. How was this "Sunshine" supposed to help these people? Do these people actually think this person can help them with their problems and provide them with a solution? It's as if they thought this "Sunshine" was the messiah and were desperate to absorb a little bit of their wisdom. As if this person could cleanse their soul or something. How disgusting.

He shook his head in pity and turned to leave.

"Are you interested in Sunshine?" Jiyong glanced at Nico and raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes people like to write things down to make themselves feel better. It's like they're emptying their feelings onto a piece of paper."

"And..." Jiyong answered, bored.

"Others want to do the same, but don't want to risk having their words read by more than one person. So, they do the same thing, only they don't write it on paper. They type up their feelings and send their words anonymously via internet." 

"I'm not interested." He retorted and opened the door.

"Here." Jiyong felt something smooth and rectangular as Nico slipped something into his hand. It was a business card. "Give it to someone who needs it." 

He let the door close gently behind him before taking a good look at the card. It was simple. All it had on it was the word, "Sunshine" and a website. 

Jiyong laughed. "A pretentious person trying to be noble. How cute."

A/N: Sorry for the filler chapter. But this chapter is important. Please bear with me ^^