If you have never heard Under the Bridge- Red Hot Chili Peppers or Brendan's Death Song- Red Hot Chili Peppers, please listen to them before reading! This chapter contains references from both songs and gave me inspiration for the whole story :)

Mango chuckled. "It's an American band. The Red Hot Chili Peppers. They're ing rad. Just keep listening." She turned the knob for the volume up.

   "It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there. It's hard to believe that I'm all alone. At least I have her love, the city, she loves me. Lonely as I am, together we cry..."

 Mango smiled as the chorus came. "I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day. But take me to the place I love, take me all the way!" She sang along, a little out of tune. She glanced at Top, he was smiling too. "Under the bridge downtown, is where I drew some blood. Under the bridge downtown, I could not get enough. Under the bridge downtown, forgot about my love. Under the bridge downtown, I gave my life awaaaaay!"

   As the song went on on its own, Mango and Top shared in a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "That's why I'm a stylist and not a singer."

   "It was pretty...good." Top tried his best not to break into more laughter. 

   "Ha. Um, no, but thanks for lying to my face." The next song came on. It was slower and put the laughing mood aside.

   "Live or die before I get it done will you decide. Take my words and turn them into signs, they will survive. Because a long time ago I knew not to deprive."

 Mango frowned. This song really got to her. She knew she should skip that song, turn the volume down, turn the radio off, something. But she didn't. She let the song play as she focused on the road ahead of her.

   "Like I said, you know I'm almost dead, you know I'm almost gone. And when the drummer drums it's gonna play my song to carry me along."

 Top stole a glance at her. Her eyes were squint, her jaw was tight, her eyes wet and shiny. He furrowed his brow. She looked...contemplative, morose. She went to cracking jokes and laughing to stone silence. 

   "And when the boatman comes to ferry me away to where we all belong."  

   "What's on your mind?" TOP finally got the guts to say.

   Mango glanced at him then back at the road. "...About how hungry I am." It wasn't exactly a lie.

   Top looked down at his lap. "No, for real. What are you thinking about?"

   Mango sighed. "My parents," she lied. 

   Now Top was silent for awhile. "What about them?"

   Mango shrugged. "I just...miss them."

   "Where are they?" Top hoped it was anything but "in jail" or "in the ground".

   "London."

   Top was surprised by the answer he got. "London?"

   Mango nodded. "That's where I was born. That's where they met." She pulled her car into the back parking lot of her apartment. 

   "Tell me more about it." Top insisted.

   "Later," Mango parked and turned the car off. "I'll tell you once we get inside the restaurant."

   Top looked around at his environment. "...Your apartment?" Mango didn't say anything as she got out of her car. Top followed her upstairs to the door and waited patiently for her to unlock it.

   Miso greeted Mango with his usual slobbery smack of his large, flat tongue against her hand. Top was greeted with a robust, deep growl from the back of Miso's throat. 

   "Oh stop it, you over stuffed, beefed up pup." She pat her dog on the head, responding with ears back and sitting back on his hocks.

   "I don't think he'll ever get used to me." Top said, walking into Mango's home, feeling that familiar ambiance of everything that is Mango, and taking in the scent of her fragrance everywhere. Her home was so warm and welcoming.

   Mango dropped her purse on the side of the couch, taking her shoes off by the shelf next to the door. Top did the same, trying to be respectful. Miso went to his shoes and stuck his nose inside of them, taking in all of the scent, entrapping it into his mind for safe keeping. Top raised an eyebrow at the curious dog. 

   Mango laughed a bit, turning on her kitchen's light. "Just take a seat at the table, I'll whip something up." She opened the refrigerator and scanned the contents inside.

   "Are you sure? Do you need help?" Top insisted.

   Mango nodded. "Yeah, just plop your down in a chair. Chill out, you've been working all day."

   "Well, so have you."

   Mango thought about that. "Hmm, I suppose you're right about that. But I'm fine. You're my guest, let me do my job as a good hostess to take care of you." She looked back at him and smiled.

   Top smiled back, taking a seat at the dark wooden circle table. He watched her as she moved. She took out a loaf of bread, thinly sliced lunch meat, and other condiments. She took off her jacket, revealing the tattoos all over her shoulders and scattered on her arms. 

   When she was done with the sandwiches, she took both of the sandwiches on small plates to the table and set one in front of Top. "Bon appetite."

   Top watched her take a bite, hiding as she chewed with her napkin. She looked up at him and made a face. "What?"

   Top shook his head. "So you said you were born in London? What are you doing here?"

   Mango took a sip from her water bottle. "Well, I moved to California after I finished college. I worked for some other people- Gwen Stefani, Rihanna, Anne Hathaway, and I did go back to London for a year to work for Adele. I just came here to see where my dad came from and to get a cool job working with the K-pop industry. It's been booming, so I figured it would be kind of easy to land a job here."

   Top nodded. "What with all of your experiencing I bet company's were clawing for you."

   Mango blushed slightly and looked down at the tabletop. "Well, I know SM and TS Entertainment were ready to hire me before I even had interviews, but I just felt more of an...attraction to YG."

   Top raised an eyebrow. "An attraction, you say? Did you have a...specific attraction? To anyone?"

   Mango giggled. Top was taken by surprised, he hadn't heard her giggle, ever. "Yes, I did." She paused

   He held his breath until he couldn't take her pause anymore. "Who?"

   Mango bit her lip and smiled. "2NE1. I first saw them on a cover of Fault magazine. I loved their style, everything about them. They looked so strong, yet feminine at the same time. I knew I could  make them a worldwide fashion phenomenon!"

   Top's shoulders slumped. He wasn't expecting that answer. "Then...why didn't you work with them?"

   Mango sighed. "Unfortunately, YG had just signed a contract with someone else for them a year ago and she's still under employment. It was either you guys or Epik High, and I don't think Epik High is really a high fashion group."

   "So you basically got stuck with us."

   Mango chuckled. "I think it turned out pretty good. So far, at least. What do you think? Have I been doing my job correctly? Is everything to your satisfaction?" 

   Top smiled. "Yes. Yes, very much so." They sat there in some silence until they finished dinner. Top thanked her and stood.   

   Mango stood with him. "Are you leaving?" Her eyes knit together, not really wanting to be alone so soon.

   Top hesitated. He didn't really want to go, but what would his excuse be to stay? "Um, I don't know..." He sputtered.

   "But...didn't you say you wanted to know about London?" 

   Top paused, remembering that, yes, he did say that. He nodded, Mango taking a seat on the couch and patting the spot next to her.

   "Sit. Have you been to London?"

   Top nodded, sitting down next to her. Their knees touched, making him the slightest bit paranoid that she might scoot away and feel uncomfortable, but she didn't. She looked him in the eye and waited for his response. "No, not yet. We will soon for the tour though."

   "Ah, well you'll enjoy it. My parents fell in love there, raised me there, like I said. London is beautiful and... majestic in her own way."

   Top sat back on the arm rest, turned to face her. "How did they meet?"

   Mango turned her attention to her dog, his huge head now resting in her lap, probably leaving a drool spot on her pants. "Well..."

Yeah, I'm leaving it right there for now. I promise to make the next chapter nice and cute for the story of how her parents met. I swear it will connect to the rest of the story in some way :3 So yeah...I hope you enjoyed :)