She wasn't sure if she should confront Top just yet. It would be a stressful day for him already, she didn't want to add on the pressure of letting him know that she knew. Maybe I should just drop hints, maybe flirt a little, Mango thought as she packed her kit and helped the other artists that worked under her to pack everything that they needed for the day. What am I thinking?! She thought as she buckled herself into the passenger seat of the van all the staff piled into. I shouldn't be thinking about getting a new boyfriend on a day like this. The boys have a full schedule, I should be thinking about the events to come today. She looked out the open window at the guys filing into their van. Top stopped to look up, his eyes landing on her. They smiled at each other, Top waving at her before disappearing into the vehicle. Seungri smirked behind him and gave Mango a wink before getting in himself.

   "Unnie! I'm so glad you're back, especially for today!" Mango turned her torso to face the back to see Jin's grinning face in the seat catty-corner from her's. "It's going to be a long day, and we need your expertise."

   Mango chuckled. "I'm sure you guys did fine without me when I was gone."

   Jin shook her head, her grin deflating. "Not as well as you'd think..." 

   Mango raised her eyebrow. "How so?"

   Jin sighed and looked down into her lap. "Well, assuming you haven't read the tabloids yet, Big Bang has been voted worst dressed of the week."

   Mango snatched her sun glasses off of her face and gave Jin a horrified look. "You can't be serious."

   Jin bit her lip and creased her forehead. She pulled a magazine from her bag and handed it over to Mango. "Page thirteen."

   Mango flipped to the page and read what it had to say. There was a picture of the band of boys on an interview show wearing mismatching garments that did not look very appealing to the eye. And it made her want to vomit on sight. "Who approved this?!"

   "That's the problem- we didn't know who to get approval from. You were gone."

   Mango smashed her palm to her forehead. "Did you guys even communicate to each other what you all were putting on them? It looks like different people took totally different pieces of clothing and told them to put it on!"

   "What do you want from me?!" Jin exclaimed and buried her face in her hands.   

   Mango sighed, rolling the magazine up and stuffing it into her bag. "Don't worry, Jin, I'm sure we can redeem ourselves from this." Though her reputation will get tarnished a bit, she was sure they could bounce back from this one disaster. 

   After the interview and radio talk show, they found themselves at a mall in Seoul for the album signing. The crew set up camp near the back entrance of the mall and quickly got the boys into makeup. And of course, Top was assigned to Mango. 

   "You know," Top said as he sat in front of Mango on a stool. "I'm starting to become a regular of yours."

   Mango hesitated before starting to put concealer on his face. He barely needed any at all. His face was practically flawless. How could one man be so perfect, thought Mango as she just tried to focus on the task at hand instead of staring slack-jawed at his delicious looking lips. "I suppose so. Is that a good thing, or are you getting tired of me?" she said in a playful manner.

   "I could never get tired of you, noona." He closed one eye as Mango started to line it with a black liner. He looked up at her with his other eye, making her laugh. "Plus, you've been gone for so long. I've...missed you." He cleared his throat. "Miss your presence, that is."

   Mango paused for a second to contemplate his words, but continued on to show it didn't affect her. "I missed you too, Seunghyun. I missed all of you guys." Which was true, she did miss everyone -- just Top a bit more than others. 

   "Um...like, you missed everyone the same, or some more than others, or...?" Top squeezed his eyes shut, like he was getting frustrated with himself. "Never mind, that's a stupid question."

   Mango smiled a little to herself. "Let's just say that I feel differently for one particularly out of everyone as a whole." 

   As soon as the eyeliner pencil came away from his eye Top squinted at Mango, an array of different emotions flickering through them, mostly confusion. "Let me take you out," he blurted before thinking.

   The question knocked Mango out of her senses. Should she go with her heart and what the doctor said and let herself fall for Top? Or should she stick with her brain and be lonely, sparing people's hearts, until the end of her life? "Okay," she said before she could come up with any answer for herself.

   Top raised his eyebrows in a pleasant surprise. His mouth curled into a pleased smile. "Um...how about tomorrow night? Around seven?"

   "Y-Yeah...that'll be fine," she said almost breathless. She still couldn't believe what she was getting herself into. It was like had a mind of its own and her brain had stopped functioning. 

   "I'll pick you up. We can go wherever you want." Top added, still a little in awe.

   "Okay, how about we just go see a movie or something?" Mango hadn't been on a date in years. She was rusty and wasn't sure what people did on dates anymore. Were movies still a popular thing to do on dates?

   "Yeah, and maybe dinner afterwards?"

   Mango just nodded, her cheeks hurting a little from smiling so hard. "That's perfect. Can't wait." They both continued to stare at each other and smile until Mango finally realized that they were on a time crunch and Top still needed his other eye done. She cleared and held the pencil back up. "Close." 

 

   Mango had been trying to keep herself busy all day. She cleaned her apartment (which she really needed to do), cleaned out her fridge (which she needed to do more than anything else), took Miso for a walk, and even sketched a few designs. Even while doing all of this her stomach fluttered with butterflies. She was going on a date that night with Top, and there was no backing out now. No matter how many times she tried to tell herself that this whole dating ordeal was pointless. 

   It was six o'clock when Mango decided that it was time to get ready. While doing her makeup, she tried talking herself into believing that this wasn't a huge waste of time. Just because you're dying doesn't mean you aren't a human being incapable of love, she thought as she finished her face.

   In her closet, she stared at two rows of hung clothing at either side of her. She had a filled closet -- why is it that she can still never find anything to wear? She groaned and dove into her wardrobe. 

   She had never went on a date with someone famous. What with working with celebrities, she just decided not to mix work with pleasure. So, she just dated photographers and tattoo artists most of her life. With photographers, she'd usually have some sort of vintage, hipster look going on. With tattooists, it'd be a punk-femme combination. But what do you wear on a date with a k-pop star? 

   She decided on simple black tapered trousers, a loose fitted black button up, and her favorite black patent leather Gucci loafers. It was simple for a movie dinner date, but she still felt comfortable being caught by paparazzi. She didn't want to embarrass Top like that if they got caught.

   It was six forty-five when there was a knock on the door. Miso's head lifted from Mango's bedspread where he was lying on and gave a low gruff. Mango stepped quickly to the door and looked out the peephole. Top stood there, looking around him, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He wore a baby blue button up and khaki trousers. He looks so cute, she thought before opening the door and letting him in.

   Top stood in the doorway, holding out the flowers with a dorky smile on his face. "For you, m'lady."

   Mango took the flowers and sniffed delicately at the soft red petals. "Thank you, good sir." She stepped away to the kitchen and reached for a flower vase in a cabinet she never touched. It was a little dusty, but the dust was cleaned  away when she filled it with water and put the bouquet in.

   Top closed the door behind him and watched Mango with admiration. The way she moved gracefully about, like an apparition before his eyes. She always had this vague look in her eyes, like she's there when you're talking to her but she really isn't. Like she's in her own little world, or just trapped in her own mind. Like she's constantly thinking something to herself. And that's what Top liked about her. There's always something Mango wasn't telling him, and that kept him wanting more of her.

   Mango grabbed her small black leather satchel and turned to Top again. He was staring at her, a look of a sort of admiration in his eyes. It made Mango blush. "W-What?"

   Top shook his head. "Nothing, you're just beautiful is all."

   Mango's eyebrows shot up. "'Is all'? Do you always nonchalantly call girls beautiful?"

   Top chuckled. "No, just girls with fruit names." He flashed an award winning smile at her that made her stomach flop.

   "So I should watch out for Apples and Kiwis?" Mango started to open the door but Top held it open for her. They both walked out of the apartment as Mango took out her keys to lock up. 

   "No, I'm more fond of mangoes," Top met Mango's eyes and winked.

   Mango rolled her eyes and they proceeded to his car. "You know, I've never seen you drive before. Should I be worried?"

   Top unlocked the doors, making a pip sound. "Not at all. I'm a completely competent driver."