I looked up at my Hello Kitty clock. The block numbers blinked 2:30am. A small growl escaped my lips as I jammed my head into my pillow. I’ve only been in Korea a week, and I’m already having problems sleeping. It’s been the same routine, night after night. I’d go to sleep at 10, only to have my jerking body wake me up at 2:30. I sighed into my pillow, giving up on trying to get back into a slumber.

Glancing at the clock again, I groaned. 2:31am. And I had to get up at 8:30 for my dance and vocal practices with Shaun and Teddy.

Reaching under the covers, I got a hold of my phone, ripping it from its charger. The sudden light emitting from my phone blinded me for a second, taking me a little bit to readjust. As my sight recovered, I was greeted by a familiar picture. A smile stitched itself on my face. It was a picture of Daesung and I from BIGBANG’s Big Show 2010. We stood side by side, our arms extended, our hands forming a heart, as we smiled brightly.

“The good old days,” I murmured to myself, a sad smile on my face.

I traced a circle around Daesung’s head. “What are you doing to me, Dae?”

I heaved a sigh and shut off my phone, plugging it in back into its charger. I rolled over to the other side, making myself comfortable. My eyes lingered towards the picture residing next to my Hello Kitty clock. The light emitting from Daesung’s smile was the last thing imprinted on my mind before I drifted off into a temporary darkness.

***

“I didn’t think you’d be doing this well after only a week,” Shaun praised, crossing his arms as he eyed me with approval.

“You’ve been working me to the bone, Shaun! If I wasn’t working hard enough, you’d make me work twice as bad as you’re already doing now,” I heaved, struggling to get my breathing back into a steady rhythm.

I looked up to see the damn bastard was chuckling at my suffering. This is pure sadism. I need to tell YG to fire Shaun’s .

“Since you’ve been doing so well, I’ll end practice early,” Shaun spoke up, a smirk drawn onto his face.

“You’re up to something. I feel like I’m going to have to do something after the fact since you’re ending my practice early,” I hissed, throwing my sweaty towel at him.

The dancer twirled, dodging the sweaty missile. His smirk evolved into something twisted. Damnit.

“You’re so smart, Anika~ You’re going to stay an extra hour tomorrow to make up today,” and before I could release my rage, he made his escape out of the dance room.

Damn bastard. I’m definitely going to get him fired…

***

 It was only fifteen minutes passed four and I was ready for sleep. I plopped into my bed, a sigh of relief escaping me as I entangled myself in my covers. Although I was covered in my woman stank, I didn’t care. My body ached for my bed as soon as I left it at 7:30am this morning. It was such a tearful goodbye. I hated doing that to my bed every morning.

“Yah! Where are you?” a familiar voiced called out, piercing my tranquil (but sweaty) state.

“Anika isn’t here, so please leave a message at the end of the beep. BEEP!” I yelled back, throwing my head right back into my sheets.

My best friend trolled in, a disappointed frown on his cute face. Dropping his stuff by my door, he walked over, plopping himself next to me. He scooted closer to me, his breath on my neck. This sent an instant wave of chills down my spine. Oh God… I’m beginning to feel uncomfortable. He’s too close, too close!

“Hey, Anika, uhm, it’s Dae. I tried to call you, but I got your voicemail. First of all, I think it’s rude to not pick up your best friend’s call. Second, I just wanted to let you know that the hyungs want you to come over to hang out tonight. Ji-hyung said for you to come over around 8:30. When you get home, call me back. That’s an order.”

I turned my head, my green eyes locking with his beautiful deep brown ones. My breathing stilled as I noticed we were only centimeters apart. Forcing the sudden lump in my throat down, I held on to my strength as I began to speak, not wavering from my uncomfortable feeling nestling within me. “I have better things to do than hang out with you guys. I have a social life too, y‘know.”

There it was; that angelic smile again.

Ba-dump.

Ba-dump.

Shut the hell up, heart!

“What social life?” Daesung shot. “The entire time you’ve been here, your life has revolved around practicing and us. Practice, but mostly us, are so important that you don’t even have time for a social life.”

Damn it. He was right on that one. My life has been nothing but practice and them ever since I began my halted life here in Korea. Then again, hanging out with them and doing stuff with them is considered a social life…

“Be ready soon, Anika-ah~ I’ll be playing your Wii while you do your girl things.”

I thought he’d never leave… For once I can breathe normally again. Too bad my heart wouldn’t shut the hell up. It wouldn’t calm down… Freakin’ Dae…

Sighing, I untangled myself from my covers and stripped out of my sweaty practice clothes. I grabbed the towel from the hook and wrapped myself in it. Grabbing my brush, I headed towards the bathroom when my ears caught the melody of “Stacy’s Mom.”

“Why does she call every time I’m about to do something?”

And if you’re wondering why my mom’s ring tone is “Stacy’s Mom,” she’s unusually obsessed with that song. She literally yelled at me to have that as her ring tone. Sometimes I question whether or not I was adopted.

“Hi mom,” I answered, trying to sound as enthusiastic as I could.

“Are you alive? Anything your dorm on fire? Did the boys make you do anything illegal again?” QUESTIONS EVERYWHERE.

“Oh yeah, mom. I’m doing fine, thanks for asking. I’m freakin’ peachy!”

“Sorry, honey. Just worried.”

I sighed. Mom, how I miss you and your craziness.

“I’m doing fine. I got situated into my dorm right away. Everything is taken care of because of YG,” I said into the phone, sighing.

“Have you been eating regularly? What about showering? You doing that every day?” More questions…

“Yes, mom. I’m eating like a normal human being and I bathe on a daily basis. I was just about to go take a shower before you called.” I answered, rolling my eyes. “By the way, no. The boys have not made me do anything illegal… yet,” I murmured the last part, snickering to myself.

“Ok, good to hear.” I could sense the relief she was feeling.

“…And, uhm, I’ve been praying every day.”

There was silence on the other end for a couple seconds. A sigh soon escaped on the other end of the line. For some reason, I thought telling her that I’ve been praying to dad would reassure her in some kind of weird way. I guess not?

“I’m glad to hear that, honey. I bet praying to your father is making him proud up there. I also know for a fact he’s very proud of you for going ahead with your career,” my mother finally said, taking immediate notice to the strain in her tone.

“What about you, mom?” I asked, biting my lip.

 Silence again.

“…I have.”

A small smile crept on my face.

“Glad to hear, mom. I’m glad. Listen, I hate to cut this short, but the boys want me to hang out. I need to go shower since I, well, have my woman stank.”

She murmured something I couldn’t quite pick up, then said her final goodbye before disconnecting.

I sighed, hitting the end button. It’s good to know mom has been praying. For some reason, it makes me feel better to hear that. “I also know for a fact he’s very proud of you for going ahead with your career.” Unknowingly, tears streamed down my cheeks. I’m crying? Chuckling to myself, I wiped away the remnants of bittersweet tears, and headed to the shower as I thought of my father and his smiling face, definitely proud of what I’m slowly accomplishing.

A/N: I am sooo sorry I haven't updated! School has been, well, my life, basically. -__-; I'm gland AND VERY THANKFUL for you guys still sticking by, even with this only being 5 chapters (so far ;D). I'm currently working on the 6th and 7th chapter. As for updating, I don't know exactly, since finals are coming up. But I will try my best to get them up as soon as possible! Enjoy the crappy chapter~ xP