It had been an extremely long day. Spending hours upon hours in the studio had taken the energy out of the young woman's body. It didn't help that she kept thinking there was something missing. The famous producer, Teddy, was ever observant as he gave the girls an hour-long break. It was enough for Lisa to grab her backpack and make her way to that secret area she discovered in the building the other day. Trainees were not allowed inside the YG building unless it was for their monthly evaluations. And now that their group was working on their debut album, Lisa and the other members had been spending a lot of time in the infamous building. 
 
The place was actually not big. It seemed too small for a company so rich and popular it could probably buy the entire neighborhood. But Lisa liked the interior-- it represented the hip-hop culture of the company well. And she had been dreaming to be a part of the pictures of the artists displayed on the wall in the entrance lobby. She quietly roamed through a narrow hall and out into a balcony overlooking the neighborhood. She had spent her breaks here-- just clearing her mind and practicing her rap without anyone to disturb her. 
 
Sitting down on the floor--her back against the metal railing, she opened her journal filled with notes... a mixture of all the languages she knew and were still trying to learn. Her fingers started tapping the ground as she read her lines for Boombayah. The title was catchy as well as the music. But she just couldn’t get everything to perfection while recording and she almost wanted to throw herself out the window in frustration. 
 
When she managed to find the flow, she started rapping-- her voice softer in the beginning and then getting harder as she repeated her verse over and over. She had been too focused on repetitions that she barely noticed someone move from the other side of the balcony. It was when she heard a man clear his throat that she stood up and looked over the fern which was obstructing her view. 
 
Her face felt instantly hot when she saw a man leaning on the railing with a cigarette in between his lips. The death stick burned at the tip as he inhaled and then blew the smoke in the air. 
 
"I'm sorry I disturbed you." She bowed her head as she moved to walk back to the door. 
 
"You didn't." His deep voice replied and it felt strange to hear him speak in such a close distance. She had been training for five years but she only got to see him whenever she attended their concerts or during company events. And she was sure she had never exchanged any words with him except for polite greetings with her seniors. 
 
"Your flow is good but you're thinking too much." He was speaking informally. When he looked at her, she felt her heart drop to her stomach as soon as she met his gaze. 
 
Even before she came to Korea, she had known about BIGBANG. She danced to their songs and loved watching their videos. It continued even when she became a trainee. Five years in the company and she still couldn't comprehend how a person could be so handsome. If she were to choose who her favorite member was, it would be G-Dragon or T.O.P for the sole reason that they were the best of the best rappers in the industry. But that moment, with the latter standing a few feet away from her with eyes so deep and captivating, she would say that T.O.P became her favorite. 
 
"I'm working on my pronunciation." She replied timidly--her words slow and her tone strange at certain parts. 
 
"Ah." His eyes widened as he lowered his head. "You're Lisa." 
 
She blushed because he recognized her. "Yes. I've been training for five years now." 
 
"And you're working with Teddy on your debut album." He stated and then he took one last smoke before he stubbed the cigarette and threw it in the trashcan nearby. 
 
"Yes. He gave us a break and we'll continue recording later." Lisa's face fell when she realized she hadn't actually perfected her verses. 
 
"Recording is always tough. You need to be really patient and be extremely detailed. But… don't take everything into heart. Teddy is a perfectionist but he understands the artists. If you can't get something right, don't hesitate to tell him because he can find a way to help you." His words were deep and sincere and Lisa couldn’t help but feel thankful. T.O.P casually ran his fingers through his straight, unstyled hair. When he spoke again, his eyes mirrored the seriousness in his voice. "But if I were you, just continue to work hard. One wrong move and you might not be able to debut at all." 
 
Lisa visibly blanched. Her ears felt numb and her heart picked up. Of all the things she could hear at this crucial time, she had to hear that. She did not realize that her hands were balled into fists as she started to slightly tremble in fear. 
 
"I'll continue to work hard." She bowed again and he gave a low chuckle which caught her off guard. 
 
"Aren't you cute..." 
 
She looked up to see him smiling at her-- a smile that reached his eyes. She had never seen him look like that up-close and she swore her heart fluttered at the sight. 
 
"Do you have the lyrics of your song?" He suddenly asked and Lisa quickly went near him to give him her journal. He took it and his eyes focused solely on the notes. 
 
"You write in four languages." He stated--his voice had a hint of amazement. And then it was him who moved to stand beside her as he put the journal in between them and pointed at a line scribbled neatly on the upper right corner of the page. "What does this mean?" 
 
"It means 'Stay strong' in Thai." She explained and when she looked up at him, she noticed that she was tall enough to see his face closely. His face was devoid of any makeup and he still looked incredibly attractive. She desperately wished all girls would be the same as him. 
 
"How do you say it?" He prodded and Lisa couldn't help the smile that appeared on her lips when her senior imitated her Thai. Even the tone of his voice was almost similar to hers. 
 
"Can you rap this for me?" He asked politely and even though she felt shy to do it, she knew she had to. She plugged her earphones and opened the instrumental on her phone. 
 
What surprised her was that T.O.P took the left earphone from her and put it on. She had no time to react as the loud beat of the music started. And she rapped from the English lines in the beginning until her last verse. 
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