Was it him? Could I really be certain? I knew they had a concert in Atlanta that night, but what was the chance of seeing him here, in that mall, at that time, by himself? Slim to none, really. But perhaps I better back up.

---

5:45 am. Waking up that early is not the easiest thing. Which was why I always managed to forget SOMETHING when I left for work. That morning? It had been my lunch. Oh joy. Luckily I had a lot  of vacation time saved up, so instead of rushing around trying to find something for lunch during my 30 minute break, I told my boss I was taking the rest of the day off to do errands. Which led me to the mall. Why? Two words: Food. Court. Oh, and a place to buy some amazing jeans, which was the only errand I could think of. But first stop had been the food court. It was while I was leaving the food court that I saw him.

He had a beanie on, and yet the bleach blonde hair that peaked out was instantly recognizable, at least to me. He had shades on, which obscured his face slightly, but when he took them off to look at the mall map, I knew it. Daesung. Kong Daesung. He was there. 10 feet away. At the mall. And no one around me seemed to recognize him. What to do? My inner monologue ran wild.

Voice A: "GO SAY HI AND TELL HIM YOU'RE HIS BIGGEST FAN!"

Voice B: "DON'T SAY HI, HE'LL THINK YOU'RE WEIRD!"

Voice C: "RUN OVER AND GET AN AUTOGRAPH!"

Voice D: "Treat him like a normal person and introduce yourself."

Voice A... again: "SCREAM HIS NAME AND CAUSE A SCENE!"

Wait, back up. I thought for another 10 seconds before taking a deep breath. Voice D was right. He was just a normal person who happened to be able to sing and dance... very well. But this was the chance of a lifetime. Everything happens for a reason right? Might as well make the most of it.

I brushed my hair down and inconspicuously ran my tongue over my teeth as I headed over, pretending to read the sign as well. He pretended not to notice, until I tapped his shoulder. The look on his face was one of pure "Holy crap, I've been caught," and I could tell he was going to bolt, therefore I did the first thing I could think of.

I bowed slightly and looked at the floor while speaking. "Sumimasen.... Anatawa Daesung desu ka?"

I looked up slightly to see that his look had changed to one of surprise. "Ha.... hai?"

I took that as enough of an invitation and bowed again. "Konnichiwa. Nikky desu. Hajimemae. Eego ga wakarimaska?"

I looked up again and saw a small smile on his face. I had spoken to him and I hadn't screamed, perhaps he took this as a good sign? "Hai. Ah.. Yes. I speak some."

I smiled at him then, my eyes crinkling like they always do. I have what some call "smiling eyes". The only one in my family, but what can you do? He smiled back and I continued. "Sorry, I didn't want to cause a scene, but I had to say hello."

He nodded. "That is okay."

I pointed to the map. "Are you lost?" It was odd that he was here by himself, but perhaps he was trying to buy something for tonight? Or wanted to pick up a souvenir? He was technically a tourist after all. And if I could help someone like this, even if it was just by pointing him in the right direction, that would simply make my day, month, AND year.

I could tell that he was instantly taken back. Not my goal, of course! But it was obviously not what he was expecting. "Um. Yes. A little."

"Are you here by yourself?" Maybe he was looking to meet up with the others? I wanted to ask him more, but I remembered from videos online that he wasn't as talented as the others when it came to English, so I didn't want to overwhelm him with questions.

"Ah. Yes. I wanted to sit in quiet." And instantly I felt bad. My face fell and I bowed slightly again, very quickly.

"Sumimasen. I did not mean to interrupt."

"No no no," he replied. I looked at him to see him smile. "I have not found a place. Yet." Ah, so he was looking at the map to find a place. Well, boy, did I know the place!

I smiled back. "You should go to Barnes and Noble." His expression became one of puzzlement and I continued. "It is a bookstore. They sell coffee and you can sit and read. It's very quiet."

"Ah. Coffee is good. Where is it?" He looked at the map. "This mall is big. I am having trouble."

I stood next to him and pointed to the Barnes and Noble. All the way on the other side of the mall. Oops. But there really wasn't anything closer. Then I used my other hand to point to the food court, where we were. "We are here. It is over here." I turned to him and saw that he still looked very, very confused. I debated my options for all of two seconds before continuing. "I can show you, if you want." His face instantly brightened and I couldn't help but smile back. Damn but that boy's mile was even more contagious in person than it was on TV.

"I would like that." He said as he put his shades back on and tucked some of the blonde hair that had escaped back under his beanie.

And as we walked, we talked. I learned that his English was much better than I expected, especially when he did not seem nervous. We talked about the long flight to Atlanta. The Atlanta airport. How hot Georgia was. A lot of me asking questions and him answering. Before I knew it, we were at the Barnes and Noble and I was showing him to the coffee place inside. He looked at the menu and turned to me, gesturing for me to come closer. I felt my eyebrow shoot up. He was a celebrity, but getting close to a guy I had only met a few minutes ago seemed... odd. Then again, it was Daesung. So I let it go and leaned in.

"Ano..." he said in a whisper. "I need help."

I turned to him. "Help?" He nodded before continuing.

"I can not read well." I almost laughed before I remembered learning Japanese. The speaking was the easy part. Learning to read and write? That was more difficult. So instead, I nodded.

"Of course,  I can help. What do you like?"

He turned and looked at the menu, the pictures most likely, before he turned back. "Cappuccino," he said with a smile. I, once again, smiled back. Good lord, my cheeks are going to hurt so much from spending time with this boy!

"Can do!" His expression became puzzled again, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Can do means 'Okay'."

"Ah," he said, "okay!"

I turned around and walked to the counter. "One medium cappuccino and a bottle of water." He walked up beside me but before he could make a move I had already handed the cashier my credit card. I responded to her thanks and walked away,  Daesung following behind me.

"You did not have to buy it." He said, a small frown on his face.

"I know," I responded with a shrug. "But it is the least I could do to repay you."

"Repay me?" He asked? Before I could explain I heard them call my name.

 "Nikky? Small cappuccino for Nikky?" I walked up and grabbed it before walking back and gesturing to a pair of chairs in the corner and handing him his drink. "Do you want to sit?"

He nodded and took the drink, the puzzled look back on his face. He waited until we were seated to ask his question again. "Why do you want to repay?" I opened my bottle of water and took a sip while I thought of how to respond. Big Bang meant so much to me, for so many different reasons. But Daesung, in particular? He was special.

Finally I took a deep breath and decided to tell him my story. "Well, a while ago, I was very depressed and sad. I felt like the world was crashing down on me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it." I glanced at him to see him nod. Well, at least I knew my story was being ignored. But whether that was a good thing or not... time would tell. "There was one day in particular that was very, very bad. I put some music on, didn't even look at the song, and turned it up, hoping to drown out the sounds..." At this point I had to stop and take a breath, to keep myself from tearing up. "I was crying very loudly, and didn't want my roommate to hear. He wasn't home, but it was in case he came home." Daesung nodded again. "Suddenly, this song came on. A Korean song. One I hadn't heard before. And before I knew it, I felt better." I smiled, remembering the feeling. "I felt like everything was going to be alright. Yes, it was a bad day, but that was okay. I could almost feel as though someone was hugging me right then, and I smiled... It was the first time I had really, truly smiled in a long time." I couldn't keep the tears from my eyes anymore, but now they were good tears, and really I was just teary eyed, not crying. I turned to my audience member and smiled. "It was Wings. I had never heard it before then, but I immediately went and looked up the lyrics. That song... I don't know. Just hearing you sing it always makes me feel better. Any time I am having a bad day or starting to feel depressed, I put that song on, and I know it is going to be okay."

I shook my head and laughed, before looking away and  reaching up to wipe the remaining tears away. "Sorry, that must sound silly to you. But you, your voice, and that song. You help me. Almost every single day. In response to that, what is one little cappuccino?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw him reach for me, but then, out of nowhere, a phone rang. I looked at him and he quickly reached into his pocket, pulling out a phone. He glanced at it before looking at me sheepishly. "Sumimasen..." And with that he answered it, and I was saved from embarrassment.