Shortly after Bom and Dara left, Yang Gaeng joined them and the trio contentedly chatted about watches and shoes.

"Alright guys, I need to head out. I'll see you at NB tomorrow?" The stylist nodded. "I wouldn't miss an unofficial YG night for the world!" "Good, 'cause I want to talk more about those shoes."

"Wait, what do you mean by unofficial?" TOP asked with a quizzical look on his face.  

"Haha nah, it's not actually a thing but for once Chae, Bom, and Dara are joining us. They want me to introduce them to Hyuk Soo." Yang Gaeng said. 

Jiyong chuckled, "Really? Ahh and I thought they were coming because Dong Wook hyung is back!"

The stylist grinned and replied "girls".  

"Well anyway, it's a first that they're joining us and when HITECH heard this they practically guaranteed they'd be there." Jiyong continued.

TOP nodded and asked if CRAZY were also joining.

"Mm I think Ji Hye and Mi Ran will be..."

"No, I bumped into Ah Yeon and they have that girls thing, remember?" 

As the two made fun of CRAZY's girls' night out/bonding session, TOP made a mental note to coerce Daesung into coming with him. "Someone should look out for them..."

"Alright hyung I'll see you back at the dorm." Jiyong gave both guys a handshake/one-arm hug before exiting the cafeteria. The remaining two chatted about Japan and the upcoming Big Show until Yang Gaeng had to run off. 

TOP decided he'd drop in and see how Teddy was doing. As he left the cafeteria and passed by the practice rooms, he overheard frantic footsteps and a child-like shout to "run, run, RUN!" coming from down the hall. And just ahead he saw a small figure with an oversized hoodie turn a corner.

"Where's the fire?" he asked. Chaerin spun around. "Oh! Annyeong oppa! Sorry, can't talk right now!" She gave a quick bow before bolting away.

As he was about to get into the elevator, Jaewook exited and the two exchanged pleasantries. "So how are they doing?" TOP asked.

"Not bad. We're tightening things up, so they don't mess up at your concert. Learning a few new things too, so it's tough work right now." 

"But they learn fast, right?" 

"Yes, yes they do. More so the maknaes who are the ones that catch on quickly. That Minji is one powerful kid. Her and Chaerin are sharp as knives. Dara, she's a bit slower but makes up for it with the amount of work she puts into it." Jaewook paused as he thought about what he just said. TOP wondered if he had anything to say about the fourth member. "Aish and that Park Bom! She forgets everything! Kind of like you..." 

"Noona??" TOP confirmed and pointed a finger at his nose. 

"Yes, yes. Your noona is particularly difficult. It's almost like she doesn't know left from right! And remember the "With U" choreo? Geez you two are my worst nightmare!"

TOP gave him a sheepish smile. It was true he had a bit of trouble grasping the steps "but that was two years ago!"

"Anyway, she's especially distracted today - spacing out and lagging behind. Ahh what do I do with this girl..." 

TOP laughed and told Jaewook "good luck" as they both parted. 

Today music wasn't blasting from the studio as it was empty without Teddy or Kush. The disappoinment of his missing hyungs was quickly replaced with relief. Finally, TOP could collect his thoughts and hear himself speak. He plopped himself onto the couch, spread out his long legs, and rubbed his eyes.

Jiyong's voice popped into his head. "You must have been pretty happy about that, huh? Bom? Your lap?" 

He felt his cheeks redden as he recalled his noona sprawled across his lap and frantically reaching for the book. 

"And that book - what did any of it mean?" he asked himself. With his eyelids shut he could vividly see the blue ink from the notebook. (TOP's growing work experience as a budding actor thus far had significantly improved his photographic memory - constantly staring and re-reading scripts had certainly earned him this skill.)

Words and phrases popped out at him in his mind. 

"Jay-Z" was crossed out and a little note beside it said "taken" with a sad face
"Handsome but NOT absolutely necessary"
"Hard-working"
"Confident - but no weird complexes!"
"Music-related - must be involved somehow"

But there was something else. TOP furrowed his brows and concentrated on a faded bit that was near the end of the list. " *must love Bommie wholeheartedly" and "unable to predict this" was scrawled underneath it.

He chuckled at the last one. "Cute" he thought to himself.

"Oh" he said out loud. "This isn't for Dara." 

Then another image popped up: "T.O.P" He certainly couldn't forget his name in big red letters or the "97" next to it. "Were there any other names?" As hard as he tried, he couldn't recall anything else on the page apart from an upside down drawing of a poong poong in green ink.

The next thought never formed in his mind as his eyelids stayed shut and he dozed off.

______________________________________________________________________________________

"Alright that's it for today. Good job CL. Good job Minji. Good job Dara ...and no good job for you Bom!"

Bom pouted and promised she'd do better next week. Right before Jaewook left, he uttered a "good job Bom" to which she promptly hugged him and promised once more she'd be ready next week.

"Aigo~ I'm so tired! I'm going to pass out when we get back." the maknae commented. 

"How long have we been practicing?" Dara groaned.

"It's 7..." 

"Minkki did you say 7?! AHH I said I'd meet Yang Gaeng at 6:30!" Chaerin exclaimed. 

"Stylist stuff?" Dara asked the leader who was furiously packing up her things.

"Chaerin-ah, before you leave - do you have my tea canister?" Bom asked.

"Mianhe unnie!" Chaerin exclaimed as she smacked her forehead. "I left it with Teddy-oppa when we were talking. I'll go get it right now." 

"No don't worry about it! You're running late! I'll just grab it before we leave." 

"Sorry about that! Bye I'll see you guys later!!"

After the three girls washed up, Dara and Minji went ahead to the cafeteria while Bom made her way up to the recording studio. Bom softly knocked on the door. "Annyeong Ted-..." she said as she opened the door but promptly stopped herself when she saw someone sleeping on the couch. She immediately recognised the clothing, but more importantly the person, from earlier in the day. Suddenly she felt very conscious of herself and her surroundings. She let out a small cough to make her presence known but there was no response from the slumbering man. Bom tugged on her damp hair nervously and decided it would be best to just grab what she came for and get out of there fast. 

She scanned the room but there was no green canister in sight. "Did it fall and roll away somewhere?" She thought as she knelt down underneath Teddy's desk. 

"Noona?" a hoarse but deep voice spoke up to which the person in question jolted up in suprise and bumped her head on the desk. 

"Owwww! Tabi, you scared me!"

TOP instantly got up and went over to her. "She still calls me that?" He crouched down and helped her up. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. What were you doing down there?" 

As he sat her down on a chair Bom shyly replied that she was looking for a tea cannister that was green and had flowers on it.

TOP looked at her. There was a hint of moisture in the corners of her eyes as she looked down with knitted eyebrows, and a hand was placed on the back of her head.

He had to look away and cover his mouth as he held in a laugh. "She looks so adorable like this." He cleared his throat and asked her if it still hurt. 

"A little. Is it noticeable?" 

He gingerly moved her hand away but he didn't let go of it as he began inspecting the bump. Bom started to feel a little warm. "I must look really idiotic like this." She could feel his breath on her ear as his fingers touched a sore spot. She reflexively squeezed his hand. "S-sorry" she mumbled. 

"It's a little red. Do you want me to get some ice?" When he spoke she realised how close he was to her. His deep voice was soft and almost like a whisper. It echoed through her head and suddenly her heart started to pick up. 

She slipped her hand out of his and a small pang of diappointment crept into TOP. She slowly stood up but he didn't budge or move away. "That's okay!" she burst out and dropped her gaze to the floor. "I'm really clumsy, so I'm used to this sort of thing all the time." She felt morbidly embarassed and wanted to avoid eye contact altogether. 

He studied her face and let out a small smile. "I'm really sorry I scared you."

"You can make it all better if you help me find my canister." 

He obediently nodded and began searching for it. Bom turned around and smacked her cheeks a few times. "I'm being silly. It's just Seunghyun." 

Moments later TOP found it and handed the prize over to her. 

"Thank you!" she grasped it with both hands. 

"What kind of tea is it?" 

"Oh! It's a green tea with a bit of jasmine and ginger - very good for fatigue." she opened it up and motioned him closer to smell the blend. He lowered his head and sniffed the tea. She was about to say something regarding its healing properties but found herself lost for words as she stared at his features; his eyes, nose, and then his lips. "His eyebrows make him look cross all the time. He's got a nice nose and his lips-"

"It smells quite nice, noona." 

She snapped out of her gaze. "Would you like to try some? It'd probably be beneficial for you with the concert coming up..." 

"Really? Is it okay?"

"Of course! Here I've got lots more at the dorm, so you can keep this." she said as she shoved the lid back on. He thanked her and lingered as he stared into her eyes. Forgetting her warning to avoid eye contact, she looked up into his piercing gaze. A smile started to form on her lips but she didn't break away. "Is there something on my face?" she said as her eyes turned into crescents and she let out a small giggle. He started to blush a bit.  

"No, sorry, I didn't mean to stare." he replied with a knowing grin. "Uh, most people tend to look away..." she cocked her head to the side but her eyes were still on him  "...because..." she raised her eyebrows for him to finish yet her eyes still lingered "...because I have a scary face." he finished. made a tiny 'o' shape but not once did she look away or even blink. "Is that even possible?! Not blinking for that long?" he thought to himself. 

She leaned forward and squinted her eyes as she studied him, "I don't think that's true." she said as she shook her head. 

"No?" 

"Nope. Not at all. I'm sorry but they're wrong to think that of you. You've got the most un-scary face I've seen! It's a nice face..." she trailed off before mentally berating herself for not thinking before speaking.

Now he had to look away in embarassment. He took a deep breath and looked back her with a serious face. "OK let me try one more time."

"Wait, WHAT! You WANT to look scary?! What's with you!" she said as she lightly slapped his arm. He laughed and tried to get out a response. "I have a reputation to uphold!"

She jokingly scoffed at him and started to poke him. "Yah! I was serious about what I said!" He tried to squirm away and grabbed her hands to stop the abuse. They both stared into each other's eyes again. This time it wasn't an innocent look. TOP nervously his lips and Bom's mouth parted ever so slightly. He broke the silence. "Really? Then how come you always look scared around me?" he earnestly asked her. 

"I'm not scared! I just-" Bom tried to answer but she could only appear flustered. Thankfully, her phone buzzed - it was a text from Dara.

"Oops I've got to get going now." she said a quick bye and was out of the door in a second flat. 

TOP sighed heavily. He rotated the canister in his hand, popped the lid off and took a deep sniff of the fragrant tea. He grinned to himself as he sat back into the couch.