Two Weeks Later....

'Hyung! Can I borrow your car?' Seungri yelled from the other side of the recording studio. YoungBae looked up from the notepad he was writing in to see the Maknae putting on a hoodie and sunglasses. Teddy was also standing and pulling his hood up.

“Where are you going and why do you need my car?” he asked in a distracted voice. Big Bang was supposed to be releasing a new album in the early months of the the next year, so he was working on ideas for costumes and choreography.

“We're going to New York for our videos, right? I got a call that there's an issue with my visa application. It got rejected and I have to go to the US embassy to talk to someone.”

“And what do you need my car for...?” he tried again.

“I also need to stop by StyleCentral to pick up the table I bought. I drove my 2 door car today so it won't fit.” Seungri gives him his brightest smile in hopes of swaying him. Seungri wasn't sure why, but his hyung had been in a pretty foul mood for months, it seemed. He was distracted in practices, he was absent minded in the studio and just shy of antisocial. Whenever he tried to ask what was wrong, he would swear he was fine and get back to work.

“Didn't you hit a trash can the last time I let you drive my SUV?”

“Ya, hyung, it was an accident. It was one little scratch!”

“Little? It went from the passenger door to the tail light! Come on, I'll take you,” YoungBae rolled his eyes and set down the notebook. Seungri ran for the door before he could change his mind. As he was headed for the door he noticed Teddy looking for his book bag. “Teddy hyung, you're coming too?”

“Yeah, he said he might need a translator. I don't get paid to be a translator, but I owe him $500 for a bet”. YoungBae laughed.

“Don't you know by now to never bet Maknae? He cheats.” and headed for the car. He needed a break anyway.

*****

“Stacy! Have you seen my phone?” Luna was crawling around her office floor trying to find the darn thing. It wasn't in her desk, or her purse. She walked out to Stacy's desk and Stacy was holding it out to her.

“You left it in the bathroom, genius”

“How long have you had it? You know I have a meeting in 25 minutes”

“Long enough to know that you have a small runner in the back of your tights”

“You, are the worst assistant ever. I'd fire you if I could!” Luna ran back to her office, grabbed her briefcase and …...where were her keys! “Stacy!” Stacy was also holding those up.

“Did I leave those in the bathroom too?”

“Nope. I took your car when I went out for lunch.” Luna rolled her eyes again and headed for the front door.

“Lu! Wait!'

“Talk and walk, you know I'm late”

“Make sure you get back by 4pm. You need to deal with a visa app issue. I already made the appointment.”

“Gee, thanks, Stace. I'm so glad my time is well managed by you.”

“Whatever, . Knock 'em dead!”

Luna ran to her car and drove off before she closed the door properly. Before Dave left for vacation, he was working on a joint venture with the British embassy to reach out to college students. With his exit the previous week, all of his duties fell to Luna as usual. She didn't really mind the extra work and having Stacy around was a bonus. Stacy's duty station was the Tokyo embassy, but Luna made Dave pull strings to get Stacy to stay until he got back. Her best friend may be a pain in the , but she's a well organized pain in the at least.

*****

After the guys picked up the table they made their way to the US embassy. YoungBae was lost in thought while Teddy and Seungri talked about songs from the upcoming album. He pulled his new phone out and flashed the screen on. New phone, same wallpaper. The picture of he and Luna smiling so happily at the camera was still there. When he was transferring over pictures and contacts, he could have deleted it. He should have deleted it, but just couldn't find the strength to do it. Months later, she haunted him still. More than thoughts of her beautiful eyes and smile, he was haunted by all the unanswered questions. He never heard another word about her or from her.

Pulling into a parking space, they got out and approached the front doors. YoungBae got a tingle up his spine while looking at the American flags decorating the building. During his hours of conversation with Luna, they talked a lot about the states other than California and New York. She described the mountains around Colorado, the deserts of Arizona, the swamps in Florida, the great Mississippi River, the smells of New Orleans, etc. He tried his hardest to get a promise from her to take him to all these places, but she would just smile a little and change the subject. As much as she loved South Korea, pride and love for her home country was evident in the way she spoke of it. He wanted very badly to experience all of that with her.