Taeyeon woke up early in the morning, still kind of confused about jet-lag.  She cracked her back and decided to head downstairs to get some more food. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and some colorful American cereal. She sat quietly, wondering what to do next. Maybe Wooyoung knew something about where her oppa worked.

A shiver suddenly ran through Taeyeon’s body, wind coming from the stairwell area. She looked over and saw that there was light coming from the stairs. Curiously, Taeyeon took her drink and walked over to the stairs and looked up to see that there was a fourth floor, well a roof to be more specific. She walked up the stairs slowly, wondering why the door was open.

Once she got to the top, Taeyeon looked out to see a lovely view of the downtown brownstones. The sun was shining brightly high up in the sky with barely any clouds – it was a sight for sore eyes to say the least. And Wooyoung was there too. He was in a pair of sweats and a wife beater, leaning against the balcony.

Wooyoung must’ve heard her because he turned her.  He just stared for a moment before saying, “Hey.”

“Morning,” she nodded.

He turned his whole body to face her as he leaned his arms against he banister.  “So what’re we going today, Taeyeon-sshi?”

What do you mean we?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“I’m coming with you,” he said as if it were obvious.

Taeyeon shook her head.  “No, you really don’t have to you-“

“Well, I have nothing better to do with my time unfortunately,” he said nonchalantly as he pulled out a cigarette.He puts it in between his lips and lights it with his red and gold lighter.

“You could start by quitting that habit,” she said as she pointed to his cigarette.

Wooyoung looked down at it as he blew some smoke.  “It’s only a morning thing,” he said, trying to defend himself.

“Either way, it’s bad for your lungs,” Taeyeon said sternly.

Wooyoung shrugged as he looked back at her.  “So what’re we doing?”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes.  “I wanted to go to my brother’s job again to see if he showed up, or his other work places.  I need money to get at least money home for me.”

He inhaled some more toxins as he began to circle the of his cigarette with his thumb.  He looked at her curiously and pointed to her and asked, “What did you and your brother do to end up in so much debt to two different gangs?”

Taeyeon walked over next to him and said softly, “My parents left us with it.”

“Where did they go?”  He asked, blowing it his smoke to the other side, trying not to hit her with second hand smoke.

Taeyeon looked out into the city and said simply, “They died in a car crash a few years back.”

Wooyoung stared at her in awe.How did she say that so calmly and so simply?

“Oh, can I use your phone by the way?”  Taeyeon asked.

Wooyoung shrugged as he pulled it out his pocket.  She took it and immediately went on the internet to sign into facebook.

“What’re you doing?”  He asked curiously, peering over her shoulder.

“Plan B,” She smiled happily.She signed in and immediately went to her friend’s, Nichkhun, page.  The name sounded oddly familiar to Wooyoung.  She quickly wrote something on his wall and passed it back to him.  “Can you tell me if he writes something back.”

“What?”  Wooyoung asked as he took another hit of his cigarette.  “Boyfriend?”  He asked as he breathed out some more smoke.

“Mmhmm,” She shrugged as she began walking downstairs.

Wooyoung let out a strangled cough, but it wasn’t because of the toxins.It was because of the shock.  “You have a boyfriend?”He asked loudly.

Taeyeon smirked mischeviously.“He’s a boy… and a friend.”  She walked back over to the door and said, “Notify me, please!”

Wooyoung rubbed his brow and muttered, “That girl…”

***

Yoona tapped her foot impatiently as she stared at her motionless phone, hoping that it would beep, buzz, or do something like that.  But nothing happened.

“Yah, Im Yoona, you’ve been staring at that thing since you got here.  Leave it alone.”

Yoona looked up to see her friend, Taecyeon, at her side, looking at his own phone.He had his legs crossed and it looked like he was playing a game on his phone.  They were in their friend’s studio, Lee Junho, that his parents bought him when he told them that he was interested in photography.

“It’s been two hours since I left my photo shoot and put the picture up,” Yoona whined petulantly.  “Khunnie didn’t reply or say anything about it.He didn’t even text me in two hours.”

“He’s in America,” Taecyeon said as if she didn’t know the fact.  “He’s probably hooking up with a bunch of chicks.”

Yoona stood up, outraged at the thought.“No!  How could he?!”

“Because they’re curvier than you,” Junho smiled patronizingly from his work station.“  You’re stick thin, Yoona.”

“Ah, seriously,” She muttered irritably as she frowned.  Trying to go unnoticed, she looked down her shirt and sighed.

Taecyeon smirked as he went back to his phone.

***

Chansung helped Tiffany with her last bag out of four from the trunk of his big green jeep.  In silence, they walked through the LAX aiprort to her terminal, heading back to Seoul.  He waited patiently as she checked three of her four bags and got her boarding pass.  When they reached the security line, Chansung set down her suitcases and looked at her.

“You don’t have to go,” he muttered as he patted his favorite cousin’s head.

She scoffed as she fished through her purse to find her passport.  “Yes I do, and you know it.”

“There could be an easier, safer, and less traumatic way to do this, you know.”

“Then give me one,” she said flatly as she pulled out her passport.  “Because I’ve tried to find one since my birthday, Chansung.  And I can’t.  So, I’m going to save my company with my bare hands.  Okay?”

Chansung let out a deep sigh.  “Not even Wooyoung could talk you out of this, could he?”

“Nope,” she smiled, showing off her bright teeth and her distinct eye-smile.

“Well, you also refused to tell him the real reason why you left Seoul,” countered Chansung, causing Tiffany to frown at him.  “He would’ve understood.  The poor kid thinks you broke up with him and left the country because you didn’t like him.  Not because you were by your step-mom’s new husband.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes.“Thank you, Chansung.  You’re indiscretion about the worst moment in my life is amazing,” she said sarcastically as she began to walk away.

“Yah,” Chansung said as he pulled her back by her wrist.  “You know that’s not what I meant.I’m worried about you going back, and not being honest with your best friend.”

Tiffany shrugged off his wrist and muttered, “Well, it’s a bit late for that isn’t it?”

“It’s never to late to tell the truth.”

The line had meaning that made Tiffany freeze, but how could she tell Wooyoung now.  She couldn’t – she didn’t have it in her to break him like that.  So she shook off the surprise and truthfulness that her cousin had just said and muttered, “Ah, so corny.”

Chansung chuckled lowly as he brought her in for a hug.  “Be safe, okay?  Call me when you land.”

“Okay,” she smiled as she snuggled her head into his chest.  She was going to miss him… a lot more than she would ever admit to him.

“And remember that LA will always want you back, you just gotta come back,” he smiled as he pulled her back.

Tiffany smiled, “Okay.  Do well in school, and be good to Sooyoungie.”

“I always am.”

Tiffany smiled as she walked onto the line.  “Come and visit me in Seoul.”

“I will,” he smiled and waved.

Tiffany pulled out her phone and began listening to her music.  She out a long sigh, wondering what the hell she was doing.

***

Taeyeon and Wooyoung arrived at the club where Minjun worked.It was a large garage on the outskirts of Flushing, Queens, or more commonly known as Koreatown.  Wooyoung let out a tired sigh as he got out of the car and watched Taeyeon pop out of the car.  He didn’t really understand why he was helping this girl that he barely knew.  He was doing a thorough jon too; they already went to the diner and no sign of Minjun.

And Wooyoung loathed this club, but only went for Minjun-hyung.  The reason has to do with a drunk hot girl he was making out with, too much Vodka, and an excessive amount of the girl’s vomit on his clothes.  Luckily, Minjun had an extra shirt and pair of pants for home in.  Minjun saved his a lotWooyoung shook his head at the thought.

“He works here?”  Taeyeon asked inncoently.

Wooyoung nodded.  “Uh-huh as a DJ.”

Taeyeon smiled.“He’s always had a good ear for music.Runs in the family.”

“You DJ too?”  Wooyoung asked curiously as he walked up to the door with Taeyeon.

Taeyeon shook her head.  “I like to sing a little.”

Before he could respond, Taeyeon had already knocked on the door. “Excuse me!!” She shouted loudly, causing Wooyoung to cringe at the noise.

The door opened immediately.  “It’s 1:30pm,” a man with blond hair and bright blue eyes said harshly.  “What the hell are you doing to try to get into a club?”

Before Taeyeon could answer, Wooyoung said in English, “We are here to see Jun.”

The man froze and looked at the two appraisingly. “Why the hell do you need him?”

“Little sister has some trouble returning home,” Wooyoung revealed as he nodded over to Taeyeon, who was desperately trying to catch up with the conversation.

“She’s Jun’s sister?” He asked, a bit surprised and confused, as he raised both his eyebrows and pointed to Taeyeon.

Wooyoung nodded.

He frowned, “Give me a second.” The blond haired man slammed the door shut causing Taeyeon to look curiously at what just happened.

“One second,” Wooyoung revealed – he didn’t want to scare Taeyeon by telling her how much of a bad idea he thought this was. Knocking on the door of a the mob’s club. He had to admit – Taeyeon either had balls or she was stupid. Or both.

After a long moment, the blond came back.  “This is for you to read, now leave,” he ordered as he handed a piece of paper to Wooyoung.

The door immediately slammed shut once again as Taeyon stood there, outraged and astonished, with piercing narrow eyes, a hanging jaw, and clenched fists.

As she began cursing them, Wooyoung read a letter that Jun had hand-written to him:

Wooyoung,

Get my little sister back to Korea.I will pay you back, I promise.

Please do this for me.

Minjun.

Wooyoung sighed as he stuffed it in his pocket, but Taeyeon tried to grab it out of his hand, “Lemme see!”

Wooyoung jerked away and countered, “It’s in English – you won’t even understand it.”

“Yes, I will,” Taeyeon argued like a child, trying to reach for it.

Just when she was about to grab it, Wooyoung’s phone dinged.  He pulled it out and realized that Taeyeon’s friend had just notified her back.

New York? Wae? Tell me where you are, I’ll come and find you.