She ran to her bag. She rummaged through it and took out the brown box. She opened it and showed the necklace to her friends. “Would this do? I was saving it for a special occasion.”

“It’s so pretty!” Paige exclaimed, lifting it up in her hands.

“How come we’ve never seen you wear it before?” Rylee asked her.

“Where did you get it from?” Shervonne wondered.

“It was carved by my big brother — my real big brother — long ago,” she explained. “He carved it for my fifth birthday present.”

“Before you guys got separated?” Rylee guessed.

She nodded.

“It’s perfect,” Shervonne declared. “This is something only you would wear.”

“You think?”

“Oh yes,” she said. “It’ll go nicely with your outfit. Plus, it’s a special occasion.”

Lia beamed. “Oh, I’m so excited. I can’t wait for tomorrow!”

“Let us know what happen,” Paige told her.

“Don’t worry, I will.”

“Especially if there’s any kissing,” Rylee added slyly with twinkling eyes. She laughed gayly.

Lia blushed.

“Do you think that will happen?” Paige wondered.

“Do you want to kiss him?” Shervonne piped up, giggling.

“Well, I — we — that —” Lia stammered, not sure of what to say.

“Oooh, why, someone is blushing a deep shade of red,” Shervonne teased. “You really like him, don’t you?”

She shrugged. “I’ve only just met him. But he’s really nice, sweet and funny. Plus, he’s awfully cute. But I don’t think he’ll ever like me back in that way.”

“If he doesn’t like you, why did he ask you out for a date?” Shervonne reasoned.

She heaved a deep sigh. “Gah, I’m scared I might screw up.” She played with her fingers. “What if I screw up?”

“Be who you are, Lia,” Rylee advised. “G-Dragon wouldn’t have asked you out if he didn’t like you for who you are.”

“The sporty fan has a point,” Shervonne spoke up.

“Surprisingly,” Paige chimed in and Rylee gave her a look.

Lia nodded. “I guess.”

The other three didn’t know why she was so worried for. They could tell that Ji Yong likes her.

 

The next night, Lia was wearing what the Four Seasons had decided for her to wear from the night before. She also decided to tie her hair up in peacock-hair style. She tied her hair in a ponytail and used a clip to hold it up, letting the ends fly in different direction. A few strand of hair fell from her hair, giving her catfish fringe.

“Wow, you look so pretty,” Paige told her. “G-Dragon is so going to fall in love with you for sure.”

Lia blushed. “No, I don’t think he will.”

“Are you ready for your hot date with the hottest guy you’ve ever laid eyes on, Lia Douglas?” Shervonne said with a grin. It was six-fifty in the evening.

“No.”

Rylee sighed.

“Breathe in, breathe out,” Paige told her. “Calm down. Just relax and be yourself and just have fun. Stop fretting.”

She nodded.

“You should go down now,” Rylee said. She hugged her. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Lia walked down to the lobby. She waited for awhile.

She heard the door open and turned around to see — Seung Ri.

“Hey, Maknae Oppa,” she said, surprised. “Where’s Ji Yong Oppa?”

Seung Ri laughed, understanding why she would be confused. “Hyung asked me to be your chauffer for tonight,” he explained to her. “Ji Yong Hyung is getting the date ready.”

“Ohhh, I see, I see.” She smiled, feeling the butterflies. She turned to him. “Does this mean I can bully you?”

“No,” he scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. “Anyway, if you don’t mind me saying this, you look really beautiful tonight.”

“Aww thanks. I return the compliment,” she said, nodding to his outfit: black blazer over white button shirt, black slacks, black leather shoes. “You even have a hat to go with your outfit.”

He grimaced. “Hyung seems to think that it is some kind of joke,” he muttered darkly. He sighed. “The hyungs all probably had a good laugh about it after I left the hostel to come pick you up.”

“I can imagine. I would laugh too. Oh wait, I already am.”

He just shook his head.

“I’m not under dress, am I?” she asked worriedly as he escorted her out into his black Audi.

He shook his head no and held the door for her. “You’re dressed just right for the occasion. Nice necklace that you’re wearing, by the way. It’s pretty,” he added as he slid into the driver’s seat. He started the engine and drove away.

Lia reached up to touch the necklace. “Thanks, Maknae Oppa,” she said quietly. “It was carved by someone dear to me.”

“Oh.”

“So, where is Ji Oppa taking me?” she asked brightly, trying to change the subject.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. But we have to stop by at the apartment first. He left something there and he wants me to get it for him.” He rolled his eyes and she laughed, understanding his pain.

“It must to be the youngest, huh?”

“Yeah, want to help me ask  hyung to not order me around that much?”

“Nope.”

“You’re mean.”

She shrugged. “You want something done, you do it yourself,” she preached.

“If that’s the case, go walk to the hostel yourself,” he joked. “You want to go there, you walk. Don’t ask me to drive you there.”

Lia poked her tongue out at him. “That is a different case!” she replied. “You are taking orders from someone else, not me!”

“But I can rebel.” He poked his tongue out back at her.

“Do that again and I’ll cut it out,” she threatened lightly.

“There’s no scissors in here.”

“What makes you think I don’t have it here in my bag?” she asked innocently.

Seung Ri gave her a horrified look. “Omo, you’re so lying,” he said. He paused. “You are lying, right?”

She shrugged, enjoying herself. “Okay, say whatever you please.”

He made a face as he parked his car. “Get out!” he said, laughing.

She giggled. “I’m already getting out,” she replied. “We’re here!”

Laughing, the two of them got out of the car. They walked up the stairs, still joking and teasing each other.

Seung Ri couldn’t help but think that this was how it was meant to be. They were supposed to be like this, he and her. If only it was him she was going on a date with, and not with Ji Yong. If only, if only. His head was filled with too many “if only”. He sighed inwardly.

They entered the apartment and found everyone in the living room, eating dinner. Well, everyone except Ji Yong, that is.

“Hey, Lia,” they said, looking up. “It’s good to see you again.

“Hey, it’s good to see you guys, too.” Lia felt good to be back. She missed this place already. She glanced around. “Where’s Ji Yong Oppa?”

“Hyung is in his room, I think,” Dae Sung said through a mouthful of noodles. “Sit down first. He’ll come out when he’s ready.”

She sat down next to TOP. “Did Ji Yong Oppa really ask Maknae Oppa to wear that?” she asked with a wicked smile.

“Oh come on!” Seung Ri protested and the others burst out laughing. “Actually, I think I look rather cute and y, don’t you think so?”

Lia made a face. “No, I don’t,” she replied with a straight face. She turned to slap high-fives with Dae Sung and Tae Yang.

Seung Ri pouted and TOP whacked him on the head. “Eat your food,” he ordered, “before it gets cold.”

Muttering to himself, Seung Ri dug into his bowl of noodles.

“You don’t mind watching us eat, do you?” Tae Yang asked her.

She shook her head. “Nah, Bae Oppa,” she replied. “I’m okay with it.”

“So what did you do today?” TOP asked her. “Did you spend eight hours getting ready for the date like how girls would?”

“Oh, Seunghyun Oppa. That is so ist!” Lia proclaimed. “No, of course not! It took me half an hour.”

“Ah, that means you didn’t care about hyung enough to beautify yourself longer,” Dae Sung said with a grin.

“I’m not your average girl.”

“Nope, you’re definitely not,” Seung Ri said otherwise, giving her a noodle-ly grin. “And that is a bad thing.”

“You’re a bad thing,” she retorted.

The others laughed and he pretended to sulk as he turned back to his food. “As least my noodles doesn’t talk back.”

“Oh, that’s sad.”

He poked his tongue out at her.

“Very mature,” she commented. She turned back to TOP. “Oh, and for your information, I went shopping with my friends the entire day,” she told them. “Any recommendations for places for tourists like me to go see?”

“If you really want to go sightseeing and all,” he said as he sat back in his chair, “don’t go to where all the tourist attractions are. You should go to the night markets downtown instead. Go to the suburbs as well. There’s a lot more things happening there than tourist attractions.”

“Hyung is right,” Dae Sung nodded.

“Of course I’m right; I’m always right.”

“Right.”

“What is taking Ji Yong Oppa so long?” Lia wondered.

“Why don’t you go see if he is ready to go?” TOP told her, flipping his phone to read a message.

Bewildered and confused, Lia stood up and walked over to his door. She knocked gently. “Ji Yong Oppa?”

“Come in!”

She pushed the door opened and gasped.