Big Bang entered the room, laughing, but did a double take when they saw the Four Seasons there.

“Hey, you were the girls at Lake Crystal this morning, right?” Dae Sung asked, smiling, to which Lia had to translate to her friends.

Seung Ri turned and blinked. “Oh, yeah — the running girls who got tricked by your friend,” he recalled.

“I don’t think they want to be remembered like that,” Tae Yang joked in English.

Rylee grinned while Shervonne and Paige blushed ferociously. Lia just buried her head in Mark’s shirt, laughing. “Oh dear,” she said.

Ned frowned. “What happened? Who are they?” he asked.

TOP looked at him. “You don’t know Big Bang?” he asked back in his best English accent.

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking,” he retorted.

“We are the Korean boy band, Big Bang,” Tae Yang replied smoothly in English. “I am Tae Yang. These are my fellow members, TOP, G-Dragon, Seung Ri and Dae Sung.”

Mark’s eyes popped out. “You mean you guys are the band whom my cousin listen to every time?”

“Hey, that’s not entirely true,” Lia spoke up defensively.

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Then how do you explain how every time I come over to your house, it’s either Haru Haru or Lies blasting through your mini speakers?”

Lia faltered. “Ah . . . well, know . . .”

Ned sniggered. “Busted,” he remarked.

“Rather Big Bang than Britney Spears or Rebecca Black,” Shervonne snapped.

Lia cracked up. “Haha, sissy,” she laughed.

“So, what are you all doing here? Where are you from?” Seung Ri wanted to know, quickly changing the subject before Ned and Lia get into a heated argument.

“We’re students from Melbourne,” Lia explained. “We’re here on a school trip for a week. I’m Lia Douglas and these three girls here are Paige Simmons, Shervonne McGuire and Rylee Thompson. The boys are Mark Wedloe, Dylan Chiu and Ned Blankenship.”

“Why is my name last?” Ned piped up. “Oh, you mentioned yourself first because you’re the shortest. You were introducing us by height, weren’t you?”

Lia frowned at him. “I’m so glad I bring such joy and entertainment in your life because of my height,” she said sarcastically.

“Hey, being short isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” G-Dragon said, shooting her a look. He smiled. “I like short girls. I think they’re cute.”

She blushed.

Shervonne and Paige began to ask the members of Big Bang questions about fame and everything (Tae Yang helped translate everything). Lia felt out of place so she walked over to where the clown fishes and dory fishes were. “Hi little fishes,” she cooed. “Aren’t you the cutest things?” She smiled, watching them swim around their tank.

“First sign of madness: talking to yourself,” G-Dragon’s voice said from next to her.

She looked up. “I wasn’t talking to myself. I was conversing with the fishes.”

“Oh? Do they talk back to you?” he said, playing along.

“Yup.” She nodded with a straight face. “They were trying to convince me on why being a fish is so much better than being a human being.”

He laughed. “You’re funny,” he remarked and she blushed again. “Your Korean is good, too.”

She flushed, feeling proud. Looked like those Korean classes really did come in handy. “Thanks. I grew up taking it as a second language,” she explained, wondering if she should have said it was her first. She did know the basics up until she was five and was adopted.

“Oh, that is cool.”

Not knowing what to say, she turned back to watch the fishes.

“Do you like fish?”

She chortled and tried to smother her snort. “Well, seeing as we’re in an aquarium and seeing how I’m cooing over these little guys . . .” she said lightly.

He blushed and rubbed the back of his nape awkwardly. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “It’s just that I didn’t know what to say. I’m used to people starting a conversation first. Or rather, fans asking me question.” He grimaced.

She nodded her head knowingly. “Guess you don’t really like it when people come up to you and ask you all sorts of questions about fame and if you have a girlfriend, huh?”

He shook his head. “Those who ask if I’m single are the worst kind,” he said in a hoarse whisper. He pretended to strangle himself.

“So, are you single?” she joked.

He laughed, shaking his head. “Why, I didn’t think you were the kind of person!”

She smiled. “I’m not,” she replied. “By the way, do people always call you GD or G-Dragon? Or what do people like your friends, family or people from YG Entertainment call you?”

“They call me Ji Yong,” he replied. “That’s the name I was born with. G-Dragon is just my stage name.”

She nodded. “Ah, Ji Yong, the G-Dragon.” She smiled.

“Aren’t you a comedian?” he said sarcastically.

“Nah, I leave that to Rylee. We both can’t be comedians. It’ll drive Shervonne batty.”

“I can see that from this morning,” Ji Yong replied, smirking.

 “And to answer your question, yes, I do like fish. They’re nice to eat, especially steamed fish. Ohhh . . .” She had that faraway look. “I haven’t eaten steamed fish in so long. Gosh, I miss that.”

He nodded. “I know what you mean. TOP hyung can make delicious food, especially steamed fish. His grilled fish is nice too. Ask Dae Sung. He gobbles them all.”

“Oh, speaking of TOP, do you know why he gave me this weird look at the park this morning?” Lia asked.

Ji Yong raised an eyebrow. “You noticed?”

She shrugged. “I think everyone noticed it. It was quite obvious.”

He frowned slightly. “I don’t know. I ask him about it but he told me it was nothing.”

“Hmmm. You know, he looks familiar, as though I’d seen him somewhere and I don’t mean in the music videos.”

“You probably saw him in those Korean dramas,” Ji Yong replied. “If we don’t have a video to shoot, he’s out acting."

“Maybe.” But Lia was still doubtful. She turned to him.

He gave her a cocky grin. “How come I don’t seem familiar to you? I do appear everywhere.”

She gave him a light shove. He stumbled sideways a bit. “You are so full of it,” she laughed.

He pretended to be insulted. “Hey, is this how you treat someone famous?”

“If you were of royal blood, treating you like that would be a different case.”

He smiled. He liked her. She was different from all the other girls. Most fans would have gushed and squealed at the sight of him. But Lia made him feel . . . like he wasn’t a celebrity. He wanted to get to know her more.

“How you would like to hang out with us tomorrow?” he asked her. “We don’t have anything on, so we’re totally free.”

She looked surprised and pleased at the same time. “Well, sure, since tomorrow is a free day and we’re allowed to do whatever we want. But why are you asking someone who you just met to go over to your place?”

He shrugged. “I don’t normally ask people I just met to hang out with us but I like you. You’re an interesting person. I’m pretty sure the guys would like you too.”

“I’m guessing my friends aren’t invited?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “This is really putting me on the spot.”

She laughed. “It’s all right. Chill. I get it. Don’t worry; I’m sure they’ll understand.”

He sighed with relief. “Great. So which hotel are you guys staying at?”

“Erm. Metro Hotel.”

“Right. I’ll come pick you up at eight in the morning?”

She nodded. “Yeah, all right. Sure.”

“Wear comfortable clothes,” he told her. “I have a feeling the guys wanna work out at the sports stadium tomorrow.”

“Well, you have to, in order to stay fit for the music videos and all,” she pointed out.

He smiled sweetly at her and her heart fluttered. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he said. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheeks. He walked back to his friends and they left after saying goodbye to the others.

 

He was flirting with you. I can tell,” Shervonne said once they were back on the bus. “It was so obvious. He likes you!”

Lia blushed. “He was not flirting with me. He was just being friendly.”

“How is it friendly when he kisses you before he left? I don’t think so, Lia,” Paige said, giggling.

“He kissed you? OMG that is so cool!” Shervonne gushed.

“He kissed my cheeks!” Lia said, blushing. “It was nothing, really.”

“What did you guys talk about?” Rylee asked curiously.

“Well, he asked me to go over to their house tomorrow and hang with them,” she said with a fear in her heart. She hoped her friends weren’t jealous.

“Ohmaigosh!” Paige sighed. “I’m jealous! I wanna go!”

“Yeah, take me with you!” Shervonne said. “We are invited, right?”

Lia hesitated. “Well, um —”

“I can’t wait!”

“Oh, he didn’t invite us, did he?” Rylee said, noticing her discomfort.

There was an awful awkward silence as Paige and Shervonne let that thought sink it.

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry,” Lia said in a rush. “I did ask if you guys could come but —”

“It’s okay,” Paige cut through. “Besides, none of us are as big of a Big Bang fan as you are. Right, Sher?”

Shervonne nodded. “That’s right. Get them to introduce me to Jang Hyun-seungfrom Beast,” she said, “or I’ll never forgive you.”

Lia nodded and laughed, relieved that her friends were okay with it. She checked the time. “Oh! I call dibs on the bathroom first!” She hopped off her bed, grabbing her towel, and went to the bathroom.

“I don’t know about you guys,” Shervonne spoke up, “but I feel a bit . . . jealous . . . that she gets to hang out with them.”

Paige sighed. “Yeah, same here actually,” she replied. “But, we shouldn’t complain. Lia has always been different from us. Besides, she probably would end up being a translator for us and there will not be much fun for her.”

Rylee nodded. “Yes she has, and from what I heard, they’ll be heading to the gym so be lucky that they didn’t invite you so you’ll look like fools.”

“On second thoughts, I’m glad I wasn’t invited,” Shervonne said quickly. She didn’t like the idea of spending her time in a smelly gym. “We are going shopping tomorrow!”

Paige smiled. “Sightseeing as well as gift-shopping,” she said.

Rylee sighed. “I’m just going to stay in bed,” she mumbled. She shuddered. Shopping was not her idea of fun.