One day during break, Phoebe Williams, a new girl in Lia's class, went up to her and asked, “Hey, do you listen to Big Bang?”

Lia faked a smile and said, “Big Bang? You like? I love them!”

Phoebe beamed. “I like Tae Yang out of all of them. Who do you like?”

She hesitated. “G-Dragon,” she admitted. It was true. And besides, she knew that Phoebe meant as a ‘crush’ and she would always be ‘crushing’ on Ji Yong.

Phoebe made a face. “Seriously? He’s not even that good-looking.”

“Neither is Tae Yang,” she said defensively. Sorry, Bae Oppa, she thought. Tae Yang is good-looking, but obviously she would be bias and say Ji Yong.

Phoebe's friend Jacklyn came up to them. “I’m not a crazy fan like Phoebe here,” she said, “but I like Seung Ri.”

Lia burst out laughing. Great, another one to add to his list, she thought. Won’t he be pleased? “You like the cute maknae?”

“He is cute,” Phoebe agreed. Her eyes lit up. “Oh, but TOP is super hot!”

Lia nodded, agreeing. “Yeah, he is. I like him too. Oh and Dae Sung Op — Dae Sung is hilarious with his big cheesy grin.” She had nearly called Dae Sung oppa. If they found out they would be suspicious. She cannot afford to slip out.

Not ever.

“I want to go Korea,” Phoebe said, sighing dreamily. “Imagine if we can actually see them or talk to them.”

Lia grinned. “I’ve been to Korea,” she told her. “Last year my class took a one week field trip in Korea.” With a sly and sneaky smile she added, “I even get to see them, but they were quite far away.”

Phoebe squealed. “Yer, lucky you!” she said enviously.

“I’ve already been there too,” Jacklyn spoke up, smiling gloatingly at Phoebe, who pouted.

“I hate you guys,” she moaned. “I want to go to Korea!”

Ms. Payton came up to them. “Are you girls talking about work or not?” she asked with a stern look.

“Neither. We were talking about Korea,” Jacklyn replied with a straight face.

The other two girls burst out laughing and Ms. Payton whacked her lightly on the head and said, “Go do your work!”

“But it’s break time!” she protested.

Ding, ding!

“Not anymore.” Their teacher walked back to her table. “Where are all my munchkins?”

Lia scurried to her seat and opened her book. She looked around. Almost a year ago, she would not have believed that she would have broken up with Ji Yong. She missed him.

A gust of air-conditioning wind blew by her face and she quickly grabbed her hoodie to warm herself up. With a start, she realized it was Ji Yong’s grey hoodie. She winced.

Ji Yong.

She sighed. It’s been nine months, but she’s still in love with him. She was still hurt but she had forgiven him because she knew it was to help her. She can’t blame him for trying to make her happy. Yet she still ignored him and talked to the others, giving them an update on her life. It was sweet of them to still call despite their busy schedule.

Life has been good. Lia now goes to church. She's made friends with people from her church as well. She even joined the youth music ministry.

One Saturday morning she went to church for the youth monthly music ministry meeting where everyone would talk effortlessly and give updates and such.

When the meeting ended, she and her new guy friend Iain went to play a few chords on his electric guitar with other people watching.

Suddenly Lia’s phone buzzed. She was getting a call from TOP. She picked up. “Hi!” she said.

“Ji Yong has been in an accident.”

She froze. “What?” she said in disbelief.

TOP’s voice sounded muffled, as though he’s trying his best not to cry. “It’s my fault. I’m so sorry, Mei.”

“What happened?” she demanded to know.

Her friends looked up when they noticed a change in her tone of voice. They stared at her quizzically.

“We went to a pub,” TOP went on. “We got a bit drunk but usually we were still able to drive home safely. But I think Ji Yong drank a little too much. The next thing I know, I woke up from the hospital.”

“What about him?”

“He’s in a coma,” he said in a hoarse tone. “He’s been for a week.”

“And you only choose to tell me now?!” she shrieked.

“Mei, we didn’t know if we should because we all thought you hated him,” he explained. “But then we decided we should, that’s why I’m calling now.”

Lia was lost for words. She didn’t know what to say.

“Maknae, Dae Sung and I are coming to get you,” he added. “We’re in Melbourne right now. Are you at church?”

“Yes . . .”

“Okay. We’re coming. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll see you soon. Mei, stay strong.”

Lia hung up. She was still speechless. She couldn’t think straight. She fell to the floor.

“Are you okay? Why are you crying?” Iain asked her.

All her friends came over to her. Lia didn’t even notice she was crying. But once she did, she began to sob uncontrollably.

How could he . . .? But he was usually so strong. Lia didn’t want to believe it.

Her friends came to her, asked her what was wrong but she refused to talk. She didn’t respond. Instead she cried. Suddenly she felt her body shake.

And everything went black.

When she woke up, she found herself in someone’s arms. Seung Ri’s face was looking worriedly down at her. She cried again and she threw her arms around him.

“Shhh, calm down, sweetheart,” he said. He looked up to see her friends staring at him. “Um, hi,” he said awkwardly.

“How do you know her?” Iain gawked.

“She’s a very close and personal friend of Big Bang,” he explained. Lia began to cry all over again and he kissed her forehead. “Shhh.”

The door opened and TOP and Dae Sung came in, looking for Lia. She broke from Seung Ri and ran to TOP, who hugged her back. “I want to go see him!” she exclaimed.

TOP hesitated. He didn’t think it was a good idea. Look at the state of her now. What more if she sees him? Would she be even more heartbroken? “Mei, I don’t think —”

“Please.”

He sighed, turning to Dae Sung. “Call for a private plane,” he told him. “She is coming home with us.”

Dae Sung nodded and called for their agent to hire a private plane while Lia rushed back to her house to pack her clothes.

TOP and Dae Sung looked back in their seats in the plane. Lia was sleeping soundly in Seung Ri’s arms. His arms secured around her firmly. They saw the dried tear stains on her face and Seung Ri had a troubled expression on his sleeping face.

“If Lia isn’t in love with Ji hyung, people would think she and Maknae are together,” Dae Sung whispered.

TOP snorted. “Maknae is lucky he didn’t confess to Mei,” was all he said.

Dae Sung’s eyes grew wide. “Maknae likes Lia?”

TOP rolled his eyes. “You mean you didn’t know?”

Dae Sung shook his head, still not believing he didn’t know about it.

“Omo, why are you so blur?” He sighed, folding his arms across his chest. “Maknae has always liked her, even though he tries to hide it. Ji Yong knows but he didn’t say anything because Mei has no clue. Come to think of it, Mei is just as blur as you.”

Lia stirred in her sleep; whimpering a little. Seung Ri opened his eyes and he saw her shivering. He pulled the blanket up, covering her shoulders and tucking it in under heer chin. He sang a lullaby and she fell silent again.

TOP and Dae Sung witnessed the whole thing. The look of their maknae’s face shows how much he really cares about Lia. They exchanged glances, thinking the same thing: could the bad boy player really be falling in love for real?

TOP turned to Dae Sung suspiciously. “You’re not in love with my sister, are you?” he asked, squinting his eyes.

His eyes went wide in bewilderment. “What?” he said blankly. “No! I think of her as a little sister. Nothing more; I think of her as just a cute little sister who’s fun to be with.”

He nodded. “Good.”

They went inside the room where Ji Yong was sleeping. When Lia saw him, she burst into tears.

Why does he look so peaceful?!

She went to his side and took his hands in hers. “Ji Oppa,” she whispered. She sat down, helplessly in despair.

Tae Yang came up to her and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Lia,” he murmured. He didn’t say anything else because there was nothing else he could say.

The four of them left Lia alone with him. She looked at him, pain clearly in her eyes. “Ji Oppa, I’m sorry. I forgive you. Please, wake up.” She kissed his lips.

His eyes remained shut.

She looked at him. “I’m not going to leave you.”