She smiled to herself, drawing circles on the palm of his hand. She turned her head and saw his eyes closing, a smile playing on his lips. She kissed him and he opened his eyes.

“Hey, that’s not fair. You stole a kiss from me.” He leaned down quickly and kissed her back. “Now we’re even, right?”

She smiled. “Left.”

He rolled his eyes but said, “Up.”

“Down,” she giggled.

“Straight.”

“Sideways.”

“All around,” the two of them said in one voice. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Great minds think alike.”

“Jinx!” Lia quickly said and she laughed. “You owe me a kiss.”

“Only one?” Ji Yong asked with a twinkle in his eyes. “Why not infinity?”

“That works, too,” she said with a straight face. She lifted her head so he could kiss her deep and long. She closed her eyes and kissed him back.

Lia knew that even though the others were fast asleep which gives Ji Yong the opportunity to do things to her, he won’t. He wouldn’t make her do anything she doesn’t like. She trusted him.

“You’re amazing, Lia,” he murmured to her between kisses. His right hand was tangled in her hair, his left on her waist to pull her close to him.

“Ji Oppa . . .”

After a really long time, they pulled apart and sat back in their seats to talk about random things that came to mind. Awhile later they lapsed into comfortable silence. Lia closed her eyes, making Ji Yong think she was asleep. He placed his lips on her forehead and whispered her name. He closed his eyes as well and went to sleep.

Lia opened her eyes and looked out of the window, careful not to disturb him. Somehow, she felt more at home with them in Korea than she was in Melbourne, where she grew up.

Lia was so tired that she was so dead to the world by the time they landed. Ji Yong had to carry her to the car with TOP and Tae Yang lugging their bags to the car. She was still asleep on the ride to their apartment and Ji Yong had to carry her again up the stairs.

Once they entered their apartment, Ji Yong laid her down in the guest room, taking her shoes off. He kissed her on the forehead and tucked her in bed. He closed the lights on his way out and closed the door quietly behind him. He walked out to the living room, where everyone else was wide awake.

“It’s six,” Tae Yang said, looking at the wall clock. “Anyone want dinner?”

“I don’t know why you are asking,” TOP said, walking to the kitchen. “You’re not the one cooking.”

Seung Ri looked up. “Do you want me to make my tuna omelet?” he asked. “We haven’t eaten that in a long while.”

TOP nodded, taking the pans and things out. “Sure. The rest of you should go wash up and unpack.”

“Yes, hyung.” The others went to bathe and unpack. They sat the table as Seung Ri and TOP bathed. Then they sat down around the table to eat.

“Should we save some food for Lia later when she wakes up?” Tae Yang asked when dinner was almost over.

TOP nodded. “Dae Sung, don’t finish it all.” He took the plate of chicken away from his hands.

Dae Sung started to complain when both TOP and Ji Yong gave him the evil eye. He bit his lip and ate what was left on his plate: plain rice.

Just then Lia walked inside the kitchen, awake and as though she’d just came out from the shower. “Hey.”

Big Bang looked up. In the kitchen, two hearts skipped a beat when they saw Lia but only one of them had actually captured her heart. “Hey, sleepy,” Ji Yong greeted as she came over to wrap her arms around his neck from the back.

Lia smiled and kissed his cheeks.

“Mmm, you smell so good,” he remarked. “It’s good enough to eat if I weren’t so full.”

She smacked him playfully on the head. “Get over it, Ji Oppa.”

“We save some food for you,” Seung Ri said, showing her the leftovers.

But Lia just shook her head. “You guys can finish it,” she told them. “I’m not hungry.”

Dae Sung was about to happily help himself to another spoonful of the omelet when he paused. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat anything?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. I’m tired so I think I’m going to crash.” One by one, she kissed the boys on the cheeks. But she hugged TOP and kissed Ji Yong on the lips. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Lia was really tired so the moment her head touched the pillow, she was already fast asleep.

The next morning, Big Bang had nothing planned out so Ji Yong decided to take Lia out on a date.

He approached the guys while Lia was still sleeping. “I want to take Lia on a date,” he announced and they looked up, “but I need to do a few errands so I’ll need you guys to help me out.”

“Sure, what is it?” Tae Yang asked.

“I need hyung to cook the meal,” he said, nodding toward TOP. “Then I need Bae to follow me out buy some stuff. Maknae, Dae Sung, can you guys keep her distracted until at least about twelve-thirty?”

“Wait, what is this for?” TOP wanted to know.

Ji Yong looked at him and hesitated. “Well . . . I want to ask her to be my girlfriend,” he confessed. “I hope that’s okay with you.”

No, I’m not okay with it! Seung Ri screamed in his head but he kept a calm face.

TOP just studied Ji Yong for a really long time. Finally, he nodded once that Ji Yong almost missed it.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“What do you need to buy?” Tae Yang asked him.

“A bracelet.”

“Will you buy a matching bracelet for yourself while you’re at it?” Dae Sung teased. “Why not a ring or a necklace?”

Ji Yong blushed. “I did think of that. But a ring is really cliché and I know Lia won’t want to take hyung’s necklace off.”

“I won’t let her, anyway,” TOP told him, shrugging. “Wise choice.”

Dae Sung and Seung Ri exchanged glances and turned back to Ji Yong. “How are we going to distract Lia?” they asked.

“I was hoping you would have a plan.”

“I know!” Seung Ri exclaimed after a while. “Don’t worry; we’ll make sure she doesn’t know what is going on.”

“Thank you, you guys.” Ji Yong was really grateful to have friends like them.

“Where are Gaho, Boss and Charlie?” Seung Ri asked, referring to Ji Yong and Tae Yang and TOP’s dogs respectively. “We need them for our Distract-Lia plan.”

“We do?” Dae Sung asked blankly.

He nodded seriously. “We are going to take them out for a walk,” he explained. “Of course, Lia is going be walking lazy Gaho.”

“Hey! Gaho isn’t lazy, he’s —” Ji Yong began to protest. But then he paused. “Yeah, he is, a bit.”

“Sure opposite from his master,” Seung Ri remarked.

“They’re in the backyard, somewhere,” TOP told Seung Ri. “Their leashes should be hanging on the door.”

“Okay, so if you don’t want Lia to find out, I think it’s time for you guys to get going,” Dae Sung spoke up. “Ji hyung and Bae hyung should get going and TOP hyung should start cooking now.”

Everyone scattered to do their own things. Seung Ri went to knock on Lia’s door.

“Yea, come in!” she called.

He opened the door. “You, me, Dae Sung hyung,” he said, getting straight to the point when she looked up. “The others are all busy with their own work so the three of us are going to walk their dogs.”

Lia smiled, standing up from the table. “Okay.” She grabbed her coat and walked out of the door. Dae Sung was ready for them, the dogs on their leashes and jumping up and down excitedly. The three dogs knew they were being taken out for fresh air and exercise.

“You’re taking care of Gaho, your boyfriend’s dog,” Dae Sung, handling her Gaho’s leash.

“Ah, Dae Sung Oppa, he’s not my boyfriend.” She took it from him and kneeled down to face the dog. She patted him and he her hand. She giggled. “Awww, you’re so cute!” she exclaimed.

Dae Sung and Seung Ri exchanged glances. They couldn’t believe that she called that big lump with layers of fats cute.

“Let’s go,” Seung Ri said and the three of them walked the dogs to the park.

“Are we allowed to let them run around freely without their leash?” Lia asked once they reached there.

Dae Sung nodded. “You can, but Gaho is really lazy so if you let him go, he’ll just lie on the ground.”

As if to prove him right, Gaho plopped down on the ground and snuggled up to sleep.

Lia shook her head. “Then I’ll just have to give him a little push.” She tugged on the leash and Gaho stood up unwillingly after a few tugs. Then she broke into a run so the poor dog had no choice but to follow.

“Good luck,” Seung Ri muttered under his breath as he and Dae Sung let Charlie and Boss loose.

Lia didn’t run far but when she stopped, Gaho flopped down on the ground, legs spread out, panting. She burst out laughing.

The dog looked up pitifully at her as if he’s asking “why are you torturing me?” Gaho whined.

“Get up, you lazy bones,” she commanded firmly. “I’m not having this.”

He gave her the sad face. It was the look many fall for but, to the boys’ great surprise, Lia kneeled down and gave Gaho the face too. They had a stare down. Gaho suddenly yelped and stood up. He jumped on Lia, her face. She fell over, giggling. Gaho jumped off and began chewing on his leash.

“Ready, boy?” she said with a grin.

“Woof!” Gaho barked impatiently, jumping on his hind legs.

She took his leash off and he ran to where Charlie and Boss were playing. Dae Sung and Seung Ri’s mouths dropped wide open.

“How’d you do that?” Seung Ri spluttered when Lia came up to them.

She smiled, shrugging. “It pays to have a dog that was just as lazy as Gaho.”

The boys grinned. “Ji hyung is going to be jealous that Gaho listened to her and not him,” they said, laughing.

The three of them just sat on a bench, watching the dogs play around. Gaho seemed to have a lot of fun.

Lia smiled.