(Part 1)

“Where exactly did Daniel go, again?” Inati asked Day Day.

Day Day shrugged. “I really don’t know. The only thing I could get out of him before he bolted from the airport was that he had to meet somebody.”

“His family, maybe?” Jeesu piped in as he walked around the hotel room. Day Day and Jeesu, bored out of their minds, had decided to go over to Inati and Daniel’s room. They had a few days of relaxation before the real work began, and Day Day had promised to show Youngwon and Jeesu some of LA, but

Youngwon had promptly passed out on his bed the minute he and Jeesu found their room, so they had decided to give some time for jet lag to lessen some, but Daniel, excited to back home, hadn’t even gotten as far as the airport exit before leaving for who knew where.

“Maybe…” Day Day said, playing with the hotel notepad sitting on the desk he was sitting at. “But I thought he said a few days ago that his family was on a tip until tomorrow. They even shortened the time so they could see him sooner.”

“Really?” Inati, lying on his bed, asked.

Day Day shrugged. “That’s what I thought Daniel had said. I could be wrong; I just thought it was nice of his family to cut their vacation short to come home and see him.”

Inati laughed. “Well, it’s not like they see him very often. Even you have family in Korea you can go see if you wanted to.”

“Yeah, that’s what’s going on,” Jeesu said. “I had forgotten the vacation thing.”

Day Day hummed. “I wonder where he did go, then.”

“Who?” Dari asked, walking in through the open door of the hotel room and flinging himself on the bed next to where Inati sat.

“Daniel,” Jeesu answered simply. “You haven’t seen him since we left the airport, right?”

Dari shook his head. “I haven’t. But he told me he was going to do something important.”

“That’s all we know too,” Inati said, looking a little displeased. Usually, Inati was pretty easy-going when it came to the comings and goings of band members, but he had always been a little uneasy not knowing where someone was after an extended period of time. It wasn’t something he did out of a need to control; he just genuinely worried a lot. Even though he had known Daniel for a long time now, Inati would still worry if he was gone for a while.

“Relax,” Day Day told Inati, noticing the expression Inati had. “Los Angeles used to be that kid’s playground. I’m sure he’s fine. Besides, it’s not like he’s the little one anymore.”

“He’s the youngest,” Jeesu said.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Day Day muttered, low that Jeesu couldn’t hear, in case he understood that phrase. “My point is that he’s overage; he could be out drinking right now, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Please don’t remind me,” Inati mumbled as he stood up.

“That kid better not be drinking,” Dari said as he looked over the designs on the hotel bed duvet. “He didn’t invite me.”

Jeesu stopped his pacing enough to push Dari’s shoulder a little, though, by the grin on his face, everyone could tell he was amused by Dari’s comment.

“I’m back!” a sudden call came from the hotel door. Daniel stood in the doorway, a bag slung over his shoulder. “Oh. Am I missing a meeting?”

Day Day stood, shaking his head. “Nope. We were actually just wondering where you went.”

Day Day and Jeesu began walking slowly towards Daniel, small grins on their faces. Inati and Dari, sensing the situation, stood and joined the other two.

“Wha—what?” Daniel stuttered, eyes going from man to man, questioning their actions.

“Where’d you go, Danny?” Day Day asked. “We know you didn’t meet your family—they’re on vacation. Surely you didn’t start partying already?”

Daniel stopped walking backwards and gave Day Day a look. “It’s five o’clock in the evening. Do you think I went partying? And if I did go partying—which I didn’t—do you seriously think I’d be back this early?”

“Then where were you?” Jeesu questioned, ignoring the English.

“I went to see a friend,” Daniel answered simply, trying to shove his way through the line of men blocking his way to his bed.

“A girl?” Dari asked simply. So simply, Daniel couldn’t help but stop moving for a second, wondering how Dari had known.

“A ha!” Inati cried, grabbing Daniel by the collar and pulling him into the room. “A girl, then? Who?!”

“No one you would know,” Daniel answered quietly, throwing his bag on the second bed in the hotel room. “Obviously.”

“Come on…” Jeesu pleaded. “It least tell us how you know her!”

Dari made a face at Jeesu. “Maybe we should get you a girl…” he suggested, earning a glare from Jeesu.

Daniel, lightened by the exchange between the two, said, “She was a really close friend of mine before I moved. I’d been back to Las Angeles since, but this was the first time I’ve had time to actually go see her.”

“Did she know you were coming?” Inati asked, sitting on his bed again. With Inati’s recession, the other four backed off Daniel as well, letting him speak freely.

“She didn’t.” Daniel couldn’t hide his smile. His surprise couldn’t have worked better. He was a little disappointed that Alex didn’t recognize him immediately, but he was sadder that he hadn’t been able to see Alex’s reaction to his signature, since he knew she’d look, being the curious and signature-loving person she was.

“Will we get to meet this girl?” Dari asked. “Before we leave?”

“Probably not,” Daniel conceded with a sigh. “She has a life.”

“By ‘life,’ I assume you mean ‘guy,’” Day Day told Daniel, grimacing a little for his friend.

Daniel shrugged.

“Who has a guy?” a voice suddenly asked from the room entrance, revealing a groggy Youngwon. “And when are we getting food?” 

So I caved and am writing a sequel. :D

Thanks for reading/subscribing~!