It’s been almost four months since Lia came to live with Big Bang. Time flies when you’re having too much fun.

Big Bang had been busy with their usual, hectic schedules. Lia, being homeschooled, would sometimes follow them to YG building and hang around with the people there. But sometimes she would stay at home and do house chores even though the boys had told her many times to not to bother about it.

In between times the boys would teach Lia Korean so she could communicate with people in the outside world and soon her vocabulary improved tremendously. Soon she was able to understand a bit of what they say whenever the boys converse with each other in Korean. She still had troubles in speaking correctly but it was better than when she first started out. The boys were really chuffed with themselves for being such good teachers.

But then things got busier and they hardly see Lia anymore. She would stop coming to YG building, saying she’s got a lot of stuff to do with her schoolwork that she don’t have time to come over with the boys anymore.

But then sometimes when the boys come home early in the evening she’s out. When they call her to ask her where she was, she told them she wasn’t joining them for dinner and by the time she comes back, she was so tired that she usually just go to sleep without any small talks to ask about their day.

During the weekends when they usually don’t have anything on and are free, Lia goes out and doesn’t come back until in the evening. She would always come back bearing cupcakes and cookies to make up for not spending time with them.

Big Bang couldn’t help but worry because she seemed so tired, so stressed yet she always managed to keep a smile on her face no matter.

Honestly, Big Bang missed Lia. They miss her joyous laughs, her witty comebacks and, well, basically everything about her. And they wanted her back.

Big Bang was finished with all of their morning schedules and decided to take a little break before they have to get back to the routine.

Se7en walked in, thinking he’d visit them on his free time. “Oh, where’s Lia?” he asked them. “I haven’t seen her around in quite a long time now.”

Dae Sung shrugged. “She’s been very busy these past few days,” he replied.

Se7en looked at Ji Yong, who looked a bit depressed. Then he turned to TOP, who had a frown on his face. He knew they worried about her a lot, being the two closest to Lia. “What is she doing to tire herself out?”

They shrugged. “Aing, nan mollayo.”

“We have two hours of break before we have to go for vocal lessons,” Ji Yong spoke up to his group. “Do you want to go out for lunch first then?”

They nodded so all of them headed out to the nearest café for lunch.

Oh, Lia! You got flour on your nose!” Chin Char Nie giggled.

Lia looked at her reflection through the shiny, silver baking pan and realized her friend was right. She laughed, wiping it off. “Oops.” She wiped it on her cheek.

“Hey!”

Lia giggled, as Char Nie’s big brother, Chung Ho entered with a frown on his face. “Why are you girls playing?” he asked.

Char Nie bowed her head apologetically. “Mianhae, oppa,” she replied.

“Sorry, Chung Ho-sshi,” Lia added but she was still smiling.

Lia was working as a baker and waitress at a café called The Library owned by Char Nie and Chung Ho’s parents, which explains why she hadn’t had time to spend time with Big Bang and why she was so tired. Every morning she would wake up early to do chores and then come to work at nine until six in the evening. Then she would go eat dinner with her new friends and come home late.

In her spare time at the café, if business was slow, she would do her homework. Char Nie and her twin sister Char Lie only works in the weekends because she was in school. Chung Ho, however, had graduated from high school last year and decided to skip college to help his parents work around the shop.

Lia thought that it might get a bit boring if she goes to YG building or stay home everyday which was why she decided to look for a job. One day she was walking down the streets when she saw the café. She remembered she once came here with her Melbourne friends during her school class trip.

From there she met Chin Char Nie, a girl her age (who, thankfully, knew how to speak English because of one of the requirements of running a café with tourists coming in). She told Char Nie she was looking for a job to earn money to help pay for the house bills so Char Nie suggested she worked for her parents.

Lia went for an interview and was accepted as the new waitress/baker. If they were short on staff, she would be a waitress. But if there were too many bakery orders, she would be the baker and helped Char Nie.

Chung Ho was in the cashier and Char Nie was in charge of the bakeries. Lia didn’t mind. She liked the two of them along with Char Nie’s sister. They are friendly people.

“Is business slow today, Chung Ho-sshi?” Lia asked.

He nodded grimly. “Hopefully it won’t be this slow after lunch and we’ll finally get some business,” he grumbled and walked out of the bakery section, making Char Nie and Lia to exchange glances.

“He’s just grumpy because my parents didn’t allow him to take a day off to go on a date with his girlfriend,” Char Nie explained. “Anyway do you have a favorite K-pop band?”

“I like Big Bang! Although 2NE1 isn’t that bad either,” she added.

Char Nie’s eyes lit up. “Who’s your bias?”

She hesitated. Ji Yong or TOP? “G-Dragon,” she finally decided. “But TOP comes a close second. The others just fall into third place.”

“I like Dae Sung the best,” Char Nie said. “There’s something about his smile that really attracts me to him. And I think he’s a nice guy. Good boyfriend material.”

Lia laughed, trying to imagine Dae Sung and Char Nie together. It doesn’t seem that bad, actually. They actually have a lot in common. “Who does Char Lie like?”

“Tae Yang.” Char Nie was lost in thoughts. “I think my brother told me that Big Bang comes here often until they are considered as regular customers,” she said slowly.

Lia stopped baking. “What?”

Char Nie giggled. “I know, right? We can actually see them whenever they come! But I won’t have the courage to talk to him.”

Lia wasn’t paying attention to Char Nie anymore. The reason why she didn’t tell Big Bang she got a job was because she knew they would tell her not to work. She got the job for she wanted to help pay the bills and also to earn money.

Char Lie rushed in, distracting her from her thoughts, her face all flushed. “Guess who is here?” she blurted out.

Char Nie and Lia looked at each other and back to her. “You?”

She made a face. “No, not in here, but in the café,” she said impatiently. She jumped up and down like a girl who just saw her idol.

Char Nie squealed, sharing her sister’s excitement. “Omo, it’s Big Bang isn’t it?”

They ran outside but Lia remained behind. Char Lie came back. “Lia, come on!”

“Someone’s got to watch the oven to make sure the cake doesn’t get burnt!” she called back, happy to have an excuse not to go.

“Oh, go ahead and see the boys,” the other baker, a lady in her early thirties, said. “I’ll keep an eye on those cakes.”

“Kamsahamnida, ajumma!” Char Lie cried out, dragging Lia with her outside. “Come on.”

The girls went out to where Char Nie was hovering behind the cashier. Big Bang sat in the middle of the café, flipping through the pages of the menu. They were the only ones in the café. Business was indeed slow that day. No wonder Chung Ho was upset. Speaking of him, he was nowhere in sight.

“Omo, Dae Sung is so cute!” Char Nie was whispering to them. “Lie, Tae Yang isn’t that bad looking today.”

“Of course,” Char Lie shot back. “Lia, GD looks cute today.”

Lia smiled. Ji Yong is handsome, no doubt. Seeing him there is making her wish she could have more time with him. She missed being close to him. Her heart ached just thinking about how she'd been neglecting the boys. She now wished she'd spent her free time with them instead of the dogs.

“Ooooh,” Char Nie and Char Lie gushed.

“Are you girls going to stand there and stalk them or are any of you going up to them and ask them for their orders?” a voice behind said and they jumped, startled. They turned to see that Chung Ho was glaring at them. “You girls are the only waitresses we have today so one of you has to go do it.”

“Lia, you go,” the twins both said in perfect unison. They pushed her forward. “Smile!”

Lia quickly turned back before Big Bang could see her. “This is your chance to talk to them. Don’t you want to take that opportunity or regret it later in life?” Anything to stop them from seeing her!

Chung Ho sighed. “Char Nie, Char Lie, you guys go,” he said. “Lia, go back.”

She nodded and immediately rushed back to the kitchen while her friends giggled with excitement, walking over to the K-pop band. When they went to the back with the boys’ orders, they walked over to Lia who was busy baking another cake.

“Lia, you should have come with us!” Char Nie said. “Dae Sung was so cute! And he was really nice, too.”

“Tae Yang was too!” Char Lie chimed in.

Lia just smiled and shrugged as she mixed the ingredients together. “We have three cake orders to finish up by four,” she told them. “Why do you want to leave ajumma alone to do it?”

The twins got right back to work but when Big Bang’s orders were ready to eat, the twins requested to deliver their own bias’s meal. When Ji Yong’s order was done, they forced Lia to give it to him. Lia was now regretting ever telling Char Nie she likes Ji Yong. Why couldn’t she have told her she didn’t listen to any K-pop bands? It would have been so much simpler. But no, she had to open her big fat mouth.

Good job you idiot, she scolded herself in her head as she carried Ji Yong’s food to their table. Now they’re gonna find out that you work here and they’ll ask a lot of questions.

Big Bang were deep in conversation that they didn’t notice Lia walking up to them. She sighed. “One kimchi rice,” she said flatly.

They looked up and did a double take. “Lia?” they said in confusion.

She set the plate in front of Ji Yong, who was just staring at her. “Hi,” she said, smiling guiltily.