A/N: It's cool to see so many subscribers to this fic! I also notice some of you are new subscribers -- if you're a little confused as to what's going on, you can check out Thirty Percent True, for the back story. On another note, I'm also thinking of doing a Q&A, which I'd post with one of the next chapters. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to inbox me, and I'll address them in the future :D

Where do I begin?

I cried silently on the airplane. Yugyeom didn’t say anything to me except when he passed me my food from the flight attendants. He just left me to my thoughts and my music playing through my headphones. When we arrived, my parents picked us up and drove us straight to my house. I snuck in a nap before the dinner party -- a large, boisterous gathering of relatives and family friends. Yugyeom was at my side for most of the night, since I had to translate for him. There was a lot of food, a lot of photos, a lot of catching up.

That night after the party ended, I dreamt about the airport. I dreamt about Jinyoung saying those words at the airport:

“I’m not sure if this is the best thing right now, for us.”

My memory’s going on like a broken tape recorder, playing those words in a continuous loop. But the words don’t become senseless rabble over repetition. Instead, hearing them over and over again just worries me more.

…

Yugyeom and I wake up that morning to a glorious home-cooked breakfast – eggs, bacon, toast, coffee. It’s the breakfast of champions, and Yugyeom’s official initiation into culinary America.

“Can you pass the sugar please?” Yugyeom asks.

Judging by the tone of his voice, it’s confused between taking pity and playing it cool. He’s still worried about me. I’m exhausted, from both the jet lag and from yesterday at the airport, but I muster up the enthusiasm to smile as I pass the sugarbowl. He smiles back and relaxes a little more. The last thing we both need is this trip to go sour.

Next to us is my brother Joey, who’s on vacation from high school. He’s a little shy since we both still have a lot to catch up on. My mom walks back into the kitchen, after picking up the newspaper at the door. She’s an extraordinary woman – calm, bright, strong, and beautiful.

“Do you have any plans today?” She asks.

“Shopping, maybe?” I reply. Yugyeom looks up from his meal, having understood what I said.

“Hollywood and Highland?”

“Mmhmm.”

“That’s good.” Mom replies. She’s picked up a greasy skillet and dunks it into the kitchen sink. “You’re going to love it there, Yugyeom!”

Yugyeom smiles, politely. He’s mildly confused, and I repeat what my Mom said but slower. He gets it, smiling and nodding.

“Also Mark, Jonathan called. He wants to invite you to his place for dinner. He’s invited your friends from high school.”

“Alright.”

“Jessica is going to be there too.” She begins to sound all bubbly.

…

Walking through Hollywood, I feel like both the tourist and a tour guide. I’m quickly overwhelmed by how different the streets are in Hollywood compared to Seoul. The buildings collectively are an extravagant splash of artistic references, homages to every known culture and time period. My brother tags along with Yugyeom and I. We take a lot of pictures, walk in and out of different shops, as Yugyeom hunts for clothes.

“Have you asked her out yet?” I ask Joey.

“No, not yet.”

It is funny how often, when we catch up with someone, we resort to asking about their love life.

“Why not?”

“I’ll do it after the competition.”

He’s currently into one of the girls in his English class. Knowing Joey, he’s helplessly attracted to the cute girls – mildly clumsy, and a little skeptical when people say they’re pretty.

“What competition?”

“Our finance team is competing at the national level this year.”

“Why not just ask her out now?”

“Because if we win then I can wear the medal when I ask her.”

“You’re worth going out to Prom with, Joey – whether or not you have a medal.”

Joey smi