If You

Clueless

Jiyong ran offstage into the wings, panting heavily. "Two encores and they're still going crazy," he said, glancing back at the crowd.

Emily handed him a water bottle. "Are you gonna give them a third?" she asked.

Jiyong grinned. "Daesung's got it under control."

What does that mean? Emily wondered. The crowd roared and she caught a glimpse of Daesung walking onstage. "Is he on?" Seungri asked, coming over to them. Jiyong nodded. "Watch," he said, beckoning Emily over to the viewscreen. They watched Daesung walk out onto the main catwalk until he was in the middle of the audience. He stopped and stood perfectly still, his head down. The longer he stood there the louder the crowd screamed.

"What is he doing?" Emily asked.

"Just watch," Jiyong insisted.

Daesung slowly put his hands to his chest, eliciting more screams from the crowd. There was a burst of light and in one motion Daesung ripped his shirt open, exposing his bare chest. Backup dancers ran out and a song started, the bass practically shaking the arena. Daesung stood on the catwalk, running his fingers through his hair while he sang.

Emily put a hand to her mouth. "What the..." she trailed off. She looked at Jiyong. "I've never seen him like this!"

"Daesung's got a certain image in Japan," Jiyong said smugly. Daesung pulled off his shirt completely and the crowd screamed again. "I'll say," Emily whispered, shaking her head.

The song ended and the lights went down, the arena going completely dark. "Time for our last bow," Jiyong said, handing Emily his water and running back onto the stage. Emily watched them line up together and bow deeply, waving at the fans as they left the stage again.

"That was quite a show, Daesung," Emily said, nodding at his bare chest. "Like what you see?" he asked, giving her a twirl. Emily splashed him with Jiyong's water and Daesung yelped. "Not the pants!" he said, twisting away from her.

"Let's get dressed and go to dinner," Sagowa called, waving them over. They all walked back to the dressing room, where Emily waited in the hallway while the boys changed out of their glittering stage costumes.

"Ready?" Youngbae asked, emerging from the room first. Emily nodded. "Where are we going?" she asked. Youngbae shrugged. "Probably somewhere local," he said, putting his jacket on.

Emily swallowed a groan. More Japanese food? she thought, her stomach twisting slightly. While she always enjoyed sampling local cuisine, the thought of another fish and rice meal made her stomach turn.

"What's with the face?" Youngbae asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's nothing," Emily said, shoving the queasiness away. "I'm just tired."

"Emily? Are you okay?" Daesung asked, coming out of the room. "You look a little green."

"I'm fine," Emily said firmly. "Are the others-"

"Who's ready for sashimi?" Seungri said, sliding a pair of sunglasses on. Emily groaned and leaned against the wall, holding her stomach.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Seungri asked, coming over to her. Emily squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the feeling to pass.

"Why is everyone standing in front of the door?" Jiyong demanded, squeezing between Daesung and Youngbae. He saw Emily bent over and stopped. "Oh," he said awkwardly. "Are you sick?" he asked.

"No, I'm okay," Emily said straightening up. "Just a little queasy."

Jiyong glanced at the others. "What happened?"