"What is it?" Himchan asked from behind him.

But Yongguk had no words, and as they all made their way to the bottom of the stairs and finally entered the main part of the airport, no one else had words to say, either.

Hundreds of fans was an understatement. Thousands upon thousands of fans crowded around the airport, and a scream loud enough to shatter a glass house rose up as the six of them opened the doors and stepped out onto the scene. Yongguk blinked and almost started crying from relief. They did have fans. Many fans. Their hard work and hours on the dance floor had finally paid off, and now they were reaping the benefits. Emotion welling up inside him prevented Yonguuk from greeting the fans formally, so he said the only thing he could say due to hours of repeating it over and over on every Korean variety show they appeared on. "We are . . . " he began.

"B.A.P, yes, sir!"

Yongguk glanced over and saw his smile mirrored in every single one of his friend's faces. Zelo was practically jumping up and down in excitement, and for a moment he wanted to jump up and down as well, if only to demonstrate how happy he felt in knowing that he had made the right choice in becoming part of a Korean dance group. He had his family back in Korea, he had his friends right here, he had his fans in both countries, and he had his music always. Life was good.

As the fans surged forward, Yongguk worried that something might happen to their group, but then he remembered the several American policemen with them and relaxed. For a few moments, they all just stood there, drinking in both their American fans and the culture that surrounded them.

Then the questions started. A translator nearby provided the questions in Korean so the members could answer each question in turn. While some questions were good and a few were even interesting and thought-provoking, most were either silly or stupid. Back in Korea, Yongguk would've quickly become bored with the monotony of answering the question of, "Are you single?" one hundred times over, but the adrenaline rush of being in America for the first time kept him both excited and stimulated. The questions lasted for about forty-five minutes before their manager ended their fan chat and led them away from the crowd.

"It's great to be in America," Himchan said. He smirked. "Nearly every question directed at me was about my flawless features."

"I thought it was okay, but some of the questions were stupid," Jongup said. "I mean, come on. 'Zelo, why are you so happy all the time?' Gee, well, Zelo, I guess they're implying that you should act angry all the time."

"Well, why are you so quiet all the time?" Zelo asked teasingly, suddenly jumping on Jongup's back so that Jongup was forced to give him a piggyback ride for a few minutes before letting him down.

" 'Why do you eat so much, Daehyun?' Maybe because I'm hungry," Daehyun said. He sighed. "Well, at least they didn't ask why my jeans weren't matching yours."

"You could've just told them that it's because you're a rebel," Youngjae said, playfully hitting Daehyun on the side of the head.

Daehyun rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I'm a rebel and Yongguk-hyung has more energy than Zelo."

"In his own way, he's got just as much energy," Himchan said defensively.

Yongguk smiled and punched Himchan on the shoulder. "I could just tell the fans the real reason that you weren't wearing matching jeans . . . " He laughed through Daehyun's glare, but Zelo was frowning.

"I didn't know what to say. 'Zelo, do you enjoy being the youngest in the group?' What should I say? Yes? No? I can't grow any older or faster than I already am, so . . . "

They all laughed at this, and Jongup put an arm around Zelo as they kept walking.

"All we have to do is get through the mob of fans, right?" Youngjae asked.

"Yeah, then we're home free," Jongup said.

"Free to see the sights and explore Los Angeles," Himchan said.

"And eat the food," Daehyun said.

Everyone snorted at this comment, and after pushing through the crowed Los Angeles airport, they were inside their manager's car and driving toward the hotel they were staying at. Once they arrived at the hotel, the police officers were dismissed since there was no immediate danger. Their manager left in his vehicle to go over their touring schedule once more, and B.A.P suddenly found themselves alone.

Yongguk checked the time. "It's noon, everyone. Our manager told me that we don't have to check into our hotel until six, so that gives us about five or so hours of free time."

"When's our first concert?" Himchan asked.

"The day after tomorrow. Six in the evening," Yongguk said.

"That doesn't give us much time to practice," Jongup said.

"It's okay; we've practiced enough. We know all the steps and the dances, so for now, let's just relax and enjoy the scenery," Himchan said, putting everyone at ease.

"How does American sun feel, everyone?" Yongguk asked as he put on his sunglasses and a baseball cap, everyone copying him to hide their identities from lurking fans.

"Rewarding," Youngjae said.

"Fulfilling," Jongup said.

"Relaxing," Himchan said.

"Exhilarating," Zelo said.

"I smell food," Daehyun said. "Can we go eat something?" He looked at everyone with an impressive imitation of Zelo's pleading look, and Yongguk glanced at Himchan.

"Well, it is noon," Yongguk began.

"That's right," Himchan said.

"Let's go eat," Yongguk and Himchan said together.

So they followed their noses to a food truck that specialized in several different types of cuisine. It was classic stuff that they had all eaten it before, but they couldn't resist trying it on authentic American soil. So they each got something different and passed it around to each other, trying a bite of the other's meal.

"These — what are they called? Fried curd cheese?" Youngjae said. "Yeah, they're good."

"I love a good cheesy burger. Try this; it's amazing," Himchan said.

"Corn dogs. Sweet, but salty," Jongup said.

"This is a good pork sandwich," Zelo said.

"This chicken on skewers is to die for," Yongguk said. "Almost like what you'd put on ramen."

Then they all looked at Daehyun, who had already wolfed down half his meal before looking up with a sheepish expression and offering them a bite of his food. "Fried fish," he mumbled out.

After trying each meal, everyone agreed that his own dish was the best. They continued to walk around Los Angeles, peering into any store that looked interesting.

"Do you guys want to try any American desserts while we're here?" Yongguk asked as they passed a chocolate shop.

The group wrinkled their noses at this comment, but Zelo's eyes lit up.

"Hey, Yongguk-hyung," Zelo said. "Do you think we could get some ice cream while we're here?"

Yongguk thought for a moment, then nodded. "I don't see why not."

Zelo's walk took on a happier tone after that, and soon the entire team was practically skipping down the street. The day was going well, but it wasn't too long before trouble began. It all started because Jongup and Zelo were busy messing around. The two of them were dancing next to each other and decided to begin shoving the other around. Zelo pushed Jongup rather roughly, and Jongup responded in kind, shoving Zelo backward and forcing him to grab a light pole to regain his balance. Zelo swung around the lightpole and stopped himself abruptly, but because of the shock, his baseball cap fell off his head and revealed a mess of brightly dyed red hair.

Everyone froze for a moment. Zelo quickly reached down to place his disguise back on, but the damage was done. Yongguk heard a shout of,

"Look! It's Zelo!"

"Is that Youngjae?"

"It's B.A.P!"

And suddenly fans were flooding the streets like a dam that had been broken. They rushed B.A.P, and Yongguk instantly knew that they were in danger. These fans weren't like the ones in Korea. In Korea, there was an air of respect surrounding people who were famous, but in America, no such thing existed. Not only did they seem crazed with excitement, but since there were so many more people in America than in Korea, there were also many more fans.

Yongguk felt a pull on his sleeve and turned to see Himchan next to him, eyes wide with fright.

"Run!" Himchan yelled.

They all took off, Zelo in the lead because of his long legs, and Himchan in the back since he pushed the other members in front of him to protect them. The six of them kept running, but he felt the team falter and instinctively knew that Himchan had tripped and fallen. A bloodcurdling scream shot through the air, and Yongguk knew the fans had reached Himchan. He stopped and turned, roaring, "HIMCHAN!" as he and the four remaining members raced back to help their fallen comrade.

Yongguk pushed and shoved through the sea of fans, not caring who he injured or knocked over in the process. He blindly felt through the fans until his hand met Himchan's, and with a tug that was reminiscent of a true warrior, he pulled Himchan free while the others balled around him for protection as they pushed their way through the crowd. Suddenly they were free and running again, this time Yongguk taking the back position as they raced through the streets, running for their lives. As they passed a store front, Yongguk glanced into the store to see a janitor in the middle of putting his supplies away in a closet, and he suddenly had an idea.

"Go left into the store!" he yelled out.

The other five instantly complied, swinging the door open and running into the store, briefly slipping onto the still-wet floor until they came to stop in front of the janitor, who looked equally surprised and frightened.

Yongguk spoke a few words, cursing once he realized that the janitor didn't speak Korean. "Famous, us," he stumbled out in English. "Hide in . . . " He gestured to the closet that the janitor was closing up, and the janitor suddenly nodded in understanding. Just as the six were squeezing themselves into the closet and closing the door behind them, the team heard the store doors opening as several fans ran in.

"Where are they?" one girl asked.

"Did you see six boys come in here?"

"I saw nothing, ma'am," the janitor replied calmly. "But if you're not going to buy anything, I'm afraid I'll have to get the manager of this store to throw you out."

Yongguk pressed his face against the door, hearing the noise outside die down somewhat but not go away completely. "Himchan, are you all right?" Yongguk asked.

"Yeah, just a little bruised, I think. My shirt's torn, too," Himchan panted.

"Well, this is great," Daehyun muttered.

"What, the fans, or being shoved into this closet?" Jongup asked.

"No, Youngjae's elbow is poking me in the back," Daehyun complained.

"Your breath smells," Youngjae said.

Daehyun breathed harder, and Youngjae started coughing.

"I'm hot," Zelo whined, panting.

"Would you rather be out there, mauled by fans?" Himchan asked. "It's a good thing that Yongguk pulled me out when he did; one of the fans was pressing on my arm and about to break it." Himchan turned as best he could. "But enough about me. Is everyone else all right? Did the fans hurt any one of you?"

"No, Himchan-hyung," everyone answered.

Yongguk smiled. Even if Himchan was about to die, he would still make sure that everyone else was okay before passing on. He clapped Himchan on the shoulder and smiled at his friend. Himchan grinned back. Just then, the door to the closet opened.

"It's safe," the janitor announced.

"Thank you," they all said, bowing to show their gratefulness. The six of them left the store before purchasing a few objects to show their appreciation, then they moved on, Zelo's making sure his hat was secure before walking back outside.

"No more roughhousing, you two," Himchan said as they started walking again. "I was the one who had to pay for it, you know. Can you imagine what would've happened if those fans had damaged my beautiful face?"

Yongguk laughed at this comment, and Zelo re-secured his hat as he kept walking.

"Those fans chasing us made me wish I'd brought my skateboard," Zelo said.

"Why, so you could leave us in the dust while you made a break for it?" Daehyun asked.

"No, so I could hold their attention and give you guys some time to run," Zelo said. "That way Himchan wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"Don't worry, Zelo," Himchan said with a smile. "I'm a warrior."

Yongguk nodded before turning to Jongup, and he only then noticed that Jongup was tossing a stuffed rabbit into the air as he walked beside Zelo. "Where'd you get that?"

Jongup blinked. "I picked it up when we were getting Himchan. I thought it was Himchan's, so I brought it with us."

Himchan grabbed the rabbit from Jongup, inspecting it. "That's not mine," he said. "I got a bear in leather, remember?"

"I thought you got it from a fan during our last tour," Jongup said. "Remember, when you were talking about being a professional dieter and . . . " Jongup's voice trailed off, but Daehyun finished Jongup's sentence for him.

"I remember that," Daehyun said. "Somebody threw Himchan that rabbit plush and told him to eat rabbit food."

Himchan blushed fiercely at this comment, quickly handing the rabbit back to Jongup. "You keep it," he muttered.

"Come on," Jongup said, shooting a glare at Daehyun while Youngjae hit Daehyun on the head. "You know he didn't mean that. It was just a joke — "

"Don't talk to me," Himchan said.

Zelo grabbed the rabbit from Jongup and began lightly hitting Jongup with it. " 'Don't talk to me! Don't talk to me!' " he said in a high voice that soon had everyone, including Himchan, laughing.

"Man, don't hit me so hard," Jongup complained, rubbing his head. "It feels like there's rocks in that thing!"

Zelo blinked. "What do you mean? It's just a stuffed animal."

"Well, you're being too rough with it. Stop hitting me," Jongup said.

Zelo shrugged and continued playing with the plush as they kept walking. The team stopped at three stores and two more food trucks before Daehyun sighed.

"What's wrong?" Youngjae asked. "Are you hungry again?"

"No, it's just . . . " Daehyun sighed again. "Of all the food I wanted to try in America, what I wanted to try the most was this deep fried onion thing. But we've been to three food places and I haven't seen it around! They don't have stuff like that in Korea — "

"Daehyun, keep your voice down," Yongguk said, silently motioning to a nearby sidewalk at where several girls were standing and looking at them as though they recognized them. "Do you want another fan mauling?"

The group of girls saw the six of them looking their way and laughed for a few moments, saying nothing.

Being as indiscreet as possible, the group turned around and casually began walking the other way, waiting until the girls had moved on before going the same way as before. Yongguk breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"How much more of this great city can we see before we'll have to go back to our hotel?" Himchan asked, leaning against a light pole as they waited to cross a street.

"It's only three o'clock," Yongguk said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "But Himchan, are you sure you're okay?"

Himchan looked slightly sweaty, but he shrugged and waved Yongguk away. "I'm fine, Yongguk. Don't worry. Just still getting over my adrenaline rush of almost being killed by fans."

As they waited for the light to turn red, Zelo and Jongup began roughhousing again. This time Zelo turned in a circle while holding the rabbit, forcing Jongup to dodge. Then suddenly, Zelo accidentally let go of the rabbit, flinging it in Himchan's direction.

Himchan dodged it with an irritated look. "Zelo, what — "

Clang.

Everyone froze as they watched the plush rabbit fall to the ground after it hit the light pole Himchan had been leaning against.

"What was that?" Youngjae asked.

"Are stuffed rabbits supposed to make that sort of sound when they hit a lightpole?" Daehyun asked.

Yongguk picked up the stuffed rabbit with a frown, gently squeezing the rabbit all over before finally feeling something hard near the rabbit's eye. "Hey, Himchan," he said. "Come feel this."

Himchan squeezed the rabbit's head, blinking in surprise as he felt what Yongguk had felt. "What's in its eye?"

"I don't know," Yongguk said. "But I don't think it's supposed to be there."

"Does that mean I can rip it open?" Zelo asked.

Yongguk and Himchan nodded, and right away Zelo was repetitively slamming the bunny's head into the light pole. After a few hard thumps, the head came loose and fell off the body. Youngjae pulled the stuffing out of the rabbit's head, and something square fell out of the stuffing. The group stared.

"A camera?" Daehyun whispered.

"It does look like that," Himchan said, picking it up and squinting at it.

"Do you think it's recording or taking pictures?" Youngjae asked.

Yongguk gulped. "We can't take any chances." He took the camera from Himchan, threw it down on the ground, and stepped on the camera several times before it finally shattered.

"The things fans will do," Jongup said.

"I'm just glad that one of us didn't take that plush into the bathroom," Himchan said.

Everyone gulped at this thought, looking down again at the now-shattered camera.

"We've still got a few hours, everyone," Yongguk said to break the awkward silence. "Do you want to hit the beach?"

With a unanimous, "Yeah!" the team was off, and it only took five or so minutes to locate one of California's many beaches. Jongup began burying Zelo in sand right away, Daehyun and Youngjae started building a sandcastle fort to rule over, and Yongguk and Himchan busied themselves by running first toward and then away from the water as it ebbed and flowed on the beach.

"Cheese!" everyone shouted as Yongguk took a picture of them all an hour later.

"You look like an idiot, Daehyun," Youngjae said as he looked at the picture.

"Me?" Daehyun said as the group began walking off the beach. "What do you mean, me? Did you see your passport picture? You looked like you were about to sneeze!"

"Jongup looks like he's in the mafia in his picture," Youngjae said.

"No, I don't. They just told me to keep a straight face," Jongup said.

"Which makes it look like you're in the mafia," Daehyun said.

"And Himchan looks like he's growling at the camera in his passport," Yongguk laughed. "Or about to kill someone."

"You don't look so great yourself, Mr. Beautiful," Himchan joked.

"Well that doesn't . . . hey, Zelo, what's up?" Yongguk asked.

Zelo had been walking beside them the entire time, but now he was several feet behind the group and not moving, checking his pockets as he stood there, becoming more and more frantic with each passing second.

"Zelo, what's wrong?" Himchan asked, going back to Zelo and patting him on the back. "Are you hurt? Did the fans hurt you?"

"Did you lose something?" Jongup asked.

Zelo said nothing, but checked his pockets yet again. Then he took his wallet, opened every compartment inside, and turned the wallet upside down so that everything inside: money, change, and a receipt, fell to the ground. Next he was on the ground, furiously digging through the contents. Suddenly, all Zelo's movements stopped. He froze, then began shaking. When he looked up several seconds later, Yongguk was shocked to see that Zelo was crying.

"Zelo, what's wrong?" Himchan asked.

"I . . . " Zelo bit his lip and wiped his face. "I lost my passport," he whispered.