`& Stripe of b r i l l i a n c e;

[djkang]

Adjusting to the major time difference between Seoul and New York City was going to be hard, and Dae Jae Kang's internal clock was messed up the moment he landed in the airport. Without his stereo alarm clock ringing throughout his loft, the Korean doubted he would have woke up early. Snuggling deeper into his pillow, Dae Jae raised his arm and slammed a hand down on the clock, instantly shutting off the annoying but effective alarm. Peeling one eye open, he checked the time.

6:30 AM. He needed to get ready to head to the airport.

For a quick and small vacation, Dae Jae managed to persuade the lovely Bridget Lilah Dwyer to crash at his place and spend some time together doing what they do best: pig out, shop, and make fun of people. Bridget was like the older sister he'd always wanted; the two just went together. Not to mention that Bridget always kept him in check. Dae Jae honestly missed the LA born girl and would definitely show her a good time before it was time to go and he'd be left to be... bored out of his mind. Until a new role popped up for him.

After washing and getting dressed, Dae Jae grabbed his keys and headed out to his sedan, wondering if it would be enough to hold Didge's luggage. He got in the car and checked his cellphone. Only seven, he thought as he put his key into the ignition and started the car. I'm making good time. Dae Jae was not a fan of traffic and as he eased onto the highway from midtown Manhattan, there were only few cars. Looks like today was his day.

Fifteen minutes later found Dae Jae parking in the Central Terminal area. He got out of his car and headed inside terminal one. Careful not to get in anyone's way-- Dae Jae had learned hard way the New York people were really grumpy in the morning-- he checked the flight listings.

And promptly cursed in his native language.

Bridget's flight had been delayed for a few hours. Delayed. Dae Jae Kang did not tolerate delayed.

Dae Jae closed his eyes and counted to ten, taming the bitchy princess inside of him. Bridget would not want him to cause a scene. He spotted the airport map on his left and walked towards it, trying to find somewhere to wait. Dae Jae was looking forward to eating breakfast with Bridget but perhaps he would have to treat her out to lunch instead. She'd probably be tired anyway.

Starbucks was in the food court of course, and Dae Jae knew he would need something to keep him alert and awake. A sausage, egg, and cheese with a caramel frappe sounded pretty good.

[shane]

& I WAKE UP EVERY EVENING
WITH A BIG SMILE ON MY FACE
( and it never seems out of place )

Most eighteen years olds would claim that waking up early was pure insanity but Shane was used to it by now. Most of the work he had done so far called for early mornings. He wasn't terribly known except by pre-teens and their mothers but Shane had plans. He wanted to get somewhere and do better. He wanted to make it big in the industry and not end up being some guy who used to be on some kids show. He wasn't sure why this was so important. Perhaps he just had something to prove. Either way, Shane wasn't happy with making appearances on kids TV shows or being the voice of some cute woodland creature on some Disney animated movie or even with that one album out that no one over 16 has actually heard of.

He loved doing what he did but for Shane it was never enough and with his mom determined to keep him playing characters who were about sixteen, breaking into films above a PG rating was going to be hard work. There were teen movies out there he could find a place in, he didn't think he had to stick to G rated, happy ending, no kissing scenes type movies. He was getting sick of it and to top it all off, his friends were starting to make fun of him for it. Since turning 18, he had been dubbed, 'jail-bait magnet' a nickname he hated to no end. Though, as his mother slash manager would say, "If they have a problem with it, they're not really your friends". Shane never believed her for a second though. He wanted to prove himself but he just needed that one movie role or that one guest spot on a TV show to get him started.

Until then, he would just have to appease his mother in hopes that she might come around one day soon and get him an audition for a decent movie. This morning was one of those things. He had to pick up his Aunt and her new, god-awful, stalker step-daughters. Here was a real chance to put some of that acting skill to good use.

He liked his Aunt but after she re-married, it was like she was this whole other person, always talking about her husband and his two daughters. Shane was even forced to add them to AIM which proved to be a big mistake when he ended up with about 30 of their 13 year old friends adding him. He eventually had to get a new account which was a pain in the ass but he dealt with it with smile as usual.

He was even starting to feel like Prince Charming when Cinderella's two awful step-sisters were after him. Except, in this case, there was no Cinderella and if there were, she'd have to be a guy for Shane to be remotely attracted to her/him... Either way, the sad part was that all his work with Disney were even making his analogies fairytales. Try growing up when you knew every Disney movies inside and out.

Getting to the airport, Shane had his hands in his pockets as he walked up to check if their plane was even close to arriving. Unfortunately it had been delayed. With nothing more than a bored shrug, Shane turned to find something else to do with his time while he waited. Noticing a tiny arm pointed his way, he turned back to see little girl pointing at him, pulling her mothers arm as the woman sat there with an annoyed expression. He smirked a little and walked away. He had seen that before. If they weren't coming up to get his autograph then they were trying to convince their parents to let them..

Finding his way to the food court, Shane figured a nice coffee fix would wake him up a little. Getting in line he stood arms crossed, staring at the board despite knowing what he would order. It was just a habit and he never really knew why anyone did that. It didn't really make much sense. Maybe he might find something new to try but even that was doubtful. As much as he liked trying new things, coffee wasn't something to be messed with.

[/center]

WORDS,, 714
TAGGED,, Dae
OUTFIT,, coming soon
MUSIC,, -
NOTES,, -
TEMPLATE,, by PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION

[djkang]

The fact that he had fans in America came as quite a shock to Dae Jae.

Sure, Dae had played in a few dramas back in Seoul, when his father had him start out but Dae thought nothing of it. He had acted as that charming high school heartthrob, the quiet pianist, the rebellious teenager, the list went on and on. Dae had poured his heart and soul into those roles, bringing rating as high as he could and trying to make his father proud. Dae only achieved the former, but never had he thought of having fans. It sort of made him.. happy? Proud?

Whichever of the two, it could describe how Dae felt now. A Korean girl had popped up in front of him, peering at Dae like she couldn't believe her eyes. She had asked him if he was Dae Jae Kang, and Dae nodded yes, albeit reluctantly. He half expected the girl to squeal and shout, but surprisingly she just asked for a picture and autograph.

It was odd, smiling at the camera lens on the side of the girl's cellphone. It was a new feeling, sighing the girl's purse before she ran off to meet her friends at the entrance of the airport. Odd, new, but it was a good feeling nevertheless. Dae wondered if this would happen often since he was here. His father never arranged a fanmeet in Seoul, and he had no idea how things went in New York City.

When an obscene sound started from Dae Jae's stomach, he thought it was best to head to Starbucks and finally eat.

Starbucks was considered as junk and had always been banned, back when Dae was still living in Seoul, being trained to become the perfect actor. His father said he didn't want Dae gaining any more pounds than needed; it would conflict with casting. And if he got any blemishes, it would be over. But this didn't stop his mother-- many times Dae had caught her in the act of smuggling things from Starbucks home, demanding that she share lest he snitch. And he'd make a scene of it, too. Dae's father would have a heart attack if he knew his son was here. But God, right now-- being surrounded by the warm inviting scent of baked goods and coffee beans, Dae could care less about his father.

The line was long, definitely expected. Dae Jae got in line, intending to check the menu while waiting. However, he was distracted by an unruly mop of dirty blond hair. Lowering his eyes, Dae gave the guy an obvious look over and felt himself smirk. Distraction? No no, pleasant distraction more so-- No. Dae Jae bit his lip, urging himself to keep away. He didn't even know the guy nor his... preferences.

But Dae Jae just loved to meet new people. Keeping that lame intention in mind, Dae Jae tapped the person lightly on the shoulder.

"Thinking about trying something new?" Dae Jae grinned. "You look a bit unsure."

[shane]

& I WAKE UP EVERY EVENING
WITH A BIG SMILE ON MY FACE
( and it never seems out of place )

He wondered if there was a chance he might ever go to a Starbucks and order something different. It didn't seem likely but it wasn't impossible. Shane just knew it wouldn't be happening today. He would get his iced white chocolate mocha and be done with it! ..And maybe a muffin or something too..

Shane turned when a tap on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts. "Nah, I know what I'm getting," he said with a smile. The boy was attractive but Shane was used to not being obvious about it and although his eyes did wonder for a second, he made it as subtle as it could be.

Before he could turn back around, two kids ran up to him, a boy who looked to be about eight with a grin on his face and a girl about thirteen who practically pounced on him with a hug squeling, "I love you!" Shane's eyes widened at the suddenness of it but backed up a bit before saying, "Hi" then quickly being asked for a photo which the boy, who he assumed was her brother, took.

She stayed with him in the line saying things like i loved you in this and you were amazing in that and i have your CD all the way up to the counter. Of course, the voice work in those few animated movies he did were completely ignored. No one seemed to recognize voices unless it was done by an A lister and that was sort of Shane's goal, to reach that level. Of course, at this point he didn't really care what she liked or didn't like or the fact that she has a giant poster of him in her room to which he responded with an awkward, "Um.. That's great"

Shane couldn't think of a polite way to get rid of her until that point and only managed quick glances at the boy in the line as though to say, 'Help?' then finally managing a, "I've gotta order my coffee now". She seemed to get the message and left, allowing him to order his drink and a muffin before moving to the side to wait.

[/center]

WORDS,,
TAGGED,, Dae
OUTFIT,, here!
MUSIC,, -
NOTES,, -
TEMPLATE,, by PANIC! ITS LAUZ of CAUTION

[didge]

She looked like a mess really. Well that's what usually happened when she hopped on a plane at night in LAX, only to stop over and grab her connecting flight in Chicago which then took her to JFK. And while she could have gotten the plane that went straight from LA to NYC, there was no way in hell that she was going to board a plane in the early hours of morning just to get there at seven in the morning. At least by getting a connecting flight, she could get to the airport and board the plane not half-asleep. The flight from Los Angeles was perfectly fine, and she got to Chicago's O'Hare without any accidents or mishaps. But the plane from Chicago to New York was delayed by two hours. There were a few grumpy faces clearly not happy about the circumstances that were usually unavoidable when catching planes. Bridget just sat the boarding gate, eating her breakfast of a gluten-free blueberry muffin and a soy milk mocha - unfortunately her allergies really limited her options. She knew she was going to have to work it all off later on.

It was a nice breakfast, and she actually didn't mind eating at the boarding gate. It saddened her though, to think that she would have to be missing out on breakfast with Dae - something she was looking forward to today. But it wasn't all bad. She was going to New York City to spend time with one of her best friends ever. Having not seen him for a long time, she used it as an excuse to take a break from work and composing the score for Slayer By Night, which she was far from finishing. There was nothing really bad about that though, considering her line of work usually never started until after they finished filming, and they were still filming. In the meantime, she could enjoy life before getting her head into work mode properly.

Two hours later they were boarding the plane. An hour and thirty minutes later, she was finally at JFK and going through security and doing standard airport procedure. There was a huge wash of guilt that came over her for Dae who had probably been here waiting impatiently for a while now. When she finally made it to the other side, she looked over to the area where people usually waited for the arrivals. As hard as she looked, she couldn't find Dae's face in the crowd. The girl wasn't going to give up hope however, because she knew Dae could never dare to leave her.

It just so happened that as she passed Starbucks, she thought she had seen Dae inside, and had to do a double take to assure herself that it was him. Walking in, she inconspicuously stood beside him and sighed, pretending to be in deep thought, "So many options on the menu. How do you decide?" She said before turning her head to face Dae, "Hey there stranger!" She smiled.

( this reply has been waiting for me to finally post it. XD )