“I’m sorry I’m late!” Dara immediately apologized the moment she met Jiyong.

Dara noticed Jiyong looking her up and down, with some kind of an expression she can’t put her finger on in his face.

“Do I look that bad? I knew I shouldn’t have worn this outfit,” she said, still panting. She was obviously running before she came here. She bent her hips and placed her hands on her knees and caught her breath.

Jiyong didn’t answer. He just stared at her. He just stared at the thing hanging on her neck which became very clear when he bent her hips. S&D? he thought.

Dara straightened up. “So? Do I look that bad?” she repeated and posed a cutesy pose and winked.

Jiyong chuckled and said. “You’re cute.”

“I’m cute?” Dara said a grin on her face.

Jiyong stopped chuckling and a surprise look was on his face. He pursed his lips and cleared his throat.

“Let’s go,” he ordered.

“Go where?”

“Tutorial,” he said, already leading the way.

They were walking in silence. Dara didn’t think they would be going somewhere else. She thought that they will be just studying at the City Library, which is just in front of the Central Park. It turned out they went the other way.

“Welcome to the Kwon Residence…” Jiyong said opening the door for her.

Dara was amazed – the high ceilings, the foundations, the grand piano to her left, the grand staircase just in front of her, the living room with expensive-looking rugs and sofas to her right, the crystal chandeliers on top of her head, the tiled floors. Everything here is just so grand that she was left speechless. She hasn’t stepped on a place this grand. She felt she was on an emperor’s palace. The place was breathtaking. She wanted to live here.

“Whoa…” she said, whispering.

“Come,” Jiyong said, already at the top of the stairs.

Dara blinked and ran towards him.

“This is not a house, Jiyongie. This is a palace…” Dara said, still scanning around the place.

“What did you just call me?” Jiyong said, peering at her.

“What?” Dara said, acting innocent.

“You just called me something… not Jiyong.”

“No, I called you Jiyong. You must have misheard me,” she said, wide-eyed, scanning at the place.

“You called me Jiyongie…” he said, a little smile on his face.

“I did?” Dara stared at him.

Jiyong smiled and turned. Then he mumbled, “I like it.”

Dara heard him and chuckled. “He likes it?” Dara was thoughtful, then… “Jiyongie! Wait up.”

Jiyong secretly smiled.

“WOW!” Dara said as they entered the study – those ceiling-high shelves. The shelves are full of books. The books looked new and they don’t have that smell which the books on their school library have. The room is so big – bigger than her bedroom. However, there is only one desk, with two chairs across each other.

Jiyong sat on the first chair. Dara also did at the chair across him and took out her books.

“Sit beside me,” Jiyong suddenly said.

“What?” Dara asked.

“Stand up,” Jiyong ordered.

She did and was shocked to see him lifting her chair beside him.

“I’m sitting beside you?” Dara asked.

“How can I understand what you’re teaching when you’re in front of me? I would just be looking at your face.”

Dara was smitten.

“I would just be distracted,” he added.

She doesn’t know what he meant. Whether it was a compliment or not, she doesn’t know. She just sat at the chair beside him.

Two hours of tutorial. Then they took their lunch.

After lunch, they returned to tutorial which lasted for another 4 hours.

Dara stood up and stretched her arms up. Jiyong stayed at his seat.

“I’m exhausted…” Dara sighed.

“I’ll take you home, then,” Jiyong offered.

Dara shook her head, scanning the books on the shelves. “I want to stay here. It’s my first time at a place like this.”

Jiyong just stared at her.

“Why is your house empty? Of people, I mean,” Dara said, eyes still on the books.

“Actually, Bom is here. She’s studying at her room,” Jiyong explained.

“Does she know I’m here?” she said, staring at him.

“Yes. She doesn’t want to be disturbed.”

Dara nodded, returning the book she had on her hand to the shelf. She sat back to the seat just beside Jiyong. She folded her arms on the table and leaned her head, eyes staring intently on Jiyong.

“Tell me about your family, Jiyongie,” Dara said, grinning.

Jiyong felt the atmosphere being awkward. Nevertheless, he liked the way Dara calls him ‘Jiyongie’. He cleared his throat.

“My family? Well, I’m an only son. My parents are always not home. I even think they forgot they had a son.”

“Why?” Dara said, straightening up, eyes worried.

“Well, Dad’s at Canada right now for business. He rarely calls maybe once in a month and when he calls me, the atmosphere between us becomes awkward that I always dismiss our ‘conversation’. He left us when I was 10 years old. He hasn’t come home then.

“But, I must admit, he’s the most incredible man I have met. He loves Mom so much that he calls her twice in a week. Their relationship is so strong, no one can break it. The first month he left us, he would call Mom every night.”

He stopped and stared at Dara, who was still intently listening to him. So he went on.

“Mom is the President of our university and at the same time, the Vice President of an entertainment company. She works so hard that she doesn’t spend much time with me. The earliest time she went home was 10PM, and I usually sleep earlier than that. And I must say, we had a very good relationship before than now.”

“I don’t mean to offend you, but with that, I think you feel lonely all the time.”

“Yes. I always feel lonely and alone. When I was a kid, Mom would scold me when I want to go out and play with other kids. I wanted to play with her, but she says she’s busy and all. So, I’m like a prisoner behind those big gates. So, I just watch them play outside. Once, when I was watching, I noticed them staring at me, and then they whispered with their friends. Then they started walking away. The next day, when I went back to watch them again, they would leave immediately even though they just arrived. The next day, I didn’t show my face to them. I only watched them from my room. I thought if I will stay away from them, they could enjoy their game. I didn’t mind being alone anymore. I enjoyed watching them, but I longed to have friends like them. I wanted to know them.

“One day, at school, while watching few of my schoolmates playing basketball, a boy approached me and invited me to play with them. He said, I looked alone and I could use some company. I was touched by what he said that I treated him as the brother I never had.”

“Let me guess…” Dara said. “That boy was Taeyang, right?”

Jiyong nodded. “Because of him, I was accepted to the basketball team and I had new friends. I can’t find someone as reliable as him. At times that my mood swings attack, he would be there to ask what’s wrong even though I tell him to leave me alone. He never left me alone until I tell him my problems. As I said, he’s the brother I never had. And I’m thankful for him. Someday, I’m going to pay off his kindness to me.” He stopped and stared off at nothing particular.

Dara straightened. She wanted to say something but she isn’t sure what, so she just shut . She waited for Jiyong to say more.

“You remember what I told you about Taeyang and him falling for the wrong girls?” Jiyong said staring at Dara. Dara nodded carefully. “Once, we fell for the same girl. It was many years ago, back when we weren’t schoolmates yet. We almost broke our friendship. We fought over that girl, and I mean a physical fight. But later, we both realized that if we’re going to break our friendship because of some girl, it would be better to not love at all. From that day on, we promised to each other…” Jiyong paused. Dara was at the edge of her seat. Half of her wants to hear what’s next, half wants to just cover her ears because she knows what’s next. Jiyong sighed. “…we’re not going to love the same girl ever again.”