"That wasnt funny, Dara.", Heechul nearly lost it. He really thought he made Dara anxious with all the non-stop talking he was doing a while ago.

 

When Heechul stood in front of her face to face, her eyes widened and suddenly she was back to reality. "What?", she asked her samchon, totally guilt-free. Though she WAS legitimate about it, it was obvious that she was already accusing Heechul as to being the weird one looking at her like some douche. 

 

And then she was smiling like nothing ever happened. 

 

Her smile was just too real that Heechul had to suspend himself from asking her what was wrong. Besides, Dara probably still puts up with him because he doesnt really meddle in with her problems. Her sickness? She said it was during the day her parents died, it trigered then. But Dara lied, and Heechul knows that much. He was worried, of course. And he didnt want her to get on the crying boat too often. It pained him, everyone else in her circle, and more than anyone else, Dara is the one who will be in complete agony. Luckily its getting better these days. She doesnt cry as often. Certainly not like 2 years ago.

 

They were already in the hotel, checking in. "2 rooms, please. Under the name Heechul. Kim Heechul.".

 

"Just a moment, sir.", said the receptionist.

 

While waiting to get their passes, he was busy observing Dara who was busy judging him. "Aga-yah~ is there something on my face~~?", Heechul was acting all cute and Dara quickly turned away. Probably disgusted. "A 34 year old man should act like a 34 year old man, no?", Dara shot him with her sarcasm. Heechul sighed. "Here we go again", he thought. 

 

"I think Im the older one here.", she stated with her head held high.

 

"Wooooooaaaahh, hold up! hold up! Wheres your degree certificate? What kind of job do you have, huh? Who was the one crying few minutes ago???", and he laughed. All Heechul wanted to do was to defend himself. Plus, he thought it was funny. He was after all, making fun of Dara.

 

He was laughing too much he hadn't realize that all eyes were on him, again.

 

Dara? Well, she wasnt happy about it, obviously. 

 

And Heechul was still laughing about god knows what.

 

Then came the awkward silence..  .... ..... ....... ......

 

Dara didnt respond, and that was weird. Usually if she gets irritated she would be giving illogical replies or just punch her samchon's stomach if she couldnt think of one but really she was just too quiet.

 

Heechul then coughed awkwardly to clear his throat. "Ehm, ehm! 18 and still crying like a baby!", he blurted, making quite an announcement in the not-so-spacious lobby, where he thought everyone understood him //sigh//. What an irony, because he was the one who kept calling her 'his baby' since they reached Hitchin.

 

Still, apart than other people staring at this weird Korean man whose been acting kind of kooky since the beginning, nothing happened.

 

Heechul gulped. "Dara-yah, say something.", he then froze again. "No, please, not this again.", he thought. He knew Dara was about to cry and its been the 2nd time she's like this, he needs to know why. Its been so long since she last cried, having to see it happen twice in one day made Heechul frown.

 

He went to her niece, who was now, well, surprise, surprise, staring at nothing. Her pupils couldnt direct the ever-so-curious Heechul to where she was looking at, or even to what she was thinking about. "Yah! Yah! Come to your senses!", Heechul shook Dara's shoulders in panic. He looked everywhere, his front - his back - his left - his right within a millisecond. Just to make sure than nobody is on the phone calling the police stating that a Korean man had made a Korean girl miserable, probably from abuse. "Aish! Boya?! They didnt even know what we were talking about!", Heechul shook his head and mentally hit himself for overreacting. 

 

Dara? Well, she was still staring alright.

 

"Is everything alright, sir?", the receptionist too was now panicky.

 

Heechul's mind was on its way to go berserk. "No worries, we're fine, we're playing a game! Ill come and get our passes in a minute, yeah?!", he faked a smile and pulled Dara over to a hollow corner. 

 

"But sir-"

 

"Just a minute!", Heechul screamed from the other end.

 

No tears were escaping from Dara's blank eyes, making Heechul twice as worried. "Yah! Do you need your meds? Like, right now? Dara answer me!", both his hands were now on Dara's shoulders, he was still shaking them vigorously. 

 

"Excuse me, need any help?", a fully suited guy, with a voice charming as ever, came out of nowhere. And the scent of his cologne + the after scent of smoking; anyone can go crazy over that. ANYONE, really.

 

"Ai- ai- aigooo, my lovable niece!", Heechul didnt turn around, his hands were no longer on Dara's shoulders, but were now on her head, her hair as if he was admiring the most adorable little girl. The fact that this guy was speaking Korean, Heechul thought it wouldnt bring any good. He didnt recall his Team Leader saying that there would be someone else coming along from the firm.

 

"Sir?", the man then tapped Heechul's back.

 

Dara was as per usual, still staring at air. She hadnt been blinking for so long, she was THAT good at spacing out.

 

"Yah! Come to your senses, chaebal!!!", he said while still controlling his octaves. Heechul then decided that it was best to actually pull a strand of Dara's raven black hair, hoping for Dara to fall back to reality.

 

But Dara did not even flinch.

 

The man standing behind Heechul was confused more than anyone else in the lobby, but he knew it was his queue to keep silent and to just wait.

 

10 minutes passed like a snail migrating from Busan to Seoul, Heechul was already mentally peeing in his brain by then. He didnt dare to turn around, he was too embarrassed to face this other Korean fellow or English-Korean fellow, he doesnt even know.

 

Surprisingly, the man was still silent. Not a single word or sound came out from his chapped lips. 

 

... .....

 

.. .... ...... ..

 

... ... .....

 

"Alright, I'm tired.", as if she just came back from visiting Mars, Dara became human again. 

 

Heechul let out a deep sigh. He was about to get her her meds but thinking that the man behind him was being a lunatic for still opting to stand right behind him, he couldnt. No one should know that Dara is on meds, apart from him and Woobin, of course. And he still wonders if 5zic knows. Anyways, the one thing that Dara hates the most is; people finding out about her weaknesses, which comes right after cooking, of course.

 

"Scared to death, samchon? I bet you peed somewhere.", Dara smirked. Her eyes were shining from victory, she knew she had scored so much this time.

 

And she didnt know that someone else's eyes were shining FOR her.

 

"What? What did you just say?", Heechul was baffled, and Dara giggled upon seeing her uncle's reaction.

 

"YAH!! Y- YOU!! YOU THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY TO TRICK ME?! YAH!! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME CHINCHA! NOT FUNNY NOPE NOT FUNNY, YOUNG LADY. THINK BEFORE YOU ACT BECAUSE PAYBACK IS ON!!!", screeched the almighty Kim Heechul.

 

Dara was about to say something but was instantly cut off by the man that was purely amazed by the two 'unique' Hangguk people he just met.

 

"Excuse me, are you guys okay?", he asked the one and only question that has been circulating his mind.

 

"She's fine! She's fine! I mean, we're fine!", Heechul finally turned around to face the man.

 

No words could describe Heechul's expression. It was just that he had his mouth gaped open, mostly out of shock, and the rest was history.

 

Dara looked at her uncle who looked sick, like, sick kind of sick. She was kind of enjoying it, considering she had won 2 times in a row now. "Assa!", she threw a fist in the air.

 

"Ji- Ji- Jiyongie?", Heechul stuttered.

 

Before him stood a man with an all-killer smile, branded clothing, accessories, luggage and everything from head to toe. Before him stood his childhood best friend, who was just like a brother to him. They once sworn to be blood-brothers till the end. Though Jiyong is a year younger than him, he treated Jiyong like they were the same age and Jiyong never calls him 'hyung', either. They were once roomates and from then on they became close. And Heechul still clearly remembers Jiyong's image back then. With glasses as big as his face, huge and disgusting pimples that covered his entire body, the chills he gave to the other students in uni whenever he blinks. Rumour has it that Jiyong was known as "the nerd who could kill" because whenever he looks at someone, its like he was totally trying to read his/her mind and it crept everyone out. "It felt like he was transferring all of his pimples to my face!!" said one of the girls. Thus, Heechul was Jiyong's only companion. Heechul could end up rolling on the floor laughing thinking about those days. They were good memories, that was for sure, and he kept them all till this very day. But as they grew older, both of them got busy, (Heechul with his Architecture dreams and Jiyong whose life's only goal was to become a sucessful laywer) and they were fine, but somehow, after finishing their studies, after Jiyong flew to England right away, there was no time at all to squeeze for communication. Eventually, theyd lost each other's contact. 

 

"He sure looks successful, alright.", Dara scanned Jiyong with her sharp eyes, while throwing a piece of gum in .

 

"Heechul?? THE Heechul??!!!", Jiyong was equally surprised. "Man, its been ages! Ive missed you!".

 

Heechul was already tearing up, he was overwhelmed, he thought he was never gonna see this friend of his ever again. He hugged Jiyong so tight like he was about to send his boyfriend off to the army.

 

"At least I know now where my dramatic genes came from.", Dara commented. She was beside Heechul, finally coming to a conclusion that her uncle is gay. "Oooh, halmoni wont like it if I send her this kind of picture."

 

While both Heechul and Jiyong were busy catching up, Dara was just walking around the hotel when she bumped into the receptionist earlier, in front of the female's washroom, who happened to be searching for Heechul.

 

"Excuse me, miss. Youre the lady that came with Mr. Kim Heechul, right?", she asked politely.

 

Dara nodded. "Yes, and why is that?"

 

"Miss, um.. how do I say this.. I tried telling Mr. Kim but he was kinf of occupied. Well... I was checking the booking list just now, but unfortunately the reservation under the name Kim Heechul wasnt even made. Ive checked everywhere.", said the receptionist.

 

Dara closed her eyes, frustrated. "This is why you can never ask Woobin to do anything!", she screamed at the receptionist, whose eyes widened by the sudden Korean screaming, and the piece of gum that flew right to an inch beside her.

 

"I'm so so sorry, miss. All rooms in Hitchin Priory are booked. And.... Ive checked the other hotels in Hitchin, I tried to help. Im so sorry but there arent as many hotels here as in London... an- and turns out all the other hotels ar- are full.", the receptionist answered haltingly.

 

"GREAT! THIS IS GREAT!", Dara was shouting in Korean again, but this time, she was already stomping her way to the lobby to her stupid Heechul samchon who stupidly asked that ever so stupid Woobin to book the rooms for them.

 

Heechul was still conversing with Jiyong like the old mates they were when Dara came with thunderstorms above her. She explained everything the receptionist told her and it made Heechul curse Woobin so much that if they were in Korea he wouldve been told off for doing so.

 

Heechul hurriedly took out his iPhone, to check on the other hotels. His fingers were trembling, it was his first time being overseas and this just had to happen?!

 

Dara too was nervously biting her pink nails, trying to calm herself down. "I wouldnt do that if I were you.", she told Heechul, completely annoyed.

 

"Guys, its fine. You both can stay with me.", Jiyong suddenly volunteered.