-=+ CHAPTER X +=-

He looked at the girl sleeping on his bed. It feels like a year already since she stayed with him in his unit. That night, he lost all the indecisiveness he felt, exactly at the moment he saw her face full of bruises and blood. At that point, he realized that he must stay with her even though his heart is no longer with her. He knows what he is doing is wrong, but all he knows is that it could help the girl that he once loved.

His phone beeped and he grabbed it from the table, it was a message from Ji-won. He froze the moment he opened it. In the message were the pictures from the wedding. Pictures of him and Dara. Pictures of him looking at Dara. Pictures of her looking at him. Pictures of them smiling at each other. His knees felt weak and he slumped on the floor slowly.

As much as he tried to ignore what he feels inside, he can't. He knows. He knows even before Kiko reappeared in his life that his heart belongs to Dara already. She owns it. Even until now. He raked his fingers on his hair as he stared at their pictures. If he was certain that night, now he isn't sure anymore. Especially with his heart beating inside his chest that fast.

He looked at Kiko's sleeping form and he sighed. He cannot abandon her, especially at this moment. He walked towards the bed and stood beside it. He looks at her face deep in slumber. He can still see faint traces of grey on her face and he lost hold of his phone causing it to fell on the floor. It produced a small sound since it fell on the carpeted floor. He looked downwards and saw that it fell upwards revealing their picture where they are both smiling at each other. He squinted his eyes and saw Joong-ki on the background staring at Dara. He gritted his teeth while clenching his fist. "." He said in a low tone and kicked his phone slightly as he went out of his room leaving his phone under the bed.

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"Yes! Finally. We can be officially sisters of YG Sorority!" Bommie exclaimed as she hugged her three friends. "Group hug is the best at this time! Congratulations girls!"

"Congratulations!  We have made it through!" CL also exclaimed.

"We are Sorority sisters now! I can't believe! I'm so happy!!!" Minzy added.

Dara just smiled at her ecstatic friends. Today was the celebration of them being officially part of YG Sorority. Although she can't show much, but she is happy too. Her professor already commended her for making it until the end, her grades are safe, her appa will not get angry at her, she gained new friends and family as they say, only, her heart is broken.

She hear bits of news every now and then. She even heard Youngbae and Seunghyun talking one time about Jiyong and Kiko. She doesn't know the whole story, but based on what she heard, Jiyong is spending his time with Kiko this week, and it seems she needed him badly, that's why he lay her off from being his neophyte. She was hurt knowing it, who wouldn't? When she thought he liked her. He even screamed it in the campus, but she guess, she wasn't enough, his old girlfriend is more important.

At night, she always feel the emptiness that was lurking around when Jiyong abandoned her. She can't help but think about the things she avoided. A lot of nights she ended up scrutinizing everything, she kept rewinding what happened between her and Jiyong during that first week of being neophyte. She knows he was sincere. She knows he likes her. Or maybe, he liked me. Past tense.  She sighed. She hated herself for falling for him.

But what can she do now? When obviously she yearns for him even though she hasn't been seeing him around. She misses him. Going to this celebration, all the time, she was hoping he will be here to at least congratulate her. To greet her. But none. There's no sign of Jiyong. She sighed once again.

She looked at her happy friends and slowly her smile brighten even more. I don't need him. I have these fabulous girls with me.  She smiled even more.

*Ring Ring Ring*

She heard her phone rang and she excused herself from the group hug.

"Yoboseyo?" She answered the phone.

"Dara!" She heard the woman shouts.

She removed the phone away from her ear looked at the monitor. She saw a name that she never expected to call her that day but she felt happy to see who the caller was.

"Unnie!" She answered.

"Dara! I heard you're officially a part of YG Sorority in your university! I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!" Ji-hyo congratulated her.

"Thanks unnie!" She answered.

"Listen, the girls and I are out of town, we wanted to be there to greet you but we are far away so we send somebody else to represent us all." Ji-hyo replied. "He called me just before I called you, he was already there. We told him to hug you for us, so don't feel harassed okay?!" Ji-hyo answered while laughing slightly.

"Congratulations Dara! We'll buy you a gift here in Jeju!" She heard somebody scream and she immediately recognized it was Hye-kyo.

"I miss you!!! You should have been here!" Hyori shouted.

"Come here pallliii!" Ji-won shouted in the background and Dara just laughed. After the wedding all of them kept in touch, they even meet up one time and they were probing her for the status of her relationship with Jiyong. But as she felt so comfortable being with them, she told them the truth about Jiyong dropping out of being her master for the initiation. She tried as much as she can not to sound so disappointed and acted that everything is fine. They all felt bad about what happened but as they were talking about it, she realized they are not really clueless. Then they explained to her that they have been keeping tabs with Seungri and others about their cousin. She was surprised that even though this is the case, they still kept in touch with her and they enlightened her that they like her very much that they don't care about her and Jiyong. They were just hoping they could be together of course but if that is the case, they don't care. She felt really thankful for them and just like them, she likes them as well too.

"So we'll see you when we get back okay? Congratulations again! Kisses!" Ji-hyo ends up the call and Dara felt happier. But then she remember Ji-hyo telling her that they have sent somebody. She suddenly felt nervous as her heart beats fast. Is he here?

She removed the phone from her ear and looked up, only to be welcomed by big bouquet of mixed flowers. She can't see the person behind the bouquet for it was blocking her view. Suddenly the person holding the flowers lowered it. She gasped and laughed a bit after seeing the person.

"What are you doing here?" She asked the person.

"I'm here to congratulate you. Congratulations!" Joong-ki extended his hand and gave the flowers to Dara.

"Thanks. This is so unexpected!" She exclaimed.

"Well I was hanging out with the girls a few days ago and they informed me that this day is important to you. I'm here on their behalf... and of course, for me, personally." He replied with a sweet smile that Dara paid back with a sincere smile. She was happy to see him, they were exchanging messages for a week already and she grew accustomed with him even it was just through phone. She got to know him and he is also one of the persons who had helped her get by day by day. "I was finding some excuse to see you and I guess the heavens heard me, so here I am."

"Why? We could meet you know? Maybe you can treat me with your hard earned money." She .

"Sincha? I could? Could I ask you for a da--" Joong-ki was cut when CL and the girls get near them.

"Wow. Who is he?" CL asked Dara.

"Oh, girls, this is Joong-ki." Dara introduced him.

"Are you a student here? Haven't seen you around here." Bommie questioned him.

"Hi, I'm Joong-ki. No, I'm not a student here." Joong-ki smiled as he answered them.

"You are not? Then why?" Minzy asked.

"Yah! Joong-ki is my friend. He is not a student here, he is already working." Dara stopped the girls from frying Joong-ki. "Joong-ki, this is CL, Bom, and Minzy." She introduced them one by one. "They are my sisters in Sorority and my sisters at heart." She added.

"Annyeong." Joong-ki smiled again.

"Annyeong, sorry to keep questioning you. Nice meeting you." CL answered and smiled back at him.

"So... you are here to congratulate Dara?" Bommie smiled at him suspiciously.

Joong-ki just smiled back at Bom, he doesn't seem intimidated by the girls. "Yes. And all of you as well."

"Asa! Thanks Oppa!" Minzy smiled sweetly at him.

CL, Bom and Dara exchanged looks as Minz