-=+ CHAPTER VII +=-

Pain. Her heart suddenly felt constricted. It felt like somebody has managed to pierce through her chest, seized her heart in his hand and pressed it against his palm by tightening his fingers around it, squeezing it for it to erupt. That much pain she felt when she saw the girl sleeping on Jiyong's lap. And seeing Jiyong's peaceful face, not minding the girl on his lap. She never thought she will be affected by him like this. Or anyone at all.

She began to reminisce the things that happened between them for the past few days. At first she was annoyed as hell, she cannot deny it. Jiyong seemed to be as erted as he seems to be on her first day of being his slave or follower. She surely knows she wasn't treated as slave for Jiyong even does things that normal master would not do. Jiyong carries her stuff, cooks for her, sometimes, he beats her into waiting and promptly waits for her outside her class when in fact it's the other way around, he walks her home, and sometimes tutors her.

He didn't pull out that prank of harassing her anymore, making her feel happy and comfortable to be with him. To justify this, at one point while they are walking and Jiyong was busy talking on his phone and didn't grab her hand, she nearly initiated grabbing his hand to hold it. But as cautious as she is, she was able to realize what she was about to do before actually doing it.

It's weird for her that they seem to be in a romantic relationship rather than the master-slave relationship that they should be having. She leaned a lot of things about Jiyong. She realized that Jiyong was one of the top 10 students in his course, he is a gentleman, despite the times when he tries to steal kisses from her. He is funny, eats a lot, loves to write poems and a very sweet person. Although his exteriors shows the opposite. He seems a tough guy, but she knows he isn't that much tough. She also realized that Jiyong is really a sweet guy, which can be misinterpreted as being flirtatious, just how she perceived him before. She learned a lot about him.

But she knows she didn't learn enough things about him. The fact that he is inside that room with a girl on his lap, I surely don't know enough about him. She felt confused on how Jiyong really feels for her. Am I just really a game? Just a neophyte to him? But it doesn't seem so. She felt at one point that Jiyong really cared for her and even liked her. But now she isn't sure anymore. She isn't even sure what relationship they have.

Once she heard this story from somebody in her class. They were talking about Jiyong, and one of the girls spoke of the girl in his past. She was saying that Jiyong loved her so, his first girlfriend in college. She is not from their university but from another one near theirs. She even heard them describe her, the girl is a fox, pretty, model-stature, loves to party, dresses less and very cheerful but she broke Jiyong's heart. Is she that one?

Dara let out a sigh. This makes her depressed although it shouldn't since she has been so outspoken about how impossible she and Jiyong to be a couple. But she already knows, that this initiation thing made it harder for her. She liked what she came to know about Jiyong, and slowly, she's falling for him more and more. She was staring at her glass when Bommie bobbed her face in front of her.

"Hey, spacing out again? Let's go." Bommie stood up and gave her hand to her, offering to help her stand. That's the time she realized that there are not much people inside the room and the music stopped playing. Seungri was in front of the door, saying his thanks to the people who gathered for his birthday. Dara doesn't know how long has she been spacing out to reach this moment when she didn't realize people are starting to go home one by one. She grabbed Bommie's hand and stood up. She looked at the closed door again and she sighed.

"Oh gosh. I had so much fun!" Minzy said.

"So? You're going out with Dae?" Bommie asked her as they walk towards the exit.

"Uh-uh. He didn't ask me yet, but he did ask for my number." Minzy smiled. And Dara just listened to the conversation. Dae and Minzy talked? She was lost on what happened because she has been spacing out for quite some time.

"How about you?" Minzy asked Bommie.

"Of course we will." Bommie said.

"With who?" I looked at Bommie.

"Duh, Seunghyun of course. They were lovey dovey almost the entire night!" CL answered.

"Look who is talking." Bommie stick her tongue on CL.

And Dara just stared at them while bantering. She missed all these. Just because my mind is preoccupied with Jiyong and that short haired girl. She shook her head and smiled. It's none of her business. It's none of my business.

They walked outside. And saw Seunghyun waiting outside.

"You didn't go yet?" Bommie asked Seunghyun.

He smiled. "Ani. I would like to walk you home." Seunghyun answered her and Bommie's face immediately lit up. She was flattered.

"So you'll drop Minzy?" Dara looked at CL.

"Nope, Seungri's cousin will, I can't drive. I'm a bit drunk. He will drop us all." CL smiled.

"So see you next week." Dara hugged CL and Minzy.

"Bye, stop spacing out Dara. You missed quite a lot tonight." CL whispered and she smiled kindly at Dara.

After seeing CL, Seungri and Minzy off, they walked towards their building. Seunghyun tagged along with them and walked with her and Bommie towards their home. "So, where did Jiyong go?" Bommie asked. Dara was unsure if she was asking her or Seunghyun and she looked at Bommie who is already staring at her. Seunghyun's was just looking straight ahead.

"Dunno." She answered.

"That's weird. I didn't see him leave the party. He didn't say anything to you? He was whispering something to you earlier." Bommie asked Dara again.

"Hmmm, he did tell me not to leave the party without him, but it's pointless if he's already gone right?" Dara causally answered. She doesn't know if anyone of them noticed that Jiyong disappeared in that room with the short haired girl.

Seunghyun stopped from his tracks. "He told you that?"

Dara turned sideways and looked at Seunghyun. "Yep."

"Then why you didn't stay? Let's go, Bommie-ah, let's walk Dara back to the restaurant." Seunghyun said.

"Wait? What?" Dara asked him.

"He told you not to leave right?" Seunghyun verifies again. And Dara just nodded. "Then let's go back."

"For what? Ji isn't there." Bom replied.

"Yeah. He left." Dara second the motion and continued to walk and Bom followed.

"Yah! Let's go back!" Seunghyun insisted.

Bom clinged on Dara's arm and turned around with her to face Seunghyun. "Seunghyun, it's too late now. It's already past 12. Do you really think my friend should wait for your friend who just vanished without a word in the middle of a party? In a place where there are drunks?"

"But he is her master." Seunghyun answered.

"So what, I will not endanger my friend's life." Bom exaggerated.

Seunghyun rolled his eyes and just walked toward them. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you."

"Oh come on! Don't be so upbeat, he'll understand. What does he expect Dara to do? It's already dark." Bom pulled Seunghyun with other free hand and continued walking.

Dara kept mum the whole time they are walking. What does he mean don't tell me I didn't warn you? Uggghh...

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Jiyong's phone beeped and he checked the message from Seungri that they are leaving the place already. He wakes up the girl and the girl sat up. "Party is over. Most of them left already, let's go home." And he stood up.

The girl remained immobile. "He might be outside. I don't want to leave yet."

Jiyong stood there for a while before answering. "He's not. And when are you going to stop all these?"

The girl blankly answered. "Which one?"

"You..." Jiyong held his breath, trying to compose himself. "When are you going back to your senses?" It is always like this. It has started a few weeks back, whenever she encounters problems with her present boyfriend, she ends up bothering Jiyong. And still the same, Jiyong can't resist her requests, he ends up protecting her when she runs towards him.

"It's not that bad." The girl replied.

Jiyong removed his jacket and threw it on the girl's lap. "Cover yourself with that, I don't think your mom will like seeing your bruised arm."

The girl quickly wears the jacket. "Nothing has changed, you're still my knight in shining armor Ji." The girl