THE NEXT DAY --  AFTER DARA'S INCIDENT 

"Good morning hyung." Jiyong smiled. Teddy looked at him with half-lidded eyes while shamelessly scratching his stomach. "I'm here to pick Dara up." 

"Dara?" The clearly dozed off man yawned. "She left early today. She said that she needed to do something at the SC." 

Jiyong furrowed his brows in confusion. He hesitantly bid his hyung goodbye and drove off to school.

Why didn't she tell me that she'll be coming to school early? I could've picked her up sooner.

His head was all jumbled up and filled with worried thoughts about her. They both knew that it won't be safe for her to be alone but she still went on. That girl really has a lot of courage and tenacity. His worried expression quickly changed into a soft one once he started thinking about the extraordinary girl in his life. 

He parked his car in the desolate school parking lot and made his way to the main doors. He saw everyone looking at him, seemingly anticipating what he was about to do. He quickly shrugged their stares off as he felt his anxiety bubbling up again. He walked in the halls with his hands inside his pockets while trying to avert everyone's gaze like usual. 

"Good morning, Jiyong-ssi." A girl who walked passed by him greeted. 

Jiyong stopped on his tracks and looked at the retreating girl's back with raised brows. 

Did she just greet me?

He made a sturgeon face and continued walking to the SC room. As he walked to where Dara was, he found people greeting him while simultaneously giving him smiles. The shock and confusion in his mind just got worse. How can they change their views on him so quickly just by seeing him cry? Did he have to give up his dignity just so they won't be afraid of him? He grunted at the thought. But in the back of his head, he couldn't help but feel happy and relieved by their change. Even though he's still not used to their new and abrupt treatment towards him, he sure was liking what was happening. 

He walked to the SC's door and looked at the small window on it. He saw Dara diligently writing some papers on her desk. She had on a serious expression that also had a slight pout. He smiled at her busy figure and quietly opened the door, trying not to distract her from her work. He carefully grabbed a chair and placed it right in across from her. He then sat down and scooted near her desk and looked through some of the papers. From the corner of his eye, he saw her stop from her work. 

"What are you doing?" She ruffled his hair and he looked up to see her gentle expression. 

"Looking at the most beautiful woman in the face of the planet." He gave her a boyish grin. 

She grimaced and flicked his forehead onto which Jiyong acted as if he was in pain. She chuckled at his pained face and continued to look through the papers on her desk. 

"What's that for?" He asked. 

"It's for the cultural festival." she groaned. "I'm just making sure that everyone has a thing they're doing so it won't end up like a disaster just like last year." 

He frowned when he reminisced what happened a year back. Last year, everyone just decided that they were too cool for the cultural festival. Almost half of the school treated it as an off day and everybody who was left were stuck frantically keeping up with the amount of people who were visiting. The guests were undoubtedly disappointed at the lack of excitement and booths that their school had to offer. But luckily the senior play saved them from the utter letdown. 

She also needs to check if the students' booths are school appropriate. There was an incident a few years back when a boy-dominated class did a strip club booth. The few girls in the class either acted as the bouncer or the pimps while the boys were tranny pole dancers who grinded on  broom sticks and served their money-throwing customers fruit punch, Pepero sticks, and those candy cigarettes you get at the store. The booth was the best one that year and which Dara enjoyed the most despite just looking at it from the sidelines since she was still Mother Teresa back then. But sadly the good always die young... No, they didn't die. They just got shut down, everybody in the class got suspended, and the teacher who agreed and encouraged the idea -- Mrs. Ahn, an apple doll-looking granny -- unfortunately, got fired. Mrs. Ahn was one of the cool teachers who gave no s partly because of her old age. She will be forever missed even though they see her loitering around the gambling ring not far from the school.

"I miss Mrs. Ahn... Let's visit her later." Dara sighed. "And hey! A sophomore class is holding a ramen booth. Let's go together!" 

"Sure." He caressed her cheek and she scrunched her face making him chuckle. "And hey, you won't believe what just happened earlier when I was in the halls." 

"Peter Pan rushed in to save Wendy from the evil clutches of Captain Hook. If it's not that, then I won't believe you." She said monotonously. 

"People smiled and greeted me!" He squealed giddily. "Without anyone forcing them to." He said in a hushed tone. 

Jiyong was covering his face while muffling his screams. He was also bouncing his legs on his seat while moving sideways. Dara was undoubtedly happy for him. People finally got to see him for who he really was which was a total crybaby that had a bad case of shyness. A soft smile appeared on her face as she watched his overzealous state. 

"Now all you need to do is loosen up that godforsaken death stare of yours." She said as she propped her chin on the palm of her hand.

"But I can't." He whined. "It just happens on its own!"

Dara nodded in agreement. "A Kwon family curse." She hummed. "Let's try this then." She grabbed her chair and put it beside him. She told him to face her and now they were both facing each other. She put her hand over his eyes and told him to close it and he did. "I know that your glares come in naturally. But sometimes I don't see them... I just see an innocent-looking boy that I fell for." He smiled at her and felt for her hand and fiddled with her fingers. "Let's try to bring that look back. Do you remember what you were thinking when you made that face?"

"I don't even remember making such a face." He pouted with his eyes shut.

"You really do like making things harder, don't you Jiyong-ah?" She sighed. "Arasso, try thinking of something you like or enjoy. Or an event that made you really happy. Like today! We'll start there." 

Jiyong protruded his lips forward in concentration. What makes him happy? Housework makes him happy but that's there is too it. The thing that happened today made him happy but  just for a surprisingly brief moment. He furrowed his brows, still thinking of something that makes him happy. He felt Dara's finger circling the top of his hand and that's when he started unconsciously thinking about her. Her spunky attitude. Her smiles and teases. The way she always smells like coffee for some reason. Now that he thinks about it, he's never seen her drink coffee during the months they've been together. 

He opened one eye and looked at her. "Do you drink coffee often?"

"All day, everyday, baby." She shut his eye closed and he smiled. 

Jiyong continued thinking about the girl in front of him. Although he couldn't see her right now, he has her face imprinted in her mind. Her cute nose that she always wrinkles. Her soft lips that always send him to heaven and back. Her fingers that fit on the spaces between his fingers perfectly. 

Dara saw the corner of his lips tug up to a smile. She cautiously let go of his hands and gave his blissful face a weak smile. She partly knew the reason of his happy face. She guessed that it was because of the people warming up to him. 

But she never guessed that it was because of her. 

"Jiyong." She whispered. "Open your eyes." 

As soon as he opened his eyes he looked at the reason why he felt so calm and serene and smiled at her. He looked at her with a soft expression, his eyes fixed on hers. Gone was his piercing glare. And here was his warm and loving stare. 

"Perfect. Now keep those happy thoughts in your head and your bound to make loads more people come up to you." She pinched his cheek. "You look your best when you smile." 

"You look your best every time you're beside me." He put a strand of her hair behind her ear while looking at her like that was the first time he'd fell in love with her. 

She rolled her eyes at him and pinched his making him wince in pain. They shared a good laugh for about a minute or so but then it stopped when Dara went back to doing her work. He watched her from his seat and felt butterflies in his stomach. He still can't believe that they were together now. He giggled like a school girl garnering Dara's attention.  

"Just leave me here for now. You're making me lose concentration." She shooed him off without sparing a glance at him. "Go on and socialize, butterfly." 

Jiyong was reluctant to leave but he didn't want to bother her with her work anymore. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and made his way to the door. And Dara hid her flustered state by looking at him disgustedly and wiping her cheek. Although the bright red tint on her cheeks did a bad job on not letting him know that she was affected. He chuckled at her and she growled at him.  

He called out to her while taking a hold of the door knob. "Wish me luck." He grinned and left her alone in the SC room. 

She momentarily stopped what she was doing and kept her gaze on the door. She was happy for him beyond question. He was finally breaking out of her shell. She broke hers too. But she's having a harder time than she thought because of that stupid burn book. Everyone around her would either avoid her or treat her like . And although the SC offered their full support towards her, they were still wary about being associated with her. Now she has to live with another fresh hell. 

She slouched on her seat and rested her head on the back rest. She looked straight at the white ceiling in front of her, thinking about nothing but how she can get out from this new pain-in-the- hurdle in her life. Her eyes started to close when she felt it well up with tears. She tried to think about happy thoughts to distract herself from crying. And all those happy thoughts had the same thing in common. They all had Jiyong in it. 

She glanced back at the closed door longingly while fumbling with her hands. 

"Come back." She muttered under her breath and closed her eyes. 

___________________________________

(Italicized lines are flashbacks)

TWO MONTHS LATER -- THE AFTERNOON OF THE SCHOOL CULTURAL FESTIVAL; INSIDE THE AUDITORIUM

"Alright everyone, the curtains are about to go up in 10 minutes." Mr. Rogé announced to the seniors gathered around him. "I will kill any of you who dare mess with my play! Don't forget to have fun and enjoy!" 

Everybody dispersed with worried looks on their faces, hoping they won't embarrass themselves in front of everybody. 

When Mr. Rogé said that he'll tweak the story a little bit, he really meant that he was going to completely change the story. Instead of female Beauty being ridiculed for reading and being smart (because why not), the male Beauty, which was named Beau (Bow - as in bow and arrow) will be ridiculed for doing housework like cooking, cleaning, and planting (again because why not). Dara. the female Beast, will act the same as her male counterpart in the movie. Youngbae who plays as Gaston will be Beauty's best friend and also a well-known hunter that's in search for the rumored beast that's living somewhere in the forest. This Gaston will be coaxing the male Beauty to join him no matter how badly he doesn't want to be in it. Seunghyun who plays Lumiere, which was Bom's role by the way, will still be the same bastard that he was in the movie. And Bom, who got caught switching roles, got the role of the male Beauty's overly aggressive mother who treats her boy like a prince as punishment. 

Dara and her group of friends (and Youngbae), were huddled in the corner of the stage peeking through the curtains, checking if they have a big turnout. Jiyong was the first one to move away from the group. The rest looked at him amusedly as he was raking his hair and muttering unintelligible words to himself.

Dara was about to reach out for him and comfort him but she was interrupted by a group of people calling for him. Jiyong's anxious face suddenly lit up as he heard his other cast mates calling out for him. He quickly scurried off to them leaving Dara's reaching hand in mid air. The rest of them saw what happened but only Youngbae took the initiative to come near her. He slowly set down her raised arm while scrutinizing the emotion on her face. She was wearing a weak smile. She had her eyes glued on Jiyong's back as he was busily chatting it off with the other cast. Youngbae covered her eyes, not being able to see the pain in her face any longer. He then went in front of her and made her rest her head on his shoulder. Bom and Seunghyun looked at Dara and Jiyong interchangeably and they sighed at the sight. One was hurting while the other was smiling. The two went to Dara and rubbed her arm to comfort her. 

On the other side of the room, Jiyong was looking at the two hugging figures a few meters away from him. A deep crease on his forehead started to appear as he continued looking at the two. Doesn't Youngbae know that she's already taken? He could feel his anger slowly climbing up but it soon came to an abrupt end when Mr. Rogé told them to get ready on set. Although everyone was frantically getting in their positions, Jiyong's eyes had yet to leave Dara's sad figure. 

A few people bumped her but they didn't even bother to even look or apologize to her. She looked at her beast mask somberly. Although she won't appear until later on, she opted to wear her mask now. But before she could fully put her head inside the mask, Jiyong saw a tear trail down on her cheek. He was about to go to her direction but Mr. Rogé pulled him to his position to the stage. Dara had her head bowed down while fumbling with her dress. She was all alone sitting in a far corner in the back stage. Meanwhile, Seunghyun was busy getting in to character while Bom was getting ready in the stage.

Jiyong struggled out of the drama teacher's hold. He was getting a strong urge to go near her, to see what was inside the mask. However, Mr. Rogé was incessantly pushing him to his spot while muttering curses towards the seemingly dazed Jiyong. 

"Dara!" He called out but it seemed like she didn't hear since she was still looking down. 

He was about to call her again but Youngbae went in front of Dara making him unable to see her. Mr. Rogé successfully got Jiyong to stay in his position but his mind was still occupied with looking at the same two figures from earlier. He saw Youngbae lift Dara's mask off and crouched down to her level. Even from afar, he could still clearly see her. She suddenly glanced at Jiyong and the both of them locked eyes. He saw her give him a slight smile while giving her a 'fighting' sign. Somehow the sight made him sadder instead of happier. He saw her put the mask back on and Mr. Rogé's final warning to him snapped him out of his trance. 

"Once upon a time, in a far away land, a young princess lived in a shining castle...." The student narrator started. 

After the narrator ends his spiel about the Beast's past, the story transitions to Jiyong cooking while whistling. The door suddenly opened revealing a bare-chested Youngbae which resulted in squealing girls and ahjummas. 

"What is this?!" Youngbae boomed, completely shocking everyone on stage and the audience. Youngbae would always say his lines monotonously and them hearing him say his lines with more passion and emotion totally dumbfounded them. "Go out and do something worth your time! That's a woman's job!" Youngbae laughed. "Don't tell me your a budding flower, Beau!"

"You think I'm gay just because I don't act like other guys, do you?" he said in a low tone. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm straight." 

"Actually, I'm planning to plant some budding flowers in the garden later on." Jiyong replied cockily "Do you want to join me so we can lovingly watch my budding flower brethren grow?" 

Youngbae looked at him bitterly. He went forward to him and hooked his neck with his muscular arm. He then ruffled his hair and sighed. 

"C'mon Beau, there's a bigger world out there for you. Why don't you take one of my girls and you know..." Youngbae wiggled his brows at him and Jiyong grimaced. "Hey, why don't you join my men and I. We're planning to hunt down the infamous beast living somewhere in the forest. I want that beast's head, Beau. And I want you to be there when I decapitate that monster." He smirked. 

Jiyong looked at him, clearly disgusted by his words. He carefully pried his arm of his shoulder and backed away. "Sorry Gaston. Honestly, I don't like the sound of anything you just said right now. And I don't think I can leave mother alone." He peeked at Gaston and found him looking menacingly at him. "You know how she is." 

"Beau, you have to get away from that woman! She's holding you by the neck. She made you a daughter instead of a son! I mean look at you..." He gestured his hands to what Jiyong was wearing which was a frilly pink apron with his skin completely covered by his clothes, totally contrasting Youngbae's appearance. 

"WHO AM I HOLDING BY THE NECK?!?" Bom opened the front door with a loud bang while raising her brows as high as Mt. Everest. 

Youngbae and Bom started to bicker about Jiyong while Jiyong just shrugged and continued to cook his and her mother's dinner. In the end, Youngbae gets booted out of the house and was left to throw curses at his friend's mother.The story then transitions to Youngbae and his 'slave' , Lefou (another unlucky senior) about their plans on taking Jiyong away from his crazy possessive mother. 

Since Mr. Rogé took the liberty of changing a lot in the play, instead of the Beauty's parent figure being an inventor, Bom became a wealthy but stingy merchant that gets her resources from the woods. After the deal with Youngbae and Lefou, the story takes a turn to Jiyong and Bom's house. 

"Beau, in a day from now we will celebrate your name day." Bom lovingly held Jiyong's face and caught him in an embrace. "Tell me, son. What do you want for a gift? And I will gladly get it for you." 

"Anything is fine mother." He smiled. "Although if a beautiful flower is too much to ask, then I wished that you just be by my side on that day."

Bom clapped her hands cheerfully and made Jiyong danced with her. "Oh I will give the most beautiful flower to my most beautiful boy! Your wish is my command." 

After a few story fillers about some back story, the play centers in on Bom scavenging in the woods, hunting for a flower worthy enough to be her son's present. From the corner of her eye, Bom sees a mysterious and shining garden that was filled with a multitude of flowers. She nonchalantly stepped inside and searched for a befitting flower. Her eyes darted from every direction but alas none of the flowers were good enough. As she was still looking through the garden, a large shadow suddenly cast over her. She slowly looked back and saw Dara in a full-body beast costume while wearing an old-lady dress. Bom was about to burst out laughing but Mr. Rogé threw his pen at her to stop her from her antics. Bom quickly went back in character and looked at Dara's beastly figure with a horrified expression.

"WHO DARES COME IN TO MY GARDEN WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?!" Dara roared to her mic that was inside her mask.