Dara didn’t know why she was so mad. She hated it that she couldn’t define the source of her anger. She didn’t even want to consider it was because of Yoona. Her poor friend didn’t have a clue what was going on between her and Jaejoong. In fact, no one knew anything yet, though the press had probably caught them in one frame by now holding hands and him kissing her hand. He was already playing the part like a pro, damn him! She refused to check Twitter on her phone. Not yet.

 

 

 

       His hand was burning a hole at the small of her back. She wanted to slap it away but they were surrounded by people. Cameras were everywhere, even at the backstage.

 

 

 

       Tony was putting them on cue. They were about to present Best Video.

 

 

 

       The next thing she knew, they were walking across the vast stage toward the podium. The KBS Theater was jam-packed tonight and screams erupted when they both came out. It didn’t die down for a full minute.

 

 

 

       The people were chanting “Darko, Darko!” For the first time in her stellar career, Dara was not the center of attention.

 

 

 

       Jaejoong took command of the stage. “Hello, It’s good to be here!”

 

 

 

       Deafening screams. As she’d predicted, the Daralings were going gaga over Darko.

 

 

 

       She couldn’t believe this. She was being upstaged by a villain in a superhero movie.

 

 

 

       “It’s a great honor and an utmost pleasure to be standing beside this…” he turned to her, “…lovely vision tonight.”

 

 

 

       Screams.

 

 

 

       “This is the first time I’ve met Dara Park in the flesh and now I know why you call her the Empress.”

 

 

 

       Louder screams.

 

 

 

       “Oh no, Darko! Don’t say it!” Someone screamed at the front.

 

 

 

       That elicited laughter from the audience.

 

 

 

       He chuckled. “Thank you, honey, but I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”

 

 

 

       Wails of protest this time.

 

 

 

       “For the first time, Darko is willingly going down….” He paused for dramatic effect, “For the Empress!”

 

 

 

       Dara’s mouth dropped. Was this in the script? She couldn’t remember. She went over it earlier. She was sure Jaejoong knew what he was supposed to do or say. He was embellishing the plot, pre-empting everything!

 

 

 

       She turned to him and opened to speak but he cut her. “See, your beauty almost made me forget what we came here for, my Empress.”

 

 

 

       His tone was so possessive as he uttered “my Empress”, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to say. It was triggering her sense of self-preservation. He was taking over and she was losing control of her business!

 

 

 

       He had to be stopped.

 

 

 

       She put on a cheeky smile. “Yes, I’m afraid you’re gonna break the internet with that epic sappiness. So un-Darko, my god. You’re so gonna get fired from your movie,” she said in a droll tone, pretending boredom when she was nothing but. She was freaking out.

 

 

 

       His face transformed to pure Darko mischief. He grinned that famous evil grin that had captivated legions of women across the globe to become DDH—Darko Die Hards. Yup, the fan club did exist, according to his website.

 

 

 

       “I am Darko and I came here with a mission,” he declared to the audience in a haughty, Darko accent.

 

 

 

       Hysterical screams.

 

 

 

       Dara wanted to roll her eyes. She hoped those weren’t Daralings screaming.

 

 

 

       He put his forefinger across his lips in this imperious Darko gesture. “Shhh.”

 

 

 

       The noise was wiped out from the stadium as if he got everyone hypnotized by that shushing sound he made.

 

 

 

       Seriously?!

 

 

 

       “My mission tonight…” he paused and turned to look at her again. As a professional presenter, she was supposed to look back at him, but she refused to. “…is to give your Empress a happy ending.”

 

 

 

       She almost choked on her saliva. What in the ever-loving hell…?! This was definitely not in the script yet!

 

 

 

       The stadium was quiet again.

 

 

 

       “Would you like that?” he asked the audience in this, soft, soothing tone of a sorcerer.

 

 

 

       Collective wails of denial, but they sounded weak. “Nooooooo!”

 

 

 

       “No? Won’t you want Darko to be happy for a change? He might stop wanting to kill his brother in the next movie,” he said teasingly.

 

 

 

       As if on cue, at the change of his tone, the audience came alive again.

 

 

 

       Screams of approval this time.

 

 

 

       Desperate to stop him from railroading her plans, Dara grabbed him from behind and bit her nails into his flesh. She realized seconds later she was gripping one cheek of his firm ! She pulled her hand back as if scalded. She hoped the cams at the back didn’t catch that!

 

 

 

       “Alright, alright, my Empress is telling me I’m being overkill about this but you know me, I’m always over-killing. You know the body count.”

 

 

 

       Laughter from the audience.

 

 

 

       His throat rumbled into this Darko chuckle that had been made into countless memes all over the internet for all occasions— especially when you’re recovering from a broken heart and wanting revenge so you’re contemplating a aton with the first y plumber or mechanic in sight— and finally opened the envelope. “The nominees for Best Video are…”

 

 

 

       She exhaled in relief.

 

 

 

       God, he was definitely, absoinglutely FIRED!

 

 

 

 

 

 

       Dara climbed into the limo, the furious flashes of the cameras leaving globs of white light blotting her vision. Even after almost a decade in this business, she hated it. She was so relieved when JJangmae, her chauffeur and bodyguard, slammed the door shut and she was finally private.

 

 

 

       Only, the devil was with her!

 

 

 

       “Get out,” she told him, feeling the normally spacious interior of her stretch limo shrink into a li