“I didn’t say I liked it. I said it fascinated me. There is a great difference.”

-Oscar Wilde

-August 18, 1995-

“It looks ugly.”

Her mother gasped in shock and pinched her arm with a menacing glare. The older woman then looked back at the other mother who lay exhausted on the hospital bed with a sleeping baby beside her. The fathers in the room chuckled at the little girl’s comment and gave each other an amused glance.

“Watch your mouth, Sandara!” her mother hissed. The little girl blinked up at her suddenly irate mother. Didn’t her mother just tell her that honesty makes people like you? Little Dara was confused. It did look a tad horrid.

The baby was small. It was wrapped in a baby blue blanket, emphasizing the fact that they just had a boy. Out of curiosity, Dara placed the tip of her finger on the baby’s tiny nose. She watched how he stirred and crinkled his nose. Fascinated, she inched closer to the bed while the mother tried to show a better view of her son to the curious girl.

*STIR*

*CRINKLE*

“STIR*

*CRINKLE*

After a big yawn, the baby pressed his lips in contentment and slowly opened his eyes. At this point, Dara’s face was practically inches away from the baby’s. The two sets of parents were caught in joyous conversation while the two children just stared at each other quietly, seemingly deciphering who the person in front of them was.

Dara’s lips formed a slight ‘o’ when she saw him open his mouth.

The baby suddenly burped in her face and a second later, the little boy erupted in loud sobs. Her eyes were closed in contempt as she wiped off the burp particles on her face.

“Sandara Park!” her mother reprimanded again.

She turned to her, lips trembling. “B-But I didn’t do anything!”

Eventually the room was filled with the loud bawling of two children, the frantic coos of their mothers, and the hearty laughs of their fathers.

-December 22, 1996-

“I’m so sorry, Minah... I’m really so sorry.”

Her mother cried in the embrace of the kind neighbor imo that she had. Dara blinked, fighting back the tears and biting her lip. Her fists clenched against the fabric of her dress and she looked down to see her tears stain their wooden floors. Her father told her not to cry. He told her that big girls need to be strong so that she’ll grow up to be the most powerful queen there ever was. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

But her father was gone now.

She already knew from before that her appa’s time was limited. Her parents had already explained it to her—well, just her father actually because her omma would end up in tears every time it’s brought up. Her appa didn’t really explain the specifics because she was far too young to understand. All she knew was that he was going to die any moment know.

It somehow felt like a cruel joke. Her appa was one of the sweetest, kindest, and ridiculously cutest appa’s in the whole entire. Why did they have to take him?

Dara cried.

If he knew he was going to die, then why couldn’t he stop it?

Because it was simply impossible. Her brain refused the idea of such an unjust cause of death.

He died in his sleep.

What a peaceful way to die. He was in the arms of his wife right then. He was holding her tight as if it was his last moment. He had a slight hunch that his time was nearing but he never thought that it would be his last time there. At least he passed away holding the only woman he ever loved. If he was given a choice, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

But Dara…

She wasn’t even able to give her final goodbye, her final hug, her final kiss… her final smile.

Dara cried harder but then she felt a hard tug on the edge of her dress. Uncovering her eyes, she saw the ugly baby sprawled out on the bottom of her feet. Her eyes darted to the baby’s mom and she saw her still comforting her own mother. However, there was a baby blanket that trailed towards her direction. She wondered if he crawled his way up to her.

“MMmmmhhh… Uuuhhhnnn…!” the baby mewled, looking as if he was about to cry while looking up at her.

The girl grimaced and quickly looked for an adult but they all seemed too preoccupied. She was only four years old, barely turning 5. What would she know about proper childcare? The little baby raised his arms up to her, clenching and unclenching his tiny fists. He wanted to be carried. The problem was that she didn’t have any upper body strength. So what did she do? Lay down with him?

Pfft.

That’s what she exactly did.

She lied down beside him and put her hand on his tummy, making the circular motions of comfort. The baby boy immediately calmed down and began his incessant blinking once again. Dara found it freaky yet oddly fascinating.

She found herself staying with the little enigma until his parents finally took her from him. The baby cried and struggled a bit, reaching his tiny little arms to Dara in a sort of desperation for escape. So troublesome, Dara grimaced again.

The baby’s mother gave her family an apologetic smile as the baby continued to fuss against her. Eventually, Dara found herself facing the fascinating creature again. Almost instinctively, her hand held his chubby little fingers and the boy’s entire expression immediately lit up. He giggled and suddenly began hitting her face with his spare hand. Dara sputtered while the mother apologized and brought her son back up.

Dara watched them leave their door and suddenly she felt alone. But then she felt a pair of arms encase her body. It was her mother. Dara instantly turned around and hugged her by the neck.

“Big girls don’t cry omma.” She whispered.

Her mother laughed shakily and nodded. “I love you, Dara. I love you so much.” She hugged her tighter and buried her head on the girl’s hair. “I l-love appa too.” She hiccupped. “I love him very, very... very much.”

Such a cruel thing.

Her appa really didn’t deserve to die.

But what could they do?

That was their fate.

-May 13, 2000-

“What are you supposed to be?”

Kwon Jiyong, the infamous enigma baby (now a 5 year old), raised a brow making Dara raise her own. How the hell did he know how to do that? It took Dara 7 years of her lifetime to find out how to use her brows and eyes to replace speaking. Clearly, the hotshot toddler was one step ahead of her.

“A tomato.” The boy answered simply, giving her a blank look. Dara restrained a laugh making the boy glare at her.

Dara pinched his chubby cheek. “Cuuuuttteee~” He swatted her hand away and stomped on her feet. Dara released a high pitch shriek and cat-mouse chase immediately ensued.

“Yah, come here you little brat!!!!” Dara shouted, not minding the people’s eyes.

When Jiyong took a risk by sticking his tongue out, he found himself getting carried by the abhorrent girl. She was thankful to have finally had some upper body strength by the way. Jiyong struggled against her but the 9 year old girl was far too adamant about her resolve. Groaning, Jiyong resorted to resting his head back on her chest and just letting her take him to where he’s supposed to be.

Jiyong landed on the ground with another annoyed groan escaping his lips. To say that Dara was amused was an understatement. Right before her were an assortment of children dressed up in fruits and vegetables just like her special little pain in the .

One of the teachers noticed Dara and gave her a hug as a greeting. She was her old teacher when she was in kindergarten and Jiyong seemed to have gotten her teacher as well. They exchanged quick pleasantries before the older woman started placing everyone in their positions on the stage while Dara watched curiously on the sidelines.

“Vegetables go to the left, fruits go to the right.” The teacher instructed.

The kids quickly scampered to their spots and Dara furrowed her brows upon seeing where Jiyong was positioned. She grabbed his arms to move him but the boy was rooted on his spot.

“You’re in the wrong place, stupid.” Dara hissed, tugging his arm.

“Tomato is a fruit, idiot.” He spat.

“It is so not.”

“Is so.”

“Dara please, you have to leave the stage.” Her former teacher said.

Dara bowed apologetically. “Just one sec.” she quickly turned to Jiyong and dropped down to meet his gaze. “Tomato isn’t a fruit.” She retorted stubbornly.

He rolled his eyes. The audacity. “Tomato is a fruit!”

“DARA!”

The next thing they knew, the curtains opened revealing the kids’ eager parents. All of them zeroed in on the clearly out of place young girl on the middle. Dara however didn’t notice it though. She kept tugging and glaring at Jiyong while the latter did the same.

“C’mon Jiyong!”

“I’m in the right spot, woman! Go away!”

Everything came so fast.

Jiyong pushed Dara.

Dara lost her balance.

Dara was falling off the stage.

Jiyong following after.

…

And both ending up in the hospital.

-January 9, 2007-

“Uhhngg…”

12 year old Kwon Jiyong slammed her bedroom door open and looked at Dara with his infamous blank and judgmental eyes. Dara stared right back at him, pausing the video on her small TV and gently placing the remote control on her lap.

Smirking, his eyes darted to the TV and there he saw… the unmentionable. Jiyong gave her a look and Dara shrugged.

“Was I interrupting something?” he asked, still in her doorway.

Dara pursed her lips and shook her head. “Uhhmm… no, not really.”

Jiyong scratched his head, clearly avoiding the TV screen. “Should I leave?” he said, voice cracking from puberty. He quickly cleared his throat.

“I’m not watching , I swear.”

The boy smirked knowingly, “I didn’t ask.”

“Well—wait! How do you know what ‘’ means?” She quickly shot up and pulled him in her room to corner him. “You’re a little ert, aren’t you?”

“Says the girl who’s watching people have .” He scoffed.

“YOU’RE TOO YOUNG! TOO YOUNG!” She chanted manically. Jiyong cursed and immediately clamped shut but the girl continued, mumbling, “You’re too innocent! You’re not supposed to know these things yet!!!!”

“Goddammit Dara, stop being a pain in the !” he hissed, straddling her and covering .

“I’M A NOONA, YOU DISRESPECTFUL CHILD!! I CHANGED YOUR DIAPERS!”

The boy cringed and got off of her, flashing a distasteful look. “I’m leaving.” He announced.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Dara reached for his hand and pulled him back, making him land face-down on the floor due to the laws of angle and force. Jiyong didn’t get up. He just stayed on the floor with his face on the her carpet. Dara, being the caring teenager that she was, just patted his head. She had no means of wanting to help him up.

“I don’t wanna watch with you.” Jiyong groaned.

Dara rolled her eyes. “You’re such a ert… and you’re so young too… you’re seriously crazy.” She shook her head. “You just came at the wrong time, moron. It was totally PG right after you came in. It’s not my fault if people get you excited.”

Jiyong shot up, face red from embarrassment. “That didn’t make me excited!”

“Arasso, arasso. Do you want me to skip ahead so you won’t get to see anymore skin, sweetie?”

Jiyong struggled when Dara slung an arm on his shoulder. She then forced him to sit down with her on the floor as she fast-forwarded the movie with the remote. Jiyong sat quietly with a scowl but then morphed into anticipation as the movie progressed.

She would glance at him every now and again. It was cute seeing him so caught up in the film. He would ask her questions and discuss things with her about the characters because he missed out on the first half of the movie. He was too smart for his own good. He understood concepts fast. Dara was undoubtedly jealous. The ironic thing was that his academics were almost in par with hers which wasn’t really good. He was smart but his laziness outweighed his wisdom.

To sum it up, he was a genius when it came to nonsensical or trivial things but he was a complete retard in school.

“Can you tutor me in Math tomorrow, Dara?” he suddenly asked.

The girl raised a brow. She wasn’t that good in Math but she’ll be able to help since she’s passed middle school math already. “Fractions again?” she sighed.

Jiyong made an annoyed sound as he resumed focusing on the screen. “Integers.” He grumbled.

“Oh god, I hate integers.”

Jiyong smiled and ruffled his hair much to her annoyance.

“We can hate them together.”

-November 14, 2011-

“Do you wanna go to McDonald’s with us?” His classmate, Lee Seungri, asked.

Jiyong shrugged, “Can my friend come?”

Seungri nodded enthusiastically and called out their other friends to come join. Sophomore life was no different than being a freshman—especially when it came to the human Chihuahua named Lee Seungri. He’s way too excited and if you think that being a sophomore would calm him down and make him more mature, then you thought wrong.

“You’re bringing someone?” Youngbae asked, hooking his arm on Jiyong’s shoulder.

Jiyong nodded and grabbed his backpack. “Might as well.” He replied simply making Youngbae laugh.

Jiyong never really went together with them let alone those rare times when he’s free. They never knew what kept him busy after school. They didn’t pry though because they knew that he wasn’t really a talker. Jiyong was funny though. He was those ‘one line, one punch’ kind of guys. The girls found him charming because of that.

“What class are they from, Jiyong?” Daesung asked.

“They don’t go to this school.”

The three boys shared a knowing smile as they nodded their heads in unison. They talked while walking towards the school gates. Jiyong would join in once in a while but he was too glued to his phone to make a decent sentence. When Seungri tried to speak, he got kicked in the shin resulting to him sulking beside Daesung.

“Are they meeting us there?”

“Yeah, but she might be a little late.”

She?

Curioser and curioser…

Daesung and Seungri immediately left the group to find some seats once they stepped in, ultimately forcing the two other boys to pay and order. They were the next in line and they quickly scrambled to check if they had enough money all together. They could only afford three burgers when everything totaled. Jiyong shot the two other boys a deathly glare while Youngbae repeatedly apologized to the cashier.

He was about to change their order when a manicured hand holding a shiny debit card suddenly entered their view. Youngbae looked at the woman with awe while Jiyong just rolled his eyes.

“It’s on me.” She winked at Youngbae. However, her groove totally got ruined when Jiyong roughly nudged the back of her head in contempt. She hissed at him and scoffed, “Be grateful I’m even paying for you, brat.”

“I could’ve paid on my own.” He muttered.

Dara swiped her card and glanced at him. “Just save your money, Kwon. You’re lucky I have a part-time job.”

Jiyong pressed his lips and tucked his hands in his pockets while Youngbae continued to stare at her with a slightly agape mouth.

“You look beautiful.” He unintentionally whispered. Youngbae instantly clamped his mouth and widened his eyes at his confession. A second later, he was dashing towards the others who were whispering and giggling at Jiyong’s direction.

Kwon Jiyong stayed and they both waited silently for their orders to be called. He gave her a quick look and found her ID dangling on her neck. Dara was a sophomore just like him—well, in college sophomore. He was kind of amazed that they still retained their friendship despite the . He knew she was a noona but she looked younger than some of the girls in the class. If it hadn’t been the ID, people would’ve thought that she was in high school too.

Too bad she wasn’t.

“So, how’s school?” she asked, patting his cheek.

Jiyong sighed, his body unconsciously leaning closer to her making their arms touch. “It’s a pain in the . How about yours?”

“Couldn’t agree more.” She sighed too. “Just a word for advice, don’t take business.”

“Noted.”

They basked in comfortable silence for a while before their food finally came. Jiyong carried the tray while Dara stalked behind him. She looked up and noticed how tall he was getting. His shoulders were getting broader too. His voice was still a little high but she can’t help but notice how it’s changed for the past couple of years. Dara put a lock of her hair behind her ear and focused ahead but Jiyong’s back kept blocking her view. The older woman pursed her lips.

When they both sat down, they heard shocked intakes of breath making them look up in curiosity. The three boys solely focused on the unnamed woman who was absentmindedly eating some fries. Jiyong followed their gaze and slapped Dara’s hand when she tried to get more. The woman pinched him hard on the making him shriek unintentionally. He blushed. The guys blushed too when Dara looked back at them.

“C’mon, let’s eat!” she chirped happily.

Youngbae cleared his throat and looked away. Daesung timidly grabbed his portion. Seungri remained openly staring at the college student.

“Hey Yong-ah, I forgot to tell you that I invited someone too.”

Jiyong furrowed his brows as he put a napkin in front of him and Dara before he put ketchup on top of it.