"It's hard to wait around for something you know might never happen but it's harder to give up when you know it's everything you want."

—Anonymous

-when she was 19-

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we didn't know each other?" 

Jiyong looked up from his homework with a slight scowl on his face. "Where did that come from?" 

Dara shrugged, putting her pen down and resting her cheek on her palm as she openly stared at him. "I don't know... just a thought."

He shook his head. "A stupid thought."

"But really though," she continued, making him sigh. "Have you ever thought about what it be like if we haven't met each other?"

"Why are you getting so sentimental all of the sudden?" 

Because you're confusing me. "Just answer the damn question, Kwon Jiyong." 

"I don't know." he muttered exasperatedly. "We wouldn't be friends?" 

She frowned, "That's it?" 

"My life would be less of a hassle?" 

"YAH! I'm tutoring you right now, aren't I?!" 

He snorted, mumbling, "I feel like I'm doing all the teaching right now." 

"KWON JIYONG!!" 

The next thing he knew, Dara launched herself towards him, making them land on the floor with him straddling on top of her. Jiyong winced at the impact his head made with the wooden ground and immediately shot the girl the meanest glare she could muster. 

"Kwon JIyong!" she yelled again, making his ears ring painfully. 

"What?!" 

"You don't mean that do you?" Her loud voice abruptly became as soft as a whisper and it unconsciously unarmed his annoyance. When he didn't answer and just looked at her questioningly, she continued, "Would you rather not have me around?" 

Jiyong tried to gulp the lump on his throat and when he couldn't, he tore his gaze off of her. Dara's expression visibly changed into disappointment, her fists slightly tightening on his shirt. This was a time when things were still too painfully ambiguous to them and they didn't have the will to distinguish what each other was really feeling. Every time, they would give each other half-hearted answers which unknowingly disappointed the one who questioned, expecting that they would finally get a reply that would tell them that they also wanted more. 

"I can't answer that." 

But in the end, they always end up pushing and pulling without realizing it either. 

Her brows furrowed with disdain. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?" 

Jiyong gave her a flat look. "If I said yes, it would imply that I'd rather not have you. If I said no, it would also imply that I'd rather not have you." he explained. "It's like asking me if I'd come out of the closet today. A yes or no answer is gonna lead me to unintentionally admitting that I'm gay—which my disagrees with. So Dara, that lesson here is that you have to word your questions properly, neh?" 

"Is this your long-winded way of telling me you don't wanna be my friend?" 

He sighed a resigned sigh. "You're really lacking in the brain department, aren't you?" 

He got a hit for that. 

"Yes, that's my long-winded way of explaining why proper wording is important. No, I want and still want to be friends with you. And no, I'd rather have you with me than without me." he smiled ruefully. "Happy?" 

"Kinda..." she pouted.

Jiyong made a disgusted face. "Jesus. Get that thing away from me." He grimaced.

Her expression turned confused and she looked around her to see what he was referring to. 

"I meant your face."

That earned him a hard pinch on the s, earning her a shriek of murder. Jiyong continued to squirm against her while the latter resumed being a little by tormenting him. This was what they were good at: goofing around while subtly showing them their affection for one another. They might not notice it but the two of them were unconsciously pouring their hearts out to each other. 

The boy who people thought was too mature and aloof for his age was laughing freely and teasing her back through a series of tickles and pinches. And the girl who liked everybody showed how much her affinity for him was special by the way she looked at him with those somewhat desperate eyes that pleaded for him to look at her closer. They were one and the same yet they were still somehow different. 

"Do you think we'll still be friends when we're older?" she asked, settling against his chest with a sigh. 

He put a hand against her back and started patting it softly. "As long as you don't leave me." he whispered. 

She suddenly tensed and looked up at him. "Do you think I'll do that to you?" 

He shrugged, "I know I won't do that to you." 

Yet a few years later, Kwon Jiyong left Sandara Park on her own. 

She frowned. "I won't leave you either."

The difference though with his departure was that he came back. 

"Is that a promise?" he smiled mischievously. 

Dara however, had left him alone with his love.

"I promise."

Because in the future, her love for him had vanished. 

-present time-

Jiyong had wondered how the HR department hadn't had a knowing how much he pulled with Dara in the past. 

"I expected so much from you, Mr. Kwon." The head HR manager, Han Eunjung, said

He had to restrain the need to roll his eyes and instead just settled with a inconspicuous scowl on his face. Dara however, was in all kinds of panic. She never even knew she had a job and now she was getting in trouble on her first day back? I think I'm gonna vomit. She was used to getting in trouble when she was younger but now that she's an adult? Nuh uh, this was different ball park now. This was ing real. PAYING TAXES kinda real.

Eunjung's intense gaze then switched to the hamster of a woman. "And you Ms. Park." At that, Dara visibly winced and cowered in her seat, earning her an amused look from her partner in crime. 

With the clear of the throat, Dara tried to straighten herself up but she couldn't, so in the end she looked like a crippled old lady that's too weak to straighten her back. "Y-Yes?" she answered faintly, too intimidated to speak louder. 

She watched as the older woman sized her up with her icy perma-scowl before she finally settled on her eyes onto which Dara responded by readily looking away. Beside her, Jiyong couldn't help but be both amused and in awe of the Dara he was seeing right now. Their trips to the HR department wasn't very frequent since he would always veto the complaints that the HR henchmen would present him with. On some dire occasions however, the HR brigade gives them a 'random mandatory screening' when they and the entire building knew what kind of they had done.

Things don't really end well after these mandatory screenings. Usually, things would go right back to the natural pace of things. Jiyong would put (literal feces) on Dara's office chair while Dara would often spread rumors about Jiyong being very very gay. Oftentimes, the HR department would get them off the hook, having been spoken to already by the other Kwons who knew about the 'power struggle' between them. This however...

"I can only tolerate so much, Mr. Kwon and Ms. Park." the Mrs. Tight-bun said. "This is just going over the ethics code of this company."

Everyone in the Kwon Group of Companies (KGC) knows that office romance was strictly prohibited—especially if the romance concerns a superior and a subordinate. 

"You must know your limits, do you?" It sounded more of a challenge than anything and it irked Jiyong's little angry cloud even more. 

He rolled his eyes with pure contempt. "Everybody knew that I liked her even before this and you never did anything." Dara widened her eyes at the revelation. But before she could give him a piece of her mind, he suddenly clamped and held it firm, much to the girl's absolute chagrin. "So now I'm asking... why the hell are you guys just doing this now?" 

Eunjung sighed and leaned back on her seat. "You know you've stepped over the line, Mr. Kwon." 

"Oh c'mon!" he growled exasperatedly, suddenly pointing at a still-nervous Dara. "She proposed to me way before I even did! HEOL, she even proposed in my office!!!" 

Dara flushed, "I DID NO SUCH THING!" 

"Uh yeah, you did!" he shot back childishly. 

"You're making up!" 

"ing hell, if you didn't have stupid amnesia then I would school your ing !" 

"Enough!" 

The two adult babies instantly settled down as soon as the scary lady used her punishment voice. Almost simultaneously, they both lowered their heads in shame and slumped in their seats guiltily. Eunjung released another long-suffering breath as she interchanged between the both of them. 

Jiyong was right, everyone knew that the two had a special something between them. Eunjung even had to raid some floors due to the rumor that there have been betting rings made for Kwon Jiyong and Sandara Park. There, the people would bet from mundane things like if Dara would call Jiyong an , or big things like who, from either of them, would eventually break and admit to their romantic feelings for one another. 

Now that one of them has publicly confessed their attraction—hell, the fact that one wanted to marry the other!—the betting rings went berserk and the HR hoodlums were especially busy as we speak. To Dara and Jiyong's backs was a large glass wall that overlooked Eunjung's floor staffs. There, it drew a picture of what hell would be. Complaint and warning papers were scattered and getting thrown everywhere. There was panicked shouting, screeching, some even crying—sobbing their stress away against the floors. And the people looked like they've been individually hit with the train of reality that they lived amongst the chaos of uncivilized, stupid people. 

It was safe to say that the HR goons haven't been this busy since someone complained about their co-worker wrongfully using their electric sharpener. 

And it was all because of the two who were sitting in front of the emotionless, scary lady. 

Eunjung sighed and focused on Dara, making the girl flinch. "I know it must be hard for you because of your... circumstances." Jiyong stared at her in slight awe, amazed that the Grinch woman can show signs of sympathy. "I don't know how it feels to forget a fairly huge chunk of your life. It must feel overwhelming... but we'll get you back on track soon enough. Okay, dear?" 

Dara nodded, smiling unsurely, and Jiyong looked like he was about to tear up. He's never seen Eunjung so... like... she doesn't want to sacrifice you to the gods in order to gain peace in the kingdom. She'd always given them that look right from the start and looking at her be like a mom was refreshing. 

And then her eyes switched to his. 

ing double standards, he hissed inwardly.

"I say, Mr. Kwon. You've always been civilized with me—to some extent, anyway." she said with a hint of scorn. "And now it looks like you've become the opposite, huh?"

Dara had always been the one calling Eunjung out and objecting everything that came out of in order to save the both of them from the devil while he would just silently nod when appropriate. He did, however, get very verbal and defensive whenever Dara switches her tactics and starts blaming him instead, ultimately destroying his 'good boy' persona. Now that Dara has no idea who the woman is, Jiyong felt the need to be the hell raiser this time to y'know... continue their balanced dynamic. 

Jiyong rolled his eyes, completely embracing the drama queen title that Dara once had. "Just tell me the punishment so I can leave and plan my proposal."

"Kwon Jiyong!" Dara hissed, blushing madly. 

Naturally, Jiyong would scowl at her nagging while the latter would scowl back too. The only difference this time that was that he was serious and he wasn't teasing anymore. The thought only made her get more flustered and eventually look away, much to his great amusement. But then...

"We may have to remove Ms. Park from the company." 

Dara widened her eyes just as the chair beside her clattered. His hands slammed down Eunjung's desk but the latter didn't even flinch. "I don't care what you do to me, but you don't do anything to her, do you understand?" he seethed. 

The older woman steadily met his gaze and said, "I'm sorry Mr. Kwon but office relationships are strictly not tolerated here—most especially if it concerns a superior and his underclassmen. We may give you a warning or suspension but that's all we can allow since you have such a significant position. The only viable way to fix this is to lay off Ms. Park—"

"Get out, Dara." 

The girl in question blinked. "Excuse me?" 

He glanced back at her and nodded his head to the door. "I'll meet you outside." When the girl didn't move, his eyes turned apologetic. "Please?" he whispered. 

And that's when she reluctantly stood up and gently closed the door behind her. 

Jiyong turned back to Eunjung as he sat himself back on his seat with an exhausted breath. She watched how the boy silently contemplated to himself while he distractedly brushed his hair. He may have showed it in subtle ways but she considered Kwon Jiyong to be a wild child. Yes, he was a complete professional in the work environment but there were hints of him that said otherwise.

First off all, he had a tattoo that was in clear sight of everyone's eyes which was deemed improper in a formal business setting. Secondly, he always acted childish under the presence of a certain Sandara Park. An immature trait was seen highly undesirable, particularly if it's someone from his high stature. And lastly, he was much too young. At the age of 22, Eunjung knew that being part-CEO was no place for him. He lacked the experience and the drive. He was only fueled by obligation to appease his parents of maintaining the legacy of their enterprise. There was no ambition for greatness, only forced responsibility. 

The woman sighed again, "Even though Ms. Park has experienced detrimental causes, the past still shows how much she has negatively impacted you. I have tens and tens of folders that are solely based on what you two playing around. This is a business, Mr. Kwon, not a playground. Ms. Park is only holding you back." Expecting to hear an argument, she braced herself. But what he did next was something she hadn't anticipated.

He stood up and slowly sunk to the ground, kneeling in front of her to make his plea. Eunjung knew that the boy was one for dramatics but this... she never have envisioned. It also didn't help that her walls were made of glass and the people could see what was happening. The commotion that was happening outside immediately ceased when they saw the supposed cold-hearted Kwon kneel in front of the HR director. 

"Dara didn't do anything wrong." he mumbled out of his breath. 

Seeing that they were attracting a bigger crowd, Eunjung cringed. "Please stand up, Mr. Kwon—"

"Just fire me." 

Now her breath grew frustrated. "We simply can't just fire an executive, Mr. Kwon. A meeting with all the shareholders and the other executives must be done. In addition, you're one of the heirs of the company. Even if you want to quit, your parents—"

"Noona's in the building, right?" Eunjung didn't even have the chance to answer since he already snatched the phone that sat on her desk and dialed. Together, they waited silently for the highest official to answer. The onlookers from the outside waited patiently for it too even though they had no idea what was happening. 

"This is Ms. Kwon's secretary." Came a soft, elderly voice. "How may I help you today?"

"Soomin imo? Yeah, this is Jiyong. Can I talk to noona? It's urgent." 

There was a pause on the other line as well as some rustling. After a few more seconds, her voice came back, "Alright, Ms. Park just finished her call. I'll ring you to her in a second, sweetie." 

"Thanks." 

A few more seconds later...

"What do you want?" Answered his sister's monotonous bus