"If you break someone's heart and they still talk to you with the same excitement and respect... believe me, they really love you."

"Jiyong..."

He glanced over at her before steering to the left and towards the free way. 

"What?" he mumbled, only to be answered with a pout. "Stop acting cute." He got a hit in the arm for that. 

Dara huffed and turned herself towards him while she gripped her seat belt. She opened to speak but fell short. Instead, she shut her lips and continued to look at him with those big, sad and guilty eyes of hers. Feeling the burden of the woman's gaze, he shot her another glance but this time it was more of an annoyed look. The sight made Dara scowl. Jiyong took another left, leaving the free way and getting closer to home. 

He distractedly tipped her chin before putting his hand back on the wheel. "What's wrong with you this time?" He let out a soft chuckle. 

She frowned, eyes zeroing in on him, seemingly dissecting what was going on beneath that hair of his. After a few more thoughtful staring from the woman, Dara finally let out a resigned sigh and muttered a low, "I'm sorry..." 

Jiyong raised an amused brow. "Sorry for what?" 

Cringing slightly, she slurred, "Turning you down." 

His grin widened. "Turning me down for what?" 

"Oh you know what I'm talking about!" she said irritably. 

He blinked innocently, "I really don't."

Knowing that she was at a losing battle, she finally spilled the beans. "I'm sorry I couldn't accept your proposal." she winced at her words. "It's just so—" Weird, gross... uous! But instead she said, "Overwhelming..."  

"Hmm... prepare to get even more overwhelmed because I'm going to repeat that until you accept my proposal."

Dara almost choked on her own spit. "Yah! Kwon Jiyong!" 

"Yah Sandara Park!" he shot back and she glared at him. "You're going to be a Kwon soon." he winked. 

There, Dara went off into her typical screeching tirades of Jiyong being a complete and utter , not to mention his impeccable retardedness. All the while, Jiyong listened happily with a gentle smile on his face. On the back of his mind, he knew that she'd changed but at the end of the day, the crazy demon lady that he fell in love with was still there. 

After a few more minutes, a couple more turns, and a truckload more of Dara's potty mouth insults, the two finally reached their destination. Amidst, Dara's continuous 'I can't believe you've done this's' and 'Are you out of your mind?!'s' Jiyong reached for her hand and pressed a kiss on it, making her shut . She was about to go off again but she saw the sincere look of understanding on his face and suddenly, she didn't know why she was so riled up. 

"You don't have to say sorry, Dara." He said with an assuring tone. "Don't ever say sorry for things like that because there's nothing to be sorry about. It's... surprising, isn't it?" he laughed to himself a little. "I should be the one apologizing to you for not letting you know about my feelings. I'm sorry I took so long to realize... I'm sorry if I'm burdening you with this but I... I know you don't have much time." he visibly winced in pain, his hold on her hand tightening. "And I want to spend every year that you have left with me. I—I'll make you happy."

"Jiyong..."

"So I'm going to keep trying." he smiled. "And I'll keep trying no matter what. Unless you fall in love with someone else, I'll keep ing trying and someday...." He breathed, "Someday, you're gonna have my name and we're gonna build a family—the kind that you've always been dreaming about."

She blinked. "H-How did you—" Jiyong pushed his finger on her closed lips, ultimately silencing her and smudging her lipstick. 

"I know more than you think." he said, adding, "C'mon, you must be hungry." And at that point, Dara's stomach decided to roar and she flushed in embarrassment. Instead of laughing or making fun of her, he just smiled and pinched her cheek fondly before getting out of the car. 

Seeing that he was making her way to her door, Dara quickly scrambled out knowing what he'll do. She shot him a grim look and he just looked at her with the same innocent expression. And suddenly, he held his hand for her while he wore a soft but expectant look. "Let's go?" 

Her instinctive habits made her take his hand without another thought and walk beside him. From then on, his widening smile couldn't be contained and his grip on her hand grew firm. As he entered the gate's code for their conjoined lot, Dara could already smell her mother's cooking. Before they reached home, Jiyong had to visit some places and do his own errands with her having forced to go everywhere with him, hence her hunger and exhaustion. 

Dara practically ran towards her house, there hands still absently clasped like magnets. Jiyong hurried to her pace with an irritated breath and as soon as they opened the door, they froze in place. 

"About time." Dami grumbled, snuggling up to her fiancé. 

Jiyong's entire family was there as well as Dara's mother and Jay Park, the 'foreign' husband. Sunmi had just placed a pot of steaming stew in the middle of the table before her eyes glowed, looking up to see her daughter and beloved childhood friend (and soon-to-be son-in-law~). 

"Perfect! We were just about to give up waiting for you two!" Sunmi clapped her hands and urged the two to sit but before they could do so, Dami stood up with a clatter and Jiyong immediately positioned himself for a defensive stance. Knowing his noona and the crazy look in her eyes right know, he knew that he ed up... he just wasn't sure what it's about exactly. 

"YOU!" Dami gritted her teeth at him. "I waited for you for almost half an hour and you didn't show!" 

Jiyong was utterly confused. "Show to what?"

She sighed exasperatedly. "We had a meeting about your position!" 

"Oh... that?" 

"Jay, you better hold me back because I'm really gonna kill him!!!" 

Again, before blood has been spilled, their father Kwon Ji-Sub silenced them with a clear of his throat. "Jiyong had already talked to me and your mother about it." he said. "I'll allow it temporarily... for my daughter-in-law's sake." 

Dara flushed in shock and embarrassment. "Samchon!" 

"Aisht, seriously. The nepotism in this company is amazing." Dami muttered sarcastically under her breath. 

Jiyong nudged her arm and snarled, "You're apart of the nepotism problem too, noona." Unto which the elder sister hit him upside the head. Like always, they would push and silently insult each other until one gives up but in the end, they know their roots and they share a playful 'sibling smile'. 

A few minutes later, the two families were caught up in a mixture of laughter, chatter, and gossip. Jiyong continued to banter with his sister while Jay and Dara had no choice but to back up their respective sides. Dara could see the genuine mirth in his expression and somehow, it relieved her to know that Jiyong really didn't take her rejection to heart. Of course, the man was just probably hiding his feelings very well but the pure happiness on his face just relaxed her from her worries. 

Dara didn't want to hurt him anymore but from his statements from earlier, it seemed like he was willing to get hurt... just to make her his. The thought pained her even more. As she stared at his profile, she couldn't help but wonder. How had it come to this? They were only supposed to be friends—family. She couldn't even comprehend a world where they would be lovers. It was just impossible. 

But he kissed you, a part of her mind said, And you let him.

"Hey," Jiyong put a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, his expression suddenly turning concerned. Her hurt thumped a bit. No, she wanted to see him happy. "Are you okay?" he asked. 

He treats you like this... And you let him.

"I-I'm fine." she lightly held his wrist, planning to push his hand away from her but her hand remained still and he took it as a chance to hold it. In a slight stupor, Dara watched him give her knuckle a chaste peck before giving her that boyish smile she remembered from when they were young. Did that same smile from before showed the same feelings Jiyong had for her now? She absently took her hand back while Dami's teasing about Jiyong being mushy rang in her ears. 

Were they really impossible?

-when he was 14-

Jiyong gulped noticing the sweat trickling down from the side of her neck. 

"Yong-ah."

At her voice, he quickly turned away, blushing like a tomato. "W-What?" 

Dara lied down on her wooden floors with a loud grumble and irritably hovered her handheld electric fan over her face. "It's so hot!" And to that, the loud buzzing sounds of the cicadas greeted her to spite her even more. 

Finally letting the blood run to his head, Jiyong found himself lying beside her albeit opposite. The sides of their sweaty heads were practically touching but the rest of their bodies lied in their own separate spaces, just sweltering in that summer heat. Normally, the would've stayed all day in his house if it was this hot but the Kwons' air conditioning gave up and the repair men aren't able to come until tomorrow morning. Now, it was just dead in the afternoon and they've been toasting despite the shade of her roof for almost 2 hours. 

"What do you want me to do?" Jiyong whined, annoyed. Dara hit him with a palm over his face but he didn't do anything. He was far too roasted to do anything. She frowned and pointed the fan to him, earning her a contented sigh. 

"Do you guys not have a real electric fan or something?" she asked, looking bitterly at her poor excuse of a fan. 

He grumbled. "I don't know."

She hit him via a palm in the face again. "Go check!"

He grumbled for the nth time that day and pushed himself up and trudging towards his own house. Dara, with an annoyed moan, pushed herself up to follow him. His house that was once their winter wonderland amidst the dry season had become a blazing hell. Jiyong would look half-assedly at their closets and Dara didn't have enough energy to hit him until he would cut his out. Eventually, their Magellan exploration became a success when Jiyong caught sight of a shiny electric fan that was tucked behind some boxes. Dara swore she almost cried when he found the discovery. 

So there they trudged back to Dara's house under the shade of their ghetto veranda. The two let out a contented hiss as soon as the fresh air blew over their skin. It was hot but thankfully not humid therefore no hot air was being directed at them. They both went back to their original positions and basked in the new-found freshness of their surroundings. 

But then...

"Do you have a girlfriend, Yong-ah?" 

Jiyong abruptly opened his sleepy eyes and looked at Dara as if she'd just asked the most ridiculous question on the face of the planet. "What?" 

Dara sat up in a lax manner, her face hovering over his while her legs were tucked to the side in a mermaid position. "Do you have a girlfriend?" she repeated casually. 

He sputtered. "I don't have time for a girlfriend." 

She tilted her head curiously. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?" 

His cheeks reddened and he turned his head to the side and closed his eyes. "None of your business." he mumbled. 

"It's okay. You don't need a girlfriend." he heard her say. "You only need your Dara noona." 

Jiyong opened his eyes to deny but then her face was all he could see. Suddenly, the only thing that he did need was his Dara. Despite the cooling breeze, his throat grew parched and his body turned rigid. It would only take a raise of the hand for him to reach her cheek but before he could do that, her head suddenly turned away, leaving his fingers twitching in regret. 

"Noona doesn't have a boyfriend either." she confessed suddenly. 

Like always whenever she tells him revelations like this, Jiyong's heart raced and the only thing he could hear right then was his pulse. It was as if he was facing a make or break situation like in those video games he played. It's either he take the step and risk the uncertainty or stay in the safety zone and be free from danger. 

Jiyong's mouth opened.

"I wanna have a boyfriend." she whined. 

Now or never... now or never.... Do it!

"I-I..."

The cool breeze blew against the locks of her hair from her ponytail and he saw a faint of a smile form on her lips as she looked distantly at the electric fan. 

"I'll try and get a boyfriend next year." 

His heart beat quickened even more and his face started to heat up from apprehension. No! What are you doing?! Speak! But he couldn't find his voice. Instead, he just watched her helplessly as he inwardly panicked. He forced his mouth to open just for the sake of saying something—anything! 

"Dara—"

She turned back to him and grinned, "Cheer for me, okay?" 

And again like always, he fell too short and gave up too easily. 

"Whatever." he mumbled, turning to the side away from her. But then, he felt a current sweep past his entire body when she draped herself over him with a careless hug. Jiyong's face became pained but he didn't bother to remove her from him. 

"You'll get your 'someone' too one day." he heard her say and it broke him even more. "You're handsome... I bet girls are already confessing to you but you're just turning them down." her tone turned teasing but Jiyong was too caught up with himself to retaliate. Dara frowned at that. 

"Jiyong-ah~ you're really handsome!" 

All she got was a grunt. 

"If I was 4 years younger, then I probably would've confessed to you too."

"AISHT!" The boy shot up, flustered. But then he forgot their position, so he accidentally hit her and...

*CHU~* 

Kissed her on the cheek

Dara held her cheek in an alarmed daze while Jiyong cupped his mouth, looking as white as a ghost. 

"Y-Yah..." Dara whispered, pointing at him accusingly. Seeing the boy turn red, made her blush as well. "YAH!!!!" 

And before she knew it, Jiyong was running away. Dara quickly grabbed the broom sitting beside her and ran after him as she threatened to hit him with her weapon. 

"GIVE ME BACK MY FIRST CHEEK KISS!" 

At that, the two blushed deeper and Dara let out a few loud curses at the unintentional confession. 

"YAH KWON JIYONG!!!!"

Jiyong was grinning madly as he tried to evade her deadly broom. To think that the girl was already 18 and haven't been kissed on the cheek before... and he was the one who took her very first. He released an inadvertent squeal at the thought. 

He felt like the happiest man alive. 

"What the is this?"

Dami smiled that sadistic smile of hers while Jay looked at her amusedly from the side. Dara was sitting on the chair across from Jiyong, left in a state of complete unsureness with herself and everything around her. They were all in what used to be Dara's office (now Jiyong's) and the new floor manager was about to guide and help Dara get back on track when Dami suddenly invited herself in while Jay carried a stack of paperwork behind her. 

Jiyong turned his glare to the unsuspecting Jay and asked, "Are you a masochist?" 

Jay snorted and shook his head amusedly once again. "I haven't had this much fun in a while." he spoke in English. "I'd like to believe I just chose the right woman to marry." Unto which Jiyong answered with a loud gag while Dara and Dami gushed at the American's straightforwardness. Jiyong scoffed at Dara, muttering to himself that he'd already said way cornier things than he did. 

"Noona!" Dara and Dami both turned to him and Jiyong shot a nasty look at Dara. "Do I ever call you noona?" he asked exasperatedly and she scowled. 

Dami rolled her eyes. "What is it?" 

Jiyong pointed an accusing finger on the stacks of papers on his desk as if it wasn't anymore obvious. "What the is this?"

"That's your work, dongsaeng dearest." 

"Excuse me?" 

Dami ticked her tongue and leaned on the desk. "You see, unnie's been out for a while and I've relieved the stand-in who took her place when she was in the hospital." she explained. "These are all the work and projects that her stand-in has been busy with and I'd like you to continue where she'd left off." 

"I don't even do this much in my previous position!" he complained. "And I'm supposed to be in charge of Dara and getting her reacquainted with everything!"

"You were a glorified intern—"

"I'M NOT!"

"Oh get your head out of your , Jiyong!"

"Kwon Dami!" Jay suddenly bellowed, instantly silencing everyone. "Can I speak to you outside for a minute." It was more of an order than a request and the