“Our most beautiful dreams are born from our most unpleasant nightmares.” 

―Matshona Dhliwayo

Her stomach gurgled loudly, making her hide her face on his chest. Jiyong's body shook with laughter as he petted her back and kissed her hair. 

"I need to feed you." he said to himself, earning weak snide look from Dara. Smiling, he carefully pulled her out of bed and guided her to the kitchen. Jiyong instructed her to sit by the kitchen island and she dutifully obeyed, feeling herself weak from lack of energy. 

A derisive frown marred his face as he scanned each cupboard and drawer, only housing dust bunnies and unwelcomed insects. Stopping at the last drawer, he released a quiet grunt when he only found a single piece of elbow macaroni. He scoffed and turned to give her the bad news when he found her taking out two mugs from the cupboard, earning her a confused brow. 

She smiled slightly and nodded towards the coffee container on the kitchen island before raising a brow back. 

With a peer and a hard point towards her, he said, "This is why I love you." And then he broke out into the biggest grin, coming to her side and circling his arms on her waist. 

Dara rolled her eyes but grinned back. "I can't believe you're this weak to coffee." 

"Not weak to coffee, baby." He kissed her cheek. "Weak to you and the way you always find things before me." 

She tried to roll her eyes again but his feather kisses to the face distracted her, making her giggle and squirm. Jiyong chuckled at her petty attempts to push his face away before he held her wrists and pressed his body against hers. Dara's elbows rested back on the island table, her gaze unconsciously focusing on the man's bare chest. She gulped. 

She'd only realized this morning that Jiyong slept without a shirt on. Dara tried to act like she wasn't flustered but as soon as he gave her that 'just-woke-up' look that had a peeking boyish smile on his lips, her cheeks heated up and she looked at anywhere else but him for the past 15 minutes. Jiyong wouldn't let her live it down as he burst into a fit of chuckles, teasing her about his man body and how she was thinking nasty thoughts. Dara merely scowled... but blushed harder. 

And until now, the man still refused to put on a shirt, saying that he wanted to see her flustered face a little bit longer. Amidst all her grumbling, he mentioned that he always slept without a shirt on but started being fully-clothed in bed again when she started sleeping with him. Dara's reddened cheeks turned brighter but he was quick to say that it was all innocent. 

"You said that you just liked my bed." he mumbled, glancing over to her with a growing smirk. "But I think you just wanted to feel me up all night." 

Dara protested against the idea with a shriek but Jiyong just gave her a noncommittal shrug and another snicker. 

Now the couple basked in a comfortable silence, Dara making coffee while Jiyong attached himself to her like a leech. As they waited for the kettle to chime, Jiyong played with their interlaced hands while he whispered into her ear how absolutely beautiful she was and how lucky he was to have found her. Smiling, Dara rested her head back against his chest and kissed his chin as a silent thanks for his sweetness. 

As the kettle whistled and Dara finished making their drinks, Jiyong guided her to the porch that overlooked the river. There, they sat on the step beside each other with Dara's head against his shoulder and his spare arm around her waist. They basked the scenery in silence alongside some quiet sips from their mugs. There still seems to be an elephant in the room with how little they allowed themselves to speak but they knew that it was all a matter of time. Both of them just need to heal in their own ways. 

When Dara took another sip, he asked, "Are you up to eat in town?" 

"Sure." she answered, brushing away an errant strand of his hair. 

"We should probably get some groceries too." 

"How long are we even staying here?" 

He shrugged, kissing her temple. "I don't know. I left my phone in the hospital and didn't ask noona for a leave. I think... three days at the most?" He snorted, adding, "Or until noona finds out where we are." 

"I feel bad." Dara frowned, setting her empty mug down and looking over the waters. "Should we just go home?"

"We need this, Dara." he said gently. "We need to figure everything out alone without anyone getting in the way. We need time to breathe."

And they did. The stresses and pressures of the world took a big toll in their lives and they were left damaged and relying on outside factors that didn't revolve around them. An escape was what they needed badly. Just the two of them, living and loving each other was all that they needed. 

"Alright," she smiled up at him. "I'm gonna go take a shower." She stood up and pried herself off from Jiyong's embrace and he glanced back at her retreating figure as he drank his coffee. 

"Want me to join you?"

The woman visibly stopped and it made him release a smirk. She looked back at him with a raised brow before walking back to him with a small smile. Little did he know that the small smile she wore was actually a sneer. He was about to speak again when her foot landed on his face and pushed until he came tumbling down to the ground, spilling his coffee on himself in the process. Jiyong grew red with rage. 

"YAH!!! DARA!!!!!"

All he got was a boisterous laugh as she hurried inside the house like a child. Jiyong shook his head as a soft chuckle slipped past his lips. He looked up at the bright sky and let out a relieved sigh when he felt the sun's warmth hit his skin. But when he opened his eyes, the same wave of pain from last night consumed him once more. He forced down the lump on his throat and moved closer to the river, letting his thoughts wander as he watched the water move. 

It took them more or less 30 minutes before they reached the closest town from Jiyong's house. It was a small, quaint neighborhood that had houses that were constructed with traditional sliding doors and paper blinds, looking a little more old-fashioned than Dara's home. 

Dara guessed that they were somewhere in the country, seeing how it looked like the town was so rustic and filled with an array of green. Mothers walked alongside their playing children while vendors chatted with their customers. It all felt very refreshing to them since they've lived in the big city for all of their lives. 

They found it hard to find restaurants since there weren't enough noticeable signs to direct them where they needed to go. Jiyong offered to drive in the next town in hopes for some food but Dara stopped him before he could, and pointed at a little restaurant that had some diners enjoying their meal. 

They stayed in the car for a few minutes since they were caught up in a heated argument. Why? Before Dara could open her door to leave, Jiyong held her back by the arm and gave her a pointed look. 

"Let me open the door for you." he said. 

Dara gave him an incredulous look. "Christ, Jiyong. We're already here and I'm starving!" She made a move to open the door again but she found herself getting pulled back once more. 

"Don't be so stubborn." he scowled, moving to open his own door but Dara forcibly pulled him back too. "What the hell?!" he snapped. 

"You started this, , now pay for it!!!!" 

And that resulted into a few petty minutes of pulling each other away from the door and insulting each other. They only stopped when their stomachs shared a loud roar and they just quietly left the car and headed over to the restaurant. 

The place wasn't packed but they had a few customers. It was a little mom and pop shop that had a very homely feel to it. An array of family and friend pictures as well as some sceneries lined up the walls, reminding both of them their habits of putting their own photos in their rooms.

A cute, old lady greeted them at the door and guided them towards their seat, making comments about how good-looking they were but hitting mostly on Jiyong. He found it amusing when he saw Dara grew annoyed by the lady's attempts at flirting and he fueled the fire even more by flirting back. When the lady left to give them time to choose from their menu, Dara instantly hit him upside the head and earning her a wince. 

"First omma and now her?" she scoffed. "What's with you and old ladies, huh?" 

Jiyong threw her a knowing look and grinned boyishly. "Can you blame me? Old ladies are my style, after all." He took her hand and kissed her palm. "Don't worry, a certain old lady already owns me." He winked. But then yelped when she pulled his nose in contempt and he flicked her forehead to retaliate. The two were left groaning in pain from each other's childishness once again. 

After the lady came to take their orders, the two reverted back to being the sweet couple from before, holding hands and sneaking looks at each other when the other wasn't looking. Dara grew fascinated at each portrait she saw and she imagined the story behind it. The thought made her smile. 

As she was busy gazing, Jiyong was focused on the living masterpiece in front of him. The way that she would look at him, the way that she'd smile, the way that she'd get flustered, even the way that she breathes gets his heart fluttering. He was in deep but he already realized that a long time ago. Dara was the only person he'd risk falling endlessly for no matter what fate may do otherwise. 

"I always thought you were pretty." 

Dara's ears perked as she turned to him curiously. "What?" 

"I always thought you were pretty." he repeated, drawing shapes in her palm. "The moment I saw you... I knew I was gonna be done for." 

She raised a brow. "When you were a baby?" 

"Doesn't that answer why I always crawled over to you whenever you were around?" he answered amusedly. 

"You were a cute, little thing." she mumbled, fixing his hair and meeting his gaze with a smile. "Just can't get enough of this pretty noona, huh?" 

He nodded, chuckling, "When I grew up, you became more than pretty. You were beautiful. You are beautiful. Absolutely stunning." 

Who even says 'stunning' anymore? She couldn't help widening her smile. Her eyes roamed around his face with a mixture of curiosity and fascination. She watched how he briefly closed his eyes when she cupped his cheek and grazed his skin with her thumb. 

"What's all this sweet talk, Kwon? You want something from me?" she joked. 

"Want and need are two different things, Dara. I don't want anything from you but I do need one thing." His eyes were intense and she just found herself getting lost in them. "I need you to stay with me, Sandara." 

Her face heated and she bashfully took back her hand. "Why hell are you asking that?" Jiyong visibly frowned. "You already had me from the