“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” 
―Edgar Allan Poe

-on his senior prom-

The beautiful sound of an unfamiliar English song echoed in their elegant prom venue while his peers' dancing pace gradually slowed along with the melody of the calm tune. He watched how groups of the same started to disperse to claim a partner to enjoy a slow dance with.

Kwon Jiyong was never much of a dancer, but earlier on, he found himself bouncing awkwardly to a song with his friends because he didn't want to be left alone in their table. That was about two hours ago and he believed his friends finally gave up cajoling him for a dance when he finally stopped caring about being a loner. 

The soft, ambient lighting of the venue gave him lapses of awe and wonder. He admits that whoever organized this whole thing did a really great job. Until now, Jiyong would always catch himself getting mesmerized by the atmosphere. It felt like a true ball that he'd seen in fairytales. Everything looked too delicate—almost fragile, to him—and there was an air of sophistication that made him think that this wasn't just some school dance. 

"When you kiss me heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose"

Yet there he sat, looking over to a sea of happy faces, laughter, and enjoyment. Jiyong felt the need to separate himself away from the crowd but he didn't really know why. Was it because he felt too lonely? Couldn't be bothered? Whatever it was, he just wanted to look—to watch them and brood to himself about what's stopping him. 

There had been a few girls who had come up to him for a dance. His friends egged him on, saying that they were jealous that girls had to come up to him for a dance when it was the other way around for them. Despite his unwillingness to do anything, he took the offering girl's hand and danced with them. He didn't want to offend them by declining. They had the courage to come up to him, while he didn't... with anyone, more so because he didn't really care. Nonetheless, Jiyong admired them for having bigger balls than he had, so a dance is the least he could do. 

It was 12am now. On a normal day, he would've been in bed by that time and he was starting to feel the quiet jabs of fatigue seep through him. He was never really a night owl. It was always Dara who made him stay up late so she'd have someone to do her stupid with. A small, unknowing smile appeared on his lips at the thought of her. He covered his growing grin as he put his elbow on the table and put his chin against his hand. 

Dara, he thought.

By now, she should've been in bed too, but considering it was a Friday night, maybe she was staying up late. He didn't want to think that she was staying up late because she was waiting for him to come back. He shook his head. Jiyong didn't even know if she was even awake so why was he even thinking about this? 

"Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be la vie en rose"

Goddammit, he just couldn't help it. 

Jiyong stood up and grabbed his suit jacket that rested on the back of his chair. On the dance floor, Daesung caught Jiyong walking over to the exit and he quickly went to Seungri and Youngbae, pointing to their friend's retreating figure. 

"YYYAHHHH!!!" Seungri bellowed, racing towards Jiyong. His shout caught the whole venue's attention and Daesung and Youngbae had to tell them that everything was alright before chasing after Seungri. 

Jiyong's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment for being caught leaving early. Because of Seungri's shout, his classmates turned to the exit and saw him standing there like a deer caught in the headlights. He cursed at Seungri under his breath. 

"Where the hell are you going?" Seungri breathed, putting his hands on his waist from exhaustion. 

Jiyong rolled his eyes. "What does it look like, genius? I'm leaving." 

"Yah, when you go out, you can't come back in," Youngbae frowned. 

"Is that supposed to stop me? Because it's not."

"C'mon man! This is a once in a lifetime thing," Daesung added. "I know Dara noona's not here but—"

Jiyong shot him an icy glare, silencing Daesung who slowly hid behind Youngbae. Seungri sighed exasperatedly and pushed Jiyong's shoulder. "I didn't know you were this ing whipped, dude," he smiled, still incredulous. "Fine, go. We'll just tell you tomorrow if some happens here." 

Jiyong had a ghost of a smile on his lips before he turned and walked out the door. His friends watched in amusement as the girls who watched him frowned and sulked to the sides. It was a waste that Jiyong didn't know how popular he was with the girls, but it was a bigger waste that he wouldn't tell the only girl that he wanted that he was practically in love with her. 

—————

Their gate creaked open as he quietly entered their lot. His parents were surprisingly home that night, saying that they were taking a short vacation from the work they had to do in Japan. Dami, who was attending Seoul National University, stayed home to relieve herself from the pressures of school. 

Jiyong was about to head straight to his house when he saw Dara's bedroom light turn on. It took him less than a second to decide to head over to her window, and before he knew it, he was gently knocking on the glass. Expecting to see his half-asleep neighbor, he was surprised when he saw her excited expression as soon as she opened her blinds. 

"Why are you still awake?" Jiyong smiled at the sight of her grin. 

Dara opened her window wider to let him in and he flopped to her bed, not caring if his fancy suit would get wrinkled. She brushed a hand over his hair and patted his cheek endearingly. Jiyong had to suppress the shiver as a cause of her touch. 

"You lucky bastard. I wish I went to my prom," she muttered wistfully, her caressing hand on his cheek turning into harsh slaps that made him wince. He instantly smacked her hand away and looked at her accusingly. "Why did you come home so early? I thought prom ends at 3am. It's only 12am."

He looked away with pink creeping on his cheeks. "It was boring."

"Your just a nerd who doesn't know how to have fun," she snorted, but then her eyes lit up as she excitedly patted his arm. "Tell me what happened!"

Jiyong shrugged, smiling inwardly at her twinkling eyes. "It was just like a normal prom." 

"We're you even listening to me, ? I didn't go to my prom!" 

He frowned. "It's not my fault you didn't take my money to buy your stupid dress. That's your own damn fault." 

It looked like she was about to let out a nasty retort but he watched her face scrunch up before defeat ultimately took over. She settled quietly beside him, casually resting her head on his shoulder, making his heart speed up and his cheeks grow red. 

Jiyong pursed his lips as he glanced at the crown of her head. He must've struck a nerve since she became too quiet. Hesitantly—reluctantly, even—he put his hand on her head and gave her a gentle pat. At the touch, Dara looked up. His breath caught at the short distance between them. He could practically feel her breath caress his skin and when her eyes darted down to his lips, he suddenly got off the bed, looking flustered to hell. 
 

"What's wrong with you—"

"Do you wanna dance?" He blurted, clenching and unclenching his fists. 

Dara blinked, slightly confused. Seeing her lack of response, Jiyong was about to bolt out of embarrassment but then she stood up, grabbed his hand, and smiled up at him. 

"I'd love to, Kwon Jiyong." 

He couldn't help the smile on his face. Actually, he couldn't help anything that had to do with this woman. Jiyong knew that he shouldn't be thinking about her too much because she had a boyfriend but, hell... 

Carefully, he put her hands on his shoulders while he rested his own at her waist. For a minute, they just stood there in position but neither were looking at each other. Splashes of pink colored their skin from the awareness of each other's touch. He let out an relieved but inconspicuous sigh when Dara broke the ice first. 

"Are we just gonna stand here or are we gonna dance?" She chuckled, looking at him expectantly. "No music too? This dance already , Jiyong-ah."

He sneered while she laughed softly. Jiyong thought about finding a song on his phone but then he remembered that his playlist consisted of songs filled with teenage angst and screaming about how ty the world is. He didn't want to dance with her while someone was singing about how much that they wanted to kill themselves themselves in the background. Jiyong inwardly cringed and vowed to himself to find better songs later on. 

But then, the memory of earlier's song invaded his mind. It had repeating lyrics so it had been easy for him to remember. Plus, the wistful—almost hypnotic—melody made him want to listen more intently, and as he hummed the song in his mind, the familiar wave of embarrassment washed over him again. Was he really going to do this? 

"Jiyong—"

"Put your head on my shoulder," he croaked.

She raised a brow. "What?"

"Put your head on my shoul—, I don't know!" He said exasperatedly. "Just... don't look at me." When she continued to do the opposite, he cringed and begged, "Please?" 

Dara gingerly covered his eyes with his shoulder, her body gradually going lax at his warmth. Jiyong looked at her tenderly for a second before he breathed a puff of air towards the ceiling and finally sang.

"Hold me close and... hold me fast. This magic spell... you cast." Dara could feel the hair on her nape rise as he sang in a slight whisper against her ear. "This is la vie en rose."

When she tried to lean away to look at him, she felt his hand on the back of her head gently push her back against his shoulder, making her giggle a little. 

"When... you press me to your heart. I'm in a world apart—a world where roses... bloom." 

Dara liked the sound of his voice. She could still hear his youth in it but there was a certain gruffness their that made her want to hear more. And the fact that he was singing it on her ear for only her to hear made her feel something that she knew she shouldn't have. 

"And when you speak, angels sing from above... Everyday words seem to turn into love songs."

"Give... your heart and soul to me. And life will always be la vie en rose." At this time, Jiyong didn't bother stopping Dara from looking at him. He looked completely lost in the song. His eyes looked dazed and his voice was slowly becoming strained. She wasn't sure if it was because of his whispering but somehow, the sweet song turned painful.

"And when you speak, angels sing from above. Everyday words seem to... turn into love... songs." He felt her hands cup his cheeks but he urged himself not to look at her. 

"Jiyong," she called softly.

"Give your heart and soul... to me. And life will always... be..."

"Jiyong-ah."

"La vie en rose—"

Before he knew it, her lips were on his. 

Jiyong woke up with a start, his body shaking slightly at the dream. He looked to his left but found the spot empty. Rays of sunlight were seeping through the cracks of their blinds and it was only then did he realize that it was already morning... or late in the morning since his phone told him that it was already 12pm. 

Sitting alone on his bed, an incredulous chuckle suddenly escaped his lips before he shook his head. "She didn't kiss me," he murmured, referring to his prom night dream.

"She didn't kiss me," he repeated once more, as if he didn't believe it. He stood up and wore the pair of joggers that was sprawled on the floor. He scratched his stomach and yawned, making his way to the door to find his wife. 

"Dara!" He called. "Why isn't your pregnant in bed? I swear you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days." 

With the utter annoyance of Park Sunmi, the couple had completely taken over the Park residence, leaving Sunmi to temporarily live with the other Kwons next door. It's not because she was kicked out or something like that. The older woman was just fed up with the couple's unabashed PDA, and the noises... oh, god... the noises. Although she was with the Kwons, Sunmi and his parents would visit everyday to check up on them. 

"I'm here," he heard her answer back from the kitchen. He thought he heard her say '' too but he was still too sleepy to care. 

Dara was trying to make their breakfast when the weight of a big lump of man leaned against her. Slightly irritated, she swatted his face but he remained in place with a sleepily but sated expression. She sighed and continued with her business when his hands started to rub her protruding belly. 

"What are you making?" He mumbled.

"Kimchi-jeon." 

Jiyong kissed the juncture between her neck and her shoulder. "It's gonna be amazing." 

"You better finish it all then," she said sardonically. 

He smiled, and then grinned when he felt the baby kick. "Hmm, my kid's awake now too." He patted her stomach softly. "How's it going there, little bean? We're gonna be meeting you soon, huh?" Jiyong kissed her cheek. "Omma and appa are so excited." 

She put her hand over his and said fondly, "We sure are." 

Jiyong tightened his hold for a second before he suddenly turned her around, earning him a yelp. Dara furrowed her brows and hit his bare chest grumpily while he just kissed her forehead, finding her adorable. He put her hands on his shoulders while his hands settled on her waist, his fingers drawing circles over her shirt. 

"I had a dream today," he said. 

Dara's face instantly dimmed and turned sympathetic. "Is it one of those—"

"It's a good dream, baby." He kissed her neck. "It's a memory, actually. Do you remember the time I came home from my senior prom?" 

Dara silently racked her brain for the memory. Having not fully recovered from her amnesia, she felt like she was burdening him for not being able to remember all the unknowingly sweet moments that they shared. Jiyong tipped her chin and kissed her. As if she was in a cliché fairytale, she remembered it right then. 

"You came in my window, wearing your snazzy tux," she smiled against his lips. 

"There's my girl," he laughed. 

"Tell me about that dream." 

He started to sway them to the same prom song from years back. He couldn't remember the lyrics but the tune still stuck to him. Dara closed her eyes and put her head on his shoulder.

"I was bored out of my mind. I didn't want to dance but when I had to, I was just waiting for it to end. I danced with a few girls that night but my mind kept going to one specific girl who's not even there." 

"I wonder who that would be..." she whispered.

He pressed his lips against her hair and continued, "After hearing this slow song and watching everyone pair up, I decided to go home. Seungri, Youngbae, and Daesung tried to stop me but they kinda figured out why I had to leave," he laughed softly. "Daesung told me that prom was an experience I had to go through, and I'm glad I went to prom for even a little bit because it was there that I figured... no matter what kinda party or big event I'm in... I'll always be looking for you and asking why you aren't there with me." 

Her heart swelled from his words. She loved him a little bit more everyday and the thought just made it harder for her to cope with the inevitable. But seeing how he was happy in her arms... it made her happy too. Jiyong always did have that effect on her. 

"I was about to go straight home but then I found myself going to your house instead. We danced that night and..." He looked at her with wonder, making her give the same expression. "You kissed me." He narrowed his eyes. "But did you really? Kiss me back then, I mean."