“The clock is not going anywhere Mr. Kwon.” Uncle must have noticed it. He just kept staring at the clock since Dara left. It was like his eyes have their own minds to just find their way to the clock and stays there waiting for the arrows to move. He feels anxious. The clock ticks to another second, he becomes more fidgety. “Are you waiting for someone Mr.Kwon?”

“No. Uhm, so is the table set already uncle?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I will be there in three minutes.” He just wanted for the old man to leave him for a while. He’s been acting so weird since this morning and he knows that he cannot hide it from Uncle Gio. He searched for his phone, no messages from Dara yet. He had attempted to call her several times but backed away at the last minute. What would he tell her if he finally reaches her? He has no alibi. But his hands are itching to call her, to ask her where is she and whom is she with. Didn’t she said, she is dining with a friend? He never knew who her friends were and he never met any of them. He reaches for his phone again manages to type her name and cancels it before he can even press the green sign.

“This is ridiculous!”  He cannot let her give the wrong notion that he is checking her. He is just concerned since she is working with him and he is obliged to protect his employees. No reasons for him to feel ludicrous. It is just right and legal. He is just being a good employer, a concerned employer.

Finally in the end he finds himself listening to the ringing from the other end. His fingers grips tightly to the mobile keeping himself not to cancel it. Second, third, fourth ring still no answer.

“Why is she not picking her phone?” He is pacing back and forth as he waits for the other end to answer.

“Hello?” Jiyong stops instantly and looks back at the number on the screen confirming it was Dara’s number.

“Hello?” The male voice at the other end speaks again.

“Who is this?” He asks. A hint of annoyance accompanied his voice.

“Who is this, you called first.” The male voice answered back firmly.

“I ask you first. Who is this? Where is she? Why did she let you answer the phone?”

“Wait pal, first of all I do not know who owns this phone. I found it under the table. If you did not call I might not have noticed it. Second, I don’t know where she has gone to...you know the owner of this phone? I intended to wait for her and return it. So pal, stop being a jerk okay?”

“Fine! Whatever. Just leave it to the manager. They will return it to her.”

“I wanted to give it to her personally as a matter of fact. And I have to hang up now, I still have to finish my meal. Good day.” 

“Yah!” Jiyong tried to dial  Dara’s number again but it was only rejected as soon it starts to ring. “Aish!” Jiyong hissed as he throws his phone on the couch.

Four more hours had passed. Jiyong’s restlessness made him skip lunch. The food was not tempting even if it was his favourite cuisine. Uncle Gio just kept his thoughts to himself. He knew what was destructing the young man.

“Young kids are just too stubborn…” He mutters as he left Jiyong in his own reverie.

At exactly five in the afternoon Dara emerges from the main door. Jiyong stayed laid on the couch, keeping his eyes shut.

“Mr.Kwon?” Dara wondered why he is sleeping on the couch. Jiyong did not move. Dara reaches for his shoulder and poke it twice. “Mr. Kwon, wake up.”

Jiyong slowly stretches his arms and rub his eyes as he slowly sat up.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Yeah. I just arrive a couple of minutes ago. Uhm,  why are you sleeping at the couch Mr. kwon?”

“Oh, I must have doze off while…err…reading … this.” He grabs the nearest magazine his hand can reach and shows it to Dara.

“Oh, you like reading that Mr. Kwon?”  The magazine is about dating. Finding out if the person you are with is the right match for you by answering a couple of questions to determine your compatibility. Jiyong’s mouth fell open and the word he wanted to say to take back what he just said vanishes from his mouth.  Darn! He thought.

“Yeah, of course. Uhm, its…refreshing.”

“Ah…” Dara nods. “Uhm, I have to go to my room now Mr. Kwon.”

“Okay, uhm wait…”

“Yes?”

“Did you have fun today?”

“Yes. Surprisingly, I did.” Jiyong presses his tongue inside to keep himself from saying things he might regret after.

“G-good. I am glad you did.”

“Yes. I am glad too.”

“Dara…I just want to say about the…”

“Mr. Kwon I am fine. You don’t have to feel guilty about it. Let us just forget about it okay?”

“Sure. No problem.” He waves his hand sending Dara to go as he plummets back on the couch turning his head away from her. Dara stood there for a while and decided to leave Jiyong alone after. Jiyong slowly peeks over the couch to watch Dara walk away. He slump back on the couch and throws the pillow he used to support his head.  He is feeling peevish.

That same night in Kwon’s gigantic house, a single soul is still wide awake. Jiyong.

“Come on! Sleeeep!” He keeps tossing and turning trying to find the most comfortable spot in his king sized bed but to no avail.  “Arrrgh!!” He jumps out from his bed turning on his flat TV clicks the channel button as if it is a counting machine. Tired and infuriated, he tosses the remote in the centre table stopping at the channel where a classic love story being shown – Sweet November.

Few more minutes and he is hooked. He can totally relate to the story. The male lead star who is Keanu Reeves is more like Dara who became his pleasure giver. The female lead star whom he is not so familiar with is him. Although his own story has a twist, like they had a contract, he is a well- known personality and Dara is being paid.  But living in the same house, doing the deed that supposed to be married couples should be doing only are all just the same and the most common thing in the story that they is there is always an ending. The female lead star left Keanu because what they have is only for a month, plus she is dying. Like with him and Dara, their contract is soon to end and they are going to live each other’s lives apart.

Apart…

The word echoed inside his head. Thinking about it made him feel disconcerted.  It was not the same feeling when he decides to have this set-up. It was far from when he said that Dara can leave if she wants to. Watching the ending of the movie when they parted was not likeable. The trepidation that suddenly grows inside him is overwhelming. The silent question that he never thought would come is overflowing like it was finally freed from being locked up.

Can I live without her now?

He is afraid to answer his own question and he doubts he would even find the guts to do it. After all that he said and offered to her, will she believe him still? The most probable answer would be no.

“Aish!”  He muttered out of frustration.

Dara, on the other hand is sleeping soundly in her own room but it does not mean that she is no longer sad. She gambled her heart and lost. It was very painful for her. But she had to move on and accept the reality that all of it was just a dream. Painful as it be every dream ends the moment you wake up.

 However, she met someone that made her forget for a while her adversities. In just a short period of time he made her gloomy day light up. Thanks to her mobile phone. If she hadn’t lost it, that funny person might not found it and they might not meet at all.

A smile crept in Dara’s face as her sleep deepens while at the opposite wing of the house the lights are still on.

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a/n: Thanks for waiting.