This story is not mine and I already ask permission to post this! Please see her website @ http://www.wattpad.com/user/IAmTheGoddamnWalrus - author is Janelle or known as IAmTheGoddamnWalrus

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Chapter 6

 

 ~Dara’s POV~

 

I woke up Saturday morning to the sound of pot and pans being thrown around. I groaned and rolled out of bed. I stepped into my fuzzy monkey slippers and slipped into my fuzzy monkey robe. I trudged down the stairs.

 

"What the hell is going on down here?" I asked groggily. I saw my mom rummaging around the cupboards with pots in her hands. Her mom was protruding from the cupboard, and I resisted the urge to kick it. The last time I did that I was twelve, and I got in so much trouble.

 

"Have you seen my blue pot? You know, the one with the dolphin handles?" she asked frantically.

 

My mom has this thing for odd pots and pans and stuff like that. She got all hooked up on them when my brother born, thanks you my Aunt Hyori. She'd gotten my mom that stupid pot and then my mom fell in love.

 

"No, I haven't seen it, mother," I said angrily. "And yes, you did wake me up."

 

She ignored my rude comment and continued to look.

 

"Your father must've put it somewhere," she grumbled. "Hyun Suk! Hyun Suk, get down here!"

 

My father came down the stairs groggily in his dingy old robe. He rubbed his eyes.

 

"What would you like, Eun Joo?" he asked groggily. My mother looked around frantically.

 

"Do you have any idea where my dolphin pot is?" she snapped. My father rubbed his stubbly chin, and I had a bad feeling about something. Before my dad could get chewed on, I interfered.

 

"Mom, why do you even need that old pot, anyways? It's weird and ugly," I pointed out. She glared at me, and then turned to my dad. She put her hands on her hips impatiently. My dad shrugged sheepishly.

 

"Well," he said, his voice raising an octave. "When I was moving some furniture inside the house when we moved, something fell and it turns out it was the pot. It completely cracked in two, and well, I didn't want to tell you."

 

My mom's face flashed with fury and rage. Her fingers began to twitch, just like they always did when she was upset. But they twitched like a boss battle right now.

 

"Hyun Suk, could I please speak with you outside?" she said in that way that's calm, but shows she’s angry.

 

I saw my father swallow hard before flanking my mom outside. I closed the curtains to the sliding glass door just in case, and then grabbed a box of cereal. I poured myself some cereal and sat down in front of the TV. I'm a er for classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny and stuff like that.

 

My brother was the last one to come trudging down the stairs. He rubbed his eyes and took a peek out the curtains.

 

"Don't," I cautioned, taking another spoonful of peanut butter puffs.

 

"Why's mom yelling at dad like he's some dirty dog?" Taemin asked. I chuckled lightly.

 

"It's a long story. But it's got to do with that pot of hers," I replied. He groaned and sat beside me, taking a spoonful of my cereal. We began to watch the rest of the cartoons, and then the door slid open. My mom rushed out the front door, grabbing her purse. I heard her car roar to life, then squeak out the driveway. My dad came in the house, rubbing his temples.

 

"Your mother may have made the end of me," he murmured. He took a spoonful of my cereal.

 

"Hey, what is it? Take Dara's cereal day?" I complained. My dad chuckled and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

 

By noon, my mom still hadn't come back. My father assumed she was at the Kwons’ house, so he sent me over.

 

"Why me?" I whined. "Taemin is Minzy's boyfriend! And you seemed to be getting along with Will pretty well."

 

My father gave me a look.

 

"Taemin does not have a girlfriend, and you're friends with Jiyong. Just listen and go."

 

He sent me out the door with a shove. I brushed myself off and trudged around the corner to the big house of the Harts. I knocked on the door, expecting to see Eun Hye, Jiyong’s mom. Instead,of course, Jiyong opened the door.

 

Now, two things were wrong with picture. One, Jiyong's hair wasn't its dark brown chestnut color. No, it was a orange brown color. And two, Jiyong wasn't wearing a shirt. I never noticed before, but his skin was lightly tanned. Also, I could make out six little indents on his torso. They were better than the best chocolate in the world, multiplied by ten.

 

~Jiyong’s POV~

 

She stared at me like I was from a different planet. First, it was the hair. Then, her eyes traveled down to my abs, which I admit are pretty good. Her eyes lingered there for a really long time.

 

"Uh, hey, Dara. What's, uh, new?" I asked, freakishly embarrassed. Her eyes shot to my hair again.

 

"You colored your hair?" she asked, breathless. I shook it with my hand.

 

"Yeah. I needed to dye it for a new album I'm doing," I lied. It wasn't for a new album. I'd hit rock bottom.

 

"Well, why in hell did you-"

 

She was cut off by the sound of a sob. I groaned.

 

"Look, I'll explain later. Now's not a good time," I said.

 

"Can I just ask you something first? Is my mom here," she asked quickly as I began to shut the door. I looked at her like she was a bit crazy.

 

"No, why would your mom be here?" Another sob. "Look, I've really got to go. Bye, see you later!"

 

I shut the door and rushed into the kitchen. My mom was on the couch, munching on a candy bar, sobbing.

 

"Why would he do this to us? Why?" she asked herself. She took another monstrous bite into her candy bar. I sighed and went upstairs.

 

My father, being a total , decided he didn't want to stay with us. And why? Because he couldn't stand getting phone calls from Oprah and Ellen and Rachael Ray and people like that. No, he couldn't take it. It all happened last night, when Ellen called, asking for me to do the show. My father answered it, and hung up instantly.

 

"Myung soo, why would you do that! That was Ellen DeGeneres!" my mom complained. He grumbled, his nostrils flaring. He went up the stairs and locked the door to his room. Once he came out, he had three suitcases in his hand. Pain hit me like a brick wall.

 

"You're leaving," I said, more than asked. He nodded.

 

"I'm tired. I'm tired of you being a star, son. It's just too much," he said apologetically.

 

***

 

I watched as my dad exited the house for the very last time. I didn't know when I'd see him again, let alone if I'd see him again. I felt the tears stinging my eyes, but I forced myself not to cry. My mom walked upstairs from the basement.

 

"Was that your father?" she asked with a smile. She was always smiling nowadays, ever since the Oprah news.

 

I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. "Yeah," I managed to croak.

 

My mom looked at me with concern. "You alright, Jiyong?"

 

I stared at her, and then I shook my head, closing my eyes. I was anything but alright. My father just left, and I was the cause for it.

 

"What's the matter honey?" she asked quickly, pulling me into a hug. I towered over her, I always have.

 

It took me a while, but I finally said it. "Dad left us."

 

I pulled away, scared to look at her face. I took a peek, and was startled. I'd never seen my mother cry. It was the most depressing thing ever. Her bottom lip trembled, and alligator tears began to form in her eyes.

 

"Why?" she whispered with a sniffle. I swallowed the lump, but it didn't go away.

 

"He-he was tired of... me," I said the last word in a whisper, the tears finally coming.

 

I watched as she cried, and I couldn't help it. I felt helpless, like a lost puppy. I couldn't do anything. I knew I couldn't. Her soul mate just left, left everything they ever worked for. He left their kids, all three of us. And why? Because he was a little tired.

 

My mom retreated upstairs, and I could hear the faint click! Of the lock. That was my queue to leave. I hopped into my car and revved the engine. Where would I go? An idea popped into my head. I drove to the nearest drug store as quickly as I could. I walked down the brightly lit aisles in search for the right one. I finally found it, and stride over, making no one was looking. I knew they wouldn't recognize me, but I was still paranoid. I ran my fingers over each box, searching for the perfect shade. I finally found it. I picked the box up and read the label at the back. The instructions were simple enough. I walked over to the cashier and plopped the box on the conveyer belt thing. She scanned it and smiled at me.

 

"Why are you wearing sunglasses inside?" she asked politely. I knew it was an honest question, and she wasn't trying to be rude. But it still took me by surprise.

 

The cashier was probably my age, with honey blonde hair and dark black eyes. She was tanned, and I figured she might be from France or something. She seemed nice enough.

 

"Uh, no reason. No reason," I murmured. I read the price on the screen and handed her a ten dollar bill. She took it and handed me my change.

 

"You should really take your glasses off. Let me have a look at those peepers of yours," she said with a flirty grin. I finally recognized a French accent.

 

"Uh, no, I'm fine," I said with a sheepish grin in response. She frowned a little, but handed me my bag.

 

"Have a nice day," she mumbled happily. I nodded once and headed back to my car.

 

The drive home was cold, though the heat was turned up all the way. The box in the passenger seat was causing a burning sensation in my hand, and I wanted to grab it and run. When we reached the house, I quickly crept up the stairs, trying to avoid Daesung and Minzy. I put my ear against the bathroom door, and then turned the knob when I was sure no one was in it.

 

I read the instructions on the back of the box again. I reached in it, and pulled out a rubber glove. I put it on and took the rest of the things out. I mixed the things together and got to work. Forty-five minutes later, I rinsed my hair out and dried it with a towel. I looked in the mirror and grinned at my reflection. Hello, the new and improved Kwon Jiyong. Instead of my dark hair, I now had orange brown hair. I'd always wanted to be a ginger, just like my Uncle Teddy. Now I finally accomplished that dream. I walked down the stairs proudly and sat down on the couch. Deasung and Minzy both looked at me, their eyes wide as dinner plates.

 

"What on earth have you done to your hair," Minzy asked dramatically. I shrugged.

 

"I just wanted to change it up a bit," I said casually, flipping on the TV. I was on the screen next to Justin Bieber at the MTV Music Awards. I groaned quietly and flipped to a different channel. Aah, Discovery channel.

 

"Is it permanent," Daesung asked, studying me all up in my face. I swatted his face away.

 

"Buzz off," I complained. My mom walked in the room, her eyes red from crying. She nearly dropped the bowl in her hands.

 

gaped open. "Kwon Jiyong, what have you done to yourself?" she whispered.

 

"I dyed my hair," I said proudly with a smile.

 

"I know what you've done," she barked. "But why? Are you trying to show your anger towards your father?"

 

Those words stung a little bit, like little pellets of hail hitting me.

 

"No, I wanted to do this my self," I said through gritted teeth. She flared her nostrils at me before heading upstairs. The next morning, I walked into the shower. Before stepping in, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I had chest hair. Chest hair. For some reason, it bothered me. I didn't want to have chest hair. Once I turned the water on, I stared at the razor for a while. My eyes flickered to the shaving cream, and before I knew it, I was already done shaving my chest. I ran my hands across my chest. Nothing. It was bare, like a baby's .

 

I stepped out of the shower and put on a pair of sweats. I was about to pull my shirt over my sweater, when the doorbell rang. I peered out the window to see who it was-secretly hoping it was my dad and saw it was Dara. I threw the shirt to the floor, trying to give Dara some eye candy which brings me to now.

 

I lay back in my bed, staring up at the glow in the dark stars and planets on my ceiling. My dad helped me put those up there when I was five. I never took them off, because I was so scared to. Jiyong, these stars will help guide you through life, his words echoed in my head. I shivered. I rolled over onto my side and stared out the window. On the glass was one of those gel window things you can make. Mine was a hockey player, centre forward, which was my position on the team. My stomach churned at my father's proud smile as I held the trophy from our last tournament. Yup, my son's a natural! One day, he's going to be in the NHL, his voice boomed. I curled up into a little ball. If my dad, or any guy, for that matter saw the way I was now, he would call me a prissy. He would tell me to get back on my high horse and do something besides sulk. I narrowed my eyes at the voice in my head. "Why should I listen to you now? You don't live here anymore." I was going crazy. I was officially going crazy. I pulled myself off the bed and opened the door. I could still hear my mom's cries coming from downstairs.

 

"I know," she sniffled, chewing on chocolate. "I don't understand why he hated Jiyong's life so much either."

 

I froze. Those were the words I was trying so desperately to put out of my head. I pretended I didn't hear it. I would act like I hadn't heard that. But let's face it. They began to echo in my head.

I decided to check my e-mail. Even a stupid e-mail from Sohee would be better than this. I started up my computer and went to my e-mail. Sure enough, I had another e-mail from Sohee.

 

Hey Jiyong-Sweetheart!!! Good job at the MTV Music Awards's! You totally deserved it! Oh, we looked so cute together arm in arm! I can't wait to see you again. When do you think that'll be? You should've visited me when you were at your hotel! Boo hoo! My life right now because you're not here. Well, I'll talk to you later. BYE!

 

Sohee <3

 

I snorted at her last comment. She thought her life was bad? Look at mine! I bet her father hadn't left her because he hated her acting career. No, I bet he embraced her acting career. I decided not to think about it. For like the fifth time today, I attempted going downstairs. This time, I accomplished that. I pulled my coat on.

 

"Where are you going?" a congested voice asked. I turned around and saw my mom. I was surprised she'd talked.

 

"Uh, I don't know exactly," I admitted. She handed me a piece of paper. I looked at it. It had eggs and bread and stuff like that. A grocery list.

 

"Can you go pick those up for me, honey? I'm in no condition to drive," she mumbled. I smiled and hugged her.

 

"No problem mom," I said once I pulled away. I walked out the door and got into my car. I drove to stop one. Dara's house. I had no idea who would open the door. I prayed it would be Dara. But I didn't have to pray anything. Dara was walking on the sidewalk. I honked the horn and she looked at me. I rolled my window down so she could see me better. She walked over.

 

"Do you need a ride somewhere?" I asked her. She sighed and got in the passenger side. She was still staring at my hair and I flipped it like Justin Bieber.

 

"You're stupid," she said turning to look out the window.

 

"Well, thank you. You're great too," I said sarcastically. She grunted and folded her arms across her chest. I glanced at her.

 

"What's eating you?" I grumbled. Gosh, she could be so difficult sometimes.

 

She grunted again and didn't answer me. She continued staring out the window. I glanced at her.

 

"No, seriously, what's the matter?" I asked. She sighed angrily.

 

"My stupid mother like, ran away or something," she muttered.

 

I gripped the wheel tightly. I felt like my knuckles were going to burst through my skin. I tried distracting myself. I stared at the leaves dotting the street.

 

"How?" I asked, trying to loosen my grip. They didn't loosen.

 

She inhaled, as if trying to give a big speech. "My dad broke her stupid dolphin pot and then she left and she hasn't come back yet even though she's been away for the entire day. And now my dad is trying to send me around the city looking for her because he's too lazy to do it himself."

 

I tried my best to catch all her words. She talked as cheetah fast speeds. It didn't really make sense though. Dolphin pot? Dara grabbed my grocery list and examined it

 

"Oh gosh, you can't possibly be actually eating this crap," she muttered with disgust.

 

"What's wrong with it?" I frowned. "It's just regular stuff."

 

She pointed at something I couldn't make out. "You're seriously buying this brand of cheese? It's so fake! It says that it's handmade, but the closest to handmade it is would probably be pressing a button," she glanced at it again and looked horrified.

 

"Oh my gosh! And do you seriously drink two percent milk? Oh, ew. Look, in order for your family to get the nutrition you need, I totally need to help you buy groceries."

 

I smiled at that. Maybe as we reached for the cheese, our hands would linger over each other's and we wouldn't pull away and sparks would fly in the background. I snickered at that thought. That was so cliché.

 

We reached the grocery store and grabbed a cart. I had my sunglasses on, though I doubted anyone would recognize me with my new, awesome, hair. I leaned against the cart and followed Dara through the florescent store. She was picking up exotics things, like prickly pears and swirly lettuce stuff. We reached the dairy aisle and I imagined my scenario again. I snickered once more.

 

Dara held up a block of cheese. "This is the stuff you were going to buy," she said. She held up another block of cheese. "This is what you're going to buy from now on."

 

I really couldn't see the difference in the two blocks, except for the fact that the first one looked more like plastic than the first one. But there was still no denying the fact they both looked like plastic.

 

"Alright," she said making a little check on the list. "Next, meat. You really shouldn't eat so much red meat, no matter what your father says."

 

I cringed. Father wouldn't say anything. She seemed to notice my little action, and looked at me.

 

"What's wrong?" she asked. I thought I heard concern in her voice. I was probably mistaken.

 

"Nothing. My father just... left. Us. All," I said. I am pretending to distract myself by picking up the cheese and examining it.

 

"I'm so sorry. Wow, I thought my life was bad. I was so wrong," she gave me a hug. She warmed me up. But just as quickly, she pulled away once we reached the meat.

 

"Alright. So let's go for a leaner meat. Let's try turkey ," she said, gazing at it all.

 

"But my mom asked for steak," I remarked, pointing at the list. She nodded.

 

"No problem. We'll ask for turkey steak."

 

I raised my eyebrow doubtfully. "They make that stuff?"

 

She grinned mischievously. "If you look hard enough, yes."

 

She began to examine everything, scrunching her eyes together. She looked really cute doing that. She finally relaxed and leaned on her tippy toes.

 

"Exuse me, sir. Can I please have-" she looked at the list-"five turkey steaks?" she asked sweetly.

 

The man across the counter frowned. "That's an awful lot."

 

She shrugged and smiled. "No problem. Hey, aren't you in my homeroom?"

 

The boy laughed and nodded, looking at his name tag. "Yup. Dong Youngbae. I work here with my dad." He glanced at me as I walked up with the cart. "Oh, are you and this guy dating?"

 

Dara looked at me, then at Youngbae. "Oh gosh, no. This is Jiyong."

 

I face palmed. Way to tell the whole world my secret. Youngbae squinted his eyes at me, trying to make sense of it.

 

"No way. This guy is-"

 

I took my hood and sunglasses off, shaking my hair all good again. He looked shocked, and then smiled.

 

"Well son a mother duck," he muttered. "It is Jiyong! Well, why'd you go and dye your hair?"

 

I shrugged uncomfortably. Did it look that bad? I thought it looked okay.

 

He chuckled. "It's not bad. You look good as a ginger."

 

I grinned. Just what I wanted. He handed Dara the meat and said bye to us. We continued to walk down each aisle. Dara examined the list, placing more exotic items in the cart. The only thing I recognized was bananas and yogurt. She said those were the only things that were reasonable.

 

We stood in the check out line, piling groceries on the conveyer belt. I handed Dara my credit card, but she put her hand up in protest.

 

"What now?" I asked.

 

"It's the least I can do for changing up your groceries," she said stubbornly. I sighed. She was so stubborn and I knew I'd lose the fight.

 

She paid for everything and we headed back to the car. I put all the groceries in the trunk and filed into the car. I headed back onto the road and headed to Starbucks.

 

"You do drink coffee, right?" I teased, not really knowing for sure. She punched my arm lightly.

 

"Yes, you moron," she teased back. I chuckled and got to the drive-thru. I ordered myself a tall mocha latté and Dara got a frappuccino. We drank our drinks while sitting outside on a park bench. I knew I had frozen in the car, but I really didn't want to go back. Too many memories.

 

"So, why did you really dye your hair?" Dara asked. I looked at her and saw she was inches away from touching it. I shrugged.

 

"I felt like it," I replied. She frowned.

 

"I know that's not the truth, Jiyong," she replied, throwing her trash away. I got up and threw my trash away too. We headed for the car. I put my hands in my sweater pockets.

 

"Then what is the truth?" I asked. I wasn't really sure myself, either. Dara shrugged.

 

"I'm guessing that it has something to do with your dad."

 

The word 'dad' hit me and I cringed. Gosh, I was being such a prissy.

 

"Jiyong, it's natural for you to feel angry," Dara said quietly. "But this is just out of control. What will your fans say?" I didn't respond. Honestly, at this point, I didn't care that I was out of control. I didn't care what my fans would say. They probably wouldn't even care anyways. So what, I was a ginger now? I hadn't changed my face. And that's all they cared about. That and my rock hard abs. We reached Dara's house and she sighed. She stayed where she was and didn't get out.

 

"Aren't you going in?" I asked. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want her to go. I could smell her perfume, which smelled especially good today.

 

"No. I want to go to your house, surprisingly. Maybe I'll put your groceries away," she murmured. She mostly said it to herself, but I nodded and drove to my house.

 

I carried the grocery bags inside while Dara lectured me on how I should like myself just the way I was.

 

"You know," I said placing the bags on the island. "You seemed to like the old me a lot."

 

I smirked and spun around. She was two inches away from me, and I could feel her body heat. She looked at me with surprise, and then I saw pink form into her cheeks. I laughed.

 

"Are you blushing Dara?" I teased, touching her cheek with my finger.

 

She pushed me away. "You're an idiot and a jerk and a whole bunch of other things," she mumbled. I leaned against the island.

 

"Aw, you're not serious are you?" I asked. She thought about it for a second.

 

She shook her head. "Well, you're and idiot and a jerk. And maybe you're stupid, but that's it."

 

She grinned at me and I smiled.

 

 ~Dara’s POV~

 

I still couldn't get over his orange hair. All the kids at school looked at him like he was crazy, but soon they all accepted it. He got high fives from everyone.

 

"Amazing," he'd mumbled to himself on Monday. "Even when I do something totally ridiculous, they still worship me."

 

I rolled my eyes. Fridays were always my walk home with Jiyong days. The other days he tried to walk home with Amber, Sulli and I, but he didn't do a good job on trying to keep it a secret.  But today Jiyong wasn't at school. He was doing the Oprah show. I tried my best to get home quickly, but Paige and Jamie took their precious time.

 

"Well if his name isn't Darth Vader, then what would it be?" Sulli asked Amber impatiently. They were really big Star Wars geeks.

 

Amber shrugged. "Something better. Like, Dark Vader," she mused. Jamie snorted.

 

"Well, then there would have to be a Light Vader then," Sulli pointed out. Amber shrugged. The battle was over. I finally got to my house.

 

"Bye Dara!" Sulli and Amber called. I waved quickly.

 

"See you, guys!" I muttered quickly. I rushed through the door and practically through myself onto the couch. I couldn't find the TV remote, and I scrambled for it. I turned over pillows and stuff. I finally saw it-in the fish bowl.

 

"What the hell?" I cussed, reaching my hand into the bowl. I prayed that it would still work, despite the circumstance it was in. Thankfully, it did.

 

Oprah's smiling face filled my screen. I relaxed onto the couch and put my feet up on the coffee table.

 

"And our guest today is... Kwon Jiyong!"

 

A thousand screaming girls began filling the screen. The camera flashed to Jiyong's smiling face. Unlike the golden globes, his smile was genuine.

 

"Now Jiyong, you changed your hair!" Oprah said with a chuckle. Jiyong chuckled, then shifted in his seat.

 

"Yeah. Decided I needed a change. I thought maybe the fans wouldn't recognize me. But they know me too well!" Jiyong said lightly. Oprah laughed.

 

They talked about usual stuff, his career, his early life and so on.

 

"So, you were voted one of the world's iest men alive. Are you dating anybody?" Oprah asked, clearly interested. He shifted in his seat again.

 

"Well, I mean, there are so many pretty girls out there," he turned to the audience then back. "But I have my heart set out on this really gorgeous girl," he gushed.

 

My heart went cold. I don't know why, but my body went numb.

"And are you dating her?" Oprah asked. He shook his head.

 

"Nah, she doesn't like me. But you know, I'm going to get her sooner or later. No matter what it takes," he said with a smile. His eyes sparkled.

 

My body regained its heat. I felt all tingly inside. I wondered if I was starting to like Jiyong. I laughed. No, that clearly wasn't it. I guessed I just liked the way he said I was gorgeous. That made me feels good. Suddenly, a picture of me flashed across the scene. My dark hair was up in a messy bun with a few loose strands framing my face. Jiyong smiled at Oprah's back screen.

 

"That's her," he said quietly.

 

The show ended and I went up to my room. I turned my computer on and headed onto me2day. I was completely shocked. I'd gotten so many me2. And they weren't very nice.

 

‘I can't believe you! Jiyong is MINE!’ One girl said.

 

‘I'm going to find you. I can't believe you took my Jiyong!’ Another said.

 

My head started to spin. I logged off quickly. Stupid Jiyong. Why on earth did he have to show my picture?

 

I flopped onto my bed. All those me2s fluttered around my mind. The next time I saw Jiyong, he was going to pay.

 

 

 

 

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Interesting, isn't it?!