The eighteenth rose was from Jiyong. The moment Jiyong reached out the only red rose (the others were on different colors), I just stared at it. The smile I had on my face faded away. Flashes of what happened flickered in my mind.

“What’s wrong, my princess?”

The images faded away the moment Jiyong’s voice broke into my ears. My eyes snapped to him as he held my gaze. He looked worried. Then he took a step towards me as he held on my hands. He put them on both of his shoulders. He then rested his hands on my waist while still holding onto the red rose.

“You can refuse the red rose but you can’t refuse on dancing with me, my princess,” he whispered as we swayed with the music.

I just stared at him.

“Have I mentioned before that you look really beautiful tonight?”

With his words, the corners of my lips lifted into a smile.

“You look handsome too,” I said.

He looked taken aback for a second, but he smiled again.

“So, I’m eighteen at this hour, eh?” I asked.

He nodded. “Just an hour ago, you were eight. At eight, you learn to bicker with your friends and then be friends after a second, just like what you witnessed when Jinwoo and Eunju fought with each other about you…”

I nodded as if they were new knowledge.

“And at eight, you’ll meet your childhood friends who you will spend the rest of your lives bragging to your college friends that they’re your childhood friends,” he explained. “You will also experience being uncaring about the world especially when you have your own world while playing.”

I nodded as I absorbed that new knowledge. Well, yeah, they were new to me since I haven’t experience those things.

“At eighteen, you’ll have the best teenage year as you will be free from worries as you believe you’re already an adult. You will also find your first love and unfortunately, your first heartbreak.”

I stared at him. At teens, you’ll experience such pain? How cruel.

“But it won’t always be like that. Sometimes, your first love at teens will also be the one you’ll spend the rest of your life with,” he explained.

Oh, is that so?

After that, we were silent. We just swayed with the soft music. I haven’t even noticed that other pairs started dancing around us. Feeling awkward, I started to break the silence by clearing my throat.

“Thank you,” I said.

He smiled at me. “Anything for my princess.”

My face heat up as my cheeks flushed. I immediately looked down to hide the embarrassment. But I must not stay timid like this. Something has been in my mind and I wanted to ask him now. With that, I looked up and met his gaze. I felt my cheeks flushed more.

“Um… I… you…” I stammered.

Suddenly, he laughed.

I glared at him and slapped his arm. “Stop laughing at me.”

“Sorry. What was it again?”

“You…” I trailed off to fix the sentence in my head.

“What?” he urged on.

“You were regarded as master by the hairstylists and makeup artists,” I blurted. Damn! I wasn’t supposed to ask that.

He chuckled once. “They used to work under me,” he said truthfully.

“What are you really?” I asked.

“There isn’t time to know me. This is your night. Besides, you’ll have all the time to know all about me when we go back to the present.”

“Why are you evading my questions?” I asked suspiciously.

“I thought you trust me already,” he said.

I sighed. He’s right. Why am I getting suspicious again?

“Okay, there’s more time in the future to know more about you,” I said. “But I have a question to ask.”

“Go,” he said.

“Why…” I stammered again. I gulped down the nervousness forming in my throat. “Why… are you regarding me as ‘your’ princess?”

“Can’t I regard my girlfriend as such?” he asked.

My eyes widened like a saucer. Did he just call me his girlfriend?

He cleared his throat. “Oh, I guess it’s just me then. I just thought you have agreed with me seeing that you didn’t protest the first time I called you my girlfriend.”

He cupped my face to look me directly in the eyes. “I really like you, Dara.”

Oh gosh. My heart’s jumping around in my chest now. Calm down, will ya?

Unexpectedly, he chuckled. “You’re trembling. Is this your first confession?”

No. Of course not. Jaejoong confessed to me before. Agent Seungri did too. But to the both of them, I didn’t feel anything that’s why it was easy for me to reject them. But to Jiyong? Why is my heart being like this? Why am I even trembling? I know I’m not supposed to feel anything like this. I’m too busy with my agent career that I don’t have time for mushy things like love. Why is it hard for me to turn Jiyong’s confession down?

Jiyong’s face neared mine. As if my lips had their own minds, they parted. Then my eyes had their own minds too when they looked down at Jiyong’s parted lips. Oh my! He’s going to kiss me. And I’m not even refusing. Why is that, eh?

“Can I kiss you?” he asked with his husky voice as he stopped his face from nearing mine.

Slowly, my head nodded at its own accord. Or was it?

Jiyong’s kiss was gentle and too perfect, as if he had been practicing on a hundred of girls before me. Unlike him though, this was my first time being kissed. So I felt his lips leading as he moved them against mine.

I felt his tongue instructing something I don’t quite understand. Then as if my lips understood, they parted and welcomed the hungry tongue inside. But Jiyong remained gentle as he was still kissing me. He would gently nibble on my lower lip once in a while. And I was stopping myself on doing something.

As he continued on teasing me, a moan escaped my mouth.

Oops! That was embarrassing. I wasn’t too successful on topping my moan, was I?

Jiyong pulled away and giggled. “At eighteen, you would also have your first kiss.”

I blinked at him as I tried to calm my heart down.

He glanced at his watch and gasped. He then turned to me. “It’s time for your twenty-eighth birthday.”

He grabbed my hand as he excused the both of us among the crowding students. When we reached outside, I stopped him first.

“I haven’t got the chance to receive your red rose,” I said as I reached out the rose on his other hand.

We arrived at a club called Julliana. At first I refuse to enter the said establishment.

“Why?” Jiyong asked.

“I’m overly dressed,” I said looking down at myself. I was still wearing the dress.

“Oh, right,” he said as he grabbed a bag from inside the car.

After I changed into the clothes, we entered the club. Loud Korean techno-pop music was booming off the music box as people danced their hips off. Jiyong immediately ordered drinks which I heard were too expensive.

“So, this is your last stage, eh?” he asked, as he interlaced his fingers with mine. “You’ve experienced childhood and teenage life. Now, you have to enjoy the adult life.”

I nodded as I stared down at our hands. I gulped as I remembered the kiss. Is he my… boyfriend already? Shall I ask him? Why am I so ignorant with stuffs like this? It frustrates me!

“Happy 28^th birthday, my princess,” he whispered.

I stared at him and a small smile curved my lips. “Thank you,” I whispered back. “Now can I ask about your life now? We’re back to the present right?”

“You’re 28^th birthday was last week, therefore we aren’t in the present yet,” he said.

“Aish!” I said frustrated. I gulped down the alcohol in one go.

Then the drinking session went on and on.

I was being carried, I know. I passed out from drunkenness, I know. I thought I was tolerant with alcohol? Tch! Oh right, I wasn’t.

My eyes fluttered open as I smelled a familiar manly scent I remembered smelling just this morning. After I blinked rapidly to adjust my hazy vision, I realized that I was right from being carried. I stared sideways and I saw Jiyong’s serious face as he was looking up ahead. I realized that I was being piggybacked.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He stared at me sideways. “Oh, you’re awake. You could walk then, right? You’re giving me backaches.”

I slapped his arm. “I don’t weigh that much, you know?”

“That’s what I thought at first too, you know,” he said. “I mean, just look at your petite figure. Who would have thought you’ll be heavier than me?”

“Ya! That’s not true!”

“Never mind, we’re here,” he said as he entered the hotel we were checking in while still giving me a piggyback ride.

When we arrived at my room, he settled me down on my bed. He tucked me in the bed as if I was a child.

As he was fixing my blanket, I could get a glimpse of his bare chest. He had his shirt buttoned down. I realized that he was sweating. Maybe I was too heavy, then?

“Good night,” he said, pressing his lips on my forehead. When he pulled away and turned to leave, my hand circled on his wrist and then I pulled him to my bed. The next thing I knew, my lips crushed into his.

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poster credits to  SapphireQueen of Sapphire Dimension Graphic Shop