A/N: Welcome back my dearest preysyur, SUZKISSES.... muah
and hope you all like this li'l treat from my demented brain..... HAPPY HOLLOWEEN!










“I can do this.” Dara is now locked up inside her room, pacing in front of her bed, phone in hand “It’s not like I’m cheating behind Bin oppa.” Dara stops from pacing. “I mean, oppa and I are not together. He may not even like me the way I like him.” Twisting a bit to face the two plushies set against the pillows on her bed “Technically, I can’t be called a cheater with what I’m about to do, right?” 


Two pairs of button eyes stare back at her. 


“Yeah, you guys have a point. Stalling the call will just prolong my agony.” Puffing a breath, she dials a number. “Here goes.” 


With her eyes shut close, Dara brings the phone to her and waits for her call to connect. 


“Hello?” A man’s voice answers after the fifth ring.


Dara stiffens hearing the person’s greeting. 


“Dara-ah?”


“….”


“Dara-ah? Hello?”


“….”


“Can you hear m--”


Sh!t.


Dara presses the end button, cutting off the call abruptly. And then, hurls her phone in the middle of the bed, glares down at it like it was the most repulsive thing. 


She slides to sit on the edge of the bed “I must really be losing my mind.”


She shrieks when it rings all of a sudden.


Why the heck is it ringing?!? 


Warily, she slowly approaches the phone. Luckily the phone landed face up and Dara can easily see the name of the caller flashing on its screen. She winces after reading who was calling her. She sighs in relief when it stops. Her relief is only for a brief moment because her phone starts ringing again. 


“It’s me.”


She sheepishly answers “Jiyong.” Dara didn’t need to check the call log to see who is calling her. Even before she answered, she knew who it was.


“Why did you call?” 


“I did?” 


“Yes. The caller list on my phone proves you did. So why did you call?”


Dara knows she has no other choice but to come clean. She’d prefer that rather than make herself sound more foolish in trying to deny something that is plainly obvious.


“Uhmmm…”


This is more complicated than I thought.


“Dara-ah?”


“I…uh…..don’t exactly…uhmm…know how to tell you…”


“That’s a first.”


What an ! Aaarghh if only I didn’t listen to Dong Wook oppa, I wouldn’t be in this situation.


“So, tell me what is it, which you don’t know how to tell me?” Jiyong prompts for Dara to continue when she didn’t respond.


“I have a favor to ask”


Dara can hear Jiyong snicker “You sound as if you’re about to ask me to strip.”


“….”


“Well?” Jiyong asks, due to the lack of response he got from Dara.


“You do need to strip.”


Dead silence fill the air.


“Hello?” 


“Did you just say I need to strip?” Jiyong croaks from the other end.


“Yes.” Dara rises up and starts to pace back and forth “Saturday. 10 am. Wait for me by the ice cream kiosk along Han river park. Bring a bag of clothes to change into.” She hastily gave a set of instructions to Jiyong. “Don’t worry though, I’m also stripping.” 


Next thing Dara heard was a crashing sound from Jiyong’s side as she ends the call. She didn’t stop there. Dara senses that Jiyong will try to contact her once more, she turned her phone off.


“I hope this works.” She mutters, flinging the covers to get under it. And stares up to the ceiling as thoughts of what’s about to transpire on the approaching weekend swarm her mind.








-oOo-








Jiyong could only blink his eyes for a few times, before he was able to regain his composure and go over with what had just happened. 


It’s already late in the night, and he is still locked up in his office, busy studying the last batch of papers strewn on top of his desk for a business meeting he’ll have early next morning, when he heard his phone rang. He had reached over, with the intention of shutting his phone off to stop further interruptions from happening, his eyes caught the contact detail showing on the screen.


Halmeoni


He didn’t bother to change the name when he saved Dara’s phone number in his contact list. And somehow seeing her name on the caller list, brought a smile on his face and seemed to have boosted up his energy.


Despite the fact that he still has some work left, he found himself pressing the answer button. He waited for Dara to greet him back but all he got was silence from the other end. He brings the phone far from him to check and see if he is not only imagining that someone is calling him or if it is indeed Dara. He heard a curse before the call was cut off. The voice is indeed Dara’s.


Jiyong dials Dara’s number. He is intrigued to learn the reason for her call. He frowns when it kept on ringing. Jiyong is quite sure, Dara has not fallen asleep that fast. And if she did, she can still be roused awake by the ringing. He tries once more. When he finally gets Dara to answer the phone, he had no idea that what he expected as another bout of their usual bantering suddenly became more interesting. Enough to have him stumble down on the floor.


Jiyong straightens the clutter on his desk, before picking up the remaining papers he needs to go over and placing it inside his bag.


“Saturday.” He whispers to himself, as he turns the lights off in his office. “It’s a date.” 









-oOo-








Friday came. Seunghyun drops wearily on the couch currently being occupied by Young Bae and Daesung. 


“Hyung, you look beat.” Young Bae comments as he hands the older guy a shot.


“Thanks” Seunghyun quickly gulps the drink. “We had a hectic week at work,” His hand reaches for the tie on his neck, and begins to loosen it. “What’s up?”


“Just the usual stuff.” Daesung answers, before spearing a melon ball on the platter and eating it. “Looking for something hyung?” He asks, noticing Seunghyun’s eyes scanning the area.


“Maknae’s not around to have some fun?” Seunghyun downs a shot he had poured himself.


“Hyung!” Seungri greets happily, sauntering from the side of the bar with an arm around a woman’s waist. Seungri and the woman kissed before they parted ways “I’ll call you, babe.” The maknae calls out to the woman walking away.


“I spoke too soon.” Seunhyun chuckles at the debauchery the youngest displayed. “New girlfriend?”
Daesung snorts at Seunghyun’s question “That’s highly unlikely to happen. If it does, it must be a sign that the world is about to come to an end.”


“New victim is the right term, hyung.” Young Bae adds.


Seungri sits on the vacant space beside Seunghyun. “You three are only jealous because you’re not as charming like me.”


“Charming or harming?” Daesung teases the maknae.


Both Young Bae and Seunghyun laughed.


“Funny, hyung.” Seungri pouts. “Reall funny.”


Daesung swings his arms over Seungri’s shoulder. “You know we love you maknae.”


“Love to tease is more like it.” Seungri rebuts but joins in on the laughter.


“Good thing Jiyong’s not here” Seunghyun mentions after awhile. “I was actually having second thoughts on coming over for a drink.”


“Why?” Young Bae asks “Are you avoiding Ji, hyung?”


“You can say that. I heard that Jiyong will be busy with work for the week, and I was looking forward to a week free without him. But…” Seunghyun lets out a deep sigh.


“But?” Young Bae urges Seunghyun to continue.


“Jiyong keeps on calling and pestering me with nonsense questions! It’s no different from him being physically present at my office.”


“What’s Jiyong hyung asking anyways?” Daesung joins in.


“He kept asking If Bom planned anything for tomorrow. I repeatedly answered him that Bom and I decided to hang out at their house. And every, freaking, day, Jiyong would call me up just to ask the same question! I swear he’s out to drain me of my sanity.”








-oOo-







Two hours later, Seunghyun has already left the bar, leaving the three behind.


Young Bae blurts out of nowhere “Let’s follow Jiyong.”


“Eh?” Seungri and Daesung exclaims at the same time, looking quizzically at Young Bae.


“I think he’d be going somewhere tomorrow.”


“And your basis is?”


“His interest for hyung’s plans over this weekend is quite unusual. Something will definitely happen tomorrow.”


“How can we follow Jiyong hyung tomorrow? Unlike the first time we trailed him, we knew where exactly he was going.”
Young Bae holds his phone up “We’ll use this.”


“That’s your phone hyung.” Daesung frowns at Young Bae


“Oh! Oh! Oh!” Seungri chirps excitedly “GPS!” Wagging a finger at Young Bae “That’s diabolical hyung.”


“Are you two coming?” Young Bae stares at the younger guys.
Daesung gives a small nod of approval.


“Wait.” Seungri raises a hand, making Young Bae and Daesung face him.


“You’re not coming Ri?” Daesung turns to the maknae.


“Let me just clear that, this” He motions with the same hand, “This plan, did not came from me.” A mischievous grin forms on his face “But I won’t want to be left out of the fun. Count me in hyung!”


“Ok. Let’s start making a plan for tomorrow.”








-oOo-






Jiyong is a bundle of nerves waiting at the ice cream kiosk for Dara. He checks the time on the watch on his arm. It’s only 9:30. He arrived early because he’s keen on being punctual, not because he’s excited or anything. It also happens that he had a rather restless night all thanks to a dream.


He’s wearing a casual set of clothes that can pass off on any kind of establishment. Jiyong feels slightly irked that he is up until this time, clueless with what Dara has planned for today. He was caught up with work for the rest of the week, all he could do was to call and ask Seunghyun hyung for some clues that he may be able to use, to know where Dara is taking him.


Jiyong peeks once more on his watch, and feels frustrated that only a minute has passed. He walked to and fro within an area of five meters right in front of the kiosk. When he got bored with it, he sat down on one of the benches near the kiosk and stared out into the calm water. Watching people as they pass by riding a bike, jogging, some are out with their dogs for a walk. 


“Damn it.” Jiyong mumbles under his breath when he sees that only five minutes had elapsed. 


To distract himself, Jiyong takes out his phone and plays a game. His mind though would not cooperate. Quickly losing interest on the apps he has on his phone. Jiyong stands up once more and begins to pace.


Jiyong has his arms crossed over his chest, when he saw Dara slowly walking towards him.


“Did you wait long?” Dara asks the second she reached his side. “No” Jiyong lies “I just got here a minute ago.” 


“Great.” Dara smiling brightly at him. He couldn’t help but frown when he felt his face feeling warm.


Dara was looking down to see the time on her phone, fails to notice the blush on Jiyong’s face.


“We’ll get there on time.” Dara turns around and walks back to where she came from. “Follow me.”


“Care to tell me exactly where are we going?” He asks walking behind Dara.


“It’s a secret.”








-oOo-








"Tada!" Dara exclaims, her arms spread wide to showcase her surprise.


This is....


Jiyong is indeed surprised. He and Dara are now standing before an ancient looking building. It should have already been obvious where they are, based on the writing on the sign hanging at the edge of its roof. Sauna, it reads, however the depressing appearance of the building makes it more of like an ideal location to shoot a horror film production.


I should've known better than to mistake when she said we'd be both stripping our clothes off for anything else. Especially that.


"What do you think?" Her question rouses him from his thoughts.


"It's rather" Dara was staring at him earnestly, listening to what he's about to say "...quaint." He finishes drily.


"It is. I knew you'd like it." Dara chirps excitedly, missing the sarcasm in Jiyong's statement. "Wait until we get inside."


Jiyong decided it's best if he'd keep to himself what he really thinks about the establishment. 


"Unnie!" 


Dara cries, running past by him. Turning sideways, Jiyong sees her hug the couple who had just arrived.


Walking with Dara, to where Jiyong stands, is Dara's oldest sister, Byul and Dong Wook, whom Jiyong mistook as oppa, the first time the two met each other. 


The four of them went inside with Jiyong lagging behind, after exchanging greetings. 


This is the first time for Jiyong stepping foot inside a traditional Korean spa. He anticipated it to be dreary like the lackluster facade of the building, luckily for him it wasn't. It may not be able to compete with the facilities of modern spas the girls he dated before like to frequent, this sauna is clean and homely, the staff friendly. Everything was new to Jiyong, he is absorbed in checking out every detail of his surroundings as he trails behind Dara and Byul. If not for Dong Wook's hand grabbing him his arm to stop him from advancing any further, he almost ended up going inside the women's changing area.








-oOo-






"So when did you and Jiyong started going out?" Byul says to Dara while the latter is in the process of stripping of her shirt.


"Eeeh?!?" Her shriek was loud enough to catch the attention from other people nearby. Taken aback by the question Byul flings at her.


Dara tugs the shirt completely off, before surreptitiously steal a glance behind her. She bows apologetically to a group of ahjummas on the other side of the women’s changing room, before facing her sister.


“Unnie, I’ve already told you, Jiyong and I are nothing more than just friends.” 


“You’re on a date now.” Byul argues as she proceeds on changing to a set of clothes provided by the sauna.


“This is not a date.” Using her hands to give emphasis on what she means to say “I don’t like feeling indebted to other people. This is my way of paying up all the troubles I’ve caused him.” Dara has a different shirt on, and is currently shucking down her pants.


“Why is it so hard to believe that he and I can have a platonic relationship?” Dara mumbles, quickly changing to the shorts paired with the shirt. “We’re not on a date. And Jiyong and I are only friends.”


Byul shrugs “Okay.” Pulling her hair into a high ponytail.


Dara is shoving her things inside the locker she’ll be using, and sees Byul’s expression “You still have the look on your face that you don’t believe what I’m saying unnie.”


“I’ll just let you know it firsthand.”


“Know what?”


“You’d know what I’m talking about, when it happens.” Byul turns the key to close the locker she’s using.


“Unnie, you’re not making any sense. Know what? And what exactly will happen when?” Dara probes at Byul who is now walking towards the door. She stops taking note that Jiyong and her Dong Wook oppa are waiting for them out on the hallway.



The four of them head to one of the relaxation room for both men and women, garbed in a shirt and a pair of shorts, pink for the women and blue for the guys, the usual attire for patrons. 


Jiyong whispers to Dara "You failed to tell me that your sister and her boyfriend are joining us." They were a few steps away from the other couple.


“I thought I did. Sorry, but that shouldn’t be a problem right?” Dara whispers back “It’s not like we’re out on a date or something.” 









-oOo-








“Dara-ah”


“Unnie?”


“We’ll just go and buy us some bubble tea. It’s best to pair with the eggs” Byul rises to her feet 


“I’ll help you unnie.” Dara offers.


“You stay here. Wookie will help me.” 


“Are you sure it’s fine to leave those two alone?” Dong Wook asks Byul the instant they were out of earshot. “They might kill each other.”


“They’ll be fine.”










-oOo-







Just like that, Dara and Jiyong are left alone to each other’s company. Twenty minutes had elapsed and they haven’t said a word to each other. Jiyong has been wearing a frown on his face, arms crossed over his chest, his mood sullen. Dara was able to count the number of times he had said something. It’s a total of four, counting the time, when he grunted in response. And that was when her sister and Dong Wook were with them. 


This is not the kind of weekend she has thought of having. She wants Jiyong to feel relaxed but the frown on his face tells otherwise. Feeling down, she grabs an egg, cracks it open and starts eating. Dara takes another egg from the carton, swallowing the last bite of the egg she had peeled earlier. An idea pops in her head.




“Ow!” JIyong exclaims more out of surprise than pain as something solid collided with his forehead.


Turning his head to the side, he sees Dara smiling mischievously, egg in her hand.


“What did you do that for?” 


"Why are you sulking like a kid who had his balloon popped and start ignoring me?"


"I'm not."


Dara leans over again and smacks the egg against his forehead for the second time. 


"Would you stop hitting me?" Jiyong growls, rubbing his smarting forehead. "It’s not funny.” 


“It’s funny for me. And you know what’s funnier? This.” Dara smacks Jiyong’s forehead with the egg. She moves back laughing as the redness on Jiyong’s forehead came to view. 


“That does it.” He growls out a threat. “You better run fast.” 


Realizing that Jiyong is dead serious in carrying out his threat, Dara snatches the last egg and starts to run. Fear fueled her to run faster than she normally could. Luckily, there are only a handful of people inside the room, giving her enough space to run around.


“Eeep!” She shrieks, seeing that Jiyong is eating up the little distance she has placed between them. 


Looking over her shoulder was a mistake. Seconds later, she fell down on her knees and she felt Jiyong’s hands grabbing her by the waist, to turn her over and face him.


Dara started squirming to escape, Jiyong held her down by straddling over her, his left hand encircles both her wrists and pins it on top of her head. Taking the egg from her hand.


“You wouldn’t!” Dara dares. 


“An eye for an eye.” Jiyong examining the egg in his right hand. “A tooth for a tooth” He poises his hand over Dara’s forehead “An egg for an egg.”


Dara closes her eyes and waited for the egg to hit her. But none came. Hesitantly, she pries her eyes open to see Jiyong still holding the egg


“That would’ve been an easy punishment.” A smirk creeps over his face. “But I’ve a better one.” Placing the egg down.


Dara’s breath hitches when Jiyong starts to lean closer and his right hand inching underneath her shirt. Her heart starts beating wildly, her lips parting slightly, waiting for Jiyong’s next move. His fingers move. Move it did. To tickle her. 


Dara giggles as Jiyong’s fingers tickle her until she’s breathless and tears had rolled off from the side of her eyes.


“S-s-s-t-t-o-o-p!” Dara begs while having fits of giggles. “I…I…g- g-ive up!”


Jiyong would have gone for another minute, but he’s starting to feel slightly uncomfortable, with all the squirming Dara did underneath him and she looks so tempting to kiss. He released his hold, and stands up. 


“That’s to show you never to mess with me.” He helds out a hand to Dara, pulling her to sit up. That’s when he noticed Dara’s knee. “What happened?” His thumb lightly brushing over the red spot on her knee.


“Oh. That? I banged it when I fell down.” She says in a non caring voice.


“Don’t move an inch.” Jiyong orders at Dara, before he rises on his feet and sprints out of sight.


"Don't worry." Dara lies down on her back to catch her breath. “I couldn’t even move a centimeter.”








-oOo-





Jiyong remembers seeing a vending machine down the hallway. Relieved that he was right, locating it on the far corner. Making his way to it, he grumbles about how careless Dara is. 


Inserting some coins in the slot, he selected a cold drink. Bending over to take the can out.


“Ji…” A man’s voice says behind him as he straightens up.





 

LOL...and i ended the chapter on that note!

errmm...do i need to have some rags nearby
to mop my blood? 

THOUGHTS and COMMENTS
are always welcome and appreciated

THANK YOU 
as always for reading


much ♥
CHET