“You’re really beautiful up close, Miss Sandara,” Teddy complimented from across the table.

I hissed at him as he devoured the whole bowl of ramyun I cooked for myself, which he ended up eating for himself.

He was still blabbering just about anything when I stood up from the stool I was sitting on and went to make myself a hot chocolate. When I was done, I walked towards my place while stirring my drink. I was about to take a sip from it when Teddy noticed it.

“Omo! You are so nice to make me a hot Choco!” he said as he grabbed my drink from my hands. I could just stand in my place and stare at how he chugged on my drink in one go. I wasn’t even able to sit on my place and take a sip from my yummy drink.

“This!” he said, pointing to the empty cup on his hand. “I miss drinking this! Seriously! You’re so good.”

That was the time when I budged and eventually slumped on my chair, propping my elbows on the counter.

“You’re too nice to cook me ramyun and hot Choco,” he said after he burped.

I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t for you, monkey. “No problem,” I said instead.

“Seriously, I missed drinks like this. Omma used to make me this drink every morning and before I go to sleep at night.”

I furrowed my brows. What’s with all the walking-back-the-memory-lane moment all of a sudden? Awkward. I wasn’t even asking, nor was I interested, anyway.

“Can you make me hot chocolate every morning, then, Miss Sandara?”

I widened my eyes at him. I blinked them afterwards, trying to process whether I heard the right thing. But seeing that he still had that pleading expression on his face, I guess I did hear the right thing.

“And oh!” he gasped, as if remembering something. “Where’s Young Master?”

Young Master? Was he referring to Jiyong?

As if on cue, running footsteps were heard from the hallway followed by his voice calling for my name.

“Dara! Dara!!” he called out repeatedly.

When he appeared by the doorway, I could clearly see his panicked state – wide eyes, forehead sweating, disheveled hair, chest heaving up and down as he tried to gasp for air. He was even still on his white sleeveless shirt and boxer shorts.

I knew it was inappropriate at that time, but my lips broke out a smile.

Jiyong ran towards me and then roughly pulled me towards his chest. He my hair and back as he whispered some sweet words that I could only hear, some sweet words that only him made my heart beat erratically against my chest, some sweet words that every time they were uttered by his lips, made me feel an electricity running through, some sweet words that-

“Young Master!”

Crap! I forgot I wasn’t alone before he arrived. And of all the times that the monkey had to interrupt, it was this time. Aish!

“Hyung!” Jiyong called, suddenly excited seeing the monkey who looked like he just came out of the zoo cage without being fed for several years, wearing his gawd-awful fugly-looking outfit.

And just like that, I was left neglected again. Seriously, why did it have to happen to me every day? Aish!

As the monkey and my baby boy were catching up on things, I started backing away. When I finally faced the doorway, I felt Jiyong’s hand circling mine.

“She’s my girlfriend, by the way, hyung!” Jiyong said, pulling me to his side.

“Yes! Yes! I met her!” the monkey said. “She cooks so well! She’s ready to be a wife!”

“I know!” Jiyong said excitedly, shaking me along with him. “I’m ready to make her my wife already!”

With Jiyong’s words, I blushed. But together with my blush, I saw Teddy frowning. “What about Madam Kwon? You know she wants to-“

“Oh, who cares about what she wants. I want to marry my baby girl here,” Jiyong said as he sniffed my hair.

I gave the monkey the smuggest expression I could muster to mock him. He just rolled his eyes. Oh, I see. He’s really against me to be with Jiyong. Okay! I see. Let’s just see who will win this battle.

JIYONG’S POV

Teddy-hyung and I were still talking even when we were already on the car. We had a lot of things to catch up with each other, considering I haven’t seen him for as long as I could remember. Though, I was shocked to learn from him that he had been here in Korea for almost a year now. But according to him, he was busy with some things here that he failed to visit me.

For the whole morning, we chatted as if we were girls. I didn’t care anymore what anyone says. Teddy-hyung was my brother I never had. He called me ‘Young Master’ by the order of Grandma but I told him several times that if it was just the two of us, he could call me Jiyong. But he never did, even until now.

There was just a lapse time where we stopped talking – when Grandma called for him during breakfast. Grandma did not join us, preferring to stay in her room. I wondered why though. Was it because she was mad at me? Aish! I don’t care anymore.

As for Dara, he remained stiff the whole morning - the whole time teddy-hyung and I were talking. Perhaps she was once again jealous because it looked like I was talking to a family member, which I needless to say, she didn’t have. Well, at least I think that was the reason.

Not until I caught her glaring at hyung while he was helping her with her luggage. There seemed to be a building tension between the two that I was afraid I would be suffocated by it.

Until now, Dara still threw her dirtiest glare towards hyung. But it amused me anyway. She looked cute when angry. We never really fought before and she never glared at me like that before we even became friends and eventually lovers.  She used to scowl at me before, and I had always of being ugly especially when scowling. But of course, I was lying. Since before, I had admired her beauty that even her scowl was cute.

But, this glare, it was different. I wondered what was bothering her. Did something happen?

Oh, yeah. Maybe something happened before I dashed towards the kitchen this morning to look for her, before I panicked that she ran away because of the incident last night with Grandma. I didn’t notice it before, but she wasn’t alone that time. She was actually with Teddy-hyung.

“And remember that time when we played by the river and you-“

“You can drop me here,” Dara interrupted Teddy-hyung who was recalling our childhood memory.

“Oh, why? Is there something wrong?” I asked her.

Dara shook her head and smiled at me reassuringly. There it goes again, her smile, her sweet smile. The smile that made me fall over and over again. That smile that had always been driving me crazy every time.

“I just have some things to do,” she said, her hand on the handle.

“Let me come with you,” I insisted.

“Nah, Young Master, she can obviously do it herself,” Teddy-hyung said.

Dara shot him a glare as she roughly pushed herself outside of the car. I was about to follow her when the door was slammed to my face. I was massaging my nose when Teddy-hyung started to drive off.

“Hey! Hey! Stop it hyung!” I complained, my fingers still pinching my nose.

“Young Master, you saw her getting out. She seemed excited to, don’t you think? I wonder why,” he said, fingers tapping the wheel.

We were getting far when I had it.

“HYUNG!” I shouted as loud as I could.

The car abruptly stopped and I was thrown forward, my forehead hitting the back of the driver’s seat.

Even though my forehead hurt and my nose felt like it was broken, I still stepped off the car like nothing happened. I ran towards Dara who was already far.

“Dara!” I called. “Dara-ah!”

She did not turn, but instead, she continued stomping her feet away from me. I remembered ‘this Dara’. Kekeke. Cute.

“Baby girl!” I called.

Finally, she turned with a scowl on her face. “What are you doing?!” she shouted, not minding the passers-by who turned their heads. “Your monkey driver is waiting for you! You cannot let him wait.”

I turned towards hyung who was already outside of the car, waiting for us, or perhaps for me. I shooed him away. He did not understand though, so I picked up my phone and called him.

“Ya!” I shouted as soon as he picked up. “Go home and just leave our luggage outside of my apartment door!”

“Young Master, Madam Kwon clearly said-“

“Aish! Don’t let me go there and beat the crap out of you, hyung! I don’t care if you’re older anymore. My girlfriend is waiting!”

“I don’t think she is, Young Master,” he said.

“Wha—“

I turned around and saw Dara once again walking away, or rather, stomping away.

“Aish! Just do what I say!” I shouted at the phone and shut it down.

I ran towards Dara and caught her wrist.

“Aish! Your HYUNG is waiting!” she shouted.

“What’s up with you?!” I asked trying to calm her down, but was failing to calm MY nerves. She had been acting really strange.

I saw her blinking rapidly, perhaps shocked at my outburst. She then pulled her arm away and walked away again. I saw her raising her hands towards her face as if wiping something away. Could it be tears?

“Ya! Dara!” I called once again, while trying to match up her pace. “Why are you acting like this? Are you mad at hyung? Had something happened? Or was it me?”

She abruptly faced me, tears on her face. She breathed in and out and then smiled. “Let’s not talk about this,” she calmly said.

“But-“

“No buts,” she said. “Now, weren’t you wondering why I wanted to be dropped off here?” she asked, obviously trying to avoid the previous topic.

I pursed my lips. “Why?”

“I’m looking for a part-time job,” she said, whipping her head from left to right in search for stores.

“Why?” I asked again, not taking my gaze off her.

“I need to study, don’t I?” she said.

“Aren’t I enough?” I asked, reaching out to wipe the tears off her face.

She blinked at me. “I… of course you are. But I don’t need to depend on you forever, do I?” she asked. “I need to learn to stand on my own.”

“But I don’t mind,” I said.

“I do,” she said simply. “If you don’t, I do. I’m afraid I would get too depended on you. I’m afraid that if the time will come when I would abuse you, you would leave me.”

I shook my head, unable to comprehend why she thought like that. No, I am not going to leave her for petty reasons like that. Heck, I would never leave her. I love her too much to do so. I would die if I would leave her. They say life is full of uncertainties and you would not know for sure what happens the next second.  As for me, I know that for sure. I know that I would never make it another day thinking that she’s not with me. Call it cheesy all you want, but I’m sincere.

“Don’t think like that. I don’t mind you using my money for-“

“No!” she cut me off. “I don’t want that. I want to finish my studies with my hardships. No help from others, no pity, no anything.”

“But, Dara. No man is an island, the old saying went. Eventually, you would need help. And I’m always here.”

She turned silent as if on contemplation.

“Okay, fine,” I conceded. I saw a glint of happiness in her eyes. “I’ll help you look for a job but you’re still getting help from me, okay?”

“Jiyooooong~” she pleaded too cutely that a smile formed on my lips.

“You don’t expect to get your paycheck right away, don’t you? School is about to start again,” I said. “So, in the meantime, I’m still going to pay for your tuition fees.”

She pouted and thought. “Fine! But I’m going to pay you in cash in the future, neh?”

“Okay,” I said, while I intertwined my fingers with hers. “Come, let’s try that restaurant. They could use an amazing chef like you.”

It was already three in the afternoon when we reached home. Dara eventually found a job. After a couple of times looking here and there for restaurants (because she wants to be a chef after hearing my compliments on her cooking), we found a café where her job was behind the counter, accepting orders. Her manager also said that she could also prepare the coffees when she wanted to switch duties with the other workers.

Dara had to go to work at seven in the morning considering that it was a café. She didn’t want it at first, but she eventually gave in considering her situation.

We were walking towards our apartment, hand-in-hand, talking about anything under the sun. We were already nearing when I stopped on my tracks. There was a white Audi parking just beside where my motorbike was parked.

It was just a normal happening every day, but there was something odd. I don’t know. I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Dara stopped on her tracks too. “What’s wrong?” she asked, as she followed my gaze towards the car. “Do you know whose car that is?”

I shook my head.

Suddenly, a man in suit stepped out from the driver’s side. He was a lean and tall man who looked intimidating. He eyed us.

Dara tugged on my arm and pulled me towards the building, suddenly feeling scared.

The man walked towards us and stopped in front of us. He bowed low as he spoke. “Miss Sandara Park, someone wants to talk to you.”

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*poster credits to Marianations