“IT’S D-DAY!!!” I said, jumping up and down my bed like a child. I quickly went for the bathroom and bathed. It took me long though as I tried to scrub myself so that I would smell good.

 

It took me long to choose what to wear too. But I couldn’t let this moment pass. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I had to grab it as soon as I can.

 

So when I was already driving my car, Miss Park on the passenger seat, I couldn’t help but smile. I had to bite my lip back so I wouldn’t look like a fool in front of Miss Park.

 

We stopped in front of our first destination – the movie house.

 

She stared at me when she saw where we were.

 

 “I already bought two tickets,” I said showing them to her.

 

She looked at me disgustingly before she stepped out of my car and walked towards the opposite direction.

 

I urgently stepped off my car too, not wanting her to get away. This day was planned. It couldn’t be ruined. No.

 

“Miss Park! Miss Park!” I called while running towards her. When I caught up, I rested my hand on her shoulder. However, she grabbed and twisted it. “Ow… Ow…”

 

After a while, she let go of my hand.

 

I massaged my poor hand and explained, “I’m sorry. Yes, I told you that I’m just taking you out on a meal, but I changed my mind when you helped me from being shot by that gun that night.”

 

She pointed a finger at me. I flinched, thinking that she’s going to hurt me again. This woman is dangerous, I say. Dangerous. D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S.

 

“Don’t ever talk about that event ever again!” she warned and was about to turn to leave when I caught her wrist.

 

I already noted to myself not to stop her from leaving by her shoulder if I still wanted to live my life with both of my arms still functioning.

 

“I won’t promise that I will not talk about that event if you’re not going with me,” I threatened her, as I mentally patted my back for a job well done.

 

“Are you threatening me right now?” she asked me as she pulled her hand away.

 

“Fine then, I guess, by tomorrow, everyone will now about the-“

 

“AISH!” she grunted, going towards the direction of the movie house.

 

I smiled before I followed her inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I chose a comedy movie. I deliberately chose it. As I said, this was already perfectly planned. Why did I choose a comedy movie, you ask? Well, it was simple really.

 

I want to see a smile on Miss Park’s lips.

 

It was already a known fact that she never smiled. But it wasn’t a given that she CAN’T smile. So the moment I started getting to know her, I already decided to make her smile.

 

The movie itself was really funny. I was so glad that I chose the right movie. I know that she will laugh anytime. But every time the whole movie house would laugh and I would too, I would also expect her to laugh along with us. Well, the movie was great and the actors were funny, with all the punch lines delivered perfectly.

 

As for Miss Park? She would just grunt every time we would laugh. One time, she turned towards the customer behind us who were the loudest when he laughed, well, because he was the closest to us. She stood up from her seat and threw him a glare. The guy just cowered and covered his mouth.

 

But at the next punch line though, he unconsciously laughed louder. As for Miss Park, she just covered her ears and grunted more.

 

This brought a smile on my face.

 

For the rest of the movie, I focused my entire attention on it, thinking that I miserably failed at making her smile or laugh at this movie. Maybe it wasn’t funny for her at all. So, I tried enjoying the movie, laughing along with the audience. However, one time, while laughing, my eyes wandered towards her. She was staring at me. And what was surprising?

 

She was laughing along with me.

 

I was shocked at first, but when I recovered, I smiled at her. When I did though, she focused her eyes on the screen, turning stiff on her seat.

 

What was wrong?

 

When the movie was finished, we drove towards our next destination – the gag show.

 

I was glad, though, that she did not resisted this time. She actually went with me.

 

Like the movie, the gag show was also funny. The artists were equally funny too. Maybe they were even funnier than the actors at the movie.

 

But what was more interesting than the show was Miss Park…she started to laugh. She laughed so heartily that it sounded like it was real.

 

“I see you’re laughing already,” I commented during the show.

 

“You don’t have an idea why,” she said mysteriously.

 

I scowled as I tried to decode what she just said. What the hell did she mean by that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gag show finished and it was already dark outside. I was driving silently, mentally congratulating myself on a job well done. I never thought I could accomplish this task so easily. Ha! I’m so awesome!

 

“So, where are you going to bring me next? To a puppet show?” Miss Park said, breaking the silence.

 

Her remark, though, made me laugh so hard. I stared at her and she was glaring at me.

 

“I see you’ve got a sense of humor there. I thought you don’t have one,” I said, teasing her.

 

“I wasn’t joking, Mister Kwon,” she said, her voice dangerously low.

 

“Oh, don’t call me Mister Kwon anymore. It’s too formal,” I said, keeping my eyes glued to the road.

 

“What shall I call you then? Creep? Freak? Jerk?”

 

Again, I laughed. She really had a sense of humor, I’m not kidding.

 

“Oh how about annoying clown?” she asked again.

 

I couldn’t help but laugh again. Seriously, where does she pull all those things? However, she grunted making me stifle my laughter. She’s funny…but scary.

 

“Just call me Jiyong,” I said, still trying to stop my laughter. “Then, can I call you Sandara?”

 

I stared at her but she was glaring at me.

 

“Okay fine, I’ll just call you Miss Park since you—“

 

“Dara… I prefer to be called Dara than Sandara,” she said, cutting me off.

 

I turned silent. She wanted me to call her in a nickname basis? Hehehe… so cute.

 

Before the silence would lengthen, I started, “I’ve been meaning to ask you—“

 

“I don’t care,” she cut me off.

 

I chuckled, deciding to ignore her comment. “Are you working for that company?”

 

“What company?” she asked.

 

 “The one where I followed you.”

 

There was silence. And before I could break it, she explained, “My father works there and I just paid a visit.”

 

I turned silent, contemplating what she just said. “I’m sorry, Dara. I have been following you last week. But I stopped when I found out that you visited the cemetery. And, I found out who you were visiting.”

 

I finally got it out of my system. I had been meaning to tell her that. When I bumped into her at the cemetery, I stopped following her. I think I just crossed the line that time.

 

Afterwards, I said, “But you just said that you visited your father on the company. Didn’t your father already-“

 

“Don’t ask me about personal things,” she interrupted.

 

“How can we be friends when I won’t be able to know more about you?” I asked.

 

“Who says we’re friends?”

 

OUCH! “But I thought-“

 

“I’m only doing this because I have given you my word.”

 

She had given me her word? She was doing all of these because she just felt obligated to fulfill what she just promised?

 

Suddenly, we halted the car in front of a restaurant.

 

“This is the last stop,” I said, my voice dropping after what she just said. I didn’t even mean it to sound like that, but it did.

 

I led her inside. We ordered and when our food arrived, we ate…in silence. I was too disappointed to open a topic. I was thinking that we were getting along already. But I was wrong. I’m hurt, seriously. But I don’t think I have the right to feel that way.

 

Nevertheless, I’m hurt and disappointed.

 

When we were almost done with our dinner, there was a sound from afar.

 

“Saengil Chukha Hamnida…” someone started to sing.

 

I turned around and looked for the source. Someone just came out with a cake on his hand, with a few more people behind him, clapping. Before the lights were turned off, though, a clanking of a spoon caught my ears. I turned back to our table as it came from us. Maybe it came from Dara.

 

But I couldn’t see her anymore because the lights were turned off already. I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the darkness.

 

“Dara… are you alright?” I asked. But she did not respond.

 

 “Saengil Chukha Hamnida…” they sang again.

 

This time though, I did not turn around as I tried to decipher Dara’s figure in front of me.

 

 “Saengil Chukha Hamnida…” they continued.

 

“Dara? Miss Park?” I called again.

 

 “Saengil Chukha Hamnida…”

 

I was about to call Dara again but I was cut off.

 

“Nooooooo!” someone from in front of me shouted followed by a chair being dragged and falling.

 

“Nooooooo! Stooooop! Stop it right now!”

 

Wait! That sounded like…

 

“Don’t sing that damn song!”

 

Dara!!!

 

I stood up, blindly reaching out to her. But it was useless since the table was wide.

 

There was a sound of a curse and then more sobs. There was a sound of something falling and clanking spoons and breaking plates on the floor.

 

 “Nooooooo!” Dara shouted again.

 

“Dara! Are you alright? Answer please. What happened?” I asked, my hands blindly patting the table.

 

“No… no… no…” she repeated over and over again. I wondered if it was my question she answered to.

 

However, her voice softened and then it totally faltered.

 

“Dara?” I called again. I slowly walked towards her spot, expecting her to be there. People were already whispering to each other around us but I didn’t care. The singing of the birthday song also stopped.

 

 “NOOOOOOO!” she cried again, louder than the ones before.

 

“What’s happening?!” voices started asking the same question.

 

“A freak is in the restaurant!” one of them shouted.

 

“Stop saying that! She isn’t a freak!” I said through the darkness. Why the hell didn’t they open the lights yet? “Open the lights now!”

 

 “No… No… please come back to me…” Dara shouted again, her voice weak. I went back to walking towards her, my hand guiding me through the darkness. What took them so long to open the lights, like seriously?

 

Suddenly, the surroundings brightened. I quickly ran around towards where Dara was sitting but she wasn’t there. Her chair was thrown back to the ground and broken plates were a few feet from her chair. The table cloth was messy too, dragged towards the floor.

 

I ran my eyes below where Dara was, curled under the table, the table cloth around her. She raised her head and looked around. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red. She was crying and was still crying. Her face was stained with tears and smudged mascara.

 

I looked around. People were trying to peek and gossip. I heard some phrases like freak, mental, crazy. And it took me a lot of effort not to turn towards them and shut their mouths.

 

I turned my attention back to Dara. She hid her face between her knees, crying. She hugged herself as if she was cold. She was also trembling.

 

Without thinking twice, I pulled her from under the table, one hand around her wrist, another on her head to protect her head from hitting the table. I hugged her to my chest and her head and back gently.

 

Instead of stopping from crying though, she cried harder this time, her sobs getting louder, like a child who didn’t care what others think why she was crying.

 

I hugged her tighter this time. It hurt me, seeing her in this state. It hurts my heart.

 

“Dad… Mom… Sanghyun… Durami…” she whispered through my chest.

 

“It’s okay… it’s okay, Dara…” I said, even though I was clueless whatever happened to her.

 

When I said that, she snapped her head up to stare at me. She pushed me away and ran outside the restaurant.

 

“Dara!” I called, following her out.

 

When I reached outside, there she was, standing alone, her sobs softer, wiping her tears away from her face.

 

I rested my hand on her shoulder.  “Dara…”

 

She sharply turned to me. “Why?!” she demanded. “Why did you have to bring me to this horrible place?! Why did you have to make me remember all those horrifying things that haunted me?! I don’t know why but I was almost forgetting about them when you came into my life but why did you have to--“she trailed off.

 

With that, she turned away and stomped towards my car. “Just take me home.”

 

 

 

 

---------

 

 

*poster credits to ephrael

 

LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS BELOW. :)