Dara choked down bile as she surveyed the room for familiar faces. She felt Seunghyun's presence at her back and felt him giving her the strength she needed to push away the rest of her fear. Dara lifted her head and walked proudly into the room, fully aware of all the eyes that turned to look at her. When she approached her circle of friends, they all fell silent as they took in her new appearance. She stood there nervously, waiting for them to say something. Finally, Seunghyun broke the silence. "Where's Jiyong?"

Seungri looked around before answering. "He was just here; I think he went out to take a call." Dara felt herself give a sigh of relief; she still wasn't quite ready to see his face. She had to be confident in herself before she saw him. Even though she was no longer afraid, Dara could feel the jitters throughout her body. Her future was hanging on a thin thread between life and death. Would she change and give up on her love for Jiyong, or would she forgive him and go back to how things use to be? Everything was so uncertain; she didn't know what she truly wanted. All she knew was that she was hurt and angry. He had basically said that their friendship had been a total waste of time, that her feelings had been a waste of time. Dara felt her hands shake slightly, out of habit she reached up to touch her neck, only to stop midway. Dara quickly remembered that earlier that morning she had taken off the ring necklace. Dara felt almost without it. That ring had been her saving grace these past ten years. It had been her strength during times when Dara and Jiyong had a fight. It'd been her comfort when Jiyong would ignore her to go on dates with Kiko. Without it, she felt lost, as if something was missing. Dara wondered if Jiyong still wore his...

*Dara was fifteen when her father died and her love with Jiyong was just beginning to blossom. The more time she spent with him, the deeper her feelings got. They had known each other since they were kids but lately Dara had begun to see Jiyong in a completely new light. He had this way of lighting up the entire room with his presence. It had been that way since they were kids; there was just something about him that commanded attention. He always tried his best to make each individual feel special. Jiyong always managed to go the extra mile for Dara.

However, whether it was because they were childhood friends or because he actually liked her Dara didn’t know. The only downfall to these newly formed feelings is that Jiyong was constantly busy with training and auditions. Jiyong was a public figure and any scandal between them could mean the end of his career before it even truly began. That still didn’t stop Jiyong from trying his best to bring Dara to as many YG events that he could regardless of any rumors that started. Dara knew the risks he was taking and appre