XV

Dara’s POV

"Hurry Jiyong! We're going to be late!" I hollered as I dash down the stairs. "We're going to be late! Then all our hard work would have been for NOTHING!"

"Hn, like I'm not aware of that." Jiyong snapped back sarcastically as he hastily grabbed a jacket and slipped it on. Though it is just a random jacket he picked out without much acknowledgement, somehow, he STILL manages to look above decent.

'Grr...I hate gorgeous people...' I thought to myself enviously. 'They can look good in almost ANYTHING. Heck...I'll bet that Jiyong can make RAGS look like a fashion trend!'

"Hurry up, or else Mrs. Lee will fail us!" Jiyong growled as he grabbed my hand, drag me out the door and pushed me into the back of the car. He followed after I quickly, putting the project on my lap and shut the car door loudly, demanding the driver to drive as fast as possible.

"If only Mrs. Lee more understands..." I sighed. Mrs. Lee is very strict about everything, especially excuses for not doing homework. I swore, it is as if she had no heart. For example, I could tell her that I had broken both my hands in an accident, so I couldn't write an essay. She'll expect me to master writing either with my mouth, or my feet.

"Don't worry...we're almost there." Jiyong replied after a few minutes of silence.

I looked at Jiyong from the corner of my eye. He looked so serious and 'professional.' I could imagine him a few years later, taking over his family's business. I am certain that he had the knowledge, and his personality is also suitable for the job. "Yup...of course. Bossy and serious. Perfect manager." I said to myself absent-mindedly.

"What?" Jiyong asked, looking confused.

"OH..uh..NOTHING!" I answered nervously, hoping that he wouldn't suspect anything.

Jiyong looked at me with skeptical expression, but brushed it off as his attention went back to the road.

For the rest of the ride, I am silent. I began thinking about what happened last night. It is tiring, yes. But is it worth it? INDEED. This project is for sure, at least an A or B for a grade. Plus, I got to spend time with Jiyong. I recalled that on the way here, Jiyong had made a sarcastic remark to me when I told him to hurry up and that if we were late, the hard work would have been nothing.

Normally, I probably would have started huffing and puffing with anger. But today, I had decided to give him a break. After all, he did do most of the project. Had it not been for him, the project probably would not have been done on time.

~After school~

"Whew...I think we did quite well, don't you think?" I asked Jiyong as I and he walk home. No driver is available, but I don’t mind. Some fresh air would help me relax.

"Yea...I think it is good. Mrs. Lee didn't seem to have any complaints, so I think we'll be fine." Jiyong replied hesitantly. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, but something in his voice made me aware that he is occupied by his own thoughts.

"Hey...are you okay? I mean...I know I screwed a few times maybe during the acting part, but overall it is up to expectations, right? I think-"

"Uh...listen...I have to leave you behind...as in, run. I promised to get together with a few friends...bye." Jiyong said abruptly. Not waiting for my reaction, he rushed off. I am left standing alone on the sidewalk.

"Eh...okay? Is my performance that horrible...?" I questioned myself sadly. Did he really think that I messed up the performance? Is that why he had begun acting so weird...?

Jiyong's POV

Dara had tried to talk to me during the walk home. Each time, I replied to her with a 'careless' voice.

I had a lot of other things on my mind. Like...what happened last night. The two of us worked hard for the project...but also, it is so...relaxing. I am going insane...since when is doing homework 'relaxing?' Though, every time I asked that question in my mind, it would reply 'when you're with Dara...'

The thought of asking her to the dance had lingered with me for quite a while now. A part of me wanted to just ask her, yet, another part dreaded for my reputation at school. I and Dara were meant to be enemies. I am supposed to make fun of her and cause her life to be miserable. I and she were not meant to be together.

"Man...What should I do?" I muttered to myself. I am exasperated, torn between Dara and my reputation.

Dara’s POV

I kick a rock as hard as I could. My sadness had transformed to anger. Who does he think he is?!

"Well okay...he's THE MIGHTY KWON JIYONG. But that doesn't mean he had the right to just flick me off like that! I did my best for that presentation, I rarely stay up late, I don't like to drink coffee, and I’m normally an ACCEPTABLE student, not a perfect one. WHAT DOES HE POSSIBLY EXPECT?!" I hissed to myself, unaware of the amount of people's attention had drawn to me.

"Mommy, why is that girl talking to herself? I don't see anybody around her." A little boy asked his mother innocently as he pointed at me.

"Oh, she's probably crazy. Don't point or look, dear, but remember to never act like that, hm?" The mother answered, looking at me weirdly.

"OKAY mommy, hehe, that girl's silly!"

I glared at the mother and her son. Normally, I am polite to adults, and playful towards little kids. But what they were saying really provoked my temper.

"HEY YOU, the OLD GRANDMA with her grandson!" I screamed to get their attention. The woman looked very offended and appalled, most likely because I called her old. "YOU KNOW THAT IT’S RUDE TO STARE AND POINT, AND THEN CALL SOMEONE CRAZY? HAVE SOME DIGNITY!" I glared at them one last time and then ran. I didn't want to stay and wait for her comeback, because I would lose all control and get into trouble.

~An hour later...~

I didn't feel like going back to the Kwon’s place. Jiyong is probably with his 'friends' and I hated being by myself in that mansion. I wouldn't be really alone, because there were servants and maids, but there is nobody there that I could consider a friend. Ever since that last incident with the erted old man and Jiyong bursting into insults at the mansion, all the maids have been very 'fake' towards me. Deep down, I knew they wanted to tear me apart, but for the sake of their jobs, they held it in.

I sat down on a bench and looked up at the sky. It is still pretty bright, so I could still hang around for a while. I took out a book, and began to read.

I am not sure how long I have been reading, but suddenly, I felt a wet nose nudging at the calf of my leg. I put down my book and right before me, am one of the CUTEST dogs I had ever seen in my life! The dog had SNOWY white fur that looked incredibly soft, and had these huge round eyes that one could die for. He or she also had the fluffiest tail I could ever imagine, and sweet pointy ears. From the size, I could tell that this dog is still in his or her puppy stage. Apart from the slightly muddy and tangled fur, the puppy is nearly perfect.

"OH MY GOSH!" I squealed. "YOU'RE SO CUTE!" I picked up the puppy, not caring about the dirty fur, to check whether it is a girl or a boy.

"A boy eh?" I chuckled and put the dog next to me on the bench, while rubbing his head. I looked around, but didn't find anyone that is interested in the dog. Where is the owner?

"Hm…" I looked around the puppy's neck. No collar. "You're lost!" I said with sympathy. The puppy looked exhausted; he must have been wandering around for days.

"First things first, let’s get you something to eat!" I exclaimed, picking the puppy up and running straight for the nearest pet shop.

Strangely enough, when I passed a certain row of dog food, the puppy would bark. Even stranger, the brand of dog food the puppy had his eyes on were the most expensive kinds in the store.

Unable to resist those adorable eyes, I finally gave in, and went with the puppy's preference. "You really do trade in on cute...don't you?" I muttered as I poked the puppy softly. But c'mon, who could stay angry with such...CUTENESS?

"NO FEAR...For I, DARA PARK, shall get you safely home! I'm sure your owner is still looking for you...you don't look to have been lost for a long time." I spoke surely as I zipped my backpack and stood up.

The puppy jumped off the bench, landing a bit awkwardly. I noticed that one of his paws is slightly damaged.

"Ouch...I can't have you walking in that condition. Hm..." I picked up the puppy and started walking around, hoping to find posters about missing dogs that will provide with an address or phone number.

Along the way, I got tired from holding the puppy the entire way, so I went into a food market and asked for a grocery bag.

I took my books out of my backpack and stuffed them in the grocery bag. Then, I picked the puppy up and helped him into my backpack. It amused me, because the puppy got stuck in the end of the backpack, and started rolling around, thinking he could free himself. Once everything is set up, I looked pleadingly at the puppy, "I'm begging you, PLEASE don't...poop or pee in my bag. It's my favorite one!" I knew that the puppy is probably too young to understand instructions, but it is almost as if he nodded his head, acknowledging what I am saying.

~Two hours later~

"YES…we have FOUND a poster! You can FINALLY GO HOME!" I cheered, quickly copying the phone number down. The puppy squirmed inside my backpack. He is probably excited too.

I found a public telephone stand and quickly dialed the number.

It rang for a few times before someone answered. A masculine voice answered the phone. The tone is very deep and rough. I predicted that it is probably a man in his 30's.

"Uh...hi, I uh...saw a poster that you had about missing a dog and-"

"You've found him?!" The tone lightened up.

"Yes...indeed I have. Puppy right? White fur, big round eyes… and-"

"MASTER, MASTER, someone's FOUND HIM!" I heard the loud voice in the background. 'Master?' I thought, confused. Why master? Such a formal title...

Before I zoned out, the voice that I had predicted to be of a man around his 30's is replaced by another voice. This voice is completely different. It is another male, but his voice is so...soothing, and almost melodic. It isn’t that he didn't sound masculine, heck, his voice is VERY manly in my opinion. Though, as much as the voice is gallant and gentle, it is also bold and daring. I guessed that he is probably around the same age as I. This made me very excited, who could possibly hold such a charming voice?

The phone call ended as he gave me directions on how to get to their house. I copied down the address and confirmed it, before hanging up. I had volunteered to bring the puppy back. The boy is hesitant to accept my offer, but in the end, I managed to convince him.

~Thirty minutes later~

My jaw DROPPED, literally. This place is...PARADISE. It looked like where a King and Queen would live. Such an elegant place, even with a beautiful fountain. I am in heaven. Jiyong's home is close to this, but it isn’t nearly as stunning. Perhaps they didn't care much about the physical appearance of their home. But this family certainly did.

I started wondering on how to get in, considering that I am 'barbed' outside, when the puppy started barking. After a few barks, the door of 'paradise', from INSIDE the gate swung open.

"MASTER, MASTER, HE'S HERE!" A man dressed up like a servant came running down the steps. He quickly pushed the tall gate to one side and dragged me in.

"Uh…but I'm a she-"

"Haha, sorry miss. I am talking about the dog."

"Eheh, well, now that we're done, take the puppy, I really need to go home..."

"Go? Why, so soon? Don't you want your reward?"

"...Reward?"

"Did you not read the poster?"

"Well no, I just-"

"No matter. Master will be sure to explain to you. For finding Hyun, you deserve to be rewarded!"

‘Hyun? That must be the puppy's name...' I thought to myself as I am being mindlessly dragged towards the mansion. Before I knew it, I am inside this paradise, and the gate, as well as the doors of the mansion, were both locked shut.

"Uh...really, I must be going, it's getting dark and I-"

"No please, do stay. I don't wish to feel as if I'm in debt to your favor. After we discuss the reward, it will be certain that someone will you home safely."

It is that melodic voice again! I just HAD to see who could hold such a perfect tone. I hastily turned around; my eyes instantly became locked with a pair of ocean blue eyes. They reflected coldness and pain? I then begin to take in his whole form.

He is absolutely...HOT! PERFECT, a match to even THE KWON JIYONG! Mysterious blue eyes and cool silver hair, he is certainly attractive!

I tilted my head and stepped a bit closer to this stranger. Something about him seemed so familiar.

My eyes widened from shock. Those mystifying ocean blue eyes and captivating silver hair. He...he's...

"...Tabi-ah...? Is... is that you?"

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Bwaaaaahahahahaha!