XXIV

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dara’s P.O.V.

 

 

 

 

 

As I and Tabi were driven to Yoona’s house, my mind is still in denial of what just happened. ‘Yoona? That’s…that’s not possible. She’s been one of my only friends for the past few years…why would she do this to me?’ I knew that she is into Jiyong…but where did she get the story about what happened? Is the story she heard even exact? I knew that I am the cause all this, but even I didn’t suspect Jiyong would did this. I didn’t even know that he saw what Sohee had done. Did Yoona know all that?

 

“We’re here.” Tabi tapped I lightly on the shoulder.

 

“Oh…” I breathed in and out slowly and held both fists in the air. ‘I can do this!’ I nodded firmly to myself and got out of the car.

 

“Relax…” Tabi said in a soothing manner. “It’ll be fine. You’re not in this alone.”

 

I smiled and inhaled one last time as my hand slowly reached for the doorbell. Ringing a doorbell had never been so hard. I shut my eyes tightly and abruptly pressed the button. The melodic ring played and I heard footsteps from inside the house coming closer to the door. The door opened to reveal Yoona in her pajamas…which isn’t surprising; considering the sky’s dark tint.

 

“Oh hey Dara,” she greeted cheerfully. “And Dong Won,” she gave a tiny bow. “What brings you guys here at this hour?”

 

I looked over at Tabi. “Are you sure…?” Yoona didn’t seem fazed by my arrival at all. There is still the slightest hope that this would all be a mistake.

 

He nodded. “It can’t be wrong.” My hopes shattered. If Tabi is positive about it…there’s no doubt that it’s right.

 

I sighed. “Yoona…I know what you did.”

 

Yoona tilted her head in confusion as she stepped out from behind the door. “What are you talking about, Dara?”

 

“I know it was you when sent me those threatening messages...and those calls…”

 

“Dara! You’ve been receiving threats?! Are you okay?!” She leaned forward to hug me, I moved out of the way while staring at the ground.

 

“Yoona…don’t lie to me.”

 

“I’m not! Why would you say it’s me?! The caller obviously had the voice of a male!“ She gasped and clasped her hands over .

 

“Yoona…” Tabi stepped in front of me. “If it wasn’t you…how would you possibly know that the caller had a male’s voice?” He chuckled as he held up the notes I had received, “if you still want to deny…we can always compare handwriting…would you like that?”

 

Yoona looked away and cursed audibly. She then turned to me; her once cheerful presence had now turned malignant. “All right, I lose. Yes, it is me. I am the one behind all this.”

 

“But…but why?” My voice shook. “If it’s because of Jiyong, it wasn’t my fault! Well it was, but I didn’t know that he’d do such a thing!”

 

“Jiyong’s condition itself is enough for me to hate you…but no, I’ve despised you way before then, Dara.” She answered with ease.

 

“Didn’t our friendship mean anything?”

 

“To be honest, yes…it did. In the beginning, I thought that we were really meant to be best friends for life. But then, you just got annoying and because of you, I am never able to get near anyone else because nobody else liked you. You know how much of a burden you were?”

 

My eyes widened. “Burden…?”

 

…You were always the one causing burden. It is then I realized Jiyong is almost like my guardian angel. He did all those things when I least expected it or even secretly. He noticed my sadness when others didn’t see. He is firm with me when I am being unreasonable and protected me when necessary.

 

A tear slid down my cheek…but I am not certain as to why I am crying. Is it because of Yoona’s betrayal…or is it because of Jiyong and how much he’s done for me?

 

“Enough.” Tabi spoke as he saw me starting to cry. “Don’t try such a foolish scheme again…next time…I won’t let you off this easily.” He gently held my hand and led me back to the car. But I remained in the same spot, still staring at Yoona.

 

“What do you want?” She hissed.

 

“Even though…you probably won’t think of it as anything much…but I just wanted to say…before this happened, the times we’ve had together were perhaps some of the best times of my life. You were once one of the best friends I’ve had. Thank you.” With that, I turned and followed Tabi into the car. I didn’t turn back once…as it is all just memories from now on.

 

I dropped by Tabi’s place to pick up my things and is then driven home. With the issue about the threats resolved, I finally felt safe going back to my own house.

 

“Well, this is it. If you have any more problems…just give me a call.” He smiled, giving me a comforting hug and then walked off.

 

“Don’t try such a foolish scheme again…next time…I won’t let you off this easily.”

 

I lay in bed thinking about Tabi’s words. ‘What would’ve Jiyong done?’ I asked myself in daze. Jiyong and Tabi were complete opposites in everything except on a financial level. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, deciding that it would be fun to compare the personalities of Jiyong and Tabi. I started scribbling down the traits of both boys. My list ended up looking like this:

 

Jiyong: reckless, stubborn, sarcastic, bold, obnoxious, temperamental, unpredictable, sweet

 

Tabi: considerate, kind, calm, romantic, polite, gentle, reliable, thoughtful

 

I compared the lists. ‘Why does it seem like Tabi has all the good traits…?’ I thought as I looked at Jiyong’s list. I had put down sweet, but crossed it out…unsure of why I put it in the first place. Isn’t sweet supposed to be a long term thing? Can he be on and off about it still be considered sweet? I frowned; Jiyong had such a weird mix of characteristics. Tabi’s were all in a category…the ‘idealistic’ category while Jiyong’s were all jumbled. I stared at both lists for the longest time and then finally decided to put them away. “Why am I thinking about Jiyong again?!” It suddenly became clear that Jiyong is one again, occupying my mind. After those words…he is on my mind more than ever before.

 

“I’m in a damn hospital because I cared about this girl enough to risk my life and now, I’m STILL here in the damn hospital even though she thinks this is all A JOKE.”

 

I cringed as I recalled those words. His eyes…he looked as if he is about to cry. His skin…once so radiant, is then so deathly pale. His poise…it looked as if he was about to die. His tone…it sounded as if he is using every bit of his energy to say those things to me, despite how much it hurts. Everything about him at that moment spelled vulnerability. With each passing second, I began to worry more about him. I looked at my clock; it is around 10 pm. ‘The hospital should still be open…’ I thought happily. I grabbed my coat and packed some snacks, books and a few other things I thought I’d need, called a taxi, and scrambled out the door. I am going to spend the night by Jiyong’s side. It is as if my mind has controlled by some unknown force. I didn’t think of anything else but Jiyong.

 

Once I arrived at the hospital, I begged to be let into Jiyong’s room. Apparently, it is a bit late and they didn’t want visitors…but the doctor recognized me and made an exception. “Thank you so much!” I rushed to Jiyong’s room and quietly snuck in. It is so dark that I had to feel my way to his bedside. I felt the mattress underneath my palm and grinned. “Yes!” I whispered in triumph.

 

“Yes what?”

 

I gasped and backed away out of surprise, bumped into a chair, lost my balance and fell backwards, along with the chair.

 

“Woah, you okay?” Jiyong the lamp beside him, revealing me in an awkward position along with the fallen chair.

 

“I AM okay…” I murmured.

 

”Sorry…didn’t mean to scare you. I don’t usually fall asleep until midnight…” He replied. “Anyways…” he lay back down. “What brings you here?”

 

“Uh…you?”

 

“What about me?”

 

“Uh well…” I tried to think of what to say. “I uh…well…you see…”

 

“Never mind…” he dismissed the subject, seeing that I am having a hard time. “I don’t mind you staying here. But just don’t get in the way of things.”

 

“Get in the way of things?”

 

“Yes. Don’t cause any trouble.”

 

“I’m not a child. I know how to behave.”

 

“Hn, sure.” He smirked at me. Under this lighting, he looked even more attractive than before; if that is even possible. I instinctively blushed and looked away.

 

“Anyways,” I cleared my throat. “Let’s talk.”

 

“Sure. By the way, what happened to that moronic stranger?”

 

“Oh, Dong Won solved the problem.”

 

“I see.”

 

I blinked in astonishment. He didn’t seem interested in who it is at all. ‘Hm…he must be too exhausted to care. I should just let it slip by too…after all…it’s the past now.’

 

“Anyways, when I get better, you owe me.”

 

“Owe you what?”

 

“A whole day.”

 

“A whole day of what?”

 

“Are you stupid?” He rolled his eyes. “You owe me a whole day of your time.”

 

“Jiyong…you’re…you’re…”

 

“Think of it as whatever you want. I believe I’m correct in saying that you think that ME is asking you out?”

 

“Yes…” I blushed a bit.

 

”Then so be it.” He said casually.

 

”But…we’re not together.”

 

“Your point?”

 

“Aren’t you only supposed to go out with someone if you’re like…their girlfriend or boyfriend?”

 

He groaned irritably. “Haven’t you heard of things such as first dates? If not, then DON’T think of it as a date. Just think of it as a task, how’s that?”

 

“Oh…”

 

“Yes. A task. You’re paying anyways.”

 

“WHAT?”

 

“You heard me. Look at me now…this is a very small favor to ask in return.”

 

“Hm…okay.”

 

“Then we have a deal?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good. I hope you save up a lot of money.” He snickers.

 

‘Uh oh…’ I sighed. “Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

“So…” his voice trails off.

 

“Uh…” both of uslooked down to avoid awkward glances.

 

“It’s getting late…” he pointed to the clock beside him. “You should get some rest…”

 

“Okay.”

 

Silence followed and within a few minutes, I fell asleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jiyong’s P.O.V.

 

 

I peered over at Dara’s sleeping form. She must be tired to the bone. She is so clueless when it came to boys. After all, she lacked experience in love. It pained me to know that she will see the whole day with me as nothing but a ‘job’, something that she has to do.

 

In truth, I only made it that way so that she didn’t feel pressured. Plus, she has Dong Won…going out with me would be cheating. I am not the player that everyone believed I am. I flirt…but my heart had belonged to one person this whole time. ‘The heart is the one thing that remains in place…’ I mentally stated. Dara is too innocent to think that she could cover such things up.

 

“He had always been the one for you…haven’t he, Dara?” I asked out loud. “He who goes by the name of Dong Won…but carries the identity of Tabi…” I sighed and looked back at Dara. “It may just seem like a task you…but it’ll mean the world to me.” He whispered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dara’s P.O.V.

 

 

 

 

 “Why…?” I asked unsurely. I had just received a call from Yoona. She wanted me to meet her at a nearby restaurant.

 

“I know that I have no right to ask for your trust…but this will be the last time I’ll ever see you…plus, I have very important things to tell you…as well as something to give you.”

 

“Okay.” I agreed. She couldn’t possibly do anything to me. A restaurant is a public place. Plus, she sounded sincere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~At the restaurant~

 

“Thanks for coming.” Yoona said gratefully.

 

“No problem…” I replied, still a bit uneasy.

 

“Listen, I wanted to apologize to you about what happened…I really don’t know…what came over me.” She stressed every word. “You couldn’t have possibly intended any harm on Jiyong…you’re not that kind of person…please forgive me for missing out on that.”

 

I nodded. “I forgive you.”

 

“Thank you so much!” She entwined her fingers in pure joy.

 

“Is that all?”

 

“No…” she smiled sadly. “Remember when I said that it’ll be the last time we’ll ever meet?”

 

“Ya…?”

 

“I am not lying…” she looked down at her food sadly. “My family’s moving to England…I’m going to continue my studies there.”

 

“What?” I looked at her incredulously. “When did this come up?”

 

“This has been brought up in my family quite a while ago…it has just been decided recently.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me when it came up?”

 

“I don’t know…I guess I found it hard to believe it myself…”

 

“Oh…”

 

“Therefore, this is our last meeting. I just wanted to clear some things up.”

 

“I understand.”

 

“One…I didn’t mean the things I said…as the stranger or as of yesterday. I don’t hate you.”

 

“That’s a relief.” I laughed, easing up a bit.

 

“I don’t hate you; I guess I am always envious…”

 

“Envious?” I squeaked. “But Yoona, you’re so much better!”

 

“Not really.” She looked out the window. “You’re very likeable, you know that Dara?”

 

“Uh…no. Nobody talks to me.”

 

“That’s because they don’t know you. If they did…I bet they’ll like you.” She smiled. “You’re a great friend…and an all-around nice person. It’s no wonder that the hottest boys in school are head over heels for you.”

 

“EH?” I ducked in embarrassment as everyone turned to my table. I am louder than I wanted to be.

 

“You’re so funny, Dara.” Yoona said, obviously entertained. “But it’s true.”

 

“Uh…we’re good friends. Them and I. Ahaha...” I grinned sheepishly.

 

“Keep thinking that, Dara. Do tell me who you choose in the end. You know who my vote goes to…” she winked at me playfully.

 

I fumed. “YOONA!”

 

“Okay, back to business.” She wiped a tear that had strayed from her eye due to laughter.

 

”There’s more?” I asked. I didn’t want any more big news…the thought of Yoona moving away is already startling to me.

 

“Yes.” She nodded. “Dara…” Yoona’s face turned serious.

 

”Yes…?” I am actually scared and backed into my seat as far as I could. Yoona is usually very laid back.

 

“You know…when you and Tabi came to my house to confront me about the issue?”

 

“Uh huh…”

 

“Jiyong beat you guys to it.”

 

“WHAT?” More people turned to look at me. I waved to them apologetically and sank a bit into my seat.

 

“He called me to go visit him at the hospital…before you guys came to see me.”

 

“I…” I am loss for words. “What’d he say?”

 

“He said that he knew it was me.”

 

“How did he…?”

 

“I don’t know…probably because I am the only other person who knew about this…I’m not surprised though.”

 

“Oh…” I still didn’t know what to say.

 

“Dara?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“The day he told me that he knew it was me…was also the day I got rejected by him.”

 

“Yoona…”

 

She looked up at me with teary eyes and a forced smile. “He said someone else has occupied his heart for the longest time…” she paused because her voice started trembling. “And that she is the only one he wanted to protect.”

 

“…you have someone already…huh?” Yoona’s head hung low.

 

“I’m sorry…” he couldn’t bear to look at her. “There has been someone that my heart is always beating for…” he smiled softly. “Someone…that had seized it for the longest time…” he stopped once again. “Someone…I want to protect.”

 

“It’s Dara…isn’t it?”

 

“I won’t say.” He looked up at her. “As it will only trouble her.”

 

 

 

 

I am frozen. “I…he…”

 

“Dara…” Yoona reached out for my hand and held it tightly. “I’m not going to force my opinions on you. But…do what your heart says. Don’t hide any feelings…don’t ignore them…just…do what they say. Or else...the consequences will be more than just heartbreaks.”

 

I looked down. “Jiyong…” my voice cracked as tears began streaming down my cheeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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:D