Chapter 23

In patches

She had been sitting by the window for a short while now, staring at her father and his consorts.

"Who gave them leave?" she counted five vehicles including two just outside the gate.

" I did." he admitted

"And just how did he get through you?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Your mother spoke to me.” she let go of the curtain, the color of very calm green.

“She did what?!” she nearly tripped. “What? Why?” she was confused.

“Uncle Ben.”

"Like a freaking insurance policy." she spat

Seungri smiled. Dara can sometimes be very crude. " I would not start calling him coward if I were you, Noona. Jiyong is resourceful and never forget it is not easy facing your father especially when you are at fault."

"He is using my mother!" her voice rose. “And Papa is letting him do so.”

"Your mother has her own mind, and obviously she had made up hers. You cannot expect Uncle Ben to take your side all the time. He is after all his own flesh and blood."

“But mother…” she continued to protest as if doing so will change anything in the current scheme of things.

“Is reasonable.” Seungri finished her sentence for her. She frowned, an expression she is so accustomed to, and it would not be not be a surprise if she just keeps on frowning the entire night.

"That may be the case; you cannot let him come near me."

"Easy." he grabbed her by the shoulder and tapped her softly on the chin. He was smiling. “I am still playing on your team.

"You better be. His team brought the freaking armada."

Three raps and Dara nearly froze.

" Friendly fire." Seungri assured her and when he opened the door she almost wheeled out of the room. Almost..

"Pa," she was lost momentarily. Her father was standing by the door. Alone.

"You do not expect me to leave without seeing you, do you?

She shook her head. Mr. Park smiled. " Children." he thought

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His heart beat rose to 200, each thump as loud as the drum. His father is right. Dara can kill him. He saw Seungri stops just outside of the foyer to give Dara a chance to speak to her father. She's wearing a jacket and a big red flannel blanket covering the rest of her. From the look of his father everything seem to be going very well. They exchanged a kiss and a hug and Seungri pushed her chair towards the covered path leading to the oratory. Shortly he was ushered in, a small screened door leads to a portico where she waits. The sweet scent of night jessamine ades the night air.

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Had somebody told her that this day would come, she would have laughed. After so many years, here she is, seated right across him an unlit cigarette on his hand and a cold draft beer on the other.

" Light?" she offers

"No thank you. I am trying to quit." he was polite, a far cry from his flirtatious ways but definitely more than she can expect. After all wasn't it just days ago when he practically ordered her out, literally shielding Dara from her. Some things just simply don’t change. Kiko met Seunghyun during a rally many years back.

He was everywhere accompanied by a kid with a cowl over her head. Dara was already famous within the circuit. They were a solid team. The minute their hands locked not even Youngbae can separate them. She would sometimes wonder who is more protective of whom. Is it Seunghyun of Dara or Dara of Seunghyun. Even when she found her on his bed the TABISAN team was dauntless.

Wasn't it Dara who convinced Tabi to let her keep the baby? Did Dara not toil long and hard for her and the baby, while Tabi doted on Dara? Had Kiko not been the other woman, she would have rooted for her. But then again, Seunghyun  never really forgave her  for asking him to call off his wedding. He paid a very high price just just for her to keep the baby. And now here she is about to ask him the unthinkable. Kiko sighed. " I want to see Angela."

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" I brought you flowers." he began " Daesung thought it might cheer you up." It was Seungri who took the flowers and handed her the note.

It reads " My brother is an . Please forgive him." It made her smile... a little. Some people never lose their sense of humor. She kept it. Seeing her up-close was painful. He was speechless. Dara has obviously suffered a lot and he caused her most of it.

"I'll be just outside should any of you need anything." Seungri said before leaving. She merely looked at Jiyong for a full minute. He thought she would look away but didn't. Jiyong took a sea. A wooden chair was set out across her, a small pond teeming with koi separates them.

"What happened to your face?" She was curious

"Seungri wanted to make a point." he replied.

" Aaahhh.. I wonder if Tabi can put the message more forcefully. Is that how you got through him? I wonder how you managed to get through my father." she sounded distant.

“I’m sorry." he took a deep breath.

"You shouldn't have come. I don’t think I can handle you right now. My heart is still in patches. It barely beats."

His voice was beginning to shake. The pain, the fatigue and the sheer longing is driving him crazy. "I love you. I may have been a cad but I do love you. I have been faithful."

"Faithful. It is a funny word." she looked up. ' I have yet to meet a man who is truly faithful; and here you are claiming to be one." she turned to look at him. “I wonder how Kiko feels about this."

He swore.  If this is his punishment for such a transgression then so be it.

Kiko was a childhood crush, an old friend. They used to trail behind his brother and grandfather gathering shells on the beach. Jiyong loves the water very much that he would spend afternoons on board their yacht and there would be days that she would wait for him by the dock.

Kiko knew of Dara from the onset, from how she stormed his place thinking it was Seungri's and how he never managed to get her off his mind. She knew every bit of it. Admittedly the last two years were far from tame. In fact, he never thought he would be married this soon. In his life where women come and go, quite a few thought that his relationship with Kiko would lead to something until he met Mr. Park.

He originally just wanted to see Sandara, to finally end those night were he lay awake thinking about her. He had tried to see her in the past but Dara was simply not interested, forever not available. But their meeting did not happen as planned for he saw her one night with Seungri inside a small restaurant in Singapore. His yearning had doubled over and slammed him in the gut. Kiko took the news of his engagement gracefully, like it was meant to happen all along. They had remained friends. They have shared many years together for him to turn his back on her, It did not seem right.

"You know as much as I do that she is in love with you. Been in love with you for so long."

"She is a friend,Jagiya… just that and nothing more. And regardless of how she feels, friendship is all I can offer."

"Poor Kiko." she hissed.

"Dara please. She has nothing to do with us. It is you I married. You I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I made a mistake but please do not turn your back on us because of her." Jiyong found himself on his knees. He is desperate.

Dara looked at him wide-eyed.

" I pity Kiko. But I am no saint."

“I do not need a saint.  I just need you.  Come back to me please.”

A/N: Ok so I want Dara to be happy, but whether she will be happy alone or with someone that I am not yet sure. Thank you for reading.