Out with the old

Monday was not spent on practice - rather it was their “BIG MOVE” day.Dara realized just how few she actually owned after packing her stuff. She and YB had filled two boxes and one luggage bag of clothes.“If you don’t buy stuff for yourself, what do you do with what you earn?” YB asked.“I save that up and give it to my Mama.”“That’s very nice of you.”She smiled “Of course. I’m really really nice. Kekeke.”YB shook his head at her. “I’ll bring this down. Look around if you’ve forgotten anything else.”She went around one last time at her apartment. It was fairly small - studio type. She put up dividers to split the area and create a bedroom. She had decided to sublet the apartment to a very friendly girl who immediately answered the ad she posted.They had agreed that should Dara need to move back in, she can give the young lady two weeks’ notice and the apartment is hers again. She knew nothing to be permanent - she would do her best to succeed but should circumstances deter her, she had to be ready.She breathed deeply. She’d miss her apartment - and her privacy.Manager Teddy had put her and Bom in the same room - much to Bom’s glee as she knew that Dara’s stuff wouldn’t cramp their room as hers was quite a lot.“You ready?” YB was back.She nodded and followed him down the stairs.“We’ll pick up Chaerin and Seung-ri. I hope they haven’t killed each other yet” YB chuckled.“Let’s cross our fingers” she replied “I really can’t understand why they always fight like cats and dogs. Seung-ri is very kind and so is Chaerin but - haissshhh - they tease each other so much.”After twenty minutes, they arrived at Chaerin’s - where the two were as expected…“Sunbae!!! Dara-unnie!!!” Chaerin greeted them happily, then threw back dagger-like looks at Seung-ri.“Noona! Noona!” Seung-ri greeted Dara, slithering past Chaerin as he linked his arm with hers.“You guys ready?” YB asked, getting down the car.Both nodded.“She has so much stuff” Seung-ri complained loudly.“That’s why I always borrow clothes from her” Dara told him chastisingly “She has the coolest clothes.”Seung-ri, taken aback by Dara’s defense on Chaerin’s behalf did not speak.“He’s such a whiner. He saw my stuff and didn’t stop complaining - it’s not my fault he can’t carry anything a little heavy.”“Maybe dongsaeng is just not used to girl’s stuff” Dara explained “I’m sure he wanted to help you carry everything so he might have been a little shocked when he saw your boxes.”It was Chaerin’s turn to be flabbergasted. “Hey! Whose side are you on???”  Dara laughed. “I’m on both of your sides.”“Hey kids!” YB told them “Let’s go!” While the two were bickering, he had already loaded all of Chaerin’s stuff.“Woah! Young Bae-oppa! You’re so great!” Chaerin announced, hugging YB.Seung-ri rolled his eyes at her.Dara couldn’t help smiling, feeling a sudden ache as she watched these two. She had someone to tease like that before…

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First day together

Unknown to everybody else, Ji made sure that Bom and Dara had the bigger room. He also made sure that everything in their apartment was ready. He, personally, saw to it that all repairs were made and all comforts that girls would need are there.He’d also made sure to shop for the girls’ groceries. He had T.O.P. come with him.“You’re really treating the girls like your own children.”They were now filling-up the fridge, waiting for the girls. “I’m just thinking that they deserve this” he replied “Didn’t you notice? Teddy is training them harder than he’s ever trained the Wonder Girls.”“The personalities of these girls are stronger and tougher and not all that lady-like. He’s building them under our image and so they have to train just as hard as we do.”“This will serve as a reward for them, then. Remember when we were still training and Se7en hyung always dropped by with food?”T.O.P. nodded “He’s a good guy. So, are we supposed to be these girls’ Santa Clauses?”“I think we already are.”“KYA!!!” Dara’s voice broke into their conversation. The girls had arrived.“Hyungs” Daesung’s head appeared on the kitchen’s doorway then went back to the others “They’re here!!! And they shopped a lot!!!”“Yey!!!” Dara’s voice was uppermost.“I’m hungry” Seung-ri announced “Do you know how to cook noona? Please cook for us.”Everybody trooped into the kitchen.“What did you buy sunbaes?” Dara asked T.O.P. brightly, avoiding looking at Ji.“Uhmmmm” T.O.P. faltered, he was unused to such cheerfulness “you can look inside the fridge.” He stood up immediately and orbited towards Bom.“They bought a lot!!!” Minji announced “Unnie, cook kimchi!!!”“Ok” Dara agreed “Bomtori should help me.”Bom nodded. “Sure! Sure! Is there Ice cream there too?”“Ice cream???” YB asked.“Yes! Yes! It’s a good dessert! Since its our first day here, let’s celebrate!” Bom replied.“I don’t think we bought that” T.O.P. told them “but maybe we can drop by a convenience store now.”“I’ll go with you” Daesung said.“Flavors?” T.O.P. asked.“CHOCOLATE!!!” everybody answered.“Let’s begin!” Dara declared “Let’s cook noodle soup too.”She was so enthusiastic, Ji noticed, as they left the kitchen. He, Seung-ri, and YB will help one another carry the girls’ belongings inside.“Woah! They packed a lot!” he commented.“You can say that again” YB told him “It was only Dara who brought in a few things.”“Few?”“Yep! She only had two boxes and one luggage bag.”“That is few!”“She and Minji had the fewest stuff. Bom-noona has the most and they’re all heavy” Seung-ri grunted as he lifted one of Chaerin’s boxes.Ji immediately spotted Dara’s luggage and proceeded to carry her things first. “I remember seeing this bag from before and feeling like my heart would rip open at that time” he thought “I guess that had not changed.”

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A love for things you can’t reach

Dara and the others had discovered the roof top during their first visit. Teddy had reminded them, though, that it was already getting cold and they shouldn’t be staying there without warm clothing during the night.She, wore her most comfortable jacket, and headed for upstairs when the lights were turned off. Sleep was eluding her again.She opened the door and felt thankful that the place was bathed with the moon’s light. And it seemed no one else was there.She walked softly towards one of the chairs they had left behind earlier when all of them - the sunbaes and her girls - decided to eat their ice cream here while watching the sunset.Looking up, the velvet sky was painted with sparkling stars - diamonds as she sometimes referred to them - making her feel small and insignificant. Looking down, the view of houses and buildings embraced her eyes.As was her habit, she took her phone and tried to capture this image “It’s beautiful” she thought “I’m sure somewhere out there, someone’s proposing right now, or laughing, or crying, or eating, or is already sleeping - looking forward to another day.”She had a practice of thinking what others were doing when she was on her own.“I wonder… maybe under these same stars… my friends in the Philippines are deeply sleeping.”An e-mail message from one of her close friends had come, congratulating her as Sanghyeun - apparently - reported that she had been given a lucky break. They asked about her return again and she answered that she honestly didn’t know but would try to visit them as soon as possible.A shooting star caught her eye - “A wish!” she announced and immediately closed her eyes.“You know what I wish for the most…” she whispered “Please give me the patience as well to wait for it to come true.”

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He froze where he was when he saw her enter the rooftop. Ji kept himself hidden as he watched her bend her head in a solemn prayer after seeing the falling star.He did the same. “You know what I wish for the most…” he began “Please give me the patience as well to wait for it to come true.”