---January 25, 2012--- (12:39pm)

The campus was mostly empty as Dara exited the administration office and was headed for the parking lot when she heard her name being called.

"Dara!?" Chaerin jogged briskly over to her with Minzy on her heels.

She waved and paused to wait for them, "Hey girls, what are you up to?"

"Us? we were gonna ask you that; you haven't been to class in over a week and you're leaving again?" Minzy eyed her incredulously and folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh yeah, about that I um…dropped out." Dara grinned sheepishly at them as they gawked at her, mouths dropping open in shock.

"What!? Why!?"  They shrieked.

She shuffled her feet nervously and looked pointedly at Chaerin, "I don't want to say, you’re going to get mad."

"I am already mad Dara! We were all supposed go to college together."

"I know it’s just that…I am not very good with the whole school thing I never have been and I want to be a mom so it just seems pointless now that I…" She trailed off as the two girls stared in disbelief.

"Now that you have a man that's going to take care of you so you don’t have to do !" Minzy snapped.

"Minzy!" Chaerin scolded but the younger girl turned away and stalked off. "Dara is this what you want?"

"What?"

"Is this what you want not something he wanted, but you wanted this - to leave school?"

"Yes, I do. It is just to tiring trying to manage everything at home with a job and school it is a little much, so me and Himchan talked about it and figured I should take some time off for myself."

Chaerin nodded, "Alright then, as long as you’re happy. Okay, that's all I want just take it easy. I'll talk with Minzy…you know how she is the girl's got some serious abandonment issues."

She smiled wryly at Dara who nodded before giving a quick good bye and left; when the car was out of sight she set off to find Minzy before she ran into someone else and decided to "vent".

---February 7, 2012--- (4:56)

"What the hell is this!?" Chaerin asked the girl who laid leisurely across the bed texting idly and glanced up at the paper held in her grasp.

"Looks like an eviction notice." She replied in annoyance nonchalantly turning back to her phone.

"Yes it is but why is it I am just getting this now this thing is 2 months old!!!" The girl simply shrugged.  "Me and Minzy both go to school in the day and work at night since you do not got to school in the day it was your job to pay the rent and bills what did you do with the MONEY!?"

"I used it to pay part of the bills and stuff but I figured the rent could wait a little bit and I owed some people some money but it’s all good now."

Chaerin had to grit her teeth to keep from screaming, "No it is not all good we are losing our apartment and -- wait did you just say you spent our money to pay off your debts??"

"What I'll pay you back I get my money next week." Yubin sat up stretched and walked into the bathroom and closed the door in her face before she could protest.

Chaerin was completely exasperated with Yubin who had brought nothing but problems since the day she moved in, it took every ounce of self-control she had not to throttle the girl.

She inhaled deeply and exited the room just as Minzy entered returning home from work; closing her eyes  and bracing herself for the inevitable storm that was about to hit when the fiery tempered girl learned of Yubin's latest transgression.

Kim Yubin was the replacement roommate they hand to scramble to find in order to keep the apartment after Dara had left.

At first she and Minzy thought themselves lucky to have found a roommate on such short notice when Dara suddenly decided she didn't want to wait until the end of the school year to move in with Himchan, but they were very wrong.

In the four months their new roommate had lived here she had only paid the full portion of her rent once on time and had yet to purchase any of her own food, ate everything of theirs, and cleaned nothing.

She had men coming in at all hours of the night and had the cops out 2 times since she had been here both of those times had been because neighbors saw Yubin and Minzy fighting in the front yard and she had a feeling visit number three would be tonight.

Minzy noticed the strained expression she had on and her eyes narrowed, "What did that do now?"

CL placed the notice on the counter for her to see and sat with her face buried in her hands. "We have to be out by the end of the week."

Minzy picked up the paper scanning it expression blank before setting it down again and began digging in her purse. "What are you doing Minzy?"

"I am gonna shoot her sorry is what I'm gonna do." Chaerin's eyes widened and she jumped up quickly grabbing a hold of the younger girl’s arms.

"Calm down, alright. CALM!!!" She held her arms tightly and stared fiercely at the girl until she quit struggling and collapsed in her arms in tears, most would have thought that Minzy was joking with her threats but CL new better.

Minzy had a volatile nature that was the result of a rough life which left her with some emotional extremes; in situations where most would be mildly upset she flew into outright rages and in those rages she would lash out.

CL knew she didn't mean for it to happen but Minzy was never fully in control of herself and Chaerin could not blame her after all she had been through.

Nonetheless, Yubin may have been a pain in the but she didn't deserve to get shot so now she was left to put the pieces back together of this broken girl while trying to hold herself together and figure out where to go from here.

---February 15, 2012---

Chaerin sighed heavily leaning back against the seat of her car and looked over at the girl beside her who sat with her arms crossed glaring out the window. "I know it , but my mom isn't that bad and it will just be until we can get back on our feet."

The dark haired girl grunted and stepped out of the car to gather her luggage, CL turned to look at the red bricked suburban home surrounded by small shrub bushes and high trees, her childhood home.

'Or at least half my childhood .'

Chaerin's parents had divorced when she was young their custody was split and she would spend half the year living with each parent in two separate homes in two separate towns and essentially led two separate lives.

Here with her mother she was Chaerin she went to a private school located a short drive away from the gated community her mother choose to live in it was safe and quiet and there was plenty of things to keep her entertained as a kid like the local pool, playground, and rec center which were all within walking distance. 

This is where she had grown up with Dara whose parents lived right next door; here she was all giggles, gossip, and girly.

Her and Dara would have sleep overs and braid each other's hair, paint each other's nails, and talk for hours about clothes and make-up and boys; especially about boys.

She smiled fondly as the memories came back to her, despite the circumstances she was glad to be home in a way, being here she could already feel a weight lifting from her knowing that she could sit down and talk with her mom like she used to and get her advice which she sorely needed.

Outside the car she began helping Minzy with hauling the bags up the drive way her mom came out and greeted them with hugs and kisses her chatter didn't cease and her warmth made both girls smile and laugh.

After dinner they watched a movie together and afterwards her mother gave them one last tight hug before going off to bed. 

The two girls headed up stairs to do some unpacking and Chaerin watched her friend. 

Minzy had been eerily quiet which was very unusual for the outspoken girl she knew that she had always been independent and had lived on her own since she was 15 and now was forced, in her mind, to bum off her friend's mother her pride was hurt.

Bad.

"Hey," The girl looked up at her in question. "It's only temporary, okay. Believe it or not my mom is actually happy to have us here she is always complaining about her 'empty nest'."

Chaerin smiled reassuringly and she nodded. "I know, it’s just weird your ma is way different than your dad. I guess I wasn't expecting all this."

She motioned with her had sweeping broadly around the room and Chaerin knew what she meant.

Most kids with their lives split by divorce live fractured lives by being uprooted constantly bounced between their parents homes, but for her it was different.

Although she was sad when her parents separated both of them were very amicable and Chaerin learned to love living half the year with each parent it was the best of both worlds.

Although in the beginning it hadn't always seemed that way.

She had met Minzy during the time she lived with her father when she entered high school and life with her dad was a different than it was here.

Her dad was a construction engineer for TS Construction a subsidiary of TS Enterprise which was owned by none other than Kim Himchan; her father had worked there since before she was born.

He lived in the city to be closer to work and when she got old enough  he let explore it, she learned it was a whole other world.

Her mom sheltered her quite a bit with the gated community, private schools, and selective people she was allowed to associate with, it was good in a way as it had taught her limits but she was glad her dad was different or she could well have turned into a snobby brat like so many of the girls her mom used to make her spend time with.

She was quite spoiled with her mother, but her dad was a totally different story everything she had there she had to earn he would even bring her to work with him sometimes so she could see what he did all day to support her and it was there she had met Yong Guk for the very first time.

"CL!! Hellooo!" Minzy waved a hand in front of her face snapping her from her reverie.

" sorry I was just…thinking." She continued placing her folded clothes from her suitcase into the open dresser drawers.

"About Yong Guk." It wasn't a question Minzy knew her well enough that she didn't have to ask.

"Yeah just thinking about, how we met."

"You never told me about that," turned into a frown. "but I bet you told Dara."

Chaerin chuckled, Minzy had become her friend many years after her and Dara had been, but she still held the younger girl in high esteem as one of the best friends she has ever had.

Despite that at times she knew Minzy sometimes felt like an outsider being the newest addition to a circle of friends that hand known each other since childhood. 

No one wanted to exclude her, but when they talked about old times she was always out of the loop but Chaerin never minded bringing her up to speed and this story in particular she would be glad to share with her friend.

"I did. Yong Guk saved my life."

"Really? What happened? When?" She sat on the edge of the bed bouncing eagerly and CL couldn’t help but laugh at her friend, she looked adorable; it was a rare thing when Minzy actually looked so childlike as she always tried her best to look as "adult" as possible.

 "If you really want to know I'll tell you but it's a bit of a long story and I am kind of tired." Minzy gave her a pleading look, "Fine but after we go to bed I am exhausted."

The girl grinned plopping down on to the bed and patted the spot beside her. "Come on, come on lets here it."

"Ok well, it was when I was 8 and it was during the half of the summer I spent with my dad." She started and slowly all of the details from that day were coming back to her despite how fondly she remembered it now at the time it had been one of the most horrifying experiences of her life.

~Flashback~

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---June 8, 1998---

It was the first day of summer vacation and Chaerin could not have been more unhappy she had wanted to be with her mother so she could go swimming at the park with all the other children in the neighborhood but instead she was with her dad at work where it was hot and dusty and loud.

They were supposed to go to the park he had promised but her dad told her that he didn't have a choice something came up and they needed him here, she wanted to cry.

She sat in his office where it was cool but she was unbelievably bored as she had been sitting there for what felt like hours when she decided to go find her dad and demand he take her home.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time and she left the office despite her father's warnings and set out in search of him it wasn't long before she was completely lost.

To shy and embarrassed to ask for help she attempted to retrace her steps but with the hustle and bustle of the construction site  she found herself darting out of the way of bulldozers and fork lifts and the sounds of jackhammers were making her ears ring when she saw a clear path to the office she just had to climb over a dirt hill.

She soon realized why there was no one here for on the other side of the dirt hill was a large pit frightened she stepped back, her foot sank into the softened dirt and she felt herself falling and hit the ground.

Hard.

She had fallen unconscious and when she awoke her arm throbbed painfully and she was covered in scrapes and dirt; she began to cry but no one could hear her which made her feel that much worse that she was pinned beneath a mound of dirt and she began sobbing.

"Hey! There is a kid down there!" She started at the sound of the voices looking up to see two young boys about her age staring down at her.

"Hey were gonna get help?!" One called getting down on all fours to peer over the edge of the pit. "Himchan go get someone, hurry."

Tears continued to fall as the pain continued to grow she was beginning to feel lightheaded as it grew harder for her to breath as the weight on top of her increased, and nose burned from breathing in the dirt and she felt as though she was going to die. "HELP ME PLEASE!!!!" 

She began to panic trying desperately to get free but it only seemed to make it worse. "You have to stop moving your knocking more dirt loose."

" IT HURTS AND I CAN'T BREATHE!!!" She shrieked her breathing was ragged and white spots danced in front of her eyes.

"Hang on, I'm coming." The boy ran around to the side she was on and rolled down the slope of soft dirt and darted over to her.

He tried shoveling the dirt off of her with his hands but it was no use  he racked his brain for a way to set her free, she was covered almost to the neck in dirt her arms laid pinned beneath her.

After a moment he was on all fours using all his weight he pushed against the dirt using the entire side of his body to shove it back she could feel the weight lifted off her chest and inhaled sharply taking in as much air as her lungs would let her.

"Try to get your hands free." His voice was strained with effort and she knew she had to be quick she was able to wriggle her left arm free but her right throbbed painfully when she tried to move it.

She could hear his groans of effort as more dirt began to fall the pressure on her legs increasing she gritted her teeth steeling herself against the pain and wrenched her arm free.

She screamed as her arm exploded in pain tears poured out and she felt the weight of the dirt falling back on her as the boy scrambled around to grab her free arm.

He only grabbed hold of her left and she was thankful for that as he began to pull with all his strength inch by inch she could see the sheen if sweat on him as he struggled and she wriggled her waist in order to loosen the dirt around her.

After what seemed like an eternity the dirt finally gave way and he pulled her from beneath it the did not get to rest long as the shift was causing an avalanche that would quickly fill the pit.

The boy bolted to his feet and pulled her up and they ran to the opposite side looking for a way out Chaerin could feel the panic overtaking her again then he grabbed her by the hand and looked her dead in the eyes. "I will get us out, trust me."

And she did the panic left her and he dropped to a crouch to let her on his back and he began climbing out of the hole. She clung to him tightly and then it was over they reached the top and scrabbled back over the ledge relief washed over her as she lay beside the boy who saved her life. 

He was sprawled out and panting heavily she noticed that his hands were bleeding and he was missing some of his  finger nails, tears welled in her eyes.

"Thank you," She managed to choke out between sobs, he stared at her for a moment then smiled.

"It's okay. Why are you crying?"

"You're bleeding." Pointing a shaky finger at his bloodied hands he looked at his hands curiously before dropping them back by his sides.

"Yeah I guess so."

She gaped at the boy incredulously they had almost been crushed and buried beneath a mountain of dirt and he laid  her on the ground completely calm as if everything was fine. "You guess? Are you crazy we almost died and you are just staring at what? clouds!!!"

Her voice was shrill she didn't know why she was so upset, but while she was wrought with fear and pain, crying helplessly he was as cool as a cucumber.

If her mother was here she would be hysterical and her dad would have been shouting and carrying her off apologizing and promising to get her whatever she wanted everyone would understand how scared she was and how terrible it all was, but he didn't.

He stared at her blankly and replied evenly, "But we didn't die so there's no point in acting like we did; crying doesn't change anything."

She was quiet suddenly she felt very stupid because he was right they were hurt but it was nothing they wouldn’t recover from they were still alive; there was no reason to cry and so she waited.

The two sat in silence until help arrived there was lots of shouting and cursing it was a blurry mess as her and the boy were swept away from the pit and she was in her father's arms being carried back to the air conditioned office.

Policeman, firefighters, and ambulances came but she told them all she was fine her arm hurt bit and they told her dad she had broken her wrist they were leaving the site to head to the hospital when she spotted the boy and without a second thought she bolted out of her dads arms over to him.

He smiled when he saw her and waved a bandaged hand in her direction and she grinned back showing her own damaged appendage. "Thanks again for saving me."

"Don't worry about it- oh yeah I didn't ask your name." He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully.

"Chaerin!" She stated too loudly she could feel a blush creeping across her cheeks. "My name is Lee Chaerin."

"Bang Yong Guk." He replied with a smile that made her heart skip a beat, they stood silent for a moment staring at each other before her dad caught up with her and berated her for running off on him, he looked at the two of them at he shared a look with Yong Guk's father and they both shook their heads chuckling before towing them away.

She kept shooting glances back until he was almost out of sight they were getting in their car when she heard him shout from across the parking lot. "BYE….CL!!!!!"

He stood waving and grinning like an idiot until his dad smacked him playfully on the back of his head urging him on, she didn’t understand why he was calling her "CL" was and then she realized he must have already forgotten her name.

She decided that she liked the new name although if it was because it was a good nickname or just because he had given it to her either way she shouted her goodbyes back at him before she got in the car and he disappeared from sight.

~End Flashback~

---February 16, 2012---

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to help with everything." Jae Rim apologized wrapping his arms around her and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't be. You shouldn't have to drop your plans because all the crazy crap I manage to get myself into." She smiled up at him serenely then place her head on his shoulder.

"Well I am back now so I have to make up for lost time just you and me I got a lot planned for the next two weeks." He stated smugly as they continued walking idly down the paved path of Lime Park.

Chaerin was glad he was back now it would be nice to have some support with everything that had been going on she had been so drained lately and it didn’t help that the anniversary of Yong Guk's death was one week from today.

It seemed as though every year around this time things just seemed to get worse and she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"Sounds good but we'll have to skip Thursday." She stared out listlessly at a two young children playing in tag in a clearing.

"What? Why? -Oh I'm sorry, I forgot about…" He trailed off.

She wasn't upset Yong Guk had been her friend not his and he had only known him through reputation but he knew what this day was to her and that every year they all gathered at his grave.

Every one of them who's lives had changed forever on that night binding them to each other since then through their shared grief.

"Anyways," She smiled halfheartedly. "Let's go get something to eat. Oh and before I forget Saturday I'm going shopping with Dara she wants my help picking out stuff for the wedding you are free to tag along."

"Sounds…fun." He grimaced and she hit him playfully.

"Come on, I am pretty sure Himchan is coming too you boys can hang together. Misery loves company and all that."

 He shook his head. "I'll think about it."

"Yay!!!" She cheered linking her arm and his. "Now hurry up it is freezing balls out here."