MAMA, Here We Come!




“Good morning, Minji-ah! Good morning, CL-roo!”


CL and Minji looked up in surprise at their unni who was busy preparing the food in their table.


“Good morning, Dara-unni…?” CL and Minji hesitantly greeted her. They were still standing, rooted to the ground, as they watched their unni happily preparing breakfast, singing and dancing to her song, “Kiss”.


“I just wanna kiss..

I never wanna miss..

Deojja rithage one more time..

Naesum eur gajyeoga…”


The girls’ mouth hung open. Minji looked at the wall clock. 6 A.M.


“Waaaa… this is something. This is record-breaking!” The maknae breathed. Beside her, their leader was still gaping at the energetic “Fresh Vocal” of 2NE1.


“I'm dying for your kiss..

I never wanna miss..

Deomang seorijima..

Nae ipsureul ga jyeoga…”


“YA! CL-roo! Minji-ah! What are you two doing, just standing there? Come on, dig in!” Dara motioned for the two to approach the dining table. “Oh, unni! You’re just in time for breakfast!” She called out to Bom who just entered the dining area. The oldest of the girls stopped on her tracks.


Both CL and Minji dropped the utensils they were using. “UNNI???!” They yelled in unison. Dara nodded.


“Neh. Unni.” She repeated, innocently. Bom looked like she was on the verge of crying. She rushed towards Dara and grabbed both her arms.


“Ssantoki! Can you please say that again? Please call me unni again!” Bom begged her. Dara laughed at her best friend.


“YA! I don’t want to repeat anymore.” She giggled. Bom sighed and went to her seat at the dining table.


“Fine! But you all heard her, right? She called me unni!” She exclaimed victoriously. CL heaved a sigh.


“Don’t you think it’s weird that she’s up so early and cooking us breakfast? Coz as far as I remember, we are the ones waking her up and cooking breakfast.” She hissed under her breath to make sure that only Minji and Bom could hear her. Dara, on the other hand, was still singing, unsuspecting that she was the topic of the girls’ conversation.


“Baby boy..

Wae hangsang halmali geuri mana..

Dap dap han Baby boy..

Saranghanda go baekhal geonala..

I'm not a baby girl…”


“I actually don’t mind this giddy side of her as long as she keeps calling me uni.” Bom giggled which annoyed CL who was dead serious.


“Hayssst, unni! I’m telling you! This is just weird. Look at the food on our table!” The three girls all looked the food that was sitting in front of them, as if inviting them to take a bite.


Pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast bread and bacon were all right there in front of them, ready to be devoured.


They looked at Dara who still singing while pouring orange juice in four glasses.


“I'm your baby girl..

He eo jirttaen eo jjae geuri son man heun deu neun ji..

Kkoc dabal do joh go ban ji do joh jiman..

I guess you just never know…”


Dara approached the table and started distributing the glasses to the members. The three took the glasses hesitantly.


Dara sat down, rested both hands under her chin and watched her fellow members as they slowly consumed the food she cooked.


Minji eyed her, uncomfortable at the weird smile her unni was giving. “Dara-unni, are you feeling sick?” She asked, concerned.


“Ani!” Dara answered cheerfully. “Minji-ah! Why would you think I’m sick?” She asked, curiously, her lips still curved into a weird smile.


“Well, for one, you woke without needing to be dragged out of the bed. Then, you cooked so many food for us which excluded ramen.” CL-roo eyed her suspiciously. “Did you break our award again?” She was pertaining to their Best Artist Award that they won at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan.


“ANIYO! And for the record, you're the one who broke it.” Dara laughed loudly. “Is it wrong to cook delicious food for my dear members? We’ll be having a photo shoot later and I don’t want my dear members to be hungry. We need energy! We need vitamins!” She cheerfully exclaimed. CL almost choked on her food.


Bom, who was concentrated on juggling the pancakes and bacon, barely noticed the concerned looked on the younger girls’ faces. “Ssantokki, you should do this often. This is good!” She said while giving her a “thumbs up” sign.


“KAMSAHAMNIDA, BOMMIE-YAH!” She hugged her best friend who almost choke for was still full.


“Hayysst, Ssantokki! Don’t do that again!” She hissed under her breath as she took large gulps of water.


A tentative knock on the door interrupted the girls’ breakfast.


“Oh, I’ll answer that. Go on, continue eating!” Dara motioned for the others to continue eating. She approached the door and stopped for awhile as she shyly greeted the person outside.


“Oh, Khun Khun.” She greeted him bashfully, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.


“EH???!” Bom, CL and Minji all looked dumbfounded. Why is their unni acting like she’s meeting her prom partner for the first time??


“Uhm, I just came to give you, ah, this. I cooked breakfast for the boys so…” He offered the plate of pancakes to Dara. The latter blush and laughed a little.


“Kamsahamnida, Khun Khun.” Dara accepted the plate. “I also cooked breakfast for the girls! We also have pancakes there.” She pointed to the girls who all waved at Nichkhun.


Nichkhun’s face fell upon hearing that they also have pancakes. “Oh, I see. I thought you were having a different breakfast. Didn’t know you also have pancakes. It’s ok if you don’t eat th----“ 


“Oh , no, Khun Khun! I ‘ll eat this. I’m sure this is different from mine.” She took the fork that Nichkhun brought along and tasted one of the pancakes. Her eyes immediately lit up. “AHA! See. It’s really different from mine!” She took another bite and gave a “thumbs up” sign.


NIchkhun’s eyes lit up as well. “You like it?” He asked expectantly.


“I love it!” She exclaimed with a sweet smile. For awhile, they just stood there, looking like a fool, smiling at each other.


“AHEM!” Bommie faked a loud cough. “Excuse me, we are also here. Please don’t ignore our existence.” She said, sounding hurt. CL and Minji giggled as Dara and Nichkhun both blushed.


“Mianhe. Good morning, Bom-noona, Chaerin-ah, Minji-ah!” He greeted giving them a sweet smile.


“Good morning, Khunnie-oppa!” Both CL and Minji greeted with a big smile. Bom smiled. 


“Good morning to you too, Khunnie Boy! Come, join us here for breakfast.” She invited him.


“Thank you, noona but I’m already full. I just came to give these.” He waved to the girls to continue eating. “Dara-yah, I’ll pick you up later, ok? Is 9:30, ok? So you won’t be rushed into going to your shoot?” He asked in a low voice as if not wanting to let the three girls hear it. Bom, however, have bionic ears that were trained for these kinds of conversation.


“Where are you guys going?” She asked, narrowing her eyes a bit, suspicious of the two’s actions.


“Uhm, nothing, noona.” Nichkhun answered nervously. Bom squinted her eyes as if not believing what he just said.


“Khunnie…” She said with a warning tone. Nichkhun gulped.


“I-I will be getting a, uhm, a haircut and I asked Dara to come with me if it’s ok with you....” He stammered.


“Just bring her back before 11:30.” CL called out from the inside. Nichkhun’s face lit up again.


“Kamsahamnida! Annyong!” Nichkhun waved goodbye to the three girls still eating. He leaned a little closer to Dara. “And you, I’ll be seeing you later, ok? Don’t miss me so much.” He said in a giddy voice that made Dara blushed. 


“I’ll try. Kkkkk!” Dara giggled which made Nichkhun blushed. He waved a little then happily skipped his way into his own apartment.


When Dara came back to the dining table, three pairs of eyes were looking at her suspiciously.


“Wha-what??” She asked, wide-eyed.


“Tell us.” Bom leaned closer to her, as if inspecting every aspect of her face. “Did something happen last night that we didn’t know of?” She placed her hands on her hips.


Dara gasped and felt her cheeks flushed.


“Unni, you’re blushing!” Minji exclaimed, amused.


“OMO!” Dara held her cheeks and felt that it was hot.


“YA, UNNI! SPILL IT OUT!!” CL yelled, making Dara cover her ears.


“ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!” She said, defeated.



The three focused their attention to Dara, not moving an inch.


“Last night, Khun Khun and I…” Her hands automatically caressed the ice cream necklace around her neck.


“I just wanna kiss…”


Dara involuntarily blushed as the stereo echoed a line from her song.


“YOU KISSED??????!!!!!”












I gasped at the person looking back at me. 


She had the same eyes that a lot of people say are dramatic.


She had the same nose that though pointed, is slightly bigger than usual.


She had the same cheeks that are slightly puffy.


She had the same lips that people say curves into a perfect heart shape when smiling.


But something about the girl looking back at me was different.


It wasn’t just the long, slick, jet black hair that framed her delicate face perfectly.


It was the silent determination and confidence that shone in her eyes that made me stare back.


Yes, definitely she is the same person anymore.


The person looking back at me may still be the dorky, scattered-brain Dara.


But something inside her changed.


And it’s a change that’s assuring her that she is on the right track.


I got up from my seat and walked confidently towards Nichkhun. Somehow, my every stride felt like I was walking on a bed of clouds.


I felt reborn and renewed.


“Let’s go?” I asked him who was eyeing me appreciatively. 


“Wow…. I don’t know what to say…” His mouth was hanging open.


I laughed at his dorkiness. “Then just say that I look good.” I winked at him.


He smiled brightly. He took a few steps until he was just inches from me and whispered. “You look great.”


I met his gazed and gave him my sweetest smile. “You’re not looking bad yourself.” I tousled his newly-cut, jet black hair that made him dangerously handsome.


We walked out of the salon together, wearing caps to hide our faces. But even with disguises, there were still people who recognized us.


“DARA! DARA!”


“IT’S NICHKHUN AND DARA!”


“KHUNDARA! AIERU!”


“MARRY ME, NICHKHUN!!!”


Khun Khun instantly wrapped his arms around me, protecting me from the people pushing at us, who were now increasing in number.


We barely made it into our van.


Outside, scattered screams can still be heard. The people outside seemed to be unified though when it comes to screaming one name.


“KHUNDARA!”


Khun Khun and I looked at each other, wide-eyed in amazement. We have heard in several radio shows and have watched in numerous TV shows that there’s an ongoing “Khundara” phenomenon in Japan. With the release of our Anna Sui commercial, a series of print ad stints for the said commercial and the “Don’t Go Away” stage performances we did, Japanese fans started pairing us up, even conjuring the cute name “Khundara” which merged both our names.


We haven’t realized though the effect our pairing had in people. Seeing how the people outside the salon went crazy upon seeing the two of us together was just beyond words.


I looked at him and smiled. “Looks like we won’t be having problems dating here in Japan.” I winked at him. “Korea though…” My smile turned into a frown. 


Khun Khun held my hand and gently squeezed it. “Don’t worry, Dara-yah. We’ll conquer Korea the way we did with Japan.” It was his turn to wink at me.


And with what he said, my heart felt at peace.

















“So Yamapi. A lot of females are all dreaming of dating you guys from NEWS. Tell me, do you happen to have an ideal girl in mind? Let me rephrase that, what are the exact characteristics you are looking for in a girl.” Nakai, the host of Bistro SMAP, asked his guest, Yamapi.


The boys and I were at our apartment, gathered together, watching the SMAPxSMAP episode in the internet that Psy told us showed several idols mentioning 2NE1. He wasn’t particular, though. He just said that it’s a must watch.


Youngbae-hyung, TOP-hyung, Dae-hyung and I were all seated on the couch facing Jiyong-hyung’s laptop. Jiyong-hyung, on the other hand, was seated on the dining area with his back against us, as according to him, “he has more interesting things to do than stalk 2NE1”. 


Hmp! For sure, he just did not want to hear Japanese idols ogling at Dara-noona.


Speaking of Dara-noona, I really missed her so much. Nobody’s defending me now that she’s not here, especially from Jiyong-hyung who seemed to be grumpier than usual. Hayyyyyssst! It’s so hard being the maknae when your own hyungs act more immature than you. I pouted.


I turned my attention again towards the laptop.


“Actually, a girl caught my eye when I visited Korea to appear in Mnet ‘M! Countdown’ just early this year.” Yamapi was saying.


“Oh, so he’s into Korean girls. Nice!” Everyone, with the exception of Jiyong-hyung, hushed me.


I gave a peace sign and giggled to myself.


“WOW! This is a revelation!” Nakai answered. Tell me, is she an idol or a normal girl?” 


We, with the exception of Jiyong-hyung who seemed to be scribbling something (which I firmly believe is his confession to Dara-noona), all anticipated Yamapi’s answer.


“She’s an idol. She belongs to a girl group actually.” 


We all gasped. I turned towards Jiyong-hyung and noticed that his neck was slightly craned, as if straining to hear what Yamapi was saying.


I decided to .


“WOW! Did you hear that?! Yamapi likes someone from a girl group!” I said it a little too loud to make sure he heard each word I say. I saw him craned his neck a little more. “I wonder if the girl he likes is from 2NE1…” I added, just for fun.


As expected, I saw him flinched at my last sentence.


As if sensing someone was watching him, he quickly went back to scribbling whatever he was scribbling. Haaysssst, Kwon Leadah! You’re so busted. Kkkkkkkk!


“I haven’t met her personally, actually. I just saw her one time lurking in the MNET studios just as I was about to perform.” Yamapi smiled as if remembering his encountered with the mystery girl. “She had this infectious smile that seemed to smile at everyone she passed by. Her eyes were twinkling and smiling as well. I told myself, how nice it would be to able to get close to someone like her.” Yamapi was sharing his first and probably, only encounter with his ideal girl.


Hmmm… come to think of it. He seems to be describing Dara-noona...


“He seems to be describing Dara-noona, neh?” I loudly told Dae-hyung. He nodded and smiled.


“Neh! Only Dara-noona can possess such infectious smile!” I almost kissed Dae-hyung for giving credibility to my claim earlier.


Jiyong-hyung head jerked upright involuntarily.


How about that, Kwon Leadah? Regretting it now letting her go? I laughed silently.


“So, this idol was performing at that time as well?” 


“No. I think she was just there to support her brother whose band was making a comeback.” 


I saw Jiyong-hyung froze. I was about to say something else when Yamapi’s voice boomed from the laptop.


“She’s Sandara Park of 2NE1” 


We heard a sound of a pencil being broken into two. We all looked at Jiyong-hyung who was furiously holding on to the two broken pieces of his pencil.


Hayyyysssst! Why don’t you just stop dating Yoona and do something to get her back? I felt pity for him.


“YA! Did you hear that hyung? He said that Dara-noo-----“


I wasn’t able to finish what I wanted to say as I felt my face being introduced to Jiyong-hyung’s favorite pillow.


Hayssst! How can our leader be so cruel???


I turned my attention towards my hyungs who were all hooting and cheering.


“Wh-what? What did I miss?” I asked, frustrated that I was left out in the fun.


“Nothing much. One of the guests admitted that he likes Chaerin.” Youngbae-hyung answered casually.


“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?????!!!”


My hyungs jumped and clutched each others’ hands in surprise.


“LOWER YOUR VOLUME, MAKNAE!”


I calmed myself and faced my terrified members.


“YA! What’s with the violent reaction, Seungri-ah?” Dae-hyung teased, his chinky eyes disappearing as he smiled widely.


I fought the urge to throw the pillow towards his annoying face.


“I was just surprised that someone would think of her as an ideal. She acts and talks like a boy for goodness sake!” Nobody listened to my sentiment.


“Is that all, Seungri-ah? Are you sure? You seem to be blushing.“ He was laughing so hard, obviously enjoying bullying me.


“I like the way Minzi of 2NE1 dances. It’s like she’s always on fire and dances with passion.” 


Dae-hyung’s laughter was cut short with the confession of Yuya Tegoshi of NEWS.


“YA! Why is he picking Minji? SHE’S UNDERAGE!!!!!” Dae-hyung’s loud shrilling voice almost broke my eardrums. I think my ears are permanently damaged. Huhu T_T


“It’s true, though, about Minji’s dance. She’s really passionate when dancing.” TOP-hyung winked at me, adding insult to Dae-hyung’s injured heart.


“Bom has nice legs. Bom of 2NE1.”


I felt TOP-hyung froze. After a few seconds, he stood up and made his way towards the door.


“Hyung, where are you going??” I called out.


He didn’t even glance at me. “I’ll hunt that ert who said Bom’s legs are nice and pull his eyes off his face.” He said coldly. I shivered, wondering if TOP-hyung will really do that. He looked determine!


“We should really visit 2NE1 again. Those fanboys… haysssst!” I hissed under my breath. How can they like Chaerin-ah? Chaerin, my cat??


“No need.” Youngbae said. We all looked at him. “Chansung told me they’ll be leaving Japan today with 2NE1 and will be attending the MAMA awards."


We all cheered and started buzzing, sharing how much we missed the girls. 


I stole a glance at Jiyong-hyung and was pleased to see him smiling all by himself.


Hmmmm… this year’s MAMA will surely be interesting…