I guess I’ll never get used to the little rabbit’s weirdness. I mean, when TABI apologized to her, it only took a week for her to forgive him. But she stubbornly DID not ask sorry to Sohee and Yosuk. And when the two apologized to her, she ignored them. How weird is that, eh? I mean, Sohee and Yosuk DID not do anything against her while TOP hyung got a bit physical but she forgave him! I told her to forgive Sohee and Yosuk because they did not do anything to her, right? But she won’t listen. Aish! So stubborn!

 

And now, a month passed and everything went back to their proper places. Okay, not really everything. I mean, the “Dara-Sohee-Yosuk” thing seemed impossible to fix. Then there’s the “me-TOP hyung” issue and of course, the “me-Sohee” thing has really ended.

 

Oh, another thing, I’m not sure if it’s just me or if it is true but for the first weeks after Dara and the Sohee-Yosuk incident, my bestfriend can’t seem to look straight into my eyes. But when she finally can, there was something in her eyes that I can’t understand. She looks at me with fear sometimes, like she’s afraid I’m gonna explode anytime. Then there’s this another look in her eyes that I can’t describe. There are also times that she looks guilty and smug at the same time. Guilty, like she did a crime. Smug, like she won the jackpot prize in a contest.

 

I snapped out of my reverie when I heard my phone ringing. I went to answer it.

 

“Hello?” I answered.

 

“Ya! Jiyongie, can you check something on my room? I want you to find a brown envelop. I need it. And send it to me when you find it. I’m not really sure where I placed it, so you need to find it quickly. I didn’t notice that I didn’t put it in my bag. It’s really important. Ghad! I can’t believe I left it-“

 

“Okay, okay, I will look for it once I get home. Stop ranting, will you?”

 

 

Later. . .

 

I took a shower first before going to noona’s room and looked for her envelop. I searched through all of her things, her closet, her bedside table, under her bed, everywhere. Then, I finally found it in her mini drawer. I started returning the file of papers containing her designs when something slipped from it. The papers fell on the floor soundlessly, looking a bit old with its yellowish corners. It was stumbled down, so I don’t know what it contains. Probably it’s just one of her old designs. I picked it up and turned it over. My eyes grew wide as I saw what was drawn in the paper. I started searching for the “others” in the filed papers. And there they were: a good dozen of papers with sketches, with MY sketches, MY drawings, MY masterpieces. I felt a lump in my throat. I didn’t know noona had them. As far as I know, Dad burned everything.

 

 

AUTHOR’s POV

 

Dami watched how her younger brother was crying so hard with her father ransacking his things.

 

“Give me the others, Jiyong!” Mr. Kwon ordered for the nth time. The boy cowered in one corner.

 

“D-dad, you said it’s alright to draw. I’ve told you before, I’m just trying my skills in arts, just like noona. I don’t have any other intentions.”

 

“That’s enough! I had enough of hearing that excuse! I know you can clearly remember that I said it’s alright to draw as long as you change your subject! But still, you continued with the same subject. And I-“

 

“But what’s so wrong with using-“

 

“Enough! Give the others to me now, Jiyong-ah! NOW!!”

 

She watched how Jiyong trembled as he stood up and looked under the carpet, where a hidden compartment can be found. Her brother took out a box and brought it out. She saw her father went to her brother and took the box away from him. Her father opened the box and she saw how he turned red with anger.

 

“That’s it! I’m burning all of these!”

 

“NO! You can’t! Those are mine! Don’t burn them! I promise I’ll stop drawing. Please just don’t burn them!” Jiyong pleaded.

 

For a moment, Dami saw her father’s face softened.

 

“I’m not forbidding you to draw Jiyong. I just don’t want you to draw. . . I just don’t want you to draw this subject anymore. I’ve already told you the reasons before so there’s no need for me to repeat them.”

 

Dami hid herself quickly when she saw her father going her way. She saw her father crumpled the papers and threw it in a garbage bag. Her father was about to search for a match when they suddenly heard a buzzer. Mr. Kwon quickly went to get the door. As he did, Dami quickly went to get the papers in the garbage bag and went to run in her room. She took her sketchpad out and tore some pieces out of it. She crumpled it and went to throw it in the garbage bag, after. Then, she went back to her room and cleared Jiyong’s crumpled papers on her bed. She smiled as she saw Jiyong’s sketches of Sandara. But she smiled wider as she saw a sketch of the said girl and her brother together.

 

 

JIYONG’s POV

 

I went back to my room bringing the papers with me. I thought Dad already burned all of these. I can’t help but heave a sigh of relief as I saw that my sketches were still alive and intact. I wonder how noona took hold of these. Oh well, I’ll just ask her later.

 

I looked at the sketches one by one. The little rabbit has been my favorite subject before. I don’t know why but I find it easy to draw her. I remember noona once said to me that when it comes to Dara, my “drawing” skills come out. She also said that she loves how Dara’s eyes seemed to sparkle in my sketches. It’s been a while. I haven’t drawn anything after Dad took all of these from me. Seeing my works still alive, something inside me jumped to life, must be my artist side. I missed drawing. I missed making sketches. Then, an idea came to me. That’s right! Dara’s birthday is coming again; I think my newly-resurrected interest in art will be put into a good use. I laughed lightly.

 

~o~

 

“But it’s against the tradition!” I heard Hyun Seung said as I approached them in one of the tables in the cafeteria.

 

“Hey, what’s going on?” I asked as I sat beside Taeyang. I saw Hyun Seung, Taeyang and Seungri looked at each other.

 

“Did I miss something?” I asked again.

 

“Well, it’s about Dara’s birthday,” Taeyang started.

 

I smiled. “What about it? Are you planning something? Count me in!”

 

“Err, no, it’s not about that.” Hyun Seung mumbled quietly.

 

That made me frown. “What is it then?”

 

“Err, well, TOP hyung talked to us about noona’s birthday. Like we all know, it’s the gang’s tradition to celebrate our birthdays together. But well, uh, hyung said that he’s planning to take noona somewhere on her birthday, so there’ll be no celebration,” Seungri explained.

 

“Oh!” I muttered. I was quiet for a while, thinking. Then an idea came to me. “Well, I guess he can do that but we can celebrate her birthday on other days, right? It doesn’t have to be exactly on her birthday,” I beamed.

 

“Sounds a good idea!” Seungri chirped in while Taeyang brightened up.

 

On the other hand, Hyun Seung looked hesitant.“It will be better if we celebrate it on the exact date. But I guess that will do,” he said.

 

They started chatting happily as if nothing happened. I shook my head. First, she wasn’t able to attend to my birthday, and now, she won’t be spending her time with me on her birthday. I felt different. I guess I just got used to us being present on each other’s birthday. But that’s alright. I should focus on the gift I’m planning to give the little rabbit. This will be the first time I’m going to give her something I personally made, since for all of her birthdays, she kept on asking for material things and I kept on giving it to her anyways. But this time, even if she’s going to beg for something, I won’t give in. I already decided what to give her. Oh well, on another thought, if she’s going to BEG on her knees for something, may be I should give it to her, too.

 

 

 

DARA’s POV

 

“Ya! Kwon Jiyong!" I knocked. My bestfriend’s been keeping himself in his room lately. As much as I don’t want to enter his room again because I kept on remembering the err, “incident” in his shower room before, I can’t help but suspect he’s starting to drink again because his parents haven’t called nor visited him for almost a month already. If he is indeed drinking again, he’ll surely get what he deserves this time. Then, out of nowhere, the image of Ji in the shower room flashed into my mind. And may I add that it lingered for a while there.

 

KYAAA!!!

 

GAAAAHH!!!!

 

GHAD!

 

Omo, that wasn’t funny! To erase the thought, I started knocking again.

 

“G-dragoon! If you’re not gonna open the door, I’m gonna kick it ope-“

 

“What now?” he suddenly appeared, looking irritated. I grinned widely at him as I saw that he is in his COHERENT state.

 

“Kyaa! Look at you, you’re still alive!” I chirped.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“What’s with that grumpy mood?” I asked as I was about to enter his room. I got curious when he kept on glancing back but he blocked my way.

 

“You can’t come in,” he said.

 

“And why is that?”

 

“Because you’re a girl and I’m a boy,” he mimicked me. “And besides, you don’t want YOUR TABI to know that you’ve been barging into a guy’s room now, do you? Now, leave me alone and give me some peace of mind.”

 

My mouth dropped open as he closed his bedroom door on my face.

 

Why. . . Why the stupid little jerk of a mutt! How dare he?

 

“YA!” I pounded on his door. All my original plans of talking to him about auntie and uncle vanished. “Kwon Jiyong!” I pounded again.

 

“AISH!” Ji suddenly emerged again. “What do you want?”

 

“Why don’t you let me into your room first?” I grinned and started entering his room when he stopped me again.

 

“I’m doing something. I’m busy. You can’t come in.”

 

“Oh! What are you doing? I want to help-“

 

“No, you’ll just ruin it. So, bye bye. Go on, go your way. You know your way out so I won’t see you to the door.”

 

“Fine. If you don’t need my help, that’s fine with me. I will behave. Now, can you let me in? I won’t disturb you.”

 

“No.”

 

My eyes squinted then it went round.

 

“There’s a girl inside your room! That’s it, right?!”

 

Ji looked at me in disbelief. I found his silence irritating. I felt like my head was going to explode. “Ya! Girl inside Kwon Jiyong’s room, come out now or else-“ I started but was cut-off.

 

“Ya! I didn’t bring a girl inside my room and I will never do that! I’m not desperate. Now, can you just please leave and let me do my work?”

 

I shrugged. I turned to leave but then without warning, I suddenly ran back, trying to catch him off guard but I failed as he was firmly standing in his doorway, blocking me. He gave a boyish smirk as I failed. But I don’t give up that easily, do I? So, I tried force this time, I pushed him with all my strength but he didn’t even move an inch! Now how did that happen? If I remember it right, I can easily beat him up. What happened? I went to my next strategy and started hitting him but he suddenly stooped down and threw me over his shoulder like I’m some sack of potato. I kicked and punched him but still to no avail. I know he’s going to bring me to our apartment, so I tried to grab on everything I see to prevent him from walking further on. But he was strong! How the hell did that happened?

 

“Put me down! Put me down now!”

 

I suddenly felt something soft under me and I realized that Ji put me down on the couch in our apartment.

 

“Stay put!” he ordered then turned around to go back to his place. I smirked then started running, beating him through the door. I quickly ran back to the Kwons’ apartment but I felt arms around my waist, stopping me.

 

“Why you sneaky little rabbit!” he muttered in my ear. He lifted me off the ground and started bringing me back to our place. I can’t help but laugh. I don’t know why but I really find the scene funny: him behind me with arms around my waist and carrying me like a kangaroo.

 

“Hey,” a deep voice I knew so well penetrated my ears. My laughter suddenly stopped as I felt Ji putting me firm on the ground again.

 

“Tabi!” I greeted. I saw Tabi and Ji exchanged awkward stares, err, or was it just me?

 

“Hyung!” Ji greeted too. “Please do me a favor and keep this little rabbit off my apartment. I’m trying to work on something but she keeps on pestering me.”

 

“Ya!” I protested. The mutt stuck his tongue at me. How childish is that? But I stuck my tongue out at him, too.

 

 

JIYONG’s POV

 

I went back to my room and continued what I’m doing. Dara can be really irritating sometimes. But I can’t help but smile. I missed her naughtiness and how she kept on pestering me.

 

 

A while later. . .

 

I stood up and stretched a little. Then, I stepped back to take a good look on what I’ve done. I smiled. But then, I forgot to put my signature on it so I quickly added the signature at the bottom. Now, only a frame is needed and it’s done, good to go. What should I call it then? Hmm, I’ll just name it after her.