One week later. . .

 

JIYONG's POV

 

We were at our usual hangout place with some of our friends. At the end of every month, we usually gather and have a little party. The usual gang is present except for TOP hyung. I saw my bestfriend in one corner with the boys while I was in the counter with Sohee, both of us sitting in a high stool.

 

“Unnie's really close with the boys, huh?”

 

“It's because she's one of us. I won't be that surprise if one day she's going to ask you to call her Dara oppa,” I answered, taking a sip of my drink.

 

“But if you look closely, she's really pretty and very cute.”

 

I spit out my drink and looked at Sohee in disbelief. “Don't say those words when she's around.”

 

“PARK DARA!!!!” someone screamed from outside. I looked at my bestfriend the same time she looked at me. I groaned out loud as I saw the mischief look in her eyes. What have she done this time?

 

Then, I saw TOP hyung entered and looked around. His eyes turned into tiny slits when he saw Dara. Any sane person would have ran and quickly hide himself upon seeing hyung's murderous glare but not my bestfriend. Definitely not. Instead, Dara stood up, smiled and waved at hyung.

 

“Ya! Gorilla! Wassup? You're late, the party started a while ago.”

 

I suddenly stood up when I saw hyung advancing on Dara like a madman. I ran and quickly hid Dara behind me.

 

“Get out of the way, Jiyong!” hyung said through gritted teeth.

 

“Ya! Hyung, what's going on here?” Taeyang asked. Hyung gave Taeyang a package.

 

“What's this?” Taeyang asked.

 

“Open it,” hyung ordered, still glaring at Dara. Later on, I heard Taeyang chuckled. My head turned to him.

 

“I can't believe you did this again, Dara,” Taeyang said then passed the package to me. I opened it and saw a HUGE and UGLY thick-rimmed eyeglass. There's a little blue paper inside it, too. I took the paper out and read it.

 

It says: “Dear Yubin unnie, have you had your eyes checked lately? I thin you're having eye problems. I hope this glass will help you see the real Choi Seunghyun (insert a badly drawn ugly-looking gorilla here). Use it wisely. I'm just a concerned citizen. I want to preserve the race of human kind. I don't want it to be tainted with Kingkong's blood. The future of our kind is in your hands. Always,Dara”

 

I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again. I was torn between irritation and amusement. Dara has always been like this everytime hyung is seen with a new girl. She wants to piss him off so much that she extended to sending every “new girl” with a gift and a note. The gift usually varies with every girl. That's how childish my bestfriend is. Aish! Now I have to go apologize to hyung and the girl again since my bestfriend is so proud that she doesn't know how to say sorry.

 

“Oppa, are you okay?” Sohee asked, suddenly appearing beside hyung.

 

“No,“ hyung growled, “unless I get my hands on that dimwitted girl!”

 

“Ya! Did you just call me dimwitted?!” Dara suddenly heated up behind me.

 

“Yes, I just did, you stupid deaf girl!”

 

“Oh, if I'm stupid, what do you call yourself then? A ridiculously no-brain gorilla?”

 

“If I'm a no-brain, I won't be in the top class unlike you.”

 

Dara suddenly pushed me aside and started facing hyung with that petite figure of hers.

 

“Ya! Enough of this!” I shouted but my voice was drowned with their screaming voices. I sighed. I give up. I can't stop them now even if my eardrums are wildly protesting already.

 

“Unnie got backbones,” Sohee chuckled. I grunted.

 

“That backbones of hers can get her into serious trouble one of these days,” I sighed.

 

“Worried?”

 

I looked at her as I was about to answer when I suddenly heard crashing sounds. I sighed in frustration this time.

 

“I think we should stop them before they both turned this place down,” Sohee worriedly said. I turned around and saw a number of tables turned down. I immediately went to hyung and put a hand on his shoulder. Then I looked at Dara sternly.

 

“Go outside and wait for me there,” I ordered.

 

After almost fifteen minutes of returning the place in its former order, I talked to hyung. I found out why he reacted so violently this time. Apparently, Yubin noona was indeed having eye problems and Dara's gift insulted her and humiliated her. It took me more than thirty minutes to convince hyung that I'll be asking forgiveness in behalf of my bestfriend. I also apologized to hyung for Dara's childishness and stupidity. As much as I wanted to stay longer with Sohee and the guys, I know I have to bring Dara home. So I went outside and to my irritation, I found no sign of Dara, not even a shadow. Na-da.

 

 

DARA's POV

 

I'm not really a patient person. After waiting for fifteen minutes outside, I got fed up so I decided to go and walk home alone since I know Ji won't allow me to be in the same room with Gorilla now. I do know when to stop and when I'm about to cross Ji's line, though I usually forget about it and to think that I don't have the right to treat him the way I do because he's way UP there compared to me especially when it comes to economic status. They're rich, and I mean R-I-C-H while I'm just an average person. If it weren't for his family, I'm probably working right now instead of going to school. Ji's father, Mr. Kwon, is a very warm-hearted and down to earth man. He took the responsibilities of me and umma financially when my father died some years ago. But Ji never for once made me feel that I'm standing below him. I sighed. I'll ask umma later to cook Ji's favorite crab soup. Hehe.

 

I turned at the corner and was faced with a dimly-lit street with only one lamppost. Near the lamppost not too far from where I was standing, I saw three of the popular senior bullies in our school. I only know Yosuk sunbae but I don't know the name of the other two, though I know them by face. My steps became quicker as I tried to be inconspicuous.

 

“Hey, isn't that Kwon Jiyong?” one of them said. Great! I've been mistaken for my bestfriend.

 

“Kwon Jiyong? The sophomore guy?” Yosuk sunbae asked.

 

“Neh.”

 

“I've always hated that Kwon Jiyong. He's so arrogant. He's only a sophomore but he acts like he owns the school and he knows everything. Huh! Such arrogance will earn him a lot of enemies. . .”

 

I heard a ringing sound in my ears as my vision darkened. I changed direction and my quick small steps became huge strides. Without thinking, I punched sunbae straight in the face with all my strength that my feet were lifted off the ground. Okay, that hurts a little. Only a little.

 

“What was that for?!” he roared to my face. Boy, his breath is something! Ugh! But one thing that stood out was the smell of alcohol. He suddenly grabbed both of my arms forcefully and shook me so hard I can hear my teeth rattling with the intensity. The other two laughed at how my head went back and forth. They're obviously drunk.

 

“I said what was that for?!?” he roared again.

 

“First thing first, I'm not Kwon Jiyong. Second, my bestfriend's not arrogant. And lastly, don't shout at my face, your breath stinks! Don't you know the purpose of a toothbrush or have you even seen one? I guess not.”

 

I saw his nostrils flared as his grip tightened its hold in my arms. His face looked like he was going to burst out any minute I was pretty sure that he's going to hit me. But then, I was wrong. Instead, he smirked.

 

“Oh, sorry for mistaking you with Kwon. You really look like him from afar. Such beauty shouldn't be wronged,” he sneered as his gaze roamed up and down my body. He lifted a hand and ran his fingers on my cheek. “You're something. Why haven't I've noticed before? No wonder Kwon's always around you,” he mumbled to himself. I slapped away his hand.

 

“Don't touch me, you pest!”

 

“What did you just call me?” he growled as his hand went to my head and his fingers caught a handful of my hair. He pulled it down roughly I felt like my scalp was being torn apart.

 

“Pest!” I repeated.

 

“You're gonna regret insulting me!” he lowly said, an evil smirk forming his lips. He dragged me and threw me to the other two, who looked like they don't know what's going on.

 

“Hold her down,” he ordered. The two followed and hold me down to the ground. I felt their hands on my flailing arms and feet. I could shout but I can't and I don't want to. I'm not the type of person who asks for help in times like this. I have to fight this on my own. I thought of ways on how to escape when a menacing voice suddenly penetrated the night.

 

“Let her go.”

 

Yosuk sunbae turned around sharply.

 

“Well, look who's here. Why, isn’t that the real mighty Kwon Jiyong himself. Aah, you arrived just in time, the show's about to begin.”

 

“I said let her go NOW!”

 

“Ooh, courage, I see. What can you do against three?”

 

“At least she's free to go,” my bestfriend answered carelessly. I suddenly felt fear upon hearing Ji say that. What can one man do against three? But wait, he's not alone. I'm still here. With that thought, I clenched my fists as I prepared myself to hit the two persons holding me down. But Jiyong's voice broke into my senses. “Dara, there's no need for that, the policemen are on their way already.”

 

I lifted my head and looked at my bestfriend. How'd he know what I'm about to do? Aish! I suddenly felt a small lump starting to form in my throat.

 

Yosuk stopped as he stared around. He started retreating. He turned to me and say, “tonight's your lucky night, girl.”

 

The three of them started running the opposite direction, leaving me and Ji safely behind. I smiled at him and stood up. I patted my back to remove the dirt. I saw Ji closed the distance between us. My smile faded as I saw his dark face towering over me. His jaw tightened. Uh-oh. Not a good sign right there. I swallowed hard.

 

Then, I chuckled awkwardly. “You shouldn't have stopped me. I could have punched that guy in the face! Ha! I would like to see his nose bleeding!”

 

“I TOLD YOU TO WAIT FOR ME!!! Don't you ever listen?!? Have you any idea what could have happened to you if I haven't arrived just in time?”

 

“I'm pretty capable of myself,” I mumbled, trembling a little. I've never seen Ji like this before. I've never even heard him shout at me like this before. I'd rather face those three seniors right now!

 

“CAPABLE?!?”he roared. “YOU WERE-” he stopped. He turned around, his back facing me. I know he wanted to shout at me more and maybe pound me to pieces but since he can't do that, he vent out his frustrations on the lamppost instead. He kicked and punched it several times while muttering “stupid” over and over again.

 

Then he stopped and sighed. He turned back to face me. I saw his eyes soften as his expression gentled.

 

“Come here you little rabbit,” he murmured as he pulled me into a tight hug. So tight I felt like my bones were being crashed. But I hugged him back.

 

“What am I going to do with you?” he mumbled against my hair. I didn't answer and just buried my face in his chest. “It's alright now. Don't ever disobey me again, arasso?” he asked gently. I nodded against his chest. “Good,” he said.

 

“Err, let go now. This is weird. I don't want people to see us like this, it'll be disgusting,” I said.

 

He chuckled and let me go. He turned around and scooted down.

 

“Hopped on my back,” he said.

 

I smiled and obeyed him. As much as I hate to admit it, I missed this. We've been doing this since we were kids. He would always carry me on his back everytime we go home from school. For years it has been like that. But it stopped when he and Sohee made their relationship official.

 

“I missed this,” I said as he started walking home with me on his back.

 

“Me, too.”