It was 8am in the morning when Mirae burst into each of their rooms, announcing plans for a picnic at the nearby river.

By 9am, everyone was half-awake as they trudged to the river. Dara huddled closer to Bom as a gust of cold wind hit her face, making her shiver in her thick coat. It seemed like Mirae was the only one awake, out of everyone, judging from the way she seemed to chatter non-stop about the beautiful scenery and how glad she was to see them.

---

Dara couldn't sleep. She couldn't forget the night before, and what almost happened between Jiyong. What did it mean to him? What did it mean for her? Most importantly, what now?

Bom couldn't sleep. She couldn't forget TOP's almost-confession. It was strange to see him in a different light. He had always been the irritating friend who loved getting on her nerves and bullying her. He was always the one she had fights with, screamed at and laughed with. But as something more... Something like a lover... She didn't know how to act.

Dara and Bom sighed simultaneously as they rubbed at their sleep-deprived faces with one hand, the other linked around each other's waist, trying to keep warm in the cold weather. Mirae's maids had already finished setting up the picnic by the time the gang had trudged to the river.

Mirae wasn't lying. The early-winter view was spectacular. The bright morning sun reflected off the smooth, clear surface of the wide river in hues of yellow and white. The soft swishing sound of the flowing river was quietly calming. An occasional conversation between birds that lived in the trees that lined the river banks made the whole experience mystically surreal.

---

"Dara yah! Ahhhhh....." TOP crooned cutely at Dara, holding up a piece of sushi in front of her, gesturing to her to open .

Everyone had already settled comfortably around the picnic area, talking laughing and playing games excitedly. Before Jiyong could get anywhere near Dara, Daesung and Seungri had already pulled him away to play soccer with them, further up. Before Minho could even talk to Dara, Yoona monopolized Minho with her non-stop chatter and flirty eye-batting.

Seriously... Early in the morning?

The other girls had simply drifted off to talk about girl stuff.

Dara promised to put up a show for Bommie, to make her jealous and realise her depth of affection for TOP, so she smiled sweetly at TOP before opening and letting him put the piece of food in. "Kumowo Tabi oppa!" She gave him an eye-smile and the pair secretly eyed Bom from the corner of their eyes, smiling conspiringly at each other.

Bom was trying to focus on the words that came out of the maknae's mouth. Minzy was saying something, but no matter how Bom tried, she could not understand what she was saying. She was too caught up in trying to peek at Dara and TOP who were sitting together, eating, a few metres away. She tried to hear what they were saying, but all she could hear was Dara's cute giggle and TOP's low growl every now and then. And they were feeding each other food! Why??? Did Dara like TOP? Did TOP like Dara? But after that night... Aish, the thought frustrated her to no end. So she simply pretended that she could neither see nor hear the pair.   

The boys were taking a break from soccer and they sat panting at the edge of the river, letting the cold air calm their racing hearts down. Jiyong's smile died away slowly as his eyes wandered over to where Dara and TOP sat. He saw the way she smiled at his best friend, and the way she let him feed her with an innocent grin on her face, and he fisted the grass on the ground angrily.

They like each other. He should let her go. But he can't.

He blinked furiously, and turned back to Taeyang, Seungri and Daesung. "Yah... I'm just asking... Um... what do girls like?" An innocent and slightly embarrassed look in Jiyong's face as he mumbled.

That got the other boys' attention.

Their heads snapped up at attention as they stared at their leader.

Daesung's jaw was almost touching the floor in shock.

Taeyang's eyes were so wide they were on the verge of popping out.

Seungri's lips were twitching, as if too horrified at the words he heard.

 

SILENCE

 

SILENCE

 

SILENCE

 

Then the three of them started laughing uncontrollably.

"BWAHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! THE BIGGEST PLAYER AT SCHOOL IS ASKING FOR OUR OPINION!!!" The boys couldn't take it as they rolled around on the grass, laughing till they cried, not believing the situation.

Annoyed, Jiyong frowned and stood up. "Whatever." He mumbled.

"No, no no no, wait." Taeyang grabbed Jiyong's hand before the boy could walk away and pulled him back to the ground with a heavy 'thump'.

Of course the boys knew that their fearsome, playful leader was in love with Dara, but they didn't expect him to be so hopelessly in love with her! Of course Jiyong knew what girls liked. After all, he and TOP were the best at this field. And of course they knew that his actual question was: "How can I get Dara to fall in love with me?"

"Hyung, come over here." Taeyang had finally stopped laughing and wore a serious look as he beckoned Jiyong to come closer. "Girls like to receive presents. I think a nice sparkly hairclip or necklace would do well."

"But I already gave her a necklace, and she IS wearing it, but she's over there flirting with TOP... Wait, this is NOT about Dara! I'm talking about girls in general!" Jiyong insisted, a flush reddening the tip of his ears.

"If you say so. Girls like to be kissed. Especially the innocent type like Dara, they have many fantasies about being kissed. So if you can even fulfill one of those fantasies, she'll be eating out of your hand!" Seungri wriggled his eyebrows sneakily, with a mock-lustful look in his eyes.

"Aishh I told you that it's not about Dara!" Jiyong gave a small smile as he pushed his cheeky maknae away. Now his maknae has him thinking lustful thoughts. Especially those of him and Dara in his house. In his bed.

"Oppa!!!" A sweet voice shattered his fantasies as the four boys turned towards the direction of the boys. Minzy, CL and Mirae were waving enthusiastically at them, beckoning them to come over. The other three suddenly had on smiles that lit up their entire faces and immediately stood and were running over to the girl's side. Jiyong got up and trailed behind them reluctantly.

Seungri was whispering into CL's ear, making her giggle and smile brightly. His hand was around her waist, holding her to his side. Taeyang was holding Minzy's hand as the pair smiled sweetly at each other, almost skipping as they walked. Even Daesung was giving Mirae a nervous smile as the pair walked on ahead, talking.

Jiyong never felt more alone. He didn't want to be the third wheel, but he didn't feel like staying and witnessing Dara and TOP together. With a great sigh, he followed the three couples to the nearby market. They were going to get hot chocolate, and Jiyong wanted to buy something for his ssantokki.

---

"Halmeoni, there is this girl that I like... What can I buy to win her heart?" Jiyong was standing in front of a 60 year old woman who was selling fancy trinkets. There was such a wide variety of necklaces and hairclips that even Jiyong felt lost at the choice. He smiled shyly at the old woman with white hair and wise eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Aishh, what rubbish! Your looks are sufficient!" The old lady retorted with a serious look on her face and a small smile.

"Mwoh?" Jiyong looked stunned as he blinked a few times. He knew he was good-looking, but never had he been told that straight in the face, and with such seriousness either. It was a good feeling though.

"Ahh... Ah hahaha, kamsahabnida Halmeoni! I wish she could feel the same way too!" Jiyong smiled, more to himself as he picked out a hairclip. If he had to fight to win over her heart from TOP, he would do so! Jiyong set his lips in grim determination as he paid the old woman and set off to buy more things.

---

 "Yah oppa! I think she saw that! Ok! She looks irritated, it should be enough! Oppa fighting! Go tell her, ok?" Dara whispered to TOP, her eyes wide. The two had been play-flirting for the past two hours, and watching Bom's reactions. What they saw satisfied them.

Whenever TOP or Dara leaned in closer to each other, they saw Bom in a breath and visibly stiffen. Whenever either of them giggled playfully, Bom would immediately engage in a conversation with someone else and pretend as though she wasn't looking or listening. Anyway, Bom wasn't acting normally and that only meant one thing. She cared for TOP as something more than a friend.

TOP smirked at Dara. "Thank you Dara! Now you chase after Jiyong too ok! Don't think I don't know. I saw the hickey." He winked at her before standing up and jogging towards Bom.

Dara blushed heavily, opened wide to protest, but he was already beside Bom, dragging her to her feet and pulling a resisting Bom somewhere else.

Dara saw TOP pull Bom a few feet away before Bom brushed off TOP's hand roughly. She looked angry as she faced TOP. TOP had a pleading expression on his face as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

He said something. She said something and shrugged his hands off her. His expression grew more desperate and he said something. Bom froze. Her features blanked and TOP was silent as he looked at her. TOP leaned in, grabbed Bom's head and planted a kiss on Bom's lips. Suddenly her eyes snapped back to attention and she shoved TOP away and ran in the opposite direction. TOP chased after her, turning in Dara's direction with a desperate look, hands displayed in a "I don't know what's happening" way.

What happened? Dara thought as she immediately stood up to help TOP chase after her best friend. Literally.

---

"Bommie, where are you?" Dara searched behind a few trees at the edge of river. She and TOP had chased Bom, but she suddenly disappeared so they decided to split ways to look for her.

Suddenly a strong hand grabbed Dara's upper arm, pushing her against the rough trunk of a willowy tree.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw that it was Minho. Minho had never been anything but gentle towards her. But now, his eyes were burning with something that Dara could not place. Something familiar, but scary.

"Dara. Do you remember when we met?" Minho abruptly asked.

"Umm... Yes. You were Yoona's classmate. We met when I was living in her house. When I was 14. Minho, can you let go? You're hurting me." Dara stuttered as she tried wriggling out of his grasp. But he didn't seem to hear her.

"No. We met when you were 11. You probably don't remember me, but I was the leader of the gang that Jiyong joined when he was 11." Minho's voice was dangerous as he stared into Dara's eyes.

"Wait... I don't understand... Why are you telling me this now? And... Why did you pretend not to know me when Yoona introduced me to you?" Dara was still as she wore a confused look on her face. The freezing air was cutting through her thick jacket, and her nose and ears were already starting to feel numb from the cold.

"I'm telling you this now because I want you to know that I have loved you for the past 7 years. I've been in love with you since you were 11, but you never knew me. All you could see was Jiyong. So I took Jiyong into my gang, hoping that through him, you would be able to see me. But then you still didn't, and you even disappeared. Do you know how much time I spent trying to look for you? So when I finally found you in America, I wanted to be someone deserving of your love. A real man. A man you can trust and love." Minho's voice was pleading and his face desperate as he took one step closer to Dara.

She tried stepping back, but she was already backed up against the unrelenting tree. All her senses went on hyper-alert. "Minho... What... What are you doing?" She said, trembling. Her breathing was elevated as all she could think of was to run away. Minho had never scared her so much before. She couldn't process the words that he said because they didn't make sense to her.

Before she could do anything, Minho was pressing his cold lips against hers.

His arms circled her, crushing her between his strong body and the tree. His mouth moved against hers, begging her to open to let him in.

Dara struggled furiously, trying to push him away, hitting and scratching him, but it his thick winter coat buffered the impact. Instead, he only grasped both of her wrists with one hand, bringing them above her and pinning them to the tree trunk in one smooth action. Her chest was now pressed more firmly against his and wriggling seemed like a bad option. Minho tried deepening the kiss by tugging at her hair, but Dara's lips were clamped tightly together.

By some miraculous luck, Minho released her. Panting in fear, Dara realised that she had managed to knee Minho in the place that hurt the most, and he was bent over, groaning and trying to recover from the pain.

Instinctively, Dara started running.

She didn't realise that someone was following her.

She couldn't hear the footsteps that were nearing her, for all she could hear was her heartbeat pounding dangerously in her ears.

She couldn't think of anything but to run.

Then she was shoved strongly from behind.

"Ahhhhhhh...!!!!" Dara gave a brilliant scream as she fell face-forward into the soft green grass patch. She scrambled up to her feet quickly, her entire body tense and ready to hit and fight someone, as she placed her fists in front of her.

She expected to see Minho, but she found herself looking at a pair of teary but angry brown eyes.

Yoona.

"What are you doing here?" Dara questioned with a warning tone in her voice, but she lowered her fists.

"I HATE YOU, SANDARA PARK!" Yoona suddenly screamed hysterically, her eyes wild as tears streamed down her face.

Dara could only stare in shock. Yoona had shoved her, kicked her, pinched and bullied her before, but after each time, only a cold glint in her eyes would appear. Only a cruel smirk would be worn on her face after every time she tortured Dara. She had never cried.

The words "I hate you" were said frequently, but was always said with menace. Now, it was just filled with an overwhelming sadness that Dara could not place. One that she had never heard or seen before on her strong, beautiful older cousin.

"Why?" Dara whispered softly. All her defenses were down as she looked at Yoona gently. The Yoona she saw now was broken and injured. But why?

Yoona looked up tearily, with a mildly confused expression on her face. Dara had never asked why she hated her before. But whatever, since things had already come down to this, what more could go wrong?

"You will never understand how I feel! I liked him first... I liked him first... But he never loved me... And it's only today that I realise why... Because he has always loved YOU!" Yoona's eyes were filling up with tears as she looked at her younger cousin. Dara saw pain, love and hate all at once in her cousin's eyes and in that moment, she didn't know what to say.

---

FLASHBACK

Yoona was 15. Dara, her beloved cousin had been staying with her for the past year since Dara's parents had died in an unfortunate car accident. Today was Dara's birthday, and the day that her parents died, so Dara was feeling especially down. To cheer her up, Yoon had gone to the nearest cake store and bought Dara a beautiful mango cake to celebrate her birthday.

Yoona was holding the precious cake in her hands, a big smile on her face as she made her way back home. However, three blocks from her house, she heard a muffled sound at the corner of a block.

"Hello? Is someone there? Are you ok?" Yoona approached a shadowed figure cautiously. Someone was lying on the floor, crouched in a fetal position and hidden in the shadows of the block.

Yoona moved to put one hand on the shoulder of the figure that was groaning softly, wanting to see how she could help. Suddenly, the figure turned to grab her wrist, making her scream in surprise. She tried shaking the man off her, but his grip was too strong. Just as she was about to start screaming for help, the man turned to look at her.

They were the most beautiful and passionate eyes she had ever seen.

"Help me." He said, before promptly fainting, his grip on her seemingly loosened.

Yoona was completely stunned, not knowing what to do. She looked down at the man and saw that his other hand was gripping his side and he was lying in a pool of blood.

Her logical side snapped her back to life as she threw the cake in her hands down and ran to a nearby store to buy some gauze and medication. Coming back, she somehow managed to haul the heavy man on her as she stumbled , half-dragging the semi-conscious man three blocks down to her house.

She led him to her room and put him on her bed, not caring that he was bleeding and dirty. Slicing off his hoodie with a knife, she saw that the wound was not very deep, but it was long and bleeding ferociously. His lips and face were pale with the amount of blood that he lost.

Oh no, he must have stumbled at least 3 roads before fainting. Yoona murmured softly to herself.

Yoona took care of the man carefully over the next three days. Her cousin and parents hardly came into her room and they never questioned what she was doing, so the man was never found. Though she had stopped the blood and treated the wound, he lay unconscious for three days. She fed him a little porridge and water every now and then to ensure that he would live.

He lay there, bare-chested in a pair of jeans. He was beautiful. Yoona thought.

His pale skin shone in the moonlight that flitted through her window, his well-defined chest and abs heaving slowly and gently as he breathed. His face was peaceful, unlike the one contorted in pain when she first saw him. His lashed were long and his nose bridge high. He was beautiful.

"Who are you?" Yoona whispered as she fell asleep on the bed beside him.

---

The first thing that Yoona saw when she opened her eyes in the morning was a pair of dark mocha eyes.

"You saved me." The man intoned with a deep voice that made Yoona's heart pound.

"You're awake." Yoona mumbled. She was drowning in his presence.

He smiled. Yoona's heart pounded painfully against her ribcage.

"I'm Minho. You're Yoona, right?" Minho grinned boyishly at her.

"H...H... How did you know?" Yoona's eyes widened.

"Well, I had a look around your room while you were still sleeping and I saw your textbook with your name on it." Minho glanced around the room.

Yoona suddenly started turning red as she looked around her room. Her room suddenly seemed childish and immature and overly girly with its pink wallpaper, white furniture and frills and lace.

"Thank you for saving me. But please don't ask me how I got hurt." Minho reached out to cover one of her hands with his, his eyes large and pleading.

Yoona could only manage a nod.

"So... Victoria High School... I'm going there too! Actually, I was supposed to turn up 2 days ago, but well, it seems like tomorrow shall be my first day then!" He winked at Yoona.

"What old are you?" Yoona asked curiously.

Minho smirked. "People in Korea think I am 16, people in the USA think I am 15, so what do you think?"

No. He can't be either 15 or 16 if he were to ask this sort of question. Besides, he didn't look like any boy her age, but much older.

"18." Yoona stated.

Minho only smiled mysteriously as he walked over to her window and pulled it open.

"Maybe you're right. Well, thanks again, and I'll see you in school tomorrow." He shot her one last smirk before jumping out of her second-floor bedroom and landing softly on the grass in her backyard before disappearing.

"Pabo... He could have used the front door... There's no one at home anyway..." Yoona said as she smiled shyly. Blushing fiercely, she grabbed her pillow and screamed into it in excitement.

---

Yoona and Minho ended up being in the same class. They sat together and ended up being best friends within 3 weeks.

"Unnie!" A soft voice called out to Yoona in the hallway, making Yoona turn around with a brilliant smile.

"Oh! Dara yah!" Yoona said happily as she went over to hug her dongsaeng.

"Unnie, I just wanted to tell you that I have an extracurricular activity later on so I won't be home in time for dinner." Dara said shyly, adjusting her heavy spectacles and tugging the edge of her shirt.

Yoona beamed down at her lovely and cute cousin. "That's great! I'll tell mom! She'll be so glad that you're starting to make new friends and get involved in activities! I'm so happy for you Dara!"

Dara only smiled shyly. She had always adored her elder cousin. Yoona was everything Dara wanted to be. Sweet, kind, pretty and loving. She also could never understand why Yoona never had a boyfriend.

"Yoona ah, we have to go-" Minho suddenly appeared from a stairway and was about to pull Yoona away when his eyes landed on Dara.

"Oh, Minho oppa! This is Dara, my cousin. This is Minho, my classmate and best friend!" Yoona cheerily introduced the two, not noticing that Minho had frozen beside her, his gaze fixated on the nerdy Dara.

"Let's go then! Bye Dara!" Yoona walked away, Minho followed.

Dara ah... Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here... Minho thought, his heart twisted up in anguish.

---

A year passed like that. Minho and Yoona were the best of friends and he always treated her very, very well. The better the friends they were, the more Yoona fell in love with the beautiful Minho.

He always came over to her house after school, to talk, eat and do homework. Dara was often at home too and the friendly Minho treated Dara like a younger sister. So Yoona thought.

Yoona was happy. The happiest she had ever been. Her lovely cousin was here, the boy that she like was here, nothing else could be more perfect.

---

"Minho ah, what kind of girl do you like?" Yoona finally asked bravely. They were on the route back to Yoona's house. It was like all other days since Minho and her became friends. It was always school, her house, then he would go back home. The ritual repeated daily.

"Oh, me? Wae?" Minho asked mischievously, turning to face Yoona, as he walked backwards. "Hokshii, nan chowahae?"

(By chance, do you like me?)

Yoona bit the inner side of her cheek from bursting out and saying, "Yes! I do!" So she only shook her head vigorously and said, "Ani! I was just asking. After all, you have had so many admirers but no girlfriend, and being your best friend, I don't want to see you die a bachelor! So..."

Yoona held her breath for what seemed like eternity before Minho answered.

"I like y girls. Girls with S-lines, those mature ones who walk with style and confidence. Those in tight clothing and makeup. Like all other men, I like those kind of girls." Minho turned to her and winked.

Ah... No wonder you don't like me... Yoona thought as she looked down at her pink and white girly blouse and touched her makeup free face.

For you, Minho, I will change myself.

---

For Minho, Yoona threw out her entire closet of girly clothes and replaced them with y, mature and ty ones. She had the figure to wear those clothes, and they emphasised her mature body and S-lines.

She splurged on makeup and spent hours perfecting the skill.

When she appeared in front of Minho, a new Yoona, if Minho was surprised, he didn't say anything. She was slightly upset that he didn't comment on her new appearance, but she was sure that he would love her... One day...

---

With her new appearance, Yoona attracted a different group of friends. Friends that liked partying and drinking. Once, they brought her to a club and gave her a fake pass to get in.

They danced. They drank. They partied.

When Yoona wanted to look for the toilet, she got lost and stumbled past the VVIP area, into a broad chest.

"Mi...Mianhae..." Yoona stumbled as she tried to walk past the figure. But before the figure could pass by her, she took a whiff of his familiar scent and looked up to the familiar face of her friend.

"Minho..." She whispered into a pair of dark and dangerous eyes.

"You shouldn't be here." Minho warned before promptly disappearing into one of the VVIP rooms.

From that moment, Yoona knew that the one that she loved was no ordinary man... And she knew better to pry.

---

Yoona tried her best. She was the prettiest, the iest, the most wanted female at school by all the boys. But no matter how she tried, Minho still treated her the same way: as his best friend.

"Yah! Minho oppa! Pay for my drink!" Yoona smirked at Minho as the pair stood in the queue at Starbucks. He shot her a heart-stopping grin before flashing out his wallet. Yoona's heart fluttered nervously as she looked down shyly. But her eyes landed on his open wallet.

In his wallet was a picture of Dara. Dara her cousin.

Yoona froze.

From the angle, it was probably secretly snapped without Dara's knowledge. Dara was smiling beautifully, her long brown hair tied back. Her eyes were looking at somewhere else, but they were bright and shining, like the sunshine that brought her features to life. Dara was beautiful. She had always known that. But that day, she realised something else.

The man she loved, loved her cousin. Yoona couldn't see anything else but that picture of Dara, held preciously in his wallet. She couldn't hear anything else but the pounding of blood in her ears. She couldn't feel anything but the painful constriction of her chest that was preventing her from breathing.

"Yoo? Yoo? Yoo are you ok?" Minho's voice slowly drifted into her line of consciousness as her eyes finally managed to focus on him.

He was holding their drinks, and his beautiful eyes were full of worry as she stood there, holding up the line.

"Sorry Minho, I have to go." She mumbled quickly as she started walking away quickly. She stumbled on someone carelessly, but regained balance quickly and rushed to the exit.

All she could think of was to get out of the coffeeshop. The air was stifling and it suffocated her. Her brain told her body to take in oxygen, but her chest was too tight to breathe. Her eyes told her to watch out for people and the road, but her mind was in a whirl.

She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't feel. All she wanted to do was get home and cry.

---

Yet when she got home, the tears wouldn't come out. Instead, she went home and threw out all the clothes that she bought for Dara and burnt them. She smashed many, many things in Dara's room. When Dara came home, she said a cheery 'Hello unnie!" to Yoona, but saw only a cold and cruel glint in Yoona's eye as she stood there, expressionless. "Shut up. I don't want to see you. I hate you."

That was the first time Yoona told Dara that she hated her.

That was the beginning.

---

END OF FLASHBACK

"You will never understand how much I love him. How much I changed myself for him, so much so that I don't even recognise myself now... Do you even love him? I don't understand... Why does he love you so much. Why you?" Yoona collapsed to the ground, sobbing furiously as Dara stood there, dazed.

No wonder Yoona hated her.

And Yoona was right. Dara would never understand the depth of love that Yoona had for Minho.

 

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Author's note:

Anyeonghaseyo! Mianhae!!! I know I promised to update on the 30th of Nov, 2013, but things just came up, I had books to sell (since exams are over, YAY!!!), this lecture to attend (in order to prep for university studies), and shopping to do (since Prom is coming up soon ^^)

Anyway, I hope this chapter explains why Yoona hates Dara so much, it's a pretty long chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and felt empathy for Yoona, even though she was terrible to Dara.

Leave comments to tell me if you loved it, and tell me what you think! 

Comments make me feel loved, and spur me to keep writing, so pls comment! 

Love you all and thank you so much for supporting this story!!!

Love,

hannahnah

 

oh, one more thing: do you like this poster or do you previous the original one? Pls help me decide!!!