Jiyong opened his mouth but nothing came out.

TOP looked at him with worry.

Jiyong opened his mouth and tried again, croaking slightly but incoherently.

TOP reached for a glass of water and put a straw to Jiyong's lips so he could drink.

"Who is Dara?" Jiyong finally said.

---

2 years later

Sandara Park stood at the Arrival Hall of the Seoul International Airport and took a deep breath. It was the airport that she had been dreaming of returning to for the past two years. Even the air smelt different.

"Ssantokki, Ssantokki! How do you feel after coming back to Seoul for the first time in two years?"

"Ssantokki, Ssantokki, is it true that you're only back now because your travelling ban to Korea has been lifted?"

"Ssantokki, Ssantokki, what are your plans for your career as a designer-model now that you are back in Korea?"

"Ssan tokki, Ssantokki-"

Reporters and flashing cameras scrambled after Sandara Park the moment she stepped through the crystal clear glass doors of the arrival hall. She removed her huge and stylish pair of sunglasses elegantly, and smiled politely at the reporters before following her manager and bodyguards out of the airport.

Sandara Park was the youngest and hottest designer-model in Los Angeles, and "Ssantokki" was her alias.

---

As she sat in the car en route to her hotel, Sandara kept her eyes fixated on the familiar scenery that sped past her. The trees, the buildings, the pavements and restaurants -- were all so familiar that it made Sandara choke with emotion.

"Where are you, Ji? Why haven't I heard anything from you?" Sandara whispered quietly to herself, her breath misting up the cool surface of the car window.

---

FLASHBACK

Dara was lying in bed, contemplating Jiyong's offer of being a couple. She was fully dressed, still wearing the heels and watch that Jiyong gave her. In her right hand, she clutched the two couple rings tightly in her fist. He left hand was gripping the ssantokki pendant at , it absentmindedly.

Someone knocked three times.

She glanced over at Bom, who was sleeping too soundly to be woken.

Sighing, Dara got off the bed and opened the door.

"Miss Sandara Park?" One of the two men in suits and dark shades, even though it was the middle of the night, asked.

When Dara nodded hesitantly, the men gave a grim smile and nodded at her slightly before spraying a white mist at her face, making her collapse almost immediately.

When she woke up, she was in a car. It was morning and she could see the men that were driving the car, clearly. Two men were flanked on both of her sides, with one driver. All three were wearing identical suits and matching shades. Their silence frightened Dara.

"Who are you? Where are you taking me???" Dara was half hysterical, half fearful as she questioned the silent men.

They remained silent, but the driver reached forward to press something on the headboard. With a click and a swish, a small LCD screen appeared from the ceiling of the car and shifted downwards to Dara's eye level.

A video played.

A man with Jiyong's nose and mouth appeared on screen.

"Good morning, Miss Park, I apologise for the rude introduction, but I am Mr K, I am Kwon Jiyong's father. You have fulfilled your part of the bet, and as promised, I have enrolled you in the most prestigious design school in Los Angeles with immediate effect. Your younger brother Chundong is already waiting for you at the airport. You may understand this situation however you like, but there is something that I need Jiyong to do, hence I am employing extreme measures. Perhaps, even, you can take this as a measure of the love that he has for you. You see, I have imposed a travelling ban on you and your brother, meaning you cannot return to Korea in the next two years.

However, if Jiyong fulfills what I need him to do, it proves that he loves you sufficiently, and he will lift the ban for you.

You have to leave for L.A immediately, and by whichever methods necessary, I will make sure you do that. Please don't make me tell my men to use force on you.

I wish you success in your studies, Miss Park."

The video ended and they were already at the airport.

The bodyguards had to half-drag a limp Dara out of the car. She was devoid of emotion as thoughts flew at supersonic speed through her head. She understood the message.

She understood the implicit threat that Mr K had issued her.

So she had to go.

---

In the beginning, she believed that Jiyong loved her very, very much. Such that he would do anything to get her back to Korea, back to Seoul, back to his side where she belonged. So everyday after lessons ended, she would dash to the Los Angeles International Airport and ask the counter if she could get a ticket back to Seoul.

And every day the lady at the counter would say that the request could not be processed by the computer. The travelling ban was not lifted.

And every day Dara would sit listlessly at the airport until night had fallen, and she would go back to cook for Chundong who had just returned from school.

It happened for a whole year.

The travelling ban was not lifted.

But Dara did indeed gain something.

Sitting at one of the most famous and busiest airport's arrival hall for a whole year gave her great exposure to the term, "Airport Fashion".

Without noticing, she saw some of the greatest actors, stars and politicians pass through the airport. Without noticing, she had already mentally documented every single piece of clothing ever worn by them.

---

At the end of the year, since she was studying Fashion and Design, she was required to submit a portfolio of 12 uniquely designed dresses as an assignment.

Two days before the deadline, her brother found the assignment untouched and lying in a corner. He looked at the heavy weightage that the assignment had on her grade and forced Dara to sit down to do it. He changed the locks and hid the keys so she could not leave and focus only on the assignment.

As though her soul had finally found something else other than Jiyong to focus on, she threw herself into the project. For a whole two days and two nights, she drew.

Post-its, pencils, crayons, papers and cloth samples messed up the house, but by the deadline, Dara was done.

---

Two weeks later, the university called Dara down for a talk.

Initially, she was worried that she had failed and would be kicked out. Then what could she and Chundong do, all alone in L.A?

She sat in front of the University's panel of most acclaimed designers and artists, a total of 9 people, with her head bowed.

She was expecting reprimanding words.

She expected to hear the words, "unfocused" and "expelled".

But what she heard were the words, "ingenious", "fashion-setter".

"What?" Dara finally focused on what the Dean of the school said.

"I said, Miss Park, that you are extremely talented. There is an L.A Fashion Week coming up in a month's time, and we would be very proud to send your designs as a representative of our school. We will provide you with the manpower and funding needed. So Miss Park, would you do us the honour of bringing your exquisite designs to life on the runway?" The Dean smiled benignly at her.

Well, since the Principal of the school already asked personally, she couldn't reject now, could she?

She nodded weakly with a small smile, and all 9 people burst out into applause and compliments about her designs.

---

For the whole month that followed, Dara did not even visit the airport once. Everything, from the 30 different types of lace to choose from, the 50 different shades of blue, to the 20 types of silk and seude, Dara had to decide. The precise length of the clothes, the shoes, even the model selections, their make-up and shoes, Dara was in charge of.

All Dara could think of was to perfect her debut show. And for the first time in a year, she could think of something other than Jiyong.

She named her designs, "Airport Fashion".

When the emcee of the L.A Fashion Week asked her how he should introduce her, she said simply, "I want to be known as 'Ssantokki'."

Christmas and New Year passed without her knowledge.

The day of the show finally came about.

The backstage was crowded, overly noisy, warm and stressful. Orders, instructions and demands were shouted over every other person's voice.

And as if Dara wasn't stressed enough, her last model was too drunk to come for the show.

It frustrated Dara to no end, knowing that her last design was the highlight of the show, and was the most beautiful piece. If she could not present that, the whole collection would be ruined! Her other models were also not thin enough not tall enough to hold up the magnificent, midnight blue dress.

As she fretted over what to do, while observing the other models put on make-up, her friend/assistant pulled her into a changing room and stuffed the dress in Dara's hands. From her lips came an order: Change.

Dara wanted to protest, but her friend already started to help her strip.

The dress was a perfect fit.

Without much time being wasted, her friend pushed her to sit in one of the vacant make-up chairs. Then, she left Dara to give the hair and makeup assistants instructions about how to do the hair and makeup.

---

The show started.

When Dara stepped out onto the runway in 8-inch heels, she took a deep breath and focused on the end of the runway, like what she always told her models, and started walking.

In that instance, everyone held their breath.

---

The show was a hit, and her designs were all the rage and talk of the town. Everyone loved her walk, and everyone wanted to book her for a modelling job. High fashion labels called the university incessantly, hoping to book her into their company ASAP.

The university gave her a manager and an assistant. They gave her everything she needed, more lessons from the most experienced designers, and her own room. They wanted to groom the most successful designer/model the century has ever seen.

So for the next 11 months, Sandara Park threw herself into her work, something that truly excited her.

She was so busy that she almost forgot that the 2 year period was coming to an end.

It was only when she received an invitation by a Seoul-based company, requesting for her to take a 6-month stint at their company and design a line, that she thought, "Ah, the two years is up. I can go back to Seoul to find Jiyong."

END OF FLASHBACK

---

Dara stepped out of the car, her mind somewhere else, one hand absent-mindedly caressing her rabbit pendant at . Her manager was already handing the car keys and luggage to the bell boys and had already dashed off to get the room keys.

Dara walked towards the front doors of the hotel slowly. Suddenly, the twin doors swung open, and  in front of her stood a stunning young man dressed in a dark grey suit, hair slicked back. Behind him, were 6 men.

He never stopped walking as he passed by Dara.

When his entourage passed by Dara, she spotted TOP and Taeyang. Her eyes widened in recognition and surprise.

"Tabi oppa!" She blurted out, not daring to near this group of intimidating people.

TOP turned his head slightly to see who called for him.

Their eyes met and TOP's eyes were totally round with shock and surprise. But he couldn't stop walking, because the man in front of him, the stunning young man, was still walking. His mouth was open in shock, but he quickly shook that off and turned back to the young man. He opened the car door for the young man, and got into the back seat. He looked out of the window and gestured wildly at Dara to call him.

But how could she when she didn't have his number? Silly Tabi.

Just as Dara was about to turn and go, her eyes shifted rightwards and she found her gaze locked with the young man. The stunning one.

His eyes.

His eyes were those that Dara had always dreamt of, loved to draw, and were deeply embedded into her memory.

The stunning young man was Jiyong.

He looked at her blankly, without recognition, then blinked and looked away passively.

He did not recognise her.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Firstly, I want to thank all my lovely subscribers who commented on my previous chapter! I'm really really REALLY TOUCHED!!!!! Well, that's because I have had that plot in my mind for so long and it is SUCH a relief to finally put it down on paper (ok, computer actually) and it is a really major twist in the story that I was doubtful about whether I should write it. So I'm really thankful that you all love it!

Be warned though, give me another one or two chapters to sort out the 'past two years' and it may get fluffy with many daragon scenes hehehehe

Pls comment! It makes me update faster keke ^_~

love, hannahnah