"Hey I'm done, let's go!" Dara's bright voice chimed as she came out of the toilet, dressed in a knee-length black skirt with a simple sleeveless blouse, her long frizzy brown hair tied in a high ponytail. Jiyong turned to face her a gave her a satisfied nod. What she was wearing was MARGINALLY acceptable. Not "wow", but not too ugly that he would reject the thought of being seen with her. 

"Let's go then." Jiyong put his hands in his pockets and walked out of her room calmly. When he opened the front door, there was a flashy red sports car sitting at the roadside in front of her house. 

"Wow, nice car! I wonder whose it is... Mr Yang? Mr Lee?" Dara commented, listing all the neighours who lived nearby.

"Aniya, it's mine." Jiyong said proudly as he opened the door at the passenger side for her to enter.

"What... What do you mean it's yours?! You're still 17 and underage to drive a car!" Dara crossed her arms and refused to enter the car, highly suspicious of Jiyong's driving skills.

"Ehhh... I kinda told them I was older... BUT don't worry, I'm a fantastic driver!" Jiyong said quickly, not wanting to tell her that he had partially bought his license with money, and the other part because he really was a good driver. Yet seeing the stubborn look on Dara's unbelieving face, he sighed for the second time that day.

Stepping closer, he scooped Dara up and literally stuffed a thrashing Dara into the passenger seat and locked the door on her side to prevent her from escaping. Then, he went over to the driver's side, went in, started the ignition and drove the car smoothly away. 

After 5 minutes of whining and complaining, Dara finally accepted that she wouldn't die in Jiyong's hands and finally kept quiet, clasping her hands in her lap and stared at the road ahead. Overjoyed that she was finally silent, Jiyong spoke.

"Dara." 

"NEH??? What did you call me?" Dara sat up in surprise at hearing her nickname. Only 2NE1 called her that. Sure, Jiyong used to call her that, but that was when they were friends last time. Oh wait, they're friends again now. That's going to need a bit of getting used to...

"Why are you so surprised? It's what I used to call you when we were young. It's my favourite nickname for you." Jiyong gave a boyish smirk. "So... can you call me Ji like you used to? I really like that nickname." He said shyly, peeking at Dara from the corner of his eye.

"Ahhh...ah yeh Jiyon...Ji." Dara gave a small smile as she corrected herself. Her best friend was back. The feeling was... nice. But oh no, the bet. How could she be so foolish?! Aish... maybe I'll discuss it with Ji later on...hmm... Dara mentally slapped herself.

"Dara, we're going to Daeri Furniture House to buy furniture." Jiyong interrupted her line of thoughts, his eyes concentrating on driving while waiting for her reply.

So when no reply came, he finally turned to glance at the silent Dara.

"Yah! You firghtened me! Why are you so close to me!" He screamed in surprise when he turned and saw Dara's face just centimetres from his, shocking him. 

"Dae... Daeri Furniture House? Isn't that the biggest shopping centre for furniture???" Dara said in fear, her eyes wide as she questioned Jiyong.

"Oh , I forgot! Dara I totally forgot that you hated shopping centres! Mianhe! But that is the only place that sells good furniture! Ok I tell you what, I promise to stay by your side the whole trip through okay?" Jiyong promised as he parked the car. Reaching across the seat to hook his pinky in hers, he announced, "We're here!"

Dara took in a shaky breath to calm her nerves. Ok... She can do this. Jiyong was here with her. And he promised. And she really needed furniture. And he was right, cos the furniture thatwas sold in wet markets were both ugly and unusable. Encouraged by the many reasons, she got out of the car and followed after Jiyong closely.

---

"Dara! Come here! This is awesome!" Jiyong said, bouncing on a plush, red three-seater couch, a bright smile on his face.

"Yah! What are you doing?! No spoiling the furniture!" Dara pointed at a sign worriedly. At the rate Jiyong bounced on that couch, it was really going to spoil!

Ignoring her concerns, he simply grabbed her wrist and pulled her down beside him. AISH that boy! Ignoring her was really becoming a habit for him... She would need to reprimand him on that. But the couch was really comfy and she couldn't resist but bounce on it a few times. His grin getting even brighter, he said "I told you so right!"

"OK! We're getting this!" Jiyong announced, getting up suddenly, gesturing to the saleslady that had been following them around for the past two hours. Dara scrambled to look for the price tag attached to the chair and ran after Jiyong immediately.

"I can't afford this! 3 million won??? (~3 thousand US dollars)" Dara whispered to him, trying not to let the saleslady hear. "Ji, really, we've already bought cutlery and cookware for the kitchen, a dining table, two study tables, 6 cupboards, a television...Ji?" Dara counted off the items from her fingers in concentration, but stopped when she realised that Jiyong wasn't in front of her anymore.

"Ji...? Jiyong, this isn't funny!" Dara's heart started pumping faster as she whipped her head around to look for Jiyong, but couldn't find him. The saleslady was gone too! Her breath hitched and became fast and uneven. The crowd noises from the people around her suddenly became too loud and too overwhelming. Dara started to break out in cold sweat, her eyes wide, and pupils dilated. She felt so, so scared...

---

FLASHBACK

Dara was 4 years old. Her mother was arguing with her father over something. She couldn't hear what they were arguing about but she heard the words "Post-natal depression" come up a few times.

"Chundong, do you know what that means? I don't..." Dara her sleeping baby brother's forehead gently, whispering. Her brother was 3 months old and Dara already felt a strong need to protect this sibling of hers.

"Dara, let's go shopping!" Her mother entered the room and pulled her out of the room and into the car.

Yay! Shopping! Dara loved the shopping mall with all it's mall noises, mall junk, food, colours and pretty clothes! 

"Omma, that teddy bear is so cute!" SHe ran over to pick up the bear to show her mother, but when she turned around, she couldn't see her mother. People, taller adults, older kids, pushed past her frequently as she just stood there, not knowing what to do. 

They said she had fainted. They said her mother's illness had caused her to forgot all about Dara and had left her at the mall by mistake. Dara couldn't really remember what had happened after that, but she never forgot the fear she had felt then...

END OF FLASHBACK

---

"Yah... Jiyong ah..." Dara said in an almost-whisper, her face deathly pale. The furniture was spinning quickly around her and black spots were forming in her eyes. But before the black spots overwhelmed her, she heard music over the speakers. The song was familiar and the words, comforting. The voice... was mesmerising. So Sandara put all of her last bit of conciousness and strength into focusing on the song. 

This song... I rememer it... Dara thought as she closed her eyes. The black spots were fading away and the room had stopped spinning. All feelings of fear were temporarily forgotten as she focused on the music. 

"Don't go, don't leave me and run away; I'll still wait for you like a fool..." As the song, "Fool" ended, she felt someone tap her on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw the guy whose face she wanted to break. Before she could do anything, the song ended. "This song is dedicated to my best friend whom I've missed dearly for the past 5 years. I love you." Jiyong said into the small mike he was holding. The entire mall heard the confession and started whooping in delight, not even knowing who was making it, but everyone felt very touched.

He stepped up real close to her, locking her gaze in his impenetrable one. I'm sorry Dara, but I have to make you fall in love with me, Jiyong thought as he stood there, waiting for Dara to respond.

Dara couldn't breathe in the second he said that. Was he for real?

She really felt a gush of warm relief at his presence and song, and was really so touched that she felt like jumping into his arms the moment she saw him, but was also very upset that he left her there in the first place! He knew that she disliked shopping centres! And what he was saying now truly disturbed her emotions to a great extent! Though she had stopped liking him for a few years now, that confession moved her, but was it love?

Yet before Dara could give it more thought, her phone started ringing. Jiyong closed his eyes to hide his impatience and frustration as Dara broke the intense stare and started rummaging through her bag for her phone. Shooting him an apologetic smile, she took a few steps away to pick up the call.

"Yah don't feel touched! Don't fall in love so easily!!! It's part of the plot! He just wants to make you fall in love with him!!!"Bom angry whispered over the phone.

Bom? Bom was here? How did she know where I am? Dara looked around sneakily and spotted a petite figure wearing a large black sunhat and a hoodie, with a tall guy in sunglasses and a scarf wrapped around half of his face. The way the petite figure whispered into her phone and they way the guy stood gave their identities away immediately. 

Dara sniggered softly as she watched the pair stand behind the pillar sneakily. "Haha, Bom, aren't you risking your reputation by wearing that hat? Even I know that that's an ahjumma hat" Dara laughed, tears starting to form from laughing too hard.

"You're still in the mood to make jokes?! This is YOUR HAT by the way!!! TOP said that Jiyong would try something so we rushed over to your house, but we found it empty with these terrible clothes all over your room, and TOP guessed that Jiyong might bring you here! We really need to go shopping one of these days my dear!" Bom rattled on.

"Hi Dara." Dara heard a deep voice over the phone. 

"Hi TOP!" She smiled and did a small wave in the direction of the pair. She saw Bom try to snatch the phone back from TOP who was simply holding it above his head calmly while Bom hopped around him, jumping to reach the phone, but failing. "Alright Dara, I trust that you know what to do right? Goodbye!" TOP said before snapping the phone shut and handing it back to Bom and tuning out from Bom's incessant whining.

---

Well, two can play at this game, Dara thought.

TOP mentioned that Jiyong liked skinship huh? Well she can do that! After all, as childhood friends, they had had a lot of skinship, so this should be easy! Snapping her phone shut, she dumped it into her bag and walked back to where Jiyong stood and looped her arm into his. 

Jiyong's eyes widened at her action. Wow, his trick worked so well? Oh well, it was comfortable, so why complain? He grinned happily and walked hand in hand with Dara. 
 

"I haven't forgiven you for abandoning me, Kwon Jiyong!" Sandara pouted angrily at Jiyong, arms still linked.

"Yah, call me Ji! Ahh...ah, arrasso, mianhe! I just wanted to show you how much I missed you" He said, his eyes looking left and right, hoping she would not call his bluff and realise that it was all part of his plan.

"No, JIYONG, you lied to me! We even pinky sweared!" Dara unhooked her arm from his, pouting.

The loss of body heat from his side made Jiyong turn to her. "Ok, I'll pay for all the furniture! And I'll receive any punishment you give to me..." He pulled at her bottom lip that was pouting at him gently and winked at her.

"Fine! Since you're the one who chose all the expensive furniture, you should pay for them! And... punishment eh...? Ah! I got one! You can be my "slave" for one week!" Dara said triumphantly, giving him a cute eye-smile.

Oh . Damn this wasn't good. He didn't expect that. But he couldn't retract his words so he reluctantly nodded, making Dara throw up her hands in the air in happiness.

"So happy that you got yourself a slave?" Jiyong whispered seductively in her ear while she was doing her victory dance.

"YAH!!! JIIIIIIII !!!!!!!" Dara screamed in horror, making all the windows tremble from the intensity of her scream.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

YAY!!! Here's the chapter I promised!!! I hope you like it!!!!! YAYYYY 

This could have come out earlier, but while I was typing this chapter in the morning, my computer crashed and all that I was typing got wiped out!!! T.T

No matter, this is much better heh ^_~

53 subscribers, 897 views and 11 upvotes??? Wow I'm really touched that so many of you read my story and like it!!! (Cries tears of gratitude) 

Show some love, all you wonderful people!!!

Subscribe, upvote and COMMENTTTTTTT!!!!! ^^

MUCH LOVE,

hannahnah