Chapter XXVIII: 

The Unrequited

8:00 PM         

After what seemed to be a very tiring day, Dara desperately craved to bury her wearied body deep onto the soft cushions of her bed, the feeling of it made her squirm. But for now, her leather seat would suffice. It was late in the evening yet there she was, drowning in the endless stream of her paper works.  She heaved an exasperated sigh, regretting the time she wasted. If only she did not attend the press conference. If only she did not bothered eating dinner, if only…

“It’s getting late,” Youngbae materialized from the threshold of her office, disrupting her thought. “Don’t stress yourself too much and go get some rest.” He reprimanded and Dara’s face contorted with annoyance upon his fatherly demeanor.

“I can’t possibly get some rest now,” She retorted back, lifting a thick folder of scrambled paraphernalia. “These damned cases need to be read and studied carefully.”

“I’ll help you, then.” He offered. Dara sighed and nodded her head nonchalantly, too occupied to even argue with her secretary’s dominative tone. The two of them worked in silence, and every time he had a chance, Youngbae would perk his head up, stealing a couple of glances at the woman. Her face was pale—paler than he remembered—and dark circles beneath her drowsy eyes were subtly visible.  She was as thin as a hair pin and he could not suppress the twinge of sympathy towards her current state. She was already too busy with her work and then there came the scandal. Youngbae was worried that Dara might break out of too much stress.

****

11:38 PM

Dara was driving her way back home through a heavy rainfall. She forced her eyes open, heaving a few remarks of gratefulness that finally, she can have a rest—or that was what she thought. Upon arriving, she noticed a murky figure in front of her house. The silhouette was concealed in darkness and was cladded in a hood which made it harder for her to recognize the creepy stranger. A surge of confounding thoughts hovered inside her fatigued mind.  Was it one of Donghae’s sasaeng fans? Or was it one of those people who wanted her dead? It was not impossible.  She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the horror of the thought dawned into her consciou