Chapter XXXI:

Confrontation

“JJ?” Dara mumbled; voice coated with astonishment.

The room was then suffocated with an awkward silence, yet the undeniable tension was thundering against their ears in each passing second. The last time Dara could recall, hospitals existed for the welfare of their patients—it should be cozy, relaxing and serene. However the drastic shift of ambience made her squirm and shift uncomfortably on her bed.

This, surely, isn’t good for her welfare.  

Then a rush of anxious thoughts came ringing inside her mind.

What would she tell him?

He knew how she struggled to move on with Jae. What would he think now she had a boyfriend? Or rather, what would he think now that she had a fake boyfriend?—should she even tell him that it was all a lie?

But how could she lie with Jaejoong? After all her fault against him, Dara could only curse herself for being such a …and a coward.

But…what about Donghae? The guy agreed not to tell his closest friends about their scheme even though he struggled telling them a lie. Would she selfishly risk his sacrifice?—or was it even considered as sacrifice?

 “Am I disturbing something?” Jaejoong spoke, pulling Dara out of her confounding contemplations with the cold tone of his voice.

“No, not at all.” Surprisingly, it was Donghae who took the initiative to respond. He stood up, curtly bowing at the visitor—who was also a no stranger to him—and offered a seat. However, the latter refused the chair that Donghae gestured for him to sit on. Instead, Jaejoong walked past the other guy—as if he wasn’t there at all—and came to sit on Dara’s bed, just a few inches beside her. He held the girl in a firm gaze and ignored the daggers Donghae threw through his distasteful glare.

Dara knew perfectly that he was angry—of course he was. The coldness of his aura would only show when he was highly aggravated. And with the spine chilling gaze he was giving her? The girl could actually feel his fury stabbing right through her. Strangely, instead of guilt, she felt nostalgic. It reminded her about the only guy who had the capability of intimidating her.

Yes. Only Jaejoong could do that.

It was when they had a heated argument about something she had already forgotten. He never shouted nor did he scream any profanities at her, but the look on his face alone stung painfully like frostbite. Good thing it only happened once.

 But now, it seemed to happen again.

 “So,” she began, trying to ease the tension. “How are you?”

“Really? You’re the one asking me that stupid question?”  He snapped. The thin and frigid tone of his voice was like a slab of sharp icicle pierced through her. Dara could only gulp a non-existent lump, her gaze falling.

Donghae stood partly amused at the sight unfolding before him. It was so unusual for Dara to look like a child as if she was being tamed and lectured by her parent. But then he was also partly irritated because that ‘parent’ was Jaejoong.  

Much too his annoyance, the other guy then lifted a hand and reached in to feather a touch on Dara’s cheek.

 “God, Dara, look at you.” The man added in a softer voice, the iciness in his eyes slowly melting into profound worry. “I told you to eat more, you pabo.”

Upon hearing that last word, Dara snapped her head at him, all the guilt faded in an instant. “Yah, I’m fine. Stop worrying about me and start looking at the mirror. How old are you again? Forty?”

Jaejoong’s mouth twitched at her remark. He direly wanted to scream all of his frustrations at her, to shake the sanity out of this girl who clearly had the guts to insult him even though she was mainly one of the reasons on why he's so stressed out the past few days.  And she had no idea that it was her, who made him fly out of the coastal boundaries of Japan and into Korean soil, all because of a morning news flash report.

‘Miss Sandara Park collapsed while heading for work.  Good thing boyfriend Donghae was there for rescue.’

Of course, he tuned out that follow up statement and only focused on the prior and important words; ‘Sandara Park…collapsed.’ With those in his mind, the guy rushed mindlessly towards the airport. He cannot even remember how he managed to get there safely— and in decent clothes.

But after finally seeing her face—pale, but still lovely— all of those seeping rage fairly veered into a long sigh of relief and said, “You don’t know how worried I was, Dee.” 

Dara only managed to utter a soft, “Miahne,” her gaze falling once again. It was hard to look on those hazel eyes—especially when it was an exact replica of those of her beloved Jae. Staring straight at it was only making her guilty more and more with their lie.

Unknown to the two, another person had already been boiling in fury. Donghae had his fingers clamped tightly into fists, subtly trembling in jealousy. The matter regarding CL was nothing compared to the insecurity he felt when Dara had an affectionate look in her eyes when she tried to shift her gaze away from Jaejoong. How come she never had that glint in her eyes whenever she looked at him?

But why would she anyway?

His inner possessiveness stirred at bay. He wanted to lurch at them and pull Dara away from the damn guy, but why would he?

It irritated him to the core when Jaejoong started ruffling her hair then gingerly felt her temperature with his palms—but should he?

Should the fake boyfriend feel jealousy?

Then there it was—the word which answered his distressing questions.

 ‘Fake.’

Why would he act furious when there was no camera nor were there any other people in the room? He knew their façade could only be played with those facets around. He had no right. It pained