Dara's Point Of View :


We all waited patiently—or should I say impatiently as the cops arrived. Neither of us were allowed to move being as a showdown had occurred not even a half hour ago.

I bit my lip as a bald headed guy maneuvered his way through the tables and over to the huddle of people standing near my family, Ji-Yong and I.

Luke was god knows where at this point but I assumed he must have gone off to wash the blood smeared all over his face due to the fact Ji-Yong had broken his nose.

Ji-Yong stiffened up beside me and I could tell, he knew exactly who the man in the uniform was.

“Well, well, well… why am I not surprised?” A wicked smirk spread across his lips. “Kwon was behind this whole mess.” Shaking his head, he pulled out a pad and pen. “Who’s the owner of this fine place?”

Ji-Yong bitterly looked away, his jaw twitching, his eyes hard as a rock. He was beyond pissed at this point.

“I am sir,” The man in the suit, otherwise known as Jack, walked over, standing up straight beside us.

Leaning over, he shook hands with the officer.

“Can you tell me exactly what happened here tonight?” After scribbling something down on his notepad, he looked up at Cheondung with intensity, his ears perked to what Cheondung had to say.

his lips, Cheondung nodded. “I was greeting a few customers out in the left area of the diner, asking them if they liked their food, making simple conversation when I heard commotion come from this area.” He pointed all around him.

“Mhm,” The bald headed man wrote a few things down before looking back up at him. “What was the commotion about?”

“This young lady, Dara Park ,” He put a hand on my shoulder, “was being held at gunpoint by that fella over there.” Pointing in the direction Luke was last seen, we all turned to see the area vacant.

Furrowing his eyebrows, confusion pinched his features. Scratching the top of his head, he looked all around him. “He was just there a few moments ago.”

“Well, where is he now?” The officer turned around, trying to catch a glimpse of anything out of the ordinary.

My stomach churned painfully as realization hit that Luke didn’t leave to wash himself off. But instead, he escaped.

Ji-Yong remained rigid, not moving an inch despite the horrible news.

“What do you mean the bastard is not here?” My dad hissed. “He was just here! How the hell could he have left?”

“Calm down, Paul.” My mom murmured softly, not wanting my dad to lose his temper in front of a policeman.

“Who was the fella that held Ms.Park at gunpoint? We will put our men on a lookout for the attacker. You do not have to worry…”

“Mr. Park.” My dad responded with a sneer.

“Mr. Park.” He nodded, scribbling something else down. “What’s the name of the—”

“Luke.” Ji-Yong spat. “His ing name is Luke Delgado.”

I bit my lip, praying to God that his profanity didn’t get him in trouble.

Snapping his fingers, two other officers appeared. Speaking in low tones, they exchanged quick conversation before they left, talking into their walkie-talkies, disappearing out the front doorsand into their cars.

“We have an APB out on Mr. Delgado. In the meantime, can you proceed to tell us what happened?”

“Yes,” Cheondung gulped. “Luke warned us all not to move or call the authorities or else he’d shoot her. He seemed to have known what he was doing because he started a disagreement with this young man right here.” Gesturing over to Ji-Yong, the officer nodded. “They exchanged a few… words, threatening one another. This young man right here was trying to have Dara released but nothing seemed to work. Until a few moments later, Dara had done something to release the man’s grip off of her and that was when I had left to call you.”

Jotting down the last of what he wanted, he clicked his pen shut, turning to face Ji-Yong and me.

“What happened after Luke released Dara ?” His gaze was hard on Ji-Yong’s.

“I grabbed him, kneed him in the stomach and punched him the face twice. I would’ve done more but my girlfriend stopped me before it could go too far.”

“Girlfriend?” He raised an eyebrow.

I smiled faintly, giving a small wave. “Yeah, that would be me.”

“Why exactly did Luke Delgado take you?” He turned his body, facing me completely, eager to know my answer.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest. All I know is that I went to the bathroom and when I came out, he had me pinned against the wall. I told him to get off of me but he didn’t listen. I asked him what he wanted, he said me. Before anything else could happen, Ji-Yong pushed him off of me and told him not to go near me. He grabbed my hand and we went over to my parents when I was harshly tugged backwards and afore I count react, he put his arm around my neck, keeping me firmly in place against his chest with a gun pushed into my side.”

“And—”

“You already know everything. What more do you want to know?” Ji-Yong spat, getting fairly impatient with the whole questioning process.

Just knowing he had to go through this every time the cops took him in brought an unfamiliar feeling to the pit of my stomach.

“Why in the world Luke Delgado would go after you.” He looked at Ji-Yong. “What is it that’s going on that we don’t know Kwon?”

“I don’t ing know. I had no reference to Delgado until the piece of turned up tonight.” Shaking his head, Ji-Yong jabbed a finger in his direction. “How about you quit asking me the questions and go find the that made this whole mess?”

Tucking the notepad he had been writing in, in the back pocket of his uniform pants, he pressed his lips firmly together. “We’ll be keeping in touch, Mr. Kwon.”

Scoffing, Ji-Yong shook his head. “I know the routine.”

“We will keep you all informed with what is going on with Mr. Delgado.”

Nodding his head, my dad shook his hand before pulling away and watching as he disappeared out back with Cheondung following behind.

A different officer from before came over to us. “From state orders, we are here to tell you that you must leave the area for inspecting and any other questioning that is to go on. We would appreciate it if you exit through the front doors.”

I held onto Ji-Yong’s arm, making sure he was alright and that he didn’t go after Luke for a second time tonight as we were all escorted out of the diner.

It was bad enough I was held at gun point; I didn’t need him to risk getting in trouble with the authorities… again.

My parents stayed close , in complete shock as to what just happened, Cheondung practically traumatized by the whole thing.

Guilt seethed inside of me. The moment I saw Luke, I should have told them to leave. I should have known something like this would’ve happened.

The cold night air whisked through my hair, blowing fervently through us all, bringing goosebumps upon my arms as we walked outside.

Several people walked out with us, wanting to go home and have a good night’s rest. Hoping to forget about tonight’s events.

Once the coast was cleared, I turned towards Ji-Yong, worry seething through my veins. “Are you alright?” I whispered.

Ji-Yong merely looked ahead of me, anger evident in his face as his chest moved up and down quickly, his jaw tightened and his knuckles white from the fists he formed beside him.

Grabbing his hands into mine, I squeezed them, wanting to grab his full attention. “Ji-Yong?”

Forcing himself to look down at me, his eyes immediately softened as they stared into mine. I could sense the sadness, the regret… the sorrow.

I shook my head, wanting to tell him it wasn’t his fault when my dad decided to speak instead.

“I can’t believe this.” He hissed with discrepancy, not being able to wrap his mind around what happened just a few minutes ago.

“Dad…”

“No,Dara !” He roared causing me to jump back in surprise. He rarely go this loud with me unless I was in serious trouble. “How can you stand there and ask this… this… criminal if he is alright?” He shook his head. “What about us? Your family?”

I stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. “I’m sorry…” I stared at all four of them, including Ji-Yong. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” I cried desperately.

“You nearly died tonight because of him, Sandara Park!” My mother spat, grabbing all of our attention. “How can you stand there and defend that monster over your own father!”

I shook my head. “You don’t understand…”

“Oh, I understand perfectly fine!” She hissed, dropping Cheondung’s hand, pushing him over in my dad’s direction before moving on over to me. “Bom was right all along! He’s nothing but trouble.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“He’s a criminal Dara and I experienced it with my own eyes tonight!” She threw her arms in the air, trying to get through to me but nothing she could say or do would change the way I feel about Ji-Yong.

They didn’t know him like I did and they certainly didn’t know the situation with Luke either.

They knew nothing.

“He was protecting me!” I screamed back, not being able to contain my emotions any further.

“Protecting you?” She spat in incredulity, her eyes wide in horror. “Try nearly getting you killed!”

“How can you say that? If it wasn’t for Ji-Yong, I wouldn’t be standing here right now!” I stomped my heel to the ground, my hands curled into fists at my sides.

“No,Dara !” My dad stepped up beside my mom. “If it wasn’t for his violent ways you wouldn’t be standing here right now! Do you understand you could’vedied tonight?”

“But I didn’t!” I screeched, not being able to hear this any longer.

“Don’t be immature Dara !” He barked harshly. “You’re smarter than this. You could’ve died and you know that’s the truth! How can you stand here, look me in the eyes and defend that monster?” He waved a hand in a disgusted manner towards Ji-Yong, his chest heaving in an uneven pattern from the force he was putting behind his words.

Just as I opened my mouth to counter back with a comeback of defense, a voice was heard from behind me and immediately my heart faltered.

“He’s right.” I snapped my head around to see Ji-Yong standing there with his hands in his pockets, a blank expression on his face.

“Of course I’m right!” My dad barked, turning his attention over to Ji-Yong now. Brushing past me, he got in Ji-Yong’s face. “I had the decency to give you a chance.” Jabbing a finger into Ji-Yong’s chest, he continued on with his rant. “I truly felt remarkably bad for judging someone I had never met before. I let you come to dinner with my family and as a repayment, I get a gun show putting my daughter in the cross fire!”

Ji-Yong merely stood there, letting my dad say whatever it was that he wanted, not even fighting back.

This wasn’t like him.

“You’re lucky I didn’t tell the cops back in there that you nearly had my daughter shot at!” My dad threw his arms in the air, his face flushed with anger. “To think you were a decent boy… looks can truly be deceiving.”

I stared in shock, not being able to believe he was doing this right now. “How can you just stand there and let him talk to you like that?”

“He’s your father,Dara !” Ji-Yong snapped. “He’s not just some guy; I can’t just deck him in the face and call it a day. I can’t stand here and defend myself knowing that he’s right.”

“No, he’s not.”

“Don’t be naïve,Dara.” Ji-Yong shook his head, staring at me with pained eyes. “You could’ve died…”

“But I didn’t! What don’t you guys get about that?” I spat in skepticism. “I’m still standing here!” I threw my arms in the air, showcasing I was moving, alive and well. “I’m still breathing!”

“It’s only a matter of time before he comes after you again!” Ji-Yong screamed and for the first time tonight, I shut up immediately.

“You’ll get rid of him!” I countered.

“Get rid of him…” Ji-Yong repeated with a scoff. “And after he’s out of the picture, someone else will try to put a hit on you.” He shook his head. “It’s a never ending cycle!”

“He will come after her again?” My dad murmured more to himself than anyone else, in a state of shock that I had never seen him in before.

I bit the inside of my cheek. “Please… don’t do this…” I whispered.

“Yes, he will.” Ji-Yong countered, not even an ounce of regret laced in his words, his eyes remained on mine as he addressed my father.

Realization seemed to kick in as my father seemingly blocked everyone else around him, his attention now fully on Ji-Yong and what he had to say for himself. “The entire time you were seeing my daughter; she’s been in danger, hasn’t she?” Tears whelmed up in his eyes and my stomach plummeted to the ground.


Seeing the two people I love come to blows was never what I wanted.

Ji-Yong hesitantly nodded, not even thinking twice about what he was doing.

I stared over at him with wide eyes. “Ji-Yong…” I mumbled in disbelief, shaking my head. “That’s not true.”

“Dara ,” He flicked his eyes from my dad’s to mine. “I’m done pretending that everything’s going to be alright.” He faced me, his back blocking off the world around us. “Tonight just proved to us that no matter what, your life will always be in jeopardy. If not by Luke, it’ll be by someone else.”

“No.” I spat.

“Don’t be stubborn—”

“You promised that you were going to be there for me.” I whimpered like a lost child looking for her parents. My bottom lip quivered and I felt the water works building up inside of me. “Do you remember that?”

Ji-Yong stayed silent, the night air aerating through our heated bodies, my flushed cheeks turning stale.

“You promised that you would keep me safe and never leave.” Tears blurred my vision, my chest tightening as my palms dampened.

“And look how that turned out.” He shook his head, his eyes red from the pressure he was putting himself in by holding back his tears. Even at the toughest of times, he didn’t dare show his weak side. “You almost died.”

“No…” I shook my head. “I didn’t.”

“Luke held you at gunpoint. It was only a matter of time before he blackmailed me into dropping my gun and taking off with you somewhere, leaving me to find you again.” He paused. “This time Dara , there would’ve been a slim chance I would’ve found you.”

“Stop thinking of the what-if’s. I’m here, now. I’m safe, I’m alive. Isn’t that what’s supposed to matter?”

“Don’t you get it?” A look of bewilderment crossed his features. “My life is too dangerous.” He whispered.

“You can’t do this.” I spoke through gritted teeth, desperate to get through to him.

“I’m not the guy you think I am.” Ji-Yong took a step back from me.

“You’re not the guy I think you are?” I huffed, feeling as though my whole world has come crashing down on top of my shoulders.

“I kill people for a living. I do things you could never imagine. I’m wanted by the cops and wherever I go, I have to watch my back.” He stopped, taking a deep breath. “You can’t live like this.”

“You’re over exaggerating!”

“Over exaggerating would be saying everything is going to be okay!” He shouted.

I stood my ground, not letting him or his words affect me. “I told you I’m not going anywhere and I’m not.”

“You don’t understand…” He roughly shook his head. “By you being with me, you’re a target. You could die at any moment no matter where we are and tonight proved that! You experienced what could potentially happen to you if you stayed with me.”

“Where is all of this coming from?” I stared over at him incredulously. “Where was this sudden talk about my safety a month ago?”

“It’s the truth.” He murmured. “I was just too caught up in the moment to realize it.”

“No, it’s what you think is the truth.” The tears slid down my cheeks, dampening my cheeks. “Why can’t you just let yourself be happy?”

“Because I can’t!” He barked, running a hand through his hair as he roughly pulled at the ends. “Happiness doesn’t come with the package.”

“God dammit Ji-Yong!” I screamed irritably. “You make it seem like you’re doomed for life!”

“I am!”

“No you’re not! You can be happy if you want to be but you just choose not to!” I bit my lip, trying to calm myself down. “No matter what you say or do, it won’t change the way I feel about you.” I whispered. “I told you from the beginning, I’m never leaving you. Don’t you remember, back at your house when you told me about Jung Ah?”

He stayed silent; his eyes masking sadness as he silently urged me to continue, knowing I wasn’t going to stop anyways.

“I told you that I wasn’t going to leave you like she did and I meant it. I’m here for a reason and I’m not going anywhere.” I grabbed his hand in mine, caressing the palm of it with my thumb.

“This isn’t a fairytale,Dara . This is real life. There is no happy ending in a life like this.” He retaliated.

“Stop talking like that…” I trailed off.

“Like what?”

“Like this is the end…” I mumbled.

“It is the end.” Pausing, he his lips, looking away from me. “It’s the end of us.”

“No…” I cried, shaking my head. “No, it’s not.”

“Yes it is.” Ji-Yong rasped, letting his hands slip from my hold.

“Why…“ I gaped, my chest contracting. “Why are you doing this?” I looked up at him.

“It’s the only way I can keep you safe.” Turning around, he straightened his posture, keeping his feet planted firmly on the ground, his face expressionless just how my father’s had been a while back. “I’m sorry.” He spoke in a hard tone, sincerity laced within. “I never meant for this to happen.”

My dad took a few steps forward, now standing face to face with Ji-Yong. “I don’t want you coming near my daughter again, do you understand me?”

“Dad!” I screamed my face hot with frustration.

Ji-Yong nodded. “You don’t have to worry about that sir. From now on, I’m going to leave your daughter alone.”

“Ji-Yong!” I cried out desperately but he didn’t listen to me. Instead, he walked away, brushing past me along the way.

“No!” I screamed, running after him, my parents yelling for me to get back at them in the background but I ignored them, grabbing hold of Ji-Yong’s arm. “Don’t do this! Don’t leave me.”

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be Dara .” He hissed, keeping his eyes directed in front of me, not even daring to look at me.

“I love you! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” I sniveled, the tears uncontrollably falling down.

“Stop it,Dara .” Ji-Yong seethed in a sharp breath, his jaw twitching.

“How can you just walk away from me without even a single glance? Why is it so easy for you to walk away from me? Did you ever in love me or was that all just a lie?”

“You want to know if I loved you?” He spat, turning to me with burning eyes.

I let go of his arm, crossing my own across my chest, gulping down hard as I kept my gaze locked on his, afraid of what he would say.

“When I was stabbed, I came to you. When I was hurt you, the first thing I could think of was making sure you were okay. When Luke took you, I didn’t hesitate trying to find you. When I saw that er on top of you that night, all I could think about was making him pay for ever putting his hands on you. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to ensure you were alive and okay.” Shaking his head, his face red, he ran a hand down his face and around his neck. “When he grabbed you today… my heart stopped. Just the thought of losing you drove me insane.”

I felt my heart beat accelerate ten times faster, my throat growing dry as I stared at his guilt ridden eyes forever making me think he didn’t love me.

“Despite the fact that I knew you would end up hurt, I still stayed by your side because you mean everything to me. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you and I always will.”

my lips, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Okay… okay then,” Walking over to him, I cupped his face into my hands. “We can make this work!”

“No.” Ji-Yong shook his head while grabbing onto my hands and forcing them off of him. “Despite what I said, it doesn’t change my anything.”

“Ji-Yong…” I murmured. “Please… we can do this.”

“Stop it.” He spat, frustration getting the best of him. “It’s over,Dara .”

I shook my head, the tears falling freely down my cheeks, scaring me once again. “Please, Ji-Yong…” I grabbed onto his hand. “Don’t do this, please.”

Giving me a desperate, pained look, he pulled away from me and with a simple shake of his head; he turned and began walking away.

“Ji-Yong…” I spoke frantically, my voice hoarse. “Please! I love you!” I grasped onto my stomach, the growing feeling of despair inside throwing me over the edge.

Ji-Yong however, persistent, held his head high with his hands inside his pockets.

“Ji-Yong!” I screamed after him, watching in astonishment that his body didn’t even move a muscle. He just continued on without even a look back. “I love you!”

Nothing anyone could say or do would make up for how I was feeling right now. It was as if my whole entire world came crashing down on my shoulders and in just a blink of an eye, I had lost the one person I ever truly loved.

Falling to the ground, I placed a shaking hand over my mouth to keep myself from breaking down any further as the tears uncontrollably fell down my cheeks.


Ji-Yong’s Point of View:

My chest heaved up and down from the countless emotions that were pulsing through my veins at this very moment.

I clenched and unclenched my fists, trying to ease the tension, to calm myself down but nothing at this point could stop me from what I’m about to do.

Dara’s desperate cries for me to come back were what drove me forwards. I had to go, I had to leave without looking back because I knew that if I turned and laid eyes on her, I would run back and apologize. I would tell her I didn’t mean anything and that I was sorry. I’d promise her the impossible and from there, everything would go back to normal.

And that was something I couldn’t have happen.

No matter how much it hurt me to let her go, I had to. She was in too much danger and it was because of me that she almost died tonight.

Reaching my car once I managed to find my way through the parking lot, it wasn’t until I ed the door open and seated myself inside that everything hit me like a ton of bricks, starting from this morning all the way to tonight.

Grasping onto the steering wheel tight, I tightened my jaw, my throat closing up, and my stomach in knots.

How the could I have let it go this far? I should have taken care of that bastard the second he ing laid a hand on Dara .

“Don’t do this…”Dara ’s voice replayed over and over again.

Closing my eyes, I shook my head, trying to get the picture of her desperate cries out of my head.

“I love you!” She bellowed, trying to capture my attention.

Opening my eyes, a tear slipped down my cheek and that was the final straw before I finally broke down.

Everything in my life had taken a turn for the worse and for the first time in a while, I felt useless.

Running my hands through my hair, I pulled at the ends, trying to get rid of the memories of tonight.

“How can you stand here, look me in the eyes and defend that monster?”

“You could’ve died…”

“I don’t want you coming near my daughter again, do you understand me?”

Screaming, I repeatedly punched the steering wheel, letting out my frustrations and anger. It was because of that good for nothing piece of trash Delgado that I had to let go of the one thing that meant most to me in the world.

Wiping furiously at my face, I was done feeling sorry for myself. It was about time I took out the trash, once and for all.

Jamming the key into the ignition, I twisted it, the car roaring to life before I pulled out of the slot and out of the parking lot. Driving down the street, I didn’t care about all safety regulations or the law. All I cared about was making sure he paid for what he did.

Speeding through the streets, it didn’t take long before I made it to the house. Parking in the driveway, I slammed the car door shut after I got out, jogging up the steps that led to the door and opening it. “Young Bae!”

He appeared seconds later, his eyebrows furrowed together. “Ji-Yong? What are you doing here early? Did everything go alright with Dara and her parents?”