o=o=o

 

“Jiyong, I’m tired” I complained. “And it’s already dark. I think we should camp here”

 

“Aish” he muttered. I grinned as he settled his bag down and started setting up the tent. I went to help but I always end up crashing the tent down.

 

“I’m just trying to help!” I defended as he started shouting at me.

 

“You call this helping?! How am I going to finish setting this up if you keep on-?”

 

“I’m not doing this purpose! I-“

 

“Just sit somewhere!” he snapped.

 

“But-“

 

“Sit!” he cut off. “And no nothing!”

 

“Ya!” I’m not a dog for you to order around like that” I fired back.

 

“Dogs are more intelligent compared to you” he mumbled darkly.

 

I balled my fists. He’s just SO RUDE! How come I wanted to be his friend? Aish! Nevertheless, I won’t let him get to me. “Huh!” I scoffed. “If I don’t know better, I’d think you just don’t want me to do anything because you don’t want me to get tired”

 

“You should go to a psychiatrist after this”

 

“And you should go with me too” I returned.

 

“Yeah, maybe I should do that” he said. “Maybe that’ll hell me understand why on earth I’m tolerating your presence”

 

“You don’t need a psychiatrist for that” I said. “I’m simply charismatic, that’s why”

 

He laughed lightly and shook his head. When he didn’t speak anymore, I started taking pictures of him again.

 

“Stop that!” he suddenly hissed. “It’s distracting me”

 

“I’m bored” I simply said. “And I find you to be a very funny subject”

 

“If you’re bored, do something useful”

 

“Like what?” I asked. He glanced up and glared at me.

 

o=o=o

 

“Remove your shirt” I said as soon as we were inside the tent.

 

“What for?”

 

“I’m going to give you a free massage, remember?”

 

“There’s no need for-“

 

“I’ll remove it myself then”

 

“! You really are fuc-!” he stopped as I slapped his mouth. I then helped him remove his shirt then I turned him on his stomach.

 

“Do you call that massage? I can’t feel anything”

 

“I’m not doing anything yet” I rolled my eyes. I then went to my task. I can’t help but feel angry as I felt the scars on his back. He didn’t deserve any of these scars!

 

After massaging his back, I went to his legs.

 

“That’s called touching, not massaging you lady maniac” he growled.

 

“Why are you so impatient?” I growled back.

 

“Because I want to annoy you. And you have to admit, it’s working”

 

“Obviously” I mumbled darkly, making him chuckle.

 

“Bom’s tenfold better than you”

 

“If she’s so good, then why don’t you just get back with her then?” I snapped, irritated.

 

He laughed. “Why, I find you very entertaining when annoyed”

 

I growled and decided to ignore his teasing when I remembered what he said. “What’s up with Bom, anyway? Is she planning to be a doctor or something?”

 

“Her family, the Parks are native healers. They’ve been helping the slum shadows for generations already. If you want the full details, you should ask Seungri. He knows the history of our kind better than I do. Or better yet, go to Bom”

 

“Are you. . . happy being a shadow?” I asked. “Or do you prefer being a normal human being?”

 

“What I prefer doesn’t matter. It won’t change anything”

 

“You got a point” I heeded.

 

“I always do” he chuckled.

 

“Conceited” I grimaced.

 

“Brat” he returned.

 

“That’s it!” I announced. “I’m done.

 

Silence greeted me as I dropped myself beside him. I glanced at him and found his eyes closed. He’s already asleep?

 

“Look at this guy” I said to myself. “He quickly fell asleep because of my massage. Huh! I’m-“

 

“I’m still awake, Sandara Park. I can hear you” he said.

 

“Oh, you’re still awake!”

 

“Go to sleep”

 

“I’m not sleep yet”

 

“I thought you said you’re tired?”

 

“Yes, I did say that but I didn’t say anything about being sleep, did I?”

 

“You’re hopeless”

 

 

Later. . .

 

“Jiyong?”

 

“What?”

 

“It’s kind of cold”

 

“Then put a jacket on” he answered.

 

“I’m already wearing a jacket” I said. “But it’s still cold”

 

“Wrap yourself in a blanket then!” he gritted, irritated.

 

“I’m already wrapped up in a blanket” I pouted.

 

“What do you want me to do them? Have with you so you’ll warm up?”

 

“YA!” I burst out, kicking his thigh. He kicked me back. “Ya! You’re not supposed to kick a girl back!” I said and kicked his leg this time.

 

“I’ll do what I want” he said, kicking my leg, too”

 

“Why you. . . !”

 

We started hitting and kicking each other, thought not too forceful to knock the both of us out but enough to make the both of us groan and hiss under our breath. It went on like that for quite some time when I ACCIDENTALLY kneed him.

 

“Oh !” he cursed, clutching his err, property.

 

I quickly took my camera and started taking pictures of him in that silly position. I started laughing as I looked at the pictures.

 

“Your face is so funny here! Hahahaha!”

 

o=o=o

 

~JIYONG’S POV~

 

I’ve been staring at the tent’s roof for hours now. The girl was cuddled to me. I pushed her away from me a lot of times already but she always find her way back to me. I can’t help but think she’s acting up again.

 

I looked down at her. She looked so. . . innocent and fragile. I smirked at the thought of her being innocent and fragile. What she looks like is the exact opposite of her attitude. True, looks can oddly deceiving, especially in her case.

 

“Why am I keeping up with anyways?”

 

I chuckled lightly, silently scolding myself for talking to a sleeping girl. I’ve definitely lost my mind. I closed my eyes and tried to relax my mind when I suddenly felt something wet in my chest, seeping through my shirt. I opened my eyes and looked down again.

 

“Oh crap!” I hissed as I saw that my shirt was wet with her saliva. I pulled myself up and removed my shirt. This girl! Seriously!

 

After changing my shirt, I saw her camera. I eyed it carefully before picking it up and started taking pictures of her and her dripping saliva. But then, she started blinking. I quickly returned the camera beside her and turned away from her. 

 

“Jiyong?” she softly called. I remained still – unmoving and silent. I heard her sigh as she wrapped one arm around my waist and buried her face on my back. “Mmm” she sighed again.

 

It was some time later that I knew she was fast asleep again. I slowly removed her arm from my waist and slowly pushed myself up in a sitting position. I looked down at her first before exiting the tent. I looked around first before whistling in a subdued, high-pitched sound. Not long after that, the sounds of flapping wings filled my ears. Fifteen or twenty crows responded to my call. I silently roamed my eyes at them, trying to see if there’s a shadow among the crows. Upon making sure that all of them are ordinary crows, I gave a nod.

 

“Watch over her” I instructed them. “If there’s something unusual around or if something happen, inform me at once. I’ll just go look for the red lady”

 

The crows gave a screech in chorus. This isn’t really considered cheating. I didn’t use any of my abilities, anyway. Though I admit it would be better to ask for help from the shadows who are lurking around here, I’d rather not risk it. I just recently found out that most of the shadows find Sandara Park. . . . interesting. I even heard some of them calling her as ‘shadow magnet’. Well, shadow magnet my .

 

o=o=o 

 

“She left?!?” I burst out loud. “!”

 

I started heading back to the tent. What the ing hell was that girl thinking for leaving then tent just like that?! I should have know better.

 

The sun was up already when I returned back to camp. True to the report, the girl’s gone.

 

“Where is she?” I hissed at the crows. They screeched their disapprovals at my rudeness but then, I heard another screech from somewhere, telling me the location of the girl. I instantly ran to the left and followed the sound of the screech. She is so done!

 

I stopped in my tracks as I saw her a few feet in front of me, looking lost and confused.

 

“Jiyong! Where are you?” she called in a worried voice. My blood instantly boiled up, my fists curled into tight balls and my jaw clenched.

 

“YA!” I shouted from annoyance. She looked straight up. I took a step forward but she was already running towards me. I knew she was going to throw herself to me again but I didn’t do anything to stop her from doing it. As soon as her arms wrapped around me, she buried her face in my chest and started crying.

 

“I-I thought. . . . I t-thought you left me” she wailed.

 

“Stupid!” I left out. She hugged me tighter while I kept my arms on my side. “You shouldn’t have left, you fool!”

 

“I got scared when I woke up and f-found out y-you were g-g-g-gone. I thought you l-left me already. I also thought that something must’ve happened to you. . .”

 

I sighed. This girl is making my headache. And I really hate it when she’s being like this. I hate it when she say things like that. It’s making. . . uncomfortable. “You’re the most stupid person and annoying person I’ve ever met”

 

“I-I’m s-s-sorry” she sniffed.

 

I sighed again. “Okay, that’s enough. You’re making my shirt wet again”

 

 

~DARA’S POV~

 

We started heading back to the tent with him walking in front of me. I kept my head bowed, my fingers fidgeting with my shirt.

 

“I told you to stop crying, didn’t I?” he suddenly snapped, making me jump. I stopped in my tracks and slowly nodded my head.

 

“Then why are you still crying?!”

 

I just shook my head in response, not trusting myself to speak without wailing out loud.

 

“Aish!” he growled and suddenly pulled me to his chest. My eyes widened at first, surprised with his action. But slowly, a warm feeling spread through my system, making me burst into another round of crying.

 

“You’re such a crybaby” he said.

 

“It’s your fault”

 

“And now you’re accusing me of something I-“ he stopped and I felt him tensed. I quickly pulled my head up to look at him.

 

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

 

“Nothing” he frowned. “Let’s go” he quietly said, taking my hand in his. I looked down at our joined hands.

 

He’s holding my hand!

 

-----------------------------------------------

Have a Merry Daragon Christmas everyone!!

xoxo

hagocimit