Just like at the Foundation dance, everyone was frozen like statues, even Dara. My mind automatically started working. The most basic thing to do is to attack her but then. . . .she’s not an ordinary shadow, is she?

 

“White doesn’t suit you” I casually started.

 

“Oh, you think?” she smiled, slowly walking around people. “Your opinion matters to me, you know”

 

“Yes, I think so”

 

“Would you prefer pink?” she asked. “It’s Dara’s favorite color”

 

“I don’t think pink suits you either” I said.

 

“What color do you think suits me best, then?”

 

“Green” I answered at once. “Just like the green slimy snakes you brought tonight. Oh, black and red suits you, too”

 

“Don’t piss me off, Jiyong” she sweetly smiled. “You don’t want your girlfriend to die tonight, do you?”

 

“What do you want then?” I hissed.

 

She shrugged. “I haven’t made up my mind yet”

 

“You’re a cunning , aren’t you?”

 

“Oooh” she trilled. “I love it everytime you . I find it very y”

 

I geared myself up and saw my all black eyes staring back at me from the glass door. My fists curled. I just want to strangle her until she chokes to death. I glanced at Dara and took her hand, trying to undo what the did to her but I can’t get through, it’s like there’s a big and strong barrier surrounding her.

 

“Don’t waste time and energy, Jiyong” I heard her say. “You won’t break it”

 

“ you” I spat out.

 

She laughed. For some reason, I found it irritating that I wanted to kill her. I want to rip her to pieces!

 

“I’m not going to kill her” she smiled sweetly again. “Yet”

 

She continued walking around the people in the dance floor. She was making fun of them and I can see she was taking pleasure from it.

 

“Why?” I gritted.

 

“No particular reason” she shrugged. “She’s just too good to be true, don’t you think? Too jolly, too friendly – it’s annoying. Then there’s this bright aura surrounding her that irritates me. I wonder what you liked about her.”

 

“She’s not a like you would be one”

 

She laughed heartily. “I can be as sweet and innocent as her you know”

 

“That won’t change the fact that you’re still a . It’s all pretense, isn’t it?”

 

“Ah, Jiyong. You’re hurting my feelings” she sighed. “Can you hear yourself talking? Come on, let’s not fool ourselves here. From the very first time I saw you, I already felt it. I felt your hunger and greed for power, lust, violence and everything there ever is so stop pretending that you’re a nice person who’s acting like a hero to save his girlfriend. Face the truth, Jiyong. You’re as greedy and evil as me”

 

“I don’t really know what you’re talking about” I confessed. “All I know is that I want to kill you right now”

 

“You can’t do that” she said. “No one can”

 

“You might be surprised”

 

“You won’t stand a chance, Jiyong so I suggest you drop it off. I don’t want to hurt you, you know”

 

“Why do I find that hard to believe?” I scoffed. “Why would you spare me in the first place?” I asked, my mind working in frenzy again.

 

“Because I want you” she smugly responded.

 

“ you” I breathed.

 

She suddenly appeared besides Dara, making my heart beat wilder in my chest. She smiled, running her hand through Dara’s hair. I felt my head about to explode.

 

“Don’t touch her!” I hissed.

 

“Why?” she asked innocently. “She’s my bestfriend after all” she added. With another innocent smile, her hand went to the angel pendant. She turned it over her hand. “This looks nice” she said. “I think it fits me better. I’m sure Dara wouldn’t mind if I borrow this from her, right?”

 

That was the last straw. I grabbed her hand and was about to threw her off when she suddenly evaded me. I heard a tinkling laugh from behind me, making me swirl at once.

 

“Do you really think you can throw me away?” she laughed mockingly. “Now, now Jiyong. Let’s be realistic here”

 

“Shut the up!” I hissed and went to get her again. I had enough of this already.

 

“Oops!” a voice from my left said. “You missed me again”

 

“I’m going to tear you to pieces”

 

“Oooh, scary” she feigned a trembling voice. She suddenly appeared in front of me, taking me by surprise when she landed a kiss on my lips. As quickly as it happened, she moved away and went besides Dara again. She smirked at me as she tapped Dara’s forearm and right before my very eyes, a green snake circled her forearm and sink its fangs on her skin.

 

“No. . . .” I breathed and went to pry the snake off her but I was too late.

 

Sulli laughed then slowly faded into a black smoke. “Call me” she winked then disappeared.

 

Everyone unfroze and looked as if nothing happened. Dara blinked, a blank expression on her face. She looked at me with blank eyes before blacking out.

 

o=o=o

 

~AUTHOR’S POV~

 

“Bom!” Jiyong roared.

 

“What again this time?”

 

“She’s bitten by a snake” he hissed. “Get the venom out”

 

“What kind of snake bi-?” she paused as she saw scaly green blotches on her skin. J-jiyong!” she gasped, eyes wide with fear.

 

“WHAT?!” Jiyong thundered. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! TAKE THE-!”

 

“I-I can’t” Bom shook her head. “This isn’t an ordinary venom, Jiyong. I’m afraid s-she’s been cursed. . . .”

 

“THERE MUST BE A WAY!”

 

I-I’m sorry” she whimpered. “I don’t know how to-!”

 

“YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE NATIVE HEALER! HOW COULD YOU BE SO USELESS?!”

 

Bom kept her silence as Jiyong laid Dara down on the bed. The moment he did, Dara’s body suddenly lifted in the air. Her eyes flew opened – they were all white. opened and an unearthly scream escaped from her. Her back arched, her limbs twisted, her head rotated in a 280 degree angle.

 

“Dara!” Bom gasped.

 

Dara went back to normal then suddenly dropped to the bed. But her skin. . . . the blotches were no longer scaly green – they turned into dark purplish blotches and they were spreading rapidly in her body. Jiyong almost staggered as he started hearing rattling sound everytime she inhales.

 

“J. . . .jiyong. . . .” she called weakly. “I-it h-hurts. . . .”

 

“Bom, do something!” Jiyong urgently said as he knelt on the floor beside the bed and took Dara’s hand. He wiped the sweat off her face,

 

“It hurts. . . .” Dara moaned, biting her lower lip down to stop herself from screaming until she started tasting her own blood. Tears escaped her eyes and she wasn’t able to stop the sob in .

 

“What hurts?” Jiyong asked gently.

 

“E-EVERYTHING!” she cried out desperately.

 

“Bom, can’t you at least-?!”

 

“I told you, I can’t” she said. “I think it would be better to ask for help from your stepfather”

 

Jiyong went still and quiet. Never in his life did he ask for help from his stepfather. He didn’t even bother taking time to know him or talk to him but as he looked at Dara, his insides tightened. He gently pulled his hand from grasp then walked out of the room. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he heard Dara’s cries. He pulled the phone out from his pocket.

 

“Mom” he started. “I need help”

 

o=o=o

 

“They can’t do a ing thing?!” Jiyong hissed in disbelief. “THEY CAN’T DO A ING THING?!”

 

“Jiyong” a calm voice called. “It won’t help the girl if she sees and hears you like this”

 

“Why can’t you do a ing thing?!” he rounded his stepfather up. “You’re supposed to be-!”

 

“It’s too strong” the older man calmly said. “But we were able to slow the curse from killing her”

 

“Slow down?” he breathed. “Meaning, she’s still going to die”

 

“We did our best but I’m afraid there’s nothing else we can do”

 

“THERE MUST BE A ING WAY!” he roared desperately. “There must be. . . .! She can’t die, dammit!”

 

Bom stood in shock as Jiyong turned around and started crying. He started pulling his hair out as he kept on swearing. She had never seen him cry before. She had never seen him like this at all.

 

“Well. . .” his stepfather hesitated. “There might be a way but it is unlikely to-.”

 

“What?” Jiyong turned back sharply.

 

“The curse” the older man sighed, looking a rather embarrassed. He walked to Jiyong and in a voice that only Jiyong can hear, he stated, “It can be lifted by the shadow who casted it”

 

“Jiyong!” CL suddenly rushed in. “Dara’s looking for you”

 

Jiyong quickly went to where Dara was. He paused for a moment in the doorstep as he saw that she grew paler and the dark purplish blotches were now turning into black. He took a deep breath and walked to the bed.

 

“Dara?” he called.

 

A small smile curved Dara’s lips upon hearing Jiyong’s voice. His voice was enough to make her forget the pain for a while. She opened her eyes and was momentarily taken aback when she was greeted by darkness.

 

“Jiyong?” she called back. “Could you open the light, please? I want to see your face”

 

Silence filled the room.

 

“Jiyong?” Dara called again.

 

“The light is on, Dara”

 

Dara managed a chuckle. “Stop fooling around, Jiyong”

 

“I’m not fooling around”

 

“But I can’t see a thing!” she exclaimed. “How could that. . .? Oh my God! I’ve gone blind, haven’t I?”

 

No one dared to speak. Dara closed her eyes again as fresh stream of tears started falling down. She bit her trembling lower lip, trying to stifle another wave of sob rising in . She took a deep breath and held her hand out. Jiyong immediately understood what she wants so he took her hand in his and held it carefully.

 

“I’ll be fine” Dara smiled. “As long as you’re here, I’ll be fine”

 

“Dara, you-,”

 

“Don’t leave me, Jiyong” she begged weakly.

 

“You know I don’t do promises” Jiyong tightly said.

 

Dara sighed. “Just hold my hand then”

 

 

Jiyong stayed there, just holding her hand. He didn’t move, didn’t speak. He just watched and listened as she silently cried herself to sleep. His mind was in turmoil. When he was sure she’s fast asleep, he kissed her hand, her forehead, her nose then her lips. He gently pulled his hand back and watched her face for a moment. He already knew what to do. . . . and he will see it through NO MATTER WHAT. . . .

 

He turned around and walked away. He walked and walked, telling his friends to leave him alone for a while. He walked and walked until he reached the forest. Outside, he stood motionless for a moment. He then looked up at the moon and for the first time, the sight of it didn’t calm him down. With clenched jaws, he took his phone out, dialling Dara’s number.

 

“Jiyong!” a cheerful voice answered.

 

“What did you do to her, you ing ?!”

 

“Oh, it was just a little treat” she said.

 

“Lift the curse off”

 

“Getting softhearted, are you?” she chuckled. “I kind of disapprove soft-hearted shadows. It’s quite. . . . inappropriate, don’t you think?”

 

“Do you really want to know what I ing think?” he slowly asked, voice filled with so much rage.

 

“Come on, Jiyong. Don’t be such a meanie” she lightly said. “You don’t really care about her, do you?” she mockingly finished.

 

“Why?” he snorted. “Can’t lift your own curse?” he mocked back.

 

“Of course I can” she laughed off. “But on one condition”

 

Jiyong’s jaw clenched again. He already saw it coming. “What condition?” he asked.

 

“I want you, Jiyong” she said, sounding serious. “If you can do that, I’ll lift the curse”

 

Silence.

 

“Deal” he finally said.

 

“Oh, I forgot” she came up again. “I want you to be an active participant, Jiyong. You know what I mean, right? Let’s meet in your house, in your room in a few” she finished with a laugh.