Dara looked around to see if there’s anyone along the hallway. She turned her attention back to the vending machine in front of her, putting some coins inside it before picking up her choice. Too late to regret for not having some food when recess time few hours ago. She could not stand anymore with her stomach kept growling and her desire to eat something even a lollipop would be enough.

After picking up few chocolate bars from the machine, Dara quickly hide some of them in her pocket sweater. She did not want to get scold by her teacher for sneaking out just to buy some snacks during lesson hour! Dara walked along the long corridor suddenly thinking about her best friend, Chaerin who was absent today. To her knowledge from other students, Chaerin could be classified as one of the sedulous student in this high school. Her best friend rarely absent when it comes to school. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why her best friend could be so successful liked now.

As she was thinking about her best friend while munching one of her chocolate bars that she brought just now, someone who appeared from nowhere bumped on her making her body unbalance and the next thing happened was she lying down with her hit on the floor!

“Ouch! Hey watch where you’re going!” Dara exclaimed furiously, her forehead creased.

A minute then, she groaned when she saw in sympathy her chocolate bar that she was eating just now had thrown away far from her, lying helplessly on the dirt floor.

“I’m sorry! Did you hurt yourself?” asked the person with guilty voice.

You just hit on me, waste my snack and now you telling me you’re sorry?! Dara coldly think to herself, trying to push her body so that she could get up from the cold floor.

The person who bumped her just now tried to help her get up but Dara was fast to respond when she snapped that person’s hand from touching her.

“You’re had waste my money, idiot!” Dara mumbled quietly, still not looking at the person face.

“I heard what you’re saying. And what is this? Sandara Park?”

Dara froze in her place. She glance to the person who was standing right in front of her and her eyes immediately widen looking at him. It’s him! The new transferred student, Dong Youngbae or simply called by his weird nickname, Taeyang.

“I couldn’t believe with my eyes that you’re actually had this side of behavior. No wonder huhh?”

“What do you mean by saying that, weird?” Dara replied back, glaring her eyes at him.

Taeyang chuckled quietly. His eyes gestured down to the floor which made Dara followed what he actually looking on the floor. He can hear the girl in front of him gasp; eyes widen looking at few of the chocolate bars lying on the floor.

It must be the chocolate bars that she bought just now fallout from her pocket sweater. Okay, this is embarrassing!

“So you’re excused yourself from the teacher just because you wanted to buy all of these?” Taeyang looked at Dara with a grin look.

“Well at least I’m not the one who just made someone’s money go waste!” Dara talked back, trying to defense herself.

She then saw him pulling out something from his pocket pant before slowly put the thing on her palm.

“Since you said that, I’ll just give this to you for my mistake. Sorry…” he murmured softly before turning back on her, walking along the hallway.

“And one more thing, this will be our secret Sandara. I won’t tell others what we did here.” Taeyang said with a wink from him.

Dara looked at him with surprise looks. She could not believe that he called her by her full name. No one had ever called her by her full name. Mostly people will address her as Dara but why he should be the first one who called her liked that?

She then quickly gathered few of the chocolate bars that were lying on the floor; stuff all of them in her pocket sweater before half running to her class. She was smiling when she remembered the chocolate bar that was given by him just now only a different flavor.

It’s been two days after the whole conversation with his father. But still, Jiyong could not think about what decision he should give to his father later when he asks about this thing.

There are actually many things that he was thinking about his father request. He felt more frustrated when some of the questions that playing in my mind could not answer by him at all! That’s even given him more pressure and sometimes it gave him headache actually.

Jiyong thought what will be Chaerin’s reaction when she knew about this? Will she also agree about this? Jiyong could not tell but his instinct telling him that Chaerin actually not going to agree with this plan at all. Come on! For God’s sake, she just only eighteen and did she really able to sacrifice her future because of this marriage thing?

Sometimes Jiyoung could not understand his father behavior. He thought that sometimes his father request more liked nonsense than reality. He actually sympathy towards Chaerin.

Although he did not know her deeply but he can tell that the girl actually a nice person based on what he saw on the party that other day. If possible, he did not want to ruin the girl future with this marriage. He probably knew that the girl has many chances ahead of her since her age is still young.

Maybe he should say no to his father… Whatever going to happen, it’s better than destroying someone else life.

“No. She still up there, locking herself all day in the room. I’ve tried to cajole her to have breakfast with me this morning after you’re gone but she did not even respond. I’m worried, dear. Yeah, I will try again. If this going to continue, I didn’t have another choice then. I’ll see you at home. Take care; bye.”

Mrs. Lee hangs up then. She let out a small sigh, her eyes glanced towards upstairs. Her daughter was still in her bad mood today. She thought that her daughter might let it go the thing today but it seemed her thought was wrong. Chaerin did not even join her and also her husband during breakfast this morning. When her husband gone for work, Mrs. Lee tried to persuade her daughter to eat some food because she knew that her daughter probably hungry since she did not eat anything yet. It also the first time Chaerin was absent today for school. It wasn’t liked she never truant to school but her daughter rarely do that.

She then went upstairs hoping that this time her daughter would probably listen to her.

“Chaerin sweetheart… Open this door sweety. Sweetheart?” Mrs. Lee waited patiently for her daughter to respond but all she could hear was her breathing. She sighed then, thinking another way to let herself into her daughter’s room. Mrs. Lee remembered her husband said that he kept all the duplicate keys for the rooms in this house in case of emergency. Without thinking more, she went to her room where her husband kept the keys in the drawer of their wardrobe before went back to her daughter’s room. Mrs. Lee did not care anymore if her daughter going to be furious of what she’s doing right now.

Once she unlocked the door of Chaerin’s room, Mrs. Lee quietly sneaked herself inside the room. The room was dark with only dim light coming from the sunlight through the curtains on the window. Mrs. Lee then heard sounded of someone was crying and her heart knew immediately who was that person.

She walked herself to the bed, sitting herself on the edge of the bed seeing Chaerin’s body moved up and down under the comforter with sound of sobbing coming after that.

“Sweetheart… Mommy’s here. Stop crying will you?” Mrs. Lee pulled the comforter softly showing Chaerin’s face covered with her own palm.  Chaerin was sobbing silently, her face looked red all over it. Mrs. Lee then brought Chaerin’s body closer towards her, hugging her daughter tightly in her arms.

She can felt Chaerin’s wet tear on her clothe that she wore. Her heart felt sank and disappointed looking how terrible her daughter condition right now.

“Shhh, stop crying now sweetheart. Mommy’s here… Now stop crying will you? My Chaerin is a strong girl right?” Mrs. Lee voice cracked little bit. She tried to hold her tears from crying when she saw her daughter been liked this. She could not believe how terrible her daughter felt liked that.

“I-I’m sorry…” Chaerin quietly whispered. Her voice sounded hoarse and thick.

“No sweetheart. You did not do anything wrong.”

“I’m sorry for been such a rude daughter towards you and appa. Sorry for not respect you although you’re my mother” Chaerin cried in her mother arms. Mrs. Lee did not say anything. All she did was patting her daughter’s back, kissing her head few times. Both of them stayed in that position for a moment until finally Chaerin is able to calm down herself and stop crying.

Her eyes were swollen because of too much crying since the conversation fight that she had with her parents or her father specifically.

“How long have you been crying actually sweetheart?”

“One day and half. When I’m feeling exhausted, I went to sleep then.” Chaerin quietly mumbled, avoiding her mother eyes.

“Do you know that you’re absent on school today?”

Chaerin nodded her head. Yeah she knew about it but what can she do? “I know… But I don’t care of it.” She mumbled, taking a deep breath then.

“Since when my beloved daughter didn’t care about school anymore?” Mrs. Lee asked, looking at her daughter.

“Since my father planned to marry her daughter with a stranger.” Chaerin coldly said, sniffle her nose then.

Mrs. Lee let out a big sigh, pressing her lips together. It’s looked like her daughter still could not forgive for what her husband did to her. “Chaerin sweetheart… Don’t say something liked that. It will hurt your father feelings if he heard what you’re saying just now.” Mrs. Lee tried to spoke with her daughter in soft voice, brushing Chaerin’s hair with her fingers.

“Let it be then… Appa didn’t even think about my feelings when he planned all of this! And now, mommy wants me to consider appa’s feelings? Who’s going to know about what I felt?” Chaerin replied back, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Look sweetheart. I knew that you’re mad for what appa had done to you. But believe me Chaerin, there must be a good reason for what appa did to you. Do you think appa did that just because to ruin your life? The last time I remembered what you’re father said that he will kill anyone who make your life suffer.” Mrs. Lee muttered, looking at Chaerin with a smile. “To be honest, mommy never knew about this until your father told about this plan to mommy. If appa did not tell mommy, surely mommy also be surprised just liked you that other night. Mommy believed that appa was making the right thing to you sweetheart. A father will never let happen something to his family especially when it come to his beloved daughter.”

Mrs. Lee saw Chaerin tri