Normal POV

“And the award goes to....”

Dugun dugun dugun dugun dugun....

“Lee Donghae!!!!”

“Wooo!”a number of hands claps together, and cheered. The young MC walks towards his audiences’ area and gives a handmade award and a spatula to Donghae.

“Congratulations, Lee Donghae. You are the cheesiest, toughest, most selfless, foolish, and the most babo boyfriend of all! And you are the only one to ever hold that title”

Donghae takes the spatula out of Goon’s hand, but not to make his speech, rather to hit him with it.

Taking defense, Goon laughs. “Ya, it’s actually a compliment. Imagine, normally boyfriends would be mad and upset, but you were able to stand through it” he says, taking the spatula out of his boss’s hand. “Even Ken who is equally understanding and more mature than you would give up in such complex situation... No offense, noona”

Dara shakes her head and just smiled, taking no breach or whatsoever. He was right about it anyway. Donghae on the other hand was the one offended in her stead. His eyes landed on the other side of the leather couch and found a pillow to throw... But both his hands were busy holding Dara.

He glances at her for permission to let go but she furrowed her eyebrows to a no.

She’s still pretty much quiet and coy today, to shake her off from the drama would still take a while, but it’s a relief that things are better now.

After their dramatic and heavy conversation yesterday, both have calmed and released each other from those tight embraces. They took a sit on the floor by the end of Dara’s bed, and with the cup of melted ice cream in their hands, they joyfully shared spoonful of sweet treat while they chat about how the past days have been for them without each other.

“Op! I think I better go, Jagi...” Donghae exclaims after checking his phone. A flood of messages are unread in his inbox, all from their manager telling him it’s time to come back now.

Due to the dating rumors, they’re taking extra caution on not to be caught. They should limit their personal affairs and activities for the meantime. But despite the strict protocol they have let Donghae go, because he was really dying to see her.

He says goodbye to the rest of the Park family members, Mama Park who was relieved he was able to take her out of her room also felt pretty bummed that he won’t be able to eat her cooking again.

“Don’t worry. I will be back again next time, omma”

Omma? Dara pulled a skeptical look at him as she sends him out to the main door.

He chuckles, meeting her glare. “I was just being loveable to her”

“If my mom dies in a fangirl heart attack, I will have you blamed, okay?” she says watching him bend over to tie his shoes. When he was done, he stands up before her with a loving smile.

“Let’s go out tomorrow”

“Where are we going?”

“Grill5Taco? See the trio... watch a movie or do something fun... Just go out and date”

“Are you sure it’s alright?”

“Yeah~ I’ll pick you up, okay?”

Dara slowly nodded her head, trying to smile.

Seeing that dubious expression again he kisses her forehead. “Stop worrying, alright? Don’t ever think you don’t deserve me, you’re perfect enough for me…”

After seeing him off, taking the elevator and completely gone, Dara closes the door and sighs. “How sweet~” Durami was standing nearby, witnessing the last few seconds of their cheesy scene. Her voice was in a tone of endearment and tease. “You know mom is spazzing crazy inside”

“Ya Sandara, he already did too much for you, stop being hard on him, alright?” They gathered on the dining room to eat and her mom feeds her with sermon for dinner. “You’re lucky enough he’s kind, if it’s someone else you’ll end up fighting and hurting each other more. He’s actually being patient to your krung krung brain and cry baby side… That’s rare!”

Dara drops her shoulders and groaned. How many times has she been nagged already? By YG, by Se7en, and now by her too? Donghae just eased her and now she’s in a hot seat again? This is why she slightly prefers being locked up for the rest of the night, to get away from it.

“We need to keep on telling you over and over, for it to enter your mind and that you’ll learn”

“You recognize that he doesn’t deserve being hurt. Then why are you doing it? If he’s not a rebound, then why were you behaving as if he is?”

Dara looked around wondering how they know about those when she didn’t even tell them that part. Sanghyun took a pause on his eating. “Mom was eavesdropping”

She squinted her eyes into tiny slits, puffing her cheeks. “What?” Her mom says defensively. “I was listening so that I can jump in when you start being silly”

What else can she do? She sighed and just focused on the meal in front of her, she rakes her fork on the rice, not in the mood to grab a bite. Her mom continues to utter several advices like

“It’s understandable if seeing GD in his state shocked you and lead you thinking a lot of things. But like I told you, you can’t confuse love to feeling sorry and guilty”

“And even if you are to think over things again and choose, why do you have to take the path where you know will hurt yourself and Donghae when there’s practically another option where you’ll live happily together”

“Instead of thinking how he doesn’t deserve you, why not focus on starting to be and give what he truly deserves”

And etc.

Dara believes those strong advices just doesn’t come from her mom alone, she believes that the rest of the world thinks that too. Everyone would tell her those same things.

For maybe that was the right things after all. Realizing all those points, she willingly went out with Donghae the next day and tried to be as normal as she is. But with a little extra effort to show her affection towards him.

“So what are your plans today huh? You asked me to have the store closed for what?” Ken asks, taking a seat on one of the couches.

“Nothing... We just want to have a place we can hang out in private” Donghae answers, raising his shoulders up.

There really was no plan; he just wants to hang out with her.

“The question is... what is there to do here?”

Out of the blue, Goon quickly stood up, clapped his hands loudly together, looking like he had a great idea. “AHA! I KNOW!” he gives Dara a challenging glare. “It’s time for our rematch, noona”

Rematch?

Back in the early days, (see chapter 13) the two had a challenge, and Goon was greatly devastated for his lost and called for a rematch. But because a lot has happened after that day, it was never pushed through. But today came and the time has finally come for Goon to redeem himself.

“You don’t have to do this” Donghae tells Dara while he watches her getting ready.

“It’s okay. It’s just for fun” she says, tying her hair in a bun, making sure everything’s nice and neat.

“I’ll help you then. I’ll be your left hand.”

“Left hand?” How odd was it, when assistants are normally called the right hand. What does he mean by left hand? It didn’t need Dara to wonder long, when her left hand was suddenly taken and locked with his.

“Left hand” he smiled.

“My God. It feels just like yesterday when he’s still being shy, slow and fearful to reveal his true feelings to her, and now I hear him say those words” Ken commented, while standing next to Dana in the judges’ area. “I know he’s romantic but not this cringe worthy”

“Look at them, inseparable acting as if it’s still in the middle of winter” he added.

The lady friend laughs and hits his arm. “Let him be. Atleast he’s confident and bold, and remains to be the good guy he is”

“I’m amazed how tough he is” the other still feels surprised on how Donghae is handling everything.

Their boss is fragile, easily affected and a cry baby too, but with Dara, he becomes a different person, he possesses so much strength and drive.

“I wonder how Dara truly feels about him though, I hope she loves him too.”

“I truly think she does. She wouldn’t leap into situations if not, right? It’s just that bringing up the Rebound idea made a bad impact, making her question herself and her feelings” Dana expresses her opinion.

“Do you think that’s the case?”

“I don’t know…” she shrugs her shoulders. “If there’s only a way we can know or read her mind…”

“That’s easy...”

Goon suddenly shows up in their areato take more ingredients he needs from the cabinet behind them. HE reaches out for a basket of spices and places them in his pocket.

“Make her drunk”

“Huh?” The two pulled the same expression at the same time.

“What? It’s a bright idea. Let’s go drinking later, to celebrate their relationship, to help th