Donghae’s POV

I love seaweed soup.

It’s one of my favourite foods.

And one of the few things I find for my ideal girl is someone who can make seaweed soup for me.

However, Dara doesn’t know how.

But it doesn’t make her less my ideal.

And besides… there’s mom to deal with that.

“Next time you come here, Dara, I’ll teach you how to make it, okay?” Mom tells Dara while stirring the ladle on the huge hot pot.

“Yes, Mrs. Lee…” I heard Dara say while assisting her in the kitchen.

“Oh come on! Didn’t I tell you to call me, omma!” mom cries, trying to make her comfortable. I stayed in the living room playing with Mio and Bada, watching as the two loves of my life bonded over cooking. “In addition to his favorites… he loves seafood too… Any seafood dishes! I better teach you everything so when you get married you already know, nae?”

Mom was completely set apart from the one who was scolding us earlier, now she’s very warm and motherly. She prepared a lovely dinner with all of her signature dishes and the three of us feasted together. It was still awkward between us, I can see how stiff Dara is on the side of my eyes.

After a few hours, it was time for Dara to go home; her manager came to pick her up and before she goes out the door, she bows politely to mom, thanking her for the dinner and for her understanding.

“Be sure to come back again” mom says, hugging her quick.

“Nae, omma” the other blushes.

“That’s more like it” Mom smiles widely, leaving her side joyfully. But when it was my turn to say my farewell, mom was still on sight. “I’m sorry…” I whispered to Dara, brushing her hair back. I’m pretty sure how embarrassed she was tonight.

“It’s okay” Dara smiles, bringing my hand down. “Jjangmae is waiting downstairs, I better go”

No… My head filled with that word alone. No… Like I would let her leave without kissing her?

I glanced at mom to ask permission to let me kiss her even for one last time before the stupid rule starts, and fortunately she was kind enough to allow us. After seeing her bob her head for a go, I immediately pulled Dara to me and kissed her deeply.

It was just a quick one though; with the pair of eyes watching us of course Dara would be shy to dare returning an aggressive fervour.

When she finally have gone and left, we’re back to dealing about the matter that just happened. I started following mom inside.

Slightly desperate.

And begging.

“Omma, please. Take it back” I stood next to her while she ignores me with the dirty plates piled to be washed. “Take back the one month rule please~”

Her ignoring became worse when it’s the frying pan what’s  needed to be washed, all the stuck burns on the surface were giving her a hard time to get rid of.

Earlier Dara was about to wash them, but she declined and pushed her out of the kitchen. Now I offered to help her with it, she pushes me away too.

“Just sit there quietly and watch TV”

“No… Not unless you take back the rule.” I continued. “Please ma… I’m sorry about what you saw, we really didn’t mean to shock you…”

Apparently, mom didn’t really intentionally barge inside my room. She just came to the apartment after buying groceries to prepare dinner for me, believing that I’m still out and busy with his script reading session. She found a few things scattered in my living room, messes by Bada and Mio – my mischievous dogs who just can’t stop running around, she then decided to clean up first. Curious on how messy my room is, she opened the door without knocks.

Then bam! She saw what she saw.

“If I didn’t arrive you probably have done it, right?” she asks looking at me seriously, making me tight lipped.

Hmmm… Would we?

Obviously.

How can we not?

I felt like my heart was gonna explode that time; my chest was tight, my throat getting dry, my breathing heavy, my grip drilling on her skin... Imagine, in just those minutes of intimacy, how many y and dirty thoughts have already filled my head, how much love I wanna gilve her.

Of course I was no longer in the path of holding back.

I took a big swallow, admitting that fact.

“Yeah... but...” I paused, thinking of what excuse to give. Coming up with nothing, I just flared my arms and tightly hugs mom. “Just take back the one month rule no kissing please...omma~”

My feet start thumping in place. “Don’t be silly, Hae, it’s just a kiss”

“It’s Dara’s kiss, ma. I can’t live without it” I said. Although it’s embarrassing and a little uncomfortable to say such to your mom, I needs to, she’s gotta know.

“I already gave you a chance to kiss her one last time before she left”

“Eh~ but you were watching, of course she’s shy!” I whined, “I swear, I’ll behave!”

“I don’t think so...”

“Do you think we would dare do it again after being caught? Do you how traumatizing it is!?”

Mom laughs out a short chuckle, probably making fun of our shocked expressions, including her own. She glances at me after getting done with her chore, drying her hands with a towel. “So you love her that much huh?”

“YES” I sound a bit whiny, like a child.

“Then kiss her if you want to”

“I can’t. She won’t let me for sure, cause you told her not to.”

“Ahhh... she’s a good daughter-in-law then” Mom smiles, walking back to the living room. “My guts were right about liking her”

My face brighten hearing that positive feedback, I hurried to sit next to her, batting my eye lashes charmingly. “So are you taking it back?”

“No”

“Ommaaaaa TT TT!”

I tried my hardest to convince my mom to cancel her one month rule. For days, I followed her around like a puppy dog. But she never wavered, she really was firm about it and says it’s for our own good.

She even had Donghwa pack up her things from Mokpo and delivered it to my apartment. She was that determined to guard me.

Although, it was nice that she’s the one willing to invite Dara to my place on days when we’re free from schedules, atleast I’m relieved that she really likes her and all.

She says it’s better than dating outside and be possibly be seen, but I sense it was just an excuse to keep an eye on us and prevent us from jumping to that point of attempting to make Lee Cloud again.

I don’t blame her if she was frantic about catching us, she’s my mom, and she’s probably sadden to see her baby boy all grown up… but the punsihmeny is just... I don’t know... It’s hard. And it’s somehow frustrating me.

“Why are you acting with a kissing scene already? Seriously...” I cried out flipping the pages of the initial script for Cold Heart (Dara’s vampire drama). “You’re not even the final lead yet”

Dara just looks at me, taking the stapled papers from my hands. “We’re not even sure if those in parenthesis are needed to be acted, maybe they we’ll just throw the lines” she defended.

Lately we spend our time together preparing for each other’s dramas, we help each other review our scripts and share advices on how it’ll be better and all. And it’s ridiculous to find Dara’s drama to be so different. How things escalates largely, from just exchange of heavy lines turns to an intimate scene.

“What’s the sense of this look test, really?” I complained, still reading the highlighted part that she needed to memorize for tomorrow’s test. “Do you really need to do this?”

Jaejoong is a good actor and quite handsome too, his chiseled facial features, pale white skin, toned bod and fierce stares fits the vampire role so well that it wasnt surprising at all that he got the male lead.

The female spot however is still under critical study for there are a lot of really good candidates who suit the role.

And because of that, the understudy actresses are set to have a look test with Jaejoong. That’s why they are required to visit the KBS premises to undergo several acting scenes to see the chemistry and if they go together with the male lead.

Apparently, one of those candidates is Dara. I’m very proud and happy that she’s doing well, that she has a high chance of being the lead. It’s just that it’s super bothering how Jaejoong can kiss her while I am forbidden to do so.

"Mian… I’m being ridiculous” I heaved a sigh, lifting my legs up on the couch, my knees leveled on my chest.

“It’s okay I understand” she says moving her body forward, resting her head on my knees. “My jagi is jealous…”

I feel pathetic on complaining though, how can I rant so much when she practically is fine with me and Yoona working together.

She reaches one of her hands on my cheek and swept her thumb softly on my skin while she looks at me lovingly “I love you...” she says, making me and my heart smile.

“I love you too...” I whispered, leaning over closer to her face but then…