“I already reserved your airplane ticket for next week. In return I need you to do a favor for me. You can consider the favor as a thank you from you to me.” Jiyong explained waving Dara’s passport in front of her face. Dara frowned, “So you’re holding on to my passport until next week?” she asked. Jiyong nodded.

“Once my birthday party is over, I will personally you to the airport.”

“Mr. Kwon, I don’t understand why you are behaving this way. Did I do something wrong?” Dara inquired her gaze focused unwaveringly on Jiyong’s bored face. The two gazed into each other’s eyes both unwilling to be the first to back down.

After a while, Jiyong’s eyes started watering, he was not used to having his eyes open wide without blinking for such a long time. Jiyong grumbled and sighed in defeat; it was time to tell her the truth.

“Please help me. I promise to teach you everything you need to know… I don’t normally ask for help, but I’m begging you…my mother is very narcissistic and she has a habit of wanting to control my life... if you…”

Dara rolled her eyes at the young man's attempt in asking for help. Kwon Jiyong probably never had to ask for anything. Growing up with a silver spoon in his mouth and having a witch for a mother must have been hard on him. He was like a sad, lost...clueless little boy. Dara smiled, imagining the young man as a lost little boy made him seem less intimidating.

“Fine, I’ll help you…only because I feel sorry for you”

Jiyong grinned slyly, he was quite satisfied with Dara’s answer. After a long talk with Taeyang, Jiyong found out the airplane was cancelled and that there was no relationship between Taeyang and Dara at all. He felt a little sorry for treating Dara the way he did the other night, but was more relieved that he got the chance to see her again.

J