A/N: Bold letters are the dream, red italics are Dara's thoughts

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Eventhough she's laying on a sleeping bag on hard ground, Dara felt herself drifting off to sleep. She's not sure if it was the hike or if it was because of Jiyong's very thorough lovemaking that tired her out. Right now, she doesn't care. She snuggles closer to Jiyong's chest and Jiyong in return hugs her more. Safe in his arms, she went to lala land.

She was sleeping a dreamless sleep until she sank deeper and deeper into her dreaming place. Bits and pieces of images from her life and Jiyong flitted to and fro in her mind until it forms a scene.

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She's making her way to her car but instead of a regular car she drives now, it's an SUV. She turns towards the house and calls out to two people behind her.

"Jihyun and Sanji, ppali! We're going to be late."

She wasn't angry, it's already a thing they've done a hundred times before. She's learned to tell her kids that they have to leave an hour early before the set time so that there's at least an hour set aside in case her kids start dragging their feet and procrastinating.

A little girl, probably six or seven years old, is dragging her baby brother, a boy about four or five years old towards the car. Dara helps them get into the backseat and get their seatbelts on, then she makes her way to the driver's side and adjusts her seatbelt over her very pregnant belly.

"Ready to see appa and surprise him with a picnic lunch?"

"Neh!!!" The kids replied happily.

Dara backs out of the driveway, in front of her is the house she's lived in since she was 18. A curtain on the top floor parts and Imo Eunji waves at them. She waves back. She and Jiyong decided to stay in Imo Eunji's house. Actually, when they first told her aunt that they were getting married, her aunt gave them the house as a wedding gift. It was such a generous offer that they asked her and Minzy to stay with them. Like she said before it's a huge house, there's plenty of room for all of them. Minzy stayed for a few years then when she had a family of her own, she moved out. Their family is on the west wing with the couple's room at the end so that they can still have privacy. Aunt Eunji has been a great help with the kids and the meals since she and Jiyong are still working for their family. She's still at the gallery but just part time. They've decided to be more involved with their kids as their family grew. Jiyong made use of his degree and started teaching at the local school. There's a party at the gallery on Friday. She still has to make Jihyun's costume for her school play and she has yet to find a present for Jiyong for their anniversary next week. 

Some days it can be a bit overwhelming. But most days...Dara smiles. Eventhough life seems to get out of hand at times, she would never trade this life for anything. She has never been more happy and more content than she is now. She and Jiyong are just so right for each other. You can kinda say they were meant to be, like destiny.

The kids started singing a familiar tune and Dara started to sing along with them. She stops at a stoplight. She smiles as she looks at her kids through the rearview mirror. Her daughter, Jihyun, is like her mini me, with her youthful looks but she got her dad's trademark gummy smile. The light turns green and she keeps her eyes on the road again. As soon as she stops at the next light, she looks again at her rearview mirror and looks at kids again. Her son, Sanji, is like his dad's little clone. He inherited his dad's trademark smirk. Her hand drops to her belly and rubs her burgeoning tummy. They can't wait to meet this little one. She wonders who he or she will take  after. 

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Then the sound started to fade. The surroundings became hazy. Dara realizes she's drifting away from the dream. No...I don't want to leave. I want to stay here. I want this to be real. I wish Jiyong was my destiny.

Dara woke up with a start. She felt the cool night air on her skin and for a moment she was disoriented. She was about to scream when she remembered where she was. She was laying next to Jiyong in the middle of a forest. They were taking pictures of a waterfall earlier that day.They were not married and she didn't have any kids yet. And she wasn't pregnant either. Everything is the same as it was before.

She almost succeeded in calming herself down until that last thought. Everything is not the same as before. She and Jiyong are lovers now. She is different. After experiencing the lovemaking they did, she's not sure she could resist him anymore. Actually she's not sure if she wants to resist him. No woman in their right mind would walk away from him. 

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and willed her heart to calm down. Everything will be fine. She's just stressed about the dream and work. Jiyong is not the type of guy who would settle down especially in a place like this. They weren't going to get married and have three kids. It's ridiculous. She's never gonna fall inlove again. Falling in love only leads to heartbreak. 

I'm gonna be fine. Everything will be ok. It wasn't real. It was just a dream. She repeated to herself over and over until she felt her body relax. Jiyong is not her destiny. In a few weeks, he's gonna leave and she'll be back to going about her life before he came into it.

Nothing to be afraid of.

Jiyong shifted in his sleep and pulled Dara closer to his body. Suddenly she felt tears in her eyes and it trailed down her cheeks. Why am I crying? It was just a dream. It's not real.

And then it dawned on her. The real reason why she's sad is not because she was afraid the dream might come true but because she's afraid  that it might not. It's not real but I want it to be.

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Annyeong Readers! Sorry I've been slow on updating. I've been lazy. Hope you're still liking the story.

Korean words/phrases:

ppali - hurry

appa - dad

neh - yes

imo - aunt