Warning: My longest chapter to date up ahead ^_^

Red Italics are Dara's thoughts

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There was an awkward silence between Dara and Jiyong the whole ride home. Jiyong drops off Dara at her front yard. Dara decides she can't take the quiet anymore. So she speaks after Jiyong sets her bags down.

"Gomawo Jiyong. I had a great time."

Jiyong looks at her for a moment then replies. "You're welcome. I had a great time too."

Then he hops into his car and drives away. Dara watched the car drive off and as soon as the car was out of sight, tears start to streak down her cheeks. She wipes them away and turns towards to front door. As soon as she reaches her bedroom. She locks the door and fresh tears start streaming down again. 

Aissht...why am I crying? True, we knew this was just a temporary thing. I knew he would never stay. I guess I never expected it to end like this. I was hoping we would part smiling. Not like this. I know he didn't invite Kiko to meet us after our sightseeing trip. He told me they were over. But why does it hurt so much? I feel so stupid. I wouldn't be surprised if Jiyong avoided me like the plague now. I acted jealous when I had no right to. We both went into the becoming lovers stage with both eyes open. He wasn't the only one who brought a to the trip. We both wanted it. But still...

Dara wipes the fresh tears from her face and hears a knock on the door.

"Unnie...unnie? Are you home?"

Minzy is here. She can't see me like this.

Dara looks in the mirror and tries to wipe all the tears away. Then she tries to freshen up her face to make sure it won't seem like she's crying. She walks to her door to unlock it.

"Unnie, you're here? Why didn't I see you coming? I've been waiting for you forever. Tell me what happened. Was it great? I want details. Start from the beginning and talk slowly."

Minzy drags her sister to the bed and holds her hands. Dara looks at her sister's smiling face. Her sister grinning like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. 

"Unnie, hello? Earth to unnie? Was it wonderful? Did you guys do it?"

Minzy, my dongsaeng, mianhe. Dara couldn't hold it in anymore. She just started crying which startled Minzy and made her worry.

"Omo...omo...unnie...wae ureo? Mianhe, I don't know what happened but we can talk about it and figure it out."

Minzy gets up to get the box of tissues on her sister's vanity table. She goes back to the bed and hands a handful of tissues to Dara. Seeing Minzy worry about her made Dara cry more. 

"Unnie, waegurae? Did oppa do something bad to you?"

"Ani. He didn't do anything wrong. Na gwaenchanha."

"Yeah right. Unnie, I'm not a young girl anymore. You can talk to me, you know?"

"Ara-yo. I just don't know where to start."

"Why don't you start from the beginning and we'll go from there?"

"I didn't think it would get this complicated. I never meant... Where's Imo Eunji?"

"Imo went to visit some friends, she'll be back later. Come on unnie. Stop changing the subject."

"You'll get mad at me."

"Waeyo? I don't remember you doing anything to me. I'm your sister. You know you can always count on me. I want to help."

"I know. But you'll be hurt. I didn't think it would end this way."

"Mwonde? Tell me. Did oppa do anything to you? I'll hit him where it hurts."

"Ani. Nothing like that. I will tell you but please don't be mad at me."

"Cross my heart unnie. Spill it."

Dara starts to cry some more as she takes a deep breath and starts to speak.

"It's all because of that stupid nightgown. Me and Jiyong had and it ruined everything."

Why did I give in when I wasn't even sure how he felt about me?

"The nightgown? I'm confused. Did you bring the nightgown with you to the camping trip, unnie?"

"Ani. Mianhe Minzy, I lied to you. Remember when I wore the nightgown on my birthday? I told you I didn't dream anything but the truth is I did. I dreamed about Jiyong. And it was one of the most passionate and dreams I've ever had in my life. I couldn't believe that the family legend was true. I was embarrassed and I felt stupid. Then the next day, I saw him on TV. I was shocked. The man in my dreams was real. And it all spiralled out of control from there. Now I don't know what to do. I'm so confused and I'm really really sorry."

Minzy frowns at what her sister revealed. "I see. You didn't trust me."

Dara could see the hurt in her sister's eyes. She stretched her hands to touch her sister's fingers. But Minzy was not looking at her.

"I knew this would happen. You're mad at me, I'm really sorry Minzy, I never meant to hurt you. You should know you're the most important person to me. I was just confused and stunned by what happened. I didn't want to talk to anyone about it. And I guess I didn't want to believe I was wrong. Jeongmal mianhe Minzy-ah."

Minzy looks at her sister seeing her remorse on her face sorta lightened the hurt she was feeling. 

"I sorta understand why you did it unnie. I was the one who was excited about the legend. If you had told me the truth the next day, I probably wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret." A smile tugs on her lips. "Imagine what would have happened if I accidentally blurted it out the first night oppa was here."

"That would have been an interesting dinner conversation."

"I'm still a little hurt that you didn't trust me. But I'll get over it. So, tell me more. You dreamed about him then you met him. Was it the same as the dream?"

"Ani. Our first meeting was different."

Dara started telling Minzy how she kept seeing Jiyong's pics everywhere on the way to work and how she found out that she's been picked to work with him. Then she told her how she saw Jiyong's tattoo in her dream and how she found out that it was real.

"So how did you see oppa's tattoo in the dream? What was he wearing?"

"Uhm..." Dara blushes as she recalls the scene. "Nothing. We were both because we made love several times in my dream. It was amazing."

"Kyaahhhhhhhh!" Minzy laughs. "No wonder you looked like you saw a ghost the next day when you saw him on tv."

"Exactly. I was shocked. I didn't believe in the legend and yet there he was staring at me through the screen. I didn't have an explanation for it. I was scared."

"I guess I understand why you wouldn't want oppa to find out. We don't know how he'd react if he found out he was your dream guy."

"Right?"

"But I don't see a problem though. You and oppa seem like you get along well. You like him, right? And I'm pretty sure he likes you too. You made love and I'm assuming it was great. Then why are you sad?"

"Because..." Dara sighs. "I don't know. It's true that we get along, we enjoy each other's company. We actually have a few things in common and the was out of this world. But it's just too complicated. I don't want to fall in love again. Ever. I refuse to subject myself to that kind of pain again. And while Jiyong believes in myths and legends, he told me that he doesn't believe in love. He's a traveler, he's not the type to settle down in one place. I might like to travel but eventually I want to settle down in one place and make a home."

"You know you'll always have a home. Me and Imo Eunji will always be here for you. But you guys are still young. So what if he wants to travel. You can always compromise. That's what couples do to make their marriage work."

"Woah woah...no one is getting married. That's the last thing I want to do."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I refuse to fall in love with him. I am not gonna get into a relationship with anyone. We're just friends who had a great time."

"Then why are you crying?"

Dara couldn't answer the question. She wanted to tell Minzy about the other dream and how she felt when she met Kiko. 

"Molla. Maybe things would have been clearer if we hadn't made love. I feel like I'm riding an emotional rollercoaster. It goes up and down and just when I think I've got it all figured out, it feels like I'm going through the loop again."

"You know unnie, it seems like you're falling for him."

"Andwae. It's not possible."

"Of course it is. It's been awhile since you've felt it so you're not recognizing the symptoms. Why else would you be feeling this way?"

"No that's not it."

"What else could it be? If this was just a fling, you wouldn't care that he's leaving. You'd actually be grateful that you'd never see him again. But the truth is it bothers you that you might not ever see him again. You want to spend your lives together. That's what loving is all about."

"No. I don't love him. Sirheo. I don't want to love anyone."

"Yes you do unnie. You need to let the past go. I know how you sorta resented eomma and appa when they passed away. Because you had to grow up a little bit faster to take care of me. I miss them too. I learned that you never know when life will end, so we need to love as much as we can. But you learned not to trust anyone. You might have recovered from it if Donghae oppa hadn't died. I saw how crushed you were. I remember you telling me how he promised he'll get better but he didn't. It wasn't Imo Eunji's fault she was away when eomma and appa passed away. I know you kinda resent her for that."

"I did. But I'm dealing with it. I'm not an unforgiving and close minded person."

"That's not what I meant unnie. You're a wonderful person and Imo Eunji and I love you. But sometimes, you do stuff that make me want to shake you. Let go of the past. Look forward to the future for a change. Don't let this wonderful opportunity with Jiyong oppa slip through your fingers. When do you think you'll meet another guy like him?"

"You make it sound so easy."

"It is. You just have to let it be."

Ugh...my head hurts from all this. Is it really as simple as it seems? I did resent my parents for leaving us and for Imo Eunji for not being there. But if that didn't happen then I wouldn't have met Donghae. I hate that he died and it hurt when he was gone. But if I had to do it all over again. I think I would have still chose to have loved him and lost him. Meeting him taught me about courage and dignity. I learned about giving my whole heart and I also learned pain. 

"What are you thinking about unnie?"

"I'm thinking about how complicated everything is. I wish I was more like you and met somebody stable like Youngdeuk."

"He wouldn't have made you happy, unnie."

I want to ask her if she's happy but now is not the right time.

"So what's your plan?"

"Molla. I still need to give it some more thought. I do know that I'm not gonna make the first move."

"What you need is a distraction. You want to watch a movie with me?"

"Mianhe Minzy-ah. I don't think I'm gonna be a good company tonight. I can't get him out of my head. I think I'm gonna try and rest early. Thank you for understanding me."

"Anytime. That's what sisters are for. At least something good came out of all this."'

"Mwoga?"

"At least you know for sure that he's better in real life." Minzy says before she leaves the room.

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Annyeong Readers! Here's another update. Sorry it took me awhile. I'm kinda itching to write another story that's been brewing in my head. But I'm still gonna update this one. Thank you for reading my stories.

Korean word/phrases

gomawo - thank you

unnie - older sister

dongsaeng - younger sibling

mianhe - sorry

wae ureo - why are you crying

waegeurae - what is it

oppa - older brother

ani - no

na gwaenchanha - i'm ok

ara-yo - i know

imo - aunt

waeyo - why

mwonde - what is it

jeongmal mianhe - i'm really sorry

molla - i don't know

andwae - no way

sirheo - no

mwoga - what