As soon as the door opened Dara rushed into the house calling out for her mother. She found her in the kithchen helping Celita, their cook, with the dinner preparation.  “Omma!” Dara threw her arms around her mother, her face bearing a wide smile as she jumped up and down.

“This girl…” Dara’s mother scolded, but her heart overflowed with having her daughter back home. She pulled back after a while and looked Dara over. “Omo, you’ve grown prettier,” she said, and Dara laughed happily and hugged her again before turning to give Celita a hug as well.

“It’s great to have you home, Miss," Celita said.

Dara thanked her warmly before leading her mother out to greet her father and grandfather who were just entering the house. After greetings were done they sat down to enjoy a late dinner. Dara sat between her parents and laughed when her mother kept putting food on her plate, telling her to eat up and that she was too thin. Dara happily obliged. Their talk filled the room as they enjoyed their time together.

Afterwards Dara assisted her grandfather to the guest room and made sure he had everything he needed before she retired to her room. Now that she was alone she took out her phone and checked her private twitter to see if Jiyong had responded to her message she sent earlier when their plane landed. She sighed when she saw no answering tweet. He probably hadn’t seen it yet. She set her phone aside and busied herself unpacking before she went to shower.

**

Jiyong knocked on his mother’s door before trying the knob. Finding the door unlocked he entered carrying a tray. “Omma?” He peeked in and saw her still lying in bed.

“I brought you breakfast.”

He set the tray down on the bedside table before drawing the curtains partially open to let some light into the room.

“Jiyong?” His mother slowly pulled herself up in bed, a grimace forming on her face as she placed a hand gingerly to her head.

Jiyong handed her the glass he had brought. “Honey water,” he explained, and she gratefully accepted it. He waited till she finished and then removed the glass to the side and set the tray he brought before her. “Have something to eat.”

Mrs. Kwon looked down at the tray and then over to her son and a small sad smile formed on her lips. “I should be doing this for you, not the other way around.”

“What good are sons if we can’t take care of our omma once in a while?” Jiyong asked, returning her smile. “Eat and then get ready. I’m taking you out today.”

“Jiyong, I don’t want to go out…” she started, but Jiyong stopped her.

“You’ll like where I take you. I promise. Please eat and then get ready. We’ll leave in an hour.”

**

Dara spent the morning out shopping with her mother. Her father and grandfather opted to stay at home. After shopping for groceries and supplies needed at the house Mrs. Park had the driver drop her and Dara off at one of their favorite restaurants for lunch while he delivered the groceries home. After ordering their food Mrs. Park began to ask Dara about her life in Seoul, about school, and if she was being good with her grandfather. Dara nodded and shared her experiences, the differences she found in the school system, her excitement of living there and experiencing the type of life that her parents had when they grew up in Korea, and of spending more time with her grandfather.

“I miss you and appa though,” she told her mother. “I’m looking forward to when he retires and the two of you move back home. Then we can all live there.”

Their food arrived and the two enjoyed their lunch. Afterwards as they were having a cup of tea, Dara couldn’t help smiling. There was a twinkle in her brown eyes that made her mother look at her suspiciously. “What’s that smile for?” she asked, and Dara broke out into a giggle.

“Omma, I have something to tell you.”

Mrs. Park’s mouth turned downwards into a frown as she placed her cup back on the saucer. “You’d better not be pregnant young lady or I swear I will kill you right now.”

“Omma!” Dara glared at her mother before rolling her eyes. Mrs. Park sighed with relief at Dara's response. She sat back in her chair and lifted her cup again to sip. Dara’s smile returned to her face and she leaned forward, hands clasped at her chest, fingers interlaced.

“I have a boyfriend.”

Her mother nearly choked on her tea. “What!”

Dara looked at her with concern, reaching over to pat her mother’s back. Mrs. Park pushed her hand away and shook her head. “What did you say?”

Dara smiled as she sat back down. “Jiyong and I are dating now.”

“Oh my god.” Mrs. Park fanned herself with her hand and looked as if she were going to faint. Meanwhile Dara giggled and brought her phone out to show her mother pictures of Jiyong. She had shown her mother a picture of Jiyong before but that was over two years ago and she doubted if her mother remembered him.

“Omma, stop being so dramatic. Look, isn’t he so handsome?” She slid the phone over to her mother, who ignored the phone and shook her head instead.

“Where is my real daughter? You’re not my daughter. The daughter I know doesn’t even like boys.”

“You prefer it if I like girls?” Dara smirked, raising a brow. She grinned when her mother narrowed her eyes at her.

“Don’t you get smart with me,” Mrs. Park warned, but Dara only smiled.

“Come on, Mom. Please?”

The two sat staring at each other, Dara with a pleading look, Mrs. Park with a look of stubborn determination. In the end, like always, Dara won out. With a huff Mrs. Park reached for the phone and looked at the photos. Afterwards she slid the phone back.

“I want you to come back home.”
 

“Mom!”

Mrs. Park rolled her eyes and grumbled.

**

“Are you okay?” Jiyong asked his mother as she sat in the passenger seat of his car, still crying and wiping her eyes.

He’d taken her to the cemetery to visit Jaejoong’s grave. They’d stood there for a long time with him holding his mother as she wept. In the first few months after her younger son’s death it had been too heart wrenching for her to visit but she did anyway. But she would sink into such a depression afterwards that her husband forbade her from visiting anymore. She knew it was out of concern for her and her health that he did so, but it was also the cause of the rift that slowly developed between the two of them over the years.

“Have you been visiting him?” She asked Jiyong between wiping at her eyes.

“For about three years now,” Jiyong answered. She had no idea. Thinking about it now she realized that Jiyong too had suffered from the loss of his brother but had kept it hidden these years so as not to upset her as well.

He started the car and drove them to a café that he and Dara liked to go to and he took his mother in to order something hot for them to eat while they talked. He brought with him the tin can that he and Dara had kept at Jaejoong’s grave. It wasn’t the same one Dara had originally bought, for that one had become rusted and he and Dara had replaced it the year prior.

Over lunch Jiyong told his mother about his first visit back to Jaejoong’s grave, about finding the flowers there, about Dara and her grandfather, of how he met them and become friends with Dara, fell in love with her, and was now dating her. He shared with her the photos and mementos that Dara had left for Jaejoongie throughout the years, and then the photos of him and Dara together that they had added over the past three years.

“She sounds like a wonderful girl. I’d like to meet her.”

Jiyong smiled. “She’s visiting her parents in the U.S. for the holidays, but I’ll bring her over when she returns.”

**

Dara checked her twitter account and smiled when she saw that Jiyong had posted a photo.

It was a picture he had taken of her at school the last day before the holiday break. Under it he typed the words, “…miss you…”

“Are you checking your twitter again?” Seungri asked Dara.

“Sorry.” She smiled and turned the phone so he can see her photo. “That’s our uniform at school.”

Seungri whistled. “Nice. Someone finally got you to wear a dress, I see.”

Dara stuck her tongue out at him as she took her phone back. “You and Chaerin still planning on moving to Seoul after graduation right?”

Seungri nodded before taking a sip of his drink.  “We’ve been looking at university’s there and the requirements. What about you? Which one are you thinking of attending?”

The two talked a little more about their school options. After a while Chaerin arrived and joined them and the three headed off to dinner.

**

Jiyong slipped on his leather jacket and grabbed his keys before heading out of his bedroom. He stopped first to check on his mother. She was sitting in front of her mirror putting on a pair of earrings and she smiled when she saw Jiyong by the door. “You’re leaving?” she asked, and he nodded.

“I’ll be home late,” he told her. “I’m meeting my friends in Itaewan for dinner and we’ll probably hang out at a club afterwards.”

“Don’t get into trouble,” she reminded him, and Jiyong smiled.

“I should say the same to you. Have fun, but don’t get into trouble.”

His mother was meeting with some friends for drinks. Jiyong was glad she was getting out. In the past few days she seemed happier although occasionally he caught her staring off into space. Jiyong had met with his father a few days before Christmas and he’d had the same impression with his father. He hoped the two would get their act together soon and decide what it was they really wanted to do.

An hour later Jiyong was parking his car and making his way into the restaurant where he was meeting with Top, Daesung and Youngbae. It didn’t take him long to find the three seated at a table and saving him a seat. He greeted them as he sat down. They had already ordered food so Jiyong settled down to spend a nice evening with his friends. Deasung and Youngbae teased Jiyong and Top about finally being able to get them away from their girlfriends for a change. The two older hyungs in turn teased the younger two about not having girlfriends.

As the night wore on Jiyong got up to go to the restroom. On his way back he was waylaid by a girl who had been waiting for him near the hallway leading to the bathroom.

“Excuse me,” she said, flashing a smile at him. “My friends and I couldn’t help but notice you and your friends at your table. There’s four of you and four of us and, well, we were wondering if you guys would like to pair up?”

She was a pretty girl. Tall and thin with large dark eyes and a pouty mouth. The dress she wore showed off her long legs.

“Sorry,” Jiyong said. “But I don’t think my girlfriend would like that much.”

She frowned and heaved a little sigh. “I didn’t think someone as handsome as you would be single, but it was worth a try. Are your friends all taken as well?”

Jiyong smiled. “I’m afraid so.” He excused himself and made his way back to his friends. He didn’t see her take a photo of him and his friends before returning back to her table. Neither did he say anything to the others until much later in the night when they were hanging out at one of the clubs that was owned by Daesung’s family.

“Hyung, you didn’t!” Daesung and Youngbae couldn’t believe Jiyong hadn’t introduced the girls to them. Top only chuckled.

“Yah, don’t you think that would be awkward if I told them you two were single?” Jiyong asked. “What if her friends wanted to hook up with you two? What are Top and I supposed to do?”

“Hang out with each other!” Youngbae scowled.

“Call your girlfriends!” Daesung added.

“Dara’s not even here,” Jiyong replied.

“Exactly! So where’s the harm in hanging out with some girls? It’s not like you planned it.”

“Don’t even go there,” Jiyong said, shaking his head. He was not interested in hanging out with other girls. And then to his surprise, Jiyong saw the same girl from the restaurant looking at him from a table not too far away. She was with three other girls that he assumed must be her friends that she referred to at the restaurant earlier. How did they end up at the same club as them? Did they follow them here? He looked away and ignored them. As fate would have it though, two of the girls came over from that same table and asked Youngbae and Daesung to dance. The two maknae grinned, forgetting their earlier irritation with Jiyong as they followed the girls on the dance floor.

“I think I’m going to head home,” Jiyong said, finishing his drink. “What about you?”

Top had been texting with Bom on his phone. “I’m gonna get outta here too. Bom’s on her way over to pick me.” He stood and said he was going to the bathroom first.

Left alone Jiyong pulled out his phone to text Youngbae and let him know him and Top were leaving.  Daesung would be able to get a ride for the two of them later. He threw some bills on the table and was about to leave when the girl from earlier slipped into the seat next to him.

“Leaving already?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, yeah, I am.”

“That’s no fun. How about a dance?” she asked.

“No thanks. I told you already I’m not available.”

“And yet you’re here at a club without your girlfriend,” she said.

Jiyong narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m with friends. And now, if you don’t mind, I’m leaving.”

She didn’t seem the least bit put off by his cold tone. Instead she leaned forward quickly and pressed her lips to his in a quick kiss.

Jiyong pulled back as soon as he realized what she had done and he glared at her. “Look, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing at, but I’m not interested.”

He stood then to leave and the girl stood as well. “I hope your girlfriend knows what a gem she has in you,” she smiled, before turning and sashaying off.

**