It's been days since Chaerin met Bora. Dara has been very annoyed by the fact that Chaerin is barely home these days because she stays over at her new girlfriend’s place often. Dara has to stay alone in her house every night wondering what Chaerin probably is doing.

“I need to ask you something.” Dara asked when they’re having lunch together in the office. As usual, Dara doesn’t go to the cafeteria to have lunch. She is very picky at food and she doesn’t need stuffs the other employees eat. So what she does everyday is ordering food from some restaurants or if she’s in the mood, she’d go to the restaurant and have lunch there alone. But it was before Chaerin came to the office. Now she doesn’t really have to be alone anymore. She doesn’t have to eat her lunch alone because there’s always Chaerin offering to accompanying her and it’s only at lunch time, where she and Chaerin can spend time alone and actually talk about things, just like friends do.

“Ask me.”

Dara wiped and looked closer at Chaerin. “Are you really dating that girl or you’re just messing around?”

Chaerin smirked. “I’ve been going out with her for two weeks and you just decided to ask me now?”

“Well yeah it’s because you’ve been out with her for two weeks that’s why I’m asking you now. Are you serious with her or it’s just like… you’re having fun with her?”

“I haven’t even thought about it. Seriously we just have a lot in common and she’s a fun person, we clicked. I like hanging out with her and she’s funny and pretty and cute and very understanding. I like her. And the is awesome.”

That caught Dara’s interests. She straightened her body and moved her chair forward, “The is awesome, huh? How awesome?”

Chaerin looked at Dara and smiled, “You don’t expect me to answer it for real, right?”

Dara shrugged, “If you don’t mind telling, I don’t mind to listen.”

“Hey let me ask you a question first.”

“Okay.”

Chaerin just finished her last bite of chicken. She also moved her body forward and looked at Dara carefully, “Why aren’t you going out and find yourself a new girlfriend? I’ve never seen you out ever since I stay in your house. You never go out. How are you supposed to find someone you can love for the rest of your life? You said you care about your future that you want to start having a serious relationship.”

“I’m trying to. But it’s kinda hard, okay? I just can’t start a new relationship so soon.”

Chaerin shook her head, “You broke up nearly six years ago. What took you so long to move on?”

“I’m not saying I haven’t moved on, Chaerin. I’m just saying, I don’t think I’m ready now. I’m not ready.”

“. You should be ready by now.”

“No.”

“Do you want me to help you? Coz I’ve got friends who need girlfriends or… we can go to the bar and find you a cute girl you can flirt with. We can go tonight.”

“Hell no I’m not going to a gay bar with you.”

“You’re pathetic. You don’t even wanna try. Do you plan to live alone for the rest of your life?”

“No I’m not. Stop talking about this, Chaerin, okay? I don’t want to talk about it, especially when we’re in the office. There are so many ears anywhere. People will hear us, they like to eavesdrops they’re like nasty flies they can know everything.”

“People are gone to have lunch, Dara. Unlike you, they know how to relieve stress by going far far away from their boring desk.”

“If you wanna go too, just go. I don’t mind eating alone. You don’t have to pretend you care about me.”

“I don’t pretend. I care about you. I’m you friend. I’ll be here with you, coz that’s what friends do. Friends don’t leave each other.”

“Yeah but lovers do.” Dara muttered.

Chaerin raised her eyebrow, suddenly she feels sorry. She looks at Dara’s face, she looks sorrowful. Her eyes are wary and she ducked down her head.

“Lovers leave each other. Lovers aren’t gonna be there forever. They leave… I’m not ready to be left again. So I’m not ready to start a new relationship.”

Chaerin withered. She just smiled bitterly at Dara, “Yeah… they do. I’m sorry.” She murmured shortly.

***

Dara had to see Chaerin go again. She was standing by the window and watched Chaerin walk away from the house to visit Bora. It’s the third time in this week Chaerin’s not staying the night at home.

Dara sighed as she looked around her empty house. She can only hear the clock ticking and it’s bloody annoying to her. She opened the fridge and only found salads. And she feels herself is getting back to where she was before Chaerin lived in her house.

She sat at the kitchen table and ate her salad and hot milk in silence and misery. She also put her laptop in front of her and tried looking for a dating site. She thought about what Chaerin said earlier about start dating. Actually she doesn’t really need Chaerin to tell her about that, she knows it already. She knows she needs to start going out and find a new girlfriend. She just doesn’t understand why she hasn’t. Ever since Chaerin came to her life, she feels like she doesn’t need any new girlfriend anymore, she no longer feels lonely and hollow. That is one of the reasons why she hasn’t started dating someone yet and of course she can’t tell that to Chaerin.

“I can’t do this!” she murmured as she closed the website she opened.

She went to the living room to watch TV. After twenty minutes, she got bored. She went back to the kitchen to find food other than salad because she’s still hungry. She found nothing but Chaerin’s instant noodles. Dara doesn’t eat instant foods. Dara is mad at herself. She hates being alone like this. She should’ve forbid Chaerin from leaving the house tonight.

After a moment of blaming herself, she looked at the window for a minute and suddenly she came up with an idea. A silly idea that might work, she thought.

She grabbed her phone and dialed Chaerin’s number. When she didn’t pick up, she called again. She called her again and again until Chaerin picked up.

She quickly ran upstairs and made a big noisy sound with her steps and then she ran do