Recap Chapter 14: Xiumin and Dara exchanged their first text messages. He had no intention of telling his friends the truth about him and her being together for a night but he ended up admitting anyway; he can’t keep such a secret--- except for liking her, he’ll keep that as much as possible. The reaction was remarkable and the interrogation was draining. They all agreed to keep her identity a secret.

Dara finally finishes her To-Do List after a refreshing bath. She looks at it, reread it and then stretches her arms over her head in contentment. She plans to do it in no particular order. But riding a bike along Han River, she just might do that first and ask Bom to go with her. And maybe, she can then reveal about the unexpected adventure she had with Xiumin-ssi.

She’s too sleepy to even check her phone and see what the photo looks like. She’ll have to take Xiumin-ssi’s word for it: that she is barely recognizable. No need to worry. It can wait tomorrow. She yawns while she closes her notebook and puts it on the bedside table together with her phone. She climbs on the bed, lies down and within a few seconds, falls asleep a barely audible snore resonates in the room.

The next day, at EXO’s dorm, Xiumin’s adventure with an unknown girl is still one of the trending topics. As expected of the trends of trends, Lay mumbles and Xiumin tries to shut him up by putting mocha bread in his mouth---a big enough piece to shut him up.

Some of the members are already gathered at the dining area early in the morning because they have a practice schedule at SM building. They still have an hour to spare for another discussion about the hyung’s present problem besides the accomplishment of Plan B.

Chen brings up his brilliant suggestion once again; for fear that Dara noona will be dragged into a rumor if it’s found out that she’s the unknown girl/woman, whichever they (netizens) call her.

The rest are in agreement. They want to protect Dara noona/sunbaenim too.

Luhan seconds the motion (momentarily forgetting that he’s the first on Chen's list) because he worries as well for Dara noona’s sake. Chen turns to Luhan to verify if he agrees to pose as Minseok-ah’s ‘girl.’

No, no, no, that won’t happen, is Luhan’s response, accompanied by an earnest shake of his head. He does not approve of that; they better find someone else. This he says with finality while his eyes turn to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun understands what Luhan is trying to imply. He also wants nothing to do with the ‘dress-up as a girl’ plan, so he suggests that for the meantime, why not just say that Dara-sunbaenim (whose identity is unknown and may never be known anyway) is hyung’s special friend whom he is interested in and voila! --- the dating problem is solved and no one will suspect that she’s Dara-sunbaenim, right, if they say the ‘special friend’ is not an idol.

Xiumin almost choke up on his coffee after hearing the suggestion, which almost hit home but not quite. He glances at Luhan, as if to say: Whoa, that was close. He turns his attention back to his oatmeal cookie, looking at it intently as if it’s the most interesting thing there is before taking a bite, and then finishes his coffee, not feeling calmed at all.

Suho, who’s third in line, approves of Baekhyun’s suggestion a little too eagerly.

Aish, the leader clearly wants nothing to do with Chen’s silly suggestion.

It’s a good thing the maknae line and Chanyeol are still getting ready.

Dara wakes up fully rested. She sits upright and ties her hair in a ponytail. She lies back again and does some stretching. A while later on the floor, she does more of her usual exercise routines. As if the run the other night is not enough, she misses the treadmill and training with Hwangssabu.

Remembering to inspect the photo, she reaches for her phone. While sitting cross-legged on the floor, she begins the search. It takes a while to get to it. When she sees it, she lets out a sigh of relief she doesn’t realize she’s been holding. The girl referred to in the photo does not in any way resemble her. She pats her back mentally for a job well done. Thanks to her hoodie and sunglasses, she and Xiumin-ssi manage to escape an impediment.

In one of the top articles, it says ‘Xiumin spotted with an unidentified girl.’

She can’t help but read the comments; after all it does not pertain to her specifically.

And the first comment she comes across with that somehow offends her is this:

>>>Is that a girl? Looks like a guy to me.

Aigo. Aigo, Dara feels a little insulted. Does she really look like a guy? Or is it an implication that Xiumin-ssi is gay, as it was in the past comments with regard XiuHan?

>>>Who could she be? Is Xiumin-oppa finally dating? Aigo, my heart hurts   TT_TT 

Dara can only shake her head. What other kinds of comments may come out if Xiumin-ssi’s management finally announces he’s dating?

Before she reads anything that’s more offensive and troubling, she puts her phone on the bed and decides to take a bath. There are a lot of things to do in the inn. Another family will arrive, a close friend of her grandmother’s. She better make sure the room that’s been occupied by another family (who already left yesterday) is clean and ready for use later in the afternoon.

In the van on the way to practice, the guys are still talking about Baekhyun’s suggestion. Xiumin is listening, weighing the pros and cons if they proceed with the proposition. If ever he agrees, he must tell Dara noona about it.

But the moment they arrive at the building, there is no further talk because someone may overhear.

Four hours quickly pass, and throughout the practice and short breaks in between, nobody dares mention Dara's name. That’s how serious they are in trying to protect her.

Just before lunch, Xiumin receives a note from manager-hyung. He expects to be called in the office but he can’t help feel a little nervous---the idea of being asked about the incident, how will he handle it? He still does not know if he must admit the truth.

Suho approaches Xiumin when he notices how the hyung’s face becomes stiff after reading the note.

The others simply keep quiet and let Suho talk with Xiumin.

Xiumin is very thankful for Suho’s intercession. If the leader is not around, he may have not known what to do.

He tells the truth to Manager-hyung, that the girl he is with is Sandara Park. The manager is noticeably surprised when Xiumin starts to narrate a much summarized account of the incident: met at a café, chased by fans, hid in a boat, slept in the boat owner’s house.

While narrating, the manager is surprised to hear how Xiumin calls 2NE1’s visual Dara noona. Xiumin is left without a choice but to also admit how he and Chen had a run in with her weeks ago during her dating activity. That’s where the ‘noona calling’ started he reveals. He bravely proposes they not expose that the girl is Dara noona but just some friend he met by chance since her face is completely hidden anyway. He admits how he fears to be dragged in a rumor again, and this time, he does not want to include someone as famous as Dara noona.

The manager ponders about it for a while before finally saying why don’t they just reveal that, as a diversion, Xiumin will be dating soon?

Xiumin and Suho’s eyes met for a split second. They’ve actually talked about it before going in the office. Xiumin foresees that it will be brought up. Suho convinced him earlier that it’s better to announce the future dating plans.

Manager-hyung asks about anyone Xiumin is currently interested in. Feeling cornered, he admits there is someone. Suho’s eyes widen at this---he is curious, he wants to know but knowing the oldest member, Xiumin will stay mum about it.

Not wanting to defy their manager, Xiumin agrees, but is strongly hoping that when he finally dates, the identity of the girl will be confidential. Manager hyung agrees, almost too fast, to his surprise.

After talking with the manager, who respects Xiumin’s wish for privacy and to protect Dara noona’s name from being dragged into controversy, the three agree about a statement to be released, that the unidentified girl is only a friend and that Xiumin is allowed to date. They could have used the word ‘encouraged’ because that’s what it really is. However, they know how the minds of some netizens work---they may speculate that the encouragement is due to the possibility that Xiumin is gay.

Xiumin knows very well that it’s to divert the attention from the previous two rumors. And it can’t be avoided; the ‘dating’ plans will soon be announced so what’s the problem if it’s done sooner? It means he should make his move fast.

After the almost twenty-minute meeting with the manager and Suho, Xiumin goes to the rooftop to call his mother and inform her that she should not worry about the articles circling in the Internet. The last time he called, it was about the XiuHan rumor and then followed of course by the dating rumor at Haeundae beach weeks after. He told his mother that they are not true. And now he’s calling her again for yet another matter which is with regard to SM Ent’s plan to release a statement after a week (will still monitor the Haeundae beach incident). About him being allowed to date, that is true, he informs his mother. At the prospect of him dating soon, she obviously sounds excited.

After lunch, Dara rereads her list again. After a few minutes of deliberation, she finally decides to take a photo of it and send it to Minnie kid.

Look! Here it is finally~ that’s in no particular order, okay? ^__^

Have you done the brave thing yet? : )

She puts her phone on the counter and starts washing the dishes, wondering if it’s okay that she asks about the brave thing this soon.

A few minutes pass when she hears the message alert tone---Peter Pan EXO-M version. She unhurriedly washes her hands and dries it with a towel. She leans over the counter and taps on the message.

Your to-do list is interesting~ I want to make mine as well ke ke ke

The brave thing… >_<   I have not done it yet…

Aigo, this kid… you can’t make a to-do list until you did the brave thing~ that’s the condition   ^~^

How many buckets of courage must you need to do it?

I’ll give you some… ke ke ke

I don’t know how many   : (

By the way, manager-hyung already knows. But don’t worry, I made him promise not to tell anyone   : )

Ah, really? I just hope the netizens will never know, ke ke ke

That brave thing~~ JUST DO IT! Fighting Xiuminnie kid!!!

I gotta go.

Thanks noona  v^__^v

Three weeks quickly pass by and Dara is back in Seoul!

The moment she arrives home after lunch, she unthinkingly blurts to her mother that she met someone and that they are still in the getting to know stage. Her mother’s expression is of pure delight. And even though Dara feels a little guilty, she thinks it’s for the best, for now---to make her mother believe she’s working on her love life diligently. How else can she complete her to-do list if her mother’s breathing down her neck every single day?

She barely manages to escape the questions. She says that regretfully, she can’t fully divulge the identity of the guy she’s seeing since they are still ‘getting to know’ each other; she does not want to mess it up. She further tells how she’s still figuring out if they can be more than friends.

Her mother seems to accept her reasons and wishes her luck. Aigo, her heart aches a little at the sight of her happy mother. If her mother only knew that everything is made-up.

She goes to her room, despite the guilt, she feels excited for the temporary freedom.

Freedom... Maybe she can only have it if she moves out. Should she? Could she? She’ll feel guiltier if she sees her mother everyday and then keep telling her little white lies about an imaginary soon-to-be boyfriend.

An idea strikes her. Maybe Bom needs a roommate. She makes a mental note to ask her friend the next time they talk.

She is working diligently; it’s just her to-do list seems easier to accomplish than looking for a boyfriend. Should she include that in her list? What will Xiumin-ssi say if perhaps she puts that there? Maybe she can tag that as item number eleven, and there’s no need to let him know about it.

Speaking of the kid, she wonders how he has been. She knows that the blurred photos are still a subject of debate in social networks. Two weeks ago, what surprises her is the announcement by SM Ent that Xiumin is allowed to date. And netizens instantly assume that the unidentified girl is the one he’s dating. What a mess. The comment ranges from well-wishers to broken hearted, with suspicious assumptions in between. They question how is it that the announcement comes out during a time where other idols announced they are dating as well. A few even manage to remark the statement is a way to wipe out the XiuHan rumor.

The positive effect of that announcement: ‘XiuHan kissed’ rumor has somehow quieted down. Finally, it seems people are already thinking rationally about it.

SM Ent’s motives for announcing it is questionable. She does not know how to feel about that, besides being surprised.

Once Xiumin-ssi starts to date, who could the lucky girl be? Yes, lucky, whoever she is. She ponders this while unpacking.

On second thought, is the girl really lucky if she receives unreasonable dislike and worse, hate? Sometimes, it’s better to keep things private. She cannot really speak about it, what does she know about such things? She’s still single for crying out loud. But she still stands true to what she answered back then in twitter: She prefers secret relationship but of course, she’ll tell Blackjacks when she’s getting married.

The next day after dinner, Dara calls Bom and asks what she thinks of having a roommate.

Bom is clueless what she means so Dara reveals her plans.

“Are you serious?”

“Ne.” She can’t tell Bom’s feeling about it through her voice.

“What did Auntie say about it?” Now the worry is evident.

“She’s reluctant at first of course, but I am able to convince her that maybe living independently will help in my quest---you know what that is already.” She sighs, realizing what she needs to do, as if she can ever forget her mission; it’s imprinted on her mind like a tattoo.

“Okay, that’s good…” Bom mumbles, her voice is rising with