VII – ON THE LOOSE

Dara had been very thankful that her friends accepted her with open arms. But she knew that they have a lot of questions in their mind. She isn’t really sure either to answer or not. Nonetheless, it’s their right to know and she owes them that much.

“Why did you left four years ago, Dara?” Bom asks expectantly. CL, Minzy, TOP, D-Lite and Sol lean closer to listen to her answer. They are in the coffee shop near her apartment a day after V.I’s birthday. V.I is the fortunate one to order their coffee in the counter.

Dara stares at them one by one before sighing. This is it!

“First and foremost, I want to apologize again for leaving without any word with you back then. So I’m sorry if I…I hurt you with what I did,” she starts. V.I is already arrived. He sat silently as he listens again to Dara’s story.

“Stop apologizing already. We already accept you, right? So stop that and just tell us what really happened. We need to know so we could understand you. And don’t you think we deserve it?” CL said frankly.

She nods. “Neh. Yeah. You deserve to know. I…I really don’t know where to start so … here it goes,” she sighs again. “Four years ago, do you remember the last Super Brawl I attended?”

Everyone nods.

“After that night, I was walking home when I saw a car with my family crest in front of my apartment building. My parents’ butler told me that my parents want to talk to me. I’m hesitant for a while but… in the end I agreed. So that night I came to see my parents…” she roams her eyes to each and every one of them before continuing.

“And then?” Bom urges her to continue.

“They talked to me and… and they told me to leave Seoul,” Dara huts her eyes as she remembered that night.

“So you leave just like that? I can’t believe that, Dara! I know you so well to actually believe that you did what they asked you to do. You’re one hell stubborn santokki,” Bom sneers.

Dara shakes her head. “It’s not as simple as that Bom. It’s not what you think it is.”

“Then what else is it?”

“Let me just finish first, arasso?” Bom nods and she continues. “As you know Bom, I didn’t do as they say at first however… in the end I had to do it.”

“Why?” Sol asks this time a little confuse.

Dara gave them a little smile. “They blackmail me. I was push to my edge that the only thing I have to do was to leave.”

“Blackmail?” TOP asks.

“Neh. My parents were too desperate to hold me so they used the only thing important to me against me. They used you…” she sighs heavily. The torture agony is very evident in her voice.

Everyone gasps except V.I who heard the same story before.

“Us? But how?” D-Lite asks.

“They will let you guys put into jail with our illegal activities in the underground. They showed me evidence that will ditch you in imprisonment. I can’t just let that happened to you that’s why… I left. I can’t let you suffer because of me. I can’t just be that selfish… I can’t,” Dara begins to sobs.

“Oh, Dara,” Bom embrace her best friend while sobbing also.

“Unnie!” Minzy starts to sobs too and walks to Dara also to hug her.

“Santokki…” CL chokes and hugs her too.

“That’s too heroic, Dara,” TOP remarks with a little sad smile forms in his lips.

“You are so unselfish. I’m glad I have a friend like you, Dara,” Sol said a little teary.

“Noona! Thank you!” D-Lite howls.

V.I remains silent but his face is unreadable. He is clenching his fist too tightly. Hearing it for the second time didn’t make a change. He really can’t understand why she has to suffer and handle such kind of hardship.

“Why didn’t you tell us before? Why didn’t you say goodbye first?” Bom cries.

“Bommie, it’s for the all of you. I can’t tell you that for your sakes. And leaving without saying goodbye seemed easier for me to let go and left,” Dara explains.

“Still! It’s unfair. I’m your best friend and you didn’t tell me! You don’t know what I felt when you left. I didn’t know your reason and I nearly go insane because we couldn’t find you! Then one day, we all gave up as much as we didn’t want to,” Bom confessed.

“I’m sorry. I really am!” she said and embrace Bom once again.

“GD must know all about this too. He will sure understand it,” Sol suggests.

Dara let go from embracing Bom and looks at Sol. GD hasn’t been around according to them. She is so worried sick to him. The last time she saw him is very devastating. She can see the confusion in his face. She knew that he is in pain. She had hurt him big time!

“Hyung isn’t around even in the underground! How can we tell him?” D-Lite shrieks.

“Even oppa’s phone isn’t working,” Minzy said sadly.

“What are we going to do?” CL groans in frustration.

“Let him be for a while, guys.” Everyone turns to TOP who looks serious. “He is still not in the good state to accept any reasoning right now. Let’s give him some room to breathe. Besides, he’ll show up to us if he is okay already. The important thing is, we all know the truth. That matters right?” he adds.

Everyone nods just in time their coffee is ready. They talk and ask Dara what happened to her when she is away. Dara patiently answers each of their inquiries. They are also shocked to know that her parents died already a year after she left. They even ask about her adventure to California where she stayed for two years and the other two years was in Philippines before finally she decided to go back to Seoul. That was the longest talk she had been through after V.I found her.

“Why you didn’t tell them the entire story, noona?” V.I asks warily when they are walking back to her apartment. He volunteers to walk her home after the