Chapter 4:

The students and staff were getting used to seeing Jiyong and Dara together. They walked to school together, sat next to each other in class, and were seen together during breaks and most lunch hours. They almost looked like a couple except that most of the time they were together it looked like Dara was ignoring Jiyong. He’d always be the one doing the talking while she was looking off into space, playing with her phone, or reading a book.

“Here.” He handed her a juice as he sat next to her on the rooftop. She took it with a small grunt – her way of saying ‘thanks’ while she continued to doodle in her notebook. Fangirls didn’t bother him as much anymore. Now that he had begun to hang out with Dara more he found that his popularity was beginning to go down with the girls at the school. When he laughingly commented on this to Dara she asked him curiously, “Which do you consider more important: popularity or freedom?”

Jiyong thought about it a while, recalling how fangirls used to bug him wherever he went. “Freedom,” he answered, and Dara rewarded him with a smile. That was the first time he felt his heart flutter in his chest because of her. Now when he looked at her he no longer saw the weird glasses she wore and the strange hairstyles. Instead he just saw Dara, the real Dara, underneath all the distractions she put up. He realized too that she dressed the way she did in order to gain freedom to do whatever she wanted.

“You should be an actress,” he told her. “You would be good at it. You could fool everyone in to believing you’re this one person when you’re really someone else.”

“You make me sound deceitful.”

Jiyong shook his head. “No, not deceitful -- clever. Actually everyone does it. We present ourselves to the world in the image that we want people to see us in. But unlike most people who want people to see them in their best light, you do the very opposite. And by doing that you get the other students to pretty much leave you alone.”

“All except you, weirdo,” she muttered. But he knew she was teasing him and he chuckled. That was the other thing he was getting good at was understanding Dara's way ot talking and thinking. He could tell now when she was serious and when she was playing around with him.

He turned, legs crossed Indian style, and faced her. “What are you doing this Saturday?”

“Sleeping.”

“Do you want to go to the movies?”

She frowned at him. “With who, you?”

“Well you don’t have to sound so excited about it, geez.”

That earned him a smile, and then a rare chuckle.

“You know, most girls would jump at this opportunity,” he declared, which only caused her to laugh more. He smiled, deciding that he loved the sound of her laugh and the way her eyes lit up behind her glasses.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not like most girls,” Dara said, smiling.

“Oh I’ve noticed,” Jiyong said softly, and something in his tone caused Dara to feel strange. grew dry and her breath caught. She looked away quickly and busied herself with putting her notebook away.

“So it that a yes, or no?” he asked.

“It’s a maybe.”

Jiyong looked pleased with himself. “I still have two more days to convince you.”

**

As it turned out Dara did eventually say yes to the movie. She agreed to meet him at the mall that Saturday at 1pm. Bom and Byul nearly fainted when they saw Dara getting ready and asked where she was going.

“To the movies with Jiyong.”

“What?!!!”

“Ohmigawd!!”

Dara covered her ears and glared at her two sisters as they screamed and jumped in a circle around her. “What is the matter with you two?”

“Dara’s got a boyfriend! Dara’s got a boyfriend!”

“He’s not my boyfriend for crying out loud! Now get out of my room so I can finish getting dressed…”

“I heard he walks with you to school and hangs out with you on breaks and at lunch.”

“What do you want me to do, chase him away? I tried but he sticks closer than glue.”

Byul and Bom exchanged looks, smiling slyly at each other. They wanted to meet this guy who was brave enough to make a move on their younger sister. Bom knew who he was because Jiyong was one of the popular boys in school, but she’d never met him personally. Byul didn’t know who Jiyong was but her boyfriend did and Seven had vouched for Jiyong saying that he was a good guy.

Well Jiyong was obviously smart, the two older Park sisters concluded. After all he had seen beyond the disguise that Dara put on and knew she was worth getting to know.

“Why don’t you invite him over for dinner?” Byul suggested, and Dara looked at her as if she were crazy.

“Why would I do that? We’re not even close,” Dara declared.

“Hmm, you walk to school together,” Byul said, holding up one finger.

“Hang out at recess,” Bom added.

 “He sits next to you in class…”

 “Hangs out with you at the library…”

“You two are starting to get on my nerve,” Dara grumbled, and Byul and Bom giggled. It was nice to see their sister get worked up over a friend, and a guy friend at that too!

Dara grabbed her bag and left the house before her sisters could interrogate her further.

Jiyong got to the mall a little early and waited for her outside of the theater. Dara showed up wearing faded jeans and a designer tee. Jiyong noticed she looked upset and asked what was wrong. She had been in such a hurry to get away from her sisters that she forgot to grab a pair of glasses and had not been able to do anything with her hair other than brush it.

Jiyong smiled. “You look beautiful. I like your hair down like that.”

Dara didn’t know what to say. But she didn’t protest when he reached over and grabbed her wrist. “Let’s go pick a movie,” he said, leading her to the theater.

They watched an action comedy and Dara found herself laughing and having a great time. She'd forgotten what it was like to hang out with someone other than her sisters. And, honestly, it felt good. Really good.

Her and Jiyong each had their own popcorn and drink as they sat next to each other, slouched down in their chairs, and enjoyed the movie. She and Jiyong discovered they had a similar sense of humor and nearly died laughing at some of the scenes in the movie.

“That was too funny,” she said afterwards as they left the theater. Her eyes were shiny, cheeks flushed with laughter. Jiyong thought she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. He took hold of her hand and held onto it as they worked their way through the crowd of people leaving the movie house. Once they were out in the mall area, he didn’t let go.

“Want some ice cream?” he asked, and Dara nodded excitedly.

She was well aware that Jiyong was still holding her hand, and it gave her a warm fuzzy feeling.

At the ice cream place the two ordered their cones and sat at a table to eat. Jiyong sat next to Dara instead of across from her. “Thanks for coming out with me today,” he told her.

Dara ate her ice cream without saying anything.

When they were done they strolled through the mall looking at the stores. Jiyong reached for Dara’s hand and held it as they walked along. Neither of them said much, each seemingly lost in their own feelings.

“There’s an arcade,” Jiyong said. “Want to play?”

He took her in and in the next two hours they played nearly all the games that were in there. The place was crowded and Jiyong was certain to stay near Dara at all times, keeping her from being jousted in the crowd. She felt his hand at her hip at times, guiding her through the maze of games and the people playing. They stopped in one spot to watch two girls playing a dancing game. Jiyong stood behind Dara, his face close to hers as the two of them laughed and watched.  And when Jiyong slipped one arm around Dara’s waist and held her close to him, Dara merely smiled and leaned back against him.

**