“And… cut!”

Dara, Kiko and Suho watched at Donghae who came rushing towards them. Dara can see how his eyebrows furrow as he stares at Kiko, who’s still kneeling in-front of them, and gave her a quizzical look. Donghae shook his head and smiled, giving an assuring smile to Dara that everything will be alright, even he himself don’t know what will happen next. “Good job Dara and Suho.”

Suho shook his head and stands-up. He gave Donghae a slight tap on his shoulder, signaling that he’s into this ‘thing’ Donghae thinks. “If you could have seen Kikos’ face, bro.”

Kiko, who’s still kneeling in-front of them, gave Donghae a weird look. “What are you two talking about?”

Donghae shook his head and smiled at Kiko. He places his hands on Kikos’ shoulder, making her to stand-up. He used to be fond of Kiko since he looked at her as his own sibling and seeing her kneeling and begging for something made him think that she doesn’t deserve this. When their gazes were leveled, Donghae gave Kiko a warm smile. “Don’t kneel at Dara, Kiks.”

“But I have a favor to ask—“

“What you heard is just an act.” Donghae said, while smiling. Oh crap! Please, just ride on with this lame excuse! “That’s part of our term paper in Political Science. Geez! Kiko, you’re always the victim of our term paper experiments! You still haven’t learned a lesson?”

Dara gave Suho and Donghae weird glances. She can’t help it but be proud knowing that they’re trying their best to save everything- Kiko being humiliated and her being judged by other students. It’s really weird how things got work now.

“Gotcha!”

Kiko shook her head and smiled bitterly. She can sense it because she’s not dumb-only dumb when Jiyong is involved. The way Dara and Donghae stare at each other is far way different from the way a person look at his or her friend. Their gazes speak about care, comfort and… love. Plus the fact that Donghae has feelings for Dara gives burden to her theory. “I know what you did there, Lee Donghae. I know something… I know your secret.”

Donghae who felt nervous but he didn’t let Kiko see how tensed he was inside. Heck! He mumbled on his thoughts. “So you’re saying that I and Dara were really cheating?”

“Who knows?” Kiko said, still plastering a sarcastic smile. Her lips were trembling as she stares at Dara who looks at them passively. She’s a woman and she can sense that something is really going on! “Everyone can do weird stuffs when they’re in-love.”

Dara stares at Donghae and saw his face- a bit agitated and unsure of everything. She never saw a version of Lee Donghae like this for the past months she’s with him and she can’t help it but be sad. She doesn’t want to be the cause of his sadness or his tears. She knew she’s hurting Donghae, that she’s a burden to him already. Donghae is such a sweet guy and he deserves to be loved. And Suho is right all along, she must face everything. She can escape this s but she cannot deny that at the end of every waking day is a burden to them- they’re all lying and cheating.

Denying and escaping only prolongs the process. I must make a decision. Now. She thought. But how? How can she do it when in the first place she doesn’t know how to do it? How will she tell Jiyong? How will she confirm it to Kiko? How? She bit her lower lip as she stares at the carpeted floor of the café. With a simple decision, everything changed. She thought. The moment she said ‘Yes’ when Donghae asked her to cheat made everything worse.

But the thing is, even if everything is now upside-down, I didn’t regret being with Donghae… she close her eyes and thought of the memory she shared with Donghae. They say that falling in-love with someone so fast also means that you’ll fall out of love with that person so fast. But, would she dare to fall out of love with Lee Donghae? The person who made her realize that when you love, the person you love must also love you back. That when you love, it’s only ‘you and me’ in the story.

“I won’t buy that crap, Donghae.” Kiko said towards Donghae.

Kiko stares at the two- Donghae and Dara- and smirked. She already forgot how their co-students looked at her- some sees her crazy and some sees her as a desperate woman. Yes, she’s like that. She’s desperate for Jiyongs’ love.  Jiyong told her that he loves her and she’s holding to it.

Dara stands-up and looked at Kiko. Dara shook her head as she stares at Kiko- the vulnerable version of Kiko Mizuhara. The only fault in their situation is that, they love a wrong person. “You love Jiyong.”

Kiko smiled and the unshed tears were building up on her eyes. “Yes.”

Dara closes her eyes as she tries her best not to cry. It still hurt, it still sting knowing that someone else loves the person she used to love. She did love Jiyong- wholeheartedly, selflessly- but things now aren’t the same. As she opens her eyes, she saw how everyone looked at her: the disappointed look from Suho, the desperate look from Kiko. But what hurts her most is the fact that she’s clearly seeing how hurt Donghae was.

Dara holds Kikos’ hand and started walking- tagging along Kiko with her. She has no idea to where she’s bringing Kiko. She has no idea where but one thing is very clear to her clouded mind- they have to talk. As soon as they saw a vacant room, Dara entered with it along with Kiko. Dara was silently standing at the center part of the classroom.

“How long, Kiko?” Dara muttered. She wanted to fight the urge to cry. She knew herself- she’s vulnerable.

“Since high school.” Kiko answered Daras’ question directly. “I fall for him the moment I saw him.”

Dara closed her eyes as she controlled her tears and her sobs. She places her hands on , suppressing the sob that was about to be spoken. Her shoulders were shaking and she cannot even deny that she’s crying and hurting because of the confirmation from Kiko. “Why?” she said, more like a whisper. “Why did you two cheat on me?”

Kiko shook her head. “We never cheated Dara—“

“You two did!” She shouted, making Kiko paused for awhile. Dara harshly looked at Kiko with the hot tears streaming down on her eyes. She’s broken again- not just into million but to billion pieces. “You cheated on me because Jiyong and I were still together since seventh grade!”

Kiko shook her head as Dara came near her. “You’re not here—“

“Shut up! You don’t know how it feels to be stupid in-front of the person you love. You two cheated on me and you are hurting me!” Dara cried.

“You are hurting me too!” Kiko roared. She holds Daras’ shoulder and shakes her. “Why can’t you just go back to the Philippines and let me have Jiyong? Huh? I know you don’t love him anymore—“

“!” Dara shouted. She’s biting her lower lip and a little while the taste of the metallic blood is filling her taste buds. “I have him first! Jiyong loved me first, he loved me first!”

“I don’t care! As what you’ve said, loved! Jiyong did loved you!” Kiko defended herself. She started shaking Dara to wake her up. That she deserves Jiyong in all aspects. “It takes two to make a relationship work, Dara. And having you around Dara made a big difference. I can feel it; he’s falling for me when all of a sudden you came back. You came back to get what I am earning after years of working hard. I worked hard for him, for his love. I love him and I know he loves me too! Jiyong loves me too!”

“Enough…” Dara said as she shook her head trying to absorb the information Kiko is feeding her up. “I said enough!”

“Jiyong loves me, Dara.” Kiko said and with shaking hands and clouded mind, she slapped Daras’ face. “Jiyong loves me and you’re just part of his puppy love and past. Just accept it, Jiyong kept you because you are his first love. What he felt towards you these past few months is just for the sake of companionship! He’s with you because he’s afraid to hurt you because you are madly in-love with him.”

Dara was crying not because of the slap Kiko gave her but the pain of her words. Jiyong loves her… and he’s just with her for the sake of companionship. Perks of having a first love. She must not cry since she’s now in-love with Donghae. She must not cry because Jiyong doesn’t deserve a single of her tears. But she’s crying, she’s hurting… and she loves him. Him. Jiyong.

Is it really wrong to love two men at the same time? Can they consider it as a mortal sin? Why do other people judge the other without knowing the reason behind those actions? Hypocrite… She’s a hypocrite. She loath Jiyong for cheating on her and yet, she’s cheating on him. A part of her wanted to get mad to her own self. It’s really a stupid idea of hating yourself in the first place. She loves Donghae now and still loving Jiyong. It must have been fate to bring all of them together in the same picture: Dara, Kiko, Jiyong and Donghae.

Sandara bitterly cried upon remembering one of Suhos’ words to her before. “The reason why you cannot love two persons at the same time is the same reason why you cannot use an unpaired shoe. It’s possible but it doesn’t suit and fit.” And it made her; somehow, realize that she’s been lying all along. She’s denying it to herself- telling that she loves Donghae and love Jiyong less. First love never dies… she loves Jiyong. She still loves Jiyong. She loves him and it’s making her gone sane because she now loves Donghae too!

Love… is a huge concept every person should encounter with their lifetime. And for Daras’ case, her love is not an ordinary love. Loving two persons at the same time is so cliché as the Eiffel Tower. Somebody experienced it, somebody already made a choice. And for Dara, she’ll make a choice. Now. Not tomorrow. She loves Jiyong and Donghae… there’s no question to that. But the question now is that,  who’m should she choose? Jiyong? Or Donghae?

“I cannot…”

“But you and Donghae are cheating!” Kiko accused her. She’s pointing a finger in Dara. “You are cheating Dara. You don’t deserve Jiyong nor Donghae. You’re selfish attention getting who wanted all the love in the world!”

“How dare you.”

“Choose one Dara. You cannot have the two of them at the same time.” Kiko said in a mocking tone. “But I suggest you should choose Donghae because after all, Jiyong loves me. So let me have Jiyong and just be happy with Donghae. You have Donghae and I have Jiyong. Simple as that.”

Dara shook her head. “You are the reason why I am in this situation Kiko; you and Jiyong made me a cheater; and now, you must suffer the consequences of your actions--”

“I will tell Jiyong about this.” Kiko said, trying to scare Dara.

“Go on.” Dara said, weighing the situation fast. “I am not afraid of it Kiko. It’s fine with me so that I can slap to you and his face the loath feeling I felt towards you and him!”

“You !” Kiko said as she motioned her hand to slap again Dara but someone gets a hold on Kikos’ wrist. Kiko along with Dara watched as Donghae flipped harshly Kikos’ hands, making the body of Kiko move sidewards.

“Don’t call her like that because she’s not like you.” Donghae said, with intensity on his tone. He gave Kiko a mocking look- the sweet girl he used to like before is gone because what he is seeing right now is a desperate, self-centered . “And one more thing, touch Dara again and I will surely forget that I used to treat you as my own sister.”

***

Kiko was left there, alone and crying. She’s not a , she’s not even desperate. She smirked upon wiping the tears away on her cheek. The sweet and innocent Kiko Mizuhara is gone. A new version of her is here: self-centered who will do everything just for Jiyong.

Everything about Kiko Mizuhara revolves around Kwon Jiyong: Jiyong is the reason why she choose this course because he’s studying it, Jiyong is the reason why her principles about being ‘pure’ before marriage change. Everybody thought that she’s going sane, that she’s desperate for Jiyongs’ love. .They don’t know her, definitely didn’t give her the chance to be known by them!

“I don’t know why you still have the guts to face Dara after knowing that she’s the real girlfriend of Jiyong.” Suho said. He’s just standing at the exit door, looking at Kiko who’s now weeping at the floor. “To tell you honestly, I pity you.”

“I don’t care!” Kiko shouted.

Suho sighed. “A sad thing in life is that, sometimes you meet someone who means a lot to you only to find out in the end that it was never bound to be and you just have to let go.”

“What do you want?” Kiko asked. “I know you’re in-favor of Dara; I know you already labeled me as a for snatching Jiyongs’ attention away. it, why do other people judge me because of this?”

“You have a choice Kiko, every human—“

“And I choose to have Jiyong for myself!”

“Yet you choose the wrong path, the wrong decision, the wrong person.” Suho calmly said. “I understand you, you know, you just love him. And I admire you for being capable of loving him selflessly, unconditionally. But I don’t like you begging for love and attention, Kiko. Love is like a respect, it should be given freely. It doesn’t require begging.” Suho shook his head. “And he’s not yours to begin with and I know you know that.”

“No one will understand me… All of you think that Dara is the only victim of the situation… of this crap!” Kiko mumbled. “Did other people even ask why I choose to be the other girlfriend?”

“They will understand, other people will understand. It’s just that—“

“I hate all of you!” Kiko shouted while running.

Suho watched as Kiko walked away. He shook his head as a realization came in. “Love really makes people so low.” He whispered.

***

3 days went by so fast. Donghae sighed as he saw the first reply of Dara after a hundred texts from him.

Please meet me at the café near the library at the town. –Dara

After that incident at the vacant room with Kiko, Dara didn’t go to the school university. He went to her dorm and saw that the dorm was locked. 3 long days and the sunflower he always give to her were still there- untouched. Donghae immediately went to the café Dara told him to go…

Jiyong and Kiko were together at Kikos’ dorm. Kiko didn’t told Jiyong about Dara knowing that he’s cheating. She must admit, she’s scared of the possibilities. She’s just acting normal every time Jiyong attempts to call her phone or she’ll catch him smiling with the picture of Dara and him. She bit her lower lip. She’s acting normal but deep inside of her, she’s hurting and dying.

She just lied to Dara. Jiyong didn’t love her… ever. They’re just ‘-buddies’ when the other one is . But she loves him… and it’s totally making her sane by the mere thought that after few years of being FuBu, something will came out. Something romantic. She’s delusional.

“You okay?” Kiko asked as she yanked her body towards Jiyong. Jiyong silently nod. He closes his eyes and an image of Dara formed, making him smile. Kiko frowned. “Why are you smiling? I hope I am the reason why…”

Jiyong gave Kiko a short kiss on her lips, imagining that it’s Dara. I am a jerk… and Dara doesn’t deserve a jerk like me. His thoughts were stopped as soon as he felt a beep of his phone from the table. He reached for it and read the message. It’s from Dara.

Please meet me at the café near the library at the town. And I hope you’ll bring Kiko with you. –Dara

JIyong was confused. Why all of a sudden? And why now? It’s been days since they last saw each other and … he’s a jerk for leaving her like that.

“Hey…”

“Dara wanted to see me.”

An hour later…

Dara was sitting at the café she told them. She was holding the cup of coffee she ordered from the cute barista named D.O. The way he stares at her felt like he’s trying to read her whole being. The way his eyes landed to her is really… different. He already knows her since she’s been staying to this café for 3 days already. Her cousin co-owned the shop along with his best-friend- Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun.

She looked away and watched the cars movements. She heard the sound of the chime as the door opens and the S.O.P. of Kyungsoos’ greetings; “Annyeonghaseyo~~” she always heard.

Dara closes her eyes as the scent of Donghae filled her lungs. She felt that Donghae sat beside her and she’s right upon opening her eyes. She smiled at him. “Long time no see.” She greeted him.

Donghae was taken aback. Three long days made a big difference. It saddens him why Dara didn’t greet him like the usual. He already missed her “Hello Super Boyfriend…” every time they’ll see each other. “Girlfriend…” he whispered.

Dara shut her eyes again as she heard the door chimes sound and the loud chat of the two persons she wanted to see.

“Babe…” Jiyong said. He went near her and kissed her cheeks. He’s a jerk… yes, and he cannot do anything about it. Kiko and Donghae just remained silent. Both of them knew that they should shut their mouths. “Oh, Donghae, bro.”

Donghae just gave Jiyong a short nod. He’s afraid of what is Dara has been thinking. The café is too small for the four of them. It’s suffocating.

Donghae sighed. He’s fighting himself from hugging and kissng Dara. He has no rights to do that, especially now that her ensrange boyfriend is here. In-front of him. “Where did you stay for three days, Dara?” he asked.

Dara smiled at Donghae and holds his hands, gently squeezes them. “I stayed at my cousins’ apartment.”

Donghaes’ eyes widened upon seeing how Dara holds his hands freely as if Jiyong and Kiko is not in-front of them. Jiyongs’ hands clenched and his teeth gritted. Seeing his girlfriend hold his best-friends hands is making him hell jealous! Kiko, on the other hand, was starring intently at Dara and a question is running on her thoughts. What is she thinking this time?

Jiyong cannot hold on and hold Daras’ hands and part it away to Donghaes’ hands. His eyebrows furrow and gave Donghae a death glare.

Dara shook her head and look at Jiyong straight to his eyes. Three days is long enough to think and she already thinks of her decision. She gave Donghae a weak smile, making Donghae looked down. So this is her decision? He thought.

Dara slowly lifted her hands and places them to Donghaes’ hands. Jiyongs’ eyes widened as well as Kiko and Donghae. Dara hold Donghaes’ hands, intertwined it, in-front of Kiko and Jiyong. “I’m cheating on you, Kwon Jiyong.”

Life is a choice… and I choose to fight for the best man. Dara thought as she met Jiyongs’ hot glares.