Dara felt the silence between them is defeaning enough to make her want to run and scream. They stood apart, like two strangers who had happened to meet on the street by chance and had no choice but to talk without knowing what to talk about. This was not how she had pictured herself talking to Donghae. Actually, she had not pictured herself talking to Donghae at all after what happened. After everything that happened. She guessed she really haven’t given the confrontation much thought.

Or maybe this won’t be a confrontation at all. For all she know, Donghae probably came here to thank her or something.

She lifted the corners of in a wide smile. “What’s up?” Acting normal is the only thing she could think of to hide the pain that is threatening to overpower her. “Have you spoken with Yoona yet?”

Donghae’s brows furrowed even more and there was a definite tick on his jaw as he fixed Dara with a fierce glare. “So you really told her?”

Dara shrugged still wearing the wide smile. “I figured you could use a little help.”

Donghae looked like he was getting ready to throttle her. A number of people had already passed between them to go inside the building and Donghae walked towards Dara, grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the side of the building to get a little bit of privacy. His grip might have been a little too tight as Dara shook it off her making a face.

Donghae turned to her not knowing where to start. He’s so pissed off he wanted to yell at her. When Yoona had told her what Dara did, he couldn’t believe it. He felt like it wasn’t true until he finally accepted that it did happen, the papers all crumpled in his hand. He felt all the hopes he have crashed unto him. Disappointment drowning him. Until he was left asking himself what he did to make Dara do this. And now, he got it after he saw them together. She did it for Jaejoong. That’s why she wanted to get out of the deal in the first place. He was right all along.

“I supposed you wanted me to thank you,” Donghae said bitterly.

“Uh… yeah, that’ll be nice,” Dara said. “But I don’t think you’re really in the mood to thank me when you’re looking so thunderous. What’s wrong with you?”

Donghae ran his hands through his hair agitatedly. “What’s wrong with me?” He let out a breath of disbelief wanting to blow up. “Why the hell did you do it?!” As it was, he yelled.

“Why the hell are you yelling at me?!” Dara said yelled back.

“I can yell whenever I want to, goddammit! And don’t tell me you did it so you could help me! I never asked for you to do that!” There is so many things he wanted to yell at Dara for but his anger is blowing him into pieces.

“Why are you getting so mad at?” Dara said, her temper also rising up. “I did you a favor! The three months is already up anyway. You didn’t have to think how you can get Yoona or do that stupid plan. It’s already done and as it happens, Yoona is inlove with you too. What more do you want?!”

“Well next time you wanted to manage my lovelife, I would appreciate it if you would let me know first!”

“What, so you would have time to cower?” Dara couldn’t help saying. She’s getting riled up. She wouldn’t be in this position, hurt and pained and longing for something that wasn’t hers, if he have enough courage to tell Yoona how he feels to begin with. And instead, she was caught up between them. Caught up in him.

“You’re a hypocrite,” Donghae said looking insulted. “You want to tell me you did this for me but you did it for yourself. Tell me,how long have you been together with Jaejoong? How long have you been going out behind my back?”

“What?”

“You wanted me out of the way don’t you? You wanted to be with him but you can’t do your move because you would have to explain to grandma, from one cousin to another? You have only waited for the right time for me to get out of the way so you could tell Yoona, don’t you? We had a plan but along the way, you made your own. You couldn’t wait for three months to be over so you took advantage of me going out of the country and no one to foil your plan. Don’t you? Don’t you?!”

She would’ve laughed if she wasn’t beginning to be pissed off. He’s making her out like some kind of an evil mastermind with a plan. But the way he was litting onto her, you’d think he was the one being hurt around here. “Yes! Yes! You’re correct! You’ve discovered my plan! Are you happy?”

“Then why the hell did you came onto me last night, huh?” Donghae said without a pause, not even caring who might have heard  them. Dara in her breath, surprised that he brought it up, right when they both are not on their best moods. How could she say that she only did it because she wanted to be with him one last time without making a fool of herself? Donghae continued, his eyes blazing. “What’s with all that wanting to spend the night with me and all that bull?”

Dara swallowed hard. “It was practice!” Great, that was the only thing you could come up with. Stupid Dara!

Donghae looked positively ready to strangle her. “Practice?” He sounds as if the words is choking him.

Well, she had no other choice but to stick to that. “I was curious,” Dara said racking her brain. “And you were the best choice to do it with.” She couldn’t believe the words that are coming out of . It’s so ridiculous to the point that it was an utter nonsense. “And it’s not like you didn’t want it to happen either.” She snorted. “What, are you going to be chivalrous about it and tell me that the most honorable thing for you to do is to marry me or something?”

Donghae doesn’t seem to think it was funny. His chest heaved as he glared at her, the tick in his jaw more pronounced now.  “Maybe that’s what I intend to do.”

Dara’s smirk got wiped off and met Donghae’s angry gaze, his answer resonating inside her head. Is it the time when they were supposed to joke with each other while looking murderous? She never got to ask as his phone rang and he finally took it out of his pocket to answer, still holding that livid expression on his face. “Yeah?” He listened to the other line unsmilingly. “No, I’ll pick you up.” Then he pressed the end button.

Dara pretty much can guess who it was. She sighed before returning her eyes to meet Donghae’s again. “Look, I don’t know what you’re mad at, okay. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to argue. I did it because I thought you would be happy. If you’re mad because I’ve went ahead and did it without your consent, then I’m sorry. I just want my life to be back to normal. Without all this… fake acting… and pretending that we’re… together. I want my life to be back at the time when I didn’t know you had existed.”

Donghae didn’t answer, he still looked angey but there’s an unfathomable epression on his face that she couldn’t read. “It’s not like I regret knowing you. I just think my life is less complicated without you in it.”

“And having with me makes it less complicated?” Donghae said with a bite in his tone.

Dara flinched but she held her ground. “I did it because I also thought that was the only way to pay you back.” The lie sounds so real she wanted to believe it herself. “For everything you did for me… my mom… I don’t have anything but myself so I gave it to you. What I did with Yoona… that was me saying sorry for making you suffer with the things I did and ordered you to do and… you didn’t have to go through it anymore so just… “ She’s had enough of this conversation and wanted it to end.”…be happy with Yoona, okay? She loves you too so… just… be with her. It’s what you wanted. Right?”

Donghae didn’t answer as their gazes locked. Part of Dara wanted him to deny it. Wanted him to say it wasn’t what he wanted anymore. Her heart longed to hear that answer which she knew would never come.

“Yes, that’s what I want,” Donghae finally said, his lips practically in a straight line before he turned to walk back to his car but stopped and turned to her with a sarcastic smirk. “And I couldn’t think of a better payment than your ity. Next time you wanted me to do you a favor, maybe we can talk again at my bedroom. So you could practice too.  But then again, you already have Jae doing you favors.” Then he turned to  his car, his back rigid and tensed before revving off, the dust flying around her.

Dara bit her lip to keep from wailing. “You hurt me everytime I see you. And you don’t even know it,” she managed to say as she watched the car disappear from her sight.

Her heart feels like it was in tatters, a hole was dug in the center of her chest leaving it open and vulnerable and she felt like she bit her lip too hard from trying not to cry as she tasted blood when she her lips. She felt like she was fading away, the most important part of herself falling off her one by one leaving nothing but a mere blank dummy.

But surprisingly, her eardrums are still intact as it listened continuously to Mr. Kraz’s loud, shrill voice as he reprimanded her for taking too long on a 15 minute break. And the script she did was unacceptable for a youth oriented show.

“I didn’t know I was supposed to be doing a script for youth-oriented plot,” she said flatly. He had begun to yell at her as soon as she walked  back into their floor, right in the middle of every writers in the room who is watching her with a sympathetic look on their faces.

Her answer only made Mr. Kraz angrier. “Because you weren’t listening! A show using guns and rifles?” It seems to her that he was close to having a heart attack. “Bloodthirsty participants? This isn’t a war show!”

Dara tried to hold on to her temper. It wasn’t Kraz’s fault she’s having her heart broken. “Sorry, I thought it would be more interesting. And the show is not really real anyway.”

“Out of all the trainess here, you are by far the most impossible to work with!” Mr. Kraz said almost in a rage.

Dara raised her brow. “I am impossible to work with?” He’s gotta be kidding.

“You never listen, you do whatever you want.” He scorned at her. “You think you’re safe just beause you know our Chairman and just because you know our client. Just because you’re playing around with Lee Donghae but that won’t get you up the ladder, not as long as I am in charge! You have no talent! The only talent you had is kissing the asses of those you know can get you up!”

“What?” Her tone had taken a turn from being flat to being ominous and her hand balled up into fist. It was one thing for him to call her an idiot but to insinuate that she had an ulterior motive for being friends with the Chairman, the client, and even being involved with Lee Donghae, that was too much.

“Mr. Kraz,” Mei said trying to calm him down and knowing he was already hitting below the belt.

But he continued, his face livid with anger and the veins on his neck popping out. “I know the likes of you! Those talentless people who only uses their feminine wiles to get ahead. Ha! I can smell one before I see them! Your works are all trash and the most decent thing you could ever do is edit scripts! And as long as I am here, you can never be more than a trainee who will be sniffing my for the rest of your career!”

Dara felt the snap of her temper before she realized she already punched Kraz right in the middle of his pudgy nose. The room gasped as Mr. Kraz fell back, his hands on his nose and Mei, round eyed with shock, bent to help him. Dara stood there looking down on him flat on his back with blazing eyes, shaking off the hand that she used to punch him.

“I didn’t think you were that bitter you don’t have any feminine wiles in you to get you up the ladder, you stinkin’ sorry piece of !”

It satisfied Dara that his nose was bleeding as Mei helped him get up.. He was angrier than ever as he pointed at her. “You—you—“

She went to his face. “What? What?!” He backed off, a sudden frightened look in his eyes.

“You’re crazy! A violent crazy woman!” Kraz managed to sputter, the blood already going around the side of his mouth.

“Yeah, I would have to be really crazy by staying under your supervision even for a week!”

“The Chairman will hear about this!” He threatened.

“See that he will!” Dara fired back as she strode towards her desk.

“You’ll be fired, you hear me!” Mr. Kraz bellowed.

Dara grabbed her bag and yanked her ID lace off her neck. “Am I supposed to be scared with that?!” She walked towards Kraz and she threw the Id in his face. “I quit!” Then she acted as if she would punch him again and he stepped back behind Mei. “You’re a sorry excuse for a human, you !” Then she turned and walked off, sorry that the door was made of glass and she wouldn’t have the satisfaction of slamming it behind her.

She breathed in the cold air as soon as she stepped out of the building trying to calm her raging temper. “Aish! That stupid…” She muttered as she started to walk. The day is already fading, waiting for the night to close in and she let the air whip her face and cleanse any left over anger she had with her encounter with her stupid boss. She stomped her way past the bustle of people, all wanting to get to their destination, their home, the mall, the restaurant…. It seems like she was the only one who doesn’t know where she will go.

Her anger dissipated after a while and was replaced by sudden remorse. No, it wasn’t because of what he did to Kraz. God know he deserves that and more. But remorse that she had let her temper get the better of her and now she is going to be included on the country’s statistics for the Unemployed. She sighed heavily as she kicked an imaginary stone on the pavement. “Ah dammit,” she cursed inwardly. How can her whole life change in just a matter of hours? Now what is she going to say to her mom? To her brother? She still had little savings but that wouldn’t be enough to cover her daily expenses. Not if she wouldn’t be able to get a job until next week.

She scratched her head in irritation as she continued walking. Maybe luck would take pity on her and she would get hired at the first company she would apply a job to. The question is, where will she apply for one? Guess she’s going back to her good ol’ best friend, www.findajob.com.

Her face lightened up when she saw a stand selling some finger foods and she strode towards it, glad that at least, she would have food for company. She was stuffing herself with fish cakes on the table next to the food stand when her phone rang. She saw it was Jaejoong and she contemplated whether to answer it. He probably already found out what happened of her assaulting one of the company’s authorities. She sighed before accepting the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Jaejoong said. “Where are you?”

“Uh… eating fish cakes at the side of the road,” Dara answered.

“Which road was that?” Jaejoong asked patiently.

Dara looked around her for any sign on where she is. “Uh… it says 56 north park avenue?”

“I’ll pick you up. Wait for me,” Jaejoong said before hanging up.

Minutes later, Dara saw Jaejoong’s gray car parking next to the food stand she had been eating on when she was already on her 3rd servings for tteokbokki. Jaejoong stepped out of the car and Dara grinned at him.

“Hey boss,” she said. “Have some.”

Jaejoong just sighed while looking at her before smiling and taking a seat across from her, accepting the tteokbokki she had offered. They ate in silence, neither wanted to broach the subject of her possibly being arrested for physical injury.

“This taste a lot better after an adrenaline rush,” Dara muttered as she chewed the last of the piece in .

“You mean, after a violent streak?” Jaejoong said smiling.

Dara grinned. “It feels so good to give him a bloody nose.” She didn’t need to explain what she is takling about. It will be really weird if he hadn’t heard about her punching the manager. Nothing stays secret in CSW anyway. And besides, she’s pretty sure Kraz already reported the incident.

“Remind me never to be on your bad side,” Jaejoong said.

Dara wiped with a napkin and looked at Jaejoong thoughtfully. “Aren’t you going to lecture me?”

Jaejoong looked back at her in surprise. “Lecture you?”

“You know…. How I should respect bosses and those stuff… because I’m just an employee and I needded the job so I should keep my temper….” God know she heard it enough from Suzy. It was weird to miss her admonishments. She was always the one reprimanding her for letting her temper slide. But then, maybe she wouldn’t blow up if Suzy was there to stop her anyway.

“Technically, I’m not really your boss,” Jaejoong corrected. “So I don’t think I have the right to lecture you about it. And besides, you already quit CSW so they no longer had anything to do with you.”

Dara nodded in understanding and Jaejoong leaned forward, putting his arms on the table. “So, what do you plan now?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t had time to plan yet. But I guess, I’m gonna have to go look for a job tomorrow.”

Jaejoong studied her before asking, “Do you want to work for me in HongKong?”

Dara’s gaze went to his face. “What?”

“I mean, that is if you promise not to break my nose.” He smiled.

Dara just stared at him. Is he serious? Well, even if it’s a joke, she doesn’t have it in her to respond to that. She can’t joke about this. Not if Jaejoong was looking at her intently with an expression that he really wanted her to accept. And she wanted to. Except that it wouldn’t be right. It might be conceited for her to think it, but she doesn’t want to give him any sort of hope, not if she is not sure of how she feels yet. And she doesn’t want to use him just to get away from the pain she is feeling. Just to get away from Donghae. He’s too good, too nice to be even considered as a back up plan. And besides, she doesn’t think she can leave her mom and her brother.

“I…” She hesitated. How can she even decline without insulting or hurting him?

“Or,” Jaejoong said brightly. “I know of a company who’s currently hiring. They’re a magazine editorial, mostly for the society’s known people. The elite, the politicians…. I’m not sure what position is open but I can take you there.”

Dara felt a grin spread on her face, glad that another option was given to her. “Really?” Then she frowned. “Wait, I don’t want to get hired just because you put in a good word for me. I want to be hired there because I want them to see what they’re looking for in me.”

Jaejoong held up his hand in a promise sign. “Then I won’t say anything, I promise. I will just take you there. You want to go tomorrow?”

“Okay!” She grinned then she fixed Jaejoong with a gratified look. “Thank you. I’m not really… a good person but... thank you for being good to me.” Then she grimaced. “Aish! Why are you always making me feel guilty!”

Jaejoong chuckled. “It’s beginning to be my favorite past time, actually.”

Dara chuckled and they stayed there just laughing with each other’s jokes, bantering like they have known each other for years and Dara had never felt more comfortable with anyone like she is with Jaejoong. He’s like a friend that she never had and she had hoped that maybe someday, once she got over Donghae and ready to move on, maybe there is a chance for her to be with him.

The next day was grueling. She had dressed herself up really neatly for the interview at the The Scope, the magazine editorial company that Jaejoong had told her about last night. She did a research and found out that it was one of the prestigious magazine dedicated to give updates on the society’s big names and elites. There were a lot of articles of Donghae and his friends on it as well as the senators’ lives as well as their daughters and sons. It looks to her like it was a snooping walking tattle tale and close to being a paparazzi but hey, she doesn’t have the luxury to be choosy on a job. Besides, it seems like all the people being featured on it have give