Dara was wide eyed while she was feeling the sting on her right face. She stared at Chaerin with a questioning look.

“Chaerin…” she whispered.

“Oh, I forgot I told you that I wouldn’t hurt you. My bad!” Chaerin said, crossing her arms across her chest. “You know what, you deserve that! How dare you make fun of my feelings for Jiyong? For your information, I have been observing the both of you. I know how he treated you when you fell on the race. He even kissed your forehead before the race started. And don’t think that I don’t know about your conversation with him that night during his parents’ anniversary party. I know that you were the one who got the handcuff and you tied him to yourself. How selfish is that? Hah!”

“Chaerin, I can explain…”

“Explain? Explain what? That you have been secretly flirting with him? Despite of you promising to help me get close to him? And guess what, I noticed that you helped me make a move to him once. Only once for Pete’s sake! After that, what? I trusted you, Dara! You broke my trust!”

“Chaerin…” Dara said, about to reach out to her.

“Don’t you ever touch me! No one can heal the trust that’s been broken, Dara! I wanted to trust you with all my heart. But with all the things you’ve done to me… I just can’t!”

Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“I just want him to like me. That’s all I wanted. I just wanted to feel how it is to be loved…” Chaerin said her voice breaking. She covered her face with her hands and cried.

Dara couldn’t do anything but to stand there watching her friend crying. She didn’t want to betray her. She didn’t betray her, actually. It’s not her. But she can’t blame Jiyong, too, can she?

 

“Jiyong?” a little voice called from behind him while he was practicing basketball alone at the gym.

Jiyong turned. “Oh, Chaerin-ah! What brought you here?” he asked, taking a step towards her.  “Were you crying?”

Chaerin pulled him towards her and hugged him so tight, burying her face on his chest. “I love you, Jiyong. How many times should I say this to you?”

Jiyong just stared at her. As if he just recovered, he tried to break free from her embrace. But she was hugging him so tight. “Chaerin, we already talked about this, didn’t we?”

“But, I still don’t understand. Why don’t you like me back?”

“I like someone else,” he said, trying to soften his voice.

“What do you like from Dara? Shall I act like her so you would like me too? Shall dress like her? Shall I talk like her? Why don’t you like me the way you like Dara?”

Jiyong was taken aback. He never thought that she knew. “Chaerin, don’t be so…”

“What? Desperate? I don’t care. I just want to be loved. That’s all I want. Why can’t you give me that?”

“I can’t just love any person, Chaerin,” he said, finally breaking free. “Please understand.”

“I don’t want to understand! How about you understand my feelings too?”

Jiyong doesn’t know how to answer. “Chaerin, listen…”

“What? You’re going to reject me again? Don’t you love Dara the most? Do you like seeing her in pain? Reject me and you won’t see Dara’s smile again.”

“Chaerin… you are so pathetic,” Jiyong said, leaving Chaerin behind.

Chaerin clenched his fist in a tight ball. “You will regret this!”

 

The next day…

Jiyong was ordered to bring some books to Mister Choi’s office. When he arrived at his teacher’s office, he heard voices that definitely didn’t belong to Mister Choi.

“But Miss L…”

Miss L? And that voice belonged to Seunghyun.

“Are you going to disobey me now?” a woman’s voice said which Jiyong assumed to be belonging to this so-called Miss L.

“Miss L. I can’t…”

“Oh, you’re asking to be fired? Shall I remind you that your parents are just good ole slaves of our family? Your mother, though she believes I’m good friends with her, I can destroy her anytime I want. And your step-father, he’s just an employee of my company, and I can fire him anytime I want. So, this only comes to you, T.O.P. I hold your employment. What would happen to your family if all of you are unemployed? Poor you. You would just be crawling to us like beggars,” Miss L said. “So, I’m asking you again, are you going to do it?”

There was a slight pause. “I will.”

“Good then, follow after me. ‘I shall use Dara as revenge for Chaerin’s sufferings.’”

Jiyong was surprised.

“Should I say it too?” Seunghyun asked, hesitation on his voice.

“Of course, dear T.O.P., this is part of our contract.”

“I…” Seunghyun paused.

“Say it!”

“I-shall-use-Dara-as-revenge-for-Chaerin’s-sufferings,” Seunghyun said quickly it was as if he didn’t breathe there for a second.

“Very good. Meeting dismissed.”

There were sounds of screeching chairs against the floors. Jiyong immediately left the door before they would notice someone heard their conversation.

 

“Jiyong, it’s so rare to call me just to see me. What’s wrong?” Seunghyun asked.

Jiyong turned, unable to control his fury when he punched Seunghyun on the face.

“What the…”

“How dare you use Dara?!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I heard every word you had with that Miss L. who is this Miss L?”

“Miss L? What do you care? She’s my manager, Miss Lee. Chaerin’s mother. You can’t just…”

“I said, I heard every word you had with her! Are you going to do it?”

“Do what?”

“Don’t act innocent Choi Seunghyun! It doesn’t suit you at all! You could have fought for Dara. Didn’t you say you loved her?! Why can’t you fight for her?!”

“Mind you own business man,” Seunghyun calmly said, turning to leave. However, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Dara and Taeyang. “Dara…”

“Are all of the things we just heard true?” Taeyang asked for Dara.

“Dara… let me…”

Seunghyun didn’t finish because Dara turned to leave.

“Is everything we heard true?!” Taeyang demanded, gripping Seunghyun by his collar.

“Leave him be, Taeyang. Hurting him won’t do Dara any good,” Jiyong said.

 

“Dara?! Seunghyun is here for you,” Jaejoong called on the door.

“Leave me alone, Jaejoong! I don’t want to talk with that traitor!” Dara shouted.

“I’m sorry, man. You just have to come back tomorrow morning when her mood gets better,” Jaejoong said.

Seunghyun can’t do anything but to leave.

 

The next morning…

“What’s with me today?” Dara asked herself. “It’s 5 AM, and I’m wide awake.”

Instead of being lazy on her bed, she stood up. She grabbed a jacket and headed downstairs.

“Wow, the house looks like a ghost town…” Dara whispered.

She headed to the door. When she opened it, someone slumped down from the door to their floor.

“Seunghyun!” Dara gasped, helping him up.

It was clear from Seunghyun’s face that he just woke up. Suddenly realizing what happened, he panicked and stood up. He bowed low in front of Dara. “I am so sorry.”

Dara just stared.

“I would trade everything for your forgiveness. Just please forgive me. Please,” Seunghyun pleaded.

Dara took a step towards him. “What were you doing sleeping on our doorstep?” Dara asked, instead.

Seunghyun immediately straightened up.

“Was it cold out there?” she asked again, concern still apparent on her voice.

“Are you forgiving me?”

“Only if you explain what happened yesterday.”

The whole morning, Seunghyun explained what Miss Lee plans on doing. He explains to her too that he would do everything not to hurt her. He promised to protect her. He also told her not to worry about him. If every one of them would be unemployed, they could help themselves to survive.

 

It was another successful night when Dara got off the stage of the club.

“Nice singing, Dara!” Donghae complimented. “If you weren’t going out with Seunghyun, I would definitely go out with you.”

Dara laughed awkwardly. She was about to sit at a table when a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her outside of the club.

“Let go of me!” Dara struggled.

The man pulled her until they were on an alley just beside the club. The only source of light was from the streetlamps just outside of the alley. The alley was dark and scary. Dara felt scared being pulled into an alley by a strange guy on a hoodie.

The guy finally let go of her. But then when she was about to escape, he blocked her way and trapped her to the wall. His arms were on both of her sides. She can’t escape now. She started to sob. The guy’s face started nearing hers. She could smell alcohol. This guy seemed to be drunk. She tried to see the guy’s face but it was too dark, she can’t see anything.

Suddenly, a car from the street with headlights just passed by causing Dara to take a quick glance of the guy’s face before the alley became dark again.

“Jiyong?” Dara said, fear still apparent on her voice.

Jiyong removed the hood from his head and stared at her eyes. Every now and then, a car would pass and their faces would be lit for a while before it becomes dark again.

In her eyes, he could see fear. In his eyes, she could see pain.

“Jiyong, why did you bring me outside?” Dara asked.

Jiyong didn’t let her go. She was still trapped to the wall. But since she saw that it was Jiyong, she started to relax. But the fear was still there.

“Why?” Jiyong asked, lowering his head.

“Why are you drunk?” Dara asked.

“Why did you forgive him that easily?” he asked.

“What?”

“Is it because you love him so much that you can’t stand staying mad at him?”

“What are you tal…”

“Why don’t you love me back?” Jiyong demanded, looking up at her.

“Jiyong, let go of…”

Dara got cut off when he leans in to kiss her with so much enthusiasm and hunger he practically pushed her head to the wall. While his tongue was invading the whole of , Dara just pushed him away from her.

“What’s wrong with you?!” Dara shouted at his face.

“Dara, just…” he started. And by the look of it, he was about to kiss her again, when she leaned her head away from him. Jiyong couldn’t do anything but to lean his head on the wall. “I am so pathetic.” He put his arms down from the wall so Dara can pass through.

Seeing that, Dara walked away from him, who still has his head leaned on the wall.

“Hey, Dara! Care to join me again on the stage?” Donghae asked her the moment she returned to the club.

“I’m not in the mood, I’ll be going home.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Dara shook her head. “Thanks for your concern but I want to be alone.”

“Dara! Someone is looking for you,” Wooyoung called from the other side of the club.

“Tell him or her to see me tomorrow,” Dara said, leaving.

 

Jiyong arrived and was surprised to see a lot of students crowding at a bulletin board.

“What’s happening?” he asked one student.

“Oh, Jiyong hyung. Good that you’re here. Check this out!” the student said. “You’re even in the photo.”

When Jiyong was on the front of the crowd, he felt fury all over when he saw the three photos on the bulletin board. The first one was taken when Dara and Seunghyun got out from their shooting location, the one that were posted on the news few weeks ago. The second was when he helped Dara when she fell from the race. The last one was rather unfamiliar to him. Maybe it was taken when he asked Taeyang to bring Dara home because of his injury.

Jiyong turned to the people behind him who kept on chattering about the pictures on the board.

“Who posted these?!” he burst out. The students shut their mouths. Most of them started to back out, afraid that they would get hurt when his anger rises up. “Answer me!”

“We don’t know, hyung,” one student said. Then the hallway started to clear up.

Jiyong turned to the board again and tore off the pictures. He threw it to the nearest trash can and he stomped his way towards their classroom where he expected to see Dara. He only hoped that Dara hasn’t seen it. But the moment he arrived, he saw Dara being comforted by Bom and Seunghyun. Dara was sobbing and crying, which meant she has seen the pictures. He was about to take a step towards her but he stopped himself. When he turned to leave, he saw Taeyang.

“Have you seen the-“

Jiyong cut him off. “I did. Go inside. Dara needs friends.”

Jiyong left with one destination in his mind. The moment he arrived at the cafeteria, he saw the only blonde in their school.

“Why did you do that?!” Jiyong asked.

“Do what?” Chaerin asked innocently, while munching on her sandwich.

“The pictures! How could you-“

“I’ve warned you, didn’t i? Wouldn’t it be your fault then?”

“How is it my fault?!”

“You could have avoided Dara; you could have gone out with me.”

“You know I can’t do that!”

“Of course you can, if I threaten her more.”

“You wouldn’t…”

Chaerin stood up, leveling her gaze on him. “Wanna bet?”

Jiyong creased his forehead, clenching his fist. “What do you want?!” he demanded.

“You know what I want. I’ll give you a choice, Kwon Jiyong.”

Jiyong felt something bad coming.

“I’ll leave your Dara alone…” she paused for dramatic effect. “…if you’ll announce to the public that you’re my boyfriend.”

“You’re impossible!”

“If you can’t do that then…”

“FINE!”

 

“What did I ever do to you?!” Dara demanded the moment she arrived at the rooftop.

Chaerin smirked. “I saw you two last night.”

“What? Last night?”

“Don’t you act innocent with me. He brought you to the alley and God knows whatever you did with him there.”

Dara creased her forehead. “Chaerin, this is clearly a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding or not, I don’t care!”

“You’re the one making things complicated, if you could just listen…”

“I don’t believe a word you say. I learned my lesson. I can never trust you anymore.”

“How could you…”

“But you can trust me with this. I’ll give you a peace of your mind in one condition.”