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As soon as they arrived at the park and had settled the blankets and their food down, Kiyong looked at Dara and asked her day in school. Dara was munching on her favorite tteokbokki, and she glanced at Kiyong.

“Hmm?” she cocked her brows.

He chuckled and wiped the side of her lips with the tissue. “I said, ‘how’s your day in school, silly Sandy.’”

Dara shot him a look that made the man chuckle more. “Yaah, I was very busy eating okay,” she smiled as he wiped the sauce on her lips, “well, my day was amazing! The activity earlier was very successful, and the parents were so supportive and cooperative.” Her smile faltered when she remembered something from the day’s events. “And. . .my ex-boyfriend was there,” she said in a whisper.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Uhm, why is he there? A parent perhaps?”

“Aniyo, not a parent but a guardian of one of my students.”

“Wait. Is that the guy in the classroom? The one you’re talking with when I arrived?”

“Yes.”

Kihyun takes a wrapped sandwich and starts eating slowly, pondering something. “Sandy, I have a question for you.” He looked at her after a while of staring at nothing in particular.

“Hmm, what is it?” She was now sipping on her juice, attention on Kiyong.

He smiled mischievously at her before asking, “Is he the guy that got away?”

Coughs

“YAAAAH!” She pouted as she caressed from the sudden cough. Dara glared at him while he laughed heartily. “Shut up, Kiyong.”

 

 

 

Top was back in his place after he dropped Yeonjun at his sister’s place. He looked around his place. It was big. It was full of arts. His place is aesthetic in a sense. But he suddenly felt lonely. No, not literally lonely because he was alone at home. He was always alone in his place. But right now, he felt lonely, emotionally. Seeing Dara was beyond his expectation. He didn’t expect to see her in that kind of situation. He didn’t even know that Dara was his nephew’s teacher. His sister didn’t tell him either.

He should have asked her sister about his nephew’s school and teacher and classmates. But why would he? He was just a proxy on that day for his sister and brother-in-law. If his sister told him that it was Dara, would he still go and attend the activity? Would he?

Why his sister didn’t mentioned anything about Dara as Yeonjun’s teacher. Of course she knew they had a thing before. His family saw her almost every weekend. But why?

 

I should ask noona about it.

 

He plopped down on his bed and pondered about the day’s event. A smile crept up on his lips as he remembered how he was still mesmerized by her beauty. How when he glanced at the “teacher” for greeting and saw the beauty before his eyes. How he became speechless in front of the children and the parents and her. How his words caught up in his throat. How everything became a blur and only her shone bright. How—

This has always been the effect of Sandara Park. Even before. Even way, way before when he literally first saw her in school seven years ago.

 

“Oh gosh,” he muttered under his breath and rubbed his face.

He jolted up and scrambled to his feet toward his closet. He opened it and crouched down. He retrieved something from the bottom of it and closed the cabinet again. Seunghyun went back to his bed and placed the box before him. It has been a while since the last time he opened it.

He ran his fingers on the cover and smiled to himself. The embossed letter grazed on his fingers.

 

Seunghyun <3 Sandara

FOREVER

 

This was the box Dara threw on him when he was screwing another girl on their second anniversary. . .in front of her. He opened the box and took out the precious scrapbook she made for them. She loved designing her own gift for him. She was an artsy girl. Her journals, notebooks, books, and planners were always so artistic because she designed something, glued some pictures, words, and anything she could find from an old magazine, from the stationery stickers in the bookstore, and just anything she could find.

The highlight of her gift was that scrapbook. It contained pictures of them throughout the two years they were together from all the dates and adventures they had shared. Seunghyun scanned it slowly, taking in all the memories he could remember from the pictures alone. Dara’s handwritten captions were there too with those cute curls at the end of each word.

Whenever he thought of her, he would always open the box, scan the scrapbook, and hurt himself for the nth time.

Seunghyun reached the last part of the scrapbook. This was the heartbreaking part for him. The last part contained her letter for him. Dara always love to write letters. She would give him letters out of the blue. And all those letters were kept in this very box. Again and again, he would read that anniversary letter.

 

“. . .forever, right, babe?. . .I love you very, very much, my Seunghyun. . .”

 

Those were his favorite line from that letter. He closed his eyes and clutched the scrapbook on his chest. He smiled sadly to himself.

 

“I’m sorry, Dara. I’m so sorry for hurting you,” he said again. Whenever he finished scanning it, he would always utter those words. As if it would bring him the wasted years, as if it would bring back Dara to him, as if it could turn back time, and as if it would bring them back together.

 

 

 

 

The next day, Seunghyun decided to go with his sister in fetching Yeonjun. Hyeyoun, his older sister, gave him a ridiculous look like he had gone crazy.

“What?” he asked her as he settled on the driver’s seat. He offered himself to drive for them.

She shook her head at him. “You’ve gone crazy, Seunghyun.”

He was silent but silently agreed with his sister. “I just want to see her, noona.”

“You’re a masochist,” she said and buckled herself.

“I am so not.”

“Right!”

In no time, they arrived at the school. They are early by twenty minutes before dismissal time. The parents are not yet allowed to go inside the hallways leading to the homerooms if the classes are still ongoing. They settled on the bench found on the waiting area. Hyeyoun glanced at her brother.

“Seunghyun,” she called him.

“Yeah?”

“You’re just hurting yourself for coming here again, you know,” she said.

He glanced at her, interested at the topic she brought up. “Why is that?”

“Trust me, you’ll be. Please think of yourself as well.”

He looked at her, confused at what she is saying. “Noona, I just wanted to see her again. What’s wrong with that?”

She sighed and shook her head. “Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.”

He smiled and patted his sister’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for your concern, noona.”

 

The bell rang, signaling for the dismissal of the children. After a few minutes, the children from Dara’s class started to go out in line. The parents stood and waved at their children. Other children also went out of their classroom in line. Soon the hallways were filled with children calling out their friends and their parents.

“Yeonjun-ah!” Seunghyun called as he stood from the bench.

“Samchooooon,” the little boy excitedly called. “Eomma!” He ran toward them and jumped on his uncle’s arms. “You are here!” he grinned widely. “Eomma, look,” he showed his wrist to her, “I got two stars! Teacher Sandy gives it to me! See? See?” he blabbered on how he got it.

Seunghyun laughed at his cuteness. He then handed him to his mother as he extended his arms to her. “You are a very good boy today, Yeonjun-ah!” Seunghyun ruffled his hair.

Just then, Dara walked out of her room to say goodbye to the kids. Her smile was sweet as she called out to them and waved her hand. “Goodbye, kids! See you tomorrow again. Please take care, okay?”

“NEEEH!”

“Goodbye, Teacher Sandy!”

“BYE-BYE!”

The kids hollered and giggled.

The whole time, Seunghyun was staring at her. Gosh, she is so beautiful. His sister nudged him.

“Seunghyun, gosh, you’re dazing out.”

He blinked. “Stop it, noona.”

“Let’s go now. Yeonjun must be hungry,” she said and tugged on his arm.

“Okay, okay, let’s go now. I have seen her already,” he smiled to himself.

“Gosh, you’re like a teenage boy,” Hyeyoun laughed.

 

Before they could walk out of the hallway, Seunghyun saw Kiyong arriving with a little girl in his arms. His brows connected and followed his direction. “Wait, noona.” He turned around, following him with his gaze.

Hyeyoun saw what his brother had seen. She shook her head and sighed. “Here goes nothing,” she mumbled softly. She kept still with Yeonjun in her arms.

Dara was still on the hallway, talking to one of the teachers. She hasn’t seen Seunghyun in the crowd or the approaching Kiyong. Suddenly, the little girl in Kiyong’s arm called her.

“Eomma!” she said as she wiggled her feet. Kiyong placed her down and she ran toward her.

“Careful, Mimi,” he said and tried to jog behind her.

“Omo, little Mimi is here!” the other teacher said and Dara smiled in delight.

She then excused herself and ran toward to the little girl to meet her. “My Mimi is here!” She scooped her up and showered her face with kisses.

Seunghyun witnessed everything with clear eyes and clear ears. He was rooted to his spot the whole time. His mind whirled in confusion. He kept on watching as Kiyong hugged Dara. Her eyes twinkled at the sight of the little girl they called Mimi.

“Seunghyun, let’s go,” Hyeyoun pinched his arm.

He turned around to her with expression she can’t quite comprehend. He walked with her out of the hallway and toward their car. He was silent all the time, but his mind speaks volume.

She has a child.

She is married.

She is taken, forever.

He groaned loudly.

“I told you so,” his sister said.

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Guyyyys :'( I'm very heartbroken right now with the news, and I know you are too. Let's stay strong and believe in them. Fighting, Blackjacks <3