The weeks flew by and before they knew it, Dara and Jiyong were done with their exams and were waiting for their graduation ceremony. After they graduated, they had more time to visit Yejun and the others and both of them went down to the orphanage at least thrice a week. During this period, Jiyong racked his brains contemplating how he should confess his feelings to Dara. Youngbae saw his frustration and talked to him about it over dinner one day.

 

“Jiyong-ah, when are you planning to tell Dara how you feel towards her?” asked Youngbae.

 

“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to find a good time but no occasion ever seems appropriate,” said Jiyong.

 

“Are you just avoiding the issue?” asked Youngbae suspiciously. “Do you just wanna stay the way you are now with her?”

 

“What?” replied an aghast Jiyong. “No, of course not! I really do want her to be with me for good.”

 

“Then what are you still waiting for? You know you would go to the end of the world for her. TELL HER!” scolded Youngbae.

 

Jiyong flinched a little and went back to eating his jjajangmyun. Youngbae is right. I need to tell her soon.

 

…

 

That night, Jiyong lay on his bed and picked up his phone. Texting Dara had become second nature to him in the past few months but now, even opening the chat he had with her took a herculean effort.

 

Hey baby girl, you wanna have dinner together tomorrow?

 

Jiyong put his phone down, almost wishing that Dara wouldn’t reply. But barely a minute passed before his phone beeped.

 

Sure! Where do you want to eat?

 

How about you come over to my place and I’ll whip up dinner? My family is away this month, so I can do whatever I want, as long as I don’t burn down the house.

 

Seriously? I don’t want to have diarrhoea the next day, Jiyong.

 

Yah! Have some confidence in my cooking skills! I might surprise you.

 

Oh, I think you will, Kwon Jiyong. I just hope it’ll be a pleasant one. =p

 

Aigoo, baby girl. Since when did you become so good at burns. Fine, I’ll show you my cooking prowess tomorrow.

 

All right, sure. What time should I arrive tomorrow?

 

How about 7pm? I should be ready by then.

 

Do you want me to come earlier to help you with the cooking?

 

No, it’s fine. I’ll manage fine. Just come with an empty stomach and be prepared to be amazed.

 

Haha, arasso. I’ll be there at 7pm tomorrow then. Goodnight, Jiyong.

 

Goodnight, baby girl.

 

…

 

The next day, Jiyong started preparing for dinner at 5pm. With all the fresh groceries he had bought, he started marinating, chopping, stewing and steaming all that he had in mind. As he was cooking, he kept going over and over what he planned to say to Dara.

 

Baby girl, will you accept me? Or will this mark the end of our friendship?

 

As Jiyong picked up the ladle to scoop out a portion of the soup to taste, a blinding pain cleaved through his head. It was so bad that it caused Jiyong to drop the ladle and clutch his head. He yelped and sank to the floor, his eyes watering. Jiyong leant against the wall and blinked away his tears. However, the pain did not let up. Jiyong dragged himself up and reached for the painkillers he had bought for himself recently. He popped two of them and sat himself down to rest for a while. After a few minutes, the pain receded and Jiyong stood up unsteadily. Thankfully, the soup had not been ruined and Jiyong proceed to finish his cooking.

 

Jiyong put the finishing touches to his handiwork and admired it for a few moments. The clock showed 6.58pm when Jiyong heard the doorbell ring. Jiyong took a quick glance in the mirror to make sure his face showed no sign of the little episode that had happened while he was cooking, before opening the door.

 

“Hey baby girl!” greeted Jiyong brightly.

 

“Hey Jiyong! Oh, something smells good!” gushed Dara, as she walked over to the dining table where everything had been laid out.

 

“Haha, glad you like it,” replied Jiyong.

 

“Who said I liked it? I haven’t tasted it yet,” teased Dara, as her eyes widened at the sight of the dining table. “Oh my gosh, did you think our four kids were coming for dinner as well? It looks like you cooked for the whole orphanage.”

 

“Oh, I just wanted you to try a little of everything I can cook,” laughed Jiyong. “Come on, let’s start. I’m famished.”

 

The pair tucked into their meal hungrily with animated conversation. Despite the overwhelming amount of food that Jiyong had prepared, the pair managed it quite easily. While Jiyong enjoyed the conversation that he was having with Dara, he was still mentally preparing himself for what he really wanted to tell Dara before the evening ended. Before they knew it, the clock struck half past nine.

 

“Omo, it’s already so late. I’d better wash up,” said Jiyong.

 

“Let me help. I feel really bad that you did all that cooking by yourself,” said Dara.

 

“No, it’s all right. I can do it by myself,” replied Jiyong.

 

“No, Kwon Jiyong. In fact, I want to do the washing up alone. You’ve done enough for today,” insisted Dara.

 

“But it’s getting late and…” Jiyong started to protest but caught the look in Dara’s eyes and gave in.

 

Jiyong went to the living room to wait for Dara to finish. Once again, he started to go over what he wanted to say, worried that he might say it wrongly or incompletely.

 

“Hey Jiyong, I’m done,” called Dara, stirring Jiyong out of his own thoughts.

 

“Oh okay. Erm… Baby girl, could you come over for a while before you leave? I need to tell you something,” said Jiyong nervously.

 

“Oh sure,” Dara wiped her hands dry before walking over to sit next to Jiyong.

 

“Baby girl,” began Jiyong. “Actually… I… I…”

 

“You what, Jiyong?” asked Dara.

 

“Baby girl, I… I love you,” said Jiyong in a rush, as he reached out to hold Dara’s hand. “I realised I have since our picnic with the kids. The past few months with you have been nothing but amazing. I don’t know if you feel the same way but I really want you to know that you’ve become the world to me. The struggles we went through together for the kids, the joys that we experienced, especially with Yejun. They’ve all helped me realise how much you mean to me. I really can’t live without you. Baby girl, will you be my girlfriend?”

 

Dara’s mind reeled as she listened to Jiyong’s words. Had she been that blind to Jiyong’s feelings? Did she feel the same way? She recalled the various things that had happened over the past few months, as she looked into Jiyong’s eyes.

 

“Jiyong, I… I…” Dara mumbled, as she pulled her hand out of Jiyong’s grip. “Jiyong, I’m… I’m sorry. I… I can’t accept your feelings.”

 

A small part in Jiyong’s heart died and wrenched at him as Dara’s words sank in. Jiyong fought hard to keep his voice steady, as he replied, “Could you… could you tell me why?”

 

“I… I just can’t, Jiyong. I’m sorry. It’s late. I should get going,” Dara said before getting up.

 

“Can I send you home?” pleaded Jiyong.

 

“No, it’s all right. I’ll be all right alone,” replied Dara, as if to say I need to be alone.

 

Jiyong did not attempt to hold her back. As Dara walked out of his house, Jiyong curled up on the couch and cried himself to sleep.

 

…

 

Jiyong tried to text Dara a few days after his confession but she never replied. Once, he overheard Bom and Chaerin at a class dinner saying that Dara had started dating Donghae.

 

That’s why she rejected me. She already had someone else in mind.

 

Jiyong started hitting the bars in the evenings and tried drinking himself to death. These episodes would always end with Youngbae arriving at the bar and dragging Jiyong into a taxi before sending him home. After a week of such episodes, Youngbae decided enough was enough.

 

“Kwon Jiyong! What’s the point of you drinking yourself beyond the point of recognition? That’s not going to get Dara back! Get a grip!” shouted Youngbae.

 

Jiyong did not appear to have heard and tried to down another shot. Youngbae caught his hand before he could do it and forced him to put it down.

 

“Yah! Stop interfering with my matters!” shouted Jiyong. “I didn’t ask for you to be here!”

 

Youngbae ignored him and held the shot glass away from Jiyong. In frustration, Jiyong threw a punch at Youngbae and knocked him to the floor.

 

“Kwon Jiyong!” shouted Youngbae. “Fine! If that’s how you want to be, then so be it!”

 

Seething in rage, Youngbae strode off, leaving Jiyong to continue drowning his troubles in alcohol.

 

…

 

Yejun was waiting eagerly at the gate of the orphanage, as Dara has promised him that she would be visiting today. Seeing a male and female figure in the distance, Yejun waved excitedly and shouted, “Eomma! Appa!” However, as the two figures approached, Yejun saw that Dara was accompanied not by Jiyong but someone he did not recognise.

 

“Yejun-ah!” called Dara brightly, as she ruffled Yejun’s hair.

 

“Eomma, who is this ahjussi? Why didn’t appa come with you?” asked Yejun. “Is appa coming today? I haven’t seen him for two weeks.”

 

This was news to Dara. She had not had the courage to communicate with Jiyong since his confession and, with a wrench of guilt, realised that this must have been a belated effect of that evening. “I’m sorry, Yejun-ah. It’s partly eomma’s fault. But I brought a new friend to play with you today. This is