Dara sat next to Jiyong and looked into his eyes. She tried to find the warm, smiling eyes that she had grown so used to seeing before she rejected Jiyong. But the eyes that faced her now were cold and empty.

 

“Jiyong-ah,” began Dara.

 

“What do you want, Dara?” blurted Jiyong coldly.

 

Dara never knew that the sound of her own name could hurt so much. This was the first time Jiyong had called her by her name so coldly. But she knew she had no one to blame but herself for the fact that she was no longer “baby girl” to Jiyong but merely “Dara”.

 

“Jiyong, I…” mumbled Dara, afraid that the dragon would show itself at some point. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

 

“You are now,” replied Jiyong curtly. “So what is it? I’m tired after talking to Mrs. Kim and the kids. I need to rest.”

 

“I’m sorry, Jiyong. I won’t take long,” said Dara.

 

But despite Dara saying this, she realised she didn’t know how to continue as she stared into Jiyong’s cold and blank eyes. Jiyong put up with a minute of uncomfortable silence before saying, “If you’re not going to say anything else, then please let me r-”

 

“I’m sorry I rejected you, Jiyong,” said Dara in a rush.

 

Jiyong stared into space for a while, before replying, “I don’t need an apology, Dara. You’re at perfect liberty to accept and love whoever you please. I have no right or ability to force you to accept me. There’s no need to apologise. I don’t need your pity.”

 

“I broke up with Donghae the night you were admitted to hospital, Jiyong,” continued Dara.

 

“Why would you do that?” asked Jiyong with the same cold look. “He can give you all that I can’t.”

 

“No, he can’t, Jiyong. I accepted Donghae only because I wanted you to give Chaerin a chance. But I realised my true feelings only after I started going out with Donghae. He helped me see it too,” explained Dara, as she fished out the bloodstained sheet of paper from her pocket and tried putting it into Jiyong’s right hand. “Chaerin herself came to tell me that she had given up on you and wanted me to tell you my true feelings. Jiyong, I’ve read what you wrote. I do, Jiyong. I do.”

 

“So you want me back only because Chaerin doesn’t like me anymore?” Jiyong’s words were expressionless but they cut through Dara more sharply and effectively than a knife through butter.

 

“No, Jiyong. How can you say that?” protested Dara.

 

“I’m not your plaything to pass around from one friend to another, Dara-ssi. I think that’s all the toying I can handle. Maybe you can toy with Donghae next, I don’t care. I’ve already lost half of my body’s mobility. Please let me keep whatever that’s left. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m tired and need to rest,” Jiyong replied curtly, as he crushed up the piece of paper in his hand and let it drop on the floor, before closing his eyes and turning his head away.

 

This was too much for Dara to bear. She got up and nearly ran out of the ward, her tears flowing before she reached the door. Had she not been in such a hurry to leave, she would have seen the solitary tear that leaked from Jiyong’s closed eyes.

 

…

 

Bom and Youngbae were sitting at the same café they always met at to discuss Jiyong and Dara’s problems.

 

“Why is it always the two of us who have to pick up after them?” complained Bom.

 

“Like I said, it’s because our best friends are idiots,” replied Youngbae flatly. “Have you managed to coax Dara out of her house yet?”

 

“No. I’m convinced she’s going to stay in her house and wither away. Mrs. Park and I have tried everything. How can a person stay in her house for a whole month and not leave? She’s going to be the one needing therapy if she continues like this!” ranted Bom.

 

It had been a month since that fateful conversation between Jiyong and Dara and they had not spoken since. Jiyong had started on his physiotherapy and doing his best to maintain a positive outlook to life. The doctor was even certain that he would regain sufficient psychomotor skills in time for the start of his university education, though he was still doubtful about complete recovery. However, he would turn cold and clam up at the first mention of Dara. His friends didn’t dare to push it, as they were scared of unleashing the dragon and causing Jiyong to accidentally inflict more harm onto himself. Dara, on the other hand, had ran home after that fateful conversation with Jiyong and locked herself in her room. Mrs. Park and Bom had initially thought that she just needed a few days to calm down and straighten her thoughts. But a few days stretched to a week, a week stretched to a fortnight and a fortnight stretched to a month. Dara never left her room except for her meals and to use the toilet. Dara’s cohort was supposed to be enrolling into university in a few months’ time but she had not made the slightest effort in doing her applications, which resulted in Bom doing it all for her. Dara’s handphone remained switched off for a month and she refused to talk to anyone. When Mrs. Park saw her at meal times, it was as if Dara was an idling car with no driver behind the steering wheel.

 

“She’s determined in staying in this state, you gotta give her that,” commented Youngbae.

 

“Any luck with Jiyong?” asked Bom.

 

“Nope. Always happy and chatty until Dara is mentioned. Then nobody can squeeze a word out of him,” replied Youngbae.

 

“How are we going to break this stalemate?” Bom almost shouted in her frustration.

 

“We need something that neither of them can push away,” said Youngbae.

 

“Oh why didn’t I think of that before? Thanks for enlightening us, Captain Obvious,” replied Bom, her voice sagging with sarcasm.

 

“Yah! I’m just voicing my thoughts. Now try thinking of something constructive to say,” retorted Youngbae.

 

The pair cracked their heads for another half an hour to no avail and just about gave up before Bom asked, “Do you think we should ask Mrs. Kim for advice?”

 

“Hasn’t she already tried talking to Jiyong and Dara before? She told me that she did and apparently both of them gave her quite positive responses,” said Youngbae.

 

“We can tell her about the situation now. I think she’s still unaware that Dara and Jiyong are in this state. The last time she came was when Jiyong woke up from his coma,” replied Bom.

 

“Sure. We’re out of options anyway,” said Youngbae with a shrug.

 

“Shall we head there now? It’s just after lunch and most of the kids should be having their nap now, so she should be free,” said Bom.

 

“Okay sure, let’s go,” Youngbae picked up their tab and the pair headed off to the orphanage.

 

Bom and Youngbae sat in Mrs. Kim’s office twenty minutes later. Mrs. Kim served them lemonade and sat down at her seat.

 

“So what’s the matter today? The both of you look so serious. Has anything happened?” asked Mrs. Kim.

 

The pair explained the situation to Mrs. Kim and her expression grew more and more serious as they continued.

 

“So Mrs. Kim, we were thinking if there was something that neither of them have any form of resistance against. But we can’t seem to think of anything,” said Youngbae with a crestfallen face. “Seunghyun, Seungri, Daesung and I have tried everything we can think of to get Jiyong to stop this. I think the same can be said for Bom and Chaerin. We’re at a total loss. If anything, we think Dara might need to seek psychiatric help soon if she doesn’t break out of this.”

 

“We’re trying to figure out a way to break past Jiyong’s barrier first. I’m sure once Jiyong is willing to reach out to Dara, Dara’s behaviour will turn around completely,” said Bom. “But why is Jiyong behaving like this in the first place?”

 

“There’s a reason we do certain things for and to the people we love, Bom-ah,” said Mrs. Kim. “There’s a reason he’s treating Dara this way now. Deep down he still loves Dara. Sometimes, we treat the people we love badly because we know they are the ones who will forgive us in the end.”

 

“Aish~~ Why does life have to be difficult? So what do you think we can do to tear down their barriers?” asked Youngbae.

 

Mrs. Kim continued to think in silence for a while. After a few minutes, she said, “Well, there is something that we can consider. But I’m hesitant.”

 

“What is it, Mrs. Kim?” asked Bom eagerly.

 

“If there’s one thing that neither of them have ever been able to resist, it’s their