A full minute passed before Dara trusted herself to speak again.

“Could you at least tell me why?” asked Dara, fighting to keep her voice steady.

“I thought I had already let go of Kiko. But turns out I was wrong. I still love her. We’ve already made plans. She will go back to the US with me when I go for exchange. After that, I will transfer to my exchange university as a full-time student since Kiko needs to go back to the US with her family and will be studying there as well. That university will give me better prospects in music anyway,” said Jiyong.

Dara took a deep breath as she internalised everything that Jiyong had just said. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare. She wanted Jiyong to shout “Just kidding!” at her. She wanted anything that would tell her that what she had just heard was not true. That the boy she loved still loved her and still wanted to be with her. That he had not brushed away everything that they had shared.

“Has everything we’ve been through meant nothing to you, Jiyong? We fought so hard to be together, Jiyong. Is everything that we’ve been through in the past 2 years meaningless to you, Kwon Jiyong?” asked Dara.

“What makes you think Kiko and I didn’t fight to be with each other? You think it was easy for us when we had to break up back then? Just because we were younger doesn’t mean we didn’t face challenges, Sandara Park!” retorted Jiyong.

“What about Yejun? Does Yejun mean nothing to you? Do you know how he felt when you brought Kiko to see him?” ranted Dara.

“Nothing more than what he must have felt when you brought Donghae to see him, I’m sure,” retorted Jiyong. “Don’t try to use Yejun to guilt me.”

“So what do you think Yejun is going to feel?” asked Dara.

“I can’t possibly be responsible for him forever, Dara. You know as well as I do that we can’t parent him forever. It’s not my fault if he can’t move on from us,” shot Jiyong.

“Then why did you try to win me back in the first place when I was dating Donghae, if you still had feelings for Kiko?” asked Dara.

Jiyong closed his eyes and bit his lower lip hard, before replying, “I didn’t realise that I still had feelings for her before she came back. Maybe I mistook our friendship and camaraderie that we shared when we worked together on the project for the orphanage as love. Whatever it was, it wasn’t love.”

“So everything we went through together since our project was nothing but friendship and camaraderie? A few weeks back together with Kiko made you believe that everything we had was nothing but friendship and camaraderie?” asked Dara in disbelief. “You honestly expect me to believe that, Kwon Jiyong?”

“Take it or leave it, Sandara Park. Look, I don’t want to fight about this anymore. Kiko’s waiting for me at the café. You can have this if you want. I don’t want it anymore,” said Jiyong, as he took off his ring and handed it to Dara.

Dara looked away from his outstretched arm, unable to accept what she was seeing. Jiyong grew impatient and let the ring fall on the ground, before walking off. Dara waited till his footsteps died away, before squatting down to pick up Jiyong’s ring. A tear rolled down Dara’s cheek and clung on to her chin, much like how she still clung to the memories and feelings that she shared with Jiyong. She wrapped her arms around her knees in her squatting position, trying to stop herself from going to pieces. Dara didn’t care if people were looking at her. All she cared about now was that her biggest pillar of support that she had come to lean on had been ripped from her. The emptiness of the hole it left behind clawed at her heart and stomped on her tear ducts. But funnily enough, the tear that still clung to her chin was the only tear that she shed. Her pain and helplessness was beyond tears. Dara closed her eyes and buried her face in her knees. How long she remained in that position, she had no idea. Jiyong was gone. That was all that still mattered.

…

Dara headed home after she collected her feelings. But her feet had other ideas and without realising it, she found herself outside Jiyong’s house. She didn’t want to let go this easily. She had fought so hard to be with Jiyong. There was no way she was going down without a fight.

“What are you doing here?” asked a voice behind her.

Dara turned to see the person she least wanted to see in front of her.

“I came to talk to Jiyong,” said Dara in a clipped voice.

“Jiyong-oppa already broke up with you. What more do you want?” said Kiko.

“That’s none of your business. This is between me and Jiyong,” replied Dara.

“Oppa told me he made it clear to you that it was over between you two. He wants to be with me now. Can’t you just take a hint and not come between us?” said Kiko tartly.

“Not come between you two?” asked Dara disbelievingly. “Coming from you, Kiko? You dare tell me not to come between you two? After what you’ve done?”

“What have I done? I knew oppa way before you did. We loved each other and were only forced to break up because my family had to move to the US. It makes perfect sense now for me to claim what belongs to me and pick up from where we left off. If anything, you’re the third party! So back off before – AHHH!!!” Kiko had barely finished before Dara dealt her a sharp slap across her left cheek.

“So you think you can just walk in to our relationship and take Jiyong from me?” said Dara in a cold voice, though she was seething with rage. “Were you there when Jiyong’s brain aneurysm ruptured? Were you there when his heartbeat nearly stopped?”

“How dare you slap me, ! And don’t make yourself sound so great! You pushed Jiyong-oppa away when he confessed! You caused his brain aneurysm to rupture! You obviously can’t appreciate him! So don’t make me laugh and claim that you’ve been there for him. You put him in these situations in the first place!” spat Kiko.

At these words, Dara launched herself at Kiko without thinking. The pair ended up on the ground in a struggle, with screams of pain and anger from both Kiko and Dara.

“ENOUGH!” shouted a loud voice, as a strong pair of hands pulled the fighting duo apart.

Dara was pushed to the side and looked up to see Jiyong towering over them both. Jiyong was in his dragon mode and was glaring at Dara.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Sandara Park? Why the heck did you attack Kiko?” demanded Jiyong. “Don’t try to deny it! I saw it all from my window. You pushed her over and started attacking her on the ground! No, you know what? I don’t need to hear the reason. Come on, Kiko, you’re bleeding. I’ll help you tend to it.”

The pair walked towards Jiyong’s house. Before reaching the front door, Jiyong turned to Dara and said, “I warn you, Sandara Park. If this happens again, I can’t promise what I’ll do to you. Now pick yourself up and get out of my sight.”

Jiyong and Kiko walked into Jiyong’s house, leaving Dara still sitting on the pavement.

Has your heart really hardened, Jiyong? Is this really the end for us?

…

Youngbae was sipping his morning coffee at home when his doorbell rang. Youngbae got up to answer it and was surprised to see Bom outside his door.

“Hi Youngbae, can I come in?” asked Bom.

“Sure!” replied Youngbae, as he stepped aside to let Bom enter.

Youngbae poured Bom a drink as she sat down.

“Youngbae-ah, what’s been going on with Jiyong?” asked Bom, half in frustration, half in concern. “Why is he suddenly treating Dara this way? It’s not like the previous time. This time, Jiyong seems to literally have cut off all ties with Dara to be with Kiko! Is it really the rekindling of an old flame?”

Youngbae looked at Bom helplessly and said, “Look, Bom. This is something that’s out of my control this time. I can’t do much to help this time, if at all.”

“What if Dara goes to pieces like she did previously? Can’t you talk sense into Jiyong?” asked Bom heatedly.

“I can talk sense into Jiyong. But I cannot talk sense into the dragon, Bom. I don’t think you’ve ever seen the dragon in full force before. Only Dara and I ha