“Whew! I can’t believe that I am no longer a school student.” Youngbae said as he passed the cola to others. They were sitting at the school’s field. The graduation for Jiyong and the students in his batch was already over two hours ago but they decided to spend some more time in that school together.

“Well, five of us still have another year to spend here.” Bom pouted, earning sigh from Dara and Seungri.

Daesung’s shoulders slump. “Everyone here have a girlfriend. I am the only one who doesn’t. High school life without any girlfriend is so unbelievable.”

“Wait. Does that mean Seungri have a girlfriend?”

The boys looked to each other, then rolled their eyes, except Seungri who was grinning. Minzy and Bom gasped when they pointed to Chaerin. Noticing that Dara did not give any reaction, Bom slapped her leg.

“Yah Dara! You know?”

Dara nodded lazily. “Yes. Chae didn’t want to tell you because you didn’t tell her about Seunghyun.”

“But what about me?” Minzy frowned.

“You did not tell me that you had a crush back then.” Chaerin answered as she stole Seungri’s fried chicken from his hand. Seungri suddenly giggled to her, earning a hard slap from Chaerin because he creeped her out.

Jiyong leaned to Dara. “Seungri will be the death of Chae,” he whispered. Both of them watched Chaerin continuing hitting Seungri, while the others were ignoring them, eating the chicken that Youngbae bought from the restaurant just across the school.

“He already is.” Dara whispered back, earning a chuckle from Jiyong. 

“What are you gonna do for this three months before the first intake of the university?”

Jiyong looked down to her, gazing at Dara’s face for a few moment before he answered. “I’m going to work part time at the Coffee House.” Coffee House was a cafe that was located at the city, just near Dara’s favourite bookshop where they first met just the two of them after Jiyong publicly confessed to her during the Sport’s Day.

“It’s really near to my parents’ house.” Jiyong added.

“I can eat there if I go to the bookshop. It’s just ten minutes by bus.” Dara smiled. “How about you three? What are your plan for this three months before you go to university?”

Youngbae planned to go to his village, helping his grandparents for their farm before he’s going to be busy with university. Daesung also wanted to work part time at the convenience store in his neighbourhood while Seunghyun said he would spend his time playing games at home since he was too lazy to do anything.

“That’s good.” Chaerin commented. “You’re just as lazy as Park Bom.”

“I’m not lazy!”

“Yes you are, unnie. We’re going to enter our senior year but you still never once complete your homework. You always copy Dara’s unnie works.”

The boys laughed while Bom’s face has turned red. “She’s just like you, Seunghyun. Both of you is a pair made from heaven.”

They continued talking and teasing each other until the sky turned dark. All of them knew it’s not going to be the same anymore after they parted, but they promised to themselves that they would be friends until whenever.

...

The relationship between Dara and Jiyong went steady. Dara was not someone who fancy texting and calling everyday since she prefer spending her time by reading and studying. Because of that, she and Jiyong would meet every weekends at the bookshop. Dara would go there by bus in the morning, waiting Jiyong to finish his shift in the cafe just next to where she was. They would spend sometime together in that bookshop or Dara would eat in the cafe, watching Jiyong working.

“Dara. Psst, Dara.” Jiyong whispered, shaking her shoulder to wake her up from her sleep.  Unwilling, Dara opened her eyes, staring to her book which was wet because of her saliva from sleeping.

“You are gross.” Jiyong said as he pulled Dara’s sleeve to wipe her book. Dara was still was not awake fully so she did not notice what Jiyong have done with her favourite sweater. Her eyes trailing around the bookshop. They were in the second section, the library. The only people there was an old man, reading a newspaper two tables away from Jiyong and Dara. She rubbed her eyes a few times before looking up to Jiyong who were staring at her, amused.

“You were drooling, you know?” he pointed to her chin.

Embarrassed, Dara leaned to Jiyong’s shoulder and quickly wiped her chin to his shirt.

“Hey!” he hissed, eyes widen at her unpredictable action.

“Your shift is over already?” she casually asked.

“No, it’s a break time. My manager decided to opened te cafe until late in the night.”

“But it’s Christmas! Why would you work in Christmas?”

“The customers would not stop entering since this morning. We’re getting short of hands. I can’t just let it be.”

Feeling dismissed, she bit her inner cheeks. They haven’t been to any dates lately. The only time that they got to be together was in that bookshop or in the cafe, where Jiyong would sit with her and talk when Jiyong was on break.

“Apple pie.” He tried. Looking Dara was supressing her smile after he called her nickname, he mentally cheered. “I’ll try to left early. You should wait for me at the Namsan Tower, okay?”

They promised to go to Namsan Tower as Dara haven’t been there since she was five years old. The last time she went there was with her father.

...

Jiyong cursed under his breath. He was late. He received a message from his girfriend two hours ago, telling him that she had arrived at their promised place. But his manager would not let him go until all the customers left the cafe. He clutched the small paper bag in his hand, hoping that Dara have not left yet.

The place was full with people although it was really cold. He frantically slipped between the people as he searched for Dara. When he tried to call her, the only answer he got was voicemail. He was thinking what reason should he tell her after fifteen minutes of searching her failed. She was nowhere in his sight. Jiyong wanted to start walking away to go to her house when someone slipped their arms around his.

“Hey. You are late!” she frowned. Her nose has turned red because she stayed in cold for too long. Jiyong felt her fingers tightened around his arm, pulling him closer.

“You’re still here?” he watched her closing her eyes in bliss as she got to hold something warm; his arm.

“Well, of course. You told me to wait, so I wait.” She let go of his arm as she fished out a paper bag of hot waffle from inside her coat pocket. “Here. It’s still hot. I bought it for you, in case you’re cold.”

Overwhelmed, he took the waffle from her hand and put it in his pocket instead. Then, Jiyong wrapped his arm around Dara’s shoulder, pulling her to stand near the railing where a lot of locks were put. 

“Oh! I also bought locks.” She fished her hand into her pocket again, this time pulling out two blue locks and a marker. She was grinning happily. One of the locks already had some words written on it. “Here’s yours,” she handed Jiyong a blue lock which was still clean without any written on it.

Jiyong took the lock and the marker from her, then pushed her so that Dara’s back facing him. He leaned onto her shoulder, putting the lock on her and started to write on it, making Dara as his table to write.

“You’re not mad?” he whispered to her ear, making she giggled.

“Why would I?”

“For making you waiting for two hours.”

Dara scrunched her nose and pursed her lips, as if she was in a deep thought. After a while, she shook her head, flashing him a smile instead. “I know you were working. I understand it, Ji.”

Jiyong keenly kept his eyes on his apple pie, staring down to her from her side as she was still standing with her back facing him. Dara was a patient girl and Jiyong aware of that. She was loyal, understanding and he could give t