“Oh god, I knew you worked part-time, but seeing you holding milkshakes and Frappuccinos around just makes me sad” Jiyong mutters the moment he steps into the coffee shop. I roll my eyes as I serve my designated table and walk up to him.

“and you’re still as unfunny as I remember, which makes me sadder” I retort with a fake smile, but he clicks his tongue and completely ignores me as he goes to the table far in the corner and sits there. I’ll get back at him for that.

“So, dear valued customer, what cheap thing should I get you?”

“Your dignity, please”

“Ok, Ouch” damn, his comebacks are getting good. I fake being deeply wounded and he chuckles.

“Just sit down Dara, no need to bring me anything” I do as told and fold my hands together on my lap. So, I know that I technically called him to come here right after I had the greatest epiphany of all time: to get back into work and accept his job offer, but it’s still nerve-wracking for me to talk about it. I feel like a YG trainee who’s about to make a grand smacking off the charts debut wants to live up to the hype and expectation of the hungry YG stans. The pressure feels real, except, I’m the one who’s setting my expectations high about myself. God, I need to stop fretting about this.

“Ok, so, I thought about what you said, over and over and over...” I trail, but shake my head at how badly I phrased that “No, wait, I’ve literally thought about it for like 30 minutes, and made the decision right after” I correct myself immediately and heave a sigh “anyway, my point is, I think I’m ready to get a job, so, I want to take you up your offer” I say firmly, proud that I didn’t stutter. Jiyong observes me for a few seconds before he breaks into a wide grin.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been waiting for” he leans closer and extends his hand “welcome to the game, Dar”

“Don’t call me that” I note before I shake his hands. Wow, this suddenly feels official. I finally feel like an adult. I thought it would feel great, but It tastes like hope mixed with anxiety. Disappointed, but not surprised. “Okay, so, fill me in. What should I do? What do I need to bring to qualify for the job?”

“Dara, relax, the job is practically yours.” he grins but I don’t smile back.

“um, what? Don’t I need to forgo an interview?” I inquire, confusion written all over my face.

“No need, I asked my aunt and she immediately agreed. She trusts my judgement and I trust you will do great”

“No, no no no no!” I interject vigorously. “I want to this the proper way, Jiyong! I don’t want get a job based on connections and what not! That’s cheating!” I huff and he snort

“says who?”

“says my moral and ethics code, you moron! I can’t believe you think so low of me” I spit, making sure I glare at him so he’ll get the point. Sandara Park does things right and there’s no way she’s going to cheat her way to the top.

“God, no, Dara, that was not my intention” he takes a huge breath and holds my gaze “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you, I just wanted this job to be guaranteed for you.” he replies so softly, sincerity dripping from his words. “I know that we haven’t been the greatest acquaintances out there, but, if there’s one thing I know, is that you’re smart, hardworking and strong beyond words.” He stops and shakes his head in a funny way “okay, those were three things, but, you get my point. If there’s anyone worthy of that position, it’s you”

“Wow” I chuckle, in disbelief of what’s happening right now. Did Kwon Jiyong just compliment me? Are there hidden cameras somewhere? Because I can’t think of any reason why he would help me, so I ask him just that “Why are you helping me, anyway? I thought we hated each other”. He crosses his arms around his chest and raises an eyebrow.

“Ok, let’s get that clear first. Dara, I don’t hate you, I’ve never hated you, I don’t even understand where you got that idea from. It’s you that hates me, so I’m the one who should be asking the question: Why do you hate me?” he catches me off-guard, an amused smile playing at his lips that really makes it hard to believe he’s being serious. But, his eyes depict a certain honesty that I can’t put into words, so I just smile sardonically.

“Well, to start off, you continuously hit on me freshman year even though I repeatedly told you off, and-”

“Ok, but-” he interjects and I glare at him

“I’m not finished.” I warn him and he slumps in his seat. “you publicly embarrassed me in front of Seunghyun when you knew I had a crush on him Sophomore year, you accidently dropped my Organizational behavior assignment in the nearby river Junior year-but I’m not sure if that was actually an accident, and, you stole my graduation gown right before the ceremony, so I had to go up stage in casual clothes and get judgmental eyes from all out professors AND the dean himself” by the time I finished ranting, Jiyong’s eyes were too wide and his mouth was hanging low. For a second there, I thought he was dead.

“Um, what?” He leans close and raises both eyebrows, too in shock apparently to process anything I said. “wait, hold up, the hitting on you thing, that’s totally on me, I was an back then, I admit, I apologize” he stops and links both his palms together. “But, the Seunghyun incident wasn’t me. If you remember, Daesung was the one who spilled the beans about your feelings for Seunghyun on the college’s official radio station. Also, the ruined assignment was a total accident and I apologized many times to you about it. Also also, I did not steal your gown and I can’t believe you thought I did.” He inhales deeply to calm himself, and I blink repeatedly at this load of information that I was not expecting. Ok, maybe I was a tad bit harsh, but, in my defense, I didn’t have any enemies beside him, so I couldn’t doubt anyone but him. Plus, I’m not sure if he’s even telling the truth.

“Then why did I find you in the radio station with Daesung when the embarrassing announcement was made?”

“To stop him, obviously. The guy was my friend, he was a jokester alright, but I didn’t think he would take it too far.  Anyway, I got there too late, and then you barged in and saw me there..” he lets out a weak chuckle as he trails. I remain frozen to my seat, having an extremely hard time soaking up this new info. It just doesn’t add up.

“Why didn’t you tell me it wasn’t you when I wrongly accused you?”

“Bro-code. Friends have each other’s’ back, so I covered for him” he mutters weakly and I close my eyes instantly. God, he sounds so hurt it makes my heart ache. All my life, I thought Kwon Jiyong was out there to ruin my life, to make it more miserable and more difficult. I can’t believe I let my wrong judgement cloud my vision. I mean, I know he’s all grown up and is different from college Jiyong, but I was never able to forgive what he did in the past, and now I’m finding out I was hating on the guy for no reason. well, hate is a strong word now that I think about it. I disliked him, terribly.

“I am so sorry for my spiteful remarks and all the horrible things I wanted to happen to you, agh, I feel terrible” I cover my face with my hands in shame. But he simply laughs and shakes his head.

“It’s fine, I actually enjoyed our banters in college” he confesses “I still do.” I smile, my first ever genuine smile this day.

“I secretly did too, and still do.” My smile drops for a second as I try to think of how to word my thoughts. “Hey,” I start, you can never go wrong with a ‘hey’. “um, thanks for everything. You’ve put up with my all those years in college and yet, you’ve been nothing but nice to me, sometimes a jerk, but mostly nice.” I steal a glance at him and my heart suddenly jumps at the sight of his jovial face, a charming grin lighting up his face. “Really, thank you”

“Dara, you don’t have to thank me for anything. I want what’s best for you. I know what you’re capable of and I want to help you showcase that, find your place and soar up to sky.” God, my eyes are beginning to water. If he doesn’t stop talking, I might actually cry. “and, I know you’ve always wanted to be a teacher/professor, so I thought this job would be perfect for you. No, it was meant for you, and you will have it, I know you will” he says it so confidently, so smugly, so smoothly that it makes me believe every word he said. I try to blink away the tears that are threatening to fall, and cough awkwardly.

“Thank you” I whisper, my throat closing up on itself, feeling so overwhelmed.

“To our new-found friendship” he brings his fist up and I immediately pound it, wearing the goofiest smile to grace my face in days.

“To our new-found friendship”