One month later, Kwon Group building.

The 1-hour meeting for an upcoming project came to an end as two good-looking gentleman rise from their sits and face each other.

“Thank you, Mr Park.” Jiyong holds a handshake with the CEO of Park Corp, who apparently is also considered one of the top bachelors in the business world according to FORBES. “It was a pleasure to do business with you. I hope things will sail smoothly after the final plan has drafted out.” He smiled. A smile that he always gives to his potential partners - a business smile.

“Same goes for us too, Mr Kwon.” Mr Park, the newly appointed CEO of Park Corp, replied back with a smile.

“So I heard that you just arrived this morning from states-”

Dara let out a tired sigh as she decides to take a short break from jogging. Sitting at a bench near to her, Dara looks up at the dark sky, gazing through the landscape. It seems like nowadays, looking up at those night skies has been a habit of hers with reasons unknown. Dara lowered down her head and stare at her untied shoelaces…

[FLASHBACK]

“Hey! Do you want to become friends? I’m Bogum by the way.” The man by the name of Bogum smiled shyly as he scratched the back of his head.

“Hi~ y-yeah sure. I’m Sandara, but people call me Dara for short.” Dara chuckle softly at the man in front of her who was acting coy. It has been quite some time now that she has been schooling in the states but never have she see him before, not that she’s complaining since he really looks adorable in Dara’s eyes.

Bogum smile widens at Dara’s response, his eyes not taking of Dara’s causing her cheeks to turn into a shade of crimson red.

“Dara?” Bogum repeats after her as his eyes wander around as if he was thinking. “That is a beautiful and adorable name you have there.” Once again Bogum gave Dara his widest smile which Dara finds it cute.

“Th-thanks I guess?” Dara replied bashfully. Not sure how to react to this good-looking man in front of her giving her compliment about her name.

“Hmm… the class will be starting soon! Let’s meet up at the café opposite of our campus later after class? Let’s say, 6pm?” The man brightly invites Dara, hopeful is written all over his face.

“Y-yeah sure!” Dara gladly accepted his invitation.

“Great! See you later, Dara!” Bogum exclaimed as he makes a run for his class.

“See ya!”

Turning away the other direction, Dara too makes her way towards her class. But before she was even able to take 5 steps forward, a loud voice calling her name could be heard. Clueless to who was calling out for her, Dara turned around, just to be surprised that Bogum was the culprit who was now running towards her.

Stopping right in front of Dara, Bogum pants heavily but yet his smile never falters as he looks at Dara’s surprised-clueless face.

“I forgot!” Without further explanation, Bogum then bends down and tie Dara’s untied shoelaces. “There you go~ I’ve been wanting to tell you earlier when I saw you walking before I even greeted you, but I forgot the moment when you looked at me,” Bogum explained as he stood up, his cute smile never leaves his lips, and Dara swears he has such an infectious smile.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

“You’re not drunk, are you?”

Snapping back to earth, Dara turned her head to the source of the voice. A bit of annoyance could be seen on her face. “who the hell decided to disturb her ever sweet moment of flashback!” Dara thought at the back of her mind.

There right there stood Kwon Jiyong with his arms folded, eyebrows almost mashed together and eyes staring right at her face.

Dara’s POV

What is he doing here?? Where did he come from?? Wait a sec, is he judging me? What does he mean by I’m not drunk, am I? Does he think I'm always a drunkard?!

“No, I’m not!” I spat.

Author’s POV

“Good!” Jiyong commented. “If you are, I will make sure I call your brother straight away. I can’t afford to have another backache again.” 

Jiyong then casually take a seat beside Dara before he too stares up towards the sky, just like what Dara did earlier. “Beautiful night isn’t it?”

“It is..” Dara too looked up at the starry night. “whatchu doing here anyway?”

“I saw you when I was on my way home.”

“and you stop to say hi? Thought you said you will never have got anything to do with me” Dara chuckled.

“I’m not..” Came in Jiyong replied, eyes still staring into the vast dark blue sky. “I’m just on patrol in helping my neighbourhood their safety, away from crazy drunkard people that might drive them crazy and a total backache the next day..”

“yah! I’m not crazy!” Dara slaps jiyong’s arm with great annoyance.

“I didn’t say it was you.”

“You were implying!”

“no, I wasn’t”

“yes, you were!”

“I wasn’t.”

Dara face reddened. Her eyebrows almost mashed together, and if this were in the cartoons, there would be white smokes coming out from her ears and head. The paused makes Jiyong looked down towards his side and found Dara staring at him, and he was sure that if looks can kill, he will be dead by now.

“I hate you, Kwon,” confessed Dara grumpily.

“Same goes for me too ‘burden’.” He replied amusingly as he stood up just to bend down in front of her to tie her untied shoelaces.

Dara was stunned. She freezes on her sit as she stares blankly at the crown of Jiyong’s head. For some odd reason, she can hear her heart thumping at an abnormal rate. Weird.

“I’m heading home now, want a lift?”

Snapping back to earth, Dara realised Jiyong was already standing and was looking at her. “u-uh huh?”

“Want me to give you a ride home?” Jiyong repeated. “It’s late.”

“O-oh.. yeah, thank you.” Dara accepted in a stupor as she stood up and followed Jiyong to his car.

“Woahh woahh woahh! Am I seeing things??”

It was 5 minutes later that Jiyong and Dara reached the Choi’s Residence and Seunghyun can’t help but to be shock at the pair’s arrival.  

“Nothing of that sort hyung, I just gave Dara a ride home as I was on my home too,” Jiyong said flatly, knowing too well what his friend is thinking at the back of his head and he was sure he had to address it before any futile ideas comes out from his hyung’s mouth.

 “ahhh~” Seunghyun nodded, his eyes now fixated to his sister, as if he does not believe Jiyong’s words.

“Thanks for the ride.” Dara bade her farewell before heading inside, ignoring her brother’s stares.

“soo..” Seunghyun was about to say something when Jiyong cut him out. “There’s really nothing hyung. Aishh.”

Seunghyun looked at him, eyes blinking. “what?? I just wanted to ask you if you would like to have some drinks before you go.” His eyes glistening with innocents, which somehow reminds Jiyong so much of someone he fairly knows so well.

Jiyong let out a small chuckle. “Gosh hyung, you can’t play that game with me. I have someone living in with me who can play this game so much better than you.”

“pfft! I don’t know what games you are talking about.”

“Hmm, should I get the black one or the red?” Dara contemplated as she holds up two evening dresses.

“The red one.” A voice came from behind.

Dara twirled around just to be surprised, it was none other than Kwon Jiyong himself. Again.

“Are you by any chance stalking me?” Dara furrowed her eyebrows, which causes Jiyong to let out a chuckle as he casually took a sit on one of the couches facing her.

“Oh please, woman. I ain’t got no time for that.”

“Then tell me, Mr Kwon. Why would a very busy man like yourself be doing in a ladies apparel boutique?” Dara raised up an eyebrow with a nudge of her head as if daring Jiyong to answer her question. It’s not logical for someone like him to be hanging around in a boutique full of women's clothes, unless..

Dara’s POV

“ah, You must be buying something for your girlfriend, I suppose?” I cheekily asked.

“I-“ Jiyong was about to answer me when another voice out of nowhere called my name.

“Dara?”

I faced away from Jiyong to look at the newcomer, and in an instant, my curved lips turned upsidedown. A rush of emotion waves hits me. I can't believe this! The man who is standing just a few metres in front of me right now is here! In Korea! Seoul! It can't be! Am I daydreaming? Is this a nightmare? The way he says my name sounds so similar and endearing just like back then when we first met.

“babyy, I found just the right dress for the party~”

A tall lady whose curves and height can be passed as a model, struts her way towards him with a gold evening dress in her hand before directly stopped in front of him to ask his opinion on the dress she had chosen. The said man gave a glanced to the lady as if acknowledging her presence before looking back at me.

Is fate playing a trick on me?? Why am I seeing this? It’s already enough that I had seen the pictures!

“Dara-“

“BABEE! Let’s get out of here!” I blurted out clumsily as I fiercely stare straight at the man standing in front of me before shifting my eyes towards Jiyong. Not sure if he gets what I’m trying to do as my eyes were pleading for his help.

For a few seconds, Jiyong was somehow studying my face with his soft gaze. Which I realise, now that I'm staring right into his eyes, he has such a beautiful pair of brown eyes. I was so into admiring his eyes that Jiyong’s sudden decision to stood up causes me to stumble back in a daze. Hastily putting his hand behind my small back, preventing me from stumbling back further, Jiyong studied my face once again with a worried face. “Are you alright?” He whispers.

“h..huh y..yeah” Great. Now I’m stuttering.

“what? Is the ‘burden’ starting to fall in love with me now?”

His wide annoying cheeky smile was present on his face as he looked at me.

WHATT?! Is he kidding me?? Such a  conceited of man he is! Stupid Kwon Jiyong! This is not the right-

“Now, let’s go babee~”

Without waiting for my retaliation or reply, he proceeds on to holding my hand and guides me towards the exit, ignoring the man who was now staring at as leaving. Park Bogum, the man who I once loved, was looking at me, face devoid of emotion.

That Night…

Jiyong walked casually towards his car. He gets into his white Lamborghini, fished out his phone from his pocket and dialled up someone in his contact list.

"I need a favour." Stated Jiyong sharply as soon as the line got through.