DARA'S POV

"Kiko..." I whispered, too quiet that only I can hear.

"What are you doing here?" I heard Jiyong spoke beside me. I shifted my gaze back at him and all I can see is his glaring face directed to her.

My eyes shifted back to Kiko but her eyes were only focused on our intertwined hands. I tried to pull my hand away from Jiyong's grasp but instead of letting go, his grip only tightened more.

"W-what is the m-meaning of this?" She finally spoke in a stuttering manner, too different from her normal self that I know. She looked at Jiyong with her wary eyes, her hands were visibly shaking. "A-are you two...."

She wasn't done with her question yet but Jiyong already cut her off. "Yes. We are. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're tired and need to rest. You need to go home too." He said dismissively and started his pace towards the gate pulling me with him.

"Jiyong, wait!" Both of us got startled when Kiko abruptly ran towards us and pulled Jiyong's arm causing him to face her. "You can't be together. Don't do this Jiyong. I... I can't let you do this to me. We're supposed to be together, not that b*tch!" She spattered as she pointed her finger at me but Jiyong immediately swatted her hand away.

Jiyong's eyes got even darker as she glared at her causing her to step back. "I told you not to talk to her that way!" He muttered between gritted teeth. He let go of my hand and stepped forward. He grabbed Kiko's arm a little too harshly that made her winced in pain. "I warned you, didn't I? I pulled all the patience in my entire system to keep up with your nasty attitude because, despite everything that you've done, I still care for you as my sister. What part of it can't you understand?"

"B-but I don't want that. I... I want us to be more than that Jiyong." Kiko struggled as she tried to pry his grip off of her arm. Her eyes started to moist as tears are now threatening to fall.

My feet immediately moved on its own accord and stepped in between them. I removed Jiyong's hand to free Kiko who's now looking scared, tears finally streaming down her face. "Jiyong, stop it. You're hurting her." I reprimanded and looked at him in the eyes. His expression finally softened as he heaved a deep sigh to calm himself down.

He stepped back and combed his hair with his fingers, frustration eating him up. After calming himself, he faced her again and this time, his voice toned down, anger slowly ebbing away. "I'm telling you this one last time Kiko, there's no future for us. Dara is the one that I love and nobody can change that. Stick it up to that head of yours. Don't let me lose the remaining respect I have for you Kiko. I mean it." He said to her and that made her tears rolled down her eyes. I know I should be happy with what I heard, but seeing other people hurting because of me makes me feel otherwise.

Kiko bowed her head to cover her face but failed miserably. I went to her side and was about to touch her shoulder when she hastily swatted it away, glaring at me in the process. "This is all your fault, Dara." She grunted as she locked her gaze on me. "I'll make sure you'll pay for this and I promise you... it’s not gonna be easy." He threatened. With that, he finally turned around and headed back to her car leaving the two of us standing by the gate. We watched as he drove off and sped away.

"Are you ok?" I heard Jiyong asked beside me. I looked into his eyes and all I see is a face full of worry. I just nodded my head in response. He then pulled me in a tight embrace and ran his hand on my back to help me calm down.

"Hey, I should be the one asking you that," I said before slightly pulling away, still not letting go from the hug. He nodded his head as well and smiled at me but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Something's bothering you. What is it?"

"Nothing. Let's go inside so we could rest. It was a long day." He probed and reached for my hand to guide me as we walked towards the gate but before we could reach it, I glued my feet on the ground to stop him from his tracks. He immediately looked back and stared at me, confused.

"Tell me. I want to know...wait, let me rephrase that. I need to know." I insisted.

"Dara..."

"You promised me you'll tell me everything there is to know about her. You know I am not the type of person to meddle with other's business. I'm sorry, but I think I need to know about this." I let go of his hand and seriously stared at him. He heaved a deep sigh and slowly nodded his head.

"Ok, but let's go inside first. I'll tell you everything," he said defeated.

He guided me towards the mansion's garden, the place I use to frequent when I was a kid. The time where Appa and I newly moved in and all I can play with was the butterflies flying around from one flower to another. Though Jiyong and I were of the same age, we didn't get to play together back then like normal kids having their friends to play with. I chuckled remembering that moment.

"Why are you smiling?" I heard Jiyong suddenly asked. He gestured me to sit down at the bench nearby and he did the same sitting right next to me.

"Nothing. I just remembered something way back when I was little." I answered as I stared at my hands resting on top of my lap.

"I was rude to you then." He spoke, his voice laced with guilt. I shifted my body sideways to face him and cupped his face with my palm.

"Hey. That's not what I meant. I just remem..."

"I know, I know." He softly cut me off and rested his hand on top of mine that was still on his face. "I just... I don't know why I acted like that towards you back then. Maybe because I was envy." He admitted and suddenly bowed his head, feeling embarrassed at his sudden revelation.

"Envy? But why?"

"Because you have a loving father who always takes care of you like what a normal parent does to his child. I was envious because I don't get to have that much attention like what you got with your father. Then when you came and I noticed that my parents were so fond of you, I thought that it could worsen everything even more. That my parents will just totally neglect me." He said looking somberly. Guilt struck me like a knife a million times upon hearing him say that. I didn't know he felt that way when we were kids. All I know was that the Kwons asked me to be nice to him and be a friend.

"Jiyong..." I reached for his shoulder to comfort him but like earlier, he took my hand and intertwined it with his.

"You don't have to say sorry Dara. It wasn't your fault. I was just stubborn and didn't know any better." He said and finally smiled at me before he continued. "That time, I thought that everything was taken away from me just like a kid whose toy got stolen by a new kid. You know, those kinds of stuff a seven-year-old would normally think." He paused and stared at a distance. "When my parents finally got time to spare, they decided to plan a vacation in Japan. They brought me with them and said that we could have some quality time. I was happy and got really excited but when we got there, Omma said that we will have to meet with one of her friends. Turns out that they're one of their business partners and they went there to settle some stuff with them. We went to their house and that's when I met her, Kiko." I stiffened when he said her name. I don't know why but it really affects me every time her name is being mentioned. "She's the daughter of their business partner in Japan, Noriko. You already met her back at the party."

"Yeah, I did," I answered. My stomach flipped upon remembering that time. It was when they intentionally showed me how unworthy I am of Jiyong. I looked at him and waited for him to continue.

"Kiko was a shy type of girl. She always hides behind the walls or anything that can cover her from being seen especially with people she doesn't know. When her mom introduced her to us, you can really tell how scared she was to her judging by how she looks at her own mother. It's like they're not related or something." He said. That's when I remembered when Bom and I saw them at the restaurant right after our interview. They were distant to each other as if they've just met that time and Kiko can't even look at her mother's eyes.

"Where is her father?" I finally asked the question I've been itching to know the answer.

"He left them. Some say that it's be