Kwon Jiyong:

Let’s talk when you come back to Seoul, please.

Jiyong had sent her this message two days ago, the day she went to the equestrian center with Lucas. She hadn’t reply yet. Well, in fact she didn’t intend on replying. As much as she expected him to genuinely love her, she knew she had to be intelligent and not to trust him. Kwon Jiyong was a man who liked women but he always ended up by breaking their heart. He broke Sandara’s heart once already and she wasn’t going to fall for him again. She couldn’t afford that. Sandara needed to remind herself that he had to love herself first. As hard as it was, she wanted to focus on things that good to her.

At first, Jiyong didn’t intend on sending her a message, but after seeing Sandara on that picture at an equestrian center in England, he couldn’t help but think about that time where he had promised to take her to Jeju. Jiyong had made so many promises to her and he didn’t keep any of them. After seeing the picture, he went to a bar with Seung-hyun. It was the first time the guy went out to a place like this ever since the scandal exploded but he thought he could afford since it was with Seung-hyun, Sandara’s bestfriend. As he drank his whisky, he had told Seung-hyun everything he felt about Sandara and how he had ended up realizing that he had ed up big. Jiyong was scared that after telling her he couldn’t love her, she would just move on to someone else. Sandara was so kind-hearted that she was easy to like and it started to worry him. Maybe she would find someone else to love in England. And to the contrary of all expectations, Seung-hyun was the one who convinced Jiyong to send her a message. After listening to him, asking questions here and there, Dara’s best friend came up with the conclusion that Kwon Jiyong might genuinely like. Even if he was afraid that his friend would end up breaking Sandara’s heart again, he knew that she liked him and that her vacations in London were only postponing the much-needed talk she had to have with Jiyong.

“I don’t know what to do… She seems so happy now that she is away from me. She surely hates me.”

“Well… I don’t think she hate you. She seems in her ‘you dumped me but I’m too cool to show it’ kind of phase.”

“This is driving me crazy.” Jiyong told Seung-hyun as he ran his hand in his already messed up hair.

“You need to be sure you want her back before doing anything Jiyong. I don’t want to scrap her off the ground again.”

“I don’t know what I want anymore Seung-hyun.”

This time, as Seung-hyun looked into Jiyong’s eyes he could see all the pain he was keeping inside. Jiyong didn’t know whom to please anymore. He was struggling between doing what he wanted, what his friends wanted and what his political career obligated him to do. Sure he liked Sandara, but he didn’t feel like getting married yet. He just wanted to live his life day by day but she wasn’t looking for day by day. She was looking for a serious and committed relationship.

“What do you want in life Jiyong?”

“What do you mean?”

Seung-hyun sighted at Jiyong’s stupidity. “What’s your dream?”

“Oh. Well, I want to be the next president of South Korea.”

“Do you think it will come true?”

“I hope so… Well, I mean, except the scandal, I think I have good chances to be elected.”

“And if you got to experience the greatest moment of your life with one person. Who’s standing next to you?” Seung-hyun asked.

Jiyong thought for a few seconds before replying. He definitely wanted to celebrate the election with his family. His dad would be so proud of him for making it to the top. We weren’t talking about fame or entertainment here. We were talking about being the main figure of a country. Of his own country. But at the same time he couldn’t help but think of Sandara. She would be very proud of him too. She was the most intelligent woman he had ever met. She was sweet and caring. She always took the time to check his schedule with his secretary, making sure that he always had at least one hour for lunch break. She always managed to keep him company when he had to stay longer at the office but she was his worst distraction whenever he needed to get things done. Sandara had put all her cards on the tables; she had showed him her heart. He didn’t deserve her but she was the best thing that could ever happen to him if he ever became president.

“Dara.” Jiyong said hesitantly as he looked back at Seung-hyun. “It’s Sandara.” Jiyong said this time with more assurance.

“Then do something about it, no?” Seung-hyun asked him as if he was dumb for not having done anything yet.

Without thinking twice, Kwon Jiyong took his phone and started typing on it, ready to make Sandara remember he still existed. Sandara was supposed to come back to Seoul in a few days and Seung-hyun had offered to pick her up from the airport, offer that she willingly accepted. As much as she liked her vacations with her mother’s side of the family, she missed her hometown. Seoul was her home.

The next morning, the first thing Jiyong did as he woke up was to look at his phone see if she had reply to his text message. Unfortunately, she hadn’t answered. Kwon Jiyong’s confidence faltered a bit a he visualized the scene in his head of her looking at his message before putting back her phone on the table as she kept laughing with her new British boyfriend. He thought about sending her a second text message, but he knew that she didn’t like pushy people. He sighed in disappointment before pushing the duvet aside and getting out of the bed.

“So, she didn’t reply yet?” His brother asked as soon as he exited his bedroom. It was as if the little punk had been waiting for him to get up.

“No she didn’t. And I don’t think she will.” Jiyong said as he made his way towards the living room with his little brother. “I should never have listened to Choi Seung-hyun. She’s probably laughing at me right now with her British cool friends.”

“Well, you kind of deserve it.”

As his younger brother, Mino, started laughing, Jiyong couldn’t help but glare at him. The 15-year-old boy always found the opportunity to laugh at his brothers, he was the little baby of the family and their mom was always on his side, no matter what he did. However, Mino regarded Jiyong as his role model. Anything Jiyong bought, Mino wanted the same ones; if he could he would follow Jiyong around all day long. One day, when Jiyong was still in the army, he even did a presentation on his brother’s duty. And when he was only ten he had read all the books from Platon, after seeing his brother reading them. The only thing Mino didn’t really like about Jiyong was what he had done to Dara. After coming back from Cape Verde, she had spent quite some time at the Kwon mansion and got along very well with Jiyong’s younger brother. She was only 21 so she still remembered how high school was like and she was very comprehensive towards Mino. When she talked to him, she didn’t consider him as a child and it was something that Mino really liked about her. Being the youngest of five brothers and sisters, Mino was usually babied by the whole family.

“I know I deserved it. I just hope she didn’t flirt with anyone there.” Jiyong said as he started sulking.

“God, you’re such a child. Man up a bit, will you?”

“Mino this is not the way you should talk to your oldest brother!”

“But Jiyong you’re acting all softie on the matter when she did exactly what you asked her to do. You wanted her to leave alone and she did so.”

There was a moment of silence before Jiyong replied. “Well, I changed my mind.”

“I hope she’ll get back to you, otherwise I’ll take a chance myself.” Mino said, knowing it would piss his brother off.

“Shut up you little brat.”

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