Dara and Bom had decided to go out later the Saturday afternoon at one of their favorite cafe where Bom's parents were both managing the business.

 

"Don't go home late, Bommie yah!" Called out Bom's mom when they come out the cafe with their own milk teas.

 

"I thought you gonna be hanging out with Jiyong?" Bom asked while sipping her tea.

 

"His princess came over his house," Dara said while playing with her straw.

 

"Ah. Ella's very obvious with her feelings."

 

"Yup. I can even smell it from distance." Dara said before sniffing at the atmosphere, " Strange, I can smell it even here." she said before feeling Bom's nudging her and nodded to their front.

 

Jiyong was lazily walking beside Ella while pocketing his hands to his jacket. They are coming their way and by the looks of it, they were very engrossed to their conversation that they didn't notice them. Bom and Dara had to give way for them when they almost got past them. Bom and Dara looked each other, while shrugging their shoulders and went opposite their direction when Jiyong looked up after having a whiffed on the air that familiar baby cologne. He looked at his back, he saw Dara and Bom talking something while walking opposite their direction.

 

Dara could almost jumped in surprise when someone grabbed her milk tea off her grip. When she glanced to her side to see who it is, Jiyong was grinning at her after sipping from her milk tea.

 

"Yah, get your own beverage, Jiyo." she said and snatched it back off his grip. "Go back to your date," she said in low voice.

 

"We're not dating just talking random things." he said. "are you going home?" he asked.

 

"not really. We're eating out at noodle land over there." Dara pointed to the ramen shop nearby.

 

"Not fair. I'm coming too." he said while calling out Ella to their direction.

 

Bom and Dara silently widened their eyes at each other. Looks like they'll be two of chaperons with this couple.

 

Upon settling down the table, they ordered their food.

 

"I'll have hot and spicy ramen double size. Don't put eggs and a serving of kimchi." Dara ordered while Bom decided to have black paste noddles same as Dara's volume as if they had been deprived of food for many days.

 

"Uhm, I can't really finish one bowl of ramen, mind sharing it with me, Jiyongie?" she asked to him while paused for a moment not really into sharing but he just nodded in agreement.

 

Both Bom and Dara secretly nudged each other when Ella is advancing to Jiyong in a subtle way. When she asked question, she always grab Jiyong's shoulder while the jerk would play innocent of her advances while he answered to her inquiries.

 

"Oh, by the way, I messaged Clint to come over since he was just in the next block. I hope you don't," she asked Jiyong who just shrugged. However Dara was a little bit alarm by that revelation. She should have taken a bath today! Eottoki!

 

Dara secretly kicked Jiyong's feet under the table but she can't seemed to reached his feet. She sent him signals but Ella had occupied his attention for herself. She leaned down to Bom to make her up for something just to excused them now but her eyes then went to the entrance of the noddle shop when Clint entered in.

 

"Hi, guys!" the school's star player waved at them before he joined them in the table. "Hey, there, Dee." he greeted her with his most dazzling smile that could almost blind her.

 

Bommie was the one who reciprocated his greeting when Dara's brain went blank while stupidly staring at him.

 

"Didn't know you guys love this place. I love this place!" he said enthusiastically then laugh cheerily. "this is so perfect, right Dee?"

 

"you are perfect." Dara said absentmindedly before she snapped into herself when she felt Bommie pinching her secretly. "I-I mean, right? Pfft! Can this day get any better?" she said trying to be cool when all her insides went cold. She just hope that her Listerine helped concealed her bath-less self right now.

 

Clint just laughed at her randomness before leaning to her face that Dara's eyes widened while he immediately close afraid what might he smell there.

 

"It's gonna be fun to be your boyfriend. Wanna be mine?" he asked which made Dara's heart beat faster. It didn't take a while before Bom and Jiyong shielded her away from him.

 

"Easy big guy, Dee's not allowed for boyfriend for now." Bommie immediately reinforced.

 

"I'm not?" Dara asked stupidly.

 

"Why not? She's already in the age to have a boyfriend," Ella interjected.

 

"Unless you are very willing to kiss her dad's rifle in the house, be our guest." Jiyong said to him which obviously shut him up. "After this, you can try visit her properly in her house."

 

"Although, I should warn you, you shouldn't. Her father's really own one big rifle, Clint." Bom reinforced.

 

Clint held his hands up and chuckled nervously while Dara glared at Jiyong and Bom in secret.

 

 

***

After that eventful gathering, Dara was riding Jiyong's car back to her home.

 

"You and Bom should be really thrown into space." she muttered.

 

"Wae?"

 

"That's my chance!"

 

"Chance of what?"

 

"Chance to experience having a boyfriend. Duh." she rolled her eyes.

 

"unless if you want him dead, so be it. Bring him home and I'm not even watching over a person being gunned down by your father."

 

"Still!"

 

"You can't even do proper maths just yet and here you are thinking of having a boyfriend. We gonna be in college for the next three months Dee, be serious with your preparation.University life isn't a plaything."

 

Dara just murmured under her breath, mimicking him.

 

"Aiyoo. And to think you didn't take a bath today."

 

"So what? Good for you. You're allowed to have girlfriend. So am I banned from your room from now on?"

 

"Girlfriend? We're just friends."

 

"Yeah right. A friend who go rub rub on your shoulder like this and smiling like a potato like this." she acted in much exaggerate actions that Ella did.

 

 

Jiyong laughed at her face, "We slept together." he said.

 

"no. We're having a war in our sleep who's gonna dominate the bed for the whole night and who's gonna be in the floor." she said.

 

"We both won." he said.

 

"You build resistance to my ninja kicks." Dara lifted her legs to the dashboard.

 

"Put it down, gezz." he said.

 

Pulling over Dara's house, she turned to him when he turned off the engine.

 

"You're sleeping over?" she asked him.

 

"It's boring in the house." he said while he locked the car when they got out.

When they got in the house, it's already dark outside and the delicious smell coming from the kitchen indicated that dinner will be served soon.

 

"Omma, appa we're here!" Dara called out.

 

"Jiyo's here?" Rona had to check it as she left the pan for a moment. "Oh! Good timing. I'm cooking your favorites."

 

"Nice," Jiyong grinned while they both climbed the stairs up her room.

 

Dara was putting moisturizer to her face after she was done washing herself. In the reflection of the mirror, she saw Jiyong getting out her shower too then traced his way to her dressing room where he change into his set of clothes in there.

 

Jiyong then went to the mirror and shared at the reflection with her while fixing his hair in place,

 

Not a while, they were called for dinner.

 

 

“Race you down there. Loser gonna wash dishes.” Dara stood up hastily and run towards the door. She grinned when she thought she was winning but Jiyong bolted fast towards her direction. While they were running, she pushed him sideways but he wasn’t budging.

 

Rona and Jay had to look up when the two were running down the stairs in contest again.

 

“Winner!” Dara chanted when he launched to seat on her chair but she was swatted with a ladle instead. “Yah! Omma!” she protested.

 

“No running.” Rona said.

 

While Jiyong calmly settled himself across her.

 

“Jiyo was running too!” she said.

 

Rona faced Jiyo this time, “tell me dear, did you start the running?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Thought so.” Rona dismissed to Dara’s disgruntlement while she can only glare at Jiyong.

 

Amidst their meal while talking on random things, Dara accidentally voiced out about the thing that happened a while ago in the ramen shop.

 

“Mwolago?” Jay put down his spoon and fork after hearing a man’s advancing for his baby.

 

“Uhm…” Dara’s eyes widened when she faced her dad’s angry face. She then kicked Jiyong’s feet under the table who only looked at her in nonchalant expression. She send him signal to help her out.

 

“he wont be coming near her, appa.” Jiyong said which immediately calmed down Jay.

 

“is that so?” Jay confirmed while Jiyong just nodded.

 

“in fact, Dara’s gonna be washing the dishes tonight,” Jiyong looked at Dara who secretly murdering him inside her brain.

 

After the dinner, Dara was indeed the one washing the dishes while Jiyong helped her in wiping those plates.

 

Rona and Jay were in the living room, watching some american shows that Dara suggested.

 

“You should be the one washing these,” Dara hissed.

 

“Not my fault if you blabber your crush’s name in front of your dad.” Jiyong said while Dara just grudging washing the last plate. She looked at the faucet and a mug before an evil smile appeared her face.

 

When Jiyong was lazily wiping the plates with a napkin, he suddenly felt cold to his nape when Dara poured water inside his shirt.

 

“Oh no, I thought you’re a sink.” Dara innocently said while grinning and putting back the mug in the counter while trying to run away but Jiyong already got her shirt and he unceremoniously splashed her with good amount of water he scooped through his other hand.

 

“Yah! I just moisturized my face!” Dara got her revenged when she the faucet in full blast and scoop water from there and splashed it to his face. They pushed each other while trying to win who dominates the faucet.

 

Jiyong was pushed away the faucet while Dara laughed evilly and splashed him more water that it wets the whole kitchen. He then run to the refrigerator and pick the cold bottled water in there.

 

Dara eyes widened while he opened the bottle with an evil smile, “you wouldn’t.”

 

“Oh I will.” he then splashed the cold water to her making her gasped for the chill it creates.

 

“Omma! Appa! Jiyong’s wasting the water!” she called out but no one seemed to be on her side while she changed her base and run towards the ref and got her own bottled water. She then throw its content to Jiyong then run up the stairs to her room while he was running after her. They were both throwing each other cold water until their bottle run out.

 

Dara threw the empty bottle to him while he dodged it. Her eyes widened when Jiyong has another spare of water to his other hand that she run, screaming.

 

“Andwe!!!!!!” she ran when Jiyong had climbed up the stairs.

 

Rona and Jay just gazed at them in bored look wiping their faces with traces of water from the commotion that Dara and Jiyong did just while ago.

 

“I just instructed for cleaning the dishes and not bathe the whole house.” Rona said while not taking her eyes off the TV.

 

“Who’s gonna clean up?” Jay asked.

 

“Rock, paper, scissors?”Rona held her hand up to which Jay participated. He groaned when he lost it while she grinned widely.

 

“Oh bring me popcorn after you’re done, honey.” Rona said.

 

“Got it.”