After Jiyong had washed himself and gone out the bathroom, he saw Dara soundly sleeping in the bed while she held her phone on her right hand. He placed the towel to it hanger and went to the bed. Slowly he disentangled the phone from her while she stirred on her sleep, mumbling on soft voice and sigh.

 

He placed the phone to the bed side table and smiled to himself after what Dara and Bom did in the ball. No wonder she felt beat tired after their secret practices on Bom’s place every night that she even have a sleep over there for many days. And for that time frame, he missed the little monster nagging him nonstop.

 

The t-shirt he lent her came a little above which shows her bare stomach while she kicked on her sleep.

 

“Aiyoo.” he can only say as she looks really handful to his eyes. He reached to fix the tshirt down.

 

Not a while, his mom came through the door and found her son putting blanket to the sleeping Dara.

 

“dear? Can I have a minute?” Emmie asked while Jiyong walked towards the door and closing it but throwing last glance to her sleeping form before following his mom to the living room where Suho waited.

 

He sat on the couch across them.

 

“Did we wake you up?” Suho asked while Jiyong shook his head while his eyes on two envelops in the glass table. It has individual logo corresponding to the school it originated.

 

“the school had sent these to us after you didn’t respond after it was sent to you.” Suho said.

 

“Is this what Dara said?” Emmie asked while Jiyong a deep sigh.

 

“Like I said, I don’t care about those school.”

 

“Isn’t studying to Harvard your goal, son?” Suho asked but he kept his silence. “the grants includes everything in your expenses. We wont be paying so much in your education.”

 

Emmie saw how constricted their son look that she placed a hand to Suho’s shoulder.

 

“What’s your hold up, dear?” Emmie gently asked.

 

Jiyong just bit his lower lip and lowered his eyes to the envelops he suspected came from universities who wanted him to study there.

 

“I’ll study here, omma, appa.” he just said. “I’ll have part time jobs in Seoul if that’s what I have to in supporting my study.”

 

“Son, money is never an issue here.” Suho looked at those letters in the table too. “So what school do you want to attend then?”

 

“Since you want to study medicines, your choices will be between Seoul or Kaist University.” Emmie said. “So which is it, dear?”

 

Their discussion was halted when their attention snapped on the second floor where Dara sleepily trudge down the stairs. Her body even swayed due to sleepiness that Jiyong literally run towards her.

 

“What are you doing, Dee?” he asked when he met her in the stairs.

 

“I was alone in the room and I have bad dreams,” she whined in half closed eyes.

 

“Really?” he asked while she nodded. He then turned her back up the direction of his room while he glance briefly at his parents. “I’ll speak to you next time.” Suho and Emmie nodded quite getting a good grasp what was his hold up. They then remembered their son who was diagnosed to have partial autism at young age that he can’t speak until he was six years old. The time where Dara came into his life. She was very talkative while he wasn’t. she played with him even though he wasn’t a very jolly kid. Everyday, she was visiting him and he came to expect for her everyday. It goes on for whole year while Jiyong’s cognitive was significantly improving as well as his speech and locomotive skills. He was talking more and more while talking to the little girl who kept on visiting their son. It even came to the point where the Park couple had to pick up Dara because she had slept to Jiyong’s room.

 

And then one day, the Park family had an emergency travel to the province after Rona’s father had an heart attack and no one will take care of him.

For the whole month, the Park had stayed away from Busan to take care of Rona’s father and Jiyong goes back to his old self while constantly looking outside the window. His development depleted and Suho and Emmie contacted Rona to explain their son’s behaviour, they actually offered to take care of Dara and had her under their care. When Rona agreed, Emmie was the one who flew to Jiju and to get Dara who happily complied.

 

When Jiyong saw his mom coming with Dara, he literally ran to the door, crying and hugged Dara tightly.

 

Suho and Rona can only looked at their son helplessly.

 

12 years later and Jiyong didn’t even show any signs of his previous diagnoses except for his brilliance on his studies and in every field he put mind into. But even when he excelled so much, Jiyong can’t seemed to help himself but be attach to the person who helped him to be where he is now.

 

“honey, I think we should not let them sleep together anymore,” Suho suggested.

 

Emmie just chuckled, “try saying that to Dara,”

 

“Never mind,”

 

“Thought so,” Emmie said, “You can’t resist her cuteness combos.”

 

***

 

Dara had pillowed on Jiyong’s chest while he hummed for her until she felt sleepy again.

 

“Jiyo…”she mumbled in closed eyes that he had to check if she was awake. Turns out she wasn’t when she resumed to her lolling soft breathing that it always made him smile every time. He stared at the ceiling thinking on his discussion with his parents while back until he fell asleep.

 

In the morning Jiyong woke up with Dara hovering over him while playing on her phone she might have reached to the bed table on his side.

 

He groaned and tried pushing her off to her side. When she was thrown to her side of the bed, her gaze still on the phone while battling all the zombies on her phone. She then scream loudly when she was losing the game making him plant pillows to his ears.

 

“Dara! For Pete sake!” he glared at her.

 

Dara just grudgingly threw her hands down her sides when she lost the battle.

 

“Let’s make pancake, Jiyo.” she then faced him.

 

“I’m sleeping, Dee. Go head and make it.” he said in mumble.

 

“But I can’t do it alone.” she said. “and it’s too early.”

 

“Aish.” Jiyong slowly bolted up from the bed while Dara happily jumped in glee and followed him to the door.

 

In kitchen, Dara was swinging her legs while sitting in the kitchen counter. Jiyong was done mixing the pancake before he put it in the hot pan. Because she was a little bit hungry, she stole the Nutella from the fridge and enjoyed it through scooping it with spoon. Jiyong turned to her and see what was she’s doing right at the moment. The clock hits 4am in the dot and this little monster decided to wake him up randomly. Grudgingly, he grabbed the nutella filled spoon and get his own share too ignoring how she grimaced at him.

 

“I just hope I still have flu right now so that it can be passed to you,”

 

Jiyong just smirked at her, “Like I say, I have strong immunity,”

 

“Peesh,” she scowled while she at the remaining Nutella from the spoon before scooping for another while Jiyong had filled the plates with the pancakes. They decided to eat it there with Dara still sitting the kitchen counter with Jiyong leaning his shoulders enclosing her.

 

Jiyong fed her, placing it with the sweet syrup while she does the same to him.

 

“Yum!” She grinned at him while he chewed the pancake slowly, eyeing her seriously.” What?”

 

“You’re so handful, you know that?”

 

Dara only tilted her head and shrugged her shoulders to him.

 

“Cute,” he said.

 

“Not as cute as your Ella Loona,” she said. “I read so many stories of this Jilla fics.”

 

Jiyong just rolled his eyes but didn’t pushed himself away from her even though they finished the pancake.

 

“So how’s going with this Clint guy?”

 

“Oh, I might replace him soon,”

 

Jiyong’s couldn’t hide the smirk on his face, “Wae?”

 

“He’s so bouncy. Imagine if we have kids. I am bouncy and he is bouncy, what will happened to our kids then? They gotta be dribbling everywhere.” she said which send Jiyong into a laughing frenzy while she laugh at his laugh too, letting him leaned his head to her other shoulder. “Right? Even you thought of that as hilarious pair.”

 

“Have you been thinking that for long?”

 

Dara nodded, “when I’m taking a leak,”

 

“That’s disgusting,” he said.

 

“Not to me. I leaked for at at least ten seconds and I’d like to spent it thinking something wholesome.”

 

“you’re so freaking weird.”

 

“What? Bom does that too.”

 

“I don’t have to know that,” he said widening his eyes to him.

 

“I bet Ella does that too,”

 

“Oh alright, that’s enough.” he gave her a hot choco he prepared.

 

Dara happily accepted it and blow some air on the steamy mug. “Too bad I can’t have this moment forever,”

 

“What are you saying?”

 

“we’re both studying in college. I’m gonna miss my best friend making me pancakes and choco drink,” she said while concentrating on her hot mug while Jiyong leaned over the opposite counter while eyeing her.

 

“Have you been thinking that while taking a leak?” he asked while she giggled.

 

“Nope.” she said. “You deserve better in my schedules,”

 

“Where am I in your schedules then?”

 

“Just random moments whenever Bom and I seeing you with Ella. Someone said she’s attending the same college as you. We’ll she’s the 2^nd best in the school to start with.”

 

“No one’s missing nobody, Dara. We’re studying together in the same university. You hear me?”

 

“What is that even mean?”

 

“What I mean to say is, if you got accepted to lower standard school with no studies on medicines, then I’m gonna change my field of interest.”

 

“Are you nuts? That’s a total shift from your goal, Jiyo!” she said. “You can’t do that. Those schools are wooing you. Count Harvard as good example to that.”

 

“We have top schools in Korea, Dara. It’s not like its the end of the world when I wont study there.”

 

“Still, its Harvard Jiyo.”

 

“Are you really pushing me away, Dee?” he asked in frowning face this time, “Do you really dislike me in your college life?”

 

“It’s not what I meant, Jiyo.” she said while jumping down the counter and walked towards him when she knew he was closed to being mad again. “I like it so much when we’re together, like this. You know.”

 

“then what’s the problem?” he looked down to her now and she sigh when his displeased expression didn’t change at all.

 

“You might regret it one day,”

 

“I wont,”

 

Dara bowed down and reached to the hem of his shirt, “Alright,”

 

Jiyong’s expression light up, “Define your alright, Dee.” he said that made her look up to him.

 

“What school in Seoul which had studies on medicine?”

 

“Wae?”

 

“Well, I gotta need to get in for you to be in there too, gezz.”

 

“Kaist and Seoul university.” he answered.

 

“Well, you need to tutor me all summer then. I think I would just sleep in the review classes anyway.”

 

Jiyong actually grabbed her shoulders, “No taking back words.”

 

“No. It’s against our rules.” Dara said giggled not noticing how her words just lighted up his mood.

 

They then hanged out in the living room while Dara had a bowl of cereals while Jiyong just suit himself with milk.

 

Rona woke up and found both Dara and Jiyong watching a rewind of the Big Bang theory while Jiyong laughed along with Dara.

 

“Oh someone was hungry,” Rona said which stole their attention to them.

 

“Good morning, Omma!” Dara greeted cheerfully while Jiyong just smiled to her.

 

“We made a mess in the kitchen, Dee’s got hungry early in the morning,” Jiyong explain.

 

“That’s alright, dear.” Rona went to the kitchen and cleaned up the place. “Don’t you have school activity dear?” she asked Jiyong who was just casually placing his arm around Dara’s shoulder while he changed the channel into star movies.

 

“In the afternoon mom.” he answered.

 

“That movie’s great. Let’s watch it.” Dara said.

 

“So any plans for the morning?” Rona asked again. While following Dara with her eyes who stood up and hopped towards the kitchen.

 

“Omma, Omma,” she excitedly called.

 

“Yes dear?”

 

“I’m gonna be studying in Kaist.” she declared while she went to get some food in the fridge.

 

“Have you been accepted, Dee? I thought You’re still taking review classes for the upcoming entrance exam?”

 

“I’ll be dropping the review class. Jiyo will tutor me instead.” she smiled as she grabbed the eggnog out.

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Uhuh. We’ll study in the same university. But I’m crossing my hands to get accepted at Kaist so that Jiyo will have his studies on medicine there.” She then went back to the couch beside Jiyong.

 

“Looks like you two got a very good breakfast while ago, dear?” she asked Jiyong who just smiled over his shoulder.

 

“Yes, we did.”

 

Rona shook her head in disbelief how these two decided it for themselves.