Days passed until came the graduation of the students. Dara and Bom both were laughing while taking selfies with each other. They then went to their parents and had their family pictures taken.

 

“Get closer,” Rona said to Jiyong and Dara before clicking their pictures together before both Park couple and Kwon couple walked ahead of them not wanting to stay in the middle of eager students.

 

It was only a matter of minutes before Jiyong was take into a storm of adoring female students asking to take pictures with them while Dara was grinning at his frustrated face behind his court smile. There was a loud cheering and teasing when Ella got her chance to take pictures with him. Many screamed in delight when she actually leaned on to kiss him on his cheek.

 

While Dara marveled at such scene, Clint had politely asked her to have picture with him which she cheerfully agreed.

 

“So uhm, Dara?” Clint called out when she was about to go with her parents.

 

“Yes?” she turned to him in smiling face.

 

“Since we already graduated, can I perhaps start to court you?” he asked seriously which made Dara’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Uh-uhm…actually you need to ask my appa about this.”

 

“I will if you allow me,” he said nervously.

 

“I-I guess so?” she said unsure while he suddenly hugged her that literally got the attentions from the other student and began cheering for them.

 

“Ohh Dara has a boyfriend! Woohoo!”

 

“New couple in love!!!!”

 

“This calls for celebrations!”

 

Dara anxiously looked around her while awkwardly smiling at Clint who let her go after the hug.

 

“Sorry, I got excited all.” he apologized.

 

“I-it’s okay. We all have that sometimes.” she said while Clint was pulled by his friends who cheered for him. She looked around for Bom and Jiyong who were eyeing her in a distance.

 

Bom looked at Jiyong’s direction and saw how he clenched his fists together, ignoring Ella now.

 

“Jiyong? Are you alright?” Ella asked him which stole his attention for the moment from Dara.

 

“I’ve to decline your invitation Ell. My family’s celebrating today too. So, good day.”he walked ahead towards Dara’s direction.

 

Bom had already joined Dara when he came over them. His eyes still boring to her which puzzled Dara.

 

“So…what was that while ago?” he asked and Bom noticed how he forced nonchalance on his voice.

 

“He asked me out,” Dara answered.

 

“How about your dad?” he asked again.

 

“He said he’ll be asking them too…my parents.” Dara answered.

 

“Let’s go to parking lot guys. I’m quite tired today.” Bom said while pulling them away from the prying eyes of Ella’s league of supporters.

 

 

Inside Jiyong’s car, Bom saw Dara’s divided attention while wringing her hands nervously and Jiyong’s obvious annoyance emitting off him while he drive silently. Bom just suited himself in the silence of the backseat until they dropped her off her house. She just murmured her goodbyes to them.

 

In the silence of the road Dara finally looked up to Jiyong,

 

“Do you think I should accept Clint?”

 

Jiyong took his silence for a moment and bit his lower lip as if not wanting to answer her.

 

“Answer me please-,”

 

“I thought you’re dropping him off, Dara?” he asked in hissed.

 

“Yes but he persisted.”

 

“Then you should have insisted a no for an answer.”

 

“I can’t speak out of shock, Jiyo.”

 

“Out of shock or out of pleasure to have your crush finally reciprocating your puppy love?”

 

“Are you angry?”

 

“Why would I when you’re stupidly dangling your Clint right in front of my face?”

 

“I’m just asking for opinions!”

 

“Looks like you’ve decided already.”

 

“Looks like you’re just being cranky now, Jiyo.I’m merely asking you.”

 

“Don’t ask me when you’ve already decided your answer for him.”

 

Dara blinked at him in disbelief, “you know what? You’re being an now,”

 

“Oh am I? Who among us is being stupid in front of a stupid guy?”

 

“I can’t believe you just said that. Stop the car now.”

 

Jiyong just ignored while he continued driving.

 

“I said stop the car now!” Dara screamed but when he wasn’t stopping, she suddenly opened the car’s door, making him stepped on the brake.

 

“What’s wrong with you? Get back in the car!”

 

Dara just slammed the door and marched away from the car.

 

“Get lost, Jiyo! I hate you! I hate you so much now!” she screamed even the people had literally glanced over their direction. Jiyong immediately pulled over the side of the road but Dara just ran away from him and got in the bus. She ignored while Jiyong had screamed her name once again but the bus sped off.

 

Upon arriving on her house, Dara climbed over the stairs up her room, crying. She then locked the door on her room and cried on her bed until she fell asleep.

 

Rona told her husband to let her be after Emmie called their house informing her that there seemed to be a fight between Dara and Jiyong after the graduation.

 

Three days had passed but Dara and Jiyong wasn’t in talking terms.

 

“Dear, I thought you have backpacking outing with your friends?” Rona asked one morning when she just woke up and climbed down for breakfast only.

 

“I’m canceling my trip, omma.” she said in cheerless self while eating her breakfast.

 

“Wae? I heard Jiyong and Bom are coming too.” Rona baited.

 

“Much worst. I hate him.” she said.

 

“Oh dear. Just make up already. Besides you and Jiyong had been planning this trip to Japan since long time ago, right?”

 

“I booked my self a tour in China, omma.” she just dismissed.

 

“Will you be alone? China is a big country.” Rona worriedly stated.

 

“It’s a tour. It means I have many foreigner companies. Besides we’ll take the mainland only.” she said. “Don’t say anything to anyone, omma. I’m serious.”

 

In the airport where the flight for Japan has been called out, Jiyong wandered his eyes in the crowded airport, just secretly wishing Dara would come with them.

“Jiyong, let’s go.” Bom said when he was standing still, “Dara’s mom said that she isn’t coming on this trip.”

 

Jiyong sighed heavily while nodding to Bom and boarded in the plane along with the school officers and some from Dara and Bom’s class. He doubted if he’s gonna enjoy the trip at all.

 

Settling on the seat inside the plane, Bom was texting Dara before she put her phone in flight mode. She then turned to Jiyong who randomly scrolling on his playlist on his phone.

 

“Dara’s mom said that Dara booked a tour in mainland China.”

 

Jiyong looked at her in disbelief, “what the heck is she thinking?”

 

Bom just shrugged off her shoulders not knowing Dara’s randomness sometimes. But it only intensified his worried expression.

 

The next day, Dara flew to China trusting her own little education of the language and just wanting to spite Jiyong for getting angry at her. While waiting for the airplane to take off, she scanned her brochures for the tour she is going to undertake with unknown foreigner who also book the tour. She just wished she will enjoy it since her friends’ trip to Japan seemed like to be enjoyable as what she saw on Ella’s IG upload. The jerk was always present on her uploads too. While Bom had tried her hardest to keep it simple on her upload, the rest of her classmates went full blast. She promised that she too will upload as many photos as she can. Just so you wait.

 

***

Dara couldn’t even get a descend pictures since no one will go down with her own quirkiness. Most especially that she was the only young one in the tour. Most of them are friends, there are also couple and workmates. The point is, she was the only one who come alone in the group.

 

It has been their third day and their tour includes the land of Hubei. While she forced herself to just enjoy the tour just for the heck of it, she can’t help herself but feel out of place from the jolly tour. Her hotel room that she missed her bed so much. In the fourth day, the tour already ended and they had been dropped off in the airport with their tour guide tagging along with them, making sure that their tourists under their lists had been safely boarded the plane.

 

Their tour group waited for their turn to be called since the inspection had became so tight in the airport. When they had been called, the security went in frantic upon checking their tour guide’s checklist of places they’ve gone too.

 

“You’ve gone to Hubei?” asked the head security while the tour guide just nodded. Just that and 30 of them in the tour had been send immediately on the nearest hospital to run some test for them, saying they can only get out when their test came out negative.

 

Dara absently complied even when she was taken blood samples. All 30 of them waited in the silence of the hospitals facility. Some of her co-tourist conversed in language she can’t make up while she busied herself into searching what could be the cause of the heightened alert. One website lead her into a breakout of a certain virus in Wuhan and Hubei but it wasn’t even in the news yet. Dara nervously scanned for more and her fingertips stops upon seeing the secret count of death toll in the hospital of Hubei and Wuhan from being infected of the certain virus.

 

It was already night, when the result came out and 30 of them had been readily confined inside the facility of the hospital far away from the crowd of the other patient. There are nervous exchange of words among the tourists while they were being forced inside a negative pressured room and gave them a hospital gown and a mask. A doctor then came to attend them in full protective gear and calmly explained to them the spread of this certain virus that they had in their blood now. So to prevent anymore spread, they needed to be contained until they can find the cure.

 

Dara absently stared at the huge television inside their room after they had been settled down their bed with mask on and hospital gown. The news talk about the virus which wasn’t contain anymore by the government as it infected lots of citizens in the country that some had already died because of it.

 

Some tourists actually cried in fear for their life. Some had calmly assured them that everything’s gonna be alright.

 

***

 

In Busan, Korea.

 

Bom had already settled down her suitcase down her bed and sent an sms to Dara who was still on tour right now. But hour past and she wasn’t responding. She decided to go down the stair and joined her mom in the cafe when the news stole her attentions. Her eyes widened before she ran back to her room to get her phone and immediately dialed Dara’s number but she was out of coverage.

 

In the Kwon residence, both Emmie and Suho had their attention to the TV not noticing Jiyong going down stairs after placing his things on his room.

 

The news was all about the spread of the virus in China and the death toll recorded already.

 

“Omma,” Jiyong called out nervously while staring at the news in the television. “Dara’s already arrived by now, right?”

 

“I don’t know , dear.” Emmie answered in worried voice, “Try calling her Jiyong.”

 

Jiyong nervously dug out his phone and dialed Dara’s number but it was out of reach. He then called her residence while anxiously waiting for someone to pick up the call.

 

“Hello,”Rona greeted the other line.

 

“O-omma,” Jiyong stuttered for too much nervousness now. “Dara’s home right?” he asked.

 

“No dear, we’re heading to the airport since she didn’t call to pick her up two hours ago. Maybe her battery run out so we decided to pick her up.”

 

“R-right. She just…”Jiyong pushed the lumped down his throat. “…she’s probably waiting in there. I-I’ll go too, omma.”

 

“Just stay in your house, dear. We’ll call you when we get in the airport.” Rona assured before ending the call.

 

The three of them forgot about having a dinner while waiting for the Park’s confirmation . they all sat in the living room while Jiyong clasped his phone tightly in bowed head.

 

An hour later, his phone rings with Rona calling him.

 

“Omma?” his voice expecting but Rona’s broken voice made his heart clenched so much.

 

“Dara’s flight was canceled Jiyong after she was confirmed to have been infected along with the other tourists.” Rona said sniffing. “We tried getting flight to China but it was declared that there will be no flight going there until the sickness is cured.”

 

That was all it takes to render him weak on all his joints as he stared at his parents in wide eyes.